_Children and Dental fear
For many years, the dentist and the dental surgery, or merely the thought of it, had such negative connotations that patients often announce at the start of a visit how they hate all dentists!
This doesn’t exactly make it easy for the patient to go to a dentist/oral hygienist and it most certainly doesn’t make it easy for a dentist/oral hygienist to work knowing that a patient would rather face Jonah Lomu in full charge.
Children are often especially fearful of visiting the dentist. An impression made on a child is everlasting and many of my adult patients can still describe with horror how the dentist scared them when they were still very small and impressionable. Unfortunately these fears will accompany you for a lifetime and therefore I would like to discuss in brief with you what we could do as parents and as professionals to ensure that your child won’t be a victim of dental phobia.
As a parent you can play an important role in preparing your child for a visit by doing the following:
Inform your child that he/she needs to go to the dentist/oral hygienist (in a need-to-know tone) and give details about the appointment. Do not fuss about it or make the child anxious but handle it in the same way as n appointment with the hairdresser.
Pick a suitable time of the day for the appointment. It’s asking for trouble to take your child if he/she is ill or likely to be tired.
The initial appointment should be kept short to prevent any apprehension.
If you are a nervous dental patient yourself, try not to transfer your anxieties to your child by relating to your own ‘horror stories’. Try to act calmly.
Choose your dental team with care. Find out whether they often see young children and establish whether the dental surgeries and waiting room have a pleasant, relaxed atmosphere.
If the dental team’s manner makes your child feel at ease, there is a good chance that your child won’t feel anxious about all the ‘dangerous-looking’ dental appliances.
As an Oral hygienist with a particular passion for working with children, the best advice I can give a parent is to make sure that your child establishes a good relationship with the dental team before a dental problem occurs.
Take your child for ‘chair-readiness’ appointments form the age of two. Let me explain what you can expect of an appointment like this with me.
The purpose of this visit is to get the child familiar with the dental team and surroundings.
Under no circumstances will the child be forced to do anything. If the child for instance refuses to sit in the ‘big chair’, I’ll let him sit on the counter while I look at his teeth. Meanwhile I’ll show him how the chair works and promise him that he can sit and ride on the chair whenever he feels ready for it. By doing this, the patient feels in control and easily gives you full co-operation.
The child will be shown around. The use of the equipment will be explained and the importance of looking after your teeth will be emphasized.
Just a friendly warning: the mother might be ignored to a great extend and should accept it in good manner. The child should feel the star of the show and should be left to answer the questions put to him/her in order to establish a relationship with me.
The child will always be rewarded even if very little progress was made. A sticker, toy of some kind of reward will be given and lots of praise and affection will make the child feel important and accepted.
Finally advice will be given to the parent on home-care and then the child will be given a follow-up appointment.
ONLY WHEN THE CHILD IS READY, WILL FULL TREATMENT BE GIVEN – NO MATTER HOW LONG IT TAKES.
If you win a child’s confidence, you will be able to perform any treatment without hassle. The contrary is unfortunately also true – lost confidence is everlasting.
Please feel free to contact me if you need any further information about dental phobia at the following telephone number (011) -706 1101 and ask for CHRISTA.
I sincerely hope this will help you and your children to come to better terms with the dental team!
Watch this space for handy tips and information
about adult dental phobia and how to deal with it.
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