Things Dentists Didn’t Know Until They Became One And Stuff They Don’t Say

Getting To Know A Dentist

You bump into someone at a party, and they ask you what you do for a living. The moment you mention that you are a dentist, you can see a certain look in come into their eye. Whether it is an involuntary remembrance of a wisdom tooth extraction or particularly traumatic filling – it is usually not a pleasant memory. They get past this, get to know you and might even marry you, but deep down that flinch is always there. Dentists have to deal with this.

Don’t Fear Your Dentist!

Dental clinics are a lot about pain relief in the twenty first century. Our clinics are often Zen-like, calming spaces designed to put our patients at ease. Overcoming the psychological battle is a big part of treating clients effectively. Fear and anxiety are not helpful conditions when you have a lot of sharp instruments inside someone’s mouth. Creating a positive and relaxed environment is essential to good dentistry in this day and age. Patients are in a vulnerable position when a dentist is working within their oral cavity. There has to be a fair amount of trust in the process of a treating a client.

Understanding & Valuing Dentists

I suppose I didn’t realise the extent of dental anxiety until I became a dentist. I probably didn’t fully comprehend the power of fear to stop people with toothache and dental problems going to the dentist for treatment. Economics plays a big part in that as well, which, perhaps, most dentists will not say. A trip to the dentist can be expensive, especially if the individual has put it off and things have got much worse. We see some really bad teeth that have been sorely neglected and that is tough sometimes, because you know that you could have helped this person much earlier. They have experienced considerable pain and discomfort putting up with rotten teeth and infection. Why? Fear of pain and fear of economic pain.

It Is Never As Bad As You Think

Let me tell you, things you imagine via fear and anxiety are always much worse than the reality. Generally, we help people pretty quickly and efficiently. Modern pain relief and pain minimisation in dentistry is first class. There have been lots of great strides achieved in dental practices over the last few decades. Costs must be seen in light of the time periods involved in maintaining your teeth and oral hygiene. A visit to the dentist may initially seem pricey but what it achieves for your ability to function well over a considerable length of time is substantial. If you add up all the dollars you may spend on recreational activities and substances, then the value of effective dental treatment is pretty darn good in comparison.

The Economic Truth About Dentistry

A word of advice. If you have regular check-ups every year or 6 months and maintain a rigorous daily teeth cleaning practice it will work out cheaper than neglecting your teeth and avoiding going to the dentist as a place of last resort. In the long run a good accountant will crunch the numbers and point this out to you. We all get a physical body, and our teeth are a part of this transaction. Our job is to look after our body and our overall health. If we don’t properly maintain our physical wellbeing, then, we have to pay a lot more when things go wrong. There is an essential economic nature to our health and dentists get to see this more clearly than some other professions, I think.

We care about our patients and spend some intense quality time with them. It may be uncomfortable for the client with the sharp instruments and electric drill, but we are doing our best for them. We see their progression through life to some degree through the lens of their oral cavity and teeth. We work diligently upon their teeth and hope that they will take as good care of them as possible going forward. We all know that the best stuff in life is often pricey for a good reason, in that it is usually well made with quality ingredients and materials. You get what you pay for in life! So it is with dentistry.

Dentists Killing Themselves

They say that dentists have the second highest rate of suicide after psychiatrists but I have never been able to track down the factual source of this. It has, however, become good dinner party conversation fodder. So, I have had plenty of discussions about it on this basis. The common psychoanalytical guff about this pseudo-fact is that we dentists have to deal with all this patient fear and anxiety like side stream smoke. This, apparently, permeates our white lab coats and skins to send us over the edge of despair into the arms of death. Personally, I think that is rubbish. Dentists do work hard in intense circumstances achieving good outcomes for their clients, and the good and great outcomes give us, we believe, above-average job satisfaction.

Economically, it is an expensive business to be in, with the materials and equipment and set-up costing a lot. I think dentists are doing a better job than ever before and that the profession is serving the needs of modern society very well in terms of oral hygiene and how people feel about themselves. If you haven’t been to see a dentist recently I recommend that you check one out to see the changes which have taken place. It is a whole new world imbued with a lovely sense of calm and peace.

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