(Gary Kadi is our guest blogger today at Sidekick Magazine)
If you’ve ever doubted that society looks to you as more than “just a dentist,” take a look at an article published by Men’s Health: You are one of society’s “health detectives,” a healthcare professional who can save people’s lives. So let’s dig in and talk about how exactly you can fulfill that role.
The first and easiest step is to read and listen. Keeping on the detective analogy, you are listening for clues as to a patient’s overall health. You want to get a clear picture of them, and not just of their mouth. Read the patient’s medical history and ask questions about their other health concerns. Listen F.O.R. – family, occupation, recreation. Listen for each patient’s goals and what they love to do, then connect the dots. You can help them achieve their goals and live the life they want by improving their health through dental care, or by connecting them with the proper healthcare provider outside of your office.
The second step is to educate. Establish a Healthy Mouth Baseline; in other words, how you and your team would define what a healthy mouth is and what it looks like. Then, your team should use that baseline to educate your patients so they understand that you want their mouth to be a healthy mouth.
When you provide your patients with total healthcare, you will develop trusting relationships with your patients, your team will enjoy their work, your case acceptance will increase dramatically, and you will enjoy a new surge of fulfillment in your life. Just take Dr. Warnock for example. His practice increased case acceptance by 30 percent in one month when they started practicing as a Complete Health Dentistry practice!
You are a health detective. And you have all of the education to make a difference in people’s lives. We would love to help you transition smoothly to a Complete Health Dentistry practice by giving you the tools you need. Join us for the Proactive Practice course coming to Lexington, KY from September 27-29. To register call 212-388-1712 or visit here.
