Dental care in the twenty-first century is no longer satisfied using a one-size-fits-all approach. Any good dentist Navan has to be patient-focused and look for ways to constantly improve the services they provide. The modern dental clinics of today have to be innovative and brave as they strive to dispense the treatments patients demand. Communication and education are some of the tools essential in modern dentistry.
Convenience
Encouraging patients to embark on proper and regular dental hygiene routines is all part of an effective preventive dentistry program. Education ensures that brushing and flossing are done correctly and that the practice has the desired effect of protecting teeth from tooth decay and gum disease.
Regular six monthly dental visits add that extra layer of protection, allowing dentists to identify any problems that may be dormant. In this century, it seems that everybody is busy, and making time to visit the dentist is sometimes sacrificed by many. To help patients maintain their dental routine, it is necessary to make out-of-hours appointments available. Staying open later during the week and providing weekend slots can reduce the number of missed appointments. Providing convenient parking is another great way to relieve stress and encourage patients to attend dental appointments.
Relaxed environment
Innovation in relieving dental anxiety is high on the agenda of most dental clinics, and all members of staff should be trained to recognise and be sensitive to patients who display uneasiness. Providing free internet in the waiting room creates an ambience of homeliness. Special massaging dental chairs provide a relaxing and distracting environment. Another innovative way of producing a calming effect is providing music of the patient’s choice, which cancels out any surrounding noise.
Chairside manner
A visit to the dentist will always involve having to get up very close and personal, and this is why developing a good relationship between dentist and patient is vitally important. Developing a candid relationship can help the dentist deliver a better level of service. It is far easier to discuss openly and honestly the state of a patient’s oral cavity if the patient-dentist relationship is honest. Being able to discuss the results of poor dental hygiene, such as bad breath and dental decay, will encourage patients to change their habits.
Listening to patients
When serving a community, it makes sense to listen to and pay attention to the feedback and comments made by patients. Not only does this help to improve dental service but it can also lead to increased business through requests for additional services.
Dentists have a thorough knowledge of the head, neck and shoulders and can, therefore, offer non-dental treatments, such as facial aesthetic treatments. If a patient seeks a little pampering, then why not have that service provided by someone they know? The relationship already exists, and the sterile rooms are already in place. Additionally, the clinician is experienced in delivering injections. It makes sense for non-surgical treatments, such as wrinkle smoothing, to be provided by trained medical professionals in safe environments.