Dentaltown February 2022 - 45

that viewpoint? Did that make you more
likely to consider what they were saying?
When we hear multiple people saying
the same thing, it usually adds credibility
and builds our trust. This is what we should
be doing in our offices: The team needs to
be on the same page as far as what dentistry
can do for patients and what we recommend.
Ideally, a hygienist would take the
intraoral pictures and discuss possible recommendations,
which would help the patient
begin considering things before you enter
the room. As a dentist, your responsibility is
to stay on top of the science and research to
know how you can best help your patients,
but you can help only the patients who
understand the benefits and decide to move
forward with treatment. Having your team
on board will increase your case acceptance.
How do you accomplish this? Provide
common objections. Then practice with
friends or family and get their feedback.
INTRAORAL PICTURES
All dentists should be using an intraoral
camera; there is no better way to communicate
the current situation of a patient's
mouth than with a picture of their tooth or
teeth blown up on a big-screen TV.
There are certain aspects in life where
we have to trust others to inform us of
unseen issues and hope that they can take
care of it. For me, it's my car: I understand
the basics, but when my car has an issue, I
have to heavily rely on the shop to tell me
what the issue is, how much it will cost and
what it will take to fix.
Have you ever had an auto shop take
pictures of the problem and show you what
a normal functioning part would look like? I
have, but only once. I still remember it to this
day, even though it was more than 10 years
ago! It made me feel like I understood what
was going on and that I could trust them.
This is what we're trying to do in dentistry
when we show patients pictures of their
teeth, warning them of possible scenarios
if left untreated. If you explain things to
patients without using pictures, your case
acceptance will be significantly lower.
I recently talked to a client who just
purchased a practice. He told me the previous
owner didn't like using intraoral cameras
because he believed it made patients think
the dentistry was urgent and they wanted to
get things completed quickly. However, this
was opposite of how he liked to practice. Does
that tell you anything? A dentist not wanting
to use an intraoral camera because it made
his case acceptance higher than he wanted?
If you're not using an intraoral camera,
order one today and get started. You can get
an affordable one for around $150.
CO-DIAGNOSIS
Have you ever been in a discussion with
someone who had a different viewpoint than
you, then had someone else join in and second
your team with summaries of research you've
found. Talk about it with each other. Roleplay
and think of common objections that patients
give and how you would respond. Have a
training meeting and go through intraoral
pictures and ask your team what they see and
what options could be offered to improve
the patient's dentition. Again, the more
you get your team on the same page and
can sing the same tune together, the more
your patients will recognize the importance
of getting treatment done.
3. Increase same-day treatment.
MAXIMIZING PRODUCTIVITY
Would you be surprised to find out that
more than 30% of my daily production comes
from same-day dentistry? I also find this is
the case with my highest-producing clients.
Why is this? Well, for one, our schedule
is very unpredictable. As predictable as we
would like it to be, it's just not. There are too
many variables-some fillings are quick and
straightforward, while others require more
time. Some extractions are easy; others take
longer and make us sweat more.
dentaltown.com \\ FEBRUARY 2022 45
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Dentaltown February 2022

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