Secrets from your local optometrist

I spoke to a large group of optometrists this week from Cleinman Performance Partners. Cleinman is the “Crown Council” of optometry.

What optometrists and dentists have in common is the

“face space.” When it comes to first impressions, the first two things people notice are the eyes and the teeth. While the health of the eyes is a patient’s concern when they see an optometrist, they also want to know how their eye sight will make them look to others. Especially with women, who make up the majority of the optometry market, an eye lens prescription is permission to accessorize!

What happens in optometry is what is happening in dentistry every day. While most people are concerned about the health of their mouth and their teeth, they also want to know that their smile is going to look good.

As you expand your market share of the “face space,” consider your local independent optometrist. Working together to cross market your services just makes sense. Most people interested in improving the appearance of their teeth will be interested in their eyes. The opposite is also true.

For an introduction to a top independent optometrist in your area, e-mail your request to Answers@TotalPatientSerice.com We will work with the Cleinman team to get you introduced and connected so you can begin working together for the better health and appearance of the “face space” of the patients in your market.

“But It Doesn’t Hurt…”

You have probably lost count of the times patients have responded this way to the diagnosis of periodontal disease. Human nature and how patients have been trained in medicine dictates that there is ONLY something wrong when it hurts. After all, for years the first question the physician asks a patient has been “what are your symptoms” or “where does it hurt?”

Moving patients from a “fix what is broken” mentality to a “prevent it from getting broken in the first place” is a tall order in dentistry. So before you hear the, “But it doesn’t hurt” objection one more time, here are 2 tips to implement immediately to help your patients make the shift from “hurt” to “health.”

1. Watch how you present the problem in the first place. Instead of TELLING a patient they have a problem, ASK the patient, “How long have you had this infection?” Then let the patient respond. Just by virtue of how you present the problem, the patient will take more ownership of his or her condition.

2. Watch how you respond. If they say, “It does not hurt,” you can respond by saying, “I am always amazed how an infection this serious never hurts until it is too late. In fact, in dentistry we call this condition the silent killer of teeth because it rarely hurts until it is too late to save the teeth.”

Don’t miss the next opportunity to have your team experience the next revolution in the treatment of periodontal disease on March 30-31, 2012 in Dallas, TX as Dr. Tommy Nabors and members of our ToPS team present “No More Dental Hygiene – Secrets of Oral Health and Periodontal Therapy.” In this two-day program, you’ll discover a whole new perio program that has turned Dr. Nabor’s perio department into a million dollar treatment center. It will transform your practice. Bust most importantly, it will transform the lives of your patients.

For more information on the March course, call 1-877-399-8677 or e-mail: Answers@TotalPatientService.com

Do I have to?

There are a lot of things in life that catch us saying to ourselves “Do I have to?” That list would include: taking out the garbage, working out, cleaning the garage, doing your taxes, etc., etc., etc.

Staying on the path of success requires just that…staying on the path! Keeping everything going in the direction it is supposed to go is one of the biggest accomplishments and tasks that there is.

Over the last twenty-two years, we have worked with thousands of dental practices around the world. While it would be nice if working on the practice once would fix it forever, it is a journey, not a destination.

With that in mind, we just launched one of the most useful tools we think you will find to keep your entire team on the path of success. It is called “The Skill of the Week.” On a regular basis, we will be releasing a short on-line video featuring an essential case acceptance skill that the entire team needs to master and keep mastered. You can watch individually or as a team. There are exercises and implementation suggestions as well. Staying on track with the skill of the week will keep the entire team engaged in the things that you need to do to be successful every day with patients.

The Skill of the Week is produced by the Total Patient Service Institute and made available through the Crown Council (www.CrownCouncil.info)

Crown Council members have immediate access at www.CrownCouncil.org. Others can contact us at 1-877-399-8677 or Answers@TotalPatientService.com for immediate access.

Its just one more resource to help you make your practice ToPS!