Question for you. When’s the best time to present the treatment plan? I know that some of you gather the data, see the patient for a second visit, and then present the treatment plan. You want the opportunity of discussing it with the referring dentist first, or want to think about it. And I suppose for a few patients that may be necessary, but picture this from the patient’s perspective. The patient has reserved an hour or two hours to be with you at that first visit. The patient has participated in the examination process and if you’re following the examination sequence that we teach, you know how detailed and structured that examination process is. It is a sequence. Essentially the patient is flowing from one station to another until the patient now gets into your financial arrangements room. And just like a symphony, just like a play, just like great book, the patient is invested in the process, is invested in thought about his or her mouth. The patient is ready to decide on treatment right then, right now. That’s the time you need to be able to present that treatment plan. Now that will require sequential thinking on your part. It may require some pre-agreements with the referring dentist that if you identify restorative dentistry, then you can present that. Most general dentists will be grateful that you have presented their portion of the case as well as the periodontal portion. So let’s start working on sequential treatment planning on the day of the examination. Look at your statistics and see how much better you do.
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