Pediatric Dentistry
A lifetime of beautiful smiles starts at a very young age.
At Dental Health Associates of Madison, we are dedicated to helping you protect your child’s dental health.
At Dental Health Associates, we understand that each child is unique. Your DHA dentist will go to great lengths to understand your child’s dental health needs and offer age appropriate dental care.
The American Dental Association and the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry recommend that all children visit a dentist by 12 months of age or within 6 months of the eruption of their first tooth. These early visits are primarily focused on parent education and establishing good habits that will set up your child for a lifetime of oral health.
Your Child's First Dental Visit
Our team here is dedicated to helping your child prevent oral injuries and learn healthy oral habits. Your children’s dentist will work hard to enhance your child’s opportunity for a lifetime free from preventable oral disease.
During these first visits with your child, your dentist will:
- get to know you and your child
- initiate care to prevent or mitigate common pediatric oral diseases and conditions
- provide you with information to prevent dental disease
- begin fluoride treatment for your child as needed
- identify any special risks your child may have for dental problems and begin planning a preventive program for your child
How many teeth should my child have right now?
Here’s a simple graphic illustrating what you can expect to see for the number of teeth your child has from infancy through the toddler months.
Upper teeth
Lower teeth
Upper Teeth
- Central incisor; 8 - 12 months
- Lateral incisor; 9 - 13 months
- Canine (cuspid); 16 - 22 months
- First molar; 13 - 19 months
- Second molar; 25 - 33 months
Lower Teeth
- Second molar; 23 - 31 months
- First molar; 14 - 18 months
- Canine (cuspid); 17 - 23 months
- Lateral incisor; 9 - 13 months
- Central incisor; 6 - 10 months
Pediatric Dentistry FAQs
The ideal time for your child to visit your Dental Health Associates of Madison dentist is around your baby’s first birthday. With the help of our clinical staff you will learn how to protect your infant’s beautiful first smiles and promote your child’s life-long dental health.
The staff at Dental Health Associates are dedicated to insuring your child’s first visits are happy and comfortable ones. At your first appointment, we will greet your child warmly and show them how fun the dental office can be. They can sit on a parent’s lap, go for “a ride” in the dental chair, and meet all the people who will keep the “sugar bugs” off of their teeth. We count their teeth together at each visit and keep track of how many more have come in at each appointment. Children love meeting “Mister Thirsty,” the suction tool that removes all that excess water out of their mouths once they are old enough to get their teeth polished. We will also check their gum tissue for inflammation due to bacteria and all erupted teeth for any signs of tooth decay.
Many people think that baby teeth just fall out eventually, so taking care of them isn’t very important. This couldn’t be further from the truth. Baby teeth are just as important as permanent teeth. Keeping them healthy and free of decay promotes the development of healthy permanent teeth for a lifetime of beautiful smiles. Poor care can lead to decay in the baby teeth, causing pain and difficulty chewing. If a tooth decays severely, it may even need to be removed, again causing difficulty chewing and even hindering speech development. Losing a baby tooth early can also lead to space limitations for the erupting permanent tooth.
When your child’s teeth begin to erupt, start a healthy routine in your home. Clean the teeth each day with a warm wet washcloth or gauze. Introduce a child-sized soft bristle toothbrush after that. Toothpaste should only be used for children two years and older. For children who are two, a pea-sized amount of fluoride toothpaste should be used, but ensure that the child spits out the toothpaste rather than swallowing it.
Children, like adults, should visit the dentist every six months.
Insurance coverage varies greatly for each individual policy. To find out what percentage may be covered by your insurance plan, refer to the information provided to you when you enrolled, or call the 1-800 number on the back of your card to ask a representative. If you need help obtaining this information, a Dental Health Associates front desk staff member would be happy to help you. If you are a DHA patient, our financial coordinators will help you obtain an estimate of coverage if requested.
Patient Information
We encourage new patients to fill out a new patient form online prior to your first appointment. Be sure to select the appropriate location for your new patient forms, as once you complete them, they are sent electronically to the office you’ve chosen.
Insurance
Medical and dental insurance can be confusing. Our staff has experience with your questions and can help you get the most from your insurance.
No insurance? Apply today.