Fear of Dentists
I have had more than my fair share of dental work done despite taking good care of my teeth. I brush twice daily, and floss regularly (promise!) but I still usually need a follow up appointment after my annual checkup to take care of an issue or two. My dentist is actually a really nice bloke. He always takes the time to have a chat and make me feel settled before getting me to say “Aah...” Even so, I can’t say I really enjoy visiting him. And you can imagine that I wasn’t thrilled about the prospect of taking my three year old daughter to the dentist with me for the first time this week. As with immunisations, I reminded myself that this was in her best interests, no matter how much I disliked it. I also reminded myself that as her mother it was my job to prepare her to be able to deal with the experience. I guess I really began preparing her quite some time ago. I remember talking to her last year about my trip to the dentist. She was only two, but I told her that I was going to get my teeth cleaned with the dentist’s “super brush” so that they would sparkle. When I returned, I showed off my clean teeth (and didn’t mope around or demand TLC from my hubby – at least until after she was in bed). She got the idea that going to the dentist was a good thing, and I told her that she could come with me when she was three. A few weeks ago, when the annual reminder letter arrived in the mail, I showed it to her excitedly and we booked our appointments together. In the week leading up to our visit we talked about what would happen. I didn’t sit her down and have a serious chat. I just looked for opportunities in the conversations that naturally happened. When we were sitting on a chair together one evening I told her all about the dentist’s awesome chair that she’d get to ride in. When we brushed our teeth we talked about the “super brush” and how it would be different from her toothbrush. We laughed about how it would make a funny noise. On the day of our visit (which I didn’t call D-Day) she was more than happy to go and meet the dentist. She had nothing to fear, and I did my best to push any fear I had aside for her sake. I know she was apprehensive once we got in there. It smelled funny, the machines were strange, and the chair wasn’t quite what she had imagined. But she held my hand, looked to me for reassurance, and trusted me. I was so proud of her. Not only did she open up for the dentist, but she let him scratch and poke around her teeth, and clean them with his “super brush” too. I wouldn’t say that she enjoyed it, but she came out of the experience still smiling and speaks positively about her first trip. Just for that – I’m proud of me. Have you taken your child to the dentist for their first trip yet? Come and share your experience in the discussion forum!
Catherine Oehlman is a SAHM currently being raised by a terrific toddler and a curious crawler. Her background in primary education, love of the mothering journey and compulsion for writing collide on her SquiggleMum blog. Cath encourages other parents from all walks of life to maximise the time they spend with their children.
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Did you know that we are only born with two inherent fears? The fear of loud noises, and the fear of falling. Apparently the fear of dentists isn’t included. It’s a learned fear, and it’s not one I intend to pass on to my kids.
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