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Visiting The Dentist For The First Time: How To Ease Your Child's Anxiety

29 December 2014 by Joann Dunn

Is your child feeling a bit anxious about their first visit to the dentist? If so, you should know that there is a way you can not only ease your child's anxiety, but even turn this experience into a bonding experience for you and your child. Below you will learn more about how you can accomplish this goal through the use of role-play.

The Fear Of The Unknown

For many children, the anxiety they feel before visiting the dentist for the first time is a result of their natural fear of the unknown. Consequently, the more the understand about the dental care process, the less fearful they will be. In fact, arming your child with information may even help them to turn their anxiety into anticipation as they become more and more excited to experience the dental procedures they have been learning about.

Role -play can be a wonderful way of teaching your child about what they can expect during their first dental visit without overwhelming them in the process. This is because through role -play, you will be able to teach your child in a fun and engaging way rather than simply giving them dry information to try and process.

Making The Most Of Your Role-playing Experience

When role-playing with your child, it is important that you give them the opportunity to take on the role of both the patient and the dentist. This will allow them to learn about the actions that their dentist will take and observe the appropriate reaction to these procedures.

To start your role-playing session, ask your child to let you take on the role of the dentist while they play the role of the patient. This will allow you to demonstrate for your child what they can expect their dentist to do during their upcoming visit.

It is important that you are providing your child with accurate information during this time, so if you have never observed your child's dentist in the past, you will want to contact their office prior to beginning your role playing session in order to get more information you can pass along to your child.

After completing your child's mock appointment, invite your child to switch places and take on the role of the dentist, while you play the patient. This will allow them to demonstrate to you that they did absorb all of the information you just gave them. This step will also allow your child to observe your reactions as you go through the pretend exam so that they can copy these actions on the day of their real exam.

In Conclusion

A child's imagination can be a very powerful tool. Unfortunately, just as this creative gift can help children to accomplish amazing things, it can also work against them as they imagine fearful situations when venturing outside of their comfort zone. By using role play to address your child's anxiety issues regarding the dentist, you will be able to tap into the power of their imagination in a positive way, ultimately allowing you to ease your child's fears while bonding with them in the process. Have more questions? Contact a company like North Phoenix Pediatric Dentistry to learn more.

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