The Conversation

I was at a café having meal (getting used to that), when the waitress took our order. She had not been working for four months. So for the first couple of weeks she had “freezing on Zoom” moments. This included fumbling for words and responding to the conversation started by customer.

This is something that I have noticed in the dental setting. Many patients have had enforced breaks from dental treatment due to lockdowns. So coming back for check-ups, has been great. Some of the conversations have been interesting.

Let’s start with the basics. Knowing left from right. This is very important for a dentist to know. It would be even more helpful to the dentist, if the patient knew too! We have helped many a patient relearn this ability.

I know the dental setting is different to a café. Occasionally, I would ask a question about their problem, and sometimes the response is “are you talking to me?”. It’s ok as I know people are nervous as they have been “out of the loop” for a while.

On occasions people have been saying something but I don’t think they even knew what they were saying.

Seriously though, we may need to ask you several questions to ensure we understand your concerns and we are on the same page.  It always amazes me how many times people say that not much has been happening in their lives and then after a conversation, they talk about a recent life changing moment that even has a bearing on the dental treatment.

Welcome back everyone.