The Psychology of Cosmetic Dentistry-Patient/Doctor/Team Interaction and Desired Outcomes

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This presentation will focus on understanding the personality dynamics that will affect your interaction with your patients. Rapid assessment procedures to help you utilize this information in your practice will be presented as well as techniques to enhance rapport, modify expectations in a positive direction and screen out inappropriate candidates for cosmetic procedures.
The psychology of your patient is probably more important to understand in cosmetic procedures than in any other area of dentistry. Understanding and recognizing realistic and unrealistic expectations and the psychology that underlies each is vital to a pleasing and successful outcome. All aspects of your patients’ presentation and interaction give important clues to personality dynamics that will affect your relationship with them and their satisfaction with results.
Dealing with demanding patients, referral procedures for patients needing psychotherapy and utilizing effective verbal skills will be discussed. Also, understanding your own psychology and how it affects your goals and your patients’ goals will ultimately result in more joy in your cosmetic practice.

1. Develop skills to identify different personality types that may present for cosmetic care.
2. Learn tools to relate to different personality types to achieve desired results.
3. Learn to understand your own psychology to relate more effectively with others.

I. The importance of understanding yourself and your patient.
II. Psychological assessment of the patient.
III. Interview goals.
IV. Intervention.

Barnes D. Communicating value: how to get more out of cosmetic dentistry. Dent Today. 2001 Dec;20(12):82-3.

Meskin LH. A gentle touch is not enough. J Am Dent Assoc. 1998 Feb;129(2):136, 140, 142.

Sheets CG., Levinson N. Psychodynamic factors contributing to esthetic dental failures. Compendium. 1993 Dec;14(12):1610, 1612, 1614-20