Cosmetic Dentistry
Archive for the ‘dental anxiety’ Category
Monday, April 19th, 2010
I wrote a training module for my staff last week. In summary, the concluding thoughts were: “We are here To Protect and To Serve”. No we don’t carry guns. No we don’t have cool badges. But other than that, the goal is the same for us as for our uniformed respected counterparts. We have your goodwill at the front of all that we do.
We are here to Protect. We are here to keep our patients far away from the ravages of unmanaged
dental problems. We are here to try to keep them away from that jaw-grabbing middle of the night toothache. We are here to keep them away from that broken tooth Monday morning before the meeting with the boss in from out of town.
We are also here to Serve our clients. This means, we constantly keep their best interest and outcomes at the forefront of all that we do. We offer clear communication, we offer a calm manner to how we deliver our care. We make efforts on our part, to deal with and to calm their
dental anxiety.
I have the highest regard for those who live the credo To Protect and to Serve every day. I say it as often as I can-THANKS for your efforts and putting your life on the line for the rest of us. It is a noble calling and noble service.
While my staff and I don’t take our lives in our hands everyday, we too take seriously that credo and want you to know your smile is safe with us!
Posted in Denver cosmetic dentist, Dr. Scott Greenhalgh DDS, cosmetic dentist Denver, dental anxiety, dental staff, protect and Serve | No Comments »
Saturday, March 13th, 2010
Statics say that 50% of the population doesn’t visit the dentist regularly. That would be like if NO women ever went to the dentist. That’s a lot of people. I have found that one of the most profound reasons people don’t see the dentist is because they are simply afraid.
It often starts with some crummy childhood dental visit. Something to the effect of he didn’t believe me when I said that it hurt. The dentist just ignored them, just kept doing his thing….didn’t really have time to be bothered.
It’s really sad. I saw at least three new patients this week who hadn’t been to the
dentist for
many years. They took a chance again, that maybe THIS time, the experience would be better, that things would work out (they did great!).
After seeing people with a range of issues from normal nervousness to paralysis, or that they can barely get in through the door of our
cosmetic dentist office, to being deeply emotional, to a the cold sweats. I have seen about every severe type of
anxiety about visiting the dentist.
So, what helps most? Get a pencil and write this down. LISTENING.
There are some really great advances with
sedation and
sleep dentistry. They do have a profound role in helping heal these anxieties, but really, most can be healed with listening.
I have found that by listening for the clues to want went poorly before, strategizing a new way to specifically avoid that problem, and then discussing it together, well, it fixes things a lot.
SO, if you are anxious about care you have put off, first look for a
dentist with a track record that listens (see our
dentist reviews for examples).
No need to put it off any longer, start the healing today.
It all starts with a simple conversation… so
contact us today.
Posted in best Denver dentist, cosmetic dentist reviews, dental anxiety, dental fear, oral sedation, sedation, sedation dentist | No Comments »
Wednesday, December 2nd, 2009
Maybe you are like me: I’m picky but not a pain in the neck. I like good service and some mental engagement from whomever is taking care of me or that whomever working with me has some vague understanding of what would make me happy. The service approach that drives me nuts is the “canned approach”. Where I am forced into their “on-size-fits-none” rigidness. When they ask me what I want and then I actually tell them. Their face goes blank like I’ve suddenly started speaking French. And then the reply, “we can’t do that…”. Game over.
I had a new patient that was referred to my office today. I asked her what she liked or didn’t like about her previous dentist/dental office. She described how when she entered the office that whomever worked there seemed too busy talking with the other girls nearby. When she when back into the office, she recounted how the staff were busy sharing their personal stories with each other-she said she felt like a “thing”, instead of a valued client.
I am frequently disappointed when I hear about some of the experiences people describe in other offices. We make a focused effort to make sure our patients, have a great experience. One of our main concerns is
easing anxiety in the dental office. At our
cosmetic dentistry office in Denver, I have had the opportunity to hire the Ritz-Carlton for training on customer service. In a nutshell, “pay attention to everything, guess what the guest might enjoy next, take responsibility and act on it”.
Our new patient today was
beaming at me when I came in to meet her. She was almost giddy that we had treated her with attention and respect. That she had a warm, personal greeting when she arrived; that someone else offered her our complimentary spa treatment (see other
amenities to help you relax). Even though she had been told
what to expect on her first visit, She found out that we cared, and that we would do a good job for her.
So, there is no doubt that
cosmetic dentistry really starts with service. We see people everyday that recount experiences where the dentist didn’t believe them when it hurt, and just kept on going. Or didn’t wait longer enough for them to be fully numb.
If you haven’t really had THIS level of personal attention, then we believe you are truly missing out (
contact us today for your own personal dental experience).
Oh, and if we pay that much attention to making you feel welcome, then just imagine how we’ll pour ourselves into making an amazing smile for you!
Posted in Customer service, Ritz-Carlton, Scott Greenhalgh DDS, cosmetic dentistry Denver, dental anxiety, spa dentistry | No Comments »
