20 ways to endear yourself to your dental practitioner and enjoy a good visit
I know, I know, a visit to the dentist is less than a fun experience for many people, and downright unpleasant for a few. Dental practices go to extraordinary lengths to make their space as pleasant as possible for patients, while still adhering to stringent infection control and surgical requirements to function effectively. It’s certainly not easy to balance all the demands of a modern dental business!
Yet there are aspects of the dental visit experience that are completely in the hands of the patient. This can make or break a visit not only for the patient and the dental professionals involved, but possibly the patients following afterwards.
Here are some things you can do before, during and after your dental visit to make it a great all round experience and avoid being that PITA (pain-in-the-arse) patient:
Book your appointment when you have flexibility in your day, like a day off or personal health day. When you can be prepared and not rushed. So if the dentist were to run late it wouldn’t be the end of the world for your schedule, like picking up the dog from the groomer before closing (this is a true story). Or if you have an emergency, clear enough of your day to allow buffer time either side of the dental visit, just in case. Less pressure, better outcomes usually.
Don’t wait till you have a raging toothache to go to the dentist. It’s like flying with a hangover but a hundred times worse. Many women say it’s worse than childbirth and the drugs are nowhere near as good. It’s not going to be a nice experience for anyone. Toothaches generally don’t get better by themselves, and always benefit from investigation. The earlier the better for you, the dental staff, your hip pocket and your sanity.
Have your paperwork ready. A current list of medications, relevant letters from specialist doctors, a list of implants, any allergies, whether you’re pregnant, a list of hospital stays and operations in the past - recent and distant, and any relevant dental xray radiographs. Your mouth is connected to the rest of your body. Dentists need to know this stuff about you to give you appropriate and safe care. Being organised will win you brownie points with dental reception staff for making their job a lot easier.
Bring your payment cards. This includes health insurance cards. This may sound obvious, but all too frequently people forget. Like supermarkets or a department store, dental practices require payment at the time of service. They are not charities, although they often do pro bono work at their choosing, not yours. They have staff, products and business expenses to pay for. Remember how stressful it can be when you don’t get paid on time? Your courtesy is greatly appreciated. If you require a payment plan, see the next point.
Please ring ahead to organise payment plans before making your appointment. Payment plans require pre-planning with the dental office. They can be time consuming to set up and generally cannot be activated on the day of treatment. Your financial situation or payment problems are not the responsibility of the dental practice.
Please give as much notice as possible to change your appointment time. Nobody likes a waiting list. Nobody likes being stood up either, it’s rude. But everybody loves to learn they can get in earlier for a newly vacated appointment slot if they have enough time to get there.
Dental phobics please let the dental practice know of your fear at the time of booking. You generally require more time per visit and knowing this prevents the dentist from running late for the next patient. There are also a number of tools the dentist can share with you to make it a better experience for you AND them. Also, some dentists don’t like treating phobic people. They’ll refer you on to someone else. Give them the chance to give you the best care they can and perhaps have a positive impact on your dental fear.
Please don’t expect dental staff to babysit your children during your appointment. Arrange for them to be minded elsewhere if they’re not to be seen on the same day. Or bring a support person to help manage the kids entertainment out of the office or quietly in reception so you can focus on completing your dental care undisturbed. Some dental offices can arrange for a baby sitter on your behalf for longer visits, please ask at the time of booking.
Please arrive ahead of your dental appointment start time. Not just in the area looking for a park, but actually physically inside the practice. At least 15 minutes for initial consults, or 5 minutes for continuing care. Enough time to check in with reception staff and go to the loo. Like a yoga class or a plane flight, your appointment start time is when treatment commences. Late arrivals are highly disruptive to the dentist’s schedule and may require missing the visit altogether, at your expense. Please don’t argue. Your dentist is doing their best to run on time for all the scheduled patients and perhaps an unscheduled emergency or two for the day.
Please avoid smoking or garlic before your dental visit. Nobody deserves to deal with unnecessary bad breath, especially at work!
Don’t tell your dentist you hate them. Also don’t tell them your treatment is paying for a holiday, a car, the mortgage, the private school fees. Yawn. They’ve heard it about a gazillion times before. And you’re right, it is paying for the work of the dentist, the nurse, the reception staff, to fund their lives,… just as you work to earn money to pay for all the same things in your life. Fair pay for fair work as they say!
No dentist has ever put a knee on your chest to take out a tooth. If you’ve had a tooth removed this way, it was’t by a dentist, you cheapskate! Teeth break when you pull hard on them. Qualified dentists know this from their training, so they will never pull a tooth out this way.
Asking a dentist to work without X-rays is like asking you to drive at night without headlights. So don’t. If you haven’t got any taken recently - within the past 2-3 years, or don’t have access to them, or it’s for a specific acute dental problem, please let your dentist take more. It’s for your benefit, not their bill. The radiation is about the same as a flight from Sydney to Melbourne or talking on your mobile phone for an hour.
Please don’t ask to sit up and spit or rinse every 5 minutes. Your dental nurse is a professional at suctioning and rinsing. They take pride in doing the best job they can - keeping your mouth clean and cheeks and tongue out of they way. You swallow your saliva all day everyday, you can do it at the dentist too. Sometimes your DA will need to put pressure on your tongue or cheeks. Relax. The more you fight them, they harder they will need to push. Your tongue wont win against the pro.
Please don’t ask your dental professional for a clean without a recent checkup. Just like a contact lens prescription refill requires a recent eye examination with an optometrist. A dental hygiene appointment is actually a health procedure. The cosmetic benefits are your take home bonus.
Breath through your nose and keep your mouth open. At the same time. Practice at home if you must. It’s the closest you can get to a dentist’s dream of a flip-top head. Ask for bite blocks to help if you need. Your dentist will give you a rest at the appropriate time when it’s not critical to keep something dry.
Please keep your hands to yourself during your appointment. Sit on them if you need to. Flailing arms are most unhelpful and can actually be dangerous during a dental appointment. Your dentist will give you communication cues you can use during the visit. This is a health appointment: the dental staff touch you. You don’t touch the dental staff. Thanks.
Please keep wailing and grunting to a minimum. The dentist is not your weekly tennis match. Nor do they fit tennis balls into your mouth (yes, I remember the cartoon), but they may try a sock if you keep that noise up! No need to scare other patients at the practice.
Please follow after care instructions. To. The. Letter. No smoking means no smoking for at least 48 hours. Get patches instead if you have to. Smoking prevents healing. Alcohol makes you bleed more. You will chew your tongue if you eat while you’re numb. Some rules are meant to be broken, dental aftercare instructions are not those rules.
Please treat your dental staff the way you wish to be treated - with respect, courtesy, honesty and gratitude. Your dental problem is not their fault. You’ve contracted their services to help you. They are people too. A little kindness goes a long way, as does a note of thanks for their care.
Dr Christine May is a dentist, writer and founder of ViDe Virtual Dental Australia.
All health information in this article is of a general nature only and should not replace specific advice given to you by your own dentist in the lead up to or following a consultation.
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