Preparing for Your Child’s Next Dental Visit

Routine dental visits make up an important part of pediatric preventive dentistry. During these appointments, preventive sealants and fluoride rinses are used to protect young smiles from potential damage and decay, eliminating the potential need for future restorative care as well as ensuring the long-term health of the patient’s smile.

While necessary for maintaining a healthy smile, for some children these routine visits can be intimidating experiences. Help your child prevent and even overcome their fears associated with the dentist by using the follow tips:

Start Early
Introducing children early to the routine of regular dental visits is critical to helping them become comfortable with the dentist. According to the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, children can be brought in for check-ups as early as six months of age, regardless of whether they have teeth or not. These early childhood visits also provide new parents with the opportunity to learn about steps they can take at home to improve their child’s oral health as they develop baby teeth.

Use Positive Language
Children infer a great deal from language. As a result, using dental visits as a threat for poor behavior rather than framing them as an important, normal part of a healthy lifestyle can create negative word associations for children, instilling unnecessary apprehension at the thought of a dental visit. Using positive, child-friendly language when discussing upcoming visits to the dentist can help prevent children from developing long-term dental anxieties.

Avoid Telling Negative Stories
Similarly, the stories your child hears can also play a role in how they view the dentist. If they are listening to their parent discuss how painful a root canal treatment was, children may begin to associate discomfort with every dental visit, potentially leading to the future development of dental anxieties or phobias. Discussing what a normal dental exam is like and how active at-home oral hygiene can help prevent the need for extended care can help children better understand that dental visits are nothing to be afraid of.

Coordinate with Your Child’s Schedule
For younger children in particular, coordinating dental visits when they are least fussy can help eliminate frustrations and the risk of discomfort. Depending on the dentist’s preferences, parents may be welcomed into the operatory to help children remain calm during their appointment.

Continue Oral Hygiene at Home
Practicing good oral hygiene between dental appointments is just as important as regular dental check-ups and the upkeep of your own oral hygiene routine can help children develop their own routine of regular brushing and flossing. By normalizing daily dental care, young patients are able to become acclimated to regular dental care, eliminating the fear that can come with dental visits.

With practices located in San Bernardino and Banning, Dr. Amy Berhanu-Demissie and her team offer comprehensive dental  care for patients of all ages. To learn more about preventive pediatric dentistry at our practices, contact Dr. Berhanu-Demissie today.