Never assume

I’ve watched dozens of dentists as they work with patients. Frequently, those dentists make assumptions.For example, patients often come in with broken back teeth. More often than not, dentists just say “I’ll fix that” and then proceed to refill the tooth.When challenged about why they didn’t offer a crown or an onlay the dentists usually say something like “I knew that the patient couldn’t afford it.” or “I knew that the patient wouldn’t be interested.”That really is unfair to the patient. Your job is to diagnose the patient’s teeth, not their wallet. You can’t tell whether a patient will have a crown by the clothes they wear or the car that they drive.You simply need to give 100% of your patients the opportunity to pick optimum treatment. Let them tell you if they can’t afford it.Never assume.