How to Teach Your Child to Look Forward to Visiting a Kids Dentist
June 4th, 2010 by Bill E. Kidd
Many adults and quite a few children cringe at the mention of the word “dentist”. However, you can help your child learn to look forward to visiting the kid’s dentist by incorporating a few steps into your daily routine a few days before your scheduled appointment. Here’s how:
1. Play dentist. Let your child examine your teeth and play dentist with them by returning the favor. This is also a good way to see how well your child is brushing. You can even take pictures (like x-rays) and create your own lead apron by wearing a cookie sheet during your “x-rays”. Mix up flavored pastes with baking soda and bottled flavoring to let your child try out a tooth cleaning, and use this as an opportunity to floss your children’s teeth if they are too young to perform the procedure themselves. If you have more than one child, they will especially enjoy examining the mouths of siblings, and you can even include the family dog if you like.
2. Visit the library. Your local library has tons of resources for your child about visiting the kids dentist. Videos, books, and even computer games can all help to put your child at ease about seeing the dentist.
3. Always be honest. If your child has to visit the dentist for an uncomfortable procedure, be honest about what will happen. If your child thinks you are untruthful about things related to the dentist, they will be less likely to trust you when you say a regular cleaning and exam are fun.
4. Model positive behavior. One of the best ways to teach your children a positive attitude about visiting the kids dentist, is to model that behavior when you visit the adult’s dentist. If your children see you smiling and eager to visit the dentist (even if you have to fake it a little) they will be more at ease about their own visit.
5. Reward your children. If your kids exhibit a positive attitude about visiting the kids dentist, be sure to reward their behavior afterwards. Kids learn through reinforcing behaviors and this is easily done by stopping for an ice cream cone, an hour at the park, or by purchasing a new toothbrush. Be sure to remind your kids what the reward is for, so they can make a connection and will be more likely to embrace visiting the kids dentist the next time.
Getting your child to look forward to visiting the kids dentist is easy with a little preparation and planning. Being intentional about creating a positive dental experience for your child is the key to generating a positive attitude when seeing the kids dentist.
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