My Child is Graduating From The Pediatric Dentist – What Do I Do?

I was just at a meeting the other day and one of the people there, whom I’ve known for several years, came up to me and told me that his daughter is “graduating” from her pediatric dentist. He asked if it would be ok for her to be seen in my office. “Of course, we’d love to see her,” was my response. He said he’d call the office and schedule her appointment. I was glad to have had a conversation with my friend and glad that we were going to meet his daughter soon, but something was bothering me as I walked to my car.

The biggest thing that struck me was that his wife is a patient in my office. It has been for a few years. He is currently seeing a different dentist who was a client of his when he was with a different company but also wants to make the switch to our office. And he was asking if we could take care of his daughter!
I know the answer is yes. But why was he asking, if it was so obvious to us? Why was he uncertain if we would accept his daughter as a patient? I guess the bigger question was what did we not do to make sure he didn’t have to ask?

I began wondering how could we have been so focused on the daily tasks of patient care and missed out on fostering the culture that would make sure our friends knew that their friends and family would be welcomed with the same open arms that they are welcomed with.

The point of the story is I would hope that our patients consider themselves our friends and part of our family. I know the care we provide is given the same way I would want my parents to be treated. That being said, I want our friends and family to know that because someone is special to you, they are special to us. And we’ll give them the same welcoming care you receive.

Whether it’s your spouse who needs a dental cleaning, your neighbor who needs their denture relined, or your child who was just told by their pediatric dentist that’s it’s time for them to move to the grown-up dentist office – we will welcome them with open arms! No need to ask if it’s ok, just know that we cherish the trust you have in us and are honored that the practice continues to grow through your kind words and referrals.

Yours In Dental Health,
Jason Schermer, DDS