Your child’s first dental visit: creating a great first impression

first dental visitA visit to the dentist is a fun and important adventure where you will get your teeth counted and cleaned. Your child’s first dental visit is a milestone like your first words, your first haircut, or your first day of school. We are going to have a fun time which will set you up for a lifetime of excellent dental care and habits!

Your child’s first dental visit

At the dentist, you will be greeted by our front office girls who will be eagerly awaiting you and your family. While your parent fills out important information about you on our iPad, you can play on our duplo wall or read a book. Keep an eye out for the tooth fairy’s front door and letter box!

When we are ready, the dentist will take you through to their room. You get to sit in a special chair called the golden marshmallow and interact (play?) with some of our high tech equipment. We have an air and water pistol and a sucker. We will even use the air pistol to make you a balloon animal!

Just like a fireman wears a helmet, and a doctor wears a white coat and a stethoscope-the dentist has a uniform. We put on a mask, some gloves and glasses with small magnifiers on them. You get to wear a bib and some sunglasses.

With the push of a button, the chair lies back and becomes a bed. When you lie back, there is a TV on the roof playing a movie or a show on animals. Next we will count your teeth with a tiny mirror and counter. Did you know children have 20 teeth and adults have 32 teeth? Sometimes we take pictures or radiographs to check your teeth for cavities and see how your permanent teeth are growing in your jawbones.

We then clean your teeth with a special dentist toothbrush that spins around and around and tickles your mouth. After you sit up and rinse your mouth, we paint on some fluoride. Fluoride is a special foam that you swish around in your mouth-it makes your teeth very strong and protects you from cavities. It comes in a few yummy flavours that you get to choose from: mint, grape or even marshmallow!

We will have a chat about healthy foods that are good for your teeth, such as fresh fruit and vegetables, cheese and yoghurt. We will talk about which foods cause cavities like lollies, chocolate and soft drink.

The last thing that happens is that you get a goody-bag, which has a toothbrush, toothpaste and sometimes floss. We make sure you are an A+ expert at cleaning your teeth. High five! We can head back to the front office to make your next appointment.

Congratulations! You did really well. Wasn’t that fun? I can’t wait to see you again in 6 months!

Click here to learn more about our Children’s Dentistry service at Ashgrove.