PARENTS -DON'T LIE TO YOUR CHILDREN!

Yesterday was a fun day at the dental office in Hamilton.

      I had to do a simple extraction of a baby tooth for a 12 yr. old.  My assistant had placed topical anesthetic which we let sit for 5 minutes before we place the local anesthetic (the shot).  I do this quite well. I mean, if you can give a shot to a 3 yr. old without them feeling anything you can just about do it for anyone.  Anyways, I was about to give this little girl the shot and she started to look at what I was doing.  Before I could even get close to her or touch her she jumped out of the chair, ran out of the office and as she ran out of the office yelled at her caregiver "YOU LIED TO ME!"
I just sat there asking myself "what the (censored) just happened?"
Afterwards I spoke to my staff and they had told me that the caregiver had told the child emphatically in the reception area that the child was not going to get a needle. (Are lightbulbs starting to go off in your head?)  The caregiver came into the operatory with the child and the child again asked wether she would be getting a needle?  The caregiver again responded "no".
     Oviously the child was phobic regarding needles.  The rest is history and you already know what happened.
     The moral of the story.......don't lie to your children.  You can't tell them one thing and then bring them to the dental office and the dentist is going to do the exact opposite.    Don't expect a good outcocme when you have told them they are not going to get a needle and then the dentist says they are. There won't be any miracles as if we just waved a magic wand and then everything goes along beautifully. The outcome will always be poor and at that point you have made our job next to impossible.
      Please remember, we require the cooperation and trust of our patients.  Adult or child, it doesn't matter, they need to believe what we tell them because it is the truth and we will back up our words with our deeds.  We are experts at doing these procedures painlessly. Let us do our jobs.  To all those parents out there not knowing what to tell their apprehensive child, just tell them that you are going to meet the dentist and he will explain everything and answer all your questions. Let us do the talking and most important, just don't lie to them.