Dental Anxiety in Children

Patients who feel anxious about seeing the dentist have nothing to worry about at All Coast Dental. We offer anesthetic and sedation options that are safe for all ages and ensure everyone will have a pain-free appointment. However, the thought of going to the dentist is often stressful, especially for children, which is why we wanted to offer some guidance.

Dentists typically recommend that a child’s first dental appointment be made when their first tooth begins to erupt and be scheduled for every six months thereafter. Nevertheless, some psychological preparation is usually necessary when children are old enough to know about the appointment ahead of time. The best advice is to keep things casual. If a parent repeatedly tells a child to be brave or that there will be a reward later, they are sending the message that they expect the appointment to be difficult. Children tend to pick up most of their attitude from their parents, so if a child is nervous, the parent may need to ask their partner to accompany the child instead. It is not usually necessary to explain any more than that the doctors and hygienists want to help keep people’s teeth clean and healthy. We can give provide the child with more thorough explanations for what we are doing, if they want, and provide them with an opportunity to explore the chair and learn about our tools.

Drs. Julie and Joseph Boulos operate All Coast Dental at 2180 Garnet Ave, Suite 1-K, Pacific Beach, California, 92109. To schedule an appointment, call 858-270-4904 or visit All Coast Dental and fill out a contact sheet.