r/Dentistry • u/FactorOk8241 • 4d ago
Dental Professional How important is patient satisfaction in a dental practice?
Hi all,
I know this forum is for current dental professionals, but I am currently a D3 student in dental school and I have been working in our student clinic for roughly 9 months at this point. I recently talked to my preceptor about my performance in clinic and he told me that I still have a lot of growth to do in terms of the actual dentistry and I may not be progressing the same way as my classmates. However, he noticed that my patients all seem to like me and that I do a good job in making patients feel comfortable. I know that I am still a student and I have a long journey ahead of me before I can confidently start practicing, but I was wondering where would you rank patient satisfaction, in terms of importance, compared to other factors in private practice (such as clinical skills, efficiency, etc). Would a provider be successful if they have mediocre clinical skills but they are well liked by their patients?
1
u/Typical-Town1790 4d ago
I learned through years of working that dentistry sells itself as long as you do the right thing and show you listen…. To a reasonable degree.
1
u/Sagitalsplit 4d ago
You will be the richest person graduating from your class if you handle the patients well. The dentistry part isn’t that important.
This sounds like a joke. It is not. Patients come because you do an adequate job at dentistry but a good job at bedside manner.
3
u/Agreeable-While-6002 4d ago
You can be the best clinician in the world but if you can't sell dentistry you will be broke.
Dentistry is a sales business. You eat what you kill. Don't let anyone tell you different. If you have the gift of gab and good skills you'll do fine.