A PATIENT’S PERSPECTIVE

I recently read a book called “A Few Words from the Chair: A Patient Speaks to Dentists” by David Clow. This is a book written by a patient (journalist) for dentists. Here is how the book starts.

“Dentistry offers people so much that they want and need. Why don’t people get it? What would permit someone to have this resource available, and fail to use it? What would cause them to misunderstand it so thoroughly that they fear it more than they fear the consequences of not collaborating with a dentist?”

I have written numerous times on the five barriers that patients face in getting ideal dental treatment: fear, money, lack of concern due to absence of pain, using lack of time as an excuse, and lack of trust. Clow offers a statement that gets to the “root” of the issue. “Dentists and patients have extended interactions but hardly any conversations.”

A dentist may be a great tooth fixer, but also a poor communicator at the same time. When was the last time a dentist sat down with you for an extended conversation to discuss your personal situation, the importance and relevance to getting good dental care, and its significance to systemic health? When was the last time a dentist helped you work through your particular barrier to getting a healthier mouth?

Clow goes on to say to us (dentists), “There are gaps here, and like the gaps you work on in your practice, they are problems. The obvious one is between us, between dentist and patient. There’s another between what I really need and what I think I need. Yet another divides what you think you do and what I think you do. And there’s a serious one between the value most dentists have and the value they feel they can discuss.”

Clow says that we (dentists) spend too much time on things that don’t get treatment done in the chair. Technology is one of those things. Dentists tend to be techno-geeks. We’ve got to have digital x-rays, machines that make crowns in the office, and fancy chairs that give massages. That stuff is okay and serves a purpose for some patients, but what about the patients that aren’t committed to any care?

Our time is the greatest thing we have to offer, yet many dentists overlook this. Anyone can drill on a tooth but not everyone has meaningful communication skills.

Have you ever heard the old joke, “How many psychiatrists does it take to change a light bulb? One- but the light bulb has to want to change.” One of the goals I have every day is to change one person’s perspective on dentistry – to just get one person to realize the importance of a healthy mouth. It is not always easy, but these conversations are often the most meaningful and rewarding parts of the day.

The key for us as dentists is to slow down and have more meaningful conversations with our patients. We are often pushed in the wrong direction trying to run a small business, but it is important for us to realize that the human element – the doctor/patient relationship – will always be the most important part of what we do.

Dr. St. Clair maintains a private dental practice in Rowley and Newburyport dedicated to health-centered family dentistry. If there are certain topics you would like to see written about or questions you have please email them to him at jpstclair@stclairdmd.com. You can view all previously written columns at www.jpeterstclairdentistry.com/blog.