3 Tips from a Dentist for Parents

Here's 3 tips that may assist you and your kids.

As a parent, you need to understand that it is extremely important to educate your children on why dental visits are necessary. You will promote the good oral health of your little ones, and make sure that when they grow up they will know how important good a healthy set of teeth and gums is. Remember the mouth is a gateway to your body and a healthy mouth is usually an indicator of a healthy body.

1/. You need to have a positive attitude and make an honest approach

Parents should never tell their children that the dentist visit 'will not hurt'. Children will only make the correlation between pain and the dentist if they are told about the fact that 'pain' might be a present factor.

2/. Don't share your own personal fears of the dentist with your child

The fact that you were treated at the dentist 20 years ago when you were a child and it did hurt doesn't automatically mean that your child will go through the same experience. Times have changed, and dentists are trained to teach and interact with kids, so there's no need to instill the fear of the dentist in your child. If the child goes to the dentist without any preconceived notion, he/she will most probably be absolutely fine.

Also, if you feel that you are not good at explaining what will happen at the dentist, allow the dental staff to explain things. Telling your child that going to the dentist is something absolutely necessary, and not a big deal at all will be more than enough. Leave the rest to the dental staff.

3/. Brush and floss together with your children

Children are perfect imitators of grownups, so if you brush and floss together, they will quickly learn good dental practices. You could also teach your children to brush and floss through playing. For example, you could hum their favourite song while brushing, making them feel much better and they will regard these oral health 'obligations' as playing and singing time.

Invest in a water flosser. They are lots of fun to use and are intriguing pieces of bathroom equipment for kids.