This first encounter must occur in the child’s first year, as this will prevent possible problems of cavities and infections. Going to the dentist early, parents will ensure that the child grows up with healthy teeth.

Here are some tips that will be useful when going to the dentist:

• To start, you must choose a pediatric dentist, a specialist prepared to care for children.
• Probably, in the first visit the minor feels fear. It is advisable that your fears are not passed on to the child, since if this is the case, a certain amount of suspicion will be created for the dentist, given only by the fear that one of the parents may feel for the dentist.
• The ideal is to prepare the child and warn him that the dentist will go that day. You can anticipate looking at your teeth and mouth, feeling related to the subject.
• You can also play with him at the dentist, counting his teeth helped by a mirror. The ideal is to familiarize yourself with the situation you will experience.
• It is more advisable to take the first hours, since children having rested, are calmer.
• Do not use as punishment to threaten him with the dentist. The only thing you will create is to enhance the fear that the child may feel.
• If you have older siblings who come to the dentist, it is advisable that you bring the child to the consultation to get used to the environment

Sometimes, children feel an aberrant fear of the dentist and the mere fact of entering the clinic and hearing how the devices they use sound creates terror and panic. Maybe your fear is due to face the unknown, but the important thing is to go to the specialist as soon as the first teeth come out.

There are interventions that are invasive, for example, extractions of parts or long procedures. Due to the stress caused by this situation, the child may cry uncontrollably and do not let the expert do his work.

The fundamental thing is to calm him down and transmit confidence towards him. Hopefully you will accompany him in the consultation, since this way he will feel more comfortable. The biggest solution to avoid fear, is to take it when it is very small, so that it gets used to the dentist and the surrounding environment.

What is the ideal time to take the child to the first consultation with the dentist?

That is a question that parents ask a lot, but the answer is not determined. Nowadays it is sought that children stay healthy.

The consultation at year old, is more towards the parents, and has a didactic approach educating them for the health of the child taking him when he is healthy.

What elements do parents have to take into account when choosing a dentist for the child?

It is important to seek advice that the professional is used to working with children because it is very different than attending adults. You have to have a special language that they understand, respect their times, know the codes of the little ones and the parents must see that the dentist creates a bond with the child.

Another thing to keep in mind is the environment, having an office in which the child arrives and is comfortable, the first impression is very important, if the space is adapted for the children they will feel better.

In addition to the physical space, what does the dentist have to do to make the child comfortable?

That is something that depends on each professional and the father will see it in the consultation specifically. Personally, before going to the consultation chair, I take the child to a place specially adapted to work oral hygiene, we work on brushing, we talk about how he uses the toothbrush, I ask him to show me how he washes and chatting about that we are achieving a confidence prior to the consultation itself. It is possible to break the preconception that the dentist looks at my teeth but that he is someone who cares about the health of the boy as a whole.

It is important that parents are present at the consultation because they will give the child safety.

What happens to the children who arrive with a lot of fear at the dentist?

It is very important to talk with the child, show and then do. Explain beforehand what you are going to do and why, for example: “Now I am going to turn on the light to focus your teeth and see them better, with this little pistol of air we are going to dry them” try to tell them everything we are going to do, let them know that when they sit on the couch, nothing strange will happen to them; we have to take care not to invade that child’s mouth but to work on trust and giving him security.