Taking a five-year-old to the dentist can be tricky – even for a SmartPractice employee.
When the time came for my daughter’s last checkup, I wasn’t sure how things would go. It’s hard to get her to sit still in any situation, let alone a dental office waiting room. But when we arrived I was pleasantly surprised to see it was filled with plenty of happy kids enjoying kid friendly activities and books. We were off to a great start.
I was really proud of how well my daughter behaved. She waited quietly while alternating playing with toys and cutting pictures out of a stack of old health magazines. When I wasn’t checking on her, I caught bits of the TV show playing in the background. TV in the waiting room is a great distraction for anxious parents (who probably don’t get to watch much at home).
After about 30 minutes the hygienist came out and called her name, which made her feel very grown up. She jumped up eagerly but I wasn’t sure if I should go with her and stay in the room during her checkup. Or maybe walk her back and then return to the waiting room? Or just let her go on her own? I finally decided to walk back with her and see what happened once we got to the exam room. I think I was more nervous than she was!
We reached the brightly decorated treatment room and the pediatric hygienist was so friendly and dressed in some really cool printed scrubs. I could see my daughter’s face light up as she took in the surroundings, so I decided to stay in the hallway where I could hear her, but she couldn’t see me.
The hygienist talked to my daughter and explained what she was going to do and showed her the tools she was going to use. I recognized the fun packaging and bright colors of the Sqwiggly Prophy Angles and heard my daughter giggle when she saw the colorful exam gloves.
She made it through the appointment with flying colors and no cavities. The hygienist let her choose her own sticker – she was torn between a classic smiley face or a fun cartoon whale (the whale won). But that was just the beginning of the goodies. When we reached the front desk the receptionist 
congratulated her on a job well done and handed her a supply bag containing a dental activity book, crayons and a personalized Sqwiggly toothbrush.
We both left the appointment feeling great! I could tell she was very proud of her perfect checkup and the way everyone treated her like a big girl. Thanks to the kid-friendly environment, products and staff, she’s not afraid of the dentist and will look forward to future checkups.
Rachel
Online Marketing,
SmartPractice
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