Episode Details

Welcome to What I Wish I Knew by Dental Head Start. This is a podcast where we learn from people that have been there, made the mistakes, learnt the lessons and have developed into the accomplished dental professionals they are today.

It’s your weekly mentoring session.

So, you just told the patient why they need a crown and they completely agree that the treatment makes sense. Now comes the hard part, quoting the fee.

You think to yourself, are they expecting it to be this high? The last patient was so shocked by the price and didn’t re-book. What if they don’t go ahead with the treatment? And my crowns aren’t as good as those other dentists I see on Facebook; who am I to charge this much? Perhaps I should give them a discount. They are a student after all. I’ll just get the front desk to email them the quote later.

Sound familiar?

Most of us feel a little uncomfortable discussing fees with our patients. It’s no longer just a conversation about what’s clinically the best treatment option for them; this is what we are trained to do. It’s far more personal and the struggle we have around the subject says more about us, our mindset and biases around money than anything else.

Dr Sam Koh shares his top tips around shifting our mindset so that we can discuss treatment fees with less fear and greater confidence.

Dr. Sam Koh

Dr Sam Koh is a Melbourne-based dentist, graduating from The University of Melbourne with First Class Honours. As the principal dentist of Orions Dental Taylors Lakes & Heyfield Dental Group, his special interests are in Cosmetic Dentistry and Orthodontics.

Following a personal recommendation from world-renown Orthodontist Dr Derek Mahony, Dr Koh has been awarded with a prestigious fellowship from the International Academy of DentoFacial Esthetics in New York, and also holds a fellowship in orthodontics as well as a fellowship from the Pierre Fauchard Academy in London.

Dr Koh is a proud member of the Colgate Advocates for Oral Health: Editorial Committee. He is also the co-founder of the Young Dentist Hub, which has over the last few years been at the forefront of dental education events in Australia for young dentists and students alike, both of which he is highly enthusiastic and devoted to mentoring. Further to this, he is also a KOL for KaVoKerr, as well as several other dental companies such as ClearCorrect and P