Forming great relationships with your dental patients has so many benefits for your practice, including increasing treatment acceptance, retaining more patients, and improving patient satisfaction. 

You can strengthen your provider-patient connection with the loyalty program for dental patients from Dental Intelligence, but you can also accomplish this goal by changing your communication style.

Whether you’re looking for training materials for your staff or want to brush up on your own interpersonal skills as a dental care provider, knowing how to build rapport with patients in your dental clinic is the first step to providing compassionate care that keeps patients coming back. Here are eight tips to help you build rapport with your patients.

1. Don’t Skip the Self Introduction

The patient might already know who you are before you step into the room, but it doesn’t hurt to start your provider-patient relationship by introducing yourself. 

You can share your name and position at the clinic, then let them know what you’ll be doing during the appointment. This thoughtful greeting can comfort patients with dental anxiety and make a good first impression. 

2. Be Careful with Your Wording

How you say something can drastically change how a patient feels about you or the dental treatments you suggest. 

If you use too much dental jargon, the patient might be confused about the details of their care, causing their anxiety to go up. You should also be careful to avoid using words with negative or judgmental meanings to help patients feel more comfortable. 

For example, try saying things like, “Drinking more water instead of sugary drinks throughout the day will help prevent you from getting more cavities,” instead of, “Drinking sugary drinks will make your teeth rot.” ‍

3. Use Positive Body Language

Most people don’t actively pay attention to body language, but how you position yourself physically does register with patients subconsciously. When you talk to patients, try to do it while sitting down, or at eye level, and facing them. 

You want patients to feel at ease with your presence, but standing over them or crossing your arms can be intimidating. ‍

4. Keep an Upbeat Attitude

We’re all human, and we all go through struggles, but it’s crucial that you don’t bring your bad mood into the room with your dental patients. 

Many people are already on edge when they go to the dentist because they have fears about procedures or issues with their teeth, so acting impatient or unhappy can lead to a bad experience with a patient who needs support. 

5. Appeal to Your Patients’ Interests

As a dental healthcare provider, you should practice active listening so you can give the best patient care and get to know the person behind the teeth. 

Dentists wondering how to build rapport with patients can ask about the patient's hobbies, career, or interests, whether they watch sports or make music. Listening and asking questions helps patients feel comfortable and welcome in your office.

Discovering these tidbits about patients helps you connect with them on a deeper level and gets their minds off of nerve-wracking dental procedures for a few minutes.

6. Clearly Explain What You’re Doing

Whether you’re a hygienist cleaning a patient’s teeth or a dentist conducting an exam, talking to your patient through your actions can make the experience better for them. 

Even if the patient has been in your office a dozen times, taking the time to explain your procedure and warn them when you’re about to do something helps establish trust. ‍

7. Make Time to Answer Questions

When educating patients about their treatment plans and oral health tips, it’s hard to know if they’re fully absorbing what you’re saying. 

You should ensure there’s enough time during the appointment for the patient to ask questions, allowing them to clear up any confusion they might have with their dental care.

8. Write Down Details to Remember

When you see so many patients at your clinic, it gets hard to remember details about each person. A good communication practice for dental care providers is to write down things you want to remember for the next appointment. Your patients will be amazed at how well you know them!

Improve Your Patient Experience with Dental Practice Solutions

While you master how to build rapport with patients, you can also upgrade your dental practice’s communication tools to improve the overall experience. 

With the Dental Intelligence practice performance solution, you get simple 2-Way Communication to talk to patients over text, email, or the web. You can also send personalized messages via Mass Communication, whether you want to say, “Happy Birthday!” or share patient success stories. Schedule a demo today to see how we can help you improve your patient experience.