444: Where is Your Vagus Nerve? - Dr. Kevin Kwiecien - a podcast by ACT Dental

Where is Your Vagus Nerve?

Episode #444 with Dr. Kevin Kwiecien

Whether it’s a bad patient, team member conflict, or just a not-so-great day, those are not life-or-death, fight-or-flight situations. Nothing in dentistry is a “saber-toothed tiger”. So, why do we respond to challenges as if they are? Your brain is the answer, and Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. Kevin Kwiecien to explain what the vagus nerve is, why it’s important, and how you can use it to manage stress. Your energy can impact those around you! To learn how to create a calm, healthy environment for you, your team, and your patients, listen to Episode 444 of The Best Practices Show!

Main Takeaways:

Learn to change your brain.

Be calm to create calm around you.

Have awareness of your tendencies.

Practice meditation on a regular basis.

Create habits to be in parasympathetic tone.

Quotes:

“In 2022, there are no saber-toothed tigers out there. But our reaction if something crazy happens is like when we go back to caveman times when there must be a saber-toothed tiger and I need to be in my amygdala. And you don't. But we don't realize that in 2022, we’re safe. There's not a saber-toothed tiger. But our bodies still respond that way. And so, what can we do to realize that?” (10:52—11:22)

“If I walk in and I'm in fight-or-flight, you don't know and I don't tell you that I'm in fight-or-flight, but because you're another animal, you instinctively pick up on that. It’s the energy. One animal knows when another animal — especially in fight and certainly flight, and we all see freeze as well — the other animals pick up on it. And when we pick up on it, instinctively, we go, ‘Well, I guess I'm in fight-or-flight too. I guess we’re going to battle. I guess I need to be ready for something,’ and the whole energy in the room changes. And we didn't really need it to be. And so, if you, as a leader, as a dentist, are aware of that, think about the impact you have on your team and your patients and those around you.” (13:10—13:50)

“It starts with being aware of self. And if I am a very high D [on the DISC profile] and I am having a conversation with a very high S, I need to be aware of that and I need to flex towards the S. And if the S is flexing towards the D, we meet somewhere in the middle. But the beginning of that is, am I aware that I'm a D? And there are good things about a D. I get stuff done, I'm very direct, and I get stuff done fast. The dilemma of being a D is I can be a little abrasive sometimes. I can be overbearing. And if you don't do it with me, I'll just do it myself. And if I'm aware of that, then I embrace the strengths of my personality profile, my tendencies, and I embrace them and I use them, I maximize their potential.” (20:52—21:45)

“What habits are you creating so that you become — it could be setting your watch — but what are you doing to create new habits to remind you, ‘Oh my gosh, I need to be in parasympathetic tone. I need to take a few deep breaths. I need to tap into my vagus nerve’? And although it sounds simple, it’s not. But that is about the simplest way to start it, is think about how you're breathing, because that always gets you into parasympathetic tone.” (23:52—24:21)

“Your hygienist is not a saber-toothed tiger. The fact that the cord is not going in on the distal-buccal of 18 is not a saber-toothed tiger. The fact that you're even really close to the pulp — luckily, in dentistry, it’s not brain surgery. I don't mean to belittle dentistry, but it’s not a saber-toothed tiger. Our emergencies, our hygienists, everything that goes on in a dental office is not a saber-toothed tiger. But we respond like it is. Instinctively, we respond like it is because we’re humans. So, what can we do to realize that it’s 2022, and it’s not a saber-toothed tiger, and get back into your frontal

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