Dental visits, which involve strange people in masks and the even stranger metal tools poking around in vulnerable mouths, could look terrifying to children. This is why, at Walker Pediatric Dentistry, we always strive to foster an environment where kids and parents alike can feel reassured that they put their trust in a kid-friendly dentist in Salt Lake City.
A Parent’s Role in Preparing Their Kids
Making dental visits a pleasant experience for kids starts even before they step into the dental office. As a parent, you play a huge role in reassuring your kids that dental visits are no big deal. Consult our staff if you are not sure how to broach the subject with your children. We’ll help you prepare them for a dental visit.
Pediatric Dental Care You Can Trust
Children understandably feel uneasy in an unfamiliar environment, so the first thing we establish with our young patients is trust. Our staff does everything to make children feel comfortable in their surroundings; this can be in the form of a show-and-tell type of education about our dental procedures, positive reinforcement when the child feels stressed or anxious, or visual distractions to divert their anticipation of pain.
During the actual procedures, we provide a variety of sedation techniques like nitrous oxide and anesthesia to keep the process pain-free for kids as much as possible.
Walker Pediatric Dentistry is dedicated to giving your child the best dental care treatments in a pleasant and relaxing setting they’ll happily return to for their oral care needs.
Tell-Show-Do
One of the most effective methods is called Tell-Show-Do, which means that we will first discuss any treatment with your child in an age-appropriate way so they understand what is about to happen. Then we show your child a simplified version of the treatment so there are no surprises, and finally we perform the treatment. By talking it through first, most kids experience less anxiety than they would otherwise.
Nitrous Oxide, Sedation & Anesthesia
For some children or some procedures methods of tell-show-do or distractions just dont work, and in those cases we can use other medical interventions to help reduce anxiety and stress. That includes nitrous oxide (laughing gas), oral sedation so children remember little to nothing about the process, and general anesthesia if necessary to prevent pain and help children get through their dental procedures.
Distractions
Sometimes the best way to provide dental treatment for a child is simply to keep their mind on other things. At Walker Pediatric Dentistry we do things like pass instruments out of the child’s line of sight (so they don’t have to look at scary dental tools), talk to children or play games to keep their minds on other things, or have the child watch television or listen to music during treatment.
Schedule Your Appointment
We can help make your child’s dental visit a pleasant and relaxing experience, ensuring that they get the oral treatment necessary for a healthy, happy mouth. Call Walker Pediatric Dentistry today to schedule an appointment for your child.