It is pretty common for children to fear the dentist. The silver tools and loud noises can be quite overwhelming. On the other hand, going to the dentist regularly is important for their overall health. Their oral health is important to stay on top of so that they can prevent oral issues and attain the best teeth possible.
On that note, if you struggle to encourage your scared children to attend the dentist, here are some useful tips.
Choose a family-friendly dental practice
Choosing a family-friendly dentist like West Valley Dental will help you attain affordable services to help you maintain your family’s oral hygiene. A family-friendly practice will ensure to make your children feel comfortable and relaxed when they attend their appointment, which will make them feel more encouraged to keep going and maintain their oral health.
Knowing that you have invested your money wisely will ensure that you can find a good balance between your work or entrepreneurial life and the health of your family.
Show them there is nothing to be scared of
Showing your children that there is nothing to fear will help them realize that there is nothing bad about going to the dentist.
To do this, it can help to take them along to your appointments with you. They can see how relaxed and brave you are. You can show them the finished results and let them know that they can achieve the same smile if they attend the dentist themselves.
Take them to meet their dentist
Your child might fear going to the dentist because they haven’t met the practitioner before. Therefore, it can be beneficial to do a meet and greet so that your child can become familiar with the dentist ahead of their appointment. Thus, when they attend they will recognize and familiar face and be able to relax.
Likewise, the meet and greet will show the dentist the fear and ensure that they can take the right measures to help your child relax and feel comfortable.
Distract them
Children can easily be distracted. Doing so might help you take their mind off of the fact that they are going to the dentist and help to calm their nerves until they get there.
Therefore, make sure to distract them as much as possible. You can do this by taking along their favorite toy, playing music or games in the car, or simply chatting with them. There are even dental offices with kid-friendly waiting areas.
Never lie to them about where they are going though, as this can make them lack trust in you and have even more apprehension about future dentist visits.
Should your child be fearful of the dentist, ensure to use these tips to encourage them to go. The more they visit the dentist, the quicker and better they will overcome their fear. It can be as simple as a distraction or a meet and greet to encourage them to go and achieve better oral health.
