3 Strategies For Taking Your Kid To The Dentist When You Are Scared To Go
As a parent, you know that regular dental care is critical for your kid's developing mouths. Yet you can't help but cringe every time you put that appointment on your calendar. While dental anxiety is normal, it is important to find ways to minimize your discomfort so that you can be there for your kids. When your kid's next appointment rolls around, use these tips to ease your nerves.
Give The Staff a Heads Up
A children dentist clinic is used to working with patients who may be a little less than excited to be sitting in their chair. When you call to set the appointment, let them know that going to the dentist makes you nervous even if you are not the patient. This will help the staff know to implement strategies to ease your distress such as offering for you to leave the room if they must do a filling or limiting the details they use to describe a treatment.
Bring Distractions
For many people with dental anxiety, the sound of a drill in a distant exam room is enough to set off the nervousness. Once your child is safely in the care of the dental staff, pull out some headphones and drown out the noise with your favorite music. Alternatively, you may prefer to get lost in a book. Either way, having something to take your mind off of the fact that you are sitting in a dental office will help the time pass faster.
Plan Something Special For After
Yay! Your kid had a great checkup, and you made it through it. Celebrate the occasion by doing something special together, but skip the food in case they just had a treatment planned. Visit a park or go to the museum. Since you've already planned time for their appointment, you might as well take advantage of the extra time to spend together. Doing something enjoyable after visiting the dentist will also help you connect positive feelings to the experience.
Going to the dentist is one of those things that you just have to do when your kid needs dental care. However, you shouldn't feel ashamed because many people get nervous at the sound of the drill. By letting your child's dentist know how you feel and planning a few distractions, you can zoom through their visit with full confidence that you are teaching your child that going to the dentist is no big deal. Contact a dentist like Marci Mendola-Pitcher DDS to learn more.
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