Everybody in our office especially welcomes children. The very first dental experience does certainly leave a lasting impression, and many times it will determine the course of future dentistry in an individual. We strive to give them extra attention and care, with our prime objective being the creation of trust and confidence. This is stressed during the first appointment, in which no actual treatment is carried out, but only a playful introduction to the dentist, to the intraoral camera, and an examination is completed.
On treatment day, smaller children feel much safer when on a parent’s lap. They get to explore all the tools the dentist uses. All procedures are first demonstrated on something else outside of the mouth. Cartoons playing on a monitor installed above each treatment chair ensures that our little patients have ample distraction. All these measures, including the actual filling of a single tooth, may take a whole hour. All fillings are tooth-colored. Nothing is done by force, but with understanding and mutual trust. If needed, fear and anxiety are dealt with natural remedies and homeopathics.
Parents have to realize that children under the age of 5 may not cooperate, even with all these measures taken. This is particularly true if they have already been through traumatic experiences, or if their dental decay is so extensive that “painless” dentistry becomes an impossibility, as for example, in cases of severe early childhood caries. In such a case, the only options left would be to either refer to a specialist pedodontist, or to arrange for an anaesthesiologist to administer IV sedation anesthesia and allow us to perform all the treatment in one session. (See also the section Sedation Dentistry.)
Very helpful is the use of the laser instead of a drill to clean out “the bugs” in the teeth. The two following pictures show the use of the Waterlase Laser to clean out a cavity of a little girls front tooth…
To take the attention off the treatment, infants, children and adults are treated to a highly captivating session of their favorite movie, TV show or cartoon on a large overhead screen. Many children even stay rooted to their chairs after treatment is over, not wanting to leave.
Gentle orthodontic therapy, if needed, is achieved through removable appliances. To find out more about our orthodontic services, check out the parent information article in the “articles” section, or the “orthodontics” section in the services listing.
After treatment, children are keen to run over to our “treasure chest,” as promised, and pick some goodies as a reward for being so cooperative.
