TOLEDO, Ohio — For many, the connection between mental health, oral health and physical appearance may not seem obvious. For one Ohio dentist, their choice to enforce a dress code at their office for patients gained traction on social media.
WTOL 11 asked people in Toledo what they feel about having a dress code for the dentist. Several referred to the old saying "Dress nice to feel nice." But that can conflict with the wish to be comfortable at the dentist.
Some believe that the cost of care shouldn't also come at the cost of comfort.
"Have you seen how expensive health care is in this country? I can show up naked. Pull my tooth," Dave Crumbley said.
Victoria Essing agreed.
"People should feel comfortable going to get a service related to health care done for them," she said. "Feel judgment-free in that area."
For Gemma Sommers, dressing comfortably is important given the uncomfortable operations that can happen at the dentist.
"Sometimes when you're at the dentist, you have some work done on your teeth. Sometimes it hurts. So, you want to be comfortable," Gemma Sommers said.
April Davis has been a dentist for 11 years and currently works in Waterville. She understands the need for comfort.
Since she's worked in public health for years, she has seen it all in terms of dress code. For the last five years at her private practice, Gracious Smiles, Davis said she's able to see both sides of the dress code argument.
While Davis does not have a dress code at Gracious Smiles, she said she understands and supports why a private practice would ask for one.
"You work hard as a private owner to create this atmosphere for your patients," she said. "Not only your patients but yourself and your team. So, they very much have that right to implement those policies for their practice."
However, Davis' immediate approach to the topic of dress code in the office came from a different angle: mental health. She said she likely wouldn't do a sweeping policy for appearance.
She said coming to the dentist is about more than just teeth. It's about checking in on the patient as a whole, not just the mouth the dentist is operating on.
"Let me delve into a conversation. 'How are you?' Not, how are your teeth today? 'How are you doing?' " Dr. Davis said. "We're oral physicians of the mouth. So, we not only look at just that. But your mouth is connected to your whole body."
According to the Oral Health Foundation and the National Library of Medicine, mental health issues can go hand-in-hand with oral health issues. Anxiety, depression and obsessive-compulsive disorder can cause neglect, tooth loss or excessive brushing and flossing.
Some people WTOL 11 spoke with said attention to appearance could just be a difference of age.
"Maybe it's my generation, but I do feel that way," Cathy Limes said. "I feel I have to be, I always say you gotta look in the mirror, whatever you do."
Susan Jagielski said as long as your clothes are clean, it doesn't make a big difference.
Denise Turk raised the point that dressing nicely is not always an option for everyone.
"I would not go dressed like that out of my house, but there are some people that's all they have," Turk said.
Regardless of opinions on the matter, Davis said the goal is communication.
Whether it be in a difference of opinion or a specific choice, it's all about respectfully talking things out. This way, there is the space to create a judgment-free, safe space.