Dawson Quick Tip: Identifying Specialty Patients

My quick tip today is on general versus specialty patients.

A general patient is defined as…

a patient where the size, contour, and position of the teeth are working for the patient. There’s no instability, no signs of wear, no discomfort.

A specialty patient is…

a patient where the size, contour, and position of the teeth are not working for the patient. They have worn teeth, muscle pain, joint pain, and just general discomfort – headaches, things like that.

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In my office, when a patient comes in and has a broken tooth or a tooth that needs extensive work, such as a crown – and say they fall into that specialty patient category – I always make sure that I inform them of what’s going on in their mouth from a stability standpoint.

Some patients aren’t ready to proceed with the comprehensive treatment that we’ve been trained to provide. And if that’s the case, all you can do is inform the patient, let them know what’s going on in their mouth, and let them know that the tooth still needs to be fixed – it just might be in a compromised situation if you’re not able to address the rest of their stability and function issues as well.