This is the 3rd time my 4 year old boy went to the dentist. We got in there, the hygentist counted his teeth and everything. she got out the electric toothbrush, showed him on her finger, then on mine. my son freaked out!! tried to bribe him with a toy or a toy while she brushed, but nope. he has been excellent the 2 other times we went. When we got in the car he just started bawling, like i haven't heard for awhile from him. this lasted about 20min then we talked about the dentist. his answer is i dont want her brush my teeth. so, she was kind enough to schedule him again on my appointment date which is in may. but what if this happens again?? any advice on how to get him calm again about the dentist. not until we started school and listened to other kids at school was he so afraid of things like this.
Thank you all so much for your responses! I want to add the he already picks his own toothbrush and paste out. Has an electric brush...he also brushes his teeth at home in the morning and before bed with no problem. They also brush at school too.
I just scheduled my 3 yr old for a cleaning and I am concerned about this. All the "special" dentist books and PBS shows include a cavity and he has heard things about the dentist being less than fun from adults. Please let me know what happens with this and if he talks to you more about his fear. Fear is the hardest thing to battle.
My kids were the same way. The first time they freaked then they were okay. Then their cousin-who had a huge amount of cavities-told them how awful it was and such. The next 2 or 3 times they freaked or refused to open their mouths. One thing you could try is getting him a child's battery operated toothbrush. Colgate, Oral B, and Zooth all make them and many have characters that can make it fun for him to brush. If he has not had any cavities, you could push that idea. It worked for me. The dentist's special brush will make sure he never gets any and won't have any pain. One thing that worked for a friend's sil is letting him pick what tooth she clean, with a minimum of 5 (one more than his age). By the time she gets to the fifth one, he probably won't notice anymore. It may take a couple of visits for him to be comfortable again.
Oh my goodness, D.! I believe I referred to you as Diane in my last message, and I whole-heartedly appologize!!!!! I think I saw "Diane" on a response and just ran with it! So, so sorry!
Hope to hear from you!
L.
I'm can relate to your experience both as a mom and as a dentist. When my oldest son first started seeing the dentist--age 3.5, I sat in the waiting room and enjoyed reading my book (i.e. successful appointment. The next appointment we had to reschedule (nothing accomplished), and at the rescheduled appointment, I was in the room at the foot of the chair; he was anxious but we got through it.
As a dentist, I see a lot of kids, and it's not uncommon for kids to be a little daunted by what's going on. A lot of times the chair and lying back in it are the anxiety producers; sometimes it's the water and air sensations. I have found that some kids do better by sitting in a regular chair (the dentist would have to stand) to be treated, or even by standing up while being treated. (I've even treated the kids while they sat in their stroller--wherever they are comfortable!) Also I'll have the kids participate by holding the prophy paste or the suction...they like having a little control. Sometimes it just takes a little creativity, but usually the treatment is accomplished. Eventually most kids will become acclimated to the chair. With the water and air, your dentist could try get letting your son rinse with water from a cup and spit in a sink. Again a little flexibility can go a long way.
Good luck, maybe some of these ideas will work, but remember over time it should get easier for your son.
Ask your dentist for an off-hours tour of the office and have him show your son all the cool stuff he has in there, letting him hold and fiddle with things....He may want to be a dentist himself after that!! There are some good books out there too...Berenstain Bears...
I had the same problem with my daughter, she's 8 now. I started taking her to my dentist and although he has a wonderful diposition and children of his own, my daughter just freaked when he tried to look into her mouth. I now take her to a pediatric dentist and she's still a little aprehensive, but they're trained to deal with kids and let's face it, most kids are scared of the dentist. I would look into referrals from other moms on pediatric dentists, they are usually calm and have that special way with children, they're not so quick to loose patience. I take my daughter to Bright Dental on Golf in Mount Prospect. Hope it works out for you.
You might want to consider bringing him to a pediatric dentist. I am about to bring our 11 month old son there next week. In our case, he is actually a good personal friend of ours - Dr. Kyle Pedersen of Dayspring Dentistry in St. Charles. Since they specialize in kids, they know everything to do with children with fears and such. http://www.dayspringpediatricdentistry.com/
I used the whole dance and song routine of "Are you ready to be a big boy" Then your ready to pick out your own toothbrush and toothpaste. We went to Wal-mart & he was very excited about getting a battery operated toothbrush (with one of his favorite cartoon characters) he also chose his own bubble gum toothpaste. I also aided the help of my older nephew who my son absoultley adores and he showed him how big boys always brush their own teeth. Seeing his cousin brush on his own was the motivation he needed. I hope this helps. I'm not sure what area your in in but my son's Dentist who was referred from co-workers is awesome. His name is Dr Vincent Losito and he is a Pediatric Dentist he is located in Aurora. I hope this helps, God Bless.
You may want to consider bringing him to a pediatric dentist.
This may or may not help, and I have a 4 yr old daughter, so it worked for me. There is a Dora the Explorer book that talks about going to the dentist. I read this book every night for 2 weeks before my daughter had her first appointment. I think it really made her excited about going and having her teeth cleaned.
Good luck and I hope this helps!!
