I hadn't realised it before, but dentists are perfectly placed to help people cope with the agonies of life. My dentist, Dr Jacques Terel (you'll have to come to Clichy if you want him to examine your gnashers), didn't realise it either - until he attended a training session in Lille with a colleague who turned out to be something of a guru. Jacques says: «At dentistry school we were taught how to work on teeth. We became technicians. But in Lille I was reminded that teeth come attached to people.»
Now Jacques' mission in life is to bring the art of communication into dentistry. This is partly about talking to patients in order to soothe their nerves. Jacques has become so good at it that he's developed a part-time career as a coach, helping people with mental blocks that have nothing to do with their fear of the drill. His hero is the American life coach Tony Robbins. But he is also on a one-man mission to modernise our experience of the dental surgery. For example, on the clear and attractive website of Cabinet Dentaire Gambetta, none of the four dentists depicted are wearing white coats; although they do have convincingly white smiles. «Marketing is a dirty word in medicine», says Jacques. «But I'm simply trying to make people feel relaxed. We're always encouraged to behave like notables. I want to behave like a human being who empathizes with my patients.»
