It’s a dog’s life at the dental clinic
The sound of a dentist drill sends shivers down the spine of many people.
For anxious patients, the fear of visiting a dentist is real and can lead to years between check-ups, painful and costly treatments or even teeth beyond repair.
A Warragul clinic is breaking new ground for nervous patients or young children with the introduction of Australia’s first certified dental therapy dog – “Dogtor Bruce”.
After a 10-month journey, Bruce has passed his tests and is becoming a common sight at Warragul Dental Care.
Principal dentist Anand Makwana has a longstanding interest of anxious patients, having worked at a nervous patient clinic in Birmingham, UK prior to arriving in Warragul.
Anand together with clinic co-owner Belinda Brauman searched for six months before carefully selecting Bruce from a New South Wales breeder.
“We always wanted to have a therapy dog,” said Belinda.
“We hope Bruce’s friendly face and calm nature will help our nervous patients get the treatment they need.”
Belinda said Dogtor Bruce provided a welcome distraction before, during and/or after a consultation. She added that he was great with kids and a simple cuddle or pat could leave a positive memory of visiting the dentist.
Word is spreading as patients call to book at times coinciding with Dogtor Bruce’s visits, says Belinda. However, they are also mindful that not everybody likes dogs.
Anand said they had used televisions, headphones and stress balls to distract patients as well as furnishings to make the waiting room not look like a typical dentist clinic.
“You know where you are, you don’t want to be reminded of it,” said Anand. “Bruce is just another string to the bow and another little thing to keep people coming in.”
Working in Birmingham, Anand has seen a fear of dentists lead people to wait too long for dental check-ups. On some occasions, teeth were unable to be saved and needed to be removed.
On many occasions, he believes a traumatic visit as a young child ingrained a lifelong fear.
“That’s why we try to get the kids in early and make that first visit a positive experience,” he said. “If they need a tooth out or its painful, they will remember that forever.”
Dogtor Bruce has been slowly initiated into clinic life. Belinda said he first came in at weekends to “hang out” and gradually get used to the space, smells and sounds of a dentist clinic.
In addition to helping anxious patients, Belinda said “it’s about staff morale”.
“It makes for a really fun workplace for everybody.”
“I think dogs in the workplace are great on so many levels,” she added. “But it’s a huge responsibility. The training; it’s so intense. You’ve got to get that training in early. You’ve just got to really want to do it.”