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How Small Gestures Can Help With Apprehensive Patients

How Small Gestures Can Help With Apprehensive Patients
by Katheryn Prather, RDH, BAc

We have all had that patient, the one that is terrified of being at the dentist. They look terrified from the moment you call their name and ask them to head to the back. These overwhelmed patients, in all their fear, don’t realize how their stress can affect you, as a clinician. How do you handle them? These patients are among the most difficult types to handle. Occasionally, they might cry and panic, or even walk out before treatment is completed. It is so hard for us to understand dental apprehension because we know, “We are just trying to help.”

Think, for just a minute, about a time that you may have been afraid at your own doctor’s appointment. For me, it was when I gave birth to my son. The entire day went wrong, in every element of the delivery process. After 13 hours of labor, I still had no progression. To make the situations worse, my son was in distress. My doctor told me I had to have an emergency C-section. This was the last thing I wanted to hear after the traumatic day I had already experienced. As they wheeled me in to have the surgery, I was in a panic. I was crying and shaking; I couldn’t focus on anything but the fear I was feeling. Six years later, I still remember that day, because my son was finally here, but also because of the emotions tied to that moment. It wasn’t my husband that calmed me or my OB that calmed me; it was the wonderful anesthesiologist simply taking a moment to talk calmly to me and help me get my head right.

Read full article Today's RDH.