“That’s expensive!”

Many patients come to see us with a lot of dental needs.

When you develop a comprehensive treatment plan to fix all the problems it can easily run into thousands and sometimes even tens of thousands of dollars.

The amount can surprise some patients and how they may express that surprise is by saying “That’s expensive!” when you tell them the fee.

What do you say when the patient says that?

As far as I see it there are two choices. The first approach is to try and justify the fee:

“We use the best laboratory.”

“We use the finest materials.”

“It will take me 4 months to do.” And so on…

I’ve tried that and it works to an extent. It takes a long while to do and it requires a lot of patience to use this approach. Also, it works only occasionally.

The second approach is simpler and works much better.

When the patient says “That’s expensive!” or “That’s a lot of money!” just agree with them without attempting to justify.

“Yes, it is expensive.”

If you agree with the patient, without acting smart or cute it ends any possible argument or confrontation. You’ve acknowledged their point of view and told them they are right.

The most common response is for the patient to ponder a moment or two and then decide to proceed with treatment.

People buy things that are expensive all the time. The patient just wanted their feelings to be recognised. Once you do that they are good to proceed.

Try it next time. I hope you get pleasantly surprised.