Cape Town Smile Studios

Take your child from about 3 years to the dentist for check ups and to get the know the dental office environment. At this early age the dentist will check that all the primary teeth have erupted, that there are no cavities, that the jaw development is progressing normally, etc. So to you it may look as if the visit is all a game, but important information ...

A. Take your child from about 3 years to the dentist for check ups and to get the know the dental office environment. At this early age the dentist will check that all the primary teeth have erupted, that there are no cavities, that the jaw development is progressing normally, etc. So to you it may look as if the visit is all a game, but important information is learned. These visits should usually be repeated every 6 months.

B. Tell your child that he/she will be going to the dentist, and start practicing at home by getting him/her to open the mouth and have various people “check” their teeth. This will also be useful for the child to start getting used to keeping the mouth open for a period of time (quite difficult to do if one is not used to it!).

C. Do not use bribes for good behaviour. If the behaviour is not good or he/she is even uncooperative, then you are going to have a problem. The use of praise (“Wait till we tell Dad/Grandpa/etc. how good you were at the dentist/that you have no cavities/etc.) should be reward enough.

D. Do not tell the child that he/she has nothing to fear. That in itself is cause for concern for the young mind (Why warn that there is nothing to be afraid of? Might there be something to be afraid of?) Do not mention / promise “It won’t hurt/ it will be over soon/etc.”

E. Do not make any fuss about little Tom/Jane going for their first check up. Treat going to the dentist in the same manner as going shopping – a routine procedure that is done twice a year. When, after the visit, and if the visit went well, a fuss can be made about their good cooperation/no cavities/etc to all who wants to listen!

F. Dentists have various techniques of working with children and getting their trust. Do not expect the dentist to teach your child to sit still and to listen to instructions if he/she does not even do this at home. At Cape Town SmileStudios we do not allow parents or siblings to accompany the child that is older than 6 years into the dental office. By separating the 6 year old from the parent we have found that the cooperation is exceptionally good. There are also a host of other physiological reasons that we do this.

G. Do not take your toddler to the dentist during the time of day when it is his/her nap time.

H. Teach your child that the dentist is there to help him/her keep their teeth pearly white and healthy.

I. Do not show your own fear of dental treatment to the child. Even a casual mention in this regard during a phone conversation is heard by little ears, and the information is stored in the data base!