Sally McKenzie

Minimize those aspects of the dental visit that patients dislike the most, starting with injections. There are products on the market today that enable you to give injections that are truly painless. This is particularly important when giving a shot in highly sensitive areas, such as the palate or upper incisors. These are experiences that patients remember for better or worse. And don't overlook topical anesthetics for dental hygiene visits to minimize discomfort as much as possible.

Consider the fearful patient. Many dentists would rather avoid them as much as they want to avoid the dentist. Certainly, anxious patients are a common source of stress for dentists who receive very little training in managing and caring for them. One of the most critical steps a dentist can take in handling an anxious or phobic patient is to listen to them. The fears of the patient will be as individualized and unique as the patient themselves. Taking extra care and time to build a relationship with the patient first and addressing their dental needs second is vital. It's a process of gaining and keeping the patient's trust.

Give patients the opportunity to talk about their fears. Ask them if they have had any negative experiences in the past, if they have concerns about dental treatment, about injections, anesthesia, drilling. The answers to those questions can be every bit as important as the routine health history questions posed. Not only will the patient's stress level go down, so too will the doctor's.

Many anxious or phobic patients feel very helpless in the dental chair. Ensuring they feel that they have some control is critical. The most common approach is a signaling system in which the doctor will stop if the patient raises their hand for any reason - perhaps to ask a question or because they might want to rinse. The key is to ease their fears by emphasizing they have more control of their circumstances.

In addition, it is vital that team members are sensitized to the special needs of this type of patient. Putting the patient at ease the moment they walk in the door will go a long way in improving the entire experience. Dentists and dental teams that take the time to get to know and understand fearful patients often find that they become the most loyal patients, your biggest fans, and a fantastic source for patient referrals.

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Kristen Isaacs

Yelp.com is an online message board where patients and patrons of local businesses can post reviews for anyone to read. Yelp takes the power of word-of-mouth and amplifies it by bringing it online. While a bad review can seriously hurt a business, a good review can bring your business great attention.  

No matter what, it's a great way for dentists to connect with patients before and after appointments.

These days, any computer savvy potential patient will take to Google before deciding on a dental provider. While having your own web presence is an invaluable tool for branding your practice, chances are, your practice's Yelp review page will influence decisions.  

Sample Yelp Page

1. Claim your business on Yelp as your own.

Just because you've never visited Yelp.com, doesn't mean you're not on it. Anyone, patient or not, can start a Yelp page for you, even without your permission. The good news is, Yelp makes it easy to connect your practice to your Yelp profile so you can keep tabs on the conversation. Here's how you do it:

Just visit Yelp for Business Owners, and search for your company's profile. From there, Yelp guides you step by step through the process. Or, if you're on your practice's Yelp profile, you can click the link at the bottom of the company information to "Unlock This Business Page."

2. Interact with comments.

Now that your practice is connected with your Yelp profile, you can interact with the people writing reviews. See a review you love? Add a comment or send a message to the reviewer thanking them for their support. See a review you don't love? Then send a message to the reviewer offering to make it right. Yelpers are notorious for adjusting a negative review if they are happy with a business owner's follow up.

Just remember one VERY important thing: your comments are going to be the first customer service that most of your potential new clients see, so make sure you're representing your practice accurately and professionally!

3. Post a few pictures of your practice!

Yelp allows anyone to upload photos to your practice page. You can help the image of your practice by giving the Yelp community a way to visually connect with you.

The benefits of uploading different kinds of photos:

• A picture of your building from the outside helps new patients easily identify your location.
• An uploaded picture of your logo gives your practice a polished and professional feel.
• An uploaded headshot of you and other dentists in your practice shows patients that you bring a personal touch to your practice.
• A picture of your front desk staff smiling shows that your practice values everyone who walks in the door and cares about having a good environment
• A picture of your clean and well-designed waiting room shows patients that you care about their comfort and peace of mind

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