by Dr. Saif Sayyed
by Dr. Saif Sayyed
A majority of our patients have dental phobia. It can be due a previous bad dental experience or your patient must have heard about dental procedures being generally painful.
Whatever may be the case, it is important that now the patient is in your clinic and you should take proper care in dealing with dental phobia. Here are our opinion and methods. We would like have your opinions too!
1. The general clinic environment: Make sure your clinic reception has a soothing look with good instrumental music. It does give your patient a peace of mind, before entering the operatory.
2. Make sure your operatory door is closed at all times. You do not want to your patients in the reception to hear the sound of the ‘drill’ or a pedo patient sreaming inside.
3. When you have a planned surgical procedure like an implant placement or a disimpaction of a third molar, make sure that you personally meet the patient outsie the operatory first. This can be either in your personal room, or it can also be done by going to the reception area and talking to the patient and then coming together to the operatory. It does create a great sense of comfort.
4. Talk Talk Talk- Explain each and every procedure, show them the instrument and tell them what you are about to do. Even during the procedure, make sure that you keep interacting with the patient at all times.
5. Maintain eye-contact and keep reassuring- Make the patient comfortable at all times by assuring them that the treatment can be carried out only if they are okay with it.
6. Think before you speak!- Make sure you take care of what you are talking to your patient or even the assistant. You do not want your patient hearing you say ‘The straight elevator is not working here. Pass me the Winter Cryer’!
7. Use words such as Hand piece, tooth removal, giving the anesthetic and consultation room rather than words such as drill, tooth extraction, injection and surgery.
8. Make sure that you pass all instruments behind the patient and not in front of the patient!
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