A child can experience fears and outbursts at the dentist. Here are some super useful tips for relaxing your child from a family dentist Ashburn VA.
Unfortunately, more than
12% of children feel fear and anxiety surrounding their dental visits. This can prevent them from taking care of their teeth and oral health thoroughly and cause lifelong damage.
Visiting the dentist is an important aspect of living a healthy life and shouldn't be something that fills anyone with worry and dread. That's why it's so important for parents to help prepare their children for dental check-ups by easing their anxiety and making it a positive experience all around.
Follow these tips to help your child before seeing your family dentist in Ashburn, VA to develop positive habits for lifelong good oral hygiene!
Start Early
Like most things in life, the sooner you start visiting the dentist with your child the better. When a child grows up going to their regular check-ups, it's hard for them to remember a time when they didn't, which can calm a lot of anxiety.
The dentist is just a regular part of life that the child doesn't even give much thought to.
Even if your child is older, the sooner you start the better. Creating habits is the best way to dispel worries and fear.
Meet the Dentist
If you have a child that hasn't had a lot of experience with a dentist or if you've recently moved and are starting with a new one, it's a good idea to have a meet and greet before the actual appointment.
This helps the child see that the dentist is a real person and get to know their personality a little bit.
The key is to help the child begin to develop a relationship, building trust and rapport with the dentist as soon as possible. Then when it's time for the actual appointment they know who will be working on them and have much less to worry about.
Good Oral Hygiene
Most dental anxiety comes from the fear of not knowing what your appointment is going to bring and if there will have to be any major work done. Those bigger procedures like cavity fillings and extractions sound intimidating, especially for children.
Practicing
good oral hygiene and reminding your child of the best ways to avoid those procedures is a great way to reduce their stress. They can go to the dentist feeling confident that they've done their best to take care of their teeth!
Give an Example
A proven way to promote good oral hygiene and comfort with visiting the dentist is to be an example yourself.
That means showing your kids that you go to the dentist at least
two times a year for check-ups and cleanings. Depending on your child, it might even be a good idea to take them with you to see a calm visit. It also means having proper oral hygiene practices yourself.
When your child sees you taking care of your teeth, they'll be more inclined to do it themselves.
Thorough Explanation
Some children do very well with unknown situations when they have a clear understanding of what to expect. That means walking them through the whole appointment from beginning to end, trying to eliminate any surprises that may come up.
Obviously, this will look different depending on the age and understanding of your child. Knowledge is power for a lot of people, so arm your child with as much of it as is appropriate for their age and comprehension level.
Talk Often
Even if you don't think your child would handle a thorough explanation of a dental visit well, it's a good idea to talk openly about the dentist on a regular basis.
This allows the child to ask any questions they may have and also gives you the opportunity to gauge what is making them nervous. This information is invaluable as you work to help ease their fears and make a dental visit a positive experience.
These conversations don't have to be formal or long. Just a quick thought in passing about the dentist or anything to do with
oral hygiene should do the trick!
Praise and Validate
Children aren't the only patients who struggle to feel comfortable going to the dentist. Dental anxiety is a real thing that many adults suffer from as well. Understanding this can be helpful in validating your child's feelings.
Dismissing feelings and fears can actually make them much worse in some cases. Take the time to work through those fears and show the child why they don't need to worry about those things instead. This will help create a strong bond that will help them feel safe throughout their appointment.
Don't forget to praise them for being brave as well!
Stay Calm
As a parent, you quickly realize that your children feed off of your energy in most situations. If you're relaxed, they're relaxed. If you're stressed out, they'll become stressed out as well.
So the very best thing you can do for your child and relieve their dental anxiety is to remain as calm as possible before, during, and after their visit. This will help the child to associate positive, serene emotions with their dental visits which will have a ripple effect for years to come.
Even if they feel a little nervous, despite all your previous efforts, staying calm can help them make it through the appointment with little incident.
Visit the Best Family Dentist in Ashburn, VA
There are so many things about being a parent that can be difficult or unpleasant. Luckily, following these tips will help your visits to the family dentist in Ashburn, WA not be one of them.
The positive benefits that you and your child will see from their regular dental check-ups will be well worth the little effort up front. Every visit can be a positive experience when you do the work ahead of time to prepare everyone involved. Your child can come to see visiting the dentist as a positive experience and one they look forward to.
If you're in need of a family dentist in Ashburn, VA,
contact us today to set up an appointment!
