Finding the right dentist for younger members of the family can be a challenge. In addition to all of the criteria that a dentist must meet to be the right dentist for an adult, a dentist that is good with children will need to have certain personality traits and certain facilities in their office. Look out for the following if you want to be sure that you have found the right dentist for your kids.
1) A friendly and patient disposition
The right dentist for your child will be one who is naturally good with children. This means being patient, knowing how to engage in conversation with kids, and being highly approachable. If your dentist seems to have a short fuse or could be seen as intimidating, the search for the right dentist should continue. If children feel frightened of the dentist at a young age, it will be much harder to find the right dentist in adulthood.
2) An entertaining waiting room
Children can become extremely restless while waiting for an appointment, so the right dentist for the younger members of your family will have a waiting room that keeps children occupied. Ideally, there should be something for them to watch on a TV screen, appropriate reading material, and perhaps some coloring equipment or even a play area.
3) Entertainment in the dentist’s chair
If children are going to be the dentist’s chair for a while, fear or boredom can make the experience very challenging for both the dentist and the child. The right dentist will have measures in place to keep children interested and distracted during longer procedures (such as music on headphones and suitable movies on a TV screen).
4) An interest in education
A bonus sign that you have found the right dentist for kids is that the dentist seems genuinely interested in teaching your child facts about dentistry. If the dentist is able to answer questions in a way that makes sense to children, relays dental health tips in a fun and simple way and generally promotes learning, this dentist could make trips to the office very stimulating for your child.
