How to Prepare Kids for Their First Dental Appointment

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 Dental appointments can be a terrifying experience for children. But bringing them to a dental practitioner early in life plays an important role in their long-term oral health and development.

The Academy of Pediatric Dentistry suggests that children should be brought to a dentist for the first time before their first birthday. However, kids’ first dental appointments occur when they are already a bit older in many instances. If this is the case, parents might have missed letting their children develop a rapport with the practice, leading to difficulties bringing the kids to the clinic.
Kami Hoss, MS, DDS, lists some effective ways of preparing young ones for their first visit to a dentist.
• Call the clinic prior to the visit. Before bringing the kid to the practice, parents first need to talk with the dental professionals to know what to tell their children. This step is also crucial if the child is experiencing pain or other oral health issues.

• Be positive. Some studies have determined that parents can pass their dental anxiety to their kids. Talk only about positive experiences and use positive terms when discussing with children what to expect during their dental appointment.

• Practice patience. The fear of the unknown usually contributes to children’s dental anxiety. This fear might take a long time for them to overcome, so parents should have reasonable expectations about their children and be patient, notes Kami Hoss, MS, DDS.

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• Watch videos or read books with the kids. When children see characters they love happily go to the dentist, their own dental appointment may not be as daunting for them. There are also numerous videos, books, and stories written for kids about going to the dentist.

• Play games with them. Dentist games effectively get children ready for their first dental appointment. Parents can act as a dentist, have the kid pretend like he is sitting in a dental chair, then discuss the importance of oral hygiene while playing.
Learn more about pediatric dentistry by checking out this Kami Hoss blog.