Lupine Publishers | The Use of NLP (Neuro Linguistic Programming) at Dentistry

 Lupine Publishers | Journal of Pediatric Dentistry

Abstract

If we can establish good communication with the patients who do not go to dental clinics gladly and behave timid, it will take us to the success. Since, the right communication between people makes everything easy. We can use NLP for receiving these signals, understanding the body language and all human relations. Linguistic scientist John Grinder and Mathematician Richard Bandler have taken an example of three people, who have excelled with special abilities at their fields, and have found out that all three have used interestingly similar patterns although they have different attitudes. Later, they have modeled the other people who has perfect performance like Anthropology Gregory Bateson and have prepared a book to use these methodologies. At the NLP, “N” stands for our neurologic system, “L” stands for use of language and “P” stands for coding our experiences and using them at decision-making. We can examine preparing our personal map by changing our filters with the help of NLP. Every individual has different map so, it is necessary to try to understand the world maps belong to other individuals, or rather to understand and accept, appreciate. In order to achieve success in relationship, the person at other side of you must trust you. The language using is very important, all we use the same language however the words we select may awake negative impact on the patients (Figures 1-5). NPL is a wide-scope communication model. Each person has a (genital) private area. Dentist office is a scary and different environment equipped with unusual instruments and to where people do not go frequently. This bothers the patients, especially the children. The first task surely belongs to the parents for preparation of the children to the treatment. To prepare the children coming to the clinic with prejudgment to the treatment requires too much patience and effort. Greeting the patient with smiling face and warmly, namely first impression, is crucial. The clinic should be introduced to the child patient, the information regarding why the treatment is necessary and what will happen should be given, the questions of the child should be listened in a great attention and right answers should be given. Heads and eyes should be on the same level when talking to the child. Does every method efficient every time at NLP? No, sometimes the success may not be achieved with one try, another technique is applied at second session, the patterns should be individual after familiarizing the person. The picture of own personality of a person consists of many pieces like a puzzle. The NLP specialist provides to form a pretty picture by combining these pieces harmonically. The eliminates the fears of the person by providing to think from different aspects. Fear arises at subconscious to protect the person. NLP specialists can recover the patients from these fears after few sessions.

Mini Review

There is a sentence of “Fear is the one generally the person has created in imagination” at the celebrated Desiderata poem of Max Ehrman. If we can establish good communication with the patients who do not go to dental clinics gladly and behave timid, it will take us to the success. Since, the right communication between people makes everything easy. You can understand if the patient, coming to you first time, is relaxed or not from his/her body language, glances, breathing and receive good or not good signals from him/ her. How can we get these signals, how can we understand the body language? Here we can use the NLP for all human relations. What is NLP? The NLP which is started to use almost at every fields recently, was actually first discovered at California in 1970s. Linguistic Scientist John Grinder and Mathematician Richard Bandler, have taken an example of three people, who have excelled with special abilities at their fields. The first of these three people is worldlycelebrated Hypnotherapist Milton Erickson, the other is famous Jewish Psychotherapist Fritz Perls and, the third is Virginia Satir who is referred as the mother of Family Therapy. How can these three people sign great successes by slamming their colleagues? Bandler and Grindler have found out that these three separate successful people have used interestingly similar patterns although they have different attitudes. Later they have modeled the other people who has perfect performance like Anthropologist Gregory Bateson and have prepared a book to use these methodologies. The meaning of the NLP letters.

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Neurological (Neurological): It is related with our neurological system and our manner of experiencing the world using our senses. It transforms several sensorial information’s into conscious and unconscious consideration processes. These consideration processes affect our physiology, emotions and behaviors.

Linguistic (Linguistic): It refers to the use of language. It provides us to tell how we perceive our experiences at the world and the world. The words we use affect our experiences too.

Programming: It is something we do intrinsically. We code our experiences and use our consideration patterns to enable us to solve problem, make decision, evaluate, learn, and improve. We do not always notice this happening consciously. Additionally, we do not know that the ability of recoding our experiences to get more reasonable results and organizing the internal programs, is inside of us. The mind and the body consist a system affecting each other. We can affect our physical situation by changing our mental situation or affect our mental situation by changing our physical situation. We all use our senses to explore the world. We get information from our environment and stock the impacts as picture. Seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting, touching (Figures 6-10). However, it is impossible to perceive everything presented to us instantly. We only get the ones passing through our own perception filters and the others stay out. These filters are individual. The filters of the person are based on his own experiences, culture, nurture way, beliefs, values and assumptions. The thing which is right to me is justified according to the thought coming from my inside and formed with my perceptions. But the same right thing may not be right to another one. Well, can these filters be changed? Yes, we can control the preparing of our personal map by changing filters with the help of NLP [1,2].

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We can transform our world into wealthier and more exciting place by changing filters. “THE MAP IS NOT SAME WITH REGION”. Every individual has different map so, it is necessary to try to understand the world maps belong to other individuals, or rather to understand and accept, appreciate. Beauty, Peace, Freedom, Equality; The concept of Beauty involves different meanings according to each person. When saying Beauty, Mr. Ahmet sees the mountains far away, Mr. Mehmet sees shiny beach, Ms. Hasibe sees the face of the person she loves. Freedom is coalescing with God to one, use of time properly to other, and cheating his spouse to another one. We can understand the causes of the wars if we take into account these differences of mind maps. The conflicts between the people arise because of these differences. The most important thing to do here will be getting rid of limited maps by changing perception filters. To provide efficient communication, it is necessary to understand the world maps of other people or the person across us, to appreciate them. We must be open, curious and eager to experience. Every person has sufficient resources and potential since birth, however the use of this depends on that person’s choice. Communication is a circuit, when one person pays attention to the other, he receives what the other one says and does into his system, he contacts with his own senses and react conveniently with his own manner. When the other person pays attention to this person too, the circuit is consisted. In communication, what the other person understands is important rather than what we tell. In order to achieve success in relationship, the person at other side of you must trust you. Now we turn to the Dental Clinic, observe the behavior differences and the reasons of the patients with examples: Each person has one (genital) area, when we think the individual at the center of a circle, this circle which radius is about 50 cm, is the private area of that person, and this person allows only inseparable friends and relatives to get into that circle [3,4]. When we come across the people we do not know very well, we claw and shake hands but always keep that private area. Dentist office is a different environment that the people do not go frequently, equipped with unusual instruments, getting smell of sanitizer or drugs, scary sounds coming from aerator works, having presence of the staff and doctors with smock. The person coming here is mostly anxious, there are lots of questions in his mind, such as will I be have injection, will I feel pain, will my tooth be pulled, will the doctor reprimand me if he detects my mouth hygiene is insufficient. The things will not go well, if you do not prepare the patient psychologically, not relax him, take him directly to the treatment room, sit him to the chair and tie his veil immediately

Today the doctor and assistant are working sedentarily in treatments. The doctor sits on his right side, the assistant sits on his left side and the forced entrance of two stranger people he does not know before, one from right and one from left, to the patient’s private area, will increase the uneasiness of the patient more. This situation is getting more sensitive especially for the child patients. When one child patient comes to the dentist first time, it certainly requires allocating time, give information with a special manner and soft behaviors and not to start to the treatment without consent of the child. The language used is very important, all we use the same language however the words we select may awake negative impact on the patients. NPL is a wide-scope communication model. Our bodies, heart and spirit are the parts of one system and affect each other in different ways. Communication is an exchange of sensual experiences. There is certainly action and reaction in communication, good or bad action will be resulted whether we want, or we do not want. Communication is directly related with body language. When conveying bad news, touching to the patient’s arm softly substitutes too many words. Of course, our voice tone plays also great role here.

Preparing the Children to the Treatment

Of course, the first task here belongs to the parents. If the parents avoid from the dentist and show their fears within their dialogs at home, the child will record all the talks like a stereo even the child plays at one corner as if not concerning with them. The child will conclude that it is not a good thing if the most trusted people since his birth, speaks that much negatively about doctor. And one day when the parents take him to the dentist, the child not only will reject the treatment but also not want to go inside the clinic. The parents will be surprised very much and will ask themselves why this rejection happens although he is coming first time, he does not know anything. To prepare the children coming to the clinic with prejudgment to the treatment requires too much patience and effort. In such situations, it requires to talk with the parents. Generally, the Technician of Mouth and Tooth Health (can be said also assistant) will open the door for the patient coming to the clinic. Since the doctor engage with the patients at treatment rooms, they need to take responsibilities of very important tasks such as greeting the patient, preparing the patient to the treatment. In short, all the clinic staff along with the doctor should be very equipped with the communication skills. Greeting the patient with smiling face and warmly, namely first impression, is crucial. It should be acted with the principle of “Clinic is our home, patient is our guest.” If the first impression is not good, then the patient will think if he goes to that clinic second time again, although how so ever the treatment of the doctor is good. The entrance of the clinic, the decoration of the environment, the colors selected play a role on the patient feels better.

There are art objects at the cabinet seen at the picture and an egg-man statue on the radiator On the wall, pictures that will make people smile or look at them with pleasure should be preferred and excessive modern, unclear, pessimistic paintings should not be presented. A lightly playing of relaxing music background contributes the tranquility of the place. There must be actual magazines along with the picture books for the children at the clinic. Especially, the children picture books introducing dentist’s office can be read with the assistant while preparing the child to the treatment. Assistant should introduce the clinic to the child patient, information should be given about why the tooth treatment is necessary and what will be done, meanwhile the questions of the child should be listened gingerly and right answers should be given. When the child patient taken into the treatment room, it shouldn’t be wanted to sit him to the chair before introducing all the objects in the room, the explanations should be made like look, this is the chair on which tooth treatment is done, you will sit here, I will sit near you, doctor will sit on the other side and we all help your teeth to be healthy. Crouch down when talking to the child, in short, do not call him from on high. Glance from overhead and calling from on high may cause a sense of child as if the other one is stronger than him, the other is the authority. So, be careful at heads and eyes be on the same level when talking to the child. In such a conversation where the eyes are at the same level, the child decides that you value him as an individual and takes first steps toward trusting you. During a conversation where the eyes are at the same level, you make observation, understand his body language, glances, breathings, shortly if he is comfort or not. If there will be any treatment requiring anesthetize, it should be told to the child meticulously. You can give the injection within the nylon bag and must tell that the liquid inside will be injected under the gum, then that region will be anesthetized, and he will never feel any pain. Then, will the injection hurt? This question will be absolutely coming. The answer should be as yes but very little. Touch the arms with dental probe slightly, make explanations such as look, this hurts a bit, right, but you could bear, the injection will hurt just a little as a bite of a fly. The child understands that you always tell the truth and he will trust you. Again, we turn to the mistakes of parents. The mother bringing his child to the clinic is generally exciting. One day, a 6-year old boy came to our clinic first time, my assistant cared about him, he made the necessary explanations, then the child was taken to the treatment room, there was a baby back tooth problem required an amputation treatment, I gave information about the injection as written above, I answered all his questions which were asked intelligently, the mother was sitting on a corner at the treatment room. The child gave permission to the injection calmly, my assistant conveyed the injection which he prepared, just that time the mother stood up and said my boy, i will hold your hand, this was an unnecessary behavior but we allowed. Just as I prick, exciting mother tightened his boy’s hand hardly, this flux went from the child’s arm to his brain and he pushed my hand with the idea of “if my mother is that much anxious, it won’t be done good things to me”, he run away by getting out of his chair.

Yes, there are plenty of patients being afraid of injection. When coming to the clinic, he mentions this and says that make a treatment without injection, I am afraid. Phobias, fears are not but a kind of obsessions within the brain, these can be changed and eliminated. The fears were formed generally because of bad experiences before, at childhoods. Once we have burnt our hands on the fire, we would not approach to the fire anymore. If we have felt too much pain in the dentist’s office, every time we think dentist, the picture of that moment wakes on our eyes. How can we erase these negative thoughts? Let’s move on the examples.

new patient whom we have put full denture to his jawbone, came for control two days later, it was understood from his appearances that he was not glad. He said that he couldn’t have eaten anything, all his mouth was hurting, then he also added that he was so regretful having denture. All his body language and words were totally negative. First, we have listened him calmly, approached with emphatically, agreed on the inconvenient of the denture pain. Later we have passed to our questions. What did you eat at night? “Dear, I had soup (he had said that he could not have eaten anything, now some soap drunk), took two spoons from potato’s puree (this makes two) but as soon as I bite that Inegol meatball, I leaped up.” Yes, at first our patient generalized, when he said the life was awful, I could not eat anything, the situation specified and ended up at the Inegol meatball. Later I have started examination in mouth slowly, I pressed the right side of the denture lightly, asked if there was any pain, he said no, then when I pressed the left side, he said yes, just there. We have made this detection with our patient and hopelessness appearance of the patient started to vanish slowly. I said that I would rasp this hurting part completely and you would be comfort immediately and you could eat Inegol meatball this night.

took away the part I marked at lab and asked him to try again after polishing that place. His eyebrows totally got relax position, he said yes, it is all right now, we sent off the patient with pleasure after applied ointment with lidocaine on redness and minor wound and said he would use this ointment for several days. Thus, we minimized even zeroed this problem which was great for the patient. The second example emphasizes the importance of asking question at the application of NLP: I came across my friend on the road, I asked how he is, how is going on. The answer: “Do not ask, I am bothered, I am out of sorts.” Well, what is your problem? “I’ve got some financial difficulties.” I went to ask but I paid attention that my questions were carefully selected not random questions. Since when have you been in difficulty? “For last month.” What happened in last month? I got a counter done for the store, additionally I ordered new goods, I am sweating to pay back. I evoked him, who has started to believe that he was always distressed, he has experiencing difficulty just only last month, the problem minimized, now it is time to reassure a bit. I said that you are actually rising your standards, you have made a good decision, you have made a good work, everything will be great when your debt finishes. Thus, my friend’s negative will turn into positive, the troubles at his brain will be erased, good feelings will substitute, and I could see this situation on my friend’s face. Does every method efficient every time at NLP? No, sometimes the success may not be achieved with one try, another technique is applied at second session, the patterns should be individual after familiarizing the person. The picture of own personality of a person consists of many pieces like a puzzle. The NLP specialist provides to form a pretty picture by combining these pieces harmonically.

It is not necessity that this picture be visual, it can also be the picture of aural or feelings. When we turn back to our child patients, while we meet the child patient coming first time to our clinic, i prefer taking off my clinic smock, thus I break the formality between us and give an impression of not being different from the uncle neighbor. This makes him relaxed, then I tell him why we need to dress smock, I introduce the instruments over the unit of tooth, I tell what their functions, I show mouth mirror and probe, even i offer to change our roles, I want him to dress smock, to sit on my place, and examine me. They enjoy too much, they find tooth unit very interesting, I hand over the water spray and make them use it, then I introduce absorption motor, I explain why it should work with water and why the water needs to be absorbed, and I provide him to absorb the water in the glass with cannula, I tell that I can see more easily the inside of a mouth by changing the level of the chair and adjusting reflector. They enjoy making me sit on the chair and raising it, even dashing water spray into my mouth and sometimes their dashing water on my face make them smile and fear from the dentist vanishes. It will be appropriate for children to sit on the dental chair with their mother. He feels himself safer in her arms. First the mother is examined, the child sees that his mother is calm and that she is not affected from the examination by entering her mouth with a mirror, and then the child allows to be examined.

Mother Frank said: “I understood that fear is no use at all, it does not work at all.” We can ensure the person get rid of his fears by making him thinks in different ways. Fear arises at subconscious to protect the person. NLP specialists can relieve patients from these fears in a few sessions. The unpleasant events that we have experienced occupy our brains, and this will haunt us for life, and it will always be somewhere over there. NLP specialists are able to uncover and dispose of these bad events in their sessions and comfort the patient. Communication includes more than words. Not talking at all is also a communication method. In communication, body language is 55 percent, tone of voice is 38 percent, words are only 7 percent effective. As a result, communication is a circuit, what we do affects the other, and what he does affects us. If you notice that you have conveyed a different message than you intended while watching people’s reactions, we will accept this as a useful feedback and continue our practices by changing the way we communicate until we get the response we want. One last example from our clinic again: Ms. Seyda, in her 60s, was sitting in our treatment chair. Ms. Seyda, you probably do not brush your teeth well. Me, how can you say something like that, I brush my teeth three times or even four times a day. (she frowned her eyebrows, stopped looking at my face, started to look at the upper left wall corner, made clear with her whole body that she rejected me that moment. I accepted this as feedback, I realized that I could not express what I want to say well, the way I expressed was wrong).

a) No, of course your teeth are very clean, your mouth is sparkling, I did not mean it, I just wanted to emphasize that it would be better if you change your brushing technique.
(eyebrows came down, head turned towards me).
b) Oh, yeah, how is that technique?
c) Let me explain Ms. Seyda, the strong right-left movements with the brush have eroded the neck parts of your teeth.
d) The protective enamel layer, which is very thin in this region, is worn, the second layer of the sensitive tooth is about to be exposed and this will lead to excessive sensitivity.
e) So, that is why my teeth are so sensitive, doctor, can you tell me how to brush them?
f) The body language of Ms. Seyda started to be positive, curiosity and desire to learn arose. The technique was shown to her, the communication was completed, and the patient left the clinic satisfied.

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