In our never-ending quest to promulgate socially responsible and locally identifiable dentistry – along with $20 words – we again look to the unsilent dental patient public majority.

As an in-depth follow-up to our last post we now look to push you the dental patient for answers. We want to know what in particular would enhance your dental patient practice experience. 

If it’s not mobile digital dental entertainment in the reception area, or sweet smelling bubble gum tasting pre-numbing numbing solution, what exactly is it?

Be specific, and share what your ultimate dental practice experience would be.

Sure, it’s easy to think that our routine check-ups, impromptu root canals, and run of the mill wisdom teeth extractions cannot possibly be more enjoyable. But our dentists are asking for our help, and it’s our duty as patients to provide our two cents.

If you tell them, they will listen.

Maybe it’s a more welcoming fragrance in the office, perhaps it’s additional listening and viewing options for the in-chair entertainment console. Whatever our most desirable dental appointment accoutrements, if we don’t speak up we’re not being fair to our dentists.

Communication is a Two Way Street

Our dentists (and their staff) communicate with us; they ask us all sorts of questions about our health, family, background, and everything else that arises in a normal dental visit. We owe it to our chosen dental team to begin taking a more active role in our dental practice experience.

Some dental practices communicate neighborhood and charitable involvement, others take the time to illustrate reason why optimal oral health should be an everyday concern as opposed to every 6 months.

Still others take a unique tack and really identify with us by communicating interests that lie completely outside of the dental realm. And whether it’s mountain climbing, international travel, or Oboe lessons, these interests are engaging to us.

We appreciate the effort brought forth, complement it with our own insights and experience, then walk away for the conversation with a more complete understanding of our dentist – both as our protector from the cavity creeps, and as another human. The same applies for dental practice staff, with whom we probably most interact with at the dentist office.

If you could pick one thing to enhance your dental patient experience, what would it be?

If you need some motivation or a creative spark, click over to this article from the Augusta Chronicle. At the very least you’ll be entertained, engaged, and empathetic toward the author’s dental experience.

And if you’re a literary fan, be sure to check out this dentist who just happened to write six books of poetry, been widely published, and spent two years as poet laureate of the county where he grew up on Long Island.