subject: Optimal Dental Health Care Begins With Proper Communication [print this page] Good oral health does not just depend on how often you brush and floss your teeth, or on the technical skill of your dentist. It also depends on how well you and your dentist communicate with each other. By improving your ability to communicate with your dentist and by recognizing ways to help your dentist improve communication with you, you will go a long way toward improving your oral health. Generally, people have three approaches to communicating - visual, auditory, and kinesthetic. If you can determine what mode of communication works best for you, you may be able to provide clues to your dentist for improving communication with you.
Are You Visually Dominant?
If your communication approach is visually dominant you may process information by forming pictures, and visualizing procedures using phrases that help paint pictures. You try to understand the dentist by understanding the verbal pictures that your dentist paints. Ask your dentist for an intraoral camera to demonstrate a condition in the mouth, or even ask your dentist to show an illustration or draw a diagram to emphasize the main points of the procedure. By communicating visually, you and your dentist can successfully complete your dental procedure without anxiety.
Are You Auditory or Kinesthetic Dominant?
You are auditory dominant if you process information by using sounds and patterns to think and communicate. Pictures are translated into word patterns. You may ask more questions and expect more accurate and detailed answers. Ask your dentist for detailed answers to your questions, because answers are very important to you. Additionally, ask your dentist to slowly explain concepts so that you can fully understand them.
If you are kinesthetic dominant, otherwise known as sensation or feelings, you process information by thinking in terms of sensation or feelings. You often translate thoughts into patterns of feelings or sensation, and assign a high value to feeling when communicating. You will need time to develop feelings about your dentist, your surroundings, and the proposed procedure. You won't do well with pictures or long explanations, so ask your dentist for a model of teeth so you can feel it with your hands.
Talk About Everything
It is extremely important that you respond to your dentist's questions honestly and to the best of your ability to help prevent misdiagnosis. Not telling your dentist about that tooth pain because you don't want a root canal is not going to make your dental problems go away. If you are a fearful patient, communicating with a dentist may not be easy for you, but once you actually get to the dental office, you are halfway there. A caring, gentle dentist will listen to your fears and do everything in their power to make you comfortable during your appointment.
Communicating with your dentist in Troy can make for a worry free dental appointment. With excellent communication between you and your dentist you can build a trusting relationship for years to come. If you are feeling worries about communicating with your dentist, you can rest easy. Once you talk it out, you will feel a lot better!
