Your patients need to understand, for real, what can happen if they do not follow through with your recommended treatment. If you accomplish that, then you have done your job educating the patient. From that point forward, it’s on the patient and the front desk. The following education techniques will help you get there:

TRIGGER WORDS & “YET”

Trigger words initiate a process or course of action. The term “trigger word” derives from the use of an explosive gun in days gone by to start a race. “Yet” is a trigger word. Patients may not notice gum disease yet. The patient hasn’t lost any teeth yet. Like high blood pressure, there is no pain yet. 

SHOW

Patients need to be shocked. Use intra-oral cameras to show blood and pus. Use panoramic x-rays to show where the bone is supposed to be. Phase contrast microscopes can show swarms of “bugs”. Spend two minutes showing patients “bugs” and they’ll be asking, ”Can you get rid of them?” 

WORDS

Avoid “science” words. Use common words only. Example: “Every time you bite down, you are squeezing blood, pus, etc. (all trigger words) into your blood stream.” Trigger words:

Pus

Blood

Infection (throughout the body) 

Pain

Grunge

Crap  

Yuk  

Smelly

CLEANING vs SRP

Patients want a cleaning because it is covered by their insurance. You need to help patients understand a cleaning is a preventative procedure to keep them from getting gum disease but, if they need an SRP they need it.