Dental Tribune United Kingdom Edition

About the author Dr Michael Sultan BDS MSc DFO FICD is a Specialist in Endodontics and the Clini- cal Director of EndoCare. Mi- chael qualified at Bristol Uni- versity in 1986. He worked as a general dental practitioner for 5 years before commenc- ing specialist studies at Guy’s hospital, London. He com- pleted his MSc in Endodon- tics in 1993 and worked as an in-house Endodontist in various practices before set- ting up in Harley St, London in 2000. He was admitted onto the specialist register in Endodontics in 1999 and has lectured extensively to postgraduate dental groups as well as lecturing on En- dodontic courses at Eastman CPD, University of London. He has been involved with numerous dental groups and has been chairman of the Al- pha Omega dental fraternity. In 2008 he became clinical director of EndoCare, a group of specialist practices. 19OpinionFebruary 11-17, 2013United Kingdom Edition QW091112RG Made in Great Britain Call us 01227 780009 www.quicklase.com £19.50 +vat - 5 Large Syringes - Order your trial kit NOW The latest must have ... British Products . . . AND MORE . . . AND MORE 4w Laser - 8w Laser - Cordless Laser - IntraOral Cameras Tied in closely with this no- tion of patient expectations is the way practices mar- ket themselves to the world. As we have seen, the range of treatments now available to the modern dentist is far beyond anything that could have been imagined half a century ago, and our society has also changed dramatically in that time. There are just so many dentists out there now, all competing for patients and offering different things, that marketing has become an in- creasingly important element to any dental practice’s activi- ties. In the last few years es- pecially we’ve seen a massive rise in the number of spa prac- tices filling the high streets, offering “smile makeovers” or “life changing” treatments, but I fear very often the core messages we need to be de- livering to patients get lost in translation. From my (perhaps old- fashioned) perspective, den- tistry should always be about delivering exceptional quality of care. This isn’t necessarily just about delivering the most dazzling smile, but is about how well you deal with the patient in your chair, and how you make their journey with you as comfortable as pos- sible. After all, most people don’t like visiting the dentist, and so a visit is nearly always a stressful occasion. Sometimes in the rush for beauty, as a profession we for- get about the “essentials” such as good old-fashioned empa- thy, and sometimes we forget that our patients just don’t un- derstand dentistry like we do. They haven’t done the years of study; they haven’t read the papers; they don’t spend each working day dealing with teeth. As such we need to be completely open and hon- est with them through every step of the way. We need to be careful and considered in our approach, and we should make sure patients don’t get too caught up in the market- ing. There can be no doubt- ing that modern dentistry is a fine balancing act. On the one hand we all need to attract patients and pay the bills, but we also need to be responsible with how we sell our treat- ments to patients, and we also need to have the courage to be able to take a step back when work falls outside our comfort zone, and refer to a colleague if so needed. Though marketing is un- questionably an essential part of modern dentistry, there can be no beating a warm and honest approach. While hon- esty may well lose you the odd patient keen for perfection, an open and honest approach will ensure you don’t become another DCS statistic. DT ‘Sometimes in the rush for beauty, as a profession we forget about the “essentials” such as good old-fashioned empathy’