Maintain a positive attitude prior to the appointment. Many people have had uncomfortable, traumatic experiences at the dental office that have led to dental trauma. Our goal is to make the dental office a fun place for children. If you or your child are anxious for the upcoming appointment, we invite you to tour the office prior to your visit. Frequent visits to the office will expose your child to the bright colors and fun environment of our office. The familiarity with the office can greatly assist in desensitizing an anxious child (and parent!).
Speak in child-friendly terminology. While we are not advocating lying to children, it is often counterproductive to speak with a young child in adult terminology. For this reason, it is helpful to avoid terms like “shot, poke, hurt, extraction, pull your tooth, etc.”
Youtube, Videos, Books. Preparation through demonstration. Kids like to see other kids doing well at the dentist. If you are able to introduce the dental office through positive stories or videos, it is often a great supplement.
DO NOT use the dental visit as discipline or a scare tactic. Doing this will teach your child that the dental visit is a punishment. For example, you would not want to say, “If you do not behave, the dentist is going to pull your tooth out.” If older children are attempting to scare the younger children, I strongly encourage parents to intervene to avoid creating dental fear.