We did something similar, but honestly, we waited a bit longer—closer to 18 months—mostly because I was worried about the cost and if it'd even be worth it at that age. But looking back, I wish we'd gone sooner. My son had a tough time adjusting to the dentist chair and all the weird tools... it took several visits before he felt comfortable enough to even open his mouth without tears. Sounds like your dentist's advice might've saved us some headaches (and tantrums) down the line.
Did your dentist do anything specific during those early visits, or was it mostly just getting familiar with the office and staff? I'm curious if there's anything parents can do at home beforehand to make that first trip smoother.
We waited until about 2 years old, mostly because I'm cheap and figured baby teeth fall out anyway, right? 😂 But yeah, first visit was just letting her poke around the office, sit in the chair, and meet the dentist. At home, we played pretend dentist a few times with a flashlight and toothbrush—it helped a bit. Still had tears, but at least no full-blown meltdowns... small victories.
"Still had tears, but at least no full-blown meltdowns... small victories."
Haha, totally relate to this! We took our son around 18 months because our pediatrician kept nudging us about it. Honestly, I felt the same way—baby teeth are temporary, right? But the dentist explained it's more about getting them comfortable early on. We did the pretend dentist thing too, flashlight and all, and it definitely helped ease some anxiety. Still had a few sniffles and suspicious looks at the dentist's office, but nothing major. You're doing great by making it playful at home; those little steps really do add up. Before you know it, she'll be hopping into that chair like it's no big deal... or at least tolerating it without tears. Small victories indeed!
We started around the one-year mark too—honestly mostly because our dentist is super proactive and talked us into it. At first I thought it was way too early, like "seriously, what are they gonna do with a kid who barely has teeth?" But turns out it's actually pretty helpful. They mostly just peek at the gums, count teeth, and chat about brushing habits. Low stress stuff...plus stickers at the end help ease any leftover grumpiness, haha. Definitely worth it to avoid meltdowns later on.
We did ours around 18 months, mostly because I kept putting it off thinking the same thing—like, what's the dentist gonna tell me that I don't already know? But honestly, once we went, I wished we'd done it sooner. Like you said:
"Low stress stuff...plus stickers at the end help ease any leftover grumpiness, haha."
Exactly our experience. Those stickers are magic, lol.
