Family Dentist Offers Tips to Reduce Dental Anxiety in Kids
When dealing with dental anxiety in children it’s important that the family dentist is calm, collected and understanding. Childhood dentistry trauma is the number one cause of dental anxiety in adults so it’s a very sensitive subject! A good family dentist will take their time and discuss with both children and parents what’s best for the child to cause as little stress as possible and make every visit a positive experience.
Most adults don’t like the dentist, so we should expect the same from a child, if not even more. Dealing with this anxiety or fear is important so they don’t develop an actual phobia of the dentist later from having multiple negative dental experiences. You should always start by being honest with your kids about what is going on. Tell them what they are going to have done, taking it slow, explaining all the details and answering any questions along the way. A good way to go about things is to figure out exactly what their fears or anxieties about going to the dentist are. Some of these could be:
- Fear of pain. They may have experienced pain at a past visit, or maybe they heard a peer discussing an appointment they went to. A good family dentist will reassure the child and make them as comfortable as they possibly can. Most dental procedures are painless with medical advancements anyways!
- Fear of embarrassment. Some kids’ dental issues are very noticeable or can be made obvious by dental work. This can make kids self-conscious and is even worse with kids who have been teased about the issue. Your family dentist should work with you on options to make your child comfortable about their smile regardless of the situation.
- Fear of needles. This is a common fear and even some adults have phobias to needles. Knowing that needles mean pain can sometimes frighten kids, but they should also be advised that the pain is temporary and there are other measures the family dentist can take to minimize the pain in the area where the needle will be.
The main thing is to be completely honest and up front when your kids ask questions about their procedures. Once you know what their fear is, you can better help work with the family dentist to calm these anxieties. Some other things you can do to calm them for a dentist appointment is letting them bring a comfort item with them, bringing plenty of distractions (tablets, books, etc.), but mostly being present with your child and letting them know they are safe with you the entire time.
Olathe Dental Care Center knows how important seeing the dentist is for children as it prevents painful procedures by preventing tooth decay and gum disease. It’s important for kids to understand the routine family dentist visits are needed to keep their smile healthy and bright! You can request an appointment online to keep things convenient for you! We service Olathe, KS, and the Johnson County area, give us a call today!
(913) 782-1420
