Let me entertain you?


Most of my dental appointments run from one to two hours. For an apprehensive patient, this can seem like an eternity.  I tend to talk to my patients during treatment partly because I find that it distracts them and partly because I am talkative. Most of my patients appreciate the distraction and even enjoy some of my stories and conversation.  Usually I tell a personal anecdotes, or  explain what step of the procedure we are at and what will come next. Sometimes I chat about a world event that has been in the news. Patients commonly ask me how my son is doing and about his progress in life ( he just graduated from college and is in the process of applying to dental school!)

Sometimes , my patients politely let me know that they have to be back at work at "such and such time" and I take that as a cue to talk less and work more. When this happens I apologize and I make sure to get them out of my chair on time. Rarely, I  miss all their initial cues and a patient can become quite annoyed.  Of course I didn't intend to make them uncomfortable, but you know the saying about good intentions (sometimes they are the road to hell).

Speaking about unintended consequences, sometimes my banter is captivating enough that my assistant forgets to get us ready for the next step of the procedure and instead I catch her actually listening to what I am talking about with the patient.When this happens, I am both flattered and annoyed... what a weird feeling especially since most of the time my trusty assistant Larysa does her job well and just tunes my chatter out!






from Ask Dr. Spindel - http://ift.tt/2r2LHgu - http://ift.tt/1SpPbm6

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