I finished writing my annual Christmas letter to my patients. Each year we do a large mailing of cards stuffed with my letter. I've been told by enough patients that they really enjoy reading it, so I keep doing it year after year.

I didn't know what to say, really, for this year's letter. I didn't make any major purchases or add services or change very much around my office in 2010, so I didn't have much to say.

But it occurred to me as I started the letter that some of our patients don't seem to know exactly what services we offer. We had a patient who came in recently after about a year absence, and I kept looking at the work done in her mouth, thinking, "this doesn't look familiar." So finally I asked her about it, and she told me that she had gone elsewhere and gotten it done.

The work was sort of starting to fail, and it was why I didn't recommend the treatment she ended up receiving in the first place. But she mentioned what she paid for the root canal she got (about a hundred bucks more than what I charge), and I mentioned what I charge, and she said to me, "Oh, I didn't know you even did those!" She thought I didn't DO any of the treatment she had.

I told her that I did, but there was a reason I didn't recommend it for her, and she was starting to see those reasons already. I fixed her problems and told her that I wasn't sure how long it would last. The last thing she said was that she will be staying with me from here on out. Whether she does, we'll see.

But I was sort of shocked to hear her say that she didn't KNOW I did this type of dentistry. So in this year's letter, I decided to mention the services I do provide, and the services I do not provide.

Maybe it will make someone at least ask before they decide I don't do what they are wanting done.

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