Take A Tip from Nomi ~ Speak their language

لغة مختلفة ورؤية مختلفة للحياة

別の言語は、人生のさまざまなビジョンです

Un idioma es una visión diferente de la vida

Unless you speak Arabic, Spanish or Japanese, you probably have no idea what those sentences say. You have no idea if I am asking you a question or making a recommendation for some dental treatment that would be beneficial to your health. You do not know what point I am trying to make, just as your patients do not know what you say when you speak using dental terminology.

   ~A different language is a different vision of life.  ~

Federico Fellini ~

That quotes rings true when you speak to your patients using dental terms. When you do, you are speaking a language that they do not understand. When they don’t even know what treatment is they definitely are not going to buy it.

The answer is simple, but sometimes those are the hardest ones to find. Just say it, if they have an infectious disease that has progressed, resulting in damage to the enamel, dentin on the occlusal and distal sides. Don’t say that; tell them that they have a cavity on two sides of their tooth. They will know the word cavity; it will have more of an impact on their decision to seek care.

Speak their language!

This tip applies to more than just the spoken word. If you send your patients home with a treatment estimate, what does it say? Does it list a CrnPrFnm on #12 or does it say #12 porcelain crown? Is it easy for your patients to understand? If you find that it is not, then check your computer software program to see if the complicated definitions can be changed.

Doing this will make your treatment much easier for your patients to understand, for example ~when Mr. Patient gets home from his appointment and Mrs. Patient asks “what did the Dentist recommend” and he does not remember, she can easily read for herself! A bonus would be to include a photo of his broken tooth on your estimate. It is easy all you have to do is take a photo of the broken tooth, download on your computer and insert it into the estimate. Most dental software should have the ability to do this.

Try using clear simple language with your patients and you will see the puzzled look on your patient’s face turn to a smiling indicator of treatment acceptance.