Dental 4 Less, Tips for Reducing Children Dental Anxiety – Distraction
Distraction can be useful in minimizing your child dental anxiety. There are several methods of distraction to consider. Such as if your child is playing with a toy in the waiting room, it may be possible that the toy could also serve to distract the child in the dental chair. Obviously, not all toys or procedures are amenable to this strategy, but it should at least be considered.
Dialogue with you and or the dentist may serve as a way to distract your child. Initially, the dentist can attempt to engage the child in a discussion about a pleasant topic. This will not only distract the child, but will also serve to build rapport. However, once a procedure is initiated, the child will be unable to participate in conversation.
Another form of distraction is visualization. You or the dentist can ask your child to visualize a pleasant experience, such as a recent birthday party or trip to an amusement park. For this strategy to be effective, the child must really feel as though he or she is re-experiencing a particular event.
Finally, television, videotapes, and video games are terrific distracters. Bring them with you and check with the dentist as to see which would be best to use as you want the child to be distracted but they also still need be able to listen to the dentist at times for directions that may be needed.