Smile Analysis and How to Talk to Patients with Dr. Elaine Halley

At the heart of Dental Slang, we are all about communication. How we talk to patients is one of the most important elements of our practice. And now that patients can find us on social media and research everything they need to know before they even come in for treatment, it's vital that we know how to talk to them and approach their treatment planning with care.  Dr. Elaine Halley discusses how to do just that. As a practicing dentist and the Clinical Director of a group practice with 8 different locations in Scotland, Dr. Halley has experience on both sides of dentistry — as a teacher and as a student. And she is a rare one. She loves the teaching side of things just as much as the practice, and she shares how her teachers inspired her to take an educator's path of her own. What's the biggest lesson Dr. Halley has learned as a teacher and a dentist? How crucial it is to invest in interpersonal skills.  Our body language and the words we use with patients when we explain treatment procedures are just as important as the treatment itself. She recommends studying communication, along with business and personal development, to improve your practice and become a better dentist. How can you be a better communicator? These are the kinds of questions Dr. Halley inspires us to ask ourselves. As digital technology continues to lead to brand new developments in dentistry, the role of a modern dentist will shift to educator as well as doctor. It will be up to us to teach our patients about their treatment options and use technology to facilitate their understanding. Dr. Halley shares her favorite tools and the slang she uses in the office to explain smile analysis and more to her patients.  Dr. Halley wants to change the narrative and inspire her fellow dentists to have more confidence about new treatment procedures. The mouth is a 3D jigsaw puzzle, she explains, and she wants to see modern dentists continuing to adopt a more comprehensive model that helps them better understand these newer treatment options and how to explain them to their patients. There is always a place for single-tooth dentistry, but oral health is multifaceted. Learning to recognize when more comprehensive treatments are needed will improve your practice.  In This Episode You Will Learn How Dr. Halley got into dentistry 1:14 How dentistry has changed over the past ten years 12:47 Where to find the skills to treat patients' overall oral health over a single tooth 23:40 Ways to educate patients about all of the different treatment opportunities available 28:35 Dr. Halley's favorite tools and tech for educating patients 35:28 The dental slang Dr. Halley uses in her offices 44:58 Some Questions We Ask What does a typical week of dental practice look like for Dr. Halley? 3:17 Which skills should we develop to become better dentists? 10:20 What trends has Dr. Halley seen among younger dentists? 20:25 What is Dr. Halley's role as Clinical Director of a group practice? 26:00 What inspired Dr. Halley to write a book about smile analysis? 31:34 How does smile analysis influence Dr. Halley's practice and how she talks to patients? 37:53 Resources: Visit our website: www.DentalSlang.com Connect with us on Facebook: Dental Slang