• Archives
  • Products
  • Operative Dentistry
  • Dental Team Communication
  • Practice Management
  • News
  • Research
  • Dental Debates

DentalBuzz: a jolt of current

trends, innovations, and quirks of dentistry

  • Home – Latest Buzz
  • Bloglist
  • Indie Dental Showcase
  • Free Dental Timer
  • Practice printables
  • Podcasts

How to trick kids into brushing their teeth

April 24, 2019 By DentalBuzz Staff 2 Comments

It’s a no-brainer. Dental hygiene, specifically brushing your teeth, is important. But, if you’re a parent with little kids, it’s not always easy. Kids can be stubborn – especially when every aspect of their life is controlled by their parents. This can quickly turn a two-minute task, like brushing your teeth, into a difficult ordeal and even a chore.  But, don’t worry! We’ve asked parents what their go-to tricks are to get their kids to not only brush their teeth, but enjoy doing it.

Tip 1: Make it a competition

There’s nothing like sibling rivalry, and it happens even without parental interference. So, why not use this to get your kids pumped about brushing their teeth? Tell them that the winner is chosen by who has the best -smelling breath after two minutes of brushing their teeth. The prize can be something simple, like a temporary tattoo or a glow stick they can take to bed. If you can’t tell the difference between whose breath is better, just switch up the winner every time, you sneaky parent, you.

Do you only have one child? Then brush your teeth with them and use the two-minutes as a countdown. Once the clock hits 0, use the below tip to see whose teeth are the cleanest.

Tip 2: Use a “Tooth Check” after every brushing 

If you don’t think your kids are brushing their teeth properly, take a picture of their smiles after every brush. Then, use the picture to zoom in and show them how icky their teeth are when they don’t brush correctly. Not only will this show them why brushing is important, it’ll hold them accountable so they learn the right way to take care of their teeth.

Tip 3: Show your kids pictures of neglected teeth

This is a classic scare-tactic type tip. If your kids are being stubborn and refuse to brush, show them what it looks like when you don’t take care of your teeth. You can also show them this video that explains what happens to neglected teeth. 

Cavities are only the beginning of the painful and gross domino effect that can happen if you don’t take dental hygiene seriously. Research from the American Dental Hygienists Association has found a connection between heart disease and key bacteria in periodontal disease. Also, inflammation in your mouth may cause inflamed arteries which can lead to a stroke. Depending on how old your kids are, you can decide how much of this information is necessary to get them to brush those teeth!

Tip 4: Get fun toothbrushes and decorative cups for mouthwash

As a kid, I hated brushing my teeth. And apparently, I didn’t understand how to do it correctly. I’m the baby of my family with two older brothers. By the time my parents had to teach me – the third child – anything, they would lean on my brothers to show me first. So, they were shocked after a trip to the dentist when my brothers had zero cavities and I had SEVEN. Low and behold, my six year old self was unaware that you are, in fact, supposed to brush behind your teeth, too. I had only been brushing the tops and fronts of my teeth. Nice. 

My mom intervened and bought me a new, sparkly teal toothbrush and filled me in on the proper brushing etiquette. She also started buying superhero Dixie cups that made mouth-washing fun. While decorated toothbrushes can be overpriced, try seeing what your local Dollar Tree has for kids’ toothbrushes. You might be surprised to find their favorite cartoon character or color available.

Tip 5: Make brushing your teeth a family affair

As we saw above, kids learn by example. So, brushing your teeth alongside them can help teach them while offering up some time to bond with them. If you travel for work or are in a separate household from your kids at times, you can try video chatting with them while you all brush your teeth and get ready for the day or for bed.

It’s recommended that you brush your teeth twice a day for two minutes in the morning and again before you head to bed. Starting your day and ending your day brushing your teeth together can help your kids establish a routine that they’ll carry on for the rest of their lives!

Caroline Gillard is a public relations professional and freelance writer for the health care and financial services industries. As a stand-up comedian on the side (and after the right amount of drinks) she aspires to bring comedy to her writing while providing useful information for her readers.

 

 

 

 

References:

ADHA: Oral Health-Total Health: Know the Connection. https://www.adha.org/resources-docs/7228_Oral_Health_Total.pdf

Quick Facts: Toothbrushing Infographic. https://www.mouthhealthy.org/~/media/MouthHealthy/Files/A-Z/Infographic_Brushing_102714.pdf

Filed Under: Preventive Care, Uncategorized Tagged With: pediatric dentistry, toothbrushing

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.)

Filed Under: Anecdotes, Fun, Uncategorized

Typos on your practice website

September 12, 2011 By Trish Walraven 5 Comments

Let’s play a game of search, kind of a “Where’s Waldo” for proofreaders. Ready? How many grammar and spelling mistakes can you find in this dental practice website?

(click on the image below to see it live)

The offender that originally caught my eye is “Sugary.” Really? Oral Sugary? Sweet. At first that was the only one I saw. And then the others appeared as I looked closer and started trying to read through the front page.

Also, what’s with the music selection for that video you can’t turn off? It’s something between the Brady Bunch theme and middle school marching band, and the best you can do is mute your computer so that it doesn’t keep starting over with each page change.

English appears to be a second language not only for the website developers but for most of the patients, too. Otherwise, don’t you think someone would have told them about this by now? It won’t be me. Not just yet, because I’m getting to a point first.

I counted eight errors. But what makes this number so awful is that there are not that many words on this page!

Maybe the Vietnamese community in Houston is more forgiving about dental websites. They might not even be able to read the words at all, and maybe the flashy stuff looks clean and assuring. Especially the little kiss blown at the end of the video. I actually found the clinician’s manner to be quite touching and sincere.

No one needs to be told anymore that you have to have a decent website to make a good impression these days. I mean, if yours looks like 1995 HTML markup you’re probably better off not having one. And even if you have a super-cool template and someone in-house that can webmaster a bit, you have to watch that you don’t put off patients with weird stuff, or too much information, or not enough information. On the other hand, if you’re not careful enough about the website designer you hire, your prospective patients might get a case of STOCK IMAGE GLAZEOVER and quickly leave your page for the next dentist in the Google search that has real people on their front page, not this same girl you see everywhere:

See what I mean?

Now go look at your own website. It needs to be better, no matter how good it is now. And if you think it’s just fine the way it is, then you need to talk to someone you trust who can either give you ideas on how to improve your online presence or just give up trying. Because there is no “Done” when it comes to web design. There’s just better for now.

Kind of like getting your teeth cleaned.

Filed Under: Uncategorized

About

DentalBuzz explores rising trends in dentistry with its own slant. The speed at which new products and ideas enter the dental field can often outpace our ability to understand just exactly the direction in which we are heading. But somehow, by being a little less serious about dentistry and dental care, we might get closer to making sense of it all.

So yeah, a tongue-in-cheek pun would fit really nicely here, but that would be in bad taste. Never mind, it just happened anyways. Stop reading sidebars already and click on some content instead.

Email Subscription

Still in the sidebar, huh? You must be really bored. Or a fan, which is awesome! Please fill out the form below to know whenever DentalBuzz is updated. We'll send out new posts as they happen, directly to your mailbox.
Loading

Recent Posts

  • It’s not OK for your dental practice to use free cloud-based communication
  • Patients ask, “Is it safe to go back to the dentist?”
  • Free “return to work guide” from the American Dental Association
  • Why COVID-19 increases your need for contactless payments
  • A virtual care package from worried dental hygienists
  • Lead Aprons feel so good! Here’s why.
  • What is this $&!% on my toothbrush?
  • The Prophy Jet Challenge
  • How to trick kids into brushing their teeth
  • These identical twins can both be your dentist
  • Why dental insurance makes good people do bad things
  • Amabrush (and all other mouthpiece toothbrushes) do NOT clean your teeth in ten seconds

Article Archives

Contact Us

Guest columnists are welcome to submit edgy stories that cover new ground (no regurgitations, please!) , or if there's a topic that you'd like to see explored please punch in your best stuff here and see if it ends up sticking to the website.

Follow DentalBuzz on Social Media

  • Facebook
  • Twitter

DentalBuzz Copyright ©2008-2021 • bluenotesoftware.com • All Rights Reserved