Dental anxiety is a common problem that can affect people of all ages but appear mostly to develop in childhood and adolescence. Children’s fear of the dentist comes in many forms, such as from a previous bad experience, or fear of the unknown, etc. The sight, sensation, and fear of pain from the needle and dental drill have been
frequently shown to be the most fear-evoking stimuli for dentally anxious children.
Tips to overcome the fear
-Start them young: The earlier a child visits the dentist, the better. Usually, a kid should have their first visit scheduled at 1 year old.
-Try to prepare the kid before their dental visit by explaining the process to the child and keeping it simple
-The relations between parent-dentist, dentist-kid, and parent-kid are crucial for the success of a child’s dental experience.
-Never use words that might alert or raise the fear of your child. Avoid words such as “injection”, “shot”, “pain”, etc.
-Trust your pediatric dentist who can take care of any situation and assess the child based on their behavior.
-Always chose a pediatric dentist over a general dentist because a pediatric dentist has the skills, ways, and education to deal better with kids.
Dr. Grace Eid
Pediatric Dentist
Advanced American Dental Centre
