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Children's Dentist in Silver Spring: Tips for Parents

By Dr. Armin Salimi · Published June 21, 2026 · Briggs Chaney Family Dental Care

Choosing the right pediatric dentist shapes how your child feels about dental care for the rest of their life. A positive early experience builds lifelong habits, while a rushed or uncomfortable visit can create dental anxiety that lasts into adulthood. For parents in Silver Spring, Maryland and the surrounding area, here is what you need to know about finding and preparing for a great children’s dentist experience.

When Should My Child First See a Dentist?

The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry recommends a first visit by age one, or within six months of the first tooth appearing, whichever comes first. This early visit is less about treatment and more about getting your child comfortable with the office environment, and giving us a chance to check for early signs of decay or developmental issues.

What Makes a Good Children's Dentist Visit?

A great pediatric visit moves at the child’s pace. Our team explains every tool and step in kid-friendly language before we use it, keeps visits short for very young children, and uses positive reinforcement rather than pressure. We also involve parents throughout the process, since children often take cues from how calm and confident their parent appears in the chair next to them.

Preparing Your Child for Their Appointment

• Talk about the visit positively in the days leading up to it, avoiding words like "hurt" or "shot"
• Read a children's book about visiting the dentist to normalize the experience
• Avoid scheduling appointments right around nap time or when your child is likely to be hungry and cranky
• Let your child bring a comfort item, like a small stuffed animal, if it helps them feel secure

Building Strong Oral Health Habits Early

Good oral health starts well before a child can brush on their own. Wipe an infant's gums with a soft cloth after feeding, and begin brushing with a rice-grain amount of fluoride toothpaste as soon as the first tooth appears. By age three, most children can use a pea-sized amount of toothpaste and should be supervised while brushing until around age seven or eight, when they typically develop the coordination to brush thoroughly on their own.

Preventive Care for Kids

Just like adults, children benefit enormously from preventive dentistry. Fluoride treatments strengthen developing enamel, and dental sealants placed on the chewing surfaces of molars create a protective barrier against the bacteria that cause cavities in the deep grooves of back teeth. Regular dental cleanings every six months allow us to catch small issues before they become painful, and to monitor how permanent teeth are coming in relative to baby teeth.

Common Concerns Parents Ask About

Many parents worry about thumb-sucking, pacifier use, or whether a cavity in a baby tooth really matters since it will eventually fall out. The truth is baby teeth play an important role in speech development, proper chewing, and holding space for permanent teeth, so untreated decay in baby teeth can still cause pain and affect the alignment of adult teeth later on. We are always happy to talk through these concerns during a regular checkup rather than waiting until they become urgent.

What If My Child Has a Dental Emergency?

Kids are active, and dental injuries happen. If your child chips a tooth, knocks a tooth loose, or complains of sudden pain, our office prioritizes emergency appointments for children, since prompt treatment often makes the difference in saving a damaged tooth.

A Kid-Friendly Practice in Silver Spring

Briggs Chaney Family Dental Care was designed with families in mind. Our team has years of experience making dental visits genuinely enjoyable for kids throughout Silver Spring, Maryland and the surrounding communities, so that going to the dentist becomes something your child does not dread.

Nutrition and Its Impact on Kids' Teeth

What children eat and drink plays a major role in their cavity risk. Frequent snacking and sipping on sugary drinks throughout the day exposes teeth to acid attacks far more often than eating the same amount of sugar in a single sitting, since saliva needs time between exposures to neutralize acid and remineralize enamel. Encouraging water between meals, limiting juice and soda, and offering fewer, more structured snack times rather than constant grazing are simple, practical changes that meaningfully reduce a child's cavity risk over time.

Thumb-Sucking and Pacifier Use

Thumb-sucking and pacifier use are completely normal for infants and toddlers and rarely cause lasting problems if a child stops on their own by around age three or four. Prolonged habits beyond this age, however, can begin to affect how the teeth and jaw develop, potentially leading to an open bite or other alignment issues. If your child has not naturally moved away from these habits by preschool age, we can offer gentle, age-appropriate strategies to help with the transition, and we will monitor bite development at each checkup regardless.

Orthodontic Red Flags to Watch For

While a full orthodontic evaluation is typically recommended around age seven, parents can watch for early signs that may warrant an earlier look, including crowded or overlapping teeth, a noticeable overbite or underbite, difficulty chewing on one side, or teeth that do not meet properly when the mouth is closed. Catching these signs early does not always mean immediate treatment, but it does allow us to monitor development and plan the right timing for any future orthodontic work, whether that is traditional braces or Invisalign once your child is older.

Handling Dental Anxiety in Kids

Some children experience genuine fear or anxiety about dental visits, often stemming from a previous uncomfortable experience, stories from siblings or friends, or simply the unfamiliarity of a medical setting. Our approach focuses on going at the child's pace, using simple, non-scary language to describe tools and procedures, and celebrating small wins, like sitting in the chair calmly or opening wide for a count of ten. For children with more significant anxiety, shorter, more frequent visits focused on building comfort before attempting any actual treatment can make a meaningful difference over time.

What to Expect as Baby Teeth Are Replaced by Permanent Teeth

Most children begin losing baby teeth around age six, with the process continuing gradually until around age twelve or thirteen. It is normal for permanent teeth to look slightly larger or more yellow than the baby teeth they replace, and for there to be a brief period of noticeable gaps or slightly crowded spacing as new teeth settle into place. Regular checkups during this transitional period allow us to monitor whether permanent teeth are coming in properly aligned, or whether early intervention might help guide their development.

Frequently Asked Questions