Dentist phobia

[Millenniumbug]

My DD has a phobia of going to the dentist. She had to have a filling at 5 years old and a tooth out in the chair when 8 years old & now at 12 flatly refuses to go to the dentist. All her milk teeth have had signs of decay on the flat chewing surface, but I have never fed squashes and pure fruit juice has always been mixed with water - I still do this. I breastfed and we eat a good, varied diet. I insist on brushing at least twice a day. Her younger sibling's teeth are fine, but they have the same diet. I've recently bought electric toothbrushes again and mouthwash. Any ideas about how to get her to the dentist & stop the rot?? She is genuinely terrified of going to the dentist and shakes with fear at the mere mention of going. On our last visit, she sat in the surgery & watched whilst I had my check up, when we got out she sobbed.

Depends on your area, but either your GP or GDP may be able to do a referral for dental phobia.

Ask your dentist to refer her to the Community Dental Services or if you have a dental hospital reasonably close to you the Children's dental department.
Her phobia needs to be sorted out as well as her teeth being examined.
She is old enough to reason with her that she can't not have her teeth checked ever again, reassure her there are ways her fears can be helped. Tell her they would only want to look at first, if she needed anything doing they can give her special air to breathe to help her relax.

Diet wise it's more about frequency of consumption of foods containing sugars. Is she a grazer, does she have fruit snacks, raisins, frequent drinks. water is just about the only drink that doesn't contain sugar in some form. Keep the juice to mealtimes, water when she's thirsty. Avoid smoothies they are packed full of smashed fruit so the sugars are very accessible for the mouth bacteria. If she is a grazer try to make sure the snacks are savoury. Make sure the toothpaste she is using contains 1400 ppm fluoride (appropriate for her age)

Thanks for that advice. She does eat an awful lot of fruit, 3 or 4 apples a day. I'd always thought they were better than things like crisps. I've also encouraged smoothies & things like that. She is a grazer and our water does not contain flouride, but I will encourage that she drinks it. Many thanks.