Did you miss us? We certainly missed you and we are open for business now! Our patients mean the world to us and it has been a very long few months for the Brinkley Dental Team. We’re pretty certain it’s been a long few months for many of you as well. COVID-19 has taken a toll on many of us and in a variety of different ways from a health to economic and social impact. Let’s hope it hasn’t taken a toll on your teeth!
We are now scheduling appointments and welcoming patients back to our practice. As we hinted at way back in May, you may find that things look a little different when you arrive and that has everything to do with both your safety and ours. We are following all of the recommended guidelines for a dental practice as suggested by the Peel Medical Officer of Health and the Canadian Dental Association. We invite you to call the office and have a chat with us about our safety procedures to ensure you are comfortable before you even arrive. This will also allow you to have a chat with your little ones about what to expect when they come to the Dentist. These times have been hard enough on all of us but as a family practice, and a reputation as Brampton’s Gentle Dentist, we know that many young children have shown anxiety as a result of what has been happening in the world around them. We don’t want to add to that stress with a visit to our offices so let’s work together to make sure everyone is comfortable! Here are a few tops tips for talking to your kids about teeth and a visit to our offices:
5 Tips for Talking to your kids about teeth!
- Initiate a friendly conversation about teeth with your little one. Ask them questions like “Why are teeth so important?” “How do your teeth help you? “Who helps you look after your teeth?” These questions will invite answers where your child might feel empowered by understanding how important their teeth are, the role they play and how the Dentist helps them to keep teeth healthy.
- Engage with your child while brushing their teeth. Make this a regular part of the morning and nighttime routine, not an afterthought. While brushing, encourage them to really look at their teeth and envision “brushing away bacteria.” Ask them about things that are white and then prompt them with comments like “Brush your teeth until they’re as white as …….”
- Start talking about your visit to the Dentist well before appointment time to help alleviate anxiety. Share with your child that the Dentist might do things like count the number of teeth they have and ask them to try and count their own teeth or guess how many they have. Tell them the Dentist or Hygienist might “brush” their teeth with a special polish that helps them stay white and bright.
- You may even want to look at books that are specifically geared to children and a visit to the Dentist or fun books that address the topic of teeth like Franklin and the Tooth Fairy.
- If this is your child’s first visit to the Dentist they won’t even know there is a different approach to dental care right now but if they are a little older and have visited us before, gentle reminders about what has changed are good idea.
Call us today and make an appointment. It’s been awhile and we miss you. We’re happy to finally be open again and caring for our patients and we thank you for your patience as we initiate new practices and procedures for keeping everyone safe. We’ll end as we always do with this gentle reminder: ”don’t forget to be a BFF with your mouth and Brush that SMILE!”
