dentalrosie

[dentalrosie]

When life gives you lemons …Please! Don’t put them in your water! By Rosie Connell, DCP

You know how hair stylists shiver at the thought of someone bleaching their own hair? No matter how good it looks, there’s some advice there, that they are just ‘dying’ to give you! (Get it? ‘Dying’..’hair’) That’s how most Dental Professionals feel towards the lemon in water trend. It’s actually a very apt comparison, with peroxide and the acid in Lemon, both being equally devilish on the PH scale.

Let’s rewind for a second. What is this ‘lemon in water’ trend I speak of? It’s this 50’s housewife style ‘life hack’ that claims drinking lemon water can change your life and make you look like a Victoria’s Secret model.

Save the turtles

Go to Pinterest and you’ll find pages and pages of ‘lemon water inspo’. Captions such as ’10 benefits of drinking lemon water on an empty stomach’ and ‘How I lost 22 lbs drinking lemon water in two weeks’, accompany the ‘insta-worthy’ images of glass jars filled with water and lemon. In a world of quick fixes, apps for everything and the metal drinking straw, people are always looking to do good with minimal effort. If it was this easy, wouldn’t we all be drinking lemon water and looking like Adriana Lima?

Lemon for a like

The so-called benefits of drinking lemon water include: Promotes weight loss, boosts metabolism, rehydrates the entire body, clears skin. Etc (you can Google benefits of drinking lemon water and find hundreds of ‘influencers’ or ‘health bloggers’ pushing these very statements) I can see how this quick and easy life hack is appealing, it’s quick…and easy. Weren’t you listening? Everybody wants to be a better version of themselves in the shortest time possible. I get it! I’ve bought into my fair share of quick fixes. Really into overnight oats right now, sue me!

The issue with the Lemon water trend, is the damage the constant sipping will do to the teeth due to, as you know, erosion. Teeth for some reason come second, or not even at all in the eyes of health/beauty. Everyone wants the clearest skin and the sexiest body but at what price? (Seriously tell me how much, I’ll pay!)

Whether it’s Juicing diets for weight loss or warm lemon tea in the morning for a runway model boost, the damaging effects on the teeth due to low PH, is a hefty price to pay for being so attractive.

Why you always lyin?

Okay , so let’s debunk this. Yes of course, lemon is high in vitamin c, with the peel actually having the highest content, NOT the juice. There’s plenty of ways to get Vitamin C that’s not detrimental to tooth health; a healthy balanced diet or using supplements.

I think half the idea of adding lemon to water, is tricking people into drinking more water! It’s like ‘hey water can be a vibe’, it’s cool, it’s colourful, it will get you likes.

Water is Glen Coco, you go Glen Coco!

The real hero is not so much the lemon, it’s just the water, which as we know, has no damaging effects on the teeth and regular sipping keeps the mouth hydrated. A hydrated mouth, is a healthier mouth. Who’ll give me a like for optimum saliva production? Anybody?

Remember the benefits I listed earlier: rehydrating the body, clearing the skin…erm that’s what water does and has always done. I get it, drinking 8 glasses of water is like cleaning the inside of your car: you do it one day, feel amazing, swear you’ve changed and then the next week, your footwell is sponsored by Starbucks.

If you desperately want something floating in your water; 1. Try cucumber, it’s just as refreshing and has its own (although less potent) source of vitamin C.

Or B. Go grab a drink at a Wetherspoons!

[dentalrosie]

SKILL DEVELOPMENT FOR DENTAL NURSES: A SERIES By Rosie Connell

LESSON 5 – AVOIDING WORKPLACE CONFLICT

‘22 Planets in different Orbits – AKA The Dental Team’

(The following information can also apply to dental teams with other amounts of planets/staff)

Hello again! This has been the hardest topic to write about. In truth, I’ve written and deleted it twice. Why? It can so easily turn negative, or validate work confrontations, when what I really want to say is; ‘We are all in control of our own actions.’ Thanks for readi…just kidding, of course I’ve got more!

Work colleagues are like math problems in an exam: Some are straightforward, some require a little help from the old Casio, (but you do get there), and others: so complex, you skip for now and come back to later. Naturally, the test has many varied questions, and sometimes it can feel impossible. But let me stop talking about maths now, because it’s making me sweat!

In life, we are in a constant cycle of trying to fulfil our individual needs (see: Maslow’s: ‘Hierarchy of Needs). We are all at different points of this cycle, sometimes syncing and sometimes..clashing. This is natural and inevitable, and in a sometimes stressful work environment, it can manifest itself as disagreements, arguments, or little blips in the otherwise blissful team atmosphere. Really if you asked each individual at work, they would say they just want to come in, and do their job well.

However, sometimes we are planets, in the same solar system, but in very different orbits. (Please, please, please..do not call any of your dentists ‘Uranus’ and then say ‘Dental Rosie told me to say it’) Conflict, therefore, is a possible outcome of all these different individuals, with different needs, passions and personalities, circling around..looking for a PA holder, 5 days a week.

In the past, I’ve had a few collisions! I’m always honest with you, I’ve had some colossal ones. One of those, got me into the, erm.. let’s say; ‘tooth pot.’, and I’ve had to grow and learn from being in that stinky place.

You can’t change other people’s orbits or behaviours, what they do is alllll them honey! You are, however, fully in charge of how you react to people and situations. So let’s do it right, and let’s put some good energy out there. Let’s get to the tips:

1. Set your daily intentions.

However much you enjoy work, some days can be testing. It can help to set your intentions at the start. I normally do this on my car journey to work.. by slurping on a coffee and singing..really beautifully, I may add. You can set your mood for the day with something simple, enjoying breakfast or meditation, anything that takes a break from that morning rush to focus on you for 5 minutes.

2. Have hobbies and passions

It always helps to have things to look forward to doing outside of work. I love to dance and travel, so when I’m having the day of all days, I can remind myself that there are great things in life I will get to enjoy, just not right now. P.S. yes, I show everyone my dancing and no, they don’t always ask me to.

3. The energy you put in, is the energy you get out

If you come to work in a stinker, don’t get upset when nobody asks what is wrong! Your dental team are not your parents, we do not love you unconditionally, even when you are being a..brat, there I said it. The energy and vibrations that you radiate, is what you will likely feel in return from other people. It works the other way too though, if you arrive at work, positive and with great intentions, it will be infectious. And if you feel rubbish, just fake it, for everyone else’s sake.

4. Body language

What we communicate to others is 93% decided from our body language. A healthy discussion can easily turn unfriendly if your body language depicts negativity. If you are pointing or waving your arms around like wet noodles, you’re communicating an undesirable and inappropriate message, whether you’re talking sense or not. So keep the Palms open, smile, make eye contact and be aware of yourself.

5. Be direct and speak to the right person

9 times out of 10, (that’s 90% of the time - Hey I can do math), a colleague based conflict is due to Chinese whispers. If you are unhappy with somebody, you need to address it correctly, through the appropriate channels, either going to that person directly in a calm, diplomatic way, or to your lead, coordinator or manager.

6. Apologise and accept apologies

Sorry, we don’t serve grudges here, try next door. When someone is making an effort to apologise to you, you have pretty much, a professional responsibility to accept. That’s the best thing for you both and for the rest of the team. Nobody wants to feel a tense atmosphere at work, not unless you walk a tight rope for a living. Giving an apology is only hard if you make it so, you don’t need to be ashamed of apologising, it shows personal growth, strength and that you want to move on and build the relationship back up.

7. Don’t cry

We joke about ‘the cry room’, but resist the urge to actually cry at work. Dentists, (yes they are mostly the cause, sorry I’m not holding back today) aren’t going to say ‘sorry sorry don’t cry, I’ll make you a hot chocolate’, they will just lose some respect for you because you can’t handle the heat! I’m not saying be emotionless, but just keep it together. Be strong and everyone in your team will admire you for it.

So that’s it! My tips on how to reduce your chances of workplace conflicts. Remember to treat others how you expect to be treated and always wear clean underwear.

Bye for now! Rosie x

DISCLAIMER

I write from my personal experiences and when I give my tips, they are with the worst possible scenario in mind. Not everyday do I deal with these things, in fact I can think of around 5 times in the last 6 years of my career, that I have had these kind of problems. So, quite isolated incidents!

I have really excellent days in my job and work with some brilliant people, dentists, of course included. I don’t mention these as much in my recent posts because these don’t warrant any advice, and are a pleasure to deal with!

[dentalrosie]

SKILL DEVELOPMENT FOR DENTAL NURSES: A SERIES

By Rosie Connell

LESSON 4 -

‘Mr Smith* and his bad day - Advanced Patient Management’

Sounding like the worst selling children’s book of all time, ‘Mr Smith* and his bad day’ refers to those situations where patients are upset or frustrated and like a displaced electron, has to collide with something. We have all been that ‘something’ but there are some things to consider before we cross Mr Smith* off of our Christmas card list.

Mr Smith*, like most of us, is human. (My dog is looking at me like: girl, that ain’t me) Mr Smith* is affected by a range of human emotions and bodily functions. From Grief to gut problems, stress to serious illness, and fear to flu. Mr smith’s* behaviour can change according to how he feels physically and mentally. He may deal with a headache in a different way to you, perhaps it manifests as short and abrupt answers in his examination or complete lack of interest at the reception desk. Perhaps it is his late wife’s birthday and his grief shows as anger, or he is suffering badly with an ailment. Think of how you don’t feel your sassy self, when you are unwell or stressed.

Summary: Put it all down to a bad day. And when Mr Smith* has a ‘bad day’ on his next appointment and the one after, do you know what you do then? …exactly the same, you let any, what I will now brand, ‘bad day behaviour’, roll off your perfectly poised shoulders and do your job.

Before I go into my usual tips, let’s consider what would happen if we were not to manage Mr Smith* carefully. Let’s say he started to shout and we argued back, he pointed in your face and you did the same or he started to blame you and you just said it’s his own fault. What would happen then? Possible complaints could affect your workplace, your performance in the eyes of your superiors, your job stability and even have GDC implications.

In other jobs, I got into some tangles with customers. (I worked in fast food) They can say some outrageous things sometimes, and I would argue back because I was young and inexperienced. Back then I didn’t care about any of the jobs where that happened, but it became an area I quickly needed to improve in when I started dental nursing. Not only because I was to be registered with the GDC, (3 or 4 clicks and the patient has your number), but also because this is a ‘profession’ not a job, and you need to be profession-al!

This is what our patients expect us to be, and so that’s what we are going to give them.

When they are audibly unhappy that we are running late, it’s not a personal dig at us, they want that to hear that ‘professional response’.

They want ‘I’m so sorry to keep you waiting, such a busy day today.’.. instead of ‘oh well it’s only 10 minutes and you was early wasn’t you!’

In a way, with this professionalism even from the rocky start, the patient can then expect that the treatment they will get is also professional. Any poor attitude, body language or unthoughtful wording on our part, might upset the patient, now they will anticipate more of it during their appointment and react in the same ways. No one wins,

So, I’m sure you’ll agree Mr Smith’s* bad day is not worth any of that! So how do I deal with it? :

1. Never take it personally Unless you invented needles or turned back the Dentist’s clock as a prank, never take any patient frustrations to heart. In most cases they want to have their complaint validated by someone, and guess who that lucky person is? Yes, you guessed right, it’s you! Listen, but never take any negativity in. The show must go on, and you need perform with a smile!

2. Practice good body language 93% of what we communicate to others is through body language. Crossed arms, hands in pockets, or pointing, are examples of big no no’s. Good tricks to calm bad day behaviour, is keeping your hands visible, whilst making gentle gestures, such as holding your hands together palm in palm pose and open palms when directing towards something. These simple gestures are non threatening and communicate that you are gentle.

3. Eye contact Keeping good eye contact allows you to connect with the patient. Allow the patient to see on your eyes that you are genuine and caring.

4. Remain calm Appearing stressed or anxious can sometimes cause a patient react badly. Take control of the situation in a calm and professional way. These kinds of things do happen, don’t worry that someone will think it is your fault. Just deal with the patient calmly and professionally and you will have done your best.

5. Be a politician A patient may have a genuine complaint, make sure you listen to it and ask about it. Sympathise with them on a humanistic level and offer solutions. When the patient becomes slightly more difficult, you can likely still do this but more listening is probably required. Most patient frustration comes from feeling as if they are not important to you. So make them feel important! The word ‘You’ is powerful here. Eg ‘that must be so hard for you’ or you have done so well to deal with that’ Stress that they are the ones dealing with something and this will help to make them feel validated. Think about it, if you said ‘oh well that other patient was waiting even longer’ or ‘well she didn’t complain’…well this wouldn’t help diffuse an angry patient would it?

Diffuse, diffuse, diffuse…using words.

That’s how to be a good politician! Are you listening Boris?!

6. Find some common ground Informal chats are a great way to remind patients you are also..a human, with a life and feelings. Ask them about their day where you can and comment on it. ‘Oh I love that’ or ‘that must be great’ are simple positive things to calm the patient and start building a rapport, however late. This will help to normalise the dental experience.

7. Sense the mood..change the subject You need to be pretty smooth for this to succeed without the patient realising. I normally, do it by asking lots of questions.

For example, a patient could argue ‘I’ve been waiting too long for my treatment!’

I would ask questions, each one further away from the patients original comment;

You came a few months ago didn’t you?

Oh you had to cancel for work, where do you work?’

Do you enjoy it? Ah yes you must be so busy then to get appointments.

I mean, that was quite an extreme example and I don’t say that every time, each situation is different, but I kind of try to diffuse an angry patient in this way, especially if they have had everything explained to them already.

8. Document everything And just in case all your tricks don’t work, keep good, contemporaneous notes of the communication you have had with the patient, in case this routinely happens and your colleagues can be prepared for it.

So those are my top tips for dealing with Mr Smith’s bad day. I hope you find something useful here.

*Mr Smith is a fictional character and he’s actually really nice!

Join me next time for Lesson 5, when I will be discussing some simple methods for clashing with colleagues, because it happens to the best of us!

Ciao ciao Rosie x

[dentalrosie]

SKILL DEVELOPMENT FOR DENTAL NURSES: A SERIES

By Rosie Connell

LESSON 3-

‘MIRROR, MIRROR…SELF REFLECTION FOR THE DENTAL NURSE’

I’m far from an expert in any of the areas I have been talking about, but I am ‘unfortunately’ experienced. In most cases, the skills I have now, were born from great struggles and experiences I had to learn from. I made mistakes, I rubbed people up the wrong way and I did pay the price. One day I’ll tell you all about it! My advice and my blog in general, does not come from a perfect history in the job. Instead, it comes from my failures, past, present and I’m sure..future!

‘A STRESSFUL BEGINNING’

When I got the job as a trainee dental nurse, over 5 years ago, I thought I was suddenly going to get the respect I thought deserved. I naively thought that I would be leaving behind difficult fast food customers hankering for a Big Mac, and instead be dealing with grateful patients.

The truth is, I still faced difficult people and situations but I was not experienced enough to deal with it in this new setting and at first, I did struggle. My lack of skill in this area, demotivated me for a long time, situations were overwhelming and I could not cope with colleagues or patients, and I suffered a lot of stress.

When I qualified in Dental Nursing, I was adamant I was not going to register with the GDC, how could I stay in a job that had caused me so much anxiety and unhappiness.

Off I went, and did a few other jobs, until I eventually decided to try again and landed a job with Genix.

‘THE SURPRISE TWIST’

Something magical happened! Well not really magical, I accidentally just found the solution to what I thought was a dislike for the job. It was not the job role, it was the environment, I just needed a new one, a fresh start. I had thought that dental nursing, in general was unpleasant and people around me told me things like ‘maybe it’s you’, ‘maybe your personality doesn’t suit it’

To an extent, yes it was me, I did need to learn more and develop, but also you can’t expect every practice to be the best environment for you. In the same way that not every shoe is comfortable, not every workplace is ideal just because it is the same occupation. A bad environment can stump your growth rather than promote it.

The best skill I developed was, being able to identify when a practice or team does not serve me. Rather than let myself become disheartened, I realised that I do have options, I can change it up, I can try something else.

‘PUTTING IT INTO PRACTICE’

Here’s an example for you. I worked as a Locum for the military for over a year. It was a brilliant job, the pay was fantastic and the work load was very comfortable. It was a great experience to have, but eventually as staff changed and the practice had their own HR issues (not to do with me), what I was getting from the role changed, and my attitude shifted. So I made the decision to leave, even after just receiving a pay rise.

‘THE FAIRYTALE ENDING’ So today’s lesson is just one piece of advice really, unlike my previous ones. But for me, has saved me from stress and allowed me to develop a passion for being a Dental Nurse, something, 5 years ago, I would have scoffed at.

I’m not advising that jumping from one practice to another every other month is good, you do have to give a practice time to show you its true colours and get used to it. But I am saying, do not be ashamed if something is not working for you, the shame would be in letting it demotivate you for longer than it needs to.

As dental nurses, self reflection is important, not just in our CPD activity logs or work appraisals etc, but in relation to our own happiness. Knowing yourself is so important, as well as being confident in your decisions. Keep assessing, keep reflecting, things change out of your control, but what you can control, is your reactions and choices.

Join me next time for LESSON 4. When I actually will share my tips for dealing with difficult patients.

See you back here soon! Rosie x

For enquiries: [email protected]

[dentalrosie]

SKILL DEVELOPMENT FOR DENTAL NURSES: A SERIES

By Rosie Connell

LESSON 2:

‘THE GIFT OF THE GAB’

The worst feedback I ever got from a dentist in my first year, was ‘Rosie, you don’t talk enough’

The best feedback I ever received from a dentist, was 3 years later; ‘Rosie, you have the best patient communication skills I’ve come across, you can really talk about anything!’

This example is a testament to self reflection, continuing professional development and good practice.

So, there was a gap in my skill set, and this just would not do! I considered why this was true of myself, and I put it down to a lack of confidence, an introverted personality and inexperience. To be honest, I remember thinking, ‘oh I didn’t even realise I needed to talk that much?!’ I was focused on cross infection, notes, stocking up etc etc. I didn’t realise I was Neglecting one of my main responsibilities: patient focus and care. I thought I was doing okay, I mean, the patient was alive..but that dentist wanted more than just a living patient (honestly! so demanding)..she wanted a calm, m welcomed, and entertained patient whilst she reviewed notes and xrays, or waited for LA to take effect. So according to this prescription, I just started talking..about anything. But be warned, it takes practice and not all patients are gifted in holding a conversation, so sometimes you have to do most of the work.

There’s no secret course you can take to get better at filling these awkward silences with strangers, you just have to put it into practice. It may take some time but if you persevere..you’ll be so good at talking, people will wish you would just stop!

Most dentists like you to speak with patients to help ease any anxiety and allow them to focus on diagnosis and treatment. I have found that it builds a rapport, not just fills a silence; you get to learn about the patients, they get to learn about you and they have a more pleasant experience overall. I’ve had some great feedback after developing in this area from patients and dentists. It has made my working day so much more enjoyable, I have more genuine reasons to smile and laugh and it allows me to directly contribute more to that patient’s experience.

Here are my chatting tips to get you started or improve your already great chat game:

1. Be confident – you don’t need to be loud or over the top, but a quiet confidence will instantly make this possible stranger want to engage.

A great little tip for appearing confident is to let your hands and body move freely. When you use gestures and body movements as you speak, you come across a lot more confident than if you were to be super still. Also, research has shown having your hands visible, makes you instantly more trustworthy, which is a big factor for our patients, especially if they have never seen you before.

Here’s a link to a great YouTube video I learnt this from: https://youtu.be/PMmnPpjtU7c (You might notice that the speaker does not stop moving her hands, she’s a wizard!!)

2. Smile - don’t be scary though, only use a genuine smile when you would naturally. And you can always use your eyes to ‘smize’ like Tyra Banks says!

3. Make eye contact – as in any social interaction, avoiding eye contact is a sign of distrust. Make natural, friendly eye contact when talking and remember to blink!

4. Let your personality shine – develop your own style whilst remaining professional. If the conversation leads to, and you are happy, you can share your interests and personal stories with the patient. It helps you become more human and relatable in their eyes.

5. Have a work persona – I’m not at all shy but I do gain more energy alone. So at work, I tend to play a bit more of a chatty character. At home, and with friends, I’m a lot quieter. Developing a work persona, sets your intentions for the day, so you can remain consistent with patients and colleagues alike. Then I go home..and recharge with more silent escapades like reading.

6. Stay away from taboo topics-politics, religion, brexit, football (I just don’t like that one) avoid any subjects that can get you caught into giving personal opinions. Keep the conversation light and fun.

7. Be tactful and genuine- like in any good conversation, don’t just talk willy nilly. React to what the patient says and go with their flow. If a patient tells you he lost his wife, take time to react genuinely, gauge how many follow up questions they feel comfortable with answering and then try and give them a positive outlook and then take their mind off it. (never skate over something this personal, it may take practice to feel comfortable in this situation, but it will come, if the patient is sharing with you, let them and offer sincere replies)

8. Examples of conversation Starting phrases:

(Some weather alternatives)

‘Busy day today?’ – I call this the taxi driver special but it just opens up the conversation so I know to ask about work or not. (Not everybody works due to individual circumstances, and sometimes making wrong assumptions can lead to an awkward exchange) I learnt this the hard way when I asked an 16 year old soldier if he was going to see his family at Christmas, but he had joined the army from a children’s home. I learnt to ask open questions instead like ‘what are you doing for Christmas?’

Or ‘What are you doing for the rest of the day?’

If a patient is wearing a company sweatshirt or piece of clothing, you could ask them where they work.

(I do these kind of things so often because all the pleasant and memorable medical appointments I’ve had, the doctor or nurse has asked me something not related to the appointment and it instantly put me at ease. It seemed they genuinely were interested and for one little moment you can forget why you are there. I believe that’s what sets turns a routine appointment into a great experience)

9. Examples of Reaction phrases:

(sometimes a patient can bring up a topic that you might not know much about or have much interest in. So the following are some phrases to keep the conversation ticking along, getting the patient to do most of the work)

‘That must be interesting!’ – this skips out of having to think of a direct questions but let’s the patient continue.

‘Id love to be able to do something like that’ – you can’t be interested in everything, but you can sure fake it for the team

‘Wow, I didn’t know that’ – let the patient become the expert, most likely they will want to show their knowledge, mission complete!

Plus all the positive little nuggets you can offer to bolster a patient:

‘That’s great’ , ‘you must be really good then’ , ‘how impressive!’

10. Tips for children:

You wouldn’t always ask your 6 year old patient how the weather is, so you could instead, start a conversation about what they are wearing or about their toys, or teddies that they bring for comfort. (Limit this to 1 comment about their appearance, such as their hairstyle or a character on their tshirt - you dont want the parent to think you are excessively oggling their child!)

Example:

1. A child with a teddy – you could say ‘wow who’s this? Are they getting their teeth checked too?’ (directed at the teddy) I usually ask to take the teddy ( if the child allows me) and pretend it’s whispering something to me. To a child, this is pure magic, never underestimate these kind of seemingly, simple gestures.

2. ‘Oh I like your T-shirt, do you like unicorns?!’ (I remember one patient just said ‘no’) this usually works better with sports jerseys or on small children! Unicorns are so last year!!

3. If a child will not talk with me, I usually say ‘oh you arent talking to me today? Now I am going to be upset’ by the end of the appointment, I can usually get one word or if I even get a smile, I’ll finish it off with ‘are you my friend now?’ Mostly it’s a yes!

So there you go! My tips and tricks for making conversation with patients. I hope you find something useful here. Next time, I’m going to be talking about dealing with difficult patients as a dental Nurse.

Ciao for now!

Rosie x

For enquiries: [email protected]

[dentalrosie]

SKILL DEVELOPMENT FOR DENTAL NURSES: A SERIES

By Rosie Connell

LESSON 1

‘SOFTLY, SOFTLY...Oral Health ADVICE’

If you’ve ever given one of your dentists’ patients oral health advice, congrats, you know now how a stand up comedian feels. You’re whipping out your best material, ripe with accurate information (whilst working within your professional boundaries) But sometimes, what you are telling the patient can easily end up being a bit of a flop. They bought the ticket, but clearly didn’t enjoy the show!

Often this comes down to the patient and their general attitude towards Dental visits and oral health.

Maybe the patient becomes argumentative, disengaged or upset whilst you are giving your best circular motion brushing technique demonstration. You shined your model up and everything!

We all know our surgeries, for some patients, are not on their top 100 places to be list, and this feeling can manifest in several negative ways.

I started being more proactive with offering OH advice during my time working as a locum in the military. The dental Officer loved me doing it. She could get on with some notes and didn’t have to repeat OH advice 10 times per day.In a setting where most patients were male and adhering to the norm of rankings, I had my fair share of tricky sergeants to advise. They didn’t want to listen, they were there on orders not their own free will. One patient blatantly answered his phone whilst I was mid sentence and another laughed and said; ‘I am a grown man, I obviously don’t need you to tell me how to brush my teeth’ - Sorry big guy, but your plaque score tells a different story!

During my time in the NHS, a patient went to the reception crying after I had asked some basic questions about her children’s OH routines. Although, what I said was correct, and the patients were high risk and desperately needed preventative advice (which I did not even end up delivering to them by the way, as I could sense tension), I had to reflect on this event and identify how I can prevent this from happening again.

This kind of patient reaction can happen to the best of nurses and dentists alike, but the show must go on!

So I am now going to share some of my acquired tips when offering the patient oral health advice, without causing tension or upset.

1. Be confident - patients are like sharks, they sometimes bite but more importantly, they can sense fear! Confidence will develop naturally over time but at the beginning you might have to fake it. Good eye contact, a dazzling smile and clear, concise delivery should get you started.

2. First, Copy the dentist, then make it your own - all dentists have their own tailored OH script, they may recommend a different brush or explain in different ways. Listen, and adopt their phrasing if you are giving advice for them. Once confident with this, you can start tweeking to make it your own, so it comes across more natural. I’ve picked up some great one liners and expressions along the way.

3. Stay away from Command words- for me, I found certain words or expressions just don’t feel great in this kind of situation. Words like ‘you should’ or your need to’ can make the patient feel like they are being told off, and can end up demotivating them. Replace these kind of commands with; ‘would you be able to try..’ or ‘the easiest way I find to do it is..’ These kind of soft-edged and suggestive expressions, ease the patient into the advise and make them feel part of the change making.

4. Stick to 2-3 key pieces of advice - Any advice we give to patients, gets stored in their working memory, this area can only retain very few, new bits of information. Don’t waste your time telling the patient everything you know about tooth brushing, if what they really needed to work on was interdental cleaning. Pick key messages according to their current OH routine. For example, if a patient has dentures, I might focus more on that, rather than diet advice.

5. Give a written copy - Patients feel a lot more comfortable when they are not panicking about remembering everything you say. Let them know very early on that you will give them all the advice to take home. For example, I just say something like it am going to give you some oral health tips to take home but I’ll just go through some main things now so you can ask any questions.’ They will then be able to listen abit more reactively and ask questions rather than feel worried about forgetting things. Your practice might have an OH handout or you can make your own, but make sure the dentist is happy with what you are giving the patient. Plus, only give 1 leaflet at an appointment, if you give the patient too much paper material, they will see it as a bigger chore and are less likely to do it. Kindling anyone?

6. A few last general tips: use a soft tone of voice, don’t rush, let the patient interrupt if they want to and lastly, take pride in your work.

Okay, go, you’re free now! I hope you enjoyed my tips for OH advice delivery. I find this is definitely a continuous, learning experience, you might change up a few things along the but don’t be afraid to try what works for you.

Come back for more skill tips!! Next time, I’m going to talk about talking. I’ll be sharing my best tips and phrases that will develop your ability to talk to any patient about anything to fill those awkward silences.

Ciao for now!!

Rosie x

For enquiries: [email protected]

[dentalrosie]

Toothache, is a pain. Especially when dealing with it at home. I myself, have had tooth pain over the last two weeks. I couldn’t eat, couldn’t sleep, couldn’t sing..yes my house has been a little quieter lately.

What can we offer our patients during this crisis? Sympathy! It’s a powerful tool for helping the patient feel more positive about eventually being pain free. Although we cannot offer the patient a physical appointment right now, listening and sympathising, is an effective treatment plan for managing calls regarding pain.

Patients see us as experts, therefore just showing a little understanding of their pain and how it easily can affect their daily life, will;

1. Acknowledge their pain and it’s validity.

2. Offer a sense of relief that their pain perhaps can still be managed at home.

Bupa advise that the following are not emergency situations:

A minor toothache including wisdom teeth, sensitivity in gums/teeth, bleeding gums, sharp pain on biting, mouth ulcers less than 10 days old, broken teeth, lost crown/veneer and denture discomfort.

Although you make think at home treatment for the above is obvious, sometimes pain stops us from thinking so logically because all we can think about is our suffering.

Take the time to chat with the patient, find out what they are struggling with and offer advice within your professional capabilities.

Any of the following should be sent for triaging by the dentist:

Spreading selling of gum/face/cheek, excruciating and sleep disturbing pain, in healing mouth ulcers, uncontrolled bleeding after extraction, trauma causing bleeding/ tooth loss or worsening pain even after following dental advice.

#dentalcare #dentalcareprofessional #dentalnurse

[dentalrosie]

Hello, Hola i Bon Dia!

If you have just found me, well what took you so long? My name is not important but what I do have is a particular set of skills...

Okay okay! Hi, my name is Rosie! I am a Dental Care Professional from Yorkshire, UK. To be specific I am a Dental Assistant and I have been qualified for 3 years. (3 going on 30)

I have worked for a variety of corporate NHS/Private practices and also as a locum for the Military.

I started out life;

1. As a bunch of cells!

B. Studying an Honours Degree in Illustration,

Y tres. With too much creativity and passion for learning, to stay still.

Although, not a job I ever dreamt of, (that was queen of the world and I was actually really good at that), I have grown to become more interested in the Dental career I have started.

I’ll be honest, I thought this job was going to be for 5 or so years until my solo career kicked off but it looks like it’s sticking. I never just want to be one thing though, so this blog is my journey to expanding my ‘scope of practice’.

Career progression for a Dental Nurse, is written about wildly, but it’s the same options mentioned all the time. Extra qualifications such as Impression taking, Radiography, Fluoride Application etc. Yes, they are great to have but do they set my soul on fire?...not enough!

So what can I do I wondered? How can I combine my job and my passions/hobbies. I am very creative and I love writing, and once I get going, there’s so much flow, I’m like ‘dammmn who dis?’ So I thought, maybe I can marry creativity and Dental and they can have a baby, and that baby can be beautiful...and not cry.

Oh and the blog name? ‘The Dental Care Professional with the Tiger Tattoo’, well that’s me yes, but it’s also to represent how Dentistry is changing, and how as a DCP, it is becoming more accepted to show how you are, inside and outside of the surgery, whilst remaining professional.

Dental Nurses can sometimes feel like a spare part at the start of their career, but I’m here to discuss how we can have more surgery presence, so that we can get gifts too!! Just kidding, but really, so we can also make a direct impact on our patients, within our professional capabilities, which in turn will improve our job satisfaction.

I am also at the very start of my ‘I’m moving to Spain’ plan. I decided Barcelona has a lot of opportunities to offer and so this is where I will aim my electrons to start with. So this blog is also going to be a little about that journey also. Spain is one of the countries where Dental Assisting is not a regulated profession. Meaning you do not need to register with an authoritive body such as the GDC, which would have probably been the hardest part. (So you may also find some Spanish written word here..you know..for the fans)

Bueno! So, without further ado..¡Vamos!