I think I am a thorough clinician and I believe in giving my patients all their options in an ethical and methodical approach. That’s my job, it’s something I am passionate about, and I try to do it well.
Last week, I was doing what I thought was a good job at my job, going through various options for teeth straightening, teeth whitening, cosmetic bonding and veneers, when I observed a very slight glazed look in the patient’s eyes….It seemed to silently scream ‘I just want nice, straight teeth. That’s all’.
Was it my tone of voice? Was I bombarding her with too much information? Perhaps I just bored her with all things Invisalign?
Later at home that night, after leaving my bruised ego at the front door, I tried to understand things from a different point of view; that of the patient.
In a world of Insta-Everything, perhaps she just wanted an Insta-solution to give an Insta-smile. Or maybe she was slightly anxious? Could my explanations have been too technical?
I truly believe the patient had reached an absolute desperate state, where after months, or even years, she had decided she just wanted to have straighter, whiter teeth and didn’t want to concern herself with the how’s and the why’s.
We can all relate to this mind set. Sometimes, you just want what you want and that is all. If I want a shelf fixed, I don’t expect the handyman to tell me his trade secrets. I just want it fixed.
The difficulty then, becomes juggling the wants of the patient with the need to provide information, as teeth ultimately, are not like a set of shelves. I have concluded, that if this happens again (which I’m sure it will), I will just speak much quicker, and that way everyone wins!
If you just want whiter, straighter teeth, then please do contact us! We can help you get all the information you need, super efficiently if you so choose it to be! Call 02030801000 or check availability and register online here.
