Ease back on technical details

Us dentists are so nerdy. We love all the technical minutiae behind what we do.Unfortunately we often get so enthusiastic that we tell patients a whole lot of stuff they neither need to hear, nor are interested in. It wastes time, annoys patients and ultimately leads to a lower case acceptance rate.We think patients are interested but in reality they are too polite to tell us to shut up.Picture it this way. Imagine your car broke down.Would you want the mechanic to explain to you in detail how an engine works? Of course not! You would just want a simple description of what has gone wrong (e.g. "The petrol pump has broken"), followed by what was needed to fix it and the cost.This week, when you are talking with patients, ask yourself "Does the patient need to know this?" If the answer is no, zip it and move on.