www.FamilyAndKidsGA.com
2211
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The key to good dental health is seeing the
dentist early and often. “An infant should come to
the dentist six months after their first tooth comes
in or by their first year of life,” said Dr. Alberto Lugo, a
pediatric dentist in Columbus. The main reason is so
the dentist can give the family information on how
to prevent early childhood caries or cavities. He said,
ideally everyone should see the dentist twice a year.
If your child has anxiety about sitting in the dreaded
dental chair, he is not alone. Even pediatric dentists
understand the fear is real and that is why they go
out of their way to try to make kids feel comfortable
from the first meeting onward. “The surroundings
in the office cannot be threatening to them; we
must always be kind to them; and the most critical
thing is we always have to tell them the truth,” said
Lugo. If the dentist lies to your child, he will not
believe him again.
Every kid wants to be the star.
“They need to feel like they are the focus of the
attention so when the dentist works on them there
should be no other distractions,” said Lugo. It helps
when the dentist talks to your child on his level and
avoids using technical terms. It is better to say you
are going to remove a cavity that looks like a tiny hole
instead of scientific terms that can be scary. Parents
need to watch their lingo as well. “If I am going to
use the drill, I will not say, ‘I am going to use the drill.’
I will tell them I am going to use this little machine
that vibrates a little bit in order to bring the concept
to their level,” said Lugo.
Avoid scare tactics.
“Some parents try to be funny and say if you do
not brush your teeth the dentist will take all your
teeth out, so the child will come in and be afraid,”
said Lugo. Be creative when talking about the
dentist. “Our tools have different names like we
call the suction mister ‘thirsty’ so the child knows
it is something that picks up liquid,” said Lugo.
It is about building an understanding. For those
who cannot be calmed, there are other tools
in the box like laughing gas or sedation as a last
resort if a young child needs extractions or something
more severe.
Set an example by brushing at
least twice a day.
“You can teach your child how to brush by
telling them and then showing them,” said
Lugo. Georgia parents are doing a good job
at talking about dental health when you look
at the numbers. “In this community I would say
that probably 80 to 90 percent are very healthy
dental-wise,” said Lugo.
Little choices can make a big
difference in dental health.
“Kids shouldn’t be put to bed with milk or breastfed
after the age of one,” said Lugo. In addition to the
dentists being very understanding, technology is
advancing to make kids feel more at ease such as
digital radiography. “Most kids are great patients.
Actually, most of the time they are easier to work
with than adults,” said Lugo humorously.
Hoo’s Tips
Combating
Dental
Fears
RESOURCE:
Dr. Alberto Lugo, BS, DMD, PC, FAGD, MASDC
706-660-1310 , DrLugoPediatricDental.com
/DrLugoPediatricDental.com