Katie Taylor, CCLS Child Life On Call for SmileMakers Inc

With more and more Child Life Specialists expanding into the dental field to support children during dental experiences, I thought it would be a great time to share my favorite tools for a dental prep.

First and foremost when preparing children for the dentist, it's good to start with play or a non-threatening conversation. Through this play, try to assess the child's understanding of what happens at the dentist. This assessment will help you to identify misconceptions the child may have and what accuracies they understand so far.

After the initial conversation, I like to read a book and go a bit into the educational piece of why taking care of teeth is important. I really like the book, Max and Zoe go to the Dentist, and the Inside My Tooth Sticker Sheet.

Using a teach back method, you can use the Mega Mouth Hand Puppet to help the child identify what they learned from the sticker sheet and book. This oversized fun mouth can have a silly voice or say funny things to make this part feel like PLAY!

Coping skills come next. If things start to feel uncomfortable, what skills would help the child? Since our mouth will be open, deep breathing can feel hard. What about squeezing a tooth squeezy ball? Offer a choice and let them pick the color ball they'd like to use.

Next, I'd move on to role reversal or role rehearsal play depending on which fits best for the child you're talking with. Do they want to play the dentist or play the patient? Which puppet's teeth should we check first?

Using oversized items like a mega mirror or toothbrush can add a non-threatening touch to your preparation.

Tell us how YOU prep for dental procedures!