When you are a parent, every “first” in your children’s lives are important. Their first steps, words, and haircut are all memories for you and milestones in your little ones’ development.

Your son or daughter’s first trip to the dentist is a big step, too — for you and your child. You want to find a family dentist who you trust and who is happy to work with your child.

You want a dentist office like Dr. James Ross, Family, Cosmetic & Laser Dentistry. We were honored to win the 2015 Metro Parent Magazine’s Mom’s Choice Award. We think this showed that we are doing something right for our youngest patients.

Today we will be discussing what you can expect during your child’s first visit to our office. We also want to share some oral health tips you can follow at home.

If you would like to learn more about our approach to pediatric dentistry in Novi, MI, all you have to do is contact us. You can call 248-697-2487 or use our online form.

Oral Care Should Start Early

Regular dental visits are certainly important to your child’s long-term oral health, but what you do every day makes a bigger impact. For this reason, we are are sharing some advice from the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry.

Oral care can begin as soon as your child is born. If you have gums, you can get gum disease. When your first tooth comes in, you can get tooth decay.

Before your son or daughter’s first tooth erupts, the AAPD recommends wiping his or her mouth with a cloth and water. You can use a soft-bristled toothbrush appropriate for your child’s mouth when the first tooth emerges.

You only need a small amount of toothpaste — about the size of a grain of rice — to gently scrub the first teeth. When two teeth are side-by-side, you also can begin flossing between them. Remember to be gentle.

You should continue to brush and floss your child’s teeth until he or she starts to express an interest in doing this on their own. Many kids will do this around age 2 or 3.

At this time, you can start using a pea-sized squeeze of toothpaste. At first, you may want to brush your teeth at the same time as your child to demonstrate what to do and how long to do it (two minutes, twice a day).

Even when you are comfortable that your children understand what to do, you may want to observe what they are doing to make sure they are brushing and flossing like they should.

First Dental Visit With Us

Most children will have all their primary teeth around their second birthday. This also can be a great time for their first visit to our dentist office.

We understand that parents and children can both be a little nervous during this first official trip to see the dentist. It’s why we try to make this a special occasion for your family.

We may encourage you to schedule a cleaning for yourself beforehand. This can help your child see that dental cleanings are OK.

A member of our team will be happy to give you and your child a tour of our office, too. We can show you some of our cool gadgets and tools.

As part of your visit, your son or daughter may get to take a ride on one of our dental chairs, try out our vision glasses where they can watch one of their favorite TV shows, and snuggle up with a cozy blanket and a Tempur-Pedic pillow.

Who knows? Your child may even win a prize by playing one of our games.

Please keep in mind that your child’s dental visit is a great educational opportunity for you as a parent. Our staff can answer questions about everyday issues like thumb-sucking, bottle feeding, and children’s cups.

New Patients Are Welcome

We hope to build a long-term relationship with all the families who visit our dentist office, but we also know that has to start somewhere.

If you are looking for a new family dentist or you are new to the Novi, MI area, we encourage you to visit our new patient page. There you can find more information about us and our services.

To plan your or your child’s first visit with us, call 248-697-2487 or contact us online today.