For parents
Your child's first dental visit
The first appointment often shapes how a child experiences dentistry for the rest of their childhood. That is exactly why it should stay deliberately uneventful.
When is the first visit due?
The recommendation is to come as soon as the first baby tooth has come through, which usually means during the first year of life. Children insured under the German statutory system have early-detection dental examinations scheduled in defined age windows.
The purpose of that early appointment is not to do something to a particular tooth. It is so that you know early what to look out for, and so that your child gets to know the practice while nothing hurts.
What usually happens at the first appointment
In pediatric dentistry the first appointment is deliberately kept small: no drilling, no pressure, no surprises.
- 1
Time to arrive
A child should get to look around first. If they prefer, they sit on a parent's lap rather than alone in the treatment chair.
- 2
Counting teeth
The teeth are looked at — often sitting up, and for the youngest sometimes lying across a parent's lap.
- 3
Talking it through
Brushing technique, toothpaste, diet and anything you have noticed all get discussed.
- 4
Putting it in context
You find out whether anything needs watching and when the next appointment makes sense.
How to prepare your child
Mention it briefly and casually
The day before or that morning is enough. “We're going to the dentist, they'll count your teeth” beats a long explanation.
Don't introduce words they don't know yet
“It won't hurt”, “there's nothing to be scared of”, “it's not an injection” — each of these introduces an idea the child would not otherwise have had.
Leave your own memories at home
If your own experiences were unpleasant, your child will sense it. It helps to say so openly — to the practice team, not to your child.
Pick a good moment
Well rested and not hungry. An appointment straight after a long nursery day starts at a disadvantage.
What to bring
- your child's health insurance card
- the dental record booklet for children, if you have one
- the general paediatric record booklet, if it is to hand
- the toothpaste you use at home
- details of any medication, allergies or existing conditions
If your child is older and has never been
That is more common than you might think, and no reason to feel guilty. A good start begins wherever your child actually is — if necessary with an appointment in which nothing happens beyond getting to know each other.
There is more under gentle dentistry for anxious children.
Common questions about the first visit
Can I come into the treatment room?
With small children that is the norm. Later it is sometimes suggested that a child comes in on their own — and that should be discussed with the parents, not over their head.
How long does the appointment take?
Around 30 minutes is usual for a first appointment. Part of that goes on the conversation with the parents.
What if my child won't cooperate?
Then less gets done. A child who will not open their mouth should not be talked into it; the next attempt comes at the next appointment. That is not a wasted session, it is a step along the way.
Related treatments
Prevention & cavity care
Regular check-ups, cleaning and age-appropriate coaching, so that cavities have as little chance as possible to start.
Learn more
Fluoride treatment
Fluoride varnish makes enamel more resistant. How often it is worth applying depends on cavity risk.
Learn more
Request a first appointment
Give your child's age in the form — what makes sense at a first appointment follows from it.