Koko the Gorilla uses sign language to request dental work
April 30, 2008
WOODSIDE, California (AP) — When Koko the gorilla used the American Sign Language gesture for pain and pointed to her mouth, 12 specialists, including three dentists, sprang into action.
The result? Her first full medical examination in about 20 years, an extracted tooth and a clean bill of health.
About a month ago, Koko, a 300-plus-pound ape who became famous for mastering more than 1,000 signs, began telling her handlers at the Gorilla Foundation in Woodside she was in pain. They quickly constructed a pain chart, offering Koko a scale from one to 10.
When Koko started pointing to nine or 10 too often, a dental appointment was made. And because anesthesia would be involved, her handlers used the opportunity to give Koko a head-to-toe exam.
“She’s quite articulate,” volunteer Johnpaul Slater said. “She’ll tell us how bad she’s feeling, how bad the pain is. It looked like it was time to do something.”
New Harvard Medical School Report suggests use of dental hand signals.
April 29, 2008
A Harvard Medical School Report dated August 2007 suggests the use of hand signals to reduce dental anxiety.
Reposted from Medical News Today.
For some people, the fear of visiting a dentist outweighs the pain of a toothache. But putting off that visit almost invariably leads to more advanced oral health problems and lengthier, more complex procedures. What many people don’t realize is that they can work with their dentists to learn about and implement anxiety- relieving strategies, according to Dental Health for Adults: A Guide to Protecting Your Teeth and Gums, a new report from Harvard Medical School.
The most direct approach is to be straightforward with your dentist and explore various strategies for pain reduction together. Improvements in techniques, medications, and equipment over the past 30 years mean much more comfortable visits than those you might recall from childhood.
Dental Health for Adults describes in detail both standard and novel treatments available for pain management, such as local and general anesthesia, anti-anxiety medications, and conscious sedation. The report also includes a lengthy discussion of alternative approaches to dealing with dental anxiety. These are some of the tips in the report:
– Have your dentist agree on a “stop” signal so you can take a time-out from the procedure.
– Avoid caffeinated beverages before your visit, as they may make you jittery.
– Listen to music on a portable music player before and during treatment.
– Practice relaxation exercises and guided imagery techniques.
– Get regular dental checkups, which help you build a good rapport with your dentist and enable your dentist to catch problems early.
Harvard Medical School
http://www.health.harvard.edu/DHA
WHAT CAN I DO ABOUT MY DENTAL FEAR? by Dr. Michael Krochak
April 12, 2008
From Floss.com
–snip–
The first thing you can do is to realize that your dental fear can be overcome. Fear is a learned behavior which, therefore, can be unlearned. Patient-centered behavior modification that treats you as a whole person, not as a set of teeth can help you overcome your fears. This will obviously take a team approach between you and your dentist and his/her staff. Communication is the key. You must feel comfortable expressing your fears and concerns and have a sense that you are being listened to. If you feel that the Dr. and/or staff is not genuinely concerned and listening, then absolutely feel comfortable with seeking out referrals to other offices.
You should never compromise the level of communication that you feel is necessary to give you a sense of control over your situation in the dental office. Modern dentistry with a compassionate dental team can be truly painless. You can desensitize yourself to your fears if you take the first step and allow the right team to help you overcome your fears.
A Sense of Control
- A Signaling System should be established allowing you to stop for any reason, whether it be because you need more anesthesia, want to rinse out, or simply need a two second break. The most common signal is raising your hand./li>
–snip–
Colgate - Communicating With Your Dentist
April 12, 2008
Treatments And Coping Methods
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Communicating With Your Dentist This is the key to beating dental distress. Modern dentistry can be almost painless, so it’s worth taking the time to discuss your fears — and the potential treatment options — with your dentist. Participating in decisions about your treatment can give you a feeling of control that can help you to feel less anxious. Your dentist should discuss all the procedures you may need and ask whether you prefer to have several done at one time or have a series of shorter appointments. Ask your dentist to describe the types of pain control available and decide which you feel will work best for you. To help lower your anxiety during the appointment, ask your dentist to explain what’s happening at every stage of the procedure. When you know what the dentist is about to do next, you can prepare yourself and you won’t be taken by surprise. On the other hand, some people may feel less anxious if they don’t know what’s happening. If this is true for you, explain this to your dentist. He or she should be willing to accommodate your wishes whenever possible. Another helpful technique is to agree on a hand signal, such as raising your hand, which means you’d like everything to stop right away. From Colgate.com, Read More… |
Dental anxiety - www.revolutionhealth.com
April 12, 2008
Content provided by Healthwise
Many people worry about going to the dentist. You may be very nervous and may actually feel sick to your stomach. Some people become so nervous that they just don’t go to the dentist. However, this can lead to serious problems, including infected gums and teeth, difficulty chewing, and lack of self-confidence because of bad teeth or bad breath.
To help get over being nervous about the dentist, it is helpful to first understand why you may be nervous. Reasons include:
- Having had a painful or bad experience at the dentist, including insensitive comments made during your visit. The smell of the office or seeing or hearing the dental tools (such as the sound of a drill) may bring this back.
- Feeling helpless or out of control. Being confined to the chair and not being able to speak and communicate may cause this. The precautions your dentist takes, such as wearing a mask and gloves, may add to this feeling.
- Being embarrassed about the condition of your teeth.
- Hearing about others’ bad experiences at the dentist or being influenced by how TV, newspapers, or magazines portray them.
- A fear of the unknown, including the procedures your dentist uses.
To help feel less nervous about a dental visit, try the following:
- Talk about your fears. Tell your dentist that you are nervous, and try to explain why. This way your dentist can do everything possible to put you at ease.
- Ask your dentist about what is going to happen and why. If you understand the steps of getting a filling, for example, you may feel less nervous about it. Ask your dentist to tell you when he or she is moving from one step in a procedure to another step.
- Make your dental visit at a time when you are not rushed or under pressure. An early morning, late afternoon, or Saturday may be the best time, as you may not have to worry about missing school or work.
- If the sound of a drill bothers you, ask your dentist if he or she has music and headphones. If not, bring your own audio player and headphones.
- Agree on hand signals to communicate pain, discomfort, or that you need a break.
Are dentists required to provide sign language interpreters for the hearing impaired?
April 12, 2008
DentiSign may may helpful in providing dental care to the hearing impaired.
The Americans with Disabilities Act (AwDA) defines a dental office as a public accommodation.
Therefore, dental offices cannot discriminate against individuals with disabilities such as hearing loss.
The AwDA requires dentists to provide care for patients with disabilities and to establish ways to communicate so they can understand.
There are a variety of ways to communicate with a deaf or hearing-impaired patient. For example, using written notes, pictures or models to discuss the patient’s condition and recommended treatment. Office computers are also useful in carrying on a conversation with a hearing-impaired patient.
Some hearing-impaired individuals are very adept at reading lips and prefer to be spoken to. The best approach may be to let the patient indicate the form of communication he/she prefers. There may be times when using a sign language interpreter is appropriate.
For example, it may be advisable to use an interpreter when providing complex or extensive information to obtain informed consent to a procedure that carries significant risk.
Does the dental office have to pay for a sign language interpreter?
You may not have to hire an interpreter. A member of the patient’s family may be able to interpret for you, or there may be a service organization in your community that will provide an interpreter at no cost. The local office of your state rehabilitation services agency or health department may be able to direct you to such an organization. It is important that an interpreter accurately convey what both doctor and patient are saying.
If no other resource is available, and the patient is unable to communicate and understand by any method other than sign language, you may have to hire an interpreter. Under the AwDA, you would have to pay the cost of the interpreter and could not pass the cost on to the patient as a supplemental charge or increased fee for the dental treatment. Should you determine an interpreter is not required, the disabled person can file a complaint and you must be prepared to justify your decision. For increased patient confidentiality and/or to explain complex procedures, a professional interpreter may be needed. Visit NAD to learn more about interpreters from the National Association of the Deaf.
Dental Phobia and Dental Anxiety: A Five-Minute Cure
April 12, 2008
A 5 minute approach to reducing dental anxiety.
Combine with DentiSign for a better dental experience. Remember raising your hand is not communication.
–snip–
For many people, ‘dental phobia’ or ‘dental anxiety’ prevents them from visiting the dentist, leaving them vulnerable to serious tooth decay and gum disease. They end up requiring extensive treatment, which regular, routine examinations would have prevented.
Dr. Gotthelf has developed a six-step program to help patients who fear going to the dentist. This approach incorporates the mind-body concept where physical well-being can be affected by mental and emotional states.
A Simple 5 Minute Cure for Dental Anxiety
Many of us feel extremely anxious when we think of visiting the dentist. This fear is the cause of procrastination in scheduling dental appointments, missed or cancelled appointments, and difficulty in tolerating procedures during dental care.
Although many dentists will try to convince you that these fears are unfounded, we believe that there are actually many good reasons (even aside from painful past dental experiences) to feel anxious about visiting the dentist. By understanding these reasons and utilizing our simple techniques, dental anxiety can become a thing of the past!
–snip–
The Dentist-Patient Relationship
April 12, 2008
This article explores the Dentist-Patient relationship and offers pactical advice to Dentists looking to provide a better dental experience for their patients.
The author goes into a lot of detail on each of the factors to be considered, and includes the following note;
–snip–
How may the dentist further address the issue of loss of control?
A simple instruction that allows patients to signal by raising a hand if they wish to stop or speak returns a sense of control.
–snip—
EVDS student offers emotion-based design to improve children’s experience at the dental office
April 12, 2008
Great Article from EVDS
In the future, children will associate a trip to the dental office with feelings of empowerment, fun and relaxation rather than with fear, anxiety or pain, if Georgia Houston has her way.
Houston, a graduate student in industrial design at the University of Calgary’s Faculty of Environmental Design, recently completed her master’s degree project which proposes a dynamic new approach to addressing the negative emotions children often associate with dental visits. Houston hopes her holistic design alternatives promote a more positive dental experience and, ultimately, improved long-term dental health.
Houston worked with Calgary-area pediatric dentists, a child therapist and other designers to apply the Faculty of Environmental Design’s holistic and interdisciplinary perspective to explore how pediatric dentistry could benefit from improved design options ranging from child education, empowering toys, furniture and dental office layouts.
The need for a better patient-dentist experience is pervasive in North America.
In the United States,
- 40% of the population is apprehensive about visiting the dentist.
- 20% of adults describe themselves as highly anxious.
- 5% of the population avoids oral health appointments altogether because of extreme anxiety.
Testimonials
April 11, 2008
“Dentisign is the perfect ice breaker for nervous patients! Some patients are so anxious at the dentist that they can barely look me in the eye, but the minute they see the poster on the wall they are laughing and loosening up with me in the chair!DentiSign has allowed me to establish and improve rapport with my patients.”
……Dr. Julie Freedman, DDS, Mirimar, Florida.
“Using ‘DentiSign’ means that I no longer need to wait for the dentist to
suction my mouth out. I always hated feeling like I was going to choke with all
those little bits in my mouth.”
……Dental patient
” After dreading getting a mouth x-ray for many years, using ‘DentiSignTM’
finally encouraged me let the technician finally know that those little x-ray blocks are
sharp and hurt when pushed into my mouth.”
……Dental patient
“I can let the dentist know my needs without feeling that I may annoy her by
interrupting her work.”
……Dental patient
“My patients are now my partner in each procedure.”
……Dentist
“Younger patients use ‘DentiSign’ all the time, it gives them confidence and as
a result less anxious in the dental chair.”
……Dental hygenist
“Dental Post of The Month Winner.” Dental Blogging.
Print DentiSign and bring it to your next dental appointment and see the difference it makes.
