Dental fear and dental anxiety are common issues that both adults and children deal with. However, no matter how anxious your child is, they must visit the dentist regularly to keep their oral health in check. Regular check-ups are necessary for healthy teeth. Parents can use various techniques to help their children overcome their dental fear. This article will delve into how to calm dental anxiety in children.
Start Early
Establishing dental health is important and should be done from an early age. Most experts say that kids should have their first dental visit out of the way by age one. Going to the dentist regularly and making it a part of your child’s life is one of the ways to ease their dental fear.
Play Pretend
In addition to starting dental habits early in life, parents can also help calm dental anxiety by using pretend and role-play. Play dentist and patient to familiarize your child with dental visits so that they’re not afraid of the unknown.
Use Positive Language
Sometimes, parents portray dental visits as anxiety-inducing. This is usually the case when parents themselves struggle with dental anxiety. It’s essential to use positive language around your child when talking about dental visits. Being more relaxed about the subject and sounding more upbeat than afraid can help ease your child’s dental fear.
Bring Comfort Items
If your child is experiencing a lot of dental anxiety, it can help to bring a comforting item such as a blanket or a favorite toy. This will soothe them and help keep them calm throughout their dental visit.
In addition to these steps, it’s also critical to choose the right dentist. A dentist who has experience with children will know how to calm them and ease their dental fear. Dr. Kam Kuhni is one such dentist. If you’re in the Spanish Fork, UT area, visit Dr. Kuhni at Kuhni Orthodontic Studio. We serve the Mapleton, Palmyra, Lake Shore, Benjamin, Springville, and Salem areas and are the best in the area. You can call us at (801) 798-6000 or schedule a free consultation here.
