Reactive or proactive?

This story may seem not dentally related but please read on. It is vitally important to your practice.

I have quite fair skin and have spent a lot of time over the years in the sun. As a result I see doctors or a dermatologists pretty regularly to have skin problems fixed.

The attitude taken by the doctors and dermatologists I've seen up until now has been: "Here's a problem, let's fix it. Come back when you have another problem." This approach annoys me. I want a comprehensive approach that prevents problems. That nips problems in the bud.

Finally I've found a dermatologist who takes a comprehensive view and is proactive not reactive. They worked out a plan to get my skin as healthy as it can be and then stop problems before they occur. I'm delighted. I "bought" the treatment plan immediately and can't wait to get started.

It will cost me thousands of dollars as opposed to a couple of hundred which is my normal cost but it will be money well spent.

Let's get back to dentistry.

When you see a patient are you reactive? I.e. "Here's a hole. Let's fix it." "Here's a crack. Let's fix it." Or are you proactive? I.e. "Let's make a plan to make your teeth as healthy as possible then keep them that way."

I can tell you from personal experience that there is a really big market for the proactive approach. People want it and when they get it they are loyal and delighted. A proactive attitude makes you stand out from the crowd.

So many dentists are like my erstwhile doctors. Being reactive seems to be the default attitude in the profession. A friend calls this type of practice "supervised neglect".

So, my suggestion to you is to think about how you diagnose and treatment plan. If you spend all your day "fixing" problems that could have been prevented make a decision to offer more proactive dentistry.

Many, many patients will be very grateful.