How to get patients to allow you to treat them: 3 simple steps to improve case presentation

This article first appeared in the newsletter, DE's Breakthrough Clinical with Stacey Simmons, DDS. Subscribe here.

Without knowledge action is useless and knowledge without action is futile. — Abu Bakr

DE’s Breakthrough Clinical shows you the “how to.” This article will provide the “allow to.” Are you ever frustrated or even surprised when patients don’t schedule for treatment you recommended? They didn’t “allow” you to treat them.

You may possess a tremendous amount of knowledge but if not put to use, what good is it? Far too often we present a fabulous treatment plan with intricate details of each procedure . . . and we can’t wait to get started doing wonderful things for our patients. We salivate at the thought of using the new equipment that cost us thousands of dollars, dream about the gorgeous results we will surely deliver, and solve a problem as complicated as our last tax return, only to hear from our front desk person that the patient didn’t schedule treatment. We go home thinking the auxiliary somehow failed or the financial coordinator put the hex on the treatment plan when, in most cases, it is the dentist who is the problem. We don’t know how to sell dentistry. That’s right; I said it! We tell people what they need—notask them what they want.

ADDITIONAL READING |Screw this … right into my mouth, please: How to achieve better case acceptance with dental implants

A wise man once said, “People will buy what they want not what you tell them they need.” As providers we must remember that teeth are optional. There are lots of people living full and productive lives without a single tooth in their heads! How many times have you heard, “Just pull it Doc.” That’s because we have told patients they need a root canal and crown or some other procedure, not asked them what it is they want. It’s a subtle but distinct difference. Follow these simple steps in your case presentations and you will be using the how-to tips far more often:

Ask patients what their long-term goals are for their dental health. This allows them to talk, and who do we like to hear talk more than anybody else? That’s right, ourselves! In the vast majority of cases, patients will say they want to keep their teeth and have a whiter and brighter smile. Now, any treatment you recommend from that point forward is simply helping them achieve their goals. You are not telling them what they need; you are helping them get what they want. You have just completely reversed the usual dynamic. Remember, people will buy what they want!

This is the crucial step. When you are through presenting the plan, do not under any circumstances ask the patient, “Do you understand?” or “Do you have any questions?” Both of these are closed-ended questions and should be banished! The patient can answer both with a single word and the conversation is over. People do not want to feel ignorant or uninformed, so they often say, “Yes, I understand.” You have absolutely no idea if they truly do understand and even if they do, you have no idea if they will schedule or not. They can say, “No, I don’t have any questions” and you are absolutely no closer to putting on your loupes, inserting a bur in the handpiece, and making the magic happen. The question you should ask is, Just to make sure I have explained this well enough, tell me in your own words what it is we are going to do. If the patient can answer, then you are sure they in fact do understand. If they cannot answer, then you have not explained the procedure to their satisfaction and you have the opportunity right then and there to do so. Ask your auxiliaries and front office staff if the patients ever asks them, “So what do we need to do?” after you leave the room. I bet they hear that more than you think. Once the patient actually does understand the treatment, it by no means ensures they will schedule, but you are closer. You MUST ask the last question . . . the “point of sale” or the “closing question.”

“Is this something you are ready to get started with?” If the patients say yes at this point, STOP TALKING. You can only mess it up from there. Secondly, they may totally get it but have absolutely no intention of scheduling. This is where all of the objections will come up. You then have the opportunity to answer them and resolve them so the patient is totally and completely on board. What is usually the first objection? How much is this going to cost or will my insurance cover it? Do not say, “I don’t know,” or, worse, get into a financial discussion in the operatory. Ask the patient, “Are finances a concern for you?” Of course they are going to say yes because they just asked you. Say, “I am going to put the finances aside for a minute. If this were free, would you move forward?” If they say yes, then say, “I am going to have our financial coordinator go over that with you to make sure you get the treatment you deserve.” Use the word deserve. People want what they deserve.

This is when all of the other wacky objections will come up as well. If you have practiced for any length of time, you will hear all kinds of off-the-wall things. This brings them out in a timely fashion and in an environment where you as the dentist can address them. Do not expect your auxiliaries to “save” the treatment plan. It is your responsibility. After all, this is a “dentist appointment.” The patient has not had a “dental auxiliary appointment” or a “front office staff appointment.”

Follow these steps and I guarantee you will go home happier and have the opportunity to use a lot more of the “how-to.”

This article first appeared in the newsletter, DE's Breakthrough Clinical with Stacey Simmons, DDS. Subscribe here.

ADDITIONAL READING |Dental case presentation: present the PROBLEMS not the treatment!