Dentists and Chair Side Manner

While many people choose dentists based on their experience and education, sometimes you just want to choose the person with the best chair side manner. No one wants to go in and feel more uncomfortable in an already uncomfortable situation. The person that comes in to help you with your mouth, teeth and gums should be something that you can relax around and someone that is going to make you feel at ease as the chair goes back and a procedure begins.

Greeting

Dentists that greet their patients face to face tend to have a better manner about them. If he comes over and introduces himself and asks you about any concerns that you may have, you can rest assured that he really cares about how you are doing and what is going on with your teeth. You don't want to see a person that is too busy to make eye contact or doesn't find it necessary to introduce himself. If he is going to be using a drill, you want to know his name.

Discussion and Reasons for Procedures

In addition, if someone is using a drill, you also want to know why. While you may not understand the intricacies of the procedure or even understand why it is necessary, you want dentists to at least try and explain it to you. You want to feel like it is necessary and it is going to be what is best for you and your overall oral health. Even if you just get an overview, at the very least you can sit back in the chair and rest assured.

Dentists should also talk to patients about any work that needs to be done in the future. While it is impossible to foresee some issues that take place, there are some things that can be avoided or taken care of before they get worse. You want someone that is going to keep you up to date with the work that you need done. While he may not be able to give you a cost estimate (you can get that one the way out) you want to have some idea of how many appointments you are going to need and if there are some things that are really bad and need to be handled right away.

Checking In

While a procedure is going on, dentists should check in with their patients. So many times patients begin to feel pain and either don't have the opportunity to mention it or have to stop the work and take a break in order to get numb. When they check with their patients at the beginning and end of a procedure, it makes it easier to speak up. Even in the midst of having work done, you want someone that is going to ask you how the pain is and let you know that they will do all that they can to manage it. You just want to feel confident that you are in the best hands possible when it comes to any type of dental work.