Taking a child to the dentist is much different than when an adult goes to the dentist. Children are generally a lot more scared and have an unnatural fear of having a dentist look and work in their mouth. Because of this, it is very important that pediatric dentists are creative in such a way that they are as welcoming and fun as possible. Thankfully, pediatric dentists realize this and they do all that they can to make your child's visit to the dentist as enjoyable as possible. Here are three ways that pediatric dentists try to make visits fun.
Great Waiting Room Activities
Your child's first impression of the dentist office is the waiting area. Because of this, it is very important that they find this area fun and inviting. Most pediatric dentist offices fill their waiting room with a lot of great activities, such as books for reading, blocks, video games, puzzles, and more. These activities keep your child busy while waiting to go back and help to take their mind off of the fact that they are about to get their mouth worked on. Some of these games and books are also often dental related and can help your child learn that they don't need to fear going to the dentist.
Fun Rewards For Good Brushing
One way that pediatric dentists try to make dental visits fun for kids is to offer a reward for good brushing. They realize how important it is for children to brush their teeth regularly, so by offering rewards for good brushing, they make brushing more enticing. Your child will likely have a variety of rewards to choose from, such as small toys, stickers, balls, etc. Some pediatric dentists even have raffles going for larger prizes, such as video game consoles, handheld game consoles, bikes, and more. If your child brushes well, they can enter to win these larger prizes and a winner is chosen every couple of months or so.
Televisions With Headphones On The Ceiling
One of the best ways for pediatric dentists to successfully work in your child's mouth is to distract them. This takes your child's mind off of what is going on in their mouth and instead focuses their attention on something that is a lot more fun. One way that they do this is by mounting televisions on the ceiling above each of their dental chairs. These televisions can play a variety of children's shows and movies. They also each have headphones that your child can wear so that they can hear the show and block out the noises of the different dental instruments being used in their mouth.
Get in touch with a dental office like Carpenter Dental for more information.
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