A quick, easy way to create a mission statement for your dental practice involves your team. Last year, I called a team meeting to discuss what we want the practice to be like each day for ourselves and our patients. I wanted us to discuss what we could focus on.

We sat around the table in our break room. I asked the team members to take turns going around the table throwing out one word, two words, or a phrase that they felt described our practice. After a moment’s reflection, someone started the process. They had words. They had phrases. They developed whole sentences. And the beauty of this was that I didn’t have to say anything. I just sat there and listened.

If you are asking a team to be part of a mission, I think it is important that you allow them to create the mission. By the end of the meeting, we had a mission statement that we wanted to reflect on and revisit. A week later, we had a conversation about the statement. The team changed a couple of words, and then, Voila! We had our mission statement. It was a mission to which everyone had contributed.

Our next discussion was about how we wanted to be reminded of our mission and how we wanted to make patients aware of the mission. The team decided to put the mission statement on the break room wall, where we would see it daily, and to frame it for the reception area wall, where our patients could see it.

We also met to discuss our values. The team went around the table, listing our practice values. After collaboratively sorting the values, the team developed a list of our top values. This list also has been framed and displayed in the reception area.

We want to share our values and mission with our patients because they are like family. Our top priority is helping them understand their health, so they can make better decisions to improve their health.

Curious to know the wording we settled on? Our mission statement follows: “Devoted to impacting our patients’ lives by investing in their health while establishing relationships through our exceptional care in a safe and comfortable environment.”

In your dental practice, it’s important to create a restorative partnership with your assistants, hygienists & front office team. Make the handoff between your team seamless, build a stronger team & create lasting patient connections. Check out our three Pankey Team Courses that are coming up: Team Series.

Tip 1: Develop the Habit of Clearing Your Mind as Your Move from Patient to Patient

One of the hardest challenges in dentistry is moving from room to room and being able to refocus and give each patient your full and undivided attention. Here’s a little trick I do to increase my presence as I move between rooms and patients.

As I move down the hall between operatories, I habitually self-talk. I silently say to myself, “The patient I just left will be fine with my dental assistant.” I intentionally turn off thoughts about the patient I left, and as I cross the threshold of the next operatory, I am interested in only that next patient. It is not easy, and the more intentional I am at bringing it into my consciousness, I believe the better my focus can become.

Interruptions of this type occur throughout the day as I need to stop what I am doing with one patient to check in on the patient in the Hygiene room. Fortunately, I have a long enough hall between my operatory and the Hygiene room to “practice” my little self-control meditation.

Tip 2: Identify an Analogy that Is Understandable for the Present Patient

I know I am not the only dentist who has patients who are not moving forward with the treatment I have recommended. Recently when interacting with a patient who was not moving forward with occlusal therapy I got to watch his understanding shift about the recommendation I had made. The difference was in explaining it in a language he understood. I credit Dr. Rich Green for mentoring me through this understanding. I related it to a real-life experience he already had.

The patient had been in my practice for a little while. We had identified that he had some occlusal disease. He had wear on teeth, some clinical attachment loss, abfractions, teeth that ran into each other, awareness that he brought his teeth together, and at times muscle tension.

One day I asked him, “Can you help me understand why you are not moving forward with occlusal therapy?”

He said, “You know, I just don’t know if it is going to benefit me.”

I happened to look down at his feet and notice he had good running shoes on. I said, “Those are fancy running shoes. They’re pretty cool. Do you wear them because you like how they look or because of another reason?”

He replied, “Actually I wear them because they are very supportive. I often have back muscle tension, and I need to wear really good shoes.”

I said, “You know, the dental orthotic that I’ve been calling an occlusal appliance is no different than wearing really good running shoes. Wearing a dental orthotic is like putting inserts in your shoes to create balance, decrease fatigue in the muscles, and provide me with the opportunity to learn what’s going on at the tooth level, the muscle level, and the joint level. Wearing the dental orthotic is likely to help you understand why you are experiencing discomfort at times, what those patterns are, and when they occur. And it just might be therapeutic in relieving muscle tension you have been experiencing and protect your teeth while we discover what is going on.”

He nodded and said, “Okay, I get it. I understand now. When can we start?”

Tip 3: Ask a Well-Crafted Question

Asking well-crafted questions allows us to better know the patient and get more complete information. Asking powerful questions also makes patients more aware that some of what they are experiencing is not healthy…is not normal.

For example, I often notice patients are not reporting pain as we do risk assessments on their muscles and joints. So, I ask the patient to rate the level of pain at which they take pain medication when they have a headache. “On a scale of 1 to 10, when would you pick up the bottle of Advil and take a pill to treat the pain?”

There are people who will take Advil when pain is at a 1 or 2 and others who will only take it when pain is at a 12. I’ve learned that there are people who have low pain tolerance who will call whenever they have pain in a tooth and other people who tolerate higher pain for months because they think it is normal.

By asking patients to rate their pain tolerance level, they become self-aware of symptoms they might be experiencing that align with the signs you observe and are discussing. They become more aware of what is normal and abnormal. If they have the tendency to not move forward with treatment until they are in acute pain, they become more aware that delaying treatment is not in their best interest. They realize the discomfort they have been experiencing is abnormal and they do not have to…should not tolerate it.

Philosophy has to do with the relationship between belief and action. In the end philosophy is what gives meaning and purpose to our lives. As dentists who are consciously aware of our own beliefs and what holds meaning to us, our daily work and our routine are not merely unrelated actions and episodes, but integral parts of our personal lives.

There is an important distinction to be made between having a philosophy and living a philosophy. “Having” a philosophy implies having an idea or set of ideas, but it doesn’t necessarily mean that those ideas are being acted on. Learning can best take place when we are “living” a philosophy—that is, living in a state of inquiry—based on our personal values, our knowledge of ourselves, and our individual goals.

Questions lead to answers.

According to Jim Dyce, a British dentist/philosopher and good friend of L.D. Pankey, “Philosophy can do no more than initiate questions.” When Dr. Pankey decided to devote his life to saving teeth, he was forced to ask himself a difficult question, “How can I help people keep all of their teeth for a lifetime?” In 1925 L.D. didn’t know the answer. Out of that question he was able to uncover and develop many principles which have proven instrumental in the understanding of comprehensive restorative dentistry and patient education. Therefore, Philosophy, in its most valuable form, is more about asking right questions than with right answers.

How useful the Pankey Philosophy will be to you depends on how willing you are to put yourself in the questions. In the process of moving toward the answers to your questions will help you clarify your goals and ways to accomplish them. Questions can open the floodgates to new insights and information for you.

How do you define and measure success?

The Pankey Philosophy itself seems simple enough at first glance. Each one of us must decide for ourselves what and how to measure our success. Once we have conceived an idea of success, we must believe in it, and then work out ways to achieve it. Achieving the greatest success in dentistry–both gratitude from our patients and financial and spiritual reward, requires a commitment to always give the best you can. This involves knowing yourself, knowing your patients, knowing you work, and applying your knowledge conscientiously.

Dentists can fall into a rut of boredom and frustration.

This sobering statistic may have been attributed to two main factors related to the practice of dentistry. First, dental work is usually confined to a small office, where dentists go day after day, week after week. Second, once dentists become good at what they are doing, their work becomes very much the same. The result could be developing a feeling of not being appreciated by their patients and staff. Or maybe feeling being trapped in their small office. They may think they are not achieving much in the way of mental stimulation, and start wondering to themselves “Is this all there is to dentistry?”

Now, this is not to say that all or even most dentists live lives of “quiet desperation.” Yet most dentists have felt they are in a rut at one time or another, at which point it becomes increasingly difficult to see the real rewards in this great profession of dentistry. Reviewing your questions again can pull you out of the rut.

Dentists can climb out of the rut through increased service to mankind.

In 1947 L.D. began teaching the Philosophy of the Practice of Dentistry which he had been developing since 1932. His purpose was to help dentists confront and move past feelings of frustration and boredom. L.D. wanted to move dentists toward higher levels of excellence in their technical work, improve their communication skills with their patients, and achieving greater satisfaction in their lives through increased service to humankind.

Are your goals clear and well-defined? Are you willing to pay the price to achieve them?

L.D recommended dentist look more closely and objectively at themselves and their individual situation. He would suggest asking his class to really think about their goals. He would ask them,” Are your goals clear and well-defined? Can you measure your goals so you can measure your success? Do your goals belong to you or are they someone else’s goals? Are you willing to pay the necessary price to achieve them? Are your goals and objectives in line with your circumstances and temperament?” Satisfaction is achieved not only in reaching your goals, but also by understanding the progress you are making during your journey as you move slowly and steadily toward them.

As poet and musician Bob Dylan wrote, “He who is not busy being born is busy dying.”

Understanding the Pankey Philosophy can help you transform your experience of practicing dentistry, increase predictability, profitability and fulfillment. The Essentials Series is the path we urge you to take. Essentials 1: Aesthetic and Functional Treatment Planning is where your journey begins.  Following a system of risk assessment, patient ownership and risk management creates technical excellence and predictability.

When L.D. Pankey returned to Coral Gables from the International Congress of Dentists in Paris, in 1931, knew he needed additional education if he was going to follow his personal commitment of not extracting any more teeth. With a recommendation from his new friend in Paris, Dr. Daniel Hally-Smith, the dentist, L.D. wanted to emulate, he signed up for a three-month summer course at Northwestern University in Chicago.

The program was designed to cover all the phases of modern dentistry including how to interview patients and do a proper clinical tour of the mouth so the student could determine what was really needed to give their patients optimum dental care. They were saturated with topics both technically and psychologically related to diagnosis and treatment planning concepts. Most of the information presented was focused on clinical procedures.

The patient psychology course was taught by George Crane PhD. During that summer, George Crane, a trained psychologist, was between his freshman and sophomore years in medical school at Northwestern. He had been hired to teach a summer course to physicians and dentists on how they could better understand and communicate with the patient.

At that time, there were no definitive textbooks about doctor/patient communications. During his lectures Dr. Crane brought in loose-leaf handouts for the class. The handouts later became the framework for his first book on applied psychology. Crane’s course was the highlight of L.D.’s summer, and it turned out Dr. Crane’s course became the foundation of what became the Pankey Philosophy.

Crane’s lectures were centered around psychology to be used by doctors to develop interpersonal relationships between the professional and the patient. The course included an overview of Carl Jung’s work, defining Jung’s four personality types: the introvert, the extrovert, the ambivert and the compensated types. The students also looked closely at the 1905 Binet-Simon Scale to determine the intellectual capacity of children. They studied the first “mental horsepower” test – otherwise known as the IQ test.

Later, when L.D. developed his own philosophy, he used much of the Crane course ideas for his Dental IQ, patient intellectual, sociological, and economic classifications. After finishing the George Crane course, L.D. felt confident that he had taken a giant step toward gaining the knowledge and communications skills that were needed in his practice.

Dr. Crane was a strong proponent of the balanced life and spent a great deal of time discussing Cabot’s “Cross of Life” which emphasized the need to balance work, play, love, and worship for a truly fulfilling life. The cross diagram was developed by Richard C. Cabot (1869-1939), who was a physician, philosopher, and Unitarian minister.

Following his graduation from Harvard University Divinity and Medical School, Cabot started his clinical work at Massachusetts General Hospital where he established a hospital based Social Service Department and became the first Chairman of the Department of Social Ethics at Harvard. Over the years, Cabot wrote twelve books on Medicine and Ethics.

Cabot also became a major educational leader in medicine by publishing monthly “Cabot Cases” in The New England Journal of Medicine. Each month physicians in local study clubs throughout the county would read and study the information provided by Cabot. They would try to determine the diagnosis for the patients in the case. The final diagnosis was provided the following month in The New England Journal of Medicine.

Crane assigned one of the Cabot books, What Men Live By, to L.D. and his classmates to read. The book explored how to achieve personal happiness. According to Cabot, happiness could be achieved by striving for balance in personal life. When explaining this concept to his patients and other professionals, Cabot recommended drawing a simple diagram with Happiness in the middle and four arms labeled Work, Play, Love, and Worship.

What Men Live By was published in 1913 and has long been out of print. Many of the references seem archaic; however, the basic principle of balance has stood the test of time. There are needs for all of us to be productive, to enjoy daily life, to have people in our lives that we care about, and to extend our interests beyond ourselves. An excess or a deprivation of any of these basic needs of life can set our lives out of balance, destroy our sense of self-worth, dull our enjoyment of life, or alienate us from our fellow human beings.

When L.D. Pankey developed his philosophy, he uses the Cabot Cross as a starting point for dentists on their journey to fine personal happiness.

When L.D. Pankey visited Dr. Hally-Smith in Paris, Hally-Smith was curious about how L.D. could afford to come to the International Dental Congress in Paris. L.D. told him about his benefactor, Mrs. Blanchard. Hally-Smith said, “That is wonderful, just wonderful!” Turning serious, he then said, “You know of course that you will make it. Your benefactor has started the process for you but there are many things you will have to do before you will be there.”

Hally-Smith gave L.D. a personal tour of his office. The office had five dental technicians and three associate dentists. His personal dental assistant was a White Russian woman dentist who had been driven out of Russia during the Russian Revolution. She was wearing a long, highly starched nurse’s gown that went all the way to her ankles. L.D. began to understand what Mrs. Blanchard, his benefactor, was talking about. She wanted him to know some of the outstanding dentists in the world! When she suggested he take the trip, she said, “I think you have the potential of becoming an outstanding dentist.” This was after he had completed her dental work.

L.D.’s time at the Dental Congress was a busy one. There was so much to learn! Even though Taggart had cast the first inlay nineteen years earlier in 1912 by the “lost wax” technique, investments and casting techniques were far from perfect. Many slides were shown, and many papers were given on new techniques in restorative dentistry. New impression materials and impression techniques were shown in lectures and table clinics. Much of the denture information did not interest L.D. because he was mainly interested in saving teeth.

After their first meeting, L.D. made rearrangements to spend an additional week in Paris with Dr. Hally-Smith. Hally-Smith was old enough to be L.D.’s father. One morning, they were talking about patient communications, and Hally-Smith asked, “Did you ever take the Bosworth course?” L.D. said he had taken the course.

Hally-Smith said, “Isn’t Bosworth the dental supply man who suggests dentists say this when speaking with their patients, “I can do a good job for so much, do a halfway job for this much, or I louse it up at a very reasonable price’?” L.D. answered by saying, “That is not exactly what Bosworth says but pretty close.”

Hally-Smith then asked, “L.D., do you like that approach?”

L.D. said, “No, I’ve never liked it, but I have tried it.”

Dr. Hally-Smith became serious and said, “L.D. it all starts with communication. You should tell your patient the optimum way their dentistry should be done. Then what the patient decides is their own decision. If you’re going to make a compromise with them, then compromise based on your patient’s knowledge, not because you have prejudged them. You should tell every patient what optimum dental care would do for them. If they decide to go elsewhere, leave the door open for them to come back later. I have found over the years that a lot of these people return after they’ve lost half their teeth.”

They discussed this premise for a while longer, and L.D. realized how right Hally-Smith was. Tell patients about the best treatment plan. Then, if there were any compromising to be done, let them decide. L.D. realized Dr. Hally-Smith’s way of communicating was easier said than done.

When L.D. returned home from Paris, he never felt comfortable using the Bosworth Plan again. Instead, he presented patients with the optimum treatment plan. If they resisted, he would compromise and do only what they would allow or just put off the work, except for emergencies. After a while, L.D. began calling this compromise time a “Holding Program” – a time of doing only what had to be done until the patient chose to move on to optimum care. With enough time, patients would usually follow through with optimum care, but not always.

Dr. L.D. Pankey, Sr. (“L.D.”) was born on July 31, 1901. He received his Doctorate in Dental Surgery degree from the College of Dentistry at the University of Louisville, practiced in New Castle, Kentucky, for one year, and then relocated his practice to Coral Gables, Florida, in 1926.

The motivation for his decision to leave New Castle came when he received a letter from his mother. She wrote,” I am happy you are doing so well in your practice, but I hope you are not doing to your patients what has been done to me. I have had all my teeth out and now have dentures. This has been the unhappiest experience of my life.”

L.D. had examined his parents while in dental school and was sure they did not need dentures. After reading his mother’s letter, he made a commitment to practice dentistry in a new way, focused on saving teeth. This was a difficult decision because at that time he did not know how to achieve his commitment. In 1926 the typical dental practice provided examinations, cleanings, extractions, silver and silicate fillings, and complete and partial dentures.

His decision to leave New Castle, Kentucky was driven by the desire to have a new, fresh start and to find his own way to practice dentistry without removing teeth. Over his lifetime, he often said, “When I left New Castle, I vowed that I would never take out another tooth as long as I lived.”

Shortly after arriving in Coral Gables, he was lucky to be invited to join a unique dental study club in Miami headed by an oral surgeon. The purpose of the study club was to study ways to prevent tooth loss. He couldn’t have moved to a better place to learn with and from other like-minded professionals.

What made this club unique was they did not pay an honorarium to speakers., Instead, they paid their travel expenses, and they personally entertained the speakers in their homes for the week. The speakers were happy to have a mini vacation with their families in Miami. This gave L.D. the opportunity to meet and befriend them.

Among the visiting speakers were notables such as Winston Price who talked about nutrition as it related to caries, C.C. Bass MD who talked about flossing and home care (the Bass tooth brushing technique and unwaxed floss), Harry Morton who talked about restorative dentistry and showed them how to use of the Munson articulator to create the curve of Spee and Wilson, and Clyde Schuyler who came down from New York City to discuss his ideas on occlusion.

The letter from his mother launched his unique career and influence on dentistry which has been indelible for the last 90 years. Reflecting on L.D., the person who inspired me most to take the career journey I have been on for over 50 years, I realize his philosophy of dentistry and his friendship still inspire and shape me. His mother’s letter is always on my mind as I continue to teach prosthodontics and chair the Department of Dentistry at the University of Toledo. I can’t imagine a more meaningful life than providing others with optimal health, function, and the happiness of having a beautiful smile.

One day an elderly woman came into the office without an appointment. Mrs. Blanchard was a tall woman wearing a large, flowered hat and a black ribbon around her neck. She had the airs of an aristocrat. She had been referred to the office by her next-door neighbor who told her Dr. Pankey was the dentist who did not believe in pulling teeth. When she came in, she refused to sit down and asked to talk to the dentist immediately. When asked why Mrs. Blanchard was there she told the receptionist it was both professional and personal.

L.D. escorted her to his private office. She immediately said, “Dr. Pankey I understand you do not extract teeth.”

L.D. Said, “I do not extract teeth; however, if you need extractions, I will send you to a good oral surgeon in Miami.”

She interrupted, “That is the reason I am here. I do not want to lose my teeth.” She had ready been seen by two dentists and both said she needed dentures. Her plan was to have only Individual teeth extracted when she was in pain. She asked if he would be willing to try to save her teeth. Because she was a walk-in they made another appointment for a proper examination, x-rays, and time for a consultation.

When she came back, he told her he thought she could keep most of her teeth; however, he couldn’t promise all of them. He also told her he had been studying with some of the best dentists in the country and would do his best. Although she did not ask him, he quoted her a fee large enough to allow him to redo work if necessary. She showed no concern about the fee, so they got started.

She needed a couple of extractions and endodontic procedures. During the healing time, he did simple restorative dentistry. Her treatment took three and a half months. L.D. told her everything he was doing and why. She became extremely interested in the process. He used the Munson articulator and followed Taggart’s 1912 “chewing in” technique. All the crowns were done directly in the mouth using compound impressions, amalgam dies, and denture card wax to create a functionally generated path. When everything was completed, he put her on a three-month cleaning regime. Happily, the dentistry lasted until Mrs. Blanchard was 81.

Being a little eccentric, Mrs. Blanchard never wanted to sit in the reception room. When she did come in for her cleanings, she preferred sitting in L.D.’s private office. One day, during the midst of the Great Depression, she was in his office paging through an American Dental Association journal that she had found on his desk. An article about the upcoming International Dental Congress meeting in Paris, France caught her interest.

When L.D. came into the room she asked, “Are you going to this meeting in Paris?” He said, no I am very busy here with my practice and keeping my staff working.”

Two weeks later she returned and asked to see L.D. As usual, she was sitting in his private office when he came in. She said, “I still think you should go to the International Congress in Paris because you have great potential. I want you to go, and I want you to travel first class. I would like to pay all your travel expenses, all your office expenses including your staff, and compensate you for the time lost in your practice. When you go, I want you to travel all over Western Europe because that is where our civilization came from. You need to see London, Florence, Rome, Vienna, Heidelberg, and of course, Paris. Now, are you willing to go?”

L.D. was totally taken aback. Mrs. Blanchard had a great deal of gratitude for the time L.D. had spent learning how to treat her problem and for the care and understanding he gave her during and after her treatment. The enormity of her gratitude and appreciation was whelming.

After talking to his wife and his staff, he did go to Europe, and he did go to the Congress in Paris. Little did he know what a profound impact this gift would have on his life. Mrs. Blanchard had given him the opportunity to expand his knowledge of dentistry and the potential to become a leader in dentistry.

“Whatever the mind of man can conceive and believe, it can achieve.” — Napoleon Hill

When L.D. Pankey was developing his Philosophy, he studied with many early American business authors and teachers. One such person was Napoleon Hill (1883 -1970). In 1937 Hill published a bestselling book, “Think and Grow Rich” which emphasized a positive attitude and having good communication skills.

Every innovation, every invention, every work of art begins with an idea. Long before the Wright brothers ever flew, Leonardo Da Vinci had sketched and designed an aircraft. Da Vinci conceived of mechanized flight, but the Wright brothers believed it was possible, acted on that belief, and thus achieved flight. Likewise, in 1929 L.D. Pankey had the idea that teeth could and should be saved, although at first, he didn’t know how.

L.D. Pankey’s belief that teeth could be saved was so strong it motivated him to do some research, study what was known at that time, and do the experimentation necessary to make his idea a reality. Belief in himself and his idea helped him persist despite some uncertainty, blind alleys, and many other frustrations.

There is an old Chinese saying, “If you do not know where you are going, you are likely to end up somewhere.” Too many people end up “somewhere” because they have not clearly defined where they want to go. The first step in moving toward greater satisfaction, therefore, is to set specific goals.

Vague goals such as “I’d like to be a better dentist” or “I’d like to be happier” or “I’d like to make more money” are common. Be more specific, for example:

• I would like to learn about implant placement.
• I want to have more fun with my children.
• I want to earn 15% more this year.”

Then, be even more specific and set definite time frames so you can measure your progress:

• I would like to begin training in implant placement this coming September and be placing implants successfully in June. Tomorrow I will begin by investigating continuing education programs in the science of implants.
• I would like to have more fun with my children. At dinner tonight I will ask my children about ideas for fun activities, and we will start by doing one of the activities each week.
• I would like to increase my income by 15% this year. I will meet with my accountant and a dental practice coach this month to look at ways to increase my profitability. I will also do some reading in practice management.

Once you have conceived your ideas, you must believe it is possible to achieve them. Without the power of belief, you will not take them seriously; nor are you likely to weather the many setbacks and frustrations that will probably come.

A great doctor-patient relationship is the key to delivering quality care. The ideal model to help people move toward optimal oral health is based on a behavioral approach that we can use every day. This approach is allowing the patient to drive outcomes.

An illustrative example:

There is a stark difference in a patient’s emotional response between being told, “You need a filling,” and saying, “You have decay in your tooth. How would you like us to address that?”

The principles of this approach are not difficult.

1. You need to honestly commit to always placing the best interest of the patient first. You cannot fake this. All of us know when others are not sincere.
2. Letting the patient drive the outcomes is a habit developed from committing to this approach and intentionally choosing your words to put the ball in your patient’s hands, then waiting for their response and listening well to clearly understand the outcome desired by the patient.
3. Is the outcome congruent with your philosophy and standard of care? Does the patient need more information and time to come to an understanding of what is in their best health interest? How might you lead them there? Most folks really do want the best for themselves and their family. They will make good decisions if we provide the proper environment and education.
4. You, the patient, and your team must be comfortable with the means necessary to get to the outcome desired. Both you and the patient must be comfortable with the time, energy and dollars involved in reaching a mutually agreed upon goal. A key element in eliminating stress and dependence on insurance, is painting the picture for your patient that they are in control of the outcome–not their insurance company. You and the patient have the patient’s best interest at heart, not a third party. I say this again. You are working on behalf of your patient, and with this approach, they are in control, not an insurance company.

Does this approach take more time and effort up front? Yes. However, once you adopt this approach you will be forever glad you did. Patients who enter your practice through this system will value you, your staff, and your care. They will commit to more and better dentistry and pay with gratitude. You and your staff will have lower stress and more fun because you are dealing with people you understand at a deeper level. Long-term, these people will refer new clients just like them.

I didn’t invent this model. I learned it from great mentors like L. D. Pankey and half a century of folks participating in The Pankey Institute and passing forward the priceless and timeless value of this approach.

Mentorship from the Institute will help you on your way to long-term success as a thriving dentist. As my colleague Dr. Barry F. Polansky often writes, “Mastery in dentistry is a continuous journey.” It’s a lifetime of learning, practicing, and reflection that enables us to more easily and fully transform the health of others who present themselves for our care. The journey, itself, propels us forward into greater and greater connection with our patients and our true selves.

Pankey Institute mentoring and encouragement made all the difference in my life and the lives of countless others. When I try to sum up the dental professionals and patients this “approach” has positively impacted, I get lost in counting the millions we have touched as a community dedicated to putting the dental patient’s best interest first.

Ask One More Question

One of the ways I have learned to Stay in the Question is to practice asking one more question before I give information. Learning to ask one more question has helped me to be more effective in several ways

1. The practice of asking one more question helps us save time.

My experience is that we spend a lot of time giving patients information they may not want or need. We can waste our time and theirs by giving information they have not asked for.

There was a time when if a patient asked me if x-rays were “really” necessary, I would go on at great length about the value of the radiographs, what we could see on them, and what we might miss if we didn’t take them. But I learned to respond, “It sounds like you might have some concerns about having x-rays,” and ask, “What is your concern?” By asking one more question, I was able to answer the patient’s question or concern very precisely and quickly.

2. Staying in the questions helps us understand what the patient wants from us.

Patients don’t always know how to communicate with us to get their needs met. They ask what they know how to ask. Sometimes their question is “Will my insurance cover that?” Sometimes their question is “How long will it last?” or “Will it hurt?”

Asking a follow up question to any question or concern they express allows us to better understand their needs and expectations. If a patient asks, “Will it hurt?” I could reassure them I will be as gentle as possible. Alternatively, I could say, “It sounds like you are concerned about the pain of this procedure. Have you had a painful dental experience in the past?” Responding to a specific fear will always be more powerful than a general reassurance.

3. Asking one more question allows us to give information clearly, to give information that is useful to them.

After seeing patients over years, it is easy to fall into giving the same information repeatedly. We all have our scripts we fall back on that describe a particular disease or procedure. Having a ready-made script may seem efficient but in the long run it can cause us to miss opportunities to be more effective with our patients. We can spend a lot of time giving them reasons why we think they should have treatment instead of providing more precise information relevant to their needs and their wants.

Aristotle said, “The fool persuades me with his reasons. The wise man persuades me with my own.” We don’t need to guess how to persuade our patients. I’ve learned that, when I stay in the question, patients tell me exactly what they need from me to be able to make decisions.

4. Asking one more question creates an opportunity to build trust.

There was a time when I thought having all the answers for my patients would make me seem competent and gain their trust. I’ve come to understand that I will never have all the answers and that, in dentistry, it is just as important for patients to trust our motives as it is for them to trust our competence. When we take their questions and concerns seriously, follow up with genuine curiosity, and listen deeply to their responses, they are more likely to feel our care and concern. They are more likely to trust that what we want is what is best for them.