Preparing for a Dental Visit

• During a dental exam, the dentist will look at your child’s teeth, jaw and face. The dentist will look with their eyes and use a mirror to check your child’s teeth. They will use their fingers to touch your child’s cheeks, jaw and neck to make sure these parts of their body feel healthy. 
• Usually, the dentist or dental assistant will clean your child’s teeth using a toothbrush and spin brush before providing tooth vitamins (fluoride). 
• Sometimes, photos of the teeth (X-rays) are taken to assess the roots of the tooth and jawbone structures and find hidden cavities (caries).

• If your child has a cavity, dental restoration may be needed. The dentist will clean out the cavity with special dental tools. After they clean your child’s tooth, they will repair the tooth with a filling or a stainless-steel crown.
• During restorations, we may provide laughing gas (nitrous oxide) to help your child remain calm. A child life specialist can also be present to help prepare your child and support them throughout their appointment. 
• We may also give local anesthesia. Local anesthesia is a liquid medicine that is used to numb the teeth. Numbing means that you do not feel anything in the area where the medicine was given. In this case, we slowly apply a jelly-like numbing medicine before an injection of local anesthesia to make your child as comfortable as possible.
  • There are other non-medicine ways we can help make giving local anesthesia easier. Please ask your dentist or child life specialist about other options.
• For children who are extremely uncomfortable and scared of dental care, we may provide sedation or use other techniques to safely take care of your child. Sometimes we may recommend general anesthesia, which means your child is asleep and does not feel anything. Ask the dentist about the best option for your child.
  • Advanced techniques like nitrous oxide and general anesthesia are only used when necessary and with the permission of a patient’s caregiver. Please continue reading in the windows below to learn more about general anesthesia for dental procedures.

Our care team includes certified child life specialists. These are specially trained healthcare professionals who help children, teens and families deal with any stress or fear that may come with a medical condition or appointment. Thanks to support from our child life team, many of our patients have been able to feel more comfortable in the dental clinic and have felt less anxiety about their dental care.

Child life specialists help patients and families in the Dental Center by: 

• Educating and preparing children and adolescents about teeth cleaning, treatments and procedures
• Practicing healthy ways to cope with anxiety and pain
• Coaching and supporting patients during appointments
• Familiarizing patients to the clinic and the tools the dentist uses 
• Helping children and adolescents express their feelings about past or upcoming visits 
• For patients with developmental and behavioral challenges who have a hard time coping in medical settings, developing adaptive care plans to improve their medical experiences

If you are interested in child life support during your child's upcoming dental appointment, please request child life when you call to schedule.

For some dental procedures, your child's dentist may recommend general anesthesia. This means that your child is asleep and does not feel anything during the procedure.

Watch the videos below to learn when we use general anesthesia during pediatric dental visits, what to expect and what to prepare for before, during and after your child's procedure.

Before and during treatment under general anesthesia

After treatment under general anesthesia