Dentaltown April 2020 - 83

Discover more about verbal
communication for CE credit!
Dental coach and key opinion leader Carrie Ibbetson presented the live CE course
It's Not What You Say, It's How and When You Say It at the 2018 Townie Meeting.
To learn about how to use words to connect with patients and coach them through
small steps to big wins, watch the video of Ibbetson's course at dentaltown.com/ce.
Then, take the test to earn 1 hour of CE credit!

*	 Do your muscles feel tight?
*	 Is your tongue stuck to the roof of
your mouth?
*	 Is your jaw tense?
*	 Is your breathing slow and deep, or
fast and shallow?
*	 Is your heart pounding?
*	 Are you dehydrated and licking your
lips or coughing from a dry throat?
*	 Have allergies caused your eyes to be
watery, or nose to turn red?
*	 Are financial stressors or a family
situation taking your mind away
from the patient?
All of these things will be picked up
and put you at a disadvantage before you
even open your mouth.
And while you can't hit the gym in
between patient visits, the good news is you
can connect with your body throughout
the day.
Try one of these techniques to reset your
mind in between patients and put you in
a better place to confidently connect with
the next patient:
*	 Stretch your body between patient
visits.
*	 Practice meditation.
*	 Listen to uplifting music.
*	 Drink warm water.
*	 Get a self-massage wand to ease
shoulder and back tension.
Bringing some of these techniques into
the practice will hit the "reset" button and
puts your body in a more relaxed state, which
will translate in spades to your patient. It

will pull you out of your head and place
you more into your heart space.
This will lower your heart rate,
decrease any emotionally charged situations you were facing before seeing
the next patient, and will serve as a
needed pattern interrupt so you can
contextually shift into the next scenario.

'As simple as flossing'-
with consistency
If you find yourself rolling your
eyes at the thought that the only thing
standing between you and a $50,000
case is yawning three times, let me
remind you that flossing is easy, too, but
only 16% of adults surveyed say they
floss daily, while 44% surveyed admit
they've exaggerated to their dentist
about how much they floss.5
These techniques may appear as
simple as flossing, but it's the dentists
that practice consistently that will win
the day. Show yourself a little care, and
your body will tell a story that patients
will trust. n
References
1.	www.dentalpost.net/salary-survey/?utm_source=Iterable&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=campaign_1047811
2.	www.mdedge.com/psychiatry/article/138859/practice-management/how-your-body-language-affectspatient-care
3.	www.holmesreport.com/opinion-info/10645/
The-Cost-Of-Poor-Communications.aspx
4.	www.health.harvard.edu/blog/regular-exercise-changes-brain-improve-memory-thinking-skills-201404097110
5.	www.ada.org/en/publications/ada-news/2017-archive/october/new-survey-highlights-unusual-flossing-habits
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http://www.topformdata.com http://www.dentaltown.com/ce http://www.dentalpost.net/salary-survey/?utm_source=Iter http://www.mdedge.com/psychiatry/article/138859/prac http://www.holmesreport.com/opinion-info/10645/ http://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/regular-exer http://www.ada.org/en/publications/ada-news/2017-ar http://www.dentaltown.com

Dentaltown April 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Dentaltown April 2020