How cognitive behavioral therapy helps children manage dental fear, build trust, and take an active role in their care.
Does your child feel nervous or scared about going to the dentist? They are not alone.
Dental related fear and anxiety are among the most common challenges children face when receiving dental care. At Brooker Memorial, our team uses cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) techniques to help children feel safe, confident, and in control of their dental experience.
Brooker Memorial’s dental staff is creating a compassionate culture to help children feel comfortable and empowered in the dental chair.
Video by Ted Perotti of Pig Iron Films
This video is funded by an Access to Care grant from the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (AAPD).
“The work with CBT and fear is important because it helps these human beings build their self-confidence and build their comfort level. But more importantly, it gives them these lifelong coping skills.”
— Dr. Suher Baker, Dental Director
Children can raise a hand or say “stop” if they are uncomfortable or in pain. Staff explain the tools before using them and may let a child feel a metal explorer on a fingernail before it goes into the mouth. Each step builds trust and gives the child a sense of control.
CBT helps children practice coping skills such as diaphragmatic breathing and reframing worried thoughts. Over time, positive experiences can replace fearful expectations.
Show children what will happen and what dental tools feel like.
Give children a way to pause treatment and express discomfort.
Celebrate the courage and control children bring to each visit.
“The child’s not going to remember how good the filling is, but they’ll always remember how they felt at the dental office and how we made them feel proud and feel confident and they got everything done with their own control and with their own experience and their own courage.”
— Dr. Suher Baker
The team of dental assistants, hygienists and dentists work together to implement CBT techniques into everyday care. Staff members say they have seen children arrive afraid and leave proud of what they accomplished.
“It’s important for the children to feel that they have the authority and the control.”
— Sheri, dental assistant
Dental assistant Rylei recalls patients who arrived upset and holding a parent’s hand, then felt excited and proud after completing their visit.
Dental Director Dr. Suher Baker, BDS, DMD, MS, MBA, is a board-certified pediatric dentist and dentist anesthesiologist. She previously served as department chair for pediatric dentistry at Yale University and Oregon Health and Science University. Her research focuses on dental disease and reducing dental related fear and anxiety.
Dr. Baker earned her dental degree from the University of Pennsylvania; completed pediatric dentistry training and a master’s degree at the University of Michigan; trained in dental anesthesiology at the University of California, Los Angeles; and earned an MBA at Oregon Health and Science University. She also completed two years of training with children with special healthcare needs at Helen Hayes Hospital and the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York.
Dr. Baker has presented her research on dental anxiety, patient experience, and pediatric care at national and international conferences.
Learn more about care at Brooker Memorial Dental Center.
