GIVING OUR PATIENTS SOMETHING TO SMILE ABOUT
When most people think of dentistry, they naturally think teeth. Technical excellence however, is only a small part of dentistry. When my staff and I think of dentistry, we think people. I am the luckiest dentist in MN to have the team I do. The teamwork of helping each other, contribution of ideas at staff meetings, willingness to go the extra mile for the patient or a coworker are just natural consequences of their dedication to patient first.
So, what is the people side of dentistry? It’s identifying what is important to each person, meeting each person at their point of need, determining problems and solutions, and delivering treatment comfortably, efficiently and economically. I would like to touch on the people side of dentistry by starting to look at the three biggest factors that keep people from having their best possible dental health and smile. In order they are …..
1. Fear of the dentist
2. Perceived lack of value
3. Money
- FEAR OF THE DENTIST. In order for us to help someone have ultimate dental health and their best possible smile, they have to walk in the front door. Fear of the dentist is usually not fear of the doctor, but rather fear of pain, fear of the unknown, fear associated with previous bad experience, fear due to lack of control, or fear of embarrassment due to previous neglect.
FEAR OF PAIN – A local anesthetic will take care of any pain during procedures and we at Cliff Lake Dental are constantly complimented on how we administer it. What we have found is that some new patients will request an anesthetic and once they experience our novocaine administration technique and our pleasant staff, they no longer request it. Cleanings are done with care and compassion. For those who prefer a distraction from the noise of dental instruments we offer movies with headphones, stereo headsets and amusing conversation.
FEAR OF THE UNKNOWN- What is going to happen to me and how much is it going to cost? Our ideal situation is for a new patient to come to us on a non-emergency basis. This allows us to do a comprehensive exam to determine the person’s needs and desires. In this case, we do our work, present the facts; discuss the options and present estimated costs. In this way, the patient is ideally informed and has lots of opportunity for questions, dispelling fear of the unknown. In an emergency or problem focused situation, we do the same things, however without the benefit of the big picture of what that person needs for optimum health and appearance.
FEAR ASSOCIATED WITH PREVIOUS BAD EXPERIENCE- Because we all have different temperaments, different needs and desires, and different past experiences, each person comes with unique expectations and concerns. Our comprehensive exam patients are interviewed to help us discover their expectations and concerns. These things are then addressed in a caring way. We find that as people have good experiences with us, a lot of their fear associated with previous experiences tends to melt away.
FEAR DUE TO LACK OF CONTROL- Many people perceive dentistry as something being done to them. We see ourselves as your vehicle toward health and a better smile. We don’t do things to you, we do things FOR you and you choose what we do for you. When someone initially comes into our office, they are hiring us to evaluate and give a recommendation. Choices are given where there are choices available. If you agree with the recommendation, we do the technical dentistry for you. You determine the pace of treatment and the amount of treatment. If you want something different from my recommendation, as long as it is a reasonable choice, I’ll do it your way.
FEAR OF EMBARRASSMENT DUE TO PREVIOUS NEGLECT – It kills me that people feel guilty about previous neglect. Worse yet is if you have been shamed by some dental professional. Now, not only is your mouth (in your mind) “BAD”, but now you feel bad too. During our exams we are objective in our findings. How we handle the objective findings can be different for different people. Our rule is to meet the person at their point of need. Our job is to help you achieve the best possible health and appearance that you want, regardless of where we start. We work to find out where you are and help you the best we can.
- PERCIEVED LACK OF VALUE. The second factor that keeps people from having their best dental health and appearance is that it is not important to them. About the only thing I can do on this issue of value, is challenge my patients to say something good about what dentistry has to offer to someone you know who is not currently getting the care they need. New patients are welcome at Cliff Lake Dental Care.
3. MONEY. The third factor that keeps people from having their best dental health and appearance is money. We realize that not everyone can afford to do all treatments in a short amount of time. Consequently, we have a few options available for financing your dental treatments.
- CARE CREDIT – a line of credit that you qualify for that spreads payments over 6 to 12 months interest free.
- PERSONAL CREDIT CARD – we do not encourage large credit card debt. Some people use it as a convenience for short term financing.
- PHASED TREATMENT – do treatment in phases over time.