What do patients really want from a dentist? Six things, and they are universal no matter how the patient found you. They do not want to be hurt, ever, from the shot to the cleaning to the recovery afterward. They want to understand what you are saying. They want options, but not too many. They want their specific fears eliminated, which means you have to ask, because most patients will never volunteer what actually scares them. They want to be respected, same as you do. And they want help choosing, the guardrails that keep them from feeling lost. Notice that not [...]