How does Maslow's hierarchy of needs apply to selling dental treatment? Think back to psych 101. Maslow stacked human needs in a pyramid, and people sit at different levels at different points in their lives. Once a patient's basic physical needs are handled, almost everything you do as a dentist lives in the three middle bands: safety, love and belonging, and esteem. That is your territory. A patient is rarely buying a tooth. They are buying the feeling of safety in their own body, the confidence to smile around people they love, the self-respect of not hiding their mouth. Self-actualization at [...]