This is a great podcast. I feel that my dentistry has been shaped by fear massively. To take a cynical view, my cheery demeanor and the way I communicate with my patients is in part to prevent potential complaints. If people like you, and you see the best in them and take an interest in them, they are more likely to forgive you when things go wrong. Even to the point where I put a photo of my family on one of the screens in my room. It's a nice touch but in the back of my mind it's slightly defensive, it humanises me and endears me to my patients and so makes me less vulnerable to attack. These things just also happen to be a really nice way to practice. I think when you stay in one place long enough you will also tend to attract patients that suit you. The ones that don't like you will move on or switch clinician and the ones that like you will stick to you like glue (and drive hours after moving away to see you!) After a while, you have a full list of people that are choosing you for you, and that's great too. My clinical practice has developed into treatments that are relatively low stakes, conservative, reversible/retrievable, which for the most part I would argue is also in the patient's best interest, but not always. I have tried to make my communication and treatment as much as possible such that the patient doesn't come back with complications or problems. So patients rarely do. Some of that is within the treatment itself, some of that is in expectations management. I think sometimes that means I'm not as ambitious as I could be. But overall I'm in a good place. And social media has had a huge influence on my practice, especially this podcast! One more point, the more financially secure I become as the months roll by, the less anxiety I have, because if it all blows up in my face, I can just move to France and drink coffee and eat nice bread for the rest of my life, who cares. It's kind of sad to have to think that way but having a solid financial plan and safety net definitely makes things easier.
so many truths here - thank you for sharing these - I was nodding all the way through. Humanising yourself is great and seeing patients that like and trust you is where all GDPs want/need to be. Just because we are not always doing Insta worthy dentistry does not mean you're not making a positive contribution to your patients (sorry for the double negative but hope you see my point!) 100% agree that living within your means and creating a safety net allows you to not have that financial anxiety and just try to enjoy the dentistry and patients as much as possible. yes we will have good days and bad days but that happens in all noble professions :)
As a dentist of 24 years, owner for 8, I see social media as a greatest hits compilation. We all have cases that have worked but in 2024 we feel are not insta worthy BUT by striving to make every case insta worthy are we not just trying to give patients the best outcomes?
Thanks both for this poscat , i thought that i was the only one who suffer for this stuff. This is a relief because it is part of process of growing in the career.😊
This is a great podcast. I feel that my dentistry has been shaped by fear massively. To take a cynical view, my cheery demeanor and the way I communicate with my patients is in part to prevent potential complaints. If people like you, and you see the best in them and take an interest in them, they are more likely to forgive you when things go wrong. Even to the point where I put a photo of my family on one of the screens in my room. It's a nice touch but in the back of my mind it's slightly defensive, it humanises me and endears me to my patients and so makes me less vulnerable to attack. These things just also happen to be a really nice way to practice.
I think when you stay in one place long enough you will also tend to attract patients that suit you. The ones that don't like you will move on or switch clinician and the ones that like you will stick to you like glue (and drive hours after moving away to see you!) After a while, you have a full list of people that are choosing you for you, and that's great too.
My clinical practice has developed into treatments that are relatively low stakes, conservative, reversible/retrievable, which for the most part I would argue is also in the patient's best interest, but not always. I have tried to make my communication and treatment as much as possible such that the patient doesn't come back with complications or problems. So patients rarely do. Some of that is within the treatment itself, some of that is in expectations management. I think sometimes that means I'm not as ambitious as I could be. But overall I'm in a good place. And social media has had a huge influence on my practice, especially this podcast!
One more point, the more financially secure I become as the months roll by, the less anxiety I have, because if it all blows up in my face, I can just move to France and drink coffee and eat nice bread for the rest of my life, who cares. It's kind of sad to have to think that way but having a solid financial plan and safety net definitely makes things easier.
so many truths here - thank you for sharing these - I was nodding all the way through. Humanising yourself is great and seeing patients that like and trust you is where all GDPs want/need to be. Just because we are not always doing Insta worthy dentistry does not mean you're not making a positive contribution to your patients (sorry for the double negative but hope you see my point!)
100% agree that living within your means and creating a safety net allows you to not have that financial anxiety and just try to enjoy the dentistry and patients as much as possible. yes we will have good days and bad days but that happens in all noble professions :)
As a dentist of 24 years, owner for 8, I see social media as a greatest hits compilation. We all have cases that have worked but in 2024 we feel are not insta worthy BUT by striving to make every case insta worthy are we not just trying to give patients the best outcomes?
Thanks both for this poscat , i thought that i was the only one who suffer for this stuff. This is a relief because it is part of process of growing in the career.😊
we're all in this together - appreciate your comment