Doctors, dentists, and other health care providers suggest that babies see a dentist by age one.

To help families understand why they make this recommendation, TeethFirst! asked some Rhode Island dentists and dental hygienists to explain why they think it is important for very young children to see a dentist.

Watch the video and learn why very early dental visits are a great idea. 

Can you believe it? TeethFirst! launched a year ago!

As part of TeethFirst!, free educational materials (brochures, posters, and PDFs) are available on our website. Anyone can access these materials, and order free hard copies. Thank you to the following practices and organizations that have shared our materials with their staff, patients, and clients over the past year!

Regular dental visits provide a chance for early diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of oral diseases for people of all ages. Unfortunately, not everyone has the opportunity to see a dentist, whether it’s because of a lack of dental insurance, the ability to time off from work, or simply not understanding that a healthy mouth is important to a healthy body. 

Oral health is integral to a child’s overall health and well-being and physicians have the rare opportunity to provide a major line of defense against future oral disease. Although it is recommended that a child’s first dental visit occur at the eruption of the first tooth and no later than 12 months of age, most parents do not know this or do not have a relationship with a dentist who will see a child that young.  Due to these barriers, a child’s primary care provider is often the first clinician to examine a child’s mouth.