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.
Add to all this, the dental insurance industry.
Actually, "dental insurance" is a misnomer (see "Dental
Insurance Misnomer" in "About
Our Services"). Many people think that "dental insurance"
policies should be the dictate of the amount of care they should have.
It might at best be considered a "bonus" that represents
an agreement between the dental client's employer and the "insurance
company". It is not meant to cover all needed dentistry, only
the bare essentials, if that in some cases. When a dentist signs up
to get on the "insurance" list, he is limited in the types
of care he can render the client. For the privilege of having his
dental chairs occupied with "insured's", he must provide
treatment "OK'd" by the company and his fees are regulated
- based on a portion of what is considered to be "usual and customary"
and the dentist's zip code. It's very interesting to me that many
people allow the influence of an entity that does not really care
about their mouth to be the sole guide for their care, and that there
are dentists who let themselves be influenced by it. It is sad, and
one only has to look at medicine and see what has happened to private
care. Many of the finest M.D.'s have left the profession, some of
which I know.
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. |
