My four year old niece’s teeth is starting to have cavities in them because of her milk. It’s common with babies and toddlers. Some children even have their teeth chipping as young as two years old. So, her mom brought her to the dentist where a lady curiously asked why they were there when the kid is still so young.

At what point do you actually bring your child for his or her first dentist visit?

The thing is, most dentist will tell you that the earlier it is, the better for the child. You don’t have to bring them to the dentist if they are complaining of an aching teeth. But bring them early can help them get acquainted with the idea that there’s a doctor who can look after their teeth.

Most kids are usually afraid of going to the dentist, but if you make her first visit a mildly pleasant one, she will most likely not develop this phobia.

In fact, the American Dental Association recommends bringing baby as soon as her first teeth erupts. You can read more about baby’s teeth in this link from ADA.

My niece’s first dentist visit was actually pretty nice as she was able to sit in the dentist chair and have the doctor examine her. She was relaxed and quite curious as well and the dentist taught her, in terms she can understand, how to properly care for her teeth. My son had a similar experience and true enough, these kids don’t avoid dentist visits we schedule for them yearly.

Now that your child has begun to walk, talk and feed himself, it’s a good time to buy a spillproof cup. Experts says babies should start drinking from a cup at about age 1. Why the rush to wean? because prolonged and frequent bottle use can lead to cavities in baby teeth as well as in the permanent ones forming underneath.According to Fred Ferguson a professor of pediatric dentistry, Baby-bottle tooth decay occurs when the sugars in milk, juice and other beverages react with bacteria in a baby’s mouth to form acid.

So here are the following tips to make the switch (from bottle to cup) easier:

* You should make the cup irresistable: Let your child  drink from the cup to quench his thirst during meals and then offer him his bottle afterward. Once things are going well, you can cut the bottle out completely. You can also offer only water in your child’s bottle while filling the cup with his favorite drinks. Water doesn’t promote tooth decay and given the choice, a child will choose a cup filled with milk or juice over a bottle of plain water.

*Distract him with other things- If your toddler asks for his bottle, try distracting him with a toy, an activity, or a snack instead. Let your toddler see you or other older siblings  drinking from a cup. Chances are he’ll be doing what you and the other big kids are doing.

* Continue to encourage him – If your gradual  weaning isn’t working, (your last option is to  throw all your toddler’s bottles) you can always praise him for being a big kid and explain the the” bottle man” is coming soon to collect bottles for all the new babies being born. Toddlers may complain for two or three days but typically they will move on.

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