When families choose to go ahead with braces that dentists recommend for their children, they often experience a different type of concern than before they decided if the treatment was necessary. Many children are truly fearful about getting braces, and those fears typically stem from what is unknown rather than what will occur in the dental chair. Having an honest conversation about braces for kids in Rochester Hills can help parents prepare their child for what lies ahead.

Children have an innate sense of honesty; they can generally see through a parent’s attempts to make a difficult situation sound easier or less serious than it really is. It seems as though children are much more likely to trust parents who provide them with clear, direct explanations about what lies ahead (even if those explanations involve potential challenges) rather than providing false reassurances that “there’s nothing to worry about,” especially if that reassurance later proves to be only partially correct.

A clear explanation of the physical feeling of an adjustment will help more than many parents realize. If you can explain to your child that they may feel a dull ache (not pain) for a couple of days following their adjustment, and that this dull ache usually goes away within those first couple of days, your child has a realistic idea of what to anticipate, as opposed to imagining the most painful possible outcome.

Orthodontists who regularly provide treatment for children have experience answering children’s anxious questions about their treatment. They also have developed strategies for providing age-appropriate answers to these types of questions. For this reason, allowing a child to ask questions directly of the orthodontist, instead of having all communications relayed through the parent, will help to reduce the child’s level of anxiety. Second-hand reassurances do not provide the same benefits as direct interaction with the orthodontist.

For younger children, bringing along a favorite item of comfort — whether it is a set of headphones that play their favorite music or another item that they find reassuring — may allow them to feel more secure while at the appointment. While this is just a minor detail, it allows them to have some familiarity with what will likely be a very new and intimidating environment.

Another useful preparation step is watching a video together before the appointment showing what the process of getting braces actually looks like. A video is better than just talking about it, because seeing that it’s a simple procedure rather than something scary or dramatic often calms nerves faster than reassurance alone.

As you compare the available treatment choices, let your children make some of the smaller decisions as well. When you allow your children to choose the colors of their elastic bands after every adjustment, it will give your children a feeling of being able to control a process which otherwise seems completely out of their control. This can be especially helpful for families considering child braces in Rochester Hills.

Normalizing the experience can make a meaningful difference. Telling a nervous child that most of his/her classmates have braces, or that a relative/family friend went through the same thing, will make him/her feel less alone during the entire process.

Celebrating the appointment, and not just accepting it as an experience you have to get through, makes a big difference in how your children will view the experience. Having a favorite food after the appointment, or having a fun activity planned for that afternoon/evening, will give your children something to look forward to, making the overall emotional impact of the day much more positive.

Conclusion

Most children’s fear of having braces is due to an inability to understand or know what will occur during the process of getting braces, rather than being based upon fear of the actual treatment. By providing kids with honest explanations of what to expect, allowing them to participate in making small choices regarding the treatment plan, and viewing the day as a time to celebrate rather than as a dreaded event, parents can help their child have a much more positive experience with their initial consultation.