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How to Enhance Communication in Dentistry

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It’s an understatement to say that all dental professionals need to have excellent communication skills.  We need to communicate effectively with our dental team members, labs, supply reps and especially our patients.  The goal of communication in dentistry is simple:  to empower our patients with the knowledge necessary to make an informed decision about their oral health.   Before you jump into talking to your patient about not flossing or how they’re brushing way too hard, here are some acceptable subjects for communication in dentistry to break the ice:

  • The weather
  • The patient.  People always love to talk about themselves.
  • Pets.  Does your patient have any pets?  Do you have pets?  Talk about them!  Animals make everyone happy.
  • Recent news

Sometimes just an honest smile and a joke can make all the difference in the world.  Friendly banter and some humor can dispel the patient’s stress.  Making a dental patient feel comfortable in your practice is one of the easiest ways to keep them coming back.

Communication in Dentistry:  Chairside

One of the most important elements to building a successful dental business is your chairside communication with your patients. Try these quick steps to effective chairside communication in dentistry:

  • Explain to your patients their dental problems precisely and in terms they will understand
  • Inform patients of your treatment recommendations
  • Let them know the potential consequences if treatment is delayed or ignored

Avoid these 10 mistakes from The Curious Dentist when presenting a treatment plan.

You’ll find that a compassionate approach will keep your dental patients engaged.  If you can’t communicate well with your patients and your team, you can’t win.  Communication in dentistry requires patience, humility, effort and is a process for continual improvement.

One of the biggest downfalls to a successful dental practice is the patient’s fear of treatment.  Patients can skip cleanings and put off treatments because they feel apprehensive.  You can prevent fear of dental treatment in the first place by simply talking to your patient.  Communicating—you guessed it—effectively.  If your patient needs a “scary” treatment like a root canal, break it to them gently.  Explain in detail why the treatment is necessary, allow the patient to ask questions and thoroughly describe how the procedure works.  When patients are aware of what to expect, they feel more confident in you and about their treatments.

It can be easy to get in the bad habit of herding patients through your doors like cattle to the point where patients start feeling like that.  Remember who they are—people!  No one wants to feel like “just another patient” in the lineup of your busy schedule.  Connect with them.  Communicate—really communicate—with your patients.  Take quick notes after your appointment about your conversation and follow up with your patients next time they are in.  Ask them how their family vacation was, how things are going at their new job and how their son’s big game went.

Communicating effectively and actually remembering details about your dental patients will make them feel special.  And guess what?  That feeling and connection creates a feeling of loyalty.  Patients who leave feeling special and connected to you and your practice are more likely to refer their family and friends.

There you have it.  Improving communication in dentistry with these simple tips can potentially bring more patients into your practice!  Happy communicating!

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Perfect Your Active Listening Skills With These 3 Tips

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Listening is the most critical communication skill that every dentist and dental team member should cultivate.  Sadly, listening is commonly overlooked in dentistry.  Hearing comes natural to most, but listening is another thing.   

Sometimes in the rush of what the day brings, we\’92ve forgotten what it truly means to stop and listen to the person we\’92re speaking to. When was the last time you asked a patient or team member how they were doing, and then gave them your full attention when they responded?  Did you really, truly hear what they were saying, or did you just hear their answer and then nod, smile and move on quickly to your next item on your to-do list.  We challenge you to make a change and add active listening to your daily routine!

Psst!  Listen up!  Check out these stats on listening:

Discover the essential secrets to successfully filling your dental chairs.  Download your 5-Point Checklist to A Full Schedule now!

Are you an active listener in your dental office?  

Amazing active listening skills are one of the most powerful ways to build and strengthen the rapport you have with your patients. There are many studies that show how this ranks high on the list of what patients want most from their dentists and other healthcare professionals.  

Ready to Improve Your Active Listening Skills?  

We hope you are!  The benefits are many.  Active listening can help to maximize:  

  • Patient satisfaction
  • Strengthen the patient/dentist relationship
  • Improve treatment outcomes
  • Reduce the frequency of complaints and claims
  • Assist dental team members in resolving complaints quickly and easily if they do arise

Here are your 3 vital components to perfecting your active listening skills.  

Silence is golden.

Silence is a powerful tool when it comes to honing your active listening skills.  It encourages the patient to speak and lets them know you\’92re ready to listen.  It\’92s possible to use non-verbal active listening techniques  to actively participate in a conversation without even saying anything at all.   

Don\’92t get sidetracked.

Avoid distractions and intentionally listen to what the patient is saying.  It can be hard when there are things going on around you, or you\’92re tempted to run through your to-do list in your head, but do your best to block distractions out.  Focus on one thing and one thing only:  what the patient is saying to you.

Summation.  

Taking a moment to review the information given by the patient you can let the patient know that you\’92ve been listening and interpreting their information correctly.  Summation examples may include:  

\’91Am I right in understanding that you would prefer not to go ahead with have the tooth extracted now?\’94

\’93What I think I am hearing from you is that you\’92re more concerned with the shape of your tooth than the color of it.  Is that accurate?\’93 

Follow these tips to not only improve your active listening skills, but to build stronger relationships with dental patients, family and friends.  

Ready to create a patient experience for your dental practice that gets the \’91wow\’92 response every time?  Download Your Guide to the Ultimate Patient Experience today!  

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Secrets to a Great Dental Team

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Dental practices face many common challenges including how to be more efficient clinically, how to reduce their overhead, how to motivate the team and how to get more patients.    You may be constantly searching for solutions but may be overlooking the most impactful and obvious piece of your practice:  the dental team that you are working with every single day.  

Your Dental Team Is the Most Important Asset In Your Practice

Take a moment to consider how every system, every interaction and procedure involves and relies on your dental team.  A motivated and well-trained team will work together to consistently provide high-quality and exceptional patient care while increasing efficiency in the practice.  

Discover the essential secrets to successfully filling your dental chairs.  Download your 5-Point Checklist to A Full Schedule now!

It\’92s critical to instill and develop a sense of teamwork, to be motivated to work hard every day. In addition, creating a sense of investment and satisfaction with their job to stay committed to work with you for years to come\’97keeping the turnover rate low.  A great team is made up of people who have a deep understanding of how their daily contributions are part of a larger purpose.  \’91That\’92s not my job\’92 is never a part of their thinking and it is understood that everyone\’92s role is to contribute to the success of the dental practice.  

Here are a few quick tips to creating the dynamic and effective dental team that your practice deserves:

  • Thoroughly train your team on all systems in your dental clinic
  • Document the step-by-step process for each of your practice systems to serve as your foundation to build a successful team
  • Motivate team members with performance reviews
  • Keep your dental team up to speed with anything new
  • Set measurable goals and communicate to the entire team

Providing the most positive dental experience takes a team.  Having the right dental team in place can have a huge impact on your dental practice.  Make sure your team is great for the straightest road to dental practice success.  

Want to improve your dental practice? Patient Focus can help your clinic find success through dental recall. Contact Patient Focus now to get more appointments.

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Step Up Your Dental Patient Communication Skills in 2 Steps

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Communication skills are something we learn and improve upon throughout life.  Some of us develop into excellent communicators while others never seem to quite grasp the skill.  By definition, communication means, \’93the exchange of ideas, messages or information.\’94  As a dental professional, it is crucial to make sure that every message, idea and piece of information you communicate is received clearly and appropriately.  

Pay careful attention to each of these essential dental patient communication skills.

Ask for Feedback

Going to the dentist is stressful.  No one really likes to go to the dentist\’97it generally is coupled with feelings of stress and anxiety.  If someone is stressed, it is not always easy to hear and really take in what others are saying.  To prevent communication misunderstandings, use open-ended questions and prompt the patient to ask for clarification when necessary.  Ask that they repeat back takeaway and action items back to you to ensure they absorbed what was discussed.  Patient communication is not only about talking, but making their visit comfortable and more pleasant will be beneficial for both parties.  

Ready to discover the essential secrets to successfully filling your dental chairs? Download your checklist here!

Listen Up

The dental office is a busy place and it can be all too easy to forget to really listen to what your patients are telling you.  Active listening shows that you are really listening and hearing what the patient has to say.  Effective communicators have the ability to \’93read\’94 others\’97that means both verbally and nonverbally.  Check that you incorporate these three vital components to becoming an active listener to step up your patient communication skills:

  1. Intentionally listen to what the patient is saying.  Don\’92t become distracted, always maintain eye contact and ask follow-up questions based on what the patient is telling you with their actions and their words.   
  2. Watch the patient\’92s facial expressions and posture when they are speaking to you.  Watch for any signs of irritation or confusion and address these concerns before they leave the office.  Also, watch your own body language to ensure you are communicating effectively and not sending any mixed messages.  
  3. Keep an open mind.  Never assume that you know your patient\’92s circumstances or judge. Be compassionate and understanding to all patients.  

Effective patient communication is a precious tool in your dental office.  We\’92ve given you several things to improve your own communication skills for a fulfilling and successful business.  

Are you ready to simplify and streamline your efforts to grow your dental practice? Follow this link to request a consultation with one of our call experts, or call us today at 888.978.2615 and get started in only three simple steps!

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Bringing the Front Office & Back Office Together for a Unified Office

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If there is turmoil or trouble brewing between the front and the back office you can count on your patients feeling it.  Patients can sense any frustration or see it on your face if you\’92re disappointed in one of your team members.   A division in the dental office is a recipe for disaster.   Is there a great divide between your front and back office?  These questions may help you figure that out if you are unsure:

  • Do your dental team members only perform a specific function within the practice and hardly, if ever, venture past the boundaries detailed in their job descriptions?  
  • Do your front and back offices rarely communicate?

If you answered yes to one or both of these questions, your practice most likely is not a unified office.  When each department works independently, it leaves gaps in customer service, efficiency and profitability.  

Every single team member\’92s actions will directly affect the patient experience and ultimately can improve office productivity and profitability.

Discover how you can create a powerful dental patient experience in this blog post.

Without a unified office, a dental team will unravel and can miss many potential income opportunities.  A team that is unified results in happy patients and a successful dental practice\’97work together to create goals, develop plans and increase communication and make patients happy.  

It\’92s time to bridge the gap between the front and back office for a unified office.  A unified dental team improves the work flow and information that is vital for both a positive patient experience and your practice\’92s bottom line.  

3 Steps to a Unified Office

Make Communication the Cornerstone of Your Practice.  Effective communication enables team members to work together while providing optimal care for your patients.  Excellent communication will help to build a strong network that is the glue that holds a practice closely together.  Utilize technology and face-to-face conversations to improve communication between all team members.

Establish Attainable Goals.  Create goals with the team that everyone can work towards together.  Goals help to provide a common focal point and focus to bring everyone closer to reaching them.  When we hit goals, morale goes up, we celebrate more often, team members are happier and everyone is further inspired to try setting new goals in different areas\’97\’91always improving\’92 becomes the common mindset.  Goals should be realistic and well defined.  

Hire Passionate People.  A unified office means likeminded people who work there.  Your dental team should be made up of people who are passionate about providing quality dental care.  While skills are very important, you cannot always instill enthusiasm in a team member.  

Working as a unified office results in happy patients and a successful dental practice.  Set standards in your office so patients are always walking away feeling like your office is a well-oiled machine.   

Wondering how to deal with stress at your dental office?  What it boils down to is not letting stress take control\’97learn how to control your stress. Here are 3 ways we like to highlight for how to deal with stress at the dental office.

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Dental Staff Communication Mistakes to Avoid

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A dental office without good staff communication is a recipe for disaster.  Effectively communicating enhances success and ultimately overall satisfaction not only in the workplace but in life. 

In dentistry, it\’92s crucial to master staff communication in all ways – the relationship between doctor and patient, hygienist and doctor and hygienist and patient, as well as between staff.   

Poor staff communication can lead to decreased motivation, increased misunderstandings and even create conflict.  These communication problems can trickle down to your patients who can often sense issues even if you think it\’92s only internal. 

Quality communication is key to the success of any workplace.  Read this blog to improve communication skills to keep your schedule full.

Consistent and effective staff communication in your dental office can be one of your most powerful assets and lead to a fulfilling and successful business.

Avoid these five critical mistakes in establishing effective staff communication. 

Dental Staff Communication Mistake #1:  Not Being on the Same Page

Huddle up!  If you\’92ve been wondering why your dental office isn\’92t producing results, maybe you should consider starting a morning huddle for the ultimate staff communication!  Here you can set the tone for the day, inspire and create daily performance outcomes with the entire team.   You\’92re able to get everyone on the same page with a morning huddle. 

Dental Staff Communication Mistake #2:  One-Size-Fits-All Communication

Everyone has their own communication style\’97there\’92s no one-size-fits-all.  Some people can get it right off the bat, while others may need a bit more explaining.   Take into consideration everyone\’92s different learning and communication styles with a communication strategy that will address them all. 

Dental Staff Communication Mistake #3:  Not Taming Your Tone

The tone of your voice is always important but especially during stressful times in the workplace.  If you\’92re feeling frazzled, you might have an edgy tone.  Here\’92s a tone-taming trick\’97before you talk, stop, pause and take a deep breath.  Then, communicate what you wanted to say. 

Dental Staff Communication Mistake #4:  Being a Gossip King or Queen

You never want to indulge in gossip at the dental office, but it can ruin reputations and break trust.  You want to be trusted as a communicator and team member\’97leave all gossip at the door and don\’92t partake. 

Dental Staff Communication Mistake #5:  Not Listening

We often think of effective communication skills being how we speak or write.  But listening is the key to all effective communication.  Being an active listener means you have the ability to accurately receive and interpret messages in the communication process. 

Staff communication is a precious tool in your dental office.  When you can avoid these staff communication mistakes, it will benefit your leadership, success and your business!

Are you ready to simplify and streamline your efforts to grow you dental practice? Follow this link to request a consultation with one of our call experts, or call us today at 888.978.2615 and get started in only three simple steps!

Learn How to Get Started

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How to Keep Employees Motivated & Energized in Your Dental Office

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howtokeepemployeesmotivatedThere is one thought that sits in the back of every business owner\’92s head: how to keep employees motivated. Employees are the greatest asset of any company, so it\’92s important to keep them motivated so they perform their best at all times.  Do you know how to keep employees motivated?

You might be surprised to find out that financial rewards are not the only means of keeping your employees motivated. In fact, job satisfaction typically depends more on the office environment. Does the team work together well? Do the employees feel appreciated for doing a job well done?

Here are 3 tips on how to keep employees motivated in your dental office.

Give Your Employees the Tools They Need to Succeed

Do not assume that all of your employees have exactly what they need to do their jobs well. They could be missing anything from a specific tool, to training, or simply just support from you or the office manager. Check in on your employees and ask them if there is anything you can do to help them complete a task. They\’92ll appreciate you taking an interest in their work and be motivated to do well.

Communicate

Make an effort to be present and develop relationships with your employees. A major factor in why employees have low job satisfaction is because they don\’92t like their boss or manager. But this doesn\’92t have to be the case. Communicate often with your staff, and create a dialogue where your employees feel comfortable coming to you when they need help. Share goals with your employees so you are all working together together to improve your dental office.

Engage Your Employees

Include your employees in big decision making. Ask for their input on something that might affect the whole office, and use their ideas if you can. Showing them that you\’92re taking their thoughts into consideration will demonstrate that you value them and their opinion. This is a great way to empower and motivate employees.

Job satisfaction can go a long way in keeping your employees motivated. Strive to create and encourage a positive work environment in your dental office because it will help to keep your employees motivated.

Now that you know how to improve job satisfaction, it\’92s time to improve patient experience!

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Listening Skills \’96 A Lost Art in the Dental Office

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We were all told as children to \’93be good listeners.\’94 This is because listening skills are something that serve us throughout the course of our lives. However, more and more these days our listening skills are deteriorating.  With the recent surge in technology, it\’92s become commonplace to see someone \’93talking\’94 to another person with their face buried in their phone or computer than seeing two people fully engaged and listening to one another.  So what makes listening skills so important, especially in a dental office?

In a dental office it\’92s important to listen not only to your employees and coworkers, but your patients too. Everyone deserves to be heard and understood. Not listening carefully to what others tell or ask of you can result in unfortunate situations. If you fail to listen to your coworkers, an important task might not get completed. And if you don\’92t listen to your patients, you could have an unsatisfactory visit on your hands.

Here are a few ways you can improve your listening skills in your dental office.

Be In the Moment

Even without technology, it can be easy to get distracted when someone is talking to you. If you find it annoying or disrespectful when people aren\’92t paying attention to you when you speak, odds are they find it annoying and disrespectful when you do it. Be present when someone is talking to you so you are ready to listen.

Don\’92t Talk

It can be difficult, but fight the urge to jump in and talk when someone is speaking to you. A lot of the time people just need someone to listen to them. So just listen.

Use Body Language

Show the person you\’92re listening by using body language. Nod your head when appropriate, and most importantly, maintain eye contact. This will demonstrate that you\’92re really listening to what they\’92re saying and that you\’92re not distracted.

Having good listening skills is key to being an effective communicator. So next time you\’92re at the dental office, make sure you\’92re actively listening to you coworkers and patients. They\’92ll notice the difference and you will too.

Want to fill your schedule? Learn how to improve your communication skills!

 

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