cosmetic dentistry_ beauty & science

34 I I industry news _ pain management Fig. 1_ DentalVibe Injection Comfort System. Fig. 2_ Infiltration shot. Fig. 3_ Palatal shot. cosmeticdentistry 1_2013 _Every dentist is looking to grow his or her practice, and we are all looking to bring in as many newpatientsaswecan.Numerousexcellentarticles have been written by many highly successful clini- cians and marketing gurus on a myriad of ways to grow your practice. According to Dr Joe Blaes, editor of Dental Economics, speaking of the DentalVibe Injection Comfort System in his column “Pearls for your practice”(January2011),“ThebestWOWexperience that we can give in dental practices is to not hurt our patients. You will get more referrals from pa- tientsifyouhaveapain-freepracticethananyother marketing tool you can use. [...] DentalVibe’s syn- chronizedpercussivevibrationprovidesanidealway toadministeranestheticinjections,anywhereinthe mouth, without discomfort. DentalVibe is cordless, portable, and easily affordable for every office.” The fact is that as dentists we are so focused on our technical skills while we are performing our craftthatwelosesightofoneofthemostimportant issuesonthebusinesssideofdentistry:thepatients’ perspective. They are desperately afraid that we are going to hurt them. Many people are so afraid of painthattheyavoidgoingtothedentistaltogether. According to worldental.org, studies by the Dental FearsResearchClinicinSeattle,Washington,report that upwards of 40 million Americans avoid going to the dentist because of this fear. This is quite alarming when you consider the negative health effects directly related to poor oral health. Consider the following scenario. You spend half an hour with a new patient, treating tooth 14 with an MOD composite bonded filling. You carefully excavate the decay, skilfully prepare the tooth with perfect cavosurface margins, etch, prime, place ad- hesive and composite, and cure for the appropriate period. You spend a great deal of time creating a beautifully artistic representation of occlusal ana- tomy, and even place secondary grooves in the marginalridges.Thenyoupolishlikeyouhavenever polished before. You are proud of the artistic piece that you have created and you have provided a tremendous service to your patient. Fig. 2 Fig. 3 Fig. 3 Stop hurting your patients! Deliver the “WOW experience” and watch your practice grow Author_Dr Steven G. Goldberg, USA