THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, April 18, 1995 TAG: 9504180039
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY ELIZABETH SIMPSON, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Long : 142 lines
SANDY JONES has a needle-sharp image of her first visit to the dentist, even though it was decades ago. The dentist, as she remembers, was a scary-looking guy - looming even - with really thick glasses, larger-than-life hands and a frightening array of pointed metal instruments. ``He'd peer down at you and take this huge hand and put it in your tiny little mouth,'' says Jones, who lives in Chesapeake. ``Gosh, it was scary.''
Times have changed.
Jones' 7-year-old daughter, Amanda, doesn't dread a trip to the dentist.
Get this. She likes to go.
``They help you clean your teeth,'' Amanda says as she relaxes in the dentist's chair. ``And you get a new toothbrush.''
Going to the dentist is not what it used to be. That's partly due to a growing number of pediatric dentists - like Amanda's dentist, Dr. Gail Plauka - who are tailoring their practices to young clients.
At Plauka's Chesapeake office, for instance, the dentist and assistants have dinosaur-covered smocks instead of the usual white lab coats. They've ditched the antiseptic medical office decor for wallpaper with leaping cats and pastel bunnies.
And they've adopted a new, non-threatening language. Kids don't get shots, they get ``sleepy juice'' to numb their gums. It's not a suction tube but ``Mr. Thirsty.'' The rubber-tipped drill is called a ``tickle brush,'' and the water squirter is ``Mr. Squirt.''
Instead of plunging headlong into the mouth, the dentist and assistants operate on a ``show, tell and do'' philosophy that prepares the child for what's to come.
Dental assistant Heather Reed touches Amanda's fingers with a metal instrument to show her what she's going to use to count her teeth, then tells Amanda what she's going to do. She counts the teeth and puts fluoride gel on them.
``This is going to taste like lemon sherbet,'' she tells Amanda.
``Like Fruit Loops,'' Amanda says with a grin.
This kid-friendly approach is changing the dental experience for children and, dentists hope, eliminating the dread of dental work that keeps many people from making regular visits.
Which is not to say there's never a reluctant patient. ``It's not always Busch Gardens around here,'' Plauka says.
Then again, it's a long way from ``Marathon Man.'' (Remember when Laurence Olivier tortures Dustin Hoffman with a dental drill?)
About 3,700 dentists belong to the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, a number that has been increasing by about 200 a year, according to Amy Socks, spokesperson for the organization. Twelve academy dentists are listed locally in the Yellow Pages.
In addition to their regular schooling, those dentists have had two to three years of study in children's teeth, plus psychology training on how to approach their young patients.
The No. 1 objective is to make kids' dental treatment non-threatening. A pediatric dentist might invite a particularly anxious child to make a preparatory visit just to watch another child get a checkup. Or have a parent sit in the examination room with his child. Or let a child get an exam at the same time - and in the same room - as an older sibling.
Jones says the extra money that specialists sometimes charge doesn't bother her.
``It's worth it,'' she says. ``Just to put them at ease like they do.''
Dr. Christopher Hamlin, a pediatric dentist in Norfolk, says the dental experience in general has changed as pain-killing techniques have improved.
``Anyone who's over 40 can remember the days of having teeth worked on without local anesthesia,'' Hamlin says. ``We were just told to hang on to the chair. No telling how often arm rests had to be replaced.''
Now, gum-numbing gels and nitrous oxide, better known as laughing gas, make the dental experience less nerve-racking, no matter the age of the patient or the specialty of the dentist.
Some dentists are going all out, though, to cater to the kid trade. Socks, of the Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, says some dentists have installed screens on their dental chairs so kids can watch videos. Others have remodeled their offices to look like spaceships. And one Los Angeles dentist, dubbed ``Dr. Supertooth,'' used to come to work wearing blue trunks, white tights and a red cape.
Some dentists offer bubble-gum-flavored floss, banana-flavored fluoride drops and sunglasses to keep the examination spotlight from bothering children's eyes.
The market of kid patients is growing, partly because of the boomlet of baby-boomers' children and partly because kids are making their first visits to the dentist at an earlier age. The American Dental Association recommends that children make their first visit between 6 and 12 months of age.
Kids are getting braces earlier too. Hamlin says orthodontia is less of a burden on younger children than on image-conscious teenagers.
No matter when braces come, though, they're not the hallmark of nerdiness they once were. Colored rubber bands have made them hip.
``I've had kids cry when I told them they didn't need braces,'' Plauka says.
Parents who are preparing their children to make their first visit to the dentist should keep their own fears, if they have any, to themselves.
``Talk to them about what's going to happen, that a friendly doctor is going to help them take care of their teeth,'' Plauka says.
And heed the matter-of-fact advice of 7-year-old Amanda: ``They just check your teeth out. It's no big deal.'' ILLUSTRATION: [Color Photo]
RICHARD L. DUNSTON/Staff
ABOVE: In Dr. Gail Plauka's office, kids practice dental hygiene on
"Mr. Grin."
LEFT: Dr. Plauka checks the teeth of Amanda Jones, 7.
BELOW: Megan Jones, 10, checks her braces while sister Amanda
adjusts her glasses.
HEALTHY HABITS
Tips for care of children's teeth:
Put only water in a nap time or bedtime bottle.
Start brushing as soon as the first tooth comes in.
Make sure your child gets the fluoride needed for decay-resistant
teeth.
Brush and floss your child's teeth daily until the child can be
taught to do this alone.
ADVICE FOR PARENTS
Pointers for telling your child about his first dental visit:
Don't:
Bribe your child into going to the dentist.
Use a dental visit as a punishment.
Let the child know that you feel any anxiety about going to the
dentist.
Let anyone tell your child scary stories about dental visits.
Do:
Try to make dental visits enjoyable.
Talk about the visit in a positive, matter-of-fact way.
Set a good example by brushing and flossing your own teeth every
day and visiting the dentist regularly.
Source: American Dental Association
What happens at a first dental visit:
The dentist will examine the child's teeth and gums for tooth
decay and other problems. X-rays will be taken to see if facial
bones and teeth are developing properly. If necessary, the child's
teeth will be professionally cleaned. The first visit also helps a
child get comfortable with going to the dentist and educates both
the child and the parent on good dental care.
by CNB