Boota Singh Ubhi explores the impact of positive communication with patients.
Helping your patients accept treatment can be a challenge for a variety of reasons. Aside from cost, certain barriers may include a poor understanding of medical terminology, dental anxiety or a lack of connection with the dentist. This can be frustrating for dentists, as their patients are not receiving the care they need. The reasons that individuals decide not to move forward are endless, but knowing how to navigate the situation is the first step to increasing treatment acceptance.
For complex procedures, such as dental implants, patient understanding and awareness is even more crucial. As patients will undergo surgery and a long healing period, those who don’t fully appreciate the treatment’s importance, as well as its benefits for them, may simply decline to proceed, to save further time and confusion. As their dentist, it is your job to demystify dentistry and encourage their understanding, and confidence, in the implant procedure. So, what are the ways that you can help patients feel comfortable and self-assured when accepting treatment?
Keep it simple
An adequate comprehension of the surgical and restorative will not only help avoid potential complications, complaints and patient dissatisfaction, but will help to encourage a positive and co-operative atmosphere from the outset.
The General Dental Council states that dental professionals must “give patients the information they need, in a way they can understand, so that they can make informed decisions”. Studies have found that a patient’s understanding of dental terminology can depend on various factors, such as their education level, their first language and health literacy level. Assessing each person’s ability to understand will help you to tailor your communicative approach.
For example, your use of certain implant terminology may be understood by one patient, but not by another. When a patient fails to understand or interpret terminology, they may make poor decisions or feel unnecessarily anxious. Therefore, by conversing with them, encouraging questions and giving simplified explanations, you will help clarify areas of ignorance and make them feel more involved and informed. This will also help to manage patient expectations, as one study found that over-expectation can be minimised through education so they “fully understand the treatment modalities, the intricacies, and success rates together with a truthful discourse on [the] outcomes”.
Providing educational and accessible dental implant resources will help patients to process relevant information, in their own time. By offering these resources, you are preventing patients from consuming potentially incorrect information from other sources, like the internet or other peoples’ experiences. Whether you offer them leaflets or places they can conduct their own research, it is highly effective and will help patients feel confident and well-informed. Even having educational posters or pamphlets in the dental practice waiting room is a useful method for providing any relevant information.
Take your knowledge further
When you are confident in your ability to deliver treatment, you can better prepare, inform and educate your patients, thus increasing the potential for patients wanting to move forward. Dentistry is dynamic, and there are always opportunities for the development of extra skills and expertise. You could consider attending professional conferences, study clubs or workshops, or something more comprehensive, such as a hands-on course. Hands-on courses allow dentists to experience any new techniques or technologies in the field, which are always emerging and evolving. You can also interact with other like-minded peers, sharing and discussing concepts and ideas.
You will also be able to make mistakes and improve on them, building your confidence and ability to remain calm in the presence of the patient. The Soft Tissue Around Dental Implants programme from BPI Dental Education & Training is a two-day hands-on course, introducing the most cutting-edge plastic periodontal surgery techniques to delegates. To ensure the success and longevity of dental implants, the course will help delegates diagnose and rectify potential soft tissue problems prior to and posttreatment.
Confidence is key
Confidence plays an integral role when helping patients understand, and ultimately accept, treatment. By taking on extra training and education, you will be able to provide a sufficient assessment and diagnosis prior to implant placement and restoration to minimise potential issues and optimise patients’ confidence in your skills. Undergoing any dental procedure can be nerve-wracking, but with your support, patients can feel knowledgeable and in control of their decisions.
The ultimate aim for every dentist is to deliver excellent, long-lasting results. When a patient is fully informed and involved in the planning stages, there is higher potential for treatment acceptance. References available on request.