5 Ways to Help Your Child Overcome Dental Anxiety

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Some kids get anxious during new experiences! It’s natural. If your child is feeling anxiety about visiting the dentist in Grand Island, NE, the dental professionals at Gentle Dental Care can help. We’ve had years of experience working with children and have many strategies to help kids feel more comfortable when they visit the dentist. Below, we’ve described some of the things you can do to help your child feel comfortable during their next visit to the dentist.

1. Read Your Child Stories About Dentists

If your child enjoys picture books, read them some picture books about dentists. Reading to your child about other children going to the dentist can help your child anticipate what a visit to the dentist will be like. Books like this may also prompt your child to ask clarifying questions. This enables them to learn more about what they can expect when they go to the dentist.

2. Play “Dentist” At Home

Another way that your child can learn about what it’s like to go to the dentist is through play. If your child enjoys imaginative role-playing games, suggest that you play dentist with your child. You can take turns pretending to be the dentist and patient. These types of games can show your child that going to the dentist really isn’t scary.

3. Talk About What to Expect

Kids learn a lot from their parents. Tell your child stories about your previous trips to the dentist and how you appreciate the way your teeth feel clean when the cleaning is over.

4. Talk to the Dentist

Tell the dentist about your child’s anxiety. Dentists usually have ideas about how they can help their patients feel more comfortable.

5. Bring Your Child to a Dentist With Extensive Pediatric Experience

Kids have unique dental challenges. They tend to get more cavities than adults, and they often handle dental anxiety in ways that are different from adults. Bringing your child to a dentist with pediatric experience helps ensure that your child’s dentist will know what to do and how to make a pediatric patient comfortable.

Take Your Child to a Dentist Who Cares! Call Today for a Pediatric Dental Exam In Grand Island, NE

Does your child need a pediatric dental exam in Grand Island, NE? Call today to make their next appointment.

4 Small Ways to Take Care Of Your Child’s Teeth

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Kids get cavities. Even babies can get cavities! You can help prevent these things from happening to your child by taking good care of their teeth. You can do this by taking your child to the dentist in Grand Island, NE and maintaining their teeth at home. In this article, we’ll go over four small things you can do to take care of your child’s teeth, starting from their infancy.

1. Brush Their Teeth Starting From Infancy

Babies get teeth starting from the age of about 3 to 7 months. When the first teeth appear in their mouth, start brushing their teeth at night. Use a baby-sized toothbrush and toothpaste made for babies. This helps keep your child’s teeth clean, and also teaches your child that toothbrushing is an important routine.

2. Have the Dentist Give Them Dental Sealants

Dental sealants are a protective coating that the dentist paints on molars to protect them from bacteria. Dental sealants can help your child avoid cavities. Ask your child’s dentist when your child should get dental sealants.

3. Take Your Child to the Dentist Regularly

Kids need to go to the dentist regularly. Ask your child’s dentist how often they should return to the dentist, and stick to the schedule the dentist recommends. Taking your child to the dentist will help the dentist diagnose dental problems before they become serious. Taking your child to the dentist also helps your child get used to the dentist. This can cut back on their dental anxiety, if they have any.

4. Bring Them to the Dentist by the Time They Turn One

Kids need to see the dentist by the time they turn one year old, even if they don’t have teeth yet. During the first dental appointment, the dentist will look in your child’s mouth and give you tips to take care of your child’s teeth. Take the opportunity to ask the dentist questions about how to care for your child’s teeth.

Is it time for your child’s dental checkup in Grand Island, NE? Call Gentle Dental Care today to make their next appointment.

5 Signs Your Child Needs Invisalign

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Does your child need Invisalign? Would you know if they did? You don’t have to be a dental expert to see the signs that your child could benefit from clear aligners. Below are some of the signs that your child may need Invisalign. Your dentist in Grand Island, NE, can also evaluate your child and help you decide if this is something that will benefit them.

1. Improper Bite

Do your child’s teeth line up when their jaws are closed? If not, they may have a jaw misalignment that Invisalign can correct. Mild to moderate overbite and underbite can be corrected with Invisalign. If the problem is too severe, your child may need traditional braces to correct the problem.

2. Bites the Inside of Their Mouth Often

Does your child bite the inside of their mouth often? If so, this could be a sign that your child needs Invisalign. Biting the inside of their mouth frequently could be a sign that your child is having a hard time chewing, and that may be a problem that’s occurring because of jaw misalignment or crooked teeth.

3. Crooked or Misaligned Teeth

Invisalign can help straighten crooked and misaligned teeth. You’ll probably notice this problem when your child smiles. If their teeth appear to be running together or bending toward or away from one another, they may need a tool like Invisalign or braces to help correct the problem. Look for big gaps between their teeth and crowded teeth – this may be what’s causing their teeth to be crooked.

4. Sucked Their Thumb

If your child sucked their thumb when their teeth were growing in, they may have caused their front teeth to become crooked and misaligned.

5. Problems With Chewing

Does your child get tired while chewing? Low stamina for chewing could be another sign that their teeth aren’t properly aligned, and that can most likely be corrected with Invisalign.

Would your child benefit from Invisalign in Grand Island, NE? At Gentle Dental Care, we’re happy to help. Call today to make an appointment and learn more about how Invisalign can help your child.