If you’re a dentist, you know how difficult it is to do the job. Most of the people have some kind of negative feelings towards the people of your profession. They’re always a bit anxious when they come to see you, and you may feel like there’s very little you can do about it. You probably even feel a bit like a bad guy from time to time.
If you’re a patient, however, you probably appreciate your dentist because you think he or she is kind and patient, but most of all, good at his or her job. Still, you’re not really looking forward to seeing them, no matter how good they are. However, you’ll still recommend them to your friends and family. So, what makes a dentist a good dentist? Here are some traits of exceptional professionals.
1. They are people persons
Dentists have to work with people and take care of people in their job, so they absolutely need good people skills. A vast majority of people dislike going to the dentist, and some of them even hate or fear it. Because of that, a good dentist must be someone who can make others relax easily. They should be charismatic and easy to talk to. In addition, they should also be good team players, since in many cases they will require assistance from their office staff. Therefore, they should be able to enjoy plenty of human interaction and be pleasant to everyone in their work environment.
2. They have good communication skills
Like every other kind of doctor, a dentist should possess good communication skills. Their job doesn’t mean only fixing people’s teeth. A big part of it is actually educating people on how to care for their teeth properly, and how to approach dental hygiene in any particular case. They need to make sure that their patient understands them without regard to their age or level of education, and that requires strong communication skills. For example, if your child refuses to brush or floss, on their next check-up you can ask your dentist – a figure of tooth-authority for children – to explain the importance of flossing. A good communicator will persuade your kid to take good care of their dental hygiene.
3. They are compassionate
Good professionals should always be compassionate, especially in the health sector. Dental procedures are always invasive in the sense that the patient has to open their mouth and let somebody poke and drill around in it, while knowing that it will be unpleasant, and sometimes even painful. In those circumstances, you wouldn’t want somebody to tell you to man up and suffer in silence, would you? In any kind of distressing situation, you’ll need a compassionate person on your side. If your dentist is good, he or she will notice when you’re tense, afraid, or just uncomfortable, and they will address the situation at hand immediately, instead of forcing you to swallow your fear.
4. They have a good business sense
Working with people is not the only tricky business for dentists. Many of the best of them work in individual or group private practices. In order for them to really prosper, they need to have a good business sense. They need to know how to run a business, choose new employees, and they need to at least get by in all the paperwork necessary for even the smallest of businesses. Good business practices will bring them good reviews, so you’ll be able to find them easier as well. Imagine you’ve just moved to Australia, and you’re looking for a good dentist in Wollongong. Googling is the first thing you’re going to do, and you’re likely to choose an office that’s rated highly. That only means that you’ve chosen the office with the best business practices because when people rate a service provider, it’s not just the quality of the service itself that they’re rating – it’s also the speed, professionalism, and the whole system around it.
Being a dentist can feel a bit unrewarding from time to time. However, good professionals will always be appreciated.