Almost everyone agrees that a dentist’s chair is among the scarier places to be in the world. Saying “I’d rather have a root canal” is universally understood to mean you’re comparing an unpleasant task to the worst thing you can think of. The nature of dentistry is itself scary and painful. There are drills and needles and nasty tasting chemicals. You leave feeling uncomfortable and numb, until that wears off and then you’re uncomfortable and in pain. But there are ways dentists can temper the discomfort of a visit to their offices. High five to the dentists who try to make the best out of an unpleasant situation for their patients.
Waiting
Anticipating the dentist’s chair is often as bad or worse than the actual procedure. But it’s nice to be welcomed by a friendly face and a few distractions of what’s coming. Godley Station Dental, a practice in Pooler, GA, has a well stocked beverage bar in their waiting room. There are cookies and a TV to take people’s minds off why they are there. This is so much better than the usual stack of old magazines.
The Chair
When people have nightmares about the dentist, this is what they see. But you’d be surprised how a few simple perks can calm fear and ease stress. Clark Family Dental in New Albany, OH provides a pillow and blanket to patients in the chair. This gives them a sense of security as well as comfort. It’s amazing how time can fly during a dental visit when you’re watching a good movie. It can almost remove you from that torture chair altogether.
A Gentle Touch
So far the amenities mentioned have been for the purpose of distraction. But there are things a dentist can do to remove discomfort of the actual work being done as well. They can warn you when they stick you with the needle and massage your gums to relieve some of the pain. Dr. Henize, a dentist in Blue Ash, OH offers patients lip balm, which does great things when your lips are stretched and cracking. The dental hygienist can help avoid the urge to swallow by making sure all the liquid is sucked out of the patient’s throat. I really appreciate it when a dentist is mindful about where he is resting his hands as to not pinch my lips and cheeks.
These are simple ways to greatly improve patients’ experiences at the dentist. In fact, amenities like these could change the way people feel about visiting the dentist. Of course there are many dentists around who take extra care to give patients a good experience. If you have a dentist like that, consider yourself lucky and give him a kiss if you can without slobbering all over him.
Eric Henize D.D.S., LLC
4723 Cornell Rd.
Blue Ash, Ohio 45241
513-489-0607
Clark Family Dental
5133 Hampsted Village Center Way
New Albany, OH 43054
614-568-9002
Godley Station Dental
1000 Towne Center Blvd. #101
Pooler, GA 31322
912-330-4744
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