A fear of the dentist is incredibly common, but if you’d rather undergo a rectal probe than get your teeth professionally cleaned, try not to pass your (usually irrational) phobias on to your children. Instead, try to keep your fears in check and not let your child become overly conscious of them.
Getting your child in the right frame of mind to visit the dentist is important. Chances are their first check-up will be routine, and no real treatment will be necessary. Sometimes, however, their first visit can result in a filling or even an extraction, so be prepared.
According to the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, children should visit the dentist for the first time when they get their first tooth – or no later than when they turn one. But if your child gets teeth at five months old, he or she will not remember their first visit – so it hardly counts.
What does count, however, is when they are three or four and have bumped their front teeth, or when they have a toothache or are feeling the first signs of tooth decay. When that happens, visiting the dentist is important – and your job is to make it as seamless as possible, so they will look forward to future visits , not fear them.
Top 5 Steps in Preparing Your Child for Their First Dental Visit
Getting your child in the right frame of mind to visit the dentist is important. Chances are their first check-up will be routine, and no real treatment will be necessary. Sometimes, however, their first visit can result in a filling or even an extraction, so be prepared.
Start from day one by practicing proper oral hygiene as soon as your child’s first tooth appears, and get them actively involved in the process as early as possible. Making sure they are in a comfortable routine early on will ensure good oral health well into adulthood, and make them used to having someone else look at and touch their teeth. You can also:
- Buy them a book. Libraries and most children’s bookstores now carry books explaining to children who the dentist is, and the importance of regular visits. Most good books will go through a visit in detail, explaining all the ins and outs of the visit as well as detailing what instruments the dentist or hygienist will use etc. The Berenstain Bears Visit the Dentist is an all-time favorite.
- Talk it over. Don’t expect your child to have fears, but don’t express surprise or dismay if they do. If they know what to expect from the very beginning, their fears may diminish – or may never materialize at all. Listen to their worries and answer honestly. You can also play games before the big day. Shine a flashlight into their mouth, pretend to look over their teeth, peer at their gums.
- Let them watch you. Children are much less frightened when the know that Mommy or Daddy has experienced the same thing – and survived. If possible, schedule your cleaning right before, and allow your children to watch. Scheduling a three-hour root canal may not be such a good idea!
- Make it fun. Don’t take them to the dentist at the end of a long school day after their ballet lesson or football club. Nothing spells disaster more than taking an exhausted child to a potentially scary event. Instead, schedule a late morning appointment and promise them lunch in their favorite cafe after. If you can, make a day of it. When your visit is over, impress upon your child the importance of looking after their teeth, but make a game of it. The two of you can make a tooth-brushing chart (with small rewards, such as stickers) and make a special place for the old brush and paste. Musical toothbrushes work wonders for kids who balk at brushing, as does an egg timer for timing it right.
- Buy fun dental gifts. Promise your child that they’ll get loads of fun stuff when their appointment is over. Then take them to your local drugstore and let them buy a new toothbrush, paste, maybe even children’s mouthwash if they’re old enough. Let them get excited by taking care of their teeth – it’s a job for life!
Thanks for the post. Oral heath is very imporatnt. It links to our overall health and well-being. Oil swishing or mouth whooshing has proved to be good. It involves using a tablespoon of non-refined seed oil like walnut, olive, sunflower, unroasted sesame and moving it around in the mouth for 20 minutes, avoiding gargling and swallowing. The oil shouldn’t be ingested as after the whooshing process the oil would become infused with germs and toxins. Avoid using canola oil and peanut oil.
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