|
I was recently invited to give a lecture about Stress Management by
the Philippine Association of Private School Dentists (PAPSD) Inc.
I was surprised that my topic, Stress Management, was a major
interest.
I thought it was only the dentists’ patients
who were stressed out. My dentist seems cool, clean and in control
in his white scrub suit. “I’m the one whose teeth are
being tortured,” I thought.
So what can stress out your local dentist?
Here are three ways of how being a dentist can take a “bite” out
of your peace of mind:
1. Telling patients what they plan to do with
their teeth: You would think looking at bad teeth and being exposed
to bad breath would be the main stressor for dentists. Not at
all.
Dentists get stressed by the reactions of the
patient when they tell them about the procedures in getting their
teeth cured. Basic salesmanship principles say that you have
to make your client comfortable before closing the sale. That
can pose a challenge when your sales pitch can go like this: “Mr.
de la Cruz, we’re going to have to extract three molars from your
lower jaw. I’ll be sticking this hypodermic syringe with
anaesthesia into your gums, then I’ll take them out with these
pliers.”
It may not be in those exact words, but
admittedly, it may cause apprehension, fear and anxiety in the
client. And then there’s the financial stress of the
patient if they can afford the bill.
2. Awkward positions during work: During the
dental procedure, I’m lying in a comfortable chair with my feet up
and my head on a back rest. Dentists however are not as
comfortable. They have to bend down looking into our mouths
for extended periods of time and have complete mental focus as well.
It’s still a medical procedure where both mind and hands have to
be steady.
3. Stressed eyes: Trying to look into a mouth is
not a position where you can just easily gaze and see what’s
wrong. Clarity of vision is most needed when doing delicate
procedures as well.
It all boils down to preventive measures and
learning tools that calm the mind and keep the body fit.
Here’s some advice:
1. Learn communication techniques on how to
deliver the dental status of your patient. The way it is
delivered may help lessen the anxiety. It could be as simple
as saying: “Yes, there are cavities, but the procedure is common
and you’ll be done within an hour or so. It’s great that we’re
doing it now rather than months in the future.” Saying it with a
smile also helps.
2. Do some Yoga stretches before and after the
procedure. This should help counter those long awkward bent
over positions of looking into patients’ mouths. If you’re
comfortable with your patient, you can have a 60 second stretch
break for yourself. While the patient is rinsing, the dentist should
be stretching.
3. According to the Bates Method, stress causes
the eye muscles to press down on the eyeball and cause vision
problems. To help counter this, avoid squinting. Not
only will it stress out the eyes, but it will add unwanted lines on
the forehead that make the face look older. Try to look at
something far away. This is to counter the strain of the eyes
focusing on the near, minute details of patients’ teeth for a long
time.
|
