"It's a little bit difficult because he's so active now," said Jayden's mother.
To make your child's visit to the dentist a little less painful. We checked in with Dr. Amr Moursi, chairman of pediatric dentistry at NYU College of Dentistry. First he says don't worry if your child cries, it's completely ok.
"They're going to cry, we're used to that, don't let that keep you from bringing your child to the dentist," Moursi said.
Next, don't try to over prepare your child.
"They'll sometimes actually make things worse. Like 'oh it's not Going hurt they won't use a needle.' Well all the child hears is hurt and needle," adds Moursi.
What you can do is tell them why you're going to the dentist, just remember that less is more.
"Tell them were just going to see Dr. Moursi and he's just going to help us keep your teeth healthy that's it," adds Moursi.
And it's normal to be a little nervous about coming to the dentist.
Young Jace Lackford told Dr. Parikh he was nervous.
"I thought he was going to take my teeth out," Jace said.
But if your child is really frightened, you can even go to the office for a fun preview visit before the real appointment.
"They get to sit in the waiting room and play with some toys and that sets them up for the next visit," Moursi said.
LINK: American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (AAPD) Online Parent Resource Center
LINK: AAPD DVD for parents
LINK: ADA PROGRAM
Two good books about going to the dentist:
Going to the Dentist, EDC is the publisher of this Usborne First Experiences book
Sesame Street Ready Set Brush, publisher Simon & Schuster.
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