Children’s Dental Anxiety
Many youngsters suffer from dental phobia. As parents, we are hesitant to place our children in circumstances that could cause them fear or discomfort, which may discourage us from getting the essential treatment for our children’s healthy dental growth. Dental anxiety is a serious issue, and if you or your kid suffers from it, you understand how debilitating it can be.
What are the Symptoms and Signs of Dental Fear?
Parents of children with dental anxiety are often unaware of the warning symptoms. These signs and symptoms vary by person, but your kid is likely to encounter one or more of the following:
- Restlessness or difficulty sleeping the night before a dental appointment
- Feeling emotional or tearful before, during, or after a dental appointment
- Despite the cold ambient temperature, flushed cheeks or perspiration
- Feeling irritable or easily irritated?
- The sensation of fainting or dizziness
- Constantly feeling ill in the hopes that dental visits would be canceled at the last minute
What Does Your Child Fear?
The first step in treating children’s dental anxiety is to figure out why they are terrified of the kids dentist. Fears in children might arise for a variety of reasons. However, the majority of youngsters who suffer from dental anxiety do so because they are afraid of:
1. Breathing Problems
Patients have their mouths open throughout a dental appointment, both during the exam and during the cleaning. Breathing normally might be challenging in this posture, especially if the youngster is prone to breathing through their lips. Though a youngster has had a dental operation that included gauze or tools in their mouth for an extended period of time, the recollection of feeling as if breathing was more difficult – even if it wasn’t – may be enough to cause anxiety the next time they head to the kids dentist.
2. Powerlessness
A youngster may feel out of control when lying in a dentist chair with another person’s hands in their mouth. If their mouth is hindered, they may be unable to speak properly if anything hurts or feels uncomfortable.
This condition might be frightening for a youngster since they are unable to employ their natural instincts to flee a frightening or painful circumstance. A competent family-friendly dentist will provide youngsters options for keeping some control throughout their visit. The kids dentist may teach them how to use a hand gesture to indicate when something hurts or give them control of a television remote during a dental cleaning.
3. Pain
A dentist strives to be compassionate with all of his patients, regardless of their age. However, there are situations when anything may hurt or feel uncomfortable, particularly during a dental operation.
Maybe your child had dental treatment done by a dentist who wasn’t gentle or didn’t properly medicate them before a procedure. Even when going to the kids dentist for a checkup, that encounter may induce dental anxiety. If a kid has dental treatment, sedation can be used to lessen their awareness of what’s going on as well as the amount of pain and suffering they experience.
4. Irrational Fear
It might be tough to define what makes a youngster anxious about going to the dentist. Perhaps they overheard a youngster or adult describe a traumatic dental operation. Perhaps they have a sensory impairment that makes dealing with the noises and smells of a dentist clinic challenging. Maybe they’re afraid because they have no idea what to anticipate.
Dental anxiety can be caused by a fear of the unknown. If a youngster hasn’t had frequent dental checks or has gone too long between appointments, he or she may be unsure of what to anticipate. Or they may have forgotten what happened on their previous visit.
Why is it important to treat or cure dental anxiety?
The most serious issue with dental anxiety is that it frequently leads to patients avoiding necessary dental treatment. As your child develops into an adult, this may become a vicious cycle. Avoiding the dentist just adds to your worry, and anxiety leads to more avoidance of important care. The longer someone goes without dental treatment, the worse their oral health becomes. The increasing state of dental illnesses raises dental concerns as a result of the awareness that worsening disease necessitates more extensive treatment, adding to dental anxiety.
Aside from jeopardizing your child’s oral health, avoiding the dentist makes them less familiar with the sights, sounds, and other sensations associated with a pediatric dental appointment, leading to an ever-increasing dread of the unknown. The longer you are away from the dentist, the more frightening any dental operation becomes in a young person’s psyche, and the more difficult it is to return.
We hope it gives you comfort to know that most children with dental anxiety outgrow their fear as they become older and have more pleasant encounters. Many symptoms of dental anxiety will be resolved by adulthood if you try to increase your child’s comfort level with the dentist while they are young.
Dental phobia in children may be perplexing and frustrating for parents. Understanding why children are fearful and determining the best strategy to help them overcome their anxieties may be tough. My Pedia Clinic is dedicated to assisting all of our patients in overcoming their dental phobia and living their best lives with healthy teeth and gums. We practice dentistry in a patient-centered manner, which means we prioritize our patients.
We can assist you if your child suffers from dental phobia. Make an appointment with Dr Yasmin in Dubai today.