Taking kids to the dentist is necessary to keep their teeth healthy and promote excellent oral hygiene habits. But from a child’s point of view, a trip to the dentist can be a frightful event — lying on a chair in an unfamiliar room filled with unfamiliar noises and objects, all while a stranger is poking cold, metallic, and unusual instruments in his mouth.
Plus, as your child’s teeth continue to fall out and grow, he may take at least 10 trips to the dentist before starting kindergarten. Therefore, it’s important for the dentist to be friendly to your child.
Following are the main benefits of being friendly with the child:
1. Friendly Environment:
Dentists must understand that it is important to develop a rapport with the children. While most dentists can treat children, only a few really know how to be friendly with children.
2. Decreased Anxiety:
In the wrong dental situation, children can become uncomfortable quickly and can develop dental anxiety, which is the last thing we want them to associate with going to the dentist.
3. Ensuring the Regular Checkups:
Millions of adults suffer from dental anxiety, and this anxiety causes them to avoid seeking dental care as often as they need. Same is the case with children. They may show reluctance to be checked up. The only way to do so is to ensure all of your child’s dental visits are in a friendly environment. This will create lasting memories and a will cause the child to be motivated for further regular checkups.
4. Proper Check-Up:
During a checkup, if a dentist isn’t friendly, it would make the child feel uncomfortable. He may stop cooperating even during the checkup. Therefore, it’s important to maintain a healthy and friendly environment during the checkup. It would ensure the proper check-up of the child.
5. Satisfied Parents:
Parents are most sensitive about the checkup of their child. They observe closely when their child is being checked. Being a dentist, if you check the child with affection and care, it will enhance the confidence of parents in you. This would leave the patient satisfied with your skills and practice.
Tips For An Appointment With A Child Friendly Dentist:
Preparing the child forvisit:
Before bringing a child to a dentist office, the parent can prepare for the visit at home. This will help the child be more comfortable with the actual experience. Begin by getting some books from the library on visiting the dentist.
Using Books & Animations:
If the child watches PBS, parents can get books with some of the child’s favorite characters, or look to see if any books are about dental visits. Parents can also watch educational cartoons where the character goes to the dentist with their child, to help the child visualize the experience.
Prior Visit:
As a kid’s friendly dentist office, we also welcome parents to stop by and tour our office in advance of their appointment. Since children are more relaxed in a familiar environment, this first visit is important. If parents stop by first, they can meet the team so we can say hello and offer friendly greetings when they come back. We can show them where the books and toys are, where the bathroom is, and even what an exam room looks like.
Familiarising the child:
When parents get home, they can follow up by playing dentist with them and letting them. Examine a stuffed animal or another toy. By playing with the child, parents will be allowing them to work through any remaining questions or concerns they have, so on their actual visit, they are excited to be there.
Good Oral Health After The Check-up:
As a kid’s friendly dentist, you must take the role very seriously and should help the child have excellent oral health for years to come. Most of dentists recommend the fluoride treatment and dental sealants after the checkup.
So,
An effective dentist for children is in tune with the needs of young patients both dentally and behaviorally. When a child is fearful or anxious, pediatric dentists often use special calming techniques to reduce apprehension – especially in potentially painful situations. Parents must ask the dentist how he manages a difficult child, and decide if the child would be comfortable with these methods.