Last year I shared on my Summer Bucket List that we would be taking Happy Buddy to the dentist for the first time.
My little man was quite nervous about this experience and with a history of some problems with oral sensory processing (check out my post about Picky Eating HERE), I was also scared that things would not bode well for us in the dentist’s chair.
Not to mention I didn’t exactly have a great track record of remembering to stay on top of his teeth brushing (probably because he went ape on us whenever I mentioned it and eventually just gave up the battle – I KNOW, #badmom), so you could say there was some concern that he might have 40,000 cavities.
I decided that Happy Buddy needed to be prepped for his doctor’s appointment so that he would know what to expect and I set about finding creative ways to do so.
As it turned out, the Happy Buddy did AWESOME at the dentist’s office. In fact, he asked me later that day if we could go back.
I’m thinking it had something to do with the birthday cake-flavored fluoride and the chocolate flavored toothpaste (which seems a little counterproductive to the whole philosophy of a dentist, if you ask me).
But I do think beyond that, the prep we did to help Happy Buddy get mentally ready for Dr. Thomas made all the difference in the world.
Here are the 5 things we did before our first dentist appointment…
1. Read books about the dentist.
First thing we after I scheduled our dentist appointment was load the kids in the car and hit the library where we checked out anything we could find in the kid’s section about dentists.
There are books featuring Curious George, the Berenstain Bears, and Little Critter that are fun to read and provide a good idea of what to expect.
2. Download a dentist themed app for kids.
After the library trip, I did some searching for an app for kids about the dentist. We found THIS ONE called Tiny Dentist and the Happy Buddy still plays with it to this day. The player gets to swap places with the dentist and clean teeth, fill cavities, and even extract the ones that are just beyond repair.
3. Pretend play a visit to the dentist.
This was by far my favorite thing we did to get the Happy Buddy ready for his first dentist experience!
We set up an area in his bedroom with a towel and pillow for him to lay on. I put on an apron and got his toothbrush. Then I welcomed him to my office and introduced myself as the hygienist. I helped him into the ‘chair’ and proceeded to put a paper towel on his chest. Next I carefully brushed his teeth, provided him with a cup of water to swish and a bowl to spit.
Then I announced that I would be getting the dentist to have a look in his mouth. This is the part where I got the hubs and he came in wearing yard work goggles and holding a drill. Hahahaha! I posted a picture of it on Instagram HERE.
The hubs was pretty hilarious and got to work on Happy Buddy’s mouth. I think he ‘removed’ about 5 teeth.
Lol – I guess there is no wonder Happy Buddy had such a pleasant experience at the real dentist because we probably traumatized him with our fake one!!! 🙂
4. Sing about it.
Click over HERE to find a hilarious song about brushing your teeth.
5. Pray about it.
Finally, with everything that is new or even scary for our kids, we do our best to commit it to prayer. The few days leading up to our appointment we prayed for peace, for Dr. Thomas, and we reminded ourselves of Joshua 1:9, “Be strong and courageous, do not be afraid, for the Lord your God is with you WHEREVER you go.”
Even to the dentist!
I am happy to report that Happy Buddy had no cavities last year.
And we even went again this summer and received the same good news!
Plus the hubs put a reminder in my phone that goes off every night at 7 pm and we drop everything to brush our teeth – no matter what.
So I guess maybe I’m not such a bad mom after all. 😉
What helps your kids when they go to the dentist?
Happy Dentist-ing!
Thank you for this post today. I have teenagers and don’t really need to prepare them for the dentist anymore. However, the verse Joshua 1:9 is an excellent nugget today. My 14 yr old daughter will be getting her tonsils removed on Wednesday. This will be a wonderful verse to hold onto leading up to, while she is in the doctor’s office, and during healing.
Heather, that is so amazing! How did your daughter do?!
Thank you for sharing your experience about your child’s dental visit. All I can say is AMEN! It looks like you and your family dentist did a great job preparing him for his first experience. One of the website pages we offer on our website allows parents to share videos and pics of our office so the child has some frame of reference and expectation of what to expect when they walk in the door. http://www.smilegalaxykids.com/#!first-visits/c1otf
These first images and conversations help lower the anxiety levels that kids can experience.
Thanks again for writing about your child’s first experience to the dentist.
Good timing!! We are going tomorrow – it’s technically our 3rd visit but it will (hopefully) be our first cleaning. Praying for an A+ checkup too!! Another tip is to let your kid go to the dentist with you (the adult) – we did this just a few weeks ago, Avery watched what the hygienist and dentist did on my teeth – and I told her it would be her turn in a couple weeks. I hope this helps!!
In regards to another topic, did you get a chance to think about the books you read about eating that helped you? I know you wrote about them somewhere but I can’t seem to find the info. Do you remember the titles or authors or know what topic I should search under? You seem to have eating under control and I need help in this area. Thank you sooooo much. I feel the books would have a Godly perspective and I would appreciate that.
Hi!
I have been following your posts and love your ideas about tips for a picky eater. How did you get them to eat asparagus, spinach, mushrooms, etc when cooking them? Did you just cook it plain or mix with spices or have recipes? I’ve been struggling with two out of my 3 kids who are picky eaters :/ And think maybe I make it too plain??
Thanks and looking forward to hearing from you soon!
Kim
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Hi Kim! Thank you for your comment!! UGH! I am so sorry to hear about the food challenges you face with your kiddos. This is a truly draining area for parents – I know!! My boys actually prefer plain veggies – the plainer, the better. The only thing they like to add to veggies is ketchup. Ha! I cannot think of a meal where ketchup is not served. Lol! Just remember that you are a good mama. You are so precious for seeking out new ideas and strategies to reach those darling bellies! Keep praying over them and being faithful! They are in His hands. 🙂 xoxo
Great tips. I have an other great tip if the connection between dentist and children doesn’t work. We had a dentist for fifteen years but when we came with our children we decided to switch to another dentist. A dentist who was more the same with our parenting approach. Best decision ever. Old dentist both were so scared and unhappy. New dentist took the time and children didn’t want to leave.