DENTAL PATIENT CASE ACCEPTANCE | Dental Practice Solutions

Unlock the Secrets to Higher Case Acceptance

By: Debbie Seidel

September 12, 2023

As a dentist, your primary goal is to provide exceptional oral health to your patients.

Even the most skilled and compassionate dental professionals may encounter challenges when it comes to getting their patients to accept recommended treatment plans.

Dental patient case acceptance is a critical aspect of your dental practice’s success, as it not only ensures your patients receive the care they need but also contributes to the financial health of your dental clinic.

In this blog, we’ll explore the importance of case acceptance and reveal the one thing that has proven to increase it.

Why is Dental Patient Case Acceptance Crucial?

Dental treatment plans often involve a range of dental procedures, from routine preventive care and fillings to more complex treatments like full mouth rehabilitation, Invisalign, veneers, and implants. Achieving case acceptance means patients are not only willing to schedule the recommended treatment but also follow through by paying and then keep their scheduled appointments.

Answers to The Above Question:

Improved Oral Health: Accepting and completing recommended treatment leads to better oral health outcomes for patients. Untreated dental issues potentially resulting in more extensive and expensive procedures down the road. Oral inflammation will lead to systemic inflammation.
- This cascading inflammatory response contributes to other systemic diseases such as heart attack, stroke, diabetes, Crohn’s Disease, and even Alzheimers Disease.
Practice Growth: A high case acceptance rate is essential for the financial viability of your dental practice.
- Your case acceptance rate should exceed 60%.
- This ensures a steady flow of revenue and enables you to invest in state-of-the-art equipment, continuing education, and providing the best possible care to your patients.
Patient Satisfaction: Patients who receive the care they want and need are more likely to be raving fans. Raving fans refer friends and family, contributing to the growth of your patient base.

IMPORTANT TO NOTE: Patients who pay a “reservation fee” at the time they schedule for high end treatment means they are committed to accepting your care.

Think: Less last minute cancellations and less changes in your schedule. Paying a reservation fee means you have a more committed patient!

Dental Case Acceptance Challenges:

Despite the importance of case acceptance, many dental practices do not achieve at least 60% case acceptance.

Common Barriers:

Financial Concerns: Dental treatment can be costly, and some patients may hesitate to proceed with treatment due to financial concerns, even if it’s essential for their oral health.
Fear and Anxiety: Dental anxiety is a common issue that can prevent patients from accepting treatment.
- Patients may delay or avoid necessary procedures due to fear of pain or discomfort.
Lack of Understanding: Patients may not fully comprehend the urgency or importance of recommended treatments, leading to delays or non-acceptance.

The one thing that Increases Case Acceptance year after year is when you understand what your patients want for their smile.

It’s not enough to simply diagnose and recommend treatment; you must also ensure that your patients understand and feel comfortable with the proposed plan. You must have patients “own their disease” and “want what they need.”

How to Initiate Higher Cosmetic Case Acceptance:

Build Trust: Establishing trust is the foundation of effective communication. Patients are more likely to accept treatment recommendations when they trust their dentist.

First ask your patients,”What do you want your smile to look like?” or ask, “What is one thing you would like to change about your smile?”

Switch up your questions about the patients smile desires and make it fun for you and your patients.

Notice how these are not “Yes” or “No” questions. They are open-ended questions that inspire your patients to “think.”

Always be empathetic, listen to the patient concerns, and address all questions and any fears. Learn motivational interviewing skills to more easily show empathy and compassion. *See resources below.

Create Raving Fans: Once you have established trust with your patients and to gain trust, you want to offer something of great value to your patients.

Asking what your patient wants is a great opening to gain patient trust and show that you are doing more than treating a tooth!

The one answer most patients respond with when asked what they want for their smile is, “Whiter teeth.” The 2nd most popular answer is “straight teeth.:”

The list of what patients want for their smile goes on but first learn what your patient wants. As you are seating patients ask what you can do to make the appointment and their smile the very best.

Let’s change the negative connotation around dental appointments into something our patients look forward to!

The Smile Club is a fun way to:

Give patients what they want (Whiter teeth) more easily (Same day)
Give patients what they want, costing them less money and something they want
Increase your cosmetic cases

Educate and Inform: Take the time to educate your patients about their oral health. Use visual aids like X-rays, intra-oral cameras, scanners, and/or dental models to show what’s happening in their mouth. Explain the consequences of not completing necessary treatment.

When patients leave without scheduling appointments always follow-up with a phone call and an email with a video that explains the risks and benefits of the specific treatment.

Offer Options: Whenever possible, provide patients with different treatment options.
- This not only gives them a sense of control over their care but also accommodates their budget and comfort level.
Clear Financial Discussions: Be transparent about the cost of treatment and discuss flexible payment options and/or insurance coverage.
- Patients are more likely to accept treatment when they understand the financial aspect of treating disease and abnormalities.
- Patients respond favorably when they have a plan in place.
Follow-Up: After presenting a treatment plan, follow up with your patients. Address any lingering questions or concerns and remind them of the importance of timely treatment.
- Call patients within 48 hours if they leave the office and don’t schedule for your care.
- Email videos explaining the necessary treatment needed.
  - In the subject line of this video write, [Video] because people are more likely to open and view a video.

Communicate this important message:

“Prevention saves money. Treating disease costs a lot of money.”

In conclusion, dental patient case acceptance is a critical aspect of every successful dental practice. To increase case acceptance, focus on effective communication. Great communication begins with listening and understanding your patients desires.

Building trust through motivational communication, educating patients, offering options, and addressing financial concerns are all part of this process.

Begin by asking how your patient wants their smile to appear. Listen to the answers they provide you.

By listening to understand your patients desires, you ensure that your patients not only receive the care they need but also feel confident and comfortable in their decisions regarding their oral health.

Remember, the one thing that has proven to increase case acceptance is The Smile Club patient loyalty system. The Smile Club begins by understanding what each individual patient wants.

Grab your Free Case Acceptance eBook HERE.

*Resources.

Motivational Interviewing. https://bit.ly/MotivationalInterview12 Accessed September 12, 2023.
Prima Health Credit. https://bit.ly/3RiT2ri
More about The Smile Club: https://bit.ly/PtRewards

Build A Thriving Cosmetic Dental Practice: Understanding Your Patient’s Desires

By: Debbie Seidel

July 25, 2023

A successful cosmetic dental practice goes beyond providing excellent services; it requires understanding what patients truly desire. People are more likely to invest in what they want rather than what they are told they need. By implementing a smile evaluation and asking open-ended questions, dental practices can discover what patients truly want, leading to increased patient satisfaction and the opportunity to grow the practice further.

Read this blog, and explore the importance of understanding patient desires. Learn how enrolling patients into a patient membership/loyalty program such as the Celebrity Smiles Club will significantly contribute to the success of a cosmetic dental practice.

Understand What Your Patient Desires

As cosmetic dentists, our primary goal is to enhance smiles and boost self-confidence in our patients. However, it is crucial to remember that each individual has unique desires and expectations. Using a smile evaluation and asking open-ended questions can help us uncover those desires effectively.

A smile evaluation is a comprehensive process that involves a thorough examination of a patient’s oral health, cosmetic concerns, and overall smile goals. Ask questions to understand what your patient wants. Make it fun when you’re asking your patient what they want their smile to look like.

One fun example. Background: We just had a multi-million dollar lottery.

Scenario: As you are seating your patient, while establishing rapport, getting caught up, with a smile on your face ask:

“Mr. Smith, when you win the lottery this week, what do you want your smile to look like?” Wink.

You are certain to get a smile from your patient when you make the questions fun.

By asking open-ended questions and actively listening to patients, we can delve deeper into their preferences and aspirations.

The Power of Open-Ended Questions

Open-ended questions invite patients to express themselves freely, giving us valuable insights into their desires. Instead of asking yes or no questions, we can inquire about their dream smile, the aspects they wish to improve, or the emotions they associate with their current dental condition.

This approach not only strengthens the dentist-patient relationship but also enables us to tailor personalized treatment plans that align with their wishes.

“People buy what they want, not what they need.”

Introducing the Patient Membership/Loyalty Plan: The Smile Club

One way to offer patients exactly what they desire is by introducing them to The Smile Club. This exclusive club offers cutting-edge teeth whitening solutions, ensuring patients achieve the radiant smile they’ve always dreamed of. Teeth whitening is one of the most sought-after cosmetic dental procedures, and by incorporating this into your services, you tap into a significant market demand.

Teeth whitening is exploding since 2020! Never in our history have so many people sought-out whiter teeth. Unfortunately, patients are not buying their whitening products from their dentist. Let’s create a paradigm shift and tap into this simple, easy profit center.

A turn-key system is included when you use Celebrity Smiles Club whitening products. The system will grow your dental practice with more new patients and more patients will schedule cosmetic cases. The turn-key systems included with The Smile Club, when implemented, sustains high productivity in your dental practice for years to come.

No need to see more patients or increase your overhead when you implement The Smile Club web-portal of resources.

Benefits of Your Smile Club Patient Membership

Patient Loyalty!
- - Patients join The Smile Club and pay a nominal fee for a take home whitening kit.
  - No impressions, no trays to fabricate, no added patient chair time.
  - Patients agree to your “change of appointment procedure.” Last minute cancellations and no-shows become a distant memory.
  - Patients agree to pre-schedule and show up for their routine preventive care, dental hygiene appointments.
  - Patients buy more whitening products from your office at a reduced fee. buy and save.
  - You buy your teeth whitening products at wholesale and now you can afford to give away a whitening pen as a reward for pre-scheduling and keeping their appointments.
  - Patients buy and save. You passed along the savings and created more profitability with less overhead!
Quick and Effective Results: The Celebrity Smiles Club patient membership/loyalty plan, uses advanced teeth whitening techniques, delivering fast and impressive results.
Patient Reward
- Free whitening pens at routine hygiene appointments are the carrot used to grow your dental practice new patients, enroll more cosmetic cases and a lot more.
- The Smile Club keep patients returning to your dental office.
- You buy whitening products wholesale and pass the savings on to your patients. You give them a toothbrush and floss and what they really want are whiter teeth! Consider this a win-win.
Fast, effective, no-sensitivity
- Dental grade, no-sensitivity teeth whitening, is highly appealing to patients seeking immediate smile enhancements.
- Ten minutes to a whiter-brighter smile.
- Celebrity Smiles Club uses Carbamide Peroxide + Potassium Nitrate ingredients combined with Cool Light Technology Blue and Red LED Lights mouthpiece.
- * Red LED lights have evidence-based science stating they soothe, comfort and heal mouth sores, canker sores, etc. Great for post-op care! *
  - Think: Photobiomodulation.

** Teeth Whitening is projected to reach 11.6 Billion Dollars by 2030. **

Most people buy teeth whitening online or in a drugstore. What’s wrong with this picture?!

Let’s change this statistic and have our patients get their teeth whitening from their dental office. It’s easy money. No added time to your schedule or more patients in the chair.

Enroll for free and receive access to the resources, the system, included with The Smile Club. Discover how to create a $70,000+ net production profit center in your dental practice annually, and without more patient time or increased overhead when you tap into the sizzle of teeth whitening in North America!

Click the link at the end of this blog and implement the free resources.

Think: No impressions, no pouring models, no need to make whitening trays. No need for patients to return and pick up their whitening trays.

Increase This Simple Service & Profit Center: By offering a very popular and super simple service like teeth whitening using Celebrity Smiles Club whitening products, you will motivate and inspire more patients to consider cosmetic dentistry. Using the Smile evaluation opens the door to additional cosmetic services that both you and your patient may have initially overlooked.

Think: Teeth whitening simplified. More cosmetic cases: more veneers, Invisalign, implants, and crowns, etc.

Grow New Patient Numbers: Members of your patient rewards program, The Smile Club, are more likely to share their positive experiences with family and friends. This is a great way to attract new patients to your dental practice which will increase your reach within the community.
Market the Smile Club benefits everywhere possible: on your website, social media, and your monthly newsletter, etc.
- Use The Smile Club marketing images around your dental office and on your website.
Enhanced Patient Retention: Enrolling patients into the Smile Club establishes a long-term relationship with your patients. Patients are motivated to return for routine preventive care dental hygiene appointments because of The Smile Club benefits.
- When patients enroll they agree, they understand your procedure to change appointments.
- Patients prioritize their dental appointments.
Brand Loyalty: The Smile Club becomes synonymous with quality cosmetic dental care, fostering strong brand loyalty among your patients who enjoy its benefits.

Conclusion

Understanding what your patients truly want is at the heart of building a successful cosmetic dental practice. By completing smile evaluations and utilizing open-ended questions, you uncover your patients desires and craft personalized treatment plans to fulfill them.

The Celebrity Smiles Club plays a crucial role in achieving long-term dental practice success. This loyalty plan offers patients the opportunity to achieve a bright, white smile quickly and effectively. Enrolling patients into The Smile Club, will not only enhance the success of your cosmetic dental practice but also fosters patient loyalty. This is a system that will boost new patient numbers, creating a thriving and satisfying dental environment for everyone involved.

The Smile Club, when all its systems are thoroughly implemented, will not only grow your new patient numbers, but it will increase case acceptance for cosmetic cases and last-minute cancellations become a distant memory.

Enroll today to learn more about the Celebrity Smiles Club system. Start today and all the benefits created for your dental practice here.

There is no cost when you enroll today!

References.

* Photobiomodulation. Accessed July 1, 2023 here.
** Teeth Whitening projected to reach 11.6 Billion Dollars by 2030. Accessed on July 1, 2023 here.
Adjunctive Therapy with Blue LED Lights. Accessed July 1, 2023 here.

LED Red Light & Dental Lasers Used for Canker Sores

By: Debbie Seidel

April 8, 2022

Laser for Canker Sores. Soft Tissue laser to prevent canker sores. Dental Office Treatment of Canker Sores. — Dental Office Treatment of Cancer Sores.

Cold sores are not pretty to look at.

They are uncomfortable, painful, embarrassing, and hard to get rid of.

There are ways to help our dental patients alleviate these unsightly sores and prevent the pain from cancer sores.

Let’s take a deeper look at the cause of these ugly mouth sores and how dental professionals can be an advocate for treatment and prevention.

What is a Canker Sore?

Canker sores are a common viral infection

A cold sore is a group of tiny, painful blisters caused by the herpes simplex virus (HSV). They’re also called fever blisters or herpes simplex labialis.

Up to 90% of people around the world experience at least one form of HSV.Dental professionals and especially dental hygienists are great advocates for their patients.

Patients see their dental hygienist routinely and dental professionals review medical histories. We are great messengers to educate or patients in prevention of canker sores and a lot more!

What causes Canker Sores?

Below is a list of triggers for these awful outbreaks:

Stress
Fatigue.
Overexposure to the sun
Exposure to cold temperatures
Upper respiratory infections and fever
Dental services: gum treatment, fillings, etc.
HPV
Hormonal changes
Compromised immune system
Certain foods: acidic foods, certain fruit, and chocolate

Prevention

When we see a medical history and the patient documents frequent cold sores, canker sores and herpetic lesions, we can now advise our patient about ways to help prevent these ugly, painful, mouth sores.

Below is a list of recommendations we can make for our patients who do suffer from canker sores:

Antiviral medications such as valacyclovir (Valtrex) or acyclovir (Zovirax).

Lysine, an essential amino acid is found in protein. It isn’t produced in your body, so you must consume it through an oral supplement or diet.

Common foods rich in lysine include:

beef
chicken
turkey
pork
codfish
sardines
eggs
yogurt
parmesan cheese
spirulina
soybeans

Lysine is essential for our health; it helps with calcium absorption and collagen formation. Many people many not consume enough lysine in their diet. Athletes and/ or vegans may need to consume more.

Lemon Lip Balm for Prevention of Canker Sores. How to prevent canker sores. — Lemon Lip Balm for Prevention of Canker Sores.

Lemon Balm

The antiviral properties of lemon balm, also known as Melissa officinalis, may help reduce the redness or discoloration and swelling associated with a blister, or protect against future infections — at least according to a 1994 study.

Use a lip balm with at least 1 percent lemon balm. Or, as an alternative, a compress made of a lemon balm infusion (tea) may provide similar benefits.

Avoid acidic foods such as citrus fruits and even an abundance or frequent chocolate
Red LED Light Therapy

Hint: Celebrity Smiles LED Red Light can be helpful! Keep reading to discover how. You can help your patients with this simple preventive technology.

Wash your hands often and don’t rub your eyes
Replace your toothbrush often
Don’t kiss someone who has a cold sore or use that person’s utensils, towels, or razors
Apply sunscreen to your face and lips before prolonged exposure to the sun
Replace your lipstick or lip balm often
How to Recognize a Cold Sore Outbreak

If your patient had chicken pox, a herpes virus, or anything similar, they are always at risk for these unsightly sores.

Let’s help our patients recognize the stages of a cold sore and help them put a halt to the progression of these unsightly sores.

Below is a list of what to look for when a cold sore is beginning:

Tingling

Tingling is the first sign of a cold sore and we can educate our patients that this is the most important time to do all that they can to prevent the unsightly sore.

This is the best time for your patients to call your office and on that day they come to your office for a very short appointment and doctor or a laser certified hygienist can use a soft-tissue, diode laser to ZAP the early stages of this canker sore.

Many offices when introducing the soft-tissue laser for prevention of a full-blown-ugly cancer sore educate their patients to call immediate and come in that day for a quick appointment to ZAP the red area that will soon be a canker sore.

You will find that doing this (in the beginning) at no-cost to your patients is a great practice builder!

If you do decide to charge for the ZAP of a cancer sore, the soft-tissue, diode laser does need to be completed at the first signs of a cancer sore and it takes maybe 15 minutes in your office to ZAP the canker sore.

The charge will be minimal and it’s recommended you charge less than $60. Many offices charge approximately $20-30 for a quick ZAP.

It truly is a great marketing tool and helps your patients out in a big say!

Also, recommend your patient use an anti-viral cream such as Abreva. This cream will need to be reapplied frequently and will cost almost as much as the laser treatment at a dental office.

The ZAP of your laser plus the addition of an anti-viral cream makes a big difference in the beginning stages of a canker sore outbreak.

People with Crohns Disease, auto-immune diseases, patients undergoing chemotherapy are known to constantly deal with cold sores so let all your patients know you can easily help them at the first sign of a canker sore.

Your patients will be your raving fans!

Blisters

One stage of cold sores is the blistering stage.

Blisters occur from day two to four of the canker sore outbreak.

These blisters can fill with fluids to make the skin around it swollen and red. Blisters can occur inside the cheeks, nose, and lips, as well as the soft tissues inside your mouth and even your tongue.

The reason for blisters occur is because the immune system is working hard to heal the virus. During this stage, you want to continue using an anti-viral topical cream.

Educate your patients to now squeeze these blisters. Touching and squeezing the blisters will cause transmission of the virus, it will exacerbate the sores and can slow down the healing time.

Oozing

Oozing occurs about day 4-5 of the canker sore outbreak.

This is when the cold sore is most contagious and painful. The blister can burst during this stage.

This can lead to a red round area of inflammation around the affected area.

Scabbing

Scabbing happens around days 5-8, This is when the canker sore dries out and a scab will form. The scabs can feel itchy, they can crack open and shrink.

Cracking will lead to the cold sore bleeding. Other symptoms that may occur include burning and itching.

Healing

Healing starts between days 8 to 10.

The time it takes to heal a canker sore depends on how bad the outbreak is and if you’re your patient began early preventive measures to halt the cold sore.

Canker Sores are Contagious

Oner reason a family of patients all experience cold sores is because they are contagious.

Parents who experience cold sores and kiss their babies are literally transferring the virus to their child.

It is also possible for the cold sore to spread if someone touches the cold sore and then touches another mucous membrane such as the mouth, eyes, or nose.

Cross contamination of the virus can occur when two people share some personal bathroom items, like a toothbrush, a razor or drinking from the same glass. These are all things that when shared with a person who has a cold sore they will spread the virus to another person.

LED Red Light For Prevention of Canker Sores

Conclusion

As dental professionals we are advocates for our patients. Prevention is key and as dental professionals we are armed with the tools to heal and even prevent these unsightly canker sores that many of our patient’s experience.

Dental Practice Solutions offers a Blue/Red LED Light to dental offices that not only helps BOOST whiter teeth but the red LED light has shown great results for people who have various mouth sores.

If patients wear the Red LED light mouthpiece for ten minutes, 2-3 times a week, they are less likely to experience mouth sores from canker sores, that are caused by a virus, chemotherapy, and auto-immune diseases.

Using a diode, soft-tissue laser to ZAP these ugly sores works well and your patients can leave with an LED Red Light to continue preventing a full outbreak of this ugly sore.

Studies have shown that phototherapy, either by LASER and/or LED, is an effective therapeutic modality to promote healing of skin wounds.

Check out our reseller page to order this wholesale LED Light and help your patients prevent canker sores. This RED LED light helps heal oral inflammation, soreness after dental treatment, dental sores, etc. The LED Light mouthpiece can also BOOST whiter teeth.

Find out how to use this in your dental office here.