Dental Association of P.E.I. offers child's first appointment freeCBC News Children should have their first dentist appointment by the time they are a year old, says the Canadian Dental Association. (CBC) To help prevent toddlers from getting cavities, a new program has been created by the Dental Association of P.E.I.Even if a child is teething, it's not too early to visit the dentist, says the association.The Canadian Dental Association recommends children have their first appointment as young as age one.On P.E.I., the government will only pay for checkups for children older than three years old.Cavities can start right after the teeth come in, says Dr. Travis McLean, director of the Dental Association of P.E.I. (CBC)So the Dental Association of P.E.I. has now stepped in and is offering a free appointment for any child who hasn't yet seen a dentist.It's all a matter of timing, says Dr. Travis McLean, association director."Cavities can start right after the teeth come in," he said."At the age of three, all their teeth have been in for two and a half years and that's quite a bit of time, even adults two and a half years, is a long time between appointments."The earlier the child is seen, the better the chances that invasive procedures and hospital visits can be avoided, MacLean said.Denise MacLeod-Ling says an early dental appointment could have made a difference for her son.Twelve-year-old Parker MacLeod's teeth may look perfect now, but that wasn't the case at his first dentist visit six years ago.He had cavities."He was just so little and all the having all the drilling and the needles and picking and pulling and all of that sort of thing, just to get him to the dentist was crazy," said MacLeod-Ling.Most dentists on the Island are participating in the program.