Studies show that about 16% of school-age children have a fear of the dentist. The highly-common fear is often played upon in popular culture, which makes it harder to soothe a child's dental anxiety.

If you have a children's dentistry practice, knowing how to provide kids with ways to ease their anxiety is critical. Few ways are better than providing students with ample stimulation and play.

If you're curious about how to improve play and relieve anxiety in your patients, we're here to help. Read on for a quick overview of how to instill a less anxiety-inducing atmosphere in your children's dentistry practice.

Indoor and Outdoor Areas

One of the first things you should consider is where children will play. Should you allow children to play indoors around other patients?

For the family and the child, this doesn't provide an issue. But for other patients who are sitting in the reception, having their waiting room become a daycare is sometimes frustrating or annoying.

A good way to handle this is to provide an outdoor area for play. Place comfortable, weather-protected areas separate from your reception if possible. Doing so can provide other patients with a relaxing atmosphere while letting children play.

Set Areas for Play

That doesn't mean you should always push children outdoors at your practice. For indoor play areas, seek a floor layout that provides a small separation for where children can play.

One way to accomplish this is with a small half-wall. These walls block sound and view, which will make it less intrusive for other patients. It also lets children focus on playing instead of watching medical staff walk around.

Provide Stimulation

Not all children have a hands-on playstyle. Focus not just on providing avenues for play, but also on providing stimulation.

How many medical offices have you been to that didn't have at least one television playing? Placing the same for a child is an excellent way to give them stimulation.

A single movie playing on a loop will often suffice. Except for on busy days, patients shouldn't be in your reception for a full feature-length movie. You can also set the television on a cable channel.

Various Play Styles

Finally, do your best to add in more than one style of play. Not every child will want to dig around in a box of building blocks. Some parents may also find such hands-on styles of play are too germy.

Supply your children's dentistry practice with books, video entertainment, and more. If you decide to add coloring books and supplies, make sure these are washable crayons or markers. Otherwise, you'll step into your reception to find ruined kids-friendly furniture.

Making Children's Dentistry Comfortable

Making your children's dentistry practice focus on sensory distractions for kids can help relieve much of their dental anxiety. That way, they're more prepared to walk away with a fix to their poor oral hygiene habits instead of further anxiety.

At Arminco Inc., we're dedicated to providing you with the best care for your dentistry practice. Each member of our expert staff is trained in all aspects of clinical construction. Contact us to see how we can help you craft the perfect practice.