Why doesn’t education alone get patients to accept treatment?
Because education answers a question the patient is not really asking. A lot of case acceptance programs dwell on logic and on educating the patient, as if more information will tip the decision. It rarely does. The patient already trusts that you know your dentistry. What is going on in their head is something else entirely. Am I ready, can I afford this now, am I afraid, does this fit my life. Those are the things that actually make someone smile about treatment, and no amount of explaining bone loss will resolve them. Education has a place, but it is one ingredient, not the meal. If your consultation is mostly you teaching, you are spending your best minutes on the part of the decision that was never in doubt. Aim at readiness, not at the lecture.
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.