No one likes finding out that they have a cavity, but children tend to take it much more to heart than adults do. You can help prepare you child for getting a filling, and turn the situation to your child’s future advantage.
Learning that your child has a cavity is never welcome news. Many children get very upset about it, and their parents often feel guilty.
Cavities are never a good thing, but there are ways to make the filling process less stressful for your child, and to use the situation as a learning experience for you both.
So first of all, stop feeling guilty!
Despite our best efforts, cavities sometimes just crop up. It happens.
The important thing is that your child visits the dentist regularly, so that the cavity can be found before it becomes a bigger problem. This makes it much easier to repair. And now you and your child both know which spots in his or her mouth need more careful cleaning during the at-home oral hygiene routine.
Be cool.
When you talk to you child about getting a filling, be confident, calm, and positive. Don't frame the experience as a punishment for not brushing carefully enough. Instead, explain that ‘from now on, we have to make sure we clean each and every tooth even better than before!’
Prepare your child for the filling appointment with straightforward, age-appropriate language.
Depending on the age of child is when the first cavity occurs, the language you use to describe what will happen during the filling procedure will vary. For younger children, just explain that ‘the dentist is going to clean the sugar bugs out of your tooth,’ and leave it at that.
If your child is a little older, explain that the dentist will clean the area out and patch it up, and it won't hurt a bit!
If your child is extremely anxious, consider sedation.
At Smile Town North Delta, we provide safe, effective sedation options for children who feel exceptionally nervous or afraid regarding their dental procedures.
Contact our office to discuss whether sedation is right for your child.
Use the situation as a learning experience.
Now that you know that your child’s oral hygiene routine needs some fine tuning, you can focus more attention on the area where the cavity occurred.