The motivational mockup is a hallmark of the Digital Smile Design philosophy that has fundamentally changed dentistry. Now, like never before, patients are able to see, feel and experience the life-changing impact of their new smile, before the dentist even gets to work in their mouth.
This is a powerful appointment and a crucial step in the DSD process that not only transforms the patient's emotional experience but can dramatically increase case acceptance. When approached in the right way, it has the power to transform your patient’s perception of dentistry and demonstrate your value in their eyes.
More than a Mirror
To truly harness the power of the mockup, it’s not enough to simply take a few photos of the patient ‘wearing’ their new smile. Instead, we must become facilitators of an incredibly emotional experience.
First, we produce technically accurate and artistic portraits that capture the life-changing impact of their new smile. We make sure to involve the patient, making sure they have lots of fun with the process. Then, we present these photos in a way that gets our patients excited and enthusiastic about the end result!
Why is emotion fundamental in the mock up appointment?
One of the most common roadblocks to case acceptance is failing to treat this process with the emotion it deserves. But why is it so important to provide an emotional experience for patients?
👉 Because it’s not just great results patients want, it’s the experience on the way there. Through our innovative mockup, the experience we create as dentists can surprise them, excite them, and get them emotionally invested in their new smile before treatment even begins – but only if we treat the process with emotion.
👉 Because often, patients view dental treatment as boring, time-consuming, and even uncomfortable. It’s something they put off or dread doing. We make treatment fun by providing an experience that gets them emotionally involved in the process.
👉 Because many patients won’t fully appreciate the impact of a new smile until they see it with their own eyes… and this is a life-changing moment that we want to help them remember. They smile, they laugh and they cry happy tears in disbelief, and we’ll be right there enjoying every moment with them!
Build better patient relationships
The benefits of the motivational mockup appointment aren’t all for the patient though. As the dentist, you also have the chance to build better and closer relationships with your patients when they see what you can deliver for them.
The mockup appointment is also a powerful way to develop a greater understanding of the process and convince your staff about the value of DSD. During DSD Residency 1, Christian recalls an example of when DSD Key Opinion Leader Dr Karla Soto did one of her first mockups when implementing DSD in her practice:
“I was going to explain the importance of DSD to my staff and suddenly they were all in the room seeing the patient’s reaction and I didn’t have to say a word. They were like: ‘Can we do this with everybody?’”
How can you increase the emotional impact of your mock up appointments?
1. Get your team invested
To make this happen you need to have your staff on board. This is the number one priority.The process only works when the entire team is as excited about the process as you are, creating a seamless experience for your patients.
2. Keep up the momentum
The second appointment journey is all about keeping up momentum and organizing a sequence of events to create maximum impact. For the greatest success, we suggest really practicing this second consultation with your staff to ensure that you know what you’re doing at every step of the process.
3. Create a connection
Let the patient enjoy the moment. Show your patient their new smile, let them react, and adapt your behavior to their reaction. Give them the time to enjoy the moment and appreciate the life-changing impact of their smile transformation.
4. Let them take the excitement home
To provide information and translate the excitement of that day when the patient goes home, we give them a booklet of the whole photography session – the best photos and videos from the mockup. Many patients say ‘Can I go home with the mockup? I need to show my mum and my wife, they need to decide with me.”
Master the Smile Test Drive and Emotional Presentation
Are you ready to improve the emotional quality of your appointments, your photos, and your presentations? If so, join us at DSD Residency 1, the first and only dentistry course in the world that uncovers proven strategies on how to attract the right patients. In this dynamic course, you’ll learn the fundamentals of the Emotional Presentation and how to diagnose, educate, motivate, and convert patients to ethically increase your case acceptance rates.
Want to bring the Emotional Presentation to your clinic?
Don't wait to start bringing your patients the smile experience they deserve. If you’re ready to learn the most powerful treatment plan presentation format in dentistry then download our step-by-step guide.
If you’re new to DSD and ready to start your journey with digital and interdisciplinary dentistry, we highly recommend you schedule a call with one of our expert advisors to get tailored advice on where to begin.
