Pediatric dentists and their team have special training in using a variety of approaches to helping your child have a positive dental experience.
These are some examples
Tell-Show-Do
The Tell-Show-Do communication technique involves verbal explanations of the dental procedures in phrases appropriate to the developmental level of the patient (tell), demonstrations for the patient so they can see, hear, smell, and touch aspects of the procedure in non-threatening setting (show), followed by completion of the procedure (do). The goal of tell-show-do is to teach and familiarize the patient with the dental setting, and to help improve the patient’s response to dental procedures.
Distraction
Distraction is a technique which diverts the patient’s attention from what may be perceived as an unpleasant procedure. The goals of distraction are to decrease the child’s perception of an unpleasant or different situation and to prevent negative behavior.
Positive Reinforcement
Positive reinforcement is an effective technique to to help guide your child’s behavior with verbal praise and rewards for being a good helper. Positive feedback can be given through voice modulation, verbal praise, and appropriate physical demonstrations of affection by all members of the dental team. The goal of positive reinforcement is to reinforce positive behavior at your child’s dental visit.
