Dental Practice Heroes
Where dentists learn how to cut clinical days while increasing profits - without sacrificing patient care, cutting corners, or cranking volume. We teach you how to grow a scalable practice through communication, leadership, and effective management.
Hosted by Dr. Paul Etchison, author of two books on dental practice management, dental coach, and owner of a $6M collections group practice in the south suburbs of Chicago, we provide actionable advice for practice owners who want to intentionally create more time to enjoy their families, wealth, and deep personal fulfillment.
If you want to build a scalable practice framework that no longer stresses, drains, or relies on you for every little thing, we will teach you how and share stories of other dentists who have done it!
Dental Practice Heroes
Beyond Clinical Skills: The Trust Factor in Dental Practice Success
Trust should be the plan before the treatment plan. It’s the foundation behind case acceptance, retention, and referrals — the things that actually grow your practice.
In this episode, we dive into strategies for building trust in the day-to-day, common mistakes new dentists make, and how to ease patients into seeing a new provider without losing them. You’ll learn how to make a great first impression, discover a hack for stress-free follow-up calls, and hear what really keeps patients coming back!
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I help dentists take more time off while making more money through systematization, team empowerment, and creating leadership teams.
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It may not be something that you can chart or measure, but trust is what keeps patients coming back. So if you've got low case acceptance or retention, it's probably not your skills, it's a trust issue. In this episode, we're going to give you practical ways to build trust with your patients from the moment you walk into the operatory. These are simple and easy strategies that you can start using today to build the kind of trust that keeps patients loyal for years. Stay tuned you are listening to Dental Practice Heroes, where we help you create and scale your dental practice so that you are no longer tied to the chair. I'm Dr Paul Etcheson, author of two books on dental practice management, dental coach and owner of a $6 million group practice in the suburbs of Chicago. I wanna teach you how to grow and systematize your dental practice so you can spend less time practicing and more time enjoying a life that you love. Let's get started.
Speaker 1:Hey, welcome back to the Dental Practice Heroes podcast. I'm your host, dr Paul Etcheson, and I am joined by my DPH coaches, dr Henry Ernst and Dr Stephen Markowitz, both owners of large practices, large teams and both owners who have cut themselves down very little clinically so they could focus on the business and just having a better life. And today we're talking about something that I think is very often overlooked by newer dentists, and it's trust. It's building trust with patients. I think we come out of school and we say you know, let's educate patients, let's tell them what they need, and we quickly learn that they don't listen. So they need to trust you, and this is something that we need to learn, but it's hard to learn and it's something that they don't teach us in school. So, henry, I'm going to pass it to you first. Why is trust important in the patient relationship and in case acceptance?
Speaker 2:It's exactly that.
Speaker 2:It's a relationship. It's like a relationship you have at home. It's all based on you know, keeping your promises, doing what you say you're going to do. And some of this comes with your systems. You know, everybody should have systems of how we greet patients, systems of how we tell what's going to happen. Like, right now we have an issue with capacity, so sometimes patients like schedule on our online apps and stuff like that. We had to make a point to have it on there. This does not include a cleaning during this visit. So we're telling them right, we're keeping our promises.
Speaker 2:So when a patient comes in, right, how do we greet them? How do we, as a dentist you said it before younger dentists let's not just jump in and talk teeth. Let's talk about, like, where are you from? Are you from here? Oh, you're from Chicago. I love Chicago. You know, build the rapport with the patient. Don't just jump into talking about broken teeth there and stuff like that. When you're talking about treatment, right, Don't just tell them what they need. Tell them about their problems and what the issues are, and if they ask you, if you do a good job, they'll ask you about how can I fix this. And even from that point of view, tell them the pros and cons and all their options and you're being honest and you're establishing that relationship. And here's the really, really big one is after you see a patient. I've gotten bad about this. Really really big one is after you see a patient. I've gotten bad about this.
Speaker 2:I call patients whenever I do any root canal, any extraction, any sedation, any implant. Because what happens? You got a patient that's at home, they're sitting at dinner, Maybe they got some friends over and all of a sudden they get a call and they pick up the phone and they say a couple things, hang up and the friends are like who is that? Oh, that was my dentist. What your dentist calls you, my dentist never, freaking, calls me. I did like $10,000 worth of work with that freaking guy. So calling them really establishes that like, hey, I'm calling to check on you. How are you doing? Reach out to me.
Speaker 2:That builds what I tell associates. That builds a practice within the practice. That's where you're going to see. Like you know, if you're my associate, Steve, I only want to see Dr Steve. He's my guy, you know. He calls me, he checks on me and the easiest thing I could always tell people is don't hurt people and be a person right. Don't be a statue, because people will always remember how they made you feel right. If you hurt them consistently, they're not going to like you, and if you do, we're all human. If you do happen to hurt somebody with an injection, put your hand on their shoulder. I'm sorry. I'm sorry for that, Right. So I think those are little tidbits that anybody can take for that trust aspect.
Speaker 1:Henry, do you ever call your patients like non-post-op and just like?
Speaker 2:so what you?
Speaker 1:doing. What you doing today Is that what you do, paul? No I don't want to go. My assistants do my post-ops. I'm allergic to conversations, I'm scared I don't do.
Speaker 3:Well, you know what is great, though, to add to that, henry, I love that. But if you ever have a patient that came into your office for an emergency and there was nothing, you couldn't really find anything or was non-diagnostic, having someone or you call them in two weeks to say, I just want to check on you I know you were in a couple of weeks ago. We were looking at the lower right area. I just want to see how I was feeling, that follow-up, random, random call is like holy, these people really care about me, and I think that's what the purpose of those calls is just to show how much we genuinely care about their wellbeing.
Speaker 2:I'm sure you've seen this in your practices, steve is now. You get like some of your practices are how old Steve, like some of your practices are really old, older than me, yeah, so my practice is 10 years now. I've seen people that they have kids now that are like eight or nine and I knew them when they were born and and you establish that rapport and it's almost like they're your friend and you're not going to leave your friend, like some of these patients, like they won't leave just because they're like a friend to me, you know, yeah.
Speaker 1:I always think it's funny when you see these kids grow up and like like you see them for six months and they're like, hey, dr Atchison. And then six months later they're like hey, dr Atchison, you're like what the hell happened to you in six months? My God boy, look at that. You know it's crazy, but you know, I think think about like trust is important. When we look at patients, we need to realize that part of trust comes from getting to know somebody on a personal level, seeing that they're just not just the expert but they're also, you know, friendly. You know it's, it's competence and warmth. It's not only like I'm. I'm warm because I'm friendly, but I'm also demonstrating my competence.
Speaker 1:And for me I'm thinking of back when I was like an associate I used to just go in and be like hey, like tell me what hurts, you know, like what brought you in, and then just I'd jump into like this and I just wanted to show you how much I knew and I wanted to educate you on like a Donna blast and like this is how this works. I was in this school and stuff, and people are just like huh, and then like a big treatment plan for me, like then would be like three crowns and like it would be hard for me to get case acceptance on that. Now I could walk into a room. I will get to know the patient on a personal level. I think that's so big for building trust is getting to know them. But and then I'm just very honest and I'm very confident about them. Like hey, I think we need to do 10. And I can say that and there's no hesitance and I think the patients can latch onto that and they trust that because they see that they have that confidence in you.
Speaker 1:But it's all in the presentation. So if I said the first step that I had in learning this was slow down, talk to the patients, get to know them on a personal level. It seems too damn simple, but try it and see how your case presentation goes. Steve. What do you think man?
Speaker 3:Yeah, I want to get super granular because I think there are some techniques that doctors can use that have worked for me, that can immediately build trust, and for me, trust starts with comfort of the patient. So when I walk in and do an exam, the first thing I say is it's so great to see you. Whether I've seen them before or not, the first thing that comes to my mouth is it's so great to see you. I smile, I make eye contact and I will either shake their hand or touch them on the shoulder. There'll be some kind of human touch and the purpose of all of that is just to create some level of comfort with me that I'm a person they don't want to be there.
Speaker 3:People do not like going to the dentist. That's at least what I've been told for the past 20 years. People don't like going to the dentist. I hear that occasionally, yeah, every once in a while. So I use that to my advantage. The bar is really really low for what someone is expecting in the dental chair, so I try to make them comfortable by saying the phrase it is so good to see you. I smile, and then I start to ask them questions. It can be something personal it can be. If I want to dive right into dentistry, I can dive right into dentistry. I can ask them how they heard about us. I want to just start some kind of conversation and I want to ask them a question because I want to get them to start talking and then we can dive into what I'm seeing and be in the education process. But before they are ready to hear what I have to say, they better be in a position to listen and people who are comfortable or feel safe are in a position better to listen.
Speaker 2:You said it already, paul as you get older, you feel more comfortable talking with people and maybe that young dentist you're not so confident in your clinical skills anyways, and you're just a little nervous and you just want to demonstrate all this badass odontoblast. Whatever the hell you said there A badass odontoblast.
Speaker 1:Who doesn't like a badass odontoblast?
Speaker 2:Yeah. But then you get older and you realize, like you know what that's not what moves the needle. What moves the needle is relationships, and I continuously do this with our younger docs. We do exercises where once in a while, like we just go into a room and we have assistants pretend they're patients and I want you to go in there and within like two minutes, I want you to establish three things in common with that patient Ready, go and you make them do it. Right, you're not allowed to talk dentistry until you do that, and so if you're not comfortable, maybe you can start doing that and that's a great thing to do.
Speaker 2:And I like the way you said that Steve is like it's great to see you. I look at it on the back end too. When we're done, I want the confidence right To say, hey, we'll take good care of you. We're going to get you feeling better, I promise you. Or you know good to see your friend. Friend would and say, like what's going on next, whether it's relationships, whether it's something's going on or just I look forward to seeing you on the schedule to fix that tooth or whatever that looks like.
Speaker 1:Well, it's like you're being a friend, you know. And the thing is, if we think about trust is like, do you trust your friends? Of course you do. They're your friends. So the more you can be friend-like, the more you can portray trust. I mean, there's a book called the Speed of Trust and it was written by Stephen Covey, the guy that wrote the Seven. It was his son, but that's one of the things I remember coming out of that book was that it's like the more you can be a friend, the more you can build trust.
Speaker 2:Do either one of you find that in your group practices and real large practice that hey man, I'm Dr Edge, I kick ass and like making friends with people and people trust me that now people only want to see me and I've got four or five associates? I run into that problem a lot. I'm sure you guys run into that problem and what do you do about that?
Speaker 1:I created a story about how I have elbow tendonitis and I can't see the patients anymore because I say I find it easier to lie than to handle it directly.
Speaker 2:So Dr Etch's secret lie Okay?
Speaker 1:Yeah, don't get it. No, yeah, I have the same issue, man, and there has been a number of patients where I've had to tell them, you know what? I'm just not doing this procedure anymore. But gosh, Dr Cathy and Dr Steve are great. They are my dentists, they have done work on me. They need that endorsement. But yeah, man, it's hard because some of these patients you look them in the eye and you're like I need to refer you out.
Speaker 3:I can't do this procedure. What I share with the patient is I'd love to see you. It's more important that you get this done in the most timely manner. This doctor is going to take great care of you and I endorse them fully. And, just so you know, I and I endorse them fully. And, just so you know, I'm always here to talk out cases with them and we do it. That's what's so wonderful about this place we're a team and we talk things out. But for you, I think it's best that you see this doctor and know that we're here as a team to support you.
Speaker 2:I think the times where I've run into the biggest problems is that where I've done that and maybe the associate, like looking back, was crap, wasn't as good as expected and they screwed up something, and then they come back to me and then they're saying to me I'm never going anywhere else.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 2:And that's the person I'm just like. You know what they're right, like that's on me, I'm going to take care of them like infinitely. Now, yeah, that does happen.
Speaker 3:There will be a time, though, when they don't have a choice right, because you're going to be booked out so far or you're, instead of four days, whatever it is that you're working now, it's now down to two days, and that's going to become even less and less available, so I try and find ways. Yes, there may be patients that still want to see me, but I do try to find ways to create trust with another provider within the organization that they feel comfortable at least seeing on an emergency basis, and then allowing that person the opportunity to show them what they got.
Speaker 2:Yeah, but I think with the trust there too, it all comes down like with the circling back, like the treatment planning, and one of you guys said it before like treatment plan it with. Tell them what's the worst thing that can happen. Right, this filling, this filling may end up needing a root canal. You know, this crown may need this or whatever. Right, tell them up front. This way, it's not an excuse, it's a reason.
Speaker 2:You know, I think that's really important and I mean I look at some of my patients, some of them, I just like them a lot and I just like. I had one patient she was going to Las Vegas for the first time and her and her husband just saved up and I could tell they were like going on a budget, you know. So I told her, I said next time she came, I gave her an envelope. Didn't even have it was a gift certificate from one of my favorite restaurants in Vegas and it was like a nice budget for them and I know that that was the, that was the highlight of their whole trip and I was so happy to do that. And that's how you should get with your patients that you're just like you're happy to. You said that, like you're legitimately happy to see them, and it's a relationship.
Speaker 3:If you feel like you're making it up and it sounds fake, it's not going to come across like you want it to come across. So find a way to make it genuine. So like, if, when I walk in, even if it's someone that I'm not, I think is going to be a grumpy old person or grumpy person not to be an ageist, a grumpy person and they're going to be crushy or whatever, like I'm still happy to see them because I know that I don't have to see them again for six months. So like find the reason to be genuine in what you're saying, with everything that you're delivering to the patient, and then you'll be honest, like you are with your friends. You won't hold back like you do with your friends, and you'll be able to build trust because you're being genuinely who you are and caring for the person in a way that feels right.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's so true, and I've done this with a number of my patients because as I've cut my days back, I've had a lot of etch-only patients, like we get the pop-up under this etch-only, etch-only. And when I had my first associate there was a lot of etch-onlys Because I mean, when I was the only dentist there was no etch-only because everybody was etch-only. But when we had associate there was oh, I want to see Dr Etchison, I only want to see Dr Etchison, I only want to see Dr Etchison and it would drive. First day I opened the chart and it said Kathy only, I was like what the hell is this? And I went back in the chart. I'm like like they don't want to see me again. What the hell is their problem? You know, I was like I was hurt. So when they don't, I was like don't, don't want me, don't want me to stop, leave me alone. And then, as soon as somebody was like I don't want Dr.
Speaker 3:I just I'm like perspective may be a little different because we're an acquisition model, so I acquire these practices that were these doctors only for 20, 30, 40 years. And then we get in, oh yeah, and they still all show up. We average less than 10% of our patients when we acquire a practice, as great as I think that I am, I've seen it over and over that People will continue to go to the dentist and see the building that they're used to seeing just as much as the person they're used to seeing.
Speaker 1:Yeah. So the question is so how do you and your new docs that are coming into an acquisition, how do they build trust with the patient that's been seeing a selling doctor for years?
Speaker 3:Yeah, that's really hard and we talk about this a ton when we first get in. There are two things that can happen, both which are bad. One is you treatment plan differently than the other doctor and they think either they're getting crappy care for the past 20 years, which is not what we want, or that you're an aggressive, greedy person and all you care about is their money, which is not a good thing. So we need to meet the patient where they're at and ask questions and show, not tell. Show them what we're seeing and why it would benefit them to get this addressed, and not tell them anything. And if they're not ready to hear it, don't push or shove anything down their throat. They're going to resent you for that. So be soft in your approach. Genuinely care for the patient and tell them what you would want to do for your mom or for yourself, and then show them pictures of what you're seeing so they can make the best decision for themselves. Those aren't your teeth, they're theirs. Let them make the decision for themselves.
Speaker 1:Do you tread?
Speaker 3:lightly, do you like the first time? Yeah, we do. We do tread lightly, but part of it is not just getting the patients on board, it's getting the team on board. If I walk in and this is something to build trust to if I walk in and I'm the second or third time, they've heard the same thing. I'm not a jerk who wants to sell you something. I'm just agreeing with the other person who you've seen and you've known for a long period of time. That is saying I know that this, I know. You saw your hygienist. You've seen her forever.
Speaker 3:She wanted me to take a closer look at that upper left side. She said there's something going on, let's take a look at that Like. That in itself takes a lot of weight off of what I'm sharing, and there's always the approach and the words that I use are has anyone ever shared with you that? So? Or has a dentist ever told you that? So? It doesn't come from me, it's coming from this fictitional dentist that has never misdiagnosed anything, and I just use that as a jumping off point when I'm communicating with the patient for the first time, that I just assume that whoever saw them shared everything with them and I'm just agreeing with what they're saying.
Speaker 2:And on top of that, as soon as that happens, like your hygienist pointed out, something like in front of the patient and I appreciate her for pointing that out to me. Thanks, jane, for pointing that out to me so that right there now, that builds trust. The patient says, wow, he really values his fellow employees and he trusts their judgment. And on top of that, like you're asking about, like the acquisition, how do you make that trust go? I think if you do a good job, what I've learned is like, when you're done, the patient oftentimes will say this phrase my dentist never did that. So like at the end of an exam hey, you know what I'm going to do? An oral cancer check, I'm going to move your tongue out of the way. I'm going to move your cheek out of the way. You know what? I bet you, the old dentist did that, but the guy never said that. And all of a sudden the patient in their mind is like wow, my dentist never did that. And in my head I'm like that we check on every single patient. Right Now, the patient's even thinking that we're doing something of value, of no charge, that we normally don't. Those little things mean so much to a patient. And while I have it in my head here too, just a little technology tip that can help you. It may hurt me, but SlyDial I don't know if you guys have ever heard that app.
Speaker 2:There's an app called SlyDial where, let's say, I'm driving home and my usual routine was like I call my patients on my drive home, like the ones who I do root canals, extractions, implants, sedation and maybe gosh one of them I generally don't want to talk to her, just one. Like you hit that Slide Dial app and you call them and it goes directly. It's like a sneak attack. It goes right behind the firewall and it goes right to their voicemail. Hey, this is Dr Ernest. I was just checking to see how you did today. I missed your call there. Just call us if you have any troubles. Boom. So just FYI. Slydial is a pretty good app to have in use.
Speaker 1:I mean, when is it time to say patients aren't checking their voicemails anymore and we've got to switch to text? I feel like that transition is happening.
Speaker 2:As the younger patients, I think.
Speaker 3:Yeah, sure, but I still think, do you not?
Speaker 1:listen to your voicemails? I do, but I don't listen to them. I mean, I don't listen to them as I get them.
Speaker 2:It's like one day I'm yeah, of course it's a lot easier for me to miss a voicemail and I'm a victim of that. I'll miss a vo. Personal aspect of hearing my voice and knowing that I'm taking the time to check on you and I want to hear how you're doing from your own voice. I don't even do. I wouldn't even mess with the text there. The biggest mistake I ever made was I told my family this one time at like a family Thanksgiving and stuff like that. And now, if I ever like, sometimes there's some family members you don't want to call sometimes and sometimes now they wonder, like, is he really calling me or he just slipped through the back?
Speaker 1:door. My brother-in-law likes to call all the time. I tell him dude, you got to text me, man, I just can't pick up the phone, he's like. But I want to talk and I'm like I don't use my phone for that function. Telephone is not for speaking.
Speaker 3:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1:Yeah, no, all right. Well, hey, if you're thinking about working with a coach and taking your practice to the next level this year, looking at what systems you can improve, what efficiencies you can create and how much more money you can make, please check out our coaches at dental practice heroescom. Thank you so much for listening and we'll talk to you next time.
