Your Child's First Visit: Building a Positive Relationship
Everyone knows that children are naturally curious and keen on forging new experiences. It is thus the case that fear of the dentist is not born into your child. In fact, most children hear negative stories from family members or classmates and it nourishes their fear. Our common goal is therefore to prevent this fear from setting in to begin with and instead reinforce positive experiences with kids at an early age. A feeling of pride for healthy teeth and excitement for the next dentist visit helps children to feel safe.
The first visit to our practice should preferably not be for a dental emergency, but rather a friendly visit. That way we can focus on building a friendly, playful relationship to let the child know that we understand them. It is also helpful to introduce them to some new vocabulary that they might encounter during their future visits and give them a chance to ask about the unusual sounds, smells and sights they should expect. Typically we start the visit by counting teeth, or „Zähndli" with the help of finger puppets. This sort of distraction also allows the dentist to inspect the child's teeth and get to know your child.
Ensuring that the first visit goes smoothly requires support from parents. In our experience it is not necessary to prepare your child for a first visit before they arrive. By eliminating the preparation, kids won't think to make a big deal of it. Well-intentioned but negative comments like "You needn't be scared" or "They won't give you any shots on the first visit" are counterproductive. Kids will deduce that they should be scared and that it will hurt. If you yourself have had bad dental experiences, try not to pass the feeling on to your children. They deserve to form their own opinions about their visit. If it's easier for you, we actually prefer to lead the discussions with our young visitors.
Use our Lexicon with your child to talk about their visit to the dentist:
Dental checkup – tooth counting
Cavities (holes) – The tooth monsters have built a cave
Drilling – tooth shower
Shots – sleep potion
Filling material – Tooth batter
There is a plethora of media for introducing kids to the world of dentistry and dental care. A selection of our favorite guides can be found in our waiting area.
Regular checkups and preventative care of baby teeth are the foundation of healthy, beautiful teeth into old age. Methods for preventing cavities and other maladies of baby teeth should be discussed together with our team, the parent, and the child
