单项选择题
| More people are now going to dentists’
offices, but nearly one half of the United States population will not see a
dentist. Why They are scared. And, really, what experience is worse than seeing
a traditional dentist You wait in silence, thumbing through old
magazines, in a germ-free white waiting room in which no one ever speaks. All is
silent until an assistant calls your name and leads you back to another white
room, which is filled with machinery to frighten you still further. At the Medical College of Georgia, dentists are taught principles of behavior and techniques of office design that should help reduce the patients’ anxiety and tension. Assistants and receptionists are taught to smile and speak to the patient. This helps create an environment of trust. Dentists themselves are being taught to communicate more fully with the patient. A phrase such as" you are doing fine" tells the patient that the dentist is appreciative of the patient’s unpleasant situation. Dentists’ office is being repainted in colors that make patients feel calmer. A startling color such as red should be avoided at all costs, for red brings to mind blood and pain. Paintings and other things are strategically located so as to turn away the patient’s attention. Until recently, dentists had ignored the fact that most patients never see much more than the ceiling of the practice room. Most of the time, patients are lying flat on their backs with little time to busy their minds other than their pains. Now dentists are not only building ceiling with fancy patterns, but also turning away patients’ attention with ceiling TV set, computer games and mobile sculptures. In addition, the practice room is redecorated to include less of white. Uniforms are also being made in soft and earth colors, no longer in white. Some dentists take an active role in teaching their patients deep muscle relaxation and breathing control. Some use advanced techniques, such as bio-feedback to help their patients relax in the chair. Drugs and painkillers may still be used to ease physical pain, but all these techniques of relaxation help the patients relax and avoid anxiety over their pain. |