A very angry mother comes into your dental office, demanding their child be seen for extreme pain caused by their braces. Knowing there is nothing that can be done in your office, how do you respond?

When asked to role-play during a dental school multiple mini interview, pulling from your prior experiences can be the key to making a positive impression on your interviewer. Practice makes perfect, so take the time to rehearse role-playing situations where you have to communicate with upset or angry patients.

When dealing with an angry or offended patient, it is best to take a methodical approach. First, acknowledge their feelings and thoughts so they understand they are being heard. Take the time to listen to them if another person is role-playing as the patient. Show empathy for the child in a painful situation. Be as direct as possible, and explain that her pain is being caused by the braces and that you can't treat that in your office. Offer to refer the child to some great orthodontic providers that you know. Don't be afriad to walk away from a situation that is out of your control and gets hostile.

"Hi Mary, we appreciate you coming in today. What is going on with Joey? Okay, that certainly sounds painful, and if you can give me about 10 minutes to finish what I'm working on, I'd love to take a quick look at him. It sounds like this is being caused by his braces, but I should be able to tell very quickly.

After taking a quick look, I recommend you get in contact with your orthodontist's office to see if he can be seen quickly. Carefully explain the type of pain that he is in, and I'm sure they'll be able to get him in quickly. Unfortunately, my scope of practice is not in orthodontic work, and I simply cannot help Joey right now. Yes, I understand he is in a great deal of pain. In the meantime, I can recommend children's Tylenol for any pain and swelling as directed. Okay, if you are uncomfortable with your current orthodontist, I can give you some great recommendations here in the city that I refer patients to. Valley Orthodontics and NuLine Orthodontics are both great, and I can get you each of their business cards. Alright, take care, and we appreciate you stopping in."