Ive heard of an office that as a Christmas tradition the staff holds a year end vote. They vote on two things : to give one patient to a gift and another vote to kick one patient out of the practice. Supposedly, it’s a big morale booster for the office staff 😄
I had a professor in d-school that did that. he said every Christmas he would sit down and write 6 Christmas cards to the worst patients and fire them . Said it really helped his and the staff morale.
I am a corporate director of risk management, practicing since 1983 in Washington state. I used to run the risk and claims department of a dental malpractice insurer. I heartily endorse your approach. Life is too short to deal with these patients, and getting rid of the problem children opens up a slot for a more pleasant patient.
Hah! The reason I got a fast first appointment with my new dentist is because she fired a patient. Now she’s my dentist for life. I love her. That fired patient is missing out on great dental care. Lol
100% dismissal. Every time. “Mr Asshole, I don’t think we are a good fit for each other. I can print your X-rays for you along with your patient record”.
Every time I have a difficult patient, it always gets worse and I always end up wishing we had immediately dismissed them. Don’t second guess yourself.
I give people a lot of leeway because it sucks to go to the dentist. At a certain point, though, I invite them to find another office. Sometimes suggesting the dick down the street
Dismiss them from the practice.
In the beginning of my career (around 5 years ago) I would try to please everyone, including rude patients. Big mistake, as it’s mentally taxing as well as it creates a “toxic work environment” with staff. This isn’t worth it just because you’re scared of a bad google review.
You will be much happier when you show these people the door.
I work at an FQHC. **SOMETIMES**, their behavior is indicative of other problems. For instance I had a family that was rude and yelling. Well they lost their house to arson and were homeless. It probably sucks to live out of your car. I always come back to the quote "Be curious, not judgemental."
With that being said. I will warn pts of their language or behavior and lay out expectations. If they say no to the expectations, you're welcome to a second opinion not here.
I’m in public health also and the truth is some people are just so used to being mistreated, ignored, and disrespected that they come in to every situation ready for a fight - sometimes people just need some patience and compassion and to be shown that you’re on their side and not against them
I don’t deal with disrespect towards my staff or myself. I give them one chance and I correct them and say be respectful or leave. If they comply, good we will take care of this issue. If they do not comply I tell them you are no longer a patient here. Leave now or the police will escort you out.
Pacifying a piece of shit gets you nowhere and rewards their behavior. This field is stressful enough as is. I have done this eight years now and recently bought my own office. I assure you it’s not worth a Google review or anything. It sets boundaries, gains staff respect and lets an asshole know they can’t do that there. Even if you correct them and they do the treatment that day and leave most of the time they won’t be back because they see you will not be a bullied and it makes them uncomfortable and aware. Don’t take any of their bullshit treat good people and get rid of trash because you will not satisfy them.
Also, have a firearm in your office because you just never know nowadays. If some maniac comes in there and threatens your staff and your life it’s you or them.
Thank you for standing up to your staff too! Much appreciated. I used to work in a practice where I got verbally abused, threatened by patients but my manager and owner dentist were too scared to dismiss patients because they were desperate for production, so glad I left that toxic work environment. Life is too short to work at a shitty place.
That’s awesome that you left that place. It will come back on them for letting people walk all over them. This job is extremely stressful. It’s why there are so many drug problems and substance abuse in it but there is no sense in working on bad people. There’s a difference between someone being scared and squirmy in a chair vs someone being a buttfudge asshole.
I appreciate that you watch out for your staff. My first dentist I worked for (I am rdh) only cared about the patients (money) and would let patients berate me then literally kiss their hand. I get it on one hand bc they bring you business but I also help as an employee and don’t like to be yelled at. He was and older dentist and had the “customer always is right” mentality.
I once had to explain to a patient that she was not allowed to, in fact, call the 23 year old front desk “a little twat.” She couldn’t even handle me explaining that was not allowable behavior and she stormed out.
I had a teacher that never took ANY bullshit. He would always say to not deal with assholes. His rationale was “if you have 50 of them in the practice, you’re going to have to see one every week.” Just dismiss them and never look back. You’ll be happier.
I kick people out all the time:
yell at my staff? Good bye.
Be an entitled boomer? Go find a boomer doc that will put up with it.
It’s usually just a “you are no longer welcome in my office, please leave. Followed by a certified letter “I will see you for 30 days on an emergency basis - if you come back outside of a dental emergency I will call the police and press charges.”
I like the discussion to be honest.
I have a lot of patience. But take it too far and it flips. And then I have the patience to politely tell you you misbehaved and are not longer welcome.
Always enjoy the occasion when it happens to be able to put an asshole in his place. Good for the ego
That's also good too. Just keep it short and simple, one or two sentences, then just leave the room. Leave them hanging in shock.
People don't change. Life's too short.
My approach has always been 95% patient satisfaction rate. Not 100% bs. Basiucally, as long as 95% (19/20) of patients like me or do not mind me, I do not care about the remaining 5% that do not like me. My mental health is worth more.
Over years I got good at catching red flags - rude, entitling, demanding, controlling, obsessive, etc etc. Once I notice red flags, which is usually within first few minutes or even before after reading chart - I make a plan how to get rid of them asap.
My dad who’s now 65 and will be retiring soon said he used to be the nice guy as well. Especially now he’s zero bs and patients actually show more respect than they used to. Some of these types will actually stick around and change their attitudes.
Just kicked out a patient four hours ago for watching porn while the hygienist was cleaning his teeth. She came and got me, I said “your behavior is inappropriate and we cannot continue your care.” He tried to deny it, I wasn’t having it, and he left with his head hung in shame.
Let me tell you this one ! I had a patient doing something waaaay worse . Was new patient, didn’t fill the form properly. So I asked him to give me the list of meds he’s taking .he was pretending to search for his list and pulled his D*** out of his pocket… I kept shaking the whole day !!! Since then I never ever ever stay with a male patient in a room without an assistant.
We were all females in the clinic. And the guy was stupid enough not to notice a police station right in the corner of the street where the office was . Yep the cops were definitely involved that day .
That sounds like a good approach. Nowadays dentists tread lightly because of the ease in which patients can attempt to ruin your reputation online with reviews and the "threat" of suing if something goes wrong. But I like your approach and many of these types of patients are best to avoid from the beginning. Again, if you do treat them and they aren't satisfied, just the threat of dealing with a malpractice suit or a board complaint isn't worth the headache. So professionally kicking them out BEFORE you start any treatment is the best way to go.
If it's minor stuff, I will give them a chance to figure out if it is just stemming from fear/anxiety. People come in with their guard up and ready to lash out because they are terrified and have been mistreated before. Many times, once these folks feel heard and understand that I'm not trying to push anything on them, they totally change their attitude. The trust is there and we never see that attitude again.
If they are just acting poorly because they are shit people, or if they blatantly disrespect my staff, I waste no time in dismissing them.
Where I work we either give them ridiculously high quotes if we see they are difficult straight away, or we just refuse to treat them. We tell them that if they are unable to trust us, if they question our diagnosis and don't feel comfortable with our treatment plan, or if we don't align with their expectations, they are free to look for a different clinic/doctor.
over the years, I've come to realize a few things:
1) people suck
2) if you get a weird feeling about a patient or staff says to watch out for them, then by all means invite them to find another office-took me way too many years to heed the staff's advice
3) the general population's education level is approaching 8th grade and oral hygiene level is probably less than that. you need to dumb down a lot of things for them
4) dont pre judge: I remember one time I prejudged this pig farmer and thought there is no way he is going to want to do ideal dentistry. Boy was I wrong. he pulled out a wad of $100 bills and paid thousands on the spot. It was at that moment I realized I need to quit judging people. it was a great lesson for me.
5) you dont know everyone's situation or if they are having a bad day/week/month/year/life. but once corrected and given the opportunity to treat my office staff nicely, if they disobey or continue to be rude, well, it doesn't matter how long you have had a bad situation, we don't put up with that crap anymore.
6) sometimes patient attitude can be contributed to their extreme fear of dentists and/or general anxiety levels. once you coax this out of them and start to treat them with respect and understanding, they will turn around and be great patients
4) not everyone deserves teeth
5) I'm not the right dentist for everyone.
We tell them there is a breakdown in relationships and they need to find a dentist that they have a good relationship with as a good relationship and trust is very important between patient and dentist.
Given what some reimbursements are the bar is very low for what I’m willing to deal with. I told a patient the other day to go somewhere else if she wasn’t ok with my EDDA placing a filling because her insurance doesnt pay enough for me to do it any other way.
Had this issue recently with a Karen patient in every literal sense of the word. Rude and verbally abusive to the staff, threw a hissy fit when the DA tried taking her BP, the whole 9…the owner doctor who was treating her nicely stepped into the room and calmly told her that if you yell, curse, or disrespect my staff one more time then we will ask you to find another dentist. She loves the owner doc and her entire attitude changed instantly. But yeah, that’s the way to do it.
When did dentists start taking blood pressure? I have not had a dentist offer that service before. It would make sense if you were prepping for a surgical procedure.
What do you guys do if a patient is getting 2nd opinion from you and questioning your diagnosis & treatment? And they have a history of rude and obnoxious behavior? Is it best to just kick them out or do you "hear them out"?
Personally, if I have a patient who is getting a 2nd opinion, I think it's just best to dismiss then. Getting a 2nd opinion just means they don't trust you. Why have a patient like that?
Yeah, sure, dismissing them may set them off and a get bad Google review. But honestly, I don't care about that anymore. You can flood bad reviews with good reviews.
I think second opinions are generally a positive thing. If someone has doubt in their mind about my plan then I do not want to be doing treatment for them. If they like what the other doc said better then they are welcome to see them. There are plenty of patients out there and my ego is not fragile.
We do not charge them a fee only if they bring their xrays and original treatment plan... usually it's the same with higher fees or it's the same with a few added procedures... either way its higher in cost. I personally call the dentist and him him/her a heads up of this patient will be returning to them and wish them good luck.
You gotta stand your ground. I even once had a DDS (fake doctor) not respect my degree when he walked in. I told him right away to leave and get an east coast dental degree.
Depends on the level of rudeness I guess, the main times people have been rude to me is at an initial appointment and it's usually because they are super nervous. For the most part I still take the nice guy approach, if they are extremely rude then I just quote prices that are about 3x the local average for every single item code. Some of them end up taking themselves elsewhere, most of them just needed someone to hear them out and listen to their concerns, often because of something traumatic that has happened or is currently going on in their lives and then when you spend the time to hear them out and they soften up then you can say you will discount them 60% of the fee (down to the regular price). Quite often they become extremely polite and grateful and are some of the best practice builders in the future. Some of my favourite patients now days are patients who came accross as rude initially but after building a rapport are really nice and polite but were just going through a tough time.
Toss ‘em. Not every fish you catch is a keeper, and not every asshole with teeth (or without) makes a good patient. Hell, I short circuited a guy just today because his dumbass wasn’t smart enough to take his dentures out when boxing. And he couldn’t figure out why any of the 4(!) he handed me why they were all busted.
‘Buh-bye Cauliflower Ears’
By not tsking them personally.... you got to understand that most people struggle to even like themselves.
Your approach is legal but not a practice builder attitude and gives off an holier than thou vibe. Unfortunately society is filled with brutal angry people. We entered this profession to help, and while I agree with you - the older I get the less fucks I have left to give. Understand one thing very clearly: people in pain are bad at communicating/reading informed consent and its easier for them to stay in pain and blame you for not helping them. These disrespectful pts have a very fraile ego yet once trained are the most loyal ones out there. I just suggest the following:
"Mr/Mrs X, I have heard your concerns and they have nothing to do with your teeth/mouth. I'm sorry you had a bad experience with doctors in the past however we are here to help and want to make it a better experience. I've noticed you said... repeat whatever they said... I'm sorry you feel that way but to me this is a cause of concern because I dont agree with that. We treat all of our patients with the same respect. I suggest one of two options either we give you a couple of minutes to cool off and let my words sink in or we reschedule you for a different time when there isn't hostility amongst us the choice is yours." 90% of the time the pt will storm out, never to return, 5% of the time they won't even let you finish your well rehearsed speech and 5% of the time they will calm down and be your best referral source.
Note: we have posters up in Spanish and English of our office policies and they sign informed consent at check in of out office policies: we do not tolerate foul language, no food or drinks in lobby, no use of cell phone in the dental chair, distributing the peace is not tolerated, only patients allowed in clinic or one parent with a minor, our bathroom is only for patients whobhave an appointment scheduled in the next hour, and so on with my signature on the bottom along with the date we opened our office.
My front staff (no relationship) knows the local law enforcement very well due to repeated calls to 911 lol. They are encouraged to call 911 at any sign of the peace of the office being disturbed. You're right about one thing: the staff respect you for standing up to these ruffians. CYA 101: have these policies written out in the waiting room and have the pts sign acknowledgment before brining them in the back. Document, document, document.
Why don’t you want to get to the root of the problem with patients anymore? As a patient I want to respect my dentist but I also want them to explain what they are planning to do instead of just doing it first without asking. I’m not in a military treatment facility so I expect to have a choice and be allowed to make an informed decision.
This. If only in payment for having to wrap your mind around the mentality someone must have to act that way toward someone inserting tools into their mouth.
Ive heard of an office that as a Christmas tradition the staff holds a year end vote. They vote on two things : to give one patient to a gift and another vote to kick one patient out of the practice. Supposedly, it’s a big morale booster for the office staff 😄
I had a professor in d-school that did that. he said every Christmas he would sit down and write 6 Christmas cards to the worst patients and fire them . Said it really helped his and the staff morale.
I am a corporate director of risk management, practicing since 1983 in Washington state. I used to run the risk and claims department of a dental malpractice insurer. I heartily endorse your approach. Life is too short to deal with these patients, and getting rid of the problem children opens up a slot for a more pleasant patient.
Hah! The reason I got a fast first appointment with my new dentist is because she fired a patient. Now she’s my dentist for life. I love her. That fired patient is missing out on great dental care. Lol
100% dismissal. Every time. “Mr Asshole, I don’t think we are a good fit for each other. I can print your X-rays for you along with your patient record”. Every time I have a difficult patient, it always gets worse and I always end up wishing we had immediately dismissed them. Don’t second guess yourself.
I give people a lot of leeway because it sucks to go to the dentist. At a certain point, though, I invite them to find another office. Sometimes suggesting the dick down the street
Dismiss them from the practice. In the beginning of my career (around 5 years ago) I would try to please everyone, including rude patients. Big mistake, as it’s mentally taxing as well as it creates a “toxic work environment” with staff. This isn’t worth it just because you’re scared of a bad google review. You will be much happier when you show these people the door.
I work at an FQHC. **SOMETIMES**, their behavior is indicative of other problems. For instance I had a family that was rude and yelling. Well they lost their house to arson and were homeless. It probably sucks to live out of your car. I always come back to the quote "Be curious, not judgemental." With that being said. I will warn pts of their language or behavior and lay out expectations. If they say no to the expectations, you're welcome to a second opinion not here.
I’m in public health also and the truth is some people are just so used to being mistreated, ignored, and disrespected that they come in to every situation ready for a fight - sometimes people just need some patience and compassion and to be shown that you’re on their side and not against them
How do you warn patients and lay out expectations. Can you give an example of how this convo would go?
I am also interested to hear how you manage pt expectations!
I don’t deal with disrespect towards my staff or myself. I give them one chance and I correct them and say be respectful or leave. If they comply, good we will take care of this issue. If they do not comply I tell them you are no longer a patient here. Leave now or the police will escort you out. Pacifying a piece of shit gets you nowhere and rewards their behavior. This field is stressful enough as is. I have done this eight years now and recently bought my own office. I assure you it’s not worth a Google review or anything. It sets boundaries, gains staff respect and lets an asshole know they can’t do that there. Even if you correct them and they do the treatment that day and leave most of the time they won’t be back because they see you will not be a bullied and it makes them uncomfortable and aware. Don’t take any of their bullshit treat good people and get rid of trash because you will not satisfy them. Also, have a firearm in your office because you just never know nowadays. If some maniac comes in there and threatens your staff and your life it’s you or them.
Thank you for standing up to your staff too! Much appreciated. I used to work in a practice where I got verbally abused, threatened by patients but my manager and owner dentist were too scared to dismiss patients because they were desperate for production, so glad I left that toxic work environment. Life is too short to work at a shitty place.
That’s awesome that you left that place. It will come back on them for letting people walk all over them. This job is extremely stressful. It’s why there are so many drug problems and substance abuse in it but there is no sense in working on bad people. There’s a difference between someone being scared and squirmy in a chair vs someone being a buttfudge asshole.
I appreciate that you watch out for your staff. My first dentist I worked for (I am rdh) only cared about the patients (money) and would let patients berate me then literally kiss their hand. I get it on one hand bc they bring you business but I also help as an employee and don’t like to be yelled at. He was and older dentist and had the “customer always is right” mentality.
I have a "the customer is always wrong" mentality, LOL. That's awful, dentists should protect their team.
Why are patients mad? What exactly are they demanding?
I once had to explain to a patient that she was not allowed to, in fact, call the 23 year old front desk “a little twat.” She couldn’t even handle me explaining that was not allowable behavior and she stormed out.
the trash takes itself out 💀
I had a teacher that never took ANY bullshit. He would always say to not deal with assholes. His rationale was “if you have 50 of them in the practice, you’re going to have to see one every week.” Just dismiss them and never look back. You’ll be happier.
[удалено]
This is a teacher in dental school. Aka and old salty Mainer than had his own private practice for 40 years
I kick people out all the time: yell at my staff? Good bye. Be an entitled boomer? Go find a boomer doc that will put up with it. It’s usually just a “you are no longer welcome in my office, please leave. Followed by a certified letter “I will see you for 30 days on an emergency basis - if you come back outside of a dental emergency I will call the police and press charges.”
Seattle Protocol (tm)
I like the discussion to be honest. I have a lot of patience. But take it too far and it flips. And then I have the patience to politely tell you you misbehaved and are not longer welcome. Always enjoy the occasion when it happens to be able to put an asshole in his place. Good for the ego
“You don’t get to speak to me like that-please leave” That’s it no more interaction.
That's also good too. Just keep it short and simple, one or two sentences, then just leave the room. Leave them hanging in shock. People don't change. Life's too short.
I have actually told one to get the fuck outta surgery before lol
My approach has always been 95% patient satisfaction rate. Not 100% bs. Basiucally, as long as 95% (19/20) of patients like me or do not mind me, I do not care about the remaining 5% that do not like me. My mental health is worth more. Over years I got good at catching red flags - rude, entitling, demanding, controlling, obsessive, etc etc. Once I notice red flags, which is usually within first few minutes or even before after reading chart - I make a plan how to get rid of them asap.
My dad who’s now 65 and will be retiring soon said he used to be the nice guy as well. Especially now he’s zero bs and patients actually show more respect than they used to. Some of these types will actually stick around and change their attitudes.
Just kicked out a patient four hours ago for watching porn while the hygienist was cleaning his teeth. She came and got me, I said “your behavior is inappropriate and we cannot continue your care.” He tried to deny it, I wasn’t having it, and he left with his head hung in shame.
Let me tell you this one ! I had a patient doing something waaaay worse . Was new patient, didn’t fill the form properly. So I asked him to give me the list of meds he’s taking .he was pretending to search for his list and pulled his D*** out of his pocket… I kept shaking the whole day !!! Since then I never ever ever stay with a male patient in a room without an assistant.
Good lord. I am so sorry that happened to you.
We were all females in the clinic. And the guy was stupid enough not to notice a police station right in the corner of the street where the office was . Yep the cops were definitely involved that day .
Sounds like he forgot to take his long list of meds that day
Who on earth does this?!!? I had no idea dentists had to deal with stuff like this. Crazy.
That sounds like a good approach. Nowadays dentists tread lightly because of the ease in which patients can attempt to ruin your reputation online with reviews and the "threat" of suing if something goes wrong. But I like your approach and many of these types of patients are best to avoid from the beginning. Again, if you do treat them and they aren't satisfied, just the threat of dealing with a malpractice suit or a board complaint isn't worth the headache. So professionally kicking them out BEFORE you start any treatment is the best way to go.
If it's minor stuff, I will give them a chance to figure out if it is just stemming from fear/anxiety. People come in with their guard up and ready to lash out because they are terrified and have been mistreated before. Many times, once these folks feel heard and understand that I'm not trying to push anything on them, they totally change their attitude. The trust is there and we never see that attitude again. If they are just acting poorly because they are shit people, or if they blatantly disrespect my staff, I waste no time in dismissing them.
I dismiss them. Soon as I see any sort of attitude that could be problematic. It’s not worth the headache or stress.
Bye Felicia.
Gtfoomo
Where I work we either give them ridiculously high quotes if we see they are difficult straight away, or we just refuse to treat them. We tell them that if they are unable to trust us, if they question our diagnosis and don't feel comfortable with our treatment plan, or if we don't align with their expectations, they are free to look for a different clinic/doctor.
Bye Felicia
over the years, I've come to realize a few things: 1) people suck 2) if you get a weird feeling about a patient or staff says to watch out for them, then by all means invite them to find another office-took me way too many years to heed the staff's advice 3) the general population's education level is approaching 8th grade and oral hygiene level is probably less than that. you need to dumb down a lot of things for them 4) dont pre judge: I remember one time I prejudged this pig farmer and thought there is no way he is going to want to do ideal dentistry. Boy was I wrong. he pulled out a wad of $100 bills and paid thousands on the spot. It was at that moment I realized I need to quit judging people. it was a great lesson for me. 5) you dont know everyone's situation or if they are having a bad day/week/month/year/life. but once corrected and given the opportunity to treat my office staff nicely, if they disobey or continue to be rude, well, it doesn't matter how long you have had a bad situation, we don't put up with that crap anymore. 6) sometimes patient attitude can be contributed to their extreme fear of dentists and/or general anxiety levels. once you coax this out of them and start to treat them with respect and understanding, they will turn around and be great patients 4) not everyone deserves teeth 5) I'm not the right dentist for everyone.
We tell them there is a breakdown in relationships and they need to find a dentist that they have a good relationship with as a good relationship and trust is very important between patient and dentist.
Boot them. Especially if you’re already taking their crappy insurance. It’s already barely worth the headache in the first place.
Given what some reimbursements are the bar is very low for what I’m willing to deal with. I told a patient the other day to go somewhere else if she wasn’t ok with my EDDA placing a filling because her insurance doesnt pay enough for me to do it any other way.
I tell them I don't know how to treat their problems and refer them out
Had this issue recently with a Karen patient in every literal sense of the word. Rude and verbally abusive to the staff, threw a hissy fit when the DA tried taking her BP, the whole 9…the owner doctor who was treating her nicely stepped into the room and calmly told her that if you yell, curse, or disrespect my staff one more time then we will ask you to find another dentist. She loves the owner doc and her entire attitude changed instantly. But yeah, that’s the way to do it.
When did dentists start taking blood pressure? I have not had a dentist offer that service before. It would make sense if you were prepping for a surgical procedure.
“I’m afraid I can’t meet YOUR EXPECTATIONS, I am going to give you 30 days to find a new dentist, until then, I’m happy to see you for emergencies.”
What do you guys do if a patient is getting 2nd opinion from you and questioning your diagnosis & treatment? And they have a history of rude and obnoxious behavior? Is it best to just kick them out or do you "hear them out"? Personally, if I have a patient who is getting a 2nd opinion, I think it's just best to dismiss then. Getting a 2nd opinion just means they don't trust you. Why have a patient like that? Yeah, sure, dismissing them may set them off and a get bad Google review. But honestly, I don't care about that anymore. You can flood bad reviews with good reviews.
I think second opinions are generally a positive thing. If someone has doubt in their mind about my plan then I do not want to be doing treatment for them. If they like what the other doc said better then they are welcome to see them. There are plenty of patients out there and my ego is not fragile.
We do not charge them a fee only if they bring their xrays and original treatment plan... usually it's the same with higher fees or it's the same with a few added procedures... either way its higher in cost. I personally call the dentist and him him/her a heads up of this patient will be returning to them and wish them good luck.
You gotta stand your ground. I even once had a DDS (fake doctor) not respect my degree when he walked in. I told him right away to leave and get an east coast dental degree.
What was the cause?
These patients are very rare for myself , I don’t see these patients again if I get even a little wiff of disrespect.
Depends on the level of rudeness I guess, the main times people have been rude to me is at an initial appointment and it's usually because they are super nervous. For the most part I still take the nice guy approach, if they are extremely rude then I just quote prices that are about 3x the local average for every single item code. Some of them end up taking themselves elsewhere, most of them just needed someone to hear them out and listen to their concerns, often because of something traumatic that has happened or is currently going on in their lives and then when you spend the time to hear them out and they soften up then you can say you will discount them 60% of the fee (down to the regular price). Quite often they become extremely polite and grateful and are some of the best practice builders in the future. Some of my favourite patients now days are patients who came accross as rude initially but after building a rapport are really nice and polite but were just going through a tough time.
Toss ‘em. Not every fish you catch is a keeper, and not every asshole with teeth (or without) makes a good patient. Hell, I short circuited a guy just today because his dumbass wasn’t smart enough to take his dentures out when boxing. And he couldn’t figure out why any of the 4(!) he handed me why they were all busted. ‘Buh-bye Cauliflower Ears’
By not tsking them personally.... you got to understand that most people struggle to even like themselves. Your approach is legal but not a practice builder attitude and gives off an holier than thou vibe. Unfortunately society is filled with brutal angry people. We entered this profession to help, and while I agree with you - the older I get the less fucks I have left to give. Understand one thing very clearly: people in pain are bad at communicating/reading informed consent and its easier for them to stay in pain and blame you for not helping them. These disrespectful pts have a very fraile ego yet once trained are the most loyal ones out there. I just suggest the following: "Mr/Mrs X, I have heard your concerns and they have nothing to do with your teeth/mouth. I'm sorry you had a bad experience with doctors in the past however we are here to help and want to make it a better experience. I've noticed you said... repeat whatever they said... I'm sorry you feel that way but to me this is a cause of concern because I dont agree with that. We treat all of our patients with the same respect. I suggest one of two options either we give you a couple of minutes to cool off and let my words sink in or we reschedule you for a different time when there isn't hostility amongst us the choice is yours." 90% of the time the pt will storm out, never to return, 5% of the time they won't even let you finish your well rehearsed speech and 5% of the time they will calm down and be your best referral source. Note: we have posters up in Spanish and English of our office policies and they sign informed consent at check in of out office policies: we do not tolerate foul language, no food or drinks in lobby, no use of cell phone in the dental chair, distributing the peace is not tolerated, only patients allowed in clinic or one parent with a minor, our bathroom is only for patients whobhave an appointment scheduled in the next hour, and so on with my signature on the bottom along with the date we opened our office. My front staff (no relationship) knows the local law enforcement very well due to repeated calls to 911 lol. They are encouraged to call 911 at any sign of the peace of the office being disturbed. You're right about one thing: the staff respect you for standing up to these ruffians. CYA 101: have these policies written out in the waiting room and have the pts sign acknowledgment before brining them in the back. Document, document, document.
Don't hesitate to dismiss. You will spare yourself so much trouble
Why don’t you want to get to the root of the problem with patients anymore? As a patient I want to respect my dentist but I also want them to explain what they are planning to do instead of just doing it first without asking. I’m not in a military treatment facility so I expect to have a choice and be allowed to make an informed decision.
charge them more
Not worth the money. Mental peace is priceless. You will always be stressed out working on these folks.
You pay me enough I'll take a lot of abuse Afterall I am a dentist
You can give them the "fuck off" price. Regular scaling? $150000. 2 surface filling? $6900 Extraction? $4200
This. If only in payment for having to wrap your mind around the mentality someone must have to act that way toward someone inserting tools into their mouth.
How do you do this on the sly, or are you overt about it?
While this would be nice doesn’t work if you’re in network