I see far too many teams and doctors who throw out all kinds of excuses as to why their patients don\u2019t accept treatment. I\u2019m sure you\u2019ve heard your fair share\u2026 fear, time, money, need, and insurance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But these are all simply illusions in their minds. If everyone who was a little afraid, or tight on time or had other bills to pay or thought they could skip a procedure or thought insurance should cover more \u2013 declined treatment \u2013 then next to no dentistry would ever get done. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Not every patient walks in ready to accept the role dentistry can play in their health and happiness. Sometimes, in order for these patients to believe in the treats, you have to play a few tricks to break the spell they are under.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There are three \u201ctricks\u201d we\u2019ll cover today. None of which should be new to you, yet they are the ticket to making a bigger and more meaningful impact in your patients\u2019 lives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
First you \u201ctrick\u201d your patients by what you expose them to and how you educate them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
You may or may not know where your patients are at in terms of their mindset, at least until you ask them, but why wait. Instead, fill their minds with all with all of the ways dentistry can benefit their lives. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
You get to decide how they think about dentistry, how they value their health, and what possibilities they imagine. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
This can all be done in advance, with some not-so-tricky techniques. From videos in advance of their visit via email to case studies and testimonials shared beforehand, from the pictures and posters on your walls to what\u2019s playing on the tv.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Controlling the environment and the information your patient is getting before, during, and after they are physically in your practice is a key trick that should never be overlooked and can\u2019t ever be done purposefully enough.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The next \u201ctrick\u201d I like you to play is what the patients are actually experiencing. Think of your diagnosis and all throughout your communication as if telling a story. As you speak, they must visualize in their minds. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
By making things more real to your patients, you get them to take ownership over their health and outcomes. After all, it\u2019s easy to dismiss what\u2019s hard to imagine. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Remember my 3 P\u2019s\u2026 Pictures, Proof, and Pain. These 3 P\u2019s take something vague, hard to see, or hypothetical (as in the smile they could have) and make it tangible and real.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s crazy to me that every treatment room doesn\u2019t have models to play with, before-and-afters photos, and other examples to use in order to make all this more real to your patients in the chair. In addition to simply leveraging more diagnostic tools to demonstrate their state of health.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And be sure to take it all the way. Don\u2019t stop at their \u201ccurrent state of health.\u201d You are not done until you have showed them what they deserve, what is optimal, and what healthy looks like.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There is a great line used by a wonderful educator in dentistry who says, \u201cNormal doesn\u2019t mean healthy.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And this is the trick. You must show not just what they have come to know, feel, and see as \u201cnormal.\u201d You have to move that to the vision and definition of what \u201chealthy\u201d is. That will help more of your patients move forward and accept treatment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
One of the most detrimental mistakes with case acceptance is not moving the patients beyond just their current problems into their future possibilities. We talk about this all the time. Are you using everything in your power, everything in your bag of tricks to help your patients believe so they can begin to achieve.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Finally, one of the most powerful tricks of all is to play the \u201cwhat-if\u201d game and this all works better when you\u2019ve played the first two tricks on your patients before but it can also stand alone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You literally say, \u201cwell what if we\u2026\u201d or \u201clet\u2019s imagine we\u2026\u201d and then you help them see the future. You can change their thought process by giving them permission to open their minds, imagine what\u2019s possible, and ultimately recognize what they deserve.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The trick is to anchor your statement with a desired outcome you are helping them to gain. This is how you move beyond the clinical aspect to make it personal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You know this, but do you do this? And do you do it with everyday ordinary procedures? Do you do it with the creation of bigger cases, implants, ortho, rebuilding bites, and worn dentition?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Quite literally your patients are in your hands. They are walking into your world looking for leadership and guidance. Otherwise, why did they even show up. Sometimes it just takes a trick or two for your patients to believe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You don\u2019t have to logically justify or clinically teach your patients. They don\u2019t have your knowledge and experience\u2026 instead know that they are coming to you for your wisdom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Often the best way to impart that is to prove it, to help them experience it first hand, and to \u201ctrick\u201d them into seeing all of the \u201ctreats\u201d you are going to bring into their lives!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"