Hate how dentist makes small talk while I'm on the chair.?

Okay, I am going to the dentist in about an hour and I had to have this particular one because the man I prefer is booked out. This dentist however makes a lot of small talk, asking me about college and my family etc etc and I find it makes my anxiety worse and I just want him to get on with the job rather than probing into my life. Would it be rude to ask him not to? And how could I do this politely?

Hate how dentist makes small talk while I'm on the chair.?
most dentist will talk to you in an attempt to make you feel comfortable. You probably feel that you should be responding to his "one way conversation" while he is doing what he does best--for you. This of course drives up your anxiety because your not able to do what you do best--TALK--so perhaps you should sit back--half listen--and understand that it is to your advantage to make the doctor feel as comfortable as possible while doing his job. ouch!!! good luck
Reply:Ask yourself which is worse-- having the person who's working in your mouth say NOTHING at all, or having that person be polite and actually interested in you?
Reply:I hate that too its like HELOOO do you not notice that you are elbow deep in my mouth and your asking me where I go to school?
Reply:tell him what you just said...if he's a professional...he'll understand.
Reply:wear your iPod and blast it, if they try to make small talk close your eyes and ignore them like you're listening to your music. bob your head if you need to! don't they usually give you sunglasses? I automatically close my eyes, so just play the iPod blasting and bam...
Reply:the only good thing about going to the dentist is when you get to leave
Reply:the first person talks a tiny bit, but its friendly and nothing personally. my dentist only asked me questions about my teeth
Reply:Tell him you feel like he's putting you on the spot and it's making you anxious. He probably is never told that because EVERYONE loves talking about themselves.
Reply:no; it wouldnt be rude if you word it right; just say something like:


uhm, i dont mean to be rude but im uncomfortable with the dentist and i feel more pressure when you talk me through it.
Reply:Dude, seriously. And how the eff are you supposed to answer when he's got his hands in your mouth? lol





I just keep the answers short. Hows college? Good. Hows your family? Good. Is your brother still doing yada yada? Yup.





Unless he's completely dense that should keep him quiet.
Reply:Tell him when he asks about your family that person in question is dead. That always shuts them up.
Reply:I LIKE TO EAT PIE!!!
Reply:I think it is a very good point. I'd suggest saying it just the way you said it to us. "I have a lot of anxiety about being here and what we be best for me is if we could not talk during the proceedure." Remeber you are paying HIM to get the work done, so they will listen. Also, so many people have dental anxiety I'm sure they'd understand.
Reply:i like talking with the dentist. i had one that would rap and sing. he was hilarious.
Reply:He asks u to talk when you cant, and he's intruding on your life!!! thats just stupid!
Reply:hmm.. Tough. Tell him that you have some anxiety issues and you would prefer to listen to your ipod or something. I hate how dentists try to talk to you while your mouth is open. It's really hard to talk with crap in your mouth! Also, if you would be interested, I have really bad anxiety issues with dentistry too and I ask my doctor to write me a prescription for a single xanax to help.
Reply:Before he starts to work on you, you could just tell him that it makes you uncomfortable to talk while having your mouth worked on. He is a dentist, not a shrink, so he should just go along with you ;). Or you could tell him you are uncomfortable talking while being worked on, but if he wanted to tell you a story, that would be fine. This also distracts him from the requirement that he not talk small talk. He will either not talk to you or he has to tell the story, so if he needs to talk, he can tell the story.
Reply:By making small talk, he is trying to put you at ease and make you relax. Most people enjoy talking about themselves.


As far as "probing into your life", trust me it goes in one ear and out the other.. You might mention to his assistant before he comes that you would prefer he not do this.
Reply:change subject into your teath and ask him to check it because it hurts " doctor why it hurt" doctor what cause it to hurt"


doctor how long this will take"





doctor why teath hurt"





make him talk
Reply:that is actually the reason why i left my dentist....i told them i had no time but still they left the room to talk to other people and took five minutes the first time and second 20 minutes
Reply:bring a cd player or something and listen to it while you are in the chair. that way, he'll know not to talk to u :)
Reply:i feel the same way and i know he isjust trying to make you feel beter......you start the converstaion and it wont be as bad


like ask him what hes going to do or tell him your nerves and he will stop trying to be friendly and wil be more dentislylike
Reply:How about saying, "Just so you know - I can't really communicate with you if you talk to me while you're working on my teeth, and I wind up wishing I could answer you. So it would be easier for me if you wouldn't talk much during that time - hope you don't mind...Thanks!"
Reply:I know ......


I have just thought it is suppost to distract you from what he is about to do.


But how could this ever work??? your mouth is cranked open and his fingers stuffed inside.


I have just started to say... I can't talk or I will barf HEHE





Just works......





Best of Luck
Reply:Personally I prefer small talk. I'd hate to be completely ignore, I'd feel really intimidated. I love my dentist but it does get a bit annoying when he asks me questions while he's looking in my mouth, as it's quite hard to answer without biting his hand.
Reply:I hate the dentist. I am so afraid of the pain.


When a dentist talks to me, it seems to relax me because I have to think of an answer, even if I am unable to answer out loud because my jaw is clamped open as far as it can be.


In your case, just tell the dentist as soon as he enters the room that you are not comfortable being here and that him talking to you makes you too anxious to relax. If you would be so kind as to not ask me personal questions and just tell me what I need to know about what you are doing, I would appreciate it so much.
Reply:give him one or two (maybe 3) word answers...thats what i do...but most of the time he doesnt talk to me, instead he talks to the dental assistant:)
Reply:he is trying to hit on ya. he will feel rejected and may botch up the job. i hate dentists
Reply:As a hygienist I have people that don't want to chit-chat, the key is to recognize these types of people. I am a very open, chatty person, and 95% of my patients like that I talk to them. It makes people feel good that you remember their family names, or that they just had surgery, and you ask how they are feeling. The one's that don't want to chat, have short answers to my questions about their state of dental health. Example, Mr. Jones do you have anything hurting today? No. Is there anything you would like to change in your mouth? No. Good dental professionals can pick up on who wants to chat and who does not. It does not bother me in the least if someone does not want to chat, however I can sense that long before they ever have to say anything to me about not talking. For the most part people like that we are interested in them, and their lives outside the dental office. I have had many, many patients tell me thank you for making me laugh, I forgot to be nervous. I crack jokes, and try to ease the atmosphere of a nervous patient. However I also know when to be serious. The i-pod or CD player is a good idea. We provide them to our patients if they don't want to deal with the noises of the dental procedures, whether it be the drill or us. And contrary to popular belief we don't expect you to answer a question if we have our hands in your mouth. I personally don't want my fingers, which are my lively-hood, bitten off.
Reply:Bring your Ipod to the dentist and put it on and listen to your music. It's his way actually of trying to be personable and calm you down but I guess it's not working for you so bring your Ipod and you can ignore him.
Reply:Great question that makes me laugh! My dentist is a brilliant, well educated man. I am a scientist, and he asks me to explain complex theories of physics when my mouth is full of hardware. I pretend that I am Demosthenes practicing oration with pebbles in my mouth, hoping to claim my lost fortune. I try to be the most brilliant, articulate philosopher in the history of the world. I love to watch his eyes cross while I am yaking away with no enunciation. It is my secret joke on my dentist.





May I suggest that you fight fire with fire? Get the upper hand with underhanded humor.