It’s normal for children to feel a little nervous about visiting the dentist, and indeed when they come in for their first few visits. However, if your child does struggle with dental nerves, our team of friendly dentists are trained to help reverse these associations and replace them with positive memories of the dental practice environment.
How do I know which practice is the best dentist in Sheffield?
With so many dental practices to choose from for your child’s orthodontic treatment in the Sheffield area, it can be hard to narrow down your choices. Some of the things to look for when choosing the best dentist in Sheffield include:
Treating nervous patients: you can tell a lot from a dental practice from how they treat their anxious patients. Here at one80 Dental, we welcome nervous patients of all ages and believe in a compassionate approach. We understand that each child will go at their own pace, and we’ll be with them at every stage of the journey, helping to grow their confidence, one step at a time.
State-of-the-art technology: the best dental practices in the Sheffield area will be using cutting-edge technology, including digital impressions, allowing easy impression-taking for treatments such as Invisalign for teenagers. We use digital impressions here at one80 Dental, which makes the process of obtaining impressions to create your child’s custom made Invisalign aligners seamless and comfortable. We invest in the best technology on the market to make your child’s orthodontic treatment journey with us a pleasant experience.
Specialist orthodontic treatment: dental practices with a specialist orthodontist can offer an excellent degree of care to patients, as these individuals have advanced qualifications and experience.
Relaxed practice environment: when seeking out the best dentist in Sheffield, it’s essential to choose a practice that feels like a tranquil environment so that your child’s immediate first impression is a good one. Showing your child the dental practice’s social media channels to take a look at the practice’s images can help them get accustomed to what to expect.
How can I help my child tackle their dental anxiety?
Here are a few tips to help your child become relaxed and positive about visiting the dentist and orthodontist.
Discuss the importance of healthy teeth with them: as your child’s appointment with the orthodontist approaches, try to talk about the importance of good teeth with your child. Apps like the Disney Magic Timer can help kids learn about teeth brushing and why it’s essential to keep their teeth healthy, which can help them subconsciously pick up the importance of regular dentist visits.
If you can, try to use positive language to describe the experience of visiting the dentist and avoid any words that might worry your child or stimulate their imagination in a potentially negative way.
Offer positive reinforcement: one of the strongest tactics to use when you’re trying to forge good associations with the dentist for your child is to keep giving them positive reinforcement each time they visit. Congratulating them on attending and reinforcing all the things they did well can help build up their confidence and happiness that they’ve managed to conquer their fears.
Even if the trip to the orthodontist doesn’t go to plan because your child won’t open their mouth or cannot calm down, it’s still incredibly important to give your child words of encouragement. Here at one80 Dental, our Specialist Tania Murphey is very experienced in helping kids stay calm and feel comfortable in their surroundings. If your child does act out upon their first trip to the orthodontist, please don’t lose hope.
Every member of our team is patient and understands that it’s not always possible to move forward after your child’s initial appointments.
Time it appropriately: sometimes, a child’s reluctance to go to the dentist is down to bad timing. It might be that they’ve had a tiring week at school, they’re overstimulated or simply just hungry! Try to identify when your child is at their most relaxed and cooperative, and schedule their appointment accordingly.
Be a good role model: kids take on many of their parent or guardian’s characteristics and habits by osmosis. Studies have shown that adults can pass on their dental phobia to their kids. If you are anxious about an upcoming dental appointment, try not to discuss this in front of your child. If you can, project positive emotions and discuss the dentist with your child in an enthusiastic way.
Invisalign for teenagers: tell me more
Here at one80 Dental, we offer the renowned Invisalign Teen clear aligner system, which gives children and teens a removable alternative to fixed braces.
Invisalign Teen is a set of clear and metal-free aligners made from smooth plastic – a material that’s both comfortable and discreet-looking. Invisalign Teen works in the same way as the traditional Invisalign system for adults, with a couple of small differences, tailored with younger patients in mind. These include:
– Invisalign Teen comes with blue wear indicators that fade from blue to clear on each clear aligner to help you, our orthodontist and your teenager gauge wear over time.
– Up to six free replacement aligners are included (in case any get lost or misplaced, e.g. when playing sports).
– Invisalign Teen aligners have special features designed to guide the growth of new teeth (canines, second premolars and second molars), helping them get to a planned, straighter position.
Meet Tania Murphey, Specialist in Orthodontics at one80 Dental
We’re one of the few dental practices in the area to have a specialist in orthodontics, Tania Murphey.
Tania has continuously developed her expertise since qualifying as a dentist at the University of Sheffield in 1996. She was awarded Membership in Orthodontics from the Royal College of Surgeons in 2003, which led her to be recognised by the General Dental Council (GDC) as a Specialist in Orthodontics.
Tania loves to work with kids and gets great satisfaction from helping them develop their confidence and to keep positive during their orthodontic treatment journey.
Invisalign for teenagers: book your child in to see us today
If you’re looking to book your child in for an appointment with us to discuss Invisalign for teenager treatment, give us a call today.
Looking for the best dentist in Sheffield? Choose one80 Dental
We offer orthodontic treatment for both children and adults, planned and supervised by an experienced specialist here in Sheffield. Contact us today to book your child for a consultation appointment today.
We look forward to seeing both new and existing patients alike.
