TOP TIPS ON HOW TO PREPARE YOUR CHILDREN FOR THE DENTIST

Preparing your child for a visit to the dentist can be instrumental in helping to build a healthy relationship and association with the dentist. Below I've listed different strategies that I take before we attend our dental appointment to help my toddler and pre-schooler deal with their visit.

We all know that taking our children to visit the dentist is necessary to promote good oral hygiene habits and keep their teeth healthy. From a child's perspective they are expected to lie back in a big chair in an unfamiliar room, have a stranger (or someone they see infrequently) put their hands in their mouth and poke around with some unfamiliar instruments. So, understandably this can all be very intimidating to a small person (I mean, I feel a little intimidated just writing it!). Therefore, any preparation that you can carry out before their visit is going to be beneficial and help put them at ease, make their visit go as smoothly as it possibly can, and potentially even fun! Even though Big Bee has been to the dentist numerous times I still explain that the dentist is there to help us look after our teeth and keep them healthy. I then reinforce that we also have to take care of our teeth and then we talk about how we do that. In addition to this my other tops tips are:

Ready and waiting for our dental appointment

• Positive talk - First and foremost, positive talk = positive mood. Think about the language you are using and avoid negative words like 'hurt', 'pain' and 'scary'. You can also explain what the dentist will do e.g. in our case I said that the dentist is going to have a look at how well you've been cleaning your teeth, and count how many teeth you have. It's important to be honest with them when they ask questions, but try and keep your answers short and simple. Speaking about going to the dentist in a positive light and not sharing any of your own negative experiences (if you have had any) is vital.

• Staying calm - Irregardless of your own personal experiences with the dentist, it's really important to not relay this to your child. Children pick up on everything and if you are stressed and tense, they will likely become like this too. Try and stay as upbeat, calm and positive as you can. Arrive with plenty of time to spare before the appointment, so that you are not stressed from running late. You could always take a little bag of toys to entertain them while you wait.

• Music - We are avid music fans in our household, so listening to children's music about teeth, such as 'Brush Your Teeth' by The Wiggles was a no brainer. One morning we put some different songs on about teeth and did some tooth brushing action alongside some questionable dance moves. It was just a bit of fun and another way to reinforce the importance of brushing our teeth.

• Books - Read a book about visiting the dentist. We had the story Peppa Pig dental story and we read it multiple times before our appointment. We have some 'big steps' books and have used them for different milestones, they have one on about visiting the dentist too.

Our little bookworm 'brushing' up on dental appointments

• Videos - I've found watching videos can be really a beneficial aid too. Examples that we have enjoyed include Blippi visits the dentist - educational videos for kids, and Peppa Pig at the dentist.

• Role-play - After reading the books and watching the videos we did lots of 'visiting the dentist' role-play. We took it in turns to be the dentist and patient, and the children really enjoyed it. We also made sure some of the teddy bears had their check-ups too. It was a playful and fun way to normalise what they were going to experience at their appointment.

• Comfort toy - Have your child take their favourite toy to visit the dentist so that they feel more at home - safe and familiar. You could then have the dentist either check the toy's 'teeth or encourage the dentist to allow your little one to. When we visited recently I asked the dentist if Little Bee could check his cuddly doggy's teeth and he gave him the dental mirror to do so. This was a great way to 'break the ice' and he absolutely loved doing so. I believe it then made him feel confident and comfortable enough for the dentist to look in his mouth without any issues.

After our recent visit Big Bee turned around and said that she loved visiting the dentist, so I felt that it made the preparation beforehand all worthwhile. Fingers crossed for the next visit! Hopefully the above will be of some use to you when your own child has their teeth checked, and they will have a similar experience. If you have any other recommendations to share on how your prepare your toddler before the dentist I would love to hear them!

I do appreciate that not everything might be smooth-sailing for you and your child. If your child has developed any anxieties around attending the dentist then why not talk to them about why are are anxious or worried, acknowledge their fears, and then offer them some reassurance. You can practice some breathing techniques together and find a welcome distraction that will suit your child whilst they are waiting to go in. It might also be worth speaking with the dentist beforehand to make them aware of any concerns that you have before the appointment, and to see if they have any recommendations on how to settle their nerves. Also, you could provide them with information about your child before you visit, such as animals that they like, their favourite activities and foods. This could act as a conversation starter for the dentist and help them build a rapport with your child and break down any barriers.