You have just completed a complex, comprehensive case and it turned out great. The patient is delighted with their new smile and you are especially proud of the work you've done.

This is exactly the kind of case you want to document; it's the kind of case that really showcases what you can do. And just as you are about to take the stunning "after" photos, you realize that you never did take the "before" picture. Without that comparison shot, the pictures you're going to take now just won't have the same impact.

The best way to keep this from happening is to make it a habit to prepare for success. It should become part of your routine as soon as you have gained acceptance for a significant case. You should begin by getting photographic documentation of the starting point. It's important to take these photos for every patient, for every significant case, every time. Maybe this patient won't end up being a case study that you put in your "portfolio," but you're ready if they are.

This concept is more than just about photos. As part of your new patient experience you should be providing a tour of your office, including the success stories on your "wall of fame." You should also have a team member walk through the necessary medical history and insurance forms with patients. The time to ask patients to sign a HIPAA release form for photos and information is while the display of success stories is still fresh in their minds and they are excited about the possibility of one day becoming one of those "showcase" stories.

If your patients agree early on, you don't have to interrupt the celebration at the end of treatment to get their authorization on legal paperwork; it will all have been taken care of long ago. When the crowning moment of success arrives, you'll be ready.


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Commenter's Profile Image John Sweeney
November 13th, 2012
Nice thoughts Imtiaz. Earlier in my career we had a few cases turn out great and you guessed it. No before pics. Now, as we have implemented our learning from Spear, we take the normal 8-10 photos as recommended in the FGTP workshop. It has become standard for our new patient appointments and we couldn't practice without it. For practices just starting this, it does take time to implement while your team learns to take great photos. New patient appointment can become fairly time consuming as they work through this curve. Each one of our team members can now take the necessary photos in about 5-7 minutes which has helped tremendously. One other potential issue is the tendency to skip this altogether because you don't want the patient to become overwhelmed. We have had patients look like a dear in the headlights after one of our new patient appointments. Because of this, we contemplated not taking all these photos at the first appointment because we started wondering if patients even wanted this treatment. However, we valued it so much that we didn't compromise and took them anyway. I read a quote by Henry Ford that said, "If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses.". Instead, he invented a car. This really helped me develop our new patient experience because patients will tend to only want what they have had before. That is, until they experience something better.