In this blog, we want to address parents specifically. You might find yourself in a peculiar position where you are feeling almost as nervous as your child about visiting an orthodontist. We can assure you, there’s no need to worry.
Dr. Melanie Orthodontics is here to tell you how to prepare for your child’s first orthodontic appointment and make for an awesome experience.
Does My Child Need Orthodontic Treatment?
The best way to know this for sure is to schedule an appointment with us—but there are some visible signs and symptoms in kids that can signal the need for orthodontic intervention, such as:
- Crowded or overlapping teeth.
- Difficulty biting or chewing.
- Teeth grinding or jaw clenching.
- Breathing through the mouth.
- Thumb sucking beyond age 4.
- Misaligned jaws or facial asymmetry.
If these symptoms have presented themselves, you’re definitely doing the right thing by visiting an orthodontic office.
The Tools at Your Disposal
You may not realize it, but one of your greatest assets for helping your child prepare for their first orthodontic experience is probably sitting in your hand or pocket right now. We highly encourage you to use some of the resources on our website to your advantage in these three ways:
- Meet Dr. Melanie & the Team: Seeing the faces behind our practice can help put your child at ease. Get to know Dr. Melanie and our team members by visiting our profile pages. It’s often comforting for kids to know what to expect, including who they’ll be meeting.
- Before & After Gallery: Orthodontics are innately transformative, and kids love to see our “magic” in action. Show them our before-and-after gallery to help them visualize what orthodontic treatment can achieve. It’s a great way to introduce the exciting experience that’s ahead.
- Have a Look Around: We believe that what our offices look like matters a lot, which is why we have put so much work into making them look amazing. Show your kiddo a virtual tour of our San Diego or Rancho Santa Fe offices ahead of coming in person.
A Few Wise Words
There are tons of resources available on tips and tricks for helping your child handle their first orthodontic visit, but we want to highlight a few in a particular:
- Use Comfort Items: When your child is in a new environment for the first time, having a beloved blanket or stuffed animal can provide a remarkable grounding effect.
- Break it Down: We recommend using videos and books to provide your kids with narrative examples of how orthodontics works, and why they’re visiting in the first place. Age-appropriate, creative means of explanation can go a long way. Setting expectations is super important for a good first visit.
- Be Positive: Try to surround the visit with positivity—encouraging words, exciting goals, and wonderful new people to meet. Avoid using negative or anxious language if you can.
- Hand in Hand: If your child has a close friend or sibling who has braces, partner with them to cheer them on during their treatment process. By reminding them of real life examples, it makes the idea of braces less daunting.
- Celebrate and Reward: Once the appointment is over, rally around your child and reward them. This can be a visit to a favorite place, a yummy meal, or a new toy.
Frequently Asked Questions from Parents
Let’s go over a few questions that might be on your mind right about now. The questions can feel endless—but we encourage every single one so that you can feel confident in our care.
Q: My child has severe anxiety. What should I do?
The most important step you can take is to let us know this in advance. That way, we can give you some advice and be prepared to accommodate your child better. You can also remind your child that this is just an evaluation—no treatment will happen unless we plan for it later.
Q: Will my child need braces right away?
Not necessarily. We might determine that we simply monitor growth and development for a period, and then start treatment at a more effective time. We’ll be able to get a better idea of this during your visit.
Q: How often will we need to visit during treatment?
This depends a bit on the treatment plan and complexity, but for traditional braces, we might make adjustments every 4 to 8 weeks. We use this time to monitor progress, address damage, and tighten components.
A Place for Everyone
We’re very proud of the fact that we help children, teenagers, and adults in our exceptional community. You can rest assured as a parent that your children will experience the very highest level of care you can find in all of California! Come and meet us soon!