Tips to Relieve your kid’s Dental Anxiety

Lisa is an 11-year-old girl, has a younger brother, Brandon who is 3 years old. Brandon enjoys his dental visits every time. Lisa on the other hand has never been comfortable during all her appointments. Their mother later learned that introducing Brandon to the dentist as early as he had his first baby tooth which was at six months old, could help him get comfortable and have no fear visiting the dentist.

 

        TIP 1: The earlier your child comes for their first dental appointment, the more comfortable they will be with visits to the dentist throughout                            their life.

 

When you set the standard that your kid will be seeing their paediatric dentist every six months at an early age, your child will come to accept this as a normal activity that you do to maintain a healthy smile.

Lisa feared words like “pain” or “scared” or “needle” whenever she went for her dental appointments. Her paediatric doctor explained to her mother that, even though kids have a short attention span, they remember such words easily, which could lead to them developing dental anxiety and fear at an early age.

 

       TIP2: It’s important not to use words that can scare kids. As an example, you don’t need to go into details about how the dentist fills a cavity or what happens when you have tooth decay as it may not be relevant to them.

 

To wrap up, do not expect perfection from your kids when they visit the dentist. Even the most prepared and brave child will probably still fuss or whine during their first paediatric dentist appointment.

 

       TIP3: Mentally prepare yourself but allow the good dentist who is well trained in managing kids to do what they do best.

 

At Molars Dental Practice, our paediatric dentists have years of experience with kids and will go to extra lengths to make sure your child enjoys their visits to the dentist. All of our clinics in Nairobi and Mombasa specialize in paediatrics. We have playrooms to make sure that as soon as your child walks in, they realize this isn’t a scary place. We take a playful approach to discuss the process and use the opportunity to educate your child on different topics in the profession.

 

For more information on our services or to schedule an appointment, call any of our branches or contact us directly on our WhatsApp (0751856900)