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How Dentists Should Talk to Children
This year's Day of Dental Health, which will take place on 25th September, will focus on the health of deciduous teeth. Regular dental visits ensure that dental caries and Co. have no chance. But especially for children, the first trip to the dentist means many new impressions and sometimes even fear of the unknown. To make the treatment as comfortable as possible, communication plays an important role, because nothing is more threatening than dreaded words such as drills, syringe or forceps. Modern practices have therefore adapted their wording to the young patient group.
Dr. Birte Habedank, a pediatric dentist at the KU64 dental practice in Berlin, explains the tricks that dentists use to make a positive impression.
Tell, Show, Do
The communication with the children does not start on the dental chair. Already on arrival in the practice a friendly greeting of the small patients ensures that they feel well. When physicians approach the girls and boys eye to eye, this behavior gives them the feeling that they are in the foreground today. During treatment, dentists use the so-called "Tell, Show, Do" technique. "This means that the dentist first explains the treatment steps and then presents them on a hand puppet. The children are also allowed to actively help. Only then does the actual treatment take place. So we slowly introduce them to all steps and get used to the unfamiliar situation, " Thank you.
Especially careful and anxiolytic: this is how dentists should deal with the little patients. (Image: SergeyCash / fotolia.com) Child-friendly vocabulary
While dentists explain to children what they will do, they also pay attention to their choice of words. Words such as a drill or syringe sound threatening and cause panic among the little patients. Instead, dentists use child-friendly paraphrases. Instead of drill, it is called Krabbler and the nipple is titled Schlürfi. If the doctor spins an imaginative story about the treatment and the instruments, this distracts additionally. "We avoid sentences like 'It does not hurt at all,' because they direct the children's thoughts to potential pain. Instead, we use positive language.
So we say that the tooth is sleeping when we apply the so-called Einschlafmarmelade, so a local anesthetic gel, "explains the KU64 dentist. If the little ones get along well by opening their mouth wide or bravely sticking out, they get praise, because they feel valued and remain motivated. Also, distraction during the treatment helps. Some dentists use flatscreens on the ceiling in their practice, through which they play films that immediately attract the attention of the children. Other practices use toys like a magic wand with glitter particles floating in them. After having received treatment, the dentist often gives a small reward. This procedure completes the procedure positively and creates anticipation for the next visit.
role of the parents
Accompanying persons may, of course, be present in the consultation room, but then should behave calmly, because the main person is sitting on the treatment chair. All necessary information is discussed by the adults before or after the examination, but not in the meantime so that the child does not feel overlooked. "Often, parents unconsciously transfer their own fear of the dentist to their offspring, reporting bad experiences. In the run-up to treatment, mothers and fathers refrain from such stories so that their children can face the dentist neutrally and without fear. Thank you. Even threats such as "If you do not brush your teeth, the dentist has to drill" should avoid parents, since they anchor a negative image of the doctor in the children's head.
When the dentist and the parent together pay attention to their choice of words, avoid threatening-sounding words and respond to the children, the whole family can face the dentist's visit much more relaxed.