Not a day goes by that someone doesn’t ask what to do when you have a patient that has been talked to about treatment, the same treatment, again and again and again.
This could be for anything from needing crowns to missing teeth to ortho or anything else big or small that has been discussed with the patient; hopefully documented with photos taken and a treatment plan created.
I know it’s not easy. It can be uncomfortable. You may feel like you are badgering them or annoying them or just tired of bringing it up because you always know you are going to get shut down.
Have no fear. The solution is not that difficult. Actually, it’s quite easy if you embrace it, believe in it, commit to it and practice it.
You will be able to capture more treatment and compel more patients than ever before by following my three step process.
First, it is important that we agree on something – that you don’t get a choice about whether or not you bring treatment back up to any patient. There is no judging allowed and it is your core responsibility.
You can have a patient that is not interested and continue to not be interested. Then I strongly must ask you and your doctor: why in the world is this person a patient at your practice?
How shortsighted to waste a valuable appointment in hygiene or to continue to service emergencies with a patient who has no interest in anything else. It simply doesn’t make sense. You aren’t a holding tank for patients to come in and come out, pay $100 or $200 dollars for hygiene twice a year, and have their mouths atrophy away.
It is critical to accept the fact that our responsibility with every patient is to continue to educate, update them on their health and inform them of the consequences of inaction. The one time you don’t talk to a patient about what is important, bring up the state of his/her oral health and re-document the problems – this is the one time something will happen between now and the next visit. The patient will then blame you for not telling him/her and being proactive.
Never forget this.
So, three steps…
1. Pre-frame the conversation you are going to have with the patients. Inform them that you are going to update the status of their health today with some new photographs in order to see what is going on. You will make mention that there have been some key things you were concerned about before but that you will just take a look to see so we can have accurate information for the doctor to discuss with them.
2. Take new photographs or any documentation necessary. This step is the single most important one. They will believe what the see, not what you say. Take pictures at the front end of the visit so you don’t run out of time. Additionally, this reveals the true state of their teeth (which will naturally look worse than at the end of the visit). Then, make sure you talk through the pictures with them.
3. Verbally emphasize to the doctor the status of their health and that it is not getting better. In fact (if it is), the patient’s health is possibly getting worse and you wanted the doctor to be aware of it. You can also add something to suggest the patient’s desire, or lack there of, to take it seriously and set the doctor up for the tough love conversation.
That’s it. Old treatment will become new again and you will be blown away at how many patients will all of a sudden start saying yes.
Nobody cares about what happened in the past or what you told them before. Every visit is a new visit and every treatment must have a reason behind it in order to be accepted TODAY and to be moved forward with now. You need urgency, necessity, importance and significance to compel a patient.
If it can be delayed – then it will be.
“Why now?” Answer that question for your patients even and especially when they don’t ask. You will be amazed and what will happen.
