How should you talk to your kids about the dentist?

Children have a great time at the dentist and familiarization should begin at approximately 3 years of age. This is preventative and therefore facilitates a positive ongoing experience.

Don’ts

We recommend when talking about the dentist to not use phases such as “ there is nothing to be scared about” , “its going to fine” “its wont hurt” ,“there wont be any needles” , “ you won’t have to get any teeth pulled out today”. Your children are a lot smarter than you may realize and you may simply be transferring your own emotions. Children will wonder why their parents are saying such things and behaving so strangely. We have found that most kids are not afraid of the dentist until their parents tell them that they have no reason to be afraid.

Never mention needles! There is a very low chance that your child will ever need a needle when getting an check and clean so there is no need to even mention them.

Do’s

let your child know in advance that they are going to see the dentist however talk about the dentist like you would the other activities of the day “ we are going to the park, the dentist, the shops…”, be positive; explain that they need to show the dentist their teeth and how well we have all been doing at brushing their teeth, teach them to be proud about showing the dentist their teeth.

Try to explain the procedure eg. “We are going to go for a ride in the dentist chair, we have to open our mouths and let the dentist count our teeth, then the dentist is going to look at them with their mirror and make sure they are all happy healthy teeth…”

Book your appointment at a time when your child is usually well rested and happy.

More Info

Timing of treatment depends on a few factors including whether there is a skeletal imbalance, what stage of skeletal growth the child is in, any muscular or object habits, how much crowding there is. For example if the lower jaw tends to protrude or there is a longer looking face this most likely should be treated as soon as possible. Protruding upper jaws can often wait till stage 4 of cervical maturation of growth. With the aid of our modern German equipment we will be able to assess this when you come in. Even if there is no obvious problem children between the age of 7-9 years of age should have an OPG x ray to see if the erupting teeth are erupting under the permanent teeth straight underneath or angulated towards other permanent tooth roots. Studies show that there is over 90% chance that these teeth will straighten their path of eruption if the deciduous tooth in the way is extracted/space is made for the tooth to fit before the eruption force of the maligned tooth causes permanent damage to the permanent tooth it is angulated into.