First Cleaning
By Dr. Linda Niessen -- Baylor College of Dentistry STORY: First Cleaning SCRIPT #467 DHC MASTER #16 Timecode: 16:41
Monday, December 01, 2003
When should a young child get their first dental x-rays and cleaning? Many parents wait until the child enters kindergarten. But Dr. Linda Niessen suggests parents take their preschool age children for the first dental cleaning and full check-up in this week's Dental Health Check.
Stanton Pruitt shows no fear of dentistry. At age three, he undergoes his first set of dental x-rays and a thorough dental cleaning. "We wanted to get him into a dentist early and start off the situation positively. Make it fun. And make him look forward to it," said Amy Pruitt, Stanton's mom.
By age 2 ½ to 3 years, all 20 baby teeth have come in, which makes this a good time for the first professional dental cleaning and x-rays.
"Generally by 2 and a half or three, most children will lay down in the chair, or sit up on the end of the chair and allow you to use the prophy angle, have a fluoride treatment and radiographs," says pediatric dentistg Dr. Barrie Choate. "It's all about communication," he continues. "Key to cooperation is communication. And if you've prepared them along the way -- if parents have prepared them -- most of the time you can talk to a child and make them comfortable enough to take care of that whole procedure."
So what are the common mistakes parents make? According to Dr. Choate, "Informing them too much in a threatening manner. Parents who've told the child that if they don't allow them to brush their teeth, or if they don't quit snacking, that they're going to have to take them to the dentist and get a big shot in their mouth. So children develop a fear before they've even walked in the door that they're going to be hurt based on their behavior at home and the lack of care of their teeth."
As a parent of a young child, choose your words carefully. Never say pain, needle or shot in the same sentence with 
dentist. And if you are a fearful dental patient yourself, your child may do better when you stay in the reception area. For Baylor College of Dentistry, The Texas A & M Health Science Center in Dallas, I'm Dr. Linda Niessen.
Dr. Linda Niessen, clinical professor in the Department of Restorative Sciences and the Office of Communications and Development at Baylor College of Dentistry, hosts Dental Health Check, the only weekly dental feature shot on location in the nation.
