Upside Down

Thirty-seven years ago when I graduated from Dental School, I was excited about my new profession, which seemed to blend health care, artsy techniques, and business skills.  Every exam we took in the four year program, had a banner at the top stating: “Dentistry is an exacting profession ....”, and it has been.  The training seemed to create an atmosphere of experiencing our own anxiety, which culminated in a three day practical “Board” exam, taken amidst an army of North East Regional Board dentists, wandering through the clinic in gold blazers.

Things change with time.  Over the years, I often have found myself confiding to patients, “Performing the actual treatment, is not as difficult, as dealing with the patient’s anxiety.”   Extracting a tooth, taking an impression, doing a difficult restoration can all take more time, and become more difficult to complete, when the patient is fearful.  They sometimes subconsciously constrict their lips, thrust their tongue, or even pass-out.  Luckily, most patients learn to relax after the first few appointments. 

Things change with time.  Since we resumed our schedule since the “lockdown”, I noticed a difference in my patients anxiety in my office.  When they sit in my dental chair and remove their mask, they relax and smile,  After unloading their frustrations on this imposed isolation, they seem to melt in the chair as I examine their teeth and mouth, all the while I am touching their oral cavity with my gloved hand.  They seem to unconsciously hunger for human contact.

Things change with time, but this is upside down.