Preparing your child for a dental visit

Have a dental visit coming up?

There’s lots of things you can do to make your child feel comfortable (even excited!) about a visit to the dental clinic.  

Here are some tips to take the worry out of dental visits and make it a good experience for your child:

• Be positive. If you sometimes get nervous about dental visits, try not to share these feelings with your child.
• Let your child know that getting their teeth checked is important and fun.
• Treat it just like an everyday outing.
• Take time at home to pretend to count their teeth and ‘play dentist’. Get some of their toys involved too!
• Find some dental themed books, TV shows or YouTube clips to watch beforehand (The Wiggles, Peppa Pig and Sesame Street all have episodes about going to the dentist!)
• Talk about the special chair and the cool sunglasses.
• Bring along their favourite toy for a ride.
• Try to arrive a little early so your child can get used to the new surroundings.
• Try to get an appointment early in the day – appointments are much easier if your child is not tired (or hungry!)
• If you have any worries, talk to the dental staff before the appointment.
• After their first visit, talk about the experience with your child and what they liked about it. This should make things even easier next time!

Remember, regular check-ups are important! Children who are used to visiting the dentist from a young age may be more likely to keep having regular appointments as they grow up. They are also less likely to experience tooth decay or fears around going to the dentist.

For more information about caring for your child’s teeth and booking an appointment visit the Tasmanian Department of Health Dental health for children webpage.