Category Archives: Patient Communication

How to celebrate National Children’s Dental Health Month

If you did not already know, February is National Children’s Dental Health Month. This month-long national health observance brings together thousands of dedicated professionals, health care providers and educators to promote the benefits of good oral health to children, caregivers, teachers and many others. February may be wrapping up, but you can still do something fun in honor… Read More »

Patient autonomy vs. patient-pleasing as a new dentist

The day we obtain our dental license, our role changes from student to doctor. After a lifetime of being told what to do by “grown-ups,” teachers and professors, the roles reverse. It can be challenging when confronted by patients asking us to do things we are not comfortable with doing, especially if we want to please our patients.… Read More »

8 ways to better engage patients

As dental practitioners, we want to ensure the patient’s oral health as well as overall wellbeing. However, the fact is that a large part of the patient’s wellbeing is determined by how invested they are in their own health. It is by working on patient engagement strategies that can offer lasting results for patients. Let’s take a look… Read More »

Building trust with our patients

As dentists, we took a professional oath to care for our patients. We entered the profession with the ideological belief that we can and will make a difference in our patients lives. We are hopeful, eager and will go above and beyond to ensure their needs are taken care of. We are sincere in our efforts and in… Read More »

With patients, meet them where they are

As the saying from my previous article goes: “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” This quote was more evident in how I treat patients. More than a patient, I treat them as family members. I enjoy coming into work with a… Read More »

From Google University to Facebook Dental School: Are we too dependent on instant internet knowledge?

When I was preparing to start my practice in 2008, Facebook was just in its toddler stage. I started with a basic profile and I shared some family photos. I searched for, and found some long-lost friends from childhood. To me, Facebook was merely a channel to share my personal life with a small trusted circle of friends; a place to… Read More »