The COVID-19 pandemic has had a huge impact on mental health conditions worldwide and there’s been a noticeable elevation in patients’ levels of anxiety. As practitioners, it’s important to meet patients where they’re at and use all the tools you have at your disposal to make their experience as pleasant and stress-free as possible. This week on Everyday Oral Surgery we’re excited to welcome back Dr. Robert McNeill, DDS, MD to talk about how to use meditation and relaxation in dental practices as well as in daily life. In our conversation, Dr. McNeill shares how he first became interested in using meditation in response to his own problems with stress and cardiovascular health. He describes some of the incredible, measurable effects that a simple intervention like daily meditation can have on your overall health and how he uses it in his practice. We delve into the mind-body connection, how to harness it, and some of the simple steps you can take if you’re new to meditation. You’ll also hear Dr. McNeill explain how dental anxiety and pain can be managed by both pharmacological methods and non-pharmacological methods, and how to combine them for maximum efficacy. Tune in to learn more about how to make your practice a more calming and welcoming environment, why these interventions are so important, and much more!

Key Points From This Episode:

• Introducing today’s return guest, oral and maxillofacial surgeon Dr. Robert McNeill, DDS, MD.
• How Dr. McNeill first became interested in meditation.
• Some of the ways that stress was affecting Dr. McNeill’s cardiovascular health.
• An overview of the benefits of meditation and gratitude journaling.
• How dental anxiety and pain can be managed by both pharmacological methods and non-pharmacological methods, or a combination of both.
• Why non-pharmacological management techniques are so fascinating and important.
• How a history of marijuana use affects people’s tolerance to anesthesia.
• Some of the first steps you can take if you’re new to meditation.
• How mobile apps and online resources can facilitate your meditation journey.
• The calming effect that your voice can have on a patient.
• The incredible role that communication plays in our lives and its far-reaching impacts. 
• The concept of amygdala hijacking and some helpful resources to understand it better.
• How Dr. McNeill has blended relaxation into everything he does at his practice.
• Why everyone should embrace being a life-long learner.

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

The Dental Specialists — https://www.dfwdentalimplants.com/

Robert G. McNeill on LinkedIn — https://www.linkedin.com/in/bobddsmd/

Effect of Heartfulness Meditation on Anxiety and Perceived Pain in Patients Undergoing Impacted Third Molar Surgery — https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34097862/

Marconi Union - Weightless (Official 10 Hour Version) — https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qYnA9wWFHLI

American Society of Clinical Hypnosis — https://www.asch.net/aws/ASCH/pt/sp/home_page

Changes in brain activity using hypnosis — https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8773773/

Meditation with oral surgery — https://www.joms.org/article/S0278-2391(21)00413-4/fulltext

Meditation and telomere length — https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31903785/

Dr. Grant Stucki Email — [email protected]

Dr. Grant