TIPS FOR YOUR PRACTICE

 Chairside communication

REINFORCE THE TREATMENT PLAN

Clinical team members can be very instrumental in setting the stage for case acceptance with effective chairside communication. After patients hear the clinical diagnoses and the dentist’s recommended treatment, they often look to the assistant or hygienist for verification. If the staff says: “Mrs. Parker, you are making a wise decision not to postpone your treatment as this is what can happen if you don’t proceed with treatment soon” or “Many of our patients were hesitant about veneers wondering if it was wise to cover their natural teeth. After their smile was enhanced, their only regret is that they had not done this treatment long ago.” And, “Dr. Brown is a fine dentist. I know because she is also my personal dentist,” alleviates fear and hesitation for the dentistry patients deserve. Dentists can’t toot their own horn and compliment their own skills, but having an enthused team member makes all the difference in case acceptance!

ADDED VALUE VERBIAGE

Instead of saying at the end of a clinical procedure, “If you have a problem, give us a call,” say instead: “We don’t expect any problems but if you have any questions feel free to give us a call.” Instead of quoting a fee at the desk for two fillings say: “Dr. Brown restored 6 surfaces of those 2 teeth.” (Now the patient thinks 6, not 2.) Go on to say: “You may experience a slight discomfort when you eat something cold. Some of our patients experience this but most never do. If it happens, it could last up to three weeks.”

DENTIST TO ASSISTANT COMMUNICATION

Some dentists and assistants waste valuable chairside time talking about topics that patients don’t need to hear. This time could have been used to “talk dentistry.” There is such a small window of time that patients are the captive audience. Mentioning CE courses, talking about new technology and how it can make dentistry easier and better are sample conversations. Even though the dentist and assistant have talked about these topics many times the same week, for the patient in the chair hearing about veneers, cosmetic whitening, laser dentistry or implants for the first time, that’s incredibly educational. This not only makes the patient more informed but they go out of the office and teach others what they learned. This is a huge practice builder and it doesn’t cost a dime.