Dental treatment in modern dental centers practically does not cause pain for patients, but many people continue to experience a real horror of visits to the doctor. And if adults are able to gather their will into a fist for the sake of a beautiful smile or health, then for children such an act is simply impossible. How to persuade a child to have dental treatment and relieve him of the fear of this procedure?

Dentophobia and its causes

All people experience mild nervousness before visiting the dental office, but sometimes just the thought of it causes panic attacks or real hysteria. A similar phenomenon, which is called dentophobia, can occur at any age, but is most often observed in children.

Like any other phobia, the fear of dental procedures does not arise on empty space- it is preceded by certain provoking factors.

It should be noted that dentophobia, which originates in childhood, will accompany a person throughout his life and cause serious problems, so the main task of parents is to dispel all the fears of the baby as early as possible.

The main mistakes of parents

Almost all the causes of dentophobia can be combined in one general characteristic Is the wrong behavior of adults.

Some of the most common mistakes parents make include the following situations:

• the child “meets” the doctor not under normal circumstances, but when a serious trouble arises (for example,);
• lack of motivation for treatment - parents do not tell their child how important it is to go to the dentist and maintain healthy teeth;
• the use of violence, blackmail or threats - when a baby needs to pull out a tooth, adults often forcefully hold him in place or scare him with scary things;
• a visit to the doctor is carried out at an uncomfortable time for the child - for example, when he is used to sleeping or playing;
• deceiving parents - on the eve of the procedure, the little patient is told that nothing special will happen to him, but in fact he will be in severe pain.

How to persuade a kid to treat teeth?

So that the future process of treatment does not cause fear in the baby, you can use simple and understandable psychological techniques.

The game

Games in a child's life occupy a key place - it is with their help that he learns the world and seeks its place in it. To change the color of the future event and remove fear, you can lose to the doctor. Let the baby try to treat the teeth of dolls or toy soldiers - having tried on the role of a doctor, he learns that the dentist does not want to hurt at all, but, on the contrary, wants to help the patient cope with the problem. If the child does not want to turn into a doctor, you can change the rules and give him a place for a patient, and one of the parents will become a dentist. The purpose of such entertainment is to "play" the situation and make it less frightening for the child.

Reward

The reward is a good incentive to persuade children, but the reward should not be too direct or it will turn into a bad habit. Promising a kid a toy or candy for treating his teeth is at least unproductive. On the other hand, an argument such as health or a beautiful smile is not enough for children, so the reward must be material. Parents can choose the following tactics: "After the doctor treats your teeth, we will go to ice cream or to the cinema." In this case, instead of imagining the eerie pictures of the treatment, the child will experience pleasant emotions from the upcoming event.

In this case, one should act very carefully, focusing not on the gift itself, but on the health of the teeth, otherwise, over time, the baby will learn to manipulate the parents, begging for new toys in exchange for performing any unpleasant duties.

Fairy tale

Such option will do for parents with a good imagination. You need to come up with a fairy tale that can save the baby from negativity before the upcoming procedure. For example, you can write a story that evil monsters live in sick teeth, which are kicked out by a good doctor.

Idols

Every child has an idol that he seeks to emulate - usually cartoon characters or movie heroes. You can try to play on this affection and set an idol as an example for a child - for example, say that Superman or Batman is certainly not afraid of dentists. However, you should not humiliate the baby by comparing with your favorite character - it is better to come up with a story that Batman and Superman were also afraid to go to the doctor, but became brave after they realized that there was nothing wrong with visiting the office.

Superman at the dentist - why not?

crowding out

For older children who are afraid of the dental chair, you can play a game called "Crowding out". To do this, you should draw up a table of fears and assess the level of each of them on a scale from 1 to 5 - it may look like this.

Table. Children's fears when visiting the dentist.

After that, according to the compiled table, you should analyze each version of fear and understand where it came from. Perhaps the child was once frightened by the sound of a drill, or he had to face a too strict doctor, which is why the fear of dentists arose. Sometimes such a simple technique allows you to completely get rid of dentophobia.

After visiting the doctor, it is imperative to praise the child and give him the opportunity to speak out his emotions and fears. As a result of this approach, the next visit to the dentist will be much easier, and over time, such events will become a habit.

Video - How to persuade a child to treat teeth

Good day, my readers! Remember your first visit to the dentist as a child? This is not forgotten, right? After reading the post, be sure to share your stories in this regard. In the meantime, I'll tell you mine.

A dentist with a drill in his hands "overtook" me for the first time in about the 3rd grade primary school... My classmates and I stood at the dentist's office, waiting for a simple examination. Some were afraid, others ran away altogether and hid in the restroom. I proudly waited for my turn to leave the doctor with the air of a winner, because everyone was always amazed at how white and healthy my teeth were. And so I come in. The dentist, a woman with red curly hair, ordered me to sit in a chair. I boldly made myself comfortable. “Hmm, I see a small hole,” the doctor frowned. - Let's heal.

Well, I never expected such a turn, and all shrank when I saw the terrible shiny tools. Yes, these are instruments of torture, which is why I didn’t notice them before. It is already difficult to describe my feelings when the drill was working in my mouth. It was painful, disgusting, and it all ended with the fact that, because of a tiny point on the tooth, they drilled it out almost completely and covered it with a terrible brown (!) Filling. Taking this opportunity, I say hello to the very "tooth fairy" who for a long time discouraged me from treating my teeth.

Fortunately, all conditions are created for modern children so that they go to the dentist's office not with trembling knees, but with a smile. But it happens that despite all the tricks, the child does not allow teeth to be treated, what to do in this case? Shall we figure it out?

Example with a "+"

Scientists have proven that fear does not arise out of nowhere. Initially, a baby who has never seen a dentist and has not treated his teeth does not have it! It is taken ... from us, parents. Admit it, for sure, you have repeatedly discussed your own trips to the stomatologist with your little ones, describing in detail how this time the doctor "committed atrocities". A child's subconscious mind absorbs such things like a sponge.

In the child's understanding, a toothbrush is a monster that does not heal, but causes even more pain and suffering. Therefore, the first thing to remember is to keep your emotions to yourself. Take into account following tips a psychologist, and try to comply with them.

• Do not scare your baby with doctors! Anyone: dental, surgeon, therapist. Try to form a positive image of a doctor in the baby, as in the fairy tale about Aibolit: "He will heal everyone, heal ..."
• Never tell your child, "You are acting like a little / like a naughty girl." It doesn't work! Let me give you an example of my son's favorite dentist. He always in an absolutely calm tone, not reacting to the incipient hysteria of the little patient, says: "Ivan, what are you, you are a man!" And lo and behold, my child calms down and even opens his mouth wider, filled with pride in himself.
• Talk more about the benefits of dental treatment in a playful way. Find poems on this topic on the Internet, or you can compose your own fairy tale with your baby and remember it every time before going to the doctor.
• After your own visits to the dentist, never show negative emotions... Instead, talk about how much better you feel right now. For clarity, smile broadly, showing the baby "repaired" beautiful teeth.

First impression

For the first time, the baby will get acquainted with the dentist during a scheduled medical examination in 1 year. Tell your child in advance that the doctor is very kind, good, he wants to take care of your teeth and will just see how well they grow, whether they are sick. You can visit the dentist's office "on an excursion" in advance, look at the posters on the walls, touch the appalling-looking equipment. Then, having come to the appointment, the little patient will feel already in a familiar environment and will not be so afraid.

Now there are many private clinics where doctors are dressed in bright costumes, chairs stylized as strange animals, cars or airplanes. It shows cartoons and is full of toys. How can you not want to come here again and again? Therefore, if you have the means, it is better to take your child to such a "fabulous" dentistry. Let him only have good memories of dental treatment from childhood.

"Reward" for courage

It happens that the first visit to the dentist did not go well. For example, the doctor spoke rudely and sharply, raised his voice to his parents in order to hold the intractable patient more tightly. Believe me, it happens. How to be in this situation? After such stressful visits, it can be very difficult to restore the “tarnished” reputation of dentists. But you need to try. They are not all like that. For some, this is really a vocation, they know how to find an approach to any child and do their job perfectly.

It is important to find exactly "your" doctor, to whom the baby will always go with pleasure, not as an execution, but as a friendly meeting. It is not forbidden to reward a child for good behavior and patience in dentistry with toys or sweets. Just be sure to keep your promise.

He didn't cry, opened his mouth wide, behaved like an adult - get a gift. Remember, "stick" is contraindicated here, only "carrot", gentle words, patient explanations. You must make sure that the dentist is a kind tooth fairy for the kid, not a monster.

Milk teeth, although temporary, are very important to preserve their health. Do not forget to clean them regularly, visit the dentist at least once every six months. I am sure that now you will go there without fear. You know how to act.

And now I’ll leave you for a little while, but you don’t disperse. You can leave your remarks and comments below. When I return, I will definitely read them. Bye Bye!

Each visit to the dental office is a cause of panic for the baby and a test of the nerves of his parents, even if the treatment will take place under anesthesia. About how to persuade a baby to treat teeth and whether this material should be done.

Psychologists believe that specifically persuading a baby to treat teeth is a futile occupation and does not give any effect. Any persuasion gives your pet a reason to suspect that something not entirely pleasant awaits him outside the dentist's door. For a visit to a dental specialist, even for preventive purposes, psychological preparation of the child is required, and the sooner you start doing it, the better it will be for him.

It is no secret that parents are an example for children to follow in every little detail, so it will be useful to convince the kid that regular visits to the dentist are a necessary attribute of adult life. It will be better if the first visit to the dentist does not cause unpleasant memories in the child, in this case, all subsequent visits to the dental office will pass without whims and will give the children only positive emotions or the painfulness of the procedures will be eased by anesthesia.

You should never discuss with children someone else's experience of dental treatment, especially unsuccessful ones. Also, there is no need to apply negative epithets and verbs "to tear", etc. to dentists. There will be no need to strengthen the already negative aura that has formed around dental offices and make them so undesirable for young patients.

It is a good idea to give the baby a gift, such as a toy, during a visit to the doctor. And it is better to let the doctor do it, thus establishing friendly relations with the little patient. You will see that the child will even expect the next trip to the hospital and be less afraid of him, the main thing is that the cost of the presentation does not give the child a reason to blackmail the parents.

If you already have to treat your teeth at the toddler, you need to do this openly, without deceiving him, that the procedure will be absolutely painless. By this you are trying to persuade, first of all, yourself. Your fear for the child in an incomprehensible way extends to the baby and he, despite all your persuasions, begins to be capricious. Speaking about possible unpleasant sensations, you unconsciously set up the baby to endure real pain, which he naturally fears, regardless of whether anesthesia will be used or not.

In order to persuade a baby to go to have teeth treated, you do not need to insist too much, it is important that he voluntarily agree to this procedure, and not do it to please you. It is not worth making promises that it will only consist of a superficial examination and that it will not hurt or that anesthesia will be used. Faced with reality and realizing that he was deceived, the child will become even more afraid of visits to the doctor, it will be more difficult to persuade him to go to the clinic, and worst of all, he will lose a share of trust in medical workers and in dad and mom. The advice is best to be in a similar situation very frank with the baby.

The ability of a child to persuade him to treat his teeth largely depends on the qualifications of the clinic staff. It is preferable if competent and kind doctors will treat teeth in a calm atmosphere and do it with love. Dental offices designed for children are often equipped with equipment for playing cartoons, games and toys, and teeth are treated mainly under anesthesia. Many private employers demand that doctors who work with children can effectively and quickly cope with the fear of the dentist, stop being afraid of it. Many parents are embarrassed by the high prices in private dental offices, but treatment of dental problems in a child resulting from unprofessional provision of services will be more expensive, and it will be easier to persuade a child to treat teeth in a private clinic. An attempt to save money on the health of children will not lead to anything good, but will only worsen the condition of the crumbs, this should not be done.

Video "How to teach a kid to brush his teeth"

Why you shouldn't be afraid of the dentist

Before trying to persuade a child to treat teeth even under anesthesia, parents need to overcome their fear of the dentist themselves, or rather, to the pain that the child will no longer endure in the dental chair, perhaps without anesthesia. Children tend to feel such fear. And there is practically nothing to be afraid of. Modern equipment and technologies used in pediatric dentistry allow most operations to be performed without pain. it comes not only about the use of anesthesia. Special equipment and medicines that have replaced the "terrible" boring machines have significantly humanized the face of a modern dentist, so there is no need to persuade children to visit a modern dental office, where children have fun and eagerly spend their time and are not afraid of being afraid.

If the fear of dental procedures, no matter whether they are performed with or without anesthesia, you can try to overcome it by personal example.

For this, one of the parents will have to make a visit to the dental clinic, it is important that the child is present. Moreover, the visit to the doctor should be done in a cheerful and festive mood. After you show your child the healthy and strong teeth that you received as a result of a visit to the clinic, it will not be difficult to persuade the child to follow you, because this will show you what kind of adult he is and is not at all afraid. At least, this is the kind of reaction most psychologists expect from children.

But still, material incentives are the most in an efficient way persuade the child to go to dental treatment, even if it is insignificant in cost. It is important that if the child was promised, for example, a toy after visiting the clinic, he must definitely receive it, and without any excuses. If this does not happen, then trust in the family will be lost for a long time. A radical way, which can be compared to a little blackmail, is the case when the desired gift is presented after, and not before the baby has made a visit to the dental office, which the baby is so afraid of.

In all of the above methods, it is important that the baby independently gives his consent to treat the teeth. Any means of coercion are unacceptable here. The slightest use of force can permanently discourage a child's desire to have teeth treated, if there was such a thing before. And it is necessary to treat them, because any complications in oral cavity in an infant, entail intractable diseases, the treatment of which will be expensive or do not give the expected results.

Video "How to prepare a baby for a dentist visit"

In the video, you will learn what to tell your first child so that he is not afraid to go to the dentist's appointment.

How did you decide?

A child (a boy of 7 years old) has a toothache, for almost a week.
We come to the clinic, sit in a chair, and either turn away, or grit his teeth, does not allow treatment.
And at home he screams almost all day, due to the fact that the tooth really hurts.
A day ago, I did not doze at midnight as a result of this, we agreed that we would now go and pull out (since we will not treat, and the tooth is milk), we came to the clinic, again the same nonsense.
And without that for the 3rd day in a row
Threats, bribery - nothing helps, there is one answer to all - I would rather suffer, but I will not give treatment.

Can anyone come across such a problem.
How did you decide?
A child (a boy of 7 years old) has a toothache, for almost a week. ...

At the age of 5-6 years, this trouble was solved only in this way - the necessary toy was bought in advance and given to the doctor (the clinic is paid, based on this it is very easy to negotiate). And the child goes to the office without a mother - with a doctor and for the right thing a large number of do not be capricious. The toy is given only at the end of the treatment, respectively.

At the age of 5-6 years, this trouble was solved only in this way - the necessary toy was bought in advance and given to the doctor (the clinic is paid, on the basis of this to negotiate.

When we were 6 years old, 2 pulp teeth were found. Before leading the child, she went around the clinics for a license to treat children and listened on the spot how they were communicated there. I left the state right away when I heard the doctor's shout about the child and his mother. I found a good commercial one, had previously conducted an educational conversation with the child about the unaestheticness of sick teeth, the ability to eat only porridge and in a more adult state, under no circumstances, did not get married. The first time I decided to attend the treatment. But because I was more worried about the child, and even with a belly several days before the hospital, I was politely asked to wait in the corridor. But I managed to consider the main thing: the child is not afraid, the doctors are skillful, they are excellent. They also gave a bunch of all sorts of rubbish. The main thing is that the child bought a positive experience during the first dental treatment. And I myself am afraid of them from childhood to a nightmare.

When we were 6 years old, 2 pulp teeth were found. Before leading the child, she went around the clinics for a license to treat children and listened on the spot how they were there.

It all started with an unsuccessful treatment at a state clinic (or rather, an unsuccessful doctor). The doctor decided to treat his teeth without anesthesia, in her defense, she later said the children fear the injection more than the treatment. If I were there, I would kill her for sure
Since that time (half a year already) in the dentition not a foot.

This Monday I had a toothache, I had to remove it, on Wednesday the second got sick, we went to children's dentistry 3 times.
But. unsuccessfully.
All 3 days I sobbed all day in pain, as punishment I sat without a TV, computer and friends.
Bottom line - I'd rather suffer, but I won't heal.

On Sunday we went to a private clinic, examined the dal, but no cleaned, not to mention the treatment.
Yes, and the doctor said, there will be no cure, you need to remove it.

It would be possible to remove it by force, holding it, but.
Nafig spoil the psyche, already broken.
Let's go to 9-ku, remove under non-specialized anesthesia.

It all started with an unsuccessful treatment at a state clinic (or rather, an unsuccessful doctor). The doctor decided to treat his teeth without anesthesia, in her own defense, she later said.

Exactly. I say that the first time is the most important. And it was necessary to seriously prepare for it. And you really shouldn't hold by force. A child must trust his parents, and does not understand that this is for his own good. It turns out to be well-intentioned.
In commercial clinics, by the way, they treat only with anesthesia. They also consulted with us which one is better. They say that now they not only give an injection, but also puff something like an aerosol. In any case, Nadya did not feel the injection.
on this moment She has a very normal attitude to dentists, really, there is nothing to treat. And the milk teeth either fall out by themselves, or we pull out by the thread, giving the word all sorts of blessings for patience.
We were treated in Union Trade Plus, on Lunacharskiy 51. (This is in the next house from the Titanic, around the corners - shop 9+). Tel. 370-32-32. If it hurts - we will go in that direction again. Perhaps because in that direction only go to the consultation. If you don't like it, you won't be treated.

Exactly. I say that the first time is the most important. And it was necessary to seriously prepare for it. And you really shouldn't hold by force. Dove child.