No parent would have wanted their children to have a traumatic experience with a dentist. Dental phobia or Dental fear refers to the fear of dentistry and of receiving dental care. Most people developed dental fear because of traumatic or painful dental experience during childhood and the scary image of the dentist as perceived by the child.
Dentists are health care practitioner that specializes in the diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of the conditions of the oral cavity as well as diseases. Pediatric Dentistry formerly known as Pedodontics is the branch of dentistry that specializes in dealing with children. With this specialization, the dentist focuses on the pediatric growth and development, child psychology and management and all other aspects that scopes pediatric concerns.
Children dentists focus in establishing trust and confident relationship with children. That is why one of the main components of pediatric training is child psychology. This includes the office’s interior design and availability of television, books and toys to entertain children. It is also important that the dentist is trained to different effective communication and teaching techniques to make dental visits enjoyable.
In order to have a successful and fun dental visit, the parents should also partake in terms of conditioning their children’s thoughts about dental clinic and dentists. The parents’ attitude towards their child going to a dentist is a very important factor to avoid creating anxiety to the child thus helping for the preparation and conditioning of the child for a dental visit. I have listed some tips to do that might help the parents in dealing with their children:
– Bring the child along together with the other member of the family who enjoys dental check-up to familiarize the child with the dental clinic set-up.
– Schedule the child’s dental appointment earlier in the day when they still fresh and full of energy.
– Allow some time for the child to stay alone with the dentist in the room as children often respond better without the presence of their parents.
– Never threat the child in attempt to encourage good behavior or to visit a dentist.
– Avoid bribery in encouraging the child to go to a dentist.
– Avoid saying negative words such as pain, pull, etc. as these create anxiety to the child.
– Never use dental visit to threat the child for refusal to brush teeth, eating too much sweets or any misbehavior.
Visiting a dentist should be a relaxed and fun experience. Find a dental clinic which renders pediatric dentistry. They have the abilities to encourage a relaxed and positive attitude towards dental care in you and your children, for life. They are armed with trained and skillful pediatric dentists with years of experience as children’s dentist which should include traumatized children and children with special needs.
The role of pediatric dentistry is very vital in encouraging good oral hygiene and preventing tooth decay to help children function in school to their fullest thus encouraging good social relationship.