While it’s important for a child patient to be calm and content, dentists and parents should also be relaxed, explains Kerryn Ramsey.
While it’s important for a child patient to be calm and content, dentists and parents should also be relaxed, explains Kerryn Ramsey.When Dr Timothy Johnston fitted out his new practice three years ago, his main priority was making sure that parents were happy and content.
“My patients are the children but my clients are the parents,” explains the paediatric dentist of iKids Paediatric Dental Care in North Fremantle, Western Australia.
Not that he was ignoring the kids. As a paediatric dentist, Dr Johnston is well aware of the dental fears of children. According to an Australian study by Jason Armfield, A J Spencer and Judy Stewart, the percentage of children with dental fear ranges from three to 43 per cent in different populations. However, the first step in allaying those fears is to reassure the parents—kids often intuitively pick up on a parent’s mood.
A serene setting
Dr Johnston also believes that one of the key elements to a paediatric practice is making sure the dentists themselves are comfortable. He explains, “If I’m comfortable, then I’m going to be happy, and if parents are comfortable, then generally the kids will be too.”
Dr Johnston hired designer Maddy Jungstein to create a calm, sophisticated interior. A pristine white colour palette and polished concrete flooring works as a backdrop, topped off by vibrantly coloured furnishings, art and dental equipment.
“The lime green dental chairs really brighten up the consult rooms,” says Dr Johnston. “I try to make the place look very professional, but I also want it to look similar to somebody’s house.”
“If I’m comfortable, then I’m going to be happy, and if parents are comfortable, then generally the kids will be too.” – Dr Timothy Johnston, iKids Paediatric Dental Care, North Fremantle
The practice was originally an art gallery and three-bedroom apartment. While the gallery was converted into three surgeries and a private lounge area, the apartment was turned into a waiting room and administration area. The gallery area is a metre lower than the apartment, so a 13.5-metre-long ramp was installed in the centre of the room. This solution means that it’s extremely functional for people with prams and wheelchairs.
Look! A distraction
According to a US study by dentist Jeffrey Sherman and psychologist Lisa Efron, various distractions can be used to minimise anxiety in a practice. “Giving a child a task, such as counting the ceiling tiles or doing mental arithmetic, can serve to shift the focus away from the procedure at hand,” it reported.
Dr Johnston is well aware of this. In the waiting room, he has an array of soft toys, mini tractors and wooden blocks. “As soon as little children see a toy box, they’re interested in what’s in the bottom of it,” he says. “That seems to be as much entertainment as they need.”
He also offers iPads in every surgery, which is handy for both kids and staff. “All my practice management is cloud based and we can pick it up on the iPad or on our desktop. We also have a number of games and movies, so we can give the kids an iPad and headphones. It’s handy if the parent has to bring other kids along.”
He’s found that an online Lego game, similar to Minecraft, is popular for tweens and teens. “It’s phenomenal how the children have been developing and building a city online,” says Dr Johnston, who has two sons aged 14 and 19, and a 16-year-old daughter.
Parents also need to be willing to be placed in the middle of the action. Another study by Efron and Dr Sherman found that it’s important to have a parent in the consult room during a sensitive procedure. “While the issue of parental presence during stressful medical procedures is somewhat controversial,” they said, “some children certainly will feel more reassured with their parents sitting by their side.”
With an emphasis on quality dental care, Little Smiles Family Dental in the Sydney suburb of Mona Vale helps keep young patients relaxed by offering a selection of games and devices. “Quite often, they’re so busy playing, they don’t want to leave,” says owner and principal dentist Carolina Jackson who has introduced a large kids’ corner in the waiting area.
Before she opened Little Smiles, which is actually located opposite a toy shop, she researched family-friendly environments, such as dental practices, medical centres and even cafes. She made sure the kids’ corner was spacious enough to store toys, colouring-in books, a giant chalk wall and a number of devices. The practice also has ceiling-mounted TVs and a tooth-fairy letterbox, as well as a coffee machine for adults.
“I designed this so it caters to all different ages, not just children. Anxious mums and dads also need attention. The practice keeps kids happy, and it means parents are more relaxed,” says Dr Jackson, who arrived in Australia from Brazil 15 years ago to learn English. A qualified dentist for over five years, with her own practice in São José, she requalified in Australia studying at the University of Melbourne in 2005. She opened Little Smiles Family Dental in 2013 to provide comprehensive dental care for families and especially children.
Cool, calm and collected
While the practice’s play zone is full of vivid colours, the rest of the interior follows a cool palette in aquamarine and white. Dr Jackson’s business has expanded over time and now has three general dentists, an oral health therapist and administration staff. More recently, the focus on children has expanded with a visiting specialist paediatric dentist and an orthodontist.
“I designed this so it caters to all different ages, not just children. Anxious mums and dads also need attention. The practice keeps kids happy, and it means parents are more relaxed.” – Dr Carolina Jackson, Little Smiles Family Dental, Mona Vale
For both Little Smiles and iKids, calmness is key. Dr Johnston has added a compact iKids’ parent lounge, which is handy for breastfeeding mums or those who “just need a break, a cup of tea and a magazine to read.”
Dr Jackson makes an effort to hire staff members who are family oriented. “Our team is very in tune with children,” says the principal dentist who has two youngsters, aged eight and three. Other staff members have kids ranging from toddlers to 20-year-olds. “It means mums can pass the baby to us while the other child is in the chair,” Dr Jackson says. “It makes parents feel really calm and stress-free, and there’s usually a fight as to who gets to give a cuddle to the babies!”
