Tried & True Tips for Preparing Kids for Dental Visits
Taking your toddler or child to their first dental visit can be a daunting experience for you both if not handled well. It can be even more challenging when they’ve visited the dentist before but have an innate fear they need help overcoming.
With time, dentistry has become less invasive and more child friendly, making it a lot easier to ease your kid’s anxieties. From movies playing, toys giving comfort, and headphones blocking noise, there are many reasons why their dental visit should be smoother.
The main stumbling block is finding how to ease your child’s worries before visiting the dentist. We’re sharing our tried and true tips known for their effectiveness.
Words Matter
Kids hear things, even when you don’t think they’re listening, so you should use positive words when discussing dental hygiene and dental visits.
Make looking after teeth fun and use words and actions like:
- ‘Let’s brush the little sugar bears away’
- Make a game out of it with a timer
- Have a child height mirror so your child can see themselves brushing away the teeth
Of course, there are also words and phrases you should try avoid using, which easily slip into our sentences, including:
- Hurt
- Pain
- Referring to your teeth being terrible
- We’re not the bad guys, so don’t use dentists in a threatening way for challenging behaviours
Equally, there are words we give a big thumbs up to, including:
- ‘Let’s go to the dentist to count your teeth’
- ‘Superhero’s have the best and strongest teeth’
- ‘Let’s visit your friends at the dentist
- ‘I wonder if our dentist can count your teeth?’
Visit the Dentist from a Young Age
Most children thrive on routine – going to the library, school, childcare, and having a story before bed. These are usually instilled in your child from a young age, and we recommend visiting us to say hello once they start cutting teeth.
Getting your child familiar with the dental environment, including smells and sights, will feel more at ease if they ever come in for an accident with their teeth or regular clean and check-up.
Visiting early means less stress for you and them over the long run.
Let’s make it fun
Their first visit to Evergreen dental will leave a lasting impression, so why not make it a little fun for your little ones.
Their first visit we will take with ease – from buzzing the chair up and down to looking around the room a little before touching their mouth. Helping your child feel secure the first time around means they’re more likely to let their dentist ‘count’ their teeth next time.
Take it slowly
Aside from the fun portion of the visit, never force your child to let the dentist goes near their mouth. We can take time, and once they’re ready, . If it doesn’t work out this time, we can try again next time.
Our dentists have fun ideas to make our time spent together stress-free and enjoyable, with your kid eager to return.
Make teeth fun
Aside from talking positively about teeth and making their visit to the dentist fun, we need to make tooth care fun too. They can play with pretend dental kits from a young age or play a counting teeth game when checking their big smiles; the possibilities are endless.
At Evergreen Dental, we want the whole family to feel at ease whether they’re visiting as a child for the first time and beyond. When booking an appointment with our team, share with us if it’s your little one’s initial visit, and we will be ready to give them the VIP treatment.
We put the fun into little teeth.
