Communication Archives - Dental Head Start

TIP #66 – Managing Patient Complexities with Clin A/ Professor Dr Tony Au

November 18, 2021November 18, 2021Leave a Comment

For us students and new grads, communication is an area that doesn’t get much attention, but can be a make or break moment when talking with patients. Do you ever wonder how you can explain concepts to patients in simple terms? What about explaining pros/cons or risks about certain procedures? How will they even trust you enough to let you do such a procedure?

In this interview with Clinical Associate professor Dr. Tony Au, we talk about all things communication. Tony is a specialist prosthodontist in Sydney who deals with complex cases AND complex patients daily. Tony provides us with his top tips on how to deal with pushy patients, how to use analogies to help patients understand concepts, and how to BED a patient. You heard that right, how to BED a patient. If that doesn’t peak your interest, I don’t know what will.

TIP #64 – How to Be the Ideal Candidate with Dr Jeff Kho

November 4, 2021November 4, 2021Leave a Comment

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

So you’ve found a practice you love, a mentor you admire and an opportunity that you just don’t want to miss out on. So then how do you go about landing that position? What can you do to make sure that you’re The One?

This is Part 1 of a three part grad series I did with Dr Jeff Kho where we talk about all things surrounding graduation and job hunting, making the most of our final year and how to be the ideal candidate – so keep an eye out for Part 2 and 3. David also did a much longer feature interview with Dr Jeff early in the year where we hear his story and his experience training dental graduates and founding Australian Hands On Courses (AHC).

In this episode Dr Jeff shares his golden tips on making a stellar first impression, being ‘the purple cow’ and the art of persistence. We talk about the importance of not just communicating but properly connecting with people, and how we can get better at it in a world where at times, we can be so disconnected.

TIP #55 – Don’t Die Wondering, Ask with Dr Mark Hassed

August 12, 2021August 12, 2021Leave a Comment

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

You will get the girl/boy, the job or the case acceptance if you do not simply ask.

Sounds obvious, but critically analyse your own communication and case acceptance. Are there situations where you’ve seen a patient again and again and fallen into a habit of single tooth dentistry, without offering the comprehensive solution?

Dr Mark Hassed is an expert in case acceptance and communication and this is one of hundreds of useful tips he’s shared over the years of coaching dentists via The Relaxed Dentist. He writes a weekly blog and has made his renowned course online, on-demand for your covid shutdown blues.

Don’t die wondering, Ask!

TIP#39: The Importance of Photography with Dr Karim Habib

March 25, 2021March 28, 2021Leave a Comment

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

It’s one thing to produce beautiful anterior restorations, but it’s another thing entirely to display the beauty though photography.

Photography is one of the most powerful tools a dentist can have. It’s used as a patient communication tool, for diagnosis, treatment planning, lab communication, marketing and more.

Dr Karim Habib, one of the most talented cosmetic dentists in Australia, recognised the impact that photography could have on dental career and mastered this skill in the last few years to get his photography serving him and his patients in more ways than you’d think. His instagram page is one of the most followed dental accounts in Australia and on it he showcases some his best work through unique and aesthetically pleasing before and after images.

He shares with us his tip tops on how he uses dental photography in the realm of aesthetic dentistry and how he gets those amazing shots for instagram.

TIP#38: Making Decisions with Dr Michael Frazis

March 18, 2021April 10, 2021Leave a Comment

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Patients come to us for guidance. But early on in our career, making the decision between filling, inlay, onlay or crown can be a difficult call.

In this episode we chat with Dr Michael Frazis about this decision and the challanges he found with this early in his career.

Once we know what’s best, it’s crucial we communicate it well and don’t confuse our patients while also letting them make an informed decision. Dr Frazis shares the way he explains treatment in his everyday practice.

TIP#32: Discussing Price with Dr Tiv Nirmalann

January 28, 2021April 10, 2021Leave a Comment

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Most of us spend our University career providing care for free.

Then, almost over night, we’re throwing into private practice and our work has a dollar value.
How do we convey the value effectively and confidently? This is a crucial topic and one that is worth spending some time focusing on. Its a bedrock of communication.

Dr Tiv shares his views on discussing price and his own challenges early on.

Check out Dr Tiv’s coaching and mentoring page DrTiv.com to find out more about how Dr Tiv is trying to help young dentists.

TIP#26: Communication shortcuts with Dr Tiv Nirmalann

November 5, 2020November 5, 2020Leave a Comment

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Communication, just like any other skill, is a skill to be honed and learnt. Dr Tiv shares his early days of communication and the path he found to help breakthrough the barrier.

With the use of profiling, Dr Tiv gives a shortcut to understand the person you’re communicating with and a way of avoiding common mistakes.

Check out Dr Tiv’s coaching and mentoring page DrTiv.com to find out more about how Dr Tiv is trying to help young dentists.

TIP#23: CBCT in Endodontics with Dr Omar Ikram

October 14, 2020October 12, 2020Leave a Comment

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

TIP#23: CBCT in Endodontics with Dr Omar Ikram @specialistendocrowsnest

Cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) is being used more and more in general dentistry, that 3D perspective is taking some of the guess work out of diagnosis. However, how many times have you been in that situation where you are looking for that MB2, or you’re not getting to where you think length should be, if only there was a way that we could see more of what is going on within the tooth? Well, what about using CBCT midway through our treatment? Dr Omar Ikram, opened my eyes to the appropriate uses of CBCT in Endodontics, for diagnosis of tricky cases, but also to give us that extra bit of information we need advance when we get stuck mid treatment

#44 – NSFW; The (Hilarious) side of Dentistry You Don’t See on Social Media

September 29, 2020September 29, 2020Leave a Comment

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Great dentistry takes decades to learn. Refinement of skills is a process of dedication and persistence. And these are traits Dr Anthony Mak has in droves.

Anthony spent his first few years spread between a few practices with varying experiences and this gave him the well rounded foundation to use as a spring board for his career. Just this story alone is so useful in allowing us to consider and plan our journey in dentistry.

This is just the start of the tips advice and concepts Anthony shares in this podcast.

Dr Anthony Mak is making waves in dentistry and really contributing to the education of the dental community so for that we say thanks and for joining us on this engaging podcast interview.

TIP#20: Tackling Tricky Topics with Parents with Dr Tim Keys – What I Wish I Knew

September 16, 2020September 22, 2020Leave a Comment

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

The Australian Dental Association recommends a childs first dental visit be when their first tooth becomes visible or when then reach 12months of age. Normally seeing the baby is easy enough, but the real challenge comes with new parents, armed with millions of well intended questions about how that can give their child the best dental head start.

In many cases as new graduates we are yet to have our own kids so these conversations can sometimes be a bit of unknown territory, having not been in a bathroom with a two year old at bed time simply telling a patent to brush their childs’ teeth, my be easier said then done.

Today we look at when we should start brushing children’s teeth, getting parents on board with Fluoride and handling the ever controversial topic of tongue ties, with Sunshine Coast Paediatric Dentist Dr Tim Key’s.