Renee Knight

Take video. As a team, you and your staff should always look for ways to increase case acceptance, and that includes improving your case presentation skills. One way to do that is to actually watch how you interact with your patients and how they react to you.

Take care of yourself. If you’re feeling sluggish or you're starting to experience the body aches and pains that are all too often part of a dentist’s day-to-day, then you probably aren’t providing the best care possible for your patients.

The dental field is constantly changing. There are so many new products and technologies that hit the market every year that it can be difficult to keep up. It’s easy to become overwhelmed by it all and to just stick with what you know. But if you do that, you’re doing your practice and your patients a disservice.

Make it easy for them to contact you. Gone are the days where all your patients call your office to confirm appointments or learn more about what your practice offers. They’re doing their research through Google searches and social media before they even think about picking up the phone, and many of them would prefer not calling at all.

Ask the right questions. Before you can truly know what your patients want and what elective services you should talk with them about, you have to take the time to ask. That’s why the new patient interview is such an important part of that first visit.

Stay passionate. It’s easy to get into a rut, to just go about your day-to-day routine without that passion you felt when you first started practicing. But if you’re not passionate about what you do, it will show in your work and the way you interact with your patients and your staff, and that may be just enough to send some patients looking for a new dentist.

Post it on Facebook. Facebook is a great place to connect with current and potential patients, whether you’re offering a discount on whitening you want them to know about or you want to share a great article you just read about the oral-systemic link.

You trust your staff, and you should. You depend on them every day; they’re a solid team and you don’t know what you-or your patients-would do without them.

Dr. Sabine Purps wasn’t necessarily looking for a new exam glove when she ran into an old friend and colleague at least year’s ADA annual session in Las Vegas, but she’s glad she took his advice and gave the XCEED exam gloves from Microflex a try.

The most common lies coming out of your patients’ mouths might shock you.

Offer the best products possible. There are so many dental products on the market these days, it can be difficult to know what is best for your patients and fits best into your practice. It can all be a bit overwhelming at times, but your patients are depending on you to provide the best possible care, and that means you have to take the time to find products that help make that happen.

Don’t sell to your patients. It is your job to educate your patients. You’re the one patients depend on to tell them about any dental problems they might have and what options they have to fix those problems.

We tell you what they might be saying behind your back.

Praise your team. If you create a positive environment in your practice, your patients will notice. They pick up on whatever vibe you and your team members give out, and no one wants to feel tension or negativity during their visit to the dentist. Keep a positive attitude and your staff members will follow suit.

Keep it positive. If you or any of your staff members have a negative attitude or if there’s tension on the team, it’s safe to say your patients have noticed.

Show some personality. All your patients are different. They each have their own personalities and fears. That means you can’t use the same approach for every treatment presentation; you need to adapt to their style, said Kathleen O’Donnell, director of consulting at Jameson Management.

Remember it’s not always about money. Sure, cost is typically a factor when a patient says no to treatment, but you shouldn’t assume that’s always the reason patients don’t want to proceed, said Kathleen O’Donnell, director of consulting at Jameson Management.

You’re good at what you do. Your staff and patients love you. You’re at the top of your game and feeling good about your career-no one can stop you.

Jeanne Godett, RDH, cannot imagine working without one. In fact, she doesn’t know why any practice wouldn’t use KaVo’s QUATTROcare Plus handpiece maintenance system.

Tell them what’s in it for them. Want to improve patient case acceptance in your practice? Make sure you’re using benefit statements when you present treatment, said Lois Banta of Banta Consulting.  

Get them thinking long term. Your patients have plenty of short-term reasons why they can’t go through with treatment, from it’s too expensive to they just don’t think it’s necessary, and that’s why it’s important for you to talk with them about their long-term goals.

The lab After working in larger, high-production labs for several years James Davidge and his wife opened James Dean Prosthetic Arts in California about a year ago. The two-person removables lab focuses on quality and using only the best materials available. They have about 40 clients and are focused on finding out of the box ways to provide high quality prosthetics.

Marketing isn’t a bad word. The thought of it may make you feel uncomfortable or even a little anxious, but that doesn’t mean you should ignore what a good marketing plan can do for your practice. And while most of you already know you need to market your practice to survive, 54% of you said dental marketing is bad for the profession, according to a survey from The Wealthy Dentist.

Be on time. Your patients are busy people. They don’t have time to sit in your waiting room, wondering when their name will be called. No good can come from annoying your patients with a long wait. In fact, it could lead them to the practice down the street.

DUX Dental’s new translucent color blending temporary cement, ZONEfree, offers strength and esthetics. Here’s a an inside look at the product and what dental professionals are saying about it. You don’t want all your hard work to go to waste.

Appearance Matters. Patients will judge your practice based on how you and your team members dress. If you show up to work wearing something inappropriate for the operatory, they’ll notice and they’ll talk to their friends and family about that dishevelled dentist or that hygienist with the thong showing through her uniform.

It’s bound to happen. At some point in your career, you just stop feeling the passion you once had for dentistry. You find yourself in a rut, and just going through the motions of your day to day. While this is common, no matter what your career, it doesn’t have to become your normal. There are ways to get that passion back, to renew your energy and your enthusiasm for the work you do. Here’s how:

Your patients are your practice. Without them, where would you be? You have to know the best ways to attract them to your practice, get them to accept treatment and make them happy, life-long patients. That’s where we can help. Check back regularly for tips on how to keep your patients happy, healthy and loyal.  

You’ve been thinking about adding new technologies to your practice, maybe a laser or chairside CAD/CAM, but you just haven’t made the move. You like the idea of it, but you’re just not sure it’s worth the investment.