Let’s talk about something that’s happening in your office every single day whether you notice it or not. Once you understand it, it’ll change how you think about your words, your team, and even the color of your waiting room chairs.

In his book Thinking, Fast and Slow, Daniel Kahneman shares a powerful study by psychologist John Bargh that shows just how easily we’re all influenced without even realizing it.

Bargh and his team gave NYU students a set of five words, and asked them to form four-word sentences. Simple enough. But, here’s the twist: for some students, the words were neutral. For others, the words had a theme — Florida, bald, grey, wrinkle, forgetful — that subtly hinted at aging.

After the students finished the sentence exercise, the researchers secretly measured how fast they walked down the hallway when leaving the room. The results? The students who had seen the “aging” words walked noticeably slower than the ones who hadn’t. None of them had any idea it happened. The idea of “aging” hadn’t entered their conscious mind but it still influenced their behavior.

That’s priming. And, it’s happening in your dental practice.

Every word your team says, every smell in the office, every wall color, uniform, logo, and hallway sign; it’s all silently shaping how your patients feel, what they think about you, and whether or not they say “yes” to treatment.

As Malcolm Gladwell puts it in Blink, we make instinctive judgments all the time, especially in a busy world. Your patients are no different. They’re judging if they trust you, feel safe, and if your office is worth telling their friends about often — before you’ve even looked in their mouth!

So what does that mean for us as practice owners?

It Means Everything Matters

• The way your front desk answers the phone.
• The music in your waiting room.
• The color of your team’s scrubs.
• The smell of your sterilization area (ideally the lack thereof).
• The energy your hygienist brings into the room.
• The exact phrasing your assistant uses when explaining the next steps after treatment.

All of it is silently “priming” your patients to either feel at ease or feel unsure about you.

So This Week

Take a 10-minute walk through your office this week as if you’re a brand new patient. Look. Listen. Smell. Read every sign. Watch the body language of your team. Ask yourself: “What am I being primed to think about this place?”

Then, gather your team and talk about it and tell them the story from above! Pick one small thing you can improve: better wording at the front desk, a new scent in the waiting room, a fresh coat of paint, or simply more smiles and eye contact.

It doesn’t take a full remodel to make a difference! It just takes awareness and consistency. The truth is, we’re always sending a message even when we think we’re not.

Be well and do well,

Addison Killeen

P.S. Are you looking for ideas from other dentists about how you can improve priming in your practice? Join Dental Success Network with a free 7-day trial and collaborate with other dentists with real experience that can help improve your practice!