By Bill Davis, DDS 

During the first two years of the book project, the institute was still at the DuPont Plaza Hotel in Miami. My schedule was simple. I would fly down on the red eye from Detroit Monday night after my practice time and stay at one of the apartments used by the visiting faculty next to the hotel. Dr. Pankey and I would meet for breakfast at 8 a.m. Then, we would go over to a room in the Institute to talk and I would record everything. 

At our very first meeting, I realized why everyone was taken with Dr. Pankey and his philosophy. We sat down for breakfast and started with the usual small talk. Then L.D. looked me directly in the eyes and asked, “Bill, may I ask you a couple of questions?”  

I looked back at him, and I said, “Yes, of course”.  

He then asked, “Do you tell your wife you love her every day?”. 

I was a little taken aback by the question and said, “I think I do”. 

L.D. then said, “You should.”  

From that day forward, I made it a point to tell Pam I loved her every day. If I was out of town, I would always call long distance and now I text her. That question made me realize how important Dr. Pankey felt it was for us to stay closely connected to our loved ones. I am sure that gesture has helped me during my 57 years of marriage to my best friend Pamela.

L. D.’s second question was, “Do you save regularly for your retirement?”

I told him, “Yes, I do. At the end of the year, when all my bills and taxes are paid, I send most of the remaining money to my Merrill Lynch investment account”.  

Dr. Pankey told me that was okay, but not a good way to save real money. He recommended that when I got my paychecks, one from the university and one from my private practice, I immediately sit down and write a separate check for 10% of my total net income for the week and put it in the investment account.  

Then he said, “Live on the budgeted remaining 90%.”  

I realized he was following his philosophy and wanted me to be sure I could take care of my family. Over the years, his advice has been spot-on. These first two questions were my introduction to his philosophy. 

To be continued… 

Getting Case Acceptance to 90% 

Paul A. Henny, DDS 

Studies show that the average comprehensive care treatment plan acceptance rate is in the 30% range. Why do you suppose that is? 

Humankind’s Innate Prediction Machine 

Our brain is a prediction machine that’s always turned on. To a large degree, it operates like the autocomplete function on our phone – it’s constantly trying to guess the next word when we listen to a book, read, or conduct a conversation. Contrary to speech recognition AI bots, our brains are constantly making predictions at different levels, from meaning and grammar to specific speech sounds. Our brain continuously compares sensory information with memories. The more negative the memories, the more negative the predictions. 

Additionally, there’s a central purpose behind our prediction machine: Survival, successful reproduction (propagation of our genome), and rewards that might take the form of rising up in the social hierarchy or gaining scarce resources. 

Regarding survival, our brain likes to stack the odds 4:1 in its favor, meaning, it tends to predict negative outcomes 4X more often than it will positive outcomes. This is nature’s way of staying safe so we’ll have the opportunity to live another day. 

Stacking odds in Its favor is very primal, yet the stacking influences many of our impressions and decisions. Complex situations requiring complex decisions must go through this 4:1 negative bias loop. 

A Steep Slope to Climb 

Now, apply this information to how you work with your patients. Unless you enter a relationship with a stellar reputation that has transferred a high level of trust, you are starting off with 4:1 odds against the advancement of your agenda. That’s a steep slope, yet we ignore that truth every day. 

The only way to overcome the 4:1 odds against us is to allow trust to organically develop in the relationship. And that must be achieved in small steps: Simple proposals, agreements, and experiences that meet unspoken expectations.  

Would you agree to hire a contractor to build your dream home after talking with them for only 15 minutes? Wouldn’t you want to see examples of their work and call one or more of their clients to learn how good they are at following through and sticking to their word? 

I thought so but for some reason, we all want to believe that when a person needs extensive oral restoration or rehabilitation, that they will be ready to make a multi-thousand dollar decision within minutes of seeing our amazing digital presentation. In fact, we’re so confident that it will work, that we’ll do our exams for free to create a “sales funnel.” 

The Common Approach Fails 

Most people don’t react well to this approach because it’s too much information-too fast, and it’s all coming from a virtual stranger. They’re not ready to have us build their dream home for obvious reasons. Why, then, do we ignore all of that and call them “tire kickers?” 

The Alternative Approach 

Dentists who deploy the co-discovery, co-diagnosis, and co-success treatment planning process outlined by Dr. Robert F. Barkley often get above 90% case acceptance. I bet you wouldn’t be surprised to know that Pankey Institute faculty are among them. Understanding how the mind works and structuring your new patient processes to beat the 4:1 odd is more than possible. I invite you to read my recently published book: Co-Discovery: Exploring the Legacy of Robert F. Barkley, DDS. The book is available at the Pankey Institute now with all proceeds benefiting the Institute.