Is Your Child Afraid of the Dentist?

Fear by definition is an unpleasant emotion caused by the threat of danger, pain or harm. Which is why it’s considered normal for people and especially kids to fear the dentist or even a clinical environment.

However, when we dive deep into child psychology, it’s not the actual dentist or treatment that a child fears, instead it has a lot to do with previously heard experiences or a general fear of the unknown.

SEE ALSO: Fear of Dentist May Get Passed on to Kids

Most of the time, I have seen that children who come in really scared are the ones who are in pain, they are also aware of the decay in their mouth, have had previous unpleasant experiences or where parental fears have been subconsciously passed on to their child.

In the short duration that we see children for, it’s really hard to rule out the actual underlying causes of fear, but what’s possible is to create a new layer of foundation from the time they come in to our practice.

One of the stepping stones towards this new foundation is a beautiful clinical environment. At Dr. Michael’s, warmth and tranquility reign both in color and in vibes!

It’s not the actual dentists or treatment that a child fears, instead it has a lot to do with previously heard experiences or a general fear of the unknown.
Children feel welcomed as they get their after-school snacks, iPads, books and toys. A soothing green lawn, bikes and the fountains in the garden are certainly a treat to the eyes. A comfortable environment certainly helps parents and children switch over to a relaxed mood.

When I meet and greet the families, my approach is always casual but at the same time, I implement empowering words especially while speaking to the kids. I personally believe that children are miniature adults, they sense and understand the approach as well as any adult would. So, the approach towards treatment is always limited to the coping ability of the child.

Tools such as neurolinguistic programming, reassuring, slow-approach, conscious sedation are all integrated in the practice as per the requirement of each child. The basic philosophy of my approach is to keep the treatment pace in accordance to the acceptance pace of the child. This enables the parents to leave our clinic with their children in a pleasant way rather than a traumatic ordeal.

If you have any queries, feel free to ask one of our specialist pediatric dentists at Dr Michael’s Children’s Dental Center in Dubai. We’d love to help in any way possible.