We had a bunch of special guests from Polliwogs, a playgroup centre, who visited us on Wednesday, November 20th, 2013 for an exciting dental field trip at our clinic. We at Specialist Dental Group are stoked to get the children pumped up about the importance of their dental health.
Specialist Dental Group team was delighted to receive 50 students ranging from the age of two to six year olds. It was heartening to see our young guests so at ease and eager to have their turn sitting on the ‘magic’ dental chairs. Kudos to the teachers and parents who must have taught them well!
We were initially expecting some tears and tantrums when the kids walked through our door; instead we received bright sunny smiles. These kids are truly troopers!
Dr May Ling Eide, our friendly dentist with specialty training in orthodontics (teeth alignment), bonded instantly with our young guests and gave a presentation on the importance of oral care with an interactive video on the correct oral care regimen.
Learning about Oral Health and Taking Care of Teeth Can be Fun
In spite of their young age, the kids have very good attention span and were focused during Dr Eide’s presentation. Most of them were eager to raise their hands and surprisingly got the right answers when it was Quiz Time. They were rewarded with special gifts.
Parents sat together alongside with the children and listened attentively as Dr Eide shared dental tips for their children.
One of the dental tips shared by Dr Eide is that baby teeth are important as they pave the way for good healthy adult teeth. Babies are not born with a penchant for sweet foods, so it is good to start them on baby foods without sugar to cultivate their taste palate to non-sweetened foods, which will help them in making the right choices in foods when they grow up. This will in turn decrease their chance of tooth decay.
Cleaning Children’s Teeth
Parents also learnt that a baby’s teeth can be cleaned as soon as the first tooth appears. When more teeth begin to erupt, a soft children’s toothbrush can be used for gentle brushing with water.
Here, Dr Eide was counting (together with the rest of the kids), the number of teeth this sweet boy has. Using a mirror, he can see the inside his mouth. When parents encourage and praise their children for taking good care of their teeth, to smile and show off their pearly whites, they will be motivated to continue their efforts.
No Fear towards Dental Chair
Positive reinforcement when the children are brave and obedient while visiting the dentist can come in the form of small rewards like colourful stickers or colouring sheets. These are tangible incentives for their co-operation during the visit.
Needless to say, we had more than enough rewards to go around among the children that day.
It is important that your child views a trip to the dentist for dental care as something routine, and not as an event to be feared. Thus, you can introduce your child to the dentist by bringing him or her along with you (and other family members) for your own dental check-ups. Let them watch the procedure and ask questions, if he or she is curious.
It is also a good idea to schedule the dental appointment when the child is rested and not hungry. The appointment will be much smoother.
Ultimately, choose a dentist who is familiar with providing dental care for children, and a child-oriented dental clinic. Explaining and demonstrating before a particular treatment, parent participation, praise and coaching are ways the dentist may help your child feel relaxed. This will set the stage for a positive experience when visiting the dentist in the future.
