How do I prepare my child for the first visit?
A first visit goes well when nothing is a surprise. Three things to do at home, and one to avoid.
Children are rarely afraid of the dentist. They are afraid of what they do not know. Tell your child a day or two before, in simple words: the dentist counts your teeth and looks at them with a small mirror.
Play it at home. Let your child count your teeth with a spoon, then swap. A favourite toy can come along and have its teeth counted first.
Avoid words like pain, injection or drill, and do not promise a reward for being brave. Both tell the child there is something to be afraid of.
At the clinic the first visit is short. The child sits in the chair, rides it up and down and gets to hold the mirror. If we only count teeth that day, that is already a good visit.