Going to the dentist is a necessary part of life and growing up. These trips, however; can cause a lot of anxiety and fear in young children. Being placed in a large chair in a room, they are not familiar with and having a stranger poke inside their mouth with unusual instruments can cause many young children to fight the idea of seeing a dentist.
When your child becomes scared and filled with anxiety about an upcoming dental appointment, it becomes difficult for you as a parent to ease their fears. Following some of these tips can help you reduce those anxieties and make dental visits less emotionally painful and a better experience for your child.
Leave Out Some of the Details
When you are preparing your child for an upcoming visit to the dentist, leave out some of the details on what to expect. Don’t talk about things that ‘might’ happen such as possibly needing a filling or another extra treatment that might or might not occur. You do not want to give false hope though to the point of promising everything will be just fine in the case one of those extra treatments does become necessary.
Keep it simple and don’t give any more details than necessary. Keep a positive attitude as your child will feed off your anxiety if you appear nervous or uneasy about possible outcomes. Avoid using the words, ‘everything will be just fine’ as this could cause a loss of trust if things do not go as expected.
Practice a Visit
Children love playing pretend games. Before your next visit, you can initiate a pretend game with them about going to the dentist’s office. Use a mirror to look inside their mouth, use a toothbrush to count their teeth, or even consider letting your child be the dentist as they role-play using a doll or stuffed animal. Pretending a visit to the dental office can make it seem like a fun outing or give you an insight into what exactly they are fearing. Knowing what is scaring them the most can help you address and relieve some of that anxiety.
Child-Friendly Dentist
Scheduling your child’s dental care with a dentist who is set-up to deal with the young can make dental appointments a better experience. Facilities such as kids dentistry Middletown KY focus on helping young children retain healthy teeth and gums. These dentists understand the fear children can develop about dental appointments and work with your child to take the anxiety out of going to the dentist.
Teach the Importance of Good Oral Hygiene
Your child has to understand the importance of good oral hygiene, and in order to retain healthy teeth and gums they will need the rest of their lives; requires dental visits. Help them to realize to keep their beautiful smiles; the dentist needs to make sure cavities stay out of their teeth. Going to the dentist is necessary, and your child needs to understand the importance and the fact that it is not a choice.