Chairside Chats

There is a popular add that shows what we smell and then what others around us smell. It highlights odors people have gone "nose blind"to. I like this idea of asking what we see vs what others around us see.   When it comes to our dental offices, what have we gone"dental blind to"? Not long ago I walked into a dental office that got me to thinking about first impressions and what it is that our offices are saying about us.  Upon entering I noticed right away that the patient waiting room was in need of straightening up.  Magazines were tossed here and there and most were several months old. There were some bits of paper on the floor and a candy wrapper underneath one of the chairs.  The disarray only eventuated the dull outdated look to the room.  Even the art hanging on the wall looked old and dusty. I hoped their wait times in this room were short! The receptionist's desk was also in desperate need of organizing. There were piles of charts, an explosion ...

I can honestly say I was never going to be a person who wrote a blog.  But lately I've realized that I'm in a unique position that allows me to share my experiences and insights with other dental professionals that don't have the opportunities I do.  And I'm thinking this may be the best medium available. What's my unique position? I'm in a new dental office almost every day. What does that have to do with you? Early on in my career, the dentist I worked for (more about his amazing influence on my life later) wanted to update his office.  He was looking for a new look and better ways to serve his patients.  Time was one thing he didn't have. so he sent me out to observe 4 or 5 of what he considered to be the best offices in our valley.  You would think that it would pose some kind of conflict of interest, however the dentists who owned these offices were excited to share and were honored that we would ask. I spent many hours with a notebook in hand, obs...