Dentist Washington DC Discusses Parents Role in Children’s Visit to Dentist
Washington DC dentists are concerned with cavities in young children, especially how they react to a visit to the dentist. They are advising parents to prepare their young children ahead of time so that there are no ‘surprises’ and to help take the fear of the unknown out of the dental visit.
As with adults, the dentist will numb the area before giving a shot of Novocain in the child’s mouth; however unlike with an adult, it will not be as powerful because a smaller area of the mouth needs to be anesthetized eliminating the ‘rubber-lip’ feeling and ‘exploding face’. Some dentists are also using lasers instead of a drill in order to power away the decay-causing bacteria because it is virtually painless.
Some dentist Washington DC offer special services for children such as cartoons or movies in a ceiling television or an iPod with their several of their favorite musical artists features available.
Parents might want to check with the dentist or their staff to see if parents are allowed in the patient rooms with their children. Some dentists will not allow parents to accompany their children, even toddlers. Many dentists are under the impression that the parents will cower in the corner and continually ask if their child is okay or if something hurts and this transposes the parent’s fear and anxiety on to the child.
Some parents prepare their children by having them ‘play dentist’ on dolls or pieces of wood using play drills and Silly Putty or PlayDoh to fill a hole they drilled or scooped out of the wood. Others talk about what the dentist is going to do, saying that the dentist is going to sprinkle sleeping medicine around the broken or sick tooth and then when it is asleep, the dentist will fill it with a special kind of permanent ‘glue’ or ‘dough’ that will harden as much as their real teeth.
A little role playing game with toddlers or children around the age of 4 to 6 will also lesson their anxiety about going to visit the dentist. Have them explore your mouth and count your teeth, if you have caps or fillings, show them to them and tell them how the dentist filled them.
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