Why don’t people visit the dentist sooner?

Why don’t people visit the dentist sooner?

Have you ever wondered why people don’t visit the dentist sooner?  I can remember being frustrated  when patients came in with an emergency needing acute treatment only to take a history to hear that they had been having niggles or discomfort for many months and they had ignored it or overcome the pain using painkillers. Unfortunately, not seeking treatment at the first sign of a problem, often resulted in treatment that was more expensive in terms of time and money.

So why do patients put off treatment? This can be for many reasons,

·        Busy lives and don’t have time

·        Fear about what the dentist may say

·        Not wanting to accept responsibility and unwilling to change unhealthy behaviours

·        Concern about how much it will cost

·        Not understanding what the pain means

·        Not knowing where to find expert help

·        Fear about what the consequences may be

·        Ability to find and use quick fix short term remedies to mask the problem.

Curiously this week I have had two conversations with different  business experts, an accountant and debt management specialist, this week asking me “Why don’t business owners seek help sooner, it would save them so much time, money and even their business?” They also commented “If business owners started working with a trained coach, like you, before or as soon as they noticed there was a problem it would prevent so many.”

And I think the reasons most business owners don’t seek the expert help from a business coach are very similar to why your patients don’t come to you sooner.

·        Busy lives personally and professionally so think they don’t have the time

·        Fear about what the coach may uncover

·        Unwillingness to accept responsibility

·        Unwillingness maybe due to lack of knowledge of what to change

·        Concern about the level of investment, required to solve the problems

·        Not understanding the business of business

·        Not knowing who to turn to

·        Fearful about what they may have to do to correct the situation

·        Ability to find quick fix short term solutions, e.g. overdraft extensions, changing staff, attracting new clients etc.

From an early age I remember my grandmother telling me that pain was a good thing, because it meant something was wrong and that you had an opportunity to put it right and I think that this applies to business too. The knack is to spot the pain early because it really causes an problem and costs you a lot more in time, energy and money.

So what are the early signs of pain in a dental practice or business?


These could include the following;

ü  Drop in income

ü  Cheques and payments bouncing,

ü  Overdraft and other debts increasing

ü  You are unhappy and so are your staff

ü  High turnover and high absence rate of staff

ü  Missing your UDA targets

ü  Your partner is unhappy at the amount of time you spend at work

ü  Equipment failure

ü  FTA’s late cancellations and gaps in your appointment

ü  Patients declining or putting off treatment plans

ü  Drop of in new patients

And the signs and symptoms of a practice and business in more severe problems could include,

ü  The bank has withdrawn your overdraft,

ü  You can’t pay your bills on time

ü  High level of sickness and absenteeism

ü  You lose several staff at the same time,

ü  High turnover of the staff

ü  Your PCT cancels your contract,

ü  Your partner leaves you because they never see you,

ü  A vital piece equipment fails and you can’t work,

ü  Your clients and patients have left you for the competition.

ü  Patients quibbling over fees and treatment plans

ü  Spaces in the appointment book.

ü  Patient complaints

ü  Broken personal relationships

ü  You become physically or psychologically sick and can’t work

ü  Abuse of or dependence or on alcohol or drugs

ü  Insomnia

ü  In extreme cases suicidal thoughts or action.

ü  Any of these sound familiar?

What are the consequences if your patient puts off seeking treatment for toothache? At best it is a filling, larger than if it were treated in the first instance and yet relatively easy to restore, other consequences could be root canal and a crown or an extraction followed by a bridge or implants; all of which are significantly more expensive than if the tooth ache were treated early.

What are the consequences of not seeking professional coaching advice early? At best it is the same philosophies just more difficult expensive and time consuming to implement at worst it could be that the business fails and you lose everything.  Which would you choose?

Dentists and dental team members, like you, do amazing work and so it saddens me when I hear stories about practices with financial problems, insufficient patients and staff that are not working as a team, principals that are struggling to keep on top of running the practice and the clinical work, working early mornings, lunch times, evenings and weekends. Does this sound like you?

My job is to help you make your good practice great,

Be kind to yourself, take a look at what is happening in your practice, recognise any painful experiences for the useful messages they are and enlist the help of a professional coach ASAP.

To help you identify the health of your practice, I have create the Brilliant practice evaluation (BPE)

Click here for your free BPE or visit  http://www.healthyandwealthy.co.uk/your_BPE/

 

 When you are ready to resolve the pain in your practice or business e mail me on Jane@IODB.co.uk or call me 07989757884 to find out how we can help you with our coaching packages, we have one designed to fit your needs and budget.