Maggie Augustyn

Title : The indispensable benefits of compassion in a dental setting

Abstract:

It’s always been assumed that compassion dispensed by health care provider is healing for a patient. And, yes, it has been shown to, among others, reduce anxiety and increase treatment compliance. This happens as a result of connection and communication within that relationship. Face to face interactions improve neuron mirroring, a phenomenon where we become capable of feeling what another is experiencing simply by watching them.  As important as patient-provider relationships are, general findings show that communication between dentist and patient is the weakest aspect in modern dentistry. Many studies have found a significant decline in empathy among dental students and residents as they gain knowledge and experience in the field. Armored with this information, we must act now to reconnect with those in our care and bring compassion as part of our every day armamentarium. As we do, we will discover, according to literature, that practicing compassion is life changing not just to those who receive it but especially to those who dispense it.The beauty of compassion and empathy truly comes full circle. As providers engage deeper with patients, as they carry them thru their struggles, as they listen to them and heal them, as they take that extra 40 seconds to show concern, they, also heal, they also thrive.

Objectives:

• Review an outdated, yet still practiced, role of a provider lacking compassion
• Examine an inverse relationship between length of education and compassion
• Explain the phenomenon of neuron mirroring as it applies to patient relationships
• Present scientific research in support of a changed dynamic within and its benefits for both the patient and provider. 
• Discuss how mental exhaustion can be prevented in providers with human to human connection

Biography:

Dr. Maggie Augustyn, FAAIP, FICOI is a Dawson trained practicing general dentist, owner of Happy Tooth, author and inspirational speaker. She also holds a faculty position with Productive Dentist Academy.  Augustyn reads, researches, writes, and speaks on the things that make us human, that make us hurt, and that make us come alive. Her personal mission is to ignite people towards a journey of a less tainted self-actualization. Though she has no intention of stepping away from holding a handpiece, she is joining a movement of promoting a paradigm shift in dentistry: a much-needed transition uniting what we experience inside the operatory and that which lies outside of it. She eloquently speaks on giving attention to the things that we suppress in the hopes of making us feel less alone and more connected. She evokes emotion in her audiences, awakening all to the beauty of our chosen paths. She has spoken for study club audiences and has also been a keynote to 300+ group of dental professionals. Dr. Augustyn is one of dentistry’s most prolific writers and a frequent contributor to AGD’s Dental Impact, Dentist Entrepreneur Woman, Dental Entrepreneur, and Dental Economics, DentistryIQ. She takes most pride in her role as a columnist of “Mindful Moments” at Dentistry. Maggie Augustyn has been nominated as Author of The Year at the Dental Festival. She has also been featured on various podcasts and lectures nationally teaching how to create a well-balanced initiative toward leading a fulfilling life as multidimensional humans.