Kids are naturally intuitive. They know when they are getting fooled so there’s no use telling them you’re going to the mall when you’re really bound for the dentist. Maybe you’ll get to fool them once but you’ll never be able to gain back their trust if you weren’t honest to them the first time. Thankfully, a couple of dental marketing ploys may actually work on them and help you convince them that their oral health is important.
Answer their questions
A lot of kids have many questions about dentists, oral health, why they need to visit the dentists, and what will happen to them while they’re on the chair. Try not to defuse the situation by casually shrugging off these questions.
Answering these questions is important to these kids. They need to realize that they are valued and that their feelings are legitimate and being considered. You certainly don’t want to be a tyrant who pushes kids to do something against their will.
Let them watch educational videos
As part of their dental marketing, clinics must have educational and instructional videos about the various products and services that they offer. If you’re going to a pediatric dentist, he will make it a point to produce videos that are suited for kids’ viewing. These videos should help explain what’s going to happen to your kids while they’re at the dental clinic.
Take a tour of the dental clinic
Before the actual appointment date, you may want to visit the clinic with your kids to help orient them to where the procedure is going to happen. Kids are naturally curious and if the dentist has time on his hand, maybe he could answer some of the questions your kids have. They will feel much comfortable seeing the clinic and not imagining a hell hole where their teeth are going to be pulled out.
Play pretend at home
Play pretend dentist at home where you’ll be the dentist and your child is going to be the patient. It will help the kids be more comfortable during the appointment date when they have already played out in their minds what will happen.
You can playfully prod in your kid’s mouth so that he will have a feel and an idea of what will happen when the real dentist is before him. If you can make the experience more fun, go ahead and do so. They may also be the “dentist” while you become the “patient.”