From the Desk of Linda Trotter, DMD - Spring

Spring is a time for growth and rebirth. It’s also a time to reengage after the long dormancy we’ve endured a year into the COVID-19 pandemic.

Getting the neurons firing in a dental practice is never a challenge. Each patient and the situation with which they present offers a distinct set of concerns. Through time and practice, the technical procedures and aspects of what we do (the restorations, crowns, tissue/bone grafts, root canals, and even implants) become mindlessly rote. The patient presents the most significant challenge—it’s their mind and soul that needs the most care.

The question we must ask ourselves is: How do we challenge our patients and encourage their self-care, especially in our “new normal?” How do we stimulate our neurons and our patients’ neurons to grow?

The brain’s ability to form new connections is called neuroplasticity. We can learn, adapt and grow throughout our lives. As dentists, we constantly seek new techniques, materials and procedures. When we slow down at the end of the day, we seek activities that are meditative, strategic (games, projects), mathematical (building, cooking), contemplative, educational or aerobic. Variety is the key; it helps build new brain connections.

After months of isolation and social deprivation, listening to our patients allows us to hear their personal brain ‘tussles.’ Many patients have not been active at all; they sequestered in their homes. Sometimes lending an ear and offering an encouraging word may be all that’s needed to elevate their mood and mindset. Sometimes we must reach deeper to help them find inspiration in their day-to-day lives and provide them with the impetus to move out of the winter lull.