Educated Patients are Happy Patients: (and They Happily Accept Your Treatment Plans) 

From the moment we’re born, people try to convince us to do things we don’t want to because “it’s good for you.” 

“Eat your vegetables,” says mom. “No!” “But, it’s good for you,” is her unconvincing reply. “They taste bad!”

A few years down the road, that kid becomes an adult at the dentist's office.

“I believe you’d really benefit from this treatment plan,” says the dentist. “No!” “But, it’s good for you…” “It’s too expensive!”

Educated Patients are Happy Patients:

Persuading people to do tough things such as spending more money on dental treatment or eating more vegetables is not easy. We as humans seem to be hard-wired from birth to be skeptical when someone pushes a desired behavior or choice on us—especially when money is involved. Is this treatment plan really what I need? Or is my dentist just trying to earn an extra buck? How important is it, anyway?

Education: The Key to a Happy Patient 

While we all wish that patients listened to their dentist’s advice more often, sometimes, simply telling them what they need is not enough. When your patient needs more convincing, this is where education comes in. Explaining to your patient why the treatment is important can help them feel good and comfortable about spending money on pricier—but more beneficial—options.

Educated patients accept more treatment plans with less hesitation and they are more satisfied with the outcomes. It also gives them a better understanding of the procedure so they can have accurate and realistic expectations regarding the outcome.

Earn Your Patient’s Trust 

Educating your patients both online and chair-side will help increase the odds that they accept the treatment plans you recommend them. Instead of pushing treatment options on them, help them come to their own conclusions on why the treatment is necessary by providing them the needed background info.

58% of patients report doing their own independent research online before accepting a dental treatment plan. If they are already reaching out and looking for more information, why not provide it to them yourself? Doing this will not only help you meet their needs but also increase their trust in you and your practice—and trust is the first step to a quality relationship between you and your patient. 

Gain Quality Online Content; Lose Gimmicks, Games, and Nonsense 

The first step to educating your patients is online content—especially videos. Video content is not only engaging and informative for your patients, but it also improves your website’s search engine optimization. When your customer does an online search such as “How does tooth replacement work?” (and they will), how nice would it be if a video from your site was the first result they see? That’s the power of online content and search engine optimization.

With Toothority, you can have access to our whole suite of education videos for only $49/month with no term contracts, games, or gimmicks—just quality, informative content for your site that drives traffic, help educate your patients and gains their trust in your practice. It’s a win for everyone. 

Conclusion

No one cares more about your patient’s health than the patient themselves. When they are adequately informed about their options, they usually choose the best one available—even if the treatment is costly. It makes sense, everyone knows that good health is priceless. The key is helping your patients fully understand their needs and how your treatments can help.

Let Toothority provide that knowledge to your patients in an engaging, easy to understand, format. Check out our website for more details and, when you’re ready, give us a call to start turning treatment plans into treatments.