{"id":3679,"date":"2018-03-13T12:53:03","date_gmt":"2018-03-13T12:53:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.princeviewdental.com\/?p=3679"},"modified":"2023-09-01T04:09:28","modified_gmt":"2023-09-01T04:09:28","slug":"what-you-should-know-before-your-childs-first-dental-visit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/1stonthelist.website\/temp\/blog\/what-you-should-know-before-your-childs-first-dental-visit\/","title":{"rendered":"What You Should Know Before Your Child\u2019s First Dental Visit"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"ChildA child\u2019s first dental visit is never an easy task, especially since children often fear unfamiliar settings and situations. The dentist\u2019s office and all of its seemingly daunting instruments is no exception to this rule. Understandably, you\u2019re probably just as nervous about your child\u2019s first trip to the dentist as they are. You might even be wondering whether you\u2019ve done a good job teaching your child proper oral hygiene. All you have to do is reassure yourself and your child that there\u2019s absolutely nothing to fear.<\/p>\n

Alert your dentist ahead of time that this is your child\u2019s first dental visit. A good children\u2019s dentist will prepare themselves and even provide you with sound first-time dental visit tips for your child. Since most dentists also specialize in family dentistry, you can even take your child to the same dental clinic that you frequent. Here are a few other ways you can make your child\u2019s first visit to the dentist a successful one.<\/p>\n

Choose a Kid-Friendly Dental Clinic<\/h2>\n

Most family dental clinics are kid-friendly with dental professionals who are experienced enough to handle children of all ages. Finding an age-appropriate clinic for your child is beneficial because it\u2019s recommended that you schedule your child for their first dental checkup before their first birthday.<\/p>\n

Let Your Children Play an Active Role in Their Oral Health<\/h2>\n

Instruct the dentist to speak directly to your child when discussing matters concerning their personal oral health. Encouraging your child to freely ask questions about their teeth and gums (provided they\u2019re of speaking age) is also an effective way of soothing them and making them feel more comfortable at the dentist\u2019s office. This is a prime opportunity for them to familiarize themselves with their surroundings and create a strong sense of structure, which is important for children of all ages. Allow them to look around the room and satisfy their curiosity while still monitoring what they do.<\/p>\n

Bring Your Child\u2019s Security Blanket or Favourite Toy Along<\/h2>\n

As most pediatric dental care professionals know firsthand, a security blanket or favourite toy is an excellent stress reliever for a lot of young children. It\u2019s usually effective to have their own favourite toy to comfort them.<\/p>\n

Prepare Your Child Ahead of Time<\/h2>\n

The general rule regarding children\u2019s dentistry is that your child should start seeing the dentist on a regular basis\u2014approximately once every six months\u2014following the eruption of their first tooth and their first official checkup should be right before their first birthday. Before your child\u2019s first official dental checkup though you might want to schedule a preliminary appointment with the dentist to help prepare you for what will happen during your child\u2019s first dental appointment and to pickup the new patient information application. That way, you can sit down with your child and aptly explain to them the importance of good oral health and what they can expect when they visit the dentist. This will help ease some of their anxiety beforehand, if they are old enough to understand.<\/p>\n

Dress Your Child in Their Favourite Outfit or Costume<\/h2>\n

Children enjoy playing make-belief and sometimes, pretending to be someone else such as their favourite movie character or superhero can give them the confidence they need to conquer intimidating situations. Letting your child choose their own outfit and dress themselves whenever they have to visit the dentist gives them a small taste of autonomy that makes them believe in their own fearlessness and that they\u2019re capable of doing anything.<\/p>\n

Schedule Your Child\u2019s Appointment at the Right Time of Day<\/h2>\n

As a parent, you know your child more than anyone else. When the time comes for your baby\u2019s first dental visit, you should make every effort to schedule the appointment during a time of day when they\u2019re usually calm. Despite the fact that dentists are used to dealing with fussy infants, it makes their jobs a lot easier if your child cooperates and doesn\u2019t try to resist treatment or examination. Mid-morning to early afternoon is usually an ideal time of day to take your baby to the dentist.<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t Feed Your Child Right Before a Dental Appointment<\/h2>\n

Heavy meals, nerves, and dentistry are usually not a good combination for children. It\u2019s best to avoid feeding your child directly before or after a dental appointment. The anxiety and fear from having to visit the dentist in the first place can make your child feel nauseated while they\u2019re having their teeth examined and that won\u2019t end well for anyone, especially the dentist. On the day of your child\u2019s dental appointment, try to wake them up a little earlier than usual and feed them a very light breakfast to avoid the chances of them becoming physically ill during their dental examination.<\/p>\n

Schedule Follow-Up Appointments with the Same Dentist<\/h2>\n

Making follow-up appointments is a simple and convenient way of tracking the progress of your child\u2019s oral health and ascertaining that they\u2019re taking good care of their teeth and gums. Not only does it instill good oral health habits in them from a very young age, but it also encourages them to maintain those initiatives as they get older and well into adulthood.<\/p>\n

Introducing your child to a regular dental clinic such as Princeview Dental Group<\/strong> in Etobicoke is an excellent way to teach them good oral health habits. We offer many treatments including adult and children\u2019s dental care, emergency dental care, routine cleanings, checkups, as well as performing simple and complex dental procedures whenever necessary. To learn more about our practice, or to book an appointment, please contact us<\/a> today.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A child\u2019s first dental visit is never an easy task, especially since children often fear unfamiliar settings and situations. The dentist\u2019s office and all of its seemingly daunting instruments is no exception to this rule. Understandably, you\u2019re probably just as nervous about your child\u2019s first trip to the dentist as they are. You might even be wondering whether you\u2019ve done Continue Reading<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[40],"tags":[77,79,82],"class_list":["post-3679","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-blog","tag-dental-cavity","tag-oral-health","tag-oral-hygiene","cat-40-id"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/1stonthelist.website\/temp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3679","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/1stonthelist.website\/temp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/1stonthelist.website\/temp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/1stonthelist.website\/temp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/1stonthelist.website\/temp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3679"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/1stonthelist.website\/temp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3679\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4900,"href":"https:\/\/1stonthelist.website\/temp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3679\/revisions\/4900"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/1stonthelist.website\/temp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3679"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/1stonthelist.website\/temp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3679"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/1stonthelist.website\/temp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3679"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}