Fear Of Dental Treatment In Children
The fear of dentist and dental treatment, which manifests itself in childhood, can appear as a phobia in adulthood unless it is overcome. This fear can even lead to psychological disorders in individuals.
For this reason, people may experience reactions such as sweating, heart palpitations and nausea at every dentist appointment.
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First of all, dental treatment is not a fear to be ashamed of.
After accepting this issue, individuals need to distinguish whether they have a fear or phobia of treatment in children.
Fear and phobia are separate from each other, fear can be overcome with the right approaches, but support may be needed for phobia.
Among the factors that cause fear of dental treatment;
Misguidance and discourses of families, false sensations that children are exposed to in their social lives or from their families, from the films they watch, dental treatment applications that may be incorrect and incomplete come first.
The duration of treatment varies according to the number of procedures to be performed. After the procedure, the children are rested with their parents in the rest room for 1-2 hours and then sent home.
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So What Can Be Done For ChildrenTo Overcome The Fear Of Dental Treatment?
Individuals should not make negative, frightening conversations about dental treatments in the presence of children. This may cause fear of dental treatment in children. Choosing a dentist and early acquaintance is very important. If necessary, introduce your child to your dentist early. Starting treatment at an early age can both prevent possible dental problems and help your child develop a sense of trust in your dentist.
Explain the importance of this visit in a simple way, especially when going for the first treatment, and take care not to use negative words.
The phrase “if you misbehave, I will take you to the doctor”, which has been passed around for years, may already cause fear in children. As long as this situation is repeated, children may develop a phobia against doctors. The task of individuals here is to avoid such fear-inducing sentences and to give information about how important dental treatment is.
What Alternatives Are Available For Children Who Cannot Be Persuaded to Treatment?
It is not always possible to perform dental treatments for children who have a fear of dentists or cannot communicate.
In such cases, all decayed teeth can be treated at once under Sedation or General Anaesthesia without stressing the child and the family.
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How is General Anaesthesia Applied?
The child who is planned to have general anaesthesia is examined by a general anaesthesiologist the day before and it is checked whether there is any problem in receiving anaesthesia. The next day, the patient arrives at the hospital 6-8 hours hungry and is admitted.
One hour before the general anaesthesia appointment time, the child is given a sedative mixed with fruit juice to relax the child. The patient, who becomes slightly sleepy with the effect of the drug, is taken to the operating theatre. In this way, he/she does not feel separated from his/her parents.
The pedodontist performs the treatment of all teeth and protective applications under general anaesthesia within 1-2 hours on average. Dental treatment under general anaesthesia can be performed at any age starting from 1 year of age when the first teeth appear.
To Whom Can General Anaesthesia Be Applied?
- Children with physical disabilities
- Children with intellectual disabilities
- Children who need restorative or surgical treatment but cannot be anaesthetised locally due to acute infection, anatomical variations or allergies
- Children who need urgent treatment but cannot be contacted
- Young children with common caries, called bottle caries or early childhood caries
- Children (with systemic diseases such as some heart diseases) for whom medical risks are reduced if general anaesthesia is used
- Children whose treatment must be completed in a single session for any reason (sitting in a remote location, risk of allergic reaction, etc.)
