STORY: PATIENT COMFORT

SCRIPT #505 SHOOT: 3/4/05

AIRDATE: Monday, April 21, 2003

DHC Master #17 Timecode: 41:36 Forty million Americans share one fear in

common. They are afraid of the dentist or

dental treatment.

Many dental offices now cater to the

dental phobic.

Dr. Linda Niessen shows how a patient’s

anxiety can be lowered significantly in

SOVT: 1:48 Today’s Dental Health Check.

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SUSAN IN DENTAL CHAIR (“Just the thought of it starts to get me nervous. The day I have to come, I come in

SUPER: Carrollton :01-04 with sweaty palms, my heart racing.”)

TWO-SHOT Susan Hancz hates to go to the

dentist.

SUPER: Susan Hancz :04-08 (“Putting off appointments because I don’t

Dental Patient want to face that. So I went a long time without coming to the dentist because I didn’t want to have to go through that.”)

ON CAMERA (STAND-UP BRIDGE)

SUPER: Dr. Linda Niessen :21-26 Many dentists not only try to make

Baylor College of Dentistry treatment pain free. But they also want to

help the patient enjoy being at the dentist. In this office, the dentists offer patients a comfort list.

COMFORT LIST (VOICE-OVER)

From music to pillows, electric massagers

to aromatherapy….

DR. WILLISON Dr. Anna Willison puts patient comforts

First.

SUPER: Dr. Anna Willison :44-49 (“The most popular one is the headphone

Dentist sets. We have a wide variety of CDs that they can choose from. What that does is helps them concentrate on something else, takes them a little bit somewhere else.”)

Page 2 Patient Comforts

YELLOW PAGE AD A special Yellow pages advertisement

says “we baby chickens.”

DR. WILLISON (“And you wouldn’t believe how many patients we get from that ad. They say I saw this thing, your ad that says we baby chickens. Is that true?”)

SLEEP MEDICATION For the very fearful patient, many dental offices now offer prescription

PATIENT SLEEPING IN CHAIR medication that can be taken before a dental

visit. Patients can sleep through an appointment.

SUSAN IN CHAIR WITH HEADSET Susan has conquered her fear of dentistry.

So now, she will not pass down that

phobia to her children---triplets—who

love to come to the dentist with their

TRIPLETS WITH SUSAN mother.

SUSAN HANCZ (“Each time I come in, they give me the

comfort list, we pick what is going to help

me get through that visit.”)

CLOSE UP/PAN OF COMFORT LIST

ON CAMERA (STAND-UP CLOSE)

If you are a chicken when it comes to the

dentist, start searching for an office that

will do their best to make you feel

comfortable, so that you won’t put off your

next appointment. For Baylor College of

Dentistry, Texas A & M System, I’m Dr.

Linda Niessen.

Viewer note:

Dr. Anna Willison is located in

Carrollton. 3610 N. Josey Lane,

Suite 104 972-395-9292

website: www.yourprettysmile.com