Handling Your Child’s First Filling or Tooth Extraction

For your child, getting a filling can be terrifying. The process isn’t pleasant for the vast majority of adults either. However, if you react negatively to the situation, then your child may undergo some unneeded anxiety. As a parent or guardian, there are a few things that you can do to ease your child’s fear about going to the kid’s dentist for a filling.

Get Rid of Your Guilt

Even if you are extremely diligent about making sure your child brushes and flosses, cavities can happen anyway. Don’t feel bad if your child has a cavity! Cavities can be caused by a variety of other factors, including lack of fluoride, diet, the parents’ dental history, and even just the simple bacteria the buildup in the mouth. If there is a specific problem your Brooklyn kid’s dentist can help you pinpoint it.

Keeping Your Cool

You may have already noticed that your child can pick up on your emotions. If you have anxiety about the dentist, then your child may exhibit the same behaviors. Try to stay calm and collected when explaining to your child why he or she has to go back to the pediatric dentist in Brooklyn. It might also be a good idea to send the calmer of the parents to the appointment for the filling or extraction. If you are terrified of the dentist yourself, then maybe your spouse, parent, or the child’s babysitter could take them to the dentist.

Explain that Dr. Yury Slepak is only making sure that the bad teeth in your child’s mouth get removed or treated. Try not to frame the situation as a punishment for not brushing their teeth correctly. This type of scolding can do more harm than good in the long run.

What to Expect at the Appointment

You may be able to stay in the room when your child goes through his or her procedure. In some situations, however, you may not need to stay. Dr. Yury Slepak will likely explain what will happen during the procedure to your child first to help curb any lingering fears.

If your child is getting several filling or getting a couple of teeth pulled, your pediatric dentist will likely use nitrous oxide (laughing gas) for your child. This will keep your child still and calm during the procedure. However, laughing gas is not right for every child or every procedure. Whether Dr. Slepak uses laughing gas for your child may depend on your child’s temperament and history.