Okay. I know what you think. Why would we even discuss different perceptions about dental clinics? Surely, it is not as controversial as abortion or divorce. What can we possibly learn by discussing a dental clinic? Well, we can learn parts of human behavior. By analyzing the attitude of different groups toward dental clinics and dental care as a whole, we can peek at each group’s shared perceptions. Because I can’t gather all the groups and subgroups in our society, I will just pick a handful of them. We have these groups with us: the parents, the kids, the teenagers, and the professionals.
Parents
Parents only want their children to excel at everything-or, if they are not perfections, not suck at everything. That is true in every aspect of their kids’ lives. Why would it be any different with dental care? It does not matter that they themselves have questionable dental practices. Their focus here is their children, and they do not want them to grow old with rotten teeth or a gape tooth. Parents are also naturally pushers. So, even if their children do not want to go anywhere a dental clinic, they will still push them to go because they believe that id the right thing for their kids.
Kids
On the contrary, kids love provoking their parents. The dental clinic is either an opportunity for them to piss their parents off or to make a bargain with them. The usual dialogues are, “I don’t want to go!” “I’d rather play Halo.” “I will only go if… ” The list of reasons goes on. Kids always need to have reasons before their parents can persuade them to do something or go somewhere. On the other hand, they can easily be tricked too. So, it is not really hard for parents to get their way as well. It is just a matter of identifying who is the smarter schemer: the parents or the kids. It depends on particular families of course.
Teenagers
Okay. Let us try to think about what teenagers surround their lives. According to studies, teenagers are mostly prone to angst, insecurity, and self-absorption. Most likely, their perceptions of dental clinics are that of aesthetics. This is the time when kids start feeling insecure and vain enough to try to alter all their insecurities in their bodies. This, of course, includes teeth whitening, teeth straitening, and breath control. They will do anything to improve their image in front of their peers.
Young Professionals and Adults
These groups of people are most likely practical and efficient. Well, it is because either they are planning to start on a family of their own or they already have one. Generally speaking, people at this age are not so concerned with vanity. Even if they do not subscribe to all the procedures of dental care (i.e., flossing and mouthwash), they most likely will not jeopardize regular dental clinic checkup. This is understandable. Professionals do not have much time in their hands for personal necessities.
