Here’s a situation that every dentist has faced.

A patient comes to see you with major dental problems. You thoroughly diagnose what’s wrong and work out a solid, sensible plan to fix their teeth. At their next appointment, you spend 45 minutes carefully explaining what’s going on, what’s needed and the cost.

In the end, the patient thanks you, says they’d like to “think about it” and leaves, promising to call soon. You feel that everything has gone well and that they will call in a few days.

A month later you ask your nurse what happened to the patient. She replies: “I thought you knew. They rang up and requested that we transfer their records to the doctor down the street.”

Ouch! That hurts. What went wrong?

Learn to discuss treatment in a way that’s quick, simple, low stress and effective.