A 35-year-old Caucasian male patient presented as generally uneasy and anxious during initial interaction. Upon intake of comprehensive medical history and patient interviewing, patient revealed to have GERD, pre-asthmatic syndrome and seasonal allergies. Patient reported taking medication for GI disease, sleep disorder and anxiety, as well as, mushroom, probiotic and mineral supplements for general health promotion. Patient informed me of his recent dental visit, and referral to a periodontist and endodontist for evaluation of periodontal disease and endodontic work to be done. In order to ease the patient’s nerves and bring the patient to feel more comfortable in the dental environment, I engaged the patient into conversation about his journey to the states and about his aspirations. Once the patient was more at ease, he asked questions about how to improve his oral health and about questions that he has had, but never had the answers to from a dental professional.
After diagnosis of patient’s periodontal status, it was found that he was classified as a Stage III, Grade B periodontitis patient w/ generalized heavy subgingival and supragingival calculus. Upon explaining the nature of the diagnosis to the patient, the patient was assured that he would be taken care of. In order to reduce the amount of stress that the patient was to be put through with each visit, I treatment planned for an additional two visits to ensure a thorough and less intense visit each time with the necessary local anesthesia to be administered each time. Patient was also given a referral to have his GERD evaluated by his physician and informed the patient of the potential risks of Barrett’s esophagus if ignored. Patient seemed to understand the importance of controlling his periodontitis, as well as, that of the referral for GERD.
Each visit allowed for the patient to feel more comfortable with being open about patient’s own perspective on oral health and it further sparked an interest to improve upon his daily oral hygiene routine. Though it required repeating myself, I patiently answered the patient and took my time to explain myself. Patient was very appreciative of being thorough, yet gentle with the care that was being provided, especially because he hasn’t had this type of treatment before. He also shared that dental offices aren’t typically like this and there isn’t much time for interaction to learn more about oral health, diet and good hygiene habits. Patient stated that he was thankful that the supervising faculty and I were welcoming and patient with him throughout his treatment.
