The essence of Slow Dentistry
Our work ethic is supported by the Slow Dentistry cornerstones.
A dentist accredited by Slow Dentistry takes the time to ensure the safety and well-being of their patients at every appointment and the 4 universally accepted cornerstones that guide them are both a right and a responsibility.
Because Slow Dentistry is focused on promoting safety, well-being and comfort for everyone.
Room Disinfection
The foolproof way to ensure high quality and safe patient care in any dental clinic starts with the fundamental basics: room disinfection. Each treatment room – surfaces, dental chair and instruments – is thoroughly disinfected in between appointments, with cleaning products sitting for about 10 minutes in order to guarantee that their bactericidal, fungicidal and antiviral effects have time to work their cleanliness magic. In addition to preventing cross-contamination, nothing instils more trust, safety and wellbeing in a patient than knowing and seeing that proper disinfection protocols are a priority at their clinic.
Informed Consent
Open, honest and clear communication between dentists and patients pave the way for long-lasting, trustworthy relationships. Practitioners take the time to carefully explain the risks, rewards and costs of any treatment plan upfront. Patients have complete access to their clinical case information and formulate their acceptance of the protocol presented. The dental experience is comfortable and anxiety-free for both.
Proper Anaesthesia
Every person reacts differently to pain and has different pain thresholds. Every dental patient has the right to a pain-free treatment. A Slow Dentistry practitioner knows this and applies anaesthesia accordingly. This means that because not all teeth reach the state of numbness at the same speed, it may take longer for anaesthesia to take full effect on some patients and less on others. Dentists must ensure not only precise administration of anaesthesia, but guarantee it takes full effect before initiating any dental procedure.
Rubber Dam
Considered one of the most essential elements in safe, gold standard dentistry, a rubber dam is a latex or nitrate sheath used to completely isolate any tooth that will be undergoing treatments such as root canals or deep fillings. Its goal is to not only prevent the patient from swallowing any products or sharp instruments, but also avoid cross-contamination in the mouth. Although the rubber dam setup requires time and skill, a Slow Dentistry practitioner will not work without one.
These 4 universally accepted cornerstones can be practised anywhere in the world, by any dentist, because they do not rely on high-tech equipment, fancy resources or large investments. They simply rely on the desire to take the time to practice quality patient care.
