Taking your child to see a pediatric dentist in Mission Viejo can be quite a stressful occasion. There may be fear and uncertainty involved, and this could lead to your child showing signs that they are scared. A stressful situation at the dentist can lead to tears and potentially even tantrums. Dental care is vital to everyone, regardless of age. However, when it comes to children, it is ever more critical. 

Your child will be at risk of various dental problems as they grow. Even as babies, as teeth are starting to first form, it is imperative that care is taken to avoid tooth decay. As baby teeth are replaced with adult teeth, and your child’s jaw bone grows, there may be developmental issues and a higher risk of dental health issues if teeth are too close together.   

With all of the issues that children can face with their dental health, they must get proper professional support with regular visits to a pediatric dentist. Getting your child used to visiting the dentist from the youngest age possible is crucial as they will carry this habit with them throughout their lives. If fears about going to their appointments are allowed to build up, then they will always have this problem, and it will only ever get worse. 

This is why we want you to help your children prepare for a trip to the dentist. 

Be Positive 

Kids are smart and they pick up on everything. If you have a fear of the dentists yourself, it really won’t take much for your kids to learn that behavior from you. Being aware of your attitude when going to the dentist is important, as you should avoid passing on your own negative feelings towards visits to the dentist. 

It would be best if you were positive about them going to the dentist. Use affirmative language when you are talking about their appointments. Make sure that you only ever focus on the benefits that a dental visit can do for them.

Use an upbeat tone when you talk about an upcoming visit to the dentists and make sure that you don’t dwell on any aspect that they may be scared of. Do everything that you can to reassure them that they will have a good experience when they go. 

Be Supportive

Allowing your child the opportunity to talk to you about how they feel about going to the dentist can be helpful. It would be best if you weren’t dismissive of how they feel and understand that it may have taken courage for them to tell you. Reassure them that the visit will be much better than they expect. 

Reward Your Child

Be sure that you never threaten your child with any form of punishment for not wanting to go to the dentist. All this will do is make the problem much worse as they will then feel more significant anxiety towards going. 

Instead, use positive reinforcement. Find a suitable fun activity that you and your child can do following on from their trip to the dentist to reward them for being so brave. Pretty soon, your chile will have had enough positive visits to the dentist where there was no discomfort and lots of good experiences which come from them going, that any fears that they had will soon be a thing of the past. 

The activity or reward that your child will get for going to the dentist should be of a high enough value that their positive thoughts toward that override the anxieties that they may have had. 

Make Sure You Have A Pediatric Dentist That Cares

How your dentist takes care of your child is critical in improving their perception of going for an appointment. For that reason, you must find a suitable dentist when your child is very young. Look for a pediatric dentist who has the knowledge and experience of taking care of young kids and who knows exactly what to say and do to put them at ease. 

A good pediatric dentist will talk your child through what they are doing so they are not so scared, and they will work with you by turning the visit into a positive experience. This may mean giving the kid something fun to reward them for being very brave. 

The earlier your child gets used to seeing a pediatric dentist, the better. 

If you are looking for the best pediatric dentist Mission Viejo has to offer, New Generation Dentistry will do everything possible to make sure your child’s visit is as happy and smooth as possible. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to give us a call. If you are ready to make an appointment with us, you can do so over the phone or on our website.