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How to Prepare Your Child for the First Dental Check-Up

• Posted by Amelia Grant May 6, 2020 Filed in Health #health  #dental care  171 views
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  A child’s first visit to the dentist’s office can be quite scary for a child. Many parents worry almost more strongly than children. They know that if the baby will afraid of the dentist, then even the most harmless examination can turn into a difficult task. In this article, we will tell you how to prepare your child for the first dental check-up.

  Find the underlying cause of fear

  It turns out that the most common cause of childhood fear of the dentist is a past negative experience. This means that the child has experienced some kind of painful treatment and is now naturally afraid of its recurrence. This can affect children of all ages and even adults often delay visit’s to the dentist’s office because of this fear.

  The second reason is the fear of uncertainty when the child visits the dentist or when he or she has already been to a doctor’s office but meets another doctor. Some parents don’t pay much attention to the fear because they think that the child didn’t understand the situation. A gross invasion of personal space can lead to the fact that a person will avoid any doctors in adulthood.

  What to do if the child is already scared?

  It is important to understand that you shouldn’t force your child to undergo a dental examination. Otherwise, this will cause even greater fear in the child. Little children (three-four years old) should undergo a dental examination and/or treatment with the parent. Sometimes it is permissible to conduct the first examination without tools so that the child is not afraid of objects that he or she sees for the first time.

  If during a visual examination it is clear that there are no obvious dental issues in a child, the visit should be performed in the form of an acquaintance. During the next examination, you can pick up the dentist’s instruments, show them, and tell about them to your child. It is not necessary to carry out any procedures on the first visit, especially if the child is very scared or has injuries due to which his or her teeth were removed. After that, the baby will associate a doctor with danger and pain.

  Why the acquaintance is important?

  Firstly, the doctor will show the child that he or she will always do only what was discussed before. Secondly, the child will be sure that the doctor will never break this promise. If the pediatric dentist informs the patient that he or she will not remove the tooth, make sure that this is true. The establishment of a trusting relationship between the child and the doctor is the most important aspect of future oral health. Even if there is a need to perform ascertain procedures, postpone them to the next visit.

  What should parents do?

  Never frighten your child with pain during dental work. It is better to explain that a visit to the dentist’s office is an important part of life and you need to regularly perform dental check-ups to avoid severe toothache. It is also important to tell your child that he or she shouldn’t endure teeth pain. This can result in more unpleasant and long treatment. 

  Regular dental examination (even without obvious reasons) will make the treatment faster and more pleasant. Moreover, only a doctor can detect early signs of tooth decay and perform the timely treatment.

  One more way to make your child calmer during the dental check-up is to encourage him or her with a toy or some attraction. A reward for good behavior is extremely important for children. This helps parents strengthen positive behavior and stimulate the child’s desire to behave bravely during even unpleasant procedures like dental work.