Episode #290: The 5 Things That Patients Want, with Dr. Sam Low

If you've ever thought to yourself, “I don't know what my patients want,” and don't know where to begin, today’s guest is here to help demystify what patients find important when it comes to their dental health. To teach you how to hook and educate your patients so they are motivated to make better decisions, Kirk Behrendt invites Dr. Sam Low to explain patients’ fears, desires, and expectations from their dentists. To learn about the five things patients want, listen to Episode 290 of The Best Practices Show!

Main Takeaways:

1. Patients don't want pain!
2. Patients want to look good.
3. But patients don't want to pay.
4. Patients want things done now.
5. Patients want everything done by you.

Create trust and communication with your patients and your team.

Create your niche in dentistry.

Find the patient you want, and then keep them.

Use motivational interviewing.

If you educate your patients, you can keep them for life.

Quotes:

• “This is basically what they want — first of all, [patients] don't want to hurt. And if you hurt them, I promise you, they're going to get on up and they're going to kill you. You can't hurt them.” (05:21—05:33)
• “Number two, [patients] want to look good. I don't care if they have no money. They expect to look good. They expect to look fantastic. We’re selfish. That's what we want.” (05:38—05:47)
• “Number three — sorry — [patients] don't want to pay . . . ‘If I'm a Medicare patient, how come I can't get any dentistry done?’” (05:48—06:06)
• “[Patients] want everything done now. You know this milling game? Sure, I love the technology. What really pushed the milling game is patients want it now. They don't want to wait 30 days. They want 30 minutes.” (06:09—06:24)
• “Patients want everything done with you; it’s convenience. ‘Doc, are you sure you can't take the impacted wisdom teeth out of my daughter? You did such a great job with these ceramics.’” (06:31—06:45)
• “40 years ago, a dentist was the only game in town. There weren't a lot of other dentists around. You do know, we’ve got 65 dental schools. You've got to create a niche. Because if you don't create that niche with you, your nonverbal cues, do you know what's going to happen? [Patients are] going to go to somebody down the street — because [they] can.” (08:37—08:58)
• “The number-one way to build a practice is relationships.” (09:45—09:50)
• “Find something in [a patient’s] medical history or their dental history you can hook into. That's the way you do it. Find something that you can parlay into the conversation.” (10:50—11:01)
• “Do you know the number-one phrase that sells more perio than any other phrase? ‘We see today the irreversible loss of your jawbone . . .’ Did we say we’re losing teeth? No. We said your jawbone. That is the number-one elevator pitch for you. And the second is, ‘There is absolutely a mouth-body connection.’” (12:40—13:14)
• “Once you educate [patients], they’re yours for life.” (16:48—16:51)

Snippets:

• Dr. Low’s background. (02:15—03:07)
• Origin of the “five things” framework. (04:04—07:00)
• Create a niche in your dental practice. (07:40—10:04)
• Find something in a patient’s medical history to hook and motivate them. (10:50—14:05)
• The importance of motivational interviewing. (14:54—17:39)
• Is there a link between the amount of perio and restorative that patients do? (18:07—22:15)
• The future of perio. (22:59—25:57)
• Last thoughts. (26:10—27:05)
• Dr. Low’s contact information. (27:55—28:36)

Reach Out to Dr. Low:

Dr. Low’s email: [email protected]  

Dr. Low’s website: https://www.drsamlow.com/

Dr. Sam Low Bio:

Dr. Sam Low provides dentists and dental hygienists with the tools needed for successfully managing the periodontal patient in general and periodontal practices. As an associate faculty member of the L.D. Pankey Institute for 25 years and Professor Emeritus, University of Florida, College of Dentistry, Dr. Low’s many years’ experience training dental professionals is evident in his straight-forward, informative, and entertaining teaching style. Dr. Low’s presentations focus on creating positive interactions between dentists, periodontists, and dental hygienists through communication skills and continuous quality improvement to enhance esthetics, tooth retention, and implant placement.

Dr. Low’s achievements and awards include:

• Certificate in Periodontology • 35 years of private practice experience in periodontics and implant placement • Graduate of University of Texas Dental Branch at Houston • Diplomate of the American Board of Periodontology • Past President of the American Academy of Periodontology • Past President of the Florida Dental Association • Former Trustee to the ADA • Selected “Dentist of the Year” by the Florida Dental Association • Selected Distinguished Alumnus by the University Of Texas Dental School • Recipient of the Gordon Christensen Lecturer Recognition Award

To reach out to Dr. Low, either email him at [email protected] or go to his website www.DrSamLow.com