Unless you're an avid swimming enthusiast I bet that you seldom follow swimming competitions. But in the last few days, millions of people are suddenly talking about swimming. The same goes for gymnastics, running and a number of other events.

The intense media focus and the stakes involved at the Olympic Games make many of us intense fans of these sports for a few days and then we basically forget about them again until the next Olympics.

This can give us a bit of an insight into how many people see dentistry. They have an awareness and appreciation for the profession to some degree, just as we all know and appreciate that there are great athletes out there doing great things every month of each year. But it's an awareness that is at the back of their minds – until they get in the chair.

Thanks to the recare model, most patients who participate at even a basic level are almost guaranteed of being in a dental practice at least twice a year. And it's on those occasions, when they are in the chair and have opened wide, that dentistry has moved from the background to the forefront of their thoughts. That's your “Olympic moment.”

So what are you doing to make the most of that brief time when you have their full attention? They probably haven't given much thought to their dental care since the last time they saw you months ago. They may not remember half of what you told them back then about their dental possibilities. You need to use this moment to celebrate their return and create excitement for their future. Every time.

Remember: Every four years, because of the Olympic Games, casual observers of a sport turn into lifelong fans or even participants. It happens in dentistry too. Every once in a while a patient who never expressed much interest before, suddenly is ready to embrace ideal care. But for that to happen you have to set the stage, create excitement and give people something to think about between visits.


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Commenter's Profile Image John Sweeney
August 2nd, 2012
Great thoughts Imtiaz.. I was recently reading a book by Simon Sinek and he states that the true reason any person or company or organization is successful is because they pay attention to the "WHY". He states that the most successful companies have beliefs that are real and authentic, not for self gain, and they stay true to these beliefs in everything they do. It's when this happens that they develop a loyal following. They attract "fans" of their company because these people believe what they believe. They believe in their "WHY". I think this is why we fall in love with the olympics. For most of these athletes, their "WhY" is not to become famous or earn endorsement deals. Their WHY is that they love their sport, their country, and they want to be great. They want to be the best. Everything they do (training), traveling, etc has been centered around those beliefs. And as humans, we can all relate to these beliefs and we can't help but become fans. We can see the authenticity in these athletes and that breeds trust which in turn makes us loyal fans. I agree with you that we can earn this same type of fan base with our patients. But as dentists, we have to figure out our "WHY" and make sure we express this to our fan base. I also think that's why spear education has become so successful. We can see your WHY........ Thanks Imitiaz for keeping us motivated! John
Commenter's Profile Image Mark Olson
August 2nd, 2012
Another way this metaphor works is HOW the Olympics are presented to us. We love the backstorys, the personalities, the life lessons, the history, the underwater cameras, the world record line etc....This keeps us engaged and helps us to see swimming in a different way....in a different light. If it wasn't for the amazing presentation and audience (patient) education we would probably not "get it". I think the same applies to how dentistry is presented to out patients.....Going for Gold!!
Commenter's Profile Image Muna Strasser
August 6th, 2012
Agree wholeheartedly... these are true observations. It always confounds staff when they know we have told patients the same thing for years, and encouraged them to make choices that they seem to have forgotten between visits. But the one thing they do remember, is our passion for helping them, for their health, and the fact that we remember details about them. If nothing else, it really creates a sense that, even though they might have been absent from the practice for six months, at the Olympic moment, there is celebration of them and their families. They love that when they walk in, we know them by sight- this is so special and not as common in medical offices where there is sometimes tremendous turnover in staff.