At Montville Pediatric Dentistry we try to make your child’s first visit as enjoyable, memorable, and fun as possible!! Here are some tips to help get your child excited for their first dental visit:
- Let your child see that you are excited! If you are nervous, your child will likely see that and feel the same trepidation.
- Use positive words, avoid words with a negative vibe. If you say something like “Don’t worry, the dentist won’t hurt you” your child will likely focus on “worry” and “hurt.” Try saying things like “Going to the dentist is so much fun because you get to sit in a comfy chair and watch TV while the dentist counts your teeth!” or “I know that the dentist has a big treasure chest with really fun prizes!“
- Get a character book about going to the dentist from your library or bookstore. There are MANY of these books available, with characters that your child knows (Peppa Pig, Dora, Elmo, to name a few!). Reading a book can help your child visualize a dental visit and eliminate some uncertainty.
During the first visit we spend time showing the child everything we will be using. We use non-threatening words like “Mr. Thirsty Straw” for the suction, “water squirter” for the air/water syringe, and “special dentist electric toothbrush” for the prophy handpiece. We demonstrate all of the instruments and tools on their hand so that they can see and feel them before we use them in the mouth. We also have about a dozen flavors of prophy paste (which we call “toothpaste” at the visit) that they can choose from.