Taking children to the dentist can be stressful. But there are ways to make dental appointments less scary. Read these clever ideas to avoid tears and tantrums.
As parents, we are used to soothing grazed knees and unraveling fears and phobias. Yet, what happens if a child is frightened of something that we have also come to fear? How do you go about teaching your little one that some fears simply have to be conquered, if you are having trouble doing so yourself?
Take a fear of the dentist, for example. This represents an unhealthy anxiety and one which has the potential to cause serious health problems if not defeated. So, every parent wants to be able to take their child to the dentist for check-up appointments and routine procedures.
The reality is that this can be difficult for parents who spend a lot of time worrying about their own dentist appointments. This is why the health of infant teeth always starts at home. If you do not keep to a proper brushing schedule and maintain the health of your teeth, as recommended by your dental professional, it will impossible to convince children to do so too.
They lead by example, so give them a good one and start teaching them about good dental health and hygiene from an early age – in fact, as early as is appropriate. For most children, this is around 3-4 years, because this is when most infants first begin to make an intellectual connection between their actions and their bodies.
If you have a child who is around this age and you are confident of their ability to learn and understand about the dentist, start to teach them about how important their teeth are. This does not have to be an intensive ‘sit down’ lecture. You just have to incorporate learning into the daily routine. While you are helping them to brush their teeth before school, talk about why doing so is important.
Ask your child for their opinion, by posing questions. For instance, ask them what they think their teeth are made out of. Ask them why they think brushing is special and what kinds of things they can do to keep their teeth strong. It is recommended that a child have their first dental appointment between the ages of 1-6 months, soon after the first baby tooth has emerged.
However, a child of this age is simply not going to understand why they are in the dentist’s chair or what is happening, so it is not really of any use to try and teach an infant about dental health before this point. For very young babies and toddlers, it is all about distraction and maintaining a calm atmosphere, so that the little one does not pick up on any negativity and panic.
As a child starts to get older, you really do need to pull more out of the bag than a cuddly toy or a peekaboo face. In fact, as a child ages and starts to understand more about what is happening, distraction techniques can actually do more harm than good. As aforementioned, if you are open and honest about what is happening and why it needs to happen, children can be encouraged to start taking responsibility for their own teeth.
These handy tips and tricks will help you to get your child to the dentist with as little stress and fear as possible.
This is the piece of advice that can make all the difference to how easy your child finds dental appointments. While sitting in that chair will always feel strange and unnerving in many ways – it still does for parents – the more common it is, the less anxiety it will provoke. This is why it is important to follow the recommendation of dentists everywhere and start routine check-ups from around 3-6 months.
If your child is five or six and, suddenly, you introduce this strange new world of white rooms, funny smells, and probing hands, it is bound to be scary. But, if your little one grows up with memories of visiting for routine appointments, it is just going to feel like a normal part of life. Do not forget that the success of this advice starts with you. Your child needs to see that this is a normal and regular part of your life too, so do not shirk your own appointments.
The stereotype of the stern dentist, with the indelicate fingers and sharp tongue, is extremely outdated. These days, dental specialists go to great lengths to make patients (of all ages and sizes) feel comfortable in the chair. They are not there to lecture, only to educate and help you make the right decisions. So, do not be afraid to talk to your dental specialist.
The majority of dentists are eager to help parents and educators dispel the mystery around dental appointments. It is common for nurseries and pre-schools to take trips to dentist surgeries, in order to get a look at the tools, talk to the nurses, learn about dental hygiene, and get further acquainted with this kind of clinical environment. If this does not happen at your child’s pre-school, ask your local surgery if there is any chance of a quick tour.
This can be a tricky thing to do, because most parents speak about the dentist in a very specific way. You might not even realize that you are doing it, but if you have a tendency to describe the dentist using negative words, stop. This is particularly important for ‘H’ (hurt) and ‘P’ (pain) words. Also, try to avoid terms like ‘shot,’ especially if your child has had a stressful experience with needles in the past. The trick is not to lie to a child, but to do all that you can from coloring their experience before it has occurred.
The best example of this can be found when babies and toddlers fall down. In the vast majority of cases, a baby only starts to cry once its parents have rushed to the rescue and made it clear that a bad thing has happened. If you do not worry, fuss, or stress about the child, they will usually just get up and carry on. This is what happens if a child hears a parent constantly talk about the dentist as a scary, painful, and daunting experience. Even if their own visit is routine and involves little probing and no pain, they are likely to panic anyway.
As you can see, many of these tips and tricks do not have to involve the actual dentist at all. This is what it means to start a dental education at home, as early as possible. The dentist’s office is a strange place. The noises are unusual, the grown-ups are dressed funny, and the smells are not like anything experienced at home or school. This is why it is vital to get a child acquainted with some of the little details common to dental appointments. If you can make the experience fun, go ahead and do so.
Why not buy a small dental mirror online and play ‘pretend’ dentist with your child? Give them the mirror and the ‘counting stick’ and ask them to count your teeth. Encourage them to give an opinion on the health of your mouth too. If you have fillings, make it clear that these are to be avoided, but you must explain why. If you are going to educate a child about dental procedures, it is important to explain in a way that does not introduce fear. Yes, fillings are for naughty teeth, but sometimes they are necessary.
Again, this can be difficult, but bribing your child as a way to get them to comply with dental appointments will only reinforce the idea that check-ups are a bad and scary thing. You need to be sticking rigidly to the notion that a check-up is just no big deal. It happens every now and then. It is usually pretty fast and there is nothing to worry about. It is especially important to avoid bribery with candy or fizzy drinks, for obvious reasons.
On the other hand, it is okay (and encouraged) for parents to naturally introduce a treat or reward for after the appointment. The best way to do this is, again, make no ceremony or pomp about it. If your child always behaves well at the dentist and routinely gets a treat or is taken somewhere fun afterward, they will naturally start to associate this with good performance. After a while, the two experiences will become intermingled and just a mere mention of the dentist will trigger positive emotions.
It is common for parents to withhold food until after the dentist, both for the sake of convenience and because it makes it easy to say ‘We’ll go for snacks if you sit nicely and do as you are told.’ This is a bad idea, however, because nothing makes a little one grouchier than an empty stomach. While it is a good idea to stick to light foods, just in case there is any queasiness or stomach ache, don’t be afraid to feed your child before an appointment.
It is not easy for parents to watch children get scared or panic during a dental appointment. If a parent has their own fear of the dentist, they can be tempted to provide too much emotional comfort, even before the appointment has happened. All that this does is reinforce ideas about check-ups being bad and scary, so do try to keep your personal responses practical and sensible. Wherever possible, be open and honest with your child.
This is tricky, but it will do your child the world of good. What it does not mean is talk about pain or hurt or describe gory dental procedures. What it does mean is avoiding direct lies and empty promises. So again, if your child is not talking about pain or asking if the visit to the dentist will hurt, there is no reason for you to introduce this fear at all. If it is not something that your little one is worried about, there is simply a need to say whether it will or will not hurt.
As parents, we tend to forget how terrifying it must be to be a child, subject to all of the confusing and bewildering whims of grown-ups. This is especially true at the dentist’s. They are ushered from this waiting room to this chair. They are instructed to sit still and say ‘Aaaah’ and ‘be a good boy.’ Ultimately, even the amount of orders given can be daunting for a little one. However, you can alleviate the stress by giving your child some control in the littlest of ways.
We love our patients and love to help them form healthy dental life that will last them a lifetime. For more information call us today to answer all of your questions so get an appointment today.
As the proud new owner of braces, your children may be excited yet leery about caring for them while at school. However, with a little dedication and forethought, your kids will thrive while at school and wearing braces. Check out these five tips for caring for braces while away from home.
Make sure they pack anything else they will need to round out the day, such as a mouth guard if they will be participating in any sports. Following these tips for braces care at school will go a long way toward maintaining a healthy smile. Get in touch with your trusted orthodontist-sin Growing Smiles for more information about proper braces care.
We love our patients and love to help them form healthy dental life that will last them a lifetime. For more information call us today to answer all of your questions so get an appointment.
If your child has autism, a developmental delay or a disability, you know that brushing, flossing, and dentist visits can be challenging. Yet, oral hygiene is crucial, especially because studies show special needs children are more likely than typical kids to have cavities and other dental problems.
If your child has special needs, here are 10 ways you can keep his or her teeth healthy at home and make dentist visits stress-free.
For kids who need help brushing, put the toothbrush in a bicycle handle. Brushing should always be supervised, and if floss doesn’t work, use a water pick. If your child bites, place gauze on the back teeth and then brush.
The earlier brushing becomes a pleasant experience, the easier it will be to make it a habit, America’s Tooth Fairy. Try to brush when your kid is most cooperative, and distract him or her with music or something pleasant.
Your child’s first visit to the dentist should be a positive experience, so be sure to get there by age 1 or when the first teeth erupt.
Most pediatric dentists work with special needs kids, but it’s important to find one who is patient, will take time to explain everything to your child, and work with you to make sure your child is comfortable. If you get a compassionate doctor, it will be a great experience.
When you make a dentist’s appointment, provide the staff with information about your child and his specific needs. A heads-up can allow them to set up the office and make sure extra staff will be on hand to help. If your child cannot sit in the chair, the dentist can also find an alternative.
Ask the office to send all of the paperwork ahead of time, and bring a copy of your insurance card with you so you can save time and give your child the attention he or she needs.
Kids don’t know what to expect at the first dentist visit, so bring a favorite blanket, toy, or toothbrush so they’re not afraid.
Talk to your child about what to expect at the dentist – from the chair that tilts back to the tools the dentist uses. You can also prepare by putting your child in your lap and brushing his or her teeth. They get used to the feeling of someone else touching their mouths and hovering over their heads. It’s a scary feeling unless you’re used to it.
Ask the dentist beforehand what words and phrases you should teach your child so if the dentist says, “open your mouth,” he or she knows what to do.
young children who used xylitol wipes were significantly less likely to develop cavities. If you have to administer your child’s medication at night and you’ve already brushed his or her teeth, wipe the mouth clean. Also, ask the dentist about an antimicrobial rinse or custom trays with peroxide gel, two methods that can help prevent cavities and gum disease too.
The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry defines special health care needs as “developmental, mental, sensory, behavioral, cognitive, or emotional impairment or limiting condition that requires medical management, health care intervention, and/or use of specialized services or programs.” When kiddos have special health care needs, they have a higher risk of developing oral diseases ranging from gum disease to cavities. Since children’s dental health is so closely tied to their overall health, preventing and promptly treating any issues is extremely important. So, why the increased risk of dental problems?
Now that we’ve addressed why children with special health care needs are at a higher risk for gum disease, tooth decay and other dental health issues, you’re probably wondering what to do about it. Here are some suggestions for promoting oral health:
We love our patients and love to help them form healthy dental life that will last them a lifetime. For more information call us today to answer all of your questions so get an appointment.
Orthodontics is a branch of dentistry that treats malocclusion, a condition in which the teeth are not correctly positioned when the mouth is closed. This results in an improper bite. An orthodontist specializes in making the teeth straight. Treatment can be cosmetic, to improve a person’s appearance, but it often aims to improve oral function, too [hr height=”30″ style=”default” line=”default” themecolor=”1″]
An orthodontist can carry out work that aims to achieve the following:
Treatment can improve the appearance of the teeth, but it can also lead to better chewing and speech function and help protect teeth from damage or decay, in some cases. To achieve these goals, the orthodontist uses a range of medical dental devices, including headgear, plates, and braces.
These are the most common devices used in orthodontics. They are used when precision is important. A person can eat normally with fixed appliances, but some foods and drinks need to be avoided, such as carbonated drinks, hard candy, gum, and other sticky foods. People who participate in contact sports need to tell their orthodontist, as they may need special gum shields. Examples of fixed orthodontic appliances include:
Braces
These consist of brackets, wires, and bands. Bands are fixed firmly around the teeth and serve as anchors for the appliance, while brackets are usually connected to the front of the teeth. Wires in the shape of an arch pass through the brackets and are fixed to the bands. As the archwire is tightened, tension is applied to the teeth. Over time, this moves them into proper position. Follow-up involves monthly visits to adjust or tighten the braces. Treatment may last from several months to several years. Both clear and colored braces are available.
Fixed-space maintainers
If a child loses a baby tooth, a space maintainer will stop the two teeth at either side of the spaces from moving into it until the adult tooth comes through. A band is fixed to one of the teeth next to the space, and a wire goes from the band to the other tooth.
Removable space maintainers
These are an alternative to fixed-space maintainers.
Special fixed appliances
These can help control tongue thrusting or thumb sucking. They may be uncomfortable, especially when eating, and so they are only used if necessary.
Removable orthodontic appliances
These may be used to treat minor problems, such as preventing thumb sucking or correcting slightly crooked teeth. The appliance should only be taken out when cleaning, eating, or flossing. Sometimes, the orthodontist may advise the patient to remove them during certain activities, such as playing a wind instrument or cycling. Examples of removable appliances include:
Permanent retainers are glued, or bonded, to the back of the teeth. It is usually recommended for lower anterior teeth because of the high risk of reverting to their former position. In some cases, orthodontists recommend both a fixed permanent one on the lower anterior teeth and the clear plastic aligner-type which then would fit over the entire lower arch.
Splints, or jaw repositioning appliances
These are placed either in the top or lower jaw. They help the jaw close properly. Splints are commonly used for tempo mandibular joint disorder (TMJ). TMJ is a condition that can cause pain and dysfunction in the muscles that are involved in the jaw movement. Whatever your device or treatment, it is important to follow both the health professional’s instructions and oral hygiene guidelines with care, to ensure the best outcome.
We love our patients and love to help them form healthy dental life that will last them a lifetime. For more information call us today to answer all of your questions so get an appointment.