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DENTAL

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  December 2014

The top 10 things patients think 

when they are sitting in your chair

by Lisa Newburger, LISW-S

Why do you need to think about this? It’s simple … 

it’s all about patient care. Do you care about your 

patients? If so, part of that means caring about 

what they are thinking when they are sitting right 

in front of you. With my vast experience with den-

tal hygienists, assistants, dentists, periodontists, 

TMJ experts and oral surgeons (you can imagine 

my Christmas list!), I can tell you that these are the 

things running through your patients’ minds. And 

guess what? It isn’t very pretty.

Go to   bit.ly/1oczLRg

The top 10 things you can think 

but never say to a dental patient

by Lisa Newburger, LISW-S

With a tip of the hat to David Letterman and 

his upcoming retirement, it’s time to roll out a 

Top 10 list of things that might go through your 

head on a daily basis, but should never come out 

of your mouth.

Getty ImaGes / thomas BarwIck

Why do I share this list with you? Because you are 

human and there are times when you feel anger, 

resentment and frustration towards your patients 

(we aren’t even going to talk about your feelings 

about your colleagues in this article). But we aren’t 

ever “allowed” to share our true feelings with the 

patients, right? We have to use kind, gentle words 

without offending the patients because, let’s face it, 

we want their business, right? 

Go to   bit.ly/1t2stnu

The 5 worst things that can happen 

when a patient walks into the practice

by Lisa Newburger, LISW-S

The third in a series of articles from Lisa New-

burger, LISW-S, following the enormous feedback 

on her frst two articles, dentists and dental team 

members are very interested in seeing things from 

a patient’s perspective, and that’s exactly what Lisa 

does with her writing. She has never worked a day 

in a dental practice, but has spent plenty of time in 

the reception area and the dental chair as a patient. 

With that in mind, here is her view (as a patient) of 

what could be going wrong at the front desk. 

Go to   bit.ly/1p67Dog

Is fee-for-service dentistry dying?

by Kevin Henry

With a boom in group practices and changes in 

insurance sweeping over the dental landscape, we 

asked members of the Academy of Dental Manage-

ment Consultants for their views on their thoughts 

on the current and future states of fee-for-service 

(FFS) dentistry. Is it stable? Is it going away?

Go to   bit.ly/1ARe14q

The 10 myths of dental 

practice success … and how 

you can overcome them

by Tyson Steele

Many of the accepted “truths” regarding how to 

improve your dental practice are just plain erroneous, 

or at the least, misleading. Most of us believe these 

myths, however, because they sound so reasonable. 

Besides, it’s the conventional wisdom—everyone says 

the same things. Unfortunately, these myths can get 

you easily disoriented, shifting your focus away from 

good practice management strategies. 

Go to 

 

 bit.ly/1m4B6O9

DentalCodeology: CDT 2014 shifts

by Patti DiGangi and Teresa Duncan 

Creating codes to embrace new technologies, mate-

rials and procedures can lead to earlier arrest and 

prevention of oral disease and positively infuence 

systemic health. For the past decade, the CDT codes 

were updated every two years. To facilitate a fast-

moving world, CDT is now updated every year. 

Go to   bit.ly/1ahT9ok

3 things your dental practice 

can learn from Starbucks

by Denise Ciardello

I was recently attending the Southwest Dental 

Conference and had to step out of a class to take a call. I 

found some tables that were outside the exhibit hall so 

I parked there to concentrate on my conversation. As 

I hung up, I noticed something very interesting. It was 

in the middle of “class time” and the line to Starbucks 

was quite long—so long that I was compelled to count. 

Here’s what I learned from that experience—and how 

it ties into the dental practice.

Go to   bit.ly/1yiTdkF

The top 5 things dental assistants 

do wrong … and how to fx them

by Tija Hunter, CDA, EFDA, CDIA, FADAA

Working in a dental office is one of the greatest 

joys in my life. I sincerely love everything about 

it. Through the years, I have found some common 

mistakes dental assistants make, including myself. I 

have found that changing the way dental assistants 

do things (even just a little) will help you have low 

stress and a more enjoyable work environment.

Go to   bit.ly/1rYr27A

The 5 worst things overheard 

at a dental practice

by Lisa Newburger, LISW-S

Do the walls have ears? Perhaps eyes? Are you sur-

prised to think that your patients are listening and 

watching everything you do? That’s a scary thought 

for some. There are fve things I have overheard frst-

hand at dental practices that have made my toes 

curl. Even scarier is the fact that some of them I have 

heard over and over again. 

Go to   bit.ly/1sR0NzI

3 ways to get your patients to say yes

by Kristin Pelletier

Changing the way you approach case presentation 

can immediately remove the barriers to your treat-

ment presentation and have your patients saying 

“yes.” Follow the tips outlined in this article and 

you’ll be on the road to healthy patients, a happy 

dental team and improved proftability.

Go to   bit.ly/1qleOtN

These articles generated the most views over the last year.  

To make sure you never miss a great piece, subscribe to the  

Dental Practice Management eNewsletter at 

practicemanagement.dentalproductsreport.com. 

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