Is your child afraid of visiting the dentist? If yes, you do not need to worry because more than 50% of the population is like you. This situation of your child is known as dental anxiety. Even adults also have the same sort of anxiety. If you allow this fear to continue, it may adversely affect the oral health of your child. So, here are some tips that can help your children to overcome their dental anxiety.
Tips for managing children’s dental anxiety
Let the children get comfortable with the dentist.
First of all, you need to help your child brush and floss their brush from a young age. But, you do not need to stop there. So, play exciting games and keep them entertained. Here are some suggestions that may help your children get comfortable with the people looking at their mouths.
Play Shark or Dinosaur
To see how wide your child can open his or her mouth:
1. Play this game.
2. Tell them that they are playing a Shark or dinosaur game.
3. Tell them that dinosaurs can open their mouth for a long time.
Now, suggest them to open their mouth and keep it open for a count of 20. You can also play with them to see who can keep their mouth open for a longer duration.
Count the teeth of each other
Yes, this game is fun. It would help if you asked your child to open his/her mouth while using the end of the floss stick and count each tooth and count out loud. If you want to have them more fun, you open your mouth and let them count your teeth when you are done.
Tell lively dental tales as frame of reference.
We all know that kids learn from adults. So, it is vital to spread positivity among the children about children’s dentistry. For that, you can tell your experience with the dentist how you feel after the treatment. If you are optimistic about your dental visit, you will help them learn nothing to be scared of.
Visit the children’s dentistry early.
If your child is stressed, they need more time to get calm because dental anxiety is a form of stress. Your child will also not get enough time to rush the children’s dentistry a couple of minutes before the appointment. Additionally, you are likely to be more distracted and stressed.
You need to figure out how much time your child needs before his/her name gets announced before the appointment. You know your child better. If your child only needs ten minutes to be calm or read a few pages of a book, then all is good. Because other children need more time, some children need more than 30 minutes to be prepared.
They may need to go to the bathroom and cuddle on mom’s lap with a book before they feel calm. It does not matter how much time they need to get mentally prepared, you need to try to give it to them by visiting the children’s dentistry early.
Visit the dentist when no work needs to be done.
Many children’s dentistry will allow you and your kids to visit the dentist for a tour or preliminary consultation before any work. Such a visit will assure your child that dentistry is a fun place, and the people work there are friendly ones.
Wrapping up
During a children’s dentistry visit, it is vital to give your children positive affirmation. We have covered most of the tips to help you manage children’s anxiety during the dental visit. Luckily, dental fear can be defeated.