When it comes to art, perspective is one of the most important aspects of creating a masterpiece. Art, by itself, is such a vast expanse of possibilities that the human mind is not equipped to comprehend in one lifetime. To all those artists, you get …
Ever played the game of Chinese whisper [1]? Starts with the word, “Apple” and ends with “Apricot”. The game literally explains how rumors (and gossip) originate. Someone hears something from somewhere and passes it on to ‘just that one person’ in confidentiality and it just snowballs from there.
Every myth has just a little tinge of reality which Chinese whispered its way down to us. How true is it? We can never know unless we deliberately seek the origin.
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It is every medical practitioner’s ethical, moral and legal obligation to give the patient the choice of whether they want the treatment or not. Just the fact that they show up at your clinic does not mean that they consent to any and every proposed treatment. It is an insurance held by the practitioner, should the patient ever accuse them of malpractice (prevention is better than cure).
Consent taking also emphasizes one of the four pillars of medical ethics - Autonomy [2]. Autonomy is the right of every individual to choose for themselves and it is the responsibility of every clinician to provide the accurate and true information. Allow the patient to make their own choice, it doesn’t necessarily have to be what you would do/ choose. When faced with a difficult choice, patients usually tend to seek the clinician’s opinion. It is acceptable to suggest, but it is absolutely unagreeable to push (so annoying).
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It isn’t enough to just know how to treat a patient at the first visit, it is equally important to know what and how to ask. When I was first introduced to the Universe of Medicine, I was rostered with an Internal and Family Medicine specialist who drew this whole big chart and explained the art of ‘history taking’. While you can find most of these points listed out on a variety of websites, I have tried to break things down into a sequence that helps you understand why you need to get through each step and why is it important for us, as Dentists, to know every teeny tiny detail about the patient’s (and even their family’s!) life and history.
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When a patient first walks into the clinic, it is important for them to feel as comfortable as possible (just putting it out there, even though that’s obvious). No one comes to see the Dentist because they happened to be in the neighbourhood (everyone hates us). 8 in 10 times, they come because they are in pain.
It is important to have empathy and understanding that it can be quite disconcerting for the patients to visit a Dental clinic for the first time. If you work at a practice with a consultation room (basically somewhere fancy 💁), it is advisable to use it for the initial part of the first appointment to allow familiarity in surroundings. If you need to take them through to your clinic/surgery immediately, seat the patient at the table at the same level as you and not directly throw them into the dental chair.
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Alas! This is the one topic of debate amongst all medical students. It is the most important question that we just cannot escape, which gnaws at us constantly. Mostly this question is self-directed, although family and friends make quite a significant contribution to poke and prod that part of your brain which tries to push away such a trivial matter (talk about getting on someone’s last nerve!)
Let’s address this.
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Once you have decided to pick Dentistry, the next big question you face is – What would my future look like?
The answer to that is quite complicated.
Any branch of Science and Technology is forever evolving, the only constant being change itself. What you learn today is the foundation of the structure you build throughout your life. Funnily enough, the foundation remains the same, whether you started 10 years ago or 10 years from today.
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This is a question most of us are asked during college interviews or by friends and family. Before asking anyone else, ask yourself this, why dentistry?
Even though we live in a time where most of us know what it is, let’s still humour ourselves and understand what dentistry actually is.
It is not just all about fillings and extractions. Dentistry is a science which deals with the prevention, treatment and maintenance of not just your teeth but all the soft and hard structures surrounding it. It involves a study of how to diagnose, treat and prevent any conditions, disorders or diseases of the teeth, gums, mouth and jaw.
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