We all know that proper oral hygiene is important from a young age, but it can be easier said than done to get your child to visit the family dentist without being nervous and having a breakdown. Dental care is all too important in children, as children with poor oral health are three times more likely to miss school because of dental pain.

So, to make your child’s first dental exam go by as smoothly as possible, here are some tips and tricks to try out.

• Start brushing from a young age.
  You want your child to get familiar with oral hygiene from the time their first tooth comes in. Make sure to make it a nightly routine to have your child brush their teeth and for you to check to see if it was done thoroughly. This way the child will get accustomed talking about, touching, and cleaning their teeth.
• Read books on dentistry.
  There are plenty of books out there that will help to introduce this somewhat foreign concept to your child. Adding a book about going to the dentist to their stash of books will make their first appointment feel normal!
• Practice giving your child an exam.
  Sit your child down in a recliner at home and go through a pretend dental exam with them! Take a pencil and tap their teeth, brush their teeth one by one, and give them some water to gargle and swallow as a means of practice.
• Don’t mention fear until they do.
  Chances are your child won’t be fearful of the dentist by themselves — they have probably heard their parents or other family members talk about negative dental experiences and have grown scared. So do not mention anything about even the possibility of the exam being scary, and always speak positively so they have nothing to worry about.
• Go in with them
  It is completely normal to go into the exam room with your child and hold their hand if they are scared. Seeing a calm and collected parent will work wonders on a child who is a bit scared!

These tips are easy, right? Just remember that practice makes perfect and it may take a few times for your child to get accustomed to a dental exam.

If you are in the need of dental services for your family, make sure to contact our Brockport dentists today!