When I was a kid I generally had bad experiences going to the dentist. The atmosphere and the dental work itself led me to be anxious at dental offices. Even now, I have residual nerves whenever I am the patient and get the sweats when I have my routine hygiene appointment.
When I started dental school I was not confident I would have the patience or the personality to work with children. I had 4 years of youth basketball coaching experience but I was not sure how that would translate to dentistry. UNMC's pediatric faculty and my externships at the Lancaster Public Health Department changed my perception of how I can work with children. I was lucky enough to shadow Dr. Marty Killeen at the Lancaster Public Health Center. He taught me that communication is a major part of creating a positive experience for both the children and their families.
One of the goals for my career is to create a positive dental experience for the children in our community. Our team is dedicated to help the children in our office to grow up without a fear of visiting future dental appointments or completing treatment. A lot of the fear and anxiety patient's feel at is due to the unknowns associated with dentistry. This is amplified in children and is why we focus on the Tell-Show-Do method. An example of this method is how we take the time to show children different instruments used during treatments. We call a high speed handpiece a "car wash" and explain that this "car wash" is going to make a lot of noise and spray water on the tooth to wash away the cavity bug. Sometimes we even let the child hold the handpiece (without a surgical bur in place) and spray water at mom, dad, grandma etc.! By taking these steps, the child will have a better understanding on what to expect when we say we are starting up the "car wash." Our team uses similar scripts throughout the appointment to help them understand what we are about to do and why we are doing it.
At Family Dental Center of Blair we take every step to give your kid a safe and fun experience. We are always accepting new patients, and we would love to work with your family. We are also currently accepting Medicaid/MCNA for kids of Nebraska and Iowa ages 0-20. Please visit our contact us page or give us a call at 531-910-7980 to set an appointment today.
