Many patients are looking for new wellness and cosmetic treatments in the new year. Even though professional teeth whitening is elective, dental anxiety is real and some patients may still feel apprehensive. To ensure an optimal patient experience from beginning to end, we’ve put together a list of ideas you can incorporate in your practice to make GLO whitening treatments easier (and even enjoyable!) for your patients.
- Personalize the appointment to meet each patient’s needs – Thoroughly review any pertinent health information and ask about changes that may have occurred since the patient’s last visit. Will their GLO treatment be in addition to any other cosmetic dental treatments? Would the patient prefer to have a cleaning and whitening appointment on the same day? All of this information can be used to tailor the procedure to meet the individual and unique needs of the patient.
- Add little luxuries for patient comfort -To calm nerves and enhance the experience, consider unique ways to make the appointment as comfortable as possible. Offer blankets, play music, or dim the lights to create a relaxing atmosphere. Adorn the walls of your space with artwork or inspirational images. Other options are to provide virtual smart glasses for wearable entertainment or place an aromatherapy diffuser in your whitening room for a spa-like experience. Patients will see these small changes as an added bonus to the teeth whitening procedure, not to mention that they will set your practice apart from others.
- Represent with a GLOing Smile - If you and your staff have their teeth professionally whitened, patients will be more likely to feel confident in the procedure as well. Consider posting before and after photos of the transformation from someone in your office, and encourage your staff to give their own feedback about the experience to patients. You are your own best advertisement!
- Utilize full disclosure before and after treatment- The worst thing is for a patient to feel like they’re starting or ending a whitening treatment with unanswered questions or with unmet expectations. It’s important that patients know what to expect when it comes to the treatment itself (what will be happening when) as well as when it comes to results. Start by using our Motivational Shade Taking program to understand the patient’s desire when it comes to their tooth shade AND to demonstrate to them what they can reasonably expect to see after one GLO in-office treatment. If they want to get even lighter, have a conversation about follow up treatments at home and/or in the office. Before the procedure begins, explain step by step what you will be doing. Then afterward, be sure to provide post-care instructions and maintenance protocol for patients to take home. This will help to build confidence and reduce any hesitation they might have. Take communication a step further with a quick follow up email or call to gauge patient satisfaction. Even if they don’t respond, they’ll appreciate the check-in.
- Strong Communication is Key- Empathy and understanding go a long way. Patients and dentists look at treatments through very different lenses, so keep tone in mind when delivering information or offering opinions. To help normalize anxious feelings, avoid negative phrasing and keep the conversation progressing in a positive manner. This will help both patient satisfaction and compliance.
Following these tips are sure to help enhance the overall experience of a professional teeth whitening treatment. Here’s to helping you bring more GLOing smiles to your patients this year!