It
was a few months ago and Terry and I had just returned from the “Star of the
North” meeting. This convention gets better and better every year. MDA
president Dick Wiberg kindly invited me to attend the Board of Trustees’
meeting, held at an hour quite premature to my accustomed rising. Much to the
Board’s surprise, there I was in all my bleary-eyed splendor. It never ceases
to amaze me how hard this dedicated group of men and women unselfishly strives
to keep the Minnesota Dental Association at the forefront of organized
dentistry. I was impressed with the details that must be attended to by the
Board, how important are the minutest semantic nuances to the smooth and legal
workings of our association. Once again the old saw was driven home to me:
“Words mean things.”
I made my escape as the board members
repaired to the convention center to serve breakfast to our esteemed
exhibitors. I returned to our room to rendezvous with my beloved and set out
for the convention floor. As Terry and I closed the door to our room, we were
met in the hall by our housekeeper, a cheerful lady from Eastern
Europe. She was eager to tidy up our room, and after we exchanged
pleasantries, she asked, “Is there no somebody in there?”
I was in a quandary if the correct answer was
yes or no. Then it dawned on me: “There is no somebody in there; there is just
some nobody in there.”
How important the simple art of communication
is to our profession. Thirty-some years ago, at the behest of my mentor, Norm
Holte, I took a class in clinical hypnosis, sponsored by the School of Dentistry.
I learned two very important things: First, we know so little about the
capabilities and potentials of our God-given bodies, and second, how we communicate
with one another is of the utmost importance.
Using hypnosis, I was able to extract teeth
without anesthesia, even doing surgical extractions requiring the sectioning of
teeth and cutting bone. The patient under hypnosis could even control his or
her bleeding at the suggestion of the operator.
Do I still do it? Not for many years. It was
too damn hard. Not on the patient, but on me. My words and how I spoke them
made all the difference between success and failure.
All this made me think of how important
communication is between us and our patients. We all encounter dental phobics,
but think about it: We all have our phobias. Through my life experiences in Haiti, snakes,
spiders (BIG SPIDERS!), rats, and roaches don’t bother me, but ask me to climb
a ladder and I’ll snivel in fearlike Al Gore facing a melting glacier.
So pay close attention to your words. Imagine
the case, after spending many years making your dental phobic patient
comfortable with you: “I’m just going to place some topical anesthetic to make
your gums numb. Then we will gently numb your tooth. If you have any discomfort
at all, just raise your hand and we’ll stop… Oh heck, you know the drill!”
