Kid Friendly Dentist

Kid-Friendly Dentist: Anxiety-Managing Techniques for Dental Fears

Kid friendly dentists are experienced in handling children with dental fears. Fear of the dentist and dental procedures is common and could cause patients to avoid dental care and lead to poor dental health. Symptoms exhibited by kids with dental phobia include sweating, dizziness, cardiac sensations, trembling, and tingling.

Managing Dental Anxiety

The kid-friendly dentist use anxiety-managing techniques to ease the patient’s discomfort. Some of those techniques are described below:

Pharmacological management

Managing pain and anxiety through pharmacology entails using sedation and general anesthesia, and is often only used when the patient cannot respond and cooperate properly with psychotherapeutic techniques, has dental phobia, or is unwilling to undergo the dental procedure. Children with special needs (mental retardation, mental illness, autism, traumatic brain injury) and medical issues will also need pharmacological methods.

Sedation involves using a drug or multiple drugs to suppress the central nervous system (CNS), to limit the patient’s cognizance of their surroundings. Depending on the level of dosage, the sedation may be general, conscious, or deep. Sedation does not stop any pain from occuring. Kids that have a minor systemic disease that does not cause any functional limitation, can be considered eligible for sedation.

Cognitive therapy

A patient’s thoughts and emotions are aligned, and their actions are based on their thoughts. Thought and expectations prompt different feelings and physiological reactions. Anxious patients usually have wrong notions and expectations about dental procedures. Helping them curb such negative thoughts is a method of reducing dental anxiety. Cognitive treatment techniques focus on changing and restructuring the basis of negative beliefs and help them control the negative thoughts. The kid-friendly dentist will attempt to distract the child from their fears using different cognitive methods such as distraction, encouragement, guided imagery, altering expectations, focusing attention, and thought stopping.

Positive reinforcements

This is an effective method used by a kid-friendly dentist to reward good behavior and encourage the recurrence of such behavior. The methods used could be a facial expression, positive voice modulation, verbal praise, and suitable physical display of affection by members of the dental team.

Distraction

Distraction means diverting the patient’s attention from what they may believe is an uncomfortable treatment. This causes a reduced perception of discomfort and stops negative or avoidance attitudes. Giving patients a brief break after a stressful dental procedure can be an effective way of distracting them before considering a more advanced behavior adjustment method. The dentist can use technologies for visual and auditory distraction, including a TV set, background music, computer games, and 2D or 3D glasses for movies.

Increasing control

Many patients often fear losing control when undergoing a treatment procedure. The dentist can reassure the patient by describing the treatment procedure and the techniques used to ensure their safety. The patient can get more control by learning about the process and with behavioral control.

Final note

A kid-friendly dentist can use different techniques to alleviate their patient’s fears and make them more comfortable when they sit in the dental chair. If your child is dealing with a form of dental anxiety, do not hesitate to talk to the dentist about anxiety-managing techniques.

Request an appointment here: https://dentistinsanclemente.com or call Nina Basti DDS at (949) 201-4719 for an appointment in our San Clemente office.

Check out what others are saying about our dental services on Yelp: Kid Friendly Dentist in San Clemente, CA.

Recent Posts

How Does A Kid Friendly A Dentist Replace Kids' Missing Teeth?

Wondering how a kid friendly dentist replaces a child's missing teeth? There are a few options that can be explored, however, it is good for parents to know that the process can be involved. Additionally, children are not always keen on the idea of tooth replacement, which often requires the help of a kid friendly…

A Kid Friendly Dentist Shares Important Child Dental Milestones

A kid friendly dentist assists parents and their child through each step of teeth development, from the first emerging tooth to the removal of wisdom teeth if necessary during the teenage years. It is helpful for parents to learn more about dental milestones for chilren and how a kid friendly dentist can help with each…

A Kid-friendly Dentist Reveals Important Information About Child Thumb-sucking

A kid-friendly dentist does more than clean teeth. Pediatric dentists also go over issues such as thumb-sucking, so parents understand the impact on the child’s oral health. Find out what a dentist has to say about thumb-sucking, so you will know if it is healthy or if your child should stop.It is normal for infants…

A Kid-Friendly Dentist Answers FAQs About Baby Teeth

Finding a kid-friendly dentist can be one of the most important steps to ensuring that your child starts off with strong oral health practices. While some people may feel that caring for primary teeth, or “baby teeth,” is not as important as caring for permanent teeth because the baby teeth will fall out anyway, this…

Nina Basti DDS

Share
Published by
Nina Basti DDS

Recent Posts

Why Clear Braces Are a Popular Option for Teeth Straightening

Straightening the teeth can take months or years before achieving the desired result, as they…

1 week ago

Same-Day Denture Options

Wondering about what same-day dentures are and if they work? Check out this article now…

1 week ago

When Should You Replace an Old Dental Filling?

Replacing old dental fillings is a part of good oral healthcare from time to time.

1 month ago

How Dental Implants Improve Oral Health and Function

The stability of this restoration keeps the teeth in place, resulting in more comfortable speech…

2 months ago

3 Tips to Prepare for Root Canal Treatment

There is no need to be apprehensive about a root canal appointment. Many people believe…

2 months ago

See a Laser Dentist for a Painless Treatment

Laser dentistry is a painless, minimally invasive procedure that usually does not require an anesthetic…

3 months ago