Making Dental Visits Fun for Child Patients
Time to think of the children!
We’re going to shine the light on children’s oral health.
Every dental professional (and parent) knows that it can often be a challenge to get a child interested in properly looking after their mouth… or keep them engaged during their dental visit.
Thankfully, there are a few things every dentist or hygienist can try to pique the interest of their younger patients (or in some cases, to help ease their anxiety):
Quiz them on fun dental facts during their cleaning
Why not teach your younger patient about a few interesting dental facts during their visit? Fun little facts like, “did you know that ancient toothpastes used to include crushed eggshells and honey?” may incite more curiosity about oral health, and will help to get their mind on something else if they happen to be a little anxious in the chair.
Give them a toothbrush choice
During their appointment, tell your little patient that he or she can choose from a number of different toothbrush designs/colours before they leave. This will give them something to look forward to, and will help to open them up to the idea that oral health care can be fun.
Let them take a peek inside his or her mouth with the intraoral camera
The intraoral camera is not only an educational tool, but it’s really quite fun to use with patients (that is, if there isn’t any bad news lurking in the mouth!). Show your child patient close-up images of their teeth and educate them along the way. Children are very visual, so they’ll likely appreciate seeing their own teeth on the screen.
Talk to their parent or guardian
It doesn’t hurt to have a brief discussion with the child’s caretaker to discuss anything that could be useful to know about the child. Ask them questions like, “Does [name] have a favourite cartoon or video game character that I can mention during their appointment?” or, “Does [name] have any special events coming up that I can ask them about?” Learning a little bit about your patient can help you to provide a more personalized, comforting and fun experience!
So… how do you make dentistry fun for your child patients?