Whether talking to children or a nervous patient, speaking their language puts them at ease because they understand what you’re saying. Pretty much Dentistry 101 – know your audience!
As a dentist, put yourself in the patient’s chair. What if you were having an extension built on your home or undergoing knee replacement surgery? These are not activities in which you engage every day, and you are reliant upon another professional. In this case, they both inflict pain: on your body and your bank account! So …
- Try not to use dental jargon that is hard for your patient to understand.
- What matters to the patient is different from what matters to you. Your patients may not necessarily care about the technical reasons behind their periodontal disease. They care that their breath smells and that it could cost them more money in the long run if they don’t prevent these problems.
To keep patients coming back to a practice for their routine maintenance and to see about “that tooth that has been nagging them” the key is to be approachable and consistent. Social media has SO leveled that playing field as it gives the opportunity to both educate clients and connect with them.
Whether Instagram or Facebook, your practice can perpetuate the welcoming (and informative!) experience you provide when patients visit your office for all those in-between times.
Expand the borders of your dental practice beyond the walls of your office. Reach your patients on a regular basis. Email blasts about flossing, orthodontic before and after photos, introducing a new hygienist, pics of you and the staff in your Halloween costumes; extend the experience and you’ll enhance the experience.
