Hi again,
I’m Dr. Sehar, and today we’re going to talk about something I guarantee you’ve never tried in your INBDE prep…
Improv.
Yes—improvisation.
The kind you see on stage.
The kind comedians use.
The kind that feels completely unrelated to dentistry.
But stay with me. Because it turns out, clinical improv might be your secret weapon for:
Let’s dive in.
Improv in healthcare is a growing field. Medical schools like Stanford and Harvard have been using it to teach:
It’s not about being funny.
It’s about being flexible.
And in the INBDE, flexibility is what gets you through “gray area” questions in ethics, professionalism, and patient management.
Here’s why I use improv-based exercises in my INBDE communication coaching at Dentabest:
| Improv Skill | INBDE Application |
|---|---|
| “Yes, and…” thinking | Acknowledging patient concerns while guiding them toward care |
| Staying in the moment | Reduces overthinking and improves reaction time under pressure |
| Emotional tone-matching | Helps choose the right tone in ethics or consent scenarios |
| Reframing with clarity | Boosts your ability to give neutral, nonjudgmental responses |
Here’s one you can try at home—solo or with a study buddy.
Setup: Pick a typical patient objection like:
“I don’t want a root canal because it sounds scary.”
Your Turn: Respond using this structure:
Now practice variations! Add urgency, emotion, cultural context. This boosts your adaptability under pressure.
The INBDE loves to throw you curveballs:
These questions are less about facts and more about tone.
Improv helps you build emotional fluency, not just verbal accuracy.
I once coached a student, Adeel, who kept missing ethics questions—not because he didn’t know the right actions, but because his answers lacked emotional clarity.
So we practiced simple improv dialogues:
By his next mock, Adeel’s communication scores jumped 20%.
And he started enjoying the process.
At Dentabest, I’ve integrated clinical improv into:
We train your communication muscle—not just your dental vocabulary.
Not at all. Most of my students are reserved. Improv isn’t about being loud—it’s about being emotionally responsive.
Yes! It builds confidence and fast thinking, which applies across all case-based items.
Yes. I use customized improv-style practice in one-on-one sessions to build adaptability and confidence.
The INBDE doesn’t want perfect scripts.
It wants thoughtful, present, compassionate responses.
At Dentabest, I help students prepare for the unpredictable—because dentistry (and life!) rarely follows a script.
Book your FREE 30-minute orientation session at www.dentabest.com to see how improv-style thinking can reshape your communication approach for the INBDE, ADAT, or AFK.
With laughter, logic, and learning,
Dr. Sehar
INBDE/ADAT/AFK Communication Coach | Clinical Improv Facilitator | Founder of Dentabest
