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What constitutes your child's first dental visit

It can be a little unnerving for your child to visit the dentist in Detroit or elsewhere, especially for the first time. Giving your child a detailed explanation of what will happen during their visit can be of great help. Following is a brief description of what the typical dental visit involves.

When you first arrive at the dentist you will go to the receptionists desk and check in. Depending on whether you are early, late or if the dentist is running behind you will be told either to sit down in the waiting room or go right on in. The waiting room will usually be filled with other patients waiting to see the dentist for various procedures. There will often be a television, magazines and toys for the kids to play with.

The dental hygienist will usually come out and collect you or your child when they are ready for you. You can wait or go with your child into the exam. The hygienist will invite your child to sit in the dentists chair and briefly explain what will happen. They can take the time to thoroughly explain what will happen if your child is nervous and may even make use of plastic models of the mouth to demonstrate various tools.

Your child’s hygienists will recline the dental chair and position a bright light over the child so its easier to look into their mouth. Then he or she will ask your child to open wide as they can so that the hygienist can take a quick look at your child’s teeth and mouth.

After this your child may be asked to get out of the chair and follow the hygienist to another part of the office with an x-ray machine. Your child will be asked to wear a lead apron and place cardboard bites into their mouths. Then the hygienist will help them position themselves properly for the machine to take x-rays of their mouth and jaws. This is a quick and painless procedure.

Once this is done you will head back to the dentists chair and the hygienist will clean your child’s teeth while the dentist waits for the x-rays. The hygienist will use an abrasive kind of toothpaste and a rotating brush to really clean off and polish your child’s teeth. This may be followed by a fluoride treatment. The hygienist will fill molds with a fluoride gel, usually flavored, for your child to sink their teeth into. They’ll be told not to swallow any of the gel and to wait for a few minutes. This may be one of the more difficult parts of the exam. Fluoride helps to strengthen their teeth against cavities.

After this the dentist will come in to see your child. The dentist may put up your child’s x-rays and explain them. Then the dentist will ask to take a look at your child’s mouth with a pick and a mirror. The dentist may scrape the teeth and press down on the teeth with the probe and ask the child if they feel any discomfort. The dentist is carefully examining your child’s teeth for cavities. Once done the dentist will discuss whether or not your child has cavities or caries (which lead to cavities) or some other condition which will need treatment with you.

Lastly the hygienist or the dentist will go over proper oral care with your child, such as brushing, flossing and proper diet. At the end the dentist will usually have a treat for your child to take home. It could be a toy or mini dental hygiene kit.

Hopefully this brief explanation of what happens during a visit to your Detroit dentist will help you and your child understand better why the dentist does certain things during an exam. Certainly the x-ray machine and the fluoride treatments can be a little scary at first but once your child experiences them they feel better and more secure about visiting the dentist.