Babies hit new milestones daily, and of course, their dentist visit is another milestone in their lives and must be taken seriously by parents. A child first dentist visit should take place after the first tooth appears. But it shouldn\’t be later than his or her first birthday since some kids\’ teeth can have cavities. Cavities are permanent damaged areas in the hard surface of the teeth that can develop into tiny opening or holes, so it is pertinent for a parent to be proactive about kids’ first dental visit and health. So as stated by experts at the academy of general dentistry, kids should have their appointment as soon as the first tooth erupts so that the dentist can look at them so that issues like finger sucking habits, infant feeding practices, infant mouth cleaning, baby bottle tooth decay can be addressed as early as possible.
• Persiapan untuk kunjungan pertama
Anda perlu mempersiapkan semua pihak yang terlibat dalam kunjungan ini—diri sendiri, anak-anak, dan dokter gigi. Agar semuanya berjalan dengan lancar, persiapan sebelumnya sangat penting untuk memastikan kunjungan berjalan sesuai rencana.
• Mempersiapkan diri
A parent needs to stay calm and show support for the kids while in the dental room. So no need being apprehensive because the fact is that kids can pick such feelings up and become anxious too.
• Mempersiapkan anak-anak
Akan lebih baik untuk menjadwalkan kunjungan saat anak-anak masih segar dan waspada; janji temu di pagi hari lebih ideal, terutama untuk anak-anak yang masih sangat kecil. Bagi mereka yang sedikit lebih tua, seperti anak prasekolah, penting untuk memberikan sedikit edukasi dan memberi mereka gambaran umum tentang apa yang akan terjadi di pusat perawatan gigi. Anda bisa menjelaskan mengapa penting untuk mengunjungi dokter gigi, meminta mereka berlatih membuka dan menutup mulut agar mereka siap saat dokter gigi memeriksa gigi mereka. Jika memungkinkan, biarkan mereka menonton video tentang kunjungan gigi pertama—ini dapat membantu anak-anak memahami apa yang akan mereka hadapi dan mengurangi rasa takut mereka terhadap janji temu.
• Cara mempersiapkan dokter gigi
Since this will be the first dental visit, then the dentist should be provided with the kid or kids complete medical history. Let the dentist know about the kid\’s other life experience too; Example are the stubborn? Exhibit fearful or hysterical traits or is a defiant. This information will help the dentist deal uniquely with the kids during the examinations and treatment procedures.
Kiat-kiat agar kunjungan gigi pertama Anda lancar
• Berikan anak Anda camilan ringan pada hari janji temu dan sikat gigi mereka setelah makan agar mulut mereka tetap segar untuk pemeriksaan gigi, sekaligus memastikan mereka tidak merasa lapar selama kunjungan.
• Hindari menjadwalkan janji temu saat anak sedang tidur siang; pilih waktu ketika mereka lebih waspada dan kooperatif untuk beraktivitas. Sebagai permulaan, pagi hari seringkali menjadi waktu yang ideal bagi banyak anak.
• You can go with some snacks so that the kids can snack on after the examination, don\’t let them have it before the exams to avoid it sticking to the kids\’ teeth before the tests.
• Bantu anak-anak merasa tenang selama kunjungan gigi dengan membuat mereka melihatnya sebagai aktivitas yang menyenangkan. Bekerjasamalah dengan dokter gigi agar anak-anak senang berkunjung meskipun dokter gigi tersebut mungkin terasa asing bagi mereka.
Harapan selama kunjungan pertama
Expectations of your child\’s first visit to the dentist vary according to the age of the child or kids. The first appointment sometimes is short and informal like the kids getting to meet with the dentist and familiarizing with the dentist, but other dentists do go a notch higher by poking around the kid mouth and try to check for decay and also check on the kid\’s jaw, bite and gums. Again if the dentist noticed any stain or a high risk of cavities on the teeth, the dentist would clean the child\’s teeth. The dentist can also examine the child to be sure that the jaw and teeth are developing just the way it should, and he or she will also check for mouth injuries. When the examination is over, the chances are that the dentist will talk to you about good oral hygiene habits that the child needs to adopt and maintained.
You will be allowed to ask questions of concern, especially issues relating to tooth-friendly foods, thumb-sucking and every other questions or interest that are about the kids\’ oral health. It is advisable to go along with a list of questions to avoid forgetting some very vital questions you needed to ask the dentist. Bear in mind that your child can cry a bit during the examination, you don\’t need to worry because it\’s not an unusual thing but show support to the child since it is a new experience for the child.
Topik yang perlu Anda diskusikan pada kunjungan pertama anak ke dokter gigi
Dokter gigi selalu siap memberikan informasi yang Anda butuhkan mengenai perkembangan gigi dan masalah terkait. Oleh karena itu, Anda perlu mengetahui topik-topik yang akan bermanfaat bagi kesehatan mulut anak Anda. Anda sebaiknya mengajukan pertanyaan tentang kebutuhan mulut anak yang tercantum di bawah ini.
• Tumbuh gigi
• Nutrisi yang tepat untuk gigi
• Tahap perkembangan
• Kebutuhan fluoride
• Good oral hygiene practices that will be needed for the kids\’ gums lip sucking, early tooth loss, tongue thrusting and prevention of cavity.
• Jadwal pemeriksaan gigi
Cara membantu anak mengatasi rasa takut saat pertama kali ke dokter gigi
Kids will always be kids because they love to show fear or anxiety over first time activities and going for their first dental checkup isn\’t an exception, so you have to be patient with them and let them know you completely understand and recognize their fears. All you need do is to help them overcome those anxieties and fears. You can use the below tips to help them before and during the visit.
• Gunakan bahasa yang positif dan beri tahu mereka tentang pentingnya mengunjungi dokter gigi, yaitu untuk menjaga gigi yang sehat dan tajam. Gunakan kata-kata sederhana yang mudah mereka pahami dan yang dapat memotivasi mereka untuk bekerja sama dengan dokter gigi.
• Bawalah beberapa mainan yang menenangkan; ini akan membantu mereka tetap rileks di ruang tunggu dan di kursi dokter gigi.
• Janjikan hadiah setelah mengunjungi dokter gigi, tentu saja. Ini akan sangat membantu dan memberi fokus pada anak untuk bekerja sama, serta membuat mereka merasa lebih termotivasi. Jangan lupa untuk menepati janji Anda, karena itu juga akan sangat membantu pada kunjungan berikutnya.
• Selalu jadi penyemangat yang baik, ucapkan selamat kepada anak Anda setelah setiap tahap kunjungan. Ini akan memotivasi mereka dan mendorong mereka untuk terus bekerja sama selama prosedur berlangsung. Terus dorong mereka untuk menyelesaikan setiap pemeriksaan yang diperlukan.
Memilih dokter gigi untuk kunjungan pertama anak Anda
It is always an excellent choice to choose a dentist that is either a mum or a dad for kids but preferable a dentist that have more experience or is skilful with handling young kids. This should be about someone that has specialized knowledge or training in caring for children\’s oral needs, and this is when a pediatric dentist comes in. A pediatric dentist is very different from the regular dentist; a pediatric dentist has at least two extra years of training beyond the standard dental studies, the two extra years enable the dentist to acquire knowledge on the treatment of a child\’s developing teeth, management of the developing teeth, physical development and growth, child behaviour and other special needs that need to be provided for the child\’s dentistry. So it will be a whole lot of good to chose a pediatric dentist for your kids first visit to the dentist because the pediatric dentist office décor is designed to care for children and help put them at rest when there are in the centre,
Seberapa sering harus ke dokter gigi setelah kunjungan pertama
The next visit will depend on the looks of your kids\’ teeth, so this is one area that will determine the next appointment with the dentist. Well, some experts are of the views that kids should return to see the dentist at least once every six months provided there are no severe dental issues, so you shouldn\’t forget to ask the dentist for the next visit. The dentist is in a better position to tell you the best time interval to have appointments with the dental centre for your kids.
How to protect your kids\’ teeth at home after the first visit to the dentist
It is always good to build on the right dental care that was given to the kids at the dental center during their first visit; this will help keep their teeth healthy until the next visit and even years to come. It is pertinent to do your part of helping to maintain your kids\’ teeth just like any part of the body that needs utmost care. The following can be done for you to help care for your children\’s teeth.
• Clean the child\’s gums with an immaculate damp cloth before the teeth start growing
• You can start brushing the kid\’s teeth with a soft small bristled toothbrush, and then gradually introduce a fluoridated pea size special kid’s toothpaste; this is because kids tooth paste has a lower amount of fluoride than the regular toothpaste. The fact is that kids consumes half of the took paste during the brushing session and too much fluoride in a child’s body can leads to dental flourosis { which is the tiny white streaks in the enamel of the kid’s tooth}. The child should spit out the toothpaste during the brushing session.
• Don\’t be too impatient with brushing your kid\’s teeth; help brush their teeth for at least the first six years of the child\’s life. Though you can gradually teach the child how to brush, it is better to allow the child to watch you do it and follow your same pattern of cleaning to reduce any dental issues.
• Yang terpenting, hentikan pemberian camilan dan makanan yang dapat memperburuk kerusakan gigi. Hindari memberi mereka banyak kulit buah, permen dan manisan yang lengket atau keras, minuman manis, dan gula. Sebaliknya, berikan makanan yang kaya kalsium, serat, dan berikan buah-buahan sebagai pengganti jus.
• Serat dalam makanan membantu mengikis sisa makanan di gigi, dan makanan yang mengandung kalsium seperti susu, keju, dan yogurt akan membantu memperkuat gigi.
Kesimpulan:
Having a first visit to the dentist with your kids is very important, especially for kids between 8 and 24 months because this period is an excellent time to instill good dental habits into your kids. Your kid\’s temporary teeth are a vital part of the body to be cared for as early as possible because they hold the space for the permanent teeth. The fact is that decay in baby teeth also increases the risk of deterioration in the child\’s permanent teeth. So remember to schedule the first visit to the dentist when once your child is due for one and you will be doing your child or kids a whole world of good with their oral cavity,