Jan 27, 2021
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When you work in a profession where even fully
grown adults are apprehensive about attending their own
appointments, it can be a daunting task helping young patients feel
at ease. Andrew reached out to a couple members of the A Tale of
Two Hygienists Facebook group who work in the pediatric side of
dentistry to share how they work with the kids at their
practices.
Kelley Quolas is a myofunctional
therapist and registered dental hygienist based in Phoenix, AZ who
got started in dentistry when she was 16 and found herself drawn to
working with kids. At dental assistant school she met her friend
Natalie Hayward, who found working in a pediatric practice
intimidating at first but now “couldn’t dream of going anywhere
else.”
In this episode, Kelley and Natalie discuss how to reassure young patients, reveal which shows are big with the kids these days, and explain how to speak to parents who may not be the most cooperative.
EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS:
Interview starts:
4:13
- What are some telltale signs of nervousness among child patients?
- How dental appointments differ by age group.
- Kelley and Natalie define anticipatory guidance.
- What are the most popular TV shows for kids at the dentist's office these days?
- Kelley and Natalie discuss their steps for cleaning the teeth of their younger patients.
- The art of bribing kids with popsicles so they'll stay still enough for you to take their X-ray.
- Their advice to any students listening for dealing with stubborn and unruly parents.
QUOTES:
“They’re a kid. They’re not scary, they’re just a child that needs a little help.”
“Having a television above when they lay down is a great distraction for kids.”
“Things change in kids' mouths so frequently that you really have to have your Spidey-sense on.”
“You have to get to know the parent as well as the patient.”
“We’re here because we want to help.”
LINKS:
My Myo My Health - https://mymyomyhealth.com/
Kelley’s email - kelley@mymyomyhealth.com
EPISODE-SPECIFIC
RESOURCES:
https://www.aapd.org/media/Policies_Guidelines/P_SleepApnea.pdf
https://www.slideshare.net/JaceySheckler/pediatric-dental-assessments
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3470809/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5830181/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KJpe9CuuHT0
A Tale of Two Hygienists homepage - https://ataleoftwohygienists.com/
AToTH on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/aTaleOfTwoHygienists/
AToTH on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/ataleoftwohygienists
AToTH on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/atoth/?originalSubdomain=ca