Kids can be afraid of lots of different things – one of these is going to the dentist. It\u2019s common for children not to like going, but many of these fears can be easily addressed.<\/p>\n
We\u2019ve put together a quick guide to help you understand what your child may be afraid of and how to handle the situation with empathy.<\/p>\n
When you understand the causes of your child\u2019s fears, you can get to work on addressing them properly.<\/p>\n
Common reasons may include:<\/p>\n
Talk to your child to gain more insight so you can support them appropriately.<\/p>\n
You may not always understand your child\u2019s fears, but their feelings are valid even if they\u2019re misguided. Getting angry at your child won\u2019t solve anything, and will actually make the situation worse to deal with. Just remember, they can\u2019t help the way they\u2019re feeling, but you can help make things easier for them.<\/p>\n
The earlier you start taking your child to the dentist and acting like it\u2019s totally normal, the better. They can build relationships with the dentist and see there\u2019s nothing to worry about. They may even look forward to going, especially when they find out they\u2019ll get a sticker!<\/p>\n
If your child has questions, be as open as possible. Give them an overview of what to expect, using positive and non-scary language. For example, don\u2019t talk about drills and injections. Talk about things like how cool it is to have strong teeth and how yummy they thought the toothpaste was last time!<\/p>\n
Always model behaviour that you want them to copy, so even if you have your own anxieties about visiting, talk about dental-related things in a positive manner. Laying this foundation when they\u2019re young can help build healthy habits for their future.<\/p>\n
If fears continue, talk to your dentist discreetly to see if there is any professional advice for your situation.<\/p>\n
It goes without saying that you\u2019ll want your child to have a dentist that understands their fears. A good dentist knows lots of little tricks to help them relax. Some may use laughing gas (which is generally considered safe when given by a trained professional), while others tell jokes (while maintaining professionalism).<\/p>\n
For some procedures or with particularly nervous children, they may employ other methods such as medication or putting your child to sleep. You\u2019ll always be asked for your consent, and your dentist will talk you through the options and any risks first.<\/p>\n
To book a visit to our edgecliff or castle hill clinic, book online<\/a> or call us on 1300 247 867<\/a>. Find out more about children\u2019s dental care at smilogy<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Why some children are afraid of the dentist, and practical ways you can help them feel calm and confident about their visits.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":188,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-186","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ih-teens-kids"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/smilogy.com.au\/dental-clinics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/186","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/smilogy.com.au\/dental-clinics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/smilogy.com.au\/dental-clinics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/smilogy.com.au\/dental-clinics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/smilogy.com.au\/dental-clinics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=186"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/smilogy.com.au\/dental-clinics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/186\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":273,"href":"https:\/\/smilogy.com.au\/dental-clinics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/186\/revisions\/273"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/smilogy.com.au\/dental-clinics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/188"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/smilogy.com.au\/dental-clinics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=186"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/smilogy.com.au\/dental-clinics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=186"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/smilogy.com.au\/dental-clinics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=186"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}