Always make patients feel comfortable with Laura Swinburne, dental hygienist

In this episode of the Sensory Friendly Dentistry  Audio Conference join Sensory Friendly Solutions Founder Christel Seeberger, and guest hosts Stephanie London and Chelsea Bloom, occupational therapy students, as they take a deep dive into the extensive expertise of special guest Laura Swinburne. 

Learn practiced strategies from the first-hand, and varied experiences, of dental hygienist Laura Swinburne. Her priority is to make everyone feel comfortable in the dental chair and she delivers that experience with customized dental care.

Laura's Book Nook
 - Instagram: @laurasbooknook
- Facebook : @LaurasUsborneBookNook

Episode Guide:
0:00 - Welcome & Host Introductions
0:28 - Welcome Laura Swinburne
2:46 - Working with children with sensory-challenges
4:05 - Oral health Challenges for children with sensory-sensitivities
5:20 - Laura's use of knowledge from being an ABA Therapist
7:28 - Barriers that exist for people with sensory sensitivities
8:19 - Tips to help break these barriers
11:28 - Laura's perspective on dental care as a parent
15:19 - Positive Reinforcement
17:50 - Periodontist Clinic
21:32 - Barriers and strategies at different ages
23:30 - The ideal dental health care team
27:45 - Communication within the dental team
29:40 - Making notes of patient preferences
30:54 - Modernization of clinics and the effect on patients
32:57 - Improving dental experiences
34:20 - Reducing wait times
36:30 - Laura's take-home message to patients and parents
40:45 - How to find Laura and some of her educational resources
42:49 - Thank you, Laura Swinburne!

Sign up for the Sensory Friendly Solutions newsletter to receive sensory-friendly tips and strategies delivered straight to your inbox.

Connect with us on any of our social platforms:
Facebook
Instagram
LinkedIn
Twitter
YouTube

Transcript

Stephanie London: [00:00:00] Welcome to the sensory friendly dentistry audio conference brought to you by Sensory Friendly Solutions, where we have important conversations about creating a sensory friendly dentist experience and environment. I'm your host, Stephanie London, and in today's episode, you will also hear the voices of co-host Chelsea Bloom, my fellow occupational therapy student and friend, as well as sensory friendly solutions founder and CEO Christel Seeberger. Today, we will be speaking to Laura Swinburne, a dental hygienist and mother of two toddlers. Laura has lots of experience in the dental environment. She's been working as a hygienist for seven years now and has worked with patients of all ages. She also has experience in general dental practices and has previously worked in a perio specialist office for four years. Welcome, Laura. We are very excited to speak with you today. Thanks for joining us.

Laura Swinburne: [00:00:52] Yeah, for sure. So, as Stephanie said, I am a mom of two, so I have a three and a half year old and a two year old. So I'm very much in that toddler age, which is a lot of my clientele to be honest at the dentist's office, so it really works well. I graduated from dental hygiene, I can't even remember which year it was, maybe like 2015, seven years ago. And yeah, like so one of my best experiences with dental hygiene is I actually got to go on a humanitarian mission in my last year of dentistry to Mexico. So this really opened my eyes to dentistry and really validated that I wanted to help others. So it was so much fun. Two weeks spent in the rural, not rural, but, you know, the lower end of Mexico helping people who don't have the funds to get dentistry services. And it really just solidified my love of helping others. So that's why I went into dentistry. I also just very quickly. I sell children's books on the side. So a lot of our for my kids, especially introducing them to new topics, things that's really important for children before they go to certain experiences like the dentist. So we have a lot of books that can help them with those experiences. So that's one of my other passions. And then I also am a manager at a pediatric therapy clinic, but that's just a side job.

Stephanie London: [00:02:26] Thank you so much, Laura, for that wonderful introduction. I know for our listeners, Laura's book Instagram is called @laurasbooknook. So if anyone wants to check that out, she's got a lot of cool resources there. So, Laura, I just want to start off by asking you, have you ever worked with children either on your humanitarian trip or in the office with sensory challenges?

Laura Swinburne: [00:02:51] Yeah, actually. So let's see. I'll start off just with like a typical day, so a typical day in my office is about six clients, six to seven clients a day. And I see children or people from the age of last Friday, I saw one year old, so I'll say one year olds all the way up to elderly patients. So it's really, really varied. And a lot of the times, because I have younger kids and I've worked, I also sorry I didn't put this in my introduction, but I used I used to be an ABA therapist way back like 10 years ago. So with that little bit of experience and I'm able to kind of they kind of gear those children towards me because I have the patience, because I have the strategies in place already. They kind of. Yeah, put them into my schedule. So I have seen a lot of children with sensory issues. I've seen some children with different special needs, some with Down's syndrome. I mean, it's really varied across the board what I've seen or who I've seen. And I love it. It's so fine. It's like different a different experience every time

Chelsea Bloom: [00:03:58] To go off of what you were just saying about having experience working with a wide range of patients with different needs. I was wondering if you ever considered or thought about how challenging it could be for individuals and children with sensory sensitivities to access and receive proper oral care.

Laura Swinburne: [00:04:13] Yeah, so there are so I'm part of a lot of mommy groups on Facebook and in these groups, they talk a lot about, you know, where's a good pediatric dentist? My child's not able to go to a regular dentist. But I mean, to be honest, all children should be able to go to any dentist. I know that there's specific pediatric dentists and I worked with some of them that they need to do special things under like anesthesia and stuff like that. So they have those specialties. But yeah, it is limited because every dentist should be able to treat every type of person with any type of need. Right. So I'd I'd for sure say it is it's limited, you know, and it's hard for those parents because they aren't able to get the access to them.

Stephanie London: [00:04:55] Yeah. No, it's definitely limited. And like you say, all children should be able to. Go to the dentist, and I know we were speaking in our last podcast with Megan Gallant about how one of her children, she's five years old and she's actually never been to the dentist because of sensory challenges and she has autism. So it's definitely a barrier in the dental environment for sure. And it's so cool, you were talking about you were an ABA therapist. So I was just wondering if you could talk a bit about the strategies and tips that you took away from ABA therapy that you use in the dental environment with your clients.

Laura Swinburne: [00:05:29] Yeah. So when and I've kind of trained the receptionist that I work with on this. So if a child calls with, not a child, but a parent calls with a child who has special needs. I kind of tell them to follow these steps. So, first of all, create a social story or read a book beforehand, right, in order to familiarize the child about going to the dentist in a very calm setting. Right. So you're at home, you're reading the story, you're in the comfort of your home. So that's step one. Next, I always I always offer and the dentist is very open to it, I've been working with him for seven years, And he's you Whatever you want to do, you do, Laura. So I tell them to bring the child in for a tour when it's not a busy time. So when there's no clients in, so they don't hear any sounds because there's some scary sounds at the dentist office. They can walk around, they can meet the reception staff, they can meet the hygienist, they can meet the dentist, sit in the chair. And like I said, it's no pressure. Right. So you go at their rhythm. So that's what I kind of tell the receptionist to tell the parents. And then also the pictograms. Right. So you can have you can create one for the dentist office, so we can tell the parents exactly what we do. So like step one is going in, you know, step two sitting in the waiting area. So you put all these pictograms. And if that's the type of, you know, visual stimuli that the child needs in order to feel comfortable, then that's what we'll do. You know, it's why not?

Chelsea Bloom: [00:06:49] It's super interesting that you said all of this, because we're actually working also on a dentistry course. And one of the aspects that we're trying to teach is how can you make the experience better for a child? And we're trying to do the same thing about this story of taking pictures of the dentist to help prepare children for this experience. And we also talked about the idea of having them do a tour or like a video tour, also to help prepare them because of getting rid of this like unknown to help them be more comfortable. So you were giving some tips, but do you think you could try to like discuss with a bit of some of the barriers that you think exist? So like, for example, I know you're saying when it's not a busy time, when it's a busy time, it could be overwhelming. So is there any more aspects that you think could be difficult for people with sensory sensitivities?

Laura Swinburne: [00:07:46] Yeah, I mean, there's so many things in the dentist world. Just the fact of like, can we use toothpaste on them? Is the texture of the toothpaste, is it going to bother them? And said, you know, like set off a reaction. Right. So that's one of them. The noise that all the instruments make. Just the light in their eyes. Right. They have to wear sunglasses. They have to wear a bib. The x rays themselves, it's there's so many things. I mean, the telephone ringing, the people walking in and out. So I don't know if you want tips of like what I kind of do in the dentist office. Yeah. So I kind of, if I know that I'll have, we have three different rooms, so if I know that I have a child who has special needs, I pick the quieter of the three rooms, that's kind of off to the side. It's not near the dentist's office. So they don't hear the drill going.  I always make them make choices. Right. So offer two different things. So do you want to sit in the chair first or do you want like me to count your teeth first? So just giving them that control allows them to feel more comfortable. The toothpaste, I always give a choice too. Do you want chocolate? Gross, I know, but do you want chocolate or strawberry? I actually it's funny. I know one of my patients. And he's not on the spectrum, I don't think. But he might be there, but he's coming to see me on Friday. And I saw him the other day randomly.

Laura Swinburne: [00:09:11] And I said, oh, make sure you choose, like make sure you think about what type of toothpaste you want. And he was like, well, I want chocolate like last time. And I was like, I don't even remember giving you chocolate last time. So just giving him that choice allowed him to next time feel comfortable to be like, oh, I want to do that again, you know, so I give them the choices. Also, I don't know if you guys have kind of thought of this, but a lot of kids and especially now, it's like more of a trend, the weighted blankets. So, how they ease anxiety. So, the dental apron for taking x rays is exactly that. So what I do is I say, do you want me to give you something to like to help relax. And then I put the weighted apron on them and they actually feel more comfortable. So that's something that I don't think a lot of people think about. And I would really, really suggest hygienists and dentists to use that as a tool for sure. Otherwise, I think I got off topic. But what other things do I use? Taking X-rays is really hard on kids who have sensory needs. So we try our best. You know, I never force any anybody to do something that they can't physically or they don't want to do, because then the chance of them trying to do it again later is very, very zero to none. So Actuary's is definitely a huge, huge, huge barrier in the dentistry world. Yeah.

Stephanie London: [00:10:41] Yeah. And, you know, you're giving it Laura. You're giving us liquid gold here because you're bringing up all of the eight senses in terms of your tips and strategies to help clients like both with the weighted vest and then like for taste wise, you're giving the choice with different toothpaste, which is great because you're really giving the clients a choice and you're touching every single sense. So everyone's different. Everyone's going to be sensitive to different senses. So it's important to be client-centered in that sense. So it's really good that you're giving all these tips and tricks, because what you're describing is exactly the sensory friendly dental environment that we're trying to promote and advocate for. You know, so it’s really good that you are bringing up all of these different suggestions and ideas. I know you're kind of giving us your perspective as a dental hygienist, but could you give us a bit of your perspective on being a parent in the dental environment?

Laura Swinburne: [00:11:37] I sure can. So I actually brought my two year old and my three and a half year old about a month ago, my daughter. It was her second time to the dentist. My son, it was his first time. Just as another fact is that you should bring your kids earlier as soon as you can, as soon as their teeth start coming out, that's when you should bring them for their first dental visit just to familiarize them with the dentist. The dentist can just kind of make sure they're growing in properly. And the younger they are, the less that they'll feel, you know, pressured. You know, it's been five years that they have never been to a dentist. So the older they get, the more skeptical they become. Right. Of the unknown. So, yeah, I brought my son. He's two, because of Covid, I was not able to bring him in earlier, but from a parent's perspective, so walking in, it was at my office, so I'm very well aware of everything that happened. But the dentists themselves, choose a dentist who you feel comfortable with. First of all, make sure that they have the right personality that you enjoy going to see them. You know, I hope and wish that every dentist was like my dentist. And who has a bubbly personality, is silly, you know, makes little jokes with the kids. That, to me is really important, just gaining their trust. And then in the actual chair.

Laura Swinburne: [00:12:58] So my daughter, she was fine. She was able to sit in the chair. She opened her mouth. We practiced beforehand. You know, me being a hygienist, I obviously floss and brush their teeth, but I practice with them over and over. OK. Open your mouth. I'm going to count your teeth. So for parents, that's such an essential thing, is to start practicing beforehand, making sure that they're comfortable with somebody in their mouth. You know, if it's the parent, if it's somebody else, I don't know. As long as you have gloves on, it's OK. But just making sure that they're comfortable. And then so my daughter went OK, but my son, he had a harder time. He saw my daughter go first. So that's another thing that as a parent, it's really important if you're bringing siblings to make sure that the one who goes first is the one who's comfortable and who will make a good reaction for the other one to see. Right. So obviously, kids learn through what's it called and mimicking modeling. There you go. Yeah, sorry. I couldn't think of the word. Yeah. Through modeling. That's it. So, yeah, so having the first one go, being all calm in the chair and being able to go through it all. Well, you wish that I would show them what they're supposed to do. It did it. So what ended up happening with a lot of infants and babies is what we have to do is we have to do a lap exam instead.

Laura Swinburne: [00:14:13] So what it is, is that you're in the chair as a parent and this parent shouldn't feel like this is something, you know, that we're torturing the kid. It's not a Covid test. It's not anything. It's them feeling comfortable because they have the comfort of you and they're sitting on you. And then the dentist is just looking into the mouth. And sometimes it's easier to do the exam when the child's crying. I know for some parents it's hard to hear, but the mouth is open, so it's actually easier. So for what I had to do for my two year old is that I had to actually he would sit on me, facing me with his legs around me, and then I would lean him back onto the dentist knees. And it's called a lap exam, because then the child's head is in the lap and he can look inside the child's mouth without him struggling, you know, or kicking him or anything like that. So for that for parents, I would say just that's a normal a normal thing, OK, for the child to sit on you or, you know, the dentist have to do a lap exam. That's something that's very, very common. And don't feel like it's a torturous thing. It's for the benefit of the child because we need to see the teeth

Chelsea Bloom: [00:15:16] To go into a bit more about your kid's experiences. Is there like particular things that were successful or things that were a bit more challenging? I know you said that your older child has an easier time and you're a younger child, it wasn't the best experience, but for each of them, was there some things that were more successful or more challenging than others?

Laura Swinburne: [00:15:37] For the two of them, I'll say like having the prize at the end, it rewarded them for being there, first of all, and for doing whatever they could. Right. So as a hygienist, for me, it's super important to just use positive reinforcement. Right. Even if the child screamed the whole time, it doesn't matter. They were there, they were present, and they let us do as much as they were comfortable with. So for my kids getting that prize at the end, they both left happy and they're excited and they're like “I love Dr. Bob”. You know, so for me, it was great because they were able to just just be happy. And it was a positive experience, because even though they screamed, they still got the prize at the end. So my daughter, she, what was really fun for her, I guess, was having her own, like because she's at the age that she likes to have her own things, so I explain to her when we went in, I said, this is your bib, these are your glasses to wear during this treatment, you know, really making it about her. Because as a girl, I mean, who doesn't want to be, you know, spoiled? So, yeah, making it about her and really just giving her giving her control almost. Right. Like I said, the asking the questions. She really likes making choices. So for her, that was really key. Whereas my son, he's more materialistic. So the prize at the end, you know, just reminding him, OK, if you open your mouth, you're going to get a prize at the end. And I know rewards, you don't want to always be rewarding them, but I think in a hard situation like that, it was worth it. And he definitely thrived on the reward system at the end.

Stephanie London: [00:17:22] Yeah. So, Laura, what you were just saying about the different needs of, your, both your children, it just kind of highlights the idea of client-centeredness and how different things work for different people. I had a question. I know you used to work at a periodontist clinic back in the day. So I was just wondering if you could tell us a bit about the difference between the clinic you're at now versus the perio clinic and if you use different tips and strategies between the two.

Laura Swinburne: [00:17:49] So basically working in a perio office versus a general dentist, you are, you're doing surgeries, right, in a perio clinic. So it's, for me, I don't see like as a hygienist, I might see them post operations to remove their sutures or even further consultation. So their first visit. But I don't see them during the surgery. So I could tell you what they, what they do to kind of make them relax and to to help them. So what we do is during the consultation, we basically make them feel comfortable. We explain to them at an appropriate level of understanding, depending on how old the kid is, what the operation will entail. So, something as simple as like revealing an eye tooth in order to put a brace on, OK, for the orthodontist to pull down the tooth. OK, that's something that we used to do at the clinic for kids. So we would just explain to them that we'll have to freeze the area. We'll put a little numbing cream. Usually the dentist will ask us or the periodontist will ask us not to explain it and the parents to not talk about it. So even if the kid asks them to explain it, they have better ways at explaining it than the parents do, because the parents tend to say stuff like, oh, I'm going to freeze you, they're going to freeze you and it's going to hurt. And I don't know. I mean, I don't say that to my kids, but a lot of I've heard a lot of parents do that, so we ask them not to. So that's one thing which I guess kind of goes hand-in-hand with just regular dentistry. But we also give them a relaxant if they're over a certain age, to really just kind of calm them down.

Laura Swinburne: [00:19:24] And I think this is in a lot of dentist specialists offices like wisdom, tooth removal and all of this kind of stuff. We give them a relaxant. What else do we do? We let them listen to music. So music is a huge or just even like just the ear, like the earphones, like I have just a sound canceling earphones. We tell the parents that they can bring a pair of that or their favorite music to listen to because they don't want to be hearing anything in the dental chair. You have dentists working over, you know, there's blood, there's this, there's that. So we try to kind of distract them as much as we can during the procedure, again, blanket on them, relieve that anxiety. So that's a huge thing for surgeries because it is a very anxiety inducing scenario or setting. So we try to limit that as much as we can. And then for the removal of sutures and stitches at the end, as a hygienist, I would say that that's definitely different than regular dentistry, because I don't do that in my regular office. But the kids, usually are really are really good with it to be honest, I mean, I've I worked I actually in my office, I worked with two special needs children. One was for cleanings and one was I had to remove sutures and stuff snd it was explaining, just explaining what you're doing. You know, first I'm going to cut the suture here. Then you're going to feel a tickle and I'm going to pull it out, you know, just kind of explaining it to them, asking their permission, can I do this? Can I do this? I was helpful.

Christel Seeberger: [00:20:57] Laura, I have a little I have a little question that I want to I want to ask you about. And you've talked about children and sort of regular dentistry and children with periodontal work. And we do talk about sensory challenges across the lifespan. And you said, you know, you've worked with older and senior clients as well. Are there any, I'll say different barriers or different tips and strategies that you've been able to introduce that might just be, are they the same for, you know, adults and seniors or are there they're different ideas of ways to overcome barriers at different ages?

Laura Swinburne: [00:21:42] So a lot of them, especially if they're like high anxiety, if they have high anxiety, a lot of the the ways that I present things are still the same. You know, even with an adult, I'll still explain what I'm doing. Right, because that's super important. I mean, consent is obviously like the number one thing. Right. So you need to make sure that you're explaining, is it OK that I do this? Is it OK that I do this? Can I take your x rays or do you feel comfortable this way? Like, I don't know, just talking to them about it and explaining that's my number one rule. And then obviously, I've worked with people who have Parkinson's and different barriers. Right. So you'll have to use different tools and stuff. If they can't hold their mouth open, you'll have to use a bite block. So there are a lot of barriers, not just with sensory needs. Right. There's there's so much people have high gag reflexes. That's a whole other scenario in itself. So there's definitely different barriers. But I think the explanation to people beforehand and explaining step by step what you're doing really helps just with general anxiety and general issues

Chelsea Bloom: [00:22:50] Throughout your examples and everything that you're saying, it's very clear how you want to treat each patient the best that you can and that you use a very individualized approach. I think Stephanie has already mentioned client centered care many times in our conversation today. But it's exactly this. It's really valuing giving your patient the best care by focusing on what specific to them and making these simple yet super important accommodations that can truly improve one's experience. For example, you were talking about giving a patient with autism the choice of the toothpaste that will be used or a different tool is being used for individuals with Parkinson's or even using a weighted vest or weighted blanket to help people who are anxious. So this is definitely something to consider in the field of dentistry, especially when working with people with sensory sensitivities, because it could be challenging due to all the sensory stimuli associated with the dentist office. And we know that there are a lot of people involved in providing care to a patient. So I wanted to ask you what you think are some important characteristics and qualities of this team consisting of the patient, the parent, especially if we're talking about children, the dentist, the hygienist, the assistant and the secretaries that can ultimately improve the care being provided to the patient.

Laura Swinburne: [00:24:02] Yeah. So I think what you're talking about when you mentioned like that, we're very being a hygienist, you have to be very personable. You have to be very inviting. You have to be calm. You have to have patience. I think those are all qualities that a hygienist needs. Obviously, they have to be competent in their skills. But I mean, those are like the basis of, you know, being, you're working with people. Right. So same as your jobs as OTs, you're working with children or people. So you need to be able to get down to their level. You know, be silly if they're silly, be serious if you have a serious patient in your chair, you know, really, really be like all around adaptable. So I guess for, to be like a cohesive team, you really need the same personalities, but also everybody has to bring their own right. So in terms of, I'll just talk about my team, kind of. So we have about, let me see, we have one dentist, an assistant, two hygienists, sometimes three, and then we have two receptionists and the receptionists both bring a little bit of something different from each of them. So one of them is very bubbly, one of them's very personable, and then the other one's a little bit more quiet.

Laura Swinburne: [00:25:14] So you can see it when you walk in the clinic. You know who says hi first and who says, you know, with the kids, they're very like, “oh, my gosh, it's your first time here. It's so exciting.” Whereas the other one might be dealing with the other client who's paying. So having that dynamic between the two of them really works in our clinic. As for the assistant, because so the dentist is definitely with the child or with the client most of the time. But when they're doing their exams and they're out of the room, the assistant is actually the one who's sitting with the client, making them feel comfortable, talking to them, doing, preparing and getting all the stuff ready. Right. So for an assistant, you have to be able to talk and not a lot of people. Well, I guess just my husband. But they don't possess that quality. You know, they don't have that ability to just talk about anything. Right, because you're going to be talking about the weather, the Olympics, the anything that's happening in the world today, just to kind of get them comfortable and start talking about anything. Right. So an assistant for sure has to be personable in that sense, that they have to be able to start a conversation to carry one.

Laura Swinburne: [00:26:20] In Quebec, obviously, it's bilingual. Right. So I have a lot of it's 50/50 Francophone and Anglophone clients. So the bilingualism also helps, for me to communicate and to make that rapport with the clients. So definitely for an assistant, I would say, like somebody who likes to talk is definitely an asset for a dentist. Yeah, just being calm, being able to be silly, that kind of personality is really, really great. But also my boss, he's very he's a good boss. So for us, like we go to him and he's very open to if we need something specific for a client or if we want to do our appointment this way, like he's very open to suggestion and kind of gives us the reins, but also knows how to rein it in. Right. If he's like, no, I don't think you should do it this way. So for a dentist, they have to be able to be a good boss, but also be a team player. Right. And then, yeah, as I had this, like I was saying, just being able to be personable. So we all kind of complement each other and we all have our quirky traits. But I think as a team, as long as the dentist office is flowing, well, then everybody fits in.

Stephanie London: [00:27:34] Yeah. No, that's great. Definitely talking about being able to communicate with others and kind of find out what they need during the interaction, but also communication between team members is also important. How do you find your communication between you and the dentist or other staff members? Like what do you guys use during an appointment to make it more comfortable for the patient?

Laura Swinburne: [00:28:01] So we're very old school, we get up to go get the dentist. I know. And I'll talk about my perio clinic because they're more up to date with those types of things we use completely digital system. So all of our charting is digital. All of our communications are all digital. So we would have, instead of having to get out of the room and I like this, right, because you want to stay with your patient. You want to make sure that they're not left alone for too long because then their thoughts go wild about the dentist. So being able to stay in the room and just click the mouse to be able to give like a little color change in your chart to say that you're ready for an exam was really a great tool that we had at my perio clinic. And I think, like I said, that just being able to stay in the room saying, OK, I've notified the dentist that we're ready for an exam, it shouldn't be too long. And then we go into oral hygiene instruction. So I always did that while I was waiting for the dentist just to kind of segway into it. So we're not just sitting there talking about the weather, but at this dental office, I physically have to get up and go tell the dentist I'm ready for an exam. And then I come back to the dental chair. So I think that if a dentist is looking for a way to facilitate the ease of a client in the chair, definitely digital notifications or like a messaging system would definitely be helpful instead of the hygienist actually getting up and walking out of the room, leaving them alone with everything. So just a little tidbit

Stephanie London: [00:29:29] When a patient does require some type of accommodation. So let's say you do put the weighted vest on or they like a certain type of toothpaste or they don't want to look at something specific in the room. Do you guys note that down in the patient charts that way you're always prepared for when the client comes in next time.

Laura Swinburne: [00:29:47] Definitely, it definitely helps, yeah. I have notes in my patients charts about, you know, oh, the water was too cold that day for them, you know, in the in our Cavitron instrument. So it's it makes it makes my job easier because then we don't have to repeat it. It makes the next person's job easier in case I'm not the one seeing them. But it also makes the clients experience better. Right. So, you know, and that makes them feel special that you remember that they used chocolate toothpaste or that, you know, they like the light a certain way. So for me, it was all about just making my life easier and the client's life easier.

Chelsea Bloom: [00:30:23] Yeah, I think I think that's a great idea, because ultimately it will help improve the patient's experience over the years as they get more comfortable with you. And like the dental clinic and all the staff there, because they know that, like you remember the specific thing. So I think that's like a really good idea. I just wanted to go back a bit and tell how you were comparing your periodontist clinic versus the one you're at now and how it's like was more digital, do you think, with technology as clinics become like more modern? Do you think that makes it easier to accommodate patients with sensory challenges or sensory needs?

Laura Swinburne: [00:31:04] I think that it does, because like I'll just take X-rays for an example. So before when used to have to do an X-ray, used to have to dip it in like the solution and do all like it was a really long process. And so when I'm talking about even just getting out of the room to leave the patient alone, obviously in a special needs case, you might not want to leave them alone in the room. Right. If they especially if they don't have somebody assisting them. So just being digital in that sense really helps because you don't have to leave the setting. But for digital X-rays, because you want to do it really quickly for those with special needs. Right. You don't want it to be a prolonged situation. The digital X-rays really help because it's automatic. So as soon as you press the button, it's done. You can run back in. You can go do the next one. Whereas when you used to have the films and moving out of the Stone Age of Dentistry, when. Yeah, when you start the films, it took a really long time and you'd have to leave the room to develop them. You'd have to, you know, take probably like five, 10 minutes in order to develop them. So it was really long. So going forward and going into the future with dentistry really facilitates things for sure, especially for people who have special needs or who have special things that you need to do during the appointment. Definitely. And for charting and stuff like I don't have to remove my gloves every time to write some notes. I'll just writeit all at the end in my computer. So that definitely helps to.

Chelsea Bloom: [00:32:31] So it like it's more like efficient, which I guess is helpful when you have patients who you want to make the experience as pleasant and as short as possible. But if you were, let's say if we can't for the dentist clinics that can't do the more modern equipment, whether it's like the space or money reasons or anything like that, is there any, like, key messages that you think could help improve the experience?

Laura Swinburne: [00:33:04] Maybe. Are we talking about what we what the dentist could do in their office? Yeah. OK, so what I would say and what I had at the perio office was a hygienist assistant. So one that helped the hygienist, just the hygienist. So they would go from room to room with the hygienist and they would see if they needed anything. So in these older clinics and I worked in some before, that they still had the not a lot, but some of them still had the processing and the red light room and stuff like that. But having a an assistant available in order for them to process the things for you, that definitely, I would say, would be 100 percent like a good way to put your money to something as a dentist, because the hygienist is there to to to work with the client and not to do those background things unless absolutely necessary. So to facilitate those situations, I would say having an assistant or having somebody who can help you out would definitely be helpful.

Stephanie London: [00:34:00] Yeah, exactly. And also, you're talking about a major theme that you were talking about even when going digital, is that it helps with time efficiency. So if a clinic doesn't have those financial means or they're not fully digital. There are other ways that you can provide the same kind of patient interaction and experience by being time efficient. So another one is also like reducing wait times for the patients in the waiting room, because that'll help their experience and it won't lead them to getting anxious or building up the thought of what the appointment will be like. So there's ways to kind of simulate that same experience, but without being so digital and putting out those financial means, because not all dental clinics can do that, you know?

Laura Swinburne: [00:34:43] Exactly. Yeah. Another, so just going back off your topic stuff, sorry. But being on time. So for me as a hygienist, I am I'm super punctual as a person in itself. But that is a key thing as a hygienist and a lot of the times as the dentist, that slows us down. But being a hygienist, you have to be on time, right? Because you have the patients who, you know, they get anxious in the waiting room. If you know you're going to be late, maybe call them before and tell them, OK, we're going to be 15 minutes late if you want to wait in your car or only come in, you know, 15 minutes later, that might help ease their anxiety. So for a reception staff or for dental staff to maybe do that if you are going to be late, but we try as hard as you can to not be late and to be on time just because of these people who may have those anxieties.

Chelsea Bloom: [00:35:28] Hmm. I think that's a really good point also that you just said also to go back to kind of to what Steph was saying and how you were saying like to have the assistant also allows you to stay with the patient as long as possible. So it keeps them like comfortable and not scared when someone's going to leave the room and they're looking at all the tools around them, especially if they're a younger child or not, like the complete understanding of everything around them.

Laura Swinburne: [00:35:54] That's it at a dentist's office. Right. You have so many sharp instruments. You have the needle, you have this that, you know, you can't leave a patient on their own with it because you don't know what they'll touch out of, just, you know, curiosity. Right. And a lot of the kids with special needs definitely have a lot of questions and curiosity. Right. So it's definitely something that no, you can't leave them alone.

Christel Seeberger: [00:36:14] Before we wrap up, Laura, I wanted to give you an opportunity, because you have such a variety and experience and perspectives. If you had, thinking about people of, you know, of different ages, but if you had sort of one last take home message for parents, one last take home message for patients, of any age, and maybe one last take home message for dental teams. What would what change would have the most impact for just dealing with people who have sensory challenges?

Laura Swinburne: [00:37:02] Yeah. So I would say, I'm going to touch on each one of them, OK, so for the parents one, I would say bring them bring the kid into one of your appointments, you know, go together with your spouse if you have one or with a partner or a grandparent or something like that while you have a dentist appointment and allow the child to see what they're doing to you. Right. So as an adult, usually it goes pretty smoothly. So you would have the child there. Sometimes the dentists are great. You know, they give the child the glass and they say, come closer, Dr. So-and-so. You know, let's check your mom's teeth. You know, so they're very interactive. They help to kind of get them introduced to that dentistry world. Right. So for the parents, I would say, yes, definitely bring them to their appointment, prepare them beforehand with stories, not horror stories. Good stories like in children's books. And if you need some suggestions, I definitely have some books that I can suggest. OK, then for the patients, I think was the second one. OK, so for the patients themselves, I would say bring something that makes you feel comfortable. So either if it's a weighted blanket, bring it. If it's, you know, you like a specific flavor of toothpaste.

Laura Swinburne: [00:38:16] Tell the hygienist what you like. Don't be afraid to speak. Speak out, because a lot of us don't know what you like. And unless you say, you know oh, I don't like that scraper instrument, I don't like the feeling of it, you know, we have other things we can use. But if you don't tell us, we can't adjust for you. Right. So just kind of tell us what how you're what you're comfortable with. Right? We're not mind readers. We try to be. But I mean. Yeah. Tell us what you're comfortable with. And then for dental teams. So having, I think a lot of it is we need, dental teams need to have like a tool kit, OK? They need to have, I don't know, a list of things that will help in the dental setting in order to to help with these special needs cases. Right. So they need to make sure they have like a weighted blanket or a set of headphones to block the noise. They need to have patience, obviously. Well, for their clients. But, yeah, just having different choices. Like I said in toothpaste, a lot of the times, just to go on a tangent, you know, those little toothpaste they use, they're very granular.

Laura Swinburne: [00:39:30] Right. And that's and I don't like that feeling. I actually don't like the toothpaste. And so I'll just use regular toothpaste like Crest or Colgate, as long as there's something to polish. So a lot of the times, instead of that type of toothpaste, if a child doesn't like it, I'll actually take one of the sample ones and use that instead. There's bubblegum flavor, so I'll use that. So having those available things available in your clinic in order to offer them the choices really, really helps. And also last thing, because I'm just remembering my experience with one of my kids who I'm seeing on Friday. I asked him to help a lot. So our X-ray sensor is across the clinic, I said, oh, do you want to come with me to go and grab the sensor and then we can plug it in together. So making them part of the experience puts them at ease. So on top of patience, you have to be able to guide them through the experience with you. Right. It's a team it's a team effort, I think, from client to parent to hygienist to dentist. It really is a team effort. And yeah, I hope that every dental office will eventually be sensory friendly and will be able to incorporate those steps.

Christel Seeberger: [00:40:39] Absolutely delightful. Laura, as Chelsea or Stephanie said earlier, like liquid gold or we're gold plating the teeth, I think, with all of the wonderful tips that you've provided today. I do. Just to close out, can you share again where folks, listeners, can find you and maybe just list off just a few of the books. Right. That you have available that are really a key strategy to help, in particular young children?

Laura Swinburne: [00:41:14] Yeah, for sure. So for me, for my books, I also post, I don't post much dentistry, but I definitely do post a lot of sensory friendly things so they can find me on Instagram. It's @laurasbooknook, and it's through Usborne books at home. So I'm a consultant. And a lot of our books, we have books such as like what are feelings? all about feelings we have. Going to the Dentist, which is a first experience book, other first experience ones that we have are going to the doctor, going to the hospital. Those are for more the younger kids. But then we also have like lift the flap books for the older kids and those we have like going to the hospital, different jobs. So it does talk about dentistry and that how do we brush your teeth, which is a huge one. How to use the potty. So just going off tangent, but all these lift the flap books that are super interactive are really, really great for kids, just getting them interested and speaking about topics, but like on their level. Right. So it's not complicated text. It's very simple phrases that you can explain to the kids. But having those resources at home to speak about beforehand and to go over with them and even role play. Right. And my kids love to dress up. They love to do different things. I mean, throw a, throw one of your dress shirts on a kid and they're a dentist, right. So, yeah, that's something that's really important to me. And I'm so passionate about in these books that I have a lot of parents who have thanked me for providing them with resources for their kids before these experiences.

Christel Seeberger: [00:42:43] We thank you, too, Laura.

Laura Swinburne: [00:42:46] Yeah, thanks for having me. It was really a pleasure. I really appreciate it.

Chelsea Bloom: [00:42:49] Thank you to Laura Swinburne, a dental hygienist, for discussing with us the importance of integrating consent and choice throughout an appointment to help create positive experiences in the dental environment. Laura has highlighted for us what a sensory friendly dentistry team can look like and what a difference that makes for the patient experience. Laura explained how important it is to talk patients through procedures and give them a play by play of what she will be doing as she does it so that they're informed and prepared throughout the visit. She also shared various strategies that can help make dental care more inclusive and accommodating environment, such as the use of a lap exam for young children that are unable to undergo a routine exam, which is also discussed in our conversation with Dr Rachel Korman. We are very lucky to have had the opportunity to discuss these difficult, but necessary topics of conversation and hope that you, our listeners, are enjoying and learning a bit more about sensory difficulties in the dental environment, as well as strategies to be able to create a positive experience for those living with sensory challenges. Stay tuned for more rich conversations. Have a sensory friendly day.