DAZZLING WHITE
Endow your child with the gift of a beautiful smile by selecting a dentist who puts her at ease. Laura Ho points the way
Groaning about having to visit the dentist, sulking one's way there and cringing in the dentist chair is a common enough reaction in most grown-ups. As children take their cues from their caretakers, dental visits are almost always a surefire eruption of volcanic emotions and gushing tears, thus becoming a stressful experience for all, including the dentist. And while your child's oral hygiene and health may be on the radar, it blips faintly behind visits to the doctor or even the pharmacy.
Many parents are hesitant to schedule dental appointments for their little ones as they are not sure at what age kids should begin paying the dentist a visit, not to mention being uninformed of the possible dental problems that a baby might face.
Selecting a Dentist
Dr TAN Wee Kiat, Senior Consultant, Paediatric dentist at National Dental Centre of Singapore, says word-of-mouth recommendations from family and friends is the best way to select dentists for little ones. Also, inquire about the dentist's practices for example whether he/she allows parents to accompany their little ones into the treatment room.
Dr Ong Yean Sze, paedodontist at SmileFocus Family Dentistry advises that parents look for dentists who are emphathetic towards children and enquire whether their regular dentist would see children as well. If little one ones have specific dental problems however, both recommend that parents choose a dentist specialising in children's teeth, known as a Paedodontist.
Both parents and child should feel comfortable with the dentist chosen. This includes the all-important chair-side manner of the dentist and their ability to make children understand what is happening and also the way they explain their findings to parents.
Clear communication on both levels is paramount and if parents feel uncomfortable with the dentist, it is important to remember that leaving at any time is a prerogative. If parents prefer a specialist, credentials of practising dentists and specialists are available at the Singapore Dental Council website.
Useful Enquiries
Dr Tan suggests that parents ask the following questions:
- Does the dentist attend to children of a specific age? Does he see toddlers and babies?
- Does the dentist allow at least one parent to be in the room while the child is undergoing treatment?
- How often do they manage yound children? If the little one tends to respond better to a specific gender, parents may want to enquire about the gender of the dentist beforehand.
Is it Necessary?
According to the National Dental Centre of Singapore, some parents feel that since baby teeth are going to fall out anyway, taking little ones to the dentist is unnecessary.
However, parents must bear in mind the tremendous importance of their child's first set of teeth, which are their primary teeth. Strong, healthy primary teeth help little ones chew food easily, learn to speak clearly, and also look good, without which self-esteem issues could develop.
Just as important is the little known fact that a child's general health can be affected if diseased and broken primary teeth are not treated early. Primary teeth also hold the spaces for the permanent teeth to come into good position. Besides that, it is important that a child's first dental visit be pleasant and not anxiety-producing. Going to a dentist only when a child has dental problems does not allow this.
Start Early
Ideally, a dental visit should take place when the child is between six and 12 months old. The earlier parents begin, the better the chance the dentist has to prevent dental problems.
In addition to checking for decay and other problems, the dentist will teach the parents the right way to clean the child's teeth, and access their child's risk of tooth decay or other dental issues. The dentist will advise on any habits that may need attention, such as thumb sucking, over use of pacifiers and lack of oral hygiene.
One of the benefits of early dental visits is that a good dental routine can be established before disease sets in.