When the time comes for our children to start visiting the dentist it can be a time of excitement and dread. We at Quest Dental Care understand the trials and tribulations of making our dentist in Ipswich a fun, exciting and calm place to be and because of this we want to support parents as best we can. And with that here’s all our top tips on how you can help develop the dentist’s chair into an enjoyable place for your little ones.
Our environment
Unfortunately, us dentists tend to have a tricky time wherever we are, everyone seems to have or has had a family member who’s had a tough time with the dentist and because of this children are able to pick up the negative vibrations towards the dentist. And it’s not just through loved ones – TV, film, radio and even books have a tendency to paint the dentist in a negative light. So it’s no wonder that when the time comes for our children to make their first appearance at the dentist that they’re more than a little bit apprehensive. Or maybe a little more than a little bit? This brings me on to my first point: in order for children to build a positive, enjoyable relationship with the dentist they need to be in an environment that encourages this. This means monitoring the way you and others talk about the dentist around your children. Avoid using negative language or language that reinforces the dentist in a negative light.
Examples of this would be: ‘It won’t be that bad’ or ‘Once it’s done we can go for a special treat’. By saying your child is worthy of a treat after visiting the dentist you imply they’ve gone through something challenging and our dentist in Ipswich shouldn’t represent that to your child.
The practice
When we sit on a bike for the first time it’s a scary thing, it makes us nervous and we worry about all the bad things that could happen. It takes time for us to get used to the wobbly feeling and the thought that we might fall. Sometimes we start with stabilisers then move to two wheels. Perhaps children should be encouraged to think of visiting our dentist in Ipswich in the same way. A new experience is a scary one, humans naturally fear the unknown and the dentist is no different from riding a bike. But what you can do at home is start practising, so that when children get to see us they’ve done the stabilisers and are now ready to hit the chair with two wheels alone. You can play being at the dentist by asking your child to pretend to be the dentist for you. You can ask them to give you a check-up by counting your teeth and shining a touch in your mouth, you can then do this for them too. This small but powerful role-play tool will enable your child to begin to normalise the dentist and build a more enjoyable relationship with them moving forward.
