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Amongst kids, visiting
the dentist rates as high as going for a flu shot, having the
ear’s rotted out. The only way to prepare your child for a dentist’s
visit is to promote the healthy aspect of the medical appointment. Quelling
your child’s nerves before the dentist visit can alleviate everyone’s
stress level (yours, the dentist your child). According to the
American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, a child’s first visit
to the dentist should happen shortly after the first tooth makes
its debut or six and twelve months old.
A pediatric dentist
is best for children and adolescents up
to the age of 18. It prepares little ones for the day their
real visit to the dentist takes place. Not to mention, your
attitude and outlook toward your child’s visit to the dentist
will significantly affect your child’s behavior.
Quite often,
it is a parent’s anxious attitude towards the dentist visit
that promotes a child’s phobia about going to the dental office.
Although, certain parents unknowingly influence these negative
feelings, parents can motivate positive reinforcement regarding
the visit to the dentist.
Even though it’s
a good idea to explain to your children what to expect during
your visit to the dentist, remind your child that the dentist
is like a nice smile cleaner who will make sure that his or
her teeth are healthy, clean and bright.
To avoid instilling
fear in your child, tell them everything to expect with the
exception of using terms such as drill or shot.
If your child end
up needing a cavity filled, use the term filling cavity to explain
the procedure. Focus more on the cause of the cavity opposed
to the actual step by step procedure. The more you play down
the drilling aspect of the cavity extraction, the better your
child’s visit to the dentist.
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