clients or Patient?

I came across this text recently on an Open University site, and it got me thinking.

• The term 'client' is often used in a professional services context, like accountancy, but is increasingly applied to a range of services in the public and third sector. In part this is because it suggests a mutual expectation and is intended to recognise the stake each has in the relationship.

When I qualified in 1982, I wondered should I be called Mr Smith, or a few years later, Dr Smith.
Now nearly everyone calls me Tony. I'm now saying goodbye, and I reflect on how our relationship has changed.


When I qualified, my patients were 100% NHS. I didn't do any posterior white fillings, tooth whitening, implants, or any orthodontics that took more than two months. As I retire, my old practice is about 33% NHS, and the rest is private revenue.
A lot of the practice income is hygienist therapy and elective procedures such as whitening, Invisalign, Implant work, Botox. 


The term client implies the individual to be aware of their responsibility to maintain their health. If they want an elective cosmetic service, they obtain that as a client. If they have a disease, then the relationship changes to that of a patient. With the demands of the NHS we need to reinforce the individual's responsibility for societies health.


To avoid seeing patients, I have have made a free App promoting public prevention in oral health. You can create a good client base through prevention and promote your services by customising the teeth4life App. 
For more advice on prevention and MID we have made a website teeth4life.org.uk. It will be updated by some of us senior dentists to collaborate with our experience to help your career. All the business coaches maintain that motivated "clients" buy your services. You don't need to sell.


Hi, 
Can you direct me to someone in your marketing department? I have made an App which allows the dentist to customise it for themselves. I made a video yesterday to engage the public and the profession on social media. 
https://vimeo.com/454981557
I have been asked to help with Fds next year and make a video on my experience and how to engage other health professionals. This is it. 
 Hi 
I've made a video on my experiences over 38 years.
When I started, we had no gloves or keyboards.
This is how I may be able to help you now I have retired.
https://vimeo.com/453115506
Please download the App, remember to add your postcode.
And share it with your young colleagues and us older ones.




To be free for the public and dentists it will need some sponsorship. Can you help?


Dental litigation is a problem. It seems to have taken off around the millennium. One of the bigger firms began which is two years after dental specialist register started.


Perhaps we ought to consider why we try to improve our skills when so many of the public can no longer afford them? It seems to me that we try to improve our skills to maintain our interest to what for many has become a routine job. 


The university and academics benefit from our fees, but do the public at large. My finals case presentation was of a two part denture. It was checked by an oral surgeon who fortunately couldn't get it out no matter how hard he pulled. We need specialists for the 10% who can afford them, but we need these expert witnesses to check other disciplines. That would be fairer for the public and dentists at large who have a far better skill set for the public at large.