How old does a child have to be to see a regular dentist and not a pediatric dentist?

Depends: Many pediatric dentists will see kids until they don't want to come back. Some regular dentists don't want to see kids until they are old enough to talk, some won't see them until older. It is best to check with your local sources to see what the community/ provider habits are and go from there.

Any age: There is no definitive age where children have to see either a general dentist or pediatric dentist. My suggestion is to go where both the child and dentist is comfortable. There are many general dentists comfortable seeing young children and many pediatric dentists seeing young adults well into their teens.

Depends: Generally a child will move from a pediatric dentist anywhere between the ages of 14 to 21. It all depends upon the child, the family makeup--other younger kids-- and the dentist and their office policies.

Regular dentist : This depends on the child and the dentist. If the child is cooperative , we see children starting at age 3. Many dentists treat children of all ages, and many dentists do not treat young children and refer them to pediatric dentists.

Pediatric Dentist: There is no specific age to see a regular dentist. Pediatric Dentists are specially trained to see children from birth on just as in medicine the Pediatrician does. A "regular" dentist can see a child at any age as long as the dentist feels confident in dealing with all aspects of the child such as the psychology of the child patient and all aspects of growth an development.