Creative Ways for Keeping Children Calm During Orthodontic Procedures

For an orthodontist, ensuring that a patient is calm is fundamental to achieving the desired results. However, it can be a challenge when dealing with kids considering that your office is a haven for needles and drills. Successful orthodontic procedures, therefore, depend on your ability to keep children calm before, during, and after treatment. Coming up with ingenious ways to tackle anxiety in young patients is critical. Read on to find out creative ways of keeping children calm during orthodontic procedures.

Use Technology

Technological advancements know no age boundaries.  For example, it is common to find a 4-year-old operating an iPad with relative ease. Of importance to orthodontists is the attention and focus that children exhibit when using smart gadgets. As an orthodontist, you can use the behaviour to your advantage. Avail intelligent and interactive devices such as gaming consoles and educational tablets for kids in your facility. For instance, you can play an on-screen video of children's favourite cartoon character explaining various orthodontic procedures. The devices produce a calming effect by shifting a child's attention away from anxiety and towards having fun. 

Introduce Role Play Games 

Children love role-playing, and the importance of calming young patients should not be overlooked. The reason is that activities that promote role-playing encourage imagination and understanding. For instance, you can include a miniature orthodontic chair and equipment in the kids' play area where children can take turns playing as a dentist, a nurse, or a patient. By doing so, children will understand what to expect, which will go a long way in managing anxiety.

Use Pets 

Children are a big part of the population. Notably, there is no denying the calming and comforting effects of pets to households. Therefore, you can bring your pet dog to work to calm down overly anxious children. The simple act of combing a pet's far while lying on an orthodontist's chair is enough to bring a child's anxiety levels considerably low. However, consult with the parents first to avoid possible allergic reactions. 

Be an Active Participant

Active participation is another strategy that works well for children especially during lengthy dental procedures such as brace fitting. If kids participate actively in an orthodontic process, they are less likely to worry. For example, since braces come in different colours today, let a child choose their favourite brace colour. You can use the same approach with orthodontic bibs and napkins. Stock them in different colours or cartoon characters and let the kids choose what they want.

To learn more tips, contact local children's orthodontists.

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