Making every contact count to engage with dental patients

I recently had the opportunity to talk to Dental Review about engaging with my patients. I was interviewed along with dental hygienist Anna Middleton about the importance of engaging with a patient’s mind and the best way of going about this.

Award-winning dentist Dr Ben Atkins works in Salford as Clinical Director of Revive Dental. He knows he works in an area of dental need, if not crisis, and wants to practise life-changing dentistry. To do this he needs to help his patients understand their own mouths better. He does it in two ways; first he feels it is important for his patients to believe that he understands their mouths and can help them take better control of their oral health. This means discussing their specific needs and addressing those needs in a bespoke fashion his patients can understand.

Second he introduces them to the most effective tooth brushing regime he knows. He has given out Philips Sonicare toothbrushes to the homeless and most vulnerable people he meets, after first showing them the correct way to use them. A man recently freed from prison wept when he was shown how to clean his teeth properly for the first time in his life. This was just one example of the way Dr Atkins has helped people engage with their mouths and gain a better understanding of the road towards better oral health.

The proof is in his practice records. He points out that 80% of his patients are on two yearly recalls, a fact he credits to engaging his patients and making them responsible for their own oral health regime – allied with Philips Sonicare and the effectiveness of its power brushes.

You can read the interview in Dental Review News, along with Anna Middleton’s, in full here.