Dentists and Dental Specialists
Diagnose and treat dental disease, restore normal oral function using a broad range of treatments such as surgery and other specialist techniques, and advise on oral health.
A Thursday that starts with a toothache
You are a dentist in a small suburban practice, with a full schedule of patients booked from 8:30am. It is 8:20am. Your assistant tells you there is someone at the front desk with a swollen cheek and no appointment, and your first booked patient has just arrived early.
Choose what you would do. Then see what happens. There are often good reasons for each choice.
The man at the desk says he has had pain for three days and he cannot eat. He has no booking. Mrs Fitzgerald, your 8:30 patient, is already in the waiting room and she is a bit impatient.
Fit him in as soon as you can and tell Mrs Fitzgerald about a short delay
Mrs Fitzgerald grumbles, but she accepts the reason. The man is seen and made comfortable that morning. Dentists balance planned work against pain that cannot wait.
Ask him to book for next week, since the schedule is full and Mrs Fitzgerald is already waiting
The day runs on time, but a man in real pain leaves with nothing. He is back at the desk the next morning, more distressed, and the day is disrupted anyway.
See him immediately and ask Mrs Fitzgerald to go home and rebook for another day
The man is helped, but Mrs Fitzgerald, who took time off work, is upset and almost leaves the practice. There was a way to help both.
Mum says I need to get my teeth looked at, but I don't want any treatment. I have my exams soon and I don't want to be here. Can I just go?
Check what you can, explain simply what you see, and ask him what matters most to him before his exams
Tyler relaxes a little and tells you he is worried about exam stress. You make a plan, but your checking took longer than the time you had left for him. Next time you might keep it shorter.
Tell his mother he is old enough to decide for himself and send them both home
Tyler is relieved. His mother is angry, and the problems you had spotted remain unaddressed. Respecting a young person means helping them decide, not leaving them alone with it.
Talk with him first, ask permission to involve his mother, and agree a plan around his exams
Tyler feels respected and agrees to a short check now with a bigger visit after exams. His mother feels included. Teenagers often say yes to a plan they helped shape.
I noticed the sterilising log for the instruments from this morning has a gap. I'm not sure whether the cycle ran. We have a patient in ten minutes who needs those instruments.
Use the instruments, because Ngozi probably remembers it wrong and the next patient is waiting
Nothing goes wrong this time, but you used instruments you could not vouch for. If the cycle had failed, you would have exposed a patient to risk without knowing.
Thank Ngozi, set those instruments aside, use a clean set and record what happened
The patient is safe and the gap is recorded. It costs a few minutes and you do not look into why the gap happened, so it may happen again.
Thank Ngozi, take those instruments out of use, use a verified set and look into why the log was missed
You find a handover problem between two team members, fix it, and tell the team what happened. A culture where assistants speak up is as important as any technique.
How it went
The morning was messy, but a man's pain was treated, a teenager felt heard and the instruments were safe. Dentists combine skilled hands with clear talk, and often run a small business at the same time. Which part of that day would you find most rewarding, and which most tiring?
This is a simplified, fictional situation to help you explore. It is not professional instruction or a test of your ability.
Case study: The patient who asked for whiter teeth
A fictional case set in a busy suburban dental practice with a small team of dental assistants and a front desk.
The situation
Dr Samira Haddad ran a small practice in a suburb of a fictional coastal city. A young woman, Chloe, booked in asking for her teeth to be made much whiter before a wedding in three weeks. During the check, Samira saw early signs of gum trouble that Chloe had not noticed. Treating that first meant Chloe might not get the result she wanted in time, and the patient had made it clear she would simply go elsewhere.
What they did
Samira showed Chloe the signs on a photograph and explained, without frightening her, why the gums needed attention before any whitening. She offered a plan: a first treatment now, a gentle whitening option she could safely do in time, and a larger change after the wedding. Samira also asked the dental assistant to book a short follow-up call to see how Chloe was getting on.
How it turned out
Chloe was disappointed not to get everything she wanted, but she agreed to the plan. Her teeth looked brighter for the wedding and her gums were healthier within weeks. She came back for the full treatment and sent a friend. Samira knew that another practice might have just said yes.
What would you do?
- Where would you draw the line between giving a patient what they ask for and what you think they need?
- How would you explain a problem to a patient without making them feel guilty?
- What might it cost a practice to say no, and what might it cost to say yes?