In this month’s Digital Dentist column, Alif focuses on language and how dentists should plan what they say to patients.
Language is such an important topic.
The words that we use help us to articulate our experience of the world, thus shaping our experience.
In my Digital Dentist video this week, I talk about how the words we use with ourselves, and more specifically the questions we ask ourselves, ultimately determine the quality of our lives.
Using language
We as dentists should be particularly careful about the words we use with our patients.
I certainly remember as a younger dentist I would forever give a running commentary about my thoughts and also my actions.
This I feel, unless it’s a very particular type of patient, is often unnecessary and also counter-productive.
Often, by vocalising everything as you see it, you might give the patient some feedback before you have all of the information to hand.
Now I’m much more careful. If I’m making an assessment I know in my own mind that I am still at the stage where I’m gathering all the facts. So I’m not ready yet to present to a patient.
Only when I’m clear about what is going on I take a few seconds to plan in my mind how to present what the patient needs to know in the most succinct, clear and logical way so that my patient can understand best what’s going on.
To find out so much more on the power of the words we use please see below my video.
Catch previous digital dentist columns:
- Focus
- Treating children
- Understanding occlusion
- Gaining (digital) consent
- Introducing The digital dentist.
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