With over a quarter of people in the UK afraid of going to the dentist (according to the British Dental Association), it's no wonder our children have inherited these fears too. The NHS says that there are three types of fears: fear of the unknown, dental fear from having had a painful experience, or a phobia of the dentist, whereby just seeing a dentist advert or a dental surgery is enough to cause distress.

If your child hasn't had a bad experience at the dentist before, then it's most likely that they are suffering from a fear of the unknown, whereby they've heard horror stories from other children about how painful and scary the dentist is, or they have seen a family member scared or in pain from going to the dental surgery.

So what can you do? MyFamily has a list of ideas you can try:

Children learn a lot of their behaviours and attitudes by mirroring the adults in their lives, so if you want them to not be afraid of the dentist, you'll have to get over your fears. Do this by finding a new, understanding dentist and discussing your fears with them. Ask your friends and family to recommend a dentist who is known to be understanding or has advertised experience of dealing with anxious patients.

An understanding dentist will be sympathetic and try to discover the root of your fears. He or she will explain to you carefully what needs to be done to your teeth, and should be able to offer painless sedation before a procedure.

Select a pediatric or family dentist to take your child to. The dental surgeries of pediatric dentists are usually brightly-coloured, with lots of toys and cartoons on the TV to set your child at ease, and these dentists are trained in working with children. Some dentists also give out stickers or other little prizes out at the end of the appointment.

Encourage your child to see the dentist as a nice tooth doctor who is going to check their teeth and make sure they stay clean and healthy. Explain that there is nothing to be scared of, that it's a normal experience, and that the dentist has excellent magic ways of preventing pain (i.e. shots to numb the gums). Make sure you are there in the room during the appointment, to ask questions and give your child moral support.

There isn't much of a tradition with the tooth fairy, so all you need to do is decide how much money you'd like to award your child (in coins) and then place the coin under your child's pillow while they're asleep. Tell your little ones that losing baby teeth is natural and it's good to get them out when they're ready, since they'll get a special surprise! Even if your child is too skeptical to believe in the tooth fairy, you can still make the prize an incentive for them to want to visit the dentist.

Prevention is always better than having the cure. Teach your child how to brush their teeth properly and train them to brush their teeth twice a day, and rinse their mouths after having something sweet. Regulate the amount of sweets you let them eat, so as to avoid early tooth decay. Explain to your child that not brushing properly will lead to very painful cavities, but make sure that there is a distinction that the sweets cause the pain, not the dentist.