Facing Patient Anxiety
Dental anxiety is extremely common. Many people will put off dental treatment due to fear. It’s a complex fear that varies depending on the person. Some people fear pain, while others may fear the general sense of being enclosed as they sit in a chair with a person hovering over them. Patients also don’t always communicate that they are worried or anxious about treatment. So it’s often up to the doctor or assistant to identify that the patient is anxious, which is usually done by observing the patient as they come into the office or sit in the dental chair. It can be challenging for doctors and staff to figure out how to handle an anxious patient, as the source of anxiety isn’t necessarily the visit to the dental office alone. Anxious people often deal withmultiple sources of anxiety, though when they are in for treatment, or if they are in pain or discomfort, their anxiety can be heightened.
Dr. Leesa Scott-Morrow, a clinical psychologist writing with the AAE, has a few tips for dealing with patient anxiety:
“Don’t let the patient’s anxious fear infect you with anxiety.”Anxiety can be contagious, in a sense. As a doctor working with an anxious patient, youmay become more aware of your state of mind and even become nervous or anxious while prepping for treatment. “When you sense that you have an anxious patient in front of you, do not attempt to comfort the patient with a barrage of words.”Anxiety canmake it difficult to understand words and situations. Be straightforward and clear. Finally,“Remember, the patient is scanning your face. What they see there will have far more impact than any words youmight say. Feel confident, and you will look confident. Feel caring, and you will look caring.” You want to be a person they can count on and trust. You never want to scold or lecture a patient about missing an appointment or avoiding a treatment. This would guarantee they will avoid treatment in the future. Confidence canmake all the difference.
‘The Art of Learning’
A Chi ld Prodigy Rethinks Success
This is a book about a journey. It chronicles a life of international chess tournaments, high-stakes martial arts competitions, a boy who found too much success, and the man who had to relearn everything because of it. Yes, “The Art of Learning” reads like a gripping, emotional memoir, but make no mistake — Josh Waitzkin’s work doubles as an effective guide for business owners striving to attain perfection in their fields. Josh Waitzkin’s name will be familiar to longtime chess fans and movie buffs alike. As a child prodigy, Waitzkin won his first national chess title at age 9, which quickly made him an international sensation. His father, Fred Waitzkin, wrote the renowned book “Searching for Bobby Fischer,” chronicling his young son’s journey into the world of chess. This then inspired the movie of the same name. Now, one does not normally think of child prodigies as being great sources of insight into finding success. By definition, prodigies are exceptional — exceptions who operate on a different playing field than most. But Waitzkin firmly positions his journey through the chess world as the antithesis of what he calls “the art of learning.”
will be brittle in the face of adversity.”Waitzkin was very gifted at chess, and he didn’t have to push himself early on, but by the time he did find challenging opponents, he found loss and adaptation impossible to handle. It wasn’t until he stepped out of the rigid grids of chess and into the flowing movements of tai chi that Waitzkin was able to formulate a guide to success.
Appropriately subtitled “An Inner Journey to Optimal Performance,”Waitzkin’s story of grappling with childhood stardom and climbing the brackets of the tai chi chuan circuit is full of wisdom applicable to anyone looking to achieve mastery in their field. With compelling personal anecdotes and a unique perspective on what success really looks like, “The Art of Learning” is a fresh, vibrant addition to the personal development genre. 3
As the author states, “The moment we believe that success is determined by an ingrained level of ability as opposed to resilience and hard work, we
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