Why are children afraid of dental treatment?
A child is not born with dental phobia, so the fear of the dentist is the result of:
- own negative experience;
- projections of anxiety from adults.
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How can you help your child deal with fears?
First of all, parents should change their own behavior. Do not scare the baby by going to the dentist, give up such phrases as:
- “If you behave badly, I’ll call a doctor, let him give an injection.”
- “If you eat a lot of sweets, you will have to treat your teeth, and that hurts.”
“Scary stories” should be replaced with stories about the Good Doctor, who comes to the aid of children and animals when they are sick. To consolidate a positive attitude, you can play with your son or daughter in the “hospital”, cure your favorite toy with him. Buy a children’s “doctor’s set” to make the game more realistic, and the baby is no longer afraid of medical instruments.
Make a habit of brushing your teeth with your child. Tell us how clean, white and healthy your teeth will be if you take care of them. This will help to form a positive attitude towards the procedures, the dentist and doctors in general.
Attention to adults
The upcoming visit with the child to the dentist makes parents nervous as well. You should not hide your anxiety and lie to the baby – you risk losing his trust. It is better to deal with the root causes of your own discomfort.
Most likely you are afraid of the upcoming pain. And you visit the dentist just so that she stops bothering you. Tell your child about this – positive thinking will play into the hands of both of you.It is much more difficult to solve the problem if the fear is caused by a negative childhood experience – when the child was hurt / scared / unpleasant in the dentist’s office. Try to work with fears at home.
Invite your child to draw their fear, and then analyze the drawing. On paper, you can see a dentist or a bad tooth – a specific object of a phobia. Or perhaps it will be an abstraction in the form of a dark blot – in this case, ask the child to talk about what he drew. Most likely, this is the fear of the unknown. If in the picture you see a shaking baby or a bunny hiding its teeth from the doctor, this is an expression of defenselessness. Let your son or daughter know that you will be there, protect and do not leave him alone.
If the child does not like to draw, invite him to play the game “favorite toy goes to the dentist.” Let the kid tell the story of the toy, which will actually be a projection of his own experiences. Show support for the hero of the children’s story, thereby broadcasting your concern to the child.
If you can’t cope with phobias on your own, seek help from a psychologist who knows how to work with fears.
