This is kind of JFF but i had my teeth cleaned today and all the hygenists in this office are very very nice but also talk the whole time. It's like a joke bc obviously I can't say much back. I always wonder if they expect me to? Am I just a captive audience? Is it too lonely a job if they don't talk or do they think patients want them to talk? I think at previous dentists it was the same situation. I obviously can't ask them and thought why I was lying there, maybe someone on mamapedia will know!
So the vast majority of people would rather they didn't talk but studies show people are nervous so chatter might help. Huh. I"m not in the least nervous for a cleaning and really would like to just relax!
This made me laugh so hard.
I think they are just trying to ease the uncomfortable silence and just general awkwardness of the situation....trying to make us more comfortable.
Anytime I've had this happen I always tend to literally start signing things at them. Needless to say it shuts them up pretty quickly. Well, either that or they stop what they're doing and we actually engage in a conversation. I've also been known to pull out a pen and notepad and start writing things to them as well. I know I'm an odd one.
As long as they don't mind me responding with "gah" "uhguh" and "nguh", I don't mind them talking. And they really ALL do, don't they? I've never met a hygenist who didn't make conversation!
What I HATE is when a massage therapist talks through THAT entire session. I rarely get massages and when I do, I want to go to my zen place and chill, NOT discuss your latest tattoo (cool as it may be).
LOL, I just got my teeth cleaned and the hygenist talked my ear off, but even worse, she was trying to make it a very interactive conversation. Eventually I was starting to wonder if she gets a kick out of asking questions and then watching the patient as they try to gesture or mouth the answer without the benefit of the spit-sucker.
She was also very opinionated, talking about how she can't understand women who have more than 2 kids, as I am laying there 13 weeks pregant with my 4th. Later she asked me how many kids I had and I said, "I'm one of those crazy women who has more than 2."
So you can say "Uh huh" or "Uh uh" for yes and no.
Waggle your hand (tip your fingers/thumb back and forth) for a "maybe".
I swear they love to see you figure out some basic sign language in order to communicate.
lol! I have wondered the same thing. My dentist does the cleanings (small office) and she will talk and talk and even ask me questions! lol!
Because they literally have a captive audience?
i am so with you!
clearly they've been trained to do so. apparently there are 'studies that show' most patients are nervous and prefer a soothing flow of yak.
i'm not one of them.
hee! my sweet little hygienist even confessed to me that she takes notes so she can seem interested. i couldn't really believe that she remembered 6 months later that i have horses.
all i want is for them to greet me courteously, ask if i have any problems, and let me let my mind drift while they do their thing.
:) khairete
S.
bahahahahahaha funny you ask that I have always wondered the same thing :)
Lol, I am a dental hygiene student, and we have started seeing patients. I honestly forget that I have my hands in someones mouth, and I will ask them a question. And they will oooble ooble at me. We would actually rather you not talk, because it's like fighting to get your instruments in between words otherwise. so the general idea is, talk for a few mins when you first get there. Then be quiet for a while and relax.
I'm a kid who grew up with state dinners.
I can talk without moving my lips. Not ventriloquist style, but understandable. It cracks my dentist up. So he always does my cleaning. We usually talk about our kids.
My mom and I just had this conversation!
My dentist and his assistant will talk the whole time. I think it is to distract the patient and make the time pass more quickly. I don't mind it. They talk with each other when they are both there, or "to" me when it is only me. They don't really ask me anything that I can't answer with a head nod.
Lol, so true. Unnggh huh, wahunhaha maakarawumng. It's not like you can shake your head or nod, either, without disrupting the sharp or vibrating tools in your mouth. I usually just grunt and try to "smile."
That's funny, because mine doesn't really have a conversation with me. They'll ask if I'm doing ok and there is some small talk at the beginning and end while getting set/cleaned up, but that's it. Maybe it's because I keep my eyes closed while they are doing their cleaning.
Yeah..sometimes is funny and sometimes annoying, particularly when the hygienist ask you a question and you are like..."ahhhheah...ahhhhoaooao", and keeps talking....may be it is because they feel you need to be amused....it is boring there....
lol I dunno I think it makes the time go faster than just sitting there in silence while you clean someone elses teeth. ick , that's one job I would NOT want. It doesn't bother me and you'd be amazed at how much they understand of what you could say while having someone's hand in your mouth.
Haha! I've often wondered that too. The hygienists at my dentist's office are all super nice and I like talking to them, but it is hard to say anything during my cleaning. Lucky for me <sarcasm> I usually go with my four boys, so I get plenty of talking in while they are getting their teeth cleaned :)
i hate it wehn they talk ( I also hate it when hairdresses make small talk i don't mind if it's about my hair but i don't care about their dog or uncle buck) BUT it is worse when they don't talk and you wonder what hey are thinking, like if they are totally grossed out or if somethign is horribly wrong.
Maybe they don't like the awkward silence. I hate it when they talk too and I just have to sit there and listen since I can't talk.
Not all do. I have had some that are very quiet and some that are very social (same with hairdressers). I think that it just depends on their personality. Some might feel that rather than "silence is golden", "silence is awkward".
They talk to try to keep you relaxed and to keep your mind off what they are doing inside your mouth. The talking is meant to be a distraction. I like it and prefer they talk. Nothing worse than getting a dental hygenist that so quiet you wonder if they've found something really bad inside your mouth.
