If you struggle to get your kids in the car and heading to the dentist, you’re definitely not alone. Kids sometimes need creative nudging from parents to make them want to get periodic checkups. Here are some helpful tips to have kids, if not wanting to visit the dentist, avoid dreading the experience.
Visit a Pediatric Dentist
A pediatric dentist specializes in children’s healthcare. Waiting areas for pediatric dentists are normally dotted with kids’ favorite cartoon characters and fun games to play. This helps to drive down the amount of anxiety that kids (and parents) experience waiting for their names to be called.
Stay with Your Child
Some pediatric dentists allow parents to accompany their children as they get their teeth cleaned or cavities filled. Depending on the child’s comfort level, mom or dad may be encouraged to sit with their son or daughter. All of these steps are meant to build comfort and reduce anxiety about visiting the dentist.
Shop Around
Finding the right pediatric dentist can sometimes feel like a chore. Narrowing down the search with online review sites like Yelp and then following up with consultations with potential pediatric dentists is a great way to find the right one. Parents can quickly screen for a match between their child’s personality and the dentist over a half-hour talk.
Dental Presentation for Kids
A big driver for fear is not knowing what’s around the corner. In other words, kids are sometimes afraid of the dentist because they don’t understand quite what visiting the dentist entails. DR. Peter Wong suggests attending a dental presentation hosted at a community center or school. This could, according to DR. Wong, help kids get acquainted with going to the dentist. Often a routine cleaning is demonstrated on a stuffed animal and the mood is kept light to help kids ease into the idea of visiting the dentist.
Read About It!
There are dozens of fun books to get children excited about visiting the dentist. From “Melvin: The Magnificent Molar” to the Berenstain Bears series on visiting the dentist, books are a great way to show kids that visiting the dentist doesn’t have to be drudgery. You could also consider buying cartoon-themed toothbrushes to go along with some of these books.
http://www.childrensdentalgroup.com/10-books-to-get-your-children-excited-about-the-dentist/
Visiting the dentist doesn’t have to be painful for kids. Finding the right pediatric dentist or visiting dental presentations is a great way to allay your child’s fear over heading to the dentist.
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