Six Tips to Make Children’s First Dental Visit Fearless
Your child will never realize when you take them for their first visit to the dentist near me at age one when the first tooth erupts. However, when the big day arrives, to take them for regular dental visits at three or four, your child understands they have arrived at an unfamiliar place with an unfamiliar environment. Therefore, they will likely panic and remain uncooperative during their dental visit.
If having older children, you might be familiar with your child’s fears. Unfortunately, if this is your first experience, you had better prepare by reading the six tips this article provides to help ensure everything goes well, and your child has a positive experience.
Before the Appointment, Introduce Your Child to the Dentist
Before you schedule the appointment for your child with the kid’s dentistry in Frisco, TX, it helps if you take your child to introduce them to the dentist when you step into the dentist’s office to schedule the appointment. It enables you to introduce your child to the dentist to familiarize them with the professional. Simultaneously your child gets an opportunity to look around the practice to notice a kid-friendly environment with plenty of toys to play with and cartoon characters painted across the walls to enjoy themselves. It also helps to keep your child’s mood fun and upbeat. You can ask the staff at the practice to let your child get a ride on the dentist’s chair to meet Mr. Scrapie (the scraping tool).
Preparation for First Visit
1. During your child’s first visit for dental cleaning, check out the dentist’s place without interfering in their activities. Let them browse the books in the waiting room or play with various games available to become familiar with the environment. When it is time to take them to the dentist’s chair, they will likely be enthusiastic about exploring more in another room and accompanying you willingly.
2. Do Not Express Your Fears Openly
As an adult might have some dental fears yourself, but there is no reason for you to express it before your child when accompanying them to the dentist. Dental anxiety is often inherited, making it essential for you to keep your dental phobia to yourself.
3. Do Not Provide Comprehensive Details about the Visit
The day before your child’s appointment, discuss with them and tell them the dentist will merely count their teeth and look inside their mouth. Counting is familiar concept children are not scared about. Unfortunately, information that the dentist will clean bacteria on their teeth can make them anxious.
4. If Your Kid Some Bright Shades
Dentists use a bright light to shine on the kid’s mouth. However, the bright light might make their eyes sensitive and scare them away from the dentist’s chair. Instead of allowing your child to sit without shades in the chair, collect a pair of fun sunglasses or ask the dentist whether they provide some shades to protect your child’s eyes from the bright glare.
5. Allow the Older Sibling in the First
Allow your younger child to watch the older sibling receive a cleaning first without creating a stir. The experience of the older sibling can make the younger one understand that they only have to be seated in the chair with their mouths open for the dentist to count their teeth.
6. Collect Rewards from the Dentist Beforehand
Most pediatric dentists have a box full of gifts for children to pick up at the end of their appointment and the dentist in Frisco is not an exception. If your young one is panicking, consider requesting the dentist to allow them if they can pick a reward for themselves before getting into the chair. The early bonus distracts your child from the happenings in their mouth to create a pleasing environment during the cleaning.
You can try the above tips to calm your child before their first dental appointment to confirm they have a pleasant experience and learn why dental visits are essential to keep their oral health optimal. The tips also help you to learn how to manage children during dental visits without over-exerting yourself.
As time passes and your child gets accustomed to six monthly visits to the dentist for exams and cleanings, they will look forward to the appointment and make efforts to maintain their dental hygiene routines appropriately to collect extra rewards from dentists willing to provide them.
If your young one needs a dental exam and cleaning Millennium Smiles is the practice you must visit with them. However, you can use the tips in this article to calm your child before your visit. Therefore before you schedule an appointment with this practice to benefit your child’s oral health.