Preparing 4 Yo for First Dental Appt

hi D..

We have a game called Monkey Mouth by Discovery Toys. My daughter loves it! We make teeth with the white play-dough and Olivia loves to "fit" them into the monkey's mouth and then she "drills" them and pulls them out. You might try introducing him to it this way. On another note, why is he just getting to the dentist??? A child's 1st dental appointment should be on or before his first birthday. There are so many things a Pediatric Dentist can catch with baby teeth that can actually help to "guide" the permanent teeth in properly. All 4 of my children started with their Pediatric Dentist at their 1st birthday. The visit is free and getting them in and aquainted with the Dentist from the get-go saves a lot of trauma and drama later on. I would also recommend you find a Board Certified Pediatric Dentist. They are more trained to work with children and they, as well as their staff, are very familiar with the fears a child may have.

Hi D.-

I know there is a Dora the Explorer book about going to the dentist and I believe there is a Blue's Clue's one too if he likes either of those characters. Also, if your dentist is anything like ours the first visit will be very short and will be a very happy positive experience so that he is less nervous next time.

Good Luck,
K.

Having worked for a dentist I can tell you what ever you do, do not make this something to worry about, Let your child set in your lap if possible this will help. Laugh and let the Dr. check you first so the child can see that this does not hurt. Have play time ahead of time where you have him open his mouth and you poke around inside. Good luck.

There is a great Calliou video that shows Calliou going to the dentist that would be great, if you can find it.

For each of my three boys' first dental appointment, the staff was very understanding. They usually have a _lot_ of experience with a child's first visit.

With one of my boys, we had a visit where we simply practiced getting him to show his teeth and have them counted! He didn't know he had 20 teeth!

The Dora or Blue's books are a good idea. I'm sure both of you will do well!

Hi D., I'm sure your first appointment was traumatic since they pulled 4 teeth. I hope that will not be the case for your son. If his teeth are "normal" for his age (no cavities or other major issues) then it should be a standard visit. When I took my daughter I told her we were going to a special doctor who needed to look at her teeth and make sure they were growing right. Like you, I had my teeth cleaned/examined first so she could watch. The hygenist also showed her each tool and told her what it did. My daughter wasn't afraid at all and has been every 6 months since then with no problems (she's 6 now and started at 3). Goodluck!

My 4 yo loves to play dentist-so you might want to try this. You could even get a dental mirror, etc.

Do it lying down (we use the lay-z-boy chair :) If you brush his teeth, just put water on the brush so he doesn't gag. Our dentist uses the phrase "I'm going to count your teeth now so open wide!". We also use a big flashlight since the dentist has the big light to see.

Books are great as well.

Does your dentist deal w/ a lot of pedi patients? If not, you might consider a pediatric dentist just for your son.

HOpe all goes well!

Blessings~C.

I cannot think of a book about the dentist unless it mentions pulling teeth. We just showed our daughter how to floss and brush. The dentist and the hygienist do a great job explaining all of it to your child. They will let him hold the tools,feel the air, feel water pressure and scrapers. It was smart to schedule your appt before your sons appointment. That will really help him with the process.

I used to take picture books to appts like dentist, physicians and hair cutting. That way I could read to my daughter during the whole procedure and keep her distracted.
Do not make a big deal out of it. He will be fine.

I just went to the dentist with my then 2 year old (she just turned 3 last Sunday). We just talked ahead of time about how the dentist was going to clean her teeth and look at them and count them to make sure she had all of the ones she was supposed to. I also made a double appointment and went first. She "why'd" the hygenist and dentist to death when it was my turn, but they were very accomodating and when it was her turn, she hopped right up there and opened her mouth like it was no big deal. They were able to clean her teeth, do the flouride, etc....the whole appointment (they didn't need to do x-rays due to her age) and she was completely fine. They were shocked that a 2 year old was able to do this (and frankly, so was I, even though my daughter is pretty compliant most of the time).

I think watching me go first helped her a lot. If you do that and let him ask all the questions he wants, he will be fine. Also, try not to wince or anything while they're working on you. I don't love the dentist, but had to pretend to for her sake! :-)

Best of luck. He'll do great!

Ask specific questions from the dentist, like do you regularly restrain children. I found a pediatric dentist and was shocked at our first visit when he had 2 staff members hold my son down for the exam. I said, NO, STOP and they did. I questioned them and was told its easier to examine when a child is screaming. I thought this thinking had been abolished. We left. I called around for another dentist, asked about restriaing children and all others were shocked. The next dentist, I explained about our first visit, he agreed to go very slow and even just talk with my son on the first visit. To my surprise when asked if the dentist could look at his teeth my 2 year old opened as wide as he could. It seems I was more traumatized by the first visit than he was.

Dr. De Soto books by William Steig are very fun. I wouldn't expect your child to fully cooperate on the first visit. Mine didn't. The second visit was great and we've had no problems. If you don't have a good feeling about the dentist's /hygienist's treatment of your child, find someone else sooner rather than later.