• Dental Phobia Support

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The Dental Button

What do you think of the dental button?

  • Brilliant idea!

    Votes: 39 54.2%
  • Not sure/I might want to try it

    Votes: 17 23.6%
  • Not my thing

    Votes: 16 22.2%

  • Total voters
    72
Ah interesting to hear you've got one on order, Lincoln - I think Mike may have ordered one, too :confused: (or so I've heard through the grapevine). It'll be interesting to see what you guys think of it! I, for one, am all in favour of it :thumbsup:
 
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I would be afraid it might cause the dentist to make mistakes or botch something up -- if the dentist is in the middle of drilling something and the power cuts out, seems like it could cause the tool to slip and possibly damage your teeth or gums.

I also think it might set me on edge, waiting with the button ready might make me anticipate pain more...I think relaxing and focusing on something besides what the dentist is doing might be better.

But what do I know, I never go anyway!! (still working on that :)
 
Do you guys think then that "patient selection" (that is, only offering this option to people who seem as if they won't "misuse" the button) is important?
 
And to the dentists here - how likely is it that the dental button would cause the handpiece to "slip" and do some sort of damage (I wouldn't think it very likely, but then again, I'm not a dentist)? The device was developed by a dentist, so I would have thought this factor had been taken into account (if it was a factor)?
 
Not sure about patient selction as if the dentist openly advertised it, I'd take it that they weren't confident in their ability to keep me so comfortable I wouldn't need it! So if a dentist advertised this as a selling point, it would put me right off ever going to them. I suppose that's a sort of selection but not an intentional one on the part of the dentist! Plus I'd think it would be too hard a judgement call - as they appear to have no training in psycholohy whatsoever, and not much time getting to know their patients as people rather than a big squishy thing behind the set of teeth!
 
I would say not to kids. You can't give kids as much control as to adults. Kids don't feel good with too much control of things too young. There must be other ways to avoid dental phobia for children. Also the button should be such kind of model that you have to press it hard to make it work, so you wouldn't press it by accident.
 
No No No definitely not something I would want anything to do with. I can see what they are getting at but I personally like the fact that all I am responsible for is getting myself into the chair, the rest is up to the dentist to do what he thinks is best.

Just to be clear I like the stop hand signal idea and for me I would rather leave it at that.
 
Believe me there will be no problem with power being cut without warning .... want you don't want is the drill turning on without warning!!:o
 
ok i can't decide ive been thinking about this and im begining to think it might actually increase my fear. im terifed of drills and its 90 percent the noise it makes that actually bothers me ( i didn't know they did quieter drills hope my new dentist has one ) I think it would increase my fear for the following reasons.
1 i would probably think he was giving me a button incase i felt pain and then i would panic that he thinks i will feel pain.
2 . i would have finger over button like a trigger and because my fear is the noise the minute it makes the noise i know i will press the button its like giving me the ultimate opportunity to chicken out. !!!!
3 I think ultimately i would feel like he is not totally in control of everything if he needs to ask me to press the button if i need him to stop my over active imagination would run wild with oh god he's expecting it to go wrong!!
The only thing i have for it is like brit said i suppose its a stop sign the dentist can't ignore!! I can't help it i just see it as something else for me to worry about !!!!
emma :(
 
Instead of a panic style button for patients, why cant someone invent a special coating that can be applied to children's adult teeth as soon as they grow which will protect them against any decay, eliminating any need for dentistry work EVER (sorry dentists I know that would make your workload less) :)
 
Do you guys really think this looks like a "panic-style button"?


button137x243.jpg

When I hear "panic button", I think of a bright red alarm button rather than a joystick-style device?
 
I would say not to kids. You can't give kids as much control as to adults. Kids don't feel good with too much control of things too young.

Hmmm... I would have been delighted with the dental button. Then again, we wouldn't have this forum and website now if the dental button had existed back then, so I suppose something good has come out of it :p.
 
Hmmm... I would have been delighted with the dental button. Then again, we wouldn't have this forum and website now if the dental button had existed back then, so I suppose something good has come out of it :p.
I say definitely give it to kids...it's like a nurse call button in hospital isn't it? If the child keeps pressing it and is not actually in any discomfort when you investigate then you tell them the 'crying wolf' story lol....actually it depends on the age of the child but a child who likes and trusts their dentist won't abuse it anymore than they would a 'hand stop' signal. You shouldn't let people your kids don't like and trust, treat your kids anyway.

It could also just be within reach..holding it might be a bit too tempting for a video-game mad child.

Giving your child control during a more than averagely painful (say in the toe) injection also works well too....to my surprise stopping pushing the LA in in bursts stops the stinging discomfort so your child can say 'ok now, count to 2' call a halt 'continue' ...a bit like the relief between contractions during labour I suppose. End result...child doesn't hate the podiatrist who gave the injection because it was kept under the child's control as far as was possible.

Dentistry is not to be endured..it is rarely life-threatening..it is an elective procedure.

Actually the button reminds me of the old-fashioned hairdryer controls they used to put on your lap at the hairdressers years ago (don't know if they still do)..you had the control to turn off the dryer in case it got too hot for you..it's similar to that;).
 
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There's more info here which suggests to me it may work really well with non-phobic dental patients (the vast majority)..the increased control it would give would allow their anxiety levels to fall from low/medium to minimal/zero.

Assuming it were coupled with TheWand or good injection technique, you could see dental fear falling to unprecedented low levels....as patients truly feel in control despite their oral cavity being blocked during treatment....wonder if it only works for the drill....I'd love it for the ultrasonic scaler as well?
 
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I'd love it for the ultrasonic scaler as well?

As far as I'm aware, it works with that as well - not 100% sure, but I think it's any handpiece?
 
annie778 said:
The truth is that someone like me would not abuse it but I would be nervous of pressing it by accident. A child on the other hand may see it as a toy. Given that most dental phobias start in childhood you have a dilemma there...

Surely Annie you could just place it in your lap ...or hold it lower down..I don't think the idea has to be that your thumb is poised over the button like a 'teen gamer'......used like that you'd be unlikely to press it in error and if you did..so what?

You are right about the dilemma with kids but since I'd advocate giving kids a hand stop signal, I can see no reason to deny them the button. A dentist with good injection technique/TheWand, healozone and the button would not be a particularly scary individual to visit :cloud9:.

If Letsconnect is right and it works for the ultrasonic scaler too then I think it is even more worthwhile in promoting the patient's right to comfortable care. Kids with no cavities could potentially still find scaling uncomfortable and the control would help them.
 
Not a good idea, I would imagine that for dentists it could become extremely frustrating :giggle:

It is only frustrating for the doctor that is more concerned about his time and schedule rather than the patients level of comfort. the great thing about The Dental Button is that patients rarely press it ! The reason is because when people have the power to stop the procedure, they rarely use it. A year long trail showed a reduction in anxiety of 50-100%.
 
annie778 said:
I agree with top cat's comments. I reckon with something like this I'd be scared to interrupt the flow and concentration of the dentist. It's liable to make the dentist nervous by creating the anticipation that equipment might just stop. It may lead to friction if the patient does it too often. It may lead to longer appointments. Given my strange sense of humour it would make me tempted to stop it just for fun and then say "oops sorry about that, I'm such a butterfingers"....or to try to make up a tune by stopping sporadically or I'd be terrified that my finger might slip at a crucial moment....

Have you been to The Dental Button website? I think if you actually watch the patient videos you might see procedures are performed quicker, 30% increase in some procedures, and patients rarely press the button. the fact is, anesthia is not always 100% for every patient. There is no danger in the drill stopping and the doctor resets it with the touch of a foot switch. Many doctors go to great lengths to ensure patient comfort, and of all the doctors that have used The Dental Button report a great response from patients with a reduced anxiety of 50-100%.
 
ok i can't decide ive been thinking about this and im begining to think it might actually increase my fear. im terifed of drills and its 90 percent the noise it makes that actually bothers me ( i didn't know they did quieter drills hope my new dentist has one ) I think it would increase my fear for the following reasons.
1 i would probably think he was giving me a button incase i felt pain and then i would panic that he thinks i will feel pain.
2 . i would have finger over button like a trigger and because my fear is the noise the minute it makes the noise i know i will press the button its like giving me the ultimate opportunity to chicken out. !!!!
3 I think ultimately i would feel like he is not totally in control of everything if he needs to ask me to press the button if i need him to stop my over active imagination would run wild with oh god he's expecting it to go wrong!!
The only thing i have for it is like brit said i suppose its a stop sign the dentist can't ignore!! I can't help it i just see it as something else for me to worry about !!!!
emma :(

Your three points are interesting. Your number 2 comment is particularly interesting to me because the extremely fearful patients do have their thumb over the button waiting for something to hurt. But, as many of you have said, you have chosen a competent dentist that uses appropriate anesthesia, etc. And what happens is, shortly after starting the procedure, the patient relaxes and just holds the button on their lap, no longer at the ready. The most recent patient I treated had a panic disorder, and had a history of sitting straight up in the middle of drilling. when we used The Dental Button she reported her fear went to 0. she has become a great patient and believe me, treatment gets completed a lot faster !
 
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