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Reply to "Trauma-Informed Training for Dentistry"

Hi Marlene,

Thank you so much for taking on such an important issue!  I have met many people who avoid the dentist because of past dental experiences - one had 7 teeth pulled as a child without the benefit of pain control because the novocaine did not take effect until she left the dentist office, then she was finally numb.  Throughout the unbearably painful experience, she wondered to herself if it hurt this much with novocaine, imagine how much it must hurt if she didn't have it.  Needless to say, she refuses to go to the dentist as an adult.

Another friend has PTSD from being a witness to a police shooting and a traumatic car accident (no connection to dental fear). She has had several dental procedures over the past 2 years and has been living in pain because of her trauma history. We joked that we should have "dental doulas", but maybe this is actually a good option for people.  Perhaps some pre-dental students could get some exposure to dentistry and volunteer hours by providing a service like this?

The cycle of trauma and lack of good dental work greatly affects those who live in poverty.  We know that children are unable to focus in school when they are in pain and adults have a difficult time with job interviews, meeting new people, or just smiling because of their teeth.  Drug use complicates the issue even more. I'm a nurse, and sometimes my patients who live in shelters or go to the food bank have very limited options of what they can eat in these already low-choice places. 

Thank you for working on this!  

Kim

 

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