Top 5+ top rules that will prepare your child for a visit to the dentist. Olena Miroshnichenko, a pediatric dentist, a private doctor, told us about them.
Why treat milk teeth
Few adults are willing and happy to treat their teeth. At the appointment with the dentist, we are driven by acute pain or a very obvious "hole" into which food gets hammered. That is why parents try to lead the child to the “toothbrush” as late as possible, sometimes neglecting even obvious problems. WITH
milk teeth quite a disaster: many are sure that they do not need to be treated. They are considered temporary, and they seriously hope that “good” teeth will grow in place of the “bad” teeth.
The health of milk teeth is the key to the health of permanent teeth / istockphoto.com
“This opinion is erroneous for a number of reasons,” says Elena Miroshnichenko. - Milk teeth, due to their structure (large nerve and thin wall), are destroyed very quickly. While they change, many problems can arise. If tooth decay begins, the disease quickly spreads to the nerve. In milk teeth, this is a chronic process that does not make itself felt for a long time. But at some point, the nerve decays, inflammation begins. This purulent process lies on the rudiment of the main tooth, and affects its formation. For example, when erupting, white spots may appear on it. An extreme case is the complete death of the rudiment, when a permanent tooth does not erupt at all. "
Decay of milk teeth can lead to problems with bite and with the stomach.
“Due to the fact that in one place there is no load on the jaws, teeth can grow more slowly,” explains Elena Miroshnichenko. - As a result, the child's bite is formed incorrectly. In addition, one must not forget that even milk teeth must perform basic functions: the child bites off with the front ones, and chews with the side ones. The absence of one tooth is equivalent to the absence of two teeth: if it is absent in the upper jaw, it means that the same tooth in the lower jaw is not functioning. There is incomplete chewing of food, and large pieces of food enter the stomach. From here, young children develop chronic diseases of the digestive system. "
How to prepare your child for a dentist visit
It is best to start your acquaintance with the dentist in a playful way / istockphoto.com
Regular visits to the dentist allow in the early stages to "catch" the emerging caries. The sooner the doctor sees it, the more comfortable and painless the treatment will be for the child. For example, areas where enamel has begun to deteriorate can be coated with a special substance that contains fluoride. It is much better for a baby than to "drill" the resulting hole, and he will definitely endure such a procedure without hysterics. And if, at the same time, you prepare the child correctly, visiting the dentist will become a routine procedure for the child.
In preparing a child for a visit to dentistry, the main thing is not to overdo it and follow several important rules.
Calmness of parents. No matter how worried you yourself, do not attach any meaning to the visit to the dentist. “Try to talk about the upcoming visit as less emotionally as possible. You shouldn't focus attention on this repeatedly, - advises Elena Miroshnichenko. “The child will definitely feel that the parents are worried and will be infected with their nervousness.”
Prohibition on the "NOT" particle. “There is no need to prepare the child with the words: don't be afraid, don't be scared, it won't hurt. Children do not hear the word “no”, they hear “hurt” and “be afraid”, and they begin to do it automatically, ”warns Elena Mironichenko.
First meeting. Even if your child already has a dental problem that needs to be addressed, try not to do it right away. The first visit to the dentist should be as positive as possible. “Before coming to the dentist, children often visit different hospitals and in advance have a negative attitude towards doctors and hospital offices,” explains Elena Miroshnichenko. - Some kids do not allow people in white coats to approach them at all. Therefore, it is worth starting with adaptation visits. It often happens that after several visits the child gets used to the situation, begins to trust the doctor, and allows some manipulations to be carried out. "
Preparing your child for the dentist's treatment won't be a problem / istockphoto.com
A neat truth. If treatment cannot be avoided, there is no need to lure the baby into the office with the words "the doctor will just look and we will leave." The child will do so, and after the examination, you will no longer sit him in the chair. In such cases, try to prepare the child for some kind of manipulation. A call for help works well: the doctor helps you to keep your teeth healthy, and you help the doctor by sitting calmly.
Joint treatment. In modern dentistry, parents are often allowed to sit in the chair with their child. Do not neglect this opportunity: the feeling that mom is close by calms many children. However, it also happens the other way around. If the baby feels mother's "weakness", he may start crying and manipulate you for no reason. Therefore, the child should be taken to the dentist by the parent who is more calm about the situation.
Maximum patience. It happens that the kid refuses to sit in a chair without options. Or throws a tantrum at the mere sight of medical devices. “At such moments, it is strictly forbidden to scold a child. If it is impossible to persuade him for examination or treatment, you need to calm him down and bring him another time, ”insists Olena Miroshnichenko.
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