“it’s not just drill and fill…it’s more than you think”

Every child is unique. Our dentist will recommend an appropriate technique for your child to help achieve their treatment needs based on our comprehensive consultation.  We’ve outlined below some of our techniques, please be advised that our recommendation is catered to your child and your family’s needs.

Part of our training as pediatric dental specialists includes child psychology and behaviour management. We use several behaviour management techniques, each outlined below:

• Tell-Show-Do – This three-step method begins with the Tell phase. During this step, we tell your child what we are doing, which instruments we will use, and why. We then Show how the procedure works.
• Positive Reinforcement – Probably familiar to most parents, this technique rewards children who respond well while in the dentist’s chair. Regular praise is very effective in encouraging children to continue the desired behaviour.

Sometimes a child’s anxiety is so intense that a dental appointment cannot be completed. On the other hand, some children are willing but have a strong gag reflex that prevents us from carrying out our work. In these cases we may recommend some form of conscious sedation.

• Nitrous Oxide Sedation – Also known as laughing gas, this option is suitable for nervous children over the age of four. In children, we use a combination of nitrous oxide and oxygen, calibrated to the right level for your child. It will be used to help the child cope with dental treatment. It can also help minimize pain during injections and fillings.

In some cases, we may recommend general anaesthesia based on factors such as level of anxiety, coping skills of the child and complexity of the treatment required.

• General Anesthesia – With general anesthesia, anxious children can sleep through dental procedures and checkups. Our office is certified by the Royal College of Dental Surgeons of Ontario to provide general anesthesia, administered by a medical anesthetist.
• We would like to assure you that this procedure is completely safe. Our staff is fully trained to provide care for patients who have undergone general anesthesia. The same procedure could be done in a hospital, but waiting times for such service can be quite long. Immediate treatment, such as that provided in our office, ensures that your child’s dental condition is treated before it becomes more serious.