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BEDSIDEMANNER.INFO
BECAUSE PATIENTS JUDGE YOUR SKILLS BY YOUR BEDSIDE MANNER
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(2017/12/10)
 

A woman goes to her doctor who verifies that she is pregnant. This is her first pregnancy. The doctor asks her if she has any questions. She replies, "Well, I'm a little worried about the pain. How much will childbirth hurt?"
The doctor answered, "Well, that varies from woman to woman and pregnancy to pregnancy and besides, it's difficult to describe pain."
"I know, but can't you give me some idea?" she asks.
"Grab your upper lip and pull it out a little..."
"Like this?"
"A little more..."
"Like this?"
"No. A little more..."
"Like this?"
"Yes. Does that hurt?"
"A little bit."
"Now stretch it over your head!"

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If the procedures you perform involve pain, you have a built-in bedside manner generator. Just perform pain-free procedures. Patients rave about many practitioners who have absolutely no bedside manner, as defined throughout this blog, just because they don’t hurt them during a procedure perceived to be painful.

The dentist and most dental specialties have this advantage. Since dentistry is probably the most feared health-care need, patients who survive without any pain will go back over and over, even if the doctor has no personality or people skills.

While performing pain-free procedures offers a way to be loved without all the usual skill sets, it also presents many challenges. There are reasons people fear dentistry. It does, at times, hurt. Everything from administering an injection to working on a tooth that can’t be numbed puts tremendous pressure on the dentist and justifies the anxiety and fears the patient experiences.

The importance of learning techniques to give virtually painless, highly effective injections is the key to winning over the patient. Leaning advanced techniques of sedation or general anesthesia, when indicated, should be considered since some cases involve unavoidable pain with conventional pain control modalities.

The dentist isn’t the only one delivering potentially painful procedures. Many other areas of practice are not as feared, so unsuspecting patients end up being catheterized, scoped, or otherwise probed and prodded painfully, but without the preconceived fear associated with going to the dentist.

Whatever services you perform, learn to do them as painlessly as possible, and you will have a patient for life. Make sure you utilize the latest and greatest techniques for pain control. Give extra anesthesia and wait longer for it to take effect if necessary. Don’t rush when it comes to pain control. When you think the procedure can’t be done without pain, or if you believe the psyche of the patient is such that he is not a good candidate for the procedure, consider referring him to someone who can provide sedation if you don’t utilize that modality.


Comments
• Ronald (2017/12/13 00:25)
Patient’s stress level can be variable especially in symptomatic and emergency patients. At the beginning of the consultation, I routinely ask questions and spend some time listening to patient’s chief complaint in order to evaluate the stress and identify the etiology of the pain. Very often, I find out that patients do not understand the root canal procedure. It is very important to explain the treatment in simple words and to show confidence in our treatment plan proposal. Once the patient accepts or selects the treatment my job is to decrease patient’s anxiety, honestly, nobody likes needles. For anesthesia purposes, I use the tell-show-do technique. It is very useful in a high percentage of children and adult patients. My routine includes explaining them in simple words that we are going to use a “gel” and some drops of a “medicine” to put the tooth to sleep. My concentration is focused on the mucosa injection, then, I wait some seconds to allow the patient to breathe and also to receive some feedback. After the mucosa anesthesia, I can complete the injection procedure in a painless way. For mandibular blocks, it is a good advice to do a cold test before the pulp chamber access. In addition, every time the patient communicates discomfort I stop the procedure and sincerely apologize for the pain. It is really important to do it before to start a supplemental anesthetic procedure.
• Luke (2017/12/12 20:51)
Providing our patients with a pain-free experience at every appointment is a great goal. Unfortunately, “pain-free” for every case is not realistic. Sometimes we miss blocks or aren’t able to anesthetize “hot teeth” fully. One important lesson that I’ve learned throughout residency is that if a patient flinches or says “ouch”, they mean it! Even if you’re almost about to finish a procedure that you’re been working on for two hours, the local may have worn off and either you need to stop completely or re-anesthetize. It’s a sure fire way to lose your patient’s trust and confidence in you if you ignore their pain. Furthermore, if I anticipate that something may be uncomfortable either during the procedure or after, it’s important to inform the patient ahead of time. They’ll most likely be able to tolerate that moment and not freak out if they know it’s expected.
• julianna bair (2017/12/11 21:52)
Painless dentistry or minimizing pain in dentistry can be a great practice builder. Painless treatment, even reducing anxiety that can heighten the pain perceived, will increase the patient\\\'s confidence in you as a practitioner and make the treatment experience a more positive one.
• Austin Jang (2017/12/11 14:45)
By giving the patient pain free procedure you will earn the trust from the patient. I will take time to give local slowly as possible dry the area and put topical. Even shake the cheek for the injection. Probably later I will use some buffering agent later when I practice outside.

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