Most children are afraid of visiting the dentist due to the possible pain and the unknown tools used by the dentists. They may cry and resist in the dental office. One important cause of dental fear is the unpleasant past dental experiences. In the hope to leaving the child with a good impression, the pediatric dentists and nurses will do the best to help the kids go through the first dental visit smoothly.
Course of Dental Treatment for Children
Behavior management
The purpose of “behavior management” is to introduce the dental equipment, tools and expected situations to the child--in children’s language. We usually show them the most basic, harmless tools and compare some of them to a squirt gun or tiny electronic toothbrushes, the noise of machine to a humming bee catching bugs, and the dental filling materials to blueberry jam and white butter. All these comparisons help the children think these tools to be friendly.
Dental check-up
What comes next is a complete dental check-up. If necessary, dental x-rays will be taken for more diagnostic information. If the child can comply with the dentist’s instructions, some simple treatments will be done. The very first procedures help him/her get familiar with pediatric dental treatments.
Only simple procedures will be carried out at the first visit, and the treatment time will be limited to 5 to 10 minutes. Longer than 10 minutes may lead to the child’s loss of patience. Any treatment (e.g. root canal therapy, tooth extraction) requiring local anesthetic administration (numbing medicine injection) will not be performed at the first treatment session. If the dental condition is complicated, multiple visits will be required.
Dental appointments
The subsequent dental appointments will be scheduled by dividing the mouth into four to six “areas”. Each appointment is for one area and will take about 30 minutes. After all the treatment procedures are finished, a regular appointment will be scheduled every 3 to 6 months.
Things to Know About Pediatric Dentistry
The following are some advices for you to help you child go through a nice and smooth dental procedure.
Before The Treatment
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Avoid informing your children of any scary dental experiences.
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It will be better for you to stay calm than be anxious when taking your children to see the dentist. Your anxiety will make your children nervous.
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Don’t lie to your child. For example, don’t tell your child that the dentist is just going to take a brief look at his/her teeth when some treatments are required to be done.
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Don’t bribe your child. For example, do not buy them expensive toys or candy as a reward of a dental visit.
During The Treatment
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Do not anticipate that many treatment procedures can be performed together in one single visit. Due to the limited patience of the child, the treatment time for each appointment should be optimally limited to 20-30 minutes. As the child gets more familiar with the dental office and the staff, more time-consuming procedures can be performed.
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Don’t say to the child the fear-evoking words such as “pulling a tooth”, “needles”, “getting a shot”, “pain”, and words like these.
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During the treatment session, please cooperate with the dentist by staying quiet, smiling, and praising the child. Do not threaten or yell at the child. Your cooperation will allow your child and the dentist to build a good and stable relationship. If necessary, the parents may be asked to wait outside in the waiting area for less distraction of the child from the dentist’s instructions.
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After two to three visits, the child is supposed to be more familiar with the dental office and less scared. It is strongly suggested that the parents stay outside in the waiting area to allow the child to become more independent.
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When local anesthetics (numbing medicines) are required during the treatment, please remain calm. Your anxiety will affect the child which in turn increases the difficulty of the treatment. Under all circumstances, do not interfere in the procedure by saying things like “It is ok. It will only hurt a little.” The child will get more nervous upon hearing that.
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Remain quiet when the pediatric dentist uses a harsh tone to talk to the child when he/she is crying or misbehaving. Using a harsh tone is a technical way to control the child’s behavior, not the result of the dentist’s bad temper.
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Uncooperative children (usually under the age of four) may be strapped to a restraint board or held back by our staff when crying or fighting too much during the treatment. This is a means of protecting the child from hurting him/herself and shortening treatment time.
中國醫藥大學附設醫院
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