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What makes a good Dentist?
- Thread starter 4X4MD
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and if you lack compassion?
then I suppose you would make a good dentist for the rich, but not so much for the people who needs dental care the most. If you don't have compassion, then it kind of defeats the purpose of going into health "care".
im just asking because all of the other qualities listed can be developed somehow (i think)
compassion seems to be an innate trait
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I would say compassion is a big part of being a good dentist. Yes, it is important that you are competent at diagnosing and treating your patients. However, there are a lot of people who are not too fond of going to the dentist or who need someone to work with financially. Many are scared and look for dentists who make them feel comfortable and feel like they care about them as the patient. From the patients point of view the dentist that does the procedure well and keeps them in the least amount of pain as possible is a good dentist.
Obviously a little more to compassion than just keeping your patient out of pain but I just finished writing a 10 page paper and am done😉.
Edit: Compassion does seem somewhat innate but I would say that if one knew they were not very compassionate that they could work on being compassionate. Living in a third world country for a while can do it for some but it is something I believe you have to want and consciously work on.
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Hmm...good question. I think for most people, compassion can be developed (I hope). It may come with maturity, or with more exposure to the real world. You would be surprised at how many pre-dents that doesn't not know much about dentistry outside of private practices. It may come from just a simple volunteer work. It may come from an act of kindness from another person. It may come with a life changing event.
dont they have specialist for this?
off subject, i know
im just curious what people think...im not personally a heartless person but i wouldnt say compassion is up there as one of my important values and i know many people mimic some things to get ahead
i would like to understand what itd b like if you took all the human emotion out of hte profession...i think you could still get a pretty good dentist
Why go into healthcare, a profession where you will be dealing with patients everyday, if you don't have any human emotion. There are much easier ways to make money without having to deal with people. Even House shows some compassion...sometimes
im just asking theoretically
and citing a tv character hardly provides significant evidence...lol
(but honestly, it kinda spurred the question)
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It is interesting to think about... For some reason i am just having a hard time separating compassion and good dentist. Maybe because of the experiences that I have had.
But if I had to say... Taking human emotion out of the profession would be like having a robot as your dentist.
But if I had to say... Taking human emotion out of the profession would be like having a robot as your dentist.
i mean i cant honestly say i believe that any healthcare professional i have ever seen has had a real vested interest in my well-being other than from the aspect of their role in treating me...i feel comfortable and well treated, but i dont feel its necessary for them to really "care" whats going on with me (outside of what they are treating)
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a great dentist in a patient's opinion is who work on them without feeling any pain, who get them out of his office fast and dont make them wait, and who is friendly.
agreed
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I can agree what you're saying here. Compassion is necessary, but "compassion" doesn't necessarily mean that you have worry yourself about every little detail in your patient's life-- that kind of attitude reminds me of parents who think that "love" is buying their child every little thing they ask for.
My uncle is a PCP, and his patients have the highest opinion of him: he never makes them wait, never makes them feel rushed, and always encourages them to ask questions and answers them thoroughly (without belittling them). But he approaches his job as simply that-- a job. I remember once, we were eating spaghetti at his house, and a patient called him. My uncle was so polite and gracious during the phone call, and then he got off the phone with a slightly annoyed look on his face and said something about patients who interrupt him during dinner and ask a million and a half inane questions that he already answered at the office.
Is he still a "compassionate" doctor? I think so.
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one that logs into SDN and answers questions in the dental forum.
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The true answer - a good assistant (and even a good receptionist).
To have a good business, for sure you need a good receptionist and bookkeeper.
Dentists don't need good teeth to be a dentist (I saw someone say that earlier)!
Dentists should be comfortable being in close proximity with people.
Dentists should be able to understand (at least) the basics of owning and operating a business.
Dentists should be able to work well with your hands.
Dentists should have good ethics.
THey should be friendly with patients.
Dentists should NOT jab their finger into the underside of a child's jaw just because him/her is whining, but they SHOULD if him/her is screaming.
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On my way to an interview, a man sprung a convo with me in the airport and offered to "give me some advice" ... he said that he picks his dentist based on how much he likes the hygienist.
