How Not to Freak Out Your Child Before Their First Trip to the Dentist

I have serious issues when it comes to the dentist. It might have something to do with my obsession with teeth while also being genetically prone to cavities; it might also have a lot to do with a story that was told by my siblings throughout my childhood to both embarrass me and entertain their friends.

We were heading to the dentist once when I announced from the back of the station wagon that I wasn’t feeling well. My mom was usually very sympathetic to us being sick, but this one time she called back “you’ll be fine.” As a mom, I now know that what she really meant was “I hope you’re fine because I made your and your brother and sisters’ appointments six months ago and we are already on our way.” Well, I wasn’t fine. As my dentist looked in my mouth, he got more than he bargained for: I threw up! I cringe just writing about it, knowing how many times this story has been repeated and exaggerated at my expense. It became a scale for measuring bad situations in our family: “it can’t be that bad … I mean, at least you didn’t throw up on your dentist!”

So I’m sure you can see why I was just as nervous to be taking my boys to the dentist for the first time.  I don’t want to pass down my dental anxiety to my children, so I decided to  research and prepare myself – I mean, my boys – for their trip to the dentist. Here are some tips I found to be helpful for having a successful visit to the dentist with your young ones:

1. Choose a pediatric dentist or a dentist with lots of positive experience with children.  

This is helpful for a couple of reasons:

  • Dentists who work well with children know how to make them comfortable and unafraid. They often use kid-friendly words: drill = “water toothbrush,” suction = “straw,” Nitrous gas = “funny air,” light = “flashlight,” and so on. Also, if/when your child gets squirmy or bites down on the mouth mirror and refuses to let go (not saying my son did that), they are better prepared to handle it. I felt less awkward about my son’s unfiltered requests to not have their light in his eyes knowing this is a common appeal; sunglasses were quickly provided which eliminated the issue altogether.

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  • The environment is fun! When we walked in, my kids were immediately captivated. My son actually said, “wow, this place is amazing!” The waiting room and the exam rooms are definitely designed with kids in mind.

2.  Prepare your kids, but don’t overwhelm them.

  • Simply talk to your child about what to expect, but don’t weigh them down with information. (I told my son that the dentist was going to check his smile and count and clean his teeth.) Keep it positive and fun! I’m not against a little bribery, so I let my boys know if they stayed still and let the dentist look in their mouths, he would have a special prize for them.

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  • Role play with your kids. Take turns pretending to be the dentist. Use a chair with a doll (or a stuffed animal, if you have a house full of boys) and a toothbrush.

3. Prepare yourself for the visit.

As they say, prepare for the worst and hope for the best. I always go into appointments prepared to be embarrassed and stressed out by the time I leave; when I walk out with all of my hair and without any screaming kids, it’s a plus.

  • Make the appointment at the right time for your kids’ schedule. In the past, I have been pressured to take an earlier date but not a time that is good for my kids; this usuallyphoto-22 turns out bad. Remember this, moms: nap time is never a good time to go to the dentist.
  • Bring favorite toys, books, iPads, Leap Pads, or whatever will entertain your child(ren) in the waiting room.
  • Do what is right for your child’s personality. Some kids will listen better to the hygienist and dentist without you there, while others may need to see your smile and thumbs up in order to be fine with the whole experience.

Bonus Tips:

Start a family tradition of doing something fun on Dentist Day: order pizza, take a trip to the movies, have a game night, etc.photo-24

For your sanity, don’t let your kid pick a crappy toy that breaks before you even get home or a mustache that sticks for no more than five seconds (lesson learned). –>

Finally, trust your child if they say they aren’t feeling good … it will most likely end badly for everyone involved! 🙂

We’d love to hear about your child’s first trip to the dentist! What did you do to prepare your child for their first dental exam? Leave us a comment below and let us know!

Note: This post is a continuation of our Pediatric Dentistry series sponsored by Burleson Orthodontics. Dr. Amy of Burleson Orthodontics is a pediatric dentist and also has three boys of her own. She will be on hand at Moms Night Out on October 6 to answer any question you might have about how best to choose a dentist, how to prepare your child for the dentist (like Bridget talked about in this post), as well as any other pediatric dentistry concerns you might have. You can learn more about Burleson Orthodontics by visiting their website or following them on Facebook and Twitter

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Bridget
Bridget was the first of her six siblings to be born in Kansas City and she has lived here ever since. She met her husband when she was in the eighth grade; they have been married for five years and have two boys (Cooper is 4, Lewis is 2) with another boy on the way. Day-to-day life consists of being woken up face-to-face with someone asking for a cup of milk; picking up hockey gear around the house; trips to the park; laughing at her boys; attempting to catch up on laundry; and hearing lots of screaming and “I love you, momma”'s. Bridget loves to camp, lay on a hammock (often while pretending it's a ship being attacked by sharks), garden, picnic - basically all things outdoors with the exception of chiggers! Writing for a moms blog has been a top bucket list item and she is excited to be a contributor. She also writes at living with levins

2 COMMENTS

  1. Good tips. i just finished a round of cavity-filling at the dentist with my 5 year old. Went pretty good, but I recommend begging or bribing the husband to babysit the baby. The baby was more stressful than the kid getting work done. 🙂

  2. I always talk to my kids the morning of the dentist appointment and let them know what they can expect. I also try and talk about it all very positively too. I find that helps! 🙂

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