If you have a child who is afraid of going to the dentist, even if you have taken them several times, there are ways that you can help them deal with that anxiety. If you can help them be less anxious, it will serve them well for the rest of their life. So, what are some of the things that you can do to help your child deal with that anxiety?

Watch Children's Shows

There are a lot of children's shows out there that deal with things like visiting doctors and dentists. The main characters of those shows will go to see the dentist, and they will talk to their parents about why they may be worried about going to the dentist. That can show your child that even though Elmo might be nervous, he goes to the dentist, and everything is OK. 

Role Playing

Another thing that you can do is to play some role playing games with your child. You can pretend to be the dentist and look at their mouth and help them feel more comfortable. You can also let your child pretend to be the dentist and  have them look at your teeth and tell you all the things that may be wrong. You could also pretend to be the child and your child can pretend to be you, and you can tell them that you are nervous about going to the dentist and let them try to help you work through it. This will probably work better with younger children, although even an older child may benefit from play-acting scenarios.

Discussion

If your child is older and can reason through some of their issues, you can sit down and talk about what is bothering them. Then you will be able to do some brainstorming with them to try to find solutions. Hopefully being able to do that will alleviate your child's anxiety and let them feel more comfortable with going to the dentist. Your child may not want to sit down and talk to you, so you might want to do something else while you are talking to them, because it can be easier to have a conversation while you and your child aren't looking at each other and looking at each other. 

If your child is nervous about going to the dentist, there are things that you can do that will help get through their appointments easier so that they are taking care of their dental health. Contact a dentist for kids for more help.