Every good dentist understands the repercussions that dental anxiety has on a patient's oral health care. Anxiety leads to avoiding dental care which leads to increased oral health problems leading to dental pain which in turn, leads to more anxiety. Reducing dental anxiety with pediatric patients is especially important for laying the foundation for a lifetime of proper oral health.
Research has shown many beneficial practices to help reduce pediatric anxiety in the dental chair.
Ascentcare's line of products help reduce anxiety in all patients, but especially pediatric patients. Read on to see how our products can help you ease anxiety and set up your pediatric patients for a lifetime of excellent dental health and positive experiences in the dental chair.
Lighting
Nothing is more intimidating than a bright light shining over your head. Why do you think police officers shine a light during interrogations? Overhead lighting is intimidation and fear at its best.
According to many studies, reducing lighting in your exam room eases the mood and offers a more peaceful environment. However, this causes problems for dentists trying to see in the mouth.
At Ascentcare, we are known for offering many solutions to the problem of lighting in dentistry. Our lighted saliva ejector tube holder, bite light and lighted mouth mirror provide intense intraoral lighting that is intimidation-free.
Allowing you clear vision in difficult to see and reach areas, the Radical Reflector mouth mirror helps to diagnose and treat your pediatric patients without blinding them with your dental loupes or overhead lamps.
Comfort
Maintaining your pediatric patient's comfort goes a long way in reducing anxiety as well. A large cause for dental anxiety is the fear of discomfort or pain, and taking small steps to assure comfort can go a long way in building trust and creating a positive experience for your pediatric patients.
Ascentcare's line of mouth props and accessories are designed for optimal patient comfort, no matter what age. Our small Bite Buddy mouth prop is cushioned but supportive and just the right fit for your smaller patients. All of our mouth prop attachments easily slide in and couple with our small Bite Buddy.
Some of our attachments that are useful in providing a more comfortable experience for your pediatric patients include our saliva ejector tube holder, our small tongue guard and our placement tool.
Our Saliva Sidekick SET holder is ideal for patient comfort as it provides the necessary saliva ejection without the constant "in and out" for the patient. Simply slide it into the the mouth prop and it will control saliva ejection without disrupting your patient or slowing you down, shortening the experience for the patient.
Ascentcare's small tongue guard, the Tongue Tamer, can be attached to our small mouth prop to restrain and guard the pediatric patient's tongue. Preventing injury to the tongue will increase patient trust and reduce fear.
Our placement tool, the Placement Pal, allows for easy and comfortable positioning of the mouth prop in small pediatric patients' mouths.
Tell-Show-Do
Easily one of the best ways to reduce anxiety is the tell-show-do technique. Giving your pediatric patients an explanation of what to expect next will relieve a lot of stress. Explaining what instruments will be used and why (tell) followed by a demonstration (show) and then completing the tasks (do) prepares your pediatric patients and eliminates the fear of the unknown.
Ascentcare's products are named after a superhero theme. Our Bite Buddy, Saliva Sidekick, Placement Pal, Hero Holder and Tongue Tamer are just a few examples of our kid-friendly named products. Using appealing language and the concept of superheros alleviates some of the intimidation and adds fun to the tell-show-do technique.
Transillumination
Using fiber optic transillumination places an intense, narrow beam of light on the tooth’s surface, and can quickly provide you with a wealth of information. A tooth with caries, cracks, lesions or an otherwise unhealthy tooth will interrupt the light beam in various ways.
Using fiber optic transillumination with your pediatric patients can reduce the need for intimidating x-rays that are often difficult to obtain on children. While radiographs are sometimes necessary, fiber optic transillumination has been found in several research studies to be a valid replacement for them for certain diagnoses. Using Ascentcare's Titan Transilluminator can aid in your evaluations and diagnoses while keeping your pediatric patient safe from overexposure to radiation and free from the intimidating experience of x-rays.
Read more about this in our blog, Fiber Optic Transillumination: Benefits to Your Practice:
Ascentcare offers many solutions to help keep your pediatric patients comfortable with their experiences in your dental office. Help to set your clients on the right path to a lifetime of healthy oral care practices by using Ascentcare's tips and products to reduce anxiety from an early age.
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