How dentist present treatment plan

How I convince patient stay for treatment:

 I have developed the ability to complete pre-charting and charting in minutes. Immediately after pano, I use it to pre-chart and chart to look for big dollar items such as RCTs, EXTs, replacement of any missing teeth, SCRP, and amalgam removals. Before I walk into the treatment room, this task has already been completed. If you do not have this ability, please practice and get your speed and accuracy up because this is a non productive process. The intra-oral exam should have three purposes. When you walk into the room the most important thing is to try to build a connection and make that patient feel comfortable in your chair, this will increase trust and case acceptance. Secondly, reconfirm your findings from the x-rays. Finally, look for small irregularities, facial, buccal, and lingual involvement, class Vs, lingual pits, incisal edges and troughs, and small occlusal cavities. None of the above will show up on x-rays. However, these are the most important procedures financially for a dentist. Build up your speed and accuracy by scanning each quadrant. Charting this way is for preventative and cosmetic reasons. You prevent more serious dental problems later for the patient. Tasks one and three are the most significant skills a dentist can have and will determine how successful you are in your career.

 If the patient has a companion, please introduce yourself and give them a fist pump, especially if the companion is a child. This action is for the benefit of the patient, not necessarily for the companion. This will naturally make the patient more at ease. After you do this, then introduce yourself to the patient. Always address patients by their first name, you call your best friend by their first name so you should do the same with your patients, that’s the relationship you are striving for. Addressing the patient by their last name will put more distance between you, using their first name will close that distance. Keep in mind, you want the patient, a stranger, to feel as if you are best friends. Your best friends trust you, a stranger would not. Try to make a joke if possible. What I tell new patients is, …

While I am in the cubicle, how do I convince the patient to stay for treatment? Here are two things I always do. First, I introduce myself and then I say things to make the patient feel at ease. For example, “What brought you to our torture chamber today?”, “I’m not going to hurt you, I promise.” Before I lower the chair I ask, “Have you ever been to Disneyland.” When the patient asks why, I say, “Because this chair is really fast and I want you to hold on tight.” Then I count to three and lower the chair, their expression is priceless because the chair actually moves down so slowly. At this point they realize you are on their side, trying to make them feel more at ease. Next I use the tip of the explorer and let the patient know that the tip will feel sticky if they have a cavity and show them on a healthy tooth that it doesn’t stick. Another tool I use is the Diagnodent. I explain to the patient that if the tip of the Diagnodent finds a cavity it will beep loudly and when on healthy tooth structure it will not make a sound. I demonstrate diagnodent on healthy tooth structure so that the patient can tell the difference. If the patient has no large cavities and only small cavities, you can use it to identify the first cavity. You don’t need to use it on all cavities, hearing is believing. If you are able to purchase an intra oral camera, enlarge and take pictures of their biggest cavities and show them. After this point, if necessary, show them on x-ray of their largest cavity, not all, just one. Next, say the following, “I have seen kids, four and five year olds with no teeth left. They were not born that way. If it can happen to them, it can happen to you.” Then say, “I am going to find time to take care of you and tell my front office to not let money be a factor”. At this point, the patient’s main concern will be to take care of the problems that they heard, felt, and saw you demonstrate to them. It is not your role to go over the whole treatment plan, only the main concerns but if a patient requests that you explain more then by all means please do so. You have established trust and proven to them the need to do treatment. Because you have established that you are their friend, you have their best interest in mind, they will be ready to accept treatment. 

 Why do you make the patient feel as if you are their friend? The story I tell my staff is, it’s New Year’s Eve and you realize you ran out of gas and you left your wallet at home. You are desperate, this is how I’ve often felt when I couldn’t convince the patient to accept treatment. This is why I developed my technique. How do I resolve this? Two scenarios to this story, a total stranger pulls up in a car and you run up and tell them your story. What do you think of the likelihood of the stranger giving you any money? What if your best friend pulls up instead, what is the likelihood that your best friend will want to help you out? This is the same reason you need to make your patient feel like your best friend. There is a dental office popping up on every corner, your competition is real, new dentists graduate every year. The truth is they are doing you a favor. This ability to build rapport and relationship with your patient will determine whether or not your office will thrive. If your patient trusts that you have their best interest in mind, they will find the money to pay for their treatment no matter what it is. Case acceptance is not the role of the office manager, you should have already closed the deal with your customer experience by demonstrating their need for treatment with the x-rays, Diagnodent, intra oral camera and building a foundation of trust with your patient. At this point, your patient should be ready to accept your treatment plan. No matter what it is, they trust you, you have established this trust and they have seen it, heard it and felt it. They will be eager to accept the treatment plan and they will work out the means necessary to pay for it.

 Next, your trusted office manager should be ready with insurance breakdowns and order of procedures. For example, periodontal treatment should always be completed before PVC because healthy gums shrink after perio, so you always want crown preps to be completed on healthy gums. Your office manager should also understand what each patient’s main concern is and how to best utilize their insurance funds to address this. If their main concern cannot be addressed that day, as in periapical infection which requires antibiotics and a return appointment, funds should be saved for that purpose while the remaining funds should be used that day to take care of the rest of the treatment. Do not use that as an excuse to send the patient home and not do the treatment for the other teeth. 

Trust through customer experience. Patient never met you before. Trust is none. If a patient feels comfortable with you then there will be trust. Specifics will be discussed later. 

Confidence: 

Never say: I am not sure if this will work but let's try it, show confidence.  on the other hand never say i guarantee….. 

Consistency:

When it comes to presenting your treatment plan to the patient, stay with one plan if possible and present it with confidence. Patients will have confidence in you when they hear confidence from you. 

If you think a cavity is large and there is a possibility that once you open up the tooth, it might become a root canal, just propose RCT from the start. Do NOT give them the option of choosing between a filling or an RCT. I guarantee you that the patient will only hear the cheaper option. Keep in mind a large filling frequently causes post-op sensitivity which you are unable to predict. And if pain occurs after they have paid you for treatment that you proposed as a viable option, you will be exposing yourself to legal and state board complaints. I have seen this happen so many times, with so many doctors, just take it as a fact. 

Tool to use: X ray, Intraoral picture:

While i chat with patient i pay attention to possible clues about:

1. Time limitation: 

2. Funds limitation

3. Fear

What do I say when I present a treatment plan?

1. “I know 4 year olds whose teeth have all decayed away. That can happen to you too if cavities are not taken care of. Don't wait”

During my conversation with patient i always pay attention to the following: 

2. To address fear I simply say: I understand this is a touture chamber but am not going to hurt you. 

3. To address time concerns I would always  say: This procedure won't take long. It will only take about 5 hours. … When a patient laughs you have overcame time issue

4. If a patient was hungry I always sent someone to get food. MCD right next door really helped

5. To address potential funding issues I always tell patients that I am here to take care of you like my own family. Am not here to take care of money. I also tell patients that I Would always tell my OM to make arrangements with patients regarding money.