Dentists praise Chrissie Teigen after model is criticised for taking her daughter for her first dental appointment at the age of 3
The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry has stepped in to defend model, Chrissie Teigen, after she was heavily criticised for taking her daughter, Luna, for her first dental appointment at the age of 3.
Chrissie, who is known for her witty comments and funny reposts on social media, recently posted a video of Luna sitting in the dental chair with a caption that said she was incredibly proud of her daughter, but some followers objected to the message, slamming her for not taking her to the dentist sooner. Chrissie, the wife of singer, John Legend, is used to trolling and negative comments, and shortly after she uploaded the clip, she joked that she knew people would be on to her.
Dentists usually recommend taking children for their first dental appointment at the age of around 12 months, but instead of criticising the model and TV personality, the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry congratulated her, and thanked her for raising awareness of children’s oral health. Responding to the original post, a spokesperson for the AAPD posted the following comment, “This is so great to see! Did you know that only 62 percent of children see a dentist aged two-four? You’re helping this number grow!”
The debate will have served to get people talking about dental care for kids, but it also highlights the perils of social media. While many people simply said that they had been told by dentists to take children to the dentist long before the age of 3, others were more vehement in their criticism.
The advice from dentists is to talk to kids about dental health, to supervise twice-daily brushing and to get children used to the dental chair at an early age.
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