During Dental Procedures when you will be having multiple instruments in your patients mouth and the patient has to communicate with the dentist it becomes impossible to speak, this is where the Dental Hand Signs come in and are quite useful in communicating the patients concern without disturbing the working field. It is more useful in cases where Rubber Dam is used while restorations or in Root Canal Procedures.
Dental Hand Signs have been designed to help the patient to communicate with the Dentist during Dental Procedures using various simple Hand Signals. Hence this mode of communication should be taught to the patient before stating your dental procedure so that the patient can communicate some basic phrases. Having a poster in the waiting area might also be useful for the patient to get well versed with the signs before coming in for treatment.
The most basic things which the patient would want to communicate with the dentist during procedures:
- Stop
- I’m Ok
- Pain
- Hurts a Little
- Hurts a Lot
- I want to Talk
- Rinse/Suction my mouth
- I want to scratch my face
Each and every Dentist should be well versed with these signs and signals as he has to respond to the patients signals immediately by understanding what the problem is during the procedures. It is also important to teach the patient before each procedure what exactly hand signals mean and what each one conveys, giving patients pamphlets while they are waiting their turn or putting up posters in the waiting area and asking your receptionist to explain it to the patient and ask them to memorize these signs and signals will be very useful during Dental procedures.
As the use of hand signals greatly decreases the time of communicating a concern of the patient with the dentist or the assistant during the procedure in turn decreasing the working time making it beneficial for both the patient and yourself as well.
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