Dental Play and Its Benefits to Children When Visiting the Dentist
/For children, a dental visit may represent a stressful event just as much as it does to many adults. Fear and anxiety regarding dental care and treatment is common in many adults. This is so prevalent that many parents are afraid to discuss dental visits with their children, thus setting them up to develop fears of their own (McDonald, 2008). Traumatic dental experiences in childhood may cause lifelong neurological changes in pain sensitivity (Stanhope, 2005). While pediatric dentists are well-trained to work with children, they may be less likely to have much training on managing the stress and anxiety of the children they serve. This is where a certified child life specialist (CCLS) comes in.
My daughter’s recent visit to the dentist.
In the previous posts, I explained how CCLS support growth and development through providing developmental, educational, and therapeutic interventions while recognizing family strengths and individuality, and respecting different methods of coping. A CCLS is well-equipped to lessen the stress and anxiety children may experience during a dental visit where people, the environment, the equipment, and the actual treatment may be unfamiliar to them. In the pediatric dental setting, a CCLS can prepare a child and parents for the visit. Child life services provide a wide range of methods for preparing children for dental visits. These modalities may include simple verbal preparation, incorporation of equipment and materials, distraction (like the tv screen in the picture below), role-playing, tell-show-do technique (like the Play-Doh dental equipment in the picture below), the use of puppets/toys with teeth, video presentations, and the use of teaching /preparation books. The goal is to help the child gain an understanding of what is to take place, build trust with staff, develop coping strategies to lessen the anxiety and stress associated with the dental setting.
The TV screen showing children's movies serves as a distraction method.
What can early childhood educators do to help children become more familiar with dental visits? One method is to offer dental play equipment in the classroom. For example, teachers can offer a set of set of teeth, toothbrushes, and toothpaste tubes for children to play with in the dramatic play area. In addition, we can also offer other dental toys such as the Play-Doh Doctor Drill ‘n Fill, which includes many of the tools used at the dentist’s office (see picture below). A classroom visit from a dental office or the dental department of a local university is also helpful. Through dental play, children increase their understanding and gain mastery, which can reduce stress and anxiety associated with a dental visit.
Below are helpful resources to help children for their dental visits:
Videos
“A Trip to the Dentist through Pinatta’s View”: https://youtu.be/PmqikNNCEHE
“A trip to the Dentist”: https://youtu.be/zl7oZzm5MxY
Books
References:
McDonald, C. (2008). Camp Programs. In M. Hicks (Ed), Child Life Beyond the Hospital (pp. 33-43). Arlington, Virginia: Child Life Council, Inc.
Stanhope, B. (2005). New wave of dentists use distraction techniques to keep kids from feeling pain. Daily Republic Online Edition. Retrieved from http://www.dailyrepublic.com/articles/2005/10/14/top_stories/news.01
