Your Time In The Chair

As we provide dental services for the whole family, and all age ranges of patients, we've observed that a lot of modern dentistry has to do with how people feel…

Of course, it has to do with how they feel before services, versus afterward. So much of restorative dentistry is in managing tooth pain and other symptoms from things like cavities, exposed nerves and abscesses, to name a few.

But there's also how people feel while they are in the dental chair. Let's talk about that a bit as we think about what people want from a dentist’s office.

Comfortable Dentistry

Some dentists talk about the practice of providing ‘comfortable’ dentistry. This has a lot to do with understanding how you’re meeting each patient's needs.

It is not inherently comfortable for a lot of people to sit in the dentist’s chair. They may have respiratory issues or other kinds of conditions that make it challenging to lie on their back while getting work done on their teeth. They may find it hard to keep their mouths open in a very specific structured position for a long period of time.

Now, a lot of making people comfortable has to do with communication. It's not that the dentist has to always be talking to the patient – but it's important that the dentist and hygienist team acknowledge that the patient is there. Paying attention to this sort of bedside manner in your practice will promote that comfortable dentistry that patients crave.

Making the Most of Time

When they are in the chair, patients want dentists and hygienists to be working actively on dental problems. It's important to keep the total chair time down to the minimum that you would need to deliver services. You don't want to just park people in the chair and leave them there – that's another component of making dentistry more comfortable and less stressful for patients. Think about each of those minutes as feeling pretty long when you're sitting there in the chair with nothing to do!

The same applies to those interim times where dentist and hygienist teams are waiting for Novocain to set in or working with other timelines.

Predicting Outcomes

A lot of times, a routine appointment turns into something more. Dentists get into their work, and they realize they have a bit more to do than they had thought!

Then you have to really think about scheduling this additional work. Do you do it at the same visit, or later? How long can the patient afford to wait?

The point is that being more versatile and knowledgeable about this type of scheduling ultimately helps the patient out, and makes them feel better about the services provided. In other words, the dentist has to be on the ball and know what he or she is talking about.

Those are just some of the types of considerations that help dentists really provide top-notch service. Do all dentists put these rules in place and pay attention to these elements of dental care? Not really – many do, and many don't. That's where it becomes necessary for the patient to look for the best and most professional services in the local area. Call Jacas Family Dental for a warm and welcoming environment!