A child’s visit to the dentist need not be traumatic. Children are naturally scared of the strange surroundings of a dental office, but here are some suggestions to get them through it.

AT WHAT AGE SHOULD A CHILD FIRST VISIT THE DENTIST?

A child’s first visit should normally be between 12 and 24 months. On the first visit, the dentist would usually get the child accustomed to the surroundings, showing them instruments used and customarily giving them a ride in the dental chair by making it go up, down, backwards, and forwards. If possible, the dentist may polish the child’s teeth.

WHY IS THIS VISIT AT AN EARLY AGE SO IMPORTANT?

When a child visits the dentist from an early age and goes frequently, he will lose his fear of the dental office, its surroundings, the noise, and the instruments. The child is most likely to do only cleanings the first few visits. This will prevent him from believing others when they tell him that a dental visit is a painful, horrible experience. This will make it easier for children to tolerate more complicated procedures if needed.

IF MY CHILD LOSES A TOOTH PREMATURELY, WHAT CAN BE DONE?

Most parents hate seeing their precious three- and four-year-olds missing their front teeth. “Space maintainers”, which look like teeth, can be installed. These devices are called paedo-bridges and in addition to giving back the child his smile, helps to prevent speech defects and psychological problems which can occur in young children with missing teeth. It also maintains the correct spacing in the mouth, decreasing the possibility of the child developing crooked teeth.

MY FOUR-YEAR-OLD SON HAS DISCOLOURED FRONT TEETH. WHAT CAN BE DONE?

These discolourations are normally caries or cavities. If treated early, your dentist can remove the discoloured portion and “fill” the tooth with a material which will make the tooth look as beautiful as ever. Early detection is the key, however, and as such bi-annual visits are very important.

MY DAUGHTER HAS AN APPOINTMENT FOR AN EXTRACTION. WHAT SHOULD I EXPECT?

To make the visit as comfortable as possible, parents need to do most of the work. The child has probably heard from everyone she knows that “it’s going to hurt to get the tooth pulled”. Parents have to reassure the child, but tell the truth. Days before the procedure the parent should explain what the child is going to experience. Tell them that the dentist is going to give them “sleepy juice”, which is the injection of lidocaine, to put the “yucky tooth” to sleep. Tell them that getting this juice is going to feel like a little pinch. Tell them that this “sleepy juice” will make the tooth go to sleep that they hardly feel anything at all. Tell them that after the “yucky tooth” is gone they will feel so good.

Dentists need the parents’ help in order to have extractions done on these precious little ones. Never frighten the child or use the words injection or “jook”, never threaten the child using the dentist as punishment. Doing these things make the whole procedure that much more difficult. Sometimes, however, it may be necessary for the child to be given “laughing gas” to sedate her to allow for the extraction to be done.

WHILE PLAYING FOOTBALL AT SCHOOL MY SON FELL AND HIS TOOTH CAME RIGHT OUT, WHAT SHOULD I DO?

When a child’s tooth is avulsed or knocked completely out, pick the tooth up by the crown and place it in a cup of milk. Take the tooth and the child immediately to the dentist. If he gets there within an hour after the accident, the dentist will be able to re-implant the tooth in the child’s mouth. Never wash the tooth in water or try to scrub off dirt particles. The earlier the tooth is re-implanted, the less likely that further treatment will be needed on the tooth.

MY SEVEN-YEAR-OLD’S PERMANENT TEETH ARE YELLOWER THAN HIS BABY TEETH. IS SOMETHING WRONG?

No, most times everything is perfectly normal. Baby teeth are called “milk” teeth for a reason. They are milky white. Permanent teeth are naturally darker (yellower) in colour when compared with baby teeth.

Shaka Cooke, DDS, of Northern Dental located at Suite 10, 5 Water Square, Falmouth, Trelawny. He may be contacted at 954-4931.