Today after my biannual teeth cleaning, I asked my dental hygienist Lyndsay what patient attributes makes her job easier or harder. Surprised by my question, her eyes lit up as she immediately responded, “sensitivity”.
Elaborating, Lyndsay went on to explain that everyone has different levels of gum sensitivity and pain threshold. Some people can have a ton of tartar but don’t really feel a thing so she’s able to really get in there and clean it up. Others would be very sensitive (not their fault) and make it hard for Lyndsay to clean their teeth.
Next, I asked, “what about blood and saliva?”. Again, I got an unexpected answer. She explained that blood definitely makes it harder to see so it would mean she’d have to water squirt and suck it away more often. But it wasn’t a big deal. Saliva on the other hand was actually a good thing, because it naturally helps wash away stuff in the mouth periodically.
With this newfound information, I went home.
Sometimes, the best way to find information is to just ask. Ask someone who has first hand experience.
But in order to have the questions to ask, you have to genuinely be curious.
So be curious. Ask questions. Even ask yourself. What makes YOUR job easier or harder?