It’s not uncommon for people to experience a degree of anxiety when it comes time to take a seat in the dentist’s chair. As a Dental Assistant, it’s important to be aware of this in order to put your patients at ease while providing as calming an experience as possible. In addition, be sure to ask your patients questions throughout the examination process, as there may be some things your patients aren’t necessarily telling you about their dental health and habits.
- Ask your patients about their diet. Many of your patients may not have a true understanding about just how much their diet can affect their teeth.
- Patients may be hesitant to tell their dentist about any underlying illnesses or ailments they are suffering from that don’t necessarily have anything to do with their teeth. It is extremely important to find out if there are any illnesses, recent surgical procedures, or antibiotics they are taking that may affect their dental health.
- As you probably already know, not all patients are entirely truthful about how well they care for their teeth – particularly when it comes to flossing. Be sure to ask questions and encourage your patients not to overlook their oral health.
- Many people fear the dentist’s chair but are not upfront about this fear with their dental practitioner. For this reason, it is important to try to put every patient at ease and provide reassurance throughout the dental examination or procedure.
Remember to build rapport with your patients – an open line of communication leads to trust, which will make it easier for your patient to open up and share information with you that they might otherwise be inclined to keep to themselves.
Information in this blog post is accurate as of January 24, 2013.