A lot of parents find it very difficult to bring their children to see a dentist. Some of the children are very scared of dentist or dentist office because they may have the association of pain in dental treatment or consultation. I find the following ways may be helpful to help children when parents need to bring them for dental treatment.



1)Counting Exercise

It is very useful for the younger children. The children can practise counting exercises to reduce their anxiety of seeing a dentist. The parents ask the children to count the number of their favourite food or toys. If the children cannot think of anything, the parents will simply count 1-20 by heart during the dental treatment. When their attention focuses on counting, it helps to cope with pain.

2)Imaginary Exercise

Most of the children have good imaginary power. They like to imagine themselves as their heroes. The parents may encourage children to capture the quality of bravery of their heroes to face difficulties, such as during dental treatment and so on. The children imagine that their good friends, i.e. their heroes, will support them to go through the challenges. This imaginary exercise is more suitable for older children.

3) Breathing Exercise

The children can learn the simple breathing exercise. The parents may teach the children to breathe in and out the air for relaxation. It is just likes blowing a balloon. If the child inflates a balloon, it becomes bigger as it is filled with air. If the child deflates a balloon, all the air comes out of it. This is an effective exercise to help children to cope with their anxiety.

In conclusion, the counting exercise is more suitable for the younger children and the imaginary exercise is more suitable to help older children to cope with pain. The practice of relaxation exercises of counting, imaginary and breathing will help to alleviate the anxiety of children before seeing a dentist. Coping with difficulty is one of the most important life skills for parents and children. Both parents and children will learn how to cope with the stressful situation of seeing a dentist as time goes by. When you are in need of help, you can seek advice from a dentist to help you and your children to cope with the dental treatment or you can go to the dentist that is specialized to provide dental treatment for children.

Disclaimers: The author shares this article based on her personal and work experience and disclaims any responsibility for any liability, losses or damages and /or application of any of contents of this article.