Children’s Dentistry
At Ivory Dental Care in Malahide we pride ourselves in making a child’s visit to the dentist a relaxed and even enjoyable experience! Our waiting room has a children’s area with toys for children to play with as well as illustrated books explaining what will happen at a check-up appointment. We have found that this helps prepare children for what to expect at the dentist.
Every stage of the appointment will be explained to your child so there are no unexpected surprises, for example the dentist will explain that the chair needs to lie back and will show the child the mirror they will use to ‘count their teeth’.
If a child needs dental treatment, all options and fees for each treatment will be discussed with the attending parent or guardian. Most children can be easily and comfortably treated by our caring dentists in Ivory Dental Care in Malahide. If injections are necessary, we always use a numbing gel (topical anaesthetic) first so that children don’t feel the injection. In fact, we don’t like to use the word injection at all, referring to local anaesthetic as ‘sleepy liquid’ to put their tooth to sleep for a little while so that we can make it better. The careful use of specially chosen words when speaking to your child really makes a big difference in creating a relaxed environment.
A ‘Rewarding’ Trip to the Dentist
At the end of your child’s appointment, be it a check-up or a treatment appointment, they will get to choose a prize from our prize drawer to take home with them. This is a reward for good behaviour at the dentist which we have found works really well, encouraging the same good behaviour at future visits. There is something special about our prize drawer, and we have heard it is a common topic of conversation amongst the schoolchildren of Malahide!
Paediatric Dentistry
If your child needs more extensive or specialist treatment we may recommend referring them to a paediatric dentist. A specialist referral may also be required if your child is too young to accept treatment under local anaesthetic or if the dentist feels that the required treatment will be an unpleasant experience for your child. At Ivory Dental Care in Malahide we strongly believe that no child should be afraid of the dentist and we certainly do not want to contribute to or cause this fear.
