The average rate of case acceptance across the entire dental industry is 61 percent. How does your practice stack up against that number? Whether you’re right on average, above it, or below it, as a business owner, you want to see your practice reach its maximum potential. After all, there’s always room to improve. Bryant Consultants is here to help you reach your professional goals as a dentist. One of the methods you can use to increase your rate of case acceptance is by incorporating digital photography into your case presentations. Let’s explore in greater detail why this is so effective.
Photos don’t lie
Your patient may be in denial about the condition of their dental health, or some aspect of their teeth or mouth. It’s hard to refute photographic evidence, however. This can be difficult for some patients, but we suggest making it a positive experience by altering those images to provide a vision of what their smile will look like once the proposed procedure or course of treatment is complete.
Think beyond intraoral photography
Dentists have been using intraoral photography since the 1980s, but the cameras being used in the world of dentistry have progressed by leaps and bounds in the past 30-plus years. Actually, given these advances, intraoral photography is arguably too limited. Your average patient is going to zone out and stop paying attention after seeing a few close-up pictures of teeth in a row. They may even become agitated or upset if multiple single-tooth pictures show the need for restorative dental work.
Modern digital photography makes all the difference
Today’s digital cameras can do so much. The images are clear, precise, and available right away. This allows you to give instant feedback on the images, and present cases right away to the patient in question. These images also can be edited with ease, allowing us to manipulate them to show expected treatment outcomes before any of the actual dental work even begins.
Taking these pictures can be delegated
As the owner of your own dental practice, you have a natural instinct to handle every aspect of your business and your patient care. However, taking patient photographs—whether it is for case presentation or not—should not be part of your domain. This is where you can, and should, lean on the members of your team. Make these photos part of your standard procedure. Moreover, have one of your dental assistants or office assistants take photos of every new patient, which serve as a baseline for any procedures that he or she has in the future.
Just presenting patients their photos isn’t enough; it’s also about the presentation
There’s an art to presenting these photos to encourage greater patient engagement and a higher chance of case acceptance. Connect with your patient. Remove your mask, gloves, and other protective equipment. Sit next to the patient, and provide an exact narration of what you see while you go through all the images together. Patients seem to engage better this way.
Team training consultation
Maybe you’re not sure how to train your team members on dental photography. That’s where Bryant Consultants can be so valuable. Our services can help you refine your vision, establish goals, and set processes in place to evolve your business. Contact us by calling (877) 768-4799. We provide consultation, training, and coaching to help improve the operations of your practice so that you can provide exceptional results to your patients. No office is out of reach for us; we will even come to you!
