We live in a world of instant gratification. Social Media shows us before and after photos and leaves out the hours, days, months, years it took to achieve that outcome. Patients are inundated with advertisements for “Teeth in a day” and dental tourism that promises to fix all their problems in record time.
My grandparents always said you can either have it done right, done quick, or done cheap but you can’t have all three.
Dentistry is no different, but in our ever fast paced world with two day shipping and same day delivery it can be challenging to get patients to accept realistic expectations.
Good Things Don’t Happen Overnight
I often tell patients that your teeth didn’t develop overnight, so I can’t replace them overnight either.
We are often faced with problems that have resulted from years of neglect and it is unrealistic to expect the solution to quick.
However, in our world many people want to snap their fingers and have their problems disappear. Unfortunately, my dental degree did not come with a magic wand.
You Are Not Responsible For the Patient’s Reaction
In the beginning of my career, I took on the burden of my patient’s disappointment. I am a people pleaser by nature and chose dentistry because I wanted to help people. It is no surprise, then, that I don’t enjoy giving people bad news.
However, I’ve learned that I am not responsible for the patients’ reaction to the information I share. If you’ve lost a tooth and want an implant to replace it, you’re going to have to let that implant heal for several months before it can be restored.
In my hands, that is the best treatment I can offer and I no longer let patients make me feel bad.
I know what I can do predictably, and if they are unhappy with what I am suggesting, they are welcome to find a second opinion. Its possible that the patient may find a dentist who feels comfortable placing and immediately loading that implant, but it is very likely that doctor will have fees that are hirer than mine. I no longer take the burden of that home with me at the end of the day.
Educate our Patients
My job as a dentist is to educate my patients, however, I am still a human being with limitations. I am learning and growing each day. I took an oath to help people, but I also took an oath to do no harm. It is possible that helping a patient means treatment that will take time to complete and just because we wish it could be done sooner, doesn’t mean it can be.
Many things in life take time and cannot be rushed but as a society we have lost our ability to be wait. We want to hit a button and have our new towels delivered in 24 hours. We want convience over quality.
As the doctor, you are not responsible for how the patient responds to your treatment plan or their unreasonable expectations and it is okay to relief yourself of that burden.
Keep Reading: The Principles of “mise-en-place”
