It is vital for children to develop the habit of regular oral check-ups from an early age. Why is that? Because once a child develops the habit of regular dental visits from an early age, this habit will help them stick with maintaining their oral health for a lifetime and benefit from it. What is the right time for the first dental visit? Parents must take their children to the dentist once from the time their first milk teeth come in at 6 months to around 1 year of age. Some people may say: A child this young needs a dental appointment? Is there a doctor to see? This is a common misconception in China. Most people believe that children, especially those less than a week old, do not need dental care. Most general dentists also feel that it is too much work to see such a young child because they are not trained to see such a young child, so parents often get the response “come back when your child is older”. Before the child is 1 year old, take the child to the dentist for an oral examination, in the United States this is not only long recognized by parents and dentists common sense, there are specially trained in general dentistry exclusive children’s dental specialist for the young children to conduct oral examination. Professional pediatric dentists have received a series of professional training in child psychology, child behavior, etc. They are experienced and have their own set of methods, and can easily handle crying children. Many doctors in China do not know how to receive young children because they are not professionally trained, so they think that receiving a child is time-consuming and relatively inexpensive – it is a thankless task to receive a child in a job where time is money. In this case, parents should consciously choose a dentist who has experience in examining children’s dentistry; they will not spend a lot of time on coaxing children and still get the desired results. The cooperation of parents is very important in developing the habit of regular check-ups at the dental hospital for children from a young age. Parents need to understand in advance how to cooperate with the doctor to ensure that their children can successfully complete the dental examination and help them to develop a good habit of dental examination as soon as possible. When the doctor sees a child between the ages of 6 months and 1 year, the parent and the doctor usually have to sit face to face, with the parent placing the child on his or her lap, securing the child’s arms and legs with both hands, and leaning the child’s head on the doctor’s lap with the doctor’s eyes directly in front of the child’s mouth. The child does not need to lie in the dental chair, but rather in mom and dad’s arms the entire time, so the child will feel secure and less likely to cry. Children of this age generally do not have serious oral problems, and the doctor mainly examines whether there are abnormalities in the development of teeth, lips, tongue, ligatures, cheeks and gums, and instructs parents to brush the child’s teeth correctly. The doctor rarely performs therapeutic operations, so the child is not easily frightened by pain and can easily cooperate with the examination. After such a gentle and non-invasive examination, the child will not be afraid of the examination again in a few months. After many repetitions, the child will gradually get used to the same examination environment and the same doctors and nurses, and a fixed pattern will be formed in their young heart, so they will not reject the doctor’s behavior of examining their mouth. Of course, each child’s personality and needs are different, and each doctor’s way of receiving children is also different. Some doctors have the habit of asking parents to wait outside the office. The truth is that the earlier the child is allowed to face the doctor independently, the easier it is for the child to cooperate with the treatment and avoid over-dependence, which facilitates the operation. Some parents may not be able to accept this, which requires parents to communicate with the doctor in advance to achieve mutual understanding. Some doctors allow parents to enter the consultation room, but do not allow them to talk to distract them from the treatment, and can only hold the child’s hand or physically assist the doctor in the treatment. Parents should be careful not to reprimand their child in front of the doctor, as this will only undermine the child’s confidence to continue with the treatment. Some parents have a “dentist phobia” and a fear of oral examination instruments, when the parent’s nervousness is easily spread to the child, affecting the child’s treatment results, parents with this condition is best to wait in the waiting room. Other parents want to stay in the treatment room to observe the doctor’s every move for reasons of distrust. This invariably puts pressure on the doctor and the child feels this pressure to become nervous, making treatment unfavorable. This means that if you choose this doctor, you have to give him 100% trust. When the child is old enough to talk smoothly with the doctor, communicate well, and has no fear, we recommend that parents wait outside the office. This will send the message to the child that “you are a big boy and can be in there on your own”, which will help them develop their independence and slowly eliminate the need for company at future visits. Each pediatric dentist has its own unique way of dealing with children. In order to ensure a smooth treatment, it is important for parents to know what the doctor’s techniques are in dealing with their child. Some doctors like to coax the child into a gentle explanation, while others use sedation when they determine that coaxing is not working. Of course, there are also children who do not cooperate with any method, and the practice of American dentists is usually that they do not rush treatment, but rather make appointments to see the child again in a few weeks, allowing the child to get acquainted with the environment from week to week. If all else fails and the child is still uncooperative, the doctor will use various sedation methods, such as laughing gas or general anesthesia, which are generally acceptable to the parents. In the United States, there is generally no forced treatment. The practice of holding down the child’s mouth and nose to loudly reprimand a crying child has long since been banned, and any methods involving verbal violence and physical coercion require parents to sign a prior informed consent form, or the doctor will be held legally responsible. From the child’s first dental visit to the eventual development of oral care habits is a gradual process that must not be rushed. It does not matter if the first treatment is not successful, there will be a second and a third time. Parents should give their children time to get used to the environment and the doctor, as this condition is extremely normal. Even if the child is uncooperative and cries the first time, do not criticize or blame. We recommend that parents show full understanding of their child’s efforts to overcome fear, saying things like “You were just a little nervous today” and “Next time try harder! ” and other encouraging words. Know that harsh words are only worth the opposite, do not deny your child, but make him feel that he can do better next time. As a parent, it is even more important not to deny the doctor in front of the child, so that the doctor’s prestige in the child’s mind is gone and can easily have a negative impact on the doctor-patient relationship in the future. In the time between checkups, parents can keep praising and encouraging their children, reasoning with them, and buying toys such as small mirrors and probes for dental checkups to play at home, or bringing their children with them when they visit the dentist, so that they can become more familiar with the environment and understand that dental checkups are a very necessary and common thing. All in all, having your child have regular oral exams can go a long way to avoid unnecessary pain later on. Regular checkups, scaling, fluoride application, fissure closure, x-rays, orthodontics, just by taking these painless preventive management can save your child from having to go through the pain of root canals and extractions for quite some time or even a lifetime. For children who develop good habits and have regular oral checkups, visits to the dentist will be an enjoyable process, not a torture. A perfectly healthy tooth will also stay with them for the rest of their lives.