Making Dental Visits Easy on Kids - Hardy Pediatric Dentistry & Orthodontics

Making Dental Visits Easy on Kids

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Some children don’t mind their dental visits. However, there are many children that fear the dentist, especially when it comes to the thought of shots and drills. At Hardy Pediatric Dentistry & Orthodontics, we specialize in pediatric dentistry. Our practice is dedicated to treating children’s oral health and helping them to feel safe and relaxed in a dental office. We have services catered specifically to infants and children (such as infant frenectomies). We also practice laser dentistry, which makes your child’s dental experience much easier. This removes the need for shots and drills and helps their dental treatments be pain-free. There are also many tips you can use to help your child be prepared to visit the dentist for the first time. Follow these tips to help your child be excited for the dentist instead of scared!

 

Pediatric Dentistry

Not all dental facilities work with children, or work well with them. However, infants and children need to visit the dentist just as much as adults do. Their delicate baby teeth can get tooth decay very quickly, and bite and alignment problems when young can cause severe oral health problems once grown. Helping children with their oral health when they are small will help them to grow up with healthy mouths for their entire life.

 

As a pediatric dental facility, we specialize in providing comprehensive children’s dental services in a safe, fun and educational environment. We provide digital x-rays, dental sealants, cavity fillings, orthodontics, and infant services to our patients. With pediatric dentistry, all services are catered to making the dentist something fun and enjoyable for your child instead of something scary. All of the services provided are straightforward and explained in terms that children can understand. Pediatric dentistry is one of the best kinds of dentistry because it’s made special for children.

 

Easy Dental Visits

Did you know that pediatric dentists must receive additional training to provide services for children? Dr. Nam studied 2 extra years after dental school training in working specifically with children. She studied child psychology, growth and development, along with exposure to specific dental and emotional needs of growing children. This learning helps Dr. Nam to truly know the children she helps and what they are feeling so that she can make their dental visit easy and comfortable for them.

 

Tell, Show and Do

We strive to build a relationship of trust between you and your child so that your child feels safe and secure at our office. No matter the dental service a child needs, we stay positive and happy so that they are too. There are many tools and office terms in a dental office. We avoid using words such as “shot”, “needle” and “drill” and instead use words such as “sleepy juice” and “whistly toothbrush”. Making the tools less scary and explaining services to children makes their dental visits easier on them. We also practice a “Tell-Show-Do” method with children. We first “Tell” your child what we will be doing, then “show” it to them on their finger or by modeling, then we “do” the procedure. Approaching dentistry this way makes children like the dentist much more. Plus, when they understand better, they are more relaxed at the dentist’s office and they do more at home to keep their teeth clean.

 

First Time at the Dentist

Seeing the dentist for the first time can be intimidating or even a little scary for a child. There are tools that make noises and big open offices with lots of equipment that can be overwhelming. We know this, which is why we have tried to make our office as warm and inviting as possible for small children. Our entire facility is colorful, the staff is nice and inviting, and there are other children receiving dental services. If it’s your child’s first time at the dentist, they need not fear what’s to come. We allow parents to be with their child the entire time for their exam, cleaning, x-rays and more. For small children, we even have the child sit on their parent’s lap for their exam, making their dental visit super easy and comfortable for them.

 

dentist with a young girl patient

Dental Visits for Your Child

Pediatric dentistry can offer you specialized services for children that you just can’t get from a general dentist. A pediatric dentist is dedicated and trained in the oral health of infants, children, adolescents and patients with special needs. Catering all of our services towards kids helps their dental visits be enjoyable. Dental visits can also be very beneficial to our patients, as our facility is also an orthodontic one, meaning all of your child’s oral health needs can be met all at the same office. If your child is apprehensive about the dentist, they don’t have to be. We can help make their dental visits fun and help them to understand the importance of taking care of their teeth. To schedule an infant’s first dental visit or dental visits for older children, call Hardy Pediatric Dentistry & Orthodontics today at (720) 887-6003!