By Tom Rich, MBA, GG12 Senior Practice Analyst
Pain is a powerful motivator. Behavioral scientists all the way back to Freud have identified, in almost every case, that there are two primary motivators: pleasure and pain. As such, virtually every person on Earth will spend much of their life either pursuing pleasure or fleeing from pain. In terms of efficacy, these same scientists have suggested that, of these two primary motivators (pleasure and pain), pain is — by far — the more persuasive. While pleasure can be motivational and something to hope and strive for, it is rarely in our control, often fleeting, and requires ever- increasing stimuli — that which made us happy last year is less than what is required to give us the same amount of pleasure this year. All of this leads to the simple conclusion that pleasure is not as potent a motivator as pain.
“People will ignore prevention, but they'll die or even kill for a cure.”
"Mrs. Jones … does this tooth hurt yet?" (If she says, "No," you get bonus points if you add, "Wow, you're really fortunate. Often, when I see a tooth like this, my patients are already in pain.") There is a powerful psychological change that occurs when you ask these types of questions. When asking her if she is in pain yet, it actually causes Mrs. Jones to mentally feel the pain. Here's a fun FACT: The brain doesn’t know the difference between something that occurs in the outside world and something it imagines. “FACT: the brain doesn’t know the difference between something that occurs in the outside world and something it imagines.” The simple truth is that Mrs. Jones has a condition that, if left untreated, may at some point cause her to feel pain, and potentially a great deal of it. If neglected long enough, her condition may even cause the loss of the tooth. Using the right verbal skills will dramatically increase the probability that she (and other patients like her) will accept your treatment plan, improving your patients' lives and your bottom line at the same time. For other powerful verbal skills like these, go to InsidersCircle.com and enter "verbal skills" in the search bar or ask your Personal Gems Concierge for assistance finding any resource on Planet Gems.
Pain is something to be feared, hated, and avoided at all costs. When we’re in pain, it is pervasive and possesses the mind to the point that the only thing we can think about is how to get out of it. Our pain- addled mind forces us into a hyperobsession with relief. This often drives us to make decisions we normally would not make, even to the point of engaging in completely irrational and possibly dangerous behavior. As such, pain — even the fear of pain — often propels us to take action far more drastically than the pursuit of pleasure.
People will ignore prevention, but they'll die or even kill for a cure. Entire industries are founded on this basic principle.
How does this relate to your practice?
Around 90–95% of the patients we see in a general dental practice are asymptomatic. This means that despite the active chronic infection in their gums or the damage or caries in their teeth, they don’t feel any pain; therefore, they are less likely to believe that they need to accept recommended treatment. When Mrs. Jones comes in for her regular checkup, she has wide- open margins on several decades-old amalgams, but she doesn't feel any pain. The options are: 1) present the logical reasons for why she needs treatment and hope she accepts, or 2) use the fear of pain and the power of "yet." In other words ... show her the enlarged, high- resolution image of the restoration that is failing in place, and ask … 4 InsidersCircle.com | 1-888-880-GEMS (4367)
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