Children Will Never Forgive You for the Toothache

05 September 2019

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When Dr Dina Debaybo first moved to Dubai in 1991, only General Dentists were found to be performing dental treatments on children. Her arrival made her the first specialized Pediatric Dentist in Dubai to address the specific needs of children. She explains that children are very sensory and whether its olfactory, gustatory, vision, auditory or tactile, children’s five senses are highly stimulated.

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Dr. Dina Samir Debaybo

Pediatric Dentist
Dr. Dina Pediatric Dentistry Clinic

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Dr. Dina Pediatric Dentistry Clinic

Jumeirah - 1
Dubai

What is your philosophy in Pediatric Dentistry?

When it comes down to the basics of personal relationships, be it with your family, friends or spouse, transparency is the key. The same can be applied in Pediatric Dentistry. You have to inform the child of what they are going to expect. You might not use standard adult vocabulary when speaking to children such as referring to “fillings” or trying to administer a local anesthetic.

What is your approach to every child’s case?

We will tell them what is going to happen using our own special vocabulary that’s easier to understand. Also, introducing them to the clinic. As I said, children are sensory. For example, the suction we use to suction water from the mouth. If you directly insert the suction into the child’s mouth they will panic. The child is in a funny place, a dentist’s office, we are funnily dressed, the set-up is funny and so it’s the unknown. The anxiety and fear is based on the unknown. If you think about it, what we do is extremely challenging. One, we seat and recline the child in the dental chair so they lose balance and control. Two, everything we use is noisy, the chair, drill and the suction (we call it Mr Thirsty). Three, we use water, so the child is reclined, water in the mouth and doesn’t understand how to breathe in this situation. So, we introduce the child, step-by-step to everything. We let them press the button to recline the chair, we tell them about the funny noises, teach them how to breathe and basically introduce them to everything. This whole process and set-up takes 5-6 minutes and you save the child.

What is most important to consider during a procedure?

The part that is very dear to my heart is pain management, to ensure that when you are doing something، you’re not inflicting pain. Children, just like adults، feel pain. If you inflict pain on a child, they will remember it. The nerve in the tooth is similar to your central nervous system، unlike a nerve ending. You have to make sure they are numb. Ultimately, children will forgive you for the numbness but not for the toothache.

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