Helping Your Children Feel Good About Seeing A Dentist In St. Paul MN
Just the mere thought of visiting the Dentist in St. Paul MN is enough to get anyone’s heart pumping. Many adults have anxiety about going to the dentist, so imagine what children must feel. Parents can do several things to keep children from feeling anxiety or fear about seeing the dentist in St. Paul MN. Here are some of those tips.
Children begin to absorb information as soon as they are born, and this includes the moods and emotions that they see their parents express. If you can show your child that you have a good attitude about going to see the dentist, they are likely to follow suit. If you have fears or anxieties about going to the dentist yourself, you should avoid expressing these emotions to your children.
On a similar note, parents should start taking their child to the dentist at a young age. Even before children have teeth, they are taking cues from their parents. Parents who take their children to dental appointments with them, and allowing them to watch if the dentist permits it, may likely have children who are more comfortable with the dentist as they grow older.
When parents practice proper oral hygiene, and brush and floss their and their children’s teeth regularly and as prescribed by their dentist, they can avoid many common dental problems. In this way, dental visits are less scary and more of a routine that must be gone through occasionally. Children are much more likely to fear the dentist if every time they are going in for a dental appointment, the dentist is filling cavities or performing other more serious procedures.
While visiting the dentist in St. Paul MN, talk to your children firmly but calmly so that they can clearly understand that the situation is under control and that they will be okay. Parents should avoid acting like anything out of the ordinary is going on while at the dentist to hopefully lessen the child’s anxieties about being there.
The “tell show do” method can be very effective in helping the child understand what is going on. This technique involves the dentist telling the child what a particular instrument is used for, showing them what the tool does, and then performing the procedure or treatment. Children may feel more comfortable with the dentist and with the procedure if this technique is applied.
Remember above all that when visiting the dentist in St. Paul MN, positive reinforcement for good behavior is far more effective than negative reinforcement. Praise the child for acting brave and doing as the dentist in St. Paul MN instructs rather than scolding the child for not doing these things.
