Paul A. Henny, DDS 

There’s an ongoing debate in dental practices about whether “selling” should be a part of the profession. My response? It depends. It depends on what you’re selling, when you’re selling it, and who benefits the most. It also depends on how the sale is conducted and what happens afterward.

The Transactional vs. Relationship Approach in Dentistry

The standard definition of a sale—“the exchange of a commodity for money”—lacks any mention of relationships, intentions, or motives. This is where the tension arises in dentistry.

I often ask: How would your patients feel if they knew you had a dental sales meeting every morning that directly affected their treatment that day? Many dental practices set daily production goals, and achieving those goals naturally revolves around increasing sales. But does this approach align with truly patient-centered care?

I argue that it doesn’t—at least, not in the traditional sense. However, having monthly financial goals tied to overhead needs makes sense. Tracking daily production as an “odometer reading” helps us adjust our trajectory when necessary. But the key question is: Are we focused on selling treatments today through dental sales strategies or guiding patients toward long-term oral health goals with a relationship-based philosophy?

Shifting from Dental Sales to Long-Term Patient Commitment 

Breaking monthly goals into daily key metrics is useful for monitoring trends. But using those numbers to push patients into treatment they aren’t ready for creates a short-sighted, transactional mindset. When practices focus too much on the daily production target, they risk prioritizing immediate revenue over patient-centered care that deepens trust in dental practice.

Instead of pressuring a patient into same-day treatment to meet a quota, what if we focused on a broader, patient-centered care approach? Consider the difference. A values-driven choice sounds like: “I need a little more time to afford fixing my mouth the right way—the way we’ve been discussing. Can you work with me on timing?” A money-driven decision sounds like: “I’ll just replace that big filling for now because my insurance won’t cover the full crown.”

Which mindset benefits the patient and the practice more?

The Productivity Paradox: Why Focusing on Money Limits Growth 

When a practice’s purpose becomes primarily money-centered, productivity per patient often declines. This may seem counterintuitive, but it’s true. Money-driven decision-making tends to be episodic and transactional, while health-driven decision-making is open-ended, relationship-driven, and holistic.

If patients are rushed into quick-fix treatments out of fear—whether it’s losing insurance benefits or feeling pressured by limited-time offers, they aren’t making choices that align with their long-term oral health goals. On the other hand, patients who feel heard, valued, and guided toward the best possible care are more likely to commit to comprehensive treatment plans.

Let’s do the math. A value-driven treatment plan could result in $32,700 in production from one patient. A short-sighted, insurance-driven decision might result in just $250 in production from the same patient. When we guide patients to make values-driven choices, we don’t need as many patients to reach our production goals.

The Core Question: What Drives Your Dental Practice? 

Our answer to this question doesn’t just impact revenue. It influences our patients’ health, trust, and long-term loyalty. When we shift our mindset from selling to guiding, we redefine what success looks like in dentistry. And in doing so, we create a dental practice that thrives because of genuine, patient-centered care.

Mastering Case Acceptance: A Mindset Not a Metric is a 3-day workshop designed to help dentists instill in their tissues the mindset that patients don’t want “dentistry.” They want something value-driven that dentistry will help them get or be.