How To Prepare Your Child For Their First Dental Visit
Lets face it. Dental visits can be pretty scary for most adults. This is probably because when it comes to taking care of our teeth we are rebels. We do not floss every day like we should and how many of us actually brush after every meal? This is why when it is time for our dental check up the words root canal and cavity haunt our minds.
For our children, it is a little different. If it is their first visit they have no idea what to expect because they have never had their teeth drilled by a scary looking man in a dentists mask. But this does not mean that their experience at the dentist is any less disturbing than our own. Thus, it is recommended by many child psychologists that parents prepare their children before hand in order to alleviate any fears.
Childrens Top 3 Dental Fears & How to Alleviate Them
The Clinical Environment is Overwhelming for Kids. The sights, sounds, smells and florescent lighting can cause their anxiety to rise. Make a fun game out of the experience by educating your child before hand on what they can expect to see, hear, and smell. On their first visit have them identify 5 to 10 different things that you discussed earlier. Can they hear the sound of the drill? How many florescent lights can they find? What do the specific smells remind them of?
The Overwhelming Taste of The Fluoride. Who does not loathe the awful taste of the fluoride? I know my hand is raised pretty high! It is best to prepare your child for the worst on this one. Let them know the taste is quite overwhelming and my cause them to gag a little bit. Offer them a treat before hand for good behavior and teach them how to plug their nose to alleviate the discomfort.
Laughing Gas. If it is their second visit and they are going to have a cavity filled the dentist will most likely offer laughing gas and having a strange man put a gas mask over their face is a little unnerving. Prepare your child by showing them pictures of gas masks online and explain that it is the Nitrous oxide will give them the giggles. Let them know it is actually a lot of fun and explain your own experiences with it.
by: Shannon Egan
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