5 Tips to get your kids to the dentist in Luton

You aren’t alone, as lots of parents go into battle when it comes to getting their kids to the dentist Luton. We at Vogue Dental know how stressful it can be for both parties but want to reassure all our patients that going to the dentist doesn’t have to come with terrors and tantrums. To help you on the journey to a better relationship with the dentist, we’ve put together our top tips to help you and your child.

Start them off earlier – earlier the better

The sooner you can get your child to the dentist Luton, the better. This will give your child the familiarity of the dentist early on. So when the day comes when they need that check-up or that emergency appointment calls, they will already be familiar with their surroundings. Adding extra anxiety of a new place and a new person poking at their teeth can cause unnecessary anxiety – so best get to us early.

Don’t overshare

So you’ve booked your first appointment – when talking to your child about the visit don’t give too many details. The more information you give will lead to more and more questions and sometimes being open doesn’t always give the desired effect of soothing anxiety, it can actually make it worse. Keep a straightforward positive attitude when you talk about the visit. Don’t give false information though – avoid things like ‘it will be fine’ or ‘it won’t hurt’. It goes without saying we never never guarantee a pain free visit to anyone – and we don’t want you or us to lose trust with your child.

There are words to avoid

Our staff are trained professionals and we have seen hundreds and hundreds of children, so let us introduce a language with your child when it comes to talking about treatments, you could say things like ‘we’re looking for sugar fairies or that the dentist just wants to ‘check how many teeth you have so when the tooth fairy starts to visit she’ll know how many teeth to expect’ – making a fun storyline can really help children engage in a positive way. Try not to use words around them like pain, injection, or hurt. It’s better to wait and see what we think.

The ‘at home pretend’ visit

If you have a child that is particularly anxious and is asking lots of questions one thing to do could be to have a pretend at home appointment first. Just use a toothbrush and count how many teeth they have and then ask them to do the same to you. You could even hold up a little mirror to show them. Creating familiarity in the routine can be really settling for them.

Prepare yourself for some trembling bottom lips

It’s normal, very normal, for children to get upset when they visit the dentist Luton, and actually we help parents with their little ones everyday. Just try and stay calm, and let us guide you, we might ask you to hold their hand which can help soothe them or we might ask to take a break. The most important thing is that you stay relaxed and positive in the room. It’s important we are able to check on your little one’s teeth.