Continuing engagement.

Sometimes, patients may exhibit a high degree of interest in the way a particular Digital Doc device works.  Such patients are a gem because they have just revealed how they can be kept engaged. Dental hygienists can come up with several ways, such as emailing them photos of the technology at work, so that this deep interest is nurtured to raise the profile of the dental office in the minds of such patients.

Explaining New Technology to Patients: Patients Who Are Averse to Technology

At the other extreme of the technology, spectrum is patients who are averse to technology. This type of patient needs to be handled delicately when new dental technology is introduced to the dental office. The following suggestions can help to address the concerns of tech-averse patients.

Explain the technology to them.

You don’t need to be as detailed when explaining as you would if you were explaining to a tech-savvy patient. In fact, offering too many details to technology-averse patients can be counterproductive since they may become confused. Instead, be as brief as possible. For example, when explaining how the IRIS X80 Liquid Lens intraoral camera works, you can just point out its crystal-clear images as a better way to detect cavities early. Such an explanation will portray the necessity of the technology and hopefully make the patient more willing to accept its use during their treatment.

Patients with reservations.

Some tech-averse patients may express reservations about the new technology that the dental hygienist is using or points out as technology that will be used to treat an existing or emerging dental health problem. It is important to be very patient and understanding when addressing such reservations. Focus on revealing how technology enables the dental office to provide better dental care to patients and refrain from drawing comparisons between dental technology and other technological devices in everyday life. Any comparison can bring up deep-rooted issues the patient has, and their resistance to the technology will be increased instead of dissipating.

Answer their questions.

Tech-averse patients often pose several questions or the same question in different ways when faced with a new piece of dental technology. As a dental hygienist to whom those questions are posed exercise a lot of patience and care when responding. The questions give you a window into the objections that the patient has, and how well you answer can either soften their stance or make them take a more averse position. Avoid using technical language in your responses. Instead, use simple language to highlight how the patient stands to benefit from the new technology.

Keep traditional methods as an option.

In some situations, tech-averse patients may vehemently insist that they want nothing to do with the new technology that a dental hygienist wishes to use. In such a case, it is futile and counterproductive to try to compel the patient to accept the new technology. It is far better to fall back to the old technology that the patient is used so that the needed dental care can be provided. For example, if the patient doesn’t want a digital scanner anywhere near their mouth, whip out the old way to take dental impressions and use that. Patients have a say in the dental care they receive, and acting upon their wishes is your duty as a dental hygienist.

Each patient that will come to you is different, and it is imperative that you practice how to quickly identify into which category each patient belongs on the subject of new technology. Communicate with those patients appropriately on matters of that new technology and your work as a dental hygienist, and a representative of the dental office will be easier. At Digital Doc, we offer extensive training to the staff at dental offices where our equipment is in use, so you can count on having all the relevant knowledge about our technology, such as intraoral cameras, hand-held dental x-ray devices, and LUM Transillumination devices long before you have to use this technology on patients.