Bad News For Everyone?

Sometimes the hardest thing to do is to give a patient bad news. Letting someone know that a tooth should not be restored or that multiple crowns are failing, can upset them. They can respond with a range of emotions. Anger, denial, accusations, and sadness are not uncommon responses.

Most dentists want to be liked by their patients and dread telling them news that will upset them. Still, it is our duty to inform them of their conditions and make appropriate recommendations. It is clearly wrong to not inform patients of a problem once it has been detected.

Ultimately we must tell patients the truth, even if it is potentially upsetting. When I know in advance that I will be relating bad news, I try to schedule extra time so that my patient has time to process the news and also explore some treatment options.. Sometimes a second follow up appointment is required , since either the patient was unable to adequately explore their options or unable to make up their minds on what they wanted to do. Scheduling a second follow up appointment allows them to think about what I have presented and come up with additional questions that may need answered.

 About the author: Lawrence Spindel DDS is a dentist who has maintained  a general and cosmetic dental practice in New York City, for over thirty years .