How To Make The Day Of Your Child's Dental Appointment Less Stressful

Posted on: 29 February 2016

If your child is apprehensive about visiting the dentist, the good news is they will tend follow your lead on whether it is a big deal or not. Make going to the dentist something that your child doesn't really have a chance to fuss over so that this is just part of life. Here are four things that you can do to make the day of your child's dental appointment go smoothly and lower stress levels.

1. Treat this as an Everyday Errand

While your child shouldn't be blindsided by a visit, you don't want to make this a big deal either. Mention that your child has a dental appointment coming up and leave it at this. If this is a routine cleaning and won't disrupt their day, go ahead and treat this like an everyday appointment. This can be bookended with errands on either side of your child's appointment.

2. Let Your Child Take a Day off of School

If your child is going in for follow up fillings, they might be emotionally exhausted on top of numbness or pain. Letting them miss a day of school is all right here and there. Check in with your child after their visit and see how they are feeling. If they'd rather veg out the rest of the day than go back to school, make sure your schedule allows you to care for them.

3. Schedule Group Visits

If you have older kids or can schedule your own routine check up on the same day as your younger child, this can make appointments more fun. This is something that most family-friendly dentists are fine with and will let your child ask questions. Your child can then model their parent or sibling's behavior once it's their turn for a cleaning and exam.

4. Do Something Fun the Day of Your Child's Appointment

A great way to get your child to look forward to a dental appointment is to wrap this into something else that is fun. If your dentist is in a nearby city or neighborhood you rarely go to, try to find an activity that you can do in the area that your child would enjoy. If you can reward your child for being an excellent patient with a toy or gift, this can help keep their mind off the dentist as well.

While going to the dentist is something that should simply be ingrained in your child's habits for the future, there are a few things that you can do to make this easier while your child is young. If your child is nervous or worried about an upcoming appointment, do what you can to make the day of their appointment run as smoothly as possible.

For more information, talk to a company like Crystal Dental Care.

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