Preparing your young boy or girl for his or her first trip to the dentist could be challenging. Until now, your child has solely relied on you for care and comforting. She or he has not yet established trust with another carer. Therefore , your job convincing your kid to trust another adult will be clumsy. However , with the right technique, you can make their first trip to the dentist a satisfactory experience. Actually if you use the right technique, the visit could be agreeable. Here are tips on how to prepare your kid for the 1st dental visit.
Talk With Your Kid. Step one in preparing your kid for the 1st dental visit involves debating it. A great way to bring up dental care is to approach it while the child is eating lunch or dinner. Express to him the teeth need to stay robust in order for people to enjoy their food. Then explain that proper tooth care involves visiting a dentist a couple of times a year so he or she can have a look at them. Mention that if any of his or her teeth are sick, the tooth doctor might need to put something on it to mend it. Reassure your kid that the dentist is a buddy of the family who'll do no harm.
Meet the Dentist. The second step in getting a kid prepared to go visit with a dentist should be allowing him or her to meet the dentist. Meeting eyeball to eyeball with the supplier previously should relieve any hysteria he could have about letting a stranger explore the mouth. This meeting will give you and the child a last chance to choose whether the dentist you chose is the proper fit. Attempt to schedule something at least a week before the dentist appointment comes up.
Offer Prizes. Ultimately, when the dental visit comes up, you need to have some kind of treat handy. Offer the child something that he or she likes in exchange for courage and patience. Tell the kid that if he or she does a good job with the dentist, you may award the prize. Most children respond to candy. Nevertheless a good fruit such as an apple or pear will be acceptable. Stickers are another option. Kids love to win stickers, so that strategy should definitely work. The 1st dentist visit should prove to be very successful.
The encouragement shouldn't stop after the visit is over. Continue to praise your child for being brave and letting the dentist check their teeth. This may get the child’s mind in tune for the next visit. Kids have a tendency to remember pleasant experiences. Therefore , when you have a successful meeting with the dentist, the successive visits will be more easy to handle. Future dental visits can become an exciting activity for the entire family. You may even choose to take part in daily tooth cleaning with your youngster to encourage continued care.
Lionel Piedmont, the author, thanks Lawernce Hagen, DDS, a Cincinnati, OH dentist, for his information on childrens and pediatric dentistry.