The best way to train kids to visit the dentist is to bring them along with the parents when they turn 6 months. This way they watch the patents getting treated and realize that it doesn't hurt.
It would be best to select a dental practice that is kids friendly and includes toys, games and colorful play areas.
When the kids turn 2 they can be introduced to polishing the teeth and cleaning them.
Reasons to bring kids before 2 years are black spots, pimples on the gums or any other areas of concern.
How do you like treating kids at your practice?
Treating children is an integral part of the practice and having two kids of our own makes us appreciate them better, but even before that, it was always fun. They bring liveliness to the office and they have simple issues and simple things.
It is great to see when we start educating them early and slowly over time you will feel that they have really got it. They now know the importance of brushing, flossing, and have cultivated good habits thanks to you and you feel good about it.
How do you treat children with anxiety?
Treating kids from the easy ones who don’t worry about going to the dentist to the ones that are really scared even though they have never had any work done, it is just the thought of it, the dentist looking at my teeth and trying to fix it is going to hurt a lot and it makes sense.
But nowadays dentistry has come a long way that, a lot of procedures can be done without pain, discomfort even if there is that anxiety. There are even tools to help you with anxiety like laughing gas and it works like wonders on kids.
We give laughing gas to kids who are really apprehensive and in 5-10 minutes they are the most corporative patients. So, we have a lot of tricks up our sleeves to help different patients, different age groups, with their anxiety and get them the treatment that they really need.
What advice do you have for parents with dental phobia?
The main advice is kids should not even know about it, that you are afraid of the dentist. If you truly believe in dentistry you know that it is a necessary part of our overall health.
But for some reason, I'm not able to easily get access to that care because of my anxiety about it. So, if I pass that on that to my child, let them know what I fear about, it's not going to help them because they'll comprehend differently, and they will think it is fearful to be there.
So, just keep it to yourself, you should talk to your dentist about it to see if they can help you to overcome those phobias that you have personally.
But in the meantime, just let the child know that this is a place that we go to get our teeth and gums taken care of. We get their teeth shined, polished, and if there are any sugar bugs the dentist takes care of them and we get a little treat at the end of the appointment. Make it fun for the kids and make it trust in.
Your child deserves the best possible chance for a beautiful, healthy smile now and for years to come. Children’s dentistry at Mount Royal Dental in Burlington is the first step on the path to a lifetime of smiles.
Call (905) 581-9912 to get started.