THE FIRST VISIT TO OUR SURGERY
We are also happy about a toothless smile. If you have any questions about the use of dummies or thumb sucking or would like to find out about toothpaste/toothbrush and fluoride and alternatives or simply want to know which diet is suitable from a dental point of view, then you are very welcome to come along with your baby! We recommend the first visit to the dentist from 6 months until the 2nd birthday at the latest.
TAKE YOUR TIME
Especially with small children: don't overwhelm them! A morning at kindergarten is often the limit of their ability to concentrate. A nap time appointment at midday is also not ideal. Therefore, the morning is always better for smaller children! Make sure that you arrive about 15 minutes before the appointment without any stress. This will give your child enough time to adjust to the new situation in the waiting room.
Important: treatment is not usually carried out at the first appointment! There will be an initial diagnosis, x-rays will be taken if necessary, your child's behaviour will be assessed with regard to the necessary cooperation and a treatment plan will be drawn up and discussed with you. If your child is in acute pain or you are travelling a long distance and know that your child is cooperative during treatment, please let us know when you make the appointment. We will of course be happy to schedule the appropriate time.
IN THE TREATMENT ROOM
For most children, the presence of a parent in the treatment room is important and, of course, welcomed by us. You can watch the treatment from our comfortable parents' chair. Leave the guidance of your child to us and signal ‘everything is OK!’ with your calm presence.
A toy box is available in each room for siblings. However, it is important that you can concentrate fully on the child undergoing treatment. If in doubt, we therefore ask you to bring an accompanying person to wait with the siblings in the playroom. We prefer to have sensitive conversations with you alone. An assistant will look after your child during this time.
REWARD AND PRAISE
Your child is clever! If you already promise rewards at home, they usually get the idea that the dentist must be something unpleasant - because why else would mum promise something in advance? And if it's something your child really wants, it will put them under additional pressure or make them feel bad if they don't get through the treatment. We endeavour to make the treatment as pleasant as possible for your child and for you and always find something to praise! Your child should go home proudly in the knowledge that they have achieved something. In this way we can increase motivation for the future. At the end of the appointment, your child can use a token to get a gift from the boys' or girls' vending machine.
In this way, we gradually reach our goal, step by step, because we know that many small positive experiences can lead to more difficult treatments becoming easier to manage. For us, this means: we increase the treatment from easy to difficult, take our time and praise, praise, praise! It's better to invest an additional visit than to risk future co-operation by putting too much pressure on them.
TO CONCLUDE, A LITTLE BIT OF PSYCHOLOGY
The child's subconscious does not recognise negations! This means that sentences such as ‘You don't need to be afraid’ or ‘It doesn't hurt’ are perceived by the child as ‘You need to be afraid’ or ‘It hurts’. Our entire team is trained in hypnotic communication.
We tell nonsense stories and sometimes talk ‘crazy stuff’. At the end, we ask your child ‘was it fun or was it great?’ - This prevents them from thinking that it could have been different and they go home with positive thoughts, because that's what they'll remember!
We will be happy to advise you individually at our practice!
