By: Jamie Finch
If a patient is feeling too anxious before a procedure, it can make the dentist’s job much harder. While it’s important that you calm patients with dental anxiety as much as possible, doing so can be easier said than done.
However, there are effective methods of soothing patients that you can easily incorporate into your practice.
How Can I Help a Patient with Dental Anxiety?
Here are some of the best ways to calm a nervous dental patient:
- Create A Calming Environment
- Offer Pleasant Distractions
- Reduce Noise
- Add Pleasant Aromas
- Recommend Soothing Supplements
- Use Comforting Words
Create a calming environment
The wrong environment can add to a patient’s anxiety, so it makes sense to make your dentistry practice as calming as possible. One way to achieve this is to avoid clutter. Opening up the space by removing unnecessary furniture can make a big difference.
When creating a calm environment, consider all aspects of the room. This includes the furniture, floors, ceilings, and walls. Instead of keeping blank walls or decor that is probably due for an upgrade, consider prints or originals by local artists.
Remember you can affix artwork to the ceiling so your patients have something to look at while they’re lying back in the chair. If you don’t want to hang framed artwork above their head, consider more gravity-friendly options like posters or even custom tapestries.
Having something in the room to focus on will be a welcome distraction while your patient is undergoing a procedure.
Offer pleasant distractions
While wall décor is a great way to distract patients, you can take it even further. Adding TVs or digital signage can help people mentally leave the dentist’s office. For example, cartoons or other family-friendly media in the waiting room could take the edge off of waiting for their name to be called.
Another option is to play music or offer patients headphones so they can listen to tunes, podcasts, or other media on their device. You can even offer them a tablet preloaded with content that will keep them engaged.
Reduce noise
The sound of a dentist’s drill is a thing of nightmares for many people, so being exposed to the sound while waiting is only likely to make matters worse. While you can hardly avoid using drills, you can reduce how much the sound penetrates your office.
Consider soundproofing your rooms to help keep the sound contained as much as possible. Soundproofing doesn’t have to be expensive, and even some simple measures can make a big difference.
Add pleasant aromas
Our memories are closely linked to our sense of smell. If the smell of disinfectant or other chemicals common in the dentist’s office remind the patient of an unpleasant experience, it can cause them to become anxious.
Focus on eliminating smells that may trigger negative memories and replace them with pleasant aromas. Consider oil diffusers or other methods to help calming scents permeate throughout the office and mask unpleasant odors.
Not only can the right scents cover unwanted smells, but they can also have a calming effect in their own right.
Recommend calming supplements
It has long been known that herbs and other plants can have a medicinal impact on our bodies, and some herbs can help keep us calm. If a patient is particularly anxious about their dental appointment, supplements may be able to take the edge off the nervousness.
Newer supplements like full-extract cannabis oil (FECO) can help keep people calm, and are safe to use. Just a few drops under the tongue, and the patient can be feeling much better in 20 minutes or so.
However, anyone considering using medication or other supplements to help keep them calm should check with their physician first. This is especially important if the patient is expected to be anesthetized, because of the risk of unwelcome reactions between medications.
Use comforting words
Soothing words may not be a new method of soothing patients, but they are among the most effective. If you notice a patient looks particularly nervous, speak to them reassuringly so they know everything is going to be fine.
A soft voice and a smile can go a long way, especially with children.
Consider training your staff in how to speak with anxious patients. If everyone commits to choosing their words empathetically, the effort will help make your patient’s experience more pleasant.
Help improve your patient’s experience
Soothing patients with dental anxiety is an important part of having great customer service and improving their experience. But your efforts don’t have to be entirely altruistic. Not only will having calm patients make your workday easier, but it’s also good for your bottom line.
Everyone has to go to the dentist, and if your practice offers the best experience, they’ll be more likely to return.
Photo by Jonathan Borba on Unsplash
