DentalBuzz Staff

How to talk to patients 101

December 6, 2013 By DentalBuzz Staff 4 Comments

dentistpatientcommunication

Have you ever wondered what kind of courses patients think you missed out on in college? They probably will never notice that you totally bombed the gold foil technique (neither will any dentist under 70, for that matter!). But they do wonder what you were taught about dealing with humans – the personal side, instead of the gushy clinical stuff.
Enter a bit of collegiate satire from a patient’s perspective. New DentalBuzz contributor Carolyn Roche has eight children and five grandchildren, a BA in Political Science from the University of Michigan, and is now studying English at Dixie State University in St. George, Utah where she lives with her husband, soon-to-be missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints daughter, and two dogs. She occasionally begins her day with Special K, and would like to share this delightful suggestive nudge with all dentists and hygienists practicing now and into the future.

Lecture Notes on Dentist-Patient Communication

by Carolyn Roche

Professor Samuel Rose
Algonac Dental School
For Tuesday October 15, 2013

Today’s lecture is about communicating with your patient. No one wants to be the Frank Burns of the dental industry. You want your patient to have confidence in your wisdom and know that you will work on them with compassion and competence. We will discuss some guidelines about how and why you should maintain rapport and communication with your patient.

Acceptable Subjects of Conversation

Before you begin chewing out your patient for not flossing, break the ice by conversing about the following:

1. The weather. You can always jaw about the weather. Your patient has just come in from outside and can give you valuable updates. It will help them feel helpful to you.

2. The family:

a. You can drill him about his family. People always like to talk about their family.

b. You may talk about yours. You can forget about what Thumper said, “If you can’t say something nice, don’t say nothing at all.” It’s best to be honest with the patient or he won’t believe anything else you say. Tell him all the good and the bad about your family. Being open will encourage him to trust you as an honest person and like you as well. No one likes a goody-goody.

3. Recent acceptable news.

a. Crime. The patient will be happy to know which side of the law you are on. Always root for the good guy even though the bad guy is your brother. This could be another chance to talk about your family! Include all the crime details.

b. The economy. Let them know how much you earn and how much you have stashed away in safe investments. You will want to make an impression on them. Then make sure they pay the bill.

c. Medical news – if it throws a good light on professionals. If you have botched up anything recently, the patient will want to know the truth from the false rumors. Speak of your mistakes in detail. It’s okay to show off your knowledge. The patient will respect you more.

4. Remember to not get too personal with them. Forget the nonsense about building bridges to your patients. All patients should remain anonymous to you. You will be filling cavities for the rest of your life and to make YOU feel comfortable, think that they are just another cavity or tooth extraction. You will be less nervous and your patient will be less whiney. Once you get personal they will think they can complain about the pain. You don’t need that. It just wastes time.

How to Speak to Your Patient

However awkward, you must speak to the patient while you are working on them. Speaking to the patient with their mouth full is medically necessary. Make sure you have, at the least, the Hoover and a finger and a tool in their mouth.

1. Ask yes or no questions. A nod or a grunt means you haven’t frightened them enough to make them faint. Keep trying. Don’t mistake closed eyes for a faint; they are praying. There are no atheists in dentists’ chairs.

2. Ask questions that require a full sentence answer.

a. You can determine how frozen their mouth really is. If you can understand them, additional anesthetic may be required.

b. You can sue the patient for biting you. Dentistry can be an altruistic career, but remember your $1,500,000 in student loans need to be paid off before your children begin college.

After you have inflicted as much pain as possible, needle the patient about brushing and flossing. With the pain fresh in his mind he will be more likely to follow your recommendations. When you use these methods you will be filling your patients with tremendous motivation to have the healthiest teeth possible.

If You Need Help:

One of the great benefits of attending the Algonac Dental School is the support we offer to alumni opening their own practices. For a nominal fee of $500 –plus airfare, food, and accommodations- my staff and I will fly out and assess your new practice. We will help you streamline your operation. You won’t waste a moment in a day’s work after following our advice. For only $500 more, you can have the full, written report of our analysis and recommendations. NO OTHER dental school will offer this service! Call now for a FREE ESTIMATE 1-800-555-ROSE.

+++(Copy and hand out to students at end of class.)

Gold refining update

October 30, 2013 By DentalBuzz Staff Leave a Comment

by Morgan Kerrissey, VP of Business Development at Garfield Refining Company

Way back in 2010 DentalBuzz was in its groove, dishing on Garfield, spotting trends and staying ahead of the curve. Fast forward three years and some of those trends now seem a wee bit dated– look at Lady Gaga and her Twilight inspired grill! — while other trends have only surged in popularity. Since that first blog post the already popular Patient Bling Program** exploded with another 10,000 doctors enrolling. For those of you not already in the know, the program is offered by Garfield Refining Company and is known to them as their Patient Scrap Program (**Fun people still prefer the Dentalbuzz rebranded name!).

Garfield offers prepaid mailers that you can distribute to your patients so they can deal directly with a precious metals refinery. It doesn’t cost anything, Garfield handles all the paperwork, and best of all you earn a 10% rebate. It’s like free money. Plus this year they have added some new features, allowing doctors to customize their payment schedules, be paid in coins or bullion, and receive better email reporting. It’s a win/win: patients love the opportunity to sell their old crowns and doctors love the opportunity to give their patients a small perk.

So once again, if you haven’t already, click here to enroll.

What society thinks you do

September 11, 2013 By DentalBuzz Staff 1 Comment

missingtooth

Does the portrayal of dentists and dentistry in the media represent reality?

by Gideon, exclusively for DentalBuzz

Meeting new or existing patients with dental fear or phobia is growing more commonplace in a society that is led by the media. The portrayal of dentistry in the media is not always a positive, pain-free one and much like other medical practices, this has led to a generation of people who simply are not visiting their dentist. So is the regularly frightening or comedic portrayal of the industry a real representation of dental practices?

The media is not singularly at fault for dental phobias and this article is not setting out to prove otherwise. As we are all aware, early childhood experiences, other medical treatments that may have been unpleasant and learning fears from others all play their separate parts. From cosmetic dentists through to dental surgeons, none are immune from nervous and frightened patients – we are in fact trained to deal with patients’ worries in a compassionate and supportive manner.

Representation in the movies

Many of us will remember the dentist from Little Shop of Horrors first; Steve Martin did an excellent job as arguably the most terrifying and hilarious dentist in film history. With the use of oversized, out of date and unconventional equipment, it is clear to see how the notion of a narcissistic dentist fell into the public eye and into our hearts. It is quite obvious that dentists don’t use such techniques in practice but suggestion can be as damaging to reputations as reality. However, this film was far less damaging than the 1976 adaptation of Goldman’s The Marathon Man. The depiction of the Nazi dentist, who not only caused his patients extreme pain but also experimented inside their mouths, can be argued as the cause of the 70-80’s generation avoiding the dentist.

Throughout many movies and equally TV shows, dentists are often portrayed as either narcissists or as incompetent fools. There are very few noteworthy characters where this is not the case, at least in the US and the UK. In the early 2000’s the British TV show, ‘My Family’ had the leader of the home as a dentist who didn’t care for his family and cared even less about his patients. This is not the first role like this and it won’t be the last.

Even those movies where dentistry or even indirect dental references are used in a comedic way, such as The Hangover or Horrible Bosses, just the mention of this form of work is enough to remind a patient of a previous bad experience they may have had. It is this form of visual trigger that has caused a severe decline in dental health over the past few years. There is however a flip side to this notion. Dr Stu Price from the Hangover films does a fantastic job of portraying the dental health service in a positive, funny and upbeat manner. This may serve to lessen patient’s fears rather than increase them.

Cartoons

We all know that the age we need to start the education program about personal health is when patients are very young. It is why we hand out badges or stickers to our younger guests, but this work is then counteracted by the portrayal of dentists within children’s cartoons. Whatever age you are, it can be assumed that at some point you will have watched a cartoon where a dentist created all manner of horrific contraptions. Psychologically, although these contraptions and potions may be viewed as funny by your child, they can leave negative mental scars that are far harder to eradicate in later life.
drilltooth

It is at this tender age that dentistry, along with other medical procedures and practices need to be portrayed in a positive fashion. To eradicate dental phobia, the representation of the profession to younger people must become more educational and realistic.

Gideon is a 3rd year student at Brandeis University well on his way to becoming a dentist, and who appreciates films, family, TV, the dentists who are currently mentoring him and all the people in the world who may one day be his patients.

WWII dentistry video

September 3, 2013 By DentalBuzz Staff 3 Comments

What was ideal dentistry like seventy years ago?

Thanks to dentist Dr. Mac Lee of Edna, Texas for bringing this Navy training video to our attention for this edition of TimeWarp Tuesday. You will be both impressed by the way things were done back then and relieved that dentistry has progressed so much since. Even though it’s a bit longer than you’d usually sit through, remember PEARLS! There are pearls here, even in the way, way back times.

Like Smears! They were doing bacterial profiles in 1944! And Check Out That Piece of Autoclave Artwork. That is definitely something that would look good in your practice, and you would have to drive it, like you would a classic auto, not daily, but just BECAUSE. Sure, the new one is faster, but the old is a CLASSIC and you would use it because it’s too cool just to keep it locked up in a museum somewhere.

Be sure to look out for these bitty tids of juice as well:

• Procaine. That looks like some scary stuff to be injecting into people.
• The long exposure time on the radiograph.
• 10 minute sterilization in a water bath? Really?
• The surgery cart and tongs are creepy awesome.
• What the heck kind of toothbrushing technique is that?

With an emphasis of keeping everything super clean, this is probably the most memorable line in the video:

“Never should there be a sign of the last patient.”

We should all hope there’d be no bits of him anywhere afterwards.

A wake-up call to infants

August 26, 2013 By DentalBuzz Staff 3 Comments

A Wake Up Call to Infants: Dentists Recommend ‘Healthier Lifestyle’

by Elizabeth McAvoy, RDH

Dental professionals have issued a serious wake-up call to infants around the world, encouraging them to live a healthier lifestyle. The bold announcement comes in the wake of new research that suggests up to 40% of American children have cavities and more serious dental caries by the time they reach kindergarten (i). According to a new study, those cavities are most likely the result of an unhealthy lifestyle during infancy.

To better understand how poor oral health during infancy can lead to cavities later in life, researchers at the University of Illinois studied the origin and spread of oral bacteria in babies between the ages of 12 and 24 months. Lead researcher and University professor, Dr. Kelly Swanson, summarizes the findings by explaining, “The soft tissue in the mouth appear to serve as reservoirs for potential pathogens prior to tooth [formation],” (i).

Infants Respond to Warning, Asking Parents for Help

In wake of the University of Illinois study, infants are asking parents for help in preventing the accumulation and spread of oral bacteria. By urging parents to better understand the basics on bacteria and oral hygiene for infants, babies hope to reduce the incidence of tooth decay among kindergartners by 2016.

In an effort to make this dream a reality, infants have aligned themselves with the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (AAPD) to spread awareness for the 5 best ways to prevent oral disease and tooth decay among infants and young children.

5 Tips from the AAPD for Healthier Lifestyle & Better Hygiene

The AAPD offers the following 5 tips to help parents effectively prevent the development of oral disease in young children (ii):

1. Schedule an oral health risk assessment.

By 6 months old, infants should have themselves taken to a licensed dental professional for a thorough check-up and health assessment. Additional check-ups are recommended every 6 months, unless otherwise recommended.

2. Establish a ‘dental home.’

Parents should aim to establish a ‘dental home’ for their child by the age of 12 months. There are many advantages to choosing a primary care provider, most important of which is establishing a record of medical history for both parents and child. This may help to determine the child’s susceptibility to oral disease, decay, and dental caries.

3. When it comes to teething, avoid anesthetics.

According to the AAPD, parents should consider using only oral analgesics and chilled teething rings to soothe the pain and irritation of teething. The AAPD advises parents to avoid over the counter anesthetics for concerns over toxicity.

4. Gently brush teeth, as they become visible.

As teeth become visible, parents must proactively brush all surfaces with a soft bristled toothbrush. In cleaning teeth after each meal, parents can prevent the formation of plaque and oral bacteria.

5. Focus on nutrition and meal timing.

Most importantly, the AAPD urges parents to consider how changes in nutrition and meal timing can significantly reduce oral health issues. The following behaviors are to be avoided, as research indicates they increase the risk of tooth decay: Breast feeding more than 7 times daily (after 12 months), nighttime bottle feeding, repeated use of non-spill cups, and sugary snacks in between meals.

Editorial Note and Disclaimer: Infants, in fact, can neither speak nor coordinate far-reaching public awareness campaigns in conjunction with national health organizations. This report has been created by a mother, health advocate, and dental hygienist at Assure A Smile, who has done her best to imagine how infants would respond to the alarming increase of tooth decay among young children.

Sources:

(i) “Cavity Present in Saliva of Infants.” Medical Daily. Accessed 8 August 2013.

(ii) (iii) “Guideline on Infant Oral Healthcare.” American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry. Accessed 7 August 2013. Download PDF: http://www.aapd.org/media/Policies_Guidelines/G_infantOralHealthCare.pdf