Best Carlsbad Dentist Blog

Children at the Dentist: How they see it

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Kids are our very special patients, our investment in the future, so we have spent considerable time over the years compiling their opinions regarding what they think about visiting the dentist.

Here is some of the feedback we have gotten from them:

• They don't like to be scared
• They worry about being hurt
• They don't like the noise
• They don't like the light
• They tell us how long they brush (usually too quickly)
• They tell us how often they brush (often only once a day)
• They usually have not been shown how to floss before
• They will listen if we tell them how to take care of their teeth
• They Like getting things for being good
• They don't like bad tastes

Children at the dentist are like everyone else, and come in with various degrees of apprehension which is important to overcome through demonstrating that we care about them. When we need to get them numb we are able to give our shots gently and distract them so as to avoid discomfort. We give them dark glasses to protect their eyes from the light and debris.

We have a large selection of flavors of polishing pastes and fluoride for them to choose from. We are as gentle as we can be so they are not frightened. Fixing their cavities when they are small allows us to do the work with an air abrasion unit without a shot. The prizes they get are not large but they really like being able to choose their own from our selection. The most important thing we do is listen and reassure them that we are there to help them.

The first experiences that children at the dentist have often stay with them for the rest of their lives so it’s critical not to create negative ones early on. This is something we focus on very hard.

photo credit: makelessnoise