Working in dentistry can be tough. Patients have fears and anxieties that make our jobs difficult – but they don’t have to be. Try these tiny tips to ease anxiety and increase patient comfort.
Tiny Tip #1 - GRAPE JUICE
Yes, I said grape juice. I worked in my father’s endodontic practice for years and I can tell you nobody liked being there, so we did everything in our power to ease patients' fears.
One area that always seemed to cause unease was injections. This is where grape juice came to the rescue. After an injection, I would squirt a little bit of grape juice into the patient's mouth to neutralize the bitter taste of the anesthetic. The sweet taste of the grape juice was an unexpected and welcome change!
How to: Put a small amount of grape juice in a hummingbird syringe and keep it in the refrigerator. I recommend making up several at a time so they are always ready. Just before giving an injection, pull out the syringe and give them a quick squirt after the injection is complete. Just be sure to tell your patient what you are doing because the syringe looks very similar to blood!
Tune in next week for another tiny tip!
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