You made it, Doctor! You’re a qualified dentist. You’ve joined a great practice, found a mentor, and enrolled in continuing education. Six months later, your production is below $50,000, case acceptance is 20%, and you’re frustrated. You blame new-patient flow, mentorship, the team, or the economy.
The real issue may be the Communication Gap: the difference between what you know clinically and your ability to communicate it in a way that builds trust and motivates patients to accept care.
How to Close the Communication Gap
Take Ownership
There are no grades in private practice. Patients don’t care how much you know; they care whether you can help them understand their health. When a patient has been diagnosed with a problem that needs fixed, and they do not schedule…don’t play the blame game. Do an after action report and get to the root cause of why. Often, patients don’t understand the urgency and or the predictability of fixing a problem before it hurts. As a dentist, it is important to set a positive framework for the patient to ease their mind about scheduling. When patients don’t schedule, seek to understand why and own the outcome. This shift will allow you to close the gap rather than pointing fingers of blame on others.
Create Positive Energy
Spend 30 minutes moving before work. Your physiology influences your mindset, team, and patients. Everyone feels it. When I first started running my business, I put off the activity and told myself the lie that being successful means I have to compromise on health. This was the wrong approach and only after changing my routine did I see a dramatic difference. Leading people means others look up to your spoken and unspoken communication. The better your physiologic state, the more positive your team will feel. Early morning movement and sunlight boost positive emotions and make for a simple start to your day to ensure success and good energy for your team and patients.
Relate First
Be genuinely curious about your patients. Connect as humans before speaking technically. Relate on weather, travel, patient style, or a current sporting event.
Favorite questions I ask: “what is keeping you busy?” “How do you plan to spend the summer/winter/fall?”
Many people wear clothes hoping the world notices. Be curious: notice those details. “Neat shoes, tell me about them.” “What’s the story behind your necklace?” I particularly like to learn about visible tattoos. The fun conversations I have from learning about the art people choose to display on their body is deeply connecting.
Find common ground to relate on and difficult conversations become easier.
Keep Your Message Simple
Assess risk in three areas: gum health, tooth health, and bite health. Ensure patients leave knowing their risks for problems in each of the three categories.
A phrase I use often is: “some of the worst problems in the mouth I see don’t hurt.” People assume because they don’t have pain that they are healthy. Heart attacks don’t hurt until they do. I like to frame the visit to the dentist as a proactive step towards attaining and maintaining health.
Use Problem-Consequence-Solution
Show the problem with photos, scans, or radiographs. Explain the consequences, then clearly recommend the next step. Most gaps happen because patients don’t understand the consequences of their problem or inaction.
Too many doctors try to teach dentistry. They dance around the consequences of the problem and start to insert language such as “you need a crown” or “you need an implant.” What people actually need is to understand what they stand to lose so they take action. Be clear on the consequences of problems with patients and instill a sense of urgency for action. Proactive dental care is more predictable and painless for both patient and doctor.
Practice Communication
Record yourself, seek feedback, adjust, and repeat.
Clinical knowledge matters. But communication is what turns knowledge into action. The sooner you close the gap that exists, the happier and healthier your practice becomes.
The ability to close this gap is half the battle to running a successful practice. Treatment plan acceptance is proven to be higher when patients do not perceive that you need them to say yes. Managing the business side of your practice matters as operational overhead constraints can show up in your body language and energy at work. I have found there are many dynamic solutions to ensuring your overhead is under control and will speak about it in my next article: The Healthy Practice Formula. Partnering with companies like Net32 can ensure your overhead stays in check so you show up the best version of yourself to consults and treatment presentations for your patients.
I coach and help young dentists for a living; the communication gap can be closed with intentional and enjoyable effort.
Together We Win.
