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Carousel Pediatric Dentistry & Orthodontics
Behavioral Guidance
A Positive Experience for Your Child

At Carousel Pediatric Dentistry & Orthodontics, we use behavioral guidance to ensure that your unique child has safe, productive, and positive dental appointments.

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Behavioral Guidance in Apple Valley, MN

As pediatric dentists, Drs. Katie and Kyle Nordeen know that every child needs and deserves healthy teeth and a problem-free smile. At Carousel Pediatric Dentistry & Orthodontics, we've created an environment where children of all ages can come and feel safe, comfortable, and secure in our care.

Our Apple Valley pediatric dental office was designed with your child’s needs in mind, and every member of our team has chosen to work in this field because we love helping children.

A significant part of our training involves learning behavioral guidance techniques that help set your child up for a safe, positive experience every time they visit Carousel Pediatric Dentistry & Orthodontics.

Benefits of Behavioral Guidance

Dental visits can be overwhelming or scary for some children, particularly those who experience fear, anxiety, or sensory sensitivities. That’s why we offer behavioral guidance techniques in Apple Valley to help children feel at ease and develop lifelong positive dental habits. Here’s how our approach makes a difference.

Stronger, Healthier Smiles

With our gentle guidance, kids feel comfortable during their dental visits, which helps keep their teeth and gums healthy. This means fewer cavities, stronger teeth, and a healthier smile.

Building Confidence for Life

When kids learn how to handle dental visits with ease, they feel more confident—not just at the dentist, but in other areas of life, too. A healthy smile makes eating, talking, and playing more fun!

Happy Visits, Happy Smiles

We make dental visits calm and fun, so kids learn to love coming to the dentist. Creating positive memories helps them feel safe and excited to take care of their teeth for years to come.

Frequently Asked Questions

For your child, it’s essential to instill upbeat associations with their dentist in Apple Valley, MN, from the very start. For this reason, we work with you to make each visit positive.

Let’s explore five ways you and the dental team can ensure your child has a positive experience.family of four smiling | dentist apple valley mn

#1 Positive Associations with the Dentist

Make every aspect of their dentistry, including cavity-free checkups, a big deal. Praise their efforts at home as well.

#2 Soft Voice Equals Gentle Dentist

Our dental team uses a soothing tone when speaking with children, especially those who are feeling anxious. This tends to put them at ease.

#3 Give Your Child Some Control

Allowing your child to choose a favorite flavored toothpaste or character toothbrush helps instill a sense of ownership of their smile.

#4 Explain Dental Care

First, we tell your child what we plan to do, then show them how it’s done, and then we do it. These steps build trust.

#5 Demonstrate Dental Care for Your Child

When your child sees an older sibling or favorite doll having dental treatment, it helps them feel less afraid when it’s their turn.

For Children’s Dentistry in Apple Valley, MN, Contact Us

If you’re looking for dentistry for your child—including their first dental visit—we are happy to welcome them into our dental family. So give us a call today to get started.

Our pediatric specialists at Carousel Pediatric Dentistry & Orthodontics have extensive skills and training in behavioral guidance techniques to help your child feel safe and comfortable when they visit the dentist. 

Drs. Katie and Kyle Nordeen are pediatric dentists and parents who understand children's unique needs when they need dental care. 

Here's an overview of some of the behavioral guidance techniques that Dr. Kyle and Dr. Katie use.

Non-Threatening Language

Using phrases like "sugar bugs" for tooth decay and "sleepy juice" for injections helps to make dental procedures friendly and non-threatening.

We also encourage parents to avoid words like drill, pain, or shot that could be frightening for their child. 

Tell, Show, Do Techniques

In order to help your child feel comfortable when it's time for dental procedures, our team uses the tell, show, do method.

  • Tell—We tell your little one exactly what to expect before we do any procedure.
  • Show—We show them the tools and instruments we'll use during their procedure. 
  • Do—We'll do the procedure whenever they feel comfortable, ready, and at ease.

Other Options for Comfortable Dental Care

We also have televisions in our treatment rooms to provide a welcome distraction during a procedure with your child's favorite show. 

Our pediatric dentists in Apple Valley also offer dental sedation with nitrous oxide to help anxious kids feel more relaxed in the dental chair. 

Parents play an integral role in helping their children feel happy and excited about their dentaltwo children playing in park | behavioral guidance apple valley appointments. Our pediatric dentists use several different types of behavioral guidance techniques to help children feel at ease in the dental chair, and there are several ways that parents can help us out. 

#1 Speak Positively about the Dentist

Even if the dentist in Apple Valley isn't your favorite place to visit, speaking positively about it will help your child feel at ease. 

#2 Use Non-Threatening Terms

Instead of terminology like shots or drills, our dentists use "sleepy juice" for injections or "water whistle" for the drill. 

We ask that parents avoid frightening terms when they talk with their children about the dentist. 

#3 Trust Your Pediatric Dentist

We ask that parents allow Dr. Katie and Dr. Kyle to take the lead at their child's dental appointment. It helps them build a friendly relationship with the child so they understand that the dental office is not a scary place to visit. 

Are You Looking for an Excellent Pediatric Dentist in Apple Valley?

Look no further than your team at Carousel Pediatric Dentistry & Orthodontics! Call us at (952) 715-6177 to schedule or request an appointment online. 

All children can benefit from behavioral guidance. Behavioral guidance refers to our pediatric dentists'group of children playing inside | behavioral guidance apple valley mn techniques to help your child feel comfortable, safe, and at ease when they visit our Apple Valley, MN, dental office. 

Going to the dentist in Apple Valley can feel scary and cause some children to feel anxious. With behavioral guidance, we use different methods, depending on your child's unique needs, to help them have a positive and fun experience at the dentist, building the framework for successful visits in the future. 

Patient-Centered Dental Care Tailored for Your Child

At Carousel Pediatric Dentistry & Orthodontics, we understand that each child has their own unique personality and needs. So, the behavioral techniques we use for one child may differ significantly for a different child. 

For example, while distraction with a program or a thorough explanation of specific procedures and techniques may work for your child, another child may need more profound relaxation with dental sedation like nitrous oxide to feel comfortable in the dental chair. 

Let Us Take Care of Your Child's Smile

As pediatric dentists and parents themselves, Drs. Katie and Kyle Nordeen are experienced in helping children feel comfortable at the dentist. If you're looking for an excellent pediatric dentist in Apple Valley to care for your child's smile, contact the Carousel Pediatric Dentistry & Orthodontics team to book an appointment for your little one.   

One of our goals here at your pediatric dental clinic in Apple Valley, MN is to help your son or daughter have a positive experience each time they visit the dentist. We do this by using behavioral guidancetwo young girls smiling & hugging l best dentist apple valley techniques to help them feel at ease.

Helpful Techniques For Children's Dentistry

Here are some of the helpful techniques we use when we interact with your child:

  • Friendly and Non-Threatening Language - Think "sugar bugs" or "sleepy juice."
  • Distraction - We have televisions in our treatment rooms so your little one can enjoy their favorite show or movie during their procedure.
  • Show-Tell-Do Method - We explain to your child exactly what's going to happen during their procedure and show them the tools we use before starting any type of treatment procedure.
  • Dental Sedation - For children that need a little extra assistance in getting through their dental procedures, we offer extra relaxation with nitrous oxide, general anesthesia, and IV sedation.

We believe that an essential part of Apple Valley dental care for children is for their parents to be supportive observers in the room if this helps them feel more at ease during dental visits and procedures.

Call Or Email Our Office To Learn More

If you have questions about behavioral guidance or any other procedures at Carousel Pediatric Dentistry, we encourage you to call us at (952) 715-6177 for more information.

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Examples of Behavioral Guidance Techniques

Adapting these techniques to your child requires our dentists to be skilled in empathy, communication, tolerance, flexibility, and active listening. There are effective techniques that our pediatric dentists in Apple Valley, MN have been trained to use.

young boy smiling outside l dentist apple valley mnNon-Threatening Language

To help kids get used to dentistry on a level they can understand, we use child-friendly terms. For example, instead of a drill, we call it a “water whistle,” cavities are “sugar bugs,” and injections are “sleepy juice.”

Using these non-threatening terms helps your child see that dentistry isn’t scary and can be a fun and exciting adventure for them. We also ask that parents follow our lead and avoid using terms like pain, shot, or hurt.

Although we use kid-friendly terms to make dental visits more fun, we know how important honesty is in building a child’s trust. Whenever a child directly asks if he or she is “getting a shot”, we always tell the truth. We have found that working with a child to address their fears in a compassionate and patient manner is critical in building trust.

The Tell-Show-Do Technique

Tell-show-do is an excellent technique to build trust with an apprehensive child. “Tell” involves our dentist explaining what we’re going to do in non-threatening terms. “Show” is when we demonstrate it by showing the instruments we’ll use, and “do” is performing the procedure.

Other Behavioral Guidance Techniques We Use

  • young boy holding flowers l children's dentist near meDistraction: Every parent understands the value of distraction as a way to keep their child comfortable, happy, and occupied. At Carousel Pediatric Dentistry & Orthodontics, we have ceiling-mounted TVs over each treatment chair so your child can sit back and watch their favorite show.
  • Sedation: Nitrous oxide sedation is extremely beneficial for children of all ages, including those with special health care needs. We also offer in-office IV sedation and general anesthesia.
  • Parental involvement: We understand that you want to be helpful, but we ask that you put your faith in us and let us take the lead during your child's appointment. It’s crucial for us to develop a one-on-one relationship with each child, with you acting as a supportive observer.

Meet Our Doctors:

dr katie nordeen l dentist apple valley mn

Katie Nordeen DDS MS MSD
Board Certified Pediatric Dentist and Orthodontist

Dr. Katie loves building lasting relationships with the wonderful families at Carousel Pediatric Dentistry & Orthodontics. As one of only a handful of dual-trained specialists in pediatric dentistry and orthodontics, ...

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dr kyle nordeen l dentist apple valley mn

Kyle Nordeen DDS
Board Certified Pediatric Dentist

Dr. Kyle is proud to care for the children of Apple Valley and the surrounding communities! As a parent of three young children, Dr. Kyle understands that patience, kindness, and ...

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Put Your Child's Dental Care in Our Hands

Trusting your child’s oral health to a pediatric dentist has many benefits and helps set your child up for a lifetime of successful dental visits and a healthy, problem-free smile. If it's time for your child's next checkup, please call our Apple Valley dental office to schedule an appointment.

Featured Blog Posts - Behavioral Guidance

June 26, 2024

Effective Behavioral Guidance Strategies for Kids in Apple Valley

boy with curly hair smiling | pediatric dentist apple valley mn

At Carousel Pediatric Dentistry & Orthodontics, we believe every child deserves a healthy smile, so we’ve made it our mission to provide a safe, comfortable environment for our patients. We love children, and we understand that each child has unique needs.

That’s why we use behavioral guidance techniques as part of every appointment. So, what are the most effective behavioral guidance strategies we use? Keep reading to learn more.

Effective Behavioral Guidance Strategies

Our dental team is trained in behavioral guidance strategies, focusing on active listening, flexibility, tolerance, empathy, and communication. We understand ...
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