One of the most effective ways to achieve lifelong dental health is to see your dentist once every six months. In turn, trusted dentists in Greenville, SC can provide preventive and restorative treatment that keeps your smile dazzling and healthy. This is why it is so important for your child to be comfortable around her pediatric dentist.
Unfortunately, many children develop dental anxiety, and it’s not very difficult to understand why they do. From the sound of drills or the distinct smell of a dental office, many children can’t help but feel a little anxious when it’s time to pay their dentist a visit.
Today, many family dental practices like Downtown Dental have redesigned their offices to be more accommodating of children. With a clean and cheerful design, children are able to relax more while waiting for their turn. A Greenville, SC pediatric dentist will also adjust his or her methods to help children relax once they are on the dental chair.
As a parent, you can also do a number of things to help ease your child’s dental anxiety and make her next trip to the dentist a much more relaxing experience.
Practice Dental Visits
Take on the role of patient and let your child take the role of dentist, then hand her a small mirror and ask her to count your teeth and see if they are healthy. By reversing the roles, your child gains a better understanding of what goes on during a dental checkup, showing her that there’s nothing to be afraid of.
Use Positive Language
The words you use can either ease your child’s anxiety or add to it. Make a conscious effort to use positive words and to avoid words like “pain” or “hurt”. You may want to ask your child’s dentist for euphemisms you can use to substitute more technical terms like cavities.
Similarly, you should avoid admitting to your child about any anxieties you may have about seeing the dentist. Your child looks up to you and she believes you are invincible. To hear that you also have some uneasiness about seeing a dentist might trigger her anxiety even more.
Sources:
Easing Your Child’s Fear of the Dentist, WebMD
8 Ways to Help Ease Your Child’s Fear of the Dentist, Babble.com
