You can't handle the truth?
Often new patients start with an emergency visit. Usually its best to take an x-ray of the tooth that's bothering them and try to eliminate their emergency. While I am often tempted to suggest we do a more comprehensive radiographic examination on an "emergency" visit, it usually is not the best idea.
I was taught, by a mentor dentist, that when a patient comes in with a problem, its best to try and help them right away in order to "win their confidence".There is some wisdom there, since talking alone doesn't engender trust as much as successfully handling their emergency. Also giving too much "bad news" to a patient their very first visit is not a recipe for success!
Last week a youngish patient came in with a perio abcess on tooth #31. I could probe 10+ mm. Instead of just taking one radiograph of the tooth in question and handling her emergency , I suggested a full set of Radiographs. I figured that her perio condition might not be isolated to tooth #31. This survey showed generalized moderate to severe periodontitis of her posterior teeth. Now the cat was out of the bag and I explained that tooth #18 was hopeless and tooth number 31 had a questionable prognosis. She was understandably upset since no one had told her this before.
I went ahead and root planned #31 and gave her an Rx for Doxycycline. I asked her to return in a week for an observation and a general check up and cleaning. She scheduled a follow up appointment before she left.
The next day, I noticed a brand new two star review on my Zoc Doc account ( an extremely low rating) and I told my office manager that I suspected our new patient had given us a low rating. There was no way to be sure, since it was left anonymously but I started to suspect that our new patient wouldn't be keeping her next appointment.
Sure enough this appointment was cancelled and my patient requested that her radiographs be sent to her via email. She reported that the tooth I treated felt better, but I guess sometimes the road to hell is paved with good intentions; If I hadn't done a thorough perio evaluation and taken a full set of radiographs, probably she would have returned for her follow up cleaning and I would have been able to break the bad news more slowly at a second or possibly third visit. Instead I was the messenger bearing bad news and I was "shot". If I had only followed my mentors advice I would have been her hero instead of the goat. Sometimes people are just not ready for bad news!
from Ask Dr. Spindel - http://ift.tt/2rnSLVF - http://ift.tt/1SpPbm6
I was taught, by a mentor dentist, that when a patient comes in with a problem, its best to try and help them right away in order to "win their confidence".There is some wisdom there, since talking alone doesn't engender trust as much as successfully handling their emergency. Also giving too much "bad news" to a patient their very first visit is not a recipe for success!
Last week a youngish patient came in with a perio abcess on tooth #31. I could probe 10+ mm. Instead of just taking one radiograph of the tooth in question and handling her emergency , I suggested a full set of Radiographs. I figured that her perio condition might not be isolated to tooth #31. This survey showed generalized moderate to severe periodontitis of her posterior teeth. Now the cat was out of the bag and I explained that tooth #18 was hopeless and tooth number 31 had a questionable prognosis. She was understandably upset since no one had told her this before.
I went ahead and root planned #31 and gave her an Rx for Doxycycline. I asked her to return in a week for an observation and a general check up and cleaning. She scheduled a follow up appointment before she left.
The next day, I noticed a brand new two star review on my Zoc Doc account ( an extremely low rating) and I told my office manager that I suspected our new patient had given us a low rating. There was no way to be sure, since it was left anonymously but I started to suspect that our new patient wouldn't be keeping her next appointment.
Sure enough this appointment was cancelled and my patient requested that her radiographs be sent to her via email. She reported that the tooth I treated felt better, but I guess sometimes the road to hell is paved with good intentions; If I hadn't done a thorough perio evaluation and taken a full set of radiographs, probably she would have returned for her follow up cleaning and I would have been able to break the bad news more slowly at a second or possibly third visit. Instead I was the messenger bearing bad news and I was "shot". If I had only followed my mentors advice I would have been her hero instead of the goat. Sometimes people are just not ready for bad news!
from Ask Dr. Spindel - http://ift.tt/2rnSLVF - http://ift.tt/1SpPbm6
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