How can I get my child to go the dentist?

Hi there, 

Welcome to Ask Robyn and thank you for getting in touch. You are wondering  how can you get your child to go to the dentist. We wonder how going to the dentist usually looks for your child, do they seem angry or anxious about going? It’s important to normalise and validate these feelings.  Let them know that it’s common to feel nervous, and many people including adults feel anxiety about going to the dentist. 

Reassure your child, that dentists like other health care professionals are there to keep us safe and look after our wellbeing. It may help to try and work on some skills to help manage those big feelings. One way to do this is teaching and practicing some deep breathing techniques as it can promote a sense of calm.  You could try and practice these techniques before your child’s visit to the dentist.

Dentists generally do understand that people, especially children, can feel anxious about a trip to the dentist. The dentist and their team can help make the trip to the dentist more comfortable by providing a gentle approach and scheduling gentle exposure to the dentist. This might look like a simple check- up. Or you could introduce a stepped process, perhaps go for a walk to the dentists and point out where the dentist works, you could also show your child this on maps or even look at the website together. This would help support familiarity with the process.  You can also look at books, videos, or social stories about going to the dentist to familiarize your child with the process can also help. 

To ease your child’s worries or anxieties, it can be beneficial to role model what a trip to the dentist would look like. You can take turns by playing pretend games of “going to the dentist” where one of you is the dentist and the other the patient. Seeing positive and child-friendly depictions of dental visits can help alleviate their concerns. 

If your child’s anxiety persists or becomes overwhelming, it may be beneficial to seek additional support from a mental health professional who specialises in working with children or anxiety-related issues.

ISPCC Childline offer online Digital Mental Health & Wellbeing Programmes:

‘Supporting an Anxious Child/ Teen’ is aimed at parents of children and young people aged between 5-11 & 12-18 years who are experiencing mild to moderate anxiety.

For more information on these programmes follow this link www.ispcc.ie/guided-digital-programmes/

ISPCC also has a Support Line which can be contacted by email to [email protected] or by phone from Monday to Friday 9am – 1pm on 01 522 4300 if you would like to talk further.

Take care,

Robyn