Do you prefer your dental hygienist to talk or let you relax during your cleaning?

I am a dental hygienist. The hygienist is the one who focuses on preventative measures, primarily cleaning your teeth. I need to hear the patient's perspective.





I have always been curious...would you prefer:





A) Your hygienist let you sit back and relax, listen to the radio, a little chit-chat here and there, with occasional tips on how you are doing with your oral health.





OR





B) Your hygienist chat throughout the appointment about current events, your family, and future plans, along with tips on dental health .





I keep a healthy balance of all of the above. I think I know when to step back and let the patient relax and when they demand more attention. But still, I am interested to know how people really feel. Maybe some patients just join in on the chit-chat to be friendly, but are dying inside to just sit back and relax and have peace and quiet.





Common sense tells me people like to know you care about their life, but, what is your preference when you have your teeth cleaned?

Do you prefer your dental hygienist to talk or let you relax during your cleaning?
my dental hygienist do both A and B. he likes to get to know his patients and he is really funny. i like going to the dentist. =)
Reply:A)





Not too much talking. I can't answer back anyway while my teeth are being worked on!
Reply:i don't like when the hygienist is talking and i can't say anything because i have something in my mouth.
Reply:well,u can'tbe 2 nosey,and u can't really talk back when somebody is inur mouth
Reply:I find it frustrating when the dentist or hygienist talks to me, because I can't talk back, and it makes me feel like I'm being rude (even though I can't help it!)... I prefer to have them put on the radio, so I can just close my eyes and listen to whats on. I'm more than a little phobic when it comes to dentistry of any kind, so I need to really close down as much as possible when I'm in the chair or I'll freak out.
Reply:I don't mind if the hygenist talks to me, but when she starts asking me questions that require more than a yes or now answer, I don't like that. Quiet time is fine. But if she asks me questions where she has to stop and take the tools out of my mouth for me to answer her, I don't like it because it makes my appointment take longer.



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