Preparing a child for his first visit to the dentist

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Home Health from A to Z Useful information Preparing a child for the first visit to the dentist

Date of publication: 04/04/2016

until January 31

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Is psychological preparation necessary for a child’s first visit to the dental office? - Of course, it is necessary. Its main goal is to prevent your child from feeling nervous or anxious before visiting the clinic, and to encourage the child to cooperate with the doctor.

Top tip:

Child at a dentist appointment

1. If the reason for the visit is pain:
   convince the child that the dentist will help - the pain will become less or go away completely.
2. If there is no pain and the first visit to the dentist is done as planned:
   you should not try to prevent the child’s negative reaction by saying: “don’t be afraid,” “it won’t be scary,” “it won’t hurt.” He doesn’t yet know that he should be afraid of something. It is better to set your child up for a positive outcome from the visit.

You can say to small children: “The doctor will look at their teeth, brush them, and they will be happy.” For older children, rational argumentation is appropriate: “Go to the dentist, your teeth will be healthy and beautiful.”

Some more general tips:

• When going to the dentist, do not focus on this.
• Do not emphasize the importance, exclusivity, or even more so the unpleasantness of the event. A visit to the doctor should be a given.
• Don't say that the doctor won't do anything.
• This is not true, and then the child will understand that he was deceived. Tell them that the doctor will look at your teeth and treat them if they are sick.
• Do not use the “scary” words “prick”, “drill”, “drill”, “drill”.
• You can play at visiting a doctor.

Tell us how to enter an office, sit in a chair, open your mouth and keep it open. Do every action with your child, take on the role of a doctor.

What to tell your child:

Each child is a unique personality, and each needs an individual approach. But we can offer a general outline of the conversation. If the child is small and hardly understands why and why they want to take him to the dentist:

• say that you will go together to a good doctor who will treat your teeth. All the children go to him because he loves them and treats them. All boys and girls come out cheerful and healthy from him.
• Explain what the good doctor will do: “He will look at your teeth to see how they are growing.”
• Give a couple of “strong” arguments: “When dad and mom were little, they also went to the doctor to check their teeth.” Or: “This doctor had...” (name a fact known to you: the eldest child in the family, a neighbor’s child, etc.).
• Emphasize that you will be nearby at all times in the doctor's office.

If the child is older and understands his dental problems, proceed as follows:

Preparing for a visit to the dentist

• Talk about why it is important to have healthy teeth.
• If your son or daughter says that they are afraid of the dentist, you will be sincerely surprised: “Why should you be afraid of the doctor? He helps us get rid of troubles, advises, heals, and takes care of our health.”
• If you yourself have ever expressed fears in the presence of a child before a visit to the dentist or shared unpleasant memories, admit the error of your position: “I was also scared, but everything turned out to be different - attentive doctors, painless treatment. The main thing is to set yourself up positively.”
• Finally, show your willingness to support your child: “Let's go to counseling together. I will be present in the office during your conversation with the doctor.”

(According to the article by Professor V.V. Boyko, a dentist of the highest category, “How to prepare a child for a visit to the dentist”).
Important!

The pediatric dentists at Family Doctor are true professionals. They love children and strive to find an individual approach to each child. However, the best results are achievable with the cooperation of the doctor and parents.

Make an appointment Do not self-medicate. Contact our specialists who will correctly diagnose and prescribe treatment.

Make an appointment

History taking

Each treatment begins with a history taking. Taking an anamnesis is a process in which a specialist finds out from the patient’s mouth the history of the patient’s medical life: previous and concomitant diseases, injuries to the maxillofacial area; the presence of allergic reactions to medications, in particular anesthetics; information about medications taken; reasons for seeking dental care.

All information received is recorded in the medical record of the dental patient.

Going to the dentist with children of different ages

Preparing a 3-5 year old child for a visit to the dentist involves simple explanations that the child will best perceive through play. You can use game scripts, cartoons, crafts and storytelling.

Children aged 5–8 already have their own opinions and can ignore fairy-tale scenarios. Therefore, if the first visit to the dentist occurs at this age, parents should explain in detail what the doctor will do. Say that this dentist is a very good person, and dad, mom, older brother or sister also treat teeth.

If a child aged 8–13 years is expecting his first visit to the dentist, his anxiety can be relieved by explaining that dental treatment is necessary to avoid serious consequences. If the child has already had a bad experience, you can try to make fun of the fear - draw a comic character, discuss it and change the emotional perception of the situation.

Important! If a child’s first bad experience was with a male dentist, it is better to consult a female dentist, and vice versa.

When preparing a child for a visit to the dentist, it is important to form a calm attitude - this will last a lifetime. The preparation must be correct.

How much does a dental consultation cost?

The PROFI-Dent clinic employs experienced, competent and attentive specialists who will provide comprehensive information about the services, cost and duration of treatment.

Why are routine inspections important?

Even though your child's baby teeth will fall out in the future, their development is very important to your child's oral health and overall well-being. To keep your gums healthy and your molars to grow properly, you need to take care of your baby teeth. The pediatric dentist checks the condition of the child’s gums and makes the necessary recommendations. Your dentist may also know how much fluoride is in the tap water in your area, so if necessary, he or she can recommend fluoride varnish or nutritional supplements to help prevent fluoride deficiency and promote normal tooth and tooth enamel growth and development.

The sooner you and your child start visiting the dentist regularly, the sooner your child will get used to it and understand that good dental care is important for later life.

How to make visiting the dentist more enjoyable

Here are some tips to help your child get the best care and get into the habit of visiting the dentist regularly.

• Choose a pediatric dentist.

  Such dentists usually undergo specialized training. Their offices often provide a comfortable, child-friendly environment, and staff are trained to work with children. If there is no pediatric dentist in your area, choose a specialist who is good with young patients and whose office the child will feel comfortable in. Your pediatrician may be able to recommend someone.

• Come early.

  Bring your child to the appointment in advance so that he can look around and get used to the office.

  Read also:  Everything about the dentist profession: history, description, pros and cons, specialties, training
• Don't frighten your child at the dentist.

  Explain to your child that going to the dentist is a natural part of growing up. Tell him that the dentist will simply examine the child's teeth and that everyone in the office will be attentive and friendly.

• Think about how you yourself feel about dentists.

  Many adults have bad memories of visiting the dentist, and they may unknowingly pass these attitudes on to their children. It is better for the parent who is more relaxed about dental treatment to go to the dentist’s office with their child.

First visit to the dentist. Preparing the child and parents

Your baby is older and needs a routine check-up with a pediatric dentist. In this article we will tell you how to prepare for a visit to the dental clinic without stress for the child and headaches for the parents. Simple and effective tips that will make life easier for adults and instill in children the culture of visiting doctors for preventive purposes.

No matter how funny it may be, practice shows that an adult needs to be prepared for a visit to pediatric dentistry more and longer than a child. Adults should realize that modern dentistry is aimed at adapting children of different ages. There is even a procedure called “Adaptation Visit”, where the doctor and the child play a role-playing game “Dentist – Patient”. The doctor’s goal is to show the child that visiting the dentist is interesting and not scary at all!

For high-quality adaptation, it is recommended to adhere to the principle of consistency. So, to begin with, it is recommended to limit yourself to getting to know the clinic and the doctor and conducting an examination of the oral cavity. On your next visit, you can perform professional hygiene. In this way, the dentist allows the patient to rest. It works as carefully as possible so as not to scare the child in any way.

And around the third visit, you can carry out dental treatment, starting with a simpler tooth. Thus, the time the child spends in the clinic will increase and the treatment will be high-quality and painless, and, importantly, without disturbing the psychological comfort of the little patient.

During the first visit, the pediatric dentist carries out the necessary photo-recording, x-rays or CT diagnostics. Then he describes to the parents the objective condition of their child’s oral cavity. Draws up and coordinates a dental treatment plan, the doctor discusses the necessary nuances of the upcoming treatment.

To ensure that the visit is as productive and stress-free as possible, we encourage parents to follow the pediatric dentist's recommendations. Namely:

1. Prepare your child for a visit to the doctor the day before. Tell in general terms what procedures he will have to undergo (without going into unpleasant details).
2. You should not use words that can develop a fear of dental treatment on a subconscious level. Such phrases include (“don’t be afraid”, “it won’t hurt”, “they’ll give you an injection”, “the doctor will remove the tooth”, “will drill the tooth”, etc.); say that you are going to play with the good fairy, who knows how to fight germs and carious monsters that get into your mouth. The fairy has magical powers and knows the laws of magic perfectly.
3. Do not intimidate or threaten your child under any circumstances. A trip to the dentist should be associated with pleasant emotions.
4. It is sometimes necessary for parents to be in the office, but they need to strictly follow the doctor’s recommendations so as not to disrupt the work process (do not stand behind the doctor’s back, comment on actions in a negative context, or show excitement).

Ideally, a parent and a dentist are a well-coordinated team that helps the child undergo the necessary medical and preventive procedures, without stress and nervous tension.

Violation of any of these points can lead to loss of contact between the doctor and the child and disruption of treatment.

In the absence of full adaptation, the child may become frightened and not be able to have his teeth treated in consciousness, which is why he will have to resort to the use of general anesthesia. In addition, such a negative experience can cause persistent dental phobia, which will annoy the patient throughout his life.

Be sure to choose a doctor you trust so that you can relax and calmly transfer your baby into the safe hands of a specialist. After all, a dentist is, first of all, a friend and wants to make friends and help a little patient!

What you should absolutely not do

• there is no need to tell the child that the doctor will just take a look and that’s all. After all, after an examination, the doctor may decide that it is necessary to carry out cleaning or treatment. It turns out that you are deceiving, and in the future it will be very difficult to build trust. If you want to teach your child not to be afraid of the dentist, you need to be honest with him. Today it is very simple, because modern anesthetics have made dental treatment quick and completely painless, so there is no need to invent or embellish anything,
• You shouldn’t promise your child an expensive gift for going to the doctor. In this case, he may decide that he has a difficult test ahead of him, since he is so generously rewarded,
• do not say that there will be no pain or, for example, that you need to be patient. The very idea that you will have to muster up the courage to visit the dentist may not even occur to the child. But after such words she will definitely appear, and the little man will understand that during treatment he may be hurt and scared,
• do not scold the child if he does not open his mouth and refuses to obey the doctor. Screaming will not help matters, but finding an approach to a frightened baby is the task of a pediatric dentist.

How does a dentist work?

Each dentist has his own approach, but there are several general points about how treatment is carried out by this doctor.

• First appointment. This is more of an opportunity for the dentist to get to know his future little patient, rather than an appointment in itself. Some doctors ask parents to be with the child in the office or hold the child, while others may ask parents to wait outside to establish personal contact with the child. At the appointment, the specialist will check the condition of the child’s gums, oral cavity and baby teeth.
• Periodic inspections. Held twice a year. The dentist examines the mouth for signs of decay, evaluates the bite and the condition of the gums, jaws and oral tissues. He also counts the number of teeth and checks whether they are developing correctly. If necessary, he performs professional teeth cleaning.
• What parents can expect. The dentist may ask questions about any of your child's habits, such as thumb sucking, tongue pressing, teeth grinding, or lip chewing. The dentist can tell you more about teething, give advice on how to calm your child if he is teething, and teach him the correct technique for brushing his teeth. He may also recommend that you develop healthy habits in your child that will help keep teeth healthy (for example, do not overindulge in sweets).
• What questions can you ask? At the appointment, you can and should ask questions about how the child’s teeth will develop in the future and what needs to be prepared for. Before you leave, make an appointment for your next scheduled check-up in six months.