Video summary
The speaker emphasizes that true passion for dentistry goes beyond clinical skills; it requires a genuine commitment to patient care that builds trust and increases case acceptance. A major barrier to this connection is the fear of appearing salesy or money-grubbing, often stemming from how professionals explain necessary procedures like fillings or fluoride treatments. The core argument presented is that transparency is the antidote to these perceptions. By clearly explaining every step of a procedure, its purpose, and the expected outcome, dental professionals can demonstrate their expertise and concern for the patient's health rather than just their wallet. This approach transforms the dynamic from a transactional interaction into a collaborative effort where the patient understands the value of the treatment being provided.
To illustrate this, the speaker details specific communication techniques used during routine examinations, such as probing gums or performing oral cancer screenings. Instead of using clinical jargon like "probing" which can sound scary, the professional explains that they are assessing gum health to check for inflammation or bleeding, particularly in areas that were problematic previously. When numerical data is shared, such as pocket depths, the speaker contextualizes these numbers immediately by explaining what they mean—distinguishing between reversible inflammation at four millimeters and more serious bone loss at higher measurements. This method ensures patients understand the urgency of treatment without feeling frightened, while also clarifying why specific recall intervals, like every three months, are necessary for their individual condition rather than being arbitrary rules.
Furthermore, the video addresses common patient objections regarding cost and frequency of visits by explaining the biological reality of plaque and calculus buildup. The speaker notes that patients who visit annually often have significantly more hardened deposits to remove compared to those visiting regularly, which naturally makes the appointment longer and potentially more expensive for the infrequent visitor. By educating patients on how plaque hardens into calculus and causes gum disease if not managed with proper brushing habits, professionals can justify treatment plans and frequency without sounding aggressive. The speaker shares personal anecdotes from their time working in busy offices where they were exhausted and behind schedule, yet maintained high performance by always taking the time to explain actions like polishing teeth or checking lymph nodes, proving that patients appreciate honesty and respect even when the office is chaotic.
Ultimately, the conclusion is that patient retention relies on being friendly, knowledgeable, and professional while avoiding an attitude of rushing or disinterest. The speaker advises using plain language instead of complex medical terms to ensure full understanding and encourages professionals to invite questions at the end of every appointment to confirm comprehension. When patients feel heard and informed about exactly what is happening in their mouths, they are less likely to view the dental team as adversaries trying to extract money and more likely to return for consistent care. This shift in communication style not only alleviates patient anxiety but also fosters a relationship built on trust, ensuring that patients understand they are receiving personalized, high-quality care tailored to their specific needs.
Read the full video transcript
I want you all to really have a passion
for dental and that means doing better
for our patients, increasing case
acceptance, but also being able to
explain things to them better so they're
not just thinking we're out to get their
money. Now, first off, let me apologize.
I am getting over a cold, so if I sound
a little bit funny, that is why. But the
show still must go on. I'm taking off a
couple days from seeing patients because
working in healthcare, you really
shouldn't be seeing patients when you're
sick, but I can still tutor and I can
still upload videos. So, that's what I'm
doing. So, thank you for allowing me to
do this video even though I might sound
a little bit funny. Okay, so now moving
on. We need to take better care of our
patients. And I'm going to talk about
this a little bit. And I want you guys
to be passionate for dental. Again, what
are some reasons why you're not
passionate? It could be because you're
constantly worried of how you sound. Do
you sound like you're trying to sell
something? Do patients look at you like
you don't really know what you're
talking about? Or maybe they just feel
like you're constantly out there to get
their money? Or maybe they just don't
value your opinion because everything
costs something. If you tell them they
have a cavity, well, you need a filling
or maybe we'll keep an eye on that area,
but I'd love to apply silver dye
fluoride. But either silver diamine
fluoride or a filling or even just um
the sodium fluoride varnishes all have
an additional cost. So you could be
telling them about their cavities, but
they don't want to pay anything
additional to actually fix it. So
there's a way around it and it goes back
to saying taking better care of your
patients. So, number one, if this is the
only you remember from this entire
video, I want you to remember that you
want to always explain to your patients
what you're doing while you're doing it,
why you're doing it, but then also, what
is the outcome? As an example, when I'm
about to probe my patient, I'm not going
to say to them, I'm about to probe you,
because that sounds pretty weird and
pretty scary, doesn't it? I'm going to
say, I'm going to assess your gum
health. Or I might say, "I'm going to
assess your gum inflammation." Sometimes
I will even say, "I'm going to assess
your gum health. I did this last time,
but you still have a severe amount of
bleeding, the lower front teeth. So, I
want to check that along with the other
areas of the mouth to make sure you
don't have gum disease or to make sure
that the gum disease isn't progressing.
So, when I'm probing, I'm I do work for
for myself. I'm a mobile dental
hygienist. So, I actually call out the
numbers out loud because I'm recording
the numbers. So, I will also say to
them, you'll hear me call out some
numbers. Um 1, two, and three is
healthy. Four means there's some gum
inflammation. We will talk about that.
Five could mean you're starting to lose
the bone support around the teeth. So,
the teeth could become loose eventually.
And any higher numbers are too high. I
don't like that. We will talk about it.
So, they have an idea. they hear me
calling out the numbers. So, after I
call out the numbers, let's say I do see
a 4mimeter area, I'm going to stop and
I'm going to say, "Okay, here's your
first 4 millimeter area. This is showing
me you have gum inflammation, but don't
worry, we're catching it early today."
Gum inflammation is irrevers or sorry,
gum inflammation is reversible,
meaning we can get rid of it because we
caught it early. Let's say I saw an 8 mm
pocket. That means there's gum
inflammation. Plus, the teeth might or
the tooth might start to become loose
because you're starting to lose bone
support. That tooth isn't being held in
strongly by the bone because there's
dental disease. But we're not there yet.
4 mm, we can fix this. So, if you hear
me mention a few more 4 millime, pay
attention to where I am. And I'm going
to show you afterwards the areas in your
mouth where you need to improve on. And
I'm going to suggest additional
cleanings as well because of the gum
inflammation. We don't want it to get
worse. You don't have to say all of that
right then and there. You can wait till
the end of the appointment where you
say, "Okay, so this is what we did
today. We are done the full teeth
cleaning. Remember when I was assessing
the gum health? you had gum inf
inflammation and I'm going to show them
in their mouth with a mirror or the
intraoral camera, you know, here, here,
here, here, and here. But don't worry,
we're catching it early enough. I want
to see you in 3 months for a deeper
teeth cleaning so I can assess those
areas again, clean out everything for
you. We need to make sure there's no
plaque, no calculus. You need to make
sure that the gums aren't bleeding to
get you back on track. So, you're not
trying to scare them, but you're telling
them honestly how things are looking and
what things are doing. So, you're not
just saying to them, "Okay, I'm going to
probe the mouth. You have some 4mm
pockets. I don't like that. I'm going to
see you in 3 months to fix those pocket
areas and to improve things." Did you
see the clear difference there? the
patient that last part the patient would
probably be like what you're probing me
I need to come in more often for
cleaning so I need to pay more but the
first part the initial thing that I had
said where I'm actually explaining the
gum inflammation I'm explaining what the
numbers mean I'm letting them know don't
worry we're catching it early enough it
is reversible but if it gets worse you
could start to lose the teeth so they
know exactly
why they're coming in every 3 months.
Because as dental professionals, we
don't just pick that number, you know,
you're going to come in every 3 months,
you're going to come in every 9 months,
you're going to come in every 10 months,
you know, we're not just picking a
number. It's client specific. And it's
good to let them know that, too, if they
still seem a little bit hesitant, like,
oh, well, my sister comes every 12
months, so why do I have to come in
every three? If I hear something like
that, that tells me I'm not explaining
things properly. So, I'm going to say to
them, well, she probably doesn't have as
much plaque or calculus as you do.
Plaque happens right away after we eat
or drink anything. That's why we want
you to brush at least twice a day to get
that plaque out of the mouth. Plaque is
bacteria. The mouth can harbor a lot of
bacteria. But if you're not brushing
properly twice a day or you're not
brushing twice a day, that plaque
hardens into calculus and that you
cannot brush off and that's what causes
gum disease. Technically, it's the
plaque on top of the calculus that's
causing gum disease. But that's letting
them know, well, your sister probably
brushes better. You're not saying that,
but you're letting them know, well, it
depends on the plaque and calculus
buildup. Even for new patients, when
they say to me, how much is it for a
cleaning? because they might be calling
around to every office asking who does
the cheaper cleaning. And I say that's
really hard for me to say because it
does depend on plaque and calculus
buildup. It depends on if there's any
current gingivitis present. It's
dependent on if you have cavities cuz
all of this is going to change the
treatment plan. But I give the ballpark
of this, this, and this depending on
age. So it's good to give them a
ballpark, but you always have to let
them know everything is client specific.
For those who come to me every 3 months
because they're lucky enough where
insurance covers it and they enjoy
getting their teeth cleaned, they're
going to pay less than somebody who
comes once a year where it takes us
longer to clean off the plaque, the
calculus, the stain. Or maybe somebody's
coming every year because they have
hardly any calculus, hardly any stain.
I'm just cleaning off plaque. So even if
they're just coming once a year, their
mouth is in better shape, better
condition, it costs them less. So, see
how we're always explaining to our
patients what's happening in a nice way,
but we're making it client specific to
them as well. We're not just saying,
"I'm going to probe you." We're saying,
"I'm going to assess the gums because
you had severe bleeding on the gums last
time, especially the lower front teeth.
I want to check to make sure no other
areas have that same thing happening."
And then I'll let you know what I find.
Another thing that I find is so
important, you know, something as simple
as saying, "I'm doing your oral cancer
screening today." If that's all you say,
someone's going to look at you and be
like, "You're doing a what?" You're
checking for cancer. But if you say,
"I'm going to perform what's called an
oral cancer screening. I check for any
lumps or bumps or redness or tenderness.
I'm just going to look inside the mouth,
under the tongue. Um, I'm going to check
inside the cheeks. And I'm also going to
check your lymph nodes just slightly
under the chin, but then also around the
neck area, stopping at the collar bone.
So, I let them know what I'm doing, and
they appreciate it. They might even say
to you, "Oh, no one's ever done that for
me before." I then usually reply with,
"Well, they probably have. They just
haven't mentioned it to you. They might
have just looked inside the mouth. Maybe
not outside, but I do the outside as
well." And trust me, they appreciate it.
Your patients are going to keep coming
back to you if you're friendly and
knowledgeable and professional. They're
not going to come to you if they feel
like they're constantly being rushed or
you're not explaining things to them or
you're a little bit aggressive or if you
act like you're always busy and you hate
your job or even you just simply don't
seem to care. You know, I know we all
care, but sometimes things can get
really busy. The office is busy. I've
been there and done that where when I
used to work in a dental office, I was
always at least 15 minutes behind. Never
had a lunch, could hardly use the
bathroom. I always went home later, but
I never let it affect my performance. My
patients never knew that I was starving.
They never knew that I was exhausted. I
was always friendly to them and I
treated every single patient with
respect. I would explain things to them.
Patients still tell me to this day like,
"Thank you for taking the time to
explain things to me. Thank you for
letting me know what you're doing when
you're doing it." Such as, "I'm going to
polish the teeth and then after this you
are all done." Or, "I'm going to start
handcing now. This will remove the
plaque and calculus and then we'll
polish afterwards. I'll let you know if
I see anything of concern. Patients love
to have things be explained to them. So,
you should definitely do the same thing.
So, there's just a couple tips to kind
of get you started. Try something new.
It's basically all in how you deliver
something. And try not to use big words
either. You know, even saying something
as simple as um I'm not going to probe
your mouth. I'm going to assess for the
gum health. But they might still say
what? you're assessing my gum health. So
like my mouth health, you could say,
"I'm checking for gingivitis. I'm
checking for gum disease." Even the term
gingivitis, they might go, "What's
that?" You know, so kind of use
different words and different terms so
they know what you're talking about. And
then always ask them if they have any
questions. Everything we did today, did
you have any questions? Was there
anything that you didn't understand? And
that really does go a long way. So good
luck. Let me know if you need any help
with anything. Thank you for watching.
Please click like to this video if this
helps you because it does help YouTube
and my channel so I can't complain. So,
thank you guys for watching. Bye for
now.