Problem with dental chair setting.
March 1, 2011 7:42 PM Subscribe
I have a problem with my dentist's chair. He has the hygenist set it up so that its tilted over backwards so my head is almost down to the floor and my legs are up in the air.
She says he wants it like this so he doesn't strain his back dealing with so many patients.
Is this typical for dentists?
Its highly irritating to me and increases my feelings of vulnerability while there.
My dentist does it too, and I agree, it is incredibly annoying. Perhaps you can ask the dentist/hygienist if you can listen to music or something else to distract you and your feelings of vulnerability. Mine lets me listen to my iPod since he knows I hate having things in my mouth that isn't food.
posted by astapasta24 at 7:47 PM on March 1, 2011
posted by astapasta24 at 7:47 PM on March 1, 2011
My childhood dentist did this. My current dentist does not. My current dentist even goes so far as to request that the hygienist raise the chair upright after the cleaning, so that patients aren't greeting the dentist upside down. Which is to say, it's not unheard of but there are definitely dentists out there who are thoughtful about this, and probably even more who would be responsive if you asked them about it.
As long as the chair can be raised up and down (as opposed to just the seat back moving from upright to reclined), I don't think your feet need to be higher than your head in order for your dentist to have comfortable access. If I were you, I'd ask if it's possible to experiment with the height and angle; explain that you find the present set-up uncomfortable. If your dentist isn't willing to try, I'd find a new dentist. I wouldn't trust someone to do potentially painful things in my mouth if he's unwilling to make a little effort to keep me marginally comfortable.
posted by Meg_Murry at 8:05 PM on March 1, 2011 [1 favorite]
As long as the chair can be raised up and down (as opposed to just the seat back moving from upright to reclined), I don't think your feet need to be higher than your head in order for your dentist to have comfortable access. If I were you, I'd ask if it's possible to experiment with the height and angle; explain that you find the present set-up uncomfortable. If your dentist isn't willing to try, I'd find a new dentist. I wouldn't trust someone to do potentially painful things in my mouth if he's unwilling to make a little effort to keep me marginally comfortable.
posted by Meg_Murry at 8:05 PM on March 1, 2011 [1 favorite]
My dentist doesn't tip much past horizontal. If your head is really within a couple of feet of the floor, I would say that is quite atypical, and possibly dangerous with all the extra blood pressure in your head.
posted by Camofrog at 8:07 PM on March 1, 2011
posted by Camofrog at 8:07 PM on March 1, 2011
My childhood dentist did not, my current dentist does. He gave the same reasoning as your dentist and noted that my childhood dentist (whose practice he took over) retired with a bad back and hips.
It made me feel very vulnerable the first time, but now he fills me with so much Ativan he could hang me upside down from my feet and I wouldn't give a shit.
posted by elsietheeel at 8:13 PM on March 1, 2011 [2 favorites]
It made me feel very vulnerable the first time, but now he fills me with so much Ativan he could hang me upside down from my feet and I wouldn't give a shit.
posted by elsietheeel at 8:13 PM on March 1, 2011 [2 favorites]
I wouldn't trust someone to do potentially painful things in my mouth if I'm unwilling to give the operator proper,comfortable access to the area being worked on. I'm sorry if the angle makes you a little nervous, but unless it is not doable at all for you, I'd let them put you at the angle that makes them comfortable. You might think that it's about making the appointment as humbling/humiliating as they can, to show you who is in charge... but these are people trying to do the best they can for you, and trying to make it through their career uncrippled by years of leaning over and doing work upside-down.
I've been doing it for over 20 years, I've lost about 30 degree mobility in my neck, sometimes I can't lift my arms above my shoulders. Pain and stiffness is pretty much a daily thing. If I would have asked more people to tolerate a ten degree shift in their body position for only 20 minutes of their appointment, I'd be much better off right now.
Dental school graduates of the last decade have been taught more and more how to avoid repetitive stress/motion injuries, so it's not surprising to have this happen in today's dental offices.
Again, I'm not saying if it is uncomfortable for you, don't speak up and see if a compromise is reasonable, but tolerate what you can, it really is a short amount of time relative to you, but it's an accumulated lifetime of poor positioning for the dentist/hygenist/assistant.
posted by Jazz Hands at 8:39 PM on March 1, 2011 [7 favorites]
I've been doing it for over 20 years, I've lost about 30 degree mobility in my neck, sometimes I can't lift my arms above my shoulders. Pain and stiffness is pretty much a daily thing. If I would have asked more people to tolerate a ten degree shift in their body position for only 20 minutes of their appointment, I'd be much better off right now.
Dental school graduates of the last decade have been taught more and more how to avoid repetitive stress/motion injuries, so it's not surprising to have this happen in today's dental offices.
Again, I'm not saying if it is uncomfortable for you, don't speak up and see if a compromise is reasonable, but tolerate what you can, it really is a short amount of time relative to you, but it's an accumulated lifetime of poor positioning for the dentist/hygenist/assistant.
posted by Jazz Hands at 8:39 PM on March 1, 2011 [7 favorites]
Oh, I should have also said: Depending on what area is being worked on, the positioning of the patient is different. Even during cleanings, the hygenist tilts the chair to access the uppers, sits you up to get behind lower fronts.. it's rare to have to maintain one position an entire session.
posted by Jazz Hands at 8:43 PM on March 1, 2011
posted by Jazz Hands at 8:43 PM on March 1, 2011
On the one hand, I lost a hygienist because she developed some form of repetitive stress injury, so I sympathize with their needs.
On the other hand, you are a paying customer. If they can't accommodate you to make you more comfortable, look for another dentist.
posted by germdisco at 9:23 PM on March 1, 2011 [1 favorite]
On the other hand, you are a paying customer. If they can't accommodate you to make you more comfortable, look for another dentist.
posted by germdisco at 9:23 PM on March 1, 2011 [1 favorite]
Jazz Hands, this sounds like a design problem. The solution doesn't have to be either discomfort for patients or injury for dentists and their assistants--surely there is a way to build a better chair or adjust the existing chair(s), and in the mean time a patient is entitled to speak up when something is causing him discomfort.
posted by Meg_Murry at 9:27 PM on March 1, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by Meg_Murry at 9:27 PM on March 1, 2011 [1 favorite]
My hygienist sits on a stool. So does my dentist. Who says they have to stand all day?
posted by fixedgear at 1:21 AM on March 2, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by fixedgear at 1:21 AM on March 2, 2011 [1 favorite]
Yeah, both my dentist & hygienist use a stool as well. No < 0° tipping for me, either.
posted by Civil_Disobedient at 1:31 AM on March 2, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by Civil_Disobedient at 1:31 AM on March 2, 2011 [1 favorite]
Your dentist is going to be working inside your mouth with sharp power tools which, if the dentist makes a mistake, can cause quite substantial damage.
Don't you want him to be as comfortable as possible while he's working, so as to minimize the chance of such damage?
If there's a choice between you being uncomfortable during the session and him being uncomfortable, I vote for you being the uncomfortable one!
posted by Chocolate Pickle at 1:47 AM on March 2, 2011
Don't you want him to be as comfortable as possible while he's working, so as to minimize the chance of such damage?
If there's a choice between you being uncomfortable during the session and him being uncomfortable, I vote for you being the uncomfortable one!
posted by Chocolate Pickle at 1:47 AM on March 2, 2011
The OP did not say it caused him physical pain, he said it made him feel vulnerable. I pointed out why the operator needed his position to be where they placed the chair. I also said if it caused him discomfort to ask if an adjustment could be made. Dental procedures are medical procedures and people tend to conflate a spa experience with dental treatment. Sometimes discomfort is part and parcel, and the operator can only do his job as quickly as he can to get the patient through it.
We make every effort to make the patient comfortable, however we have to have access to the tooth and patient positioning is everything to that goal. Dental chairs are One-size-fits-all devices and people out of the average body type sometimes get the short straw, comfort-wise.
posted by Jazz Hands at 3:29 AM on March 2, 2011
We make every effort to make the patient comfortable, however we have to have access to the tooth and patient positioning is everything to that goal. Dental chairs are One-size-fits-all devices and people out of the average body type sometimes get the short straw, comfort-wise.
posted by Jazz Hands at 3:29 AM on March 2, 2011
Certainly ask if an adjustment can be made - even an inch or two might help ease your discomfort. I'd also recommend that you try to find strategies for dealing with the feelings of vulnerability. Some medical procedures, even routine ones, are going to make you feel very uncomfortable (take it from someone who has fingers and metal instruments inserted into her vagina once a year for the sake of good health.) The better equipped you are to deal with this, the better the chance that you'll keep up with those routine appointments and not put unpleasant ones off. So, whether it's listening to relaxing music on your iPod, meditating beforehand, or finding your "happy place" during the visit, find what works to put you more at ease.
posted by pecanpies at 4:20 AM on March 2, 2011
posted by pecanpies at 4:20 AM on March 2, 2011
I wanted to pop back in because I was thinking about who might be interested in improving the dentist's chair. Clearly the current design is problematic. Anything that consistently causes extreme chronic pain for the user is problematic. It sounds like keeping the patient at an awkward angle helps to alleviate but, crucially, does not eliminate this problem.
Every dentist's chair I've ever seen seems to position the patient in about the same way--knees at the same angle, etc. I wonder if a difference in the knee angle, or a different type of material, or some similar change in the chair's construction, could eliminate the feeling of having one's feet higher than one's head while still giving the dentist proper access to the patient's mouth. I wonder if there are ways to improve this from the dentist's side as well, a new chair that would lessen the physical toll on the provider. The ideal chair might be considerably more expensive for all I know--it might require that rooms be constructed differently, or it might require more complex mechanical parts, or it might require that other dental tools be made differently. I have no idea. But then, I have no idea why something that consistently injures its users (when those users aren't, you know, factory workers in a developing nation), isn't being changed. For whatever reason, despite the thousands of dentists and assistants who are impacted by the serious repetitive motion injuries caused by a combination of current chair/equipment design and current dental practices, the chair and room set-up are not being redesigned even if dental school grads are being warned about the dangers.
So, what I'm wondering is, if there are dentists who specialize in working with anxious patients, they would be forced to deal with this problem from the patient's perspective. In other words, even if it's not an industry priority to improve the design for the sake of dentists' physical health, it might be something that niche providers within the industry are looking at for the sake of patients' psychological health. If you're a dentist who wants to help patients feel less anxious and vulnerable, you're going to explore a variety of ways to achieve that without compromising your own ability to do your job effectively. All of which is to say that if you, OP, can't find a provider who meets your needs simply by asking around, you could start looking into dentists who work with patients who have dental anxiety.
posted by Meg_Murry at 6:08 AM on March 2, 2011
Every dentist's chair I've ever seen seems to position the patient in about the same way--knees at the same angle, etc. I wonder if a difference in the knee angle, or a different type of material, or some similar change in the chair's construction, could eliminate the feeling of having one's feet higher than one's head while still giving the dentist proper access to the patient's mouth. I wonder if there are ways to improve this from the dentist's side as well, a new chair that would lessen the physical toll on the provider. The ideal chair might be considerably more expensive for all I know--it might require that rooms be constructed differently, or it might require more complex mechanical parts, or it might require that other dental tools be made differently. I have no idea. But then, I have no idea why something that consistently injures its users (when those users aren't, you know, factory workers in a developing nation), isn't being changed. For whatever reason, despite the thousands of dentists and assistants who are impacted by the serious repetitive motion injuries caused by a combination of current chair/equipment design and current dental practices, the chair and room set-up are not being redesigned even if dental school grads are being warned about the dangers.
So, what I'm wondering is, if there are dentists who specialize in working with anxious patients, they would be forced to deal with this problem from the patient's perspective. In other words, even if it's not an industry priority to improve the design for the sake of dentists' physical health, it might be something that niche providers within the industry are looking at for the sake of patients' psychological health. If you're a dentist who wants to help patients feel less anxious and vulnerable, you're going to explore a variety of ways to achieve that without compromising your own ability to do your job effectively. All of which is to say that if you, OP, can't find a provider who meets your needs simply by asking around, you could start looking into dentists who work with patients who have dental anxiety.
posted by Meg_Murry at 6:08 AM on March 2, 2011
I am a massage therapist & I've treated a few dentists/orthodontists (and even more doctors/surgeons, including an ENT specialist) who have pain & dysfunction issues due to the nature of their work and I can attest that posture and self care in these fields are incredibly important for career longevity.
I don't mean that in a "suck it up" type way, but maybe if the mechanics of why they put you in that position make more sense, then it might be easier to put up with for the short time you're there?
I think if it bothers you enough to ask this question then I think you should bring it up with them. Tell them you feel uncomfortable in that position and see if they are willing to compromise with you. If you're unhappy with their response, I'd start asking my friends, acquaintances, colleagues, twitter, etc if they have an awesome dentist they can recommend. I'd then call the recommended dentists offices & mention the chair angle thing over the phone & see what their responses are.
Meg Murray: There are dentists around that specialise in working with anxious patients, including "twilight" dentistry where the patient is mildy sedated and wakes up remembering very little of what went on.
posted by goshling at 6:50 AM on March 2, 2011 [1 favorite]
I don't mean that in a "suck it up" type way, but maybe if the mechanics of why they put you in that position make more sense, then it might be easier to put up with for the short time you're there?
I think if it bothers you enough to ask this question then I think you should bring it up with them. Tell them you feel uncomfortable in that position and see if they are willing to compromise with you. If you're unhappy with their response, I'd start asking my friends, acquaintances, colleagues, twitter, etc if they have an awesome dentist they can recommend. I'd then call the recommended dentists offices & mention the chair angle thing over the phone & see what their responses are.
Meg Murray: There are dentists around that specialise in working with anxious patients, including "twilight" dentistry where the patient is mildy sedated and wakes up remembering very little of what went on.
posted by goshling at 6:50 AM on March 2, 2011 [1 favorite]
I think your dentist is entitled to work the way he needs to. If you feel comfortable with it, you should definitely find another dentist.
posted by anniecat at 11:40 AM on March 2, 2011
posted by anniecat at 11:40 AM on March 2, 2011
The OP did not say it caused him physical pain, he said it made him feel vulnerable.
Actually, the OP said, "Its highly irritating to me."
But I agree it's worth discussing an adjustment with the dentist.
posted by mediareport at 7:58 PM on March 2, 2011
Actually, the OP said, "Its highly irritating to me."
But I agree it's worth discussing an adjustment with the dentist.
posted by mediareport at 7:58 PM on March 2, 2011
I've only had one dentist who did this (he was actually a jerk for entirely other reasons.) The rest of my dentists use a stool and only recline me as much as needed.
posted by desuetude at 8:48 PM on March 3, 2011
posted by desuetude at 8:48 PM on March 3, 2011
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posted by Brocktoon at 7:45 PM on March 1, 2011