Board Games You Can Play To Alleviate Children's Fears About Orthodontists And Dentists
If you have a child that is really worried or scared about going to the dentist or meeting with an orthodontist for the first time, there are lots of ways to help your child feel more at ease. Some of the more common suggestions are laughing gas and reading books about going to the dentist, but another way to introduce your child to the not so scary and often funny side of dentistry and orthodontics is through games. There are a number of board games out now to teach kids about oral care, and they can be a lot of fun to play. By playing them, you will be helping your child understand how some of these dental and orthodontic procedures work, and because they are laughing and having fun, they will be less afraid when it is their turn to sit in the real exam chair.
Crocodile Dentist
With crocodile dentist, children learn to very carefully pull the teeth from a crocodile. If they choose the wrong tooth, or make a bad move, the open mouth of the "crocodile" snaps shut and the game is done. It is a game of skill, and it can produce very funny results when children do not expect the croc to snap. In playing this game, children learn that dentists are very gentle when they have to pull a tooth. The dentist knows that if he/she is not careful, he/she may accidentally get bit, so your child knows that the dentist will be very gentle with them.
Watch Yer Mouth
This is a very new game that has players each place a dental mouth opener in their mouths to lift lips and cheeks away from their teeth. Everyone takes a turn saying words, phrases, or complete sentences and trying to guess what the speaker is saying while the speaker is unable to use his/her lips or cheeks to pronounce letters and letter combinations. Not only does everything end up sounding funny, but everyone looks very funny, too. Children can appreciate the silly game play and the amusing sights of everyone with a dental mouth opener in their mouths. It teaches them that if and when a dentist or orthodontist places a spacer in their mouths, that it will feel weird, but there is nothing to fear.
Say "Aaah!" and "Brace Face"
These games are out of print, but if you can find them, they will help. The first one teaches kids how to open a mouth and search for dental problems, which is exactly what dentists and orthodontists do when they ask your child to open his/her mouth. The second one teaches kids about braces and what people look like when braces are on their teeth.
Contact a clinic, like Donald E. Snyder Orthodontics, for more help.
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