The dental nurse and the dentist

As SmileWisdom Specialist advisor, Dr Michael Sultan, says, “Dental nursing has become a profession that the dental industry simply could not live without.”

A good working relationship between the dentist and dental nurse is essential to the smooth running of a practice. The skill of the dental nurse is to work symbiotically alongside dentists and hygienists, even being one step ahead in pre-empting their needs and requirements for each treatment. During research conducted for a 1996 British Dental Journal article, “All dentists said that an efficient and friendly nurse acted to greatly reduce the day to day stress of practice.” (Mindak, 2017)

The dental nurse and the patient

“Patients judge the dental service they receive by the interaction with the service providers – the dentist and his or her staff” (Mindak, 2017)

After the receptionist, the dental nurse is often the first point of contact for the patient within practice. Studies show that opinions are formed in the first few seconds of meeting someone and so how you greet your patient as a dental nurse may have an impact not only on the patient’s treatment but their opinion of the practice as a whole. This is especially important in a post-pandemic world where patients’ visits to the dentist may have lapsed or they’ve become fearful of being back in practice. Dental nurses are often seen as a confidante by the patient, someone they can trust and will sometimes open up to more than say the dentist. A good dental nurse has the skill to be able to deal with many different personalities, putting people at ease with a friendly and approachable manner. Happy patients equal a productive practice!