Trust is everything in the dental practice. Yet, as dentists, we often expect patients to give us absolute trust very early in the relationship. We expect them to cognitively override their biological instincts, but human beings — like all mammals — are hardwired with mammalian survival psychology. Too often, we forget the importance of this deep, pre-programmed response.
Think about it: if you have a dog or cat, how long does it take for them to build trust with you? It’s only when they feel safe enough that they roll over, exposing the most vulnerable parts of their body — their throat and stomach.
Reflect on human intimacy. How long do you need to be in a relationship with someone before you’re comfortable sharing a deep kiss? For most people (excluding those relying on beer goggles on a Friday night), it takes weeks or months of relationship-building before that level of closeness feels natural.
And yet, what do we ask of our new patients? Strangers to us, they’re invited to lie back in a chair, exposing their vulnerable throat and stomach. Then we ask them to open their mouths, allowing us to come close with sharp instruments — a situation that can feel like an enforced intimacy, akin to a “French kiss” before any relationship has been established. Is it any wonder that many patients hesitate or feel nervous?
This is why spending time with your patients matters. Getting to know them, discussing their medical and social history, exploring their philosophy towards dentistry, their wants, needs, motivations, hesitations, and timescales — these conversations are not just information-gathering. They are the foundations of trust. They allow your patients to feel safe in a vulnerable body posture.
By contrast, IT solutions like iPads, online forms, and digital surveys may be efficient ways of collecting data, but they do nothing to build trust. They cannot override the deeply ingrained stress responses of fight, flight, freeze, or fold.
So here’s the challenge:
What can you do differently to enhance the human-to-human connection with your patients?
Because when you build trust first, everything else — confidence, consent, case acceptance, and loyalty — flows more naturally.
