Aug 1, 2012

Fear Not. Child's Dental Visit

She enjoys Oral Prophylaxis a lot

To have a child patient is already exhausting, to have a child patient who is scared of you is so much frustrating. I have to face that everyday. And everyday I see parent's anxiety build up when 15 minutes is up and the child still won't open her/his mouth for examination. And then there goes the bribing.... candies, icecream, toys to take me here take me there...

So why are your kids scared of dentist? Because maybe you parents are too

Maybe it's time to overcome those fear and face it so you won't be able to pass that same fear to your children. Parents should be their children's role Model. They must be able to look up to you as good example. So, you should brush regularly, visit the dentist at least twice a year, control your dental anxiety and sport a healthy set of teeth too.

Never ever try to use dentists, and our works as threats for punishments to naughty or misbehaving children. Pls thats a No. No. Children fear the unknown and if you associate dentist as somebody to be feared then most likely, your kids are going to.

My VIP patient. Sophia

Prevention is always better than cure. Don't take your children to the dentist only with an aching tooth. For sure their first dental visit will be unpleasant and future dental visit will be non existent.
Teach your children to brush their teeth every after meal. So they will get used to the feeling of a clean mouth. We teach our children to wash their hands/wash their face until it becomes a habit. Same thing should happen with tooth brushing.

Your child's first dental visit should be around his/her first birthday. More than examining the child's mouth, this visit is more on preventive measures, the visit will provide the dentist opportunity to educate the parents and caregivers about dental habits to avoid potential dental problems and focus on a preventive approach.

Fearless Patient


If you want to raise a child with a bright and healthy smile for the rest of his/her life then make them visit their dentist regularly.

Happy Brushing!

PhoebeCarla 

35 comments:

Gaylee said...

During his first few visits to the dentist, my eldest was fine with the doctor checking his teeth. But after he had the extraction, he started to dislike his dentist. The last time I told him we will all go to the nice dentist to have our teeth checked, he vehemently said "No".....that's my problem till now, huhu!

Aileen said...

I remember how terrified my nephew was on his first visit to the dentist. If I had been the one who accompanied him, I would have asked the dentist for a tranquilizer shot lol! Anyway, they were not able to extract the tooth because he was afraid of needles...now he has to deal with the painful tooth.

The Pepperrific Life said...

My daughter's only 6, but she's had 3 extractions already. The first one was a breeze, but the succeeding ones scared her out of her wits. I want to take her back to the dentist, this time for prophylaxis. I wish you were her dentist :). Where is your clinic, anyway?

Postcard Trail said...

sometimes, the extraction causes the fear too. luckily for me, most of our extraction was done at home because they just voluntarily fell off, so dentist visits is basically checking. no trauma moments with our dentists.

Paula said...

Ang cute naman ng smile ni Sophia!
I have a question, how do you make your kids brush their teeth. My Zack is almost two, he brushes his teeth when he sees his kuya. Gaya gaya lang. But I also want to brush his teeth coz hindi naman niya malinis masyado. But he refuses and mega cry. :( Yun tuloy may yellow yellow na ang teeth niya

Mylene said...

You are one pretty dentist :)
You should meet my daughter, she is not afraid of dentists and dental clinics. Probably because when we were still in Manila, I often brought her with me when I had my teeth cleaned. She was eager to have her turn but it was me who always delayed it and it was too late when she finally got her turn, her molars were already aching :(

anne lei said...

before i was really scared of dentist, but then, i have to take care of my teeth so I now I am used to visiting once in a while. the only think that scares me is the needles. lol

kat said...

That is true. Never instill fear in children. I was never afraid of dentists or shots. Frogs, that is another story. Teehee!

Jen said...

You have a super cool job! Great tip on bringing the child to a dentist after her first birthday. My child just turned one and I'll do just that.:)

Gerilen Areum said...

my mom used to encourage me with reward after our dentist' visit by buying me an ice cream hehe
but after my first time, the ice cream dont appeal that much anymore because the first pain always horrified me, but nevertheless, my mom succeeded on making us go to the dentist hehe. nice strategies youve jot doen. i would bring my babe to the dentist on his 1st bday. :)
hey sis, wanna follow each other on gfc? just message me, thank u <3

Olga said...

My kids are not afraid of their dentist also. And they're proud to have nice sets of teeth. :D I'm so OC when it comes to their teeth and ensured that toothbrushing will be part of their daily routine. Now my 4-yr-old never forgets to brush her teeth after meals.

Allan D said...

My son is already 2 but haven't visited the dentist yet. At 6 months, we already introduced him into brushing since he got his first two teeth at that age.
Is it safe to bring him in the ordinary dentist or there are dentists that are especially for kids or toddlers like my son?

Ethel Perlas said...

I agree! I'm a nurse, and I get frustrated at parents whenever they use us to scare their children--"O ayan na yung nurse, iinjectionan ka na niya." It is so frustrating, especially that we are there to help the kids, not to scare them.

Vera said...

I just have to say - you are pretty, and so you is your little girl! :)

Good tips here. I was never really afraid of dentists as a kid and I think that's because the dentist we used to go to was a family friend. Nobody ever made threats using dentist visits or what.

Unknown said...

agree, parents are role models!
talagang fearless si sophia, love her big smile, cute

January Zelene said...

your VIP patient is so cute..:)

Ron said...

Great tips doc. Agree with your advices up there about parents conditioning their child's mind about regularly checking up their dentists.

Unknown said...

I have an extreme fear of dentists, trauma even. Well, it is because a dentist I had when I was younger had what they call "mabigat ang kamay". :( Unfortunately, I still haven't gotten over that fear. :( But, I will make sure that I will not pass that on to my BabyLove, and at least be strong for her just so she does not get traumas as well. Thank you for sharing your tips! I will sure remember that.

Sumi Go said...

Even as a child, I always enjoy my trip to the dentist.. :) After a cleaning/tooth extracting session, I'd get to grab an ice cream and that's something I usually look forward to!

Dominique@Dominique's Desk said...

I have been bringing the kids to see the dentist since they were two years old. Love your VIP patient.

Mommy Maye said...

I have fear with Dentists too. When I got this terrible toothache when I was 6, I was forced by the Dentist to extract that tooth. It was really painful and from then on, I don't like being in a Dentist Clinic.

avagabondmom said...

my little girl needs to have more dental visits! she was very scared with her dentist last time. Good thing she likes brushing her teeth now.

Rochelle O. said...

Very cute! She seems to enjoy the visit! Thanks for tips doc :)

Farida said...

It must be rewarding though to lure kids patient to opening their mouth and getting their treatment done after all the coaxing you've done :D

Good job Doc! :D

rachelle said...

i'm glad my kids are not afraid of the dentist even if it's kind of late for them to have visited one (they're already 3 and 5 when they had their first visit). They also had fun when their teeth were cleaned.

Ms. Journ said...

what a cute patient you have doc... you both looks so lovely in photo's.

KRIZZA said...

She is the cutest patient that I've ever seen! :)

Khim said...

I have my first dental experience last April. I had a teeth extraction. Because I do love candies when I was still a child(I am still a child a right. :D Dream on.) that why I had cavities. I felt scared that time that I shake after the operation.

Filman Santiago said...

Thanks for sharing this Doc Lalah! We did this to our son's first dental visit months back. It was a success. Days before the sched, we had him watched a youtube video of a child, a happy child actually while having his teeth examined by a dentist. All positive things we have thought of, we shared to our son. Then on that day, my wife had her teeth examined first and our son followed without any hassles. As they say, monkey see monkey do, child see child do. All those things we did really helped. :)

Rosemarie-Pinay Singlemom said...

ohh... dentist ka pa la mommy... while reading your post I remember I need to visit my dentist and I plan to tag along my son...

Daddy Yashiro said...

Well my eldest son's teeth is our problem. His front teeth are already gone because he accidentally broke his teeth when his around 2 years old.

Donna || HEYLADYSPRING.COM said...

Actually nga!~ I'm scared of going to the dentist and I'm 25! I was panicky when I had my wisdom tooth removed. And I'm feeling it's time for the other one too. I'm dreading it to be honest. :/

I don't know how I developed my fear of dentists din :(

Mutzii said...

I love going to the dentist, I'm actually addicted right now in having my teeth fixed, even if they're all fixed already. LOL. I hope my future baby will be like me too. :D

childrendentistsca said...

It is important for children to develop good oral health habits at an early age. Practicing healthy habits can prevent or reduce tooth decay (cavities) in infants and children. Regular visit to your dentist is recommended.

child's dental

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