As a dental practice, we are here to serve our patients and provide them the best care possible and to provide services to them to ensure they have a healthy mouth and good oral hygiene. We as dental staff have to remember that our patients do not have the knowledge that we do in regards to how important it is to maintain good oral hygiene and understand the reason behind needing treatment. Whether it be just a cleaning or a root canal, patients need to understand the “why” behind treatment acceptance.

As we all know, our patients generally make decisions based on the money factor and not the outcome of rejecting the treatment presented to them. This is where patient education is important, give them the most information possible so they can make a best informed decision. Give them the “why” behind it and what can possibly happen if they reject the treatment presented.

When presenting the treatment plans, it is always a good idea to have the office manager or treatment planner present all of the patients options in regards to financing so they are aware they have options financially to accept the treatment plan. Money is the overall deciding factor for most patients. If a patient doesn’t have insurance or has a plan that doesn’t have adequate benefits, they are most likely going to reject treatment. This is why it is important to have a variety of financing options available to your patients. If you don’t have this in your office, I would suggest looking into setting up a few options to serve your patients clinically and financially. Here are a few types of financing to introduce to your practice to boost treatment plan acceptance:

iCare Financial
Care Credit
In house financing with options of paying off in 3-6 months
Personal loans

When presenting treatments plans, make sure that you have the brochures for each of the financing options to present to the patient so they can take it home to review and decide which is their best option if they are needing time to review their options. Call the patient back in a week to follow up to ensure they don’t slip through the cracks.