Tear-Free Trips to the Dentist
Dentist visits without the tears
Taking your child on regular trips to the dentist is one of the most important parts of looking after their teeth. And children should have a check-up every 6 months, unless your dentist recommends otherwise.
A lot of parents worry that their child will be afraid of going to the dentist. But you’ll be pleased to know that children aren’t as worried about it as you might think.
If you want to avoid your child getting anxious about the dentist:
- Make sure you don’t show your anxiety if you’re scared of going to the dentist yourself. They’ll pick up on it and copy your behaviour.
- Take your child to the dentist regularly. Children who only go to the dentist when there’s a problem will quickly start to associate being there with getting bad news about their teeth. Plus, frequent check-ups are the best way to catch problems before they become painful or need further treatment.
What to do if your child is afraid of the dentist
When you think about it, being scared of the dentist is a perfectly natural reaction for some children. After all, it’s a pretty strange place full of unfamiliar sights, sounds and people.
But regular dentist visits are key to keeping your child’s teeth healthy. And often, all it takes to make them more comfortable is to spend a little time finding out exactly what they’re afraid of, then giving them a bit of reassurance. A simple role playing game is excellent for this. As is rewarding them for their trips to the dentist with a Dental Certificate.
Otherwise, if your child (like many) is put off going to the dentist because of all the strange looking tools they use, What’s it for? will help you explain what each tool does, and why it’s not so scary after all.
Having a filling
Most of the time, teeth can repair decay on their own using minerals in saliva. But if decay spreads too far for the tooth to fix itself, your child’s dentist might decide it needs a filling to help prevent toothache.
If your child is a bit nervous about getting a filling, it might help to explain what will happen before they go (it’s quite a complex process though, so you might want to skip some of the parts).
- First, the dentist will give them a local anaesthetic to stop them feeling any pain.
- Using a drill, the dentist will remove the decayed part of the tooth
- The dentist will then blow water and air onto the tooth to clean and dry it
- After that, the cavity will be etched away with a mild acid to create a rough surface so the filling will stick better.
- Next, a bonding agent will be applied to the hole and hardened using a special bright light (your child might be especially interested in this almost magical part of the process)
- The dentist will then push the filling material into the cavity and shape it before hardening it and trimming it to the right shape with a drill.
Fillings generally come in two different colours: silver and white. Silver ones are harder, so they’re usually used for back teeth. And white fillings are popular with the front teeth because they can be matched to the colour of the tooth. White fillings are available on the NHS for front teeth, but not for the back ones.
Find a dentist near you
Finding the right dentist for your child can be very important – and it’s good to bear in mind that the one you go to might not be the best choice for your little one. So it pays to do a bit of research. Similarly, if you’re not satisfied with the treatment your child is receiving at their dentist, or your child is consistently uncomfortable going there, it’s completely fine to change to a different one.
Find an NHS dentist in your area