We understand that many parents want to prepare their child for the dentist, especially when it comes to visits when their child is getting a cavity fixed. To help you help your child better, here are a few tips!
1) Avoid any trigger words such as "hurt", "sharp" or "pain". When we use these words, your child may come to expect that something may hurt them during the visit.
2) We especially do not want to use the word "shots" or "needles" because we don't want your child to associate the numbing medication we give with the vaccinations they receive at their medical doctor. We call our dental syringe that we use to give the numbing medication "Bruno" - we know it may be an uncomfortable experience for your child, but as pediatric dentists, we have many techniques to distract your child that they may not know they are being numbed! So remember - "we don't talk about Bruno!"
3) Pediatric dentists are masters of distraction - we use stories and games with your child during their visit to make them feel comfortable! We use less "scary" words for different instruments to make sure that your child isn't scared of anything we use. We don't hide anything from your child, we just reframe how they see something new so that they aren't afraid!
4) We understand that parents may have their own personal dental experiences in the past that may have been difficult. We want to avoid these same difficult experiences for your child. The most important thing to remember is that we are here to help you and your family, we want to build that trusting relationship! Don't forget to remind your child that their dentist is here to help them, not harm them!
These are just a few helpful tips to make the dental experience easier, but every child is different, so we are here to work with you and your family to make your experience at the dentist the best it could be!
