Recently picked up on a post by Joan Forrest of the Dawson Academy in which Joan was reviewing common challenges from dentists around the world. Worth a read if you have a minute (link at the end of this post).
Although not the main focus of the article, Joan made a quote that stood out to me and, I believe, is key to all dentists who wish to improve their patient acceptance ratings.
Like me, Joan is not a dentist but she mixes with and talks to dentists constantly and is in business with some of the best and most successful. I therefore think that she has a pretty good handle on what it takes to make a successful dental practice.
Here's her comment (underlining is mine):
'Finally, regardless of the country or the language, all these dentists asked, “How do I get my patients to accept this treatment, especially when I have been seeing them for years and never told them about the problems I now see and understand?” In any language, the answer is to be sure the patient sees and UNDERSTANDS every problem you see when conducting a complete exam, the implications of each problem and the solution to the cause of the problem. Only when a patient accepts the problem as his and knows what will likely happen if not corrected, will he or she accept the treatment plan presented.'
Obviously I think BiteFX is a great tool for helping patients see and understand what is happening occlusally in their mouths but you might like to consider the following comment from Dr. Don Reid, my BiteFX business partner:
"Patients need to hear and see your belief in what you are doing, your care for them, and your passion for delivering the best results - they need this more than understanding technical procedures."
What I hear is that maximizing your treatment acceptance rates requires that you put enough into your patient communications that your patients have no doubt about your belief, care and passion in addition to seeing what it is you are explaining. You may have to work at finding how you best communicate your confidence in ways that work for you and your patients but when you get the passion + understanding combination going you're well on your way to success.
BiteFX is going to help your patients see and understand what you are describing; adding the special sauce of belief, care and passion should seal your results.
We're working on putting more power at your finger tips - check out BiteFX V2 for Windows or BiteFX on the iPad to see how we're doing.
Read Joan Forrest's article: Dentistry Challenges Around the Globe