Last week we talked about the importance of excellent oral health for a great school year. As easy as it is for us to tell you your kids should brush, floss, and get a dental check-up, the reality can be a bit more challenging than that. Brushing can be a battle and dental visits can feel like an impossibility. Is a perfect dental visit really possible for your child? YES!

You can help your kids see the dentist as an ally in caring for your smile. Here at Lake Baldwin Dental, most of our pediatric patients actually look forward to seeing us! Follow these four tips to help prep your kids for great dental visits.

Work With Us to Find Your Perfect Time

Whether you’re the parent of a terrified toddler or you struggle to get your teenager to dental check-ups on time, dental appointments can sometimes feel like a struggle when you have kids. Especially if you’ve got a bunch like Dr. Dunn!

Scheduling can be difficult between school and extracurriculars. Here at Lake Baldwin Dental, we offer early morning and late afternoon appointments to help you find a time that works for your family. We have several hygienists on our team, so we can frequently get siblings in side-by-side, meaning less trips for you. However, spots fill up fast, especially those early morning and late afternoon appointments. So be sure you are always booking your dental health visits well in advance. Don’t leave your six-month check-up without scheduling for next time!

For fearful or overwhelmed kids, morning appointments may work best. By the afternoon, many kids start to feel run down. As anyone who has seen a kid skip nap time can attest, a tired kid may become angry, resistant, or overwhelmed much more easily. Try to target those times of day when your kiddo feels refreshed and ready for the day.

For teenagers, a 7am appointment may seem like a great way to get their dental care completed without missing any school. However, it can be really tough for teenagers to get up early and arrive at their appointment on time. It might be worth it to miss one class every six months if it means they can get their full hour in the dental chair and not have to cut their appointment short.

Once you have an appointment reserved, there are some simple things you can do to help your child feel ready and comfortable for their visit.

Set Your Child Up for Success at the Dentist

You can start helping your child feel comfortable with oral care from birth. As young as possible, get your infant accustomed to having their mouth cleansed. Use a soft, damp washcloth to wipe their mouth out every night at bath time. Not only will it get them accustomed to oral care, but it will also alert you to any sores or erupting baby teeth.

As much as possible, make sure you avoid using dental treatment as a threat. It seems so natural to tell your child, “If you don’t brush your teeth they’ll fall out! The dentist will have to drill your teeth! You’ll have to get a shot! It’s going to hurt!” However, even if these messages might help you win that nightly brushing battle, you’ll end up facing a much worse struggle when it comes time for their dental check-up.

Make sure to always keep the idea of the dentist as positive as possible for your kids. Sure, explain that we need to prevent cavities if we can. However, if a cavity happens, the dentist can help make us healthy again! We need to keep our teeth clean to help the dentist do their best job at keeping us healthy. This type of messaging reframes the dentist as a helper, someone to protect our teeth. We’re on the same team, and brushing and flossing will help the team do our best job!

Practice Makes Perfect!

Like we talked about in last week’s post, kids of different ages need different levels of help. However, there is nothing wrong with letting your little ones start taking the helm when they want to. Just be sure to give them some guidance on good technique. Remind them they have to do both sides of every tooth, go slowly, and brush all the way to the gumline.

Let your child watch closely in the mirror while you brush their teeth. Maybe even let them watch while you brush your own teeth! If you’re comfortable with it, let your child brush your teeth every once in a while. That way, they can see all the sides and hard-to-reach areas of the mouth.

You can also rehearse a pretend dental visit before you come into the office. Lay your child down on the couch with their head in your lap and have them open nice and big while you look at their teeth. Maybe consider switching places so they can get an idea of our view while we’re working on them. Get some gloves and get exploring if your child is extra curious!

Talk About It!

If your child is hesitant about the dentist, have some conversations before you come for a visit. Be sure to really listen to their concerns. Rather than discounting their feelings (“Don’t be scared! There’s nothing to be scared of!”), validate their emotions and come up with ways to help them feel more comfortable. They can absolutely bring a favorite stuffed animal along, for example.

Going to the dentist can be really overwhelming. There are new smells and sounds, bright lights in your face, and someone hovering over you. The toothpaste tastes weird and those instruments look pointy! Let your child tell you exactly why they feel hesitant and talk about ways to cope with that. Let your child know you can talk to the dentist and hygienist about their worries. We have solutions for almost any dental fear!

Here at LBD, we love our kid patients! And we pride ourselves on helping children feel confident and comfortable at their dental visits. Call us today to schedule your child’s next appointment and let us know if you have any concerns. Keep smiling, Orlando!