Is there a particular culture that you serve in your practice that is substantially different from your own? What attempts have you made to go beyond your current knowledge of these cultures to learn more about them? Proper greeting etiquette and body language can go a long way with making a great first impression on your new patient. Read a few articles, watch some short YouTube videos and get caught up!
Latin, Polish, Chinese and Indian cultures were just a few we served in the Chicago suburbs. Many of them are open to learning the value of dentistry for themselves and their families. It’s not always easy to bridge the gap from what they are accustom to versus what they need now and helping them understand the difference.
There are millions of Americans who don’t see the dentist regularly and an even greater number of those who originate outside the U.S. It’s crucial to get a good understanding of what type of dental care your new patient has received in the past and listen closely to what it is they are looking for now. It’s our job to help them understand what the standard of care looks like and what they can expect from you as their dentist/dental team.
Second, be sure to be direct in clarifying your expectations to them as your patient. “In order to deliver the highest quality dental care, I need to see you at least every 6 months” and that’s of course if they’re not a perio patient. After you lay it all out then you hit ‘em with, “Is this something you’re comfortable with?”. If they hesitate, you should go ahead and draft that dismissal letter for future use. How are either of you benefitting by being their on-call, as-needed dentist anyway? The only thing you have to lose is the non-compliance aggravation.
Such a small gesture of learning a tib bit (or a ton) about a specific culture will build stronger rapport with your patients and a stronger trust. They will be more likely to comply with future treatment, even if there was a culture barrier in the beginning.