Sally McKenzie

With so many demands on the busy dental team to stay on schedule, to get patients into the chair, through their appointment, and on their way, it's easy to understand why doctor and staff may be somewhat reluctant to spend any more time than what they believe is absolutely necessary on seemingly non-pressing issues, particularly those dealing with patient communications.

After all, most dental teams think they are thorough and that they tell patients everything they need to know. If the patient asks questions, the staff answers them without hesitation, so why belabor this point? Unfortunately, in the busyness of the typical day, employees don't communicate as well as they would like to think they do. Worse yet, they don't even realize there is a problem, which can cost practices dearly in patient retention.

The fact is that patients want more information than they are typically given. They also want information that they are reluctant to ask for. And here's the tricky part, it's up to you to make sure that patients get the information that you probably don't even know they want.

The good news: Your efforts will make a huge difference in patient opinion of the doctor and the practice as patients who have their questions answered are far more satisfied with their care and the dental staff than those who don't. And, in actuality, addressing this often- overlooked patient need is much easier than teams realize.

It may not be necessary at every visit, but make sure your patients know that you are always open to their questions. You want to know if they have even the slightest concern. It starts with your asking them a few simple questions, "How do you feel about this?" "How does this fit in your plans for your overall health?" "Do you have any more questions or concerns that you'd like to discuss?"

Ensure your patients know you have the time, the patience, and the knowledge to address all their questions and concerns, no matter how big or how small.

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Katherine Eitel

Like many Americans, I LOVE American Idol. I hardly watch TV but I do watch this show and it's not really surprising why: I love good music of all kinds; I get inspired watching young, hungry, gutsy kids work their behinds off in the pursuit of their dreams, and it's exciting watching them get better and better every week. I like that this is one show entire families can enjoy and one that appeals to all ages and cultures. In my family, we find our favorites early-on each season and the friendly dinner table competition begins. We dance around and sing right along with the contestants, celebrating their brilliant moments and suffering through their mistakes and sometimes well-deserved criticism by the judges. By the time the season finale rolls around, the battle lines have often been drawn for the Super Bowl of the entertainment world as we ruthlessly cheer (and vote!) for our favorites. What fun!

This season there was a cute R&B crooner named Stephano. Not my favorite but adorable and good enough to make the top seven. One night after a good but not stellar performance, Jennifer Lopez (one of the judges for all you non-Idol types) made this statement to him: "... right now, Stephano, you've gotta stop singing to stay. You've gotta start singing to win."

Today I heard, yet again, a practice owner say, "We're not doing badly... but we're definitely not thriving." In one version or another, I've heard this a lot lately and it saddens me because there is no good reason for a lack of thriving today. None. There is a huge market of people that need, want, and can afford your services. More than you could ever handle. But to get to them and to get their business... you've gotta stop singing to stay... you gotta start singing to win!

This means you've got to take a serious hard look at what you believe is holding that thriving at bay. Instead of continuing to accept what you perceive to be reasons you can't do something or try something or incorporate something or afford something or master something... You've got to ask the question, "What if I could create a new social media or marketing plan that feels good to me and doesn't take all my time (or money) to do?" "What if I could learn a way to present treatment to my patients so more of them would accept advanced care?" "What if there was a way I could embrace new therapies into my practice such as Invisalyn, sleep apnea, facial esthetics, implants or conscious sedation in a way I would feel comfortable?" "What if I could learn how to inspire my team or certain team members to contribute more or enroll patients more into treatment?"

What if? Who's doing it already with success? Go talk to them. Where are the resources for what you need to know? They are out there... find them. (Call me and I'll point you in the right direction!) If it's available to some, it's available to all. They don't have some magic you don't have. And no one is standing in your way ... but you. Stop surviving and start thriving!

If you really want it, get off the "poor me pity pot" and .... start singing to WIN!

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