A shoulder to lean on

John Donne said: 'No man is an island' and it's as true today as it was in the 1600s. Despite the advent of new technology and communications, we remain highly social beings and having the support of those around us is important confirmation for our decisions. When we buy an expensive item, there is a psychologically significant moment when having made our purchase, we seek vindication for our actions, talking to those around us, explaining and validating the reasons for the purchase, which then serves as justification that we have made the right decision.

When you make the decision to change a clinical element of your practice you may feel less of a need to seek support, this after all is the area of your own expertise. However, should you choose to alter a business element within your practice the need for endorsement is likely to be that much greater.

Choosing to change your funding mechanism is as important a decision as you will ever make in terms of your business, but I can safely say that in the past 18 months, those dentists who have a payment plan option for their patients are extremely glad they do.