We practise SLOW Dentistry - PART I

During our consultation appointment, a few patients seem genuinely surprised when we tell them to block an hour and a half of their time for a Microscope Root Canal Treatment. They tell us that a root canal treatment they got a while ago by another dentist took about 30-40 minutes. So why do we take more time ? Is it because when we use a microscope the time taken increases? Yes it does- magnification helps us see every little detail inside your tooth, so cleaning and managing the tooth takes longer as opposed to not seeing anything in the first place without magnification. But thats not the only reason we take time - Dentistry is not only about technicality or mechanically performing a procedure. Good Dentistry involves taking time to explain to the patient in-depth about the process they have to undergo including the cost. A dentist needs to create a bond / connection with someone who is eventually going to trust them with their heath. How do you create that in less than 15 minutes ? Taking time to explain the risks involved and explaining in simple terms the steps we are going to be performing is necessary. We see first hand how someones anxiety reduces just because they know exactly what to expect out of their dental appointment.

Second reason why we practice Slow Dentistry is that the entire dental chair area / dental operatory needs to be cleaned between appointments to prevent cross contamination between patients. On average it takes 10 minutes to disinfect all surfaces once we finish a procedure- this is not only required for the safety of our patients but also our staff and doctors. This is frankly common sense but is all the more important during this time. Dentistry plays a very real role in transmitting bacteria, viruses etc which can be dangerous and disinfection is paramount. 

Slow dentistry also includes factoring in the time for anaesthesia to start acting. For some people this take a few minutes and for some, it takes longer. We will never start a procedure before making sure that you are completely numb. When you consider this into treatment time - it seems impossible to us that someone can uphold the highest standards of care within 40 minutes.

Dentistry today is highly competitive and as business owners we need to look at profits too- after all this is our livelihood. Increasing the number of procedures a day increases profits- its plain and simple and that is why you see some dental clinics which are abuzz with constant activity. However if that comes at the cost of a patients comfort and quality of dental care- that is non-negotiable. Slow dentistry is a concept that is followed by top dental clinics all over the world- it basically means you accept a few appointments a day and give that patient the highest standard of care- disinfection + complete numbness + following standardised protocols ( eg- rubber dam) + your time. 

In part II we will talk about the role of rubber dam in Slow dentistry and how private clinics need to be different from dental schools.