Dealing with complaints

Dentists spend much of their time in close contact with their patients. This facilitates a positive professional-patient rapport, and helps dentists to gain a deeper understanding of each individual. As a result, every patient receives tailored dental care suited to their situation.

However, most dentists will encounter patient complaints throughout their career, and regardless of the complaint’s validity, it can be incredibly demoralising. The elusive nature of grievances means they can come at any time, for any reason, and so devising a preventative strategy can be challenging. Nonetheless, all dentists should continue to minimise the possibility of complaints arising and should a claim be made, be able to take steps to rectify the situation.

Regardless of whether a dentist is new to the industry, or has been in the field for years, patient complaints provide the opportunity to learn from errors and gain the skills necessary to handle complaints confidently and constructively.

Complaints and treatment