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Dental care for kids is incredibly important, here are 5 ways to improve dental hygiene for your little ones.
While it is too late to help those of us who are already grown, dental office procedures have come a long way over the past decade. No longer does a trip to the dentist have to be fraught with fear and dread. Dental offices have recognized the aversion that children have to being poked, prodded, and drilled, and have adjusted the experience in ways which can – almost – be considered enjoyable.
Between carefully decorated waiting rooms, available video game consoles, and customized children’s medication, kids today have many more options when it comes to receiving quality dental services. Getting your child to buy into the process of practicing regular dental care in the first place, however, still falls on the parent. The following are some tips for dental care for kids. These are simple steps toward getting your little one accustomed to regular dental hygiene.
Tip #1: Acknowledge Fear of the Dentist
While it might just be a remnant of our ancestral experiences with glaring lights, metal gears, and lack of administered Novocaine, fear of the dentist is still a salient part of our society. Dental phobias negatively influence over one-third of the population when considering making a trip to the dentist. Like all anxieties, the fear is rooted in the unknown. Anticipation of what will happen once settled into the dentist chair can be even worse that what actually occurs. This fear of the future can be even more distressing to a child.
Telling kids to suck it up and press through the fear isn’t usually the best option, but overly protecting them isn’t advisable, either. The trick is to find a balance between encouraging your child to be brave, and simultaneously doing your best to alleviate the concerns that your child has about visiting the dentist. If your child isn’t capable of voicing his or her own fears, try sharing some of your own experiences with overcoming dental anxiety.
Tip #2: Be Choosy with Your Family Dentist
One of the best ways to alleviate fears and phobias is through exposure. In order for the exposure technique to be successful, however, the experience has end up being neutral or pleasant. Not all dentist offices are created equal when it comes to ensuring that your child’s trip to the dentist is a harmless one. The more negative experiences that your child has with the dentist, the more likely it is for the dental phobia to increase.
Don’t be afraid to be picky when it comes to choosing a dental office for your child’s treatment. Search the web, obtain some recommendations from friends, and take a trip out to the location before committing to making an appointment for your little one. Don’t be timid about switching dentists, if you find conditions less than ideal, and consider upgrading your dental insurance in order to have more choices available. Upgrades for dental insurance are not often very costly.
Tip #3: Stay Current with Information
As with most medical practices, the standards for dental hygiene have evolved over the years. Knowing what practices will be best when it comes to dental care for kids is the best way to ensure that your are doing your part to set the tone for a healthy dental future. Current recommendations for a child’s oral health include brushing any existing teeth with an appropriately-sized toothbrush, using an appropriate amount of toothpaste for the child’s size, and assisting a child with proper brushing techniques until the child has reached an age of around eight.
In addition to knowing the dental guidelines for your child’s home care of teeth, it is important to stay abreast of current options available at the dentist office. One of the most innovative techniques to come out of recent dentistry is the process of compounding medications. With this process, the sedation and numbing agents applied before treatment are customized to the needs of the individual. A child who is feeling nervous can receive a breath of nitrous oxide to reduce the anxiety before dental work begins. A child who is unwilling to sit through a fluoride treatment might change perspectives when finding out it tastes like candy. If your dentist is behind in the times when it comes to current practices used to encourage children to participate in dental care, you may want to consider finding another dentist.
Tip #4: Make It Into A Routine
Children respond wonderfully to the structure of a routine. Knowing what to expect will reduce resistance to direction and will reduce the amount of anxiety experienced over an event, and setting the standards for dental care while they are young will be providing them with the framework to continue the good practices into adulthood.
- Build the expectation of tooth brushing into your child’s day by requiring it before school, after meals, and before bedtime.
- Limit sugary snacks to certain times of the day, and making brushing afterward a condition of the reward.
- Predetermine a day of the week for flossing. Set regular appointments for dental exams in advance, and put the dates for checkups on the family calendar.
Tip #5: Be the Role Model
Dental care for kids begins with the parents. As any good parent knows, kids learn best by example. Imitation of a parent provides a child with valuable knowledge, skills, and information about social norms. Children who observe their parents practicing good dental hygiene at home and keeping their routine check-up appointments with the dentist are more likely to be accepting of the idea that they, too, need to take good care of their teeth.
Overcoming your own anxieties about about dental care is another source of inspiration for ever-watchful child. Knowing that mommy or daddy was once afraid to visit the dentist – but is no longer – can provide your child with the courage it takes to overcome their own fears. Do what it takes to become the type of parent who brushes regularly and visits the dentist, and you will see your little one start to follow suit.
