Beyond Commodities: Why Dentistry Should Be About Relationships, Not Just Sales
In the modern dental industry, there’s a concerning trend: the commoditisation of dental treatments, where the focus shifts from patient well-being to ‘selling’ services. Treatments are increasingly packaged like items on a menu, focusing on aesthetics or the latest buzzword rather than long-term health, function, and comfort. But dentistry is not—and should not be—a commodity. Every good dental treatment is inherently aesthetic, designed to look natural by considering supporting structures, health, colour, shape, and position. So why do we feel compelled to market it as something superficial?
The Psychology Behind Patient Decisions
Understanding how patients make decisions is fundamental to changing this approach. Roger Bailey’s work on psychological thinking patterns reveals that only about 8% of people decide to proceed with treatment immediately upon hearing information. For 52%, it takes several repetitions before they’re ready to decide. About 25% need time to reflect, and 15% are naturally indecisive, needing to re-evaluate every time they’re presented with a choice. Expecting patients to sign up for extensive treatment plans right after a single consultation is, therefore, unrealistic. Building a strong, trust-based relationship over multiple visits aligns better with psychological reality.
This insight aligns with Stanley Milgram’s 1961 research at Yale, which demonstrates how authority figures (like dentists in their uniforms) can influence decisions. While this authority can encourage trust, pushing patients into decisions too quickly may break that trust.
Relationships Over Sales: Creating Trust in Dentistry
Chasing sales rather than relationships is counterproductive in dentistry. Patients can sense desperation in language and tone, which can feel off-putting and transactional. For instance, the term “treatment coordinator” can imply a sales role rather than a patient-centered focus, which a title like “patient care coordinator” communicates. Similarly, presenting treatment options as a list—“I am interested in X, Y, Z”—without explaining the benefits reinforces the sense of commoditisation.
Commodity vs. Service: The Marketing Mistake in Dentistry
Mark Oborn, a leading voice in patient communication, illustrates the stark difference between a commodity-based and a service-based industry. Commodities are reproducible, can be tried before purchasing, returned for a refund, and require a low level of trust. Services, in contrast, are unique, crafted in the moment, cannot be ‘tried’ beforehand, and demand a high level of trust between provider and patient. Dentistry is fundamentally a service; it cannot be returned for a refund or easily reproduced. Yet, many dental practices present themselves as commodity sellers in their marketing, website language, and patient journey design.
This is why it’s unsurprising to see posts on social media from dentists shocked when patients ask for their money back. Patients who experience dentistry as a commodity, due to messaging that lacks relational depth, may treat their treatment outcomes similarly.
Shifting to a Relationship-Based Approach
If we want to enhance patient satisfaction and reduce complaints, we need to adopt a mindset of dentistry as a relationship-driven service. Instead of chasing sales, we should focus on fostering long-term relationships rooted in trust. Like restaurants, we can choose whether we want to be the fast-food McDonald’s of dentistry or a 3 Michelin experience like The Fat Duck in Bray.
The key is to understand and honour the fact that patients are human beings with unique needs, concerns, and psychological patterns. Only when we make this shift can we provide care that truly benefits them, creating natural-looking, comfortable, and functional dental solutions that endure. Building trust doesn’t just improve patient retention—it ensures we are practicing dentistry in the way it was intended: with integrity, care, and a genuine desire to improve lives.
In summary, dentistry should focus on the quality of relationships, not just the quantity of sales. Chase the money it will run away, chase strong relationships, and the rewards will follow naturally.
If you would like to learn more about how coaching with Jane will enable you to put the patient focus and service back into your dentistry book a Speak with Jane call through the website www.iodb.co.uk
