In this modern day and age, Chicago residents in the search for a family, cosmetic, general or implant dentist are increasingly turning to the advice provided by the patients who have gone before them, and perhaps rightly so. The experience of other patients provides a greater indicator of service excellence than any number of credentials, although, of course, the right qualifications and experience are exigent!
But what do Chicago dentists have to say about patient reviews and testimonials themselves? Are they useful to them as well, or do they prove to be a thorn in the side of an otherwise successful practice?
We spoke to a well-known and widely respected general, cosmetic and implant dentist who maintains two very successful private practices in downtown Chicago IL and Dyer, Indiana. Here’s what he had to say about this issue, which can prove to be a double-edged sword…
What’s your take on patient testimonials? Do you think they have a fair influence on prospective patients?
Dr. Irfan Atcha:
Oh absolutely! What our patients have to say about the level of service they receive under our care is vitally important, not only to us – it’s how we improve and seek to attain higher standards of care – but also to those looking for a good, reliable and trustworthy dental healthcare professional. It’s easily understandable why the public places such an emphasis on patient testimonials and reviews. I know that when I travel, I take a good look at the reviews provided by previous travellers before simply booking into any old hotel. Then again, even five-star hotels have the occasional bad review, so you’ve got to take it with a pinch of salt and weigh it up against the good reviews.
How does a dentist such as you go about handling complaints and bad reviews? Do you ignore them, or do you try to address them?
Dr. Irfan Atcha:
Any dentist who has been in practice for more than a few years will have experienced disgruntled patients. And unfortunately, sometimes these patients take their complaints against you publicly. It’s our policy at our private practices to address these complaints at grassroots level – we do our very best to fix any problem the patient may have had and to try and achieve the outcomes they originally wanted in a safe and cost-effective manner.
However, in spite of our efforts, there will always be people who have unrealistic expectations and when we are not able to fulfill these expectations, they become very unhappy. Should they take their complaints against us publicly, all we can do is try to highlight the amazing results we do achieve and that we currently have thousands of patients in Chicago and Indiana who are exceptionally happy with the outcomes of their treatment. I am not about to launch an all-out online verbal war with a patient in the interests of “telling my side of the story.” Our practices’ consistent performances speak very much for themselves.
Bad reviews are clearly more potent than good reviews and testimonials. What message would you want to deliver to prospective patients in light of this?
Dr. Irfan Atcha:
Just to realize that any establishment – be it a dentist’s office, a hospital, a hotel, or even a restaurant - can never truly escape occasional criticism. And most of the time, this is through no direct fault of our own. Dental treatment is not always 100% successful and it doesn’t always yield perfect outcomes. No dentist in Chicago or Indiana is going to boast 100% treatment success because it is simply not possible, again, not through any fault of their own (although this is known to happen), but often because of the challenges and limitations posed by the individual case. The body can reject dental implants, infection can set in post-operatively and some patients may experience more pain than others. Just because your experience lies outside the norm doesn’t mean the dentist let you down and you receive sub-standard treatment.
We’re not asking the public to ignore bad reviews and bad patient testimonials, because these are very important in guiding them away from malpractice and instead, towards medical healthcare professionals who will look after them properly. What we are rather saying is that you need to consider both the positive and the negative. If a dentist has 100 positive reviews and just one bad review, it wouldn’t be fair to brand them a bad dentist. You’ll be hard pressed to find a Chicago family dentist with a spotless track record. Even old magazines or slightly wilted flowers in the waiting room can get a complaint from a difficult patient.
I’d also imagine that the people who take the time to write reviews are more often than not dissatisfied with their experience. If I go to the doctor and have a good appointment, I’m not exactly going to jump online and sing their praises. I’d just get on with life. If, however, I’d had a terrible experience, I’d let them and any prospective patient know all about it!
Dr. Irfan Atcha:
Absolutely, that is often the case. It’s in these instances that you need to look at the content of the review. Why is that dentist getting a bad review? What was the patient unhappy about? As I said, we often see patients whose teeth are in terrible condition and while we have the expertise, technology and advanced training to repair much of the damage done through lifelong neglect, we occasionally fail to meet the expectations of the patient, which can, in all honesty, be unrealistic. A prosthetic leg will never measure up to a leg made of bone, muscle and living tissue. Likewise, a dental prosthesis can never fully rival the benefits of a complete set of natural, healthy teeth, although it’s the best the industry has to offer.
A Final Note
And so, from the dentist’s perspective, it would seem as though bad patient testimonials and reviews require a little more scrutiny from us. Considerations such as the number and content of bad reviews versus the number and content of good reviews need to be made, because resulting discriminations might be keeping us from great dental health care and truly quality and compassionate dentists.