What do patients value most in their dental visits?

The Tooth Be Told: Shall It Be the Convenience of the Patient, the Cost of Treatment, the Time Taken in the Dental Session, or the Type of Treatment the Patient is in Need of Most?

If you have to lie in a dentist’s chair and extend your mouth in preparation for a procedure, what can help make your experience more pleasant? Therefore, dental practices need to identify what you value most in your dental visits so that what is offered by the dental practice is something that patients will talk about in rejoice rather than regret. 

This article crisply discusses findings derived from surveys and research to provide productivity points for pleasing dental patients, considering the lifetime value of a dental patient and how much is a dental patient worth.

The Power of a Warm Welcome

The song ‘Let’s Go Fly a Kite’ is an inherent part of the movie Mary Poppins; it has elements of music hall, with the line, "A spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down." But for many people, the very term suggests scary scraping tools used in dentist’s hands and sharp needles. 

It is also found that practices involving the management of the atmosphere can help in a way that reduces the nervousness of patients. 

Starting with the first impression – a warm and friendly receptionist – to colors that create a relaxing atmosphere, to soothing music during the check-up, the little things go a long way to change the perception of a dreaded visit to the dentist to a fun experience.

Comfort is Key

It is possible for the dental chair and its room to foster patient anxiety if the chair and the room itself look, feel, are, and smell sterile, small, and uncomfortable. 

Focusing not only on equipment but on what a patient can see and feel, helps to turn a dental visit into a more enjoyable, spa-like experience for individual dentists and their patients. 

As for the additional features, many patients receive pillows and blankets, as well as headrests designed for comfort. 

These comforts tell the patient that instead of tensing up and preparing for a fight with the pain, they can, in fact, rest.

Building Relationships and Trust

Besides the environment, the social context or the relationship that a dentist or dental practitioner develops with the patient leads to satisfaction and loyalty. 

When patients perceive that the dental staff cares for them and is attentive, then there is a likelihood that the patients will attend appointments often and recommend other people to the hospital. 

Time spent explaining certain procedures, listening to the patient, and showing an overall friendly disposition also foster this relationship.

 Politely greeting the patient at the chair side transmits the genuine message that “We are here to make you feel better.” 

Social media marketing for dentists(social media marketing for dentists blog link from sheet)  can also play a significant role in building these relationships and trust.

Personalized Care

Second, and perhaps more importantly, patients value being treated as unique human beings rather than just another cleaning or crown prep. 

From knowing simple things like their life details to asking them about their interests and family, making patients feel special is an excellent sign that one is interested. 

Another aspect of treatment that makes it personal is that different patients may have different treatment goals and daily activities, so treatment plans are tailored to meet different patient needs. 

Such gestures are meaningful in that they prove that they are not just different—they are worthy of attention and have significant preferences.

Efficiency and Convenience

A dentist can make your teeth sparkle without all the paperwork. Another key area that dental patients consider is the ability of the facility to deliver results within a short period.

It makes their experience better, in addition to reducing the time spent on paperwork and other non-chair activities. Extended forms, insurance processing, and payment reduce traditional paperwork challenges.

Easy-to-use enhancements such as online booking and appointment notifications also help to receive high approval from tight-schedule patients. 

To provide the best dental care to the clients, dentists should not have to struggle to get through a visit to the clinic; doing away with systems that make the visit easy makes this possible.

Value and Satisfaction

Before the visit, there was a perception of the value to be gained from the trip. Awareness of the clinical and affective needs of patients as a way of increasing their satisfaction when going for dental services is another. 

Although no one would like to be charged an unexpected bill, give a wrong insurance statement or wait for long hours, such logistics do not form the basis of loyalty. 

They go back to – and tell others about – the dentists who provide them care with TLC from a friendly and well-mannered personnel in a well-equipped clinic. 

While these less tangible ‘value-added’ attributes may be more difficult to define, they offer particular significance for dental practices seeking to capture the patient’s value. 

For instance, if patients receive proper personalized care and they are cheerful, they will come with a smile to receive such care.

Lastly 

Therefore, embracing comfort, a caring attitude, efficiency, and an environment gradually eliminates the idea of a torture chair and makes dental visits a pleasant event. 

Thus, by focusing on these aspects, it is possible to strengthen the satisfaction, loyalty, and positive comments from patients in dental practices.

Read the perspective of dentists, and how much they are willing to spend for marketing. You can read more here: how much do dentists spend on marketing

Next Steps:

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Additional Links For a Wider Perspective Dental Marketing: 

1. How to do SEO for dental clinics; 
2. How much do dentists spend on marketing
3. Top 8 best dental marketing companies
4. Dental website design tips
5. Why hire a dental marketing firm for your practice