How Spinnaker Creates a Positive and Comfortable Experience for Your Child

5 Ways We Craft a Positive Dental Experience

Going to the dentist for a teeth cleaning or a checkup may be something your child loves. Or they may feel a little uneasy. As a parent, you want your kids to always have a positive dental experience. And at Spinnaker Pediatric Dentistry, we make having fun at the dentist the norm and not the exception. Keep reading to find out how we provide comfortable dental appointments for all our young patients.

1. Friendly, Happy Environment

At Spinnaker Pediatric Dentistry we have dedicated our practice to making kids (and their parents) feel welcome. This helps set the tone from the moment your family arrives, parks, and walks into our office. Our waiting room is full of colors, has a big fish tank, and even a TV screen in the ceiling so kids can watch while getting their teeth worked on. Providing such a space for kids to play before their appointment can keep nervous anticipation at bay and help ease any potential dental anxiety in children.

2. Making It Personal

Most of our young patients arrive at our practice thinking it’s going to be all about their mouth, teeth, and gums. But appointments with us are more than just about their oral health. Our team dedicates the first five to ten minutes of the appointment getting to know your child. We will notice something about your little one like the character on their shirt or the color of their shoes. This will not only direct their focus from the reason for their visit; it will also put your little one more at ease and increase the likelihood of a positive dental experience.

3. Child-friendly Language

To help your child have a clear understanding of what’s happening, our staff will use special terminology designed for pediatric dentistry practices. We’ve found that this can help lessen the fear factor for your child. For instance, instead of telling our young patients that they’re going to get a shot, we’ll say we’re going to put their teeth to sleep.

We use such descriptive phrases not to trick your child but to try and avoid negative associations to dentistry terms your little one may have heard in the past. Explaining treatments using child-friendly language goes a long way in building trust with our young patients which will extend well beyond the current appointment.

4. Explaining Everything

Because children are naturally curious, letting them know what’s happening throughout their appointment can help them feel more comfortable. That’s why at Spinnaker Pediatric Dentistry we use the Show-Do-Tell technique. It’s like a show and tell session, but instead of our young patients having it at school, they’ll have it at the dentist.

We’ll show your child what we’re going to do, let them see the hand piece, the mouth mirror, or the suction device, and then explain exactly what’s going to happen every step of the way. This includes what the next step is, which instrument we’re going to use after that, and the sensation your child is likely to feel. We want to earn the trust of our young patients and remind them that they’re in a safe space.

5. Dental Tools and Tech Designed for Kids

The drill is scary looking, even for an adult. Seeing such dental equipment can make even the most compliant child a little apprehensive. But because tooth preparation is often necessary in a number of dental treatments, from cavities to cosmetic procedures, we’ve adopted an alternative method—air abrasion. It’s less noisy, doesn’t create any unpleasant vibrations, and provides a much gentler and more positive dental experience for your child.

X-rays are another invaluable tool in dentistry. Through the images taken, a dentist can check on the development of your child’s teeth and spot any problems early, when they’re easiest to treat. Instead of conventional x-rays, though, we prefer to use digital x-rays on our young patients. The digital images give us a more accurate view of your child’s mouth and significantly reduce treatment time, and they use even less radiation than the low-radiation x-rays.

Such high-tech, futuristic alternatives to conventional instruments help us to create a positive and comfortable dental experience for your child.

Comfortable Dental Appointments for Every Child

When kids are relaxed and compliant, dentistry can be simple, fast, and even fun. At Spinnaker Pediatric Dentistry, we’ve created a friendly, happy environment for our young patients. Every appointment starts with getting to know your child so we can build a foundation of trust onto which we can build a lifelong commitment to maintaining good oral health. We invite you to schedule an appointment with our Salem, Oregon office today. Let’s make your child’s dental visits a comfortable and positive dental experience.