Fear of the Dentist/Fear of the Patient

I find that the more I have learned, the more I have to offer my clients, both treatment-wise and in the line of personal service. Also, I have learned about the dynamics of how many people view dentistry and the services that are available.

Not having grown up amidst affluence, early in my career I used to shy away from informing my patients about all I could do for them, as I was afraid that I might be rejected based upon fees. My commitment to learning allowed me to see beyond "just teeth" and I soon had a lot more to offer my clients than just the "usual and customary". I certainly have been fooled, as through the years I have found that many persons who value fine dentistry and personal service have no problem with fees that represent a fair exchange for these services, as long as they fully understood what I wanted for them and why. I know from my contacts with dentists through the years that many of them are afraid of their patients. If the truth be known, they are afraid like I was - that they might lose patients - they are afraid that people won't like them, as most all people would rather be somewhere else than at the dentist anyway. They are afraid of conflict and that patients will reject comprehensive examinations, which take time, and for the non-aware patient, they may feel enticed by a low fee incomplete exam, or "cleaning" (See "Cleaning" and "Traditional Hygiene vs Wellness Hygiene" in "About Our Services").

It is true that 80% of the population stays away from the dentist on a regular basis. Although most would rather be somewhere else than at the dentist, there are those who only seek dental care when their pain level exceeds that of their fear. Most often fear starts from negative past dental experiences involving lack of compassion, lack of adequate time to inform, pain during treatment or a combination of the above. Many of my “dental converts” have told me that they would actually become nauseous or undergo a panic attack even while picking up the phone to call the dentist. Although we can use relaxation medications or nitrous oxide/oxygen (“laughing gas“) to “get the work done”, most of these patients indicate that the most important thing that helped with their fear was the time given to be truly heard & understood, which is crucial in the development of a trusting, therapeutic relationship. True wellness involves allowing enough time to listen, because people don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.

One of our practice's core values is honesty. Honesty in providing what we've learned regarding our clients' oral condition, how it got that way, what can be done about it with any options and why - truly understandable, informed choices with fees that represent the quality of care offered. We are our client's advocates and assist them in any way we can to allow them to receive the finest dentistry, including assisting them in obtaining all their "insurance" benefits. We will not, however, let any of the above "fears" stand in the way of an honest assessment of one's oral condition and the understandable, informed choices that they deserve.