Reddit User Asks Dentists Why They Talk To Patients While Working on Their Teeth and Finally There's Answers

Let's all be honest...

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Going to the dentist really isn't a pleasant experience.

This is why so many people have a phobia of going to the dentist...

Even though we're always in the safest of hands!

There's just something slightly unnerving about someone putting sharp tools in your mouth, isn't there?

But at the end of the day, dental hygiene is one of the most important things for our health!

And it's important to remember that dentists are highly trained professionals...

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Who know exactly what they're doing.

And it turns out that there's actually a reason why they speak to us so much while they work on our teeth!

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Dentists and patients have been taking to Reddit to explain their own personal reasons after Reddit user helloitsme72 asked, "Why do you talk to your patients while your hands are in their mouths?".

The responses came flooding in...

And people now have the answers they've always wanted and needed.

People clearly feel very strongly about the subject...

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The first response explained:

"I'm fresh out of dental school. We were taught to engage with patients and build a rapport." EitherPriority

One dentist explained it was to stop patients from feeling uncomfortable.

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"We talk to you to get your mind off of being in an uncomfortable and vulnerable position. I mostly ask closed-ended questions."

"It depends on the situation."

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"You may not like when we talk, but with other patients, it may be their only form of comfort. Dentists being silent, minus spouting off a bunch of dental jargon can make the experience an unpleasant one. I’ve always felt like dentists should take a couple years’ worth of psychology courses before going into dentistry." JRDR_RDH

Distraction is key.

"Sometimes I'll do it when I need to distract a patient; they'll mumble an answer, get frustrated by the garbled sound, and completely forget that I'm doing something that had, up to ten seconds ago, been bothersome. It makes their visit a little easier since they'll recall that I'm a dummy that talks a lot, rather than the dummy that hurt them."

And it's all about asking questions...

"Open-ended questions asked are purely by mistake...I'm aware you can't answer, but sometimes I slip up and ask real questions...sorry!" BusyBeeBen

Relaxation is also key.

"My patients tend to concentrate on what's going on in their mouths, which doesn't help them relax, so I talk to them and ask questions. Every now and again I pause to let them answer the question, then go back to work. What I find is the patients become distracted from the procedure and instead concentrate on joining in the discussion." fangfarrierz

But sometimes, it's important to just have a laugh!

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"I've actually gotten pretty good at interpreting what my patients say with my hands in their mouth! Also, it makes me laugh." AntiDentite16

All patients are different...

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"Our office has headphones and we always ask patients if they'd like to listen to music. If we need to talk to them, we simply pat them on the shoulder. It helps the patient and it doesn't bother us at all. Definitely ask!" shinee1237

Many find it a little strange, of course.

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"I understand the yes or no questions, but the open-ended questions always baffle me. Today my hygienist was asking about my holiday but knew I couldn’t answer. It always seems strange to me." helloitsme72

A little bit of local gossip never hurts, right?

"One dentist I knew would give you all the small-town gossip, and, man, was he up on all the stories. No inputs required from your side, unless maybe you could contribute some story later." witchy_cheetah

Being friendly always works a charm!

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"My dentist mostly asks yes/no questions. He also has the best and loudest laugh I've ever heard, so it helps put people at ease. Seriously, I can hear him laughing while I'm still outside and I instantly feel better about being there."

"Look, it could be worse."

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"Once, my dentist and hygienist were talking while I had something in my mouth. They said, 'I saw a documentary about a big ship that hit an iceberg and sank.' 'Oh, yeah, I can't remember what it was called, but there was a movie about it in the '90s.' 'Yeah! With Leonardo DiCaprio. What was that even called again? Ugh, I can't remember what it is!'" Gremlin87

Small talk is super important for some patients.

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"If I allow myself to even acknowledge what they're doing, I'll faint, so I have to be distracted by small talk." iamaravis

So there you have it!

Dentists know exactly what they're doing and they'll always make sure we're in the safest of hands! For more, read on to check out the warning that dentists have been issuing to young influencers who have been filing down their teeth for "the perfect smile"...