Hello,
I'm currently studying dentistry and I'd like to offer some information that may help to answer several of your questions.
The books and articles you have read are making an accurate and reasonable recommendation in my opinion, and this is the position held by the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (AAPD). The AAPD states "first visit by first birthday", and suggests that your child should visit a dentist when the first tooth comes in, usually between 6 and 12 months of age. There are multiple reasons why that is suggested, and I'll briefly describe some of them.
-It provides a health and dental record of the patient for future reference if there are questionable changes or a dental emergency
-It gives the child early exposure to the dental setting so they feel more comfortable visiting that environment as they get older and recognizing the dentist as someone familiar
-It gives the parent a connection with a dentist for questions or concerns
-It allows the dentist to educate you about things to avoid (ex. timing and type of snacks, bottle use), and things to do (ex. way to clean the mouth/teeth, use of toothpaste), to help prevent cavities and promote oral health. Prevention of a problem is easier than treating a problem, so it is best to implement a thorough prevention program at an early age.
-It allows the dentist to give you an idea of what to expect with teething
-It allows certain problems to be recognized early, and treated promptly, to avoid consequences that may be made worse by not intervening at an early stage
-It gives the dentist an opportunity to assess the current status of the mouth to ensure that teething is progressing in a healthy manner and an opportunity to check for any cavities or issues that should be taken care of
-It is the first step in building a partnership with the dentist, to work together to increase the chances of success for healthy teeth and a beautiful smile in the future
Those are several general reasons why an early visit is recommended, but your dentist may have a different opinion, or has had different experiences and training that leads them to suggest a different recommendation, and that is fine. Ultimately, it is up to you as a parent to decide how pro-active you want to be, and what you would like to do based on information you have gathered, the advice of your dentist and your personal beliefs.
A pediatric dentist has been specifically trained to manage and treat children. In a very simplified summary, they have spent more time learning about how to work with children, how to treat children and have spent more time learning about problems that are common to children. Their offices also are often decorated in a way that is more appealing to children and the dentist and staff usually have very good personal skills and techniques to work with children. A regular dentist is also well-trained to work with children and it is within their scope of practice to do so, but a pediatric dentist is a specialist in this field. So, whether or not you want or need a specialist for general care is up to you, and it is a multi-factorial decision based on your personal preferences and needs of your child. That being said, specialists in any field tend to charge a higher fee for their service, so that is a consideration for some people. Another thing to be aware of is that if a general dentist is seeing your child regularly for scheduled visits and notices a problem that they feel would be better taken care of by a pediatric dentist, they may refer you to a pediatric dentist to assess a particular issue or treat a certain problem, and then you can continue your care with the general dentist if you wish to do so.
Excellent oral health is an important feature of excellent overall health. Maintaining dental function, aesthetics and good oral health is beneficial for children of all ages, and since prevention is the most efficacious solution, starting dental care early and promoting good dental habits at an early age makes sense. Depending on your child's age, particular dental presentation and demeanour during a dental office visit, you may choose to stay with your general dentist, or may decide to utilize the services of a pediatric dentist, for short-term or long-term needs, as required. Taking into account the advice of friends and family, the recommendations of your dentist, things you have read, and your child's best interest, in combination with your own personal philosophy and opinion, will drive your final decision regarding the type of dental care you want and how you want that dental care provided. I hope to have provided some insight that has helped address some of your questions and assisted you.
Best in Health,
J.W.
