Preparing Your Child For The First Dental Appointment
Going to the dentist is a scary and nerve wracking experience for many people. They associate a dental office with pain and painful procedures, and avoid going there as much as possible. These negative thoughts can be formed from a young age, so it’s important that children are taught not to fear the dentist’s office. This can be done by giving them positive experiences from a young age, starting with their very first visit.
The first dental appointment should be done at the age of 2 ½ to 3 years. Many dentists recommend taking your child in as soon as they get their first tooth. However, some children may be visiting the dentist for the first time later on in life, so it’s important to keep them feeling positive about the experience. They should look forward to going to the dentist rather than associating a dental appointment with pain, fear, or anxiety.
It’s important to make your child feel comfortable and happy at the dentist’s office. In order to do this, there are a number of things that dentists and staff offer in order to make little ones feel that a dental office is a good place, where they can have fun and learn about having healthy teeth.
The preparation for a child’s first dental appointment starts at home, by talking to them about going to see the dentist. Laser Dental Associates recommend taking the child in for a practice visit, where they won’t have any procedures done on them. He or she can go in, even while a parent is having a procedure done, to see that there isn’t anything bad or painful happening. They can also get accustomed to the dentist’s chair, the equipment and sounds in the room, and learn what they do.
It’s also important that parents talk to their children about going to the dentist, not only when there’s a problem, but in order to keep their teeth and mouth healthy. Children will react positively if they know what to expect and realize that you don’t go to a dentist only when something goes wrong with your teeth. Positivity instilled at a young age will provide optimum oral health in the future.
The first dental appointment should be done at the age of 2 ½ to 3 years. Many dentists recommend taking your child in as soon as they get their first tooth. However, some children may be visiting the dentist for the first time later on in life, so it’s important to keep them feeling positive about the experience. They should look forward to going to the dentist rather than associating a dental appointment with pain, fear, or anxiety.
It’s important to make your child feel comfortable and happy at the dentist’s office. In order to do this, there are a number of things that dentists and staff offer in order to make little ones feel that a dental office is a good place, where they can have fun and learn about having healthy teeth.
The preparation for a child’s first dental appointment starts at home, by talking to them about going to see the dentist. Laser Dental Associates recommend taking the child in for a practice visit, where they won’t have any procedures done on them. He or she can go in, even while a parent is having a procedure done, to see that there isn’t anything bad or painful happening. They can also get accustomed to the dentist’s chair, the equipment and sounds in the room, and learn what they do.
It’s also important that parents talk to their children about going to the dentist, not only when there’s a problem, but in order to keep their teeth and mouth healthy. Children will react positively if they know what to expect and realize that you don’t go to a dentist only when something goes wrong with your teeth. Positivity instilled at a young age will provide optimum oral health in the future.