For all the Dental professionals?

Very few people actually get a chance to bite the dentist, believe it or not. Most offices cater to cowards, and having someone who is scared is a common occurrence, especially children, and we just take extra time and do what we can to either bring a smile to their face or make them laugh and make it into an enjoyable visit. It doesn't have to be a big,bad, scary visit. Most of our patients are like family, and we are into this for the long duration, so we like to try to put people at ease so they will WANT to take care of their teeth.

Accidental biting usually occurs when the patient unknowingly closes their teeth slowly, often because their muscles are getting tired (like for long procedures such as RCTs).

I either remind them to open up again, or use a mouth prop to help them rest comfortably.

Plenty of patients are scared of us,and with good reason. It's not like going to a doctor where he might just prescribe a pill - no, we usually have to DO something that invariably involves needles, drilling, extractions, ...

Many scared people have had a bad experience in the past. I feel sorry for them and try to treat them kindly according to their needs, and don't try to take it personally. Sometimes they benefit from nitrous oxide, or some diazepam.

The adults are the ones who seem to 'bite' more... LOL. You can't get mad, since it's not meant to happen. The jaw gets tired after a while of being open 'wide', so the natural thing to do is relax it... right onto our fingers!

If a patient is scared, we take our time with them. After a while, they don't mind coming in to see us and the visits are more pleasant for them, since we've earned their trust.

~hope this helped.

Most all people that are in my chair are scared to be there. You get use to working with people like that. You have to be a very caring and understanding person. I have never had anyone bite me.

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