If your patient is young, use age-appropriate words to describe procedures. Some clinics have standardized kid-friendly words to use around the clinic like “sleepy juice” for anesthetic, or “Mr. Bumpy” for drills. These kid-friendly words help kids feel more comfortable in the dental chair because they feel like they have a better understanding of what’s going on. Putting a name to a procedure or tool goes a long way.

Many older patients can be hard of hearing, so speaking clearly, louder than usual, but in a pleasant and happy tone is essential. If your older patients have incorrect assumptions about the procedures due to past experiences with older procedures, it’s okay to correct them, but be very polite, positive, and keep your explanation patient-centric. Patient-centric explanations are geared towards the patient and not the procedure. If you had a patient worried about a root canal hurting, instead of explaining the procedure from a textbook perspective, say something patient-centric like “I promise you won’t feel any pain. Our anesthetics are strong and our doctors are very observant. If you feel any discomfort throughout the procedure, you can let us know.”

It’s really easy to get caught up into the motions, especially with explaining the same procedures a few times every day. A great dental assistant is also a great listener. If your patient has concerns about their procedure, listen to their concerns intently, show signals that you’re listening by nodding and maintaining eye contact, and when it’s your turn to respond, then dive into your response. If your patients are understood and feel heard, they’ll feel more comfortable, ready for their procedures, and important in the clinic.

As a dental assistant, you will have different tasks and responsibilities from day to day, but it’s normal to have days where you get home and can’t remember the specifics of work; it’s all blurred together. If you create a moment with each patient, it will help reduce the blur working days can become.

A moment you’ve “created” with a patient could be nothing more than a conversation. If you remember the conversation at the end of the day, it’s likely that your patient does too. Making patients feel valued through inclusion, compliments, laughter, and even with just eye contact can go a long way. Avoid sensitive topics like politics, family issues, or personal finance and focus more on the patient’s hobbies, professional work, local events, and popular media.

These moments you create are helpful to you in strengthening relationships with patients, but you’ll also help your patient feel more welcome, comfortable, and remembered.

Illustrations, x-rays, models, and photographs work wonders when needing to explain procedures. If you have x-rays of your patient’s teeth, definitely remember to pull them up if they have any questions and leave them up if your patient has more questions for the dentist.