I talk about the orthodontic new patient visit and how the doctor should act a great deal. I show photos and give examples when I speak to orthodontists but I thought it was time to do a video to show how I think the NP process can be handled. Notice that I don’t use tooth-nerd words, don’t talk them to death and convey the info that needs to be conveyed while getting engagement from the patient and parent. I cannot wait for your commentary about how and why this won’t work… Bring it! Engaging conversation, critical evaluation and new ideas as to how I can do better are the reasons I’m willing to put this kind of stuff out there. Feel free to publish videos of your orthodontic new patient process and share them in the comments here or in the FB groups. (yes, I got permission to video this and you should too)
Thanks for posting this, I was wondering how you did your exams so quickly. I thought I was pretty quick with my exams, but this helps me to rethink how we can be more efficient.
You bet! It’s good to have perspective. I think about what we do similarly to how a mechanic talks to me when my car needs work. Less is more. I went to that mechanic because I assume he knows how to fix a car. I don’t want to hear all the technical lingo. I don’t care. I want to know in general terms what is wrong, what will be done about it, how long it will take and what it will cost. Ortho is very similar in 98 percent of new patient visits in my experience.
Thanks for sharing this!! In residency, we are taught to tell the pt everything but I noticed that my patients start zoning out after a minute. The reason I like to mention everything is that there’s no surprise to the patient. How do you cover your ass for anything that you don’t mention?
We use the AAO informed consent and will address any issues that I think are important. Honestly I just talk to and take care of people like I would my own family and friends. You cannot predict the freak occurrences that you worry about. That’s why they are freak occurrences. Luckily this isn’t brain surgery and there is very little chance of anything significant going wrong despite what your professors told you.
An incredibly efficient initial exam with humor and a personal connection! Does your TC have enough information from your pre-exam meet-up and the actual exam to produce a diagnosis/treatment letter for the dentist and/or the parent?
By the way… our head TC, Manuel, is male and he is a superstar. I recommend considering males in this position for anyone reading this post.