You may choose whether or not to accompany your child to his/her dental appointment.  Although we sense that some children do better without parents present, we are open to having you with your child during treatment.  If you choose to be present, we suggest the following guidelines to improve chances of a positive outcome:

1.     Allow us to prepare your child

2.     Be supportive of the practice’s terminology

3.     If asked to leave, be ready to immediately walk away

These are very important ways that you can actively help in the success of your child’s visit.  We are confident that all will go well and hope these guidelines will prepare you with confidence for the upcoming appointment.

In order to improve the chances of your child’s appointment being a positive one, we are selective in our use of words.  We try to avoid words that scare the child due to previous experiences.  Please support us by NOT USING negative words that are often used for dental care.  These include:

            DON’T USE                                                 OUR EQUIVALENT

Needle or shot                                                sleepy juice, blow a sleepy bubble

Drill                                                                   Mr. whistle, siren, bumpy, motorcycle

Drill on tooth                                                    clean a tooth, chase out sugar bugs

Pull or yank tooth                                            wiggle a tooth out

Decay, cavity                                                  Sugar bug

Examination                                                   count teeth

Tooth cleaning                                                Tickle teeth

Explorer                                                           toothpick, tooth counter

Rubber dam                                                    raincoat

Gas/ nitrous                                                    Magic Air

This will also help you understand your child’s description of the filling appointment.  Our intention is not to “fool” the child-it is to create an experience that is positive.  We appreciate your cooperation in helping us build a good attitude for your child!