Is your patient ready to hear your treatment recommendations?

Asking questions is one of the most important skills that any member of your team can learn. Really getting to know your patients will help you build stronger relationships, increase your patient's trust and case acceptance, and improve their overall feeling about the care they are receiving.

One of the most important questions I recommend is typically asked during the new patient appointment, and is most effective if the doctor asks the question personally. I encourage you to ask your patients: "How would you rate your overall dental health on a scale of one to ten?"

The answer to the question is very telling. It allows you to assess your patient's awareness of their own dental health, and to present your treatment in a way that helps them become more aware of the condition of their mouth. When you ask this question, whatever the patient replies, ask the follow up question, "What would make it a ten?" This will give you an idea of the patient's perception of what is going on in their mouth and what needs to be done to take them to the highest level of health.

What would happen if a patient gave a rating of an eight or a nine, but you assess them at a two or

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a three? Does this mean that you withhold treatment recommendations because the patient is not expecting to need dental work? No! This will not change your treatment recommendations. However, by understanding the patient's own awareness of their dental condition, you can be more intentional about how you present treatment, and you can spend more time in the co-discovery phase of the new patient exam.

I encourage you to try this on your next new patient appointment. Share with us in the comments section below how this question helps you to better understand your patients. Remember, the purpose of this question is to ask them to rate their overall dental health, not the cosmetic appearance of their smile. You could add a question about cosmetic appearance to the questioning sequence, but make sure to maintain the focus on their dental health first and foremost. If you would like my help taking your new patient process to the next level, contact me at solutions@kristinpelletier.com.