Children’s dentistry is a separate direction with its own specifics. And it’s not just about the number and quality of teeth. Children need a special approach, explaining something to them from the standpoint of logic and necessity does not always work. In addition, they are less able to control their emotional state, and often the dentist has to wait for the parents to calm down their child and set him up for treatment. And what can the doctor and his assistant do to make the experience of visiting the dentist pleasant for young patients? We have collected a number of tips for you.
«Tell — show — do». Children ask many questions and get many answers. Therefore, before you start treatment or examination, tell your little patients what you are going to do and, if possible, show (on phantoms, models, assistants). Do not expect specific questions from them, this subject area, most likely, they are completely unfamiliar. Take the initiative in your hands. Tell, show, then — do it.
Conversation in one language. Of course, it is not necessary to speak with a child in a professional language. Think of associative, understandable names of procedures and tools for a small patient. For starters, it is better to ask a few children how they would call the drill, saliva ejector, etc., write down the answers, derive the average descriptive formulations and come up with nouns on them that you can designate tools and procedures for working with small patients.
Nothing terrible, scary. Avoid «harsh» formulations: do not «pull out / remove the tooth,» but «pull out», not «anesthesia prick» and not even a «mosquito», but «sleepy juice for the tooth», etc.
Without unnecessary details. Do not go into details and do not encourage waterfall issues: many children will ask you literally about everything, just to push the moment of the beginning of the examination / treatment as far as possible. Promise that you will give further explanations after you have completed the first necessary steps.
Without extra promises. Do not promise a small patient that it will not hurt, that you just look, that in a couple of minutes you let him go. Deceive once — get clenched teeth in the other.
Relaxation. Invite the child to breathe with you: a sharp deep breath, a slow exhalation. Alternatively, you can give him soap bubbles, which will also serve as a distraction. A more complicated version of relaxation is tension and relaxation of muscles: suggest that the child lie down, stretch and relax his legs, hands, etc.
Abstraction. To distract the child from fears and unpleasant thoughts connected with visiting the dentist, it is necessary from the very threshold. If possible, equip a separate waiting room for children or at least a children’s playground. Above the chair, in the field of view of the child — a TV showing cartoons. Another good trick is to find out what’s interesting to the child (favorite heroes, molding from plasticine, sports, etc.) and talk a little with him on this topic.
Visualization. Ask the child to remember something pleasant, visualize, imagine the situation in which he enjoyed himself. If the patient is confused, offer him a couple of options: last birthday, a trip to the water park, etc.
Score. Invite the child to participate in the process. Ask him to count the seconds during which you perform this or that action. Alternatively, you can even give him a notebook and a pencil so that he records his observations.
Parents. The last option, in many cases. If the child does not want to calm down, invite to participate in the procedure of his parents or ask them to calm the patient. Before that, give them one simple piece of advice: the calmness of the child depends on their own emotional state, and they can hardly be reassured by the screaming, intimidation of the child. More precisely, a temporary positive effect of such measures is possible, but in the future such methods of suggestion can instill fear for the rest of their lives.
Сообщение 10 tips for children’s dentists: how to make work with the child enjoyable for everyone? появились сначала на Имплантация зубов.