Undergoing a dental procedure is nerve-wracking even for adults. You have little to no control over the situation and might not even know the procedure. If adults can have dental anxiety, so can kids. Children's dentistry is all about your kid's dental care, and easing their dental anxiety can help achieve the desired goal.
How do you ease your kids' dental anxiety? Read on to find out.
Choose One Dentist and Equip Them With Enough Information
Children are often more comfortable around familiar people. Your preferred children's dentistry practitioner may try to bond with your kid to ease their worries. The easiest way to do this is by providing the practitioner with information about your child.
For example, you can tell the children's dentistry practitioner about your child's favorite sports, foods, and players. The healthcare providers can use this information to break the ice and form a bond with your kid.
Also, choose a dentist that's understanding, sympathetic and patient. Most medical practitioners who have studied children's dentistry will be understanding and patient. They'll allow your child a few breathers and understand when your kid is upset or anxious.
Pair Dental Appointments With a Rewarding Experience
Kids associate a lot of things with how they feel. If your child doesn't like the trip to the dentist, try to make it so that they can associate children's dentistry with a happy experience. For example, if your child likes going to the zoo, you can promise to take them there after the dental procedure. This trick will only work if you keep your promise.
Seek Alternatives
If most of the remedies offered don't work, you can choose alternative options available under children's dentistry. Among these options is conscious sedation, also known as laughing gas. It's a safe and effective way to calm your child during dental procedures.
The dentists will administer nitrous oxide, which takes effect in a few minutes. Afterward, the children's dentistry practitioner can begin the dental procedure without worrying about anxiety. Once done, the practitioner will halt the flow of the laughing gas, and effects will begin to wear off. Your child may feel disoriented, but only for a while.
Alternatively, you can choose oral sedation. Your child will take the medication hours before the procedure, and it will take effect before the procedure. However, this method will last longer than the laughing gas. It can take a few hours to wear off.
Contact a pediatric dentistry clinic, such as New England Dental Specialists of Norwood, to make an appointment.
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