Every dentist treats their client’s health and interest with the utmost care. We try to deliver the best service at the most reasonable price without sacrificing anything. It can be a tough task at times but we consistently push to meet our client’s needs and wants. There are moments that even though we try to give the best we can, we still fall short of the expectations that we set. Even after re-evaluating the whole situation and finding nothing could have gone wrong, you should also consider how cooperative your patients are really. There are some that are less compliant and even resistant to your prescriptions and recommendations. Health services is a two-way process and no matter how competent you are as a dentist; it all means nothing if your patient isn’t as compliant as they should be. This is why you should be aware of the best practices when handling and communicating with your client and how you can convince them to be amenable to your recommendations.

Empathy

You have to understand that most first-time patients are either hesitant or skeptical of you as a dentist. This is why first impressions are important and can define what your relationship is with them. You should build your clients trust and make them feel that they are safe in your hands. The worst thing you can do is to make them feel dehumanized. You shouldn’t prescribe or even operate right off the bat, but first start to build conversation with them and run them through what’s going to happen and what they want out of this. You should always validate all of your patient’s concerns and questions even to the most trivial ones. It all may be basic for you but for them, its new and frightening. It’s your job to clearly and concisely explain everything so that they are reassured that they are being cared for.

Objectives

The tricky part of being communicating with your clients is setting the right mindset and using the right words. There are a multitude of clients from all walks of life and some words and perspectives may not be as appealing as others. You should be sensible enough to differentiate and use the right tone and words when dealing with each client. You should also be concise as to what your roles is, what you aim to deliver and what you expect from the client in return. This also goes for them and they should feel comfortable to share everything and anything they can when it comes to your service. This sets a clear understanding between the two of you and possibly make it easier for them comply to your recommendations.

Layman’s Terms

A client’s level of understanding is as general as any other person out there so don’t go expecting that they should know every medical lingo out there. The best way to scare-off clients is to confuse and overwhelm them with a flood of medical terms. This is why you’re the dentist and not them, because you were the one who went to med school to get that dream job. You should have the sensibility to define all those words into more patient-friendly terms that even kids can understand. The more words and conversations that your clients understand, the better chance there is that they’ll be more compliant with your services.