Why must a dentist stay in the adult interaction state regardless of what state the patient is in?
Because the dentist is the professional in the room and the patient came in expecting an adult conversation about their health, even when their own anxiety pushes them into child mode or controlling parent mode. The doctor cannot dictate which state the patient occupies. The doctor can absolutely control their own state. Staying in adult mode means responding to the patient’s actual concern rather than to the emotional surface of how it was expressed. A scared, short-tempered patient triggers parent or child reactions from untrained team members, who rescue or scold or defend themselves. A doctor in adult mode addresses the underlying fear, respects the patient’s autonomy, names the situation clearly, and offers the patient the dignity of being treated as a capable person who can make their own decisions. That posture often shifts the patient into their own adult mode. The case becomes productive. Skipping this is one of the most expensive non-clinical mistakes in dentistry.
If the answers you are finding here resonate with you, my team and I work with a small group of clients each year. The next step is a complimentary Discovery Consultation and Practice Review with Dr. McAnally.