Westchester's online newsletter for April 2018
2975 Westchester Avenue, Suite G02, Purchase, NY 10577
• www.oralsurgeryofwestchester.com
Creating Relationships in 30 Minutes or Less A MATTER OF TRUST
I am thrilled with the path my career took. Back when I played pro golf, I wouldn’t have imagined becoming an oral surgeon and running two offices with a trusted partner by my side, but I’m grateful to be here. I love mywork, though it’s not without its difficulties. One of the biggest challenges happens to be learning how to establish a relationship with new patients, especiallywhen I only have a limited amount of time at a consultation to do so.
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I am envious of the relationships
IT’S MY JOB TO DO WHAT’S BEST FOR A PATIENT, AND TO ACHIEVE THIS, I TREAT MY PATIENTS HOW I WOULD WANT TO BE TREATED.
general dentists and orthodontists are able to develop with their patients. Seeing a patient every six months for a checkup or every few weeks for adjustments opens the door for a standing relationship built on trust. I’ve found it’s hard to form that connection with a patient during your first meeting. Plus, there’s the added
patients into accepting that I know best, but that isn’t how I would want to be treated by my doctor.
Establishing a trusting relationship takes time, and though I only have a fewminutes during a meeting, I don’t try to take any shortcuts. Instead, I willingly share a bit about myself and find personal things the patient and I can connect on. I’m honest, and I plainly let people knowwhat I think they need and why a specific treatment will help them best in the long run. That honesty echoes through the conversation, and I’ve found patients really resonate with that approach. It’s my job to do what’s best for a patient, and to achieve this, I treat my patients how I would want to be treated. I won’t lie, it can be exhausting when you have to start from scratch with new patients every day. But the effort is entirelyworth it. When we reach that place of comfort, I can see that my patients feel like I knowwhat I’m talking about and trust that I truly care about them. Then, we can move ahead with the procedure, and I get to see howmuch a patient’s life improves when they aren’t in pain anymore. That’s what makes this job so fulfilling. It’s a lot of work, but I know I’m helping people become healthier and live pain-free lives.
obstacle of fear when patients are scared to have oral surgery, and they aren’t exactly looking forward to seeing the bill later, either.
This is probably the most challenging part of my job. During a consultation, I only have approximately 15–30 minutes to help a patient get to a place where they trust me to perform surgery on them. Having your wisdom teeth removed is hard enough, but have you ever told a patient you need to graft a piece of bone to their jaw? Just hearing about the procedure hurts. It is so important for me that my patients trust me and have confidence that I want to do what’s best for them. Patients come into my office because they know something is wrong and want to fix it. Many of them come in because their general dentist or orthodontist sent them over, but they’re still hesitant to commit to a treatment plan. I could throwmyweight around as “the professional” and pressure
Dr. Harrison Linsky Westchester Office • 914-251-0313
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Handling Negative Customer Experience
Though many people are quick to say failure is not an option, it doesn’t make a lot of sense. If we never failed at anything, howwould we learn from our mistakes? Mistakes create the building blocks to success — it might be rough and bumpy, but we learn and move forward. It’s the same when you find an angry customer on your hands. You can use the opportunity to learn and make sure their next experience is better. How do you handle a mistake? First, don’t point fingers. If a customer wasn’t satisfied with their interaction with your business, own up to it. When you try to defend yourself, it creates
more issues. The customer wants the problem resolved. They don’t care about the reason you failed. Approach the problemwith an open mind and calm demeanor. Let the customer know that you are sorry for your mistake, and be empathetic. As a bonus, offer them a free coupon of some kind to entice the customer to come back to your company. It shows that you are truly sorry for what they went through. Facing negative feedback through online reviews can be tricky. It can feel as though they’ll make or break your company. This,
similar to talking to an angry customer, depends on how you handle the situation. One option is to focus on getting the review removed. If you have proof that the review is untrue, this may be possible. However, if the review is correct, addressing it as politely and calmly as you can will be the best approach. Let them know you are aware of the problem and that it’s being addressed. Everyone makes mistakes, but it’s howwe fix and learn from our mistakes that shows our true colors. Showing your customers you are able to handle mistakes will leave a far more lasting impression than the mistake ever will.
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OUR PATIENTS SAY IT BEST
“Dr. Michael Graffeo has first- class expertise in his field of oral surgery and implantology and in the personal service that he provides his patients. Over the past few years, I had an emergency extraction, dental implants, and bone grafting. My experience with Dr. Graffeo has been top-notch, not only because of the skill with which he performed each procedure,
but also because he took the time and effort to collaborate with my dentist, Dr. Kenneth Magid, DDS. Together, they worked closely to coordinate my treatment and provide me with the ultimate care and attention. For that, I will be forever grateful and will highly recommend Dr. Graffeo and his team at Westchester Oral & Maxillofacial & Implantology.” -Kim M.
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FROM ANCIENT CHINA to Boston, Massachusetts
The Painful History of Anesthesia
For millennia, doctors attempted to alleviate their patients’ pain during surgery with varying degrees of success. The most effective use of anesthesia in the ancient world came from China around 200 CE. The legendary physician Hua Tuo developed a mixture he called “mafeisan,” which could induce unconsciousness and partially block neuromuscular transmissions. Mafeisan allowed Hua Tuo to perform complex surgeries, including appendectomies. Unfortunately, Hua Tuo’s discoveries were lost to time, and doctors spent centuries trying to create effective anesthesia. Prior to the advent of anesthesia, surgery was seen as necessary torture. When describing her mastectomy, 19th-century English novelist Fanny Burney wrote, “I began a scream that lasted unintermittently during the whole time of the incision ... so excruciating was the agony ...” Prior to her surgery, Burney was given only a wine cordial, which was the norm for the time. Before undergoing surgery, doctors
could offer their patients little more than opium, alcohol, and a prayer.
On Oct. 16, 1846, at the Ether Dome at Boston Massachusetts General Hospital, Morton
While patients suffered physically, surgeons suffered emotionally. It was not uncommon for surgeons to break down or vomit after a traumatic procedure. At the turn of the 19th century, John Abernethy, a surgeon at London’s St. Bartholomew’s Hospital, said entering the operating roomwas like “going to a hanging.” The first successful use of anesthesia in modern medicine took place in 1842 when medical student William E. Clarke used ether to painlessly remove a female patient’s tooth. But when one of Clarke’s professors claimed the incident was just the “hysterical reaction of women to pain,” Clarke discontinued his work. Fortunately, this wasn’t the end of anesthesia research. Numerous experiments occurred in the following years, but the one that caught the world’s attention was conducted by dental surgeon William T. G. Morton.
administered a dose of what he called “letheon” to a patient who then underwent surgery to remove a vascular tumor on his neck. The patient reported feeling no pain, and Morton was celebrated as a genius … until it was revealed letheon was actually just easily acquired sulfuric ether. A number of Morton’s former professors and partners came forward to demand their share of the invention, and when Morton tried to patent letheon, members of the medical community viewed him as unethical. Despite the rocky start, the use of sulfuric ether as an anesthetic became common practice throughout the world. Today, anesthesia is a vast field that continues to evolve. However, patients and doctors can thank these early experiments for paving the way for painless surgery.
Roasted Asparagus with Lemon Breadcrumbs
Have a Laugh
INGREDIENTS
DIRECTIONS
1. Heat oven to 425 F. Toss asparagus with 2 tablespoons olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Place on baking sheet and bake for 20–26 minutes, turning asparagus halfway through. 2. When asparagus is nearly done, heat remaining olive oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add breadcrumbs and cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from heat and fold in parsley and lemon zest. 3. Transfer asparagus to serving platter, drizzle with lemon juice, and top with breadcrumb mixture.
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2 pounds asparagus
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1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
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Kosher salt
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Freshly ground pepper
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2 garlic cloves, minced
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1 cup panko breadcrumbs
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1 tablespoon flat-leaf parsley, chopped
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2 teaspoons lemon zest
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Juice of one lemon (not packaged lemon juice)
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Westchester Office • 914-251-0313
2975 Westchester Avenue Suite G02 Purchase, NY 10577
PRST STD US POSTAGE PAID BOISE, ID PERMIT 411
914-251-0313 www.oralsurgeryofwestchester.com
INSIDE This Issue
PG 1
How Do You Gain a Patient’s Trust?
PG 2
Handling Negative Customer Experience Our Patients Say It Best
PG 3
A Drink of Lethe
Roasted Asparagus With Lemon Breadcrumbs
PG 4
April Fools’ Pranks From the Pre- Internet Age
April Fools’ Day isn’t what it used to be. Sure, it’s still a fun distraction, with Google announcing “scratch and sniff” digital technology and Amazon declaring new features enabling Alexa to understand your pets. But it’s pretty hard for anyone to genuinely pull your leg in the internet age. Back when you couldn’t debunk a hoax with a simple Snopes search, things were a little more interesting. Here are a few of the most hilarious — yet somehow convincing — April Fools’ pranks in history. Nixon for President, 1992 When NPR’s popular “Talk of the Nation” program announced in 1992 that former President Richard Nixon had announced his candidacy for the Republican presidential nomination, listeners were shocked. Never mind that he’d been the center of the largest presidential scam in history, but his campaign slogan, “I never did anything wrong, and I won’t do it again,” left something to be desired. NPR even brought political experts on the show to discuss the ramifications of such a move, and listeners flooded the station with outraged calls — until host John Hockenberry revealed that the on-air Nixon was actually comedian Rich Little. 3 April Fools’ Pranks From Earlier, More Trusting Times
Swiss Spaghetti Growers Enjoy Record Harvest Ah, to be as naive as
we were during the early days of television. In 1957, a BBC news show called “Panorama” conducted a special report on a massive spaghetti harvest in Ticino,
Switzerland, following a remarkably mild winter. The black and white images showed farmers pulling huge strands of noodles off tall trees and prompted hundreds of viewers to call into the station and ask how they might procure their own spaghetti tree. Thomas Edison’s Amazing Food Machine When Edison was in his prime, Americans truly believed he could create anything — even a machine that transformed air, water, and dirt into biscuits, vegetables, meat, and wine, as reported by the NewYork Daily Graphic in 1878. The article was reprinted in newspapers across the country. Thousands of people bought the trick. When Buffalo’s Commercial Advertiser ran an editorial on Edison’s genius in the endeavor, the Graphic reprinted it in full, along with the headline, “They Bite!”
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