Last week I took my 5-year-old for his first filling, and let's just say, it was like negotiating peace treaties with a tiny, sugar-fueled dictator. He was NOT having it. Tried bribery (ice cream later, ironic I know), distraction tactics, even promised extra screen time. Nothing worked. Eventually, the dentist busted out some superhero story about "tooth defenders" and cavity monsters, and suddenly, bam, cooperation. Who knew storytelling skills were a dental requirement... anyway, curious if anyone else has creative strategies or funny stories from their own dental dramas?
Your dentist sounds like a genius storyteller, wish ours had that skill. My daughter is 4 and we've got an appointment coming up next month—her first real dental visit beyond the usual checkups. Honestly, I'm dreading it. She's already suspicious of anyone in a white coat after her last vaccination drama (still recovering from that one myself...). I've been trying to prep her by reading books about dentists and teeth brushing, but I'm not convinced it's helping much. Maybe I'm overthinking it, but I worry if I hype it up too much she'll sense my anxiety and freak out even more.
Did you find prepping your kid ahead of time helped at all, or did it just build up the anxiety? I'm torn between preparing her gently or just springing it on her casually at the last minute...
We tried prepping our son with dentist books too, but honestly it kinda backfired—he got more anxious anticipating it. Weirdly enough, he did better when we just kept it low-key. Maybe kids pick up on our stress more than we realize...? How's your daughter with other new experiences?
