I’m a big fan of funky socks.
As a dentist and business owner there’s a conservatism in dress sense expected, and interesting socks provide an opportunity to spice things up a bit.
It’s a wink across a crowded dance floor, a hint of sunshine peeking through a grey sky.
I’ve got a pair featuring flying pigs, another with sharks and one pair with Vegemite jars (props to my practice manager for those!)
Occasionally when I sit down my pants will stretch up over my knees and the hemline of my pant leg rides up to expose a pair of socks which might feature lobsters, coffee beans or bicycles depending on the day, and a patient will comment on them.
It’s always a fun talking point.
On occasions I’ll notice a patient or fellow team member wearing socks with a bit of extra flair and will remark on them too.
Last week we had a ten year old boy as a patient who required extraction of a heavily decayed tooth (for those dentally inclined….. extensive caries into upper right first permanent molar with pulpal involvement, extraction advised by orthodontist).
He was a great sport, had a raging mullet, and was managing well with nitrous oxide sedation when I came in to assist with the extraction which was proving tricky as the tooth kept crumbling during the efforts to extract it.
A wise paediatric dentist mentor of mine once taught me that “behaviour modification” with child patients is not about modifying the child’s behaviour to suit your needs, but the reverse.
Modify your behaviour to fit with them, rather than expect the reverse.
A great way to do this is to find a point of connection, and with this young man it was easy.
He was wearing a pair of socks covered in Cheezels.
They were a cracking pair of socks, and it allowed for an easy rapport to be built and he managed very well while we were able to finish the procedure for him and extract the troublesome tooth.
And that was that, job done.
Or so I thought.
The next day one of our reception team members came up to my office and said there was someone at the front desk to see me.
When I asked for more details she wouldn’t tell me who or what the mystery person at the front desk was there for, all she added was “You’ll like it.”
As I walked out I could see that it was the young man we’d seen the previous day there with his Mum (who was a superstar too and made the procedure better and easier for all concerned.)
In his hand he had….
A brand new pair of Cheezels socks for me.
My heart melted.
It’s this type of thing which gives an enormous amount of purpose and meaning to the work that we do at Fullarton Park Dental.
We try our very best to not be just “another” dentist, but rather provide the type of dental care that separates us, that makes us unique, that our patients value.
A big part of that is building rapport and relationships that our patients value.
The pair of Cheezels socks meant a lot to me.
It was at face value a simple gesture, but actually was an enormous one that my team and I all valued.
And dentistry is a team game after all.
I read recently about “strong link games” versus “weak link games.” In strong link games, the team with the best player wins. In weak link games, the team without the worst player wins.
We don’t have superstars, but we have a superstar team of high performers at Fullarton Park Dental, and patients are quick to notice this too.
Our patients often comment that “the whole team” is very good (not just one stand out performer), and this recognition is always music to my ears.
Which is likely why not only did the patient and his Mum have a pair of Cheezels socks for me, they also brought two additional pairs of other funky socks for the other treating dentist the patient saw, as well as the dental assistant who was present during the appointment as well.
Their recognition of the Fullarton Park Dental team resonated with me too.
The team help me each and every day to achieve great things. I’m proud of them and thrilled that others notice and appreciate their help and hard work too.
(This post contains no AI. Just a keyboard, some coffee, and a guy feeling thrilled with the pair of Cheezels socks on his desk).
