"I GET IT"

There is no debate how simply using an intraoral camera can help treatment acceptance in your practice skyrocket by as much as 35%-50%. While using an intraoral camera is a step in the right direction, it’s not just using an intraoral camera, but how you use the camera.

These 6 easy-to-follow tips on how to use an intraoral camera will turn it into a trust-enhancing tool that has a significant impact on treatment acceptance.

The “I Get It! Moment”, also called the Eureka Effect, is when someone experiences a moment of sudden insight or discovery. When patients arrive at your practice, they may be experiencing discomfort. They don’t know why or what to do about it. Helping them solve that problem and reach an “I Get It! Moment” can not only lead to relieving their discomfort, but also trigger rushes of pleasure in the brain.

You can use your intraoral camera to help them get there. Consider how we take x-rays and show the patient our findings. If there is something notable, we say, ‘Let me show you what I see”. We then take the appropriate intraoral camera photos and view them together. When the patient can see for themselves what you see, that’s typically when the “I Get it! Moment” happens. And as the saying goes, seeing is believing.

The intraoral camera verifies what a patient may, or may not, feel because now they can see it for themselves. It’s a tool to show and identify to the patient the clinical findings and that helps them understand.

When a patient is confused, they can’t make an informed decision about how best to proceed with treatment. The confused patient is the one who says, ‘I have to go home and think about it,’ and they’re off to another dentist. When that happens, that’s on the dentist and staff for failing to communicate the problem effectively and efficiently, and ultimately for failing to help the patient reach the “I Get It! Moment.”

As data is gathered on each patient, take a tour of the patient’s mouth with the camera. Point out problems you see to the patient. The pictures taken should be stored as part of the patient’s permanent record. Along with any “problems” that are photographed, also include a “head shot”, smile, and upper/lower occlusal images. As you are pointing out problems to the patient, remember, you helping them understand problems that are present at that time.??

This begins the process of the patient feeling this examination is completely different from any they have ever had.

Complexity is the enemy of efficiency. Descriptions need to be kept simple for the patient. We need to forget what we know and learn to talk in “people terms”, not dental terms. As soon as we use one dental term that patients don’t know or understand, we have lost them. I’ve always said; “Once you confuse ‘em, you lose ‘em.”

This is a common problem for dentists and their teams. The intraoral camera helps take that away because the dental team does not have to talk as much. It minimizes the risk of talking the patient out of treatment.

A picture is worth a thousand words. Therefore, more effective and efficient communication results from the use of an intraoral camera, and treatment acceptance goes up. The intraoral camera doesn’t establish trust, per se, it enhances it. So, for the skeptical patient, the intraoral camera is an exceptional way of showing the problem they’re having and helping them take ownership of it. And for the patient who will only get what insurance pays for, the intraoral camera shows them the need, not wants, of their unhealthy mouth.

During any consultation with a patient, images should be arranged to be viewed in the consultation area. The pictures can help tell a story and create an outline for your presentation. This will allow you to focus on specific clinical areas of concern, as well as, concerns the patient may also have. Don’t force the patient to remember what they saw last time they were in your office, show the problem as it currently exists. Discuss your recommendations to get their mouth healthy. Patients will understand much better what you are concerned about, and therefore much more receptive to your treatment plan.

Yes, an intraoral camera helps increase treatment acceptance. Your goal is to do that in a way that builds lasting trust without leaving a patient feeling like they were “sold” on the care they received. Beware of using an intraoral camera to visually “push dentistry.” Pushy tactics creates pressure and deter 84% of people, according to research, whereas 79% of consumers prefer collaboration instead with trusted advisors.

The goal is to build trust by being genuine. Rather than risk the perception of be “pushy,” you are building trust. And trust is what patients act on. Fifty-eight percent of patients act on trust, according to research, whereas a mere 8% act based on need.

Fear of going to the dentist is estimated to affect 9% to 15% of the population, studies show. Use an intraoral camera to allay patient concerns. As you guide the patient through the exam using the camera, help them understand that the state of their oral health is common. Explain your diagnosis and relieve fear by assuring them that you treat the condition routinely without any issues. Talking through fears with patients helps build trust and confidence in the diagnosis, ultimately increasing the treatment acceptance rates of your dental practice. You can also help to foster a patient’s desire to go ahead with incomplete treatment by displaying a chronological series of views to allow the patient to see how their condition has continued to deteriorate since the first time it was diagnosed.

Building trust takes more than just the efforts of the doctor, it takes the whole team. Involve the hygienist when documenting findings using the intraoral camera. Extend this approach to the whole team. Refrain from discussing procedure costs at the chair and let your front office handle that part of the visit. Focus instead on education, with the intraoral camera as your partner, to build trust.

During each continuing care visit, the hygienist should display the next area to be treated by the doctor. At the beginning of every appointment, vertically place images in the following order: a) an image of what was treated at the patient’s last visit, b) an image of the tooth that will be treated at today’s visit. At the end of the visit add to the display: a) an image of today’s completed treatment, b) an image of the tooth that will be treated next.

The patient can now not only hear the doctor’s recommendations, but also visually see them as well.

This is also a good time to discuss areas where patient compliance is weak and provide additional education on ways that care at home can be improved. The visual display offered by the oral camera is a powerful tool that the hygienist can use to educate the patient about the progression of periodontal disease.

Let patients see improvement in their oral health. Use your intraoral camera to provide the visual proof. Compare documented areas of concern with the patient’s current state of oral health. Discuss how the treatment plan and home care is producing real results. I have found that trust is the best ‘sales’ strategy in dentistry. If you tell people what they need in a way that they can see for themselves, most patients will be able to sense your sincerity. Use the intraoral camera as a way for patients to come to their own conclusion, and patients will wholeheartedly accept your treatment recommendations.

To help foster the patient’s desire to go ahead with treatment, display a chronological series of views to allow the patient to see how his or her condition has continued to deteriorate since the initial views were captured.

During an emergency visit let patients see for themselves the severity of the situation, all emergency patients should have images taken of their chief concern, as well as any problem areas that can be seen. Once the emergency treatment is delivered and the decision is made to invite the patient to join the practice, these additional images will allow the patient to see the needs they have in other areas of their mouth so that they will not find themselves requiring emergency treatment again.

Finally, pictures provide reinforcement that the patient made the right decision to accept treatment. After the treatment is completed, show the patient post-treatment photos for a “before-and-after” look at their procedure. The benefit of the treatment will immediately be obviously evident. These same photos can be used to educate other patients about available treatment options. They are evidence that you have the skill to provide the results you are recommending.

1. Bergland, Christopher. 2020, Apr 11. New Study Reveals Why “Aha!” Moments Can Feel Orgasmic. Psychology Today. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-athletes-way /202004/new-study-reveals-why-aha-moments-can-feel-orgasmic 2. Eureka effect. Accessed 2021, Mar 2. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eureka_effect?3. Sales Statistics. Accessed 2021, Mar 2. 99 Firms. https://99firms.com/blog/sales-statistics /#gref?4. Hall, David A. 2020, Feb 17. Is your intraoral camera a diagnostic tool or a marketing tool? Dental Economics. https://www.dentaleconomics.com/science-tech/intraoral-scanning-and -photography/article/14167898/is-your-intraoral-camera-a-diagnostic-tool-or-a-marketing-too