08/18/2021
Preparing your child for their dental visits
Too often, our office sees children who have never been to the dentist until they suddenly develop a toothache and the parents are desperately scrambling to find a dentist…any dentist who will see their child on short notice. And when the child enters the dental office and confuses it with their pediatrician’s office where they receive those painful immunization shots in the arm or leg, they justifiably become scared and don’t want to cooperate. And because the child is in such pain due to the toothache and there is no time for the dentist to develop a trusting relationship with the child so that he/ she will allow the dentist to perform dental treatment, the parents are often presented with the option of having their child put to sleep under sedation which is a frightening prospect for any parent. Believe it or not, this scenario occurs repeatedly in dental offices across the United States. That is why we want to give parents our tips to help prepare their little ones for the dental visit.
Tip #1 – Don’t wait until there is a tooth problem. Start taking your child to the dentist at an early age. The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry recommends children have their first dental visit by their first birthday. Just as important as identifying and preventing potential oral health problems that could later result in expensive, painful treatment, these visits also allow your child time to get comfortable with the dental office and its staff. We cannot emphasize enough how important it is to give your child the opportunity to develop a relationship with our dental staff BEFORE there is a toothache. This can help make future dental visits less frightening and possibly more fun too!
