{"id":2748,"date":"2020-03-11T15:46:20","date_gmt":"2020-03-11T19:46:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.patedds.com\/blog\/?p=2748"},"modified":"2020-03-27T15:46:44","modified_gmt":"2020-03-27T19:46:44","slug":"buckhead-childrens-dentist-8-tips-overcome-dental-fear","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patedds.com\/blog\/buckhead-childrens-dentist-8-tips-overcome-dental-fear\/","title":{"rendered":"8 Tips for Helping Your Child Overcome Their Fear of Dentists"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Smiling<\/a>You do your best to take care of your son or daughter\u2019s precious smile with regular brushing and other healthy habits. However, getting them to their dental appointments can be a challenge. If they have a fear of the dentist, a simple checkup can be about as fun and easy as getting a tooth pulled. So what can you do to encourage your little one to feel better about professional oral health care? Here are eight practical tips from your Buckhead children\u2019s dentist<\/a> that can help them feel more relaxed and confident in the dentist\u2019s chair.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Tip #1: Don\u2019t Put It Off<\/h2>\n

The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry reports that children should have their first dental checkup before their first birthday. The younger they are, the less nervous they\u2019ll be and the more likely they\u2019ll form good memories around the experience.<\/p>\n

Tip #2: Go Easy on the Details<\/h2>\n

Your child will probably have plenty of questions about their dental appointment, especially when preparing for their first one. However, extra information about what treatments they might need could make them nervous, so hold back from explaining too many details.<\/p>\n

Tip #3: Use Positive Phrasing<\/h2>\n

No one likes to hear words like \u201cshots,\u201d \u201churt,\u201d or \u201cpain\u201d when talking about their teeth. Instead, some dentists suggest telling your little one that the dentist will simply be looking for \u201csugar bugs\u201d and \u201ccounting their teeth.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tip #4: Practice by Playing Pretend<\/h2>\n

Before their first appointment, you can start getting your child used to the routine by practicing it at home. Experts recommend that you count their teeth out lout with a toothbrush, show them their teeth with a mirror, or read them a picture book about dentist visits.<\/p>\n

Tip #5: Watch Your Tone<\/h2>\n

How you talk about oral health care matters to your son or daughter. If you sound anxious, fearful, or upset about dental appointments or procedures, they\u2019ll begin to feel that way as well.<\/p>\n

Tip #6: Stay Calm When They Don\u2019t<\/h2>\n

It\u2019s completely normal for a young child to whine, wiggle, and not want to have their teeth examined by a stranger. Keep it from escalating by staying calm yourself and allow the dental professionals to guide you, since they\u2019ve undoubtedly experienced working with tantrums before.<\/p>\n

Tip #7: Beware of Bribery<\/h2>\n

Some dental experts do not recommend bribing your little one to behave well at the dentist\u2019s office. They believe this could make them think being comfortable during their appointment is unusual. You should also avoid sugary rewards, since that undermines the dentist\u2019s message of a clean, healthy smile.<\/p>\n

Tips #8: The No-Nonsense Approach<\/h2>\n

Teach your son or daughter that visiting the dentist isn\u2019t a choice, but a necessity to keep their teeth healthy and strong. You can explain to them that the dentist works hard to keep cavities away so their smile can stay beautiful for years to come. A no-nonsense attitude now can influence how high a priority their oral health is to them later in life.<\/p>\n

About the Author<\/h2>\n

Your Buckhead family dentist Dr. Peter Pate makes it his goal to show young smiles that properly caring for their teeth and gums can be fun! Alongside teaching your little one about oral health, he also provides services like fluoride treatments and sealants to protect developing teeth from cavities. He\u2019d be happy to help you show them that there\u2019s no reason to be afraid of the dentist and care for their smile for years to come. If you\u2019d like more guidance for helping your son or daughter overcome their dental anxiety, feel free to contact him via his <\/em>website<\/em><\/a> or at (404) 266-9424. <\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

You do your best to take care of your son or daughter\u2019s precious smile with regular brushing and other healthy habits. However, getting them to their dental appointments can be a challenge. If they have a fear of the dentist, a simple checkup can be about as fun and easy as getting a tooth pulled. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patedds.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2748"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patedds.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patedds.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patedds.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patedds.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2748"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.patedds.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2748\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2750,"href":"https:\/\/www.patedds.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2748\/revisions\/2750"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patedds.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2748"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patedds.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2748"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patedds.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2748"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}