Disclosure: In any review for a product or service, products or compensation may have been provided to me to help facilitate my review. All opinions are my own and honest. I am disclosing this in accordance with FTC Guidelines. Please see “Disclose” and "Terms of Use" tabs for more information.
While going to the dentist one or twice a year is common practice for adults, to children, it’s a new and frightening place full of unfamiliar people and objects. The good news is that your child does not have to go through the trauma of the first visit if you as the parent prepare him for what he can expect.
Read books
If you are taking a 3-year-old for their first visit explaining that you want their teeth to remain pearly white and without cavities, isn’t going to bring much comfort. However, if you take out a few books from the library catered to children on the subject and read them the week prior they can get a visual picture of what the office looks like, what the equipment looks like and the process of what to expect page by page. This will allow your child to keep those pictures in his mind and then when he gets to the doctor’s office and the room looks similar to the book he will feel reassured.
Take your child with you for a visit
When children are young they don’t quite understand reasoning like adults, so explaining what to expect doesn’t always offer the outcome you might hope for. Instead, try taking your child with you on your next cleaning to an Orem dentist so that they can see what goes on and how it doesn’t hurt and get a full view of the surroundings. Sometimes when you bring a little one along, a dentist will actually ask to count their teeth to give them a taste of what will happen on their first visit. Once your child sees that the dentist is there to help and make sure everything is ok, then they will settle down and lose the fear.
A mock visit
If you don’t have an appointment scheduled for you for quite a few months and you want to prepare your child for the visit, you can create a mock setting. You can have your child lie back on the couch and then go through the steps one-by-one as they will happen. It’s important when you do this to take your time like the dentist will and answer all your child’s concerns along the way. After, you can reverse the roles and let your child play the dentist and repeat the steps on you on what he just learned. This is a great way to break the fear and make dentist visits more enjoyable.
Distract children at the dentist
Despite all your best efforts, sometimes a child just can’t seem to lose the fear of the unknown. If this is the case, let your little one select a couple of his favorite toys to bring along for the visit. This way when he’s sitting in the big chair looking alarmed at what’s coming, you can begin to distract him and discuss the toys he has with him.
Dental hygiene is important for everyone. Good habits practiced at a young age can prevent serious problems later on like tooth decay, a root canal, a crown and even the loss of teeth. If you prepare your child by making the planned visit seem routine and uneventful, and level with them by discussing everything that will happen ahead of time, when they arrive things will go smoothly.
Speak Your Mind
You must be logged in to post a comment.