Kids & Parents
Your Child’s First Visit
We like to see children as soon and as often as possible, because they are some of our favorite patients!
The American Dental Association recommends that children and their parents have a short visit to the dentist after the first tooth has erupted, and before the child is a year old. This short visit provides an opportunity for us to show you how to properly care for your baby’s teeth and gums. It’s also a good time for us to get to know your child, and for your child to get to know their family dentist.
Between the ages of two and three, a child should have her first hygiene appointment. At this time, we’ll plan to clean, floss, and polish the teeth, as well as discuss the need for x-rays, fluoride, and other treatments. Most three-year-olds are excited about this rite of passage to Big Kid-dom!
For those who might be a little shy or apprehensive about their first appointment, we encourage you to prepare for the visit with calm, casual, happy words. If you are anxious about it, your anxiety will most likely be felt by your little one. You might consider reading books about visiting the dentist, like the ones we recommend. Feel free to stop by our office once or twice before the big day, too. We’d be happy to show you around, and you can enjoy a cup of cocoa and a snack while you sit by the fireplace, or watch our feathered friends in our aviary.
We have found the child does better when the parent is not in the treatment room. This demonstrates to your child that you trust us, and that helps the child to trust us, too. Say good-bye in the waiting room as you would if sending your child off to school, day care, or a friend’s house, with a big smile! Then sit back and enjoy a cup of coffee and bird-watching.
We do have a private viewing area where you are welcome to see and listen to your child’s treatment without him seeing you.
We encourage you to make this dental visit a special time for you and your child by leaving siblings at home. Then they can look forward to a special dental visit alone with you when it is their turn.
We are a practice of women, and many of us are mothers. We understand children and their needs. We want your child’s first visit to our office to be extra-special, so if there is anything else we can do to make that happen, please let us know.
Your Child’s First Filling
Our goal is for your child to enjoy visits to the dentist. We hope your child’s experiences with us will allow him/her to appreciate the importance of clean and healthy teeth so that once they have left your nest they will continue to seek dental care. With that goal in mind, we make every effort to make your child’s dental experience as enjoyable as possible.
I have treated children for over twenty years in a relaxed and comfortable manner. Keep reading to find out my secrets for success.
At the exam appointment we will tell your child s/he has a brown spot and that they get to (notice “get to” not “have to”) come back and see us so we can polish it. They’ve just had their teeth polished, so they are not afraid! We do not use scary words like cavity, drill, shot, poke, or hurt. We do not even say,”Don’t worry. It won’t hurt.”, because they will immediately begin to worry it will hurt!
When your child learns they need a “filling” they will come to you with questions. In an attempt to “get them ready” or to “be honest” we sometimes inadvertently scare them. It is very easy to prepare your child for this visit. Simply memorize the following phrase, and use it every time your child asks a question: “I don’t know. Let’s ask when we get there.”
In the twenty-plus years I have treated children and introduced them to restorative dentistry (fillings, crowns, extractions, etc.) I have learned how to prepare the child for the visit.
I use a “show – tell – do” approach that allows the child to see and feel everything before it is used in their mouth. Of course what I show is set aside and what I actually use is sterile. I even show them the syringe of “Novocain”, without the working end, and I explain that “the liquid that looks like water is sleepy juice and I will spray it around your tooth to make it sleepy”. With the use of a numbing gel first, your child will not find the injection unpleasant, and often will not even feel it.
I’ve also found the use of nitrous oxide (laughing gas) to be very helpful in making the experience a good one. The gas is mixed with oxygen and inhaled through a small mask which lies on the child’s nose. They can pick which “flavor” they like. The gas does NOT put them to sleep, it does NOT sedate them. It simply relieves their anxieties and relaxes their muscles. This allows them to lay more still and open wider. Then I can work more quickly, making the experience fast and comfortable. Your child will breathe pure oxygen before and after the nitrous oxide and will have no lingering effects or limitations on activities.
Remember, the child does better without a parent in the treatment room, but you are welcome to see and listen to your child’s treatment from the viewing area. It is best not to bring siblings to this visit if you wish to observe.
If you have questions about how to prepare your child, please call me! (952) 431-5447
What’s the Fuss About Fluoride?
What is fluoride?
Fluoride is a natural element that helps strengthen tooth enamel and prevent decay.
Fortunately for today’s kids, fluoride is added to the drinking water in most cities. In the “olden days,” when water didn’t have fluoride, kids had many more cavities than they do now. Here in Apple Valley (and surrounding areas like Burnsville, Eagan, Savage, and Rosemount), our drinking water comes out of the faucet with just the right amount of fluoride in it.
Having just the right amount of fluoride is very important, because too much can cause discoloration of the teeth.
It’s important to note that bottled water generally does not contain fluoride, so while it is sometimes convenient, most of the water you drink should be regular tap water.
Your Child’s Oral Hygiene
Taking care of your child’s primary teeth is as important as caring for your own permanent teeth. Baby teeth are crucial to speech development, and they make room in the jaw for the developing permanent teeth.
You should start keeping your child’s mouth clean as soon as teeth begin to erupt. Use a soft washcloth and water to gently wipe away milk or food. As more teeth appear, brush the teeth twice a day with a toothbrush made for infants. Make tooth brushing part of your daily routine, and start flossing as soon as there are two teeth that are close enough that they touch each other.
Most children will require assistance in brushing and flossing until they reach the age of 6 or 7. At that time, you’ll be able to turn over the toothbrush and show them how to clean all surfaces of the teeth.
Your Pregnancy, Congratulations! You are beginning an exciting journey!
During your pregnancy you have two sets of teeth to care for…yours and your baby’s!
It is especially important during pregnancy to practice good hygiene with meticulous brushing and flossing twice daily. High levels of plaque have been shown to cause pre-term labor. Hormones present during pregnancy make you more likely to develop gingivitis or even frank gum disease. You can prevent this with good hygiene practices and regular dental visits. Often we advise that pregnant women see the hygienist every three or four months, instead of the usual six month interval. Remember, the healthier your teeth and gums, the less risk your baby has.
It is an old wives’ tale that “you lose a tooth for every baby.” With good nutrition, good hygiene habits, and frequent dental visits, most moms don’t even develop a cavity during pregnancy.
Should a dental problem arise during pregnancy, routine dental treatment can safely be accomplished? While we recommend no x-rays or nitrous oxide (laughing gas), you can have local anesthetic, fillings, root canals and even extractions.
The importance of good nutrition during pregnancy is something you’ve heard often from your obstetrician. Getting enough calcium and fluoride will help your baby develop sound teeth. Did you know that at birth, most of your baby’s twenty baby teeth have already developed and some of the permanent teeth have started development? You should avoid the use of the antibiotic Tetracycline during pregnancy as it can cause staining of your baby’s teeth.
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| Books for Children
Today, more than ever before, authors are writing relevant books about dentistry, for chldren of all ages. We have listed some of our favorites here. |
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| These books are in the lending library at our office f you can’t find them at the library. The “Barney” book is especially good preparation for your toddler’s first visit: |
| For Toddlers: | |
| Barney Goes to the Dentist | Dowdy |
| Just Going to the Dentist | Mayer |
| The Loose Tooth | Mayer |
| Little Bill, a Visit to the Dentist | Fremont |
| The Seed bunny | Selby |
| For Ages 3 to 8: | |
| My Tooth is About to Fall Out | Maccarone |
| Martin and the Tooth Fairy | Maccarone |
| The Tooth Fairy | Troll Easy Reader |
| Arthur’s Tooth | Brown |
| Arthur Tricks the Tooth Fairy | Brown |
| Ages 6 to 10 to read alone, or to read to younger children: | |
| Franklin and the Tooth Fairy | Bourgeois / Clark |
| Andrew’s Loose Tooth | Munsch |
| The Real Tooth Fairy | Kaye |
| Dr. DeSoto | Steir |
| Grandpa’s Teeth (CUTE) | Clement |
| The Missing Tooth | Cole |
| Ages 8 to 12: | |
| I Know Why I Brush My Teeth | Rowan |
