We all know the children are the ones that fear the dentist the most. However, this fear can be overcome with some pretty interesting game which will make your kid love going to the dentist.
It’s important to teach your children the importance of good oral hygiene and become health-savvy kids. Because their experience with dentists will impact their lives later on.
Some research shows that about 75% of children have moderate anxiety associated with dental appointments and dentists in general. This is quite high.
Playing dentist game has a lot of perks. One, and probably the most important is distraction so that it alleviates anxiety at the dentist. The other one is to get your children familiar with good oral hygiene. This way, parents can achieve two things. First, they will be able to develop good oral hygiene habits and also children will be familiar what is going on in their mouths when they do visit the dentist.
One of the most common games kids like to play is pretend and dress up. So they can even dress up as dentists so the actual visit won’t be so terrifying.
Oh, and let’s not forget that now we live in the area of smartphones and tables, and there are ample apps and games kids can play on their gadgets. This is proved to minimize anxiety by 42%. So what games could you have your children play in order to ‘ease’ them into the world of dental visits and oral hygiene?
Brush DJ
Yes, even the title sounds like fun. This app provides:
- Fun ways to learn brushing
- Reminders on toothbrush replacement
- Notifications on teeth brushing and flossing, in case your kids forget
- Options to sync it with the kid’s music library
Toothsavers
This app provides:
- Colorful characters and each has its own toothbrush
- Regular brushing earns new characters
- Parents can schedule and monitor brushing activity
- Sharing on social media when a milestone is reached
Dentist office
- This app provides:
- The children to be the dentist and perform procedures. This can significantly reduce fear of the unknown and dental visits
- Various tools and procedures kids can pick
- Teaching kids the basics of dental care
Doctor Teeth
This app provides:
- Interactive patients with tooth problems that the kids can treat
- Information on tools and procedures so kids can familiarize themselves with them
- Various games that can focus on either prevention or procedures
Games you can play at the dentist
Even for us adults, waiting in the waiting room can be one of the most stressful part of the dentist visit. But you can get yourself ready for that too.
So make sure that you pick pediatric dentists which have various games and toys in the lobby that will distract the kids. Some of the most popular ones are
- Jenga
- Uno
- Operations or
- Go Fish
Parents have a key role in forming their kid’s awareness of the importance of oral hygiene and to help them reduce anxiety related to dentist visits.
Even though anxiety regarding dentists cannot be totally avoided, with some creativity and help with technology, it can be minimized.
