Dental phobia or fear of going to the dentist can affect a person throughout his or her lifetime. It often starts in childhood. If a fear of going to a Dental Clinic in Newark NJ and elsewhere persists then the child grows into an adult with bad teeth. Here are some tips from Parents magazine to help ease a child’s fear of the dentist.
Make It Familiar
Children that get their first dental check-ups at age one or when their first baby teeth appear are more likely to be relaxed when going to future dentist appointments because the dentist will seem familiar and goes through a familiar routine. Keep the first visits as short as possible so, again, everything will seem familiar and less stressful to a small child.
Watch What Is Said
Avoid mentioning all the bad things that can happen at the dentist office. Emphasize the positive. Do not talk about shots or painful procedures that may happen. If a child is very young, the chances are that there will be no need for fillings or other procedures. Let the staff of the Dental Clinic in Newark NJ or elsewhere choose their own vocabulary for talking to the child and use their words when talking about future dental visits.
Pretend Play
Before the first visit, make a game of pretending to be a dentist, where the parent mimics what a dentist does for a child. This helps condition the child to a routine that will seem familiar when at the dentist’s office.
Do Not Take Kids To Parent’s Dental Appointments
If at all possible, do not take a child to an adult’s dental office. If a child is taken, also take a babysitter to stay with the child in the waiting room. Do not have the child in the office with the dentist or dental hygienist. Even routine procedures like drilling can look as if the parent is suffering. Since waiting rooms can be boring, bring along a book or portable DVD player for the child to amuse his or herself while the parent is getting taken care of.
There are many things parents can do to make their children like visiting dental offices like ChildSmiles.FamilySmiles. Click here to make an appointment today.
