Where Do You Draw the Line?

Every dentist, whether they think about it or not, has a line.

It’s a line represented by a dollar amount. Anything up to that line, they feel comfortable in presenting and confident about getting acceptance. Anything above that amount is out of their comfort zone. Several factors might cause this discomfort, including:

• They’re not used to presenting at that level
• They’re unsure they have the ability to deliver
• They’re just convinced the patient will say no

In a way, the progress of your career in dentistry can be measured by how often you move this line, and by how much. One of the most gratifying things we hear from dentists who have moved upward in the Spear curriculum over the years is how it has changed the way they approach that mental threshold. They’ll say things like, “A few years ago, I would have been very anxious about presenting something like this to a patient. Now I do it all the time.”

It’s important to note that this is not about “upselling” patients at all. It’s about being just as comfortable and authentic presenting at the $1,000 level or $10,000 level as you are at the $100 level. It’s about being a complete dentist, able to confidently articulate every treatment option you can perform and then letting the patient decide.

Dentists who are truly committed to ongoing development move this mental line all the time. As they begin to see things at a higher level, each success makes them more confident about presenting and patients sense that confidence and start to respond.

This is how the extraordinary becomes routine. It’s all about moving that line.