Start em' young.
If you have kids, you know that they can have a lot of irrational fears.
Monsters under the bed. The boogeyman in the closet. The lurking dentist, menacingly hovering over the dental chair.
Wait, what?
Yup. It's a legit fear and anxiety for many kids.
We spoke with Dr. Nidhi Taneja (@dr.nidhitaneja), a mindful pediatric dentist who works not only on the physical side of dentistry, but the often-ignored emotional side.
Dr. Taneja helps desensitize kids to the dental office by doing things like:
💜Sending videos introducing herself to before they come in.
💜Meeting them in the hallway or stairwell with some of her tools before they step foot in her office.
💜Giving them toys or stuffed animals to hold while she treats them.
Hear it from Dr. Taneja:
"Teeth are the strongest substance in our body and are meant to last for a lifetime. It is important for parents to understand that going to the dentist does not have to be a scary experience"
"Proper oral health education and support on the journey is the key to help children be cavity-free for life."
"My recommendation is to find a dentist where you feel that you are heard and your child is treated with gentleness and compassion."
"Pediatric dentistry is unique since it is not just treating a child's teeth, but the whole little body & mind with those teeth."
"Most of our fears in childhood can be resolved by connecting with and understanding the child. As a functional dentistry advocate, I focus on the child's mental health in addition to dental health."
"Dental decay is the number one preventable chronic disease of childhood. It is six times more prevalent than asthma."
"I want to change the paradigm of dentistry to be more prevention-focused, and it starts with the parents being empowered with the right tools to implement at home for their children."
Dental anxiety is real. And it is preventable. If you want to learn more, please give Dr. Taneja a follow on social.
