Your children should be going to the dentist at least once every six months for optimal oral health care, and your dentist may direct you to take them more often depending on the needs of your kids. If the thought of herding your little ones into the car for their next dental appointment leaves you wishing for a little sedation dentistry of your own, don't worry. These simple tips can help you keep your cool under any situation when it comes to your kids' dental health care.

Explore Sedation Dentistry Options for Complex Procedures

Dentists often recommend sedation dentistry for long, complex procedures for children. If you are taking your child in for such a procedure, prepare them ahead of time. According to the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, talking it over with your child beforehand is best. Kids need to know what is going on and be reassured that everything is going to be fine. That peace of mind will help you relax during this procedure, too.

Explain the Role of a Dentist in Your Child's Life

Many children can get scared about going to the dentist simply because they are confused. It can be hard for kids to understand dental procedures until they've been explained multiple times. In the weeks before you take your child to the dentist for the first time, start talking about what a dentist is. Refer to your dentist by name and talk about the person with your child. Invite questions.

You may even talk about the dentist in terms of other protectors that the child knows. Talk about how dentists care about your child's teeth and are eager to protect your child from pain and dental dangers. When you frame your dentist's role as a hero, visits can go more smoothly, and you can take a nice nap in the waiting room as your child goes in to see their dental hero.

Talk Positively About Going to See the Dentist

You set the tone for how your children are going to act about going to the dentist or the doctor. If your children see you complaining about going in for essential appointments, they will take it as their cue to dislike them as well. Instead, if you use an upbeat tone and talk respectfully about your visits to see your dentist and doctors, children are more likely to see these appointments as just a part of life. When your children are more chill about going the dentist, you can spend a lot less mental energy on trying to convince them that going in for a check-up is for their own good.

Make a Day of It

As long as none of your kids have to undergo major dental procedures that require them to spend time at home after the dental office visit, make fun plans for after the appointment. Let your children know about the plans at least a week in advance, so that it is sort of like an event that they anticipate. That can help make them more eager to go in for a dental check-up and more patient during the visit. Just be sure that your plans are for activities that you enjoy as well!

Finally, keep in mind that your child is going to be looking to you for input about how to react at the dentist's office. If you get bad news, try to put on your poker face before discussing the problem with your child. Frame things like cavities in a positive light since they can be fixed, and you will find that you can keep your cool much more easily at your child's appointment.

For more information, contact local professionals like Smile Builders - Robyn Lesser DMD.