I think it is fairly common to have what I would call an awe complex. I would define this as a sense of awe about what someone does. The sense of awe can have an affect on the way you interact with or think about an individual. I met someone a few years ago who is a NASA engineer. He designed fabric for space. Kind of made me go, “Oooooooo” when I met him. Then we get to the subject of this entry: dentists.
Most would agree that you have to be a pretty smart cookie to be a dentist. Dental school is supposed to be extremely difficult. By the time a person graduates from dental school, you would think they would have it all figured out. All of it except for the common sense part it seems. Let me explain …
I’m 30-something and had four permanent teeth yanked out of my skull so braces could be glued to my teeth so I’ve spent a lot of time with people holding sharp metal instruments in my mouth. And each time I have my mouth worked on, the same thing happens. While I have tubes, fingers, and sharp objects jammed in my mouth, the intelligent and well-trained professional asks me to talk.
“Fine weather we are having huh?”
“Are you doing okay?”
“Are you feeling any pain?”
“Tell me to stop if it hurts.”
What results is a complicated mixture of head contortions and muffled grunting. Isn’t it ironic that you are sitting in a room of ultra high tech equipment under the care of a highly trained professional and communication is reduced to primal grunts?
I’m certainly no genius, but a few simple solutions come to mind. How about handing the patient a colored card for each hand? Raise the red card to communicate pain or an answer of no, the blue card for I’m okay or yes. Or how about a bell or buzzer? If in pain, ring away. It could be as easy as blinking with your left eye or blink with your right eye when asked a question.
Maybe next time I visit the dentist I will come with my own props; props that even out the equation – my own special instruments. I’m thinking a butcher knife or medical malpractice paperwork in one hand for a negative answer, and my credit card in the other hand for a positive answer.
I like it.