Dentists and Kids
By sjhaeki
@sjhaeki (795)
Philippines
October 6, 2010 1:29am CST
I remembered once when I had a tooth ache as a kid and my mom suggested we go to the dentist the next day, when 'the next day' came my tooth stopped aching. LOL. But we still went to the dentist anyway. I was afraid back then but i still faced it , drills and whatnot and all.
Thinking about it before and sometimes now, I often wonder why kids are afraid of dentists until i had an experience myself (as a kid). Sitting on that chair and seeing those instruments, well, you get pretty nervous. Or is it that instinctive fear of having some foreign object going inside our body? After all, kids (and perhaps also adults) gets scared of other medical professionals, well, I often see dentists and children being afraid of them in tv shows or movies than doctors or nurses.
2 people like this
7 responses
@mrscallands22 (2851)
• United States
6 Oct 10
Well.. I used to work as a Dental Assistant for several Dentists... and when it came to kids... there was a pattern that I began to notice. At one Dentist I worked for (the evil one)... kids were terrified of him. He was rude not only to the kids but to the parents, too!! He didn't take the time to explain the procedure or what was going on.. he was content with holding the kid down and doing what he had to do... where I was much gentler.. taking the time to demonstrate every instrument and what would happen. He was horrid.
Another Dentist I worked for, on the other hand, was wonderful with children. He gave out prizes and toys to kids who did great and he was so gentle.
I am thinking it all not only depends on the phobias that parents display, but also on which doctor/dentist you or your child is seeing. For example, if the parents display being scared of dogs.... it is a proven scientific fact that your kids may be scared of dogs.
@eagertoknow (109)
• China
6 Oct 10
Yes,doctors and parents and all people important to children can be examples to them during growth process,what they do and say has an importan effect on their kids.And you must be very popular among kid when as a dentist assistant.Thank you for sharing your story.
@sjhaeki (795)
• Philippines
6 Oct 10
ah~ now that you mention that, I recall the previous dentist i go to (as a kid) didn't talk much. the dentist I have now is very talkative, and makes you feel comfortable. I get the feeling that I should say something each time I visit him. LOL. And this present dentist explains the procedures too, he'd sometimes ask for a parent's supervision or witness when he explains stuff.
hmmm.. about the example regarding dogs, my parents aren't afraid of dogs, we have pets actually but aside from me and my younger sis 2nd to me, my other younger siblings seem to be scared or wary to our pets.
@eurekafemme (5876)
• Philippines
7 Oct 10
It is perhaps what the children saw on tv seeing a dentist pulling achild's tooth while the latter is waling in pain....
Sometimes, we associate this medical professionals in pains that the moment we think of them we think that there is something painful or not quite right in us.
As a child, I see the dentist as my savior because I only get to visit him if I need to have a tooth extracted which caused me pain. Seeing him means relief to my painful tooth. :)
Now, i'm teaching my kids to not to fear these medical professionals and good thing that my kids are not afraid of them.:)
@olisaur (1922)
• United States
6 Oct 10
I wasn't that scare of going to the dentist or the doctor when I was a kid; probably because I always got a pruze after I was done with the visit, lol.
It can be scary for kids to go some place unfamiliar with a bunch of strange grown-ups and medical equipment.
These days I am more scared of going to the doctor or dentist than I was when I was a kid, but for a different reason...the money! w
@Professor2010 (20162)
• India
29 Oct 10
My experience says, kids are afraid of injection syringes mostly, in a dentist shop we see odd instruments like the inclining adjustable chair, the tooth cleanrs, the fillers, they produce sound, may be the kids get scared.. some adults too get scared lol..
Thank you so much for this nice discussion.
Professor. . Cheers God bless you.
@sjhaeki (795)
• Philippines
7 Nov 10
yeah~ the weird sounds adds to the feeling. and i have to agree some adults still get scared of the instruments and whatnot, perhaps with going to the dentist you're up and awake all the way as for some procedures in the hospital, you are put to an unconscious state so we're spared with seeing instruments sticking and slicing up our internal organs.
@marifel86 (111)
• Philippines
9 Oct 10
A lot of us experience our first visit to a dentist due to a tooth ache or got your tooth extracted. I guess that all the equipment they see scares them and they may be scared of the dentist due to the trauma they experience from the painful procedure
@jackjill123 (405)
• India
6 Oct 10
Though it's a healthy habit to visit a dental clinic, I hate to visit a dental. I have this Uncle of mine who is a dentist and he does the dental check-up for my family twice a year. So I can't avoid it. I remember when I was a kid, I used to cry out loud and he used to bribe me with an Ice cream for the check-up. LOL.
