Making dentistry kid friendly

By Connie Scott

Visiting the dentist can be a stressful experience. If the thought of sitting in a dentist’s chair sends chills down your spine, imagine how much worse it can be for a child.

“I didn’t want to get a shot in my mouth,” confessed 9-year-old Jessie Franks. “When I was a kid, I was afraid of the dentist. I cried and threw a fit and we had to leave. I still remember that.”

Kool Smiles, at 2107 E. Walnut Ave. in Dalton, is dedicated to not only alleviating dental fear but to making each child’s experience fun and rewarding.

Dr. David Strange, chief dental officer and a second generation pediatric dentist, said he and the two full-time dentists at Kool Smiles work hard to establish a relationship of trust and friendship with children who visit.

“We want to provide the dental care children need, but we also want to be more than just a dental appointment,” Strange said. “We’re really trying to influence them over a period of time to continue to recognize the importance of oral health care, and to start good habits early in life that will stay with them.”

Strange is a board certified pediatric dentist. All Kool Smiles dentists have earned a Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS) or Doctor of Dental Medicine (DMD) from a dental school accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation of the American Dental Association.

Creating a kid friendly environment is a top priority. According to Strange, having the right staff is the first step.

“We attract professionals and dental personnel that all have a passion for children,” he said. “That’s number one. Each person who works at Kool Smiles has a passion for children. They are uniquely motivated to make life better for children. If children are coming to an environment where people are wanting to see kids — and that’s why we come to work every day here at Kool Smiles — the process goes more smoothly for them.”

“It’s fair to say we are going to treat the patients and their families the way we want to be treated,” Strange said. “I believe that rings true in all walks of life, whether you are in the medical profession, dental profession, service profession, or whatever else: you should always be thinking of putting others first. That’s what we do at Kool Smiles.”

The office is spacious and decorated with bright colors and eye-catching cartoon graphics. Strange said it is designed specifically with children and their families in mind, with open bays and a play gym in the reception room.

“The play gym is like a jungle,” 8-year-old Adam Green said. “It’s awesome and it gives you something to do while you wait. They have televisions in there, too.”

There are also small cars that are used for escorting patients to and from the reception room to the treatment area.

“Children like that,” Strange said. “It seems to put them at ease.”

Some dental offices don’t allow parents in the treatment room, while others don’t mind. Kool Smiles falls into the latter category.

“Parents play an important role in the child’s dental visit,” Strange said. “Some parents choose not to be present in the treatment area and some choose to be present. The decision is made with the dentist and the parent and it’s always focused on what’s in the best interest of the patient. It’s highly individualized. The ones who choose not to go back may think they will be a distraction. Some parents have a dental fear themselves and don’t want to project that fear onto the patient. While sometimes, if the child is very young, having a parent with them makes the visit easier to tolerate.”

There’s an open window into the hygiene room that parents who choose not to accompany their children can view the child through.

“We use specific patient guidance techniques,” Strange explained. “One of those is ‘tell, show, do.’ You tell them what you’re going to do. You show them what you’re going to do, and sometimes that’s done on their finger, on mom, or maybe on an older sibling. Then, you do it.”

Another method is TLC: tender loving care. “You go real slow,” Strange said. “You’re very methodical. You win their trust by demonstrating confidence while quietly addressing their concerns.”

And then there’s the laughing gas.

“That’s nitrous oxide,” Strange shared. “You might know it as happy air or laughing gas. It’s completely safe, and it’s particularly helpful because it’s an anti-anxiety, mild sedative. We may refer to it as a clown nose, a princess nose, or a fighter pilot mask to the kids.”

The practice uses child friendly terminology. The “Whistle” is a hand-held piece used to remove the cavity, or to “chase the cavity bugs out of the tooth.” The “Squirt Gun” is an air-water syringe, and “Mr. Thirsty” is a high-speed vacuum.

“What I personally find really rewarding is when at the end of treatment a child smiles, lights up, and says ‘That didn’t hurt,’” Strange said. “Anytime they say that makes my day.”

Medical and dental associations advocate a child seeing a dentist for the first time at the age of 1. Kool Smiles treats patients from 1 to 21.

The surgeon general has concluded that oral care is the No. 1 unmet need for children across America today. Dental cavities, or tooth decay, is the single most chronic childhood disease — five times more common than asthma and seven times more common than hay fever. More than 50 percent of 5- to 9-year-old children have at least one cavity or filling, and that increases to 78 percent among 17-year-olds.

“The concern is that, left untreated, dental cavities can lead to pain, infection, swelling, loss of function, and even to poor general health,” Strange said. “Children with bad dental pain are not inclined to eat, they don’t do well in school, and the list goes on.

“Any message that I try to promote, champion, and get out is awareness of oral health and the fact that dental cavities are very, very common, and treating early, while any sort of oral health concern is small, is in the best interest of the child and does not allow it to progress into anything more severe. The old saying, ‘An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure,’ is certainly true in children’s dentistry.”

For more information call Kool Smiles at (706) 428-0235.