The first visits to the dentist- (pediatric dentist)

 Taking your child to the dentist for the first visit when she is 2 or 3 years old, and then at least once a year, may seem superfluous to you, and yet it is essential.

The benefits of a prevention logic

It is better to go to the child dentist regularly to hear that everything is fine, than to wait until the child is in pain to treat it.

If a cavity is detected very early, the treatment is quick, not painful and in expensive.

Familiarize your child in good conditions

These regular visits allow your child to discover the dentist's office and you to receive prevention advice that will be useful to you throughout his childhood. When little, your child will get used to it, he will get to know the dentist and his instruments. As he will have little care, this consultation will not be painful, and this obligation will not weigh on him.

What you can do

You can bring your child's health record to help the dentist understand their general health. And then, why not take the opportunity to also make a check-up appointment for you!

Prepare your child

Explain to your child what is going to happen, the guide "I am going to the dentist" will help you to inform and to prepare him. You can read it with him a few days before. Encourage him to ask you questions, write them down and offer to ask them together to the dentist if you don't know how to answer them.

Some ideas to prepare for the visit

A few simple actions can help your child understand the instructions given by the dentist, or anticipate certain sensations:

• Play practice breathing through your nose while keeping your mouth open

• Learn to spit liquid.

• Taste bitter food.

• Look at your teeth with a mirror.

You may also want to bring a pair of sunglasses for your child, as the operating light (the lamp used by the dentist to see the inside of the mouth) makes a strong light that can dazzle and annoy them.

If your own healthcare experience has been difficult, try not to let it interfere with your child's relationship with their dentist. Know that the techniques of care and management of pain have evolved a lot in dentistry.

Progress of the visit

The memory of a successful first visit to the dentist will give your child (and you) confidence. These initial contacts will usually go very well with a dentist who listens to children and parents, especially during a check-up.

The control visits

The dentist takes the time to explain to the child what to do and then what to do; if he has to heal him, he gives him confidence, as he goes by using simple words. He offers him ways to distract him, or he advises you to bring some: your child's "blanket", his favorite toy or book, his favorite music.

The contract with the dentist

"During the examination or treatment, you can stop me" Before starting an examination or treatment, the dentist and your child can decide together on a sign that will allow the child to manifest if he wants the dentist is taking a break. This contract is essential, it is the guarantor of the confidence that the child will place in his dentist.

The main treatments

Depending on the needs of your child, the dental surgeon may offer you certain specific treatments.

"It's very fast, you will see" Caries care, products to fill the tooth are numerous. There is, for example, the composite: it is a white paste, which the surgeon hardens with blue light.

Sealing the grooves: this involves covering the grooves that are on the top of the permanent molars with a resin that protects the tooth from decay. This treatment can be done very soon after the permanent teeth come out. Of course, you will still have to brush your teeth!

Devitalization: this involves removing the nerve from a tooth when it is badly damaged, whether it is a temporary tooth (milk tooth) or a permanent tooth (permanent tooth). But then the tooth is more fragile, it is more likely to break and, in this case, to require a prosthesis (a crown), which is long and expensive.

 Milk tooth crown: When the tooth is very damaged, you can put a crown that will fall with the milk tooth.

 Mouth guards: If your child practices certain sports where the risk of falling or being hit is high (boxing, rugby, American football, etc.), it is useful to have him wear a mouth guard.

Extraction: This involves removing (under anesthesia) a temporary tooth or a permanent tooth if it is too damaged. Avoid saying "pull out" a tooth, but rather "extract" or "remove".

The dam: it is a square of thin and flexible latex, perforated at the site of the tooth that isolates one or more teeth from the rest of the oral cavity in order to intervene protected from saliva. It is not yet widely used, yet it is useful for children who feel protected from instruments, tastes.

The operating light: this swiveling lamp allows the dentist to see well in the mouth, its originality is that it does not cast shadows, on the other hand, it often annoys and dazzles children. The child may be suggested to wear sunglasses if they are embarrassed.