{"id":1060,"date":"2019-11-04T16:04:31","date_gmt":"2019-11-04T16:04:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.jpeterstclairdentistry.com\/blog\/?p=1060"},"modified":"2019-11-04T16:04:32","modified_gmt":"2019-11-04T16:04:32","slug":"communication-is-key","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.jpeterstclairdentistry.com\/blog\/communication-is-key\/","title":{"rendered":"COMMUNICATION IS KEY"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

It is not\nuncommon to get a second opinion, or a second or third quote for things like\ncar repairs and home improvements. When it comes to our health, it usually\ndepends on the nature of the issue. More complex issues in medicine, such as a\ndiagnosis of cancer, an unknown diagnosis, or other major medical issues in\nwhich we have to make decisions about significant treatment, tend to stimulate\npeople to get more than one opinion. In dentistry, it seems that the incidence\nof second opinions is not as great. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Routine dental\ncare is generally not that complicated. There are many different ways to do the\nsimplest things in dentistry. The method is a function of the dentist\u2019s beliefs\nand training. It is relatively uncommon for a patient to get a second opinion\nfor this type of maintenance dental care. Although there is some subjectivity\nas to what different dentists might deem as \u201cneeding\u201d to be done, patients\nusually base their decision on their perceived need. This perception of\nneed comes from the dentist\u2019s ability to communicate the reasons for treatment.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The patient\u2019s\ntrust in their provider is a big factor. If a patient trusts and genuinely\nlikes their dentist, they may not necessarily do or want to do what the dentist\nwants them to, but they are comfortable enough to make the decision on\ntreatment. It is when there is a lack of trust, for one reason or another, that\npatients tend to venture out for another opinion. This lack of trust usually\nstems from a personality conflict or the inability of the dentist to properly\ncommunicate with the patient effectively.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even when\nthere are more complex dental issues, it is my feeling that patients base the\nneed for another opinion on lack of trust. Another important factor is that the\npatient is given choices. Patients always have the right to choose what\ntreatment they feel is right for themselves. If choices are given and the\ntreatment is properly communicated to the patient, they have the ability to\ndecide in what direction to proceed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If a dentist\nproperly communicates the need for treatment and the patient decides to do\nnothing, it is the patient\u2019s choice. It is when treatment is properly presented\nand it aligns with the patient\u2019s perception of need or desire, that the patient\nmoves forward with treatment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fees tend to\nbe a less common reason for patients to seek another opinion. Fees for\ntreatment can definitely vary. The problem with seeking treatment based on fees\nis that the same treatment in two different offices with different fees can\nalso vary in the level of expertise and precision in which it is done. There\nare many factors. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A higher fee\ndoes not always mean a higher quality product. Fees are generally based on the\ntime involved, the materials used, and the perceived expertise of the provider.\nBe cautious when seeking treatment based on fees. The fee for treatment should\ndefinitely be considered, but the entire treatment presentation and the way in\nwhich it is communicated should be used to determine your decision. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dr. St. Clair maintains\na private dental practice in Rowley and Newburyport dedicated to health-centered\nfamily dentistry. If there are certain topics you would like to see written about\nor questions you have please email them to him at jpstclair@stclairdmd.com<\/a>.\nYou can view all previously written columns at www.jpeterstclairdentistry.com\/blog<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It is not uncommon to get a second opinion, or a second or third quote for things like car repairs and home improvements. When it comes to our health, it usually depends on the nature of the issue. More complex issues in medicine, such as a diagnosis of cancer, an unknown diagnosis, or other major medical issues in which we have to make decisions about significant treatment, tend to stimulate people to get more than […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1060","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jpeterstclairdentistry.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1060","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jpeterstclairdentistry.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jpeterstclairdentistry.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jpeterstclairdentistry.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jpeterstclairdentistry.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1060"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.jpeterstclairdentistry.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1060\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1069,"href":"https:\/\/www.jpeterstclairdentistry.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1060\/revisions\/1069"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jpeterstclairdentistry.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1060"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jpeterstclairdentistry.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1060"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jpeterstclairdentistry.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1060"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}