Dental anxiety in children is remarkably common. Studies suggest that somewhere between 6% and 20% of children experience significant dental fear, and many more feel mild to moderate nervousness before appointments. Left unaddressed, dental anxiety leads to avoidance — and avoidance leads to the exact dental problems that make future visits even harder.
The encouraging news is that pediatric dentists are specifically trained to address dental anxiety, and most anxious children can be helped to have positive dental experiences with the right approach.
Why do children develop dental anxiety?
Dental anxiety in children usually comes from one of three sources. The first is a difficult past experience — a painful or frightening previous appointment that the child associates with dental visits in general. The second is parental anxiety: children are highly attuned to their parents’ emotional states, and a parent who dreads the dentist often transmits that feeling without meaning to. The third is temperament — some children are more sensitive to sensory input, uncertainty, or loss of control, all of which are present in a dental setting.
Understanding where your child’s anxiety comes from helps you choose the right strategies to address it.
What you can do at home before the appointment
Keep your language neutral and matter-of-fact. Avoid reassurances that accidentally plant worry, like “don’t worry, it won’t hurt” — the word “hurt” introduces a possibility the child may not have been thinking about. Instead, describe what will happen simply: “The dentist will count your teeth and tickle them clean.”
Play “dentist” at home. Let your child use a toothbrush to count your teeth, and then swap roles. Familiarity with the physical actions of a dental exam — opening wide, having something touch the teeth — reduces the novelty and unpredictability of the real thing.
Read books about dental visits. There are many excellent children’s books about going to the dentist that normalize the experience and give children a positive framework.
Avoid bribery for bravery. Promising a big reward for being brave can backfire by signaling that the appointment is something to be survived, not just experienced. A low-key treat afterward is fine — making it contingent on “being brave” raises the stakes unnecessarily.
What our team does differently
At Pediatric Dentistry & Orthodontics of Salem, every aspect of the patient experience is designed with anxious children in mind. Our team uses a technique called tell-show-do — we explain what we are about to do, show the child the instrument or tool, and only then proceed. This approach gives children a sense of control and eliminates surprises.
We never rush, we never force, and we never dismiss a child’s fear as irrational. Our rooms are themed and designed to be visually interesting rather than clinical. We use humor, distraction, and patience as our primary tools — and our track record speaks for itself in the reviews parents have shared about children who came to us terrified and left excited for their next visit.
When is sedation the right choice?
For some children, preparation and behavioral techniques alone are not enough to complete necessary dental care. Nitrous oxide is available for children with mild to moderate anxiety and makes the experience noticeably more manageable for many kids. For more complex cases or children with significant fear, day surgery under general anesthesia at a partner hospital allows all necessary treatment to be completed comfortably while the child is fully asleep.
Dr. Wolff and Dr. Marti will always discuss sedation options openly and help you decide what makes the most sense for your child’s age, needs, and treatment requirements.
It gets easier
One of the most important things for anxious families to know is that dental anxiety typically improves significantly with time when a child is treated by a compassionate, patient-centered team. The goal of every visit at PDOS is not just to complete the dental work — it is to leave your child feeling a little safer and more comfortable than they did when they walked in. That investment compounds over time.
Call us at (603) 893-5266 or request an appointment online — we are very used to anxious kids, and very good at helping them.