Taking Twins to the Dentist

If your kids don’t have teeth, they don’t need a dentist. Those cute, toothless smiles of your infant twins will eventually give way to a full mouth of teeth. Teeth mean you need a dentist.

When to Take Your Twins to the Dentist

Eventually you’ll need to take your twins to the dentist. We started when our girls were a couple years old.

The challenge of the dentists’ office is that your twins will need to sit still while a stranger sticks strange instruments in their mouths. While this is true of any child going to the dentist, there are some things to consider when taking both your twins to the dentist.

Pediatric Dentist vs. Regular Dentist

If you can find a pediatric dentist, that would be ideal for your kids. Pediatric dentists specialize in caring for kids and know how to help them be comfortable. You’ll find a much more friendly environment and staff than at your typical dentist office.

We’ve found that the pediatric dentists we’ve used have more open floor plans for cleanings and examinations. My wife’s and my dentist, for example, has a more private exam area where you are isolated as a patient. Our kids’ dentist has 6-8 exam chairs all in one big room.

Scheduling

With twins you want to find a dentist that will let you have simultaneous cleanings and exams for your children. Talk to the office scheduler to see if this is possible. Ideally, appointments would be at the same time or back to back so that you don’t spend your entire day at the dentist’s office.

Behavior and Expectations

Another thing to keep in mind is how your twins interact with each other and play off of each other’s energy, anxiety, and fears. If you can get them both in the same exam room this will give you the opportunity for one to watch the other.

We’ve found that our twins tend to look to each other for the behavior they should be exhibiting. So in the case of the dentist’s office, if one twin is doing well and sitting still for the exam, the other will likely follow. Having both twins there also gives you the opportunity to use positive peer pressure to your advantage.

Don’t show up the morning of the appointment without having prepared your twins for the dentist. Talk about what will happen and what to expect when they go to the office.

As with all things for twins, you’ll need to think about logistics and schedules. Be prepared for craziness and resistance from your twins the first trip to the dentist.

After they get used to things, they’ll know what to expect and you’ll be fine.

Picture by Joe Goldberg