A History of Making Dentistry Fun

Yeah, I know; sounds like I stayed at home a little too long. Making dentistry fun? Seriously?

Back in The Day when there was no such thing as stuff like the Internet, lasers, tooth-colored materials, Invisalign, or even small phones you could carry around; time would pass very slowly. My colleagues and I provided a few basic procedures over and over and over again. Our patients arrived looking like they’d rather spend some quality time on a bed of nails. A few patients confessed they’d rather listen to Michael Bolton. You had to be mentally tough.

My former Office Manager, Diane, would just show up and people opened up; she built relationships practically on “Hello.” I, on the other hand, generated conversational trust and belief the way Kanye campaigns for the Presidency. But, for whatever reason, there was always laughter (admittedly, sometimes the nervous variety.)

Thing is humor helped us all cope and that hasn’t changed. But these days we’re more intentional. And research shows that we retain information more effectively when we’re having fun too (doesn’t happen much in dental school)! So why not look and listen for opportunities to share an emotion that’s good for our health and can even generate a few endorphins?

About 15-years ago, my TCDC Team and I started working on crafting a new practice intention or purpose. We held a team meeting to develop the language we’d use. I loved my idea; thought I’d receive a rubber stamp endorsement and we’d move on. And sometimes I wonder about the exact instant I become delusional?

When the pandemonium and dust had settled, we (I) began rethinking the situation. How could we communicate the desire to create a sense of happiness and well-being that transcended giving folks healthy, long lasting, attractive smiles? We wanted to play bigger than “teeth.” We were talkin’ “Culture.”

Diane came up with “We Create Beautiful Smiles.” Just to be competitive, I added “We create Beautiful Smiling.” My team members insisted I said, “We Create Smiley.”

Back then, for me, the word “Smile” was being grossly overused. Practice names, email addresses, websites, dental products, and even a few First Born had “Smile” attached. And ugh, the first book I published a few years earlier was titled, “Can We Smile?” I was tempted to transition Temple City Dental Care to “I Got Your Smile Right Here Dental Care.”

But rather than being dragged through a continuing debate, my co-workers took the high road, held their noses, and wearily accepted “Making Dentistry Fun.” And the Team was and is great at making dentistry fun.

What I’ve noticed over the decades is health care providers in general, and dentists in particular, can scare the hell out of people. We can’t provide care for people who stay away and we’re not as effective as we should be if our patients aren’t communication partners in their own care. The like, believe, and trust formula is a natural law. We (I) finally figured out the PATIENTS needed to be liked, not us. We needed to be interested, not interesting.

Our visits always begin with a conversation. Pronouns are illegal. Laughter punctuates sentences. Layers of Personal Protective Equipment are not barriers (besides, we have name tags with our mug shots attached.) We’ve had past theme days, theme months, parties, trips to the ballpark, contests, birthday celebrations, cheeseburger Wednesdays, food drives…and fortunately, no mimes.

Recently, when one of our longtime patients shared being depressed over not being able to hug her grandchildren, Dental Assistant Kolleen handed her a surgical gown to make a difference and create some tears…through a big “smile.”

These days, irony seems easier to find than humor (although our newest team member wearing a T-rex outfit on her birthday was indeed a breath of fresh air.) And for me, smiles are making a comeback; even though more often than not, they’re expressed through masked faces and appreciative eyes.

24-years ago, a trusted and beloved mentor shared “…what you’re looking for is somewhere out there looking for you.” And especially today, why not look for fun…or at least, a smile?