Alternative Medicine Guide

In this day and age of high tech many dentists in our country ponder the question about educating their patients. The next question they ask is, “If we educate our patient, will the patient follow what s/he has learned?” It seems that dentists have reached the conclusion that “Dental IQ” has a monetary barrier. If the total dental work is less than $3500 then educating the patient is important for case acceptance. If the treatment plan is more than $3500 then increasing the dental knowledge may not land the case. Here is what you need to know about dental case acceptance.

To understand dental case acceptance, you must know once the dental health exam has been completed each dentist has his or her own way of presenting the diagnosis to the patient. The suggested treatment plan can be presented. The important ingredient here is to inform the patient of what may or may not happen should the treatment plan not be followed.

Too many dentists assume each patient will complete the treatment plan as prescribed by the dentist. This is why it is so important for the patient to know and understand the consequences if the plan is not followed. What the dentist must realize and fully understand, however, is the fact that just because a patient has a treatment plan it does not mean the patient can or will follow through to completion. There are numerous reasons for this such as money, fear, no dental insurance, and other reasons the patient stops to think about it.

Most patients can one way or another come up with the $3500 if it is imperative - if they understand the consequences if they do not. This is because this amount of money will not cause so many problems or inconveniences. However, as previously mentioned, once the price tag exceeds that amount then the patient may choose not to go with the treatment plan. Others may postpone treatment or present a stall.

These reasons are enough why a dentist needs to do his or her homework. This involves learning about and understanding each patient’s situation. First, the dentist needs to find out any concerns the patient might have. Then, after understanding the situation the dentist can try to deal with the varied factors. This will save a dentist time in the future. It also helps the patient to feel more comfortable.

Other factors the dentist needs to know and understand include evaluating how dentist treatment fits into the life of the patient. Will expensive treatments be an inconvenience or cause problems. What are the financial abilities of the patient as well as the health problems? More information, more personal, such as a newly divorced or a newly married patient, a newborn in the family, a new job each of these plays a role in what a patient might be able to afford.

When you add all of these together we have the “fit factors.” After educating him or herself about the patient the dentist is able to get in touch with the patient and understand their total situation. With the accumulation of this information it allows the dentist to better fit a program to the patients’ needs.

So, now we get back to the “Dental IQ.” It seems significant that every dentist do his/her dental consulting homework in order to have a better understanding of every patient. If the dentist knows, upfront, that the patient does not have dental insurance and makes minimum wage, then can the dentist be realistic in assuming the patient can afford a high tech bridge at a price of $7500? By knowing the situation in advance, the dentist might be able to offer an alternative that fits within the patients’ budget. This will give a higher probability of dental practice consulting.

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Tags: dental case acceptance, dental case presentation, dental coaching, dental practice coaching