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How to Prepare Your Child for A Dentist Visit.

I try my best to take my kids to the dentist every six months, as dental health is essential to our family. Sometimes we’re a few months behind schedule, and honestly, finding a dentist that we trust was the hardest part of the process, but it’s essential to establish healthy dental habits with kids when they are young. Here are a few tips to prepare your child for a dentist visit:

My older daughter’s very first dentist visit was back when she was 2-years-old, and I am happy that although she sometimes gets a little nervous, she’s quite comfortable with visiting the dentist. Now that we’re a few years into pediatric dental visits, I feel like I have enough experience to share a few tips to help you prepare your kids for their dental appointments. Here are a few ways to prepare your child for a dental visit. 

1. Let them know what to expect.

My daughter loves surprises, but I know that a surprise trip to the dentist doesn’t fall in the happy surprises category. So, I make sure to let her know about her upcoming visits and what to expect. I always keep the information as positive as possible, highlighting the benefits. Before her very first visit, I let her know that a dentist is someone who makes sure our teeth are healthy and removes gross plaque. I knew that there was a possibility of discomfort, especially when the dental hygienist cleaned her teeth, but I made sure to focus on just the positive.

2. Prepare dental insurance documents prior to visiting.

The last thing you want to have to sort out with your kid at the dentist —especially if it’s their first visit—is dental insurance. My dentist emailed me all the forms, and I filled out everything, scanned our insurance cards, and sent them before our appointment. 

2. Find a dentist that specializes in pediatric dentistry.

The easiest thing to do is to take your kid to your dentist, right? After all, it’s just teeth, but I wanted to make sure that my kids have a dentist who is trained to care for children’s teeth and is very experienced with kids. You can find an excellent pediatric dentist by asking friends, reading reviews, getting recommendations from other parents at your child’s school, or by using the dentist locator on your dental insurance website.

3. Inform your dentist about your child’s personality prior to the appointment.

My two older kids’ first dentist visits were fun and will always be beautiful memories for them because her dentist was prepared and made them feel comfortable. Some kids love to chat and want to learn all about their teeth and the process, and some kids prefer to watch a movie during the visit quietly. 

4. Bring along a toy to keep your child distracted.

Just in case your child has nervous jitters or experiences some discomfort, it’s nice to have a small toy on hand that can keep them distracted. This will also come in handy if you have a long wait. One time my daughter’s dentist had to attend an emergency, and our wait was an hour-long, a toy would have come in really handy then.

5. Reward your child. 

Once you get through the dentist, make sure to reward your little one for their cooperation. There are so many scary stories and negative conversations about dentists visits that you want to make sure that your kids have an entirely positive approach to their dental health. After all, failing to take care of their teeth can lead to decay, cavities, and, eventually, tooth loss, which isn’t cool. Just don’t reward them with sweets or candy. your child for cooperating at the dentist.

Once you get through the dentist, make sure to give your little one a reward for their cooperation. There are so many scary stories and negative conversations about dentists visits that you want to make sure that your kids have a completely positive approach to their dental health. After all failing to take care of their teeth  can lead to decay, cavities, and eventually tooth loss which isn’t cool.

If you’re not a fan of visiting the dentist or you’ve had some painful experiences, make sure never to discuss them in your child’s presence. Keep things positive, make trips regular, and it would be an excellent experience for you and your child.

How do you prepare your kids for a trip to the dentist?

The Super Knight is now 2 1/2 years old, he’s right in the midst of one of the most feared ages of children. Most people refer to this stage as terrible twos, I personally like to use the term “terrific twos”. You see, I’m more experienced this time around with toddlers. At this age, his brain is developing mega fast, ahead of his emotional and physical development. 2-year-olds know more than they’re able to express and that frustrates them which sometimes leads to tantrums. For the past 6 months, I’ve taken the approach to view the world through my son’s eyes. Of course, I am a grown-up and I would never fully see the world the way that he sees it. However, I try to get on his level, talk to him and let him lead the conversation to see what’s on his little mind, offer different options to help him express what he wants to do and help him actualize his little plans.

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For instance, my son loves to build things, he plays well with his sister but he gets more creative when she’s at school and he could build all of his cool ideas without having to collaborate with her.  Lately, he’s been obsessed with The Lion Guard so he tries to build the characters that he sees on the show like the hyenas.

I like to take advantage of breakfast to play and eat with him. We chat and I ask him questions, practice saying different new words and discussing their meanings.

We usually have breakfast after The Princess Fairy is at school, it’s our way of bonding in the beginning of the day together. Since he loves chocolate milk, it’s not unusual for him to request it so I keep Nesquik Chocolate Powder handy. I think Nesquik Chocolate Powder is a good choice because it contains 7 essential vitamins and minerals, no artificial colors and flavors. Now, that it’s currently cold and flu season, it helps that Nesquik Chocolate Powder has vitamin C to build up his immune system.

I’m happy that I adopted this approach of viewing the world through my toddler’s eyes since he can now lead me to his interests, he’s more creative is able to come up with solutions removing some of his two-year-old frustrations.

How do you help your child navigate the “terrific twos”?