Structure of human brain is complex and magnificent, to an extent that the flexibility of the neurons is still beyond the scope of complete comprehension. No wonder, its addressed as the highest form of creation equipped with extraordinary potential.
Amygdala is the part of human brain that is trained to alert us of any kind of threat. The primal hunter gatherer brain was attuned to respond to the attacks from enemy outside the boundaries of the known comfort zones, which used to be caves in that scenario.
With time the lifestyles evolved, we are not in caves anymore; however, Amygdala still retains part of the old wiring, and it alerts us every time it senses any fear-provoking situation. The most involuntary response of Amygdala is fight or flight.
When we keep giving repeated inputs of fear-provoking situations, our brain goes into the defensive pattern of response. Hence, in dental environment, constant feed of the words such as needle, drill, pain, hurt can only lead to repulsive responses to the instructions.
This emphasizes on the importance of right set of vocabulary to be provided both to the child and the parents, prior to the dental appointment. Children can thus feel motivated and confident rather than apprehensive during their dental visits.
The procedure steps can be explained in a subtle way during the checkup appointment using Tell-show-do and other behavior modification techniques, that work well for almost every age group.
Instead of alarming the brain, provision of right vocabulary with right techniques, can soothe down any possible reactions, thereby, leading to acceptable coping towards the treatment by the young children.
Thus, well worded, detailed, and consistent information to amygdala is one of the keys to instill positive dental attitude for lifetime.