Case acceptance rates are the true cavity in many dental practices’ success (pun intended!). The struggle to get patients to say “yes” to treatment is a rival that we’ll battle for our entire careers.
When it comes to improving case acceptance in dentistry, our practice simply can’t succeed if patients don’t accept treatment, but getting them to do so is easier said than done—especially for higher-ticket procedures. Needless to say, mastering effective treatment plan presentation is critical to practice growth.
It’s up to us to help our patients realize that they’re not actually saving themselves from pain or money by not accepting treatment. In other words, it’s in our hands to show our patients that accepting treatment creates a “win-win” scenario for both parties involved.
Understanding strategies for dental case acceptance can help patients realize that their problems will worsen and that accepting treatment is the key to them nipping their problems in the bud… But that’s the hard part. That’s why, for this week’s blog post, I’ll tell you about five essential dental case presentation tips every dental practice owner should know about case presentation.
1. Case acceptance begins in the exam.
The truth is, while your patient can’t say “yes” or “no” to treatment until you present it, their decision-making process has started waaay before that moment. That’s because an effective treatment plan presentation begins during the exam—implementing strong strategies for dental case acceptance from the very first interaction is crucial.
During their exam, the patient is likely already leaning toward a yes or a no. Sure, they won’t fully decide until they see the treatment on paper and are told to sign on the dotted line—the procedure, the financials of it, etc.—but their feelings leading up to that moment will mark the difference between them accepting or rejecting treatment. This is where having solid dental case presentation tips ready to implement can make all the difference.
That’s why you must be firing on all cylinders from the get-go. Before you ever present a treatment plan to a patient, you need to take them on a journey that’ll make them more likely to accept treatment—which takes me to my next point about improving case acceptance in dentistry.
2. You should have a dental practice case presentation protocol that the whole team is on board with—and a treatment plan coordinator should be part of that team.
It’s far too common for dental practices to lack a proper treatment plan presentation protocol. Many dentists have nothing written down. There’s a general idea of how the process starts and ends, but the team abides by unspoken rules.
Without the proper structure and one set process that can be followed to a T by everyone, there are bound to be missteps along the patient’s journey that’ll steer them away from saying “yes” to treatment. Your dental practice case presentation protocol must enable you to hand off the patient quickly and confidently.
What might this process look like? Well, let’s say you hire a treatment plan coordinator. They’ve come from a different office, and they want to get up to speed on how your dental practice handles effective treatment plan presentations. They’ll first want to know what they’ll need to handle vs. what your team is automatically doing to contribute to the process.
In their previous practice, they might be used to receiving a message that says a treatment plan is ready for review. They then pull up that patient’s chart and review the treatment added during the exam. Their job is to organize that plan based on priorities and handle insurance-related matters. Then, the hygienist might be the one to present the treatment, or they would come and sit next to the chair themselves.
3. Overwhelming the patient may lead to a “no.”
When focusing on strategies for dental case acceptance, you want to avoid suddenly presenting your patient with the treatment plan and the amount they’ll need to pay for it. It should gradually happen during the exam and other discussions. Putting all that pressure on them all at once will backfire, and they’ll be more likely to say “no.” Successful dental case presentation tips emphasize the importance of pacing.
Take the time out of your day to make any treatment plan make sense to the patient you’re presenting that plan to. Get specific about the numbers, do the math, and make sure the price estimates you’re presenting are realistic. Be sure to organize your research about how you came to these prices, too, because it won’t be uncommon for patients to ask how you arrived at the cost you’re asking from them.
Also, it’s essential to ask questions along the way to make sure the patient is following you and understands what you’re saying. Effective dental practice case presentation protocol includes regular patient check-ins to ensure comprehension. You don’t want them just to do lip service and then ghost you once they walk out the doors.
4. Giving the patient options may lead to a “yes.”
As I said before, money is often a determining factor in improving case acceptance in dentistry. This is especially the case with high-ticket procedures like implants. So, money-wise, you could offer your patients a plan where they pay over an extended period instead of with one lump sum.
Another significant determining factor in case acceptance is convenience. If a patient must interrupt their life in some way to get treatment, they’re less likely to accept your treatment plan. So, time-wise, give your patients the option to space their treatment out into small increments or, on the contrary, offer to complete it all at once. These strategies for dental case acceptance allow them to either schedule a series of shorter appointments or come sit in the chairs for a few hours and get everything finished in one day.
5. There will always be objections.
People will always have objections that will get in the way of getting treatment. Some may nod along and schedule the priority but never get around to the secondary priorities. Others may not want to pay for treatment, either because they think your price is steep or they’re convinced that the treatment you’re discussing is covered by insurance or even through a membership plan they have with your practice.
Strike a balance between creating urgency and offering opportunities for patients to say yes on the timeline they need to. It shouldn’t be an all-or-nothing ultimatum: patients will have varying amounts of treatment they’re comfortable accepting, and you need to be able to direct the conversation in a way where you meet them where they’re at. This is where effective treatment plan presentation skills become crucial.
When a patient accepts treatment, it’s a “win-win” scenario.
Patients often say no because treatment seems too inconvenient, expensive, or both. Sometimes, we just can’t persuade them otherwise. However, by keeping these dental case presentation tips at the top of your mind, you’ll be in better shape when presenting treatment to your patients. Mastering dental practice case presentation protocol is an ongoing journey of improvement.
I run a community full of dental professionals who can give you some nuggets of wisdom about strategies for dental case acceptance. So, join the Nifty Thrifty Dentists Facebook group and reach out! People from all across the globe will be happy to let you in on their two cents and share what they do to get patients to accept treatment. Together, we can keep improving case acceptance in dentistry one practice at a time.
