Techniques to Curb Dental Anxiety
The distinctive sound in the dentist's office coupled with its slightly sweet antiseptic smell has long been a source of anxiety for many people. Ask almost anyone and they will tell you stories much like the one of my grandmother, who was never given treatment for her pain. Instead, she was treated only with silver nitrate on the decayed areas to deaden the nerve endings. However this did not heal the decay. Perhaps instead they would tell of a time when their dentist, who had just received his new high-speed drill, insisted that there was no need for Novocaine. Along with new problems such as dentists infecting their patients with HIV, the negative side of dentistry has increasingly been in the public eye.
Upon hearing stories similar to these, the public has been calling for their dental visits to become safe, painless, and carefree ones. In a study done by USA Today (1999), it was found that "dentists are trying to coax forty million frightened Americans back into the [dentist's] chair" (p. 1). Of these forty million persons, many of them are so afraid of the dentist that they chronically schedule and postpone dental care until their level of pain is so high, they must go regardless of fear. Forty million Americans are not wrong. There is a serious problem with the way they have been, or are being treated in the dentist's chair. While there are many very good compassionate dentists in the United States, there are a number of dentists whose philosophy is to "treat only the tooth and make their money" (Dr. Knight, personal conversation, March 28, 1999). Many dentists today are concerned with treating dental anxiety and there are three basic areas these dentists are improving to redu...
... middle of paper ...
... (1992). Practical clinical hypnosis: Techniques and applications.
New York: Lexington Books.
Millennium™. (1999, March 28). Biolase Technology [Online product info].
Available: http://www.biolase.com/htmls/products/millennium.html
Morrison, C. and Netting, J. (1999, March). What's new. Popular Science, 24.
Quarnstrom, F. (1996, December). Sedation of phobic dental patients with an emphasis
on the use of oral triazloam [58 paragraphs]. Priory Lodge Education Limited [Online]. Available: http://www.priory.com/den/halcion1.htm
Rogers, F. (1989). Going to the dentist. New York: G. P. Putnam's Sons.
Rom, M. C. (1997). Fatal extraction. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Stevenson, R. B. (1998). Ethics and patient initiative. JADA, 129, 414.
Wynbrandt, J. (1998). The excruciating history of dentistry. New York: St. Martin's
Press.
Dentistry is a fascinating profession for its approach to patients, restoring function as well as es-thetic. I believe that Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery is the most important specialty in dentistry and medicine which combines art with science. It is appealing when patients leave the Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery (OMS) clinics not only with good function and esthetic, but also in a better psychological status. And I find the AAOMS’s motto “Saving Faces.. Changing Lives..” very insi...
The theory of emotional intelligence is relatively new, however the psychological theory has become prevalent and many entities have adapted the principles of this theory in order to enhance relations within the professional environment as well as increase performance which ultimately lead to a positive place of work. (Allan Chapman 2014)
Emotional intelligence operates under four theoretical domains and their respective competencies that are essentially classified under two divisions: personal competence and social competence (Goleman, et al, 2002, pg. 39). These broader competencies do not describe leadership talents, but learned abilities that describe how effectively the leader manages intrapersonal and interpersonal relationships (Goleman, et al, 2002). The assumption is that if the leader is thoroughly competent in an intrapersonal sense---meaning, among other factors, he or she is appropriately self-aware, transparent and adaptable---the leader will have better interpersonal insight into his or her subordinates (Goleman, et al, 2002). This social competence delineates more specific qualities including a strong sense of empathy, service, influence, and collaboration (Goleman, et al, 2002). In terms of leadership effectiveness, these competencies are not only ideal,...
Certain individuals avoid the dentist at all costs, choosing to live with cavities, gum disease and more, as they fear the chair more than anything. Others put off visiting a dental practitioner until the pain has become so overwhelming they can no longer live with it. This phobia is more common than many people realize, and it is shown in oral health statistics. This doesn't need to be the case, however, thanks to sedation dentistry. Dentists use sedation for those dentists who experience anxiety, whether they are simply having a cavity filled or need to have their teeth cleaned.
Milder had terminal cancer. I was immediately distraught, wondering how Dr. Milder could operate his practice despite knowing his diagnosis. I gradually realized that it was Dr. Milder's commitment to the practice of dentistry that empowered him to serve others in the face of overwhelming personal adversity. Inspired by Dr. Milder’s optimism and persistence, I started participating in the San Diego County Dental Society initiatives he introduced me to, where I discovered how dentists came together to treat homeless veterans, raise funds for educational programs, and deliver oral hygiene supplies to underserved neighborhoods. I now aspire to follow in these proactive dentists’ footsteps and extend my reach beyond private practice by caring for individuals without adequate resources, promoting public knowledge of oral health, and mentoring future dentists. Although Dr. Milder will not watch my career develop, furthering his chain of compassion as a leader in the dental community will honor his legacy and produce a lifetime of fulfillment and
Emotions are frequent companions in our lives. They come and go, and constantly change like the weather. They generate powerful chemicals that create positive and negative feelings, which have a powerful effect on leadership. Some emotions can either facilitate leadership, while others can detract from successful leadership. This course, Emotionally Intelligent Leadership, has truly opened my eyes to the affects that emotions have on being an effective leader. Peter Salovey and John Mayer defined emotional intelligence as “the ability to monitor one’s own and other’s feelings and emotions to use the information to guide one’s thinking and actions” (p. 5). This definition in itself states that emotions, whether it be ones own emotions or those of others, is the underlying factor that directs the actions of a leader. Therefore, throughout the progression (advancement) of this course, I have learned the importance of the development of emotional intelligence for being an effective leader, and because of this I plan on developing the capacities that contribute to being an emotionally intelligent leader for my own success, now and in the future.
(2013) separated emotional intelligence into four domains, self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, and relationship management (pp. 30, 38). These domains are then broken into two competencies. Self-awareness, the understanding of one 's emotions and being clear about one 's purpose, and self-management, the focused drive and emotional self-control, make up the personal competence (pp. 39, 45-46). While social awareness, or empathy and service, and relationship management, the handling of other people 's emotions, make up the social competence (pp. 39, 48, 51). These emotional intelligence competencies are not innate talents, but learned abilities, each of which contribute to making leaders more resonant and effective (p. 38). This is good news for me because I still have much to develop in regards to emotional
In the Dental Hygiene field, many challenges come about every day and during different situations. Every day there are new challenges and unusual situations that occur in the dental field, but one challenge that continues to come about and has been a big dispute over the years is the ability to provide beneficial information about oral health care for the underprivileged. For the individuals that are not fortunate enough to pay to have services done in the dental office, lack the knowledge of how important good oral health care is. They do not receive the one on one conversations explaining the significance of taking care of your teeth and gums that the patients who can afford to make appointments and receive essential services do. That
Dentinal hypersensitivity is characterized by a short, sharp pain in response to stimuli. Dentinal hypersensitivity, which is more commonly seen in adults in the 20 – 40 – year old age group, has several etiological factors. Gingival recession and enamel loss both contribute to the prevalence of this condition, resulting in the exposure of dentin.
Patients feel fear not so much from the actual pain but from the lack of control that they feel lying in a dental chair. That creates a lot of anxiousness in some patients, as they don’t feel helpless. Most dentists continue treating all patients in a similarly assuming that they all have similar pain level and will handle the procedure in the same way. Dentists should be mindful of their patient’s level of tolerance and make them aware of the entire procedure ahead of time so that they are able to handle the unexpected situations. They should take time to ensure that the patient feels comfortable at every step. Use of medications and wide array of techniques can help patients eliminate pain and anxiety and making dental visits a pleasant experi...
Today business and globalization have made emotional intelligence important. Daniel Coleman has done research on the importance of
Emotional intelligence is defined as “a set of competencies that distinguishes how people manage feelings and interactions with others. It is the ability to identify one’s own emotions, as well as those of one’s co-workers or employees” (Goleman, Boyatzis, & McKee, in Pierce & Newstrom (Eds.), 2008, p. 180). If a leader just focuses on the bottom line, the financial outcome, the “show me the money attitude”, then they are doomed to fail. Knowledge@Wharton (2004) interview Dr. Deepak Chopra, ...
AS a dentist one should be strongly determined to devote selflessly for the betterment of mankind .Patient usuall...
Growing up I heard many stories from my peers of their experiences at the dentist’s office. It is upsetting to say that most of my visits were vividly terrifying. As a child, the grinding, scratching, and high-pitched twangs of the instruments digging around in my mouth would leave my ears ringing and teeth vibrating every single time. The smell of fluoride and disinfectants permanently infected the air, sending chills through my body the minute I walked in. I quickly learned that latex posses an extremely unappetizing aftertaste. Needless to say, I was not always enthusiastic about going to the dentist’s office and getting braces did not make anything better for me.
Emotional intelligence is essential to teamwork for many reasons the most important one being that with a lack of understanding of other’s emotions there will always be a certain barrier that will either slow down teamwork or make it harder to get through certain goals or objectives. Throughout the second article chosen, Chein Farh, Seo, and Tesluk (2012) discuss their findings which were based on how emotional intelligence enhances teamwork in a work environment. The main point to take away and consider from this article is that “employees with higher overall [emotional Intelligence] and emotional perception ability exhibit higher teamwork effectiveness.” This is significant to the hypothesis because it explains that one’s emotional intelligence is in fact, an important contributing factor to