You are the Expert! Your Patients Want your Recommendation

After four years of dedicating yourself to learning and mastering the skills necessary to become a successful practicing dental professional, it’s hard not to start thinking about the fruits of your labor.

At some point in the not-too-distant

future, you will move into practice for yourself and will need to learn and master the skills necessary to run a small business. You

will be faced with many different decisions and will need to start to decide how your practice will be run.

Production will be a word that becomes part of your vocabulary. Let’s face it, production is important for any business, and it is no different for dentists. You and your staff will need to start to balance the idea of production against “selling” products and procedures. Many young dental professionals are uncomfortable with selling procedures and/or products.

My advice is to get comfortable with it, recommending/selling procedures and products in the name of good oral health is what your patients expect. They come to you not only for a procedure, but for advice. They want positive reinforcement that what they are doing to maintain their oral health is working, and they also want a professional’s recommendation on things they can do to enhance their current practices.

Fortunately, you are in a position to improve care and production at the same

time by becoming comfortable and effective at recommending oral care solutions. Your ability to recommend oral care solutions, procedures, and home care products will positively impact your practice and your patients’ oral health.

As consumers, we expect to receive information on products we purchase. Your patient is a consumer, they are buying dental treatment from you. Why would we not provide the patient with the same kind of information we expect as consumers when making purchases? If you are selling a procedure to your patient, shouldn’t you and your staff provide them the “instruction manual” as well?

As a dental professional, you and your staff have a responsibility to make specific product recommendations to your patients. As part of your practice, you will be asking patients to accept treatment plans that may be costly. If the patient does not have the proper instructions and/or product recommendations, the end result of that treatment could be less than ideal. For example, if a patient has no previous experience with a crown, bridge, or implant, then it is critically important that you and your staff educate the patient on proper home care technique so that the patient’s investment is protected. Recommending the proper products is like offering an insurance policy on the procedure.

One of the keys to becoming effective at making product recommendations is understanding the range of options that exist, in addition to having sufficient product knowledge. For example, it is not enough to say to a patient, “Use an electric toothbrush.” They need to understand why they should use an electric toothbrush, especially since it requires a substantial out-of-pocket expense. Be well versed on the features and benefits of the various products/ options.

Make sure your staff is educated, as well. If you expect your staff to recommend products and services, it is important that they understand and believe in the product or service. Personal use or experience with products is always helpful, as many patients will ask their dentist or hygienist what they personally use.

Most companies will provide these materials free of charge.

One way for you and your staff to stay current on the latest product technology is to leverage the various selling organizations. Most manufacturers have sales forces, either direct or indirect, that would love the opportunity to educate you and your staff on the latest products and technologies that they represent. Meet with them, give them time, take them up on their offer to do “lunch and learns” in your office.

Depending on the product, keep patient education materials on hand or have display models in your office so you can demonstrate how to use the product.

Make the perfect transition

Making that first transition into your career is the most important decision you will ever make. For more than 30 years, ADS and its local transition specialists have helped dental graduates like you make the perfect first transition. As the nationwide leaders in practice purchases, we know the best opportunities wherever it is that you want to be. We are dedicated to your success.

Get off to the perfect start. Visit us online to find your local ADS representative.

with that transaction stays in your office.

In closing, everything you and your staff do once you are in practice will be a reflection of you and your practice. Show your patients how committed you are to their oral health by recommending and dispensing the home care products that will help them maximize what you do for them in the office.

If you really want to make a difference in your patients’ oral health, consider dispensing products that you recommend and believe in. A good example might be power toothbrushes. If you believe Oral B is the best power brush for a particular patient type, stock the item in your office for those patients. This is the best way to ensure that your specific product recommendations are followed.

Allow them to continue the care that you start in your chair. ■

We all know that our patients have good intentions, but the reality is that the oral care retail environment can be confusing to shop, and patients don’t always follow through with recommendations once they leave the office. There are other benefits to in office dispensing - it will save your patients time and money, you’ll have the option to give personal instruction and observe the patient using the product, and last the revenue associated

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