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Laurence Bohan
Content Writer
Laurence Bohan
Content Writer

Laurence is a copywriter and trained journalist. His passion is creating insightful and educational content for dental professionals of every level. Outside of work, he enjoys watching sport, quizzing and spending time with his family.

You’ve just undertaken a procedure which has taken much more time than your average check up. You end the appointment by giving your patient invaluable advice that you have learnt after years of experience. Your patient even asks questions and has confirmed they understand the advice given to them.

So why is it that the next time you see them, they seem to have completely ignored your advice? Patient compliance is an ongoing challenge for dentists worldwide. It’s easy to start believing that patients are just not bothered about their oral health, but the true picture is more complex.

How can we improve patient compliance? As a long established dental supplier, it’s only right that we advocate good oral health. The need to encourage positive behaviour is more apparent than ever, with particular emphasis on building good habits among young people.

Reminders

Patient reminders are often presented as a “routine check-up”. But there’s a problem with using that language: your patients will just see their appointment as a simple routine. More often than not the patient will leave the practice, head back to work or school and continue on with their daily life until 6 or 12 months later. Despite leaving them with essential advice, there’s nothing in place to ensure patients are doing exactly what you told them to. By sending reminders to your patients about good oral health practice, not just appointment reminders, you can help reinforce your education.

Don’t Overload Patients With Information

Small, easy to remember chunks of advice are great, whether that’s delivered by taking to patients, emailing them a video or showing them a model. But dentistry is an incredibly complex area, and it’s easy to forget that when you’re immersed in Practice day to day. Some patients might prefer some information to take away rather than a discussion during the appointment.

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