919-479-5800
3823 Guess Road, Suite PWe Love Kids
Your child’s first visit to our dental office should be fun and educational. Good habits start early and early exposure to a positive dental experience will help unfold a lifetime of good oral health!
We usually schedule a child’s first visit at age 3, unless there is an emergency or there are signs of early childhood cavities. We encourage mom or dad to be present with their child during their entire visit, and we love to have any sibling go first as a good example!
Every parent is nervous about how their children will behave during their first dental visit. Our goal is for all our new patients to have a fun, exciting, interesting and educational visit. Dr. Simran Kaur and Dr. Matthew Garcia are committed to providing a positive experience for your child. We teach you and your child how to best care for their teeth, advise on eating habits, explain how cavities are formed and answer any specific questions you may have. All information is provided in an age-appropriate manner to help nurture and encourage your child.
We look forward to partnering with you to build a lifetime of good dental habits for your child. This is your child’s first dental visit in Durham, North Carolina, and we want it to be a great one to ensure they enjoy coming to see our dentists.
Here are a few helpful tips:
Be positive
Do not let your child know of any anxiety you may have about dental visits. Do not bribe your child or threaten a dental visit as punishment.
Set a Good Example at Home
Children imitate their role model … you! Practice good dental habits at home. Brush and floss your teeth twice a day, beware of frequent snacking and visit your dentist on a regular basis. Talking to your child about how you go to see your dentist often gets them excited about visiting their dentist.
Make the First Visit an Adventure
If you are excited about your child’s dental visit, they will be excited too! Read books with your child that describe a first dental visit. Come to our office early on the day of your child’s appointment and enjoy our Highlights magazine, coloring books and first visit video.
Avoid Over-Explaining
Children often ask what is going to happen at the dental appointment. Avoid purposely misleading your child. At the same time, do not give your children more information than they are able to understand.
Whenever possible, avoid using words like hurt, drill, X-rays or shot. You will find that we use only child-friendly words, especially when describing the various instruments and procedures your child will experience at our office. We even suggest avoiding comments that may appear to be reassuring like, “Don’t worry, the doctor won’t hurt you.” These comments can actually make your child more anxious rather than less.
Show Off Your Own Teeth
There is nothing wrong with letting your child examine your teeth. Your child can practice counting by counting your teeth. If you have had a cavity, you can ask your child to find the tooth that needed to be fixed. You can tell positive stories about the dentist by using your teeth as a guide.
Be Prepared to Allow Your Child to Go into the Treatment Area Alone
Willowdaile Cosmetic and Family allows one parent to sit in each of our dental treatment rooms. However, having a parent in the dental treatment room is not always in the best interest of the child, parent or dental personnel. Sometimes, if the parent is present, there is no transfer of authority and trust to the dental treatment team; communication and management are usually more difficult. Often, parents can feel uncomfortable with certain aspects or procedures that take place during treatment (administration of anesthesia, tooth extraction, bleeding, etc.). Unfortunately, negative reactions can upset children and make treatment more difficult. If we think it is in the best interest of your child, we may ask parents to not remain in the room while dental treatment takes place.
Coping with Behavior of Children
A first dental visit can be a challenging new experience for a young child. Children frequently fear the unknown, and sometimes exhibit avoidance behavior in the form of squirming or crying. Parents should not be surprised or embarrassed if their child does not initially cooperate in the dental office. If allowed the opportunity, children usually take great pride in overcoming their fears, and most of our patients who might have cried initially leave with a big smile on their faces!
Your Child’s Dental Appointments
Your child’s dental care is very important to us. We are excited to make their visit a positive experience. The following information will help make for a happier and pleasant appointment for all involved:
- Treatment must start on schedule. A late arrival may result in rescheduling. To help provide a positive experience, we encourage morning appointments when children have a better attention span and are fresh.
- If you cannot keep your appointment, please call us to cancel at least the day before the appointment. This courtesy will enable us to place another patient in your appointment time.
- Please do not spend a lot of time preparing your child for the dental visit. Treat their visit as an everyday occurrence, like going to the store. Teasing or telling scary stories about dental visits must be avoided. Once in the treatment room, the treatment team will explain the procedure in order to put your child at ease.
- Before entering the treatment room, children should be encouraged to go to the bathroom. This will avoid potential accidents in the dental chair.
- Once treatment has finished, a member of the treatment team will explain what was done and answer any questions. Parents are also welcome to speak with our dentists or contact our office at 919-479-5800 after their child’s appointment.
- After the visit, children must be watched closely to protect them from accidentally injuring themselves. Pay particular attention to lip and cheek chewing while they are still numb from local anesthetic.
