About Children's Dental
- Create a positive, exciting experience. The team at Granite Belt Dental will go above and beyond to make sure your child’s visit to the dentist is positive, but we encourage parents and guardians to try and do the same before and after, especially for younger kids. For example, before their appointment, let them have their favourite snack (don’t worry, we’ll clean their teeth!) and afterwards you could do their favourite activity. These little things associate visits to the dentist with happiness, building life-long positive associations.
- Let your child know where they’re going and why. Try to explain to your child who the dentist is, what they do, and why it’s essential to go. Make sure you emphasise that they have nothing to worry about and that we’re here to make sure their teeth stay healthy and strong. If you need help explaining anything at all, check out the range of handy resources we have in our Kid’s Corner.
- Set a good example. If you feel fear and anxiety about dental visits, your children will feel the same. Likewise, if you never go to the dentist, but you expect your kids to go, you’re not setting a great example. The team at Granite Belt Dental can help you book back-to-back appointments for you and your child, so they can watch you getting a clean and checkup first.
- Give us a call. If your child is very anxious or stressed, let us know in advance so we can go the extra mile to make them feel comfortable and safe. It’s important to us that kids build positive associations with the dentist, so we’ll do our best to address their fears and answer their questions.
- Rewarding positive behaviour. Having strangers stick their hands in their mouths can be scary for kids, so we make sure they know we’re friendly and just trying to help. We reward positive behaviour with praise and positive reinforcement. For example, if your child is brushing and flossing correctly or sitting still in the chair, we’ll reward them for it. Additionally, if your kid isn’t quite on the right track, we’ll redirect them gently by showing them the correct way to take care of their teeth, giving them plenty of praise for the effort.
- Dentists will often direct communication about what they see and do to the parent or caregiver. However, the guardian is not our patient. Children have every right to understand what’s happening to their teeth, so we make sure to gently and calmly explain each step of the process.
- Education on dental hygiene. The team at Kuraby Dentists are passionate about giving kids the tools they need to take care of their own dental hygiene. We’ll teach them how to brush and floss properly, which foods are good for their teeth, and provide plenty of activities to help them better understand the importance of children’s dental hygiene. Check out our kid’s corner for more information or resources!