Why is it that some (maybe most) children cry and are very fearful of the dentist's chair??

we've all heard stories about kids fighting to keep out of the dentist's chair, crying and resisting the ominous. yet why do kids do it??





i'll always remember a dentist saying to me a few years ago when i was 35 "now if anything goes wrong you will let me know". when i saw him the next visit i also remember that whlie he was working on my teeth i started to weep in the chair - a tear ran down my face. afterwards i noticed that the bottom of a canine tooth had been reshaped. obviously what happened was that he had broken the tooth during the work. i told him about this and he said that i must have ground it down during my sleep. what crap!!





so with that in view why do kids resist the dentists chair??

Why is it that some (maybe most) children cry and are very fearful of the dentist's chair??
The main reason why children are afraid of the dentist is... their parents and relatives. It's true! Parents will tell their child before his or her first visit that "it's not so bad! He or SHe probably won't even get a needle!" or older siblings will try to scare the child by telling them that "the dentist uses a drill on your teeth and freezes your mouth with a giant needle that hurts a lot! " or "He's gonna pull all your teeth out!"





I can't stand it when parents or relatives use words like needle, drill or pull your teeth out. The child is so afriad before he or she even gets to the office, thinking that a needle is imminant when they are only getting a cleaning.





When a child asks thier mom or dad why he or she is going to the dentist, I wish they would just tell them that "you are going to get your teeth brushed" or "they are going to make your teeth bright and shiny", Avoiding scary words.





If a child is going for a filling, never say drill or needle! Their minds automatically register "PAIN!" Tell a child that "your tooth is full of sugar bugs and the dentist is going to use buzz lightyear (the drill, remembering to not say drill!) to zap them away, then he's going to fill the hole the sugar bugs made with a filling to stop the sugar bugs from returing."





A child is only comfortable when he or she is not anxiously awaiting pain or an event that they find scary. Avoiding scary words or scenerios when talking to a child about the dentist is the first step to eliminating fear and building confiedence when a child walks into a dental office.
Reply:Because being in the dentists chair creates a feeling of loss of control.





Some dentists will be good at dealing with this and others not.





When taking children to the dentist its important to chose a dentist that makes your child feel comfortable and in control. Some let the child raise a hand if they want a break for example. The dentist should explain what is being done to the child (depending on the age of the child, the appropriate words would be used). Also a parent should be present in the room with the child.





These things are really important because if the child does feel out of control, they then begin to feel fear, and this fear can stick with them throughout their lifes, making visiting the dentist a really big deal.
Reply:I wonder if it's to do with subconscious memory - that somewhere they remember the pain of teething and know that dental pain is really severe?
Reply:forget the kids i scream and cry in the dentist's chair,especially when i get the bill
Reply:its highly unlikely to break a tooth without you being aware of it and a large percentage of people grind their teeth during sleep and the eye(canine)tooth is the tooth that wears down the most.Its very common.As for kids crying...it happens less and less
Reply:because they are wise!! im 31 still terrified and still cry lol
Reply:i don't blame kids for feeling like crying i do and still do it i hate the dentist, mind you i have had my fair share of visits in pain. i grind mine in my sleep and end up cracking a tooth every time.
Reply:The noise of the drill...makes them think pain is not far away!!!!
Reply:because dentists are a lower form of life who exacts revenge... on innocent helpless victims...





thsi wont hurt... Bloody LIAR... it hurts, let me lift you out of the chair with a steel probe im going to jam into the hole in your tooth, and tell me it doesnt hurt...





in life if someone hurts me that much the get a punch in the face, yet in a dentist chairt i sit back and am powerless, and helpless...and vulnerable... and scared... actually terrified... i elected for a general and had 7 molars and wisdom teeth removed... that didnt hurt one bit..
Reply:honestly, in my opinion, i think it is because theyve always seen movies or shows of kids getting their teeth drilled and they dont know about the numbing process or such


this also happens cause there are basically no shows where they tell you that nothing happens when you're at the dentist


i dont think you can feel a broken tooth


and maybe depending on the intensity of the severed tooth then it would hurt
Reply:needlest sceay lookin things.......
Reply:Children have no conceived idea of anything, they fear nothing that is why you have to take care of them and teach them right from wrong.


Its the same with swimming, fire etc. its what they are taught that counts. Dentists are the same and children are very intuitive and will pick things up from their parents and peers. If they feel that dentists are bad or they will receive pain then they will not like dentists they will copy you so if you can teach them not to fear but explain both sides of any story they will not pre judge any situation.
Reply:probably cuz movies and stories they heard. the first time i went i wasnt that scared at all. i just kept making sure they wouldnt pull the needle out and i was fine. My little sister was scared cuz her friend told her that she would get shots in her mouth and get her teeth pulled.
Reply:hey I am almost 60 and I cry in the chair
Reply:Children are fearful of the dentist because of the size of that needle he uses to numb up your gums before drilling starts., and because of the pain that the needle causes being inserted into the tender gums of the child's mouth.





Have you ever noticed that when the dentist comes back into the room, he has his hand behind his back, the hand thats holding that long needle? They also seem to have a slight grin on their mugs as well, as if trying to reassure you that 'its going to be alright', just sit back, relax and open wide, thats when you feel the tip of the needle piercing your gum and both your eyes are rivited to the dentist's hand that is holding the plunger part of the needle, it seems giantic in size and just seeing this makes me cringe with terror.





It would be better if the dental researchers could develop another method of injecting the novacain into your gums to numb the tissue, maybe give you a pill that you could swallow with a cup of water and in a matter of a few minutes, the entire mouth would go numb, thus saving you the horrors of feeling the needle enter your mouth and penetrating your tender gums.


Wishful thinking on my part, right?


Hmmmmm!
Reply:I'm afraid of the dentist because when I was younger(about 16 years ago) the dentist I went to butchered my teeth up pretty good, had 2 teeth capped that weren't sealed right and 5 years later the cap falls off, and I have no tooth there! WTF!


So that made me afraid of them....plus have you ever seen the movie 'the dentist' where he runs around killing people...I saw that when I was young. The sound of the drills freaks me out...I don't like needles(and little kids don't either), the fact someone is probing around in your mouth.....there is many reasons why kids are afraid of them.....these are just some
Reply:im 24 and im still petrified! and i have never even had anything more than a check-up!!!!
Reply:I empathise so much with your experiences of dentists. I have had some awful times especially with the school dentist whose reason for living was to inflict pain on children!





I agree that children pick up from their parents which is why I have been so careful with mine. I have not given them any idea of what happens at the dentist, not discussed it, other than to say that you sit in a funny chair that goes up and down and the dentist checks your teeth are growing ok. Both my children (8 and 11) have no fear of the dentist, and the only negative emotion is one of boredom!





I sit waiting for them quietly hyperventilating, sweating and experiencing palpitations - they just take their sticker and drag me off for a well earned sugar free snack! Kids!



safari browser