For our very young patients The first visit with a young child is typically completed with your child sitting your lap while facing you. The children's dentist or staff member will sit with their knees touching yours, while your child lies back onto our lap. This position is known as a “lap examination” or a “knee-to-knee examination” and allows for the young child to remain in direct contact with their parent, while providing a reclined position for the caregiver to easily evaluate the oral cavity. We also recommend that this position be used when brushing and flossing your child’s teeth at home.
For young children coming to our office for their very
first dental experience, parents can expect their child to show outward signs of anxiety stemming from a new and unknown surrounding. During this visit we may encourage your child to take radiographs, complete a dental cleaning, and apply professional topical fluoride. Completion of all these tasks is greatly dependent upon your child’s cooperativeness, the acuteness and degree of any visible dental decay, and your underlying comfort level. You can expect that your child will be fussy and somewhat defiant as we explore their mouths. This may be the first time a stranger has invaded their personal oral space and it is natural for young children to become anxious.
During the lap examination, the dental assistant will request that you hold your child’s hands to facilitate the examination and to prevent injury secondary to grabbing a dental instrument. It is extremely important to remember that nothing during this visit will cause pain to your child! Again, we expect your child to be fussy during most of their first visit while they begin to become familiar with this new environment. Usually after 3-4 visits, your young child’s anxiety will resolve and it is at this time that most children are able to sit in the dental chair unassisted.
Supporting your child
Please be aware that parents who stop a visit because they become upset by witnessing their child behaving defiantly and/or crying will unintentionally reinforce the event and greatly increase the likelihood of the same reaction being repeated at future visits to the dentist. Ultimately, your child’s ability to cope with this situation may be hindered. It is very important that your child have a successful experience at their first dental visit to our office because we want your child to be able to have routine examinations at least twice a year for the rest of their life.
Feel confident in knowing that Dr. Downey,
Dr. Carolyn, and
Dr. Ashley have successfully worked with thousands of children and have been confronted with every type personality possible. We do not expect children to act mature beyond their age; we expect your child to exhibit age-appropriate coping skills. If you are not completely comfortable with the management of a particular situation, we desire your input. It is important that you freely and openly discuss the management of your child’s behavior. We truly want what is best for your child!
