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3. Parent Guidelines
Your child’s comfort and safety are our priority during dental treatment. Many children do better with their caregivers waiting in the lobby rather than accompanying them to the treatment room. This allows them to build a strong relationship with the dental team.
There are a couple of things to keep in mind to help your child do well with any dental appointment:
Children respond to their caregivers’ words. We encourage you to portray the dental office as a fun place. Please don’t let anyone tell your child horror stories about dental offices, even in “fun.” Please don’t use words like “shot,” “drill” or “yank.”
Sometimes children will act uncooperatively to try to control a situation. They may have had previous experience when they acted uncooperatively and they were removed from that situation. We find that many children do better once their parent has left the treatment room.
Children will often listen to their parent’s voice above all others so hearing your familiar voice will be a distraction for them. They will also repeat the behavior to hear your voice again.
Here are a few words that can make your child more at ease when speaking to them about upcoming appointments:
Don't Use
- Needle or Shot
- Drill
- Drill a Tooth
- Pull or Yank Tooth
- Decay, Cavity
- Examination
- Tooth Cleaning
- Explorer
- Rubber Dam
- Gas
Instead, We Recommend
- Sleepy Juice
- Power Scrubber
- Clean a Tooth
- Wiggle a Tooth Out
- Sugar Bug
- Count Teeth
- Tickle Teeth
- Tooth Counter
- Raincoat
- Happy, Magic, or Astronaut Air
Insurance
We Accept: Most Major Insurance and ALL AHCCCS Plans. United Community Health Center has a team of Certified Application Counselors available to help with your State Applications (AHCCCS) and Market Place Insurance Applications. UCHC offers a Sliding Fee Discount Program for the uninsured.