When should my child first see a dentist?
By Make Me Smile Dental Health Centre, Shastri Nagar Lane 2, Andheri West · Updated 1 October 2026
The short answer
Book your child’s first dental visit when the first tooth appears, or by their first birthday. Early visits are short and gentle, and help children get used to the dentist before they ever need treatment. After that, a check-up every six months is usually enough.
The goal of a first visit isn’t treatment. It’s making sure your child walks out thinking the dentist is a friendly place.
What happens at the first visit
- Your child sits on your lap or in the chair, whichever feels better
- We count their teeth, check the gums and look for early signs of decay
- We talk to you about brushing, diet, bottles, thumb-sucking and fluoride
- It’s short. Most first visits take 15 to 20 minutes
How to prepare your child
- Talk about it positively and keep it simple: “The dentist will count your teeth.”
- Avoid words like “hurt”, “injection” or “drill”
- Book a time when they’re usually rested, not at nap time
- Bring a favourite toy
Protecting milk teeth at home
- Brush twice a day, with fluoride toothpaste (a rice-grain smear under three, pea-sized after)
- Keep sweets and juice to mealtimes rather than snacking through the day
- Don’t let them fall asleep with a bottle of milk or juice
We see whole families at Make Me Smile, and you can bring the kids together on a Sunday. Read about kids’ dentistry or book a first visit.
More questions
Do milk teeth really need fillings?
Often, yes. Milk teeth hold space for adult teeth and help children chew and speak. A decayed milk tooth can hurt, get infected and affect the adult tooth underneath.
How much toothpaste should my child use?
A smear the size of a grain of rice until age three, then a pea-sized amount of fluoride toothpaste. Supervise brushing until about age seven or eight.