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Guidelines for Parents
Dear Parents:
You may choose whether or not you accompany your child to his/her treatment appointment. Although we sense that some children do better without parents present, we are open to having you with your child. If you choose to be present, we suggest the following guidelines to improve chances of a positive outcome:
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1. |
Allow us to prepare you child. |
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Be supportive of the practice's terminology, examples are given below. |
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Please, be a silent observer - support your child with touches.
This allows us to maintain communication with your child.
Children will normally listen to their parents instead of us and may not hear our guidance.
You might give incorrect or misleading information.
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Please, remain seated on a chair provided for you. |
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If asked to leave, please, be ready to immediately walk away.
Many children will try to control the situation.
"Acting out" is normal, but unacceptable during fillings.
This is intended to "short circuit" the control attempt.
We will continue to support your child at all times.
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If the child being treated has a sibling that can be comfortably held in your arms while in the treatment area he or she is welcome to stay with you. Please, do no bring baby carriages or older siblings not being seen to the treatment area. |
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Only one parent allowed in the treatment area of the office with child or children being treated. |
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Please do not use and turn off cellular telephones in the treatment area. |
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If able to do so, please communicate with your child in English while in the office. |
These are very important ways that you can actively help in the success of your child's visit. We are confident that all will go well and hope these guidelines will help prepare you with confidence for the upcoming appointment.
Practice Terminology
In order to improve the chances of your child having a positive experience in our office, we are selective in our use of words. We try to avoid words that scare the child due to previous experiences. Please support us by NOT USING negative words that are often used for dental care. These include:
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Don't Use |
Our Equivalent |
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needle or shot |
sleepy juice |
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drill |
whistle, water whistle |
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drill on tooth |
clean a tooth, take out the sugar bugs |
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pull or yank tooth |
wiggle a tooth out |
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decay, cavity |
sugar bug |
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examination |
count teeth, name teeth |
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tooth cleaning |
tickle teeth |
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explorer |
toothpick, tooth counter |
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rubber dam |
raincoat, tent, blanket |
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gas |
magic air, special air |
This will also help you understand your child's description of the filling experience. Our intention is not to "fool" the child – it is to create an experience that is positive. We appreciate your cooperation in helping us build a good attitude for your child!
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