By: Dr. Jason Tam 

This entry is a throwback to my first interaction with Dr. Ben Burris at the 2008 Denver AAO meeting.  We did not reconnect again until 2014, through pure coincidence, while vacationing near each other in Mexico (and have since become good friends), but I distinctly remember our first conversation during the Invisalign Teen introduction party.  I was two years into a scratch practice, and he really impressed upon me the importance on how you deliver a message to gain patient acceptance.

The conversation was about PVS impressions, with some griping about decreased patient satisfaction due to the need for retakes.  Ben listened for a short while, then jovially chimed out, “There’s no problem!   Tell the patient you are going to take a series of impressions.  One upper and a lower is a series.  Five uppers and a lower is also a series.”  The idea was that letting the patient know you are going to take AN upper and A lower impression means you have one chance at each.  Taking a SERIES means you can do as many impressions as it takes to get what you need.  Also, people like to be involved and informed so be sure to place a positive spin on each retake by showing the patient the area you want to touch up in the next impression.

I thought it was brilliant and incorporated the language into our practice immediately. We have a little bit of experience with PVS as a top 1% Invisalign office, and the verbiage definitely helped us get through hundreds and hundreds of perfect and not-so-perfect impressions.  Tweaking your message slightly can make all the difference so think about what you say and how!

Dr. Jason Tam is the owner of MCO Orthodontics, with three offices just outside of Toronto, Canada.  He completed his dental school at the University of Toronto, followed by a GPR at New York Hospital Queens, and an orthodontic residency at Boston University.  While his practice is primarily braces, he is a Top 1% Super Elite Invisalign Provider.  Dr. Tam has a special interest in office efficiencies and implementation.  He is happily married with two young boys, and another baby expected in December 2015.