There is a fundamental truth of life in a dental practice, and it's easy to lose sight of: choice. Delivering comprehensive dentistry means spending a lot of time at the 30,000-foot-level where you can see the big picture. It's worth remembering that ultimately all patient decisions are made quickly on the ground with many influences at play.
If you're going to be one of those influences you need to be able to move from being a visionary to a practical advisor and be able to identify the patient's immediate decisions and motivations. You have to help them make the next move.
Naturally, you want all your patients to accept the best care possible every time. This can't always happen. But you can do whatever it takes to make sure they get the best care possible, this time. You can help them not just value ideal care, but prioritize care in the right way. What happens next? This is the question that should be answered definitively at the end of every appointment.
It doesn't matter if it's your patient's first visit or their fiftieth; every patient visit ends with a choice. It can be a momentous choice like accepting a complex treatment plan, or it can be as simple as deciding on a date for their next hygiene appointment. The important thing is that you create a sense of urgency for that decision and that you give them all the direction and support they need to make the right choice. Keep that momentum going and you'll find that even if they are not accepting ideal treatment today, they could be making choices at a higher level next time.