What three questions should the assistant ask the dental patient on arrival at the treatment presentation?
Has anything happened since the last visit that might affect today’s discussion. Are there any changes to when treatment needs to start or be finished. And for cosmetic cases, addressed to the support person, is there anything they would like to see different about the patient. The first question surfaces any new clinical or personal developments the patient has not communicated yet. The second confirms the timing parameters that anchor any urgency framing in the case presentation. The third is the most important for cosmetic cases and the most often skipped: it brings the support person’s preferences into the conversation before the case presentation begins. Without it, the patient and spouse may discover during or after the presentation that they wanted different cosmetic outcomes, which can derail the decision. With it, alignment gets achieved upfront and the doctor can shape the presentation to address both perspectives. The assistant communicates any meaningful answers to the doctor before the presentation starts so the case-presentation flow can adapt.
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.