Watching a video on YouTube Kids about a visit to the dentist may help too. Also we have a dental kit from Kmart and specifically before every dentist visit we do role plays

I to,d my boys that the dentist needed to look at their teething and got them to practice being hippos Je open their mouth really wide.

I always brought my kids with me since they were little babies when I had dental check ups my self.
They all had their first check up when they were around 12 months old. Never had a problem with it.

The wiggles have a nice intro about the dentist on youtube. I think sesame street do a great one too.

have the kids go with you. watch videos about it on youtube and even pretend to go through a check up on the toys

I think it depends on the child. I know one who is OK if she is told something may hurt and takes it in her stride She has had to have teeth extracted because of the position her permanent teeth came through in (in front of her old ones) and the old ones just wouldn’t come out. They started to get loose. No amount of wriggling them succeeded.
She is the same if she has to go to the Dr. or hospital for tests at all. If she is warned it will hurt she is Ok.

I was told to always take them with you when you go to the dentist and around 2 years, they should see the dentist but basically sit in the chair and say ahhh and that’s about it. I guess at age 4, just talk to him in a calm way and take him.

We brought our daughter to her first check up at around 4 years old. The dentist made it very short and relaxed. Luckily there was no problem. Since then we started going every 6 months for a check up.

my daughter went at 2 years old. i just made it out to be an exciting thing!! they had frozen playing on a tv on the ceiling and the dentist was great with kids. Afterwards i made a big deal about telling her how beautiful and clean her teeth look. my daughter always asks when she can go back now.

ring the dentist and ask them if they have any incentives for kids to be happy and sit still in the session, my dentist gives every kid a hellium ballon for been good when they have there check ups done(they get one regardless of if they get upset or not. My kids think of the dentist as a cool person for that reason and are happy to go. But i dont know how they would be if they needed any work done.