TTC_02_17_21_Vol.17-No.17
TTC_02_17_21_Vol.17-No.17
TTC_02_17_21_Vol.17-No.17
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Page 6 www.TheTownCommon.com
February 17, 2021
By J. Peter St. Clair, DMD
Last week I discussed the importance
of communication in
any relationship; specifically, the
healthcare provider/patient relationship.
Trust is mutually built
as this relationship develops over
time.
“There’s not enough time in the
day.” Have you ever used this excuse?
I said it yesterday to someone.
We all tend to waste a lot of
time, or at least don’t use the time
we have as effectively as we could.
You would think that in our technology-filled
world, time management
would be easier. I think that
Brighter smiles ...
some of this technology gets in the
way by adding even more of a time
commitment to things that reduce
interpersonal communication.
Here’s an example. It’s time to
buy a new car. There are many
different car brands, and within
those brands are many models. No
matter what dealership you go to,
they will gather a minute amount
of information about you, or maybe
none at all, but guaranteed,
they have a car on their showroom
floor that they tell you is the right
car for you. They will spend a
countless amount of time talking
about the many new features that
their brand has, and the options
between different models. If the
salesman worked for a different
car company, or if you went to a
different dealership, you would
hear the same reasons why that
brand is right for you. Their goal
is to sell you a car.
The Patient Perspective -Part 2
Dental offices can be like that
too. If the dentist spent all their
time talking about the array of
technological gadgets and how
they were right for you, how would
you feel? You would feel like you
were trying to be “sold” something.
Having said that, there are
many great technological gadgets
that improve the whole experience
of patient care out there. There are
also many ways to do most things,
but technology is not the solution;
it is simply a tool used in patient
care.
Branding draws us in. You may
have a preconceived notion that a
particular make of car is what you
“need”, or see a dental advertisement
that attracts your attention,
such as “invisible” braces. However,
there are many different brands
of cars and dental aligners that
would satisfy your needs.
Whether it is a car or teeth,
there are often gaps between the
“seller” and the “buyer”. There
is a gap between what we really
need and what we think we
need. There is another gap between
what the dentist or salesman
thinks we need, and what we
think we need. And, more specifically,
there is often a serious gap
between the value most dentists
have, and the value they feel they
can discuss with patients. Sometimes
we feel we don’t have the
time to discuss these things, and
other times we are afraid we will
scare you away.
Dental care is such an important
part of overall wellness. Remember,
just because it doesn’t
hurt does NOT necessarily mean
everything is okay. Collaboration
with a dental team who puts the
patient’s best interests first is key
to good dental care.
Dentists and dental team
members need to communicate
facts and truths. They need to
convey expertise and enthusiasm.
This goes back to the idea of
time I have mentioned so often
in the past. Dentists and dental
teams need to spend time with
patients, be involved with co-diagnosing
issues with patients,
not hard-selling with little information.
This creates a caring
environment where the patient
can be involved in the process of
choosing the level of care that is
right for them.
Dr. St. Clair maintains a private
dental practice in Rowley and Newburyport
dedicated to health-centered
family dentistry. If there are certain
topics you would like to see written
about or questions you have please
email them to him at jpstclair@
stclairdmd.com. You can view all
previously written columns at www.
jpeterstclairdentistry.com/blog.
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