Finding a family dentist who is great with your kids can be pretty tricky and there are many out there who claim to be a ‘family’ dentist, when in fact they are not great with kids. As a mother of 3 kids who are petrified of the dentist, I can tell you that finding the right dentist is not easy. It is not just the dentist who can help you in this regard however and if you have kids who are scared of going to the dentist, you too have a big part to play. If you want to do your bit, here are the best ways that I have found to help with that trip to the dentist.
Education
The first thing to remember is that someone who does not care for their teeth will have far more trips to the dentist than someone who does and so you can use this to help to educate your kids. Using this fear factor which they have when it comes to going to the dentist is a great way to educate your kids and ensure that they look after their teeth as much as possible.
Reward System
Some parents like to try and knock the fear out of their kids when it comes to going to the dentist but I can’t see how this helps my kids very much. My approach therefore, is a reward system whereby I will take my kids out for the day or treat them to something if they are good and manage to make it through a trip to the dentists without causing too much chaos. This has worked for me so far and whilst I am not in the business of treating my kids for doing nothing, this is something which helps to make my kids feel better and helps them to get through something which they are scared of, and I don’t see any harm in that.
Early Morning
I have realized that the best time to schedule my kids’ dentist appointments are first thing in the morning. The reason for this is that the kids do not have to wait all day for their appointment which brings sheer dread to their minds. The later in the day that the appointment is, I find the kids get themselves worked up into a frenzy and the whole appointment turns into an ordeal. If you have kids who are scared of going to the dentist then why not try to make an early morning appointment for them so that they can get it over and done with before they have the time to be scared. I am not saying that this will make the process simple, they will of course still be scared, but it can make a huge difference in terms of just how scared they are.
How do you manage your kids’ dental appointments? Let us know in the comments section below this post.
