Hi @love-schuppe, thanks for your question.

It is actually recommended for children to start visiting the dentist once they get their first tooth! This may seem too young to some, but it is actually an important part in cultivating good dental habits and dental health in young patients that have lifelong effects. 

Getting young children familiar to the dental office, instruments, and environment can help enforce good dental hygiene from a young age and prevent dental phobia. This also allows early detection and diagnosis of any dental issues that may be present and timely management which usually results in better outcomes! 

Dental needs of children are distinct from that of adults as factors like growth and development have to be considered as well. Children's dentistry involves caring for primary (baby) teeth, their permanent (adult) successors, and tooth and jaw developmental issue that may arise at a young age. And of course, treating and communicating with a child in the dental chair would be very different as compared to an adult! 

This is why there is also a whole specialty dedicated to children's dental health. Paediatric dentists are dentists who specialise in treating children and teenagers usually under 18 years old and undergo additional training in this area. Both general dentists and dentists who specialise in treating kids can perform treatment on children. However, sometimes more complex treatments require referrals to paediatric dentists who are more experienced in managing the dental problems of children. 

Hope this helps!