March is a busy month for me. Last week I was in Atlanta at a national study club I was invited to be a part of. Today I leave for my son’s hockey tournament in Lake Placid and next week I’m off to Haiti for 7 days. I have to find some time to work!!
The study club meeting last week was great. I presented some material but got the most out of just talking with other dentists from around the country. A major discussion was the economy and how it has affected our dental practices. The common thread amongst most dental offices was patients putting off treatment due to finances or needing to spread treatment out over time if they needed more extensive dental work. We discussed some great techniques on sequencing treatment over multiple years. This allows the patient to spread the treatment out, maximize their dental insurance (if they have it) and get the treatment they need.
Another common theme was holding ground on our philosophy of care. As I have said in the past, there are many different ways to do things and for that matter practice dentistry. This particular group of dentists were all very similar in their philosophy of care. They all hold very high standards, are exceptional clinicians and have a patient base that come to them because they realize the level of care is above average.
They believe the philosophy of practice revolves around treating the person as a whole and not just a tooth. It means patients, their overall health & well-being, must be foremost in the practitioner’s mind. Yes, it also means cleanings, fillings and crowns. These are often inescapable outcomes to dental disease. However, in this type of economy, it just means that sometimes the dentist has to be a little more creative without sacrificing standards and quality.
Too often the dentist views a patient as just a mouth. The goal is to fix as many problems in as many mouths in as short a time as possible. The patient becomes the object of the “fix” instead of a participant in the treatment. How degrading is it for a patient to experience that type of environment? Where is the quality, attention and care when the dentist is busy running room to room? Although for some, this is the type of care they desire because the fees are often lower in this type of setting.
The dentist also suffers. How satisfying can it be for a dentist who sees 40 patients a day? What kinds of relationships can that dentist build with his or her patients? How can that dentist spend the necessary time with the patient to really know the patient’s needs and desires?
In a truly health-centered practice, each patient should be treated as a unique, whole person. Each patient should be treated with dignity and respect. The dentist gives each patient his/her most important gift: TIME.
Taking the time to listen; taking the time to do a complete examination; taking the time to teach the causes of existing and potential dental problems and taking the time to explain alternative treatments and modes of prevention. It means that each patient be given the opportunity to choose the highest level of health consistent with their values and life circumstances.
In difficult economic times you may need to postpone certain things that you would like or need. Your health is not one of those. Despite what I hear sometimes – it is not “just a cleaning”. Your mouth is the gateway to your overall health.