Emotional intelligence is a way to measure a person’s ability to connect with others. When a person can recognize emotions in others and react appropriately, it can lead to a better experience in both professional and personal relationships.
There are many ways to measure the difference between a good dentist and a great dentist. For most patients, the deciding factor is how they feel when they walk into the office. When people are comfortable with the staff in their dentist’s office, they’re more likely to look forward to the visits and return regularly.
Emotional Intelligence is Vital to Patient Care
The medical side of dentistry is only half the battle. Those in the dental industry also need to have a strong focus on patient care, and that begins with emotional intelligence. Luckily, it’s a skill that people can learn if they don’t possess it already.
During my tenure in the education sector, I focused heavily on improving the quality of dental care for people with disabilities and the elderly. These are often the groups of people who benefit most from dental professionals who are specially in-touch with their needs. Dental anxiety can be a huge factor that prevents people from receiving treatment. When dental professionals understand this, they can work harder to engage with their patients and hear their concerns to find solutions that work for each individual.
Conveying Your Message
In addition to making dental visits more enjoyable, emotional intelligence can also aid in a patient’s compliance with treatment recommendations. Facts and statistics may help some patients understand the importance of caring for their oral health, but that’s not always the case. Tapping into a person’s emotions is often the best way to change their behavior in the long run. They may not always see and understand things the way you do, so it’s important to speak their language.
Allowing for Consistently Positive Experiences
Another part of emotional intelligence is a person’s ability to understand their own emotions and how their actions affect others. If a dentist is having a bad day, it’s important that it doesn’t affect the way he or she communicates with patients and office staff.
Dentistry is a highly technical field that sometimes requires a certain level of objectivity. Professionals in the dental profession must learn to effectively balance both the technical side and the emotional side of their actions if they want to provide the best possible care for their patients.