I brought my daughter when she was 3 and she was OK, no problems. My son, however, I had a sneaking suspicion wouldn't be so easy. I took him in at 18 months and sure enough, he had the start of cavities. The dentist had lots of good advice on how to stop any further damage. Also, he told me my son HAD to give up the pacifier, his bite (the way his teeth came together top-and-bottom) was a mess and the doctor felt that if I got him off the binky it would correct itself. Sure enough, once I got him off it, it was only a few months before his bite was radically improved. I would highly recommend going to a pediatric dentist if you can...a positive start can allay a lot of lifelong dentist anxiety. My kids now shout "yay!" when I say we're to see "Dr. C." Also, I learned a lot about how to keep my kids teeth, gums and mouths healthy!