How should I handle an emergency patient who isn’t in pain?
Pain comes first, always. If there is physical pain, your job is to eliminate it before anything else. But when an emergency or new patient shows up and they are not in pain, you owe them a choice, not a sales pitch for full-mouth work. Think about it from their side. They did not walk in that day having decided to be evaluated for something big. So that is not what they want to be sold, and pushing it triggers exactly the defensive responses that wreck good decision-making. What you do is tell them honestly that you see things worth evaluating, and then you let them decide the next step. You can stabilize the case, you can move toward complete care, or they can do nothing. Three honest options. Your role is to lay them out clearly and let the patient own the decision.
If the answers you are finding here resonate with you, my team and I work with a small group of clients each year. The next step is a complimentary Discovery Consultation and Practice Review with Dr. McAnally.