18
Business
October 6 – 19, 2012
www.SanTanSun.com
Dentist takes bite out of oral angst
NO FEARS: Dentist Dr. Hilarry Douglas, third from left, and staff, help patients not be afraid when coming in for oral care. STSN photo by K. M. Lang
Dental anxiety has likely been around since cave dwellers were breaking their teeth against mastodon bones. Today, however, dentists such as Chandler’s Hilarry Douglas are using modern technology and a little TLC to take the angst out of oral health. “We still see a lot of anxious patients,” says Douglas, explaining that during her 14 years as a dentist, much of the fear she’s encountered has been rooted in unpleasant memories. “For adults, it tends to be when they were kids and the dentist held them down and did something without them being numb,” she explains, adding that fearful children may be reacting to a bad experience, or may simply be too young to understand a dental procedure. Whether patients are young or old, pain is nearly always at the heart of their apprehension, says Douglas. “They don’t want to feel the shots, or they don’t want to feel any pain with treatment.” Today’s dentists can keep uneasy patients comfortable using methods including I.V. sedation and nitrous oxide – or laughing gas – which Douglas has found to “help tremendously.” Improvements in equipment have led to less time in the dentist’s chair, and offices such as Douglas’, located on
Chandler Boulevard near the Crowne Plaza San Marcos Golf Resort, have none of the austerity associated with dental practices of the past. “I remember my dentist back home,” says Douglas. “His office was white walls, really cold-looking, outdated magazines and you’d hear that zing, zing, zing every time you went there.” While she admits her patients may occasionally hear the “zing” of the drill, “my office overlooks a golf course, so they get to see nature versus white walls. They hear music. We try to make them feel comfortable as soon as they walk in, to create some kind of different atmosphere so patients don’t feel they’re in a dental office.” While a calming environment can ease dental anxiety, empathy on the part of both the dentist and office staff is also important, adds Douglas. “You want somebody who can spend time listening to the patient, finding out their reasons for being so anxious. Usually with our anxious patients, we talk them through the procedures and let them know what we’re doing ahead of time. We make them comfortable, whether it’s giving them a blanket or letting them listen to music or watch a movie.” While treating a nervous patient can require extra effort on the part of a dentist, the real danger is that fear will keep patients from seeking timely treatment. Douglas recommends checkups every three to six months, “depending on the situation,” and emphasizes the importance of preventing the infections, gum disease and other major issues that can lead to the very pain patients’ dread – and hurt their pocketbook, as well. “If we can catch things early, the treatment and the cost will be minimal. But if patients delay, then of course the procedure will be major. I’ll have to do dentures or a crown or a root canal, and all of that does add up. A filling is so much cheaper than a crown, you know?” Hilarry A. Douglas DDS PC practices at 575 W. Chandler Blvd., Suite 223. For information, call 480-855-7888. K. M. Lang lives and writes in Sun Groves. To contact her, email KMLang@SanTanSun.com.
DACA students get in-state tuition at MCCCD
Lower in-state tuition rates will be allowed at Maricopa Community Colleges District (MCCCD) for those granted federally issued employment authorization documents, commonly referred as work permits, obtained by Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA). Arizona’s education has been affected since 2007 by Prop. 300, which denied in-state tuition for undocumented students, according to an MCCCD news release, forcing thousands of students to reduce the number of credits taken each semester or quit higher education altogether due to the high cost of tuition. “This is one of the greatest days of our lives, because we have been fighting for our education and it is an important component of our advocacy for young immigrant’s rights,” says Dulce Matuz, chairwoman of the Arizona DREAM Act Coalition (ADAC). “Also because we are taxpayers in Arizona and this is an acknowledgement of our monetary contributions.” MCCCD includes Chandler-Gilbert Community College. For details, visit www.cgc.maricopa.edu.
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