Teaching your children to have a healthy relationship with their oral health starts with showing them that visits to your dentist in Cedar Falls don’t have to be unpleasant. If you want your children to continue with regular preventative care through their teens and into adulthood, then you want to build a positive association with the dentist at a young age. Let’s see the top ways to keep your kids happy at the dentist.

Top Ways to Keep Your Kids Happy at the Dentist

The easiest way to achieve that positive association is to make sure that your children are comfortable and happy at the dentist. These are some of the top ways you can do exactly that.

Introduce Your Child to the Dentist Early

Your baby should have their first dentist appointment within six months of their first tooth emerging or around their first birthday. However, it is typically in your child’s best interest to start visiting the dentist’s office a few months prior to their first appointment.

Is your dentist is in a relatively convenient location? Then try swinging by the office once every few weeks to say hello to the receptionist. You don’t have to stay long. Just a minute or two at a time is enough for your child to become more familiar with the environment.

Keep Initial Visits Short and Sweet

Your kids’ dentist in Cedar Falls will do what they can to keep appointments short and to the point, but some visits will necessarily be longer than others. Whenever possible, take steps to break up your child’s visit into shorter chunks.

For example, if there’s a longer wait, have one parent take the child to play outside while the other waits or tell reception that you’re going to step out for a few minutes. You can also break up the time by playing different games with your child as they begin to get fidgety.

Expose Your Child to Educational Materials

Fear of the unknown is a major factor for young children. Fortunately, you can help to relieve some of that fear by improving their understanding of who the dentist is and why oral healthcare is important.

There are plenty of books and videos designed specifically to teach children about the dentist at an age-appropriate level. If your child watches specific cartoons, there may even be a video featuring those characters discussing the dentist.

Bring Fun Activities

The average child has a very short attention span. This is perfectly normal in terms of their development. But it does mean that long spans of staring at outdated magazines in a dentist’s office can be particularly frustrating.

To make it easier on them, pick out a smattering of toys and activities that your child can use to stay entertained. If you rotate toys regularly, then consider bringing toys/activities that your child hasn’t had the opportunity to play with recently.

Always Do Something Fun After A Visit

Sometimes the dentist is stressful for children. Even when you’ve put in the work to make it a relaxed trip out of the house. But you can reduce your child’s stress and reinforce the positive association you’re trying to build. So always do something your child enjoys after a visit.

Note that this activity should not be used as a reward for good behavior at the dentist. Characterizing it that way may actually undermine your attempts to create a positive association. Instead, this fun activity should be something that you always do whenever you go to the dentist regardless of anything else.

Raising Happy, Healthy Kids

Obviously, your child isn’t going to be happy at the dentist every time. With that said, if you introduce the dentist gradually, teach them what to expect, and always do something fun afterward you can build a positive association that will outlast those bad days.