TOP TEN LIST - WHAT PEOPLE WANT AND NEED FROM A DENTIST

TOP TEN LIST - WHAT PEOPLE WANT AND NEED FROM A DENTIST

For a long time I have been interested in understanding what patients want and need from
their dental experience. I asked people what they wanted and most often their answers
were ‘competence,’ ‘caring,’ ‘honesty,’ and ‘no pain.’
Although these words had meaning for me, I was not clear what they meant to the people
stating them. Dictionaries give definitions of words but what words mean to each of us is
based on our own life experiences. A general semanticist once said, “Words don’t have
meaning, people do.”
Over time my interest grew to wanting to understand what it feels like to be a dental
patient, what it means to be a dentist, and how to improve the experience for both.
It is clear that many people are not comfortable in a dental office, despite the great
psychological, health and self-image benefits dentistry offers. By discovering what each
person hopes to gain from the dental experience, and learning the different issues each
person has with dental care1 (e.g., wanting to feel heard and understood, not wanting to
feel anxious, etc.), I was able to research techniques and develop techniques that improve
the experience for both patient and dentist.
The following is my TOP TEN LIST of what patients want and need from their dental
experience.
10. People want a competently run office.
People appreciate a well managed office.
9. People need the dentist to confront issues in a positive way.
The dentist needs to discuss and help problem-solve patients’ issues.
8. Patients want a friendly, responsive, and supportive staff.
Results in higher patient comfort, trust and a feeling of well-being.
7. Patients need to feel anxiety-free. When a patient expresses feeling anxious,
we discuss different approaches we use to eliminate anxiety.2 I coach him or
her in ‘Dr. Magners Simple 5 Minute Dental Anxiety Cure, (it works!), talk
about Nitrous Oxide’s history and how it may benefit, how we give shots without
pain and how our staff wants to make their experience easy. If all that’s not
enough to eliminate or dramatically reduce their anxiety, anxiety-control
medication is available.
6. NO PAIN! …A no-brainer
1 Let's Get Personal - 9 Questions We Ask New Patients
2 How you can eliminate dental anxiety
5. Patients want to feel connected with the dentist and staff. When people
feel connected, they feel a sense of belonging, a sense of being part of a
relationship with others. When patients feel connected to their health care
providers they feel safe and protected.
4. Most patients want open communication with the dentist and staff.
People are not always comfortable expressing issues with the treating
dentist or staff. It is important that patients are given an opportunity to
express what is on their mind, even if they feel it may be uncomfortable
for the dentist or staff to hear it.
3. Patients want to know the dentist's suggestions takes their concerns and
issues into consideration.
2. Patients want skilled treatment. Competent treatment is central to the dental
experience. The dentist and staff need to keep up-to-date as well as focus their
attention fully on each moment. A dentist who does not keep focused does not
get good grades.
And the #1 most important thing people want and need from a dentist is…
1. Patients want what they want!
The dentist must understand what his patients want, their priorities and issues
in dealing with dental care. Although some patients are clear about these subjects,
others need the dentist to elicit this information. In our office we question new
patients with the intention of understanding their thoughts and feelings about
the direction we need to take for them to have what they want and need.2
So what is this all about? It is about you knowing that you are understood and are
connecting with your health care provider, and that there are people who are interested in
your well-being while you get the dental health and cosmetic benefits that you want.