By J. Peter St. Clair, DMD
Of the 1048 Brighter Smiles columns published over the last 19 years, I will admit, I repeated a few. Trying to think of new things to write about, other than the importance of an electric toothbrush, water pik, and consistent professional care was challenging after a while. Sometimes I would re-write them completely, and other times I would just tweak them. I would often change the title, depending on how I changed the content.
One of my favorite columns, which was repeated a few times over the years, always went by the same title; 5 Reasons People Avoid the Dentist. There are no valid reasons not to avoid seeing a dentist on a regular schedule.
Those 5 reasons people avoid the dentist are money, time, lack of concern, fear and trust. The first 3 are excuses. The other 2 can certainly be stumbling blocks for some people; however, they are fixable.
You would think that money would be the biggest reason people avoid the dentist. It isn’t. While some dentistry may be costly, most problems are preventable with long-term consistent professional maintenance care. For the average person without dental insurance, that would cost less than a cell phone plan. Good health always requires awareness, acknowledgement, and investment. While we could argue the role that dental insurance plays, the fact of the matter is, – it’s your health and your choice.
Time is an excuse, period. Lack of concern about dental health is the most common reason people avoid the dentist. Absence of pain is not a good indicator of health. You certainly have the right to not care about your health, but if you do, take care of the gateway to the rest of your body.
I’m not going to comment much on fear today. There should be a minimal amount of fear with today’s dentistry. If you do have fear, you’ll also have to overcome the last reason people avoid the dentist, which is trust. There are many reasons why some patients have a lack of trust in providers. The provider-patient relationship should be based on mutual respect and trust. Continuity of care with as few different providers as possible over your lifetime, is in the patient’s best interest.
Another one of my favorite columns was The Most Important Gift.
As with many aspects of life, people often seem “pre-programmed” about what to expect in a dental office. I, and most of the dentists I know in this area, believe the philosophy of practice revolves around treating the person as a whole, and not just a tooth. It means patients, their overall health & well-being, must be foremost in the practitioner’s mind. Yes, it also means cleanings, fillings and crowns. These are often inescapable outcomes to dental disease – but, under what context are these services being provided?
It didn’t take me too many years to figure out that you can’t treat everyone the same. There are those patients who need every last detail explained, and there are those who don’t want to hear anything, and/or won’t do anything you tell them.
There are dental offices that just view the patient as a mouth of teeth. The goal is to fix as many problems in as many mouths in as short a time as possible. The patient becomes the object of the “fix”, instead of a participant in the treatment. How degrading is it for a patient to experience that type of environment? Where is the quality, attention and care when the dentist is busy running room to room? There may be patients who prefer that environment, so there is something for everyone.
In a truly health-centered practice, each patient should be treated as a unique, whole person. Each patient should be treated with dignity and respect. The dentist gives each patient his/her most important gift: TIME.
The best care involves taking the time to listen, taking the time to do a complete examination, taking the time to teach the causes of existing and potential dental problems, and taking the time to explain alternative treatments and modes of prevention. It means that each patient be given the opportunity to choose the highest level of health consistent with their values and life circumstances.
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I appreciate the many people who have given me feedback from reading this column over the years. I have enjoyed sharing information on a local platform about a profession I am passionate about. Thank you for following my message.
Thank you to Nancy, my dental assistant of 26 years, who edited all my columns. Aside from correcting my sub-par spelling and punctuation, she also made many of the subjects I wrote about actually make sense.
And finally, thank you to Marc, founder/publisher of The Town Common, for giving me the opportunity to use this space for 19 years. I appreciate it very much.
Dr. St. Clair maintains a private dental practice in Rowley dedicated to health-centered family dentistry. He has a special interest in treating snoring, sleep apnea and TMJ problems. If there are certain topics you would like to see written about or questions you have, please email them to him at jpstclair@stclairdmd.com
