How Parents Can Help

Before your child’s first visit with us we encourage you to talk with your child about the positive aspects of dentistry. Avoid letting them hear you or other children tell negative stories about any of their own negative dental experiences in the past. You can help your child feel more comfortable by expressing good feelings about dental visits as an important part of being healthy. When describing their upcoming visit try using words and phrases such as “gentle and careful” instead of “won’t hurt you” and avoiding words such as “shot, needle, drill or hurt.”

Our office consists of three private treatment rooms and parents are always welcome to accompany their children into the treatment room with them. When you are with your child in the treatment room it is very helpful for you to play a supportive role with our team. By allowing Dr. Harris to lead the communication he can more accurately assess your child’s abilities and set age appropriate goals. During this assessment, if more than one person is speaking to the child at the same time the child may become confused about whose directions to follow. By allowing us to lead the interaction we can build trust and cooperation in your child.

You can help make your child’s first visit to the dentist enjoyable and positive by starting at home. Your child should be informed about the visit at their level of understanding and reassured that Dr. Harris and his staff will explain all procedures and answer any questions. Before your child sees Dr. Harris for the first time there are several forms that need to be filled out. These are available on this website if you would like to print out and complete before the visit. If there is sufficient time, these could also be mailed or sent to you by fax. Be sure to bring these forms with you on the day of the appointment. This can reduce the time your child spends waiting for you to fill out forms, and less time waiting usually means less anxiety.

The office environment a child enters into plays a big part in either contributing to or reducing anxiety. When children feel at ease in their surroundings they tend to adopt a more relaxed attitude. Our office has been designed especially for children with furniture, toys and bright colors meant to make them feel comfortable. You might consider sharing pictures from our website or Facebook page to help your child prepare for the visit. Communicating with children on their level is one of the most important ways to reduce their fear in children. Dr. Harris and his staff are patient and skilled communicators with children which reduces anxiety and apprehension.