Dental Care for Kids

Did you know that parents should schedule their child's first dentist appointment at age 2?

From encouraging and answering questions to working with parents to help instill good oral health habits, we at Vista Dental Care understand the importance of creating a warm, positive and educational environment for our young patients!

If your child is nervous about their upcoming dental appointment, there are a few steps that you can take beforehand to help ensure that your child's first dental experience is a great one!

• "Play dentist" at home. Count teeth and take turns practicing how to properly brush your teeth. 
• Read stories that center around dentistry with a few weeks beforehand (i.e. Mercer Mayer's Just Going to the Dentist, William Steig's Doctor De Soto, Eleanor Fremont's A Visit to the Dentist, etc.)
• If your child asks questions, answer them. Be honest, but try to avoid mentioning certain "scary" terms, such as "blood" or "needle".
• It doesn't matter whether it is a board game, an app on your smartphone or a computer game, but having your child play some form of a dentist-themed game may help your child become more familiar with the concept of going to the dentist.
• See if your dentist is willing to pop in and say hello to your child before the appointment begins.

More Resources:

Free Coloring Pages (from GiggleTimeToys.com)

Kid Dentist Jokes (from Duckster.com)

Child Dental Health Advice (from the National Institutes of Health's MedicinePlus page)

The Aquafresh Kids (from Aquafresh.com)