Your child has a dental visit coming up. You’re already expecting the crying and screaming. Your little one has always been scared of the dentist.
They’ve heard a lot of negative things about the dental office from children at school. It also doesn’t help that a lot of cartoons and movies make dentists look like villains that enjoy dishing out pain.
How are you supposed to convince your kid that it’s not as scary as they’ve seen or heard? We can tell you that it’s not easy.
You’ll need to choose the right dentist, make a game out of oral hygiene, or if all else fails, use positive reinforcement.
These are only a few tactics that you can try out. Check out this handy guide to learn how to cure your child’s dental fear.
Don’t Put Off Their First Visit
The longer you put off going to the dentist for the first time, the more scared a child is going to be of it. Cartoons and movies give dentists a horrible reputation.
If your child is able to spend years taking in this media and hearing bad things about the dentist at school, their first visit is going to be a struggle. You’ve got to get a jump on it before your kid forms an opinion about going to a dental office.
It’s recommended to schedule your kid’s first visit when their baby teeth come in. If you’re looking for ways to help the visit go smoothly, click here.
Schedule Regular Appointments
There comes a time when you’ve got to face your fears. Doing so will show you that the source of your anxiety isn’t as scary as you thought it was.
You don’t have to schedule a trip once a week when your kid is afraid of the dentist. Going every six months will help establish the dental office as a familiar place.
After a while, going will become business as usual. Your child will become so used to going that it will stop making them feel scared.
Talk to Your Child About the Dentist
One of the reasons why children dread their first office visit is the fear of the unknown. If you tell your child everything that goes into going to the dentist, they’ll know what to expect.
Okay, maybe you shouldn’t tell them everything that happens at the dentist. If you use words like “drill,” your kid’s imagination will go wild. You’ll terrify them.
Instead, skim over the basics. Talk to them about tooth cleanings and the importance of good oral hygiene.
Spark Their Imagination
The best way to nip dental anxiety in the bud is to get your child excited about going. Spark their overactive imagination.
Turn their usual oral health routine into a “dental visit.” Act like a dentist while you brush and floss their pearly whites.
Give your child the chance to work on your teeth as well, or let them be the dentist for their dolls.
Choose a Good Dentist
If your child is scared of the dentist, you should inform the office about their fear. If they’re a good dental physician, they can make accommodations for the child to make them feel uncomfortable.
Let us emphasize the term, good dentist.
Choose a friendly pediatric office to take your child to. It’s also a good idea to visit the dentist before you take your child.
If the environment is noisy or there’s a lot of harsh lighting and colors, your child might have a terrible experience even if the staff are some of the nicest people in the world.
If your child is afraid of the dentist that you’re already taking them to, you may want to make an appointment with a different one. The dentist might be nice, but your little one is associating them with something negative.
Be a Role Model
Let’s say that you have a root canal coming up. You’re dreading it because you know it’s going to hurt, and you’ve got to take time off work to schedule the appointment.
While it’s okay to complain about your root canal, you shouldn’t do it in front of your child. Kids soak things up like sponges. There’s a good chance that they’ll display the same behavior when it comes time for their next visit.
If you want to show your kid that going to the dentist isn’t a bad thing, you’ll need to set an example.
Don’t Plan a Surprise Visit
If you know that your child is going to freak out when you take them to the dentist, it might be tempting to hide the visit from them. Truth be told, that will only make things worse.
As soon as they notice where they are, all their dental anxiety will explode out of them because they weren’t expecting it.
It’s better to let your child know about going to the dentist beforehand. This way, they have time to process their fear and work through it before the appointment.
Use Positive Reinforcement
We’re not telling you to bribe your child with a trip to the ice cream shop if they’re good for the dentist. If you do, they’ll wonder what is so bad about the dentist that you feel the need to bribe them to go. It will set up the expectation for pain and suffering.
Instead, if they sit through the entire appointment without squirming or crying, praise them. Let them know how awesome they were.
Help Your Child Not Be Scared of the Dentist
With the bad reputation the dentist has, it’s no wonder why children scream and cry at the mere mention of a visit. For some kids, the fear is worse than normal.
As you can see, there are plenty of things that you can do if your child is scared of the dentist. We hope that you’re able to use some of these tactics to ease your little one’s anxiety.
For more tips that will help you take care of your kid’s smile, visit the Health section of our blog.
