Future humiliation prevention
How to avoid recess nicknames and donkey calls

By Julianne Hale

Photos by Julie Hogue

There are very few wild cards in our children’s lives that have as much impact on their appearance—and our guilty conscience—as their teeth. Will the pacifier we secretly let them keep in their bed until they were 4 years old cause them to endure years of painful recess nicknames and donkey calls? What about the thumb they sucked until they were 11—how much will you pay the orthodontist for that mistake? What about all of the lollipops they’ve consumed at Grandma’s house since birth? Should the fact that their two front teeth began a slow disintegration at age 3 disturb us?
And then there is the ultimate wild card: genetics. Many parents of young children experienced torture at the hands of their neighborhood orthodontist in the form of rubber bands, headgear, mass quantities of metal, and retainers. The survivors among us will stop at nothing to shelter our kids from this type of humiliation. We want our kids to have sturdy, healthy teeth that are perfectly straight, white and shiny. While keeping them straight is not always in our control, encouraging healthy, white teeth in the mouths of our children is not an impossible task. And it starts with prevention and education at a very young age.
Most of us have the best of intentions when it comes to our children’s oral health, but those intentions are often met with resistance. Going to the dentist can, in fact, turn into an exercise in torture.

Noah way

Emily Hawkins, a mother of two from Ooltewah, has experienced this torture firsthand. Like any good mother, Emily made her son Noah’s first appointment with a local pediatric dentist soon after his third birthday. Emily recounts her experience:
“They don’t allow parents to go back with the children, so I sat in the waiting room while they took him back and attempted to clean his teeth. They had to stop right away and let two kids go in front of him so he could watch and understand that teeth cleaning does not hurt. After he’d been back there almost an hour, I could hear him screaming out in the waiting room.
“Finally, one of the assistants came to the door and asked me to come into the back. I walked back there to find him sitting on a bench, crying, with tears streaming down his face. He was really scared, and the dentist left it up to me as to whether or not to pursue any more care during that visit. I thought that we should, because otherwise he would think he could get out of it every time. The dentist checked his teeth to make sure there were no cavities, and Noah went crazy the entire time.” Emily left the office traumatized and dreading the next visit.
She recently has worked up the nerve to take Noah back for a second attempt. He is 5 years old now and can be reasoned with to some degree. Since his unfortunate dentist appointment, Emily found out that Noah has Sensory Integration Dysfunction, which typically includes an intense fear of the dentist. His fear is legitimate and, according to Emily, he remembers the first visit quite well. She explains, “He definitely remembers going. Anytime we bring up going again, he freaks out. I’ve thought about considering sleep dentistry if it goes horrible the second time around.”
Emily is going to great lengths to prepare Noah for this dental visit. She purchased a battery-operated toothbrush for him to get him acclimated to the noise. They’ve done some role playing and read several books about the dentist. Emily is hoping that the presence of Noah’s sister will help; she will go in the chair before Noah to help prepare him. Emily’s advice to parents of children with dental fears is simple: “Take a Valium and pray really hard.”
Fortunately for most parents out there, Emily’s experience is the exception to the rule. Most children have positive experiences at the dentist. Take Kat Greene, mom of three from Ringgold, Ga. Her children actually look forward to their dental checkups. “My kids walk out of the office smiling, with their little toothbrush and toothpaste,” she says. Even when Kat’s oldest child, Megan, had to have a cavity filled, she didn’t have any problems or seem traumatized.
While Kat’s experience is much more typical than Emily’s, there are children out there who are scared of going to the dentist, and their fears should be addressed with honesty and compassion. Even so, parents should never skip going to the dentist altogether to avoid scenarios like Noah’s.

Here’s the drill

A board-certified member of the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, Dr. Clay Goins of Children’s Dentistry of Chattanooga says that by taking the fear out of dental visits, those in his profession can help kids cultivate a lifelong habit of good oral health. “Pediatric dentists have chosen their profession because they love children,” he says. “Children’s dental visits should be fun, and they need a positive attitude towards caring for their teeth that will last a lifetime.”
Dr. Goins believes it is essential to educate parents about the proper care and maintenance of their children’s teeth. Often, he says, parents know surprisingly little about how to attend to their children’s oral health. According to Dr. Goins, here are some important facts that you may not know:

1. The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry recommends that your child have his first dental visit prior to his first birthday. These appointments are educational, intended to provide an introduction to dental care for the parents.
2. Baby teeth should not be neglected. The failure to properly care for baby teeth can lead to problems that affect permanent teeth.
3.    You should begin brushing your children’s teeth as soon as the first tooth comes in. It is often easier to use a soft washcloth than a toothbrush to clean plaque from your baby’s front teeth. Once you use a toothbrush, it should be soft. Brush with a gentle motion, concentrating on the teeth and gum line.
4.    The most important time to brush is right before your child goes to bed. Brushing after all meals and snacks is a good practice. Flossing is needed only if some of the teeth are touching.
5.    Children under age 2 do not need toothpaste. Those old enough to spit out toothpaste may use a pea-sized amount of fluoride toothpaste. (Fluoride toothpaste should not be swallowed.) Make sure any toothpaste you use carries the American Dental Association (ADA) seal of approval.
6.    The correct amount of fluoride in drinking water will prevent 50 percent of tooth decay for life, if a child drinks the water from birth to age 7. This is the amount of fluoride added by the local water companies in Tennessee and North Georgia.
7.    The typical child’s first baby teeth will begin to loosen and fall out naturally when she is 6 years old. The last molar will fall out around age 12.
8.    Tooth decay is the most common chronic childhood disease in the United States, occurring at five times the rate of asthma. Untreated dental disease can affect a child’s overall health, including his speech and eating patterns and his ability to concentrate in school.

So, if your child has celebrated that first birthday and you haven’t made her dental appointment yet, don’t freak out and start saving for orthodontia and therapy bills. Just call up one of the many capable dental professionals in the Chattanooga area and make an appointment. Then call your doctor for a Valium, say some prayers, and get yourself and your kid to the dentist for some top-notch care and future humiliation prevention.