Chidren's dental care in Campbellford is available from Bridge Street Dental Centre. We take dental health in children seriously. It is important to get off to a great start in oral health, and making sure that good dental practices are established as a routine part of daily life is important in the early years. You can read a little more about how to do this in my blog at: http://www.bridgestreetdental.com/2013/01/31/taking-children-to-the-dentist/ Bridge Street Dental Centre 51 Bridge Street East, Campbellford, Ontario K0L 1L0 705-653-2221

1. Taking
Children to
the Dentist

2. The Basis of Fear
Many people learn an unusual
fear of dentists as children. Young
children watch cartoonish and
comedic characterizations of
dentists and dental offices on the
TV starting at a very young
age. These depictions are rarely • Many learn a fear of dentists
flattering. Of course, children can as children.
also pick up emotions and feeling • TV and cartoons often depict
from parents very readily. While dentists as unflattering.
we might be telling them there is
• Children also pick up
nothing to worry about at the parent’s emotions, so it’s
dentists, our body language could important to watch our body
be giving us away. language.

3. What to tell Children
Telling the child that dentists and
their staff are expert at cleaning
teeth, and can do a better job
than we can at home, ties the
activities in the dentist’s office
back to an activity at home, teeth
cleaning. And in the early • Tell children that dentists
years, that is the most likely and their staff are experts.
activity to take place in a young
• Dentists can do a better job
child’s mouth. They have cleaning our teeth.
experienced parents helping
them clean their teeth, and that • This helps tie brushing your
teeth at home with the basic
was not a scary experience, so activities at a dental office.
there should be no need to fear
the same activity at the dentists.

4. What NOT to tell Children
I don’t advise you to go into great
details about what the child
should expect. For
example, describing the range of
picks, hooks, scrapers, drills and
bits that a person may be exposed
to over the course of their dental • Don’t give children too many
history is probably counter- details.
productive. Also, I don’t advise
• Telling them the details of
you to tell your children, “Look at tools and other personal
Elisa. She’s not afraid of the history can be too much.
dentist.” Setting a child up as a
• Don’t use older siblings as
role model can put undue role models. This can put
pressure on the other child. unnecessary pressure on the
younger child.

5. Systematic Desensitization
When people have a dental
phobia, psychologists often use a
technique called Systematic
Desensitization. It involves slowly
taking the patient through a
series of steps, starting with the
least fearful, and teaching them • Dental phobias can be
addressed.
to relax each step along the way.
• Systematic Desensitization
includes a series of
steps, starting with the least
fearful.
• Patients go through this
process learning how to relax
through the steps.

6. Moving Forward
By getting your children into the
dental office in a non-threatening
way, and showing them that there
is nothing to fear, you are able to
get the jump on phobia
formation, and prevent it from
happening. This way in future, • Non-threatening dental visits
can show children that there
even if there is some pain or is nothing to fear.
discomfort associated with a
procedure, there will be a • This can address any phobias
before they form.
previous load of experiences that
were pain free and comfortable to • If there is discomfort or pain
balance out negative feelings. in the future, children will
have many pain-free
experiences to balance out.

7. Bridge Street Dental Centre
www.bridgestreetdental.com
lori.bsdc@eastlink.ca
705.653.2221
1.877.653.2226