Making each Trip to the Dentist an Awesome Experience

 One the most often questions we get in our inbox (coming especially from this blog, or the fb groups) is how to find a dentist for children. For years I answered the best possible way I could and while it seemed easy to find this information online - what people actually asked was 'how we find a good, kind dentist for children?' It took me a while to realise, that is why so many requests, people need really pediatric dental specialist. This is the main issue, always repeating, during summer and spring season especially, like a clock work. I tried to make a list of English Speaking doctors in general, but as the dentists are really most wanted here I am at wintertime, trying to write about our experience with dentists, dental work and taking our boys to dentist in general. 

Let me start by saying I have deep respect for the medical profession in general, but my favourite doctors are dentists. I have a profound admiration for these humans. How can they find the hurting tooth when I have no idea which one is? Is so awesome what dentists do, really. I am sure everyone noticed, how even during pandemic times, when vaccine was not yet available - the dentist doctors were among the few ones who continued to provide service. Even I was afraid as patient to go to dentist, but they were still there for us. How brave is that?

Returning to the topic - how we find dentists for our kids? How we find the right dentist for our children? How we manage to bring children to dentist in calm and love? Unfortunately, I have no idea. I don't know the answer. What I can say, is how we manage (in harmony) the dental care and preventive check-up for our 3 children, what we do and worked for us during the years, without being in a position to give advice or even opinions. About practicing dental care at home, please return to paediatrician, dentist doctor or nurse, even online tutorials.

The trip to dentist was always a well scheduled, talked in advance about topic. We always talked about dental care, dentists with calm, like any other normal medical preventive check-up. We did not make false promises to kids, manipulate or try to exchange anything for good behaviour at the dentist. We do that for nothing, actually. We just talked. First son took it well, at 3 years old he was brave and even during intervention, nurse and doctor were very proud of him. After that, all went smoothly every single time and is getting better. Son number two was also following his brother's lead - each time, courageous and happy. While other kids were screaming from the parking lot at front of the dental clinic and then inside the waiting room, ours were just calm. hey just understood all process, nothing hurts and even at times they did feel a little disconfort they just told the doctor or as my eldest son acknowledged: "I could bear, it was only a little pain'. 

We never pressured them, we never told them what to do - except say hello/thank you/goodbye and answer when asked something by the doctor or nurse. 

So to summarise, our tricks for successful dentist trips were mainly actions like following:

1. We did not search for a specific dentist, not pediatric or anything specific, we had no high expectations, no worries- anyone who accepted insurance and was fairly within our living are was a Godsend. Indeed, the Universe always had a way to make us meet lovely dentists - but as I love all and respect, that's just my view of things

2. Talking and giving details about dentist work, preventive care and why is important

3. Careful planning the check-ups - every 6 months and making them well ahead of time, put in calendar and everything

4. Reading stories like the Tooth Fairy helped so much with the general dental care practice but also with the ongoing changing of the milk teeth

What is your experience and what works for you? 

Feel free to write me in comments bellow.