Kid's dentistry sets the pattern for a lifetime of dental care.

Let’s face it, most adults don’t enjoy a visit to the dentist but for some people it goes well beyond clammy hands. Grown men can quake at the thought of a filling. Some lose sleep when they have an appointment the next day.

This usually goes back to experiences as a kid and has an impact throughout life. People with negative views of dentists have fewer check ups and this means more treatment and health problems in the long run.

If you want to make sure this isn’t the way things go for your kids, it really is important to get the right dentist from the very beginning.

Can Dental Visits be fun for Kids?

It sounds strange to many parents but a lot of kids love going to the dentist. A good pediatric dentist really tries hard to create the right setting in the waiting area with games toys and videos. Kids are never forced to accept treatment. Instead they are persuaded that treatment won’t hurt and is best for them and their teeth.

It isn't always easy to keep the fun element alive in the dental experience- the first bad visit changes everything- but the longer the honeymoon period lasts the better.

Ways parents can help make things go smoothly.

Young children need some discussion before they willingly accept treatment. A good way to start the process is to use one of the many story books about children’s dentistry. These can be found in libraries, bookshops or on the web.

Kids can read the books with you in a fun way. Any concerns they have will soon come to the surface and can be dealt with.

One thing to avoid is letting adults or other children scare your child about dental treatment. If someone says the dentist hurts, it will set back your efforts (a good children’s dentist really won’t hurt).

There is an animation here to help prepare a child for the first trip to the dentist from the American Dental Association: http://www.ada.org/public/games/story.asp

Ways the right Pediatric Dentist will make things go smoothly

All clinics that specialize in child dentistry and most general practices will encourage you to make an introductory ‘happy’ visit. There will probably be a short check up, a talk on good dental hygiene and maybe a free toothbrush. There will also be plenty of time for the child to get used to the sights, sounds and smells of the clinic.

Most kids enjoy sitting in the treatment chair, using the mouth mirrors etc. Many kids really get excited about their next visit!

Tantrum Free Treatments

When it comes to a treatment, the best children’s dentists will use the’ tell show do’ method to reassure and prepare children for surprise-free treatments. Every step is explained carefully, the dentist shows the tools he or she will use and will only ‘do’ when the child is comfortable with what is happening.

How to Choose a Good Pediatric Dentist.

• The best way is through recommendations from other parents whose children have had a good experience at the dentist.
• Clinics that specialize in treating children are usually a good place to start looking, though, of course, any caring, kid friendly clinic can be just as good.
• If you and your child find yourself liking the dentist and the nurses on the introductory visit, you are probably home and dry.
• It is always worth asking about a clinic's attitude to having parents stay with children during a treatment. The best child dentists should have no problem with this.

What if a Treatment is essential but the Child fights against it?

If children are well prepared for treatment it shouldn’t come down to a fight. If. somehow. a child isn’t ready, it really is best to delay treatment and talk it over.

For children who just can’t be persuaded to cooperate by simple reassurance, the methods outlined below are the ones commonly used in the US. The list reads from top to bottom in order of acceptability for the majority of parents- according to a recent study* published in the Journal of the American Pediatric Association.

• Nitrous Oxide Gas: the child loses consciousness for a short period after breathing the gas from a mask and the treatment is carried out.
• General Anesthesia: the child is completely unconscious for the treatment and takes quite a while to come round.
• Active restraint: someone holds the child still.
• Oral Sedation: a tablet makes the child anxiety free and only aware of what is happening at a distance.
• Voice Command: the dentist uses his authority to order the child to co-operate
• Passive restraint (sometimes called the Papoose Method): the child is restrained in a fabric wrap.
• HOM (hand over mouth): if a child struggles or demands to go home, the dentist puts a hand over the child’s mouth until he or she is forced to listen to orders. HOM is often used with the Papoose Method.

All of these methods mean distress for your child and for you. Drugs leave the children groggy and the experience of going under can be scary. Many people with dental phobias blame them on the force employed in the Papoose method and HOM.

Patient persuasion and a great pediatric dentist can save so much trouble!

Links

www.aapd.org/ American Academy of Pediatric Dentists

http://www.dentalfearcentral.org/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=123 Despite the name, this is a good site, discussing the best practices to avoid anxiety in kid’s dentistry.

http://www.dance.net/topic/7590257/1/Children-Parenting/Am-I-out-of-my-mind-for-thinking-this-dentist-is-out-of-control.html

Parents discuss the papoose method

http://debbiehagan.blogspot.com/

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