Let's Give Them Something To Talk About by Joshua Wyatt, DMD

After four years of dental school I was finally able to make my own treatment plans without someone looking over my shoulder. I began my career as an associate at a large group practice after I graduated from dental school in 2009.

One day I was discussing treatment with a patient when I noticed a senior partner standing outside the operatory. Later he said to me, "I heard that you relate well with patients and I wanted to hear how you speak to them."

I was shocked that a dentist with 25 years of experience was listening to a new graduate, but now, after six years of practicing and meeting a large number of dentists, I finally understand why: Dentists often are poor communicators.

Small talk is comfortable for me; I've always been able to talk to anyone, anywhere. My wife hates it when I strike up a conversation with strangers, and gets particularly annoyed when I call cashiers by their first name. Me? I find it uncomfortable to stand silently. Perhaps all of this "practice" making small talk has helped me communicate with patients effectively.

Talking it out
Effective communication is key to building trust with patients. Most of my patients are already anxious about seeing the dentist, and an anxious patient is always more challenging than a relaxed one. I find that small talk is a valuable tool to establish trust and relieve tension about the upcoming procedure.

While the assistant is taking full-mouth radiographs, I review the patient's health history. One thing I always look for is the patient's employer and it's usually the first thing I mention after introducing myself. Chatting with a nurse about how things are going at the hospital or talking to a stockbroker about the Dow Jones Index often makes the patient feel more comfortable. It also has the psychological effect of establishing an adult-to-adult relationship, which enables patients to feel less like helpless children in the dentist's chair. After some small talk, I lean the patient back, complete my exam and then sit the patient back up.

Do you hear what I hear?
The most important part of communicating with patients is taking time to listen. Patients expect to receive the brush-off: They get it every day from others they communicate with. How many times have you languished on hold or had to work your way through an impossible phone tree? Taking a few minutes to hear patients’ concerns about an upcoming procedure or uncertainty about that weird spot on a tooth goes a long way toward easing their fears. It not only establishes you as a solid professional (because of course you are the expert) but also shows them that you’re a nice person who genuinely cares about them and their health. That’s worth a lot—and it’s something they will share with their family and friends.

Patients will expect you to defer their questions to the hygienist or assistant. They’ll expect you to be impersonal and in a hurry. Make it a point to give them a pleasant surprise by defying those expectations. They won’t forget it.

Don’t speak a foreign language
I try to avoid "dentist-speak" whenever possible. Patients don’t understand words like occlusal, bruxism, calculus or even radiographs (which I refer to as X-rays.)

When I discuss treatment plans with patients, I keep my language as simple as possible. I’ll say something like, "There are two main things we look at on X-rays. We look for heavy plaque that your toothbrush won’t brush off, and we look for cavities where the two teeth touch." Of course there are more things I look for, but I don’t want to overwhelm the patient. If calculus is present, I will point out "rough spots" on a tooth.

Cavities are easy to explain, as well. I will show a healthy tooth contact area and explain that there are two layers of teeth (again, we’re keeping it simple) and if there were a cavity present we’d see a dark triangle where the two teeth touch. When you show a patient where the dark triangle has gotten into the second layer (dentin), then he or she understands the need for a filling.

Larger cavities needing a crown to fix are easy to explain by simply stating, "What holds a filling in place is tooth structure, and without tooth structure, the filling will fall out or the tooth will break. In that case a crown is needed."

I encourage you to keep your explanations simple. Talk to patients the way you’d want someone to explain something you’re unfamiliar with, like informative technology or investment banking. Keeping it simple will create a happier, more relaxed and more informed patient who is likely to accept treatment—and that will make for a happier and more relaxed dentist!