If the first five minutes with various staff members opens the door for a great patient experience in your practice, the first five minutes with the dentist ushers the patient completely into the heart of the practice. The staff can relax the patient and make the practice feel special. They can build you up as they go so that the patient can' t wait to meet you, but only you, the dentist, can confirm all that for the patient.
I think the best thing you can do is to be "yourself", just make sure that "yourself" is a good way to be. You can only fake being kind, caring or compassionate for so long. Then a situation will come up like a patient being overly anxious or a crown occlusion being ridiculously high and the real you will seep through. One time and the patient will chalk it up to "Oh, Dr. Usuallynice is having a bad day." More than that and they' ll realize they' re seeing the real you.
I think that listening is the key to the first five minutes. So many dentists enter the room and ask how the patient is doing while washing their hands with their back to the patient. If so, the patient has to reply to the dentist' s back and try to talk over the sound of the running water or rustling paper towel. Often the dentist is glancing over the patient' s head at the x-rays or chart on the computer screen behind the patient. By this time, the patient may be wondering if the question really required an answer. The best I' ve seen shake the patient' s hand while inquiring as to their well-being, pull up a chair to listen, mention something that either happened or was discussed at the last appointment (staff, you can help with this at morning huddle), and finally, ask the patient if they' re ready to get started.
Once the patient is positioned, if they need anesthetic, the best technique I' ve seen is slow. Slowing down makes the patient feel that the dentist and assistant really wants this part to be as painless as possible. Don' t just slap the topical on, gently massage it in with the swab. My boss injects just a small amount of anesthetic and waits one minute, explaining to the patient that he wants to let that start to work before he goes further. Then his injection seems painless to me and the patients often mention that it is indeed, painless.
You may think you don' t have time for all this, but taking the first five minutes slow, builds trust. That trust makes it easier for patients to accept treatment that you recommend and to relax in the chair. They will also be more likely to sing your praises to their friends and that' s the best first 5 minutes you can get.
If the first five minutes with various staff members opens the door for a great patient experience in your practice, the first five minutes with the dentist ushers the patient completely into the heart of the practice. The staff can relax the patient and make the practice feel special. They can build you up as they go so that the patient can' t wait to meet you, but only you, the dentist, can confirm all that for the patient.
I think the best thing you can do is to be "yourself", just make sure that "yourself" is a good way to be. You can only fake being kind, caring or compassionate for so long. Then a situation will come up like a patient being overly anxious or a crown occlusion being ridiculously high and the real you will seep through. One time and the patient will chalk it up to "Oh, Dr. Usuallynice is having a bad day." More than that and they' ll realize they' re seeing the real you.
I think that listening is the key to the first five minutes. So many dentists enter the room and ask how the patient is doing while washing their hands with their back to the patient. If so, the patient has to reply to the dentist' s back and try to talk over the sound of the running water or rustling paper towel. Often the dentist is glancing over the patient' s head at the x-rays or chart on the computer screen behind the patient. By this time, the patient may be wondering if the question really required an answer. The best I' ve seen shake the patient' s hand while inquiring as to their well-being, pull up a chair to listen, mention something that either happened or was discussed at the last appointment (staff, you can help with this at morning huddle), and finally, ask the patient if they' re ready to get started.
Once the patient is positioned, if they need anesthetic, the best technique I' ve seen is slow. Slowing down makes the patient feel that the dentist and assistant really wants this part to be as painless as possible. Don' t just slap the topical on, gently massage it in with the swab. My boss injects just a small amount of anesthetic and waits one minute, explaining to the patient that he wants to let that start to work before he goes further. Then his injection seems painless to me and the patients often mention that it is indeed, painless.
You may think you don' t have time for all this, but taking the first five minutes slow, builds trust. That trust makes it easier for patients to accept treatment that you recommend and to relax in the chair. They will also be more likely to sing your praises to their friends and that' s the best first 5 minutes you can get.