Bringing your child to a kid-friendly dentist can help ease some of the anxiety about the dental work. The environment of a regular dentist’s office is strange. The tools are intimidating and the professional is unknown to the child. Oral health is just as important as any other form of healthcare for a child. Regular trips to the dentist will ensure the safety and health of your child as his/she grows into an adult.
There is certainly nothing wrong with bringing a child to a regular dentist. However, bringing your child to a pediatric dentist has many benefits. A kid-friendly dentist ensures the success of your child’s oral health, while also ensuring his/her mental well-being and happiness.
Here are five benefits of going to a kid-friendly dentist:
1. A pediatric dentist is just as qualified as a regular dentist
A pediatric dentist, or a kid-friendly dentist, is just as qualified as a regular dentist. They have the same training and schooling. The only difference is that pediatric dentists specialize in working with children.
This gives them more insight and knowledge into helping a child feel more comfortable. They have kid-friendly tools and because they work with children regularly there will be no impatience on their part if your child is hesitant during the process.
2. The environment is more kid friendly
Because a pediatric dentist specializes in treating children, their office is geared towards them. The wall colors are friendly, there are toys in the waiting room, and the staff is also trained to be encouraging and kind to children.
3. Pediatric dentists try to ease dental anxiety
Dental anxiety is often rooted in your experiences with the dentist as a child. If your dentist was impatient, did not explain things well, or simply cared more about addressing the parent rather than the child, dental anxiety is born in children.
Kid-friendly dentists seek to erase this cause and effect by creating strong and positive experiences for children and their patients. They try to make the dentist a fun place for your child and vanquish the fear of dentists early on.
4. Communication
Kid-friendly dentists have a different way of communicating with your child than a regular dentist. They take their time to explain what they need to do, or what a specific tool does. They educate as they treat their patients and this helps the child feel secure.
Fear is dispelled through knowledge and so a pediatric dentist will take their time with your child. Comfort and security are at the forefront of their principals of practice.
5. Pediatric dentists promote excellent dental health
Forming a positive relationship with the dentist will make your child want to do their best. If the dentist’s office is a positive and fun place, your child will want to take care of his/her teeth so they hear praise upon returning. That follows them into adulthood, promoting better long-term health.
Taking your child to a kid-friendly dentist is a good idea because it changes the way children see dental health. Instead of the dentist being seen as a scary or negative thing, it is seen as something positive. Contact El Camino Dental Arts at (760) 692-1065 to find out more about dental care for your child.