To awaken human emotion is the greatest form of art.
-Isadora Duncan
Dentistry is a very challenging yet rewarding profession where we, the dentists are the architects of our patient’s smiles. We cannot stress enough about the importance of a beautiful and healthy smile in one’s life. A good smile is associated with the sense of well-being and invariably boosts the confidence of the person.
“Aesthetic” or “Cosmetic” dentistry is a specialty of dentistry with a sole purpose of giving the patients a pleasing and beautiful smile. When we talk about changing a person’s smile and the way they look, we automatically connect with his emotions. Hence it is important for a dentist to understand and connect with his patient’s emotions.
We at Dr. Sachdeva’s dental clinic practice with the ultimate goal of building our patient’s trust through establishing an active, beneficial and effective communication. We not only focus on the teeth and gums of our patients but also work with their emotions.
Emotional dentistry is all about acquiring the necessary skills and develop psychological knowledge to build a trustworthy, powerful relationships with the patients. This concept of emotional dentistry stems from the idea of having a high emotional intelligence among dentists.
From the moment the patients walk in to the dental clinic, they are constantly sending us emotional signals, most of which is anxiety and fear. We as dentists should be able to respond to those signals intelligently so that we build a deep, mutually rewarding relationship with our patients.
These set of skills which are needed by the dentist to develop a feeling of trust and optimism in patients is called as Emotional Intelligence. Few of the important skills that a good dentist should possess are empathy, stress tolerance, optimism, assertiveness and self-regard.
Importance of practicing emotional dentistry
We believe that the patient should be aware of his dental health needs by adopting certain self-care habits like brushing and flossing. We at Dr. Sachdeva’s dental clinic aim at encouraging the patient to take a psychological responsibility towards improving his oral health rather than just being dependent on the dentist. It is very important to us that our patients take a keen interest in their dental and overall health and we plan on doing so by making him fully aware of his oral condition so as to help him make informed choices.
It is not easy for the patients to accept certain treatment modalities which may not be comfortable in its process but only the results are pleasing. It requires effectively influencing the patients and that may come only from a deep, meaningful relationship. Our bond with the patients go beyond a rapport and good chairside manner. We aim to alleviate the anxiety of the patients and make him understand the rationale for the advised treatment.
How do we practice emotional dentistry at Dr. Sachdeva’s Dental Clinic?
Our goal has always been to reduce the patient’s stress and unwarranted fears, and for this we have adopted various psychosocial methods.
- Active listening:We strongly believe in creating a productive dialogue between our patients and ourselves. The patients should be able to convey all his dental complaints, doubts and fears regarding the treatment without the feeling of being judged. It is very important in the clinical scenario that we, the dentists are truthful to our patients and vice-versa. In this way, the chances of the successful outcome of the case is increased.
- Interpersonal skills: The demand for a personalized service by dentists is on the increase. Every patient that walks into the dental clinic wants to feel and be treated special and on a priority basis. This requires a lot of effort from the dentist and he should be emotionally vigilant. Every patient has a different personality, level of confidence and expectations from the treatment. It is important for the dentist to acknowledge the same and react accordingly.
At Dr. Sachdeva’s dental clinic, we constantly develop new ways to alleviate patient’s fears and anxiety. One of the techniques Dr. Rajat believes to be proved efficient in encouraging patients towards their dental needs is by involving them in decision making and the treatment course.
Digital smile design (DSD) by the way of dental photography is another important aid that we regularly use to educate our patients. It is only reasonable that when the patient is able to see his oral condition from our eyes, he will be more comfortable in accepting the recommended treatment.
- Intrapersonal skills: These skills are equally important so that we, the dentists improve as individuals, both personally and professionally. We usually try to maintain objectivity in our profession but it doesn’t come by ignoring our own emotions. It is important that we recognize our emotions and incorporate it in our practice and approach.
Successful dentists are the ones who recognize and accept their negative emotions like stress and frustration and they are in a position to control how it is expressed.
It is beyond doubt that the smile has a profound effect on a person’s self-esteem, self-confidence and identity. The possibilities are endless in today’s digital world. We have state of the art technology that can help to show what is possible and address any problem you may be having. We aim at designing a dental plan together with you that helps you to look and feel the way you have always wanted. Whether it concerns the color, shape or position of your teeth, Dr. Rajat and his team are happy to help.