I am myself a dentist and i have encountered a number of patients who are afraid of dental treatment or procedures. It is very important that to deal these patients gently and politely. There are certain tips that I want to share with you that helped me overcoming my patients fears from needles, drills, files, probe and sometimes only the sound of triple syringe :) .
1. Always be on time , do not let your patient wait for long intervals between appointments. This will increase their level of stress and anxiety. Try to give appointments to new and nervous patients in advance.
2. Always introduce yourself to your patient first and then ask about her bio data in a very polite and friendly way. Do not rush towards knowing the patient complaint and his clinical examination. Wherever possible keep the conversation flowing about daily life stuffs.
3. After building friendly environment, ask about his concern and his reason for visiting you. You really need to listen all the patient story with patience . In this way you will get the clues about patient fears, his triggers, his past bad experience of visiting dentist and then u can find a way to deal with his fears. Ask questions from patient in a manner that you are here to help him finding the solution to his problem.
4. After all the question answer session, Ask patient if he is comfortable enough to let me look into his teeth ? Tell him about the dental unit that it will move like a swing and he will enjoy it.
5. It is very important that all the sharp instruments should be out of sight of the patient. Before putting the dental mirror , assure patient that it will not cause any pain or discomfort. If you sense that the patient is in any kind of discomfort however mild, stop and remind them that it is OK to raise a hand at any time. Remember that some patients have fears or histories that prevent them from actually doing this even if you give them permission. So respond to a raised hand immediately but don’t rely on it.
6. You have to be very honest with your patient before doing any treatment. You must have to inform the expectations of the treatment done, you have to tell about different options and its cost and about multiple visits if necessary for that treatment. In this way your patient will build trust and confidence on you.
7. Some patients are not interested about what dentist doing while others are very picky and ask every minor details. In either way communication is the key of helping nervous patients. Sometimes a slow music in the clinic setup is very helpful in making patient's mind relax.
8. Give frequent breaks to your patient. Let patient breathe , give them chance to move and spit if required. This might waste your precious time and you may do few patients a day rather than hundreds but those patients will be very happy and satisfied with your work in the end. This reminds me of my teacher words " Its the quality that matters not the quantity ".
9. Last but not the least , treat patients as a whole rather than confining yourself with only oral cavity. It means you should know about his medical status , drug allergies, past dental visits etc. Also you should take proper measures of sterilization to prevent cross infection. Moreover treat every patient as a human respecting his emotions and concerns even if its a minor thing for you.
Love God, Love humanity, Love yourself
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