I am trying to sign myself up for insurance at work but dont want to waste any money if my son is not going to need to go to the eye dr or dentist within the next year. he's 15 months old with 7 teeth. i think he may be too young for either for quite awhile
I have read that kids should see a dentist once in the first year and once in the second so that the dentist gets a good ground understanding of his/her mouth. Whether or not there are teeth in there, there can still pe problems. Also good to have introduced child to doc before doc starts really poking and prodding and cleaning! I'm not sure on the eye doc.
There is a program supported in many states called Infant See. They actually recommend that your child sees a specially trained eye doctor between 6 and 12 months to help diagnose any potential problems that can be prevented/corrected if caught early enough.
Check out infantsee.org to find out about the program and to find an eye doctor trained to examine babies.
The best thing is, this initial assessment is FREE. I took my son when he was just about a year old (my eye Dr participated in the program), and the exam was easy and no stress to my baby.
Good Luck!
Well, I'm not sure if you're single or not, but if you are, your son may qualify for Medicaid. I would suggest applying for that first, because the income level is fairly high for the cutoff. And children need to go to the dentist at age 1 to get their teeth cleaned, or after they've started getting several teeth. I would definitely take your son to the dentist soon. The optometrist, however, can wait.
~N.
The eye doctor I am not sure, but we called our dentist after our kids were born for the same thing. They told us that our kids would not need to go to the dentist until they were 2 years old. They said some parents like to get their kids in a 1.5 years old, but that it really wasn't necessary. I am sure the eye doctor would be the same way. Hope this helps!
K.
Not sure about the optomitrist. Our pedtrician indicated that some pediatric dentists want to see them as early as 18 months. A friend of mine said hers said as soon as they have 1 tooth! More commonly I have heard between 4-5 years old.
I asked my husband who is a dentist ... he said the Academy of Pediatric Dentistry recommends children start seeing the dentist 6 months after their first tooth starts to come in. And based on family history usually ever 6 month there after. (A family with excellent dental hygiene might only have to bring in the baby once a year, families with poor dental hygiene will need to go more frequently). The first visit is really casual. They typically do a lap-to-lap exam. The baby sits in your lap and leans their head back into the dentist's lap so they can look in his mouth. They might do a little brushing, and check out the teeth. Plus you can also start getting on a fluoride treatment plan/schedule.
As for the eye doctor, I personally would go each year. Eyes are such a delicate organ. It would be so worth it to start correcting any issues now (if they found one), but before they might worsen.
I was told that a child doesn't need to go to the dentist until they are 2. As far as the eye doctor goes i wouldn't take him unless he really needs to go. Like if he has a cold in his eyes or something serious. I hope this helps.
