We all know that fear is often the largest obstacle keeping us from achieving our goals.
We see this with patients all of the time. Usually it will play out in one of two main ways in here.
Quite often the fear is that of “How am I going to pay for this”? Frequently patients will focus on the cost of comprehensive care. This often becomes overwhelming and many will wait to come in until they can come up with the increasingly larger cost as the work becomes increasingly more extensive. Usually this doesn’t work out well, as emergent needs force the issue for them to go to the dentist.
As a Dentist in Bryn Mawr, PA, I have seen this play out several times a year, every year. We’re no different than any other area in that regard.
When we have a patient that has dental needs beyond their means we work with them to prioritize their treatment in steps that fit their ability. Slowly we see these patients invariably find ways to get their care performed even faster than they had originally planned as they start experiencing the benefits.
One of the things that most clearly separates us from other Main Line dentists is that we offer different options of care for patients. It is more common than not that we will have patients tell us that other dentists recommended ONE treatment plan for them and that was it.
(Ironically, I just had a new patient come in while I was writing this with this exact situation!!!)
Sometimes patients are looking for the least expensive dentistry or the most ‘affordable dental care’.
These searches might leave them wanting. Being treated in many in-network clinics often doesn’t give them the experience they were looking for. Dramatic cost-containment practices may be impersonal, have high turnover with the dentists and can take a long time to get appointments. Or worse yet, they might feel rushed through the appointment and feel like the dentists don’t spend enough time with them or take the time to make them as comfortable as possible and this can lead to fear of getting dentistry done. Not surprisingly, this is the reason they initially put off going to the dentist in the first place. And the cycle begins.
The most common fear associated with dentistry is that of pain.
I feel very fortunate to be practicing in the present time. Not only are we doing much more conservative dentistry than I was taught in dental school in the 1980’s, but the materials and equipment we have at our disposal makes it really easy to provide painless dental care pretty much all of the time!
Check out the video segment we have to explain how we do it!!!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cd4nyx0qBeM&feature=youtu.be
There is one curve ball in providing stress-free, painless dentistry. Quite often what many patients think is a fear of pain is actually more grounded in lack of control and claustrophobia. It’s really important that we take the time and get to know the patient and make this critical distinction, because all the anesthetic in the world won’t help them if we don’t deal with that issue first.
So there you are, fully armed and loaded with knowledge to let you go and achieve all of your dental goals in 2017! If you know someone that has been putting off dental work, please have them contact at 610-525-5497 and set up a complimentary consultation to see if Dillon Family Dentistry has what it takes for them to feel confidently optimistic!