What is a patient's dental IQ and how should I use it? Dental IQ is just my shorthand for how much a patient already understands about how their mouth affects the rest of their life. Do they know teeth can change how they feel about themselves, that gums and teeth affect the whole body, that a smile changes how other people treat them, that disease can be serious without ever hurting? If they know all of it, the IQ is high. If they do not, it is average or low. Here is the part dentists get wrong: it does not matter [...]