The first visit is around the first birthday, with no treatment, just getting acquainted. How to talk about it with your child, what we do in the room, when baby teeth fall out and why they need treating even though they will. When to bring a child for the first time
When the first tooth is in, and no later than the first birthday; paediatric dentists across Europe agree on that. In practice the first visit often happens at 3–4, when there is already a cavity and pain, and the child meets the dentist through pain. A child who has been to the clinic "just to look" before any problems later sits through treatment calmly. After the first visit, a check-up every six months.
What happens at the first visit
- Getting acquainted. The child sits in the chair or on a parent's lap, looks at the mirror, rides the chair up and down. No treatment unless something hurts.
- Examination. The dentist counts the teeth, looks at the gums, bite and tongue, and checks for signs of bottle decay, white spots on the front teeth.
- A talk with the parents. How to brush (from the first tooth, a rice-grain smear of fluoride toothpaste until 3, then a pea-sized amount), what to give to drink (water; a bottle of juice or milk at night is the main cause of bottle decay), when to give up the dummy.
- Praise and a plan. The child gets praise, the parents the date of the next visit. Consultation 20–40 EUR.
How to prepare your child
- Talk about the visit as something ordinary: "the dentist will count your teeth". Avoid "it will hurt", "don't be scared", "drill" and "needle"; even in the negative, a child hears only the word itself.
- Play dentist at home: count the teddy's teeth, shine a torch, let the child "treat" you.
- Choose a morning slot after breakfast, not before nap time and not after nursery, when the child is tired.
- Do not promise a reward for "being brave"; it signals that something bad is coming. A surprise after the visit is a different matter.
- If you are afraid of the dentist yourself, let the other parent come; children sense anxiety.
- Try not to make the first visit the one where a three-year-old is already in pain. If that is how it happened, tell reception it is a first visit and we schedule more time.
Baby teeth: when they come, when they go, and why treat them
The first baby teeth erupt at 6–10 months (lower front teeth first), all 20 by 2.5–3 years. They start falling out at 5–6, front teeth first again, and the last molars are replaced at 11–12. If a permanent tooth is already erupting while the baby tooth still holds, come in; sometimes it needs removing (40 EUR) so the permanent tooth does not come in crooked.
Do baby teeth need treating if they fall out anyway? Yes. Their enamel is thinner, decay reaches the nerve 2–3 times faster and hurts just as much as in an adult. Infection at the root of a baby tooth can damage the permanent tooth forming underneath, and a baby tooth lost too early lets the neighbours drift, which later becomes an orthodontic problem. At Laurus Dent plus a baby-tooth filling costs 50–60 EUR, a pulpotomy 80–100 EUR, children's hygiene 40–55 EUR; details on children's dentistry.
If your child cries or will not open their mouth
It happens, and it is normal. We do not argue or hold anyone down: we pause, play, try again or move it to the next visit. Two short calm visits are worth more than one with tears. Treatment is under local anaesthesia; the gum is numbed with a gel first and the child barely feels the injection. We do not offer sedation or general anaesthesia, and if a child genuinely needs it we say so honestly. We speak English, Latvian, Russian and Ukrainian, whichever the child feels safe in.
Book: +371 22428688, weekdays 8:00–20:00. See also: children's dentistry · dental hygiene · what tooth decay is · all prices.