The Best Practices Show: Recent Episodes
ACT Dental
Learn the SECRETS of the best dental practices with Kirk Behrendt, CEO of ACT Dental, through interviews with leaders in the industry. actdental.com
Provider production reports can reveal far more than which clinician produced the most. When production numbers are viewed without context around capacity, schedule utilization, experience, and procedure mix, they can create inaccurate comparisons and unproductive conversations. In this episode, Kirk Behrendt and practice coach Miranda Beeson explain how to evaluate production by provider as a management and coaching tool rather than a scorecard.
You will learn how to connect production with capacity, identify what is influencing each provider’s results, and use the data to create clearer expectations and better opportunities for your team to succeed. To learn how to get more useful information from your provider production reports, listen to Episode 1084 of The Best Practices Show!
Main Takeaways:
- Provider production reports should be used as decision-making and coaching tools rather than simple scorecards.
- Production comparisons should account for differences in schedule capacity, clinical responsibilities, experience, and procedure mix.
- Capacity measures how much of a provider’s available clinical time is actually being utilized with patients in the chair.
- Production and schedule utilization should be reviewed together to determine whether each provider has an appropriate opportunity to produce.
- Practice owners should investigate why providers or specific days perform differently instead of assigning blame based on production totals alone.
- Reviewing successful and unsuccessful days with the team can reveal scheduling, case acceptance, and service-mix opportunities.
- Clear expectations and collaborative review of production data can support provider development and associate retention.
Episode Chapters:
00:00 Intro
02:19 Why production reports matter
04:00 Evaluating associate production with schedule utilization.
06:15 Defining provider capacity.
07:58 What practices get wrong with production reports.
12:42 What healthy practices do differently.
15:57 A practical exercise for reviewing production and capacity.
18:00 Reviewing successful and unsuccessful days with the team.
19:00 Developing providers and supporting associate retention.
20:00 Closing thoughts.
Guest Bio:
Miranda Beeson has over 25 years of clinical dental hygiene, front office, practice administration, and speaking experience. She is enthusiastic about communication and loves helping others find the power that words can bring to their patient interactions and practice dynamics. As a Lead Practice Coach, she is driven to create opportunities to find value in experiences and cultivate new approaches.
Miranda graduated from Old Dominion University, and enjoys spending time with her husband, Chuck, and her children, Trent, Mallory, and Cassidy. Family time is the best time, and is often spent on a golf course, a volleyball court, or spending the day boating at the beach.
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Contact Gina to learn more about ACT: gina@actdental.com
- The Best Practices Show:https://www.actdental.com/podcast/
- Smile Source Community Hub:https://www.actdental.com/community-hub
- Upcoming Events & Workshops:https://www.actdental.com/events/
- Smile Source:https://www.smilesource.com/
- Subscribe on Apple Podcasts:https://podcasts.apple.com
- Subscribe on Spotify:https://open.spotify.com
Does your dental practice clearly communicate what makes it different, or does it look and sound like every other office in your market? In this episode, Kirk Behrendt talks with Carlie Einarson, dental practice coach, about a four-step process for creating a practice that reflects what you value and attracts the patients you want to serve.
You will learn how to differentiate your practice, define your core customer, identify your core competencies, recognize weaknesses, and align your team and patient experience around a clear strategy. To build a practice around what you do best and the patients you want to serve, listen to Episode 1083 of The Best Practices Show!
Main Takeaways:
- Differentiation starts with clearly defining what your practice stands for rather than relying on convenience, insurance participation, technology, or other features competitors can replicate.
- Practices should identify their core customers by examining the patients who value treatment, respect the team, keep appointments, pay their bills, and refer others.
- Involving the team in defining the ideal patient creates alignment and can reveal patient characteristics the dentist may overlook.
- Core competencies should be meaningful strengths that patients value and competitors cannot easily imitate, rather than equipment, general labels, or expected levels of service.
- Consistently communicating what the dentist and practice care about helps attract patients who share those values.
- Practices should identify weaknesses such as poor systems, limited team development, weak treatment presentation skills, or gaps in the patient experience and address them strategically.
- Staying focused on your own strategy, values, patients, and strengths is more useful than trying to compete with another practice's size, technology, hours, or services.
Episode Chapters:
00:00 Intro
02:51 Why branding matters
05:35 Differentiation as a strategy for standing out.
07:06 Trust as the real product
12:00 Identifying the core customer you want to serve.
17:19 Defining your ideal patient with your team.
23:00 Identifying and communicating your core competencies.
28:50 Consistently talking about what your practice cares about.
31:00 Identifying weaknesses with self-awareness and team feedback.
33:51Clinical development, systems, and treatment presentation weaknesses.
38:11Staying true to your core purpose and values.
40:00 Staying focused instead of competing with other practices.
41:00 The Differentiation Tool and Strategic Marketing Guide.
Guest Bio/Guest Resources:
Carlie Einarson is a lead practice coach who has a passion for helping others succeed in the dental field. She loves helping to create a stable foundation for practices so both professionals and patients have a great experience every time they walk in the door!
Carlie graduated from Utah College of Dental Hygiene. She has ten years of experience in the dental field, including clinical dental hygiene, front office, and leading teams.
In her free time, she enjoys spending quality time with loved ones, traveling, skiing, playing volleyball, and golfing.
Episode Resources:
- The Differentiation Tool: https://join.actdental.com/c/resources/differentiation-tool
- The Strategic Marketing Guide: https://join.actdental.com/c/resources/strategic-marketing
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Contact Gina to learn more about ACT: gina@actdental.com
- The Best Practices Show:https://www.actdental.com/podcast/
- Smile Source Community Hub:https://www.actdental.com/community-hub
- Upcoming Events & Workshops:https://www.actdental.com/events/
- Smile Source:https://www.smilesource.com/
- Subscribe on Apple Podcasts:https://podcasts.apple.com
- Subscribe on Spotify:https://open.spotify.com
A dental practice can produce millions of dollars and still leave the owner wondering where the profit went. In this episode, Kirk Behrendt speaks with dental practice coach Courtney Dalton about the four financial gaps that determine how production becomes usable cash.
You will learn how to identify losses within adjustments, collections, overhead, and cash flow, along with the metrics and systems needed to improve profitability. Understand where your practice’s money is going and how to make informed financial decisions—listen to Episode 1082 of The Best Practices Show!
Main Takeaways:
- The effort gap is the difference between a practice’s full master fees and its net production after insurance and elective adjustments.
- Practices must enter full fees for every procedure so their production and adjustment data accurately reflect the dentistry performed.
- The collections gap measures the difference between net production and the money that reaches the practice’s bank account.
- Financial policies, accounts receivable systems, insurance follow-up, and payment options directly affect collection performance.
- The overhead gap represents the percentage of collections used for operating expenses across seven expense categories.
- The cash flow gap explains the difference between profitability shown on a profit-and-loss statement and the cash available after loans, taxes, owner compensation, and other outflows.
- Measuring and monitoring each gap gives practice owners the information needed to make targeted financial improvements.
Episode Chapters:
00:00 Why high-producing dental practices can still lack profit.
03:00 How production becomes profit within a dental practice.
04:24 The effort gap and the impact of adjustments.
05:44 Why practices must bill their full master fees.
09:26 How the effort gap affects APV, PPD, and PPV.
12:09 Why gross production does not determine practice value.
14:08 The collections gap and the 99% collection target.
16:04 Systems that improve collections and accounts receivable.
21:08 The overhead gap and seven expense categories.
23:04 Team compensation, staffing, and practice systems.
26:22 The cash flow gap between reported profit and available cash.
28:43 How loans and taxes affect cash flow.
32:49 Why earnings and profitability determine practice value.
33:20 The process of measuring, monitoring, and improving financial performance.
34:39 How the four financial gaps affect one another.
Guest Bio:
With an A.S. in Dental Hygiene from Manor College and a B.S. in Exercise Physiology from West Virginia University, Courtney blends her expertise in both healthcare and wellness to drive success.
As a member of the Business Development team, she is dedicated to helping doctors and practice owners realize their full potential by understanding the link between ownership, culture, and the health of the business. Courtney is all about building strong, thriving communities at home or in the office!
Courtney has been a part of the dental community since 2004 and is as passionate about patient care as she is about those who are providing it. Outside of ACT, Courtney enjoys exercising and spending time with her family.
Episode Resources:
- GAPS Calculator within the Community Hub: https://join.actdental.com/c/announcements-9fc6ae/financial-gaps-calculator
- https://www.actdental.com/free-resources/
- Smile Source Transform Membership: https://info.smilesource.com/smile-source-act-dental-transform-membership-1
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Contact Gina to learn more about ACT: gina@actdental.com
- The Best Practices Show:https://www.actdental.com/podcast/
- Smile Source Community Hub:https://www.actdental.com/community-hub
- Upcoming Events & Workshops:https://www.actdental.com/events/
- Smile Source:https://www.smilesource.com/
- Subscribe on Apple Podcasts:https://podcasts.apple.com
- Subscribe on Spotify:https://open.spotify.com
A strong production day does not always mean a dental practice used its time efficiently. In this episode, Kirk Behrendt and Miranda Beeson, co-host of The Best Practices Show, explain why production per hour provides a clearer view of provider efficiency than production per day alone. You will learn how schedule design, procedure mix, capacity utilization, delegation, and provider hours influence productivity, as well as how to calculate and evaluate production per hour in your practice.
To better understand the efficiency behind your production numbers, listen to Episode 1081 of The Best Practices Show!
Main Takeaways:
- Production per day shows the total outcome, while production per hour reveals how efficiently provider time was used.
- A high-production day may still be inefficient when it requires extra hours, rushed appointments, fragmented procedures, or working through lunch.
- Intentional scheduling and an appropriate procedure mix can help practices maintain production while reducing clinical hours.
- Measuring schedule utilization helps practices identify lost production caused by unfilled provider and hygiene time.
- Comparing high-performing and low-performing schedules can reveal which procedures, workflows, and provider habits improve hourly productivity.
- Delegating tasks to trained team members allows dentists to focus on the clinical responsibilities only they can perform.
- Production per hour should be reviewed with curiosity and used to improve systems rather than punish or compare providers.
Episode Chapters:
00:00 Why production per hour provides a clearer view than production per day.
01:00 Introduction to Metric Mondays and production efficiency.
02:17 The difference between daily production and hourly production.
03:48 What inefficient production looks like in practice.
05:24 Why production per hour is the ultimate measure of efficiency.
06:34 Creating leadership time through more strategic scheduling.
07:26 What practices do differently when they measure time effectively.
09:22 Improving production through schedule and capacity utilization.
10:12 The financial impact of open hygiene appointments.
11:18 How to calculate production per hour.
12:01 Comparing provider schedules and procedure mix.
13:18 Delegation as a way to improve provider efficiency.
14:41 Asking the team how efficiently time was used.
15:17 Using production data to identify practice opportunities.
Guest Bio:
Miranda Beeson has over 25 years of clinical dental hygiene, front office, practice administration, and speaking experience. She is enthusiastic about communication and loves helping others find the power that words can bring to their patient interactions and practice dynamics. As a Lead Practice Coach, she is driven to create opportunities to find value in experiences and cultivate new approaches.
Miranda graduated from Old Dominion University, and enjoys spending time with her husband, Chuck, and her children, Trent, Mallory, and Cassidy. Family time is the best time, and is often spent on a golf course, a volleyball court, or spending the day boating at the beach.
Episode Resources:
- Capacity Tracker: https://www.actdental.com/blog/data-snapshot-capacity-percentage
- Weekly Production Scorecard: https://www.actdental.com/blog/data-snapshot-production-per-visit
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Contact Gina to learn more about ACT: gina@actdental.com
- The Best Practices Show:https://www.actdental.com/podcast/
- Smile Source Community Hub:https://www.actdental.com/community-hub
- Upcoming Events & Workshops:https://www.actdental.com/events/
- Smile Source:https://www.smilesource.com/
- Subscribe on Apple Podcasts:https://podcasts.apple.com
- Subscribe on Spotify:https://open.spotify.com
When every question, decision, and critical process depends on the practice owner, growth slows and the team becomes increasingly dependent on one person. In this episode, Kirk Behrendt speaks with Heather Crockett, dental practice coach, about the three leadership bottlenecks that restrict practice performance: information, approval, and knowledge.
You will learn how consistent communication rhythms, clearly defined decision-making authority, documented systems, and cross-training can help your team operate with greater ownership and consistency. To identify and remove the leadership bottlenecks holding your practice back, listen to Episode 1080 of The Best Practices Show!
Main Takeaways:
- An information bottleneck occurs when important knowledge and communication flow only through the doctor or practice owner.
- Daily huddles, weekly team meetings, and leadership meetings create consistent communication rhythms throughout the practice.
- Leadership teams must align on decisions and quickly cascade the information to the rest of the team.
- An approval bottleneck develops when the doctor becomes responsible for routine operational decisions that other team members could own.
- A function and accountability chart clarifies responsibilities and gives team members defined decision-making authority.
- A knowledge bottleneck exists when a critical system or process is known by only one person.
- Documented systems, cross-training, delegation, and repeatable onboarding reduce dependence on individual team members.
Episode Chapters:
00:00 Intro
01:54 The three leadership bottlenecks holding practices back.
03:14 Signs of an information bottleneck.
04:31 Communication rhythms that improve information flow.
11:32 Signs of an approval bottleneck.
13:49 Developing leaders and reducing decision fatigue.
21:39 Signs of a knowledge bottleneck.
22:47 Documenting systems, cross-training, and delegating responsibilities.
25:58 Final leadership takeaways and the Leadership Bottlenecks guide.
27:28 Leadership training at the To The Top Study Club.
29:00 Episode wrap up
Guest Bio/Guest Resources:
Heather Crockett is a Lead Practice Coach who finds joy in not only improving practices but improving the lives of those she coaches as well. With over 20 years of combined experience in assisting, office management, and clinical dental hygiene, her awareness supports many aspects of the practice setting.
Heather received her dental hygiene degree from the Utah College of Dental Hygiene in 2008. Networking in the dental community comes easy to her, and she loves to connect with like-minded colleagues on social media. Heather enjoys both attending and presenting continuing education to expand her knowledge and learn from her friends and colleagues.
She enjoys hanging out with her husband, three sons, and their dog, Moki, scrolling through social media, watching football, and traveling.
Episode Resources:
- Leadership Bottlenecks Guide: https://join.actdental.com/c/resources/leadership-bottlenecks
- Traction by Gino Wickman: https://www.amazon.com/Traction-Get-Grip-Your-Business/dp/1936661837
- To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt/
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Contact Gina to learn more about ACT: gina@actdental.com
- The Best Practices Show:https://www.actdental.com/podcast/
- Smile Source Community Hub:https://www.actdental.com/community-hub
- Upcoming Events & Workshops:https://www.actdental.com/events/
- Smile Source:https://www.smilesource.com/
- Subscribe on Apple Podcasts:https://podcasts.apple.com
- Subscribe on Spotify:https://open.spotify.com
Miscommunication in a dental practice often begins when doctors and team members make assumptions instead of clarifying expectations. In this episode, Kirk Behrendt speaks with Dana Watson, a dental practice educator, consultant, and certified Five Voices of Leadership trainer, about how assumptions create inaccurate stories, unresolved conflict, and inconsistent systems.
You will learn how to establish clearer expectations, build reliable communication rhythms, prepare for difficult conversations, and improve communication with both team members and patients. To reduce assumptions and create greater clarity in your practice, listen to Episode 1079 of The Best Practices Show!
Main Takeaways:
- Team members create inaccurate stories when important information is missing.
- Clear expectations help teams understand and consistently perform the behaviors required in the practice.
- Morning huddles and regular team meetings provide structured opportunities to address communication gaps.
- Leaders build respect when they acknowledge their own communication mistakes.
- Clarifying questions such as “Help me understand” can uncover the facts behind frustration or confusion.
- Important systems, core values, and non-negotiable expectations should be documented in writing.
- Dentists should not assume that patients understand available services, treatment recommendations, or clinical terminology.
Episode Chapters:
00:00 The danger of assumptions in dental practice communication.
01:06 Dana Watson’s background in education and dentistry.
03:05 How missing information causes people to create stories.
05:58 Why communication systems require ongoing attention.
07:35 Dana’s Everyday Excellence non-negotiables.
10:47 Creating intentional opportunities for doctors and teams to reconnect.
12:39 Using “Help me understand” as a clarifying question.
14:13 Expectations, personality differences, and the Five Voices of Leadership.
17:05 Communication rhythms and morning huddles.
19:17 The consequences of leaving conflict unresolved.
21:19 Reinforcing communication through written systems.
23:14 Avoiding assumptions when communicating with patients.
24:32 The Exchange and CollaborCon
27:15 Closing thoughts.
Guest Bio:
Dana is an international speaker, author of Married to Dentistry, and a dedicated advocate for excellence in the dental field. After a decade of teaching high school science, she transitioned to dentistry to help her husband run his practice. With over 20 years of experience, Dana has developed a passion for empowering dental teams to achieve their best. Her speaking journey began in 2006 when she shared insights on Bettering Your Best with an international audience.
Dana says she did not “choose” to go into dentistry, but found it necessary to join her husband’s practice to help it improve. At first, she felt resentful, but she came to love it, and it ignited a great passion for working in the dental field.
Today, Dana inspires teams with her leadership, culture, and systems expertise.
Resources:
- Five Voices of Leadership by Jeremie Kubicek and Steve Cockram:
- https://www.amazon.com/Voices-Communicate-Effectively-Everyone-Lead/dp/1119111099
- Communication Code: https://www.amazon.com/Communication-Code-Strategies-Stronger-Relationships/dp/1394150539
- Dana Watson’s website: https://danaspeaksdental.com/
- The Exchange: https://smilesource.com/exchange
- CollaboriCon: https://www.collabriconcrew.com/
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Contact Gina to learn more about ACT: gina@actdental.com
- The Best Practices Show:https://www.actdental.com/podcast/
- Smile Source Community Hub:https://www.actdental.com/community-hub
- Upcoming Events & Workshops:https://www.actdental.com/events/
- Smile Source:https://www.smilesource.com/
- Subscribe on Apple Podcasts:https://podcasts.apple.com
- Subscribe on Spotify:https://open.spotify.com
How much of your practice’s production can you actually count on as collectible revenue? The gap between gross production and net production can obscure profitability, distort financial decisions, and lead dentists to work harder without improving cash flow.
In this episode, Kirk Behrendt and Metric Monday co-host and ACT Dental coach Miranda Beeson explain how gross production reflects clinical activity while net production reflects the financial reality of the practice. You will learn how to calculate your adjustment percentage, identify where production is being reduced, and use accurate data to make better decisions about providers, operatories, insurance participation, and growth—listen to Episode 1078 of The Best Practices Show!
Main Takeaways:
- Gross production reflects the services and clinical activity completed by the team.
- Net production represents the amount the practice can potentially collect after adjustments.
- Practices must bill their full fees to accurately measure gross production and adjustment activity.
- Decisions about adding providers, operatories, patients, or locations should not be based on gross production alone.
- Adjustment categories should be specific enough to distinguish PPO adjustments, membership plan adjustments, professional courtesies, and other discounts.
- The adjustment percentage is calculated by dividing total adjustments by gross production.
- Reviewing gross production, adjustments, and net production together provides a clearer picture of profitability and collectible revenue.
Episode Chapters:
00:00 Intro
02:13 Gross production and net production explained
04:07 Why the gap between the two metrics matters.
05:45 How gross production can lead to poor growth decisions.
08:14 Reframing write-offs as discounts.
11:36 How practices use both metrics correctly.
14:08 Working smarter vs working harder
15:51 How to calculate and evaluate the adjustment percentage.
18:57 Improving adjustment tracking and reporting.
19:53 Wrap up
Guest Bio:
Miranda Beeson has over 25 years of clinical dental hygiene, front office, practice administration, and speaking experience. She is enthusiastic about communication and loves helping others find the power that words can bring to their patient interactions and practice dynamics. As a Lead Practice Coach, she is driven to create opportunities to find value in experiences and cultivate new approaches.
Miranda graduated from Old Dominion University, and enjoys spending time with her husband, Chuck, and her children, Trent, Mallory, and Cassidy. Family time is the best time, and is often spent on a golf course, a volleyball court, or spending the day boating at the beach.
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Contact Gina to learn more about ACT: gina@actdental.com
- The Best Practices Show:https://www.actdental.com/podcast/
- Smile Source Community Hub:https://www.actdental.com/community-hub
- Upcoming Events & Workshops:https://www.actdental.com/events/
- Smile Source:https://www.smilesource.com/
- Subscribe on Apple Podcasts:https://podcasts.apple.com
- Subscribe on Spotify:https://open.spotify.com
Avoiding a difficult conversation may reduce discomfort in the moment, but it creates confusion, weakens accountability, and allows unresolved issues to grow. In this episode, Kirk Behrendt speaks with Miranda Beeson, coach and director of education, about how leaders can address performance concerns while maintaining trust and supporting their team members.
You will learn why accountability is an investment, how unclear expectations damage culture, and how to use the LIFT framework to lead productive accountability conversations. Build a healthier culture through clearer communication—listen to Episode 1077 of The Best Practices Show!
Main Takeaways:
- Avoiding uncomfortable conversations creates confusion, inconsistency, frustration, and larger problems over time.
- A healthy practice culture requires both support and accountability.
- Accountability should call people up by showing that leaders believe they are capable of meeting a higher standard.
- Leaders must clarify whether an expectation gap resulted from unclear leadership or a team member not meeting an established standard.
- Team members are more likely to accept direct feedback when leaders begin with genuine care and support.
- Explaining the impact of a missed expectation helps team members understand why their actions matter.
- Accountability conversations must end with a specific commitment, action, and follow-up plan.
Episode Chapters:
00:00 Why leaders avoid necessary conversations.
03:06 How avoidance damages accountability and culture.
06:00 Why unresolved conflict becomes a crisis.
07:49 Accountability as an investment in team members.
11:58 Why being nice is not always kind.
14:20 Introduction to the LIFT feedback framework.
15:27 Lead with care.
18:10 Identify the expectation gap.
21:30 Frame the impact.
24:02 Translate the conversation into commitment.
26:04 Applying LIFT to a scheduling and patient-flow issue.
29:11 Developing leaders who can hold others accountable.
32:00 Using accountability to lift people into better performance.
34:00 Resources coaching & wrap up
Guest Bio:
Miranda Beeson has over 25 years of clinical dental hygiene, front office, practice administration, and speaking experience. She is enthusiastic about communication and loves helping others find the power that words can bring to their patient interactions and practice dynamics. As a Lead Practice Coach, she is driven to create opportunities to find value in experiences and cultivate new approaches.
Miranda graduated from Old Dominion University, and enjoys spending time with her husband, Chuck, and her children, Trent, Mallory, and Cassidy. Family time is the best time, and is often spent on a golf course, a volleyball court, or spending the day boating at the beach.
Resources:
- To The Top Group Coaching: https://www.actdental.com/ttt/
- Guide to Giving and Receiving Feedback:
- https://www.actdental.com/blog/h.a.l.t.-before-giving-feedback
- Radical Candor by Kim Scott: https://www.radicalcandor.com/the-book
- Thanks for the Feedback by Douglas Stone and Sheila Heen: https://www.stoneandheen.com/thanks-feedback
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- The Best Practices Show:https://www.actdental.com/podcast/
- Smile Source Community Hub:https://www.actdental.com/community-hub
- Upcoming Events & Workshops:https://www.actdental.com/events/
- Smile Source:https://www.smilesource.com/
- Subscribe on Apple Podcasts:https://podcasts.apple.com
- Subscribe on Spotify:https://open.spotify.com
- Contact Gina to learn more about ACT: gina@actdental.com
Effective orthodontic collaboration depends on giving specialists a precise restorative endpoint before treatment begins. In this episode, Kirk Behrendt speaks with Dr. Bill Robbins, a general dentist, educator, and co-author of Global Diagnosis, about why conventional orthodontic referrals often produce teeth that are improved but not positioned correctly for definitive restorative treatment.
You will learn how pre-orthodontic and intermediate bonding create a three-dimensional blueprint, why the restorative dentist must be involved before appliances are placed, and how composite and printed restorations can make interdisciplinary treatment more efficient. To improve communication with your orthodontic team, listen to Episode 1076 of The Best Practices Show!
Main Takeaways:
- Traditional two-dimensional orthodontic prescriptions do not provide a precise restorative endpoint.
- Pre-orthodontic bonding makes worn teeth anatomically correct before the orthodontist moves them into position.
- Intermediate bonding may be necessary when a patient is already in appliances or when early bonding would create an unaesthetic appearance.
- The practitioner completing the final restorative treatment should be involved in treatment planning before orthodontic appliances are placed.
- Anatomically correct teeth improve communication with orthodontists, periodontists, and oral surgeons.
- General dentists who want to provide higher-level restorative dentistry need strong composite skills.
- Printed restorations may make pre-orthodontic bonding more efficient than direct composite placement.
Episode Chapters:
00:00 Intro
01:05 Dr. Bill Robbins introduces the evolution of interdisciplinary communication.
03:00 Why communication with orthodontists is more complex than communication with periodontists.
04:06 The limitations of two-dimensional orthodontic prescriptions.
05:53 How pre-orthodontic bonding creates an anatomical blueprint.
07:40 Using three-dimensional communication to simplify orthodontic treatment.
09:16 When intermediate orthodontic bonding is necessary.
11:31 How anatomical correction affects implant placement and crown lengthening.
13:26 What general dentists commonly get wrong when referring adult orthodontic cases.
14:33 Why composite is an essential skill for restorative dentists.
17:54 Digital wax-ups and printed pre-orthodontic restorations.
19:21 The future of pre-orthodontic bonding.
20:00 Dr. Robbins previews his presentation at The Exchange.
20:24 The second edition of Global Diagnosis and its expanded airway component.
22:00 How to access Dr. Robbins’s pre-orthodontic bonding article.
25:15 Final Thanks and Wrap Up
Guest Bio:
Dr Bill Robbins is an acclaimed educator and author with decades of experience in restorative and interdisciplinary dentistry. His book Global Diagnosis: A New Vision of Dental Diagnosis and Treatment Planning has become a cornerstone reference for clinicians worldwide.
J. William Robbins, D.D.S., M.A., maintains a private practice and is Adjunct Clinical Professor in the Department of Comprehensive Dentistry at the U. T. Health San Antonio Dental School. Dr. Robbins has published over 80 articles, abstracts, and chapters on a wide range of dental subjects and has lectured in the United States, Canada, Mexico, South America, Europe, Middle East, China, and Africa.
Resources mentioned in the episode:
- Dr. Bill Robbins’s website: https://www.robbinsdds.com/
- Pre-Orthodontic Bonding article: https://www.robbinsdds.com/#articles
- Global Diagnosis: https://www.quintessence-publishing.com/usa/en/product/global-diagnosis
- The Exchange: https://smilesource.com/exchange
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- The Best Practices Show:https://www.actdental.com/podcast/
- Smile Source Community Hub:https://www.actdental.com/community-hub
- Upcoming Events & Workshops:https://www.actdental.com/events/
- Smile Source:https://www.smilesource.com/
- Subscribe on Apple Podcasts:https://podcasts.apple.com
- Subscribe on Spotify:https://open.spotify.com
Periodontal disease is common, but many dental practices still underdiagnose it, undertreat it, and perform difficult prophies that do not address the patient’s condition. In this episode, Kirk Behrendt speaks with Carlie Einarson, ACT Dental coach and former dental hygienist, about the hidden clinical and financial costs of low periodontal diagnosis, visit, and treatment acceptance percentages.
You will learn how to evaluate these metrics, identify gaps in your periodontal process, improve patient communication, and create a consistent protocol across your team. To uncover missed treatment opportunities and help more patients achieve better health, listen to Episode 1075 of The Best Practices Show!
Main Takeaways:
- Perio visit percentage measures how many hygiene patients receive treatment associated with periodontal codes.
- A low perio diagnostic percentage may indicate that periodontal disease is being missed or inconsistently documented.
- A low perio visit percentage may indicate that diagnosed treatment opportunities are being left untreated.
- A low perio acceptance percentage may reflect unclear communication about the condition, recommended therapy, and value of treatment.
- Every adult patient should receive a consistent periodontal evaluation that includes appropriate radiographs, probing measurements, bleeding documentation, and clinical findings.
- Hygienists and dentists should help patients co-discover periodontal disease instead of only telling them what treatment they need.
- Chart audits and a shared periodontal protocol can help providers diagnose, document, and recommend treatment consistently.
Episode Chapters:
00:00 The hidden cost of underdiagnosed periodontal disease.
01:37 The purpose of Metric Mondays.
02:30 The three periodontal metrics practices should monitor.
04:18 How improving periodontal treatment affects the rest of the practice.
06:08 What an underperforming periodontal program looks like.
07:37 What low diagnostic, visit, and acceptance percentages reveal.
09:00 Why periodontal metrics are leading indicators of practice health.
10:11 What practices do differently when they get periodontal care right.
11:01 Helping patients understand periodontal disease through co-discovery.
12:00 Why “gum infection therapy” communicates more value than “deep cleaning.”
13:15 The importance of a consistent periodontal protocol.
14:08 How to review periodontal metrics and conduct chart audits.
15:44 ACT Dental’s periodontal protocol resources and coaching support.
Guest Bio/Guest Resources:
Carlie Einarson is a lead practice coach who has a passion for helping others succeed in the dental field. She loves helping to create a stable foundation for practices so both professionals and patients have a great experience every time they walk in the door!
Carlie graduated from Utah College of Dental Hygiene. She has ten years of experience in the dental field, including clinical dental hygiene, front office, and leading teams.
In her free time, she enjoys spending quality time with loved ones, traveling, skiing, playing volleyball, and golfing.
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- The Best Practices Show:https://www.actdental.com/podcast/
- Best Practices Association:https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Upcoming Events & Workshops:https://www.actdental.com/events/
- Smile Source:https://www.smilesource.com/
- Subscribe on Apple Podcasts:https://podcasts.apple.com
- Subscribe on Spotify:https://open.spotify.com
When should a dental practice owner continue coaching a team member, and when is it time to let that person go? In this episode, Kirk Behrendt speaks with Katrina Sanders, a clinical dental hygienist, business owner, and dental educator, about identifying leadership gaps, clarifying expectations, evaluating core-value alignment, and addressing performance problems before they damage the team.
You will learn how to distinguish between employees who lack support and employees who are unwilling to meet expectations, why accountability should never be a surprise, and which behaviors may signal that termination is the right decision. To build a stronger, more aligned team, listen to Episode 1074 of The Best Practices Show!
Main Takeaways:
- Leaders must clearly communicate expectations, standards, and operating procedures before holding team members accountable.
- Core values give team members practical guidance for making decisions and understanding what excellence looks like.
- Practice owners should determine whether inadequate tools, training, calibration, or support are preventing a team member from succeeding.
- Regular scorecards and feedback conversations give employees a clear understanding of whether they are meeting expectations.
- A team member’s lack of motivation may result from toxic team dynamics rather than an absence of drive.
- Employees who reject accountability, remain misaligned with core values, or repeatedly refuse to improve may need to be released.
- Team members should not be surprised by termination when leaders have provided timely feedback, corrective action, and opportunities to improve.
Episode Chapters:
00:00 Intro
01:40 When is it truly time to let a team member go?
04:02 Katrina explains what she discovered after returning from maternity leave.
06:34 Leaders must examine whether expectations were communicated clearly.
12:00 Core values establish practical standards for team behavior.
19:23 Missing tools may be the real cause of poor clinical performance.
20:24 Regular check-ins create a clear line of sight for success.
23:00 Expectations should evolve as team members gain experience.
24:01 Drive, determination, and work ethic cannot always be trained.
26:11 Toxic team dynamics can demotivate otherwise strong employees.
27:48 The “today is the day” conversation allows employees to self-select out.
34:00 Counteroffers may not solve the underlying reason an employee wants to leave.
37:16 Consistently reinforcing core values helps protect the practice culture.
40:31 Katrina identifies the conditions that may justify termination.
43:00 Katrina previews her Pockets, Paradigms and Protocols program.
Guest Bio/Guest Resources:
In the ever-changing world of dental science where research, technology, and techniques for patient care are constantly evolving, dental professionals look to continuing education to provide insight, deliver actionable steps, empower, and create a dramatic impact within their clinical practice.
With wit, charm, and a dash of humor, Katrina Sanders enchants dental professionals with her course deliverables, insightful content, and delightful inspiration. Her message of empowerment rings mighty throughout her lectures and stirs a deep sense of motivation amongst course participants.
Katrina is the Clinical Liaison for AZPerio, the country's largest periodontal practice. She performs clinically, working alongside Diplomates to the American Board of Periodontology in the surgical operatory. Katrina perfected techniques during L.A.N.A.P. surgery, suture placement, IV therapy, and blood draws. She instructs on collaborative professionalism and standard-of-care protocols while delivering education through hygiene boot camps and study clubs.
Resources mentioned:
Website: www.katrinasanders.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thedentalwinegenist/
Program: https://katrinasanders.com/speaking/
https://smilesource.com/exchange
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
The Best Practices Show:https://www.actdental.com/podcast/
Smile Source Community Hub:https://www.actdental.com/community-hub
Upcoming Events & Workshops:https://www.actdental.com/events/
Smile Source:https://www.smilesource.com/
Subscribe on Apple Podcasts:https://podcasts.apple.com
Subscribe on Spotify:https://open.spotify.com
Owning a dental practice can become stressful when clinical production leaves little time for leadership, planning, and business development. In this episode, Kirk Behrendt speaks with Ariel Sigel, dental practice coach, about three strategic shifts that help owners build more profitable, sustainable practices.
You will learn how to create time to work on the business, use data to make intentional decisions, and establish communication rhythms that give your team greater clarity and accountability. For practical steps to become a more effective owner and leader, listen to Episode 1073 of The Best Practices Show!
Main Takeaways:
- Practice owners must allocate dedicated time to function as entrepreneurs rather than spending all of their time producing dentistry.
- Consistent administrative time and weekly team meetings can improve efficiency without reducing overall production.
- Practice decisions should be guided by reliable data rather than emotions, isolated complaints, or short-term fluctuations.
- Teams can use a small number of key metrics and an issues list to identify, discuss, and solve important problems.
- Regular huddles, team meetings, leadership check-ins, and quarterly planning sessions create predictable communication rhythms.
- Clear expectations and repeated communication reduce assumptions, improve accountability, and strengthen team alignment.
- Owners should implement these shifts gradually and build consistent habits instead of introducing every change at once.
Episode Chapters:
00:00 Intro
02:07 The three roles of clinician, leader, and entrepreneur.
05:24 Why owners need dedicated time to work on the business.
09:10 How consistent leadership and team meeting time improves efficiency.
16:10 Moving from reactive decisions to intentional decisions through data.
18:00 Using habit stacking, key metrics, and quarterly priorities.
20:58 Moving from chaos to clarity through communication rhythms.
24:00 How consistency and proactive communication create alignment.
26:36 Preventing meetings from becoming complaint sessions.
28:00 Using a structured meeting format to improve effectiveness.
29:08 Implementing the three strategic shifts one step at a time.
31:00 Resources for KPIs, communication rhythms, and practice improvement.
Guest Bio/Guest Resources:
Ariel has a master’s in healthcare administration and several years of dental experience in all aspects of the administrative roles within the dental office. Her passion is to work with dental teams to empower team members to realize their full potential in order to better serve patients, improve office systems to ensure a well-functioning team/office, and to help everyone have fun in the process!
Episode Resources:
https://www.actdental.com/free-resources/
Atomic Habits by James Clear:
https://jamesclear.com/atomic-habits
Traction by Gino Wickman: https://www.amazon.com/Traction-Get-Grip-Your-Business/dp/1936661837
To the Top study club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt/
https://www.actdental.com/free-resources/
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- The Best Practices Show:https://www.actdental.com/podcast/
- Best Practices Association:https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Upcoming Events & Workshops:https://www.actdental.com/events/
- Smile Source:https://www.smilesource.com/
- Subscribe on Apple Podcasts:https://podcasts.apple.com
- Subscribe on Spotify:https://open.spotify.com
When insurance drives patient conversations, treatment decisions can shift away from health needs and toward coverage limits. In this episode, Kirk Behrendt speaks with Carlie Einarson, dental practice coach, about changing the way teams discuss insurance, treatment, and patient value. You will learn how insurance-first language affects trust and profitability, which metrics reveal the financial impact of PPO participation, and how to lead with relationships and clinical recommendations instead of benefits.
To help patients choose your practice for the care you provide rather than your participation on an insurance list, listen to Episode 1072 of The Best Practices Show!
Main Takeaways:
- Insurance-centered conversations can cause patients to base treatment decisions on coverage rather than their health needs.
- Repeatedly mentioning insurance trains patients to view it as the primary decision-maker.
- PPO adjustments create an effort gap between a practice’s full fee and the amount it ultimately collects.
- Teams should explain the patient’s condition, recommended treatment, and value of care before discussing benefits.
- Insurance should be positioned as a benefit that may contribute toward treatment rather than determine treatment.
- Practices need to track their adjustment and write-off percentages before making informed decisions about PPO participation.
- Relationship-based conversations help patients choose a practice because they trust the team and the care it provides.
Snippets:
00:00 When insurance drives the conversation, value gets lost.
01:19 Introduction to Metric Mondays and Carlie Einarson.
02:32 Why insurance-centered conversations affect treatment decisions.
03:37 How practices unintentionally create insurance-focused patients.
04:15 Signs that insurance is driving conversations in the practice.
05:43 How PPO write-offs create an effort gap.
07:25 A relationship-based response to insurance questions.
09:07 What insurance conversations look like when a practice gets them right.
10:44 Track adjustments, write-offs, and the practice’s effort gap.
11:16 Why trust and value should guide patient decisions.
13:33 Questions teams can ask to evaluate insurance-focused language.
15:09 Create value before discussing price or benefits.
15:47 Share the episode with the team and discuss a different approach.
Guest Bio/Guest Resources:
Carlie Einarson is a lead practice coach who has a passion for helping others succeed in the dental field. She loves helping to create a stable foundation for practices so both professionals and patients have a great experience every time they walk in the door!
Carlie graduated from Utah College of Dental Hygiene. She has ten years of experience in the dental field, including clinical dental hygiene, front office, and leading teams.
In her free time, she enjoys spending quality time with loved ones, traveling, skiing, playing volleyball, and golfing.
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- The Best Practices Show:https://www.actdental.com/podcast/
- Best Practices Association:https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Upcoming Events & Workshops:https://www.actdental.com/events/
- Smile Source:https://www.smilesource.com/
- Subscribe on Apple Podcasts:https://podcasts.apple.com
- Subscribe on Spotify:https://open.spotify.com
Finger-pointing is often a sign that team members do not have clear ownership of essential practice responsibilities. In this episode, Kirk Behrendt speaks with Charlene Marques, an ACT Dental coach, about using a function accountability chart to clarify roles, establish measurable accountability, and prevent important tasks from slipping through the cracks.
You will learn how consistent reporting, scorecards, and one-on-one feedback can reduce conflict and help team members understand how to succeed in their roles. To create clearer ownership throughout your practice, listen to Episode 1071 of The Best Practices Show!
Main Takeaways:
- Finger-pointing is usually a symptom of unclear ownership and accountability.
- A lack of clarity can cause missed follow-ups, aging insurance claims, unsigned treatment plans, ordering mistakes, and scheduling problems.
- Leaders often respond to unclear accountability by fixing problems themselves, double-checking work, and micromanaging team members.
- A function accountability chart defines the practice’s major functions, the seats within each function, and the responsibilities assigned to each seat.
- The responsibilities of each seat should be defined before assigning a person to that seat.
- Scorecards and key performance indicators help teams identify whether a function is on track or off track.
- Regular one-on-one conversations provide timely feedback and allow leaders to coach team members throughout the year.
Snippets:
00:00 Intro
02:00 Finger-pointing is a symptom of unclear ownership and accountability.
04:17 Common language that reveals an ownership gap.
05:00 Operational problems caused by unclear responsibilities.
06:10 How practice leaders become fixers and micromanagers.
08:21 The purpose of a function accountability chart.
09:44 Why the person should be assigned to the seat last.
11:00 Creating a consistent rhythm of reporting and feedback.
12:00 Using a 90-day scorecard to track functional health.
13:47 Tracking insurance aging and outstanding claims.
15:24 Why annual performance reviews do not provide enough feedback.
16:34 Structuring regular one-on-one check-ins.
18:18 How consistent meetings build trust and develop leaders.
19:24 Three requirements for reducing finger-pointing.
20:21 Function accountability chart and scorecard resources.
Guest Bio/Guest Resources:
With over 20 years of experience in the administrative side of dentistry, Charlene has become a trusted coach and partner for dental practices looking to reach their full potential. Throughout her career, she has had the privilege of helping many dentists turn their visions into reality, creating streamlined systems and protocols that empower both the practice and its team. There is nothing more rewarding than seeing the success of a practice as it grows and thrives through thoughtful planning and execution.
Outside of work, Charlene enjoys quality time with her husband and their two rescue pets - Ruby, a sweet cat and Harley, a loyal dog. She also cherishes visits to sunny Florida where she spends time with her sister and niece, making the most of family moments whenever possible.
With a passion for helping others achieve their goals, Charlene is dedicated to providing exceptional guidance and support to dental practices, ensuring their success for years to come.
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- The Best Practices Show:https://www.actdental.com/podcast/
- Best Practices Association:https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Upcoming Events & Workshops:https://www.actdental.com/events/
- Smile Source:https://www.smilesource.com/
- Subscribe on Apple Podcasts:https://podcasts.apple.com
- Subscribe on Spotify:https://open.spotify.com
- gina@actdental.com
- Free resources: https://www.actdental.com/free-resources/
Moving away from insurance can create fear for dentists who worry patients will leave, the team will resist, or production will suffer. In this episode, Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. Troy Schmedding, a private practice dentist in Walnut Creek, California, to explain how he transitioned out of insurance participation, rebuilt his practice around quality and communication, and created more control over how he practices.
You will learn why team alignment matters, how to communicate insurance changes with patients, and why quality and customer service are essential for an out-of-network model. To learn how one dentist reclaimed control by ditching insurance and prioritizing quality, listen to Episode 1070 of The Best Practices Show!
Main Takeaways:
- Dentists often struggle to leave insurance because of fear and self-limiting beliefs about whether their patients will stay.
- A practice can become less busy but more productive when it is well-managed and focused on quality care.
- Going out-of-network requires strong communication with the team and with patients.
- Patients respond better when the conversation focuses on quality of care rather than complaints about insurance companies.
- Billing insurance on behalf of patients remains an important customer service step after leaving insurance networks.
- Patient referrals can become stronger when existing patients value quality, service, and the practice model.
- A successful out-of-network practice depends on having a team that supports the doctor’s vision and communicates well with patients.
Snippets:
00:00 Introduction to Dr. Troy Schmedding and the topic of moving away from insurance.
01:09 Kirk introduces Dr. Schmedding and the Best Practices Show.
04:15 Dr. Schmedding explains how insurance reimbursement cuts influenced his decision-making.
06:51 Fear and self-limiting beliefs keep dentists from changing their insurance model.
10:49 Team alignment is necessary before making major insurance changes.
13:54 Referrals shift when patients understand and value the practice model.
15:06 Dr. Schmedding shares his perspective on dentists’ frustration with Delta Dental.
17:54 Kirk and Dr. Schmedding discuss the future of out-of-network private practice.
21:28 Dr. Schmedding explains what dentists often misunderstand about his practice model.
23:00 Dr. Schmedding discusses his upcoming Smile Source Exchange presentation.
24:54 Final thoughts & Closing
Guest Bio/Guest Resources:
Dr. Troy Schmedding is a honors graduate of the Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry in San Francisco, California. He maintains a private practice in Walnut Creek, Ca. where he focuses on aesthetic and functional dentistry. An Accredited member of the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry, he lectures both nationally and internationally on aesthetics and restorative materials. He has also written and published numerous articles on restorative materials and protocols in numerous dental magazines. Dr Schmedding also serves as a Key Opinion Leader for numerous manufacturers helping develop and bring new products to market.
Resources mentioned in this episode:
- Dr. Troy Schmedding on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/troyschmeddingdds/
- Smile Source Exchange: https://smilesource.com/exchange
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- The Best Practices Show:https://www.actdental.com/podcast/
- Best Practices Association:https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Upcoming Events & Workshops:https://www.actdental.com/events/
- Smile Source:https://www.smilesource.com/
- Subscribe on Apple Podcasts:https://podcasts.apple.com
- Subscribe on Spotify:https://open.spotify.com
Sharing numbers with the team can feel difficult for dentists who worry that data will seem cold, corporate, or disconnected from patient care. In this episode, Kirk Behrendt brings back Miranda Beeson, dental hygienist and coach, to explain why sharing metrics feels so hard and how to make those conversations productive, consistent, and patient-centered.
You will learn how to connect KPIs to patient outcomes, reduce defensiveness around data, and help your team understand how their roles affect the health of the practice and the patients you serve. To learn how to make metrics a healthier part of your leadership, listen to Episode 1069 of The Best Practices Show!
Main Takeaways
- Dentists often struggle more with managing and leading people than with the clinical side of dentistry.
- Data conversations become difficult when the team only hears about numbers during problems or emergencies.
- Metrics feel cold when leaders discuss production and collections without connecting them to patient care.
- Reappointment percentage reflects whether patients are staying on track with preventive care.
- Treatment acceptance shows whether patients understand the value of recommended care and are moving forward with treatment they want or need.
- Perio visit percentage helps teams see whether they are proactively addressing periodontal disease.
- Leaders can make data easier to discuss by explaining what each metric measures, what systems affect it, and how improvement benefits the patient experience.
Snippets:
00:00 Intro
01:13 Meet Miranda Beeson
02:27 Miranda explains why many practice owners hesitate to share data.
05:27 What happens when practices do not review numbers with the team.
06:52 Why KPI reporting can feel like it is only about making more money.
10:22 What it looks like when leaders introduce KPIs well.
11:10 KPI Examples That Matter
14:34 Kirk discusses the compounding effect of stronger perio visit percentages.
15:56 Miranda explains why leaders must set the tone around data.
16:14 Miranda introduces resources for connecting metrics to patient experience.
19:06 Kirk closes by encouraging leaders to share numbers in a way that helps the team and patients.
Guest Bio/Guest Resources:
Miranda Beeson has over 25 years of clinical dental hygiene, front office, practice administration, and speaking experience. She is enthusiastic about communication and loves helping others find the power that words can bring to their patient interactions and practice dynamics. As a Lead Practice Coach, she is driven to create opportunities to find value in experiences and cultivate new approaches.
Miranda graduated from Old Dominion University, and enjoys spending time with her husband, Chuck, and her children, Trent, Mallory, and Cassidy. Family time is the best time, and is often spent on a golf course, a volleyball court, or spending the day boating at the beach.
Resources mentioned in this episode:
- To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt/
- ACT Dental resources: https://www.actdental.com/free-resources/
- For more information about the community, contact gina@actdental.com
- KPI Mastery: https://www.actdental.com/127
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- The Best Practices Show:https://www.actdental.com/podcast/
- Best Practices Association:https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Upcoming Events & Workshops:https://www.actdental.com/events/
- Smile Source:https://www.smilesource.com/
- Subscribe on Apple Podcasts:https://podcasts.apple.com
- Subscribe on Spotify:https://open.spotify.com
Burnout is not always caused by the amount of work someone is doing. It can also result from spending too much time performing work that creates frustration and drains energy. In this episode, Kirk Behrendt speaks with Heather Crockett, ACT Dental coach, about applying the Working Genius model to burnout, leadership, team responsibilities, and patient care.
You will learn how to recognize frustration-based burnout, delegate work according to energy and natural strengths, and use all six working geniuses to improve the patient experience. To create a healthier team and find more joy at work, listen to Episode 1068 of The Best Practices Show!
Main Takeaways:
- Burnout can result from the type of work someone performs, not only the amount of work assigned.
- High performers may burn out faster because they try to complete all six types of work at a consistently high level.
- Promotions can place capable team members into roles that rely heavily on their areas of frustration.
- Leaders should consider a team member’s energy and working geniuses instead of delegating solely according to available capacity.
- Each of the six working geniuses contributes differently to treatment planning, communication, follow-through, and patient trust.
- Team members become more effective in their geniuses when they receive regular opportunities to use and develop them.
- A fulfilled and energized dental team communicates more effectively and creates a stronger patient experience.
Snippets:
00:00 Applying Working Genius to burnout, leadership, and patient care.
02:43 A review of the six working geniuses.
03:43 How working frustrations drain energy.
05:18 Why the type of work can cause burnout.
06:35 How promotions can move high performers into frustrating work.
08:26 What burnout looks like on dental teams.
09:40 Why high performers may burn out faster.
11:22 Leadership mistakes related to Working Genius.
13:31 Delegating according to energy instead of capacity.
16:12 How each working genius supports patient care.
18:27 Why fulfilled teams create better patient experiences.
20:20 Final lessons about burnout, team roles, and contribution.
21:42 Taking the assessment and starting a team conversation.
22:48 Working Genius education at the Exchange.
Guest Bio/Guest Resources:
Heather Crockett is a Lead Practice Coach who finds joy in not only improving practices but improving the lives of those she coaches as well. With over 20 years of combined experience in assisting, office management, and clinical dental hygiene, her awareness supports many aspects of the practice setting.
Heather received her dental hygiene degree from the Utah College of Dental Hygiene in 2008. Networking in the dental community comes easy to her, and she loves to connect with like-minded colleagues on social media. Heather enjoys both attending and presenting continuing education to expand her knowledge and learn from her friends and colleagues.
She enjoys hanging out with her husband, three sons, and their dog, Moki, scrolling through social media, watching football, and traveling.
Resources mentioned on the episode:
Working Genius Assessment:https://www.workinggenius.com/
The 6 Types of Working Genius by Patrick Lencioni: https://www.amazon.com/Types-Working-Genius-Understand-Frustrations/dp/1637743297
Smile Source Exchange: https://smilesource.com/exchange
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- The Best Practices Show:https://www.actdental.com/podcast/
- Best Practices Association:https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Upcoming Events & Workshops:https://www.actdental.com/events/
- Smile Source:https://www.smilesource.com/
- Subscribe on Apple Podcasts:https://podcasts.apple.com
- Subscribe on Spotify:https://open.spotify.com
A clicking jaw joint may not hurt, but pain alone does not reveal whether the joint is healthy, stable, or affecting growth and occlusion. In this episode, Kirk Behrendt speaks with Dr. Jim McKee, a restorative dentist and educator, about evaluating clicking joints from a structural and orthopedic perspective.
You will learn how the articular disc supports condylar position, mandibular and maxillary growth, vertical dimension, bone protection, and load distribution, as well as why patient age, malocclusion, and joint anatomy should guide diagnosis. To understand why dentists need to ask better questions about clicking joints, listen to Episode 1067 of The Best Practices Show!
Main Takeaways:
- The articular disc acts like a gasket that positions the condyle three-dimensionally and supports a repeatable bite.
- A displaced disc can affect mandibular and maxillary growth even when the patient does not report pain.
- Malocclusion can be an early clinical indicator of structurally altered temporomandibular joints.
- Changes in vertical dimension at the joint level can contribute to excessive loading and breakdown of terminal posterior teeth.
- MRI and CBCT provide information about soft-tissue and hard-tissue joint anatomy that cannot be determined from symptoms alone.
- Appliances can redistribute load and support adaptation, but they cannot guarantee that every structurally altered joint will adapt.
- An asymptomatic clicking joint in a stable adult should be evaluated differently from an asymptomatic clicking joint in a growing patient with malocclusion.
Snippets:
00:00 Intro
02:28 Why pain may be a late-stage indicator of a joint problem.
04:31 What a clicking disc may be unable to do compared with a normal disc.
08:12 Why teeth are only one part of the occlusal system.
10:27 How the disc supports mandibular growth.
15:12 How disc displacement may affect maxillary growth.
19:35 Why joint diagnosis matters before orthodontic treatment.
22:54 Understanding vertical dimension at the joint level.
26:44 How the disc protects bone and distributes load.
29:42 Using malocclusion to identify patients who may need joint evaluation.
36:05 How patient age and occlusal stability change the clinical significance of clicking.
38:19 Educational resources for learning joint diagnosis and restorative treatment planning.
44:27 Final Takeaways
Guest Bio/Guest Resources:
Dr. Jim McKee is a restorative dentist and educator focused on occlusion, TMD, and restorative diagnosis. He is a member of the Spear Resident Faculty. He has maintained a private practice since 1984 in Downers Grove, Illinois, where he treats a wide variety of cases with a focus on predictable restorative dentistry. He is a member of the American Academy of Restorative Dentistry and former president of the American Equilibration Society. He has lectured both nationally and internationally for over 25 years and directs several study clubs. Dr. McKee graduated from the University of Notre Dame in 1980 and earned his dental degree from the University of Illinois College of Dentistry in 1984.
Resources mentioned in this episode:
Stephen Phelan’s online program featuring Dr. Jim McKee’s:
https://courses.phelandentalseminars.com/tmd-webinar-wj
Advanced Occlusion Workshop at Spear Education : https://app.speareducation.com/events/workshops/advanced-occlusion
EP779: The Restorative Diagnostic Practice:
https://www.actdental.com/blog/779-mckee
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- The Best Practices Show:https://www.actdental.com/podcast/
- Best Practices Association:https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Upcoming Events & Workshops:https://www.actdental.com/events/
- Smile Source:https://www.smilesource.com/
- Subscribe on Apple Podcasts:https://podcasts.apple.com
- Subscribe on Spotify:https://open.spotify.com
A full schedule can look productive while still falling short of a practice’s financial goals. In this episode, Kirk Behrendt speaks with Miranda Beeson, Director of Education at ACT Dental, about why busy days underperform and how production-per-day goals, schedule utilization, patient selection, and block scheduling create greater predictability.
You will learn how to evaluate schedule quality, protect high-value clinical time, and help your administrative team make more intentional scheduling decisions. To build a full schedule that supports production, profitability, and a better workday, listen to Episode 1066 of The Best Practices Show!
Main Takeaways:
- A full schedule can still underperform when appointments are not aligned with the practice’s production goals.
- Production-per-day goals should be visible in the practice management software and understood by the entire team.
- Schedule utilization measures how much available clinical time is being used for patient care.
- Administrative team members should consider procedure value and patient reliability instead of filling every opening with the first available appointment.
- A and B patients create greater schedule stability because they are more likely to attend appointments and pay their balances.
- Block scheduling protects prime clinical time for higher-value treatment and creates more predictable daily production.
- An ideal day schedule should balance the owner’s preferences, patient needs, and the practice’s production goals.
Snippets
00:00 Intro
01:31 Full schedules can still produce underperforming days.
02:18 Why filling every opening does not guarantee productivity.
03:13 The importance of production per day and schedule utilization.
05:03 Working backward from annual goals to a daily production target.
06:39 What an underperforming full schedule looks like.
08:13 Why practices should replace like with like when appointments change.
10:30 How intentional scheduling supports production goals.
12:20 Protecting prime clinical time with block scheduling.
13:00 Using the production figure in practice management software before scheduling an appointment.
15:05 How comprehensive treatment blocks can create peaceful, productive days.
17:06 Displaying production-per-day goals in the practice management software.
17:46 Building an ideal day schedule for greater consistency.
19:03 The ideal day scheduling guide in the ACT Dental community hub.
Guest Bio/Guest Resources
Miranda Beeson has over 25 years of clinical dental hygiene, front office, practice administration, and speaking experience. She is enthusiastic about communication and loves helping others find the power that words can bring to their patient interactions and practice dynamics. As a Lead Practice Coach, she is driven to create opportunities to find value in experiences and cultivate new approaches.
Miranda graduated from Old Dominion University, and enjoys spending time with her husband, Chuck, and her children, Trent, Mallory, and Cassidy. Family time is the best time, and is often spent on a golf course, a volleyball court, or spending the day boating at the beach.
Guest Resource:
Ideal Day Scheduling Guide in the ACT Dental community hub:
https://www.actdental.com/blog/cut-the-chaos-from-your-schedule
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- The Best Practices Show:https://www.actdental.com/podcast/
- Best Practices Association:https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Upcoming Events & Workshops:https://www.actdental.com/events/
- Smile Source:https://www.smilesource.com/
- Subscribe on Apple Podcasts:https://podcasts.apple.com
- Schedule a call with Gina: https://www.actdental.com/schedule-with-gina
- Subscribe on Spotify:https://open.spotify.com
Patients may seem uninterested in their oral health, but the real issue may be that they have not been given a clear reason to participate in their care. In this episode, Kirk Behrendt speaks with Melissa Obrotka, a dental hygienist and oral-systemic health educator, about helping patients understand what is happening in their mouths and why it matters to their overall health.
You will learn how to create patient buy-in, use visual evidence and open-ended questions, calibrate your team, and transition from task-based hygiene to a healthcare-focused approach. To improve communication and help patients take action, listen to Episode 1065 of The Best Practices Show!
Main Takeaways:
- Dental professionals must help patients understand how oral inflammation and bacteria can affect systemic health.
- Team calibration requires dedicated non-patient time to establish shared clinical standards, protocols, and expectations.
- Disclosing biofilm gives patients visual evidence that helps them understand disease, inflammation, and areas of risk.
- Open-ended questions and motivational interviewing can uncover the fear or previous experiences behind patient resistance.
- Providers can challenge patients directly while acknowledging their choices and asking permission to explain clinical concerns.
- Hygienists earn healthcare-level compensation by consistently delivering comprehensive healthcare rather than limited task-based services.
- Dentists and hygienists should learn and implement an oral-systemic approach together so patients receive consistent care.
Snippets:
00:00 Intro
01:00 Why patients may appear not to care about their oral health.
02:20 Melissa’s background in dental hygiene and oral-systemic education.
03:45 The relationship between oral inflammation, bacteria, and systemic health.
06:05 How hygienists inherit task-based systems and schedules.
09:05 Why dental hygienists may be the most important healthcare providers patients see all year.
10:55 The need to schedule non-patient time for team calibration.
12:00 How disclosing biofilm creates patient buy-in.
13:45 Connecting periodontal charting, radiographs, bleeding, and visible bacteria.
16:00 The expanding research on oral and systemic health.
18:35 Using questions and motivational interviewing with resistant patients.
22:00 How to care deeply while challenging patients directly.
24:20 Melissa’s perspective on dental hygiene as a career.
28:45 Melissa’s courses at The Exchange.
31:10 Final thoughts on helping patients care and take action.
32:00 Why dentists and hygienists should attend training together.
Guest Bio/Guest Resources:
Melissa A Obrotka, BA, RDH, holds over 25 years of experience in the dental field and concentrated clinical experience with the dental implant patient population. Melissa’s core objectives for her patients in specialty perio/prosthodontics are focused on a “whole-listic” approach to dental prevention, disease remission, and therapies that encompass total body health and wellness. Her approach to patient care is focused on biofilm disruption strategies for periodontal and peri-implant health and longevity while providing healthcare advocacy to patients. In addition, Obrotka is a dental hygiene motivator, educator, podcast host, change agent, influencer, and industry thought leader.
Obrotka serves as a clinical adjunct professor at her alma mater, Bergen Community College in Paramus, New Jersey, where she elevated clinical education by instructing students on the oral microbiome, biofilm disruption and introduced the Guided Biofilm Therapy (GBT) methodology. Obrotka was nationally recognized in 2016 as a Master Clinician for her outstanding clinical expertise. In 2017, Obrotka was named one of the “Six Dental Hygienists You Want to Know’’ in the clinincal practice category by Dimensions of Dental Hygiene.
Resources mentioned in the episode:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/itsthebadasshygienist/
- Website:https://itsthebadasshygienist.com
Mentioned Programs:
- No More Ignored Advice &The Biology Led Hygiene Appointment: https://www.itsthebadasshygienist.com/speaking-the-badass-hygienist-melissa-obrotka-rdh
- OPSM Framework: Oral Prevention is Systemic Medicine: https://www.itsthebadasshygienist.com/opsm-framework-course
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
The Best Practices Show:https://www.actdental.com/podcast/
Best Practices Association:https://www.actdental.com/bpa
Upcoming Events & Workshops:https://www.actdental.com/events/
Smile Source:https://www.smilesource.com/
Subscribe on Apple Podcasts:https://podcasts.apple.com
Subscribe on Spotify:https://open.spotify.com
Why do some team members leave work energized while others feel drained, frustrated, or misunderstood? In this episode, Kirk Behrendt speaks with coach Heather Crockett about the Working Genius model and how dental teams can use it to better understand their strengths, frustrations, communication patterns, and roles.
You will learn the six types of Working Genius, why every stage of work matters, and how shared language can improve meetings, teamwork, productivity, and joy at work. To understand how your team can work more effectively together, listen to Episode 1064 of The Best Practices Show!
Main Takeaways
- Working Genius helps team members understand which types of work give them energy and which types drain them.
- The six Working Geniuses are wonder, invention, discernment, galvanizing, enablement, and tenacity.
- Each person has two geniuses, two competencies, and two frustrations.
- Teams need all six geniuses to move work from identifying a need through implementation and completion.
- Meetings become less effective when teams move directly from generating ideas to assigning tasks without discernment and galvanizing.
- A shared understanding of Working Genius can reduce judgment, improve communication, and help leaders assign work more intentionally.
- A Working Genius indicates the type of work a person enjoys, but it does not automatically mean that person has mastered it.
Snippets
00:00 Welcome
03:17 What Is Working Genius
06:55 An introduction to the six types of Working Genius.
07:45 How invention generates solutions and new ideas.
09:50 How discernment evaluates ideas and galvanizing creates momentum.
11:12 How enablement supports implementation and tenacity completes the work.
12:09 The difference between geniuses, competencies, and frustrations.
13:01 How complementary geniuses helped ACT Dental grow.
22:05 How Working Genius can reduce judgment and attribution errors.
24:59 How Working Genius affects meetings and workplace culture.
29:51 Why leaders should avoid pigeonholing people by their assessment results.
32:12 A practical treatment plan for applying Working Genius.
34:38 Wrap Up And Part Two Tease
35:13 Final Outro And Resources
Guest Bio/Guest Resources:
Heather Crockett is a Lead Practice Coach who finds joy in not only improving practices but improving the lives of those she coaches as well. With over 20 years of combined experience in assisting, office management, and clinical dental hygiene, her awareness supports many aspects of the practice setting.
Heather received her dental hygiene degree from the Utah College of Dental Hygiene in 2008. Networking in the dental community comes easy to her, and she loves to connect with like-minded colleagues on social media. Heather enjoys both attending and presenting continuing education to expand her knowledge and learn from her friends and colleagues.
She enjoys hanging out with her husband, three sons, and their dog, Moki, scrolling through social media, watching football, and traveling.
Working Genius Assessment:https://www.workinggenius.com/
The 6 Types of Working Genius by Patrick Lencioni: https://www.amazon.com/Types-Working-Genius-Understand-Frustrations/dp/1637743297
Smile Source Exchange: https://smilesource.com/exchange
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
The Best Practices Show:https://www.actdental.com/podcast/
Best Practices Association:https://www.actdental.com/bpa
Upcoming Events & Workshops:https://www.actdental.com/events/
Smile Source:https://www.smilesource.com/
Subscribe on Apple Podcasts:https://podcasts.apple.com
Subscribe on Spotify:https://open.spotify.com
Production gaps are often blamed on low case acceptance or insufficient diagnosis, but the real issue may begin with how the schedule is structured, protected, and maintained. In this episode, Kirk Behrendt talks with dental practice coach Ariel Siegel about identifying whether lost production begins in the schedule or the operatory. You will learn how reappointment systems, downtime monitoring, intentional scheduling, and future schedule protection can create more consistent production and smoother clinical days.
To understand where production gaps begin and what your team can do about them, listen to Episode 1063 of The Best Practices Show!
Main Takeaways
- Production problems may result from scheduling systems even when diagnosis and treatment acceptance remain strong.
- Constantly filling last-minute openings prevents administrative team members from completing other production-building activities.
- Filling schedule gaps with unsuitable appointments can disrupt the intended flow and energy of the clinical day.
- Strong reappointment systems help patients understand why they are returning and reduce future cancellations.
- Protecting the future schedule allows the team to maintain production goals and minimize bottlenecks.
- Monitoring doctor and hygiene downtime reveals both large openings and smaller gaps that accumulate throughout the day.
- Designing the schedule around provider energy and appointment type supports more consistent monthly production and revenue.
Snippets:
00:00 Metric Mondays Intro
01:19 Schedule vs Operatory
02:20 Why Gaps Happen
03:28 When It Goes Wrong
04:26 Scramble Fill Trap
06:51 Getting It Right
07:57 Protect Future Schedule
09:17 Design Around Energy
10:07 Action Steps Today
11:17 Resources and Wrap Up
11:57 Final Thanks and Outro
Guest Bio/Guest Resources:
Ariel has a master’s in healthcare administration and several years of dental experience in all aspects of the administrative roles within the dental office. Her passion is to work with dental teams to empower team members to realize their full potential in order to better serve patients, improve office systems to ensure a well-functioning team/office, and to help everyone have fun in the process!
Guest Resources:
https://www.actdental.com/free-resources/
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- The Best Practices Show:https://www.actdental.com/podcast/
- Best Practices Association:https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Upcoming Events & Workshops:https://www.actdental.com/events/
- Smile Source:https://www.smilesource.com/
- Subscribe on Apple Podcasts:https://podcasts.apple.com
- Subscribe on Spotify:https://open.spotify.com
Missed calls, staffing shortages, and phone fatigue can create a front office bottleneck that affects both the patient experience and practice production. In this episode, Kirk Behrendt speaks with Richard May of Mango Voice about how modern VoIP systems and AI receptionists can help dental practices answer more calls, streamline scheduling, document patient conversations, and reduce administrative workload without eliminating the human relationships patients need.
Learn where AI is most useful, which conversations should remain with team members, and how practices can evaluate these tools responsibly. To improve your phone workflow and reduce pressure on your front office, listen to Episode 1062 of The Best Practices Show!
Main Takeaways:
- Front office bottlenecks occur when team members must manage ringing phones, arriving patients, scheduling requests, insurance questions, and payments at the same time.
- Missed calls can represent lost new-patient opportunities and make it difficult for practices to measure the production they are losing.
- An AI receptionist can answer simultaneous calls, schedule selected appointments, respond to common questions, and filter spam or irrelevant calls.
- AI tools should be customized with accurate practice information and used as an extension of the team rather than a replacement for every human interaction.
- Phone integrations with practice management software can identify callers, open patient profiles, create conversation summaries, and reduce manual documentation.
- Payment disputes, detailed insurance questions, sensitive family concerns, and treatment conversations still require human judgment and empathy.
- Modern VoIP systems can use mobile applications and cellular data to keep business calls operating during an internet outage.
Snippets:
00:00 The front office bottleneck in dental practices.
01:27 Meet Richard May
04:18 How competing front office demands create workflow bottlenecks.
06:21 Phone fatigue and the impact of missed calls.
08:33 How an AI receptionist handles simultaneous and after-hours calls.
10:09 Addressing concerns about AI representing the practice.
15:09 Why dentists underestimate the importance of their phone systems.
16:39 How patient expectations influence which dental practice they choose.
19:10 Using transcripts, keyword searches, and automated patient notes.
21:21 The staffing crisis and AI-supported administrative work.
23:26 Which tasks should remain human.
26:40 How AI can triage after-hours and emergency calls.
29:20 How VoIP reliability and mobile applications have improved.
31:32 Final considerations for adopting AI in the dental practice.
34:24 How to test Margo and schedule a Mango Voice demonstration.
Guest Bio/Guest Resources
Richard has had a fulfilling career in public health, where he spent a decade dedicated to improving community wellness, health education, and preventive care. His work in public health allowed him to make a tangible difference, positively impacting lives and communities, a passion that continues to drive him.
Following his public health career, Richard joined Mango, bringing his dedication to health and wellness into a new professional chapter. His role at Mango is a perfect fit, aligning with his values of teamwork, community engagement, and continuous improvement.
Mango Voice:https://www.mangovoice.com/
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
The Best Practices Show:https://www.actdental.com/podcast/
Best Practices Association:https://www.actdental.com/bpa
Upcoming Events & Workshops:https://www.actdental.com/events/
Smile Source:https://www.smilesource.com/
Subscribe on Apple Podcasts:https://podcasts.apple.com
Subscribe on Spotify:https://open.spotify.com
Building, growing, and owning an independent dental practice can feel isolating, especially when decisions, team challenges, and long-term vision fall on the practice owner. In this episode, Kirk Behrendt brings back Miranda Beeson, ACT coach and dental practice leader, to explain why community matters in practice ownership and how the right support system can help dentists and their teams make better decisions, avoid unnecessary mistakes, build confidence, and grow with greater clarity.
To learn how to find the right people in your corner, listen to Episode 1061 of The Best Practices Show!
Main Takeaways:
- Independent practice owners do not have to solve every challenge alone.
- A strong professional community provides shared learning, support, accountability, and practical perspective.
- The right community helps dentists shorten the learning curve by learning from others’ real-world experiences.
- Community should align with the practice owner’s values and avoid judgment, toxicity, or hidden agendas.
- Team members also need community and role-specific support to grow in confidence and leadership.
- The Community Hub provides forums, study clubs, clinical education, resources, and vendor connections for dentists and their teams.
- Community is a strategic advantage because it helps practice owners think better, lead better, and grow faster.
Snippets:
00:00 Who Is In Your Corner
01:19 Meet Miranda Beeson
02:15 Why Dentists Feel Alone
04:09 Tribe Stories And Patterns
07:41 Isolation And Negative Self Talk
08:34 What Community Really Means
10:59 Avoid Toxic Communities
13:31 Real Benefits For Owners
15:25 Belief And Accountability
18:15 Community For The Whole Team
23:20 Inside The Community Hub
26:43 Forum Wins And AI Examples
32:19 More Questions Solved Fast
37:56 Final Takeaways And Invite
40:33 How To Get Started
42:32 Closing And Call To Action
Guest Bio/Guest Resources:
Miranda Beeson has over 25 years of clinical dental hygiene, front office, practice administration, and speaking experience. She is enthusiastic about communication and loves helping others find the power that words can bring to their patient interactions and practice dynamics. As a Lead Practice Coach, she is driven to create opportunities to find value in experiences and cultivate new approaches.
Miranda graduated from Old Dominion University, and enjoys spending time with her husband, Chuck, and her children, Trent, Mallory, and Cassidy. Family time is the best time, and is often spent on a golf course, a volleyball court, or spending the day boating at the beach.
Resources mentioned in this episode:
- To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt/
- ACT Dental resources: https://www.actdental.com/free-resources/
- For more information about the community, contact gina@actdental.com
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- The Best Practices Show:https://www.actdental.com/podcast/
- Best Practices Association:https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Upcoming Events & Workshops:https://www.actdental.com/events/
- Smile Source:https://www.smilesource.com/
- Subscribe on Apple Podcasts:https://podcasts.apple.com
- Subscribe on Spotify:https://open.spotify.com
Most dentists believe they need more new patients, but the real problem may be how well they are using the patients, providers, and chair time they already have. In this episode, Kirk Behrendt brings back Ariel Siegel, ACT Dental coach, to explain why active patient count, pre-appointment percentage, capacity utilization, and annual patient value matter before investing in new patient growth.
Learn how to identify whether your practice has a patient problem or a utilization problem, and how to start improving schedule efficiency with the data you already have. To grow more predictably with the patients already in your practice, listen to Episode 1060 of The Best Practices Show!
Main Takeaways:
- Practices should evaluate utilization of current patients and provider capacity before pursuing more new patients.
- New patients can add pressure because phone calls, relationship building, and appointments require more time and energy.
- A healthy active patient count is often around 1,200 to 1,500 patients per provider.
- Unscheduled active patients and low pre-appointment rates reveal opportunities within the existing patient base.
- Chair time utilization around 90% to 95% creates productive schedules while leaving some flexibility.
- Annual patient value helps determine whether a practice needs more patients or better production per patient.
- Capacity tracking should be reviewed consistently so each provider column has accountability.
Snippets:
00:00 Metric Mondays Intro
01:50 Meet Ariel Siegel
02:14 More Patients Myth
04:18 Active Patient Benchmarks
08:07 When Utilization Fails
10:33 Redefining Growth
11:56 Capacity Utilization Targets
14:36 Action Plan With APV
18:06 Vision And Wrap Up
18:33 Final Goodbye
Guest Bio/Guest Resources:
Ariel has a master’s in healthcare administration and several years of dental experience in all aspects of the administrative roles within the dental office. Her passion is to work with dental teams to empower team members to realize their full potential in order to better serve patients, improve office systems to ensure a well-functioning team/office, and to help everyone have fun in the process!
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- The Best Practices Show:https://www.actdental.com/podcast/
- Best Practices Association:https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Upcoming Events & Workshops:https://www.actdental.com/events/
- Smile Source:https://www.smilesource.com/
- Subscribe on Apple Podcasts:https://podcasts.apple.com
- Subscribe on Spotify:https://open.spotify.com
Digital workflows are changing how dentists select, plan, monitor, and communicate clear aligner treatment. In this episode, Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. Maria Jose Blanco Solis, private practice dentist and clear aligner educator, to discuss how digital workflow innovations are transforming aligner treatment in 2026.
You will learn how to evaluate aligner case complexity, monitor tracking and compliance, use auxiliary techniques, manage retention protocols, and think about aligners as part of a broader functional and preventive approach to dentistry. To understand how to make aligner workflows more predictable and practical in your practice, listen to Episode 1059 of The Best Practices Show!
Main Takeaways:
- Clear aligners have expanded from simple aesthetic cases to more complex Class II, Class III, surgical, and multidisciplinary treatment plans.
- Case selection should include evaluation of occlusion, arch form, profile, crossbites, growth status, recession, and bone support.
- CBCT, STL files, and complete diagnostic records give doctors better control and confidence when planning aligner treatment.
- Monitoring appointments should focus on aligner fit, attachment integrity, tracking gaps, programmed IPR, and occlusal contacts.
- Patient compliance remains essential because aligners generally require 22 hours of daily wear.
- Auxiliary techniques such as buttons, elastics, TADs, and bootstrap mechanics can improve movement predictability in moderate and severe cases.
- Retention protocols should account for occlusal stability and patient compliance, especially when deciding between clear retainers and lingual wires.
Snippets:
00:00 Welcome And Guest Intro
02:11 Meet Dr Mari Jose
03:14 Aligners In 2026
05:24 Case Selection Basics
06:55 Monitoring And Tracking
10:37 Doctor Coaching Support
11:13 Micronutrients And Compliance
13:03 Retainers And Stability
14:45 Aux Techniques And Elastics
16:32 Posterior Open Bite Causes
18:24 Retainer Wear Schedule
19:52 Future Of Aligner Care
22:20 Final Tips And Records
23:14 Contact Info And Spark
24:28 The Exchange Event Preview
25:00 Final thoughts on case selection, auxiliary techniques, and live case alignment.
Guest Bio/Guest Resources:
Dr. Maria Jose Blanco Solis is a dentist in private practice in San Jose, Costa Rica. She has worked with clear aligner therapy through Invisalign and Spark and focuses on digital dentistry, aligner workflow, case selection, clinical monitoring, and doctor education.
In this episode, she discusses Spark, Vista aligners, TruGen XR material, one-on-one clinical support, and her upcoming presentation at Smile Exchange on case selection, clinical complexity, auxiliary techniques, and live case review.
Resources mentioned:
- mariajose.blanco@envistaco.com
- Discount code for the smile exchange: JOSEBLANCO26
- https://smilesource.com/exchange
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
The Best Practices Show:https://www.actdental.com/podcast/
Best Practices Association:https://www.actdental.com/bpa
Upcoming Events & Workshops:https://www.actdental.com/events/
Smile Source:https://www.smilesource.com/
Subscribe on Apple Podcasts:https://podcasts.apple.com
Subscribe on Spotify:https://open.spotify.com
Hiring and keeping an associate sounds simple until the interview process, compensation questions, and culture-fit issues start to derail everything. In this episode, Kirk Behrendt brings on Cassie Tallon, an operations expert and founder of The Fractional Match, to explain why most dental practices fail when hiring associates and what to do differently.
You’ll learn how to evaluate fit beyond clinical skills, how to set compensation expectations with transparency, why paying on collections matters, and how to prepare your practice so an associate can actually succeed and stay. Listen to Episode 1058 of The Best Practices Show!
Main Takeaways:
- Decide whether you want an associate purely for production or someone you will develop into a leader and potential legacy successor.
- Use a recruitment service instead of posting a job yourself without understanding today’s compensation models and contract pitfalls.
- Evaluate relational and empathetic patient-care philosophy early, not just clinical procedure capability.
- Confirm the associate is coachable and willing to be led during onboarding, not just eager to produce immediately.
- Start onboarding with financial clarity—how the P&L works and how pay is calculated—to prevent distrust and turnover.
- Pay associates on collections to tie compensation to real revenue and reinforce documentation, billing, and follow-through habits.
- Fix patient mix, services, and marketing before hiring an associate instead of expecting the associate to solve a broken model.
Snippets:
00:00 Hiring Associates Is Hard
01:06 Meet Cassie Tallon
03:41 Associate or Partner Choice
05:30 Recruiting Landscape Today
06:56 Fit Over Clinical Skills
10:40 Pay Models That Work
12:35 Equity and Autonomy
14:31 Fix Patient Mix First
19:10 Develop Associates Skills
22:00 Retention and Transparency
24:02 Work Life Satisfaction
27:47 XChange Soft Skills Talk
30:01 Final Advice and Wrap Up
Guest Bio/Guest Resources:
Cassie Tallon is a dental operations leader with 20 years of experience spanning multi-doctor practices and DSOs, including supporting growth and operational efficiency across multiple locations. She is an author focused on dental operations and has dedicated her current work to helping dentists improve efficiency, navigate growth decisions, and strengthen systems without adding unnecessary overhead.
Resources mentioned:
The Fractional Match: thefractionalmatch.com
Book: Permission to Dream
Book (upcoming): Permission to Scale
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- The Best Practices Show:https://www.actdental.com/podcast/
- Best Practices Association:https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Upcoming Events & Workshops:https://www.actdental.com/events/
- Smile Source:https://www.smilesource.com/
- Subscribe on Apple Podcasts:https://podcasts.apple.com
- Subscribe on Spotify:https://open.spotify.com
Why can your practice feel busier than ever, show higher production, and still not see more money in the bank? In this episode, Kirk Behrendt brings back Miranda Beeson, ACT Dental’s Director of Education, to explain why gross production is often a misleading proxy for profitability and what to measure instead.
You’ll learn the difference between gross and net production, how write-offs and overhead quietly erase gains, and the first steps to protect margins so profit can follow production. Listen to Episode 1057 of The Best Practices Show!
Main Takeaways:
- Gross production can be a “gross misrepresentation” of what a practice can actually collect, while net production reflects what is realistically collectible.
- Higher production does not automatically create higher profit when write-offs grow and overhead rises at the same time.
- Practices get it wrong when they celebrate production without tracking what gets adjusted away and what it costs to deliver the care.
- Large write-offs (insurance, membership plan discounts, elective courtesies, and untracked adjustments) can create an “effort gap” where work is done but revenue is not collectible.
- Adding hours, days, team members, and equipment to chase production can increase expenses and compound the profitability problem.
- Practices get it right by tracking adjustments by category (and often by individual insurance carriers) and by regularly reviewing the P&L to confirm expenses are aligned with revenue-producing needs.
- The first action steps are to clarify write-offs in the practice management system and to understand where overhead dollars are going before pushing for more production.
Snippets:
00:00 Why production can be up while profit doesn’t follow.
02:10 Gross vs. net production and why the distinction matters for doctors and teams.
06:10 What it looks like when practices get it wrong and the bank account doesn’t grow.
07:05 Write-offs and the “effort gap” between delivered care and collectible revenue.
08:35 How chasing more production can quietly drive overhead higher.
10:05 Why the real issue is often strategy, not production.
14:15 The mindset shift for fee-for-service: being okay with downtime and using it well.
17:10 The first thing to do tomorrow: get clarity on write-offs and adjustments.
19:05 The next step: review the P&L and understand overhead buckets.
Guest Bio/Guest Resources:
Miranda Beeson has over 25 years of clinical dental hygiene, front office, practice administration, and speaking experience. She is enthusiastic about communication and loves helping others find the power that words can bring to their patient interactions and practice dynamics. As a Lead Practice Coach, she is driven to create opportunities to find value in experiences and cultivate new approaches.
Miranda graduated from Old Dominion University, and enjoys spending time with her husband, Chuck, and her children, Trent, Mallory, and Cassidy. Family time is the best time, and is often spent on a golf course, a volleyball court, or spending the day boating at the beach.
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- The Best Practices Show:https://www.actdental.com/podcast/
- Best Practices Association:https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Upcoming Events & Workshops:https://www.actdental.com/events/
- Smile Source:https://www.smilesource.com/
- Subscribe on Apple Podcasts:https://podcasts.apple.com
- Subscribe on Spotify:https://open.spotify.com
What do you do when a failure, setback, or “detour” hits your practice or life and you can’t see the point of it yet? In this episode, Kirk Behrendt interviews Dr. Timothy Bizga, private practice dentist and educator, about the mindset shifts behind his book Timeless Tidbits of Wisdom and how to find perspective when dentistry feels heavy.
You’ll learn why “life happens for you,” how boundaries prevent burnout, and how community changes your trajectory. Listen to Episode 1056 of The Best Practices Show!
Main Takeaways:
- Dr. Bizga wrote his book to serve readers with practical wisdom drawn from patient stories and his own experiences.
- Writing a book requires commitment and support systems, not isolation or “doing it alone.”
- A misgraded writing exam in eighth grade became a long-term gift by sparking Dr. Bizga’s love of writing.
- The chapter “The Gift Inside the Detour” centers on changing mindset from “this is happening to me” to “this is happening for me.”
- Perspective often comes later, and progress in hard seasons can mean simply continuing to move forward.
- “Even Enamel Has Limits” is a reminder that caregivers and clinicians need boundaries to avoid burnout and breakdown.
- Smile Source Exchange is positioned as a community-driven learning environment where relationships and mentorship accelerate growth.
Snippets:
00:00 Welcome
01:22 Meet Dr Tim Bizga
03:04 Why Dr. Bizga wrote Timeless Tidbits of Wisdom and how patient stories shaped it.
04:50 “Writing a book is the hardest thing ever” and why Dr. Bizga disagrees.
06:09 “My hope is not to impress you, but to serve you” and the goal of 31 short chapters.
07:50 The story behind “The Gift Inside the Detour”
14:09 Applying detours to dentistry: procedures, team issues, health crises, and mindset.
17:42 “Even Enamel Has Limits” and why boundaries matter for dentists and caregivers.
21:39 Where to Get the Book
22:26 Why Attend The Exchange 2026
25:09 Final thoughts on dentistry as a profession
Guest Bio/Guest Resources:
Dr. Timothy Bizga is a 2006 DDS graduate of the School of Dentistry! Along with having a successful practice, Dr. Bizga is an Adjunct Clinical Assistant Professor of Dentistry at the School of Dentistry and the Director of Education for Smile Source, a network of more than 1,000 independent dentists who benefit from group buying, collective education and peer-sharing programs. Dr. Bizga has lectured nationally for more than 16 years and recently authored Timeless Tidbits of Wisdom.
Guest resources mentioned in the episode:
- Timeless Tidbits of Wisdom: https://a.co/d/0aFvJ3Ms
- The Exchange 2026: https://smilesource.com/exchange
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- The Best Practices Show:https://www.actdental.com/podcast/
- Best Practices Association:https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Upcoming Events & Workshops:https://www.actdental.com/events/
- Smile Source:https://www.smilesource.com/
- Subscribe on Apple Podcasts:https://podcasts.apple.com
- Subscribe on Spotify:https://open.spotify.com
Documentation, charting, and insurance narratives are taking time away from patient care, and many teams are already stretched thin. In this episode, Kirk Behrendt sits down with Rushi Ganmukhi, founder of Bola AI and former MIT AI/NLP researcher, and Cassie Tallon, a dental operations leader and author, to explain how voice-enabled AI can reduce clinical documentation burden, improve note quality, and help practices get paid faster.
You’ll learn where voice tech fits best (perio, restorative charting, and clinical notes), what it changes operationally, and how to identify the friction points in your own workflow. Listen to Episode 1055 of The Best Practices Show!
Main Takeaways:
- Voice technology can reduce the time and disruption of perio charting by allowing hands-free entry during hygiene visits.
- Faster perio charting supports more comprehensive perio exams, which can improve identification and treatment of periodontal disease.
- Delayed or incomplete notes can delay insurance submission and cash flow, creating a backlog of unsent claims.
- Templated, generic notes and late documentation can weaken clinical records for both insurance review and legal defensibility.
- Insurers are increasingly requiring more documentation, including perio charting for restorative claims, to support medical necessity.
- Effective adoption of AI tools depends on fast implementation, flexibility in workflows, and customization to an office’s documentation preferences.
- Practices can start by tracking daily workflow “sticking points” for a week and mapping which issues could be reduced with voice-driven documentation.
Snippets:
00:00 Voice tech as the “hidden power” of AI for practice efficiency.
01:00 The documentation burden: perio charts, restorative docs, and insurance narratives.
02:10 Rushi’s background in AI/NLP and MIT research, and why he entered dentistry.
04:35 Why voice tech fits clinical environments better than consumer voice assistants.
06:00 Bola AI’s early focus on voice perio charting and expansion to notes and restorative charting.
07:05 Why integrations with practice management systems matter (Dentrix, Open Dental, Curve, Patterson, Henry Schein).
08:00 The time cost of manual charting and its impact on hygiene workflows.
10:00 How delays and backdating notes can hold up insurance submission and revenue.
11:20 The risks of cut-and-paste templates for insurance and legal documentation.
13:00 Insurance requiring more documentation, including perio charting for restorative claims.
14:00 Why “decay” alone is not a sufficient clinical reason in a narrative.
15:00 How dental-specific logic and terminology improve accuracy over general dictation tools.
16:35 What “plug-and-play” adoption should look like in the operatory.
18:10 Handling variation across practices (sleep/airway, medical billing, pediatrics, customization).
19:00 Current curiosity vs. adoption: workforce shortages and the cash-flow case for AI.
22:00 Overview of Bola’s three core products: Voice Perio, Voice Restorative, and AI Scribe.
26:00 A practical challenge: measure how long perio charting takes and identify workflow friction points.
29:00 Final guidance: start small, solve specific problems, and choose tools proven in clinics.
30:10 Where to learn more and request a demo (bola.ai).
Guest Bio/Guest Resources:
Rushi Ganmukhi is the founder of Bola AI and has a professional background in artificial intelligence and natural language processing, including research experience at MIT focused on helping computers understand human speech and language. He leads Bola AI’s work applying voice technology to dental workflows, including perio charting, restorative charting, and AI-assisted clinical documentation.
Cassie Tallon is a dental operations leader with 20 years of experience spanning multi-doctor practices and DSOs, including supporting growth and operational efficiency across multiple locations. She is an author focused on dental operations and has dedicated her current work to helping dentists improve efficiency, navigate growth decisions, and strengthen systems without adding unnecessary overhead.
Resources mentioned in the episode:
- Bola AI (demos and product information):www.bola.ai
- https://smilesource.com/exchange
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- The Best Practices Show:https://www.actdental.com/podcast/
- Best Practices Association:https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Upcoming Events & Workshops:https://www.actdental.com/events/
- Smile Source:https://www.smilesource.com/
- Subscribe on Apple Podcasts:https://podcasts.apple.com
- Subscribe on Spotify:https://open.spotify.com
Tracking every KPI can feel productive, but it often creates noise and diffuses accountability. In this episode, Kirk Behrendt sits down with Miranda Beeson, ACT’s co-host and practice coach, to explain why “tracking everything is the fastest way to improve nothing.”
You’ll learn how to narrow your focus to a small set of metrics that match your top quarterly priority, how to separate leadership-level monitoring from team-level focus, and what to do when a metric is off-track so it actually improves. Listen to Episode 1054 of The Best Practices Show!
Main Takeaways
- Track data because feelings are not reliable indicators of what is happening in the practice.
- Too many KPIs create overwhelm, dilute accountability, and make it harder to prioritize action.
- Choose three to seven “main” KPIs each quarter that directly correlate to the practice’s current priority.
- Leadership can monitor a broader scorecard, but the team should stay focused on the quarter’s priority metrics.
- Practices that track everything often bounce between problems week to week without making measurable progress.
- When a focus metric is off-track, the team must issue-discuss-solve instead of only reporting the number.
- Assign clear ownership for collecting and reporting each KPI so the numbers stay visible and actionable.
Snippets:
00:00 Metric Mondays Kickoff
01:22 Meet Miranda Beeson
02:00 Why Tracking Everything Fails
03:20 Pick Few KPIs for Traction
05:51 Data Rich Direction Poor
07:52 What It Looks Like Done Right
08:42 Choose Focus Metrics This Quarter
10:47 Action Steps and Accountability
13:17 Solve Off Track Metrics
14:43 Wrap Up and Get Help
Guest Bio/Guest Resources:
Miranda Beeson has over 25 years of clinical dental hygiene, front office, practice administration, and speaking experience. She is enthusiastic about communication and loves helping others find the power that words can bring to their patient interactions and practice dynamics. As a Lead Practice Coach, she is driven to create opportunities to find value in experiences and cultivate new approaches.
Miranda graduated from Old Dominion University, and enjoys spending time with her husband, Chuck, and her children, Trent, Mallory, and Cassidy. Family time is the best time, and is often spent on a golf course, a volleyball court, or spending the day boating at the beach.
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
The Best Practices Show:https://www.actdental.com/podcast/
Best Practices Association:https://www.actdental.com/bpa
Upcoming Events & Workshops:https://www.actdental.com/events/
Smile Source:https://www.smilesource.com/
Subscribe on Apple Podcasts:https://podcasts.apple.com
Subscribe on Spotify:https://open.spotify.com
Cash flow confusion can make a busy, high-producing practice feel like it has no money left at the end of the month. In this episode, Kirk Behrendt explains why production and a “profitable” P&L don’t always translate into cash in the bank, and he brings in coach Robyn Theisen to break down the cash flow gap.
You’ll learn the difference between net profit and actual cash available, the three common places cash disappears, and which financial statements you need to see the full story and build a plan for taxes, debt, and owner compensation. Listen to Episode 1053 of The Best Practices Show!
Main Takeaways:
- Net profit on the P&L is not the same as cash in the bank.
- The cash flow gap is the difference between what your P&L shows and the cash actually available.
- Cash commonly disappears in three places that don’t show clearly on the P&L: taxes, debt payments, and owner draws/distributions.
- Interest expense may appear on the P&L even when the actual loan payments and balances aren’t being tracked.
- To understand where the money went, you need to review the P&L, cash flow statement, and balance sheet together.
- Predictable owner compensation, tax reserves, and a debt strategy reduce reactive decisions and stabilize cash flow.
- Ongoing monthly accountability and review are necessary to keep cash flow clean, especially in multi-owner practices.
Snippets:
00:00 Net profit versus cash in the bank.
06:00 What the cash flow gap is and where it usually shows up.
07:00 Why paying down debt doesn’t appear on the P&L.
10:00 The three strategies: tax reserves, debt strategy, and owner compensation.
11:00 The three financial statements needed to understand cash movement and what’s owed.
15:00 Why multi-owner practices add complexity and require consistent monthly review.
17:00 The cash flow statement tells the full story, not the P&L.
18:00 BPA tools mentioned: reading the three statements, Financial Gaps at a Glance, and the calculator.
Guest Bio/Guest Resources:
Robyn Theisen brings an entire life and legacy of dental experience to the team and every team with which she works as the daughter and sister of dentists. With almost 20 years of experience in dentistry, her roles ranged from practice management to operations at Patterson Dental to coaching teams. Robyn’s passion is empowering teams to realize that they can dramatically impact the lives of the people they serve by implementing skills and systems to remove barriers to life-changing dental treatment. She has done it for decades and does it every day with dental teams.
Outside of coaching, she enjoys time with her husband, Rob, and two daughters, Emerson and Ruby. She loves traveling, music, fitness, and cheering on the Michigan State Spartans.
Resources Mentioned:
Financial Gaps at a Glance: https://www.actdental.com/gaps-at-a-glance
Financial Gaps Calculator: https://www.actdental.com/gaps-calculator
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
The Best Practices Show:https://www.actdental.com/podcast/
Best Practices Association:https://www.actdental.com/bpa
Upcoming Events & Workshops:https://www.actdental.com/events/
Smile Source:https://www.smilesource.com/
Subscribe on Apple Podcasts:https://podcasts.apple.com
Subscribe on Spotify:https://open.spotify.com
Dentists often keep operating beliefs long after the market, technology, and patient expectations have changed. In this episode, Kirk Behrendt sits down with recurring guest Dr. Tom Hedge, practicing dentist and educator, to unpack myths dentists still believe — from selling to DSOs and misunderstanding recap/valuation, to overestimating the cost and complexity of modern technology, imaging, magnification, and hygiene staffing.
You’ll learn how to rethink “rules of thumb,” evaluate DSO offers more clearly, adopt practical tech that improves diagnosis and case acceptance, and use education and community to stay adaptable. Listen to Episode 1052 of The Best Practices Show!
Main Takeaways:
- Dentists often assume what worked ten years ago will keep working, even when costs, fees, and alternatives have changed.
- DSO deals can break down when recapitalization happens and cheap money is no longer cheap, shrinking what DSOs can “skim” between dentist pay and profitability.
- A “second bite of the apple” payout is not guaranteed, and dentists can lose value if the DSO is not financially strong when the holdback comes due.
- Technology prices and workflows have changed dramatically, and many tools (cameras, scanners, digital X-rays) now deliver faster diagnosis and better patient understanding.
- Patient imaging can be created quickly using AI tools, which can help patients visualize outcomes and move forward without high-pressure selling.
- Magnification and hands-free lighting can simplify clinical work, reduce operatory clutter, and improve the patient experience compared to traditional overhead lights.
- Investing in continuing education moves dentists from “not knowing what you don’t know” to confident clinical decision-making, but learning never stops.
Snippets:
00:00 Welcome And Setup
02:04 Why Myths Persist
02:38 Rethinking Fees
03:42 DSO Big Check Myth
05:31 Recap And EBITDA
08:19 Independent Dentistry Future
09:39 Tech Costs Myth
12:59 Hands Free Operatory Tech
13:50 AI Smile Imaging Fast
15:58 Magnification Lighting Simplified
17:33 Hygiene Crisis Reframed
19:27 Education And Community
20:35 SmileSource Exchange Invite
22:09 Final Takeaways Goodbye
Guest Bio/Guest Resources:
Dr. Tom Hedge is widely known as one of the top-notch cosmetic dentists in the United States. He received his Bachelor’s degree from Kenyon College in Gambier, Ohio, where he majored in biology and chemistry. While studying at the Ohio State University College of Dentistry, he conducted research resulting in the publication of seven abstracts and one paper, which received numerous awards at the state and national levels. After graduating from dental school, he completed a general practice residency at Richland Memorial Hospital in Columbia, South Carolina. This advanced education included training in anesthesia, pediatrics, emergency medicine, geriatrics, TMJ treatment, endodontics, periodontics, orthodontics, oral surgery, prosthetics, and implantology.
Dr. Hedge is nationally recognized not only for excellence in clinical programs, but for sound business practices that make full use of the newest technologies in dentistry. He is an alumnus of the renowned Las Vegas Institute for Advanced Dental Studies, as well as the Pankey Institute for Advanced Dental Education. Dr. Hedge is a frequent contributor to dental publications, as well as professional development magazines.
Resources mentioned in the episode:
- Smile Source Exchange: https://smilesource.com/exchange
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- The Best Practices Show:https://www.actdental.com/podcast/
- Best Practices Association:https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Upcoming Events & Workshops:https://www.actdental.com/events/
- Smile Source:https://www.smilesource.com/
- Subscribe on Apple Podcasts:https://podcasts.apple.com
- Subscribe on Spotify:https://open.spotify.com
Why does hygiene feel “booked out” and still leave you scrambling to fill holes at the last minute? In this episode, Kirk Behrendt talks with ACT coach Ariel Siegel about why an underperforming hygiene schedule is almost always a systems problem—and how to fix it with two foundational levers: a strong reappointment/recare follow-up system and a calibrated periodontal protocol.
You’ll learn what breakdowns create reactive scheduling, what “getting it right” looks like in the numbers and in patient communication, and what your team can do today to start rebuilding predictability in hygiene. Listen to Episode 1051 of The Best Practices Show!
Main Takeaways:
- A consistently full hygiene schedule depends on two core systems: strong reappointment/recare follow-up and a strong periodontal protocol.
- When systems are missing, teams become reactive and spend significant time scrambling to fill last-minute openings.
- Automated reminders are necessary, but they cannot replace a defined recare follow-up process that tracks and re-engages unscheduled patients.
- “Booked out” hygiene can still indicate a breakdown if the practice is constantly scrambling to fill tomorrow’s holes.
- A strong hygiene reappointment process requires patients to leave with the next visit scheduled and a clear understanding of why they are returning.
- A calibrated perio protocol increases consistent diagnosis, patient understanding, and acceptance, which supports both hygiene stability and restorative scheduling.
- Building systems up front reduces future effort and prevents the ongoing “chasing patients” cycle that patients often resist.
Snippets:
01:55 The two systems that keep the hygiene schedule predictably full.
03:50 What it looks like when hygiene scheduling is broken and the team becomes reactive.
04:20 Why reminders can’t be the whole recare system.
05:40 “We’re booked out months” but still scrambling—what that signals.
07:10 What “getting it right” looks like: reappointment commitment and follow-up tracking.
09:00 How calibrating a perio protocol changes perio percentages and 4000 codes.
11:30 Stop chasing patients—capture commitment while they’re in the practice.
12:10 What your team can do today: find the gaps driving last-minute holes.
12:40 The easiest short-term win: improve hygiene reappointment expectations.
14:05 Why perio protocol calibration takes alignment, tools, and consistent messaging.
16:10 Systems save hours: invest now instead of living in reactive mode.
16:55 Where to find BPA resources for hygiene reappointment/recare follow-up and calibrated perio protocol.
Guest Bio/Guest Resources:
Ariel has a master’s in healthcare administration and several years of dental experience in all aspects of the administrative roles within the dental office. Her passion is to work with dental teams to empower team members to realize their full potential in order to better serve patients, improve office systems to ensure a well-functioning team/office, and to help everyone have fun in the process!
Resources mentioned:
- Best Practices Association (BPA) resources: https://www.actdental.com/free-resources/
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- The Best Practices Show:https://www.actdental.com/podcast/
- Best Practices Association:https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Upcoming Events & Workshops:https://www.actdental.com/events/
- Smile Source:https://www.smilesource.com/
- Subscribe on Apple Podcasts:https://podcasts.apple.com
- Subscribe on Spotify:https://open.spotify.com
Many practices keep looking for more new patients when the bigger problem is the gap between what gets diagnosed and what actually gets scheduled, completed, and collected. In this episode, Kirk Behrendt talks with Sameer Bhasin of CareCredit about building reliable, measurable systems that make unscheduled dentistry visible, tighten the diagnose-to-schedule pathway, and improve follow-through so patients get the care they need without adding more chaos to the schedule.
You’ll learn how to create an actionable dashboard, protect procedure time, clean up revenue cycle habits, and use technology to amplify (not replace) your workflow. Listen to Episode 1050 of The Best Practices Show!
Main Takeaways:
- Most private practices aren’t short on diagnosing treatment; they’re short on conversion and follow-through.
- Unscheduled dentistry should be broken down into a dashboard by timeframe, procedure type, value tier, and patient readiness so it becomes actionable.
- A strong diagnose-to-schedule pathway requires consistent handoffs, clear “why now,” and protecting schedule time for the procedures you want to do.
- Production on paper isn’t the same as performance because value is often lost in handoffs, case acceptance, scheduling, and collections.
- Clean revenue cycle discipline includes early benefit verification, collecting patient portions appropriately, and consistent weekly AR and aging-claims follow-up.
- Technology should amplify an existing workflow (analytics, reminders, online scheduling guardrails) rather than replace human follow-up and accountability.
- As a benchmark, about 10% of patients should be applying for third-party financing to ensure financial options are part of the process, not an afterthought.
Snippets:
00:00 Unscheduled dentistry is the opportunity most practices aren’t working.
08:23 How to build an unscheduled treatment dashboard by time, procedure, and value tier.
11:52 Standardizing the diagnose-to-schedule pathway and creating urgency with the “next best appointment.”
15:40 What a “clean revenue cycle” looks like and why write-offs are a major hidden problem.
18:05 Technology amplifies a workflow; it doesn’t replace one.
20:10 The metrics Samir watches, including the 10% financing application benchmark.
23:10 The “Great Wall of China” myth and how misconceptions show up in practice systems.
26:55 Approval rate realities and why you can’t get approvals without applications.
33:00 What a CareCredit practice review reveals and how it’s used to find opportunities.
35:45 A simple action plan: pull the last 90 days of unscheduled dentistry and call the top 20 patients.
Guest Bio/Guest Resources:
Sameer Bhasin, Vice President of Strategic Alliances at CareCredit, is responsible for working with dentistry’s key opinion leaders and educators to gather the latest insights and trends. Previously, Mr. Bhasin held positions as a CareCredit Practice Development Manager and Regional Sales Manager where he acquired more than a decade of front line practice experience. He holds both a Bachelor’s Degree and Master’s Degree in Business and an MBA in Healthcare Administration.
- Email: sbhasin@carecredit.com
- Social: https://www.facebook.com/sameer.bhasin/
- https://www.instagram.com/sam.i.am.329/
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- The Best Practices Show:https://www.actdental.com/podcast/
- Best Practices Association:https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Upcoming Events & Workshops:https://www.actdental.com/events/
- Smile Source:https://www.smilesource.com/
- Subscribe on Apple Podcasts:https://podcasts.apple.com
- Subscribe on Spotify:https://open.spotify.com
Core values sound simple until you try to use them to lead a team consistently, especially when things get busy or uncomfortable. In this episode, Kirk Behrendt explains how to turn core values into daily decision-making tools with Heather Crockett, coach at ACT Dental.
You’ll learn how to make values behavioral and observable, build them into your communication rhythms, and use them as a practical filter for hiring, accountability, and tough leadership calls. Listen to Episode 1049 of The Best Practices Show!
Main Takeaways:
- Core values only work when they drive daily behavior, not when they’re just words on a wall.
- Values must be actionable and observable so the team can interpret and apply them consistently.
- “Core values without function” shows up as subjective interpretations, inconsistent culture, and leaders hesitating to hold people accountable.
- Make each value behavioral by defining what it means, documenting examples of how it shows up, and listing the results when it’s alive and well.
- Operationalize values by embedding them into hiring, onboarding, daily huddles, weekly team meetings, monthly check-ins, and quarterly planning.
- Use values as the decision-making filter for real-time issues like scheduling, finances, patient care, and team dynamics to reduce decision fatigue.
- Hire and evaluate people on two criteria: they get results and they fit your core values, using tools like a Right Person, Right Seat scorecard.
Snippets:
00:00 How to turn core values into daily decision-making tools.
02:10 Why core values matter only if they drive behavior.
03:10 Why vague values (like “excellence” or “integrity”) don’t work as daily tools.
04:30 What “core values without function” looks like inside a practice.
06:10 How to make values behavioral with definitions, examples, and outcomes.
08:00 Using “anti-values” and standout team behaviors to clarify what you want.
10:10 Putting core values into systems and communication rhythms.
12:10 Using huddles and team meetings for value shout-outs and accountability.
18:00 Using core values as a daily decision filter to reduce decision fatigue.
22:10 Heather’s final takeaways on visibility, systems, and reflection.
23:50 BPA tools mentioned: Identifying Core Values, bringing values alive, Right Person Right Seat scorecard.
Guest Bio/Guest Resources:
Heather Crockett is a Lead Practice Coach who finds joy in not only improving practices but improving the lives of those she coaches as well. With over 20 years of combined experience in assisting, office management, and clinical dental hygiene, her awareness supports many aspects of the practice setting.
Heather received her dental hygiene degree from the Utah College of Dental Hygiene in 2008. Networking in the dental community comes easy to her, and she loves to connect with like-minded colleagues on social media. Heather enjoys both attending and presenting continuing education to expand her knowledge and learn from her friends and colleagues.
She enjoys hanging out with her husband, three sons, and their dog, Moki, scrolling through social media, watching football, and traveling.
Resources mentioned in this episode:
- Identifying Your Core Values (exercise outline): https://www.actdental.com/hubfs/Identify%20Your%20Practices%20Core%20Values.pdf
- BPA tool on how to bring core values alive:
- https://www.actdental.com/free-resources/how-to-bring-your-core-values-alive
- Right Person, Right Seat scorecard:
- https://www.actdental.com/blog/2-key-tools-for-accountability-success
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- The Best Practices Show:https://www.actdental.com/podcast/
- Best Practices Association:https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Upcoming Events & Workshops:https://www.actdental.com/events/
- Smile Source:https://www.smilesource.com/
- Subscribe on Apple Podcasts:https://podcasts.apple.com
- Subscribe on Spotify:https://open.spotify.com
Burnout can feel like a personal failure, but it often shows up because the business isn’t operationally aligned. In this episode, Kirk Behrendt brings back coach Ariel Siegel to explain why burnout is a business signal, what numbers reveal the real problem, and which metrics to track so your schedule, profitability, and energy feel more sustainable.
You’ll learn how days worked, write-offs, and margin create (or relieve) pressure — and what to start measuring right now to regain control. Listen to Episode 1048 of The Best Practices Show!
Main Takeaways:
- Burnout often feels personal, but it is typically a signal that something in the business is not working.
- Adding more hours, skipping lunch, and squeezing in patients can increase effort without delivering proportional financial relief.
- Days worked and write-offs have risen significantly post-COVID, creating instability and stress when margin becomes inconsistent.
- Recovery is a requirement for success, and time away from the practice must be built in, not “earned” later.
- Dentists must track the true number of clinical days worked because most don’t know the real number from the prior year.
- Margin matters more than production because it shows what is left after overhead and debt, and it reveals profit leaks.
- Write-offs must be understood by source so you can see how many days you are effectively working “for free” and build a plan to improve.
Snippets:
00:00 Metric Monday Intro
01:35 Burnout Is A Signal
03:36 When It Goes Wrong
04:56 Post COVID Metrics Shift
06:16 Margin Stress Spiral
08:26 Getting It Right
09:51 Track Days And Margin
13:15 Busy But Not Profitable
14:55 Action Step Write Offs
16:47 Resources And Wrap Up
Guest Bio/Guest Resources:
Ariel has a master’s in healthcare administration and several years of dental experience in all aspects of the administrative roles within the dental office. Her passion is to work with dental teams to empower team members to realize their full potential in order to better serve patients, improve office systems to ensure a well-functioning team/office, and to help everyone have fun in the process!
Guest resources mentioned in this episode:
- PPO Freedom Course: https://www.actdental.com/free-resources/ppo-roadmap/
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- The Best Practices Show:https://www.actdental.com/podcast/
- Best Practices Association:https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Upcoming Events & Workshops:https://www.actdental.com/events/
- Smile Source:https://www.smilesource.com/
- Subscribe on Apple Podcasts:https://podcasts.apple.com
- Subscribe on Spotify:https://open.spotify.com
When PPO write-offs climb, adding more patients can increase stress while decreasing profitability. In this episode, Kirk Behrendt sits down with Miranda Beeson, ACT’s Director of Education, to unpack “the PPO trap” and explain why more patients can mean less money.
You’ll learn how to spot the effort gap, gather the right data before making insurance decisions, and shift the insurance mindset and language so your team can confidently support a more profitable model—whether that means going fully fee-for-service or reducing PPO exposure strategically. Listen to Episode 1047of The Best Practices Show!
Main Takeaways:
- More patients can increase production but still reduce profit when write-offs and effort gap widen.
- Practices should make PPO decisions with data—not emotion—by analyzing write-offs, plan mix, production, and procedure impact.
- Going fee-for-service must match your business model and requires leadership, team alignment, and consistent communication.
- If you’re not ready to go fully out-of-network, you can improve profitability by tracking write-offs per plan and participating selectively.
- Capacity matters: if you have holes in the schedule, it may not be the right time to drop plans aggressively.
- Teams must shift language from “coverage” to “benefits” and keep clinical recommendations separate from insurance limitations.
- Front office and team buy-in are critical, because inconsistent messaging and fear-based language will sabotage the transition.
Snippets:
00:00 More patients doesn’t automatically mean more profit—and why the effort gap matters.
04:59 How write-offs have grown after COVID, including practices seeing 30–55%+.
10:18 Why going fee-for-service isn’t just an insurance decision—it’s a business model and leadership decision.
14:22 The key data to review before dropping a plan (patients, production, write-offs, procedures, attrition tolerance).
18:40 How to participate strategically: track write-offs per plan, evaluate plan impact, and consider fee negotiation.
22:29 How to identify “poor fit” plans and include admin team friction (appeals, phone time, denials) in the decision.
28:05 The mindset shift: insurance as a benefit, not coverage—and why insurance shouldn’t drive diagnosis.
31:53 Language that protects the health recommendation and reduces insurance-driven conversations.
36:48 How to answer “Do you take my insurance?” without undermining value or confidence.
38:10 First steps: confirm you bill full fees, know true write-offs, and clarify your practice model direction.
Guest Bio/Guest Resources:
Miranda Beeson has over 25 years of clinical dental hygiene, front office, practice administration, and speaking experience. She is enthusiastic about communication and loves helping others find the power that words can bring to their patient interactions and practice dynamics. As a Lead Practice Coach, she is driven to create opportunities to find value in experiences and cultivate new approaches.
Miranda graduated from Old Dominion University, and enjoys spending time with her husband, Chuck, and her children, Trent, Mallory, and Cassidy. Family time is the best time, and is often spent on a golf course, a volleyball court, or spending the day boating at the beach.
Resources mentioned in this episode:
- PPO Roadmap: https://www.actdental.com/free-resources/ppo-roadmap/\
- Say This Not That: https://www.actdental.com/hubfs/Say%20This%2C%20Not%20That%20-%20Fillable.pdf
- To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt/
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- The Best Practices Show:https://www.actdental.com/podcast/
- Best Practices Association:https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Upcoming Events & Workshops:https://www.actdental.com/events/
- Smile Source:https://www.smilesource.com/
- Subscribe on Apple Podcasts:https://podcasts.apple.com
- Subscribe on Spotify:https://open.spotify.com
When patients don’t accept treatment, most dentists assume it’s about money — but the real breakdown often happens earlier in the process. In this episode, Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. Jim McKee to share the five questions that determine whether a patient will say yes and whether you should take the case.
You’ll learn how to diagnose the real problem, frame expectations, evaluate timing and affordability, and build the kind of trust that prevents conflict in complex dentistry. Listen to Episode 1046 of The Best Practices Show!
Main Takeaways:
- Case acceptance starts when the dentist clearly understands the problem and has a predictable solution.
- Patients say no when they understand the complaint but don’t understand the real diagnosis or why the proposed solution makes sense.
- Many declined treatment plans are a timing issue in the patient’s life, not a fee issue.
- Affordability often comes down to phasing treatment while clearly explaining the risks, changes, and potential added cost over time.
- Unrealistic expectations — clinical, financial, or both — are a leading cause of difficult cases and post-treatment conflict.
- Trust is built by accurate diagnosis, transparent expectation-setting, and having the clinical skills to manage complex problems.
- You should trust your “spider senses” and be willing to lose the case early rather than getting stuck in treatment you can’t deliver predictably.
Snippets:
00:00 Where the “five keys to case acceptance” came from.
00:05 “Checkers vs. chess” patients and why Julie’s case changed the conversation.
00:07 Why tooth-based solutions fail when the problem is skeletal or joint-based.
00:11 Unrealistic expectations and the hidden mismatch between insurance and “perfect” dentistry.
00:17 Why “too expensive” is often a timing issue, not the real reason patients delay.
00:19 The money question: phasing complex cases without surprising patients later.
00:25 The trust question and why sustaining practices are built on relationships, not volume.
00:30 How to think through failure points before you start treatment.
00:33 Why it’s better to lose up front than disappoint a patient mid-treatment.
00:38 Where to learn more: online training, hands-on workshops, and a Chicago study club.
Guest Bio/Guest Resources:
Dr. Jim McKee is a restorative dentist and educator focused on occlusion, TMD, and restorative diagnosis. He is a member of the Spear Resident Faculty. He has maintained a private practice since 1984 in Downers Grove, Illinois, where he treats a wide variety of cases with a focus on predictable restorative dentistry. He is a member of the American Academy of Restorative Dentistry and former president of the American Equilibration Society. He has lectured both nationally and internationally for over 25 years and directs several study clubs. Dr. McKee graduated from the University of Notre Dame in 1980 and earned his dental degree from the University of Illinois College of Dentistry in 1984.
Guest Resources Mentioned:
- Online program through Phelan Dental Seminars: https://courses.phelandentalseminars.com/tmd-pds
- Advanced Occlusion Workshop at Spear Education : https://app.speareducation.com/events/workshops/advanced-occlusion
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- The Best Practices Show:https://www.actdental.com/podcast/
- Best Practices Association:https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Upcoming Events & Workshops:https://www.actdental.com/events/
- Smile Source:https://www.smilesource.com/
- Subscribe on Apple Podcasts:https://podcasts.apple.com
- Subscribe on Spotify:https://open.spotify.com
When your schedule is packed, it’s easy to assume your practice is healthy—but “busy” can hide low productivity and weak profitability. In this episode, Kirk Behrendt brings in ACT Dental coach Robyn Theisen to explain why volume masks inefficiency longer than any other metric, how “busy” becomes a false proxy for performance, and what to measure instead.
You’ll learn how to compare number of visits with production per visit and production per hour, what inefficient schedules look like, and how to build a strategic schedule that slows down on purpose while producing more. Listen to Episode 1045 of The Best Practices Show!
Main Takeaways:
- A full schedule can look healthy while profitability is not there because volume can hide inefficiency.
- “Busy” is a false proxy and has zero value unless you connect it to productivity and profitability.
- Compare number of visits with production per visit (PPV) and production per hour (PPH) to see whether you’re churning through patients or producing efficiently.
- Low PPV and low PPH often show up as lots of short, low-value appointments and reactive treatment planning that keeps the day running long.
- Inefficient volume creates physical fatigue and mental fatigue when the activity doesn’t match what ends up in the bank account.
- A practice that gets it right builds a strategic schedule with the right mix of procedures, not just filled spots, and matches time to clinical complexity and value.
- Start by planning the year (days worked, vacations, holidays, CE, meetings), set an annual production goal, and break it down into a daily target to build the schedule around.
Snippets:
00:00 Why a busy schedule doesn’t automatically mean a profitable schedule.
03:10 Why “busy” is a false proxy and what “time is the new rich” looks like.
04:05 The homework metric: calculate PPV, PPH, and compare them to number of visits.
06:00 What inefficient volume looks like in the schedule and treatment planning.
08:05 What it looks like when a practice gets it right with a strategic schedule.
11:05 The first step: plan your year, set annual goals, and convert them into a daily production target.
12:00 Why write-offs matter and how inaccurate assumptions can hide the real numbers.
Guest Bio/Guest Resources:
Robyn Theisen brings an entire life and legacy of dental experience to the team and every team with which she works as the daughter and sister of dentists. With almost 20 years of experience in dentistry, her roles ranged from practice management to operations at Patterson Dental to coaching teams. Robyn’s passion is empowering teams to realize that they can dramatically impact the lives of the people they serve by implementing skills and systems to remove barriers to life-changing dental treatment. She has done it for decades and does it every day with dental teams.
Outside of coaching, she enjoys time with her husband, Rob, and two daughters, Emerson and Ruby. She loves traveling, music, fitness, and cheering on the Michigan State Spartans.
Resources mentioned in the episode:
- Pro Coaching (ACT Dental): https://www.actdental.com/pro
- To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt/
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- The Best Practices Show:https://www.actdental.com/podcast/
- Best Practices Association:https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Upcoming Events & Workshops:https://www.actdental.com/events/
- Smile Source:https://www.smilesource.com/
- Subscribe on Apple Podcasts:https://podcasts.apple.com
- Subscribe on Spotify:https://open.spotify.com
Dental insurance rules are changing fast, and “dental loss ratio” (DLR) is becoming a key issue dentists can’t ignore. In this episode, Kirk Behrendt sits down with Shelley DeGroff of PPO Advisors to explain what DLR is, how it works, why states are adopting it, and what it could mean for premiums, access to coverage, and the future of PPO participation.
You’ll learn how DLR is measured, what accountability could improve for patients and practices, and where to watch for state-by-state updates as the market shifts. Listen to Episode 1044 of The Best Practices Show!
Main Takeaways:
- Dental loss ratio (DLR) is the percentage of dental insurance premium dollars spent on patient care rather than overhead, administration, or profit.
- DLR is state-specific legislation, and states can require carriers to meet a target percentage or refund premium dollars back to patients.
- The current national average DLR discussed is about 64%–67%, which is driving efforts to push DLR targets into the 80% range.
- As DLR expands, dentists may see operational improvements like fewer denials and faster claims processing, depending on how carriers respond.
- One downside risk is that some carriers may raise premiums or exit certain markets, making coverage harder to find or more expensive for employers and patients.
- NCOIL (National Council of Insurance Legislators) has a model DLR framework that states can use as a starting point when drafting legislation.
- Dentists should track DLR activity through their state dental society and stay engaged in the legislative conversation as changes accelerate.
Snippets:
00:00 Why dentists need to understand dental loss ratio (DLR).
04:00 What DLR is and how premium dollars are measured against patient care.
06:00 How state DLR laws can trigger refunds of premium dollars to patients.
09:00 The national average DLR discussed (64%–67%) and the push toward the 80s.
10:00 Why brokers may feel the squeeze first as carriers adjust to DLR pressure.
12:00 How relying on PPO lists can become riskier as networks and rules shift.
13:00 A warning sign: treatment planning based on insurance instead of clinical judgment.
18:00 What NCOIL is and how it influences state DLR bills.
19:00 How DLR could mirror medical loss ratio dynamics, including premium pressure.
24:00 Where to start: practice evaluation and understanding how insurance impacts the business.
Guest Bio/Guest Resources:
Shelley DeGroff, founder and CEO of PPO Advisors, knows dentistry. After graduating from the University of Nebraska, she began working as a dental receptionist in a nearby dental office. After completing her certification as a dental assistant, Shelley transitioned to become a successful office manager. It was in that role that Shelley began noticing the need for PPO negotiations for her employing doctor. This experience began the business model for PPO Advisors, which has now become a nationwide industry leader.
Resources mentioned in the episode:
- PPO Advisors website: https://ppoadvisors.com/
- PPO Advisors blog: https://ppoadvisors.com/ppo-insights/blog/
- NCOIL (National Council of Insurance Legislators) model dental loss ratio framework:
- https://ncoil.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/NCOIL-DLR-Model-Health-Cmte-Adopted-1-26-24.pdf
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- The Best Practices Show:https://www.actdental.com/podcast/
- Best Practices Association:https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Upcoming Events & Workshops:https://www.actdental.com/events/
- Smile Source:https://www.smilesource.com/
- Subscribe on Apple Podcasts:https://podcasts.apple.com
- Subscribe on Spotify:https://open.spotify.com
Do you ever catch yourself thinking, “Why am I even doing this?” When dentistry becomes all noise—production goals, staffing issues, and nonstop mental load—it’s easy to lose your purpose and drift into burnout. In this episode, Kirk Behrendt brings back practice coach Miranda Beeson to explain how reconnecting to service—without sacrificing yourself—restores energy, strengthens leadership, and makes the work meaningful again.
You’ll learn how service applies to patients, your team, your profession, and your community, plus practical ways to re-anchor your mindset through daily habits and better language around numbers. Listen to Episode 1043 of The Best Practices Show!
Main Takeaways:
- Dentistry is a helping profession, and burnout grows when purpose gets replaced by task-focus, noise, and transactional thinking.
- Service is not self-sacrifice; you have to protect boundaries and run a strong business to serve appropriately.
- When patients become “appointments” or “dollar signs,” fulfillment drops and emotional fatigue increases for both doctors and teams.
- Serving your team means creating an opportunity for financial stability, fulfillment, and development—not just expecting performance.
- Leadership is a mindset, not a title, and anyone can lead by showing up with an others-focused approach.
- Serving the profession and community through mentorship, study clubs, and giving back can restore meaning and re-energize seasoned dentists.
- Re-anchoring daily to purpose and gratitude helps reset mindset, improves team language around metrics, and supports healthier leadership.
Snippets:
00:00 Burnout And The Why
01:23 Meet Coach Miranda
03:02 Dentistry Noise Overload
04:22 Service Fuels Purpose
06:22 Serve Without Sacrifice
09:06 When Service Gets Lost
14:10 Serving Patients Deeply
16:50 Serving Your Team
20:52 Leadership Without Titles
22:21 Serve Dentistry Community
24:15 Community Service Mindset
24:32 Mentorship Stories
25:34 Giving Back Fuels Joy
27:12 Keep the Fire Lit
27:25 Margin and Mindsets
29:07 Practical Reset Tips
30:16 Purpose in Huddles
31:41 Gratitude Over the Gap
33:38 Reframing Numbers as Care
35:03 Accountability and the Right People
37:14 Final Takeaways on Service
41:28 Core Purpose and Resources
42:41 Podcast Farewell
Guest Bio/Guest Resources:
Miranda Beeson has over 25 years of clinical dental hygiene, front office, practice administration, and speaking experience. She is enthusiastic about communication and loves helping others find the power that words can bring to their patient interactions and practice dynamics. As a Lead Practice Coach, she is driven to create opportunities to find value in experiences and cultivate new approaches.
Miranda graduated from Old Dominion University, and enjoys spending time with her husband, Chuck, and her children, Trent, Mallory, and Cassidy. Family time is the best time, and is often spent on a golf course, a volleyball court, or spending the day boating at the beach.
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
The Best Practices Show:https://www.actdental.com/podcast/
Best Practices Association:https://www.actdental.com/bpa
Best Practices Resources:https://www.actdental.com/free-resources/
Upcoming Events & Workshops:https://www.actdental.com/events/
Smile Source:https://www.smilesource.com/
Subscribe on Apple Podcasts:https://podcasts.apple.com
Subscribe on Spotify:https://open.spotify.com
Letting insurance fee schedules become your “real” fees creates bad data, bad decisions, and an unnecessary production treadmill. In this episode, Kirk Behrendt coaches with Robyn Theisen on why every practice — even PPO-heavy practices — must use a master fee schedule, bill full fees, and track adjustments correctly so you can see the true gap between UCR and contracted rates.
You’ll learn how insurance-driven fees distort write-offs, inflate gross production, hide profitability, and anchor patients to allowance instead of clinical value — plus what to do today to start fixing it. Listen to Episode 1042 of The Best Practices Show!
Main Takeaways:
- If your practice management system uses insurance fee schedules instead of a master fee schedule, your production, adjustments, and write-offs become inaccurate.
- Without regularly comparing UCR to contracted fees, you can’t see the true adjustment gap or make good plan-by-plan decisions.
- When practices bill contracted fees, gross production may look strong while net production tells a very different story.
- Insurance-driven fees can force doctors to produce more volume to reach the same results, creating scheduling and profitability challenges.
- Billing full fees and categorizing adjustments by insurance plan allows you to identify where discounts are coming from and how large they are.
- Getting granular with adjustment categories can reveal hidden issues, like different doctors operating under different insurance fee schedules.
- Auditing a small sample of EOBs weekly helps you validate whether adjustments and payments match what you think is happening.
Snippets:
00:01 What “the hidden cost of letting insurance set your fees” actually means.
03:00 What it looks like when practices get this wrong: distorted adjustments, write-offs, and inflated gross production.
05:40 Why not using a master fee schedule creates “fake news” everywhere in the practice.
06:30 What it looks like when practices get it right: billing full fees and tracking adjustments by plan.
08:50 How granular write-off categories reveal deeper problems — including huge write-offs and mismatched fee schedules.
11:10 What you can do today: check how adjustments are entered and get more specific by insurance company.
12:20 Why anchoring patients to allowances instead of clinical value hurts your practice long-term.
Guest Bio/Guest Resources:
Robyn Theisen brings an entire life and legacy of dental experience to the team and every team with which she works as the daughter and sister of dentists. With almost 20 years of experience in dentistry, her roles ranged from practice management to operations at Patterson Dental to coaching teams. Robyn’s passion is empowering teams to realize that they can dramatically impact the lives of the people they serve by implementing skills and systems to remove barriers to life-changing dental treatment. She has done it for decades and does it every day with dental teams.
Outside of coaching, she enjoys time with her husband, Rob, and two daughters, Emerson and Ruby. She loves traveling, music, fitness, and cheering on the Michigan State Spartans.
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
The Best Practices Show:https://www.actdental.com/podcast/
Best Practices Association:https://www.actdental.com/bpa
Upcoming Events & Workshops:https://www.actdental.com/events/
Smile Source:https://www.smilesource.com/
Subscribe on Apple Podcasts:https://podcasts.apple.com
Subscribe on Spotify:https://open.spotify.com
AI is showing up everywhere in dentistry, but how far should you go with it in HR—and where does it create risk? In this episode, Kirk Behrendt brings back Alan Twigg, HR professional and leader at Bent Ericksen, to unpack practical, low-risk ways to use AI in a private dental practice, where it can backfire, and why compliance and culture still require trained human judgment.
You’ll learn what AI does well today, what it gets wrong, how employees may use it against you, and how to protect your practice while staying efficient. Listen to Episode 1041 of The Best Practices Show!
Main Takeaways:
- AI can summarize information confidently even when it is wrong, so you should not use it as a source of HR compliance guidance.
- Employees and patients can use AI tools to research employment and practice issues faster, increasing the need for accurate HR compliance.
- Using AI to write or review policies can miss common real-world scenarios and still requires significant human time to verify and maintain.
- AI’s default “agreeable” responses can be risky in HR decisions like termination because it may not challenge high-risk choices.
- Useful AI applications in HR are generally administrative or creative support, not legal interpretation or employee-relations decision-making.
- Culture and trust remain key differentiators for private practices, especially as larger organizations pursue efficiency through automation.
- The real value of technology should be freeing time for human connection, not compressing more tasks into the day.
Snippets:
00:00 AI is everywhere—would you use it for HR?
01:00 Alan explains what he does and why HR support matters in dentistry.
04:00 Kirk on “this will change everything” predictions and why trust still runs dentistry.
08:00 The five Cs that differentiate humans from AI: communication, compassion, curiosity, creativity, courage.
11:00 Why AI can be dangerous for HR compliance information, with real examples of errors.
14:00 The Workday lawsuit and what it could mean for AI-driven hiring tools.
17:00 What happens when a practice tries to use AI to build policies and procedures.
22:00 How AI’s “agreeable” nature can increase risk in terminations and employee conflict.
25:00 Safer, practical uses of AI: UEP drafting, appreciation ideas, and reducing admin drudgery.
28:00 Five years out: efficiency vs. work intensification, and the hope for more human connection.
32:00 Final cautions: don’t let AI change your vision, and don’t use it for compliance decisions.
Guest Bio/Guest Resources:
Alan Twigg is the president of Bent Ericksen & Associates. For over 10 years, he has guided thousands of clients and consultants through the ever-changing world of HR and employment compliance. He is a speaker, consultant, and author who is passionate about bringing education and peace of mind to such a confusing topic.
As a strong proponent of symbiotic employer-employee relations, Alan is passionate about teamwork and positive work cultures, with an emphasis on long-term personnel retention and employment compliance, where his solutions-oriented outlook excels.
Resources mentioned:
https://bentericksen.com/
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- The Best Practices Show:https://www.actdental.com/podcast/
- Best Practices Association:https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Upcoming Events & Workshops:https://www.actdental.com/events/
- Smile Source:https://www.smilesource.com/
- Subscribe on Apple Podcasts:https://podcasts.apple.com
- Subscribe on Spotify:https://open.spotify.com
Turnover is expensive, disruptive, and often blamed on “the staffing market”—but what if the real issue is your internal culture and leadership systems? In this episode, Kirk Behrendt sits down with coach Heather Crockett to explain why turnover isn’t a staffing problem—it’s a culture problem—and to walk you through the practical framework that attracts the right people, keeps them, and helps them thrive.
You’ll learn what truly drives turnover, the leadership behaviors that reduce it, and the culture systems that create clarity, consistency, and accountability. Listen to Episode 1040 of The Best Practices Show!
Main Takeaways:
- Turnover is often a lagging indicator of deeper issues like unclear leadership, inconsistent expectations, weak onboarding, and uneven accountability.
- Strong cultures still attract and retain top talent, even in tight labor markets, because people choose workplaces for leadership and experience—not just pay.
- Clear roles, defined success, and documented expectations reduce guessing and frustration, and help the right people perform in the right seats.
- Consistency in leadership—supported by regular meeting rhythms—eliminates “rule changes” that make accountability feel unfair.
- Systems create predictable, repeatable behaviors and improve training so you don’t rely on memory, mood, or “training by people.”
- Avoiding conflict quietly erodes culture; productive conflict builds trust when leaders use clear frameworks and address issues early.
- Team members stay when they feel clear, valued, and connected to meaningful purpose—not because of perks alone.
Snippets:
00:00 Turnover isn’t a staffing problem—it’s a culture problem.
02:00 Why hiring is hard, and why culture is the real retention advantage.
05:30 Turnover as a lagging indicator of internal leadership and systems issues.
07:00 Why onboarding drives retention and the “3-3-3” framework.
10:00 “Team members come first” and what it changes operationally.
11:00 Clarity: defining roles, success, and expectations for behavior and performance.
13:30 Consistency and the meeting rhythms that remove unfair accountability.
17:00 Systems as the “this is the way” to reduce errors and speed up training.
19:00 Purpose: moving from transactional dentistry to meaningful, relational work.
22:00 Avoiding conflict erodes culture and drives high performers away.
24:00 Clear is kind: why clarity prevents conflict from becoming a crisis.
26:30 Tactical leadership behaviors you can start immediately to reduce turnover.
29:00 Two questions to ask your team to uncover what’s hurting culture.
Guest Bio/Guest Resources:
Heather Crockett is a Lead Practice Coach who finds joy in not only improving practices but improving the lives of those she coaches as well. With over 20 years of combined experience in assisting, office management, and clinical dental hygiene, her awareness supports many aspects of the practice setting.
Heather received her dental hygiene degree from the Utah College of Dental Hygiene in 2008. Networking in the dental community comes easy to her, and she loves to connect with like-minded colleagues on social media. Heather enjoys both attending and presenting continuing education to expand her knowledge and learn from her friends and colleagues.
She enjoys hanging out with her husband, three sons, and their dog, Moki, scrolling through social media, watching football, and traveling.
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- The Best Practices Show:https://www.actdental.com/podcast/
- Best Practices Association:https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Upcoming Events & Workshops:https://www.actdental.com/events/
- Smile Source:https://www.smilesource.com/
- Subscribe on Apple Podcasts:https://podcasts.apple.com
- Subscribe on Spotify:https://open.spotify.com
Are you producing at a high level but still feeling tight on cash? In this episode, Kirk Behrendt brings back Carlie Einarson, ACT Dental coach, to explain why strong production doesn’t automatically mean strong cash flow. You’ll learn the two metrics that reveal what’s really happening—collections percentage and AR days—plus the practical steps to tighten your financial systems so the money you’ve earned actually makes it to the bank. Listen to Episode 1039 of The Best Practices Show!
Main Takeaways:
- Strong production does not guarantee strong cash flow because production does not automatically convert to money in the bank.
- Collections percentage and AR days are two key metrics that reveal why a practice can feel tight on cash even when schedules are full.
- If you are not collecting 100% of net production, profitability is being impacted and the practice is leaving money on the table.
- Over-the-counter collections must be consistent, with confident same-day payment conversations at time of service.
- AR days reflect how long it takes to collect what you’re owed, and the goal is roughly 30 days or less.
- A clear financial policy and an AR management system reduce delays from patient balances and insurance claims.
- Improving collections systems can create a cascading effect, including healthier financial behavior, better compliance, and more consistent processes.
Snippets:
00:00 Producing a lot but still tight on cash—why this happens.
02:20 The two metrics that reveal the story: collections percentage and AR days.
04:40 What “getting it wrong” looks like when cash doesn’t match production.
05:35 Why AR days creep up and how delays compound.
07:40 What “getting it right” looks like inside a healthy practice.
08:35 Why 95% collections is not acceptable in dental practice management.
11:05 Targeting 30 AR days and tightening follow-up systems.
12:00 Moving to deposits and collecting in a more consistent process.
13:10 Action plan: financial policy alignment and AR management systems.
15:00 Where to find BPA resources for financial policies and AR systems.
Guest Bio/Guest Resources:
Carlie Einarson is a lead practice coach who has a passion for helping others succeed in the dental field. She loves helping to create a stable foundation for practices so both professionals and patients have a great experience every time they walk in the door!
Carlie graduated from Utah College of Dental Hygiene. She has ten years of experience in the dental field, including clinical dental hygiene, front office, and leading teams.
In her free time, she enjoys spending quality time with loved ones, traveling, skiing, playing volleyball, and golfing.
Resources mentioned in this episode:
- Best Practices Association (BPA) resources and guides:
- https://www.actdental.com/free-resources/
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- The Best Practices Show:https://www.actdental.com/podcast/
- Best Practices Association:https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Upcoming Events & Workshops:https://www.actdental.com/events/
- Smile Source:https://www.smilesource.com/
- Subscribe on Apple Podcasts:https://podcasts.apple.com
- Subscribe on Spotify:https://open.spotify.com
Building an amazing dental team is hard when everyone is “busy” but daily friction, miscommunication, and inconsistent expectations keep getting in the way. In this episode, Kirk Behrendt sits down with coach Jenni Poulos to explain how written team agreements create alignment, reduce conflict, and make accountability easier.
You’ll learn why individual, unwritten expectations create expensive operational friction, how agreements support core values with specific behaviors, and how to build a living document your team actually uses. Listen to Episode 1038 of The Best Practices Show!
Main Takeaways:
- Alignment reduces daily friction by creating clear, shared expectations for how the team works together.
- Misalignment is expensive because it shows up in tone, handoffs, duplicated work, and ultimately impacts patient experience and profitability.
- The root of conflict is the gap between expectations and reality, summed up as E minus R equals C.
- Team agreements support core values by defining what those values look like in specific, observable behaviors during the workday.
- People resist surprise accountability more than accountability itself, and written agreements reduce that surprise.
- Agreements must be written, modeled by leadership, and used for coaching so accountability feels less personal and more objective.
- Team agreements should be created with the full team and revisited regularly so they stay “living,” not just “laminated.”
Snippets:
00:00 Welcome and Big Question
01:17 Meet Jenny and Why Alignment Matters
03:08 Core Values and Misalignment Costs
05:18 Unwritten Rules Create Friction
07:22 E Minus R Equals Conflict
09:28 Team Agreements Create Clarity
11:22 Written Agreements and Accountability
15:48 Modeling Agreements and Coaching
18:11 How to Build Agreements Together
23:24 Final Takeaways and Next Steps
25:38 Wrap Up and Farewell
Guest Bio/Guest Resources:
Jenni brings to dental teams a literal lifetime of experience in dentistry. As the daughter and sister of periodontists and a dental hygienist, she has been working in many facets of the dental world since she first held a summer job turning rooms and pouring models at the age of 12. Now, with over 10 years of experience in managing and leading a large periodontal practice, she has a firm grasp on what it takes to run a thriving business. Her passion for organizational health and culture has been a driving force behind her coaching career. She has witnessed firsthand how creating an aligned and engaged team will take a practice to levels of success that they never believed possible!
Guest resources mentioned:
- Best Practices Association: Team Agreements Coaching Guide.
- More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- The Best Practices Show:https://www.actdental.com/podcast/
- Best Practices Association:https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Upcoming Events & Workshops:https://www.actdental.com/events/
- Smile Source:https://www.smilesource.com/
- Subscribe on Apple Podcasts:https://podcasts.apple.com
- Subscribe on Spotify:https://open.spotify.com
AI is moving fast, but most dentists still don’t know what to use, what to ignore, or how to avoid wasting time on tools that don’t help the practice. In this episode, Kirk Behrendt sits down with Travis Wentworth, an AI and cybersecurity expert (with a doctorate in chemical engineering and a background in data modeling), to explain how AI has evolved beyond chatbots into practical “coworker” tools and agent-based workflows that can save time in a dental office.
You’ll learn how to think about AI use cases, how to structure prompts for better outputs, where the real risks are (including hallucinations and overreliance), and how to pick one measurable project to implement without getting overwhelmed—listen to Episode 1037 of The Best Practices Show!
Main Takeaways:
- AI has quickly moved beyond basic chatbot use into tools that can work directly with files, folders, and workflows on your computer.
- Agent-based AI can connect services (like calendars and email) to automate multi-step tasks that would normally take manual follow-up.
- Better AI outputs depend on structured, specific inputs, including context like practice values, tone, and desired formats.
- A major risk is trusting AI outputs without reviewing them, especially when the model can hallucinate details or references.
- Another risk is getting distracted by too many possibilities instead of completing one scoped, practical project.
- AI can be used for simple, high-value office tasks like drafting consistent SOP templates and maintenance logs.
- Tools that record and summarize conversations can help improve consistency and completeness of clinical notes when used responsibly.
Snippets:
00:00 AI in Dentistry Intro
01:08 Meet Travis Wentworth
03:18 How Fast AI Is Moving
04:43 Beyond Chatbots to Cowork
06:41 Agents That Automate Work
08:26 Dental Use Cases and Reviews
11:57 Prompting and Better Inputs
16:14 Dental AI Tools and Notes
20:38 Pitfalls and Staying Focused
24:31 Adoption Curves and Urgency
27:51 Final Advice and Resources
30:28 Wrap Up and Next Steps
Guest Bio/Guest Resources:
Travis Wentworth has been training students in engineering, networking, and cybersecurity for over a decade. He received his PhD in engineering from the University of Kansas in 2015 and completed a Postdoctoral Research fellowship at the University of Chalmers in Gothenburg, Sweden. While there, he was part of the world-renowned research group led by Dr. Louise Olsson and had the privilege to work with the European Union, Swedish Research Council, Volvo, and Chalmers University.
As a researcher, instructor, and consultant, Travis has presented his technical content to far-reaching corners of the globe including China, Germany, and Sweden, to name a few. Returning to the United States in 2017, he narrowed his emphasis to cybersecurity and networking training.
Travis has a diverse background with a proclivity in the acquisition and analysis of public and proprietary data. He is a published author in numerous peer-reviewed journals for computer modeling and catalysis and is well-versed in programming, networking, data acquisition, and cybersecurity.
Resource mentioned:
https://www.plaud.ai/
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
The Best Practices Show:https://www.actdental.com/podcast/
Best Practices Association:https://www.actdental.com/bpa
Upcoming Events & Workshops:https://www.actdental.com/events/
Smile Source:https://www.smilesource.com/
Subscribe on Apple Podcasts:https://podcasts.apple.com
Subscribe on Spotify:https://open.spotify.com
When patients don’t say yes to treatment, it’s easy to assume the problem is fees, timing, or motivation—but the first place to look is your data. In this episode, Kirk Behrendt sits down with ACT coach Carlie Einarson to break down two key performance indicators that reveal where case acceptance is actually breaking down: diagnostic percentage and case acceptance percentage.
You’ll learn how to define and track these metrics, what “low” numbers typically indicate inside your systems, and the first practical steps to improve diagnosis, presentation, and scheduling outcomes. Listen to Episode 1036 of The Best Practices Show!
Main Takeaways:
- Key performance indicators are “indicators” because they point to which systems are working and which are not.
- Diagnostic percentage measures what percentage of patients are diagnosed with new treatment.
- Case acceptance percentage measures what percentage of patients with treatment presented schedule something before leaving that day.
- A low diagnostic percentage can indicate missed or inconsistent diagnosis, unclear philosophy, or “watching” treatment instead of recommending it.
- A low case acceptance percentage often reflects rushed conversations and unclear explanations rather than patients simply refusing because of cost or time.
- Improving both metrics starts with writing down and aligning the practice’s standard of care and treatment philosophy across the entire team.
- Pulling two to four weeks of diagnostic and case acceptance data helps identify whether the breakdown is happening in diagnosis or in communication and scheduling.
Snippets:
00:00 What to look at first when patients aren’t saying yes.
02:06 Why KPIs are called “indicators” and what they reveal.
03:06 Diagnostic percentage defined with a simple example.
03:42 Case acceptance percentage defined as scheduling before leaving.
04:10 What low diagnostic and case acceptance numbers usually mean.
06:07 What it looks like when diagnosis and case acceptance are strong.
07:25 Why diagnosis is a priority and why “winging it” fails.
09:18 The first steps: write down your standard of care and pull recent data.
10:12 What to review with your team to strengthen diagnosis systems.
11:20 What to fix when diagnosis is strong but case acceptance is low.
12:05 Raising the standard of care and bringing the team with you.
12:41 The value of periodic comprehensive sit-downs for patients.
13:12 Holding doctors accountable with daily tracking.
15:18 The two metrics to start with when patients aren’t saying yes.
Guest Bio/Guest Resources:
Carlie Einarson is a lead practice coach who has a passion for helping others succeed in the dental field. She loves helping to create a stable foundation for practices so both professionals and patients have a great experience every time they walk in the door!
Carlie graduated from Utah College of Dental Hygiene. She has ten years of experience in the dental field, including clinical dental hygiene, front office, and leading teams.
In her free time, she enjoys spending quality time with loved ones, traveling, skiing, playing volleyball, and golfing.
Resources mentioned in this episode:
- Best Practices Association (BPA) resources and guides:
- https://www.actdental.com/free-resources/
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
The Best Practices Show:https://www.actdental.com/podcast/
Best Practices Association:https://www.actdental.com/bpa
Upcoming Events & Workshops:https://www.actdental.com/events/
Smile Source:https://www.smilesource.com/
Subscribe on Apple Podcasts:https://podcasts.apple.com
Subscribe on Spotify:https://open.spotify.com
Dentistry is full of big-ticket purchases, but many clinicians overlook the most expensive and valuable “equipment” they own: their body. In this episode, Kirk Behrendt sits down with Dr. Uche Odiatu to reframe the equipment conversation around physical health, and to lay out practical, sustainable habits that protect performance over a long career. You’ll learn why sleep and light exposure are foundational, how consistency beats extremes, and which nutrition “bottlenecks” can quietly undermine energy, cognition, and longevity—so you can keep practicing (and living) well for decades. listen to Episode 1035 of The Best Practices Show!
Main Takeaways:
- The most valuable and expensive piece of equipment in a dental practice is the dentist’s physical body, and it requires intentional investment.
- By midlife, poor sleep and food habits stop being sustainable and begin to show up as chronic pain, fatigue, and reduced capacity to perform.
- Sleep is the bedrock habit because it impacts hormones, recovery, cognition, and long-term health outcomes.
- Getting outside shortly after waking (even briefly) supports circadian rhythm, daytime energy, and deeper sleep later that night.
- Consistency with simple habits beats “all-or-nothing” health plans that are hard to sustain long term.
- Nutrition basics matter more than supplements, and common nutrient shortfalls can impact decision-making and overall health.
- Clinicians can model wellness-based leadership by taking care of themselves and guiding patients with a broader view of health.
Snippets:
00:00 The “most valuable and expensive equipment” in dentistry.
02:00 Why dentists invest in tech but not their physical health.
04:10 The health cost of delaying self-care until “later.”
05:30 Why the conversation should focus on solutions, not just problems.
06:10 Sleep as the foundation habit.
07:10 The “six doctors”: exercise, nutrition, sleep, stress, light, and hormesis.
08:20 Morning light exposure and why going outside matters.
11:00 Kirk’s daily weighted-vest walking routine.
14:20 Why consistency beats extreme routines.
17:10 Nutrition bottlenecks: choline, omega-3s, vitamin D, and fiber.
21:40 Practical fiber sources and simplifying food choices.
23:10 A simple daily baseline: sleep, light, eggs, and avocado.
26:00 What dentists can notice about health by observing faces and mouths.
27:10 Kirk’s “Nordstrom suit” moment and making a change.
28:10 Dr. Uche’s “gray face” moment and rethinking work habits.
Guest Bio/Guest Resources:
Dr. Uche Odiatu has a DMD (Doctor of Dental Medicine). He is a professional member of the ACSM (American College of Sports Medicine), a Certified Personal Trainer NSCA (National Strength & Conditioning Association), and the Canadian Association of Fitness Professionals (canfitpro). He is the co-author of The Miracle of Health and has lectured in Canada, the USA, the Caribbean, the UK, and Europe. He is an invited guest on over 400 TV and radio shows, from ABC 20/20, Canada CTV AM, Breakfast TV, to Magic Sunday Drum FM in Texas. This high-energy healthcare professional has done over 450 lectures in seven countries over the last 15 years.
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fitspeakers/
- Website: https://www.druche.com/
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
The Best Practices Show:https://www.actdental.com/podcast/
Best Practices Association:https://www.actdental.com/bpa
Upcoming Events & Workshops:https://www.actdental.com/events/
Smile Source:https://www.smilesource.com/
Subscribe on Apple Podcasts:https://podcasts.apple.com
Subscribe on Spotify:https://open.spotify.com
Hiring in dentistry is harder than ever, especially when you hire for skill and end up firing for attitude. In this episode, Kirk Behrendt talks with coach Heather Crockett about how to hire for culture fit using a structured system, including four essential types of interview questions that reveal credentials, technical ability, experience, and behaviors tied to your core values.
You’ll learn how to define the role, reduce bias, avoid “least-worst” hiring decisions, and build a repeatable process that strengthens your team over time—listen to Episode 1034 of The Best Practices Show!
Main Takeaways:
- One bad hire can erode culture, frustrate strong performers, and create turnover and management problems.
- Hiring for software knowledge or skill alone misses the behavioral alignment required for long-term success.
- A structured hiring system prevents reactive, rushed decisions and makes interviews consistent across candidates.
- Define the role clearly so candidates understand the expectations and you can evaluate fit accurately.
- Use credential questions to confirm education, licenses, and certifications relevant to the position.
- Use technical and experience questions to assess minimum performance standards and past responsibilities.
- Use behavior-based questions tied to core values to evaluate how candidates respond to feedback, stress, and leadership opportunities.
Snippets:
00:00 Hiring Is Harder Now
01:19 Why Culture Fit Wins
05:26 Core Values Over Skills
07:42 Build A Hiring System
10:45 Define Roles And Ads
12:04 Four Interview Question Types
12:50 Credentials And Technical Skills
14:52 Experience And Behavior Questions
20:50 Templates Video Screens And Takeaways
24:55 AI Proof Your Hiring Process
Guest Bio/Guest Resources:
Heather Crockett is a Lead Practice Coach who finds joy in not only improving practices but improving the lives of those she coaches as well. With over 20 years of combined experience in assisting, office management, and clinical dental hygiene, her awareness supports many aspects of the practice setting.
Heather received her dental hygiene degree from the Utah College of Dental Hygiene in 2008. Networking in the dental community comes easy to her, and she loves to connect with like-minded colleagues on social media. Heather enjoys both attending and presenting continuing education to expand her knowledge and learn from her friends and colleagues.
She enjoys hanging out with her husband, three sons, and their dog, Moki, scrolling through social media, watching football, and traveling.
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
The Best Practices Show:https://www.actdental.com/podcast/
Best Practices Association:https://www.actdental.com/bpa
Upcoming Events & Workshops:https://www.actdental.com/events/
Smile Source:https://www.smilesource.com/
Subscribe on Apple Podcasts:https://podcasts.apple.com
Subscribe on Spotify:https://open.spotify.com
Metrics don’t create pressure—unclear expectations do. In this episode, Kirk Behrendt talks with Robyn Theisen, coach at ACT Dental, about how role-specific KPIs reduce stress by creating clarity, ownership, and accountability.
You’ll learn why teams feel pressured when success isn’t defined, how to use metrics as a “scoreboard” for standard of care and performance, and how to build meeting rhythms that keep everyone aligned and improving. Listen to Episode 1033 of The Best Practices Show!
Main Takeaways:
- Metrics reduce emotion in leadership conversations by replacing opinions with observable data.
- Pressure rises when leaders don’t define success and KPIs only get discussed when something goes wrong.
- Teams feel less stress when each role has two to five measurable outcomes that define responsibility.
- A “scoreboard” creates alignment by showing progress, opportunities, and wins in real time.
- Reviewing expectations and KPIs in regular meeting rhythms helps teams adjust before issues become crises.
- Role-specific metrics make performance conversations less subjective and more constructive.
- When team members help define and track outcomes, they feel led and accountable rather than micromanaged.
Snippets:
00:00 Metric Monday Kickoff
01:26 Metrics vs Pressure
03:08 Why Data Matters
04:09 When Expectations Fail
05:25 Scoreboards and Alignment
08:01 Getting KPIs Right
09:00 Leading Indicator Examples
11:09 Coaching and Next Steps
13:29 Wrap Up and Community
Guest Bio/Guest Resources:
Robyn Theisen brings an entire life and legacy of dental experience to the team and every team with which she works as the daughter and sister of dentists. With almost 20 years of experience in dentistry, her roles ranged from practice management to operations at Patterson Dental to coaching teams. Robyn’s passion is empowering teams to realize that they can dramatically impact the lives of the people they serve by implementing skills and systems to remove barriers to life-changing dental treatment. She has done it for decades and does it every day with dental teams.
Outside of coaching, she enjoys time with her husband, Rob, and two daughters, Emerson and Ruby. She loves traveling, music, fitness, and cheering on the Michigan State Spartans.
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
The Best Practices Show:https://www.actdental.com/podcast/
Best Practices Association:https://www.actdental.com/bpa
Upcoming Events & Workshops:https://www.actdental.com/events/
Smile Source:https://www.smilesource.com/
Subscribe on Apple Podcasts:https://podcasts.apple.com
Subscribe on Spotify:https://open.spotify.com
Most practices spend thousands each month on supplies but still don’t have a documented ordering system—so spending becomes reactive, inconsistent, and hard to control.
In this episode, Kirk Behrendt talks with co-host Miranda Beeson, Director of Education at ACT Dental, about what a GPO (group purchasing organization) is, where it fits in your ordering system, and how to combine budgets, accountability, and a repeatable process to stabilize supply costs and improve profitability over time—Listen to Episode 1032 of The Best Practices Show!
Main Takeaways:
- A GPO (group purchasing organization) leverages collective buying power to secure better pricing than a single practice can typically negotiate alone.
- Most offices don’t have a documented ordering system, which leads to reactive ordering habits and fluctuating supply percentages month to month.
- A defined ordering system should clearly outline what it is, why it exists, who is accountable, who participates, when it happens, where it happens, and exactly how it’s done.
- Supply ordering should be driven by a budget tied to collections (commonly targeting around 5%) so teams can measure performance and correct course.
- Accountability requires accounting, meaning practices need clear reporting and a way to review whether spending stayed on budget and why.
- Setting minimum/maximum inventory levels and approval guardrails reduces overstock, emergency purchases, and delays when the primary ordering person is unavailable.
- A centralized procurement platform can reduce decision fatigue, save time, and help teams compare options, track spend, and capture savings and rebates more consistently.
Snippets:
00:00 Intro
01:00 Why the GPO conversation matters and where it fits in your ordering system.
03:00 Why ordering must be system-driven, not habit-driven.
06:00 Common “systems” that aren’t systems (the whiteboard and the rep-driven order).
09:00 The real dollar impact of small percentage swings in supply spend.
12:00 What a complete ordering system should include (what, why, who, when, where, how).
15:00 Why supply ordering must start with a collections-based budget.
19:00 What a GPO is and how group buying power works.
24:00 How a procurement platform can include supplies, labs, savings, and rebates.
26:00 Why saving time matters as much as saving money in ordering.
30:00 Final recap: intentionality, consistency, visibility, and long-term profitability.
Guest Bio/Guest Resources:
Miranda Beeson has over 25 years of clinical dental hygiene, front office, practice administration, and speaking experience. She is enthusiastic about communication and loves helping others find the power that words can bring to their patient interactions and practice dynamics. As a Lead Practice Coach, she is driven to create opportunities to find value in experiences and cultivate new approaches.
Miranda graduated from Old Dominion University, and enjoys spending time with her husband, Chuck, and her children, Trent, Mallory, and Cassidy. Family time is the best time, and is often spent on a golf course, a volleyball court, or spending the day boating at the beach.
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- The Exchange 2026: https://smilesource.com/exchange
- The Best Practices Show:https://www.actdental.com/podcast/
- Best Practices Association:https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Upcoming Events & Workshops:https://www.actdental.com/events/
- Smile Source:https://www.smilesource.com/
- Subscribe on Apple Podcasts:https://podcasts.apple.com
- Subscribe on Spotify:https://open.spotify.com
Do you ever feel like your team is technically doing their jobs—but they’re not pulling in the same direction, and performance still falls short? In this episode, Kirk Behrendt talks with Miranda Beeson, ACT’s co-host and practice coach, about how to shift a practice from “working with each other” to “working for each other.”
You’ll learn how a “me” mindset creates invisible walls, why vulnerability-based trust changes accountability and communication, and how leaders build clarity, consistency, and connection to create a true “we” culture. Listen to Episode 1031 of The Best Practices Show!
Main Takeaways:
- A team can have high individual performers and still underachieve if people are playing for themselves instead of for each other.
- A “me” mindset shows up as guarded communication, weak collaboration, reduced trust, and decreased accountability.
- Shifting to a “we” mindset starts by replacing “that’s not my job” thinking with “how can I help the team succeed today?”
- Vulnerability-based trust creates psychological safety where people admit mistakes, ask for help, and assume positive intent.
- Leaders must model the behavior first by owning mistakes, asking for help, and consistently reinforcing expectations.
- Team building matters because time together outside the daily pressure helps people connect as humans and lowers defenses.
- Culture is shaped intentionally through clarity, consistency, and connection—and unintentionally through defensiveness, favoritism, avoidance, and hierarchy.
Snippets:
00:00 Intro
02:25 The volleyball story that sparked the “with each other vs. for each other” framework.
04:00 How “I did my job” thinking limits team performance.
10:00 A practical example of “me mindset” vs. “team player mindset” during a handoff and ringing phone.
13:00 Predictive trust vs. vulnerability-based trust in a dental practice.
16:45 Why team building and bonding help teams lower their guard.
23:00 Using purpose and process mapping to show how every role impacts the patient experience.
27:00 Clarity, consistency, and connection as leadership habits that shape culture.
34:00 A simple next step to start building “for each other” behavior in your next team meeting.
Guest Bio/Guest Resources:
Miranda Beeson has over 25 years of clinical dental hygiene, front office, practice administration, and speaking experience. She is enthusiastic about communication and loves helping others find the power that words can bring to their patient interactions and practice dynamics. As a Lead Practice Coach, she is driven to create opportunities to find value in experiences and cultivate new approaches.
Miranda graduated from Old Dominion University, and enjoys spending time with her husband, Chuck, and her children, Trent, Mallory, and Cassidy. Family time is the best time, and is often spent on a golf course, a volleyball court, or spending the day boating at the beach.
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- The Exchange 2026: https://smilesource.com/exchange
- The Best Practices Show:https://www.actdental.com/podcast/
- Best Practices Association:https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Upcoming Events & Workshops:https://www.actdental.com/events/
- Smile Source:https://www.smilesource.com/
- Subscribe on Apple Podcasts:https://podcasts.apple.com
- Subscribe on Spotify:https://open.spotify.com
Do you feel busy all day, yet your production doesn’t reflect it? In this episode, Kirk Behrendt brings in Robyn Theisen, practice coach and co-host, to break down why “busy” is a false proxy—and how to replace it with intentional productivity.
You’ll learn how to use two key metrics, production per day (PPD) and production per visit (PPV), to spot schedule problems, reduce day-to-day production swings, and build more stable, higher-value days without the frantic pace. Listen to Episode 1030 of The Best Practices Show!
Main Takeaways:
- Busyness and productivity are not the same thing, and a busy schedule can still produce inconsistent results.
- PPD and PPV reveal whether your schedule is intentionally designed for value or simply filled to stay busy.
- When PPD is off, production fluctuates sharply, large cases are “hoped for,” and one cancellation can derail the day.
- When PPV is off, the schedule is packed with small appointments, relies on same-day treatment or emergencies, and creates wasted time.
- Getting PPD right means working backward from annual goals to daily targets and intentionally placing larger cases to stabilize the day.
- Getting PPV right means fewer visits at higher value, with appointment lengths matched to procedure value and complexity.
- Reviewing past schedules and rating day “busyness” helps identify bottlenecks and what needs to change.
Snippets:
00:00 Metric Monday Kickoff
01:33 Meet Coach Robin
02:21 Busy Versus Productive
03:38 Key Metrics PPD PPV
03:53 When Metrics Go Wrong
06:35 When You Get It Right
08:29 Less Busy More Productive
09:43 Action Steps Today
11:02 Final Takeaways
12:00 Wrap Up And Resources
Guest Bio/Guest Resources:
Robyn Theisen brings an entire life and legacy of dental experience to the team and every team with which she works as the daughter and sister of dentists. With almost 20 years of experience in dentistry, her roles ranged from practice management to operations at Patterson Dental to coaching teams. Robyn’s passion is empowering teams to realize that they can dramatically impact the lives of the people they serve by implementing skills and systems to remove barriers to life-changing dental treatment. She has done it for decades and does it every day with dental teams.
Outside of coaching, she enjoys time with her husband, Rob, and two daughters, Emerson and Ruby. She loves traveling, music, fitness, and cheering on the Michigan State Spartans.
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
The Best Practices Show:https://www.actdental.com/podcast/
Best Practices Association:https://www.actdental.com/bpa
Upcoming Events & Workshops:https://www.actdental.com/events/
Smile Source:https://www.smilesource.com/
Subscribe on Apple Podcasts:https://podcasts.apple.com
Subscribe on Spotify:https://open.spotify.com
Is your schedule “full” but still feels chaotic, stressful, and unproductive? In this episode, Kirk Behrendt talks with ACT Dental coach Robyn Theisen about the real reason your schedule feels like chaos—and how to fix it by designing your day with intention, predictability, and clear scheduling agreements.
You’ll learn how to work backwards from annual goals to daily targets, use block scheduling without losing flexibility, protect emergency time, and stop letting patients dictate your day. Listen to Episode 1029 of The Best Practices Show!
Main Takeaways:
- Chaos in the schedule is a design problem, not a people problem.
- Predictability in the schedule reduces stress for the doctor, the team, and the patient experience.
- A proactive schedule shifts the practice from being busy to being productive and consistently hitting goals.
- Build the schedule by working backwards from annual production goals to determine daily production targets.
- Use block scheduling across the entire week and protect block integrity by shifting blocks instead of overriding them.
- Reserve true emergency time and use separate urgency time for patients who need to get in but can’t come immediately.
- Assign a single owner of the schedule and reinforce their decisions so the system stays consistent.
Snippets:
00:00 Intro
01:45 Why a reactive schedule increases stress for the team and patients.
03:05 Predictability as a major driver of dentist and team happiness.
04:45 Why schedule chaos is a design problem, not a people problem.
05:50 What a schedule without intention looks like.
08:05 How to work backwards from annual goals to daily production targets.
10:35 Using the production-per-day feature in practice management software.
12:10 Build the schedule for the doctor’s wants first, then patient needs.
17:10 How blocks protect flow, profit, and patient access.
18:55 Why you need block scheduling across the whole week.
20:05 New patient and hygiene/perio scheduling must be intentional.
21:40 Emergency time vs. urgency time and how each should be used.
24:05 Confirming key appointments earlier and setting scheduling agreements.
25:05 One person must own the schedule and the dentist must support that role.
26:05 “Show me your schedule and I can tell you how you’ll feel at day’s end.”
27:10 Rating the day to identify what made it a 10 or a 5.
29:05 BPA resource mentioned: Ideal Day Scheduling Guide.
Guest Bio/Guest Resources:
Robyn Theisen brings an entire life and legacy of dental experience to the team and every team with which she works as the daughter and sister of dentists. With almost 20 years of experience in dentistry, her roles ranged from practice management to operations at Patterson Dental to coaching teams. Robyn’s passion is empowering teams to realize that they can dramatically impact the lives of the people they serve by implementing skills and systems to remove barriers to life-changing dental treatment. She has done it for decades and does it every day with dental teams.
Outside of coaching, she enjoys time with her husband, Rob, and two daughters, Emerson and Ruby. She loves traveling, music, fitness, and cheering on the Michigan State Spartans.
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- The Best Practices Show:https://www.actdental.com/podcast/
- Best Practices Association:https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Upcoming Events & Workshops:https://www.actdental.com/events/
- Smile Source:https://www.smilesource.com/
- Subscribe on Apple Podcasts:https://podcasts.apple.com
- Subscribe on Spotify:https://open.spotify.com
As a dentist, you can present the best treatment plan—and still lose case acceptance if your team “translates” it differently after you leave the room. In this episode, Kirk Behrendt sits down with Debra Engelhardt-Nash, educator and founder of the Nash Institute for Dental Learning, to unpack what’s really being said in the operatory when you’re not there.
You’ll learn how belief systems and “wallet biopsies” derail care, how to position assistants as clinical endorsers (not counterpoints), and how to train communication so patients hear one consistent message. Listen to Episode 1028 of The Best Practices Show!
Main Takeaways:
- Team members can unintentionally undermine treatment when they assume patients can’t afford or won’t value ideal care.
- A simple reset is asking the assistant, “If this were your mouth, what would you rather have?” and aligning the recommendation accordingly.
- The assistant’s role is to create a “perception of quality” even when the doctor is not present.
- Standing physically with (not across from) the doctor signals unity and increases patient confidence in the plan.
- Too many treatment options create confusion, and a confused mind often defaults to “no.”
- Doctors should delegate parts of the explanation intentionally so assistants can reinforce the why, answer questions, and help the patient process fees.
- Communication must be trained and rehearsed; it won’t improve by osmosis after a course, study club, or podcast.
Snippets:
00:00 Intro
01:11 Meet Debra Nash
02:10 Rural Practice Dilemma
04:41 If It Were Your Mouth
06:24 Wallet Biopsies
06:32 Dermatology Delegation Story
10:09 Moment of Truth After Doctor Leaves
10:36 Standing With The Doctor
12:03 Jargon And Too Many Choices
15:53 Training Without Scripts
17:43 Team as Patient Advocates
18:10 Veneers Parade of Shades
18:46 Investing in Staff Smiles
20:08 Retention and Loyalty Boost
20:41 Empathy vs Sympathy
23:57 Stop Apologizing for Care
25:37 Recall Value and Exams
26:23 Quality Without Doctor
27:53 Train Communication Skills
28:55 Programs and Contact Info
30:47 Final Takeaways and Wrap
Guest Bio/Guest Resources:
Debra Engelhardt-Nash has been in dentistry since 1985 as a consultant, trainer, author and speaker. She has presented workshops nationally and internationally for numerous associations and study clubs. She is a repeat presenter for organizations including Chicago Dental Society Midwinter Meeting, the Yankee Dental Meeting, The Swedish Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry, and the Greater New York Dental Meeting. Debra has also appeared on several podcasts and webinars and authored several articles for dental publications.
Debra served three terms as the President of the Academy of Dental Management Consultants who presented her their Lifetime Achievement Award as well as the Charles Kidd Meritorious Service Award. She is the Immediate Past President of the Academy for Private Practice Dentistry. She has been repeatedly recognized as a Leader in Consulting and Education by Dentistry Today and has been listed as top 25 Women in Dentistry. Debra is also the recipient of the Gordon Christensen Lecturer Recognition Award.
Together with her husband, Dr. Ross Nash, Debra is the co-founder of the Nash Institute for Dental Learning – a post graduate training center in cosmetic and esthetic techniques and dental business administration training.
Guest resources mentioned:
- Nash Institute for Dental Learning: https://www.thenashinstitute.com/
- Debra Engelhardt-Nash: https://debraengelhardtnash.com/
- Text Debra: 704-904-3459
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- The Best Practices Show:https://www.actdental.com/podcast/
- Best Practices Association:https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Upcoming Events & Workshops:https://www.actdental.com/events/
- Smile Source:https://www.smilesource.com/
- Subscribe on Apple Podcasts:https://podcasts.apple.com
- Subscribe on Spotify:https://open.spotify.com
Case acceptance slows down when patients don’t fully trust the diagnosis or understand the outcomes they’re buying—not just the treatment they’re paying for. In this episode, Kirk Behrendt talks with Miranda Beason, ACT’s Director of Education, about why low case acceptance is often a trust problem and how to fix it with better value communication, co-discovery, and consistent team language.
You’ll learn what it looks like when practices get case acceptance wrong, what “right” looks like in real conversations, and the specific behaviors and tools that move patients from “let me think about it” to scheduling before they leave. Listen to Episode 1027 of The Best Practices Show!
Main Takeaways:
- Low case acceptance is rarely about price alone and is often rooted in missing trust and value creation.
- Patient acceptance percentage can look strong even when dollar amount acceptance shows weak commitment to comprehensive care.
- When practices miss trust-building, patients leave without scheduling, say “let me think about it,” and large plans sit in unscheduled treatment reports.
- Inconsistent case acceptance between providers often reflects differences in how clearly outcomes, value, and trust are communicated.
- When teams build trust well, patients ask curious questions, prioritize recommended care, and accept comprehensive plans at higher rates.
- Co-discovery and co-diagnosis help patients participate in understanding their condition and choosing solutions, which increases trust and commitment.
- Visuals like intraoral photos and properly oriented radiographs help patients see what you see and reduce confusion during treatment discussions.
Snippets:
00:00 Metric Monday Kickoff
01:55 Why Trust Drives Acceptance
04:19 Signs Youre Getting It Wrong
05:48 Patient vs Dollar Acceptance
07:39 Accountability and Assistants
10:05 What It Looks Like Right
13:13 How to Improve Today
15:01 Tools Visuals and Language
16:37 Resources and Wrap Up
Guest Bio/Guest Resources:
Miranda Beeson has over 25 years of clinical dental hygiene, front office, practice administration, and speaking experience. She is enthusiastic about communication and loves helping others find the power that words can bring to their patient interactions and practice dynamics. As a Lead Practice Coach, she is driven to create opportunities to find value in experiences and cultivate new approaches.
Miranda graduated from Old Dominion University, and enjoys spending time with her husband, Chuck, and her children, Trent, Mallory, and Cassidy. Family time is the best time, and is often spent on a golf course, a volleyball court, or spending the day boating at the beach.
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
The Best Practices Show:https://www.actdental.com/podcast/
Best Practices Association:https://www.actdental.com/bpa
Upcoming Events & Workshops:https://www.actdental.com/events/
Smile Source:https://www.smilesource.com/
Subscribe on Apple Podcasts:https://podcasts.apple.com
Subscribe on Spotify:https://open.spotify.com
One of the hardest parts of running a dental practice is producing dentistry consistently while cash flow stays unpredictable because you’re not collecting what you’re actually owed. In this episode, Kirk Behrendt brings in Ashley Bond, founder of Wisdom Dental Billing, to explain where revenue leaks happen inside the billing and collections process and how to tighten up your systems so production turns into real collections.
You’ll learn how to calculate your collection percentage, what numbers to watch every month, where missing money usually hides, and which daily workflows keep claims moving and prevent write-offs that shouldn’t happen. Listen to Episode 1026 of The Best Practices Show!
Main Takeaways:
- Track your collection percentage monthly by dividing total collections by net production (after adjustments) and multiplying by 100, aiming for 98% or higher.
- When collection percentage is below 98%, the missing money is typically found in adjustments, patient accounts receivable, or insurance accounts receivable.
- Relying on one “hero” biller is risky; practices need repeatable systems that don’t collapse when turnover happens.
- Most denied claims are tied to office administrative errors, often due to missing or incomplete documentation and attachments.
- Posting insurance payments accurately is critical because incorrect write-offs and misposted EOBs can trigger audits and slow payment timelines.
- Rejected claims can sit unseen in the clearinghouse and never reach insurance unless someone works rejections daily.
- Claims should be followed up every 14 days with complete claim notes (date, rep, outcome, action taken, reference number, initials) until paid.
Snippets:
00:00 Welcome and Revenue Leak
01:17 Meet Ashley Bond
02:26 Ashley Origin Story
03:59 Why She Built Wisdom
05:26 Insurance Keeps Changing
06:42 Production vs Collections Reality
08:17 Calculate Collection Percentage
09:37 Find the Missing Money
15:45 Systems Not a Hero
17:13 Insurance Verification Time Sink
18:42 Insurance Breakdown Reality
19:18 What Outsourced Billing Means
20:24 Why Teams Lose Money
22:16 Core Systems And Cadence
26:18 Clean Claims And Notes
28:08 How Long To Get Paid
30:52 EOB Audits And Risk
34:07 Final Metrics To Track
35:00 Wisdom Services And Contact
36:40 Wrap Up And Next Steps
Guest Bio/Guest Resources:
Ashley Bond, Co-Founder & Chief Dental Billing Officer at Wisdom, leads our billing team, focusing on innovative solutions and training for enhanced service quality and efficiency. Previously, Ashley founded Bond Dental Billing, where she developed a nationwide billing service from her initial experience in her father's dental practice. Ashley is a proud member of the ASCA, SCN, demonstrating her commitment to professional development and excellence in the dental billing community. Ashley is passionate about continuing education in the dental community, and contributes in both editorial, and speaking capacities.
Guest Resources:
https://www.withwisdom.com/
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
The Best Practices Show:https://www.actdental.com/podcast/
Best Practices Association:https://www.actdental.com/bpa
Upcoming Events & Workshops:https://www.actdental.com/events/
Smile Source:https://www.smilesource.com/
Subscribe on Apple Podcasts:https://podcasts.apple.com
Subscribe on Spotify:https://open.spotify.com
Dental teams are feeling the hygienist shortage, and many practices are reacting with shortcuts instead of fixing what’s actually driving clinicians away. In this episode, Kirk Behrendt sits down with Katrina Sanders, a dental hygienist, educator, and clinician with AZ Perio, to unpack what’s behind the shortage, why “oral preventive assistant” roles miss the point, and what leaders can change right now to attract (and keep) high-performing hygienists.
You’ll learn what the data says, what “respect from leadership” really looks like in day-to-day practice, and how core values and humility shape the culture that determines who you can hire. Listen to Episode 1025 of The Best Practices Show!
Main Takeaways:
- The hygienist shortage is tied to training pipeline shifts: dental school graduations rising while hygiene graduations decline, creating a sustainability gap for practices staffed with multiple hygienists per doctor.
- Many hygienists cite leaving for reasons that practices can influence directly: limited growth opportunities, toxic work environments, inflexible scheduling, and lack of respect from leadership.
- Creating “oral preventive assistant” roles can further devalue hygienists and distract from fixing the actual causes of turnover.
- Leaders who feel threatened by clinical pushback often create cultures that repel proactive hygienists and attract clinicians who won’t challenge outdated protocols.
- A sustainable hygiene model requires clarity on expectations and systems that support diagnosis support, perio protocols, utilization, and production—not just filling chairs.
- Practices that retain top talent invest in development, collaboration, and shared learning rather than relying on ego or “this is the way we’ve always done it.”
- The future of independent dentistry requires intentional choices about culture, values, and team development rather than letting external forces dictate direction.
Snippets:
00:00 Podcast cold open
01:20 Meet Katrina Sanders
03:25 Panel story setup
05:48 Hygienist shortage data
10:19 OPA debate and applause
12:02 Would you hire her
16:36 Ego and leadership respect
24:47 Silver tsunami and workforce trends
28:04 Building growth and flexibility
30:17 Ego Versus Growth
31:03 Core Values Alignment
32:53 Prophy Princess Problem
33:51 Hygiene Metrics Math
37:38 You Attract Your Team
39:11 Building Values Nucleus
40:09 Why She Stays
42:40 Pick Your Direction
45:08 Max Bet Contrarian
48:49 Curiosity Over Ego
50:55 Would You Hire Her
51:27 Hire Thought Leaders
53:42 Where To Find Katrina
54:11 Exchange Perio Workshop
56:26 Team Learning Together
59:45 Final Sendoff
Guest Bio/Guest Resources:
In the ever-changing world of dental science where research, technology, and techniques for patient care are constantly evolving, dental professionals look to continuing education to provide insight, deliver actionable steps, empower, and create a dramatic impact within their clinical practice.
With wit, charm, and a dash of humor, Katrina Sanders enchants dental professionals with her course deliverables, insightful content, and delightful inspiration. Her message of empowerment rings mighty throughout her lectures and stirs a deep sense of motivation amongst course participants.
Katrina is the Clinical Liaison for AZPerio, the country's largest periodontal practice. She performs clinically, working alongside Diplomates to the American Board of Periodontology in the surgical operatory. Katrina perfected techniques during L.A.N.A.P. surgery, suture placement, IV therapy, and blood draws. She instructs on collaborative professionalism and standard-of-care protocols while delivering education through hygiene boot camps and study clubs.
Resources mentioned:
- Website:www.katrinasanders.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thedentalwinegenist/
- Program: https://katrinasanders.com/speaking/
- https://smilesource.com/exchange
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
The Best Practices Show:https://www.actdental.com/podcast/
Best Practices Association:https://www.actdental.com/bpa
Upcoming Events & Workshops:https://www.actdental.com/events/
Smile Source:https://www.smilesource.com/
Subscribe on Apple Podcasts:https://podcasts.apple.com
Subscribe on Spotify:https://open.spotify.com
Overhead feels too high, and many dentists try to fix it by cutting costs in the wrong places. In this episode, Kirk Behrendt talks with co-host Miranda Beeson about how to evaluate overhead through two lenses—spending and collections—so you can reduce overhead without compromising the practice. You’ll learn what “high overhead” actually looks like, where practices typically leak revenue, what to review inside your overhead buckets, and the specific actions you can implement today to strengthen collections and control supply and lab spend.
Listen to Episode 1024 of The Best Practices Show!
Main Takeaways:
- Overhead should be evaluated through two lenses: spending and collections.
- Cutting costs reactively can create team frustration and does not fix the root cause of high overhead.
- If collections are below 100%, the practice is chasing money, accounts receivable grows, and overhead percentage rises.
- High overhead is often tied to inconsistent expense review and emotional purchasing decisions instead of systematic ones.
- Strong overhead performance includes consistent review of overhead buckets and budgeting supplies and lab as a percent of collections.
- Same-day financial closure and clearer ownership of accounts receivable improve collection performance.
- Assigning an ordering and inventory “champion” with a defined budget helps prevent overspending and product waste.
Snippets:
00:00 Metric Mondays Intro
01:30 Overhead Problem Framing
02:33 Two Lenses Overview
04:37 Common Overhead Mistakes
07:59 What Good Looks Like
10:57 Fix Collections Today
12:51 Control Spending Systems
14:20 Supply Budget Benchmarks
16:15 Labs And Invoice Checks
17:26 Wrap Up And Next Steps
Guest Bio/Guest Resources:
Miranda Beeson has over 25 years of clinical dental hygiene, front office, practice administration, and speaking experience. She is enthusiastic about communication and loves helping others find the power that words can bring to their patient interactions and practice dynamics. As a Lead Practice Coach, she is driven to create opportunities to find value in experiences and cultivate new approaches.
Miranda graduated from Old Dominion University, and enjoys spending time with her husband, Chuck, and her children, Trent, Mallory, and Cassidy. Family time is the best time, and is often spent on a golf course, a volleyball court, or spending the day boating at the beach.
Resources mentioned in this episode:
- Smile Source Marketplace: https://smilesource.com/
- Smile Source Transform membership: https://smilesource.com/membership-benefits-for-private-dental-practice-growth-and-success
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
The Best Practices Show:https://www.actdental.com/podcast/
Best Practices Association:https://www.actdental.com/bpa
Upcoming Events & Workshops:https://www.actdental.com/events/
Smile Source:https://www.smilesource.com/
Subscribe on Apple Podcasts:https://podcasts.apple.com
Subscribe on Spotify:https://open.spotify.com
Weekly team meetings often get skipped, squeezed into lunch, or treated as optional — and that creates misalignment, unresolved issues, and reactive decision-making. In this episode, Kirk Behrendt brings back ACT Dental coach Carlie Einarson to explain why a structured weekly team meeting is the key rhythm for “practice care” (not patient care).
You’ll learn when to schedule it, what to cover, how to use KPIs to course-correct quickly, and how consistent meetings build an aligned, smarter, healthier team over time — listen to Episode 1023 of The Best Practices Show!
Main Takeaways:
- The daily morning huddle is for patient care, and the weekly team meeting is for practice care.
- Weekly meetings prevent misalignment by giving the team a consistent space to communicate, prioritize, and solve problems together.
- “As-needed” meetings don’t work because issues pile up, side conversations grow, and small problems become big ones.
- The best weekly meeting time is typically Tuesday or Wednesday morning, not Monday, not Thursday, and not over lunch.
- Reviewing KPIs weekly turns data into decisions and allows faster course corrections when systems aren’t working.
- A healthy culture isn’t conflict-free; weekly meetings create structured time for healthy conflict, recognition, and connection.
- Progress comes from consistency over time, especially by breaking annual goals into quarterly priorities and working them weekly.
Snippets:
00:00 Intro
01:24 Meet Carlie Einarson
02:45 Why Weekly Meetings
05:45 Team First Mindset
06:36 Weekly Beats Monthly
09:04 Best Time To Meet
12:31 Alignment Through Vision
15:57 KPIs Make Teams Smarter
20:08 Healthy Culture And Conflict
24:51 Airplane Maintenance Wrap
27:02 Resources And Next Steps
28:35 Final Thanks And Signoff
Guest Bio/Guest Resources:
Carlie Einarson is a lead practice coach who has a passion for helping others succeed in the dental field. She loves helping to create a stable foundation for practices so both professionals and patients have a great experience every time they walk in the door!
Carlie graduated from Utah College of Dental Hygiene. She has ten years of experience in the dental field, including clinical dental hygiene, front office, and leading teams.
In her free time, she enjoys spending quality time with loved ones, traveling, skiing, playing volleyball, and golfing.
Resources mentioned in this episode:
- Best Practices Association (BPA) resources and guides:https://www.actdental.com/free-resources/
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- The Best Practices Show:https://www.actdental.com/podcast/
- Best Practices Association:https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Upcoming Events & Workshops:https://www.actdental.com/events/
- Smile Source:https://www.smilesource.com/
- Subscribe on Apple Podcasts:https://podcasts.apple.com
- Subscribe on Spotify:https://open.spotify.com
Do your patients feel cared for — or are you just taking care of them? In this episode, Kirk Behrendt interviews Dr. Bryan Laskin, dental author, tech entrepreneur, and patient-advocacy leader, about why dentistry is losing patient trust and what to do about it. You’ll learn how private equity and spreadsheet-driven decisions can quietly degrade the patient experience, why “clarity” is the biggest lever for rebuilding trust, and how simple systems and technology can help patients feel listened to, informed, and confident.
Listen to Episode 1022 of The Best Practices Show!
Main Takeaways:
- Taking care of people is different than making people feel cared for, and patients primarily feel listened to, communicated with, and given clarity.
- Private equity has accelerated aggregation in dentistry, and tighter margins can increase the risk of decisions that ignore how patients experience care.
- Patients may still trust their own dentist, but broader trust in dentists is eroding, making transparency and clarity more important than ever.
- Building “care more, make more” requires systems that create connection, reinforce clarity, and build confidence to improve recall and referrals.
- Treatment plans are often accepted at the kitchen table, so practices need to share information that patients can review after leaving the office.
- Removing human variability by automating “robotic” tasks frees the team to do what humans do best: welcome, connect, and care.
- When evaluating technology, the first question should be how it makes people feel, because patient experience drives growth.
Snippets:
00:00 Huge difference between taking care of people and making people feel cared for.
00:03 Bryan’s background: practice ownership, CAD/CAM training, scaling a patient engagement solution, and standards work.
00:05 “Care more, make more” and the clarity, confidence, connection framework.
00:06 Why dentistry’s recurring hygiene model attracted private equity and accelerated DSO growth.
00:09 What spreadsheets miss: the patient experience and the “silent killer” of lost confidence.
00:10 “Patients still trust their dentist, but patients don’t trust dentists.”
00:14 The biggest problem: patients are confused, and confusion destroys confidence.
00:16 Transparency as the flip side of trust and why everyone “Googles” their care.
00:22 New patient intake as a systems problem and how automation improves the human welcome.
00:25 The pathway to trust: connection, clarity, then confidence.
00:31 The technology question: “How does it make people feel?”
00:32 Where to learn more: cair.net, toothapps.com, and Bryan’s books.
Guest Bio/Guest Resources:
Dr. Bryan Laskin has spent over two decades at the intersection of healthcare, technology, and patient advocacy. As a practicing dentist, he witnessed firsthand the artificial barriers separating dental and medical care despite their profound connections. As a healthcare technology entrepreneur, he's developed innovative solutions to improve care coordination, enhance patient communication, and increase healthcare transparency.
Resources mentioned:
- Cair (patient-facing): https://cair.net/
- ToothApps (practice side): https://www.toothapps.com/
- Brian’s website: https://bryanlaskin.com/
- Books: The Patient First Manifesto https://bryanlaskin.com/patient-first-manifesto
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- The Best Practices Show:https://www.actdental.com/podcast/
- Best Practices Association:https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Upcoming Events & Workshops:https://www.actdental.com/events/
- Smile Source:https://www.smilesource.com/
- Subscribe on Apple Podcasts:https://podcasts.apple.com
- Subscribe on Spotify:https://open.spotify.com
Hygiene production problems don’t start this week — they were built months ago through leading indicators you can track and influence. In this episode, Kirk Behrendt sits down with ACT Dental coach Ariel Siegel to explain why hygiene production is a lagging indicator and how to improve it by focusing on reappointment rate, perio diagnosis, and perio acceptance. You’ll learn what hygiene breakdown looks like in real time, what predictable stability looks like when systems are working, and the simplest numbers to start tracking today so you can engineer future results instead of reacting to past ones.
Listen to Episode 1021 of The Best Practices Show!
Main Takeaways
- Hygiene production is a lagging indicator that is built three to six months before the appointment through daily behaviors and tracking.
- Reviewing last week or last month’s numbers shows where you were, but it doesn’t give you a chance to change those results now.
- Reappointment rate, perio diagnosis, and perio acceptance are leading indicators that drive future hygiene production.
- When hygiene is built poorly, teams scramble to rebuild schedules, cancellations feel disruptive, and there is little depth in future hygiene.
- Perio diagnosis will vary by provider when the department lacks alignment, consistent protocols, and consistent verbal skills.
- Tracking real reappointment data (patients seen vs. patients scheduled) immediately increases awareness and improves performance.
- Focusing on one KPI for 30 days creates clarity for the team and compounds into stronger, more predictable hygiene production.
Snippets:
00:00 Hygiene production problems are built months before today.
02:16 Hygiene production is a lagging indicator driven by leading indicators.
04:22 What it looks like when hygiene is built wrong: scrambling, inconsistency, and a weak schedule.
06:33 What it looks like when you build hygiene right: stable, predictable hygiene three to six months out.
09:23 Engineer hygiene production by tracking reappointment, perio diagnosis, and perio acceptance.
11:16 The actionable first step: track patients seen vs. patients reappointed.
13:08 Use perio diagnosis by provider to find alignment gaps and improve consistency.
15:49 Pick one KPI at a time to create focus and compounding improvement.
17:13 Data removes emotion and lets the team solve the problem together.
18:35 New BPA resources added for hygiene systems and metrics.
Guest Bio/Guest Resources:
Ariel has a master’s in healthcare administration and several years of dental experience in all aspects of the administrative roles within the dental office. Her passion is to work with dental teams to empower team members to realize their full potential in order to better serve patients, improve office systems to ensure a well-functioning team/office, and to help everyone have fun in the process!
Resources mentioned in the episode:
- Best Practices Association (BPA) resources: https://www.actdental.com/free-resources/
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- The Best Practices Show:https://www.actdental.com/podcast/
- Best Practices Association:https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Upcoming Events & Workshops:https://www.actdental.com/events/
- Smile Source:https://www.smilesource.com/
- Subscribe on Apple Podcasts:https://podcasts.apple.com
- Subscribe on Spotify:https://open.spotify.com
Embezzlement can feel like a cash-only problem—until it isn’t. In this episode, Kirk Behrendt sits down with David Harris of Prosperident to explain what dental thieves steal besides cash, why modern payment methods create new vulnerabilities, and what behaviors can signal elevated risk inside your practice.
You’ll learn how thieves think, where they tend to steal (revenue vs. expense), why comparing collections to deposits matters, and how to reduce risk by trusting systems—not people. listen to Episode 1020 of The Best Practices Show!
Main Takeaways:
- Cash is still a thief’s first choice, but declining cash payments force thieves to adapt to other methods of stealing.
- If you don’t compare collections in your practice management software against bank deposits, even an unsophisticated thief can steal undetected.
- Checks are easier to monetize than many dentists assume because banks scrutinize them less than they used to.
- Electronic funds transfers can be redirected by a fraudster, and staff often post EFTs “blind” without confirming the money actually hit the account.
- Virtual credit cards from insurers create added fees and theft risk because they function like prepaid card numbers that can be monetized.
- Thieves are typically driven by either need (financial pressure) or greed (entitlement), and their behavior often changes as they steal.
- Background checks, credit checks, and drug testing should be standardized for roles with access to money and sensitive systems.
Snippets:
00:00 Cash isn’t the only thing dental thieves steal.
05:00 “I don’t take much cash” is not a theft prevention plan.
06:40 Why thieves have adapted as cash collections decline.
08:10 How check processing changes made theft easier.
11:20 Why it’s “way easier” to steal now than 20–40 years ago.
12:30 EFTs aren’t bulletproof—and how redirecting deposits happens.
15:00 A safer EFT setup: separate account + monthly sweep + read-only access.
18:20 Virtual credit cards: why they’re bad and what to do about them.
21:40 Thieves are driven by need or greed.
24:00 Why access determines whether theft happens on revenue or expense.
25:10 “Compare collections against deposits” as a non-negotiable control.
28:00 Why “nice,” religious, long-tenured, or small-town staff can still steal.
29:20 Red flags: working alone early/late, weekend “catch-up,” and avoiding vacation.
31:00 How an absence exposed a $600,000 theft.
32:10 Why consultants can trigger sudden resignations.
34:40 Background checks, credit checks, drug testing, and driving records.
37:20 A real example: “Trust systems, not people.”
40:10 Why audits should be stealthy—and why telegraphing concerns is risky.
42:50 How to contact Prosperident.
Guest Bio/Guest Resources:
David Harris is a dental-exclusive forensic investigator who has spent more than three decades investigating employee theft and embezzlement in dental practices. He works with a team that conducts forensic audits and investigations focused exclusively on dentistry, helping practice owners identify risk and implement systems to reduce opportunity for theft.
Resources mentioned:
- Prosperident:www.prosperident.com
- Phone: 888-398-2327
- Episode 1013: https://podcasts.apple.com/ph/podcast/1013-the-6-divisions-of-duties-to-prevent/id1223838218?i=1000751483020
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- The Best Practices Show:https://www.actdental.com/podcast/
- Best Practices Association:https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Upcoming Events & Workshops:https://www.actdental.com/events/
- Smile Source:https://www.smilesource.com/
- Subscribe on Apple Podcasts:https://podcasts.apple.com
- Subscribe on Spotify:https://open.spotify.com
In dentistry, many problems aren’t caused by the procedure itself—they come from what wasn’t discussed before treatment started. In this episode, Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. Dennis Hartlieb, a general dentist and educator, to share four communication tips that help you set expectations, reduce misunderstandings, and protect the practice before you ever pick up a handpiece.
You’ll learn how to give patients clearer choices, document risk the right way, talk through outcomes without creating fear, and spot red flags before they become bigger problems—listen to Episode 1019 of The Best Practices Show!
Main Takeaways:
- Give patients two options to simplify decisions and prevent overwhelm.
- Explain material choices in simple terms (composite as “plastic,” porcelain as “glass”) and connect each to tradeoffs.
- Set yourself up for success by having the key conversations before you start treatment, especially on higher-risk cases.
- Sell the benefits of the recommended treatment before you explain what can go wrong.
- Use photos and brief chart notes (like “reviewed photograph of crack with patient”) to document the condition and the conversation.
- Watch for red flags like patients who fight you on treatment, arrive with multiple splints, or evaluate dentistry with magnification.
- Manage expectations for single-tooth esthetics by defining “social distance” success and planning for follow-up adjustments.
Snippets:
00:00 Why communication before treatment matters.
01:00 Meet Dr. Dennis Hartlieb and what he teaches.
02:10 Dennis explains his practice focus and Dental Online Training.
04:10 Dennis shares his connection to Buddy Mopper and composite dentistry.
06:10 The two-option framework for a chipped anterior tooth.
07:20 “Plastic vs. glass”: how to explain composite vs. porcelain in patient language.
09:35 What Dennis says when patients ask, “What would you do, doc?”
12:45 Managing cracked teeth: using pre-op photos to document unpredictability.
16:25 Sell the benefits first, then discuss the risks.
18:05 Missing tooth conversations: step-by-step options without overwhelming patients.
20:35 Why Dennis limits choices to two options at a time.
25:10 Red flags: patients who resist treatment or “know dentistry too well.”
28:05 Splints, magnifying mirrors, and when to step back from treatment.
31:20 Setting expectations for single-tooth matching in the esthetic zone.
34:45 Fee levels based on esthetic difficulty and patient expectations.
36:20 Why Dennis prefers composite veneers for control and predictable revisions.
39:00 Final lesson: ask questions, truly listen, and pull on the thread.
41:15 Where to find Dennis: Dental Online Training and YouTube.
Guest Bio/Guest Resources:
Dr. Dennis Hartlieb is a graduate of the University of Michigan School of Dentistry. He maintains a full-time practice, Chicago Beautiful Smiles, in the Chicago suburb of Glenview, Illinois. Dr. Hartlieb is an instructor at the Center for Esthetic Excellence in Chicago and is an Adjunct Associate Professor at the Marquette University School of Dentistry in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He lectures extensively to dentists throughout the U.S. on the art and science of anterior and posterior direct resin techniques.
Dr. Hartlieb is an Accredited Member of the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry. He is also a member of the prestigious American Academy of Restorative Dentistry, and the American Dental Association. He is the president of the Chicago Academy of Interdisciplinary Dentofacial Therapy, and officer for the Chicago Academy of Dental Research study club. His dentistry has been seen in many dental publications and he has contributed articles on his techniques in restorative dentistry.
- Dental Online Training: https://www.dothandson.com/
- Dr. Hartlieb’s email: hartliebdds@dothandson.com
- Dr. Hartlieb’s Facebook: / dennishartliebdds
- Dr. Hartlieb’s social media: @hartliebdds
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- The Best Practices Show:https://www.actdental.com/podcast/
- Best Practices Association:https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Upcoming Events & Workshops:https://www.actdental.com/events/
- Smile Source:https://www.smilesource.com/
- Subscribe on Apple Podcasts:https://podcasts.apple.com
- Subscribe on Spotify:https://open.spotify.com
Do your numbers look good on paper, but the practice still feels heavy day-to-day? In this episode, Kirk Behrendt brings back ACT coach Ariel Siegel to explain why “busy” doesn’t automatically mean “healthy,” and how the effort gap between gross production and net production creates exhaustion, tight cash flow, and a constant hamster-wheel feeling. You’ll learn how to calculate your effort gap, translate it into an “energy quotient,” and start managing write-offs so your schedule is built around profitable dentistry—not just busy dentistry.
Listen to Episode 1018 of The Best Practices Show!
Main Takeaways:
- Gross production can look successful while net production reveals whether the practice is actually healthy.
- The “effort gap” is the difference between what you produce and what you will realistically collect after adjustments and write-offs.
- When the effort gap is high, the team isn’t lacking effort—it’s performing dentistry that won’t be collected, which creates the feeling of heaviness.
- You don’t get paid on gross production, but you still pay overhead on gross production, which makes the gap more damaging as the practice grows.
- Converting the effort gap into “days worked for free” helps quantify how much time and energy is being donated to adjustments.
- Tracking both gross and net production allows you to see the effort being spent and the money actually retained, so you can make informed decisions.
- Breaking adjustments into categories (membership, elective discounts, and insurance by plan) creates transparency and shows exactly where to start improving.
Snippets:
00:00 Intro
01:15 Why “numbers look good” can still feel heavy.
02:15 The effort gap: gross production vs. net production.
03:15 Why gross production is a false proxy in today’s dentistry.
04:20 You don’t get paid on gross production, but you pay out on it.
07:05 Bigger isn’t always better: adjusted EBITDA and what a large practice is really worth.
08:10 Turning the effort gap into an “energy quotient.”
10:55 Track both gross and net production to manage effort and collections.
12:10 How to calculate your effort gap using the last 12 months.
13:20 Break adjustments into categories to find the biggest drivers.
15:00 Clean reporting: track insurance adjustments by plan, not one bucket.
16:40 The first step is finding where the heaviness is coming from.
Guest Bio/Guest Resources:
Ariel has a master’s in healthcare administration and several years of dental experience in all aspects of the administrative roles within the dental office. Her passion is to work with dental teams to empower team members to realize their full potential in order to better serve patients, improve office systems to ensure a well-functioning team/office, and to help everyone have fun in the process!
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- The Best Practices Show:https://www.actdental.com/podcast/
- Best Practices Association:https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Upcoming Events & Workshops:https://www.actdental.com/events/
- Smile Source:https://www.smilesource.com/
- Subscribe on Apple Podcasts:https://podcasts.apple.com
- Subscribe on Spotify:https://open.spotify.com
Occlusion cases stall when dentists focus only on how the teeth fit, instead of why the bite doesn’t fit in the first place. In this episode, Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. Jim McKee to explain the #1 thing dentists get wrong about occlusion—and why it’s not the teeth.
You’ll learn how to redefine occlusion beyond tooth contacts, how disc displacement changes the bite, why many “malocclusions” should be considered joint-driven until proven otherwise, and how better diagnosis can create a restorative diagnostic practice model that attracts the right patients. listen to Episode 1017 of The Best Practices Show!
Main Takeaways
- Occlusion must be defined as both how the teeth fit together and how the joints fit together, because joint position drives tooth position.
- Many cases that stall in treatment planning stall because the dentist doesn’t know how to manage occlusion and TMD variables.
- Clicking and popping joints are most often ligament tears that create a disc displacement, not “stretching” that resolves on its own.
- Instead of asking how to remove a posterior interference, the better question is why the interference exists in the first place.
- Class II malocclusions are often related to joint conditions, and the disc-condyle relationship can explain why the mandible isn’t forward enough.
- If you wait for TMJ pain to appear, you are often late, because many adult TMD presentations started during growth years.
- Diagnosis requires appropriate imaging, and evaluating only hard tissue can miss the disc-condyle interface that drives growth and occlusal change.
Snippets:
00:00 Podcast Welcome
01:10 Meet Dr Jim McKee
02:25 Young Dentist Challenges
04:17 Why Occlusion Stalls Cases
07:02 Redefining Occlusion
08:26 Class Two Joint Clues
11:34 Disc Displacement Basics
13:25 Injury Causes Clicking
14:47 Gasket Analogy Explained
17:39 Posterior Interference Rethink
21:00 Reading Patient Red Flags
22:53 Growth Airway MRI Debate
26:16 Supporting Orthodontists Better
27:21 Malocclusion Is Joint Driven
28:02 Prevalence And Planting Seeds
30:29 Diagnostic Records Practice Model
31:50 Fees And Low Stress Workflow
33:15 Rethinking Orofacial Pain
36:40 Bruxism And Sympathetic Drive
38:50 Patients Are Not Crazy
40:01 Imaging Before Appliances
41:37 TMD As Practice Growth Engine
43:19 Referrals And Study Clubs
44:33 Chicago Study Club And Courses
47:52 Wrap Up And Resources
Guest Bio/Guest Resource:
Dr. Jim McKee is a restorative dentist and educator focused on occlusion, TMD, and restorative diagnosis. He is a member of the Spear Resident Faculty. He has maintained a private practice since 1984 in Downers Grove, Illinois, where he treats a wide variety of cases with a focus on predictable restorative dentistry. He is a member of the American Academy of Restorative Dentistry and former president of the American Equilibration Society. He has lectured both nationally and internationally for over 25 years and directs several study clubs. Dr. McKee graduated from the University of Notre Dame in 1980 and earned his dental degree from the University of Illinois College of Dentistry in 1984.
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- The Best Practices Show:https://www.actdental.com/podcast/
- Best Practices Association:https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Upcoming Events & Workshops:https://www.actdental.com/events/
- Smile Source:https://www.smilesource.com/
- Subscribe on Apple Podcasts:https://podcasts.apple.com
- Subscribe on Spotify:https://open.spotify.com
A growing number of dentists are reconsidering PPO participation as costs rise and reimbursement falls. In this episode, Kirk Behrendt sits down with dental consultant Deborah Engelhart Nash to unpack why a reported 29% of surveyed dental practices stopped taking insurance in 2025, what fears keep dentists stuck, and how to transition the right way.
You’ll learn how to evaluate your patient mix, identify low-hanging fruit plans to drop first, communicate changes without blaming insurance, and redesign systems so your team can focus on people work instead of paperwork—listen to Episode 1016 of The Best Practices Show!
Main Takeaways
- A survey of dental marketers’ client data reported that 29% of participating practices stopped taking insurance in 2025.
- Leaving insurance rarely fails when doctors do due diligence on patient concentration, capacity, and fee schedules before making changes.
- Doctors should prioritize dropping low-reimbursement plans and plans with low patient volume instead of quitting all plans at once.
- If a practice is booked out for months with in-network patients while losing money on those visits, reducing PPO participation can open capacity for higher-fee care.
- Successful transitions require team alignment, consistent messaging, and avoiding language that blames insurers or frames the decision as “about the money.”
- Practices should reframe insurance as an employer-provided allowance that helps offset care rather than something that determines the standard of care.
- Outsourcing insurance and billing work can help teams focus on patients, keep up with code changes, and improve claim outcomes.
Snippets:
00:00 Intro
02:20 The survey source and the 29% statistic from 2025.
03:15 Why some in-network hygiene visits can lose money.
05:20 The “40% cut” example to explain PPO economics to teams.
06:25 Why dentists don’t go back once they leave insurance.
07:10 The Anchorage example: when a single employer dominates the patient base.
08:10 If you’re booked out for months, cutting low-fee volume can create room.
09:15 How umbrella plans expanded participation without doctors realizing it.
10:10 Start with low-hanging fruit plans and lowest reimbursement fee schedules.
12:05 The reminder: about 50% of Americans don’t have dental insurance.
13:20 How many active patients a solo doctor with two hygienists actually needs.
15:15 Why the patient conversation should focus on quality of care, not fees.
17:05 What callers ask first—and how to answer the insurance question.
18:05 Predicting the future: hybrid models based on practice profile.
20:10 “Roleplay” reframed as upskilling the team.
23:05 Outsourcing insurance to specialists so teams do people work.
24:00 72 insurance code changes in 2025 and why that matters.
25:15 The biggest fear: upsetting the team, not the patients.
30:55 The transition checklist: due diligence, team prep, timelines, and letters.
33:00 Where to find Deborah and request the insurance letter template.
Guest Bio/Guest Resources
Debra Engelhardt-Nash has been in dentistry since 1985 as a consultant, trainer, author and speaker. She has presented workshops nationally and internationally for numerous associations and study clubs. She is a repeat presenter for organizations including Chicago Dental Society Midwinter Meeting, the Yankee Dental Meeting, The Swedish Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry, and the Greater New York Dental Meeting. Debra has also appeared on several podcasts and webinars and authored several articles for dental publications.
Debra served three terms as the President of the Academy of Dental Management Consultants who presented her their Lifetime Achievement Award as well as the Charles Kidd Meritorious Service Award. She is the Immediate Past President of the Academy for Private Practice Dentistry. She has been repeatedly recognized as a Leader in Consulting and Education by Dentistry Today and has been listed as top 25 Women in Dentistry. Debra is also the recipient of the Gordon Christensen Lecturer Recognition Award.
Guest Resources:
- Deborah Engelhart Nash website: https://debraengelhardtnash.com/
- Text: 704-904-3459
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- The Best Practices Show:https://www.actdental.com/podcast/
- Best Practices Association:https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Upcoming Events & Workshops:https://www.actdental.com/events/
- Smile Source:https://www.smilesource.com/
- Subscribe on Apple Podcasts:https://podcasts.apple.com
- Subscribe on Spotify:https://open.spotify.com
Many dentists track annual patient value (APV) but don’t use it to make a clear decision about what kind of practice they want to build. In this episode, Kirk Behrendt talks with Miranda Beason, ACT’s co-host and education leader, about what APV reveals about your business model, why it impacts stress and schedule design, and how to calculate it using your last 12 months of collections and active patient count.
You’ll learn what low versus high APV typically looks like in day-to-day operations, what changes when you start improving it, and the first step to take this week to decide whether your current model matches your vision—listen to Episode 1015 of The Best Practices Show!
Main Takeaways
- APV is calculated by dividing the last 12 months of collections by your active patient count.
- APV is not just a number; it reflects the business model your practice is operating within.
- A low APV often correlates with a high-volume, low-margin practice that feels constantly busy and stressed.
- A higher APV allows a practice to rely on fewer patient visits while improving collections and protecting time.
- Write-offs and insurance contractual adjustments are major drivers of a lower APV and can limit profitability.
- Improving APV typically requires greater consistency in diagnosis, a strong periodontal protocol, and intentional scheduling strategy.
- The first step is awareness: calculate your APV and decide if it aligns with the type of practice you want to build.
Snippets
00:00 Metric Mondays Intro
01:24 Meet Miranda and The Big Question
02:58 What Annual Patient Value Means
05:11 How to Calculate APV
06:51 Low APV Warning Signs
09:01 High APV Benefits and Mindset Shift
13:38 Real World Results and Freedom
15:23 What to Do This Week
17:27 Resources and Final Wrap Up
Guest Bio/Guest Resources
Miranda Beeson has over 25 years of clinical dental hygiene, front office, practice administration, and speaking experience. She is enthusiastic about communication and loves helping others find the power that words can bring to their patient interactions and practice dynamics. As a Lead Practice Coach, she is driven to create opportunities to find value in experiences and cultivate new approaches.
Miranda graduated from Old Dominion University, and enjoys spending time with her husband, Chuck, and her children, Trent, Mallory, and Cassidy. Family time is the best time, and is often spent on a golf course, a volleyball court, or spending the day boating at the beach.
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- The Best Practices Show:https://www.actdental.com/podcast/
- Best Practices Association:https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Upcoming Events & Workshops:https://www.actdental.com/events/
- Smile Source:https://www.smilesource.com/
- Subscribe on Apple Podcasts:https://podcasts.apple.com
- Subscribe on Spotify:https://open.spotify.com
Have you ever felt like your team is “getting along” but no one is saying what they really think? That’s artificial harmony, and it quietly creates frustration, drifting standards, and eventual blowups. In this episode, Kirk Behrendt brings back coach Miranda Beason to explain the difference between toxic positivity and productive conflict, why unresolved issues always become a crisis, and how leaders can build a culture where real problems get discussed calmly and respectfully.
To learn how to find the sweet spot on the conflict continuum and create healthier conversations in your practice, listen to Episode 1014 of The Best Practices Show!
Main Takeaways
- Artificial harmony looks peaceful on the surface, but unresolved issues build underneath and erode trust over time.
- Conflict is not the same as confrontation; it is differing perceptions or approaches that can be discussed respectfully.
- Avoiding conflict often leads to intensity later, which triggers defensiveness and makes resolution harder.
- Productive conflict strengthens decisions by stress-testing ideas and increasing team buy-in, even when not everyone “wins.”
- Leaders must be intentional about creating psychological safety and trust before a team can debate issues constructively.
- Structured meeting tools and regular check-ins reduce emotional flooding and prevent small issues from becoming crises.
- Leaders should resist the “writing reflex” and allow space for discussion before jumping to correction or closing the loop.
Snippets
00:00 Artificial Harmony Intro
01:25 Meet Miranda Beason
04:50 Defining Artificial Harmony
09:52 Conflict Continuum Framework
12:10 Toxic Positivity Signs
18:43 Miranda Meeting Story
22:25 Building Productive Conflict
25:44 Control Your Response
27:06 24 Hour Rule
27:48 Phones Kill The Pause
29:11 Healthy Team Conflict
32:18 Styles And Trust
34:09 Check In Case Study
37:20 Leaders Build Frameworks
39:50 User Manuals For Teams
41:03 Final Takeaways
45:28 Tools And Resources
47:42 Closing Encouragement
Guest Bio/Guest Resources
Miranda Beeson has over 25 years of clinical dental hygiene, front office, practice administration, and speaking experience. She is enthusiastic about communication and loves helping others find the power that words can bring to their patient interactions and practice dynamics. As a Lead Practice Coach, she is driven to create opportunities to find value in experiences and cultivate new approaches.
Miranda graduated from Old Dominion University, and enjoys spending time with her husband, Chuck, and her children, Trent, Mallory, and Cassidy. Family time is the best time, and is often spent on a golf course, a volleyball court, or spending the day boating at the beach.
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- The Best Practices Show:https://www.actdental.com/podcast/
- Best Practices Association:https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Upcoming Events & Workshops:https://www.actdental.com/events/
- Smile Source:https://www.smilesource.com/
- Subscribe on Apple Podcasts:https://podcasts.apple.com
- Subscribe on Spotify:https://open.spotify.com
Do you know exactly where money can slip through the cracks in your practice—and what to do about it before it becomes a major problem?
In this episode, Kirk Behrendt brings back David Harris, dental-exclusive forensic investigator and embezzlement expert, to break down the division of duties in a dental practice and explain how to apply it in real workflows. You’ll learn the six-step revenue cycle, the three rules that reduce opportunity for theft, and practical ways to create checks and balances in both large and small practices. Listen to Episode 1013 of The Best Practices Show!
Main Takeaways
- Embezzlement requires both theft and concealment, and separating duties makes concealment harder.
- Enter treatment in the operatory by the clinician present so patient balances exist before payments are taken.
- Start by entering the full fee and use adjustments to document intentional discounts.
- In the revenue cycle, limit any one person to no more than two financial tasks.
- Do not allow the same person to perform consecutive steps in the financial workflow.
- Balancing must occur daily, even though it is more complex now due to multiple payment methods and timing delays.
- Practice owners should reconcile monthly by comparing collections in software to bank deposits and tracking variances over time.
Snippets
00:00 Welcome
01:49 Meet David Harris
03:33 How Common Embezzlement Is
06:58 Why Division Matters
11:03 Revenue Cycle Breakdown
12:27 Rule One Enter Treatment
17:22 Rule Two Limit Roles
19:53 Small Practice Workarounds
21:18 Mail Check Oversight
23:11 Balancing Gets Complex
25:59 Monthly Reconciliation Method
28:35 Spotting Theft Patterns
31:01 Trust Systems Not People
33:59 Discreet Audit Options
35:20 Risk Assessment Tools
37:33 How to Contact Them
38:47 Closing Takeaways
Guest Bio/Guest Resources
David Harris is a dental-exclusive forensic investigator who has spent more than three decades investigating employee theft and embezzlement in dental practices. He works with a team that conducts forensic audits and investigations focused exclusively on dentistry, helping practice owners identify risk and implement systems to reduce opportunity for theft.
Resources mentioned:
- Prosperident:https://www.prosperident.com
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- The Best Practices Show:https://www.actdental.com/podcast/
- Best Practices Association:https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Upcoming Events & Workshops:https://www.actdental.com/events/
- Smile Source:https://www.smilesource.com/
- Subscribe on Apple Podcasts:https://podcasts.apple.com
- Subscribe on Spotify:https://open.spotify.com
Most practices have plenty of numbers but still feel unclear about what to work on next. In this episode, Kirk Behrendt talks with Miranda Beason about why many dental practices don’t have a data problem — they have a focus problem — and how to use quarterly priorities and the right metrics to create alignment, reduce chaos, and make steady progress toward annual goals. To learn how to set focus, choose what to measure, and lead your team with calmer, clearer direction, listen to Episode 1012 of The Best Practices Show!
Main Takeaways
- More data does not create clarity unless the practice has clear priorities and a defined direction.
- Annual planning works best when it’s translated into quarterly priorities that connect to day-to-day execution.
- When focus is missing, leadership often reacts to what feels urgent or “loud” instead of following a strategy.
- Practices build momentum when they choose two to four priorities for a 12-week quarter and measure progress consistently.
- Tracking fewer, quarter-specific metrics is more effective than maintaining a constant list of 30–40 KPIs.
- Weekly reporting improves a team’s ability to make timely changes compared to waiting until the end of the month.
- Metrics gain traction when leaders clearly communicate the purpose, the team’s role, and how the focus supports the patient experience.
Snippets
00:00 Metric Monday Kickoff: Data Doesn’t Fix Everything
01:57 Meet Miranda: Most Practices Have a Focus Problem
02:40 Why Data Creates Alignment (and Removes Emotion)
04:52 When You Get It Wrong: Chaos, Fires, and Moving Targets
08:11 Real-World ‘Loud’ Moments: Snow Days, Short Months & Panic
09:44 When You Get It Right: Annual Goals → Quarterly Priorities
13:06 Leading vs. Lagging Indicators: Staying Calm Under Pressure
14:27 What You Can Do Today: Pick a Focus + Track the Right KPIs
16:28 Report Weekly, Celebrate Wins, and Tie Metrics to Patient Experience
17:47 Wrap-Up: Get Help, Stay Focused, and Build a Better Practice
Guest Bio/Guest Resources
Miranda Beeson has over 25 years of clinical dental hygiene, front office, practice administration, and speaking experience. She is enthusiastic about communication and loves helping others find the power that words can bring to their patient interactions and practice dynamics. As a Lead Practice Coach, she is driven to create opportunities to find value in experiences and cultivate new approaches.
Miranda graduated from Old Dominion University, and enjoys spending time with her husband, Chuck, and her children, Trent, Mallory, and Cassidy. Family time is the best time, and is often spent on a golf course, a volleyball court, or spending the day boating at the beach.
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- The Best Practices Show:https://www.actdental.com/podcast/
- Best Practices Association:https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Upcoming Events & Workshops:https://www.actdental.com/events/
- Smile Source: https://www.smilesource.com/
- Subscribe on Apple Podcasts:https://podcasts.apple.com
- Subscribe on Spotify:https://open.spotify.com
Private practice is getting squeezed by complexity, competition, and promises that “bigger is better.” That pressure is pushing more dentists to consider selling, scaling, or giving up control. In this episode, Kirk Behrendt talks with Dr. Christian Coachman, dentist and educator, about why celebrating independent private practice matters, why quality in dentistry isn’t scalable, and what private practitioners can do to stay clinically excellent without burning out. To learn how community, support, and smart strategy can help you protect your freedom and your standards, listen to Episode 1011 of The Best Practices Show!
Main Takeaways
- Private practice protects the dentist’s freedom to make key decisions that support quality and patient-first care.
- Motivation, attention to detail, and passion can decline when a practice is sold and clinical decisions are influenced by outside ownership.
- Quality in dentistry is not scalable, and it typically drops as practices grow beyond a size that can be closely managed.
- The temptation to scale often hits when a dentist reaches a ceiling on fees but demand continues to grow.
- Independent dentists can gain many advantages of large organizations by joining a real community that offers support and shared resources.
- The increasing demands of technology, marketing, leadership, and management are pressuring private practitioners and fueling DSO interest.
- Many dentists who sell are financially relieved but still want their freedom back once non-compete periods end.
Snippets
00:00 Intro – Protecting Independent Private Practice
01:12 Why Private Practice Matters
02:45 Introducing Dr. Christian Coachman
04:10 Celebrating the Freedom of Ownership
06:30 The Current Challenges Facing Private Dentists
08:55 The Mindset Shift Required to Stay Independent
11:20 Why Community and Collaboration Matter
13:40 Innovation in Modern Private Practice
16:05 The Future of Independent Dentistry
18:30 Why Events Like The Exchange Matter
20:10 Final Thoughts – Choosing Freedom Intentionally21:32 Outro
Guest Bio/Guest Resources
Dr. Christian Coachman is a dentist and dental technician known internationally for his work in dental communication, treatment planning, and interdisciplinary collaboration. He is the founder of Digital Smile Design and has spent decades working inside dental practices, observing patient interactions, and teaching clinicians how to communicate more effectively with patients and teams. He lectures globally and consults with dentists seeking to improve trust, case acceptance, and long-term patient relationships.
Guest resources mentioned in the episode:
- Digital Smile Design: https://digitalsmiledesign.com
- Dr. Christian Coachman on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chriscoachman
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
The Best Practices Show:https://www.actdental.com/podcast/
Best Practices Association:https://www.actdental.com/bpa
Upcoming Events & Workshops:https://www.actdental.com/events/
Smile Source:https://www.smilesource.com/
Subscribe on Apple Podcasts:https://podcasts.apple.com
Subscribe on Spotify:https://open.spotify.com
Are you relying on the sale of your practice to fund your retirement? Before you accept an attractive offer from a DSO, it’s critical to understand what those numbers really mean — and what alternatives exist.
In this episode, Kirk Behrendt interviews Dr. Bob Margeas, founder of Iowa Dental Group in Des Moines, Iowa, about how he evaluated multiple DSO offers, broke down EBITDA and earn-outs, and ultimately chose a different transition strategy. They discuss adjusted EBITDA, recap risk, associate buy-ins, creative ownership structures, and why equity matters more than a headline purchase price. If you’re considering selling your practice — or simply want to understand your options — listen to Episode 1010 of The Best Practices Show!
Main Takeaways
- EBITDA is calculated differently than a dentist’s net income and often includes add-backs that significantly change a practice’s valuation.
- Most DSOs evaluate practices on an accrual basis rather than cash basis accounting, which affects perceived profitability.
- Earn-outs and recapitalization payouts are tied to performance and market conditions and are not guaranteed.
- Selling to a DSO typically requires the dentist to stay for several years, effectively replacing future EBITDA with the sale proceeds.
- Structuring an associate buy-in based on trailing three-year profits can allow debt to be serviced without increasing production.
- Ownership equity creates long-term wealth potential that an associate-only model does not provide.
- Dentists who are financially independent have more flexibility and leverage when evaluating transition options.
Snippets
- 00:00 Intro
- 03:00 The difference between a DSO and a DPO.
- 05:00 Understanding EBITDA and common add-backs.
- 08:00 Why DSOs prefer accrual accounting over cash basis.
- 10:00 How earn-outs and clawbacks work.
- 13:30 Hiring an associate based on personality and communication skills.
- 15:00 Structuring a 20% buy-in using trailing three-year profits.
- 17:00 Reducing clinical days while maintaining profitability.
- 21:00 Merging practices into a holding company model.
- 24:00 Why saving early creates flexibility at transition.
- 30:00 “I’m just a referee” — communicating treatment without pressure.
- 34:00 Why equity ownership is essential for long-term wealth.
Guest Bio/Guest Resources
Dr. Bob Margeas is the founder of Iowa Dental Group in Des Moines, Iowa. He is a nationally recognized clinician and educator known for his expertise in restorative dentistry, financial management, and practice efficiency. Dr. Margeas lectures to study clubs and professional groups across the country and mentors dentists on both clinical and business systems. Dr. Margeas welcomes dentists to observe him in practice by contacting his office directly.
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- The Best Practices Show:https://www.actdental.com/podcast/
- Best Practices Association:https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Upcoming Events & Workshops:https://www.actdental.com/events/
- Smile Source: https://www.smilesource.com/
- Subscribe on Apple Podcasts:https://podcasts.apple.com
- Subscribe on Spotify:https://open.spotify.com
Many dental practices feel surprised by their numbers at the end of the month, even when they review reports regularly. In this episode, Kirk Behrendt sits down with Miranda Beeson, leadership coach at ACT Dental, to explain the difference between leading and lagging indicators and why relying too heavily on historical data creates stress, reactivity, and missed opportunities. They break down how leading indicators connect daily behaviors to long-term results, how to spot problems earlier, and how to use data to lead calmly instead of reactively. If you want to understand which numbers actually help you influence outcomes before it’s too late, listen to Episode 1009 of The Best Practices Show!
Main Takeaways
- Lagging indicators show what has already happened in a practice and cannot be changed once reported.
- Leading indicators help predict future outcomes and guide daily and weekly behavior.
- Practices that focus only on lagging indicators often feel blindsided and become reactive under pressure.
- Tracking leading indicators weekly allows leaders to correct course before the end of the month.
- Hygiene reappointment, diagnostic percentage, and case acceptance are examples of leading indicators that influence production.
- Teams engage more effectively when they understand which daily actions influence practice results.
Snippets
- 00:52 Leading indicators versus lagging indicators and why both matter.
- 02:28 Why lagging indicators create reactive leadership and team stress.
- 03:50 Using hygiene metrics to predict future production.
- 06:11 Planning ahead for known schedule disruptions like holidays.
- 07:38 What it looks like when practices rely only on lagging indicators.
- 09:42 How leadership changes when leading indicators are used correctly.
- 11:39 Tracking diagnostic percentage and case acceptance week over week.
- 14:47 A simple first step to start using leading indicators today.
Guest Bio/Guest Resources
Miranda Beeson has over 25 years of clinical dental hygiene, front office, practice administration, and speaking experience. She is enthusiastic about communication and loves helping others find the power that words can bring to their patient interactions and practice dynamics. As a Lead Practice Coach, she is driven to create opportunities to find value in experiences and cultivate new approaches.
Miranda graduated from Old Dominion University and enjoys spending time with her husband, Chuck, and her children, Trent, Mallory, and Cassidy. Family time is the best time, and is often spent on a golf course, a volleyball court, or spending the day boating at the beach.
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- The Best Practices Show:https://www.actdental.com/podcast/
- Best Practices Association:https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Upcoming Events & Workshops:https://www.actdental.com/events/
- Smile Source: https://www.smilesource.com/
- Subscribe on Apple Podcasts:https://podcasts.apple.com
- Subscribe on Spotify:https://open.spotify.com
Is online continuing education enough to elevate your dentistry? With unlimited access to webinars, social media cases, and on-demand videos, it’s easy to believe you can master complex procedures from a screen. But is that really how clinical excellence is built?
In this episode, Kirk Behrendt interviews Dr. Adamo Notarantonio, educator, clinician, and faculty member at the Kois Center, about the critical differences between online and in-person learning. They discuss why hands-on training, mentorship, and layered learning are essential for developing technical skill, clinical judgment, and the ability to think under pressure.
You’ll learn how to adopt CE with patience, how to avoid the social media comparison trap, and why real growth requires more than watching a video. If you want to elevate your thinking and your results, listen to Episode 1008 of The Best Practices Show!
Main Takeaways
- In-person, hands-on education is essential for mastering clinical techniques that cannot be fully learned through online videos.
- True clinical growth requires repetition, deliberate practice, and mentorship over time.
- Social media often presents highlight reels that do not reflect the full clinical reality behind cases.
- The ability to think outside the box during unexpected clinical situations separates good clinicians from great clinicians.
- Layered learning—lecture, hands-on application, mentorship, and case review—deepens understanding and improves implementation.
- Dentists should focus on competing with themselves rather than comparing their work to others.
- Adopting CE effectively requires patience and a long-term mindset rather than seeking rapid results.
Snippets
- 00:00 Introduction and Welcome
- 00:18 Meet Adamo: A Special Guest
- 01:20 The Importance of Continuing Education
- 02:48 Adamo's Journey and Career Changes
- 04:15 Hands-On Learning vs. Online Education
- 07:43 The Value of In-Person Training
- 09:48 Thinking Outside the Box in Dentistry
- 12:22 Mindset and Continuous Learning
- 14:47 The Reality of Social Media in Dentistry
- 16:29 The Reality of Before and After
- 16:41 The Trust Factor with Instagram
- 16:58 AI in Dentistry Presentations
- 17:29 The Importance of Clinical Tips
- 18:20 The Role of Educators in Dentistry
- 20:27 Understanding Constricted Chewing Patterns
- 21:53 The Value of Layered Learning
- 23:48 The Future of Continuing Education (CE)
- 24:50 Shadowing and Mentorship in Dentistry
- 27:42 Final Thoughts on Adopting CE
- 29:25 Where to Learn More About Adamo
- 31:01 Conclusion and Podcast Wrap-Up
Guest Bio/Guest Resources
Dr. Adamo Notarantonio is a practicing dentist, speaker, and educator who serves as faculty at the Kois Center. He is a past president of the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry and has earned accreditation status within the organization. Dr. Notarantonio lectures nationally and teaches hands-on composite and restorative courses. He previously owned a private practice in Long Island, New York, and now practices as an associate while focusing extensively on education and mentorship.
Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/adamoelvis/
Course website:https://www.imprescourses.com/
Kois Center: https://www.koiscenter.com/
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- The Best Practices Show:https://www.actdental.com/podcast/
- Best Practices Association:https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Upcoming Events & Workshops:https://www.actdental.com/events/
- Smile Source: https://www.smilesource.com/
- Subscribe on Apple Podcasts:https://podcasts.apple.com
- Subscribe on Spotify:https://open.spotify.com
Running a dental practice can feel like an endless cycle of putting out fires, reacting to problems, and repeating the same frustrations day after day. In this episode, Kirk Behrendt sits down with Christina Burn, Director of Operations at ACT Dental, to explain why most of these daily issues stem from a lack of clear systems, not people. Together, they break down how systems create predictability, reduce stress, improve team accountability, and support long-term growth. You’ll learn where to start with systems, how to build them with your team, and how to keep them relevant as your practice evolves. To learn how to stop firefighting and start creating predictability, listen to Episode 1007 of The Best Practices Show!
Main Takeaways:
- Most recurring daily problems in a dental practice are caused by missing or unclear systems rather than individual team performance.
- Systems create predictability, which leads to less stress, better patient experiences, and more consistent outcomes for doctors and teams.
- Practices should aim to be systems-driven instead of people-dependent to avoid burnout and constant staff additions.
- Effective systems start with a clearly defined “why” that connects directly to patient experience and team success.
- The best systems are created collaboratively during dedicated team meeting time, not by the doctor alone or outside of work hours.
- Systems should be specific, step-by-step, and written clearly so anyone in the practice can follow them when needed.
- Systems must be treated as living tools that are reviewed, updated, and improved as the practice grows and changes.
Snippets:
- 00:00 Introduction and Welcome
- 00:08 The Importance of Systems in Dentistry
- 01:28 Meet Christina Burn: Director of Operations
- 02:30 Common Issues in Dental Practices
- 03:23 Creating Effective Systems
- 05:52 The Why Behind Systems
- 09:58 Implementing and Refining Systems
- 13:22 The 80% Approach to System Development
- 16:02 Specificity in Systems
- 20:32 Living Systems: Continuous Improvement
- 25:11 Conclusion and Final Thoughts
Guest Bio/Guest Resources:
Christina Byrne is the Director of Operations at ACT Dental, where she oversees coaching alignment, system development, and operational consistency across practices nationwide. She works closely with dental teams to help them build scalable systems that improve predictability, accountability, and long-term practice performance. In this episode, Christina references ACT Dental resources including the Analyzing Existing Systems document, the master systems checklist, and the systems and checklist support guide available through the Best Practices Association.
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- The Best Practices Show:https://www.actdental.com/podcast/
- Best Practices Association:https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Upcoming Events & Workshops:https://www.actdental.com/events/
- Smile Source: https://www.smilesource.com/
- Subscribe on Apple Podcasts:https://podcasts.apple.com
- Subscribe on Spotify:https://open.spotify.com
Many dental leaders make decisions based on how the day feels instead of what the data shows. In this episode, Kirk Behrendt is joined by Miranda Beeson, ACT Dental coach and leadership advisor, to explain why leading from emotion creates reactive leadership and how metrics create clarity, consistency, and confidence for teams. You will learn how data removes emotion from decision-making, how to pause emotional reactions, and how to use key performance indicators to guide smarter conversations and actions. Listen to Episode 1006 of The Best Practices Show!
Main Takeaways
- Leading from feelings creates reactive decision-making and inconsistency for the team.
- Metrics reveal patterns over time and provide an objective truth that removes emotion from leadership conversations.
- Data-driven leadership allows teams to align around priorities and solve problems instead of chasing anxiety.
- Reviewing metrics consistently helps leaders respond thoughtfully rather than react emotionally.
- Sharing data weekly builds accountability and ownership across the entire team.
- Measuring and reporting on a focus area regularly accelerates improvement.
- Verifying emotional reactions with data builds trust and credibility as a leader.
Snippets
- 01:43 Why today’s Metric Monday focuses on feelings versus data.
- 02:18 How leading with data creates smarter leadership decisions.
- 03:20 How personal bias disappears when data is introduced.
- 04:38 What reactive leadership looks like in a dental practice.
- 06:05 Why leading with feelings creates inconsistency for teams.
- 07:42 How teams unify when data is shared consistently.
- 08:45 Using weekly reporting to drive improvement.
- 10:18 Pausing emotional reactions and verifying them with data.
- 13:25 Asking which KPI confirms or challenges a feeling.
- 14:50 Using capacity data to validate schedule concerns.
- 15:45 Why coaches help remove emotional stories from leadership decisions.
Guest Bio/Guest Resources
Miranda Beeson has over 25 years of clinical dental hygiene, front office, practice administration, and speaking experience. She is enthusiastic about communication and loves helping others find the power that words can bring to their patient interactions and practice dynamics. As a Lead Practice Coach, she is driven to create opportunities to find value in experiences and cultivate new approaches.
Miranda graduated from Old Dominion University and enjoys spending time with her husband, Chuck, and her children, Trent, Mallory, and Cassidy. Family time is the best time, and is often spent on a golf course, a volleyball court, or spending the day boating at the beach.
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- The Best Practices Show:https://www.actdental.com/podcast/
- Best Practices Association:https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Upcoming Events & Workshops:https://www.actdental.com/events/
- Smile Source: https://www.smilesource.com/
- Subscribe on Apple Podcasts:https://podcasts.apple.com
- Subscribe on Spotify:https://open.spotify.com
Most dentists treat sleep as optional until performance drops, patience gets shorter, and focus slips. In this episode, Kirk Behrendt talks with Dr. Uche Odiatu, health and fitness educator for dentistry, about sleep hygiene fundamentals that improve energy, cognition, metabolic health, and daily productivity. You will learn why seven hours is the minimum, why “sleep debt” can’t be repaid on weekends, and the practical habits that make sleep deeper and more consistent. Listen to Episode 1005 of The Best Practices Show!
Main Takeaways
- Seven hours is the minimum sleep needed for most adults to avoid ongoing sleep deprivation.
- “Catching up” on sleep over the weekend does not fully reverse the effects of several nights of poor sleep.
- Morning outdoor light exposure helps reset circadian rhythm and supports falling asleep more easily at night.
- Daily physical activity builds physiological sleep drive beyond mental fatigue from a long clinical day.
- Alcohol can make you feel sedated but reduces deep sleep quality and interferes with memory consolidation and emotional regulation.
- Eating within three hours of bedtime can reduce sleep quality because the body is focused on digestion.
- Evening light control, including avoiding bright overhead LED lighting and late-night scrolling, supports melatonin and sleep depth.
Snippets
- 01:56 Seven hours as the minimum, and how being awake too long affects performance.
- 03:44 Why “sleep debt” can’t be repaid on weekends.
- 06:23 Morning sunlight and outdoor exposure to reset circadian rhythm.
- 09:35 Why sedentary days reduce true sleep drive, even when you feel mentally exhausted.
- 11:28 Alcohol as sedation vs. sleep, and what it does to deep sleep and retention.
- 17:35 Eating close to bedtime and the impact on sleep quality.
- 18:45 Managing evening light by avoiding overhead LEDs after sunset.
- 20:35 Doomscrolling, dopamine hits, and how small amounts of light disrupt physiology.
- 24:10 “Become a sleep master” before chasing other wellness tools.
Guest Bio/Guest Resources
Dr. Uche Odiatu has a DMD (Doctor of Dental Medicine). He is a professional member of the ACSM (American College of Sports Medicine), a Certified Personal Trainer NSCA (National Strength & Conditioning Association), and the Canadian Association of Fitness Professionals (canfitpro). He is the co-author of The Miracle of Health and has lectured in Canada, the USA, the Caribbean, the UK, and Europe. He is an invited guest on over 400 TV and radio shows, from ABC 20/20, Canada CTV AM, Breakfast TV, to Magic Sunday Drum FM in Texas. This high-energy healthcare professional has done over 450 lectures in seven countries over the last 15 years.
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fitspeakers/
Website: https://www.druche.com/
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- The Best Practices Show:https://www.actdental.com/podcast/
- Best Practices Association:https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Upcoming Events & Workshops:https://www.actdental.com/events/
- Smile Source: https://www.smilesource.com/
- Subscribe on Apple Podcasts:https://podcasts.apple.com
- Subscribe on Spotify:https://open.spotify.com
Leaves of absence are complicated, highly regulated, and often misunderstood in dental practices. In this episode, Kirk Behrendt sits down with Alan Twigg, HR expert at Ben Erickson Administrative Services, to explain how leaves of absence actually work, why documentation matters, and how dentists can protect their practices while treating team members fairly. You’ll learn how to identify protected leave, handle medical and mental health requests, manage return-to-work issues, and avoid common mistakes that lead to liability. Listen to Episode 1004 of The Best Practices Show!
Main Takeaways
- A leave of absence typically applies when an employee will be out for more than one week and may trigger state or federal protections.
- The reason for the leave determines which laws apply, so employers must clearly document whether the leave is due to pregnancy, medical conditions, mental health, or family care.
- Mental health conditions are medical conditions and may qualify for protected leave under disability laws.
- Every leave of absence should have a documented start date and an estimated return date to prevent confusion and legal risk.
- Medical certifications and job descriptions are essential tools for determining work restrictions and accommodations.
- Most leaves of absence are unpaid, but accrued PTO is usually used at the beginning of the leave as wage replacement.
- Employees on protected leave generally must be reinstated to the same role, pay, and hours unless the position is legitimately eliminated.
Snippets
- 00:39 What qualifies as a leave of absence versus regular sick time.
- 02:06 Why state and federal leave laws vary by location and practice size.
- 04:18 Mental health as a protected medical condition.
- 07:38 Pregnancy and disability protections explained.
- 10:40 Why every leave needs a defined return date.
- 13:27 Risks of replacing an employee on protected leave.
- 14:21 Medical certification and job descriptions.
- 17:38 Accommodations and undue hardship.
- 19:29 Health insurance and benefits during leave.
- 20:55 Using accrued PTO during a leave of absence.
- 24:27 Medical release and return-to-work requirements.
- 27:33 When a leave of absence is not legally protected.
- 30:40 Documentation tips to protect the practice.
Guest Bio/Guest Resources
Alan Twigg is an HR specialist with Ben Erickson Administrative Services, where he advises dental practices on employment law, compliance, and human resources best practices. He works closely with dentists to help them navigate complex issues such as leaves of absence, accommodations, documentation, and employee relations.
Guest resource mentioned:
https://bentericksen.com/alan-twigg/
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- The Best Practices Show:https://www.actdental.com/podcast/
- Best Practices Association:https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Upcoming Events & Workshops:https://www.actdental.com/events/
- Smile Source: https://www.smilesource.com/
- Subscribe on Apple Podcasts:https://podcasts.apple.com
- Subscribe on Spotify:https://open.spotify.com
Marketing costs can easily drift without clear benchmarks, clear goals, or reliable data. In this episode, Kirk Behrendt continues the Metric Monday series with practice coach Ariel Siegel to break down marketing percentage as part of overall overhead. They explain what marketing percentage actually measures, why the benchmark matters, how internal and external marketing must align, and how to evaluate return on investment using real practice data. If you want to understand how much you should be spending on marketing and how to know whether it’s working, listen to Episode 1003 of The Best Practices Show!
Main Takeaways
- Marketing percentage measures the total percentage of revenue spent on both internal and external marketing efforts.
- The general benchmark for marketing spend is around 3%, depending on whether a practice is in growth or maintenance mode.
- Effective marketing fuels new patient growth while also strengthening the practice brand.
- Internal marketing systems and patient experience must align with external marketing efforts.
- Tracking return on investment requires comparing marketing spend to new patient numbers and resulting production.
- High marketing spend without strong systems can result in poor conversions and wasted dollars.
Snippets
00:56 What marketing percentage measures
01:44 The 3% benchmark and why it varies
03:07 How marketing impacts new patient growth and branding
04:22 Why more new patients is not always better
06:52 Using ROI to evaluate marketing effectiveness
08:12 How to respond when marketing percentage is too high
10:03 Using call and conversion data to diagnose marketing performance
11:34 Final Thoughts on Marketing Strategies
Guest Bio/Guest Resources
Ariel has a master’s in healthcare administration and several years of dental experience in all aspects of the administrative roles within the dental office. Her passion is to work with dental teams to empower team members to realize their full potential in order to better serve patients, improve office systems to ensure a well-functioning team/office, and to help everyone have fun in the process!
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- The Best Practices Show:https://www.actdental.com/podcast/
- Best Practices Association:https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Upcoming Events & Workshops:https://www.actdental.com/events/
- Smile Source: https://www.smilesource.com/
- Subscribe on Apple Podcasts:https://podcasts.apple.com
- Subscribe on Spotify:https://open.spotify.com
Poor communication can quietly undermine trust, case acceptance, and long-term relationships with patients — even when the clinical work is excellent. In this episode, Kirk Behrendt sits down with Dr. Christian Coachman, dentist, dental technician, and founder of Digital Smile Design, to identify the most common communication mistakes dentists make with patients and teams. You’ll learn why context matters, how confidence and humility work together, why “selling” erodes trust, and how practicing communication changes outcomes. If you want patients to understand you, trust you, and move forward with care, listen to Episode 1002 of The Best Practices Show!
Main Takeaways:
- Communication skills have a greater impact on patient trust and case acceptance than clinical outcomes alone.
- Failing to give proper context is one of the most common communication mistakes dentists make with patients and teams.
- Asking better, more complete questions leads to better answers and more efficient collaboration.
- Confidence without humility sounds arrogant, while humility without confidence sounds weak; effective communication requires both.
- Dentists rarely practice communication skills, which leads to repeated mistakes over long careers.
- Explaining dentistry by “thinking out loud” or using jargon confuses patients and erodes trust.
- Showing patients visual information builds trust more effectively than selling or persuading verbally.
Snippets:
- 07:35 Why communication determines how far you go in dentistry.
- 08:18 The problem with not giving patients enough context.
- 13:27 Why poorly formed questions waste time and limit answers.
- 20:44 Confidence versus humility in patient communication.
- 26:46 Why dentists need to practice communication like a clinical skill.
- 33:49 How selling dentistry destroys trust while showing builds it.
- 38:09 Why love and trust come from communication, not clinical work alone.
Dr. Christian Coachman Bio:
Dr. Christian Coachman is a dentist and dental technician known internationally for his work in dental communication, treatment planning, and interdisciplinary collaboration. He is the founder of Digital Smile Design and has spent decades working inside dental practices, observing patient interactions, and teaching clinicians how to communicate more effectively with patients and teams. He lectures globally and consults with dentists seeking to improve trust, case acceptance, and long-term patient relationships.
- Digital Smile Design:https://digitalsmiledesign.com
- Dr. Christian Coachman on Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/chriscoachman
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- The Best Practices Show:https://www.actdental.com/podcast/
- Best Practices Association:https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Upcoming Events & Workshops:https://www.actdental.com/events/
- Smile Source: https://www.smilesource.com/
- Subscribe on Apple Podcasts:https://podcasts.apple.com
- Subscribe on Spotify:https://open.spotify.com
Great dentistry doesn’t sell itself if patients can’t see it. Many dentists struggle to explain conditions, earn trust, and grow into the type of practice they want because their communication relies too heavily on words. In this episode, Kirk Behrendt sits down with Dr. Zach Sisler, cosmetic dentist and educator, to break down the three lessons he learned the hard way about dental photography. You’ll learn how photography improves case acceptance, strengthens branding, sharpens clinical skills, and creates better communication with patients, labs, specialists, and your team. If you want photography to work for your practice instead of sitting unused, listen to Episode 1001 of The Best Practices Show!
Main Takeaways:
- Dental photography helps clinicians get out of their own way by letting patients see conditions instead of hearing long explanations.
- What dentists find impressive in photos is often different from what patients want to see, which is typically full-face smiles and relatable transformations.
- Consistent photography strengthens a practice’s brand and helps patients recognize what services are possible.
- Treating camera equipment as an investment requires daily use; unused equipment produces no return.
- Reviewing clinical photos allows dentists to self-critique and continuously improve their restorative outcomes.
- Photography improves communication with labs and specialists by providing clearer information and better collaboration.
Snippets:
- 02:20 Who Dr. Zach Sisler is and how his practice evolved.
- 05:00 Why dental photography is a non-negotiable for modern practices.
- 07:47 How photography helped Zach get out of his own way with patient communication.
- 12:05 The difference between what dentists want to see and what patients want to see.
- 18:14 Why branding matters and how photography supports it.
- 19:16 Treating camera equipment like gym equipment to get a return on investment.
- 23:26 How photography improves clinical self-critique and growth.
- 29:23 How photos improve lab and specialist relationships.
- 34:23 Addressing time concerns and when to invest in photography.
- 36:29 How much of the photography should be delegated to the team.
Dr. Zach Sisler Bio:
Dr. Zach Sisler is a cosmetic dentist and educator practicing in rural central Pennsylvania. He transitioned a traditionally focused practice into an aesthetics-driven practice by integrating comprehensive dental photography, advanced restorative techniques, and consistent branding. Dr. Sisler teaches hands-on photography and over-the-shoulder restorative courses, both in his office and on-site for dental teams across the country. He is known for his focus on predictable systems, clinical growth, and practical implementation that supports both patient care and practice sustainability.
- Dr. Zach Sisler Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dr_zachsisler/
- Zach Sisler Courses & In-Office Training:https://www.drsisler.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dr_zachsisler/
- Website (Courses & Education):https://www.drsisler.com/
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- The Best Practices Show:https://www.actdental.com/podcast/
- Best Practices Association:https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Upcoming Events & Workshops:https://www.actdental.com/events/
When overhead is high, you buy cheaper supplies. But there's a better way! In this episode, Kirk Behrendt brings back Ariel Siegel, one of ACT’s amazing coaches, to continue the series on overhead and break down supplies percentage. She shares why your numbers may be high, how that impacts your practice, and what you can do about it. For the treatment plan to reduce waste and overspending on supplies, listen to Episode 1000 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Ariel:
- Send Ariel an email: ariel@actdental.com
- Follow Ariel on ACT’s Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/actdental
- Send Courtney an email to learn more about ACT: courtney@actdental.com
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show:https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association:https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Apple App Store:https://apps.apple.com/us/app/best-practices-association/id6738960360
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Google Play Store:https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.actdental.join&hl=en_US
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club:https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free:https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast:https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 1000:https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
- Learn more about Smile Source: https://smilesource.com
Main Takeaways:
- Your ideal supplies percentage is 5% to 6%.
- Categorize your supplies correctly to track them appropriately.
- If your supplies percentage is high, don't panic. It can be fixed very easily.
- Don't buy cheaper supplies. Create systems to cut waste and overspending.
- A team member — never the doctor — should be the one to manage inventory.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
0:52 Supplies percentage, explained.
3:56 How supplies percentage impacts the practice.
6:44 Manage your inventory.
8:25 Keep your systems simple.
9:32 What you can do today to impact your metrics.
12:03 Last thoughts.
Ariel Juday Bio:
Ariel has a master’s in healthcare administration and several years of dental experience in all aspects of the administrative roles within the dental office. Her passion is to work with dental teams to empower team members to realize their full potential in order to better serve patients, improve office systems to ensure a well-functioning team/office, and to help everyone have fun in the process!
Success isn't just about the medals. In this episode, Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. Amanda Seay, president of the AACD, and Dr. Zach Sisler, board chair of the AACD, to share their journeys and lessons of the accreditation process and the importance of investing in yourself for your future. To learn what success could look like for you, listen to Episode 999 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Dr. Seay & Dr. Sisler:
- Join Dr. Seay on Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/DrAmandaSeay
- Follow Dr. Seay on Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/dramandaseay
- Join Dr. Sisler on Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/SmilesBySisler
- Follow Dr. Sisler on Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/dr_zachsisler
- Register for the AACD Scientific Session (April 16-18, 2026):https://www.aacdconference.com/event/1a1b9fe4-2097-4006-b107-822d4da3654b/main-menu
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show:https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association:https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Apple App Store:https://apps.apple.com/us/app/best-practices-association/id6738960360
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Google Play Store:https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.actdental.join&hl=en_US
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club:https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free:https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast:https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 999:https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
- Read Atomic Habits by James Clear:https://jamesclear.com/atomic-habits
- Read Buy Back Your Time by Dan Martell:https://www.buybackyourtime.com
Main Takeaways:
- Being content does not mean being complacent. Find contentment with where you’re at.
- Accreditation is not about the medal. It’s about the process, learning, and your journey.
- Find your people. They will inspire and challenge you beyond what you imagine.
- You're capable of much more than you think. Always invest in yourself.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
1:01 Dr. Seay’s and Dr. Sisler’s backgrounds.
6:16 Dr. Seay’s and Dr. Sisler’s journeys.
13:11 Contentment, explained.
15:45 It’s not just about the medal.
22:35 The importance of finding your people.
34:57 Dr. Seay’s and Dr. Sisler’s DiSC styles.
36:33 Buy Back Your Time by Dan Martell.
38:22 Last thoughts.
41:47 More about the AACD.
Dr. Amanda Seay DDS, FAGD, FAACD Bio:
Dr. Amanda Seay is the award-winning Founder, Chief Executive Officer, and Clinical Director of Expertise Dental in Charleston, South Carolina. Her expertise ranges from complex restorative treatment planning to comprehensive preventative and reconstructive dentistry.
Dr. Seay is a recognized leader in the dental industry and has been featured in various dental publications for her influence and dedication to the profession. She was named the 11th Most Influential Person in Dentistry by Incisal Edge Magazine. She is the 85th dentist in the world who has earned the honor of Fellow Accredited Member status with the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry.
Dr. Seay is the Director of Outreach and Engagement for the Seattle Study Club, an international and preeminent continuing education organization for dentists. She is also the co-creator of imPRES Dental Courses, an internationally recognized dental esthetics continuum. She holds a clinical instructor position at the Kois Center, one of the most prestigious dental institutes in the country, and has published over 70 articles covering the art and techniques of esthetic dentistry. She also serves as the Restorative Section Editor for Inside Dentistry.
In addition to operating a thriving full-time dental practice, Dr. Seay is a dedicated wife and the mother of four children.
Dr. Zachary Sisler Bio:
Dr. Zachary Sisler is a native of Kingwood, West Virginia. He attended West Virginia University, where he received an undergraduate degree in chemistry in three years. He continued his education at the West Virginia University School of Dentistry, earning his Doctor of Dental Surgery degree. During his time at dental school, he explored the field of dentistry by completing externships and honor programs in oral surgery and endodontics. As a further testament to his dedication, he was honored with the following awards: Simon P. Hullihen Scholarship Award for Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery, American Association of Endodontics Student Achievement Award, American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons Student Award, Whip Mix 2010 Hanau Prosthodontic Award, Delta Dental Student Leadership Award, and the Quintessence Book Award for Restorative Dentistry.
Since graduation, Dr. Sisler has immersed himself in countless hours of continuing education. Dr. Sisler has attended lectures and hands-on courses at the prestigious Dawson Academy, where he has learned how to properly and predictably restore complex cases, not only from a functional standpoint but cosmetic as well. Dr. Sisler was asked to become an associate faculty member of The Dawson Academy, and while continuing his own continuing education pursuits, dedicates time to teaching dental professionals the concepts of complete dentistry.
Dr. Sisler has earned the Accredited Member credential in the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry (AACD), joining an elite group of dental professionals who have successfully completed the accreditation process in The Academy. He is one of 417 to achieve this status of cosmetic dentistry in the world.
Dr. Sisler has a strong passion for dentistry and the pursuit of excellence in all aspects, particularly cosmetic dentistry. He holds memberships with the American Dental Association, Academy of General Dentistry, Pennsylvania Academy of General Dentistry, Pennsylvania Dental Association, Harrisburg Area Dental Society, American Equilibration Society, and the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry.
Your expenses go up year over year — and so should your fees! In this episode, Kirk Behrendt brings back Miranda Beeson, ACT’s director of education, to help you think better about your fees and provide tips for when and how to raise them. To learn how to start owning your value and charging what you're worth, listen to Episode 998 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Miranda:
- Send Miranda an email: miranda@actdental.com
- Follow Miranda on ACT’s Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/actdental
- Send Gina an email to learn more about ACT: gina@actdental.com
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show:https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association:https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Apple App Store:https://apps.apple.com/us/app/best-practices-association/id6738960360
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Google Play Store:https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.actdental.join&hl=en_US
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club:https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free:https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast:https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 998:https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
- Smile Source:https://smilesource.com
- Join ACT’s BPA for their Financial GAPs Calculator:https://join.actdental.com/users/sign_in?post_login_redirect=https%3A%2F%2Fjoin.actdental.com%2Fc%2Fannouncements-9fc6ae%2Ffinancial-gaps-calculator#email
- Join ACT’s BPA for their Fee Balancing Tool:https://join.actdental.com/c/practice-coaching-tools/fee-balancing-part-1
- Join ACT’s BPA for their PPO Roadmap:https://join.actdental.com/c/practice-coaching-tools/bpa-ppo-roadmap-2-0
Main Takeaways:
- Start with a fee analysis so you know where you stand.
- Assess your office fees relative to your region and insurance contracts.
- When fees are low, it means more patients, more stress, and more burnout.
- Review your fees annually. It’s how you can match your fees to rising expenses.
- Believe in the value you provide so you can charge appropriately without pushback.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
3:08 Why this is an important topic.
7:23 Fee analysis, explained.
10:15 Master fee schedule, explained.
14:02 How to conduct a fee analysis.
20:29 Restorative procedures, new patient procedures, and hygiene fees.
22:51 Flexible and inflexible fees, explained.
24:52 Two tips for making gradual fee changes.
26:33 Confidence is the most important element behind your fee increases.
30:42 Why dentists should never be the ones to present fees.
36:17 Final takeaways.
39:31 ACT’s BPA and Smile Source.
Miranda Beeson, MS, BSDH Bio:
Miranda Beeson has over 25 years of clinical dental hygiene, front office, practice administration, and speaking experience. She is enthusiastic about communication and loves helping others find the power that words can bring to their patient interactions and practice dynamics. As a Lead Practice Coach, she is driven to create opportunities to find value in experiences and cultivate new approaches.
Miranda graduated from Old Dominion University, and enjoys spending time with her husband, Chuck, and her children, Trent, Mallory, and Cassidy. Family time is the best time, and is often spent on a golf course, a volleyball court, or spending the day boating at the beach.
Your accountant says your practice is profitable. So, why doesn't it feel like it? In this episode, Kirk Behrendt brings back Miranda Beeson, ACT’s director of education, to break down the cash flow gap, what it is, and how not understanding it affects your practice. To learn how to close your cash flow gap so you can grow your practice, listen to Episode 997 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Miranda:
- Send Miranda an email: miranda@actdental.com
- Follow Miranda on ACT’s Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/actdental
- Send Courtney an email to learn more about ACT: courtney@actdental.com
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show:https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association:https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Apple App Store:https://apps.apple.com/us/app/best-practices-association/id6738960360
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Google Play Store:https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.actdental.join&hl=en_US
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club:https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free:https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast:https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 997:https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
Main Takeaways:
- When your cash flow gap is wide, it creates more work without creating more wealth.
- A widening cash flow gap affects decision-making around investing in your practice.
- Your P&L doesn't tell the whole story. Be sure to review your cash flow statement.
- Track draws, distributions, and other activities to monitor practice health.
- Plan and budget for your taxes so that you're not panicking last-minute.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
1:09 The cash flow gap, explained.
3:12 The gap between gross profit and true profit.
6:00 How the cash flow gap impacts your practice.
13:52 What you can do to impact your metrics.
18:00 Last thoughts.
Miranda Beeson, MS, BSDH Bio:
Miranda Beeson has over 25 years of clinical dental hygiene, front office, practice administration, and speaking experience. She is enthusiastic about communication and loves helping others find the power that words can bring to their patient interactions and practice dynamics. As a Lead Practice Coach, she is driven to create opportunities to find value in experiences and cultivate new approaches.
Miranda graduated from Old Dominion University, and enjoys spending time with her husband, Chuck, and her children, Trent, Mallory, and Cassidy. Family time is the best time, and is often spent on a golf course, a volleyball court, or spending the day boating at the beach.
Every year, you set goals to become healthier. But every year, you fall off the wagon! In this episode, Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. Uche Odiatu, one of ACT’s favorite health and wellness gurus, to share three steps to stay on course to improve your health and life. To learn how to stop overthinking and just start doing, listen to Episode 996 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Dr. Odiatu:
- Send Dr. Odiatu an email: odiatudmd@gmail.com
- Follow Dr. Odiatu on Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/fitspeakers
- Learn more on Dr. Odiatu’s website:http://www.druche.com
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show:https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association:https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Apple App Store:https://apps.apple.com/us/app/best-practices-association/id6738960360
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Google Play Store:https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.actdental.join&hl=en_US
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club:https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free:https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast:https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 996:https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
- Watch Don't Die by Bryan Johnson:https://www.netflix.com/title/81757532
- Read Authentic Happiness by Martin E. P. Seligman:https://bookshop.org/p/books/authentic-happiness-using-the-new-positive-psychology-to-realize-your-potential-for-lasting-fulfillment-martin-e-p-seligman/e20d433aad6a6258?ean=9780743222983&next=t
- Read Molecules of Emotion by Dr. Candace B. Pert:https://bookshop.org/p/books/molecules-of-emotion-the-science-behind-mind-body-medicine-candace-b-pert-ph-d/72da14861c8ec2df?ean=9780684846347&next=t
- Read Freakonomics by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner:https://bookshop.org/p/books/freakonomics-twentieth-anniversary-edition-a-rogue-economist-explores-the-hidden-side-of-everything-stephen-j-dubner/2681224f2373cb1f?ean=9780063494558&next=t
- Watch Biographics on YouTube:https://www.youtube.com/@Biographics
Main Takeaways:
- Learn to find joy and happiness in the small things.
- Don't overthink. Enjoy the process of becoming healthier.
- Your mind is always eavesdropping, so use positive language.
- Consistently eat well, sleep well, rest well, and exercise to age gracefully.
- Continue learning — about anything — to keep your mind young and active.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
2:25 Act on what you know.
3:38 Why taking action is so difficult.
6:43 Consistency, explained.
9:57 Stop overthinking.
12:55 Four things to be consistent with every day.
15:01 Get enough choline for neuroplasticity.
20:18 The importance of enjoyment.
22:43 Find beauty in the small things.
26:25 How to age gracefully.
29:38 Book recommendations.
34:05 Final thoughts.
35:32 How to get in touch with Dr. Odiatu.
Dr. Uche Odiatu Bio:
Dr. Uche Odiatu has a DMD (Doctor of Dental Medicine). He is a professional member of the ACSM (American College of Sports Medicine), a Certified Personal Trainer (National Strength & Conditioning Association) NSCA, and the Canadian Association of Fitness Professionals (canfitpro). He is the co-author of The Miracle of Health (c) 2009 John Wiley (hardcover) & (c) 2015 Harper Collins, and has lectured in Canada, the USA, the Caribbean, the UK, and Europe. He is an invited guest on over 400 TV and radio shows, from ABC 20/20, Canada CTV AM, Breakfast TV, to Magic Sunday Drum FM in Texas. This high-energy healthcare professional has done over 450 lectures in seven countries over the last 15 years.
Things happen that you don't plan for — and you want to be prepared! In this episode, Kirk Behrendt brings back Paul Sletten, founder of The Sletten Group, to share how to plan for the unplanned by creating a crisis coverage group to protect you and your practice. To learn how to plan smarter and have peace of mind, listen to Episode 995 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Paul:
- Give Paul a call: (303) 699-0990
- Send Paul an email: paul@lifetransitions.com
- Learn more about The Sletten Group:https://theslettengroup.com
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show:https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association:https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Apple App Store:https://apps.apple.com/us/app/best-practices-association/id6738960360
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Google Play Store:https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.actdental.join&hl=en_US
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club:https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free:https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast:https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 995:https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
Main Takeaways:
- Between 5% and 10% of dentists will have some type of career-interrupting event.
- Every dentist needs to have two plans: an ideal transition plan and a crisis plan.
- Choose 9 colleagues to be part of a crisis coverage group for up to 90 days.
- Meet with your coverage group practices frequently to keep things fresh.
- Each practice should appoint a crisis coordinator as a point person.
- Be sure to select the right people for your crisis coverage group.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
0:55 Paul’s background and The Sletten Group.
2:42 Why this is an important topic.
3:26 Two plans every dentist should have.
5:43 The crisis coverage group, explained.
10:08 Rules of the pledge agreement.
11:25 Have practice valuations done at the beginning.
12:51 What to know about overhead and disability insurance.
14:38 General dentists versus specialists.
15:59 Appoint a crisis coordinator.
16:58 Have periodic meetings.
17:57 What dentists get wrong about crisis coverage groups.
19:12 More about The Sletten Group.
21:19 Last thoughts.
Paul Sletten Bio:
Paul D. Sletten founded The Sletten Group, Inc. in 1975 in Denver, Colorado. They are in their 51st year of business and have developed an international clientele, having assisted and completed transitions in all 50 states, six provinces in Canada, and two states in Australia. They continue to exclusively work with fee-for-service dentists and their teams around the country.
Paul has spoken at more than 285 dental meetings around the country. This includes almost all of the major dental meetings and numerous study clubs. The topics focus on all aspects of practice transitions, including buying a dental practice, selling a dental practice, and much more, as well as personal growth and development for dentists and team members.
Is your practice creating wealth, or is it just keeping you “busy”? In this episode, Kirk Behrendt brings back Miranda Beeson, ACT’s director of education, to break down production, why it’s important to understand, and how to start improving your numbers. To learn how to be more profitable so you have a better practice and better life, listen to Episode 994 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Miranda:
- Send Miranda an email: miranda@actdental.com
- Follow Miranda on ACT’s Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/actdental
- Send Gina an email to learn more about ACT: gina@actdental.com
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show:https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association:https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Apple App Store:https://apps.apple.com/us/app/best-practices-association/id6738960360
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Google Play Store:https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.actdental.join&hl=en_US
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club:https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free:https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast:https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 994:https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
- Learn more about Smile Source:https://smilesource.com
Main Takeaways:
- Profitability determines your ability to invest in your team, technology, and your practice.
- Know and understand your profit margin, not just your production and collections.
- When profitability is low, you will feel super busy yet not have any money.
- Don't wait for your accountant to tell you how your practice is doing.
- If you don't know, find out what your current true profit is.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
0:48 Profitability, explained.
4:18 How profitability impacts your practice.
9:11 What you can do to impact this metric.
11:00 More about Smile Source.
15:15 Last thoughts.
Miranda Beeson, MS, BSDH Bio:
Miranda Beeson has over 25 years of clinical dental hygiene, front office, practice administration, and speaking experience. She is enthusiastic about communication and loves helping others find the power that words can bring to their patient interactions and practice dynamics. As a Lead Practice Coach, she is driven to create opportunities to find value in experiences and cultivate new approaches.
Miranda graduated from Old Dominion University, and enjoys spending time with her husband, Chuck, and her children, Trent, Mallory, and Cassidy. Family time is the best time, and is often spent on a golf course, a volleyball court, or spending the day boating at the beach.
Avoiding conflict is like ignoring a cavity — it will eventually become a crisis! In this episode, Kirk Behrendt brings in Michelle Wakeman, one of ACT’s amazing coaches, to share the right way to address conflict so your team and practice can function at their best. To learn how to proactively manage conflict as a leader, listen to Episode 993 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Michelle:
- Send Michelle an email: michelle@actdental.com
- Follow Michelle on ACT’s Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/actdental
- Send Gina an email to learn more about ACT: gina@actdental.com
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show:https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association:https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Apple App Store:https://apps.apple.com/us/app/best-practices-association/id6738960360
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Google Play Store:https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.actdental.join&hl=en_US
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club:https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free:https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast:https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 993:https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
- Join ACT’s BPA for their Awareness Wheel resource:https://join.actdental.com/users/sign_in?post_login_redirect=https%3A%2F%2Fjoin.actdental.com%2Fc%2Fpractice-coaching-tools%2Fthe-awareness-wheel#email
- Join ACT’s BPA for their Guide to Building Trust:https://join.actdental.com/users/sign_in?post_login_redirect=https%3A%2F%2Fjoin.actdental.com%2Fc%2Fpractice-coaching-tools%2Fa-team-playbook-to-maximize-performance-handout#email
- Join ACT’s BPA for their How Trustworthy Are You? resource:https://join.actdental.com/users/sign_in?post_login_redirect=https%3A%2F%2Fjoin.actdental.com%2Fc%2Fpractice-coaching-tools%2Fhow-trustworthy-are-you#email
- Read books by Patrick Lencioni:https://www.tablegroup.com/books
- Learn more about the EOS systemhttps://www.eosworldwide.com
Main Takeaways:
- When you avoid, ignore, or mishandle conflict, it always leads to crisis.
- Have healthy conflict, not artificial harmony or destructive fighting.
- Healthy conflict can only exist when you’ve developed trust.
- Give grace, assume good intentions, and be curious.
- Address conflict early. Never let them fester.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
1:41 Why this is an important topic.
4:24 Patrick Lencioni's conflict continuum, explained.
8:46 Healthy conflict is built on a foundation of trust.
13:20 How to address conflict in a healthy way.
19:17 Final thoughts.
21:39 ACT’s BPA and resources.
Michelle Wakeman, BSDH, Bio:
Michelle Wakeman, BSDH, brings nearly 20 years of clinical dental hygiene, administrative, managerial, and sales experience to the table. She has a passion for people and a natural aptitude for communication that has led her to develop meaningful relationships throughout her career in dentistry. As a coach, she seeks to help dental practices develop systems that enable them to enhance their patient experience, leading to better relationships among owners, team members, and patients, along with profitable outcomes.
In her off time, Michelle can usually be found at the ice rink supporting her son, Hunter, in hockey, the ball field cheering on her son, Carter, or the gym, reliving her days as a gymnast with her daughter, Leighton.
Are you struggling to figure out shared network agreements? In this episode, Kirk Behrendt brings back Sandi Hudson, founder of Unlock the PPO, to help you navigate the complex world of PPOs with her expert advice. To learn everything you need to know about shared network agreements for the new year, listen to Episode 992 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Sandi:
- Join Sandi on Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/UnlockThePPO
- Follow Sandi on Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/unlocktheppo
- Learn more about Unlock the PPO:https://unlocktheppo.com
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show:https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association:https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Apple App Store:https://apps.apple.com/us/app/best-practices-association/id6738960360
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Google Play Store:https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.actdental.join&hl=en_US
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club:https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free:https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast:https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 992:https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
Main Takeaways:
- Understand how shared network agreements work to avoid misunderstandings.
- One contract does not equal being in-network with one insurance company.
- Opt out of agreements proactively. Don't leave things to chance.
- Regularly audit your EOBs to stay on top of any changes.
- Review your contracts. Don't keep this on autopilot.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
1:19 Sandi’s background.
2:38 Shared network agreements, explained.
3:54 Common misunderstandings to be aware of.
5:22 Pay attention, do what you're supposed to, and follow up.
7:55 Regularly audit EOBs.
9:22 What to look for on an EOB.
10:32 Regrouping, explained.
13:21 The state of negotiating power in shared network agreements.
16:14 Narrow down your procedure codes.
17:45 Trends in revenue and expenses.
19:46 The value of doing a retention analysis.
23:40 The trend of corporations purchasing dental practices.
25:54 Final thoughts.
27:22 More about Unlock the PPO.
Sandi Hudson Bio:
Sandi Hudson, founder of Unlock the PPO, has a degree in Business Administration from the University of Iowa. After several years in healthcare and fundraising management, she transitioned into dental office management and spent a decade overseeing dental insurance participation and negotiations. Her experience comes from hands-on experience rather than concepts that just sound good on paper. She has worked with offices across the country and has a broad perspective on how to tailor insurance decisions to various regions and demographics. Her goal is to help dentists take a common-sense approach to managing insurance participation in a way that best fits their goals. By keeping abreast of industry trends, she is well-positioned to help dentists prepare for how insurance will best fit into their practices, both now and in the future. Sandi focuses on the analysis side of the business by crunching numbers and making recommendations about participation levels.
Sandi is married to a dentist and has a unique perspective of both consultant and dental practice owner, uncommon to the industry.
Are your lab costs a little too high? In this episode, Kirk Behrendt brings back Robyn Theisen, one of ACT’s amazing coaches, to continue the series on overhead and break down lab percentage. They explain what it is, how it impacts your practice, and what to do to maintain a healthy lab percentage. To learn how to lower your lab costs the smart way, listen to Episode 991 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Robyn:
- Send Robyn an email: robyn@actdental.com
- Follow Robyn on ACT’s Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/actdental
- Send Courtney an email to learn more about ACT: courtney@actdental.com
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show:https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association:https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Apple App Store:https://apps.apple.com/us/app/best-practices-association/id6738960360
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Google Play Store:https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.actdental.join&hl=en_US
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club:https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free:https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast:https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 991:https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
- Learn more about Smile Source:https://smilesource.com
Main Takeaways:
- For a healthy lab percentage, have efficient clinical systems and a balanced case mix.
- Find the right lab partner. It’s one of the best relationships you're ever going to find.
- Evaluate and strengthen your clinical protocols to reduce lab and error costs.
- Track your remakes to know how it’s impacting your practice.
- A healthy lab overhead percentage is eight percent.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
1:22 Lab percentage, explained.
2:32 How lab percentage impacts the practice.
4:07 Combine dental supply costs and lab costs.
6:48 Make smart decisions around lab costs.
8:10 What you can do to impact this metric.
8:57 How Smile Source can help your practice.
9:54 ACT’s BPA.
Robyn Theisen Bio:
Robyn Theisen brings an entire life and legacy of dental experience to the team and every team with which she works as the daughter and sister of dentists. With almost 20 years of experience in dentistry, her roles ranged from practice management to operations at Patterson Dental to coaching teams. Robyn’s passion is empowering teams to realize that they can dramatically impact the lives of the people they serve by implementing skills and systems to remove barriers to life-changing dental treatment. She has done it for decades and does it every day with dental teams.
Outside of coaching, she enjoys time with her husband, Rob, and two daughters, Emerson and Ruby. She loves traveling, music, fitness, and cheering on the Michigan State Spartans.
Have you ever hired someone, then regretted it six months later? In this episode, Kirk Behrendt brings back Carlie Einarson, one of ACT’s amazing coaches, to share four key types of interview questions that will help you prevent bad hires. To learn the most important step to finding the right people, listen to Episode 990 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Carlie:
- Send Carlie an email: carlie@actdental.com
- Follow Carlie on ACT’s Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/actdental
- Send Courtney an email to learn more about ACT: courtney@actdental.com
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show:https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association:https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Apple App Store:https://apps.apple.com/us/app/best-practices-association/id6738960360
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Google Play Store:https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.actdental.join&hl=en_US
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club:https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free:https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast:https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 990:https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
- Join ACT’s BPA for Bent Ericksen’s Hiring FAQs resource:https://join.actdental.com/users/sign_in?post_login_redirect=https%3A%2F%2Fjoin.actdental.com%2Fc%2Fpractice-coaching-tools%2Fbent-ericksen-hiring-faq#email
Main Takeaways:
- If you ask the right questions, it will reveal who someone is, not just what they can do.
- Ask questions that are credential, technical, experience, and behavior-based.
- When you hire the wrong people, your practice culture will always suffer.
- Develop and document a hiring system — and then stick to it.
- Always hire people who fit your core values.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
0:57 Why this is an important topic.
3:03 Four key types of interview questions: Credential-based questions.
4:14 Four key types of interview questions: Technical-based questions.
6:06 Four key types of interview questions: Experience-based questions.
8:09 Four key types of interview questions: Behavior-based questions.
14:20 Hire people for a core values fit.
15:50 Build a hiring process that protects your culture.
19:46 Final takeaways.
22:58 Bent Ericksen & Associates.
Carlie Einarson Bio:
Carlie Einarson is a lead practice coach who has a passion for helping others succeed in the dental field. She loves helping to create a stable foundation for practices so both professionals and patients have a great experience every time they walk in the door!
Carlie graduated from Utah College of Dental Hygiene. She has ten years of experience in the dental field, including clinical dental hygiene, front office, and leading teams.
In her free time, Carlie enjoys spending quality time with loved ones, traveling, skiing, playing volleyball, and golfing.
Numbers tell a story, and you can use them to change your practice. In this episode, Kirk Behrendt brings back Robyn Theisen, one of ACT’s amazing coaches, to share a few critical metrics that will make the biggest impact. To learn which data points to focus on to improve your practice, listen to Episode 989 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Robyn:
- Send Robyn an email: robyn@actdental.com
- Follow Robyn on ACT’s Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/actdental
- Send Courtney an email to learn more about ACT: courtney@actdental.com
- Send Gina an email to learn more about ACT: gina@actdental.com
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show:https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association:https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Apple App Store:https://apps.apple.com/us/app/best-practices-association/id6738960360
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Google Play Store:https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.actdental.join&hl=en_US
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club:https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free:https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast:https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 989:https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
- Learn more about Smile Source:https://smilesource.com
Main Takeaways:
- To grow your practice, you need good data.
- Data replaces negative emotion with evidence.
- Accurate data creates alignment and accountability.
- Numbers provide insights that lead to actionable steps.
- Start by understanding your production and collection story.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
6:22 ACT and Smile Source have merged!
7:46 Why this is an important topic.
10:41 Data replaces emotion with evidence.
12:50 Data creates alignment and accountability.
15:17 Data transforms potential into performance.
17:59 What is your production story?
21:30 Production story: Secondary KPIs.
23:25 What is your collection story?
24:33 Collection story: Secondary KPIs.
26:03 Key KPIs to support practice initiatives.
35:40 Final takeaways.
40:44 ACT’s BPA.
41:57 Q&A: When you have a full schedule, do you prioritize patients of record or new patients?
Robyn Theisen Bio:
Robyn Theisen brings an entire life and legacy of dental experience to the team and every team with which she works as the daughter and sister of dentists. With almost 20 years of experience in dentistry, her roles ranged from practice management to operations at Patterson Dental to coaching teams. Robyn’s passion is empowering teams to realize that they can dramatically impact the lives of the people they serve by implementing skills and systems to remove barriers to life-changing dental treatment. She has done it for decades and does it every day with dental teams.
Outside of coaching, she enjoys time with her husband, Rob, and two daughters, Emerson and Ruby. She loves traveling, music, fitness, and cheering on the Michigan State Spartans.
Rent and equipment is a huge part of overhead. But there are other costs hidden in those categories! In this episode, Kirk Behrendt brings back Robyn Theisen, one of ACT’s amazing coaches, to continue the series on overhead and break down facilities and equipment percentage. To find out where else your money is being spent and how you can improve your overhead, listen to Episode 988 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Robyn:
- Send Robyn an email: robyn@actdental.com
- Follow Robyn on ACT’s Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/actdental
- Send Courtney an email to learn more about ACT: courtney@actdental.com
- Send Gina an email to learn more about ACT: gina@actdental.com
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show:https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association:https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Apple App Store:https://apps.apple.com/us/app/best-practices-association/id6738960360
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Google Play Store:https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.actdental.join&hl=en_US
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club:https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free:https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast:https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 988:https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
Main Takeaways:
- Examine your space and equipment. Are you optimizing what you currently have?
- Review your systems. Do you have underutilized ops or unused technology?
- A healthy percentage for facilities and equipment is between 7% and 8%.
- Appoint an equipment coordinator to manage repairs and maintenance.
- Schedule regular maintenance to extend the life of your equipment.
- Make equipment purchasing decisions based on ROI, not feelings.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
1:54 Facilities and equipment percentage, explained.
2:50 How this percentage impacts your practice.
3:56 What is a healthy percentage for this metric?
5:27 Are you paying yourself rent?
6:17 What you can do to impact this metric.
9:02 ACT’s BPA.
Robyn Theisen Bio:
Robyn Theisen brings an entire life and legacy of dental experience to the team and every team with which she works as the daughter and sister of dentists. With almost 20 years of experience in dentistry, her roles ranged from practice management to operations at Patterson Dental to coaching teams. Robyn’s passion is empowering teams to realize that they can dramatically impact the lives of the people they serve by implementing skills and systems to remove barriers to life-changing dental treatment. She has done it for decades and does it every day with dental teams.
Outside of coaching, she enjoys time with her husband, Rob, and two daughters, Emerson and Ruby. She loves traveling, music, fitness, and cheering on the Michigan State Spartans.
Do you dream of running a successful practice? Then core values aren't optional! In this episode, Kirk Behrendt brings back Heather Crockett, one of ACT’s amazing coaches, to share why core values are critical and how to do them the right way. Don't just paste your values on the walls! To learn how to keep them alive in your halls, listen to Episode 987 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Heather:
- Send Heather an email: heather@actdental.com
- Join Heather on Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/heather.r.crockett
- Follow Heather on ACT’s Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/actdental
- Send Gina an email to learn more about ACT: gina@actdental.com
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show:https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association:https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Apple App Store:https://apps.apple.com/us/app/best-practices-association/id6738960360
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Google Play Store:https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.actdental.join&hl=en_US
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club:https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free:https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast:https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 987:https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
- Register to ACT’s BPA for their Identifying Your Core Values tool:https://join.actdental.com/users/sign_in?post_login_redirect=https%3A%2F%2Fjoin.actdental.com%2Fc%2Fpractice-coaching-tools%2Flencioni-s-core-value-diagram#email
- Register to ACT’s BPA for their How to Bring Your Core Values Alive tool:https://join.actdental.com/users/sign_in?post_login_redirect=https%3A%2F%2Fjoin.actdental.com%2Fc%2Fpractice-coaching-tools%2Fhow-to-bring-your-core-values-alive-c8a389#email
- Register to ACT’s BPA for their Right People Scorecard tool:https://join.actdental.com/users/sign_in?post_login_redirect=https%3A%2F%2Fjoin.actdental.com%2Fc%2Fpractice-coaching-tools%2Fright-people-scorecard#email
- Watch How Should a Company Share Its Values? | Q+A by Simon Sinek:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5yE541BY-1c
Main Takeaways:
- Core values are your compass. Without them, you invite chaos to your practice.
- Your expectations will be clear to your team when you have core values.
- If your team is aligned on core values, they will start to self-manage.
- With core values in place, it becomes easier to provide feedback.
- When your values are clear, every decision becomes easier.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
1:22 Why this is an important topic.
3:40 What this means from a leadership standpoint.
4:53 Core values give clarity to expectations.
6:30 All feelings are welcome, but all behaviors are not.
12:05 Core values guide team feedback and development.
17:12 Core values can resolve real practice challenges.
22:21 Final thoughts.
24:04 ACT’s BPA and resources.
Heather Crockett Bio:
Heather Crockett is a Lead Practice Coach who finds joy in not only improving practices but improving the lives of those she coaches as well. With over 20 years of combined experience in assisting, office management, and clinical dental hygiene, her awareness supports many aspects of the practice setting.
Heather received her dental hygiene degree from the Utah College of Dental Hygiene in 2008. Networking in the dental community comes easy to her, and she loves to connect with like-minded colleagues on social media. Heather enjoys both attending and presenting continuing education to expand her knowledge and learn from her friends and colleagues.
She enjoys hanging out with her husband, three sons, and their dog, Moki, scrolling through social media, watching football, and traveling.
Everyone from your kids to your vet is using AI. But how should you use it in your dental practice? In this episode, Kirk Behrendt brings back Travis Wentworth, cybersecurity expert from Intelligence Quest, to share some best practices that you and your dental team should know when using AI. To learn about the precautions to take to keep your patients and practice safe, listen to Episode 986 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Travis:
- Follow Travis on Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/travis_iq
- Join Travis on Twitter:https://x.com/travisiq
- Learn more about Intelligence Quest:https://intelligencequest.com
- Watch Intelligence Quest on YouTube:https://www.youtube.com/@intelligencequest
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show:https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association:https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Apple App Store:https://apps.apple.com/us/app/best-practices-association/id6738960360
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Google Play Store:https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.actdental.join&hl=en_US
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club:https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free:https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast:https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 986:https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
Main Takeaways:
- Create clear policies for AI use in your practice.
- Never enter HIPAA-compliant information into AI models.
- Only enter publicly available information when giving context to AI.
- Do your due diligence and ensure that the AI you're using is compliant.
- AI will be utilized more in the future. Start using it now so you're not left behind.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
1:47 Travis’s background.
4:18 The current state of AI.
6:01 AI security basics and best practices.
10:46 Uses for ChatGPT in a dental practice.
12:24 Security practices when using AI.
14:02 Other things to be aware of.
16:35 Are our devices always spying on us?
21:02 The future of AI.
28:16 Have policies in place for AI use.
29:58 Last thoughts.
32:17 More about Intelligence Quest and how to get in touch.
Travis Wentworth Bio:
Dr. Travis Wentworth has been training students in engineering, networking, and cybersecurity for over a decade. He received his PhD in engineering from the University of Kansas in 2015 and completed a Postdoctoral Research fellowship at the University of Chalmers in Gothenburg, Sweden. While there, he was part of the world-renowned research group led by Dr. Louise Olsson and had the privilege to work with the European Union, Swedish Research Council, Volvo, and Chalmers University.
As a researcher, instructor, and consultant, Travis has presented his technical content to far-reaching corners of the globe including China, Germany, and Sweden, to name a few. Returning to the United States in 2017, he narrowed his emphasis to cybersecurity and networking training.
Travis has a diverse background with a proclivity in the acquisition and analysis of public and proprietary data. He is a published author in numerous peer-reviewed journals for computer modeling and catalysis and is well-versed in programming, networking, data acquisition, and cybersecurity.
You buy cheaper cotton rolls and the cheapest gloves. But your operational overhead is still too high! In this episode, Kirk Behrendt brings back Miranda Beeson, ACT’s director of education, to continue the series on overhead and break down operations percentage. Buying cheap supplies won't help your practice! To learn about the hidden costs that are impacting your overhead, listen to Episode 985 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Miranda:
- Send Miranda an email: miranda@actdental.com
- Follow Miranda on ACT’s Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/actdental
- Send Gina an email to learn more about ACT: gina@actdental.com
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show:https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association:https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Apple App Store:https://apps.apple.com/us/app/best-practices-association/id6738960360
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Google Play Store:https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.actdental.join&hl=en_US
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club:https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free:https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast:https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 985:https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
- Learn more about Smile Source:https://smilesource.com
Main Takeaways:
- Your operational overhead should be around 8%.
- It’s not just about reducing your spending. Close your effort gap!
- When operational costs aren't monitored, they can slowly creep up.
- If possible, look into negotiating and lowering your bank or merchant fees.
- Regularly audit subscriptions, software, and service contracts for unused tools.
- Review your spending. Is everything critical for patient care and revenue support?
- Look for supply waste, redundant subscriptions, unmanaged vendor costs, blind spots.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
1:06 Operations percentage, explained.
2:49 How this percentage impacts your practice.
8:28 What you can do to impact this metric.
15:15 Last thoughts.
Miranda Beeson, MS, BSDH Bio:
Miranda Beeson has over 25 years of clinical dental hygiene, front office, practice administration, and speaking experience. She is enthusiastic about communication and loves helping others find the power that words can bring to their patient interactions and practice dynamics. As a Lead Practice Coach, she is driven to create opportunities to find value in experiences and cultivate new approaches.
Miranda graduated from Old Dominion University, and enjoys spending time with her husband, Chuck, and her children, Trent, Mallory, and Cassidy. Family time is the best time, and is often spent on a golf course, a volleyball court, or spending the day boating at the beach.
Things happen, and your team will be late or absent. But when does it become a problem, and what can you do about it? In this episode, Kirk Behrendt brings back Alan Twigg, president of Bent Ericksen & Associates, to help you navigate and address chronic attendance issues that are happening in your practice. To learn how to get your team to show up for you and your patients, listen to Episode 984 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Alan:
- Give Alan a call: (800) 679-2760
- Send Alan an email: alan@bentericksen.com
- Join Bent Ericksen on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BentEricksenAssociates
- Learn more about Bent Ericksen: https://bentericksen.com
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Apple App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/best-practices-association/id6738960360
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Google Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.actdental.join&hl=en_US
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 984: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
Main Takeaways:
- Understand your state, county, and city rules around attendance, sick leave, and PTO.
- When you don't address chronic attendance issues, your good employees will leave.
- Avoid creating policies that are too strict or rigid. They will come back to bite you.
- Know the requirements, limitations, and nuances around getting doctor's notes.
- Always document your employees’ reasons for tardies and absences.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
1:38 Alan’s background.
2:26 Why this is an important topic.
3:55 Mandatory sick leave, explained.
6:16 Document the reason for an absence.
9:46 Things to know about requiring doctor’s notes.
13:00 Attendance, sick leave, and PTO policies.
15:22 Categorize the reasons for absences and tardies.
17:52 Let them use their time.
20:34 Don't solve your team members’ problems.
23:50 Your employee says they're sick, but . . .
27:02 Leave of absence, explained.
28:02 Being chronically late versus chronically absent.
30:22 Final thoughts.
31:44 More about Bent Ericksen and how to get in touch.
Alan Twigg Bio:
Alan Twigg is the president of Bent Ericksen & Associates. For over 10 years, he has guided thousands of clients and consultants through the ever-changing world of HR and employment compliance. He is a speaker, consultant, and author who is passionate about bringing education and peace of mind to such a confusing topic.
As a strong proponent of symbiotic employer-employee relations, Alan is passionate about teamwork and positive work cultures, with an emphasis on long-term personnel retention and employment compliance, where his solutions-oriented outlook excels.
Insurance can be frustrating to figure out on your own. In this episode, Kirk Behrendt brings back Shelley DeGroff, founder of PPO Advisors, to decode some of the biggest changes in the PPO world and share two things you need to do to improve your reimbursements in the upcoming year. To stay up to date with PPO changes and prevent future revenue loss, listen to Episode 983 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Shelley:
- Send Shelley an email: shelley@ppoadvisors.com
- Join PPO Advisors on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PPOAdvisorsLLC
- Learn more about PPO Advisors: https://ppoadvisors.com
- Mention this episode or visit this link to receive $500 off your analysis fee: https://learn.ppoadvisors.com/promo
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Apple App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/best-practices-association/id6738960360
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Google Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.actdental.join&hl=en_US
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 983: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
- Watch Episode 954 with Shelley DeGroff: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZjJ6cLq_k50
Main Takeaways:
- Stay on top of your EOBs by auditing them regularly.
- Evaluate your master fee to ensure you're paid what you're owed.
- Learn what stacking order means and how it can affect your practice.
- Opt-outs are not automatic! Be proactive so they are processed correctly.
- You don't need to be 100% PPO or 100% fee-for-service. Have a healthy mix.
- Don't get complacent or comfortable. Understand the contracts you're agreeing to.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
1:16 Shelley’s background.
2:10 A refresher on important PPO changes.
7:15 Audit your EOBs regularly.
10:23 Master fee, explained.
17:29 Stacking order, explained.
20:55 How PPO Advisors can help your practice.
26:10 Final thoughts.
28:24 More about PPO Advisors, their discount code, and how to get in touch.
Shelley DeGroff Bio:
Shelley DeGroff, founder and CEO of PPO Advisors, knows dentistry. After graduating from the University of Nebraska, she began working as a dental receptionist in a nearby dental office. After completing her certification as a dental assistant, Shelley transitioned to become a successful office manager. It was in that role that Shelley began noticing the need for PPO negotiations for her employing doctor. This experience began the business model for PPO Advisors, which has now become a nationwide industry leader.
Running a business is expensive — and a large portion goes to your team. In this episode, Kirk Behrendt brings back Miranda Beeson, ACT’s director of education, to kick off a series on overhead with team compensation percentage. They break down what it is, how it impacts your practice, and what you can do to improve your numbers. To learn how to keep team compensation in a healthy range, listen to Episode 982 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Miranda:
- Send Miranda an email: miranda@actdental.com
- Follow Miranda on ACT’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/actdental
- Send Gina an email to learn more about ACT: gina@actdental.com
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Apple App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/best-practices-association/id6738960360
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Google Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.actdental.join&hl=en_US
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 982: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
Main Takeaways:
- Think of team compensation as an investment, not an expense.
- Your team compensation percentage should be between 25% and 30%.
- If team compensation percentage is over 30%, you are too people-dependent.
- Define accountabilities, processes, and responsibilities to be systems-dependent.
- Consider profit-sharing models or hourly plus commission so your team can earn more.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
1:06 Team compensation percentage, explained.
3:53 How this metric impacts the practice.
10:16 What you can do to impact this metric.
16:47 ACT’s BPA.
Miranda Beeson, MS, BSDH Bio:
Miranda Beeson has over 25 years of clinical dental hygiene, front office, practice administration, and speaking experience. She is enthusiastic about communication and loves helping others find the power that words can bring to their patient interactions and practice dynamics. As a Lead Practice Coach, she is driven to create opportunities to find value in experiences and cultivate new approaches.
Miranda graduated from Old Dominion University, and enjoys spending time with her husband, Chuck, and her children, Trent, Mallory, and Cassidy. Family time is the best time, and is often spent on a golf course, a volleyball court, or spending the day boating at the beach.
Are you truly a great leader? Or are you overestimating how good you are? In this episode, Kirk Behrendt brings in Michelle Wakeman, one of ACT’s amazing coaches, to reframe what it means to be a leader, why it’s important, and to share some of the best leadership lessons from thriving practices. To learn how to lead with confidence to build a successful practice, listen to Episode 981 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Michelle:
- Send Michelle an email: michelle@actdental.com
- Follow Michelle on ACT’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/actdental
- Send Courtney an email to learn more about ACT: courtney@actdental.com
- Send Gina an email to learn more about ACT: gina@actdental.com
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Apple App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/best-practices-association/id6738960360
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Google Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.actdental.join&hl=en_US
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 981: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
- Read Traction by Gino Wickman: https://benbellabooks.com/shop/traction
Main Takeaways:
- Have a clear vision. Your vision is what provides direction for your team.
- Clearly define your clinical, financial, team culture, and life vision.
- Communicate your vision and core values to your team.
- Repeat your vision and core values for alignment.
- Walk the talk as the leader. Set the example.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
0:58 ACT/Smile Source and BPA.
3:29 Why this is an important topic.
4:50 How does this show up in your practice?
10:22 Three key things that great leaders define.
14:02 Vision provides direction.
18:44 Four key areas of practice vision: Clinical vision.
22:51 Four key areas of practice vision: Financial vision.
26:13 Four key areas of practice vision: Team culture vision.
28:13 Four key areas of practice vision: Life vision.
33:38 Purpose and values build meaning.
38:34 Defining core values.
40:27 Repetition creates alignment.
46:01 Final takeaways.
48:59 Q&A: The difference between mission, purpose, and vision and how they tie into values.
Michelle Wakeman, BSDH, Bio:
Michelle Wakeman, BSDH, brings nearly 20 years of clinical dental hygiene, administrative, managerial, and sales experience to the table. She has a passion for people and a natural aptitude for communication that has led her to develop meaningful relationships throughout her career in dentistry. As a coach, she seeks to help dental practices develop systems that enable them to enhance their patient experience, leading to better relationships among owners, team members, and patients, along with profitable outcomes.
In her off time, Michelle can usually be found at the ice rink supporting her son, Hunter, in hockey, the ball field cheering on her son, Carter, or the gym, reliving her days as a gymnast with her daughter, Leighton.
Dentists aren't just clinicians — they're also leaders and entrepreneurs! In this episode, Kirk Behrendt brings back Miranda Beeson, ACT’s director of education, to share how to balance these three circles so you can gain control of your practice and reclaim your life. To start enjoying life in 2026 and beyond, listen to Episode 980 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Miranda:
- Send Miranda an email: miranda@actdental.com
- Follow Miranda on ACT’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/actdental
- Send Gina an email to learn more about ACT: gina@actdental.com
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Apple App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/best-practices-association/id6738960360
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Google Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.actdental.join&hl=en_US
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 980: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
- Register to ACT’s BPA for their Dental Practice Success Triad tool: https://join.actdental.com/users/sign_in?post_login_redirect=https%3A%2F%2Fjoin.actdental.com%2Fc%2Fpractice-coaching-tools%2Fdental-practice-success-triad#email
- Read The E-Myth by Michael E. Gerber: https://www.michaelegerbercompanies.com/product/the-e-myth-revisited
- Learn more about The Sletten Group: https://theslettengroup.com
Main Takeaways:
- As a practice owner, you need to balance being a clinician, leader, and entrepreneur.
- Don't just “live in the chair”. If you neglect the other two circles, you can't thrive.
- Your practice will only grow to the level of your least developed circle.
- Anyone can improve their leadership and entrepreneurial skills.
- Set aside time every week to invest in each circle.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
1:09 Why this is an important topic.
3:44 Why most dentists “live in the chair”.
6:06 Do you need to give equal time to each circle?
9:57 Anyone can develop leadership and entrepreneurial skills.
14:23 The three circles: The clinician (the comfort zone).
19:01 The three circles: The entrepreneur.
31:04 The three circles: The leader.
35:16 Final thoughts.
38:32 Choose one circle to work on.
39:27 ACT’s BPA.
Miranda Beeson, MS, BSDH Bio:
Miranda Beeson has over 25 years of clinical dental hygiene, front office, practice administration, and speaking experience. She is enthusiastic about communication and loves helping others find the power that words can bring to their patient interactions and practice dynamics. As a Lead Practice Coach, she is driven to create opportunities to find value in experiences and cultivate new approaches.
Miranda graduated from Old Dominion University, and enjoys spending time with her husband, Chuck, and her children, Trent, Mallory, and Cassidy. Family time is the best time, and is often spent on a golf course, a volleyball court, or spending the day boating at the beach.
For the month of December, we look back at some favorite episodes of 2025. In this episode, Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. Barrett Straub, ACT’s CEO, to break down the one basic equation you need to know to produce more while working less. Stop spending 220 days at the office! To learn how to produce more the right way, listen to Episode 979 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Dr. Straub:
- Send Dr. Straub an email: barrett@actdental.com
- Join Dr. Straub on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/barrett.d.straub
- Send Courtney an email to learn more about ACT: courtney@actdental.com
- Send Gina an email to learn more about ACT: gina@actdental.com
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Apple App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/best-practices-association/id6738960360
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Google Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.actdental.join&hl=en_US
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 979: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
Main Takeaways:
- There are two ways to produce more: work more days or produce more per day.
- Figure out your production per day and gross production target for the year.
- Set your goals and decisions based on data, not with your emotions.
- Just working more days is not the answer. You need a plan.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
1:37 Why this is an important topic.
2:48 Why emotion comes into this equation.
3:49 The equation for gross production.
7:06 Two key numbers to pull.
12:35 Time is the new rich.
14:21 Final thoughts.
16:47 ACT’s BPA.
Dr. Barrett Straub Bio:
Dr. Barrett Straub practices general and sedation dentistry in Port Washington, Wisconsin. He has worked hard to develop his practice into a top-performing, fee-for-service practice that focuses on improving the lives of patients through dentistry.
A graduate of Marquette Dental School, Dr. Straub’s advanced training and CE includes work at the Spear Institute, LVI, DOCS, and as a member of the Milwaukee Study Club. He is a past member of the Wisconsin Dental Association Board of Trustees and was awarded the Marquette Dental School 2017 Young Alumnus of the Year. As a former ACT coaching client that experienced first-hand the transformation that coaching can provide, he is passionate about helping other dentists create the practice they’ve always wanted.
Dr. Straub loves to hunt, golf, and spend winter on the ice, curling. He is married to Katie, with two daughters, Abby and Elizabeth.
Healthcare isn't broken — it’s rigged against wellness and patient care! In this episode, Kirk Behrendt brings in Dr. Bryan Laskin, author of Unfair Care, to share his “why” behind this book and his mission to empower patients to get the best care possible in dentistry and medicine. To learn how you and your patients can make healthcare work better for you, listen to Episode 978 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Dr. Laskin:
- Join Dr. Laskin on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DrBryanLaskin
- Follow Dr. Laskin on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drbryanlaskin
- Learn more on Dr. Laskin’s website: https://bryanlaskin.com
- Learn more about Toothapps and Cair: https://www.toothapps.com
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Apple App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/best-practices-association/id6738960360
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Google Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.actdental.join&hl=en_US
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 978: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
- Read The Patient First Manifesto by Dr. Bryan Laskin: https://www.amazon.com/Patient-First-Manifesto-Practice-Dreams/dp/1736643711
- Read Dental Disorder by Dr. Bryan Laskin: https://www.amazon.com/Dental-Disorder-Bryan-Laskin/dp/1736643762
- Read Unfair Care by Dr. Bryan Laskin: https://www.amazon.com/Unfair-Care-Healthcare-Deserve-Designed/dp/1736643789
- Learn more about Smile Source Exchange: https://smilesource.com/exchange
Main Takeaways:
- Even if you have world-class doctors, don't leave your health completely up to them.
- Be actively involved in your health. It’s the only way to get the best care possible.
- Healthcare systems are currently optimized for profitability, not for wellness.
- Our healthcare system is stacked against doctors just as much as patients.
- Get access to all of your dental and medical records and consolidate it.
- You have power as a patient. You just need to learn to leverage it.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
1:13 Dr. Laskin’s background.
3:12 Why Dr. Laskin decided to start writing.
6:16 An overview of Dr. Laskin’s three books.
8:57 A sneak peek at Dr. Laskin’s next book.
10:07 The “why” behind Unfair Care.
13:11 Optimized for profitability, not for wellness.
21:00 Bullet points of Unfair Care.
25:59 Be actively involved in your care.
28:16 You have power as a patient.
32:32 The future of the healthcare system.
37:40 More about Dr. Laskin, his books, and how to get in touch.
Dr. Bryan Laskin Bio:
Dr. Bryan Laskin is a Minnesota dentist and tech entrepreneur on a mission to help dental teams and patients break free of the “Dental Disorder” through innovation, education, and standardization.
A practicing dentist and owner of Lake Minnetonka Dental for over 20 years, creator of Upgrade Dental, Digital Nitrous, OperaDDS, and co-founder of Toothapps, as well as author of the Amazon best-selling book, The Patient First Manifesto, and host of “The Patient First Podcast”, Dr. Laskin excels at helping others integrate technology and teamwork into their practices. He serves as CEO and chairman of the board of Dental Standards Institute, which is focused on innovation and patient advocacy, and serves as counsel for the most innovative companies in dentistry.
Dr. Laskin is an advisor and investor to many of the most progressive healthcare companies. He is also a frequent keynote speaker.
You feel like your team just doesn't “get it”. But maybe it’s you, the leader, that isn't getting it! In this episode, Kirk Behrendt brings back Jenni Poulos, one of ACT’s amazing coaches, to reveal the two skills you need to build an aligned and committed team. Saying something once isn't communication! To learn how to inspire your team just by being clear, listen to Episode 977 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Jenni:
- Send Jenni an email: jenni@actdental.com
- Follow Jenni on ACT’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/actdental
- Send Courtney an email to learn more about ACT: courtney@actdental.com
- Send Gina an email to learn more about ACT: gina@actdental.com
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Apple App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/best-practices-association/id6738960360
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Google Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.actdental.join&hl=en_US
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 977: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
- Register to ACT’s BPA for their Strategic Vision Creator tool: https://join.actdental.com/users/sign_in?post_login_redirect=https%3A%2F%2Fjoin.actdental.com%2Fc%2Fpractice-coaching-tools%2Fstrategic-vision-creator-tool#email
- Register to ACT’s BPA for their Chief Reminding Officer tool: https://join.actdental.com/users/sign_in?post_login_redirect=https%3A%2F%2Fjoin.actdental.com%2Fc%2Fpractice-coaching-tools%2Fcro-chief-reminding-officer#email
Main Takeaways:
- Alignment starts with the leader.
- Get aligned on what alignment really means.
- Create consistent communication rhythms to stay aligned.
- Repeat, repeat, repeat. Repetition builds predictability and trust.
- Telling your team something once doesn't count as communication.
- Clear is kind. Focus on being clear — not being nice — with your team.
- Stories are powerful. Use them, whenever possible, to spread your message.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
1:08 Why this is an important topic.
1:48 Clear is kind.
3:31 The importance of alignment.
8:32 Repetition builds trust and predictability.
10:46 Repetition amplifies influence.
13:08 Use stories to spread your message.
17:58 Final takeaways.
19:10 ACT’s BPA and resources.
Jenni Poulos Bio:
Jenni brings to dental teams a literal lifetime of experience in dentistry. As the daughter and sister of periodontists and a dental hygienist, she has been working in many facets of the dental world since she first held a summer job turning rooms and pouring models at the age of 12. Now, with over 10 years of experience in managing and leading a large periodontal practice, she has a firm grasp on what it takes to run a thriving business. Her passion for organizational health and culture has been a driving force behind her coaching career. She has witnessed firsthand how creating an aligned and engaged team will take a practice to levels of success that they never believed possible!
For the month of December, we look back at some favorite episodes of 2025. In this episode, Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. Barrett Straub, ACT’s CEO, to break down your production story and explain why you don't need as many patients as you think. Stop the churn-and-burn dentistry that's burning you out! To learn how to rewrite and improve your production story, listen to Episode 976 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Dr. Straub:
- Send Dr. Straub an email: barrett@actdental.com
- Join Dr. Straub on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/barrett.d.straub
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Apple App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/best-practices-association/id6738960360
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Google Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.actdental.join&hl=en_US
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 976: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
- Register to ACT’s BPA for their Financial GAPs Calculator: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
Main Takeaways:
- There's more to the production story than just how much you produced.
- Analyze your annual patient value, active patient count, and gross production.
- Stop filling production gaps with more patients. Do more dentistry on less patients.
- Do you want to be a dentist that chases 4,000 patients or have fewer, right patients?
- Figure out your production story now so you can figure out how to write it going forward.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
1:27 Why we need a production story.
2:34 Important KPIs you need to know.
6:49 Do more per active patient.
11:48 Countermeasures you can start today.
15:44 ACT’s BPA and TTT.
Dr. Barrett Straub Bio:
Dr. Barrett Straub practices general and sedation dentistry in Port Washington, Wisconsin. He has worked hard to develop his practice into a top-performing, fee-for-service practice that focuses on improving the lives of patients through dentistry.
A graduate of Marquette Dental School, Dr. Straub’s advanced training and CE includes work at the Spear Institute, LVI, DOCS, and as a member of the Milwaukee Study Club. He is a past member of the Wisconsin Dental Association Board of Trustees and was awarded the Marquette Dental School 2017 Young Alumnus of the Year. As a former ACT coaching client that experienced first-hand the transformation that coaching can provide, he is passionate about helping other dentists create the practice they’ve always wanted.
Dr. Straub loves to hunt, golf, and spend winter on the ice, curling. He is married to Katie, with two daughters, Abby and Elizabeth.
Freedom is what drew you to dentistry. But somehow, you're stuck working harder, earning less, and with less control of your time and life. In this episode, Kirk Behrendt brings back Miranda Beeson, ACT’s director of education, to share the key to impacting your freedom and profitability: understanding and mastering write-offs. To learn how to lower your write-offs so you can take back your time and money, listen to Episode 975 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Miranda:
- Send Miranda an email: miranda@actdental.com
- Follow Miranda on ACT’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/actdental
- Send Courtney an email to learn more about ACT: courtney@actdental.com
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Apple App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/best-practices-association/id6738960360
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Google Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.actdental.join&hl=en_US
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 975: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
- Learn more about Smile Source: https://smilesource.com
- Learn more about Clerri: https://clerri.com
Main Takeaways:
- Figure out your effort gap, collections gap, overhead gap, and your cash flow gap.
- Know how many days a month you work, and how many you're working for free.
- Always put in your full fee. You may have more elective write-offs than you think.
- Evaluate your membership plan. How much are you charging versus writing off?
- Determine how much you're writing off by being part of an insurance plan.
- Eliminate emotional discounting. Learn to charge what you're worth.
- Start celebrating net production rather than gross production.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
0:57 Smile Source and ACT have merged!
3:23 Why understanding write-offs is important.
8:15 ACT’s core focus and core purpose.
9:34 ACT’s GAPs at a Glance.
12:16 A great coach isn't going to turn the dials for you.
14:51 Overview of the financial gaps.
20:35 The effort gap, explained.
22:22 Three important questions to answer.
25:44 How production leaves in this gap.
29:28 Insurance adjustments.
37:08 Membership plan adjustments.
40:59 Q&A: Do you recommend anyone who helps facilitate membership plans?
43:03 Elective adjustments.
49:14 ACT’s energy quotient, explained.
51:41 Steps to closing the effort gap.
54:40 Final takeaways.
56:42 ACT’s new Financial GAPs Calculator.
58:46 ACT's BPA.
Miranda Beeson, MS, BSDH Bio:
Miranda Beeson has over 25 years of clinical dental hygiene, front office, practice administration, and speaking experience. She is enthusiastic about communication and loves helping others find the power that words can bring to their patient interactions and practice dynamics. As a Lead Practice Coach, she is driven to create opportunities to find value in experiences and cultivate new approaches.
Miranda graduated from Old Dominion University, and enjoys spending time with her husband, Chuck, and her children, Trent, Mallory, and Cassidy. Family time is the best time, and is often spent on a golf course, a volleyball court, or spending the day boating at the beach.
You're working hard, and you're super busy. So, why is your bank account empty? In this episode, Kirk Behrendt brings back Christina Byrne, ACT’s director of operations, to help you understand the different financial gaps where your profit may be hiding. Don't let your hard-earned money slip through the cracks! To learn how to keep more of what you produce, listen to Episode 974 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Christina:
- Send Christina an email: christina@actdental.com
- Send Courtney an email to learn more about ACT: courtney@actdental.com
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Apple App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/best-practices-association/id6738960360
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Google Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.actdental.join&hl=en_US
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 974: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
- Register to ACT’s BPA for their GAPs at a Glance tool: https://join.actdental.com/users/sign_in?post_login_redirect=https%3A%2F%2Fjoin.actdental.com%2Fc%2Fpractice-coaching-tools%2Ffinancial-gaps-at-a-glance#email
- Register to ACT’s BPA for their PPO Freedom course: Sign in | Best Practices Association
Main Takeaways:
- You may be losing a significant amount of money from your different financial gaps.
- Working harder isn't the answer. Find where money is leaking from your practice.
- Know your effort gap. Being busy doesn't equal more profitability and success.
- Understand your collections gap. Collecting 96% isn't as good as it sounds.
- Be aware of your overhead gap. Be smart with spending and budgeting.
- Pay attention to your cash flow gap so you understand true profit.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
1:42 Why this is an important topic.
2:52 The effort gap.
9:57 The collections gap.
14:11 The overhead gap.
20:09 The cash flow gap.
24:54 Final takeaways.
26:19 ACT’s BPA.
Christina Byrne, BS, RDH Bio:
Christina Byrne has been involved in dentistry since 1985. Over the years, she has held many positions on the dental team, including dental assistant, business office, and dental hygienist. Christina’s extensive knowledge of the front office and clinical procedures is a great asset, and she loves to impart her knowledge to guide dental teams do the best they can to achieve a Better Practice, Better Life!
You spend a ton of money on marketing to attract new patients. But how do you know if it’s working? In this episode, Kirk Behrendt brings back Miranda Beeson, ACT’s director of education, to break down new patient by referral source, what it reveals about your marketing strategies, and where to focus your time and energy. To learn how to market more to your ideal patients, listen to Episode 973 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Miranda:
- Send Miranda an email: miranda@actdental.com
- Follow Miranda on ACT’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/actdental
- Send Courtney an email to learn more about ACT: courtney@actdental.com
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Apple App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/best-practices-association/id6738960360
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Google Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.actdental.join&hl=en_US
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 973: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
- Learn more about Pain-Free Dental Marketing: https://www.painfreedentalmarketing.com
Main Takeaways:
- Where are new patients coming from? Knowing this helps you focus on what works.
- Tracking referral sources helps you align your messaging with your ideal patients.
- Build strong loyalty and relationships. It is the most cost-effective way to grow.
- Dig deeper when asking patients how they found out about your practice.
- Appoint a team member to track and report the data. Review it monthly.
- Create a system to celebrate your patients who give referrals.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
0:50 What new patient by referral source measures.
2:47 How this metric impacts the practice.
6:20 What you can do to impact this metric.
13:19 Final takeaways.
Miranda Beeson, MS, BSDH Bio:
Miranda Beeson has over 25 years of clinical dental hygiene, front office, practice administration, and speaking experience. She is enthusiastic about communication and loves helping others find the power that words can bring to their patient interactions and practice dynamics. As a Lead Practice Coach, she is driven to create opportunities to find value in experiences and cultivate new approaches.
Miranda graduated from Old Dominion University, and enjoys spending time with her husband, Chuck, and her children, Trent, Mallory, and Cassidy. Family time is the best time, and is often spent on a golf course, a volleyball court, or spending the day boating at the beach.
Sometimes, your “ideal dentistry” isn't ideal. In this episode, Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. Christopher Mazzola and Dr. Charlie Ward, faculty members at the Pankey Institute, to share what to do when things aren't black-and-white for your treatment plans. To learn the systems that will lead you to success, listen to Episode 972 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Dr. Ward & Dr. Mazzola:
- Join Dr. Mazzola on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/christopher.d.mazzola
- Follow Dr. Mazzola on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/christopherdmazzoladds
- Send Dr. Ward an email: charlie@bmoredentalarts.com
- Follow Dr. Ward on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drcwarddds
- Register for Dr. Mazzola & Dr. Ward’s Mastering Dental Photography course (July 30, 2026 to August 1, 2026): https://pankey.org/course-category/mdp/?courseId=17781
- Register for Dr. Mazzola & Dr. Ward’s Mastering Treatment Planning course (September 10-12, 2026): https://pankey.org/course-category/mtp/?courseId=22975
- Register for Dr. Ward’s Mastering Aesthetic Restorative Dentistry course (November 19-22, 2026): https://pankey.org/course-category/mard/?courseId=19847
- Follow CASE TXP on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/case_txp
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Apple App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/best-practices-association/id6738960360
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Google Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.actdental.join&hl=en_US
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 972: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
- Try Limitless AI recorder: https://www.limitless.ai
Main Takeaways:
- Give yourself grace. Don't fall into the trap of looking at what you didn't do “ideally”.
- What you may not consider “ideal dentistry” may be just as great for your patients.
- Stop comparing yourself to others. Everyone is at a different point in their journey.
- Systems make your dentistry excellent. Don't do complex cases without them.
- Don't skip over planning. All of your hard work is in the planning process.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
1:46 It’s not so black-and-white.
4:56 “Ideal” isn't the only path.
8:36 The patient is the difficult part of dentistry.
11:38 Give yourself grace.
17:16 The importance of systems.
23:53 How an AI recorder will change your life.
26:15 Final thoughts, about CASE, and how to get in touch.
Dr. Charlie Ward Bio:
After graduating from the University of Maryland with a Bachelor of Science degree in 2004, Dr. Charlie Ward went straight into the University of Maryland School of Dentistry. He earned his DDS degree in 2008, and since then he has completed the Essentials courses and many others at the esteemed Pankey Institute, where he now serves as visiting faculty. He is currently a member of the Maryland State Dental Association and the Academy of General Dentistry.
When Dr. Ward isn’t spending time with Dr. Melody Ward and their two young boys, Cyrus and Lucas, he can often be found golfing or fishing. He also enjoys playing the guitar. While in dental school, he was actually in an all-dentist band called Incisal Edge! He even has his own guitar collection and has turned his basement into a music room.
Dr. Christopher Mazzola Bio:
Dr. Christopher Mazzola was born and raised in Ann Arbor, Michigan. He attended the University of Michigan for his undergraduate studies where he graduated with honors with a Chemical Engineering Degree. During his undergraduate studies, he conducted research with dental school faculty on materials to aid in patients’ healing after dental surgery. He then continued his education at Michigan where he completed his Doctor of Dental Surgery Degree. While in dental school, he was awarded the University of Michigan American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry Award for his research in the clinical application of CAD/CAM technology in dentistry.
Prior to joining Traverse Dental Associates, Dr. Mazzola owned a practice in Colorado Springs, Colorado, where he was named one of the area’s 2013 TopDentists™. He continued with education focusing on communication and technology in private practice. He has also served as an instructor and mentor for new graduates focusing on patient interactions and CEREC CAD/CAM Technology.
In his spare time, Dr. Mazzola enjoys spending time with his wife, Christina, his children, Baylor and Eliana, and his three dogs, Isabelle, Lola, and Aspen. He tries to stay active through competitive CrossFit, golfing, running, and skiing. He is looking forward to watching his family grow in the amazing community that is Traverse City!
Do you ever feel behind, inadequate, or unworthy of praise? In this episode, Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. Charlie Ward and Dr. Rachel Ward, faculty members at The Pankey Institute, to share how to overcome the comparison trap in dentistry that is sabotaging your practice. If you're constantly questioning yourself, this episode is for you! To learn how to reframe your thinking and focus on the positives, listen to Episode 971 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Dr. Charlie Ward & Dr. Rachel Ward:
- Send Dr. Charlie Ward an email: charlie@bmoredentalarts.com
- Follow Dr. Charlie Ward on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drcwarddds
- Watch Dr. Charlie Ward’s webinars: https://restorativenation.com
- Join Dr. Rachel Ward on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RachelWardDMD
- Follow Dr. Rachel Ward on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rachelwarddmd
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Apple App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/best-practices-association/id6738960360
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Google Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.actdental.join&hl=en_US
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 971: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
- Read Good to Great by Jim Collins: https://bookshop.org/p/books/good-to-great-why-some-companies-make-the-leap-and-other-s-don-t-jim-collins/ec0b317c56aaceb4?ean=9780066620992&next=t
- Read The Gap and the Gain by Dan Sullivan and Dr. Benjamin Hardy: https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-gap-and-the-gain-the-high-achievers-guide-to-happiness-confidence-and-success-dan-sullivan/13b3af53fc11bb37?ean=9781401964368&next=t&next=t
Main Takeaways:
- No one comes out of the womb being good at dentistry. It requires hard work.
- Stop “living in the gap”. If you're 95% to your goal, don't focus on the 5%.
- Different friend groups are important but find your tribe of dentists.
- Don't let negative self-talk and negative thoughts define you.
- One bad day at the office doesn't make you a bad dentist.
- Perfection is poison. It’s impossible, so don't chase it.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
1:53 Dr. Rachel Ward’s background.
4:03 Impostor syndrome and feeling worthy.
10:49 The origin of their group chat.
15:57 Social media pressure for dentists.
23:16 Don't fall into the comparison trap.
29:54 Going to Pankey will change your life.
36:06 Final thoughts.
Dr. Charlie Ward Bio:
After graduating from the University of Maryland with a Bachelor of Science degree in 2004, Dr. Charlie Ward went straight into the University of Maryland School of Dentistry. He earned his DDS degree in 2008, and since then he has completed the Essentials courses and many others at the esteemed Pankey Institute, where he now serves as visiting faculty. He is currently a member of the Maryland State Dental Association and the Academy of General Dentistry.
When Dr. Ward isn’t spending time with Dr. Melody Ward and their two young boys, Cyrus and Lucas, he can often be found golfing or fishing. He also enjoys playing the guitar. While in dental school, he was actually in an all-dentist band called Incisal Edge! He even has his own guitar collection and has turned his basement into a music room.
Dr. Rachel Ward Bio:
Dr. Rachel Ward received her Bachelor of Science in Biology from Truman State University in Kirksville, Missouri. She then continued her education, receiving a Doctor of Dental Medicine degree from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. She began her private practice career in St. Louis, Missouri, followed by time in San Antonio, Texas, and Omaha, Nebraska, due to her husband’s career in the United Staes Air Force. After 10 years in the service, her husband separated from the Air Force and their family decided to make Omaha their home.
In 2019, Dr. Ward became a Fellow with the Academy of General Dentistry and subsequently received the distinction of Master with the Academy of General Dentistry in 2022 by accumulating over 1,100 hours of continuing education. Less than 2% of dentists have earned this distinction. She stays active with the Academy as a board member for the Nebraska AGD.
In addition to the AGD, Dr. Ward is a member of the American Dental Association, American Equilibration Society, American Association of Women Dentists, and American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry. She also spends time as a Faculty Assistant at the prestigious Pankey Institute in Key Biscayne, Florida. She also serves as an advisor to The Institute.
Dr. Ward and her husband, Daniel Chartrand, have five children together and stay busy transporting kids to and from activities. When she finds some free time, she enjoys running, lifting, biking, and swimming.
Do you ever feel behind, inadequate, or unworthy of praise? In this episode, Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. Charlie Ward and Dr. Rachel Ward, faculty members at The Pankey Institute, to share how to overcome the comparison trap in dentistry that is sabotaging your practice. If you're constantly questioning yourself, this episode is for you! To learn how to reframe your thinking and focus on the positives, listen to Episode 971 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Dr. Charlie Ward & Dr. Rachel Ward:
- Send Dr. Charlie Ward an email: charlie@bmoredentalarts.com
- Follow Dr. Charlie Ward on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drcwarddds
- Watch Dr. Charlie Ward’s webinars: https://restorativenation.com
- Join Dr. Rachel Ward on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RachelWardDMD
- Follow Dr. Rachel Ward on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rachelwarddmd
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Apple App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/best-practices-association/id6738960360
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Google Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.actdental.join&hl=en_US
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 971: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
- Read Good to Great by Jim Collins: https://bookshop.org/p/books/good-to-great-why-some-companies-make-the-leap-and-other-s-don-t-jim-collins/ec0b317c56aaceb4?ean=9780066620992&next=t
- Read The Gap and the Gain by Dan Sullivan and Dr. Benjamin Hardy: https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-gap-and-the-gain-the-high-achievers-guide-to-happiness-confidence-and-success-dan-sullivan/13b3af53fc11bb37?ean=9781401964368&next=t&next=t
Main Takeaways:
- No one comes out of the womb being good at dentistry. It requires hard work.
- Stop “living in the gap”. If you're 95% to your goal, don't focus on the 5%.
- Different friend groups are important but find your tribe of dentists.
- Don't let negative self-talk and negative thoughts define you.
- One bad day at the office doesn't make you a bad dentist.
- Perfection is poison. It’s impossible, so don't chase it.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
1:53 Dr. Rachel Ward’s background.
4:03 Impostor syndrome and feeling worthy.
10:49 The origin of their group chat.
15:57 Social media pressure for dentists.
23:16 Don't fall into the comparison trap.
29:54 Going to Pankey will change your life.
36:06 Final thoughts.
Dr. Charlie Ward Bio:
After graduating from the University of Maryland with a Bachelor of Science degree in 2004, Dr. Charlie Ward went straight into the University of Maryland School of Dentistry. He earned his DDS degree in 2008, and since then he has completed the Essentials courses and many others at the esteemed Pankey Institute, where he now serves as visiting faculty. He is currently a member of the Maryland State Dental Association and the Academy of General Dentistry.
When Dr. Ward isn’t spending time with Dr. Melody Ward and their two young boys, Cyrus and Lucas, he can often be found golfing or fishing. He also enjoys playing the guitar. While in dental school, he was actually in an all-dentist band called Incisal Edge! He even has his own guitar collection and has turned his basement into a music room.
Dr. Rachel Ward Bio:
Dr. Rachel Ward received her Bachelor of Science in Biology from Truman State University in Kirksville, Missouri. She then continued her education, receiving a Doctor of Dental Medicine degree from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. She began her private practice career in St. Louis, Missouri, followed by time in San Antonio, Texas, and Omaha, Nebraska, due to her husband’s career in the United Staes Air Force. After 10 years in the service, her husband separated from the Air Force and their family decided to make Omaha their home.
In 2019, Dr. Ward became a Fellow with the Academy of General Dentistry and subsequently received the distinction of Master with the Academy of General Dentistry in 2022 by accumulating over 1,100 hours of continuing education. Less than 2% of dentists have earned this distinction. She stays active with the Academy as a board member for the Nebraska AGD.
In addition to the AGD, Dr. Ward is a member of the American Dental Association, American Equilibration Society, American Association of Women Dentists, and American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry. She also spends time as a Faculty Assistant at the prestigious Pankey Institute in Key Biscayne, Florida. She also serves as an advisor to The Institute.
Dr. Ward and her husband, Daniel Chartrand, have five children together and stay busy transporting kids to and from activities. When she finds some free time, she enjoys running, lifting, biking, and swimming.
Do you have a plan, or do you just hope new patients show up for appointments? In this episode, Kirk Behrendt brings back Miranda Beeson, ACT’s director of education, to break down new patient cancellation and no-show percentage and what you can do to reduce those numbers. To learn how to create strong scheduling, confirmation, and communication systems so your patients commit to showing up, listen to Episode 970 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Miranda:
- Send Miranda an email: miranda@actdental.com
- Follow Miranda on ACT’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/actdental
- Send Courtney an email to learn more about ACT: courtney@actdental.com
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Apple App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/best-practices-association/id6738960360
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Google Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.actdental.join&hl=en_US
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 970: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
Main Takeaways:
- Track your new patient cancellation separate from your cancellation percentage.
- If your cancellation or no-show is high, you are wasting valuable chair time.
- Strengthen your commitment language to communicate value to patients.
- Send personalized reminders to create an added level of commitment.
- Have a documented plan for unconfirmed new patient appointments.
- It is okay to release appointments. Create a clear process for it.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
2:19 Why this is an important metric and how it impacts the practice.
5:41 What you can do to impact this metric.
14:41 Final thoughts.
Miranda Beeson, MS, BSDH Bio:
Miranda Beeson has over 25 years of clinical dental hygiene, front office, practice administration, and speaking experience. She is enthusiastic about communication and loves helping others find the power that words can bring to their patient interactions and practice dynamics. As a Lead Practice Coach, she is driven to create opportunities to find value in experiences and cultivate new approaches.
Miranda graduated from Old Dominion University, and enjoys spending time with her husband, Chuck, and her children, Trent, Mallory, and Cassidy. Family time is the best time, and is often spent on a golf course, a volleyball court, or spending the day boating at the beach.
You can thrive as a small practice — you just need to be strategic. In this episode, Kirk Behrendt brings back Miranda Beeson, ACT’s director of education, to share how to differentiate and close your operational gaps so you attract the best patients and the best team in a changing market. To learn how to create and maintain a thriving private practice, listen to Episode 969 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Miranda:
- Send Miranda an email: miranda@actdental.com
- Follow Miranda on ACT’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/actdental
- Send Courtney an email for your Golden Ticket: courtney@actdental.com
- Send Gina an email for your Golden Ticket: gina@actdental.com
- Send Kirk an email for your Golden Ticket: kirk@actdental.com
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Apple App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/best-practices-association/id6738960360
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Google Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.actdental.join&hl=en_US
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 969: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
- Register for ACT’s BPA for their Differentiation tool: https://join.actdental.com/users/sign_in?post_login_redirect=https%3A%2F%2Fjoin.actdental.com%2Fc%2Fpractice-coaching-tools%2Fdifferentiation-tool#email
- Register for ACT’s BPA for their GAPs at a Glance tool: https://join.actdental.com/users/sign_in?post_login_redirect=https%3A%2F%2Fjoin.actdental.com%2Fc%2Fpractice-coaching-tools%2Ffinancial-gaps-at-a-glance#email
Main Takeaways:
- Identify your core customers, core competencies, and weaknesses to differentiate.
- Understand your effort gap, collections gap, overhead gap, and cash flow gap.
- Analyze your data to identify inefficiencies and optimize your practice.
- Develop your differentiation strategy over time and be consistent.
- Data shows that dentists thrive in private practice.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
2:22 ACT’s BPA, TTT, and Pro Coaching.
5:51 Why this is an important topic.
17:06 Differentiation: Identify your core customers.
18:05 Differentiation: Identify your core competencies.
23:31 Differentiation: Identify your weaknesses.
26:56 Differentiation: Build your strategy.
27:23 Operational gaps: Effort gap.
29:27 Operational gaps: Collections gap.
37:08 Operational gaps: Overhead gap.
38:41 Operational gaps: Cash flow gap.
42:30 Data drives impact.
48:39 Final takeaways.
53:08 More about ACT’s TTT Study Club.
55:13 Last thoughts.
Miranda Beeson, MS, BSDH Bio:
Miranda Beeson has over 25 years of clinical dental hygiene, front office, practice administration, and speaking experience. She is enthusiastic about communication and loves helping others find the power that words can bring to their patient interactions and practice dynamics. As a Lead Practice Coach, she is driven to create opportunities to find value in experiences and cultivate new approaches.
Miranda graduated from Old Dominion University, and enjoys spending time with her husband, Chuck, and her children, Trent, Mallory, and Cassidy. Family time is the best time, and is often spent on a golf course, a volleyball court, or spending the day boating at the beach.
Do you want this year to end well? Do you want next year to be better for your practice? In this episode, Kirk Behrendt brings back Heather Crockett, one of ACT’s amazing coaches, to share four questions to guide your year-end review so you can think beyond production and collections. To learn how to have thoughtful, intentional reflection and start building the practice you truly want, listen to Episode 968 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Heather:
- Send Heather an email: heather@actdental.com
- Join Heather on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/heather.r.crockett
- Follow Heather on ACT’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/actdental
- Send Kirk an email for ACT’s Practice Health Score guide: kirk@actdental.com
- Send Courtney an email to learn more about ACT: courtney@actdental.com
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Apple App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/best-practices-association/id6738960360
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Google Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.actdental.join&hl=en_US
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 968: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
- Register to ACT’s BPA for their Practice Health Score guide: https://join.actdental.com/users/sign_in?post_login_redirect=https%3A%2F%2Fjoin.actdental.com%2Fc%2Fpractice-coaching-tools%2Fpractice-health-score#email
- Register to ACT’s BPA for their Chief Reminding Officer resource: https://join.actdental.com/users/sign_in?post_login_redirect=https%3A%2F%2Fjoin.actdental.com%2Fc%2Fpractice-coaching-tools%2Fcro-chief-reminding-officer#email
- Register to ACT’s BPA for their Financial GAPs at a Glance resource: https://join.actdental.com/users/sign_in?post_login_redirect=https%3A%2F%2Fjoin.actdental.com%2Fc%2Fpractice-coaching-tools%2Ffinancial-gaps-at-a-glance#email
- Register to ACT’s BPA for their How to Bring Core Values Alive resource: https://join.actdental.com/users/sign_in?post_login_redirect=https%3A%2F%2Fjoin.actdental.com%2Fc%2Fpractice-coaching-tools%2Fhow-to-bring-your-core-values-alive-c8a389#email
- Read The Gap and the Gain by Dan Sullivan: https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-gap-and-the-gain-the-high-achievers-guide-to-happiness-confidence-and-success-dan-sullivan/13b3af53fc11bb37?ean=9781401964368&next=t&next=t
Main Takeaways:
- Figure out how aligned your practice was this year. Was your mission and vision clear?
- How smart was your practice with tracking data and systematizing processes?
- Is your culture healthy? Are your core values alive in your practice?
- Reflect on what you will start, stop, or continue next year.
- Thank your team for any progress you've made.
- Block out time to have this year-end review.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
2:34 Why this is an important topic.
5:16 Question 1: How aligned was my practice this year?
10:19 Question 2: How smart were we?
18:36 Question 3: How healthy is our culture?
24:23 Question 4: What will we start, stop, or continue next year?
26:47 Final takeaways.
Heather Crockett Bio:
Heather Crockett is a Lead Practice Coach who finds joy in not only improving practices but improving the lives of those she coaches as well. With over 20 years of combined experience in assisting, office management, and clinical dental hygiene, her awareness supports many aspects of the practice setting.
Heather received her dental hygiene degree from the Utah College of Dental Hygiene in 2008. Networking in the dental community comes easy to her, and she loves to connect with like-minded colleagues on social media. Heather enjoys both attending and presenting continuing education to expand her knowledge and learn from her friends and colleagues.
She enjoys hanging out with her husband, three sons, and their dog, Moki, scrolling through social media, watching football, and traveling.
Identifying and living your core values is the most important thing you will ever do. In this episode, Miranda Beeson, ACT’s director of education, brings in ACT’s founder, Kirk Behrendt, to share the story behind their core values, how they came to be, and why core values matter to a dental practice. To gain insight and inspiration for your core values, listen to Episode 967 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Miranda:
- Send Miranda an email: miranda@actdental.com
- Follow Miranda on ACT’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/actdental
- Send Courtney an email to learn more about ACT: courtney@actdental.com
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Apple App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/best-practices-association/id6738960360
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Google Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.actdental.join&hl=en_US
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 967: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
- Watch Episode 4 with Howard Farran: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GMMaSIrhv2Q
- Read Traction by Gino Wickman: https://benbellabooks.com/shop/traction
- Read books by Patrick Lencioni: https://www.tablegroup.com/books
Main Takeaways:
- Identify your core values. It’s the most important thing you will ever do.
- Core values are your compass. Use it as a filter for your decisions.
- Attract the behaviors and people you want with core values.
- Weave your core values into the fabric of your practice.
- Your team is the secret sauce to success.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
1:52 Kirk and Miranda’s journeys with core values.
13:39 Core values: Give > Get.
19:27 Core values: Walk the Talk.
25:38 Core values: We Before Me.
29:58 Core values: Results Driven.
37:07 Core values: Always Be Growing.
41:53 Core values: All-In Attitude.
50:33 Your people are the secret sauce.
51:35 Final thoughts.
Miranda Beeson, MS, BSDH Bio:
Miranda Beeson has over 25 years of clinical dental hygiene, front office, practice administration, and speaking experience. She is enthusiastic about communication and loves helping others find the power that words can bring to their patient interactions and practice dynamics. As a Lead Practice Coach, she is driven to create opportunities to find value in experiences and cultivate new approaches.
Miranda graduated from Old Dominion University, and enjoys spending time with her husband, Chuck, and her children, Trent, Mallory, and Cassidy. Family time is the best time, and is often spent on a golf course, a volleyball court, or spending the day boating at the beach.
People want a longer lifespan. But it’s also important to focus on health span. In this episode, Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. Uche Odiatu, one of ACT’s favorite health and wellness gurus, to share four keys to longevity that will help you live better, not just longer. To learn how you can sync up your health span to your lifespan, listen to Episode 966 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Dr. Odiatu:
- Email Dr. Odiatu for his workout: odiatudmd@gmail.com
- Follow Dr. Odiatu on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fitspeakers
- Learn more on Dr. Odiatu’s website: http://www.druche.com
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Apple App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/best-practices-association/id6738960360
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Google Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.actdental.join&hl=en_US
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 966: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
- Read The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk, M.D.: https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-body-keeps-the-score-brain-mind-and-body-in-the-healing-of-trauma-bessel-van-der-kolk-m-d/9e63236863805513?ean=9780143127741&next=t
- Read Why We Sleep by Matthew Walker, PhD: https://bookshop.org/p/books/why-we-sleep-unlocking-the-power-of-sleep-and-dreams-matthew-walker-phd/24217e9bcd5aeb1c?ean=9781501144325&next=t
- Read The Mind-Gut Connection by Emeran Mayer: https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-mind-gut-connection-how-the-hidden-conversation-within-our-bodies-impacts-our-mood-our-choices-and-our-overall-health-emeran-mayer/d71c6bafe6b31318?ean=9780062376589&next=t
- Read Lifespan by David A. Sinclair, PhD: https://bookshop.org/p/books/lifespan-why-we-age-and-why-we-don-t-have-to-matthew-d-laplante/31d9af73d9dfc2d4?ean=9781501191978&next=t
Main Takeaways:
- Consistency is key to longevity. Slow and steady wins the race.
- Become a master of sleep. Good sleep increases longevity.
- Stress impacts life expectancy. Learn how to manage it.
- Supplements can be important, but more isn't better.
- Food is fuel. Tone down junk food consumption.
- Sitting is a killer. Move as often as possible.
- Stay curious and keep your mind active.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
1:50 Longevity, lifespan, and health span, explained.
3:24 Why some countries have a longer lifespan.
5:36 Why life expectancy has decreased.
10:11 Is there a magic bullet for longevity?
13:54 The importance of consistency.
21:54 Become a sleep master.
25:34 Manage your stress.
28:34 More isn't better with supplements.
32:16 Final thoughts.
35:27 More about Dr. Odiatu and how to get in touch.
Dr. Uche Odiatu Bio:
Dr. Uche Odiatu has a DMD (Doctor of Dental Medicine). He is a professional member of the ACSM (American College of Sports Medicine), a Certified Personal Trainer (National Strength & Conditioning Association) NSCA, and the Canadian Association of Fitness Professionals (canfitpro). He is the co-author of The Miracle of Health (c) 2009 John Wiley (hardcover) & (c) 2015 Harper Collins, and has lectured in Canada, the USA, the Caribbean, the UK, and Europe. He is an invited guest on over 400 TV and radio shows, from ABC 20/20, Canada CTV AM, Breakfast TV, to Magic Sunday Drum FM in Texas. This high-energy healthcare professional has done over 450 lectures in seven countries over the last 15 years.
Do too many of your patients owe you money? It’s a symptom of an even bigger problem! In this episode, Kirk Behrendt brings back Robyn Theisen, one of ACT’s amazing coaches, to break down overdue accounts and share a four-step solution to eliminate it from your practice. To learn how to collect from patients before day 30, listen to Episode 965 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Robyn:
- Send Robyn an email: robyn@actdental.com
- Follow Robyn on ACT’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/actdental
- Send Courtney an email to learn more about ACT: courtney@actdental.com
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Apple App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/best-practices-association/id6738960360
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Google Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.actdental.join&hl=en_US
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 965: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
- Register to ACT’s BPA to watch Episode 764: Cash Flow Kings and Queens: The Dentist’s Guide to Mastering Accounts Receivable: https://join.actdental.com/users/sign_in?post_login_redirect=https%3A%2F%2Fjoin.actdental.com%2Fc%2Fpodcasts%2F764-cash-flow-kings-and-queens-the-dentist-s-guide-to-mastering-accounts-receivable-ariel-juday#email
- Register to ACT’s BPA for their Managing an Accounts Receivable and Collections System: https://join.actdental.com/users/sign_in?post_login_redirect=https%3A%2F%2Fjoin.actdental.com%2Fc%2Fpractice-coaching-tools%2Fmanaging-an-accounts-receivable-and-collections-system#email
- Register to ACT’s BPA for their Sample Financial Arrangement Form: https://join.actdental.com/users/sign_in?post_login_redirect=https%3A%2F%2Fjoin.actdental.com%2Fc%2Fpractice-coaching-tools%2Fsample-financial-arrangement-form#email
Main Takeaways:
- A balance past 31 days is overdue. Address it ASAP!
- Be proactive. The older the balance, it’s harder to collect.
- Have a strong financial policy so patients know what to expect.
- You can't fix what you don't measure. Be sure to know your numbers.
- Document a system and create a plan. Otherwise, you're being reactive.
- Work the plan you created. If you don't implement them, they're sure to fail.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
3:32 Overdue accounts, explained.
5:22 Have a strong financial policy.
9:19 Know your numbers.
14:57 Document a system and create a plan.
17:45 Work the plan.
24:00 Final takeaways.
Robyn Theisen Bio:
Robyn Theisen brings an entire life and legacy of dental experience to the team and every team with which she works as the daughter and sister of dentists. With almost 20 years of experience in dentistry, her roles ranged from practice management to operations at Patterson Dental to coaching teams. Robyn’s passion is empowering teams to realize that they can dramatically impact the lives of the people they serve by implementing skills and systems to remove barriers to life-changing dental treatment. She has done it for decades and does it every day with dental teams.
Outside of coaching, she enjoys time with her husband, Rob, and two daughters, Emerson and Ruby. She loves traveling, music, fitness, and cheering on the Michigan State Spartans.
Every healthy practice needs new patients. But you don't want to just have “more”. In this episode, Kirk Behrendt brings back Miranda Beeson, ACT’s director of education, to break down new patient count and new patient growth, how to calculate actual patient growth, and what you can do to improve your numbers. To learn how to keep a consistent active patient count that's right for your practice, listen to Episode 964 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Miranda:
- Send Miranda an email: miranda@actdental.com
- Follow Miranda on ACT’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/actdental
- Send Courtney an email to learn more about ACT: courtney@actdental.com
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Apple App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/best-practices-association/id6738960360
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Google Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.actdental.join&hl=en_US
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 964: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
Main Takeaways:
- Track your new patient count to know how effective your scheduling and marketing is.
- Healthy practices need new patients. Figure out the right number for your practice.
- Set a monthly new patient goal that is aligned with your long-term growth goals.
- Know your actual patient growth by measuring new patient growth count.
- Create documented follow-up systems to recapture your lost patients.
- Align your team with your new patient goal so they can monitor it.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
1:30 New patient count and new patient growth, explained.
3:37 How new patient count impacts the practice.
7:04 What you can do to impact new patient count.
7:51 New patient growth, explained.
10:37 How new patient growth impacts the practice.
11:27 What you can do to impact new patient growth.
16:22 Final thoughts.
Miranda Beeson, MS, BSDH Bio:
Miranda Beeson has over 25 years of clinical dental hygiene, front office, practice administration, and speaking experience. She is enthusiastic about communication and loves helping others find the power that words can bring to their patient interactions and practice dynamics. As a Lead Practice Coach, she is driven to create opportunities to find value in experiences and cultivate new approaches.
Miranda graduated from Old Dominion University, and enjoys spending time with her husband, Chuck, and her children, Trent, Mallory, and Cassidy. Family time is the best time, and is often spent on a golf course, a volleyball court, or spending the day boating at the beach.
Do your hygiene visits feel too routine? Do your patients devalue appointments? In this episode, Kirk Behrendt brings back Carlie Einarson, one of ACT’s amazing coaches, with four ways to reinvent your hygiene op so you can take it from being transactional to transformational for your patients. To help patients feel educated, motivated, and to value hygiene, listen to Episode 963 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Carlie:
- Send Carlie an email: carlie@actdental.com
- Follow Carlie on ACT’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/actdental
- Send Courtney an email to learn more about ACT: courtney@actdental.com
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Apple App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/best-practices-association/id6738960360
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Google Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.actdental.join&hl=en_US
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 963: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
- Register to ACT’s BPA for their Tiers of Service exercise: https://join.actdental.com/users/sign_in?post_login_redirect=https%3A%2F%2Fjoin.actdental.com%2Fc%2Fpractice-coaching-tools%2Ftiers-of-service-exercise#email
- Register to ACT’s BPA for their Creating a 6-Star Patient Experience tool: https://join.actdental.com/users/sign_in?post_login_redirect=https%3A%2F%2Fjoin.actdental.com%2Fc%2Fpractice-coaching-tools%2F6-star-experience#email
Main Takeaways:
- Start off strong by setting clear expectations for your patients.
- Use monitors to show the impact of their visit, not the news or HGTV.
- A picture is worth a thousand words. Start using technology to its fullest.
- Celebrate even the small wins and validate concerns so that patients open up.
- Resist your “righting” reflex. Create space for learning rather than giving answers.
- Make hygiene visits an opportunity for patient engagement, not just “routine cleaning”.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
1:47 Why this is an important topic.
4:00 Set clear expectations.
9:34 Use monitors for patient education.
17:15 Use technology to its fullest.
21:25 Celebrate wins and validate concerns.
23:50 The righting reflex, explained.
26:49 Help patients get out of their routine.
30:01 Final thoughts.
31:23 ACT’s BPA.
Carlie Einarson Bio:
Carlie Einarson is a lead practice coach who has a passion for helping others succeed in the dental field. She loves helping to create a stable foundation for practices so both professionals and patients have a great experience every time they walk in the door!
Carlie graduated from Utah College of Dental Hygiene. She has ten years of experience in the dental field, including clinical dental hygiene, front office, and leading teams.
In her free time, Carlie enjoys spending quality time with loved ones, traveling, skiing, playing volleyball, and golfing.
How do you build a general practice that can pay the bills? In this episode, Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. John Cranham, co-founder of Cranham Culp Digital Dental, to share his tips for balancing bread-and-butter dentistry with your niche so you can have a fulfilling and profitable career. To learn how to build a healthy general practice that you enjoy, listen to Episode 962 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Dr. Cranham:
- Send Dr. Cranham an email: jcranham@mac.com
- Join Dr. Cranham on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/john.c.cranham
- Follow Dr. Cranham on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/johnccranhamdds
- Learn more about Cranham Culp Digital Dental: https://www.ccdigitaldental.com
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Apple App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/best-practices-association/id6738960360
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Google Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.actdental.join&hl=en_US
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 962: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
- Read Good to Great by Jim Collins: https://bookshop.org/p/books/good-to-great-why-some-companies-make-the-leap-and-other-s-don-t-jim-collins/ec0b317c56aaceb4?ean=9780066620992&next=t
Main Takeaways:
- Don't get addicted to growth. Seek eudaimonia.
- Find your niche and balance it with your general dentistry.
- A healthy hygiene department is key to having a strong general practice.
- Pay attention to how you're scheduling. Keep your records and consult spots full.
- Align with your team so they understand why they shouldn't book your specialty spots.
- Balance what you love doing, what you can be the best at, and what can pay your bills.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
2:11 Dr. Cranham’s background.
3:59 The general practice paying the bills, explained.
7:40 How much is “enough”?
12:32 What dentists get wrong about what is enough.
14:44 How a general practice can pay your bills.
19:53 Specialty, explained.
23:11 Not all patients are specialty patients.
26:26 What is the ideal number of records per day?
28:01 Keep your record spots and consult spots full.
30:00 Maintain balance.
31:17 Three things to ask yourself when finding your niche.
33:48 Final thoughts.
35:08 More about Cranham Culp Digital Dental.
Dr. John Cranham Bio:
Dr. John C. Cranham is a highly respected and renowned dentist in Chesapeake, Virginia. At his state-of-the-art office, he delivers unsurpassed general dentistry, cosmetic dentistry, and restorative dentistry, including TMJ therapy and dental implant services. He uses his vast experience and expansive knowledge to create healthy, natural-looking smiles.
Dr. Cranham was an honors graduate of the Medical College of Virginia in 1988. He is an internationally recognized speaker on the esthetic principles of smile design, contemporary occlusal concepts, treatment planning, restoration selection, digital photography, laboratory communication, and happiness and fulfillment in dentistry.
Dr. Cranham founded Cranham Dental Seminars, which provides lectures, mobile programs, and intensive hands-on experiences to dentists around the world. In 2008, Cranham Dental Seminars merged with The Dawson Academy, a world-famous continuing education facility based in St. Petersburg, Florida.
As The Dawson Academy’s acting Clinical Director, Dr. Cranham is involved with many of the courses and provides continuing education to dental professionals across the globe. He spends approximately two-thirds of his time in private practice and the other third as an educator. He believes this balance keeps him on the leading edge of both disciplines.
Dr. Cranham is an active member of numerous professional organizations, including the American Dental Association, American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry, American Academy of Fixed Prosthodontics, and American Equilibration Society.
How good is your team at capturing opportunities over the phone? In this episode, Kirk Behrendt brings back Miranda Beeson, ACT’s director of education, to break down new patient call conversion percentage, how it impacts your practice, and what you can do to improve your numbers. To learn how to help your team with their phone skills and save thousands on marketing, listen to Episode 961 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Miranda:
- Send Miranda an email: miranda@actdental.com
- Follow Miranda on ACT’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/actdental
- Send Courtney an email to learn more about ACT: courtney@actdental.com
Learn More About ACT Dental:
- ACT’s Events: https://www.actdental.com/event
- ACT’s website: https://www.actdental.com
- ACT’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/actdental
- ACT’s YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/actdental
- ACT’s Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/actdental
- ACT’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/actdental/
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Apple App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/best-practices-association/id6738960360
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Google Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.actdental.join&hl=en_US
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 961: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
Main Takeaways:
- New patient call conversion percentage reflects your team’s phone skills.
- Listen to recorded calls as a team to evaluate and improve their skills.
- Winning a patient over starts with the call, not when they show up.
- A low conversion rate reflects wasted leads and wasted dollars.
- Create a scheduling system that gets new patients in easily.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
1:56 New patient call conversion percentage, explained.
4:00 Why this metric is important and how it impacts your practice.
7:45 Tips to improve this metric.
17:29 ACT’s BPA.
Miranda Beeson, MS, BSDH Bio:
Miranda Beeson has over 25 years of clinical dental hygiene, front office, practice administration, and speaking experience. She is enthusiastic about communication and loves helping others find the power that words can bring to their patient interactions and practice dynamics. As a Lead Practice Coach, she is driven to create opportunities to find value in experiences and cultivate new approaches.
Miranda graduated from Old Dominion University, and enjoys spending time with her husband, Chuck, and her children, Trent, Mallory, and Cassidy. Family time is the best time, and is often spent on a golf course, a volleyball court, or spending the day boating at the beach.
Airway dentistry isn't just a fad — it’s here to stay! In this episode, Kirk Behrendt brings in Dr. Meggie Graham and Dr. Liz Turner, founders of the Untethered Airway Health Center, to talk about the growing field, what airway health really means, and why it’s important to integrate it into your practice. To learn how you can impact your patients’ health no matter their age, listen to Episode 960 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Dr. Graham & Dr. Turner:
- Join Dr. Graham & Dr. Turner on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/untetheredahc
- Follow Dr. Graham & Dr. Turner on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/untetheredairway
- Learn more about Untethered Airway Health Center: https://untetheredairwayhealthcenter.com
- Register for The Untethered Way courses: https://theuntetheredway.com
- Listen to Dr. Graham & Dr. Turner’s podcast: https://untethered-airway-health.captivate.fm
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Apple App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/best-practices-association/id6738960360
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Google Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.actdental.join&hl=en_US
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 960: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
Main Takeaways:
- Airway is not just a fad — it’s that dentistry has been missing it for years.
- Help patients identify their breathing dysfunctions and become aware.
- Don't push airway onto patients who aren't ready to hear about it.
- Implementing airway isn't all or nothing. It’s okay to do it slowly.
- Stay curious and excited to learn to be fulfilled in your career.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
1:23 Dr. Turner and Dr. Graham’s backgrounds.
3:33 Dr. Turner and Dr. Graham’s aha moment.
10:25 What airway health really means.
17:34 Common mistakes dentists make when looking at airway issues.
20:51 How to integrate airway into your practice.
26:09 The future of airway in dentistry.
30:01 Is airway just a fad?
34:20 Final thoughts.
35:59 The origin of The Untethered Way.
38:26 More about The Untethered Way course.
39:45 More about the No One Told Me podcast and how to get in touch.
Dr. Meggie Graham Bio:
Dr. Meggie Graham helps patients of all ages breathe better and live healthier lives. As both a mother and an airway patient herself, she understands the challenges families face with breathing disorders, tongue-ties, and sleep problems.
A faculty member at The Breathe Institute, Dr. Graham specializes in non-invasive solutions that address root causes of breathing issues. Her commitment comes from years of advanced training in sleep-disordered breathing and facial development, combining personal experience with professional expertise to create lasting solutions for her patients.
Dr. Liz Turner Bio:
Dr. Elizabeth Turner helps families overcome feeding difficulties and breathing challenges at every age. As a mother who watched her own son transform after tongue-tie treatment, she understands both the concerns parents face and the care needed for optimal results.
A certified laser surgeon and Tufts University graduate, she specializes in infant tongue-tie release, children's airway development, and adult breathing solutions. Dr. Turner combines advanced laser technology with gentle, personalized care, regularly educating both families and healthcare providers about early intervention in breathing health.
959: The Secret Behind Selling Dentistry Without Selling – Dr. Tom Hedge
How do you sell dentistry without selling? In this episode, Kirk Behrendt brings in Dr. Tom Hedge, founder of The Houston Dentists Tanglewood, to review a recent presentation he gave at Smile Source Exchange and share his secret to selling dentistry without actually selling. To learn how to get patients to buy without feeling like they're sold to, listen to Episode 959 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Dr. Hedge:
- Send Dr. Hedge an email: tomhedge@mac.com
- Join Dr. Hedge on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheHoustonDentistsTanglewood
- Follow Dr. Hedge on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/houstondentistoftanglewood
- Learn more on Dr. Hedge’s website: https://www.thehoustondentiststanglewood.com
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Apple App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/best-practices-association/id6738960360
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Google Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.actdental.join&hl=en_US
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 959: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
- Learn more about Smile Source and The Exchange: https://smilesource.com
- Try Weave: https://www.getweave.com
Main Takeaways:
- Always take photos of new patients. It is a critical step.
- Use digital photography for patient education. Let them do the talking.
- Never treat a stranger. Ask good questions and get to know your patients.
- Consider hiring a remote employee. They can free up you and your team’s time.
- Make it as easy and as convenient as possible for patients to schedule appointments.
- There isn't one big thing to make your practice better; there are a thousand little things.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
0:52 Dr. Hedge’s background.
4:56 What most dentists get wrong about photography.
7:01 Selling without selling, explained.
8:46 Does Dr. Hedge invest in marketing?
9:44 All you need is an iPad.
10:09 Self-limiting beliefs about taking photos.
11:03 Let patients do the talking.
11:36 Benefits of a remote employee.
16:03 Benefits of using Weave.
16:58 Dr. Hedge’s philosophy on hygiene.
19:05 The future of technology in dentistry.
22:43 Advice for dentists.
24:24 About Smile Source Exchange.
27:35 Final thoughts.
Dr. Tom Hedge Bio:
Dr. Tom Hedge is widely known as one of the top-notch cosmetic dentists in the United States. He received his Bachelor’s degree from Kenyon College in Gambier, Ohio, where he majored in biology and chemistry. While studying at the Ohio State University College of Dentistry, he conducted research resulting in the publication of seven abstracts and one paper, which received numerous awards at the state and national levels. After graduating from dental school, he completed a general practice residency at Richland Memorial Hospital in Columbia, South Carolina. This advanced education included training in anesthesia, pediatrics, emergency medicine, geriatrics, TMJ treatment, endodontics, periodontics, orthodontics, oral surgery, prosthetics, and implantology.
Dr. Hedge is nationally recognized not only for excellence in clinical programs, but for sound business practices that make full use of the newest technologies in dentistry. He is an alumnus of the renowned Las Vegas Institute for Advanced Dental Studies, as well as the Pankey Institute for Advanced Dental Education. Dr. Hedge is a frequent contributor to dental publications, as well as professional development magazines.
958: Metric Mondays: New Patient Re-Appointed to Hygiene Percentage - Miranda Beson
Are your new patients one-and-done, or do they stay with you long term? In this episode, Kirk Behrendt brings back Miranda Beeson, ACT’s director of education, to break down new patient re-appointed to hygiene percentage, how it affects your practice, and ways to improve your numbers. To learn how to create long-term patient relationships by re-appointing to hygiene, listen to Episode 958 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Miranda:
- Send Miranda an email: miranda@actdental.com
- Follow Miranda on ACT’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/actdental
- Send Courtney an email to learn more about ACT: courtney@actdental.com
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Apple App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/best-practices-association/id6738960360
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Google Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.actdental.join&hl=en_US
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 958: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
- Register for ACT’s To The Top Study Club (October 24, 2025): https://www.eventbrite.com/e/climb-with-us-register-for-october-24-2025-ttt-study-club-tickets-1218452908449?aff=odcleoeventsincollection
Main Takeaways:
- Evaluate your new patient process. Ensure that it ends with a scheduled hygiene visit.
- Track your re-appointments. Quickly follow up with patients who haven't scheduled.
- Make it easy to schedule future appointments. Ensure it’s done before they leave.
- If your re-appointment percentage is low, focus on building patient loyalty.
- A high re-appointment percentage shows patients value your care.
- Discuss and document your new patient system as a team.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
2:14 New patients re-appointed to hygiene percentage, explained.
5:28 How this metric impacts the practice.
8:13 High and low re-appointment percentages.
10:26 What you can do to impact this metric.
14:50 ACT’s BPA.
Miranda Beeson, MS, BSDH Bio:
Miranda Beeson has over 25 years of clinical dental hygiene, front office, practice administration, and speaking experience. She is enthusiastic about communication and loves helping others find the power that words can bring to their patient interactions and practice dynamics. As a Lead Practice Coach, she is driven to create opportunities to find value in experiences and cultivate new approaches.
Miranda graduated from Old Dominion University, and enjoys spending time with her husband, Chuck, and her children, Trent, Mallory, and Cassidy. Family time is the best time, and is often spent on a golf course, a volleyball court, or spending the day boating at the beach.
957: Beat Burnout With Better Systems – Miranda Beeson
When you're burned out, it leads to chaos. Luckily, there's a cure! In this episode, Kirk Behrendt brings back Miranda Beeson, ACT’s director of education, to share five steps to create a solid system that will keep your practice running smooth and stress-free. To learn how better systems can bring joy back into your practice, listen to Episode 957 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Miranda:
- Send Miranda an email: miranda@actdental.com
- Follow Miranda on ACT’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/actdental
- Send Courtney an email for your Golden Ticket to ACT’s TTT: courtney@actdental.com
- Send Gina an email for your Golden Ticket to ACT’s TTT: gina@actdental.com
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Apple App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/best-practices-association/id6738960360
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Google Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.actdental.join&hl=en_US
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 957: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
- Watch Episode 947 with Alan Twigg: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4CHbDVbpa3M
- Register for ACT’s To The Top Study Club (October 17, 2025): https://www.eventbrite.com/e/climb-with-us-register-for-october-17-2025-ttt-study-club-tickets-1218436780209?aff=odcleoeventsincollection
- Register for ACT’s To The Top Study Club (October 24, 2025): https://www.eventbrite.com/e/climb-with-us-register-for-october-24-2025-ttt-study-club-tickets-1218452908449?aff=odcleoeventsincollection
Main Takeaways:
- Align with your team about what you're creating.
- Convey the “why” to get understanding and commitment.
- Identify where exactly your systems apply. Be very specific.
- Define when your systems should be activated and followed.
- Assign responsibilities clearly so everyone knows who does what.
- Determine how your system will be applied with clear, specific steps.
- Document your systems. If they aren’t written down, then they don’t exist.
- Do this process together as a team. Get their weigh-in so that you get buy-in.
- Constantly revisit, review, and revise your systems. Don't just set it and forget it.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
5:31 ACT’s BPA and Smile Source.
8:24 Why this is an important topic.
19:23 Chaos is the symptom, and systems are the cure.
22:37 Set clear expectations.
28:33 Creating New Agreements, Policies, & Systems: What.
30:55 Creating New Agreements, Policies, & Systems: Why.
36:13 Creating New Agreements, Policies, & Systems: Where.
39:53 Creating New Agreements, Policies, & Systems: Who.
46:37 Creating New Agreements, Policies, & Systems: How.
48:18 The 80% approach.
51:41 Revisit, review, and revise your systems as a team.
55:41 Don't set it and forget it.
57:59 Final takeaways.
1:01:07 Q&A: Can there be an effective marriage of cross-training and systems?
1:08:07 ACT’s To The Top Study Club.
Miranda Beeson, MS, BSDH Bio:
Miranda Beeson has over 25 years of clinical dental hygiene, front office, practice administration, and speaking experience. She is enthusiastic about communication and loves helping others find the power that words can bring to their patient interactions and practice dynamics. As a Lead Practice Coach, she is driven to create opportunities to find value in experiences and cultivate new approaches.
Miranda graduated from Old Dominion University, and enjoys spending time with her husband, Chuck, and her children, Trent, Mallory, and Cassidy. Family time is the best time, and is often spent on a golf course, a volleyball court, or spending the day boating at the beach.
956: 5 Reasons Your Team Feels Overwhelmed – Michelle Wakeman
Do you and your team constantly feel overwhelmed? In this episode, Kirk Behrendt brings in Michelle Wakeman, one of ACT’s amazing coaches, to explain five reasons why and what you can do to reduce burnout and overwhelm. Feeling overwhelmed is normal — and it’s fixable! To learn how to be less stressed and more productive so you can take better care of your patients, listen to Episode 956 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Michelle:
- Send Michelle an email: michelle@actdental.com
- Follow Michelle on ACT’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/actdental
- Send Courtney an email to learn more about ACT: courtney@actdental.com
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Apple App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/best-practices-association/id6738960360
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Google Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.actdental.join&hl=en_US
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 956: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
- Register for ACT’s To The Top Study Club (October 17, 2025): https://www.eventbrite.com/e/climb-with-us-register-for-october-17-2025-ttt-study-club-tickets-1218436780209?aff=odcleoeventsincollection
- Register for ACT’s To The Top Study Club (October 24, 2025): https://www.eventbrite.com/e/climb-with-us-register-for-october-24-2025-ttt-study-club-tickets-1218452908449?aff=odcleoeventsincollection
- Register to ACT’s BPA for their Creating New Agreements, Policies, and Systems resource: https://join.actdental.com/users/sign_in?post_login_redirect=https%3A%2F%2Fjoin.actdental.com%2Fc%2Fpractice-coaching-tools%2Fcreating-new-agreements-policies-systems#email
- Register to ACT’s BPA for their Communications Rhythms Guide: https://join.actdental.com/users/sign_in?post_login_redirect=https%3A%2F%2Fjoin.actdental.com%2Fc%2Fpractice-coaching-tools%2Fthe-act-dental-meeting-rhythm#email
- Register to ACT’s BPA for their Building an Appreciative Workplace resource: https://join.actdental.com/users/sign_in?post_login_redirect=https%3A%2F%2Fjoin.actdental.com%2Fc%2Fpractice-coaching-tools%2Fbuilding-an-appreciative-workplace#email
- Read books by Jon Gordon: https://jongordon.com/books
- Read books by Patrick Lencioni: https://www.tablegroup.com/books
Main Takeaways:
- Set clear expectations. Don't leave your team guessing.
- Have documented systems so your team can be proactive.
- Clearly communicate changes with your team before they happen.
- Be clear about roles and responsibilities. Make it clear who does what.
- Give your team feedback. They actually want to know where they stand.
- Recognize your team’s hard work. It goes a long way and keeps morale high.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
1:31 Why this is an important topic.
4:55 Set clear expectations.
11:31 Have documented systems in place.
17:11 Communicate changes.
22:49 Have clear roles and responsibilities.
27:27 Give feedback and recognition.
32:32 Final thoughts.
34:28 ACT’s BPA.
Michelle Wakeman, BSDH, Bio:
Michelle Wakeman, BSDH, brings nearly 20 years of clinical dental hygiene, administrative, managerial, and sales experience to the table. She has a passion for people and a natural aptitude for communication that has led her to develop meaningful relationships throughout her career in dentistry. As a coach, she seeks to help dental practices develop systems that enable them to enhance their patient experience, leading to better relationships among owners, team members, and patients, along with profitable outcomes.
In her off time, Michelle can usually be found at the ice rink supporting her son, Hunter, in hockey, the ball field cheering on her son, Carter, or the gym, reliving her days as a gymnast with her daughter, Leighton.
You might have 1,500 active patients. But how many don't have their next appointments scheduled? In this episode, Kirk Behrendt brings back Miranda Beeson, ACT’s director of education, to break down unscheduled active patients, how it impacts your practice, and ways to improve your numbers so your days get better at work. To learn how to keep patients tethered to your practice, listen to Episode 955 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Miranda:
- Send Miranda an email: miranda@actdental.com
- Follow Miranda on ACT’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/actdental
- Send Courtney an email to learn more about ACT: courtney@actdental.com
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Apple App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/best-practices-association/id6738960360
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Google Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.actdental.join&hl=en_US
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 955: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
- Register for ACT’s To The Top Study Club (October 17, 2025): https://www.eventbrite.com/e/climb-with-us-register-for-october-17-2025-ttt-study-club-tickets-1218436780209?aff=odcleoeventsincollection
- Register for ACT’s To The Top Study Club (October 24, 2025): https://www.eventbrite.com/e/climb-with-us-register-for-october-24-2025-ttt-study-club-tickets-1218452908449?aff=odcleoeventsincollection
Main Takeaways:
- Having too many unscheduled patients will lead to schedule gaps and lost revenue.
- Unscheduled patients also means missed opportunities for preventative care.
- About 40% of patients who don't schedule future appointments don't return.
- Align your team on the expectation to always preschedule your patients.
- Also align your team on the value-building language that's used.
- When patients are less likely to return, their health will suffer.
- Create follow-up systems to proactively recapture patients.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
2:51 Unscheduled active patients, explained.
4:19 How unscheduled active patients impacts your practice.
10:01 Ways to positively impact this metric.
15:06 Last thoughts.
Miranda Beeson, MS, BSDH Bio:
Miranda Beeson has over 25 years of clinical dental hygiene, front office, practice administration, and speaking experience. She is enthusiastic about communication and loves helping others find the power that words can bring to their patient interactions and practice dynamics. As a Lead Practice Coach, she is driven to create opportunities to find value in experiences and cultivate new approaches.
Miranda graduated from Old Dominion University, and enjoys spending time with her husband, Chuck, and her children, Trent, Mallory, and Cassidy. Family time is the best time, and is often spent on a golf course, a volleyball court, or spending the day boating at the beach.
Working with PPOs is more confusing than ever — and it’s by design! In this episode, Kirk Behrendt brings back Shelley DeGroff, founder and CEO of PPO Advisors, to help decode the complexity around upcoming changes and help you be an active player in the game of insurance. To stay up to date with the new changes and become less insurance dependent, listen to Episode 954 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Shelley:
- Send Shelley an email: shelley@ppoadvisors.com
- Join PPO Advisors on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PPOAdvisorsLLC
- Learn more about PPO Advisors: https://ppoadvisors.com
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Apple App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/best-practices-association/id6738960360
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Google Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.actdental.join&hl=en_US
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 954: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
Main Takeaways:
- Think of insurance as a game. Be an active player!
- Understand the contracts you're agreeing to, long term.
- Insurance confusion is by design. Don't just set it and forget it!
- Audit your EOBs daily. Do the math and figure out why fees are different.
- New associates cannot use the owning doctor's NPI-1 — it is insurance fraud.
- Success is not determined by the number of insurance you do or don't participate in.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
1:53 Shelley’s background.
2:51 The current state of PPOs.
5:22 Why are these changes legal?
9:08 Confusion is by design.
11:07 Be an active player in the insurance game.
12:22 How often should you audit EOBs?
14:30 Is any of this negotiable?
16:16 Provider-specific credentialing, explained.
18:25 How long does it take to credential?
20:10 NPI fraud, explained.
23:12 Other upcoming changes.
27:57 The trend of non-dentists purchasing dental practices.
31:12 Lose your dependency on insurance.
40:45 About PPO Advisors and how to get in touch.
Shelley DeGroff Bio:
Shelley DeGroff, founder and CEO of PPO Advisors, knows dentistry. After graduating from the University of Nebraska, she began working as a dental receptionist in a nearby dental office. After completing her certification as a dental assistant, Shelley transitioned to become a successful office manager. It was in that role that Shelley began noticing the need for PPO negotiations for her employing doctor. This experience began the business model for PPO Advisors, which has now become a nationwide industry leader.
Whether you're prepping a crown or driving to your practice, it all requires muscle. But how well are you taking care of them? In this episode, Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. Uche Odiatu, one of ACT’s favorite health and wellness gurus, to demystify muscle health and help you get fit so you can be a better dentist. Your body is the best pharmacy — so give it what it needs! To learn the best way to develop and maintain muscle health, listen to Episode 953 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Dr. Odiatu:
- Email Dr. Odiatu for his workout: odiatudmd@gmail.com
- Join Dr. Odiatu on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/UcheOdiatu
- Follow Dr. Odiatu on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fitspeakers
- Learn more on Dr. Odiatu’s website: http://www.druche.com
- Register for Dr. Odiatu’s seminar (November 7, 2025, December 5, 2025, December 12, 2025): https://www.adha.org/events/philips-education-tour
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Apple App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/best-practices-association/id6738960360
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Google Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.actdental.join&hl=en_US
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 953: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
- Email Kirk for the 100 days of cards: kirk@actdental.com
- Read Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari: https://bookshop.org/p/books/sapiens-tenth-anniversary-edition-a-brief-history-of-humankind-yuval-noah-harari/031a784adc6e9de4?ean=9780063422001&next=t
- Read Spark by John J. Ratey, MD: https://bookshop.org/p/books/spark-the-revolutionary-new-science-of-exercise-and-the-brain-john-j-ratey-md/d7739d4d7fae8b28?ean=9780316113519&next=t
Main Takeaways:
- Sitting is the new smoking! Movement is medicine.
- Muscles and strength training aren't just for bodybuilders.
- Without training, you will experience age-related muscle loss.
- Strength training boosts both physical health and emotional health.
- With proper exercise and nutrition, your body will be the best pharmacy.
- Birds of a feather flock together. If you want to be fit, spend time with fit people.
- Stop thinking you don't have time to exercise. You need less time than you think.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
2:24 The importance of building muscles that last.
4:07 Sarcopenia, explained.
5:54 Dentistry is a sport.
8:35 Muscle bound, explained.
11:21 How to avoid being a frail dentist.
13:30 Different types of muscle strength, explained.
19:14 How much time do you need for exercise?
25:20 Do you need to go to the gym to build muscles?
27:47 Benefits of using red light during exercise.
30:38 The importance of light exposure.
32:01 Lower your risk of depression.
34:06 Am I too old to start exercising?
35:15 You need more protein as you age.
39:36 The science on creatine.
41:41 Supplements that Dr. Odiatu takes daily.
44:06 Testosterone replacement therapy, explained.
47:08 Dr. Odiatu’s weekly workout routine.
54:34 More about Dr. Odiatu and how to get in touch.
Dr. Uche Odiatu Bio:
Dr. Uche Odiatu has a DMD (Doctor of Dental Medicine). He is a professional member of the ACSM (American College of Sports Medicine), a Certified Personal Trainer (National Strength & Conditioning Association) NSCA, and the Canadian Association of Fitness Professionals (canfitpro). He is the co-author of The Miracle of Health (c) 2009 John Wiley (hardcover) & (c) 2015 Harper Collins, and has lectured in Canada, the USA, the Caribbean, the UK, and Europe. He is an invited guest on over 400 TV and radio shows, from ABC 20/20, Canada CTV AM, Breakfast TV, to Magic Sunday Drum FM in Texas. This high-energy healthcare professional has done over 450 lectures in seven countries over the last 15 years.
Fluoride is a big deal — for your patients and your practice! But it’s common for this percentage to be lower than it should. In this episode, Kirk Behrendt brings back Miranda Beeson, ACT’s director of education, to break down fluoride percentage, how it impacts your practice, and what you can do to improve your numbers. To learn how to successfully recommend fluoride so you can improve patient health and production, listen to Episode 952 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Miranda:
- Send Miranda an email: miranda@actdental.com
- Follow Miranda on ACT’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/actdental
- Send Courtney an email to learn more about ACT: courtney@actdental.com
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Apple App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/best-practices-association/id6738960360
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Google Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.actdental.join&hl=en_US
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 952: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
- Register for ACT’s To The Top Study Club (October 17, 2025): https://www.eventbrite.com/e/climb-with-us-register-for-october-17-2025-ttt-study-club-tickets-1218436780209?aff=odcleoeventsincollection
- Register for ACT’s To The Top Study Club (October 24, 2025): https://www.eventbrite.com/e/climb-with-us-register-for-october-24-2025-ttt-study-club-tickets-1218452908449?aff=odcleoeventsincollection
Main Takeaways:
- If fluoride percentage is under 10%, patients are missing opportunities for prevention.
- A low fluoride percentage also indicates missed opportunities for production.
- High fluoride percentage reflects strong preventative care standards.
- Create a caries risk assessment process as a team to be aligned.
- Align your team’s mindset and verbal skills around the “why”.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
3:00 Fluoride percentage, explained.
4:55 How this metric impacts the practice.
12:15 What you can do to impact this metric.
16:36 Final thoughts.
Miranda Beeson, MS, BSDH Bio:
Miranda Beeson has over 25 years of clinical dental hygiene, front office, practice administration, and speaking experience. She is enthusiastic about communication and loves helping others find the power that words can bring to their patient interactions and practice dynamics. As a Lead Practice Coach, she is driven to create opportunities to find value in experiences and cultivate new approaches.
Miranda graduated from Old Dominion University, and enjoys spending time with her husband, Chuck, and her children, Trent, Mallory, and Cassidy. Family time is the best time, and is often spent on a golf course, a volleyball court, or spending the day boating at the beach.
Do you ever feel like your practice culture is toxic? In this episode, Kirk Behrendt brings back Adriana Booth, one of ACT’s amazing coaches, to list the seven toxic habits that you might be doing, how they're affecting your culture, and what you can do to create a happier, more committed team. Great culture doesn't happen by accident! To learn how you might be sabotaging your team and what you can do to fix it, listen to Episode 951 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Adriana:
- Join Adriana on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/adriana.booth
- Follow Adriana on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adrimarieb
- Send Courtney an email to learn more about ACT: courtney@actdental.com
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Apple App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/best-practices-association/id6738960360
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Google Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.actdental.join&hl=en_US
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 951: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
- Register to ACT’s BPA for their Guide to Building Trust: https://join.actdental.com/users/sign_in?post_login_redirect=https%3A%2F%2Fjoin.actdental.com%2Fc%2Fpractice-coaching-tools%2Fa-team-playbook-to-maximize-performance-handout#email
- Register to ACT’s BPA for their How Trustworthy Are You? tool: https://join.actdental.com/users/sign_in?post_login_redirect=https%3A%2F%2Fjoin.actdental.com%2Fc%2Fpractice-coaching-tools%2Fhow-trustworthy-are-you#email
- Register to ACT’s BPA for their Rules of Engagement tool: https://join.actdental.com/users/sign_in?post_login_redirect=https%3A%2F%2Fjoin.actdental.com%2Fc%2Fpractice-coaching-tools%2Fact-dental-meeting-rules-for-engagement#email
- Register to ACT’s To The Top Study Club (October 17, 2025): https://www.eventbrite.com/e/climb-with-us-register-for-october-17-2025-ttt-study-club-tickets-1218436780209?aff=odcleoeventsincollection
- Register to ACT’s To The Top Study Club (October 24, 2025): https://www.eventbrite.com/e/climb-with-us-register-for-october-24-2025-ttt-study-club-tickets-1218452908449?aff=odcleoeventsincollection
- Read The Advantage by Patrick Lencioni: https://www.tablegroup.com/product/the-advantage
- Read Traction by Gino Wickman: https://www.eosworldwide.com/traction-book
Main Takeaways:
- Build trust. An absence of trust leads to miscommunication and a fear-based culture.
- Have “itchy conversations”. If you avoid conflict, it will eventually become a crisis.
- Commitment is built by listening. Let your team weigh in so that you get buy-in.
- Create a culture where your team takes accountability and responsibility.
- Your team should be results-driven and have a “we over me” mindset.
- Lead by example. Your behavior is what your team will follow.
- Give feedback — appreciation, evaluation, and coaching.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
1:50 Why this is an important topic.
3:22 Warning signs that your culture is falling apart.
5:57 Toxic habits: Absence of trust.
10:36 Toxic habits: Avoiding conflict conversations.
16:47 Toxic habits: Lack of commitment.
20:00 Toxic habits: Avoiding accountability/responsibility.
24:21 Toxic habits: Inattention to results.
27:51 Toxic habits: Not leading by example.
34:10 Toxic habits: Neglecting feedback.
38:36 ACT BPA tools and resources.
40:53 Final takeaways.
Adriana Booth, BS, RDH Bio:
Adriana Booth is a Lead Practice Coach who partners with dentists and their teams to cultivate leadership skills, build practice growth, and streamline business practices. After spending nearly two decades in the dental industry working with top-notch dental teams, Adriana came to ACT to share her passion for professional growth, high-level training, and systems creation with our clients. As a dental hygienist with a love for continuing education and personal growth, helping a practice become successful is at the heart of her passion for dentistry.
Adriana has a B.S. in Dental Hygiene from West Liberty University/O’Hehir University. By being involved in several Columbus, Ohio, study clubs, Adriana maintains strong relationships within her local dental community. She enjoys a variety of fitness activities, family time, good books, and at the top of her list, her fur babies.
A full schedule is a great thing. But is it stressing out your team? In this episode, Kirk Behrendt brings back Miranda Beeson, ACT’s director of education, to help you reframe your team’s mindset around having and managing a full schedule. To learn how to fill your schedule the right way and celebrate when it’s full, listen to Episode 950 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Miranda:
- Send Miranda an email: miranda@actdental.com
- Follow Miranda on ACT’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/actdental
- Send Courtney an email to learn more about ACT: courtney@actdental.com
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Apple App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/best-practices-association/id6738960360
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Google Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.actdental.join&hl=en_US
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 950: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
- Register for ACT’s To The Top Study Club (October 17, 2025): https://www.eventbrite.com/e/climb-with-us-register-for-october-17-2025-ttt-study-club-tickets-1218436780209?aff=odcleoeventsincollection
- Register for ACT’s To The Top Study Club (October 24, 2025): https://www.eventbrite.com/e/climb-with-us-register-for-october-24-2025-ttt-study-club-tickets-1218452908449?aff=odcleoeventsincollection
- Register for ACT’s Ideal Day Scheduling Guide: https://join.actdental.com/users/sign_in?post_login_redirect=https%3A%2F%2Fjoin.actdental.com%2Fc%2Fpractice-coaching-tools%2Fcolor-coding-block-scheduling-and-ideal-day-scheduling#email
- Register for ACT’s Ideal Day Scheduling course: https://join.actdental.com/users/sign_in
- Register for ACT’s Patient ID System: https://join.actdental.com/users/sign_in?post_login_redirect=https%3A%2F%2Fjoin.actdental.com%2Fc%2Fpractice-coaching-tools%2Fpatient-id-system#email
- Listen to A Tale of Two Hygienists Podcast: https://ataleoftwohygienists.com
Main Takeaways:
- Help your team recognize that a full schedule is good!
- Reframe the schedule as an opportunity when talking to patients.
- Use a patient ID system. Prioritize who and what is in your schedule.
- Strategically fill holes in your schedule with VIP patients, not just anyone.
- Utilize block scheduling — and most importantly, be sure to honor the blocks!
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
0:37 Why this is an important topic.
7:46 Shift your mindset.
14:13 Customize the interval of care for patients.
15:51 The power of a priority list.
17:08 Don't schedule from your “mud” list.
22:43 Customize your text templates.
25:27 Align your team and practice verbal skills.
29:14 Utilize block scheduling.
33:40 Honor the blocks!
38:42 Final thoughts.
42:24 ACT’s BPA.
Miranda Beeson, MS, BSDH Bio:
Miranda Beeson has over 25 years of clinical dental hygiene, front office, practice administration, and speaking experience. She is enthusiastic about communication and loves helping others find the power that words can bring to their patient interactions and practice dynamics. As a Lead Practice Coach, she is driven to create opportunities to find value in experiences and cultivate new approaches.
Miranda graduated from Old Dominion University, and enjoys spending time with her husband, Chuck, and her children, Trent, Mallory, and Cassidy. Family time is the best time, and is often spent on a golf course, a volleyball court, or spending the day boating at the beach.
Maybe it’s uncomfortable, or maybe you're short on time — but are you ignoring the perio conversation with your patients? In this episode, Kirk Behrendt brings back Miranda Beeson, ACT’s director of education, to break down perio visit percentage, the impact it has on your practice, and what to do to improve your numbers. Are you underdiagnosing or defaulting to prophy? To find out if you are and to learn how to fix it, listen to Episode 949 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Miranda:
- Send Miranda an email: miranda@actdental.com
- Follow Miranda on ACT’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/actdental
- Send Courtney an email to learn more about ACT: courtney@actdental.com
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Apple App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/best-practices-association/id6738960360
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Google Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.actdental.join&hl=en_US
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 949: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
- Register for ACT’s To The Top Study Club (October 17, 2025): https://www.eventbrite.com/e/climb-with-us-register-for-october-17-2025-ttt-study-club-tickets-1218436780209?aff=odcleoeventsincollection
- Register for ACT’s To The Top Study Club (October 24, 2025): https://www.eventbrite.com/e/climb-with-us-register-for-october-24-2025-ttt-study-club-tickets-1218452908449?aff=odcleoeventsincollection
- Read Beat the Heart Attack Gene by Dr. Bradley Bale and Dr. Amy Doneen: https://baledoneen.com/bdm-books
Main Takeaways:
- This metric directly impacts hygiene profitability, patient retention, and patient health.
- Align your team on what a healthy periodontium looks like and what to do if it isn't.
- If your practice is healthy, 35% to 45% of hygiene visits will be perio-related.
- Do calibration exercises with a few cases to find gaps in your learning.
- Create a basic decision tree to simplify the perio diagnosis process.
- Ask your patients for their health history to get a fuller picture.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
2:00 Perio visit percentage, explained.
4:14 How this metric impacts the practice.
8:41 What you can do to impact this metric.
14:38 Look at the whole picture.
16:59 ACT’s BPA.
Miranda Beeson, MS, BSDH Bio:
Miranda Beeson has over 25 years of clinical dental hygiene, front office, practice administration, and speaking experience. She is enthusiastic about communication and loves helping others find the power that words can bring to their patient interactions and practice dynamics. As a Lead Practice Coach, she is driven to create opportunities to find value in experiences and cultivate new approaches.
Miranda graduated from Old Dominion University, and enjoys spending time with her husband, Chuck, and her children, Trent, Mallory, and Cassidy. Family time is the best time, and is often spent on a golf course, a volleyball court, or spending the day boating at the beach.
How do you outshine your competition without the ads and billboards? In this episode, Kirk Behrendt brings back Adriana Booth, one of ACT’s amazing coaches, to share one way to make your practice stand out from the crowd. To learn how to find your unique value proposition to get patients through your doors, listen to Episode 948 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Adriana:
- Join Adriana on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/adriana.booth
- Follow Adriana on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adrimarieb
- Send Courtney an email to learn more about ACT: courtney@actdental.com
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Apple App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/best-practices-association/id6738960360
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Google Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.actdental.join&hl=en_US
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 948: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
- Register to ACT’s BPA for their Differentiation tool: https://join.actdental.com/users/sign_in?post_login_redirect=https%3A%2F%2Fjoin.actdental.com%2Fc%2Fpractice-coaching-tools%2Fdifferentiation-tool#email
- Register to ACT’s BPA for their Creating a 6-Star Experience tool: https://join.actdental.com/c/practice-coaching-tools/6-star-experience
- Register for ACT’s To The Top Study Club (October 17, 2025): https://www.eventbrite.com/e/climb-with-us-register-for-october-17-2025-ttt-study-club-tickets-1218436780209?aff=odcleoeventsincollection
- Register for ACT’s To The Top Study Club (October 24, 2025): https://www.eventbrite.com/e/climb-with-us-register-for-october-24-2025-ttt-study-club-tickets-1218452908449?aff=odcleoeventsincollection
- Read Good to Great by Jim Collins: https://bookshop.org/p/books/good-to-great-why-some-companies-make-the-leap-and-other-s-don-t-jim-collins/ec0b317c56aaceb4?ean=9780066620992&next=t
Main Takeaways:
- You truly differentiate by giving patients an experience they can't get elsewhere.
- Your unique value proposition needs to match the experience you deliver.
- What experience or benefits do you offer that your competitors don't?
- Who are your core customers? Identify the patients you want.
- What do you excel at? Identify your core competencies.
- Where do you fall short? Identify your weaknesses.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
2:34 Why this is an important topic.
4:26 Unique value proposition, explained.
5:46 What should your UVP convey?
9:28 ACT’s Differentiation tool.
10:47 Identify your core customers.
13:37 Identify your core competencies.
18:37 Identify your weaknesses.
22:38 Final takeaways.
24:13 ACT’s Creating a 6-Star Experience.
25:36 ACT’s BPA.
Adriana Booth, BS, RDH Bio:
Adriana Booth is a Lead Practice Coach who partners with dentists and their teams to cultivate leadership skills, build practice growth, and streamline business practices. After spending nearly two decades in the dental industry working with top-notch dental teams, Adriana came to ACT to share her passion for professional growth, high-level training, and systems creation with our clients. As a dental hygienist with a love for continuing education and personal growth, helping a practice become successful is at the heart of her passion for dentistry.
Adriana has a B.S. in Dental Hygiene from West Liberty University/O’Hehir University. By being involved in several Columbus, Ohio, study clubs, Adriana maintains strong relationships within her local dental community. She enjoys a variety of fitness activities, family time, good books, and at the top of her list, her fur babies.
You and your team deserve a positive, rewarding work environment. A key piece of that is to optimize the people you currently have. In this episode, Kirk Behrendt brings back Alan Twigg, president of Bent Ericksen & Associates, to share how to address underperformance, ways to fix it, and what to do when nothing seems to work. To learn how to navigate these difficult conversations, listen to Episode 947 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Alan:
- Give Alan a call: (800) 679-2760
- Send Alan an email: alan@bentericksen.com
- Join Bent Ericksen on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BentEricksenAssociates
- Learn more about Bent Ericksen: https://bentericksen.com
- Try Bent Ericksen’s HR Director package: https://bentericksen.com/product/hr-director
- Learn more on Bent Ericksen’s Resource Library: https://bentericksen.com/resource-library
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Apple App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/best-practices-association/id6738960360
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Google Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.actdental.join&hl=en_US
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 947: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
Main Takeaways:
- Learn the five steps of the productive feedback model.
- Outline your expectations and your reason for the conversation.
- Give a warning of potential consequences if their behaviors don't change.
- Invite employees to submit comments. It’s a way to document conversations.
- Set boundaries around communication so that conversations don't get derailed.
- Consider having a witness signature when employees are not being cooperative.
- If you see something, say something. Don't let underperformance go on for years.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
1:18 Why this is an important topic.
3:07 The productive feedback model.
9:01 Why step four of the model is the most important.
11:14 How to ask for commitment.
13:00 Two objectives of heavy corrective action.
16:02 The anatomy of heavy corrective action.
19:25 Tips: How to keep the conversation on the rails.
22:09 Tip: Utilize the pause.
25:59 Tip: Consider a witness signature.
26:51 Tip: Invite written comments.
28:37 Set boundaries around communication.
29:55 More about Bent Ericksen and how to get in touch.
Alan Twigg Bio:
Alan Twigg is the president of Bent Ericksen & Associates. For over 10 years, he has guided thousands of clients and consultants through the ever-changing world of HR and employment compliance. He is a speaker, consultant, and author who is passionate about bringing education and peace of mind to such a confusing topic.
As a strong proponent of symbiotic employer-employee relations, Alan is passionate about teamwork and positive work cultures, with an emphasis on long-term personnel retention and employment compliance, where his solutions-oriented outlook excels.
How do you know if you're serving your patients well? In this episode, Kirk Behrendt brings back Miranda Beeson, ACT’s director of education, to share two metrics that will help both your patients and your practice get healthy. To learn more about perio diagnostic percentage, perio acceptance percentage, and how to improve these numbers, listen to Episode 946 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Miranda:
- Send Miranda an email: miranda@actdental.com
- Follow Miranda on ACT’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/actdental
- Send Courtney an email to learn more about ACT: courtney@actdental.com
- Send Gina an email to learn more about ACT: gina@actdental.com
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Apple App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/best-practices-association/id6738960360
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Google Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.actdental.join&hl=en_US
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 946: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
- Register for ACT’s To The Top Study Club (October 17, 2025): https://www.eventbrite.com/e/climb-with-us-register-for-october-17-2025-ttt-study-club-tickets-1218436780209?aff=odcleoeventsincollection
- Register for ACT’s To The Top Study Club (October 24, 2025): https://www.eventbrite.com/e/climb-with-us-register-for-october-24-2025-ttt-study-club-tickets-1218452908449?aff=odcleoeventsincollection
Main Takeaways:
- Align your team on what healthy looks like.
- Clearly define your optimal standards of care.
- Calibrate on what to do when patients aren't healthy.
- Be aligned on how you present information to patients.
- Build trust and value for your patients to increase acceptance.
- Patients invested in periodontal health will explore restorative health.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
2:46 Why this is an important topic.
5:04 Perio diagnostic percentage and perio acceptance percentage, explained.
7:28 How these percentages impact the practice.
10:13 Healthy ranges and how to impact this metric.
13:30 Align on what healthy looks like.
15:52 ACT’s BPA.
Miranda Beeson, MS, BSDH Bio:
Miranda Beeson has over 25 years of clinical dental hygiene, front office, practice administration, and speaking experience. She is enthusiastic about communication and loves helping others find the power that words can bring to their patient interactions and practice dynamics. As a Lead Practice Coach, she is driven to create opportunities to find value in experiences and cultivate new approaches.
Miranda graduated from Old Dominion University, and enjoys spending time with her husband, Chuck, and her children, Trent, Mallory, and Cassidy. Family time is the best time, and is often spent on a golf course, a volleyball court, or spending the day boating at the beach.
Most days, we are online. But how often do we think about cybersecurity? In this episode, Kirk Behrendt brings in Travis Wentworth, cybersecurity expert from Intelligence Quest, to share the safeguards to put in place to reduce your risks and protect your patients and practice from common cybersecurity threats. Don't take cybersecurity for granted! To learn the best practices to stay ahead of cyberattacks, listen to Episode 945 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Travis:
- Follow Travis on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/travis_iq
- Join Travis on Twitter: https://x.com/travisiq
- Learn more about Intelligence Quest: https://intelligencequest.com
- Watch Intelligence Quest on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@intelligencequest
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Apple App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/best-practices-association/id6738960360
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Google Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.actdental.join&hl=en_US
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 945: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
- Protect yourself with Sentinel One: https://www.sentinelone.com
- Protect yourself with Splashtop: https://www.splashtop.com
- Protect yourself with YubiKey: https://www.yubico.com
- Protect yourself with LastPass: https://www.lastpass.com
Main Takeaways:
- Don't be complacent with cybersecurity.
- Find a great, trustworthy IT group to work with.
- Know the questions to ask your managed service provider.
- Never panic when cybersecurity issues arise. Have protocols in place.
- Make sure your team is comfortable coming to you with questions or issues.
- Be diligent with knowledge transfer, password management, and phishing awareness.
- Use a guest network for all of your patients. Don't allow non-authenticated users access.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
0:53 Travis’s background.
2:17 The current state of cybersecurity.
5:17 Cybersecurity insurance and the evolution of technology in the dental space.
6:54 Managed service providers, explained.
8:07 Questions to ask your managed service providers.
11:19 What an IT group does for a dental office.
13:33 Cybersecurity best practices: Knowledge transfer.
16:50 Cybersecurity best practices: Password management.
21:54 Cybersecurity best practices: Phishing awareness.
24:56 Set checks and balances and policies in place.
26:51 Your team should be comfortable coming to you with questions.
29:16 Be wary of using direct payment options.
30:54 Solutions: Guest networks and segmentation.
39:19 Solutions: Resolving technical and cybersecurity issues.
42:41 Final thoughts.
45:20 More about Intelligence Quest and how to get in touch with Travis.
Travis Wentworth Bio:
Dr. Travis Wentworth has been training students in engineering, networking, and cybersecurity for over a decade. He received his PhD in engineering from the University of Kansas in 2015 and completed a Postdoctoral Research fellowship at the University of Chalmers in Gothenburg, Sweden. While there, he was part of the world-renowned research group led by Dr. Louise Olsson and had the privilege to work with the European Union, Swedish Research Council, Volvo, and Chalmers University.
As a researcher, instructor, and consultant, Travis has presented his technical content to far-reaching corners of the globe including China, Germany, and Sweden, to name a few. Returning to the United States in 2017, he narrowed his emphasis to cybersecurity and networking training.
Travis has a diverse background with a proclivity in the acquisition and analysis of public and proprietary data. He is a published author in numerous peer-reviewed journals for computer modeling and catalysis and is well-versed in programming, networking, data acquisition, and cybersecurity.
Dentistry is a difficult and demanding profession. But with the right people and the right resources, you can make it rewarding and worthwhile. In this episode, Kirk Behrendt brings in Dr. Louis Kaufman from Smile Source Chicago to share his journey from his time at Burger King to becoming a successful practice owner. To hear about his incredible path and the lessons he’s learned, listen to Episode 944 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Dr. Kaufman:
- Follow Dr. Kaufman on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kaufmanlouis
- Register for the 2025 Smile Source Exchange: https://sstheexchange25.eventscribe.net
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Apple App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/best-practices-association/id6738960360
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Google Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.actdental.join&hl=en_US
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 944: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
- Read Never Die Easy by Walter Payton and Don Yaeger: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/128589/never-die-easy-by-walter-payton-with-don-yaeger
Main Takeaways:
- Attend the Smile Source Exchange, not just for the CE but to find your community.
- Take continuing education. It will play a big role in your life and your practice.
- Always look ahead to the next year. Be intentional in planning your life.
- Don't let your current financial burden define your next ten years.
- Be around and listen to other experienced entrepreneurs.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
0:43 From Burger King to dental school.
7:23 After dental school and taking CE.
11:18 Purchasing the practice and helping it evolve.
15:33 The best business decisions Dr. Kaufman has made.
16:59 A week in Dr. Kaufman’s life.
19:58 The biggest challenges for young dentists today.
22:28 Dr. Kaufman’s history with Smile Source.
28:58 GPO, explained.
31:47 The importance of being around other entrepreneurs.
34:23 Why you should attend Smile Source Exchange.
37:26 The next chapter for Dr. Kaufman.
39:16 Final thoughts.
Dr. Louis Kaufman Bio:
Dr. Louis Kaufman is a nationally recognized educator, author, and practicing clinician. Born into a dental family, Dr. Kaufman is a graduate of the University of Illinois School of Dentistry. In 1995, he joined his father’s well-established, 50-year-old general dentistry practice treating third and fourth generation patients.
Dr. Kaufman is a member of the Chicago Dental Society, the Illinois State Dental Society, Academy of General Dentistry, American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry, and the American Dental Association. He also serves on the advisory board of numerous dental manufacturers, consults on product development, and educates clinicians around the globe. He lectures at approximately 20 continuing education programs annually and has published numerous articles focused on restorative and cosmetic dentistry.
Do your patients value and trust what you're providing? There's an easy way for you to find out! In this episode, Kirk Behrendt brings back Miranda Beeson, ACT’s director of education, to share a metric that shows how many patients are truly connected to your practice and what to do if your numbers are dwindling. To learn the low-cost way to boost your active patient and active hygiene patient count, listen to Episode 943 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Miranda:
- Send Miranda an email: miranda@actdental.com
- Follow Miranda on ACT’s Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/actdental
- Send Courtney an email to learn more about ACT: courtney@actdental.com
- Send Gina an email to learn more about ACT: gina@actdental.com
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show:https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association:https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Apple App Store:https://apps.apple.com/us/app/best-practices-association/id6738960360
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Google Play Store:https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.actdental.join&hl=en_US
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club:https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free:https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast:https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 943:https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
- Register for ACT’s To The Top Study Club (October 17, 2025):https://www.eventbrite.com/e/climb-with-us-register-for-october-17-2025-ttt-study-club-tickets-1218436780209?aff=odcleoeventsincollection
- Register for ACT’s To The Top Study Club (October 24, 2025):https://www.eventbrite.com/e/climb-with-us-register-for-october-24-2025-ttt-study-club-tickets-1218452908449?aff=odcleoeventsincollection
Main Takeaways:
- Use value-building language when re-appointing patients.
- Create a reactivation system or patients going inactive system.
- Actively recapture inactive family members of your active patients.
- Over 85% of your patients should be re-appointed for their next hygiene visit.
- Always re-appoint patients for their next hygiene visit before they leave your practice.
- Your hygiene re-appointment shouldn't be 100%. Free up patients that aren't a good fit.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
2:36 Hygiene re-appointment percentage, explained.
6:12 Why this is an important topic.
10:24 Ways to impact this metric.
16:37 ACT’s BPA.
Miranda Beeson, MS, BSDH Bio:
Miranda Beeson has over 25 years of clinical dental hygiene, front office, practice administration, and speaking experience. She is enthusiastic about communication and loves helping others find the power that words can bring to their patient interactions and practice dynamics. As a Lead Practice Coach, she is driven to create opportunities to find value in experiences and cultivate new approaches.
Miranda graduated from Old Dominion University, and enjoys spending time with her husband, Chuck, and her children, Trent, Mallory, and Cassidy. Family time is the best time, and is often spent on a golf course, a volleyball court, or spending the day boating at the beach.
Retaining patients is important — but it’s not enough for long-term success! In this episode, Kirk Behrendt brings back Miranda Beeson, ACT’s director of education, to share a framework and system for rethinking retention and creating loyal patients who advocate for your practice. To learn how to create lasting relationships with the ultimate patient experience, listen to Episode 942 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Miranda:
- Send Miranda an email: miranda@actdental.com
- Follow Miranda on ACT’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/actdental
- Send Courtney an email: courtney@actdental.com
- Send Gina an email: gina@actdental.com
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Apple App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/best-practices-association/id6738960360
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Google Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.actdental.join&hl=en_US
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 942: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
- Register for ACT’s BPA to access Creating a 6-Star Patient Experience: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Register for ACT’s To The Top Study Club (October 17, 2025): https://www.eventbrite.com/e/climb-with-us-register-for-october-17-2025-ttt-study-club-tickets-1218436780209?aff=odcleoeventsincollection
- Register for ACT’s To The Top Study Club (October 24, 2025): https://www.eventbrite.com/e/climb-with-us-register-for-october-24-2025-ttt-study-club-tickets-1218452908449?aff=odcleoeventsincollection
Main Takeaways:
- Don't spend all your time, effort, money, and energy just on acquiring new patients.
- When patients don't feel connected, they will quietly disappear and never return.
- Retention starts with how patients feel. Create an amazing patient experience.
- Patients will return when you make them feel seen, supported, and valued.
- Build value from the first time a patient calls to when they exit your office.
- Loyal patients will refer you to other patients who are just like them.
- Show gratitude. Without your patients, you don't have a practice.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
2:40 ACT’s BPA, TTT, and Pro Coaching.
5:02 Why this is an important topic.
9:33 Rethink new patients and existing patients.
12:33 APV and net patient growth, explained.
18:46 Practice example of APV.
20:36 Q&A: Is APV reported in Dental Intel?
22:30 Practice example of net patient growth.
23:46 Recaptured patients and lost patients, explained.
27:15 Practice example of net patient growth, continued.
30:25 ACT’s Creating a 6-Star Patient Experience resource.
32:06 Guide your patients through the initial phone call.
36:05 Value your existing patients.
36:53 Q&A: How to guide patients after saying, “Yes, we’re taking new patients”.
39:33 The initial phone call, first visit, first hand-off, chair time, and patient exit.
47:48 Evaluate the four key follow-up systems.
51:30 Final takeaways.
59:54 Q&A: Does APV change based on if you're fee-for-service or a high PPO practice?
1:01:14 Q&A: Is there a new patient goal for an office with three dentists and five hygienists?
Miranda Beeson, MS, BSDH Bio:
Miranda Beeson has over 25 years of clinical dental hygiene, front office, practice administration, and speaking experience. She is enthusiastic about communication and loves helping others find the power that words can bring to their patient interactions and practice dynamics. As a Lead Practice Coach, she is driven to create opportunities to find value in experiences and cultivate new approaches.
Miranda graduated from Old Dominion University, and enjoys spending time with her husband, Chuck, and her children, Trent, Mallory, and Cassidy. Family time is the best time, and is often spent on a golf course, a volleyball court, or spending the day boating at the beach.
Are you feeling exhausted, unfulfilled, and unhappy? It doesn't have to stay that way! In this episode, Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. Kevin Groth, a long-time ACT client, to share his journey from rock-bottom to success and the steps you can take to find fulfillment and happiness. To learn how to reframe adversity and make your life better, listen to Episode 941 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Dr. Groth:
- Give Dr. Groth a call: (248) 229-9380
- Send Dr. Groth an email: kevingroth@gmail.com
- Join Dr. Groth on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/grothdental
- Follow Dr. Groth on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drkevingroth
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Apple App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/best-practices-association/id6738960360
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Google Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.actdental.join&hl=en_US
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 941: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
- Read Buy Back Your Time by Dan Martell: https://www.buybackyourtime.com
- Read Die with Zero by Bill Perkins: https://www.diewithzerobook.com/welcome
Main Takeaways:
- Out of every adversity comes opportunities.
- Don't try to hide and solve problems on your own.
- Stop trying to do it all. Delegate to protect your time.
- Learn how to take care of your physical and mental health.
- Identify the things that will simplify your life. Simplicity leads to joy.
- Start saying no more often — especially to things you don't want to do.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
1:34 Hitting rock-bottom.
5:52 The evolution of Dr. Groth’s practice style.
8:47 Reframing adversity.
10:16 Simplicity, defined.
12:59 Deciding to drop insurance.
17:21 The importance of having a great team.
20:09 Learn to take care of yourself.
26:20 Don't try to do it all.
28:44 Protect your time.
31:30 Hardship brings opportunities.
33:09 Find ways to simplify your life.
36:12 Say no more often.
38:26 Final thoughts.
40:04 How to get in touch with Dr. Groth.
Dr. Kevin Groth Bio:
Dr. Kevin Groth’s primary goal is for every person to walk out of his office knowing that they received the highest-quality, most personalized care possible. Dentistry is more than just a profession for Dr. Groth. He sees every patient as an extension of his own family. When you are in his chair, you’ll always be treated well. His favorite part of being a dentist is that every day and every patient is different. He loves the variety of people he gets to meet and procedures he performs to help patients maintain their smiles.
Since graduating from the University of Michigan School of Dentistry, Dr. Groth has been recognized locally by Hour Detroit Magazine as a Top Dentist, and nationally as a Top Doc. As a passionate dentist who wants to provide the best care for his patients, he pursues continuing education through The Dawson Academy, serves on the executive board of the Periodontal Bunting Society, and is the Assistant Clinical Director of the Society of Comprehensive Dentists. He has also served as an adjunct clinical faculty member at the University of Michigan School of Dentistry.
You will always need new patients. But you also need to keep your current patients active — especially through hygiene! In this episode, Kirk Behrendt brings back Miranda Beeson, ACT’s director of education, to break down why hygiene re-appointment matters and what you can do to improve your numbers. To learn the easiest way to increase revenue without chasing production, listen to Episode 940 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Miranda:
- Send Miranda an email: miranda@actdental.com
- Follow Miranda on ACT’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/actdental
- Send Courtney an email for your practice assessment: courtney@actdental.com
- Send Gina an email for your practice assessment: gina@actdental.com
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Apple App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/best-practices-association/id6738960360
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Google Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.actdental.join&hl=en_US
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 940: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
- Register for ACT’s To The Top Study Club (October 17, 2025): https://www.eventbrite.com/e/climb-with-us-register-for-october-17-2025-ttt-study-club-tickets-1218436780209?aff=odcleoeventsincollection
- Register for ACT’s To The Top Study Club (October 24, 2025): https://www.eventbrite.com/e/climb-with-us-register-for-october-24-2025-ttt-study-club-tickets-1218452908449?aff=odcleoeventsincollection
Main Takeaways:
- Aim to have 85% or higher in hygiene re-appointment.
- Assess your recare, patient education, and scheduling systems.
- Always pre-schedule patients before they leave for their next recare visit.
- Don't just focus on getting new patients. Find ways to reactivate inactive patients.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
1:17 Active patients and active hygiene patients, explained.
3:11 What active patient count tells you.
6:02 Do more with the patients you already have.
9:34 Ways to impact hygiene re-appointment percentage.
12:24 How ACT can help your practice.
13:33 Last thoughts.
Miranda Beeson, MS, BSDH Bio:
Miranda Beeson has over 25 years of clinical dental hygiene, front office, practice administration, and speaking experience. She is enthusiastic about communication and loves helping others find the power that words can bring to their patient interactions and practice dynamics. As a Lead Practice Coach, she is driven to create opportunities to find value in experiences and cultivate new approaches.
Miranda graduated from Old Dominion University, and enjoys spending time with her husband, Chuck, and her children, Trent, Mallory, and Cassidy. Family time is the best time, and is often spent on a golf course, a volleyball court, or spending the day boating at the beach.
Do you want more control over your life? Then it’s time to invest in yourself and your practice! In this episode, Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. Lenny Hess, senior clinical director at The Dawson Academy, to talk about the best investment you can make: your education. He shares how the upcoming seven-course curriculum will transform your thinking and lead you to a more fulfilling career and balanced life. To learn more about Dawson’s Core Curriculum and what it can offer, listen to Episode 939 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Dr. Hess:
- Join Dr. Hess on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/leonard.hess.7
- Follow Dr. Hess on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drlennyhess
- Register for Dawsons’s Core Curriculum at The Dawson Academy: https://thedawsonacademy.com/courses/core-1-occlusion-smile-design
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Apple App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/best-practices-association/id6738960360
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Google Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.actdental.join&hl=en_US
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 939: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
Main Takeaways:
- Build a practice that supports your life. Don't spend your life supporting your practice.
- You aren't just in the tooth business as a dentist. You're also in a people business.
- Dentistry is a marathon, not a sprint. Work on making meaningful changes.
- Don't be afraid to invest in yourself. Now is the best time to do it.
- The Dawson Academy is one of the best places to learn.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
0:43 How Dr. Peter Dawson touched their lives.
4:15 Dr. Hess’s background.
8:58 People will always pay for quality.
10:45 Create the 50/50 balance.
14:16 Dr. Hess’s course demographics.
16:29 The Dawson Academy’s banner year.
18:27 Wear and managing forces, explained.
21:17 Dr. Hess’s philosophy.
25:17 The seven-course Core Curriculum.
29:35 The evolution of dental education.
33:59 The golden age of dentistry, explained.
35:31 Are DSOs taking over?
40:08 The five-year chunk for Dr. Hess.
43:11 Advice for younger dentists.
Dr. Leonard Hess Bio:
Dr. Leonard Hess, DDS, joined the Dawson faculty in 2009 and is now the Senior Clinical Director at The Dawson Academy. He owns Union County Center for Comprehensive Dentistry in Charlotte, North Carolina, and he practices full-time in addition to teaching continuing education courses. He is a member of the editorial board for Inside Dentistry and has had over 17 articles published in peer-reviewed journals. He is also a member of the American Academy of Restorative Dentistry, AACD, ADA, AES, and NCDS.
Dr. Hess began teaching continuing education courses in 2005. The topics include occlusion, smile design, treatment planning, preparation design, and practice integration of complete dentistry. He has taught full-day continuing education courses at the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry’s national meeting, The Greater New York Dental Meeting, AACD National Meeting, Pacific Dental Conference, Ontario Dental Association meeting, and The Yankee Dental Conference. Dr. Hess has also taught courses in Japan, Germany, Poland, China, and Canada.
You're good at planning your vacations. But how about planning for your business? In this episode, Kirk Behrendt brings back Ariel Siegel, one of ACT’s amazing coaches, to break down how to strategically plan for your future and build a thriving practice. When you fail to plan, you are planning to fail! To learn how to make a great plan for a great future, listen to Episode 938 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Ariel:
- Send Ariel an email: ariel@actdental.com
- Follow Ariel on ACT’s Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/actdental
- Send Courtney an email to learn more about ACT: courtney@actdental.com
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show:https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association:https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Apple App Store:https://apps.apple.com/us/app/best-practices-association/id6738960360
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Google Play Store:https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.actdental.join&hl=en_US
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club:https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free:https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast:https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 938:https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
- Register for ACT’s To The Top Study Club (October 17, 2025):https://www.eventbrite.com/e/climb-with-us-register-for-october-17-2025-ttt-study-club-tickets-1218436780209?aff=odcleoeventsincollection
- Register for ACT’s To The Top Study Club (October 24, 2025):https://www.eventbrite.com/e/climb-with-us-register-for-october-24-2025-ttt-study-club-tickets-1218452908449?aff=odcleoeventsincollection
- Join ACT’s BPA for their SWOT Analysis tool:https://join.actdental.com/users/sign_in?post_login_redirect=https%3A%2F%2Fjoin.actdental.com%2Fc%2Fpractice-coaching-tools%2Fswot-analysis-tool-with-examples#email
- Join ACT’s BPA for their OGT tool:https://join.actdental.com/users/sign_in?post_login_redirect=https%3A%2F%2Fjoin.actdental.com%2Fc%2Fpractice-coaching-tools%2Fogt-tool-outcomes-goals-target#email
Main Takeaways:
- Failure is a consequence of not having a plan.
- A thriving practice doesn't just happen! It happens with planning.
- With the right tools and strategies, planning won't be as hard as you think.
- Analyze the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats in your business.
- Use the SWOT analysis to plan and create an aligned, smart, and healthy practice.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
1:38 Why this is an important topic.
7:02 SWOT analysis, explained.
10:05 The three pillars for success: Aligned.
19:10 The three pillars for success: Smart.
22:30 The three pillars for success: Healthy.
25:34 Select key areas to focus your planning.
29:52 Final takeaways.
32:42 About ACT’s To The Top, tools, and resources.
Ariel Juday Bio:
Ariel has a master’s in healthcare administration and several years of dental experience in all aspects of the administrative roles within the dental office. Her passion is to work with dental teams to empower team members to realize their full potential in order to better serve patients, improve office systems to ensure a well-functioning team/office, and to help everyone have fun in the process!
Over 50% of practices are either thinking about or starting to move out of network. It’s a trend that's not slowing down! In this episode, Kirk Behrendt brings back Dave Monahan, founder and CEO of Kleer, to share the shocking data behind going out of network and why you’ll wish you had done it sooner. To learn all the benefits of going out of network for you and your patients, listen to Episode 937 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Dave:
- Send Dave an email: dave@kleer.com
- Follow Kleer-Membersy on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/clerri_official
- Learn more about Kleer-Membersy: https://clerri.com
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Apple App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/best-practices-association/id6738960360
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Google Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.actdental.join&hl=en_US
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 937: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
Main Takeaways:
- More practices than ever are thinking about or going out of network.
- Going out of network doesn’t mean you will lose the majority of your patients.
- Whether you're going fully or partially out of network, adopt a membership plan.
- Membership plans are cost-effective for patients and will be better for your practice.
- Start by dropping your lowest producing insurer. You'll wish you had started it sooner!
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
1:50 Are dentists going out of network?
4:56 Why are large insurance companies purchasing dental practices?
7:09 How many patients will you lose if you go out of network?
9:34 What happens if dental insurance disappears?
13:14 Final thoughts.
14:18 More about Kleer-Membersy.
Dave Monahan Bio:
Dave Monahan is the CEO of Kleer, an advanced, cloud-based platform that enables dentists to easily design and manage their own membership plan and offer it directly to their patients. Kleer is turn-key and free to implement. Their mission is simple: partner with dentists to increase the value of their practices by making dental care accessible and affordable to everyone.
Establishing core values is the most important thing you will do for your practice. But core values aren’t just words on the wall! In this episode, Kirk Behrendt brings back Heather Crockett, one of ACT’s amazing coaches, to share how to keep your core values alive and prevent them from becoming stale over time. To learn how to make core values the heartbeat of your practice, listen to Episode 936 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Heather:
- Send Heather an email: heather@actdental.com
- Join Heather on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/heather.r.crockett
- Follow Heather on ACT’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/actdental
- Send Kirk an email: kirk@actdental.com
- Send Courtney an email: courtney@actdental.com
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Apple App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/best-practices-association/id6738960360
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Google Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.actdental.join&hl=en_US
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 936: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
- Join ACT’s BPA for their Identifying Your Core Values resource: https://join.actdental.com/users/sign_in?post_login_redirect=https%3A%2F%2Fjoin.actdental.com%2Fc%2Fpractice-coaching-tools%2Flencioni-s-core-value-diagram#email
- Join ACT’s BPA for their How to Bring Your Core Values Alive resource: https://join.actdental.com/users/sign_in?post_login_redirect=https%3A%2F%2Fjoin.actdental.com%2Fc%2Fdiscussions%2Fhow-to-bring-core-values-alive#email
- Read Traction by Gino Wickman: https://benbellabooks.com/shop/traction
Main Takeaways:
- Use your core values as decision-making filters. They will guide your culture.
- Core values can be on your walls. But they need to be alive in your halls!
- Talk about your core values constantly. You can't just set it and forget it.
- Embed your core values into your hiring process to identify red flags.
- Create exercises to help your team remember your core values.
- Find ways to include patients in your core values journey.
- Give recognition when core values are represented.
- Share your core values through storytelling.
- Track shout-outs and core values usage.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
1:20 Why this is an important topic.
2:59 Core values are your filter.
4:48 Use storytelling to share your core values.
9:36 Recruit and onboard using your core values.
12:31 Tie performance evaluations to core values and use positive reinforcement.
15:36 Include your community.
19:05 Create themes and use daily reinforcement.
23:00 Final takeaways.
Heather Crockett Bio:
Heather Crockett is a Lead Practice Coach who finds joy in not only improving practices but improving the lives of those she coaches as well. With over 20 years of combined experience in assisting, office management, and clinical dental hygiene, her awareness supports many aspects of the practice setting.
Heather received her dental hygiene degree from the Utah College of Dental Hygiene in 2008. Networking in the dental community comes easy to her, and she loves to connect with like-minded colleagues on social media. Heather enjoys both attending and presenting continuing education to expand her knowledge and learn from her friends and colleagues.
She enjoys hanging out with her husband, three sons, and their dog, Moki, scrolling through social media, watching football, and traveling.
Are you unhappy with your practice and feeling stuck? In this episode, Kirk Behrendt brings in Dr. Pamela Maragliano, chief editor of Dental Economics, to inspire you with her journey to pursue excellence with confidence. Stop compromising your values to make others happy! To learn how to build your ideal vision, team, and practice, listen to Episode 935 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Dr. Maragliano:
- Follow Dr. Maragliano on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drpamela_maragliano
- Listen to Dentistry Unmasked podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/37jqQgIVQQhZpJ6cx3hs1K
- Learn more about Dental Economics: https://www.dentaleconomics.com
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Apple App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/best-practices-association/id6738960360
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Google Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.actdental.join&hl=en_US
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 935: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
Main Takeaways:
- Don't compromise your values — especially for a team that doesn't care.
- Create a mission and a vision for your practice to attract your people.
- If you're not happy with your practice, do something about it!
- Stop wasting time with negative people or energy suckers.
- Always keep looking for the right team members.
- Be open and enjoy the ride for your career.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
1:00 Dr. Maragliano’s background.
6:02 Challenges in transitioning from hygienist, to prosthodontist, to practice owner.
7:43 Dr. Maragliano’s treatment style philosophy.
10:27 The current state and trends in dentistry.
12:31 Don't compromise your values.
16:00 Figure out your non-negotiables.
18:48 Find the right people and create a mission.
21:47 Values, explained.
27:02 Don't stop looking.
31:41 Have a ride-or-die in your office.
35:35 Have people you trust and give them autonomy.
38:10 Final thoughts.
40:12 More about Dr. Maragliano and how to get in touch.
Dr. Pamela Maragliano Bio:
Dr. Pamela Maragliano, DMD, is the chief editor of Dental Economics. Based in Salem, Massachusetts, Dr. Maragliano began her clinical career as a dental hygienist. She went on to attend Tufts University School of Dental Medicine where she earned her doctorate in dental medicine. She then attended the University of California, Los Angeles, School of Dental Medicine, where she became board-certified in prosthodontics. Dr. Maragliano owns a private practice, Salem Dental Arts, and lectures on a variety of clinical topics.
Uninsured patients are afraid of the dentist. But it’s not the pain they're scared of! They don't have coverage, and they're anxious about the cost. In this episode, Kirk Behrendt brings back Dave Monahan, founder and CEO of Kleer, to share how to remove this barrier and grow your collections by 182%. To learn the easier way to get patients through the door and accept treatment, listen to Episode 934 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Dave:
- Send Dave an email: dave@kleer.com
- Follow Kleer-Membersy on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/clerri_official
- Learn more about Kleer-Membersy’s case studies: https://clerri.com
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Apple App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/best-practices-association/id6738960360
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Google Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.actdental.join&hl=en_US
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 934: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
Main Takeaways:
- Focus on getting existing patients to come in more often and accept needed treatment.
- Uninsured patients avoid dentists mostly due to lack of coverage and fear of cost.
- Patients with coverage, such as a membership plan, come in twice as much.
- Membership plans increase treatment presentation and acceptance.
- You will keep more of what you produce with a membership plan.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
1:56 Engage your existing patients.
4:05 Coverage, defined.
6:06 Kleer’s case study data.
11:09 Collections is the most important metric.
12:58 Average discount percentages.
14:59 Final thoughts.
16:03 More about Kleer-Membersy.
Dave Monahan Bio:
Dave Monahan is the CEO of Kleer, an advanced, cloud-based platform that enables dentists to easily design and manage their own membership plan and offer it directly to their patients. Kleer is turn-key and free to implement. Their mission is simple: partner with dentists to increase the value of their practices by making dental care accessible and affordable to everyone.
Do you ever wish you had a second set of eyes — without the headache of opinions and emotions? Well, now it’s possible! In this episode, Kirk Behrendt brings back Mike Buckner, executive vice president of revenue at Pearl, to showcase the impact of using AI to provide better care for your patients. To learn how AI will help you detect problems earlier, more accurately, and even more quickly, listen to Episode 933 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Mike:
- Send Mike an email: mike@hellopearl.com
- Follow Mike on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mikebucknerpearl
- To connect, learn more about Pearl, and receive exclusive ACT Dental Partner benefits, please visit https://pages.hellopearl.com/act
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Apple App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/best-practices-association/id6738960360
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Google Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.actdental.join&hl=en_US
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 933: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
- Read Buy Back Your Time by Dan Martell: https://www.buybackyourtime.com
Main Takeaways:
- Think of AI as a spell check tool. It can help you do more and save time.
- AI, in recent years, has become even better with diagnostic accuracy.
- Reduce insurance claims headaches with AI's flagging system.
- Increase your confidence by using AI as a second opinion.
- With AI, you will be able to provide better patient care.
- Appoint a team member to be your “AI researcher”.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
0:42 Buy Back Your Time.
2:51 AI, explained.
5:56 How quickly is AI learning?
9:18 The impact of poor X-ray quality.
13:16 How the AI flagging system works.
14:02 AI helps you provide better care.
15:47 Final thoughts.
17:09 More about Pearl AI.
Mike Buckner Bio:
Mike has spent the last 12 years growing dental software technology companies that are designed to streamline office efficiency and increase overall production while elevating the standard of care for your patients.
Mike has led business development and partner strategy for Solutionreach back when offices were just starting to text patients to confirm appointments. He then helped grow Dental Intelligence, focusing on providing valuable insights to practices, allowing them to focus on vital key performance indicators to improve overall practice health.
Following that, Mike joined Weave while it was in its infancy, leading partnership growth strategies. His most recent endeavor finds him as the Executive Vice President of Revenue at Pearl, the first company to bring Artificial Intelligence into the dental space with comprehensive FDA clearance to assist clinicians and team members in reading and detecting pathologies in 2D X-rays (Bitewings and PAs).
You don't need to work harder, and you don't need to produce more. You just need to collect what you're owed! In this episode, Kirk Behrendt brings back Robyn Theisen, one of ACT’s amazing coaches, to show you how much money you're leaving on the table and how to tighten your collection gap. To learn how to start collecting 100%, listen to Episode 932 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Robyn:
- Send Robyn an email: robyn@actdental.com
- Follow Robyn on ACT’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/actdental
- Send Courtney an email: courtney@actdental.com
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Apple App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/best-practices-association/id6738960360
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Google Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.actdental.join&hl=en_US
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 932: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
- Register to ACT’s BPA for GAPs at a Glance: https://join.actdental.com/users/sign_in?post_login_redirect=https%3A%2F%2Fjoin.actdental.com%2Fc%2Fpractice-coaching-tools%2Ffinancial-gaps-at-a-glance#email
Main Takeaways:
- 95% sounds pretty good. But collecting 95% of your collectible production is not an “A”.
- Your issue isn't collections — it’s not having firm and strong financial arrangements.
- Financial conversations start at the front. Empower your team with confidence.
- Verbal skills matter. Be aligned with your language when asking for payment.
- Do consistent billing and follow-ups and have someone own these systems.
- It’s not about producing more, but about collecting everything you produce.
- Improving collections even by 1% or 2% has huge gains over time.
- Always aim to collect 100% of what you net produce.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
1:45 The collection gap, explained.
2:43 95% is not an “A” when it comes to collections.
5:11 What your collection percentage should be and why it might be off track.
8:48 The impact of gaps on your overhead percentage.
11:14 Collect 100%.
12:36 Shrink the collections gap for true profitability.
14:26 Verbal skills matter.
15:29 Know your numbers.
16:17 Understand what 1% or 2% means over time.
16:42 Final takeaways.
Robyn Theisen Bio:
Robyn Theisen brings an entire life and legacy of dental experience to the team and every team with which she works as the daughter and sister of dentists. With almost 20 years of experience in dentistry, her roles ranged from practice management to operations at Patterson Dental to coaching teams. Robyn’s passion is empowering teams to realize that they can dramatically impact the lives of the people they serve by implementing skills and systems to remove barriers to life-changing dental treatment. She has done it for decades and does it every day with dental teams.
Outside of coaching, she enjoys time with her husband, Rob, and two daughters, Emerson and Ruby. She loves traveling, music, fitness, and cheering on the Michigan State Spartans.
You want to fill your practice with cash-paying patients. But being uninsured doesn't mean more loyalty and more treatment! In this episode, Kirk Behrendt brings back Dave Monahan, founder and CEO of Kleer, to share some shocking data on cash-paying patients and why you need to invest in a membership plan for your practice. To learn how to increase the number of ideal, cash-paying patients, listen to Episode 931 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Dave:
- Send Dave an email: dave@kleer.com
- Follow Kleer-Membersy on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/clerri_official
- Learn more about Kleer-Membersy: https://clerri.com
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Apple App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/best-practices-association/id6738960360
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Google Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.actdental.join&hl=en_US
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 931: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
- Learn more about Pearl Street Dental Partners: https://www.pearlstreetdentalpartners.com
Main Takeaways:
- Don't assume that your uninsured patients are paying full fee. They aren't!
- Study the data between active cash patients versus membership patients.
- Membership plans will attract and retain patients with better patient care.
- Moving cash-paying patients to a membership can double your metrics.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
1:54 Why these metrics are important.
3:48 Pearl Street case study.
8:08 Active patients, explained.
9:27 Data on uninsured patients versus membership patients.
12:48 Data on discounts for uninsured patients versus membership patients.
14:52 Final thoughts.
16:34 More about Kleer-Membersy.
Dave Monahan Bio:
Dave Monahan is the CEO of Kleer, an advanced, cloud-based platform that enables dentists to easily design and manage their own membership plan and offer it directly to their patients. Kleer is turn-key and free to implement. Their mission is simple: partner with dentists to increase the value of their practices by making dental care accessible and affordable to everyone.
Time is the one thing you can't buy back. Once it’s gone, it’s gone! In this episode, Kirk Behrendt brings back Mike Buckner, executive vice president of revenue at Pearl, to talk about AI and how it can help you and your team be more efficient in your practice. To learn how to free up time for the things that matter most, listen to Episode 930 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Mike:
- Send Mike an email: mike@hellopearl.com
- Follow Mike on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mikebucknerpearl
- To connect, learn more about Pearl, and receive exclusive ACT Dental Partner benefits, please visit https://pages.hellopearl.com/act
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Apple App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/best-practices-association/id6738960360
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Google Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.actdental.join&hl=en_US
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 930: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
- Read Buy Back Your Time by Dan Martell: https://www.buybackyourtime.com
Main Takeaways:
- Almost 90% of the work offloaded to AI is accurate.
- Audit your time to determine which tasks drain you most.
- Offload the low-value or most draining tasks to technology.
- Replace the time you've bought back with higher value tasks.
- Appoint a team member to be the “AI expert” to help you integrate AI.
- Practices resistant to AI will be surpassed by practices that leverage it.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
0:34 Time is your most important commodity.
2:47 The three-step process to offload what drains you.
4:56 Benefits of using Pearl AI for office managers.
8:50 Why Pearl AI is a better insurance verification solution.
11:05 How Pearl AI helps you be efficient with your time.
13:19 How accurate is Pearl AI?
14:42 Does Pearl AI work with all software?
15:15 Things you should know about AI.
17:47 Final thoughts.
19:36 More about Pearl AI.
Mike Buckner Bio:
Mike has spent the last 12 years growing dental software technology companies that are designed to streamline office efficiency and increase overall production while elevating the standard of care for your patients.
Mike has led business development and partner strategy for Solutionreach back when offices were just starting to text patients to confirm appointments. He then helped grow Dental Intelligence, focusing on providing valuable insights to practices, allowing them to focus on vital key performance indicators to improve overall practice health.
Following that, Mike joined Weave while it was in its infancy, leading partnership growth strategies. His most recent endeavor finds him as the Executive Vice President of Revenue at Pearl, the first company to bring Artificial Intelligence into the dental space with comprehensive FDA clearance to assist clinicians and team members in reading and detecting pathologies in 2D X-rays (Bitewings and PAs).
Without clear communication, even the best teams can fall apart. So, how do you clearly communicate expectations as a leader to your team? In this episode, Kirk Behrendt brings back Miranda Beeson, ACT’s director of education, to share a framework for when and how to give feedback — and how to receive it! To learn how to create a stronger team through clear communication, listen to Episode 929 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Miranda:
- Send Miranda an email: miranda@actdental.com
- Follow Miranda on ACT’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/actdental
- Send Courtney an email to learn more about ACT: courtney@actdental.com
Learn More About ACT Dental:
- ACT’s Events: https://www.actdental.com/event
- ACT’s website: https://www.actdental.com
- ACT’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/actdental
- ACT’s YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/actdental
- ACT’s Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/actdental
- ACT’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/actdental/
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Apple App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/best-practices-association/id6738960360
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Google Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.actdental.join&hl=en_US
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 929: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
- Read Radical Candor by Kim Scott: https://www.radicalcandor.com/the-book
- Read Thanks for the Feedback by Douglas Stone & Sheila Heen: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/313485/thanks-for-the-feedback-by-douglas-stone-and-sheila-heen
Main Takeaways:
- Clear is kind. Being clear is better than being “nice”.
- Be consistent, specific, and safe when giving feedback.
- When you're consistent, clear, and calm, you will earn trust.
- Don't only give feedback when your expectations aren't being met.
- Proactively reward good behaviors or when expectations are being met.
- Learn the three feedback styles of appreciation, coaching, and evaluation.
- Start with having systems. It helps provide clarity for what needs to be done.
- Systems should be documented so they can be referenced, reviewed, and revised.
- Reframe your fears around providing feedback. If you avoid it, it is harmful to the team.
- Think of feedback as a gift, not a punishment — not only as the giver but as the receiver.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
2:02 About ACT’s BPA, TTT, and Pro Coaching.
5:09 Why this is an important topic.
8:33 The value of strong communication.
13:24 Clear is kind.
17:57 E – R = C: Systems and core values.
27:53 Keys to giving clear feedback.
32:15 The different types of feedback.
43:48 Key elements of feedback.
46:35 Giving feedback without fear.
50:58 When to give feedback.
54:03 Feedback type examples.
55:48 Final takeaways.
59:18 More about ACT’s BPA.
Miranda Beeson, MS, BSDH Bio:
Miranda Beeson has over 25 years of clinical dental hygiene, front office, practice administration, and speaking experience. She is enthusiastic about communication and loves helping others find the power that words can bring to their patient interactions and practice dynamics. As a Lead Practice Coach, she is driven to create opportunities to find value in experiences and cultivate new approaches.
Miranda graduated from Old Dominion University, and enjoys spending time with her husband, Chuck, and her children, Trent, Mallory, and Cassidy. Family time is the best time, and is often spent on a golf course, a volleyball court, or spending the day boating at the beach.
How long does it take to collect what you're owed? The longer you wait, the less likely you are to collect it! In this episode, Kirk Behrendt brings back Ariel Juday, one of ACT’s amazing coaches, to break down accounts receivable percentage, where your numbers should be, and what to do if they're not in the ideal ranges. To learn how to collect what you're owed as quickly as possible, listen to Episode 928 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Ariel:
- Send Ariel an email: ariel@actdental.com
- Follow Ariel on ACT’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/actdental
- Send Courtney an email to learn more about ACT: courtney@actdental.com
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Apple App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/best-practices-association/id6738960360
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Google Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.actdental.join&hl=en_US
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 928: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
Main Takeaways:
- The older a balance is, the more difficult it is to collect it.
- Create a clear financial policy and review it with your patients.
- Know your benchmarks for current, overdue, and delinquent balances.
- Have a plan to collect before rescheduling patients who have overdue balances.
- Do weekly audits of AR balances and have a follow-up system that someone owns.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
2:27 Why this is an important topic.
3:21 AR percentage, explained.
5:41 How AR percentage impacts the practice.
9:35 AR benchmarks, explained.
10:58 What it looks like when AR percentage is going well.
12:29 Collect 100% or more of your net collections.
13:34 What it looks like when AR percentage is not going well.
15:24 How to improve your AR percentage.
20:08 Last thoughts.
Ariel Juday Bio:
Ariel has a master’s in healthcare administration and several years of dental experience in all aspects of the administrative roles within the dental office. Her passion is to work with dental teams to empower team members to realize their full potential in order to better serve patients, improve office systems to ensure a well-functioning team/office, and to help everyone have fun in the process!
About 70% of dentists will be embezzled during their careers. In fact, it may be happening to you now! In this episode, Kirk Behrendt brings back David Harris, embezzlement expert and CEO of Prosperident, to continue with part two of how to stop embezzlement from happening in your practice. To learn the best monitoring framework to stop future thieves in their tracks, listen to Episode 927 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About David:
- Give David a call: (888) 398-2327
- Email David for the monthly monitoring spreadsheet: requests@prosperident.com
- Follow David on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/davidharris9406
- Join David on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/davidharrisprosperident
- Learn more about Prosperident: https://www.prosperident.com
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Apple App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/best-practices-association/id6738960360
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Google Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.actdental.join&hl=en_US
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 927: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
- Watch Episode 926 with David Harris: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n_yuHXQA-Tk
Main Takeaways:
- Ensure your day-end report matches up with what you remember from that day.
- Review your day-end report and ask yourself if what you see makes sense.
- Have other providers sign off on their day-end reports for accountability.
- Print your own reports. Don't open the doors for selective reporting.
- Make a habit of initialing and putting away reports that you review.
- Compare day-end and month-end numbers for each month.
- Confirm that your collections and deposits add up.
- Learn to trust systems, not just people.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
2:36 David’s background.
4:20 Day-end reports, explained.
8:54 Why dentists need to print their own reports.
10:25 Two questions to ask about day-end reports.
12:01 Month-end reports, explained.
14:36 How often should month-end reports be done?
15:23 Compare collections against deposits.
18:07 Prosperident’s monthly monitoring spreadsheet.
19:52 Final thoughts.
22:09 More about Prosperident.
David Harris Bio:
Under David’s leadership, Prosperident has expanded over the past three decades to become a team of more than 20 highly specialized fraud investigators, forensic accountants, IT specialists, and support staff. David’s vast investigative experience, coupled with his youth-filled misadventures and his past military service, have given him a unique insight into embezzlers’ mindsets and actions. He is passionate about sharing his wealth of knowledge with dentists and dental specialists.
David is a much sought-after speaker and an accomplished author on the topic of dental embezzlement. Dental Embezzlement: The Art of Theft and the Science of Control is his most recently published book.
David’s professional qualifications include Certified Fraud Examiner, Certified in Financial Forensics, Forensic CPA, Chartered Professional Accountant, Certified Management Accountant, and Licensed Private Investigator.
About 70% of dentists will be embezzled at some point in their career. About 80% of them can be prevented just by having the right systems. In this episode, Kirk Behrendt brings back David Harris, embezzlement expert and CEO of Prosperident, to share three rules that will deter future thieves and reduce your risk of embezzlement. If someone is going to steal from you, make it extremely difficult! To learn how to drastically reduce your risk of embezzlement, listen to Episode 926 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About David:
- Give David a call: (888) 398-2327
- Follow David on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/davidharris9406
- Join David on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/davidharrisprosperident
- Learn more about Prosperident: https://www.prosperident.com
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Apple App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/best-practices-association/id6738960360
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Google Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.actdental.join&hl=en_US
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 926: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
Main Takeaways:
- Break up the duties of the revenue cycle. No one does more than two of the six tasks.
- Only clinicians who were in the operatory should enter treatment into the software.
- Anyone is capable of a dishonest act given the wrong set of circumstances.
- Get a PO Box. Dentists should be the only ones with access to the mail.
- Don't try to monitor everything yourself. Delegate more to your team.
- Use cross-training as a way to transition into dividing up systems.
- Have multiple sets of eyes on tasks to catch discrepancies.
- Embezzlement does more than just financial damage.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
1:11 David’s background.
2:05 Embezzlement affects more than just finances.
4:14 Why division of duties is important.
5:51 The revenue cycle and the six tasks, explained.
7:46 Rule 1) Treatment should not be entered by the front desk staff.
11:46 Why rule number one is important.
13:10 Rule 2) Nobody does more than two of the six tasks.
14:45 Why dentists should be the ones taking care of the mail.
17:57 Rule 3) Have different sets of eyes on tasks.
19:24 How to transition into separating duties.
21:05 Don't try to do this on your own.
24:06 Final thoughts.
25:14 About Prosperident.
David Harris Bio:
Under David’s leadership, Prosperident has expanded over the past three decades to become a team of more than 20 highly specialized fraud investigators, forensic accountants, IT specialists, and support staff. David’s vast investigative experience, coupled with his youth-filled misadventures and his past military service, have given him a unique insight into embezzlers’ mindsets and actions. He is passionate about sharing his wealth of knowledge with dentists and dental specialists.
David is a much sought-after speaker and an accomplished author on the topic of dental embezzlement. Dental Embezzlement: The Art of Theft and the Science of Control is his most recently published book.
David’s professional qualifications include Certified Fraud Examiner, Certified in Financial Forensics, Forensic CPA, Chartered Professional Accountant, Certified Management Accountant, and Licensed Private Investigator.
How efficient is your collections process? By looking at one number, you can find out! In this episode, Kirk Behrendt brings back Ariel Juday, one of ACT’s amazing coaches, to break down accounts receivable ratio. She explains what AR is, how to track it, and what you can do if it’s not at a healthy number. To learn how to manage and take control of your AR, listen to Episode 925 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Ariel:
- Send Ariel an email: ariel@actdental.com
- Follow Ariel on ACT’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/actdental
- Send Courtney an email to learn more about ACT: courtney@actdental.com
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Apple App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/best-practices-association/id6738960360
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Google Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.actdental.join&hl=en_US
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 925: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
Main Takeaways:
- Your ideal AR ratio is 1:1. For every $1 produced, you're owed no more than $1.
- Calculate your AR ratio monthly or quarterly to keep track of any increases.
- Have a clear financial policy and collect at time of service to keep AR low.
- If your AR isn't healthy, don't be upset with your team members.
- You can't fix your AR overnight. Have realistic expectations.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
2:10 Accounts receivable, explained.
4:14 Example of a healthy AR ratio.
4:55 How AR impacts your practice.
5:49 What a low AR ratio indicates.
6:39 Pros and cons of negative receivables.
8:38 How to impact your AR ratio.
11:34 Last thoughts.
Ariel Juday Bio:
Ariel has a master’s in healthcare administration and several years of dental experience in all aspects of the administrative roles within the dental office. Her passion is to work with dental teams to empower team members to realize their full potential in order to better serve patients, improve office systems to ensure a well-functioning team/office, and to help everyone have fun in the process!
Being a dentist isn't easy, and neither is being an entrepreneur. In this episode, Kirk Behrendt brings in Dr. Jeff Henneberg, co-founder of Smile Source Spokane, to share his path from being an educator to entrepreneurship and offer his words of wisdom and encouragement for current and future practice owners. To learn the essential tools and skills of entrepreneurship, listen to Episode 924 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Dr. Henneberg:
- Join Dr. Henneberg on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/smilesourcespokane
- Follow Dr. Henneberg on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/smilespokanenorth
- Learn more about Smile Source Spokane: https://www.smilesourcespokane.com
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Apple App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/best-practices-association/id6738960360
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Google Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.actdental.join&hl=en_US
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 924: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
Main Takeaways:
- Entrepreneurship is a learnable skill, not something innate.
- Whether it’s Smile Source or not, find a community to be a part of.
- Balance your time and your life. It will make you a better human being.
- Keep on giving. It’s when you're giving that you’ll feel like you're truly living.
- Figure out who you are and what is important to you about the role of dentistry.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
1:40 Dr. Henneberg’s background and what pulled him into dentistry.
11:12 Can entrepreneurship be taught?
12:42 Bumps in the road and lessons learned.
19:26 The community of Smile Source.
22:08 The dark side of entrepreneurship.
25:08 The importance of finding a community.
27:50 Figure out who you are.
30:11 More bumps in the road and lessons learned.
34:03 The future for Dr. Henneberg.
36:04 The importance of controlling your time.
40:57 Final thoughts.
Dr. Jeff Henneberg Bio:
Dr. Jeff Henneberg is the co-founder of Smile Source Spokane. Smile Source Spokane helps people from all over the state and Inland Empire achieve oral health and feel confident about their smiles. For over 15 years, more than 3,000 people from over five states in the West and Canada have trusted their care to Smile Source Ellingsen-Henneberg Dental.
Dr. Henneberg has been an educator for dental students through the University of Washington Dental School and has hosted educational events in various subjects regarding oral care. He is a charter member of the Inland Empire Perio Study Club, which is one of the longest running educational clubs in the country. He provides implant, surgical, and consultation care for the Benewah Medical Clinic and the Coeur d’Alene Tribe. He is a member of the American Academy of Dental Sleep Medicine, the American Academy of Implant Dentistry, the ADA®, WSDA, SDDS, and serves on the dental advisory board of Smile Source.
In his spare time, Dr. Henneberg enjoys spending time outdoors golfing, skiing, and hiking with his family. He is married with two children.
About 50% of your new patients will not return. Why does that happen, and what can you do about it? In this episode, Kirk Behrendt brings in Brad James, director of SMB sales at Kleer and Membersy, to explain the true problem you have in your practice. You don't have a new patient problem — you have a patient loyalty problem! To learn what's keeping new patients away and how to create loyalty in your practice, listen to Episode 923 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Brad:
- Follow Kleer and Membersy on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kleerandmembersy
- Learn more about Kleer and Membersy: https://www.kleer.com
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Apple App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/best-practices-association/id6738960360
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Google Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.actdental.join&hl=en_US
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 923: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
- Watch Episode 904 with Jeff Janssen: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hyBwnKvavDc
- Read The Membership Economy by Robbie Kellman Baxter: https://robbiekellmanbaxter.com/the-membership-economy
Main Takeaways:
- Membership patients, on average, spend 66% more.
- Cash-paying patients don't come in as often as you think.
- Study your practice data to avoid making knee-jerk decisions.
- Offering membership plans builds loyalty by providing affordability.
- Evaluate your team before trying to manage membership plans in-house.
- Focus on creating loyalty across your practice, not just marketing to new patients.
- Uninsured patients are least likely to return, spend money, and listen to suggestions.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
1:57 Brad’s background.
4:28 Lacking visibility of practice data and why it’s a problem.
8:50 Consequences of not knowing your numbers.
11:43 New patients aren't always the answer.
14:05 Incentivize patients to return.
15:34 Membership patients have a higher APV.
22:32 It’s not all about volume.
26:54 Myths and data about cash-paying patients.
31:29 Build your practice with loyalty, not price.
33:05 Membership drives loyalty.
35:48 Final thoughts.
37:17 About Kleer-Membersy.
Brad James Bio:
Brad James is an accomplished leader in the dental industry, serving as the director of SMB markets at Kleer and Membersy. Committed to making access to dental care both easy and profitable, Brad plays a pivotal role in empowering dental teams to implement strategies that unlock growth.
You can’t recapture 100% of your cancellations — but you can get 80% or more! In this episode, Kirk Behrendt brings back Miranda Beeson, ACT’s director of education, to break down recaptured percentage, how to track it, and ways to create a strong system to increase reappointment. To learn the secrets for actively rescheduling patients, listen to Episode 922 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Miranda:
- Send Miranda an email: miranda@actdental.com
- Follow Miranda on ACT’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/actdental
- Send Courtney an email to learn more about ACT: courtney@actdental.com
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Apple App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/best-practices-association/id6738960360
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Google Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.actdental.join&hl=en_US
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 922: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
- Join ACT’s BPA to get the Ideal Day Scheduling Guide: https://join.actdental.com/users/sign_in?post_login_redirect=https%3A%2F%2Fjoin.actdental.com%2Fc%2Fpractice-coaching-tools%2Fcolor-coding-block-scheduling-and-ideal-day-scheduling#email
Main Takeaways:
- Aim to recapture 80% or more of your cancellations.
- Create a script to help your team reappoint cancellations on the spot.
- Track cancellations in real time and follow up with patients on the same day.
- Strengthen your verbal skills. Don't just tell patients to, “Call us when you're ready.”
- Build an active follow-up system. Contact patients within a day or two of a cancellation.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
1:48 Recaptured percentage, explained.
4:40 How this percentage impacts your practice.
6:51 What it looks like when recaptured percentage is high.
8:47 What it looks like when recaptured percentage is low.
11:47 Countermeasures.
14:13 Join ACT’s BPA.
Miranda Beeson, MS, BSDH Bio:
Miranda Beeson has over 25 years of clinical dental hygiene, front office, practice administration, and speaking experience. She is enthusiastic about communication and loves helping others find the power that words can bring to their patient interactions and practice dynamics. As a Lead Practice Coach, she is driven to create opportunities to find value in experiences and cultivate new approaches.
Miranda graduated from Old Dominion University, and enjoys spending time with her husband, Chuck, and her children, Trent, Mallory, and Cassidy. Family time is the best time, and is often spent on a golf course, a volleyball court, or spending the day boating at the beach.
Hygiene is more than just preventative care. It’s a way to tether patients to your practice! In this episode, Miranda Beeson, ACT’s director of education, brings in four amazing ACT team members to share some of their best practices and insights for building value through hygiene. Hygienists are more than just “mouth janitors”! To learn of all the ways they provide value for your practice, listen to Episode 921 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About the ACT Team:
- Send Ariel an email: ariel@actdental.com
- Send Angela an email: angela@actdental.com
- Send Miranda an email: miranda@actdental.com
- Send Courtney an email: courtney@actdental.com
- Send Christina an email: christina@actdental.com
- Follow the Team on ACT’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/actdental
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Apple App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/best-practices-association/id6738960360
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Google Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.actdental.join&hl=en_US
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 921: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
Main Takeaways:
- Hygiene is how you keep patients tethered to your practice.
- Be aligned on what your optimal standard of care is for patients.
- Always schedule the patient’s next appointment before they leave.
- Don't underestimate the influence hygiene can have on practice growth.
- Put a consistent follow-up plan in place to reintroduce unscheduled patients.
- Use value building language to communicate why their next appointment matters.
- Have documented systems that support your philosophy, initiatives, and follow-ups.
- When doctors and hygienists work together, both the patients and the practice benefit.
Snippets:
0:00 ACT’s BPA.
2:18 Why this is an important topic.
5:39 How this topic shows up in the practice.
8:41 The importance of hygiene for patient retention.
13:19 The importance of hygiene: Create urgency or build value for the next appointment.
15:44 The importance of hygiene: “Due for what?”
17:24 The importance of hygiene: “Your program of care”.
18:11 The importance of hygiene: Don't use minimizing language.
19:48 Best practices for consistently working a recare system.
23:11 The importance of optimal standards of care.
30:37 Upholding optimal standards of care: Align your team on what optimal means.
33:04 Upholding optimal standards of care: Benefits of having a documented system.
34:38 Upholding optimal standards of care: Let patients know you're providing optimal care.
39:25 The importance of collaboration.
47:03 The importance of collaboration: “Preheat” the patient.
48:57 The importance of collaboration: Get doctors and hygienists aligned.
50:26 The importance of collaboration: Have clear conversations from the beginning.
51:25 The importance of collaboration: The exam on demand.
53:20 The importance of the hand-off.
55:29 Final takeaways.
Ariel Juday Bio:
Ariel has a master’s in healthcare administration and several years of dental experience in all aspects of the administrative roles within the dental office. Her passion is to work with dental teams to empower team members to realize their full potential in order to better serve patients, improve office systems to ensure a well-functioning team/office, and to help everyone have fun in the process!
Angela Heathman, MS, RDH Bio:
Angela Heathman, MS, RDH, has over 20 years of clinical dental hygiene, dental sales, and practice coaching experience. When she transitioned from her role as a clinician to her role as a sales account manager, she realized both her passion for education and practice development. Now, as a Lead Practice Coach with ACT Dental, she works with dentists and their teams to help them accomplish their goals. She believes the hard work you do on your practice is just as important as the work you do in your practice!
Miranda Beeson, MS, BSDH Bio:
Miranda Beeson has over 25 years of clinical dental hygiene, front office, practice administration, and speaking experience. She is enthusiastic about communication and loves helping others find the power that words can bring to their patient interactions and practice dynamics. As a Lead Practice Coach, she is driven to create opportunities to find value in experiences and cultivate new approaches.
Miranda graduated from Old Dominion University, and enjoys spending time with her husband, Chuck, and her children, Trent, Mallory, and Cassidy. Family time is the best time, and is often spent on a golf course, a volleyball court, or spending the day boating at the beach.
Courtney Dalton, BS, RDH Bio:
Courtney Dalton is a Lead Practice Coach who focuses on establishing a solid foundation in order for a practice to thrive. With over 15 years of experience in the dental industry, she is as passionate about patient care as she is about those who are providing it.
Christina Byrne, BS, RDH Bio:
Christina Byrne has been involved in dentistry since 1985. Over the years, she has held many positions on the dental team, including dental assistant, business office, and dental hygienist. Christina’s extensive knowledge of the front office and clinical procedures is a great asset, and she loves to impart her knowledge to guide dental teams do the best they can to achieve a Better Practice, Better Life!
Traditional annual performance reviews don't work — and there's data to show it! In this episode, Kirk Behrendt brings back Alan Twigg, president of Bent Ericksen & Associates, to share what you should know about annual performance reviews, how to rethink them, and tips for making them more effective. To learn the best ways to give feedback to your team, listen to Episode 920 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Alan:
- Give Alan a call: (800) 679-2760
- Send Alan an email: alan@bentericksen.com
- Join Bent Ericksen on Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/BentEricksenAssociates
- Learn more about Bent Ericksen:https://bentericksen.com
- Try Bent Ericksen’s HR Director package:https://bentericksen.com/product/hr-director
- Learn more on Bent Ericksen’s Resource Library:https://bentericksen.com/resource-library
Learn More About ACT Dental:
- ACT’s Events: https://www.actdental.com/event
- ACT’s website:https://www.actdental.com
- ACT’s Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/actdental
- ACT’s YouTube:https://www.youtube.com/actdental
- ACT’s Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/actdental
- ACT’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/actdental/
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show:https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association:https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Apple App Store:https://apps.apple.com/us/app/best-practices-association/id6738960360
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Google Play Store:https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.actdental.join&hl=en_US
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club:https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free:https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast:https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 920:https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
- Watch Episode 908 with Alan Twigg:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NCg0_NPdbRI
- Watch Episode 890 with Alan Twigg:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aS2d39YPVEI
- Read Traction by Gino Wickman:https://benbellabooks.com/shop/traction
Main Takeaways:
- Your goal is for your team to know exactly where they stand.
- Communicate the good, the bad, and the ugly — especially early on.
- Studies show that traditional annual performance reviews are not effective.
- Regularly do check-ins and find out your teams’ wants, needs, and concerns.
- Be proactive with feedback. Don't wait for your team members to come to you.
- Don't give your team raises the same day you do check-ins or performance reviews.
- Traditional performance reviews, when not done properly, can come back to bite you.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
2:13 Why this is an important topic.
3:24 Team members need to know where they stand.
6:12 Gallup Q12, explained.
7:51 Don't wait for team members to come to you.
10:40 Tips on the first 90 days for new hires.
11:30 Traditional annual performance reviews aren't effective.
13:44 Tips on setting goals.
16:32 Three questions to ask when doing check-ins.
20:51 Do what works for your practice.
22:49 Tips on giving raises.
31:35 About Bent Ericksen.
Alan Twigg Bio:
Alan Twigg is the president of Bent Ericksen & Associates. For over 10 years, he has guided thousands of clients and consultants through the ever-changing world of HR and employment compliance. He is a speaker, consultant, and author who is passionate about bringing education and peace of mind to such a confusing topic.
As a strong proponent of symbiotic employer-employee relations, Alan is passionate about teamwork and positive work cultures, with an emphasis on long-term personnel retention and employment compliance, where his solutions-oriented outlook excels.
Cancellations will always happen — but there's a way to reduce and prevent them from happening! In this episode, Kirk Behrendt brings back Miranda Beeson, ACT’s director of education, to break down cancellation and no-show percentage and what you can do if you have high levels of broken appointments. Stop making it too easy to cancel! To learn the secret to getting patients to show up, listen to Episode 919 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Miranda:
- Send Miranda an email: miranda@actdental.com
- Follow Miranda on ACT’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/actdental
- Send Courtney an email to learn more about ACT: courtney@actdental.com
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Apple App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/best-practices-association/id6738960360
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Google Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.actdental.join&hl=en_US
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 919: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
- Register for ACT’s To The Top Study Club (July 25, 2025): https://www.eventbrite.com/e/climb-with-us-register-for-july-25-2025-ttt-study-club-tickets-1205497959849
Main Takeaways:
- Your ideal cancellation/no-show percentage is under 10%.
- Proactively reach out to patients with unconfirmed appointments.
- Put a system in place for releasing or keeping unconfirmed appointments.
- Have a reminder system that utilizes both automated and personal outreach.
- Be intentional with your language. Don't call to confirm appointments — remind them.
- Communicate the value of appointments to patients and policies around missed visits.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
3:15 Cancellation and no-show percentage, explained.
5:16 How this percentage impacts the practice.
7:59 What it looks like when it’s going well.
9:47 What it looks like when it’s not going well.
11:13 Learn how to track and cancel appointments in your software.
13:00 Ways to impact this metric.
19:58 Final thoughts.
Miranda Beeson, MS, BSDH Bio:
Miranda Beeson has over 25 years of clinical dental hygiene, front office, practice administration, and speaking experience. She is enthusiastic about communication and loves helping others find the power that words can bring to their patient interactions and practice dynamics. As a Lead Practice Coach, she is driven to create opportunities to find value in experiences and cultivate new approaches.
Miranda graduated from Old Dominion University, and enjoys spending time with her husband, Chuck, and her children, Trent, Mallory, and Cassidy. Family time is the best time, and is often spent on a golf course, a volleyball court, or spending the day boating at the beach.
You might think you're great at multitasking — but you're really not! In this episode, Kirk Behrendt brings in Renae Graeff, one of ACT’s amazing coaches, to share how to maximize your dental assistants’ skills so you can fully utilize them to better your practice. Don't try to do it all! To learn how to empower your assistants so they become more capable, more fulfilled, and a better partner for patient care, listen to Episode 918 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Renae:
- Send Renae an email: renae@actdental.com
- Follow Renae on ACT’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/actdental
- Send Courtney an email to learn more about ACT: courtney@actdental.com
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Apple App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/best-practices-association/id6738960360
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Google Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.actdental.join&hl=en_US
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 918: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
- Register for ACT’s To The Top Study Club (July 18th, 2025): https://www.eventbrite.com/e/climb-with-us-register-for-july-18-2025-ttt-study-club-tickets-1205460116659
- Register for ACT’s To The Top Study Club (July 25, 2025): https://www.eventbrite.com/e/climb-with-us-register-for-july-25-2025-ttt-study-club-tickets-1205497959849
- Register to ACT’s BPA for their 3-3-3 Onboarding Tool: https://join.actdental.com/users/sign_in?post_login_redirect=https%3A%2F%2Fjoin.actdental.com%2Fc%2Fpractice-coaching-tools%2F3-3-3-onboarding-model#email
- Register to ACT’s BPA for their Check-In Agenda: https://join.actdental.com/users/sign_in?post_login_redirect=https%3A%2F%2Fjoin.actdental.com%2Fc%2Fpractice-coaching-tools%2Fcheck-in-agenda-editable#email
- Register to ACT’s BPA for their Ideal Day Scheduling Guide: https://join.actdental.com/c/practice-coaching-tools/color-coding-block-scheduling-and-ideal-day-scheduling
Main Takeaways:
- When you empower dental assistants, the entire practice benefits.
- Proper delegation will allow dentists to focus on high-value procedures.
- Eliminate the “I can do it faster myself” mentality to start freeing up your time.
- Find out the full scope of what your dental assistants can legally do in your state.
- Your dental assistants are more than just “support staff”. They are key contributors.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
2:11 Why this is an important topic.
4:45 Why dentists don't fully utilize dental assistants.
7:30 Find out what dental assistants can legally do in your state.
9:19 The true value of a dental assistant.
12:20 How to utilize your dental assistants.
13:30 Dovetail scheduling, explained.
14:19 Final takeaways.
15:48 ACT’s BPA.
Renae Graeff Bio:
Renae Graeff is a lead practice coach who focuses on establishing trust and communication to help practice leaders and teams achieve their personal and professional goals. With over 18 years of combined clinical experience as an EFDA and office management, she understands the necessity for a healthy and aligned team firsthand. Over the years, she has worked with many doctors, specialists, hygienists, assistants, and admin teams with this in mind and has helped to improve communication and understanding in the office.
Renae resides in a suburb of Philadelphia with her long-term boyfriend and blended family of four children, Vivian, Lucy, Alex, and Aubrey. They all love spending time with their beloved family dog, Axel. She enjoys watching the Eagles and Phillies games, reading, and traveling to her summer "home away from home" outside of Cape May, New Jersey.
How you communicate will make or break your practice. In this episode, Kirk Behrendt brings back Miranda Beeson, ACT’s director of education, to break down the DiSC framework to help you better understand yourself and your team so you can improve communication and harmony in your practice. To take the first step to optimize your leadership style, listen to Episode 917 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Miranda:
- Send Miranda an email: miranda@actdental.com
- Follow Miranda on ACT’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/actdental
- Send Courtney an email to learn more about ACT: courtney@actdental.com
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Apple App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/best-practices-association/id6738960360
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Google Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.actdental.join&hl=en_US
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 917: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
- Register for ACT’s To The Top Study Club (July 18th, 2025): https://www.eventbrite.com/e/climb-with-us-register-for-july-18-2025-ttt-study-club-tickets-1205460116659
- Register for ACT’s To The Top Study Club (July 25, 2025): https://www.eventbrite.com/e/climb-with-us-register-for-july-25-2025-ttt-study-club-tickets-1205497959849
- Register for ACT’s Guide to Engaging Your Team with Data: https://join.actdental.com/users/sign_in?post_login_redirect=https%3A%2F%2Fjoin.actdental.com%2Fc%2Fpractice-coaching-tools%2Fguide-to-engaging-your-team-with-data#email
Main Takeaways:
- Understanding your team isn't optional! It’s the foundation of trust.
- Study the four DiSC styles to effectively communicate and reduce conflict.
- DiSC is not about labeling people. It’s about connection and understanding.
- Knowing everyone’s DiSC styles removes misunderstandings and bad narratives.
- By understanding yourself and others, you can adapt how you speak to be heard.
- No one style is better than another. A little bit of everything creates a good balance.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
2:59 Why this is an important topic.
6:35 DiSC, explained.
19:05 Statistics on style population size.
22:29 What it means to “talk like a leader”.
33:48 Considerations for talking to D-styles (Dominance).
37:20 Considerations for talking to I-styles (Influence).
39:51 Considerations for talking to S-styles (Steadiness).
44:02 Considerations for talking to C-styles (Conscientiousness).
47:13 Final thoughts.
49:33 ACT’s BPA.
Miranda Beeson, MS, BSDH Bio:
Miranda Beeson has over 25 years of clinical dental hygiene, front office, practice administration, and speaking experience. She is enthusiastic about communication and loves helping others find the power that words can bring to their patient interactions and practice dynamics. As a Lead Practice Coach, she is driven to create opportunities to find value in experiences and cultivate new approaches.
Miranda graduated from Old Dominion University, and enjoys spending time with her husband, Chuck, and her children, Trent, Mallory, and Cassidy. Family time is the best time, and is often spent on a golf course, a volleyball court, or spending the day boating at the beach.
Cancellations and no-shows will always happen. But how well are you filling those gaps? In this episode of Metric Mondays, Kirk Behrendt brings back Miranda Beeson, ACT’s director of education, to break down capacity percentage. They share the keys to maintaining a productive and efficient schedule even when your patients fall out. Don't settle for 84%! To learn how to proactively fill your schedule, listen to Episode 916 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Miranda:
- Send Miranda an email: miranda@actdental.com
- Follow Miranda on ACT’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/actdental
- Send Courtney an email to learn more about ACT: courtney@actdental.com
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Apple App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/best-practices-association/id6738960360
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Google Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.actdental.join&hl=en_US
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 916: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
- Register for ACT’s To The Top Study Club (July 18th, 2025): https://www.eventbrite.com/e/climb-with-us-register-for-july-18-2025-ttt-study-club-tickets-1205460116659
- Register for ACT’s To The Top Study Club (July 25, 2025): https://www.eventbrite.com/e/climb-with-us-register-for-july-25-2025-ttt-study-club-tickets-1205497959849
Main Takeaways:
- Your capacity percentage benchmark is 94% or higher.
- Pre-schedule your patients’ next appointments before they leave.
- Utilize ideal day or block scheduling. Protect your high-value time blocks.
- Have someone own and review your schedule two days to two weeks in advance.
- When you have cancellations and no-shows, quickly fill those gaps using priority lists.
- Utilize customized bulk texting to reach out to patients. At least one patient will say yes.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
1:49 Why this is an important metric.
3:33 Capacity percentage, explained.
6:34 How capacity percentage impacts the practice.
8:38 Indicators that this percentage is going well.
10:23 Indicators that this percentage is not going well.
12:24 Countermeasures.
15:15 ACT’s BPA.
Miranda Beeson, MS, BSDH Bio:
Miranda Beeson has over 25 years of clinical dental hygiene, front office, practice administration, and speaking experience. She is enthusiastic about communication and loves helping others find the power that words can bring to their patient interactions and practice dynamics. As a Lead Practice Coach, she is driven to create opportunities to find value in experiences and cultivate new approaches.
Miranda graduated from Old Dominion University, and enjoys spending time with her husband, Chuck, and her children, Trent, Mallory, and Cassidy. Family time is the best time, and is often spent on a golf course, a volleyball court, or spending the day boating at the beach.
You love your spouse or partner. But is working with them a good idea? In this episode of the Best Practices Show, Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. Charlie Ward, visiting faculty member at The Pankey Institute, along with his wife and fellow dentist, Dr. Melody Ward, to share the benefits and challenges of working together and their secrets for making it work. To learn how they’ve done it for over a decade, listen to Episode 915 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Dr. Charlie Ward & Dr. Melody Ward:
- Send Dr. Charlie Ward an email: charlie@bmoredentalarts.com
- Follow Dr. Charlie Ward on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drcwarddds
- Watch Dr. Charlie Ward’s webinars: https://restorativenation.com
- Follow Dr. Melody Ward on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mwardperio
- Learn more about their practice: https://www.baltimoredentalarts.com
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Apple App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/best-practices-association/id6738960360
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Google Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.actdental.join&hl=en_US
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 915: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
Main Takeaways:
- Have the conversation about why you want to work together and your goals in doing so.
- Learn about each other’s personalities to improve understanding and communication.
- Make the time to get away from your practice and your family with your spouse.
- Be intentional about your time off. Going to CE doesn't count as vacation!
- Set clear rules and boundaries so you limit bringing work back home.
- Check in regularly with your spouse. Things are always changing.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
2:13 Dr. Charlie Ward’s background.
3:46 Dr. Melody Ward’s background.
5:04 How they make it work.
8:28 Rules for not bringing work home.
11:11 How the idea of working together came about.
15:12 Be intentional about time away.
18:22 Their philosophy on CE.
24:31 Handling team questions and conflict.
28:09 Know yourself, your spouse, and your team.
32:00 Adventuring through food.
36:50 Final thoughts.
Dr. Charlie Ward Bio:
After graduating from the University of Maryland with a Bachelor of Science degree in 2004, Dr. Charlie Ward went straight into the University of Maryland School of Dentistry. He earned his DDS degree in 2008, and since then he has completed the Essentials courses and many others at the esteemed Pankey Institute, where he now serves as visiting faculty. He is currently a member of the Maryland State Dental Association and the Academy of General Dentistry.
When Dr. Ward isn’t spending time with Dr. Melody Ward and their two young boys, Cyrus and Lucas, he can often be found golfing or fishing. He also enjoys playing the guitar. While in dental school, he was actually in an all-dentist band called Incisal Edge! He even has his own guitar collection and has turned his basement into a music room.
Dr. Melody Ward Bio:
Dr. Melody Ward’s college career started at the University of California San Diego, where she graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Science degree. She went on to earn her dental degree from the University of Maryland, Baltimore, and continued at the same institution to obtain a Master of Science and Certificate in Periodontics.
Since then, she has fervently pursued continuing education. She currently runs a Spear Study Club and is taking a continuum of courses at the Pankey Institute. She is also part of a dental implant study club and has received training focused on treating infants with lip and tongue-ties.
Away from work, Dr. Ward enjoys primarily spending time with her family, Dr. Charlie Ward and their two young boys. They all try to spend plenty of time outdoors together, particularly bike riding. She has recently gotten into baking and has also planted a vegetable garden. She likes to incorporate the harvests into family meals whenever she can.
When leadership isn't aligned, it will lead to chaos. So, how do you prevent conflict and the day-to-day struggles? In this episode of Practical Solutions Day, Kirk Behrendt brings back Carlie Einarson, one of ACT’s amazing coaches, with three keys to alignment and healthy partnerships. Misalignment is the root of all evil! To learn how to get in sync to gain trust and boost productivity, listen to Episode 914 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Carlie:
- Send Carlie an email: carlie@actdental.com
- Follow Carlie on ACT’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/actdental
- Send Courtney an email to learn more about ACT: courtney@actdental.com
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Apple App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/best-practices-association/id6738960360
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Google Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.actdental.join&hl=en_US
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 914: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
- Join ACT’s BPA for the Strategic Vision Creator tool: https://join.actdental.com/users/sign_in?post_login_redirect=https%3A%2F%2Fjoin.actdental.com%2Fc%2Fpractice-coaching-tools%2Fstrategic-vision-creator-tool#email
- Register for ACT’s To The Top Study Club (July 18th, 2025): https://www.eventbrite.com/e/climb-with-us-register-for-july-18-2025-ttt-study-club-tickets-1205460116659
- Register for ACT’s To The Top Study Club (July 25, 2025): https://www.eventbrite.com/e/climb-with-us-register-for-july-25-2025-ttt-study-club-tickets-1205497959849
Main Takeaways:
- Many of your day-to-day struggles actually stem from misalignment.
- Alignment starts with a shared destination. Define how, when, and why.
- Make time to get on the same page. Alignment doesn't happen by accident!
- Display a united front to your team. Show them that you're all in this together.
- Weekly leadership meetings to get aligned is the best investment of your time.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
1:36 Why this is an important topic.
5:02 What happens when there's a lack of alignment.
9:09 The importance of alignment meetings.
10:10 Start with vision alignment.
13:21 Make time for alignment.
19:24 Show a united front to your team.
24:37 Final thoughts.
27:30 ACT’s BPA.
Carlie Einarson Bio:
Carlie Einarson is a lead practice coach who has a passion for helping others succeed in the dental field. She loves helping to create a stable foundation for practices so both professionals and patients have a great experience every time they walk in the door!
Carlie graduated from Utah College of Dental Hygiene. She has ten years of experience in the dental field, including clinical dental hygiene, front office, and leading teams.
In her free time, she enjoys spending quality time with loved ones, traveling, skiing, playing volleyball, and golfing.
Do you start every month with an empty schedule? Is your team scrambling to fill your chairs? There's a better way to keep your practice full! In this episode of Metric Mondays, Kirk Behrendt brings back Miranda Beeson, ACT’s director of education, to break down pre-appointment percentage and the missed opportunities when you don't schedule your patients’ next visits. To learn how to pre-appoint patients and keep them tethered to your practice, listen to Episode 913 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Miranda:
- Send Miranda an email: miranda@actdental.com
- Follow Miranda on ACT’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/actdental
- Send Courtney an email to learn more about ACT: courtney@actdental.com
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Apple App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/best-practices-association/id6738960360
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Google Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.actdental.join&hl=en_US
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 913: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
- Register for ACT’s To The Top Study Club (July 18th, 2025): https://www.eventbrite.com/e/climb-with-us-register-for-july-18-2025-ttt-study-club-tickets-1205460116659
- Register for ACT’s To The Top Study Club (July 25, 2025): https://www.eventbrite.com/e/climb-with-us-register-for-july-25-2025-ttt-study-club-tickets-1205497959849
Main Takeaways:
- Keep your pre-appointment percentage above 65% to reduce patient attrition.
- Set the expectation that every patient leaves with their next visit scheduled.
- Scheduling your patients’ next appointment is the default. It’s not optional!
- When patients cancel, reschedule the appointment in that moment.
- Tie patients’ appointments to their health goals to build value.
- Have a system to work your unscheduled patient list.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
0:37 Pre-appointment percentage, explained.
4:53 How this metric impacts your practice.
9:48 Favorite phrases for scheduling patients.
11:52 Countermeasures.
15:16 ACT’s BPA.
Miranda Beeson, MS, BSDH Bio:
Miranda Beeson has over 25 years of clinical dental hygiene, front office, practice administration, and speaking experience. She is enthusiastic about communication and loves helping others find the power that words can bring to their patient interactions and practice dynamics. As a Lead Practice Coach, she is driven to create opportunities to find value in experiences and cultivate new approaches.
Miranda graduated from Old Dominion University, and enjoys spending time with her husband, Chuck, and her children, Trent, Mallory, and Cassidy. Family time is the best time, and is often spent on a golf course, a volleyball court, or spending the day boating at the beach.
You became a dentist for the freedom it provides. But PPOs are putting a chokehold on that freedom! In this episode of Clinical Edge Fridays, Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. Barrett Straub, ACT’s CEO, to do a deep dive into how you can break free from PPOs for a better practice and better life. They share the tools you can use, what steps to take, and how to choose which PPOs to strategically drop first. If you're ready to reclaim your freedom, listen to Episode 912 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Dr. Straub:
- Send Dr. Straub an email: barrett@actdental.com
- Join Dr. Straub on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/barrett.d.straub
- Send Gina an email to learn more about ACT: gina@actdental.com
- Send Courtney an email to learn more about ACT: courtney@actdental.com
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Apple App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/best-practices-association/id6738960360
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Google Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.actdental.join&hl=en_US
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 912: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
- Register for ACT’s To The Top Study Club (July 18th, 2025): https://www.eventbrite.com/e/climb-with-us-register-for-july-18-2025-ttt-study-club-tickets-1205460116659
- Register for ACT’s To The Top Study Club (July 25, 2025): https://www.eventbrite.com/e/climb-with-us-register-for-july-25-2025-ttt-study-club-tickets-1205497959849
Main Takeaways:
- You give patients treatment plans before doing dentistry. Do the same for your practice.
- It doesn't have to be all or none with PPOs. Determine what's the right mix for you.
- Understand and shrink the different gaps you have to increase your profitability.
- Figure out which plans you're losing money on so you can drop them first.
- Eliminate your limiting beliefs. Not everyone will leave your practice.
Snippets:
0:00 ACT’s TTT, BPA, and Pro Coaching.
2:58 Why this is an important topic.
7:10 Know your gaps.
11:36 Know the basic metrics first.
18:22 Tools and resources in the BPA app.
20:04 The Patient Segment Scorecard.
22:47 Shrink the gap with less energy.
26:30 Know which plan to drop first.
33:21 Practice example: The treatment plan.
38:22 Q&A: Thoughts on a PPO that has a lot of patients and a high write-off.
42:11 Verbal skills matter.
43:29 A great tip from Dr. Christopher Mazzola.
45:27 Practice example: The treatment plan, continued.
48:23 Final takeaways.
49:53 Q&A: How to get ACT’s PPO Roadmap.
51:15 Q&A: Does APV include hygienists?
Dr. Barrett Straub Bio:
Dr. Barrett Straub practices general and sedation dentistry in Port Washington, Wisconsin. He has worked hard to develop his practice into a top-performing, fee-for-service practice that focuses on improving the lives of patients through dentistry.
A graduate of Marquette Dental School, Dr. Straub’s advanced training and CE includes work at the Spear Institute, LVI, DOCS, and as a member of the Milwaukee Study Club. He is a past member of the Wisconsin Dental Association Board of Trustees and was awarded the Marquette Dental School 2017 Young Alumnus of the Year. As a former ACT coaching client that experienced first-hand the transformation that coaching can provide, he is passionate about helping other dentists create the practice they’ve always wanted.
Dr. Straub loves to hunt, golf, and spend winter on the ice, curling. He is married to Katie, with two daughters, Abby and Elizabeth.
Sometimes, you have a bad hire. But oftentimes, it’s bad onboarding! In this episode of Practical Solutions Day, Kirk Behrendt brings back Adriana Booth, one of ACT’s amazing coaches, to help you understand the importance of onboarding and how to do it right. To learn how to onboard — not waterboard — new team members, listen to Episode 911 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Adriana:
- Join Adriana on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/adriana.booth
- Follow Adriana on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adrimarieb
- Send Courtney an email to learn more about ACT: courtney@actdental.com
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Apple App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/best-practices-association/id6738960360
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Google Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.actdental.join&hl=en_US
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 911: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
- Register for ACT’s To The Top Study Club (July 18th, 2025): https://www.eventbrite.com/e/climb-with-us-register-for-july-18-2025-ttt-study-club-tickets-1205460116659
- Register for ACT’s To The Top Study Club (July 25, 2025): https://www.eventbrite.com/e/climb-with-us-register-for-july-25-2025-ttt-study-club-tickets-1205497959849
- Become ACT’s BPA Premium Member for the 3-3-3 Onboarding Tool: https://join.actdental.com/users/sign_in?post_login_redirect=https%3A%2F%2Fjoin.actdental.com%2Fc%2Fpractice-coaching-tools%2F3-3-3-onboarding-model#email
- Become ACT’s BPA Premium Member for the Check-In Agenda: https://join.actdental.com/users/sign_in?post_login_redirect=https%3A%2F%2Fjoin.actdental.com%2Fc%2Fpractice-coaching-tools%2Fcheck-in-agenda-guide#email
Main Takeaways:
- When done right, onboarding builds trust, loyalty, and retention.
- Done poorly, new hires feel uncertain, overwhelmed, and frustrated.
- Start with purpose. Help new hires see your culture, values, and vision.
- Set clear expectations and attainable targets to build your team’s confidence.
- Create belonging and ownership. People stay where they are seen, heard, and valued.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
2:59 Why this is an important topic.
5:03 1) Start with purpose.
12:01 2) Set clear expectations.
17:20 3) Create belonging and ownership.
24:01 A crazy onboarding story.
26:35 ACT’s BPA and resources.
Adriana Booth, BS, RDH Bio:
Adriana Booth is a Lead Practice Coach who partners with dentists and their teams to cultivate leadership skills, build practice growth, and streamline business practices. After spending nearly two decades in the dental industry working with top-notch dental teams, Adriana came to ACT to share her passion for professional growth, high-level training, and systems creation with our clients. As a dental hygienist with a love for continuing education and personal growth, helping a practice become successful is at the heart of her passion for dentistry.
Adriana has a B.S. in Dental Hygiene from West Liberty University/O’Hehir University. By being involved in several Columbus, Ohio, study clubs, Adriana maintains strong relationships within her local dental community. She enjoys a variety of fitness activities, family time, good books, and at the top of her list, her fur babies.
Your patients might agree to full-case treatment. But how many schedule those appointments same-day? In this episode of Metric Mondays, Kirk Behrendt brings back Miranda Beeson, ACT’s director of education, to break down treatment dollar amount acceptance percentage. By tracking this metric, you can see how much of your diagnosed care is turning into real dentistry. To learn how to get patients to accept and schedule higher value treatment, listen to Episode 910 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Miranda:
- Send Miranda an email: miranda@actdental.com
- Follow Miranda on ACT’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/actdental
- Send Courtney an email to learn more about ACT: courtney@actdental.com
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Apple App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/best-practices-association/id6738960360
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Google Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.actdental.join&hl=en_US
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 910: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
- Register for ACT’s To The Top Study Club (July 18th, 2025): https://www.eventbrite.com/e/climb-with-us-register-for-july-18-2025-ttt-study-club-tickets-1205460116659
- Register for ACT’s To The Top Study Club (July 25, 2025): https://www.eventbrite.com/e/climb-with-us-register-for-july-25-2025-ttt-study-club-tickets-1205497959849
Main Takeaways:
- Show patients the full picture. Let them decide how much they want to do, and when.
- For a full case, schedule as many appointments as possible, not just the first one.
- Present the value before the price. Use visuals to show potential outcomes.
- Help patients plan for the dentistry they will need in their retirement.
- If you have a consult room, use it! Patients will say yes to more.
- Have financing or payment options available.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
2:15 Treatment dollar amount acceptance percentage, explained.
4:30 Why same-day scheduling is important.
7:04 How this metric impacts your practice.
9:14 What it looks like when it’s working well or not working well.
12:05 Countermeasures.
18:37 About ACT’s BPA, TTT, and Pro Coaching.
Miranda Beeson, MS, BSDH Bio:
Miranda Beeson has over 25 years of clinical dental hygiene, front office, practice administration, and speaking experience. She is enthusiastic about communication and loves helping others find the power that words can bring to their patient interactions and practice dynamics. As a Lead Practice Coach, she is driven to create opportunities to find value in experiences and cultivate new approaches.
Miranda graduated from Old Dominion University, and enjoys spending time with her husband, Chuck, and her children, Trent, Mallory, and Cassidy. Family time is the best time, and is often spent on a golf course, a volleyball court, or spending the day boating at the beach.
When patients think of palatal expanders, they may think of torture devices. But with recent advancements and technology, they are more sophisticated than ever. In this episode of Clinical Edge Fridays, Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. Rebecca Bockow, instructor from Spear Education, to share where we are today with MARPEs and why now is the best time to offer it in your practice. To learn how you can “expand” the services you provide, listen to Episode 909 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Dr. Bockow:
- Join Dr. Bockow on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/InspiredOrtho
- Follow Dr. Bockow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rbockow
- Register for Dr. Bockow’s Healthy Growth - Healthy Faces course (September 25-27, 2025): https://www.arnettgunson.com/healthy-growth-healthy-faces-seattle
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Apple App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/best-practices-association/id6738960360
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Google Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.actdental.join&hl=en_US
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 909: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
Main Takeaways:
- MARPE doesn't replace jaw surgery but is a less invasive solution for some patients.
- Age is no longer an impediment to MARPEs. Patients in their 60s can have it done.
- We can increase predictability and reduce complications with custom designs.
- Advancements have reduced the need for surgical intervention in adults.
- Educate patients. A MARPE is not a panacea for complex issues.
- Now is the best time to lean into MARPEs.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
1:23 Dr. Bockow’s background.
5:22 Why this is an important topic.
7:32 MARPEs, explained.
15:05 Where we are now with MARPEs.
18:35 The recovery process for patients.
19:31 Age is no longer an impediment.
21:04 What people get wrong about MARPEs.
22:45 The future of MARPEs.
25:00 Airway and periodontal implications of MARPEs.
26:10 Now is the perfect time to lean in.
27:19 How to get buy-in.
29:55 Final thoughts.
31:21 Dr. Bockow’s future course.
Dr. Rebecca Bockow Bio:
Dr. Rebecca Bockow is a dual-trained orthodontist and periodontist – the only dual-trained provider in Seattle and one of only a handful in the country.
Dr. Bockow grew up in the Greater Seattle area and attended University Prep for high school. She received a B.S. in Biology with Honors at Haverford College, where she also played soccer, squash, tennis, and ran cross-country and track. She completed her DDS training at the University of Washington Dental School in 2007. Dr. Bockow practiced as a general dentist in Seattle for two years while simultaneously teaching at the UW dental school.
Dr. Bockow completed a highly selective dual-specialty program combining Orthodontics and Periodontics at the University of Pennsylvania. She is a board-certified orthodontist and periodontist. While simultaneously enrolled in two residency programs, she also received a Master of Science in Oral Biology, focusing on intranasal ketorolac for postoperative implant pain management.
Dr. Bockow lectures nationally on periodontics, orthodontics, interdisciplinary orthodontics, airway, and skeletal growth and development. She contributes to multiple professional journals as an author and editor, and she is also a resident faculty member at Spear Education.
We've all heard about workplace harassment. But how much do you really know? In this episode of Practical Solutions Day, Kirk Behrendt brings back Alan Twigg, president of Bent Ericksen & Associates, to share everything you need to understand about harassment in a dental practice. To learn how to protect your team and practice, listen to Episode 908 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Alan:
- Give Alan a call: (800) 679-2760
- Send Alan an email: alan@bentericksen.com
- Join Bent Ericksen on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BentEricksenAssociates
- Learn more about Bent Ericksen: https://bentericksen.com
- Try Bent Ericksen’s HR Director package: https://bentericksen.com/product/hr-director
- Learn more on Bent Ericksen’s Resource Library: https://bentericksen.com/resource-library
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Apple App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/best-practices-association/id6738960360
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Google Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.actdental.join&hl=en_US
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 908: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
Main Takeaways:
- Know that there are multiple types of harassment.
- Have clear, documented policies against harassment.
- Different states have different harassment policy requirements.
- Document that you have reviewed your policies with employees.
- Specify who people need to report to if they're a victim of harassment.
- Frequently do training and reminders about your policies with your team.
- Take reports of harassment seriously! Don't just sweep things under the rug.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
1:11 Alan’s background.
2:28 Why this is an important topic.
5:06 Have clear policies in place.
10:59 Important steps to take.
17:41 What dentists get wrong about harassment.
23:39 Final thoughts.
25:20 More about Bent Ericksen and how to get in touch.
Alan Twigg Bio:
Alan Twigg is the president of Bent Ericksen & Associates. For over 10 years, he has guided thousands of clients and consultants through the ever-changing world of HR and employment compliance. He is a speaker, consultant, and author who is passionate about bringing education and peace of mind to such a confusing topic.
As a strong proponent of symbiotic employer-employee relations, Alan is passionate about teamwork and positive work cultures, with an emphasis on long-term personnel retention and employment compliance, where his solutions-oriented outlook excels.
907: The Bright Future of Private Care Dentistry – Dr. Barrett Straub & Dr. Jeff Osborne
We've all heard it for years: private practice is dying. But is this actually true? In this bonus episode, Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. Barrett Straub, ACT’s CEO, and Dr. Jeff Osborne, chief dental officer of Smile Source, to talk about the state of private care dentistry and to prove that it is thriving now more than ever. Dentistry is still in its golden age! To learn why the future of private practice is so bright and how to love being a practice owner, listen to Episode 907 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Dr. Straub & Dr. Osborne:
- Send Dr. Straub an email: barrett@actdental.com
- Join Dr. Straub on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/barrett.d.straub
- Follow Dr. Osborne on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/legacyranchdentaltx
- Learn more about Smile Source: https://smilesource.com
- Register for Smile Source Exchange (September 10-13, 2025): https://sstheexchange25.eventscribe.net
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Apple App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/best-practices-association/id6738960360
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Google Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.actdental.join&hl=en_US
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 907: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
Main Takeaways:
- Contrary to popular belief, private practice is thriving.
- With AI and other technology developing, dentistry is in its golden age.
- Patients need and want comprehensive care, and they are willing to pay for it.
- Owning your own practice means freedom and a better life — it just takes some work.
- Master the three circles of the dentist — clinician, entrepreneur, and boss — for success.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
2:12 Why dentistry is still in the golden age.
10:31 The three circles of being a dentist.
13:35 It’s never been a better time to be a practice owner.
17:53 More about ACT’s BPA.
Dr. Barrett Straub Bio:
Dr. Barrett Straub practices general and sedation dentistry in Port Washington, Wisconsin. He has worked hard to develop his practice into a top-performing, fee-for-service practice that focuses on improving the lives of patients through dentistry.
A graduate of Marquette Dental School, Dr. Straub’s advanced training and CE includes work at the Spear Institute, LVI, DOCS, and as a member of the Milwaukee Study Club. He is a past member of the Wisconsin Dental Association Board of Trustees and was awarded the Marquette Dental School 2017 Young Alumnus of the Year. As a former ACT coaching client that experienced first-hand the transformation that coaching can provide, he is passionate about helping other dentists create the practice they’ve always wanted.
Dr. Straub loves to hunt, golf, and spend winter on the ice, curling. He is married to Katie, with two daughters, Abby and Elizabeth.
Dr. Jeff Osborne Bio:
Dr. Jeffrey Osborne earned his Doctorate of Dental Surgery from the University of Texas Dental Branch at Houston in 1989. He opened his first dental office in West Houston upon graduation and has owned multiple offices throughout the Greater Houston area.
Dr. Osborne was also on the Board of Directors of the Greater Houston Dental Society and served as the vice president for two years. He holds an MBA in healthcare administration from the University of Houston-Clear Lake and has served as a dental director for Cigna Dental. He was also the Texas dental director for United Concordia Dental Insurance. While at United Concordia, he oversaw the administration of the dental portion of the Texas Children's Health Insurance Program. He was also employed as the director of quality assurance for South Texas Dental.
Dr. Osborne is now the chief dental officer for Smile Source, a group dedicated to helping independent dentists thrive together. He currently resides in Pilot Point, Texas. He is married to Kim and is the proud father of Shelby, Heather, and Jack.
Do you want a productive, predictable schedule? Knowing this one number will make that happen! In this episode of Metric Mondays, Kirk Behrendt brings back Miranda Beeson, ACT’s director of education, to break down patient acceptance percentage. By tracking this metric, you can increase case acceptance, improve your production, and help patients get the care they need more quickly. To learn how to fill your schedule with more high-value visits, listen to Episode 906 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Miranda:
- Send Miranda an email: miranda@actdental.com
- Follow Miranda on ACT’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/actdental
- Send Courtney an email to learn more about ACT: courtney@actdental.com
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Apple App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/best-practices-association/id6738960360
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Google Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.actdental.join&hl=en_US
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 906: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
- Register for ACT’s To The Top Study Club (July 18th, 2025): https://www.eventbrite.com/e/climb-with-us-register-for-july-18-2025-ttt-study-club-tickets-1205460116659
- Register for ACT’s To The Top Study Club (July 25, 2025): https://www.eventbrite.com/e/climb-with-us-register-for-july-25-2025-ttt-study-club-tickets-1205497959849
Main Takeaways:
- Start by building value during the treatment presentation.
- Ensure that your team is equipped to handle objections.
- Practice using “so that” statements with your team.
- Ground conversations in outcomes, not just price.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
2:13 Patient acceptance percentage, explained.
5:17 Build value during treatment presentation.
8:08 What high and low patient acceptance percentages mean.
10:59 Without value, there's only price.
13:13 Use the “so that” method.
17:27 Eliminate the word “need”.
17:57 Equip your team to handle objections.
19:58 About ACT’s BPA, TTT, and Pro Coaching.
Miranda Beeson, MS, BSDH Bio:
Miranda Beeson has over 25 years of clinical dental hygiene, front office, practice administration, and speaking experience. She is enthusiastic about communication and loves helping others find the power that words can bring to their patient interactions and practice dynamics. As a Lead Practice Coach, she is driven to create opportunities to find value in experiences and cultivate new approaches.
Miranda graduated from Old Dominion University, and enjoys spending time with her husband, Chuck, and her children, Trent, Mallory, and Cassidy. Family time is the best time, and is often spent on a golf course, a volleyball court, or spending the day boating at the beach.
How do you find your sweet spot of what you're good at and what you like? In this episode of Clinical Edge Fridays, Kirk Behrendt brings in Dr. Jaren Argyle, founder of The Elevated Dentist, to share his difficult journey from doing procedures he hated and being “done” to becoming the most fulfilled in his life and career. If you're unhappy where you're at, don't stay stuck! To learn how you can get the most out of your personal and professional life, listen to Episode 905 of The Best Practices Show!
*If you or someone you know — in or out of the dental community — is struggling with depression or is in distress, resources are linked for you below.
Learn More About Dr. Argyle:
- Join Dr. Argyle on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jarenargyle
- Follow Dr. Argyle on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/argyledental
- Schedule your consultation with Dr. Argyle: https://www.theelevateddentist.com/schedule-your-consultation
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Apple App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/best-practices-association/id6738960360
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Google Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.actdental.join&hl=en_US
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 905: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
- Contact the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline: Call or text 988
- Suicide Prevention Lifeline website: https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org
- Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website: https://www.samhsa.gov/find-help/national-helpline
- American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy: https://www.aamft.org
- “Are Dentists Really More Prone to Suicide?” by Elizabeth Brown: https://www.vice.com/en/article/5344jz/are-dentists-really-more-prone-to-suicide
- CDC Risk and Protective Factors for Suicide: https://www.cdc.gov/suicide/risk-factors/?CDC_AAref_Val=https://www.cdc.gov/suicide/factors/index.html
- Read Into the Magic Shop by Dr. James Doty: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/316170/into-the-magic-shop-by-james-doty-md
- Learn more about Dan Sullivan’s Strategic Coach program: https://www.strategiccoach.com
- Discover your unique ability: https://private.strategiccoach.com/store/products/191
- Read Flow by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi: https://bookshop.org/p/books/flow-the-psychology-of-optimal-experience-mihaly-csikszentmihalyi/8937185?ean=9780061339202&next=t
Main Takeaways:
- Stop comparing and start collaborating. Don't stay isolated in your profession.
- Take time to find your unique abilities. It will require some trial and error.
- Figure out as early as possible how you want to practice dentistry.
- Remember that money isn't the only way to measure success.
- Discover hobbies that allow you to detach from dentistry.
- Don't go through your career without a mentor.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
0:45 Dr. Argyle’s background.
4:44 It wasn't an easy path.
10:37 Money isn't the only way to measure success.
18:47 Great quotes to live by.
23:44 Your goalpost will change.
27:37 Find your unique ability.
35:45 Take time to figure things out.
37:50 Final thoughts.
44:40 More about Dr. Argyle and how to get in touch.
Dr. Jaren Argyle Bio:
Dr. Jaren Argyle graduated from Utah State University where he received his BA in Biology. Following Utah State, he traveled to the East Coast where he received his DMD at the University of Connecticut.
Dr. Argyle constantly exceeds the number of yearly required hours in continuing education. He feels it is extremely important to always be learning and staying at the leading edge of the dental sciences, technology, and materials. He has received specialized training in dental implant placement, dental sleep medicine for the treatment of obstructive sleep apnea, and TMJ therapy for individuals suffering from headaches, pain, and limitations in the movement of their jaw. He is one of only a couple of dentists in the state of Utah certified as a Qualified Dentist with the American Academy of Dental Sleep Medicine.
Dr. Argyle recently received training in esthetics including Botox, fillers, and the anti-aging effects of platelet rich fibrin (PRF) in the world of esthetics. He also uses PRF in the mouth to help facilitate quicker and more predictable healing with different surgical procedures. He is involved with local study clubs as well as multiple international study clubs that consist of the top dentists in the world in the prevention and treatment of sleep apnea, TMJ therapy, and PRF treatment in dentistry.
In both dentistry and sports, leadership is essential for success. In this episode of Better Thinking, Kirk Behrendt brings in Jeff Janssen, founder and president of Janssen Sports Leadership Center, to share his experience working with the top college athletes and coaches and the programs that create better leaders. To learn how to apply his leadership exercises to your dental practice, listen to Episode 904 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Jeff:
- Join Jeff on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JanssenSportsLeadershipCenter
- Follow Jeff on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/janssenleader
- Learn more about Janssen Sports Leadership Center: https://www.janssensportsleadership.com
Learn More About ACT Dental:
- ACT’s Events: https://www.actdental.com/event
- ACT’s website: https://www.actdental.com
- ACT’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/actdental
- ACT’s YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/actdental
- ACT’s Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/actdental
- ACT’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/actdental/
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Apple App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/best-practices-association/id6738960360
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Google Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.actdental.join&hl=en_US
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 904: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
- Read books by Jeff Janssen: https://www.janssensportsleadership.com/resources/shop-all-products
Main Takeaways:
- All leadership starts with self-leadership.
- Identify two of your strengths and two areas of improvement.
- Don't call your team out. Call them “up” to the standards you've set.
- With leadership alone, you can take your team from a seven to a nine.
- Balance your ability to relate to people and your ability to require things of them.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
0:46 Jeff’s background.
4:55 Why leadership is important in sports.
7:36 Do a self-evaluation on your leadership.
14:02 The impact of leadership on winning, creating a brand, and culture.
16:06 The importance of momentum when it comes to leadership.
18:14 The 360, explained.
23:37 Jeff’s favorite transformation story.
26:48 What most leaders get wrong about leadership.
28:20 How to hold people accountable.
30:12 Is Jeff part of the football program at North Carolina?
31:39 The wild west of sports.
33:49 Final thoughts.
35:09 More about the Janssen Sports Leadership Center.
Jeff Janssen Bio:
Widely considered the world's top expert on sports leadership, Jeff Janssen is the founder and president of the Janssen Sports Leadership Center. His pioneering work in launching and conducting college athletics' first Leadership Academies with student-athletes and coaches began over a decade ago. His groundbreaking work is what originally started the whole field of sports leadership development and continues to be the gold standard today.
As a prolific author, Jeff has authored numerous books, including The Team Captain's Leadership Manual, The Team Captain's Culture Manual, Championship Team Building, Jeff Janssen's Peak Performance Playbook, and How to Develop Relentless Competitors.
Jeff is passionate about his purpose of helping coaches and athletic administrators develop the world's next generation of leaders on and off the playing fields!
Great workers exist — but where are they at? In this episode of Practical Solutions Day, Kirk Behrendt brings back Debra Engelhardt-Nash, co-founder of The Nash Institute, to share the most effective ways to attract and retain the amazing people that will improve your life. To learn how to build an engaged and loyal team, listen to Episode 903 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Debra:
- Text Debra for the growth conferences form: (704) 904-3459
- Send Debra an email: debraengelhardtnash@gmail.com
- Follow Debra on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/debraengnash
- Book Debra for speaking or consulting: https://debraengelhardtnash.com
- Register for Debra’s Dental Business School course (August 22-23, 2025): https://www.thenashinstitute.com/upcoming-events/dental-business-school
- Register for Debra’s Team Communication Skills course: https://www.thenashinstitute.com/upcoming-events/team-communication-skills
- Register for the Academy for Private Dental Practice event (February 26-28, 2026): https://apdp.regfox.com/apdp-2026
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Apple App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/best-practices-association/id6738960360
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Google Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.actdental.join&hl=en_US
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 903: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
Main Takeaways:
- Good people exist. What are you doing to attract and keep them in your practice?
- Set aside time to check in with your team and have growth conferences.
- Create loyalty by inspiring your team and making them feel valued.
- Lead with kindness and empathy to build even more loyalty.
- Unite your team with your culture and core purpose.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
1:42 Good people are out there.
2:50 Why this is an important topic.
7:07 Have the growth conversation with your team.
14:35 Have regular growth conferences for a better culture.
15:20 Debra’s dermatology story.
17:40 Lead with kindness to be an effective leader.
20:07 Build loyalty through purpose.
26:05 Final thoughts.
27:40 More about Debra and how to get in touch.
Debra Engelhardt-Nash Bio:
Debra is a trainer, author, presenter, and consultant. Having been in dentistry for over 30 years, she engages organizations and study groups nationally and internationally. She is a continual presenter for the American Dental Association, the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry, and the Chicago Dental Society Midwinter Meeting.
Debra is a founding member of The Nash Institute and past president of the National Academy of Dental Management Consultants. She is an active member of the American Dental Assistants Association, the American Academy of Dental Practice Administration, and the Speakers Consulting Network. She has been repeatedly recognized by Dentistry Today as a leader in continuing dental education and as a leader in dental consulting. She is also a member of the American Dental Association’s Dental Practice Management Advisory Board, and recently became the president of the Academy for Private Dental Practice.
Debra is married to cosmetic dentist and dental educator, Dr. Ross Nash, of The Nash Institute for Dental Learning. She continues to work in his busy practice, doing exactly what she preaches.
In this bonus episode, Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. Barrett Straub, ACT’s CEO, and Dr. Jeff Osborne, chief dental officer of Smile Source, to share an amazing new opportunity called the Smile Source Exchange. Join this educational community event to connect with others in the profession and elevate your practice! Don’t wait — register today! To learn how, listen to Episode 902 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Dr. Straub & Dr. Osborne:
- Send Dr. Straub an email: barrett@actdental.com
- Join Dr. Straub on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/barrett.d.straub
- Follow Dr. Osborne on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/legacyranchdentaltx
- Learn more about Smile Source: https://smilesource.com
- Register for Smile Source Exchange (September 10-13, 2025): https://sstheexchange25.eventscribe.net
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Apple App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/best-practices-association/id6738960360
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Google Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.actdental.join&hl=en_US
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 902: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
Main Takeaways:
- Join the ACT Dental/Smile Source community. Don't try to do this on your own!
- This is the place to rejuvenate your mind, body, soul, and love for dentistry.
- You don't just want to go to The Exchange — you need to go!
- Bring your teams to this event!
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
0:44 About the Smile Source Exchange.
5:42 Why you need to attend The Exchange.
13:04 How The Exchange is different from most big meetings.
14:44 A snapshot of Kirk’s session at The Exchange.
18:15 Final thoughts.
Dr. Barrett Straub Bio:
Dr. Barrett Straub practices general and sedation dentistry in Port Washington, Wisconsin. He has worked hard to develop his practice into a top-performing, fee-for-service practice that focuses on improving the lives of patients through dentistry.
A graduate of Marquette Dental School, Dr. Straub’s advanced training and CE includes work at the Spear Institute, LVI, DOCS, and as a member of the Milwaukee Study Club. He is a past member of the Wisconsin Dental Association Board of Trustees and was awarded the Marquette Dental School 2017 Young Alumnus of the Year. As a former ACT coaching client that experienced first-hand the transformation that coaching can provide, he is passionate about helping other dentists create the practice they’ve always wanted.
Dr. Straub loves to hunt, golf, and spend winter on the ice, curling. He is married to Katie, with two daughters, Abby and Elizabeth.
Dr. Jeff Osborne Bio:
Dr. Jeffrey Osborne earned his Doctorate of Dental Surgery from the University of Texas Dental Branch at Houston in 1989. He opened his first dental office in West Houston upon graduation and has owned multiple offices throughout the Greater Houston area.
Dr. Osborne was also on the Board of Directors of the Greater Houston Dental Society and served as the vice president for two years. He holds an MBA in healthcare administration from the University of Houston-Clear Lake and has served as a dental director for Cigna Dental. He was also the Texas dental director for United Concordia Dental Insurance. While at United Concordia, he oversaw the administration of the dental portion of the Texas Children's Health Insurance Program. He was also employed as the director of quality assurance for South Texas Dental.
Dr. Osborne is now the chief dental officer for Smile Source, a group dedicated to helping independent dentists thrive together. He currently resides in Pilot Point, Texas. He is married to Kim and is the proud father of Shelby, Heather, and Jack.
What kind of dentistry are you doing in your practice? Is it reactive or proactive? Single-tooth or comprehensive? In this episode of Metric Mondays, Kirk Behrendt brings back Miranda Beeson, ACT’s director of education, to break down average treatment presented. By tracking this metric, you can improve how you diagnose, present, and get case acceptance from patients. To learn how to provide more proactive, comprehensive treatment that your patients will value, listen to Episode 901 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Miranda:
- Send Miranda an email: miranda@actdental.com
- Follow Miranda on ACT’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/actdental
- Send Courtney an email to learn more about ACT: courtney@actdental.com
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Apple App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/best-practices-association/id6738960360
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Google Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.actdental.join&hl=en_US
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 901: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
- Register for ACT’s To The Top Study Club (July 18th, 2025): https://www.eventbrite.com/e/climb-with-us-register-for-july-18-2025-ttt-study-club-tickets-1205460116659
- Register for ACT’s To The Top Study Club (July 25, 2025): https://www.eventbrite.com/e/climb-with-us-register-for-july-25-2025-ttt-study-club-tickets-1205497959849
Main Takeaways:
- Present patients with a solution, not just a price.
- Identify as a team what you consider a true emergency.
- Use your verbal skills to be a guide rather than a salesperson.
- Are you only addressing chief complaints, or big-picture issues?
- Discuss and promote high-value elective procedures and opportunities.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
2:18 Average treatment presented, explained.
4:07 What low and high average treatment amounts mean.
7:15 Remove your limiting beliefs.
10:57 Countermeasures.
15:22 Find someone to hold you accountable.
17:01 More about ACT’s BPA, TTT, and Pro Coaching.
Miranda Beeson, MS, BSDH Bio:
Miranda Beeson has over 25 years of clinical dental hygiene, front office, practice administration, and speaking experience. She is enthusiastic about communication and loves helping others find the power that words can bring to their patient interactions and practice dynamics. As a Lead Practice Coach, she is driven to create opportunities to find value in experiences and cultivate new approaches.
Miranda graduated from Old Dominion University, and enjoys spending time with her husband, Chuck, and her children, Trent, Mallory, and Cassidy. Family time is the best time, and is often spent on a golf course, a volleyball court, or spending the day boating at the beach.
More than ever, labs and practices are going digital. In this episode of Clinical Edge Fridays, ACT shares one of their latest Master Classes with Dr. Daren Becker, visiting faculty member at the Pankey Institute. He shares some of the key aspects of a digital workflow that will make your dentistry more efficient, precise, and comfortable for patients. Embrace and master these workflows to elevate your practice! To learn how, listen to Episode 900 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Dr. Becker:
- Send Dr. Becker an email: docbecks@mac.com
- Follow Dr. Becker on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/doc_becks
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Apple App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/best-practices-association/id6738960360
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Google Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.actdental.join&hl=en_US
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 900: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
Main Takeaways:
- Create a system for scanning every new patient.
- Digital is a helpful tool in planning, patient education, and motivation.
- Scanners are great digital tools, but you need to have a system for using them.
- Everyone on your team should be trained to use the scanner. It is that important.
- If your labs do digital, send them scans. If they do analog, send them impressions.
- Don't forget your principles in doing digital. Do a complete and thorough diagnosis.
Snippets:
0:00 Dr. Becker’s background.
5:17 How to get in touch with Dr. Becker.
6:16 Course objectives.
7:52 More about Dr. Becker.
11:20 Disclosure of conflict of interest.
13:10 Digital dentistry.
17:10 Using digital for diagnosis.
20:28 Have a system for using these digital tools.
37:44 Q&A: Do your auxiliary team members support these systems, or is it all you?
42:02 Q&A: What is your opinion on scan path for wand scanners?
43:33 Mounting the upper scan.
48:43 Mounting the lower scan.
50:06 Evaluating centric stops digitally.
55:28 Going from digital to analog.
1:02:25 Digital occlusal splint design.
1:13:22 What about implants in the digital world?
1:22:22 Your best day in the practice.
1:23:43 Reestablishing an occlusion.
1:29:53 Conclusion.
1:31:36 Q&A: What did you bond on that PMMA with?
1:32:31 Q&A: Offset and undercut preferences for bite splints.
1:36:32 Final thoughts.
Dr. Daren Becker Bio:
Dr. Daren Becker began private practice in Atlanta, Georgia, in 1998 with an emphasis on comprehensive, restorative, implant, and aesthetic dentistry. He is the owner and full-time dentist at Atlanta Dental Solutions and is in a full-time fee-for-service practice.
Dr. Becker began his advanced studies at the Pankey Institute in 1998 and was invited to be a guest facilitator in 2006. He has been on the visiting faculty since 2009. In addition, in 2006, he began spending time facilitating dental students from Medical College of Georgia College of Dentistry at the Ben Massell Clinic (treating indigent patients) as an adjunct clinical faculty member. In 2011, he was invited to be a part-time faculty member in the Graduate Prosthodontics Residency at the Center for Aesthetic and Implant Dentistry at Georgia Health Sciences University, now Georgia Regents University College of Dental Medicine (formerly Medical College of Georgia).
Dr. Becker has been involved in organized dentistry and has chaired and/or served on numerous state and local committees. Currently, he is a delegate to the Georgia Dental Association. He has lectured at the Academy of General Dentistry annual meeting, is a regular presenter at ITI study clubs, as well as numerous other study clubs. He is a regular contributor at Red Sky Dental Seminars.
In addition to his enthusiasm for sharing his knowledge, Dr. Becker's strengths are in meeting and special event planning and CE program development. He lives in the Dunwoody area of Atlanta, Georgia, with his wife Amanda and their daughters, Alicia and Addison. He is passionate about fly-fishing and enjoys traveling, golf, and outdoor photography.
To have a thriving dental practice, you need trust. To build trust, there are three key pillars you need. In this episode of Practical Solutions Day, Kirk Behrendt brings back Heather Crockett, one of ACT’s amazing coaches, to share how to cultivate trust with your team and patients through empathy, transparency, and consistency. Trust is the currency of the future! To learn the three steps to create the ultimate dental practice, listen to Episode 899 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Heather:
- Send Heather an email: heather@actdental.com
- Join Heather on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/heather.r.crockett
- Follow Heather on ACT’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/actdental
- Send Courtney an email to learn more about ACT: courtney@actdental.com
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Apple App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/best-practices-association/id6738960360
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Google Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.actdental.join&hl=en_US
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 899: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
- Register for ACT’s To The Top Study Club (July 18th, 2025): https://www.eventbrite.com/e/climb-with-us-register-for-july-18-2025-ttt-study-club-tickets-1205460116659
- Register for ACT’s To The Top Study Club (July 25, 2025): https://www.eventbrite.com/e/climb-with-us-register-for-july-25-2025-ttt-study-club-tickets-1205497959849
- Join ACT’s BPA for the Communication Rhythms Guide: https://join.actdental.com/users/sign_in?post_login_redirect=https%3A%2F%2Fjoin.actdental.com%2Fc%2Fpractice-coaching-tools%2Fthe-act-dental-meeting-rhythm#email
- Join ACT’s BPA for the Building an Appreciative Workplace resource: https://join.actdental.com/users/sign_in?post_login_redirect=https%3A%2F%2Fjoin.actdental.com%2Fc%2Fpractice-coaching-tools%2Fbuilding-an-appreciative-workplace#email
- Join ACT’s BPA for the Chief Reminding Officer tool: https://join.actdental.com/users/sign_in?post_login_redirect=https%3A%2F%2Fjoin.actdental.com%2Fc%2Fpractice-coaching-tools%2Fcro-chief-reminding-officer#email
Main Takeaways:
- Learn to show gratitude and learn to apologize when you make mistakes.
- Trust takes a lifetime of hard work to build, and only a second to lose.
- Keep communication open. Transparency fosters connection.
- Show empathy. Listening strengthens relationships.
- Be consistent. Predictability builds trust.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
2:38 Why this is an important topic.
4:12 The three main components of trust.
6:41 Step 1) Transparency.
14:24 Step 2) Empathy.
20:30 Step 3) Consistency.
26:53 Which of the three do you need to work on?
29:30 We’re all human.
31:38 Final thoughts.
Heather Crockett Bio:
Heather Crockett is a Lead Practice Coach who finds joy in not only improving practices but improving the lives of those she coaches as well. With over 20 years of combined experience in assisting, office management, and clinical dental hygiene, her awareness supports many aspects of the practice setting.
Heather received her dental hygiene degree from the Utah College of Dental Hygiene in 2008. Networking in the dental community comes easy to her, and she loves to connect with like-minded colleagues on social media. Heather enjoys both attending and presenting continuing education to expand her knowledge and learn from her friends and colleagues.
She enjoys hanging out with her husband, three sons, and their dog, Moki, scrolling through social media, watching football, and traveling.
In this bonus episode, Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. Barrett Straub, ACT’s CEO, and Dr. Jeff Osborne, chief dental officer of Smile Source, to make a special announcement. ACT Dental and Smile Source have officially merged! They share the “why” behind it, their vision, and their thoughts on the future of private practice. To be a part of this amazing dental community for a Better Practice, Better Life, listen to Episode 898 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Dr. Straub & Dr. Osborne:
- Send Dr. Straub an email: barrett@actdental.com
- Join Dr. Straub on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/barrett.d.straub
- Follow Dr. Osborne on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/legacyranchdentaltx
- Learn more about Smile Source: https://smilesource.com
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Apple App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/best-practices-association/id6738960360
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Google Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.actdental.join&hl=en_US
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 898: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
- Register for ACT’s To The Top Study Club (July 18th, 2025): https://www.eventbrite.com/e/climb-with-us-register-for-july-18-2025-ttt-study-club-tickets-1205460116659
- Register for ACT’s To The Top Study Club (July 25, 2025): https://www.eventbrite.com/e/climb-with-us-register-for-july-25-2025-ttt-study-club-tickets-1205497959849
Main Takeaways:
- This merger will expand community support for dentists and their teams.
- You are your greatest asset. Invest in yourself by joining this amazing community.
- Private practice is thriving, not dying! It is the gold standard the merger will protect.
- Don't try to do this on your own. Join the community designed by dentists for dentists.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
1:51 Dr. Osborne’s and Smile Source’s backgrounds.
7:04 Why ACT and Smile Source merged.
15:33 The vision and future of the merger.
20:30 Final thoughts.
Dr. Barrett Straub Bio:
Dr. Barrett Straub practices general and sedation dentistry in Port Washington, Wisconsin. He has worked hard to develop his practice into a top-performing, fee-for-service practice that focuses on improving the lives of patients through dentistry.
A graduate of Marquette Dental School, Dr. Straub’s advanced training and CE includes work at the Spear Institute, LVI, DOCS, and as a member of the Milwaukee Study Club. He is a past member of the Wisconsin Dental Association Board of Trustees and was awarded the Marquette Dental School 2017 Young Alumnus of the Year. As a former ACT coaching client that experienced first-hand the transformation that coaching can provide, he is passionate about helping other dentists create the practice they’ve always wanted.
Dr. Straub loves to hunt, golf, and spend winter on the ice, curling. He is married to Katie, with two daughters, Abby and Elizabeth.
Dr. Jeff Osborne Bio:
Dr. Jeffrey Osborne earned his Doctorate of Dental Surgery from the University of Texas Dental Branch at Houston in 1989. He opened his first dental office in West Houston upon graduation and has owned multiple offices throughout the Greater Houston area.
Dr. Osborne was also on the Board of Directors of the Greater Houston Dental Society and served as the vice president for two years. He holds an MBA in healthcare administration from the University of Houston-Clear Lake and has served as a dental director for Cigna Dental. He was also the Texas dental director for United Concordia Dental Insurance. While at United Concordia, he oversaw the administration of the dental portion of the Texas Children's Health Insurance Program. He was also employed as the director of quality assurance for South Texas Dental.
Dr. Osborne is now the chief dental officer for Smile Source, a group dedicated to helping independent dentists thrive together. He currently resides in Pilot Point, Texas. He is married to Kim and is the proud father of Shelby, Heather, and Jack.
Are your patients just healthy, or are you underdiagnosing treatment? In this episode of Metric Mondays, Kirk Behrendt brings back Miranda Beeson, ACT’s director of education, to break down diagnostic percentage, why your numbers are low, and ways to start impacting this metric today. To learn how to be proactive in diagnosing care, listen to Episode 897 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Miranda:
- Send Miranda an email: miranda@actdental.com
- Follow Miranda on ACT’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/actdental
- Send Courtney an email to learn more about ACT: courtney@actdental.com
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Apple App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/best-practices-association/id6738960360
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Google Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.actdental.join&hl=en_US
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 897: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
- Register for ACT’s To The Top Study Club (July 18th, 2025): https://www.eventbrite.com/e/climb-with-us-register-for-july-18-2025-ttt-study-club-tickets-1205460116659
- Register for ACT’s To The Top Study Club (July 25, 2025): https://www.eventbrite.com/e/climb-with-us-register-for-july-25-2025-ttt-study-club-tickets-1205497959849
Main Takeaways:
- Establish a baseline for what you consider healthy.
- Talk to patients about the positive outcomes of treatment.
- Understand what low and high diagnostic percentages indicate.
- Leverage co-discovery and co-diagnosis. When patients see, they do.
- Utilize technology such as Pearl AI as a way to offer a second opinion.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
1:55 Diagnostic percentage, explained.
3:25 Selling is serving.
4:46 What low and high diagnostic percentages mean.
8:55 Establish a baseline for health.
11:26 Leverage co-discovery and co-diagnosis.
13:31 Use technology as a second opinion.
16:06 Talk to patients about the outcome of treatment.
18:11 More about ACT’s BPA and TTT.
Miranda Beeson, MS, BSDH Bio:
Miranda Beeson has over 25 years of clinical dental hygiene, front office, practice administration, and speaking experience. She is enthusiastic about communication and loves helping others find the power that words can bring to their patient interactions and practice dynamics. As a Lead Practice Coach, she is driven to create opportunities to find value in experiences and cultivate new approaches.
Miranda graduated from Old Dominion University, and enjoys spending time with her husband, Chuck, and her children, Trent, Mallory, and Cassidy. Family time is the best time, and is often spent on a golf course, a volleyball court, or spending the day boating at the beach.
Do you ever look at your bank account and wonder where your money is? In this episode of Practical Solutions Day, Kirk Behrendt brings back Robyn Theisen, one of ACT’s amazing coaches, to uncover four of the biggest profit drains that's giving you the Monday blues. Close these four gaps and take control of your practice! To learn how to stress less and have more money left over, listen to Episode 896 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Robyn:
- Send Robyn an email: robyn@actdental.com
- Follow Robyn on ACT’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/actdental
- Send the ACT Team an email: info@actdental.com
- Send Courtney an email to learn more about ACT: courtney@actdental.com
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Apple App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/best-practices-association/id6738960360
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Google Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.actdental.join&hl=en_US
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 896: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
- Join ACT’s BPA to access their tools and resources: https://join.actdental.com/users/sign_in
- Register for ACT’s To The Top Study Club (July 18th, 2025): https://www.eventbrite.com/e/climb-with-us-register-for-july-18-2025-ttt-study-club-tickets-1205460116659
- Register for ACT’s To The Top Study Club (July 25, 2025): https://www.eventbrite.com/e/climb-with-us-register-for-july-25-2025-ttt-study-club-tickets-1205497959849
Main Takeaways:
- A P&L is valuable, but it doesn't tell you how to run your business.
- These four gaps won't fix themselves! Start proactively addressing them.
- Identify and minimize your effort gap. Ideally, write-offs should be less than 10%.
- Look at your collections gap. Collect 98% at minimum, but 100% should be the goal.
- Do an overhead review each month. Your overhead should be below 60% of collections.
- Calculate your cash flow gap. Budget and have cash reserves for unexpected expenses.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
2:45 Why this is an important topic.
7:42 Gap 1: The effort gap.
14:32 Gap 2: The collections gap.
20:01 Gap 3: The overhead gap.
25:40 Gap 4: The cash flow gap.
29:44 Final thoughts.
Robyn Theisen Bio:
Robyn Theisen brings an entire life and legacy of dental experience to the team and every team with which she works as the daughter and sister of dentists. With almost 20 years of experience in dentistry, her roles ranged from practice management to operations at Patterson Dental to coaching teams. Robyn’s passion is empowering teams to realize that they can dramatically impact the lives of the people they serve by implementing skills and systems to remove barriers to life-changing dental treatment. She has done it for decades and does it every day with dental teams.
Outside of coaching, she enjoys time with her husband, Rob, and two daughters, Emerson and Ruby. She loves traveling, music, fitness, and cheering on the Michigan State Spartans.
Do you want a more efficient schedule? There's a way to do it by looking at one number. In this episode of Metric Mondays, Kirk Behrendt brings back Miranda Beeson, ACT’s director of education, to break down production per hour so you can maximize your hours at work with your team. To learn the quickest way to optimize your schedule, listen to Episode 895 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Miranda:
- Send Miranda an email: miranda@actdental.com
- Follow Miranda on ACT’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/actdental
- Send Courtney an email to learn more about ACT: courtney@actdental.com
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Apple App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/best-practices-association/id6738960360
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Google Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.actdental.join&hl=en_US
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 895: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
- Register for ACT’s To The Top Study Club (July 18th, 2025): https://www.eventbrite.com/e/climb-with-us-register-for-july-18-2025-ttt-study-club-tickets-1205460116659
- Register for ACT’s To The Top Study Club (July 25, 2025): https://www.eventbrite.com/e/climb-with-us-register-for-july-25-2025-ttt-study-club-tickets-1205497959849
Main Takeaways:
- Production per hour measures appointment efficiency and schedule optimization.
- If you have high production per hour, it means your schedule is optimized.
- Look at your schedule and ask, “Is this the best use of our time?”
- Maximize your team and your time by delegating what you can.
- Minimize open time using the Function Accountability Chart.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
2:34 Production per hour, explained.
4:30 Production per visit versus production per hour.
9:56 Delegate and minimize open time in your schedule.
13:24 About ACT’s BPA.
Miranda Beeson, MS, BSDH Bio:
Miranda Beeson has over 25 years of clinical dental hygiene, front office, practice administration, and speaking experience. She is enthusiastic about communication and loves helping others find the power that words can bring to their patient interactions and practice dynamics. As a Lead Practice Coach, she is driven to create opportunities to find value in experiences and cultivate new approaches.
Miranda graduated from Old Dominion University, and enjoys spending time with her husband, Chuck, and her children, Trent, Mallory, and Cassidy. Family time is the best time, and is often spent on a golf course, a volleyball court, or spending the day boating at the beach.
Today, there are many ways to get information. So, how do you get good, accurate data about dental products and technology? In this episode of Clinical Edge Fridays, Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. Taiseer Sulaiman, associate professor from UNC, to share his thoughts on the challenges of finding reliable information on the products that will benefit your patients and your practice. To learn how to not be misled about the latest and greatest in dental innovation, listen to Episode 894 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Dr. Sulaiman:
- Send Dr. Sulaiman an email: dr.taiseer@gmail.com
- Send Dr. Sulaiman an email: sulaiman@unc.edu
- Join Dr. Sulaiman on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dr.taiseer
- Follow Dr. Sulaiman on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/taiseersulaiman
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Apple App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/best-practices-association/id6738960360
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Google Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.actdental.join&hl=en_US
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 894: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
Main Takeaways:
- Remember that the literature can be biased.
- Slow down and do your research so you're not misled.
- Many products today have a less rigorous approval process.
- Keep an open mind, listen to all sides, and explore differing opinions.
- Being an early adopter can be important but so is sticking to what's tried and true.
- Don't get caught up in the hype about specific materials, techniques, or technology.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
2:58 Dr. Sulaiman’s background.
5:38 Why this is an important topic.
13:27 Keep an open mind and keep learning.
20:07 Products in the clinical setting versus the trial setting.
24:14 The speed of change in materials and technology.
33:00 Final thoughts.
36:34 More about Dr. Sulaiman and how to get in touch.
Dr. Taiseer Sulaiman Bio:
Dr. Taiseer Sulaiman is a tenured Associate Professor and the Director of the Advanced Operative Dentistry and Biomaterials Research at the Adams School of Dentistry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he earned his clinical certificate in Operative Dentistry, and his PhD in Dental Materials from the Department of Prosthetic Dentistry and Biomaterial Sciences from the University of Turku in Finland in collaboration with the Department of Operative Dentistry at UNC.
Dr. Sulaiman is a wet-handed clinician and a researcher who is passionate about bridging the gap between dental research and clinical application. His research focus is on dental ceramics, adhesion, cements, color and appearance in dentistry, and biomimetics. He has published over 80 peer-reviewed articles, abstracts, and book chapters. He is a member of many academies, including the Academy of Operative Dentistry, where he serves as councilor to the academy, the Society of Color and Appearance in Dentistry, IADR/AADR, and the American Dental Association. He has presented on numerous national and international stages and serves as a reviewer for many peer-reviewed journals.
Is your schedule looking a little bit empty? It’s time to take back control! In this episode of Practical Solutions Day, Kirk Behrendt brings back Miranda Beeson, ACT’s director of education, to break down the hidden reasons why your schedule isn't full and what you can do to fix it. Full schedules don't happen by accident! To learn the three keys to a consistently full schedule, listen to Episode 893 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Miranda:
- Send Miranda an email: miranda@actdental.com
- Follow Miranda on ACT’s Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/actdental
- Send Courtney an email to learn more about ACT: courtney@actdental.com
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show:https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association:https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Apple App Store:https://apps.apple.com/us/app/best-practices-association/id6738960360
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Google Play Store:https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.actdental.join&hl=en_US
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club:https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free:https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast:https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 893:https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
- Register for ACT’s To The Top Study Club (July 18th, 2025):https://www.eventbrite.com/e/climb-with-us-register-for-july-18-2025-ttt-study-club-tickets-1205460116659
- Register for ACT’s To The Top Study Club (July 25, 2025):https://www.eventbrite.com/e/climb-with-us-register-for-july-25-2025-ttt-study-club-tickets-1205497959849
- Join ACT’s BPA for the Capacity Tracker:https://join.actdental.com/users/sign_in?post_login_redirect=https%3A%2F%2Fjoin.actdental.com%2Fc%2Fpractice-coaching-tools%2Fcapacity-tracker#email
- Join ACT’s BPA for the Ideal Day Scheduling Guide:https://join.actdental.com/users/sign_in?post_login_redirect=https%3A%2F%2Fjoin.actdental.com%2Fc%2Fpractice-coaching-tools%2Fcolor-coding-block-scheduling-and-ideal-day-scheduling#email
- Try Second Opinion from Pearl:https://www.hellopearl.com
Main Takeaways:
- Figure out how much you're diagnosing and if it’s enough.
- Identify how many patients are saying yes to treatment you present.
- Of the treatment you present, how much of that are patients saying yes to?
- A consistently full schedule only happens when you put clear systems in place.
- Use resources like Pearl to improve your patients’ understanding and to gain trust.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
1:42 Why this is an important topic.
4:24 Figure out why people are cancelling.
7:34 How much are you diagnosing?
9:35 Revisit your treatment philosophy.
17:11 Are enough patients saying yes to treatment?
20:03 Dissect your treatment presentation system.
22:37 Are patients saying yes to enough treatment?
30:06 Final takeaways.
33:41 ACT’s BPA and other resources.
Miranda Beeson, MS, BSDH Bio:
Miranda Beeson has over 25 years of clinical dental hygiene, front office, practice administration, and speaking experience. She is enthusiastic about communication and loves helping others find the power that words can bring to their patient interactions and practice dynamics. As a Lead Practice Coach, she is driven to create opportunities to find value in experiences and cultivate new approaches.
Miranda graduated from Old Dominion University, and enjoys spending time with her husband, Chuck, and her children, Trent, Mallory, and Cassidy. Family time is the best time, and is often spent on a golf course, a volleyball court, or spending the day boating at the beach.
Do you want a better practice without the extra hours? You can! In this episode of Metric Mondays, Kirk Behrendt brings back Miranda Beeson, ACT’s director of education, to break down production per visit and help you stop filling time with single-tooth or no-charge dentistry. To learn how to better utilize appointment times, provide better care for patients, and earn more, listen to Episode 892 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Miranda:
- Send Miranda an email: miranda@actdental.com
- Follow Miranda on ACT’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/actdental
- Send Courtney an email to learn more about ACT: courtney@actdental.com
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Apple App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/best-practices-association/id6738960360
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Google Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.actdental.join&hl=en_US
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 892: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
- Register for ACT’s To The Top Study Club (July 18th, 2025): https://www.eventbrite.com/e/climb-with-us-register-for-july-18-2025-ttt-study-club-tickets-1205460116659
- Register for ACT’s To The Top Study Club (July 25, 2025): https://www.eventbrite.com/e/climb-with-us-register-for-july-25-2025-ttt-study-club-tickets-1205497959849
Main Takeaways:
- Production per visit tells you how effectively you're using appointments.
- PPV measures whether you're just filling time or delivering meaningful care.
- Increasing PPV improves the patient experience with fewer appointment times.
- Identify what diagnosed treatment you can offer patients during morning huddle.
- Start evaluating your service mix. Have your hygiene team build in adjunct services.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
1:58 Production per visit, explained.
4:21 The importance of creating an experience.
9:05 Countermeasures.
9:59 How are you serving patients?
10:48 Higher PPV means better patient care.
13:27 Evaluate your service mix.
Miranda Beeson, MS, BSDH Bio:
Miranda Beeson has over 25 years of clinical dental hygiene, front office, practice administration, and speaking experience. She is enthusiastic about communication and loves helping others find the power that words can bring to their patient interactions and practice dynamics. As a Lead Practice Coach, she is driven to create opportunities to find value in experiences and cultivate new approaches.
Miranda graduated from Old Dominion University, and enjoys spending time with her husband, Chuck, and her children, Trent, Mallory, and Cassidy. Family time is the best time, and is often spent on a golf course, a volleyball court, or spending the day boating at the beach.
Your hygienists are vital for the success of your practice — and you can help them measure their impact! In this episode of Clinical Edge Fridays, Kirk Behrendt brings back Ariel Juday, one of ACT’s amazing coaches, to share five KPIs that will help improve efficiency, patient care, and even increase job satisfaction. To learn which metrics your hygienists should track for the health of your patients and practice, listen to Episode 891 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Ariel:
- Send Ariel an email: ariel@actdental.com
- Follow Ariel on ACT’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/actdental
- Send the ACT Team your questions: info@actdental.com
- Send Courtney an email to learn more about ACT: courtney@actdental.com
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Apple App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/best-practices-association/id6738960360
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Google Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.actdental.join&hl=en_US
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 891: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
- Sign up for ACT’s BPA to watch Katrina Sanders’s Hygiene Exam Essentials Part 1: https://join.actdental.com/users/sign_in?post_login_redirect=https%3A%2F%2Fjoin.actdental.com%2Fc%2Fvideo-recordings%2Fkatrina-sanders-hygiene-exam-essentials-part-1-innovations-in-periodontics#email
- Sign up for ACT’s BPA to watch Katrina Sanders’s Hygiene Exam Essentials Part 2: https://join.actdental.com/users/sign_in?post_login_redirect=https%3A%2F%2Fjoin.actdental.com%2Fc%2Fvideo-recordings%2Fkatrina-sanders-hygiene-exam-essentials-part-2-aap-staging-grading#email
Main Takeaways:
- By tracking these numbers, hygienists can be accountable for their role in patient care.
- Track periodontal diagnostic percentage to increase your case acceptance rate.
- Track treatment acceptance percentage to prevent disease progression.
- Track periodontal visit percentage to prevent underdiagnosing.
- Track production per visit so patients receive adjunctive care.
- Track hygiene reappointment to ensure patient retention.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
1:26 Why this is an important topic.
3:47 1) Periodontal diagnostic percentage.
5:12 Why periodontal diagnostic percentage is important.
8:12 Periodontal diagnostic percentage benchmarks.
8:49 2) Periodontal treatment acceptance.
9:52 Why periodontal treatment acceptance is important.
14:28 Periodontal treatment acceptance benchmarks.
15:02 3) Periodontal visit percentage.
17:27 Why periodontal visit percentage is important.
19:54 Periodontal visit percentage benchmarks.
20:17 Statistics on perio disease.
21:36 4) Production per visit.
22:06 Why production per visit is important.
23:32 Production per visit benchmarks.
25:44 5) Hygiene reappointment percentage.
32:32 Hygiene reappointment percentage benchmarks.
34:07 Final thoughts.
35:17 Ways to track these five numbers.
Ariel Juday Bio:
Ariel has a master’s in healthcare administration and several years of dental experience in all aspects of the administrative roles within the dental office. Her passion is to work with dental teams to empower team members to realize their full potential in order to better serve patients, improve office systems to ensure a well-functioning team/office, and to help everyone have fun in the process!
HR challenges come with running a business. But not every challenge is a nightmare. In this episode of Practical Solutions Day, Kirk Behrendt brings back Alan Twigg, co-owner of Bent Ericksen & Associates, to reveal the most common HR nightmares to worry about and the ones that aren't as bad as they seem. To learn how to prevent and overcome the worst HR nightmares, listen to Episode 890 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Alan:
- Give Alan a call: (800) 679-2760
- Send Alan an email: alan@bentericksen.com
- Join Bent Ericksen on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BentEricksenAssociates
- Learn more about Bent Ericksen: https://bentericksen.com
- Try Bent Ericksen’s HR Director package: https://bentericksen.com/product/hr-director
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Apple App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/best-practices-association/id6738960360
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Google Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.actdental.join&hl=en_US
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 890: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
Main Takeaways:
- Unemployment is not a big deal.
- Scary letters are usually just settlement attempts.
- Understand what a state labor board investigation entails.
- Do your due diligence with leave of absence. Don't let it run on.
- In civil cases, the standard of proof is 50/50. Anything can tip the scale.
- Document, document, document! It is your golden ticket out of situations.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
1:58 Alan’s background.
3:42 Why this is an important topic.
4:53 Unemployment isn't that big of a deal.
11:33 Scary letters are just settlement attempts.
15:58 In a civil case, it’s 50/50.
18:00 The messiness of a labor board investigation.
22:29 The importance of documentation.
26:01 Final thoughts.
27:42 About Bent Ericksen.
Alan Twigg Bio:
Alan Twigg is the co-owner of Bent Ericksen & Associates. For over 10 years, he has guided thousands of clients and consultants through the ever-changing world of HR and employment compliance. He is a speaker, consultant, and author who is passionate about bringing education and peace of mind to such a confusing topic.
As a strong proponent of symbiotic employer-employee relations, Alan is passionate about teamwork and positive work cultures, with an emphasis on long-term personnel retention and employment compliance, where his solutions-oriented outlook excels.
Wouldn't it be great to predict how much you'll produce this year? There's a way to do it, and it’s by tracking this one metric. In this episode of Metric Mondays, Kirk Behrendt brings back Miranda Beeson, ACT’s director of education, to break down production per day and how to use it to achieve your production goals. To learn how to stay on track with your daily and annual goals, listen to Episode 889 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Miranda:
- Send Miranda an email: miranda@actdental.com
- Follow Miranda on ACT’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/actdental
- Send Gina an email for your Golden Ticket: gina@actdental.com
- Send Courtney an email to learn more about ACT: courtney@actdental.com
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Apple App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/best-practices-association/id6738960360
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Google Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.actdental.join&hl=en_US
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 889: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
- Register for ACT’s To The Top Study Club (July 18th, 2025): https://www.eventbrite.com/e/climb-with-us-register-for-july-18-2025-ttt-study-club-tickets-1205460116659
- Register for ACT’s To The Top Study Club (July 25, 2025): https://www.eventbrite.com/e/climb-with-us-register-for-july-25-2025-ttt-study-club-tickets-1205497959849
- Read Atomic Habits by James Clear: https://jamesclear.com/atomic-habits
Main Takeaways:
- PPD helps identify scheduling patterns and inefficiencies.
- Track PPD to know if your systems are turning into delivered treatment.
- By knowing how much to produce per day, you can design your ideal schedule.
- Huddle with your team to highlight production opportunities and address weak spots.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
2:40 Why this is an important metric.
6:23 Make more money by working less.
10:19 More producers and more ops isn't the answer.
13:58 Countermeasures.
16:42 Last thoughts.
Miranda Beeson, MS, BSDH Bio:
Miranda Beeson has over 25 years of clinical dental hygiene, front office, practice administration, and speaking experience. She is enthusiastic about communication and loves helping others find the power that words can bring to their patient interactions and practice dynamics. As a Lead Practice Coach, she is driven to create opportunities to find value in experiences and cultivate new approaches.
Miranda graduated from Old Dominion University, and enjoys spending time with her husband, Chuck, and her children, Trent, Mallory, and Cassidy. Family time is the best time, and is often spent on a golf course, a volleyball court, or spending the day boating at the beach.
Learn More About Alan:
- Give Alan a call: (800) 679-2760
- Send Alan an email: alan@bentericksen.com
- Join Bent Ericksen on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BentEricksenAssociates
- Learn more about Bent Ericksen: https://bentericksen.com
- Try Bent Ericksen’s HR Director package: https://bentericksen.com/product/hr-director
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Apple App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/best-practices-association/id6738960360
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Google Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.actdental.join&hl=en_US
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 890: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
Main Takeaways:
- Unemployment is not a big deal.
- Scary letters are usually just settlement attempts.
- Understand what a state labor board investigation entails.
- Do your due diligence with leave of absence. Don't let it run on.
- In civil cases, the standard of proof is 50/50. Anything can tip the scale.
- Document, document, document! It is your golden ticket out of situations.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
1:58 Alan’s background.
3:42 Why this is an important topic.
4:53 Unemployment isn't that big of a deal.
11:33 Scary letters are just settlement attempts.
15:58 In a civil case, it’s 50/50.
18:00 The messiness of a labor board investigation.
22:29 The importance of documentation.
26:01 Final thoughts.
27:42 About Bent Ericksen.
Alan Twigg Bio:
Alan Twigg is the co-owner of Bent Ericksen & Associates. For over 10 years, he has guided thousands of clients and consultants through the ever-changing world of HR and employment compliance. He is a speaker, consultant, and author who is passionate about bringing education and peace of mind to such a confusing topic.
As a strong proponent of symbiotic employer-employee relations, Alan is passionate about teamwork and positive work cultures, with an emphasis on long-term personnel retention and employment compliance, where his solutions-oriented outlook excels.
Do you want an amazing life with the best work schedule? It can happen! You just need to take time to plan it out. In this episode of Clinical Edge Fridays, Kirk Behrendt brings back Miranda Beeson, ACT’s director of education, to share the secret to a better schedule and better days at the office. You have more control of your time than you think! To learn how to maximize your time by scheduling smarter, listen to Episode 888 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Miranda:
- Send Miranda an email: miranda@actdental.com
- Follow Miranda on ACT’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/actdental
- Send Gina an email for your Golden Ticket: gina@actdental.com
- Send Courtney an email to learn more about ACT: courtney@actdental.com
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Apple App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/best-practices-association/id6738960360
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Google Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.actdental.join&hl=en_US
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 888: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
- Register for ACT’s To The Top Study Club (July 18th, 2025): https://www.eventbrite.com/e/climb-with-us-register-for-july-18-2025-ttt-study-club-tickets-1205460116659
- Register for ACT’s To The Top Study Club (July 25, 2025): https://www.eventbrite.com/e/climb-with-us-register-for-july-25-2025-ttt-study-club-tickets-1205497959849
- Join ACT’s BPA to get the Ideal Day Scheduling Guide: https://join.actdental.com/users/sign_in?post_login_redirect=https%3A%2F%2Fjoin.actdental.com%2Fc%2Fpractice-coaching-tools%2Fcolor-coding-block-scheduling-and-ideal-day-scheduling#email
Main Takeaways:
- Align your schedule with your production goals.
- Complete 65% of daily production in the mornings.
- Have designated time blocked out for new patients.
- Schedule in 10-minute increments to maximize efficiency.
- Design your schedule around the type of practice you want.
- Strategically overlap procedures so your team can work efficiently.
- Use color coding as a visual scheduling system to improve coordination.
- Meet your patients’ needs. Know the types of procedures you need to block out.
- Regularly evaluate and adjust your schedule based on your practice’s evolving needs.
- Create a template for each operatory so the right procedures are assigned to each room.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
2:01 Why this is an important topic.
7:57 ACT’s Ideal Day Scheduling Guide.
14:14 Define your daily production goals.
18:53 Success is measured by days worked.
22:33 Determine what you want from your schedule.
35:47 Analyze your patients’ needs.
41:21 Honor the blocks!
43:44 Q&A: Is there a picture of the ideal schedule?
45:37 Scheduling tips and best practices.
51:37 Final takeaways.
54:23 ACT’s TTT and BPA.
56:35 Q&A: Do a time analysis for new associate doctors.
58:25 Q&A: Scheduling blocks for doctors struggling to keep up.
1:00:33 New upcoming courses in ACT’s BPA Premium.
Miranda Beeson, MS, BSDH Bio:
Miranda Beeson has over 25 years of clinical dental hygiene, front office, practice administration, and speaking experience. She is enthusiastic about communication and loves helping others find the power that words can bring to their patient interactions and practice dynamics. As a Lead Practice Coach, she is driven to create opportunities to find value in experiences and cultivate new approaches.
Miranda graduated from Old Dominion University, and enjoys spending time with her husband, Chuck, and her children, Trent, Mallory, and Cassidy. Family time is the best time, and is often spent on a golf course, a volleyball court, or spending the day boating at the beach.
When you hire the wrong people, it costs you more than money. In this episode of Practical Solutions Day, Kirk Behrendt brings back Michelle Wakeman, one of ACT’s amazing coaches, to break down three of the biggest mistakes in hiring that you need to avoid. Start choosing the best candidates — not the least worst! To learn the best practices for effective filtering, listen to Episode 887 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Michelle:
- Send Michelle an email: michelle@actdental.com
- Follow Michelle on ACT’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/actdental
- Send Courtney an email to learn more about ACT: courtney@actdental.com
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Apple App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/best-practices-association/id6738960360
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Google Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.actdental.join&hl=en_US
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 887: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
- Learn more about Bent Ericksen: https://bentericksen.com
- Hiring FAQ’s from Bent Ericksen: Bent Ericksen Hiring FAQ.pdf
Main Takeaways:
- Have a clear vision of your ideal candidate.
- Always perform a pre-interview screening on applicants.
- Set up a documented, structured interview system for intentional hiring.
- Spend more time learning about your applicants instead of trying to sell yourself.
- Never rush to hire out of desperation. Wait for the person who is right for your practice.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
2:10 Why this is an important topic.
3:36 Make sure you have a position that needs to be filled.
4:59 Choose the best, not the least worst.
6:34 Create an efficient system.
7:53 One bad apple spoils the bunch.
9:40 Perform pre-screenings on candidates.
13:44 Pre-screen with a video submission.
15:59 Pre-screen using a Google phone number.
17:22 Have a documented interview system.
19:49 Create defined roles in the interview process.
20:48 Use a scorecard to make objective comparisons.
21:39 Ask open-ended questions.
23:04 Spend more time learning about your candidates.
24:54 Pay attention to the quality of candidates’ questions.
26:53 Final thoughts.
31:38 Learn more about Bent Ericksen.
Michelle Wakeman, BSDH, Bio:
Michelle Wakeman, BSDH, brings nearly 20 years of clinical dental hygiene, administrative, managerial, and sales experience to the table. She has a passion for people and a natural aptitude for communication that has led her to develop meaningful relationships throughout her career in dentistry. As a coach, she seeks to help dental practices develop systems that enable them to enhance their patient experience, leading to better relationships among owners, team members, and patients, along with profitable outcomes.
In her off time, Michelle can usually be found at the ice rink supporting her son, Hunter, in hockey, the ball field cheering on her son, Carter, or the gym, reliving her days as a gymnast with her daughter, Leighton.
Just because you're busy doesn't mean you're productive. In this episode of Metric Mondays, Kirk Behrendt brings back Miranda Beeson, ACT’s director of education, to break down scheduled production. By tracking this leading metric, you will create a more strategic schedule that leads to more predictable revenue. Stop scrambling and start strategizing! To learn how to create smoother days for you and your team, listen to Episode 886 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Miranda:
- Send Miranda an email: miranda@actdental.com
- Follow Miranda on ACT’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/actdental
- Send Courtney an email to learn more about ACT: courtney@actdental.com
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Apple App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/best-practices-association/id6738960360
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Google Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.actdental.join&hl=en_US
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 886: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
- Register for ACT’s To The Top Study Club (July 25, 2025): https://www.eventbrite.com/e/climb-with-us-register-for-july-25-2025-ttt-study-club-tickets-1205497959849
Main Takeaways:
- Scheduled production is the first indicator of financial health.
- Track your future production schedule to strategically create a better week.
- Low scheduled production leads to last-minute scrambling and stressed-out teams.
- Run a quick unscheduled treatment report. Reach out to patients to fill high-value slots.
- Start looking at today and tomorrow’s production. It will help you to plan and stay ahead.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
1:11 Scheduled production, explained.
2:07 Busy doesn't mean productive.
4:04 How this metric impacts the practice.
8:24 Countermeasures.
11:19 Last thoughts.
Miranda Beeson, MS, BSDH Bio:
Miranda Beeson has over 25 years of clinical dental hygiene, front office, practice administration, and speaking experience. She is enthusiastic about communication and loves helping others find the power that words can bring to their patient interactions and practice dynamics. As a Lead Practice Coach, she is driven to create opportunities to find value in experiences and cultivate new approaches.
Miranda graduated from Old Dominion University, and enjoys spending time with her husband, Chuck, and her children, Trent, Mallory, and Cassidy. Family time is the best time, and is often spent on a golf course, a volleyball court, or spending the day boating at the beach.
Working with kids — and their parents — can be a nightmare. But it doesn't have to be! In this episode of Clinical Edge Fridays, ACT shares their Master Class with Dr. Carla Cohn, founder of Lit Smile Academy. She shares her proven techniques and strategies so you can manage the most difficult cases and effectively perform treatment. Start early, and turn difficult patients into easier, lifelong patients! To stop dreading and start enjoying the kids who come to your practice, listen to Episode 885 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Dr. Cohn:
- Send Dr. Cohn an email: drcohn@shaw.ca
- Follow Dr. Cohn on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kidsdentistcarla
- Follow Lit Smile Academy on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/litsmileacademy
- Register for Dr. Cohn’s hands-on workshop (June 7, 2025): https://www.litsmileacademy.com/events/lit-smile-vancouver
- Register for Lit Smile Cancun (November 15-22, 2025): https://www.litsmileacademy.com/events/litsmilecancun
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Apple App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/best-practices-association/id6738960360
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Google Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.actdental.join&hl=en_US
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 885: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
- Read A Work on Operative Dentistry in Two Volumes by Greene Vardiman Black: https://www.google.com/books/edition/A_Work_on_Operative_Dentistry_in_Two_Vol/qr9AAQAAMAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1
- Read Wright’s Behavior Management in Dentistry for Children, Third Edition: https://engage.ada.org/p/phys/wrights-behavior-management-in-dentistry-for-children-third-edition-729
Main Takeaways:
- Give yourself a time buffer when working with challenging children.
- Not all children are the same. Do a behavior risk assessment analysis.
- Don't take kids for granted. They are the key to a thriving adult practice.
- Ask questions and listen to assess a child’s anxiety level and coping ability.
- Know in advance whether you're working with a “dandelion” or “orchid” child.
- Learn to think outside the box with coping strategies for challenging children.
- Start behavior management early so difficult patients can become easy patients.
- Establishing a dental home as early as possible is part of behavior management.
- Fear is both objective and subjective. It can be passed on from parents and others.
- Understand the material choices that are appropriate for each child and their needs.
- Use age-appropriate language to explain your dental tools and how they will be used.
- Don't disregard children’s fears and reactions to pain. Address them and offer choices.
- Tell, show, and do. Children should know what will happen in advance, not right before.
- Manage expectations by communicating properly. Don't just talk at parents and children.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
1:08 Dr. Cohn’s background.
3:30 Disclosures.
4:45 Kids are the life of your practice.
6:55 The parent/caregiver, child, and dental team triangle.
8:26 Balancing challenging children, challenging parents, and challenging clinical situations.
11:12 Behavior guidance and behavior management, explained.
17:11 Do a behavior risk assessment analysis.
18:50 Factors for a successful appointment: Patient age.
20:01 Factors for a successful appointment: Developmental and functional age.
20:46 Factors for a successful appointment: Temperament styles.
23:07 Dandelion children and orchid children, explained.
25:59 Signs of an orchid child.
26:53 Orchid children with sensory processing challenges.
28:22 Establish a dental home for children as early as possible.
29:59 Provide comfort in your dental office.
30:33 Know the amount of treatment that is required.
31:37 Be mindful of the pain scale.
32:46 Challenges: Developmental delays.
33:50 Challenges: Language delays.
36:22 Challenges: Social insecurity.
38:40 Challenges: Parental anxiety.
41:03 Challenges: Previous bad experience.
42:39 Fear and white coat syndrome, explained.
44:53 Causes of dental fear and how to address them.
47:57 Coping mechanisms for various sensitivities.
52:22 Basic behavior guidance/management.
53:02 Tell, show, do.
54:16 Ask, tell, ask.
55:02 Distraction.
55:24 Desensitization.
56:24 Treatment deferral.
56:45 Local anesthetic.
58:08 Understand pediatric behavior types.
59:30 A structured approach to treatment planning.
1:00:54 Restorations on children do not perform the same way on all children.
1:02:20 Material choices for intra-coronal restorations for pediatric patients.
1:08:03 Material choices for extra-coronal restorations for pediatric patients.
1:09:13 Outliers: Silver fluoride and resin infiltration.
1:11:16 Material choices for intra-coronal restorations: Clinical examples.
1:30:18 About Dr. Cohn’s future courses and Lit Smile Academy.
1:35:21 Q&A: How to manage dandelions and orchids in your schedule.
1:38:04 Q&A: Dealing with pushback from parents.
1:39:28 Q&A: Using child-friendly language and the slow speed handpiece.
Dr. Carla Cohn Bio:
Dr. Carla Cohn is a general dentist devoted solely to the practice of dentistry for children. She maintains a private practice at Kids Sleep Dentistry Winnipeg at Western Surgery Centre in Winnipeg, Canada.
Dr. Cohn has published several articles and hundreds of webinars and live courses. She enjoys teaching all aspects of children's dentistry to the general practitioner and has had the pleasure of doing so both nationally and internationally. She teaches in the clinical undergraduate pediatric program at her alma mater, the University of Manitoba Dr. Gerald Niznick College of Dentistry. She is proud to be an active member of several dental organizations and societies and has served as president of the Manitoba Dental Association. She has been invited as a fellow to Pierre Fauchard Academy and International College of Dentists, and has been recognized as Dentistry Today's Leader in Continuing Education multiple years in a row as well as Top 100 Docs.
Not everyone is the right fit for your practice. But when and how do you let them go? In this episode of Practical Solutions Day, Kirk Behrendt brings back Adriana Booth, one of ACT’s amazing coaches, to help you see the five signs that it’s time to part ways and how to “free up” their future. To learn how to start enjoying the people around you, listen to Episode 884 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Adriana:
- Join Adriana on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/adriana.booth
- Follow Adriana on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adrimarieb
- Send Courtney an email to learn more about ACT: courtney@actdental.com
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Apple App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/best-practices-association/id6738960360
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Google Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.actdental.join&hl=en_US
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- See the ACT Dental/BPA Live Event Schedule: https://www.actdental.com/event
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 884: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
- Register for ACT’s To The Top Study Club (July 25, 2025): https://www.eventbrite.com/e/climb-with-us-register-for-july-25-2025-ttt-study-club-tickets-1205497959849
Main Takeaways:
- Are your team members aligned with your core values?
- Do your team members consistently fail to meet expectations?
- Are your team members showing resistance to growth and feedback?
- Do your team members show toxic behaviors that impact your culture?
- What negative impact is your team’s bad behavior having on your patients?
- Be prepared to have the “Today is the day” conversation when the time comes.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
3:08 Why this is an important topic.
10:35 Misalignment with your core values.
15:07 Consistent failure to meet expectations.
17:56 Toxic behaviors that impact culture.
23:01 Resistance to feedback or growth.
27:50 The negative impact on patient relationships.
30:38 Prepare for the “Today is the day” conversation.
38:53 Final takeaways.
Adriana Booth, BS, RDH Bio:
Adriana Booth is a Lead Practice Coach who partners with dentists and their teams to cultivate leadership skills, build practice growth, and streamline business practices. After spending nearly two decades in the dental industry working with top-notch dental teams, Adriana came to ACT to share her passion for professional growth, high-level training, and systems creation with our clients. As a dental hygienist with a love for continuing education and personal growth, helping a practice become successful is at the heart of her passion for dentistry.
Adriana has a B.S. in Dental Hygiene from West Liberty University/O’Hehir University. By being involved in several Columbus, Ohio, study clubs, Adriana maintains strong relationships within her local dental community. She enjoys a variety of fitness activities, family time, good books, and at the top of her list, her fur babies.
How many butts are in your chairs? It’s a simple yet overlooked question. In this episode of Metric Mondays, Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. Barrett Straub, ACT’s CEO, to break down capacity and help you identify if and why your chairs aren't full. Stop operating at a deficit — especially without knowing it! To learn how to get capacity to 95%, listen to Episode 883 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Dr. Straub:
- Send Dr. Straub an email: barrett@actdental.com
- Join Dr. Straub on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/barrett.d.straub
- Send Gina an email: gina@actdental.com
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Apple App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/best-practices-association/id6738960360
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Google Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.actdental.join&hl=en_US
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- See the ACT Dental/BPA Live Event Schedule: https://www.actdental.com/event
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 883: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
Main Takeaways:
- Start by analyzing whether your current chairs are being utilized.
- Use data to identify the factors causing holes in your chairs, not emotion.
- Your team wants to help you be successful. Help them by giving them a system.
- Choose a few KPIs to track and get started. You don't need to track them all at once.
- If you're at 95%, figure out the problem. Is it a scheduling issue or a production issue?
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
0:27 Capacity, explained.
1:51 The importance of chair utilization.
5:00 Identify why you have a money problem.
8:29 Actionable tips.
11:46 Other KPIs to know.
15:33 Last thoughts.
Dr. Barrett Straub Bio:
Dr. Barrett Straub practices general and sedation dentistry in Port Washington, Wisconsin. He has worked hard to develop his practice into a top-performing, fee-for-service practice that focuses on improving the lives of patients through dentistry.
A graduate of Marquette Dental School, Dr. Straub’s advanced training and CE includes work at the Spear Institute, LVI, DOCS, and as a member of the Milwaukee Study Club. He is a past member of the Wisconsin Dental Association Board of Trustees and was awarded the Marquette Dental School 2017 Young Alumnus of the Year. As a former ACT coaching client that experienced first-hand the transformation that coaching can provide, he is passionate about helping other dentists create the practice they’ve always wanted.
Dr. Straub loves to hunt, golf, and spend winter on the ice, curling. He is married to Katie, with two daughters, Abby and Elizabeth.
We all want a good lifespan. But what's critical is a good healthspan. In this episode of Clinical Edge Fridays, Dr. Bradley Bale, co-founder of the BaleDoneen Method, shares how dentists can make that happen by implementing their proven methods to prevent cardiovascular events. Help people enjoy life without disease! To learn more about the BaleDoneen Method to prevent and manage chronic diseases, listen to Episode 882 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Dr. Bale:
- Join Dr. Bale on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BaleDoneenMethod
- Follow Dr. Bale on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/baledoneen
- Learn more about the BaleDoneen Method: https://baledoneen.com
- Register for the BaleDoneen Preceptorship course with code EARLYBIRD (October 9-11, 2025): https://baledoneen.com/provider/bdm-preceptorship
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Apple App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/best-practices-association/id6738960360
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Google Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.actdental.join&hl=en_US
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- See the ACT Dental/BPA Live Event Schedule: https://www.actdental.com/event
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 882: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
- Read Beat the Heart Attack Gene by Dr. Bradley Bale and Dr. Amy Doneen: https://baledoneen.com/bdm-books
- Read Healthy Heart, Healthy Brain by Dr. Bradley Bale and Dr. Amy Doneen: https://baledoneen.com/bdm-books
Main Takeaways:
- You can stop arterial disease in anyone.
- Oral health is a vital component of arterial health.
- Know the myths of what causes heart attacks and strokes.
- Oxidative stress is the driver of many diseases. This is preventable!
- Remember that your work as dentists can prevent disease and save lives.
Snippets:
0:00 Dr. Bale’s background.
2:39 Why this is an important topic.
3:47 Statistics on common diseases.
6:35 Microvascular disease, explained.
10:49 Real-world evidence with the BaleDoneen Method.
14:51 How the BaleDoneen Method is different than the standard of care.
17:02 Cardiovascular “event”, explained.
19:23 What causes a clot to form?
24:56 Should I be treated?
27:38 We must look for disease.
31:56 Am I at risk?
34:17 “Cold” versus “hot” arteries.
35:29 Biomarkers for “tennis court” inflammation.
40:46 The first step in preventing atherosclerosis.
42:19 Lipoproteins, explained.
43:26 Proteoglycans, explained.
46:26 Oxidative stress, explained.
57:28 Oxidative stress summary.
1:01:55 There is a cure for arterial disease.
1:02:43 Oral health and sleep affects disease, disability, and mortality.
1:08:56 Benefits of PerioProtect trays.
1:10:14 Effects of oral pathogens and endodontic disease on stroke and heart attack risks.
1:12:15 Oral health and arterial health summary.
1:16:19 Case example: 59-year-old Caucasian male.
1:23:19 Case example: 77-year-old with type 2 diabetes, post heart attacks, with stents.
1:27:27 Useful quotes.
1:29:01 The upcoming BaleDoneen course.
1:31:11 Q&A: Comprehensively address root causes of oxidative stress.
1:34:12 Q&A: Is eating five eggs a day bad for cholesterol?
1:35:30 Why you need to learn the BaleDoneen Method.
1:36:27 Q&A: Get a PLAC 2 exam done by a BaleDoneen provider.
1:40:31 Q&A: Other recommended blood tests.
1:43:38 Final thoughts.
Dr. Bradley Bale Bio:
Dr. Bradley Bale, M.D. is a Clinical Associate Professor at WSU College of Medicine, Assistant Professor at the University of Kentucky College of Dentistry, Adjunct Professor at Texas Tech Health Science Center, and runs a private practice in Gallatin, Tennessee.
Dr. Bale is one of the nation’s leading specialists in preventing heart attacks, strokes, and diabetes. He co-founded the BaleDoneen Method with Amy Doneen in 2001. This personalized approach to CV risk assessment and management has shown with real-world evidence that arterial disease can be halted and reversed. Their research on CVD prevention has been published in respected medical journals such as Atherosclerosis, Post Graduate Medicine, Journal of the National Medical Association, Journal of Clinical Lipidology, Frontiers in Cardiovascular Medicine, Physician’s Weekly, Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine, International Journal of Clinical and Experimental Cardiology, Archives of Medical Science, and Journal of Cardiovascular Nursing and Medical Hypothesis.
Dr. Bale has also served as a reviewer for the American Journal of Cardiology and CDC’s Preventing Chronic Disease. He is co-author of two nationally best-selling books: Beat the Heart Attack Gene and Healthy Heart, Healthy Brain: The Personalized Path to Protect Your Memory, Prevent Heart Attacks and Strokes, and Avoid Chronic Illness. This recent publication won the prestigious Gold Nautilus Book Award for 2023 and the American Society for Journalists and Authors' (ASJA) 2023 June Roth Memorial Award for Outstanding Medical Book.
When you don't have alignment, bad things happen. In this episode of Practical Solutions Day, Kirk Behrendt brings back Heather Crockett, one of ACT’s amazing coaches, to share three hacks to prevent misalignment and burnout from happening in your practice. To learn how to proactively keep your team aligned, listen to Episode 881 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Heather:
- Send Heather an email: heather@actdental.com
- Join Heather on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/heather.r.crockett
- Follow Heather on ACT’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/actdental
- Email ACT for the CRO tool and checklist: info@actdental.com
- Send Courtney an email to learn more about ACT: courtney@actdental.com
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Apple App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/best-practices-association/id6738960360
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Google Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.actdental.join&hl=en_US
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- See the ACT Dental/BPA Live Event Schedule: https://www.actdental.com/event
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 881: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
- Watch “How Should a Company Share Its Values?” by Simon Sinek: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5yE541BY-1c
Main Takeaways:
- Misalignment is the root of all evil.
- Establish consistent communication rhythms.
- Document your core values and make them visible.
- Find creative, engaging ways of celebrating your core values.
- Lead by example. What message do you want to show your team?
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
2:22 Why this is an important topic.
4:53 Alignment is a big deal.
7:36 Document your core values.
11:31 Find creative ways to celebrate your core values.
13:02 Create consistent communication rhythms.
17:02 Home in on the “why”.
18:27 Lead by example.
22:32 Final takeaways.
Heather Crockett Bio:
Heather Crockett is a Lead Practice Coach who finds joy in not only improving practices but improving the lives of those she coaches as well. With over 20 years of combined experience in assisting, office management, and clinical dental hygiene, her awareness supports many aspects of the practice setting.
Heather received her dental hygiene degree from the Utah College of Dental Hygiene in 2008. Networking in the dental community comes easy to her, and she loves to connect with like-minded colleagues on social media. Heather enjoys both attending and presenting continuing education to expand her knowledge and learn from her friends and colleagues.
She enjoys hanging out with her husband, three sons, and their dog, Moki, scrolling through social media, watching football, and traveling.
You feel like you should be producing more. But just doing more isn't the answer! In this episode of Metric Mondays, Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. Barrett Straub, ACT’s CEO, to break down the one basic equation you need to know to produce more while working less. Stop spending 220 days at the office! To learn how to produce more the right way, listen to Episode 880 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Dr. Straub:
- Send Dr. Straub an email: barrett@actdental.com
- Join Dr. Straub on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/barrett.d.straub
- Send Gina an email: gina@actdental.com
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Apple App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/best-practices-association/id6738960360
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Google Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.actdental.join&hl=en_US
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- See the ACT Dental/BPA Live Event Schedule: https://www.actdental.com/event
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 880: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
Main Takeaways:
- Working more days is not the answer.
- Make decisions with data, not with emotions.
- Learn the equation to calculate gross production.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
1:34 Why this is an important topic.
2:48 Why emotion comes into this equation.
3:49 The formula for gross production.
7:06 Two key numbers to pull.
12:35 Time is the new rich.
14:21 Final thoughts.
Dr. Barrett Straub Bio:
Dr. Barrett Straub practices general and sedation dentistry in Port Washington, Wisconsin. He has worked hard to develop his practice into a top-performing, fee-for-service practice that focuses on improving the lives of patients through dentistry.
A graduate of Marquette Dental School, Dr. Straub’s advanced training and CE includes work at the Spear Institute, LVI, DOCS, and as a member of the Milwaukee Study Club. He is a past member of the Wisconsin Dental Association Board of Trustees and was awarded the Marquette Dental School 2017 Young Alumnus of the Year. As a former ACT coaching client that experienced first-hand the transformation that coaching can provide, he is passionate about helping other dentists create the practice they’ve always wanted.
Dr. Straub loves to hunt, golf, and spend winter on the ice, curling. He is married to Katie, with two daughters, Abby and Elizabeth.
Hygienists and periodontists have different roles in a practice. But that doesn't mean hygienists aren't as smart! In this episode of Clinical Edge Fridays, Kirk Behrendt shares their recent Master Class by Katrina Sanders, The Dental WINEgenist, to test your knowledge and skills in diagnosing various cases. Are you smarter than a periodontist? To find out, listen to Episode 879 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Katrina:
- Give Katrina a call: (612) 345-1150
- Send Katrina an email: info@katrinasanders.com
- Join Katrina on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheDentalWINEgenist
- Follow Katrina on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thedentalwinegenist
- Learn more on Katrina’s website: https://katrinasanders.com
- Register for Katrina’s Oral-Systemic Myth course (August 1, 2025): https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-oral-systemic-myth-august-1-2025-tickets-1267455015069
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Apple App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/best-practices-association/id6738960360
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Google Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.actdental.join&hl=en_US
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- See the ACT Dental/BPA Live Event Schedule: https://www.actdental.com/event
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 879: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
Main Takeaways:
- Periodontal disease has been on the rise in recent decades.
- Understand and master each segment of the ADPIE process of care.
- Become a partner with patients in preventing and managing inflammation.
- Hygienists play a critical role in reducing the number of adults with periodontitis.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
2:22 Katrina’s background and upcoming course.
6:47 The prevalence of periodontitis.
10:44 The current landscape of periodontitis.
15:50 Be a partner in prevention and inflammation management.
17:33 More about Katrina.
18:30 Course objectives.
20:39 ADPIE: The steps in the dental process of care.
22:47 The assessment phase.
25:59 Fear Factor: Perio charting.
33:49 Hands-free perio charting software.
38:36 How much pain are we causing for patients?
41:16 Early stages of disease are not seen radiographically.
42:25 Gathering an appropriate diagnosis.
44:33 Stages of periodontal disease.
50:33 Grades of periodontal disease.
56:27 Strategies for patient communication.
56:43 Family Feud: Why patients decline perio treatment.
1:00:08 The importance of patient communication.
1:01:45 Survivor: Implementation.
1:10:09 The Newlywed Game: How well do you know your patients?
1:17:06 Are you smarter than a periodontist: What do you know about Perio Tray therapy?
1:23:45 Why are periodontists opposed to Perio Protect?
1:24:56 Perio Protect, explained.
1:32:33 Are you smarter than a periodontist: Diagnosing case examples.
1:39:32 Are you REALLY smarter than a periodontist: Diagnosing case examples.
1:53:47 Perio Protect for diabetic cases.
1:55:03 Case example: Two months of Perio Protect therapy for a diabetic patient.
1:57:20 Case example: Type 2 diabetic.
2:00:53 Conclusion.
2:03:24 Q&A: If the grading can be modified, how about the staging?
Katrina M. Sanders RDH, BSDH, M.Ed, RF Bio:
In the ever-changing world of dental science where research, technology, and techniques for patient care are constantly evolving, dental professionals look to continuing education to provide insight, deliver actionable steps, empower, and create a dramatic impact within their clinical practice.
With wit, charm, and a dash of humor, Katrina Sanders enchants dental professionals with her course deliverables, insightful content, and delightful inspiration. Her message of empowerment rings mighty throughout her lectures and stirs a deep sense of motivation amongst course participants.
Katrina is the Clinical Liaison for AZPerio, the country's largest periodontal practice. She performs clinically, working alongside Diplomates to the American Board of Periodontology in the surgical operatory. Katrina perfected techniques during L.A.N.A.P. surgery, suture placement, IV therapy, and blood draws. She instructs on collaborative professionalism and standard-of-care protocols while delivering education through hygiene boot camps and study clubs.
Are you neglecting cybersecurity? You won't be starting today! In this episode of Practical Solutions Day, Kirk Behrendt brings in Travis Wentworth, cybersecurity expert from Intelligence Quest, to share five mistakes you're making that are putting your practice at risk. Cybersecurity is no longer an option! To learn how to protect your business from data breaches, financial losses, and other consequences, listen to Episode 878 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Travis:
- Follow Travis on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/travis_iq
- Join Travis on Twitter: https://x.com/travisiq
- Watch Intelligence Quest on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@intelligencequest
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Apple App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/best-practices-association/id6738960360
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Google Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.actdental.join&hl=en_US
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- See the ACT Dental/BPA Live Event Schedule: https://www.actdental.com/event
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 878: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
- Watch Travis’s “Cybersecurity: 5 Must-Know Tips for Small Businesses”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K8vzAOGPMTQ
- Try LastPass: https://www.lastpass.com
- Try Bitwarden: https://bitwarden.com
- Try Signal: https://signal.org
Main Takeaways:
- Ensure that everyone on your team is vigilant.
- Be diligent when choosing an IT management group.
- Train your team to log off from their computers every day.
- Use your software as intended to keep your patients’ data secure.
- Practice good password management. Utilize a password manager.
- Never share passwords or use shared accounts. Decrease your exposure.
- Separate duties. There should always be an additional set of eyes for each task.
- Put office policies in place that will proactively address cybersecurity and other risks.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
1:44 Travis’s background.
3:08 Where we are today with cybersecurity.
4:26 Make sure your team is vigilant.
6:37 Trends in email phishing.
8:29 Be diligent when choosing an IT management group.
10:01 Why dentists and medical offices are great targets.
11:45 Use your tech as it was intended.
15:15 Training and onboarding.
18:31 Practice good password management.
24:45 Why it’s important to log off of computers every day.
25:17 Don't use shared accounts.
29:17 Never give employees keys to the office.
31:54 Put office policies in place.
40:35 Final thoughts.
41:49 More about Travis and how to get in touch.
Travis Wentworth Bio:
Dr. Travis Wentworth has been training students in engineering, networking, and cybersecurity for over a decade. He received his PhD in engineering from the University of Kansas in 2015 and completed a Postdoctoral Research fellowship at the University of Chalmers in Gothenburg, Sweden. While there, he was part of the world-renowned research group led by Dr. Louise Olsson and had the privilege to work with the European Union, Swedish Research Council, Volvo, and Chalmers University.
As a researcher, instructor, and consultant, Travis has presented his technical content to far-reaching corners of the globe including China, Germany, and Sweden, to name a few. Returning to the United States in 2017, he narrowed his emphasis to cybersecurity and networking training.
Travis has a diverse background with a proclivity in the acquisition and analysis of public and proprietary data. He is a published author in numerous peer-reviewed journals for computer modeling and catalysis and is well-versed in programming, networking, data acquisition, and cybersecurity.
You can't unbuild operatories. So, before you start building, there are a few important questions to answer about production. In this episode of Metric Mondays, Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. Barrett Straub, ACT’s CEO, to break down your production story and explain why you don't need as many patients as you think. Stop the churn-and-burn dentistry that's burning you out! To learn how to rewrite your production story, listen to Episode 877 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Dr. Straub:
- Send Dr. Straub an email: barrett@actdental.com
- Join Dr. Straub on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/barrett.d.straub
- Send Gina an email: gina@actdental.com
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Apple App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/best-practices-association/id6738960360
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Google Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.actdental.join&hl=en_US
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- See the ACT Dental/BPA Live Event Schedule: https://www.actdental.com/event
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 877: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
- Register for ACT’s To The Top Study Club (July 25, 2025): https://www.eventbrite.com/e/climb-with-us-register-for-july-25-2025-ttt-study-club-tickets-1205497959849
Main Takeaways:
- There's more to the story than how much you produced.
- Analyze your annual patient value, active patients, and gross production.
- Know your production story so you can figure out how to write it going forward.
- Stop filling production gaps with more patients. Do more dentistry on less patients.
- Do you want to be a dentist that chases 4,000 patients or have fewer, right patients?
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
1:23 Why we need a production story.
2:32 Important KPIs you need to know.
6:46 Do more per active patient.
11:47 Countermeasures you can start today.
Dr. Barrett Straub Bio:
Dr. Barrett Straub practices general and sedation dentistry in Port Washington, Wisconsin. He has worked hard to develop his practice into a top-performing, fee-for-service practice that focuses on improving the lives of patients through dentistry.
A graduate of Marquette Dental School, Dr. Straub’s advanced training and CE includes work at the Spear Institute, LVI, DOCS, and as a member of the Milwaukee Study Club. He is a past member of the Wisconsin Dental Association Board of Trustees and was awarded the Marquette Dental School 2017 Young Alumnus of the Year. As a former ACT coaching client that experienced first-hand the transformation that coaching can provide, he is passionate about helping other dentists create the practice they’ve always wanted.
Dr. Straub loves to hunt, golf, and spend winter on the ice, curling. He is married to Katie, with two daughters, Abby and Elizabeth.
You might use a scanner every single day. But that alone won't make you an expert! In this episode of Clinical Edge Fridays, Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. Christian Coachman, founder of Digital Smile Design, to share highlights from his recent collaboration event with Dr. John Kois, as well as the upcoming IntraOral Scanner Festival where you can take your scanning to the next level. To learn more about this upcoming event and how to join, listen to Episode 876 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Dr. Coachman:
- Join Dr. Coachman on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/christiancoachman
- Follow Dr. Coachman on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chriscoachman
- Learn more about Digital Smile Design: https://digitalsmiledesign.com
- Listen to Dr. Coachman’s podcast, Coffee Break with Coachman: https://open.spotify.com/show/4ADCrWhqsUKbHmZtkhhgoB
- Register for DSD Residency 1 On Demand: https://digitalsmiledesign.com/dsd-residency-1-on-demand
- Register for The IntraOral Scanner Festival (May 15-18, 2025) with code IOS20 for 20% off: https://digitalsmiledesign.com/courses/intraoral-scanner-festival-may-2025
- Register for The Visionary Dentist Summit (March 5-7, 2026): https://digitalsmiledesign.com/courses/the-visionary-dentist-summit-march-2026
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Apple App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/best-practices-association/id6738960360
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Google Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.actdental.join&hl=en_US
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- See the ACT Dental/BPA Live Event Schedule: https://www.actdental.com/event
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 876: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
Main Takeaways:
- A scanner is not a magic tool that fixes your mistakes.
- Scanning a lot won't make you an expert. It’s an art you need to learn.
- Attend The IntraOral Scanner Festival to learn tips and techniques from the experts.
- No matter the level or type of scanner you have, this event will take you to the next level.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
1:49 The Kois-Coachman event.
8:59 Revelations from Marta Revilla-León’s course.
13:38 Why you should attend The IntraOral Scanner Festival.
25:34 Revelations and surprises from the Kois event.
37:42 Final thoughts.
Dr. Christian Coachman Bio:
Combining his advanced skills, experience, and technology solutions, Dr. Christian Coachman pioneered the Digital Smile Design methodology and founded Digital Smile Design company (DSD). Since its inception, thousands of dentists worldwide have attended DSD courses and workshops, such as the renowned DSD Residency program.
Dr. Coachman is the developer of worldwide, well-known concepts such as the Digital Smile Design, the Pink Hybrid Implant Restoration, the Digital Planning Center, Emotional Dentistry, Interdisciplinary Treatment Simulation, and Digital Smile Donator. He regularly consults for dental industry companies, developing products, implementing concepts, and marketing strategies, such as the Facially Driven Digital Orthodontic Workflow developed in collaboration with Invisalign, Align Technology.
Are you feeling trapped at work? Do you wish you had more time outside of your practice? In this episode of Practical Solutions Day, Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. Barrett Straub, ACT’s CEO, to give you the treatment plan for regaining the freedom you deserve. Your practice should serve your life — not the other way around! To learn the steps of intentional planning for a better practice and better life, listen to Episode 875 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Dr. Straub:
- Send Kirk an email: kirk@actdental.com
- Send Dr. Straub an email: barrett@actdental.com
- Join Dr. Straub on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/barrett.d.straub
- Send Gina an email for your Golden Ticket: gina@actdental.com
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Apple App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/best-practices-association/id6738960360
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Google Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.actdental.join&hl=en_US
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- See the ACT Dental/BPA Live Event Schedule: https://www.actdental.com/event
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 875: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
- Register for ACT’s To The Top Study Club (July 25, 2025): https://www.eventbrite.com/e/climb-with-us-register-for-july-25-2025-ttt-study-club-tickets-1205497959849
Main Takeaways:
- Success isn't just about revenue. It’s about how many days you work.
- Define your ideal work schedule. How many days do you want to work?
- Delegate and elevate your team members. They are capable — train them.
- Optimize your schedule by minimizing cancellations and increasing efficiency.
- Maximize PPD and PPV so you need fewer clinical days and fewer patient visits.
- If you're currently at 220 days, that's okay! Work on reducing it down to 210 days.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
1:55 ACT’s TTT, BPA, Pro Coaching, and BPA app.
5:46 Why this is an important topic.
7:54 Working harder and working smarter, explained.
13:50 Define your ideal work schedule.
16:55 Maximize APV.
20:35 Start delegating more.
22:31 Why it’s important to know your numbers.
24:30 You don't need 3,000 patients.
26:02 Maximize PPD and PPV.
37:31 Optimize schedule capacity.
44:56 Strategically pre-appoint patients.
47:02 Minimize cancellations.
49:30 Final takeaways.
Dr. Barrett Straub Bio:
Dr. Barrett Straub practices general and sedation dentistry in Port Washington, Wisconsin. He has worked hard to develop his practice into a top-performing, fee-for-service practice that focuses on improving the lives of patients through dentistry.
A graduate of Marquette Dental School, Dr. Straub’s advanced training and CE includes work at the Spear Institute, LVI, DOCS, and as a member of the Milwaukee Study Club. He is a past member of the Wisconsin Dental Association Board of Trustees and was awarded the Marquette Dental School 2017 Young Alumnus of the Year. As a former ACT coaching client that experienced first-hand the transformation that coaching can provide, he is passionate about helping other dentists create the practice they’ve always wanted.
Dr. Straub loves to hunt, golf, and spend winter on the ice, curling. He is married to Katie, with two daughters, Abby and Elizabeth.
Gross profit and net profit both sound great. But there's one key difference you need to know! In this episode of Metric Mondays, Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. Barrett Straub, ACT’s CEO, to break down true profit, the amount of dollars you get to take home to your family, to invest in your practice, and to plan for your future. To learn how to analyze and increase true profit, listen to Episode 874 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Dr. Straub:
- Send Dr. Straub an email: barrett@actdental.com
- Join Dr. Straub on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/barrett.d.straub
- Send Gina an email: gina@actdental.com
Learn More About ACT Dental:
- ACT’s webinars: https://www.actdental.com/136
- ACT’s website: https://www.actdental.com
- ACT’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/actdental
- ACT’s YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/actdental
- ACT’s Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/actdental
- ACT’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/3137520/admin/feed/posts/
- ACT’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/actdental
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Apple App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/best-practices-association/id6738960360
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Google Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.actdental.join&hl=en_US
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- See the ACT Dental/BPA Live Event Schedule: https://www.actdental.com/event
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Register for ACT’s To The Top Study Club (July 25, 2025): https://www.eventbrite.com/e/climb-with-us-register-for-july-25-2025-ttt-study-club-tickets-1205497959849
Main Takeaways:
- Your financial story goes beyond just the P&L.
- Understand the difference between revenue and profit.
- True profit is the dollars you can put in your personal checking account.
- Analyze your cash flow statement expenses — things that are not on your P&L.
- Ensure you have enough for Tax Day. Identify how much to put aside each month.
Quotes:
“[True profit] is the amount of dollars that you can actually put in your personal checking account. So, let me start here with true profit. Let me describe a scenario that I experienced as a dentist. And I can almost guarantee every private practice dentist-owner listening has experienced this. You meet with your CPA after the first quarter of a year. He or she brings a P&L, you sit down, and you look at it. You look at revenue, and overhead, and all the different percentages of each category. At the very bottom of this financial statement called the profit and loss statement is called net profit. Often, that number is good. There's a lot of money there, and you're like, ‘Wow.' He or she says, ‘You're doing great. You are right in the average where you need to be for overhead. You have a nice salary here, and there's a lot of net profit left over.’ You're like, ‘Wow, that's awesome.’ But there's this little anxiety that's creeping up because you're thinking, ‘That says $100,000. I don't have that in the bank. What's happening? Am I being embezzled? Am I a bad businessperson? I don't know where that money is going. He's saying I should have $100,000 left over, and I don't have it. Actually, I'm struggling to make payroll.’ So, there is so much of the financial story beyond the profit and loss statement.” (1:53—3:25) -Dr. Straub
“Find true profit. Meaning, what is left over after I paid the overhead, after I paid myself the W-2 payroll salary, after I paid tax obligations, after I paid loans, after all of the outflows? There's a dollar figure left over where you're like, ‘That's mine. After tax, I can take that, and I can put it into my bank account.’ Now, why is that important? This is the link between your practice success and your personal financial success. We see it all the time. We coach hundreds of dentists throughout the country every year. We see it all the time with what looks like — and is — a killer practice, and the dentist-owner does not have a personally successful financial model. There is a link between them. There's more detail than any of us know in between it, and unless we know how money flows from production, to collections, to overhead, to net profit, to gross profit, and into true profit, we can't successfully plan. True profit is what you pay your house mortgage with. It's what you pay the soccer fees for your kids with. It's what you pay the voice lessons for your daughter with. This is how you pay for your vacations. This is your money after tax. So, it's maybe the most important metric that we're going to talk about in this whole segment.” (3:32—5:03) -Dr. Straub
“Early in my career, more than 15, 20 years ago, I got into what's called a tax snowball. I was pulling money out, and my accountant was like, ‘You're doing great.’ Well, I thought I'd just pay taxes later and save some money. I found that I got into the next year, and I owed a tax bill for last year. My accountant was like, ‘You’ve got to pay that now!’ So, I was taking money I was earning this year and paying last year's taxes. Now, the money I'm earning this year, I have to pay taxes on it. I'm using that money to pay last year's taxes that also has a percentage built on it. He looked at me, and he goes, ‘This is the most expensive money you'll ever spend, ever.’ And I realized I've got to get out of this. What's really important is you have to understand what's below your profit and loss statement. This is a lifetime study. You don't just get this in a podcast. You've got to work it, rework it, know what it means, and evaluate it.” (6:22—7:19) -Kirk
“After your net profit on your profit and loss statement, there are what we call below-the-line expenses. So, last Monday, I challenged listeners that had any sort of loan through the business — meaning a practice loan, a technology loan, or any capital expense — and I challenged them to . . . go find it on your P&L. It's an expense. It's an outflow. It should be on your P&L as an expense. I also said you're not going to find it there. The reason is that the money you are paying for any loan through your company is being paid with profit. It is not reducing your taxable income at all. It is paid with profit. So, I talked about that scenario where this net profit number, I don't know where that is. It's because that number is now going and paying your practice loan, your CBCT loan, and oh, by the way, you take $10,000 in a distribution every month. That's pre-tax, so that goes against the distribution. So, this is all IRS stuff. Your CPA didn't make this up. We're not making it up. This is how complex the IRS is, and that's a whole other debate that it needs to be this complex.” (7:54—9:07) -Dr. Straub
“You have deductible expenses which are on your P&L, and you have below-the-line or cash flow statement expenses that are outflows of money but they're with your profit. Those include any loans, they include quarterly tax distributions, and they include your distributions. Meaning, when you pay yourself through W-2 through payroll, that goes through payroll. It's taxes withheld, etc. But when you just go take $5,000 out of the bank account, that's called a distribution — which is well within your legal means to do it, and you should do it. But we have to plan for taxes on that because unless you're a C corporation, which you shouldn't be, everyone is going to be a pass-through entity. Meaning, the IRS says a pass-through entity means the income of your business is no different than your personal income. The income of your business is your personal income. The IRS, however you want to take that money, are going to apply personal income taxes to it. So, if you take money in the form of distributions, you haven't withheld any taxes and you owe that. So, this is where it gets complex, and your head is going to hurt.” (9:09—10:23) -Dr. Straub
“If we leave this podcast with nothing more than like, ‘Ooh, I'm armed with some really good questions for my CPA next time. In fact, I'm going to call them today and have them explain this,’ great. Then, we've succeeded in this podcast. But if you look at that net profit and you're like, ‘I don't know where that money is,’ I guarantee you have some loans or other cash flow, whether it's personal distributions or other cash flow statement items, going out. You can determine that by printing — you've already printed your P&L. Now, I want you to print your cash flow statement. Part of that cash flow statement is going to say financing activities. That's where you're going to find all this stuff. You're going to see like, ‘Oh! That's where it all went,’ and you're going to see exactly why your bank account doesn't match the bottom of your profit and loss statement.” (10:24—11:10) -Dr. Straub
“You mentioned something about distributions. That is a very dangerous process. I did what my accountant said. I processed my family payroll. I had my wife on the payroll. ‘We're paying taxes through this payroll thing.’ Then, I was grabbing money as I needed — $5,000, I needed $6,000. What I didn't realize is there were tax implications on this money. I had an accountant who was like, ‘Don't worry, we'll figure that out. You won't pay the regular rate at that.’ And you start to believe those things. You don't mess with the IRS. And what Barrett is saying is — I'm going to tell you right now. I've been here a long time. There's only one way to do this — the right way. You can't mess with it.” (11:31—12:14) -Kirk
“Let's consider one month in your dental practice. You have revenue, you paid your overhead expenses, and you paid yourself your W-2 salary. So, at the bottom of your P&L for the month of March, it says net profit, $10,000. Meaning, there's $10,000 left over after all your expenses are paid and you paid yourself. You're like, ‘Great. I made an extra $10,000 above and beyond my salary.’ Okay, but the IRS looks at that $10,000 as income. So, you owe $4,000 on that $10,000 already. Ideally, once we get further into this, we're going to say you're going to take $4,000 and you're going to put it in a separate bank account so that you have that money to pay taxes. So, now, your tax allocation is 40%, roughly speaking. Everyone is going to have it slightly different. Ten grand left over, but you know that, ‘I'm going to roughly owe 40% of that to taxes.’ So, there goes $4,000. There's $6,000 left over. Okay, but you bought a CBCT two years ago, and every month you pay $5,000 on that CBCT. That's paid with profit. So, now, that goes away too. Now, $6,000 minus another loan of $5,000. You have $1,000 left over in true profit. But last week, you went in and you took $2,000 for a quick distribution because you owed a little bill and you didn't quite have it, so you just took it out. Now, you're negative $1,000 true profit. So, that's a very real world — that I went through — example of, if we don't understand that we have taxation on our net profit, if we don't understand that that $5,000 loan actually reduces our true profit, if we don't understand that that quick $2,000 that we went and took out as a “distribution” reduces our true profit, we can get into some trouble.” (14:03—15:42) -Dr. Straub
“If you're listening to this, and you're driving to work, and you're dreaming of this beautiful building with a whole bunch of extra ops, and you haven't figured out the PPO thing, and you're going to get an associate to “scale”, I'm going to ask you to pause, and breathe, and figure this out. Here's why. We get dentists all the time that think, ‘I'm going to grow. I'm going to scale. I'm going to add other dentists,’ and they're writing off 40%. They add an associate that they have to pay on that, and a lab bill, and all these other things, and they are in shared agreements. So, they are now adding producers and subsidizing their own salaries to grow this big practice. Now, here's the downside. You can't unbuild these operatories. They're done. Once you build them, you've got to fill them. There's no turning back. I'm not opposed to having a great practice, a beautiful practice. But we want you to do this the smart way.” (16:19—17:18) -Kirk
“Progress, not perfection. Just a little bit of progress every day.” (18:10—18:14) -Dr. Straub
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
1:46 True profit, explained.
5:03 Kirk’s experience with the tax snowball.
7:19 Below-the-line expenses, explained.
13:57 Last thoughts.
Dr. Barrett Straub Bio:
Dr. Barrett Straub practices general and sedation dentistry in Port Washington, Wisconsin. He has worked hard to develop his practice into a top-performing, fee-for-service practice that focuses on improving the lives of patients through dentistry.
A graduate of Marquette Dental School, Dr. Straub’s advanced training and CE includes work at the Spear Institute, LVI, DOCS, and as a member of the Milwaukee Study Club. He is a past member of the Wisconsin Dental Association Board of Trustees and was awarded the Marquette Dental School 2017 Young Alumnus of the Year. As a former ACT coaching client that experienced first-hand the transformation that coaching can provide, he is passionate about helping other dentists create the practice they’ve always wanted.
Dr. Straub loves to hunt, golf, and spend winter on the ice, curling. He is married to Katie, with two daughters, Abby and Elizabeth.
What is the best solution for missing teeth? It depends on several key factors! In this episode of Clinical Edge Fridays, Dr. Dennis Hartlieb, CEO and co-founder of Dental Online Training, simplifies this complicated topic using some of his greatest case examples. With the proper techniques and assessments, you can achieve life-changing outcomes for patients that are esthetically and functionally successful. To learn how to choose the best treatment option for each unique case, listen to Episode 873 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Dr. Hartlieb:
- Send Dr. Hartlieb an email: hartliebdds@dothandson.com
- Join Dr. Hartlieb on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DennisHartliebDDS
- Follow Dr. Hartlieb on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hartliebdds
- Learn more about Dental Online Training: https://www.dothandson.com/home
- Register for DOT’s Study Club: https://www.dothandson.com/mentorship
- Watch more on DOT’s YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@DentalOnlineTraining
- Listen to the DOT Sharecast: https://www.dothandson.com/dot-sharecast
- Register for DOT’s porcelain veneer workshop (May 15-16, 2025): https://www.dothandson.com/course/porc-prep-live
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Apple App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/best-practices-association/id6738960360
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Google Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.actdental.join&hl=en_US
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- See the ACT Dental/BPA Live Event Schedule: https://www.actdental.com/event
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 873: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
- Read Surgical Complications in Oral Implantology by Dr. Louie Al-Faraje: https://www.quintessence-publishing.com/usa/en/product/surgical-complications-in-oral-implantology
Main Takeaways:
- Determine whether restorative replacement or canine substitution is appropriate.
- Understand the three treatment options for congenitally missing lateral incisors.
- Dental implants are great — but be aware of potential complications.
- Be aware of various challenges for both the clinician and patients.
- Missing lateral incisors is almost never a single-tooth issue.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
3:45 Dr. Hartlieb’s background.
8:51 Setting patients’ expectations.
17:50 More about Dr. Hartlieb and Dental Online Training.
23:05 Two options for congenitally missing lateral incisors.
25:25 Missing teeth, explained.
26:04 How common is hypodontia?
29:00 Fixed treatment options for congenitally missing lateral incisors.
29:25 Tooth autotransplantation, explained.
30:26 Case example: 13-year-old, autotransplantation.
38:42 Case example: 17-year-old, dental implants.
45:12 Case example: 19-year-old, dental implants.
47:46 Case example: Older patient.
50:11 Case example: Indirect resin-bonded bridges.
54:56 Q&A: The rule of no distal cantilever on a posterior.
56:53 Case example: Direct resin-bonded bridge (Ribbond bridge).
59:38 Case example: Canine substitution.
1:06:25 Challenges: Patient/parent expectations.
1:06:53 Challenges: Tooth size, shape, and positioning.
1:13:09 Important measurements to know.
1:16:02 Challenges: Altered passive eruption.
1:21:05 Short clinical crown versus altered passive eruption.
1:22:50 Things to consider for canine substitution.
1:24:46 Case example: Canine substitution, minimal treatment.
1:27:02 Case example: Canine substitution, collaborative treatment.
1:30:00 Case example: Canine substitution, 16-year-old.
1:35:08 About Dental Online Training.
1:36:40 Q&A: How to handle composite chipping.
1:41:03 Hands-on example.
1:59:28 Q&A: Dr. Hartlieb’s composite veneer fees.
2:02:17 Final thoughts.
Dr. Dennis Hartlieb Bio:
Dr. Dennis Hartlieb is a graduate of the University of Michigan School of Dentistry and maintains a full-time practice committed to cosmetic and restorative dentistry in the Chicago suburb of Glenview, Illinois. He is an instructor at the Center for Esthetic Excellence in Chicago and is formerly an Adjunct Associate Professor at the Marquette University School of Dentistry in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Dr. Hartlieb is an accredited member of the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry (AACD), a member of the American Academy of Esthetic Dentistry (AAED), the American Academy of Restorative Dentistry (AARD), the American Dental Association, the American College of Dentists, and the American Academy of Dental Sleep Medicine. He is the founder of Dental Online Training (DOT), an online hands-on training program for dentists, dental auxiliaries, and dental students. Dr. Hartlieb is also an examiner for the AACD accreditation process.
You’ve added more patients, more providers, and more time in the office. So, why isn't there more money in the bank? In this episode of Practical Solutions Day, Kirk Behrendt brings back Miranda Beeson, ACT’s director of education, to uncover three of the biggest lies holding you back from a better practice and better life. Start working smarter, not just harder! To learn how, listen to Episode 872 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Miranda:
- Send Miranda an email: miranda@actdental.com
- Follow Miranda on ACT’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/actdental
- Send Gina an email: gina@actdental.com
Learn More About ACT Dental:
- ACT’s webinars: https://www.actdental.com/136
- ACT’s website: https://www.actdental.com
- ACT’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/actdental
- ACT’s YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/actdental
- ACT’s Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/actdental
- ACT’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/3137520/admin/feed/posts/
- ACT’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/actdental
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Apple App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/best-practices-association/id6738960360
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Google Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.actdental.join&hl=en_US
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- See the ACT Dental/BPA Live Event Schedule: https://www.actdental.com/event
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Register for ACT’s To The Top Study Club (April 11, 2025): https://www.eventbrite.com/e/climb-with-us-register-for-april-11-2025-ttt-study-club-tickets-1012966789937
- Register for ACT’s To The Top Study Club (July 25, 2025): https://www.eventbrite.com/e/climb-with-us-register-for-july-25-2025-ttt-study-club-tickets-1205497959849
Main Takeaways:
- Hard work alone won't fix your problems.
- Stop feeling that you need to have it all figured out.
- You are not the only one who truly cares about your practice.
- More patients, more providers, and more chairs doesn’t mean more profit.
- Focus your time and energy on doing the right things, not on trying to do everything.
- If you're spending the bulk of your time in your practice, you're not living your best life.
Quotes:
“For everyone that's listening, if you have ever felt like, ‘I should have all this figured out by now,’ no, you shouldn't. Again, these aren't the lies that we're going to talk about today either. But that's a self-limiting belief. You don't need to have it all figured out just yet. You're a high achiever — I get it. Dentists are high achievers. It can be frustrating to feel like you're spinning your wheels, especially when you see others doing something that maybe you wish you were doing already. But again, if you feel like you should have had this figured out by now, if you feel like the weight of the practice is completely on your shoulders — you care about your team, you care about your patients, but sometimes you feel like you're the only one invested in making things work — this podcast is going to speak to you.” (3:42—4:23) -Miranda
“Lie number one is, ‘If I just work harder, everything will get better.’ I know, Kirk, you have a line for this. You often talk about bigger isn't always better. Work smarter, not harder. That really is the truth. Hard work alone does not solve business problems — it just makes you more exhausted.” (5:06—5:25) -Miranda
“The self-limiting belief or lie we tell ourselves is, ‘If I just work harder, everything will get better.’ What this looks like in your practice is working longer hours, adding extra days, taking on more cases but still feeling financially strapped, doing everything yourself because you don't trust other people to get it right — that one is a big one with our coaching clients — and also feeling like you have to earn success through your sheer effort versus stopping and looking at, ‘Is there a smarter way to do this? Is there someone else that might be able to help?’” (5:54—6:27) -Miranda
“You have to step back and analyze your time and your energy. So, we say all the time that time is the new rich. Time is a commodity. Your energy and effort is a commodity. So, instead of just doing more, taking more time that maybe is even being taken from your personal life — like you mentioned earlier in your family — and instead of taking more energy and effort that you don't have because you already feel depleted, instead, focus on doing the right things in your practice — not just doing everything, but doing the right things. And how do you know what the right things are? Really, you have to start with, what do you want your practice to become, and what do you want your life to become? Once you have a clear vision for what you want your practice to be and what you want your life to be, it's a lot easier for you to filter things through the lens of that vision and get a better idea of, is this the right thing for me to be doing? Once you know that, you can start to delegate and automate and systemize the things that are going to help you get to that vision and hit that goal. And now, you're focusing all of your time and energy on the right things.” (7:35—8:54) -Miranda
“Lie number two that dentists tell themselves is, ‘I'm the only one who truly cares about this practice.’ I think there are times, sure, when there are team members here or there that aren't the right fit — right person, right seat. But I also think that your team may not care as much as you do because they don't own it. They don't have as much skin in the game. It's not their baby that they started from scratch. But that doesn't mean that they don't care at all. What I find in working with teams and having been on teams for my whole career is that team members do genuinely care. When they stop caring is when they don't understand their connection to the vision and the outcome. They really need clear expectations, strong leadership, accountability, and at the end of that being able to see, how does what I do showing up every day actually bring meaning and value to where the practice is going?” (13:36—14:43) -Miranda
“The other thing you might feel in your practice is struggling to motivate your team to go above and beyond the basics. Like, you say, ‘We're in a team meeting and no one ever talks. No one speaks up. I'm talking the whole time. I don't even know why we're having team meetings.’ Or you show up to morning huddle, and three people show up late, and only two people have done their chart prep, and you're frustrated that they're showing up on a regular basis just checking the box but not really doing the work or going above and beyond. And what I would like to say is it's a self-limiting belief. It's a lie, in a way, because it could be different. In practices all over the country, probably all over the world, there are team members who care, and they show up, and they go above and beyond.” (16:19—17:00) -Miranda
“The patient doesn't come first. Your team comes first. When your team comes first, and they know that, and everyone knows what we're here for and what we're doing . . . we know what our core values are, we know what we're trying to create as a patient experience, you don't have to worry about putting the patient first anymore because the patient is going to have a paralleled experience to the culture that you're creating.” (19:26—19:52) -Miranda
“A lot of times, when a team member feels micromanaged it's really just a leader trying to motivate people to do something. And external motivation is never going to be as effective as internal motivation. We have to find out what internally motivates our team members. It might be a little different for each person. But in the end, what we do know is there has to be a connection to the work that we're doing, and them personally feeling like there's meaning behind it. That's going to be the only way to really get your team motivated.” (21:32—22:04) -Miranda
“Stop and say, ‘If I didn't have these people, would I still have this practice?’ No. Very few dentists are out there working by themselves in their practice — no front office team members, no assistants, no hygienist. It's just you and your practice. Probably not going to be highly successful. It really does take a team to get there. So, you have to stop every now and then — we talk a lot when we're with our To The Top Study Club community about gratitude, because people could show up and go anywhere, but they choose to come to your practice. And when they're the right people in the right seats, and you're making those connections, and helping to develop them within your practice, you're going to have this culture where everyone wants to show up.” (23:09—23:55) -Miranda
“When people understand why their work matters, then they're going to be more engaged.” (25:27—25:32) -Miranda
“Core values are key to culture. Your culture is what's going to ultimately show the behaviors that show up within your team on a regular basis.” (25:37—25:46) -Miranda
“You can get a lot of value out of your team members by making sure that you have really clear core values and that the people you bring on board also believe in those same things. Tied into that on the other side is the core purpose. What is our practice here to do? Why do we show up in this practice every day? What is the way that we want to make an impact on our community through this practice? When you can put that in front of your team over, and over, and over, your core values and your core purpose, your core values and your core purpose — be the chief reminding officer, really making sure that on a regular basis — weekly team meetings, morning huddles, monthly check-ins, quarterly planning visits, annual summits — every time you have an opportunity, connect with your team and repeat to them that this is who we are. This is how we behave. This is why we're doing this. You're going to make sure that everyone has that internal drive and motivation because they're going to believe in those same things.” (26:32—27:37) -Miranda
“Lie number three, and we hear this one a lot, ‘I can't make more money unless I keep growing.’ Doctors and dentists tell themselves this all the time. You alluded to it at the top of the podcast. ‘I need a bigger practice. I need another associate. I need more chairs. We've got to produce more. We've got to produce more. There's not enough money in the bank at the end of the day.’ And that lie that we're telling ourselves, that story, that limiting belief of, 'I can't make more money unless I keep growing,’ just isn't true. The truth is that more patients, more providers, more chairs generally mean more stress and more people that you're having to manage, which is already hard enough when you're in the chair clinically, most of the time. It doesn't automatically mean more profit. In fact, real profitability comes from differentiating yourself, keeping more of what you produce, and not just increasing volume.” (28:59—29:54) -Miranda
“Before you go down that path of doing more, adding more, managing more people and more space, stop and say, what's happening right now within our practice? Are we writing off too much? Are we not collecting everything that we could be? Are we spending more than we should be? Where can we start to squeeze on some of these gaps and shrink them down to where we might be able to put more money in the bank without adding more stress and more people and more chairs?” (37:56—38:22) -Miranda
“Stop equating hard work with success. Now, I know that sounds a little oxymoronic because we have to work hard if we want to be successful. And from a hyper-achiever like me, trust me, it feels weird to say that out loud. But what I mean by that is, work smarter, not harder. Success is going to come from doing the right things and putting the right focus and effort and energy in the right places. So, when we focus on the highest impact areas of our practice, we're going to have a higher level of success and we don't have to work harder to get there, which was lie number one.” (40:21—40:56) -Miranda
“Lead your team with clarity, not frustration. Like I mentioned, a lot of people feel very frustrated by their teams and what they perceive as a lack of engagement — or maybe there is a real lack of engagement there. They're not going to necessarily care to the level that you do, and it's probably not realistic to expect that because they don't have the same skin in the game that you do. But with the right culture, with clear expectations, with that consistent messaging of who we are, how we behave here, and what we're trying to create, they will start to attach to the meaning within what we're doing every day and be more invested in the success of the practice and in your success. They will be your champion, in the end.” (40:58—41:41) -Miranda
“Profitability isn't just about seeing more patients. Differentiating yourself, taking control of your fees and your write-offs and how much you're collecting is going to get you there faster. Stop relying on volume to grow your bottom line and decide what your bottom line needs to be. What do I want to save and put in the bank or back into my practice every month? Work backwards and look at those gaps and say, what can I do with what I'm already doing and with the chairs I already have to get more out of this practice rather than increasing volume, space, time, or providers?” (41:43—42:19) -Miranda
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
0:58 Why this is an important topic.
5:01 Just working harder won't make everything better.
7:26 Focus on the right things.
13:33 You're not alone in caring about your practice.
17:00 Your team comes first, not your patients.
25:15 Clearly establish your expectations and core values.
28:56 You can make more money without growing.
32:39 Define what “more” means.
35:12 Listen to ACT’s Metric Mondays.
39:48 Final takeaways.
43:00 More about ACT’s BPA and resources.
Miranda Beeson, MS, BSDH Bio:
Miranda Beeson has over 25 years of clinical dental hygiene, front office, practice administration, and speaking experience. She is enthusiastic about communication and loves helping others find the power that words can bring to their patient interactions and practice dynamics. As a Lead Practice Coach, she is driven to create opportunities to find value in experiences and cultivate new approaches.
Miranda graduated from Old Dominion University, and enjoys spending time with her husband, Chuck, and her children, Trent, Mallory, and Cassidy. Family time is the best time, and is often spent on a golf course, a volleyball court, or spending the day boating at the beach.
You might think your profit margin is healthy. But is it, really? In this episode of Metric Mondays, Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. Barrett Straub, ACT’s CEO, to break down gross profit percentage, the real health indicator of your practice. To learn what a good profit margin looks like and how to start improving yours, listen to Episode 871 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Dr. Straub:
- Send Dr. Straub an email: barrett@actdental.com
- Join Dr. Straub on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/barrett.d.straub
- Send Gina an email: gina@actdental.com
Learn More About ACT Dental:
- ACT’s webinars: https://www.actdental.com/136
- ACT’s website: https://www.actdental.com
- ACT’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/actdental
- ACT’s YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/actdental
- ACT’s Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/actdental
- ACT’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/3137520/admin/feed/posts/
- ACT’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/actdental
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Apple App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/best-practices-association/id6738960360
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Google Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.actdental.join&hl=en_US
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- See the ACT Dental/BPA Live Event Schedule: https://www.actdental.com/event
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 871: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
- Register for ACT’s To The Top Study Club (April 11, 2025): https://www.eventbrite.com/e/climb-with-us-register-for-april-11-2025-ttt-study-club-tickets-1012966789937
- Register for ACT’s To The Top Study Club (July 25, 2025): https://www.eventbrite.com/e/climb-with-us-register-for-july-25-2025-ttt-study-club-tickets-1205497959849
Main Takeaways:
- Of 100% collected, 60% goes to overhead, 30% goes to the doctor, 10% goes to ROI.
- Higher gross profit means more revenue for you, your team, and your practice.
- Remember to factor in loans and taxes. They don't show up on your P&L.
- Gross profit percentage is the real health indicator of your practice.
- Your ideal gross profit margin is about 40%.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
0:55 Gross profit percentage, defined.
5:17 Why this is an important topic.
7:30 Know where every dollar of production goes.
10:01 Loans don't show up on a P&L.
12:09 Final thoughts.
Dr. Barrett Straub Bio:
Dr. Barrett Straub practices general and sedation dentistry in Port Washington, Wisconsin. He has worked hard to develop his practice into a top-performing, fee-for-service practice that focuses on improving the lives of patients through dentistry.
A graduate of Marquette Dental School, Dr. Straub’s advanced training and CE includes work at the Spear Institute, LVI, DOCS, and as a member of the Milwaukee Study Club. He is a past member of the Wisconsin Dental Association Board of Trustees and was awarded the Marquette Dental School 2017 Young Alumnus of the Year. As a former ACT coaching client that experienced first-hand the transformation that coaching can provide, he is passionate about helping other dentists create the practice they’ve always wanted.
Dr. Straub loves to hunt, golf, and spend winter on the ice, curling. He is married to Katie, with two daughters, Abby and Elizabeth.
You may have a healthy practice. But do you have healthy patients? In this episode of Clinical Edge Fridays, Kirk Behrendt brings back Katrina Sanders, The Dental WINEgenist, to expose some of the biggest myths of the oral-systemic link869. Doing the bare minimum is not enough! To help patients achieve better health and a better quality of life, listen to Episode 870 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Katrina:
- Send Katrina an email: info@katrinasanders.com
- Join Katrina on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheDentalWINEgenist
- Follow Katrina on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thedentalwinegenist
- Learn more on Katrina’s website: https://katrinasanders.com
- Register for Katrina’s Oral-Systemic Myth course (August 1, 2025): https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-oral-systemic-myth-august-1-2025-tickets-1267455015069
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Apple App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/best-practices-association/id6738960360
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Google Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.actdental.join&hl=en_US
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- See the ACT Dental/BPA Live Event Schedule: https://www.actdental.com/event
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 870: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
Main Takeaways:
- If you see something, say something. Don't wait for other doctors to address it.
- Believing that you're doing enough for your patients is the biggest myth.
- Go beyond the bare minimum when doing health history exams.
- Don't assume your patients know about the oral-systemic link.
- Make your dentistry transformational, not transactional.
- Define what 100% health looks like for your patients.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
1:55 Katrina’s background.
4:54 Why this is an important topic.
8:53 What does 100% health look like?
14:14 The perio-systemic link, explained.
23:37 Do your patients understand the oral-systemic link?
28:57 Go beyond a prophy during a prophy appointment.
34:04 Don't just fix teeth, change lives.
35:55 Final thoughts.
39:47 More about Katrina and how to get in touch.
Katrina M. Sanders RDH, BSDH, M.Ed, RF Bio:
In the ever-changing world of dental science where research, technology, and techniques for patient care are constantly evolving, dental professionals look to continuing education to provide insight, deliver actionable steps, empower, and create a dramatic impact within their clinical practice.
With wit, charm, and a dash of humor, Katrina Sanders enchants dental professionals with her course deliverables, insightful content, and delightful inspiration. Her message of empowerment rings mighty throughout her lectures and stirs a deep sense of motivation amongst course participants.
Katrina is the Clinical Liaison for AZPerio, the country's largest periodontal practice. She performs clinically, working alongside Diplomates to the American Board of Periodontology in the surgical operatory. Katrina perfected techniques during L.A.N.A.P. surgery, suture placement, IV therapy, and blood draws. She instructs on collaborative professionalism and standard-of-care protocols while delivering education through hygiene boot camps and study clubs.
We've all heard that private practice dentistry is dying. But now is the best time to own and grow your practice! In this episode of Practical Solutions Day, Kirk Behrendt brings back Debra Engelhardt-Nash, co-founder of The Nash Institute, to share highlights from the latest APDP meeting that will empower you and your team to create a better practice and a better life. To hear Debra’s top tips from the top dentists, listen to Episode 869 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Debra:
- Give Debra a call: (704) 904-3459
- Send Debra an email: debraengelhardtnash@gmail.com
- Follow Debra on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/debraengnash
- Book Debra for speaking or consulting: https://debraengelhardtnash.com
- Register for Debra’s Dental Business School course: https://www.thenashinstitute.com/upcoming-events/dental-business-school
- Register for Debra’s Team Communication Skills course: https://www.thenashinstitute.com/upcoming-events/team-communication-skills
- Register for the Academy for Private Dental Practice event (February 26-28, 2026): https://apdp.regfox.com/apdp-2026
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Apple App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/best-practices-association/id6738960360
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Google Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.actdental.join&hl=en_US
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- See the ACT Dental/BPA Live Event Schedule: https://www.actdental.com/event
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 869: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
Main Takeaways:
- Focus on your team culture.
- See your team as an asset, not a liability.
- Identify and remove the “arsonists” on your team.
- Gratitude is intentional. Reflect on how you choose to express it.
- Allow your team to “coach up”. Be open to receiving their feedback.
- Overcommunicate with your team. Don't serve them just an “empty bowl”.
- Don't be a chair. Exceed expectations rather than doing only what's expected.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
0:59 Why this is an important topic.
7:48 About APDP and their partnership with the Nash Institute.
15:03 Highlights from the APDP: Walk the talk.
17:21 Highlights from the APDP: Overcommunicate.
18:53 Highlights from the APDP: Don't be a chair.
21:46 Highlights from the APDP: Fireproofing versus firefighting.
24:39 Highlights from the APDP: Do you have arsonists on your team?
26:52 Highlights from the APDP: Coaching up.
29:32 Highlights from the APDP: The strength of the wolf and the pack.
30:30 Highlights from the APDP: Gratitude is intentional.
33:31 Highlights from the APDP: Solutions to the hygienist shortage.
36:51 Highlights from the APDP: See your team as an asset.
38:36 Highlights from the APDP: Explaining the why is important.
40:37 Highlights from the APDP: Engagement versus retention.
41:38 Future APDP events.
44:36 Final thoughts.
46:00 More about Debra’s courses.
Debra Engelhardt-Nash Bio:
Debra is a trainer, author, presenter, and consultant. Having been in dentistry for over 30 years, she engages organizations and study groups nationally and internationally. She is a continual presenter for the American Dental Association, the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry, and the Chicago Dental Society Midwinter Meeting.
Debra is a founding member of The Nash Institute and past president of the National Academy of Dental Management Consultants. She is an active member of the American Dental Assistants Association, the American Academy of Dental Practice Administration, and the Speakers Consulting Network. She has been repeatedly recognized by Dentistry Today as a leader in continuing dental education and as a leader in dental consulting. She is also a member of the American Dental Association’s Dental Practice Management Advisory Board, and recently became the president of the Academy for Private Dental Practice.
Debra is married to cosmetic dentist and dental educator, Dr. Ross Nash, of The Nash Institute for Dental Learning. She continues to work in his busy practice, doing exactly what she preaches.
Something is quietly killing your profit — and it’s not what you think! In this episode of Metric Mondays, Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. Barrett Straub, ACT’s CEO, to break down one of the most misunderstood numbers in dentistry. They explain the myths of overhead percentage, what a healthy overhead percentage looks like, and ways for you to lower it if it’s too high. To better understand where your money is going, listen to Episode 868 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Dr. Straub:
- Send Dr. Straub an email: barrett@actdental.com
- Join Dr. Straub on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/barrett.d.straub
- Send Gina an email: gina@actdental.com
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Apple App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/best-practices-association/id6738960360
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Google Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.actdental.join&hl=en_US
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- See the ACT Dental/BPA Live Event Schedule: https://www.actdental.com/event
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 868: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
- Register for ACT’s To The Top Study Club (April 11, 2025): https://www.eventbrite.com/e/climb-with-us-register-for-april-11-2025-ttt-study-club-tickets-1012966789937
- Register for ACT’s To The Top Study Club (July 25, 2025): https://www.eventbrite.com/e/climb-with-us-register-for-july-25-2025-ttt-study-club-tickets-1205497959849
Main Takeaways:
- Understand what it costs to run your business.
- Healthy practices have overhead between 55% and 65%.
- Your expenses should not grow at the rate of your revenue.
- When your overhead is too high, that means there is less money.
- Is your overhead too high due to overspending or a tight profit margin?
- If you're unhappy with your overhead, don't get emotional. Get educated.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
1:42 Overhead percentage, explained.
3:55 Why doctor compensation isn't included in overhead.
6:16 Why you need to worry about overhead.
8:11 Overhead expenses, simplified.
10:32 How to lower your overhead percentage: Spend less.
16:19 How to lower your overhead percentage: Increase your profit margin.
20:10 Last thoughts.
Dr. Barrett Straub Bio:
Dr. Barrett Straub practices general and sedation dentistry in Port Washington, Wisconsin. He has worked hard to develop his practice into a top-performing, fee-for-service practice that focuses on improving the lives of patients through dentistry.
A graduate of Marquette Dental School, Dr. Straub’s advanced training and CE includes work at the Spear Institute, LVI, DOCS, and as a member of the Milwaukee Study Club. He is a past member of the Wisconsin Dental Association Board of Trustees and was awarded the Marquette Dental School 2017 Young Alumnus of the Year. As a former ACT coaching client that experienced first-hand the transformation that coaching can provide, he is passionate about helping other dentists create the practice they’ve always wanted.
Dr. Straub loves to hunt, golf, and spend winter on the ice, curling. He is married to Katie, with two daughters, Abby and Elizabeth.
(Video) (Need to update timestamps)
867: From Artist to Technician: Unlocking the Power of Whole-Brain Dentistry – Dr. Charlie Ward & Joshua Polansky
Are you a dentist who is an artist, scientist, or maybe even a therapist? In this episode of Clinical Edge Fridays, Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. Charlie Ward, visiting faculty member from The Pankey Institute, and Joshua Polansky, owner of Niche Dental Studio, to share how success in dentistry requires both hemispheres of your brain. Dentistry isn't just fixing teeth! To learn why both sides matter and how to develop the different skill sets you need, listen to Episode 867 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Dr. Ward & Joshua:
- Send Dr. Ward an email: charlie@bmoredentalarts.com
- Follow Dr. Ward on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drcwarddds
- Learn more about Dr. Ward’s practice: https://www.baltimoredentalarts.com
- Watch Dr. Ward’s webinars: https://restorativenation.com
- Follow Joshua on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nichedentalstudio
- Learn more about Joshua’s dental lab: https://nichedentalstudio.com
- Register for Dr. Mazzola & Dr. Ward’s Mastering Treatment Planning course (October 2-4, 2025): https://pankey.org/registration/?courseId=17004&tuition=0&lodging=true
- Register for Dr. Ward’s Mastering Aesthetic Restorative Dentistry course (June 17-20, 2026): https://pankey.org/course-category/mard
- Register for Dr. Mazzola & Dr. Ward’s Mastering Dental Photography course (July 30, 2026 to August 1, 2026): https://pankey.org/registration/?courseId=17781&tuition=0&lodging=true
Learn More About ACT Dental:
- ACT’s webinars: https://www.actdental.com/135
- ACT’s website: https://www.actdental.com
- ACT’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/actdental
- ACT’s YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/actdental
- ACT’s Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/actdental
- ACT’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/3137520/admin/feed/posts/
- ACT’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/actdental
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Apple App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/best-practices-association/id6738960360
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Google Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.actdental.join&hl=en_US
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- See the ACT Dental/BPA Live Event Schedule: https://www.actdental.com/event
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Main Takeaways:
- Don't just tap into the analytical and technical side of your brain.
- Dentistry also requires a high level of artistry and creativity.
- Develop the emotional maturity to not strive for perfection.
- In working with patients, you need emotional intelligence.
- Look within to identify your strengths and weaknesses.
Quotes:
“My buddy Mike, years ago, told me — let's call it a midlife crisis that I was having at 39, or whatever it was. I was telling him, ‘I really want to do more aesthetic dentistry. This is where I enjoy my work the most.’ He was like, ‘Yeah, that makes sense. You're an artist and a teacher.’ I was like, ‘That doesn't sound like me. What?’ Then, I thought about it. I was like, ‘I do the aesthetic things so that I can photograph them so I can show other people how to do it. It's exactly what I am.’ I didn't realize that until then. So, am I more of one than the other? I think I was artistic before I was systematic.” (6:18—7:02) -Dr. Ward
“I also used to strive for perfection. The only thing that it did for me was lead me to burnout, smoking, and drinking. Perfection is deadly. I would actually say striving for perfection is dangerous.” (13:11—13:31) -Joshua
“I'm a very open-minded person. When I see good work, I don't shit on it. I say, ‘Oh my God, that's amazing.’ So, I keep taking in what I think is perfect, and then I keep trying to make subtle changes to try to make it better. But I'm not striving for what I used to deem as perfection because, in all honesty — this isn't like a cliché thing — it does not exist. It does not exist. It just doesn't exist, and you have to be mature enough to understand that it doesn't exist.” (13:50—14:23) -Joshua
“I don't want to say this, but for a doctor, I think striving for perfection is a little easier because their prep gets covered by [the dental tech’s] work. Our work is out there for the world. Like, when we look at our work, it's hard. You're naked to the world. If you see something is off, it's off. That's why I see what Charlie sees in this case. I do. But I think it looks good. I just think it looks good. And I think once you start sacrificing “excellent” for “perfection”, that's when you make mistakes. He'll go to [“fix”] it. He'll make it worse. The patient will say, ‘Oh, I used to like how it was.’ Now, you go down a rabbit hole of you have to remake them. Now, I get angry. So, it gets crazy. I think we have to be mature and know where to draw the line. The problem, I think, for young dentists is they haven't understood where that line is yet. That's where that chaos evolves. So, when I say that perfection is dangerous, I would follow that by saying you should probably go through a period of — not torture, but you should feel pain until you understand where your bar is. You should set a bar for yourself.” (14:25—15:41) -Joshua
“I always saw Josh as an artist that became a technician through, I'll say necessity, exactly as he described it. I like the way he put it. Like, we see things a certain way. We see things through a certain lens or a certain perspective. So, when I'm taking a photo of something, I think Josh sees things similar to the way I see them. I think just as I became more technical to make my systems better, he had to become more technical to deal with the type of cases that he was doing. It wasn't all single centrals anymore, that he was hand-layering 15 single centrals to get the right one. He was trying to figure out how to deal with a hybrid that was fracturing. We need to know technical information about thicknesses of materials and torques and screw sizes. Like, all of these things are not artistic anymore.” (15:55—16:51) -Dr. Ward
“I think that we both have to be technical because we both own businesses. I think that running a business from a creative side only could become very detrimental because our artistics have a lot of feelings. We always feel a certain way. In running a company, I think that that would be a problem. I know a lot of technicians who run their businesses off their feelings. Unfortunately, they don't really work out. So, at some point, the analytical side has to kick over and take over. Charlie and I, as we worked together over the last however many years, we both went into business also at the same time together. Charlie has grown into a bigger practice with more associates. I've grown into a bigger lab with more employees. So, I think that that's another reason our left side kind of built out of necessity. That was a survival thing. Like, ‘Sink or swim. If I don't think like this, I will probably go out of business.’” (17:12—18:18) -Joshua
“I think I'm more creative because I enjoy creativity. I don't enjoy analytical stuff. I don't enjoy Newton Centimeters. I know it all, but it doesn’t get my juices flowing, whereas creativity still gets me excited. Not just in the dental world, but I love art. I love creativity. I love seeing things differently. So, I think I'm more creative. However, I think I used to be way more creative. I think that the adult may have entered the room with me and kind of keeps me — there's a dialogue, and I think there's an adult that now keeps me on a leash, where he knows I used to be free. I know now that people depend on me. I have a team. I have a lot of people that look at me. They look — not up to me, but I mentor people. I have to take it more seriously. So, although I enjoy being more creative and saying what I want, doing what I want, and acting like I want, I think the left brain kicks in and tells me like, ‘Calm it down a little bit.’” (18:34—19:46) -Joshua
“It's interesting why we would become more technical. I think as I'm hearing Josh say that, I'm sure I became more technical the longer I owned my business and the more I wanted that to grow and be successful. I think that from a chairside dentist's perspective, I wanted to be better. I think I realized two things. I wasn't going to do the things to the level that I wanted to do them unless I became more systematic — that I would have the most control if I could be more systematic. That also allowed me to be able to teach it to other people because I can then conceptualize what I was doing.” (19:49—20:46) -Dr. Ward
“It's not just a creative and a technical. There's also, I think, a very big emotional component to this on how to actually have this inner dialogue and then extrapolate that to the public that's your patient, that's your team member.” (22:23—22:40) -Joshua
“One of the reasons why we became so technical out of necessity is we are not artists by nature. It's what we want to be when we make teeth or when we’re a dentist. But by definition of our job, we are problem solvers. People only come to us with problems. Making teeth is a problem. That patient went to Charlie because it's a problem. And we have to solve these problems. So, when these problems arise, I feel like our right and left have this crazy fight inside, and it's like a nanosecond. But then, our emotional intelligence kicks in on how to explain this to somebody to — not only get what we want, because that sounds very manipulative, but we can explain it in a way to guide it towards what our decision was. Where I think if you're . . . an emotional person, you just yell something out, it might be what is reality, but now we're not on a path to solving the problem because now you scared the patient. Or you yelled at the technician, and now . . . So, you have to have an emotional component that I think is the glue between the right and the left to be able to move with the world in order to solve the problems that you're tasked with every day.” (23:03—24:15) -Joshua
“Most of us in dentistry are very technical people. But that emotional component — that you have to work with people — is part of that. The fact that you're dealing with such an emotional part of the body, not just what it shows when you smile, but also that people are very vulnerable, and they have to allow us to work on them. So, if we're not using that right side of our brain that is creative and emotional and we're only using the left side of our brain, at some point, we're going to have issues that are difficult for us to deal with. So, we've got to tap into both.” (28:15—28:57) -Dr. Ward
“Look inside of yourself. Everyone has their strengths and weaknesses. I would say look to other people to help define what your strengths and weaknesses are, which is pretty hard because you have to be vulnerable and take some criticism. But you don't really see yourself. Like we were talking about our wives earlier, my wife has definitely pointed out things to me that I can work on. I think that once you hear them, you have to...
Are you a dentist who is an artist, scientist, or maybe even a therapist? In this episode of Clinical Edge Fridays, Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. Charlie Ward, visiting faculty member from The Pankey Institute, and Joshua Polansky, owner of Niche Dental Studio, to share how success in dentistry requires both hemispheres of your brain. Dentistry isn't just fixing teeth! To learn why both sides matter and how to develop the different skill sets you need, listen to Episode 867 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Dr. Ward & Joshua:
- Send Dr. Ward an email: charlie@bmoredentalarts.com
- Follow Dr. Ward on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drcwarddds
- Learn more about Dr. Ward’s practice: https://www.baltimoredentalarts.com
- Watch Dr. Ward’s webinars: https://restorativenation.com
- Follow Joshua on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nichedentalstudio
- Learn more about Joshua’s dental lab: https://nichedentalstudio.com
- Register for Dr. Mazzola & Dr. Ward’s Mastering Treatment Planning course (October 2-4, 2025): https://pankey.org/registration/?courseId=17004&tuition=0&lodging=true
- Register for Dr. Ward’s Mastering Aesthetic Restorative Dentistry course (June 17-20, 2026): https://pankey.org/course-category/mard
- Register for Dr. Mazzola & Dr. Ward’s Mastering Dental Photography course (July 30, 2026 to August 1, 2026): https://pankey.org/registration/?courseId=17781&tuition=0&lodging=true
Learn More About ACT Dental:
- ACT’s webinars: https://www.actdental.com/135
- ACT’s website: https://www.actdental.com
- ACT’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/actdental
- ACT’s YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/actdental
- ACT’s Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/actdental
- ACT’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/3137520/admin/feed/posts/
- ACT’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/actdental
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Apple App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/best-practices-association/id6738960360
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Google Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.actdental.join&hl=en_US
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- See the ACT Dental/BPA Live Event Schedule: https://www.actdental.com/event
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Main Takeaways:
- Don't just tap into the analytical and technical side of your brain.
- Dentistry also requires a high level of artistry and creativity.
- Develop the emotional maturity to not strive for perfection.
- In working with patients, you need emotional intelligence.
- Look within to identify your strengths and weaknesses.
Quotes:
“My buddy Mike, years ago, told me — let's call it a midlife crisis that I was having at 39, or whatever it was. I was telling him, ‘I really want to do more aesthetic dentistry. This is where I enjoy my work the most.’ He was like, ‘Yeah, that makes sense. You're an artist and a teacher.’ I was like, ‘That doesn't sound like me. What?’ Then, I thought about it. I was like, ‘I do the aesthetic things so that I can photograph them so I can show other people how to do it. It's exactly what I am.’ I didn't realize that until then. So, am I more of one than the other? I think I was artistic before I was systematic.” (6:18—7:02) -Dr. Ward
“I also used to strive for perfection. The only thing that it did for me was lead me to burnout, smoking, and drinking. Perfection is deadly. I would actually say striving for perfection is dangerous.” (13:11—13:31) -Joshua
“I'm a very open-minded person. When I see good work, I don't shit on it. I say, ‘Oh my God, that's amazing.’ So, I keep taking in what I think is perfect, and then I keep trying to make subtle changes to try to make it better. But I'm not striving for what I used to deem as perfection because, in all honesty — this isn't like a cliché thing — it does not exist. It does not exist. It just doesn't exist, and you have to be mature enough to understand that it doesn't exist.” (13:50—14:23) -Joshua
“I don't want to say this, but for a doctor, I think striving for perfection is a little easier because their prep gets covered by [the dental tech’s] work. Our work is out there for the world. Like, when we look at our work, it's hard. You're naked to the world. If you see something is off, it's off. That's why I see what Charlie sees in this case. I do. But I think it looks good. I just think it looks good. And I think once you start sacrificing “excellent” for “perfection”, that's when you make mistakes. He'll go to [“fix”] it. He'll make it worse. The patient will say, ‘Oh, I used to like how it was.’ Now, you go down a rabbit hole of you have to remake them. Now, I get angry. So, it gets crazy. I think we have to be mature and know where to draw the line. The problem, I think, for young dentists is they haven't understood where that line is yet. That's where that chaos evolves. So, when I say that perfection is dangerous, I would follow that by saying you should probably go through a period of — not torture, but you should feel pain until you understand where your bar is. You should set a bar for yourself.” (14:25—15:41) -Joshua
“I always saw Josh as an artist that became a technician through, I'll say necessity, exactly as he described it. I like the way he put it. Like, we see things a certain way. We see things through a certain lens or a certain perspective. So, when I'm taking a photo of something, I think Josh sees things similar to the way I see them. I think just as I became more technical to make my systems better, he had to become more technical to deal with the type of cases that he was doing. It wasn't all single centrals anymore, that he was hand-layering 15 single centrals to get the right one. He was trying to figure out how to deal with a hybrid that was fracturing. We need to know technical information about thicknesses of materials and torques and screw sizes. Like, all of these things are not artistic anymore.” (15:55—16:51) -Dr. Ward
“I think that we both have to be technical because we both own businesses. I think that running a business from a creative side only could become very detrimental because our artistics have a lot of feelings. We always feel a certain way. In running a company, I think that that would be a problem. I know a lot of technicians who run their businesses off their feelings. Unfortunately, they don't really work out. So, at some point, the analytical side has to kick over and take over. Charlie and I, as we worked together over the last however many years, we both went into business also at the same time together. Charlie has grown into a bigger practice with more associates. I've grown into a bigger lab with more employees. So, I think that that's another reason our left side kind of built out of necessity. That was a survival thing. Like, ‘Sink or swim. If I don't think like this, I will probably go out of business.’” (17:12—18:18) -Joshua
“I think I'm more creative because I enjoy creativity. I don't enjoy analytical stuff. I don't enjoy Newton Centimeters. I know it all, but it doesn’t get my juices flowing, whereas creativity still gets me excited. Not just in the dental world, but I love art. I love creativity. I love seeing things differently. So, I think I'm more creative. However, I think I used to be way more creative. I think that the adult may have entered the room with me and kind of keeps me — there's a dialogue, and I think there's an adult that now keeps me on a leash, where he knows I used to be free. I know now that people depend on me. I have a team. I have a lot of people that look at me. They look — not up to me, but I mentor people. I have to take it more seriously. So, although I enjoy being more creative and saying what I want, doing what I want, and acting like I want, I think the left brain kicks in and tells me like, ‘Calm it down a little bit.’” (18:34—19:46) -Joshua
“It's interesting why we would become more technical. I think as I'm hearing Josh say that, I'm sure I became more technical the longer I owned my business and the more I wanted that to grow and be successful. I think that from a chairside dentist's perspective, I wanted to be better. I think I realized two things. I wasn't going to do the things to the level that I wanted to do them unless I became more systematic — that I would have the most control if I could be more systematic. That also allowed me to be able to teach it to other people because I can then conceptualize what I was doing.” (19:49—20:46) -Dr. Ward
“It's not just a creative and a technical. There's also, I think, a very big emotional component to this on how to actually have this inner dialogue and then extrapolate that to the public that's your patient, that's your team member.” (22:23—22:40) -Joshua
“One of the reasons why we became so technical out of necessity is we are not artists by nature. It's what we want to be when we make teeth or when we’re a dentist. But by definition of our job, we are problem solvers. People only come to us with problems. Making teeth is a problem. That patient went to Charlie because it's a problem. And we have to solve these problems. So, when these problems arise, I feel like our right and left have this crazy fight inside, and it's like a nanosecond. But then, our emotional intelligence kicks in on how to explain this to somebody to — not only get what we want, because that sounds very manipulative, but we can explain it in a way to guide it towards what our decision was. Where I think if you're . . . an emotional person, you just yell something out, it might be what is reality, but now we're not on a path to solving the problem because now you scared the patient. Or you yelled at the technician, and now . . . So, you have to have an emotional component that I think is the glue between the right and the left to be able to move with the world in order to solve the problems that you're tasked with every day.” (23:03—24:15) -Joshua
“Most of us in dentistry are very technical people. But that emotional component — that you have to work with people — is part of that. The fact that you're dealing with such an emotional part of the body, not just what it shows when you smile, but also that people are very vulnerable, and they have to allow us to work on them. So, if we're not using that right side of our brain that is creative and emotional and we're only using the left side of our brain, at some point, we're going to have issues that are difficult for us to deal with. So, we've got to tap into both.” (28:15—28:57) -Dr. Ward
“Look inside of yourself. Everyone has their strengths and weaknesses. I would say look to other people to help define what your strengths and weaknesses are, which is pretty hard because you have to be vulnerable and take some criticism. But you don't really see yourself. Like we were talking about our wives earlier, my wife has definitely pointed out things to me that I can work on. I think that once you hear them, you have to look and say, ‘Okay, creativity is my strength, so I don't need to work on that. But I do have issues with frustrations when it comes to solving problems. So, look into working on that.’ That's how I think I changed, was recognizing where my weaknesses were and being open enough to work on my weaknesses.” (29:09—29:55) -Joshua
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
0:49 Are you a right or left-brained dentist?
5:53 Being a technician versus being an artist: Dr. Ward.
10:03 Why perfection is dangerous.
15:46 Being a technician versus being an artist: Joshua.
21:57 Incorporating the emotional component.
25:59 Final thoughts.
31:06 More about Joshua and Dr. Ward and how to get in touch.
Dr. Charlie Ward Bio:
After graduating from the University of Maryland with a Bachelor of Science degree in 2004, he went straight into the University of Maryland School of Dentistry. He earned his DDS degree in 2008, and since then he has completed the Essentials courses and many others at the esteemed Pankey Institute, where he now serves as visiting faculty. He is currently a member of the Maryland State Dental Association and the Academy of General Dentistry.
Joshua Polansky Bio:
Joshua Polansky earned his Bachelor of Arts degree, Summa Cum Laude, from Rutgers University in 2004. While working part-time at a dental laboratory, he took advantage of an opportunity to apprentice with distinguished master technician, Olivier Tric, of Oral Design Chicago. His eyes were opened to a whole new world of possibilities, and he made the decision to become a master dental technician following the path that Tric had forged.
Joshua continued to acquire technical skills by studying in Europe with other mentors and experts in the field, such as Klaus Mutertheis. He earned his master’s degree in dental ceramics at the UCLA Center for Esthetic Dentistry under Dr. Edward Mclaren, and continued his training under Jungo Endo and Hiroaki Okabe at UCLA’s Advanced Prosthodontics and Maxillofacial Program working on faculty and residents cases.
Joshua currently resides in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, where he is the owner and operator of Niche Dental Studio.
Should you pay your team hourly or salary? Before you decide, there are some important things to know and consider! In this episode of Practical Solutions Day, Kirk Behrendt brings in Alan Twigg, co-owner of Bent Ericksen & Associates, to demystify the key differences and explain the most surprising misconceptions of paying a salary. To find out which one is right for your practice, listen to Episode 866 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Alan:
- Give Alan a call: (800) 679-2760
- Send Alan an email: alan@bentericksen.com
- Join Bent Ericksen on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BentEricksenAssociates
- Learn more about Bent Ericksen: https://bentericksen.com
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Apple App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/best-practices-association/id6738960360
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Google Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.actdental.join&hl=en_US
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- See the ACT Dental/BPA Live Event Schedule: https://www.actdental.com/event
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 866: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
- Study the Department of Labor’s exemption categories: https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/fact-sheets/17a-overtime
Main Takeaways:
- Think about your intention with salary. Who will benefit?
- Don't assume that paying a salary will make your life easier.
- Paying a salary does not mean you can do whatever you want.
- Understand common salary misconceptions to stay out of trouble.
- Be aware of the administrative burdens that come with going salary.
- Know the difference between exempt and non-exempt classifications.
- Laws and requirements differ by state. Know which ones apply to you.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
2:29 Alan’s background.
3:40 The biggest misconceptions about salary.
13:20 Do you pay extra for CE, team meetings, and other special events?
15:03 Time off with pay, explained.
19:23 Does your team have to take vacations when you do?
23:22 Utilize a vacation request form.
25:43 Daily salary, explained.
28:03 Trends and best practices for new associates.
30:42 Working interviews, explained.
33:58 Skills assessments, explained.
37:03 Should everyone be hourly or salary?
40:07 Misconceptions about breaks, lunches, huddles, and staying over.
45:59 Final thoughts.
47:39 About Bent Ericksen and how to get in touch.
Alan Twigg Bio:
Alan Twigg is the co-owner of Bent Ericksen & Associates. For over 10 years, he has guided thousands of clients and consultants through the ever-changing world of HR and employment compliance. He is a speaker, consultant, and author who is passionate about bringing education and peace of mind to such a confusing topic.
As a strong proponent of symbiotic employer-employee relations, Alan is passionate about teamwork and positive work cultures, with an emphasis on long-term personnel retention and employment compliance, where his solutions-oriented outlook excels.
How many days do you work for free? You're probably thinking, “I don't!” But you may be shocked after doing the math. In this episode of Metric Mondays, Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. Barrett Straub, ACT’s CEO, to break down a new important KPI: days worked for free. They explain why it happens, how to calculate this number, and what you can do after knowing the data. Stop working too many days for too little money! To learn how, listen to Episode 865 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Dr. Straub:
- Send Dr. Straub an email: barrett@actdental.com
- Join Dr. Straub on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/barrett.d.straub
- Send Gina an email: gina@actdental.com
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Apple App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/best-practices-association/id6738960360
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Google Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.actdental.join&hl=en_US
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- See the ACT Dental/BPA Live Event Schedule: https://www.actdental.com/event
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 865: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
- Register for ACT’s To The Top Study Club (April 11, 2025): https://www.eventbrite.com/e/climb-with-us-register-for-april-11-2025-ttt-study-club-tickets-1012966789937
- Register for ACT’s To The Top Study Club (July 25, 2025): https://www.eventbrite.com/e/climb-with-us-register-for-july-25-2025-ttt-study-club-tickets-1205497959849
Main Takeaways:
- Time is the new rich. Control over time is more valuable than money.
- To start collecting revenue, you need to work fewer days for free.
- Learn how to calculate the number of days you worked for free.
- Figure out how many days you are willing to work for free.
- Work requires energy and effort. Don't do it for no pay!
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
1:59 How many days are you working for free?
2:45 Days worked for free, explained.
3:54 The simple math.
9:01 Last thoughts.
12:33 Why you need to join the BPA.
Dr. Barrett Straub Bio:
Dr. Barrett Straub practices general and sedation dentistry in Port Washington, Wisconsin. He has worked hard to develop his practice into a top-performing, fee-for-service practice that focuses on improving the lives of patients through dentistry.
A graduate of Marquette Dental School, Dr. Straub’s advanced training and CE includes work at the Spear Institute, LVI, DOCS, and as a member of the Milwaukee Study Club. He is a past member of the Wisconsin Dental Association Board of Trustees and was awarded the Marquette Dental School 2017 Young Alumnus of the Year. As a former ACT coaching client that experienced first-hand the transformation that coaching can provide, he is passionate about helping other dentists create the practice they’ve always wanted.
Dr. Straub loves to hunt, golf, and spend winter on the ice, curling. He is married to Katie, with two daughters, Abby and Elizabeth.
Your patients aren't truly healthy, but they're also not losing teeth. This “gray area” is keeping them in perio purgatory! In this episode of Clinical Edge Fridays, Kirk Behrendt brings back Rachel Wall, CEO and founder of Inspired Hygiene, to explain what perio purgatory is, why it’s dangerous, and how to pull patients out of it to improve their health. To learn how to put an end to your perio blindness, listen to Episode 864 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Rachel:
- Follow Rachel on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/inspiredhygiene
- Join Rachel on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/InspiredHygiene
- Book your discovery meeting with Inspired Hygiene: https://www.inspiredhygiene.com
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Apple App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/best-practices-association/id6738960360
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Google Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.actdental.join&hl=en_US
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- See the ACT Dental/BPA Live Event Schedule: https://www.actdental.com/event
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 864: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
- Read Beat the Heart Attack Gene by Dr. Bradley Bale and Dr. Amy Doneen: https://baledoneen.com/bdm-books
- Read Healthy Heart, Healthy Brain by Dr. Bradley Bale and Dr. Amy Doneen: https://baledoneen.com/bdm-books
- Watch Dr. Amy Doneen’s Women’s Heart Health Webinar: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iKo-4sSo7wM
- Get Inspired Hygiene’s Standard of Care Worksheet: https://inspiredhygiene.com/standard-of-care-worksheet
Main Takeaways:
- There is a connection between periodontal disease and other fatal health conditions.
- Recognize the red flags for diseases such as heart attack, stroke, type 2 diabetes.
- Collaborate with your team to develop a very clearly written standard of care.
- Your patients trust you. Always tell them if they have periodontal disease.
- Find ways to overcome the lack of capacity for your hygiene patients.
- Chronic inflammation is not healthy! Don't develop perio blindness.
- Practice your verbal skills and make perio matter to your patients.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
0:44 Rachel’s background.
2:56 Why this is an important topic.
6:14 The link between periodontal disease and fatal diseases.
9:06 Why patients fall into perio purgatory.
11:12 Migraines can be red flags.
14:23 Overcome lack of capacity in your hygiene schedule.
16:55 Get off the prophy hamster wheel.
19:20 Use a collaborative approach to diagnosis.
20:30 The importance of verbal skills.
24:21 Bleeding blindness, explained.
26:32 Everything revolves around your standard of care.
30:10 Final thoughts.
33:22 More about Inspired Hygiene.
Rachel Wall, RDH, Bio:
Rachel Wall, RDH, BS, coaches dental teams to build highly productive hygiene departments by implementing systems for high-quality periodontal care, enrolling restorative care through hygiene and letting go of negative mindsets and old beliefs while managing the logistics of a high-performance hygiene department.
Drawing from her 20-plus years of experience as a hygienist and practice administrator, Rachel delivers to-the-point clinical speaking presentations around the country. Her interactive teaching style coupled with a workshop environment creates a learning space where dentists and team members are compelled to get to the heart of what’s held them back, and inspire them to reach for more for themselves and their practices.
Are you overwhelmed trying to navigate PPOs? Then keep listening! In this episode of Practical Solutions Day, Kirk Behrendt brings back Sandi Hudson, founder of Unlock the PPO, to decode some of the biggest challenges when dropping PPOs. You didn't go to dental school to deal with insurance. Let the experts do it for you! To learn more about Sandi’s company and the key things to consider before dropping PPOs, listen to Episode 863 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Sandi:
- Join Sandi on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/UnlockThePPO
- Follow Sandi on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/unlocktheppo
- Learn more about Unlock the PPO: https://unlocktheppo.com
Learn More About ACT Dental:
- ACT’s webinars: https://www.actdental.com/135
- ACT’s website: https://www.actdental.com
- ACT’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/actdental
- ACT’s YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/actdental
- ACT’s Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/actdental
- ACT’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/3137520/admin/feed/posts/
- ACT’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/actdental
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Apple App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/best-practices-association/id6738960360
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Google Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.actdental.join&hl=en_US
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- See the ACT Dental/BPA Live Event Schedule: https://www.actdental.com/event
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Main Takeaways:
- Fee-for-service dentistry is more alive than ever.
- Understand how shared network agreements work.
- It’s not just you — this topic is overwhelming for all practices.
- Think about the direction of your practice before dropping PPOs.
- Don't be passive when signing contracts. Know what you're agreeing to.
- Audit your EOBs at least once a month and know what should be coming in.
- Be patient when trying to negotiate with reps. It may take months for a response.
- Pay attention to letters from insurance, even when they don't seem relevant to you.
Quotes:
“Delta is the only major company left where it's a standalone contract. But pretty much everybody else has multiple shared network agreements with other companies. So, it's no longer just who do you sign a contract with, or who do you want to be in-network with? It's understanding for whatever I signed, what else comes along with that? What else am I agreeing to? And the way this all should be said is, there should have to be permission given for a dentist to be opted into these shared network agreements. Unfortunately, it's the reverse. You're automatically opted in, and the burden is on you to opt out. So, you can't really be passive about it and assume that, ‘Well, I didn't know about that. I never signed anything, so it must not affect me.’ It's the opposite. Nobody is asking your permission anymore. It's, here's this new agreement. You can probably opt out of it if you want to, but you're going to have to be the one that takes the initiative to opt out if it's not the right fit for your office.” (6:36—7:39) -Sandi
“I say to a lot of offices it's kind of like Jenga. You're plugging in this game of, what does this all mean? What things affect me in a good way versus a bad way? How do I agree to the things that might actually be beneficial for me, and how do I get myself out of the things that are not? That part has all changed. Five years ago, we still saw a lot of shared network agreement changes coming. But ten years ago was completely different than what we're looking at now. So, for offices who are actually trying to see patients, they didn't go to dental school to deal with all of these intricacies of contracting. So, to have the time to map this all out where you're trying to take care of patients and actually deliver dentistry, this has become its own subset to such a degree that it's very difficult to manage alongside of patient care. It's a lot.” (7:41—8:41) -Sandi
“The reality is it's overwhelming for everybody, these shared network agreements. Not just the dentist’s side, but the reps on the other side who work for the insurance companies are dealing with it all on their end of things. And honestly, we've had great relationships with a lot of insurance company reps for a long time. There really are some great people on the other side of the table. But one of the things that I think has come along with some of these changes is the individual reps who used to have a lot of discretion in their market no longer have that discretion the same way. So, they're having to go up the ladder. An extra one or two percent is going to require somebody else to approve it. It's going to have to go to management. There are more layers as opposed to just being able to go directly to a person and have some resolution in a couple of weeks. We've got multiple companies right now where it's three or four months that it's taking us to get negotiations wrapped up. So, this is not a thing where you call, and if they don't call you back, you throw up your hands. You've got to be persistent and know it's going to take a few months to even get a response sometimes, to get somebody who can do the negotiation piece. It really is an ongoing project now. So, there is some agreeableness out there. It's just staying at it and being very persistent until you hear back.” (10:03—11:29) -Sandi
“A lot of it will depend on your market. Sometimes, I know it's frustrating. Somebody will say, ‘Hey, I know this company is non-negotiable, but I got a great deal,’ which is awesome, and we love to hear that. The reality is that — and I speak for us on this too — it's not necessarily that we're all amazing negotiators in that. Of course, we know what we're going after. We know the market and we know what the top codes are. We're going after very targeted negotiations. But the reality is also, how much do they need you in your market? If it happens to be a time where maybe a new employer group has jumped on board and they don't have enough providers in your area, that might open up some opportunity. So, there is a piece of it that really is specific to the demographic that you're in, and do they need you more than you need them, kind of a situation. But we are seeing it loosen a bit in some markets.” (11:31—12:25) -Sandi
“What's the direction of your practice? There are a lot of ways to do dentistry successfully in terms of business models. So, there's not a one-size-fits-all approach by any means. But I do think it's important for each dentist to think about things like — some dentists don't like marketing at all. They don't want to market. They don't want to think about marketing. So, PPOs may fill a little bit more of a gap for those practices where they're thinking, ‘I'd rather have a flow of patients coming in continually, even if I'm taking a little bit less for it. It takes the burden off of me for marketing externally more.’ Other practices, dentists really like that, and they are going after a different business model. We're seeing more where not everything is hygiene driven — dentists who are marketing more to say, ‘I'm not going to rely on the new patient flow coming through hygiene to feed my schedule. I'm going to go after more specialty procedures as the end result.’ So, hygiene is maybe not quite the same piece of the practice the way it has been in a more traditional business model.” (12:54—14:02) -Sandi
“You spend so many years trying to build a practice, do everything right, treat people great, give good customer service, hire great staff, all those things. And then, you get to a point where you might actually need to be thinking, ‘Maybe I need to shrink the practice a little bit. If I lose a few patients, but for the 90% who stay I collect X dollars more, does that really check the boxes of what I want to be doing right now anyway, with quality-of-life kind of stuff?’ But it's hard. It's hard to think about shrinking a little bit when your whole business model has been making everybody happy and growing for so many years. So, I think just learning, when is it time to look at the business model a little bit differently, and being okay with that, and making sure your staff is trained and on board with changes that you want to make. Nobody wants to be blindsided by, all of a sudden, we're making changes and they don't know what that entails. So, I think real good communication with staff is a big piece.” (14:56—16:03) -Sandi
“I'm sure you've heard many offices saying, ‘I burned through two or three front office people for a few years while things were resettling after COVID-19.’ A lot of times, that means they've all lost track of, ‘I don't even know who signed what for insurance contracts. We don't even know who we're in-network with and who's paying on what.’ We get offices all the time who are, I think, kind of embarrassed because they feel like we've never heard that before. We'll ask for a list of, ‘Who do you have contracts with, and how are you participating?’ And they're like, ‘We have no idea. We know we're in-network, but we just don't know.’ So, regrouping on that really has to be first, because you can't strategically eliminate things in a good way if you don't even know what you're starting with. So, you really do have to get a good baseline.” (16:04—16:52) -Sandi
“In terms of the dropping piece, there are some good initial things to do as far as getting a handle on what you've got now, and then really deciding when is it time to make some hard changes and go with a small company where you're not at risk. If you've got a company that you're doing $30,000 of production with a year, and you drop it, and it doesn't go as well as you intended, this is not a make-it-or-break-it kind of thing. So, stepping into that on a small scale and then working your way up, I think, is a great way to approach it for most offices.” (16:56—17:35) -Sandi
“I will, a lot of times, ask, ‘How far are you booking out on the hygiene side and the operative side?’ So, let's say a dentist says, ‘I'm booking out four to six weeks on operative. We're super busy.’ Well, that does you no good. All you're doing is taking an entire four to six weeks of production — you can only see the eight hours a day that's on your calendar. So, continuing to book out further and further, it might mentally give you some assurances that we're always going to be busy. But busy, and now you're booking out seven weeks. Now, you're booking out eight weeks. That doesn't do you any good. All that means is that you could have gotten a higher paying patient in the chair, but you don't have room for them because you're accommodating all of the lower paying PPO patients.” (19:12—20:00) -Sandi
“You said about the ops, the thought of, ‘Do I build more ops?’ Because once they're in place, then I have to feed that. Another similar thing in that same line is dentists who are thinking about adding an associate. They're too busy, and they're thinking about adding an associate. One of the things I always recommend is, if you are with PPOs now, before you add the associate, get your PPO house in order. Otherwise, if you have overflow that could feed an associate right now, but let's say if that overflow is coming because you're taking a whole bunch of PPOs and you're writing off half of your fee, as soon as you hire an associate dentist to see that overflow, you're still only getting 50% of your full fee, but now you're paying somebody else on top of it to see that pool of patients. So, another good thought with that is, if you are too busy and you take PPOs, go through and get the whole analysis side of your PPOs figured out first, and then get those reimbursement rates to where they're healthy. That way, if it means dropping a couple, you're doing that while you're still going solo. Then, you get that all in order, and if you're still too busy, then it makes sense to add an associate because the PPO fees then will support you being able to pay somebody to see those patients.” (21:12—22:32) -Sandi
“For an office, even if they're just saying, ‘Hey, I'm going to try to tackle this on my own,’ I would definitely say look at the top 30 codes. Based on that, and also your volume, how much volume are you doing with each contract? This is actually where it gets harder for a lot of offices because one side of it is just numbers, what your cash fees are and all that. You can dig that up with your reports. But the amount of production you have tied to each fee schedule, that's where offices, a lot of times, are really like, ‘We've lost track,’ because a company like — pick any insurance company — probably have five or six shared network agreements with other companies. So, they know they're in-network, but they don't even know where to assign that production to. So, you don't know the impact of — you might have a low paying fee schedule, but you've only got $5,000 of production with them. So, it's like, ‘Eh, it's a low fee schedule. It's not really hurting us.’ But it turns out that low fee schedule has ten other companies that can attach to their fee schedule, and your impact is really $200,000 a year, not $5,000 a year. So, you really have to understand what insurance company is attaching to somebody else's fee schedule so that you really know the impact.” (27:33—28:52) -Sandi
“[A shared network agreement is] when one insurance company has an agreement with another insurance company. There are lots and lots of those out there now. So, what you have to be aware of is, let's say that you're a completely fee-for-service office, you have no PPO contracts, and you get an offer from — I'm just pulling names out of a hat. They're all very similar. There's not necessarily bad guys, good guys in all of this. It's just, be aware. I'm not picking on anybody, just grabbing a name. But let's say you have an agreement that you decide to sign with Guardian. So, if you have a contract with Guardian and you don't have anybody else's contract, there are a lot of other companies that can be in-network through Guardian: Aetna, UnitedHealthcare, Emeritus — lots of other companies. So, if you decide to sign up with Guardian, you need to be thinking, ‘Do I just want this contract to apply to Guardian itself?’ because that's who you're signing up with. So, your first thought is going to be, ‘Well, I'm just signing with Guardian,’ without necessarily being aware or understanding that a lot of other insurance companies can come along with that. Now, you can opt out of those other agreements, and you can say, ‘I just want this contract to apply only to Guardian.’ But again, the burden is on you. You have to say, ‘I only want this to apply to Guardian.’” (34:37—35:54) -Sandi
“What we find, as you add more and more contracts, is that pretty much all of the insurance companies have agreements with other companies. So, the thought process has to be, what's best for you? Well, it's best for you if you take some high-end companies or contracts, and if a few other companies tack onto those, you might not mind that because if it's a fee schedule you're happy with, you might think, ‘Well, if we get a few more patients and it's a great fee schedule, I don't mind if more people jump on board.’ But where the insurance companies have not added these agreements to find ways to pay you more, what they have done with these is use them to network more dentists through these agreements. But then you also have to remember, if there are multiple agreements, most likely, we're going to assume they're going to choose the lower paying path to pay on. So, you want to be careful.” (35:55—36:48) -Sandi
“You have to be really careful about how these shared network agreements impact you. It's not to say that they're always bad — it's just to say that they work both directions. So, you want to be really careful about allowing them in your practice if it works to your benefit. But if they don't, you need to understand how to wall those off. That's what we mean by an opt-out. An opt-out is not the same as a termination. A termination would be eliminating an entire contract. An opt-out is really telling one insurance company you don't want to participate with their agreement with another company. So, again, most of those are optional, and you can just do a letter or form. There's various paperwork to get yourself out of those. But you can't get yourself out of something that you're not even aware of. That's the biggest thing, is that there is no grid out there that you can just look at and say, ‘Okay, how does this all apply to my area?’ Because of all the shared network agreements, it's very messy. It's not clear. It's not a transparent system at all. So, you really do have to do some research.” (36:57—38:10) -Sandi
“Once a month, grab a stack of EOBs and look to see, ‘Okay, if I thought that Guardian was paying on the Aetna fee schedule, is it paying on the Aetna fee schedule?’ I'm sure a lot of your listeners will remember, there was a letter that went out last summer that MetLife entered a couple of new shared network agreements. That was a big one because MetLife really had not allowed other insurance companies to use their fees in the past. So, that was a pretty big one. And unfortunately, sometimes there's this letter that goes out but either somebody doesn't...
Collecting 95% sounds great. But there's a big problem: you're leaving 5% on the table! In this episode of Metric Mondays, Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. Barrett Straub, ACT’s CEO, to break down net collections percentage. You'll learn why 95% isn't as great as it sounds, how it’s killing your practice, and what you can do to raise this KPI. To learn what you need to know about net collections, listen to Episode 862 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Dr. Straub:
- Send Dr. Straub an email: barrett@actdental.com
- Join Dr. Straub on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/barrett.d.straub
- Send Gina an email: gina@actdental.com
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Apple App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/best-practices-association/id6738960360
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Google Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.actdental.join&hl=en_US
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- See the ACT Dental/BPA Live Event Schedule: https://www.actdental.com/event
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 862: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
- Register for ACT’s To The Top Study Club (April 11, 2025): https://www.eventbrite.com/e/climb-with-us-register-for-april-11-2025-ttt-study-club-tickets-1012966789937
- Register for ACT’s To The Top Study Club (July 25, 2025): https://www.eventbrite.com/e/climb-with-us-register-for-july-25-2025-ttt-study-club-tickets-1205497959849
Main Takeaways:
- Your goal is to collect 100% or more.
- If you're not collecting 100%, understand why.
- Make sure your team is aligned with your expectations.
- 97% is great on a chemistry exam. It’s not great for net collections.
- Pre-collect from patients. When you owe dentistry, you have less stress.
- Whoever collects money needs to be confident in the value of your dentistry.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
0:38 Net collections, explained.
2:07 Why net collections is so important.
2:33 The problem with 95%.
4:49 Pre-collect from patients.
6:16 What it means when you’re collecting less than 100%.
7:21 The mindset of the person collecting money.
8:42 The importance of right person, right seat.
10:45 Action items you can start today.
12:59 Last thoughts.
Dr. Barrett Straub Bio:
Dr. Barrett Straub practices general and sedation dentistry in Port Washington, Wisconsin. He has worked hard to develop his practice into a top-performing, fee-for-service practice that focuses on improving the lives of patients through dentistry.
A graduate of Marquette Dental School, Dr. Straub’s advanced training and CE includes work at the Spear Institute, LVI, DOCS, and as a member of the Milwaukee Study Club. He is a past member of the Wisconsin Dental Association Board of Trustees and was awarded the Marquette Dental School 2017 Young Alumnus of the Year. As a former ACT coaching client that experienced first-hand the transformation that coaching can provide, he is passionate about helping other dentists create the practice they’ve always wanted.
Dr. Straub loves to hunt, golf, and spend winter on the ice, curling. He is married to Katie, with two daughters, Abby and Elizabeth.
Do you ever wonder what your dental techs really think about you? In this episode of Clinical Edge Fridays, Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. Christopher Mazzola and Dr. Charlie Ward to pick the brain of Joshua Polansky, owner of Niche Dental Studio, to answer your burning questions and to reveal the secret to a great relationship and partnership with your dental techs. To hear one dental tech’s advice for becoming a better dentist, listen to Episode 861 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Dr. Mazzola, Dr. Ward, & Joshua:
- Join Dr. Mazzola on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/christopher.d.mazzola
- Follow Dr. Mazzola on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/christopherdmazzoladds
- Send Dr. Ward an email: charlie@bmoredentalarts.com
- Follow Dr. Ward on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drcwarddds
- Follow Joshua on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nichedentalstudio
- Register for Dr. Mazzola & Dr. Ward’s Mastering Treatment Planning course (October 2-4, 2025): https://pankey.org/registration/?courseId=17004&tuition=0&lodging=true
- Register for Dr. Ward’s Mastering Aesthetic Restorative Dentistry course (June 17-20, 2026): https://pankey.org/course-category/mard
- Register for Dr. Mazzola & Dr. Ward’s Mastering Dental Photography course (July 30, 2026 to August 1, 2026): https://pankey.org/registration/?courseId=17781&tuition=0&lodging=true
Learn More About ACT Dental:
- ACT’s webinars: https://www.actdental.com/134
- ACT’s website: https://www.actdental.com
- ACT’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/actdental
- ACT’s YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/actdental
- ACT’s Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/actdental
- ACT’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/3137520/admin/feed/posts/
- ACT’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/actdental
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Apple App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/best-practices-association/id6738960360
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Google Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.actdental.join&hl=en_US
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- See the ACT Dental/BPA Live Event Schedule: https://www.actdental.com/event
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Main Takeaways:
- Don't be an asshole or an “ask hole”.
- Stop making the job harder for dental techs.
- Communication is key. Be open and receptive to feedback.
- Manage your expectations. A great lab doesn't mean perfection.
- Every dentist needs to go through the pain of developing their own style.
- Set realistic expectations for yourself, your dental techs, and your patients.
- For the best possible outcome, dentists and dental techs need to work together.
- Social media is a highlight reel. Don't compare yourself to something that isn't real.
Quotes:
“When we think about planning complex cases and interdisciplinary treatment planning, the ceramist gets left out of that. The technician gets left out of that. I don't do any complicated cases or treatment planning without talking to Josh. I have to know, in order to finalize the plan — we had this conversation yesterday. We had two conversations. We had the implant conversation on something, that the design was off, and then we had a conversation about a complex plan that I'm presenting on Monday that, ‘Hey, what's this going to look like? We have to open vertical. I need to do ortho. I need to do these things. What sequence would make sense for you guys to make sure I get the design back that I want to?’ So that, to me, is a piece that's missing. We teach it at Pankey in the aesthetics class, which Josh teaches with me, that you need to find a ceramist that can deliver the type of work that you want and that you can have a relationship with to have these conversations, because they're going to have to deliver that case at the end for you. So, just like you're going to talk to perio and you're going to talk to ortho in these complex cases, the ceramist is 100% a part of your specialty team.” (7:21—8:37) -Dr. Ward
“People treatment plan in a silo. So, they're by themselves. One thing that we see quite a bit of is a lot of people have this knowledge. They can rattle off the facts to you. But when it comes to treatment planning and then setting up a plan and executing it, the confidence disappears. I think it's because, a lot of times, they don't know how good they are — and it's because they don't have working relationships with specialists like dental technicians. I know I've worked with Josh and I've spitballed some things. It's never like, ‘Hey, man. That's a terrible idea.’ It's like, ‘Okay, I see how that would work. I've also seen it fail this way, this way, and this way,’ because for every one case I do in my career, he's got 50 that have come across his desk — at the minimum. So, I think building that rapport with someone, whether it's another dentist, or your ceramist, or whomever, to be able to find that conversation is what's important. Josh knows we know what we're doing. But I know that he really appreciates it when we pick up the phone and he can put his input in to say like, ‘That's a great idea. But turn this way just a hair, and it's going to be so much smoother for me, you, and the patient.’” (8:53—10:22) -Dr. Mazzola
“A dental technician wants nothing more than to have dentists that “know what they're doing”. But I think, as a technician, what I appreciate the most is that I know these guys know that I know what I'm talking about. Meaning, I think dental technicians have a really big fear to voice their opinion because, on the totem pole, we're down here. We're at the bottom. I've definitely, I guess through hard work, punched my way up to the top to get their respect. But once I've gotten here, I appreciate the fact that I have dentists — and man, if you had access to my email, you would really see, I don't want to say how insecure, but the questions I get are very basic. But at the same time, I think from a maturity standpoint, I can step back and look at them with no judgment, that maybe I am their only resource because they're embarrassed to ask their colleagues or they're embarrassed to ask specialists. So, you'd be surprised at what I'm asked on a daily basis from dentists. I don't judge them because, at the end, they should grow and evolve and get better. But I think that I've appreciated, as a technician, that I am reached out to a lot. Before, it used to be a lot of pride. Now, I think it's better for the patient and better for the outcome because, in the end, the treatment plans are usually a combination of something the doctor wanted to do and something I wanted to do kind of melded together.” (10:30—12:00) -Joshua
“We work in an incredibly stressful environment. Technicians do behind the scenes, so you guys don't see our stress. So, you automatically think what we do is so easy — I just open a drawer, take teeth out, and close it. It's not that easy. But at the same time, I have to respect that you guys work in an incredibly intimate environment where it's very stressful. So, both of us have our own stresses. And I'm not going to work with somebody that — you know that whole thing of the abusive husband who comes home and kicks the dog? I'm not going to be the dog because I'm only here to help. If you make my job harder, you're an asshole, and I don't want to work with you. And here's the issue, and a whole other rant. That is the problem with dentistry, is because there are tons of labs that will work with the assholes, so they never change to become better, which in turn doesn't allow better dentistry to be done because that's just the way they do it.” (13:08—14:07) -Joshua
“I can't work with people that really make our job harder because, at the end, it doesn't give a good result from us. When we pick up a case at the lab, we want to feel good. When I pick up a case for Chris or Charlie, I want me and my team — not to smile, because I don't want to get cliché. But I can tell you my team likes Charlie Ward. He comes to the lab, and he sends us cookies and stuff. They like him. Never going to name names on a podcast, but there is definitely a group that when they see their case pan on the bench for the day, they're like, ‘Pfft. I hate this guy.’ I think you don't want to be that. For the young dentist listening to this podcast, you don't want to be that to the laboratory that is, in turn, the person who wants to make you look good.” (14:07—15:00) -Joshua
“My closing remarks on what an asshole is is that one of my old lab buddies owned a pretty successful lab in Georgia. Terry Fohey, he's a good guy. He's retired now, but I always went to him for business advice. He's from the South. He told me, ‘You want to work “foxhole dentistry”.’ He says when we're at war, and we're in the foxhole, and people are shooting at us, you want somebody that's going to look at you — and I don't want to say that, but there are situations in dentistry where the shit has hit the fan. You understand? Like, the hybrid cracked, and the patient is in the chair. It's not “war”. Let's not get crazy. But we're in the shit together. I need somebody that's going to look at me when the shit is going down and say, ‘Hey, man. Let's regroup. How do we get out of this?’ I don't need somebody yelling at me. Because if I was in the foxhole, and I was in that situation, and I had some guy yelling at me, I would take the gun, shoot him real quick, and then go back to war. That's hypothetically what I’d do with some of the doctors, is boom, boom, boom, and then we keep going.” (15:01—16:08) -Joshua
“What Chris did, we take that for granted. It is very complex, what he just said, transferring all that data from Michigan to a bench in New Jersey, and then back, and have it all fit, and using digital. I'm amazed all this stuff even works, sometimes. It is extremely complex. So, when working in such a complex situation, we've got to be on the same team, to emphasize what I was just saying. We have to be friendly. We must, or else we're working against each other, not with each other.” (17:23—17:56) -Joshua
“The expectation seems to be that if I work with a great lab, I'm going to get something back and never have to adjust it. It's impossible. It's a miracle any of this stuff fits to the degree that it fits. I don't even understand how it happens. But we get it back, and you can't take it from the digital world or the analog world on an articulator and then expect to put it in a mouth with soft tissue and muscle and bone and expect it to fit exactly how it did on the articulator or in the digital design. It's not going to happen. You have to do some work in the mouth.” . . . It's an unrealistic expectation that we have, as a profession, that things are going to come back, and they're going to drop into place.” (18:00—18:52) -Dr. Ward
“What you guys do is extremely hard. Dentists have very high expectations. And again, that puts those expectations on us. But we have to really determine, what are realistic expectations? I think sometimes we forget that we're making human body parts that have to function. A lot of people refer to lab technicians and ceramists as artists. I am not an artist. What we do is very technical. There are real things involved. It has to work. Art has no rules. Like, this behind me is art. There are no rules to this. If you want to take a picture of a heavy metal guy with no shirt on — it's art. The teeth I make have to work. They must function. Especially working with the caliber of dentists, either Kois, Pankey, or Spear, these people are on a different caliber, and they're checking things a lot differently than like a Medicaid office. They're really checking our work, so it has to work.” (19:06—20:09) -Joshua
“As an owner of a lab, I would say almost 100% of new clients, it's always the same. ‘I'm totally open. If you see anything wrong, call me. Please tell me if I could do anything better.’ It's always the same. I've become so numb to it because we do reach out, and a lot of them are saying, ‘No, it's fine. No, it's good.’ And you're going like, ‘What?’ So, that's not an asshole. That's what we would call an “ask hole”. They ask us questions. And then, when we answer them, they ignore everything. That's also difficult to work with.” (21:04—21:43) -Joshua
“There's been a doctor that we work with, and we're doing a lot of single central matches. We explained, ‘This is how we can get you the best match. Please don't use the filters on your camera because the filters are more for like “after” glamorous pictures. It's not good for us to read color. And they say, ‘Everything is okay. No problem, no problem. Everything is all good.’ We get the central. What is the picture? It has the [filter]. That's where it gets a little frustrating because, long term, I don't see this working. We're not even giving you criticism. We're just giving you general like, ‘Hey, this is going to make it better.’ When that's ignored, that's no good. So, I think that a lot of clients say they're open. The advice I would give is, really be open. Just listen. And you have the right to disagree. That's fine. But you should be receptive to . . . Like, I'm not going to tell the tailor how to make my clothes. Could you imagine if when I was getting my car fixed, I was like, ‘I don't like those screws. You should use those screws.’” (21:44—22:48) -Joshua
“Most lab owners have very thick skin because — I'm very fortunate. When we do a great job, they call me. When we do a poor job, they call me. They communicate all that. But I would say the majority of lab owners are only getting the problem calls. So, they develop thick skin over time. The issue is, it’s not that we don't care, but we hang up the phone and we move on to the next problem. But for you, as a dentist, that's still a problem. And you're beating yourself up. I see a lot of dentists wind up beating themselves up, and that's where the burnout comes from. That's where the depression comes from. It comes from them thinking it's their fault, they stink, they fail. And I think it's because they're not open. They're not receptive. That's my opinion. I don't know if I'm right or wrong, but that's what I see, from an outsider's perspective.” (24:36—25:21) -Joshua
“There are expectations that we need to set with the patient, and there are expectations that we need to set with the lab. We were talking a little bit about shade matches and colors, especially for doing single anterior teeth. That's difficult. I mean, it's my job as a dentist to prepare the patient for the fact that, ‘Hey, we're going to try this in next time. There's no guarantee this is going in. This is one of the most difficult things that we do.’ So, if I don't do that properly and the patient is not prepared, then nobody is happy when we try it and have to send it back to the lab. Josh is expecting to get that back. It's so hard to do it on the first try that it's probably going to need to be adjusted if you want it to match the way that we're trying to do the dentistry. So, there's an expectation that he would set with me that, ‘Hey, we're going to try this in. We've done everything. You sent me everything that I need. I've set the patient up for that so that they know, ‘Hey, we're going to try this in. I want it to be as perfect as possible.’ So, there are expectations on both ends that need to be discussed and then followed through with. Then, afterwards, we figure out, ‘Hey, was there something different either one of us could have done to make this better?’ That's why Josh gets a call, whether it went great or whether it went poorly. ‘Hey, why did it go so great?’ Let's have that conversation.” (25:22—26:43) -Dr. Ward
“[Social media] sets unreasonable expectations, in my opinion. They're unreasonable. And what I mean is this — I can tell you this firsthand. I work with a ton of dentists, and I work with very talented dentists who have young associates. Those young associates are in very good places. They can learn so much there. They get the right patients, fee-for-service, all that. Those guys and girls follow my Instagram and see the stuff we're doing because I'm pretty active being out there, lecturing and whatnot. And for some reason, I think it always comes to the grass is always greener, where they pull me aside and they're like, ‘Hey, man. We don't do that here. It kind of stinks here. What are you doing? Why are you doing that?’ And I just want to kind of [slap some sense into them]. Like, ‘You're doing that here. You just have to focus on here. You're looking outside too much. Everything I'm showing is what I do, actually, with your bosses. It's here. You're just not looking here.’ So, I think it affects...
You want great people in your practice. But it’s a challenge to find them, and an even bigger challenge to keep them! In this episode of Practical Solutions Day, Kirk Behrendt brings back Miranda Beeson, ACT’s director of education, to share their proven strategies to keep great team members engaged and wanting to stay. To learn how to build and retain a strong and dedicated team, listen to Episode 860 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Miranda:
- Send Miranda an email: miranda@actdental.com
- Follow Miranda on ACT’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/actdental
- Send Gina an email for your Golden Ticket: gina@actdental.com
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Apple App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/best-practices-association/id6738960360
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Google Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.actdental.join&hl=en_US
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- See the ACT Dental/BPA Live Event Schedule: https://www.actdental.com/event
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 860: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
- Read The 5 Love Languages by Dr. Gary Chapman: https://5lovelanguages.com/store/the-5-love-languages
- Read The 5 Languages of Appreciation in the Workplace by Dr. Gary Chapman: https://5lovelanguages.com/store/the-5-languages-of-appreciation-in-the-workplace
Main Takeaways:
- Engaged employees stay.
- Build your team around your core values.
- Establish a consistent rhythm of communication.
- Provide feedback consistently using the Right People Scorecard.
- Understand different appreciation styles and consistently demonstrate it.
- Empower and elevate your team by understanding what drives and excites them.
- Your small but consistent efforts is what will lead to big, lasting impact in your practice.
- Retention isn't about keeping people — it’s about knowing how to keep the right people.
- You don't need to implement all five retention strategies at once. Lean into one at a time.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
1:33 ACT’s TTT, BPA/BPA app, and Pro Coaching.
6:25 Why this is an important topic.
13:57 Strategy 1) Build a team around core values.
19:57 Strategy 2) Establish a consistent rhythm of communication.
27:48 Strategy 3) Provide feedback consistently.
32:06 Hire people who GWC (Get it, Want it, and have the Capacity for it).
41:46 Strategy 4) Demonstrate workplace appreciation.
54:40 Strategy 5) Empower and elevate your team.
1:00:31 Final takeaways.
Miranda Beeson, MS, BSDH Bio:
Miranda Beeson has over 25 years of clinical dental hygiene, front office, practice administration, and speaking experience. She is enthusiastic about communication and loves helping others find the power that words can bring to their patient interactions and practice dynamics. As a Lead Practice Coach, she is driven to create opportunities to find value in experiences and cultivate new approaches.
Miranda graduated from Old Dominion University, and enjoys spending time with her husband, Chuck, and her children, Trent, Mallory, and Cassidy. Family time is the best time, and is often spent on a golf course, a volleyball court, or spending the day boating at the beach.
You might think you know your write-off percentage. But do you, really? In this episode of Metric Mondays, Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. Barrett Straub, ACT’s CEO, to break down this important KPI. They explain what it is, how it affects your profitability, and countermeasures to start adding some percentage points back to your bottom line. For step-by-step guidance through this process, become a Premium member of ACT’s BPA and listen to Episode 859 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Dr. Straub:
- Send Dr. Straub an email: barrett@actdental.com
- Join Dr. Straub on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/barrett.d.straub
- Send Gina an email: gina@actdental.com
Learn More About ACT Dental:
- ACT’s webinars: https://www.actdental.com/134
- ACT’s website: https://www.actdental.com
- ACT’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/actdental
- ACT’s YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/actdental
- ACT’s Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/actdental
- ACT’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/3137520/admin/feed/posts/
- ACT’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/actdental
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Apple App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/best-practices-association/id6738960360
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Google Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.actdental.join&hl=en_US
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- See the ACT Dental/BPA Live Event Schedule: https://www.actdental.com/event
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Register for ACT’s To The Top Study Club (April 11, 2025): https://www.eventbrite.com/e/climb-with-us-register-for-april-11-2025-ttt-study-club-tickets-1012966789937
- Register for ACT’s To The Top Study Club (July 25, 2025): https://www.eventbrite.com/e/climb-with-us-register-for-july-25-2025-ttt-study-club-tickets-1205497959849
Main Takeaways:
- Understand the causes of large write-off percentages.
- Higher write-offs mean more pressure on your profit margin.
- Learn the four steps to add some percentage points back to your bottom line.
- If you don't know how much you're writing off, you're working too many days for free!
- To master this KPI and many others, register to become a Premium BPA member today!
Quotes:
“Today's KPI metric is write-off percentage. It is the percentage of total charges that are adjusted off. There are three different ways or reasons you would adjust off production. One would be PPO insurance adjustments that are contracted through your PPO contract. Number two would be your elective patient discounts or adjustments. Number three would be those discounts that come as part of your membership plan, if you had them. So, basically, we're saying of all the dollars of production, what dollar value, and then what percentage of that did you write off or adjust off and knowingly make non-collectible?” (0:53—1:34) -Dr. Straub
“I know what you're thinking if you're listening to this. ‘We've got this. I know what my write-offs percentages are.’ No, you don't. Most of the clients that we coach do not have their arms around this. Now, it's becoming even more complex. Prior to COVID-19, it wasn’t unusual for us to see practices writing off 20%. Even prior to COVID-19, I thought that’s a lot of money. I’ve been doing this for almost 30 years. Now, we’re seeing people north of 35%, 42%. We’re even finding people that are writing off 50%. So, this gap is climbing.” (1:36—2:11) -Kirk
“Another factor in the reason why many of us don’t know our write-offs — and we’ve covered this on a previous Metric Monday — is the question, do you bill your full fee? A lot of times, when you're not billing your full fee, you're billing the UCR or the approved fee by insurance. You're under-reporting your gross production, and you're under-reporting your adjustments or write-off off of production. So, it is a little complex, and we can simplify it pretty easily. And the why — what is a write-off? Now, why is it important? Your write-offs are a huge factor in your profit margin. The higher your write-offs — we call it the effort gap — the more pressure there is on your profit margin.” (2:20—3:10) -Dr. Straub
“Let's really simplify it, just to make sure all the listeners are on the same page. If we charge $100 for a fee, every time we do that billable code, in our ledger, the top line should say $100. Now, we may have to adjust off $20 of that because we're part of a PPO, contracted. We would write that off and say X, Y, Z insurance. We might write off the total amount of that if it was a guaranteed service for a patient. We would write off the whole $100. We would say — and I did this a lot — NC, no charge. Make it zero. We need to bill out the full fee, write off the full amount. We might write off part or all of it for charitable cases. We might write off 15% of it for our membership plan. All is fine and good, and the goal is not to hide your write-offs or adjustments. The goal is to bill out your full fee all the time, cleanly and accurately calculate those write-offs so you know, ‘I write off X percent. Of that percent, I write off X to PPOs, I write off X to memberships, and I write off X to my elective write-offs.’ So, that's how you do it.” (3:47—5:03) -Dr. Straub
“Again, going back to the story, we produce X dollars of production. That's our output. That's our business's output, and it takes energy, time, money, and people to do that. We want to know what percentage of that effort are we writing off before we can start collecting money. Obviously, the larger that amount or the bigger that gap, the less profitable we are. So, what can cause that percentage to grow? One is reduced reimbursements from our PPO contracts. That's largely out of our hands, and part of that is the reason that we're always saying, ‘Hey, let's take a crucial eye at how many plans we're a part of, which ones we're a part of, and what's our strategy going forward regarding PPOs.’ That's one.” (5:08—6:52) -Dr. Straub
“Another reason your effort gap or your write-off could increase would be, of your active patients, how many are in-network versus out-of-network? So, theoretically . . . we could have not signed up for a new PPO, and our write-offs could be growing because, for whatever reason, all our new patients are in-network. Or conversely, we can lower our effort gap with bringing in new patients that are out-of-network. And it begs the question, how many of your active patients are paying you 100% of your fee? The more that do, the smaller your write-offs and the higher your profitability. So, when you have a larger proportion of your active patients on PPOs, your profit margin will be squeezed and your write-offs will be increased. Again, we're not making any judgments. We're not saying to do PPOs or not to do PPOs. We're saying, let's understand what our write-off is and what proportion of our patients are on these PPOs, and therefore, we can understand our profitability.” (6:52—7:06) -Dr. Straub
“Our best practices in that fee-for-service model live in the four to eight percent range. Meaning, no matter what they produce, only four to eight percent of that is being written off. The rest is being collected. If we are a fee-for-service practice with a membership plan, now the membership plans require some kind of discount. Membership plans are great, but that's going to increase your write-offs. Now, we're usually in the seven, eight, to 12% ratio. Practices that have one big PPO, they're usually 12% to 20%. If you have a couple PPOs, you're usually living in the 20% to 30%. When we have a handful of PPOs, we're 30-plus, sometimes into the 40%. So, you can see I'm using very gray terms: a handful, a couple. And that's usually right. But I want you to think about it this way. It doesn't matter if I have ten PPOs or one PPO. What matters is how many of my patients are in-network versus out-of-network. So, theoretically, we could have two practices. One has eight PPOs, and one has one PPO. They could both have the same level of write-offs if 100% of their patients are in-network. So, it's a two-fold question — not only how many PPOs do I have, but do I have any patients that are outside of these networks? Therefore, now, we're getting deeper into what truly is my profit margin.” (7:18—8:51) -Dr. Straub
“Today, when you get to your office, I want you to calculate your write-offs. It can be for last month. It can be for last quarter. It can be for last year. It doesn't matter. Just start and say, how much did I write off? Now, number two, you're going to ask the question, but is that accurate? Do I bill out my full fee, or do I bill out some adjusted? Number three, we're going to calculate how many active patients we have, and then how many of those are in-network versus out-of-network. Those of you that are clients, those of you that are BPA members, those of you that have been in our PPO Roadmap, you might understand this as patient segments. I want you to start looking at your patient segments because each segment means something different to your practice. So, let's say you have 2,000 patients. Great. Now, I want to know how many of those are in-network, versus out-of-network, versus in your membership plan, just for your understanding. Now, lastly, we're going to do some math. If I produce X and I write off Y, what if I reduced Y by five percent and I collected all of that? What's five percent of that production? Add that to your bottom line, your profitability. What would that mean for your practice? What would that mean for your financial health? What would that mean for your life? Now, you can start to see how the financial gaps model works, meaning incremental improvements can mean some very impactful improvements to your profit margin. So, do some math. Those are the four steps I would encourage people to take home and do today.” (9:32—11:13) -Dr. Straub
“If you don't know your write-offs, you're working a considerable number of days for free. I used to say if you're writing off 33%, you're working a third of your days for free — but you're actually working more than that. Barrett is going to cover that in a future podcast. But that's one thing to consider. And there's big talk about burnout. While I'm not a burnout expert, I don't need to be to understand that when I'm working harder, and harder, and harder, and I'm paying expenses on efforts that I'm not being rewarded for, burnout is going to happen — especially if you care a lot. A big piece of this is knowing what your write-offs are.” (11:31—12:08) -Kirk
“As Barrett already said, you can get really angry about what insurances are paying and reimbursing and how big write-offs are. That's not the real issue. The real issue is you have your arms around that, and you're building a patient base of people that pay your full fee, show up, and all of that stuff. We're here to help you and simplify this journey. When you can get your eyes and your heart set in the right way, you can actually create an amazing practice.” (12:11—12:38) -Kirk
“Some of you are driving to work right now, and some of you have a little anxiety happening in the inner parts of your chest. You're like, ‘Oh my gosh, this is complex. I don't know the answers to what these guys are asking.’ And I would say, there's only so much we can do in a 15-minute podcast. This is a little complex. But it is highly simplified if you go step by step. So, number five, if you're like, ‘Boy, this is something I think is not lining up in my practice. Man, this is really resonating with me. I want to figure this out,’ I'm just going to say it: go to our BPA. Sign up for Premium. It's $100 a month. I feel very good asking people to do it because the value is crazy. We have a PPO Roadmap in there as a Premium member. It guides you step by step through all these questions that I'm proposing. All you have to do is take the pressure off and go, ‘I'm going to do step one first. I'm going to pull the numbers. I'm going to find out what it tells me.’ Then, we're going to go, ‘Okay. Now, next question. Do this.’ You just have to do it step by step. It takes out all the fear, it takes out all the unknowns, it takes all the complexity out, and it will walk you through this process. You'll know more about your business. Whether you ever drop a PPO or not, it is going to make you a better leader and better [businessperson].” (12:45—13:58) -Dr. Straub
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
0:40 Write-off percentage, explained.
3:13 Why your effort gap or your write-offs could increase.
7:06 Important benchmarks to know.
9:19 Four action items to implement today.
12:41 Final thoughts.
Dr. Barrett Straub Bio:
Dr. Barrett Straub practices general and sedation dentistry in Port Washington, Wisconsin. He has worked hard to develop his practice into a top-performing, fee-for-service practice that focuses on improving the lives of patients through dentistry.
A graduate of Marquette Dental School, Dr. Straub’s advanced training and CE includes work at the Spear Institute, LVI, DOCS, and as a member of the Milwaukee Study Club. He is a past member of the Wisconsin Dental Association Board of Trustees and was awarded the Marquette Dental School 2017 Young Alumnus of the Year. As a former ACT coaching client that experienced first-hand the transformation that coaching can provide, he is passionate about helping other dentists create the practice they’ve always wanted.
Dr. Straub loves to hunt, golf, and spend winter on the ice, curling. He is married to Katie, with two daughters, Abby and Elizabeth.
In this episode of Clinical Edge Fridays, ACT shares their latest Master Class by Brittny Murphy, founder of CT Orofacial Myology, who explains the long-term dental, mental, and overall health benefits of introducing myofunctional screening and therapy to patients of all ages. With a quick, pain-free, and non-invasive screening, you can save valuable chair time and elevate patient care! To learn how to integrate this process into your practice, listen to Episode 858 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Brittny:
- Give Brittny a call: (203) 217-7090
- Send Brittny an email: brittny@myctom.com
- Learn more on Brittny’s website:https://themyohygienist.com
- Listen to Brittny’s I Spy with My Myo Eye podcast:https://open.spotify.com/show/6q4OEbkVqMGRKFppn2WYOW
- Register for Brittny’s myofunctional therapy course:https://www.airwayhealthsolutions.com/myo-new
- Learn more about CT Orofacial Myology:https://www.ctorofacialmyology.com
- Join CT Orofacial Myology on Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/ctorofacialmyology
- Follow CT Orofacial Myology on Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/ct_orofacial_myology
- Watch CT Orofacial Myology on YouTube:https://www.youtube.com/@ctorofacialmyologybrittnys4772
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show:https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association:https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Apple App Store:https://apps.apple.com/us/app/best-practices-association/id6738960360
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Google Play Store:https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.actdental.join&hl=en_US
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club:https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- See the ACT Dental/BPA Live Event Schedule:https://www.actdental.com/event
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free:https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast:https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 858:https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
- FAIREST 6 Screener:https://www.fairest.org
- Read Breath by James Nestor:https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/547761/breath-by-james-nestor
- Try Xlear nasal spray:https://xlear.com
- Try Ayr saline nasal gel:https://www.bfascher.com/products/ayr-saline-nasal-gel
- Try Neti Stik:https://shop.himalayaninstitute.org/collections/neti-pot/products/neti-stik
- Try BoomBoom nasal sticks:https://boomboomnaturals.com/collections/nasal-inhalers
Main Takeaways:
- Myofunctional therapy goes beyond dental health.
- Learn to identify signs of airway issues and improper oral habits.
- Educate patients on the importance of tongue posture and good oral habits.
- Introduce the myo therapy screener as something that's easy and non-invasive.
- Many people are not aware of their mouth-breathing and other improper oral habits.
- Practices offering sleep dentistry should have a myofunctional therapist in their office.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
4:26 Brittny’s background.
5:48 Objectives.
6:52 OMT, defined.
8:18 How to explain OMT to patients.
9:19 Myofunctional therapy requires compliance and self-awareness.
10:41 Goals of OMT.
13:32 The importance of nasal hygiene.
14:59 Where the tongue should be at rest.
17:34 Dental office benefits.
32:21 Myofunctional therapy goes beyond dental health.
38:14 Causes of OMDs.
40:36 What age should myo start?
41:11 Who can do myo?
41:22 Signs of dysfunction.
43:17 The sleep and myo connection.
44:32 Tongue-tie and sleep apnea.
46:48 What happens when
Are you scared of tough conversations? Do you avoid them at all costs? Then it could cost you your practice! To help you avert future crisis, Kirk Behrendt brings back Carlie Einarson, one of ACT’s amazing coaches, to share a framework for having good, productive conflict and building a culture of trust. Put an end to false harmony in your practice! To learn how to have courageous conversations with your team, listen to Episode 857 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Carlie:
- Send Carlie an email: carlie@actdental.com
- Follow Carlie on ACT’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/actdental
- Send Gina an email: gina@actdental.com
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Apple App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/best-practices-association/id6738960360
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Google Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.actdental.join&hl=en_US
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- See the ACT Dental/BPA Live Event Schedule: https://www.actdental.com/event
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 857: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
- Register for ACT’s To The Top Study Club (April 11, 2025): https://www.eventbrite.com/e/climb-with-us-register-for-april-11-2025-ttt-study-club-tickets-1012966789937
- Register for ACT’s To The Top Study Club (July 25, 2025): https://www.eventbrite.com/e/climb-with-us-register-for-july-25-2025-ttt-study-club-tickets-1205497959849
Main Takeaways:
- To build trust, you need good conflict.
- Start embracing conflict. It is helpful, not harmful.
- Conflict doesn't mean confrontation, drama, or arguments.
- Regular team check-ins are critical for building a culture of trust.
- Don't let your fears get in the way of having tough conversations.
- Remember that some personality styles are more averse to conflict.
- Practice having courageous conversations. It will get easier with time.
- When you avoid conflict, it will cost you time, money, and team morale.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
1:11 Why this is an important topic.
2:10 Stop avoiding conflict.
5:17 Conflict, defined.
7:11 Examples of conflict in a dental office.
9:18 Don't let fear get in the way.
11:18 DiSC styles and conflict aversion.
13:30 How to embrace conflict.
16:16 Courageous conversations, explained.
19:45 The importance of team check-ins.
22:56 Final thoughts.
Carlie Einarson Bio:
Carlie Einarson is a lead practice coach who has a passion for helping others succeed in the dental field. She loves helping to create a stable foundation for practices so both professionals and patients have a great experience every time they walk in the door!
Carlie graduated from Utah College of Dental Hygiene. She has ten years of experience in the dental field, including clinical dental hygiene, front office, and leading teams.
In her free time, she enjoys spending quality time with loved ones, traveling, skiing, playing volleyball, and golfing.
Every year, you set gross production goals. But is that the right number to focus on? In this episode of Metric Mondays, Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. Barrett Straub, ACT’s CEO, to break down the most overlooked number: net production. To learn how focusing on this metric will increase profitability, listen to Episode 856 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Dr. Straub:
- Send Dr. Straub an email: barrett@actdental.com
- Join Dr. Straub on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/barrett.d.straub
- Send Gina an email: gina@actdental.com
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Apple App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/best-practices-association/id6738960360
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Google Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.actdental.join&hl=en_US
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- See the ACT Dental/BPA Live Event Schedule: https://www.actdental.com/event
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 856: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
- Register for ACT’s To The Top Study Club (April 11, 2025): https://www.eventbrite.com/e/climb-with-us-register-for-april-11-2025-ttt-study-club-tickets-1012966789937
- Register for ACT’s To The Top Study Club (July 25, 2025): https://www.eventbrite.com/e/climb-with-us-register-for-july-25-2025-ttt-study-club-tickets-1205497959849
Main Takeaways:
- Aim to collect 100% of your net production.
- Focus on net production more than gross production.
- Net production gives you a more accurate picture of your practice.
- Figure out the gap between your net production and gross production.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
0:51 Net production, explained.
3:26 Two questions you need to answer.
7:18 Countermeasures for low net production.
9:57 Final thoughts.
Dr. Barrett Straub Bio:
Dr. Barrett Straub practices general and sedation dentistry in Port Washington, Wisconsin. He has worked hard to develop his practice into a top-performing, fee-for-service practice that focuses on improving the lives of patients through dentistry.
A graduate of Marquette Dental School, Dr. Straub’s advanced training and CE includes work at the Spear Institute, LVI, DOCS, and as a member of the Milwaukee Study Club. He is a past member of the Wisconsin Dental Association Board of Trustees and was awarded the Marquette Dental School 2017 Young Alumnus of the Year. As a former ACT coaching client that experienced first-hand the transformation that coaching can provide, he is passionate about helping other dentists create the practice they’ve always wanted.
Dr. Straub loves to hunt, golf, and spend winter on the ice, curling. He is married to Katie, with two daughters, Abby and Elizabeth.
In this episode of Clinical Edge Fridays, Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. Christian Coachman, founder of Digital Smile Design, to reveal his latest project, Dentistry 3.0. He explains what this new model of care is, why you need to get on board, and the future of dentistry as technology and AI rapidly evolves in this space. To learn how to stay ahead of the curve with Dentistry 3.0, listen to Episode 855 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Dr. Coachman:
- Join Dr. Coachman on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/christiancoachman
- Follow Dr. Coachman on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chriscoachman
- Learn more about Digital Smile Design: https://digitalsmiledesign.com
- Listen to Dr. Coachman’s podcast, Coffee Break with Coachman: https://open.spotify.com/show/4ADCrWhqsUKbHmZtkhhgoB
- Register for DSD Residency 1 On Demand: https://digitalsmiledesign.com/dsd-residency-1-on-demand
- Register for Dr. John Kois and Dr. Coachman’s Optimizing Clinical Outcomes course (March 20-21, 2025): https://www.koiscenter.com/optimizing-clinical-outcomes
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Apple App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/best-practices-association/id6738960360
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Google Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.actdental.join&hl=en_US
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- See the ACT Dental/BPA Live Event Schedule: https://www.actdental.com/event
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 855: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
- Read Outlive by Dr. Peter Attia: https://peterattiamd.com/outlive
Main Takeaways:
- Dentistry 2.0 is the gold standard. But we can do better with 3.0.
- If you haven't already, start leveraging AI. It is the future of dentistry.
- Don't be scared of AI. Using it will free up time for you and your team.
- Customized dentistry is the future. Stop with the cookie-cutter approach.
- A 3.0 dentist cares about more than pretty teeth. Focus on whole-body health.
- Humans are limited by human skills. Start leveraging technology to fill the gaps.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
1:24 Dentistry 3.0, explained.
10:50 The dental tech startup landscape.
13:11 Differences between Dentistry 1.0, 2.0, and 3.0.
18:35 The importance of customized dentistry.
23:44 Dentistry 3.0 is about more than aesthetics.
26:39 AI and the future of dentistry.
33:50 Final thoughts.
41:12 The upcoming Coachman-Kois event.
Dr. Christian Coachman Bio:
Combining his advanced skills, experience, and technology solutions, Dr. Christian Coachman pioneered the Digital Smile Design methodology and founded Digital Smile Design company (DSD). Since its inception, thousands of dentists worldwide have attended DSD courses and workshops, such as the renowned DSD Residency program.
Dr. Coachman is the developer of worldwide, well-known concepts such as the Digital Smile Design, the Pink Hybrid Implant Restoration, the Digital Planning Center, Emotional Dentistry, Interdisciplinary Treatment Simulation, and Digital Smile Donator. He regularly consults for dental industry companies, developing products, implementing concepts, and marketing strategies, such as the Facially Driven Digital Orthodontic Workflow developed in collaboration with Invisalign, Align Technology.
Ask yourself this: would you want to work for you? If you answered no or maybe, keep listening! To help you become a magnetic and influential leader that makes people stay, Kirk Behrendt brings back Miranda Beeson, ACT’s director of education, to share four key elements to building a great, loyal team that never wants to leave. To learn how to be a leader that people want to follow, listen to Episode 854 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Miranda:
- Send Miranda an email: miranda@actdental.com
- Follow Miranda on ACT’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/actdental
- Send Gina an email: gina@actdental.com
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Apple App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/best-practices-association/id6738960360
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Google Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.actdental.join&hl=en_US
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- See the ACT Dental/BPA Live Event Schedule: https://www.actdental.com/event
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 854: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
- Register for ACT’s To The Top Study Club (April 11, 2025): https://www.eventbrite.com/e/climb-with-us-register-for-april-11-2025-ttt-study-club-tickets-1012966789937
- Register for ACT’s To The Top Study Club (July 25, 2025): https://www.eventbrite.com/e/climb-with-us-register-for-july-25-2025-ttt-study-club-tickets-1205497959849
- Read Traction by Gino Wickman: https://benbellabooks.com/shop/traction
- Read Primal Leadership by Daniel Goleman, Richard E. Boyatzis, and Annie McKee: https://bookshop.org/p/books/primal-leadership-unleashing-the-power-of-emotional-intelligence-richard-e-boyatzis/9050044?ean=9781422168035
- Read Radical Candor by Kim Scott: https://www.radicalcandor.com/the-book
- Read Chasing Failure by Ryan Leak: https://bookshop.org/p/books/chasing-failure-how-falling-short-sets-you-up-for-success-ryan-leak/18543253?ean=9780785261605&next=t&next=t
- Read Leveling Up by Ryan Leak: https://bookshop.org/p/books/leveling-up-12-questions-to-elevate-your-personal-and-professional-development-ryan-leak/18378035?ean=9780785240990&next=t&next=t
- Listen to The Andy Stanley Leadership Podcast: https://andystanley.com/podcast
Main Takeaways:
- Be clear about your vision and expectations. People stay when they are inspired.
- What you tolerate becomes your culture. Be intentional about what you promote.
- People will leave when they don't feel seen, heard, valued, and respected.
- Recognize your own energy. Are you inspiring or exhausting your team?
- Model positivity. People want to work where they feel safe and good.
- Support your team’s growth. People will stay where they can grow.
- Try a “stay” interview for insight into what will make people stay.
- Train yourself to say thank you. Always show gratitude.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
1:07 Why this is an important topic.
5:28 The leader sets the tone.
10:15 What you tolerate, you promote.
12:19 Clarity is key.
14:44 Be the chief repeating officer.
16:36 Trust is the foundation of all.
20:31 The importance of one-on-one check-ins.
26:00 Feedback is a tool for growth, not a weapon.
29:19 Support your team members’ growth.
40:11 Emit positive energy.
49:25 Final takeaways.
Miranda Beeson, MS, BSDH Bio:
Miranda Beeson has over 25 years of clinical dental hygiene, front office, practice administration, and speaking experience. She is enthusiastic about communication and loves helping others find the power that words can bring to their patient interactions and practice dynamics. As a Lead Practice Coach, she is driven to create opportunities to find value in experiences and cultivate new approaches.
Miranda graduated from Old Dominion University, and enjoys spending time with her husband, Chuck, and her children, Trent, Mallory, and Cassidy. Family time is the best time, and is often spent on a golf course, a volleyball court, or spending the day boating at the beach.
In this episode of Metric Mondays, Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. Barrett Straub, ACT’s CEO, to break down gross production, its challenges, and why you should take a closer look at your numbers. Think you have it all figured out? There's still more to learn! To discover what you need to know about gross production, listen to Episode 853 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Dr. Straub:
- Send Dr. Straub an email: barrett@actdental.com
- Join Dr. Straub on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/barrett.d.straub
- Send Gina an email: gina@actdental.com
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Apple App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/best-practices-association/id6738960360
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Google Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.actdental.join&hl=en_US
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- See the ACT Dental/BPA Live Event Schedule: https://www.actdental.com/event
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 853: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
- Register for ACT’s To The Top Study Club (April 11, 2025): https://www.eventbrite.com/e/climb-with-us-register-for-april-11-2025-ttt-study-club-tickets-1012966789937
- Register for ACT’s To The Top Study Club (July 25, 2025): https://www.eventbrite.com/e/climb-with-us-register-for-july-25-2025-ttt-study-club-tickets-1205497959849
Main Takeaways:
- Gross production is a false proxy and a useless KPI in dentistry.
- Remember that gross production alone doesn't tell the whole story.
- Know the amount of effort that's required to produce your production.
- Understand the difference between gross production and net production.
- Look at how much you're collecting — not just how much you're producing.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
1:01 Why gross production is the most useless number.
3:33 Challenges with gross production.
8:57 Understand your gaps.
11:15 Last thoughts.
Dr. Barrett Straub Bio:
Dr. Barrett Straub practices general and sedation dentistry in Port Washington, Wisconsin. He has worked hard to develop his practice into a top-performing, fee-for-service practice that focuses on improving the lives of patients through dentistry.
A graduate of Marquette Dental School, Dr. Straub’s advanced training and CE includes work at the Spear Institute, LVI, DOCS, and as a member of the Milwaukee Study Club. He is a past member of the Wisconsin Dental Association Board of Trustees and was awarded the Marquette Dental School 2017 Young Alumnus of the Year. As a former ACT coaching client that experienced first-hand the transformation that coaching can provide, he is passionate about helping other dentists create the practice they’ve always wanted.
Dr. Straub loves to hunt, golf, and spend winter on the ice, curling. He is married to Katie, with two daughters, Abby and Elizabeth.
In this episode of Clinical Edge Fridays, Dr. Christian Coachman, founder of Digital Smile Design, brings in a very special guest. Dr. Dean Kois, son of the living legend, Dr. John Kois, shares what it’s like working with one of dentistry’s greatest, why the Kois Center was created, and about the upcoming collaboration course with DSD that you don't want to miss. If you want to become a great dentist, be sure to attend this course! To learn more about the upcoming event and how to join, listen to Episode 852 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Dr. Coachman & Dr. Kois:
- Join Dr. Coachman on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/christiancoachman
- Follow Dr. Coachman on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chriscoachman
- Learn more about Digital Smile Design: https://digitalsmiledesign.com
- Listen to Dr. Coachman’s podcast, Coffee Break with Coachman: https://open.spotify.com/show/4ADCrWhqsUKbHmZtkhhgoB
- Register for DSD Residency 1 On Demand: https://digitalsmiledesign.com/dsd-residency-1-on-demand
- Join Dr. Kois on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/drkois
- Follow Dr. Kois on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/koisdentistry
- Learn more about the Kois Center: https://www.koiscenter.com
- Register for Dr. John Kois and Dr. Coachman’s Optimizing Clinical Outcomes course (March 20-21, 2025): https://www.koiscenter.com/optimizing-clinical-outcomes
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Apple App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/best-practices-association/id6738960360
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Google Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.actdental.join&hl=en_US
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- See the ACT Dental/BPA Live Event Schedule: https://www.actdental.com/event
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 852: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
Main Takeaways:
- To be a great dentist, enroll in DSD and Kois courses!
- If you don't perform at a high level, dentistry will not be enjoyable.
- Attend the upcoming DSD-Kois event to find a mentor, if for no other reason.
- When you see amazing outcomes, remember that they didn't happen by accident.
- Learn about new technologies and how to implement them from the best in dentistry.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
2:44 About the DSD-Kois collaboration course.
5:21 What it’s like being Dr. John Kois’s son.
8:37 Commit to performing at a high level.
10:10 The combination of being a clinician and being a teacher.
11:56 What it’s like lecturing and working clinically with Dr. John Kois.
12:59 The amount of prep required to create a course.
15:34 Sharing the decision-making process.
16:32 Is the Kois Center well-versed in digital technology?
20:05 Why the course was put together.
28:09 The importance of collaboration.
31:34 The importance of mentor/mentee relationships.
34:43 More about the course.
36:00 Final thoughts.
Dr. Christian Coachman Bio:
Combining his advanced skills, experience, and technology solutions, Dr. Christian Coachman pioneered the Digital Smile Design methodology and founded Digital Smile Design company (DSD). Since its inception, thousands of dentists worldwide have attended DSD courses and workshops, such as the renowned DSD Residency program.
Dr. Coachman is the developer of worldwide, well-known concepts such as the Digital Smile Design, the Pink Hybrid Implant Restoration, the Digital Planning Center, Emotional Dentistry, Interdisciplinary Treatment Simulation, and Digital Smile Donator. He regularly consults for dental industry companies, developing products, implementing concepts, and marketing strategies, such as the Facially Driven Digital Orthodontic Workflow developed in collaboration with Invisalign, Align Technology.
Dr. Dean Kois Bio:
Dr. Dean E. Kois received his Doctorate in Dental Medicine (DMD) from Nova Southeastern University, College of Dental Medicine. He went on to specialize in prosthodontics, receiving a Certificate in Prosthodontics with a Master’s of Science degree (MSD) from the University of Washington, School of Dentistry. He then completed a two-year surgical implant fellowship (FID) at New York University, College of Dentistry. His memberships to professional organizations include the American Academy of Esthetic Dentistry, American Academy of Restorative Dentistry, American College of Prosthodontists, Pacific Coast Society for Prosthodontics, Washington State Society of Prosthodontists, and King County Dental Association. Dr. Kois continues to lecture nationally and internationally, as well as publish extensively on various topics in dentistry. He maintains a private practice limited to restorative, aesthetic, and implant dentistry in Seattle, Washington. In addition, he continues to work with restorative dentists at the Kois Center, a didactic and clinical teaching program.
We’re taught that conflict is bad and it’s to be avoided. But what if you embraced it instead? To teach you how, Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. Barrett Straub, ACT’s CEO, and Miranda Beeson, ACT’s director of education, to share the tools to help you have productive conflict in your practice. Conflict is where growth happens! To start getting excited about embracing conflict, listen to Episode 851 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Dr. Straub & Miranda:
- Send Dr. Straub an email: barrett@actdental.com
- Join Dr. Straub on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/barrett.d.straub
- Send Miranda an email: miranda@actdental.com
- Follow Miranda on ACT’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/actdental
- Send Gina an email: gina@actdental.com
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Apple App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/best-practices-association/id6738960360
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Google Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.actdental.join&hl=en_US
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- See the ACT Dental/BPA Live Event Schedule: https://www.actdental.com/event
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 851: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
- Register for ACT’s To The Top Study Club (April 11, 2025): https://www.eventbrite.com/e/climb-with-us-register-for-april-11-2025-ttt-study-club-tickets-1012966789937
- Register for ACT’s To The Top Study Club (July 25, 2025): https://www.eventbrite.com/e/climb-with-us-register-for-july-25-2025-ttt-study-club-tickets-1205497959849
- Read Radical Candor by Kim Scott: https://www.radicalcandor.com/the-book
- Read Thanks for the Feedback by Douglas Stone & Sheila Heen: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/313485/thanks-for-the-feedback-by-douglas-stone-and-sheila-heen
Main Takeaways:
- Try Dr. Straub’s 48-hour rule.
- When done right, conflict is the secret to building trust.
- Avoiding hard conversations will cost you time, money, and morale.
- One-on-one check-ins are critical for staying on top of potential conflict.
- Conflict does not mean confrontation. Approach it openly and collaboratively.
- Change your mindset about conflict. It can be helpful and productive, not harmful.
- Practice having difficult conversations. They will get easier the more you have them.
- Lead by example. Be first to show vulnerability and inspire your team to do the same.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
0:45 ACT’s TTT, BPA, BPA app, and Pro Coaching.
5:00 Why this is an important topic.
7:22 Conflict is the secret to true, authentic trust.
9:32 Conflict, further explained.
11:06 The 48-hour rule.
14:32 When done right, conflict can unlock huge potential.
15:10 The culture you have is what you allow.
18:09 Every team member has the ability to be a leader.
19:35 Be a cultural leader.
21:59 High-performing teams address challenges head-on.
25:49 Why check-ins are critical for addressing conflict.
28:16 Conflict, defined.
30:00 Patrick Lencioni’s conflict continuum, explained.
34:42 Barriers to productive conflict: Fear.
35:44 Barriers to productive conflict: Not knowing how to have tough conversations.
36:18 Barriers to productive conflict: Time.
38:08 Be clear, kind, and respected.
44:25 Barriers to productive conflict: One’s natural communication style.
47:44 How to embrace conflict in your practice.
48:57 How to embrace conflict in your practice: Mindset.
52:12 How to embrace conflict in your practice: Practice.
56:04 How to embrace conflict in your practice: Lead by example.
57:10 What if my team resists?
1:00:04 Go first and take some arrows.
1:02:11 Final takeaways.
1:05:41 Q&A: What do you do about cliques in your practice?
Dr. Barrett Straub Bio:
Dr. Barrett Straub practices general and sedation dentistry in Port Washington, Wisconsin. He has worked hard to develop his practice into a top-performing, fee-for-service practice that focuses on improving the lives of patients through dentistry.
A graduate of Marquette Dental School, Dr. Straub’s advanced training and CE includes work at the Spear Institute, LVI, DOCS, and as a member of the Milwaukee Study Club. He is a past member of the Wisconsin Dental Association Board of Trustees and was awarded the Marquette Dental School 2017 Young Alumnus of the Year. As a former ACT coaching client that experienced first-hand the transformation that coaching can provide, he is passionate about helping other dentists create the practice they’ve always wanted.
Dr. Straub loves to hunt, golf, and spend winter on the ice, curling. He is married to Katie, with two daughters, Abby and Elizabeth.
Miranda Beeson, MS, BSDH Bio:
Miranda Beeson has over 25 years of clinical dental hygiene, front office, practice administration, and speaking experience. She is enthusiastic about communication and loves helping others find the power that words can bring to their patient interactions and practice dynamics. As a Lead Practice Coach, she is driven to create opportunities to find value in experiences and cultivate new approaches.
Miranda graduated from Old Dominion University, and enjoys spending time with her husband, Chuck, and her children, Trent, Mallory, and Cassidy. Family time is the best time, and is often spent on a golf course, a volleyball court, or spending the day boating at the beach.
You learned about days open and how to track it. So, now what? In this episode of Metric Mondays, Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. Barrett Straub, ACT’s CEO, to share another critical metric to help you work smarter, not harder. By tracking gross production per day along with days open, you will predict, meet, and eventually exceed the goals and targets for your practice. To learn the next step toward a better practice and better life, listen to Episode 850 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Dr. Straub:
- Send Dr. Straub an email: barrett@actdental.com
- Join Dr. Straub on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/barrett.d.straub
- Send Gina an email: gina@actdental.com
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Apple App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/best-practices-association/id6738960360
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Google Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.actdental.join&hl=en_US
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- See the ACT Dental/BPA Live Event Schedule: https://www.actdental.com/event
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 850: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
- Register for ACT’s To The Top Study Club (April 11, 2025): https://www.eventbrite.com/e/climb-with-us-register-for-april-11-2025-ttt-study-club-tickets-1012966789937
Main Takeaways:
- Before anything else, figure out what your version of better practice, better life looks like.
- Know your days worked and gross production per day to reach and exceed targets.
- PPD helps measure the productivity and efficiency of all of your providers.
- Your PPD tells you a story of what is going on in your practice.
- You want a high PPD, but it’s not just about the money.
- There are many countermeasures to improve PPD.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
0:29 Why this is an important topic.
2:31 How production per day helps track daily productivity for all providers.
4:49 Reach $1.5 million in fewer days.
7:30 Ways to increase production per day.
13:05 Final thoughts.
Dr. Barrett Straub Bio:
Dr. Barrett Straub practices general and sedation dentistry in Port Washington, Wisconsin. He has worked hard to develop his practice into a top-performing, fee-for-service practice that focuses on improving the lives of patients through dentistry.
A graduate of Marquette Dental School, Dr. Straub’s advanced training and CE includes work at the Spear Institute, LVI, DOCS, and as a member of the Milwaukee Study Club. He is a past member of the Wisconsin Dental Association Board of Trustees and was awarded the Marquette Dental School 2017 Young Alumnus of the Year. As a former ACT coaching client that experienced first-hand the transformation that coaching can provide, he is passionate about helping other dentists create the practice they’ve always wanted.
Dr. Straub loves to hunt, golf, and spend winter on the ice, curling. He is married to Katie, with two daughters, Abby and Elizabeth.
One of the most important things you can do as a dentist is to be around other dentists. But they can't just be any dentist — they’ve got to be the best! To increase your chances of finding the best mentors and your tribe, Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. Dennis Hartlieb, founder of Dental Online Training, to share his confessions as a study club veteran and his journey of learning from the best to becoming one of the best. To hear his advice for a fulfilling career in dentistry, listen to Episode 849 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Dr. Hartlieb:
- Send Dr. Hartlieb an email: hartliebdds@dothandson.com
- Join Dr. Hartlieb on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DennisHartliebDDS
- Follow Dr. Hartlieb on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hartliebdds
- Learn more about Dental Online Training: https://www.dothandson.com/home
- Register for DOT’s Study Club: https://www.dothandson.com/mentorship
- Register for DOT Fest (2025 TBD): https://www.dothandson.com/dot-fest
- Watch more on DOT’s YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@DentalOnlineTraining
- Listen to the DOT Sharecast: https://www.dothandson.com/dot-sharecast
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Apple App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/best-practices-association/id6738960360
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Google Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.actdental.join&hl=en_US
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- See the ACT Dental/BPA Live Event Schedule: https://www.actdental.com/event
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 849: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
- Learn more about the AARD meeting (invite only): https://www.restorative-academy.com/program2
- Register for the AACD meeting (April 3-5, 2025): https://www.aacdconference.com/event/5b34cc94-b65b-4163-a951-ff4ec66f1e25/conference-information-menu
- Register for Chicago Dental Society Midwinter Meeting (February 20-22, 2025): https://www.cds.org/midwinter-meeting/registration-information/registration-fees
Main Takeaways:
- If you can't find a study club, create one!
- Don't wait around for a mentor. Go out and find them!
- You're not the only one — all dentists experience failures.
- Figure out which kind of dentistry brings you joy, then do it.
- It’s important to find your tribe, even if it’s a non-clinical setting.
- Join a study club. It’s one of the most important things you can do.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
3:01 Dr. Hartlieb’s background.
7:00 Go out and find your mentors.
8:04 Even the “greats” are just people.
12:32 The best places to meet the best people.
15:12 Learn from the best to be the best.
19:55 The consequences of self-talk.
24:50 Try different study clubs.
27:05 About the Essay Program.
31:53 Other great meetings to join.
35:05 Dentistry is about managing failures.
37:10 Every dentist goes through these cases.
39:56 About DOT.
44:27 Final thoughts.
Dr. Dennis Hartlieb Bio:
Dr. Dennis Hartlieb is a graduate of the University of Michigan School of Dentistry. He maintains a full-time practice, Chicago Beautiful Smiles, in the Chicago suburb of Glenview, Illinois. Dr. Hartlieb is an instructor at the Center for Esthetic Excellence in Chicago and is an Adjunct Associate Professor at the Marquette University School of Dentistry in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He lectures extensively to dentists throughout the U.S. on the art and science of anterior and posterior direct resin techniques.
Do you want to improve profitability, but don't know how? It’s easier than you think! To help you simplify the process, Kirk Behrendt brings back Robyn Theisen, one of ACT’s amazing coaches, to reveal the six reports every admin team member should run to create and maintain financial stability. Stay on track with consistent reporting! To learn how to create a system that will improve profitability, financial accountability, and timely collection, listen to Episode 848 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Robyn:
- Send Robyn an email: robyn@actdental.com
- Follow Robyn on ACT’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/actdental
- Send Gina an email: gina@actdental.com
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- See the ACT Dental/BPA Live Event Schedule: https://www.actdental.com/event
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 848: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
- Register for ACT’s To The Top Study Club (April 11, 2025): https://www.eventbrite.com/e/climb-with-us-register-for-april-11-2025-ttt-study-club-tickets-1012966789937
- Register for ACT’s courses and resources in the BPA: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Apple App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/best-practices-association/id6738960360
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Google Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.actdental.join&hl=en_US
Main Takeaways:
- Production reports will help you understand how productive your practice actually is.
- Collection reports highlight what is received, collection efficiency, and revenue gaps.
- Adjustment reports ensure that write-offs are appropriate so that revenue is not lost.
- Daily deposit reports verify that payments are properly deposited and accounted for.
- Reports on procedures not attached to a claim help catch overlooked procedures.
- Unsent claims reports ensure that claims are submitted in a timely manner.
- Have systems in place so that your team runs these reports consistently.
- It only takes 15 to 30 minutes of your time to run these reports.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
1:34 Why these six reports are important.
4:22 Report #1) Production reports.
7:11 Report #2) Collection reports.
8:46 Report #3) Adjustment reports.
12:24 Report #4) Daily deposit reports.
15:24 Report #5) Procedures that are not attached to a claim reports.
17:44 Report #6) Unsent claims reports.
18:33 How long will it take to run these reports?
19:32 Final takeaways.
Robyn Theisen Bio:
Robyn Theisen brings an entire life and legacy of dental experience to the team and every team with which she works as the daughter and sister of dentists. With almost 20 years of experience in dentistry, her roles ranged from practice management to operations at Patterson Dental to coaching teams. Robyn’s passion is empowering teams to realize that they can dramatically impact the lives of the people they serve by implementing skills and systems to remove barriers to life-changing dental treatment. She has done it for decades and does it every day with dental teams.
Outside of coaching, she enjoys time with her husband, Rob, and two daughters, Emerson and Ruby. She loves traveling, music, fitness, and cheering on the Michigan State Spartans.
Are you burned out and want to work less? Do you want to take more vacations? Have you wished for more time with your family? You can do all the above! In this very first segment of Metric Mondays, Kirk Behrendt and Dr. Barrett Straub, ACT’s CEO, share the most important metric you need to know for a better practice and better life. To learn about the magic metric that will help you work smarter, listen to Episode 847 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Dr. Straub:
- Send Dr. Straub an email: barrett@actdental.com
- Join Dr. Straub on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/barrett.d.straub
- Send Gina an email: gina@actdental.com
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- See the ACT Dental/BPA Live Event Schedule: https://www.actdental.com/event
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 847: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
- Register for ACT’s To The Top Study Club (April 11, 2025): https://www.eventbrite.com/e/climb-with-us-register-for-april-11-2025-ttt-study-club-tickets-1012966789937
- Register for ACT’s courses and resources in the BPA: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Apple App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/best-practices-association/id6738960360
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Google Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.actdental.join&hl=en_US
Main Takeaways:
- Time is the new rich. You only get so much of it, so use it wisely!
- Know the number of days you work. It’s the first step to control your time.
- Remove self-limiting beliefs. What you do is valuable, and patients will come.
- Recovery is not a reward — it’s a requirement! Stop working more than 190 days.
- Don't feel bad if you're working over 220 days. Slowly decrease the days you work.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
1:45 How many days did you work last year?
3:54 Why this metric is so important.
7:06 Days open, further explained.
8:30 Why dentists are working more today.
11:24 Take control of your time.
11:58 How to get started.
13:13 Remove self-limiting beliefs.
Dr. Barrett Straub Bio:
Dr. Barrett Straub practices general and sedation dentistry in Port Washington, Wisconsin. He has worked hard to develop his practice into a top-performing, fee-for-service practice that focuses on improving the lives of patients through dentistry.
A graduate of Marquette Dental School, Dr. Straub’s advanced training and CE includes work at the Spear Institute, LVI, DOCS, and as a member of the Milwaukee Study Club. He is a past member of the Wisconsin Dental Association Board of Trustees and was awarded the Marquette Dental School 2017 Young Alumnus of the Year. As a former ACT coaching client that experienced first-hand the transformation that coaching can provide, he is passionate about helping other dentists create the practice they’ve always wanted.
Dr. Straub loves to hunt, golf, and spend winter on the ice, curling. He is married to Katie, with two daughters, Abby and Elizabeth.
To kick off this Clinical Master Series, Dr. Christian Coachman, founder of Digital Smile Design, brings in Dr. Marta Revilla-León, prolific author and Director of Research in Digital Dentistry at the Kois Center, to talk about a unique upcoming opportunity to hear from the greatest voices in dentistry. Not only will you learn how to become an advanced digital user — you will hear from the living legend, Dr. John Kois, among other dental rock stars! To learn more about this amazing course and how to be a part of it, listen to Episode 846 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Dr. Coachman & Dr. Revilla- León:
- Join Dr. Coachman on Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/christiancoachman
- Follow Dr. Coachman on Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/chriscoachman
- Learn more about Digital Smile Design:https://digitalsmiledesign.com
- Listen to Dr. Coachman’s podcast, Coffee Break with Coachman:https://open.spotify.com/show/4ADCrWhqsUKbHmZtkhhgoB
- Register for DSD Residency 1 On Demand:https://digitalsmiledesign.com/dsd-residency-1-on-demand
- Register for Dr. John Kois and Dr. Coachman’s Optimizing Clinical Outcomes course (March 20-21, 2025):https://www.koiscenter.com/optimizing-clinical-outcomes
- Follow Dr. Revilla- León on Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/martarevillaleon
- Connect with Dr. Revilla- León on LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/martarevillaleon
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show:https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association:https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Apple App Store:https://apps.apple.com/us/app/best-practices-association/id6738960360
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Google Play Store:https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.actdental.join&hl=en_US
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club:https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- See the ACT Dental/BPA Live Event Schedule:https://www.actdental.com/event
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free:https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast:https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 846:https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
Main Takeaways:
- Technology is more reliable and predictable than ever. Learn how to use it!
- You don't need to love technology, but you need to leverage technology.
- Focus on your dentistry, not just on what technology you need to buy.
- Technology means nothing without a solid, proven workflow.
- Don't miss this opportunity to listen to Dr. Kois!
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
3:56 Origins of Dr. Kois and Dr. Coachman’s course.
6:41 Why you should attend this course and what you will learn.
8:17 Learn how to leverage technology.
14:13 Evidence-based digital dentistry, explained.
16:45 Technology requires a proven workflow.
19:00 Become “user 2.0”.
21:34 How Dr. Revilla-León got her job at the Kois Center.
24:50 Why Dr. Kois is the most important dentist alive.
34:44 Other key speakers at the course.
36:41 Don't miss this event!
39:14 Conclusion.
Dr. Christian Coachman Bio:
Combining his advanced skills, experience, and technology solutions, Dr. Christian Coachman pioneered the Digital Smile Design methodology and founded Digital Smile Design company (DSD). Since its inception, thousands of dentists worldwide have attended DSD courses and workshops, such as the renowned DSD Residency program.
Dr. Coachman is the developer of worldwide, well-known concepts such as the Digital Smile Design, the Pink Hybrid Implant Restoration, the Digital Planning Center, Emotional Dentistry, Interdisciplinary Treatment Simulation, and Digital Smile Donator. He regularly consults for dental industry companies, developing products, implementing concepts, and marketing strategies, such as the Facially Driven Digital Orthodontic Workflow developed in collaboration with Invisalign, Align Technology.
Dr. Marta Revilla-León Bio:
Dr. Marta Revilla-León is Faculty and Director of Research and Digital Dentistry at the Kois Center. She obtained her PhD in Prosthodontics and Digital Dentistry at The Academisch Centrum Tandheelkunde (ACTA) University in Amsterdam, her MSD in Prosthodontics at the University of Washington in Seattle, and an MS in Esthetic Dentistry at the Complutense University of Madrid.
Dr. Revilla-León is a specialist in digital dentistry with more than 140 publications in peer-reviewed dental journals in the last four years related to facial and intraoral scanning methods, virtual patient integration, digital implant scans with photogrammetry systems, polymer, metal, and ceramic additive manufacturing technologies, development of dental devices with Exocad, 3Shape Dental System, Blender, and artificial intelligence for dental applications.
Prior to this position, Dr. Revilla-León has been the Assistant Program Director in Advanced Education in General Dentistry at the Texas A&M University in Dallas. Currently, she is also Affiliate Faculty in the Graduate in Prosthodontic Program at the University of Washington in Seattle and in the Graduate in Prosthodontic Program at Tufts University in Boston.
You've studied hard, trained hard, and continue to work hard in your practice. So, why aren't you making more money? There's actually hidden money in your practice, and this episode will help you find it! Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. Barrett Straub, ACT’s CEO, to explain the two gaps in your practice and how you can shrink them to increase profitability. Do you want to see more money in the bank? To learn how to make it happen without more hours, patients, or stress, listen to Episode 845 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Dr. Straub:
- Send Dr. Straub an email: barrett@actdental.com
- Join Dr. Straub on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/barrett.d.straub
- Send Gina an email: gina@actdental.com
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- See the ACT Dental/BPA Live Event Schedule: https://www.actdental.com/event
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 845: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
- Register for ACT’s To The Top Study Club (April 11, 2025): https://www.eventbrite.com/e/climb-with-us-register-for-april-11-2025-ttt-study-club-tickets-1012966789937
- Register for ACT’s courses and resources in the BPA: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Apple App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/best-practices-association/id6738960360
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Google Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.actdental.join&hl=en_US
Main Takeaways:
- There's nothing better than owning your own business — but you have to do it right.
- Your hidden money is in the effort gap and the collections gap. Close the gaps!
- Understand key KPIs in the gaps so you can make strategic decisions.
- Growth isn't the answer. It’s about keeping more of what you earn.
- Engage your team and make financial stability a shared goal.
- By knowing your gaps, you can plan for the future.
- Take it slow and do it the right way.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
1:31 ACT’s TTT, BPA, and Pro Coaching.
5:12 Why this is an important topic.
8:06 There is hidden money in your practice.
10:43 Objectives.
13:50 The effort gap, explained.
17:35 How to shrink the effort gap without dropping PPOs.
28:24 How to shrink the effort gap by dropping PPOs.
33:49 The collections gap, explained.
35:02 How to shrink the collections gap.
37:39 The overhead gap, explained.
39:20 The profit blueprint.
48:20 Final takeaways.
49:39 Do these four things on Monday.
53:03 Q&A: Where to access ACT’s Gaps at a Glance resource.
54:12 More about ACT’s BPA.
Dr. Barrett Straub Bio:
Dr. Barrett Straub practices general and sedation dentistry in Port Washington, Wisconsin. He has worked hard to develop his practice into a top-performing, fee-for-service practice that focuses on improving the lives of patients through dentistry.
A graduate of Marquette Dental School, Dr. Straub’s advanced training and CE includes work at the Spear Institute, LVI, DOCS, and as a member of the Milwaukee Study Club. He is a past member of the Wisconsin Dental Association Board of Trustees and was awarded the Marquette Dental School 2017 Young Alumnus of the Year. As a former ACT coaching client that experienced first-hand the transformation that coaching can provide, he is passionate about helping other dentists create the practice they’ve always wanted.
Dr. Straub loves to hunt, golf, and spend winter on the ice, curling. He is married to Katie, with two daughters, Abby and Elizabeth.
Today, there is so much information online. So, how do you know who to trust? In this special episode, Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. Barrett Straub, ACT’s CEO, and Miranda Beeson, ACT’s director of education, to announce the BPA app, an amazing new tool that provides a solution for every problem you will ever face in dentistry. Stop seeking bad Facebook advice! To be part of a space full of love, support, and guidance, get the new BPA app and listen to Episode 844 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Dr. Straub & Miranda:
- Send Dr. Straub an email: barrett@actdental.com
- Join Dr. Straub on Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/barrett.d.straub
- Send Miranda an email: miranda@actdental.com
- Follow Miranda on ACT’s Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/actdental
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Apple App Store:https://apps.apple.com/us/app/best-practices-association/id6738960360
- Download ACT’s BPA app on the Google Play Store:https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.actdental.join&hl=en_US
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show:https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association:https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club:https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- See the ACT Dental/BPA Live Event Schedule:https://www.actdental.com/event
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free:https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast:https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 844:https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
Main Takeaways:
- Stop getting advice from Facebook. Not all of it is bad, but most are not helpful.
- Even if you're not seeking community, get the BPA app! It is full of resources.
- Support and optimize your team with the BPA app. It’s not just for dentists!
- Get more than practice advice from the BPA app. Connect with your tribe!
- Think better by using the BPA app. This is where the best minds will be!
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
1:38 About ACT’s BPA and new BPA app.
3:17 Why the BPA app is important.
6:35 How to get the BPA app.
8:20 What the BPA app provides.
15:22 About TTT and Pro Coaching.
17:13 Find connection through the BPA app.
18:28 How the BPA app will help train and support your team.
21:07 Other key benefits of the BPA app.
23:17 Where to get the BPA app.
24:33 Final thoughts.
Dr. Barrett Straub Bio:
Dr. Barrett Straub practices general and sedation dentistry in Port Washington, Wisconsin. He has worked hard to develop his practice into a top-performing, fee-for-service practice that focuses on improving the lives of patients through dentistry.
A graduate of Marquette Dental School, Dr. Straub’s advanced training and CE includes work at the Spear Institute, LVI, DOCS, and as a member of the Milwaukee Study Club. He is a past member of the Wisconsin Dental Association Board of Trustees and was awarded the Marquette Dental School 2017 Young Alumnus of the Year. As a former ACT coaching client that experienced first-hand the transformation that coaching can provide, he is passionate about helping other dentists create the practice they’ve always wanted.
Dr. Straub loves to hunt, golf, and spend winter on the ice, curling. He is married to Katie, with two daughters, Abby and Elizabeth.
Miranda Beeson, MS, BSDH Bio:
Miranda Beeson has over 25 years of clinical dental hygiene, front office, practice administration, and speaking experience. She is enthusiastic about communication and loves helping others find the power that words can bring to their patient interactions and practice dynamics. As a Lead Practice Coach, she is driven to create opportunities to find value in experiences and cultivate new approaches.
Miranda graduated from Old Dominion University, and enjoys spending time with her husband, Chuck, and her children, Trent, Mallory, and Cassidy. Family time is the best time, and is often spent on a golf course, a volleyball court, or spending the day boating at the beach.
It takes years to build trust, and only seconds to break it. So, how do you strengthen and maintain such a fragile part of your practice? To help you cultivate trust between you, your team, and your patients, Kirk Behrendt brings back Ariel Juday, one of ACT’s amazing coaches, to share the six common ways trust is broken and the steps you can take to avoid them. To create the foundation of a healthy practice, listen to Episode 843 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Ariel:
- Send Ariel an email: ariel@actdental.com
- Follow Ariel on ACT’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/actdental
- Send Gina an email: gina@actdental.com
- Email the ACT Team for their free resources: info@actdental.com
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- See the ACT Dental/BPA Live Event Schedule: https://www.actdental.com/event
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 843: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
- Download ACT’s How Trustworthy are You? tool: https://23476641.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/23476641/How%20Trustworthy%20Are%20You.pdf
- Download ACT’s Building an Appreciative Workplace tool: https://23476641.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/23476641/Building%20Appreciation%20in%20the%20Workplace-%20original%20(1).pdf
- Download ACT’s Communication Rhythms tool: https://23476641.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/23476641/ACT_Dental_-_Communication_Rhythms_DL.pdf
Main Takeaways:
- Keep your word and manage expectations.
- Be upfront, transparent, and communicate clearly.
- Treat everyone fairly and give your team equal respect.
- Seek and listen to feedback, then follow through on them.
- Show accountability. Acknowledge and learn from your mistakes.
- Only set realistic expectations that you can deliver on consistently.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
1:11 Why this is an important topic.
4:33 Keep your word.
9:36 Be upfront and transparent.
15:07 Don't play favorites.
20:01 Listen to feedback.
27:33 Show accountability.
29:52 Under-promise and over-deliver.
31:48 Final takeaways.
Ariel Juday Bio:
Ariel has a master’s in healthcare administration and several years of dental experience in all aspects of the administrative roles within the dental office. Her passion is to work with dental teams to empower team members to realize their full potential in order to better serve patients, improve office systems to ensure a well-functioning team/office, and to help everyone have fun in the process!
Women have made progress in business and leadership. But they still face many challenges — especially when running a dental practice. If you are a woman struggling in this space, you are not alone! To help you thrive in work and in life, Kirk Behrendt brings back Allison Lacoursiere, founder of Clear Coaching, to share the secrets that will double your skill set, confidence, and income. To learn how to transform your practice and achieve work-life balance with AI, listen to Episode 842 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Allison:
- Send Allison an email: allison@yourclearalignercoach.com
- Follow Allison on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yourclearalignercoach
- Follow Women in Digital Dentistry on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/womenindigitaldentistry
- Learn more about Clear Coaching: https://www.yourclearalignercoach.com
- Learn more about Women in Digital Dentistry: https://www.womenindigitaldentistry.com
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- See the ACT Dental/BPA Live Event Schedule: https://www.actdental.com/event
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 842: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
- Read 10x is Easier Than 2x by Dan Sullivan: https://10xeasierbook.com
- Try NotebookLM: https://notebooklm.google
- Try Pearl AI: https://www.hellopearl.com
- Learn more about EOS: https://www.eosworldwide.com
Main Takeaways:
- Dentistry is not men against women. It’s about moving forward together.
- Figure out what is truly important to you and prioritize those things.
- Learn about AI and how to use it ASAP. It is the way of the future.
- Utilizing digital tools will free up time for the things that matter.
- Don't just do more. Do things differently and strategically.
- As you think, you get. Think better and stay positive.
- Slow down in order to speed up progress.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
1:29 Allison’s background.
2:57 Don't do more — do differently.
5:31 The struggles of women in business and leadership.
7:47 It’s not men against women.
11:14 About Women in Digital Dentistry.
13:24 Why understanding AI is important.
15:33 How AI helps with human connection.
17:54 How AI can make you a better dentist.
21:33 Align your actions with your vision.
23:14 Know what is important to you.
27:04 The pain gap, explained.
29:15 Slow down to speed up.
30:45 Final thoughts.
32:35 More about Women in Digital Dentistry.
Allison Lacoursiere, RDA, OA, CPC, ELI-MP Bio:
Allison Lacoursiere, the creator of the Clear Aligner Systemization methodology and founder of Clear Coaching, is a leading expert in Clear Aligner Operations. With over a decade of dental experience and multiple certifications, including Registered Dental Assistant and Orthodontic Assistant, Allison collaborates with dental practices to optimize efficiency and boost productivity.
As a dedicated female leadership coach, Allison is passionate about empowering women in dentistry and helping them reach their full potential. She has a deep commitment to advancing women's roles within the field. Allison is a respected faculty member of Align Technology, Upgrade Dental, and the Dental Speakers Institute. Her passion for coaching and consulting extends to helping dental offices enhance their culture and revenue by streamlining operations and improving team dynamics.
People want six-packs and Lamborghinis. But those don't lead to a better life! To share the foundation for satisfaction and fulfilment, Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. Uche Odiatu, one of ACT’s favorite health and wellness gurus, to explain the three pillars of self-improvement for the new year and beyond. To learn how to care for your mind, body, and soul, listen to Episode 841 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Dr. Odiatu:
- Join Dr. Odiatu on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/UcheOdiatu
- Follow Dr. Odiatu on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fitspeakers
- Learn more on Dr. Odiatu’s website: http://www.druche.com
- Register for the Bulletproof Health Retreat (February 20-23, 2025): https://www.tickettailor.com/events/bulletproofdentalpractice/1399192
- Register for Dr. Odiatu’s Transform Your Body – Transform Your Life! course (August 2, 2025): https://www.pccdental.com/products/product/transform-your-body-transform-your-life
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- See the ACT Dental/BPA Live Event Schedule: https://www.actdental.com/event
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 841: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
- Listen to The Peter Attia Drive podcast: https://peterattiamd.com/podcast
- Read Outlive by Peter Attia: https://peterattiamd.com/outlive
- Read Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself by Joe Dispenza: https://drjoedispenza.com/product-details/Breaking%20the%20Habit%20of%20Being%20Yourself
- Learn more about the Gottman Method: https://www.gottman.com
- Try the Oura Ring: https://ouraring.com
Main Takeaways:
- Slow and steady wins the health race. There is power in consistency.
- Don't have an all-or-nothing mindset when it comes to your health.
- Make time for moments of quiet. This is where your ideas flow.
- Strengthen relationships to improve your mental well-being.
- Most successful people choose to exercise regularly.
- Keep a little bit of inconvenience in your life.
- No amount of alcohol is safe for you.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
1:15 Dr. Odiatu’s background.
3:26 The three pillars, explained.
5:25 What we get wrong about New Year’s resolutions.
6:36 Slow and steady wins the race.
9:33 A little inconvenience is good for the body.
11:34 Insights come in moments of quiet.
14:44 85% of CEOs exercise regularly.
16:09 Work on your relationships.
22:13 Final thoughts.
24:04 Dr. Odiatu’s future courses.
Dr. Uche Odiatu Bio:
Dr. Uche Odiatu has a DMD (Doctor of Dental Medicine). He is a professional member of the ACSM (American College of Sports Medicine), a Certified Personal Trainer (National Strength & Conditioning Association) NSCA, and the Canadian Association of Fitness Professionals (canfitpro). He is the co-author of The Miracle of Health (c) 2009 John Wiley (hardcover) & (c) 2015 Harper Collins, and has lectured in Canada, the USA, the Caribbean, the UK, and Europe. He is an invited guest on over 400 TV and radio shows, from ABC 20/20, Canada CTV AM, Breakfast TV, to Magic Sunday Drum FM in Texas. This high-energy healthcare professional has done over 450 lectures in seven countries over the last 15 years.
You have ideas of what makes a good leader. But some of those are myths — and they're holding you back! To dispel those myths and help you grow as a leader, Kirk Behrendt brings back Adriana Booth, one of ACT’s amazing coaches, to share the truth about great leadership and how to do it right. To learn how your leadership can unleash your team’s true potential, listen to Episode 840 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Adriana:
- Join Adriana on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/adriana.booth
- Follow Adriana on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adrimarieb
- Email the ACT team for their free resources: info@actdental.com
- Send Gina an email: gina@actdental.com
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- See the ACT Dental/BPA Live Event Schedule: https://www.actdental.com/event
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 840: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
- Download ACT’s Fostering a Culture of Productive Conflict resource: https://23476641.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/23476641/Fostering%20a%20Culture.pdf
- Download ACT’s How Trustworthy Are You? resource: https://23476641.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/23476641/How%20Trustworthy%20Are%20You.pdf
- Download ACT’s Leadership Health Score resource: https://23476641.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/23476641/Leadership%20Health%20Score.pdf
- Get to know your personality with DiSC: https://www.thediscpersonalitytest.com
- Uncover your instinctive strengths with Kolbe: https://www.kolbe.com
- Discover your gifts with Working Genius: https://www.workinggenius.com
- Read How to Know a Person by David Brooks: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/652822/how-to-know-a-person-by-david-brooks
- Learn about Gino Wickman’s IDS: https://www.eosworldwide.com/clarity-break/how-can-your-team-solve-issues-in-half-the-time
Main Takeaways:
- You don't need to do everything alone. Empower your team to help you.
- Great leaders show vulnerability and are open about their weaknesses.
- A good leader asks good questions. They don't have all the answers.
- Conflict isn't always bad. It can be productive when you do it right.
- Stop micromanaging your team! They are smart and capable.
- Growing as a leader benefits you as well as your team.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
1:32 Why this is an important topic.
2:37 Get rid of limiting beliefs.
4:02 Don't try to do it all alone.
8:26 Show your weaknesses.
11:25 Conflict is important.
20:55 You don't have to be in control.
25:21 No one has all the answers.
30:15 Final thoughts.
Adriana Booth, BS, RDH Bio:
Adriana Booth is a Lead Practice Coach who partners with dentists and their teams to cultivate leadership skills, build practice growth, and streamline business practices. After spending nearly two decades in the dental industry working with top-notch dental teams, Adriana came to ACT to share her passion for professional growth, high-level training, and systems creation with our clients. As a dental hygienist with a love for continuing education and personal growth, helping a practice become successful is at the heart of her passion for dentistry.
Adriana has a B.S. in Dental Hygiene from West Liberty University/O’Hehir University. By being involved in several Columbus, Ohio, study clubs, Adriana maintains strong relationships within her local dental community. She enjoys a variety of fitness activities, family time, good books, and at the top of her list, her fur babies.
Loyal patients are your greatest assets. Not only are they your best patients — they are your best ambassadors! To help you attract more of these people to your practice, Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. Barrett Straub, ACT’s CEO, with clear, simple steps to provide the ultimate patient experience. To learn how to increase patient satisfaction, trust, and positive referrals, listen to Episode 839 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Dr. Straub:
- Send Dr. Straub an email: barrett@actdental.com
- Join Dr. Straub on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/barrett.d.straub
- Register for ACT’s To The Top Study Club (January 24, 2025): https://www.eventbrite.com/e/climb-with-us-register-for-january-24-2025-ttt-study-club-tickets-1012960511157
- Email the ACT Team for their free resources: info@actdental.com
- Send Gina an email: gina@actdental.com
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- See the ACT Dental/BPA Live Event Schedule: https://www.actdental.com/event
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 839: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
- Watch ACT’s webinars: https://www.actdental.com/125
- Read How to Know a Person by David Brooks: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/652822/how-to-know-a-person-by-david-brooks
Main Takeaways:
- Give each patient a personalized greeting.
- Assess your practice through the patients’ eyes.
- Avoid labeling your patients or making assumptions.
- Connect with patients by being comforting and attentive.
- Complete the patient experience with an elegant hand-off.
- Signal that you care through verbal and non-verbal behaviors.
Snippets:
0:00 ACT’s TTT, BPA, and Pro Coaching.
6:57 Why it’s important to create an intentional patient experience.
9:57 Word-of-mouth drives growth.
12:04 Trust and loyalty build long-term relationships.
13:13 How many patients do you actually need?
16:31 Assess your physical environment.
22:30 Be selective about what you put on your monitors.
24:28 Greet patients with warmth and positivity.
29:36 Avoid labels and assumptions.
35:42 Make patients feel special.
46:11 Practice active listening and rapport building.
48:22 Be attentive to patients’ needs and promote comfort.
51:51 Finish the patient experience with an elegant hand-off.
55:30 Final takeaways.
56:22 Conclusion.
Dr. Barrett Straub Bio:
Dr. Barrett Straub practices general and sedation dentistry in Port Washington, Wisconsin. He has worked hard to develop his practice into a top-performing, fee-for-service practice that focuses on improving the lives of patients through dentistry.
A graduate of Marquette Dental School, Dr. Straub’s advanced training and CE includes work at the Spear Institute, LVI, DOCS, and as a member of the Milwaukee Study Club. He is a past member of the Wisconsin Dental Association Board of Trustees and was awarded the Marquette Dental School 2017 Young Alumnus of the Year. As a former ACT coaching client that experienced first-hand the transformation that coaching can provide, he is passionate about helping other dentists create the practice they’ve always wanted.
Dr. Straub loves to hunt, golf, and spend winter on the ice, curling. He is married to Katie, with two daughters, Abby and Elizabeth.
Are you always feeling busy, but not being productive? Then it’s time to fix your schedule! To help you have more meaningful and profitable days at work, Kirk Behrendt brings back Robyn Theisen, one of ACT’s amazing coaches, to share four scheduling hacks that will organize your time. To learn how you can produce more without working more days, listen to Episode 838 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Robyn:
- Send Robyn an email: robyn@actdental.com
- Follow Robyn on ACT’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/actdental
- Send Gina an email: gina@actdental.com
- Email the ACT Team for their free resources: info@actdental.com
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- See the ACT Dental/BPA Live Event Schedule: https://www.actdental.com/event
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 838: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
- Download ACT’s Color Coding and Block Scheduling guide: https://23476641.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/23476641/Color%20Coding%2c%20Block%20Scheduling%2c%20and%20Ideal%20Day%20Scheduling.pdf
Main Takeaways:
- Don't just fill slots. Plan your day based on the revenue you want to generate.
- Schedule your high-production blocks in the first five hours of your day.
- Dovetail doctor time and assistant time to maximize productivity.
- Appoint team members to protect your schedule.
- Give assistants ownership of the schedule.
- Block out time for new patients.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
0:53 Why this is an important topic.
2:53 Set a daily production goal.
5:46 Block scheduling, explained.
7:04 Have someone who protects your time.
7:44 Are you overbooking your schedule?
8:54 Don't override the power you give team members.
9:47 Schedule high-production blocks in the first five hours.
11:36 People will make time for what they value.
13:29 Block out emergencies.
14:35 Dovetail the dentist’s and assistant’s time.
17:15 Block out time for new patients.
17:49 Challenges in scheduling new patients.
23:15 Final takeaways.
Robyn Theisen Bio:
Robyn Theisen brings an entire life and legacy of dental experience to the team and every team with which she works as the daughter and sister of dentists. With almost 20 years of experience in dentistry, her roles ranged from practice management to operations at Patterson Dental to coaching teams. Robyn’s passion is empowering teams to realize that they can dramatically impact the lives of the people they serve by implementing skills and systems to remove barriers to life-changing dental treatment. She has done it for decades and does it every day with dental teams.
Outside of coaching, she enjoys time with her husband, Rob, and two daughters, Emerson and Ruby. She loves traveling, music, fitness, and cheering on the Michigan State Spartans.
If dentistry were a game, it’s checkers and chess. But how do you know when a case is one or the other? To help you win no matter which game you're playing, Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. Jim McKee, founder of Chicago Study Club, to share how to distinguish simple from complex cases so you can increase treatment success. Stop playing chess with the rules of checkers! To learn how to master the game you're playing, listen to Episode 837 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Dr. McKee:
- Send Dr. McKee an email: jim@mckeedds.com
- Join Dr. McKee on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jim.mckee.104
- Register for Dr. McKee’s Occlusion in Everyday Practice seminar (April 11-12, 2025): https://campus.speareducation.com/in-person-seminars/occlusion-in-everyday-practice/details/syllabus
- Register for Dr. McKee’s Advanced Occlusion workshop: https://campus.speareducation.com/workshops/advanced-occlusion/details/syllabus
- Register for Dr. McKee’s occlusion seminar: https://campus.speareducation.com/seminars/demystifying-occlusion-1/details/syllabus
- Register for Dr. McKee’s TMD Online course: https://courses.phelandentalseminars.com/tmd-pds
- Learn about Chicago Study Club: https://chicagostudyclub.com
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- See the ACT Dental/BPA Live Event Schedule: https://www.actdental.com/event
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 837: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
Main Takeaways:
- Know whether your cases are like checkers or chess. Is it simple or more complex?
- Learn how to give patients realistic expectations when discussing treatment.
- Become a physician of the masticatory system, not just a tooth carpenter.
- Develop your occlusion and TMD skill sets to boost practice growth.
- No one wants to do TMD and occlusion. So, be the one to do it!
- Occlusion and TMD are in more demand than you realize.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
0:55 Playing chess versus playing checkers.
5:51 Frame your patients’ expectations.
10:00 Learn about occlusion and TMD.
16:44 Don't play chess with the rules of checkers.
23:26 Change how you talk to patients.
29:03 The fastest way to boost your practice.
32:04 Occlusion and TMD isn't as difficult as you think.
36:43 Final thoughts.
39:30 Dr. McKee’s future courses and Chicago Study Club.
Dr. Jim McKee Bio:
Dr. Jim McKee is a member of the Spear Resident Faculty. He has maintained a private practice since 1984 in Downers Grove, Illinois, where he treats a wide variety of cases with a focus on predictable restorative dentistry. He is a member of the American Academy of Restorative Dentistry and former president of the American Equilibration Society. He has lectured both nationally and internationally for over 25 years and directs several study clubs. Dr. McKee graduated from the University of Notre Dame in 1980 and earned his dental degree from the University of Illinois College of Dentistry in 1984.
(Audio) (Need to update timestamps)
836: 3 Reasons to Stop Adding Chairs – Christina Byrne
Growth can be exciting. But bigger isn't always better! To explain why you should think twice before adding more chairs, Kirk Behrendt brings back Christina Byrne, ACT’s director of operations, with advice for maximizing the chairs, patients, and time that you already have. Get better, not bigger! To learn the right questions to ask yourself before trying to expand, listen to Episode 836 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Christina:
- Send Christina an email: christina@actdental.com
- Send Gina an email: gina@actdental.com
- Email the ACT Team for their free resources: info@actdental.com
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- See the ACT Dental/BPA Live Event Schedule: https://www.actdental.com/event
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 836: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
- Download ACT’s GAPs At a Glace resource: https://23476641.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/23476641/47%20The%20Financial%20GAPs%20at%20a%20Glance%20-%2005.pdf
- Download ACT’s PPO Roadmap resource: https://23476641.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/23476641/ACT%20Dental%20PPO%20Roadmap.pdf
Main Takeaways:
- Bigger isn't necessarily better for your practice.
- Understand and correct your practice’s inefficiencies.
- Start by maximizing the use of chairs you already have.
- Stick to your blocked schedule to keep your hours profitable.
- Reactivating existing patients is easier than attracting new ones.
- Put a system in place to increase your date-of-service collections.
- Be clear about why you want to expand. What are your motivations?
- Avoid unnecessary overhead expenses. What is the cost of expansion?
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
0:41 Why this is an important topic.
7:38 Maximize the utilization of chairs you have.
10:07 Honor your blocked scheduling.
10:43 Figure out how to reactivate patients.
11:35 Have everyone be accountable to their schedules.
13:35 Track hygiene reappointment percentage.
14:58 Know exactly what you're writing off.
17:13 Collect at least 99% of net production.
19:32 Give people grace when changing your systems.
20:24 Avoid unnecessary overhead expenses.
22:32 Expand for the right reasons.
22:56 Think about the tangible and intangible costs of expansion.
26:34 Final takeaways.
Christina Byrne Bio:
Christina Byrne has been involved in dentistry since 1985. Over the years, she has held many positions on the dental team, including dental assistant, business office, and dental hygienist. Christina’s extensive knowledge of the front office and clinical procedures is a great asset, and she loves to impart her knowledge to guide dental teams do the best they can to achieve a Better Practice, Better Life!
Growth can be exciting. But bigger isn't always better! To explain why you should think twice before adding more chairs, Kirk Behrendt brings back Christina Byrne, ACT’s director of operations, with advice for maximizing the chairs, patients, and time that you already have. Get better, not bigger! To learn the right questions to ask yourself before trying to expand, listen to Episode 836 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Christina:
- Send Christina an email: christina@actdental.com
- Send Gina an email: gina@actdental.com
- Email the ACT Team for their free resources: info@actdental.com
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- See the ACT Dental/BPA Live Event Schedule: https://www.actdental.com/event
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 836: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
- Download ACT’s GAPs At a Glace resource: https://23476641.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/23476641/47%20The%20Financial%20GAPs%20at%20a%20Glance%20-%2005.pdf
- Download ACT’s PPO Roadmap resource: https://23476641.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/23476641/ACT%20Dental%20PPO%20Roadmap.pdf
Main Takeaways:
- Bigger isn't necessarily better for your practice.
- Understand and correct your practice’s inefficiencies.
- Start by maximizing the use of chairs you already have.
- Stick to your blocked schedule to keep your hours profitable.
- Reactivating existing patients is easier than attracting new ones.
- Put a system in place to increase your date-of-service collections.
- Be clear about why you want to expand. What are your motivations?
- Avoid unnecessary overhead expenses. What is the cost of expansion?
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
0:41 Why this is an important topic.
7:38 Maximize the utilization of chairs you have.
10:07 Honor your blocked scheduling.
10:43 Figure out how to reactivate patients.
11:35 Have everyone be accountable to their schedules.
13:35 Track hygiene reappointment percentage.
14:58 Know exactly what you're writing off.
17:13 Collect at least 99% of net production.
19:32 Give people grace when changing your systems.
20:24 Avoid unnecessary overhead expenses.
22:32 Expand for the right reasons.
22:56 Think about the tangible and intangible costs of expansion.
26:34 Final takeaways.
Christina Byrne Bio:
Christina Byrne has been involved in dentistry since 1985. Over the years, she has held many positions on the dental team, including dental assistant, business office, and dental hygienist. Christina’s extensive knowledge of the front office and clinical procedures is a great asset, and she loves to impart her knowledge to guide dental teams do the best they can to achieve a Better Practice, Better Life!
What's worth more than a good paycheck? It’s a strong, positive work culture! But what does it take to create one, and how do you know when you have it? To demystify what team members truly want in their work environment, Kirk Behrendt brings back Miranda Beeson, ACT’s director of education, with a framework for understanding and creating a great team culture. Paying people more won't solve your problems! To learn how to give your team the best emotional paycheck, listen to Episode 835 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Miranda:
- Send Miranda an email: miranda@actdental.com
- Follow Miranda on ACT’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/actdental
- Register for ACT’s To The Top Study Club (January 17, 2025): https://www.eventbrite.com/e/climb-with-us-register-for-january-17-2025-ttt-study-club-tickets-1012930712027
- Register for ACT’s To The Top Study Club (January 24, 2025): https://www.eventbrite.com/e/climb-with-us-register-for-january-24-2025-ttt-study-club-tickets-1012960511157
- Register for ACT’s BPA: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Send Gina an email: gina@actdental.com
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- See the ACT Dental/BPA Live Event Schedule: https://www.actdental.com/event
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 835: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
- Download ACT’s Right People Scorecard resource: https://23476641.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/23476641/Instructions%20for%20Right%20People%20Scorecard.pdf
- Read Radical Candor by Kim Scott: https://www.radicalcandor.com/the-book
- Read Thanks for the Feedback by Douglas Stone and Sheila Heen: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/313485/thanks-for-the-feedback-by-douglas-stone-and-sheila-heen
Main Takeaways:
- Everything starts with your core values.
- Find the right people who fit your core values.
- Showcase your core values in the hiring process.
- Integrate core values early in your onboarding process.
- Get your team involved in the hiring and onboarding process.
- Consistently measure your team’s performance with core values.
- Keep your core values alive in the halls, not just hanging on the walls.
Snippets:
0:00 ACT’s TTT, BPA, and Pro Coaching.
3:02 Culture, explained.
7:40 Sometimes, 1 + 1 = 11.
10:45 Why culture is important in your dental practice.
13:09 The role of core values in recruitment.
14:47 Why core values matter in hiring.
21:10 Great culture leads to greater fulfilment.
24:17 Change the way you look at things.
25:34 How to showcase core values in the hiring process.
26:13 Ask intentional, value-based questions.
30:30 How to showcase core values in the hiring process.
31:45 Why you need to integrate core values early in onboarding.
33:52 How to integrate core values in onboarding.
37:18 Find your competitive advantage.
38:19 Why you need to use core values as a performance measure.
41:26 How to measure performance with core values.
50:54 Q&A: Is it best to address negative job performance when they occur, or at a check-in?
56:53 Q&A: How can we refocus the “I deserve to be paid more” conversation?
1:01:45 Q&A: Who should conduct check-ins and quarter reviews?
1:02:38 Conclusion.
Miranda Beeson, MS, BSDH Bio:
Miranda Beeson has over 25 years of clinical dental hygiene, front office, practice administration, and speaking experience. She is enthusiastic about communication and loves helping others find the power that words can bring to their patient interactions and practice dynamics. As a Lead Practice Coach, she is driven to create opportunities to find value in experiences and cultivate new approaches.
Miranda graduated from Old Dominion University, and enjoys spending time with her husband, Chuck, and her children, Trent, Mallory, and Cassidy. Family time is the best time, and is often spent on a golf course, a volleyball court, or spending the day boating at the beach.
Over half of your patients have some form of periodontitis — and they don't even know it! How many are you letting walk out of your doors? It’s time to empower patients by helping them to understand and treat their disease. In this final part of her Master Class, Katrina Sanders, The Dental WINEgenist, shares key tools and resources to help you build confidence in diagnosing, treating, and improving the clinical outcomes of your perio patients. To get patients closer to 100% health, listen to Episode 834 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Katrina:
- Send Katrina an email: info@katrinasanders.com
- Join Katrina on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheDentalWINEgenist
- Follow Katrina on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thedentalwinegenist
- Learn more on Katrina’s website: https://katrinasanders.com
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- See the ACT Dental/BPA Live Event Schedule: https://www.actdental.com/event
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 834: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
- Try PDT’s hygiene kits: https://pdtdental.com/collections/hygiene-kits
- Try PDT’s gingival inflammation kit: https://pdtdental.com/products/gingival-inflammation-kit
- Try PDT’s debridement kit: https://pdtdental.com/products/gross-debridement-kit
- Try the BioGaia Prodentis probiotics: https://www.biogaia.com/collections/all/Dental-health
Main Takeaways:
- Incorporate the learnings from Part 1 of this lecture!
- Stop waiting to recommend treatment until later stages of disease.
- Periodontal disease can present differently from one patient to another.
- Understand AAP’s staging and grading system to accurately diagnose patients.
- Learn how to effectively communicate the urgency of your patients’ level of disease.
- Empower patients to improve home care by recommending innovative oral health tools.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
4:53 The prevalence of periodontitis.
15:33 Don't wait to tell patients about their level of disease.
25:25 Katrina’s background and objectives.
26:42 Staging and grading is not an exact science.
29:14 The framework for staging and grading.
40:06 The spectrum of clinical health.
43:58 Case example: Intact periodontium.
45:43 Case example: Reduced periodontium.
50:13 Case example: Reduced periodontium (non-periodontitis).
51:16 Case example: Reduced periodontium (successfully treated periodontitis).
52:43 Case example: Intact periodontium (incipient gingivitis).
56:10 Case example: Stable patient on reduced periodontium (non-periodontitis).
59:50 Case example: Stable patient on reduced periodontium (successfully treated perio).
1:03:11 Case example: Gingivitis on a reduced periodontium (successfully treated perio).
1:06:25 Effectively select the appropriate instruments.
1:07:48 PDT kit for hygiene.
1:11:39 Dental biofilm-induced gingivitis.
1:12:25 Non-dental biofilm-induced gingivitis.
1:14:29 Gingivitis, defined.
1:16:39 Case example: Moderate to severe gingivitis (intact periodontium).
1:18:44 Case example: Gingivitis on reduced periodontium (non-periodontitis).
1:20:51 PDT kit for gingival inflammation.
1:22:36 Patient empowerment: Stannous Fluoride.
1:25:16 Patient empowerment: Oscillating rotating-motion toothbrush.
1:28:13 The AAP guidelines for staging patients.
1:36:15 PDT kit for debridement.
1:37:59 The AAP guidelines for staging patients, continued.
1:39:37 The AAP guidelines for grading patients.
1:46:50 Patient empowerment: Dental-specific probiotics.
1:51:34 Katrina’s free webinar.
1:53:17 Q&A: How do we legally deal with patients who refuse periodontal treatment?
1:56:07 Q&A: How do you explain the cost difference of a prophy and perio maintenance?
1:59:08 Conclusion.
Katrina M. Sanders RDH, BSDH, M.Ed, RF Bio:
In the ever-changing world of dental science where research, technology, and techniques for patient care are constantly evolving, dental professionals look to continuing education to provide insight, deliver actionable steps, empower, and create a dramatic impact within their clinical practice.
With wit, charm, and a dash of humor, Katrina Sanders enchants dental professionals with her course deliverables, insightful content, and delightful inspiration. Her message of empowerment rings mighty throughout her lectures and stirs a deep sense of motivation amongst course participants.
Katrina is the Clinical Liaison for AZPerio, the country's largest periodontal practice. She performs clinically, working alongside Diplomates to the American Board of Periodontology in the surgical operatory. Katrina perfected techniques during L.A.N.A.P. surgery, suture placement, IV therapy, and blood draws. She instructs on collaborative professionalism and standard-of-care protocols while delivering education through hygiene boot camps and study clubs.
Data shows some disturbing facts. Over 60% of patients don't trust their dentists’ diagnosis! When the disease in question doesn’t hurt patients, it complicates things even further. So, how do you build trust with skeptical patients who are reluctant to get treatment? In this lecture of a two-part Master Class, Katrina Sanders, The Dental WINEgenist, shares how to incorporate innovative tools, products, and thinking to build trust, maximize production, and improve clinical outcomes. To learn how to get patients closer to 100% health, listen to Episode 833 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Katrina:
- Send Katrina an email: info@katrinasanders.com
- Join Katrina on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheDentalWINEgenist
- Follow Katrina on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thedentalwinegenist
- Learn more on Katrina’s website: https://katrinasanders.com
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- See the ACT Dental/BPA Live Event Schedule: https://www.actdental.com/event
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 833: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
- Learn more about Pearl AI: https://www.hellopearl.com
- Try Paradise Dental Technologies UNC-12 probe: https://pdtdental.com/products/probe-unc-12
- Mention Katrina to get 10% off your first lab fee from MicrobeLinkDX: https://microbelinkdx.com
- Try Perio Protect custom periodontal trays: https://www.perioprotect.com
- Try free samples of BioGaia Prodentis: https://www.biogaia.com
Main Takeaways:
- Learn how to give patient-centric, customized care plans to meet your patients’ needs.
- Incorporate advanced diagnostic tools such as AI to increase case acceptance.
- Integrate objective diagnostics to get a more accurate assessment.
- Build trust with integrity. Show your patients that you truly care.
- Support patients to help them control their level of disease.
- Educate patients about innovations such as probiotics.
- Recommend Innovative tools such as water flossers.
- Do the right thing, and production will follow.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
1:02 Why this is an important topic.
8:37 Course overview.
9:57 The prevalence of periodontitis.
13:59 The challenges of a painless disease.
18:44 Don't let this be a drain on your core values.
22:13 The number one reason patients decline perio treatment.
25:25 Is something better than nothing?
34:07 Katrina’s background and free program.
35:35 Objectives.
39:16 Don't be afraid of innovation and technology.
42:04 Three steps to innovation: The assessment phase.
46:34 Your average patients don't understand radiographs.
48:14 About 60% of patients don't trust their dentists’ diagnosis.
49:59 The innovation of AI dental X-rays, explained.
55:12 Capture appropriate periodontal charting.
59:40 The importance of annual comprehensive periodontal assessments.
1:03:41 Integrate objective diagnostics.
1:07:22 Case examples.
1:12:57 Get customized reports and regimens with MicrobeLinkDX.
1:19:21 Integrate true wound care.
1:26:11 The benefits of Perio Protect custom trays.
1:28:29 Complications when treating periodontal wounds.
1:30:36 Probiotic influence on oral health.
1:34:09 Is there such a thing as healthy biofilm?
1:37:17 Are all probiotics the same?
1:40:54 Help support patients with their self-care.
1:42:03 Data around the benefits of water flossing with Waterpik.
1:45:30 The patient-centric workflow overview.
1:51:05 Summary and conclusion.
1:54:24 Q&A: Recommended treatment for 20% to 30% BOP patients.
1:56:16 Q&A: Thoughts on the recent “backlash” to hydrogen peroxide.
Katrina M. Sanders RDH, BSDH, M.Ed, RF Bio:
In the ever-changing world of dental science where research, technology, and techniques for patient care are constantly evolving, dental professionals look to continuing education to provide insight, deliver actionable steps, empower, and create a dramatic impact within their clinical practice.
With wit, charm, and a dash of humor, Katrina Sanders enchants dental professionals with her course deliverables, insightful content, and delightful inspiration. Her message of empowerment rings mighty throughout her lectures and stirs a deep sense of motivation amongst course participants.
Katrina is the Clinical Liaison for AZPerio, the country's largest periodontal practice. She performs clinically, working alongside Diplomates to the American Board of Periodontology in the surgical operatory. Katrina perfected techniques during L.A.N.A.P. surgery, suture placement, IV therapy, and blood draws. She instructs on collaborative professionalism and standard-of-care protocols while delivering education through hygiene boot camps and study clubs.
If you don't know where you're going, how do you know how to get there? Having a clear vision is the first step to success. But how do you find time and energy to plan? To give you some motivation, Miranda Beeson and Heather Crockett, two of ACT’s amazing coaches, share a simple framework for crafting your ideal vision for your practice and your life. If you fail to plan, then you plan to fail! To learn how a little bit of planning will skyrocket your success, listen to Episode 832 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Miranda & Heather:
- Send Miranda an email: miranda@actdental.com
- Send Heather an email: heather@actdental.com
- Follow Miranda & Heather on ACT’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/actdental
- Email Gina to learn about ACT’s Pro Coaching: gina@actdental.com
- Email the ACT Team for their free tools and resources: info@actdental.com
- Register for ACT’s To The Top Study Club (January 17, 2025): https://www.eventbrite.com/e/climb-with-us-register-for-january-17-2025-ttt-study-club-tickets-1012930712027
- Register for ACT’s To The Top Study Club (January 24, 2025): https://www.eventbrite.com/e/climb-with-us-register-for-january-24-2025-ttt-study-club-tickets-1012960511157
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- See the ACT Dental/BPA Live Event Schedule: https://www.actdental.com/event
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 832: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
- Watch Episode 814: 1 Move, Infinite Differentiation Power with Heather: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gBD8mzLem88
- Read What Got You Here Won't Get You There by Marshall Goldsmith: https://bookshop.org/p/books/what-got-you-here-won-t-get-you-there-how-successful-people-become-even-more-successful-marshall-goldsmith/8230849?ean=9781401301309
- Read The E-Myth by Michael E. Gerber: https://www.michaelegerbercompanies.com/product/the-e-myth-revisited
Main Takeaways:
- Great practices have strategic plans. Average practices just wing it.
- A strategic vision will keep you and your team focused and motivated.
- Having a plan will help you prevent burnout and have a more fulfilling career.
- Create a vision for clinical, financial, team culture, and better practice/better life.
- Make time to think and dream — and dream big! You don't have time not to do it.
- Stop being your own dream-crusher. It’s time to get rid of your self-limiting beliefs!
- No matter how stuck you feel, there is hope! A coach can help you reach your goals.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
0:35 ACT’s TTT, BPA, and Pro Coaching.
4:20 Why this is an important topic.
6:20 Great practices have strategic plans.
11:13 ACT’s Strategic Vision Creator tool.
15:28 The four keys: Clinical vision.
19:43 The four keys: Clinical strategy.
24:37 The four keys: Financial vision.
26:41 The four keys: Financial strategy.
31:11 The four keys: Team culture vision.
35:17 The four keys: Team culture strategy.
38:47 The four keys: Better practice, better life vision.
46:25 The four keys: Better practice, better life strategy.
46:58 The elevation process of the vision stage.
49:16 Examples of successful outcomes and goals.
57:06 Final thoughts.
58:59 Why you need a coach.
1:02:36 Q&A: Do I prioritize clinical dentistry or business of dentistry with a limited CE budget?
Miranda Beeson, MS, BSDH Bio:
Miranda Beeson has over 25 years of clinical dental hygiene, front office, practice administration, and speaking experience. She is enthusiastic about communication and loves helping others find the power that words can bring to their patient interactions and practice dynamics. As a Lead Practice Coach, she is driven to create opportunities to find value in experiences and cultivate new approaches.
Miranda graduated from Old Dominion University, and enjoys spending time with her husband, Chuck, and her children, Trent, Mallory, and Cassidy. Family time is the best time, and is often spent on a golf course, a volleyball court, or spending the day boating at the beach.
Heather Crockett Bio:
Heather Crockett is a Lead Practice Coach who finds joy in not only improving practices but improving the lives of those she coaches as well. With over 20 years of combined experience in assisting, office management, and clinical dental hygiene, her awareness supports many aspects of the practice setting.
Heather received her dental hygiene degree from the Utah College of Dental Hygiene in 2008. Networking in the dental community comes easy to her, and she loves to connect with like-minded colleagues on social media. Heather enjoys both attending and presenting continuing education to expand her knowledge and learn from her friends and colleagues.
She enjoys hanging out with her husband, three sons, and their dog, Moki, scrolling through social media, watching football, and traveling.
Patients don't know what they need — until you show them! Without talking about comprehensive care, they will never know that they want or need it for better overall health. To help you start the conversation with patients, Kirk Behrendt brings back Miranda Beeson, ACT’s director of education, to explain what it means to be comprehensive, why it’s important, and how it will transform patient care and your practice. To learn how to transition from reactive, single-tooth dentistry to proactive, comprehensive care, listen to Episode 831 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Miranda:
- Send Miranda an email: miranda@actdental.com
- Follow Miranda on ACT’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/actdental
- Send Gina an email: gina@actdental.com
- Register for ACT’s To The Top Study Club (January 17, 2025): https://www.eventbrite.com/e/climb-with-us-register-for-january-17-2025-ttt-study-club-tickets-1012930712027
- Register for ACT’s To The Top Study Club (January 24, 2025): https://www.eventbrite.com/e/climb-with-us-register-for-january-24-2025-ttt-study-club-tickets-1012960511157
- Register for ACT’s BPA: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- See the ACT Dental/BPA Live Event Schedule: https://www.actdental.com/event
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 831: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
- Download ACT’s Identify Your Core Purpose tool: https://23476641.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/23476641/Identify%20Your%20Core%20Purpose%20Tool.pdf
Main Takeaways:
- You can't do it alone. Align with your team on what a comprehensive approach means.
- Educate patients about your comprehensive philosophy in the new patient exam.
- Your focus should be on how you can help patients, not on selling dentistry.
- Share what you see, then let patients decide what to do for themselves.
- Help patients understand the big picture with a proactive approach.
- Don't forget about retired patients. They have dental needs too!
- Stop assuming what treatment patients will or will not accept.
- Offer financial options for patients with larger cases.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
0:33 Why this is an important topic.
4:56 Why dentists default to single-tooth style treatment planning.
9:40 Comprehensive treatment planning, explained.
15:25 Get rid of self-limiting beliefs and assumptions.
17:14 Focus on being helpful, not on selling dentistry.
19:44 Give patients control and choice by sharing information.
26:55 Elevate your new patient exam.
28:30 Explain the why behind your recommendations.
30:47 Involve your entire team.
32:35 Create value for patients.
34:20 Don't forget retired or about-to-retire patients.
38:29 Align on what a true emergency patient is.
41:22 Have financial options available.
Miranda Beeson, MS, BSDH Bio:
Miranda Beeson has over 25 years of clinical dental hygiene, front office, practice administration, and speaking experience. She is enthusiastic about communication and loves helping others find the power that words can bring to their patient interactions and practice dynamics. As a Lead Practice Coach, she is driven to create opportunities to find value in experiences and cultivate new approaches.
Miranda graduated from Old Dominion University, and enjoys spending time with her husband, Chuck, and her children, Trent, Mallory, and Cassidy. Family time is the best time, and is often spent on a golf course, a volleyball court, or spending the day boating at the beach.
830: 3 Steps to Elevate Your Patient’s Experience – Heather Crockett
People buy things they want — not what they need! So, how do you make patients want your dentistry? One way is with a fantastic patient experience. To help you “wow” your new, existing, and future patients, Kirk Behrendt brings back Heather Crockett, one of ACT’s amazing coaches, with three steps to make your patients feel heard, valued, and understood. To learn how to make your practice the best dental home, listen to Episode 830 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Heather:
- Send Heather an email: heather@actdental.com
- Join Heather on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/heather.r.crockett
- Follow Heather on ACT’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/actdental
- Send Gina an email: gina@actdental.com
- Email the ACT Team for their free tools and resources: info@actdental.com
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- See the ACT Dental/BPA Live Event Schedule: https://www.actdental.com/event
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 830: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
Main Takeaways:
- You will sell more dentistry with your ears than your mouth. Start listening more!
- Find out what motivates your patients by asking them open-ended questions.
- Create a system to identify and document your patients’ goals and values.
- Be confident in what you do, your verbal skills, and storytelling skills.
- Learn how to slow down and truly connect with your patients.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
1:28 Why this is an important topic.
3:28 Identify your patients’ goals and values.
8:48 Practice your verbal skills.
15:21 Practice your storytelling skills.
17:15 Learn how to connect.
20:24 Talk less, listen more.
31:12 Slow things down.
36:02 Final takeaways.
Heather Crockett Bio:
Heather Crockett is a Lead Practice Coach who finds joy in not only improving practices but improving the lives of those she coaches as well. With over 20 years of combined experience in assisting, office management, and clinical dental hygiene, her awareness supports many aspects of the practice setting.
Heather received her dental hygiene degree from the Utah College of Dental Hygiene in 2008. Networking in the dental community comes easy to her, and she loves to connect with like-minded colleagues on social media. Heather enjoys both attending and presenting continuing education to expand her knowledge and learn from her friends and colleagues.
She enjoys hanging out with her husband, three sons, and their dog, Moki, scrolling through social media, watching football, and traveling.
829: Why Dentists Need to Create an “Experience Economy” in Their Practice – Debra Engelhardt-Nash
People spend thousands on cellphones and handbags. But the same amount for dentistry is “too much money”. How do we change that thinking and get more patients through the door? To help you answer these important questions, Kirk Behrendt brings back Debra Engelhardt-Nash, co-founder of The Nash Institute, to share her expert advice for cultivating trust and loyalty through exceptional, memorable experiences. To learn how to get patients to want to stay, listen to Episode 829 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Debra:
- Give Debra a call: (704) 904-3459
- Send Debra an email: debraengelhardtnash@gmail.com
- Follow Debra on Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/debraengnash
- Book Debra for speaking or consulting:https://debraengelhardtnash.com
- Register for Debra’s Dental Business School course:https://www.thenashinstitute.com/upcoming-events/dental-business-school
- Register for Debra’s Team Communication Skills course:https://www.thenashinstitute.com/upcoming-events/team-communication-skills
- Register for the Academy for Private Dental Practice meeting (March 6-8, 2025):https://apdp.regfox.com/apdp-2025
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show:https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association:https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club:https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- See the ACT Dental/BPA Live Event Schedule:https://www.actdental.com/event
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free:https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast:https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 829:https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
- Read Setting the Table by Danny Meyer:https://www.harpercollins.com/products/setting-the-table-danny-meyer?variant=32122420363298
Main Takeaways:
- Understand the “experience economy” so you can create it for your patients.
- Think of your dental practice as a restaurant. Is it fast-food, or fine dining?
- Take your team to a fine dining restaurant and learn from the experience.
- Focus on what you can do for your patients, not what you do to them.
- Be about relationships. Data shows that it increases patients’ loyalty.
- Get rid of self-limiting beliefs. Don't let negativity hold you back!
- Quality is subjective. Clearly define what quality means to you.
- Slow down and dial it down when you interact with patients.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
0:46 Debra’s background.
2:40 Why this is an important topic.
7:46 The experience economy, explained.
11:41 What paying for an experience looks like.
20:50 Is your practice fast-food or fine dining?
23:52 Don't get blinded by the transactions.
27:09 Don't let negativity hold you back.
29:17 What is your level of attention to detail?
35:38 Dial it down in patient interactions.
39:43 Final thoughts.
42:40 Debra’s future courses and The Nash Institute.
Debra Engelhardt-Nash Bio:
Debra is a trainer, author, presenter, and consultant. Having been in dentistry for over 30 years, she engages organizations and study groups nationally and internationally. She is a continual presenter for the American Dental Association, the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry, and the Chicago Dental Society Midwinter Meeting.
Debra is a founding member of The Nash Institute and past president of the National Academy of Dental Management Consultants. She is an active member of the American Dental Assistants Association, the American Academy of Dental Practice Administration, and the Speakers Consulting Network. She has been repeatedly recognized by Dentistry Today as a leader in continuing dental education and as a leader in dental consulting. She is also a member of the American Dental Association’s Dental Practice Management Advisory Board, and recently became the president of the Academy for Private Dental Practice.
Debra is married to cosmetic dentist and dental educator, Dr. Ross Nash, of The Nash Institute for Dental Learning. She continues to work in his busy practice, doing exactly what she preaches.
828: KPI Mastery: Driving Dental Practice Success with Data – Dr. Barrett Straub
You're told to improve your numbers. But what are you improving, and why? If you're feeling lost and overwhelmed, keep listening! Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. Barrett Straub, ACT’s CEO, to reveal nine essential KPIs that will help you better understand your practice and achieve the results you want. Working more is not the solution! To learn how to step off the hamster wheel and into the life of your dreams, listen to Episode 828 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Dr. Straub:
- Send Dr. Straub an email: barrett@actdental.com
- Join Dr. Straub on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/barrett.d.straub
- Email the ACT Team for their free resources: info@actdental.com
- Register for ACT’s To The Top Study Club (January 17, 2025): https://www.eventbrite.com/e/climb-with-us-register-for-january-17-2025-ttt-study-club-tickets-1012930712027
- Register for ACT’s To The Top Study Club (January 24, 2025): https://www.eventbrite.com/e/climb-with-us-register-for-january-24-2025-ttt-study-club-tickets-1012960511157
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- See the ACT Dental/BPA Live Event Schedule: https://www.actdental.com/event
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 828: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
Main Takeaways:
- Working more hours is not the way to improve your practice.
- Don't try to improve your numbers without first understanding why.
- Understand gross profit to get a clear picture of your financial health.
- Your most important KPI is the number of days you worked per month.
- Learn how to calculate true profit. Know what is or isn't reflected in your P&L.
- Measure your practice health score to gauge the overall health of your practice.
- Gross production is a useless KPI unless you know how much of that you collect.
- Figure out why your overhead is too high. It may or may not be due to overspending.
- Collections percentages under 100% is the silent killer of profit. Always collect 100%.
- Track and manage write-offs. Bill your full fee all the time, for everything, to everyone.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
1:12 ACT’s TTT, BPA, and Pro Coaching.
4:16 The big picture.
9:07 Why having a defined direction and data is important.
11:37 Essential targets every practice should know: Days worked per month.
14:45 Essential targets every practice should know: Gross production.
17:39 Essential targets every practice should know: Write-off percentage.
19:35 Essential targets every practice should know: Net production.
25:55 Essential targets every practice should know: Collections percentage.
28:53 Essential targets every practice should know: Overhead.
33:32 Essential targets every practice should know: Gross profit.
36:23 Essential targets every practice should know: True profit.
42:45 Essential targets every practice should know: Practice health score.
46:17 How it works: Case example.
54:10 Final takeaways.
56:14 Q&A: Who should own these numbers and make sure they are on track?
1:00:12 Q&A: How do you view days worked versus hours worked?
1:04:58 Q&A: If I'm working less days, how am I going to compensate my team?
1:10:39 Q&A: Does the write-off percentage include all adjustments?
1:15:18 Q&A: How do you verbalize to patients that you don't work certain days?
1:20:40 Final thoughts.
Dr. Barrett Straub Bio:
Dr. Barrett Straub practices general and sedation dentistry in Port Washington, Wisconsin. He has worked hard to develop his practice into a top-performing, fee-for-service practice that focuses on improving the lives of patients through dentistry.
A graduate of Marquette Dental School, Dr. Straub’s advanced training and CE includes work at the Spear Institute, LVI, DOCS, and as a member of the Milwaukee Study Club. He is a past member of the Wisconsin Dental Association Board of Trustees and was awarded the Marquette Dental School 2017 Young Alumnus of the Year. As a former ACT coaching client that experienced first-hand the transformation that coaching can provide, he is passionate about helping other dentists create the practice they’ve always wanted.
Dr. Straub loves to hunt, golf, and spend winter on the ice, curling. He is married to Katie, with two daughters, Abby and Elizabeth.
Stress causes headaches. So, let's have less of that in the new year! To help you better manage your brain space, Kirk Behrendt brings back Miranda Beeson, ACT’s director of education, with three strategies that will save you and your team precious time and energy. Start fixing your practice with better thinking! To learn how to create a fresh start for 2025, listen to Episode 827 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Miranda:
- Send Miranda an email: miranda@actdental.com
- Follow Miranda on ACT’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/actdental
- Send Gina an email: gina@actdental.com
- Register for ACT’s To The Top Study Club (January 17, 2025): https://www.eventbrite.com/e/climb-with-us-register-for-january-17-2025-ttt-study-club-tickets-1012930712027
- Register for ACT’s To The Top Study Club (January 24, 2025): https://www.eventbrite.com/e/climb-with-us-register-for-january-24-2025-ttt-study-club-tickets-1012960511157
- Register for ACT’s Best Practices Association: https://join.actdental.com/users/sign_in?post_login_redirect=https%3A%2F%2Fjoin.actdental.com%2F#email
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- See the ACT Dental/BPA Live Event Schedule: https://www.actdental.com/event
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 827: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
- Try Magic: https://getmagic.com
Main Takeaways:
- Surround yourself with smart and capable people.
- Own your time by blocking it out for things that matter.
- If you don't control your time, then time will control you!
- Determine what tasks you can delegate to the right people.
- Start your day ten minutes early so you can mentally prepare.
- You don't need to do everything. Pick the big three for each day.
- Be strategic with your time. Do high-focus tasks earlier in the day.
- Figure out what can be automated to save you and your team time.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
1:07 Why this is an important topic.
5:57 Own your time by blocking it out.
17:39 Delegate to elevate and gain more time.
27:00 Automate what you can.
33:02 Surround yourself with smart people.
34:27 Block out time in advance and with intention.
38:03 Find your accountability partner.
40:07 ACT’s To The Top Study Club and why you need a coach.
Miranda Beeson, MS, BSDH Bio:
Miranda Beeson has over 25 years of clinical dental hygiene, front office, practice administration, and speaking experience. She is enthusiastic about communication and loves helping others find the power that words can bring to their patient interactions and practice dynamics. As a Lead Practice Coach, she is driven to create opportunities to find value in experiences and cultivate new approaches.
Miranda graduated from Old Dominion University, and enjoys spending time with her husband, Chuck, and her children, Trent, Mallory, and Cassidy. Family time is the best time, and is often spent on a golf course, a volleyball court, or spending the day boating at the beach.
You have your amazing group of friends and family. But there are things about your profession that they won't understand. So, where do you turn to for advice and wisdom? To help you stay connected, motivated, and inspired, Kirk Behrendt brings back Ariel Juday, one of ACT’s amazing coaches, to talk about the importance of study clubs for professional and personal growth. If you feel alone, don't stay alone! To learn more about how you can find your people, listen to Episode 826 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Ariel:
- Email Ariel to learn about her study club: ariel@actdental.com
- Follow Ariel on ACT’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/actdental
- Send Gina an email: gina@actdental.com
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- See the ACT Dental/BPA Live Event Schedule: https://www.actdental.com/event
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 826: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
Main Takeaways:
- Exposure to different perspectives and opinions will improve your understanding.
- Your communication and leadership skills will improve being in a group setting.
- Being around like-minded peers will keep you motivated and inspired.
- When you learn with your peers, you are more likely to stay on track.
- Studying in a supportive group setting will accelerate learning.
- You will learn more new skills by sharing ideas with a group.
- Find your people who will help you and build you up.
- A study club will help you stay connected.
- Don't try to do it alone!
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
0:57 Why this is an important topic.
4:08 Learn from your peers.
6:47 Learn new skills.
8:44 Improve your understanding.
10:02 Learn faster in a group.
12:05 Improve the group skills you've learned.
14:23 Stay motivated and inspired.
16:34 Avoid procrastination.
18:37 Stay connected.
20:53 Find your people.
22:52 About Ariel’s Office Manager Study Club.
27:39 Last thoughts.
Ariel Juday Bio:
Ariel has a master’s in healthcare administration and several years of dental experience in all aspects of the administrative roles within the dental office. Her passion is to work with dental teams to empower team members to realize their full potential in order to better serve patients, improve office systems to ensure a well-functioning team/office, and to help everyone have fun in the process!
825: 5 Ways to Reduce Burnout by Empowering Your Team – Heather Crockett
You can't run a practice on your own. That's why you have a team! But are you letting them help you run your business? If you think you've got to do it all, keep listening! Kirk Behrendt brings back Heather Crockett, one of ACT’s amazing coaches, to share five steps to help you empower your team members, reduce burnout, and transform your practice. To learn how to trust the people who want to help you, listen to Episode 825 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Heather:
- Send Heather an email: heather@actdental.com
- Join Heather on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/heather.r.crockett
- Follow Heather on ACT’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/actdental
- Send Gina an email for ACT’s free tools and resources: gina@actdental.com
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- See the ACT Dental/BPA Live Event Schedule: https://www.actdental.com/event
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 825: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
- Read Traction by Gino Wickman: https://benbellabooks.com/shop/traction
- Download EOS’s free Delegate and Elevate tool: https://www.eosworldwide.com/delegate-and-elevate-tool-download
Main Takeaways:
- Achieve true alignment with your team. Define your core values and core purpose.
- Delegate what you don't have to do or don't want to do. Your team wants to help.
- Clearly define who does what. Create a Function Accountability Chart.
- Determine whether you have the right people in the right seats.
- Measure your success so you know what is working or not.
- Be your team’s coach, not their micromanaging boss.
- You can't run your business all on your own!
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
1:50 Why this is an important topic.
5:01 Start with alignment.
8:38 Delegate what you can.
11:29 The Traction delegation system, explained.
17:31 Clearly define who does what.
21:41 Use the Right People, Right Seat Scorecard.
26:21 Measure your success.
32:47 Final thoughts.
Heather Crockett Bio:
Heather Crockett is a Lead Practice Coach who finds joy in not only improving practices but improving the lives of those she coaches as well. With over 20 years of combined experience in assisting, office management, and clinical dental hygiene, her awareness supports many aspects of the practice setting.
Heather received her dental hygiene degree from the Utah College of Dental Hygiene in 2008. Networking in the dental community comes easy to her, and she loves to connect with like-minded colleagues on social media. Heather enjoys both attending and presenting continuing education to expand her knowledge and learn from her friends and colleagues.
She enjoys hanging out with her husband, three sons, and their dog, Moki, scrolling through social media, watching football, and traveling.
824: The Top 5 Reasons Why Dentistry is Awesome & Hard – Dr. Erin Elliott
A great thing about dentistry is the power of choice. You get to choose when you work, how you work, and who you work with. But it’s not easy in this profession! To help you make it less hard and more awesome, Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. Erin Elliott, seminar leader from 3D Dentists, to share her advice for navigating the difficult aspects of working with your team and your patients. When you do it right, this career is amazing! To learn how to reap the benefits of being a dentist, listen to Episode 824 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Dr. Elliott:
- Send Dr. Elliott an email: erinelliottdds@gmail.com
- Follow Dr. Elliott on Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/erinelliottdds
- Register for Dr. Elliott’s Sleep Apnea Implementation course (February 27-28, 2025 in Nashville & November 6-7, 2025 in Raleigh):https://3d-dentists.com/sleep-apnea-implementation/#register
- Register for Dr. Elliott’s Sleep Apnea Implementation online course:https://pro.3d-dentists.com/c/sleep-apnea-implementation/?_gl=1kfqzbi_gaMTI4NzEwMTQxMi4xNzM0Mjg4NzY5_ga_83VZQPCXEW*MTczNDMwODI2Mi4yLjEuMTczNDMwODgwNi4wLjAuMA..
- Register for Dr. Elliott’s upcoming events:https://erinelliottdds.com
- Learn more about 3D Dentists:https://3d-dentists.com
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show:https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association:https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club:https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- See the ACT Dental/BPA Live Event Schedule:https://www.actdental.com/event
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free:https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast:https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 824:https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
Main Takeaways:
- Know yourself. Know what you like, what you're good at, and what you can delegate.
- Nurturing a team is one of the hardest but most rewarding things you will ever do.
- Learning the business side of dentistry is hard, but it will give you more control.
- Technology can be frustrating, but it is amazing for improving patient care.
- Being a practice owner is not easy. But when done right, it is worthwhile.
- Appreciate the flexibility of dentistry that you may be taking for granted.
- It’s okay to not be everything to everybody.
- Invest in yourself!
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
1:14 Dr. Elliott’s background.
3:09 Why dentistry is awesome and hard.
4:15 The upsides and downsides of the job itself.
8:06 It’s okay to not be everything to everyone.
9:23 Tailor the practice and life you want.
13:55 Developing a great team is hard but rewarding.
21:11 Technology can be frustrating but also amazing.
25:22 The advantages and difficulties of being a practice owner.
33:54 Final thoughts.
36:53 Dr. Elliott’s future courses.
Dr. Erin Elliott Bio:
Dr. Erin Elliott grew up in Southern California but went away to a small NAIA school in Western New York where she played collegiate soccer and graduated summa cum laude. She graduated from Creighton Dental School in the top five of her class. After school, she settled in North Idaho and began her dentistry career. She has a passion for Dental Sleep Medicine, Short-Term Orthodontics, and integrating CAD/CAM and cone-beam imaging into a general dentistry practice. She regularly lectures on these topics.
Dr. Elliott is an active member of her local American Dental Association, the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, American Academy of Dental Sleep Medicine, and was the president and a diplomate of the American Sleep and Breathing Academy. She teaches two-day sleep apnea courses with 3D Dentists and Dr. Tarun Agarwal. She also privately coaches practices about sleep!
Dr. Elliott spends her free time with her stay-at-home husband, Tom, and her two sons. She loves to spend time with friends, golfing, traveling, playing soccer, reading, and serving her community.
823: 3 Essential Roles Every Dentist Must Embrace: Clinician, Entrepreneur, and Leader – Heather Crockett
You went to dental school to be a clinician. But to be a successful practice owner, there are two other roles you need to fulfill! To help you enhance your leadership and entrepreneurial skills, Kirk Behrendt brings back Heather Crockett, one of ACT’s amazing coaches, to explain how to embrace these essential roles and how to balance all three. To learn how this will lead to a more fulfilling dental career, listen to Episode 823 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Heather:
- Send Heather an email: heather@actdental.com
- Join Heather on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/heather.r.crockett
- Follow Heather on ACT’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/actdental
- Send Gina an email: gina@actdental.com
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- See the ACT Dental/BPA Live Event Schedule: https://www.actdental.com/event
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 823: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
- Read The E-Myth by Michael E. Gerber: https://www.michaelegerbercompanies.com/product/the-e-myth-revisited
- Read Traction by Gino Wickman: https://benbellabooks.com/shop/traction
- Learn about EOS: https://www.eosworldwide.com
Main Takeaways:
- Embrace the role of clinician, entrepreneur, and leader to become successful.
- No one will care more about your business than you. Own the three roles.
- Hire a coach. You need someone to challenge you and make you better.
- Don't find time — make time to work on the business side of dentistry.
- Commit to continuous learning. Seek out CE and mentorship.
- Join the ACT community to enhance your leadership skills!
- A thriving practice requires a balance of all three roles.
- Stop comparing yourself to others.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
1:15 Why these three roles are important.
2:48 You can't pass these roles to others.
4:37 The clinician role, explained.
7:37 The entrepreneurial role, explained.
13:10 Carve out entrepreneurial time.
17:31 You can't do it alone.
20:01 Traction and EOS.
23:13 The leadership role, explained.
26:26 Final takeaways.
Heather Crockett Bio:
Heather Crockett is a Lead Practice Coach who finds joy in not only improving practices but improving the lives of those she coaches as well. With over 20 years of combined experience in assisting, office management, and clinical dental hygiene, her awareness supports many aspects of the practice setting.
Heather received her dental hygiene degree from the Utah College of Dental Hygiene in 2008. Networking in the dental community comes easy to her, and she loves to connect with like-minded colleagues on social media. Heather enjoys both attending and presenting continuing education to expand her knowledge and learn from her friends and colleagues.
She enjoys hanging out with her husband, three sons, and their dog, Moki, scrolling through social media, watching football, and traveling.
822: A Great Formula to Reduce Conflict – Dr. Christian Coachman
Are you tired of friction in your practice? Do you have frustrated and disappointed patients? There's a formula to fix it, and you can use it beyond your work life! Today, Kirk Behrendt and Dr. Christian Coachman, founder of Digital Smile Design, explain their favorite formula, E – R = C and how using it will reduce conflict in all areas of your life. To learn how a few changes can improve life at work and at home, listen to Episode 822 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Dr. Coachman:
- Join Dr. Coachman on Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/christiancoachman
- Follow Dr. Coachman on Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/chriscoachman
- Learn more about Digital Smile Design:https://digitalsmiledesign.com
- Listen to Dr. Coachman’s podcast, Coffee Break with Coachman:https://open.spotify.com/show/4ADCrWhqsUKbHmZtkhhgoB
- Register for DSD Residency 1 On Demand:https://digitalsmiledesign.com/dsd-residency-1-on-demand
- Register for Dr. John Kois and Dr. Coachman’s Optimizing Clinical Outcomes course (March 20-21, 2025):https://www.koiscenter.com/optimizing-clinical-outcomes
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show:https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association:https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club:https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- See the ACT Dental/BPA Live Event Schedule:https://www.actdental.com/event
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free:https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast:https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 822:https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
- Learn about EOS:https://www.eosworldwide.com
- Read Traction by Gino Wickman:https://benbellabooks.com/shop/traction
- Uncover your instinctive strengths with Kolbe:https://www.kolbe.com
Main Takeaways:
- Not meeting expectations is the biggest source of conflict. Keep the promises you make.
- E – R = C is the most important formula you need to use for every aspect of your life.
- Don't try to do everything on your own. Find the right people who can help you.
- Learn to say no. Don't say yes to everything and make yourself miserable.
- Remember that you are not the most important person in your practice.
- Underpromise and overdeliver in order to give yourself a buffer.
- Use numbers to close the expectation and reality gap.
- Be clear. It’s the nicest thing you can do.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
1:23 E – R = C, explained.
5:11 Keep your ideas in check.
8:14 Know who you are.
10:10 How to use E – R = C in your everyday life.
14:30 You are not the most important person in your practice.
22:06 Don't try to do everything yourself.
23:50 Learn how to say no.
28:43 Final thoughts.
Dr. Christian Coachman Bio:
Combining his advanced skills, experience, and technology solutions, Dr. Christian Coachman pioneered the Digital Smile Design methodology and founded Digital Smile Design company (DSD). Since its inception, thousands of dentists worldwide have attended DSD courses and workshops, such as the renowned DSD Residency program.
Dr. Coachman is the developer of worldwide, well-known concepts such as the Digital Smile Design, the Pink Hybrid Implant Restoration, the Digital Planning Center, Emotional Dentistry, Interdisciplinary Treatment Simulation, and Digital Smile Donator. He regularly consults for dental industry companies, developing products, implementing concepts, and marketing strategies, such as the Facially Driven Digital Orthodontic Workflow developed in collaboration with Invisalign, Align Technology.
821: From Chaos to Control: How Systems Transform Your Practice – Miranda Beeson
Do you want to save time, have more energy, and live a better life? For that to happen, you need systems! To help you figure out ways to optimize your practice, Kirk Behrendt brings back Miranda Beeson, ACT’s director of education, to share some of ACT’s proven strategies that will transform your practice. To learn how to eliminate chaos and save thousands of hours in the future, listen to Episode 821 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Miranda:
- Send Miranda an email: miranda@actdental.com
- Follow Miranda on ACT’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/actdental
- Send Gina an email: gina@actdental.com
- Email the ACT Team for their free resources: info@actdental.com
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- See the ACT Dental/BPA Live Event Schedule: https://www.actdental.com/event
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 821: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
Main Takeaways:
- By having systems in your practice, things will get better.
- People are important, but they don't run your business. Systems do!
- When things are chaotic, don't blame your team — blame the systems!
- Systems allow team members to grow, and you can stop micromanaging.
- Make sure you document your systems. Just talking about them isn't enough.
- Understand the 7 essentials and 11 considerations to have a healthy practice.
- Use the 80% rule when designing systems. Strive for 80% and improve upon it.
- Every time you create a system, you are saving thousands of hours in the future.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction and ACT’s TTT, BPA, and Pro Coaching.
4:13 Why having defined systems is important.
9:18 Systems boost productivity.
12:39 Become systems driven, not people dependent.
13:45 Stop micromanaging.
15:12 Give your best energy to things that matter most.
21:19 Know what you're building and why.
22:49 Systems, defined.
23:47 Eleven considerations for designing systems: Start with why.
25:08 Eleven considerations: Do this together as a team.
27:04 Eleven considerations: Brainstorm what you're currently doing.
28:16 Eleven considerations: Take specific, measurable, and actionable steps.
31:47 Eleven considerations: Identify the who.
36:04 Eleven considerations: Anticipate problems.
39:37 Eleven considerations: Have a timeframe or time frequency.
41:02 Eleven considerations: Don't strive for perfection.
41:50 Eleven considerations: Ask good questions.
42:47 Eleven considerations: Implement a timeline for reevaluation.
43:31 Eleven considerations: Use a bullet point system.
44:29 Five tips for writing down your systems.
46:15 Use the 80% approach.
48:46 Systems should answer six key questions.
50:00 Seven essentials of a healthy practice: Communication rhythms.
53:39 Seven essentials of a healthy practice: Financial policy.
54:43 Seven essentials of a healthy practice: Managing accounts receivable.
55:16 Seven essentials of a healthy practice: Scheduling.
55:34 Seven essentials of a healthy practice: New patients experience.
57:00 Seven essentials of a healthy practice: Hygiene recare.
58:26 Seven essentials of a healthy practice: Unscheduled treatment system.
59:38 Final thoughts.
Miranda Beeson, MS, BSDH Bio:
Miranda Beeson has over 25 years of clinical dental hygiene, front office, practice administration, and speaking experience. She is enthusiastic about communication and loves helping others find the power that words can bring to their patient interactions and practice dynamics. As a Lead Practice Coach, she is driven to create opportunities to find value in experiences and cultivate new approaches.
Miranda graduated from Old Dominion University, and enjoys spending time with her husband, Chuck, and her children, Trent, Mallory, and Cassidy. Family time is the best time, and is often spent on a golf course, a volleyball court, or spending the day boating at the beach.
820: The Secrets to Successful Dental Partnerships: Insights from an Industry Expert – Paul Sletten
You want a partner for your practice. But where do you find one, and how do you make it work? To help you choose the right doctor for you and your team, Kirk Behrendt brings back Paul Sletten, founder of the Sletten Group, to share the secrets to a lasting, successful partnership. Life is too short for bad partnerships! To learn how to choose a good partner — and to be a good partner — listen to Episode 820 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Paul:
- Give Paul a call: (303) 699-0990
- Send Paul an email: paul@lifetransitions.com
- Learn more about the Sletten Group: https://theslettengroup.com
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- See the ACT Dental/BPA Live Event Schedule: https://www.actdental.com/event
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 820: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
- Get to know your personality with DiSC: https://www.thediscpersonalitytest.com
- Uncover your instinctive strengths with Kolbe: https://www.kolbe.com
- Develop your leadership with Culture Index: https://www.cultureindex.com
- Discover your gifts with Working Genius: https://www.workinggenius.com
Main Takeaways:
- A successful practice is not run by consensus. There is always a leader.
- Figure out who you are, your strengths, and your blind spots.
- Look for a partner who will fit your culture and core values.
- Choose a partner that you like, admire, and respect.
- Don't hire a partner based on credentials alone.
- Find a way out if you're in a bad partnership.
- Life is too short to be in toxic relationships!
- Stay aligned and updated on your vision.
- Leadership is a skill to be learned.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
0:38 Why this is an important topic.
2:19 Partnerships, explained.
5:15 How partnerships come together.
10:12 Who will fit your practice culture?
13:45 Choose someone you like, admire, and respect.
16:27 Understand who you are.
21:50 What to do if you're in a bad partnership.
24:12 Embrace your designated roles.
27:41 Stay aligned and continually update your vision.
31:34 The key to a fulfilling life.
32:57 Solo practice isn't dying.
35:57 Do 50-50 partnerships work?
39:14 Final thoughts and how to reach out to Paul.
Paul Sletten Bio:
Paul D. Sletten founded the Sletten Group, Inc. in 1975 in Denver, Colorado. They are in their 49th year of business and have developed an international clientele, having assisted and completed transitions in all 50 states, six provinces in Canada, and two states in Australia. They continue to exclusively work with fee-for-service dentists and their teams around the country.
Paul has spoken at more than 285 dental meetings around the country. This includes almost all of the major dental meetings and numerous study clubs. The topics focus on all aspects of practice transitions — including buying a dental practice, selling a dental practice, and much more — as well as personal growth and development for dentists and team members.
Do you want a better practice in 2025? If you want more balance and more freedom in the new year, don't miss this episode! Kirk Behrendt brings back Miranda Beeson, ACT’s director of education, to reveal the keys to getting what you want out of life through your practice. To set yourself up for success for next year — and every year — listen to Episode 819 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Miranda:
- Send Miranda an email: miranda@actdental.com
- Follow Miranda on ACT’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/actdental
- Send Gina an email: gina@actdental.com
- Email the ACT Team for their free resources: info@actdental.com
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- See the ACT Dental/BPA Live Event Schedule: https://www.actdental.com/event
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 819: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
- Download ACT’s Creating Your Vision resource: https://23476641.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/23476641/Creating%20Your%20Vision%20with%20Worksheet.pdf
- Download ACT’s Identifying Your Practice’s Core Values guide: https://23476641.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/23476641/Identify%20Your%20Practices%20Core%20Values.pdf
- Read The E-Myth Dentist: by Christopher Barrow and Michael G. Gerber: https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-e-myth-dentist-christopher-barrow/9739339?ean=9781618350251
Main Takeaways:
- Craft a vision for your practice.
- Develop your core purpose and core values.
- Align your leadership on vision, core purpose, and core values.
- Create a healthy culture by developing a trusting work environment.
- Consistently evaluate whether your core values are alive in your practice.
- Utilize data to measure the efficacy or inefficiencies of systems in your practice.
- Stay aligned with your team by having consistent meetings, check-ins, and huddles.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
2:03 Why this is an important topic.
11:16 The origins of Better Practice, Better Life.
17:44 The three pillars: Aligned.
22:52 Align through meetings, check-ins, and huddles.
27:48 The three pillars: Smart.
31:12 Why you need a coach.
37:22 The three pillars: Healthy.
42:10 Develop your vision, core purpose, and core values.
48:10 Final takeaways.
Miranda Beeson, MS, BSDH Bio:
Miranda Beeson has over 25 years of clinical dental hygiene, front office, practice administration, and speaking experience. She is enthusiastic about communication and loves helping others find the power that words can bring to their patient interactions and practice dynamics. As a Lead Practice Coach, she is driven to create opportunities to find value in experiences and cultivate new approaches.
Miranda graduated from Old Dominion University, and enjoys spending time with her husband, Chuck, and her children, Trent, Mallory, and Cassidy. Family time is the best time, and is often spent on a golf course, a volleyball court, or spending the day boating at the beach.
Sometimes, saying thank you just isn't enough. But gifts aren't always what people want either! So, how do you show gratitude and appreciation to your team? In this episode, Kirk Behrendt brings back Michelle Wakeman, one of ACT’s amazing coaches, to reveal the five languages of appreciation to help you make your team feel valued at work. To learn the easiest way to improve your culture, increase productivity, and enjoy coming to work, listen to Episode 818 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Michelle:
- Send Michelle an email: michelle@actdental.com
- Follow Michelle on ACT’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/actdental
- Send Gina an email: gina@actdental.com
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- See the ACT Dental/BPA Live Event Schedule: https://www.actdental.com/event
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 818: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
- Read The 5 Languages of Love by Gary Chapman: https://5lovelanguages.com/store/the-5-love-languages
- Read The 5 Languages of Appreciation in the Workplace: https://shop.appreciationatwork.com/products/the-5-languages-of-appreciation-in-the-workplace-1
Main Takeaways:
- How you like to be shown appreciation is not the same for others.
- Learn the five languages of appreciation and how to express them.
- Most people like gifts. But it’s not the primary language of appreciation.
- Speak or write words of affirmation to show your appreciation for others.
- Perform acts of service. Even small gestures will mean a lot to your team.
- Quality time in the form of check-ins and team meetings will show you care.
- Appropriate physical touch can positively change the culture of your practice.
- Be genuine when showing appreciation. People can tell when it’s disingenuous.
- Do a team appreciation survey so that everyone knows one another’s language.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
1:53 Why this is an important topic.
4:22 The five languages: Words of affirmation.
7:55 The five languages: Quality time.
10:16 The five languages: Acts of service.
11:33 The five languages: Gifts.
14:21 The five languages: Physical touch.
16:11 Be genuine.
16:58 How to systematize this in your practice.
19:20 Have scheduled downtime.
21:05 Final takeaways.
Michelle Wakeman, BSDH, Bio:
Michelle Wakeman, BSDH, brings nearly 20 years of clinical dental hygiene, administrative, managerial, and sales experience to the table. She has a passion for people and a natural aptitude for communication that has led her to develop meaningful relationships throughout her career in dentistry. As a coach, she seeks to help dental practices develop systems that enable them to enhance their patient experience, leading to better relationships among owners, team members, and patients, along with profitable outcomes.
In her off time, Michelle can usually be found at the ice rink supporting her son, Hunter, in hockey, the ball field cheering on her son, Carter, or the gym, reliving her days as a gymnast with her daughter, Leighton.
817: Smiles Not Sighs: 3 Steps to Implementing New Ideas in Your Practice – Courtney Dalton
Is your team allergic to change? Do they sigh at every new idea you have? To start changing the way they react, keep listening to this episode! Kirk Behrendt brings back Courtney Dalton, one of ACT’s amazing coaches, to share three steps to get your team on board and excited for all of your future plans. To learn the most effective ways to get buy-in every single time, listen to Episode 817 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Courtney:
- Send Courtney an email: courtney@actdental.com
- Follow Courtney on ACT’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/actdental
- Send Gina an email: gina@actdental.com
- Email the ACT Team for the Stages of Change tool: info@actdental.com
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- See the ACT Dental/BPA Live Event Schedule: https://www.actdental.com/event
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 817: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
- Download ACT’s Creating New Agreements, Policies, & Systems resource: https://23476641.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/23476641/Creating%20New%20Agreements%2c%20Policies%2c%20&%20Systems.pdf
Main Takeaways:
- Help your team understand the why so they buy into your ideas.
- When your why is clear to your team, the how becomes much easier.
- Create a space where your team will feel safe, and their ideas will be heard.
- If your team feels heard, they will align with your ideas even if they don't agree.
- No weigh-in, no buy-in. Consistently check in with your team on where they are.
- Slow is smooth, and smooth is fast. Take your time so that you can do things right.
- Understand the five stages of change and support your team wherever they are at.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
0:58 Why this is an important topic.
1:34 Alignment doesn't equal agreement.
4:00 Start with why.
9:41 How to get your team on board.
14:36 Ask open-ended questions.
16:27 Slow is smooth, and smooth is fast.
19:24 Stages of change, explained.
26:47 Final takeaways.
Courtney Dalton, BS, RDH Bio:
Courtney Dalton is a Lead Practice Coach who focuses on establishing a solid foundation in order for a practice to thrive. With over 15 years of experience in the dental industry, she is as passionate about patient care as she is about those who are providing it.
816: The 5 Most Important Questions in 2025 – Dr. Jim McKee
If you want to enjoy dentistry, there are five questions you need to answer this year — and every year! To help you sustain a thriving practice, Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. Jim McKee, founder of Chicago Study Club, to share the five most important questions he wished he knew to answer early in his career. To learn how you can set a positive tone for your practice before the new year, listen to Episode 816 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Dr. McKee:
- Send Dr. McKee an email: jim@mckeedds.com
- Join Dr. McKee on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jim.mckee.104
- Register for Dr. McKee’s TMD Online course: https://courses.phelandentalseminars.com/tmd-pds
- Register for Dr. McKee’s Advanced Occlusion workshop: https://campus.speareducation.com/workshops/advanced-occlusion/details/syllabus
- Register for Dr. McKee’s occlusion seminar: https://campus.speareducation.com/seminars/demystifying-occlusion-1/details/syllabus
- Learn about Chicago Study Club: https://chicagostudyclub.com
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- See the ACT Dental/BPA Live Event Schedule: https://www.actdental.com/event
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 816: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
Main Takeaways:
- Answer these five questions to set the tone for your practice.
- Figure out the rooms and layout you need for your practice’s space.
- Think about how many team members you need and what to pay them.
- Go to study clubs. It is a more efficient CE experience than meetings alone.
- Know the cost to run your business so you know how much to charge patients.
- Have a strategy for getting patients — your ideal patients — through your doors.
- Consider the skill sets you want and need in order to attract above-the-line patients.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
1:16 The genesis of the five questions.
3:56 How am I going to design my physical plant, and how much space do I need?
14:42 How many staff members do I need to hire, and how much should I pay them?
23:29 What are you going to do, and how are you going to get trained to do it?
29:33 How much are you going to charge?
35:16 How am I going to get patients to come in the door?
39:16 Below-the-line and above-the-line patients, explained.
43:36 How am I going to get patients to come in the door? Continued.
52:47 Final thoughts.
55:42 About Dr. McKee’s future courses and Chicago Study Club.
Dr. Jim McKee Bio:
Dr. Jim McKee is a member of the Spear Resident Faculty. He has maintained a private practice since 1984 in Downers Grove, Illinois, where he treats a wide variety of cases with a focus on predictable restorative dentistry. He is a member of the American Academy of Restorative Dentistry and former president of the American Equilibration Society. He has lectured both nationally and internationally for over 25 years and directs several study clubs. Dr. McKee graduated from the University of Notre Dame in 1980 and earned his dental degree from the University of Illinois College of Dentistry in 1984.
815: The Profitable Practice Paradox: Growing Without More Chairs – Miranda Beeson
We’re taught that growth is good. But if you don't grow smart, you could be growing more while making less! To explain this paradox and help you become profitable, Kirk Behrendt brings back Miranda Beeson, ACT’s director of education, to explain how to increase profitability without adding more chairs, more hours, or more stress. To learn how to make your practice better, not just bigger, listen to Episode 815 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Miranda:
- Send Miranda an email: miranda@actdental.com
- Follow Miranda on ACT’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/actdental
- Send Gina an email: gina@actdental.com
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- See the ACT Dental/BPA Live Event Schedule: https://www.actdental.com/event
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 815: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
- Read Miranda’s blog, Mastering Collections: How to Achieve 100% Financial Goals for Dental Practices: https://www.actdental.com/blog/mastering-collections-how-to-achieve-100-financial-goals-for-dental-practices
Main Takeaways:
- Define what growth means for you.
- Focus on making your practice better, not bigger.
- Understand your write-offs, collections, and overhead.
- Growth for the sake of growth will wear your practice thin.
- Maximize your existing resources! You don't need to add to grow.
- You can grow your practice by collecting more of what you produce.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
0:49 ACT’s To The Top, BPA, and Pro Coaching.
5:30 Why this is important.
14:35 Understanding write-offs: Insurance adjustments.
25:53 Understanding write-offs: Membership plan adjustments.
27:39 Understanding write-offs: Elective adjustments.
32:25 Collect what you produce.
36:40 Understand overhead.
44:57 Where did all my money go?
54:44 Final takeaways.
Miranda Beeson, MS, BSDH Bio:
Miranda Beeson has over 25 years of clinical dental hygiene, front office, practice administration, and speaking experience. She is enthusiastic about communication and loves helping others find the power that words can bring to their patient interactions and practice dynamics. As a Lead Practice Coach, she is driven to create opportunities to find value in experiences and cultivate new approaches.
Miranda graduated from Old Dominion University, and enjoys spending time with her husband, Chuck, and her children, Trent, Mallory, and Cassidy. Family time is the best time, and is often spent on a golf course, a volleyball court, or spending the day boating at the beach.
814: 1 Move, Infinite Differentiation Power – Heather Crockett
You're not just a dentist. There is something unique and special about you and your practice! To help you figure out what that is and why it’s important for a thriving practice, Kirk Behrendt brings back Heather Crockett, one of ACT’s amazing coaches, to share a step-by-step process to discover the things that differentiate your business. To learn how you can set yourself apart, listen to Episode 814 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Heather:
- Send Heather an email: heather@actdental.com
- Join Heather on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/heather.r.crockett
- Follow Heather on ACT’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/actdental
- Send the ACT Team an email: info@actdental.com
- Send Gina an email: gina@actdental.com
Learn More About ACT Dental:
- Watch the entire webinar here: https://www.actdental.com/125
- ACT’s website: https://www.actdental.com
- ACT’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/actdental
- ACT’s YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/actdental
- ACT’s Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/actdental
- ACT’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/3137520/admin/feed/posts/
- ACT’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/actdental
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- See the ACT Dental/BPA Live Event Schedule: https://www.actdental.com/event
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 814: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
- Download ACT’s Differentiation Tool: https://23476641.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/23476641/PDF/Differentiation%20Tool.pdf
- Download ACT’s The Five Whys resource: https://23476641.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/23476641/Identify%20Your%20Core%20Purpose%20Tool.pdf
- Learn more about the EOS system: https://www.eosworldwide.com/blog/96514-traction-thoughts-uniques
Main Takeaways:
- Identify your core customers, core competencies, and weaknesses.
- Find three key things your practice is great at that make you stand out.
- Get your entire team aligned on the things that differentiate your practice.
- When you figure out your differentiators, you can use them in your marketing.
- Define your uniques and differentiators before others write that narrative for you.
- You will stand out, attract the right patients, and build your reputation by differentiating.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
1:34 Why this is an important topic.
4:55 Differentiation, explained.
6:40 Three things you need to identify.
8:31 Core competencies, explained.
12:09 Core customers, explained.
16:53 The three uniques, explained.
21:09 How to use your differentiators.
25:18 Final takeaways.
Heather Crockett Bio:
Heather Crockett is a Lead Practice Coach who finds joy in not only improving practices but improving the lives of those she coaches as well. With over 20 years of combined experience in assisting, office management, and clinical dental hygiene, her awareness supports many aspects of the practice setting.
Heather received her dental hygiene degree from the Utah College of Dental Hygiene in 2008. Networking in the dental community comes easy to her, and she loves to connect with like-minded colleagues on social media. Heather enjoys both attending and presenting continuing education to expand her knowledge and learn from her friends and colleagues.
She enjoys hanging out with her husband, three sons, and their dog, Moki, scrolling through social media, watching football, and traveling.
We say it all the time — language matters! Before, during, and after you meet with patients, how you communicate is critical. To help you navigate the art of communication and boost patient engagement, Kirk Behrendt brings back Miranda Beeson, ACT’s director of education, to share 20 of their favorite phrases you can start using today. To learn how to help patients take ownership of their health, listen to Episode 813 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Miranda:
- Send Miranda an email: miranda@actdental.com
- Follow Miranda on ACT’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/actdental
- Send Gina an email: gina@actdental.com
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- See the ACT Dental/BPA Live Event Schedule: https://www.actdental.com/event
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 813: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
- ACT’s webinars: https://www.actdental.com/125
- Watch Episode 777, Why Objections Are a Gift with Miranda Beeson: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wJ6a_rRoNTA
- Download ACT’s 7 Phone Phrases to Fill Your Schedule: https://23476641.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/23476641/7-Phone-Phrases-To-Fill-Your-Schedule.jpg
- Download ACT’s Say This, Not That resource: https://23476641.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/23476641/Say%20This%2c%20Not%20That%20-%20Fillable.pdf
- Read Motivational Interviewing in Health Care by Stephen Rollnick, William R. Miller, and Christopher C. Butler: https://www.guilford.com/books/Motivational-Interviewing-in-Health-Care/Rollnick-Miller-Butler/9781462550371
Main Takeaways:
- Elevate your language to elevate your practice.
- A big part of communicating is being a great listener.
- How you communicate can build or break trust with patients.
- Know how to communicate effectively on the phone versus in the op.
- Practice handling patient objections. Think of them as gifts and invite them!
- Express gratitude at every opportunity. Your practice won't exist without patients!
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
1:20 Why language and verbal skills are so important.
11:07 Phone call: What led you to seek out a new dental home?
14:04 Phone call: What are your expectations about your first visit with us?
18:20 Phone call: I am here to help you/You are in good hands.
22:05 In the op: Is there anything specific you would like us to focus on during your visit today?
25:16 In the op: What are your goals for your mouth/smile? What does healthy mean to you?
27:32 In the op: If I see anything that doesn't look healthy, would it be okay to share it with you?
29:55 In the op: Tell me about how you take care of your teeth and gums at home.
31:45 Bonus phrase: What are your ideas for how you could do something differently?
34:49 Treatment presentation: You shared with me . . .
36:31 Treatment presentation: What is your understanding of . . .?
38:47 Treatment presentation: If there were a way . . .
41:24 Treatment presentation: What would prevent you from reserving time with us today?
43:58 Patient objections: Many patients have felt the same way. What we have found is . . .
48:20 If they don't give you objections, you can invite objections.
49:42 Patient objections: Which concerns could I provide more information about?
51:42 Patient objections: How much “too much” is it? If there were a way . . .
54:32 Patient objections: It won’t be more conservative/predictable/cost-effective than today.
56:11 Why expressing gratitude is so important.
58:19 Expressing gratitude: We love having patients like you. You brighten our day.
1:00:30 The best marketing tool.
1:02:16 Expressing gratitude: I’m so glad you have a great visit. There is no greater compliment!
1:03:55 Expressing gratitude: Thank you for trusting in us.
1:07:16 Expressing gratitude: We appreciate you choosing us as your dental home.
1:08:58 Elevate your language to elevate your practice.
Miranda Beeson, MS, BSDH Bio:
Miranda Beeson has over 25 years of clinical dental hygiene, front office, practice administration, and speaking experience. She is enthusiastic about communication and loves helping others find the power that words can bring to their patient interactions and practice dynamics. As a Lead Practice Coach, she is driven to create opportunities to find value in experiences and cultivate new approaches.
Miranda graduated from Old Dominion University, and enjoys spending time with her husband, Chuck, and her children, Trent, Mallory, and Cassidy. Family time is the best time, and is often spent on a golf course, a volleyball court, or spending the day boating at the beach.
812: Sharpen Your Vision: Differentiation Success – Part 4 – Adriana Booth
There are dentists on every corner of the country. So, why would patients come to you? In the final episode of this four-part series, Kirk Behrendt brings back Adriana Booth, one of ACT’s amazing coaches, to help you answer this question. Embrace differentiation, and you can finally set your practice apart! To learn how by using ACT’s free tools and resources, listen to Episode 812 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Adriana:
- Join Adriana on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/adriana.booth
- Follow Adriana on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adrimarieb
- Send Gina an email: gina@actdental.com
- Send the ACT team an email: info@actdental.com
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- See the ACT Dental/BPA Live Event Schedule: https://www.actdental.com/event
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 812: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
- Watch Part 1, Episode 806 with Miranda Beeson: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kQLizN05Zn8
- Watch Part 2, Episode 807 with Carlie Einarson: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JLya9ItEvk4
- Watch Part 3, Episode 808 with Robyn Theisen: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hkrZg-ONkNs
- Download ACT’s Differentiation Tool: https://info.actdental.com/hubfs/PDF/Differentiation%20Tool.pdf
- Download ACT’s Better Practice Strategic Plan: https://23476641.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/23476641/ACT_Dental_-_Better_Practice_Strategic_Plan.pdf
Main Takeaways:
- Start by identifying your core customers.
- Do not skip identifying your core customers!
- Pinpoint services that are sought after by patients.
- Identify what you are good at and what you want more of.
- Recognize your weaknesses and the areas you can improve in.
- Build trust with your core purpose, core values, and differentiation.
- Don't compare your practice to others or only do what others are doing.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
1:40 Why differentiation is so important.
3:39 Identify your ideal patient.
7:33 Differentiation, explained.
9:18 Do you fix teeth or change lives?
10:59 How differentiation impacts team culture.
11:56 The importance of alignment.
14:35 Figure out your core customer profile.
17:49 Identify your core competencies.
19:56 Identify your weaknesses.
24:05 Final takeaways.
Adriana Booth, BS, RDH Bio:
Adriana Booth is a Lead Practice Coach who partners with dentists and their teams to cultivate leadership skills, build practice growth, and streamline business practices. After spending nearly two decades in the dental industry working with top-notch dental teams, Adriana came to ACT to share her passion for professional growth, high-level training, and systems creation with our clients. As a dental hygienist with a love for continuing education and personal growth, helping a practice become successful is at the heart of her passion for dentistry.
Adriana has a B.S. in Dental Hygiene from West Liberty University/O’Hehir University. By being involved in several Columbus, Ohio, study clubs, Adriana maintains strong relationships within her local dental community. She enjoys a variety of fitness activities, family time, good books, and at the top of her list, her fur babies.
811: Going Out-Of-Network: 3 Marketing Considerations – Eric Hubbard
Do you tell yourself you can't go out-of-network? If you do, stop! You can, and today’s guest will teach you how. Kirk Behrendt brings in Eric Hubbard, a master marketer and founder of Pain-Free Dental Marketing, to help you be paid more to work less. If you're tired of the long hours, dealing with insurance, and less-than-ideal patients, listen to Episode 811 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Eric:
- Follow Pain-Free Dental Marketing on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/painfree_dentalmarketing
- Learn more about Pain-Free Dental Marketing: https://www.painfreedentalmarketing.com
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- See the ACT Dental/BPA Live Event Schedule: https://www.actdental.com/event
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 811: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
- Read Traction by Gino Wickman: https://benbellabooks.com/shop/traction
Main Takeaways:
- If you don't have a solid admin team culture, you are not ready to go out-of-network.
- Demonstrate to patients that your excellence is beyond just “being a good dentist”.
- Keep your social media and website updated. This is where patients always look.
- View everything about your practice through the eyes of your patients.
- Be curious about your patients. Engage in meaningful dialogue.
- Get rid of your self-limiting beliefs. You can go out-of-network!
- Seeing more patients does not mean you earn more money.
- Invest in your practice — even in the smallest of ways.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
1:37 Eric’s background.
3:45 Why this is an important topic.
7:11 Do this before exiting insurance plans.
13:54 Look at the comprehensive patient experience.
16:47 What is your system for asking for referrals?
20:13 How are you demonstrating excellence?
23:49 Also invest in the small things.
27:52 Where and how to spend money in marketing.
32:36 Differentiation, explained.
36:16 Final thoughts.
38:00 More about Pain-Free Dental Marketing.
Eric Hubbard Bio:
Before founding Pain-Free Dental Marketing, Eric Hubbard started his career in the corporate world. He built his marketing foundation at Procter and Gamble, where he mastered the art of aiming messages directly at the company’s highest-value patients.
Years later, Eric’s hometown dentist became interested in marketing strategies to save his dwindling practice. He became Eric’s first client, kicking off his marketing agency where he and his team have been helping practices grow ever since.
810: Building Your Dental Dream Team: Retention Through Shared Values – Heather Crockett
Dentistry isn't the hard part about being a dentist — it’s finding and keeping great people! To help you make it a little bit easier, Kirk Behrendt brings back Heather Crockett, one of ACT’s amazing coaches, to share ACT’s tools and resources for developing and implementing your core values. To learn the secret to a successful practice, listen to Episode 810 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Heather:
- Send Heather an email: heather@actdental.com
- Join Heather on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/heather.r.crockett
- Follow Heather on ACT’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/actdental
- Send Gina an email: gina@actdental.com
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- See the ACT Dental/BPA Live Event Schedule: https://www.actdental.com/event
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 810: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
- Watch the entire webinar here: https://www.actdental.com/125
- Register for ACT’s Napa Valley Mastery Summit and To The Top Study Club (April 24-27, 2025): https://info.actdental.com/napa-mastery-summit
- Download ACT’s Right People Scorecard: https://23476641.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/23476641/Instructions%20for%20Right%20People%20Scorecard.pdf
- Download ACT’s Identifying Your Practice’s Core Values guide: https://23476641.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/23476641/Identify%20Your%20Practices%20Core%20Values.pdf
- Download ACT’s 3-3-3 Model for Onboarding: https://23476641.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/23476641/3-3-3%20Onboarding%20Model.pdf
- Read books by Patrick Lencioni: https://www.tablegroup.com/books
- Read Traction by Gino Wickman: https://benbellabooks.com/shop/traction
Main Takeaways:
- Lead by example. If you don't follow your core values, why should your team?
- This is your practice. You must establish your core values, not your team.
- Your core values are the filter for everything you do for your practice.
- Once you establish core values, your team culture will improve.
- Being consistent is crucial. You can't just set it and forget it.
- Core values are verbs. Make sure they are actionable.
- Money isn't what keeps people in your practice.
- Use simple language to convey core values.
- “Bake” your core values for at least a year.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
2:09 ACT’s TTT, BPA, and Pro Coaching.
5:34 Objectives.
7:27 Why this is an important topic.
13:45 Core values, explained.
15:29 Types of values, explained.
17:12 Values are verbs.
20:51 The role of core values in team culture.
23:23 Four steps to identify your core values.
30:29 Core values examples.
37:53 How to approach core values with prospective team members.
41:11 Right People Right Seat, explained.
45:14 GWC, explained.
46:11 Three questions to ask before you hire.
53:07 Consistency is crucial.
54:46 How to use this on a day-to-day basis.
59:52 Final takeaways.
1:03:37 Q&A: Does the leader come up with core values, or do you do it as a team?
1:07:12 Q&A: ACT’s scorecard.
1:07:50 ACT’s Napa Valley Mastery Summit.
Heather Crockett Bio:
Heather Crockett is a Lead Practice Coach who finds joy in not only improving practices but improving the lives of those she coaches as well. With over 20 years of combined experience in assisting, office management, and clinical dental hygiene, her awareness supports many aspects of the practice setting.
Heather received her dental hygiene degree from the Utah College of Dental Hygiene in 2008. Networking in the dental community comes easy to her, and she loves to connect with like-minded colleagues on social media. Heather enjoys both attending and presenting continuing education to expand her knowledge and learn from her friends and colleagues.
She enjoys hanging out with her husband, three sons, and their dog, Moki, scrolling through social media, watching football, and traveling.
809: Why Would a Patient Choose You as a Dentist? – Dr. Jim Otten
There are over 200,000 dentists in the U.S. So, why would a patient choose your practice? To help you answer that question, Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. Jim Otten, co-instructor of Global Diagnosis Education, with advice for differentiating your business and giving patients an exceptional experience. To learn which areas to focus on to build an amazing practice, listen to Episode 809 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Dr. Otten:
- Send Dr. Otten an email: jottendds@gmail.com
- Join Dr. Otten on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/james.otten.71
- Follow Dr. Otten on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jamesottendental
- Learn more about Global Diagnosis Education: https://globaldiagnosiseducation.org
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- See the ACT Dental/BPA Live Event Schedule: https://www.actdental.com/event
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 809: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
Main Takeaways:
- Go through your discovery process to find your gifts and strengths.
- Spend as much time working on your practice as in your practice.
- Become an excellent diagnostician to differentiate your practice.
- Stay curious and informed. There is too much misinformation.
- Understand your why and get your team on board.
- Design an exceptional patient experience.
- Overcome your fear of missing out.
- Ask for help. We all need it.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
1:54 Dr. Otten’s background.
4:59 Go through your discovery process.
6:58 Don't fall victim to misinformation.
12:32 How to differentiate your practice.
14:18 Core values need to stem from your why.
18:01 How to get team buy-in.
21:58 Designing the exceptional experience.
29:08 About Global Diagnosis Education.
36:26 Final thoughts.
Dr. Jim Otten Bio:
Dr. James F. Otten is a 1981 graduate of the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Dentistry. He completed a one-year residency in hospital dentistry with emphasis on advanced restoration of teeth and oral surgery at the Veterans Administration Medical Center in Leavenworth, Kansas. He taught crown-and-bridge dentistry as an Associate Professor at UMKC before entering private practice in 1982, where he served as chief of staff of a large group practice in Fayetteville, Arkansas, before opening his practice in Lawrence, Kansas, in 1984.
Dr. Otten has pursued rigorous post-graduate education since 1986, accumulating thousands of hours in advanced continuing education that he has intentionally applied to his practice in order to develop its personalized care philosophy. He has completed the rigorous curriculum at two prestigious institutions, The Pankey Institute for Advanced Dental Education, and the Dawson Center for Advanced Dental Education. He lectures nationally and internationally and has recently been asked to join the faculty at the Newport Coast Orofacial Institute in Newport Beach, California.
808: Sharpen Your Vision: Defining Your Core Values – Part 3 – Robyn Theisen
To continue the series on sharpening your vision, Kirk Behrendt brings back Robyn Theisen, one of ACT’s amazing coaches, with a framework to help you define, establish, and carry out your core values. It is one of the most important things you will ever do as a business owner — so let's do it right! To learn the third step to becoming happier at work, listen to Episode 808 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Robyn:
- Send Robyn an email: robyn@actdental.com
- Follow Robyn on ACT’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/actdental
- Send Gina an email: gina@actdental.com
- Send Kirk an email: kirk@actdental.com
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- See the ACT Dental/BPA Live Event Schedule: https://www.actdental.com/event
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 808: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
- Watch Part 1, Episode 806 with Miranda Beeson: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kQLizN05Zn8
- Watch Part 2, Episode 807 with Carlie Einarson: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JLya9ItEvk4
- Download ACT’s Identifying Your Practice’s Core Values tool: https://23476641.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/23476641/Identify%20Your%20Practice_s%20Core%20Values.pdf
- Watch How Should a Company Share Its Values? by Simon Sinek: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5yE541BY-1c
Main Takeaways:
- Establishing core values will help you attract the right people to your practice.
- It is up to the leader to develop and maintain core values. Lead by example.
- Your team culture will improve when you establish clear core values.
- All business decisions can be filtered through your core values.
- Core values are verbs, not nouns. Make them actionable.
- Have core values alive in the halls, not just on the walls.
- Let your core values bake for at least a year.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
0:57 Why defining your core values is important.
4:37 Core values, explained.
8:10 Core values are verbs, not nouns.
12:46 It isn't just about patients.
14:15 Let your core values bake.
15:10 How core values affect team culture.
22:19 How to define your core values.
26:07 Final takeaways.
Robyn Theisen Bio:
Robyn Theisen brings an entire life and legacy of dental experience to the team and every team with which she works as the daughter and sister of dentists. With almost 20 years of experience in dentistry, her roles ranged from practice management to operations at Patterson Dental to coaching teams. Robyn’s passion is empowering teams to realize that they can dramatically impact the lives of the people they serve by implementing skills and systems to remove barriers to life-changing dental treatment. She has done it for decades and does it every day with dental teams.
Outside of coaching, she enjoys time with her husband, Rob, and two daughters, Emerson and Ruby. She loves traveling, music, fitness, and cheering on the Michigan State Spartans.
807: Sharpen Your Vision: Defining Your Core Purpose – Part 2 – Carlie Einarson
In part two of this four-part series, Kirk Behrendt brings back Carlie Einarson, one of ACT’s amazing coaches, with the next building blocks to sharpen your vision: defining your core purpose. She explains why crafting a strong core purpose is important, the steps to do it, and how it will improve your practice. To learn the next steps for a better practice and a better life, listen to Episode 807 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Carlie:
- Send Carlie an email: carlie@actdental.com
- Follow Carlie on ACT’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/actdental
- Send Gina an email: gina@actdental.com
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- See the ACT Dental/BPA Live Event Schedule: https://www.actdental.com/event
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 807: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
- Watch Part 1, Episode 806 with Miranda Beeson: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kQLizN05Zn8
- Download ACT’s The Five Whys: https://23476641.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/23476641/Identify%20Your%20Core%20Purpose%20Tool.pdf
- Read Traction by Gino Wickman: https://benbellabooks.com/shop/traction
Main Takeaways:
- A core purpose and a mission are two different things.
- Think beyond profitability. Reflect on why your practice exists.
- Decision-making will be easier when you have a core purpose.
- Having a strong core purpose will align and motivate your team.
- Your core purpose must be reflected internally as well as externally.
- Be brief, clear, and use inspirational language to craft your core purpose.
- You will build trust with patients faster when you have a clear core purpose.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
1:08 Why defining your core purpose is important.
3:55 Consistency motivates team members.
8:49 Figure out your why.
11:25 Core purpose versus mission, explained.
14:10 The role of core purpose in team culture.
15:46 A strong core purpose will improve decision-making.
19:01 How to define your core purpose.
25:48 Your core purpose is internal and external.
26:46 Last thoughts.
Carlie Einarson Bio:
Carlie Einarson is a lead practice coach who has a passion for helping others succeed in the dental field. She loves helping to create a stable foundation for practices so both professionals and patients have a great experience every time they walk in the door!
Carlie graduated from Utah College of Dental Hygiene. She has ten years of experience in the dental field, including clinical dental hygiene, front office, and leading teams.
In her free time, she enjoys spending quality time with loved ones, traveling, skiing, playing volleyball, and golfing.
806: 6 Critical Questions to Sharpen Your Vision – Part 1 – Miranda Beeson
Directionless driving will get you stranded — and it’s the same for your business! In part one of a four-part series, Kirk Behrendt brings back Miranda Beeson, ACT’s director of education, with a strategic plan to help you get to where you want to go. Start answering these six critical questions, and you will be on your way to the practice of your dreams! To learn the first steps to get what you want out of your practice and your life, listen to Episode 806 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Miranda:
- Send Miranda an email: miranda@actdental.com
- Follow Miranda on ACT’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/actdental
- Send Kirk an email: kirk@actdental.com
- Send Gina an email: gina@actdental.com
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- See the ACT Dental/BPA Live Event Schedule: https://www.actdental.com/event
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 806: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
- Watch Episode 801 with Miranda Beeson: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pJ58Wc6vBcU
- Watch Episode 803 with Dr. Christopher Mazzola & Dr. Charlie Ward: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pDrA9J5hVtI
- Download 6 Critical Questions: https://23476641.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/23476641/6%20Critical%20Questions.pdf
- Read The Advantage by Patrick Lencioni: https://www.tablegroup.com/product/the-advantage
- Listen to “Good Day to Have a Great Day” by Russell Dickerson: https://open.spotify.com/track/3XY1FU9onLzMYjhnuh82lZ
- Read Traction by Gino Wickman: https://benbellabooks.com/shop/traction
- Read Who Not How by Dan Sullivan: https://whonothow.com
Main Takeaways:
- Have a clear vision of what you're building.
- Share your vision with your team. You can't do it alone.
- Align with your team on expected behaviors in your practice.
- Inspire your team by consistently communicating your core purpose.
- Don't just list out goals you want to achieve — create a plan and strategize.
- Get clear on the things that are important right now, not what “feels” important.
- Set aside time to think through these questions. Don't do them during a lunch break.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
2:31 Why this is an important topic.
8:44 Vision is important for your culture.
16:52 Six critical questions: Understand your whys.
26:21 Six critical questions: Align on your behaviors.
31:18 Six critical questions: What do you do that sets you apart?
35:58 Six critical questions: How will you succeed?
40:45 Six critical questions: What is most important right now?
50:10 Six critical questions: Who must do what?
54:48 Final takeaways.
Miranda Beeson, MS, BSDH Bio:
Miranda Beeson has over 25 years of clinical dental hygiene, front office, practice administration, and speaking experience. She is enthusiastic about communication and loves helping others find the power that words can bring to their patient interactions and practice dynamics. As a Lead Practice Coach, she is driven to create opportunities to find value in experiences and cultivate new approaches.
Miranda graduated from Old Dominion University, and enjoys spending time with her husband, Chuck, and her children, Trent, Mallory, and Cassidy. Family time is the best time, and is often spent on a golf course, a volleyball court, or spending the day boating at the beach.
805: Answers to 3 of the Biggest Questions in Dentistry – Dr. Christian Coachman
How will dentistry be in the future? What should dentists today focus on? Is balance possible in this profession? To thoughtfully answer these three big questions, Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. Christian Coachman, founder of Digital Smile Design, with his advice for navigating the personal and business side of being a dentist. Your best years and dentistry’s best years are still yet to come! To hear about what you can look forward to, listen to Episode 805 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Dr. Coachman:
- Join Dr. Coachman on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/christiancoachman
- Follow Dr. Coachman on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chriscoachman
- Learn more about Digital Smile Design: https://digitalsmiledesign.com
- Register for the DSD Provider course (November 11, 2024): https://digitalsmiledesign.com/dsd-provider
- Register for DSD Residency 1 On Demand: https://digitalsmiledesign.com/dsd-residency-1-on-demand
- Listen to Dr. Coachman’s podcast, Coffee Break with Coachman: https://open.spotify.com/show/4ADCrWhqsUKbHmZtkhhgoB
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- See the ACT Dental/BPA Live Event Schedule: https://www.actdental.com/event
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 805: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
- Watch Episode 767 with Dr. Coachman & Dr. Konstantin Kross: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n3CEfbaJblA&t=3067s
Main Takeaways:
- Preservation, longevity, proactive care, and systemic health will be the future of dentistry.
- Build a clear vision for yourself, your practice, and the people you want to attract.
- Hold yourself accountable. It’s the biggest favor you can do for yourself.
- Focus on attaining a better life, not necessarily a balanced life.
- Work on creating an aligned, smart, and healthy practice.
- Create a routine so you have more structure.
- Build a self-care routine into your life.
- Be kind but not soft with yourself.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
1:18 The current state of dentistry and the future of dentistry.
11:51 Dentistry is oftentimes too reactive.
16:08 The business of dentistry, explained.
23:24 Be aligned, smart, and healthy.
26:40 Focus on yourself.
28:47 Be kind, but not soft on yourself.
29:39 Build a clear vision.
35:24 Is balance attainable?
49:07 Final thoughts.
Dr. Christian Coachman Bio:
Combining his advanced skills, experience, and technology solutions, Dr. Christian Coachman pioneered the Digital Smile Design methodology and founded Digital Smile Design company (DSD). Since its inception, thousands of dentists worldwide have attended DSD courses and workshops, such as the renowned DSD Residency program.
Dr. Coachman is the developer of worldwide, well-known concepts such as the Digital Smile Design, the Pink Hybrid Implant Restoration, the Digital Planning Center, Emotional Dentistry, Interdisciplinary Treatment Simulation, and Digital Smile Donator. He regularly consults for dental industry companies, developing products, implementing concepts, and marketing strategies, such as the Facially Driven Digital Orthodontic Workflow developed in collaboration with Invisalign, Align Technology. He has lectured and published internationally in the fields of esthetic and digital dentistry, dental photography, oral rehabilitation, dental ceramics, implants, and communication strategies and marketing in dentistry.
804: Am I Overtreating My Patients? – Dr. Drew McDonald
Doctors treat diseases as soon as they see it. They don't wait until the final stage! So, why aren't dentists doing the same? To encourage you to start diagnosing more and treating patients early, Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. Drew McDonald from the Chicago Study Club to explain the consequences of waiting until it’s too late. Early diagnosis isn’t overtreating — you are setting patients up for a better, healthier, pain-free life. To learn the true value of orthodontics and how you can help more patients, listen to Episode 804 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Dr. McDonald:
- Join Dr. McDonald on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/drew.mcdonald.984
- Follow Dr. McDonald on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drdrewmcdonald
- Contact Dr. McDonald for speaking engagements: https://www.orthobymcdonald.com
- Stay tuned for Dr. McDonald’s MRI courses (TBA late 2024): https://www.orthobymcdonald.com
- Learn more about Chicago Study Club: https://chicagostudyclub.com
- Send Kirk an email for Dr. McDonald’s previous videos: kirk@actdental.com
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- See the ACT Dental/BPA Live Event Schedule: https://www.actdental.com/event
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 804: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
Main Takeaways:
- Not diagnosing patients is not okay.
- Using MRI and CBCT to diagnose patients is not overtreating.
- Early diagnosis and intervention is not overdiagnosing or overtreating.
- You have the ability to course correct and set patients up for better health.
- Imaging machines today have lower doses of radiation and are safer for patients.
- Diagnose patients as early as possible so they can be treated as early as possible.
- Orthodontists are more than just movers of teeth. You can prevent many future issues.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
1:28 Dr. McDonald’s background.
6:05 Why this is an important topic.
10:34 Imaging is not overdiagnosing.
14:24 The importance of early airway intervention.
18:20 Orthodontics, explained.
21:27 Challenges in understanding how to read and understand imaging.
22:54 What dentists get wrong about overtreating.
30:39 Final thoughts.
33:15 More about Dr. McDonald’s upcoming courses and Chicago Study Club.
Dr. Drew McDonald Bio:
Dr. Drew McDonald is a board-certified orthodontic specialist with a strong focus on airway and temporomandibular joint-focused treatment planning, surgically facilitated orthodontic treatment, and providing complex interdisciplinary care for patients. He lectures internationally on these topics and has contributed to literature and textbooks in these areas. He is dedicated to advancing the profession of orthodontics and dentistry as a whole.
Dr. McDonald attended dental school at the prestigious Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska. Known for its rigorous academic curriculum and intense clinical training, he received many academic accolades while at Creighton, including inductions into Omicron Kappa Upsilon (National Dental Honor Society) and Alpha Sigma Nu (Honor Society of Jesuit Universities). He also served in leadership positions as class president and student body president, and on alumni relations committees.
After graduating cum laude from Creighton, Dr. McDonald was accepted as one of only three residents nationwide into the University of Missouri-Kansas City Orthodontics program, a renowned two-and-a-half-year, full-time residency known for its clinical excellence. He graduated in December of 2016 with his certificate in orthodontics and master’s degree in Oral and Craniofacial Sciences.
You're a dentist — not a hammer! Stop forcing treatment on patients and start guiding them toward it instead. To help you make that happen, Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. Christopher Mazzola and Dr. Charlie Ward, visiting faculty from the Pankey Institute, to share what they’ve uncovered about the new patient process and how to find the things that matter to them most. To start decoding your patients’ minds to establish trust and improve retention, listen to Episode 803 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Dr. Mazzola & Dr. Ward:
- Join Dr. Mazzola on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/christopher.d.mazzola
- Follow Dr. Mazzola on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/christopherdmazzoladds
- Send Dr. Ward an email: charlie@bmoredentalarts.com
- Follow Dr. Ward on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drcwarddds
- Register for Dr. Mazzola & Dr. Ward’s Mastering Treatment Planning course (October 2-4, 2025): https://pankey.org/registration/?courseId=17004&tuition=0&lodging=true
- Register for Dr. Mazzola & Dr. Ward’s Mastering Dental Photography course (October 29-31, 2026): https://pankey.org/registration/?courseId=17781&tuition=0&lodging=true
- Register for Dr. Ward’s Mastering Aesthetic Restorative Dentistry course (SOLD OUT): https://pankey.org/course-category/mard
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- See the ACT Dental/BPA Live Event Schedule: https://www.actdental.com/event
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 803: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
- Register for the Essentials courses at Pankey: https://pankey.org/?s=essentials
- Try Weave’s phone system: https://www.getweave.com
- Read books by Adam Grant: https://adamgrant.net/books
Main Takeaways:
- Establish your core purpose, mission, and vision.
- Ensure that your admin team understands your mission and vision.
- Stop being a hammer. Your job is to facilitate treatment, not to force it.
- Ask patients for feedback and insights so you can improve your practice.
- Don't make your treatment conversation about everything you see wrong.
- Be mindful of the words you use with your patients. Don't overwhelm them.
- Small gestures can go a long way in earning your patients’ trust and respect.
- It starts with the phone call. Ensure patients have a great phone call experience.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
1:40 Dr. Ward and Dr. Mazzola’s backgrounds.
3:56 Why this is an important topic.
5:42 Help new team members understand why this is important.
9:11 Show patients you truly care.
13:44 It all starts on the phone.
19:10 Critical patient information to collect in the pre-clinical interview.
22:59 The most memorable feedback from patients.
29:12 Challenge dogma.
44:42 Don't be a hammer.
50:07 Philosophies on connecting with patients.
1:06:31 Final thoughts.
1:09:55 More about Dr. Mazzola & Dr. Ward’s future courses.
Dr. Christopher Mazzola Bio:
Dr. Christopher Mazzola was born and raised in Ann Arbor, Michigan. He attended the University of Michigan for his undergraduate studies where he graduated with honors with a Chemical Engineering Degree. During his undergraduate studies, he conducted research with dental school faculty on materials to aid in patients’ healing after dental surgery. He then continued his education at Michigan where he completed his Doctor of Dental Surgery Degree. While in dental school, he was awarded the University of Michigan American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry Award for his research in the clinical application of CAD/CAM technology in dentistry.
Prior to joining Traverse Dental Associates, Dr. Mazzola owned a practice in Colorado Springs, Colorado, where he was named one of the area’s 2013 TopDentists™. He continued with education focusing on communication and technology in private practice. He has also served as an instructor and mentor for new graduates focusing on patient interactions and CEREC CAD/CAM Technology.
In his spare time, Dr. Mazzola enjoys spending time with his wife, Christina, his children, Baylor and Eliana, and his three dogs, Isabelle, Lola, and Aspen. He tries to stay active through competitive CrossFit, golfing, running, and skiing. He is looking forward to watching his family grow in the amazing community that is Traverse City!
Dr. Charlie Ward Bio:
After graduating from the University of Maryland with a Bachelor of Science degree in 2004, he went straight into the University of Maryland School of Dentistry. He earned his DDS degree in 2008, and since then he has completed the Essentials courses and many others at the esteemed Pankey Institute, where he now serves as visiting faculty. He is currently a member of the Maryland State Dental Association and the Academy of General Dentistry.
802: From Metrics to Excellence: How to Make Your Data Work for You! – Dr. Barrett Straub
You care about your business more than anyone else. For that reason, it’s up to you to understand your numbers! To help you lean into the data you need, Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. Barrett Straub, ACT’s CEO, to share the top key metrics to track in every aspect of your practice. There's no “easy button” for success, but data will make the path easier! To learn how to make your data work for you, listen to Episode 802 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Dr. Straub:
- Send Dr. Straub an email: barrett@actdental.com
- Join Dr. Straub on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/barrett.d.straub
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- See the ACT Dental/BPA Live Event Schedule: https://www.actdental.com/event
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 802: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
- Watch the entire webinar here: https://www.actdental.com/122
- Register for ACT’s Napa Valley Mastery Summit and To The Top Study Club (April 24-27, 2025): https://info.actdental.com/napa-mastery-summit
- Download ACT’s Roadmap to Practice Profitability: https://23476641.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/23476641/ACT_Dental_-_Roadmap_to_Practice_Profitability.pdf
- Download ACT’s GAPs at a Glance: https://23476641.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/23476641/47%20The%20Financial%20GAPs%20at%20a%20Glance%20-%2005.pdf
- Download ACT’s Capacity Tracker: https://23476641.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/23476641/ACT%20Dental%20Capacity%20Tracker%20Tool%20(1).pdf
- Download ACT’s guide to Team Meetings: https://23476641.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/23476641/Team%20Meetings.pdf
Main Takeaways:
- What gets measured gets improved.
- Understand which key metrics to focus on and why.
- Get your team aligned on what data means for your practice.
- If you're new to using metrics to guide your practice, start small.
- Don't fear the numbers. Embrace them to start improving your practice.
- Use data collection tools such as Dental Intelligence, PMS, and manual tracking.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
1:40 About ACT’s TTT, BPA, and Pro Coaching.
4:42 Objectives.
6:06 Why this is an important topic.
9:20 Common pitfalls.
13:04 Clinical metrics: Patient treatment diagnosis percentage.
15:24 Clinical metrics: Patient treatment acceptance percentage.
23:39 Hygiene metrics: Periodontal data.
29:38 Operational metrics: Cancellation rates.
31:18 Operational metrics: Capacity.
37:20 New patient metrics: Acquisition and retention.
45:57 Financial metrics: Gross/net production, collections, accounts receivable, overhead.
48:45 Patient experience metrics: Reviews, Google ratings, and internal referrals.
50:01 Ways to collect the data you need.
51:59 Get your team aligned on what metrics mean to your practice.
55:23 Final takeaways.
Dr. Barrett Straub Bio:
Dr. Barrett Straub practices general and sedation dentistry in Port Washington, Wisconsin. He has worked hard to develop his practice into a top-performing, fee-for-service practice that focuses on improving the lives of patients through dentistry.
A graduate of Marquette Dental School, Dr. Straub’s advanced training and CE includes work at the Spear Institute, LVI, DOCS, and as a member of the Milwaukee Study Club. He is a past member of the Wisconsin Dental Association Board of Trustees and was awarded the Marquette Dental School 2017 Young Alumnus of the Year. As a former ACT coaching client that experienced first-hand the transformation that coaching can provide, he is passionate about helping other dentists create the practice they’ve always wanted.
Dr. Straub loves to hunt, golf, and spend winter on the ice, curling. He is married to Katie, with two daughters, Abby and Elizabeth.
801: Your Practice, Your Life: Unlock Freedom – Miranda Beeson
Dentistry can give you the life you want. So, why do you dread going into the office? Kirk Behrendt brings back Miranda Beeson, ACT’s director of education, to tell you it’s not the dentistry giving you the Sunday scaries — it’s how you're doing it. To help you overcome burnout and take control over your practice and life, they provide a framework for planning the life you want in and outside of your practice. It’s your life and your practice! To learn how to make it the best it can be, listen to Episode 801 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Miranda:
- Send Miranda an email: miranda@actdental.com
- Follow Miranda on ACT’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/actdental
- Send Kirk an email: kirk@actdental.com
- Send Gina an email: gina@actdental.com
- Register for ACT’s To The Top Study Club (October 25, 2024): https://www.eventbrite.com/e/members-only-climb-with-us-register-for-october-25-2024-ttt-study-club-tickets-753430148857
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- See the ACT Dental/BPA Live Event Schedule: https://www.actdental.com/event
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 801: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
- Download ACT’s guide to Creating Your Vision: https://23476641.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/23476641/Creating%20Your%20Vision%20with%20Worksheet.pdf
- Download ACT’s OGT Tool: https://23476641.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/23476641/ACT%20Dental%20OGT%20Tool%20Outcomes%20Goals%20Targets.pdf
- Discover your gifts with Working Genius: https://www.workinggenius.com
- Get to know your personality with DiSC: https://www.thediscpersonalitytest.com
- Uncover your instinctive strengths with Kolbe: https://www.kolbe.com
Main Takeaways:
- Take the time to know yourself and what you want out of life.
- Form a clear vision of the life you want in and outside of your practice.
- Don't do what other people think you should do. Do what you want to do!
- Focus on the vision for your practice, your patients, your team, and yourself.
- Create a strategy and defined plan to help you focus on your long-term goals.
- Share your vision with your team and allow them to contribute toward the vision.
- Carve out solid time — not just 30 minutes — to think about what you want out of life.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
1:39 Why this is an important topic.
5:42 Get clarity around your vision.
12:40 Four areas to focus on when building your vision.
14:36 Know yourself and what you want.
21:29 Analyze your gaps with ACT’s OGT Tool.
30:06 Share and build the vision with your team.
33:19 Create consistency and predictability for your practice.
39:58 Carve out time to think about what you want.
43:53 Final thoughts.
Miranda Beeson, MS, BSDH Bio:
Miranda Beeson has over 25 years of clinical dental hygiene, front office, practice administration, and speaking experience. She is enthusiastic about communication and loves helping others find the power that words can bring to their patient interactions and practice dynamics. As a Lead Practice Coach, she is driven to create opportunities to find value in experiences and cultivate new approaches.
Miranda graduated from Old Dominion University, and enjoys spending time with her husband, Chuck, and her children, Trent, Mallory, and Cassidy. Family time is the best time, and is often spent on a golf course, a volleyball court, or spending the day boating at the beach.
800: Are You Being Undervalued in Your Own Practice? Discover the Power of Doctor Endorsement! – Debra Engelhardt-Nash
If your team members don't endorse you, patients won't want to be there! Doctor endorsement is critical for success. To help your team do it right, Kirk Behrendt brings back Debra Engelhardt-Nash, co-founder of The Nash Institute, with her expert advice on hyping up your practice. To learn simple endorsement strategies to communicate your value and build trust, listen to Episode 800 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Debra:
- Give Debra a call: (704) 904-3459
- Send Debra an email: debraengelhardtnash@gmail.com
- Follow Debra on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/debraengnash
- Book Debra for speaking or consulting: https://debraengelhardtnash.com
- Register for Debra’s Dental Business School course: https://www.thenashinstitute.com/upcoming-events/dental-business-school
- Register for Debra’s Team Communication Skills course: https://www.thenashinstitute.com/upcoming-events/team-communication-skills
- Register for the Academy for Private Dental Practice meeting (March 6-8, 2025, Early bird prices until December 1, 2024!): https://apdp.regfox.com/apdp-2025
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- See the ACT Dental/BPA Live Event Schedule: https://www.actdental.com/event
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 800: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
- Watch Episode 720: 2 Questions to Know if You Are Doing the Right Thing with Debra Engelhardt-Nash: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wzYzX3iEd3I
- Learn more about the Academy of Dental Management Consultants: https://admc.net
- Learn more about the Academy for Private Dental Practice: https://www.apdp.net
Main Takeaways:
- Endorsement from your team is something you must earn.
- Patients can hear your heart. Be genuine with endorsements.
- Building value starts on the phone with your team’s verbal skills.
- Your team’s body language and presence are signs of endorsement.
- Stop telling patients what they need. Start asking how you can serve them.
- Train your team and practice with them so they can answer difficult questions.
- Explain to your team that endorsing your practice is also part of their responsibility.
- 80% of why a patient chooses your practice has to do with establishing relationships.
- Endorsing new associates to transition them is the dentist’s and the team’s responsibility.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
1:59 Debra’s background.
4:23 Why this is an important topic.
6:11 You are here to serve.
8:48 Why your team’s endorsement is important.
20:18 How the team can endorse the dentist when patients call the office.
27:03 How the team can endorse the dentist when patients come into the office.
30:08 How the dentist can endorse their hygienists to patients.
31:56 You need to earn your endorsements.
35:39 Endorse with your presence and body language.
37:43 Ask patients the magic question and know how to respond to difficult questions.
44:10 How the team can endorse new dentists.
46:20 Final thoughts.
50:05 More about The Nash Institute.
Debra Engelhardt-Nash Bio:
Debra is a trainer, author, presenter, and consultant. Having been in dentistry for over 30 years, she engages organizations and study groups nationally and internationally. She is a continual presenter for the American Dental Association, the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry, and the Chicago Dental Society Midwinter Meeting.
Debra is a founding member of The Nash Institute and past president of the National Academy of Dental Management Consultants. She is an active member of the American Dental Assistants Association, the American Academy of Dental Practice Administration, and the Speakers Consulting Network. She has been repeatedly recognized by Dentistry Today as a leader in continuing dental education and as a leader in dental consulting. She is also a member of the American Dental Association’s Dental Practice Management Advisory Board, and recently became the president of the Academy for Private Dental Practice.
Debra is married to cosmetic dentist and dental educator, Dr. Ross Nash, of The Nash Institute for Dental Learning. She continues to work in his busy practice, doing exactly what she preaches.
Sustainability is a hot topic — and this isn't just another trend! Our planet is in crisis, and we have a responsibility to act. To share what you can do as a dentist to reduce your footprint on Earth, Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. Christian Coachman, founder of Digital Smile Design, along with his friend Dr. Markus Tröltzsch, co-founder of Greenviu. Being environmentally friendly isn't about politics — it’s about leaving this shared home in a much better place. To begin your sustainability journey in your practice, listen to Episode 799 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Dr. Tröltzsch:
- Join Dr. Coachman on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/christiancoachman
- Follow Dr. Coachman on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chriscoachman
- Learn more about Digital Smile Design: https://digitalsmiledesign.com
- Register for the DSD Provider course (November 11, 2024): https://digitalsmiledesign.com/dsd-provider
- Register for DSD Residency 1 On Demand: https://digitalsmiledesign.com/dsd-residency-1-on-demand
- Listen to Dr. Coachman’s podcast, Coffee Break with Coachman: https://open.spotify.com/show/4ADCrWhqsUKbHmZtkhhgoB
- Follow Dr. Tröltzsch on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/markustroeltzsch
- Become a friend of Greenviu: https://greenviu.com
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- See the ACT Dental/BPA Live Event Schedule: https://www.actdental.com/event
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 799: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
Main Takeaways:
- Sustainability is not just a trend. It’s time to take action.
- Start talking to your team about sustainability and its importance.
- As medical professionals, you do no harm. Follow this rule for our planet.
- Being sustainable is not about green politics, eco-terrorism, or communism.
- 60% of dentistry’s footprint comes from the commute of workers and patients.
- There are many ways that climate change is negatively affecting human health.
- Look for ways to waste less and use digital whenever possible to be more efficient.
- Medicine will always have a significant footprint, but we can find ways to compensate.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
1:09 Dr. Tröltzsch’s background.
2:24 Why Greenviu was founded.
9:30 Data on the harm of climate change to human health.
16:05 Reduce, replace, and compensate, explained.
19:39 Eco-friendly products, trends, and marketing in recent years.
23:58 The recent backlash against climate change.
28:09 What dentists can do to be more sustainable.
36:11 How Greenviu plans to move the industry forward.
40:30 Final thoughts.
Dr. Christian Coachman Bio:
Combining his advanced skills, experience, and technology solutions, Dr. Christian Coachman pioneered the Digital Smile Design methodology and founded Digital Smile Design company (DSD). Since its inception, thousands of dentists worldwide have attended DSD courses and workshops, such as the renowned DSD Residency program.
Dr. Coachman is the developer of worldwide, well-known concepts such as the Digital Smile Design, the Pink Hybrid Implant Restoration, the Digital Planning Center, Emotional Dentistry, Interdisciplinary Treatment Simulation, and Digital Smile Donator. He regularly consults for dental industry companies, developing products, implementing concepts, and marketing strategies, such as the Facially Driven Digital Orthodontic Workflow developed in collaboration with Invisalign, Align Technology. He has lectured and published internationally in the fields of esthetic and digital dentistry, dental photography, oral rehabilitation, dental ceramics, implants, and communication strategies and marketing in dentistry.
Dr. Markus Tröltzsch Bio:
Dr. Markus Tröltzsch received his DMD from the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg in 2005 and graduated in medicine from the same university in 2010.
Dr. Tröltzsch continued his dental studies in 2008 and 2009, specializing in restorative and esthetic dentistry (Curriculum DGÄZ). He spent six months in the Department of Surgery at the University of Sydney in Australia, then proceeded to the Department of Maxillofacial Surgery at the University of Zurich in Switzerland. Afterwards, he performed his residency at the university clinics in Bochum and Göttingen in Germany where he passed the board exam for maxillofacial surgery.
Dr. Tröltzsch was appointed as consultant and senior physician for maxillofacial surgery at the University of Göttingen from January of 2016 until September of 2016. He maintains a private office for dentistry and oral and maxillofacial surgery in Ansbach, Bavaria, Germany and directs the Department for Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery at the hospital of Ansbach, Bavaria, Germany with his father and brother.
798: More Patients or Higher APV? The One Metric You Must Focus on for Real Growth – Dr. Barrett Straub
You need patients to run your practice. But more isn't always better! To help you understand what makes patients valuable for your business, Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. Barrett Straub, ACT’s CEO, to explain annual patient value and the six steps to steadily increase it for a more profitable practice. Sometimes, less is more! To learn more about this magic KPI for growth, listen to Episode 798 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Dr. Straub:
- Send Dr. Straub an email: barrett@actdental.com
- Join Dr. Straub on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/barrett.d.straub
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- See the ACT Dental/BPA Live Event Schedule: https://www.actdental.com/event
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 798: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
Main Takeaways:
- Do more dentistry per visit for efficiency.
- Track how much you're diagnosing and selling.
- Get patients involved by taking time for a consultation.
- You can't afford not to collect 100% of what you're owed.
- Create a system to schedule your unscheduled treatment.
- Add procedures you're qualified and skilled to do onto your menu.
- Some patients can be seen more frequently than every six months.
- Keep patients tethered to the practice, even with easy appointments.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
1:16 Annual patient value, explained.
10:17 Grow your communication skills and confidence.
12:05 Collect 100%.
14:00 Do more per visit.
17:18 Track how much you diagnose and sell.
21:02 Add more procedures to your menu.
23:34 Schedule unscheduled treatment.
25:36 Don't let patients leave without their next appointment.
29:08 Good versus “not that bad”.
31:15 Get patients involved.
34:54 Final thoughts.
Dr. Barrett Straub Bio:
Dr. Barrett Straub practices general and sedation dentistry in Port Washington, Wisconsin. He has worked hard to develop his practice into a top-performing, fee-for-service practice that focuses on improving the lives of patients through dentistry.
A graduate of Marquette Dental School, Dr. Straub’s advanced training and CE includes work at the Spear Institute, LVI, DOCS, and as a member of the Milwaukee Study Club. He is a past member of the Wisconsin Dental Association Board of Trustees and was awarded the Marquette Dental School 2017 Young Alumnus of the Year. As a former ACT coaching client that experienced first-hand the transformation that coaching can provide, he is passionate about helping other dentists create the practice they’ve always wanted.
Dr. Straub loves to hunt, golf, and spend winter on the ice, curling. He is married to Katie, with two daughters, Abby and Elizabeth.
797: Struggling With Finding Team Members? Discover the Long-Term Solution Dentists Can't Afford to Ignore – Alan Twigg
You tell future patients why they should choose your practice. But how about future team members? Do you offer more than benefits and a paycheck? If not, don't miss this episode! Kirk Behrendt brings in Alan Twigg, co-owner of Bent Ericksen & Associates, to help you develop your unique employment proposition so you can keep your greatest team members. Put a stop to preventable turnover! To learn the long-term solution for employee retention, listen to Episode 797 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Alan:
- Learn more about Bent Ericksen & Associates: https://bentericksen.com
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- See the ACT Dental/BPA Live Event Schedule: https://www.actdental.com/event
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 797: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
- Watch Episode 777: Why Objections are a Gift with Miranda Beeson: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wJ6a_rRoNTA
- Read The 5 Languages of Appreciation in the Workplace by Dr. Gary Chapman & Dr. Paul White: https://www.appreciationatwork.com/5-languages-appreciation-workplace-improve-employee-engagement
Main Takeaways:
- Put in effort from the very beginning.
- Know your unique employment propositions.
- Invest heavily in onboarding. It is critical for retention.
- Turnover is preventable. Offer more than wages and benefits.
- Always stay up to date with the changing state and federal rules.
- Document everything. Your problems will be $200 instead of $50,000.
- Practice empathy and emotional intelligence. No employee just “gets it”.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
1:21 About Bent Ericksen and Alan’s background.
3:33 Why this is an important topic.
8:16 Stay up to date with state and federal rules.
12:03 Why it’s critical to document everything.
16:08 Over 50% of the onboarding process determines retention.
21:46 Culture, defined.
23:47 HR compliance, explained.
26:03 Final thoughts.
28:53 More about Bent Ericksen.
Alan Twigg Bio:
Alan Twigg is the co-owner of Bent Ericksen & Associates. For over 10 years, he has guided thousands of clients and consultants through the ever-changing world of HR and employment compliance. He is a speaker, consultant, and author who is passionate about bringing education and peace-of-mind to such a confusing topic.
As a strong proponent of symbiotic employer-employee relations, Alan is passionate about teamwork and positive work cultures, with an emphasis on long-term personnel retention and employment compliance, where his solutions-oriented outlook excels.
796: Annual Review 911: It’s Time for Change – Heather Crockett
Who are the most important people in your practice? If you said your patients, listen to this episode! Kirk Behrendt brings back Heather Crockett, one of ACT’s amazing coaches, to explain why your team comes first — not your patients. Start putting your energy where it matters most! To learn how to take care of your team and transform your practice, listen to Episode 796 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Heather:
- Send Heather an email: heather@actdental.com
- Join Heather on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/heather.r.crockett
- Follow Heather on ACT’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/actdental
- Send Gina an email: gina@actdental.com
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- See the ACT Dental/BPA Live Event Schedule: https://www.actdental.com/event
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 796: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
- Watch Episode 773: Consistency is King with Dr. Kevin Groth: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fIDVG3QoPJ4
- Download ACT’s Check-In Agenda: https://23476641.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/23476641/Check%20In%20Agenda.pdf
Main Takeaways:
- Check-ins are the key to trust.
- A flyby is not a check-in! Put aside time to do it.
- Empower your team. Have them schedule and lead check-ins.
- Always schedule the next check-in before starting the current one.
- Be present, flex your active listening muscles, and ask good questions.
- Make sure your compensation conversations are separate from check-ins.
- Emphasize to your team how important they are, and how important check-ins are.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
2:18 Why the check-in is important for your practice.
8:12 Why annual reviews are ineffective.
11:28 Check-ins and annual reviews, explained.
15:08 Best practices for check-ins.
22:17 The system for check-ins.
27:17 Earn your team’s trust and respect.
29:10 Establish an order for priorities.
32:32 Emphasize to your team that they are important.
34:05 Check-ins are great for accountability.
35:50 When to have the compensation conversation.
37:09 Flybys are not check-ins.
40:07 Final takeaways.
Heather Crockett Bio:
Heather Crockett is a Lead Practice Coach who finds joy in not only improving practices but improving the lives of those she coaches as well. With over 20 years of combined experience in assisting, office management, and clinical dental hygiene, her awareness supports many aspects of the practice setting.
Heather received her dental hygiene degree from the Utah College of Dental Hygiene in 2008. Networking in the dental community comes easy to her, and she loves to connect with like-minded colleagues on social media. Heather enjoys both attending and presenting continuing education to expand her knowledge and learn from her friends and colleagues.
She enjoys hanging out with her husband, three sons, and their dog, Moki, scrolling through social media, watching football, and traveling.
It’s Sunday night, and you're looking at Monday’s schedule. You see names you don't want to see, and you dread going to work. Wouldn't it be great to see only your favorite patients? It’s possible to do, and this episode teaches you how! Kirk Behrendt brings back Adriana Booth, one of ACT’s amazing coaches, to help you keep the patients who value your work and pay their bills. To learn the two steps to increase your happiness, listen to Episode 795 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Adriana:
- Join Adriana on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/adriana.booth
- Follow Adriana on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adrimarieb
- Send Gina an email: gina@actdental.com
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- See the ACT Dental/BPA Live Event Schedule: https://www.actdental.com/event
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 795: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
- Watch Episode 792: Creating a 6-Star Patient Experience in Your Practice: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XeBVFziRJt0
- Watch Episode 765: Outshine Competitors, Release Your 3 Uniques: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HjRa_1e_Tb8
- Download ACT’s Differentiation Tool: https://info.actdental.com/hubfs/PDF/Differentiation%20Tool.pdf
- Download ACT’s Patient ID System: https://23476641.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/23476641/Copy%20of%20Patient%20ID%20System.pdf
Main Takeaways:
- Identify characteristics of your core customers.
- Don't base your core customers based on emotion.
- Use the Patient ID System to rate your patients’ behaviors.
- Remember that not all of your “A” patients will be your favorite people.
- Create appointment codes to objectively document your patients’ conduct.
- You are simply tracking patients’ behaviors, not making personal judgments.
- Let go of patients you don't want to see. You are not required to reschedule them.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
1:28 Why this is an important topic.
5:23 Core customers, explained.
9:34 The Patient ID System, explained.
17:22 How to mark your patients in your software.
21:57 It’s about documenting behaviors.
27:02 More about ACT's resources and BPA.
Adriana Booth, BS, RDH Bio:
Adriana Booth is a Lead Practice Coach who partners with dentists and their teams to cultivate leadership skills, build practice growth, and streamline business practices. After spending nearly two decades in the dental industry working with top-notch dental teams, Adriana came to ACT to share her passion for professional growth, high-level training, and systems creation with our clients. As a dental hygienist with a love for continuing education and personal growth, helping a practice become successful is at the heart of her passion for dentistry.
Adriana has a B.S. in Dental Hygiene from West Liberty University/O’Hehir University. By being involved in several Columbus, Ohio, study clubs, Adriana maintains strong relationships within her local dental community. She enjoys a variety of fitness activities, family time, good books, and at the top of her list, her fur babies.
794: 3 Reasons Why You Need a Vacation – Ariel Juday
Rest is a requirement — not a reward! If you don't have a vacation in your schedule, you'll want to after this episode! Kirk Behrendt brings back Ariel Juday, one of ACT’s amazing coaches, to explain how taking time away from the office can improve your health and well-being. As a bonus, it will also benefit your team! When was your last, true vacation? To learn the best way to plan for your next time off, listen to Episode 794 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Ariel:
- Send Ariel an email: ariel@actdental.com
- Follow Ariel on ACT’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/actdental
- Send Gina an email: gina@actdental.com
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- See the ACT Dental/BPA Live Event Schedule: https://www.actdental.com/event
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 794: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
Main Takeaways:
- Vacations will improve your mood, your stress level, and your relationships.
- There are different types of vacations. Take them throughout the year.
- Don't muddy the waters. CE and vacation are not the same things.
- To reduce stress, plan vacations in advance and have a system.
- Your team benefits when you take a break from dentistry.
- Taking time away will make you a better team leader.
- Take pictures for evidence of a good time.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
1:27 Why this is an important topic.
3:32 The benefits of a vacation.
8:05 Plan vacations in advance.
9:48 Vacations improve relationships.
12:03 Travel hacks.
15:29 Rest to reset your mind.
19:18 CE and vacation are not the same.
22:49 Final takeaways.
Ariel Juday Bio:
Ariel has a master’s in healthcare administration and several years of dental experience in all aspects of the administrative roles within the dental office. Her passion is to work with dental teams to empower team members to realize their full potential in order to better serve patients, improve office systems to ensure a well-functioning team/office, and to help everyone have fun in the process!
If you're intimidated by centric relation, this is the episode for you! To increase your understanding and appreciation of CR, Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. Jim McKee, founder of Chicago Study Club, to explain what it means, why it’s misunderstood, and how learning more about it will improve your practice. To hear the myths and misconceptions debunked by one of the masters of occlusion, listen to Episode 793 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Dr. McKee:
- Send Dr. McKee an email: jim@mckeedds.com
- Join Dr. McKee on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jim.mckee.104
- Register for Dr. McKee’s TMD Online course: https://courses.phelandentalseminars.com/tmd-pds
- Register for Dr. McKee’s Advanced Occlusion workshop: https://campus.speareducation.com/workshops/advanced-occlusion/details/syllabus
- Register for Dr. McKee’s occlusion seminar: https://campus.speareducation.com/seminars/demystifying-occlusion-1/details/syllabus
- Learn about Chicago Study Club: https://chicagostudyclub.com
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- See the ACT Dental/BPA Live Event Schedule: https://www.actdental.com/event
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 793: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
- Watch Episode 649: The Restorative Diagnostic Practice: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lX6oU7cnDQU
Main Takeaways:
- Centric relation is simple. It’s normal joints in normal joint sockets.
- Know the difference between fully seated condylar position and CR.
- CR is not for everyone. For some patients, it is not possible to achieve.
- Understand the advantages and disadvantages of being or not being in CR.
- By understanding CR, your confidence level in treatment planning will increase.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
2:29 Why centric relation is an important topic.
6:51 Advantages of using centric relation.
10:51 Fully seated condylar position versus centric relation.
14:14 Do we need to use centric relation for everybody?
20:22 What to do if the disc isn't in the right position.
22:50 Disadvantages of not achieving centric relation.
29:08 There's only one true diagnosis.
31:22 Who should manage occlusion?
33:47 How to screen for injured joints.
38:55 The importance of imaging.
40:49 How to treat patients who you can't achieve centric relation for.
42:14 Other treatment options.
46:00 About Dr. McKee’s upcoming occlusion courses.
48:42 Final thoughts.
Dr. Jim McKee Bio:
Dr. Jim McKee is a member of the Spear Resident Faculty. He has maintained a private practice since 1984 in Downers Grove, Illinois, where he treats a wide variety of cases with a focus on predictable restorative dentistry. He is a member of the American Academy of Restorative Dentistry and former president of the American Equilibration Society. He has lectured both nationally and internationally for over 25 years and directs several study clubs. Dr. McKee graduated from the University of Notre Dame in 1980 and earned his dental degree from the University of Illinois College of Dentistry in 1984.
For patients, the dental office is a scary place. It doesn't have to be, and to help you design a six-star experience, Kirk Behrendt brings back Adriana Booth, one of ACT’s amazing coaches, to share a framework that will help you go above and beyond your patients’ expectations. Make your practice stand out to your favorite kind of people! To learn how to create a memorable experience for current and future patients, listen to Episode 792 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Adriana:
- Send Adriana an email: adriana@actdental.com
- Join Adriana on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/adriana.booth
- Follow Adriana on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adrimarieb
- Send Gina an email: gina@actdental.com
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- See the ACT Dental/BPA Live Event Schedule: https://www.actdental.com/event
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 792: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
- Sign up to watch Unlocking the Secrets to a Thriving Practice: Mastering the New Patient Experience: https://join.actdental.com/users/sign_in?post_login_redirect=https%3A%2F%2Fjoin.actdental.com%2Fc%2Fwebinars-0b75d2%2F114-unlock-the-secrets-to-a-thriving-dental-practice-mastering-the-new-patient-experience#email
- Download ACT’s Creating a 6-Star Patient Experience: https://23476641.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/23476641/6%20Star%20Experience%20(1).pdf
Main Takeaways:
- Your patient experience starts with the phone call.
- Design an in-office experience to wow your patients.
- Rehearse the handoff to make it seamless every time.
- Find ways to spoil your patients while they're in the chair.
- Have a patient exit system so critical things always get done.
- Build a solid follow-up system to retain your greatest patients.
- Get input from your team to make the patient experience better.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
2:29 Why this is an important topic.
7:16 Make a great first impression over the phone.
10:17 Design a mindful in-office experience.
15:08 Create an elegant hand-off experience to the operatory.
17:23 Spoil your patients while in the chair.
20:40 Continue the elegant hand-off from the clinical area to the admin area.
22:30 Have a patient exit system.
26:22 Retain great patients, not just every patient.
30:22 Final thoughts.
Adriana Booth, BS, RDH Bio:
Adriana Booth is a Lead Practice Coach who partners with dentists and their teams to cultivate leadership skills, build practice growth, and streamline business practices. After spending nearly two decades in the dental industry working with top-notch dental teams, Adriana came to ACT to share her passion for professional growth, high-level training, and systems creation with our clients. As a dental hygienist with a love for continuing education and personal growth, helping a practice become successful is at the heart of her passion for dentistry.
Adriana has a B.S. in Dental Hygiene from West Liberty University/O’Hehir University. By being involved in several Columbus, Ohio, study clubs, Adriana maintains strong relationships within her local dental community. She enjoys a variety of fitness activities, family time, good books, and at the top of her list, her fur babies.
Whether it’s pasta or dentistry, good things take time — and great things take even longer! To help you slow down the way you practice, Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. Christian Coachman, founder of Digital Smile Design, along with his friend, Dr. Miguel Stanley, founder of Slow Dentistry Global Network, to explain the slow dentistry movement and how it will change dentistry for the better. Faster isn't better when it comes to dental care! To learn how to slow down for you and your patients, listen to Episode 791 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Dr. Coachman & Dr. Stanley:
- Join Dr. Coachman on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/christiancoachman
- Follow Dr. Coachman on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chriscoachman
- Learn more about Digital Smile Design: https://digitalsmiledesign.com
- Register for the DSD Provider course (October 7, 2024, and November 11, 2024): https://digitalsmiledesign.com/dsd-provider
- Register for DSD Residency 1 On Demand: https://digitalsmiledesign.com/dsd-residency-1-on-demand
- Listen to Dr. Coachman’s podcast, Coffee Break with Coachman: https://open.spotify.com/show/4ADCrWhqsUKbHmZtkhhgoB
- Follow Slow Dentistry Global Network on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/slowdentistryglobalnetwork
- Learn more about Slow Dentistry Global Network: https://slowdentistryglobalnetwork.org
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- See the ACT Dental/BPA Live Event Schedule: https://www.actdental.com/event
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 791: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
Main Takeaways:
- Patients are starting to understand that fast-paced dentistry is not as great.
- You don't need training to do slow dentistry. You already know how to do it.
- Preparation is everything in healthcare. Take the time to do things right.
- Some of the best dentists in the world only see a few patients a day.
- Quality dentistry is not scalable. You can't rush excellence.
- Value likes from real patients, not likes on social media.
- Ethical dentistry will ultimately lead to longevity.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
1:31 Dr. Stanley’s background.
2:33 Slow dentistry, explained.
24:21 Teeth are as important as your heart.
27:10 There's no police in dentistry.
30:48 An example of slow dentistry.
31:31 Value likes from your patients, not likes on Instagram.
34:42 An example of true longevity.
45:14 It’s a marathon, not a sprint.
51:53 The power of saying no.
58:32 Final thoughts and more about Slow Dentistry.
Dr. Christian Coachman Bio:
Combining his advanced skills, experience, and technology solutions, Dr. Christian Coachman pioneered the Digital Smile Design methodology and founded Digital Smile Design company (DSD). Since its inception, thousands of dentists worldwide have attended DSD courses and workshops, such as the renowned DSD Residency program.
Dr. Coachman is the developer of worldwide, well-known concepts such as the Digital Smile Design, the Pink Hybrid Implant Restoration, the Digital Planning Center, Emotional Dentistry, Interdisciplinary Treatment Simulation, and Digital Smile Donator. He regularly consults for dental industry companies, developing products, implementing concepts, and marketing strategies, such as the Facially Driven Digital Orthodontic Workflow developed in collaboration with Invisalign, Align Technology. He has lectured and published internationally in the fields of esthetic and digital dentistry, dental photography, oral rehabilitation, dental ceramics, implants, and communication strategies and marketing in dentistry.
Dr. Miguel Stanley Bio:
Dr. Miguel Stanley is the founder and clinical director of the globally renowned White Clinic, a leading dental center of the world for over 24 years with a large team of highly skilled doctors. He is also the co-founder of the Slow Dentistry Global Network, a nonprofit organization.
Dr. Stanley is also the vice president of the Digital Dentistry Society, as well as a member of many international scientific and academic organizations. He has published several studies and articles over the years. He is a consultant and key opinion leader for leading dental tech companies and holds a license to practice Portugal as well as the UK and Dubai.
Dr. Stanley is an adjunct professor at the University of Pennsylvania School of Dentistry and has lectured extensively in over 50 countries on many fields of modern dentistry, from cosmetic dentistry to complex oral surgery, practice management and ethics to his “No Half Smiles” treatment philosophy. He is also one of the first dentists to ever give a TEDx Talk and host a documentary on dentistry for National Geographic. He was recently nominated one of the top 100 dentists in the world by his peers.
The Beatles said it best — love is all you need! But maybe you don't love the people you see four days a week. To explain how that can change, Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. Marco Brindis, former chairman of the prosthodontics department of Louisiana State University, to share his journey to a better team culture through loving his team and his profession. To learn more about this secret ingredient to an amazing team, listen to Episode 790 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Dr. Brindis:
- Send Dr. Brindis an email: marco@smilesbymarco.com
- Join Dr. Brindis on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/marco.brindis.3
- Follow Dr. Brindis on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drmarcobrindis
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- See the ACT Dental/BPA Live Event Schedule: https://www.actdental.com/event
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 790: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
Main Takeaways:
- Love is all you need. But love is hard work!
- Loving your team is a commitment, not just a feeling.
- Make time to connect with your team on a deeper level.
- There is something much more powerful than money — it’s love!
- When your team loves one another, that love will extend to your patients.
- Having a vision for your practice is critical. It is the GPS that will guide you.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
1:44 Dr. Brindis’s background.
7:17 Loving your team is hard work.
10:43 The importance of core values in finding the right people.
15:20 How to talk about this with your team.
20:44 Reaching your patient’s heart.
23:29 Your vision is your GPS.
25:09 Ideas for when team members aren't receptive.
33:11 Final thoughts.
35:29 More about Dr. Brindis and how to get in touch.
Dr. Marco Brindis Bio:
Dr. Marco Brindis was the former chairman of the prosthodontics department of Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, and former assistant professor of dentistry at LSUHSC School of Dentistry in the department of prosthodontics. He earned his DDS from the Universidad Intercontinental in Mexico City in 1998, completed a Preceptorship in Dental Implants at the Universidad Intercontinental in 1999, a Preceptorship in Dental Implants at the Dental School at the UT Health Science Center in San Antonio in 2002, and a Surgical Implant Fellowship at the Biotechnology Institute in Vitoria, Spain, in 2003. He earned his Certificate in Prosthodontics at LSU School of Dentistry in the Department of Prosthodontics in 2007, then completed the Esthetic and Occlusion courses at the Pankey Institute in 2007.
Dr. Brindis is very passionate in the field of interdisciplinary dentistry for full-mouth reconstruction, esthetics, and implant dentistry. He is involved in the development of new implant protocols to treat edentulous patients. He has lectured in the United States, Mexico, Canada, and Spain. He is a member of several organizations, including the Academy of Osseointegration, American Dental Association, American College of Prosthodontists, and the Pierre Fauchard Academy. He is a well-established national and international speaker, having spoken at symposiums such as the AAOMS Dental Implant Conference, International Symposium on Oral Implantology in Spain, Academy of Osseointegration, AAOMS Annual Meeting, and the American Academy of Restorative Dentistry.
We all have a hundred goals we want to achieve. But without strategic planning, setting goals is not enough — especially for your practice! To explain why your goal-setting is falling short and how to make it work, Kirk Behrendt brings in Miranda Beeson, ACT’s director of education, with tools and resources to help you set realistic targets that you can commit to and reach. Don't just dream of achieving your goals — plan how to do it! For tips on making your goals a reality, listen to Episode 789 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Miranda:
- Send Miranda an email: miranda@actdental.com
- Follow Miranda on ACT’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/actdental
- Send Gina an email: gina@actdental.com
- Register for ACT’s To The Top Study Club (October 18, 2024): https://www.eventbrite.com/e/members-only-climb-with-us-register-for-october-18-2024-ttt-study-club-tickets-763603317077
- Register for ACT’s To The Top Study Club (October 25, 2024): https://www.eventbrite.com/e/members-only-climb-with-us-register-for-october-25-2024-ttt-study-club-tickets-753430148857
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- See the ACT Dental/BPA Live Event Schedule: https://www.actdental.com/event
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the entire webinar here: https://www.actdental.com/121
- Watch the video version of Episode 789: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
Main Takeaways:
- Think about what you truly want out of dentistry and strategies to get there.
- Diagnose your pain points. What do you want more of and less of?
- Get rid of your limiting beliefs about what you can or can't achieve.
- Set goals that are aligned with the things that matter to you most.
- Create actionable goals that are specific and measurable.
- Have a realistic number of goals. Three is ideal.
- Hire a coach. They will help you think better.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
0:57 About ACT’s TTT, BPA, Pro Coaching, and other resources.
3:40 Objectives.
11:01 Why this is an important topic.
15:28 What are you building and what is the strategy?
18:11 Why having a plan is important to your patients.
20:13 What challenges and obstacles do you want to resolve?
25:43 Base your goals on successful outcomes.
31:30 Goal-setting, explained.
36:15 Why you need a coach.
38:47 The SWOT analysis, explained.
41:46 Setting targets, explained.
42:56 GAPs, explained.
44:31 OGT, explained.
46:13 Client examples.
1:00:16 Final takeaways.
1:05:23 Q&A: Is it possible to go fee-for-service within a year?
Miranda Beeson, MS, BSDH Bio:
Miranda Beeson has over 25 years of clinical dental hygiene, front office, practice administration, and speaking experience. She is enthusiastic about communication and loves helping others find the power that words can bring to their patient interactions and practice dynamics. As a Lead Practice Coach, she is driven to create opportunities to find value in experiences and cultivate new approaches.
Miranda graduated from Old Dominion University, and enjoys spending time with her husband, Chuck, and her children, Trent, Mallory, and Cassidy. Family time is the best time, and is often spent on a golf course, a volleyball court, or spending the day boating at the beach.
788: The Story Behind the Dental Heroes Podcast – Dr. Paul Etchison
Do you want to make $1 million a year or more working three days a week or less? To find out how it’s possible, keep listening! Kirk Behrendt brings in Dr. Paul Etchison, creator and host of the Dental Practice Heroes podcast, to share how he found balance between his work and home life while earning more and stressing less. To learn more about Dr. Etchison’s books, podcast, and strategies to build your dream practice, listen to Episode 788 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Dr. Etchison:
- Follow Dr. Etchison on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dr.pauletchison
- Schedule a call with Dental Practice Heroes: https://www.dentalpracticeheroes.com
- Listen to the Dental Practice Heroes podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/1OZg46P8MLsyQoIYYSbc3W
- Learn more about Dental Business Mentor: https://www.dentalbusinessmentor.com
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- See the ACT Dental/BPA Live Event Schedule: https://www.actdental.com/event
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 788: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
- Read Dental Practice Hero and Dental Practice Hero II by Dr. Paul Etchison: https://www.dentalpracticeheroes.com/books-1
- Read Traction by Gino Wickman: https://benbellabooks.com/shop/traction
Main Takeaways:
- Develop your core values — and actually communicate them to your team.
- Emphasize to your team that they make a difference in your patients’ lives.
- No matter the size of your practice, you need to have a leadership team.
- Let your leadership team handle more of the things you don't like doing.
- Being understaffed is often better than dealing with underperformers.
- An office manager is not equivalent to an admin team member.
- Retirement probably isn't what you want — it’s balance.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
1:36 Dr. Etchison’s background.
3:34 Why Dr. Etchison started his podcast.
5:07 The origin of Dental Practice Heroes.
7:21 What most dental practices get wrong about core values.
12:23 The benefits of having a leadership team.
16:35 When to create a leadership team.
19:16 An office manager versus an admin team member.
23:04 When should you hire more associates and hygienists?
29:02 Not all patients need to be seen every six months.
30:44 Dropping Delta but increasing fees by 30%.
37:04 Capacity, defined.
42:15 Final thoughts.
47:02 More about Dr. Etchison and how to get in touch.
Dr. Paul Etchison DDS, FICOI, FAGD Bio:
Dr. Paul Etchison is the founder of Dental Practice Heroes and host of the Dental Practice Heroes podcast. He has authored two books on dental practice management, Dental Practice Hero and Dental Practice Heroes II. He is also the founder of Dental Business Mentor, an online resource for videos highlighting best practices on practice management, leadership, and systems to elevate dental practices.
787: 3 Common Dental Marketing Mistakes & How to Fix Them – Andre Santos
Marketing is all about ads and social media. Right? While those are key elements, there is a lot more to the process. To demystify dental marketing and help you drive growth, Kirk Behrendt brings in Andre Santos, co-founder of Pain-Free Dental Marketing, to share three common mistakes that most dentists make and easy ways to fix them. With a bit of effort, you can attract more of the patients you want! To learn the best strategies to communicate your practice’s brand, listen to Episode 787 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Andre:
- Follow Pain-Free Dental Marketing on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/painfree_dentalmarketing
- Learn more about Pain-Free Dental Marketing: https://www.painfreedentalmarketing.com
- Listen to Bite-Sized Dental Marketing podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/0yZjMmhYtXjVdpMFWAFqCR
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- See the ACT Dental/BPA Live Event Schedule: https://www.actdental.com/event
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 787: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
Main Takeaways:
- Create a mobile-friendly website.
- Personalize your website rather than using generic ones.
- Put effort into the most visited pages, the home page and About Us page.
- Start telling stories that exemplify your unique qualities as a dental practice.
- Talk about who you are as a person. People care about you beyond dentistry.
- Invest in your team, especially admin. They are critical to your practice’s success.
- Like attracts like. Talk about things you care about to attract the patients you want.
- Every patient interaction — phone calls, online, office visits, events — is marketing.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
1:32 Andre’s background.
2:58 The biggest marketing mistake dentists make.
5:24 Do you have a generic website?
6:58 Which pages are patients visiting most?
8:00 What makes a great About Us page?
9:33 The second biggest marketing mistake dentists make.
12:51 Showcase your great story.
15:12 Talk about the things you care about.
19:18 The third marketing mistake dentists make.
21:17 A great phone experience is crucial to building trust.
23:14 Culture is king.
27:42 Average phone conversion percentages.
32:09 Every patient interaction is marketing.
33:57 What percentage of new patient referrals should come from existing patients?
35:39 Final thoughts.
37:15 More about Pain-Free Dental Marketing and how to get in touch.
Andre Santos Bio:
Before dental marketing, Andre Santos started his career in the corporate world. He met Eric Hubbard while the two worked at GameStop, where they formed their lifelong friendship. One year, Eric’s hometown dentist became interested in marketing strategies to save his dwindling practice. He became Eric’s first client, kicking off his and Andre’s marketing agency, Pain-Free Dental Marketing, where he and his team have been helping practices grow ever since.
786: Why Every Practice Needs a Clinical Leader – Rachel Wall
Every practice needs a clinical leader. But being a clinical leader doesn't mean being a clinical dictator. To explain how to be a strong, collaborative leader that sets the best standards of care, Kirk Behrendt brings back Rachel Wall, CEO and founder of Inspired Hygiene, to share her best practices for becoming an effective leader. To learn how to elevate your practice with clinical leadership, listen to Episode 786 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Rachel:
- Send Rachel an email: clients@inspiredhygiene.com
- Join Inspired Hygiene on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/InspiredHygiene
- Follow Inspired Hygiene on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/inspiredhygiene
- Learn more about Inspired Hygiene: https://inspiredhygiene.com
- Book your Discovery Meeting with Inspired Hygiene: https://inspiredhygiene.com/talk/#meet-now
- Get your free copy of Inspired Hygiene’s Standard of Care Worksheet: https://inspiredhygiene.com/standard-of-care-worksheet
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- See the ACT Dental/BPA Live Event Schedule: https://www.actdental.com/event
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 786: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
Main Takeaways:
- Every practice needs to have a clinical leader. It is a non-negotiable.
- A clinical leader is not a clinical dictator. Get buy-in from the team.
- Clinical leaders set standards, but it needs to be collaborative.
- Having clear, written standards will reduce decision fatigue.
- You cannot abdicate the role of being a clinical leader.
- Revisit your standards of care at least once a year.
- Establish your core values and vision as a team.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
1:37 Rachel’s background.
3:30 Why every practice needs a clinical leader.
9:41 Get your teams calibrated and aligned.
14:04 Calibrate through documents.
16:17 Can you abdicate the role of clinical leadership?
19:21 How often should you update clinical standards of care?
21:00 Advantages of having a strong clinical leader.
23:27 The secret to getting doctors in the hygiene room faster.
27:12 Having a framework reduces decision-fatigue.
28:09 Have conversations with the people you're leading.
32:08 Final thoughts.
35:05 More about Inspired Hygiene and how to get in touch.
Rachel Wall, RDH, Bio:
Rachel Wall, RDH, BS, coaches dental teams to build highly productive hygiene departments by implementing systems for high-quality periodontal care, enrolling restorative care through hygiene and letting go of negative mindsets and old beliefs while managing the logistics of a high-performance hygiene department.
Drawing from her 20-plus years of experience as a hygienist and practice administrator, Rachel delivers to-the-point clinical speaking presentations around the country. Her interactive teaching style coupled with a workshop environment creates a learning space where dentists and team members are compelled to get to the heart of what’s held them back and are inspired to reach for more for themselves and their practices.
If you've never heard Dr. John Kois speak, now is the time! Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. Christian Coachman, founder of Digital Smile Design, to talk about an upcoming, once-in-a-lifetime event with Dr. Kois and Dr. Coachman. You will hear two perspectives from two brilliant minds about optimizing clinical outcomes through digital dentistry. To learn more about this collaborative course and how to reserve your seat, listen to Episode 785 of The Best Practices Show!
Register Here for "Optimizing Clinical Outcomes with Dr. Kois & Dr. Coachman"
- Save 15% when you use this Discount Coupon: ACTDSD (Valid until October 31, 2024)
- 15% discount for Comfort and Standard tickets
- Register for Dr. John Kois and Dr. Coachman’s Optimizing Clinical Outcomes course (March 20-21, 2025): https://www.koiscenter.com/optimizing-clinical-outcomes
- DSD's Registration Page: https://digitalsmiledesign.com/optimizing-clinical-outcomes-with-kois-coachman
Learn More About Dr. Coachman:
- Register for Dr. John Kois and Dr. Coachman’s Optimizing Clinical Outcomes course (March 20-21, 2025): https://www.koiscenter.com/optimizing-clinical-outcomes
- Join Dr. Coachman on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/christiancoachman
- Follow Dr. Coachman on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chriscoachman
- Learn more about Digital Smile Design: https://digitalsmiledesign.com
- Listen to Dr. Coachman’s podcast, Coffee Break with Coachman: https://open.spotify.com/show/4ADCrWhqsUKbHmZtkhhgoB
- Register for DSD Residency 1 On Demand: https://digitalsmiledesign.com/dsd-residency-1-on-demand
- Register for the DSD Provider course (October 7, 2024, and November 11, 2024): https://digitalsmiledesign.com/dsd-provider
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- See the ACT Dental/BPA Live Event Schedule: https://www.actdental.com/event
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 785: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
Main Takeaways:
- Be okay with not being right.
- Learn to challenge your own beliefs.
- Master the art of asking great questions.
- There is value in watching smart people disagree.
- Register for this event! It is your one opportunity to hear Dr. Kois.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
1:18 About Dr. Coachman and Dr. John Kois’s upcoming course.
13:04 Dr. John Kois’s background and the Kois Center.
16:54 Why you should attend this event.
20:29 Course layout and objectives.
27:24 Leveraging the digital tools, explained.
31:59 This is it!
36:00 Key takeaways of the event.
37:27 A message for attendees.
41:25 Where to register for this event.
Dr. Christian Coachman Bio:
Combining his advanced skills, experience, and technology solutions, Dr. Christian Coachman pioneered the Digital Smile Design methodology and founded Digital Smile Design company (DSD). Since its inception, thousands of dentists worldwide have attended DSD courses and workshops, such as the renowned DSD Residency program.
Dr. Coachman is the developer of worldwide, well-known concepts such as the Digital Smile Design, the Pink Hybrid Implant Restoration, the Digital Planning Center, Emotional Dentistry, Interdisciplinary Treatment Simulation, and Digital Smile Donator. He regularly consults for dental industry companies, developing products, implementing concepts, and marketing strategies, such as the Facially Driven Digital Orthodontic Workflow developed in collaboration with Invisalign, Align Technology.
784: Unlocking the Power of Influence in Your Dental Practice – Dr. Christopher Phelps
Do you wonder why patients decline treatment? Do you wish your team would get things done? Then you need to harness the power of influence! To help you understand the principles behind motivating others, Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. Christopher Phelps, CEO of The Cialdini Institute, to share the seven shortcuts to positively influence those in your practice. To learn how to get more commitment from your patients and your team, listen to Episode 784 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Dr. Phelps:
- Send Dr. Phelps an email: chris@cialdini.com
- Follow Dr. Phelps on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dr.christopherphelps
- Learn more about The Phelps Institute: https://www.thephelpsinstitute.com
- Listen to Dental Slang podcast: https://www.dentalslang.com
- Learn more about the Cialdini Institute: https://cialdini.com
Learn More About ACT Dental:
- ACT’s website: https://www.actdental.com
- ACT’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/actdental
- ACT’s YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/actdental
- ACT’s Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/actdental
- ACT’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/3137520/admin/feed/posts/
- ACT’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/actdental
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- See the ACT Dental/BPA Live Event Schedule: https://www.actdental.com/event
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 784: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
- Read How to Grow Your Dental Membership Plan by Dr. Christopher Phelps: https://www.amazon.com/Grow-Your-Dental-Membership-Plan/dp/0692788093/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1475070522&sr=1-1
- Read Books by Dr. Robert Cialdini: https://www.influenceatwork.com/store-new
Main Takeaways:
- Understand Cialdini’s Seven Principles of Influence and how people make decisions.
- Know which situations to apply each principle in so you have greater influence.
- Guide your team and patients to your desired behaviors using influence.
- Use influence ethically and honestly, not to manipulate or coerce.
- Influence is all around, whether you recognize it or not.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
1:17 Dr. Phelps’s background.
7:05 Presuasion and persuasion, explained.
10:13 Why this is an important topic.
11:42 Seven Principles of Influence, explained.
15:43 The power in combining these principles.
17:54 Emotion versus logic with influence.
19:08 How to implement these with your team.
22:54 The ethics of influence.
25:40 “Influence activate”, explained.
28:24 About the Cialdini Institute.
30:29 Final thoughts.
32:10 How to get in touch with Dr. Phelps.
Dr. Christopher Phelps Bio:
Dr. Christopher Phelps is an entrepreneur, general dentist, and an Amazon best-selling author. He currently practices in Charlotte, North Carolina, and is the host of the Dental Slang Podcast.
In his first seven years of practice, Dr. Phelps grew his practice revenue by a factor of 10x, growing from one practice location to four. After selling two of those offices for profit, he focused on maximizing the capacity of his remaining two practices and enjoyed two consecutive years of $1 million revenue growth in each of the two practices, effectively collecting with two offices what he had collected when he owned four.
Dr. Phelps is an expert in the science of ethical influence and persuasion, having received his Cialdini Method Certified Trainer (CMCT) certification under acclaimed behavioral scientist, Dr. Robert Cialdini. He writes frequently for industry publications such as Dental Economics, Dental Practice Management, Dental Products Report, Dentistry IQ, and Remin Media. He is the author of Grow Your Dental Membership Plan, and also published a CE article in Contemporary Esthetics Magazine. In 2016 and 2018, Dr. Phelps was nominated by his dental colleagues and selected the top honor as the Doctor’s Choice National Dental Award winner. Due to his high degree of peer recognition and professional achievement, in 2020, he was recognized by the Global Summits Institute as being one of the Top 100 Dentists in the World.
Dr. Phelps is the founder and president of Golden Goose Scheduling, The Phelps Institute, and Dental Membership Direct. He is currently the CEO of the Cialdini Institute.
783: How to Niche Your Practice to Increase Your Production and Get More Time Off – Dr. Haissam Dahan
If you're a general dentist, you do a little bit of everything. But there's a way to reduce competition, attract your ideal patients, and work less without doing it all. Having a niche is the best way to grow your practice, and today’s guest shares how to do it. Kirk Behrendt brings in Dr. Haissam Dahan, founder of The Dahan Center, to share his journey in becoming more profitable with TMD and sleep and how you can do the same by finding your niche. To learn the advantages of niching and how to get started, listen to Episode 783 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Dr. Dahan:
- Connect with Dr. Dahan on LinkedIn: https://ca.linkedin.com/in/haissamdahan
- Register for Dr. Dahan’s coaching at The Dahan Center: https://dahancenter.com
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- See the ACT Dental/BPA Live Event Schedule: https://www.actdental.com/event
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 783: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
- Read The One Thing by Gary Keller and Jay Papasan: https://produktivetot.myshopify.com/products/the-one-thing
Main Takeaways:
- Offer something the thousand other dentists in your area don't have.
- Niching means not doing treatment you don't like. You can refer out.
- More patients are interested in TMD and sleep. Get in on it early.
- Create an assistant-driven practice. You can't do it all alone.
- Marketing becomes easier when you niche your practice.
- TMD and sleep aren't as hard as you think it is.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
0:46 Dr. Dahan’s background.
2:57 Downsizing from three practices to one.
6:29 Misconceptions about TMJ and pain patients.
8:45 Having 12 weeks off and working three days a week.
10:13 Dr. Dahan’s practice model, explained.
12:53 Being referral-based.
16:11 Canadian billing and insurance, explained.
20:13 The future of TMJ and sleep.
23:19 What dentists get wrong about niching.
25:22 Final thoughts.
27:58 How to get in touch with Dr. Dahan.
Dr. Haissam Dahan Bio:
Dr. Haissam Dahan is a distinguished figure in the field of dentistry, offering a wealth of expertise in Temporomandibular Disorders (TMJ) and Dental Sleep Medicine. With a career spanning over two decades, Dr. Dahan’s journey in dentistry commenced at McGill University, where he earned his dental degree in 2005. He continued to excel academically, obtaining a master’s in dental education from McGill University in 2009 and reaching the pinnacle of academic achievement with a PhD in Dental Sciences in 2014, with a focus on Temporomandibular Disorders.
782: Synthetic Opioids in Dentistry – Tom Viola, R.Ph., C.C.P.
We think we know about drugs and the people who use them. But there is so much we get wrong — and it could be harming our patients! To help you prevent harm and improve your prescribing practices, Kirk Behrendt brings back Tom Viola, “Mr. Pharmacology” and founder of Pharmacology Declassified, to share critical information about synthetic opioids and how it can affect your patients and practice. To expand your knowledge on this complex topic, listen to Episode 782 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Tom:
- Send Tom an email: tom@tomviola.com
- Join Tom on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tomviolarph
- Follow Tom on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pharmacologydeclassified
- Learn more on Tom’s website: https://www.tomviola.com
- Listen to Tom’s podcasts: https://www.tomviola.com/category/podcasts
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- See the ACT Dental/BPA Live Event Schedule: https://www.actdental.com/event
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 782: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
Main Takeaways:
- Patients are more medically complex than ever.
- Be familiar with current, older, and mainstream drugs.
- There will always be a new drug to be concerned about.
- Some drugs that your patients take will go under the radar.
- Use pharmacology to deduce the right questions to ask patients.
- A complete medical history can prevent dangerous drug interactions.
- Ask patients what they take, why they take it, and if they took it today.
- Don't assume anything when it comes to medication and patients’ health.
- Always document that you had the drug use conversation with your patient.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
2:14 Tom’s background.
5:10 The importance of pharmacology to your practice.
7:25 Why this is an important topic.
10:08 The Matthew Perry situation, explained.
16:36 How to have the conversation with patients.
21:45 How to document the conversation.
23:48 Three questions you always need to ask.
28:56 Other things to know about synthetic opioids.
32:55 Final thoughts.
35:05 More about Tom and how to get in touch.
Tom A. Viola, R.Ph., C.C.P. Bio:
With over 30 years of experience as a pharmacist, educator, speaker, and author, Tom Viola, R.Ph., C.C.P., has earned his reputation as the go-to specialist for delivering quality continuing education content through his informative, engaging presentations. His sellout programs provide an overview of the most prevalent oral and systemic diseases, and the most frequently prescribed drugs used in their treatment. Special emphasis is given to dental considerations and strategies for effective patient-care planning.
As a clinical educator, Tom is a member of the faculty of 12 dental professional degree programs and has received several awards for Outstanding Teacher of the Year. He instructs dental hygiene students and practice dental hygienists in pharmacology and local anesthesia in preparation for national board exams. As a published writer, he is well-known internationally for his contributions to several professional journals in the areas of pharmacology, pain management, and local anesthesia. In addition, he has served as a contributor, chapter author, and peer reviewer for several pharmacology textbooks. As a professional speaker, he has presented continuing education courses to dental professionals internationally since 2001. Meeting planners agree that Tom is their choice to educate audiences within this specialty.
781: What to Say When a New PPO Patient Calls Your Out-Of-Network Office – Dr. Barrett Straub & Dr. Christopher Mazzola
A new patient calls your office. They're PPO and ask the dreaded insurance questions. What do you say to bring them in? If you're feeling stuck, keep listening to this episode! Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. Barrett Straub, ACT’s CEO, and Dr. Christopher Mazzola from the Pankey Institute to share the best strategies and verbal skills to attract PPO patients into your out-of-network office. To learn how to wow your patients and keep them long term, listen to Episode 781 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Dr. Straub & Dr. Mazzola:
- Send Dr. Straub an email: barrett@actdental.com
- Join Dr. Straub on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/barrett.d.straub
- Register for Dr. Straub’s GAPs Method workshop session #2 (September 6, 2024): https://www.actdental.com/gaps
- Join Dr. Mazzola on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/christopher.d.mazzola
- Follow Dr. Mazzola on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/christopherdmazzoladds
- Register for Dr. Mazzola’s Mastering Dental Photography: From Start to Finish course (October 10-12, 2024): https://pankey.org/course-category/mdp
- Register for Dr. Mazzola’s Mastering Treatment Planning course (October 2-4, 2025): https://pankey.org/course-category/mtp
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- See the ACT Dental/BPA Live Event Schedule: https://www.actdental.com/event
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 781: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
Main Takeaways:
- Support your admin team members. Don't leave them to figure it out for themselves.
- Patients who ask about insurance are not bad people. That’s all they know to ask.
- Sharpen your verbal skills and also learn to listen to your patients’ concerns.
- When patients call in, schedule an appointment within seven days or less.
- Try doing a free meet-and-greet to build value for prospective patients.
- If a patient’s sole motivator is low cost, you don't want them anyway.
- Track patients who leave and have a plan to bring them back in.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
1:46 Set aside your obstacles.
3:16 “Do you take my insurance?”
4:47 Provide frictionless entry.
6:55 Learn to listen and validate.
8:10 Support your admin team.
11:52 The benefits of a meet-and-greet.
14:49 Get good at asking questions.
17:21 Do patients know what they're getting into before they call?
20:47 One tip to pull patients back in.
22:47 “Is this out of pocket? How does this work?”
24:26 Build value for patients.
26:37 “Why aren't you in my network?”
28:23 “Can I use my insurance here?”
29:20 “My team thinks they can’t bring their family here anymore.”
31:34 “Can you figure out what insurance will cover before I decide?”
34:45 What most dentists get wrong.
37:57 Dr. Mazzola’s new patient process.
43:22 Final thoughts.
Dr. Barrett Straub Bio:
Dr. Barrett Straub practices general and sedation dentistry in Port Washington, Wisconsin. He has worked hard to develop his practice into a top-performing, fee-for-service practice that focuses on improving the lives of patients through dentistry.
A graduate of Marquette Dental School, Dr. Straub’s advanced training and CE includes work at the Spear Institute, LVI, DOCS, and as a member of the Milwaukee Study Club. He is a past member of the Wisconsin Dental Association Board of Trustees and was awarded the Marquette Dental School 2017 Young Alumnus of the Year. As a former ACT coaching client that experienced first-hand the transformation that coaching can provide, he is passionate about helping other dentists create the practice they’ve always wanted.
Dr. Straub loves to hunt, golf, and spend winter on the ice, curling. He is married to Katie, with two daughters, Abby and Elizabeth.
Dr. Christopher Mazzola Bio:
Dr. Christopher Mazzola was born and raised in Ann Arbor, Michigan. He attended the University of Michigan for his undergraduate studies where he graduated with honors with a Chemical Engineering Degree. During his undergraduate studies, he conducted research with dental school faculty on materials to aid in patients’ healing after dental surgery. He then continued his education at Michigan where he completed his Doctor of Dental Surgery degree. While in dental school, he was awarded the University of Michigan American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry Award for his research in the clinical application of CAD/CAM technology in dentistry.
Prior to joining Traverse Dental Associates, Dr. Mazzola owned a practice in Colorado Springs, Colorado, where he was named one of the area’s 2013 TopDentists™. He continued with education focusing on communication and technology in private practice. He has also served as an instructor and mentor for new graduates focusing on patient interactions and CEREC CAD/CAM Technology.
In his spare time, Dr. Mazzola enjoys spending time with his wife, Christina, his children, Baylor and Eliana, and his three dogs, Isabelle, Lola, and Aspen. He tries to stay active through competitive CrossFit, golfing, running, and skiing. He is looking forward to watching his family grow in the amazing community that is Traverse City!
Too many people have sleep apnea — and too many people go undiagnosed and untreated! There is a way to help these patients, and that is to include dental sleep medicine in your practice. To help you do it effectively, Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. Mark Murphy, executive director of the International Academy of Sleep, with advice for helping sleep-disordered patients while still being profitable. Now is the best time for DSM! To get started today, listen to Episode 780 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Dr. Murphy:
- Register for IAOS Momentum (September 13-14, 2024) with code MARK75: https://iaos.com/vegas-september
- Register for IAOS Blueprint (November 8-9, 2024) with code MARK75: https://iaos.com/events/iaos-blueprint-november
- Register for IAOS Immersion (December 12-14, 2024) with code MARK75: https://iaos.com/events/iaos-blueprint-december
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- See the ACT Dental/BPA Live Event Schedule: https://www.actdental.com/event
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 780: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
Main Takeaways:
- Up to 85% of patients with sleep apnea are undiagnosed. Screen every patient!
- Decide how you want to incorporate dental sleep medicine into your practice.
- Once you decide you want to do DSM, make a commitment to doing it!
- Identify your at-risk patients and direct them to get treatment.
- Helping sleep patients will be rewarding and motivational.
- When done right, DSM is extremely lucrative.
- DSM is not as hard as you think.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
2:00 Dr. Murphy’s background.
5:51 The evolution of sleep devices.
8:18 The business of sleep, explained.
13:28 The slow adoption of sleep.
17:05 It’s really not that hard.
21:06 You can't learn to swim without getting wet.
23:53 Screen every patient.
25:45 Dr. Murphy’s passion behind the International Academy of Sleep.
32:31 Final thoughts.
34:46 More about IAOS and upcoming courses.
Dr. Mark Murphy Bio:
With nearly 40 years of experience in the dental and dental laboratory professions — and recently in the dental manufacturing industries — Dr. Murphy has a gestalt perspective of the various functions and relationships. A long-standing role with the Pankey Institute in Key Biscayne has had significant influence on this point of view. After receiving various awards and honors within the dental profession and selling his very successful practice in 1998, he drifted toward a more global industry view and role, serving with Dental Technologies Inc. and as a consultant to several manufacturers and suppliers for dentistry and the laboratory profession.
Currently, Dr. Murphy is the chief learning officer for the International Academy of Sleep. He was the former lead faculty for ProSomnus Sleep Technologies, practiced dental sleep medicine part-time in Rochester Hills, Michigan, and was on the faculty at UDM School of Dentistry and the Pankey Institute.
You're always busy — yet you make no money! Being a referral-based, fee-for-service, and diagnostic practice is the way to fix it, and Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. Jim McKee, founder of Chicago Study Club, to share how to successfully build this type of practice. Enjoy dentistry while still making money! To learn how, listen to Episode 779 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Dr. McKee:
- Send Dr. McKee an email: jim@mckeedds.com
- Join Dr. McKee on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jim.mckee.104
- Register for Dr. McKee’s TMD course: https://courses.phelandentalseminars.com/tmd-pds
- Learn about Chicago Study Club: https://chicagostudyclub.com
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- See the ACT Dental/BPA Live Event Schedule: https://www.actdental.com/event
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 779: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
- Learn more about Dental Online Training: https://www.dothandson.com/home
Main Takeaways:
- Find something you enjoy doing and become an expert in it.
- With dentistry becoming more complex, diagnostics is crucial.
- Commit to training your staff. You can't build your practice alone.
- In a referral-based practice, the caliber of patients you get is higher.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
2:33 Dr. McKee’s background.
7:22 The three models of practice, explained.
17:04 Benefits of being a specialty practice.
20:59 You don't need a large practice for this to work.
23:10 You have a practice within your practice.
26:04 The diagnostic practice, explained.
28:47 About Dr. McKee’s course.
30:08 Occlusion, explained.
33:01 Last thoughts.
34:50 About Dr. McKee’s study club.
Dr. Jim McKee Bio:
Dr. Jim McKee is a member of the Spear Resident Faculty. He has maintained a private practice since 1984 in Downers Grove, Illinois, where he treats a wide variety of cases with a focus on predictable restorative dentistry. He is a member of the American Academy of Restorative Dentistry and former president of the American Equilibration Society. He has lectured both nationally and internationally for over 25 years and directs several study clubs. Dr. McKee graduated from the University of Notre Dame in 1980 and earned his dental degree from the University of Illinois College of Dentistry in 1984.
You think you're billing your full fee — but you're not! So, to help you get the pay you deserve, Kirk Behrendt brings back Ariel Juday, one of ACT’s amazing coaches, to explain why billing your full fee is crucial, how to train your team members to do it, and ways to not be the limiting factor to collecting your full fee. Stop working one out of every three days for free! To start collecting your full fees today, listen to Episode 778 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Ariel:
- Send Ariel an email: ariel@actdental.com
- Follow Ariel on ACT’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/actdental
- Send Gina an email: gina@actdental.com
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- See the ACT Dental/BPA Live Event Schedule: https://www.actdental.com/event
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 778: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
Main Takeaways:
- Understand the consequences of not billing your full fee.
- Train your team members to always bill your full fee.
- Involve your admin team and ask for their input.
- Show patients the true cost of your dentistry.
- Check your fees annually to be up to date.
- Don't assume patients can or can't pay.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
2:13 Ariel’s background.
3:09 Why this is an important topic.
4:27 Unintended consequences of not billing your full fee.
6:59 What team members should pay attention to in the software.
8:58 How to systematically update your fees.
11:26 Irregularities in auditing and shared agreements, explained.
14:46 Start showing patients your full fees.
16:47 Let patients tell you what they can afford to pay.
18:59 Dentists are the limiting factor on full fees.
22:20 Make collections fun for the admin team.
23:05 What to expect by billing your full fee.
25:08 Last thoughts.
Ariel Juday Bio:
Ariel has a master’s in healthcare administration and several years of dental experience in all aspects of the administrative roles within the dental office. Her passion is to work with dental teams to empower team members to realize their full potential in order to better serve patients, improve office systems to ensure a well-functioning team/office, and to help everyone have fun in the process!
Objections are a normal part of your practice. They are also opportunities if you change your mindset! To help you reframe objections and see them as gifts, Kirk Behrendt brings back Miranda Beeson, one of ACT’s amazing coaches, with advice and strategies so you can overcome the most common objections you hear in your office. Help more of your patients stay in your chair! To learn how, and to hear more about Miranda’s dental administrator’s course, listen to Episode 777 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Miranda:
- Send Miranda an email: miranda@actdental.com
- Follow Miranda on ACT’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/actdental
- Register for Miranda’s workshop session #1 (September 20, 2024) and session #2 (October 4, 2024): https://www.actdental.com/213
- Send Gina an email: gina@actdental.com
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- See the ACT Dental/BPA Live Event Schedule: https://www.actdental.com/event
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 777: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
- Learn more about yourself with DiSC: https://www.everythingdisc.com
Main Takeaways:
- Reframe how you think about objections.
- Train your team to build trust with patients.
- Identify what a patient is actually objecting to.
- Create a welcoming space for patients’ objections.
- Use “Feel, Felt, Found” to affirm your patients’ feelings.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
3:23 Miranda’s background.
4:25 Why this is an important topic.
6:31 Identify the true objection and use the “pillow”.
9:02 Train team members to build trust.
11:21 Acknowledge your patients’ thoughts and feelings.
15:20 Use the Feel, Felt, Found method.
19:20 Patient objection example: “I don't want to do X-rays.”
20:53 Create anchors and talking points.
24:21 Patient objection example: “I don't think I really need fluoride.”
28:09 Patient objection example: “I want to go home and think about this.”
29:31 Patient objection example: “It’s too expensive.”
30:51 Keep trying Feel, Felt, Found.
32:02 About Miranda’s course for front office administrators.
33:54 Last thoughts.
35:46 Celebrate when you or your team does well.
Miranda Beeson, MS, BSDH Bio:
Miranda Beeson has over 25 years of clinical dental hygiene, front office, practice administration, and speaking experience. She is enthusiastic about communication and loves helping others find the power that words can bring to their patient interactions and practice dynamics. As a Lead Practice Coach, she is driven to create opportunities to find value in experiences and cultivate new approaches.
Miranda graduated from Old Dominion University, and enjoys spending time with her husband, Chuck, and her children, Trent, Mallory, and Cassidy. Family time is the best time, and is often spent on a golf course, a volleyball court, or spending the day boating at the beach.
776: How We Created a Great Dentist-Assistant Team – Dr. Charlie Ward & Ale Gonzalez
To create the best experience for your patients, you need the best people on your team. To show what that looks like, Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. Charlie Ward and his amazing assistant, Ale Gonzalez, to share their tips for cultivating a great team relationship. You don't need 20 years to be aligned! To learn how to plan for success and grow as a team, listen to Episode 776 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Dr. Ward:
- Send Dr. Ward an email: charlie@bmoredentalarts.com
- Follow Dr. Ward on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drcwarddds
- Register for Dr. Ward’s Mastering Dental Photography course: (October 10, 2024): https://pankey.org/course-category/mdp
- Register for Dr. Ward’s Aesthetic & Functional Treatment Planning course (July 17-20, 2025): https://pankey.org/course-category/e1
- Register for Dr. Ward and Dr. Chris Mazzola’s Mastering Treatment Planning course (October 2, 2025): https://pankey.org/course-category/mtp
- Register for Dr. Ward’s Mastering Aesthetic Restorative Dentistry course (sold out into 2026): https://pankey.org/course-category/mard
Learn More About ACT Dental:
- ACT’s website: https://www.actdental.com
- ACT’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/actdental
- ACT’s YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/actdental
- ACT’s Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/actdental
- ACT’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/3137520/admin/feed/posts/
- ACT’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/actdental
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- See the ACT Dental/BPA Live Event Schedule: https://www.actdental.com/event
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 776: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
- Read Atomic Habits by James Clear: https://jamesclear.com/atomic-habits
Main Takeaways:
- Invest in the growth of your team members so they can help you succeed.
- Create systems together with your team. They will be more invested.
- A great team relationship is critical for the best possible outcomes.
- You don't need two decades of working together to be aligned.
- Help your team understand the why behind your systems.
- Cultivate a team culture where you respect one another.
- Learn how to give and receive feedback respectfully.
- Put in the effort to make your team feel valued.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
1:24 Dr. Ward and Ale’s backgrounds.
2:57 Why this is an important topic.
6:56 Invest in the growth of your team.
12:03 Have a second set of hands and eyes.
15:44 The feedback loop, explained.
18:19 How to give and receive feedback.
22:21 It’s the small changes that matter.
23:55 The importance of photography.
24:42 The photography workflow process.
29:04 What dentists get wrong about this relationship.
31:28 All cases are teaching cases.
33:31 Their favorite system they’ve created.
35:29 The future of their practice.
38:31 A great practice is created one patient at a time.
40:37 Final thoughts.
42:52 More about Dr. Ward and how to get in touch.
Dr. Charlie Ward Bio:
After graduating from the University of Maryland with a Bachelor of Science degree in 2004, he went straight into the University of Maryland School of Dentistry. He earned his DDS degree in 2008, and since then he has completed the Essentials courses and many others at the esteemed Pankey Institute, where he now serves as visiting faculty. He is currently a member of the Maryland State Dental Association and the Academy of General Dentistry.
775: PPO Write-Offs Demystified: Unlock Strategies to Retain More of Your Hard-Earned Money! – Dr. Barrett Straub & Christina Byrne
Do you want to trade more time at the office for less energy, less money, and less memories with your family? If you want to stop giving up your time for write-offs, don't miss this episode! Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. Barrett Straub, ACT’s CEO, and Christina Byrne, ACT’s director of operations and head coach, to help you understand the different gaps in your practice, why they occur, and how to minimize them so you can work less and make more money. To start keeping more of what you earn, listen to Episode 775 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Dr. Straub & Christina:
- Send Dr. Straub an email: barrett@actdental.com
- Join Dr. Straub on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/barrett.d.straub
- Register for Dr. Straub’s GAPs Method workshop session #1 (August 23, 2024): https://www.actdental.com/gaps
- Register for Dr. Straub’s GAPs Method workshop session #2 (September 6, 2024): https://www.actdental.com/gaps
- Send Christina an email: christina@actdental.com
- Send Gina an email: gina@actdental.com
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- See the ACT Dental/BPA Live Event Schedule: https://www.actdental.com/event
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 775: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
- Register for ACT’s webinar, Strategic Goal-Setting for a Thriving Dental Practice (August 29, 2024): https://www.actdental.com/121
- Download ACT’s Financial Gaps at a Glance: https://23476641.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/23476641/47%20The%20Financial%20GAPs%20at%20a%20Glance%20-%2005.pdf
- Download ACT’s PPO Roadmap: https://23476641.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/23476641/ACT%20Dental%20PPO%20Roadmap.pdf
Main Takeaways:
- Data knowledge is power. It allows you to make better financial decisions.
- Make informed decisions with the help of data before dropping PPOs.
- Track capacity. It’s the only way to see how full your chairs truly are.
- Follow the GAPs method to identify where you're losing revenue.
- Don't try to figure out your numbers as you go. It won't work out.
- Use data, not your feelings, to make key business decisions.
- Understand the ways write-offs affect your profitability.
- Know the different gaps and KPIs you need to track.
- It's about your vision of your ideal practice.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
3:49 Objectives, ACT’s TTT, and BPA.
8:04 Why this is an important topic.
10:02 PPO write-offs, explained.
16:30 The effort gap, explained.
31:57 Real-life examples of the effort gap.
38:18 KPIs to analyze.
49:56 Final takeaways.
52:21 Q&A: Tracking capacity when your dentist is working out of two or more ops.
53:57 Q&A: Is it okay to use six to eight months of data versus a full year?
56:20 More about ACT’s future GAPs seminar and webinar.
Dr. Barrett Straub Bio:
Dr. Barrett Straub practices general and sedation dentistry in Port Washington, Wisconsin. He has worked hard to develop his practice into a top-performing, fee-for-service practice that focuses on improving the lives of patients through dentistry.
A graduate of Marquette Dental School, Dr. Straub’s advanced training and CE includes work at the Spear Institute, LVI, DOCS, and as a member of the Milwaukee Study Club. He is a past member of the Wisconsin Dental Association Board of Trustees and was awarded the Marquette Dental School 2017 Young Alumnus of the Year. As a former ACT coaching client that experienced first-hand the transformation that coaching can provide, he is passionate about helping other dentists create the practice they’ve always wanted.
Dr. Straub loves to hunt, golf, and spend winter on the ice, curling. He is married to Katie, with two daughters, Abby and Elizabeth.
Christina Byrne Bio:
Christina Byrne has been involved in dentistry since 1985. Over the years, she has held many positions on the dental team, including dental assistant, business office, and dental hygienist. Christina’s extensive knowledge of the front office and clinical procedures is a great asset, and she loves to impart her knowledge to guide dental teams do the best they can to achieve a Better Practice, Better Life!
Dentistry uses modern technology — but the dentistry that's done is not always modern. We are still treating symptoms rather than identifying the cause, and this leads to further problems down the line. There is a better way to help patients, and Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. Christian Coachman, founder of Digital Smile Design, along with his mentor, Dr. Rick Roblee, to define modern, ideal dentistry and discuss the importance of comprehensive care. Teeth are victims, not the problem! To improve your patients’ health for the long term, listen to Episode 774 of The Best Practices Show!
Dr. Roblee's Upcoming Course: https://www.centerforidt.com/courses
This special three-and-a-half-day course is designed for the entire interdisciplinary team (all members are encouraged to attend together but not required). Surgically Facilitated Orthodontic Therapy (SFOT) and Micro-Implant Assisted Rapid Palatal Expansion (MARPE) techniques are typically taught in two separate courses. These revolutionary procedures will be presented with an airway-focused and esthetic approach to enable progressive providers to treat major underlying health issues while simultaneously making their patients more beautiful. Patients who demand ideal facial esthetics, overall health, and stomatognathic function often need an interdisciplinary team that utilizes MARPEs and SFOT to alter the maxillary skeletal base or the maxillomandibular dentoalveolar complexes so that the roots of the teeth can be optimally positioned within the face. Spaces often need to be opened to improve the oral volume and then must be appropriated to enable the restorative dentist to conservatively create natural dental and facial esthetics while structurally maintaining the results. Surgical, orthodontic, and restorative perspectives will be presented from an airway focus to challenge the team to move beyond traditional interdisciplinary therapies into a new frontier for enhanced outcomes.
Learn More About Dr. Coachman & Dr. Roblee:
- Join Dr. Coachman on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/christiancoachman
- Follow Dr. Coachman on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chriscoachman
- Learn more about Digital Smile Design: https://digitalsmiledesign.com
- Register for the DSD Provider course (October 7, 2024, and November 11, 2024): https://digitalsmiledesign.com/dsd-provider
- Register for DSD Residency 1 On Demand: https://digitalsmiledesign.com/dsd-residency-1-on-demand
- Listen to Dr. Coachman’s podcast, Coffee Break with Coachman: https://open.spotify.com/show/4ADCrWhqsUKbHmZtkhhgoB
- Join Dr. Roblee on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/robleeortho
- Follow Dr. Roblee on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/robleeortho
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- See the ACT Dental/BPA Live Event Schedule: https://www.actdental.com/event
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 774: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
- Read Interdisciplinary Dentofacial Therapy: A Comprehensive Approach to Optimal Patient Care by Dr. Rick Roblee: https://www.amazon.com/Interdisciplinary-Dentofacial-Therapy-Comprehensive-Approach/dp/0867151889
Main Takeaways:
- Aesthetics should be a consequence of doing the right treatment.
- Identify the root causes of dental issues. Don't just treat symptoms.
- Help patients understand the value of complex comprehensive care.
- Interdisciplinary dentistry is the most effective, ideal type of dentistry.
- Ideal, modern dentistry also means addressing patients’ airway health.
- Invest in performing a thorough diagnosis rather than immediate treatment.
- Keep a beginner’s mind. Be open to new ideas and reevaluate your beliefs.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
4:14 Ideal dentistry, defined.
9:28 Invest in proper diagnostics.
13:15 The origin of Dr. Roblee’s book.
15:06 Help patients value comprehensive dentistry.
26:19 Why airway is a core pillar of modern dentistry.
31:02 The “be well” concept, explained.
40:07 Keep a beginner’s mind to evolve.
43:33 Filter out the junk in the airway space.
48:01 Learn the science before learning the techniques.
55:19 Final thoughts.
Dr. Christian Coachman Bio:
Combining his advanced skills, experience, and technology solutions, Dr. Christian Coachman pioneered the Digital Smile Design methodology and founded Digital Smile Design company (DSD). Since its inception, thousands of dentists worldwide have attended DSD courses and workshops, such as the renowned DSD Residency program.
Dr. Coachman is the developer of worldwide, well-known concepts such as the Digital Smile Design, the Pink Hybrid Implant Restoration, the Digital Planning Center, Emotional Dentistry, Interdisciplinary Treatment Simulation, and Digital Smile Donator. He regularly consults for dental industry companies, developing products, implementing concepts, and marketing strategies, such as the Facially Driven Digital Orthodontic Workflow developed in collaboration with Invisalign, Align Technology. He has lectured and published internationally in the fields of esthetic and digital dentistry, dental photography, oral rehabilitation, dental ceramics, implants, and communication strategies and marketing in dentistry.
Dr. Rick Roblee Bio:
Before studying graduate orthodontics at Baylor College of Dentistry, Dr. Roblee practiced restorative dentistry in Dallas, Texas. He is recognized worldwide for his work in esthetic dentistry, orthodontic techniques, and interdisciplinary therapy, which has led to more than 500 professional presentations that he has given in the United States, South America, Canada, Europe, Australia, and Japan. He has authored numerous publications and videos, including a textbook entitled Interdisciplinary Dentofacial Therapy: A Comprehensive Approach to Optimal Patient Care. He is an active member in numerous prestigious dental organizations, including the American Academy of Fixed Prosthodontics, the American Academy of Restorative Dentistry, and the American Academy of Esthetic Dentistry, of which Dr. Roblee is a Past-President. Dr. Roblee is a Diplomate of the American Board of Orthodontics.
Do you ever feel like your life is falling apart? Are you overwhelmed and exhausted every day that you work? There's one habit that can help you fix that! Being consistent is one of the greatest things you can do. To explain how this is the key to a better life, Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. Kevin Groth, a restorative dentist and one of ACT’s favorite clients, to share how making this one change improved his personal and professional life. If you're ready to transform and enjoy the way you live, listen to Episode 773 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Dr. Groth:
- Send Dr. Groth an email: kevingroth@gmail.com
- Join Dr. Groth on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/grothdental
- Follow Dr. Groth on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drkevingroth
- Give Dr. Groth a call: (248) 229-9380
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- See the ACT Dental/BPA Live Event Schedule: https://www.actdental.com/event
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 773: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
- Read Buy Back Your Time by Dan Martell: https://www.buybackyourtime.com
- Read The E-Myth by Michael E. Gerber: https://www.michaelegerbercompanies.com/theemythlibrary
- Try the Oura Ring: https://ouraring.com
Main Takeaways:
- Don't think you're invincible. That's the easiest way to fall.
- Running on fumes will lead to burnout and depression.
- Take time to get away and be selective of those times.
- Create a life that allows you to enjoy moments.
- Consistency is the key to success in anything.
- Let go of the negatives to simplify your life.
- Find the positive in every bad situation.
- Figure out what makes you smile.
- Receive the gift of criticism.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
2:38 Dr. Groth’s background.
3:39 Burnout will lead to depression.
6:56 Always find the positive.
9:31 Simplify your life.
12:48 Criticism is a gift.
13:51 Take time to get away.
15:01 Be consistent with your meetings.
19:44 Choose to be happy.
23:09 Give your team the opportunity to thrive.
25:09 Examples of tasks to delegate.
29:08 Smile more.
30:28 The benefits of consistency in personal life.
35:00 The benefits of consistency in family life.
39:34 Final thoughts.
Dr. Kevin Groth Bio:
Dr. Kevin Groth’s primary goal is for every person to walk out of his office knowing that they received the highest-quality, most personalized care possible. Dentistry is more than just a profession for Dr. Groth. He sees every patient as an extension of his own family. When you are in his chair, you’ll always be treated well.
Dr. Groth’s favorite part of being a dentist is that every day and every patient is different. He loves the variety of people he gets to meet and procedures he performs to help patients maintain their smiles.
Since graduating from the University of Michigan School of Dentistry, Dr. Groth has been recognized locally by Hour Detroit Magazine as a Top Dentist, and nationally as a Top Doc. As a passionate dentist who wants to provide the best care for his patients, he pursues continuing education through The Dawson Academy, serves on the executive board of the Periodontal Bunting Society, and is the Assistant Clinical Director of the Society of Comprehensive Dentists. He has also served as an adjunct clinical faculty member at the University of Michigan School of Dentistry.
If you're at the office over 200 days, that's too much time at work! You can be there less and make more money — you just need to understand your data. To offer some insight into the numbers you need to know, Kirk Behrendt brings back Angela Heathman, one of ACT’s amazing coaches, with insights into analyzing and mastering the key components of a thriving practice. To learn how to work smarter, not just harder, listen to Episode 772 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Angela:
- Send Angela an email: angela@actdental.com
- Join Angela on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/angeheathman
- Follow Angela on ACT’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/actdental
- Send Gina an email: gina@actdental.com
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- See the ACT Dental/BPA Live Event Schedule: https://www.actdental.com/event
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 772: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
- Register for ACT’s Financial GAPs workshop: https://www.actdental.com/gaps
- Download ACT’s Financial GAPs at a Glance: https://23476641.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/23476641/47%20The%20Financial%20GAPs%20at%20a%20Glance%20-%2005.pdf
- Download ACT’s PPO Roadmap: https://23476641.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/23476641/ACT%20Dental%20PPO%20Roadmap.pdf
- Download ACT’s Roadmap to Practice Profitability: https://23476641.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/23476641/ACT_Dental_-_Roadmap_to_Practice_Profitability.pdf
Main Takeaways:
- Don't run on emotion. Evaluate which things you're doing are actually working.
- Data will reveal where your inefficiencies are and where you can improve.
- Without understanding your data, you won't increase profitability.
- Tracking data will help you be more informed and strategic.
- Your goal is to collect 100%. 96% is not good enough!
- Selling your practice is not a retirement plan.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
1:55 About ACT’s BPA, TTT, Pro Coaching, and other resources.
5:10 Objectives.
6:34 Why this is an important topic.
13:08 Production, explained.
20:13 Collections, explained.
24:59 Overhead, explained.
30:55 Profit, explained.
37:22 Q&A: What is an optimal range in overhead as a percentage of gross collections?
49:23 The sale isn't your retirement plan.
51:32 Final thoughts.
Angela Heathman, MS, RDH Bio:
Angela Heathman is a Lead Practice Coach who works with dentists and their teams to help them accomplish their goals. She believes the hard work you do on your practice is just as important as the work you do in your practice!
Angela has over 20 years of clinical dental hygiene, dental sales, and practice coaching experience. When she transitioned from her role as a clinician to her role as a sales account manager, she realized both her passion for education and practice development. Angela holds a master's degree in dental hygiene education from the University of Missouri-Kansas City.
771: How Do We Create a Patient-Centric Care Plan? – Katrina Sanders
There are 32 white structures in your patients’ mouths — and it’s not the only thing you need to treat. Dentistry is important for whole-body health, and each body that comes in is different from the next. It’s time to drop the one-size-fits-all approach and create a patient-centric care plan! To share how, Kirk Behrendt brings back Katrina Sanders, The Dental WINEgenist, with tips for customizing a care plan to fit each unique need you see in your practice. To start creating care plans that your patients actually want, listen to Episode 771 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Katrina:
- Send Katrina an email: katrina@katrinasanders.com
- Join Katrina on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/katrina.sanders.948
- Follow Katrina on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thedentalwinegenist
- Connect with Katrina on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katrina-m-sanders-rdh-bsdh-m-ed-rf-39547bb4
- Learn more on Katrina’s website: https://katrinasanders.com
- Register for Katrina’s Hygiene Exam Essentials Part 1 (December 6, 2024): https://www.actdental.com/238
- Register for Katrina’s Hygiene Exam Essentials Part 2: https://www.actdental.com/239
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- See the ACT Dental/BPA Live Event Schedule: https://www.actdental.com/event
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 771: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
- Read The Trust Edge by David Horsager: https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-trust-edge-how-top-leaders-gain-faster-results-deeper-relationships-and-a-stronger-bottom-line-david-horsager/7551447?ean=9781476711379
Main Takeaways:
- One-size-fits-all dentistry does not work.
- Tell patients about the treatment they truly need.
- Advocate for your patients to build trust and a partnership.
- Standardize how you capture your patients’ medical histories.
- Have conversations with patients about their medical conditions.
- Don't stop at “educating” your patients. Be proactive with treatment plans.
- Talk to patients about their options and involve them in their treatment plan.
- Lack of trust is the number one reason why patients decline treatment plans.
- Personalize home care to each patient’s needs, situations, and dental goals.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
1:55 Katrina’s background.
8:34 Why dentistry has a hard time changing.
13:08 You have the ability to change lives.
17:59 How to create a patient-centric care plan.
21:00 Be stewards of your patients’ health.
28:02 Advocate for your patients.
30:56 How to start the conversation with patients.
44:00 What do you do with your last 25 minutes?
53:26 Crawl before you walk, walk before you run.
57:22 Final thoughts.
1:00:38 More about Katrina and how to get in touch.
Katrina M. Sanders RDH, BSDH, M.Ed, RF Bio:
In the ever-changing world of dental science where research, technology, and techniques for patient care are constantly evolving, dental professionals look to continuing education to provide insight, deliver actionable steps, empower, and create a dramatic impact within their clinical practice. With wit, charm, and a dash of humor, Katrina Sanders enchants dental professionals with her course deliverables, insightful content, and delightful inspiration. Her message of empowerment rings mighty throughout her lectures and stirs a deep sense of motivation amongst course participants.
Katrina is the Clinical Liaison for AZPerio, the country's largest periodontal practice. She performs clinically, working alongside Diplomates to the American Board of Periodontology in the surgical operatory. Katrina perfected techniques during L.A.N.A.P. surgery, suture placement, IV therapy, and blood draws. She instructs on collaborative professionalism and standard-of-care protocols while delivering education through hygiene boot camps and study clubs.
770: Dental Overhead Essentials: 2 Aspects You Can't Ignore – Christina Byrne
If you want to make smart business decisions, there's one important thing you need to know. Overhead is the key, and Kirk Behrendt brings back Christina Byrne, ACT’s director of operations and amazing coach, with a framework to help you think better about overhead and maximize profit. Start seeing where your money is going! To learn the best way to track and manage overhead, listen to Episode 770 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Christina:
- Send Christina an email: christina@actdental.com
- Send Gina an email for ACT’s Roadmap to Practice Profitability and How Money Flows Through Your Business Using Your Three Financial Statements: gina@actdental.com
Learn More About ACT Dental:
- ACT’s website: https://www.actdental.com
- ACT’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/actdental
- ACT’s YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/actdental
- ACT’s Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/actdental
- ACT’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/3137520/admin/feed/posts/
- ACT’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/actdental
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- See the ACT Dental/BPA Live Event Schedule: https://www.actdental.com/event
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Main Takeaways:
- Knowing your overhead gives you more margin.
- Understand what your fixed and variable expenses are.
- Don't make big decisions without understanding overhead.
- Collecting more is the ultimate way to reduce your overhead.
- Be sure to also track your elective write-offs. They can add up.
- Create a budget for dental supplies, then entrust it to your team.
- Have a system for repairs and maintenance that involves your team.
- Give ownership to your team to ask about negotiating a lower lab fee.
Quotes:
“Every decision you make has to be made from a point of knowledge and understanding. If you don't know what the overhead in your practice is, there's no way to make smart business decisions about, ‘Can we hire? Can we buy that new CBCT? Should we drop insurance?’ All of those big decisions that you make as a business owner, if you make them without understanding and knowing what your overhead is, you can get yourself into a lot of trouble.” (1:33—2:06) -Christina
“There are a lot of practices we work with who don't track their elective write-offs. And that's a really important piece to see too because sometimes, ‘Oh, we're going to courtesy this. We're going to courtesy that,’ and at the end of the month, or quarter, or year, that adds up to a lot. So, being aware of what does it actually cost to run this practice, and are we collecting every single dollar that we are entitled to collect?” (6:13—6:40) -Christina
“There are some costs that you're not going to be able to cut. That's what we consider our fixed expenses. But with our variable expenses, you do have a little bit of control over that. Ultimately, in the end, the way you help to manage and control your overhead is to collect as much as you can collect.” (7:27—7:47) -Christina
“There's always the argument, ‘Well, salaries, are they really fixed expenses?’ Yes, they are, for the most part . . . If your team salaries are 33%, your first thought is, ‘Well, I pay people too much.’ No, you probably don't. In most cases, you don't. The fact is your practice doesn't collect enough to support your salary.” (10:06—10:34) -Kirk
“When we become more people-dependent and less systems-dependent, when things go crazy or get a little out of kilter, the first instinct is, ‘We've got to hire somebody else.’ Now, we're adding to that compensation investment or expense, but we're still not efficient. So, it's not great. Some of our most efficient practices are the ones who have really great systems in place. They have limited team members, but the team members know exactly what it is that they need to do. Everybody has their own responsibilities and accountabilities, and they know what they are. They can run a really tight ship, and their team compensation is lower, and they're able to collect more. So, it works out really well. And again, going back to understanding when you need to make those business decisions and say, ‘Hey, you know what? We are getting busier, but our team compensation is low. We're collecting everything we can. I think it is time to add another team member here and see what we can do with that,’ rather than doing it out of emotion and fear.” (11:09—12:24) -Christina
“The worst thing to do is to cut to grow. Like, ‘I've got to trim everyone's salary to create some breathing room.’” (12:59—13:05) -Kirk
“Money is not the goal in anything, but the goal of creating a practice where you understand the overhead is that you have margin. You've got margin to be able to be with patients. And it's the old adage that when you need [a procedure] more than the patient does, they can feel it. So, knowing your overhead is really important, and having enough margin there is really important, and knowing what influences your overhead is really important. That's really key.” (17:09—17:39) -Kirk
“Something you can do immediately is create a budget for your dental supplies. Way back when I first started with ACT, our budget for dental supplies was four percent. We've had to increase that to five as a recommendation because we know that things are more expensive now. So, basically, what you would do is you would look at your previous month’s collections — net collections. What did we actually, literally take into the practice — and five percent of that should go to supplies. So, I say that as a guide. I don't want anybody running out of anything. But what you want to do is put somebody in the office in charge of that. We love giving autonomy and accountability to team members. You will be surprised when you say to Susie, ‘Susie, this is what we're going to do. We need to make sure that we run a profitable business, and one of the things we need to do is make sure that our supplies are on track.’ Most of the time, Susie is going to be really excited about that extra responsibility — and they will often watch your money better than you might. So, have them really take ownership of that. You'll be surprised at how well they can do with that. Then, you have a quick meeting with Susie once a month and go over it. She can come to you and say, ‘Hey, Doc. Five percent of last month's collections was this. This is what I plan to spend on supplies this month. Is that okay?’ Then, you give approval. If it's over, that's okay too, as long as she comes to you and lets you know that we have to go over because we are completely out of prophy angles. Giving somebody that freedom and that autonomy is really helpful.” (17:47—19:41) -Christina
“Obviously, doctors are very tied to their lab. If you have a lab that you love, I don't want anybody to go to an inferior lab just to save money. But you can also talk to the lab and see if there's any way that you can work together and see, ‘Is there something we can do differently?’ Again, making sure that we're getting the quality that we want, and also going to them and seeing if there's anything that they can do. Again, putting somebody in charge of that is another great way to give somebody else ownership of that so you're not the one worrying about it all the time.” (21:04—21:45) -Christina
“You have to look and see where people's strengths are in the office. So, just because something falls apart doesn't mean we have to immediately call our service representative. What can we fix on our own? There's got to be somebody in your office who's MacGyver and can work really well with a paper clip and a piece of tape. My sister is like that. She is totally MacGyver. She could take her car door off and fix the window all by herself because she watched a YouTube video. So, do that first. See if we can fix stuff in-house first.” (24:06—24:40) -Christina
“Another thing to consider as far as repair, it's the same in your practice as it is for your home — it's to schedule regular maintenance. Some people are too cheap to do that. Like, if you don't do maintenance on your furnace, you know what's going to happen, and it's going to be costly. So, something you might want to consider to reduce your expenses is a master checklist of things that have to be done once a week, once a month, once a year, or once every other year, and making sure that those things are done, and that'll eliminate that.” (25:38—26:09) -Kirk
“The ways that we can reduce our overhead really is about collecting more, and collecting more of what you produce than writing off so much. So, again, even if you're fee-for-service, pay attention to your write-offs. What are you giving away? If you want to give away dentistry, that's amazing. That's another thing you can have a budget for. So, once a year, we say, ‘Okay, this is what we're going to give away to patients in need,’ and then put a system in place.” (26:48—27:19) -Christina
“Someday, you're going to transition. The easiest practices to sell or transition in the United States are the profitable ones. The hardest ones are, there's no profit and the overhead is super high. As you can imagine, there are a lot of reasons for that. And then, ultimately, if you're a dentist listening, you're going to want to retire, at some point. So, retaining some of the margin instead of just living on what's left over and investing that into your investment portfolio is going to be really important. The thing to remember is that depending on who you are, there's going to probably be between $4 million and $25 million that's going to go through your hands if you own a dental practice for more than 20 years. You're going to have millions of dollars come into your business and out, and it's important to lower the overhead, create enough margin, and save a little bit of that along the way so that you can say, ‘Hey, I'm good,’ when it's all said and done.” (28:46—29:41) -Kirk
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
1:27 Why this is an important topic.
2:54 Overhead, explained.
7:56 Fixed expenses, explained.
13:30 Variable expenses, explained.
17:40 Create a budget for your dental supplies.
21:00 Negotiate your lab fees.
24:00 Have a system for repairs and maintenance.
26:35 Be intentional with write-offs.
28:00 Last thoughts.
Christina Byrne Bio:
Christina Byrne has been involved in dentistry since 1985. Over the years, she has held many positions on the dental team, including dental assistant, business office, and dental hygienist. Christina’s extensive knowledge of the front office and clinical procedures is a great asset, and she loves to impart her knowledge to guide dental teams do the best they can to achieve a Better Practice, Better Life!
You have a million problems to solve in your business. Do you know what else you have? An amazing team that can help you. All you need to do is empower them! To help them support you in the way you need, Kirk Behrendt brings back Miranda Beeson, one of ACT’s amazing coaches, to share one tip for effectively solving problems with your team. Remember — you don't have to do it all! To fix the culture of ineffective problem-solving in your practice, listen to Episode 769 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Miranda:
- Send Miranda an email: miranda@actdental.com
- Follow Miranda on ACT’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/actdental
- Email Kirk for a 1-3-1 treatment plan: kirk@actdental.com
- Email Gina for some ACT resources: gina@actdental.com
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- See the ACT Dental/BPA Live Event Schedule: https://www.actdental.com/event
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 769: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
- Read Buy Back Your Time by Dan Martell: https://www.buybackyourtime.com
- Read The E-Myth by Michael E. Gerber: https://www.michaelegerbercompanies.com/theemythlibrary
- Discover your natural gifts with Working Genius: https://www.workinggenius.com
Main Takeaways:
- Use the 1-3-1 rule to identify problems and solutions.
- Always verbalize expectations. Your team cannot read your mind.
- Team meetings provide the best opportunity to align on expectations.
- When you empower your team to solve problems, they will do more of it.
- You are the ultimate decision-maker in your practice, but delegate what you can.
- Don't believe that your team isn't committed or willing to help you. Give them trust.
- Developing your team is an investment. You will save thousands of hours in the future.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
1:57 Why this is an important topic.
8:53 The 1-3-1 rule, explained.
13:21 Start with setting expectations.
16:20 Why tools and frameworks are important.
19:50 Expectations, further explained.
25:06 Align during team meetings.
29:05 The “no thank you bite”, explained.
34:27 Benefits of effective problem-solving.
38:29 Everyone has a different “working genius”.
42:07 Final thoughts.
Miranda Beeson, MS, BSDH Bio:
Miranda Beeson, MS, BSDH, has over 25 years of clinical dental hygiene, front office, practice administration, and speaking experience. She is enthusiastic about communication and loves helping others find the power that words can bring to their patient interactions and practice dynamics. As a Lead Practice Coach, she is driven to create opportunities to find value in experiences and cultivate new approaches.
Miranda graduated from Old Dominion University, and enjoys spending time with her husband, Chuck, and her children, Trent, Mallory, and Cassidy. Family time is the best time, and is often spent on a golf course, a volleyball court, or spending the day boating at the beach.
Your body is interconnected. If you’ve hurt your neck, you’ve probably hurt your jaw joints. But if they go hand in hand, why don't more dentists collaborate with their medical colleagues? To break down the barriers between dentistry and medicine, Kirk Behrendt brings in Dr. Tiffany Lamberton, founder of TMD Collective, to highlight this neglected side of dentistry. Comprehensive, interdisciplinary care will only benefit your patients! To learn how to get started, listen to Episode 768 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Dr. Lamberton:
- Join Dr. Lamberton on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tmdcollective
- Follow Dr. Lamberton on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tmd.collective
- Connect with Dr. Lamberton on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tiffany-lamberton-4354aa228
- Learn more about TMD Collective: https://tmdcollective.com
- Listen to Jaw Talk podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/54uYIZcJpkykxO91ZEFDNt
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- See the ACT Dental/BPA Live Event Schedule: https://www.actdental.com/event
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 768: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
- Register for the Women in Dentistry Symposium (September 6-7, 2024): https://tmdcollective.com/ipuwd
- Learn more about Chicago Study Club: https://chicagostudyclub.com
- Learn more about Immersive Touch: https://www.immersivetouch.com
Main Takeaways:
- Joints have been the long-neglected side of dentistry.
- With today’s technology, we can now include joints in the picture.
- Collaborate with an interdisciplinary team that includes the medical side.
- Not every young person has healthy joints. Intervene using modern imaging.
- Be comprehensive in how you assess patients. Get answers before treatment.
- Join a study club to connect with like-minded people. It is an effective way to learn.
- Build a dental community on digital platforms or anywhere possible. Don't stay isolated.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
0:43 Dr. Lamberton’s background.
2:54 Why this is an important topic.
7:12 What dentists get wrong about TMD.
11:36 Imaging and its importance in dentistry.
15:35 The importance of study clubs and finding community.
21:22 The future of the barrier in dentistry and medicine.
24:01 Final thoughts.
25:43 About the Women in Dentistry Symposium.
28:34 About TMD Collective.
Dr. Tiffany Lamberton Bio:
Dr. Tiffany Lamberton is a Washington native who has dual degrees in both Physical Therapy and Dentistry, both from Loma Linda University. When she graduated with her DDS degree, she was also inducted into the Omicron Kappa Upsilon National Honor Society and received awards in Oral Pathology and Leadership. She currently has focused her practice on evaluation and treatment of Temporomandibular Joint (TMJ) Disorders and is available for New Client appointments via her website www.tmdcollective.com. She will be a speaker for the Pacific Northwest Dental Convention and is delving into the educational world speaking about TMJ, Airway and Myofunctional Therapy. She is a member of the ADA, WSDA, and is a Pierce County Dental Society Board Member. She is also a member of AOMT and the Chicago Study Club. Dr. Tiffany considers herself a life-long learner! She lives in the North End of Tacoma with her husband and two children, and enjoys snowboarding, wake surfing, and Pilates.
Do you want a more balanced life, but don't know where to start? It’s not as complicated as you think! To help you simplify the process, Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. Christian Coachman, founder of Digital Smile Design, and his guest, Dr. Konstantin Kross, to share the dentist’s life management system, a simple way to organize your time and energy so you can succeed in your practice and beyond. Get more out of your days, your years, and your life! To learn how, listen to Episode 767 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Dr. Coachman & Dr. Kross:
- Join Dr. Coachman on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/christiancoachman
- Follow Dr. Coachman on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chriscoachman
- Learn more about Digital Smile Design: https://digitalsmiledesign.com
- Register for the DSD Provider course (October 7, 2024, and November 11, 2024): https://digitalsmiledesign.com/dsd-provider
- Register for DSD Residency 1 On Demand: https://digitalsmiledesign.com/dsd-residency-1-on-demand
- Listen to Dr. Coachman’s podcast, Coffee Break with Coachman: https://open.spotify.com/show/4ADCrWhqsUKbHmZtkhhgoB
- Send Dr. Kross an email: k.kross@alldent.de
- Join Dr. Kross on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dr.konstantinkross/?locale=de_DE
- Follow Dr. Kross on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dr.konstantinkross
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- See the ACT Dental/BPA Live Event Schedule: https://www.actdental.com/event
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 767: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
- Watch Episode 742 with Dr. Coachman: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pQbsrJywQ7w
- Try Trello: https://trello.com
Main Takeaways:
- Free your mind of mental clutter.
- Formulate clear goals and write them down.
- Understand your purpose. It will bring you energy.
- Energy is also about mindset, not just physical health.
- Determine what things you want to put your energy into.
- To be successful, you need to dedicate time, energy, and love.
- You can't manage time itself, but you can manage your energy.
- If you feel stuck, revisit your vision board and you will be energized.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
3:39 About Dr. Kross and the dentist’s life management system.
7:23 You need time, energy, and love.
11:20 Learn to manage your energy.
16:10 Free your head of clutter.
24:44 Filter and prioritize the things that matter.
28:09 Understand your purpose.
33:56 Formulate very clear goals.
36:56 Consciously create balance.
45:34 Build long-term plans.
47:33 Create monthly plans.
49:58 Final thoughts.
Dr. Christian Coachman Bio:
Combining his advanced skills, experience, and technology solutions, Dr. Christian Coachman pioneered the Digital Smile Design methodology and founded Digital Smile Design company (DSD). Since its inception, thousands of dentists worldwide have attended DSD courses and workshops, such as the renowned DSD Residency program.
Dr. Coachman is the developer of worldwide, well-known concepts such as the Digital Smile Design, the Pink Hybrid Implant Restoration, the Digital Planning Center, Emotional Dentistry, Interdisciplinary Treatment Simulation, and Digital Smile Donator. He regularly consults for dental industry companies, developing products, implementing concepts, and marketing strategies, such as the Facially Driven Digital Orthodontic Workflow developed in collaboration with Invisalign, Align Technology.
Dr. Konstantin Kross Bio:
Dr. Konstantin Kross is a dentist and specialist in periodontics based in St. Gallen, Switzerland.
Is your practice a leaky bucket? Do you keep pouring water in, only to have most of it flow back out? Then it’s time to plug those holes! To help you fix your bucket, Kirk Behrendt brings back Carlie Einarson, one of ACT’s amazing coaches, with a framework to improve patient retention. Keep your schedule full, and with the right type of people! To learn how, listen to Episode 766 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Carlie:
- Send Carlie an email: carlie@actdental.com
- Follow Carlie on ACT’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/actdental
- Send Gina an email: gina@actdental.com
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- See the ACT Dental/BPA Live Event Schedule: https://www.actdental.com/event
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 766: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
- Download ACT’s Hygiene Recare System: https://23476641.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/23476641/Hygiene%20Recare%20System.pdf
- Download ACT’s Unscheduled Treatment Plan Follow-Up: https://23476641.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/23476641/Unscheduled%20Treatment%20Plan%20Follow%20Up.pdf
Main Takeaways:
- Plug the holes in your bucket before adding more water.
- Create systems for following up with unscheduled appointments.
- Keep continuous communication with patients so you remain top of mind.
- Have detailed notes on each patient so you can do a personalized follow-up.
- Your chair is the best place to make future appointments, not over text or phone.
- Stop filling your schedule with “mud”. Fill it with the patients and procedures you want.
- It takes less time, energy, and resources to keep existing patients than to find new ones.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
2:07 Why this is an important topic.
4:27 Keep a healthy active patient count.
6:06 Have continuous communication with patients.
8:06 Pre-appoint while patients are in your chair.
14:26 Systems for unscheduled treatment follow-up.
17:43 Finding new patients is more costly.
21:21 Final thoughts.
Carlie Einarson Bio:
Carlie Einarson is a lead practice coach who has a passion for helping others succeed in the dental field. She loves helping to create a stable foundation for practices so both professionals and patients have a great experience every time they walk in the door!
Carlie graduated from Utah College of Dental Hygiene. She has ten years of experience in the dental field, including clinical dental hygiene, front office, and leading teams.
In her free time, she enjoys spending quality time with loved ones, traveling, skiing, playing volleyball, and golfing.
Many dentists provide great dentistry. So, why should a patient come to you? To help you answer this important question, Kirk Behrendt brings back Courtney Dalton, one of ACT’s amazing coaches, with strategies to find three things your practice is uniquely good at. Become better at those things, and you will outshine your competition! To learn the most effective way to set yourself apart, listen to Episode 765 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Courtney:
- Send Courtney an email: courtney@actdental.com
- Follow Courtney on ACT’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/actdental
- Send Gina an email: gina@actdental.com
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- See the ACT Dental/BPA Live Event Schedule: https://www.actdental.com/event
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 765: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
- Watch Episode 758 with Dr. Jim McKee: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xlJ235f-VJQ
- Register for ACT’s To The Top Study Club - Taking Your Practice to New Heights in the New Year: Crafting Your Strategy (October 18, 2024): https://www.eventbrite.com/e/members-only-climb-with-us-register-for-october-18-2024-ttt-study-club-tickets-763603317077
- Download ACT’s Differentiation Tool: https://23476641.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/23476641/PDF/Differentiation%20Tool.pdf
- Read Traction by Gino Wickman: https://benbellabooks.com/shop/traction
Main Takeaways:
- Understand the elements that will set you apart from other practices.
- You're not unique in 90 things. Choose three that will make you stand out.
- Take time to identify your core competencies, your uniques, and your passions.
- Get your team’s input on your uniques. Get them to weigh in so that they will buy in.
- Your practice is not meant for everyone. It is for a few people that value what you do.
- Get really good at what you're really good at. Don't stop at figuring out what they are.
- What you have, like technology, is not a unique. But it can help you provide a unique.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
1:53 Why this is an important topic.
4:30 Identify your three uniques.
10:32 How to get patients to pay your full fee.
12:17 Maintain a unique that is your passion.
13:50 Core competencies, explained.
15:38 Important questions to ask yourselves.
17:31 Get your team to weigh in so they can buy in.
20:07 Examples of uniques.
23:06 Find ways to put your uniques into play.
25:56 Final takeaways.
27:30 More about ACT’s Differentiation Tool and To The Top.
Courtney Dalton, BS, RDH Bio:
Courtney Dalton is a Lead Practice Coach who focuses on establishing a solid foundation in order for a practice to thrive. With over 15 years of experience in the dental industry, she is as passionate about patient care as she is about those who are providing it.
What is your favorite collections agency? Your answer should be, “None of them!” Sending patients to collections is not worth the hassle. Instead, you should prevent getting to this point in the first place. To help you master accounts receivable and avoid uncomfortable situations, Kirk Behrendt brings back Ariel Juday, one of ACT’s amazing coaches, with some of the best practices for managing AR. To learn how to collect the money you deserve, listen to Episode 764 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Ariel:
- Send Ariel an email: ariel@actdental.com
- Follow Ariel on ACT’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/actdental
- Send Gina an email: gina@actdental.com
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- See the ACT Dental/BPA Live Event Schedule: https://www.actdental.com/event
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 764: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
Main Takeaways:
- Attempt to collect at time of service.
- Avoid scheduling patients who are high-risk.
- Have a working system for financial agreements.
- Take care of the balance before treatment, not after.
- Make sure that patients are making reasonable payments.
- Let competent admin take care of the financial conversations.
- Align with your team on collection strategies for overdue balances.
- Document every financial agreement you make — no matter the amount.
- Record each engagement and each engagement attempt with the patient.
- No more than one month’s net collections should be outstanding in your AR.
- Remember that your patient didn't let this overdue balance happen — you did!
- There is no benefit to sending patients to collections. Prevent getting to this point.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
1:25 About ACT’s BPA, TTT, and Pro Coaching.
5:01 Why this is an important topic.
9:38 With work and intentionality, it’s possible.
11:52 AR aging and claims aging, explained.
13:06 Accounts receivable, explained.
14:13 Have a system to find your AR.
16:47 Healthy AR goals, explained.
19:19 Train patients with reservation fees and prepaid balances.
21:01 Work with your patients but remember you're not a bank.
22:44 Let admin take care of the financial conversations.
25:11 Take care of the balance before treatment.
28:12 Overdue balances, explained.
30:51 Collection strategies for an overdue balance.
36:26 Should you send patients to collections?
40:36 Q&A: Thoughts on text message statements.
41:37 Collect at time of service to avoid headaches.
44:04 Consistent management is key.
44:55 Document all of your engagements and engagement attempts.
45:29 A call from the doctor can do wonders.
46:46 It shouldn't be a difficult conversation.
47:51 Fix problems at the root.
48:34 Do you have to document every financial arrangement?
50:41 Avoid scheduling high-risk patients.
52:51 Final thoughts.
Ariel Juday Bio:
Ariel has a master’s in healthcare administration and several years of dental experience in all aspects of the administrative roles within the dental office. Her passion is to work with dental teams to empower team members to realize their full potential in order to better serve patients, improve office systems to ensure a well-functioning team/office, and to help everyone have fun in the process!
In this special episode, Kirk Behrendt shares his exclusive presentation from the Dental Online Training Fest. He shares some of the basic principles that will elevate your leadership skills and help you create the practice you dream of. To learn the blueprint for a better practice and better life, listen to Episode 763 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Kirk and Dental Online Training:
- Send Kirk an email: kirk@actdental.com
- Follow Kirk on ACT’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/actdental
- Learn more about Dental Online Training: https://www.dothandson.com/home
- Join Dental Online Training on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dothandson
- Follow Dental Online Training on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dentalonlinetraining
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- See the ACT Dental/BPA Live Event Schedule: https://www.actdental.com/event
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 763: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
- Learn more about yourself with DiSC: https://www.everythingdisc.com
- Take the Kolbe A Index assessment: https://www.kolbe.com
- Discover your natural gifts with Working Genius: https://www.workinggenius.com
- Try the Oura Ring: https://ouraring.com
Main Takeaways:
- Keep work in a container.
- Know who you are as early as possible.
- Find the right people and get them in the right seats.
- Dentistry is a sport. Take care of your mind and body.
- As a leader, you are responsible for your team culture.
- Go all-chips-in on building an amazing team and practice.
- Consistently perform huddles and check-ins with your team.
- Prioritize your core values and find ways to keep them alive.
- Think ahead and have quarterly and annual planning sessions.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
1:17 Create other leaders that create other leaders.
4:15 Work on your culture.
5:45 Know your annual patient value.
8:12 An amazing culture requires amazing management.
9:14 It’s all about your thinking.
13:24 Know who you are as early as possible.
16:28 Take care of your physical health.
21:50 Keep work in a container.
25:39 The rule of 32, explained.
26:43 Create rituals in your life.
31:24 Get rid of your limiting beliefs.
35:49 Get the right people in the right seats.
44:29 The Function Accountability Chart, explained.
47:30 Have morning huddles and check-ins.
52:13 Have a quarterly and annual planning session.
52:57 Give life to your values.
54:09 Have a core purpose.
54:50 Last thoughts.
Kirk Behrendt Bio:
Kirk Behrendt is a renowned consultant and speaker in the dental industry, known for his expertise in helping dentists create better practices and better lives. With over 30 years of experience in the field, Kirk has dedicated his professional life to optimizing dentistry's best systems and practices.
Kirk has been a featured speaker at every major dental meeting in the United States. His company, ACT Dental, has consistently been ranked among the Top Dental Consultants in Dentistry Today's annual rankings for the past ten years. In addition, ACT Dental was named one of the fastest-growing companies in the United States by Inc Magazine, appearing on their Inc 5000 list.
Kirk's motivational skills are widely recognized in the dental industry. Dr. Peter Dawson of The Dawson Academy has referred to Kirk as "THE best motivator I have ever heard." Kirk has also assembled a trusted team of advisor experts who work with dentists to customize individual solutions that meet their unique needs.
When he's not motivating dentists and their teams, Kirk enjoys coaching his children's sports teams and spending time with his amazing wife, Sarah, and their four children, Kinzie, Lily, Zoe, and Bo.
What is the number-one enemy of teeth? Sometimes, it’s the dentist! Esthetic dentistry is rising in popularity — and harming many patients. To highlight the difference between esthetic and healthcare dentistry, Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. Christian Coachman, founder of Digital Smile Design, to explain why esthetics has its place, but shouldn't be the priority. Cosmetic dental procedures won't improve your patients’ health! To change the way you think about cosmetic and healthcare dentistry, listen to Episode 762 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Dr. Coachman:
- Join Dr. Coachman on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/christiancoachman
- Follow Dr. Coachman on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chriscoachman
- Learn more about Digital Smile Design: https://digitalsmiledesign.com
- Register for the DSD Provider course (October 7, 2024, and November 11, 2024): https://digitalsmiledesign.com/dsd-provider
- Register for DSD Residency 1 On Demand: https://digitalsmiledesign.com/dsd-residency-1-on-demand
- Listen to Dr. Coachman’s podcast, Coffee Break with Coachman: https://open.spotify.com/show/4ADCrWhqsUKbHmZtkhhgoB
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- See the ACT Dental/BPA Live Event Schedule: https://www.actdental.com/event
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 762: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
Main Takeaways:
- Esthetics should be the byproduct of great dentistry, not the priority.
- There is nothing better than having your own dentition in your mouth.
- Teeth are the key to longevity. Esthetic procedures destroy good teeth.
- Stop pretending that esthetic dentistry is healthcare dentistry — it’s not.
- Dentists play a big role in shaping the perception of beauty and esthetics.
- A nose job won't improve heart function. Veneers won't improve your bite.
- Cosmetic dentistry is camouflage dentistry. It won't treat underlying problems.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
1:43 Why this is an important topic.
12:17 Esthetics shouldn't be the priority.
14:25 The rise of the bullshit esthetic dentist.
21:57 There is nothing better than having your own teeth.
29:04 The biggest enemy of teeth are dentists.
31:02 It’s easier to sell the wrong dentistry.
36:24 Society’s exacerbation of “beauty”.
43:53 The real link between function and esthetics.
47:59 Final thoughts.
51:36 More about DSD.
Dr. Christian Coachman Bio:
Combining his advanced skills, experience, and technology solutions, Dr. Christian Coachman pioneered the Digital Smile Design methodology and founded Digital Smile Design company (DSD). Since its inception, thousands of dentists worldwide have attended DSD courses and workshops, such as the renowned DSD Residency program.
Dr. Coachman is the developer of worldwide, well-known concepts such as the Digital Smile Design, the Pink Hybrid Implant Restoration, the Digital Planning Center, Emotional Dentistry, Interdisciplinary Treatment Simulation, and Digital Smile Donator. He regularly consults for dental industry companies, developing products, implementing concepts, and marketing strategies, such as the Facially Driven Digital Orthodontic Workflow developed in collaboration with Invisalign, Align Technology.
761: The Energy Quotient & How Many Days You Work for Free as a Dentist – Dr. Barrett Straub
You've put a ton of time, money, and effort into becoming a dentist. You deserve to make a profit! If that sounds impossible, keep listening. Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. Barrett Straub, ACT’s CEO, to explain why working harder isn't making you more money, and how understanding the energy quotient will help you gain ultimate control over your practice. It’s time to stop working harder for less! To learn how, listen to Episode 761 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Dr. Straub:
- Send Dr. Straub an email: barrett@actdental.com
- Join Dr. Straub on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/barrett.d.straub
- Register for Dr. Straub’s live workshop (August 23, 2024): https://www.eventbrite.com/e/act-dental-gaps-method-the-formula-for-financial-freedom-tickets-776572418007
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- See the ACT Dental/BPA Live Event Schedule: https://www.actdental.com/event
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 761: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
Main Takeaways:
- Understand the importance of the energy quotient.
- Calculate how many days you're working for free. Lower that number!
- Your energy quotient doesn't need to be zero — it’s okay to be charitable.
- When you manage your energy levels right, your quality of care will increase.
- You don't need to work more hours and have more operatories to make more money.
- If you increase patient volume, you will have less control over your practice and your life.
- It’s not just about the money. Lowering your energy quotient will lead to a better practice.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
1:28 Gross production and the effort gap, explained.
8:43 The energy quotient, explained.
15:39 Manage your energy levels.
18:29 Time is the new rich.
20:55 Money gives you options.
23:38 What your dental accountants don't know.
26:06 More about ACT’s GAPs webinar.
29:35 Final thoughts.
Dr. Barrett Straub Bio:
Dr. Barrett Straub practices general and sedation dentistry in Port Washington, Wisconsin. He has worked hard to develop his practice into a top-performing, fee-for-service practice that focuses on improving the lives of patients through dentistry.
A graduate of Marquette Dental School, Dr. Straub’s advanced training and CE includes work at the Spear Institute, LVI, DOCS, and as a member of the Milwaukee Study Club. He is a past member of the Wisconsin Dental Association Board of Trustees and was awarded the Marquette Dental School 2017 Young Alumnus of the Year. As a former ACT coaching client that experienced first-hand the transformation that coaching can provide, he is passionate about helping other dentists create the practice they’ve always wanted.
Dr. Straub loves to hunt, golf, and spend winter on the ice, curling. He is married to Katie, with two daughters, Abby and Elizabeth.
Collecting 95% sounds great — until you do the math. That missing five percent of your net production is a lot of money! To help you understand what's picking your pockets and how to put a stop to it, Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. Barrett Straub, ACT’s CEO, with some strategies to eliminate the silent killer of your profit. To learn the quickest, easiest way to add cash flow back into your practice, listen to Episode 760 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Dr. Straub:
- Send Dr. Straub an email: barrett@actdental.com
- Join Dr. Straub on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/barrett.d.straub
- Register for Dr. Straub’s live workshop (August 23, 2024): https://www.eventbrite.com/e/act-dental-gaps-method-the-formula-for-financial-freedom-tickets-776572418007
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- See the ACT Dental/BPA Live Event Schedule: https://www.actdental.com/event
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 760: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
- Register for Miranda Beeson’s Beyond the Front Desk workshop: https://www.actdental.com/213
Main Takeaways:
- Collecting 95% seems great — until you do the math.
- Have systems for collections so you can focus on doing dentistry.
- Understand how not collecting 100% negatively impacts your business.
- “Doing more” and “producing more” is not the solution to increasing cash flow.
- Collecting what you're owed is the fastest and easiest way to increase cash flow.
- Your financial coordinator must be comfortable and confident collecting from patients.
- Collecting from patients is a form of art. Train yourself to embrace the awkward pause.
- Stop teaching patients that not paying is acceptable behavior. Collect what you're owed.
- It’s not okay to have a month’s worth in AR. That money should be in your bank account.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
1:05 The four gaps, explained.
2:36 The collections gap, explained.
4:04 What collecting 95% truly means.
10:26 The quickest way to add cash flow.
13:18 Mindset is important.
18:19 Embrace the awkward pause.
20:33 One patient at a time.
22:18 Teach patients when and how to pay.
24:35 Revisit your financial arrangements.
27:46 Collect what you're owed.
31:12 Final thoughts.
33:13 More about ACT’s BPA and future courses.
Dr. Barrett Straub Bio:
Dr. Barrett Straub practices general and sedation dentistry in Port Washington, Wisconsin. He has worked hard to develop his practice into a top-performing, fee-for-service practice that focuses on improving the lives of patients through dentistry.
A graduate of Marquette Dental School, Dr. Straub’s advanced training and CE includes work at the Spear Institute, LVI, DOCS, and as a member of the Milwaukee Study Club. He is a past member of the Wisconsin Dental Association Board of Trustees and was awarded the Marquette Dental School 2017 Young Alumnus of the Year. As a former ACT coaching client that experienced first-hand the transformation that coaching can provide, he is passionate about helping other dentists create the practice they’ve always wanted.
Dr. Straub loves to hunt, golf, and spend winter on the ice, curling. He is married to Katie, with two daughters, Abby and Elizabeth.
Whether it’s preventing burnout, maximizing profitability, or enhancing your patients’ experience, you need data. Knowing your numbers will empower your team, and Kirk Behrendt brings back Miranda Beeson, ACT’s director of education, and Heather Crockett, one of ACT’s amazing coaches, to help you identify the data you should be tracking to elevate your practice. To learn about the metrics that matter to boost your business, listen to Episode 759 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Miranda & Heather:
- Send Miranda an email: miranda@actdental.com
- Send Heather an email: heather@actdental.com
- Join Heather on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/heather.r.crockett
- Follow Miranda and Heather on ACT’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/actdental
- Send Gina an email: gina@actdental.com
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- See the ACT Dental/BPA Live Event Schedule: https://www.actdental.com/event
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the entire webinar here: https://www.actdental.com/117
- Watch the video version of Episode 759: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
- Download ACT’s Capacity Tracker: https://23476641.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/23476641/ACT%20Dental%20Capacity%20Tracker%20Tool%20(1).pdf
- Download ACT’s 10 Best Practices for Reducing Cancellations: https://23476641.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/23476641/10%20Best%20Practices%20for%20Reducing%20Cancellations.pdf
- Download ACT’s Say This, Not That: https://23476641.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/23476641/Say%20This%2c%20Not%20That%20-%20Fillable.pdf
Main Takeaways:
- Monitoring data will help you identify inefficiencies in your practice.
- Tracking hygiene data will help hygienists know the value they bring.
- By using data, you can build a balanced schedule to prevent burnout.
- You can elevate your patients’ experience by tracking the right metrics.
- Showing patients data can help motivate them to make informed decisions.
- Track metrics to help you design countermeasures for the challenges you face.
- Data will help you identify opportunities for growth and development for your team.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
1:17 About ACT’s TTT, BPA, and Pro Coaching.
5:09 Why tracking hygiene data is important.
15:29 Know the value that you bring.
17:46 Types of data, explained.
21:38 Hygiene production, explained.
28:18 KPIs to track: Hygiene production per day.
31:50 KPIs to track: Hygiene production per hour.
33:40 KPIs to track: Hygiene production per visit.
36:06 KPIs to track: Hygiene capacity.
43:06 KPIs to track: Hygiene reappointment percentage.
44:00 KPIs to track: Cancellations and recapture rates.
44:57 KPIs to track: Perio visit percentage.
46:06 KPIs to track: Perio presented and perio acceptance.
48:17 Countermeasures: Evaluate your service offerings.
52:17 Q&A: What is the benchmark for an eight-hour production for a DH?
53:16 Countermeasures: Block scheduling.
59:01 Countermeasures: Build value for hygiene appointments.
1:00:36 Countermeasures: Design and document a system for reducing cancellations.
1:01:51 Countermeasures: Align on what healthy looks like.
1:06:11 Being nice isn't always being nice.
1:10:25 How data can help motivate patients.
1:11:32 Final takeaways.
1:14:03 Q&A: Suggestions for a pediatric fee-for-service office.
1:15:07 Q&A: Good verbiage for texting patients who did not reserve their next appointment.
1:19:48 Final thoughts.
Miranda Beeson, MS, BSDH Bio:
Miranda Beeson has over 25 years of clinical dental hygiene, front office, practice administration, and speaking experience. She is enthusiastic about communication and loves helping others find the power that words can bring to their patient interactions and practice dynamics. As a Lead Practice Coach, she is driven to create opportunities to find value in experiences and cultivate new approaches.
Miranda graduated from Old Dominion University, and enjoys spending time with her husband, Chuck, and her children, Trent, Mallory, and Cassidy. Family time is the best time, and is often spent on a golf course, a volleyball court, or spending the day boating at the beach.
Heather Crockett Bio:
Heather Crockett is a Lead Practice Coach who finds joy in not only improving practices but improving the lives of those she coaches as well. With over 20 years of combined experience in assisting, office management, and clinical dental hygiene, her awareness supports many aspects of the practice setting.
Heather received her dental hygiene degree from the Utah College of Dental Hygiene in 2008. Networking in the dental community comes easy to her, and she loves to connect with like-minded colleagues on social media. Heather enjoys both attending and presenting continuing education to expand her knowledge and learn from her friends and colleagues.
She enjoys hanging out with her husband, three sons, and their dog, Moki, scrolling through social media, watching football, and traveling.
In dental school, you're taught to be the answer for everyone. But who are you really the answer for? To help you answer this critical question, Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. Jim McKee, founder of Chicago Study Club, to explain why you don't need to be everyone’s dentist, and how to be selective with the patients you see. To learn how to build a sustainable practice with an ideal patient base, listen to Episode 758 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Dr. McKee:
- Send Dr. McKee an email: jim@mckeedds.com
- Join Dr. McKee on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jim.mckee.104
- Register for Dr. McKee’s Advanced Occlusion workshop (July 25-27, 2024): https://campus.speareducation.com/workshops/advanced-occlusion/details/syllabus
- Register for Dr. McKee’s TMD course: https://courses.phelandentalseminars.com/tmd-pds
- Learn about Chicago Study Club: https://chicagostudyclub.com
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- See the ACT Dental/BPA Live Event Schedule: https://www.actdental.com/event
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 758: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
- Learn more about Dental Online Training: https://www.dothandson.com/home
Main Takeaways:
- Become the answer for “above-the-line” patients.
- Understand the class one, two, and three classification system.
- Remember that not everyone values dentistry the way that you do.
- Figure out how much your patients value quality or comprehensive dentistry.
- Be aware of your patients’ ability to pay for quality or comprehensive dentistry.
- Don't do “wallet biopsies”. Never assume how much someone can or can't pay.
- There are many other patients besides crown-and-bridge patients that need help.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
1:30 Who are you the answer for?
5:39 The dental demographics have changed.
8:36 $1,500 doesn't go as far today.
10:38 How much do your patients appreciate quality or comprehensive dentistry?
14:22 What is your patients’ ability to pay for quality or comprehensive dentistry?
17:08 Class one, two, and three patients, explained.
20:05 Don't do wallet biopsies.
24:06 Patients don't have the same dental background as dentists.
25:34 How to maintain a low-cost practice overhead.
26:17 Your entire team needs to understand above-the-line and below-the-line patients.
35:15 The restorative diagnostic practice, explained.
39:40 Final thoughts.
41:23 More about DOT Fest.
43:10 More about Chicago Study Club.
Dr. Jim McKee Bio:
Dr. Jim McKee is a member of the Spear Resident Faculty. He has maintained a private practice since 1984 in Downers Grove, Illinois, where he treats a wide variety of cases with a focus on predictable restorative dentistry. He is a member of the American Academy of Restorative Dentistry and former president of the American Equilibration Society. He has lectured both nationally and internationally for over 25 years and directs several study clubs. Dr. McKee graduated from the University of Notre Dame in 1980 and earned his dental degree from the University of Illinois College of Dentistry in 1984.
Who do you blame for holes in your schedule? If you said admin, it’s time to reassess your systems! Cancellations and no-shows start in the back, not up front! To help you reduce them, Kirk Behrendt brings in Miranda Beeson, ACT’s director of education, to provide a simple solution for keeping your schedule full of the patients you want. To learn the secret to attracting committed patients, listen to Episode 757 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Miranda:
- Send Miranda an email: miranda@actdental.com
- Follow Miranda on ACT’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/actdental
- Send Gina an email: gina@actdental.com
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- See the ACT Dental/BPA Live Event Schedule: https://www.actdental.com/event
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 757: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
- Download ACT’s 10 Best Practices for Reducing Cancellations: https://23476641.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/23476641/10%20Best%20Practices%20for%20Reducing%20Cancellations.pdf
- Download ACT’s How to Differentiate Your Practice: https://info.actdental.com/hubfs/PDF/Differentiation%20Tool.pdf
Main Takeaways:
- No-shows aren’t negative profit. It’s no profit!
- Reducing cancellations starts with building value.
- Have a quick-fill system to fill holes in your schedule.
- Strategically fill your schedule. Don't just fill it with anyone.
- Know your broken appointment rates and track your recapture rates.
- Consider implementing a reservation fee rather than a cancellation fee.
- Use your verbal skills when talking to patients about your reservation fee.
- Don't blame your admin team for holes in your schedule. Look at your systems.
- Appointments are confirmed at the time of scheduling. Showing up is not optional.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
1:28 Why this is an important topic.
3:57 Create a plan by tracking data.
6:17 You don't need all eight hours to be crammed.
8:41 Have a system for filling in holes.
12:32 Have a system for tracking late and broken appointments.
17:51 Should you have a cancellation fee?
25:17 Should reservation fees be refundable?
27:24 Give your patients two options.
31:03 Your confidence creates predictability.
35:25 Final takeaways.
Miranda Beeson, MS, BSDH Bio:
Miranda Beeson has over 25 years of clinical dental hygiene, front office, practice administration, and speaking experience. She is enthusiastic about communication and loves helping others find the power that words can bring to their patient interactions and practice dynamics. As a Lead Practice Coach, she is driven to create opportunities to find value in experiences and cultivate new approaches.
Miranda graduated from Old Dominion University, and enjoys spending time with her husband, Chuck, and her children, Trent, Mallory, and Cassidy. Family time is the best time, and is often spent on a golf course, a volleyball court, or spending the day boating at the beach.
Do you want a better year? Are you dreaming of working less days? There's one thing you need to do to make it happen — start planning ahead. To teach you how, Kirk Behrendt brings back Heather Crockett, one of ACT’s amazing coaches, with the ultimate guide to help you think better about your time. Plan ahead so you can be ahead! To learn how to take control of every schedule in your life, listen to Episode 756 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Heather:
- Send Heather an email: heather@actdental.com
- Join Heather on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/heather.r.crockett
- Follow Heather on ACT’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/actdental
Learn More About ACT Dental:
- ACT’s website: https://www.actdental.com
- ACT’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/actdental
- ACT’s YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/actdental
- ACT’s Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/actdental
- ACT’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/3137520/admin/feed/posts/
- ACT’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/actdental
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- See the ACT Dental/BPA Live Event Schedule: https://www.actdental.com/event
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 756: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
Main Takeaways:
- Know the number of days you work in a year.
- Be intentional with your schedule and plan ahead.
- You can run your practice on less than 48 weeks a year.
- 220 is too many days of work. It will lead to burnout and resentment.
- Remember that many of the best moments of your life won't happen at work.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
1:54 Why this is an important topic.
4:14 How many days are you working?
7:15 Have more control.
8:22 Start with your big-picture vision.
12:58 You can run your practice on 48 weeks a year.
14:11 Don't let resentment build up.
16:32 Figure out your daily gross production goal.
19:01 Predictability makes your life better.
20:50 Last thoughts.
Heather Crockett Bio:
Heather Crockett is a Lead Practice Coach who finds joy in not only improving practices but improving the lives of those she coaches as well. With over 20 years of combined experience in assisting, office management, and clinical dental hygiene, her awareness supports many aspects of the practice setting.
Heather received her dental hygiene degree from the Utah College of Dental Hygiene in 2008. Networking in the dental community comes easy to her, and she loves to connect with like-minded colleagues on social media. Heather enjoys both attending and presenting continuing education to expand her knowledge and learn from her friends and colleagues.
She enjoys hanging out with her husband, three sons, and their dog, Moki, scrolling through social media, watching football, and traveling.
A beautiful smile is always the goal — but it’s not the only goal in orthodontics. To reframe the role of early intervention and how it can transform patients’ lives, Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. Rebecca Bockow, instructor from Spear Education, to explain the benefits beyond straightening teeth. When you understand the potential of orthodontics, you can help more patients long term! To learn more and register for Dr. Bockow’s course, Healthy Growth - Healthy Faces, listen to Episode 755 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Dr. Bockow:
- Follow Dr. Bockow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rbockow
- Join Dr. Bockow on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/InspiredOrtho
- Register for Dr. Bockow and Dr. Michael Gunson’s Healthy Growth - Healthy Faces workshop (September 26-28, 2024): https://www.arnettgunson.com/healthy-growth-healthy-faces-seattle
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- See the ACT Dental/BPA Live Event Schedule: https://www.actdental.com/event
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 755: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
- Watch Episode 640 with Dr. Dania Tamimi: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RaaQxgXuESo&t=1842s
Main Takeaways:
- Recognize how the system works as a whole.
- Understand the true origin behind patients’ malocclusions.
- Early orthodontic intervention can improve dental, joint, and muscle health.
- Orthodontics is about establishing a healthy system, not just straightening teeth.
- Without a true diagnosis, orthodontics could lead to breakdown and other issues.
- It takes an interdisciplinary team to help rehabilitate a patient’s mouth and system.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
1:45 Why this is an important topic.
6:33 Reframe the conversation for naysayers.
9:07 Understand how the system works as a whole.
12:06 Early intervention, explained.
15:34 Understand the why behind malocclusion.
18:49 What dentists get wrong about the health of the entire system.
21:44 The fourth dimension, explained.
24:08 The origins of Dr. Bockow and Dr. Gunson’s course.
27:34 More about their course, Healthy Growth – Healthy Faces.
30:17 Final thoughts.
Dr. Rebecca Bockow Bio:
Dr. Rebecca Bockow is a dual-trained orthodontist and periodontist – the only dual-trained provider in Seattle and one of only a handful in the country.
Dr. Bockow grew up in the Greater Seattle area and attended University Prep for high school. She received a B.S. in Biology with Honors at Haverford College, where she also played soccer, squash, tennis, and ran cross-country and track. She completed her DDS training at the University of Washington Dental School in 2007. Dr. Bockow practiced as a general dentist in Seattle for two years while simultaneously teaching at the UW dental school.
Dr. Bockow completed a highly selective dual-specialty program combining Orthodontics and Periodontics at the University of Pennsylvania. She is a board-certified orthodontist and periodontist. While simultaneously enrolled in two residency programs, she also received a Master of Science in Oral Biology, focusing on intranasal ketorolac for postoperative implant pain management.
Dr. Bockow lectures nationally on periodontics, orthodontics, interdisciplinary orthodontics, airway, and skeletal growth and development. She contributes to multiple professional journals as an author and editor, and she is also a resident faculty member at Spear Education.
Dealing with insurance is not fun. It’s frustrating, time-consuming, and the least enjoyable part about dentistry. But there are ways to make it tolerable! To share how, Kirk Behrendt brings back Robyn Theisen, one of ACT’s amazing coaches, with three tips to get your team aligned and ready to have the insurance conversation with your patients. To increase your team’s confidence when talking about insurance, listen to Episode 754 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Robyn:
- Send Robyn an email: robyn@actdental.com
- Follow Robyn on ACT’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/actdental
- Send Gina an email: gina@actdental.com
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- See the ACT Dental/BPA Live Event Schedule: https://www.actdental.com/event
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 754: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
- Register to access ACT’s Say This, Not That: https://form.jotform.com/221665137804153
Main Takeaways:
- Make sure your patient is the main focus, not their insurance.
- Be aligned with your team about your relationship with insurance.
- Your entire team must know the ins and outs of insurance, not just admin.
- Level up your verbal skills. Be intentional with words when talking to patients.
- Utilize technology wherever possible to save yourself time and increase accuracy.
- There is a time and place for outsourcing. But try to keep certain processes in-house.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
1:37 Why this is an important topic.
3:25 Set aside time to align with your team.
4:01 Define your relationship with insurance.
7:12 Align on communication to develop trust with patients.
8:35 Develop your verbal skills.
9:23 Eliminate “but”, “however”, and “unfortunately”.
12:29 Utilize technology to your advantage.
14:49 Should you outsource certain processes?
17:32 Final thoughts.
Robyn Theisen Bio:
Robyn Theisen brings an entire life and legacy of dental experience to the team and every team with which she works as the daughter and sister of dentists. With almost 20 years of experience in dentistry, her roles ranged from practice management to operations at Patterson Dental to coaching teams. Robyn’s passion is empowering teams to realize that they can dramatically impact the lives of the people they serve by implementing skills and systems to remove barriers to life-changing dental treatment. She has done it for decades and does it every day with dental teams.
Outside of coaching, she enjoys time with her husband, Rob, and two daughters, Emerson and Ruby. She loves traveling, music, fitness, and cheering on the Michigan State Spartans.
Do you want to own a practice just for someone else to control it? If not, don't miss this episode! Kirk Behrendt brings in Dr. Barrett Straub, ACT’s CEO, and Miranda Beeson, ACT’s director of education, with a treatment plan to get you out of the thumbs of insurance so you can achieve financial freedom and personal fulfillment. With careful, strategic planning you can start removing some — or all — PPOs and reshape your future! To learn the steps to a better practice and a better life, listen to Episode 753 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Dr. Straub & Miranda:
- Send Dr. Straub an email: barrett@actdental.com
- Join Dr. Straub on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/barrett.d.straub
- Register for Dr. Straub’s live workshop (August 23, 2024): https://www.eventbrite.com/e/act-dental-gaps-method-the-formula-for-financial-freedom-tickets-776572418007
- Send Miranda an email: miranda@actdental.com
- Follow Miranda on ACT’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/actdental
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- See the ACT Dental/BPA Live Event Schedule: https://www.actdental.com/event
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 753: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
- Register to access ACT’s PPO Roadmap: https://www.actdental.com/free-resources/ppo-roadmap
- Register to access ACT’s Say This, Not That: https://form.jotform.com/221665137804153
- Email Dr. Straub for ACT’s Capacity Tracker and Patient Segment Scorecard: barrett@actdental.com
Main Takeaways:
- Whether you're looking to drop PPOs or not, try out ACT’s PPO Roadmap.
- Insurance isn't what's killing your practice — but they will if you let them.
- You don't need to become anti-insurance to achieve financial freedom.
- Don't start indiscriminately dropping PPOs. Plan and be strategic.
- Clearly define what growth means for you and your practice.
- There isn't a singular path to reach financial independence.
- Know which data points to track to start slashing write-offs.
- Follow the 12 steps to align and strategize with your team.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
6:52 About ACT’s TTT, BPA, and Pro Coaching.
10:26 Why this is an important topic.
12:15 Objectives.
13:52 Insurance independence, explained.
21:22 Improve your thinking and mindset about dentistry.
23:04 Figure out your overhead percentage.
25:26 Figure out your capacity.
26:59 Figure out your new patient referral sources.
28:22 Figure your new patient hygiene re-appointment percentage.
29:53 Figure out your annual patient value.
31:53 Figure out your unscheduled active patients.
33:14 Why you need to join the BPA.
36:50 Figure out your hygiene reappointment percentage.
38:23 Figure out which segment your patients belong to.
40:53 Rank and identify the PPOs you want to remove.
43:32 Read your contracts!
44:48 The 12 important steps to align and strategize with your team.
52:17 Final thoughts.
54:06 Q&A: Navigating plans not allowing out-of-network benefits.
58:02 Q&A: Advice for negotiating fees.
1:02:00 Q&A: Differentiate yourself before dropping bigger PPOs.
1:06:02 Q&A: Advice for limiting PPOs in your schedule.
1:08:24 Name, number, knowledge.
1:11:55 Q&A: How do you juggle growth during this process?
1:14:22 Try the PPO Roadmap today!
Dr. Barrett Straub Bio:
Dr. Barrett Straub practices general and sedation dentistry in Port Washington, Wisconsin. He has worked hard to develop his practice into a top-performing, fee-for-service practice that focuses on improving the lives of patients through dentistry.
A graduate of Marquette Dental School, Dr. Straub’s advanced training and CE includes work at the Spear Institute, LVI, DOCS, and as a member of the Milwaukee Study Club. He is a past member of the Wisconsin Dental Association Board of Trustees and was awarded the Marquette Dental School 2017 Young Alumnus of the Year. As a former ACT coaching client that experienced first-hand the transformation that coaching can provide, he is passionate about helping other dentists create the practice they’ve always wanted.
Dr. Straub loves to hunt, golf, and spend winter on the ice, curling. He is married to Katie, with two daughters, Abby and Elizabeth.
Miranda Beeson, MS, BSDH Bio:
Miranda Beeson, MS, BSDH, has over 25 years of clinical dental hygiene, front office, practice administration, and speaking experience. She is enthusiastic about communication and loves helping others find the power that words can bring to their patient interactions and practice dynamics. As a Lead Practice Coach, she is driven to create opportunities to find value in experiences and cultivate new approaches.
Miranda graduated from Old Dominion University, and enjoys spending time with her husband, Chuck, and her children, Trent, Mallory, and Cassidy. Family time is the best time, and is often spent on a golf course, a volleyball court, or spending the day boating at the beach.
If you work more hours, you make more money — except you don't! More dentists are spending more time in the office, only to wonder where their money went. There's a way out of this scenario, and Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. Barrett Straub, ACT’s CEO, to demystify the five key things to know about profit so you can make educated decisions and gain control of your practice. Stop working harder for less! To learn how, listen to Episode 752 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Dr. Straub:
- Send Dr. Straub an email: barrett@actdental.com
- Join Dr. Straub on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/barrett.d.straub
- Register for Dr. Straub’s live workshop (August 23, 2024): https://www.eventbrite.com/e/act-dental-gaps-method-the-formula-for-financial-freedom-tickets-776572418007
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- See the ACT Dental/BPA Live Event Schedule: https://www.actdental.com/event
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 752: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
- Download ACT’s GAPs at a Glance resource: https://www.actdental.com/gaps-at-a-glance
Main Takeaways:
- Remember that your P&L won't tell the whole story about your finances.
- Understand and close the different gaps you have in your practice.
- Profit isn't profit. There are three levels of profit to understand.
- High overhead isn't always about spending too much.
- Chasing money rarely works out.
- Get to the “I'm good” mindset.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
1:16 The GAPs method and its origins.
7:00 Increasing profitability doesn't have to be difficult.
10:32 The effort gap, explained.
13:37 The collections gap, explained.
18:13 The three levels of profit, explained.
21:58 Gross production, explained.
25:49 Annual patient value, explained.
28:16 High overhead isn't always about spending too much.
31:05 Three reasons your overhead is too high.
35:19 The cash flow gap, explained.
37:23 The “I'm good” mindset, explained.
40:13 About ACT’s GAPs at a Glance and Dr. Straub’s future seminar.
Dr. Barrett Straub Bio:
Dr. Barrett Straub practices general and sedation dentistry in Port Washington, Wisconsin. He has worked hard to develop his practice into a top-performing, fee-for-service practice that focuses on improving the lives of patients through dentistry.
A graduate of Marquette Dental School, Dr. Straub’s advanced training and CE includes work at the Spear Institute, LVI, DOCS, and as a member of the Milwaukee Study Club. He is a past member of the Wisconsin Dental Association Board of Trustees and was awarded the Marquette Dental School 2017 Young Alumnus of the Year. As a former ACT coaching client that experienced first-hand the transformation that coaching can provide, he is passionate about helping other dentists create the practice they’ve always wanted.
Dr. Straub loves to hunt, golf, and spend winter on the ice, curling. He is married to Katie, with two daughters, Abby and Elizabeth.
If you need new patients but don't know how to bring them in, don't miss this episode! Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. Jim McKee, founder of Chicago Study Club, to share five of the best ways he’s learned to attract new, high-quality patients that will stay for the rest of your career. To learn what patients want and how you can provide it, listen to Episode 751 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Dr. McKee:
- Send Dr. McKee an email: jim@mckeedds.com
- Join Dr. McKee on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jim.mckee.104
- Register for Dr. McKee’s Advanced Occlusion workshop (July 25-27, 2024): https://campus.speareducation.com/workshops/advanced-occlusion/details/syllabus
- Register for Dr. McKee’s TMD course: https://courses.phelandentalseminars.com/tmd-pds
- Learn about Chicago Study Club: https://chicagostudyclub.com
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- See the ACT Dental/BPA Live Event Schedule: https://www.actdental.com/event
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 751: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
- Watch Dr. McKee’s previous episode, 649: The Restorative Diagnostic Practice: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lX6oU7cnDQU
Main Takeaways:
- Think about the quality of patients you're bringing to your practice, not just quantity.
- Patients are looking for two things: answers to problems and options for solutions.
- Trade your marketing dollars for CE dollars. Gain a skill set other dentists need.
- Establish a presence in your dental community. Market your skill sets to them.
- Be involved in your local community, knowing it will be a slower build.
- Market your value to existing and prospective patients.
- Consider joining an insurance plan.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
1:32 Why this is an important topic.
3:30 Who are you the answer for?
7:16 Market to your existing patients.
15:01 Market to patients you don't know.
18:09 Marketing can be cost and time prohibitive.
19:30 Be involved in your local community.
21:09 Establish a presence in your professional community.
29:25 The importance of trust in your professional community.
32:57 Have a “give greater than get” mindset.
35:11 Should you keep everything in-house?
38:44 Join an insurance plan.
47:29 Final thoughts.
50:03 More about Chicago Study Club and Dr. McKee’s future courses.
Dr. Jim McKee Bio:
Dr. Jim McKee is a member of the Spear Resident Faculty. He has maintained a private practice since 1984 in Downers Grove, Illinois, where he treats a wide variety of cases with a focus on predictable restorative dentistry. He is a member of the American Academy of Restorative Dentistry and former president of the American Equilibration Society. He has lectured both nationally and internationally for over 25 years and directs several study clubs. Dr. McKee graduated from the University of Notre Dame in 1980 and earned his dental degree from the University of Illinois College of Dentistry in 1984.
A scanner can do amazing things — if you know how to use it! If you don't, it leads to frustration for you, your patients, and your lab. To help you overcome the barriers and become a master at scanning, Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. Christian Coachman, founder of Digital Smile Design, to reveal 15 scanning nightmares that you can learn to identify and avoid. To start improving your scans and have a better relationship with your lab, listen to Episode 750 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Dr. Coachman:
- Join Dr. Coachman on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/christiancoachman
- Follow Dr. Coachman on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chriscoachman
- Learn more about Digital Smile Design: https://digitalsmiledesign.com
- Register for the DSD Provider course (October 7, 2024, and November 11, 2024): https://digitalsmiledesign.com/dsd-provider
- Register for DSD Residency 1 On Demand: https://digitalsmiledesign.com/dsd-residency-1-on-demand
- Listen to Dr. Coachman’s podcast, Coffee Break with Coachman: https://open.spotify.com/show/4ADCrWhqsUKbHmZtkhhgoB
- IOS-F1 Festival (May 2025, the weekend of F1): Registration TBA
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- See the ACT Dental/BPA Live Event Schedule: https://www.actdental.com/event
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 750: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
- Read Digital Dental Revolution by Alessandro Agnini and Andrea Mastrorosa Agnini: https://www.quintessence-publishing.com/usa/en/product/digital-dental-revolution
- Try Loom: https://www.loom.com
Main Takeaways:
- You need to be a great dentist before mastering the scanner.
- Be upfront with your lab about limitations and challenges.
- Always analyze your scans before sending it to the lab.
- In the digital world, there is no excuse for bad scans.
- Don't pretend like you don't see scanning problems.
- Modernize your communication by utilizing AI.
- Utilize your CAD software for the best scans.
- Train your assistants in proper scanning.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
1:04 Why this is an important topic and about IOS-F1 Festival.
5:14 A scanner isn't a magic solution.
9:25 Two-thirds of cases sent to the lab should be rejected.
12:43 Master the process of creating a precise patient avatar.
14:29 Find the real problems that need to be solved.
21:13 Lab nightmares: Poor mesh resolution.
24:20 Lab nightmares: Interproximal scan distortion.
28:34 Lab nightmares: Finishing lines that are not visible.
31:00 Modernize your communication.
37:37 Lab nightmares: Sharp angles.
39:29 Lab nightmares: Clearance.
41:25 Lab nightmares: Prep margin designs.
44:19 Lab nightmares: Undercuts.
47:33 Lab nightmares: Not getting the ideal soft tissue information.
51:22 Lab nightmares: The bite.
56:29 Lab nightmares: No scans and pictures of the provisional.
58:13 Lab nightmares: The picture and scan of the provisional is bad.
58:54 Lab nightmares: Noise on the scan body region.
59:54 Lab nightmares: Wrong height of scan body.
1:00:05 Lab nightmares: Scan body is wrongly scanned or placed.
1:00:35 Lab nightmares: Poor choice of scan body.
1:01:09 Lab nightmares: Full-arch scan distortion.
1:02:42 Types of scans and teaching team members to scan.
1:06:39 The vision of IOS-F1 Festival and 2025 course dates.
Dr. Christian Coachman Bio:
Combining his advanced skills, experience, and technology solutions, Dr. Christian Coachman pioneered the Digital Smile Design methodology and founded Digital Smile Design company (DSD). Since its inception, thousands of dentists worldwide have attended DSD courses and workshops, such as the renowned DSD Residency program.
Dr. Coachman is the developer of worldwide, well-known concepts such as the Digital Smile Design, the Pink Hybrid Implant Restoration, the Digital Planning Center, Emotional Dentistry, Interdisciplinary Treatment Simulation, and Digital Smile Donator. He regularly consults for dental industry companies, developing products, implementing concepts, and marketing strategies, such as the Facially Driven Digital Orthodontic Workflow developed in collaboration with Invisalign, Align Technology.
Continuing education is critical for your practice. But if you don't take the right ones at the right time, it could be harmful for you and your team! To help you optimize your CE experience, Kirk Behrendt brings in Dr. Christopher Mazzola, a CE provider from the Pankey Institute, to share his insights into when, where, what, and how to take courses that will elevate your practice. To learn how to stop wasting time and money when taking CE, listen to Episode 749 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Dr. Mazzola:
- Join Dr. Mazzola on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/christopher.d.mazzola
- Follow Dr. Mazzola on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/christopherdmazzoladds
- Register for Dr. Mazzola’s Mastering Dental Photography: From Start to Finish course (October 10-12, 2024): https://pankey.org/course-category/mdp
- Register for Dr. Mazzola’s Mastering Treatment Planning course (October 2-4, 2025): https://pankey.org/course-category/mtp
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- See the ACT Dental/BPA Live Event Schedule: https://www.actdental.com/event
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 749: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
- Read The Song of Significance by Seth Godin: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/736958/the-song-of-significance-by-seth-godin
- Read Hidden Potential by Adam Grant: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/719611/hidden-potential-by-adam-grant/?ref=PRH0ACEFFE3D63E&aid=43830&linkid=PRH0ACEFFE3D63E
Main Takeaways:
- Are you going to CE for education or edutainment?
- Work on the health of your practice before taking any CE.
- CE can drive a wedge into your team if you're not aligned first.
- Remember that your team can become overwhelmed very quickly.
- Take time to implement your learnings. Don't see patients the day after CE.
- Don't take CE just to take it. You won't gain anything by speeding through it.
- There are amazing webinars out there, but CE should all be taken in-person.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
1:27 Dr. Mazzola’s background.
3:14 Dr. Mazzola’s CE courses at the Pankey Institute.
4:22 Why this is an important topic.
7:52 Figure out the type of dentistry you want to do.
10:43 Don't see patients right after taking CE.
13:24 CE challenges in a multi-doctor practice.
15:32 Know what you're investing in beforehand.
17:32 What CE has taught Dr. Mazzola about himself.
18:45 Get rid of limiting beliefs and imposter syndrome.
20:36 Work on your practice culture before taking CE.
23:40 How core values are relevant to CE.
25:54 Get your significant other on board.
30:57 Why CE should be taken in-person.
33:32 The importance of connection and relationships in CE.
35:19 The future of CE.
37:58 Start your own study club.
39:03 Final thoughts.
42:20 Write your struggles down.
Dr. Christopher Mazzola Bio:
Dr. Christopher Mazzola was born and raised in Ann Arbor, Michigan. He attended the University of Michigan for his undergraduate studies where he graduated with honors with a Chemical Engineering Degree. During his undergraduate studies, he conducted research with dental school faculty on materials to aid in patients’ healing after dental surgery. He then continued his education at Michigan where he completed his Doctor of Dental Surgery Degree. While in dental school, he was awarded the University of Michigan American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry Award for his research in the clinical application of CAD/CAM technology in dentistry.
Prior to joining Traverse Dental Associates, Dr. Mazzola owned a practice in Colorado Springs, Colorado, where he was named one of the area’s 2013 TopDentists™. He continued with education focusing on communication and technology in private practice. He has also served as an instructor and mentor for new graduates focusing on patient interactions and CEREC CAD/CAM Technology.
In his spare time, Dr. Mazzola enjoys spending time with his wife, Christina, his children, Baylor and Eliana, and his three dogs, Isabelle, Lola, and Aspen. He tries to stay active through competitive CrossFit, golfing, running, and skiing. He is looking forward to watching his family grow in the amazing community that is Traverse City!
What is slow-moving, parasitic, and dwells in basements? Millennials — depending on who you ask! But the reality, for the most part, is very different. To debunk some common myths and stereotypes and to share his insights into the millennial mindset, Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. Sully Sullivan, host and creator of the Millennial Dentist Podcast. To hear what this generation has to offer dentistry, listen to Episode 748 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Dr. Sullivan:
- Join Dr. Sullivan on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sully3
- Follow Dr. Sullivan on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/millennialdentist
- Learn more about the Millennial Dentist: https://millennialdentist.com
- Listen to the Millennial Dentist Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/1c1EeLi9XrrpQ9zPsLiT7P
- Learn more about 3D Dentists: https://3d-dentists.com
- Send Meredith at 3D Dentists an email: meredith@3d-dentists.com
- Learn more about Smile 3D: https://smile-3d.com
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- See the ACT Dental/BPA Live Event Schedule: https://www.actdental.com/event
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 748: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
Main Takeaways:
- Level up your clinical skill sets.
- Train your team to be patient-centric.
- Understand the consumer’s buying process.
- Learn to pivot how you sell based on consumer pain points.
- Keep investing in and pouring into yourself. That return will be invaluable.
- Your time is valuable. Set your fees around your time rather than other costs.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
2:36 Dr. Sullivan’s background.
4:30 The story behind the Millennial Dentist.
6:42 Get off the hamster wheel of misery.
10:00 How to become a $100,000-month dentist.
11:10 About 3D Dentists and Smile 3D.
12:41 Understand the buying process.
19:49 Set your fees around your time.
21:50 Train your team to be patient-centric.
26:39 Give patients options.
29:41 Understand how consumers buy products and services.
31:24 Get rid of your limiting beliefs.
32:54 Why you need to level up your clinical skills.
34:56 Final thoughts.
36:47 More about 3D Dentists and recommend courses.
39:29 More about the Millennial Dentist Podcast.
Dr. Sully Sullivan Bio:
Dr. Sully is a fourth-generation dentist from Nashville, Tennessee. After receiving his Doctor of Dental Surgery from the University of Tennessee, he moved back to Nashville to practice with his father. By continuing to invest in his education through adult orthodontics, soft tissue grafting, dental implants, third-molar extractions, and obstructive sleep apnea, he helped double his practice in just 24 months. As a millennial, he truly believes in “working smarter, not harder”, which has led him to utilize technology to not only deliver better patient care but more efficient care.
Dr. Sully regularly uses CEREC, 3D imaging with Galileos, 3D printing, and multiple lasers. In addition to his practice, he started the Millennial Dentist Podcast in February of 2017 to help push his fellow colleagues to take their dental careers to the next level. He lectures around the country on cone beam technology, CAD/CAM dentistry, obstructive sleep apnea, and practice management. He is also an ambassador for the 3D Dentist teaching facility in Raleigh, North Carolina.
Take a handful of money and put it in the trash. Every time you don't collect, that's exactly what you're doing. If you want to keep more of what you earn, don't miss this episode! Kirk Behrendt brings back Ariel Juday, one of ACT’s amazing coaches, to share three keys that will raise your team’s confidence when collecting from your patients. To start collecting what you're worth, listen to Episode 747 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Ariel:
- Send Ariel an email: ariel@actdental.com
- Follow Ariel on ACT’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/actdental
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- See the ACT Dental/BPA Live Event Schedule: https://www.actdental.com/event
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 747: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
- Watch Episode 662: Work Less, Earn More: The Dentist’s Blueprint to a Dream Practice & Life: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YL1-tiIzBss
- Read ACT’s 5 Tips for Billing Your Full Fee: https://www.actdental.com/blog/5-tips-for-billing-your-full-fee
- ACT’s 9-Step Checklist to Improve Collections at Your Practice: https://www.actdental.com/free-resources/9-step-guide-to-improve-collections
Main Takeaways:
- Set a clearly defined financial policy.
- Have a clearly defined billing process.
- Align with your team on what collection means.
- Understand the barriers your admin team faces.
- Have countermeasures in place for difficult patients.
- Train and develop your team’s communication skills.
- Take time to practice collection techniques with your team.
- Get rid of your limiting beliefs about patients who can't pay.
- You should be collecting 100% or more. It’s what you deserve.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
2:08 Why maximizing collections is important.
3:58 Have a clearly defined financial policy.
8:22 Have a clearly defined billing process.
10:13 Your admin team are the gatekeepers.
11:25 Friends don't owe friends money.
13:14 Train your team on communication techniques.
14:26 Take time to train and develop team members.
17:16 Know your blind spots to overcome them.
19:41 Final takeaways.
20:34 What should your net collections percentage be?
Ariel Juday Bio:
Ariel has a master’s in healthcare administration and several years of dental experience in all aspects of the administrative roles within the dental office. Her passion is to work with dental teams to empower team members to realize their full potential in order to better serve patients, improve office systems to ensure a well-functioning team/office, and to help everyone have fun in the process!
A great practice culture doesn't just happen — it all starts with leadership. But what does it mean to be a strong leader? Who can become one? How do you do it? To answer these questions, Kirk Behrendt brings back Miranda Beeson and Adriana Booth, two of ACT’s amazing coaches, so you can improve your practice culture and enjoy being at work. When leaders get better, practices get better! To become the leader you deserve to be, listen to Episode 746 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Miranda & Adriana:
- Send Miranda an email: miranda@actdental.com
- Follow Miranda on ACT’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/actdental
- Send Adriana an email: adriana@actdental.com
- Join Adriana on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/adriana.booth
- Follow Adriana on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adrimarieb
- Send Gina an email: gina@actdental.com
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- See the ACT Dental/BPA Live Event Schedule: https://www.actdental.com/event
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the entire webinar here: https://www.actdental.com/115
- Watch the video version of Episode 746: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
- Read The Work of Leaders by Julie Straw, Mark Scullard, Susie Kukkonen,, and Barry Davis: https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-work-of-leaders-julie-straw/11221614?ean=9781118636534
- Read Primal Leadership by Daniel Goleman, Richard E. Boyatzis, and Annie McKee: https://bookshop.org/p/books/primal-leadership-unleashing-the-power-of-emotional-intelligence-richard-e-boyatzis/9050044?ean=9781422168035
- Read Difficult Conversations Don't Have to Be Difficult by Amy P. Kelly and Jon Gordon.: https://bookshop.org/p/books/difficult-conversations-don-t-have-to-be-difficult-amy-p-kelly/18963080?ean=9781394187171
Main Takeaways:
- Understand the six leadership styles and identify the type of leader you are.
- Championing culture is the most important thing you will do as a leader.
- Develop emotional intelligence, self-awareness, and social awareness.
- Core values is also critical to having a great culture in your practice.
- Be aware of negative emotions and find ways to regulate them.
- Work on these soft skills like you do with your clinical skills.
- CE and equipment will only take your practice so far.
- Everyone is a leader in the practice.
- Leadership is a learned skill.
- Practice mindfulness.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
1:33 About ACT’s TTT and BPA.
7:01 Culture, explained.
10:09 Leadership, explained.
12:20 Who is considered a leader?
14:31 Intentionally champion positive culture.
19:36 Create vision and alignment.
21:50 What type of leader are you?
23:01 CE alone won't get you very far.
25:21 Six leadership styles: The visionary.
28:26 Six leadership styles: Coaching.
29:55 Six leadership styles: Affiliative.
31:18 Six leadership styles: Democratic.
33:03 Six leadership styles: Pace setting.
35:51 Six leadership styles: Commanding.
38:51 What would your team say is your leadership style?
39:21 IQ versus EQ.
40:19 Emotional intelligence and self-awareness, explained.
45:39 Find ways to regulate your emotions.
51:22 Develop self-awareness and social awareness.
54:11 Ways to improve self-awareness.
58:43 Final thoughts.
Miranda Beeson, MS, BSDH Bio:
Miranda Beeson, MS, BSDH, has over 25 years of clinical dental hygiene, front office, practice administration, and speaking experience. She is enthusiastic about communication and loves helping others find the power that words can bring to their patient interactions and practice dynamics. As a Lead Practice Coach, she is driven to create opportunities to find value in experiences and cultivate new approaches.
Miranda graduated from Old Dominion University, and enjoys spending time with her husband, Chuck, and her children, Trent, Mallory, and Cassidy. Family time is the best time, and is often spent on a golf course, a volleyball court, or spending the day boating at the beach.
Adriana Booth, BS, RDH Bio:
Adriana Booth is a Lead Practice Coach who partners with dentists and their teams to cultivate leadership skills, build practice growth, and streamline business practices. After spending nearly two decades in the dental industry working with top-notch dental teams, Adriana came to ACT to share her passion for professional growth, high-level training, and systems creation with our clients. As a dental hygienist with a love for continuing education and personal growth, helping a practice become successful is at the heart of her passion for dentistry.
Adriana has a B.S. in Dental Hygiene from West Liberty University/O’Hehir University. By being involved in several Columbus, Ohio, study clubs, Adriana maintains strong relationships within her local dental community. She enjoys a variety of fitness activities, family time, good books, and at the top of her list, her fur babies.
Your practice may be great. But you can always make it better! To help your business improve and evolve, Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. Christian Coachman, founder of Digital Smile Design, to talk about his upcoming DSD Provider course and to share seven steps to move toward ideal dentistry. To learn the best way to give your patients a better experience and better outcome, listen to Episode 745 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Dr. Coachman:
- Join Dr. Coachman on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/christiancoachman
- Follow Dr. Coachman on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chriscoachman
- Learn more about Digital Smile Design: https://digitalsmiledesign.com
- Register for the DSD Provider course (October 7, 2024 to November 11, 2024): https://digitalsmiledesign.com/dsd-provider
- Register for DSD Residency 1: https://digitalsmiledesign.com/dsd-residency-1-on-demand
- Listen to Dr. Coachman’s podcast, Coffee Break with Coachman: https://open.spotify.com/show/4ADCrWhqsUKbHmZtkhhgoB
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- See the ACT Dental/BPA Live Event Schedule: https://www.actdental.com/event
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 745: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
Main Takeaways:
- Think broadly, big picture, and beyond your biased mindset.
- Integrate interdisciplinary software and interdisciplinary thinking.
- Empower visualization. Leverage 3D software and new technology.
- Engage in collaborative, structured communication and decision-making.
- Perform standardized, efficient, guided clinical execution for optimal results.
- Find a digital lab to work with. They will help you diagnose, plan, and sell better.
- Use imaging, technology, and communication skills to ethically onboard patients.
- Improve your leadership skills to be a better leader. Ideal dentistry is a team sport.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
2:28 About Dr. Coachman, DSD, and his DSD Provider course.
6:49 Find your spark in dentistry.
9:41 Step 1) Move beyond the biased mindset.
13:27 The super generalist, explained.
16:01 Step 2) Move into integrated, interdisciplinary software and thinking.
20:51 Step 3) Empower visualization.
21:45 Why image utilization is so low.
23:51 Step 4) Move to collaborative, structured communication and decision-making.
25:11 The value of asynchronous communication.
30:09 Step 5) Move into efficient, guided execution.
34:59 Step 6) Find a modern, digital lab.
37:27 Step 7) Engage in ethical patient onboarding.
39:13 More about Dr. Coachman’s online education platform.
40:28 Final thoughts.
41:31 More about DSD.
Dr. Christian Coachman Bio:
Combining his advanced skills, experience, and technology solutions, Dr. Christian Coachman pioneered the Digital Smile Design methodology and founded Digital Smile Design company (DSD). Since its inception, thousands of dentists worldwide have attended DSD courses and workshops, such as the renowned DSD Residency program.
Dr. Coachman is the developer of worldwide, well-known concepts such as the Digital Smile Design, the Pink Hybrid Implant Restoration, the Digital Planning Center, Emotional Dentistry, Interdisciplinary Treatment Simulation, and Digital Smile Donator. He regularly consults for dental industry companies, developing products, implementing concepts, and marketing strategies, such as the Facially Driven Digital Orthodontic Workflow developed in collaboration with Invisalign, Align Technology.
In this special episode, the tables are turned once again! Kirk Behrendt is interviewed on The Future of Dentistry, a podcast by Anne Duffy, founder of Dental Entrepreneur Woman. Kirk shares the origins of his Better Practice, Better Life philosophy, his thoughts on dentistry, and three keys to creating a better practice so you can enjoy a better life. To learn more about Kirk, the “why” behind his business, and some secrets to his success, listen to Episode 744 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Anne:
- Send Anne an email: anneduffy@dew.life
- Join Anne on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dewlifemag
- Follow Anne on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dewlifemag
- Learn more about Dental Entrepreneur Woman: https://dew.life
- Register for the DeW Life Retreat (November 14-16, 2024): https://dew.life/events/#retreat
- Listen to Anne’s podcast, The Future of Dentistry: https://hub.dentalentrepreneur.com/podcasts/the-future-of-dentistry
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- See the ACT Dental/BPA Live Event Schedule: https://www.actdental.com/event
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 744: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
- Learn more about yourself with DiSC: https://www.everythingdisc.com
- Take the Kolbe A Index assessment: https://www.kolbe.com
- Discover your natural gifts with Working Genius: https://www.workinggenius.com
Main Takeaways:
- Figure out who you are ASAP — the sooner, the better.
- Develop your core values. It’s the most important thing you will ever do.
- Find your tribe and be selective about the people you surround yourself with.
- Learn to become a leader. Anyone can do it with the right training and mentorship.
- Balance your life as much as possible and give time to things that matter to you most.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
2:03 Kirk’s background.
3:18 Origins of Better Practice, Better Life.
9:00 The importance of leaders and becoming a leader.
12:33 Are leaders born or developed?
16:14 The biggest problem in dentistry today.
19:15 Is balance possible?
27:47 Figure out who you are.
30:08 Develop your core values.
32:35 Find your tribe.
36:48 More about ACT Dental.
Anne Duffy Bio:
Anne Duffy is a passionate, dedicated member of the dental community. She works diligently to empower others to strengthen themselves and their dental careers. She graduated from Ohio State University in 1974 and has been practicing ever since. With six state boards under her belt, she has worked in practices around the country, forming relationships with professionals throughout the various facets of the industry. In 1995, she joined a direct sales company selling toothpaste and alcohol-free mouth rinse and worked to build the largest group of female leaders in the company. In 1998, Anne assisted with the launch of Dental Entrepreneur: Business Beyond the Classroom as the only sales associate. In 2002, she purchased the publication. In 2016, she conceived Dental Entrepreneur Woman magazine and is committed to inspiring, highlighting, empowering, and connecting all women in dentistry. She is building up the DeW community as a movement to continue to advance women in dentistry and the causes they advocate.
What takes a practice from good to great? One secret ingredient is the checklist. To explain how a simple habit can make your life better, Kirk Behrendt brings back Miranda Beeson and Carlie Einarson, two of ACT’s amazing coaches, to share the best practices for creating, maintaining, and implementing checklists in your practice. To learn how to be more efficient in your day, listen to Episode 743 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Miranda & Carlie:
- Send Miranda an email: miranda@actdental.com
- Send Carlie an email: carlie@actdental.com
- Follow Miranda and Carlie on ACT’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/actdental
- Send Gina an email: gina@actdental.com
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- See the ACT Dental/BPA Live Event Schedule: https://www.actdental.com/event
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 743: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
- Download ACT’s 5 Systems Every Dental Practice Must Have: https://www.actdental.com/free-resources/5systems-every-dental-practice-must-have
- Download ACT’’s Systems & Checklist Support Guide: https://www.actdental.com/free-resources/system-checklist-support-guide
- Download ACT’s Productive Downtime Tasks Your Practice Needs: https://www.actdental.com/free-resources/productive-downtime-tasks-your-practice-need
- Read The Checklist Manifesto by Atul Gawande: https://bookshop.org/books/the-checklist-manifesto-how-to-get-things-right/9780312430009
Main Takeaways:
- Checklists create efficiency and predictability.
- Having a checklist will help you be present with patients.
- Don't set it and forget it. Use your checklist on a daily basis.
- You can't make the checklists for your team. Get them involved.
- A checklist will make it easier for your team to support one another.
- Audit your checklists regularly. It will motivate your team to follow them.
- Use checklists in other areas of your life to help you be more productive.
- Your checklists are living documents. They will change and grow with you.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
1:29 Why this is an important topic.
7:38 Use your checklist every day.
8:37 A checklist is a living, breathing document.
9:13 Prioritize your most important tasks in the checklist.
10:24 Have a checklist for everyone to keep them involved.
11:32 Be fascinated, not frustrated.
13:25 The simpler, the better.
14:29 Clarify expectations with checklists.
19:19 Audit your checklists.
21:05 Be consistent and use positive reinforcement.
23:58 Checklists make it easier to support one another.
27:14 Final thoughts.
Miranda Beeson, MS, BSDH Bio:
Miranda Beeson, MS, BSDH, has over 25 years of clinical dental hygiene, front office, practice administration, and speaking experience. She is enthusiastic about communication and loves helping others find the power that words can bring to their patient interactions and practice dynamics. As a Lead Practice Coach, she is driven to create opportunities to find value in experiences and cultivate new approaches.
Miranda graduated from Old Dominion University, and enjoys spending time with her husband, Chuck, and her children, Trent, Mallory, and Cassidy. Family time is the best time, and is often spent on a golf course, a volleyball court, or spending the day boating at the beach.
Carlie Einerson Bio:
Carlie Einarson is a lead practice coach who has a passion for helping others succeed in the dental field. She loves helping to create a stable foundation for practices so both professionals and patients have a great experience every time they walk in the door!
Carlie graduated from Utah College of Dental Hygiene. She has ten years of experience in the dental field, including clinical dental hygiene, front office, and leading teams.
In her free time, she enjoys spending quality time with loved ones, traveling, skiing, playing volleyball, and golfing.
Time, health, and people — it’s the trifecta of life. But how do you achieve balance, and where do you begin? To guide you through this lifelong goal, Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. Christian Coachman, founder of Digital Smile Design, to share the important lessons he’s learned about managing time, staying physically and mentally healthy, and attracting great people. To learn the secrets to his success, listen to Episode 742 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Dr. Coachman:
- Join Dr. Coachman on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/christiancoachman
- Follow Dr. Coachman on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chriscoachman
- Learn more about Digital Smile Design: https://digitalsmiledesign.com
- Register for DSD Residency 1: https://digitalsmiledesign.com/dsd-residency-1-on-demand
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- See the ACT Dental/BPA Live Event Schedule: https://www.actdental.com/event
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 742: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
- Try the Oura Ring: https://ouraring.com
Main Takeaways:
- Learn how to manage your time.
- Create a healthy routine that works for you.
- Be selective about who you spend your time with.
- Understand and emulate the behaviors of successful people.
- Great people find great people. Work on yourself to attract them.
- Every person you don't create a relationship with is a lost opportunity.
- Strength training is critical to your long-term health. Make it mandatory.
- Stay flexible — physically and mentally — so you can be in good health.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
1:39 Prioritize time, health, and people.
4:30 Find the right people to be around.
9:52 Dr. Coachman’s daily schedule and healthy habits.
20:07 Be flexible to be healthy.
23:30 Dr. Coachman’s fitness routine.
25:36 Strength training is mandatory.
27:43 Dr. Coachman’s experience with his first marathon.
31:05 Develop your time management skills.
36:00 Change takes time.
39:28 Start eating less.
41:05 Don't take yourself too seriously.
42:42 Great people find great people.
47:28 Dr. Coachman’s advice for his 25-year-old self.
51:07 Final thoughts.
Dr. Christian Coachman Bio:
Combining his advanced skills, experience, and technology solutions, Dr. Christian Coachman pioneered the Digital Smile Design methodology and founded Digital Smile Design company (DSD). Since its inception, thousands of dentists worldwide have attended DSD courses and workshops, such as the renowned DSD Residency program.
Dr. Coachman is the developer of worldwide, well-known concepts such as the Digital Smile Design, the Pink Hybrid Implant Restoration, the Digital Planning Center, Emotional Dentistry, Interdisciplinary Treatment Simulation, and Digital Smile Donator. He regularly consults for dental industry companies, developing products, implementing concepts, and marketing strategies, such as the Facially Driven Digital Orthodontic Workflow developed in collaboration with Invisalign, Align Technology.
Dentistry has come a long way when it comes to including women. But there is still a long way to go! In the meantime, one woman created a platform to inspire, empower, and connect women in this field. To highlight her success, Kirk Behrendt brings in Anne Duffy, founder of Dental Entrepreneur Woman, to share her journey, insights, and the value of having a community for women. To learn more about DeW, why you should join, and how to support the women in your lives, listen to Episode 741 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Anne:
- Send Anne an email: anneduffy@dew.life
- Join Anne on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dewlifemag
- Follow Anne on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dewlifemag
- Learn more about Dental Entrepreneur Woman: https://dew.life
- Register for the DeW Life Retreat (November 14-16, 2024): https://dew.life/events/#retreat
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- See the ACT Dental/BPA Live Event Schedule: https://www.actdental.com/event
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 741: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
- Watch Studio 8E8’s documentary, Women Shaping Dentistry Tomorrow: https://s8e8.com/wsdt
Main Takeaways:
- Dentistry still has a long way to go with inclusivity.
- Advocate for yourself and be an advocate for all women.
- Find your community, and great things will happen in your life.
- You don't need to be an entrepreneur to be part of the DeW community.
- DeW is not about bashing men. It is about supporting women in dentistry.
- Support and uplift women, and the world will become a much better place.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
1:45 Anne’s background.
3:19 How DeW began.
10:05 The evolution of the movement.
11:34 DeW’s amazing community.
16:46 The importance of connection.
18:15 Be a DeWd.
20:38 We still have a long way to go.
23:26 Watch Women Shaping Dentistry Tomorrow.
24:40 Building a legacy.
26:23 What mentorship looks like for DeW.
29:25 Misconceptions about DeW.
31:29 Final thoughts.
Anne Duffy Bio:
Anne Duffy is a passionate, dedicated member of the dental community. She works diligently to empower others to strengthen themselves and their dental careers. She graduated from Ohio State University in 1974 and has been practicing ever since. With six state boards under her belt, she has worked in practices around the country, forming relationships with professionals throughout the various facets of the industry. In 1995, she joined a direct sales company selling toothpaste and alcohol-free mouth rinse and worked to build the largest group of female leaders in the company. In 1998, Anne assisted with the launch of Dental Entrepreneur: Business Beyond the Classroom as the only sales associate. In 2002, she purchased the publication. In 2016, she conceived Dental Entrepreneur Woman magazine and is committed to inspiring, highlighting, empowering, and connecting all women in dentistry. She is building up the DeW community as a movement to continue to advance women in dentistry and the causes they advocate.
There's a reason we don't drive blind. But when you don't know your metrics, that's exactly what you're doing with your business. To help you steer your business more safely and with more clarity, Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. Barrett Straub, ACT’s CEO, to explain the importance of annual patient value and how to increase it for a more profitable practice. To learn how to work less and earn more with a higher APV, listen to Episode 740 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Dr. Straub:
- Send Dr. Straub an email: barrett@actdental.com
- Join Dr. Straub on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/barrett.d.straub
- Register for Dr. Straub’s live workshop (August 23, 2024): https://www.eventbrite.com/e/act-dental-gaps-method-the-formula-for-financial-freedom-tickets-776572418007
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- See the ACT Dental/BPA Live Event Schedule: https://www.actdental.com/event
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 740: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
Main Takeaways:
- Don't rate your practice on gross production. It doesn't tell the whole story.
- Understand how to calculate annual patient value and what it tells you.
- Change your mindset about patients not wanting to pay for dentistry.
- Overhead isn't the main problem with having a low profit margin.
- Instead of cutting overhead, understand your effort gap.
- You don't need 4,500 patients to “produce more”.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
1:03 Why this is an important topic.
2:31 High profit margin, low profit margin, and volume, explained.
5:12 Annual patient value, explained.
6:08 Characteristics of a low APV practice.
8:55 The fundamental problem with low profit margin.
11:22 Your mindset affects APV.
12:26 The better you are, the less patients you have.
21:48 Final thoughts.
Dr. Barrett Straub Bio:
Dr. Barrett Straub practices general and sedation dentistry in Port Washington, Wisconsin. He has worked hard to develop his practice into a top-performing, fee-for-service practice that focuses on improving the lives of patients through dentistry.
A graduate of Marquette Dental School, Dr. Straub’s advanced training and CE includes work at the Spear Institute, LVI, DOCS, and as a member of the Milwaukee Study Club. He is a past member of the Wisconsin Dental Association Board of Trustees and was awarded the Marquette Dental School 2017 Young Alumnus of the Year. As a former ACT coaching client that experienced first-hand the transformation that coaching can provide, he is passionate about helping other dentists create the practice they’ve always wanted.
Dr. Straub loves to hunt, golf, and spend winter on the ice, curling. He is married to Katie, with two daughters, Abby and Elizabeth.
In this special episode, Kirk Behrendt brings in Brad Arnett, his friend of 30 years and owner of NX Level Sports Performance, to talk about his journey as a trainer, growing the best athletes, and building NX Level. He also shares his philosophy on success, working hard, and the mindset you need to be your best. To take your thinking to the next level, listen to Episode 739 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Brad:
- Send Brad an email: nxlevelathletic@gmail.com
- Join Brad on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NXLevelSports
- Follow Brad on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nxarnett
- Learn more about NX Level: https://www.gonxlevel.com
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- See the ACT Dental/BPA Live Event Schedule: https://www.actdental.com/event
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 739: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
Main Takeaways:
- No matter what stage of life you're in, have your values and priorities in line.
- Everyone works hard. But it’s how long you stay at it that leads to success.
- Learn to consistently do the boring, monotonous, and mundane things.
- Sometimes, the “greener grass” on the other side is just field turf.
- Being proactive is always better than being reactive.
- Define success for yourself.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
1:42 Brad’s college life.
3:12 Life after college and starting his career.
16:17 Struggling with work-life balance.
18:09 Sometimes, the “green grass” is just field turf.
22:14 His career change and the start of NX Level.
39:08 His vision for NX Level.
43:13 Favorite stories from his time as a trainer.
53:34 Prehab, explained.
58:19 The problem of kids’ injuries in sports.
1:01:29 Multisport versus specializing.
1:04:50 The state of parenting in sports.
1:10:33 The future for Brad and NX Level.
1:13:38 Final thoughts.
Brad Arnett Bio:
Brad Arnett has been working professionally with athletes of all ages to meet their goals for more than 20 years. He was a four-year letter winner for the football team at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, two of which was as a starter. He earned All-Conference and All-American honors his senior season and was inducted into the UW-Whitewater Athletic Hall of Fame in the fall of 2013.
In late 1993, Brad began his career as a strength and conditioning coach for the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. After completing his degree in corporate and community health in 1995 at Whitewater and his master's degree in kinesiology in 1996 at the University of Minnesota, Brad remained with the university and worked for six years as the director of the Olympic Sport Strength and Conditioning Program. In 2000, Brad joined the University of Arizona and served as the assistant athletic director of strength and conditioning, working specifically with the men's football and basketball teams, as well as overseeing all aspects regarding the training of Arizona's 17 other athletic programs. He opened NX Level Sports Performance in May of 2005 and has trained athletes from every professional organization.
When you have great chemistry, everything goes better. But seamless interactions don't just happen. You first need to put in some work. To help you lay the foundation for great chemistry between you and your team, Kirk Behrendt brings back Courtney Dalton, one of ACT’s amazing coaches, to share three keys that will improve efficiency, predictability, and your patients’ experience. To learn the secrets of great chairside chemistry, listen to Episode 738 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Courtney:
- Send Courtney an email: courtney@actdental.com
- Follow Courtney on ACT’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/actdental
- Send Gina an email: gina@actdental.com
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- See the ACT Dental/BPA Live Event Schedule: https://www.actdental.com/event
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 738: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
- Register for ACT’s To The Top Study Club (July 12, 2024): https://www.eventbrite.com/e/members-only-climb-with-us-register-for-july-12-2024-ttt-study-club-tickets-722281472327?aff=odcleoeventsincollection
- Register for ACT’s To The Top Study Club (August 2, 2024): https://www.eventbrite.com/e/members-only-climb-with-us-register-for-august-2-2024-ttt-study-club-tickets-722297861347?aff=odcleoeventsincollection
Main Takeaways:
- Pour your effort into your assistants. They want to help you succeed.
- Great chairside chemistry makes your workday more efficient.
- Patients can feel it when there is no chemistry or alignment.
- Having great chemistry starts with a morning huddle.
- Create checklists to create predictability.
- Master the flawless hand-off.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
1:25 Why chairside chemistry is important for your practice.
5:07 It starts with a morning huddle.
10:57 Creating checklists is extremely important.
19:43 Have a flawless hand-off.
26:57 Final thoughts.
Courtney Dalton, BS, RDH Bio:
Courtney Dalton is a Lead Practice Coach who focuses on establishing a solid foundation in order for a practice to thrive. With over 15 years of experience in the dental industry, she is as passionate about patient care as she is about those who are providing it.
What's one thing all successful people do? They fail — a lot! To help you do it right, Kirk Behrendt brings back Heather Crockett, one of ACT’s amazing coaches, to share some insight into overcoming and embracing failure. Stop fearing your mistakes and shortcomings. Change your mindset and be excited to fail! To learn the three strategies to succeed from your failures, listen to Episode 737 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Heather:
- Send Heather an email: heather@actdental.com
- Join Heather on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/heather.r.crockett
- Follow Heather on ACT’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/actdental
- Send Gina an email: gina@actdental.com
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- See the ACT Dental/BPA Live Event Schedule: https://www.actdental.com/event
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 737: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
- Read Traction by Gino Wickman: https://benbellabooks.com/shop/traction
Main Takeaways:
- You should fail often.
- Failure is where the learning is.
- Fear of failure won't get you anywhere.
- Identify and discuss your failures to solve it.
- Encourage experimentation to make progress.
- Plan to fail often. When you fail often, you learn often.
- When there's a failure, blame the system — not the person.
- Let your team see your failure first. Show them it’s okay to fail.
- Aim for GETMO — Good Enough To Move On — not perfection.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
2:09 Why this is an important topic.
4:16 Recognize and call out your failures.
5:19 Blame the system, not the person.
7:07 Take a deep breath and process.
9:05 Identify, discuss, and solve.
11:57 Learn from the failure you've identified.
15:47 Encourage experimentation.
16:58 GETMO (Good Enough To Move On).
17:57 An example of learning from failure.
21:36 Final thoughts.
Heather Crockett Bio:
Heather Crockett is a Lead Practice Coach who finds joy in not only improving practices but improving the lives of those she coaches as well. With over 20 years of combined experience in assisting, office management, and clinical dental hygiene, her awareness supports many aspects of the practice setting.
Heather received her dental hygiene degree from the Utah College of Dental Hygiene in 2008. Networking in the dental community comes easy to her, and she loves to connect with like-minded colleagues on social media. Heather enjoys both attending and presenting continuing education to expand her knowledge and learn from her friends and colleagues.
She enjoys hanging out with her husband, three sons, and their dog, Moki, scrolling through social media, watching football, and traveling.
Successful people experience adversity — and they learn to embrace it! Today, Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. Christian Coachman, founder of Digital Smile Design and one of the most successful people in dentistry, to share his inspirational story about overcoming his hardships, the origins of DSD, and his passion and love for this profession. We all struggle at some point in life. But you can get the most out of your suffering! To learn how to succeed at struggling, listen to Episode 736 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Dr. Coachman:
- Join Dr. Coachman on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/christiancoachman
- Follow Dr. Coachman on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chriscoachman
- Learn more about Digital Smile Design: https://digitalsmiledesign.com
- Register for DSD Residency 1: https://digitalsmiledesign.com/dsd-residency-1-on-demand
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- See the ACT Dental/BPA Live Event Schedule: https://www.actdental.com/event
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 736: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
Main Takeaways:
- Without adversity, you won't grow and develop.
- Learn, grow, and create. Don't stay in survival mode.
- Don't stay stuck in frustration. Use that energy to change.
- There is always light at the end of the tunnel. Never give up!
- Everyone has an “unfair advantage”. Discover yours and use it.
- Stop being a perfectionist. Be brave and put your work out there.
- Let your mind wander from time to time. It can be good for creativity.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
2:19 Fulfilling dreams through dentistry.
7:46 Dentistry wasn't always a passion.
11:34 Stage 1) Being in survival mode.
17:01 Stage 2) Learning, growing, and creating.
28:57 Stage 3) Becoming a communicator.
41:46 Stage 4) Turning passion into a business.
44:27 Stage 5) Becoming a delegator.
48:09 The future for Dr. Coachman and DSD.
50:20 Final thoughts.
Dr. Christian Coachman Bio:
Combining his advanced skills, experience, and technology solutions, Dr. Christian Coachman pioneered the Digital Smile Design methodology and founded Digital Smile Design company (DSD). Since its inception, thousands of dentists worldwide have attended DSD courses and workshops, such as the renowned DSD Residency program.
Dr. Coachman is the developer of worldwide, well-known concepts such as the Digital Smile Design, the Pink Hybrid Implant Restoration, the Digital Planning Center, Emotional Dentistry, Interdisciplinary Treatment Simulation, and Digital Smile Donator. He regularly consults for dental industry companies, developing products, implementing concepts, and marketing strategies, such as the Facially Driven Digital Orthodontic Workflow developed in collaboration with Invisalign, Align Technology.
Patients don't love being in the office. So, how do you get them to come in — and to come back? There are two things you can focus on for that to happen, and Kirk Behrendt brings back Miranda Beeson, ACT’s director of education and amazing coach, to share those secrets. By mastering the new patient phone call and new patient visit, you will create raving fans who help your practice thrive. To learn how to give patients the “wow” experience, listen to Episode 735 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Miranda:
- Send Miranda an email: miranda@actdental.com
- Follow Miranda on ACT’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/actdental
- Send Kirk a recording of your patient phone call for feedback: kirk@actdental.com
- Send Gina an email: gina@actdental.com
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- See the ACT Dental/BPA Live Event Schedule: https://www.actdental.com/event
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 735: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
- ACT’s 5 Success Strategies for Impactful New Patient Calls: https://23476641.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/23476641/PDF/New%20Patient%20Call%20Success%20Strategies%20-%20Final%20-%2004.pdf
- Read The Power of Moments by Chip Heath & Dan Heath: https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-power-of-moments-why-certain-experiences-have-extraordinary-impact-dan-heath/6707437?ean=9781501147760&ref=&source=IndieBound&title=
Main Takeaways:
- You have one chance at a first impression.
- Give patients a “wow” experience with your call and visit.
- Strengthen your team culture. Patients can feel when there's tension.
- Make patients feel cared about with your tone, language, and behaviors.
- Demonstrate active listening and focused attention. Don't try to multitask.
- Take time to discover patients’ needs, desires, concerns, and expectations.
- Practice new patient call conversations and visits so you can be intentional.
- A new patient experience doesn't end with the appointment. Do a follow-up.
- Don't leave out your existing patients. They also deserve a “wow” experience.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
0:55 About ACT’s TTT, BPA, and Pro Coaching.
5:17 Why this is an important topic.
8:57 Be aligned, smart, and healthy.
9:39 Intentionality, explained.
11:21 Two aspects of the new patient process.
13:02 Why the new patient call is so important.
16:51 Start with a gracious greeting.
20:38 Discover your patient’s objectives.
27:42 Sell relationships, not dentistry.
29:52 Practice your new patient conversations.
31:43 Schedule strategically.
35:15 Give a “wow” experience.
37:41 Focus on the patient, not the computer.
40:05 Leave the logistics for last.
41:47 How to have the insurance conversation.
44:55 Make patients feel welcome.
49:35 Evaluate your office from the patient’s perspective.
55:55 Stop labeling your patients.
56:35 Know your patient’s preferred name.
57:20 Honor the schedule.
57:51 Give patients a tour.
1:01:57 Consider a new patient interview.
1:05:07 Questions to ask before getting started.
1:05:54 Deliver personalized care.
1:09:03 Address your patient’s phobias and anxiety.
1:12:36 Do a memorable follow-up.
1:13:27 Nurture new patients that don't schedule.
1:13:48 Make patients feel connected.
1:18:41 Final takeaways.
Miranda Beeson, MS, BSDH Bio:
Miranda Beeson, MS, BSDH, has over 25 years of clinical dental hygiene, front office, practice administration, and speaking experience. She is enthusiastic about communication and loves helping others find the power that words can bring to their patient interactions and practice dynamics. As a Lead Practice Coach, she is driven to create opportunities to find value in experiences and cultivate new approaches.
Miranda graduated from Old Dominion University, and enjoys spending time with her husband, Chuck, and her children, Trent, Mallory, and Cassidy. Family time is the best time, and is often spent on a golf course, a volleyball court, or spending the day boating at the beach.
Getting patients healthy is your number-one role. But are you focusing on the disease that matters most? It’s time to address the most undiagnosed and untreated condition — gum disease — and now there's an easier way. To help you start the conversation, Kirk Behrendt brings in Tanya Dunlap, vice president of Perio Protect, to showcase Perio Tray, a convenient way to treat, prevent, and manage gum disease. To learn more about Perio Tray and how it can improve your patients’ lives, listen to Episode 734 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Tanya:
- Join Perio Protect on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PerioProtect
- Follow Perio Protect on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/perioprotect
- Learn more about Perio Protect: https://www.perioprotect.com
- Register for a free product demo of Perio Protect: https://www.hatchbuck.co/NTUeJL
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- See the ACT Dental/BPA Live Event Schedule: https://www.actdental.com/event
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 734: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
Main Takeaways:
- Patients need better home care.
- Brushing, rinsing, and flossing is not enough.
- Systemic antibiotics are not long-term solutions.
- Perio Protect makes home care easy and convenient.
- Be honest with patients about their gum disease findings.
- You have the opportunity to change patients’ lives for the better.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
1:32 Why this is an important topic.
6:24 The problem of diagnosis and treatment planning.
10:10 How to be honest with patients about gum disease.
12:46 Health benefits of treating gum disease.
15:04 Put periodontal disease into remission.
18:03 The Perio Protect process.
19:32 More about Perio Protect.
Tanya Dunlap Bio:
Tanya Dunlap, PhD, is the vice president at Perio Protect, where she has worked since 2005. For several years, she served as the research liaison for the company, working with researchers and investigators who were testing Perio Tray® therapy in controlled clinical trials and microbiological studies. Her expertise on this adjunctive periodontal therapy is grounded in the data, explaining how the prescription trays work and which patient candidates can benefit from them.
733: Health Habits to Wind Down for Deep Sleep – Dr. Uche Odiatu & Loren King
Are you exhausted before the day is done? Do you wish you had more sleep? Better health, a better life — even being a better dental professional — is tied to a more restful night. To help you be your best self at home and the office, Kirk Behrendt brings back one of ACT’s favorite health and wellness gurus, Dr. Uche Odiatu, and Loren King, an international speaker, life coach, and dental hygienist, to reveal a few simple hacks and habits to start sleeping better today. To learn the foundation for better sleep, listen to Episode 733 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Dr. Odiatu & Loren:
- Join Dr. Odiatu on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/UcheOdiatu
- Follow Dr. Odiatu on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fitspeakers
- Learn more on Dr. Odiatu’s website: http://www.druche.com
- Register for the 2024 Bulletproof Summit (June 14-15, 2024): https://reg.bravuratechnologies.com/events/47000020/ae8c3cd7-475c-2bb7-92f0-2pqr33700290/open
- Follow Loren on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lorenthecoachforhumans
- Schedule a call with Loren: https://calendly.com/thehumanexperiencecoach/schedule-a-call?month=2024-05
- · Watch Loren’s Human Trafficking and Dentistry course: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eNnOI7eGpd4
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- See the ACT Dental/BPA Live Event Schedule: https://www.actdental.com/event
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 733: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
- Try the Oura Ring: https://ouraring.com
- Read Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari: https://bookshop.org/p/books/sapiens-a-brief-history-of-humankind-yuval-noah-harari/15277101?ean=9780062316110
- Learn about ToothPillow: https://www.toothpillow.com
Main Takeaways:
- Sleep is critical to overall health.
- A $10,000 mattress won't fix your problem.
- Proper sleep helps ward off chronic diseases.
- Limit, if not eliminate, your alcohol consumption.
- Eat light — if anything at all — shortly before bed.
- Reduce your exposure to blue light before bedtime.
- Be mindful of EMF exposure. It can disrupt your sleep.
- Keep your room and body temperature cool for better rest.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
3:18 Loren’s background.
4:20 Why this is an important topic.
7:44 The quick fix never works.
11:16 Eat light before bedtime.
13:47 The world is set up for morning larks.
15:39 Deep sleep versus REM sleep.
16:54 How EMF affects sleep.
18:48 How blue light and orange light affects sleep.
22:41 The ideal hours to sleep for men and women.
26:28 How alcohol impacts sleep.
30:43 How body temperature and room temperature affects sleep.
33:34 Final thoughts.
36:43 How to get in touch with Dr. Odiatu and Loren.
Dr. Uche Odiatu Bio:
Dr. Uche Odiatu has a DMD (Doctor of Dental Medicine). He is a professional member of the ACSM (American College of Sports Medicine), a Certified Personal Trainer (National Strength & Conditioning Association) NSCA, and the Canadian Association of Fitness Professionals (canfitpro). He is the co-author of The Miracle of Health (c) 2009 John Wiley (hardcover) & (c) 2015 Harper Collins, and has lectured in Canada, the USA, the Caribbean, the UK, and Europe. He is an invited guest on over 400 TV and radio shows, from ABC 20/20, Canada CTV AM, Breakfast TV, to Magic Sunday Drum FM in Texas. This high-energy healthcare professional has done over 450 lectures in seven countries over the last 15 years.
Loren King Bio:
Loren King is an international speaker who brings awareness to topics such as human trafficking, airway health, and dental hygiene performance. She is a published author, registered dental hygienist, and life coach for women. She also happens to be a licensed skydiver who has jumped out of a perfectly good airplane — solo, 34 times – which speaks to her resilience to conquer hard things
For a practice to be successful, it needs great owner-associate synergy. But how do you find the right owner or associate? To guide both sides through this process, Kirk Behrendt brings in Dr. Sean Bahrami, founder of Dental Wellness Society, to share his strategies for becoming and finding the ideal candidate. To learn the secrets to a successful owner-associate relationship, listen to Episode 732 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Dr. Bahrami:
- Send Dr. Bahrami an email: bahramidds@gmail.com
- Follow Dr. Bahrami on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drseanbahrami
- Learn more about Dental Wellness Society: https://www.dentalwellnesssociety.com
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- See the ACT Dental/BPA Live Event Schedule: https://www.actdental.com/event
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 732: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
Main Takeaways for Owners:
- Have a clear vision for your practice.
- Find associates that believe in your vision.
- Choose associates who have drive and motivation.
- Test associates early to decide if they are the right fit.
- Empower associates through teamwork. Let go of your ego.
- Involve your team and associates in the decision-making process.
- Be open to new ideas. There will always be something you can learn.
Main Takeaways for Associates:
- Identify your area of interest in dentistry.
- Seek out mentorship. It is crucial in dentistry.
- Find a practice you want to make your dental home.
- Show up early, be an active member, and be a role model.
- Respectfully introduce new ideas, systems, and procedures.
- Do follow-up calls to show patients that you care about them.
- Focus on elevating the practice that you join, not just the money.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
5:24 The owner-associate relationship, explained.
7:57 Dr. Bahrami’s background.
9:08 A tale of two dentists: Dr. Ben and Dr. Sean.
13:53 The challenges of owning a practice.
19:02 The challenges of DSOs.
20:57 Things that make dentistry amazing.
24:07 The four moments of associate onboarding.
24:59 Moment 0 & 1: Build a clear vision and recruit accordingly.
28:53 Moment 2: Test whether the associate is a good fit.
38:09 Moment 3: Empower your associate.
42:04 Moment 4: Partnership.
43:40 The many challenges of recent grads and young dentists.
47:20 The three moments of associate career development.
48:11 Moment 1: “Getting your hands wet”.
49:04 Moment 2: Find mentorship.
50:58 Moment 3: Find your dental home.
52:56 How to become the ideal associate.
53:53 Five techniques to become invaluable: Show up early.
56:57 Five techniques to become invaluable: Be an active member and role model.
57:21 Five techniques to become invaluable: Introduce new ideas and procedures.
59:26 Five techniques to become invaluable: Do follow-up calls with patients.
1:00:48 Five techniques to become invaluable: Think bigger picture.
1:02:02 Summary, final thoughts, and how to get in touch with Dr. Bahrami.
1:05:41 Q&A: Figure out how to make your dentistry unique.
1:07:38 Q&A: The complexity of family in business.
1:10:05 Q&A: How is associate compensation determined?
1:11:26 Q&A: Vocalize your vision and goals.
1:13:54 Q&A: You can't teach drive or motivation.
1:17:11 Q&A: Your leadership is reflected in the success of your practice.
1:17:46 Q&A: What is a realistic timeline to find the right associate?
1:18:56 Q&A: How long should you be an associate prior to a partnership opportunity?
1:19:41 Q&A: Adjust the value of your practice.
1:20:52 Q&A: Should you split the team between dentists?
1:22:16 Q&A: About Dental Wellness Society.
Dr. Sean Bahrami Bio:
Dr. Sean Bahrami, a native of Germantown, Maryland, obtained his dental education at the University of Maryland School of Dentistry. His academic and clinical achievements led to his acceptance into the Diamond Scholars program at the University of Maryland, where he received education on complex restorative dental procedures and full-mouth rehabilitation cases. Upon completing his dental degree, Dr. Bahrami embarked on his professional journey at Supertooth Dental Group, a practice founded by his uncle. Together, they successfully expanded the practice to four locations within a span of five years.
Dr. Bahrami's primary focus lies in cosmetic dentistry, where he integrates technical expertise with a deep commitment to enhancing a patient's smile. In addition to his clinical practice, Dr. Bahrami is the founder and president of the Dental Wellness Society, a nonprofit organization that focuses on inspiring and empowering dental professionals to achieve holistic well-being and career longevity through comprehensive health education, community support, and lifestyle advocacy. Dr. Bahrami maintains active membership in the American Dental Association, Omricon Kappa Upsilon, and the American Academy of Clear Aligners.
Do you hate tracking numbers? Are you confused about what to track and why you need to track them? To help you change that, Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. Barrett Straub, ACT’s CEO, with another framework for mastering the key data in your practice. Start making better business decisions with the help of data! To learn which numbers to track and countermeasures to improve your profitability and culture, listen to Episode 731 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Dr. Straub:
- Send Dr. Straub an email: barrett@actdental.com
- Join Dr. Straub on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/barrett.d.straub
- Register for Dr. Straub’s live workshop (August 23, 2024): https://www.eventbrite.com/e/act-dental-gaps-method-the-formula-for-financial-freedom-tickets-776572418007
- Send Gina an email: gina@actdental.com
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- See the ACT Dental/BPA Live Event Schedule: https://www.actdental.com/event
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 731: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
- Register to access ACT’s PPO Roadmap: https://www.actdental.com/free-resources/ppo-roadmap/
- Register to access ACT’s Say This, Not That resource: https://form.jotform.com/221665137804153
Main Takeaways:
- Know your gross production and net collection numbers.
- Assess, categorize, and track all of your write-offs.
- Evaluate and maximize your schedule.
- Improve your communication skills.
- Upgrade your hand-off system.
- Rework your financial policies.
- Reassess your AR system.
- Don't do this on your own.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
2:07 About ACT’s TTT Study Club and BPA.
6:06 Why this is an important topic.
10:06 Data point #1: Net production.
13:54 Countermeasure #1 for low net production: Assess your write-offs.
15:13 How you handle adjustments will impact your data.
16:43 Elective write-offs, explained.
18:16 Don't lump all insurance write-offs under the same heading.
21:01 Countermeasure #2 for low net production: Assess your schedule.
23:37 Time is the new rich.
25:09 Schedule to maximize your mood, effort, time, and energy.
27:58 Data point #2: Net collections percentage.
32:26 Countermeasure #1 for low net collections: Assess your financial policies.
35:32 Countermeasure #2 for low net collections: Assess the AR system.
39:34 The beauty of systems and habits.
40:44 Data point #3: Case acceptance percentage.
46:16 Countermeasure #1 for low case acceptance: Improve your verbal skills.
51:33 Countermeasure #2 for low case acceptance: Assess your handoff.
55:35 Know why you're tracking the numbers.
57:52 Q&A: Help with getting clean numbers on Eaglesoft.
1:00:49 Q&A: Always bill your office rate.
1:05:49 Final thoughts.
Dr. Barrett Straub Bio:
Dr. Barrett Straub practices general and sedation dentistry in Port Washington, Wisconsin. He has worked hard to develop his practice into a top-performing, fee-for-service practice that focuses on improving the lives of patients through dentistry.
A graduate of Marquette Dental School, Dr. Straub’s advanced training and CE includes work at the Spear Institute, LVI, DOCS, and as a member of the Milwaukee Study Club. He is a past member of the Wisconsin Dental Association Board of Trustees and was awarded the Marquette Dental School 2017 Young Alumnus of the Year. As a former ACT coaching client that experienced first-hand the transformation that coaching can provide, he is passionate about helping other dentists create the practice they’ve always wanted.
Dr. Straub loves to hunt, golf, and spend winter on the ice, curling. He is married to Katie, with two daughters, Abby and Elizabeth.
Do you feel stressed from running your practice? Are you ready to give up ownership? Before you do, listen to this episode! Kirk Behrendt and Dr. Christian Coachman bring in Dr. Jill Tanzi, president of Alliance of Independent Dentists, to explain the importance of staying independent and to offer solutions for struggling dentists. If you're feeling overwhelmed, help is out there! To learn more about Dr. Tanzi’s organization and how they can support you, listen to Episode 730 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Dr. Coachman & Dr. Tanzi:
- Join Dr. Coachman on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/christiancoachman
- Follow Dr. Coachman on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chriscoachman
- Learn more about Digital Smile Design: https://digitalsmiledesign.com
- Register for DSD Residency 1: https://digitalsmiledesign.com/dsd-residency-1-on-demand
- Join Alliance of Independent Dentists on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AIDUnitedStates
- Learn more about Alliance of Independent Dentists: https://www.dentistalliance.org
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- See the ACT Dental/BPA Live Event Schedule: https://www.actdental.com/event
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 730: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
Main Takeaways:
- Having ownership gives you more freedom.
- Staying independent is also great for patients.
- Independent dentists CAN compete with DSOs.
- Identify and leverage your strengths and advantages.
- Selling to a DSO won't make dentistry more enjoyable.
- Don't sell your practice out of frustration and desperation.
- If you're stressed from practice ownership, help is out there.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
4:05 Dr. Tanzi’s background.
4:59 Why this is an important topic.
6:58 Learning from trends in medicine.
8:34 The need to center patients.
14:23 Quality dentistry is not scalable.
16:19 You have choices in dentistry.
18:57 What makes dentists want to sell their practice?
19:54 How Alliance of Independent Dentists can help.
26:47 The benefits of practice ownership.
29:54 Set yourself up for success.
33:03 Are dentists happier after selling their practice?
38:25 Do things your way.
39:57 Final thoughts.
47:07 More about Alliance of Independent Dentists.
Dr. Christian Coachman Bio:
Combining his advanced skills, experience, and technology solutions, Dr. Christian Coachman pioneered the Digital Smile Design methodology and founded Digital Smile Design company (DSD). Since its inception, thousands of dentists worldwide have attended DSD courses and workshops, such as the renowned DSD Residency program.
Dr. Coachman is the developer of worldwide, well-known concepts such as the Digital Smile Design, the Pink Hybrid Implant Restoration, the Digital Planning Center, Emotional Dentistry, Interdisciplinary Treatment Simulation, and Digital Smile Donator. He regularly consults for dental industry companies, developing products, implementing concepts, and marketing strategies, such as the Facially Driven Digital Orthodontic Workflow developed in collaboration with Invisalign, Align Technology.
Dr. Jill Tanzi Bio:
Dr. Jill A. Tanzi originates from Oxford, Massachusetts, where she graduated valedictorian from Oxford High School. She obtained a BA cum laude in biology from the University of Rochester and a DDS from the University of Maryland, also with honors. During dental school, Dr. Tanzi performed research on salivary glands at the National Institute of Dental Research in Bethesda, Maryland. After graduation, she worked in private practice for three years in the Philadelphia area before returning to Massachusetts to open The Dentist at Hopkinton in 2003.
Dr. Tanzi is committed to continuing education and learning advanced dental procedures. She has taken classes at The Dawson Academy as well as The Spear Institute and attends a monthly Spear Education study club. In addition, she has completed the Midwest Implant Institute Surgical Implant Externship in Columbus, Ohio.
Whether you're taking a course or giving a course, there's a way to do it efficiently. To help you save time in becoming a better speaker or learner, Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. Christian Coachman, founder of Digital Smile Design, to share his framework for identifying great CE and educators, and ways for speakers to improve their craft. To learn how to decide who deserves your time, listen to Episode 729 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Dr. Coachman:
- Join Dr. Coachman on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/christiancoachman
- Message Dr. Coachman to register for his World Class Communication Program: https://www.instagram.com/chriscoachman
- Learn more about Digital Smile Design: https://digitalsmiledesign.com
- Register for DSD Residency 1: https://digitalsmiledesign.com/dsd-residency-1-on-demand
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- See the ACT Dental/BPA Live Event Schedule: https://www.actdental.com/event
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 729: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
Main Takeaways for Speakers:
- Have humble confidence.
- Understand your audience.
- Master the art of storytelling.
- It all starts with the introduction.
- Control your nerves by rehearsing.
- Identify your strengths as an educator.
- Be aware of your ego and learn to control it.
- Don't cram 20 years of experience into one lecture.
Main Takeaways for the Audience:
- Know your priorities with learning.
- Choose wisely about who you listen to.
- Understand the qualities of a good lecture.
- Be mindful of speakers’ biases, ethics, and egos.
- It’s okay to want to be entertained but do it consciously.
- Don't waste time with things that don't deserve your time.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
4:20 The origin of this framework.
6:51 The five components of a lecture.
12:50 Is there an optimal “pizza” combination?
15:58 The controlled ego, explained.
17:28 Qualities of a great educator.
20:30 The four components of the introduction.
23:34 Put your energy into the introduction.
28:29 Speaker examples and how to use the formula.
36:15 Control your ego.
39:45 Make the complex simple.
47:05 Final thoughts.
52:06 About Dr. Coachman’s World Class Communication Program.
Dr. Christian Coachman Bio:
Combining his advanced skills, experience, and technology solutions, Dr. Christian Coachman pioneered the Digital Smile Design methodology and founded Digital Smile Design company (DSD). Since its inception, thousands of dentists worldwide have attended DSD courses and workshops, such as the renowned DSD Residency program.
Dr. Coachman is the developer of worldwide, well-known concepts such as the Digital Smile Design, the Pink Hybrid Implant Restoration, the Digital Planning Center, Emotional Dentistry, Interdisciplinary Treatment Simulation, and Digital Smile Donator. He regularly consults for dental industry companies, developing products, implementing concepts, and marketing strategies, such as the Facially Driven Digital Orthodontic Workflow developed in collaboration with Invisalign, Align Technology.
Most associateships — 75% of them — are doomed to fail. If you want to be part of the 25%, don't miss this episode! Kirk Behrendt brings back Bob Spiel, founder of Dentist Partner Pros, to share his expertise in building successful associate relationships, no matter what stage of your dental career. Are you ready to commit? To learn how not to fail when hiring an associate, listen to Episode 728 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Bob:
- Send Bob’s business partner an email: bryton@dentistpartnerpros.com
- Learn more about Dentist Partner Pros: https://dentistpartnerpros.com
- Request your free report, Gaining a Wingman: 7 Signs an Associate Should Be in Your Future: https://report.dentistpartnerpros.com
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- See the ACT Dental/BPA Live Event Schedule: https://www.actdental.com/event
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 728: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
- Read Flip Your Focus by Bob Spiel: https://bookshop.org/p/books/flip-your-focus-igniting-people-profits-and-performance-through-upside-down-bob-spiel/11933736?ean=9781544765419
Main Takeaways:
- Understand why the majority of associateships fail.
- Before anything, be ready to commit to an associateship.
- Be clear about what you and your team want in an associate.
- Clearly communicate onboarding, mentoring, and salary expectations.
- Set aside formal time to give and receive feedback from your associates.
- Synergy is your goal. Don't view your associates as a threat or competition.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
2:34 Why this is a problem in dentistry.
5:24 Why 75% of associateships fail.
9:53 Are you ready for an associate?
14:55 Clarify your givens/wants and get your team’s input.
18:39 Be clear to get buy-in.
21:22 Create synergy, not competition.
22:15 Be clear about mentoring expectations.
23:05 Great associates are out there.
25:31 Onboarding, explained.
28:23 Be clear about compensation expectations.
31:27 Set aside time for feedback.
33:12 Final thoughts and how to get in touch with Bob.
Bob Spiel Bio:
Bob Spiel’s passion is building high-performance teams who deliver exceptional service while doing more, in less time, with less stress. His firms, Spiel Consulting and Dentist Partner Pros, transform general and specialty dental practices by building leaders at all levels, with a special focus on building leaders among owners and associate dentists.
Bob had over 25 years of business experience before getting into dentistry, including being a hospital and surgical center CEO, as well as an operations director for two mid-cap firms. This taught Bob to see each need in a dental practice with a “systems orientation”. Using this approach over the past 10 years, his firms have achieved a remarkable 90% success rate in searching for, hiring, and retaining associate dentists compared to the dismal 75% failure rate the dental industry has as a track record. He sees this as the number-one threat to the continuation of private practice dentistry and aims to change that.
Bob is a faculty member for Dr. Gordon Christensen, where he teaches a breakthrough course on leadership each fall called Igniting the Leader in You. He is also the author of Flip Your Focus: Igniting People, Profits and Performance through Upside-down Leadership.
You want more new patients. But you don't need all of them! You need the right ones coming — and staying — in your practice. To teach you how, Kirk Behrendt brings back Miranda Beeson, ACT’s director of education and amazing coach, with three metrics to help you track the true number of new patients you have and need. New patients are your bread and butter. Get them to return and stay long term! To learn how to attract new patients and reappoint the great ones you already have, listen to Episode 727 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Miranda:
- Send Miranda an email: miranda@actdental.com
- Follow Miranda on ACT’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/actdental
- Email Kirk with your “difficult discussion” scenarios: kirk@actdental.com
- Send Gina an email: gina@actdental.com
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- See the ACT Dental/BPA Live Event Schedule: https://www.actdental.com/event
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 727: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
- Register for Miranda’s Dental Administrator course (September 20, 2024): https://www.eventbrite.com/e/act-dental-administrator-live-course-september-20-2024-tickets-754782152737
- Join ACT’s BPA to access Creating a 6-Star Experience: https://join.actdental.com/users/sign_in?post_login_redirect=https%3A%2F%2Fjoin.actdental.com%2Fc%2Fpractice-coaching-tools%2F6-star-experience#email
Main Takeaways:
- You don't need 331 million patients. Choose quality over quantity.
- Put effort into future appointments, not only the first appointment.
- Get patients in the office within one to two weeks of the call.
- Determine the number of new patients you truly need.
- Track the number of active patients you have.
- Create value for patients with language.
- Get existing patients pre-appointed.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
1:22 About Miranda’s Dental Administrator course.
3:28 Why this is an important topic.
5:06 You don't need every single patient you can get.
9:31 Have a “yellow front door” in your practice.
10:30 Metric #1) New patient count.
11:45 How many new patients should you have a month?
12:19 What is your diagnostic rate?
14:23 Get patients in within one to two weeks of the call.
15:54 Do a meet-and-greet with prospective patients.
20:09 Have block scheduling for new patients.
21:50 Metric #2) New patient net growth.
27:23 Metric #3) New patient hygiene reappointment rate.
29:23 Create value with language.
31:21 Schedule their next appointment.
38:59 The ideal new patient hygiene reappointment percentage.
41:26 Send Kirk the most difficult discussions you've had with patients.
43:17 Final thoughts.
Miranda Beeson, MS, BSDH Bio:
Miranda Beeson, MS, BSDH, has over 25 years of clinical dental hygiene, front office, practice administration, and speaking experience. She is enthusiastic about communication and loves helping others find the power that words can bring to their patient interactions and practice dynamics. As a Lead Practice Coach, she is driven to create opportunities to find value in experiences and cultivate new approaches.
Miranda graduated from Old Dominion University, and enjoys spending time with her husband, Chuck, and her children, Trent, Mallory, and Cassidy. Family time is the best time, and is often spent on a golf course, a volleyball court, or spending the day boating at the beach.
We pursue success to attain happiness. But what we truly need is balance. To teach you what it means to have balance and how to achieve it, Kirk Behrendt and Dr. Christian Coachman bring in Dr. Maurice Salama, scientific director of DentalXP, with his advice for improving and preserving your physical, mental, and emotional well-being throughout your career in dentistry. Don't trade your health for success! To learn how to prioritize your overall wellness, listen to Episode 726 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Dr. Salama & Dr. Coachman:
- Join Dr. Coachman on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/christiancoachman
- Follow Dr. Coachman on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chriscoachman
- Learn more about Digital Smile Design: https://digitalsmiledesign.com
- Register for DSD Residency 1: https://digitalsmiledesign.com/dsd-residency-1-on-demand
- Join Dr. Salama on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/maurice.salama
- Follow Dr. Salama on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mosalama23
- Learn more about Dental XP: https://www.dentalxp.com
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- See the ACT Dental/BPA Live Event Schedule: https://www.actdental.com/event
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 726: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
Main Takeaways:
- The world does not come to you with opportunities. Seek them out.
- Have drive, passion, and discipline, but don't get caught up in it.
- Create balance. Don't neglect yourself by working too much.
- Don't trade success for your physical or mental well-being.
- Success is a drug. Don't overdose on it.
- It’s not too late to make changes.
- Be kind to your body.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
2:16 Reach for the brass ring.
10:10 The importance of choosing the right mentors.
15:11 Have drive, passion, and discipline.
19:50 Don't get caught up in just the drive.
24:41 Why it’s important to have balance.
26:48 Slow down strategically.
28:10 Don't ignore your need to rest.
30:32 Success is a drug.
33:16 How to slow down the right way.
37:45 Be selective as an educator.
42:32 Summary.
44:45 How to find the right associates and empower them.
48:28 Go to different meetings.
51:39 Find a mentor you're passionate about.
54:05 Give yourself the gift of time.
57:08 The benefits of exercise.
58:29 Build a great team to share your successes and failures with.
1:02:22 Final thoughts.
Dr. Maurice Salama Bio:
Dr. Maurice A. Salama completed his undergraduate studies at the State University of New York at Binghamton in 1985, where he received his BS in biology. Dr. Salama received his DMD from the University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine, where he later received his dual specialty certification in orthodontics and periodontics, as well as his implant training at the Branemark Center at Penn. He is currently on the faculties of the University of Pennsylvania and the Medical College of Georgia as clinical assistant professor of periodontics.
Dr. Salama is a permanent member of the scientific committee of the world’s leading online dental education website, www.DENTALXP.com. He is also a member of the Team Atlanta Dental Practice with Dr. Goldstein and Dr. Garber, a multidisciplinary practice that is world-renowned for their clinical research in reconstructive and esthetic dentistry.
Dr. Christian Coachman Bio:
Combining his advanced skills, experience, and technology solutions, Dr. Christian Coachman pioneered the Digital Smile Design methodology and founded Digital Smile Design company (DSD). Since its inception, thousands of dentists worldwide have attended DSD courses and workshops, such as the renowned DSD Residency program.
Dr. Coachman is the developer of worldwide, well-known concepts such as the Digital Smile Design, the Pink Hybrid Implant Restoration, the Digital Planning Center, Emotional Dentistry, Interdisciplinary Treatment Simulation, and Digital Smile Donator. He regularly consults for dental industry companies, developing products, implementing concepts, and marketing strategies, such as the Facially Driven Digital Orthodontic Workflow developed in collaboration with Invisalign, Align Technology.
725: The Long-Term Value of Great Relationships in Dentistry – Dr. Bill Robbins, Dr. Jim Otten, & Dr. Gary DeWood
Without a support system, dentistry can be incredibly lonely. What you need are long-term relationships that last your entire career. But where and how do you find people to connect with? To answer that question, Kirk Behrendt brings in three of his favorite people in dentistry, Dr. Bill Robbins, Dr. Jim Otten, and Dr. Gary DeWood, with their wisdom and advice for finding the people you need in your life. Don't wait for them to come to you — seek them out! To learn about the best places where the best people gather, listen to Episode 725 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Dr. Robbins, Dr. Otten, & Dr. DeWood:
- Send Dr. Robbins an email: robbinsdds@aol.com
- Join Dr. Robbins on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bill.robbins.79656
- Send Dr. Otten an email: globaldiagnosisinfo@gmail.com
- Join Dr. Otten on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/james.otten.71
- Follow Dr. Otten on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jamesottendental
- Send Dr. DeWood an email: gdewood@speareducation.com
- Join Dr. DeWood on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/drdewood
- Follow Dr. DeWood on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/garydewood
- Register for Global Diagnosis Education Third Annual Symposium (September 5-7, 2024): https://www.eventbrite.com/e/global-diagnosis-education-third-annual-symposium-tickets-873512919657
- Register to become a member of Global Diagnosis Education: https://globaldiagnosiseducation.org/groups/general-membership
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- See the ACT Dental/BPA Live Event Schedule: https://www.actdental.com/event
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 725: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
Main Takeaways:
- You don't find mentors — you seek them out.
- Study clubs are the best places to discover mentors.
- Age is a number. Be open to finding mentors of any age.
- A coach or mentor doesn't have to be from your field of work.
- Joining a study club is the most powerful way to grow in dentistry.
- Success requires a lot of hard work, some talent, and a little bit of luck.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
1:41 How Dr. Robbins, Dr. Otten, and Dr. DeWood crossed paths.
13:26 How their paths intersected a second time.
16:35 Dr. Robbins’s path to Global Diagnosis Education.
18:18 Why Global Diagnosis Education is the highlight of their careers.
22:04 Having organic growth through strong relationships.
23:51 How Global Diagnosis Education changed over the years.
29:33 The philosophy behind Global Diagnosis Education.
32:23 The joy they get from watching students grow.
33:15 The common language that Global Diagnosis Education has created.
35:08 How mentorship has changed over the years.
41:29 The importance of joining a study club.
46:43 Advice for younger dentists.
52:56 Final thoughts.
58:32 About Global Diagnosis Education.
1:00:43 About Symposium.
Dr. Bill Robbins Bio:
Dr. J. William Robbins, D.D.S., M.A., practices part-time and is an Adjunct Clinical Professor in the Department of Comprehensive Dentistry at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio Dental School. He graduated from the University of Tennessee Dental School in 1973. Afterwards, he completed a rotating internship at the Veterans Administration Hospital in Leavenworth, Kansas, and a two-year General Practice Residency at the VA Hospital in San Diego, California.
Dr. Robbins has published over 80 articles, abstracts, and chapters on a wide range of dental subjects and has lectured in the United States, Canada, Mexico, South America, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. He co-authored a textbook, Fundamentals of Operative Dentistry – A Contemporary Approach, which is published by Quintessence, and is in its 4th edition. He recently co-authored a new textbook, Global Diagnosis – A New Vision of Dental Diagnosis and Treatment Planning, which is also published by Quintessence.
Dr. Jim Otten Bio:
Dr. James F. Otten is a 1981 graduate of the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Dentistry. He completed a one-year residency in hospital dentistry with emphasis on advanced restoration of teeth and oral surgery at the Veterans Administration Medical Center in Leavenworth, Kansas. He taught crown-and-bridge dentistry as an Associate Professor at UMKC before entering private practice in 1982, where he served as Chief of Staff of a large group practice in Fayetteville, Arkansas, before opening his practice in Lawrence, Kansas, in 1984.
Dr. Otten has pursued rigorous post-graduate education since 1986, accumulating thousands of hours in advanced continuing education that he has intentionally applied to his practice in order to develop its personalized care philosophy. He has completed the rigorous curriculum at two prestigious institutions, The Pankey Institute for Advanced Dental Education, and the Dawson Center for Advanced Dental Education. He lectures nationally and internationally and has recently been asked to join the faculty at the Newport Coast Orofacial Institute in Newport Beach, California.
Dr. Gary DeWood Bio:
Dr. Gary DeWood is the Executive Vice President of Spear Education. As one of the founding members of Spear, he directed Curriculum and Clinical Education for nearly a decade prior to joining in the launch of Spear Practice Solutions. Today, he splits time between teaching and consulting.
Dr. DeWood serves as an instructor in multiple Spear Workshops, including Facially Generated Treatment Planning, Occlusion in Clinical Practice, Advanced Occlusion, Sleep Medicine in the Dental Practice, and a special focus workshop on temporomandibular disorder. He also maintains a limited private practice on the Spear Campus in Scottsdale, Arizona, and lectures nationally and internationally on practice management, treatment planning, case management, case acceptance, TMD diagnosis, appliance therapy, occlusion, and esthetics.
Cancellations are a big deal. It lowers morale, profitability, and your overall practice success. So, what can you do to reduce them? Today, Kirk Behrendt and the ACT team share their proven and effective strategies to decrease cancellations and recover lost time. Patients will cancel — it happens. But you can proactively fill your schedule with the right patients and the right tasks. To learn the best ways to handle open time in your day, listen to Episode 724 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Christina, Miranda, & Dr. Straub:
- Send Christina an email: christina@actdental.com
- Send Miranda an email: miranda@actdental.com
- Email Dr. Straub for ACT’s Capacity Tracker and 10 Best Practices for Reducing Cancellations: barrett@actdental.com
- Join Dr. Straub on Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/barrett.d.straub
- Send Gina an email: gina@actdental.com
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show:https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association:https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club:https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- See the ACT Dental/BPA Live Event Schedule:https://www.actdental.com/event
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free:https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast:https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 724:https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
- Watch ACT’s previous webinar with Dr. Straub:https://www.actdental.com/105
- Register for Miranda’s admin course (September 20, 2024):https://www.eventbrite.com/e/act-dental-administrator-live-course-september-20-2024-tickets-754782152737?aff=oddtdtcreator
Main Takeaways:
- Start with data. Track capacity percentage and patients’ behaviors.
- Get out of the habit of saying, “It’s okay,” when patients cancel.
- Stop chasing patients who have a history of cancellations.
- Appointments are confirmed when they are reserved.
- Make sure patients know why they need to show up.
- Language matters. Reduce minimizing language.
- Always have a cancellation fee, but never use it.
- Never make it easy for patients to cancel.
- Don't accept email or text cancellations.
- Teach patients it’s not okay to cancel.
- All cancellations start at the chair.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
2:21 ACT’s TTT, BPA, and coaching.
9:31 Why this is an important topic.
12:24 The two types of cancellations.
14:22 Stop saying, “It’s okay.”
17:39 Make sure there's a firm reservation.
19:59 Appointments are confirmed when scheduled.
21:36 Take advantage of automated reminder systems.
22:29 Q&A: Do you typically request a confirmation reservation deposit?
23:59 Create high value for patients.
25:37 All cancellations start at the chair.
26:04 Avoid minimizing language.
27:53 Q&A: Do you ever remove patients from the automated reminder system?
28:45 Never schedule patients at six months.
29:21 Language matters.
31:04 Start coding patient behavior.
32:33 Define what things mean for your practice and draw boundaries.
35:05 Communicate and calibrate with your team.
36:14 Have a cancellation fee, but don't use it.
38:55 Don't make it easy for patients to cancel.
41:28 Q&A: Is there any good language in place of, “It’s okay”?
42:23 Put patients on hold when they cancel.
44:12 Put the onus on patients to call you.
46:39 Q&A: Preservation fees.
53:27 Q&A: How do you hold constantly canceling patients responsible?
55:12 How to recover lost time.
1:00:14 Know how your software tracks broken appointments and cancellations.
1:02:06 Track capacity percentage.
1:03:29 ACT’s Capacity Tracker version 1.0.
1:06:28 Final takeaways.
1:08:44 Q&A: Only A patients will actually pay the cancellation fees.
1:09:35 Q&A: Get good at asking good questions.
1:11:10 Q&A: Where to register for Miranda’s admin course.
1:11:22 Q&A: How can we do reservation fees for patients getting treatment with no copay?
1:14:51 Q&A: More opportunities to learn from ACT.
Christina Byrne Bio:
Christina Byrne has been involved in dentistry since 1985. Over the years, she has held many positions on the dental team, including dental assistant, business office, and dental hygienist. Christina’s extensive knowledge of the front office and clinical procedures is a great asset, and she loves to impart her knowledge to guide dental teams do the best they can to achieve a Better Practice, Better Life!
Miranda Beeson, MS, BSDH Bio:
Miranda Beeson, MS, BSDH, has over 25 years of clinical dental hygiene, front office, practice administration, and speaking experience. She is enthusiastic about communication and loves helping others find the power that words can bring to their patient interactions and practice dynamics. As a Lead Practice Coach, she is driven to create opportunities to find value in experiences and cultivate new approaches.
Miranda graduated from Old Dominion University, and enjoys spending time with her husband, Chuck, and her children, Trent, Mallory, and Cassidy. Family time is the best time, and is often spent on a golf course, a volleyball court, or spending the day boating at the beach.
Dr. Barrett Straub Bio:
Dr. Barrett Straub practices general and sedation dentistry in Port Washington, Wisconsin. He has worked hard to develop his practice into a top-performing, fee-for-service practice that focuses on improving the lives of patients through dentistry.
A graduate of Marquette Dental School, Dr. Straub’s advanced training and CE includes work at the Spear Institute, LVI, DOCS, and as a member of the Milwaukee Study Club. He is a past member of the Wisconsin Dental Association Board of Trustees and was awarded the Marquette Dental School 2017 Young Alumnus of the Year. As a former ACT coaching client that experienced first-hand the transformation that coaching can provide, he is passionate about helping other dentists create the practice they’ve always wanted.
Dr. Straub loves to hunt, golf, and spend winter on the ice, curling. He is married to Katie, with two daughters, Abby and Elizabeth.
723: Financial Freedom VS. Financial Independence – Dr. Jim McKee
Financial independence is your ultimate goal. But it won't happen if you don't plan for it! To help you achieve financial health as early as possible in your career, Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. Jim McKee, founder of Chicago Study Club, to share great advice that you didn't hear in dental school. To learn how to make smart investments, be debt-free, and enjoy your life, listen to Episode 723 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Dr. McKee:
- Send Dr. McKee an email: jim@mckeedds.com
- Join Dr. McKee on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jim.mckee.104
- Register for Dr. McKee’s Advanced Occlusion workshop (July 25-27, 2024): https://campus.speareducation.com/workshops/advanced-occlusion/details/syllabus
- Learn about Chicago Study Club: https://chicagostudyclub.com
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- See the ACT Dental/BPA Live Event Schedule: https://www.actdental.com/event
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 723: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
Main Takeaways:
- Understand the difference between financial freedom and financial independence.
- Financial independence won't happen unless you start planning for it.
- Be smart about all of your investments, especially equipment.
- Quality CE is one of the best investments you can make.
- Keep your office and personal overhead low.
- Know the 1:1, 2:1, and 3:1 concept.
- Get in the habit of saving.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
1:33 Why this is an important topic.
3:15 Financial freedom and financial independence, explained.
6:12 Why you need financial guidance.
9:20 The 1:1, 2:1, and 3:1 concept.
14:21 Learn how to save and spend wisely.
16:35 Invest in quality continuing education.
24:12 Keep your office and personal overhead down.
25:39 Give patients options.
28:36 Dentists who need the money versus ones that don't.
32:36 Final thoughts.
Dr. Jim McKee Bio:
Dr. Jim McKee is a member of the Spear Resident Faculty. He has maintained a private practice since 1984 in Downers Grove, Illinois, where he treats a wide variety of cases with a focus on predictable restorative dentistry. He is a member of the American Academy of Restorative Dentistry and former president of the American Equilibration Society. He has lectured both nationally and internationally for over 25 years and directs several study clubs. Dr. McKee graduated from the University of Notre Dame in 1980 and earned his dental degree from the University of Illinois College of Dentistry in 1984.
722: How Airway, Jaw Joints, & Autonomic Nervous System Issues Are Creating Today’s Orthodontic Patients – Dr. Drew McDonald
Today, orthodontics goes beyond just straight teeth. With better technology and better imaging, we can now include joints and airway for more comprehensive care. To highlight the importance of imaging in the future of orthodontics, Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. Drew McDonald, instructor from the Chicago Study Club, who explains how it leads to better outcomes, especially for Class II patients. Stop going in blind into orthodontic cases! To learn how imaging drives treatment and what you could be missing without it, listen to Episode 722 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Dr. McDonald:
- Join Dr. McDonald on Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/drew.mcdonald.984
- Follow Dr. McDonald on Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/drdrewmcdonald
- Contact Dr. McDonald for speaking engagements:https://www.orthobymcdonald.com
- Learn more about Chicago Study Club:https://chicagostudyclub.com
- Email Kirk for Dr. McDonald’s previous Master Classes: kirk@actdental.com
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show:https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association:https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club:https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- See the ACT Dental/BPA Live Event Schedule:https://www.actdental.com/event
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free:https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast:https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 722:https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
- Stay tuned for Dr. McDonald’s Pediatric TMJ Study Club (To be released late 2024):https://www.orthobymcdonald.com
Main Takeaways:
- Imaging drives treatment.
- Never go into orthodontic cases blindly.
- Orthodontics is more than about straight teeth.
- Rethink symptoms you consider “incidental” findings.
- Dentists and other specialists can't treat these patients alone.
- Always do imaging before sending patients to the orthodontist.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
3:48 Why this is an important topic.
5:40 Nothing is an “incidental” finding.
13:06 The need to evolve as a profession.
15:12 GPs are the front line.
19:51 Autonomic nervous system issues, explained.
25:43 The importance of sleep on growth.
28:07 Imaging drives treatment.
35:09 Final thoughts.
37:50 About Chicago Study Club and Pediatric TMJ Study Club.
Dr. Drew McDonald Bio:
Dr. Drew McDonald is a board-certified orthodontic specialist with a strong focus on airway and temporomandibular joint-focused treatment planning, surgically facilitated orthodontic treatment, and providing complex interdisciplinary care for patients. He lectures internationally on these topics and has contributed to literature and textbooks in these areas. He is dedicated to advancing the profession of orthodontics and dentistry as a whole.
Dr. McDonald attended dental school at the prestigious Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska. Known for its rigorous academic curriculum and intense clinical training, he received many academic accolades while at Creighton, including inductions into Omicron Kappa Upsilon (National Dental Honor Society) and Alpha Sigma Nu (Honor Society of Jesuit Universities). He also served in leadership positions as class president and student body president, and on alumni relations committees.
After graduating cum laude from Creighton, Dr. McDonald was accepted as one of only three residents nationwide into the University of Missouri-Kansas City Orthodontics program, a renowned two-and-a-half-year, full-time residency known for its clinical excellence. He graduated in December of 2016 with his certificate in orthodontics and master’s degree in Oral and Craniofacial Sciences.
There is more than one way to design the “perfect” smile. Recently, two of the best dentists in the world, Dr. Michael Apa and Dr. Christian Coachman, debated these concepts at the Designing Smiles event in Miami. To share some of his key insights and takeaways, Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. Christian Coachman, founder of Digital Smile Design, who explains how you can achieve great dentistry with digital or analog, and the importance of building a workflow that’s best for you. To hear more about the Designing Smiles event and the debate about great dentistry, listen to Episode 721 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Dr. Coachman & Dr. Apa:
- Join Dr. Coachman on Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/christiancoachman
- Follow Dr. Coachman on Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/chriscoachman
- Learn more about Digital Smile Design:https://digitalsmiledesign.com
- Register for DSD Residency 1:https://digitalsmiledesign.com/dsd-residency-1-on-demand
- Join Dr. Apa on Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/drmichaelapa
- Follow Dr. Apa on Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/doctorapa
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show:https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association:https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club:https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- See the ACT Dental/BPA Live Event Schedule:https://www.actdental.com/event
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free:https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast:https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 721:https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
Main Takeaways:
- Whether you use digital, analog, or both, master the process in the mouth.
- You don't get a second chance at a great first impression in smile design.
- Focus on patient success. What does success mean for them?
- Start with the end in mind when designing patients’ smiles.
- Any work you do in the lab is not like in an actual mouth.
- Impress patients with your chairside systems.
- It’s impossible to deliver great smiles alone.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
1:23 The origin of Dr. Coachman and Dr. Michael Apa’s course.
13:02 1) Documentation philosophy and smile rehabilitation.
16:41 2) Diagnosis and planning.
22:16 3) Case acceptance.
24:17 4) Treatment presentation.
26:53 5) Software.
32:18 6) Motivational and technical mock-ups.
38:05 7) Branding.
40:31 8) The first appointment and first impressions.
41:17 9) The patient experience.
44:15 10) Orthodontics.
47:35 11) Artistic skills and intuition.
50:53 12) Communication.
55:17 13) Treatment execution.
1:11:51 14) Digital is the future.
1:14:38 The pressure of building this course from scratch.
1:17:42 Final thoughts.
1:24:25 About Digital Smile Design.
Dr. Christian Coachman Bio:
Combining his advanced skills, experience, and technology solutions, Dr. Christian Coachman pioneered the Digital Smile Design methodology and founded Digital Smile Design company (DSD). Since its inception, thousands of dentists worldwide have attended DSD courses and workshops, such as the renowned DSD Residency program.
Dr. Coachman is the developer of worldwide, well-known concepts such as the Digital Smile Design, the Pink Hybrid Implant Restoration, the Digital Planning Center, Emotional Dentistry, Interdisciplinary Treatment Simulation, and Digital Smile Donator. He regularly consults for dental industry companies, developing products, implementing concepts, and marketing strategies, such as the Facially Driven Digital Orthodontic Workflow developed in collaboration with Invisalign, Align Technology.
How do you know you're doing the right thing for your practice? There's an easy way to answer that, and it’s with two simple questions. To share what they are and how you can apply it to any dilemma you face, Kirk Behrendt brings back Debra Engelhardt-Nash, co-founder of The Nash Institute, with her expert advice for creating the best practice culture. Your practice is a Petri dish — so grow the culture you want! To learn how, listen to Episode 720 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Debra:
- Send Debra an email: debraengelhardtnash@gmail.com
- Follow Debra on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/debraengnash
- Book Debra for speaking or consulting: https://debraengelhardtnash.com
- Register for Debra’s Dental Business School course: https://www.thenashinstitute.com/upcoming-events/dental-business-school
- Register for Debra’s Team Communication Skills course: https://www.thenashinstitute.com/upcoming-events/team-communication-skills
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- See the ACT Dental/BPA Live Event Schedule: https://www.actdental.com/event
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 720: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
Main Takeaways:
- An important question to ask is, is X good for my practice?
- Another important question is, is X good for my patients?
- If you answer no to either of those questions, don't do it.
- Meet more with your team. Don't avoid conversations.
- Verbal skills matter. One word can make a difference.
- Change your beliefs to change your behaviors.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
2:09 Debra’s background.
7:36 Why this is important.
9:46 A dental practice is like a Petri dish.
15:05 Does your team endorse you?
16:36 Meet with your team more.
18:08 Stop tolerating behaviors you don't like.
19:25 The two important questions to ask.
23:15 Is a 30-minute hygiene appointment a good idea?
27:05 Keep updating your systems.
30:24 Verbal skills are critical.
33:32 Always debrief your team after a course.
36:01 You get what you give.
36:34 Don't nickel-and-dime your team.
37:50 One word can change everything.
39:32 Use the two questions to get your point across.
40:24 About Debra’s courses.
41:37 The belief cycle, explained.
Debra Engelhardt-Nash Bio:
Debra is a trainer, author, presenter, and consultant. Having been in dentistry for over 30 years, she engages organizations and study groups nationally and internationally. She is a continual presenter for the American Dental Association, the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry, and the Chicago Dental Society Midwinter Meeting.
Debra is a founding member of The Nash Institute and past president of the National Academy of Dental Management Consultants. She is an active member of the American Dental Assistants Association, the American Academy of Dental Practice Administration, and the Speakers Consulting Network. She has been repeatedly recognized by Dentistry Today as a leader in continuing dental education and as a leader in dental consulting. She is also a member of the American Dental Association’s Dental Practice Management Advisory Board, and recently became the president of the Academy for Private Dental Practice.
Debra is married to cosmetic dentist and dental educator, Dr. Ross Nash, of The Nash Institute for Dental Learning. She continues to work in his busy practice, doing exactly what she preaches.
719: The Leadership Blueprint: Elevating Your Dental Practice Culture – Adriana Booth
Are you feeling miserable in your practice? There's only one way to fix it, and that's by becoming a better leader. To help you achieve this, Kirk Behrendt brings back Adriana Booth, one of ACT’s amazing coaches, with a blueprint for creating a better culture in your practice. If you're unhappy at the place you work, don't stay stuck! To hit the reset button for your practice culture, listen to Episode 719 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Adriana:
- Send Adriana an email: adriana@actdental.com
- Join Adriana on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/adriana.booth
- Follow Adriana on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adrimarieb
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- See the ACT Dental/BPA Live Event Schedule: https://www.actdental.com/event
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 719: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
- Get the resource bundle for this webinar: https://www.actdental.com/111
- Hear Mel Robbins talk about the American Time Study: https://www.melrobbins.com/podcasts/episode-144
- Read Traction by Gino Wickman: https://benbellabooks.com/shop/traction
- Read The Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni: https://www.tablegroup.com/product/dysfunctions
Main Takeaways:
- Prioritize your core values to build a great practice culture.
- Most employees value culture more than compensation.
- People are more productive in a positive environment.
- Get the right people and put them in the right seats.
- Build trust with consistent huddles and check-ins.
- Believe in your core values wholeheartedly.
- Clearly communicate your core values.
- Give yourself grace as a leader.
- Get a coach to help you.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
1:59 Why this is important.
2:47 About ACT’s TTT and BPA.
5:24 Why it’s important to get culture right.
13:34 Data doesn't lie.
16:48 Be a level five leader.
19:17 The iceberg of core values.
20:33 Core values are the heart of your culture.
26:41 Four steps to identifying core values.
32:04 ACT’s core values, version 1.0.
37:11 Other examples of core values.
41:18 The right people GWC.
43:23 Walk the talk.
46:18 Build trust with huddles and check-ins.
49:54 Set boundaries around check-ins.
50:51 Start with consistency.
52:59 The Five Dysfunctions of a Team.
54:33 Last thoughts.
57:04 Q&A: How do team members rank the leadership team with numbers?
1:01:06 ACT’s next webinar, Unlock the Power of Patient Commitment.
Adriana Booth, BS, RDH Bio:
Adriana Booth is a Lead Practice Coach who partners with dentists and their teams to cultivate leadership skills, build practice growth, and streamline business practices. After spending nearly two decades in the dental industry working with top-notch dental teams, Adriana came to ACT to share her passion for professional growth, high-level training, and systems creation with our clients. As a dental hygienist with a love for continuing education and personal growth, helping a practice become successful is at the heart of her passion for dentistry.
Adriana has a B.S. in Dental Hygiene from West Liberty University/O’Hehir University. By being involved in several Columbus, Ohio, study clubs, Adriana maintains strong relationships within her local dental community. She enjoys a variety of fitness activities, family time, good books, and at the top of her list, her fur babies.
718: It’s Time to Rethink TMD – Dr. Jim McKee
Every area of dentistry has evolved — except TMD! It’s time to rethink it, and Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. Jim McKee, founder of Chicago Study Club, to dispel the myths and fears around treating TMD patients. Many patients need this treatment — so stop referring them out! To learn about the opportunities that treating TMD can bring to your practice, listen to Episode 718 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Dr. McKee:
- Send Dr. McKee an email: jim@mckeedds.com
- Join Dr. McKee on Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/jim.mckee.104
- Register for Dr. McKee’s Advanced Occlusion workshop (July 25-27, 2024):https://campus.speareducation.com/workshops/advanced-occlusion/details/syllabus
- Learn about Chicago Study Club:https://chicagostudyclub.com
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show:https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association:https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club:https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- See the ACT Dental/BPA Live Event Schedule:https://www.actdental.com/event
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free:https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast:https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 718:https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
- Watch Episode 649 with Dr. McKee:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lX6oU7cnDQU
- Learn more about Spear Education:https://www.speareducation.com
- Learn more about the American Equilibration Society:https://www.aes-tmj.org
- Learn more about the American Academy of Restorative Dentistry:https://www.restorative-academy.com
Main Takeaways:
- TMD isn't always about pain.
- Clenching and grinding aren’t always the causes of TMD.
- Understand joint anatomy to increase confidence in your work.
- Use imaging to understand joint anatomy and anatomic risk factors.
- Treating TMD patients will open more opportunities for your practice.
- Always invest in high-quality CE. Low-quality CE won't get you very far.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
1:26 About AES and AARD.
5:55 Why it’s time to rethink TMD.
7:50 TMD isn't all about pain.
11:08 Clenching and grinding, explained.
15:16 Imaging changes the TMD discussion.
22:14 How to become the go-to dentist.
28:49 Increase confidence through imaging.
29:50 You don't need to do everything.
32:45 The restorative diagnostic practice, explained.
35:32 Low-quality CE won't get you very far.
37:16 Final thoughts.
39:15 About Dr. McKee’s Advanced Occlusion course.
40:37 About Chicago Study Club.
Dr. Jim McKee Bio:
Dr. Jim McKee is a member of the Spear Resident Faculty. He has maintained a private practice since 1984 in Downers Grove, Illinois, where he treats a wide variety of cases with a focus on predictable restorative dentistry. He is a member of the American Academy of Restorative Dentistry and former president of the American Equilibration Society. He has lectured both nationally and internationally for over 25 years and directs several study clubs. Dr. McKee graduated from the University of Notre Dame in 1980 and earned his dental degree from the University of Illinois College of Dentistry in 1984.
717: 6 Steps to Leading Great Team Meetings – Robyn Theisen
If you think you don't have time for team meetings — think again. You don't have time not to do them! To highlight the importance of consistent communication, Kirk Behrendt brings back Robyn Theisen, one of ACT’s amazing coaches, to explain why meeting with your team is critical and how to do it in a productive way. Start communicating better so you can function better! To learn how, listen to Episode 717 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Robyn:
- Send Robyn an email: robyn@actdental.com
- Follow Robyn on ACT’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/actdental
- Send Gina an email: gina@actdental.com
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- See the ACT Dental/BPA Live Event Schedule: https://www.actdental.com/event
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 717: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
Main Takeaways:
- Have team meetings every week, on the same day, at the same time.
- You're all working toward the same goal. Have one another’s backs.
- Create an environment of vulnerability-based trust.
- Encourage team buy-in, not consensus.
- Build a system for accountability.
- Proactively mine for conflict.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
1:50 Why team meetings are important.
2:59 Strategically schedule team meetings.
3:44 Why meetings should be done on a weekly basis.
7:50 Have an environment of vulnerability-based trust.
10:14 Proactively mine for conflict.
13:28 Encourage buy-in, not consensus.
16:36 Have a structure for holding people accountable.
19:35 Create a culture of having one another’s backs.
22:18 You don't have time not to do team meetings.
25:42 Final thoughts.
Robyn Theisen Bio:
Robyn Theisen brings an entire life and legacy of dental experience to the team and every team with which she works as the daughter and sister of dentists. With almost 20 years of experience in dentistry, her roles ranged from practice management to operations at Patterson Dental to coaching teams. Robyn’s passion is empowering teams to realize that they can dramatically impact the lives of the people they serve by implementing skills and systems to remove barriers to life-changing dental treatment. She has done it for decades and does it every day with dental teams.
Outside of coaching, she enjoys time with her husband, Rob, and two daughters, Emerson and Ruby. She loves traveling, music, fitness, and cheering on the Michigan State Spartans.
716: Increasing Confidence Through Personal Alignment & Self-Worth – Allison Lacoursiere
Knowing yourself is the best thing you can do in life. It will lead to self-acceptance, self-love, and more confidence — soft skills that are vital to every business owner. To help you discover and increase your self-worth, Kirk Behrendt brings in Allison Lacoursiere, founder of Clear Coaching, to share the four steps to personal alignment and confidence. Value yourself so you can value your practice! If you're ready to become your better self, listen to Episode 716 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Allison:
- Send Allison an email: allison@yourclearalignercoach.com
- Follow Allison on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yourclearalignercoach
- Learn more about Clear Coaching: https://www.yourclearalignercoach.com
- Register for the Clear Aligner Bootcamp: https://www.domoreclearalignercases.com/clearalignerbootcamp
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- See the ACT Dental/BPA Live Event Schedule: https://www.actdental.com/event
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 716: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
- Read “9 Trends That Will Shape Work in 2024 and Beyond” from Harvard Business Review: https://hbr.org/2024/01/9-trends-that-will-shape-work-in-2024-and-beyond
Main Takeaways:
- Know yourself.
- Accept every aspect of yourself.
- Once you know and accept yourself, honor yourself.
- Start loving the journey you're on. Stop shaming and blaming yourself.
- Learn how to prevent and deal with burnout. Don't wait to make a change.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
2:04 Allison’s background.
3:55 Why this is an important topic.
6:02 Know yourself and accept yourself.
9:40 Honor yourself.
12:36 How to not repeat mistakes.
13:34 Love your journey.
15:37 The consequences of not honoring yourself.
17:10 Why this concept is difficult for dentists.
21:22 Dealing with burnout.
24:31 Real versus reel.
27:14 Don't be afraid of AI.
30:30 Final thoughts.
31:57 More about Clear Coaching and how to get in touch.
Allison Lacoursiere, RDA, OA, CPC, ELI-MP Bio:
Innovator Allison Lacoursiere, RDA, OA, CPC, ELI-MP, is the creator of the Clear Aligner Systemization methodology. Allison helps dentists and teams streamline efficiencies to increase both patient and practice satisfaction and health.
A native Canadian, Allison moved to Bermuda at the age of 19 to work as a dental assistant and to seek adventure and try something new. She incorporated a system in that practice which generated $80K a month in clear aligner production.
With over a decade of dental practice experience, Allison is a sought-after mentor and speaker. She helps dental teams improve culture, increase production, and grow into their full potential. She is certified through International Professional Excellence in Coaching and is a member of the International Coaches Federation. Allison is a member of Toastmasters International and has trained with Dale Carnegie Speaking Institution. She is a Certified Transformational Trainer through LionSpeak.
Allison is passionate about fitness and wellness. She is an active team member and competitor on the Bermuda National Beach Volleyball Team. Allison is also a certified personal trainer and yoga instructor. Her passion lies in empowering individuals to achieve their ultimate potential and life satisfaction.
You need money to run your business. But your patients should always come first! To help you strike the balance of affordability, profitability, and quality care, Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. Marco Brindis, chairman of the Prosthodontics Department of Louisiana State University, to share his insight into a successful treatment planning process. Don't be a dentist just for the money! To learn the best ways to help patients while still making money, listen to Episode 715 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Dr. Brindis:
- Join Dr. Brindis on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/marco.brindis.3
- Follow Dr. Brindis on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drmarcobrindis
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- See the ACT Dental/BPA Live Event Schedule: https://www.actdental.com/event
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 715: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
Main Takeaways:
- Never sacrifice the quality of your dentistry for money.
- All patients deserve the best care, regardless of age.
- Always plan for the best treatment you can offer.
- Divide the treatment plan into three sections.
- Be considerate of your patients’ finances.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
2:27 The dilemma between helping patients and making business out of them.
10:39 Patients deserve the best, no matter their age.
13:40 How to talk to patients about their treatment plan.
18:32 Divide your treatment plan into three.
22:56 Don't sacrifice quality for money.
29:46 Final thoughts.
Dr. Marco Brindis Bio:
Dr. Marco Brindis is the chairman of the Prosthodontics Department of Louisiana State University, where he also maintains an intramural restorative practice devoted to esthetics and implants with an interdisciplinary approach. He earned his DDS from the Universidad Intercontinental in Mexico City in 1998, completed a Preceptorship in Dental Implants at the Universidad Intercontinental in 1999, a Preceptorship in Dental Implants at the Dental School at the UT Health Science Center in San Antonio in 2002, and a Surgical Implant Fellowship at the Biotechnology Institute in Vitoria, Spain, in 2003. He earned his Certificate in Prosthodontics at LSU School of Dentistry in the Department of Prosthodontics in 2007, then completed the Esthetic and Occlusion courses at the Pankey Institute in 2007.
Dr. Brindis is very passionate in the field of interdisciplinary dentistry for full-mouth reconstruction, esthetics, and implant dentistry. He is involved in the development of new implant protocols to treat edentulous patients. He has lectured in the United States, Mexico, Canada, and Spain. He is a member of several organizations, including the Academy of Osseointegration, American Dental Association, American College of Prosthodontists, and the Pierre Fauchard Academy. He is a well-established national and international speaker, having spoken at symposiums such as the AAOMS Dental Implant Conference, International Symposium on Oral Implantology in Spain, Academy of Osseointegration, AAOMS Annual Meeting, and the American Academy of Restorative Dentistry.
Whether you like it or not, digital dentistry is the future. To help you embrace rather than fear this change, Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. John Cranham, co-founder of Cranham Culp Digital Dental, to explain how he is doing the best dentistry of his career at the age of 63. High-level dentistry requires high-level technology! To learn how a digital workflow will improve your dentistry, listen to Episode 714 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Dr. Cranham:
- Send Dr. Cranham an email: jcranham@mac.com
- Join Dr. Cranham on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/john.c.cranham
- Follow Dr. Cranham on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/johnccranhamdds
- Learn more about Cranham Culp Digital Dental: https://www.ccdigitaldental.com
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- See the ACT Dental/BPA Live Event Schedule: https://www.actdental.com/event
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 714: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
Main Takeaways:
- Embrace digital. There is no need to fear it.
- Digital will make your dentistry better and more efficient.
- Visualize how you want to implement digital into your practice.
- Block out time to learn, teach, and implement digital into your practice.
- Get involved with digitally oriented labs and utilize tools such as TeamViewer.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
2:09 Dr. Cranham’s background.
5:35 The latest trends with digital.
9:45 Are many dentists adopting digital?
12:10 Build a relationship with labs.
16:58 Carve out time for important things.
21:52 Be clear and aligned on vision.
23:18 Potential downsides to digital.
26:51 The future of digital.
30:58 Final thoughts.
33:13 About Cranham Culp Digital Dental and how to get in touch.
Dr. John Cranham Bio:
Dr. John C. Cranham is a highly respected and renowned dentist in Chesapeake, Virginia. At his state-of-the-art office, he delivers unsurpassed general dentistry, cosmetic dentistry, and restorative dentistry, including TMJ therapy and dental implant services. He uses his vast experience and expansive knowledge to create healthy, natural-looking smiles.
Dr. Cranham was an honors graduate of the Medical College of Virginia in 1988. He is an internationally recognized speaker on the esthetic principles of smile design, contemporary occlusal concepts, treatment planning, restoration selection, digital photography, laboratory communication, and happiness and fulfillment in dentistry.
Dr. Cranham founded Cranham Dental Seminars, which provides lectures, mobile programs, and intensive hands-on experiences to dentists around the world. In 2008, Cranham Dental Seminars merged with The Dawson Academy, a world-famous continuing education facility based in St. Petersburg, Florida.
As The Dawson Academy’s acting Clinical Director, Dr. Cranham is involved with many of the courses and provides continuing education to dental professionals across the globe. He spends approximately two-thirds of his time in private practice and the other third as an educator. He believes this balance keeps him on the leading edge of both disciplines.
Dr. Cranham is an active member of numerous professional organizations, including the American Dental Association, American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry, American Academy of Fixed Prosthodontics, and American Equilibration Society.
713: 60 Minute Mastery: Time Efficiency for Hygienists – Miranda Beeson & Michelle Wakeman
Do your hygienists complain about not having time? Are they constantly behind at every appointment? Don't blame them — blame your systems! To show that 60 minutes IS enough time, Kirk Behrendt brings back Miranda Beeson and Michelle Wakeman, two of ACT’s amazing coaches, with a framework to help you master the hygiene workflow. To learn how to take control of your time, listen to Episode 713 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Miranda and Michelle:
- Send Miranda an email: miranda@actdental.com
- Send Michelle an email: michelle@actdental.com
- Follow Miranda and Michelle on ACT’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/actdental
- Send Gina an email: gina@actdental.com
Learn More About ACT Dental:
- Watch the entire webinar here: https://www.actdental.com/109
- ACT’s website: https://www.actdental.com
- ACT’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/actdental
- ACT’s YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/actdental
- ACT’s Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/actdental
- ACT’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/3137520/admin/feed/posts/
- ACT’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/actdental
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- See the ACT Dental/BPA Live Event Schedule: https://www.actdental.com/event
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Watch the video version of Episode 713: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
- Watch The Profitable Hygiene Equation webinar: https://www.actdental.com/109
Main Takeaways:
- 60 minutes IS enough time.
- Split appointments into segments of 20-20-20.
- Prepare ahead of time to make appointments efficient.
- Use the 80% rule for completing chart notes the same day.
- Do a time study to find the segments that need improvement.
- Don't make it personal. Make it about the system, not the hygienist.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
1:45 Why this is an important topic.
7:51 The 20-20-20 philosophy.
8:53 The first 20 minutes: The diagnostic segment.
11:18 Tips and tricks for efficiency.
16:53 Help your team with their development.
18:47 The second 20 minutes: The therapeutic segment.
21:36 Have your team do a cross audit.
24:12 The third 20 minutes: The logistic segment.
26:58 Use the 80% rule for chart notes.
29:48 Have a system for hand-offs.
32:48 Do a time study.
34:43 Don't make it personal.
35:57 Miranda’s 75-25 rule.
36:53 About ACT’s Profitable Hygiene Equation webinar.
Miranda Beeson, MS, BSDH Bio:
Miranda Beeson, MS, BSDH, has over 25 years of clinical dental hygiene, front office, practice administration, and speaking experience. She is enthusiastic about communication and loves helping others find the power that words can bring to their patient interactions and practice dynamics. As a Lead Practice Coach, she is driven to create opportunities to find value in experiences and cultivate new approaches.
Miranda graduated from Old Dominion University, and enjoys spending time with her husband, Chuck, and her children, Trent, Mallory, and Cassidy. Family time is the best time, and is often spent on a golf course, a volleyball court, or spending the day boating at the beach.
Michelle Wakeman, BSDH, Bio:
Michelle Wakeman, BSDH, brings nearly 20 years of clinical dental hygiene, administrative, managerial, and sales experience to the table. She has a passion for people and a natural aptitude for communication that has led her to develop meaningful relationships throughout her career in dentistry. As a coach, she seeks to help dental practices develop systems that enable them to enhance their patient experience, leading to better relationships among owners, team members, and patients, along with profitable outcomes.
In her off time, Michelle can usually be found at the ice rink supporting her son, Hunter, in hockey, the ball field cheering on her son, Carter, or the gym, reliving her days as a gymnast with her daughter, Leighton.
712: How Did This All Begin & How Did You Get Here? – Dr. Dennis Hartlieb
In this special crossover episode, the tables are turned! Kirk Behrendt is interviewed on the Dental Online Training Sharecast, a podcast by Dr. Dennis Hartlieb, founder of Dental Online Training. Kirk shares everything from his early years, the origins of ACT Dental, and his thoughts on the current state of dentistry. To learn more about Kirk and hear his great advice on dentistry and life, listen to Episode 712 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Dr. Hartlieb:
- Send Dr. Hartlieb an email: hartliebdds@dothandson.com
- Join Dr. Hartlieb on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DennisHartliebDDS
- Follow Dr. Hartlieb on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hartliebdds
- Learn more about Dental Online Training: https://www.dothandson.com/home
- Register for DOT’s Study Club: https://www.dothandson.com/mentorship
- Register for DOT Fest (June 6-8, 2024): https://www.dothandson.com/dot-fest
- View more on DOT’s YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@DentalOnlineTraining
- Listen to the DOT Sharecast: https://www.dothandson.com/dot-sharecast
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Watch the video version of Episode 712: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- See the ACT Dental/BPA Live Event Schedule: https://www.actdental.com/event
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Read Traction by Gino Wickman: https://benbellabooks.com/shop/traction
Main Takeaways:
- Surround yourself with people who inspire and energize you.
- Take risks and make mistakes while you're young.
- Working evenings and weekends is dumb.
- Establish your core values ASAP.
- Develop great systems ASAP.
- Have a love for learning.
- Join a study club.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
3:11 About ACT Dental and its origin.
5:19 Get good at people.
8:00 Kirk’s non-dental background.
11:08 The mind of 18-year-old Kirk.
14:57 The best years are in front of you.
18:31 How working in a restaurant can prepare you for dentistry.
23:53 The importance of establishing your core values.
27:09 Being hungry, humble, and smart.
29:52 Some of Kirk’s influences.
31:57 Never stop learning.
33:50 Be around people who inspire you.
37:28 Kirk’s time as a dental supply rep with Bob Popp.
41:23 Young Kirk’s thoughts on dentists.
46:20 Things that changed Kirk’s outlook on dentistry.
54:02 Dentists then versus dentists today.
56:59 Kirk’s alternate path and the start of ACT Dental.
1:03:40 Take risks and make mistakes.
1:06:17 Things Kirk got right and wrong.
1:12:48 Lean into your core values.
1:15:31 Recommended reading.
1:17:20 Always be on the lookout for great people.
1:22:40 Every practice should have a “bench”.
1:23:57 Create margin for your practice.
1:25:11 Seeing patients on evenings and weekends is dumb.
1:26:57 Have regular team member check-ins.
1:28:50 More about ACT Dental and how to get in touch with Kirk.
Dr. Dennis Hartlieb Bio:
Dr. Dennis Hartlieb is a graduate of the University of Michigan School of Dentistry. He maintains a full-time practice, Chicago Beautiful Smiles, in the Chicago suburb of Glenview, Illinois. Dr. Hartlieb is an instructor at the Center for Esthetic Excellence in Chicago and is an Adjunct Associate Professor at the Marquette University School of Dentistry in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He lectures extensively to dentists throughout the U.S. on the art and science of anterior and posterior direct resin techniques.
711: Why Gross Production is the Worst Metric for Dentists – Dr. Barrett Straub
A big part of having a better practice and a better life is understanding your numbers. But if you focus on the wrong ones, it can destroy your business! Gross production is one of the worst metrics for dentists, and Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. Barrett Straub, ACT’s CEO, to explain why it doesn't tell the whole story of your practice. To learn about the metrics that truly matter and how to use them to plan your best life, listen to Episode 711 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Dr. Straub:
- Email Dr. Straub for ACT’s Capacity Tracker: barrett@actdental.com
- Join Dr. Straub on Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/barrett.d.straub
- Follow Dr. Straub on ACT’s Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/actdental
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Watch the video version of Episode 711:https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show:https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association:https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club:https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- See the ACT Dental/BPA Live Event Schedule:https://www.actdental.com/event
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free:https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast:https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Main Takeaways:
- Gross production doesn't tell the whole story.
- Know how to calculate and manage your effort gap.
- Figure out why you're not getting 100% of your true fee.
- Save your time and energy for things that matter most to you.
- Adding more doctors, hygienists, and chairs isn't adding capacity.
- Doing more and producing more doesn't always result in profitability.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
3:34 The effort gap, explained.
3:55 Gross production, explained.
9:14 The more data, the better.
10:36 Trends in the effort gaps.
11:48 How can you tell how much you're writing off?
16:06 Annual patient value, explained.
19:26 Active patients, explained.
21:19 Days worked times production per day, explained.
27:25 Production per hour and production per visit, explained.
30:06 Capacity, defined.
34:10 Have energy left for your life.
35:36 Do you truly need to produce more?
37:55 Last thoughts.
Dr. Barrett Straub Bio:
Dr. Barrett Straub practices general and sedation dentistry in Port Washington, Wisconsin. He has worked hard to develop his practice into a top-performing, fee-for-service practice that focuses on improving the lives of patients through dentistry.
A graduate of Marquette Dental School, Dr. Straub’s advanced training and CE includes work at the Spear Institute, LVI, DOCS, and as a member of the Milwaukee Study Club. He is a past member of the Wisconsin Dental Association Board of Trustees and was awarded the Marquette Dental School 2017 Young Alumnus of the Year. As a former ACT coaching client that experienced first-hand the transformation that coaching can provide, he is passionate about helping other dentists create the practice they’ve always wanted.
Dr. Straub loves to hunt, golf, and spend winter on the ice, curling. He is married to Katie, with two daughters, Abby and Elizabeth.
710: Mastering the Hand-Off; 1 Move With Big Impact – Michelle Wakeman
Are you ever at the doctor’s office and feel like no one is listening? That could be happening in your own dental practice! One solution is the hand-off, an important element in your practice. Kirk Behrendt brings in Michelle Wakeman, one of ACT’s amazing coaches, to explain what it is and how to do it right so that your patients have a great experience at each visit. To learn the recipe for an excellent hand-off, listen to Episode 710 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Michelle:
- Send Michelle an email: michelle@actdental.com
- Follow Michelle on ACT’s Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/actdental
- Send Gina an email: gina@actdental.com
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show:https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association:https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club:https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- See the ACT Dental/BPA Live Event Schedule:https://www.actdental.com/event
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free:https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast:https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Main Takeaways:
- Hand-offs elevate the patient experience.
- Learn when and how to perform a hand-off.
- Use the hand-off to set parameters on chat time.
- Know the four W’s to ask when handing off a patient.
- Set aside time to practice the hand-off with your team.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
2:04 Why the hand-off is important.
3:58 The hand-off, explained.
6:10 Where the hand-off should happen.
11:07 Set parameters on chat time.
13:09 The hand-off recipe.
14:33 Language matters.
15:46 The hand-off steps for the admin team.
16:40 The hand-off steps for chairside assistants.
17:47 How to implement the hand-off into your practice.
20:03 You're either succeeding, or you're learning.
21:26 Last thoughts.
Michelle Wakeman, BSDH, Bio:
Michelle Wakeman, BSDH, brings nearly 20 years of clinical dental hygiene, administrative, managerial, and sales experience to the table. She has a passion for people and a natural aptitude for communication that has led her to develop meaningful relationships throughout her career in dentistry. As a coach, she seeks to help dental practices develop systems that enable them to enhance their patient experience, leading to better relationships among owners, team members, and patients, along with profitable outcomes.
In her off time, Michelle can usually be found at the ice rink supporting her son, Hunter, in hockey, the ball field cheering on her son, Carter, or the gym, reliving her days as a gymnast with her daughter, Leighton.
709: The Why’s and Y’s of Zirconia – Dr. Shashikant Singhal
How much do you know about zirconia? If zirconia is still a mystery, don't miss this episode! Kirk Behrendt brings in Dr. Shashikant Singhal, Director of Education & Professional Services at Ivoclar, to explain the different types of zirconia, its properties, and what dentists get wrong when using this material. To improve how you craft your dental masterpiece, listen to Episode 709 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Dr. Singhal:
- Follow Dr. Singhal on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drshashi_singhal
- Learn more about Ivoclar: https://www.ivoclar.com/en_us
- Register for Ivoclar Academy: https://www.ivoclar.com/en_us/academy/about-the-academy
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- See the ACT Dental/BPA Live Event Schedule: https://www.actdental.com/event
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Main Takeaways:
- Not all zirconia is the same.
- Learn the properties of 3Y, 4Y, and 5Y.
- Know the appropriate uses for each zirconia type.
- Zirconia is strong — but each type has its limitations.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
1:32 Dr. Singhal’s background.
2:22 The background of zirconia.
4:01 The three types of zirconia and GT technology.
9:05 Color, explained.
11:33 Strength and reliability, explained.
14:04 Accuracy, explained.
17:06 The importance of beauty.
18:12 The importance of strength.
20:26 What people get wrong about zirconia.
21:45 The future of zirconia.
23:28 Final thoughts.
24:50 Learn more about Ivoclar and get in touch with Dr. Singhal.
Dr. Shashikant Singhal Bio:
Dr. Shashikant Singhal, BDS, MS, has diverse work experience spanning over a decade, and has held various positions in different organizations. He started his career as an intern at the College of Dental Sciences in 2008. In 2009, he worked as a graduate assistant at the UAB School of Dentistry, and also served as a supervisor at the UAB School of Public Health. In 2012, he joined the University at Buffalo's School of Dental Medicine as a materials research dentist. From 2012 onwards, he has been associated with Ivoclar NA, where he has held multiple roles including clinical specialist, manager of professional services, and director of professional services. He currently serves as the director of education and professional services.
Dr. Singhal also has a diverse educational history. He received his Bachelor’s in Dental Surgery (BDS) from Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences from 2003 to 2008. He further pursued his education and completed a Master of Science (MS) degree in the Advance Clinical Dentistry Program at the University of Alabama at Birmingham from 2009 to 2011. Currently, he is enrolled in the Executive MBA program at the University of Rochester - Simon Business School, which he is expected to complete between 2022 and 2024.
708: PPO Independence: Turn ‘Do You Take My Insurance?’ Into a Winning Conversation! – Ariel Juday & Christina Byrne
Whether you're fee-for-service or PPO, patients will ask the dreaded question, “Do you take my insurance?” If you're struggling to give a great answer, don't miss this episode! Kirk Behrendt brings back Ariel Juday and Christina Byrne, two of ACT’s amazing coaches, with tips to improve your communication, verbal skills, and understanding of dental insurance. To learn how to have a winning insurance conversation, listen to Episode 708 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Ariel and Christina:
- Send Ariel an email: ariel@actdental.com
- Send Christina an email: christina@actdental.com
- Send Gina an email: gina@actdental.com
- Follow Ariel and Christina on ACT’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/actdental
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- See the ACT Dental/BPA Live Event Schedule: https://www.actdental.com/event
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Main Takeaways:
- Have a strong understanding of the dental insurance process and benefits.
- Get your team aligned on how to answer the dental insurance question.
- Remember that patients like their insurance. Don't knock it down.
- Know which key words and phrases to use and to avoid.
- Never assume you know what patients are asking.
- Use open-ended questions.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
1:26 ACT’s To The Top Study Club and BPA.
6:25 Why this is an important topic.
8:23 The patient engagement cycle in a dental office.
10:18 Know the basics of dental insurance.
19:06 Understand the insurance process.
23:15 Don't shoot down patients’ insurance plans.
27:49 Benefits of non-participation.
31:47 How to educate and talk to patients about dental insurance.
38:48 Q&A: If insurance downgrades, can you collect the difference?
40:19 Out-of-network and non-participating provider, explained.
41:00 Pros and cons of being a non-participating provider.
43:49 Q&A: Bill everything to insurance, whether it’s covered or not.
44:51 Reserve time in team meetings to review the basics.
46:26 Key phrases to use: Dental benefits.
47:30 Key phrases to use: Insurance-friendly practice.
52:06 Key phrases to use: Feel, felt, found.
54:34 Key phrases to use: Yes.
55:46 Be concise when answering questions.
56:16 Q&A: Unrestricted provider, explained.
57:33 Key phrases to use: Patient portion or patient investment.
58:26 Q&A: How do you respond to, “Which insurances do you take?”
59:17 Q&A: What's the verbiage for, “Do you take my insurance?”
1:00:07 How to answer, “So, you aren't taking my insurance anymore?”
1:02:22 Q&A: What to tell patients with HMO plans when we are non-participating providers.
1:05:22 Q&A: How to explain the out-of-network letter to patients.
1:07:34 Get rid of your limiting beliefs.
1:10:03 Use open-ended questions and listen to your patients.
1:11:29 Q&A: How to help patients whose portions are too high.
1:12:45 Be proactive and strategic.
1:14:32 Q&A: Focus on what you can control.
1:16:16 Conclusion.
Ariel Juday Bio:
Ariel has a master’s in healthcare administration and several years of dental experience in all aspects of the administrative roles within the dental office. Her passion is to work with dental teams to empower team members to realize their full potential in order to better serve patients, improve office systems to ensure a well-functioning team/office, and to help everyone have fun in the process!
Christina Byrne Bio:
Christina Byrne has been involved in dentistry since 1985. Over the years, she has held many positions on the dental team, including dental assistant, business office, and dental hygienist. Christina’s extensive knowledge of the front office and clinical procedures is a great asset, and she loves to impart her knowledge to guide dental teams do the best they can to achieve a Better Practice, Better Life!
707: Why the Road Ahead for Dentists is Amazing – Dr. Barrett Straub
If you want a great life as a dentist, you need a great dental practice. To help you take your first steps toward a better life, Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. Barrett Straub, ACT’s CEO, to showcase their new membership program, the Best Practices Association. Join today and transform your practice! To earn more, stress less, and start enjoying your days at work, listen to Episode 707 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Dr. Straub:
- Send Dr. Straub an email: barrett@actdental.com
- Join Dr. Straub on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/barrett.d.straub
- Follow Dr. Straub on ACT’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/actdental
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- See the ACT Dental/BPA Live Event Schedule: https://www.actdental.com/event
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Main Takeaways:
- Learn the key principles of a better practice, better life.
- Understand the importance of creating margin.
- Your team — not your patients — come first.
- Time is the new rich. Stop being so busy.
- Join ACT’s BPA today!
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
1:26 About ACT’s Best Practices Association.
5:04 Why dentistry is a noble profession.
9:22 The Better Practice, Better Life movement, explained.
15:06 Foster great community with BPA.
18:33 Why dentists are working more and making less.
23:49 Important statistics to know.
26:04 You don't need to be everyone’s dentist.
27:50 Set up the right systems with help from BPA.
29:15 Why you should “own your job”.
32:49 Margin, explained.
35:03 Time is the new rich.
37:27 Improve your life first to impact others’ lives.
42:16 What to expect being a BPA member.
Dr. Barrett Straub Bio:
Dr. Barrett Straub practices general and sedation dentistry in Port Washington, Wisconsin. He has worked hard to develop his practice into a top-performing, fee-for-service practice that focuses on improving the lives of patients through dentistry.
A graduate of Marquette Dental School, Dr. Straub’s advanced training and CE includes work at the Spear Institute, LVI, DOCS, and as a member of the Milwaukee Study Club. He is a past member of the Wisconsin Dental Association Board of Trustees and was awarded the Marquette Dental School 2017 Young Alumnus of the Year. As a former ACT coaching client that experienced first-hand the transformation that coaching can provide, he is passionate about helping other dentists create the practice they’ve always wanted.
Dr. Straub loves to hunt, golf, and spend winter on the ice, curling. He is married to Katie, with two daughters, Abby and Elizabeth.
706: Leading Beyond the Chair: 4 Key Pillars for Dental Team Success – Miranda Beeson
If you're not good with people, you won't have a great business — or a great life! Your first step is to master the four domains of emotional intelligence, and Kirk Behrendt brings back Miranda Beeson, one of ACT’s amazing coaches, to teach you how. Get good at people, not just dentistry! To become an emotionally intelligent leader for yourself, your team, and your family, listen to Episode 706 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Miranda:
- Send Miranda an email: miranda@actdental.com
- Follow Miranda on ACT’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/actdental
- Send Gina an email: gina@actdental.com
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- See the ACT Dental/BPA Live Event Schedule: https://www.actdental.com/event
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Read Hidden Potential by Adam Grant: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/719611/hidden-potential-by-adam-grant
- Take the DiSC assessment: https://www.thediscpersonalitytest.com
- Take the Kolbe A Index: https://www.kolbe.com
- Take the Working Genius assessment: https://www.workinggenius.com/about/assessment
- Take the Myers-Briggs assessment: https://www.themyersbriggs.com/en-US
- Read Thanks for the Feedback by Douglas Stone & Sheila Heen: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/313485/thanks-for-the-feedback-by-douglas-stone-and-sheila-heen
- Read The Outward Mindset by The Arbinger Institute: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/575042/the-outward-mindset-by-the-arbinger-institute
Main Takeaways:
- Develop your self-awareness.
- Learn how to regulate your emotions.
- Recognize and understand other people’s emotions.
- Grow your ability to manage other people’s emotional states.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
2:02 Why this is an important topic.
4:23 Being a leader is harder than being a great dentist.
7:16 Pillar #1) Self-awareness.
9:30 Character is a skill, not a trait.
11:12 Pause and ponder.
12:49 Utilize personality tests to increase self-awareness.
15:13 Pillar #2) Regulation.
17:40 Ways to get emotional flooding under control.
21:08 Pillar #3) Social awareness.
24:13 Ways to supplement social awareness.
26:16 Be okay with getting feedback.
27:58 Pillar #4) Relationship management.
30:11 Tips for knowing when tensions are high.
36:10 Final takeaways.
38:53 More about ACT’s To The Top Study Club.
Miranda Beeson, MS, BSDH Bio:
Miranda Beeson, MS, BSDH, has over 25 years of clinical dental hygiene, front office, practice administration, and speaking experience. She is enthusiastic about communication and loves helping others find the power that words can bring to their patient interactions and practice dynamics. As a Lead Practice Coach, she is driven to create opportunities to find value in experiences and cultivate new approaches.
Miranda graduated from Old Dominion University, and enjoys spending time with her husband, Chuck, and her children, Trent, Mallory, and Cassidy. Family time is the best time, and is often spent on a golf course, a volleyball court, or spending the day boating at the beach.
705: 3 Questions You Have to Answer on How Patients Enter Your Practice – Dr. Jim McKee
How do patients enter your practice? It’s the most important question to consider as a dentist and business owner. To guide you through three main questions you need to answer, Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. Jim McKee, founder of Chicago Study Club, to share a few critical lessons he’s learned over his professional career. To learn which questions to answer for the success of your practice, listen to Episode 705 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Dr. McKee:
- Send Dr. McKee an email: jim@mckeedds.com
- Join Dr. McKee on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jim.mckee.104
- Register for Dr. McKee’s Advanced Occlusion Workshop (July 25-27, 2024): https://campus.speareducation.com/workshops/advanced-occlusion/details/syllabus
- Learn more about Chicago Study Club (email Dr. McKee for more information): https://chicagostudyclub.com
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- See the ACT Dental/BPA Live Event Schedule: https://www.actdental.com/event
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Main Takeaways:
- Figure out what kind of practice you're trying to build.
- Determine whether the doctor or hygienist sees patients first.
- Pace your treatment planning appropriately. Don't overwhelm patients.
- Pretend you're a patient. Think about what you want from a dental experience.
- Wow your patients with an experience they’ve never had from any other dentist.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
1:49 Why this is an important topic.
10:07 Filter patients to emergency visits or new patient visits.
15:11 Above-the-line and below-the-line, explained.
19:18 Pace your treatment plans.
22:27 Figure out the type of practice you're trying to build.
26:25 Make your workplace a great place to be.
29:42 Change your practice one interaction at a time.
32:29 Last thoughts.
33:33 Dr. McKee’s upcoming courses.
Dr. Jim McKee Bio:
Dr. Jim McKee is a member of the Spear Resident Faculty. He has maintained a private practice since 1984 in Downers Grove, Illinois, where he treats a wide variety of cases with a focus on predictable restorative dentistry. He is a member of the American Academy of Restorative Dentistry and former president of the American Equilibration Society. He has lectured both nationally and internationally for over 25 years and directs several study clubs. Dr. McKee graduated from the University of Notre Dame in 1980 and earned his dental degree from the University of Illinois College of Dentistry in 1984.
704: How I Discovered Happiness Through a Lot of Adversity – Dr. Kevin Groth
We all want to avoid hardship. But hard times can lead to a more fulfilling and joyful life. To share how adversity was important to his happiness, Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. Kevin Groth to highlight the important lessons and habits he learned that transformed his life. With the right mindset, adversity is the path to happiness! To hear how you can discover your happiest self, listen to Episode 704 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Dr. Groth:
- Give Dr. Groth a call: (248) 229-9380
- Send Dr. Groth an email: kevingroth@gmail.com
- Join Dr. Groth on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/grothdental
- Follow Dr. Groth on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drkevingroth
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & A Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- See the ACT Dental/BPA Live Event Schedule: https://www.actdental.com/event
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- As a Man Thinketh by James Allen https://bookshop.org/p/books/as-a-man-thinketh-james-allen/6726929?ean=9781585426386
Main Takeaways:
- Learn to say no.
- Set your vision and core values.
- Get in the habit of positive thinking.
- Take better care of your mind and body.
- Surround yourself with supportive people.
- Don't judge yourself at your lowest moments.
- Simplify the things that are bogging you down.
- No one should work more than 200 days a year.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
3:41 Dr. Groth’s journey to happiness.
5:26 Have a strong support network.
8:34 The happiest people live the simplest lives.
10:15 Don't work more than 200 days a year.
14:27 Simplify the things that are bogging you down.
15:29 Change how you do payroll.
16:57 Change your work hours.
21:07 You don't need to be everyone’s dentist.
21:46 Write down your problems to start finding solutions.
24:02 Establish your vision and core values.
29:48 Improve yourself to be happy.
33:10 Take better care of your body.
34:11 Don't strive for perfection.
35:17 The value of saying no.
37:10 Make amends to clear your mind.
41:12 Keep your ego in check.
43:24 Start journaling.
44:40 Get in the habit of positive thinking.
49:08 Last thoughts.
Dr. Kevin Groth Bio:
Dr. Kevin Groth’s primary goal is for every person to walk out of his office knowing that they received the highest-quality, most personalized care possible. Dentistry is more than just a profession for Dr. Groth. He sees every patient as an extension of his own family. When you are in his chair, you’ll always be treated well.
Dr. Groth’s favorite part of being a dentist is that every day and every patient is different. He loves the variety of people he gets to meet and procedures he performs to help patients maintain their smiles.
Since graduating from the University of Michigan School of Dentistry, Dr. Groth has been recognized locally by Hour Detroit Magazine as a Top Dentist, and nationally as a Top Doc. As a passionate dentist who wants to provide the best care for his patients, he pursues continuing education through The Dawson Academy, serves on the executive board of the Periodontal Bunting Society, and is the Assistant Clinical Director of the Society of Comprehensive Dentists. He has also served as an adjunct clinical faculty member at the University of Michigan School of Dentistry.
703: The Profitable Hygiene Equation: Optimizing Workflow Services for Success – Miranda Beeson & Courtney Dalton
Are your hygienists always running out of time? If they are, it’s not them — it’s your systems that need improvement! To help you optimize the hygiene workflow so you can be more profitable, Kirk Behrendt brings back Miranda Beeson and Courtney Dalton, two of ACT’s amazing coaches (and excellent hygienists), with a framework for making those 60 minutes more efficient. To learn the strategies to make your day flow smoother, listen to Episode 703 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Miranda and Courtney:
- Send Miranda an email: miranda@actdental.com
- Send Courtney an email: courtney@actdental.com
- Follow Miranda and Courtney on ACT’s Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/actdental
- Send Gina an email: gina@actdental.com
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & A Better Life:
- Watch the entire webinar here: https://www.actdental.com/109
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show:https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association:https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club:https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- See the ACT Dental/BPA Live Event Schedule:https://www.actdental.com/event
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free:https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast:https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
- Register for Katrina Sanders’s course (March 9, 2024):https://www.eventbrite.com/e/act-dental-hygienists-live-course-march-9-2024-tickets-732186328017?aff=erelexpmlt
Main Takeaways:
- Implement the 20-20-20 concept.
- Prepare ahead to make appointments efficient.
- Set clear “connection time” expectations with patients.
- Be aware of your patient’s personality and communication styles.
- Keep patients engaged through co-discovery to get them on board faster.
- Utilize technology, such as imaging and AI recording software, to your advantage.
- Perform a time analysis to determine which of your 20-20-20 needs improvement.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
1:53 ACT’s To The Top Study Club.
4:50 ACT’s Best Practices Association.
6:52 Katrina Sanders’s hygiene course.
7:58 Why this is an important topic.
11:46 The 20-20-20 concept: The diagnostic segment.
18:01 Prepare in advance.
22:21 Set clear “connection time” expectations with patients.
25:23 Utilize technology to your advantage.
28:53 Be intentional with how you communicate with patients.
33:29 Communicate in the patient’s style.
35:50 Ask open-ended questions.
36:11 Too much information can annoy certain patients.
38:55 Other co-discovery tools.
39:47 The 75-25 rule, explained.
41:09 The 20-20-20 concept: The therapeutic segment.
46:02 The 80-20 rule of mechanical and hand instrumentation.
49:38 Make sure your instruments are effective.
50:47 Maybe it’s time to try something new.
51:51 The 20-20-20 concept: The logistics segment.
53:05 How to spend the last five to ten minutes.
56:19 Tips for getting your notes done.
58:14 Other systems to consider.
1:01:31 Final takeaways.
1:03:04 Q&A: How do you stay profitable while offering high pay?
1:04:58 Q&A: How to manage patients who take the full 60 minutes without the exam.
1:05:54 Q&A: Software recommendations to record probing.
Miranda Beeson, MS, BSDH Bio:
Miranda Beeson, MS, BSDH, has over 25 years of clinical dental hygiene, front office, practice administration, and speaking experience. She is enthusiastic about communication and loves helping others find the power that words can bring to their patient interactions and practice dynamics.
Courtney Dalton, BS, RDH Bio:
Courtney Dalton is a Lead Practice Coach who focuses on establishing a solid foundation in order for a practice to thrive. With over 15 years of experience in the dental industry, she is as passionate about patient care as she is about those who are providing it.
Without a healthy partnership, your work life could be torture. If you want to increase your happiness at work, don't miss this episode! Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. Jennifer Derse and Dr. Brett Levin, founders of Espire, to share their recipe for a healthy partnership that lasts. To learn how to stay aligned, navigate disagreements, and to disagree agreeably, listen to Episode 702 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Dr. Derse and Dr. Levin:
- Follow Dr. Derse on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/espiredental
- Follow Dr. Levin on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brettrlevindmd
- Learn more about Espire: https://espiredental.com
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & A Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- See the ACT Dental/BPA Live Event Schedule: https://www.actdental.com/event
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Main Takeaways:
- Respect and support your partner.
- Be aligned with one another’s vision.
- Learn how to disagree and give feedback.
- Find a cadence for communication to stay aligned.
- Accept that you will have some hard days with your partner.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
3:22 Why a healthy partnership is so important.
4:26 Why being aligned on vision is important.
5:40 How to stay aligned and navigate disagreements.
9:15 Complexities in adding more people.
12:00 Schedule regular alignment time.
16:16 How Dr. Derse and Dr. Levin communicate.
22:11 How Dr. Derse and Dr. Levin define respect in a partnership.
28:31 How Dr. Derse and Dr. Levin cultivate teamwork.
32:02 Mistakes to avoid in a partnership.
34:51 Last thoughts.
38:08 More about Espire and how to get in touch.
Dr. Jennifer Derse Bio:
After dental school at Marquette University School of Dentistry, Dr. Derse focused her practice on cosmetic dentistry in Scottsdale, Arizona, and taught at the Arizona School of Dentistry. In 2010, she moved to Denver to join Espire Dental, formerly Levin Family Dental, where she has maintained a Top Dentist award by 5280 Magazine every year since.
Dr. Derse completed the Kois Continuum and focuses her dental practice on esthetic and restorative dentistry. She is actively involved in the Denver community, serving on local non-profit boards and fundraising with Smiles for Life. She has also gone on numerous medical missions to the Dominican Republic and Guatemala to provide dental care in needy communities. To build upon her service in non-profits, she started the Derse Levin Foundation, Espire’s philanthropic arm that funds humanitarian work along with local charities.
Dr. Brett Levin Bio:
After obtaining his dental degree at the University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine, Dr. Levin returned home to Denver to practice with his father, Dr. Alan Levin. Having served the Glendale/Cherry Creek area for over 20 years, he values the “idyllic” relationships he has created with his patients. He is committed to upholding the traditions of Espire Dental while incorporating the best of modern dental practice technologies.
Dr. Levin is one of a select few clinical instructors at the prestigious Kois Center, a clinical program designed to integrate the latest advances in esthetic, implant, and restorative dentistry. As a leading Denver cosmetic dentist specializing in dental veneers, same-day crowns, and clear aligners, he is uniquely qualified to give patients the smile of their dreams.
Do you have a hard time communicating with your team about insurance benefits? It's not easy. In this episode, Kirk and his guest, coach Robin Theisen, have some answers for you. Robin shares four tips for effectively talking about dental insurance benefits with patients. The conversation emphasizes the importance of educating the team about insurance, using the term 'benefits' instead of 'insurance', always saying 'yes' to patients, and making the patient the focus of the conversation. Listen to this episode to hear why implementing these great tips will help you build trust, maximize benefits, and create value for your patients.
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & A Better Life:
- Subscribe to the Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join the Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt/
- See the ACT Dental/BPA Live Event Schedule: https://www.actdental.com/event/
- Get the Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine/
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
- Send Robyn an email: robyn@actdental.com
- Follow Robyn on ACT’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/actdental
- More help at ACT Dental: Gina@actdental.com
Main Takeaways:
- Educate the team about dental insurance to ensure everyone is on the same page.
- Use the term 'benefits' instead of 'insurance' to clarify the purpose and limitations of coverage.
- Always say 'yes' to patients and focus on what can be done rather than what cannot be covered.
- Make the patient the focus of the conversation and build trust by emphasizing the value of the dental treatment.
Snippets:
00:00 Introduction
01:24 Importance of Talking Insurance Benefits
05:36 Tip 1: Educating the Team
09:55 Tip 2: Using the Term 'Benefits' Instead of 'Insurance'
13:41 Tip 3: Always Saying 'Yes' and Tip 4: Make your patient the focus
26:05 Final thoughts and Conclusion
Robyn Theisen Bio:
Robyn Theisen brings an entire life and legacy of dental experience to the team and every team with which she works as the daughter and sister of dentists. With almost 20 years of experience in dentistry, her roles ranged from practice management to operations at Patterson Dental to coaching teams. Robyn’s passion is empowering teams to realize that they can dramatically impact the lives of the people they serve by implementing skills and systems to remove barriers to life-changing dental treatment. She has done it for decades and does it every day with dental teams.
Outside of coaching, she enjoys time with her husband, Rob, and two daughters, Emerson and Ruby. She loves traveling, music, fitness, and cheering on the Michigan State Spartans.
In this episode, Kirk shares a recent webinar with ACT Director of Coaching, Christina Byrne, on case acceptance. They share a ton of secrets on how to improve case acceptance, like the importance of mindset, the role of the clinical team and the need for preclinical interviews to involve the patient, and the importance of customized care to differentiate a dental practice. They also discuss the need to address patient questions and concerns, handle objections effectively, and measure success using key performance indicators (KPIs). And as always on the Best Practices Show, Kirk and Christina provide a call action for dental professionals to implement the discussed strategies in their practice.
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & A Better Life:
- Subscribe to the Best Practices Show:https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join the Best Practices Association:https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club:https://www.actdental.com/ttt/
- See the ACT Dental/BPA Live Event Schedule:https://www.actdental.com/event/
- Get the Best Practices Magazine for free:https://www.actdental.com/magazine/
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Main Takeaways:
- Believe in the value of dentistry as a valuable investment in oral health
- Utilize resources like the To The Top Study Club and the Best Practice Academy
- Involve the entire clinical team in case acceptance
- Use open-ended questions and change talk to understand the patient's desired outcome
Snippets:
00:00 Introduction and Background
03:24 The Importance of Mindset
05:12 Introduction to To The Top Study Club
08:28 Introduction to BPA (Best Practice Academy)
09:53 The Cornerstone of a Thriving Dental Practice
11:20 The Role of the Clinical Team in Case Acceptance
15:30 Preclinical Interviews and Involving the Patient
28:05 Understanding the Patient's Desired Outcome
37:29 Differentiating with Customized Care
43:14 Addressing Patient Questions and Concerns
45:02 Handling Patient Objections
51:07 Measuring Success with KPIs
58:06 Follow-up and Unscheduled Treatment Plan
01:03:06 Improving Verbal Skills
01:08:04 Final Takeaways and Call to Action
Christina Byrne Bio
Christina Byrne has been involved in dentistry since 1985. Over the years she has held many positions on the dental team including dental assistant, business office, and dental hygienist. Christina’s extensive knowledge of the front office and clinical procedures is a great asset and she loves to impart her knowledge to guide dental teams do the best they can to achieve a Better Practice Better Life!
Do you dream of having a high-performing team? You can make it happen with a few changes in your thinking. Kirk Behrendt brings back Heather Crockett, one of ACT’s amazing coaches, to share the three essentials for creating a great team and practice. A great team starts with great leadership! To learn the secrets of every high-performing team, listen to Episode 699 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Heather:
- Send Heather an email: heather@actdental.com
- Join Heather on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/heather.r.crockett
- Follow Heather on ACT’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/actdental
- Send Gina an email: gina@actdental.com
Learn More About ACT Dental:
- Watch the entire webinar here: https://www.actdental.com/109
- ACT’s website: https://www.actdental.com
- ACT’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/actdental
- ACT’s YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/actdental
- ACT’s Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/actdental
- ACT’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/3137520/admin/feed/posts/
- ACT’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/actdental
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & A Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- See the ACT Dental/BPA Live Event Schedule: https://www.actdental.com/event
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Main Takeaways:
- Get the right people in the right seats.
- Have well-documented systems in place.
- Set clear goals, roles, and responsibilities.
- Clearly define and document your core values.
- Communicate consistently and frequently to be aligned.
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
1:49 Why this is an important topic.
3:39 Secret #1) Get aligned.
9:22 Secret #2) Be smart.
15:09 Secret #3) Be healthy.
16:16 The Function Accountability Chart, explained.
25:54 Final takeaways.
Heather Crockett Bio:
Heather Crockett is a Lead Practice Coach who finds joy in not only improving practices but improving the lives of those she coaches as well. With over 20 years of combined experience in assisting, office management, and clinical dental hygiene, her awareness supports many aspects of the practice setting.
Heather received her dental hygiene degree from the Utah College of Dental Hygiene in 2008. Networking in the dental community comes easy to her, and she loves to connect with like-minded colleagues on social media. Heather enjoys both attending and presenting continuing education to expand her knowledge and learn from her friends and colleagues.
She enjoys hanging out with her husband, three sons, and their dog, Moki, scrolling through social media, watching football, and traveling.
Have you ever wondered about PPOs or struggled to understand them? Kirk welcomes Shelley DeGroff to shed some light on this complex relationship between dental practices and insurance. Shelley is the founder and CEO of PPO Advisors, a firm that helps dental practices turn their PPOs into profit. She talks about the trends of 2024, emphasizing the importance of understanding the percentage of write-offs and the need to evaluate fee schedules. The conversation concludes by encouraging dentists to play the insurance game with confidence and seek expert help when navigating the complexities of PPOs.
Learn More About Shelley and PPO Advisors
- Follow PPO Advisors on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PPOAdvisorsLLC
- Learn more about PPO Advisors: https://ppoadvisors.com
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & A Better Life:
- Subscribe to the Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join the Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt/
- See the ACT Dental/BPA Live Event Schedule: https://www.actdental.com/event/
- Get the Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine/
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Main Takeaways:
- Evaluate fee schedules and understand write-off percentages to ensure proper reimbursement.
- Regularly audit EOBs to identify discrepancies in fee schedules and reimbursement.
- Proper credentialing and negotiating contracts are crucial for setting favorable rates.
- Be aware of network shares and changes and regularly assess your PPO mix.
Snippets:
01:14 Introduction to Shelly DeGroff and PPO Advisors
06:20 Write-off Percentages
08:13 PPOs and Fiscal Years
09:41 Fee Increases and Negotiations
10:41 Evaluating Fee Increases
11:39 Master Fee Schedule
13:01 Credentialing and Setting Rates
16:23 Understanding Umbrellas and TPAs
20:43 The Importance of Credentialing
22:01 Negotiating Contracts
23:01 2024 Trends Continued
25:21 Network Shares and Changes
28:09 Switching PPO Mix
30:32 Making Changes and Seeking Help
32:58 Conclusion and Contact Information
Shelley DeGroff Bio:
Shelley DeGroff, founder and CEO of PPO Advisors, knows dentistry. After graduating from the University of Nebraska, she began working as a dental receptionist in a nearby dental office. After completing her certification as a dental assistant, Shelley transitioned to become a successful office manager. It was in that role that Shelley began noticing the need for PPO negotiations for her employing doctor. This experience began the business model for PPO Advisors, which has now become a nationwide industry leader.
697: My Journey Into Wellness Dentistry - Dr. Katie To and Dr. Christian Coachman
Have you ever wondered how you can incorporate wellness into your practice? On today’s episode, Kirk and Dr. Christian Coachman welcome Dr. Katie To, a pioneer in wellness dentistry. Dr. To shares her personal journey and explains the concept of wellness dentistry, which goes beyond traditional dentistry to treat the whole body. She emphasizes the importance of collaboration with other healthcare professionals and the impact of wellness dentistry on patient outcomes. They discuss the benefits of implementing wellness dentistry in a dental practice, including attracting better patients and creating a happier and more fulfilled team. And Dr. To offers advice for young dentists interested in pursuing wellness dentistry, highlighting the importance of personalized treatment and patient education.
Learn More About Dr. Katie To:
- Follow Dr. Katie To on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drkatieto
- Join Dr. Katie To on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KatieToCenter
- Learn more about Wellness Dentist Institute: https://www.wellnessdentistinstitute.com
- Listen to Dr. Katie’s To's podcast The Wellness Dentist
Learn More About Dr. Christian Coachman:
- Follow Dr. Christian Coachman on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/christiancoachman
- Follow Dr. Christian Coachman on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chriscoachman
- Learn more about Digital Smile Design: https://digitalsmiledesign.com
- Register for DSD Residency 1: https://digitalsmiledesign.com/dsd-residency-1-on-demand
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & A Better Life:
- Subscribe to the Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join the Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt/
- See the ACT Dental/BPA Live Event Schedule: https://www.actdental.com/event/
- Get the Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine/
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Main Takeaways:
- Wellness dentistry goes beyond traditional dentistry to treat the whole body and collaborate with other healthcare professionals.
- Implementing wellness dentistry in a dental practice can attract better patients and create a happier and more fulfilled team.
- Personalized treatment and patient education are key components of wellness dentistry.
- Young dentists can start their journey in wellness dentistry by learning and implementing small changes in their practice.
Quotes:
“For me, the wellness dentistry, my definition in my practice, we have it on the wall, we have it on a website. It is a confident smile for a healthy life. You cannot smile when you are sick. and don't want to get out of bed, or you have chronic fatigue and autoimmune issues and all these chronic inflammation conditions. But also if you're healthy, but you don't have a healthy smile or a confident smile, you're not hiding your smile and your selfie, not showing your smile or true self to the world. So for us in our practice as a dentist, what we find in wellness dentistry is a confident smile for a healthy life”. (03:47 - 04:00)
“If [the patient] is a negative person or they have a lot of anxiety or anger issues, the body itself becomes acidic. You cannot give them enough things in the mouth, toothpaste, rinse or M .I. paste, anything to reverse that when the saliva is acidic 24/7. So have that understanding, really put the ownership of their health on the patient and they are the hero of the journey.” (7:46 - 7:48)
“When I learned going through that journey, I learned about meditation, about journaling, about getting better. It's not just all about physical. And when I came back to my practice, I transformed the practice into biological wellness, holistic dentistry. And since my team saw my suffering throughout that year, they got on board because they know if that's happened to Dr. Katie, it could happen to me. It could happen to the patient. So therefore we walk the talk.” (11:39 - 11:41)
“When we started our journey, the patient that we had to talk to was our existing patient. Today in 2024, our patients are coming from medical referral and our medical professional doesn't look at us as if you're just a dentist. They actually ask that before we move on to gut health and hormone health, can you please make sure the patient or cavity are clear? We actually require medical clearance before a patient can move on with oncology treatment and even major surgery, because doctors understand the importance of oral health.” (17:26 - 17:53)
“You can do it today because of the wellness dentistry exam, as I share with Dr. Coachman, is starting with you get to know the patient and not just go through the motion of checking their teeth, their bite, right, their gum, but really knowing if you see something, ask questions, ask question why this happened, get to know them, curious about them. You have to be an identifier, then evaluator, then stabilizer and healer. You don't have to be the healer today. You still have a lot to learn. You can learn to be an identifier and evaluator and just listen to the podcasts like this or join study clubs or get some coaching to get started. You can do it yourself or can you get some hand holding, but don't just sustain the wish - you have to put in the work. You’ve got to implement it.” (25:23 - 25:53)
When I go to work, I ask who can I help today? What story would I discover today? Just right before Christmas, we have a patient call and say, I saw you two years ago. You told me about this infection and I didn't do anything. And my vision kept getting worse. And when she said, I would like to get this infection taken care of, we remove the tooth, do PRF, laser, ozone, and all the biomodulations and all that. She's coming back with her optometrist. The first week that we opened after New Year, she came in for her post -op visit with her optometrist. And I'm like, oh, oh, hi. I have not met the optometrist before. And she said, my optometrist has been taking care of me for three years. When I saw you two years ago, my vision did get worse, but the last two years got significantly worse. But after I'd got my infections out, I came back in because my vision cleared up. My optometrist wants to know who I am seeing as a dentist? I can tell you this story that we hear, I still get goosebumps. And for me, that's the biggest currency - more than money, more than fame, more than Google reviews, is about changing someone's life.” (32:22 - 33:45)
“Dentistry is a very tough profession. We know that. And finding a deeper purpose is the best way to transform a stressful profession into the best profession ever.” (37:51 - 38:04)
Snippets:
03:05 What is Wellness Dentistry?
07:20 Collaboration with Healthcare Professionals
11:11 Katie's Personal Journey
14:07 Success and Growth of Wellness Dentistry
25:23 Advice for Young Dentists
28:19 Differentiating a Wellness Dentist
35:30 Final Thoughts
38:20 Katie's Courses and Resources
Dr. Katie To Bio:
Dr. Katie To is a biological and cosmetic dentist and the owner of The Center for Integrated Wellness and Cosmetic Dentistry in Katy, Texas. She graduated Summa Cum Laude from the University of Texas at Arlington with a Bachelor of Science in biology. Her pursuit of dentistry began at the University of Texas Health Sciences Center at San Antonio (UTHSCSA) where she received distinction in research and awards in cosmetic dentistry. She is an Academy of General Dentistry Fellow (FAGD), the youngest Master of Biological Dentistry within the International Academy of Biological Dentistry and Medicine (IABDM), and the first female to hold the professional title of Master of Smile Design in the DSD network. With a passion to share this expertise, her coaching sessions at KT Dental Seminars guides industry professionals through training, certifications, and online master classes.
Dr. To is married to Dr. Bar Nguyen, a board-certified orthodontist who recently joined her practice team. After a difficult journey to parenthood, they now have a wonderful son, Bailey, and a lovely daughter, Apple. They both bring joy to their lives, and she is passionate about teaching them how to experience health and happiness through wellness. She also enjoys traveling, dental photography, Peloton rides, and spending time with family. Her most recent wellness aspiration includes training toward certification as a yoga instructor.
696: Planning for the Unexpected – Dr. Wayne Kerr
You plan for work, and you plan your vacations. But do you plan for the unexpected? Anything can happen at any time, and you need to be prepared! To help you think and plan for those unforeseen events, Kirk Behrendt brings in Dr. Wayne Kerr to share a framework that will protect you in future disruptions. Don't ever be caught off guard! To learn how to protect your practice, your loved ones, and your team, listen to Episode 696 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn More About Dr. Kerr:
- Learn more on Dr. Kerr’s website: https://kerrspeak.com
Learn More About ACT Dental:
- Watch the entire webinar here: https://www.actdental.com/109
- ACT’s website: https://www.actdental.com
- ACT’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/actdental
- ACT’s YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/actdental
- ACT’s Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/actdental
- ACT’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/3137520/admin/feed/posts/
- ACT’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/actdental
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & A Better Life:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- See the ACT Dental/BPA Live Event Schedule: https://www.actdental.com/event
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
Try LastPass: https://www.lastpass.com
Main Takeaways:
Practice fiscal sanity.
Write a contingency plan.
Identify your cash reserves.
Build team loyalty year-round.
Have your personal affairs in order.
Understand your business and cash flow.
Be insured — and make sure you have enough.
Evaluate your work-life balance and overall wellness.
Quotes:
“It's been said that wisdom comes from experience, and we gained invaluable experience through a horrid situation that no one saw coming. I think as practices overcame challenges, they were innovative — dentists are. Entrepreneurs are. They develop solutions to overcome those problems. And I think that we think, ‘Okay. Well, that's done. That's gone. That's in the rearview mirror.’ But what about tomorrow? How can we do something today that better positions our practice in the event of some future disruption? How can we better weather the next storm, whether it be a weather catastrophe, a tornado, a flood, a fire, whatever? I think it's important to learn from the lessons of the past and put together a contingency plan to protect our practices from any future disruption.” (4:16—5:16) -Dr. Kerr
“Any small business must practice fiscal sanity. If any business or dental practice is burdened by heavy debt or has marginal cash flow, or the cash flow is sporadic and uncertain and isn't tracked and planned for, that practice is in trouble and it's less likely to survive a future disruption than a practice would with a more sound financial platform.” (5:37—6:07) -Dr. Kerr
“It's important that we live within our means. When we spend more than we make, we put the safety and security of our families at risk, and we don't want to do that.” (6:08—6:19) -Dr. Kerr
“We have to stop chasing those shiny objects that we always want, never need, and most of the time we can't afford. Take a struggling practice, for example. If your practice is in a marginal cash flow, that's not the time that you invest in a 3D cone beam. You do that when you have the cash flow that enables you to do that. You have to exercise fiscal sanity.” (6:35—6:57) -Dr. Kerr
“Tomorrow is not promised, right? So, we need to protect our loved ones by having our personal affairs in order, have our living will and power of attorney current and updated, and make sure that our family knows important things about the practice and our personal lives — the family finances, personal financial statement, where the bank is, where the safety deposit box is, who is able to get into it, where is the key — things like that. You want to protect your loved ones by always having your personal affairs in order.” (7:09—7:46) -Dr. Kerr
“Very simply, a will tells basically who gets your stuff and who raises your children — if you have children under the age of maturity. You want to protect your loved ones by having those documents in place. The last thing any single parent wants is for the state to raise their children in foster care because they didn't name someone to do that in their absence.” (10:06—10:26) -Dr. Kerr
“If you look at the classic stages of business, survival is all about cash flow. You hope to make enough money today to be open tomorrow. You hope to make enough money this week to be open next week. You hope to make enough money this month to be open next month. Trust me, I've been there. Every early starting business goes through survival, and that is when you really have to understand your cash flow. But when you get into growth — which is, to me, the most exciting stage of business — now, as your business is growing, you're having to add capacity to the point where you finally reach your vision. And when you add capacity to increase the volume of your business, you're taking some financial risks. Now, at this point in your business career, you've got a positive cash flow and you're banking some of it. So, now you've got the cash flow. That means you can take on a bank loan and add that $75,000 operatory, or whatever it might be. But again, fiscal sanity.” (10:36—11:39) -Dr. Kerr
“The one metric that I think everyone has to know is your break-even point. You have to know at the end of every day when you look at your end of the day sheet, ‘Did I make enough money today and put it in the bank that I'll be open again tomorrow and I can feed my thing?’ At the end of every day, you have to know you met your financial goals. If you don't know that, you're working blind and you're open to absolute catastrophe.” (12:38—13:06) Dr. Kerr
“One out of three practitioners are currently looking for a chairside assistant, a hygienist, or both because we lost a lot of wonderful teammates as a result of the pandemic. And I think my point about positioning your practice to better withstand a future disruption includes building team loyalty, establishing the kind of practice culture where your employees never want to leave you for some other opportunity. I think that's so important that you continue to invest in your employees year-round, that you provide them with continuing education for personal and professional growth — which obviously benefits the practice — and invest in their future by contributing to their retirement plan. Give them reasons to stay.” (16:18—17:07) -Dr. Kerr
“Lead and work with integrity, for heaven's sakes. Treat your employees with courtesy and respect. Value their contributions. Recognize them for their contributions. It's been said that once you meet the financial and security needs of an employee, what they most crave is recognition. So, appreciate and recognize them for what they're doing. Embrace open communication and delegate appropriately. But the bottom line is, value your employees on a daily basis. Never take them for granted and build that kind of practice where in spite of what disruption might come, they're loyal to that practice and to you.” (17:15—17:55) -Dr. Kerr
“[Writing a contingency plan] is a great team meeting event, and it's not something that you do in an hour. You do this over a period of time. But again, look at the issues that you faced, the challenges brought on by the uncertainty of the day-to-day business in the early pandemic. How did you overcome those problems? What did you put in place? What solutions worked for you? And then, build on that. How can you better prepare your practice to withstand a future disruption? And I think, number one, clearly, you have to recover your data. Fortunately, that's so easy to do today. It wasn't so much in my early days. I mean, I backed up my data on a floppy disk for a while. Some listeners don't even know what that is. Today, we've got the remote servers we call the cloud. But without being able to recover your data following a flood or a fire or some other disruption, your practice is gone. So, that's number one.” (19:41—20:37) -Dr. Kerr
“Three of my very close friends died suddenly. Their spouses were professionals in their own right. None of them had any knowledge of their husbands’ practices, and they were left in a very, very bad place. As we mentioned earlier, it's hard enough to lose your loved one, your spouse. But while you're going through that horrible process of planning a funeral, you're suddenly faced with transitioning a dental practice you know nothing about. So, I think every spouse or significant other needs a working knowledge of the practice. They need to have software training, know how to download key reports, have user access and passwords. They need to know the names of the employees and the people that work there and what they do — things like that. The spouse has to have some basic knowledge. By the way, the spouse absolutely has to have access to the practice checkbook. That is so important that the account be joint.” (20:39—21:41) -Dr. Kerr
“It's important that all of us, post pandemic, regardless of whether we're the head bottle washer or a brand-new employee, pause from time to time and evaluate the quality of our lives and our contentment with our work-life balance. I'm very concerned that some dentists who are short-staffed right now that are working too hard and longer hours might burn out, and I don't want that to happen to them. So, taking time to evaluate your quality of life and your overall wellness is so important.” (25:10—25:49) -Dr. Kerr
“As our amazing inspirational speaker Zig Ziglar once said — and I believe in this wholeheartedly — it's important that we learn from the past without living there, that we live and grow in the present, and more than ever, we look to the future with hope and optimism.” (26:56—27:17) -Dr. Kerr
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
1:38 Dr. Kerr’s background.
4:01 Why it’s important to plan for the unexpected.
5:26 Practice fiscal sanity.
6:59 Have your personal affairs in order.
10:30 Understand your business and your cash flow.
12:24 Know your break-even point.
14:04 Be insured enough.
16:11 Build team loyalty year-round.
19:32 Write a contingency plan.
24:54 Evaluate your work-life balance and wellness.
27:45 More about Dr. Kerr and how to get in touch.
Dr. Wayne Kerr Bio:
Now retired from a highly successful thirty-five-year career, Dr. Wayne Kerr has been recognized by state and local organizations as Dentist, Citizen, Professional, and Small-Business Person of the Year. Additionally, he earned Mastership in the Academy of General Dentistry and was honored in 2011 with its presentation of the Life-Long Learning and Service Recognition Award. He is a member of the Hinman Dental Society and an Honored Fellow of the Georgia Dental Association.
A highly regarded speaker on the international stage, Dr. Kerr is also the author of Ten Tips to the Top: A Primer for the Successful Dental Practice, and multiple books of inspiration, including When Life Needs a Sticky Note! and Wear it on a Tuesday….
695: Treatment of the Edentulous Patient - Dr Marco Brindis
Kirk welcomes prosthodontist Dr. Marco Brindis to discuss the treatment of the edentulous patient. They talk about the need for individualized treatment plans and the balance between saving teeth and providing optimal health and function. Dr. Brindis also highlights the importance of collaboration with other dental professionals, the importance of patient communication, treatment options for the edentulous patient, and material selection for restorations. Tune in and learn about the specialty that is treating edentulous patients.
Learn More About Dr. Brindis
- Join Dr. Brindis on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/marco.brindis.3
- Follow Dr. Brindis on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drmarcobrindis
- Learn more about Dr. Brindis on YouTube
- Contact Dr. Brindis: marco [at] smilesbymarco.com
Learn More About ACT Dental:
- Watch the entire webinar here: https://www.actdental.com/109
- ACT’s website: https://www.actdental.com/
- ACT’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/actdental/
- ACT’s YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/actdental
- ACT’s Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/actdental/
- ACT’s Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/company/3137520/admin/feed/posts/
- ACT’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/actdental
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & A Better Life:
- Subscribe to the Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join the Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt/
- See the ACT Dental/BPA Live Event Schedule: https://www.actdental.com/event/
- Get the Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine/
- Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Main Takeaways:
- Consider the patient's health and function when treating the edentulous patient
- Individualize treatment plans based on the patient's specific needs
- Collaborate with other dental professionals to provide comprehensive care
- Balance aesthetics and health in treatment planning
Quotes:
“There was one article from the Mayo Clinic in 2013 and they had the projection with the baby boomers to have 40 million edentulous people in the United States - 40 million. And actually we reached a little bit over 40 million by the year 2020. So there's a big need. And just to put into perspective, missing your teeth is just like missing any other limb in your body. It's like missing a leg.” (07:30 - 07:38)
“My main goal as a prosthodontist is not actually to save teeth, is to give you health, is to provide you with a function that you need. And sometimes that is by saving teeth. Hopefully, I always hope that the solution will be by saving teeth. But that’s not always the case. And sometimes I have to make the radical decision.”(9:07 - 9:28)
“Understand that as a dentist, as a good dentist, you cannot be a cookie cutter. You cannot just feed every patient that comes to your practice to that protocol. Every patient has completely different needs, completely different problems, and we have to adapt and follow whatever the patient needs.” (11:03 - 11:21)
“I constantly say, you know, when you have a dentist, it's like having a contractor in your house - fix the room, fix the door, fix the windows, fix the roof. You know, when the patients come to me, they're looking for an architect. How can we build back the house and get it in function? Because it's already too much damage. And sometimes I have to demolish that house and build from the bottom up. And sometimes I have a chance to have good bones. The house had good bones. Now I can go ahead and renovate it and have a good quality for the long term and save that house. But sometimes I don't have that luxury and I have to start from scratch.” (15:58 - 16:35)
“If we only do what the patient wants, what are we here for? What did we study for? Even if the patient is going to tell us what to do. No, no, no. It's to listen and then you have to propose the best course of action for the patient with the dentist's knowledge.” (25:44 - 25:58)
“Treat the patients like your own family. Treat the patient like the way you want your, your most precious love in your life to be treated, you know? And when you keep that in mind, make the decisions that you have to make and you're going to be fine. And, and don't hesitate to make radical decisions when those radical decisions are going to change the patient's life, when those decisions can reach the patient's heart.” (32:05 - 32:21)
Snippets:
02:10 Dr. Marco Brindis' Background
07:37 The Importance of Treating the Edentulous Patient
10:23 Controversy and Decision-Making in Treatment
14:07 Different Scenarios and Treatment Options
17:30 Collaboration with Other Dental Professionals
22:47 Financial Considerations in Treatment Planning
29:08 Balancing Aesthetics and Health
32:12 Final Thoughts and Contact Information
Dr. Marco Brindis Bio:
Dr. Marco Brindis is the chairman of the Prosthodontics Department of Louisiana State University, where he also maintains an intramural restorative practice devoted to esthetics and implants with an interdisciplinary approach. He earned his DDS from the Universidad Intercontinental in Mexico City in 1998, completed a Preceptorship in Dental Implants at the Universidad Intercontinental in 1999, a Preceptorship in Dental Implants at the Dental School at the UT Health Science Center in San Antonio in 2002, and a Surgical Implant Fellowship at the Biotechnology Institute in Vitoria, Spain, in 2003. He earned his Certificate in Prosthodontics at LSU School of Dentistry in the Department of Prosthodontics in 2007, then completed the Esthetic and Occlusion courses at the Pankey Institute in 2007.
Dr. Brindis is very passionate in the field of interdisciplinary dentistry for full-mouth reconstruction, esthetics, and implant dentistry. He is involved in the development of new implant protocols to treat edentulous patients. He has lectured in the United States, Mexico, Canada, and Spain. He is a member of several organizations, including the Academy of Osseointegration, American Dental Association, American College of Prosthodontists, and the Pierre Fauchard Academy. He is a well-established national and international speaker, having spoken at symposiums such as the AAOMS Dental Implant Conference, International Symposium on Oral Implantology in Spain, Academy of Osseointegration, AAOMS Annual Meeting, and the American Academy of Restorative Dentistry.
694: Are Composite Resins for this Day and Age in Digital Dentistry? - Dr. Newton Fahl
In this episode, Kirk welcomes a leading thinker, educator, and practicing dentist Dr. Newton Fahl to discuss the importance of composite resigns in an age of digital dentistry. Dr. Fahl sheds light on the ethical and financial aspects of using composite resins and highlights the artistry involved in creating natural-looking restorations. They discuss the advancements in composite resin materials and Dr. Fahl explains his process of restorations and how he charges for the work. His upcoming course, 'Mastering Interior Composites,' covers the fundamental concepts and techniques of composite resin restorations. To learn more about composite resins in the age of digital dentistry, don’t miss this episode!
Learn More About Dr. Newton Fahl:
- Register for his Mastering Anterior Composites Course - A Hands-On Experience with Dr. Newton Fahl: https://fahl.com.br/en/cursos/mastering-anterior-composites/
- Join Dr. Fahl on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/newtonfahl
- Follow Dr. Fahl on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/newtonfahl
- Learn more on Dr.Fahl’s website: https://www.cosmedent.com/faculty/dr-newton-fahl/
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & A Better Life:
- Subscribe to the Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join the Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Join the To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt/
- See the ACT Dental / BPA Live Event Schedule: https://www.actdental.com/event/
- Get the Best Practices Magazine For Free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine/
- Please Leave Us a Review On the Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Episode Resources:
Mastering Anterior Composites course
Main Takeaways:
- Composite resins play a crucial role in digital dentistry and are becoming increasingly important in modern dental practices.
- The ethical aspect of composite resins involves providing effective, predictable, and revenue-generating procedures that justify the time and effort spent on them.
- Composite resins require a combination of art and science to achieve productive, artistic, and ethical results.
- Advancements in composite resin materials have focused on improving shrinkage, strength, and polishability.
- Dr. Newton Fahl offers a comprehensive course, 'Mastering Interior Composites,' where participants can learn the artistry and techniques of composite resin restorations.
Quotes:
“If you start with prevention, if you have had a patient with not a single restoration in their mouth. And you open that, it may be in proper occlusion or malocclusion, it doesn't matter. You're talking about virgin, untouched teeth. How much better can you get? You can't get better than that. So when you evolve from that stage of prevention into the preservation stage where you say, okay, now we have a pathology, a broken tooth is pathology. That's one thing. And then what you can do is instead of doing a crown like Bob Marge's didn't do for you, rightfully so, you can just add to it. And the science is there. Papers are there. The research is there to support that you are actually making that remnant stronger than if you were to prep a crown for several reasons, because you're weakening by taking away sound dental structure. On the other hand, you have the augmentation part of it, which is adding to watch what is actually good. And then you're talking about cosmetic issues. You're talking about closing diastemas. You're talking about class fours. You're talking about smile design.” (8:23 - 10:01)
“The stories that we all hear, we all hear these stories day in and day out. A patient comes in, they wouldn't smile. So we did this and they came out smiling. We changed their lives. We don't change patients' lives. We change their smile and it has an impact on people's lives.” (12:32 - 12:46)
“The thing that we know in dentistry is the higher the fee, the higher the expectations to assume we're going to be able to nail a patient's expectations every time. That's a hard thing. And so I think with this, with that, I mean, he was able to change directions and smooth a piece out and lengthen a piece just while I was in the chair, you know? So it's kind of cool, don't you think that we have, we have the ability to do this. And again, you can charge a full fee for this. Let me add one more thing, Newton. I want you to comment. My previous dentist, Craig Harry, I'll shout out to you. He's in the later stage of his career, but he's told me this. He's like, Kirk, I don't want to do a crown ever again if I don't have to. Like I do composites all the time and I charged, I'll tell you, he charges $1 an hour. There's no lab fee. I take my time. I do it. It's so much fun working on people that want this work. I don't feel like we're bound by anything. I can reverse things. I can change things. And it's just easy.” (16:42 - 17:06)
“When people come to you, they have a problem and they're paying for the outcome. They're not paying for how much tooth structure you remove or how, you know, and I think ultimately you knew what you're saying is absolutely true. Everybody's got to come up with their formula. And most of the people that I see in the mature stages, they just know what their time is worth and they know if I'm going to work six hours today, this is about what I would charge. And you're charging for your expertise.” (23:25 - 23:49)
“I think composites are more than ever for this day and age because we have the technology. We have the technology. It's totally there. We have the artistry. There are over 70 types of composite restorative systems available commercially worldwide. So you can pick and choose. And adhesion is there. We have adhesives that will allow us to bond to teeth and have long lasting adhesive interfaces that will last a long, long time. And we have tutors, educators, and I'm talking not only about myself, we have true educators that can convey principles for anyone. who wants to endeavor in that route and learn compositor artistry so that they can be conscious about doing something that is ethical, non -invasive, aesthetic, and money -making. I mean, it's all there. It's all there. There is no excuse for anybody who will say, I don't do composites because I don't have the technology. I don't... I don't think I can make enough money with it. I don't think my patients will like it. I don't think they're gonna last long enough. This is all a lie. It's all there. All it takes is for anyone to really dive deep into it and learn how to do it.” (33:22 - 35:01)
Snippets:
01:10 Introduction to Dr. Newton Fahl
02:39 Importance of Composite Resins in Digital Dentistry
06:07 The Ethical Aspect of Composite Resins
08:02 The Financial Aspect of Composite Resins
10:27 The Artistry of Composite Resins
14:21 The Advancements in Composite Resins
33:47 Summary and Course Promotion
Dr. Newton Fahl Bio:
Dr. Newton Fahl Jr. received his DDS degree from Londrina State University, Brazil, in 1987. In 1989, he received the Certificate in Operative Dentistry and Master of Science degree from the University of Iowa. He is a fellow member of the American Academy of Esthetic Dentistry (AAED), an MCG-Hinman Foundation fellow, and an adjunct professor at UNC. He is the recipient of the prestigious American Academy of Esthetic Dentistry (AAED) 2008 President’s Award for Best Teacher, and the 2011 American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry (AACD) Excellence in Cosmetic Dentistry Education Award.
In addition to being on the editorial board of several peer-reviewed journals, Dr. Fahl has published extensively on direct and indirect bonding techniques. He is proud to be the author of the book, Composite Veneers – the Direct-Indirect Technique. His composite layering approach, The Polychromatic Technique (1995), has helped thousands of dentists globally achieve the highest levels of restorative excellence.
Dr. Fahl lives in Curitiba, Brazil, where he maintains a private practice emphasizing esthetic dentistry at the Fahl Center and conducts hands-on courses on direct and indirect adhesive restorations.
693: New Year – Old You, With Some Tweaks! – Dr. Uche Odiatu
Do you want a better year, but don't know where to start? With a few small tweaks, you can make it happen — and you don't have to change who you are! To help you achieve the year of your dreams, Kirk Behrendt returns with Dr. Uche Odiatu, one of ACT’s favorite health and wellness gurus, with tips to improve every dimension of your well-being. Small changes lead to big results! To start your journey to a better year, listen to Episode 693 of The Best Practices Show!
Learn About Dr. Odiatu:
- Join Dr. Odiatu on Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/UcheOdiatu
- Follow Dr. Odiatu on Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/fitspeakers
- Learn more on Dr. Odiatu’s website:http://www.druche.com
Episode Resources:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show podcast:https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club:https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- See ACT’s Live Events Schedule:https://www.eventbrite.com/cc/act-dental-live-workshops-306239
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free!https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Write a review on iTunes:https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show/id1223838218
Links Mentioned in This Episode:
- Read Be Useful: Seven Tools for Life by Arnold Schwarzenegger:https://bookshop.org/p/books/be-useful-seven-tools-for-life-arnold-schwartzenegger/19976031?ean=9780593655955
- Read Outlive by Dr. Peter Attia:https://bookshop.org/p/books/outlive-the-science-and-art-of-longevity-peter-attia/18517223?ean=9780593236598
Main Takeaways:
Take care of your body to take care of your brain.
Invest in your body like you do in your practice.
Make your health span equal your life span.
Be intentional with your “I am” statements.
Have an abundance mindset about time.
To be fit, spend time with fit people.
There is no shortcut to fitness.
Quotes:
“Oftentimes, people have four things they want to do. ‘This year, I want to be kinder to my team. I want to lose 10 pounds. I want to do CrossFit. I'd like to learn yoga. I'm going to become certified in oral systemic health.’ Oh, really? By the seventh [day], you're falling off the wagon, angry at yourself. So, why not focus on one thing, realizing that falling off the wagon is completely normal, and enjoy the journey?” (2:57—3:18) -Dr. Odiatu
“In life, being time-bound creates a sense of always running out of time. ‘It's 11:00. It's 11:30.’ I have this one friend of mine — I've got a few people now that say, ‘Oh, there are never enough hours in the day. Never enough hours in the day.’ And guess what? They've actually shown, physiologically, their blood pressure is higher, and their pulse is higher because they're always worrying about the time thing. Obama has 24 hours. Trump has 24 hours. Biden has 24 hours. Jack LaLanne had 24 hours. You name it, we all have 24 hours. Ariana Grande has got 24 hours. So, to talk about not enough time — who are you, this self-absorbed dentist or hygienist, to talk about not enough time? There is enough time for anything you find important. If you say it's important, you'll make time for it.” (4:46—5:28) -Dr. Odiatu
“Look at all the money you invested in your team, your equipment, your training — Kois, Pankey, Dawson, LVI, or whatever it is. How much did you spend on your body? Most dentists will be shocked how little they spent. And if you don't spend a little, guess what? You're getting back nothing. Sciatica hasn't gone away. Reflux is still there. Blood pressure that's unrelenting. So, that financial investment in your body has to be there. It doesn't happen by happenstance.” (7:11—7:39) -Dr. Odiatu
“Michelangelo, who carved David out of a huge block of stone, said in his mind he saw David. So, in the dentist's mind, they have to see their vision of how they want to look and feel. Then, you’ve got to cut away or chip away anything that doesn't serve that purpose. So, that half bottle of wine at night doesn't serve that purpose. Hanging out with your friends from high school who still like to binge-drink on that small island — guess what? You've got to carve that away. You'll get to that idealized version of your David if you cut away anything that doesn't serve you. And it doesn't have to be all-or-nothing either. It could literally be if it doesn't serve you, if it sabotages your end goal, cut it away. Let it go. I think you do have to let go of some things — and maybe let go of some people.” (8:37—9:20) -Dr. Odiatu
“So many of us put all our eggs in one basket. ‘I got this new iTero. It's going to happen,’ or, ‘I just learned this new technique. It has to happen.’ It's nice to have something now, but the brain loves to have something on the back burner. It likes to have something coming up. So, I might be on a cool trip now. But I'm also doing a talk in a month in another really cool Caribbean vacation spot. That's in the back of my mind, so I'm not counting down the days. But I would count down the days, though, if I hadn't been on vacation in 15 years because I have 17 offices and I'm micromanaging because I haven't hired Kirk as a consultant.” (11:30—12:00) -Dr. Odiatu
“I don't have 17 apps to get healthy. An app might help you. But I think the mindset, and as you said, getting around people that support you and having good systems in place, is the way to go.” (13:20—13:31) -Dr. Odiatu
“Instead of waiting for the results, celebrate that decision to do it. Like, a lot of people don't get the dopamine spike or enjoy working out. I enjoy thinking about the gym. I enjoy putting the sneakers on. I enjoy walking towards the gym. You'd be surprised how many times you can actually celebrate going, and being there, and the afterglow. You could literally have a hundred associations with the gym. Most people associate one, ‘Getting rid of my flat butt,’ or, ‘I want a flat stomach.’ But get more associations with making it happen, and now you can have a hundred ways to enjoy it other than the results or looking at the scale.” (14:04—14:43) -Dr. Odiatu
“If you lose weight without strength training, you're literally losing lean body mass, which means by the time you're 40 falling off the wagon again, you might weigh the same, but now fat has taken up more of it than muscle. That's why it's that slow progression of that little old man, little old lady syndrome where you get weaker and weaker. They're like, ‘It's funny, I'm the same weight I was in college.’ Well, you've lost muscle — one percent every year. At age 70, that's 40%. When most dentists are retiring and want to enjoy their dream home and their lake home and their cottage home, they're too weak to take care of it. They downsize out of a two-bedroom, two-story dream home and now they slide into a one-story — one more slide right into the coffin, I say. You've got to build some inconvenience into your life. I know I got a little morbid, and I get a little graphic to give people some visuals. But sliding right into that six-foot-under happens if you make your life too convenient. So, having some inconvenience is a great way to get in shape.” (14:54—15:48) -Dr. Odiatu
“There's something about taking care of your physical body that allows your brain to work better.” (17:51—17:54) -Dr. Odiatu
“The science says if you're physically fit, the brain gets more oxygenated blood. If you're physically fit, you have more of this neurotransmitter called BDNF, brain drive neurotrophic factor, which allows better communication between all 85 billion neurons. The 100,000 synapses that are at the end of every axon communicate better with each other. You have more neuroplasticity when you're healthy. So, it becomes a no-brainer, really — no pun intended. If you're not exercising, your brain is at the slow, downhill slide into that reflux, chronic inflammatory condition. So, what's good for the body is good for the brain. Do not think the body work is just good for the high school reunion, or the college reunion, or because you're on your fifth marriage. No. That workout keeps that brain going so you can enjoy yourself right to the end.” (18:03—18:54) -Dr. Odiatu
“Every time I go into an audience, I'll say, ‘Who here wants to live to 100?’ A few people put up their hand in an audience of 800 people. And I say, ‘Okay, let me qualify that. Who wants to live to 100 with a good brain, good hips, good heart, good mind, and good joints?’ All of a sudden, 50% of people now put up their hand. People always assume the last 10 to 20 years is decrepit and disability — and it is for anyone who is not taking care of themselves. So, you want your health span to be as big as your life span.” (19:34—20:00) -Dr. Odiatu
“We're going to leave the planet some way. But in order to make your health span as big as your life span, this is where physical activity has to come in. And it's so badly done. I think they've shown that 80% of North Americans have no physical activity in their lives at all. The other 20%, it's not even a complete program. They're doing yoga, maybe. They're running, maybe. No one is doing all three components: strength, cardio, and flexibility. Only three percent of the population does all three. If you're not doing all three, you will suffer from lack of range of motion. If you're just running, you will have core problems. If you just do weights, you will maybe fall over because you don't have good balance or stability on those joints. So, doing all three puts those dentists — I want to appeal to their egos — into the top three percent.” (20:01—20:45) -Dr. Odiatu
“You’ve got to work on your body as much as you do on your skills. You’ve got to work on your body to take care of your mind. If you want to be a good dentist, it's not just about learning the clinical skills and putting in implants and doing bone grafting and sinus clips. You’ve got to take care of the body.” (21:46—21:59) -Dr. Odiatu
“Taking care of your body and investing it as heavily as you do your office, it can become your best friend again. And when it becomes your best friend, it becomes predictable, solid, fun, engaging, and fulfilling.” (22:15—22:26) -Dr. Odiatu
“There's no guarantee I won't leave the planet early. However, I'm stacking that damn deck in favor of my health span equaling my life span. No guarantees in this life — but stacking the deck in favor of my health span equaling my life span.” (22:43—22:59) -Dr. Odiatu
“They've now found prescription drugs that you can buy that makes you less likely to enjoy eating, so people are losing weight. So, right now, a lot of people who've never lost weight before lost weight. And no one ever brags about what they're on. Everyone is saying, ’Oh, I cut down.’ No, they're taking a prescription drug, most likely, if they've gone on yo-yo diets and they've never kept it off, and now they’ve kept it off. The challenge, though, by doing it this way is you don't get the benefit of losing weight with exercise and nutrition. It's like winning the lottery. Sure, you have $500 million. But you didn't earn it. And if you didn't earn it, that's why people, within 24 months, lose it. If you get fit and you look great by something that got you there in 90 days, 120 days, you got none of the benefits in going there — none of the dopamine, none of the neurotransmitter balancing, none of the discipline.” (25:03—25:55) -Dr. Odiatu
“Andrew Huberman, a neuroscientist out of California, says a part of your cortex — it's called the anterior mid-cingulate cortex — gets bigger in people who do hard things. It gets bigger in people who have discipline. It gets bigger for people who work through lunch on that emergency. It gets bigger with dentists who take difficult CE courses. It gets bigger in people who do tough things. So, if you take a drug and lose weight, that anterior cortex stays tiny because your mind didn't get bigger to take care of that new weight. So, you don't get any of the benefits, except on paper it looks like, ‘Oh, I lost 30 pounds.’” (25:55—26:33) -Dr. Odiatu
“There's just as much discipline in an overweight person or an obese person as someone who is lean. But society has this belief that someone who is...
Have you ever wondered about whether you should invest in Continuing Education? In this episode, Kirk welcomes practicing dentist and coach Dr. Andrew Turchin to talk about how to get the biggest ROI from continuing education. The two discuss how to decide on the right courses and Dr. Turchin shares strategies for bridging the gap between CE courses and implementing new skills and knowledge. He also highlights the importance of taking time to reflect on learnings from CE courses and scheduling team meetings to discuss and plan for implementation.
Episode Resources:
Learn More About Dr. Andrew Turchin:
- His Course - Cosmetic Confidence Coaching: https://www.cosmeticcoaching.com/
- Website: https://andrewturchin.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andrewturchin.dmd/
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/AndrewTurchinDMD
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/andrewturchindmd/
- Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dentist81611/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/smilefit
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & A Better Life:
- Subscribe to the Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join the Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Join the To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt/
- See the ACT Dental / BPA Live Event Schedule: https://www.actdental.com/event/
- Get the Best Practices Magazine For Free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine/
- Please Leave Us a Review On the Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Main Takeaways
- Focus on implementing one idea at a time and take the time to distill ideas down to their simplest form.
- Design learning courses that are efficient and incorporate accelerated learning techniques.
- Simplify complex ideas to make them easier to understand and communicate to others.
- Utilize multiple learning methods, such as lectures, hands-on activities, and over-the-shoulder demonstrations, to enhance learning retention.
- Consider the financial benefits of investing in education and find enjoyment in helping others.
Segments
06:33 Maximizing ROI in Continuing Education
11:13 The Importance of Leadership in Dentistry
17:40 Creating Promotions to Differentiate Your Practice
22:43 Bridging the Gap Between CE Courses
32:55 Moving Away from PPOs
41:30 Final Thoughts on Maximizing ROI in CE
43:57 Implementing Ideas and Distilling Knowledge
44:25 Designing an Efficient Learning Course
45:18 Simplifying Complex Ideas
46:17 Multiple Learning Methods
46:44 Financial Benefits and Enjoying the Work
47:39 Contact Information and Closing Remarks
Quotes:
“That's what's so cool about this incredible profession. It's very noble. The choices you can make, you can practice wherever you want. You can charge whatever you want. You can work whatever hours you want. You can do what style you want.” (4:00 - 4:13)
“I think it's important for dentists to know that their general practices have a lot of really cool cases sitting there. And I've never marketed a day in my life, really. Just learning how to have the right conversations with the patients, is what I've learned over the years. And the number one thing I tell these young dentists is just because they come in and say, I just want a cleaning, doesn't mean you can't have conversations. You have to know how to have them in a non -pushy way, in a non -threatening way.” (5:07 - 05:12)
“We are always encouraging dentists to try to become a better leader and create other leaders. You know, if somebody young is listening to this, how important is the leadership investment that you made?” (8:56 - 9:07)
“My clarity of vision has helped my team be better teammates to me, the coach. And I think we have to look at ourselves as a coach and them as part of the team and not their boss.” (13:39 - 13:51)
“If you want maximum ROI, you have to give yourself a little pep talk. Stay away from your phone as much as possible during [the] lecture.” (25:28 - 25:35)
“The best advice I could have for anybody as a thinker and a learner is never get the wifi on the plane. It's the only place we have left in life. I get on a plane sometimes, I'm looking forward to it. For me to truly, in my life, I don't know about anybody else, that's the only place I truly have quiet to read and to write.” (30:15 - 30:34)
“I'll tell you this, the very wealthy expect to know their dentist. They expect to know their professionals on a very personal level and to be friends with them and have them available. And that might not be for everybody, but I don't mind it.” (38:13 - 38:26)
“ I would say pick a great topic, pay a lot of attention in the course. Ask questions. I think that's, you know, don't just stay quiet, go to a course, whether it be a big room or a small room, whatever it is, where you feel comfortable and get comfortable asking the hard questions. So you could truly understand it and know that's your goal to leave understanding it.” (42:57 - 43:01)
Dr. Andrew Turchin Bio
Dr. Andrew Turchin graduated from the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey in 1999. His quest for more knowledge landed him at Columbia University where he was a Fellow in their Advanced Education in General Dentistry program. After finishing at Columbia, he began private practice as an associate at a prominent Fifth Avenue practice renowned for their reconstructive work. In 2002, he opened his own practice on Fifth Avenue, practicing both preventive and reconstructive dentistry. Six months after September 11th, he was asked to join World Trade Center Dental to help rebuild their great practice, which he was honored to do part-time while maintaining his own office. In 2008, he expanded his practice to a much larger space on Madison Avenue where he designed the practice of his dreams — one which comforted his patients in a non-clinical environment while under the surface being equipped with the best that dental technology had to offer.
In 2012, after 13 years of practicing at the top of Manhattan Dentistry, Dr. Turchin sold his practice to follow his dream of living and practicing in Aspen, Colorado. It was hard for him to say goodbye to such an amazing practice with so many wonderful patients and a great team. He now enjoys bringing the very best preventive, general, and reconstructive dentistry that he is known for in New York to Aspen, while appreciating the wonders of nature. He took the helm at a practice that was started by the great late Dr. Bill Comcowich, then carried on by Dr. Lloyd Herman. He is honored to continue the legacy of quality dentistry that the practice has always been known for, and to further Aspen’s reputation as a leader in quality dentistry.
Outside of practice and lecturing, Dr. Turchin is an avid lover of the outdoors and especially enjoys skiing. He also enjoys spending time with his wife, Gina, and their two daughters, five-year-old Ava, and one-year-old Lia. His appreciation of great food and wine has prompted him to become an amateur cook, and he has even appeared on the cooking show, Taste of New York.
Join Dr. Turchin on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/andrewturchindmd
Follow Dr. Turchin on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andrewturchin.dmd
691: Unlock Your Full-Fee Potential: Elevate Patient Perception and Charge What You're Worth! - Ariel Juday
In this episode, Kirk welcomes back coach Ariel Juday to discuss how dentists can unlock their full fee potential and effectively communicate value to patients. Ariel emphasizes the importance of billing the full fee for services, the negative impact of write-offs and the need for a clear financial policy. By creating specific adjustment types and understanding the financial aspects of their practice, dentists can improve profitability and ensure alignment within their team.
Episode Resources:
- Watch the Video Webinar of this Podcast: https://www.actdental.com/107
- Subscribe to the Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join the Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Join the To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt/
- See the ACT Dental / BPA Live Event Schedule: https://www.actdental.com/event/
- Get the Best Practices Magazine For Free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine/
- Please Leave Us a Review On the Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Main Takeaways
- Billing the full fee for services is essential to communicate the value of dental care.
- Accurate coding and understanding write-offs can help dentists avoid working for free.
- Creating a clear financial policy and training team members on it is crucial for effective communication with patients.
- Investing in admin team members and providing them with the necessary training can improve the financial aspects of the practice. Create a comprehensive financial policy that covers all aspects of patient billing and payment terms.
- Start billing the full fee on insurance claims to accurately reflect the value of your dentistry.
- Regularly analyze adjustments and monthly reports to identify areas for improvement and reduce write-offs.
- Ensure your team members understand and can effectively communicate the financial policy to patients.
- Seek education and training opportunities for your admin team members to enhance their skills and knowledge.
Segments
00:00 Unlocking Your Full Fee Potential
04:11 Introduction to Ariel Juday
08:29 Billing Your Full Fee
09:25 Coding for What You Do
10:20 Understanding Write-Offs and Working for Free
17:45 Creating Specific Adjustment Types
19:36 Understanding Write-Offs and Working for Free (Continued)
27:43 Creating a Clear Financial Policy
41:56 Creating Two Different Financial Policies
48:04 Investing in Admin Team Members
49:00 Considering Other Aspects of the Financial Policy
49:29 Creating a Financial Policy
52:21 Billing the Full Fee
53:49 Adjustments and Monthly Reports
55:37 Team Education and Alignment
59:30 Minimizing In-Network Write-Offs
Quotes
“As dentists and dental team members, we are worth everything, the value that we provide, and it's more than just the dentistry.” (9:03 - 9:12)
“What does it mean, billing full fee? That is your practice master fee schedule. So as Kirk had alluded to, right, as some of us put in our PPO fees and our fee schedules, when we do that, we're really undervaluing our services. So we're telling patients, we're telling ourselves this is what it's worth. So we're letting the insurance company tell us what our services are value, right? And that's not true. So we know, and we won't even get into the world of insurance today, but we know that they don't get to decide our value. So start putting out there, what is your master fee schedule so that you can see it, your patients can see it, your team members can see it. What is the full value?” (12:18 - 11:52)
“You can't make an informed decision based off of participation or other discounts or anything that you may do if you don't know the difference between what is, what are you billing and what are your contracted rates with insurance? So you have to know that adjustment and that write -off that you're doing, or you're not going to be able to make a true decision.” (20:35 - 20:58 )
“When we say write off, right? There is a connotation to it. I'm like, oh, it's a write off, right? But no, it's just money. walking out the door and you're just saying goodbye to that money because you're never going to see it. So right. What is it? It's an adjustment or it's a discount and you need to know what that number is.” (35:33 - 35:41)
“I always tell my doctors, sit down and do this, work on this. I know this is not the fun part of doing dentistry. But if you want team members coming back every single day asking you, hey, Miss Jones wants an adjustment. Can I give Mr. Smith a write off? Can I go ahead and discount this? That's what you're going to have all day every day if you don't have a clear financial policy.” (42:00 - 42:27)
“Don't underestimate the power of teaching a great team member great practices and training. Actually developing them, not so much training them, but developing people so that they're experts.” (47:28 - 47:38)
“Just get it started. It could be simple, it could be ugly, it could be lousy, doesn't matter. Just get it started and get it to 80%. And then once it's working, improve it another 80%. And then a month later, improve it another 80%. So you're just, you don't want to make it perfect. Just improve it by 80%. Three tries through, you're now at 96 % if you always are improving processes by 80%. And that's where great development comes in.” (50:30 - 50:59)
Ariel Juday Bio:
Ariel has a master’s in healthcare administration and several years of dental experience in all aspects of the administrative roles within the dental office. Her passion is to work with dental teams to empower team members to realize their full potential in order to better serve patients, improve office systems to ensure a well-functioning team/office, and to help everyone have fun in the process!
Send Ariel an email: ariel@actdental.com
Follow Ariel on ACT’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/actdental
You'll hear it again and again on this podcast: core values are critical for practice success! It makes hard decisions easier, the workplace healthier, and everyone happier. If you're struggling with this foundational piece, keep listening! Kirk Behrendt brings back Heather Crockett, one of ACT’s amazing coaches, with a step-by-step for how to create a craveable work culture. It all starts with core values! To hear it for the thousandth time, listen to Episode 690 of The Best Practices Show!
Episode Resources:
- Send Heather an email: heather@actdental.com
- Join Heather on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/heather.r.crockett
- Follow Heather on ACT’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/actdental
- Reach out to Gina: gina@actdental.com
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show podcast: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- See ACT’s Live Events Schedule: https://www.eventbrite.com/cc/act-dental-live-workshops-306239
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free! https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Write a review on iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show/id1223838218
Links Mentioned in This Episode:
Download ACT’s How to Bring Your Core Values Alive checklist: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/duu6uvbz22qm13kqu9dui/How-to-Bring-Your-Core-Values-Alive-ACT-Dental-Best-Practices-Checklist.docx?rlkey=em3ca5880qqp5nzb3xujpmiao&dl=0
Download ACT’s Identifying Your Practice’s Core Values tool guide: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/5n6yikdhm7r7wnjm1eeqv/Identify-Your-Practice-s-Core-Values.pdf?rlkey=b9uz4s9dmbj9a4ujgmk3l8w9a&dl=0
Read Hidden Potential by Adam Grant: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/719611/hidden-potential-by-adam-grant
Read Traction by Gino Wickman: https://benbellabooks.com/shop/traction
Main Takeaways:
Make your core values a big deal.
Don't just set-and-forget your core values.
Find creative ways to keep your core values alive.
Designate a core values champion to keep everyone engaged.
Take your time when deciding on your core values. Let them bake.
Developing your core values is the most important thing you'll ever do.
Quotes:
“The beacon to practice success is your core values.” (2:24—2:26) -Heather
“[Defining your core values] is the most important thing you will ever, ever, ever, ever, ever do in business. Here's why. When you really find out what they are, you lean into them. You give them a name. You write sentences to support them. You reward, hire, fire around them. Everything gets better. Your results get better. And here's the bottom line. You enjoy going to work. Work is hard — it is. It just is. I don't care what you do. But if you go into a workplace that's healthy, nothing trumps that. Nothing beats that except the absence of health in an organization. When you can look around and go, ‘Man, these are my people,’ it's awesome.” (2:38—3:25) -Kirk
“You spend 30% of your lives — your breaths that you take on this planet while you're alive — at a place called work. Why wouldn't you want that to be a fun place to go?” (3:43—3:54) -Kirk
“Everyone struggles with alignment with their values. What does that mean? It means that you may have people in your organization that are not aligned with your core values. That's a huge struggle and frustration that so many doctors have. When I have conversations with my clients and they say this person is frustrating them, or they're having a struggle or an issue with a team member, usually it's because there's a misalignment in the values and we have to come back to having that core value conversation. There's really nothing more important because they are a guiding force in your organization.” (4:16—4:46) -Heather
“When a team member is not fitting right and something doesn't seem like it molds and it gels, like there's something off about that person, usually, it's a misalignment in values.” (7:52—8:03) -Heather
“You should make [core values] a big deal. As soon as you get them created and you present them to your team, they're a big deal. So, you should spend a lot of time talking about them, defining them, and really discussing them with the team and making sure that your team is aware of what they are and what they mean.” (10:35—10:52) -Heather
“[Your core values] really need to be embedded. We've said it over and over — they're the most important thing. Your team members need to have them memorized and be able to spit them out — and so should you. If they're not on your website and they're not screaming on your social media, then there's a lot of work that needs to be done.” (11:20—11:37) -Heather
“If you're a dentist, or if you own a business, or you do hiring, you only hire people for two reasons for the rest of your career. You hire them because they fit your core values. The second reason you hire anybody is they get results. When you can lean into that and be super clear, ‘Look, I'm looking for people that fit our value system, and I'm looking for somebody that gets results in this seat,’ and you can create something that clearly articulates, ‘How are you doing?’ giving a clear line of sight — you can go back and listen to some previous podcasts about how that all works — you're going to see things get better so fast. You'll do what Pete Dawson said to me years ago that I never really understood. He said, ‘When you get the right people, you could produce twice as much, in half the time, with a quarter of the stress.’ That is absolutely true.” (11:41—12:25) -Kirk
“All of you that are listening are thinking about, ‘How is this year going to be better than last year?’ I would encourage you to lean heavier into your values. You don't just set them and forget them. It's like a guardian. You’ve got to nurture them. You’ve got to bring them to life.” (13:18—13:30) -Kirk
“I highly encourage everybody to read [Hidden Potential by Adam Grant] or listen to it. This morning, I got hit in the face by one of the things that he said. I love it. He said, ‘Character is a skill. It's not a trait, because character is something you work on every day. Those are decisions. They're day-to-day decisions that you have to make, and they become more values-based than instinctual.’” (13:38—14:02) -Kirk
“It does take work. We're going to put these [values] in place, and we're not going to set it and forget it. You absolutely can't. If it's a skill, it's something that has to be nurtured. We have to give it some time and attention and effort in order for it to grow and get better.” (15:29—15:44) -Heather
“If you own your own business, your distinct competitive advantage is your people. You have to build a team. Your number-one job is to build an amazing group of people that fit your values, and they get results, and you put them in the right seats. Then, you could sit back and go, ‘This is crazy cool.’ It becomes your favorite thing.” (15:49—16:09) -Kirk
“There are downsides to values too, because once you start putting it out there, people are going to call you out on it. Nobody makes more mistakes than the leader. And so, you’ve got to be ready for that. The other downside of values — and it's a really good downside — is that once you get to a point — we have 19 people now. If somebody doesn't fit from a value standpoint, man, it's like the other 18 are ready to eat them alive. They'll come to you and go, ‘What is going on here?’ because they want to hold the standard up to it.” (16:28—17:02) -Kirk
“[Core values is a] beacon to practice success because you're faced with challenges and decisions that have to be made on the daily. If you rely on your core values to make those decisions, that's that beacon. That's that lighthouse in the fog on the water. When you're not sure exactly how to proceed, that's where you go, is your core values. They will not lead you astray if you lean on those core values.” (18:21—18:45) -Heather
“There are going to be some questions and some decisions that come up that you don't necessarily need to go through your core values. But I would say 95% of them, you can run through your core values and you will find that those decisions are easier to make, and the choices that you make are much more beneficial to you, your team, the practice, your patients moving forward, and for the long-term health of your organization because you filtered them through your core values.” (19:03—19:29) -Heather
“[Prospective] team members are doing more homework on you than you're ever doing on them. They know who you are, so you can't run from your reputation.” (19:37—19:47) -Kirk
“I do have these conversations with some dentists that haven't done this work. One dentist was like, ‘Nobody wants to work anymore! Nobody wants to work.’ I'm like, ‘Nobody wants to work for you.’ That's the key.” (20:00—20:12) -Kirk
“While I was home for Christmas, my [brother-in-law’s wife] . . . had this bag. It was so cool. It said, ‘Be the person your dog thinks you are.’ I thought about that. I'm like, ‘Oh, that's pretty cool. How cool is that?’ I also translate that not only to dogs but to humans. Like, humans, you’ve got to continuously be the person that you want to be, and you can also be vulnerable. You don't have to be perfect, but I think if they can see you screw up consistently but still step into your values, they'll go, ‘He's not the smartest guy, but I think I could handle a few of these mistakes.’ I think it's so important as you build a sustainable, healthy business, long term.” (20:15—21:03) -Kirk
“You’ve got to give people a bigger reason to stay with you other than work, other than money, other than the job. Your mission and your vision statement — they're very important. But I can assure you not one team member is sharing any of that with anyone. They will, however, scream at a party at their cul-de-sac about the value-based decision that their leaders make.” (21:03—21:31) -Kirk
“Team members never leave a practice. They always leave a person. So, no dental team members ever left the practice. They left a person. They left a leadership team. They left a person who was in charge of that culture.” (21:34—21:49) -Kirk
“[Designating a core values champion is] crazy important. We've talked many times about having a Function Accountability Chart. The function here is our core values and keeping them alive and well in the practice or the organization. The accountability piece is that person that has their name tied to that, they're the ones responsible, and they have the ownership to make sure that they are showing up. Well, how does that work? It's unique and different to every practice and organization.” (22:28—22:53) -Heather
“If you want to have that craveable culture, if you want your team members to love working for you and look at it as a career and not a job, this is where you start. This is really where that practice success comes into play.” (25:58—26:10) -Heather
“Number one, figure out what [your core values] are. Number two, let them bake. Number three, realize that you’ve got to work on them every day and develop that character skill. Lastly, you’ve got to have some type of a core values champion, somebody who holds you and the leadership team, their feet to the fire and making sure that these are alive, they're real, and they're challenged. Like, you even question the font or the wording around it, and through this we coalesce around what it really means, and it gives it more life, more value, more everything.” (27:14—27:49) -Kirk
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
1:56 Why core values are so important.
10:31 Make your core values a big deal.
13:10 Don't set it and forget it.
16:28 The downsides to core values.
17:45 Core values make decision-making easier.
20:14 Be the person your dog thinks you are.
21:58 Designate a core values champion.
26:11 Find creative ways to keep core values alive.
27:52 Last thoughts.
Heather Crockett Bio:
Heather Crockett is a Lead Practice Coach who finds joy in not only improving practices but improving the lives of those she coaches as well. With over 20 years of combined experience in assisting, office management, and clinical dental hygiene, her awareness supports many aspects of the practice setting.
Heather received her dental hygiene degree from the Utah College of Dental Hygiene in 2008. Networking in the dental community comes easy to her, and she loves to connect with like-minded colleagues on social media. Heather enjoys both attending and presenting continuing education to expand her knowledge and learn from her friends and colleagues.
She enjoys hanging out with her husband, three sons, and their dog, Moki, scrolling through social media, watching football, and traveling.
689: The Non-Traditional Path to Creating Your Own Practice - Dr. Will Kelly
Dr. Will Kelly, a leader in the field of Esthetic Restorative Dentistry and Dental Implants, shares the story of his unconventional path to dentistry. Dr. Kelly discusses the importance of being true to oneself, emphasizes the value of mentorship, the importance of filtering patients and focusing on treatment acceptance. Dr. Kelly also shares his vision for a practice that is like a speakeasy, where patients seek out his services. Dr. Kelly encourages dentists to know themselves, align their values with their practice, and pursue their dreams.
Episode Resources:
- Subscribe to the Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join the Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Join the To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt/
- See the ACT Dental / BPA Live Event Schedule: https://www.actdental.com/event/
- Get the Best Practices Magazine For Free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine/
- Please Leave Us a Review On the Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Main Takeaways
- You can chart your own path in dentistry and create a practice that reflects who you are.
- Mentorship and study clubs can have a significant impact on your career and practice.
- Filtering patients and focusing on treatment acceptance can lead to a more fulfilling practice.
- Being true to yourself and your values is essential in creating a unique and successful practice.
- Practicing in a small town can offer opportunities to make a difference and build strong relationships with patients.
Segments
00:00 Introduction
01:24 Non-traditional path to dentistry
06:01 Challenges in dental school
07:26 Importance of mentorship
10:19 Starting a practice in Gastonia
12:44 The impact of study clubs
14:39 Being true to yourself in dentistry
15:08 Filtering patients and treatment acceptance
18:03 Creating a unique practice
19:29 Building relationships with patients
22:46 The importance of asking for help
24:12 The speakeasy of dentistry
27:59 The benefits of practicing in a small town
35:09 Final thoughts
Quotes:
“I think the non-traditional story is we have this story we tell ourselves about dentists, you know, they're super focused people. I say, nah, man, it takes all kinds. And I think a superpower in dentistry sometimes is to be a little bit different.” (04:50 - 05:06)
“I had to fill the shoes of somebody that's 10 years in and very experienced and very loved. And I thought people love me too. And you learn real quick, you have to earn people's trust.” (10:48 - 10:57)
“You gotta be unique and be yourself. And if you're trying to live in somebody else's shoes, you're never gonna be happy. Right. I always tell people, let's say you like something crazy. Let's say you love listening to ACDC all day long while you're drilling teeth.You know what practice you're going to have 10 years later? AC DC fans.”(13:22 - 13:40)
“Everybody hates going to the dentist. But if you could take something so uncomfortable and just earn enough of that person's time for them to get there where they go, gosh, this person cares.”(19:03 - 19:14)
“A good mentor has that ability to set you on a path and to solve a riddle for yourself.” (23:23 - 23:31)
“That speakeasy idea is, what if you earn a place where people are seeking you enough that your office is a little hidden? that the phone number's a little bit harder to get. That, you know, you don't walk into a four-star restaurant and just grab a seat yourself without being seated. Just being a level deeper. And of course you have to earn that. And I don't know if I'm there yet. I don't know if I just disappeared into a dark alley that I could survive right now. But I think it's a vision or a goal that I have for later on in the practice life.” (24:58 - 25:07)
“I think the next dental chapter is this cool place where the fear and burden of running a practice is not on you anymore. And the thing where people are... you know, they're running away from industry or selling their practice to a DSO or whatever. It's the opposite of that. It's like this has become what I call playing by ear instead of breathing the sheet music. Where it allows you to feel comfortable in what you've achieved and then really have crazy places you can explore with what's next.” (32:06 - 32:19)
“You gotta know yourself. And you need to find your values. You need to align what you do to your values. You're only gonna do what you value. At the end of the day, the things on your to-do list that you don't follow up on are the things you didn't value enough to take the time to do. So clarify that and chase your dreams. Be yourself and the world will kind of fall in for you. And if it doesn’t, you need to reassess. (34:28 - 34:39)
Dr. Will Kelly Bio:
Dr. Will Kelly is an experienced leader and trusted provider in the field of Esthetic Restorative Dentistry and Dental Implants. He is passionate about great results and has pursued training and understanding the complexity of advanced, well-designed dentistry throughout his career. This willingness to operate a practice based on a high standard of care requires a dedication to practice dentistry differently, separating himself from the average and traditional dental model. He has developed a practice philosophy that creates a unique experience for patients seeking ideal results.
Dr. Kelly is a creative individual whose childhood talent and passion for drawing, painting, and sculpture transitioned into the art of dentistry. After attending the School of Design at North Carolina State University, he pursued the profession of his father, seeing the possibility to apply his passion for creation, imagination, and critical thinking toward dentistry. He is full of curiosity and views dental healthcare as an opportunity to improve the lives of others. He challenges himself to stay in front of this medical discipline which has endless possibilities to provide health and well-being. His dedication to being an innovator in an ever-advancing body of knowledge and technology in modern dentistry is greatly appreciated by those he serves.
Join Dr. Kelly on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WillKellyDDS
Follow Dr. Kelly on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kelly_dentistry
Dr. Kelly’s website: https://williamkellydentistry.com
688: 2 Key Tools for Accountability Success - Ariel Juday
In this episode, Kirk welcomes dental coach Ariel Juday to talk about two key tools for accountability success in dental practices – the practice scorecard, which helps track important numbers and data to remove emotion from decision-making, and how to determine if team members fit the practice's core values and are in the right roles. This is a useful, don’t miss episode that will help you establish trust and grow your practice the right way.
Episode Resources:
- Subscribe to the Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join the Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Join the To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt/
- See the ACT Dental / BPA Live Event Schedule: https://www.actdental.com/event/
- Get the Best Practices Magazine For Free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine/
- Please Leave Us a Review On the Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Main Takeaways
- Accountability is important in dental practices and can be achieved through the use of specific tools.
- The practice scorecard is a customizable tool that tracks important numbers and data to remove emotion from decision-making.
- The right people, right seat scorecard helps determine if team members fit the practice's core values and are in the right roles.
- Using scorecards provides clarity, sets expectations, and allows for better decision-making and improvement in dental practices.
Segments
00:00 Introduction
01:14 The Importance of Accountability
02:13 The First Tool: Practice Scorecard
05:04 The Second Tool: Right People, Right Seat Scorecard
26:03 Challenges and Celebrations of Using the Scorecards
32:10 Conclusion and Resources
Quotes:
“We all have goals and we want to hit these goals. But how do you know if you're achieving them?” (02:01- 02:16)
“The important thing about running a business or doing anything that you're going to improve is you need to be grounded in data because data removes all emotion.” (02:38 - 02:43)
“We know that if it's green, we did a good job. If it's red, okay, we have an area of opportunity. And the reason I like that is because it adds meaning to those numbers. A number is just a number unless you say, okay, what does this mean? And if we see red this week, red next week, the third week in a row of hitting red - hold on, everyone needs to hit the pause button. Let's talk about what's going on so that we can make this adjustment before it's too late.” (08:18 - 8:25)
“You'll notice a great meeting starts with data because it limits our focus in trying to go in all different directions on how we feel. If you've ever been in a bad meeting, it usually never started with data. It started with how I feel and somebody being angry and or it's a problem and you spend the whole time talking about the problem. The cool thing about having the scorecard is that everybody's been talking about data points. We can coalesce around what needs to be done and it can simplify the conversation.” (12:42 - 13:14)
“If you have a partner dentist or an office manager or anybody else on your leadership team and you're struggling with a team member, don't talk about it. Just run the team member through the scorecard. And now you've got data against how they are performing with their core values and how they're performing in their role. And we have something specific to talk about.” (19:00 - 19:20)
“We've seen that teams that really embrace those core values start attracting patients that appreciate those core values.” (27:51 - 28:00)
Ariel Juday Bio
Ariel has a master’s in healthcare administration and several years of dental experience in all aspects of the administrative roles within the dental office. Her passion is to work with dental teams to empower team members to realize their full potential in order to better serve patients, improve office systems to ensure a well-functioning team/office, and to help everyone have fun in the process!
Send Ariel an email: ariel@actdental.com
Follow Ariel on ACT’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/actdental
687: Leader’s Rule of 3: Initiating Team Accountability Success – Adriana Booth
Do you want your team to be accountable? Then you need to start at the right place — with yourself! To help you understand true accountability and how to instill it as a leader, Kirk Behrendt brings back Adriana Booth, one of ACT’s amazing coaches, with three rules to follow to improve your team’s performance. Accountability won't happen by itself! To learn how to create a culture of team accountability, listen to Episode 687 of The Best Practices Show!
Episode Resources:
- Send Adriana an email: adriana@actdental.com
- Join Adriana on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/adriana.booth
- Follow Adriana on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adrimarieb
- Send Gina an email: gina@actdental.com
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show podcast: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- See ACT’s Live Events Schedule: https://www.eventbrite.com/cc/act-dental-live-workshops-306239
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free! https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Write a review on iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show/id1223838218
Links Mentioned in This Episode:
Register for ACT’s To The Top Study Club, Cultivating Confidence in Leadership: Healthy Leaders = Happy Team (July 12, 2024): https://www.eventbrite.com/e/members-only-climb-with-us-register-for-july-12-2024-ttt-study-club-tickets-722281472327?utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=listing&utm-source=cp&aff=ebdsshcopyurl
Read The 5 Languages of Appreciation in the Workplace by Gary Chapman and Paul White: https://shop.appreciationatwork.com/products/the-5-languages-of-appreciation-in-the-workplace-1
Read Traction by Gino Wickman: https://benbellabooks.com/shop/traction
Main Takeaways:
Set clear expectations.
Have your expectations and goals in writing.
Never assume your team knows what is expected.
Consistently reward your team, even for small achievements.
Create an easy-to-do system for showing appreciation to your team.
Be sure to consistently correct your team if expectations are not being met.
Quotes:
“All of my clients, at some point in our work together, will say, ‘How do I hold my team more accountable?’ As a coach, even, sometimes you're thinking, ‘I think we tried everything. What do we have to do next?’ Then, the light bulb goes off. Well, accountability is really responsibility, so we don't have to make it so elusive. When we think about, ‘How do I hold my own self accountable and responsible?’ then we can start working on how we can hold others accountable or responsible.” (2:05—2:40) -Adriana
“We have to set clear expectations. So, like I said a few moments ago, as the practice owner or the leader, it is up to you. That's the hard part. It's up to you to share the mission, the vision, the values, and the purpose for the practice in a way that you can inspire the team to work towards those.” (6:41—7:06) -Adriana
“In all fairness to team members, they don't know what you expect. They have no idea what you're thinking. And so, whether you have dogs, whether you have kids, whether you have team members — if you're involved with any other living thing, I would say even plants — heck, you’ve got to set expectations about what the roles are here.” (7:14—7:38) -Kirk
“We like to know what people expect from us. That's how we can feel successful. So, if I am very vague in my expectations, my team is going to take their own path. And if I'm vague in my own expectations with myself, it's up in the air. So, we have to be very clear — and clear is kind — that, ‘Here is what I want. Here is where we're going. This is going to be the result that we're hoping for.” (8:59—9:30) -Adriana
“E – R = C. Expectations minus reality equals conflict. I got it from a great business owner many, many years ago. I'm not kidding, I use it probably 15, 20 times a day. What it means is any time you're in conflict with any human being, or any process, or anything — you experience conflict — it's usually a discrepancy between expectations and reality. You thought this was going to happen, and it fell short.” (9:41—10:08) -Kirk
“Rule number two: reward consistently . . . All of my clients that I know listen to our podcast are probably laughing and shaking their head and saying, ‘Oh, I hear it all the time.’ But that's what I tell them. Make sure — even if it's not in your nature — to thank people and be specific in that. Appreciation in the Workplace is a great book. It's in alignment with the love languages. If I know that my team really enjoys being verbally thanked, it's so easy. ‘Kirk, great job with Mr. Smith today. You knocked it out of the park. I heard your verbals on that. He left smiling. He had a great day. Thank you so much.’ That really fills the cup of that person hearing that thank-you and getting that reward for the work they did. They're going to do it more and more. We're all built that way.” (12:37—13:46) -Adriana
“I work out with a coach, a trainer — we're addicted to coaching here — and he's a former Marine. Sometimes, he’s a little scary. Early this morning, we worked out. He said he had someone that used to walk in every day and say, ‘Morale is high. Everybody is having a great day.’ He was like, ‘Why do you keep saying that?’ He's like, ‘Because if we speak it, we will believe it.’ I was like, ‘Oh, I love that.’ So, you walk in, ‘I'm having a great day. Is everybody having a great day? We're all happy today. We're awesome. We're going to kick butt today.’ It really helps your team.” (16:30—17:10) -Adriana
“I've had some of my clients that really struggle with this, that it's not in their nature to pay attention to the little things. I'm like, ‘Okay, great. Let's fill out a sheet. What's their favorite candy? What's their favorite color?’ All these little things that seem insignificant and kind of childish, but when you want to say thank you to someone and you hand them a Kit Kat bar and that's their favorite candy, they're like, ‘Oh my gosh, you remembered!’ They feel seen and heard. That really will help them to be like, ‘I know we've worked really hard, and we still have a really hard rest of the month. But you know what? We can do this. We're all on the same bus. We're going to do this together.’” (18:18—18:54) -Adriana
“We don't want this fake happy culture. We have our expectations. When they are met or when good deeds are done, we reward and celebrate. And then, when maybe we do have that hard month that, ‘Augh, we were really under goal. What happened?’ then we have to correct — and we have to correct consistently, just like we reward consistently.” (20:01—20:26) -Adriana
“When a team member isn't meeting the expectations that you can say were very clearly established, you have to act fast around that. And it doesn't have to be a punitive conversation. It can be a, ‘Hey, here's what I thought we were aiming for, and here's where we landed. Tell me how you feel about this,’ or, ‘Tell me how you saw this happen.’ That way, it opens a dialogue. And now, what our hope is is that we have mission, vision, core values, and we set expectations. So, we have built trust here along the way, and now we can have this — it feels crunchy — conversation without us walking away both feeling like, ‘Wow, that was awful.’ We can have it, and work through it, and then be like, ‘Okay, we've got to start fresh. We've got to move forward.’” (20:29—21:28) -Adriana
“When you look at it as, ‘I really care about this person, as this team member, and I want them to succeed. I know I want my practice to succeed,’ I'm hoping that you can walk into these conversations a little lighter. Sometimes, write it down. Some of my clients, I'll tell them, ‘Write down the key points that you want to make sure you discuss in a tough conversation because we can get thrown off.’ Like, if the other person starts crying, or gets really upset, you panic, ‘Okay, it's fine. It's fine. Never mind.’ We don't want to do that . . . The frustration of where we got off track, don't let it stay off track. That frustration will build over time when you're seeing the expectations being missed. And just like in our friendships and relationships, if you let something build up, it ends up boiling over. We don't want to get to that point. So, let's make sure when we see something that frustrates us, we step back as a leader and say, ‘Okay. Was I clear? Yes, I was clear. Okay, now we need to correct.’ So, let's have another conversation about, ‘Here's what happened. Here's where we went off track. We've got to get back.’” (22:53—24:23) -Adriana
“Any unresolved conflict always becomes a crisis. That's why E – R = C is so important because a conflict, unresolved, will fester, grow, and it'll break, ultimately, whether it be a relationship, whether it be an inflammation, whether it be something . So, we've got to be able to point out these things.” (25:09—25:28) -Kirk
“If we think the expectations are clear, does the other person? Have they been written? Have they been explained? Are there systems related to these tasks so that there are checklists or directions to follow? I think that's really what it all comes back to, is we really have to start in the beginning. In our coaching process, we do a great job of that, is checking all of these necessary boxes so that accountability and responsibility is a lot easier to foster over time. I sometimes feel like I'm a team member advocate so early on. ‘Oh, this person isn't doing this. They don't do this right.’ ‘Okay. Well, do they know?’ ‘Well, I think they know.’ ‘Well, let's make sure they do.’ So, I always say, ‘I think most of our team members are amazing at what they do already. They just haven't been given the right tools or roadmap to follow for your practice or for what you want as a leader.’ Once we give them that, they'll take off.” (26:20—27:27) -Adriana
“I think that most of you listening will know the term micromanaging quite well. As a business owner, I absolutely empathize with the sense of, ‘But this is all mine. This is all my responsibility.’ But that's why we use tools like Traction and right person, right seat. Are we putting the right team members in place that we can delegate things to take off of your plate as a leader so that way we can have other people responsible and that it's not all falling on our shoulders as a leader and feel like we need to micromanage everything that everyone is doing? Because that's going to be super ineffective. You're going to be worn out, burned out, and mentally drained because you still have to do the dentistry. And that is hard in and of itself because now you have people interactions all day with different stressful situations. So, you have to protect your peace, is really down to the nitty gritty of it, is protect your peace and protect your own self and your sanity by delegating to the really sharp people that you've already hired.” (29:10—30:27) -Adriana
“We used to talk about this a lot, putting that mirror up and saying personal responsibility is really the only thing that can lead to true accountability. If I cannot maintain that accountability amongst my team, it's probably because I can't maintain it with myself. So, when you have unclear team and individual goals, you're going to see this show up. If I don't know, as a team member, what I'm responsible for, I'm just going to go and follow my own path. And then, we're going to have a sit-down, and you may say to me, ‘Hey, your results are falling below the line.’ ‘Well, what results are you talking about?’ And so, when we think about that, that's where we have to go, ‘Don't be frustrated, be fascinated.’ Because we will get really frustrated as a leader, as a business owner, when our goals aren't being met. So, then we've got to start with, ‘Okay, what individual goals did I set with this team member? What team goals did we set? What practice goals did we set?’ because they're all going to compound when we work together. Once that clarity is given at the top and all the values, the goals, the core values, mission, vision, all the great things are really clear, it's going to be so much easier to have clear, individual goals and team goals.” (31:46—33:20) -Adriana
“If it's not written, it doesn't exist. When we want to be clear with our goals and our expectations, don't just tell them to your team. Have it written out. Put it on a scorecard where we can get eyes on it, and we can track progress. It could be a number. It can be an amount. Anything can be tracked. That's the beauty of it. We can have goals in every different form. But if it's not written for your team member to be able to grab and to read and to know, ‘This is what Kirk said he wanted,’ that conversation was two months ago. They're going to forget. Write it down. Clearly describe your goals. Clearly describe what you expect. Make sure you're rewarding consistently, clearly, and specifically, and make sure you're correcting consistently, clearly, and correctly.” (33:44—34:45) -Adriana
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
1:36 Why accountability is important.
6:35 Rule 1) Set clear expectations.
8:31 Specific is terrific, vague is the plague.
9:32 E – R = C.
12:19 Rule 2) Reward consistently.
16:01 Speak it so you believe it.
17:12 Create systems for showing appreciation.
19:11 Don't create a fake happy culture.
21:29 Rule 3) Correct consistently.
26:09 Don't assume team members know what's expected.
27:28 Balance accountability with empathy.
29:02 Don't shoulder all the responsibility and accountability.
31:29 Set clear goals for your team.
33:35 If it’s not written, it doesn't exist.
35:14 Tips for rewarding team members.
35:44 The ARCH method, explained.
37:09 More about ACT’s upcoming To The Top Study Club.
Adriana Booth, BS, RDH Bio:
Adriana Booth is a Lead Practice Coach who partners with dentists and their teams to cultivate leadership skills, build practice growth, and streamline business practices. After spending nearly two decades in the dental industry working with top-notch dental teams, Adriana came to ACT to share her passion for professional growth, high-level training, and systems creation with our clients. As a dental hygienist with a love for continuing education and personal growth, helping a practice become successful is at the heart of her passion for dentistry.
Adriana has a B.S. in Dental Hygiene from West Liberty University/O’Hehir University. By being involved in several Columbus, Ohio, study clubs, Adriana maintains strong relationships within her local dental community. She enjoys a variety of fitness activities, family time, good books, and at the top of her list, her fur babies.
686: Cracking the Hygiene Code: How Many Days Are Right for Your Practice? - Miranda Beeson & Dr. Barrett Straub
Have you ever wondered how many days are right for your practice? Should you expand and if so, what are some best practices you can apply to succeed? Kirk welcomes Miranda Beeson and Dr Barrett Straub to answer these questions and more. They discuss the need to make decisions based on core values, the impact of PPOs on profitability, and highlight the importance of maximizing capacity and building effective systems. You’ll get a formula for calculating the number of hygiene hours needed, how to make data-based decisions, and make the best decisions for your practice.
Episode Resources:
- Subscribe to the Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join the Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Join the To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt/
- See the ACT Dental / BPA Live Event Schedule: https://www.actdental.com/event/
- Get the Best Practices Magazine For Free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine/
- Please Leave Us a Review On the Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Main Takeaways
- Make decisions based on core values and what is best for your practice.
- Maximize capacity and utilization to improve profitability.
- Implement effective systems and block scheduling to optimize the hygiene department.
- Create an ideal schedule and implement a strong re-care system. Create value for the hygiene visit to encourage patient commitment.
- Pre-appoint the next visit to minimize administrative work and ensure timely appointments.
- Implement a system for unscheduled patients to fill gaps in the schedule.
- Personalize contact with patients to build rapport and maintain engagement.
- Calculate the number of hygiene hours needed to optimize scheduling.
- Make data-based decisions to improve practice efficiency and productivity.
Segments
00:00 Introduction and Overview
06:25 The Importance of the Dental Hygiene Department
10:49 Making Decisions Based on Core Values
13:01 Identifying and Focusing on Patients
14:26 Determining the Need for Additional Hygiene Hours
16:43 Understanding the Impact of PPOs on Profitability
21:29 Maximizing Capacity and Utilization
26:40 Building and Implementing Effective Systems
32:50 Balancing Scheduling and Future Appointments
36:07 The Importance of Block Scheduling
41:25 Creating an Ideal Schedule
44:41 Implementing a Strong Re-care System
45:04 Creating Value for the Hygiene Visit
46:03 Pre-Appointing for the Next Visit
47:29 System for Unscheduled Patients
49:23 Personalizing Contact with Patients
50:21 Importance of Listening and Learning
52:37 Calculating the Number of Hygiene Hours Needed
01:00:58 Upcoming Events and Opportunities
01:02:22 Closing Remarks
Quotes:
“A successful dental hygiene department is the backbone of a successful dental practice.” (6:12 - 6:17)
“Everybody's telling you to grow, add more ops, get a second location. And that's great. If that's your value system and that's where you want to go, but you have to do what's best for you. I don't like the idea of super sizing. I like the idea of right size.” (9:42 - 9:56)
“What you do is so valuable in dentistry. As a dentist or as a hygienist, you have to believe that money spent on dentistry is one of the best investments a human being can make. You should never say to yourself, well, we're just dentists or we're just hygienists. We should probably be cheap. No, that's not why you're listening to this webinar. You're really good at what you do. Charge for it.” (17:30 - 17:50)
“I want to make sure that people realize that the numbers really shouldn't be personal. We should take personal accountability for our impact on the systems that affect the numbers, but it's not a personal measure of you individually. It's a reflection of the systems that we have in place in the practice and how well they're working or not working.” (24:36 - 24:57)
“When hygiene utilization drops below 92%, you're dipping into profitability yet on average, 12 percent of patients miss their hygiene appointment across the United States. So this is a very dangerous thing. And it goes back to having the right patients. We’ve got to have a system in place and then we've got to be able to train our team on how to keep that schedule full.” (27:53 - 28:19)
“You also have to build value in your aligned language. So whatever's being said at the front should be said at the chair should be said by the doctor.” (28:21 - 28:31)
“Instead of building a great system, a great structure, when you build an amazing system where everybody's on board, I promise you you'll achieve greater things than you ever imagined. You'll wake up and go, this is crazy because systems reduce effort. They reduce energy and they improve profitability.” (36:26 - 38:22)
“A pivotal critical piece of this whole puzzle is making sure that we have an ideal day built out day after day for the hygiene team.” (43:16 - 43:24)
“Creating value is kind of what we spoke to earlier when we're making the appointment. We're building value and the importance of that next visit, which is why it's also important to make it easy for them to schedule. But building value is going to help them to be more committed to showing up for that next appointment. We're reserving this time. And what are we going to be doing at that appointment? And what is the benefit to your patient? For that appointment to help them maintain and have value and show up for that visit. It's important to pre-appoint the next visit as often as possible so that we're minimizing the amount of work it's going to put in on the back end when they are due and having someone administratively following up, following up, trying to move them into schedule.
And now, heaven forbid, we can't get them in for another six, seven or eight months. And they should be here now. So anytime we can, at the end of a hygiene appointment, reserve their next visit. And if they're coming in every three months or four months, we may be reserving their next three months and their six month.” (45:18 - 46:14)
Miranda Beeson, MS, BSDH Bio
Miranda Beeson, MS, BSDH, has over 25 years of clinical dental hygiene, front office, practice administration, and speaking experience. She is enthusiastic about communication and loves helping others find the power that words can bring to their patient interactions and practice dynamics. As a Lead Practice Coach, she is driven to create opportunities to find value in experiences and cultivate new approaches.Miranda graduated from Old Dominion University, and enjoys spending time with her husband, Chuck, and her children, Trent, Mallory, and Cassidy. Family time is the best time, and is often spent on a golf course, a volleyball court, or spending the day boating at the beach.
Send Miranda an email: miranda@actdental.com
Follow Miranda on ACT’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/actdental
Dr. Barrett Straub Bio
Dr. Barrett Straub practices general and sedation dentistry in Port Washington, Wisconsin. He has worked hard to develop his practice into a top-performing, fee-for-service practice that focuses on improving the lives of patients through dentistry. A graduate of Marquette Dental School, Dr. Straub’s advanced training and CE includes work at the Spear Institute, LVI, DOCS, and as a member of the Milwaukee Study Club. He is a past member of the Wisconsin Dental Association Board of Trustees and was awarded the Marquette Dental School 2017 Young Alumnus of the Year. As a former ACT coaching client that experienced first-hand the transformation that coaching can provide, he is passionate about helping other dentists create the practice they’ve always wanted. Dr. Straub loves to hunt, golf, and spend winter on the ice, curling. He is married to Katie, with two daughters, Abby and Elizabeth.
Send Dr. Straub an email: barrett@actdental.com
Join Dr. Straub on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/barrett.d.straub
685: The Non-Dental Aspects to Succeed as a Dentist - Dr. Andrea Ricci & Dr. Christian Coachman
Do you ever wonder how things are going to get better in your practice or for you as a dentist? In this episode, Kirk welcomes two educators, Dr. Andrea Ricci and Dr. Christian Coachman, to talk about the non -dental aspects that can help you succeed as a dentist. They emphasize the importance of balance in life and the need to excel in multiple roles. Dr. Ricci shares his personal journey of personal growth and how it has positively impacted his dentistry. They discuss the importance of managing emotions, time, objectives, and communication. Dr. Ricci also introduces his Dentists in Evolution course, which focuses on merging technical skills with leadership and communication skills.
Episode Resources:
- Join Dr. Coachman on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/christiancoachman
- Follow Dr. Coachman on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chriscoachman
- Learn more about Digital Smile Design: https://digitalsmiledesign.com
- Register for DSD Residency 1: https://digitalsmiledesign.com/dsd-residency-1-on-demand
- Subscribe to the Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join the Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
- Join the To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt/
- See the ACT Dental / BPA Live Event Schedule: https://www.actdental.com/event/
- Get the Best Practices Magazine For Free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine/
- Please Leave Us a Review On the Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218
Main Takeaways
- Balance in life is crucial for dental success, as it allows for excellence in multiple roles.
- Personal growth and self-improvement are essential for becoming a better dentist and human being.
- Managing emotions, time, objectives, charisma, communication, and rapport are key tools for success.
- Understanding oneself and others is crucial for effective communication and building trust with patients and team members.
- The Dentists in Evolution course by Dr. Andrea Ricci focuses on merging technical skills with leadership and communication skills.
Segments
00:00 Introduction
03:29 The Importance of Balance in Life
10:08 The Pressure to Excel in One Aspect of Life
17:51 The Journey of Personal Growth
25:17 Asking "How" Instead of "Why"
27:14 Preparing for Life's Challenges
32:31 Tools for Success: Emotions, Time, Objectives, Charisma, Communication, and Rapport
39:20 Impact on Practice and Team
42:18 Dentists in Evolution Course
45:31 Summary and Closing
Quotes:
“In order to have a successful life, there is one keyword for a successful life. And it's not subjective. I think that we can all agree that the only way is to have balance. If you have balance in your life, you can be successful because - for example, let's say that we have three, four roles in our life. We are professionals like a dentist. Then we are a husband or a partner, father, sportsman, entrepreneur. We have different roles. Let's say I am a great father and I don't invest a lot of time and effort in my profession. Do I have balance? I do not have balance. What about the opposite? I'm a great clinician and we all know great lecturers, great clinician, great dentists that are struggling in their personal life because there is no balance. Very common.” (9:40 - 10:39))
“We need to go back to basics. We need to find loneliness. We need to find time to read. We need to find time to stay with no electronics around, like walking in a wood or walking in the night with no lights, go to the desert, go to the beach. Whenever you feel alone with no watch, no phones, you focus again on the basics. It is very useful. So we need to dissociate our consciousness from our body.” (14:50 - 14:89)
“When I started my courses, the first thing was to find your mission. One of the courses that I attended, at the beginning, was: find out what your mission is. And when you realize what your mission is, you have your North Pole, so you know where you're going.” (17:39 - 18:06)
“This is the question that I ask myself every day in front of my patients. How can I help you? How can I better understand you? Help me understand your needs. And I treat my patients asking myself how do I improve their life? How do I understand them better?” (25:58 - 25:82)
“One of the most important thing is not to judge people because we never know what's behind that person, what drives that behavior, what drives that way of communicating with you. Maybe they're aggressive. Maybe they are depressed, maybe they are hungry. You don't know what happened behind that person. So never judge and listen with an open heart. And then if you focus on others, if they say something wrong, it's or that bothers you, it's not affecting you. There is nothing personal. Patients do not have anything personal with you, the dentist.” (31:79 - 32:61)
“When I improved my attitude, I was completely different with my team. I stopped evaluating my team. I stopped judging my team and I was a better communicator. I was a better motivator. And this starting with the team became a very successful attitude with the patient. I stopped judging patients and basically I spent more time communicating with the patient.” (38:38 - 39:09)
“If you really want to help dentists to improve their practice and find the balance, that is my objective, is to merge technical skills and other skills, whatever you want to call them - leadership skills and time management skills. And instead of having a life path that goes up and down every day, every minute, every hour, have a very high standard balanced life.” (43:87- 45:01)
Dr. Andrea Ricci Bio:
Dr. Andrea Ricci graduated from the University of Perugia in 1996. After a three-year training program, he achieved the Certificate in Advanced Prosthodontics at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. Since 1999, he limits his practice to prosthodontics, periodontology, and implant dentistry, with special emphasis to the aesthetic areas. His office is one of the leading dental centers in the world. He is the scientific director of IDEAT (Institute of Dental Education and Therapy), an active member of the European Academy of Esthetic Dentistry (EAED), associate member of the American Academy of Restorative Dentistry (AARD), active member of the Italian Academy of Esthetic Dentistry (IAED), and active member of the Italian College of Prosthodontics (ICP). Co-author of several papers published in international journals, he has lectured extensively in Europe, the United States, China, Singapore, Saudi Arabia, and Japan.
Join Dr. Ricci on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/andrea.ricci.7777
Follow Dr. Ricci on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_andrea.ricci.smile_
Dr. Christian Coachman Bio:
Combining his advanced skills, experience, and technology solutions, Dr. Christian Coachman pioneered the Digital Smile Design methodology and founded Digital Smile Design company (DSD). Since its inception, thousands of dentists worldwide have attended DSD courses and workshops, such as the renowned DSD Residency program. Dr. Coachman is the developer of worldwide, well-known concepts such as the Digital Smile Design, the Pink Hybrid Implant Restoration, the Digital Planning Center, Emotional Dentistry, Interdisciplinary Treatment Simulation, and Digital Smile Donator. He regularly consults for dental industry companies, developing products, implementing concepts, and marketing strategies, such as the Facially Driven Digital Orthodontic Workflow developed in collaboration with Invisalign, Align Technology. He has lectured and published internationally in the fields of esthetic and digital dentistry, dental photography, oral rehabilitation, dental ceramics, implants, and communication strategies and marketing in dentistry.
Join Dr. Coachman on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/christiancoachman
Follow Dr. Coachman on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chriscoachman
684: The Evolution of Dental Education – Dr. John Kois & Dr. Christian Coachman
Dentistry has undergone many changes — especially in education. In this episode, Kirk Behrendt and Dr. Christian Coachman bring in Dr. John Kois, founder and director of The Kois Center, to take a look at the past, present, and future of dental education, as well as a few simple ways you can become a better learner. Education has no end! To hear more about The Kois Center and how to become a lifelong learner, listen to Episode 684 of The Best Practices Show!
Episode Resources:
- Learn more about The Kois Center: https://www.koiscenter.com
- Register for Course 165 at The Kois Center: https://www.koiscenter.com/courses/165-treatment-planning-functional-occlusion
- Follow Dr. Kois on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/koisdentistry
- Join Dr. Coachman on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/christiancoachman
- Follow Dr. Coachman on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chriscoachman
- Learn more about Digital Smile Design: https://digitalsmiledesign.com
- Register for DSD Residency 1: https://digitalsmiledesign.com/dsd-residency-1-on-demand
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show podcast: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- See ACT’s Live Events Schedule: https://www.eventbrite.com/cc/act-dental-live-workshops-306239
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free! https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Write a review on iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show/id1223838218
Links Mentioned in This Episode:
Read Black Box Thinking by Matthew Syed: https://bookshop.org/p/books/black-box-thinking-why-most-people-never-learn-from-their-mistakes-but-some-do-matthew-syed/7680742?ean=9781591848226
Main Takeaways:
Keep a beginner’s mind.
There is no end to improvement.
Educate your mind as well as your heart.
Find ways to stay passionate about dentistry.
Surround yourself with mentors as soon as possible.
Quotes:
“I feel that it's important to maintain a childlike curiosity to continue to grow. I always want to be better tomorrow than I was today.” (4:12—4:23) -Dr. Kois
“I used to talk to my graduate students when they finished their program, and they really did some amazing cases. My comment would be, ‘I hope you just finished your worst work,’ and they'd look at me like I'm crazy. But the idea is if you don't think you could get better, I don't think you can maintain a passion. I don't think you would continue to strive for excellence and moving the needle as far as you can. The way I think about it, it's not a competitive excellence with other people. It's an internal excellence to be better than yourself. And the famous idea, you can't do better unless you know better.” (4:24—5:10) -Dr. Kois
“Educating the mind without educating the heart is no education at all.” (8:30—8:35) -Dr. Kois
“I felt that my role would become trying to be more of a game-changer than what I call an expert regurgitator. I'm not interested in repackaging what other people have already done. I'm always trying to think how I can be better. It started, actually, from my own insecurities. When I finished graduate school, and suddenly, I entered the dental world in another way and my fees were higher, I felt I didn't deserve them. Why should I charge more money if my outcome isn't better? And so, trying to continue to improve, not just in what I believed I was doing but in actual physical survival probability of the work and the outcome for patients, then it became much more compelling for me.” (9:15—10:12) -Dr. Kois
“I find, many times, dentists feel almost embarrassed or uncomfortable because they say, ‘I'm a single-tooth dentist. I'm a bread-and-butter dentist.’ But I believe that single-tooth dentistry doesn't mean simple-minded dentistry. There's a lot of thought that goes into restoring each tooth every single day, and I want to make sure we capitalize on that. So, decisions are key for me, and that's that risk assessment model. Second is figuring out where teeth go in the face. The third is how to make the teeth fit together and function properly. If you could do those three things, you're sustainable. Products come and go. Systems somewhat continue to evolve. But those are the three key things that would keep us sustainable.” (11:26—12:24) -Dr. Kois
“One way to become a better communicator is to be so confident about what you're talking about and know that you are very good at that topic. That's how — because I was shy. I was a very shy adult. I was never extroverted. People think that I am, and I'm not. I realized that my protection was, I'm going to know about this more than anybody can know about this in a way that I will go up and beat my shyness and beat my un-confidence through know-how.” (12:40—13:13) -Dr. Coachman
“One of the barriers to understanding risk assessment is to think that we're good enough and to think that there are not better ways of doing things that improve our outcome. I've certainly been in this long enough that I've seen even things that I created, things that I've been very passionate about, become obsolete. As we do that, we have to continue to move toward paradigm shifts, disruptive innovative technology that's happened in our lifetime, which is quite frankly happening at the speed of thought, which is almost unsettling.” (15:37—16:21) -Dr. Kois
“When I first started, I learned from people that had been doing things for 30 years. Now, it's hard to learn from people that are doing something for even 30 minutes because everybody is doing what they believe is the cutting edge. But does it stand the test of time? And I really became very enamored with embracing the data. I would say the whole idea in risk assessment is understanding what science is really saying, because it's very easy to make mistakes even when we think the science is reasonably good. And so, I've tried to stay as true to the science as possible and use it as my crutch to help me make better decisions rather than my opinions because, for me, rooted in science is always the best way to go.” (16:38—17:39) -Dr. Kois
“I think the challenge for us is being enamored by what would be considered a surrogate endpoint, not a true endpoint. For example, if you're trying to decide on something as basic as what's the best sodium fluoride varnish to use on the teeth, you can read an article about which particular varnish has the best fluoride release. But that doesn't really make the decision endpoint — does it actually reduce the disease we know is caries? So, it's hard sometimes when dentists are not focused on the true endpoint and get deluded by a surrogate endpoint. It makes it very easy to dupe the real reasons that we are using the product to begin with.” (18:11—19:08) -Dr. Kois
“When I started, it was slides. I had to wait a week until they were developed so I can revisit them. Now, it's instantaneous. I can look at something and learn from that at the moment, in the moment, and not after the fact. And it's changing as I'm evolving because that feedback that I get from the digital technology is exceptional that I never had before in the analog world. I mean, you can make an impression, but you can't see the result of it until it's poured and set and separated. But now, it's instant on the screen with an iOS, and so on. There are so many things that that feedback is in the moment, and I was never able to practice in the moment quite like that before.” (20:43—21:38) -Dr. Kois
“[Black Box Thinking is] a fantastic book that I recommend for everyone. The idea is to bring as many objective things into our daily decision-making as possible because otherwise we’re relying on subjective, or embellishments, or feelings — what people believed. That's why we've moved from eminence-based learning to evidence-based learning. It's very important that we stay on that track. I've learned so much with objective data that it's really changed how I make everyday decisions. I think this is the whole piece now with AI because AI is not only allowing us to do this, but it's allowing us to now recapture that information in a way that's now usable, whether it's a chatbot or whatever.” (22:58—23:54) -Dr. Kois
“What I think is happening is dentists have to realize three things in their education journey. It's called the three levels of learning. Level number one is about information. Information is cheap. You can Google it. It's not that difficult, and a lot of younger folks certainly have access to that level of technology. Level number two goes beyond information to knowledge. And first of all, information is free. You could Google it. Knowledge is cheap, right? But knowledge depends on accumulating a lot of the different types of information streams that you're getting. The real key is getting to the third level of understanding, which is wisdom. Wisdom is priceless, and you can't get wisdom unless you understand how to manage all the things that are coming into your brain on an everyday basis.” (26:46—27:58) -Dr. Kois
“Every generation has different access to technology. What I would say is common is, in the younger dentist, things are happening faster for them. It's very easy for them to be bored. They're constantly stimulated, and it's not easy for a teacher to always create that level of engagement because people aren't as patient.” (29:42—30:12) -Dr. Kois
“It goes back to things on tribal leadership and what that is. The problem is many organizations, the actual philosophy of the organization goes back to, ‘I'm great, and you're not,’ and people talking more about themselves than what they could do to help other people. So, the idea in the tribal relationship is how we can help each other to make our life better and to have a higher purpose. I know it sounds unusual, but I actually believe that. I feel that the reason we try to feel the tribe part is for people that have your back, and people that could really help you to become better than you could on your own. I think if we could even accomplish that in some small way, it may be even bigger than actually working on teeth or doing dentistry. People tell me one of the things they gain coming to The Center is more than just the dental background. It's about their life and how it can improve everybody's life. That's the idea, making everybody better.” (34:23—35:50) -Dr. Kois
“When I finished dental school, there were three things I learned — not risk assessment, teeth in the face, and how to make them fit together. It was more about, you had to just keep the plaque off the teeth, put them in centric relation, and give people a night guard. You do those three things, and everything should be fine — and that's not the case. I mean, really? Does everybody think it's that easy? I don't think so. So, it made dentistry — the more I learned, the more excited I became. The more excited I became, the more passionate I became. That's really what continues to drive me. What drives me is not what I know, but what I still don't know but willing to learn.” (37:57—38:46) -Dr. Kois
“I still think the profession is amazing. I think it's only continuing to become more amazing with new technology because we're beginning to actually use the technology to help us understand more, see more, our ability to track the data. So, I have no reservations about moving in a career path for dentistry.” (45:44—46:07) -Dr. Kois
“My recommendation is once somebody finishes dental school, the sooner you find people to be surrounded by that you respect to help mentor you — and that doesn't always mean you have to work together, but to have somebody that you could ask a question to, somebody that could help your growth, because we all face survival needs when we start entering practice. I remember when I first started my practice, I hated it. I really hated it. Every patient was a new patient. I didn't know if they would stay with me. I paid all this money. The debt service was heavy. I was in survival mode. My first year in practice, my adjusted gross income was zero. My second year, I still made less than a hygienist. But I was still confident. We all have to have the growth mentality or what people call the success mentality. It's just like a gold medal figure skater has fallen 20,000 times before they win the gold. You have to be ready for that. And I had to work on that because I took some of the negative things in practice early on as very personal without understanding, without people to help me really see beyond that. I think the sooner that somebody can get to that level, the happier they'll be.” (46:08—47:40) -Dr. Kois
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
1:07 Dr. Kois’s background.
3:41 Keep a beginner’s mind.
5:19 Dr. Kois’s path to dentistry and education.
8:38 Dr. Kois’s influences.
12:26 How to become confident on stage.
14:28 Risk assessment, explained.
17:40 The surrogate endpoint versus the true endpoint.
19:10 How digital helps you make better decisions.
23:55 Why you need to take advantage of technology.
25:25 How dental education and students have evolved.
28:25 Dr. Kois’s thoughts on the younger generation of dentists.
31:25 Bring out the fighter pilot mentality in you.
32:35 Don't get beat down in dentistry.
33:40 Tribal relationships, explained.
35:52 The next chapter for Dr. Kois.
38:50 The future of The Kois Center.
41:07 How to maintain a passion for teaching.
42:57 Final thoughts.
45:13 Advice for prospective dentists.
48:08 Dr. Coachman’s final thoughts.
49:02 More about The Kois Center.
50:53 The importance of reaching out.
Dr. John Kois Bio:
Dr. John Kois received his DMD from the University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine and Certificate in Periodontal Prosthodontics with an MSD degree from the University of Washington School of Dentistry. He maintains a private practice limited to prosthodontics in Tacoma and Seattle and is an affiliate professor in the Graduate Restorative Program at the University of Washington.
Dr. Kois continues to lecture nationally and internationally, is a reviewer for many journals, and is the consulting editor for The Compendium of Continuing Education in Dentistry. He is the recipient of the 2002 Saul Schluger Memorial Award for Clinical Excellence in Diagnosis and Treatment Planning and received a Lifetime Achievement Award from both the World Congress of Minimally Invasive Dentistry and the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry. Additionally, he is the recipient of the 2014 Dr. Thaddeus V. Weclew Award, which is presented annually to a dedicated educator who embodies the spirit of comprehensive dental care.
Dr. Kois is the past president of both the American Academy of Restorative Dentistry and American Academy of Esthetic Dentistry and is a member of numerous other professional organizations. In addition, he continues to work with restorative dentists at The Kois Center, a didactic and clinical teaching program.
Dr. Christian Coachman Bio:
Combining his advanced skills, experience, and technology solutions, Dr. Christian Coachman pioneered the Digital Smile Design methodology and founded Digital Smile Design company (DSD). Since its inception, thousands of dentists worldwide have attended DSD courses and workshops, such as the renowned DSD Residency program.
Dr. Coachman is the developer of worldwide, well-known concepts such as the Digital Smile Design, the Pink Hybrid Implant Restoration, the Digital Planning Center, Emotional Dentistry, Interdisciplinary Treatment Simulation, and Digital Smile Donator. He regularly consults for dental industry companies, developing products, implementing concepts, and marketing strategies, such as the Facially Driven Digital Orthodontic Workflow developed in collaboration with Invisalign, Align Technology. He has lectured and published internationally in the fields of esthetic and digital dentistry, dental photography, oral rehabilitation, dental ceramics, implants, and communication strategies and marketing in dentistry.
683: Eric Hubbard - Does Culture Really Impact Your P&L?
Have you ever wondered whether company culture really affects your P&L? In this episode, Kirk welcomes Eric Hubbard from Pain Free Dental Marketing to talk about the importance of culture and how it can differentiate a dental practice from corporate dentistry. They also discuss the role of core values in shaping culture and the negative impact of tolerating a bad culture fit. Eric shares his personal aha moments and offers advice to dentists on building a healthy culture.
Episode Resources:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show podcast
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club
- See ACT’s Live Events Schedule
- GetThe Best Practices Magazine for free!
- Rate and review the podcast on iTunes
- Follow Pain-Free Dental Marketing on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/painfree_dentalmarketing
- Learn more about Eric and Pain-Free Dental Marketing: https://www.painfreedentalmarketing.com
Main Takeaways
- Culture plays a significant role in the success of a dental practice and its impact on the P&L cannot be underestimated.
- Core values are essential in shaping a positive culture and should be clearly defined and communicated to the team.
- Leadership plays a crucial role in maintaining a healthy culture and should not tolerate a bad culture fit.
- Learning from mistakes and aha moments is essential for personal and professional growth.
- A strong culture can lead to increased team engagement, patient referrals, and acceptance of treatment.
Segments
00:00 Introduction
02:06 The Importance of Culture in Dental Marketing
07:23 The Impact of Culture on the P&L
10:09 The Role of Core Values in Culture
12:39 The Role of Leadership in Shaping Culture
16:28 The Role of Trust in Culture
18:54 The Negative Impact of Tolerating a Bad Culture Fit
20:49 Learning from Mistakes and Aha Moments
25:13 Addressing Dentists' Concerns about Culture
30:02 Culture's Impact on Team Engagement and Growth
34:07 Conclusion
Quotes:
“I think that we're seeing the commoditization of dentistry and with the rise of DSOs and corporate efforts. Corporate dentistry wants the commoditization. They don't want you looking for a specific dentist. They want you looking for a crown. They don't want you to get tied to a hygienist because the turnover is so high.” [5:00 - 5:31]
“There’s a wonderful opportunity in the private practice realm of how to differentiate yourself from that and un-commoditize yourself from insurance, who also wants a commodity in corporate industry.” [5:25 - 5:39]
“You have to differentiate yourself from corporate dentistry. You have to differentiate yourself from what insurance wants you to be. And you have to do that by telling your story. And the basic way to tell your story is being authentic.” [5:59 - 6:12]
“I think to be great, you have to have your core values, talk about them all the time. And I think they, they absolutely have to be, every person in your office is a reflection of that office, and they need to, they need to represent them.” [8:57 - 9:15]
“The first P&L implication I'll say is just around training. We have had one employee quit since 2014. Now we've had other people leave and [others have] asked to leave for cultural reasons, but there's one employee that I'm like, man, that one got away. And to me, employee engagement, employee turnover is the first P&L implication.” [12:54 - 13:39]
“I think the second way is patient referrals. I think patient referrals climb. Any practice that's not getting 55 to 60% of its new patients via referrals, there's no way around it. You have a culture problem.” [14:48 - 15:04]
“I think the third way is that patients are going to accept treatment more consistently.” [15:12 - 15:16]
“Nothing kills a great team member than when you tolerate a bad one.” [19:55 - 20:00]
Eric Hubbard Bio
Before founding Pain-Free Dental Marketing, Eric Hubbard started his career in the corporate world. He built his marketing foundation at Procter and Gamble, where he mastered the art of aiming messages directly at the company’s highest value patients.
Years later, Eric’s hometown dentist became interested in marketing strategies to save his dwindling practice. He became Eric’s first client, kicking off his marketing agency where he and his team have been helping practices grow ever since.
Follow Pain-Free Dental Marketing on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/painfree_dentalmarketing
Learn more about Pain-Free Dental Marketing: https://www.painfreedentalmarketing.com
682: The Data Accountability Prescription: 3 Vital Strategies for Your Practice - Christina Byrne
Ever wonder how to best use data to improve your practice? This episode is for you! Kirk brings back Christina Bryne, Director of Operations for ACT Dental to talk about the topic of data. The two discuss data accountability and Christina provides three vital data strategies that you can apply to your practice. This insightful episode promises valuable takeaways for practitioners seeking to elevate their dental practices through strategic data utilization.
Episode Resources:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show podcast
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club
- See ACT’s Live Events Schedule
- GetThe Best Practices Magazine for free!
- Rate and review the podcast on iTunes
- Reading: “Traction” by Gino Wickman
Main Takeaways
- Data is the Prescription for Practice Improvement
- Three Vital Strategies for Data Accountability: These strategies provide tangible improvements and a better overall experience for both practitioners and patients
- Setting clear and personalized goals for the practice is key.
- Dentists need to define their own parameters for success, focusing on progress that matters to their specific team and objectives.
- Leading and Lagging Indicators: Lagging indicators, such as production and collections, provide a retrospective view, while leading indicators are crucial for achieving monthly goals and keeping the practice on track.
- Simplifying the measurement process is stressed as a best practice. Concentrate on what truly matters, avoiding the trap of measuring everything all the time. Incremental progress is emphasized as the key to sustainable growth.
- Weekly Team Meetings for Course Correction: Weekly team meetings as a means to efficiently analyze data, identify trends, and course-correct if necessary. This proactive approach allows practitioners to address issues in a timely manner and work on the practice rather than just in it.
- Involving the Team and Fostering Accountability: The importance of involving the entire dental team in goal-setting and tracking is highlighted. Team members are seen as valuable contributors who can offer suggestions and help hold each other accountable for achieving the established goals.
- Care and Transparency: Practitioners are encouraged to schedule meetings that focus on meaningful data discussions rather than generic issues. Transparency and vulnerability are seen as essential for building trust and making data an integral part of the conversation.
Quotes:
“If you don't have the data, you don't know how well you're doing.” [1:52 - 1:56]
“It's the accurate number that is real and not just how you feel about a thing.” [2:24 - 2:29]
“If you and I don't have any data, we're just talking. What's cool is when you can make the transition to grounding your conversations in data or facts. You'll see how healthy they get and how much faster that becomes.” [3:43 - 3:58]
“When you see data that you don't like, you can chart a new course.” [5:21 - 5:28]
“When you're talking about leading indicators, these are the things that you can actually do on a day to day basis that are going to help to improve those numbers.” [8:00 - 8:08]
“All of your data that you're tracking should relate to a stated outcome and goal.” [9:09 - 9:14]]
“The three vital strategies for this prescription - number one, you’ve got to know what to track. Number two is you got to know what it means.” [12:16 - 12:24]
“There's so much narrative around growing and scaling, and that's great if that's your thing, but you still have to find a way to keep it simple. And even the best businesses in the world don't measure everything all the time.” [17:48 - 18:00]
“If you care about your people, you've got to schedule a meeting to talk about things that matter, not just garbage, not just problems.” [29:06 - 29:12]
“The data matters. Make data part of your conversation.” [32:09 - 32:13]
Christina Byrne Bio
Christina Byrne has been involved in dentistry since 1985. Over the years, she has held many positions on the dental team, including dental assistant, business office, and dental hygienist. Christina’s extensive knowledge of the front office and clinical procedures is a great asset, and she loves to impart her knowledge to guide dental teams do the best they can to achieve a Better Practice, Better Life!
681: Airway Dentistry IS Possible in Your General Practice – Dr. Elizabeth Turner
If you haven't already, it’s time to add airway to your practice. Not only is it possible, it’s becoming necessary to have in your general practice. To help you get started, Kirk Behrendt brings in Dr. Elizabeth Turner, an up-and-coming airway guru, with advice for approaching the topic with your patients. Airway is here to stay! To learn how you can guide patients to better airway health, listen to Episode 681 of The Best Practices Show!
Episode Resources:
- Send Dr. Turner an email: drliz@foxpointdental.com
- Follow Dr. Turner on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drlizzzt
- Learn more on Dr. Turner’s website: https://foxpointdental.com
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show podcast: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- See ACT’s Live Events Schedule: https://www.eventbrite.com/cc/act-dental-live-workshops-306239
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free! https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Write a review on iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show/id1223838218
Links Mentioned in This Episode:
Read Breath by James Nestor: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/547761/breath-by-james-nestor
Register for Dr. Jeff Rouse’s course: https://campus.speareducation.com/workshops/airway-prosthodontics-prevent-control-resolve/details/syllabus
Register for Dr. Rebecca Bockow and Dr. Michaeal Gunson’s course (2024 dates TBA): https://www.arnettgunson.com/healthy-growth-healthy-faces-seattle
Learn more about The Breathe Institute: https://thebreatheinstitute.com
Main Takeaways:
Listen to your patients’ goals. Don't jump into airway.
Build trust with patients before the airway conversation.
Start small when talking to patients about airway health.
Interdisciplinary care is crucial when implementing airway.
Educate your patients to guide them to better airway health.
Quotes:
“In our country, we look at the medical system as very reactive. We wait for something to get so bad, and then we attempt to fix it. Why are we not listening to our patients? And that comes in a dental setting. Like, what are our patients’ goals? If the patients’ goals are whiter teeth and they don't give anything about airway health, maybe it's not something we dive right into. We have to help them understand what's possible for them, but we can't ignore what's important to them from the get-go. But these families come in, and they're so often under-listened to, and they're so often disheartened with the care they've been provided or the opinions that they've had. I see that throughout my dental practice as well. So, when I look at who we can help and how we can help them, I think listening to our patients and finding out the way that we can help guide their treatment is the best possible thing.” (7:08—8:06)
“When I look at the cases that we've converted — so, the practice that I bought had been established 27 years prior to my purchase. We had patients that have been here for 27 years, and they stayed with me because I didn't come in and rock the boat too much. I came in and I said, ‘You know what? I'm so excited to meet you. Let's see what we have here. Let's see how I can help you.’ But then, we would start to plant little seeds. I would look at a patient and say, ‘Oh, goodness. This person clearly can't breathe through their nose.’ So, I'd start to bring things up. I'd say, ‘Hey, how is your sleep quality?’ They'd say, ‘You know, I've always been a terrible sleeper. I've got this deviated septum. I can't breathe very well.’ I'm like, ‘Well, have you ever had it evaluated to see if there's anything you can do to help you breathe better?’ They say, ‘No.’ I'm like, ‘Okay. Well, here's a referral to an ENT down the street.’ Well, they go, and they get their septum repaired. They start doing a little bit better. So, they have a faith in me and a belief in me that I have their best interest in mind because I'm helping them step by step along the way.” (9:05—10:03)
“So many of our patients come to us and they have a dental home. I don't want to take that from them because I don't really want to be everybody's dentist. There are dentists out there that are so much better than me because they have an artistic skill set or a passion that lies in that. I'm a really good dentist — I think. But I always think that there's somebody better than me. I'm not going to come out and say I'm the best dentist in the world because I don't feel that way. I feel really competent. I feel really capable. But at the end of the day, a lot of families come to us either for themselves or for their children because they're looking for answers they're unable to obtain within their normal dental setting.” (11:29—12:07)
“An airway health center, I think, really helps guide a patient to make the best possible decisions for themselves. Not everybody wants to have MMA, or have a mouthpiece, or have a full-mouth rehab. But is there something that's really low-lying that we could help them get that buy-in from? Maybe it's as simple as an ENT referral, or myofunctional therapy to build some strength in the muscles.” (13:18—13:42)
“I went to a lot of courses and training that really were looking at tongue-ties and treatment, but they weren't looking at arch size, space, and tone. I think when we come out of some of these courses, we’re so well-intentioned. I don't think anybody is doing anything wrong, intentionally. But I do think that if we're not addressing the entire picture, at least appreciating the entire picture, we could be doing harm for patients. So, it's really important for us to take a step back after the courses that we go to and say, ‘How can I implement this into my practice?’ but also, ‘Is this the best way to implement this in my practice? Is there something else I need to add on?’ So, you could go buy a laser, and you could learn how to do a very, very beautiful tongue-tie release. But will it be successful? If we don't optimize the function first, for example, we're never going to have a successful tongue-tie release because the tongue isn't going to do what it's supposed to. So, interdisciplinary care is important, making sure that we're doing checks and balances along the way to optimize our success, because we're skirting the line of medical here.” (14:02—15:13)
“The medical community can't ignore this forever. I think it's so misunderstood by a lot of medical providers because it's not a part of their education. So, I'd say that the people that surround me are those that are willing to look outside the box and recognize when they don't know enough to ask questions.” (16:56—17:13)
“I would say that the success of my dental practice has been 100% because I look a little bit deeper about the way people breathe.” (18:02—18:08)
“A lot of it is about patient trust. When they trust you, they'll be willing to do what they need to do to help themselves. I use an iTero for patient education — and so many people are unhappy with their smile. They're just not willing to admit it because they don't want to be vain. They don't want to say, ‘Oh, my smile matters to me,’ but it does. And so, when we're able to take the iTero and show them the way that their alignment is, and I'm able to talk to them about how their bite is changing, the tipping of the teeth inwards, how the crowding of the teeth is actually compromising their function and their breathing — like, we convert patients to Invisalign cases, no problem. I still have orthodontists that I work with consistently for some of these cases that I 100% don't feel comfortable managing. But in a general practice, we can do a lot with aligners. We can then do a lot with rebuilding this dentition that's been damaged. And I think even being cognizant that acid reflux isn't always based on diet and it's damaging the dentition — when we start to look at that, we get a referral going to wherever they need to help with that problem. We then will have the buy-in for patients to start rebuilding the dentition that's been damaged without risk of further damage. So, from a business perspective, like Jeff Rouse always says, just do dentistry. Just do dentistry but go into it with open eyes and look for little details, because that's what interests patients. That's what builds trust, and that's what increases what goes into your pocket.” (18:36—20:06)
“There are always going to be critics, and there are always going to be people saying, ‘Oh, no. That’s not a thing,’ or, ‘That's not how you do it.’ But either way, I think the more that we can continue to educate our patients, the more they'll continue asking questions that medical providers can no longer answer — both dentists and medical — and we’ll be forced to look at this layer, just like — I mean, there's still so much misunderstanding within the joint, but we have to pay attention to it. And it's also our duty. Like in 2017, the American Dental Association stated that we need to be screening for airway and airway health. Maybe that's as simple as giving a referral to a CPAP. But I have patients that come in and say, ‘You know what? You saved my life. I went and got a CPAP, and I feel the best I've ever felt.’ Sure, they could go have jaw surgery, and then I could do a full-mouth reconstruction. I don't need to do that because I made that patient happy, and I helped them be better.” (21:13—22:05)
“We need to continue to educate ourselves and each other. We can't go into every treatment plan with the same prescription every time. I'm really hopeful that through our generation of practitioners who are starting to ask questions of the medical community, we'll be able to prevent a lot of problems for our children that a lot of us face. And that's even down to worn teeth, or misaligned teeth, or an unattractive smile. If we can help our children be better, then I think we've made a difference.” (22:07—22:41)
“There is so much burnout in our profession, right? So, you have to find something that's interesting to you. The whole human has always interested me. I'm a runner. I appreciate what it takes to make me a better athlete. I wish I'd known this when I was actually competitive because I do feel it could have made me a much more successful athlete. And there's so much coming into the general conversation about lip taping, nasal breathing, proper breathing patterns, and Wim Hof. These are things you're going to run into, and your patients are going to ask you questions. But I do think it's so interesting, as you look around at your family and at individuals around you, how you start to think differently about how you could help them.” (28:12—28:54)
“I think we can look at dentistry with new, excited eyes when we appreciate the health of the whole human, and I think we can absolutely have better outcomes. They look better, they function better, and they last longer if we appreciate what's going on within that individual person.” (29:11—29:28)
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
1:39 Dr. Turner’s background.
5:02 Why this is an important topic.
8:07 Start small when talking about airway.
11:20 Airway health center, defined.
13:43 What people get wrong about airway dentistry.
15:32 It starts with one patient.
18:09 Build trust with patients.
20:41 The future of airway.
22:42 How to get your team involved.
25:39 Courses to get you started.
28:01 Final thoughts.
31:12 How to get in touch with Dr. Turner.
Dr. Elizabeth Turner Bio:
Dr. Elizabeth Turner grew up in a small town on the coast of Maine and completed her dental education in Boston at Tufts University. Her love for the mountains and the big Western skies grew after completing post-graduate studies at the University of New Mexico. Since then, she has completed hundreds of hours of continuing education connecting the mouth to the whole body, including everything from nutrition to sleep and breathing! She strives to be on the cutting edge with techniques, technology, and the latest evidence-based research.
Dr. Turner’s dedication to airway development and infant lip and tongue-ties began with her son when she was able to watch him blossom and thrive immediately following his own simple tongue-tie procedure. She is a certified Invisalign provider and holds a certificate from the American Board of Laser Surgery for Laser Dentistry. She has additional training in cosmetic dentistry, root canals (endodontics), dental implant placement and restoration, family dentistry, Invisalign, occlusion and TMD, root canal, soft tissue grafting, oral surgery, and dental sleep medicine.
680: Staff Management vs. Team Leadership - Dr Jim McKee
Have you ever thought that you need a better way to lead and manage your people? How do you even go about finding the right people? That’s what this episode is all about. The guest is Dr. Jim McKee, a Spear Resident Faculty member, lecturer, author, educator, and mentor to Kirk. You’ll hear about why the right team is key to the success of your business and the difference between management and leadership. Jim shares his tips on team leadership and the one ‘magic question’ he asks every employee. This episode highlights the importance of fostering a positive and collaborative work environment through effective leadership and well-defined systems in business practices.
Episode Resources:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show podcast
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club
- See ACT’s Live Events Schedule
- GetThe Best Practices Magazine for free!
- Rate and review the podcast on iTunes
- Dr. McKee’s Facebook Page
Main Takeaways
- Understanding the Financial Impact: Dr. Jim McKee emphasizes that a significant portion of a business's expenses goes towards employee wages. Acknowledging this financial aspect is crucial for business owners.
- Shift from Management to Leadership: Traditional staff management is considered outdated. Today, the focus is on team leadership, creating a collaborative environment where everyone strives for excellence rather than a hierarchical, autocratic approach.
- Recognizing Strengths and Weaknesses: Acknowledging that every team member, including business owners, has strengths and weaknesses. The goal is to amplify the positives and minimize the negatives to enhance overall practice performance.
- Positive Reinforcement: Encourage a positive work environment by recognizing and praising employees for what they do right, fostering a culture of appreciation rather than just pointing out mistakes.
- Team Leadership Through Systems: Dr. McKee emphasizes the importance of creating effective systems within the practice. These systems serve as guidelines, making it easier to identify and correct deviations when things go off track.
- The Power of the "Are You Happy Here?" Question: Asking employees about their job satisfaction is a powerful way to gauge their engagement. This question serves as a starting point for discussions on how to improve and ensure mutual satisfaction.
- Systematic Approach to Position Roles: Dr. McKee suggests outlining responsibilities for each position in the office and establishing clear guidelines on how tasks should be handled. This systematic approach facilitates effective team management.
Quotes:
“As a business owner, when you look at your profit and loss statement, the largest percentage of money going out the door is going to the people that work for you.” [2:42 - 2:52]
“Staff management is kind of the old term, where it's autocratic, where you're the boss and they are the servants. That's not what it's like today. I think today it's team leadership. I don't think people want to be managed. We want to lead. We want to create excellence in our practice.” [4:10 - 4:29]
“We have to recognize that every person who works for us is going to bring strengths and they're going to bring weaknesses, and that includes us as the business owners as well. The goal Is to try and accentuate the positive and try to limit the negative things that people bring to the practice so they can't hurt them too badly.” [6:27 - 6:52]
“Find something [your employees] do right. Because most of the time, people who are in a superior position talk to the people who work for them when they do something wrong. So it became really easy to find something they do right.” [18:08 - 18:28]
“That's really what team leadership is - it's about systems. So as a business owner, if you can create the systems in your practice, then all of a sudden when something gets off the rails, just go back to what the system is and figure out where the deviation was.” [19:17 - 19:40]
[asking the question] “‘Are you happy here?” It's just kind of a line in the sand and it's so powerful because a lot of times you go on all these tangents, but that's really the essence. And if they say, yes, I am happy here, then I say, then here's what we need to do to make sure we're both happy here.” [22:23 - 22:48]
“Ultimately you don't have to be a chest beater your entire career for everything. It really is a strong message to choose the things you're good at.” [24:08 - 24:12]
“If you walk in the door and you're excited to be there and you're willing to share information and you start the day that way, most of the time people are either going to self select “in” or self select “out”. Most of the time they're going to self select in because especially if they've worked in other practices in dentistry, this is a far more engaging style of practice and for us, for a team member, it's a way more fulfilling position than simply being a staff member somewhere who does a lot of suction.” [27:00 - 27:35]
“I always say nobody wants to work for you. You’ve got to be somebody that they want to work for.” [29:20 - 29:251]
“Every practice should sit down and write down everything related to every position in the office - front desk, answering the phone, making deposits, submitting insurance, emergencies, all that stuff. Then make an outline and figure out how all that languaging should be handled. That's the job of the dentist. So if we really want to have a team that functions on a really high level, if we can provide that for them, then it's an easy way to sit down and have a discussion and say, here's what we need to do.” [32:40 - 33:28]
“If you can create systems in your practice to manage the people who work for you, your job becomes easier.” [34:36 - 34:45]
Dr. Jim McKee Bio
Dr. Jim McKee is a member of the Spear Resident Faculty. He has maintained a private practice since 1984 in Downers Grove, Illinois, where he treats a wide variety of cases with a focus on predictable restorative dentistry. He is a member of the American Academy of Restorative Dentistry and former president of the American Equilibration Society. He has lectured both nationally and internationally for over 25 years and directs several study clubs. Dr. McKee graduated from the University of Notre Dame in 1980 and earned his dental degree from the University of Illinois College of Dentistry in 1984.
679: The Dentist's Blueprint to Perfect Hiring: Ensure Every Team Member is a Perfect Fit - Miranda Beeson
In the latest episode of The Best Practices Show, Kirk welcomes guest Miranda Beeson to discuss the critical issues of dental staffing shortages. The episode sheds light on the predominant concerns of dental practices—staff shortages and hiring difficulties, onboarding, and the interview process. Kirk and Miranda discuss the need for intentional onboarding strategies, the importance of assessing a practice's capacity before bringing in new team members, and caution against hastily replacing departing team members. They also delve into the critical step of determining the purpose of hiring. This episode serves as a comprehensive guide to navigate the complexities of dental staffing and will help you emerge with a winning team. Don't miss this essential episode!
Episode Resources:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show podcast
- Join ACT’sTo The Top Study Club
- See ACT’sLive Events Schedule
- GetThe Best Practices Magazine for free!
- Rate and review the podcast on iTunes
Main Takeaways
- Maximizing current team members through skill enhancement and clear expectations is highlighted as a priority.
- Focus on Who, Not Just What: Embrace a hiring approach that prioritizes the "who" over the "what." Dental practitioners should focus on the individual's values and cultural fit before considering their skills and capabilities.
- Visual and video elements, internal team recruiting, and strategic use of social media are crucial components of modern recruitment.
- Transitioning from hiring to recruiting involves adopting a proactive mindset, always scouting for potential team members.
- Customer service and patient experiences are pivotal in dental practices, with the team playing a crucial role in creating positive outcomes.
- Community outreach serves as a form of networking to discover potential team members beyond traditional hiring methods.
- Crafting standout hiring ads involves avoiding generic language, incorporating visuals, and focusing on the practice's culture and core values.
- Quotes from current team members can add authenticity to the hiring ad, offering unique perspectives on the workplace.
Quotes:
"Even when you find the right person and you're certain that they're going to be in the right seat for your practice and bringing that productivity, you have to be intentional about how you onboard them." [10:49 - 10:57]
"A level four leader gets people to follow them. A level five leader gets people to follow a cause. Your team is your brand." [12:56 - 13:03]
“This is a phrase that you say often that I love - are you throwing people at inefficiencies? We want to look at: are we really needing someone else or are we just inefficient? And we're going to throw another body at the problem to see if we can't try to solve it. So before you do that, you really want to evaluate if everyone on your team is currently the right person in the right seat, and do we have accountabilities in place for those people to ensure that they're maximizing their potential within their role. Before you consider hiring, you want to make sure that you are fully maximizing the people that you have. Are there people on your team who are looking for a little bit more? Have we done check-ins? Have we talked to them lately about what they're hoping to get out of their career?” [17:11 - 17:55]
“What might a job description look like? What does it need to entail? It does need to be detailed. We say often, specific is terrific. Vague is the plague. And this helps us to have really clear expectations when someone's coming on board to make sure that they know what they're getting into. And we also can interview and assure that we're finding the right person to accomplish those tasks.” [22:50 - 23:11]
“One of the things that you shared at the top was creating a unique employment proposition. We have to make ourselves stand out in the same way we need to differentiate our practice to our patients. We have to differentiate ourselves to future and potential employees. We have to make sure that we are well aware of. What we're offering, not only in compensation, although that is important, but what else are we offering that's going to create a fulfilling, fun, ideal job work environment for our potential candidates that exist.” [28:22 - 28:57]
“One of the first things I encourage a team to do when you need to bring someone on board is ask your current team who loves working here to spread the word. And if they spread the word and they ask their friends to share and spread the word, it's really going to be great. And you're more likely to find people who you know are going to fit the values of the practice because the people that are working there fit the practice, and they know what you're all about.” [30:57 - 31:23]
“Customer service is the biggest piece. We're creating patient experiences every single day. And that's really what feeds our business. If you're the dentist, you don't pay your team. The patients pay your team. The income is coming from the patients, not the doctor.” [34:50 - 35:10]
“What improves culture and helps team members feel really good about being in your practice is predictability. Efficiency and the sharing of information. This one is huge, really efficient cascading and sharing of information, not the game of telephone, but a method to how we're making sure we're sharing information.” [57:58 - 58:17]
“If we're just being nice all the time. Are we really being nice to that person if we're not being clear about where they stand and what we need from them. And in the end, there's a great story about someone who had a leader who was just so nice and gave such positive praise and feedback and they ended up getting fired by the person above that person.” [58:38 - 58:57]
“Here's something to think about. Say more with fewer words. Be calm. The key is to be calm, be consistent, be clear, and you can still be nice.” [1:00:03 - 1:00:14]
Miranda Beeson, MS, BSDH Bio:
Miranda Beeson, MS, BSDH, has over 25 years of clinical dental hygiene, front office, practice administration, and speaking experience. She is enthusiastic about communication and loves helping others find the power that words can bring to their patient interactions and practice dynamics. As a Lead Practice Coach, she is driven to create opportunities to find value in experiences and cultivate new approaches.
Miranda graduated from Old Dominion University, and enjoys spending time with her husband, Chuck, and her children, Trent, Mallory, and Cassidy. Family time is the best time, and is often spent on a golf course, a volleyball court, or spending the day boating at the beach.
Send Miranda an email: miranda@actdental.com
Follow Miranda on ACT’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/actdental
678: Unlocking Time: Reclaim Your Hygiene Appointment with These 5 Masterful Tips – Angela Heathman
Are you and your hygienists always running out of time? Do you want a way to stay on schedule? If you're struggling with time, don't miss this episode! Kirk Behrendt brings back Angela Heathman, one of ACT’s amazing coaches, to share some time management tips for a smooth, stress-free schedule. Stop working through lunch to make up for lost time! To learn how you and your team can take control of your schedule, listen to Episode 678 of The Best Practices Show!
Episode Resources:
- Send Angela an email: angela@actdental.com
- Join Angela on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/angeheathman
- Follow Angela on ACT’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/actdental
- Send Gina an email: gina@actdental.com
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show podcast: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- See ACT’s Live Events Schedule: https://www.eventbrite.com/cc/act-dental-live-workshops-306239
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free! https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Write a review on iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show/id1223838218
Main Takeaways:
Track how long each task takes to complete.
Set expectations on how time should be spent.
Always prepare for your day with a morning huddle.
Embrace technology. It will save you time in the long run.
Have open communication between team members and doctors.
Use the bib as a “seatbelt” until you schedule the next appointment.
Quotes:
“Pete Dawson used to say this all the time: you could build a practice just by being on time . . . When you're not on time, it screams, ‘I don't care.’” (1:56—2:06) -Kirk
“If you're a dentist, please listen to this. You completely over or underestimate time all the time. You tell your team members, ‘Oh, that'll be an hour. That'll be five minutes,’ and it's never what you say it is. So, we, as your team members, are constantly running around, making excuses for your inadequate estimates.” (2:09—2:33) -Kirk
“The first step is actually knowing how long you're spending on different things within your appointment. I would recommend doing a little bit of a reflection exercise or a little time study to see, during my appointment time, where am I spending my time? How much am I spending during the exam? How much time am I waiting for the doctor? How much time am I spending during mechanical debridement? How much time am I spending reviewing medical histories, X-rays, patient interviews, all that kind of stuff? What we often find is that we aren't really estimating accurately. We might think that we can get through that medical history and that patient interview in a minute or two when it may be seven, eight minutes.” (2:46—3:33) -Angela
“If you're going to build a business that makes promises and keeps them — like a great dental practice — you have to know how long things take you. And then, if you don't like the data, you can work hard to improve your systems so that it gives you better data. That's a thought. So, a time study is a really important thing. Now, one of the things that people leave out of a time study . . . a lot of times, people don't do a time study from when the patient arrives and when they leave. Make sure you bookend it with that. So, you don't know that the patient came in 15 minutes early prior to the appointment, and we saw them 15 minutes after they were supposed to be seen. And then, the dentist — and again, I'm speaking mostly to the dentist — was in there for five minutes, and they don't have any idea what happened the rest of the time.” (3:45—4:40) -Kirk
“You bring up a really great point, and that is having open communication between the hygienist or the doctor. Sometimes, that amount of time gets pushed down from the doctor like, ‘You need to shorten your appointments,’ or, ‘Instead of having 60 minutes, now you're only going to have 40 minutes.’ And sometimes, it's just kind of dictated. But that communication needs to happen about why the doctor might be feeling pressed to shorten those appointments, and why the hygienist might be thinking that they need longer amounts of time.” (6:17—6:52) -Angela
“Far too often, doctors don't communicate with team members, and they don't understand the why.” (7:11—7:15) -Kirk
“When you can see the whole picture, you can see that efficiency, being on time, having systems, and keeping promises are really important to building a great dental practice.” (7:22—7:32) -Kirk
“The most important thing, in my opinion, is being really prepared for your day. Sometimes, we don't like to look at our day before we go in. But really, we need to be extremely prepared for it, knowing what patients are coming in, what procedures they're coming in for, if you need to take X-rays, if you need to do scans, photos, if they have family members that need to be reappointed, making sure you find out all that before the patient arrives. Because let's face it, you're going to have to find out all that information before the patient leaves your chair. So, as much as you can figure out before the patient even sits down in your chair is going to save you time.” (8:16—8:57) -Angela
“So many times, these great patients of yours share these thoughts, these concerns, these stresses to your team member who's answering the phone, but you don't even hear about it. They tell your team member, Nancy, at the front, all this stuff. Then, they come in, and they tell the same story to the hygienist, and then they repeat the story to the dentist, and they're thinking, ‘Does anyone listen to me here?’ So, I think it's really important that in the huddle you give space to make it about patient care in there.” (8:58—9:28) -Kirk
“The better prepared you are, the better these appointments go. You know what's going to happen. You can predict what's going to happen, for the most part. You can also call out when patients in hygiene owe you money and they have to make a stop at the front. And towards the end of the year, or the beginning of the year, or any time during the year, you might find out patients need additional restorative work, and they are here today, and you're talking to them today, and you have an adjacent column in the restorative room that's empty. So, what a great opportunity to not only make it on time, but make it more valuable to them and the practice. We see it all too often — people slow down, and they go farther. I know that's a contradiction in terms, and that's hard for people to understand. But the better you are, the slower you have to be sometimes. I'm not talking about slow in complacency, but I'm talking about making sure we do it right and not fast.” (9:31—10:26) -Kirk
“If you're preparing the day before and you find out that the patient does have a treatment plan, then you can give the doctor the heads-up at that morning's huddle that this might be a little bit of a longer exam, or I might page you a little bit earlier to do the exam. That way, the doctor can have a heads-up and not be surprised in their day either.” (10:27—10:49) -Angela
“I like doing the exams any time in the appointment after I've gathered my data. So, as a hygienist, I always like to page my doctor or alert them that I'm ready for an exam after I've done the data gathering. So, for me, data gathering means my patient interview, my medical history, my X-rays, my perio chart, my dental hygiene screening, anything that I can do assessment wise, and get that out of the way at the beginning. And then, what I'll do is I will page my doctor, letting the doctor know that I'm ready for an exam — not that I'm done with my appointment, but that I'm ready for an exam at that point. And then, what I'll tell my patient is, ‘I'm paging doctor for your exam, and he or she . . . will come in when they're available.’ And I would also tell them, when I hear doctors starting to walk down the hall, ‘I'm going to raise your chair up.’ That way, they could meet each other sitting up. That was the way my office liked to do it. The doctor liked to meet each other eye level with the patient. But I know every office is a little bit different.” (11:55—13:12) -Angela
“Think better about how you use your time. So, if you're doing restorative work and your restorative blocks are on Tuesday and Thursday mornings, what a great opportunity to pair them with perio blocks right next to them so that you don't have to get up as many times and you can stay in the focus zone.” (13:50—14:06) -Kirk
“If you have a dentist who's a chatty Cathy or a chatty Jim, which a lot of them are, these things never are five minutes. It's 15 minutes. We're talking about barbecue, and how the football team did this weekend, and it's raining outside, it was slippery on the way to work. Man, they chat forever. So, I like the idea of rapport second as much as possible. Come in and share with the doctor what you've already learned before the doctor says, ‘How's the game?’ because now you're going to sit there and wait for four minutes so that you can politely interrupt, and that's hard to do. But you just have to get creative with this. And then, also, if you’ve got a chatty Cathy who keeps chatting, and chatting, and chatting, and they're slowing down the other hygiene appointments, it might be a good idea to put your hand on their shoulder and say, ‘Okay.’ It's a nonverbal cue that I have to take him or her somewhere else, type of a thing.” (14:13—15:05) -Kirk
“I love it when offices embrace technology instead of thinking that it adds extra time to their appointment with all the photos, scanning, and things like that. Really utilize those things to make your appointment more efficient. You mentioned voice-assisted perio charting. There are applications that you guys can use. You put on a headset, and it records all your perio charting for you. You prep the patient with what they're going to be hearing before you start doing your measurements, and then the patient can be part of that experience as well. So, you're kind of talking to your voice recognition, but really, you're talking to the patient at the same time. And what that also does when you've prepped the patient in advance is you've taught them about what they're supposed to hear. So, you're kind of diagnosing at the same time. You don't have to set the patient's chair up and say, ‘This is what I found.’ Instead, they're hearing at the same time, not what you found, but what their measurements are and what their periodontal condition is. We always talk about a picture being worth a thousand words. These scans that you're taking, these intraoral photos that you're taking, consider them a time-saver if you can use that to show the patient and cut down on the amount of talking that you have to do by simply showing them. And it's amazing, they're able to almost diagnose themselves, if you will.” (15:22—16:56) -Angela
“Pay attention to how much you're talking. If you, as a dental team, are talking 80% of the time and they're only talking 20% of the time or 10% of the time, I can guarantee you, this is what they hear . . . They tune you out after a while, and they're just moving their head up and down. So, you want to make sure it's very interactive. Maybe use my name once in a while. If I'm a patient, that'll get me out of my non-thinking zone.” (17:00—17:28) -Kirk
“You, as a dentist, if you don't have any expectations on how the time is supposed to be used, people come up with their own expectations as they come into your practice. Now, I get it. Everybody has a different style, a different speed, a different demeanor. They should. They should always bring their individuality. But there should be, somewhat, milestones that you should be able to hit. For instance, if you have a hygiene appointment in an hour — so, think about this. If you have three hygienists and you don't give them any expectations, and you say, ‘Do your thing,’ they're all going to do it differently, which has challenges for you.” (17:39—18:13) -Kirk
“There needs to be a conversation on what that appointment flow should look like, and also how long things should take. For years, we've been teaching the 20-20-20 based on some courses that we took years ago with Rachel Wall, and that that appointment should be split into thirds where that first 20 minutes is the assessment. And then, I won't say the second because I've already taught you about exams on demand, so it doesn't necessarily have to be the second part of the appointment. But about 20 minutes of that appointment should be the mechanical debridement of that appointment. And then, about 20 minutes should be the exam, the reappointment, and everything. So, if you set that expectation with the team that that's what the flow of the appointment should look like, then when you're doing your time study and you're looking at the results of your time study, you can see like, ‘Oh, gosh. We're way over in our assessment. Our assessment is taking 30 minutes,’ or, ‘We're waiting for the exam for way too long and that's extending that 20-minute section.’ Or, what happens sometimes is that we're spending too much time in that mechanical debridement.” (18:17—19:36) -Angela
“It's an unpopular thing for me to say that it shouldn't take more than 20 minutes to do a mechanical scaling of a patient. But what I mean is that, in this appointment, it's for a healthy patient that we're talking about. Our regular six-month hygiene appointment is what we're talking about. If the patient truly is healthy, I would argue that that shouldn't really take very much time, that 20 minutes should be plenty of time to get that part of the appointment done.” (19:50—20:23) -Angela
“Not just because of time, but it does throw our schedule off when a patient comes in and we're scheduled for a regular prophy, and maybe we don't want to have that conversation about perio, or maybe they're borderline, or maybe they're perio and we haven't been treating them. And sometimes, as hygienists, we've been known to do more aggressive therapy on that patient during that appointment. Sometimes, our coaches call it a bloody prophy, where we're going as deep as we can into these six and seven-millimeter pockets, debriding them as much as we can. And then, we wonder why we don't have enough time. Or we blame the patient that, ‘Their mouth was a mess. It took a lot longer. They came in with a poor condition.’ But also reflecting — yes, that's the patient's responsibility. But it's also our responsibility to flip that appointment into an actual perio procedure then, and not just continue to do bloody prophy after bloody prophy if that's not actually what the patient's condition is.” (22:06—23:19) -Angela
“Hygienists have a great heart for taking care of people, and sometimes we take care of them at the expense of time or the ability to do it the way we should do it.” (23:28—23:38) -Kirk
“Schedule some time with your doctor, with your team. Tell them that you're challenged. They can't help you if your team doesn't know that you're stressed out and you're running behind schedule, and they won't be able to provide solutions for you either . . . It's not just the hygienists that are facing this. The dental assistants, the dentists, they're always stressed with time as well. So, I think using this as an opportunity to have some open conversations and problem solve as a team.” (25:14—25:47) -Angela
“Another thing that you can do to reclaim your hygiene time and better use time is for the future. You know that thing that they have around their neck called the bib? We like to affectionately refer to it as a seatbelt. So, don't take the bib off until you do one valuable thing . . . because here's the thing. You know how this is. You take off that “seatbelt”, man, they are like the best defensive lineman getting through the offensive line. They’ve got the swim technique. They’ve got the rip technique. They're going right through there, and they're out of there as fast as can be. When I've got a bib on you, it's clear you're not going anywhere. And if they touch the bib, go, ‘No, no, no, no, no. Don't touch it. No one touches the bib. Only I touch the bib.’ And so, what you can do is you can better protect the future time by making sure that you have this great patient tethered to the practice with their next valuable appointment. You get them locked in the schedule. Don't let them float to the front, and then float outside. No. If I'm a hygienist, I'm getting you in here. I'm going to keep you in here.” (25:57—27:04) -Kirk
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
1:20 Why this is an important topic.
2:37 Track how long things take to do.
6:17 Have open communication between hygienists and doctors.
7:32 Prep for appointments in advance.
10:50 Start exams strategically.
15:12 Use voice-assisted perio charting.
17:30 Set expectations on appointment flow and time.
21:51 Don't overtreat with perio maintenance.
25:01 Last thoughts.
25:48 The bib is a “seatbelt”.
Angela Heathman, MS, RDH Bio:
Angela Heathman is a Lead Practice Coach who works with dentists and their teams to help them accomplish their goals. She believes the hard work you do on your practice is just as important as the work you do in your practice!
Angela has over 20 years of clinical dental hygiene, dental sales, and practice coaching experience. When she transitioned from her role as a clinician to her role as a sales account manager, she realized both her passion for education and practice development. Angela holds a master's degree in dental hygiene education from the University of Missouri-Kansas City.
677: Finding the Best Learning Around Dental Sleep Medicine - Dr Steve Carstensen
In this episode, Kirk Behrendt explores the world of dental sleep medicine education with Dr. Steve Carstensen. With a plethora of choices available for dental professionals seeking to expand their understanding of this vital aspect of dentistry, Dr. Carstensen shares insights on how to navigate through the overwhelming options. From historical perspectives to the current landscape, this episode sheds light on the importance of dental sleep medicine and the evolving educational opportunities. The conversation also delves into the profound impact of collaboration, finding one's professional tribe, and the transformative power of education beyond dentistry. Dr. Carstensen shares valuable resources for continuous learning, encourages dentists to embrace adjacent fields, and highlights the importance of being evidence-informed practitioners.
Episode Resources:
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show podcast
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club
- See ACT’s Live Events Schedule
- GetThe Best Practices Magazine for free!
- Rate and review the podcast on iTunes
- Book Recommendations:
- "Brain Rules" by John Medina: Dr. Carstensen recommends the book "Brain Rules" as a valuable resource for understanding the relationship between
- "Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear" by Elizabeth Gilbert: Dr. Carstensen recommends this powerful book for its insights on overcoming fear and fostering a mindset that propels success.
- "Outlive: How to Set Your Mind to Transform Your Life" by Peter Attia: Mentioned in the episode, this book explores the concept of evidence-informed medicine and applying knowledge to improve patient outcomes.
Main Takeaways
- Paying It Forward Ethos:
- Dentistry is a noble profession where practitioners are encouraged to pay forward their knowledge and experiences for the betterment of the profession and the next generation.
- Finding Your Professional Tribe:
- Emphasizes the importance of connecting with like-minded individuals, study clubs, and communities that resonate with your values and language.
- Transformative Power of Education:
- Education extends beyond the acquisition of knowledge; it fuels passion, enhances patient care, and brings meaning to the dental profession.
- Global Impact Through Teaching:
- Dr. Carstensen shares a heartwarming story about his involvement with the World Sleep Academy, illustrating the global impact of sharing knowledge and expertise.
- Collaboration Beyond Dentistry:
- Encourages dentists to explore adjacent fields, collaborate with physicians, and adopt an evidence-informed approach to healthcare.
- Continuous Learning and Nuggets of Wisdom:
- Recommends a focused approach to continuous learning, emphasizing the importance of gaining small, impactful insights (nuggets) rather than overwhelming oneself.
Quotes:
“The first thing to do is to look at your dental sleep medicine part of your practice and think, what's missing here? What don't I know? What do I need to learn to be more comfortable? Is it the literature? Is it the medicine behind dental sleep? Is it the appliances? Is it the testing program? You know, what's missing for you? And when you've identified what's missing, okay, now where can I find that component? And then you go looking for the best place to learn that component.” [12:00 - 12:37]
“If you're going to invest money and we've said it on the podcast many times, you're going to bet on anything. Don't bet on technology. Don't bet on marketing, bet on you. You know, like go all chips in on you and your team. And, um, when you start to do that, you're going to see the investment, not only in the return on the outcomes, but you're also going to see like you'll find it keeps the fire lit.” [15:13 - 15:36]
"It's important for you to choose a time that you're going to be a learner and then be really disciplined about that. Make that sacred time. If it's Friday morning for two hours from nine to 11, then your world becomes that on Friday morning, from nine to 11. And you don't let anything interrupt it. If somebody calls and says, Let's go play golf. No, your time is from 9 to 11. And then you become a disciplined learner. Another reinforcement for your brain that way. [21:39 - 22:11]
“If you can exercise first – so, if you're nine to 11 on Friday, for example, you get up that morning and you do a little bit of light exercise. Then your brain is just so filled with oxygen and ready to go. That helps out. If you can do your timing that way, just make sure you're doing exercise a couple of days a week. Your best learning is going to be around those times when your heart rate's been up for a little while, and you're coming back down.” [22:46 - 23:14]
“A little tip that you can do that I love to pass along is, for a dentist who wants to learn this is - get a focus time. I've made up Fridays from 9 to 11, whatever time works for you, but you do have times that every day you think about a sleep problem, a dental sleep medicine issue, a question, you talk to a patient, you're curious, find a book, open it, read, learn something, read a paragraph, read a chapter if you can, read, just learn one fact per day, and you're going to gain a bunch of knowledge that way. Just have that in your head all the time.” [35:45 - 36:22]
“The other thing we need to do is get outside of dentistry and learn about learning, learn about, uh, creating a good kind of an attitude about what we want to do in life.” [37:22 - 37:32]
676: The 3 Top Lessons I Learned About Social Media – Dr. Christian Coachman
Even today, word of mouth is still the best way to grow your practice. But what if you want to leverage social media? To help you effectively generate content that will grow your business, Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. Christian Coachman, founder of Digital Smile Design, with his key insights about social media and how to be online. Share useful information, not “show-off” information! To learn more, listen to Episode 676 of The Best Practices Show!
Episode Resources:
- Join Dr. Coachman on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/christiancoachman
- Follow Dr. Coachman on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chriscoachman
- Learn more about Digital Smile Design: https://digitalsmiledesign.com
- Register for DSD Residency 1: https://digitalsmiledesign.com/dsd-residency-1-on-demand
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show podcast: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- See ACT’s Live Events Schedule: https://www.eventbrite.com/cc/act-dental-live-workshops-306239
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free! https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Write a review on iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show/id1223838218
Main Takeaways:
Be effective in sharing and consuming information.
Know your intent in sharing your information.
Strategically develop your persona.
Be consistent with your content.
Don't overvalue social media.
Quotes:
“The amount of information out there is so big, and the amount of useless information is huge. One of the words that I prefer the most is effectiveness. We need to be effective. Life is short, time is short, and we need to be effective — effective if you're sharing an idea or sharing content, and effective as you absorb and listen and learn. So, you can filter, you can say no, you can prioritize so that you can really make the best of your time. Useless information is the easiest thing to do, right? You see that on social media all the time. Of course, it's impossible for you to know how useful your information will be. But you need to at least stop and ask yourself how this is going to help others. It's not just putting something out there because you think it worked for you, but to structure that information into recipes, steps, and simple, take-home messages.” (8:46—10:00)
“Always start any kind of information sharing with the question, why are you sharing this with others? Why? . . . So, start with why you're sharing means that you are caring about the impact of your information, caring about how this is going to help others. You're putting yourself in the position of the listener and asking yourself, ‘What is BS, and what is not? What is show-off, and what is not?’ because there's too much BS, too much show-off.” (10:02—10:43)
“There are not many people that are actually putting energy to structure the information in a way that others can absorb and do something with it. So, how can you take something that you think is important, and you pick your words, and you create recipes, and tutorials, and 123, ABC? How can you be effective in a short period of time? Because if you take too long to explain, people will not listen online. So, it requires a little bit of rehearsing, of you saying, ‘Okay, I have a great idea. I know this idea is not bullshit. I know this is useful. I know that it's not show-off only.’ Of course, I want to look good. Of course, I want people to value my information. But it's not only about showing off. I know this is useful but let me spend some time rehearsing in my mind how I'm going to translate this in a useful way — instead of taking a minute, taking ten seconds to translate that idea. How can I distill this into a simple recipe? How can I organize this into steps? How can I express myself in a more effective way?” (10:45—11:58)
“Step one is the intention. What is the intention? What is the intention of your social media, in general, the big-picture intention? What is the intention of that post? What is the intention of that message, that image, that picture? What is the intention of that video? ‘I'm here filming myself. I'm here in Boston, on Congress Street, and I'm going to be’ — why? Why are you saying that? What is your intention in telling people that you ate steak with fries? What is the intention? Be a little bit more strategic with your intention. Clarify your intention. Start with the end in mind is, for me, the first lesson because, honestly speaking, if there is no intention, don't do anything. It's a waste for you and the others if there is no intention. So, start with the intention. You're going to see that 95% of the time you're not going to post anything, and you're going to start forcing yourself to have a better intention, a more meaningful intention. So, that's number one, when people start to see that everything you post has a noble intention, has a practical intention, has a useful intention.” (12:47—14:11)
“It's very important to identify two types of people that succeed on social media. One is people that really have amazing intentions. It means that they became famous on social media because they have a very useful intention. [The second] type of people that are famous on social media are the people that were already famous or very successful, and they are just there on social media. And because they are very famous or successful, they are successful on social media. That's a big problem because everybody watching says, ‘I want to be famous like this guy. I want to have a social media like this guy,’ and they are copying and following somebody that has no intention on social media. They are just big and successful because they are big and successful because of other things.” (14:45—15:33)
“You can follow people because of two reasons. You can follow people because they are famous anyway and they are successful anyway, and you can follow people because they are very good on social media itself. So, you want to learn from people that are using social media in a useful way. They are becoming more successful because of social media, not despite social media. Most people are admiring people on social media that didn't do anything useful on social media at all. They are just very famous because of other reasons. So, try to balance.” (15:38—16:17)
“After you have the why, the intention is very clear, the big-picture, and in every little post the intention is very clear, number two is you need to define what is your character. What is your persona? You need to build your persona. You cannot be all over. The more you structure yourself in a way that people can connect to that character — of course, we don't want to be fake. We don't want to try to be somebody that we are not. But as normal human beings, we are all over. We can be more this one day, more that another day. We can change. We can be one person at work, slightly different at home. With friends, we are different. So, you need to pick which one that you want to promote, which one you want to highlight. So, building your character on social media and defining it requires a little bit of exercise. You need to sit down and write down, who are you there? Of course, it's totally connected with the why and the intentions, so you're going to emphasize the pieces of you that can help you with that intention.” (16:32—17:52)
“People want to connect with you, right? They want to connect with you. They want to see that there's a human connection there. So, understanding your lifestyle also helps. You want to blend — again, as part of the strategy, you need to define your strategy. Some people are 100% technical, clinical, and they succeed completely on their social media. People are following me a lot because they see that, somehow, I'm succeeding with what I'm doing, and my success is not a technical, clinical success. My success is part of the lifestyle that I was able to build, the balance between health and work, the balance between family and traveling for work. And so, it's part of a strategy. It's real. It is me, and there is an intention. I'm intentionally sharing my personal struggles with my lifestyle and with my achievements because it's part of my overall success.” (19:09—20:18)
“I only started to share these weekly Reels with a summary of the week when I started my personal challenge to get to 50 in better shape than when I was 40. So, I created a cause. I created a movement. And you can do that. You can define a certain challenge to yourself, and establish some landmarks and some goals that you want to achieve, and share that with your community. People love to see you working hard for that idea, for that goal, and getting closer to that goal. That's the reason why I was never posting my daily life on social media until I had a reason, until I had a purpose, until I had an intention. That's when things started to work better with my content.” (20:19—21:16)
“Another thing that’s very important, and you see that on social media, is to be consistent with your content, repeating over, and over, and over again. It's almost like a TV show that, once you have that same show every week, that same time, with the same direction, same intention, week after week, month after month, year after year, you slowly build an audience of that show. So, your content is the same. You want to create that consistency so that people, little by little, can start connecting and, as you said, expecting that. Not that they will intentionally, ‘Oh, I'm waiting every week for Christian's week summary.’ No. But unconsciously, when people see that, they spend a few seconds more because, ‘Oh, Christian just came out with that weekly video, so I'm going to enjoy these seconds and I'm going to watch it.’ So, you have the intention, and you have the consistency. It's a long-term plan. You don't have these things happen like magic. ‘Oh, I'm doing great. I have a great plan, so in three months it's going to explode.’ No. It’s little by little.’” (21:36—23:02)
“Perfection can be a huge enemy in many ways in our life, and one of them is when it comes to content generation because it can always be better. You can always edit better. You can always produce better. But the important thing is that you have an intention — a true, honest, useful intention. Useful. I'm going to repeat that word — a useful intention because, honestly speaking, my life has no use for somebody else. People don't give a damn, right? People are worried about themselves. ‘What is in it for me? How can this help me?’ So, there's too much content that is just there because people are showing off or showing whatever. When you start with the intention and you have an honest intention towards the other one, then your content is completely different from inception. Even as you're recording yourself or doing a selfie — it's amazing. When you start with the intention, the real outcome that you want, the real message that you think will be useful for people, you even change the angle. You change the content. You change the words. You change everything because you are constantly thinking, ‘How can I generate value to the other?’ Not showing off — value to the other.” (23:53—25:24)
“Don't be fake — but be the best possible version of yourself. For good or for bad, be honest, be transparent, and show your weaknesses. Don't be a superhero. Don't always be right. Don't always be cool. Be yourself, be honest, be transparent, but explore the highlights of you, as a person, focusing on the other, connected to the intention.” (26:09—26:36)
“Number three, you cannot delegate content generation. People don't want to follow your social media team. People don't want to follow your company. People don't want to follow your practice. People want to follow you. They want to connect with you. If you have an intention and a cool character, they want to follow you. So, that's why personal social media accounts are always much bigger than company social media accounts. So, you need to be the one behind your content. Meaning — I know you're super busy. If you're a clinician, practice owner, you're crazy, insanely busy. Don't waste your time and money. If you don't have a solution to be in charge of your content, don't even waste your time.” (26:39—27:40)
“The goal here is to find a system that you can have the final word, and the content can represent you in the best way possible without wasting too much time — unless you have somebody on your team that is good and has more time and becomes the face of your business. That's also cool. You're the practice owner. You don't need to be the main character of your practice. That's a very smart move, by the way. And many times, if you can control your ego to put somebody else as the persona and explore — maybe a young associate, or maybe the hygienist, or maybe somebody that has great communication potential — and you use that person as the ambassador of your practice, maybe as the character, then you build and you invest on the character of that person. But if it's going to be you, you need to be the one controlling the content generation.” (27:44—28:50)
“You need to organize sessions. The best way to do it is to pick an afternoon and create content for six months. But again, that content will be useless if you don't start with the intention, if your persona is not clarified, and if you don't have a clear reason why you're spending energy with it. Where do you want to send people? Because you're not making money from Instagram. Instagram is paying you zero. That's not your business. Why are you wasting time on social media? What do you want from it?” (28:52—29:30)
“It's hard to stop every week for a few hours to create content. So, the more structured content, you can batch it. Of course, there are things that are happening, and in that exact moment you want to be able to capture that moment that is not preplanned. So, also in combination with the more structured content that you want to organize in batches. And I believe that two times a year, half a day, or maybe a full day, focus on that if the scripts and the stories and the topics that you want to cover are already pre-organized. In one day, you can record so much content to be able to spread during the whole half a year.” (30:33—31:26)
“There are many things that are happening right here, right now, so you need to find on your team that person — it’s not easy — that has an eye to capture moments before you even say. I see that in specific people on my team. For example, if something interesting is happening, as it's already started, those few minutes something cool is happening and I look around, that person already has the camera on. That person was able to identify the opportunity. It's usually natural storytellers, people that love capturing stories and sharing stories. They usually have an eye to capture these moments. Many times, this skill, that is amazing for me, is dormant inside people. So, you need to identify that, empower that, and give freedom. Say, ‘Look, your phone is one of the most important instruments for our business. Your phone and your eyes, your capacity to identify moments is key. It doesn't mean we're going to use everything that you're recording. It doesn't mean that every moment will end up with a great ending. But don't miss the opportunity. Don't be shy. I'm empowering you, and I'm asking you that if you do this properly, this can become something huge for us, for the business, and for you. So, do it.’ And that person will be able to capture moments that, afterwards, you can edit quickly here and there. These are usually the best pieces of content.” (31:29—33:19)
“Many people love doing social media content. But don't confuse people that love doing social media content with this person that is a natural storyteller. One way to differentiate them is that somebody that loves doing social media content but is constantly putting himself or herself in the center of the story is not a storyteller. So, the selfie thing — no. People with the dormant storytelling talent are the ones that do it quietly, and they are not jealous about the fact that the main character of that little story is not themselves. They're capturing the story. It's the difference between the main actor and the director. The director loves capturing, even if people don't have a clue that he's the one behind the scenes capturing it. The actor wants to show up in front of the camera. Most of the people doing social media content, they are in front of the camera, showing off. That's not the person you want because they will not have the eyes to see the stories of others. They only see their own story, and they only capture their own story.” (33:44—35:08)
“The storyteller is the one that loves capturing these moments, and you may find somebody on your team that has this naturally. Many times, it’s not the marketing person that you hired. Many times, it’s not the one in charge of the social media. Sometimes, it’s somebody that is cleaning the instruments, or the technician in the back of the room, the front desk person, whoever. Do a little bit of research, and I'm pretty sure you're going to find somebody on your team that has that dormant, natural talent to capture special moments.” (35:59—36:37)
“Human connections will become more and more important. Knowing exactly who you can trust will become more and more important. So, as a professional, we want to emphasize our ethics, our morals, and emphasize the fact that we are so good on topic A, B, and C, and we really know how to express ourselves in topic A, B, and C that people can trust us. So, how can you become the most trusted voice in the topics — not in dentistry, in general. It's too big. Pick your battles. Find the topics that you love the most, the topics that you know [that make you] unique, special, [and] different. Find those topics and become an amazing, ethical communicator about those topics and become the most trusted voice in your area in those topics.” (41:32—42:30)
“It doesn't matter how good or how bad you are with social media. As a practice owner, by far, word of mouth is still the best way to grow your practice. Everybody talks about social media, but it's a smaller piece of the puzzle of success. Don't overvalue it. And if you don't feel like doing it, don't even go there. You're not going to disappear. If you are focused on transforming patients into fans for real, in the real world, in person, and you're transforming effectively your patients into fans and your fans into promoters, that's, by far, the number-one way to...
675: How Do I Respond Within My Core Values When Bad Things Happen? – Katrina Sanders
Sometimes, things don't go as well as you planned. What can you do to not lose your mind? Your first step is to have core values, and Kirk Behrendt brings back Katrina Sanders, The Dental WINEgenist, to share how her core values helped turn one of her failures into an opportunity. Challenges will always happen — so choose how you respond to them! To learn how, listen to Episode 675 of The Best Practices Show!
Episode Resources:
- Send Katrina an email: katrina@katrinasanders.com
- Join Katrina on Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/katrina.sanders.948
- Follow Katrina on Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/thedentalwinegenist
- Learn more on Katrina’s website:https://katrinasanders.com
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show podcast:https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club:https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- See ACT’s Live Events Schedule:https://www.eventbrite.com/cc/act-dental-live-workshops-306239
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free!https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Write a review on iTunes:https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show/id1223838218
Links Mentioned in This Episode:
Register for Katrina’s live workshop(March 9, 2024):https://www.eventbrite.com/e/act-dental-hygienists-live-course-march-9-2024-tickets-732186328017?aff=odcleoeventsincollection
Read The Trust Edge by David Horsager:https://www.amazon.com/Trust-Edge-Leaders-Relationships-Stronger/dp/1476711372
Main Takeaways:
Challenges are opportunities to demonstrate your core values.
Communicate your core values consistently to your team.
Let your reaction to challenges echo your integrity.
Learn to listen and validate during conflict.
Ask your team for input.
Quotes:
“Dentistry is a terrific example of where there are complications that arise consistently. How many times [are we] sitting in the morning huddle and it's like, ‘So-and-so is in for their crown seat, but we haven't gotten the crown back from the lab,’ or, ‘So-and-so is coming in, and their stitches are coming out, and they're not happy about this,’ or, ‘So-and-so is coming in. Their insurance didn't pay for this, so they want to sit down and talk to you, Doctor, about what the issue is?’ Dentistry is this beautiful balance of — we're performing art. We're also treating human beings where failure happens because we, it turns out, can't control what our patients are going to eat. There’s stress, hormone levels, tobacco habits, whatever is going on.” (13:05—13:51)
“Our schooling taught us how you run a dental practice, or how you treat patients when everything is going perfectly, when you've got plenty of time to sit down and talk to that patient about their medication list, when you've got plenty of time to talk to the patient about how to realign their denture the correct way, et cetera. What we are not fully prepared for or have not been trained to do is, how do you show up when those things are not in perfect alignment? And I implore you to consider, they rarely are in perfect alignment. We have processes in place. We build the scaffolding, we build the process, we build the templated schedule, we build who is in charge of this — but things still happen. There are errors, there are human beings involved in this. And so, the conversation now becomes how do you show up when a stimulus happens, and you now have to choose how to respond?” (13:56—14:50)
“I used to do theater, so I feel quite prepared if anything happens to me on stage. I'm ready to go with how to respond to that. But how do we do that in dentistry? How do you show up when your patient is not happy, or when the procedure didn't go the way — and it can be anything from as simple as you drop the saliva ejector on the floor, and it's like, ‘Augh.’ How do you respond to that? Because here's the thing: people are watching. Your team members are watching. Your patients are watching. This is where you have the opportunity to demonstrate the true essence of what your core values are.” (15:40—16:16)
“It's the concept of thinking about buying a red Honda, and then all of a sudden on the road, it's like you see red Hondas all the time. And there is a power to that, the attention of what your brain or your mindset is pointing to that you've now called out an awareness around. The same is true inside of a dental practice. What you put your focus on will amplify.” (18:19—18:46)
“The deeper question that I would like to ask these doctors or these professionals who are saying this is, are you inspecting what you expect? And by that, I mean, in our practice, we will talk about our big, hairy, audacious goal for the month, and how close we are to our BHAG, and what patients accepted treatment yesterday, and let's look at the schedule, and talk about the bottlenecks. We do those things. But then, we also have a segment of our morning huddle where we have the ability to highlight or amplify somebody who showed up inside of our core values within our practice. And every time, it's something like, ‘I want to call out Jenna because yesterday, I was running behind. This patient had a failure. I couldn't get the suture out, and Jenna came along and said, how about I do this? That showed up inside of the core value of excellence and integrity. Jenna, thank you so much for that.’ That is called out. That is measured alongside how much money we're bringing into the practice, or how much money we want to bring into the practice.” (18:48—20:08)
“David Horsager in his book, The Trust Edge, says if the leader of the practice, the leader of the business, the leader of whatever you want to say, if you are not communicating what your core values and your mission statement are to your team every 30 days, they will not be able to recite it back to you. They can't. And it's one of my favorite activities to do where I'll sit in a lecture hall, and I'll look at the lead hygienist, and I'll say, ‘What are the core values of your practice? You're the lead hygienist. You should know,’ and the lead hygienist is like, ‘I have no idea.’ Okay. So, it wasn't communicated. And then, also, how is it being communicated? How are you actually demonstrating how these core values are showing up? Because they're fine if they're just listed as a bulleted list on the wall. That's like me, as a speaker, just standing there and reading off of my slides. Nobody wants that. You want me to give you the meat, the essence of what all of these bullet points mean. So, inside of a practice, as a leader, are you showing your team or are you even calling out?” (20:13—21:14)
“I think you would see a lot of surprised faces if at your next morning huddle you said, ‘You know what? I'm going to call out this one person,’ because the first thing they're going to think is that you're going to say something negative, right? ‘I want to call out this one person because they showed up inside of our core values in this way yesterday. Here's the experience, here's how this happened, and I want to acknowledge you for that.’ When you create that call, now your team is aware of it. They're looking for the “red Honda” they want to see. Or, rather, they have the opportunity to deliver that red Honda to you. So, you're creating an essence of putting attention on the correct things inside of your practice.” (21:15—21:53)
“The main message here is challenge will happen. It's how you choose to show up inside of that that will let you continue to soar, or that challenge will just break you.” (23:36—23:43)
“I, too, have gotten reviews like that. I've gotten the, ‘Katrina Sanders is bad news. Don't ever bring her back.’ And it's like, okay, come on. We've all gotten that. There's a difference between, am I going to hold on to that and have that one review or that one person be the thing that breaks the Jenga blocks of what I've built inside of my business, or am I going to use this, fuel it, and make this something that makes me greater, better, stronger, et cetera.?” (23:44—24:10)
“There's this quote that I remember early on that I think about a lot when I run into a challenge, and that is, ‘Don't let your reaction echo their integrity. Let your reaction echo your own integrity.’ Like, how many times do you get an angry, belligerent patient or somebody who is just unreasonable, and they're frustrated? And doctors, they're talking about your work. They're talking about your training. They're talking about your skills. They're talking about how beautifully you placed that composite, or how well you seated that onlay. Or hygienists, they're talking about your ability to scale and root plane, whatever it is. Oh, that hits so personally as a speaker when you get a terrible review. Oh, that hurts because I built this course. I built these slides. I thought about who is sitting in the room. I thought about the heads nodding because I did a great job with this research point. I put myself on the plane. I picked out the outfit I was going to wear. I picked out the shoes. I did the whole thing. I took this so seriously. And, oh, doesn't that hurt your soul a little bit when it hits you like that? But don't let your reaction echo their integrity. Choose how you want to respond, and you get to do that inside of your core values.” (24:11—25:32)
“Things happen. Now, I will say, when adverse events happen — when we're talking about a medical emergency, okay, a little bit different. That is not your time to sit and have a one-hour pity party while a patient is having cardiac arrest — within reason. But when do you get to dance with that and say, you know what? It sounds like that patient was having a difficult time yesterday. I'm going to give him a call and say, ‘Hey, I hope everything is okay. Can I send you a $5 Starbucks gift card? I'd love to send a coffee, on me, because you matter.’ What are the things that you can do? Let's have fun with this. And ask your team, doctors — you're not alone in this. I ask my team this all the time. We just had a challenge with that this week. I asked my team, ‘What are some of your ideas about how we can show up inside of our core values with this client situation? How do we do that?’ Now, you get to see that sizzle. You get to see the team show up, roll up their sleeves, and go, ‘Well, we could do this. We could do that.’” (26:35—27:36)
“When you have the privilege of playing with — something is not perfect, aligning, whatever that might be, when you have the privilege to do that, it is a telling aspect of your brand.” (29:25—29:38)
“My brand is, I'm going to make sure that, at the end of the day, I take full responsibility and accountability. I will apologize when I screw up. I do. I don't apologize if I didn't screw up. Dentistry, we're not good at that. We like to apologize for things when we didn't screw up. ‘I'm sorry that your gums didn't heal from that SRP.’ I'm sure you're sorry. But the patients, medical, all these other things, are impacted in that. We apologize for a lot of things that are not entirely our fault. And yet, there are, ‘You know what? I'm sorry. We scheduled you before we could confirm that your crown came in from the lab. I'm sorry. This was absolutely a misstep on our part. Your time is valuable to us, and to you.’ So, apologize for the things you are apologetic for, and be kind and high integrity around the things that you do have control over and you can fix and repair.” (30:52—31:45)
“There are two key factors to what the person on the other side of the conflict actually wants. The first is to be heard. And so, reflective listening is so important. We always want to talk and say the things to fix it. I think dentistry, we're healers. We're fixers. We want everybody to be fixed and happy. ‘Did you have a great time? Send us a good Google review. Thank you. Bye.’ We want that. So, we want to talk our way out of this situation instead of that reflective listening, making them feel heard.” (33:16—33:46)
“We are taught conflict resolution. ‘These are all the things you should do, or how you do them.’...
674: The Hidden Secret to Patient Loyalty: The First Phone Call – Robyn Theisen
Do you want more loyal patients in your practice? Of course you do! To help you attract those high-value patients, Kirk Behrendt brings back Robyn Theisen, one of ACT’s amazing coaches, to share the secrets of the first phone call. Win people over before they step into your office! To learn how a phone call can get patients to stay, listen to Episode 674 of The Best Practices Show!
Episode Resources:
- Send Robyn an email: robyn@actdental.com
- Follow Robyn on ACT’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/actdental
- Send Gina an email: gina@actdental.com
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show podcast: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- See ACT’s Live Events Schedule: https://www.eventbrite.com/cc/act-dental-live-workshops-306239
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free! https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Write a review on iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show/id1223838218
Main Takeaways:
Put the right person on the phone.
Make a habit of taking physical notes.
Always start by finding out your patient’s name.
Find out the things that are important to your patient.
Ask every patient where they heard about your practice.
Learn about your patients’ expectations and lay them all out.
Have patients experience value before they come into your office.
Insurance should be the last thing you talk about in your conversation.
Quotes:
“We have been doing this a long time — myself personally, 30 years — and I'm still underwhelmed by talking to dental offices at how flat the phone call is.” (1:42—1:52) -Kirk
“In dentistry, we’re in a relationship business, so this first phone call is an opportunity for us to learn more than their name, their insurance, any of those standard things that we ask for. It's an opportunity to learn what's important to them, like, why are they choosing you as a dentist? What made them call you? What's going to make them stay? All those things can be such important things that we can learn from the first phone call with us.” (2:26—2:51) -Robyn
“The ultimate question becomes, is your practice relational or transactional? Now, everybody listening to this would say, ‘It's relational!’ But let's call out the inherent challenges of working the front desk. You, as a dentist listening to this, never worked the front desk. You have no idea how difficult it is. There's a lot going on up there. The second challenge is it becomes a very left-brained process because we have more software than ever — you have Dentrix, Eaglesoft, and Open Dental, and everything is about filling a box from left to right in the software. Active listening has kind of gone away as we've trained team members they’ve just got to fill the boxes. So, they're not really listening. It's their agenda against the patients’ agenda.” (2:53—3:38) -Kirk
“In a day and age where PPOs are flooding dental practices now at a higher speed, let's give the team members up front a little bit of grace because they often have to be able to slow down, listen, and connect with patients enough in order to even start this conversation.” (3:40—3:59) -Kirk
“To have an actual piece of paper is really helpful. Like you said, [teams are] filling it in in Eaglesoft, Dentrix, whatever that is. It's nice to have a piece of paper to write on and to make notes so that you gather all the information. I also see teams that will have the new patient form on a brightly colored piece of paper. That's an indicator for anyone walking up to them that they're on the phone with a new patient, so give them the time and the space to be able to talk to patients and potentially find someone else to work with on the business team to help them with what they need at that time.” (4:06—4:35) -Robyn
“Having the uniquely colored piece of paper is one of the most brilliant systems in a dental practice because when you have a fluorescent orange or a fluorescent pink — and I've even seen them in the fluorescent yellow or bluish colors — those are great because that is a visual cue for, ‘Stay away from me. Don't come near me,’ because all too often, if I'm a chairside assistant, I'm parking a patient right at the front, and they're staring right at you while you're trying to listen to the new caller. So, it's really important.” (5:18—5:48) -Kirk
“It is amazing to me how often [finding out your patient’s name is] missed. Typically, a patient will call, and they are asking you a question right out the gate. So, instead of taking the time to circle back and understand what their name is to create that relationship, we go right into answering the question. So, I would say regardless of what that first question is from the patient, take the time to reintroduce yourself and ask them their name. Find out what their name is. It is the sweetest sound that anyone can hear, is their own name, and people really love to be referred to by their name. Have that conversation. That starts that relationship.” (6:03—6:35) -Robyn
“We talk about cancellations all the time. You get one shot to make a deep connection with this patient. I highly suggest you use their name. Create that bond right upfront because people don't cancel on their friends.” (7:04—7:17) -Kirk
“[Using your patient’s name] is the first opportunity to start building that relationship — the trust and the loyalty that they will develop with the office.” (7:33—7:40) -Robyn
“Find out what's important to [patients]. ‘What’s the most important thing about your visit with us today? What prompted you to call us?’ Find out what is important to them and what made them choose you. That is going to give us a lot of information about what they are looking for in an office, and it also gives you a lot of information about what they're potentially running away from. So, if somebody says, ‘The most important thing is I want to be seen on time,’ now I know what's really important to them and what is going to keep them loyal to me. Also, if we're consistently late with them, that's also going to push them away. So, you can learn information on both sides of things when you ask them what's really important to them. And it's more than a dental visit. What is really important? How do I build the relationship with them? I think that question is so often missed.” (7:52—8:39) -Robyn
“[Finding out what's important to your patients] gives you an opportunity to really understand, are they a good fit for the practice? Do they have the same value system as you? What do they look like for a long-term patient? What do we need to do to be able to keep them loyal for the things that are important to them?” (9:42—9:54) -Robyn
“Your favorite people that you'll ever bring into your practice care about the same things that you care about. So, as you slow down, you ask the right questions, ‘Why us? Why now?’ somebody is trained upfront to ask those questions, actually collect that information, and share it with the team, over time, you're going to find you're filling the schedule with the right type of people.” (9:54—10:12) -Kirk
“You have to be somewhat unique, if not very unique. In order to get outside of the PPOs, you have to be really different. You can't just be a little bit different. There's got to be something unique and special about you, and that's the thing that gets missed a lot of times when people are trying to get away from PPOs. You’ve got to create some value on the phone.” (10:13—10:38) -Kirk
“The referral source is a really important piece to ask. I believe that's something that's missed often, is asking patients how they heard about you . . . When we talk about scheduling people based on insurance and limiting some of that as you're trying to make transitions with insurance, one of the big things, a delineation is, if you're referred by a patient of ours and a friend of our practice and you have Delta Dental, that's different than the patient that calls in because they saw you on a list. And so, finding out that information, where they were referred from, gives you an idea on the loyalty to the practice or what they're looking for from your practice and if it's a fit or not. It also is a marketing piece. So, if you are tracking where your marketing dollars are going and where you want to put those to attract other patients, tracking that for marketing reasons is really important to know how many people we're getting from different sources.” (10:45—11:42) -Robyn
“Don't just take their first answer when you ask, ‘Where did you hear [about us]?’ [Always ask], ‘Where else did you hear about us?’ because they might have seen something else. People usually need multiple points of contact, or they didn't just hear it one time. They heard your name a second time, a third time. ‘Oh, I think I . . . I've heard a lot about you guys,’ and it's important to collect all that information.” (11:56—12:18) -Kirk
“Don't just be so focused on the information. Give some energy to the information like this: if my [patient] said, ‘Mike, my neighbor, he's a patient there and he loves you guys.’ You have to say, ‘Oh, we love him too! We take care of the whole family,’ because that's called transfer of trust. It implies that my friend that I love, that you love, we're all going to love each other when we get to know each other, and that's a really, really high IQ moment for anybody that's answering the phone, is to make those connections.” (12:21—12:54) -Kirk
“Google is a referral source that we hear often, where patients are hearing about us. A question I like to ask is, ‘Yeah, I hear that a lot from patients. Share with me what you read on Google that was important to you. Share with me what stood out to you.’ Again, it's another indicator of what's important to them. What are the things that stood out in the reviews that were really important to them that brought them to you? Those are great things to know about patients and things that you can build on in conversation.” (13:36—14:00) -Robyn
“It's taking the opportunities, like you said, to ask that one next question. What's that next question to really learn more about them, what's important to them, what we're looking for, what they're looking for, what we need to avoid, or what we need to provide more of? Those are important questions and important things to know.” (14:18—14:33) -Robyn
“Another big piece of this is we've got to find out what [patients] expect, and we've got to tell them what they can expect.” (15:36—15:42) -Kirk
“Patients, or people in general, like to be parts of groups. So, if you can let them know what they can expect coming in or orient them to what they can expect coming in — new patients come in in different ways to different offices. So, if it's that they come in to see the hygienist first, or they come in to see the doctor first, whatever that is, I know one challenge that we run up against too often is patients expect a cleaning, or they expect to come in and see the hygienist and have a cleaning. That isn't always possible. So, I find if you can give them exactly what's going to happen before they come in, you have less conflict with that.” (15:44—16:21) -Robyn
“Back to the group thing, that's really important because we never want to feel like we're so unique and we're a unicorn out there. I want to know that I'm talking to somebody, and they get me. So, if I have some jaw pain that's turning into headache pain, I want to talk to somebody on the phone who says, ‘Listen, we have a lot of people that call for this exact reason. You're not alone, and you're calling the right place. Our doctor is an amazing doctor, and she's an even better human being. Let me share with you how this works at the first appointment.’ We want to know what to expect. Your patients should never hang up feeling confused, thinking they're going to get a cleaning, and they're getting a comprehensive exam instead, or that they're not going to get their teeth cleaned at all when they were thinking they were going to get their teeth cleaned. It is so cool when you can make promises and keep them. Isn't that powerful?” (16:52—17:43) -Kirk
“Typically, your patients are going to expect that they're going to be there for an hour. So, I find with offices that are having you there for 90 minutes, for two hours, where you may say, ‘Expect to be here for 90 minutes,’ I follow up with, ‘You can expect to be here until 9:30 a.m.’ That's how people put it in their calendar. They block out times in it, so being specific about the time that they are going to be there, I have found, has eliminated or cut down on that variation of, are they going to be here for an hour, hour-and-a half, when we say 90 minutes? Adding a time has really helped with patients knowing exactly what to block out on their calendar.” (18:27—19:00) -Robyn
“[Another question to ask patients is] the insurance piece or the more transactional information. You've gathered all of this information for you to be able to build the relationship, and now that there is pertinent information in their insurance benefits, if they plan to use any of those, what relationship you have with that at the office . . . Patients focus on the things that we do. And so, by having this at the end of your phone conversation, you've gathered all this information, now you can ask that information before you know where to schedule them and where to put them into your schedule.” (19:15—19:52) -Robyn
“We've trained patients to think that [insurance is] the first question they should ask. I think patients ask that question at the beginning because they don't know what else to ask, and we feed into that by continuing to make it a huge ordeal. So, if that's the first question for a patient when they call in to me and I'm answering the phone, it's like, ‘That's a great question, and I will get to that. Would you mind if I ask you a few questions to learn more about you before we get to that?’ so that I can assure them we're going to get to that information. I want to know more about them before I jump into, ‘Do you have Delta? What's the subscriber number? What's your date of birth?’ all of those things. I want to build the relationship first, and I lose the opportunity if I go right into the insurance piece.” (20:38—21:17) -Robyn
“If you don't train your team members to think during these phone calls, they're going to react because they know you want those chairs full. So, they're going to take all these phone calls that are coming in at record speeds from these PPOs and less desirable ones, and they're just going to fill them because they haven't been trained. So, what we're encouraging you guys to do is just slow down, think, create a relationship, teach your team members about your schedule, what matters to your vision, and you can start to create the practice that you really dreamed of year, over year, over year as you start to do this.” (22:21—22:55) -Kirk
“Now, we've gathered all the information. We know where they're going to fit best within our practice. What are the optimal times to put them? By saying that, of where they're going to fit best in our practice, I also want to put them in a place that I know they're going to have the very best experience in our practice. We've got times that are reserved for different types of new patients, or we have new patient times that are reserved. And so, it's fitting them into that right spot to make sure that it works best for your team so that they have the ultimate new patient experience when they come in.” (23:02—23:30) -Robyn
“Whoever is teaching this in dentistry, ‘Get them off the phone as fast as possible, in three to four minutes,’ that's crazy. I don't get that at all. If you pay attention to metrics in any other industry, you'll find that the longer people are on the phone, the more that they spend in any business. Now, I realize in a dental office you can't be on the phone for half an hour. That's not what I'm saying. But I think if you care enough, you do what Robyn is talking about, I find the right time slot for you.” (23:34—24:01) -Kirk
“Don't just schedule them and hang up. Do something really special. People remember what's said first and what's said last. Ninety-nine percent of all phone calls in dentistry are like, ‘Well, you're scheduled for next Tuesday at one o'clock. We'll see you then. Please arrive early. We're going to email you your health history forms. Have a great day.’ Say, ‘Listen, you're scheduled for next Tuesday at one o'clock. If you have any challenges, I want you to call me. I'm here for you. I'll be the first smiling face you see. I'm going to send you your health history forms. Please fill them out beforehand. And hey, before you hang up, can I share one thought with you?’ What is every patient going to say?’ ‘Of course.’ ‘I want you to know, I know you were scared a little bit before you called. You called the right place. You're going to meet our dentist on Tuesday. She's awesome. You're going to love her. And what you're looking for, that's what we do. So, I want you to have a great day — oh, wait, wait, wait. Wait, wait, wait.’ I'm going to throw a curveball. ‘Before you hang up, who else may we schedule from your family? I know you're new to town.’ That's the bonus round.” (24:19—25:21) -Kirk
“When you practice this, and you have a system for this, and you feel confident in how you're asking the questions, it doesn't have to take a lot of time — and it's so worth it. The time that you spend to not be hurried and to really be invested in the relationship with people, it is worth it. So, be confident and ask the right questions. Ask that one more question and build the relationship with those people from the very beginning.” (25:26—25:51) -Robyn
“Whoever is answering the phone, make sure that they enjoy answering the phone, because we do see that people are just thrown into this position. They're like, ‘I hate talking to anybody,’ and they have to fake it all day, which causes a huge energy drain for them. When you find the right person who enjoys creating smiles on the phone, you're going to see it's going to be so easy on everybody, and you'll have a practice that's busy forever.” (25:59—26:25) -Kirk
“[The first phone call is] a really important two or three minutes in your day, so take the time to be invested in learning about people. It actually is so much more fun when the phone — when I was a business team member, when you ask questions like this and can really get to know people, the conversations and the phone calls are so much more fun than the transactional, ‘Let me tick off my list of all of the things I need to gather from you.’ So, practice it and
673: Red Flags to Green Lights: Strategies for Transforming the Top 3 Dental KPIs – Miranda Beeson
If you want to grow your practice, you need data. But which numbers should you track, and why? To help you answer those questions, Kirk Behrendt brings back Miranda Beeson, ACT’s director of education and amazing coach, to share the top three KPIs you need to know and what to do when your numbers aren't great. Take your practice from red to green! To learn the secrets to transforming your practice, listen to Episode 673 of The Best Practices Show!
Episode Resources:
- Send Miranda an email: miranda@actdental.com
- Follow Miranda on ACT’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/actdental
- Send Gina an email: gina@actdental.com
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show podcast: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- See ACT’s Live Events Schedule: https://www.eventbrite.com/cc/act-dental-live-workshops-306239
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free! https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Write a review on iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show/id1223838218
Links Mentioned in This Episode:
Register for ACT’s To The Top Study Club (April 19, 2024 and April 26, 2024): https://info.actdental.com/golden-ticket
Download ACT’s Roadmap to Practice Profitability: https://www.actdental.com/free-resources/money-tool
Download ACT’s PPO Roadmap: https://www.actdental.com/free-resources/ppo-roadmap
Download ACT’s PIT Stop: https://drive.google.com/file/d/14RC6hKURo0wu0qJmTAYtt-XEPVnwpKA4/view?usp=drive_link
Watch Episode 664: Winning With Data – 7 Practice KPIs to Illuminate Practice Health – Robyn Theisen: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=80Zrm8oLMS0
Main Takeaways:
Know your production.
Know your write-off percentage.
Know your collection percentage.
Know the countermeasures to apply.
Quotes:
“A thriving practice relies on key data metrics in order to have an objective representation of what's happening in your practice and the performance of your team, and not basing it on feelings. A lot of times when we're looking at data, the immediate thought we have is towards money and profitability — which, don't get me wrong. I want nothing more than to help people be as profitable as possible. But sometimes, what someone is aiming towards might not be profitability. It might be one of the things we talk about, which is working less days but maintaining our profitability. And so, whatever the outcome is that the practice is moving towards, the data and the metrics are what help us to know if we're on track or off track.” (2:31—3:11) -Miranda
“We're going to start with production as our first KPI that we're talking about countermeasures for. So, if you have a production goal that you've intentionally set for your practice per day, per month, for the year and it's off track, we have to look at strategic ways that we can work effectively to shift or change that. The very first thing that I would say as a countermeasure here is performing a fee analysis, taking a look at your fees — especially if you have not in a long period of time. I would say at least once a year, evaluating your office master fee schedule and comparing that to a national database or your regional average.” (7:11—7:53) -Miranda
“It's amazing to me how many people don't put in their master fee schedule. They're putting in something else, or they don't even know what it is. You should always be billing out your full fee — even if you're 100% PPO — because you can show patients the difference. You can see the difference.” (8:43—9:00) -Kirk
“The other inherent challenge with gross production is that you have all these friends from high school, and you have a big family — all these people that ask you to do dentistry for free. And you say, ‘Don't put it in the schedule. It's my sister. I'm just going to prep her uppers today,’ all day, and there's no production at all today. So, you have to put everything, all the time, in the computer at full fee so that you can account for your time and growth potential.” (9:05—9:33) -Kirk
“I go to a lot of conferences. If you're listening to this podcast, you do too. You go to some conference, and some dentist goes, ‘Well, I produce $1.8 million,’ and it’s one doctor. And you think, ‘Oh my gosh, $1.8 million.’ Well, two practices that both produce $1.8 million where one practice collects all of it and one practice writes off 33% of it, it's not the same deal. One practice has a lot of money. The other practice has no money. The practice that's writing off 33% . . . you're working one out of every three days for free! You come home, you look at your significant other, and you go, ‘Honey, I'm doing this for us.’ And your significant other says, ‘Thank you so much, because you're working so hard for nothing,’ type of a thing. So, I'm having fun with you here on this podcast — but it is no fun to work that hard and not make money.” (9:46—10:46) -Kirk
“I was talking with a client recently, and she is primarily contracted with insurance. It's like, ‘Well, why do I need to raise my fees? I'm going to be writing it off anyway. It's just a bigger write-off that I'm going to end up showing on paper.’ But what I shared with her is, when you do go to renegotiate your fees with the insurances that you're contracted with, if you're renegotiating and they're looking at your master fee schedule and you're in the 30th or 40th percentile for your region, they don't feel a need to raise your contracted rate. So, there are two different pieces to what you just mentioned. One is, always bill your full fee. I agree 1,000%. Always make sure that what's being posted in your office is your full fee, not the contracted fee. A lot of times, what clients will share is that they send the full fee to insurance. But that's very different than posting and billing your full fee because, again, the patient doesn't see that, and it's not indicated within your software as your master fee schedule for future planning purposes.” (11:15—12:16) -Miranda
“Step one, do a solid fee analysis on at least an annual basis. And if you find yourself in the 40th or 50th percentile and you know in your heart that you are in the top 90% in your area in terms of the services that you provide and the care that you provide your patients, you have to incrementally make changes and raise those fees to where you do get closer and closer to what you believe your true value is.” (12:17—12:42) -Miranda
“To boost your production, another thing to do is two things around non-covered services. One, if you do live within an area that allows you to charge your full fee on non-covered services in terms of your state legislation on fee capping, then most certainly charge your full fee on those non-covered services. I'm going to say to do your due diligence, because in your state legislation, there are some insurance plans that if you are contracted with self-insured plans that are part of larger conglomerates like a Walmart or Coca-Cola, really big organizations, you actually have to follow their guidelines. But if you can look at your state legislation, determine if you have fee capping legislation or not — and certain or most insurance plans, you can, in fact, charge your full fee for things like an occlusal guard, if it's a non-covered service, or an implant, if it's a non-covered service within their plan. So, that's one aspect of looking at how non-covered services can benefit your practice.” (13:06—14:10) -Miranda
“The other [way to boost production] is continuing to build on skills and services that fall outside of insurance parameters. So, when we're looking at services around clear aligner therapy, whitening services, veneers, things of a cosmetic nature, if that's something that interests you — when we're looking at sleep and some of the things that are happening in the world of sleep right now, some of that falls outside of insurance parameters. So, looking at services that you can build into your practice that do fall outside of those common insurance reimbursement procedures.” (14:10—14:45) -Miranda
“[Another way to boost production] is maximizing hygiene services. As we know, the hygiene department — being a hygienist myself — we're a major influence in the productivity of the practice by way of the procedures that we are performing ourselves, diagnosing and treatment planning, treating periodontal disease, also in our treatment presentation and really queuing up services for our doctor in order to help the doctor and case acceptance. So, looking at systems and processes within your hygiene department that help to maximize not only the care that your patients have exposure to — because if we do improve our periodontal protocol and our periodontal diagnosis with patients, treating more and more patients who have periodontal disease, signs and symptoms and active disease, we're not only making them healthier and providing a better level of service, those are more productive procedures for your hygienist to be performing. And so, you're going to see the production per visit and production per hour of your hygiene team escalate over time, the more we incorporate those services. And what you say all the time, Kirk, is the more we focus on being healthy periodontally, the more patients commit to restorative procedures as well.” (14:57—16:19) -Miranda
“The other thing we want to maximize to keep production rolling is our schedule efficiency. So many practices that come into coaching, they're coming to us for a reason. One of those is they know they may not be as efficient as they can be. And so, when we're really intentional with ideal day block scheduling, looking at what we need and want to produce in order to meet our goals on a daily and monthly basis, then we can build a schedule daily and weekly that helps us to meet those goals consistently. When I work with teams around this, the thing I tell them first is, number one, you have to know what you want to be producing every day to get where you want to go. From that, we can start to build out the blocks within our schedule that provide the appropriate types of services to not only meet the needs of our patients and the frequency in which they need these services provided, but also consistency in our ability to produce.” (16:55—17:50) -Miranda
“There's nothing worse . . . than a doctor leaving at the end of the day feeling spent, totally exhausted, wiped out, driving home with the radio off because they've been burnt for this whole day. And then, it was like $1,000 of production. They were roller skating from room, to room, to room and produced next to nothing, and they're wiped out.” (17:50—18:16) -Miranda
“When you're wiped out, it lends itself to bad behaviors. That's when a glass of wine tastes so good on a Monday, and a second one tastes even better. You start to reach for that third one — you know you're compensating for other things. When you're wiped out, it lends itself to bad conversations, bad habits, bad everything.” (18:21—18:43) -Kirk
“People are out there teaching, ‘Expand capacity. Open up an operatory. Add, add, add, add.’ That is not expanding capacity. Adding ops is not expanding capacity — it's just adding ops. Adding hours is not expanding capacity — it's just adding hours. When you talk about maximizing schedule, everyone would agree, the schedule is one of your greatest allies in growing production. But you don't need more hours — you need better hours.” (19:01—19:28) -Kirk
“When you get the schedule right, your team understands it, you'll be shocked by how much more you can produce in the same time or less.” (21:01—21:11) -Kirk
“I love when a client says to me, we get on a call [and I say], ‘Tell me a celebration.’ ‘Oh, I had the best day today. I feel good. It's already three o'clock, but I could go a couple hours if I need to.’ I'm like, ‘Tell me what was in your schedule today.’ And they're like, ‘Well, I had a three-hour prep this morning,’ and they go through the day, and they tell me what was great about it. I'm like, ‘So, why can't we build your schedule so that you feel like that nearly every single day? If those are the things that you love to do, and you didn't end up rushing around at the end of the day treating three emergencies, well, guess what? Let's not put emergencies in your afternoon anymore, if that drives you crazy.’ I think that sometimes we feel like because we have to accommodate our patients that we can't also accommodate our own selves. It's just like on the airplane — put your mask on first before you put the mask on others. We have to practice self-care. To me, that's schedule care. When we're taking care of our schedule and we're taking care of ourselves and our team, then we can intentionally place patients into the appropriate places.” (21:13—22:17) -Miranda
“We can still accommodate and serve [patients] in a very reasonable timeframe. I actually was talking to a client about this, and they do accommodate patients. They’ll squeeze them right in the next day. They break their own blocks, ultimately. I'm like, ‘Being nice isn't always being nice, Doctor. You're being nice to that patient, and that does feel good. But you're not being nice to yourself. You're not being nice to your assistant who had to work through lunch. You're not being nice to the patient after lunch who had to wait, but they showed up on time. And so, ultimately, if we take good care of our schedule, maximize the efficiency of the services that we're providing, not only are we going to produce more consistently and have a lot less of that fluctuation, we're also going to feel better. And ultimately, that's what we as coaches are trying to help people do, is to be able to live a better practice and a better life, to feel like you can go home at the end of the day and be fully present with your family and not have to sit in your driveway and decompress before you walk through the door.” (22:17—23:17) -Miranda
“The next [KPI to know] is write-off percentage. That's where we talked about our gross production, that badge of honor that people show up wearing at the trade show when we know, ultimately, someone could very well be writing off 30% or upwards of 40% of what they're gross producing. So, it's really important to know our write-off percentage. What percent of our full master fee schedule are we writing off of the services that we provide? And so, step number one as a countermeasure is, if you don't know this information, learn this information about your practice. That's step number one. If I asked you what your write-off percentage was and you don't know, countermeasure number one, run a report and figure it out. That's the starting point here.” (24:04—24:54) -Miranda
“We're not saying that everyone has to get out of PPO participation, but we can see what it does, and it changes people's lives. And so, step two here, a countermeasure to consider is reducing your participation in PPO plans. We look at the average amount that a doctor is writing off, and it is upward of 40%. That's nearly half of your work week that you're working for free. Your team is giving effort and energy, and you're not seeing the reward from that.” (24:58—25:28) -Miranda
“You can't just go crazy and say, ‘I'm going to drop all my PPOs!’ because that won't work. It definitely has to be strategic when you're looking at how you're going to step away from those contract restrictions.” (25:40—25:52) -Miranda
“Everyone talks about selling out to the DSOs and all this kind of stuff. When you're working with that many insurance companies, they own your practice. They own your time. They own your fee schedule. And part of why you became a dentist was the freedom of choice — freedom of choice to do procedures, to do what was in the best interests of patients, to manage your time well, and to bill your full fee.” (25:56—26:21) -Kirk
“If you're really going to be a great business owner, you have to increase the percentage of people that pay your full fee.” (26:30—26:37) -Kirk
“Another countermeasure for write-off percentage is outside of that PPO realm. We also have other things that we're writing off within the practice. So, this is where we talk about, it doesn't have to be, ‘Go fee-for-service, Doctor,’ although we can help you get there. If you are still contracted with insurances and you just want to look at, ‘How can I reduce this write-off percentage?’ there are a couple of things we want to look at. One is elective adjustments. The other is, if you do have a membership plan, what are the adjustments that are happening and the write-offs that are happening for that membership plan? So, step one, when we're looking at elective adjustments, a countermeasure to jump right into is looking at what adjustment types you have set up with your practice management software, and then making sure that they are specific enough that they're accounting for all the different ways in which you give away your dentistry and your time. And there's nothing wrong with doing that — but there is something wrong with not knowing what you're giving away.” (27:01—27:59) -Miranda
“I'll see in practices, “professional courtesy”. So, you'll have an insurance write-off, and then everything else is a professional courtesy. But within that realm, we have so many different reasons for which we've applied that professional courtesy. It’s just the default in our software. So, we have to look at things like — I love a doctor-applied courtesy. So, when a doctor is being generous with their time, skills, and services and they decide they're going to offer a courtesy to a patient or, ‘I'm going to do that one for free,’ go for it, Doctor, if you're altruistic and that fills your bucket. But let's account for that as a particular adjustment type so that at the end of the year we can actually analyze, or at the end of the month, even, how much are we giving away with those doctor-applied courtesies.” (28:02—28:48) -Miranda
“There are other things that we do within the practice as well when we're honoring a previous treatment plan. Maybe we've raised our fees and we've agreed that for a period of time we're going to honor a treatment plan for 45 days, or...
672: You Never Know What You Could Do Without Trying Hard - Dr. Tuyen Nguyen
It’s easy to think your goals, your dreams, what you aspire to do or be are so far away. Dr. Tuyen Nguyen thought that too. Many years ago he moved to the United States and with a lot of hard work and dedication the doors he always wanted to open were his to step through. If you’re feeling challenged, in a rut or aren’t sure what’s next, get some inspiration here. Learn more in Episode 672 of The Best Practices Show!
Episode Resources:
- Subscribe toThe Best Practices Show podcast https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join ACT’sTo The Top Study Club https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- See ACT’sLive Events Schedule https://www.eventbrite.com/cc/act-dental-live-workshops-306239
- GetThe Best Practices Magazine for free! https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Write a review on iTunes
Main Takeaways:
Don’t settle.
Opportunity is everywhere.
You’re going to achieve what you want to achieve.
Dedicate yourself to studying your craft.
Take a step by step approach to building your confidence and achieving your dreams.
Life is a blessing.
Quotes:
“I told myself I came here to have a better life and I will try my best so I don’t settle for less. I want to be educated. I have to have a career, a job that has some education. If there is less education or more education, I would choose a higher education career than not. That kept me going. And I was at the bottom of my life. Not having enough to eat. No money and no future. I saw no future in my life at the time in Vietnam. So I could only go up.” - Tuyen (12:31—13:13)
“I was the hardest working student in that class, the class before me, the class after and probably many other classes.” - Tuyen (14:50—15:00)
“My first employer offered me a job. A guaranteed job for $10,000 a month with 44 hour work week. And I was so excited. That was a year before I graduated. So I went there to work full time; more than full time 55 hours. Seeing patients per week plus almost 2 hours writing charts. So if you add all of that I’d work like 66, 67 hours per week, non stop. I had only about a half hour lunch and I worked a 12 hour day for 3 days and an 8 hour day for 2 days. I commuted 2 hours a day and I lived there for 5 nights and I did that for a year and a half. When my first baby was born I was still doing that, but then my employer opened another clinic, closer to my house, within driving distance to get home every night so I transferred my job.” - Tuyen (15:30—16:45)
“I didn’t know if I could do a four year degree. Then I accomplished my dental degree. And at that time I never thought that I’d be a sole owner. I thought maybe at best I could be a partner. But then it happened that I could be an owner myself…I worked really hard, as always and I was also lucky to have a good program with good patients to grow that business. In two years I over grew that practice such that I couldn't handle the workload…So in early 2008 my wife and I bought some land near the office…and we started to gather ideas to build my dream office. It took me 1.5 years to gather all of the information…in Summer 2008 we dug the first hole and Thanksgiving time we moved in. Four and a half months from start to finish, my dream office.” - Tuyen (17:03—18:57)
“In my country I didn’t make much money at all…My parents were entrepreneurs doing a lot of other things…But over here it’s different. I’m a professional. I’m a dentist. Working hard as a dentist is different than working hard in Vietnam, earning pennies to live by every day. So the change? I feel privileged to live in America because there are plenty of opportunities to seize and try with. Whether you can be a medical doctor, a dentist, a lawyer or anything or even if I am a plumber I would be my own owner of a plumber company and I would work hard. I will do my best. I would have a comfortable life…So no matter what you do there will be opportunities for you to get a loan to open a business and work hard. You’re going to achieve what you want to achieve. You can set your schedule. You can work as hard as you want or as little as you want and you have options to do so. Back in Vietnam, we do not have an option there to work hard and to earn money, to live comfortably. That is sad to hear, but it is the truth right now.” - Tuyen (22:22—24:36)
”I dedicate myself a lot to studying, to learning, to improving myself. I got involved in study clubs. I got involved with global diagnosis education. I got involved in an implant business. I learned from Dr. Rutgart a lot. All my implant education I learned from other dentists out there in the country and I got networks to connect them, on Facebook and Instagram and all that.” - Tuyen (26:18—27:00)
”Back in the day when I came here to America, I was so confused not knowing what I could do…I would never have imagined that I could be a dentist. I tried out little things. I got some A’s in community college. And then I got good grades to transfer to apply to get into dental school. I knew then that I could accomplish a 4 year degree on a hygiene program. When I first came, I wasn’t sure if I could do that so if I didn’t try hard I wouldn’t be accepted to the dental hygiene program. So that’s the message. If I hadn’t tried hard before the hygiene program and going to dental school I would not have become a dentist. So if I didn’t reach for the stars then I wouldn’t become a dentist. I couldn’t imagine that I could become a dentist but because I kept trying, I built up confidence from one level to the next, to the next and that’s how I gained my confidence and achieved things in life. So that’s the message: you just don’t know what you could do unless you try and try hard. Look for opportunities around you because I couldn’t imagine becoming an owner of a dental practice. But here I am. I’m an owner with 18 employees.” - Tuyen (27:37—29:18)
”When a door is closed in your life, look out for other open doors and yes you will find them. Especially in this land of opportunity. America. USA. An example: when I was 17 years old finishing high school I was applying to medical school. It’s not like the process we do here. It’s totally different. Apply meaning I took an exam, a very hard exam composed of math, biology and chemistry. And I need to get a 23 out of 30 to get into medical school and I scored only 13. I was so mad at myself. I failed and I thought the world ended there. I could only take the test once a year and I failed 3 times, the chances are I won’t get into medical school. So I thought the door was closed forever. I went on to become a goldsmith. I had no doors open. I came over here. I thought I’d become a businessman, a nurse, a mechanic, a math teacher. All those doors I explored. But then the hygiene door opened and then the dental school door opened and then the ownership of a dental practice opened. And then the opportunity to build a big dental office opened. So one door opened after the next but with all my heart and soul trying and working to see those doors and walk through those doors to where I am right now. You have to try hard when one door is closed.” - Tuyen (30:55—33:33)
”I am looking for a dedicated, hardworking doctor who is willing to learn. To come in to work 4 days a week. The moment that person is comfortable with the flow then I will do 3 days a week. That is my goal, so that I can dedicate more time to work out and sleep in and learn more and do more challenging stuff. I am learning to do block grafts right now from Dr. Zastrow in Germany. That’s my goal next. I want to do better gum surgery. And quicker, more efficient surgeries so that I can tackle sites for implants…In 10 years I’d like to transfer the ownership to either one of my kids and/or another associate and then I can just work 2 days a week until I cannot work anymore. I enjoy teaching. I am getting involved in part-time teaching in residency programs in Minnesota. I love teaching. I love teaching and I will teach more. That’s my next chapter.” - Tuyen (34:46—36:35)
”LIfe is a blessing. And the blessing that we may not know is we are living in the USA. I know that there are many other problems out there in the country, but all things considered, the pluses and minuses. I do have a chance to compare this country to my country and 10 other countries that I have traveled to, this is still by far the best place to live, to work and to enjoy life.” - Tuyen (37:11—37:53)
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
1:26 Tuyen’s journey from Vietnam.
15:30 Starting in dentistry.
16:58 Tuyen buys an existing dental practice.
21:00 Cultural shifts.
26:18 Dedication to studying.
27:25 You never know what you can do without trying hard.
30:40 When doors close.
34:40 The next chapter.
36:48 Final thoughts.
Dr. Tuyen Nguyen Bio:
Dr. Tuyen Nguyen migrated from Vietnam to start his version of The American Dream. His story inspires anyone to believe that if they dream big, put in long hours of work, and never give up, they too can live the life they’ve always hoped for.
Born towards the end of the Vietnam War, Dr. Nguyen grew up when the Communists took over the country. His dreams of a better education finally became a reality when he found a way to migrate to the United States. He left Vietnam, traveled to the Philippines in 1992, and moved to the United States in 1993.
Dr. Nguyen started his education in the U.S. at a community college. He considered nursing, teaching, business, and being a hygienist as possible career paths. Eventually, he decided he wanted to be an electrical technician. He made his way to Saint Paul College to gain the knowledge and skills he needed. Then, one of his prime supporters convinced him that he was capable of doing more than engineering. He was encouraged by his peers to aim higher in the career field several times.
Dr. Nguyen completed dental school in 2002 and embarked on acquiring his own dental practice, a dream he had in 2005. He didn’t want just any regular dental practice — he wanted a comprehensive dental practice with the latest technology, such as 3D cone beam, X-ray, hard and soft tissue lasers, and intraoral cameras. With the latest technology, he could leverage his newly acquired professional skills in order to offer the best service to his patients. That dream of a state-of-the-art dental practice saw the light of day in 2009 when he organized a grand opening for the revamped dental practice he bought years earlier.
Join Dr. Nguyen on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SoftDental
Learn more about Dr. Nguyen’s practice: https://www.softdentalmn.com
671: Part 2 – Top 10 Phone Skills for Tackling the Toughest Patient Questions! – Miranda Beeson
Patients ask the toughest questions — and your team has a tough time answering them. To help them navigate the most difficult questions they will encounter, Kirk Behrendt returns with Miranda Beeson to finish Part 2 of ACT’s training webinar. Equip your team with critical phone skills to make your practice thrive! To learn how, listen to Episode 671 of The Best Practices Show!
Episode Resources:
- Send Miranda an email: miranda@actdental.com
- Follow Miranda on ACT’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/actdental
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show podcast: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- See ACT’s Live Events Schedule: https://www.eventbrite.com/cc/act-dental-live-workshops-306239
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free! https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Write a review on iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show/id1223838218
Links Mentioned in This Episode:
Watch Episode 671 of The Best Practices Show: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
Main Takeaways:
Have preset solutions in place for common patient problems.
Give patients the opportunity to tell you about themselves.
Don't make it easy for patients to cancel appointments.
Angry patients just want to be heard. Learn to listen.
Have conflict resolution simulations with your team.
Start listening to and evaluating your own calls.
Be mindful of the verbiage you use.
Quotes:
“You're going to start to recognize patterns with the problems that patients have. One of them is, ‘I can't get a ride.’ Okay. You, as a team member, should be equipped with a very definitive solution. I like the idea of having a 3x5 card. When somebody says, ‘I can't get a ride,’ we have four solutions. Number one, ‘I'll come get you.’ Number two, ‘I'll send an Uber for you.’ [Ariel] even said, ‘Can you ride a bike?’” (1:23—1:46) -Kirk
“[Patients will say], ‘I can't find a ride.’ That's going to happen a lot. It will. It might happen for larger appointments. I would do this. If I was [on] the admin team, I'd say, ‘Don't worry, I got you. I'll send an Uber for you right now.’ See how that's a very clear solution? They can't say no. I wouldn't make them say no. If they say, ‘I don't want to take an Uber,’ I would say, ‘This is a four-hour appointment. I don't want to tell Dr. Straub you're not coming. I actually will come get you. I'll be there in five minutes. I'll bring you back. You'll be 15 minutes late for the appointment, but you could still make it.’ You see how I'm not going to let you out of this four-hour appointment?” (2:01—2:37) -Kirk
“When it comes down to that solution — you've asked open-ended questions, you've gotten the information about what their chief concern is, what they need, what they want, there is a solution. I'm here to help you. ‘Great news. I'm here to help you, and here's what we can do to help.’ And so, when you talked about your example, they can say that exact thing of, ‘I'm really struggling to find a ride. I don't think I'm going to be able to make it today.’ ‘Hey, I'm here to help you. This is not the first time someone has experienced that. Let's try this,’ and we provide a solution. Again, it's about building rapport. It's about, we're here to serve. So, I'm not annoyed by you. I'm not frustrated by you. I'm here to help you.” (3:04—3:42) -Miranda
“It's really important to make sure that once a problem has been solved, you've developed a solution, you know what the plan is, that you summarize it, and that you repeat it back . . . We want to make sure that we have a summary in place to recap what we've decided, what we've concluded is the solution. You're on board, and I'm on board. Great. We have a plan.” (4:27—4:50) -Miranda
“We want to make sure that we have the right information in our practice management software. This is one of the most simple, logistical parts of phone skills. We want to identify who we're talking to. Pull up their chart right away. Hopefully, we all have digital charts at this point. Sometimes, we're still working with paper charts. But if we can, pull it up right away so we can see a bit of history about who it is that we're talking to.” (5:02—5:26) -Miranda
“We talk a lot in ACT around patient identification. I'm going to be able to see, is this an A patient, a B patient, or a C patient that I'm talking to? I want to confirm that their data is accurate and updated, if necessary. If it's been a while since they've been in and I see it's been a year or a year-and-a-half, ‘Joe, I see it's been a little while since you've been in. I want to take a moment to make sure that we have all the accurate data for you. Are you still at this address? Is this still your phone number?’ Do they have an existing treatment recommendation that could pertain to their call or request? So, perhaps Joe hasn't been in in a year-and-a-half, and the last time Joe was in, we recommended he have a tooth extracted on the lower right, and Joe is calling today with some pain and throbbing on the lower right. We can see that we've already talked about this with Joe and that there was already a plan in place, and we may be able to navigate what the most appropriate next step is without an extra step in the middle so that we can start working on getting Joe out of pain and discomfort.” (5:26—6:21) -Miranda
“This fits into the data piece, but I also think this could fit in multiple other areas of the phone call. If we go through all of that, we make sure everything is updated, all this information is still correct, [we need to ask], ‘Joe, is there anything else that I should know?’ And it might just be, ‘No,’ because this is a closed-ended question. It might just be, ‘No, I think that's everything.’ But it might be like, ‘Oh, you know what I should tell you? I also had surgery about three months ago and I had a stent placed.’ ‘That is really important to know. I'm going to send you a medical history update that may change the timing in which we help you with this problem.’” (6:44—7:20) -Miranda
“Another question that's the same question said a different way is, ‘What else would you like for me to know about you?’ I like that one because I'm like, ‘Okay, there are a couple of other things that are important to me,’ or, ‘I'm a pilot.’ Given the door, they will tell you some very unique things about them that become incredible trust builders or relationship builders as they come into your practice. So, give them the opportunity to tell you something unique about them, or something else that they're dying to tell you.” (7:23—7:57) -Kirk
“If your practice doesn't accept certain insurances or programs, how do you go about asking or letting them know that we cannot accept it? I'm thinking about the situation with Joe that I just mentioned. Maybe Joe tells me, ‘Oh, you know what I have now? I have MetLife insurance. I didn't have that before,’ and maybe we're not a participating provider with MetLife. ‘Joe, thank you so much for giving me that information and letting me know that that information had changed. We do have a different relationship with MetLife than we do with Delta, who you had before. I'd love to share with you what the difference is for you and how that will look here in the practice. Let me go ahead and finish making sure that I'm on the right track for what it is that you need from us first.’ And so, again, I'm going to set that insurance question right over here, and I'm going to come back to it.” (8:02—8:51)
“It's really, really important that unless it's an insurance that you cannot file — like, I can't file Medicaid, or I can't file that because it's an HMO — you do, in fact — you can, I should say — take that insurance. I want to make sure that that's super clear, the difference between we can or can't take it. If they have no out-of-network benefits, it's an HMO or a Medicaid that I can't even file on your behalf, that's very different. That's something that you truly cannot take, versus I'm a fee-for-service practice and I'm not contracted with any PPO plans. I can still take your insurance, so that's a yes. That goes back to our key phrase of, ‘Yes, we do. Yes, we do work with MetLife. It's a little different, what it looks like, but I'd be happy to share with you what that looks like here.’” (8:52—9:38) -Miranda
“Even if you're completely fee-for-service, you have to be an insurance-friendly practice because you can't say the word “no”. People [aren't] even going to entertain it. Even the doctors we support that are 100% fee-for-service, seven out of ten calls are, ‘Do you take my lousy insurance?’ People aren't going to call you with wads of cash going, ‘Hey, listen. I know you don't accept insurance. I've got a ton of money. Can you just prep all these teeth?’” (10:27—10:55) -Kirk
“The worst thing you can say is, ‘No, we are not contracted with [X insurance].’ And then, silence. ‘Well, what do I do now?’ ‘Well, you can look on the back of the card. There's a number, or you can go online.’ Like, what? No, no, no, no, no. We want to say yes. ‘Even if we can't file it, you can still come here. Even if it is one that we can't take because we can't even file it based on the type of plan that it is, you're welcome to be a patient here. We would absolutely love to take care of you. What that means is, we'd be very transparent with your fees up front. We'd help you find ways to approach investments in your care, but it would be your responsibility without the support of an insurance benefit plan. But you're welcome to come here, absolutely.’” (10:55—11:41) -Miranda
“We will break a chain in trust if we commit to something and say we're going to do it, and then we don't follow through. So, do what you say. Offer efficient action, and then do it. If you don't know, say that you don't know. Do not provide an answer that's off the cuff, shooting from the hip, just rolling with it. It's okay to say, ‘I don't know, but I'm going to find out for you, and I'll get back to you within 24 hours with that answer.’ But then, just like point number one says, if you say, ‘I'm going to get back to you within 24 hours with an answer,’ you're going to do it. And I would caution people on “as soon as I can”, because as soon as you can might be three days from now, and to a patient it's an hour from now. So, I would give a specific timeframe that's relative and relevant to what it is that you're getting back to them for, and then do it within that timeframe. And you want to confirm that you've resolved their concern. So, once you place that timestamp on it or this action item to it, does that resolve the concern? ‘Is that going to work for you, Mrs. Jones? What else could I help you with, Mrs. Jones, aside from that?’ Make sure that we're getting a, ‘You know what? I think that's everything, Miranda. Thank you so much.’” (12:16—13:35) -Miranda
“The true nature of what happens up front is it can be chaos. And you, as a dentist, if you're listening to this, this is why systems are so important. One big piece that we as coaches do is make teams develop systems. What I mean by that is that you have these scenarios, and there's nothing better than hearing an admin team member say, ‘Right after this call, I'm going to send you an email,’ and it's already been created. They're not uniquely coming up with solutions all the time, all day long. That would burn me out if I work for you, if I've got to figure out what to do, and then I've got to put it all together, and then I've got to email it or send it to the patient. Get me out of here. You should create well-designed systems that make the team member — it should take 60 seconds for me to send that to you, a click of a button. Could you imagine, I call your office and you go, ‘These are great questions. Now, I'm going to schedule you with our doctor. I'm also going to get you scheduled for hygiene. After I hang up, you're going to get an email from me, and it's going to explain everything we discussed.’ I'm already thinking, ‘You guys know your stuff! You really know what you're doing.’ That's why systems development helps with follow-through. So, make sure you support your teams with great systems.” (13:40—14:56) -Kirk
“[We need] commitment and confirmation that we've solved the problem, that we have a plan. [The patient agrees] and knows what it is, that we've scheduled an appointment. We all are in agreement that this is a commitment that we're making within our schedule. So, number one, first and foremost, is we want to build an efficient schedule for the office first. Before any of the rest of this comes into play, we want to have intentional scheduling built out for the office first.” (15:17—15:46) -Miranda
“[Have] systems for your admin team so that your admin team knows where I schedule a crown, where I schedule a new patient, where I schedule an emergency. And so, it's not this crazy, chaotic, ten minutes of like, ‘Well, what about this? What about that?’ It’s super easy, clearly displayed right in front of your administrative team member that we don't see emergencies at 4:00 p.m. We don't do that here. Now, we don't have to say we don't do that here. What we would say is, ‘We help our emergency patients at 12:00 on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and at 10:30 on Mondays and Wednesdays. Which of those works best for you, patient?’ And so, now we build a couple of these in together, but we're going to put them where we know it fits our schedule best because we've designed that systematically and we don't have to guess. It's right there in front of us through efficient block scheduling. And then, we're going to guide them to that appropriate time because we know where the best time in our schedule for our team and for our doctor is. And then, we're going to provide them with an alternative choice. That's what I did a moment ago with helping that patient to still be in control of the outcome, but we're still going to help them end up where we want them to be. So, they're still going to be in an emergency block at either 12:00 on Tuesdays and Thursdays, or at 10:30 on Mondays and Wednesdays. But they get some level of control over that by deciding which of those options they prefer.” (15:47—17:11) -Miranda
“Never, ever, ever say the phrase, ‘What works for you?’ Don't ever say that . . . And then, the alternative choice — I agree. It is proven that patients feel powerful when you give them two choices. But whoever is teaching this should be banned. Like, don't ever ask a patient, ‘Do mornings or afternoons work for you?’ Don't do that.” (17:18—17:53) -Kirk
“The only exception to [not asking patients mornings or afternoons] might be if your practice had — say someone is scheduling a crown or a new patient, and you have a morning appointment for new patients available that week, and you have an afternoon appointment available that week. You could very well say, to play devil's advocate, ‘What do you prefer, mornings or afternoons?’ because you do have one of each. But if you only see new patients at the beginning of the day and you ask someone, ‘What do you prefer?’ and they like 4:00, well, now you've set them up for failure.” (17:56—18:26) -Miranda
“Sometimes, people will say, ‘I really like morning appointments.’ Great. What does morning mean to you? Because we start at 7:00, but morning for you might be 11:00.” (18:44—18:53) -Miranda
“What happens when [patients] say, ‘I can't do mornings. I can only do afternoons’? Because now, if I'm not a strong administrative team member with confidence in this yet, I'm going to be like, ‘Oh, okay. I'm going to dig through the schedule and try to see if there's an afternoon that looks like maybe I could make it work. It's outside of the block, but they can't do mornings.’ No — what I would say is, ‘I completely understand where you're coming from. Other patients have felt the same way. What I can do, if it works better for you, is look another week or two out to give you more time to prepare your schedule for having the morning here with us. But I do have crown appointments at 7:00 and 9:00, and that's really where we're at. So, if going two weeks out helps, that might allow for you to have a little more time to have flexibility in your schedule and plan things. How does that work for you?’” (19:46—20:37) -Miranda
“People will go, ‘Well, I want to come in tomorrow.’ That's another question that people will often ask with the same concept, is like, maybe your next available is three weeks out. ‘That's three weeks from now. I don't want to wait three weeks.’ ‘I completely understand, but the doctor is going on vacation, and then we have a hygienist out.’ And the patient is like, ‘I don't care if he's going on vacation. I have a toothache.’ Instead, use a simple phrase. ‘I completely understand. We're fully committed until the date I offered you. However, I can put you on a priority list. If something becomes available sooner — I know you're eager to come in — we'll give you a call right away.’ “Fully committed” is a perfect phrase. I have a pet peeve. We talk about being candid about telling people that the doctor is on vacation. Granted, the doctor deserves a vacation — I do believe in that. But I think we have to [say], ‘Our schedule is fully committed,’ even if there are blocks open. This is what people struggle with . . . They're going to see like, ‘I do have time open, though. I know I have this emergency, and my emergency block is already full for today, but that primary tomorrow is still wide open. I could put it right there, but it's not a primary. I'm not supposed to put it there.’ No — we have to look at that blocked time as if it's fully committed. It is not an option unless it's that type of dentistry. And so, the easiest thing to remind ourselves is, the blocks, even if they're open between now and three weeks from now, your schedule is still fully committed.” (20:48—22:24) -Miranda
“One of the biggest issues is cancellations in anybody's schedule. Short notice, same-day changes in the schedule — it's a problem for every dental office, ever. And so, the more that we do these steps that we've tackled so far, all the way from one through seven, and then we commit, summarize, reconfirm, allow them to make the choice in terms of where they end up in the schedule, all of these things combined are going to reduce the cancellations because we've built value, we've built rapport, and we've repetitively confirmed with them over and over the commitment to that time that we've reserved. And expectations should be clear around the reservation from the jump. We want to repeat, repeat, repeat. When you do a self-evaluation,...
670: Part 1 - Top 10 Phone Skills for Tackling the Toughest Patient Questions! - Miranda Beeson
Join us with our resident expert Miranda Beeson in this 2 part series on improving phone skills to improve a consumer experience and ultimately improve your business. Learn how to provide the kind of experience that makes people feel safe, secure and excited to visit you. It’s all here in Episode 670 of The Best Practices Show!
Episode Resources:
- Subscribe toThe Best Practices Show podcast https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join ACT’sTo The Top Study Club https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- See ACT’sLive Events Schedule https://www.eventbrite.com/cc/act-dental-live-workshops-306239
- GetThe Best Practices Magazine for free! https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Write a review on iTunes https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show/id1223838218
Main Takeaways:
Enhancing phone skills enhances the practice.
If you’re answering the phones, you are just part of the practice, you ARE the practice.
Provide the kind of experience on the phone that makes people feel safe, secure and excited to visit.
Trust is one of the most important things in dentistry.
Sympathy is great, but Empathy with patients is what makes the difference.
Your attitude should be “Yes, we do!”
Mirror a patient’s communication style.
Quotes:
“It’s the first piece of interaction that someone has with our organization. So enhancing phone skills is just going to enhance our customer service level. New patients, really important. In the first moments they’re learning about who we are. Continuing to grow and trust with our existing patients, building loyalty and then slowly practice growth over time. To be equipped to deliver excellent phone skills, we have to have tools…You’re only going to get better if you have the tools.” - Miranda (1:31—2:20)
“If you answer the phone in the dental practice, you don’t represent the practice. You are the practice….Admin team members…they are the most under trained segment in all of dentistry” - Kirk (2:43—3:10)
“The administrative roles are sometimes the only roles where someone could have no dental experience and come into the office. So it is really important for us to support them. And a big piece of it is feeling confident. If we aren’t confident then we aren’t going to guide that patient properly and deliver that experience that takes our care to another level…There is a statistic that 60% of new patient calls don’t convert to appointments and a lot of that comes down to the receptionist or the administrative team member on the other end of the phone not having the confidence or tools to know how to close that call.” - Miranda (3:47—4:27)
“Patient perception begins with ‘Hello’ . It's in the first instant. If you said no other word than hello, they can tell on the other end if you’re smiling, if you’re happy, if you’re frustrated. And let’s be honest, there are 17 million things going on in the front office at all times and sometimes we are a little frustrated that we see the phone ringing and we have to pick it up. So we have to know, foundationally, from a mindset perspective it is the most important thing you’re doing because within fractions of time you’re creating an experience for that patient that’s going to live on forever in terms of the lifespan of them in your practice.” - Miranda (8:10—8:48)
“You should be getting regular compliments. People should be reaching out to you. Talking to you. Texting you going ‘Hey, I just want to let you know that person, they’re good.” - Kirk (11:59—12:12)
“If we think about the majority of the people who come to the dentist, most of them are not super duper excited about it…but if we can provide an experience or an environment that starts on the phone with them feeling comfortable, confident, safe, secure. ‘These people sound like they’re going to take care of me. They sound so nice. Ok I’m not quite as scared as I was before.” - Miranda (13:02—13:38)
“Imagine, just for a moment, what it would be like to be on the other side of your phone call. And think about what it is you're trying to create as an experience for the caller and for the patient and are you delivering that?” - Miranda (15:49—16:01)
“Trust is one of the most important things in dentistry. We know that without trust we will not maintain patient loyalty, we’re not going to have case or treatment acceptance, we’re not going to have referrals…in general, everything is based off of trust. Like we said before, it’s a vulnerable place to be. It’s not everyone’s favorite place to be…Trust starts way before the patient gets in the chair. So one of the key phrases that helps someone feel welcomed and builds rapport right off the jump is ‘That is such a great question. Thank you for asking.’ Because it allows for them to go ‘oh ok.’ A lot of people are nervous about getting on the phone…so if the first thing you respond with is ‘I’m so glad you called. How can I help you today?’ and they ask a question and you respond ‘That is a great question. Thank you for asking,’ they’re going to be so much more willing to trust in you and open up to provide you with more information.” - Miranda (16:38—17:58)
“Active listening is when you’re listening to truly understand what is going on. So you’ll hear people say ‘You heard me, but did you listen?’ Sometimes we are going through the motions. We’re just checking the boxes…we’re not focused on active listening with the patient that’s calling us. There are 3 A’s to active listening that are a nice, easy go to. The first one is attention. You have to give your full focused, undivided attention to the caller. They can tell when you don’t. If we are dividing our attention they can tell. They can feel it. They can hear it. And that’s going to be a fail immediately, in terms of rapport. It’s going to be the first break in that link of trust. So finding a way to give your full and individual focused attention to the caller. A quick tip from my own experience: have a little notebook that sits right next to and when that phone rings you write down what you were doing and then when the call is done you can come back.” - Miranda (19:00—20:36)
“You have to be able to adapt or shift gears to meet the patient where they are. It’s not about our agenda…this call is going to sound different with every patient. Now you might hit the same high notes through that call with that patient, but if we are actively listening to where that patient is wanting to go on the call and what their needs are, we’re adjusting our attitude to make sure we are there to serve them. Then we need to also be able to shift gears and go down the path that we need to go down to get them where they need to go.” - Miranda (24:16—24:59)
“We are there to serve. We are in the health care service industry. So ultimately when they call us they’re looking for support. They’re looking to hear I am so sorry you’re in this situation but I’ve got you. We’re going to take care of this. And again, when we talk about sympathy and empathy: sympathy is looking down in the hole and saying ‘I’m so sorry you’re in that hole.’ But empathy is like climbing down in the hole and giving them a hug and going ‘Dude it really sucks that we’re in this hole. But you know what? I know how i got down here so I can help us climb back out.’ So if you climb down in that hole and you really put yourself in their shoes for a moment to understand where they are coming from, not to create bias with how you move forward later to help them, but to say ‘I get it and don’t worry we’ve got you. You can lean on me. Let’s do this.’ - Miranda (26:46—27:42)
“Most of the time what I hear with teams is ‘Sure. Let me get your insurance. When was the last time you had a visit? It looks like you were in in October…All of that stuff is great information to have before someone comes in but the most important information you’re going to gather from someone is what is their concern? What are they needed and wanting and how can we support that? Again, it’s not about my agenda. It’s about theirs. They have something in mind when they’re calling and we have to identify it.” - Miranda (28:00—28:39)
“I talk a lot about the buying cycle. We are selling a service. We are selling our practice and our doctor’s skills and abilities. In any service, before a purchase, it starts with the consideration phase. And so there is an awareness that happens first. Before anyone goes into consideration, if I’m going to buy a new washing machine I don’t just say I think I should buy a new washing machine. My old one had to have broken…or something that created this awareness in me that I needed to start investigating and finding a new washing machine. People don’t wake up excited to make a dental appointment…usually there is an awareness that has occurred, so I often use the example, because I’ve heard it so many times from patients ‘I’m out to dinner with my friends last week and it was really tough because they were all looking at the menu and they were so excited about what they were ordering and I was actually getting a little nervous because I didn’t see anything I could eat on that menu without having discomfort…and I decided in that moment that I needed to do something.’ And that awareness is the trigger. And if we don’t find out that awareness piece, that emotional buy in from our patient and what their concern is.” - Miranda (29:50—31:29)
“The key phrase here is ‘Yes We Do.’ We want to try to say yes as much as possible. Sometimes you can say yes even when it’s no. We have to figure out how to get around that but we want to say yes we do. ‘Are you taking new patients?’ ‘Yes’ ‘Do you work with my insurance?’ ‘Yes and I’d love to explain to you how that works here in our practice.’...’Yes we do’ in an immediate phrase that’s going to help build confidence. And if you say it with confidence, it’s not just what you’re saying, it’s how you’re saying it.” - Miranda (31:48—32:40)
“So maybe someone is calling you and telling you they’re looking for a new practice. They were with their last provider for 40 years. He was the nicest person…and you are going to go ‘You are going to love Doctor Awesome. He has such a strong relationship with all of our patients here. He even attended a patient’s son’s wedding last year.’ You want to tie it in to what it is that they’re looking for in a provider.” - Miranda (37:31—38:04)
“The top 3 things when you’re on the phone with a caller. I often relate this to a new patient call, but ultimately it can be any call: I need to know who I’m talking to, so first off ‘What’s your name?’...Get their name, so you can use it, get their number because things to do happen. You get busy, you get going with your call…and then the key is going right into knowledge. Not knowledge about their dental history or knowledge about their X-ray history or about their insurance plan. Knowledge about who they are and what their expectations are for a visit with you…just something open ended that helps you identify that concern. What was the awareness? What’s the motivation for their call? Something aside from those logistical components that we usually jump right into. It’s that emotional buy in piece that we are looking for here.” - Miranda (39:27—41:16)
”We need to use clear, concise language. Really important to mirror their communication style and speed. I talk about this often and love incorporating DISC and personality styles into how we communicate with patients. But if you aren’t trained in DISC, if you don’t even know what I’m talking about right now when I say DISC, one of the easiest things to do modify how you communicate to your patients in their style is just listen to how they’re communicating with you.” - Miranda (43:27—43:55)
“[Using someone’s name repeatedly] Part of what ties into number 1, where the name comes in first, introducing yourself so they know your name and then learning their name and using it throughout the conversation, it customizes and makes them feel so important and so special. You don’t want to do it so excessively that it feels awkward but we do want to say again, ‘Joe, as I shared such and such,’...The more we use that name and customize, they don’t feel like just a number.” - Miranda (46:35—47:20)
”An open-ended question is something that cannot result in a yes or no answer. So it’s going to start with something like ‘What’ or ‘How’ or ‘Why’. ‘Tell me more’ is such an easy phrase that leaves an open end for them to extend the paragraph of whatever it is that they’re telling you. So it’s really important to have. As I mentioned earlier, the first question you may ask ‘What are you expecting out of your first visit with us?’ THat is a wide open question that can go pretty much anywhere. And they’re going to say something and you’re going to say ‘Tell me more.’ - Miranda (49:22—50:00)
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
1:13 Improving phone skills.
3:45 The administrative role.
7:40 #1 First Impressions.
16:35 #2 Building Rapport.
19:00 Active Listening.
24:16 Adapt.
25:58 Empathy and Sympathy.
31:48 #3 “Yes We Do”
37:12 You are going to love…
39:27 #4 Top 3 Things to Say on a Call
48:45 Ask the right questions.
Miranda Beeson, MS, BSDH Bio:
Miranda Beeson, MS, BSDH, has over 25 years of clinical dental hygiene, front office, practice administration, and speaking experience. She is enthusiastic about communication and loves helping others find the power that words can bring to their patient interactions and practice dynamics. As a Lead Practice Coach, she is driven to create opportunities to find value in experiences and cultivate new approaches.
Miranda graduated from Old Dominion University, and enjoys spending time with her husband, Chuck, and her children, Trent, Mallory, and Cassidy. Family time is the best time, and is often spent on a golf course, a volleyball court, or spending the day boating at the beach.
Send Miranda an email miranda@actdental.com
Follow Miranda on ACT’s Instagram https://www.instagram.com/actdental/
669: The Best Way to Recession Proof Your Practice - Dr. Leonard Hess
When business slows down, it can be worrisome for your practice. Take control back by learning to think bigger, investing in yourself and treatment planning for your patients, not the insurance companies. Dr. Leonard Hess of the Dawson academy joins us to show you how. Learn more in Episode 669 of The Best Practices Show!
Episode Resources:
- Subscribe toThe Best Practices Show podcast https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join ACT’sTo The Top Study Club https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- See ACT’sLive Events Schedule https://www.eventbrite.com/cc/act-dental-live-workshops-306239
- GetThe Best Practices Magazine for free! https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Write a review on iTunes https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show/id1223838218
Links Mentioned in This Episode:
The Dawson Academy https://thedawsonacademy.com/
Main Takeaways:
Too many dentists are treatment planning for the insurance companies and not their patients.
Most people over their lifetime are undertreated when it comes to dentistry.
Learn to solve bigger problems.
If you want change, stop acting like every other dentist.
Invest in yourself. Invest in your team.
If you’re a dentist, you’re in the people business.
Quotes:
“Right now the best thing to do is educate yourself. Right now you should be investing in yourself to put yourself in a position where you can come out of this little slow down ready to rock and roll more than ever. The biggest change that has to happen is…the insurance industry is impacting dentistry now more than ever…it’s getting worse for the dentists. It’s not getting better. A lot of practices are starting to move towards DSOs and now DSOs are negotiating…The trap that almost every dentist falls into these days, and especially younger dentist, the problem in dentistry is that too many dentists are treatment planning what is best for the insurance company and they’re not doing what’s best for the patient.” - Lenny (7:52—9:04)
“The paradigm shift when you can educate yourself and put yourself in a position where you can diagnose better and you can educate your patients better, people inherently always want to do what’s best for themselves. They just need that choice. We’ve got a great standard of care of dentistry in the United States, but most people over their lifetime are actually undertreated.” - Lenny (9:08—9:32)
“People are getting a veil lifted and they see things differently. Because in dental school you were really only taught to diagnose problems related bacteria: causing decay or periodontal disease. But the biggest threat to whether or not people keep their teeth long term has very little to do with bacteria and has everything to do with force and occlusion and how everything is being managed. Most people who want a dental makeover, they don’t want it because they want whiter teeth. They want it because their teeth are worn and chipped. They have teeth of a 70 year old when they’re 40 and that’s not just a good combination. So in dental school we weren’t taught how to treat those types of cases. And they’re everywhere.” - Lenny (11:20—12:08)
“If you diagnose right, if you build a relationship with your patients you just need a dozen new patients a month. Or even less than that. Because if you can diagnose, if you can educate and if you can get patients to own their problems…the only way they can own it is by you explaining. Then people, a lot of times, will choose to do the best thing. And insurance doesn’t matter..” - Lenny (13:07—13:27)
“You have to be willing and knowingly put yourself in a position where it’s going to be uncomfortable. And put yourself in a position where you can get over that hump and then great things can happen. You gotta be a problem solver.” - Lenny (13:49—14:00)
“If you want to make more money and you want to work less days a year and you want to have more production per hour then you need to learn to solve bigger problems.” - Lenny (14:52—15:00)
“If you want to change your practice, stop acting like every other dentist.” - Lenny (16:03—16:06)
“[Forces are] the biggest thing that causes restorations to break and if you start replacing your dentistry because it’s not holding up, you’ve lost money. The profitability that you got from doing that case is now out the window. The key to having a really happy dental life is predictability, because predictability leads to profitability. Profitability means you’re happy. When your dentistry is predictable, that means your patients are happy and everything can be great that way. But dentistry, if it’s not predictable and then if it’s not profitable - if you feel like you’re working way too hard for the money you’re getting - dentistry can start to be a real drag.” - Lenny (16:35—17:14)
“All it takes is improving your clinical skills until you get to the point where you can do cases that you couldn’t before. And all it takes is one good case to pay for your entire curriculum.” - Lenny (20:56—21:24)
“The most important thing to realize in being a dentist is that you’re in the people business. Because if people don’t like you, if they don’t trust you. Who do you write big checks to who you don’t like or you don’t trust? Just the IRS. And if you’re going to act like every other dentist and you’re going to behave just like every other dentist, then people are going to put their trust in you to do major things or write you a big check.” - Lenny (24:15—24:42)
“People are always going to invest in their health, no matter what. People wanting to take care of themselves is recession-proof in and of itself. People are always going to have money, but when things get tight or when people are feeling less wealthy then they’re going to choose where to spend their money. They’re going to make a little more of a narrow choice. They’re going to be a little more careful about what they’re investing in. So most people will invest in their health because they care about how their teeth are going to look. They care about how healthy they look. People don’t want to lose their dentition. So if you are in a position where you can offer people options, choosing to do the right thing has nothing to do with the recession. There are always going to be that percentage of patients who want to do the right thing.” - Lenny (25:36—26:24)
“Invest in yourself. Invest in your staff. Train your team. Team training is so important. If you walk out the door, we all know, that a lot of times a patient is sitting in that dental chair and they are waiting for you to walk out so they ask your assistant or whatever do I really need this? If the vision of health and the philosophy of the practice walks out with you, you got a big problem….And when you start to see a slow down like this, it’s the best time to do it. More than ever.” - Lenny (31:02—31:40)
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
7:52 Insurance companies and dentistry.
11:20 Seeing dentistry differently.
13:49 Think bigger.
16:35 The importance of predictability.
20:45 No time for CE.
22:50 Dawson curriculum.
22:45 Being steady with comprehensives.
31:02 Final Thoughts.
Dr. Leonard Hess Bio:
Dr. Leonard Hess, D.D.S., is a Co-Clinical Director at The Dawson Academy, joining the Dawson faculty in 2009. He owns Union County Center for Comprehensive Dentistry in Charlotte, North Carolina, and he practices full-time in addition to teaching continuing education courses. He is a member of the editorial board for Inside Dentistry and has had over 17 articles published in peer-reviewed journals. He is also a member of the American Academy of Restorative Dentistry, AACD, ADA, AES, and NCDS.
Dr. Hess began teaching continuing education courses in 2005, and the topics include occlusion, smile design, treatment planning, preparation design, and practice integration of complete dentistry. He has taught full-day continuing education courses at the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry’s national meeting, The Greater New York Dental Meeting, AACD National Meeting, Pacific Dental Conference, Ontario Dental Association meeting, and The Yankee Dental Conference. Dr. Hess also has taught courses in Japan, Germany, Poland, China, and Canada.
Join Dr. Hess on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/leonard.hess.7
Follow Dr. Hess on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drlennyhess
668: Your Practice Within Your Practice – Dr. Brent Bush
Do you want to better serve your patients, but don't feel like you have the time? One solution is to create a practice within your practice. To help you get started, Kirk Behrendt brings in Dr. Brent Bush from The Pankey Institute to share his journey and experiences that changed his practice. You can slow down and still get busy! To hear how you can be a better dentist for your patients — no matter where you are — listen to Episode 668 of The Best Practices Show!
Episode Resources:
- Send Dr. Bush an email: info@bushfamilydentistry.com
- Join Dr. Bush on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bushfamilydental
- Follow Dr. Bush on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bushfamilydental
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show podcast: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- See ACT’s Live Events Schedule: https://www.eventbrite.com/cc/act-dental-live-workshops-306239
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free! https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Write a review on iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show/id1223838218
Main Takeaways:
You can't afford not to do CE.
Go and seek the people who will help you.
Do the legwork of going to CE and workshops.
Choose to do the work that brings you the most joy.
Bring your team along with you on your learning journey.
Block out time to help your team implement your learnings.
Quotes:
“I had another buddy of ours from dental school, David Hedgecoe in Fayetteville. He was one of those practices where I was like, ‘How is he so busy? What is he doing different than I'm doing? I feel like I'm so busy and I'm going to burn out here. Why is he so busy doing cool stuff?’ I was busy and good. But, oh, boy, it was hard. And no joy, really, after you do your thousandth MOD. So, I realized that there was more to [dentistry], and I asked Todd [Davis], ‘What do I do?’ He said, ‘Well, you need to go learn.’ And so, I started to get on the CE train and do some workshops and seminars, and I hit it hard. That's that thing where if you are going to bet on anybody, bet on yourself. I invested a bunch of money and a bunch of time — I didn't think twice about it — to go learn how to be a better dentist for my patients.” (7:26—8:25)
“I think as a young dentist out there — and I was this way too. I'm no different than you are. If you're the young one out there listening, I'm no different than you are. I just saw that there is a different way and maybe a more comprehensive way. To me, [having a practice within your practice] meant that there's the everyday, bread and butter, do the fillings and crowns, but there's also this niche that you can work for yourself, whether it's orthodontics, or placing implants — for me, I became the bite guy — where you have an interest that inherently shows up, and you do more of it. The more you do it, the more it shows up, and you don't really need to even market it anymore, where people refer you for that reason, they refer their friends for that reason. So, you become maybe a second opinion person, and things like that. It becomes this little thing where you have these moments in your schedule, daily or weekly, where you set aside time to focus on what you really, really like to do.” (8:43—9:43)
“[As you become known for something, it becomes less about insurance] because patients become more and more invested and interested in the best thing for themselves. I don't think those two things are congruent, that you can give the patient what's best for them, and at the same time have somebody else tell you how much you should charge for that.” (10:10—10:27)
“You go to these CE classes, and you hear people talk, and that's all they do all day long — it's just this big dentistry, full-mouth cases. And it's not that. We don't have these people show up and say, ‘I want this. Here's my money.’ You need to walk them through the process of their dental journey themselves, find out how aware they are of what they have going on with their mouth and their dental health. And then, as you educate them, they become more engaged. As they become more engaged, then you have a patient who wants the best for themselves.” (11:50—12:25)
“The more I learned, the more I wanted to learn. The more I knew, the more fun it became and the more I enjoyed dentistry, this second career, if you will.” (12:52—13:01)
“It's funny how you meet these great people, and they're there to help you. You have to go to these places [like Spear and Pankey]. You have to get yourself out there. You can't just look at things online. You have to get out there, and meet the people, and experience it for yourself to see what you really want to do and know how much they want to help you. These older dentists want to be your mentor. They want to help you.” (14:24—14:48)
“Having done this side of it for 10 years now, the real joy in it is to see somebody else grow. I heard Gary [DeWood] say when I was in Arizona one time, he was talking to another person who had been around him a lot. He said, ‘One of the real joys is for you to become bigger and better than me at doing what we do.’ I thought, ‘Wow. From Gary DeWood, that's crazy.’ . . . But you don't get to meet them if you just hover around the office, and stay there, and watch things online. I think when you look for things online, you find what you want. But when you go to a workshop, you find what you want, but you also find things that you didn't know you needed, which are relationships, community, more knowledge, and the chance to ask questions to professors or whoever is leading it. It's special. A lot of times, I hear, ‘It's so expensive. I can't afford to do that.’ I say, ‘You can't afford to not do it, really.’” (15:35—16:33)
“When you schedule out a two-hour appointment and you charge for that about the same that you would charge for a few fillings and you get paid for that, it’s an aha moment like, ‘Wow, this practice philosophy, as far as a business sense, can work.’ So, that's, on the practice management side, an eye-opener like, ‘Oh. I did this, and it worked.’ So, it's feasible and viable to build your practice within the practice around your time, your expertise, and your talent.” (17:53—18:35)
“It's funny because you come back [from CE] and you are so energized. You're so ready to go, and [your team is] like — they didn't have the same experience that you did. You get back, and you're like, ‘All right, this is what we're going to do. We're going to change this, and we're going to buy this, and we're going to use this, and you're going to take pictures just like I learned how to, but I didn't teach you how to.’ And so, here is the bump in the road, that they didn't have the same experience you did. Imagine going to the Grand Canyon. You go out there, and I look at a postcard of it. You come back from the Grand Canyon. I see the postcard, and I'm like, ‘Wow, that looks cool.’ And you're like, ‘No, you don't know. It was super cool. I saw it. I saw the sunrise.’ I just have a postcard. Like, that's their perspective of my trip to learn more. They didn't experience it. So, you double down, and you take them out there, and they get to experience it also.” (21:09—22:07)
“We block time on our schedule to learn how to implement what we just learned, what I just learned. That's a key thing. Like, you're in control of your schedule, no matter what. You can do whatever you want to do with your schedule. You can work on Saturdays if you want to. You can work till 7:00 or 8:00 at night if you want to. But if you set aside time to train your staff, and get on the same page, and make sure everybody knows what's going on and technically can do it, can take photos the way they need to be taken, it's huge. It's a game-changer to have your staff on board with what's going on. So, you’ve got to invest the time in your office with your staff.” (22:37—23:21)
“If you can carve out an hour a week and designate that [time] to somebody that I know you saw during the week before that needs special attention, just one hour, and talk to them — don't even put gloves on — that's the best way to start.” (25:33—25:54)
“Our new patients were scheduled in hygiene for the hour. So, they got their teeth cleaned, and we would do the 10-minute new patient exam within that hour. We're like, ‘Well, that's not enough,’ so we did an hour and 10. We thought, ‘Well, let's give it 10 minutes extra. Well, that's not enough. So, then, we bring them in 30 minutes before their cleaning. And they all got cleanings. So, we bring them in 30 minutes beforehand to get them in a separate room. Now, we've transitioned to an hour-and-a-half, new patient exam. Photo is uploaded so they can see them right there, and we talk to them for a good 30 minutes, trying to find out where they're at, what their goals are. And that's my first question, ‘How can I help you best as your dentist? What do you want from your dentist?’ It's amazing what people will tell you if you've given them the opportunity to tell you.” (26:00—26:58)
“Take an hour, find a patient that you see something that you want to address with them, or maybe they're going down a bad path and they don't know it, or maybe they do know it and you don't have time. Take that hour and talk to them. Get them back, talk to them, take some photos. Get a camera, for sure. If you don't have a camera, get a camera and use it. Show the patients their pictures. It's unbelievable. That's the first step, is for a patient to see their own mouth. That's a game-changer.” (27:01—27:32)
“I've done a talk that's titled “Slow Down to Get Busy”. It's a matter of understanding and helping the patient understand where they are — and you cannot do that in hygiene. Anything more than three or four minutes of a conversation needs to happen in your own chair at a different time.” (28:03—28:22)
“Don't be afraid to go learn more, to go approach an older dentist that you look up to and ask them for help. It may be an instance in time — one of the most impactful dentists that I've been in touch with, I was with him for five days at Pankey, and that's it. He said some things to me that opened my eyes. So, you don't know how long you need to be in their life, if you will, for them to have an impact on you. And so, you’ve got to get yourself out there. Then, when you get back to the practice, take your time to implement what you just learned, and lean on somebody for help.” (28:50—29:32)
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
1:42 Dr. Bush’s background.
3:09 The study club that changed Dr. Bush’s practice.
6:52 Gain a new set of eyes.
8:26 A practice within your practice, explained.
12:30 Seek people who will help you.
17:10 Put your flag in the ground.
18:36 Choose the work that brings you joy.
20:48 Bring your team along on the journey.
23:43 The future for Dr. Bush.
25:02 How to start having a practice within your practice.
27:38 Take time to talk to patients.
28:32 Last thoughts.
30:37 More about Dr. Bush’s study club and how to get in touch.
Dr. Brent Bush Bio:
Dr. Brent Bush graduated from UNC School of Dentistry in 1998. He is a member of the American Dental Association, North Carolina Dental Society, and is a past president of the Wilmington Tri-County Dental Society. He was born and raised in California and moved to North Carolina to attend dental school at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill. In his spare time, he enjoys family, friends, and triathlons — including completing two Ironman triathlons. He has three boys, who keep him busy with their baseball and swimming schedules. You will also find his photography decorating the office.
667: Scaling with the Right Culture - Dr. Brett Levin & Dr. Jennifer Derse
Growing a practice is more than acquiring or opening new offices. And it’s hard! Dr. Brett Levin & Dr. Jennifer Derse have done it with their Espire practice. And have the secrets to scale your business and keep the culture you want. Learn more in Episode 667 of The Best Practices Show!
Episode Resources:
- Subscribe toThe Best Practices Show podcast https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join ACT’sTo The Top Study Club https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- See ACT’sLive Events Schedule https://www.eventbrite.com/cc/act-dental-live-workshops-306239
- GetThe Best Practices Magazine for free! https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Write a review on iTunes https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show/id1223838218
Links Mentioned in This Episode:
Learn more about Espire Dental https://espiredental.com/
Main Takeaways:
Make a discussion of your culture part of your daily stand-up meetings.
You have to have a structure to the culture.
A one-size-fits-all all blueprint might not work for expansion. You may be leaving great ideas on the table for each unique practice.
It’s hard to maintain consistency when you try to grow a practice on your own.
Quotes:
“We had a lot of people asking us how you did this? How did you create an amazing culture? How are you fee for service? How are you getting all of these referrals? How are people traveling? We saw 5+ years ago that the dental industry on the precipice of change. We wanted to try to control our destiny in that change. And really create a private practice DSO model. And that means something different for every person. But we didn’t want to do it where someone comes in and buys your practice and now you’re part of a bigger conglomerate and you don’t have to do any type of change. That’s not really pushing yourself to grow or become collaborative. We also saw that a lot of younger dentists really craved mentorship and growth but didn’t have the time or the means for someone to nurture and support them. I think Jennifer really had that vision and was spurred on to help create it and that was the genesis of how this fire started. We have 28 practices and 352 team members” - Brett (14:16—15:41)
“We have been really fortunate to have met a lot of wonderful people…within dentistry but also others who share our entrepreneurial mindset. And through the McKinsey course we met some entrepreneurs who we picked their brains, one of whom had done something in eye care and we said how did you do [grow and keep your culture]?...We started Espire with 4 essentials. It’s our playbook. It’s our credo. It’s our mission. It’s our values. And we weave this into our daily huddle. And every day not only do we talk about the procedures we’re going to do and the patients we are going to see, but some dynamic of our cultural playbook gets put in it so we can all encourage and put supportive of one another. So that was the foundational start of the Espire. And I think culture is a big buzzword but I think that’s something people talk about but don’t really put words and conviction to. And when we would talk similarly-minded doctors about what we are doing and then show that we are talking about this but we actually have something like a beacon to hold. It was easy to get the right doctors to work for us. ” - Brett (16:41—19:12)
“If your culture doesn't have some type of structure, then you don’t have a culture. You have to have a structure to the culture. ” - Jennifer (19:47—19:54)
“We thought our office could be the blueprint for every office and you carbon copy it. I think what I learned is that every doctor, every office, every location, has unique qualities to it that might be different from ours. So what I think we learned is instead of saying do everything like us, it was what core things where we found success do we think you could apply and then still be independent and unique for whatever location you’re going to be in and use the best of what we found to work, but also use the best of what you’ve found to be working and if it works better in your office, let’s take that idea and have it go throughout Espire.” - Brett (20:36—21:26)
“Some pitfalls were…it’s harder than it looks. Sometimes in finding cultural alignment you…it’s like dating…In our first year we reno’d this practice, we did all these things and we learned it wasn’t a good cultural fit and we divested it.” - Jennifer (21:58—22:30)
“We have learned to ask better questions to make sure the person in the deal is a right fit and is ok being uncomfortable. Because you come into Espire and there are a lot of things we can do to support you but we are also going to challenge you and ask you to do a few little different things that you maybe you wouldn’t have to do if you joined another type of company.” - Brett (22:58—23:26)
“There are a lot of other DSOs that are really hands off. That is not us…We are all partners at the top level. So you are now part of a real group where every doctor who is an owner owns all of the company. So it’s in all of our best interests to help elevate each other and life each other up. You’re not on this island. THe culture is so different that way. And if you want that direct line of mentorship…I don’t know if some of those other organizations do that. I didn’t experience that in my 6 months of [somewhere else]. But here, when our young doctors are in first smile designs, I’m in there with them coaching them like this is what you do. But I’ve never placed an implant in my life and they need mentorship there, I who to call in the company who is going to go over and mentor them through that process. I think we are so much more integrated and aligned with each other that you really do feel like you’re part of a team.” - Jennifer (28:04—29:24)
“For me, a land grab…if someone said ‘I primarily want to be paid top dollar for my practice and I don’t care’…that may not be someone that we want. We can pay top dollar but we want you to bring more to the table than just saying ‘Pay me and I’m not going to do anything different or I’m not going to work anymore.’ A land grab is just where these companies grab whatever they want. They don’t care the quality. They don’t care to have consistency within them because they’re searching for a certain number of practices, a certain financial number that gets on to the next cap event or whatever it is. We want more than that. We want to have those opportunities but we want to have it in a much more choreographed and deliberate manner than a lot of other places to.”- Brett (30:00—30:56)
“We have a CEO, CFO, COO, CMO, Regionals, Practice Managers. We have all of that in place. And every Wednesday our leadership gets together from 9-12…and that’s where we have the opportunity to bring up ‘Hey I need support over here. Hey this doctor is struggling and I haven’t told you about it. Can you go and help them, Jennifer?’ We go through all of that process.”- Jennifer (31:29—32:11)
“That is seems easier than it is. You think it’s going to be a lot easier than it is. And a lot of dentists might start the process on their own thinking I got this. I can do this. As doctors we get a lot of positive reinforcement all day every day…but when you go into this other side of things you think that’s going to be really easy too and most dentists max out what they’re able to do. I just think about what we put into our practice. We have the 12 treatment rooms and it was like we had two jobs. I would go home at night and pass out for a few minutes and then I’d wake up and get started on some kind of marketing project.”- Jennifer (36:49—37:39)
“When you define your culture and your way early on, it’s much easier to say ‘I don’t think this is working.’ Jennifer said ‘Fail fast.’ I don’t think we have gone through this. We can find when people are becoming uncomfortable with some of the accountability. I don’t mean that in a bad way…It’s not the perfect scenario for everyone.” - Brett (40:27—40:48)
“If you buy another practice and you’re working less, you’re probably ruining that practice. What are you driving there?”- Jennifer (40:27—40:48)
“[A year from now] I hope we have created enough awareness in the community of we are doing. That we are real people behind this trying to do something. Do the right thing. And do something well. That we are more than just a group. And I hope by then we’ll start to have this reputation in the community.” - Jennifer (43:25—44:12)
“[A year from now] I want us to be an agent of change for good in dentistry. There are so many things that the DSO corporate world…people interpret that as this big negative and I want to be a place where people want to come work for us because we know they’re going to have an exceptional experience, exceptional support and be able to do great things because we are going to want to push them to do great things. I don’t want someone who is going to sit and coast. And I hope that people look at Espire as a place that you can do great things from top to bottom.” -Brett (44:20—45:07)
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
14:00 Creating culture.
20:36 What worked and what didn’t.
23:28 Change is hard.
28:04 The Espire Difference.
29:36 A land grab.
31:15 Leadership.
36:42 What others are getting wrong.
43:20 What’s on the road ahead.
Dr. Brett Levin Bio:
After obtaining his dental degree at the University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine, Dr. Levin returned home to Denver to practice with his father, Dr. Alan Levin. Having served the Glendale/Cherry Creek area for over 20 years, he values the “idyllic” relationships he has created with his patients. He is committed to upholding the traditions of Espire Dental while incorporating the best of modern dental practice technologies.
Dr. Levin is one of a select few clinical instructors at the prestigious Kois Center, a clinical program designed to integrate the latest advances in esthetic, implant, and restorative dentistry. As a leading Denver cosmetic dentist specializing in dental veneers, same-day crowns, and clear aligners, he is uniquely qualified to give patients the smile of their dreams.
Dr. Levin is a respected member of the Denver dental community, having served on the board of the Metro Denver Dental Society (twice) and being awarded 5280 Magazine’s Top Dentist every year since 2008. He has also traveled on medical mission trips, providing dental care to communities in need.
Follow Dr. Levin on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/brettrlevindmd/
Dr. Jennifer Derse:
After dental school at Marquette University School of Dentistry, Dr. Derse focused her practice on cosmetic dentistry in Scottsdale, Arizona, and taught at the Arizona School of Dentistry. In 2010, she moved to Denver to join Espire Dental, formerly Levin Family Dental, where she has maintained a Top Dentist award by 5280 Magazine every year since.
Dr. Derse completed the Kois Continuum and focuses her dental practice on esthetic and restorative dentistry. She is actively involved in the Denver community, serving on local non-profit boards and fundraising with Smiles for Life. She has also gone on numerous medical missions to the Dominican Republic and Guatemala to provide dental care in needy communities. To build upon her service in non-profits, she started the Derse Levin Foundation, Espire’s philanthropic arm that funds humanitarian work along with local charities.
Dr. Derse loves puppies, traveling, cycling, and spinning (you can ask how she fell off the spin bike). Fun fact: as a leading cosmetic dentist specializing in dental veneers, same-day crowns, and Invisalign, she is often called up as an expert witness for dental cases presented to the Colorado Dental Board.
Follow Dr. Derse on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/espiredental/
666: AR is a Team Sport - Dayna Johnson
Collecting money isn’t always an easy conversation, but it’s critical to the business. And it’s not just an admin task. The whole team should be learning how to get involved and support the profitability of the business. Listen to expert Dayna Johnson share her systematic approach. Learn more in Episode 666 of The Best Practices Show!
Episode Resources:
- Subscribe toThe Best Practices Show podcast https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join ACT’sTo The Top Study Club https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- See ACT’sLive Events Schedule https://www.eventbrite.com/cc/act-dental-live-workshops-306239
- GetThe Best Practices Magazine for free! https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Write a review on iTunes https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show/id1223838218
Links Mentioned in This Episode:
Dayna Johnson’s Website: https://novonee.com/
Dayna’s Podcast: https://novonee.com/podcast/
Main Takeaways:
Accounts receivable is not just an admin task. It’s the responsibility of the team.
Your money is worth the most today. You have to collect the patient portion on the date of service.
It’s not just about collecting money, but being proactive about preserving the relationship when an honest conversation is had about the patient’s financial responsibility.
Use a systematic daily, weekly and monthly approach to getting insurance claims paid.
Make sure your team understands how critical profitability is and how they personally can influence the collections in the practice.
Quotes:
“Your accounts receivable is the money that’s sitting on the books. So you produce $1000 today and you only collect $500 then you still have $500 of accounts receivable. You still have money that’s sitting on the books. The accounts receivable, some of it might be coming from dental insurance companies, some of the money might be coming from patients. And so there are those two buckets of money that needs to be collected. And the reason why I say it’s a team sport because collections is not just an admin task. It doesn’t just belong at the front desk at the check out. Everyone on that team needs to understand what the patients out of pocket is today and how much do we have to collect today? And if someone on the admin team or someone at the front desk is not available to collect that money, how do I jump in as a dental assistant or doctor. How do I jump in and run the credit card through the machine and collect that money that is due today?” - Dayna (3:57—5:11)
“Your money is worth the most today. You have to collect the patient portion on the date of service. This is so critical to the profitability of the practice. Once your accounts receivable goes past even 30 days, you’ve already lost about 15% of the value of that money.” - Dayna (5:22—5:48)
“Most dental teams really don’t think about profitability…Why should I care? I work in the back. Profitability doesn’t affect me. Well it sure does because profitability is where raises come from. It’s where bonuses come from. Your new scrubs that you want to wear. Your instruments. Your team CE. All of that comes from profitability.” - Dayna (6:19—6:49)
“Being more proactive on the front end so you’re not chasing money on the back end. And it helps preserve the relationship [with the client] because you’re being open, honest and transparent with your patient about their financial out of pocket expense on the date of service.” - Dayna (9:00—9:18)
“Job descriptions and what is my primary role within the practice is huge with you understanding what your tasks are. How do I master my skills at this primary role? And then you know walking in the door every day what am I accomplishing today? What is the outcome that I want?...I see not only are admin team members not trained well, but they’re also also just a little bit confused as to what’s my primary role here?” - Dayna (10:40—11:38)
“I want you to be more proactive. It really starts from the treatment planning side because the treatment that you are going to be scheduling for the patient needs to be accurate and comprehensive and so the clinical team they treatment plan, and if they need a crown, a build up and maybe a couple of fillings and someone on the team needs to prepare that treatment plan. And of course we want to be as accurate as possible with our estimates. If the patient has insurance, we want to be able to prepare the patient for what their out of pocket investment is going to be in their next visit. My rule is a patient does not get scheduled for treatment without a financial arrangement…Because what will happen is the patient will get scheduled and they don’t know what their out of pocket investment is and then the day of the appointment comes and the patient still doesn’t know what their out of pocket is so the patient really thinks it could be $50. It could be $5,000. They just don’t know. So that’s when you’re going to have that uncomfortable situation.” - Dayna (12:14—13:32)
“Now it’s a team sport because the whole team needs to be informed of what is that patient’s copay for today. So this might happen in your morning huddle. You might make an appointment note on the appointment…the patient is informed. They might have a signed agreement already. But then the whole entire team knows from that appointment that the patient has been informed about their out of pocket. They know they owe $500 today. And so anyone on the team that is available to collect that $500 should know how to run the credit card.” - Dayna (14:30—15:25)
“So I have a pretty systematic approach when it comes to your daily, weekly and monthly systems when it comes to accounts receivable….On a daily basis, of course you balance your day so what did we produce? What did we collect? What did we adjust off? And we balance that every day. Insurance claims go out within 24 hours of the date of service. Billing statements are going out every day…When you send statements every day you’re catching those overdue balances a lot quicker…Weekly is you have a team member at your practice where their primary role managing accounts receivable. You have an accounts receivable report…and you have an insurance claims manager report you’re looking up past due claims. If the claim is over 30 days then I’m checking on the status of that claim. If that claim gets to 60 days past due I’m involving the patient and that’s really hard for a lot of offices…At 90 days if the account is not paid up, I’m sending my first collection letter. And then at 4 months, I’m sending them to collections.” - Dayna (17:30—19:45)
“With accounts receivable a lot of times it is putting the emotion aside because you are running a small business. Sometimes we have to take things to that level and send that patient to a collection agency. I know it’s hard, but if we did it the right way and collect on the day of service we wouldn’t get to that point anyway.” - Dayna (21:04—21:30)
“With the accounts receivable ratio, which is the total accounts receivable on the books compared to the monthly production number, I still like to see that below 1.0. So probably between 0.5-1.0 which means you have about only a month of production on the books. Over 90 days past due I want to see that less than 10%. And collection percentage, I feel like 98% is still the gold standard.” - Dayna (22:17—23:00)
“I think the number one thing that they get wrong about AR is that it’s only an admin task. That it only belongs at the front desk…Identifying that everyone can be involved in accounts receivable. You can help the profitability of your own practice just by not dismissing that patient from their crown prep appointment without collecting that $500.” - Dayna (28:27—29:00)
“Another thing I see doctors getting wrong is not understanding what their accounts receivable is. Just taking that important system, the most important piece of their practice and not looking at it. And just trusting someone on the team to manage it and not looking at the adjustments. And not looking at what their accounts receivable percentage is or their collection percentage is. And I think that’s another place where doctors put their head in the sand.” - Dayna (29:23—30:01)
“Why is accounts receivable so important? I think when the team understands that accounts receivable and getting the money in the bank effects them personally with them asking for a raise or wanting to get a bonus, start wanting new scrubs, going to a conference. Any of those extra benefits that they want from their practice, all of that comes from collections and the profitability of the practice. I think when the team understands how critical profitability is and how they personally can influence the collections in the practice I think you can get everyone on board.” - Dayna (34:08—34:54)
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
3:57 About accounts receivable.
5:22 Your money is worth the most today.
7:40 Be more proactive about the financials.
11:45 How to make AR a team sport.
16:30 Past due balances.
20:00 Working with a collections company.
22:00 The standard for ratios.
28:20 What people get wrong about AR.
33:58 Final thoughts.
Dayna Johnson Bio:
Dayna Johnson has helped dental offices from around the country easily transition down the path to paperless using her years of experience as a dental office manager and Certified Dentrix Trainer. As one of the Pacific Northwest’s most trusted consultants, she gives a straightforward and complete assessment for each of her clients. No two dental offices are alike, and Dayna channels her passion for going chartless to help each of her clients fulfill their goals and increase their profitability.
Dayna’s expertise has helped her earn prestigious honors such as:
- Spirit Award for Independent Certified Dentrix Trainers for her loyalty and dedication to the Henry Schein brand.
- Teaching Dentrix seminars for Henry Schein throughout the United States.
- Authors the national blog for dental office managers for Dentrix users.
- Featured speaker at the Business of Dentistry Conference in Las Vegas.
“Going chartless” is an often-used and often-misunderstood term in the dental world. Dayna’s expertise will allow practices to see benefits such as automated systems that give team members more time to spend on patient care, integrated electronic services to ensure your patients know your practice is keeping up with the latest technology, making the patient chart more accessible, and allowing the clinical team to treatment plan while the front office can be working ahead on payment plans and insurance issues, raising the level of office security to comply with new HIPAA requirements, and much more.
With 18 years of experience in the business and technical sides of dental offices, Dayna’s passion for efficient systems is grounded in personal understanding and professional expertise. Dayna knows firsthand the problems that occur when collections are down and a schedule is full of holes. She has also lived the frustration of too many hours spent hunting for misplaced patient information and mishandled recordkeeping.
Join Dayna on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/DentalConsultantConnection/
665: Treatment Planning & Digital Are Not the Same Thing! – Dr. Jeff Rouse
If you're new in the digital space, there's one thing you should know: digital smile design and treatment planning are not the same thing! To explain how they're different and why the confusion is one of his biggest pet peeves, Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. Jeff Rouse from Spear Education with advice for using digital and analog in your treatment planning process. Analog isn't outdated just yet! To learn why the best dentists still use analog, listen to Episode 665 of The Best Practices Show!
Episode Resources:
- Join Dr. Rouse on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jeff.rouse.58
- Follow Dr. Rouse on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jeffreyrouse
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show podcast: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- See ACT’s Live Events Schedule: https://www.eventbrite.com/cc/act-dental-live-workshops-306239
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free! https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Write a review on iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show/id1223838218
Links Mentioned in This Episode:
Register for Facially Generated Treatment Planning at Spear Education (December 2-4, 2023): https://campus.speareducation.com/workshops/facially-generated-treatment-planning/details/syllabus
Main Takeaways:
Understand the difference between treatment planning and digital design.
Digital still has some limitations for certain kinds of cases.
Smile design software is not a treatment planning tool.
Don't go fully digital until you master analog.
Using software can lead you to overtreat.
Quotes:
“I love the idea behind [digital] of creating a motivational mock-up. So, when DSD or Dr. Christian [Coachman] talks about doing that, I think that's perfect. I absolutely agree with the whole concept of being able to motivate a patient to continue on and create the desire to do dentistry. Got it. The problem comes when you believe that is treatment planning — because it's not. It’s a motivational mock-up to get people interested in doing something, but it tells you nothing about how to actually do the dentistry.” (4:46—5:34)
“Digital designing doesn't show you how to treatment plan the case. It simply is a way of giving an illusion to a patient to create a desire to act, but it doesn't treatment plan the case. In fact, I would argue, in some cases, it actually does quite a bit of harm because unless you're skilled at treatment planning, you don't know what can and can't be accomplished. You just simply pick out the perfect place for a smile, and it doesn't matter if the teeth are going to actually work with that final smile at all, and it ends up creating the need for more dentistry, some dentistry that doesn't really need to be done. There are tons of problems because people conflate one with the other, treatment planning with smile design.” (6:54—7:53)
“Treatment planning is, if you start in the Spear world, figuring out where the incisal edge of the central incisor belongs in a three-dimensional plane. So, it's not only in a vertical, horizontal fashion but also in an AP fashion. So, you have to figure out exactly where it belongs, and then you work your way around the rest of the arch. That is where the teeth belong. Treatment planning is, how do I actually get the teeth into that position and, more importantly, in the Global Diagnosis system, how do I get the gingival architecture into the position that it needs to be for me to actually accomplish the dentistry that I'm describing? So, that could be, ‘Everything is fine. It works perfectly. Let's rock and roll. All we need to do is make the teeth prettier than what they are. They just have a bunch of restorations in them.’ Unfortunately, the majority of the cases that people are using smile design concepts on are cases with significant amount of wear, significant amount of erosion, teeth that are malpositioned, teeth that are twisted, turned, or something is off in the totality of the smile. Well, in those cases, the gingival architecture is off, the positioning of the tooth is off — everything is off. And so, you have to, in treatment planning, figure out how I can get the teeth and the gingiva to work within this framework or idea of where the perfect smile is.” (8:38—10:16)
“Smile design, on the other hand [of treatment planning], simply limits it to, ‘Let me show you a pretty picture of where the teeth would look better on you.’ It has nothing to do with the reality of the case behind what you've drawn. It's just, ‘This is where the teeth would look really good, and here's a model of a tooth that would look pretty on this particular patient.’ That's great. I love it. But I love it for what it's intended for, which is selling the patient on the design. Unfortunately, when you confuse it and call that treatment planning, then you run into real problems with the overall case.” (10:40—11:26)
“You have to learn how to treatment plan to make [the design] software work to your advantage. If you don't know how to treatment plan, you will get frustrated by that software because it's going to require you to do more dentistry than your patient base probably can do, because most people that are doing this don't have a lot of patients that can do full-mouth rehabilitation — that's me included. I don't have a lot of people walking through the door all the time that say, ‘Design the most perfect smile for me.’ And, by the way, now that you've designed the smile, all the teeth are in the wrong location, which means I have to do the lower teeth as well to get the function that I'm after. I don't have a lot of those people, and design software would lead you to believe that that's the treatment plan.” (12:47—13:47)
“At the current moment, digital has some limitations that if you want to do [certain] types of cases, you've either got to be very invested in expensive software and very time-consuming effort in order to transfer information correctly to your virtual articulator — which, I found very few people do. Now, the ones that do it, that's great. But the majority of practices are not invested that deeply into digital. They scan for a crown. They scan for a nightguard. They may print the nightguard in the office. They may make casts in the office. They may store digital files in the office. But they're not so invested in the case so as to have the ability to put a virtual facebow to it and a face on it. And so, if the patient is canted like in the case that I was referencing, if you try to send that off to the laboratory, or even something as simple as send it to Invisalign or some sort of orthodontic system — I mean, if they're canted and you level that cant virtually, your wax-up is going to be completely off. Your orthodontic movement is going to be completely off. Everything is going to be off. And so, the idea that a facebow is gone, to me, it has not reached that point in time.” (16:59—18:36)
“While I have a 3Shape scanner in my office, I choose not to use it because I can get things done more efficiently by simply staying in the analog world at this point in time.” (18:42—18:55)
“It is very limiting to throw everything into the digital world unless you're really willing to live in that world completely.” (19:16—19:24)
“It's amazing, some of the things that they're able to accomplish [with digital], and workarounds and such when I say, ‘Well, this is a problem.’ ‘No, I can do it this way, that way, or the other.’ I think it's phenomenal that they can do it. That's just not the regular dentist. Too many of the regular dentists give up on analog because they . . . I don't know why, honestly. I think they want to seem progressive, but it just makes their life harder.” (19:55—20:24)
“If I was a young dentist today, I would do everything in my power to get really, really good at analog with a little smattering of digital. But remember, digital — I can do everything analog. I can do everything. I can exit my practice having never practiced digitally and be just fine. It's just learning to work within that world. And, by the way, I would note that . . . for the most part, if you put together all the big names in dentistry right now and said, ‘Tell me how they practice,’ they're analog.” (22:11—22:58)
“Anybody that you're like, ‘Oh, yeah. They're really good,’ when it comes right down to the difficult cases, they're all analog. Bigger cases, cases that are off somehow, all the hard cases they do, they're always doing it in analog. So, if that's true — which, I know it is — why do you think that you have to be digital just to keep up with people?” (23:05—23:35)
“If I was a new dentist and going out and trying to get continuing education, I would go somewhere and learn how to do things in an analog fashion. Learn how to make a facebow. Learn what an articulator does. Learn how to use stone on an articulator. Learn the proper way of doing all these things. If you want to print a cast, that's fine. But the cast doesn't, today, have the detail that stone does. It's not even close. A printed cast is not close to a stone cast, and there are reviews all the time in the literature to tell us that. So, are there cool things that can be done digitally? Yes. But with the background of analog and knowing how to work analog, you know what the deficiencies are as well to digital. So, you can then pick out the strengths of the digital and use it. That's how I work with it in my practice, is when I have something that I know digital does really well, that's when I use it. When I know there's something that analog does better, that's when I use it.” (24:05—25:15)
“So long as a young dentist is going into the smile design world knowing that that's not treatment planning, that it’s a way of motivating a patient — if all they do is say, ‘This is a motivational mock-up,’ that's what I get from it, then it's a wonderful tool.” (25:44—26:05)
“The frustration a young dentist is going to get [with digital smile design] is they're going to look at it and go, ‘Now, what do I do? How do I actually make this happen?’ If you don't have a background in treatment planning, you are going to do crown lengthening to mimic the gingival contours on the mock-up. And if a tooth is in the wrong place, you're going to cut the bejesus out of the tooth in order to make it happen, or you're going to not cut so aggressively and you're going to have to warp your crowns around, which won't mimic the mock-up anymore. So, if you want to get digital smile design, go learn how to treatment plan so that you know how to actually make it happen and marry those two technologies, or marry the technology of smile design with the intelligence of treatment planning so that they can work the way they're supposed to work, which is to the benefit of the patient, and that you're not just crowning or veneering everything you see there, that you actually get their teeth in the right location, you get the tissue in the right location, but you do it the correct way. You don't force the case once you get to that point in time because you know what needs to be done.” (26:25—27:48)
“Some of the best dentists in the world don't actually treatment plan very well. They do really beautiful dentistry, but their treatment planning is not that well done.” (28:23—28:33)
“I honestly do understand what digital can do for you and the benefits that digital can have for you. And the way I understand that is I know how to do analog, and I know what analog can do better than digital — because this discussion a few years ago would be completely different. Three, four, five years ago, digital couldn't do a lot of the things that it can today. And so, I trust it more than I would have in the past. In the smile design world, it's always been the same problem, though, since its introduction. People are taking it as a treatment planning tool, and it absolutely is not — and it's never been marketed as that. It's always been marketed as a way of creating a vision for the patient as to what can be done so that you get this motivational mock-up.” (33:06—34:00)
“All the people involved, from Christian [Coachman] on out to all the other different people that have done this and are talking about it, never say, ‘This is how you treatment plan the case,’ by somehow magically making the teeth go to that spot. They always say it's much more in-depth than that. Now that you know where you want the teeth, you have to figure out how to get them there and get them there correctly. But people miss that over, and over, and over again, and they think that learning the treatment plan is old-school, and the old way, and we need to do digital, and in order to be up to date, you've got to show digital. And that's not right. That's simply incorrect. They are two completely different issues, and there will never be a digital version of how to treatment plan. It will never exist because it's a way of thinking. Maybe AI can someday treatment plan for us. But it isn't now, and it's not for the foreseeable future because there are too many different variables that are involved at the present time.” (34:01—35:15)
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
1:47 The problem with digital.
8:19 Treatment planning and smile design, defined.
11:27 The problem with design software.
15:28 Don't give up on analog.
20:24 The best dentists still use analog.
27:51 Things dentists get wrong.
29:32 Have a systematic approach to treatment planning.
32:31 Last thoughts.
35:17 About Dr. Rouse’s Facially Generated Treatment Planning course.
Dr. Jeff Rouse Bio:
Dr. Jeff Rouse is recognized as a pioneer in the field of airway prosthodontics — the impact that a compromised airway has on the stomatognathic system. Along with fellow Spear Resident Faculty member, Dr. Greggory Kinzer, he developed the "Seattle Protocol" to recognize, control, and direct resolution of airway distress in a restorative dental practice.
After graduating from dental school in San Antonio, Dr. Rouse completed a two-year general practice residency at the University of Connecticut Health Science Center. He practiced family dentistry for 12 years before returning to school to earn his specialty certificate in prosthodontics from The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio in 2004. He is a member of the American Academy of Restorative Dentistry and American College of Prosthodontists, and past president of the Southwest Academy of Restorative Dentistry.
Dr. Rouse maintains a private practice in San Antonio, Texas, and practices with Dr. Kinzer and Dr. Frank Spear in Seattle. He is also an adjunct assistant professor in the Department of Prosthodontics at The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio. Among his dental accolades, he has written numerous journal articles, including a portion of the “Annual Review of Selected Dental Literature” published each summer in the Journal of Prosthetic Dentistry. Most recently, he co-wrote a textbook by Quintessence titled, Global Diagnosis: A New Vision of Dental Diagnosis and Treatment Planning.
664: Winning with Data - 7 Practice KPIs to Illuminate Practice Health - Robyn Theisen
It’s not just about tracking any numbers. You have to know which numbers are the best to make a real impact. When you track these 7 KPIs you can make a treatment plan to illuminate your practice health. Learn more in Episode 664 of The Best Practices Show!
Episode Resources:
- Subscribe toThe Best Practices Show podcast https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join ACT’sTo The Top Study Club https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- See ACT’sLive Events Schedule https://www.eventbrite.com/cc/act-dental-live-workshops-306239
- GetThe Best Practices Magazine for free! https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Write a review on iTunes https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show/id1223838218
Links Mentioned in This Episode:
To the Top Session: Data to Dollars https://www.actdental.com/event/members-only-climb-with-us-register-for-april-19-2024-ttt-study-club
Contact Gina: gina@actdental.com
Main Takeaways:
Numbers don’t lie and it gives us a place to look to either celebrate our wins or look for opportunities.
Tracking makes you accountable.
Never charge $0.
Knowing the numbers tells you so much. And you can improve them.
7 KPIs to know: gross production, write off percentage, net production, collection percentage, new patient re-appointment percentage, diagnostic percentage, treatment acceptance percentage
Quotes:
“We need to know what our goals are. It gives us an idea of the standard of care, the things that we have in place, the beliefs that we have about who we say we are and are we doing them. And the way that we know is through numbers. Numbers don’t lie and it gives us a place to look to either celebrate our wins or look for opportunities.” - Robyn (2:03—2:30)
“Numbers are not emotional and team members often associate them with a negative or a positive and I really view them as they are. This is where we are starting and we have an opportunity to change that. If we think it’s a negative then what are we going to do to make it different? So that we look at it and we are happy about what the number shows us.” - Robyn (3:15—3:33)
“The first one is gross production…So the production is measuring your output potential or it is looking at everything that is posted to your ledger. What did we actually produce in a day. And so that is the first number to look at. And when I say charge the full fee, the other option would be to charge what your insurance…put on the ledger what your insurance fee is. And I think we miss a lot of information by not charging the full fee to really give us an idea of what our gross production or what our output potential is” - Robyn (4:25—4:56)
“There are inherent challenges with gross production. #1 not charging your master fee. A lot of people don’t know that means. Even if you’re 100% PPO and you’re listening to this podcast right now, you should be billing out your full master fee. Which in some cases might be twice what the PPO will allow and that’s ok because there may be a day where you’re not on the PPO and you don’t want your patients to say ‘Wow your fee when up 100% and now you don’t take my insurance.’ You don’t want that to be the narrative. The other inherent challenge with gross production…is you’re a dentist who is a really nice person and you don’t charge any fee at all because you have your sister in and she’s in for 2 days while you prep the uppers. Well she’s my sister. I’m not gonna bill that hour and charge that out. And at the end of the month you’re like we didn’t make any money…When you put it in the computer it shows you how you utilize your time. It shows us how you utilize your time and you can start to be elective with your write offs” - Kirk (5:00—6:15)
“Never charge $0. What you have to do from this point forward is do it very intentionally.” - Kirk (7:15—7:19)
“The second one is your write off percentage. For this one particularly, I think being the most specific you can be about your write off categories the better. So just to your point of the different insurance companies, I see a lot of offices that will have insurance company write offs. What I recommend is to have a Delta write off, a MetLife write off, a Cigna write off. It gives us information about what fees you’re receiving from our insurance. What the write offs are. And as you’re making decisions about whether you’re in or out of what network, how you want to have that relationship with PPOs going forward, knowing specifics about each insurance company is really important. In addition you’re going to have different write off categories. The elective write offs, it’s important to know what percentage that is. If you’re having to do warranty work, what percentage is that for the year. So being specific and really knowing where those write-offs come in is important to make some decisions around.” - Robyn (7:24—8:23)
“If you’re at 42% write-offs or you’re at 33% write offs that means you’re working 1 out of every 3 days for free for sure. Possibly more.” - Kirk (10:29—10:39)
“KPI #3 is your net production. So your gross production minus your write-off equals the net production and that is your revenue potential. So that is what you’d base the collections off of, is your net production. It’s the revenue potential you have within the practice. That’s important number. I know there are some that would say the only number. Gross production isn’t as important as net production. I disagree. Gross production is where you start. You need to know what the potential is and be able to evaluate the write-offs. Know where we want to continue to do that. Where we need to make some tweaks to get to the net production or what we can collect on.” - Robyn (11:50—12:26)
“[KPI #4 is] your collection percentage. So that’s looking at the percentage in your practice of your net production that you actually collect. And this is a number I see often that when I’m initially talking with teams or doctors, that they say we collect 100%. And this is one that is lower than they expect it to be, which makes it a really great reason to have it as one of the KPIs that you’re looking at to make sure you’re collecting 100% of what your potential is.” - Robyn (14:20—14:55)
“[Collections] is a team one. It’s a team opportunity. So if there is not a proper hand off at the front desk or you’re not having the PIT conversation, the PIT stop, those all impact our collection percentage. So it’s not just the responsibility of the business team or a reflection on them or what they are or are not doing. It’s really an opportunity to look at our whole system.” - Robyn (16:23—16:45)
“[KPI #5] is the new patient re-appoint percentage…We’re not tracking how many people we are re-appointing. So we talk about that number [of new patients] and that number means not a whole lot unless you know how many people are coming back. And so looking at the re-appoint percentage. And I like to be more specific and know how many patients are coming back into hygiene. The hygiene is where we are not going to lose them. They’re going to be part of our re-care process. We know they’re going to be coming back in. And it is an opportunity with a new patient to talk about how important hygiene is and build that value in hygiene so that they know when they come back how important that is within our practice.” - Robyn (18:20—19:16)
“Where is see the most new patients leave is through the Doctor’s schedule. And I get assistants and Doctors that say they’re here for an emergency. Those are the people who need you as a hygienist. They need your hygiene team to not have those emergencies. It’s that opportunity. It’s something that they don’t always think about. Those emergency patients are opportunities to get them into your hygiene program…We talk a lot about value and I believe with cancellations and no shows that it’s a value problem. Not a cancellation problem. And so if a new patient comes in and we don’t talk them at all about hygiene at that first appointment, how important is that appointment. So now when we’re trying to talk you 2 or 3 appointments later about hygiene you’ve lost an opportunity to really talk about the value.” - Robyn (21:35—22:27)
“You as a dentist don’t need every patient. You don’t want to be a dentist for every patient. All you need is the right number of patients to build your practice. And depending on practice style, a hygienist that works full time only needs 750 patients if they’re seeing them twice a year. If your team is locked in on making sure the right new patients are calling and they’re going through hygiene, over time, two decades, I could filter this process so we’re inviting back the right people and in no time…you’ve got..If you’re a one doctor practice and two hygienists, you’ve got 1300 of the right type of patients, where you’re annual patient value is north of $1000 and now you’re killing it…instead of trying to capture everything because if your new patient numbers are through the roof and your new patient re-appointment are below the floor, you’re filing the practice with terrible patients and wondering when can I sell?” - Kirk (22:40—23:54)
“KPI #6 is the diagnostic percentage and I’m speaking in dental intel. So the way that dental intel measures that is it takes the number exams a doctor does in a month and of those exams how many are something new diagnosed at. So the patient could have an existing treatment plan and this is looking at what new is diagnosed. So that diagnostic percentage is really important to take a look at to have a good barometer of how many of your patients are leaving with good treatment plans and how many are you diagnosing on. One thing I’m seeing with this diagnostic percentage is how busy our hygiene programs are the need for that mix of patients within program to keep the doctors busy.” - Robyn (24:11—25:14)
“[Number 7] is treatment acceptance percentage. In dental intel it measures it in 2 ways. One of them is measuring the people. It’s looking at the number of treatment plans that were presented and then how treatment plans something was accepted. So it’s looking at people. And the other one is looking at treatment dollars. So of those treatment plans there were X amount of dollars and this was the dollar amount that was accepted. So it’s a way to look at both of those numbers and determine are there areas of opportunity there? Is the treatment getting accepted to the percentage that we want it to be?” - Robyn (27:05—27:39)
“I hope you’re seeing through this, when you use these 7 KPIs to illuminate your practice health what you can do is diagnose your business. It’s not just about tracking random numbers or seeing how much money we can make. But when you start with gross production, write off percentage, net production, collection percentage, new patient re-appointment percentage, diagnostic percentage, treatment acceptance percentage, you can literally say this quarter let’s work on this number…and by doing that you create compound effects on the overall health and result of the business.” - Kirk (28:47—29:27)
“These are 7 great KPIs to really take a look at, that gives you a bird’s eye view to what’s going on in the practice and areas of opportunity. And I think numbers too are a great way to celebrate with your team. When you get the numbers to where they are, it’s an awesome place to celebrate and look back on where you were and where you are today and the efficiencies you’ve created through it.” - Robyn (30:50—31:11)
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
2:00 Why are KPIs important?
4:12 How to start.
7:24 Writing Off.
11:50 Calculating the business potential.
14:20 Your collection percentage.
18:20 It’s not just about the new patient percentage.
24:11 The diagnostic percentage.
27:05 Treatment percentages accepted.
30:45 Final thoughts.
Robyn Theisen Bio:
Robyn Theisen brings an entire life and legacy of dental experience to the team and every team with which she works as the daughter and sister of dentists. With almost 20 years of experience in dentistry, her roles ranged from practice management to operations at Patterson Dental to coaching teams. Robyn’s passion is empowering teams to realize that they can dramatically impact the lives of the people they serve by implementing skills and systems to remove barriers to life-changing dental treatment. She has done it for decades and does it every day with dental teams.
Outside of coaching, she enjoys time with her husband, Rob, and two daughters, Emerson and Ruby. She loves traveling, music, fitness, and cheering on the Michigan State Spartans.
Send Robyn an email robyn@actdental.com
Follow Robyn on ACT’s Instagram https://www.instagram.com/actdental/
663: How to Make Clear Aligners Profitable - Allison Lacoursiere
Whether you offer clear aligners in your practice or you’ve been thinking about it, Allison Lacoursiere has tips on how to bring them into your practice efficiently, get your patients to overcome cost barriers and how to make it profitable. Learn more in Episode 663 of The Best Practices Show!
Episode Resources:
- Subscribe toThe Best Practices Show podcast https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join ACT’sTo The Top Study Club https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- See ACT’sLive Events Schedule https://www.eventbrite.com/cc/act-dental-live-workshops-306239
- GetThe Best Practices Magazine for free! https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Write a review on iTunes https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show/id1223838218
Links Mentioned in This Episode:
Aligner Bootcamp: domoreclearalignercases.com
Clear Aligner Coaching: https://www.yourclearalignercoach.com/coaching
Main Takeaways:
Dentistry went through a big shift during the pandemic.
Patients are more educated about clear aligners. You, as a dentist, need to be as well.
Don’t “kind of” do aligners. Go all in or it can be a big waste of your time.
Partner with your orthodontist and you will both benefit.
Educate your patients on the importance of teeth retention.
Attach a value along with the cost of the aligners, so patients can overcome cost barriers.
Clear aligners should be a team effort with minimal support from the doctor.
Quotes:
“Dentistry has continued to change and evolve and partially during the pandemic I think we saw a big shift. But there is something that’s happening, especially as it relates to social media, to marketing, to digital technology where patients are getting almost an inside perspective of our practices. They get to see more. They get to understand dentistry better because we are talking about it in different ways on social media, online, YouTube, all of these places. And so first of all patients want clear aligners. They want that beautiful smile. They can see it as an option now…Patients are knowing more now and they know they want clear aligners. Partially because the aligner companies have done such a good job making it understandable to the modern day consumer. So that’s reason #1. Reason #2 comprehensive treatment planning. If we can put the teeth in the right position before we place implants, bridges, crowns, we are doing better for our patients…The third one: it can be highly profitable.” - Allison (3:05—4:10)
“[Aligners are] something that [patients] want, so as a general dentist being able to offer something like this to them is really really powerful.” - Allison (4:55—5:00)
“If you want to do clear aligners, don’t dip your toe in. Don’t kind of do it….otherwise it can be a big waste of your time. Go all in. Know how to use the software, whatever software you choose to know. Know how to use the treatment planning and implement it across your entire team so that your team knows why you’re doing this. Go all in. The second thing is clear aligners are a team drive procedure meaning they don’t go in your productive chair. They don’t need a lot of doctor time. And so if you’re here sitting here listening to this podcast and you’re like ‘wait a minute, clear aligners are taking up a lot of my chair time’, that’s a problem. So get them out of your chair and into your team’s chair and get your team to run the system.” - Allison (5:18—6:07)
“Your orthodontist will be excited because when you start screening every single one of your patients for orthodontic treatment you’re going to refer more because you’ll see more…and you’ll want to refer…be open and honest with your Orthodontist. “Hey we’re offering clear aligners in our practice. I may need your help on a couple of cases, but I’m still going to be referring the cases I’m not confident doing to you.” - Allison (7:39—8:30)
“I think the language around retention needs to change. And we’re going to have it. Patients are not compliant with their retainers. They’re going to be super disciplined for a couple of years and maybe drop off…we don’t take that on. We are educating them on your teeth are going to constantly move over the course of your life…we want to be able to protect your arch with arch height and holding it in place with a retainer. That’s your job for the rest of your life to have a retainer and then they still don’t do it? We don’t have to feel guilty about that. We have done the process.” - Allison (9:12—9:43)
“I think we have to remember our patients are going to pay for what they want…We have to do what we do best which is treatment plan and educate and offer a reasonable, flexible payment option for our patients…One of the biggest mistakes I see practices make is the assumption is that patients are not going to want it or pay for it…It’s our job to educate patients on the consequences, the risk, the factors over time. ‘If we leave your teeth like this, what is going to happen? If we move your teeth into the right position, what is going to happen?’ And that’s our job. It’s not our job to assume what our patients are going to pay. How much they rely on their insurance or not. We have to let that go and just do dentistry.” - Allison (11:47—12:47)
“[The confidence of the person discussing the money] is make or break when it comes to the success of clear aligners in your practice. And what many practices do is they take it on as if they decide if the patients are the ones that are going to choose to start or not. Assume they are going to. Assume they will start. Assume that they find this valuable and important. When I ask people ‘Why do you think patients say no?’ They say ‘Money’ That’s a part of it for sure, but the other two factors are trust in you and your entire practice and value. Do they value what you just gave them? There is a reason you said yes and so when we can attach the money to the value that is when patients will be like “I totally understand. I’m going to do this.’” - Allison (13:30—14:13)
“Our relationship with the patient starts online and more and more than ever our patients are looking into us. They are researching us. They are trying to see who we are. How we can help them. So we must have [what we offer] on our website. We must have it on our social media. And not just one time. Many times. Marketing is not doing something different each day. It’s saying the same thing in different ways. So don’t be afraid to be repetitive. Make sure it’s in your waiting room. Make sure its in the operatory. Be so obvious with the fact that you do clear aligners. You’re not being pushy. You’re not being salesy. You’re just showing them it’s an option in your practice.” - Allison (15:33—16:09)
“Digital technology is changing dentistry. It’s changing what patients know could be true for them and seeing is believing. So if you have a digital scanner and you feel like maybe you’re not utilizing it enough or you don’t have a digital scanner. When I was in clinic it was the one tool that completely changed the game for our practice. We started scanning every single new patient and we’d literally be like ‘Look, what do you see? Let’s look at this.’ And it creates this buy in that I’ve never seen with patients before…and especially with the millennial population which is the largest cohort of purchasers and decision-makers the world has ever seen, coming into your practice. They’re constantly looking at themselves on camera. So if you can show them this is what your teeth will look like using the digital software on your scanner, you’re 10 steps ahead.” - Allison (16:53—17:49)
“Get super efficient with the Clincheck technology. And you get to do the same thing again and again with every case, there are ways to make it super super simple and streamlined. The second thing is your are spending too much time, you as a dentist, on the case. You must have your team be an ortho-assistant for you. So they’re doing the scanning. They’re doing the treatment case presentation. They’re doing the aligner checks. They’re doing the bonding and debonding. This is not a doctor procedure and it’s the one procedure that we can add to our practice that won’t take up more time. And then I would say inefficiency in the systems. With clear aligners, everyone needs to know who is doing what when and how more than a lot of other procedures because it can touch a lot of hands and so you have to be very very systemized with it. And then also just look at your pricing. We know what the average bill is. We know the average cost of chair time. We know what our marketing budget is. Run a P&L just on your clear aligners and see how much this is actually costing me. What do I need to charge? What is my average profit per case? And it will give you an idea of when you’re running promotions or you’re doing more, what that actually looks like.” - Allison (18:30—19:46)
“It’s just going to continue to grow and I think one of the things that really motivates me about this is just our ability to set up our cases better. So if we are placing an implant, if we are placing anything permanent in our patient’s mouth, the question we ask ourselves is could we put our teeth in a better position first? And the reality is, with more information that our patients are getting they can understand more about dentistry, they’re going to expect more from you…I can see this trend where straight, white teeth is the norm. People want that. It’s all over social media.” - Allison (22:28—23:13)
“If this feels daunting to you to add this entire procedure, I know a lot of times general dentists say ‘You know we didn’t get enough coursework in school for me to be confident about this.’ There are so many opportunities for education online. You can figure this out very quickly and easily and it can be a really beautiful part of your practice.” - Allison (23:46—24:06)
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
3:00 Why clear aligners are becoming more popular.
5:00 How to start integrating aligners into your practice.
7:30 Work with your orthodontist.
11:15 Making it profitable.
13:00 Overcoming cost barriers.
16:50 Using digital technology to recruit more patients.
18:00 Get more efficient with how you’re using clear aligners in your practice.
22:28 The future of the industry.
23:40 Final thoughts.
Allison Lacoursiere, RDA, OA, CPC, ELI-MP Bio:
Innovator Allison Lacoursiere, RDA, OA, CPC, ELI-MP, is the creator of the Clear Aligner Systemization methodology. Allison helps dentists and teams streamline efficiencies to increase both patient and practice satisfaction and health.
A native Canadian, Allison moved to Bermuda at the age of 19 to work as a dental assistant and to seek adventure and try something new. She incorporated a system in that practice which generated $80K a month in clear aligner production.
With over a decade of dental practice experience, Allison is a sought-after mentor and speaker. She helps dental teams improve culture, increase production, and grow into their full potential. She is certified through International Professional Excellence in Coaching and is a member of the International Coaches Federation. Allison is a member of Toastmasters International and has trained with Dale Carnegie Speaking Institution. She is a Certified Transformational Trainer through LionSpeak.
Allison is passionate about fitness and wellness. She is an active team member and competitor on the Bermuda National Beach Volleyball Team. Allison is also a certified personal trainer and yoga instructor. Her passion lies in empowering individuals to achieve their ultimate potential and life satisfaction.
Send Allison an email allison@yourclearalignercoach.com
Follow Allison on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/yourclearalignercoach/?hl=en
Follow Clearly IG on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/clearlyig/?hl=en
662: Work Less, Earn More: The Dentist’s Blueprint to a Dream Practice & Life – Dr. Barrett Straub
Do you find yourself working harder and harder, but earning less and less? If you're feeling overworked and overwhelmed, don't miss this episode! Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. Barrett Straub, ACT’s CEO, to share their blueprint for working less and earning more. Don't become a statistic — create your dream practice! To start writing off less and enjoying dentistry more, listen to Episode 662 of The Best Practices Show!
Episode Resources:
- Send Dr. Straub an email: barrett@actdental.com
- Join Dr. Straub on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/barrett.d.straub
- Follow Dr. Straub on ACT’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/actdental
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show podcast: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- See ACT’s Live Events Schedule: https://www.eventbrite.com/cc/act-dental-live-workshops-306239
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free! https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Write a review on iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show/id1223838218
Links Mentioned in This Episode:
Get your Golden Ticket to ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://info.actdental.com/golden-ticket
Get your free copy of ACT’s PPO Roadmap: https://www.actdental.com/free-resources/ppo-roadmap/
Get ACT’s Say This, Not That resource: https://form.jotform.com/221665137804153
Main Takeaways:
Working more hours does not equal more revenue.
Understand the different gaps in your practice.
Be proactive with your dental accountants.
Invest in differentiating your practice.
Create a plan for dropping PPOs.
Quotes:
“Some dentists that we're finding right now are writing off as much as 42% — and write-offs are climbing. Typically, we wouldn't find dentists that are writing off 42%. It might be normal to find a dentist that was writing off 20% or 22%. But the thing that's important right now is that write-offs are skyrocketing, and dentists aren't even aware of that. So, that's something very important to pay attention to.” (6:50—7:18) -Kirk
“It's not unusual for us to coach a practice and a dentist will say, ‘Well, I only participate with one insurance.’ I'll pull [the data], and I'm like, ‘Not really. There are a lot of other insurances you're not even aware of that are slowly filtering into your practice.’ So, we have to take a look at that.” (7:28—7:48) -Kirk
“I'm sure you're watching this going, ‘I'm busier than ever.’ We don't find one dental practice in the world that says, ‘I'm not busy.’ Everybody is too busy, too busy, too crazy, too many patients. The data reflects that. Here's what the data shows. The data shows that patient appointment wait times are up significantly in 2022. Now, the ADA points to this is likely a result of staffing shortages — I don't like the word staff. It's “team” — in dental offices. I kind of agree with that, but not wholeheartedly agree with that. I mean, more and more patients are going to the dental offices through PPO measures that everybody is incredibly busy. The data shows that.” (7:57—8:43) -Kirk
“Dentists across the United States are feeling overworked. This shows the percent indicating too busy to treat all people requesting appointments, or provided care to all who requested appointments but was overworked. The thing that [the ADA points] out is that it's at an all-time high. We're way too busy and we're way overworked. That's what the data shows. The bottom line is dentists are busier than ever.” (8:49—9:21) -Kirk
“Dentists are working more hours than ever. On average, right now, GP dentists worked 4.5% more hours in 2022 than the average from 2000 to 2019. The increase in 2022 is roughly equivalent to an extra 1.5 hours per week. Now, what this doesn't show you, we like to think of it in terms of days. There are people out there that work 12-hour days. Knock yourself out. That's crazy. But in real simple terms, 1,758 hours a year is the equivalent to 225 days a year — assuming you work eight hours in one day. That's a lot of days. That's way higher than the previous research that we had. The bottom line is dentists are working more hours, making less money. They perceive busyness is way up. The crunch is biting in terms of capacity, which is a whole other thing that we'll talk about. Wait times are up significantly for patients, and team member shortages are severe.” (9:39—10:51) -Kirk
“Usually, when we work more, our assumption is, ‘I will work more, and therefore my revenue will go up a corresponding amount.’ But the graphs and the numbers show that we are working more, working harder, expending more energy, and making less. So, no longer is working more actually benefiting you financially. There are other reasons you may feel the need to do it. The math isn't working anymore. We've got to understand the math and then apply the learning to our own practices because, ultimately, why do we practice dentistry? We're going to encourage you that the answer should be so you can live the life you want. When you're too busy and making less than you should, it affects your life. That's why we've got to reverse this equation here, do some math, and figure out some different strategies going forward based on this new knowledge that we have.” (11:03—11:59) -Dr. Straub
“If you come to anything that we do, you're going to hear us talk about gaps. Gaps will work like this. You've got a couple of gaps in your financial statements. The first gap is the effort gap. You’ve got what you produce, your gross production, your percentage of write-offs, your net production as a result of those write-offs, how many days that you actually gave to produce that much, and then gross production per day. We call that the effort gap, and that's an important gap that you have to pay attention to because you can't keep working more, and more, and more, and more, and more. There's a limit to that. We see some dentists giving blood, and they can't give anymore. And so, the effort gap is really important. As you tighten up each one of these gaps, you're going to see one more dollar falls to the bottom line.” (12:15—13:11) -Kirk
“The second gap is the collections gap. You've got your net collections number, and it comes as a result. It's your collectible production. Well, what percentage of those dollars did you actually collect? If your net collections is 94%, you're leaving six percent on the table. So, that's an important gap. You might be thinking, ‘Well, I've got Sally. Sally works at the front. She's so nice. She's been here for 20 years. We collect 92%.’ You have to collect 100% of your collectible production. That is money left on the table.” (13:13—13:50) -Kirk
“The third gap is your overhead gap. Costs are increasing. Costs are rising just to do business, and you have to know what percentage your overhead is. We see practices that have 75% overheads — some even higher than that. We're going to show you how you can get your arms around it. It's not about cutting costs. It's about, first of all, knowing what the percentage is. It's amazing how many dentists go, ‘My overhead is this number.’ I'm like, ‘It's not even close.’ That's a gap that you can trim up.” (13:53—14:23) -Kirk
“The last gap is your cash flow gap. Now, let me explain this . . . You're a dentist. You go to your accountant every year, and your accountant goes, ‘Man, look at your profit and loss statement.’ At the bottom of your profit and loss statement, it says, ‘Wow, I made $300,000!’ Your accountant goes, ‘You're doing so good compared to all my other clients!’ And then, you go, ‘Yeah . . . I don't have any money.’ Well, your P&L statement doesn't show what you paid in taxes. It doesn't show your loan payments. It doesn't show any of that stuff. And so, you go home to your spouse or significant other, and you're like, ‘We have no money. Yet, I keep working harder, and harder, and harder.’” (14:25—15:04) -Kirk
“To totally simplify it, every gap is where a portion of your production leaves your practice. So, if you do $1 of production, a portion of that leaves in the case of write-offs. On the screen, you're going to see a 14% write-off — 14%, gone. Of that remaining money, if you're not collecting 100% — so, let's say you collect 92%, per your example. You have an eight percent collections gap. So, eight percent of that dollar now has left again. Now, we have overhead expense. So, another big chunk of that dollar leaves. And then, we have this cash flow expense. So, really, what we're talking about is margin. The true profit margin on every dollar of production of that dollar produced, what I want to know as a small business owner and a dentist is, how much of that dollar do I actually get to put in my wallet? What we're seeing is the P&L statement is only a small part of this whole equation. When you put it all together and you work to shrink these gaps, your margin increases and, therefore, you get to put more money in your pocket.” (15:08—16:18) -Dr. Straub
“There's never been a business owner in the history of the United States that ran a business on a P&L. It’s just never happened. Anyone who's ever had a successful business will go, ‘A P&L is important, yeah. It shows me where cash went out.’ But that's half the story about what's going on in a business. You need cash. You need to pay taxes. You need to know the implications of all of this and how it's reflected in a P&L. So, don't let the P&L be your driving decision-maker. It's part of the story, but it's half of the story.” (17:48—18:24) -Kirk
“Every successful change process, no matter what it is in the world, starts with the first same step. You have to tell the truth. If you're in AA, Alcoholics Anonymous, the first step is you have to admit you're an alcoholic. If you go to a weight loss program, you have to first weigh in and find out what your weight is. Anything that you're doing, you have to start with, ‘Where are we right now?’ so that I can start to improve where we are — and it starts with data.” (18:34—19:05) -Kirk
“Here's the other thing you have to pay attention to. You probably have to educate your dental accountant. Now, I love dental accountants — don't get me wrong. But you can't be passive with a dental accountant. You have to be proactive with a dental accountant.” (28:02—28:14) -Kirk
“If you want to be happy as a dentist, you only need two things. You need progress — I call them the two P’s. And this is what we're showing. Year over year, you don't have to have the most amazing, brilliant everything. But if you're making progress every year, your soul is good. The second thing is you need predictability. By using this method we're showing you, you can predictably determine where your income is going to be and how hard you're going to work within very few dollars. It's really quite predictable when you can embrace progress and predictability.” (30:53—31:29) -Kirk
“Here is an important point to the math that you can't see. Nothing is more disheartening than when you feel PPOs run your practice. This is the critical point where you say, ‘I make the rules.’ And it's true — you make the rules. This is more powerful than the money.” (32:45—33:02) -Kirk
“There is nothing better than paying all of your bills and having money in the bank.” (34:28—34:31) -Kirk
“As you grow, growth sucks cash. Your business needs cash on hand in order to do anything in the future.” (34:34—34:43) -Kirk
“Every dentist watching knows this scenario. You're at CE. You're eating lunch with dentists, and they're like, ‘I produced $1.2 million. I produced $1.2 million.’ Now, I think we're starting to see that producing dentistry means very little. There's a big difference between the dentist at year one that says, ‘I produced $1.2 million,’ and the year three, ‘I produced $1.2 million.’ Those are very different practices. One has got $30,000 sitting in the bank with 20 more days, or five weeks more of vacation. They have $30,000 to take their family to Disney and spend some of that. The other one is stressed, scraping, and borrowing money from family members to pay the tax bill — but they both produced $1.2 million. And so, our point is, we as dentists have to stop focusing on production and know that production is just one small KPI in a much bigger, more complex story.” (35:55—36:47) -Dr. Straub
“Time is the new rich. I don't care what people produce. Gross production means absolutely nothing anymore in dentistry. I care about like, what kind of days do you work? I can't waste a day for anything. Yet, we see dentists wasting days. I mean, if you're writing off 42%, that means more than one out of every three days you're working, you're working for free. And that's not fun either.” (36:55—37:17) -Kirk
“This is not a joke. Anyone can do this. All you have to do is know the numbers. If you're not looking at the numbers and you're letting PPOs flood your practice, you have no idea what's going on, and you're a victim of circumstance. You now don't control your practice anymore. We want you to control your practice and enjoy your life.” (42:05—42:24) -Kirk
“There are three scenarios where we coach dentists, and they benefit from this gaps method. The first is, year one, ‘I don't know where my money is. I'm in financial hardship,’ and the gaps can help them strategize how to get out of financial hardship. That's scenario one. Scenario two is the doctors that are like, ‘Okay, I'm going to be practicing in my practice for many more years. I want to maximize my profitability for my effort, and I'm going to use the gaps, and I'm going to use these levers, and I'm going to use the production per day and how many days, and I'm going to find the right better life, better practice mix that works for me and my life and my family.’ That's phase two, and that's a bulk of the career. And then, we also coach dentists who are like, ‘Okay, I'm really good. I'm on the back nine of my career. I still love dentistry. I'm going to use this calculator to see how few days I can actually work and still make what I'm making. That will allow me to practice maybe longer than if I were just pounding it out.’ So, this isn't a young doctor, middle-aged doctor, or old doctor tool. It's for every phase of the professional career, and we can use this to make each phase as successful as we possibly can.” (44:01—45:21) -Dr. Straub
“Many people think they're going to lose all their patients [when they drop PPOs]. You might lose a few. But don't listen to the pundits who are like, ‘Oh, you're going to lose 20% across the board.’ That is absolutely not true. There are so many people that are like, ‘I dropped X, Y, Z insurance. No one is going away.’ I can't tell you the number of people that have dropped insurance, and they're like, ‘I am still way too busy.’ Here's the real issue. There isn't a dentist in the world that we get that isn't busy. Most practices we get, we'll get a single GP doc, and I'm like, ‘You have 3,500 patients.’ They go, ‘I know.’ I'm like, ‘You don't need 3,500 patients.’ The great restorative practices, if we're talking about GPs, they know exactly how many they need. They need 1,200 patients, probably about 750 per full-time hygienist in a practice. They know what to charge. They know how many days they work. So, I would be so quick to not say, ‘Oh, we're going to lose a bunch of patients.’ Now, if you don't have people paying your full fee and you're 100% PPO, that is true. If you get off PPOs, you're going to lose patients because you haven't created enough value. Here's the bottom line. I want people to come to you because of you — not because you're cheap, and not because you're easy. The real mark of a true professional is that people come to you, and they trust you, and they pay you because you're my person and my team is so well-trained.” (47:19—48:45) -Kirk
“Our practices that have gone fee-for-service, they'll be the first to tell you, ‘We get the insurance question all day long.’ Once you go fee-for-service, it's not like people come in and go, ‘I've got all this cash. Can you just prep all these?’ No, you still have the question every day from almost every other patient, ‘Do you take my insurance? Why aren't you on my plan? How come you cost so much?’ That's the game you have to play as an entrepreneur. You have to train your team. Verbal skills matter. Your team has to be so good that when somebody says, ‘Why aren't you on my plan?’ they go, ‘I love that question. Bring it.’” (48:48—49:19) -Kirk
“We never coach someone to just drop a PPO. There's a method and a right way to do it. We have a whole PPO Roadmap that we walk our coaching clients through, and it starts with data. It starts with identifying the low-hanging fruit insurance plans that make sense to get out of. It identifies the one that we should stay on for a little while. It doesn't mean you drop all your PPOs. So, there's a method and a strategy to doing it the right way. When done correctly, after making the right decisions, knowing the right data, and training the team for the right verbal skills, it's very successful. You will lose some, but much less than you can. Once you know the numbers, we can even do a calculation where you know how many of those patients you can lose and still break even. It's often like, ‘Oh my gosh, I can lose a ton and still break even financially.’ So, when it's done right, when we see dentists do it right — meaning, follow the roadmap, take our time, do it the right way — very successful. When dentists say, ‘Hey, guess what? I just dropped all my PPOs yesterday,’ and they didn't do the steps, it's not good. And so, there are some things that we need to ask ourselves. There are some strategies we need to employ before we [drop PPOs so we] can become successful. Part of it is this thing called differentiation. We coach all our dentists that the patient has to have a reason to go to you before you dump all your PPOs.” (49:28—51:07) -Dr. Straub
“We see people chase volume in the search for profit without really knowing the equation. ‘If I add more capacity, if I add a hygienist, if I add a chair, if I add a building, if I add three doctors, I should be making more.’ Not necessarily, because this margin goes with it. Sometimes, we actually make less. And so, the gaps also help people say, ‘I think I should hire
661: 5 Quick and Easy Ways to End the Year Strong - Ariel Juday
Looking to ensure you finish the year strong and have a great December? We have the treatment plan for you! Find out how to wrap up 2023 and use this 5 step process well into 2024 too. Learn more in Episode 661 of The Best Practices Show!
Episode Resources:
- Subscribe toThe Best Practices Show podcast https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join ACT’sTo The Top Study Club https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- See ACT’sLive Events Schedule https://www.eventbrite.com/cc/act-dental-live-workshops-306239
- GetThe Best Practices Magazine for free! https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Write a review on iTunes https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show/id1223838218
Links Mentioned in This Episode:
To the Top study club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
Main Takeaways:
Tip #1: Fill the schedule with patients who are already scheduled.
Tip #2: Remind patients to use their FSA or HSA and how they can use the funds.
Tip #3: Think outside the box and be flexible as a team.
Create a holiday call list.
Tip #4: Take time to celebrate with your team.
Tip #5: Take time to care for yourself and your health.
Quotes:
“I like to just say what are some quick easy ways that we can do…because we all know momentum is easier than motivation. So we if we can get the momentum going into the new year, the energy is even better and stronger when our team is excited.” - Ariel (1:50—2:10)
“#1…Fill [the schedule] with patients that are already scheduled. You have lots of opportunity in the schedule already. You just have to look for it. For example, how many hygiene patients are in the schedule that have unscheduled treatment? Can we go ahead and get them done on the same day? Or vice versa. Is there someone coming in for an emergency and they haven’t had a cleaning in a while? Is that something that we can go ahead and just utilize those patients that are already walking in the door.” - Ariel (3:15—3:46)
“Same day dentistry does not mean right now. So if they have a hygiene service and they need to go and do something for an hour, a lot of patients will come back…So don’t think it has to be done right now because you don’t ever want to hinder the schedule of currently scheduled patients, but there are lots of opportunities, you just have to be open to looking for it.” - Ariel (5:53—6:20)
“#2…We all know there are a lot of insurance and flexible spending accounts that at the end of the year, those funds expire…That is money your patients have put aside and put away for that they’re just going to lose, so we want to remind them. And sometimes they don’t even know they can use it at their office.” - Ariel (6:35—7:07)
“#3…The easiest way [to think outside the box and be flexible as a team] is just set the expectation. Tell the team ‘Hey, for this month we’re going to be a little flexible. We are going to think of solutions.’...You get that deadline of December 31st. You know that your office is closed that week. I hear a lot of admin team members answer the phone and say ‘Sorry. We’re booked.’ …These patients are currently motivated and they are wanting to come in, so at the very least can we put them on a short call list? A priority list? Is there a way utilize a different column or chair? How can we get them in while they are motivated to get their dental care done.” - Ariel (8:50—9:53)
“A team work column…you take the name - teamwork - and you know that if a patient is in this column it's going to be…we don’t have a specific provider assigned to them and it’s going to take a team effort to get this patient taken care of.” - Ariel (10:16—10:31)
“It’s not an open [team work] column that we can just fill whomever in. It’s very strategic. A couple per day, maybe 2 in the morning. And everyone knows and the patient knows as well that we are working you in and it might take a little longer, but as long as you’re flexible with us we’ll go ahead and get you taken care of.” - Ariel (11:56—12:16)
“[A holiday call list] is very similar to a priority or an ASAP list or a cancellation list but this one is very specific to days in the calendar. So we know that the middle school in your area, you know what week they’re off. You know what breaks they have…even other industries have different days that they’re off. So if we know about those days…it’s the only time I’d say go away from your normal priority list - people who are just get in sooner - but use those patients’ motivation…and the chance is very likely that they’re going to rearrange their schedule because they don’t know if there is going to be another opening that comes up.” - Ariel (12:29—13:35)
“#4”..The end of the year can be chaotic and sometimes the last thing we think about is celebrating with our team and I hear a lot of people say because the end of the year is so chaotic they do their holiday party in january and that is fine, however there are plenty of opportunities to still celebrate and keep the energy high. Especially if we’re thinking outside the box…your team is working really hard that there is no reason we can’t have a random pot luck or lunch as a team. Just do things that are different. And the doctor isn’t the one who has to lead it and probably shouldn’t” - Ariel (14:40—15:29)
“The whole theme of this podcast is to finish the year strong. It isn’t always financial. Sometimes it’s emotional. Sometimes it’s the connectedness. Sometimes it’s just…I want to feel better this month. So it’s not all about money.” - Kirk (16:39—16:54)
“This is 100% all year round, however as we are talking about no letting life and things just happen, is you have to be intentional about taking care of your health…We all know we have higher energy and we feel better when we’re getting enough sleep, we are eating healthy, we are exercising right, we are moving our body. You are doing something to fill your cup, because if you’re just letting things happen and you’re…your energy is going to plummet. And your team’s energy is going to plummet. And your patients are going to feel it. So really an extra reminder to take care of yourself so that way you can take care of your team and your patients.” - Ariel (17:26—18:10)
“Because when you feel bad, you think bad, you perform bad” - Kirk (19:00—19:05)
“Remember that the end of the year is not the time to slow down. It’s really a time where we need to be taking care of ourselves, our team and our patients…Momentum is easier than motivation. So if we can end it and get on a roll going in the new year is going to be so much easier for yourself and your team members.” - Ariel (19:17—19:42)
“You have to get into this pattern of thinking next year is going to be better than this year. And when you start to do that it’s called a future pull. And it can be your behaviors, your thinking, it can be your team being engaged. Our goal with this podcast is just to give you a little bit of information…so that you can go back to your team to become a better leader and create a better practice and a better life.” - Kirk (20:18—20:43)
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
3:00 #1
6:35 #2
8:34 #3
10:00 A teamwork column
12:22 Making a holiday call list
14:33 #4
17:24 #5
19:10 Final Thoughts.
Ariel Juday Bio:
Ariel has a master’s in healthcare administration and several years of dental experience in all aspects of the administrative roles within the dental office. Her passion is to work with dental teams to empower team members to realize their full potential in order to better serve patients, improve office systems to ensure a well-functioning team/office, and to help everyone have fun in the process!
Send Ariel an email ariel@actdental.com
Follow Ariel on ACT’s Instagram https://www.instagram.com/actdental/
660: Is Quality Scalable in Dentistry? - Dr. Christian Coachman & Dr. Tal Morr
Have you faced the dilemma between seeking financial growth and also keeping high clinical quality? It’s something dentists, both seasoned and novice, consider often. Can quality really be scalable? Learn more about these two paths in Episode 660 of The Best Practices Show!
Episode Resources:
- Subscribe toThe Best Practices Show podcast https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join ACT’sTo The Top Study Club https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- See ACT’sLive Events Schedule https://www.eventbrite.com/cc/act-dental-live-workshops-306239
- GetThe Best Practices Magazine for free! https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Write a review on iTunes https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show/id1223838218
Links Mentioned in This Episode:
Learn more about Digital Smile Design https://digitalsmiledesign.com/
Register for DSD Residency 1 https://digitalsmiledesign.com/education/attend-a-course/dsd-concept-level/dsd-residency-1
Learn more about Tal Morr https://www.tmprosthodontics.com/
Main Takeaways:
You can take one of two paths: the highest quality or just practicing.
The size of your practice not only has an effect on a clinical level but it has an effect on the customer service.
Identify where you can differentiate yourself and build the model that will leverage the best side of yourself.
There’s no right or wrong. There’s no correct path. It’s ultimately what you define as your ultimate goal.
Quotes:
“I think as a young dentist the first decision you need to make is what is your ultimate objective, because there really are no right and wrong. There are 2 paths you can take: there is the path you can take of trying to achieve the highest quality or there’s the path of just practicing, building the quantity of patients that you have…and making your patients happy. Ultimately you have to make that decision. Because what I’ve always told the young people that I speak to, I said ‘If your objective is to build your name and build yourself as one of the top clinicians, everything you do is a reflection of you.’ Meaning, when I started every filling of mine was perfect, every crown of mine was expensive and one perfectly. And I remember when I first started, I worked for a guy and he said ‘you’re freakin crazy…you spend way too much time on the patient. You spend way too much money on the technician. You’re too picky.’ But what happened was everything I did became representative in my community. How? Because my patients would go to see other specialists, they went to see other dentists and they said ‘wow, who did this?’...and I built my reputation that way.” - Tal (3:41—5:26)
“There are two ways to grow. One is to see more people, have more dentists, and just do volume. And the other is to increase your pricing…how do you get to the place where you can increase your pricing? It’s based on building your reputation as one of the top people. But you’re right, it has a ceiling.” (9:48—10:37)
“[I’m raising my pricing for two reasons] One is obviously to be compensated for the effort and time and experience I invest. And the second is to…I tell patients I’m not for everybody. My patients say ‘Why are you so expensive?’ And I said ‘You know what? I’m not for everybody but if you want me to give you my hearts and my soul - which I do for every patient - that’s what it’s going to cost you.’” - Tal (10:48—11:20)
“Now where is the fine line? I believe there are different personalities in dentistry. For me, I’m a control freak. If I expand too much - I have an associate, by the way - then I’m trying to control the situation and I can’t with one associate. So that, in a sense, is stress for me. And I don’t need more stress in my life…As you expand and as you grow, as you bring in more people there is much higher stress. There is less control. It’s just another animal…that’s why for me that’s not even an option for me…Now what is the negative of that? My practice is built on me…people come here for me. What I should have done, a huge mistake that I made, was in the beginning I should have brought someone with me. I should have had associates. I should have trained them so we would grow together as a unit, then you can multiply…You’re either going to be able to do it or you’re not. ” - Tal (11:24—13:17)
“Let’s do an X-ray on your practice. How many dental chairs do you have?” - Christian
“I have 4 dental chairs” - Tal
“Dentists you said is you and one other associate. How many assistants?” - Christian
“I have 3 assistants…and I have 2 hygienists. But my hygiene isn’t like a regular dental practice because my volume is lower. I have 1 front desk and I have my wife who does the bills.” - Tal
“That’s the model. As lean as it can be.” - Christian
(13:54—14:59)
“This is the thinking process that I’ve been having with myself since 5, 6, 7 years. I’ve been teaching dentists on how to grow. On how to multiply. On how to scale. On how to delegate. But if I had to pick a dentist to do a full mouth rehabilitation, where would I go?” - Christian (15:17—15:40)
“I call your type of practice a 3 star Michelin. It’s a very good comparison with restaurants…You cannot grow. It’s impossible to control the quality. It depends on the superstar Chef and the superstar Chef will maybe try to make more money opening a franchise with a different name, etc. But that Michelin only gets the three stars because that Chef is in charge every single day, doing over and over again and making sure the quality is exactly the same.” - Christian (17:59—18:40)
“I’m working more now than I’ve ever worked before…I’m booked out for 3 months. So it gets to the point where I cannot accept new patients. So my associate benefits from that because she can see the new patients. But I’m involved in the initial evaluation with the patient. I introduce myself. I examine the patient. She comes and tells me what’s going on to help guide her and explain in deep detail to the patient what the findings are…as far as delegating, my girls do all the impressions, digital, CBCTs, scans, all the information that I need.” - Tal (19:32—20:58)
“You mentioned the only way that you can grow financially is raising your fees right? The other way is increasing your average ticket price right?” - Christian
“Yes. So because I was sending so much out, because I was losing so much control, I started doing my own surgeries probably 15 years ago. So now I have full control…I do everything except very complex cases that I don’t want to be involved in. I send out. I have good relationships with surgeons. They sometimes even do large sinus lifts for me and I place the implants. Because we have an understanding of what we are capable of doing. And I can control the whole case much better that way. And financially it’s much more lucrative” - Tal (28:33—29:30)
“I’ve achieved what I wanted to achieve, but I’m limited. I’m only one person. Sometimes patients forget that. It’s difficult. It’s difficult to manage, but I don’t think I’d do it any other way. I don’t think my personality will allow that.” - Tal (34:42—35:03)
“As young as possible, you need to identify who you are and what you can do the best. And you started the conversation with something like ‘When you start as a young dentist you need to define what you want to become.’ It’s like in diagnostic dentistry. You start with the wax up with the end in mind and you reverse engineer the treatment plan. With the career, it’s the same. As young as possible identify your strengths. Identify where you can differentiate yourself and build the model that will leverage the best side of yourself.” - Christian (35:16—35:57)
“There’s no right or wrong. There’s no correct path. It’s ultimately what you define as your ultimate goal. And everybody has an ultimate goal.” - Tal (36:06—36:17)
“Quality in dentistry is not scalable and every time you grow a little bit you end up always compromising that gold standard at least a little bit.” - Christian (39:43—40:00)
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
3:41 Two paths of quality.
9:48 Two ways to grow.
11:24 Finding the line of quality.
15:40 How the size of the practice affects quality.
19:08 Delegating with affecting quality.
28:00 Partnerships and keeping quality control.
29:00 The downside of an individual practice.
37:07 Final Thoughts.
Dr. Christian Coachman Bio:
Combining his advanced skills, experience, and technology solutions, Dr. Christian Coachman pioneered the Digital Smile Design methodology and founded Digital Smile Design company (DSD). Since its inception, thousands of dentists worldwide have attended DSD courses and workshops, such as the renowned DSD Residency program.
Dr. Coachman is the developer of worldwide, well-known concepts such as the Digital Smile Design, the Pink Hybrid Implant Restoration, the Digital Planning Center, Emotional Dentistry, Interdisciplinary Treatment Simulation, and Digital Smile Donator.
He regularly consults for dental industry companies, developing products, implementing concepts, and marketing strategies, such as the Facially Driven Digital Orthodontic Workflow developed in collaboration with Invisalign, Align Technology.
He has lectured and published internationally in the fields of esthetic and digital dentistry, dental photography, oral rehabilitation, dental ceramics, implants, and communication strategies and marketing in dentistry.
Join Dr. Coachman on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/christiancoachman
Follow Dr. Coachman on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/chriscoachman/
Dr. Tal Morr Bio:
Dr. Tal Morr, a dentist in Miami, Florida, is the owner and founder of TM Prosthodontics. He is a specialist in aesthetic, implant, and complex restorative dentistry. After graduating from the University of Florida with a BS degree in microbiology, he continued his education at Tufts University School of Dental Medicine where he graduated Summa Cum Laude with a DMD degree. He went on to study at the University of Washington School of Dentistry where he received his Master of Science in Dentistry (MSD) and a certificate in Prosthodontics.
Dr. Morr has over 24 years of experience in prosthodontics, the diagnosis and treatment of the deterioration of teeth and their supporting structures. He is known for his comprehensive treatment approach as he formulates and executes treatment plans that address not only the mouth, but also the face and jaw.
Dr. Morr has numerous publications in both textbooks and articles in the areas of aesthetics, porcelain laminate veneers, dental implants, and complex restorative dentistry and rehabilitation. He is a highly regarded speaker and educator both nationally and internationally. He is considered a leader in the field and highly regarded for his contribution to the field of dentistry.
Join Dr. Morr on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/TMProsthodontics/
Follow Dr. Morr on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/talmorr/
659: 5 Data Secrets to a Thriving Practice – Dr. Barrett Straub & Miranda Beeson
If you want your practice to grow, you need data. But how do you know which numbers to look at? To demystify the data you need, Kirk Behrendt brings in Dr. Barrett Straub, ACT’s CEO, and Miranda Beeson, one of ACT’s amazing coaches, to share five data secrets for a thriving practice. Make informed decisions with data, not feelings! To learn which numbers to start tracking and why they matter to your practice, listen to Episode 659 of The Best Practices Show!
Episode Resources:
- Send Dr. Straub an email: barrett@actdental.com
- Join Dr. Straub on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/barrett.d.straub
- Send Miranda an email: miranda@actdental.com
- Follow Miranda on ACT’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/actdental
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show podcast: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- See ACT’s Live Events Schedule: https://www.eventbrite.com/cc/act-dental-live-workshops-306239
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free! https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Write a review on iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show/id1223838218
Links Mentioned in This Episode:
Get your Golden Ticket to ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://info.actdental.com/golden-ticket
Main Takeaways:
Numbers don't lie!
You can improve anything with data.
Without data, the story you tell yourself is fiction.
Learn about the main KPIs you should be tracking.
Tracking data requires transparency with your team.
Quotes:
“So many of us base decisions and planning off of our feelings when the data itself doesn't lie. And we can't argue with it. If you tell me your feelings about something — if I'm an admin team member, I [can] say, ‘Yeah, but I feel like this about it.’ But if we're both looking at the same piece of data, there's really no discussion to be had. It's right there. It's the truth on paper, and you really can't argue with that.” (5:48—6:10) -Miranda
“You know how this works if you're a dentist. You have a lot of feelings. ‘I feel like we're way too busy. I feel like we have too many holes in our schedule. I don't feel like we're productive enough. I don't feel like my hygienist diagnosed enough perio. I feel like most of my AR is family and friends and is uncollectible.’ Feelings. Feelings are dangerous places to go. You start to tell yourself a story. Feelings, when it comes to me, can be happy feelings. But they can also be irritation feelings. Data calms us. If you're feeling any of these things, it's really good to transition away from feeling to, ‘What are we seeing? What's the data telling us?’ It's powerful in this whole thing.” (6:43—7:31) -Kirk
“Leading a dental practice without knowing your data and understanding it is like placing an implant with no diagnostics. Now, you could do it. Some people do. But, long term, will it be successful? Is that really the right thing to do?” (7:32—7:47) -Kirk
“From personal experience, this is how it happens in most dental practices. We're busy doing dentistry because we are the CEO of our dental practices and the assembly line. It's hard to do both well. We focus on the dentistry and we don't make data collection a habit. If it's not a habit, we don't have the energy or time at the end of the day, end of the week, end of the month to collect it. And so, we go by feelings, and we tell ourselves a story in our head about the reality of our practice. Without data, that story is fiction. Unfortunately, we make major, long-lasting decisions based on fiction, on how we feel. Many times, and we see this a lot, we get deep in our careers, and look back and say, ‘Darn. I should have . . . I would have . . . I could have . . . had I set up a system to collect data.’ With that data, I can make educated, data-driven, nonfiction decisions based on my practice. But we have to take a deep breath and say, ‘Okay. Yes, I have to do dentistry. I don't have a lot of time.’ Therefore, back to Kirk's first comment about having your team help with data, we've got to set up a system so that the data is a habit, not an intentional action by us. That will fail because we're too busy doing dentistry.” (8:04—9:26) -Dr. Straub
“When you have data, you can improve everything. You can improve efficiency, you can improve the care patients get, you can improve the efficacy of things that you do. It helps you understand trends. You're thinking, ‘Gosh, I saw this patient. Where did she go? I don't know where she went, if she's an active patient, or not. I haven't seen her for two years,’ type of a thing. You can take a look at their treatment history and needs. When you know this data, you can provide a more customized approach to care and maximize the opportunities and treatment planning.” (10:13—10:45) -Kirk
“There are some team members who get turned off by talking about the numbers or looking at the numbers. So, if we can always equate that to those team members to how we are affecting people in a more positive way through these numbers, that really does help to speak to the team. Because the bottom line is, we need to know the data. The numbers are really important. It's important for you to be responsible for yours and what you can have an impact on. But as, say, a hygienist, if you're looking at your periodontal numbers, you may say like, ‘Well, I don't want to base what I'm doing every day on if I'm raising this percentage over here.’ But if you're raising that percentage, you're also helping more people achieve health and reach their goals of oral health. So, sometimes we can blend that for the team to make sure the team realizes these numbers do have a true impact on how we affect people.” (10:57—11:43) -Miranda
“Consistently tracking and reporting on the data fosters collaboration and communication. We talk about accountability a lot. Accountability requires some type of accounting. It's not, ‘I'm doing my best.’ It allows us to talk about the same things. So, when we can agree on a number, we now can work together on the motions that support that number.” (13:36—14:00) -Kirk
“What gets measured gets improved. But what gets measured and reported on significantly or exponentially improves. If I'm bringing you a number that we have both agreed is an important number and it's going up a little bit every week, we are as happy as can be, and everyone can see and understand what's driving the decisions. It's not about money. It's not about getting another boat or those types of things. We're trying to make a number healthy, and it creates a common effort towards a common goal.” (14:03—14:34) -Kirk
“Tracking data requires transparency with your team. I love having some type of data anywhere. I mean, go to a baseball game. If you guys are watching the playoffs right now, you can't watch more than three minutes without a ton of data falling all over the screen. They're making decisions on pitchers, left-handed versus right-handed, spray charts, all of this stuff. You can't run a baseball team — even if it's a kid’s baseball team — without some type of data. That's why we have GameChanger as parents to keep the crazy parents from yelling too much, because all you have to do is show them the batting average and they quiet down. I was one of those. I'm like, ‘I think my son is better. Oh . . . He's not that good. He should bat eighth or ninth.’ It allows for objective performance evaluation and encourages team members to own their role. So, you’ve got to have some accountability.” (14:40—15:27) -Kirk
“[An important key performance indicator is] new patient acquisition and retention. New patients are the number of patients that had their first completed visit in the practice and they're counted as a new patient by the ADA code.” (16:06—16:17) -Kirk
“There's another number that's associated with new patients because, remember, everybody is putting all this in and going, ‘Oh, I get 400 new patients.’ Well, that's great. But you don't see half of them. Half of them cancel, whatever. That's a lot of money to attract those types of patients. I think every practice should have new patients. They should be the right type of patients for your practice. You have to know the number for your practice.” (16:30—16:51) -Kirk
“There's another [important] number that's called recaptured. This is the number of patients who have not completed a visit within the past 18 months but now have completed a visit and are brought back into the practice. We lost them. They had become inactive. Somebody on the team has worked hard to get them back in the practice. You need to know that number.” (16:52—17:12) -Kirk
“There's another number that's important with this. It's called loss. It's the number of patients who have fallen into the category of not having a completed visit. Now, your software can collect this information automatically. Usually, it's 18 months. Some people are going out to 24 because of COVID-19. That's legit. But as a practice, you’ve got to decide what's the threshold. In most practices, it's about 18 months. As you can see in this example, we had 22 new, 22 recaptured, but we lost 82. The net growth was negative 38.” (17:13—17:46) -Kirk
“What I often will hear from teams, and we go back to feelings of, ‘I feel like we're doing really well. We crush it with new patients. We have at least 20 new patients every month.’ I'll say, ‘Let's take a look at what our true patient growth is though, because that is a little bit different. You are crushing it with new patients. Good job!’ Because, like you said, lots of money goes into acquiring those new patients. We're wowing those patients. We're winning them over with that experience, hopefully. But if we're not looking at those pieces in the middle, especially the lost, then all of that effort, in the end, is for nought because we're not actually growing the practice over time. So, I think this equation and this section here of reporting is really important. If we're seeing a really high number in the lost [category, we need to set] up some type of plan with our administrative team to capture those and hopefully add them back into your recaptured number. It comes back to feelings versus what's the real data. So, this is a good one to start off with, with teams.” (18:16—19:12) -Miranda
“It is a lot of energy and effort to on-board a new patient. We want new patients. It's easier to not lose a patient and keep them in their dental home that they already know, as well as recapture. So, we're not ever going to say don't get new patients. But if you give equal intentionality to not losing and recapturing those patients that have gone over that 18th month, then if you do have a down month in new patients, it's not as big of a deal.” (19:25—19:55) -Dr. Straub
“[Knowing the percentage of new patients who reappointed for hygiene] is really important because of what we just said: how much effort, time, and energy it takes to bring new patients in. How many of those patients are leaving without a next scheduled visit? Or they're just scheduled for a restorative appointment. What we know about our hygiene department is that's where we build our patient loyalty over time. They're going to be coming back again, and again, and again. We're going to be serving them, building relationships. And then, also, that drives more treatment options down the line as long as they stay with us. So, this is a really, really important thing to look at. ‘We crushed it! Twenty-two new patients last month.’ But if only seven of those new patients are actually rescheduled within your practice, how much effort did you put out for that return?” (20:32—21:15) -Miranda
“A lot of times, you work so hard to get this patient referred, and you're fee-for-service. You get this patient to come in, and they need $17,500 worth of restorative work. So, you do an awesome new patient exam. Then, your treatment coordinator stalks them over, and over, and over, and over. They're not returning your phone call, and you're pummeling them with this $17,500 thing that they have to decide on. Now, think about this. That's a great new patient. They're not tethered to your practice because they don't have a hygiene appointment. And ultimately, they're not going to return your call. That patient may not be ready to hear the $17,500 thing because the previous dentist they went to said nothing was wrong. You might refer the patient out. You might think, ‘Okay, this is a great patient. They’ve got to go to the oral surgeon.’ What a lost opportunity that is.” (21:38—22:31) -Kirk
“I want you to think about this. Every new patient — and I do mean every, if they're the right [patient for your practice] — has to have a hygiene appointment. However you decide to have patients come through your practice, have the mindset as a team that we're going to get them scheduled. If I was working at the front desk, this is what I'd say. ‘Okay, we do a lot of different cool things here, Mrs. Jones. Let's do this. I am going to refer you out to our oral surgeon. But before that, I'm going to schedule two appointments. I'm going to get you scheduled with our oral surgeon, but I'm also going to get you scheduled with Sally. She's one of our amazing hygienists. I might even schedule a third appointment with Dr. Straub here.’ So, I'm going to have you locked in, tethered somehow to the practice, before we hang up the phone. It's one of the biggest lost opportunities in dentistry.” (22:32—23:17) -Kirk
“Another thing you could do is break down your new patients. Again, it's back to new patients. It's great to get the right new patients, but we need to understand where they are coming from. And so, by referral source is critical in your practice. It allows you to better understand how successful your marketing is. If you don't have this, you're just guessing and throwing money everywhere.” (24:04—24:25) -Kirk
“Teach someone to fish. Create accountability. It's not my responsibility to make sure that [the patient referral source data is] being accounted for. And maybe they don't know. Maybe I haven't, as a leader, set an expectation for them that this is something that I need. Maybe this is new data that we're tracking that we've never really tracked in the practice before, but now we're starting to see a trend towards wanting to make sure our marketing dollars are working for us, so this is new. So, it's my responsibility, as a leader, to set my team up for success with clear expectations. And so, for me, explaining this report and what's expected month after month and watching them watch that data grow puts that accountability back into that role.” (25:47—26:25) -Miranda
“There is a capacity issue in dentistry. We're going to talk about maximum or optimal capacity. It could mean that every chair in your operatory is full every day that you decide to work, whether it be four days or whatever. But it doesn't necessarily mean that. In almost every dental practice, optimal or maximum capacity is an issue of willingness, not ability. Every practice can have their chairs full at 95%. You just have to know what to do, and you have to want to do it. So, please don't watch this and go, ‘Well, you don't understand our area.’ No, that's not true. With some great training, with willingness, with some understanding, with some great coaching, every single practice in the United States can have a 95% capacity. Now, the question becomes, what do you want it full with?” (27:02—27:50) -Kirk
“Capacity is pretty simple. It's retroactive. You have to look historically and say, of all the hours available in a chair in operatory number two, how many of those patient hours was there a butt in the chair? It's as simple as that. It's seven of eight, eight of eight, six of eight hours, whatever your hourly offerings are. That's super important to know. Let me tie a few things together here because many dentists look at the morning schedule and say, ‘We are so darn busy,’ only to find out they're actually only at 85%. That same dentist often says, ‘We are so darn busy. I need to build out two operatories. I need to buy a new office. I need to hire another hygienist.’ If you have two hygienists and they're only at 80% capacity, then wouldn't you first fill their chair before a capital expenditure of more ops, another office, another hygienist?” (28:19—29:21) -Dr. Straub
“We see dentists that have 2,100 active patients per dentist, and we see practices with 1,000 active patients per dentist. Those are two different models. I'm not going to say either is right or wrong, but one practice needs 44 new patients a month, and the other needs like eight. New patients by themselves mean very little unless you know your annual patient value. So, when I get a new patient, how much do I bill, or how much dentistry do all my new patients do annually?” (29:50—30:24) -Dr. Straub
“Eventually, you want to say, ‘I'm attracting 44 new patients, but my annual patient value is $200.’ Well, great. What if you had eight new patients at $1,000 annual patient value? So, now, then the next level is to say, ‘Not only am I going to attract new patients, I'm going to attract the good kind of new patients that show up, that accept my treatment, that give me more of a return on my investment in them. I'm going to make sure my chairs are filled with more of these right patients.’ When you start to connect all the dots like that, your revenue goes up, your happiness goes up, your predictability goes up. But we have to first, as you're doing this data analysis, say, ‘What kind of business am I in? How do I want it to feel?’ It's not about production, and it's not about new patient values. It's so much more than those two numbers.” (30:41—31:39) -Dr. Straub
“As a team, what do we all show up to work for? Yes, to take care of people, but to get a paycheck. That's how the office pays us, is by having butts in the chair. As a hygienist — I've told this story before and I'm going to loop it in. I know Chris, who works with us, has said the same thing — I used to get so excited when someone canceled first thing in the morning, before or after lunch, and at the end of the day. It was the best time to have someone not show up. It was a relief. I was celebrating it until I realized the importance of capacity and what that actually meant for the practice and, in the end, what that meant for me and my ability to grow economically within the practice . . . Your profitability of...
658: Better Connections Faster - Dr. Gary Sanchez
Discovering your WHY - why you do what you do - not only helps you build strong connections with others including your team members and patients, it helps you discover and drive your passion. Dr. Gary Sanchez walks us through how to do it and the 9 WHYs so you can start connecting today. To learn how, listen to Episode 658 of The Best Practices Show!
Episode Resources:
- Subscribe toThe Best Practices Show podcast https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join ACT’sTo The Top Study Club https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- See ACT’sLive Events Schedule https://www.eventbrite.com/cc/act-dental-live-workshops-306239
- GetThe Best Practices Magazine for free! https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Write a review on iTunes https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show/id1223838218
Links Mentioned in This Episode:
WHY Institute: https://whyinstitute.com/
Main Takeaways:
Stop looking at WHAT and start looking at WHY.
Use your WHY Operating System to connect with your team and patients better and faster.
When you talk about what you do you blend in. When you talk about your WHY, that’s how you stand out.
Happy team members will believe in what you believe in.
When what you do is in line with why you do what you do you will have passion for what you do.
Quotes:
“There has to be something better than this. And that’s why I hired a coach and I heard about this concept of ‘Why.” ‘Why do you do what you do?’ Simon Sinek did his TED talk. I watched that 20, 30 times. I bought his book and read it many times. I said that is what I’m missing. I have a great ‘What’ but I don’t know my ‘Why’...I went back through my life looking for clues to why do I do what I do and when I finally figured it out, my why, is to find a better way and share it my life started to make sense. So I went back and stopped talking about what we do: crowns, bridges, fillings…and started talking about why we do it. What is it that we believe? We believe that life is better when you have great teeth…we started changing all of our messages and our marketing all based around great teeth, better life and that’s when my practice really took off.” (4:12—5:21)
“I figured out not only your why, your why, your how and your what. We call that your Why Operating System…it gives you the words to create your message and to be able to answer the question ‘Why should I choose you? What is it that makes you special?’” (6:19—6:42)
“The first step [of applying this to dentistry] is go discover your WOS. That will give your why, your how, your what and it will create your message for you. It will put it into very simple terms so that you can easily and quickly articulate who you are and why I should choose you. And then the second thing is do the same thing for your team, so that you know who you have on your team, how you all fit together and how you can perform at the highest level. Do I have the right people in the right place doing the right thing at the right time? They love what they’re doing, they’re passionate about what they’re doing so you can build a really strong team. And once you know that about each of your team members you will know how to connect and communicate much better, much faster.” (9:36—10:25)
“Once you know someone’s Why, How What (WOS) it strips away what you think you see and it brings forward who is actually there. And you’ll know the language that they speak, you’ll know the words that they need to hear in order to feel heard and you’ll know how to connect with them much faster.” (12:14—12:37)
“If you do this with your patients, you’ll know exactly what they are looking for and how to connect with them in a way they can hear it.” (12:59—13:15)
“When you talk about what you do, you blend in with everyone who does what you do…even if you do it at a higher level, people don’t know that. But when you talk about why you do what you do and what you believe, it connects to a different part of the brain that allows people to make a decision because it feels right and when it feels right that’s when they make a decision.” (14:44—15:26)
“If you could imagine 2 big circles, one inside the other. Imagine that as your brain. The inner circle is the limbic brain and the outer circle would be the neocortex. The neocortex can understand facts, figures, features. But decision-making doesn’t happen there. People might understand what you’re saying but it doesn't drive behavior so don’t make a decision. The inner part of your brain, the limbic, that’s the part of your brain that’s responsible for feeling things like loyalty and trust. One hundred percent of decision-making happens at the limbic brain, but it doesn’t have the capacity for language. So people buy things because it feels right then they justify it with the facts, figures and features. So how you connect to the limbic brain is by starting with your WHY. Why do you do what you do and what you believe; and that’s why it’s so critical.” (16:30—17:32)
“[Team members] don’t have to have the same why but they have to believe what you believe. And if they believe what you believe…they’re going to love working for you. If they don’t believe that, they’re not going to enjoy working with you…You are really good at articulating it, of keeping it alive. It’s in your tag line, it’s in what you talk about, it’s the essence of who you are. So if they believe it, they’re all in. And that’s who you’re looking for.” (19:53—20:49)
“The 9 Whys: the first one is contribute to a greater cause, add value, have an impact on the lives of others. The second why is trust: to create relationships based on trust. The third one is make sense: to make sense out of the complex; great problem solvers. The fourth why is better way…is to find a better way and share it. The fifth why is right way: to do things the right way in order to get predictable and consistent results. The sixth why is challenge: to challenge the status quo and think differently. The seventh why is mastery: to see mastery and understanding, dive in deep, look for the nuances. The eighth why is clarify: make things clear and understandable. And the ninth why is simplify: to make things simple and easy to understand. So one of the 9 Whys is your Why. One of the 9 Whys is your How. And one of the 9 Whys is your What. So all of us have all 9 Whys but one of them is more dominant than the rest and that’s the one that becomes your Why. So when you have them all in sequence…you’ll know what’s super important to them and you’ll know what’s not important to them at all.” (21:49—23:08)
“[What most people get wrong] is people just pick one…your Why is so critical to your life, to finding your passion, your purpose, your direction, to knowing where your fit is, to knowing so much about yourself. Why would you chance getting it wrong?” (23:24—24:00)
“When what you do is in line with why you do what you do you will have passion for what you do. And passion is the fuel that gives you the energy to pursue your dreams. Without passion you’ll give up. Without passion you’ll quit. So you have to have that passion to be able to move forward. So it’s so important to know what your Why is so you can see what you’ll do from the perspective of your Why and know that you’re going in the right direction.” (26:41—27:15)
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
4:12 A better way to Why.
9:36 Applying the Why to dentistry.
16:20 The brain explained.
19:53 Finding team members that love working with you.
21:49 The 9 Whys.
23:24 What most people get wrong.
26:07 Final Thoughts.
Dr. Gary Sanchez Bio:
Dr. Gary Sanchez’s WHY is to find a better way and share it. HOW he does that is by making things clear and easy to understand. WHAT he brings is simple solutions to help people move forward. He and his Team have worked with hundreds of thousands of individuals, as well as thousands of companies, from small yoga studios to Fortune 500 companies, helping them get clear, stand out, and play bigger.
Outside of the WHY Institute, Gary enjoys playing a round of golf, messing around on the pickleball court, and hanging out with family and friends, enjoying some red chili dinner.
Join Dr. Sanchez on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/garysanchez2000
657: Empowering the Owner & Associate Synergy - Dr. Christian Coachman & Dr. Sean Bahrami
The dynamic between an owner and an associate can be complicated, but it doesn’t have to be. Learn the 5 qualities to choosing a great associate and how to help them grow within your practice. And understand the 4 step system to onboarding an associate to create successful partnerships. To learn how, listen to Episode 657 of The Best Practices Show!
Episode Resources:
- Subscribe toThe Best Practices Show podcast https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join ACT’sTo The Top Study Club https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- See ACT’sLive Events Schedule https://www.eventbrite.com/cc/act-dental-live-workshops-306239
- GetThe Best Practices Magazine for free! https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Write a review on iTunes https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show/id1223838218
Links Mentioned in This Episode:
Learn more about Digital Smile Design https://digitalsmiledesign.com/
Register for DSD Residency 1 https://digitalsmiledesign.com/education/attend-a-course/dsd-concept-level/dsd-residency-1
Main Takeaways:
Think differently as an owner. Think differently as an associate.
Accept the challenges and acknowledge the challenges.
Owners should empower the Associates to update and improve systems, to provide a sense of purpose.
There are 5 qualities in an ideal dentist: charisma, artistic skills, ethics, clinical skills and scientific background.
You can’t peak at age 25. You need the drive to continue to grow. It’s 50% of being a good dentist.
Make a roadmap and a clear line of sight to a partnership, if that is your goal to keep and retain good people.
Quotes:
“It is a dynamic that is a bit tricky because owners are never are carrying themselves in the practice and associates aren’t happy with the lack of systems or some of the systems in the practice. So that’s when we found how we can bring these two different worlds and make them thrive.” (6:28—6:48)
“Whenever you join a practice, as dentists we tend to become a super star. We want to become the superstar of the practice and that’s how it is. And every owner, they have established their way of doing things for an extended period of time. And when you come in as an associate, they’re not so open to learning or bringing new systems into the practice because in their eyes the practice is established.” (7:29—8:00)
“When you start accepting the challenges and acknowledging the challenges. So imagine an owner and an associate just starting the conversation and saying let’s just acknowledge how different we are and how different is our perspective. And if we start acknowledging this from each other I believe that is a great initial step.” (11:00—11:25)
“I opened up the conversation. I’m not looking for a 9-to-5. I’m looking to build a career. I want to be involved in the practice. And that was something, when I was looking for a position, I struggled with. Because many of the practices I was going to, I would tell them that I want to be involved in the practice. I want to bring new ideas, they would reject that because it’s their practice, but luckily with my uncle he was open to that, because he was at a point where he wanted to start to slow down and he wanted someone to bring that energy into the practice.” (12:20—12:58)
“Dentistry is a demanding career. Especially at the beginning where you’re not fully comfortable with procedures, you still aren’t comfortable with your patient interaction so 6 days [a week] as a lot. I was not enjoying dentistry. I was stressed out…It was a dark period of my career; those first two years. But then, I believe passion is not something that comes to you naturally. I believe you become good at something by working hard at it and that something is able to fulfill your definition of success…I was involved more in taking courses and reading and developing my skills to get more comfortable and I remember one day…I wasn’t panicking that there were multiple procedures and I’m enjoying this and it’s a rhythm that I’ve developed and really, it was turning around.” (15:00—16:38)
“I think that’s the big job of the practice owner, is to support at the beginning, mentally more than clinically. If you see the potential.” (17:36—17:53)
“We see that the more experienced the person is, the less they rely on systems. And that’s not good. But because they have so much experience and everything is in here and they just know how to do things, they’re just doing things…No systems are worse for consistency, growing with quality, it’s worse for scaling, it’s worse for delegating, it’s worse for selling, it’s worse for developing revenue without having to work yourself on everything. All of these things are related to not having systems…now this young person comes in full of ideas about systems and trying to implement systems and I think it’s very very smart for the practice owner to give this room. Even though it is very uncomfortable, I know. When we are good at something and somebody new comes, trying to put systems into something you know how to do but I think it’s a super smart strategy for the owner to give some room for the young to put energy on systematizing things” (18:29—20:11)
“I saw that if we want to grow, then we have to have a system…and then that’s when we developed the moments of onboarding an associate. We decided that there are 4 moments in this journey. The first thing is finding and hiring the associate. The second moment is testing that associate. Does this associate have what it takes to become an important part of your practice? And the third part is empowering that associate. And the last bit is partnership, having a roadmap. Something as a final destination that is going to guide them. That there is a future in this practice. But all of these moments, they have to start with that vision. Have to define what is the vision for your practice. What is it that you’re trying to achieve?” (22:24—23:24)
“There are 5 qualities in an ideal dentist…charisma, artistic skills, ethics, clinical skills and scientific background…you need to test your associate. Give them a grade [from 0-5] based on how you feel about them. Their charisma, how they interact with patients, their artistic skills. And this may be a little difficult for you to test, but you can give them a test for them to do. You can see their work…if they have an eye for aesthetics. Ethical decisions…you want someone that makes good decisions…because many times owners are hesitant to bring in an associate because they want the quality of the work to be consistent…Clinical skills, that is obviously a big part of dentistry. We all strive for perfection, but I think this is the part you can probably improve the most on. This isn’t something you can practice. And scientific background, how involved they are with acquiring knowledge with growth, with developing their skills.” (24:47—26:20)
“[to evaluate a dental associate] You need to determine the weight of each of the 5 components. It varies. Some people may put artistic skills above scientific knowledge. Some people may put clinical skills above artistic skills, they are very different…that’s why you need to start with the vision. Who is the buyer persona? The persona you are trying to attract? And then you try to imagine the perfect dentist that you want to have with you.” (27:02—27:38)
“All of these skills are only responsible for 50% of the final rate. The other 50% are related to the candidate drive…the energy, the willingness, to do it, to work hard.” (30:20—31:00)
“Why is the drive so heavily weighted?” “When you are 25…30…whatever age you’re coming out of school, it doesn’t matter how good you are at that point. You have 50 more years in front of you. And if you don’t have the drive…if your peak is at 25, you are in trouble. You need the drive to continue to be able to go grow.” (31:28—32:00)
“The next [phase] is empowering…You need to master the process of finding and hiring. Based on your vision, ask the right questions, filter and hire the right people. Not everybody that you’re going to hire needs to become a partner. So you’re going to have these people that are more fitting into your vision and you’re going to choose the ones that can potentially become your right arm and that’s when the test comes, this test. So then you’re bringing a few to the next level, the possible associate that is going to take over…once this person passes the test, now it’s time to empower. This person may not even know you think they may be a partner in the future…you found the potential, you see the drive. You start moving this person to the next level and that’s what we call the empowering level.” (34:25—35:40)
“Empowerment is the superstar, the dentist, the owner detaching themselves from the superstar position…introduce your associate to the patients as someone who is good at what they do…You bring that associate into the room and you introduce them to the patient and say ‘Dr. So and So is great with restorative. He will be taking care of this part of your treatment.’ And this is how you integrate your associates into the practice.” (35:45—36:47)
“[The partnership] can be structured based on how you’re running your practice, what your vision is, where there is going to be 2 years of working and then they buy into the practice. However the model may be, you need to define it for your practice. But the associate needs to know there is a future for them in the practice. There are people that aren’t looking for partnership. They just want to be an associate. But for many people they want to have a stable future where they know their hard work is going to pay off.” (37:00—37:45)
“As owners, as associates we need to get better and smarter about how to approach things, in order to have a long lasting career.” (43:54—44:05)
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
6:28 The dynamic of Owner & Associate.
9:50 Acknowledge the differences.
14:18 Example of the journey of an Associate.
18:29 The importance of systems.
22:32 4 Moments of Onboarding an Associate.
24:40 5 Qualities in an Ideal Dentist.
30:20 Finding the driven Associates.
35:44 Empowerment.
36:55 Partnerships.
43:36 Final Thoughts.
Dr. Christian Coachman Bio:
Combining his advanced skills, experience, and technology solutions, Dr. Christian Coachman pioneered the Digital Smile Design methodology and founded Digital Smile Design company (DSD). Since its inception, thousands of dentists worldwide have attended DSD courses and workshops, such as the renowned DSD Residency program.
Dr. Coachman is the developer of worldwide, well-known concepts such as the Digital Smile Design, the Pink Hybrid Implant Restoration, the Digital Planning Center, Emotional Dentistry, Interdisciplinary Treatment Simulation, and Digital Smile Donator.
He regularly consults for dental industry companies, developing products, implementing concepts, and marketing strategies, such as the Facially Driven Digital Orthodontic Workflow developed in collaboration with Invisalign, Align Technology.
He has lectured and published internationally in the fields of esthetic and digital dentistry, dental photography, oral rehabilitation, dental ceramics, implants, and communication strategies and marketing in dentistry.
Join Dr. Coachman on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/christiancoachman
Follow Dr. Coachman on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/chriscoachman/
Dr. Sean Bahrami Bio:
Dr. Sean Bahrami is a dedicated and passionate general dentist who proudly serves patients at Supertooth™ Dental Group's Bethesda, Gaithersburg, and Germantown locations. Raised in Germantown, he is deeply rooted in the local community and is an ardent supporter of the Washington Redskins. Dr. Bahrami earned his bachelor's degree in Biological Sciences from the esteemed University of Maryland.
During his undergraduate years, Dr. Bahrami had the opportunity to volunteer at Supertooth™ Dental Group, where he discovered his true calling and developed a passion for dentistry. This firsthand experience solidified his commitment to pursuing a career in the dental field.
Dr. Bahrami's dental education took place at the prestigious University of Maryland Dental School (UMB), where he excelled as one of the top students in his class. His exceptional performance earned him acceptance into the esteemed Diamond Scholars program. Through this program, Dr. Bahrami received advanced education in full-mouth rehabilitation and complex restorative dental procedures, equipping him with the skills to tackle intricate cases with precision and expertise.
Following the completion of his DDS degree, Dr. Bahrami returned to Supertooth™ Dental Group to share his unwavering dedication to dentistry with both patients and colleagues. He is an active member of the American Dental Association and Omicron Kappa Upsilon, a national dental honor society, demonstrating his commitment to professional growth and staying up to date with the latest advancements in dental procedures and technology.
With a holistic approach to health, Dr. Bahrami is a strong advocate for fitness and believes in treating the whole patient to encourage overall well-being. As part of this philosophy, he hosts weekly yoga sessions for his patients and staff, fostering a friendly and health-conscious environment.
Dr. Bahrami's special focus lies in cosmetic dentistry, where he combines his technical expertise with a deep commitment to enhancing patients' smile esthetics. By providing personalized treatment plans tailored to each patient's unique goals and desires, Dr. Bahrami helps individuals achieve the beautiful smiles they've always dreamed of.
Follow Dr. Bahrami on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/drseanbahrami/
656: Is Everyone Smiling but You? Level Up Your Life Practice Now – Dr. David Rice
If you're not loving your life, listen to this episode — there’s a way to fix it! Today, Kirk Behrendt brings in Dr. David Rice, founder of IgniteDDS and author of Is Everyone Smiling but You? to share his journey of finding joy in life. Don't stay stuck if you're not happy! To learn how to start making changes today, listen to Episode 656 of The Best Practices Show!
Episode Resources:
- Send Dr. Rice a text: (716) 912-7970
- Follow Dr. Rice on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ignitedds
- Learn more about IgniteDDS: https://ignitedds.com
- Read Dr. Rice’s book: https://www.amazon.com/Everyone-Smiling-But-You-Practice/dp/1642253758
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show podcast: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- See ACT’s Live Events Schedule: https://www.eventbrite.com/cc/act-dental-live-workshops-306239
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free! https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Write a review on iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show/id1223838218
Main Takeaways:
Invest in yourself as soon as you possibly can.
Know what to look for in a good mentor.
Make changes one step at a time.
Start now! Don't wait to change.
Don't be afraid to fail or live big.
Block out some time to think.
Reach out to others.
Quotes:
“Seasoned pros who wake up and feel like, ‘This isn't really where I want to be. What do I do? Do I have to be stuck here?’ The answer is no. We talk about all the things you all heard before about vision and habits — and that stuff is important. But we really break it down to, who are the people? What is the process? What is the production side? What do those three things need to look like so you and I can have control in three areas? On the dental side, it's clinical control. On everybody's side, it's financial control. On everybody's side, it's systems control. When we have those controls in our life, we actually get to build whatever we want, and that's a really cool thing to do.” (7:49—8:39)
“It's the old adage of like, it's all up here. We get in our own way where sometimes I think people are afraid to fail. Sometimes, I think people are afraid to live so big because they feel guilty about it, like they don't deserve it, and that to get from level here, where you're like, ‘Can I do it?’ because it's too hard to get to, and then people get to this higher level, and it becomes, ‘Do I really deserve to get to that next level?’ The answers are yes, and yes — you do! You can make it happen. We're not rocket scientists in dentistry. There are recipes that you teach people all the time that are very predictable and work.” (8:55—9:40)
“In its simplest form, most of us have a place that we can go to where we think clearly, where you just breathe better. For me, it’s water. It could be mountains, or it could be the middle of nowhere. For my wife, it's crazy. She needs all the noise in the world as background, and that helps her think. So, wherever that place is, find it. Literally block out on your smartphone two hours, and just free think. Free write a message, a digital version. Just blurt it all out. Don't worry about right or wrong, or sequence, and how-to. Just keep unloading. Then, come back to it in a week. And then, you can start organizing. What you'll find are patterns. You'll start to see where your values lie, things that matter to you, whether it's family, vacation, or time off. All those things will start to come to light. But just take a step and lock-and-load for 120 minutes.” (10:11—11:14)
“It doesn't have to be as difficult as everybody makes it. People start talking about vision, and mission, and core values, and it gets very overwhelming for people that don't necessarily study it. So, they just don't do it. Figure out what your very best day looks like, and try to build one great day, and then we replicate.” (12:48—13:09)
“I like mentors in three groups. So, whether you have three of them, six, nine, 12, whatever it is, I like three groups of mentors. I think we're all used to finding a cheerleader, that person who helps us get up when we're not feeling it. Every coach under the sun will tell you to be a ten out of ten. And let's be honest, sometimes we're like a six. So, we have to have that mentor who can help us get to ten. The second mentor set I like are people who are contrarians, people who see the world 180 degrees from the way you inherently see it, because those people help us find our blind spots. I had a hard time with that, and that becomes a difficult person to listen to. They're not negative people, they're just people who see things that maybe you and I don't inherently see because of who we are. And then, the third one is — this is a Brendon Burchardism. I love the top two percenters. There are so many people who try really, really hard to help us. But if they're not the top two percenters, then we waste so much time. We lose so much of that message. Like, the nuance is totally gone. So, I've always sought out those types of people. And then, depending on what your version of success is, you might need more than one in each category. You might find one person hits two of those categories. You might find that somebody serves you today, but a year from now you've outgrown them, or they've outgrown you. It all works.” (13:28—15:02)
“I think we’re lucky. When it comes to dentistry — I love educating and teaching. Whether you go to Pankey, Kois, Spear, Dawson, or you're part of the AGD, there are places that we know you're going to get really strong clinical mentors. So, invest in yourself as soon as you possibly can. You're going to meet some really cool people there, and they may check more than one box for you.” (15:37—16:08)
“Organized dentistry has great opportunities, at least to provide you with the community. You're going to walk into a room, and you're going to meet 20 somebodies. But there's going to be that one or two that you're like, ‘There's something about that person that I really, really gravitate toward, that resonates with me.’ Those are great cases. If you're young and you want to come to IgniteDDS, do. We've got like 50,000 young professionals. They're you. They might be you yesterday, you today, or you two or three years from now. And it’s your community. It's really not mine. I'm just a goofball who started it 10 years ago. Come talk to other people who are walking a similar path to you. Find out what's going well, and maybe where they're struggling.” (16:10—17:02)
“At the end of the day, [mental health is] probably the most important thing we can talk about to be happy, to feel true content, safety, joy, and all that stuff. There are so many people who are in a bad spot. So, if you're in a bad spot, or you remotely think you're in the slightest of bad spots, open up to somebody, a family member or friend. I'm with you. I'll listen to anyone. So, anyone who's listening to this, you can text me, you can call me, you can DM me. I will absolutely listen to you. If I feel like something is really happening, I'm going to tell you you need to get some real professional care because that's not me. But if you just need two ears, I think we've got a lot of really great people in dentistry who really want better for other people out there.” (17:48— 18:34)
“There's a chapter in [Is Everyone Smiling but You?] that's all about like, social media is a win, and social media is also a really big loss, potentially, because it's a snapshot. So, you see somebody on their best day from their best angle. I joke with people all the time. I'm like, ‘If you see a picture of Anastasia and I, guaranteed, Anastasia has asked me to take that picture like 37 times to get the right light, the right angle. And you've done it — we've all done it. So, don't worry about that perfect picture that you think is remotely what you're shooting for because that's not real life. Everybody has challenges, issues, good days, bad days, and bad moments. So, take all that stuff with a grain of salt. Everybody you meet out there who’s like, ‘Oh, I'm a dentist. I make $500 million a year and work half a day a week,’ guys, it’s garbage. It just is.” (19:07—20:08)
“I think we forget — we get so deep in it that we forget that “DMD”, that “DDS”, buys you incredible opportunities. You can pick up and move to another area. You can say, ‘You know what? I don't want to do clinical dentistry ever again.’ I can go work for a manufacturer. I can go be an educator. I can work in public health. I can go be an influencer, for goodness sakes. I've got a list of dentists I know who do quite well in life, and they do it on YouTube and Instagram. There are a million things we can do. So, if you're not loving your life, I think it's probably just the strength to stand in front of the mirror and forgive yourself because it's not your fault. You're one of too many people. I was one of those people. Get those mentors and just take a step. Take one step today to get where you want to go tomorrow.” (21:00—22:00)
“There are so many options for you. If you don't love your life today, start asking all the people that you can, and you're going to find people who can help you take a step.” (22:47—22:58)
“Reach out. Don't wait. Don't wait another six months or another year. We think it's a straight line from where we are to where we're going. It's not. It's a trajectory. So, the longer you wait, the harder it is, the more money it costs, and the riskier it is. So, take a step today.” (26:51—27:12)
“This current situation that you're in, and a future circumstance that you want, you're on a path. If you're on the right path today, there are definitive steps you should be taking to stay on that right path. If you're on the wrong path today — which, a lot of us are as young people because we weren't taught that in school, or residencies, or in the practice that we’re associating in — you need to get off that path ASAP. Because if you wait six months, you wait a year, you wait two years, you're further away from where you want to be than where you are right now. So, I would encourage you to ask good questions, ask for help, and do it now. Don't wait.” (27:21—28:03)
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
1:18 Dr. Rice’s background.
2:49 Reach out to others.
4:29 Why Dr. Rice wrote his book.
7:35 Don't stay stuck.
8:39 Don't be afraid to live big.
9:40 Find your thinking place.
13:10 Three types of mentors and where to find them.
17:16 Open up about mental health.
18:34 Social media is not real life.
20:39 Make change one step at a time.
23:00 More about IgniteDDS and how to get in touch.
27:14 Last thoughts.
Dr. David Rice Bio:
Dr. David Rice was born and raised in Western New York and graduated from the State University of New York at Buffalo School of Dental Medicine with honors. He completed his postgraduate training in 1995 at the Allegheny General Hospital in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Because continuing education is of the utmost importance to Dr. Rice, he has furthered his studies over the past years with an emphasis on restorative, cosmetic, and implant dentistry at the world-renowned Pankey Institute and Dawson Center. He is one of only two Western New York graduates of the Pacific Aesthetic Continuum who have a special interest in cosmetic dentistry.
In addition to maintaining his private practice, Dr. Rice holds a position in the Restorative Department of the State University of New York Buffalo School of Dental Medicine. He also lectures nationally to his peers on cosmetic and restorative dentistry. He is an active member of the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry, American Dental Association Eighth District Dental Society, and Erie County Dental Society.
655: Rethinking the Role of a Dental Hygienist in Today's Day & Age – Katrina Sanders
Hygienists are an integral part of the dental practice and want to play a role in the overall success. And the hygienists are on the front line of the patients. Help them feel valued and empowered and watch your practice soar. To learn how, listen to Episode 655 of The Best Practices Show!
Episode Resources:
- Subscribe toThe Best Practices Show podcast https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join ACT’sTo The Top Study Club https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- See ACT’sLive Events Schedule https://www.eventbrite.com/cc/act-dental-live-workshops-306239
- GetThe Best Practices Magazine for free! https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Write a review on iTunes https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show/id1223838218
Links Mentioned in This Episode:
Katrina’s Speaking Engagements https://katrinasanders.com/speaking/
Main Takeaways:
Dental Hygienists can help the entire scope of a practice.
Value is not based on production, but the number of patients healed.
Opinions make dental hygienists feel valued.
We take care of our people, because our people take care of our patients.
Make the most of hygienists’ downtime and be creative.
Get smart and efficient about schedules. Utilize hygienists more.
If you don’t take the time to put together the process, nobody knows what the process is.
Quotes:
“Hygienists did not come out of ‘We need somebody to boost production in our practices.’ It was about drawing a line between the gap of what’s occurring in society when it comes to disease and ultimately how we can help them to achieve greater levels of health.” (8:40—9:00)
“So preventive dentistry comes along in a strong way through campaigns like this in the 1950’s And from there dental hygienists really took on a significant role. They were members of the preventive team, they were working alongside the doctors to help identify early childhood decay, they were performing hygiene visits, they were performing advanced periodontal treatment. And as research has now started to unpack all of these complex layers of what diseases an oral practitioner can prevent through their care, now we are starting to see this fan unfold of all of the unique and amazing things hygienists can do .” (10:07—10:45)
“That narrative, I understand some of the interactions with hygienists and us asking for salaries that are commensurate with the role that we hold in the practice, it is also important to know that there are other things, in fact, that hygienists might want to help them feel like an appreciated member of the team. And interestingly, if we can focus on those things it may actually help the entire scop of the practice .” (11:50—12:18)
“You’re a magnet for what you want to attract. If you’re ad that you put out there is ‘We pay top dollar’ well then you’re going to attract hygienists who are going to push that envelope as high as high is it can go…it’s important to look at who is the type of practitioner you want to attract to your practice” (13:40—14:17)
“I could be making more money somewhere else but that’s not what I value as a dental hygienist. What I value is delivery high level care to my patients. What I value is collaborating alongside doctors who respect me and my opinion. What I value is being able to go to a CE course and saying ‘I learned this. Here’s what this would look like to fold it into our existing protocol. What do you think about doing this for our patients?’ And being heard and understood.” (14:38—15:04)
“My opinion, what I value, is being heard. And [my practice] is showing we value you and we want you to be able to…think about this if [my practice] buys the equipment I need and want I’m going to be delivering far superior care for my patients. I’m going to be delivering a higher level of care to these patients. This money is an investment in a piece of equipment but it’s an investment in standards of excellence in our practice..” (16:22—16:50)
“This is in our culture. Our culture is ‘we take care of our people, because our people take care of our patients’. And we need to look at what does ‘We take care of our people’ actually look like. I think a lot of times the conversation of salary precedes so much of that…when you think about being a magnet and attracting a hygienist who is progressive, who cares about their patients, who wants the best for their patients…first, you may have that hygienist in your practice now. But there is a possibility you haven’t hosted those conversations.” (18:44—19:59)
“What that does is it takes this hygienist who is passionate, who is excited, who loves this [innovation or new piece of equipment] and wants to be able to share this with their colleagues and you’re now positioning this person in a role of authority, in leadership, to work alongside you.” (21:00—21:15)
“Your hygienists can do far greater things with their skills set than [call patients during downtime]. You have a clinician there who is available. You’ve got an hour of time now. Could you be looking at the existing schedule of patients and maybe saying ‘Hey, this hygienist could be anesthetizing this patient over here. You know what? This patient is actually scheduled for a restorative treatment but they’re actually needing to have some scaling and root cleaning done so could we get creative there with this hygienist?’ So looking at the full scope of the schedule for the day and saying ‘Could a hygienist step into the dentist’s operatory and perform those periodontal therapy areas on those patients?’” (21:12—22:53)
“You’ve got creative providers in that practice who want to write content…you’ve got people who can help write campaigns for social media…you’ve got providers in there are who clinical experts. Let them be those experts.’” (23:39—24:27)
“I don’t have time to not do that.I have had to carve out time and be intentional about meeting with my team. For hygienists that might mean doing a quarterly visit where you block off your schedule on a Friday or maybe a Saturday morning, brunch with your hygiene team. And sit down and talk to them about those initiatives” (26:55—27:20)
“I don’t care if you have 10 team members or 10,000. You need a place where, no we are going to stop, we are going to get calibrated on this and this is crazy important” (29:45—29:55)
“How many little things end up getting omitted…if we don’t have a line of sight as to what is going on and we are not consistently re-iterating the things that we are seeing from a process standpoint, if we’re not giving timely feedback, if we’re not creating a collaboration with our teams this is where we are going to run into challenges. Because the process that you built out to help support your team is not necessarily being executed.” (30:16—30:52)
“Look at your hygienists as true partners in the practice. And by that I mean are there projects that you can actually put them in charge of. Can they be accountable for that?...Do you know what happens when you give accountability? When you have her build it? It becomes hers. And now she’s passionate about it. And now she’s the one who is integrating that, not you Doctor.” (31:00—32:00)
“We are no longer just mouth maids, jaw janitors, tooth scrapers, cleaning ladies. We are so much more than that. And hygienists want to help their patients. That’s what they care about.” (32:28—32:41)
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
7:00 History of Dental Hygienists.
11:50 The value of a Dental Hygienist.
14:30 Attracting the right Dental Hygienists.
18:00 Culture matters.
21:30 Maximizing downtime.
25:57 What if you don’t have time to do this?
30:16 Why meeting as a team matters.
32:26 Final Takeaways.
40:10 Conclusion.
Katrina M. Sanders RDH, BSDH, M.Ed, RF Bio:
In the ever-changing world of dental science where research, technology, and techniques for patient care are constantly evolving, dental professionals look to continuing education to provide insight, deliver actionable steps, empower, and create a dramatic impact within their clinical practice.
With wit, charm, and a dash of humor, Katrina Sanders enchants dental professionals with her course deliverables, insightful content, and delightful inspiration. Her message of empowerment rings mighty throughout her lectures and stirs a deep sense of motivation amongst course participants.
Katrina is the Clinical Liaison for AZPerio, the country's largest periodontal practice. She performs clinically, working alongside Diplomates to the American Board of Periodontology in the surgical operatory. Katrina perfected techniques during L.A.N.A.P. surgery, suture placement, IV therapy, and blood draws. She instructs on collaborative professionalism and standard-of-care protocols while delivering education through hygiene boot camps and study clubs.
Send Katrina an email katrina@katrinasanders.com
Join Katrina on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/katrina.sanders.948
Follow Katrina on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/thedentalwinegenist/
Learn more on Katrina’s website https://katrinasanders.com/
654: 3 Ways to Bounce Back From a Negative Review – Miranda Beeson
Negative reviews can happen to even the best dentists. But how do you bounce back? Learn from coach Miranda Beeson in 3 simple ways. And get the best practices way to get great reviews too. To learn how, listen to Episode 654 of The Best Practices Show!
Episode Resources:
- Subscribe toThe Best Practices Show podcast https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
- Join ACT’sTo The Top Study Club https://www.actdental.com/ttt
- See ACT’sLive Events Schedule https://www.eventbrite.com/cc/act-dental-live-workshops-306239
- GetThe Best Practices Magazine for free! https://www.actdental.com/magazine
- Write a review on iTunes https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show/id1223838218
Links Mentioned in This Episode:
Send Kirk an email Kirk@actdental.com
Main Takeaways:
Negative reviews can be a gift.
Step 1: You do need to respond to the negative review.
Use your core values and take it offline.
Step 2: Don’t feed the fire.
Many one star reviews is a core values issue.
Step 3: Encourage more positive reviews.
Reviews matter.
The more you lean into core values, the less issues you have.
If you’re struggling, it isn’t the review itself.
Quotes:
“We know as practice owners, that consumers are looking to reviews when making a purchasing decision. So when we’re looking at the buying cycle. Looking at consideration. There is an awareness I need a new dentist. I’m going to go look online and as you’re pursuing, which is really what most people do now adays, you’re going to look at the reviews. And we know that, so if we get a bad one we panic. It is very much a part of the consumer buying process. It’s who we are now. It’s in our hand, it’s in our pocket, all day, every day. So our reputation is really on the line. So those feelings are valid that you have when you get a negative review. It’s just what we do with them and how we respond to them that matters.” (2:09—2:56)
“This can be a gift. This can be a time to reflect on your asking for reviews system. This can help you stop and reflect on what are we really doing with that patient experience in the practice. Because patient experience is the most important thing to patients when they’re choosing a dentist. Yes insurance…do you take my insurance…but we know, under neath all of those superficial questions that patients ask, it’s really “how are you going to make me feel?” “What is this experience going to be like when I’m in the office?” So when you get a negative review - we know sometimes they’re real and sometimes they’re bogus - but when they’re real there is a validity in us taking it as an opportunity to reflect on what type of patient experience we are providing and what type of consistency there is to that. Maybe we are delivering a really excellent patient experience 90% of the time, but if 10% of the time we aren’t and that’s showing up online that can affect our reputation.” (3:50—4:51)
“Step 1: You do need to respond to the review. We don’t want to leave that sad, little pitiful one star review with someone ranting. Whether real or not, we don’t want to leave it unanswered. Because that’s going to speak a story to your potential, new clients. If they’re seeing that review and the only side of the story that they’re then able to see is that review….and we should respond promptly ” (5:17—6:00)
“How do we respond? The best thing to do…is to offer an apology. Show some empathy and concern…something that acknowledges “oh my goodness. I’m so sorry that you had a negative experience.” And make sure to include your core values as a practice.” (6:03—6:27)
“You’re only going to want to take that so far online. The next step is providing a solution….You’re going to offer a path to resolution. And generally that should be “please give us a call or email me at this.” Something that gives them the call to action. That you’re willing to step up and hear them further…but we’re not going to do it on google. This is not the place for that.” (8:30—10:07)
“That’s really step #2. Don’t feed the fire. So try not to take is personally. That’s easy to say…if you do get a negative review and they’re speaking to you or about your practice you give your heart and soul to…it’s hard not to take that personally. Take a deep breath and find some level of calm before you reply. It’s really really important to respond promptly but it’s much more important to take the time to calmly respond so we are not feeding the fire.” (10:57—11:48)
“Don’t respond in a debate fashion. You will look negative in the eye of anyone reading that review if you also start going down that path of negativity. So no personal accusations, no patient information…We can’t please everyone and there are some people out there that are not going to own their own crazy and it’s going to show up. And what we do and how we respond is…that’s the only thing we have control over.” (15:56—16:39)
“The more you have great core values that you believe in, that you reinforce with your team, you just find you have less problems. And the reason I say that is if you’re regularly getting one star reviews, that’s not reviews, that’s a core values issue. Because the more and more people you have in your chair, in which their values line up with yours…you’re going to find they give you discretion. They’ll give you a little bit of leeway. They’ll let you screw up. They’ll still love you. People that don’t line up with the same values, they’re going to be quick to tell you this isn’t working for me” (17:18—17:58)
“Step #3: Encourage more positive reviews…We want to try to drown out that negative review with as many positives as possible. What data has shown us is that over 60% of people are willing to leave a review if you ask them to. If you don’t have a system within your practice already, just from a sheer marketing perspective of asking for reviews…you can get one in place. And how do we talk to patients about asking for reviews? What patients are we going to ask for reviews? Do we talk about it at huddle and pinpoint them in the morning? Are there certain key phrases that a patient says throughout their experience that cue you to say “Thank you so much for that. Would you mind sharing that online?” Because what we know is more than half of the people you ask will do that for you because they do care. ” (20:11—21:30)
“Make it easy. If you can have a QR code or now they have digital business cards or something that can go home or a lot of our automated reminder systems can push a review and you can let them know we’re going to send this right to your phone. We want to make it as easy as possible, if they do agree to leave a review. Then that just makes it even easier for them and you can start to drown out that one star negative review ” (24:25—24:51)
“You can have 5 stars, but only 4 reviews. I don’t know how legit; that might just be your team members. So when we’re really looking at this overall, we want that to be as high as possible with as many reviews as possible.” (25:01—25:15)
“You need somebody to respond to those 4 and 5 star reviews and validating and showing that we have a personal connection with our patients here in this office.” (27:11—27:18)
“Step #1, you’ve got to confirm if that reviewer is an imposter or a patient or not. We need to know the truth behind is this someone we actually did service who is upset or is this just a complete fake…You want to attempt to have that removed, once you have confirmed that is it, in fact, not a true patient. Can you request to have them removed. The process is a little bit different depending on where they posted the review…but to be honest you’re probably not going to be able to have it removed. But it’s worth taking the steps to attempt to have it removed…Follow those same steps. Respond promptly, try to calm yourself down first, try not to have an argumentative tone, but positive, offer a solution and you can indicate in there ‘give us a call, we’re having a hard time finding your record or something of that nature that vaguely indicates that we’re not sure you’re a patient here.” (29:48—31:36)
“I have a team, they’re just under 100 and they wanted to hit that 100 review mark. And so they set it as a quarterly goal, as one of the KPIs that they’re tracking on a weekly basis. They’re asking for reviews, they created an “asking for reviews system”, and they’re tracking it every single week. And they’re not even halfway through their quarter and they’re already at 98 reviews.” (35:38—36:03)
“Sometimes these are true. And we need to ensure, if there is any truth in the review that we are addressing it within the practice…If we are seeing a little bit of a trend, then we need to stop and reflect and we need to say ‘Is this something that really did happen in the office? Is this an experience that patients really are having when they’re here? Are they being talked to this way? Are we dishing out too many cancellation fees and it’s start to rub people the wrong way?” We need to really reflect on the truth that is there within that review and then address that within the practice. You want to align with your team…align with them on what happened during that experience. What can we do to shift things in a positive way moving forward? And then how are we going to start drowning this out? How can we start asking for reviews? How can we start getting more and more positive. And it might be that we need to change some of these systems within our practice or it might be that we need to initiate an ‘asking for reviews system.’ But we have to stop and look at, typically there is some level of truth in any feedback that we receive …so if it’s there and we can snuff it out then we need to figure out how to address it within the practice. And then ultimately, you just want to be the type of practice that’s represented really well online. And again, all roads lead back to our core values. So if you have really clearly identified core values, you have a team that knows what they are, that lives them day in and day out and you really center what you do and that patient experience around them then you are going to be the type of practice that is reflected outward in those reviews.” (37:09—39:04)
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
2:09 Can negative reviews be positive?
5:17 Step 1: How to Respond.
8:30 Provide a solution.
10:55 Step 2: Try not to feed the fire.
17:18 The importance of core values.
20:11 Step 3: Encourage more positive reviews.
21:02 How to ask for reviews.
25:00 Why you need more reviews.
29:29 If the review isn’t from a real patient
37:05 Final Takeaways.
40:10 Conclusion.
Miranda Beeson, MS, BSDH Bio:
Miranda Beeson, MS, BSDH, has over 25 years of clinical dental hygiene, front office, practice administration, and speaking experience. She is enthusiastic about communication and loves helping others find the power that words can bring to their patient interactions and practice dynamics. As a Lead Practice Coach, she is driven to create opportunities to find value in experiences and cultivate new approaches.
Miranda graduated from Old Dominion University, and enjoys spending time with her husband, Chuck, and her children, Trent, Mallory, and Cassidy. Family time is the best time, and is often spent on a golf course, a volleyball court, or spending the day boating at the beach.
Send Miranda an email: miranda@actdental.com
Follow Miranda on ACT’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/actdental/
653: One Dentist’s Journey Through Embezzlement – Dr. Stacey Hall
What's one of the most embarrassing things that can happen as a dentist? It’s embezzlement — and no one is immune! So, how do you prevent it from happening in your practice? To share what she learned the hard way, Kirk Behrendt brings in Dr. Stacey Hall from The Dawson Academy with tips to deter embezzlers from stealing your time, money, and energy. Don't think it can't happen to you! For the best practices to protect your office, listen to Episode 653 of The Best Practices Show!
Episode Resources:
- Join Dr. Hall on Facebook
- Follow Dr. Hall on Instagram
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show podcast
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club
- See ACT’s Live Events Schedule
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free!
- Write a review on iTunes
Main Takeaways:
Embezzlement is more complex than you initially think.
Don't think that embezzlement can't happen to you.
Have solid checks and balances in your system.
Always do background checks before hiring.
Trust, and verify.
Quotes:
“To my knowledge, I have never had anybody embezzle from me. I have always done checks and balances, checks with what we were supposed to collect, what was being deposited, and that sort of thing. I had a patient that came to me and said she thought somebody was stealing from me — and it was very cut and dry. It wasn't like she could think it. It was, from what she presented, we knew. And it was, I think, more surprising because I and my whole team would have never thought this one person would have ever done it.” (3:22—4:04)
“You still think, ‘Okay, how did this happen? Has it happened before?’ But you're also like, ‘Well, certainly, there has to be something in [the embezzler’s] life that made her do this for just a moment. There's just a moment that she's doing this. This was something that just happened. Maybe she owed some money. I don't know.’ So, I automatically go into this compassionate, like, ‘There had to have been something that happened that made her do this. This couldn't be a long-term thing because we certainly would have caught it.’” (7:30—8:03)
“[After finding out about the embezzlement and] I started digging, then I'm starting to get angry. I'm angry at myself, and I'm angry at the person doing this. I'm angry at the fact that she's done this to a patient, and then the patient trusted us to hire somebody that wouldn't do this. And then, also the patients’ trust that we're also doing checks and balances. You start to go into this whole spiral. Even my front office ladies, as they start to learn what was going on, they start to feel angry, like, how did that happen around them? Or how did they never feel or get a sense that something like this was happening, or that she would be able to do that? I have pretty good intuition, and this one completely bamboozled me. I did not see this coming, whatsoever. So, I felt pretty lost.” (8:09—8:58)
“[Embezzlement is complex] because you think, ‘Okay. Well, there must have been adjustments. That's how we can comb through. We can just tag all adjustments and say we would investigate all those cases.’ Well, even after we suspended her, my staff thought that she wasn't coming to work the next day because there was a family emergency. We weren't really talking about what was going on yet. In fact, we have somebody that leaves the office with a cell phone every weekend so that our patients, if they were to call for an emergency, actually get somebody on the phone. She was supposed to have the phone that weekend. And so, I called my office manager and I said, ‘Why don't we make sure that Brittney goes and grabs the phone?’ She said that's fine. So, Brittney goes to the office to grab the phone while Sarah is at the office — she accessed the office. It ends up that Brittney doesn't know Sarah is not supposed to be there, and we don't know what Sarah was doing on the computers that afternoon. But we do know, from that Monday after that, she had contacted a patient, told her that she wasn’t going to be at work on Monday over the weekend, and so if she wanted to get the work done with the discount she had promised her — so, then there was a whole other element. She was promising discounts to patients and saying, ‘You need to check out with me if you want the discount. I'm the only one authorized to give you the discount.’ She said, ‘If you want that discount, why don't you bring the cash this weekend? I'm sorry to do this.’ So, she actually called the patient and collected $3,000 in cash. There's a whole other element. There's a cash element. You're trying to figure out checks, and now you have cash. And so, then we were trying to figure out patients who usually pay with cash, and what would happen with them. We find that out. So, there's the cash, and then there's the checks. And to be honest with you, we have credit cards that are saved. You can't see the credit card information if you were to look at the computer. But then, I'm like, ‘Well, did she ever get a credit card and use the credit card for little purchases?’ I don't know that. That's a whole other element that I don't know yet, unfortunately.” (9:53—12:14)
“As we start to dig, we started finding some adjustments and some things, and we started calling patients and questioning and asking them to check their checks. It ends up that there were some patients that went and checked their checks. She was essentially banking on the fact that patients would not go back and look at their check in the computer and say, ‘Oh, yeah. That was actually endorsed, and everything was right there.’ Because I don't go to check my checks. If I do write a check, I don't go and make sure. Now, I always write the check — the payee section, I don't let people stamp it. I've never done that. So, this was her telling patients that she was going to have somebody stamp it, and she actually would write it to herself instead. So, that was a huge target. And so, we had this collection of information to provide to the investigators.” (12:17—13:13)
“It ends up that we get the subpoena, and they get [the embezzler’s] bank records. So, let's say that we had taken to the investigator about $9,000 to $10,000 worth of what we knew. That was just checks. This did not include the cash that we had figured out. It ends up that the investigator comes back to us with all the names on checks that were deposited with the amounts, and there was another $15,000 that we had no idea about. So, those were another whole group of patients that we needed to call. And they were patients that, it lined up. What they did is from January forward, thinking that maybe we thought this started happening at the end of winter, beginning of spring. Well, it ends up that — no. In fact, it was all the way back to January.” (16:25—17:17)
“We have an advocate. At first, I was like, ‘I don't need an advocate. I'm just going to call the investigator.’ Well, they're not always available, and so the advocate kind of holds your hand. I thought, ‘Oh, we can get through this.’ No. Having that advocate has been good to be able to call on.” (18:10—18:28)
“I'm frustrated. I'm mad. I go through lots of emotions. This steals from my paycheck — we make good money. We're dentists. But it steals from the bonuses from my staff. They get bonuses. And so, it stole from the collections because this was money not collected. So, if we're up to $30,000, that's money that was stolen from my staff.” (19:16—19:42)
“I actually had the gift of somebody being able to do background checks for people starting to work at my practice when I was private. Now, you have Hartland. They do all that, and that's the gift. Now, the thing is, if [the embezzler] did this for someone else and got away with it who was very old-fashioned dentistry, then this would have never come up.” (21:01—21:23)
“I'm all for people getting back on their feet, and I agree people can change. But when that came out that [the embezzler’s] charges could possibly be lessened, I about lost it because I'm like, ‘This is a lot of money. This was very methodical.’ Actually, even the fact that when I first was going to suspend her, I looked at her and asked, ‘Is there any reason why you think this would be happening, why a suspension would be happening? There are maybe some adjustments that look funny,’ she looked me dead in the eye — and I think nonverbal language is very loud. There was not one thing in her nonverbal language that made me think she [was telling] the truth. Now, I knew she was not telling me the truth. But what freaked me out even more was that she was so stoic about it. She looked me in the eye and was so serious about, ‘I have no idea why this would be happening.’ That actually scares me even more. I know this is probably not the first time. So, when they were talking about her charges being dumbed down — if there could be a word for it, dumbed down — I'm like, ‘No. Sorry, hell no. That's not okay with me.’” (21:34—22:59)
“Everyone is a [potential] victim, whether you're in a single practice, solo practice, or whether you're with Heartland DSO. Believe me, we're talking about this on a regular basis with my regional manager, district manager, you name it, of how to prevent this.” (24:18—24:36)
“With Heartland, I just handed that over to them and thought, ‘Okay, they're doing the checks and balances.’ Well, I still need to do the daily, weekly, monthly checks and balances and be able to ask questions and be a little bit more involved. As much as I've never been a gross micromanager, asking questions is what always helps keep people in line. I think it gave me this moment of, ‘Okay, I need to still be involved in that so no one can feel that they could actually be able to get away with that.’” (26:08—26:47)
“What I would do different, I would have, at some point, made it so that each person walking in the building — yes, you have a key fob. In our building, we do have an alarm — I would have made sure each person had their own code so that I knew who was in, who was out. Again, we're not huge. Even though I'm with Heartland, I still have a small practice. And so, I didn't feel the need to do this major shift of making it feel like this big entity . . . Well, that's changed.” (26:51—27:32)
“I agree with you on the computers, everybody having a login. Even when you're logging into Dentrix, you're on your Dentrix site, you're logging in with your code. The problem is there's still an issue with that, because sometimes I'm typing my notes on a computer in the back office, and sometimes I'm typing notes on my computer in my office. Maybe you get more strict with that. I don't know. We do know that Sarah's computer — she sat at her computer most of the time, and nobody else was really logged in there. But the thing is, when you do those checks and balances, that's where it can get a little fuzzy or a little gray.” (27:35—28:17)
“The other thing that, looking back, I would have done differently is, we had some new staff at the time, and I think what she did is she took advantage of the fact that they didn't know all the rules. If I wasn't around, that's when she would, on the sly, say to a patient, ‘I can give you a discount for cash if you want to bring that in.’ We don't do discounts for cash. I know a lot of people do — it's the thing. We don't. It ends up that she was doing that on the side. But then, these new girls — she was training them. So, they thought she's the one. If you want to know anything about your account, this is the girl you go to. She was like the leader up front. So, in their minds, she was doing everything that she was supposed to do.” (28:19—29:12)
“What we've done differently, one big thing is — what we found is that, yes, there were some adjustments. So, yes, those are things that are red flags for all offices. If you're looking at your adjustments, that's great. The thing is, it wasn't all adjustments. But if there are adjustments, those have to be signed off by me. We have made this slip of paper. I know people are trying to go paperless. There's still reason for paper. I'm sure you could find something to do it on, an iPad or phones, however you want to do it digitally, but anything that has to be signed off. The other thing is, because it was adjustments — but it wasn't all adjustments. It was also if somebody was changing a fee on a code. So, let's say that I bring somebody in. There are a lot of people that come in for a limited exam, and I'm like, ’You know what? They're a patient of record. They just wanted me to look at something. Take that $99 off. Just make it zero.’ So, if we do any of that, like taking that code and taking it from $99 to zero, or if I am doing an MOD on a patient and I'm being an MOD-L, then I just say, ‘You know what? Change it in the computer, but still keep it at the charge that the patient was being charged that they thought that they were paying today.’ I'm fee-for-service so that, to me, is important. I don't want them not to pay more and feel like they've been bamboozled. So, those instances, they can't change the code unless they have this sign-off. Between myself going to the front and my office manager seeing that I've signed off on it, that's where we see it, where things are allowed, so to speak.” (29:14—30:52)
“What's the answer to the fact that what [the embezzler] was doing is — everything was right in the ledger. You check the ledger, you check the ledger, and then maybe two weeks later, before the month’s end, she would swipe the ledger of the patients as if they had never come in. And so, that check was still sitting there waiting for her. She didn't actually put it in the computer. It was just in this cloud. She would take that ledger and swipe all the codes as if the patient never came in, and then she would take the check and deposit it. So, their account was zero. Their balance was zero. And so, that is one of those things that’s like, when are you really looking at the ledger to make sure everything adds up two weeks from now or three weeks from now? I don't know what the answer is to that.” (30:59—31:47)
“I'm putting a little bit of pressure on software companies like Dentrix. Just like you were saying that you get an email or a text or something whenever there's a red flag or somebody's entering your office, why am I not getting a text — or, I don't want a text for everything, but why aren't we getting a diagram of all changes that were being made? Dentrix should be able to throw out, ‘There's a red flag here. Your person, Sarah, on her account, made 15 changes in one person's account today.’ Like, why aren't they . . .? I mean, we have these software companies that supposedly — I think that they could change these things. I don't know if it's maybe risk management, like in the sense of, if they're trying to say that they could prevent embezzlement and then they don't, I don't know if it's a risk for them. I have no idea. But I'm going to put a little pressure on these software companies. And to be honest with you, the one that can come up with something that would be like, ‘There are red flags here,’ to try to prevent it, I think that we should all be applauding them and possibly buying into their service because I think it would be a great idea.” (31:50—33:03)
“The take-home is, build a system for the checks and balances. I think the one thing that gives me a little bit of security now is people having to sign off on all these things. Because I have so much going on, if somebody said, ‘Did you authorize that adjustment back in May for this?’ I'd have no idea. I don't remember the conversation I had with the patient yesterday if somebody didn't actually type it in the computer. So, that gives me a little reassurance. If there were any changes, if it's not in the documents that I've signed off on it — it helps me. It gives me a little reassurance. It's, again, the whole checks and balances. So, if there's anything that I could say is a take-home, put together maybe one other thing in your system that helps you put a little reassurance that this isn't happening to you.” (37:33—38:22)
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
1:51 Dr. Hall’s background.
2:54 How embezzlement came to light.
6:29 The emotional and financial toll of embezzlement.
23:49 Lessons learned and changes made.
34:51 The recovery period.
37:22 Last thoughts.
Dr. Stacey Hall Bio:
After completing her undergraduate degree from Virginia Tech in 1998, Dr. Stacey Hall graduated from VCU’s MCV School of Dentistry in 2002, receiving her D.D.S. She is a member of the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry, Academy of General Dentistry, the American Dental Association, and was awarded member fellowship to the International Congress of Oral Implantology in 2008. Dr. Hall is a scholar with the internationally renowned Dawson Academy.
She is part-time faculty with the Academy, assistant teaching for courses concerning occlusion and rehabilitation of worn dentition. Dr. Hall also leads their ambassador program. She and her husband, Michael, have been blessed with three beautiful daughters, Lanie, Gracie, and Abbie. She is a loyal Virginia Tech Football fan and enjoys boating, skiing, Bible study, and missions work.
7 Proven Steps to Reduce Patient Cancellations
Episode #652 with Dr. Barrett Straub
Do you deal with cancellations in your practice? If you’re like most dental offices, the answer is yes. Looking for some training on how to help with cancellations and no shows? Let’s set you and your team up for success with these 7 proven steps. To learn how, listen to Episode 652 of The Best Practices Show!
Episode Resources:
- Send Dr. Barrett an email
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show podcast
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club, contact Gina
- See ACT’s Live Events Schedule
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free!
- Write a review on iTunes
Links Mentioned in This Episode:
Send Kirk an email
Get the slides, send an email
Capacity tracker
Main Takeaways:
Mitigate cancellations by being proactive while a patient is in the chair.
An empty chair is negative profit.
You’ve got to put the right people in the right chairs.
Coding appointments can show you which patients value your time and value what you do.
Make the patient feel like you know them. Are you a transactional or relational practice?
Train people that they can’t cancel.
Quotes:
“Every cancellation that has ever happened in dentistry started at the chair. And what I mean by that is the value, the conversation, and we can’t just pass the buck.Yes everybody has to work together; front and back. But all cancellations start at the chair. If you’re looking to solve the root cause of the problem, then we have to start further back in the appointment, which is the conversation.” (5:28—5:53)
“Research indications why patients cancel. Number one is they do forget…The second reason would be lack of perceived value by the patient. And sometimes by the practice. They feel like they’re doing you a favor by canceling. You ever felt that?...Sometimes we give that perception to patients…Reason number four is something comes up that they would rather do. It becomes a value issue…Number five, they have an emotional barrier. That’s very real. Some feel pain. Some are afraid they’ll receive bad news…and I’m just going to put this off. And lastly some just don’t want to spend the money on dentistry. Things happen, water heater broke, flooded basement, got another bill for one of my college kids.” (5:55—7:41)
“Committing and complying to a time slot are two different things. If I work the front desk at your practice, I’m going to be the gatekeeper…I am going to protect the schedule with my life. So if I put you in here I’m going to look in your eyes and make sure are committing and not just complying.” (9:09—9:37)
“I love the idea of the hygienist becoming more involved in that chair time. It’s easier to cancel on the administrative person answering the phone. It’s harder to cancel on a hygienist or the doctor. And oftentimes patients canceling don’t think the message is going to get back…that is the essence of it; creating the idea that we’re not a commodity, we’re special, we’re unique, this chair time is valuable and we’re not looking for repeat customers who we thank for spending time in our chair. We are looking for loyal patients who appreciate what we offer and know that it’s a partnership and they’ve got to hold their half of the bargain.” (11:14—11:56)
“An empty chair isn’t not no profit. An empty chair is negative profit.” (12:39—12:42)
“One cancellation in most dental practices cuts that profit in half for that entire operatory. If you have a second cancellation in eight patients you are now working for free in that operatory. There is no profit whatsoever. And if you have a third one I can almost guarantee you that you are working at a deficit. Which means you are losing money.” (13:05—13:29)
“There are A patients, B patients and C patients. There are patients that value what you do and they show up and they pay. That’s it…and then there are C patients. C patients don’t really value what you do. They don’t value your time. They don’t show up…it’s just that they haven’t demonstrated a value for what you do…80-90% of your profits come from A patients. 80-90% of your problems come from C patients.” (16:03—16:40)
“I highly recommend you create 3 appointment codes and these appointment codes are different than procedure codes. They’re 3 appointment codes that actually code behavior.The first one is a no show, the second one is cancel, and the third one is late…Team members need to be taught how to break an appointment. A lot of times they drag an appointment which means you don’t collect any data on it…When you have data it removes all emotions. Coding these behaviors can show you which patients value your time and value what you do. You can post the ASA procedure code which is D-9986 no-show or missed appointment to the ledger. And a cancel is D9987. (18:15—19:34)
“So the point is we can actually use data to say “I feel like I’m at 110% at capacity, actually I’m at 87%. It helps us set better strategy in that, let’s do more, do more, do more and a lot of times a lot of us can really have some significant profitability to the bottom line if we just say hey let’s fill the chairs we have. It feels like we’re full, but we can actually add 7% capacity. That’s a lot of profitability.” (21:30—22:01)
“You gotta train people you can’t cancel. So whatever your message machine says, it should say something like this at the end “This machine does not accept any changes in schedule. In the event you need to make a change to your appointment, please call back during the day and ask for Betty. We would be so happy to help you.” (24:50—24:15)
“People don’t really cancel on their friends. And the question I really have for a practice that has a lot of cancellations is, is your practice transactional or is it relational?...What shows me it’s relational is when I see it in your practice. And you’ve got a couple things in place. It’s either the RFR, which is reason for return…or you can do that in what’s called the FORD concept” (26:27—27:10)
“The biggest problem with most dental practices is they don’t give their best energy to things that matter most.” (30:18—30:23)
“We have to value what we do first. And then we have to create value for them. So when it comes to creating value for them, I want to help them understand why they are coming back for this appointment. I want to know about them. I want to find out the purpose. What are their long-term goals. And then I’m going to employ the 4 rules of scheduling when it comes to the schedule itself. #1, if I’m a team member at the front I’m going to say we are going to schedule today and tomorrow first. I’m going to stay focused on making sure we have the right patients in the schedule today and tomorrow…#2 I want to schedule from the start of the day. And then we are going to start from the beginning of the day because we want to get the first 5 hours the way we want them. And then we are going to get new patients in within 7 days. And lastly #4, patients fit into your schedule. Don’t ever say to a patient, what works for you?...You have to create so much value through verbal skills that people rearrange their life to fit into yours.” (31:20—33:33)
“I want to encourage you, don’t use the word cancellation. Now this is 10 years old. I’m using it today to describe this problem in dentistry, but when you’re talking to a patient do ever use the word cancellation. Because you can trade that word out for violation. I like the words “change in schedule” You can present that as a benefit that you’re going to reschedule for that appointment….make this a regular practice to leave this word out of your vocabulary.” (36:22—37:26)
“If someone is going to cancel, I highly encourage you to put them on hold. Let them sweat this out. For a couple of reasons. You’re going to gather yourself because you want to gather yourself. In the moment you’re going to figure out who is this patient? Are they an A patient, a B patient or a C patient? Because I’m not going to respond the same way to an A patient then I would a C patient…If you’re a C patient I’m going to make it hard for you to cancel this appointment.” (38:30—39:29)
“Don’t be so quick to respond. Enjoy the silence. Ask good questions and help the patient keep the appointment.” (42:09—42:16)
“Most every practice that we see now is way too busy. They have way too many patients and they’re booking every patient out and they have no openings every 6 months. I can tell you right now, you don’t need all of those patients. Your job is to start putting the right patients in your chairs over time and by that process you’ll see the entire practice change. But I need everybody enlisted in this opportunity to make this happen. If I’m a hygienist I’m going to start freeing up the space for C’s and start making room for A’s.” (44:28—44:58)
“I like the idea of booking out 6 months plus 2 weeks, to start to build the type of patient base that we want long-term. It is not good to be booked out continuously all the time. You need space for something that might happen. And the ability to get a new patient in that whole process.” (45:55—46:22)
“If I can get a patient on the phone two weeks from today that has a hygiene appointment and they say anything other than ‘great, I’ll be there’ There’s a 50% chance they’re not coming…You now have a two weeks window you can pull patients forward.” (47:10—47:48)
“You can get almost anyone to call you back if you employ one thing. It’s called curiosity. Never tell people why you are calling. Just create a little curiosity. (49:08—49:16)
“I think every practice in the world should have a cancellation fee. But never ever ever ever use it. It can be $75 or $100. If you’re charging someone $75 you’re not making any more and you’re just irritating the situation. If you charge me $75 for my 4th missed appointment I am going to get so angry with you that I might go on your website and give you a one star review.” (52:57—53:36)
“[seeing patients who are late] We would usually set a timeframe…like a 15 minute border. If it’s 20 minutes late we just say no because we have to build some value. If they’re 10, 12 minutes late…we offer to see them but we recognize and say “you’re here 20 minutes late. We are not going to get an hour’s worth done” because you’ve then just devalued the 60 minute time slot. So you meet the patient halfway.” (54:53—55:42)
“I love prepayments for all patients because you want to lower your cancellation rate and no show rate, people show up when they have money on the line already. We collect it for any big case.” (57:51—58:09)
“Prepayment for all appointments is not a bad thing. It’s actually a good thing. Because you’re gonna get what’s called commitment. If I’m giving you money, I’m committed to being there. And it’s amazing how much you do upfront, how much less you have to do later.” (58:34—58:48)
“Ken Allen, who is a dentist, he created an incredible system. He said here is what a great patient is to our practice. And he said the line in the sand is 3. Once they’re 3 they get coded and then I have the opportunity to upgrade or reinstate them as an A patient but I’m going to have an honest conversation with them.” (1:01:47—1:02:09)
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
5:28 Cancellations start in the chair.
9:50 Owning the chair.
12:10 The real cost of an empty chair.
18:15 Coding missed appointments to get data.
26:27 Is your practice transactional or relational?
36:22 Rescuing the cancellation.
47:00 Calling 2 weeks ahead to confirm the appointment.
49:08 Get the call back.
52:57 Charging a cancellation fee.
54:53 Late patients.
1:04:19 Conclusion.
Patient Lifestyle Habits that Sabotage Your Treatment Plans
Episode #651 with Dr. Uche Odiatu
Dentists are the gatekeepers of wellness and the wave is coming! Implants not taking? Dry sockets persisting? A bad patient can make even the best dentist look bad. Get ready to ask the right questions and build an office culture to bring you and your patients to the best dental and overall health yet. To learn how, listen to Episode 651 of The Best Practices Show!
Episode Resources:
- About Dr. Uche
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show podcast
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club
- See ACT’s Live Events Schedule
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free!
- Write a review on iTunes
Links Mentioned in This Episode:
Dr. Uche’s website
Dr. Uche on Instagram
Main Takeaways:
Awareness is the first step of change.
A patient with toxic lifestyle habits can make even the best dentist look bad.
To ask better questions about health, you have to be healthy yourself.
There is a wellness wave happening. Get ready to be on it.
Quotes:
“Well, a study club is all about achievement, next level, elite patient care. They do the clinical stuff. They have the sterilization, the best implant parts. They have the best of everything. A trained team; a crack team. Then a patient shows up, who loves lemon meringue pie, doesn’t love his job, disengaged from work, watches the whole evening “Emily in Paris” and you wonder why your implant doesn’t integrate or there’s a dry socket. A whole lot of stuff patients do at night, in their non-dental clinic time can either support your treatment or sabotage.” (1:59—2:35)
“Awareness is the first step of change. So you gotta start thinking, we haven’t begun studying this. I have sleep on my new patient questionnaire. Well, “how do you sleep?” “Great.” “Ok let’s go onto the next one. Do you drink coffee?” There is so much more to sleep than just saying “do you sleep great?” Time in bed isn’t sleep. Most people say “yeah I get to bed at midnight, get up at 7” and the dentist goes “ok that’s 7 hours” No. That’s time in bed. Actual sleep efficiency is 70%. That’s only 5 hours. And 5 hours, Matthew Walker Neuroscientist, 5 hours is not good. It’s an inflammatory cascade at night if you sleep 5 hours. Literally nothing is healing. The immune system is not able to re-boot.” (3:53—4:32)
“A really bad patient who has got really toxic lifestyle habits can make the best dentist’s work look horrible. Bleeding around your beautiful veneers because they’re up all night; they’re going through a bad divorce; they are 310 pounds. ” (5:12—5:24)
“Health is large. Health is global. And you gotta start thinking globally. So don’t just think about your end of it. You gotta start thinking of the patients’ end. They come in and they’ll either make you successful or fail” (6:08—6:18)
“You gotta start thinking about the patient. Maybe he needs a lifestyle turnaround. In the meantime though you can still get started. And you can seem like a cutting edge dentist by acknowledging how the patient’s lifestyle is actually going to impact the treatment.” (7:43—7:56)
“That’s what provisionals are for. Once you acknowledge it, you start realizing ok I want success. I wouldn’t say you have to change everything immediately….I’m saying all it takes is to start asking better questions. But in order to ask better questions and appreciating health, you have to be healthy yourself.” (10:32—10:41)
“You can’t take a patient on a journey, you yourself, haven’t been on. So if you don’t appreciate health. You don’t sleep well yourself. You don’t wear your CPAP. You haven’t exercised since grade 11, you aren’t going to be very convincing chairside.” (11:03—11:15)
“Think of it as a journey. Say “A year from now, my team is going to be wellness focused. We are going to look the part. We are going to have authentic communication.” (12:21—12:33)
“If you’re walking the talk, no matter how doubtful, people will surrender to your certainty.” (15:13—15:19)
“Genes don’t change much. We weren’t meant to eat 64 lbs-128 lbs [of sugar]. We’re meant to eat max 2 lbs. So our 2 million year old physiology is saying ‘What the heck are you doing?’ And now the fire starts. Joint pain, brain fog, sciatica, reflux, neck soreness, dry mouth, dry eyes. All because you’re in sympathetic-dominant mode, which is fight or flight. That’s what sugar does.” (17:00—17:28)
“You get the patient excited, now they want to move forward. And people think “What about the crowns?” They will get the crowns done…But you need a patient who sleeps deep, eats healthy and then they will do the crowns later. But in the meantime, let’s get you alive. And then that patient will say to her sister on the phone “I just met a dentist. We are talking sleep. We are talking mouth breathing. I’m getting a sleep study. I’m excited.”...So now her sister books an appointment. Now we’ve got another family coming. It was a good conversation. Leaving that 3 minute re-care exam, I’m thinking this is working.” (20:57—21:48)
“Look bigger. Start looking at the posture. Start looking where the hands are. Why is their purse on the lap in front of them? Why are they afraid? What’s the general posture like? Is the mouth dry? What meds are they on? Are their feet clicking? I want to see what meds they’re on. I want to see are they able to look me in the eye. Are we connecting? A lot of patients when they’re talking, they’re looking straight ahead. There is no authentic communication when a patient is looking straight ahead. He or she is not connected with you. I like them to turn around. Or to feel comfortable turning around.” (22:38—23:08)
“Learn body language. There is a great book called “What Every Body’s Saying” by Joe Navarro. And it’s what the body tells you. So someone has their hands across. What it means is they don’t feel safe. If someone is rubbing their thighs, it means they have some anxiety or possible sweat on their hands…You come in “how can I help you today?” People say “help?” “I want to help you. You came here for a solution.” And then as they feel comfortable they’ll turn towards you. And now the communication’s straight. Now I can see the eyelids, any circles under their eyes. I can see that. The throat. I can see if they have dryness inside…that’s all part of the dental assessment. You’ve got to be assessing them. You’ve got to be a detective. Look at everything, not just what they’re saying.” (23:16—24:12)
“You’ve got to be so sold on lifestyle. You gotta be so sold on total health, they lower their uncertainty. I don’t talk money at that point. I’m just talking about hip health. I’m talking about brain health. If someone says “I’m pre-diabetic. My wife has diabetes. My mom has diabetes.” “Well, did you know the Journal of American Dental Association, they’ve actually shown that if you take better care of your mouth, if you take charge of your mouth, if there is less bleeding in your mouth, it lowers the inflammatory burden? It makes you more insulin sensitive. It helps manage your diabetes better; lowers the chance of amputation, cognitive decline and stroke.” They’re 60 and going “How come no one has ever told me that before?”” (24:47—25:24)
“There is a wave that is happening and if you position yourself at total wellness you’re going to ride this wave; and it’s going to last decades and decades. So that being said, I think dentists need to get in shape to be able to ride the wave. You can’t be tired. You got sciatic? Fix it. Reflux? Fix it. Your autonomic nervous system? You gotta fix it. Joint pain? Get yourself a trainer. Wear that CPAP. Do that progressive muscle relaxation before bed so you can sleep deep. And be ready to ride this wave. We are the gateway. And most doctors are saying “Take it. We are exhausted.”” (29:22—29.55)
“Hippocrates said…all disease begins in the gut. What’s in the gut has to go into the mouth first. And dentists just think the mouth for chewing, let’s do some Zoom whitening. The miracle of what the body does, we have known this for millions of years, you take liquid and food and put it in your mouth with a healthy jaw, lots of saliva with amylase…and lysosomes, you start breaking down the world. And then you start breaking it down. Then it becomes my knee, my meniscus, my brain, my shoulder. It’s a miracle what we do…And we are in charge of the masticatory apparatus. We are the gate keepers” (31:35—32:12)
“Enjoy the journey and realize you may not need to see the whole staircase. Step by step like Martin Luther King said.” (33:20—33:25)
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
3:53 Diagnostic Awareness.
5:12 What to do prior to treatment.
6:08 Think Globally.
7:15 When to start asking more questions.
12:34 You need to get on board and walk the talk.
16:21 The dangers of sugar.
18:27 The time it takes to ask better questions.
23:12 Be relatable
24:47 Overcoming uncertainty
28:13 Dentists can change the world of health.
31:35 The gate keepers.
32:45 Final Thoughts.
Dr. Uche Odiatu Bio:
Dr. Uche Odiatu has a DMD (Doctor of Dental Medicine). He is a professional member of the ACSM (American College of Sports Medicine), a Certified Personal Trainer (National Strength & Conditioning Association) NSCA, and the Canadian Association of Fitness Professionals (canfitpro). He is the co-author of The Miracle of Health (c) 2009 John Wiley (hardcover) & (c) 2015 Harper Collins, and has lectured in Canada, the USA, the Caribbean, the UK, and Europe. He is an invited guest on over 400 TV and radio shows, from ABC 20/20, Canada CTV AM, Breakfast TV, to Magic Sunday Drum FM in Texas. This high-energy healthcare professional has done over 450 lectures in seven countries over the last 15 years.
650: Why Consensus is Horrible – Adriana Booth
You want everyone to agree and get along. But do you really? Agreement won’t solve all your problems, and Kirk Behrendt brings back Adriana Booth, one of ACT’s amazing coaches, to explain why alignment is more important for building a great practice. Consensus should never be your goal! To learn how to get leaders and team members to align, listen to Episode 650 of The Best Practices Show!
Episode Resources:
- Send Adriana an email
- Join Adriana on Facebook
- Follow Adriana on Instagram
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show podcast
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club
- See ACT’s Live Events Schedule
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free!
- Write a review on iTunes
Links Mentioned in This Episode:
Download ACT’s OGT Tool for free!
Get your Golden Ticket to ACT’s To The Top Study Club!
Read books by Patrick Lencioni
Read The 4 A’s of Leadership: What Does It Feel Like to Lead?
Main Takeaways:
Consensus is actually horrible.
You don't need agreement. You need alignment.
Schedule alignment time with your team consistently.
When leaders are aligned, you build trust and clear direction.
Building a great culture is a marathon. Be in it for the long haul.
Quotes:
“Consensus is horrible. Isn't that crazy to say? We all think, ‘Why? Consensus — we all just want to get along.’ But that isn't how it usually works. We all just agree on something quickly. It becomes an attempt to please everyone, and we're not having that really good, productive conflict that isn't fighting. It's really hashing it all out and coming to a really great decision, not just everyone nodding their heads saying yes.” (4:06—4:39)
“When our leadership team is aligned, your team will become more aligned. They will invest, naturally, more of their time, their talents, and their energy working toward exceeding the practice goals, not just meeting them. When we are misaligned at the top, it sends mixed messages, and your team loses faith. They lose trust. And it's not trust in you as a person, it's trust in you as a leader — and that can be really heavy-weighing on our leaders.” (6:35—7:13)
“[Misalignment is] like when you're a kid and you have the “good” parent, “bad” parent. You have the parent that might say yes to everything, and the parent that says no to everything. You go to the “yes” parent. It's the same in a practice and a leadership team. If they are not truly aligned, you're going to have your team members going to one person, going to this person, because they know what they want to get the answer to. I think that really speaks to, when our leaders are aligned, they will convey the consistent message to the team, and that gives direction to the entire organization. Consistency really is key.” (8:47—9:25)
“It sounds basic, and it really is. It just takes time and investing the time. The leadership team needs to be aligned on, where are we going? What is it going to look like when we get there? Hopefully, you have a visionary on your leadership team that has a little more of a creative brain, and they can picture what it would look like if we got to where we wanted to be. That is key in sharing with your team because it's, why do they come to work every day? They come to work because they know your vision and they’re there with you. They're right beside you doing the work. When you deliver the vision to your team, you have to remember that it is an ongoing process. It is not a, ‘Let's just show up once. I wrote it out. Here it is. Now, you know it.’ It is something that has to be in conversation regularly. It is not a one-time event. That is what leads most practices to get off, maybe going to the left a little bit. It's like, ‘Whoa, whoa, whoa. Here's the vision. Let's bring it back. Let's get on track.’ Because once your team is inspired by your vision, it's contagious energy. They're informed and they're aligned with the goals. There's no question of where we're going. ‘Okay. Let's hit the feet to the ground, and let's get there.’” (11:59—13:31)
“There are three parts to step number two. As we talked in vision, it's everybody be on the same page in leadership. And we have to be careful of the different styles of our leaders. There's danger in having all visionaries. There's also danger in having all drivers. We've got to have a happy balance. So, part of that, if you don't have that balance and it's not possible in your practice, then we have to turn internal and really work on our communication. Be open. Have vulnerability-based trust and accountability so that we can take whatever tools we have naturally and work together with them.” (15:36—16:23)
“Alignment will promote clear and open communication between your leaders. We have to be committed to the same cause, the vision. We have to be committed to open and vulnerable communication, knowing when to say, ‘Hey, I'm wrong. You're right,’ or, ‘I shouldn't have done this. I need help with this,’ and knowing you're not being judged for it. You're just being looked at as like, ‘Hey.’ Because naturally, and I know I've said this before on the podcast, at the core of most of us, we just want to help and we want to help others get to where we're going, whether you're a leader or a supporting team member.” (16:24—17:01)
“Vulnerability-based trust is something that Patrick Lencioni talks about a lot. It's being able to look at your fellow leaders and say you need help. Be open and honest about what you also want. It's the foundation of true, effective leadership. Because when our leaders are aligned, it's going to foster trust within the entire team, not just the leaders, and we can have better collaboration and teamwork.” (17:03—17:32)
“It's always nice when we're coaching a client who, they're already a really high-level clinician and they've got their ducks in a row, but what they want to work on is truly their leadership. And it doesn't matter at what point in their career. As soon as you feel like you need to work on it, jump in and start working on it.” (21:27—21:47)
“[The results are] really the by-product of working on the first two steps and being really committed. That's when the results start showing up. But also, we all know that that is really our goal in the end, is to see this stuff come to fruition. An aligned leadership team, one of the things that they are going to see when it comes to results is they can actually execute at a much higher level towards their strategic goals and towards their targets. We have a great tool for that, the OGT. When everyone is working together in alignment toward the same goals, like you said earlier, the magic starts happening and you're going to get there a lot faster. They also have a shared responsibility, at that point. The trust is built. They're going toward the same vision. They have the vulnerability-based trust with the hard conversations, with the great communication. They know what they're accountable for on our FAC, so they all have commitment to that end product, which are the results of their strategic goals.” (23:32—24:48)
“When we have a goal, our brain actually will start finding ways to get us there. One of the quotes in that same article that I read about all the neuroscience behind this was, ‘Whether you think you can, or whether you think you can't, you're right.’ So, we start with a positive attitude, ‘We can do this.’ Your brain gets on board and is like, ‘Okay, let's figure it out. We'll find out how to do it.’” (26:11—26:37)
“A healthy and aligned leadership team is really the catalyst for our practices being excellent — having a healthy culture, a healthy team, and being adaptable. This environment is ever-changing, so if we have all those things in place that we talked about today, you're golden. You're going for it.” (27:50—28:12)
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
1:42 Why this is an important topic.
3:51 Consensus is horrible.
4:40 You need to align, not agree.
7:25 Misalignment is felt by all.
9:35 The importance of vision and consistency.
15:30 Vulnerability-based trust and accountability.
20:45 Be in it for the long haul.
23:22 Alignment leads to results and bigger goals.
27:39 Last thoughts.
Adriana Booth, BS, RDH Bio:
Adriana Booth is a Lead Practice Coach who partners with dentists and their teams to cultivate leadership skills, build practice growth, and streamline business practices. After spending nearly two decades in the dental industry working with top-notch dental teams, Adriana came to ACT to share her passion for professional growth, high-level training, and systems creation with our clients.
As a dental hygienist with a love for continuing education and personal growth, helping a practice become successful is at the heart of her passion for dentistry.
Adriana has a B.S. in Dental Hygiene from West Liberty University/O’Hehir University. By being involved in several Columbus, Ohio, study clubs, Adriana maintains strong relationships within her local dental community. She enjoys a variety of fitness activities, family time, good books, and at the top of her list, her fur babies.
The Restorative Diagnostic Practice
Episode #649 with Dr. Jim McKee
You're always busy — yet you make no money! Being a referral-based, fee-for-service, and diagnostic practice is the way to fix it, and Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. Jim McKee, founder of Chicago Study Club, to share how to successfully build this type of practice. Enjoy dentistry while still making money! To learn how, listen to Episode 649 of The Best Practices Show!
Episode Resources:
- Send Dr. McKee an email
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show podcast
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club
- See ACT’s Live Events Schedule
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free!
- Write a review on iTunes
Links Mentioned in This Episode:
Register for Dr. McKee’s Advanced Occlusion course (February 29 - March 2, 2024)
Join Chicago Study Club
Main Takeaways:
Find something you enjoy doing and become an expert in it.
With dentistry becoming more complex, diagnostics is crucial.
Commit to training your staff. You can't build your practice alone.
In a referral-based practice, the caliber of patients you get is higher.
Quotes:
“When you have professional colleagues sending you patients, your patients are coming in at a different level. Having done traditional neighborhood dentistry for the first five, six, seven years of my career, I certainly know the difference. Patients come in more ready to say yes, and finances aren't as much of an issue. Not that there’s still not an issue, but they're a little more open to the discussion, and the first thing out of their mouth isn't, ‘Does insurance cover this?’” (5:30—5:56)
“The advantage of the in-network practice is you've got an unending number of new patients. I mean, it's awesome. You’ve got one new patient after the next. But the problem is you don't necessarily have enough time to work them up. You don't necessarily have enough time to develop a treatment plan and talk to them about it. And a lot of times, there's a mentality that, ‘I'm only going to do what insurance is going to cover,’ and that's okay because that's what they've been told. So, for that reason, I think it's the most challenging practice style out there today. The difficulty is, that's where a lot of young dentists end up out of school because they're paid well and it allows them to pay down some significant debt that they have. The problem is, you’ve got to get through those tough years until you go out and do something else, and you hope that you can make it through that.” (9:27—10:25)
“You’ve got to bring new patients in. And in order to bring them in, you need a specific skill set. If this is more of a generalized practice that just drills and fills teeth, these are the practices that are getting squeezed today because there's nothing to bring new patients into the office. Therefore, if a patient doesn't perceive a problem, they're going to go in-network because why would they pay more if they didn't have to?” (11:52—12:18)
“We always talk about profitability in dentistry. And it's interesting, most of the time when we talk about becoming more profitable, we're always talking about how to cut down on expenses to increase the profit level. The reality is, a lot of the times we have to look at the other end of the equation. Many times, we need to raise the revenue to be paid a little bit more appropriately for our services, which are then going to increase the profitability that we're able to do with those types of services. So, with this, there's going to be a higher cost to the patient. But here's the real key to the discussion. This practice absolutely demands a specific skill set, whether it's diagnosing joints, whether it's doing restorative dentistry, whether it's being an aesthetically trained dentist. No matter what it is, you have to have a specific skill set that brings people to you.” (12:51—13:56)
“Everyone talks about, ‘I want to get new patients referred to my practice.’ And that discussion is always talked about that, ‘I want patients to refer other patients to the practice.’ My advice is, if you can develop a practice where other dentists refer you patients, that is the most sustaining practice you will have, because it is not uncommon for a dentist to refer two to three patients a day to me, sometimes, depending upon who they see. That's not going to happen from a patient. And those dental-referred patients are already prescreened, so we basically know what they're coming in for. Those are patients that are more in my wheelhouse. It's more specifically designed for the skill set that we've been able to develop. And for that reason, I honestly think that's the most secure type of practice that's out there today. It insulates us from third-party issues. It provides a constant stream of new patients. It allows you to be profitable. It allows you to have time off to take continuing education to continue to build your skill set. It allows you to pay your staff more than they can get paid anywhere else in the community, which is going to promote long-term retention and decrease stress in the office. So, for me, that's the practice style. The problem is figuring out what you want your skill set to be.” (14:43—16:14)
“I remember back when the economy went south over the past 20 years. The few times it did, a lot of the aesthetic dentists sometimes took a little bit of a pounding because that was a discretionary-income-based need that the patient was filling. I was lucky, because if patients had growth problems, a patient had joint problems, if patients needed treatment planning issues worked out, those tended to not be as dependent upon the economy as some of the more discretionary items might be.” (17:34—18:13)
“I think the practice of the future is going to be a practice with multiple practitioners who can share specific skill sets. If you can develop a practice where you have three or four really good dentists that practice together and each emphasized a certain area, maybe one did joints and occlusion, one did airway, one did aesthetics, however you wanted to structure it, you can make that a specialty practice as well. The problem is, again, you have to keep a lot of people happy in that marriage.” (18:29—19:09)
“I've been talking to a dentist in the Chicagoland area about this concept of developing a multi-specialty practice for high-end dentistry. I think patients need it. You could imagine if you had one orthodontist, one periodontist, one oral surgeon, one restorative dentist, one joint dentist, and an airway dentist all under one roof who could collaborate, that would be a rocking practice.” (19:14—19:42)
“The practice that we're talking about, I think, gives you the best chance for a low overhead, because a lot of the dentists that we're talking to today, I'm sure you're hearing the same thing, they're saying they're too busy, they're too busy, they're too busy, they're too busy, and they're not profitable. But because they're having to write off fees because they're in-network — so, are you too busy, really? You're busy, but it's a case of working really hard for not maybe getting the financial reimbursement that you should be getting for working at that level. If you can develop this diagnostic practice, basically, you could do this having one front desk, two assistants, and a hygienist. You could probably have a four-person office if you were really clean about it. Five, maybe, if you wanted to have a lab tech and another help at the front desk. So, you don't have to have a big practice to do this. And that practice model can be modular where you could add on to that with another doctor, if you want. But I've got to be really clear. You don't have to do it. You could very easily make that a single-doctor practice and, I think, have a very sustaining practice if you were able to build that skill set and become more of a concierge type practice or a boutique type practice.” (20:51—22:28)
“There's definitely a practice within a practice. That's really how you build this practice. Your new patients could be the restorative practice. The diagnostic ones could be either new patients or patients who pull out of your own hygiene department. That's the beauty of this practice model. You've already got the patients there. You just need to bring them through in a different way so they're able to understand, a) the problem so, b) your solution makes sense. The biggest mistake I made is I provided solutions to patients who didn't understand they had a problem.” (25:03—25:38)
“There was an old saying, ‘Examination before diagnosis. Diagnosis before treatment planning.’ What we tend to do is jump right to treatment planning because we're looking to help people. And honestly, the exam gets cheated, and the diagnostics get cheated. Now, if all you're doing is filling teeth, you can probably get away with that. The problem is we're doing more today than just filling teeth. So, therefore, the exam really has to be at a different level than it's been before. We're not just looking to see if there are buccal caries on the lower first molar. We're looking at wear patterns, we're looking at joints, we're looking at gum tissue, we're looking at aesthetics, we're looking at airway, we're looking at facial development, all that stuff. And then, from there, what we have come to realize is that many of the patients that are coming to our practice have poorly developed mandibles and poorly developed maxillas. So, a lot of times, as restorative dentists, we have a foundation that hasn't developed very well. And then, all of a sudden, we're supposed to take not-great parts and create this masterpiece out of it where the teeth are exactly in the right place, and they look beautiful.” (26:17—27:41)
“The complexity of dentistry has changed. That's why I think, today, you can't get away from diagnosing, because most of the time we're not just putting fillings in teeth anymore. That's why the diagnosis part becomes critical. Because without that, your treatment plan — you don't know where to go with it.” (27:58—28:21)
“[Dentistry is] a whole different discussion today than it used to be even 10, 15 years ago. The ability to see MRIs, to see soft tissue and CT scans, to see heart tissue — it takes all the guesswork out of it. Which, honestly, you know what it does? It makes it fun. All of a sudden, the cases that used to make me nervous treatment planning, they're not there anymore because generally we understand what's happening at the back end of the system as well as the front end of the system, and we pretty much can give people answers. But not only can we give them answers, we can frame their expectations from a more realistic perspective. I used to promise the moon sometimes because I thought the only problem was muscle, and if I made a really good splint, they were going to get better. That's true if it's just a muscle problem. The reality is, there are more patients with structurally altered joints than we think. So, that's why if you're going to build a restorative diagnostic practice, my advice is to do it through the occlusion-joint or the occlusion-TMJ world because the need is so great, and there's no one out there answering the need.” (31:15—32:34)
“You have to be at a point in your career where you're ready to make a choice. For every dentist, that comes at different points in their career. I was fortunate to go into a small practice early, but I probably made my choice four, five, six years into it. When I talk to most young dentists, that's about the age where dentists start to realize, ‘I want to figure out where I want to spend my time in this profession.’ My advice is, find something you like and go after it. It doesn't matter what it is. Find something you like and become an expert at it. You're going to enjoy dentistry more. You'll attract people who have that need.” (32:51—33:40)
“If you really want to build this type of practice, you’ve got to commit to training your staff . . . Otherwise, it's too hard just for the dentist to pull the rope all by him or herself.” (33:42—33:59)
“Dentistry today, I think fee-for-service is alive and well. You have to be smart about it, and you have to choose something where there's a need, and where patients understand the need and are willing to pay for the need — but it's out there.” (34:06—34:20)
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
2:07 Dr. McKee’s background.
6:56 The three models of practice, explained.
16:38 Benefits of being a specialty practice.
20:33 You don't need a large practice for this to work.
22:45 You have a practice within your practice.
25:38 The diagnostic practice, explained.
28:23 About Dr. McKee’s course.
29:43 Occlusion, explained.
32:37 Last thoughts.
34:25 About Dr. McKee’s study club.
Dr. Jim McKee Bio:
Dr. Jim McKee is a member of the Spear Resident Faculty. He has maintained a private practice since 1984 in Downers Grove, Illinois, where he treats a wide variety of cases with a focus on predictable restorative dentistry. He is a member of the American Academy of Restorative Dentistry and former president of the American Equilibration Society. He has lectured both nationally and internationally for over 25 years and directs several study clubs. Dr. McKee graduated from the University of Notre Dame in 1980 and earned his dental degree from the University of Illinois College of Dentistry in 1984.
Treating People, Not Patients
Episode #648 with Dr. Michael Sonick
Are you treating people, or just their teeth? To help you do both, Kirk Behrendt brings in Dr. Michael Sonick, author of Treating People, Not Patients, with ways to be hospitable, present, and empathetic for the people who choose your chair. Improve the way you connect with patients! To learn how to provide the Four Seasons experience in your dental office, listen to Episode 648 of The Best Practices Show!
Episode Resources:
- Send Dr. Sonick an email
- Join Dr. Sonick on Facebook
- Follow Dr. Sonick on Instagram
- Learn more on Dr. Sonick’s website
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show podcast
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club
- See ACT’s Live Events Schedule
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free!
- Write a review on iTunes
Links Mentioned in This Episode:
Register for Dr. Sonick’s course, The Art and Science of Exceptional Dentistry: Periodontal Mastery (November 1-3, 2023)
Read Blinkby Malcolm Gladwell
Learn more about Culture Index
Main Takeaways:
Find mentors who can teach you “soft” skills.
Make patients feel safe and comfortable in your office.
Connect with the person in front of you — it doesn't take a lot.
Your patients are coming for great experiences, not great dentistry.
Quotes:
“Most dentists are not taught how to treat people in dental school. What are we taught? We're taught how to do crown lengthening, extractions, orthodontics, veneers, bonding. We even have requirements. You have to do 30 of these restorations. I had to make four dentures. I had to do six periodontal surgeries. I didn't have to be nice to anybody. I wasn't taught how to be nice to any of the people in my practice. They didn't teach us integrity. They didn't teach us transformational powers over patients. They didn't teach us neurolinguistic programming. They didn't teach us the most important thing that we can do for a patient — and that is to make them feel safe and comfortable in our environment.” (3:05—3:43)
“When a patient comes into a dental office, it's not the Four Seasons hotel. They come into our office, and we're not giving them a great experience. We're giving them an anesthetic. We're jabbing them. We have more knowledge than they do. We make them feel inferior. They already feel terrible because their mouths are in bad shape. They feel guilty. They come in with so much baggage and preconceived notions of what's going to happen to them when they're in our office. So, the first thing that I need to know about that patient is, what are they worried about? Let me take that away immediately. I try to find that out.” (4:38—5:09)
“For me, the restaurant became the model for running a good dental practice — except the restaurant is a little different. They don't serve dentistry, they serve food.” (7:03—7:11)
“You can't treat someone well just because you think they're worthy of being treated well.” (11:46—11:52)
“Have you ever been to a meeting, and you're there talking to someone, and they don't know who you are, and then, all of a sudden, they see somebody more “important” than you? They see George Bush behind you — I don't want to get political — or Arnold Schwarzenegger. They see him, and they go, ‘Let me talk to Arnold.’ The greats don't do that.” (11:54—12:11)
“There are plenty of restaurants that are beautiful, and they have good service — but the food isn't very good. You're not going back. So, the same with a dentist.” (14:25—14:33)
“It's hard for patients to assess our clinical skills, unless it's a single front tooth, or maybe even ortho. If their front six teeth are aligned — they don't know about the occlusion. How do they assess us? Were they nice? Did it hurt? What was the price? Those are easy ways to assess. But it really doesn't talk about the clinical skills.” (15:06—15:25)
“If you don't have the soft skills — and soft skills are the ability to relate to other human beings to get them to trust you, because it's really all about trust. If you don't get people to trust you, they're not going to buy from you. We're in a sales business. I don't think that's a dirty word anymore because we are in sales. We're professionals. What's the definition of professional? Someone who sells a skill.” (15:27—15:48)
“Everything that we did to become a dentist has nothing to do with soft skills. First of all, you had to get good grades in high school. Then, you had to get good board scores. Then, you had to join clubs. Then, you had to interview well. Then, you had to do well on your SATs. And then, you had to do well in dental school. But that doesn't really make you a good dentist. The process to become a dentist has nothing to do with being a good dentist, unfortunately. So, it's important to have those skills, but you have to know how to relate to other human beings and then make them feel comfortable.” (16:11—16:40)
“I think what's important for younger people is writing down a mission statement and figuring out where they want to go with their lives. Do you just want to do crowns all day long and make a lot of money? You can do that. Maybe you don't want to build your own private practice because you're going to have to have somebody to help you. I've worked with many dentists. I've had four or five partners over the course of my career, and most of the partners I've worked with don't really have that vision. They're great dentists and they are really smart. I try to encourage them to have that, but they don't feel it. So, can it be taught — which is an important thing. And I do think it can be.” (18:59—19:34)
“You're all unique in your own way. But there are certain skills that you can use to ameliorate the way you're practicing to get more patients to say yes to the treatment that you want to provide.” (19:57—20:06)
“I hope that you take away from [Treating People, Not Patients] the reason why you went to practice in the first place, and that's to help other people. In the book, it's 10 chapters, and each chapter has about 15 to 20 questions that you can use as a workbook. What you'll take away from the book is the importance of being there for patients, the importance of making a patient feel safe, the importance of creating a comfortable environment through décor, because people look at everything — as simple as fingernails. Do you have a written policy of what fingernails should look like? I mean, I don't want to talk to one of my female assistants and say, ‘Hey, you shouldn't have those long, pointy fingernails.’ But I can say that to them before I hire them so that there's an expectation.” (21:08—21:49)
“In my office, I don't get to see every patient. I don't get to have every interaction. I don't know how many interactions there are in a day. I'd say there are probably between 7,000 or 8,000 interactions in my office a day, between phone calls, emails, patients coming and going. Those are 7,000 or 8,000 opportunities for things to go wrong, so that whole team has to have the same philosophy built in. So, how do you create that team philosophy? I specifically show people how to create that in [Treating People, Not Patients].” (21:59—22:25)
“[The culture index] is my secret weapon. If I get somebody's culture, I know exactly who they are. My wife and I — they wouldn't fill them out, but I made all my family members fill them out. So, whenever I see their behavior, ‘Oh! Their culture index says they have a hard time making a decision, so they're having a hard time making a decision.’ So, I don't get upset with people for being who they are. And the culture index also shows us not who they are but who they're being in their job. What's cool is if someone comes in and they have a great culture index, but their job culture index shows them not happy, I tell them, ‘Oh, you're not happy at your job because you're forced to be not so social, and you have to be told to do something that you don't really want to do, and you're not very detailed, and you’ve got to make up for the creativity of your bosses because they don't have any.’ They go, ‘How did you know that?’ I go, ‘I looked at your seven dots.’ It's pretty cool. So, that's something that I love.” (28:09—29:04)
“There is turnover because people get married, people have babies, people leave for nine months, people have carpal tunnel. Things happen. I lost two of the best assistants I've ever had to the military because their husbands were restationed. So, we're always looking. The “bench” is really important. I always want to be overstaffed, not understaffed. Sometimes, one of my office managers will look and go, ‘They're standing around.’ I go, ‘I don't care. I don't care if they're standing around. We're getting the job done. We're meeting our production quotas. Everything is organized. If they want to stand around now, that's fine with me, because in about two hours they're going to be killing themselves. So, they can do that.’ So, I give my staff a tremendous amount of autonomy. But it is important to be overstaffed and to have that bench because you need it.” (29:46—30:30)
“It is slower growth if you're going to go fee-for-service. They're not going to say, ‘Oh, let me go down there because he doesn't take my insurance.’ You have to give them something that they're not going to get elsewhere, and that is a great experience because people are not coming for great dentistry. They're coming for great experiences. They're coming to be taken care of.” (33:54—34:11)
“There's nothing wrong with taking [insurance], and I realize that some people think you have to — but you don't.” (34:23—34:27)
“If you provide super high-quality care, give patients a lot of your time and attention, and spend an hour with every new patient, they're not going to get that anywhere else. And during that one hour, you get to give the patient choices so they can make the best decision. Now, my daughter is a dentist. She went to school in San Antonio, which is a good dental school. It's a procedure type school. A lot of procedures. So, she came out knowing a lot of procedures. As she was doing the procedures, and I've given this lecture to the residents at the perio program with Brian Mealey there, I said to her, ‘You have to give the patient choices, and then always let the patient say they can decide. And then, the first choice that you give them is to do nothing.’ ‘What do you mean?’ ‘You don't have to do anything. And the patient will say, what do you mean, not anything? And then, the decision gets shifted to the patient.’ It's amazing how many of my patients say, ‘No one has ever spent this much time.’ I don't even spend that much time with the patient. But I'm present, and I don't leave the room until they feel comfortable.” (34:46—35:43)
“I remember when I was in my teens, my father had to go see a dermatologist. He had some cancer on his face. Dr. Oestreicher — he's still practicing. He's like 80. He's in my town. He was by himself, and there were like 30 people in his waiting room. So, I went with my dad, and I walk into the room. Dr. Oestreicher walks in and starts the exam like that. I'm thinking like, ‘Hurry up, man. You’ve got 30 patients out there.’ I'm like 16. He's taking all the time in the world like there was nobody else. I wasn't like that when I first started. I thought I had to be busy all the time. I walk in a room with that new patient, or a patient of record, or a hygiene room, or whatever — that's the only person in front of me, and they feel that human connection. And it doesn't take a lot to connect. Just make some eye contact. Talk to them. It's amazing how patients will respond to that.” (35:43—36:37)
“My moonshot is to improve the way doctors and all healthcare providers interact with the people that they serve, and that is by being hospitable and by being present. Almost everybody I talk to does not have a good experience with their dentist, with their doctor, with their healthcare provider, even if they're seeing a PA or a nurse. And I'm a patient. We'll talk about that another time. I've had a lot of dental work done. I have 23 crowns. I've lost nine teeth. I've had two bad bike accidents. I've been on the other side, and I've gotten great care as an adult — not as a kid, but as an adult, I did — and it means a lot. So, I can relate to the patients.” (38:03—38:41)
“You can't tell your team like, ‘Let's treat patients better.’ That doesn't mean anything. You have to have some tools for it.” (39:07—39:11)
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
1:35 Dr. Sonick’s background.
5:14 Why Dr. Sonick wrote Treating People, Not Patients.
12:49 Why having soft skills is important.
20:48 Takeaways from his book.
23:00 Dr. Sonick’s hiring process.
29:10 It’s better to be overstaffed rather than understaffed.
30:41 Going fee-for-service.
37:23 Last thoughts.
39:42 More about Dr. Sonick’s courses.
Dr. Michael Sonick Bio:
Dr. Michael Sonick, DMD, is an internationally known, highly regarded authority in the field of Dental Implantology and Periodontology. He completed his undergraduate degree at Colgate University and received his DMD at the University of Connecticut School of Medicine and his certificate in Periodontology at Emory University. He received his implant training at Harvard University as well as the Brånemark Clinic in Gothenburg, Sweden. A full-time practicing periodontist in Fairfield, Connecticut, he is also a frequent guest lecturer in the international program at New York University School of Dentistry and the University of Connecticut School of Dental Medicine. Dr. Sonick is a diplomate of the American Board of Periodontology, a diplomate of the International Congress of Oral Implantology, a fellow of the International Team for Implantology, a fellow of the International Society of Periodontal Plastic Surgeons, and an Eagle Scout. His mission is to improve the quality of patients’ lives as well as the lives of everyone he meets.
How to Say NO!
Episode #647 with Robyn Theisen
Saying no can be hard — but it’s not as hard as you think! If you have a hard time saying no, don't miss this episode. Kirk Behrendt brings back Robyn Theisen, one of ACT’s amazing coaches, to share how to have the conversation in a clear, effective, and non-emotional way. Start saying yes to saying no! To learn how, listen to Episode 647 of The Best Practices Show!
Episode Resources:
- Send Robyn an email
- Follow Robyn on ACT’s Instagram
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show podcast
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club
- See ACT’s Live Events Schedule
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free!
- Write a review on iTunes
Main Takeaways:
Say no to things you know you should say no to.
“No” can be a non-emotional conversation.
Set clear boundaries and expectations.
Saying no isn't as scary as you think.
Get good at being clear, not nice.
Quotes:
“I find, mostly, that people don't know how to have the conversation. That's the hardest part, is that people or leaders interpret [saying no] as it's going to have to be challenging or emotional or difficult. If you handle the conversations correctly and have the right pieces in place to be very clear about your expectations to begin with, I find they're easier to have.” (2:22—2:47) -Robyn
“You, as a dentist, have to get things going in your life, so you say yes to a lot of things. If you look at the early years of your practice, a yes was a good thing. Yes to patients, ‘Yes, I'll do this. Yes, I'll do that.’ Yes, yes, yes, yes. Well, the yes creates a lot of activity. And then, there's a certain point in your career where yes doesn't provide any more value. Yes just makes you more miserable. The new word that you have to use is “no”, because no keeps it all in a container. If you say yes to everything, you're never home, you have every PPO on the planet, you're seeing every patient, you're saying yes to every team member request, every patient request, and you take all these on as your own burdens, and you're miserable.” (3:34—4:14) -Kirk
“Expectations minus reality equals conflict. This is so true in the no versus yes. Are the expectations clear and allow you to either go down the yes or the no path based on the expectations that you've set up? That is one of the first things when I'm met with a challenge or something that I'm going to say no to, was I clear with how I set it up to begin with? And from a team member perspective, am I clear to everybody so that that expectation is set for everybody on the team?” (4:31—5:01) -Robyn
“When there's conflict, I always check myself. Was I clear from the beginning? Was there some room for gray area? Or as the leader, how could I have said this better or more clearly so that there isn't conflict, or the no doesn't have to necessarily come up? And so, I want to check myself with how that expectation was set to begin with.” (6:07—6:27) -Robyn
“When conflict is unresolved, it eventually becomes crisis. Whether it be perio, whether it be a relationship, whether it be money — you can't just live in conflict. Conflict has to have resolution, at some point. And so, having it fester, grow, and compound usually ends up in a relationship falling apart, or a health circumstance. So, you want to minimize it. It's okay to have conflict, but then we've got to resolve it and go back to it.” (6:36—7:04) -Kirk
“If there's a question that keeps coming up, there is that opportunity to go back and say, ‘Do I need to be more clear in my employee manual? Do I need to reset the expectations so that we're all on the same page?’ and be able to check yourself that way. The employee manual is the best way to start team members off with knowing what the expectations are and setting yourself up for success, both with them and for you.” (7:24—7:45) -Robyn
“In today's environment where everybody is so nervous about addressing or saying no to team members for fear of losing them, or just in the hiring market that we have, if you set this up clearly from the beginning and your new team members know exactly what the boundary is, there isn't room for there to be conflict, or there isn't room for them to misunderstand what your expectation is on how they arrive to work. What is the expectation about time off and how you request that? If we set them up from the very beginning, there isn't the conflict to feel nervous about saying no for fear that they're not going to be a part of the team, or they're going to be upset about it.” (8:30—9:04) -Robyn
“A healthy team doesn't experience entitled team members. Now, you might not want to hear that, but that's true. I don't find a healthy team where great team members are like, ‘No, I'm entitled to this.’ No — they are all built with the right behaviors, the right mental capacity, the right buy-in. And that is a function of leadership.” (9:34—9:56) -Kirk
“It's about knowing how to have the conversation. Things are going to come up, and so we avoid them. And by avoiding them, it makes matters worse. Like you were saying earlier, if there is some type of conflict there, it is going to put strain on the relationship until it comes to the head. And oftentimes, then it explodes. So, knowing how to have the conversation to begin with is an important part of it, and how to do it so it doesn't have to be emotion-filled. It's factual, and you're having a conversation to come to a resolution.” (10:42—11:11) -Robyn
“One of the most important pieces is to find some common ground when you're in disagreement. ‘Okay, can we both agree that we need to build a great team here and that we have to do X, Y, Z?’ You’ve got to start somewhere, because if you feel one way and I feel one way, it's going to become highly emotional and potentially explosive unless we can find some common ground about who we are as a group of people.” (11:12—11:37) -Kirk
“Having a set of core values is the most important thing you will ever do in a business because we can always trace back. And I'll tell you exactly how you use it. You use core values when it's positive, but you also use them when you get into potentially very difficult situations. I can say, at any point, ‘Listen, we are a team that believes all-in attitude. We give greater than get. Would you agree?’ Everybody that's here has to say yes — not because I'm making them say yes, but because they bought into that. So, we don't have to agree, but we do have to align on how we're going to support that value system.” (11:40—12:17) -Kirk
“It is really important to enter the conversation in a place where you are emotionally stable about it or not heated about it. [Otherwise], the conversation starts off on the wrong foot. So, if it takes you a minute to be able to collect your thoughts and cool down from it . . . I also think you have to go in it with the idea that you want to resolve this. We're asking questions in the conversation because the relationship is important, and we want to come to a resolution — not because we're mad about this, or we want to be right. We want to enter it in a place where I want to understand where the other person is coming from and be in the right emotional space to hear them and be able to work through for a resolution.” (12:50—13:28) -Robyn
“If we just want to be right, you're in a totally different emotional space when you are coming at this with trying to prove a point and asking questions for that reason rather than asking questions to understand or to clarify.” (13:30—13:43) -Robyn
“Dealing with somebody who has to be right is very difficult. I have been that person where I'm trying to be right. I always tell myself, ‘I don't want to be right.’ But there are times I do. And so, when Covey taught that principle, seek first to understand before being understood, those weren't just words. Those are actually really good practices. So, even when you're angry, and you're upset, and you're out of equity with somebody, and you have a lot of conflict going on inside, it's often best to ask a question and go, ‘Okay. Can someone help me understand what just happened here?’ because it'll take everybody from the emotional part of the brain to the thinking brain, and we can start to unpackage this because there are some things you may not see.” (13:49—14:34) -Robyn
“It could be that they have a totally different perspective on this. So, have your ears open to really listen. If you're going to ask the question, be prepared to listen and accept what they're telling you.” (14:37—14:47) -Robyn
“My dad gave me this advice: ‘Son, you're marrying a great woman, Sarah. You can be right, or you can be married — but you can't be both.’ I use that in my marriage, I use it at home, I use it with my team. And so, I'll say this to you as a dentist listening. There are going to be times where you're going to be like, ‘Okay. Do I want to be right, or do I want a team?’ It's a great question, because you can still eventually get the practice where you want it to be from a vision standpoint, but you don't have to lay down the hammer right now and tell everybody you're right because it's taking you further back than it is forward, in some respects.” (14:51—15:29) -Kirk
“[By listening], potentially, you learn something. Potentially, the way you wrote the employee manual or the way you intended it to be is not the way they interpret it. That goes back to the expectations piece. Do we need to change something there? If one person is having the questions, others potentially are. So, you learn something from it and can clarify it so that the issue doesn't arise again.” (15:30—15:51) -Robyn
“It’s better to be consistent than it is to be perfect or excellent all the time. I think if your behavior as a leader is consistent and you're calm, people can buy into that. They can go, ‘I know he's probably not going to like this, but he's going to be calm about it.’” (15:53—16:07) -Kirk
“Circle back when you make an agreement. If there is a, ‘We're going to follow back on this in 30 days,’ make sure that you do that. If it's important to you to resolve, make sure that you follow back with them. If you set the time to do it, be intentional about that and set the time to circle back.” (17:26—17:41) -Robyn
“It also is helpful, when that agreement gets violated, to be able to go back to the team member, or your partner, your kids, whoever that is, and be able to say, ‘So, my understanding of the agreement was this. Here's what happened. Help me to understand what happened there because this is what we agreed to.’ Again, it doesn't have to be an emotional thing. ‘We talked about this. This is what we both agreed to. In what I'm seeing here, this doesn't feel like what we agreed to.’ It gives you permission to be able to circle back and have expectations for what the outcome is.” (18:06—18:39) -Robyn
“The better you get at saying no, the more people will be okay on both sides. When you deliver the no, and then when they see the no, you go, ‘Wow, that didn't go so bad.’ People don't freak out as much as you think they will. And then, ultimately, what you want to create is team trust. Team trust knows that when they come to the bald guy, ‘I already know what he's going to say. He's going to say no, and that's okay.’ And so, it's one of those things that as you work on this in your family and in your business, you'll get so good at saying no to the things you know you have to say no to.” (18:44—19:17) -Kirk
“Another thing that we get very good at is there's one thing that happens, we avoid the conflict, and then these other behaviors start to stack up. So, then it adds more fuel to the fire. It is best to be timely if there's something that has gone off the rails or isn't right. Address it at the time. Don't allow it to stack and have more emotion go into it rather than addressing it head on, take care of it at this time, and go forward.” (19:35—20:01) -Robyn
“Classic in a dental office, you're in between patients, everything is busy, and it's like you're having these one-off conversations in the hall. Take the time to sit down and have a conversation that allows you to listen. I had a mentor one time tell me what these conversations are. Don't allow the other person to make you be unprofessional. Stay professional. Don't let their emotions get the best of you. Be well-thought-out. Have the time and place to sit down and stay professional in the way that you're delivering the message.” (20:04—20:32) -Robyn
“How these conversations happen is, ‘This is what you did. This is how you made me feel,’ all of these very blaming accusations. Instead, use “I” statements. ‘Here is what I saw.’ Be very specific. ‘Here is how I interpreted it,’ any of those “I” statements to take it back to you, and then ask them for clarification. ‘Is that how you intended? Am I correct in how I saw that? Am I correct in how I heard that?’ So, it is more of a conversation rather than a blame game of, ‘This is what you did. This is how you did it.’ People get very defensive about that, and that doesn't make for a conversation. It makes for a defensive argument.” (20:47—21:22) -Robyn
“The same mentor that told me to stay professional also said, ‘No one can make you feel a certain way. You are allowing yourself to do that.’ So, remove that from the way that you phrase it to them. Take responsibility for how you saw it, and give it from your perspective, not blaming somebody else for how they made you feel.” (21:41—21:59) -Robyn
“You can only feel bad if you let somebody else make you feel bad.” (22:08—22:11) -Kirk
“Being clear is kind. So, your expectations, setting those out. If you get the same question from several team members, I would encourage you to go back to yourself. Were your expectations set clear? If it's a common question, potentially, there is some more clarification that you need to put in there.” (22:22—22:39) -Robyn
“I encourage [teams] to eliminate the words “unfortunately,” “but”, and “however,” from their language and instead add “and”. It makes you change the way that you say the statement, and it changes the way that it's heard. So, you say you want to tell people what you can do, not what you can't. And you started the sentence by telling them what was negative. So, it started with, “unfortunately.” Which, after “unfortunately,” “but,” and “however,” anything that follows is a negative. That is how people and patients and your team interpret it. So, tell them what you can do. Insert “and” instead and remove those other three words.” (23:29—24:04) -Robyn
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
1:37 Why saying no is important.
3:27 E – R = C.
6:27 Create an employee manual.
7:48 Set clear boundaries.
9:04 Set clear expectations.
10:15 Know how to have the hard conversations.
12:27 Get out of the emotional zone.
14:48 You can be “right”, or you can have a team.
17:07 Follow up on your agreements.
18:39 Saying no isn't as bad as you think.
19:25 Address conflict in a timely, professional manner.
22:17 Clear is kind.
23:01 Eliminate these three words from your language.
Robyn Theisen Bio:
Robyn Theisen brings an entire life and legacy of dental experience to the team and every team with which she works as the daughter and sister of dentists. With almost 20 years of experience in dentistry, her roles ranged from practice management to operations at Patterson Dental to coaching teams. Robyn’s passion is empowering teams to realize that they can dramatically impact the lives of the people they serve by implementing skills and systems to remove barriers to life-changing dental treatment. She has done it for decades and does it every day with dental teams.
Outside of coaching, she enjoys time with her husband, Rob, and two daughters, Emerson and Ruby. She loves traveling, music, fitness, and cheering on the Michigan State Spartans.
The 1 Key You Need to Get Started on a Better Practice and a Better Life
Episode #646 with Heather Crockett
If you're feeling stuck and want to change, now is the time to do it. To help you get started, Kirk Behrendt brings back Heather Crockett, one of ACT’s amazing coaches, with the number-one key to making change and progress in any part of your life. It’s time to stop sabotaging your success! To learn how to get out of your own way, listen to Episode 646 of The Best Practices Show!
Episode Resources:
- Send Heather an email
- Join Heather onFacebook
- Follow Heather on ACT’sInstagram
- Subscribe toThe Best Practices Show podcast
- Join ACT’sTo The Top Study Club
- See ACT’sLive Events Schedule
- GetThe Best Practices Magazine for free!
- Write a review oniTunes
Links Mentioned in This Episode:
Schedule a call with Gina!
Main Takeaways:
Getting started is the hardest part of anything.
Stop getting in the way of your own success.
Find someone to help you be accountable.
Now is always the time for change.
Don't stay stuck!
Quotes:
“We oftentimes get in our own way of seeing that success of getting started. So many doctors, especially clients that I coach, tell me that they wish they would have started sooner. That's why this is important.” (2:29—2:43) -Heather
“People say, ‘Well, change takes time.’ No, it doesn't. Change takes a second. All you have to decide is, ‘Today is the day. I'm done. I'm changing. I'm signing up for a new program.’ Now, the key is, change has to be sustained.” (2:47—3:00) -Kirk
“One of my favorite coaches of all time, when I was in the toughest spot of all time in running ACT Dental, I reached out to him for help. I said, ‘I'm going to wait. I'm going to wait until next summer.’ He said, ‘Kirk, what's the benefit of waiting?’ I didn't have an answer. I remember exactly where I was. I was in the parking lot talking to him on the phone. He said, ‘There's no benefit. You're going to call me next summer, and you're going to be older, and these problems are going to be bigger. There's no benefit to waiting.’” (3:04—3:38) -Kirk
“What dentists often think is that they want their practice to be better. They want their life to be better — like you wanted your company to get better. But, ‘I'll wait for that perfect moment.’ When I was recently sitting in church, one of the speakers shared this with us. He said, ‘If not you, then who? And if not now, when?’ That really resonated with me. Of course, I'm thinking of things that pop into my own head, ideas that are coming to me for my own personal life. But I'm also thinking about my work life, and my clients, and their team members as well with this thought-provoking statement. This immediately brings those insightful thoughts to your brain, exactly like what you experienced, Kirk, with that coach. Why are we waiting? It causes us to step back for a minute and evaluate our current circumstances to say, ‘Okay, what is it exactly that we want to achieve, and how quickly do we want to achieve it?’” (3:50—4:47) -Heather
“Some of you think, ‘Well, I've got to start my own practice.’ The day you decided that was a beautiful day, and you found the resources. Some of you decided to move your practice to another location. All you have to do is start the search. And so, just the decision in your brain to take the initiative is really important.” (5:12—5:31) -Kirk
“Nobody controls you and what you do. Right? Taking that initiative has to be self-motivating. You have to be aware of the situation first, aware that your practice needs improving, aware that — for me, it's that I want to get back into yoga again. I used to be really good at that. For me, it's that self-awareness that, ‘Gosh, I haven't done yoga in so long. That's probably why my body is screaming at me half of the time.’ So, you have that awareness piece, but that self-management of taking initiative, that's the change that you were talking about. That's the first thing that you have to do, is say, ‘I'm going to make a change, and I'm going to make this happen.’ But you can't do it alone.” (6:08—6:50) -Heather
“The first step is just being aware. The more aware you are of your situation, the more you get annoyed with yourself because you want to see that change take place. So, taking that initiative and that first step.” (6:56—7:09) -Heather
“You'll naturally face two evils, and the two evils will be procrastination and perfection. You always want to, ‘I'm going to wait.’ And then, the second one is, ‘Well, I've got to get this perfect before I start.’” (7:19—7:33) -Kirk
“You've got to get moving. You've got to start somewhere. That's where “Get Mo” comes from. Start to move. Start to take some action and get moving on whatever it is that you're hoping to achieve.” (7:44—7:56) -Heather
“One of the concepts that I like that works for me is the 80% approach by Dan Sullivan. So, procrastination and perfection get in the way, for me, daily. Now, the important thing of getting anything to 80% is I'll draft it up, I'll look it up. Some ideas don't make it to implementation. But the fact is I drafted it, I looked at it, I had other people look at it, and we're just going to start it. And it can take an instant to do that.” (7:58—8:25) -Kirk
“Do you ever wait for the “perfect” moment to start something? For example, do you remember when Biggest Loser was really big on TV? I used to watch that all the time. There were so many contestants on there that would say, ‘Oh, I'll start Monday. I'll start Monday.’ So, ‘On Monday, then I will weigh myself. Then, I'll start counting calories. Then, I'll start exercising.’ But after 52 Mondays, you realize that you're a year older and you never started on Monday. We make these excuses, as humans, over and over and over. It's natural for us to make those excuses. We put barriers in our way because change is hard and uncomfortable.” (8:34—9:17) -Heather
“Change is hard. Complacency is easy. It's really easy to sit in front of the TV and eat some ice cream at night before I go to bed. It's really easy to do that. It's much harder to pick up and move, and do my yoga, or do a HIIT class, whatever it is that people are doing now. That's so much harder than sitting back and taking it easy. But that's what gets in our way, because we wait for the “perfect” moment. ‘Oh, I'll wait till Monday.’ What's wrong with right now?” (9:19—9:52) -Heather
“I don't know who said it, but 90% of success is just showing up. I have found that to be absolutely true. Whether it be a study club, whether it be a course, there are so many things I signed up for and I'm like, ‘I don't know . . . Oh, I'm glad I signed up for this! I had no idea.’ You show up, you meet somebody, and you're like, ‘I am so darn glad I'm here.’” (10:19—10:38) -Kirk
“I used to say this years ago when I went to a gym. The hardest part of any day is putting on those shoes, because as soon as I put the shoes on, I'm actually halfway to the gym. The old gym that my wife and I used to go to had a sign right above the door, ‘Congratulations. The hardest part of your day is over. You got here.’ And I'm like, bam — that's it. So, sometimes you’ve just got to get there.” (10:54—11:15) -Kirk
“Nobody, at any age, knows how many Mondays they have left. One of the questions that I ask a lot of my clients when we go through a brainstorming exercise to figure out what it is that they want, because sometimes even my clients are like, ‘I don't know what I want. I just want things to be better.’ So, I will ask them a series of questions. One of the questions I ask my clients is, ‘If you died in three years, what would you want to accomplish in those three years?’ It helps put things into perspective. What it does is it tells me what's the most important to them, and what we should take action on now.” (11:24—11:59) -Heather
“Human beings need other human beings to help them get out of their own way, because we stick back into that “complacency is easy” mode. It's easy. ‘Oh, I'm comfortable sitting on the couch in my jammies with ice cream.’ That's easy. I'm not as motivated. Now, if I know that I have to report back to someone, or someone's holding me accountable to doing those things, or my friend is expecting me at 6:00 a.m. to do yoga together, I'm going to actually show up and I'm going to do it.” (12:21—12:52) -Heather
“Other people are going to keep track of what you promised, and then give you deadlines so that you can actually accomplish those things within that time frame. They're going to ask you about it. They're going to give you the support that you need. We talked about Biggest Loser, and I'm going to talk about another TV show. I promise, I don't just watch TV, but lately I've been pulled into Shark Tank. And these entrepreneurs, they're looking for that accountability piece too. They're also looking for someone to help them to see things that they don't see. They want another perspective, and that's what these other human beings can do for us too. I can sit in a yoga class, and the yoga instructor can say, ‘Yes, that looks great. And if you twist this way, or stretch a little further this way,’ or your Peloton instructor, they push you a little bit further so that you do things that you didn't even realize you were capable of. That's that whole accountability piece. That's when that magic happens, when you involve other human beings in what it is that you're trying to achieve.” (14:19—15:19) -Heather
“If you ever said to yourself as a dentist, ‘I'll just build a business. I don't need anybody's help,’ that's silly or arrogant, one of the two, because you need the help of a great accountant. You need the help of a great consultant. I mean, you’ve got all these things that you cannot do yourself. And a great coach can say, ‘Don't do that. That's dumb.’ A great coach also doesn't work in your business, so they don't care. They don't have the emotional constraints that you and your team have about upsetting anybody. They're going to do it for the benefit of the practice. And my whole point in saying this is that you can lean into accountability. It's quite wonderful when you don't have to fill your brain with, ‘How do I figure this out?’ or, ‘How do I do this next?’” (15:57—16:41) -Kirk
“I often say this to my clients. You're getting in your own way . . . We get in our own way. We make excuses. We place blame. You can make excuses or progress, but you can't make both.” (19:01—19:15) -Heather
“You get in your own way. So, enlist the help of someone that will help you to get out of your way, and then take that first step.” (19:35—19:43) -Heather
“If you're stuck, don't stay stuck. There's nothing worse than being stuck — other than talking to yourself about being stuck. That makes it worse. And 80% of self-talk is usually negative, so you don't want to do that either. You need to start talking to somebody going, ‘Stop talking like that. That's not true. Let's get you out of the mud.’” (21:07—21:26) -Kirk
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
2:19 Why this is important for your practice.
4:49 Take initiative and have self-awareness.
7:56 If not now, when?
12:01 Find others to help you with accountability.
18:55 Last thoughts.
Heather Crockett Bio:
Heather Crockett is a Lead Practice Coach who finds joy in not only improving practices but improving the lives of those she coaches as well. With over 20 years of combined experience in assisting, office management, and clinical dental hygiene, her awareness supports many aspects of the practice setting.
Heather received her dental hygiene degree from the Utah College of Dental Hygiene in 2008. Networking in the dental community comes easy to her, and she loves to connect with like-minded colleagues on social media. Heather enjoys both attending and presenting continuing education to expand her knowledge and learn from her friends and colleagues.
She enjoys hanging out with her husband, three sons, and their dog, Moki, scrolling through social media, watching football, and traveling.
5 Signs You Have a Productive and Profitable Dental Admin Team
Episode #645 with Ariel Juday
Is your admin team unproductive? Before blaming them, look at the systems you have! To show you what a productive team looks like and how you can achieve it, Kirk Behrendt brings back Ariel Juday, one of ACT’s amazing coaches, with systems to help you support the backbone of your practice. To create processes and systems that everyone can understand and follow, listen to Episode 645 of The Best Practices Show!
Episode Resources:
- Send Ariel an email
- Follow Ariel on ACT’s Instagram
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show podcast
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club
- See ACT’s Live Events Schedule
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free!
- Write a review on iTunes
Links Mentioned in This Episode:
Get your free copy of ACT’s Managing an Accounts Receivable and Collections System
Main Takeaways:
Set clear expectations and processes that your entire team understands.
Have systems for insurance verification, billing, collections, and budgets.
Go above and beyond to create a review-worthy patient experience.
Have designated billers for insurance and for patient billing.
Keep your collections percentage at 98% — at minimum.
Create systems to keep a full schedule.
Quotes:
“The admin team are the ones that don't necessarily have the most training. They don't always have the most support. But really, they are the glue that holds the team together. If you can have a profitable and productive admin team, things will go so much smoother. The doctors and dentists, they need to know and understand how they can support their admin team and go off of the facts and not just the feelings.” (2:18—2:48)
“Let's look at our processes and our systems first before you go blame the team member.” (5:04—5:09)
“You need clear systems and processes, and you need to be able to see these. As a dentist, you don't need to be able to understand them. You don't need to be able to do every step. But you need to be able to ask them, what is the system? I would say a couple of the most important ones is a streamlined patient intake process. How is your admin team member getting patients their information on the phone? How are they getting them through the door? And then, taking it one step above, not only are we getting their new patient forms because, yes, everyone needs that, but once they get to that really productive level, are your admin team members tracking how long patients are waiting? Are they keeping an eye on those patients if they are waiting? Are they offering refreshments? Do they stand and greet them by name? So, not only are they getting them in and getting their paperwork, but how are they making them feel? And is that intake process — does everyone know the expectations?” (5:17—6:21)
“[Dentists are] like, ‘Oh, I'm on time.’ Great. Are you really? And then, let's say you're behind three minutes. In the grand scheme, three minutes isn't a really long time. But could you imagine if you and I stared at each other for three minutes? They're going to be like, ‘What’s going on?’ It would feel like an eternity, versus, we said, ‘Hey, we're going to take a three-minute moment of silence.’ Everyone knows they can look at their watch. And it's the same with patients. If you're running five minutes behind and we can tell them that when they walk in the door, then they are more willing, and it doesn't feel [as long]. But if they're just waiting, they're seeing other patients being taken back, and other patients are leaving, and now they're looking at their watch — it feels much longer when you don't know how long you're supposed to be waiting.” (7:11—8:06)
“[You] have to have a clear system and expectations of who does what, when, because you'll see that the insurance verification is one thing that really will sneak up on team members, and it can really hinder or enhance a patient's visit. Not because we tell the patients, but it's how prepared we can be by letting them know, ‘We were able to verify your dental insurance is active. This is your coverage.’ When you're going over their treatment estimates, you're able to bring in their personalized benefits. And so, we have to have that verified before the patients arrive — when possible. I know not every patient will give you the information. They don't even always know who they have, and that's okay. But when possible, have it before they arrive. And you want to know what information needs to be verified. Some practices will do a very detailed breakdown. Others will do a simplified version. It really depends on their practice and what the expectations are. And then, even take it one step further. Where do I put that information? Having it verified is one thing, but who needs to be able to have access to it? I would say this is an area of opportunity for most practices.” (8:54—10:22)
“If you're going to make one investment for your admin team members, online insurance verification is very helpful. It's definitely an investment, but it saves the team members so much time. Because, doctors, if you've never had to call an insurance company, be prepared to wait a minimum of 30 to 45 minutes before you get in contact with someone — and that's just hoping that that person will be able to answer your questions.” (10:55—11:27)
“Once you have a good insurance verification process, now you can have a better billing process. One thing I would say is, ask your team members when claims are being sent. If you're an admin team member listening to me, I would tell you this. There is no reason that claims should not be sent on a daily basis. They are electronic. It's a push of a button. Yes, you have to review. Yes, there are things. Yes, you have to do attachments. There is no reason that they should not be sent on a daily basis. Sure, maybe you miss one day here because, who knows what happened? But I would say claims should be sent the same day or next day. That's including with attachments, and that's including following up on denied claims. You have to have a clear billing process on, who sends the claims? Who creates the attachments? Where are the narratives coming from? Do we have the appropriate X-rays? Do we have the appropriate photos? Where is all that? So, when I say, yes, send your claims — yes, that's the easy part. It's the whole process in the system leading up to how claims get sent.” (12:07—13:21)
“You can't just say, ‘We collect at time of service.’ Great. I hope you do. And if you are, we can talk about some of the over-the-counter collections and that KPI to track. But what happens when a claim is paid, and insurance didn't pay what we were expecting? What is your collections process for a patient that comes in and someone on their account has a balance? You have to have a clear collections process. So, as soon as those claims are being paid and balances are being created, who makes a phone call? Who sends a statement? When do they make that phone call? When do they send the statement? If you have your billing person or your collections person and they say, ‘Oh, I send statements once a month,’ it's not enough. You have to be doing it more.” (13:43—14:35)
“I highly recommend your billings and your collections person be separate. Checks and balances. I don't ever like the same person following up on insurance claims and following up on patient balances. They go hand in hand, yes. But I think that's where you need two individuals as a team. It really helps with the checks and balances.” (14:38—15:02)
“I want to know that my patient is going to take care of that balance before going back and getting more treatment done — because they don't want to talk money. Patients don't want to. They know that's okay. However, it's a better dental appointment if they can get the collections out of the way and focus on their dental care. We've always said try to separate the appointment and the finances. Same thing with collections. No one likes to owe people money. So, if I can get it done and get it taken care of, they're not dreading that dental appointment. They're not dreading the end of it when they have to come and talk to me. I can get it taken care of ahead of time. I know that they're going to pay because they're not increasing. And yes, every now and then, you have the patient that says, ‘Oh, I didn't know,’ or, ‘I couldn't afford this,’ or, ‘I can't.’ Now, you can make the call of, ‘Okay. Should we reschedule this patient?’ Because you don't want to be doing dentistry for free without knowing it. That's what happens to teams. They let the patient go back, they get the treatment done, and then they come up. And what do you do? You're kind of handcuffed when the patient says, ‘Well, I can't afford that.’” (15:43—16:58)
“Over-the-counter collections — yes, literally over the counter. Let's not do anything under the counter. Over the counter on the same day as treatment. So, yes, they can come back two days later. However, in my mind, that's us being thankful that the patient was a good patient and a good person, coming back to pay their bill. There's no difference between me sending them a statement or giving them a phone call and taking that over the phone. And so, it's on the day of what I should be collecting. So, it's, ‘This is insurance. I'm estimating this is what insurance is going to cover.’ What is my patient investment? That's what I should be collecting on the day of service. Or if you're really good, at the time of scheduling.” (17:55—18:45)
“[If your over-the-counter collections is not growing], that means your team is doing a lot of work on the back end, and the strength of having the comfortable conversations of collections is not there. Your team is focused more on sending those texts to pay, focused more on sending those statements. So, just because your overall collections may be good — that means you actually have a good patient base that is loyal, and they pay their bills. If you have a good over-the-counter, that means you have a good system and process in place, and that your admin team are really taking care of business.” (19:06—19:44)
“If a dental admin team is highly productive and profitable, they understand the budget of, ‘When can I order specific supplies? When are the specific supplies that I need coming up on sale?’ and looking for deals. They're not just ordering a ream of paper here, a pack of highlighters, a pen. They have a process in place. I see this a lot with teams, is the supply budget is one of the ones that is the easiest to get out of hand, but it's also one of the easiest to control. Not that you have to pinch pennies all the time, but if your admin team knows every September is back-to-school, they can get some of those deals. And if they're looking out for your overhead, then it's going to return to them in the long run. That takes your admin team to a whole other level, is when they're looking at what goes above and beyond their job description or their day-to-day.” (21:22—22:31)
“Have designated billers for both insurance and patient billing, not only for checks and balances, but because one person, really — that would be a lot of time. If you want your patient billing and your insurance billing to be followed up on a regular basis, you need multiple people doing that. As we talked about, the length of getting an insurance verification, following up on unpaid claims, that's a lengthy process. Yes, you can see the status online. But most of the time, that does have to be done by phone call in order to see, what documents did you not receive? What do you need to do? Who can I send this to? Sometimes, you can get direct contact information and say, ‘If I fax it to this number, can it get processed today?’ And the same thing with patient billing, is you want one person working on it on a consistent basis. I would say at least have blocked out time, weekly. But really good, productive teams have a process that it's part of their daily process.” (22:41—23:49)
“We talk about block scheduling for the clinical side. Same thing with the admin team members. They need to have some kind of designated block scheduling. Because if you can imagine, you're trying to create a good patient experience, and you want to spend the time talking to them about where their balance is coming from. But you have patients coming in, checking in, checking out, and you're doing other things on the back end. The patient knows that, and they can feel that. And so, not necessarily that they will be able to step away, but maybe they know, during the lunch hour while doctor and the clinical team is on lunch, this is my hour that I can spend on following up on patient collections. Insurance, if I'm following up on insurance claims, you need to know what time of day you can call. Because if you're trying to call in the afternoons or evenings, you're not getting through. So, that's something that's like, first thing in the morning, I know I need to call to get in the queue early. They have to have that blocked time because if they're just going to work it in, we know — I mean, if I say, ‘I'll get it done today,’ it's not a priority. And this is something that needs to be a priority, just as much as taking care of the patients in the office.” (24:11—25:28)
“At a minimum, [your practice collections percentage should be] 98%. If you're at 98%, 99%, 100%, your team is doing what they're supposed to be doing. Anything lower, there's a breakdown in your systems. Your admin team is not as productive, or they're not as profitable as they can be. And like I said when we started this, don't blame the team member. Let's look at the system and the process first. It also might be a team member is uncomfortable with talking about collections and collecting. So, we need to know that. And then your AR, your accounts receivable, over 90 days should be 10% or less. And I will say our top performing teams that I see are five percent or less because they don't let the balances get that far. That's where they have the process.” (26:32—27:24)
“If you have a good process in place and you're calling [patients], you're sending their statements, their letters, they know about this balance. Now, if you have a bad process in place, and let's say it's 90 days, and they're just now receiving a statement, that's also very hard to collect because now you have to explain to them, ‘Why are you just now telling me about this? I planned for this months ago.’ And sometimes, yes, insurance — I know it takes a long time, and that's something that we can educate them on. But once you get a balance over 90 days, you're just gambling and you're honestly crossing your fingers, hoping that it's going to be collected. There's a good chance that it won't be.” (28:32—29:17)
“Not only are your admin team members getting people on the schedule, getting the confirmations done, but what you don't know — or maybe you do know and we just don't always acknowledge — is your admin team is working consistently on keeping that schedule full. So, yes, it's very easy to start out the day or start out the week with, ‘We're at 100% capacity.’ What does that day look like throughout the day? Are your admin team members following up on unscheduled treatment? Are they looking for same-day opportunities? If someone does fall off the schedule for whatever reason, how are they getting that appointment block filled? So, this is telling you, do they have good processes in place? Because if they just say, ‘Oh, we'll just fill it,’ but what's your system? What's your process?” (31:23—32:16)
“One of the fun parts being an admin team member is they find a lot of the same-day opportunities that the clinical team overlooks when they're presenting treatment. They know this person is running late. They know that this person got done early. So, they see it in a different way. I always tell the admin team members, ‘If you think we can do something today, go to the back, ask a clinical team member, hey, can we get this done?’ Especially nowadays with digital scanning, there's no reason we should ever treatment plan an occlusal guard and have them come back for that. We can say, ‘Hey, can you get this done today?’ ‘Give us five minutes and we'll figure it out,’ because it's a scan. It's easy. And I say that's where the admin team members can help, because they know the schedule like the back of their hand.” (32:19—33:11)
“If you think about it, the patient starts with your admin team, whether that be on the phone, or literally starting their appointment by walking in, and how they were greeted, and how they end their appointment. There's little that a clinical team can do to make the appointment so great and amazing, and the admin team member can easily derail that appointment. So, the patient retention, the good online reviews — are those coming because the patient had a good experience? I hate to say it, but a lot of the reviews come because they had a poor experience with their admin team members.” (36:40—37:22)
“One, you have to ask for [reviews]. But before you ask, you have to ensure that your patients are receiving an experience worth leaving their review. I know leaving reviews is not hard, and today we've made it super easy with QR codes, and text, and it goes straight-to. However, it still takes time from a patient's day, and they've already left their appointment. So, they've left their appointment. They've left your office. Maybe they're still in the parking lot. Are they still thinking about that visit though, or have they moved on to the next? A lot of us are busy. Our appointment is over, and we're moving on to the next. So, for the patients to write the review means that something happened that...
Oral Wellness to Overall Wellness
Episode #644 with Karese Laguerre
Just by looking in your patient’s mouth, you can help prevent and treat a myriad of health concerns. Many common issues can even be eliminated, and Kirk Behrendt brings in Karese Laguerre, founder of SPUR Dental Wellness, to explain how myofunctional therapy is the path to overall health and wellness. Help patients breathe, eat, speak, and sleep like never before! To learn how, listen to Episode 644 of The Best Practices Show!
Episode Resources:
- Join Karese onFacebook
- Follow Karese onInstagram
- Learn more on Karese’swebsite
- Subscribe toThe Best Practices Show podcast
- Join ACT’sTo The Top Study Club
- See ACT’sLive Events Schedule
- GetThe Best Practices Magazine for free!
- Write a review oniTunes
Links Mentioned in This Episode:
Learn more atThe Myo Spot
Learn more aboutSPUR Dental Wellness
Read Karese’s book,Accomplished
Main Takeaways:
Now is the time to offer myofunctional therapy for patients.
Myofunctional therapy will help differentiate your practice.
Consider elevating team members to be myo therapists.
Offer teletherapy options for better and easier access.
Your patients will want to do myofunctional therapy.
Quotes:
“It was a beautiful pediatric dentist that wound up shining the light for me that a lot of [my children’s issues were] all related to how they were using their orofacial muscles. That put me down into the hole, and I dove deep into that rabbit hole of myofunctional therapy and how oral function really does disrupt craniofacial growth and cognitive development. A lot of what's going on with our sleep is impacted by our breathing. And a lot of this stuff, yes, I caught it when my children were younger. But if it's not addressed — why is it so important, to get back to answering that question, is because all of this stuff compounds. It doesn't self-resolve. It's not that typical answer that's given by the pediatrician where, ‘They'll grow out of it.’ It actually compounds into different issues, and we wind up with adults that have obstructive sleep apnea, or that have TMD that is very difficult and painful for them, and they're in their young twenties. You're like, what's going on? We wind up with all these various issues that wind up compounding as they get older. And so, it's incredibly important to catch everything early. But if they're not caught early, it's important to start resolving it — because as you get older, it's going to turn into a number of things that we do not want to see in our dental chair.” (4:50—6:12)
“Myofunctional therapy, I like to compare it to personal training. I say that it's personal training of all the muscles below the eyes, but above the shoulders. We work with that wonderful orofacial and some of the oropharyngeal muscles to really help eliminate dysfunction that might be happening there. So, for a lot of our patients, that might be asymmetry. That might be overdevelopment of certain muscles. That might be underdevelopment of certain muscles. But essentially, we're going to be getting to the root of what's going on, why is there dysfunction, and then making those changes that are going to help. That way, we establish habituation of proper muscle function and proper oral rest posture, which I think not enough people talk about, especially in dentistry.” (7:17—8:05)
“There is a way for everything to sit at rest. Our tongue, at rest, should be lightly suctioned up against the roof of the mouth, from the incisive papilla all the way back to the soft palate — just a very light suction. It's not an active suction hold. Our teeth should be slightly apart, about two to three millimeters of freeway space. Our lips should be closed, and we should have predominant nasal breathing. That's the way that we should be most of the day when we're not eating or speaking.” (8:05—8:33)
“We know that our teeth are always in constant motion, or can be in motion, because the periodontal ligaments take certain force, and all the forces of occlusion, and so forth. So, our teeth are in motion. But that tongue and the force that it applies on the teeth creates an impact as to where those teeth are sitting in the oral cavity. When you have your tongue lightly suctioned up against the roof of the mouth, that palate is going to take those soft tissue pressures and forces, and it's going to grow and expand. When we have that tongue sitting down, floating in the middle of the mouth, now we have all of those pressures that would have been on the palate against the teeth. And so, that's going to alter the way the teeth are. Sometimes, it might be more where you have a Class II with a very prominent overjet, or it might be an open bite where the tongue has created its own space to rest in between those teeth. Or, then you have that tongue that might be lying down low and resting along that mandible, and that's going to really apply those same pressures outward on that mandible. That's where we get some of our Class III form and development. And so, it's always going to be the tongue [that wins]. It's always going to be the tongue. The tongue will win, but it's the counter forces between the tongue and the lips and having everything be balanced, and that's where your myofunctional therapy comes in. That really helps to retain those positions. That way, we're not constantly in this battle of shifting.” (9:56—11:27)
“There is nobody more primed and prepped for [myofunctional therapy] than a GP because, honestly, we are the only people really looking at the upper respiratory system in the same way that there would be any other competitive space. So, let's talk about medical. Nobody is looking in that area the way that we are. When we ask our patients to open up, we have a direct view, hopefully, into their oropharynx. If we cannot see their oropharynx, if that soft palate is low, you can't see that uvula, that tongue is up in a defensive posture, that's already — boom. You’ve found somebody who has an airway issue. When they open and you can't see their oropharynx, you know there's something going on. If you look at their palate, you're at the floor of their nasal cavity, because the roof of the mouth is the floor of the nose. And so, if you see a vaulted palate, if you see a narrow palate, what does that mean for the state of their nose? Well, that's going to be constricted space there. So, already, you as a GP looking at only two areas, can you see their throat? Can you visualize a nice, healthy, wide palate? If not, that's two strikes. Your third strike could be just looking at the mandible. Is the mandible recessed? The mandible is the anterior and lateral borders of the upper respiratory tract. So, if their mandible is recessed, what does that mean about their airway? You can take a glance, and you can get a good view of what might be going on with your patient in front of you. So, there is nobody more primed. That's the number-one reason why you should care, because you can make a big difference — just that one little glance.” (12:02—13:36)
“Things are evolving. We are evolving as people. If we're not evolving in dentistry to start servicing our patients at a higher level, to start providing more dynamic services, to start being able to give them these things that they're looking for — holistic solutions, more options — we can help them in different ways that help to, one, build trust, because 60% to 70% of people, it has been researched, do base trust as the main factor why they stay with a dentist. That's going to be a big thing that can help build trust. You're able to look at their airway, and you can tell them something that's going on. These are the things that help you to stand out, grow your practice, and help maintain your patient base. That way, you don't have to worry about any sort of marketing. Your marketing is actually your patients going out and spreading the word within your community that, ‘Oh my gosh, the doctor is offering us so much more than just scraping our teeth or just filling our teeth.’” (14:50—15:54)
“There are not enough myofunctional therapists. But there are so many different things that we can do about that to resolve that issue. One, it can be as simple as referring out to someone who sees people through teletherapy. Teletherapy is a phenomenal way to still address a lot of the issues without having to be in-person with patients. There are dozens upon dozens of myofunctional therapists who see people through teletherapy and telehealth services. You can also elevate a member of your staff. So, a member of your staff, like your registered dental hygienist on staff, would be able to go and get training, and then you can provide that as an in-office service. That is a beautiful way to now — not only are you screening in-office, but you can help to treat in-office. Amazing. Or you can use a service that does have the ability to provide you with teletherapy services for your patients in a membership format.” (16:37—17:41)
“It doesn't have to be, ‘If there's not [a myofunctional therapist] in my community, I can't help with any of these issues.’ It can be any number of ways that you can help your patients just by making a quick referral out, resourcing someone from your own team and helping them to maybe grow in their career in a different way that they may have been looking to that would help you with your staff retention, or implementing a system that's going to do it for you.” (17:48—18:16)
“One of the beautiful things about myofunctional therapy is that if I go back to that correlation that I made earlier with it being like personal training, it is very much where we're working on muscles. We have to get muscular strength and engagement. So, we do that through exercises and activities. These exercises and activities are very much instruction-based, so it's not as tactile, like physical manipulation, that we have to do. It's more visual cues and verbal cues to help patients do these instructions for these exercises. That's going to be where a patient, as long as they have internet access and a web camera and they're able to actually meet with the therapist virtually, they'll be able to get and achieve all the same results as somebody who is working in-person because it's an instruction-based therapy. So, they’re doing these exercises and performing them with the therapist, and then at home. In between sessions, they're doing two to three times a day. They're reviewing these exercises so that they can master them and gain that strength and awareness of those muscles.” (18:29—19:37)
“Your patients would not only do [myofunctional therapy exercises] — they would also love to do it. What we find, more often than not, is that it's really about how you explain these things. A...
The Total Health Dental Practice
Episode #643 with Dr. Susan Maples
People today are living longer — but lifespan doesn't always equal healthspan. Luckily, there is a way to extend health, and it can be done through dentistry. To share how, Kirk Behrendt brings in Dr. Susan Maples, author of BlabberMouth and Brave Parent, to explain total health dentistry, why it’s important for your practice, and how to implement it effectively. Put health and care back into healthcare! To learn more about the preventive care you can offer, listen to Episode 643 of The Best Practices Show!
Episode Resources:
- Join Dr. Maples onFacebook
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- Subscribe toThe Best Practices Show podcast
- Join ACT’sTo The Top Study Club
- See ACT’sLive Events Schedule
- GetThe Best Practices Magazine for free!
- Write a review oniTunes
Links Mentioned in This Episode:
ReadBrave Parentby Dr. Maples
ReadBlabberMouth! by Dr. Maples
Learn more aboutTotal Health Academy
Learn more aboutAPDP
Learn more aboutAAOSH
Main Takeaways:
Total health dentistry will give you a competitive advantage.
Put the “health” and “care” in your healthcare as a dentist.
Do more than polishing teeth and looking at calculus.
Many diseases can be linked to oral health.
Quotes:
“Seventy-five percent of what we're spending on healthcare is preventable to begin with. But who is doing the prevention? We call ourselves a preventive visit, right? So, doing something weird inside that space that we call a six-month recall — stop polishing the teeth, and stop throwing toothbrushes in bags. Start helping people dig into what they want to become in life. It makes a huge difference in their life.” (6:05—6:31)
“If you are attracting patients who value health, they're much more likely to spend their money on their values, which means that they're not as insurance dependent. So, if you're looking for insurance independence and you're looking to have conversations with people about a comprehensive treatment plan where you could literally bring that to fruition, that's the target market — people who value health.” (7:37—8:04)
“I always say what's missing in healthcare today is health and care.” (10:43—10:47)
“Early on in my career, I learned that hiring had to be values-based hiring. If you think about any dual relationship, whether it's a breakup with a boyfriend, girlfriend, a divorce, or a parting of ways with a family member — anything — it's generally because we have this values rift. It's not because of anything else. We just value different things. And so, the idea that we would hire people based on values — which means you have to know your values. So, in our practice, we have a very distinct set of core values. You can see them on our website. There are six of them. When we interview people, we ask open-ended questions that get out what their values are. Not, ‘Do you like our values?’ but, ‘What are your values?’ We don't ask them that. We start to ask questions. For instance, if we like continual learning, we want to ask questions like, ‘Tell me what you've done for your own learning this year out of your own volition.’ And if they can't answer that, there's a pretty good chance they're probably not a continual learner. So, things like that. We tend to hire for values, which means that we end up with people who are not the same personality. They don't have the same credentials. We're all different that way, which is good because we serve a variety of people. We need to have different personalities. But our values are right on.” (13:45—15:13)
“If you're not getting along with someone on your team, generally, you can pick out the value that you have that is different from theirs. It's not right or wrong, it's just different.” (15:53—16:04)
“[Total health is] an individualized approach to care. So, in dentistry, we tend to do things by protocol. We bring our new patients in hygiene. We sit them down. We take a health history. We maybe take a blood pressure. We do an oral cancer screening. We look around with a perio probe. [In my practice], we don't do it that way. We start with a two-hour initial exam. This is for adults. This is the adult intake, a two-hour initial exam. We start out with an interview — the word interview comes from the word, “entre vous”, which means to see one another — in a library where there's not a dental environment, and we talk together. We have a facilitated conversation where we say, ‘Tell us about you.’ And then, we start to get into health. ‘What's most interesting to you about your own personal health or health challenges?’ And then, we stay in the question, as Mary Osborne teaches. We follow their lead, and we go where they go. When we've exhausted things like sleep and gut function, and you've done all of that — or if they start with dentistry, I'll start with dentistry. But then I'll say, ‘Tell me a little bit about your mouth and what it's been like for you to have been a dental patient all these years. What's going on there?’ So, we go through all that. We probably spend maybe 40 minutes, maybe an hour, before we ever get them in the clinical setting. And now, you've really made an investment in their life, and you're really putting together some pieces, discovering what they know about themselves. Then, I'm going to put that up against what I learn about them in the clinical setting. And then, we'll have a dialogue about what we can do to get them there. We're really wanting to help people become their best selves.” (16:29—18:22)
“When I first went into dentistry, my dad was an entrepreneur. He wanted to know, ‘How do you make money in dentistry?’ Because I bought a practice right out of school, 25 years old. I was trying to figure it out. I said, ‘Well, you charge by the surface. So, a filling is on the top of the tooth. It's one price. If it leaks over to the side, it's called a two-surface.’ I'm explaining this to someone who knows nothing about teeth. And he goes, ‘Oh my goodness, Sues. You are getting paid by the surface? You’ve got to shut up and work.’ He's like, ‘You need to be paid by the syllable.’ I thought, ‘Oh my gosh, I'm going to have to stop talking and really drill.’ I think that's kind of where dentistry has gone. But I have to tell you that, now, I'm getting paid by the syllable. And it's really, the more syllables that come out of the patient's mouth, the more they feel understood and trusting. The higher that treatment plan acceptance goes, the more we're able to do the dentistry the way we would like to do it. Giving the patient the lead is really a competitive advantage for treatment plan acceptance and for referrals. There is nowhere in healthcare that I know that people have as much time with the doctor as they have with me, and I'm able to help put all those pieces together. While all my friends are retiring, I feel like I'm having the best time, getting the hang of it, really helping people steer their life toward their best self yet.” (18:24—19:54)
“Seventy-five percent of what we're suffering from is preventable. But we're not doing any prevention in medicine. We're spending $1 out of $100 in prevention across the board, including dentistry . . . Dentistry has the last pillar of prevention left, and it's that hygiene visit. People are coming to you presumably healthy, and they're asking you to take care of a preventive visit. And we're doing all kinds of things in that visit that has no efficacy in the literature, like polishing teeth. We have to really break the mold and say we need to be individualized in our care. We need to help predict and preempt dental disease.” (20:44—21:37)
“Teeth should never dissolve. That's a pH problem. Why is that? Is it because there's acid coming up? Is it because we're consuming acidic foods? Is it because the sugar is feeding the strep mutans and it's producing acid? That's one disease. Periodontal disease is so multifaceted and so connected to everything else. I mean, look at the research on Alzheimer's. Most of these Alzheimer's patients have Treponema denticola and P. gingivalis in their brains. These leaky gums are creating problems, and everyone knows about it now. So, we need to look at this as a systemic problem with a host immune response that is horrific, and what do we need to do to help get that patient healthy? What about sleep? What about nutrient deficiencies? What about chemical sensitivities? What about addiction and alcoholism? What about depression where they stop caring for their teeth? Like, what are the pieces that we're missing where we can't seem to control this disease?” (21:37— 22:39)
“Right now, the health trajectory looks like people are going to be living a little less long. But we're already living long. The question is not lifespan, it's healthspan. The problem right now is that the last 30 years of our life are crappy years. I personally want to live like this and have one bad day. I'm approaching 64, so maybe I have another 40 years. I don't know. I'm thinking maybe 94, 104, something like that. I want to live a long, healthy life, and then die an unexpected death, maybe skiing or something. I don't know what I would be doing. But the point of the matter is, wouldn't it be cool if our healthspan could match our lifespan? It gives us a really new perspective on how we look at life, because I know I do not want multiple medications and all of the problems that come with that. None of us do. Right?” (23:11—24:08)
“I think that there is fear, and we live in a society that values money so much that people are always trying to give the worst-case scenario, ‘What if I try this and I fail? What if I don't make money at it?’ I think if you do the right thing,...
The Global Diagnosis Education Symposium Pre-Chat
Episode #642 with Dr. Josh Austin, Dr. Bill Robbins, & Dr. Jim Otten
Mentorship is lifelong. No matter what stage of your life or career, you will always need one — and study clubs are the best places to find them. To give you a taste of the people you will find, Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. Josh Austin, Dr. Bill Robbins, and Dr. Jim Otten to share their experiences being involved with the Global Diagnosis Education Symposium and study club. Join GDE to change your life! To learn more about it and how to get started, listen to Episode 642 of The Best Practices Show!
Episode Resources:
- Send Dr. Austin an email
- Join Dr. Austin on Facebook
- Follow Dr. Austin on Instagram
- Send Dr. Robbins an email
- Join Dr. Robbins on Facebook
- Learn more on Dr. Robbins’s website
- Join Dr. Otten on Facebook
- Follow Dr. Otten on Instagram
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show podcast
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club
- See ACT’s Live Events Schedule
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free!
- Write a review on iTunes
Links Mentioned in This Episode:
Register for Global Diagnosis Education
Main Takeaways:
Your need for mentorship will continue throughout your career.
Seek out mentors. Don't wait for them to come to you.
Join study clubs like Global Diagnosis Education.
Failure is extremely important to growth.
Always create time for self-care.
Quotes:
“There is a desperate need for dentists and professionals to really be able to organize their thought process in an orderly way and be able to implement in their practice. Many very well-accomplished dentists, some who know far more about the detail of dentistry than we do, have trouble and struggle like we did in our own practices organizing and facilitating. We know they're looking for a safe space where they can be themselves, they can be authentic, and we can talk about our successes and failures. They look for guidance and community, and that community is Global Diagnosis, helping them to organize the process, but also standing with them and walking through the fire with them.” (6:51—7:39) -Dr. Otten
“We all naturally take the path of least resistance, so bringing something back to your practice is hard. It's hard to institute it. We think about it in our heads, and we turn it over, and turn it over. But at the end of the day, it's hard to then execute. And so, if you don't have that continuing thing, whether it be a study club that's in person, whether it be a study club online, whether it be a small community of local docs, whatever it is, you’ve got to have that thing that continues to push you to do it. For me, it was our chapter of the Seattle Study Club. That's really what fueled that, and there's been no organization that's more important to my career than that. Not everyone has the ability to do that. Now, we have technology that can bridge that gap. It just has to be a constant thing. It has to be the community around it that's pushing people to do it because, if not, we just go back to what's easy.” (8:12— 8:59) -Dr. Austin
“What we found in the feedback from our group is that what they appreciate most is the mentorship, that there's a consistent contact that helps them overcome all these cultural pieces that push against them. Because if you're doing interdisciplinary restorative dentistry at a high level of implementation, you're going to get pushback from a lot of the systems that are in place, and you've got to be able to overcome that. As a solo practitioner, I spend a lot of time staring in the mirror going, ‘Well, what the hell do I do now?’ But if I had people like Bill, which I have, and other people along the way that could help me through this and help me solve this problem, that takes you to the next step and takes you out of the default behavior that you've created that keeps you from moving to the next level. And failure is extremely important. Try it, fail at it, learn from it, and move on.” (9:04—9:55) -Dr. Otten
“Dental societies want to do these mentorship programs where they assign somebody to somebody. And that never — I mean, it's an arranged marriage. It rarely works. It has to come organically. That stuff has to come organically, but it has to come from — I like the word protege. I hate the word mentee. It is in the dictionary, but I feel like it was added later to annoy me. It's protege. The protege has to be the one that seeks it out. But when you use the word preceptorship — preceptorship, to me, is a defined period of time. You get preceptored for a certain period of time until you are competent, and then that relationship ends, and you are then off on your own. That never happens in dentistry. We need a mentor throughout our entire career, no matter what.” (10:30—11:17) -Dr. Austin
“That need [for mentorship] never goes away, no matter what stage your career is in.” (11:32—11:35) -Dr. Austin
“[Mentorship is] a lifelong relationship. It ends when you're dead.” (11:45—11:47) -Dr. Otten
“We all are familiar with a handful of amazing teaching institutes in the United States, and these teachers are some of the best on earth that are available to us in the United States. But the problem is that the implementation part of it is not managed very well. And so, people go and pay a lot of money and spend a lot of time learning this amazing information from the best teachers on earth. But then they go back, and on Monday morning, they still have got to face the dental assistant that says, ‘I'm pregnant and I'm going to be gone for four months,’ and the denture patients they hate. Implementing the stuff that they learned last week into the practice is so difficult to do. I think that is the gap that Global Diagnosis Education crosses over, and we become the implementation arm because we're familiar with what these institutes teach. We've been to most of them and taught in some of them. And so, we feel like we are the bridge for these people of implementing what they learned in these amazing centers into their practices.” (11:51—12:59) -Dr. Robbins
“I think you organically find a mentor when you're not looking for them. It's sort of like when you're looking for a girlfriend or a spouse — the more you try, the worse it gets. Trust me. Several tries at it, and it didn't work. But if you put yourself in these circumstances around people that have common values that you can trust and that are authentic, then the relationship emerges. And it's got to be a relationship that is genuine and values-based. That's how it lasts a lifetime.” (15:28—16:03) -Dr. Otten
“You can't progress unless you start doing cases that you're uncomfortable with. You need to get uncomfortable. But when you don't have the safety net of a community, you're tight-roping without a net underneath you. And that's what the community of GDE does. It gives people a safety net. They have a place every month that they can get together and say, ‘Hey, am I seeing this right? What am I not seeing? Am I on the right track?’ and having that support group that does that. It's an incredibly daunting thing to start that track without that help, without that feeling of support behind you. That's, I think, what a community like this does, and that's where we see the change. It starts there. And what starts small gets bigger and changes everything for people because — you never know. That one seed that you plant in one of the attendees here today turns into the next seed down the road for the next younger dentist, and the next seed down the road. And like you said, it just keeps going.” (17:13—18:06) -Dr. Austin
“Over the years, dentistry is a tough profession, not only on us physically, not only on us from a mental challenge standpoint, but from a mental health standpoint as well. It's one of the few professions — I don't know. If you're an accountant, do you really see failures? Maybe you miss a date on a file. I don't know. The accountants are going to send all kinds of crazy replies to us about us talking bad about it. But you don't see failures the way that we see failures. I think we're all trained that when there's a failure, we did something wrong. We wear that with us, and that weighs on us when we go home. And so, I started noticing what used to be an overall cheerful disposition had deteriorated over those 15 years.” (20:36—21:20) -Dr. Austin
“I've seen lectures from psychiatrists and psychologists, and it's fine. But they don't understand what our days are like. And so, I think the message [of my lecture] was, ‘Hey, this is coming from me as a dentist. This is just my journey. You may identify with all of this. You may identify with none of this. But this is the journey I've been on.’ And if you can pull some slices out of that that could be helpful for you going forward — I think, at the end of the day, the biggest problem is that dentists, in general, have really poor coping mechanisms. A lot of problems in dental lives come from that. Stress triggers these coping mechanisms that aren't healthy: alcohol, drug abuse, sex addiction, gambling — all these things that lead into other issues that permeate our lives. And it's because we're never taught very well how to cope, starting from our days in dental school, and then on from there.” (21:57—22:42) -Dr. Austin
“It used to just be, ‘What's the guy down the street doing?’ Now, with the internet and Instagram, I can compare my stuff with Dr. Michael Apa, who's prepping veneers on Jennifer Aniston at $5,000 a unit, and I'm looking at my case that I just did and thinking that I'm not good enough. Meanwhile, he's got a ceramicist looking over his shoulder while he's prepping. And like, of course I'm not going to be able to do that. And the other thing is, the problem with Instagram is that no one ever shows their failures. We don't learn anything from the things that go perfectly. But if you look at everyone's Instagram, everything we touch is the Midas touch. Everything is gorgeous.” (22:53—23:32) -Dr. Austin
“What you're talking about is what I heard Liv Boeree talk about the other day. She said it was a Moloch Trap. A Moloch Trap is something that causes us to leave our values to keep up with something else or in honor of something that's not real. For example, on Instagram, people all of a sudden now are modifying photographs. They're showing their best stuff, creating this culture. Whereas if they left the stuff alone, it would be a much more valuable learning lesson than if you're creating these things trying to outdo one another. So, you're sacrificing values, authenticity, honesty, and integrity to look good. And so, everybody starts to feel like they should look good. I think one of the examples she talks about in the Moloch Trap is when people go to a concert, and everybody is sitting down. And then, all of a sudden, the people in the front start standing up. Well, then everybody else has to stand up, and nobody can sit down. And no one has a better view now because they're standing up, and probably worse. But you can't get them to sit down. So, you're all trapped into this system. It's really an interesting concept, and I think that we are so affected by that in many ways.” (26:08—27:20) -Dr. Otten
“One of the things that sets gentlemen [like Frank Spear and John Kois] apart is that they always showcased what went wrong. That's where their principles come from. It's not just a slide show of beautiful case after beautiful case — it's what went wrong. I think that's why they are where they are, is because they're the ones that are willing to show, ‘I tried this. It didn't work. This is what we learned. Now, this is what we do.’” (27:39—28:03) -Dr. Austin
“Let's be open, let's be authentic, and let's be our real selves.” (29:41—29:46) -Dr. Austin
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
1:33 Dr. Austin, Dr. Robbins, and Dr. Otten’s backgrounds.
4:31 About Global Diagnosis Education.
7:40 Why study clubs and mentorships are important.
13:00 Highlights from their careers.
18:27 Topics at GDE.
29:26 Last thoughts.
Dr. Joshua Austin Bio:
Dr. Joshua Austin, DDS, MAGD, FACD, is a native San Antonian. After attending San Antonio's Health Careers High School and the University of Texas at San Antonio as an undergrad student, Dr. Austin graduated from the University of Texas Health Science Center San Antonio Dental School.
Dr. Austin is a member of the prestigious Seattle Study Club, which is a network of professional dental study groups dedicated to ideal comprehensive dental care. Dr. Austin's other professional memberships include the Academy of General Dentistry, the Texas Dental Association, American Dental Association, and the Rotary Club of San Antonio.
Dr. Austin is a published author and lectures nationally on restorative dentistry and reputation management. He has a monthly column and weekly e-newsletter in Dental Economics, the most-read dental magazine in the world.
In the past, Dr. Austin has served as a faculty member in the Department of Restorative Dentistry at UTHSCSA Dental School. Dr. Austin has received several awards during his dental career. In 2009, the Texas Dental Association honored Dr. Austin by naming him Young Dentist of the Year. In 2010, the Texas Academy of General Dentistry named him New Dentist of the Year, the most prestigious award it gives for dentists who have graduated in the previous seven years. Dr. Austin has earned a Fellowship and Mastership in the Academy of General Dentistry. In 2014, Dr. Austin was awarded with a Fellowship in the American College of Dentists for his outstanding commitment to ethics in patient care.
Dr. Bill Robbins Bio:
Dr. J. William Robbins, D.D.S., M.A., practices part-time and is an Adjunct Clinical Professor in the Department of Comprehensive Dentistry at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio Dental School. He graduated from the University of Tennessee Dental School in 1973. He completed a rotating internship at the Veterans Administration Hospital in Leavenworth, Kansas, and a two-year General Practice Residency at the VA Hospital in San Diego, California.
Dr. Robbins has published over 80 articles, abstracts, and chapters on a wide range of dental subjects and has lectured in the United States, Canada, Mexico, South America, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. He co-authored a textbook, Fundamentals of Operative Dentistry – A Contemporary Approach, which is published by Quintessence, and is in its 4th edition. He recently co-authored a new textbook, Global Diagnosis – A New Vision of Dental Diagnosis and Treatment Planning, which is also published by Quintessence.
Dr. Robbins has won several awards, including the Presidential Teaching Award at the University of Texas Health Science Center, the 2002 Texas Dentist of the Year Award, the 2003 Honorary Thaddeus V. Weclew Fellowship Award from the Academy of General Dentistry, the 2010 Saul Schluger Award given by the Seattle Study Club, the Southwest Academy of Restorative Dentistry 2015 President’s Award, and the 2016 Academy of Operative Dentistry Award of Excellence. He is a diplomate of the American Board of General Dentistry. He is past president of the American Board of General Dentistry, the Academy of Operative Dentistry, the Southwest Academy of Restorative Dentistry, and the American Academy of Restorative Dentistry.
Dr. Jim Otten Bio:
Dr. James F. Otten is a 1981 graduate of the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Dentistry. He completed a one-year residency in hospital dentistry with emphasis on advanced restoration of teeth and oral surgery at the Veterans Administration Medical Center in Leavenworth, Kansas. He taught crown-and-bridge dentistry as an Associate Professor at UMKC before entering private practice in 1982, where he served as Chief of Staff of a large group practice in Fayetteville, Arkansas, before opening his practice in Lawrence, Kansas, in 1984.
Dr. Otten has pursued rigorous post-graduate education since 1986, accumulating thousands of hours in advanced continuing education that he has intentionally applied to his practice in order to develop its personalized care philosophy. He has completed the rigorous curriculum at two prestigious institutions, The Pankey Institute for Advanced Dental Education, and the Dawson Center for Advanced Dental Education. He lectures nationally and internationally and has recently been asked to join the faculty at the Newport Coast Orofacial Institute in Newport Beach, California.
Dr. Otten has been named a Fellow of The American College of Dentists and is an active member of The American Academy of Restorative Dentistry. In pursuit of excellence, Dr. Otten has gained a considerable reputation, both regionally and nationally, for...
Mastering Conflict: 2 Paths to Confident Communication
Episode #641 with Miranda Beeson
Your greatest challenge as a practice owner isn't the dentistry — it’s managing people. To help you overcome the inevitable conflict you will experience, Kirk Behrendt brings back Miranda Beeson, one of ACT’s amazing coaches, to share two frameworks for addressing challenges between leaders, team members, and patients. Don't let conflict become a crisis! To learn the best ways to resolve conflict in your practice and your life, listen to Episode 641 of The Best Practices Show!
Episode Resources:
- Send Miranda an email
- Follow Miranda on ACT’sInstagram
- Send Gina an email
- Subscribe toThe Best Practices Show podcast
- Join ACT’sTo The Top Study Club
- See ACT’sLive Events Schedule
- GetThe Best Practices Magazine for free!
- Write a review oniTunes
Links Mentioned in This Episode:
Listen toEpisode 529 of The Best Practices Show
Read books byStephen Rollnick
ReadCrucial Conversationsby Al Switzler, Emily Gregory, Ron McMillan, Kerry Patterson, and Joseph Grenny
Main Takeaways:
Each person has a different background with conflict resolution.
Understand the difference between conflict and confrontation.
Master the use of “I” and “you” statements.
Let go of your need to be right.
Listen more, talk less.
Quotes:
“Everyone is coming from a different place and a different background around how they manage conflict. And right off the jump, I want to set apart — this isn't confrontation. Conflict and confrontation are two different things. Conflict is just a difference of opinion, in some capacity, between two people or two parties.” (3:55—4:14)
“Three percent of the population are D style personalities, which, D often stands for direct or dominant personality style. If only three percent of the population have a personality style that's willing to take on conflict directly, that means 97% of the world are not. So, anyone listening that's like, ‘That's me,’ it's okay because you're in the majority. That's why we're doing this podcast. So, mindset does matter. You have to be really intentional about wanting to improve the environment and grow as a team or as a leader around taking on conflict.” (6:14—6:53)
“Again, like we said, it's not confrontation. It's just, how can we decrease that gap between expectations and the reality that we're seeing. And we have to let go of our need to be right, or to go into it as if we have to win, or that our solution is the only way. And so, any time we approach conflict, it's important to be really, really open to new possibilities, to new ideas, and listen to the other person. That's a part of that conflict conversation. And then, also gently share our ideas so that we can have a conversation about it. The goal is that both parties end up satisfied, feeling heard, and having a mutual outcome that's going to benefit the practice and our future relationship.” (6:53—7:40)
“There's this thing called resisting your righting reflex, and it's one of my favorite aspects of the concept of motivational interviewing. It's so hard to do. Most of us, in any given situation, want to be right and want to be heard, and it's so important to resist that reflex to want to “right” the other person. ‘No, no, no. That's not how I see it. No, no, no.’ Your version of the truth is not the same as theirs, and so we just have to agree that we have different versions of the truth, and how can we get to a compromise and resist that reflex to “right” the other person.” (9:28—10:05)
“Resist your righting reflex. The example I use when I talk to dental professionals, especially hygienists . . . is when you have a patient who you've recommended periodontal care to, and they didn't move forward but they come in next time and they say like, ‘I'm so excited because I bought that gum detoxifying toothpaste. I saw the commercial. I can't wait for you to tell me it's going to look so good in there.’ And in my mind as a hygienist, I'm like, ‘I know darn well that that toothpaste didn't cure your periodontal infection.’ But I'm not going to immediately stop and “right” them and say like, ‘That doesn't work.’ I'm going to go, ‘Oh my gosh, I'm so glad that you heard what we were talking about last time that there were concerns there, and you went and took some action. Let's look at that together and see how you're doing.’ The reality is, they're not going to be doing any better than they were. But I'm not going to take advantage of that situation and “right” them in that moment. I'm going to resist my righting reflex, and then take it as an opportunity later to work on that problem together. They'll see it for themselves, eventually.” (10:14—11:18)
“The ARCH method, it's an acronym. A stands for acknowledge and agreement. R stands for request. C is confirm. H is hope . . . We’ll start with the A, acknowledge and agreement. What we want to do right off the jump to help ease any tensions around the conflict is acknowledge or agree to what we can about the issue. So, the other person has a point of view, and there's often a common place within the conflict, or within the situation, on which you can agree on something. If you can find one thing within this point of conflict that you can agree on, starting with an agreement or some acknowledgment of an agreement, that can be a really great starting point to immediately diffuse some of the tension within the conflict. So, if you're listening to gain resolution, there's usually something within their perspective that you can agree upon.” (11:56—12:57)
“Sometimes, we need to step away, regroup, and allow that frontal part of our brain to get into a more linear thinking fashion. And I say even write this down. Have a piece of paper that has ARCH, and you sit down and work through those thoughts for each one. Get it on paper. You can even use the piece of paper, if you need to, in guiding through the conversation. You can tell the other person like, ‘I'm really trying to do a better job of managing conflict conversations.’ There's a book called Crucial Conversations that I really love. ‘I'm trying to do better at managing these crucial conversations. I'm going to use this paper because I wrote down some thoughts because I want us to really end up in a good place with this.’ I mean, how cool would it be if you had someone coming to you with that much thought into how they're going to approach you to make sure this goes well, versus just coming at it emotionally flooded?” (14:43—15:39)
“First and foremost, stop. Instead of, ‘I want this person to understand where I'm coming from,’ it's, ‘Maybe I should take a minute to try to understand where they're coming from.’ That's responding versus reacting. And we've all done that with the text message. You type it out, and then you erase it, and then you type it out, and then you erase it. If you're doing that, just don't reply until tomorrow morning. Good rule of thumb.” (16:19—16:46)
“With acknowledge [in ARCH], a common occurrence within a dental practice is when somebody feels like they're the primary person managing sterilization — it comes up a lot. ‘Only so-and-so is in there. The other person is not.’ So, say you have two dental assistants and they're in conflict because one of them feels like they're carrying way more of the load around managing sterilization, and the other one is just seeing patients and not doing any of the extras. So, if we look at acknowledge, and you're being confronted by this person in this conflict way, again, easy. ‘I totally agree with you, Suzie. There are a lot of responsibilities that we're both responsible for, and we should share the load.’ So, Susie comes to me and says, ‘I don't think you're doing enough to help with sterilization. I'm in there all day long. I never see you come in there when I'm in there, and I'm just really frustrated.’ So, to acknowledge or create a place of agreement, I can say like, ‘Susie, you're exactly right. There are a lot of extra responsibilities outside of just seeing our patients. I think we should share the load.’ Now, that doesn't speak to why I'm not, and, ‘Yeah, but you did this last week,’ because we have to be moving forward in the conflict. But we can at least agree that there are a lot of extra responsibilities outside of patient care and we should share those responsibilities.” (17:19—18:44)
“Once we've reached that place of acknowledgement and agreement, the next piece, which is the R, is request. So, making a request, either for a solution for an idea from them to contribute, possibly to request bringing someone else into the conversation if we feel like it's elevated beyond what we can facilitate on our own. But the main thing is we want to keep the conversation moving forward. So, we start with an agreement piece. And now, to keep moving forward, we're going to make a request. So, in that same example, I might say like, ‘I really do try to help throughout the day. I just get so busy that I really can't find the time very often. Maybe you can share with me how you're working the time in. If you feel like you're in there throughout the day, maybe you can help me figure out what you're doing different than what I'm doing so that I can be in there more often.’ So, that's a request from that person to start moving into solving the situation.” (18:45—19:41)
“After we've made the request and we discuss what that looks like, so, Susie has shared with me, ‘Well, what I normally do is this. Maybe you could try doing that,’ or, ‘Hey, what if in the morning we look at the day, and I'm in there in the morning, and then you go in after lunch, and you're the one who primarily does it after lunch?’ ‘Okay, great.’ Now, we want to confirm what that solution is that we've discovered together after making our request. We want to make sure that once we've made an agreement, we confirm the details. Too many conversations go wrong, or the conflict repeats itself because we weren't clear. So, we might have discussed a solution, but we both heard that solution a little bit differently. If we actually verbalize and make a lot of clarity around what we've decided to do to help solve this, then we're all going to be really clear on the expectations. So, literally say out loud a summary of what you heard the conclusion to be and what that path forward is.” (19:48—20:46)
“Once you've confirmed what this solution is, what our path forward is, we now have this level playing field, this new expectation, that if we honor it and we do both move forward and honor this commitment we've made to each other, now you do have this elevated level of trust between each other where you're going to feel more comfortable next time going right into that conflict conversation because it was so successful the last time.” (22:23—22:48)
“We all know that sometimes it does work out where that person still doesn't go in after lunch to do their part of sterilization. But we've created this new, clear expectation where we can now go back to that conflict. This is where you and I say often, we can't argue with our own data. Someone can't argue with their own data. If you have verbalized this commitment to each other and you've set this clear expectation, if it doesn't happen, we can come back to this conversation using the same method and go back through our ARCH steps and say, ‘We made this commitment. Here's my request from you. And now, we're going to have to find a new path forward.’ So, what I really love is it does help to build that vulnerable based trust because the majority of the time, it ends up really solid. We all take action on that path that we agreed upon and we go, ‘Oh my gosh, I can have a conversation about a difference of opinion or something that's bothering me, and I can have a really positive outcome from that. How about that? Maybe I'll try it again sometime.’” (22:52—23:47)
“Hope is ending that conversation and that conflict conversation with positive gratitude around being able to take this on together, looking at the good of what's to come from it all. What is this better outcome that we're going to be moving into? Really communicate your optimism and hope for the future that's going to come from this new agreement. So, if we look at the example we were given, ‘I'm really glad, Susie, that we were able to talk about this. I really don't want you feeling like you carry my share all day as well. I hope that trying this new way where we split the day is going to lighten the load for both of us. This might be a better option than we ever would have come up with if we hadn't had this conflict.’ So, looking at the future and being really hopeful for what this decision and resolution that we came to together can really provide that's going to better our lives in the end.” (23:54—24:47)
“A lot...
How to Properly Read Cone Beam Images
Episode #640 with Dr. Dania Tamimi
Bones chronicle a person’s life, and imaging helps you to read it. Knowing how to properly read the imaging is critical, and Kirk Behrendt brings in Dr. Dania Tamimi, lead author of two textbooks, Specialty Imaging: Dental Implants and Specialty Imaging: Temporomandibular Joint and Sleep-Disordered Breathing,to encourage you to use imaging when diagnosing your patients. Imaging is like having a crystal ball! To learn how proper readings can change your patients’ lives, listen to Episode 640 of The Best Practices Show!
Episode Resources:
- Send Dr. Tamimi an email
- Follow Dr. Tamimi on Instagram
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show podcast
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club
- See ACT’s Live Events Schedule
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free!
- Write a review on iTunes
Links Mentioned in This Episode:
Read Specialty Imaging: Dental Implants and Specialty Imaging: Temporomandibular Joint and Sleep-Disordered Breathing
Read Specialty Imaging: Dental Implants
Learn more about BeamReaders
Learn more about Modjaw
Main Takeaways:
Imaging helps you see the past, present, and future of your patients’ dental health.
Understand the physical, emotional, and psychological causes of dental issues.
Change the trajectory of your patients’ lives by understanding bone biology.
Be smart about who you irradiate and use imaging when it’s necessary.
Remember that bone is alive and “fluid”.
Quotes:
“When we're looking the imaging, when we’re looking at cone beam CTs, or the panoramics, or whatever, we're really thinking about the process of how this person got to that point because your bones are the chronicle of your life. Your body is the chronicle of your life, in general. But when we're talking about cone beam CT and imaging, in general, in dentistry, what we see is the bones, the hard tissues, and whatnot, and these tissues basically will record your life instances, what you do with your body, how you hold yourself, how you carry yourself, how you function, how you chew. All that stuff will reflect on what your bones look like on imaging.” (4:23—5:05)
“I'm looking at people's skeletons and trying to figure out where they were in the past, what happened to them in the past that brought them to this point in terms of morphology and function, and then what do I see in the scan here that can change their morphology and function in the future. So, it's kind of looking into a crystal ball. You look into the past, you look into the future, and you try to figure out what's going to happen to this person.” (5:10—5:35)
“If you understand bone biology, if you understand how osteoclasts and osteoblasts interact with one another, and how bone remodels in response to function or parafunction or whatever, if you understand how the face changes when someone doesn't breathe properly through their noses, then it's easy for you to put all those pieces together and help change the projection of that person's life.” (6:56—7:21)
“If you ask me what the most misunderstood structure is in the craniofacial complex, and the most important to understand, is the TMJ. And all of us have gone through dental school. All of us have had some semblance of TMJ education in their background. But unfortunately, most of us have had a very poor introduction to TMJ, a very poor understanding of how those joints function, and when it falls into disrepair, parafunction, dysfunction, whatever it is, that's going to change the way your occlusion works. That's going to change the way your teeth fit together. It's going to change the way your face forms and growth. It's also going to affect the patency of your airway.” (7:53—8:41)
“There's someone who's coming to you, and they say their teeth don't fit together anymore. They basically have a gap in between their front teeth, an open bite. You're thinking to yourself, ‘All right, let me do some Invisalign to try to bring those teeth together.’ But no, that's not the way to approach these. If you see a bite change, you have to understand why. If you see crowding of the teeth, you have to understand why there's crowding of the teeth. It didn't just magically happen overnight. There's a process that led us to that point, and it's not just bad genes. It's a process of how the housing that held those teeth or holds those teeth is no longer where it should be. It has changed over time and created these bite changes. So, an open bite, like if you have a patient who had their front teeth together at some point, and then they came to you and say, ‘Hey, my teeth aren't together and the mamelons are worn off,’ then you know that there's something going on with the TMJ. So, that's going to be your first thing to think about.” (8:49—9:52)
“I try to make the TMJ relevant to the everyday dentist, to the general dentist, to the specialists. It's not just about, ‘All right. So, there's a clicking joint. All my joints hurt,’ whatever. There's a whole bunch of things to consider. A lot of our dental work needs to be proceeded with a good TMJ evaluation and airway evaluation as well, and my take on this is the radiographic evaluation of these patients so that, in the end, your dental treatment survives long term. You want something that's stable. You want something that's going to last for a good chunk of that person's life and not fail because you misdiagnosed your patient. And that right there is a point that I see, that we shouldn't be diagnosing our patient's teeth. We should be diagnosing our patients, a full comprehensive evaluation of their craniofacial complex that houses their teeth, so that when we render dental treatment, we should be able to do that in a fashion that we have stable results that hold with that patient for a good chunk of their lives.” (9:54—11:13)
“We have to come to a realization that bone is alive. We tend to think of hard tissue as something that's solid, that's unmovable, when in reality it's fluid — or, it's not liquid. It's fluid, meaning that it will move over time. It will change over time. And that's the homeostasis that we, when you understand how osteoblasts and osteoclasts work and the modeling and the remodeling and how these things can work together to suit the function and to suit the everyday habits and patterns of movement. Then, you understand that whatever you have right now, your morphology right now, it's not going to be the same in 10 years. There's going to be a turnover of the bone. There's going to be a turnover of the tissues and the structures and the soft tissues and hard tissues. All that are going to interact with one another as a result of how you use your body.” (11:57—12:53)
“Where were we like 25 years ago when you and I were in dental school? We were still doing panos and cephs. We're still doing these procedures, but now we have the ability to actually view our patients in 3D. You and I are three-dimensional structures. Our patients are three-dimensional structures. Their teeth inside their mouths are three-dimensional structures housed in three-dimensional structures. So, it makes sense for many of our procedures to be able to visualize those three-dimensional structures in their true dimension in 3D. And maybe in the future, we're also going to be able to see them in 4D moving with time. But definitely, there is movement towards improvement towards advancement. I don't have a crystal ball. I have 3D vision. I don't have ESP or anything like that, so I can't tell the future. But just by watching the progression of imaging over the past 20, 50 years, look at how far we've gone.” (14:31—15:42)
“Many of our dental friends, even though they work in 3D, they're not looking in 3D. And there are a lot of misconceptions or fear of the use of radiation — which is justified. Photons are bad. But the thing is, whenever we acquire an image or make a decision to acquire the image, there's a thought process that we need to be considering. The first is, can I get the diagnostic information I need without using X-rays. If I can do that, then I don't do that. I don't even go for a periapical if I don't need it. But if your diagnostic evaluation, clinically, is insufficient to render the correct diagnosis to your patient, then you need to bring out whatever big guns you have and do that judiciously. Screen your patients. See what they need. So, I guess the misconception here is, we are going to stay away from cone beam CT because it's such a bad thing because of the radiation. Yes, radiation is a force to be reckoned with. But the thing is, in my humble opinion, the harm that you do by not diagnosing your patient properly far outweighs and is far more prevalent than the harm that may occur with some random photon hitting a water molecule and ionizing it, or any of the other changes that we see with imaging.” (15:58—17:38)
“One misconception that I'd like to, or at least one fear that I'd like to quell, yes, we have to be very smart in who we irradiate, but we shouldn't be so scared to use imaging when we really need it. And many of the cases are the three-dimensional movement of teeth. In the case of orthodontics, surgery, if you're going to be removing a third molar and the canal on the pano is ambiguous, definitely, you're going to need to see where it is so that you can maneuver around it. Things like that. And, in general, I believe that most orthodontic patients should be seen in some way or the other in three-dimensions because the 2Ds are not sufficient to really represent that patient's morphology. There's also the magnification, the super imposition, lots of things. And because I see a lot of these patients, I see the resorptions, I see the pathology that would otherwise be missed on 2D. That's why I'm like, guys don't worry too much about it. Just be smart and use a good selection criteria when choosing who to acquire an image for, be it cone beam CT or other.” (17:40—19:06)
“[4D is] the dimension of time. I'm looking at you right now. I'm looking at you 10 years from now and I'm evaluating what's happening with your progression. And to be able to monitor that with time in a more fluid manner. You can also introduce another dimension, which is movement. Obviously, our jaws are not static. Our TMJs are not static, and they have a certain trajectory to how they work, and everybody is a little bit different because they have different conditions that may affect the way that they use their mouths, their jaws, their lips, or their musculature, or whatever it is, or even their head posture on their neck. All that changes how you move. So, watching the movement and the function, over time, those are the extra dimensions. 3D is just the image itself, the static image. The fourth and fifth dimension would be the time and the movement.” (19:20—20:30)
“AI is coming. We're not there yet where the software is going to replace the radiologist. It is an aid, at this point. Not in the oral maxillofacial radiology quite yet, but in medical radiology when the evaluation necessitates a static lesion. So, the variation in the gray scale of the units that make up the scan which are called voxels. The AI can pick up patterns of change that alert the radiologist, ‘Hey, there's something here. Take a look and tell us what you think.’ So, it's still done in conjunction with a human. It can't be that you just rely on the AI. It's a tool to help minimize things like errors that come with fatigue, for example. Someone who's been on call all night and doing scan, after scan, after scan and might miss a small one-millimeter change in the brain or something like that, and the AI helps direct that person's vision to that. So, that's where we are currently.” (21:57—23:03)
“When it comes to 2D, AI has been successfully used for two-dimensional imaging for our periapicals, panoramics, whatever, to help pick out things like caries and periapical disease, and that kind of thing. Currently, there is some software that is attempting to do that as well for the oral maxillofacial complex on 3D and on cone beam CT. The problem with that is that on cone beam CT, we have a lot of artifacts, and those artifacts could mimic periodontal disease and caries and that sort of thing. So, it's hard to hang your hat on that. The dream, I think, for a dentist, for many of our dental friends who have a cone beam CT, is to have the software plug in the scan, and have it read everything, and don't need to send it to a radiologist or anything like that. Well, you can't do that. You can't do that because the software is not intelligent enough to do the cause-and-effect thing that we do as dentists. So, remember the whole understanding the TMJ and understanding the airway stuff that I was talking about in my books? That understanding, the, ‘I understand that this phenotype, this patient, how this patient appears at this time point is a result of X, Y, Z happening that also was confounded by A, B, C.’ And putting all that stuff together, that's a very complex algebraic equation.” (23:04—24:37)
“A big part of our thinking as dentists, our own thinking towards ourselves, our own profession, as well as how the public views us, is that we have to step away from being tooth carpenters. We are not that. We are not smile makers. Yes, we are, but we're not just that. We're not tooth straighteners. We’re doctors, physicians of the oral and maxillofacial complex, and that encompasses an understanding of how those teeth that, of course, the aesthetic component, dental patients will see that as part of their cosmetic repertoire. But we know better. So, changing that mindset, not just within the general population, but also our medical colleagues who don't know what we're doing, who don't understand the importance of what we're doing.” (25:08—26:10)
“I speak at medical conferences, the head and neck radiology conferences, showing them — because they're always talking about noses and sinuses and things like that, but then I come and say, ‘Hey, but did you notice that this person who has that kind of blockage because of their chronic sinusitis also has a face that's very long, a mouth-breathing phenotype. His jaws are small, he's not sleeping, the kid, has ADHD, etc. Putting those pieces together is completely foreign for our medical colleagues. And then, there's us, as dentists where we need to step up to the plate and understand what a patient's phenotype means. Read between the lines. There's stuff they're not going to be able to articulate, and a big part of that isn't just the phenotype and the way the patient appears to you at this time point, but also what has happened in their past, and not just physically but also emotionally and psychologically. Because trauma, and you mentioned trauma. You probably meant macro trauma, but psychological trauma, PTSD, all that changes the way that you use your jaws. If you've ever heard of brux, just clench, these people with these huge masseters and temporalis because of all the stress that they're under. That is your body basically speaking your mind. That is your body translating your emotions into physical form. And if you don't deal with that, then no matter what you do dentally, no matter how many splits you put in, no matter how you change the occlusion, whatever it is, that's not going to get fixed if you don't change what's in their heads. They're going to keep breaking all those crowns.” (26:10—28:02)
“The bone is a chronicle of your life, and the ability to visualize the three-dimensional imaging — and I'm not just talking about looking for like when you get this cone beam CT and looking for pathology or whatever, but the actual creation of reformations of models of what that patient appears like and understanding how to analyze, and what that stuff means [is important]. What does it mean if I have that 3D skeleton of the patient's face, and I see that the gonial angles are flared out? I need to think about how the muscles are working there because bone is responding to muscle, and the battle between muscle and bone, the muscle always wins. So, the bone is going to respond to an excess of muscle function, whether it's pulling or pushing. And they're recreating whatever reformations, looking at the airway, looking at the TMJs, looking at the skeleton, looking at specific cross-sections of whatever area that you're interested in putting an implant in, for example, the root canals, and trying to find the MIST canal, or whatever it is, all that requires a little bit of thinking, three-dimensional thinking, which can be trained, but it's not intuitive. And this is a dental specialty. This oral maxillofacial radiology thing is a specialty, just like any specialty that we know, orthodontics, and perio, or whatever. So, you have to invest the time and the education to be able to do it effectively. You can't just be going straight to the thing that you want to do. There's a methodology. There is a sequential methodology to getting the scans read.” (28:30—30:09)
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
1:36 Dr. Tamimi’s background.
5:36 Why this is important in dentistry.
7:35 What clinicians get wrong or misunderstand most.
11:23 Bone is alive.
13:57 The future of imaging.
15:46 Don't be afraid to use imaging when necessary.
19:06 4D, explained.
21:21 AI's role in 3D imaging.
24:41 Change the perception of dentistry.
28:04 Last thoughts.
30:15 About Dr. Tamimi’s courses.
Dr. Dania Tamimi Bio:
Dr. Dania Tamimi graduated with a dental degree from King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. She trained at Harvard School of Dental Medicine and earned a Doctor of Medical Science (DMSc) and certificate of fellowship in Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology in 2005. She is board certified by the American Board of Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology (ABOMR) and is a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons (Glasgow).
She is a...
Correct Oral Rest Posture & Nasal Breathing
Episode #639 with Brittny Sciarra-Murphy
We all know that mouth-breathing is bad. But do we truly know the importance of nasal breathing? It all starts with myofunctional therapy, and Kirk Behrendt brings in Brittny Sciarra-Murphy, owner of CT Orofacial Myology, to explain what it is and how it will help you re-educate patients on breathing properly through the nose. Stop the negative domino effect! To correct dysfunction early and help change your patients’ lives, listen to Episode 639 of The Best Practices Show!
Episode Resources:
- Join Brittny onFacebook
- Follow Brittny onInstagram
- Learn more aboutCT Orofacial Myology
- Subscribe toThe Best Practices Show podcast
- Join ACT’sTo The Top Study Club
- See ACT’sLive Events Schedule
- GetThe Best Practices Magazine for free!
- Write a review oniTunes
Links Mentioned in This Episode:
Register for Brittny’s and Karese Laguerre’s course atAirway Health Solutions
Listen toI Spy with My Myo Eye podcast
Learn more about CT Orofacial Myology onYouTube
Main Takeaways:
There is a place for myofunctional therapy in every dental treatment plan.
Know how to properly screen for airway and myofunctional disorders.
Educate patients about the importance of nasal breathing.
Start using the BROOMS screener in your practice.
Collaborate with other clinicians.
Quotes:
“The technical term for [myofunctional therapy] is the neuromuscular re-education of the oral and facial muscles. It's essentially like having a personal trainer for the muscles of the oral facial complex. We have common goals that we work on with our patients. Essentially, it's to restore proper oral rest posture, which, you might not know what that is. So, as you're listening to me, I want you to breathe, and I want you to think about where you feel your tongue inside your mouth. Weird question. All my patients, when they come in, they're like, ‘Well, I don't know. Nobody has ever asked me that before. My tongue is moving everywhere now that you brought so much attention to my tongue.’ But if you're having correct tongue posture, if you think about where you say the letter “N”, where the tip of your tongue hits up behind your upper front teeth, essentially, right on your incisive papilla, that is where the tip of your tongue should rest. That whole tongue should actually be resting up in the roof of the mouth. The lips should be closed, and we should be breathing through our nose. This is really what our goal is as a myofunctional therapist, is to restore this posture.” (4:00—5:07)
“Whoever you are listening, whether you're a pediatric dentist, general dentist, orthodontist, cosmetic dentist, sleep dentist, there's a place for myofunctional therapy in literally every single dental treatment plan.” (6:35—6:48)
“One of the things that I like to explain, whether it's other professionals that I'm lecturing to about myofunctional therapy or patients when they come in, it's really important to understand that structure and function go hand in hand. You can't really have one without the other. You can slap braces on somebody. You can get those teeth to move while they're actually physically in the braces. But what about when you take those braces off? What's going to happen if that soft tissue dysfunction was not corrected? We see a lot of patients with orthodontic relapse. So, patients that have tongue thrust — that can even impact cosmetic dentistry. I mean, how good is doing cosmetic dentistry on somebody that's always thrusting their tongue? What good is that cosmetic dentistry if we can't keep those teeth inside our mouth? Periodontal disease, there's a link between that. Think about the forces of clenching and grinding, bruxism, what that does to the periodontium. Mouth-breathing, we already know what that does to the health of our gums. So, there's a place for myofunctional therapy everywhere.” (6:54—7:56)
“I think one of the most important things is we want to understand, truly, the importance of nasal breathing and that it's not okay to breathe through our mouth. Yes, maybe when you're doing some high-intensity workouts, that's fine. Otherwise, those lips should always, always, always be closed during the day and at night. You hear patients come in and they're talking about maybe their children, and they might snore. They might snore a little bit. Or, ‘My husband is snoring. I have to sleep in the other room.’ Snoring is not okay no matter who you are, what age you are. We should be sleeping in our rooms, nice and quiet. I always tell my parents, ‘You want to go in your child's room and put your finger underneath their nose to make sure that they're breathing. That's how quiet we want our children to be when they're sleeping.’” (7:56—8:45)
“You could be the best myofunctional therapist in America, or to ever exist. But if your patient cannot breathe through their nose, it is very hard for us to be successful. So, we have to see, what is that root cause of mouth-breathing? Are there enlarged tonsils, enlarged adenoids, turbinates? Do they have a tongue-tie that's impacting their ability to get their tongue up in the roof of their mouth? There are so many things that we want to look at.” (9:45—10:08)
“There are so many kids out there that are truly suffering and that are getting mislabeled as ADHD, getting mislabeled with behavioral issues. Kids respond differently to not getting enough sleep than we do as adults. As adults, we're lethargic. We want to sit there, and we want to watch Netflix. Kids become hyperactive. They are trying to do everything they can to possibly keep themselves awake. And there's a big correlation — I want to say it's like 75% of patients — children that are diagnosed with ADHD actually have an underlying sleep-disordered breathing issue going on. That's the other thing I feel like in dentistry — there are not enough practices that are focusing on sleep, even though we should, because every dentist should be screening for sleep-disordered breathing. But we think about sleep apnea, and that's really all that anybody thinks about. But sleep apnea is that final destination we don't want to get to. Sleep-disordered breathing is really an umbrella term — mouth-breathing, snoring, upper airway resistance. Then, we get to full-blown sleep apnea. So, again, it's not normal to have any kind of snoring, no matter how old you are.” (11:45—12:57)
“[There are] simple questions that can be asked about sleep, sleep patterns, and behavior. I teach a course to other dental hygienists to become myofunctional therapists. I co-teach with my partner, Karese Laguerre. We came up with a screening that you can do in the op. The acronym is BROOMS . . . It's very quick to do in your intraoral and extraoral exam as a registered dental hygienist. You're not taking all this crazy time aside to do this. So, the “B” in BROOMS stands for bruxism. So, any signs of wear going on, any signs of clenching and grinding going on. Maybe your patient has massive tori in their mouth. Well, those grew from somewhere.” (13:45—14:35)
“The “R” [in BROOMS] stands for respiration. How are they breathing? Are they breathing through their mouth? When you're looking at your patients, even before you call your patient from the waiting room, observe them in their natural habitat. How are they sitting? Are they super slumped over? Is their mouth slumped over, open? When you watch them breathe, are you seeing a lot of chest movement, or are you seeing the movement come from their diaphragm? Because that's really that primary muscle that we want to be breathing from.” (14:37—15:06)
“The first “O” [in BROOMS stands for] open mouth. I think the first one is open mouth posture, technically. So, again, monitoring them. Is it typical that they have those lips apart, or are they together? And very simple, you can obviously see their teeth if their lips are apart. So, when parents are like, ‘Oh, I don't know if their lips are together or open,’ well, do you see their teeth? That's a big tail sign. Patients that have to use ChapStick. They might whip out the ChapStick while they're in your chair. There is a reason why your lips are chronically chapped. Aside from the fact that, yes, ChapSticks smell fabulous, and lipsticks and glosses, and things like that, if your lips are chronically chapped, that's a sure sign that you're probably doing some mouth-breathing and have your mouth slumped open.” (15:08—15:56)
“The “M” [in BROOMS] stands for maxillary transverse width. This is something that should be taken, I think, on every single patient and that can be easily done. Take a cotton roll. A cotton roll measures about 37 millimeters. I don't know if it differs from company to company, but generally it's about 37 millimeters. Stick that cotton roll up between three and 14, or the baby second molars, and see if it fits. If we're talking about an adult and you're squishing that cotton roll up between three and 14, they are deficient. There's probably some crowding going on, or they probably have that high narrow palate. For our children, depending on the age, of course, 37 millimeters might be a little bit too big. But by age five, we want to have a 30-millimeter transverse width. And there are not, unfortunately, a lot of five-year-olds walking out there with 30 millimeters. Think about your pediatric patients. We would love to see so much spacing between those primary teeth that you can take a nickel and slide it up there. We don't see that a lot. A lot of parents think, ‘Oh, their teeth are close together. This is great. They're not going to need braces.’ But we know that that's not true. What's going to happen when those exfoliate, and those adult teeth come in? So, it’s a very simple thing you can do.” (15:58—17:20)
“The “S” [in BROOMS stands for] strained mentalis. So, when you're looking at a patient and you ask them to close their lips, you might see some strain going on in this chin area, in that mentalis, having some activation. Even sometimes without them actually closing their lips, you end up seeing some strain here. That can be a sign of a vertical overgrowth. So, maybe that jaw is really growing down versus forward, like we want. A lot of those patients will have longer faces and gummier smiles. It's a lot more difficult for them to actually get that true lip competence. And how simple is that? That's something that can be done in a jiffy as an RDH. That's a good screener for if this patient needs a myofunctional referral.” (17:22—18:10)
“The second “O” [in BROOMS stands for] orally defensive. That's a big one because we see this a lot in the dental world. So, think about, for my hygienists that are listening, you're trying to scale those lower anteriors, and that lower lip is hooked so far over that you're almost standing up to fulcrum to be able to scale down there. There's a reason. Those patients that have severe gag reflex that you're dreading when you, unfortunately, see their name in the schedule and they're due for a full set of X-rays — there's a reason for that. They're trying to protect their airway. That tongue that constantly follows you around, everywhere your mirror goes, that tongue follows. Difficulty retracting the cheek — any kind of oral defensive sign, there's probably some kind of dysfunction going on there.” (18:22—19:05)
“A lot of us myofunctional therapists also do breathing re-education. The type of breathing re-education that I'm trained in is called Buteyko breathing . . . I'm going to give you guys a challenge. I would like for you to try to suction your tongue up to the roof of your mouth like this. And then, I want you to try to
4 Reasons People Don't Do What You Tell Them
Episode #638 with Katherine Eitel-Belt
You've told your team what you want done, and how you want them to do it. You’ve told them a hundred times — and they still don't do it! What do you do now? To give you some insight into why this happens, Kirk Behrendt brings back Katherine Eitel-Belt, founder of LionSpeak, to share four reasons why your team doesn't do what you ask, and what you can do as a leader for them to succeed. It’s easier than you think! To learn about the changes you need to make, listen to Episode 638 of The Best Practices Show!
Episode Resources:
- Join Katherine on Facebook
- Learn more on Katherine’s website
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show podcast
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club
- See ACT’s Live Events Schedule
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free!
- Write a review on iTunes
Links Mentioned in This Episode:
Get the One Sheet, the Courageous Conversations framework, and Katherine’s article on her website
Learn more about AADOM
Main Takeaways:
Are your expectations clear to team members?
Can team members repeat your expectations back to you?
Do your team members have the intellectual or physical capacity?
Are your team members willing to do the things being asked of them?
Have you done everything you can as a leader to set them up to succeed?
Quotes:
“Most of us didn't get training. Most of us didn't have parents that modeled [leadership skills] for us. Some exceptions to that. We’re the lucky ones. But most of us didn't, and most of us didn't take a class in this. So, here we are, thrown into these leadership and management positions. And right now, we're seeing a huge trend as practices consolidate, especially. They are promoting or advancing someone who is maybe a great hygienist or a great assistant, but the skills that they need to be a great team leader are not the same skills as it takes to be a great clinical hygienist. They're different skills. Unless we empower them and train them to have these courageous conversations, these coaching conversations with their team, they will never know how to grow them. That's the whole point of having a leader of a team, is to grow that team into an aligned, capable, independent, self-sufficient, and successful team.” (4:39—5:45)
“I've seen a lot of people getting out of management and leadership positions because they are not enjoying it at all. I think some talented people are jumping ship because we haven't equipped them with the right tools and the right skills.” (5:54—6:14)
“Let's say someone, an employee of mine, a teammate of mine, has not performed part of a system that we've all agreed to, and I feel like they should do it, should know how to do it, and they're not. The first thing I ask myself is, ‘Are they clear?’ If we assume most people want to do well, want to do good, want to perform well — I am making that assumption that people want to do well. So, of the people that want to do well but they're not doing something, I ask myself, ‘Are they crystal clear about the actual expectation?’ Now, many times, we will say to ourselves, ‘Yes. My God, I've told them. We've talked about this thing in staff meetings ad nauseum. They're clear. They have to be clear. We've talked about it a hundred times.’ But I would tell you, you can never be sure they're clear until they can repeat that expectation and standard back to you in a way you would check the box.” (9:20—10:31)
“We often feel we've been clear. That is not the same as the recipient of that message actually being clear. The only way you know is that they can repeat it back to you. So, if they cannot repeat it back to you, then don't even go any further. Start here. Continue to clarify the expectation and potentially the why behind the expectation until they can repeat it back to you exactly. Once they can do that, you can check this box. They're clear. So, I've done my part as a manager in making sure they know what to do.” (10:33—11:09)
“Let's say that you have decided that you want people on your team to communicate at a more mature level. No more gossiping, no more complaining, no more blaming, no more low-level behavior. And so, you have made it a standard that we communicate with respect, we communicate with dignity, we communicate with non-judgment, we communicate effectively, and we do it first with the person we're in conflict with. And if that doesn't work, then we bring it to a manager. So, let's say that's the expectation. We talked about it in team meetings, we've read articles on it, whatever, and they're not doing it. You catch someone not doing it. Maybe they're gossiping or something. I would ask myself, ‘Are they clear?’ And the tendency for me would be to say yes because we've talked about it. But if they couldn't repeat that back to me, then I can't check the box. Let's say you either could check the box or you got it clear, and they're still not doing it. The next one, reason number two, is that they don't know how. In other words, they're not trained. So, someone could understand the expectation . . . of communicating at a high level or a mature level, but they don't know how to do it. No one has actually trained them on the framework of how to have that conversation. So, that's a good example of, someone could understand the expectation but not know how to do it.” (11:12—12:47)
“You could have thought you trained them. You could have watched a video. You could have sent them to a class. You could have talked to them about it. But until they can perform it for you in a demonstration in a way that you go, ‘Yep, they know what to do. They know what buttons on the computer to push. They know where to write that documentation. They know how to set that tray up that way. They know how to have this conversation because they just did it for me in a practice session,’ now, I can check the box. But for both of these first two, there is this feeling of, ‘I've said it a hundred times. How could they not be clear? I've shown them a hundred times. How could they not know how to do it?’ But the only real test is, can they tell you? Can they show you? If they can't, you can't check the box.” (12:52—13:42)
“The research is six times [that a person needs to hear something before it registers]. It's called the magic of six. I have a certification in adult learning theory, and the research shows that it's actually the repetition of six. It doesn't mean you necessarily verbally tell them six times, although that would count. But it's, I told them once. I showed them once. That's two. I demonstrated it. That's three. We maybe did an activity around it. That's four. I had them review it. That's five. So, six touches. What the research says is that it takes six touches to move a new idea or a new concept from short-term memory to long-term memory. So, that's what we're after.” (14:39—15:27)
“What we're frustrated with is they aren't making the changes. It's easy to do what we've done repetitively because we don't have to — if you want your team to answer the phone differently, or handle the price question on the phone with new patients, if you want them to handle that differently than they're doing it, they have to really stop and think about the new way, where the old way, they didn't have to think about it at all. It's what they've been doing. They were repetitive with it, and now it has become their norm. You're actually asking them to change the norm, and that doesn't happen by hearing it one time. And more importantly, having a coach to coach us through that. So, it's that tell, show, demonstrate, and then get them to do before we put them on the front lines to actually do this.” (15:35—16:30)
“The second one about, ‘Are they trained?’ really does require us to learn how to be good trainers and good educators in terms of these systems and skills. We can't assume that, ‘I showed you what buttons to push on the computer. Dang it, you're not doing it.’ It's a little bit more. We can dig our heels in the sand and say it shouldn't be that way. But guess what? It is. So, if you embrace that it takes more than one time for someone to actually get most things, then you can embrace it and figure out how to make that happen.” (16:34—17:07)
“If they've repeated it back and they've shown me they could do it, but they're still not doing it, my next question to myself is, ‘Are they capable?’ In other words, do we have the right person in the right seat? A lot of times, people aren't doing something because they have no capability to do it. I'll give you a great example. We recently had a young dentist who purchased a practice from an older retiring doctor. The older retiring doctor's pace was much slower than the pace of the new young doctor. He had an assistant that had been with him for almost 40 years, and she was coming with the transition. And she was amazing. She was clear about what needed to be done. She was definitely trained — highly trained. When we got to the capability question, the truth was she could not physically keep the pace of the new doctor. She just physically couldn't do it. And so, there was a capability issue there. And one of the reasons she couldn't do or wouldn't do all the things he was asking and requiring was it was a capability issue. Sometimes, we have people that we tap on the shoulder to bring financial reports or metrics to a team meeting, and they don't have a high math IQ. And so, they're bringing the wrong reports over and over. It isn't that they aren't clear. It isn't that they aren't trained. It's just that they don't have the capacity. So, do they have the intellectual capacity? Do they have the physical capacity to actually get this done?” (17:25—19:08)
“Let's say I've been clear. They're definitely trained, because they've shown me. They are definitely capable. They're still not doing it. Number four is, are they willing? Can you see now how many people in high levels of frustration go to, ‘They're not willing,’ before they check the first three boxes? The first three boxes are on us. Was I clear? So clear, in fact, they could repeat it back. Was I a good enough trainer that they could actually do it right before my eyes and show me that they know how? Do I have the right person set up for success in the right job? Those are on me. But if I check yes to all of those and they're still not doing it, now, my attention turns to them. Now, I say, ‘I've done all that I can do to set you up for success. You're still not doing it.’ This now becomes a willingness issue.” (20:21—21:20)
“[Identifying a willingness issue] is what engages our courageous conversations framework to make sure people understand what is negotiable and what is non-negotiable. It's non-negotiable that work starts at a particular time, right? Let's say work starts at 7:45 for the huddle. It's not 7:46, and it's not pulling in on two tires at 7:44. It's standing at the meeting, ready to go. You've already consumed your breakfast. You've already got your lab coat on. You are ready to go at 7:45. That's what on-time looks like. That's a non-negotiable piece. What is negotiable is whatever we can come up with to support you in being here at 7:45 or determining that it will never work for you at 7:45 and helping you transition to another place. And so, it's when the willingness piece comes into play that we now get to initiate a courageous conversation that helps people align one way or the other.” (21:21—22:26)
“People were going to the framework, but they hadn't gone down this hierarchy of, ‘Why aren't they doing what I'm asking them to do?’ and essentially, have I checked that I have set them up and done everything I could do as a manager and a leader to set them up for success? And then, at some point, it is up to them. That's that willingness piece. I do think they have some skin in this game, so this is their piece. But the first three are mine, and I think managers often don't check on their own responsibilities in the breakdown before we go to the other person.” (22:28—23:08)
“What would need to happen for you to go, ‘I now trust this person with this task’? So, if we, as a manager, do the work to say, ‘If I had 90 days of this, this, and this kind of result, then I would trust you.’ So, I would say to the person, ‘Thank you. Thank you for opening up the conversation to what I would need to trust you, because you clearly want to be trusted with this and feel you are capable and can be successful at it. And I 100% want you to be. So, here's what I would need in order to trust you. The non-negotiable is we need success at a particular level. The non-negotiable has nothing to do with whoever does this job. Here's the standard. Here's the result, the measurement that I need. Let's talk about, together, what needs to happen in order for me to trust you, and what the time period would be for that.’ And I would work on getting them clear and having very, very clear check-ins about whether or not those things are happening.” (24:26—25:40)
“By the time you get to the end of [the check-in], it either has happened — in which case we need to say, ‘Okay. You've done everything I've asked, and the results are what I was looking for. Why would I not trust you?’ Or it hasn't happened. In this case, we're off the hook to say it isn't for a lack of trying and I think we have our answer. And I love to say, ‘The last thing I would want for you is to continue to work in a job where you felt you weren't successful. What a terrible way to come to work every day. You are perfect for a particular position. We've answered the question that it isn't this one. So, let's talk about either another position in our practice, or helping you find a position somewhere else where every day you come to work, you feel like you can be successful, because that's what I want for you.’” (25:40—26:38)
“Imagine using this with a teenager. It doesn't matter. Have I been clear about the expectation? Have I given them all the tools, and the how, and how to do this chore, or do this homework, or whatever it is? Do we have them in the right class? Is this too advanced for them in where they are? Are they capable of doing this? And then, we get to, are they willing? And the willingness conversation is a very different conversation. But don't go there too soon — not before we've done our due diligence.” (29:05—29:40)
“They say that great communicators always accomplish two things: clarity and inspiration. You've got inspiration down in bagfuls, right? I mean, you don't have to think about being inspiring. But you have to think about, I have to think about, ‘Am I being clear?’ And other people get clarity — my mother got clarity, hands down. You never left a conversation with my mother and didn't understand what she was asking of you. But she wasn't always very inspirational. She often didn't encourage me to take a step in that direction. I think most of us are better at one than the other. The best communicators find a way to be good at both.” (30:07—30:47)
“Don't wait until there's conflict. Don't wait until someone is falling down on the job to have a great conversation. We should be having ongoing conversations — especially when there is no conflict — to make sure people are growing into the professionals we want them to be.” (31:26—31:43)
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
2:10 Why this is important for your practice.
3:52 It’s easier than you think.
8:32 Is your team clear about your expectations?
11:10 Can your team repeat your expectations back to you?
14:18 The magic of six in learning.
17:09 Is your team capable?
19:55 Is your team willing?
23:13 How to verify that your team is capable.
26:39 Develop leadership skills and teach by example.
29:04 Don't ask the willingness question too soon.
29:41 Great communicators are clear and inspirational.
30:50 Last thoughts.
32:48 More about the One Sheet and AADOM.
Katherine Eitel-Belt Bio:
Katherine Eitel-Belt is considered The Unscripted Communication Expert in the U.S., Canada, and the UK. An international keynote speaker, author, and coach, Katherine is the creator of The Lioness Principle™, a unique leadership communication tool. This guiding principle, along with several other easily replicable tools, is what LionSpeak uses to help professionals communicate with more authenticity and effectiveness. The company specializes in a broad range of communication forums, including frontline telephone skills (including mystery shopper services), public speaking skills for executives and sales teams, media readiness, inter-team communications, adult learning techniques for trainers and educators, and personal leadership skills.
Using creative, non-traditional methods to help professionals break through barriers and achieve phenomenal results is something Katherine and the team at LionSpeak love to do! Through this transformative work, Katherine has become a mentor to other consultants, trainers, speakers, corporate executives, and managers. In response to that demand, Katherine created her Transformational Training and Inspirational Speaker’s Workshops, as well as her Lion Camp Leadership Experiences, which are annual sell-outs in San Diego, California, and are considered the premier team retreat for progressive, corporate, and healthcare teams.
Katherine is an SCN Spotlight-On-Speaking champion, National Speaker’s Association member, Speaking/Consulting Network board member, and past-president of the Academy of Dental Management Consultants. She was recently honored as the 2015 recipient of the prestigious Linda Miles Spirit Award for her contributions to the dental industry.
New Thinking on How to Grow and Keep Great Team Members
Episode #637 with Dr. Rebecca Bockow
Your practice isn’t just your practice. It also belongs to the people who help you run it. Your team is the most valuable part of your business, and Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. Rebecca Bockow, an instructor from Spear Education, to help make your practice the place they want to be. To learn how you can grow, nurture, and keep an amazing team, listen to Episode 637 of The Best Practices Show!
Episode Resources:
- Follow Dr. Bockow onInstagram
- Learn more on Dr. Bockow’swebsite
- Subscribe toThe Best Practices Show podcast
- Join ACT’sTo The Top Study Club
- See ACT’sLive Events Schedule
- GetThe Best Practices Magazine for free!
- Write a review oniTunes
Links Mentioned in This Episode:
Register for Dr. Bockow and Dr. Michael Gunson’sHealthy Growth, Healthy Faces workshop (October 26-28, 2023)
Main Takeaways:
Provide an amazing workplace where your team can grow.
Make your team feel appreciated, fulfilled, and safe.
Use the morning huddle to create a great culture.
Value, encourage, and celebrate learning.
Focus on having a positive mindset.
Quotes:
“One of my goals as a business owner, a practice owner, is to not only provide great care for our patients and for our community, but also to provide this wonderful, amazing workplace for everybody that gives so much of their lives to helping our patients and our practice and creating a place where everyone can grow.” (3:50—4:12)
“We are very intentional with our culture, and we really want to create a place where people feel fulfilled, where people feel like they're appreciated, like they're constantly learning, and they're constantly coming to a place where we've created safety.” (4:38—4:55)
“I love learning new things, and I'm constantly reevaluating what I do as a clinician every day. When I change the way I look at a patient, and when I change my patient processes, that changes clinic flow. It changes the way we schedule. It changes what we do chairside. And on top of that, especially in orthodontics but in all aspects of dentistry we do day to day, we might do a piece of something, but not any one person, except maybe the doctor, sees the whole thing. And so, we started incorporating a lot of CE, internally, everything from how to take a great impression, to how to take great photography, to big-picture stuff like why do we even consider jaw surgery and what is it doing, to what's the most current literature about skeletal growth and development and sleep. And so, once a month at each office, we do a one-hour CE, and we have built-in training time into our weekly schedules.” (5:23—6:29)
“Part of [attracting and retaining great team members] comes from constantly learning. It's learning big-picture stuff like, why does expansion help nasal breathing, and how does that help reduce airway collapsibility? But also, how do we incorporate text messaging into our systems? We now can offer 3D printed ceramic brackets that are computer designed. How does that work with our workflow? Do we have to change our bonding material? Do we have to change our protocols? How does that impact scheduling? And once we make those decisions, educating the team and helping that flow. So, we've introduced a lot of layers to help with personal growth, professional growth, and constantly looking for ways to not just train the team but celebrate learning. Value and celebrate learning.” (6:46—7:43)
“I've heard from our team that they enjoy being able to contribute to the bigger picture. They enjoy the opportunity to learn something new. They enjoy feeling like they're part of something that encourages and celebrates growth, and so creating opportunities for team members to grow individually, but also creating safe spaces for people to contribute their thoughts and ideas to ensure that they're heard and implemented — because it's not my practice anymore. It's our team's practice. Everything from how we answer the phones, to how we schedule, to how we template the schedule, we're constantly checking in on our systems and asking ourselves, ‘Do these systems still hold true? Do they need revision? How can we take what we've learned and implement it in a way that makes sense?’” (7:57—8:59)
“I want my team to feel safe to share with me anything that they're struggling with, and also share with me any of their suggestions. They're going to live a problem differently than I will, and I won't know how to make things better if they don't feel safe enough to come to me. Also, learning requires vulnerability, and the reality is we all make mistakes. I'd much rather any given mistake becomes a learning opportunity so that we all can grow from it. Because if one person makes a mistake, chances are three more people might make the same mistake. Is there something with our internal education or with our systems that maybe we need to refine? And so, that safety becomes really important because we all grow and benefit from learning from that.” (9:16—10:08)
“Once a week, we have designated admin time that we use for internal training. We also, on a daily basis, have different appointment types blocked off for different staff members who want to learn or improve different aspects of their clinical competencies. So, if someone says, ‘I'm not feeling comfortable with banding. Can we set aside some time so that I can sit with our clinic manager, and she can sit alongside me, and we can really delve into what does that entail to really find the right band fit, seat it, cement it’?” (10:30—11:09)
“[Onboarding is] something my team has taken upon themselves in the last two years. We had some gut-check moments where we said we don't really have a great onboarding program. And so, many, many team members came together and created onboarding programs, everything from shadowing different team members, to watching online courses, to sitting alongside team members so that even the person answering the phones has sat in the clinic floor and watched an adjustment, and watched what happens at an emergency appointment so that everybody has an understanding of what everybody else is doing. It's been phenomenal. But truly, truly, that was the team coming together to create this.” (12:06—12:54)
“Something else we've implemented — and Bent Ericksen was helpful. We work with Bent Erickson too — having 30, 60, 90-day check-ins and asking the team members, ‘How was your onboarding? How is your onboarding going? What areas do you feel like you still need some training and coaching in?’ We talk a lot about coaching. We have a lot of mentor/mentee roles within the practice. Any time someone is having a hard time with something, we look at it as a growth opportunity. How can we help you grow to a level where you feel more comfortable doing a procedure?” (13:27—14:08)
“Something we are piloting — this is new for us that we've thought a lot about for about six months to put into place. We're going to go live next month — is scheduled one-on-one time with a mentor/mentee within the practice. And it's the mentee that sets the goal with the help of the mentor. And then, we're hoping for about a ten-minute check-in once a week. ‘Where are you at with your goals? What struggles are you up against to hit your goals?’” (14:39—15:08)
“One thing that I can't imagine living without is our morning huddle. We've tried things over the years, and maybe many of the listeners have as well, everything from looking over every detail of the schedule, this and that. What we open with every day is, we call them shout-outs. It's kind of like a Quaker meeting. You speak when you're moved, so there's no order, and someone says something great or wonderful about someone else, something that someone else did the day prior. On Monday mornings, it can be a moment of gratitude. Often, it's a reflection on what happened the week prior, and these are the opportunities where we really get to celebrate someone's learning and achievements. So, if someone did their very first bonding, someone else will often recognize that, ‘I'm really proud of so-and-so because she did her first bonding yesterday.’ Or someone that finishes ahead of their appointment time, or someone that took the time to set up somebody else's chair, or ran someone's instruments because someone was running late. These small opportunities where we can really celebrate one another really has brought us much closer and really help celebrate the team.” (15:54—17:11)
“I cannot practice without [a morning huddle]. Cannot. It unifies the team. It helps us get organized for the day. It helps set our mindset for the day. And importantly, it recognizes people for doing great things. Even small things, like I mentioned, ‘Great job. Someone helped jump into sterilization to help me because I couldn't get it all done.’ How amazing is it that you're recognized for that small extra moment that you took? And then, we go through the schedule very quickly and highlight anything that is important to know. Couldn't imagine going through the day without it.” (17:30—18:11)
“Going back to mindset, I think if we focus on what we're grateful for, it makes the day so much better. You can walk through the day and say, ‘Oh, the schedule is too busy. Everybody is showing up late. Everything is broken. Ten broken brackets on the schedule.’ You can make a day bad, or you can make a day good based on your mindset.” (20:10—20:32)
“How amazing that we're in a profession where we can help people. And we have the power to create an office environment where people feel appreciated, and people feel good coming to work. That in and of itself is a privilege.” (21:06—21:19)
“I think that's where the internal training comes in [for managing expectations], especially if we have a new process or something that we're going to be introducing. Or take a big step back, ‘Does everyone understand the principles of bonding? Why do we place brackets while replacing them? How do we take great clinical photography?’ So, having those built-in systems allows for checkpoints for people who've been with us for a long time to really make sure they're mastering. And to that extent, if you can teach it, you really have mastered it. And so, having our more experienced team members teaching our newer team members — it's rewarding to be a teacher. It's rewarding to learn something new. And so, creating time in the schedule for those learning opportunities helps build in opportunities so that when we gain new information, new ways of doing things, we can incorporate it into our day-to-day practice.” (24:35—25:40)
“We all want to attract the right people to the practice. And I think focusing our hiring on the right type of person — so, some people that would be a good fit for our practice would be people that are excited to learn, people that have an open mind, and people with this mindset that we've talked about because we are constantly changing. I've had staff tell me that, ‘Gosh, we're never doing the same thing,’ and that might not be the right fit for everybody. Some people, that might drive them crazy that we're always changing just a little bit. And so, looking for mindset, and then having a really strong onboarding process, and making sure that people have training opportunities, check-in opportunities, creating that safety network for people to feel safe to learn from their mistakes, and to have the vulnerability as a leader to recognize that maybe I'm not always right. Maybe I make a decision, ‘Hey, the schedule should be this way,’ and if the team comes to me and says, ‘This is not working. We’re feeling burnt out,’ or, ‘We can't get our work done,’ or, ‘We can't do a good job,’ then I need to listen, and I need to say, ‘Whoa. Okay, let's talk about it. How can we make it better?’” (26:07—27:31)
“Having open communication and having opportunities for communication, growing leaders within the practice, that's something I'm so proud of. We have tiers of leaders within the practice that have grown. I have a handful of people who have been with me for six years, which I am so humbled by, so proud of. People have grown with me, grown alongside me, and they are excited about these initiatives. They're excited about creating onboarding manuals, and they're excited about the one-on-ones. It's not me meeting with everybody. It's our tiers of leaders that get to take new leadership roles on, and they will grow from that.” (28:19—29:07)
“I’m not the best person to teach someone how to take an iTero scan. I'm not the best person to teach our new scheduling coordinator how to manage the front desk. I'm not the best person to take on a lot of these tasks. My team is better at it than I am. I might think I'm pretty good at it, but the reality is, they're better. And to give them the trust, the psychological safety, the training, and the opportunities to grow, I get excited watching them grow, for sure — 100%.” (29:44—30:22)
“We focus so much on our patient care. But, at least for me, the mission and vision of our practice has evolved to create a wonderful place for our employees to come to work. Like we said at the beginning, I don't even want to say “employees”. This is our team, and they're family to me. I care so deeply about each person that's on our team. I love celebrating everyone's successes, and I love supporting learning and growth. That's really powerful.” (30:53—31:23)
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
1:05 Dr. Bockow’s background.
2:15 Why this is important for your practice.
4:22 Value and celebrate learning.
9:00 Why safe spaces are important.
10:10 Set aside time for internal education.
14:09 Schedule one-on-one mentor/mentee time.
15:38 Why you need a morning huddle and how to do it.
19:55 Make...
Data-Driven Clarity: 3 Steps to Turn Your Frustration into Informed Action
Episode #636 with Heather Crockett
Unresolved frustration turns into conflict, and unresolved conflict becomes a crisis. There's only one sure way to avoid catastrophe, and Kirk Behrendt brings back Heather Crockett, one of ACT’s amazing coaches, with three steps to turn your frustration into action and keep your practice healthy. Don't let frustration run your practice! To learn how data can prevent and solve needless frustration, listen to Episode 636 of The Best Practices Show!
Episode Resources:
- Send Heather an email
- Join Heather onFacebook
- Follow Heather on ACT’sInstagram
- Subscribe toThe Best Practices Show podcast
- Join ACT’sTo The Top Study Club
- See ACT’sLive Events Schedule
- GetThe Best Practices Magazine for free!
- Write a review oniTunes
Links Mentioned in This Episode:
Listen toEpisode 557 of The Best Practices Show
ReadTractionby Gino Wickman
ReadAtomic Habitsby James Clear
Main Takeaways:
Make decisions based on data, not emotions.
Start collecting and organizing your data.
Figure out how to report on the data.
Don't try to do this on your own.
Anything can become data.
Quotes:
“If you don't have any frustration in your practice, then you are not a normal practice because we all deal with issues and frustrations from time to time.” (2:59—3:07) -Heather
“Oftentimes, our clients are making decisions that are emotionally based and not data driven. So, that is my goal with this podcast, is to help our clients and our community, anybody that's listening to this podcast, to help you turn that frustration into that informed action because there's so much frustration. Oftentimes, we get to the brink of, ‘Okay, I'm just going to do this because it will help to take this off of my shoulders.’ It doesn't unless it's an informed decision.” (3:08—3:38) -Heather
“Frustration will continue to grow and fester like bacteria, and it will ultimately become something worse than that.” (3:46—3:53) -Kirk
“Unresolved conflict always becomes a crisis. We just don't know when. So, if you're a dentist and you have frustration, and it's happening day after day, something will break. You'll either explode on a team member, you'll get burned out, you'll give up, or you'll go, ‘All right, forget it.’ We don't want you to do that, so we're going to take this frustration and we're going to take it into informed action with a couple of steps.” (4:01—4:26) -Kirk
“Where we start, we have to make it data with a number. Oftentimes, we overthink things. Oftentimes, we think things are worse than they are, or we may believe that the situation is better than it really is. So, we have to give what it is that we're feeling a number.” (4:32—4:49) -Heather
“I get really excited about road trips. One of the reasons I get really excited about road trips is because I stop at the local gas station that knows me by name. I fill my cup, my 44-ounce mug, with my “fun drink”, is what my kids call it. It's a mixture of Diet Coke and Diet Dr. Pepper. Yes — I'm a dental hygienist. Yes, I am aware of the acidic nature of that drink, but I still do it. I have my water right next to it, so I've got both beverages to take on this road trip. Well, it's a long road trip, and there is a space of time on this road trip that there are not a whole lot of places, or good places, to stop to use the restroom. So, my husband and I are newlyweds. I've got my big drink. We're going along, and I'm like, ‘Honey, I think I need to use the restroom.’ ‘Okay. Well, how badly do you need to use it?’ ‘I need to use the restroom probably like 20 miles back.’ ‘Okay. Well, let's try to find a restroom.’ Well, it's for miles, and I'm unbuttoning my pants at this point. It's getting really uncomfortable. I can't breathe the right way because I don't want to have an accident in the car. So, after that trip, I said, ‘Wouldn't it be great if we had a way of communicating so that you knew and understood just how badly I had to use the restroom?’ And so, we came up with a scale of 1 to 10. If I need to really use the restroom and I need a restroom like 10 minutes ago, I'm at a 10. I'm dying, like hospital need. I need to go to the restroom now. I'm at a 10. If I just used the restroom, I'm at a 1. So, we have taken something that usually doesn't have any data and we have given it data so that it deepens our understanding.” (5:13—6:56) -Heather
“Not only yourself, but your team members too can feel some stress and anxiety when we're uncertain of where we are. We can't read each other's minds. That data absolutely gives us that clarity.” (8:48—8:58) -Heather
“I shared that story of having to go to the restroom with one of my teams a couple of months ago. And I asked for a few minutes — that I shared with the team — that we were going to take a break at 9:30 a.m. At 9:32 a.m., I have a team member raise her hand and say, ‘Heather, I'm at a 10! I'm seriously at a 10. Can we take a break right now?’ I said, ‘Oh my gosh, absolutely. We'll start right back here in five minutes.’ So, you can see how it does. It's like, ‘I need to use the restroom,’ versus, ‘I'm at a 10.’ I totally get that. It takes it and it makes it so much more clear. That stress and anxiety is gone because now I have a way of telling the other people around me exactly what's going on. So, yes, it helps to reduce that frustration, helps to reduce your anxiety, and that of your team as well.” (8:59—9:42) -Heather
“[Step] number two is you've got to collect and organize your data. So, once you determine what it is that needs data, now you can start collecting that data. Don't overcomplicate it either. Make it as simple as you possibly can. You can track it manually or you can track it digitally, but you need some form of a spreadsheet.” (10:23—10:42) Heather
“If you have people around you and you create a culture where people bring their data to you, they can't argue with their own data. ‘Okay, let me show you what I've got. Here are the numbers around this, and here's how I see it.’ Now, we've got a starting point.” (15:01—15:14) -Kirk
“Anything can become data. We just have to be really crafty in how we put that together. Then, from that data, we can take action. When we report on this data, the more frequently we report on it, the better. So, whether that's during your morning huddle on a daily basis, whether that's weekly during a team meeting — as we recommend you have weekly team meetings — the more frequently you do, the more aware you and the team are going to be of that gap. Once you have that data and you're armed with that information, now, you can make a more informed decision and you can take action on it.” (16:58—17:35) -Heather
“You can't do this as a reactionary measure whenever you're frustrated, ‘We're going to put data to it and we're going to have a meeting.’ It's got to be a regular interval. Here, at ACT Dental, we're big fans of Atomic Habits, which is, you create a week that works, and then you stack habits on the week. So, every week is the same. When you look at having your meetings, or you're gathering data, or you're having a huddle, or you're having a team meeting, this is the point where you introduce the data. If I was a personal trainer — my wife went through a program like this, and it was awesome. She loved it. She had to take a photo of her feet on the scale every day, before her day started, to her trainer. Now, that's forced accountability. You can do whatever you want to do, but here's what happens as a result. What gets measured gets improved, but what gets measured and reported on significantly improves. So, I would be the worst in a program like that. But if I put my feet on the scale and it's not what I want, I'm not sending that photo every day hoping it goes up. I'm hoping it goes down, and now the two of us are working on a treatment plan.” (17:38—18:45) -Kirk
“If you do it all, the team is not going to be bought in to the whole process. They're just not. If I have my name next to a number — and I do on our ACT Dental Scorecard. My name is next to several numbers. If I have to go in and report that it's below goal, there's a ping of guilt, almost. It's like, ‘Ugh! I really hate that I'm bringing this back to my team.’ My team is counting on me to be sure that this number is what it needs to be. So I, then, am going to put some actionable steps in place to make that number better the following week because I don't want to let my team down.” (19:19—19:52) -Heather
“At the end of the day, it's basically the leader that holds everybody back most. And it's not about money, but when you start to introduce numbers — and it's not always about numbers. Numbers help us get out of frustration. So, when you start to move to an accountable structure where people like numbers, you'll find your favorite people. They like numbers. They like feedback. They like it. If you're running into a dead end where people don't want feedback, you’ve got to change that. My first suggestion would be to find a coach because that's a hard thing to navigate on your own. Secondly, if you don't want to get a coach, you’ve got to create a system of accountability where we are all on the same page. We're all committed to making things better, and it's a healthy thing.” (20:49—21:32) -Kirk
“Any time my clients or a team member says, ‘I think,’ ‘I feel,’ ‘I assume,’ that's when I say, ‘Okay, it sounds like we need more data,’ or data, period. We need data on this. You can't think, feel, or assume. You can't run a successful practice on ‘I think,’ ‘I feel,’ and, ‘I assume.’ You need that data, for sure.” (23:09—23:29) -Heather
“Don't sit and stew in your frustration. Do something about it. Remember, anything can become data. Start tracking as soon as you possibly can, and delegate that tracking to your team as well so that you're not doing all of it. Allow time to collect your data. We can't just immediately say, ‘Okay, we collected data for today, and now we're going to report on it tomorrow.’ You need some time, whether it's a week’s worth of data, a month’s worth of data, a quarter's worth of data, a year's worth of data. But don't wait too long, because you need to start making those informed decisions as soon as possible. Collecting the data will mean nothing and will only increase your frustration unless you start making those informed, actionable decisions based off of that data.” (24:18—25:01) -Heather
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
2:06 Why addressing frustration is important.
4:26 Numbers give you clarity.
10:17 Collect and organize your data.
12:39 Start taking action on the data.
14:50 You can't argue with your own data.
16:17 Figure out how to report on the data.
18:45 Don't do it all on your own.
20:12 Numbers help you get out of frustration.
24:12 Last thoughts.
Heather Crockett Bio:
Heather Crockett is a Lead Practice Coach who finds joy in not only improving practices but improving the lives of those she coaches as well. With over 20 years of combined experience in assisting, office management, and clinical dental hygiene, her awareness supports many aspects of the practice setting.
Heather received her dental hygiene degree from the Utah College of Dental Hygiene in 2008. Networking in the dental community comes easy to her, and she loves to connect with like-minded colleagues on social media. Heather enjoys both attending and presenting continuing education to expand her knowledge and learn from her friends and colleagues.
She enjoys hanging out with her husband, three sons, and their dog, Moki, scrolling through social media, watching football, and traveling.
What To Do When Leaders Are Out of Alignment
Episode #635 with Courtney Dalton
Being conflict-free isn't the secret to success — it’s your ability to work through conflict with your leadership team. To help you move past disagreement and misalignment, Kirk Behrendt brings back Courtney Dalton, one of ACT’s amazing coaches, with a treatment plan for getting your leaders on the same page. You don't all need to agree, but you do need to align! To learn the steps to start moving forward, listen to Episode 635 of The Best Practices Show!
Episode Resources:
- Send Courtney an email
- Join Courtney onFacebook
- Follow Courtney on ACT’sInstagram
- Subscribe toThe Best Practices Show podcast
- Join ACT’sTo The Top Study Club
- See ACT’sLive Events Schedule
- GetThe Best Practices Magazine for free!
- Write a review oniTunes
Links Mentioned in This Episode:
ReadTractionby Gino Wickman
Read books bySimon Sinek
DownloadACT’s OGT Tool
Main Takeaways:
Establish your core values.
Create leadership agreements.
Have great leadership team meetings.
Know your outcomes, goals, and targets.
Be accountable to the plans you put in place.
Quotes:
“Leaders being out of alignment is something that, as coaches, we see all the time. It's why a lot of practices seek a little bit of help. There are several of us in our community right now that are going through some misalignment — and that's not a bad thing. It's just something that happens as time goes on, and it's so important to call it out and to address it so that you can move past it.” (1:59—2:24) -Courtney
“Agreement and alignment are not the same thing. You don't always have to agree as partners. Sarah and I don't always agree. But what we have to do for the health of everything else is we have to align. So, whether you're a one-doctor practice, a three-doctor practice, an 11-doctor practice, it's very important that — we may not agree, but we're going to be aligned before we leave this room so that people can see that we're aligned, because I've been on the other side of it. When you have leaders and they're not aligned, everyone else can feel it. It's palpable in your business. You don't have to say a word.” (3:39—4:15) -Kirk
“Just like your kids know when something is off, so does your team. They can feel it. We love to say this all the time — as goes the leader, so goes the team. If they see that something is out of place, they feel it. They'll pick up on it and they oftentimes will replicate it, or at least challenge the crack that they see.” (4:32—4:52) -Courtney
“First thing, right out of the gate, you have to be meeting as a leadership team. You have to have time — predictable, consistent, regular — set aside to meet as a leadership team. If you don't have that time set aside, the problems, the issues, stack. And now, you're in fire mode. You're just trying to put out all the fires. Whereas, if you have the time set aside every Wednesday at 8:00 a.m., every Tuesday at 10:00 a.m., whatever it might be, you have that time set aside to sit down together and go through your list of subjects that you need to touch on for the day. It’s so important. It’s absolutely where you have to start.” (5:47—6:31) -Courtney
“Do you have time for a successful practice? Do you want to have a great team, and a happy team, and a happy balance? Then you have to add [leadership team meetings] in. We know this to be true of our teams because our ACT teams are having weekly team meetings. You're not going to take a hit in your production if you do it the right way. Everything will be okay. Everything will be worse if you don't set this time aside.” (6:51—7:20) -Courtney
“The single most important meetings I have in any week are not client-facing. They are alignment meetings with leaders because we're going to go to work. We're going to go work hard on things. It's almost like not treatment planning for a very large case. Think about this. A case comes in your office, a lot of complex dentistry, and you're like, ‘We don't need to treatment plan this. I know what to do. I'm just going to start doing the dentistry.’ That's silly. It's like building a house without a blueprint. That's silly. The alignment meeting is the cornerstone.” (8:10—8:42) -Kirk
“You’ve got to run a really good leadership meeting. You might say, ‘We've tried that.’ And if it sucks, we need to call it out. You're just not doing it right. A great leadership meeting should energize you. You should be talking about metrics, issues, to-do lists. Boom, boom, boom, boom. It should be efficient, it should be fast, and you should say to yourself when they're done, ‘What an amazing investment of time.’” (8:49—9:10) -Kirk
“If you don't have an agenda, a template, something to follow, at ACT Dental, we could certainly help you with that. You have to have something that is predictable every week, somewhere that as a leader you can go in and write down your thoughts. If you're in between patients, if it pops into your head, put it in your agenda so that it doesn't get lost in the shuffle. We know you're busy. We know that you're providing amazing care to your patients. We don't want these problems, issues, questions, concerns, or any of that to get lost. Throw them into your agenda so that when the time comes in these weekly meetings that you're having, you can go through each of them and give them the time and the space that they deserve. You can either make time for the meetings, or you can make time for the problems. It’s about perspective now.” (9:15—10:08) -Courtney
“Hopefully, step number two puts the pieces into place towards being aligned, leadership agreements, standards of behavior, the ways that you want to treat each other, and the ways that you want to present a united front to your team. And if you're already having these regular weekly meetings like you know that you should be and you don't have leadership agreements, you have to get them now because we're imperfect. We're going to have great days, not so great days — and that's okay. We want to be sure that, as a leader, you're still presenting to your team united with your partner or partners because, again, your team sees it. They feel it and they understand what's happening even when you don't think they do. So, you have to have rules of engagement, rules of behavior, among your leadership team so that you can present that united front to the rest of your practice.” (11:01—11:58) -Courtney
“You can agree to disagree. And what's your solution to that? Do you choose what's right in the moment, and then say, ‘We're going to come back to this a month from now and reevaluate’? That's a perfect example of a leadership agreement. When we don't agree altogether, that's okay. But we have to agree on something to continue to move us forward.” (15:05—15:27) -Courtney
“You have to come together. You don't always have to give up on what you believe, but you do have to get together, and you do have to be aligned in order for things to be healthy around you. There's no great practice that we coach where everyone agrees all the time. No way. As a matter of fact, the better they are, the more they actually disagree.” (16:08—16:25) -Kirk
“Great teams aren't in the absence of conflict. They are really good at conflict resolution. They see it, they call it out, they get it done right away, and they move on, thus making them powerful leaders to follow.” (17:07—17:22) -Kirk
“All roads lead back to your core values. If, at the end of the day, you establish these leadership meetings and you have your leadership agreements, go back to your core values and make sure that that alignment piece is still in the same spot it was when you decided to start this partnership or this agreement together. If your values don't align, we might need to have a separate conversation. Your core values that you've set in place — and if you haven't, we will provide you with a resource to help you figure out exactly what those are — are so important. They guide every decision you make. So, if you are still having conflict, or there's still no time for leadership agreements, and there's still some misalignment, go back to your core values. It might feel complicated. That's okay. Work through it again.” (17:33—18:24) -Courtney
“Your core values are everything. You're going to use them in good decisions, and you're actually going to use them more in bad decisions. You're going to go, ‘Wow, this is really hard. What do our values say?’ They're non-negotiable verbs. I'm telling you, when you put the flag in the ground and you say, ‘This is how we behave, and this is who we are,’ everything gets better.” (18:29—18:46) -Kirk
“If two partners don't align on a value system, it never, ever, ever, ever, ever works. It only works if one of them gives up on who they are. They go, ‘I'm just not going to be the person I always wanted to be because I need money, and I don't want to address this conflict.’ And so, you have to give up on who you are in order to stay in that relationship.” (18:49—19:11)
“Step number four really has to do with, what do you want and how are we going to get there? At ACT, we call it our OGT Tool, our Outcomes, Goals, and Targets Tool. Broken down, you need to figure out what each of those three really important categories are and what they mean to you. So, your outcomes, when you sit down and say, ‘What do we want? How do we want to feel at the end of the day? What are we really searching for?’ write it down. Your goals are the steps that you're going to take to get there, and they have to be measurable and tangible. If we pick a certain outcome, how are you going to get there? What does that look like? And then, your targets are your KPIs. They are your data points that you're using to measure how you're achieving those goals and if you're achieving them. They're the tools that tell you what to do if you're not quite there yet. So, really sitting down and figuring out the feeling, what that outcome looks like — remember, together, because you're on a leadership team together — how you want to get there, and then the data that measures those steps are really, really important.” (20:29—21:36) -Courtney
“Make your plan, stick to it, and move forward together. So, you've established your weekly meetings. You've discussed what your agreements are going to be as your leadership team. You've measured your core values. You know what they are. You take them to heart, and they define who you are when you step into your practice. You've sat down together, you've worked on your outcomes, your goals, your targets, where you're going, how you're going to get there, and what's going to tell you if you're on track or off track. That's your plan. Stick to it. Then, the word I'll use here is accountability. Hold each other accountable to the plan that you've set and move forward. Don't stop having your weekly meetings because that is your time to be aligned. That's your time to talk about the bumps that come and how you're going to get over them. So, make your plan and keep going. Keep moving.” (26:33—27:30) -Courtney
“As goes the leader, so goes the team. We opened with it, and I think it's appropriate to close with it. Be united. Talk to each other. Call out the elephant in the room, whatever it may be. Establish your core values. Establish your leadership agreements. Present a united front to your team, and good things will happen. It is not the teams that have no conflict that succeed. It's the teams that do have conflict because they learn how to work through them. So, if you're in this place of misalignment and you're feeling a certain way internally, you're not alone. And this is actually a good thing because we can figure out how to get you moving forward to the next step. Go back to your core values. All roads lead to your core values, always.” (28:47—29:37) -Courtney
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
2:30 Why alignment is important.
5:38 Have great leadership team meetings.
10:55 Create leadership agreements.
17:28 Everything leads back to core values.
20:22 Know your outcomes, goals, and targets.
21:36 More about ACT’s OGT Tool.
26:28 Have accountability.
28:33 Last thoughts.
Courtney Dalton, BS, RDH Bio:
Courtney Dalton is a Lead Practice Coach who focuses on...
Primary Care Dentist: The Changing Role of Dentists in Healthcare
Episode #634 with Dr. Steven Carstensen
Dentists do more than clean and fix teeth. They are the entry point to healthcare for patients. To help you embrace your role in improving community health, Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. Steven Carstensen, chief dental editor of Dental Sleep Practice Magazine, with advice for navigating the changing role of dentists in healthcare. Start giving patients the best care possible! To learn how, listen to Episode 634 of The Best Practices Show!
Episode Resources:
- Join Dr. Carstensen onFacebook
- Follow Dr. Carstensen onInstagram
- Learn more on Dr. Carstensen’swebsite
- Subscribe toThe Best Practices Show podcast
- Join ACT’sTo The Top Study Club
- See ACT’sLive Events Schedule
- GetThe Best Practices Magazine for free!
- Write a review oniTunes
Links Mentioned in This Episode:
Learn more atDental Sleep Practice
Learn more about theAmerican Academy of Physiological Medicine & Dentistry
Learn more aboutWorld Sleep Academy
ReadOutliveby Peter Attia and Bill Gifford
ReadHealthy Heart, Healthy Brain by Bradley Bale and Amy Doneen
Main Takeaways:
Practice the four Ps of medicine.
Dentists are the entry point to healthcare.
Be a curious, connected, resource-based dentist.
Reach out to physicians to collaborate on patient care.
Focus on whole-person health and evidence-informed care.
Quotes:
“I was reading something about P4 medicine. P4 medicine uses four different words. The four Ps are predictive, preventive, personalized, and participatory. Those are interesting words. What can I get from that? Well, I'll explain them a little bit. Predictive is using big data. Preventive is using some biomedical innovations that we have, some ways we can gather information from patients. Preventive is what we would think of — it's how do we use that data, and even different data like molecular data and blood data. And then, participatory is when we engage our patients. Well, great. How do you get across thoughts like that? You get across stuff like that and connect with people through story. So, when people tell you, ‘I'm concerned about this,’ or you notice something and you see it with new eyes, something that you learned at a recent course, something that you heard presented and you go, ‘Wow, how am I going to talk to that patient about these things?’ well, you can give them data. You can do a mini lecture there in the dental office. But really, what people listen to is story. What does it mean to them? What is their reality now? What's new for them? What could be different?” (3:09—4:34)
“The four elements [Dr. Pankey] came up with were know yourself, know your patients, know your work, and apply your knowledge. Well, we think about these things. If you know yourself, you know that you're not interested in being an average dentist. You want to be a curious dentist. You want to be a connected dentist. You want to be a resource-based dentist for your patients. You get to know your patients. Alone in medicine, dentists and dental hygienists and other dental professionals, we spend the time to get to know our patients better than anybody else. I was scheduled for a physician's visit later on today. Twenty minutes is what I'm given. Well, nobody gets to know me in 20 minutes. It’s a brand-new doctor for me, at that point. But we see our patients over, and over, and over again, so we get to know them really well and we get to be curious and learn more about our profession. We learn more new things. We learn more about what impact we can have. We learn some more materials, those kinds of things. And then, we wrap all of that up and we apply our knowledge. We can't just do that by a technique. We can't do that with new materials. We have to do that with the other bases.” (4:48—6:01)
“You think about primary care. Primary — first. Right? Well, by definition, the U.S. association of family practice says a primary care practice serves as a patient's entry point into the healthcare system. Okay. But how many people go to their primary care doctor as an entry point into the healthcare system? They really go there to complain about a problem. They come to the dentist because they want to enter into the healthcare system. So, we do that for them. And then, if we notice some issues, we can be another entry point.” (7:35—8:08)
“We are able to observe overall health. Now, we don't have training that physicians have. We can't listen to hearts or understand how the gut works. But we have some knowledge base about that, and when we see some things going south in the oral cavity, when we get the answers to curious questions on a health history and we pay attention to what they're actually saying, and we look at their list of medications, for example, and we're curious why they're having to take that medication, that gives us a chance to get a view into their overall health and offer up some observations, and let them share with us their story. Maybe they're frustrated with many undiagnosed problems or, ‘I don't like taking these pills,’ and they don't have a chance to share that with anybody else.” (8:13—9:03)
“There are really three ways to address the problem. If your patient has a problem and you want to help, you can do it. They can do it. If they can do self-care, then we can get them to breathe better. We can get them to exercise. We can get them to control the hole under their nose. Or someone else can do it. So, if we have a problem that we recognize, we get the patient engaged with that issue, they say, ‘I want a solution to this problem.’ Well, if we become a good community partner, then we are a resource of finding a connection for them to go somewhere else and get it done well with someone who thinks like us. Because if we send them to a narrow-based community health partner, a specialist of some type of primary care, and that narrow-based person can't see what's going on, then they're going to do their expertise, but nothing else. If we send them to a curious, engaged community health partner, then we're going to be able to have them reflect back the value of whole-person health. That way, you do it, they do it, somebody else does it. That concept helps create the best person possible because they don't have just one pathway for health. They have all three pathways for health.” (10:16—11:36)
“The Census Bureau says there are 393 million Americans. There are 300,000 physicians out there that identify themselves as some kind of family practice, and there are 160,000 dentists. So, that's not enough for what's in our population, I guess. But if we're going to address some things, then we have to add our skills to the overworked primary care doctors. We can't solve it as dentists — we need the 300,000 primary care doctors as well. They need us because together we have almost 500,000 people paying attention to health. And underneath us, what do we have? Three, four, five team members? So, if somebody comes and sees you, and you're curious about their blood pressure, you're curious about their medication, you're curious about supplements and lifestyle, well, you have to understand why you're curious. Don't just check a box on a health history and ignore it. Be wondering what's going on. Well, you may not have time, as the doctor, to be able to make that conversation happen. So, your team has to be just as curious and know why they're curious. So, it's a great opportunity to engage your team with whole-person health and expect in your culture, in your office, ‘In this office, we pay attention to whole-person health.’ I'm echoing Mary Osborne here. ‘In this office, we want to make sure that what we offer you is more than just a tooth cleaning. We offer you the connection between that and how your heart is doing these days, and I notice you're taking blood pressure medications. Can you tell me why you're doing that?’” (12:34—14:19)
“[Dr. Peter Attia] writes about medicine in three different phases. Medicine 1.0, he calls it, is back in the day when they didn't understand a lot of things — bloodletting and those kinds of days. Medicine 2.0 is what we all know. It's evidence-based. It's where we look at studies, and we look at research, and we think, ‘Okay, let's make decisions based on that,’ which is really good until we come to the limitations of the individual person in the chair. And this is where it gets exciting because he talks about medicine 3.0 as evidence-informed, which means we are able to take the good evidence but use our brains and use our clinical wisdom and use our curiosity to meet the patient in the chair where they are. That means if they tell us a story that's a little different than the evidence — you know, they weren't participants in that study, so we can't see them as that. But we can see them as the person who says, ‘Look, I tried that medication. I tried that treatment. I'm wondering what I'm going to do to not have a heart attack when I'm old.’ The things that are important to them, we can use the evidence to say, ‘Oh, let's try it this way. Let's go to this person. Have you thought about physical therapy? What about a myofunctional therapist? That might meet your needs,’ all the tools that we have available to us. And so, it's evidence-informed, not necessarily limited to evidence-based. Not bad, not ignoring the evidence, but thinking about it as well.” (14:45—16:17)
“What they're learning in science now is that what we have to do is a risk-based assessment. So, somebody can have a lot of apneas and hypopneas, but they don't have much cardiovascular effect at all. They don't have that gene that Bale and Doneen talk about. They don't have problems with their heart. So, their cardiovascular risk is really low. But somebody can have a few events and have a brittle heart health issue, and their risk assessment is really high. So, instead of counting the
Unlocking Achievement Mastery: Decoding Goals and Targets
Episode #633 with Heather Crockett
Setting goals is easy. So, why is it so hard to achieve them? It’s because you're not setting SMART goals! To decode what they are, Kirk Behrendt brings back Heather Crockett, one of ACT’s amazing coaches, to help you master the goal-setting process. Don't just set goals — make them happen! To learn everything you need to know about setting and achieving your goals, listen to Episode 633 of The Best Practices Show!
Episode Resources:
- Send Heather an email
- Join Heather on Facebook
- Follow Heather on ACT’s Instagram
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show podcast
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club
- See ACT’s Live Events Schedule
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free!
- Write a review on iTunes
Links Mentioned in This Episode:
Register for ACT’s To The Top Study Club (October 20, 2023)
Register for ACT’s To The Top Study Club (October 27, 2023)
Read Atomic Habits by James Clear
Read Scaling Up by Verne Harnish
Main Takeaways:
Understand the difference between a goal and a target.
Reflect on why you have the goals that you have.
Know how to create SMART goals and targets.
You can measure, track, or rate anything.
What gets measured gets improved.
Quotes:
“Goals help us because goals are statements that are more tangible that are going to help us to achieve that outcome.” (5:20—5:27)
“It’s better if [your goals are] meaningful. So, if it's something that means something to you, or if you think it's something that you should do, there's a difference there. I ask a lot of my clients, my new clients, especially, when they come on with me, ‘Is this something that you think you should do just because it’s the status quo, or is this something that is meaningful to you and is going to ultimately bring you that better practice and that better life?’” (6:01—6:27)
“If you don't have that direction, and you don't have that vision, and you don't put words to it and write it down somewhere, you're going to end up somewhere else. And that somewhere else may be completely off track of where it is that you truly want to be.” (7:34—7:48)
“A goal is a statement, a specific statement, that moves you closer to a larger future outcome. Like I said before, an outcome is more intangible. An outcome is more of an emotional, ‘This is where I want to be.’ A goal is a statement that helps you to get there. And it could be multiple goals that help you to attain one specific outcome.” (9:00—9:25)
“Tangible results are something that's easier to achieve in a timely fashion, where an outcome, we're not sure exactly how long it's going to take us to get to that outcome. But by giving the goal that statement, that specific statement . . . that will give us a better time frame. And goals could take a quarter. They could take a year. They could take a little longer than a year. But I would say no more than two or three years, at most, for a specific goal.” (11:04—11:37)
“In the brainstorming exercise that I work my clients through, it asks them, ‘Are you doing this goal because you think you should do something like this, or are you doing this because this is what you really, truly want?’ Because you're going to have more motivation and inspiration from yourself and where you want to go, versus where you think you should go based off of the status quo.” (12:17—12:38)
“When you start with the why, you're going to get your team on board a lot quicker.” (14:04—14:08)
“A target, it's that hard data. It's going to take it and make it black and white. It takes the subjectivity out and makes everything objective. It gives us evidence and proves to us whether we are on track or off track with achieving that statement goal that we set.” (14:21—14:38)
“Whatever you're measuring gets monitored. What gets monitored gets attention. What gets attention gets action. And what gets action is going to get you the result that you need, which is achieving the goal that you set, that statement goal. Those targets help to take that emotion piece out of it to say, ‘Okay, if our goal is to have 100 patients, then we're going to report on that every single week.’ If we need to get 100 patients in three months, great. Then, we're going to break that down into a monthly number. And then, we're going to be able to have great discussions and conversations as a team. When that number is off track, we're going to put some countermeasures in place. What action could we take today, rather than waiting three months, then looking at the number to go, ‘Oh, okay. This hasn't changed at all.’ So, we need to have a system, a process in place, to report on where we are with our targets, and then give space for those countermeasure conversations to occur.” (15:45—16:43)
“We have a scorecard in Google Sheets. If our goal is 100 patients and we're not there when we need to be, then it's going to show up red. Red does something to me. That drives me crazy. I'm a competitive person. I want my number to be in the green. Green is comfortable. Green means that we're doing great. So, having those colors associated with it helps to give us that motivation as well.” (17:52—18:17)
“A SMART goal means that we're going to make it Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time bound. That's what a SMART goal means. Now, we're talking about goals and targets. So, the smart piece of things does affect both your goals and your targets. As we dive into specific, what is it exactly that we want to do? We need to better define — for example, you said, ‘What I mean by a healthy culture, a healthy company,’ and then you started listing off core values, core purpose. You have to define what “better” looks like. So, that's the specific thing. For example, if you say, ‘I want to be a better runner,’ well, what does “better” mean to you? And that's where it's smart. If you take all of your goals and targets through this SMART process, you'll be able to get more specific. You'll be able to get to that measurable piece, and you'll be able to get to where it's attainable.” (20:29—21:29)
“Let's talk about the “M” now in [SMART goals]. “M” stands for measurable. This is where your target associated with your goal comes into play. So, this is how you're going to ask yourself, ‘How am I going to track my progress to achieving my statement goal?’ That's your measurable piece. This is your KPI. This is your number. For example, if you wanted to run a marathon three months from now, how fast do you want to be able to run that marathon? How much training are you going to do now? How many miles do you need to run every single day? That's your measurable piece.” (24:18—24:56)
“I have clients tell me all the time, ‘Well, that's not really something that we can measure or track.’ Yes, it is. You can measure, track, or rate anything.” (25:53—26:01)
“Don't give me any excuses or reasons why you can't track something — everything can be tracked.” (26:26—26:33)
“The next one, “A” [in SMART goals] is for attainable. So, is this really, truly realistic for me and my practice now? Do I have exactly what I need? Does my team have what they need in order to achieve it?’” (27:10—27:23)
“Now, this is where you could get into a little bit of a trap. If you did $1 million last year, you say, ‘Okay. Well, I'm just going to set my goal for $1 million this year because we've done it before.’ I would say, no, you've still got to push yourself. So, with this, attainable, you can end up in that trap. This is where a coach could really come in and help you to set that attainable goal, push yourself, and challenge yourself the right amount and not go too far that you fail so hard that then your team also loses trust in you because you set this wild, crazy goal as well. So, there is a happy medium in there, and a coach can really help you with that.” (28:25—29:01)
“[The “R” in SMART goals is] Relevance. Does this really, truly matter to me? Is this where I want to go? This goes back to setting those meaningful goals. Am I doing this for me and the practice, or am I doing this because I believe that society thinks that I should? So, this comes back to the “why” in your goal statements. Is it truly relevant to me, and who I am, and where the practice is going because this is who we are?” (30:50—31:17)
“If you want to achieve something within a certain time frame, you have to ask yourself the question, ‘What is it about my life that I need to change in order to get there?’ Because oftentimes, these goals and targets, they're going to require your time and your attention. So, what in your life do you need to remove, change, or modify in order to focus on these goals? Be smart and keep in mind just how realistic and attainable is it within that time frame.” (33:28—34:00)
“I have a client who, they have a target to do $1.5 million production for the entire year. Great. So, then we have to know that first quarter in, we need to be X amount. Second quarter, we need to be X amount. And I would bring out the math . . . We had a conversation just this past week to say, ‘Okay, we are not on track to reach this by the time frame that we have set. So, what countermeasures do we need to put in place to make that happen within this same time-bound time frame that we have put on us?’ And it is achievable. It is totally achievable. Because we are tracking that target in order to get to that goal, we will get there because we're having the right conversations, because we set SMART goals, SMART targets, in order to get there, and we're having the conversations around those countermeasures when we need to.” (34:32—35:31)
“Understanding the difference between the goal and the target will help you to achieve more because you'll be able to separate the two things, have your statements, and then have your KPIs and your metrics that you will report on weekly, monthly, and then be able to set great countermeasures in place for that. Make sure that you are making both your goals and your targets SMART goals and targets so that they are time-bound, they are realistic, and they are specific. This will help to give you and your team direction and purpose. If you have the right team members on your team, they're not going to want to just come in and punch a clock, punch in, and punch out. They're going to want to be part of something bigger than themselves. Setting those meaningful goals and targets will help you to get there. And by doing that, you will have mastered that process of achieving those goals and targets.” (35:54—36:43)
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
2:30 Why having goals and targets is important.
5:29 What to understand about achieving goals.
8:47 Goals, explained.
10:58 A good time frame for goals.
12:07 Reflect on why you have the goal.
14:11 Targets, defined.
14:40 What gets measured gets improved.
17:49 Use colors to simplify countermeasures.
20:09 SMART goals, explained.
35:50 Last thoughts.
37:53 More about ACT’s To The Top Study Club.
Heather Crockett Bio:
Heather Crockett is a Lead Practice Coach who finds joy in not only improving practices but improving the lives of those she coaches as well. With over 20 years of combined experience in assisting, office management, and clinical dental hygiene, her awareness supports many aspects of the practice setting.
Heather received her dental hygiene degree from the Utah College of Dental Hygiene in 2008. Networking in the dental community comes easy to her, and she loves to connect with like-minded colleagues on social media. Heather enjoys both attending and presenting continuing education to expand her knowledge and learn from her friends and colleagues.
She enjoys hanging out with her husband, three sons, and their dog, Moki, scrolling through social media, watching football, and traveling.
6 Keys to Masterful Strategic Planning with the Better Practice Blueprint
Episode #632 with Miranda Beeson
You can have a better year by doing one simple thing: planning. There's an effective way to do it, and Kirk Behrendt brings back Miranda Beeson, one of ACT’s amazing coaches, with six best practices to set you and your team up for success. Don't wait until December or January! Now is always the time to plan. To learn the recipe for a better year, listen to Episode 632 of The Best Practices Show!
Episode Resources:
- Send Miranda an email
- Follow Miranda on ACT’sInstagram
- Subscribe toThe Best Practices Show podcast
- Join ACT’sTo The Top Study Club
- See ACT’sLive Events Schedule
- GetThe Best Practices Magazine for free!
- Write a review oniTunes
Links Mentioned in This Episode:
Register forACT’s To The Top Study Club (October 20, 2023)
Register forACT’s To The Top Study Club (October 27, 2023)
Get your free copy ofACT’s One-Page Strategic Plan
ReadStart with Whyby Simon Sinek
ReadThe One Thingby Gary Keller and Jay Papasan
Main Takeaways:
Don't wait until December to start planning for next year.
Take time to form your core purpose and core values.
Revisit your core values and core purpose often.
If you fail to plan, you're planning to fail.
Celebrate your achievements.
Quotes:
“If you don't have a plan and you're not intentional about how you're approaching this upcoming year or each year that you enter into, it's going to look just like the last — maybe even a little bit worse. So, this time of year is the perfect time to be looking at it because summer has come to a close and we're coming to fall. Why wait till December 31st to try to plan out what we're doing next year? Let's get a head start on it now so we have the time that we need to strategically and intentionally plan for what we want to do next year.” (2:29—2:59)
“If we don't reflect backwards into the year that we're in so far and see what's going on, we can't really provide clear direction for what we want to do next year. That's what our team needs from us as leaders. For the practice owners listening, that's what the team needs. They need to know what you want from us this year that's new or different from last year, and how we can help you get there. So, if you want to bring your practice to the next level, if you want to elevate, if you do want to grow — and who doesn't want to grow — you really can't wing it. You can't shoot from the hip if you want to be truly successful.” (3:00—3:31)
“Don't wait till January. Some people wait until it is the new year to start setting goals. They're like, ‘Let's just get through this year, and then we can get there.’ And now, it's January. Then, it's February. Then, it's March. And now, you've lost an entire quarter and haven't even had a good start. So, certainly, the time is now.” (4:39—4:58)
“Step number one is, if you don't have one, make a core purpose. What is your “why”? Now, if you already have a core purpose, like a lot of the clients within our coaching community might already have that in place because they've worked with a coach to develop one, then revisit it and make sure that your why is still true to the core of who you are.” (5:05—5:23)
“Distrust has become society's default emotion, which means as leaders, as business owners, in our strategic planning, we have to think about how to build trust with our team and with our clients intentionally in order to overcompensate for that default emotion that they're already feeling. And so, knowing your why, sharing your why, keeping it at the forefront, and making sure that you're using it to guide decisions so that your team doesn't flounder, they can help you drive forward to the mission that you're trying to accomplish.” (9:04—9:36)
“Step number two coincides a little bit with that first one, which is either making or revisiting your why or your core purpose, and that is revisiting your core values. So, again, if you don't have core values, you certainly need to establish them within your organization for a lot of the same reasons that we were talking about with our purpose. But if you have core values, you want to revisit them every year. Another great quote I picked up at Global Leadership Summit is, ‘They're not just hanging on the walls. They're alive in the halls.’ We want to make sure that the core values truly do speak to who we are, what we believe in, and how we behave in this practice. And so, if you already have a core purpose established, our number one, and if you already have core values established, part of your strategic plan, right from the jump, should be reflecting on what you already have and making sure that truly does fit where you are.” (10:44—11:36)
“If you're forming for the first time your core purpose or your core values, please take your time. Please do it thoughtfully and really think it through. Be reflective. Look in the mirror. We say that's the final test with all these things. Look in the mirror. Do you also model these behaviors? Do you truly believe in this why? So, if you're starting from scratch with your number one and your number two, that core purpose and core values, really take the time to thoughtfully think through these. Don't just go online and Google what someone else's core values are, or, ‘Hey, I like that practice. Let's see what their purpose is.’ This should be true to you and who you are as a business owner and what you want to leave as a legacy when you are all done here on this earth. So, looking at it thoughtfully and designing them uniquely to who you are, because then you're reflecting your true self to the team and you will find those people — or those people will find you — that believe in those same things, and you'll be off to a great start. So, modify them if you need to. If you're reflecting and you're going, ‘I don't know that this really is who we are anymore,’ okay. Stop and go through that process again, and thoughtfully modify what those core values are, and then share that with the team.” (13:37—14:50)
“Step number three is reflecting on, what do we do here? So, really getting clear around what your core competencies are in the practice. We have a differentiation tool that we work with for our teams, looking at what are our uniques, what are our unique abilities, and what differentiates us from the guy down the street.” (16:43—17:03)
“You have to stand out because there are a lot of dental offices as you drive down the road. Patients are driving down that road, and they're going to drive past you, or going to drive in your front door, and you have to know what it is that is unique and special about you. What do we do here, and how do we do it that sets us apart? And then, how do we make sure that that message is getting out to those patients so that they'll choose to come see us?” (17:29—17:53)
“Part of your strategic planning when you're stopping and you're sitting down and you're looking at, ‘What do I want next year to look like?’ you're looking at, ‘What do we do now really well? What could we maybe not do anymore? What else could we do? What could we introduce that would bring a new passion or innovation into the office?’ And then, again, not only are you setting yourself up to look attractive to potential patients, as long as your marketing coincides, which we just mentioned, but your team too. It's really great for your team to also be on board with, ‘You know what? This is what we do really, really well here.’” (19:39—20:13)
“If you aren't the implant king, that's fine. If you do really solid general dentistry, your one thing may just be the patient experience. It might be how we treat people here is the one thing. That's what we do. We have a different experience than what you're going to get down the street. So, it might be, ‘I do great crowns. I do great general dentistry. I refer out all my endo. I refer out all my oral surgery,’ the flashy stuff that gets talked about more often. But your thing that you do well that sets you apart could be how you treat people and how people feel when they leave your practice. It could be as simple as that. So, I wanted to put that out there. There doesn't have to be some flashy, new thing that's going on in dentistry. It can genuinely be just doing a really good job with some general dentistry but treating people exceptionally well so that that experience stands out.” (20:56—21:46)
“Step number four is, how do we know if we're successful? What are we going to measure? How are we going to measure it? You have to start by looking at where the data is coming from now, reflecting backwards. Now, the facts reflect the past, not the future. But if we don't look at the past, then how do we know? Like you said, you're just lofty goals, just throw them out there and see what happens, versus using the data that we do have and then seeing where we can grow from there. So, step number one for how we will succeed is, let's look at how successful we were within this calendar year. Now, if it's October and you're planning or starting your strategic planning, you're going to have three quarters. You're not going to have a full year. That's okay. We can make some predictions. But that's the first step, is really looking at what we've accomplished so far — SWOC. Strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, challenges. What can we look back at that went well or didn't go well so that we can start setting new goals and targets for the upcoming year?” (22:21—23:24)
“You have to stop and celebrate what you have accomplished. So, you have to measure progress by how far we have come from where we were. It can't just be, ‘But we're not here yet.’ Yeah. But we're here today, and it's not where we were two quarters ago, one quarter ago, three quarters ago. So, yes, there is something to be said about progress and being able to celebrate that along the way. If you aim for perfection all the time, you're going to be disappointed. So, you have to aim for small, incremental improvements.” (25:20—25:51)
“Something I heard recently at a presentation that I was at, they talked about the one percent rule. There was a graph, and it said over the course of the year, if every single day you improve by one percent, then you're going to end up 37.78% improved with that one percent each day, where the opposite was, if you aren't, then you're actually going to be like at zero to 0.3. You gain maybe three-tenths of a point of growth by not taking that — reading a book for ten minutes a day, every day. You don't have to read, say, 37 books. But if you read ten minutes a day, you're going to be that much further along.” (25:52—26:31)
“When you're setting goals, it is really, really important to think about progress. Look at where you were. Think of where you want to go, because you need to have that bar out there for where, ideally, you want to be.
The Role in a Marketeer’s Journey into the Age of AI
Episode #631 with Dr. Christian Coachman & Brendon Macdonald
AI is the future of marketing. To help you get ahead of the curve, Kirk Behrendt brings in Dr. Christian Coachman and Brendon Macdonald from Digital Smile Design with strategies for leveraging its power in your dental practice. Increase your literacy in the most exciting and transformational technology of the century! To learn how AI can boost and grow your business, listen to Episode 631 of The Best Practices Show!
Episode Resources:
- Join Dr. Coachman on Facebook
- Follow Dr. Coachman on Instagram
- Learn more about Digital Smile Design
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show podcast
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club
- See ACT’s Live Events Schedule
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free!
- Write a review on iTunes
Links Mentioned in This Episode:
Register for Brendon’s DSD course (November 2023)
Register for DSD courses
Main Takeaways:
Learn to leverage AI.
Have the beginner’s mind.
Focus on building your brand.
Master the strategies to earn trust.
It’s now possible to insource marketing.
Quotes:
“Right now, you will feel overwhelmed, and you will feel that it's too much, the AI movement that's coming towards us. But the reality is everybody is in the same position. If you're thinking about it, you're ahead of most people already.” (9:32—9:49) -Brendon
“Marketing is not medicine. Marketing is food. So, it’s a little every day, feeding, feeding. It's not a magical medicine, and people treat marketing as medicine. ‘I'm going to pay. I don't care about paying a lot right now. I'm going to take this, and I want a solution.’” (14:44—15:03) -Dr. Coachman
“Dentists do make good money. But there's a lot going out, and they only have a small percentage that they can allocate to their marketing budget in order to be sustainable. The good news is, now with AI and the right systems and processes, 100%, you can do everything that is needed to benefit. That's what I'm really excited about. I can say that with complete authority because the moment we're in right now is that no longer do we have to eat the fish — we can actually build the net. This is the problem that most dental offices have, is that they were just catching fish and eating the fish. They were paying fish by fish, which is their marketing tactics, whereas the net that you can build is the brand, the culture, and the trust.” (15:16—16:08) -Brendon
“The exciting position we're all in as small business owners, as dental clinic owners, is that it is completely possible now to do it on your own, to insource your marketing. That's my new message. That's the new thing I believe, is that you no longer have to outsource your marketing efforts. That's the key for me, and that's the exciting piece.” (18:12—18:33) -Brendon
“Insourcing your marketing, even before AI, was already the most powerful thing or the most efficient thing to do. It was financially not feasible for the huge majority. But if you see the doctors that are really killing it on marketing, they have a mini agency inside their practice — at least one person. They have a videographer. They have a schedule every week. They know how to generate content in a bunch so they can spread through six months. They have a system.” (18:34—19:10) -Dr. Coachman
“In order to insource your marketing, you need to have a full-time content manager. That's someone who takes control of the content creation, the writing, the social media updates, interviewing your subject matter experts, your patients. You, as the owner, or the manager, or the dentist cannot be doing that, and you shouldn't be bothered with that. That's why you pay that individual what you need to pay them, their full-time salary . . . And they need to be able to leverage [AI] because then it's going to make them much more effective. They're going to produce much more content, and they can keep the quality.” (19:18—20:04) -Brendon
“The reality is more and more people are going to learn, ‘Write me a blog post about smile makeovers. Write me a blog post about the cost of dental implants.’ And then, the machine is going to produce blogs, and maybe I can do one a day very, very easily, very quickly. The reality is the quality won't be that great.” (20:12—20:29) -Brendon
“If you had a choice, you would focus on the quality. So, you do the quality. But obviously, if you can do quality with quantity, then you're leaps ahead of the competition. I think we have about 12 to 18 months of first-mover advantage, especially in the dental industry. What I see is when I'm talking about it, people are completely overwhelmed, and then find reasons not to do it. So, they don't want to embrace it for bigger questions and bigger reasons. But you have to be pragmatic and realistic. I think we can't solve the big existential question — which, there is. But in the meantime, in my dental clinic, I need to get somebody who can leverage and take advantage of it while there is still the first-mover advantage.” (20:47—21:36) -Brendon
“Marketing agencies are almost like lawyers. Everybody always complains about them. People usually hate lawyers and marketeers because they always feel like they're paying too much and not getting the results.” (21:57—22:11) -Dr. Coachman
“What normally happens is because you have a problem, you go search for a provider. The provider presents a solution. And then, in your head, you mentally tick that off and you move on. ‘I bought the solution. All my problems have gone away.’ The reality is that the work has just begun. It’s a joint venture. It's a partnership. And then, the challenge is that the parties start to point fingers at each other, saying, ‘Hey, we need this information from you,’ and you're saying, ‘Well, I'm paying you. Why should I do extra work? You should know this.’ And so, we get into this balance, and it's a cycle that is constant.” (22:41—23:26) -Brendon
“Usually, people reach for marketing when they are feeling a problem. ‘Oh my God, things are not as easy as it used to be. I'm not getting as many patients as I used to. My word-of-mouth is not as good as it used to be. New practices with younger people are opening down the road. I feel the pressure. I feel the competition. DSOs, cool new practices with new architecture and new technology. I need new patients. I have a problem,’ when we should say, ‘I don't have a problem. I'm already doing very well. Let me find a marketing strategy to continue not having a problem, long term.’” (23:33—24:16) -Dr. Coachman
“I had a conversation with a doctor on the weekend, and that was the exact conversation I had. He's like, ‘I've never needed marketing. I am doing extremely well. We've been in business over 50 years. Word-of-mouth is strong. I'm so busy that I don't even want to think about adding more people.’ And I said to him, ‘This is the time you need to double down and find different strategies, different sources of patients, because you have the flexibility, the bandwidth, and the cash flow to be able to deal with it. When the cash flow is tight, then it's a vicious cycle because then you cut, you can't try, there's too much pressure on a situation. You don't give it enough time for it to play out, and so you stop things before they get started. And so, for anybody listening, I think if things are going really well, then I encourage you to double down on understanding how to insource your marketing and how to leverage the artificial intelligence. Now is your opportunity because you're best placed because you have the bandwidth.” (24:17—25:22) -Brendon
“The main currency of any business is trust — the ability to earn trust. I earn enough trust from you to give me your hard-earned money to do your service. In a digital world, we need to have signals, and entities, and environments that demonstrate and earn this trust without having met us in person because, obviously, it's easier for most dentists to earn the trust of the patient. But to get their attention, first of all, is a big thing. To then keep their attention and earn their trust to get them to walk through the door is many obstacles and hurdles to clear. And so, it comes down to answering the questions that everybody has, the very basic questions, the five topics that every prospective patient has that almost no dentist talks about online. That's the way you're going to get someone's attention.” (26:51—27:52) -Brendon
“When we're searching for information online, what happens when you get to a website, and you can't find the information quickly? What's the F-word of the internet? I always call it the F-word of the internet. It's frustration. You get frustrated. Do you think, ‘Oh, no. This is a value-based business. You know what I'm going to do? I'm going to fill in the contact form. I'm going to wait for them to email me back. I'm going to call them, and I'm going to let them explain to me all the things that I want to understand’? No, you're not going to do that. You're going to jump to the next place within a few seconds. And so, that's what we have to do. We have to develop that environment. And it's a very simple marketing strategy — just answer the questions. I wish it was more complicated than that, but you have to talk about the topics that no one wants to talk about.” (27:52—28:43) -Brendon
“It's very hard to find truthful reviews, truthful information about the considered purchase that I'm having, because everyone has a vested interest. Everyone has a horse in the race. So, you're always, when you're reading something, trying to understand how much of it is weighted towards the provider and how much is actually useful, truthful information. So, that's the challenge.” (31:03—31:29) -Brendon
“To earn trust, you have to talk about things that no one else wants to talk about. You have to show things that no one else wants to show. And you have to sell like no one else wants to sell. That's how you earn trust.” (31:33—31:47) -Brendon
“[How you earn trust is] admitting, ‘I'm here to sell to you, to convince you,’ admitting that and being straight to the point . . . It's not only being transparent but saying exactly what people want to know, not having a strategy behind — like in the past, saying, ‘Let's not mention the price right now so that people will be curious and enter a funnel, and then they're going to ask a second question, and then we're going to do this, and then we're going to twist everything around, upside down, because I'm scared to tell my price.’” (31:47—32:20) -Dr. Coachman
“How many dental websites have you come across that have a pricing page or talk about their competitors? None. And how many of your prospective patients want to know those two things, how you compare to your competitors and what your prices are? So, think about it. You have all these individuals who are trying to understand who they can trust. Two key things. There are three other topics, but we'll focus on that one. ‘How much will it cost me to get this dream smile or this treatment done with you?’ ‘Oh, it's very complicated. It depends. You need to come in. Because it's biology, it's impossible for me to tell.’ And I don't want to scare you away. I want to make sure that you're in my office so I can convince you that I'm the right person. That's not going to interest.” (32:24—33:14) -Brendon
“What's the most searched-for term on the internet in the dental industry? What would you guess is the most searched-for phrase in Google, at the moment, as a patient? If you had to guess, what would you think it would be? . . . ‘How much does a dental implant cost?’ . . . You need to understand why — because no one talks about it . . . No dentist gives a clear answer. And they have a justified reason. They say, ‘Listen, everybody is different. We don't know what's going on in your mouth. We cannot give you a cost because we have no idea.’ But the reality is that me as a prospective patient, I can afford to have this treatment. But I do want to know the range. I don't want to be embarrassed. I don't want to go down this path where I am in front of you, and you tell me a price that if I had realized, I wouldn't have gone down this route. And then, you burn any opportunity in the future because I'm too embarrassed to come back to you . . . So, it might be, ‘I'm going to save this money, and then I'm going to come to you in two years’ time,’ which happens with DSD treatments.” (33:28—34:46) -Brendon
“We can easily defend the dentist and say, ‘Look, every treatment is customized.’ But it's very easy for you to take a few examples and say, ‘Look, I don't know exactly how much your treatment will cost because there are some variables. I can give you a range. But what I can say, and I already have it on my website, check this case from A to Z. This lady, Mary, came to us with this problem, this problem, and this problem. We did six implants, a full-implant arch on the top, some composite extractions on the lower, plus a bridge. Her treatment cost exactly this.’ Boom, you solve the problem.” (35:02—35:41) -Dr. Coachman
“You can talk about the variables that add cost — you don't have to talk about the exact treatment — so that when you are speaking to your patient about all the elements that you have, your website has already spoken about that. If you have this, it's X. If you had this, this is the range. They have an understanding, so it's not a big shock. You could say, like, ‘Your mouth means you need these three variables. As you know, these variables add costs.’” (35:43—36:05) -Brendon
“One of the reasons why aligners became a revolution in dentistry is this: because, suddenly, ortho had a very clear range that was actually promoted by the companies that, ‘This treatment costs from here to there.’ Everybody suddenly felt comfortable, ‘When I have this money, I'm going to do it.’ There's no embarrassment. There's no anxiety. There's no barrier. I have the information, and it's on my priority list, and I'm going to do it.” (36:09—36:38) -Dr. Coachman
“Trust is going to become the most precious thing. So, everything that you can learn about generating trust is going to be extremely precious and something really valuable to learn.” (54:04—54:20) -Dr. Coachman
“One of the things that I think is very powerful to generate trust that I always share is to express passion — true passion. It's not that easy to demonstrate true passion because you can sound fake, and you can sound arrogant. There are many mistakes that you can incur when trying to express passion. But this happens naturally when you're really passionate. When you practice your speech with passion, people immediately trust you because the brain works very simple. They see you demonstrating or explaining something with passion, or talking about dentistry with passion, talking about the reason why you do dentistry with passion. People listen to you and they say, ‘I don't understand what he's saying, but I can see that he's very passionate about it. That probably means that he does that a lot because he loves it. If he does it a lot, he probably does it very well. And if he does it very well, I probably should trust him.’ So, maybe that's a good way to start when you start generating content, or when you're starting to fine-tune the content that AI is giving to you. That is the one thing that AI cannot give you. Passion, zero. AI will give you great content with zero passion. So, you need to master the process of putting your touch and translating it into your passion with your passion.” (54:26—56:06) -Dr. Coachman
“There's one skill that you will need, and that's what served me in where I've got to, is this beginner's mind, this idea of being obsessed with learning, because I do think with the advent of the technology wave that's coming our way and everything that's changing, you need to have an ability to learn quickly. I think if you can master that skill, you have a skill that will take you as far as you need to go. And then, finally, to build your brand in your dental office, just be obsessed with the questions that your patients are asking. Just start there. It's not complicated. It's very simple. Every question you hear, ‘Let me answer it,’ and then you go from there. It will take you places that you'll be surprised.” (57:07—57:53) -Brendon
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
3:55 Brendon’s background.
7:02 Take advantage of being an early adopter.
13:14 Marketing is food, not medicine.
16:32 Be the most trusted voice in your space.
21:36 Mistakes to avoid in marketing.
25:42 Avoid the F-word of the internet.
36:39 Brendon and Dr. Coachman’s journey.
43:28 The three pillars of Digital Smile Design.
50:46 Last thoughts.
57:55 More about DSD.
Dr. Christian Coachman Bio:
Combining his advanced skills, experience, and technology solutions, Dr. Christian Coachman pioneered the Digital Smile Design methodology and founded Digital Smile Design company (DSD). Since its inception, thousands of dentists worldwide have attended DSD courses and workshops, such as the renowned DSD Residency program.
Dr. Coachman is the developer of worldwide, well-known concepts such as the Digital Smile Design, the Pink Hybrid Implant Restoration, the Digital Planning Center, Emotional Dentistry, Interdisciplinary Treatment Simulation, and Digital Smile Donator.
He regularly consults for dental industry companies, developing products, implementing concepts, and marketing strategies, such as the Facially Driven Digital Orthodontic Workflow developed in collaboration with Invisalign, Align Technology.
He has lectured and published internationally in the fields of esthetic and digital dentistry, dental photography, oral rehabilitation, dental ceramics, implants, and communication strategies and marketing in dentistry.
Brendon Macdonald Bio:
Brendon Macdonald is the Founder and CEO of Yello Veedub Inbound Marketing Agency, a Gold Certified Hubspot Partner. Prior to starting Yello Veedub in 2015, Brendon was involved in several social media consulting and management businesses focusing and specializing in the global dental sector.
Brendon has extensive experience in digital marketing strategies in the B2B & B2C healthcare and e-commerce sectors. He has a Bachelor of...
Uche’s Top 10 Favorite Books of All Time
Episode #630 with Dr. Uche Odiatu
When you read more, you know more. With more knowledge, you can help patients beyond their dental needs. To get you started on your learning journey, Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. Uche Odiatu, one of ACT’s favorite health and wellness gurus, to share his ten favorite books that have kept his mind open, challenged, and engaged. Readers become leaders! To learn from some of the best minds in the world, listen to Episode 630 of The Best Practices Show!
Episode Resources:
- Join Dr. Odiatu onFacebook
- Follow Dr. Odiatu onInstagram
- Learn more on Dr. Odiatu’swebsite
- Subscribe toThe Best Practices Show podcast
- Join ACT’sTo The Top Study Club
- See ACT’sLive Events Schedule
- GetThe Best Practices Magazine for free!
- Write a review oniTunes
Links Mentioned in This Episode:
ReadThe Diet Myth by Tim Spector
ReadExercisedby Daniel E. Lieberman
ReadOutlive by Peter Attia
ReadSpark by John J. Ratey
ReadThe Clever Gut Diet by Dr. Michael Mosley
ReadCleanby James Hamblin
ReadYounger Next Year by Chris Crowley and Henry S. Lodge
ReadAging Wellby George E. Vaillant
ReadThe 48 Laws of Powerby Robert Greene
ReadThe Body Keeps Score by Bessel Van Der Kolk
ReadThink Againby Adam Grant
ReadTractionby Gino Wickman
ReadThe E-Mythby Christopher Barrow and Michael G. Gerber
Read
The Dental Hygiene Shortages & The Challenges Within
Episode #629 with Katrina Sanders
There isn't a shortage of hygienists. There's something else in short supply. Back to share her provocative thoughts, Kirk Behrendt brings back Katrina Sanders, The Dental WINEgenist, to explain the factors that contributed to this “shortage”, common barriers and pain points hygienists experience, and ways for you to navigate these challenges. Invest in the people who carry and represent your practice! To learn how, listen to Episode 629 of The Best Practices Show!
Episode Resources:
- Send Katrina an email
- Join Katrina onFacebook
- Follow Katrina onInstagram
- Learn more on Katrina’swebsite
- Subscribe toThe Best Practices Show podcast
- Join ACT’sTo The Top Study Club
- See ACT’sLive Events Schedule
- GetThe Best Practices Magazine for free!
- Write a review oniTunes
Links Mentioned in This Episode:
Register for Katrina’s nextDisease Prevention & Wine Tasting course (October 5-6, 2023)
Learn more about Katrina’swine
Main Takeaways:
It’s not hygienists that are in short supply — it’s dentists who value them.
Know what your hygienists truly want from you and your practice.
Understand your hygienists’ pain points and create solutions.
Evaluate whether you're attracting the hygienists you want.
Offer new hygienists more than just a sign-on bonus.
Quotes:
“One interesting trend that I still don't understand today is around how dentistry looks at who the employable hygienists are. It seems as though you're not considered an “employable hygienist” until you have two years of experience. Well, that's really hard. Right? Because it's like, how am I supposed to get experience if nobody is going to hire me because I'm a brand-new grad fresh out of hygiene school?” (5:14—5:37)
“I had this viral post go out. I posted this a few months ago and I said, ‘Just a heads up, there's no shortage of employable hygienists. We are there. We have the skills. We've gone to hygiene school. We've passed the boards. We have the licensure — we're there. We are licensed and we are ready to work. There's no shortage of hygienists. There's a shortage of appreciation of what hygienists bring.’ And so, inside of that, it makes it a lot easier if I show up every day and I'm in a toxic environment, or I'm being treated like garbage, or the skills that I spent all of this time not just going to school but getting continuing education credits for, that all of that is being squandered inside of, ‘Just do what's on the Dentrix appointment book column for today,’ well, you know what? Opening that Etsy store where I'm making stickers and bookmarks and making the same amount of money working from home sounds really yummy and juicy right now for me.” (6:07—7:03)
“Hygienists, for a long time, have not felt the level or layer of importance around the value and worth of what it is they bring to their practice. As a hygienist, I am consistently told — I will go into practices. I see them all the time where their morning huddle begins with, ‘Here's what Katrina produced yesterday.’ That's a hard pill for me to swallow because what you're doing is you are quantifying, ‘This is the value of what you brought to our practice yesterday. Here's how much money you brought in.’ What you're not talking about is the patient who cried in my arms because she's going through a divorce and she's scared, and she's looking to me not only as her healthcare provider but as somebody who cares about her as a human being. What you're not taking into consideration is the patient who maybe did want to start scaling and root planing today but couldn't because they had to pick up their special needs son from school. And so, as a human, instead of driving home the bottom line of the business of the practice, I'm treating my patients from a humanistic standpoint.” (7:09—8:25)
“It really moved into this model where hygienists were seen as, ‘Here's how much production you're bringing into the practice, so here's the value of what you bring.’ It has created this really toxic narrative where hygienists truly only believe that what they bring to the practice is around money. Hence, where you start to see the sign-on bonuses and the, ‘Here's how much I'm going to pay you.’ It really started to create that narrative. And it's interesting because I've asked hygienists, ‘Has your doctor ever asked you, what do you need in order to remain happy here in this practice? Is that a question?’ That's where we have to start changing that narrative.” (8:26—9:11)
“You have a provider, or a series of providers, who are showing up every day, clocking in, putting on your branded scrubs, representing you, the core values of your practice. They are the mid-level provider of the practice. They are gathering, at a minimum, a dental hygiene co-diagnosis. They're taking intraoral photos. They're taking radiographs. They are single-handedly maintaining open relationships with the patients who trust you and have to come in every three, four, or six months — and you can't prioritize a chunk of time to sit down with that person and to make sure that they're happy. And here's the thing. Doctors will say, ‘I'm giving them everything.’ Well, that's everything to you. What do they want?” (12:07—12:53)
“I find, as many times as I ask a hygienist, ‘Has your doctor ever asked you,’ or not even doctor, has your practice owner, whomever that may be, ‘Has your practice owner asked you, what do you need?’ or, ‘What can I offer you? What are your professional goals? What are your clinical goals? How can I support that?’ Are these the conversations you're having? Or is it, your doctor is so afraid, we're in this fear base where it's like, ‘Here's how much more money I'll pay you if you continue to stay and don't go to the practice across the street’? So, the first piece I'll say is, the fear brain, the scarcity mindset, goes, ‘I don't have any more money to pay these people. I'm doing my best. I'm giving them everything.’ That's the fear, the scarcity mindset. The love is, ‘These individuals are representing me. They are bringing their clinical excellence every day.’” (12:57—13:49)
“One major piece that I don't think practice owners fully understand is, as much as they are working because they own the practice, and if we close a bunch of porcelain crowns, or cosmetic work, or whatever that may be, that they as the business owner are going to benefit from the bottom line of what that is. What I don't know if they fully understand is that you also have team members who are dying to pee but don't so that they can bring that next patient back on time. They are starving. Their stomachs are growling in their patient's ears because they are just dying for a handful of almonds. And they're not going to do it because they're going to make sure that they bring your patient back. They are going to wipe down all of the pieces of equipment in the operatory. At the end of the day, they're going to take the trash out. They're going to make sure that their instruments are wiped down. They are going to help you by anesthetizing that patient when you're running behind. These are people who really do care about you, about your patient population, about your practice.” (13:50—14:46)
“The fear base is, ‘Oh, they only want more money, and they only want this, and they only want that.’ The love space, I think, really carves open the space to have a conversation about, ‘What does this look like? What does your dream practice look like? What does your dream job look like? What does your dream patient experience look like? How can I help facilitate that for you? Because here's the thing. When you facilitate that for your hygienist, what you're doing is you are facilitating clinical excellence for your patient population. Does that not matter to a practice owner? Of course, it does, because clinical excellence gives clinical outcomes. And clinical outcomes mean you have a happy patient population. That's marketing you simply cannot pay for.” (17:02—17:45)
“Are you a magnet attracting people in which their motivator or their core values are perhaps not in alignment with what you want?” (18:57—19:07)
“Let's say you don't have a hygienist or a hygiene team, and you're putting ads out there because you want to bring in a hygienist or hygiene team into your practice, and [your mindset is], ‘Nobody in my town wants to work. You don't understand.’ Well, take a look at what bait you're putting on that fishing hook before you're throwing it out there.” (19:54—20:12)
“If you're saying things like, ‘We pay the top amount of money. We give bonuses,’ what you're going to attract is a hygienist in which money is their motivator. So, there's where that fear base — if you're a practice where you can't pay top-dollar, you can't just throw a $10,000 sign-on bonus or whatever that might be, if you can't do that, what can you offer? What can you offer to a hygienist? Are you a practice where you, as the doctor, are going to support your hygienist when they sit down and they say, ‘I'm concerned about this area. I want Dr. Jones to come in and take a look at this. Dr. Jones, come on in,’ and Dr. Jones says, ‘Wow, Katrina. Thank you so much for pointing that out. That was excellent.’ That may be a terrific motivator for somebody. Do you offer continuing dental education as a team? Do you create opportunities for your hygiene team to select the products, the equipment, the protocols that they're using? What type of an experience is a clinician going to have inside of your practice?” (20:30—21:41)
“If you can't think of anything that gets you excited to write about in an ad, then I think we found the problem. You know what I mean? I promised we're going to get provocative here, so here it is. Start getting creative. Think about other ways to help people.” (21:42—22:01)
“If you can't write about something that you're excited about, that makes people get excited to potentially be a member of your team, then we've got some work to do in what that culture looks like in your practice, what you are offering to a team to help them understand the value and worth of what it is they bring to your organization.” (22:43—23:02)
“There are four major reasons, barriers, challenges, or pain points that nearly every hygienist — definitely in the country. I won't say around the world, but I'll say, at a minimum, in the country — will say or call out as major pain points or challenges that interrupt them or get in the way of them being able to do the level of care they want to. My first inclination or thought, if I'm a practice owner or doctor and I want to either attract a hygienist or I want my hygienist to be happier, I'm going to look at these four things and I'm going to think, what are ways that I can really trap or corral those four pain points into different segments so that I can start addressing how those things are showing up for my hygienist? If I can solve those four major barriers, then I am a delightful, wonderful, joyful place to work, and I'm going to be able to be a wonderful attractant for future clinicians to want to come and work with me . . . Those four barriers are time, fear, lack of support, and cost.” (24:40—25:54)
“Time is a big [pain point for hygienists]. I want you to start thinking, for practices where it's, ‘This is as much as I can pay my hygienist,’ can we get creative with time? So, this was interesting. There's a research study that was done by the American Dental Hygienists Association that looked at how often dental hygienists take and record blood pressure readings on their patients. In this research study, the most frequent reason why dental hygienists do not take blood pressure and record — which, by the way, this is starting to become a standardized protocol in dental practices across the United States. The most frequently cited reason why hygienists do not do this is because of insufficient time and minimal value given to this procedure by their employers. So, let's put the doctor hat on. Let's put the practice owner hat on. ‘I'm giving them everything they want. I bought them the little wrist cuff thing. I don't know what else they want.’ Well, we might need more...
How Dental Marketing Will Completely Change in the Years Ahead
Episode #628 with Dr. Christian Coachman & Brendon Macdonald
You're told you should outsource marketing. But in the near future, insourcing will be more advantageous. To reveal why, Kirk Behrendt brings in Dr. Christian Coachman and Brendon Macdonald from Digital Smile Design to talk about the upcoming revolution in marketing and how to get ahead of the curve. AI is changing the landscape of marketing — be an early adopter! For everything you need to know about leveraging AI tools, listen to Episode 628 of The Best Practices Show!
Episode Resources:
- Join Dr. Coachman on Facebook
- Follow Dr. Coachman on Instagram
- Learn more about Digital Smile Design
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show podcast
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club
- See ACT’s Live Events Schedule
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free!
- Write a review on iTunes
Links Mentioned in This Episode:
Listen to Episode 627 with Dr. Coachman
Register for Brendon’s DSD course (November 2023)
Main Takeaways:
Trust is currency.
Start to insource your marketing.
Your website is your number-one asset.
Word-of-mouth is the strongest form of marketing.
Generative AI will become the gold standard. Leverage it now!
Quotes:
“The clock model is a decision framework used when building brand. So, as we know, brand is not any one thing. It's not a logo. It's not a design. It's actually every interaction with your patient or your prospective patient. That's brand-building. As Christian has mentioned many times, it's about how you greet somebody. It's how quickly or how friendly you answer the phone. It's the waiting room. It's your social media. It's everything all together. Basically, it's a gut emotion that your patient has with an interaction with the brand. And so, the challenge you have is you don't have one brand — you have a brand every patient has. That's why the clock model really helps you understand which brand-building activities to tackle first, because it's about understanding which activities will give you the fastest return on investment. We all have finite resources. We don't have unlimited resources. So, for my $1,000, I need to look at the clock model and say, ‘Where will I invest my money to build my brand the most efficient and effective way?’” (8:25—9:37) -Brendon
“The most effective and efficient use of your money, initially, is going to be in the purchase moment. If you master that moment, you'll get great return and you'll build amazing brand with that. Then, the second moment to invest in is the post-purchase moment, after case acceptance, the treatment, how the...
The Clock Concept: 3 Moments of Every Client Experience
Episode #627 with Dr. Christian Coachman
If you want to grow your practice, you need to do more than be a great dentist. You need to know how to sell! To reveal the shortcut to successful selling, Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. Christian Coachman, founder of Digital Smile Design, to explain the three moments in your client experience that you should invest in and master. To learn the marketing strategies of tech giants like Apple, listen to Episode 627 of The Best Practices Show!
Episode Resources:
- Join Dr. Coachman onFacebook
- Follow Dr. Coachman onInstagram
- Learn more aboutDigital Smile Design
- Register forDSD Residency 1
- Subscribe toThe Best Practices Show podcast
- Join ACT’sTo The Top Study Club
- See ACT’sLive Events Schedule
- GetThe Best Practices Magazine for free!
- Write a review oniTunes
Main Takeaways:
Master the pre-purchase, purchase, and post-purchase moments.
Investing in your purchase moment is the shortcut to growth.
Increase efficiency and comfort of the clinical experience.
Build the best comprehensive treatment plan.
Have a strategy for handling objections.
Don't just be good — be the best!
Quotes:
“The clock concept is a concept that comes from business, from marketing. The definition of this concept is pretty obvious. It says that every company should focus on three moments of their client experience to grow and sell more. They call the three moments pre-purchase, purchase, and post-purchase. As I said, pretty obvious. It means that a company, to succeed, needs to have a good pre-purchase strategy, meaning conventional marketing, spreading the word, telling the world what you do, and hoping that people like the message. So, that is the pre-purchase. Then comes the purchase moment where some of these people that are listening to your story are actually saying, ‘Oh, maybe. Perhaps,’ or they're just walking by your store, and they decide, consciously or unconsciously, linked to the pre-purchase story, to walk in and check you out, maybe try your product, maybe do a test drive, maybe compare, talk to your salespeople or your experts, and everything that involves that moment of decision-making. So, that is the purchase moment. And then, you have the third moment. That is the post-purchase, obviously. For the ones that actually buy your product or buy your service, they're going to experience your product or your service, that's called the post-purchase moment.” (2:02—3:54)
“We, as dentists, were never into marketing, naturally — in sales. Now, less, but for many years when I was talking about communication, persuasion, storytelling, case acceptance, I would say the word “marketing” and I could see in the crowd, discomfort. When I would say “selling dentistry”, even worse. Some people would even walk away and leave. ‘We don't sell. We are in the medical environment. We are healthcare providers.’ I actually looked in the dictionary for the meaning of the word “selling”. Basically, it’s exchanging services for money. So, yes, we are dentists. We sell every single day — we have to sell. But, of course, we want to sell with ethics. We want to sell in an elegant way. And above all, we want to sell something that we know is the best for the patient so that we are comfortable selling that. But we are selling.” (5:08—6:14)
“As I was reading this article about the clock concept, they explained pre-purchase, purchase, post-purchase, and then they mentioned that companies that are more successful are biased towards the second and third part of the clock. So, purchase and post-purchase, and they use the example of Apple. So, what they say is that, again, pre-purchase is conventional marketing. Any type of marketing is pre-purchase. Purchase is the experience at your store. Post-purchase is the experience with your service and product. What they showed is that companies that are putting their major focus on the purchase moment are the ones that are really finding the magical formula.” (8:31—9:25)
“For some reason, Steve Jobs decided that instead of doing what every company was doing at that time, that is investing in marketing to grow conversion, he decided to take most of his marketing budget and invest in the purchase moment. That's when the Apple Store concept was created. We can recognize this in the old days of Apple. And I'm talking about the 2000s, 2010, when they really exploded. They did very little conventional marketing. So, if we compare with Samsung, the competitor, Samsung was doing it the conventional way — marketing, marketing, marketing. Billboards, radio, TV, beautiful ads, the whole thing. Apple took their money and said, ‘We're going to invest in this new concept called Apple Store that is going to be revolutionary in terms of experiencing the products in the store. Because of that, we believe we can transform clients into fans. And because of that, we're going to grow more than the others. And because of that, we're going to create a community of people that love us beyond the product. And because of that, we're going to generate loyalty. And because of that, we're going to become the number-one company in the world.” (9:57—11:25)
“How many times have you walked into an Apple Store even when you didn't need an Apple product just because you were walking by? This is the power of exceeding expectations and fascinating you in the purchase moment. It's not the ad. It’s not the billboard. It’s not the conventional marketing. It’s your experience in that store. And there are so many things that [Apple] did. Nowadays, we take it for granted because it became normal, and because every other company started to try to copy it. And now, Samsung has their store. But, of course, there's no first-mover advantage, and it's not as sexy, and everybody is just trying to copy that.” (13:00—13:47)
“You have three moments that you need to master. The shortcut to success is the purchase moment. The success story that proves this concept is the Apple Store that made us all fans of this brand and their product — regardless of if their product is the best in the market. The iPhone is not the best phone, and people that are experts on technology try to convince me to move from iPhone to Samsung. Good luck with that. There's something stronger that connects me to Apple, and I can tell you it started in the Apple Store experience, year after year, making me a fan. So, it shows that, of course, having a great product is key. But when you invest in your purchase moment, it's like you gain so many credits with your possible client that your product can even be slightly worse or equal to others, and you're going to have a competitive advantage above all the people around you.” (13:52—14:54)
“In dentistry, you also need to go through three moments. You need to attract people, you need to convert people, and you need to treat people. Dentists are obviously focused on treating — and we should. That's what we do. We need to be very good clinicians. But since 10, 20 years, dentistry started to go heavy into marketing, and you see dentists spending a lot of money on marketing. So, that is pre-purchase. We are forgetting that the magic is in the purchase moment. It means that in dentistry we are leaving the magic moment in third place. We are putting the least energy where the magic happens the most.” (15:34—16:35)
“If you want a shortcut to grow, there are so many things you can do. Yes, you can become an even better dentist. Yes, you can grow. You can buy new technology. Yes, you can improve your associate. Yes, you can better train your assistant. Yes, you can follow up better with your treatments. You can have a better orthodontist, a better periodontist. Yes, you can also invest more in marketing, lead generation. You can hire a better agency. You can improve your social media. Yes, yes, yes, and yes. But if you really want the shortcut to grow immediately, more than anything else, you need to invest in your first and second appointment — period.” (16:51—17:41)
“My iPhone can be worse than the Samsung. It can have a worse screen or camera, or it can break earlier than the Samsung. But if Apple got so many emotional credits with me in the Apple Store experience, then I'm still a fan and I will assimilate. I will absorb this problem, and I will stay with the company, stay with the brand. I will give a second chance, and a third chance, and so on. It means that if I would change to Samsung today, for any reason, if somebody would force me or convince me, and for any technicality Samsung would have one little mistake, I would change back to Apple. This is what I call emotional credits. So, what I'm saying is that if you master the process of the first and second appointment, you're going to gain so many emotional credits that even if you make mistakes later on, you're going to be able to take advantage of these credits. You can leverage these credits. That's how the human brain works.” (18:00—19:10)
“The clock concept just works. The purchase moment is the shortcut for success and for growth. That's where you transform clients into fans, more than just users or consumers. So, when you realize that, you need to ask yourself, ‘Okay, the translation to dentistry is the first and second appointment. The purchase moment is the first and second appointment.’ It means that you need to master this. What does that mean? It means that whatever you do to have the best first and second appointment in the world is worth investing time and energy, whatever it is. The funny thing is that nobody asked this question. You don't see people talking about it. People take the first and second appointment for granted, as practice owners. I ask a dentist, ‘Do you have a good first appointment?’ ‘Yeah, of course. I have a great first appointment.’ ‘Why?’ ‘Why? Uh, I don't know.’ I say, ‘Yes, you don't know because you're so focused on the treatment and marketing that you're not focused on the magic.” (20:14—21:26)
“The definition of the first and second appointment — the timeline is this. Whenever somebody calls you to book that appointment, whenever somebody walks through your door, that's the beginning of the magic. That's the beginning of your purchase moment. If they're walking in by chance, if they're referred, if they saw you on social media — it doesn't matter. The story starts when they make a decision to come to you. That's when the purchase moment starts. And the purchase moment ends when they sign the check and they say, ‘I'm going to do this treatment, and I'm going to do it with you.’” (21:47—22:34)
“The challenge to you listening is, why not have the best first appointment in the world? Why not? I ask you, as a dentist, why not? ‘Oh, I have a good first appointment.’ No, no, no, no. I'm not talking about good. I'm talking about the best in the world. How can you have the best? This is the best investment you can make for your career, by far, is having the best first appointment in the world. Now, the problem is that we don't even know what it means to have the best first appointment in the world because we never asked that question to ourselves. We're not focused on that. It just happens. We take that moment for granted. We just do the obvious. We do what everybody does, etc. So, I need you to think outside the box. I need you to be creative. I need you to put energy into this and reinvent your first and second appointment. Why? Because it's worth it. Why? Because Apple Store proved it.” (23:51—24:48)
“The first and second appointment, it's not only for new patients. The interpretation of the first and second appointment is the beginning of a story. It can be a patient that’s been with you for ten years in hygiene, and you're bringing them back into a new approach, a new perspective, a new story. It can be a patient that already did a treatment with you in the past and you're reactivating them. It can be a new patient. It can be a referred patient. It can be a patient that is coming back from your orthodontist back to you. It doesn't matter. It's the beginning of a story with another human being.” (25:19—25:59)
“Marketing can be important, but it’s not even as close as reaching out to the people that are already coming to you or already came to you in the past. And we know how underexplored the practice database of patients is. The goldmine is there on your computer, that list. Imagine that you did your homework, and you reinvented your first appointment. Imagine your excitement — the excitement of your staff saying, ‘Holy cow, this is so much cooler than the old first and second appointment that we had. I wish every patient would come back to us. Everybody that came to us in the last few years, if they could come back and experience this again, this would be amazing.’ So, first, you need to do the homework. But once you do the homework, you're going to be reactivating these patients. Zero investment in marketing. Zero in marketing. You're taking advantage of the people that already gave you a...
Kids Getting Hurt: Consequences on Facial Growth
Episode #626 with Dr. Drew McDonald
Kids get hurt — a lot. But even when they “seem fine”, those facial traumas can have severe consequences on their growth and development. To help you detect those issues early, Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. Drew McDonald, instructor from the Chicago Study Club, with advice for seeing the signs and asking parents the right questions about their child’s injuries. You can save children from a lifetime of pain and suffering! To learn how, listen to Episode 626 of The Best Practices Show!
Episode Resources:
- Send Kirk an email for Dr. McDonald’s Master Classes!
- Join Dr. McDonald on Facebook
- Follow Dr. McDonald on Instagram
- Learn more on Dr. McDonald’s website
- Subscribe to The Best Practices Show Podcast
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club
- See ACT’s Live Events Schedule
- Get The Best Practices Magazine for free!
- Write a review on iTunes
Links Mentioned in This Episode:
Register for Chicago Study Club
Follow Kids Getting Hurt
Main Takeaways:
Problems with growth and occlusion start early in life.
You need 3D and CBCTs to see and diagnose joint issues.
Even seemingly benign injuries can lead to severe growth issues.
Know where to look so you can get children the help that they need.
Ask parents good and thorough questions about their child’s injuries.
Quotes:
“One of the biggest issues that we run into as orthodontists is relapse. Why did everything we tried to accomplish — why are we watching it unravel? The topic we're going to talk about today is one of the most important issues that I see, which is that a lot of things under the surface, especially joints, airway issues, issues with kids’ necks or adults’ necks, can really be the undoing of their bite, of their occlusion, of their growth — and they start early in life.” (3:16—3:45)
“I saw a little four-year-old guy yesterday. He's not growing well. His lower jaw is extremely retrognathic. He's very Class II. He also has a bilateral crossbite. He has extremely narrow development. This little kid’s jaws also click and pop. And as I'm doing my exam, I'm asking his parents, ‘Does he ever mention this to you?’ They go, ‘We thought that was normal. We thought everyone’s jaws click and pop. We didn't know he was hurting, but he said it right here.’ My next question immediately is, ‘Do you recall any head or neck trauma? Any falls? Falls down the stairs? Normal, typical, kid stuff?’ And to a tee, a lot of parents go, ‘Well, we never had a car accident. He never had to go to the hospital or anything. But we do remember normal kid stuff.’ Well, “normal kid...
How to Significantly Increase Your Revenue Without Getting Off of PPOs
Episode #625 with Dr. Tom Orent
To drop or not drop PPOs — that is the question. If you're frustrated and don't know what to do, don't miss this episode! Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. Tom Orent, CEO of Freedom Summit, to reveal what you can do to safely reduce your dependence on PPOs. If you do it right, you can increase your revenue while staying in! To learn how, when, and which PPOs you should drop, listen to Episode 625 of The Best Practices Show!
Episode Resources:
- Send Dr. Orent an email
- Join Dr. Orent on Facebook
- Follow Dr. Orent on Instagram
- Subscribe to the Best Practices Show Podcast
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club
- See ACT’s Live Events Schedule
- Get the Best Practices Magazine for free!
- Write a review on iTunes
Links Mentioned in This Episode:
Learn more about Dr. Orent’s Free 4-Step System
Learn more about Dr. Orent’s 1,000 Gems
Book a call with Dr. Orent today!
Main Takeaways:
If you're not in PPOs yet, don't go there.
Know which PPOs to strategically drop first.
Dropping PPOs should be the last thing you do.
You will lose patients by sending “the PPO letter”.
Your goal doesn't need to be 100% fee-for-service.
Quotes:
“I wish I could just say in my first year or two, but in my first 15 years of practice, I made the same mistake over and over, year after year. It's a mistake that's very common to a lot of dentists, and the mistake was I was under the assumption that if I just focused on becoming the very, very best dentist clinically that I could be, that would be enough to build an amazing practice and a livelihood for my family and a future.” (2:16—2:39)
“I became a good dentist. It wasn't enough. Twenty-seven years ago, I found myself in the office of a bankruptcy attorney. Who sent me there? My divorce attorney sent me there because my wife was fed up with the fact that we had no money. I was never with the kids. We had two little kids. I mean, I get chills at how many people — how many dentists — can relate to this. I get chills at thinking about the fact that there are a lot of us still out there, a lot of our colleagues, maybe some of you guys listening. And I'm sure a lot of you are past it and you're already really successful, financially, and that's awesome. I'm going to give you some stuff, too. But for those of you who are struggling, or maybe you're just starting out, becoming a great clinical dentist is important, but it's not the answer to building a great practice.” (4:25—5:08)
“Getting out of PPOs, dropping PPOs, is the last thing I would recommend. Dropping PPOs is the last thing I would recommend. Now, it's half tongue in cheek. Not 100%. The reason I say it's half tongue in cheek is it's true. But it is the last step that I would recommend. So, I'm not saying don't leave them. But if you just start cutting the cord, if people just dropped all their PPOs, it would be a major financial risk for the practice. And if it were that easy, if you could just drop them and everything would be fine, if we were all confident that that would work, PPOs could not and would not exist.” (9:37—10:22)
“If you're a solo doc, I would figure out a way to increase my revenue by $100,000, $150,000, $200,000. I'm not talking about production. I'm talking about revenue. What's the difference? For you listening, the difference is somewhere around 35%. Why? Well, because you're writing off somewhere around 30% to 35% of the PPOs. It's sad, but years ago, I thought I was losing my shirt writing 20% off. Today, there are dentists who would kill to be down at 20% loss. We have members in California who are writing off 40%, 45%, 48%. It’s just nuts. Almost 50% in parts of California, Texas, a couple of areas. But 30% to 35% is pretty much the norm.” (11:01—11:49)
“One of the biggest mistakes I see dentists making today, and about half of us are doing it, is when a patient comes in and we perform a service, a crown, or whatever it is, we post not the full fee, but we post the fee that we know the insurance will allow. So, we have those all loaded in. We think that's really cool that we already have all these numbers loaded in because it makes it really easy to do the math. Well, that's true. It makes it easy. But it's also killing you on two fronts. When you're posting, instead of putting in full fee, if you're putting in the PPO fee, the allowed fee by contract, it's costing you in two ways. Number one is you have absolutely no way to figure out what you're losing.” (12:01—12:41)
“So, Dr. Smith says to you, ‘I'm losing $400,000 a year, and I'm only a one-doc office. One doc, one hygienist, and I'm writing off $400,000.’ So, in the future, your answer will be, ‘That's not true. That's not what you're losing.’ You're losing close to half a million. Why? Because variable expenses to treat the $400,000 that you're giving away for free — you're not collecting on that $400,000. The variable expenses are somewhere between 12% and 15%. So, there's $60,000. All right. So, I get the $60,000. It cost me to produce that. So, I'm at $460,000. What's the other $40,000? It’s the other team member who's doing all that insurance work that they wouldn’t need to do if you weren't in the PPOs. So, almost every practice today has anywhere from a half-time to a full-time employee just dealing with the crap. They just are.” (13:33—14:27)
“For the listeners who are younger and maybe not in PPOs yet, maybe don't even have your practice yet, going to have a practice soon, I often hear them say, young docs and early-in-practice docs, ‘I'm just going to add one or two PPOs just right now while I have some open chair time because wouldn't that make sense? I'm not losing anything. I'm actually gaining something because that chair time is open.’ Adding a couple of PPOs is like taking a malignant cancer cell and putting it in and saying it's only a few cells. It will grow until it kills you. So, if you're not there yet, don't go there. If you're not in PPOs, don't go there.” (17:42—18:18)
“Sometimes, dentists feel forced into cutting certain corners. I'll give you a simple one . . . A significant percentage of dentists choose not to offer certain services that they might have otherwise offered if it was full-fee because they can't afford to based on a certain contract, or whatever. Patients don't know that. Patients think they're getting the deal of the century. I have a PPO that gives me the best fees. This dentist is really good.’ Well, the dentist may be really good, but he or she is not always offering you the same thing they're offering a full-fee patient because they can't afford to.” (21:03—21:36)
“One of my colleagues, many years ago, told a funny story. And I'm sure he was joking, but he said, ‘I'll go into hygiene, and I'll do a check. I'll see that they need composite, whatever it is. Sometimes, you can't afford to do that. What I'll do is I'll write the patient a check for $100, and I'll say, here. I don't want to do that for you. I want you to go down the street and pay somebody else to do it because I can't afford to do that.’ Of course, he was joking. He never wrote the check. But that was the point.” (21:38—22:04)
“[When I turned my dad’s practice around], did I make it 100% fee-for-service? No, I did not. Here's why. I removed 13 of the 15 plans . . . The two that Elizabeth and I decided to keep, we kept because the fees were actually really good. They were close enough to my dad's fees and our fees that we didn't want to rock that boat. They were pretty good, a small write-off. The other thing was, they were decent. They were respectful with my team. They didn't put them on hold for 30 minutes, and then hang up on them and say, ‘I'm sorry. I didn't realize I got you disconnected.’ They didn't deny stuff by an algorithm. Doctors think that these denials are happening by a $15-an-hour clerk. They are not. The first denial is by an algorithm that denies a certain percentage. This is the truth, guys. The first downgrades in denials are not done by a cheap clerk. They're done by an algorithm that removes about 30% to 32% of all claims by just rejecting them.” (22:07—23:08)
“Did you know that only 35% of claims that are denied are ever appealed? They are depending on that, that you will not appeal anything.” (23:09—23:21)
“Sending a letter and saying, ‘We're getting out of Delta,’ or Blue Cross, or Cigna, or whatever your plan is — there are all sorts of plans. I'm not choosing anyone. If you send a letter to those patients, you will lose most of those patients.” (23:47—24:00)
“If you send a letter instead [of talking to your patients], if you try to shortcut this, Mrs. Jones gets home at 5:00 after work and the full day. The kids are back from school. She's back. Everybody's running in. They know Dad's coming home in about a half hour. She tries to put something together because he wants a hot meal. Doesn't realize she just worked the whole day. Or maybe he realizes but doesn't care. Whatever. He wants a hot meal. And so, she's fussing to make that meal. The kids are scurrying around. She gets them at the table. He comes in. Everybody sits down, and they're looking at some mail. And he says to her, ‘What's that from Dr. Smith?’ She says, ‘I don't know. I didn't open it.’ He says, ‘Open it up. Find out what it is. Is it a bill? What is it?’ She glances through it. She says, ‘Oh, no. He's dropping our insurance. We need to find another provider.’ That's all they're going to do, especially if she had a bad day, or he had a bad day, or the kids are screaming. They're not going to say, ‘Kids, quiet down for a second. Bill, I know you had a hard day, and I'm making a hot meal, but I just want to address this for a minute. He's one of the finest dentists, finest human beings we've ever met. He never compromises on our —’ they don't care. They get the letter. They're just going to switch providers.” (25:04—26:15)
“Do not send a letter saying, ‘We're leaving.’ Now, what does that mean? That means the timing of telling a PPO that you are leaving should be six months after you make the decision and you begin speaking with your patients. Because I don't want to allow any of those PPOs to send that poisoned letter that they will. Within 24 hours of your telling them that you're leaving, they will auto-generate a terrible letter talking about how you are no longer considered a preferred provider. What does that mean? All that means is that you've dumped their contract. But what it sounds like to the patient is you did something wrong. And then, they give a list of ten other competitors who are within two blocks of you, or whatever the distance might be.” (26:15—27:03)
“Once you're up a couple hundred thousand dollars, let's say $150,000, $200,000, let's say you have eight plans, and your smallest plan is $150,000 a year. So, if you just went up $150,000 and you drop a plan that's $150,000, even if you lost half, three-quarters — you won't if you do it right. But even if you did, you're still in a nice financial position. So, which one would I drop? A lot of docs drop the one that they hate the worst, whichever one that is. And they hate it because it has the worst write-off. So, let's say, on average, I'm writing off about 30% to 32%, which is typical. But let's say my worst one is 38% or 40%. I'm just getting torn apart by that plan. The emotional decision is to drop that plan first. Do not do that. You want to drop the smallest plan first, the one where you have the fewest patients. Maybe it's not a big write-off. I don't care.” (27:10—28:05)
“Let's say the plan with the worst write-offs is 20% or 30% of your patient base. That's scary. Let's say a plan with a reasonable write-off is only eight percent of your patient base. That's a good test case scenario for you, where it's pretty much a no-lose situation. So, all of what I was describing before, the one on one, I call it the knee to knee, eye to eye, toe to toe. That's a write-her-downer. It's the knee to knee, eye to eye, toe to toe conversation, one at a time. It's either done by one of the GPs in your office or by the hygienist, or both, depending on who has the patient first. You only have to do it one time. And, by the way, at the end of six months, you will not have seen everybody because not everybody comes in. What do you do now? What you do now is you pull a computer report of the ones that you never saw in the last six months. And maybe that's 50 people, eight, whatever. And now, you and the hygienist, the doctor and the hygienist, split those people up and you call them, and you have the same conversation. Now, the phone's not as good as knee to knee, eye to eye, toe to toe. But the phone is way better than sending them a letter that they're not going to read. They're just going to, ‘You know what? This has been a terrible day. Just add that to the pile, and we'll find another provider tomorrow.’ So, you make calls to the ones you couldn't see physically. If you do this right, you're going to keep a lot of the patients. I retained a high percentage of my patients in both practices. But you should always, like Harvey McKay said, dig your well before you're thirsty. You should always add that revenue before you need it.” (28:08—29:49)
“If you're in practice and you're getting crushed by overhead, in addition to working with the PPOs and getting them out of the way, one of the things I'd be doing is figuring out any way I can to increase revenue with my fixed costs as they are without adding more staff or more equipment.” (36:04—36:17)
“I would urge everybody, get out [of PPOs] if you can. Which, you can if you choose to. It's a choice. It's not an “if”.” (37:17—37:23)
“It is my understanding that there is a law that they cannot use the words preferred provider organization, PPO, unless they are willing to allow the patient to go to any provider and still pay. And again, that's not something I would just take, ‘Oh, Tom or Kirk said it.’ No. Check with your attorney. Read the contracts. Check with your state and federal law on it. But having said that, I am quite certain that that is accurate. Now, that means the good news is when you leave a PPO, you can say to Mrs. Jones, ‘The great thing is that we can still not only send in the information and take care of the claims and all that so you don't have to do a thing — it's all done for you — but the better news is, we can not only continue to see you and take care of the claims, but we can also continue to get you benefit from the PPO,’ because that PPO, they won't tell you this, but they allow you to go to anybody you want. That's the good news. The bad news — and a lot of dentists already know the bad news. The bad news is the percentage will be different for an in-network versus an out-of-network provider. So, OON, which is out-of-network, versus in-network. But you know what? If you do it right, if you speak to the patients right — I'm sure you guys have great relationships with your patients. That's why they're going to you. They're going to stay if you do it right.” (37:37—38:53)
“Front end targeted marketing is the first thing I would be doing if I wanted to get out of PPOs. Why? Because targeted marketing means you are only targeting a specific demographic and or service, and specifically the service, treatment or service, and you're only going to target stuff that you want to do more of. And if you're really sharp, you're only going to target things that aren't covered by insurance.” (39:48—40:14)
“Ninety-five percent of the patients in a general practice are asymptomatic. So, even if that patient just moved to your area and even if they do have some work to do, you have two bars you have to hit in order to get them to say yes to your treatment when it's asymptomatic. The first part is easy. The first part is that they recognize, appreciate, and agree that there even is a problem. That's an easy bar. We've got so much technology today. Every dentist listening to this has the technologies and the verbal skills to make it pretty clear that there's a problem. They're still not going to schedule. They won't schedule. That's only bar number one. Bar number two is way harder. And it's not something that I can teach in any situation quickly because it's something that we take a year to teach. But the second bar, I can tell you what it is so you can focus on it, because you can still do it yourself. There's a DIY, there's a do-it-yourself component to this . . . Patients, even if they, ‘Yeah, I guess that is an issue. I didn't realize it. My last dentist didn't tell me about it,’ or,’ ‘It doesn't hurt,’ or whatever. To get them to appreciate that they have a problem, that's easy. But they still won't schedule unless they sense an immediate or urgent need to schedule and do the treatment.” (41:04—42:31)
“Patients will not schedule unless they sense an immediate or urgent need to do that treatment, with the exception of elective care like esthetics. So, we're not talking about a smile makeover. We're talking about, they need a root canal, they need a crown, they need an onlay, they need an implant — all these other things — extraction, phase one perio. Whatever it is, the moment that they sense that there's an immediate and urgent need, you're going to see something disappear, which you have been hoping and hoping would disappear forever. And that is, patients telling you, ‘I just can't afford that right now.’” (42:33—43:05)
[Patients will] give you these sob stories about money. It's not the money. Write these five words out. It's not about the money. They'll tell you it's about the money 99% of the time. Now, this doesn't make any sense. Tom is saying that it's not about the money, but they tell us it’s about the money every time. Why?’ The reason is because it's way more comfortable for a patient to say, ‘Oh, the twins just started school. I'm going to need to think about that. We'll put that off for a bit. We’ll definitely get that done, but just not right now. Now is not a good time, financially.’ I said that in 10 seconds, and it was comfortable. What's not comfortable is for me to say to you, ‘I don't really think that I need to get that done right now,’ because you're basically conflicting with the dentist who just gave his professional opinion or her professional opinion that this is very necessary and you should do this. So, they don't want to argue with...
The Difference in Teaching & Presenting a Beautiful Case in Dentistry
Episode #624 with Dr. Christian Coachman and Dr. Bill Robbins
In the second half of this two-part episode, Kirk Behrendt and Dr. Christian Coachman return with Dr. Bill Robbins, one of dentistry’s brilliant teachers, to share what it takes to master the art of teaching and the difference in teaching versus presenting a beautiful dental case. Great teachers aren't made overnight! To learn the secrets to becoming an effective and inspirational teacher, listen to Episode 624 of The Best Practices Show!
Episode Resources:
- Join Dr. Coachman onFacebook
- Follow Dr. Coachman onInstagram
- Learn more aboutDigital Smile Design
- Register forDSD Residency 1
- Send Dr. Robbins an email
- Join Dr. Robbins onFacebook
- Learn more on Dr. Robbins’swebsite
- Subscribe to theBest Practices Show Podcast
- Join ACT’sTo The Top Study Club
- See ACT’sLive Events Schedule
- Get theBest Practices Magazine for free!
- Write a review oniTunes
Links Mentioned in This Episode:
Register for theGlobal Diagnosis Education Symposium (September 7-9, 2023)
ReadGlobal Diagnosis by Dr. J. William Robbins and Dr. Jeffrey S. Rouse
Main Takeaways:
Teaching requires a lot of work and effort.
Master the art of storytelling to be a good teacher.
Take photographs of failures — especially your own.
Surround yourself with people who are smarter than you.
Remember that this is the best time, ever, to be a dentist.
Quotes:
“One of my mentors, many years ago, said, ‘Always photograph your failures — especially yours, but any failure — because someday you'll be able to use them and learn from them.’ It's very difficult to take photographs the day you fail. If something happens — you break a file, or the patient swallows a crown, something terrible in your practice — it's hard to make yourself photograph it. But I've always done it. And so, I assume I've got one of the largest caches of failures of any clinical dentist on earth. When I started this lecture, it started out with only four subjects. Now, it's up to 21.” (3:37—4:16) -Dr. Robbins
“Being a good teacher, I think it's got to be done very methodically. It has to be systematic. The lecture has to be created based on an outline. The second really important part is just the opposite, and I think that's telling a story. I think that's something I do well. The more you can tell a story when you're teaching, the more you connect with your audience. I would say those are the two primary areas that I've tried to work on through my career as a teacher, and that is being methodical and systematic in the creation of my presentation, but to attempt to tell a story throughout the presentation from beginning to end.” (4:35—5:20) -Dr. Robbins
“Surround yourself with really smart people — people that are smarter than you are.” (6:44—6:49) -Dr. Robbins
“The mistake that we make in dentistry — and we still make it today, for sure. In medicine, our physician colleagues gather data, number one. Number two, they make a diagnosis. Number three, they make a treatment plan. In dentistry, we gather data, and we go straight to the treatment plan. We leave out the diagnosis. In my mind, that is one of the biggest problems in dental education today. That is, we don't make a diagnosis before we make a treatment plan. And that was the systematic approach that Jeff and I created. That is, you must make a diagnosis. If you have a diagnosis, then there's only a limited number of ways you can treat each given diagnosis, and then it makes it much more objective. So, I think treatment planning needs to become more objective and less subjective by making a diagnosis before we make a treatment plan.” (9:53—10:51) -Dr. Robbins
“One thing that I realized is that to do the dentistry that we dream of, to do the dentistry that we love, to do the dentistry that we get inspired by from our mentors, first and foremost, we need to inspire our patients to pay for it. We need to convince our patients about it. We need to onboard them on these crazy ideas. Global Diagnosis — if we want people to use it on every first, second diagnosis appointment, we need to show people how to sell this idea, how to make patients fall in love with Global Diagnosis. You need to make your patients fans of Global Diagnosis. You need to make your patients fans of facially generated treatment planning because they need to pay for it.” (14:50—15:45) -Dr. Coachman
“People say that they don't think about money. This is BS — that they are doing it all for the patient. BS. At the end of the day, people will implement technologies, concepts, and philosophies when they see that the return on investment is happening. And so, we need to master the process of helping people become storytellers about these concepts. How can you tell this story in a non-dental way so people will embrace it? When people start knocking the doors off of your students, ‘I came here because I want Global Diagnosis,’ people will be like, ‘Goddamn it, where's that book? I need to do this right now, and I need to do it over and over again.’ And then, another patient says, ‘Oh, I only came because of Global Diagnosis. Do you do that? Do you do Global Diagnosis?’ We need to learn with Invisalign. Regardless of if you like it or not, they did it. They made patients love it, and they told a story, and they started to make patients knock at our doors and say, ‘I want to do Invisalign. Do you do Invisalign?’ ‘No, no, no. I do something better.’ ‘Goodbye. Ciao, ciao. I'm going to look for somebody else.’ And then, suddenly, everybody is like, ‘Oh my God, I need to do Invisalign.’ Now, people are doing Invisalign even when you don't need to do Invisalign. So, we need a company like Invisalign embracing Rick Roblee’s book. Imagine if Invisalign would study Global Diagnosis and say, ‘This is our next mission. We're going to make the world love Global Diagnosis. We're going to push this world, and we're going to make patients understand the value of it, and we're going to make patients ask for it.’ Then, the magic happens. That's my opinion.” (15:48—17:41) -Dr. Coachman
“We all are bemoaning the way dentistry is moving in the world, certainly the United States, and that is to the corporate mob. People commonly ask me, ‘Is it going to ultimately be all corporate? Is dentistry eventually going to become all corporate?’ I don't think so. I do believe there's always going to be a place at the top. I don't know if that's because that's where I am, and I believe there will be a place for me. But I do say that there's always going to be a place for this.” (21:37—22:08) -Dr. Robbins
“It's like being the three-star Michelin restaurant. All these principles that we are talking about are shortcuts for a doctor to be the three-star Michelin restaurant and not be inside corporate dentistry, if that's not what you want. I don't think that in the future corporate dentistry will be bad, in the same way that medical hospitals are not necessarily bad. Physicians are not running their hospitals. They are working for hospitals. We are going to be very similar. Dentistry will evolve to that, but you will always have space for the very good private practice delivering high-quality, unique experiences. But you need to learn these principles. You need to differentiate yourself. But the corporate world will learn these principles as well. That's another path that is going to happen very fast, because the moment that the corporate world understands that this will generate predictability, that this will improve quality in a more consistent way, that this will differentiate themselves, I see corporations already looking at these principles and thinking, ‘Hmm, there's very smart business there,’ and you're going to see chains of clinics starting to incorporate this technology, starting to incorporate these principles, of course with the business mindset, but bringing this more mainstream.” (22:17—23:48) -Dr. Coachman
“I always use Ferrari and Fiat. You're never going to have on Fiat everything that you have on Ferrari. They are the same company, but Fiat handpicks the amazing things that were developed on Formula 1 Ferrari, they dumb it down a little bit, and they choose the things that can be used mainstream that makes the Fiat a better car. Definitely makes it a better car. So, corporate dentistry will start to learn all these things and start to bring things that can be scaled. That will help dentistry get better for the masses, for sure.” (24:20— 24:59) -Dr. Coachman
“This is the most exciting time to be a dentist, ever, on earth. There is no question about it. When I look at my son and what lies ahead for him, there's certainly a part of me that wants to remain young and viable for as long as I can to share a little bit of this journey that he's going through at the beginning and I'm going through at the end. But I never — and you know I'm being honest when I say this — I've never been more enthused about dentistry than I am today. I've got a patient in about 15 minutes. I'm going to get to do an esthetic crown lengthening on this patient. Life is awesome as a dentist, for me. It's never been better. And so, I don't know who is listening today. I don't know if it's young dentists, or old dentists, or no dentists at all. But the young dentists, you are well-placed in the best profession on earth. There is clearly no other medical profession that compares with what we get to do. This is the best time, ever, to be a dentist.” (25:56—27:06) -Dr. Robbins
“Dentistry is getting even stronger with all this advancement, and more vital, because you cannot substitute that easily what we do. Technology will always support us, but will never, at least for 100 years, be able to do what we do.” (27:33—27:52) -Dr. Coachman
“Young dentists that are still struggling with, ‘Did I choose the right profession? Oh my God, this is tough. Oh my God, right or wrong?’ you made a great decision....
See Inside the Mind of One of the Most Brilliant Teachers in Dentistry
Episode #623 with Dr. Christian Coachman & Dr. Bill Robbins
Every great mind is taught by brilliant teachers. In this two-part episode, Kirk Behrendt and Dr. Christian Coachman brings back one of those brilliant teachers, Dr. Bill Robbins, to share his thoughts on building a successful and happy career in dentistry. To hear about what brought him in and keeps him in this amazing profession, listen to Episode 623 of The Best Practices Show!
Episode Resources:
- Join Dr. Coachman on Facebook
- Follow Dr. Coachman on Instagram
- Learn more about Digital Smile Design
- Register for DSD Residency 1
- Send Dr. Robbins an email
- Join Dr. Robbins on Facebook
- Learn more on Dr. Robbins’s website
- Subscribe to the Best Practices Show Podcast
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club
- See ACT’s Live Events Schedule
- Get the Best Practices Magazine for free!
- Write a review on iTunes
Links Mentioned in This Episode:
Register for the Global Diagnosis Education Symposium (September 7-9, 2023)
Read Global Diagnosisby Dr. J. William Robbins and Dr. Jeffrey S. Rouse
Main Takeaways:
Success will take a lot of hard work.
You can't become successful by yourself.
Cultivating relationships is critical in dentistry.
Discover ways to maintain the “beginner’s mind”.
Find people who will support you in your journey.
Quotes:
“That which makes dentistry so fun, so enjoyable, is the relationship part of it. My father was not a great clinician. He was actually a farmer who loved to farm, and dentistry just supported his bad habit of farming. He didn't have the passion for dentistry that I have. So, it was the relationship part that I first learned about when I hung out with him, and how he related to his patients, and how much they loved it. So, what drew me into dentistry, I think, was the relationship, not the technical part. I mean, from the clinical part, obviously, dentistry is so much better [today] in so many ways. Back in his day, what he would do — I would stand there and watch him — he would extract 28 teeth on a patient and put in an immediate denture. That was a normal day for him. Well, that's not a normal day anymore. We don't do that anymore. But the relationship part of it, I think, is what drew me into it. And I would say, at this stage, it's what still is the most rewarding for me because I'm still practicing.” (9:03—10:15)
“I [sold my] practice to a young prosthodontist three years ago, and she's been a wonderful friend and boss. What brings me to the office these days — what I continue to enjoy doing here — is primarily seeing my old patients. So, I'm still doing dentistry, and I do some sophisticated dentistry. I don't work nearly as hard as I used to, but I see my old patients that are really her patients now, and I have time. I'm not rushed anymore, so I have time to sit and talk with them. And so, it's interesting. What brought me to dentistry was the relationship part of it, and what's going to usher me out at the end is the same. And then, there was a lot of technical dentistry in between.” (10:16—10:59)
“We all go through many different passages in our lives. I went to the Pankey Institute many years ago, and I learned about the Cross of Life and the four arms of the cross and happiness in the center. I've come to believe that it's a very difficult and perhaps even a false thing that we're trying to attain with this goal of living our life in balance.” (11:13—11:41)
“The idea of living your life in balance is impossible. If you're building a practice, it's going to take more of your effort than the play side of your life. So, I'm not demeaning play and family and work. I think those things are incredibly important. But certainly, there are times in your life passages when you're going to have to commit more to one of those four arms than the other. So, I think that the success of a young dentist is going to take a lot of work, and there's no way around it. And I think the next part of it is, you can't do it by yourself. Clearly, you have to have people taking this walk with you. I've had so many people along the way that have helped me from the business side, the professional side, the emotional side, the behavioral side. Dental school is literally just dipping your toe into the pool.” (12:03—13:01)
“What I've loved in my career is watching the light bulb go on. I know that Christian and [Kirk] also have experienced that a lot. That's when you're working with a younger dentist, student, or resident and, all of a sudden, they get it. There's some concept that they get. That feeling, I think, transcends almost any for me as a teacher, when I see a light bulb go on in the mind of a young dentist, and they get either a vision, or at least they get an idea of what we were talking about, what the goal was for the discussion we were having. And so, the thing I love is being around young dentists. I love dental students and young dentists and residents because they make me feel young. They energize me. When the light bulb goes on in one of their heads — and less now, in all honesty, but occasionally the light bulb goes on in my head also. So, there's still clearly a give and take.” (13:21—14:29)
“I've always been so grateful to my father for many, many reasons. But one of the reasons is that he had a vision for me that I didn't have for myself. He essentially gave me the freedom to go off and pursue this other career — and he would’ve loved to have practiced with me. We would’ve had fun together. It would’ve been a successful practice. But he knew the type of dentistry he was practicing wasn't going to be rewarding to me, and I think he knew that there was more there for me than a career pulling teeth in Little Rock. And so, he gave me the freedom and pushed me out of the nest to do the academic thing first. And I never returned. I never went back into practice with my father. But I think he was very proud of the academic career that I had. He never saw me in private practice because he died. I was in academics for 25 years, and he died before I went into private practice. So, that was the front end, the freedom that my father gave me to spread my wings.” (19:25—20:36)
“[Digital Smile Design] has been one of the most important and relevant things to have happened to me in the last decade for a couple of reasons. First of all, it's really fun. It really helps with this whole issue of patient communication. That is, for me, the crux of DSD, and that is the patient communication part. But it's also, I think, helped me to remain relevant because as I age and stand in front of groups, people know I'm getting older. And in order to be relevant to a younger group of dentists, you can't be talking about gold restorations. I mean, I still do gold in my practice. But you can't lecture about that because it's not relevant anymore to them. And so, DSD has brought a lot of pleasure to me in my clinical practice, but it's also helped me to remain relevant, I think, in the eyes of younger dentists.” (23:17—24:13)
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
5:44 Why Dr. Robbins chose dentistry.
7:54 The importance of relationships in dentistry.
11:01 Keys to a successful and happy career.
14:40 The pillars for success.
15:26 Light-bulb moments in Dr. Robbins’s career.
20:36 How DSD keeps Dr. Robbins relevant.
Dr. Christian Coachman Bio:
Combining his advanced skills, experience, and technology solutions, Dr. Christian Coachman pioneered the Digital Smile Design methodology and founded Digital Smile Design company (DSD). Since its inception, thousands of dentists worldwide have attended DSD courses and workshops, such as the renowned DSD Residency program.
Dr. Coachman is the developer of worldwide, well-known concepts such as the Digital Smile Design, the Pink Hybrid Implant Restoration, the Digital Planning Center, Emotional Dentistry, Interdisciplinary Treatment Simulation, and Digital Smile Donator.
He regularly consults for dental industry companies, developing products, implementing concepts, and marketing strategies, such as the Facially Driven Digital Orthodontic Workflow developed in collaboration with Invisalign, Align Technology.
He has lectured and published internationally in the fields of esthetic and digital dentistry, dental photography, oral rehabilitation, dental ceramics, implants, and communication strategies and marketing in dentistry.
Dr. Bill Robbins Bio:
Dr. J. William Robbins, D.D.S., M.A., practices part-time and is an Adjunct Clinical Professor in the Department of Comprehensive Dentistry at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio Dental School. He graduated from the University of Tennessee Dental School in 1973. He completed a rotating internship at the Veterans Administration Hospital in Leavenworth, Kansas, and a two-year General Practice Residency at the V.A. Hospital in San Diego, California.
Dr. Robbins has published over 80 articles, abstracts, and chapters on a wide range of dental subjects and has lectured in the United States, Canada, Mexico, South America, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. He co-authored a textbook, Fundamentals of Operative Dentistry – A Contemporary Approach, which is published by Quintessence, and is in its 4th edition. He recently co-authored a new textbook, Global Diagnosis – A New Vision of Dental Diagnosis and Treatment Planning, which is also published by Quintessence.
Dr. Robbins has won several awards, including the Presidential Teaching Award at the University of Texas Health Science Center, the 2002 Texas Dentist of the Year Award, the 2003 Honorary Thaddeus V. Weclew Fellowship Award from the Academy of General Dentistry, the 2010 Saul Schluger Award given by the Seattle Study Club, the Southwest Academy of Restorative Dentistry 2015 President’s Award, and the 2016 Academy of Operative Dentistry Award of Excellence. He is a diplomate of the American Board of General Dentistry. He is past president of the American Board of General Dentistry, the Academy of Operative Dentistry, the Southwest Academy of Restorative Dentistry, and the American Academy of Restorative Dentistry.
How AI Could Be Better in Dentistry Than in Healthcare
Episode #622 with Florian Hillen
Do you want to elevate patient care? AI is your answer! To introduce the next big thing in dentistry, Kirk Behrendt brings in Florian Hillen, founder and CEO of VideaHealth, to showcase their AI software used by thousands of dentists and practices. Using it will increase trust with your patients, improve treatment acceptance, and optimize scheduling. To learn more about VideaHealth so you can start using it today, listen to Episode 622 of The Best Practices Show!
Episode Resources:
- Join Florian on Facebook
- Learn more about VideaHealth
- Subscribe to the Best Practices Show Podcast
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club
- Join ACT’s Master Class
- See our Live Events Schedule here
- Get the Best Practices Magazine for Free!
- Write a Review on iTunes
Links Mentioned in This Episode:
Watch Florian’s TEDx
Read more about VideaHealth’s FDA clearing
Read about VideaHealth and Henry Schein’s partnership
Main Takeaways:
Using AI can optimize scheduling.
AI will help increase your case acceptance.
You will be able to identify more treatment options with AI.
Building trust and increasing patient education is easier with AI.
It’s not AI versus clinicians. AI working with clinicians is a win-win.
Quotes:
“I believe that [AI] is an industry-wide disruption. Similar to when we had industrialization, or every time we have very new technology, a lot of things are changing. But I truly believe it will change for the better. In dentistry, in particular, I think it will enable clinicians to finally spend more time with their patients to build this patient-provider relationship and trust, and also make the job much more fun while it helps them on diagnostics, as well as automate a lot of administrative tasks. I think there's a huge opportunity.” (4:19—4:56)
“I think there are problems pre-office visit, during the office visit, and maybe post-office visit. Pre-office visit is all about patient engagement, scheduling appointments, etc. I think, there, we would see AI relatively quickly being introduced where you can have a natural feeling discussion with the office of when you should schedule or reschedule your appointments. It helps the provider because you can be super responsive also on the...
Overfunctioning and its Unintentional Consequences
Episode #621 with Ariel Juday
Your team is smart and capable. Step back and let them be successful! To reveal how, Kirk Behrendt brings back Ariel Juday, one of ACT’s amazing coaches, so you can stop overfunctioning and feeling overworked. You can't and shouldn't do everything on your own! Empower your team to find purpose in their roles. To start delegating more and stressing less, listen to Episode 621 of The Best Practices Show!
Episode Resources:
- Send Ariel an email
- Follow Ariel on ACT’sInstagram
- Subscribe to theBest Practices Show Podcast
- Join ACT’sTo The Top Study Club
- Join ACT’sMaster Class
- See our
The 3-Step Process in Adopting Digital Dentistry
Episode #620 with Dr. Daren Becker
Whether you know it or not, you're using digital technology somewhere in your dentistry. It’s time to embrace it! To reveal how adopting digital dentistry will transform your practice, Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. Daren Becker from the Pankey Institute to share three important steps to successfully modernize your workflow. If for no other reason, go digital for your patients! To learn about the advantages that digital can offer, listen to Episode 620 of The Best Practices Show!
Episode Resources:
- Send Dr. Becker an email
- Join Dr. Becker on Facebook
- Follow Dr. Becker on Instagram
- Learn more on Dr. Becker’s website
- Subscribe to the Best Practices Show Podcast
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club
- Join ACT’s Master Class
- See our Live Events Schedule here
- Get the Best Practices Magazine for Free!
- Write a Review on iTunes
Links Mentioned in This Episode:
Register for Dr. Becker and Dr. Cranham’s Digital Workflow course (June 13-15, 2024)
Main Takeaways:
Master the tried-and-true occlusal, restorative, and esthetic principles.
Figure out where digital technology fits into your practice.
Find a mentor or people that will support you.
Start by getting an intraoral scanner.
Go digital for your patients.
Quotes:
“Pete Dawson said in 2005, ‘Digital dentistry in the absence of sound, occlusal, esthetic, and restorative principles will only allow a dentist to screw up mouths even faster.’ To me, that's everything because everybody is jumping on the digital thing. He's right. The same way you could screw up a mouth if you didn't pay attention to sound occlusal principles, or good biologic principles with your margin design, and good restorative principles with your prep design, and good esthetic principles — if you didn't do that in the analog world, you're going to screw things up.” (9:36—10:19)
“For most people, the start [to adopting digital] is an intraoral scanner. We've had conversations about this on the podcast before. There are lots of scanners out there. I'm not here to tell you which is the right one. I happen to use iTero. I love my iTero. I have two of them, actually, and we use them for everything. We do wellness scans in hygiene. Once a year, we scan every patient, kind of the opposite of having radiographs made. It's a great way to monitor changes. It's incredible because you put the screen up in front of a patient — I think it's called TimeLapse. It'll flash between the two years ago scan and the new scan. They can see the change. They can see the shifting of the teeth, or...
The Next Big Thing in Dentistry
Episode #619 with Dr. Christian Coachman & Philippe Salah
You don't have 24/7 access to your patients’ mouths — until now! Today, Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. Christian Coachman, founder of Digital Smile Design, and Philippe Salah, CEO of Dental Monitoring, to introduce a revolutionary system that will help you monitor your patients’ oral health in real time. With DM, you can optimize the care you give before, during, and after their time in your chair. Prevention and maintenance have never been easier! To learn more about the next big thing in dentistry, listen to Episode 619 of The Best Practices Show!
Episode Resources:
- Learn more about Dental Monitoring
- Join Dr. Coachman on Facebook
- Follow Dr. Coachman on Instagram
- Subscribe to the Best Practices Show Podcast
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club
- Join ACT’s Master Class
- See our Live Events Schedule here
- Get the Best Practices Magazine for Free!
- Write a Review on iTunes
Main Takeaways:
Remote dental care is possible and powerful.
Dental Monitoring cuts down wasted appointment time.
DM will detect problems much faster than standard appointments.
Using DM, you know exactly when and what treatment patients need.
Remote care is already the standard in medicine. Start using it in dentistry.
Quotes:
“When you are doing treatment for your patient, you never know what is happening when you don't see your patient — when the patient is at home. And you all know, especially in orthodontics, that the clinical relevance, the clinical action, is happening outside your practice. [Dental Monitoring] brings you back necessary information to be able to drive the treatment in the best direction possible at every moment during the treatment. So, how does it work? It’s very simple. Your patient gets a smartphone. From that, we take several pictures — more than 100 pictures, automatically with our system, with a pretty cool way of taking them. From that, we use these pictures — taken by the smartphone, not your patient — and we triage lots of clinical notifications where we indicate to you, to the orthodontist, if there is some concern or great achievement that you want to communicate with the patient. Or maybe it will trigger an appointment. Or the opposite — it will trigger, ‘No need to see my patient.’ So, for the first time in dentistry, we really synchronize the delivery of care with the need of care. You see the patient as much as you need to see them, and at the right moment. Never less, never too much.” (3:53—5:11) -Philippe
“[Dental Monitoring is] like taking care of the patient before they are sitting in your chair, and after they are sitting in your dental chair. If you count all the hours that somebody lives in a full year, maybe the patient is one, two, or three hours in your dental chair...
Less is More: How One Dentist’s Radical Approach Transformed Her Practice!
Episode #618 with Dr. Rachel Barone
Changing office hours seems like a bad idea. What if it doesn't work? What if it makes patients angry? What if production plummets with the new schedule? To help you dispel those negative thoughts, Kirk Behrendt brings in Dr. Rachel Barone, a mentor from the Global Diagnosis Education Study Club, to share how changing her hours improved her life and the life of her team and patients. More isn't better — it’s just more! To learn how you can seamlessly change your hours, listen to Episode 618 of The Best Practices Show!
Episode Resources:
- Join Dr. Barone on Facebook
- Follow Dr. Barone on Instagram
- Learn more on her website
- Subscribe to the Best Practices Show Podcast
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club
- Join ACT’s Master Class
- See our Live Events Schedule here
- Get the Best Practices Magazine for Free!
- Write a Review on iTunes
Links Mentioned in This Episode:
Learn more about Global Diagnosis Education
Register for the Global Diagnosis Education Symposium (September 7-9, 2023)
Read books by Patrick Lencioni
Main Takeaways:
Be clear about why you want to change your hours.
Use your core values as a guide in this process.
Get your team’s buy-in for the new schedule.
Learn to use the time you have effectively.
More isn't better — it’s just more.
Quotes:
“As I've grown as a clinician and as a person, I started to have better clarity around what I wanted in my life. I realized that it's very important to me to have time and space away from the office so that I can show up and be the absolute best practitioner I can be when I'm at the office. I want to be able to show up fully for my team, my patients, and anyone I have the privilege of serving. So, I realized that when I was working longer hours and not really giving myself breaks, I was depleted. I was starting to feel burned out. And so, the shift in hours has not only served me in being able to be rejuvenated and a resource to come into the office, but it’s also served my team. I have to have their backs because they have mine every single day, and I want to make sure that whatever we're doing fits for all of our lives, not just what's going on in the practice.” (3:33—4:30)
“We used to work from 8:00 to 5:00, Monday through Thursday. Sometimes, we would do 9:00 to 1:00 on Fridays, depending on if we had some overflow or catch-up lab work or anything...
Everything Works Until It Doesn’t
Episode #617 with Dr. Jim Otten
Have you ever thought that everything should work all the time, only to be frustrated when it inevitably doesn’t? Today, Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. Jim Otten to explain that very problem and how you can think better and enjoy your career in dentistry more. Everything works until it doesn’t, so learn how to focus on the outcomes and push through the difficult times by listening to Episode #617 of The Best Practices Show!
Episode Resources:
- Send an email to learn more about Global Diagnosis Education
- Dr. Otten’s Facebook
- Dr. Otten’s social media: @jamesottendds
- Subscribe to the Best Practices Show Podcast
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club
- Join ACT’s Master Class
- See our Live Events Schedule here
- Get the Best Practices Magazine for Free!
- Write a Review on iTunes
Links Mentioned in This Episode:
Register for the Global Diagnosis Symposium
Learn more Global Diagnosis Education
Main Takeaways:
Be curious and ask questions.
Your dentistry is going to fail eventually.
Don’t copy someone else—just be you.
Focus on the outcomes.
Define what success means to you.
Work hard and put yourself out there.
Quotes:
“It's important because we come out of dental school with a perfectionist mindset, and it's perpetuated in our profession by a lot of different things. It's perpetuated by a lot of myths that if you build this facility, they will come to you and you'll be successful. If you use this technique, you'll be successful. If you follow this protocol, if you go to this course and do this curriculum, you'll be successful. And everything works to some degree, But it doesn't at some point as well. And so what your mindset has to be is not in this perfectionism like the outcome’s going to be exactly the way you think it's going to be, but what you learn along the way.” (07:21—08:04)
“Jack Nicklaus used to say when he played a whole round of golf in a competition; the three or four days they play, he only hit two shots pretty much the way he wanted. He missed everything well. So our job is really to miss it well and realize that it doesn't matter what you use, who you follow, what material, what clinician, what protocol you use. You're still dealing with people who have a certain amount of their own particular disease resistance and host response, and they're all going to be different. You can't take responsibility for that. That's not your responsibility. Your responsibility is to help them decline at the lowest rate possible. And that means that they're going to decline. It's going to fail.”...
A Case Against the Implant
Episode #616 with Dr. Bill Robbins
More and more people have dental implants, and that number keeps growing. But is it always the best option for patients? To reveal why some implants are problematic, Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. Bill Robbins, co-founder of the Global Diagnosis Study Club, to make a case against some of the most commonly placed implants in “younger” patients. It’s the way we've always done it, but there’s a better way! To unlearn what you've been taught about implants, listen to Episode 616 of The Best Practices Show!
Episode Resources:
- Send Dr. Robbins an email
- Join Dr. Robbins on Facebook
- Learn more on Dr. Robbins’s website
- Subscribe to the Best Practices Show Podcast
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club
- Join ACT’s Master Class
- See our Live Events Schedule here
- Get the Best Practices Magazine for Free!
- Write a Review on iTunes
Links Mentioned in This Episode:
Learn more about Global Diagnosis Education
Register for the Global Diagnosis Education Symposium (September 7-9, 2023)
Sign up for Dr. Robbins’s lecture “My Failures and Lessons Learned”
Main Takeaways:
Don't get stuck in the “that's the way we’ve always done it” mindset.
Understand why certain implants will inevitably fail faster.
In some cases, implants should be the last option.
There are better options than implants.
Treatment plan for the long term.
Quotes:
“Dentistry can be a fairly dogmatic discipline. I've seen that through my 50 years, that people learn some piece of dogmatic information, and they learned it maybe in dental school, and they've continued to believe it, repeat it, and do it dogmatically — and they'll fall on their swords for it. That's true, especially with younger dentists. They come out of dental school. They believe that they had a great dental education, and really wonderful faculty, and because their faculty taught them that, it's got to be true. And it may not be true, or it might be partially true. But they live with that partial truth for the rest of their lives, and they never really are open to asking the question, ‘Is this really true? Is this really the best way to do it?’” (5:07—5:58)
“Implants have been available to us in our profession for about 40 years. As we all know, they've been incredibly successful. It has become the go-to way to replace missing teeth all over the mouth, and certainly in the anterior maxilla. Through my many...
1 Game-Changing Way to Save Your Practice Money!
Episode #615 with Miranda Beeson
Anyone who works in the dental world has felt the pain of rising costs—though we work harder and harder, we have to keep pinching pennies more and more. To help solve this problem, Kirk Behrendt brings back the Solutionist, herself: Miranda Beeson. Your money doesn’t have to be working against you, so learn how to get your supply budget under control and your money working for you by listening to Episode #615 of The Best Practices Show!
Episode Resources:
- Send Miranda an email
- Follow Miranda on Instagram
- Email Gina for a copy of the ACT Dental Financial Gaps Calculator
- Subscribe to the Best Practices Show Podcast
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club
- Join ACT’s Master Class
- See our Live Events Schedule here
- Get the Best Practices Magazine for Free!
- Write a Review on iTunes
Links Mentioned in This Episode:
Episode #575 of the Best Practices Show:
50 Shades of Grey: Strategies for Co-diagnosis, Early Treatment, and Patient Engagement of Periodontal Disease
Episode #614 with Angela Heathman
No one suddenly has a seven-millimeter pocket. It happens gradually, often without patients knowing it! Once you identify and diagnose periodontal disease, you also need to communicate it to your patients. To help you follow through with that responsibility, Kirk Behrendt brings back Angela Heathman, one of ACT’s amazing coaches, with strategies to facilitate co-diagnosis and getting them into the schedule. To start prescribing treatment for better health and a better life, listen to Episode 614 of The Best Practices Show!
Episode Resources:
- Send Angela an email
- Join Angela on Facebook
- Subscribe to the Best Practices Show Podcast
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club
- Join ACT’s Master Class
- See our Live Events Schedule here
- Get the Best Practices Magazine for Free!
- Write a Review on iTunes
Links Mentioned in This Episode:
Register for Katrina Sanders’s workshop (October 5-6, 2023)
Main Takeaways:
Have a common language for talking about periodontal disease.
Understand what co-diagnosis is and how to do it with patients.
Tell patients what to expect before their periodontal screening.
You have a responsibility to tell patients what you're seeing.
Don't wait for patients to have a seven-millimeter pocket!
Quotes:
“It's really important, I think, to start with figuring out the language you guys are going to use when you're talking about periodontal disease. Everybody needs to be using the same language, using the same visuals, understanding that we're going to go through a co-diagnosis with the patient, doing intraoral photos. We have to really figure out how we're going to diagnose and talk to our patients before we start talking about treatment at all.” (5:19—5:45)
“It’s funny, sometimes I talk about the mouth, and then the patient. It's really easy to diagnose the mouth, and then it gets a little bit more complicated when the patient comes into it. And then, we have to think about, ‘How are we going to communicate? How are we going to explain? How are we going to diagnose?’ and everything. But you're right, Kirk. First, we have to think about if this mouth walked in, what would the appropriate care be for this pocketing, this bone loss, everything that we're seeing? So, if we can get really clear on that using staging and grading and very objective criteria, then we go into the second part, working with the patient, a little bit easier if we're completely aligned on that part.” (6:20—7:02)
“The first part is having everybody in the office figure out how to co-diagnose with their patients. When I say co-diagnose, I don't want to be telling the patient after I've...
The 3 Things I Wish I Learned in Dental School
Episode #613 with Dr. Jim McKee
Do you ever wish you could do things differently in the past to help your career? While you can’t get in a time machine, you can learn from the experiences of others. To help you with this, Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. Jim McKee to offer you his advice about the three most useful things he didn’t learn in dental school. You can’t change the past, but you can learn from it by listening to Episode 613 of The Best Practices Show!
Episode Resources:
- Dr. McKee’s email
- Dr. McKee’s Facebook
- Dr. McKee’s social media: @jim.mckee.104
- Subscribe to the Best Practices Show Podcast
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club
- Join ACT’s Master Class
- See our Live Events Schedule here
- Get the Best Practices Magazine for Free!
- Write a Review on iTunes
Links Mentioned in This Episode:
Sign up for Dr. McKee’s Advanced Occlusion course
Check out the Chicago Study Club
Main Takeaways:
Listen to your patients
Work with your team members
Set your fees differently
Structure your meetings to make them more effective
Your patients have to understand the value you provide
A restorative diagnostic practice can be incredibly productive
Quotes:
“And when I look back at dental school, while there's a lot of things that I really wish I would have learned, I think there's three that kind of stick out. The first one is I really wish I learned how to listen to my patients. Because, you know, as a young dentist, you don't quite know how to set your practice up. And you hear a lot about ‘What you want to do is to create a personal relationship with the patient.’ So I remember this guy came in, and he grew up in an area relatively close to where I did. He needed quite a bit of work, actually, probably five or six crowns, needed some root canals. What I was busy doing was creating a personal relationship with him. We talked about similar places on the South Side of Chicago where we grew up together, people we might have known. When he came back for the consultation, basically he looked at me, went up to the front and said, ‘Could I get my X-Rays,’ and I never saw him again. And I realized something didn't connect. And it really brought home the fact that it's taken me a while to learn this. But ultimately, patients want two things. Patients want answers and patients want options. I was busy trying to create a personal relationship with him so we could get along well. The reality was he wasn't coming to me as a friend. He was coming for someone to solve his problems.” (01:46—03:16)
“So it became really clear that in order to treat these types of patients, it seemed like I needed
Trouble-Free Dentistry: Unpacking Corporate Compliance Laws in the Dental Industry
Episode #612 with Linda Harvey
Since the pandemic, things have shifted in dentistry. Everything from infection control protocols to HIPAA laws has changed, and you need to keep up! To give you a preview of key upcoming compliance changes, Kirk Behrendt brings back Linda Harvey, founder of The Linda Harvey Group, to decode everything you need to know. Don't be the practice paying a $50,000 fine! To learn more about how you can prepare, listen to Episode 612 of The Best Practices Show!
Episode Resources:
- Join Linda on Facebook
- Learn more about The Linda Harvey Group
- Subscribe to the Best Practices Show Podcast
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club
- Join ACT’s Master Class
- See our Live Events Schedule here
- Get the Best Practices Magazine for Free!
- Write a Review on iTunes
Links Mentioned in This Episode:
Learn more about the Dental Compliance Institute
Use HIPPA-compliant apps like Tiger Connect
Listen to The Compliance Divas podcast
Main Takeaways:
Be prepared for upcoming compliance law changes.
Always use apps that you have vetted as HIPAA-compliant.
An app with security features is not necessarily HIPAA-compliant.
Understand social media etiquette to keep patient information secure.
Don't copy the policies and procedures from the practice down the street.
Build accountability into your team so your compliance efforts don't get lost.
Quotes:
“Many offices have gone back to the way things were. And I would like to briefly say, on that note, things really shouldn't be the way they were. Nothing has stayed the same in our world. Technology has changed the way we deliver dentistry and how we communicate with patients, and it's changed the way we perform and carry out all of our infection control tasks as well. So, hopefully, all the offices listening are still keeping up their strong points when it comes to all the PPE and infection control protocols that they put in place back then. So, we don't want to go backwards. We want to keep going forwards.” (2:35—3:06)
“Many dentists oftentimes feel like they're smothered by all the regulations — federal, state, local — but that's part of doing business. And when you think about HIPAA, they should think about everything that's required in a security role, for example, as best practices to protect their data and their business — and along with that comes protecting patient information. We see so many different areas where there are ransomware breaches running amok, and we're trying to stay one step behind these thieves and cyber...
4 Keys to Increase New Team Member Retention
Episode #611 with Christina Byrne
If you want to retain great team members, you need more than a good paycheck. To help you keep more of the people you want in your practice, Kirk Behrendt brings back Christina Byrne, ACT’s Director of Operations, to share four keys to unlock what your team members truly want. When you can keep the right people, your life gets better! To learn how to get started, listen to Episode 611 of The Best Practices Show!
Episode Resources:
- Send Christina an email
- Follow ACT Dental on Instagram
- Subscribe to the Best Practices Show Podcast
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club
- Join ACT’s Master Class
- See our Live Events Schedule here
- Get the Best Practices Magazine for Free!
- Write a Review on iTunes
Links Mentioned in This Episode:
Get ACT’s 3-3-3 Onboarding Resource
Main Takeaways:
Take time to thank your team members.
Have a robust onboarding and training process.
Give new team members time to understand your culture.
Show new team members that your core values are alive in your practice.
Give clear, consistent communication about team members’ roles/responsibilities.
Quotes:
“The key to team member retention starts at the onboarding process. There are a lot of things that go into hiring a team member, and that's great. But a lot of times, the doctor thinks, ‘Okay, we're done. I've hired that person. Now, they should know what to do,’ and that is just not the case. And so, it is so important that we support that team member and give them all the tools to be as successful as possible because it costs a lot in time, and money, and stress to keep bringing new people in. So, the key to retaining your great team members is to start at the beginning, which means starting with the onboarding process.” (2:40—3:22)
“A lot of our teams and a lot of our doctors are stuck in this gerbil wheel of tolerating bad team members because they're so afraid of the market. A lot of people have not come back to the market, so we've got a lot of jobs and not a lot of people to fill them. So, one of the things that can set you apart is having a really robust onboarding process and training process. And just to be transparent, we go through that ourselves. Whenever I've interviewed someone for a new position here at ACT, almost every person will ask me, ‘What does the training look like? What does the onboarding look like?’ I'm really proud to say that we do walk the talk and we've got our 3-3-3 onboarding process, which we're going to link in the show notes. It's really a way to dial in on, we're not just saying, ‘Go do this job.’ We're saying, ‘By the end of three days, you should know how to do this. By the end of three weeks, you should know how to do this.’ The same thing for three months. I think that when we can...
The 3 P’s to Avoid Burnout
Episode #610 with Dr. Christian Coachman
How do you enjoy dentistry for 72 years? To reveal that secret, Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. Christian Coachman, founder of Digital Smile Design, to share the story of his father and the three things he does to keep his love for dentistry alive. If you're tired of it before 50, there's a problem! To learn how to reignite your fire and to hear how DSD can help, listen to Episode 610 of The Best Practices Show!
Episode Resources:
- Join Dr. Coachman onFacebook
- Follow Dr. Coachman onInstagram
- Learn more aboutDigital Smile Design
- Register forDSD Residency 1
- Subscribe to the
How to be the Boss and a Nice Person at the Same Time
Episode #609 with Kirk Behrendt and Dr. Barrett Straub
Being a boss can be difficult, but it becomes even more so when you’re trying to balance it with being nice to everyone. This is one of the hardest concepts to master, but today Kirk Behrendt brings back the CEO of ACT Dental, Dr. Barrett Straub, to tackle the topic and explain how it’s possible to be the boss and a nice person at the same time. To learn how to find the balance, listen to Episode 609 of The Best Practices Show!
Episode Resources:
- Dr. Straub’s email
- Dr. Straub’s Facebook
- Dr. Straub’s social media: @bstraub10
- Subscribe to the Best Practices Show Podcast
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club
- Join ACT’s Master Class
- See our Live Events Schedule here
- Get the Best Practices Magazine for Free!
- Write a Review on iTunes
Links Mentioned in This Episode:
Read Traction by Gino Wickman
Read Good to Great by Jim Collins
Read Who Not How by Dan Sullivan
Main Takeaways:
The desire to be liked often outweighs the necessary behaviors required to be a boss.
Clear is nice.
Seek respect, not being liked.
Establish value-based rules and be consistent with them.
The right “who” is the solution to most leadership challenges.
Don’t give orders—ask questions.
Help your team find fulfillment.
Quotes:
“I'd like to think we're all—most of us—are really nice people. I think that's true. And we're learning as we go. We graduate dental school, we get into a practice. We've become leaders, and we're learning on the job how to lead. And our human desire is to be liked. That's just an innate human desire that we all have. We want to be liked by other people, and so our first assumption is that if I am liked by my team, they will view me as a good leader. And the pain point is that that's not true and actually the desire to be liked pulls you further away from elective leadership.” (02:29—03:05) Dr. Straub
“I wanted to be liked. And then I realized you have to have like and respect. And I've learned a little bit, and as I'm still learning, like is a byproduct. You can start with like, but the real like happens as a result of doing the right thing, being consistent.” (03:17—03:35) Kirk
“I was chronically inconsistent. I was going with where everyone's emotions were, where I could go today. And what I found is that I made and more great people miserable over this process. And so leadership is hard, we have to learn this. And I would say leadership is not one of those things you
17 Summers & Emotional Intelligence in Dentistry
Episode #608 with Dr. Nader Sharifi
There is so much opportunity to connect, whether with your kids, your team, or your patients. But if you don't take those opportunities, time will pass you by! To help you capture those moments and make lasting connections, Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. Nader Sharifi with tips for improving emotional intelligence, emotional intimacy, and creating better connections with the people who matter most. To learn how to slow down time in and outside of your practice, listen to Episode 608 of The Best Practices Show!
Episode Resources:
- Learn more on Dr. Sharifi’s website
- Subscribe to the Best Practices Show Podcast
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club
- Join ACT’s Master Class
- See our Live Events Schedule here
- Get the Best Practices Magazine for Free!
- Write a Review on iTunes
Links Mentioned in This Episode:
Watch Dr. Sharifi’s Master Class - Implants and RPDs: A Challenging Combination
Read The Energy Busby Jon Gordon
Main Takeaways:
Create safe spaces for yourself and others.
Ask others how you can best support them.
Find ways to help you with self-regulation.
Have someone you can trust and talk to.
Remember the acronym, WAIT.
Go see a therapist!
Quotes:
“You use those 16, 17, 18 summers to get the boomerang to come back. When that child graduates from college and they look at their opportunities, if one of their opportunities includes coming back home — some people might view that as a negative. Others view that as a positive. But if nothing else, it's an opportunity on both sides of that to say, now we have an opportunity to have some time together. We have an opportunity to impart more wisdom, to learn more, connect more. There's opportunity on the positive. If that kid didn't enjoy those 16 summers, that opportunity might not be there.” (6:14—6:54) -Dr. Sharifi
“[Dr. John Cranham] said, ‘Say no to meetings on Saturdays and Sundays.’ After that, I had one lecture on a Sunday. I'll never forget it. It was a huge room. There are a thousand chairs. I'm like, ‘Wow, this is going to be amazing!’ And like, 11 people showed up. I left my family to do all that. And what you learn in those moments is, somebody is trying to help you.” (8:50—9:12) -Kirk
“I was in a class a couple of weeks ago, and the speaker was talking about connecting with patients and was adamant, ‘Don't talk about yourself. You're wasting time. Whenever you talk about yourself, you're missing the opportunity to learn about your patients. That's a huge mistake. Don't do that.’ I thought about that, and I couldn't agree. I was disagreeing. I'm not saying I couldn't agree more — I was...
Redefining Early Orthodontic Intervention
Episode #607 with Dr. Rebecca Bockow
Adults with dental problems weren’t always adults with dental problems, so what happened earlier that led to that point? Today Kirk Behrendt brings on Dr. Rebecca Bockow, a true rockstar of the dental industry, to discuss why you need to redefine early orthodontic intervention. Orthodontics is so much more than just straightening teeth—find out how it can make patients healthier in Episode 607 of The Best Practices Show!
Episode Resources:
- Learn more at Inspired Orthodontics
- Follow Dr. Bockow on Instagram
- Subscribe to the Best Practices Show Podcast
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club
- Join ACT’s Master Class
- See our Live Events Schedule here
- Get the Best Practices Magazine for Free!
- Write a Review on iTunes
Links Mentioned in This Episode:
Check out Specialty Imaging: Temporomandibular Joint and Sleep-Disorded Breathing by Dr. Dania Tamimi
Learn more about Spear Education
Learn more about the Pankey Institute
Learn more about the Kois Center
Register for Dr. Bockow and Dr. Mike Gunsun’s course
Main Takeaways:
Orthodontics is about more than just straightening teeth.
Don’t just wait for the adult teeth to come in to deal with problems.
So much growth happens in the first few years of life.
Braces aren’t necessarily the answer for everything—use the right tool at the right time.
Keep asking questions.
Quotes:
“One of the things that really struck me as a restorative dentist was I saw a lot of breakdown that was really related to the foundation. The bones in the gums weren't in the right place, which led to a lot of the breakdown I saw as a general dentist. And I thought, ‘If I can help put the bones and the gums in the right place, and the teeth, of course, then I could partner with phenomenal restorative dentists to rehabilitate a patient.’” (02:37—03:07)
“Back in 2013, I sat through a three-day course called Airway Prosthodontics before [Dr. Jess Rouse] joined Spear Education, even. And I was blown away. Kirk, I sat in the front row and I thought to myself, ‘All of these adult patients have airway issues. They all have orthodontic problems.’ And I started talking to him about the things I learned about expansion. And really a lot of the things I learned I had to learn on my own...
Tips to Improve Your Happiness as a Dentist
Episode #606 with Dr. Erin Elliott
Dentistry is an amazing career. You get to control your schedule, who you work with, your income, and your life. So, why are so many dentists unhappy? To explain why that is and what can be done about it, Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. Erin Elliott, seminar leader from 3D Dentists, to reveal the secrets to improving happiness. Stop dreading Mondays! To create a happier practice for you, your team, and your patients, listen to Episode 606 of The Best Practices Show!
Episode Resources:
- Send Dr. Elliott an email
- Learn more on Dr. Elliott’s website
- Follow Dr. Elliott on Instagram
- Follow 3D Dentists on Instagram
- Subscribe to the Best Practices Show Podcast
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club
- Join ACT’s Master Class
- See our Live Events Schedule here
- Get the Best Practices Magazine for Free!
- Write a Review on iTunes
Links Mentioned in This Episode:
Learn more about 3D Dentists
Main Takeaways:
Figure out what you like about dentistry.
Create a great culture and environment.
Surround yourself with happy people.
Get your schedule and income right.
Delegate what you don't like doing.
Find a mentor and take great CE.
Focus on things you can control.
Add the right technology.
Set achievable goals.
Quotes:
“I feel like we have been blessed in the career that we have chosen, and it breaks my heart to think that you go to work every day dreading it, or the Sunday night paralysis that I hear about — the dread, the stress, the beaten down, having to go sit in the restroom to deep-breathe because that's the only place no one bothers you, just one thing after another. It breaks my heart because I do think we've been given a gift.” (5:23—5:57)
“Obviously, there are some things in dentistry you might have to do. But really, we are blessed to be able to create and change an environment that suits you. You don't have to conform to what we've been taught, especially nowadays. Nineties dentistry, you were told you drilled and filled, you referred, and you'll make a pretty good living. But now, you can make it what you want it to be.” (7:58—8:27)
“A good place to start is to simply write down what it is you do like about dentistry. Now, my dad told me this story one time — he was a dentist. He’s passed away now, but he never had an associate because he could never find anyone that he trusted with his patients or connected with. And I always remember this because he said he was in an interview once and he said, ‘Okay. So, tell me what you like about dentistry.’ The associate said, ‘Well,...
The Art of Data Analysis: Transform Your Dental Practice as a WHOLE and for each ROLE
Episode #605 with Curtis Marshall
Are you looking at an ocean of data for your practice and letting the fear of drowning prevent you from making improvements? Today Kirk Behrendt brings on Curtis Marshall of Dental Intelligence to explain the art of data analysis and how to maximize its potential. Transforming your practice as a whole and for each role doesn’t have to be complex—find out how to simplify the process on episode 605 of The Best Practices Show!
Episode Resources:
- Subscribe to the Best Practices Show Podcast
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club
- Join ACT’s Master Class
- See our Live Events Schedule here
- Get the Best Practices Magazine for Free!
- Write a Review on iTunes
Links Mentioned in This Episode:
Find out more about Dental Intelligence
Main Takeaways:
Data removes all emotion
Understand and track your hygiene department KPI benchmarks
Focus on the individual roles in order to improve the whole
Be transparent with your team about your metrics
Focus on improving specific metrics instead of chasing them all
Quotes:
“So the whole, meaning, ‘Hey, here's everything that's happening in your practice,’ right, the high level, everything that's going on. The role meaning as an individual, what should I be focusing on? And we have many different team members in different roles in the office. Some people might be two or three different roles, so I'm not saying people, we’re saying roles, like what you need to be looking at.” (06:15—06:41)
“We pull all the data and information out of people's practice management software, so all the ones and zeros, we don't pull the reports because the practice management software makes their own reports. We pull the raw data, clean it up, and give you a whole bunch of metrics that if you're like Kirk and his team, you're going to read those and understand it. You have a decoder, and you know how to read it. But for the roles in the office and what different team members, looking in that see could be very difficult.” (06:48—07:23)
“Here's what we typically do. We take the whole and then we go to the team and say, ‘This is the problem. Go fix it.’ And everybody goes in different directions to try to fix something, yet they don't know if it's going to be related to or not. And they come back and they're like, ‘I'm exhausted’ or ‘This is what I did,’ or ‘I forgot.’” (09:31—09:52)
“[For hygiene] you want to compare, know the delta the difference between your active patients, patients who have been in your office in the last 18 months, versus how many are in your hygiene program.” (10:19—10:38)
“Okay, So I have my 2000 active patients. Out of those active patients, let's just make numbers easy. 1000, or 50%, of them are in my hygiene department. Of those thousand in your hygiene department, you want to know how many of those hygiene patients currently, as of today, have a future hygiene appointment. That is...
Unveiling the Hidden Paycheck Breakdown – Where Does Your Team Members’ Hard-Earned Money Really Go?
Episode #604 with Robyn Reis
Do your team members feel underpaid and underappreciated? If they do, there's a way to fix that! Today, Kirk Behrendt brings back Robyn Reis, HR consultant from Bent Ericksen, to share how one conversation can change the mindset of your team, improve retention, and increase workplace satisfaction. A paycheck isn't all that you offer! To find out the best way to talk about everything your practice provides, listen to Episode 604 of The Best Practices Show!
Episode Resources:
- Send Robyn an email
- Join Robyn on Facebook
- Subscribe to the Best Practices Show Podcast
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club
- Join ACT’s Master Class
- See our Live Events Schedule here
- Get the Best Practices Magazine for Free!
- Write a Review on iTunes
Links Mentioned in This Episode:
Learn more about Bent Ericksen
Receive coaching from Robyn
Main Takeaways:
Plan how often to have compensation conversations with your team.
Communicate the total compensation that your practice offers.
Compensation goes beyond the dollars your team receives.
Having these conversations can improve retention.
Be authentic when having these conversations.
Quotes:
“Money, of course, is important because we need to have a life and pay our bills. As much as work-life balance and culture is important, money is also a top priority. What I think the missing link is with compensation conversations that doctors have with team members is that the entire package isn't really discussed. Of course, team members are only looking at, ‘What is my paycheck? What are the dollars going into my pocket?’ And I think it does a disservice to the practice if they're not having the conversation about the total compensation statement, the total reward statement, by saying, ‘Here's all that we've invested in you. Yes, that final dollar goes in your pocket. Yes, we want to be competitive and we're contributing to your retirement. We've got X amount of paid days off, paid holidays, uniforms, continuing education. We're investing in you personally, professionally.’ That sometimes isn't viewed in the paycheck.” (5:13—6:17)
“As people talk about raises and engagement and getting to a higher ceiling, at some point, it gets to the top and you really can't continue to add to the bottom line for hourly wages. And so, other non-monetary or other perks then become part of that conversation and part of that reward. And I think what is really key to consider is a lot of people, right or wrong, associate their worth with how much they make, and sometimes they feel underpaid and underappreciated. That's when having these regular...
Why Freehand Direct Composites will Thrive in the Digital World
Episode #603 with Dr. Dennis Hartlieb
Digital workflows are becoming more and more popular, but what happens when the results aren’t perfect? Today, Kirk Behrendt brings on Dr. Dennis Hartlieb, an expert in cosmetic dentistry, to explain why freehand direct composites are still important in an increasingly digital world. To find out how freehand direct composites can help you have happier patients and more satisfaction in your practice, listen to Episode 603 of The Best Practices Show!
Episode Resources:
- Subscribe to the Best Practices Show Podcast
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club
- Join ACT’s Master Class
- See our Live Events Schedule here
- Get the Best Practices Magazine for Free!
- Write a Review on iTunes
Links Mentioned in This Episode:
Dr. Christian Coachman’s Digital Smile Design.
Learn more about Dental Online Training.
Listen to the DOT Sharecast podcast.
Join the DOT Study Club.
Main Takeaways:
Composite is a first-rate material, but it’s not as strong as porcelain.
Digital dentistry isn’t perfect, so you need to be able to use your hands.
Differentiate yourself from your competition.
Composite veneers are more fixable than porcelain.
When it comes to doing a direct composite veneer, contour is king.
Find satisfaction in your work.
Quotes:
“There's great materials in dentistry, and composite is not a second-rate material at all.” (06:06—06:10)
“The reality is, and I've done enough of this interplay between digital and analog, there are times when you have your digital, you bring it to the mouth, and it's not quite what you thought it was going to be. Also, there's a can't that you weren't anticipating, even though you did everything that you thought was right. Maybe the teeth are too long, maybe the teeth are too short. Even though you use your digital smile design, that's not exactly what you thought it would be. So it's incumbent that as dentists, we still recognize that we have to use our hands. You know, this is what we're about. We still need to be able to use our hands. And for me, freehand composites mean the ability to be able to layer composites, place composites, be able to contour composites and polish composites by hand to create the shape and the texture and the contour and the form that we want and that we need. And while I think it's fine and great to be able to use guides to help us along, I think ultimately, if we're just going to be dependent on a digital workflow, there's going to be times when you're going to fall short and you're going to need to have the skills to be able to meet the expectations of the patients or maybe meet your own expectations of what you...
Change Your Hours, Change Your Life!
Episode #602 with Courtney Dalton
Do you like working late hours, missing family time, and not having a life? If your work hours aren't working for you, it’s time to change it! To help simplify the process, Kirk Behrendt brings back Courtney Dalton, one of ACT’s amazing coaches, to share three steps you can follow for the schedule you’ve always dreamed of. Change your hours, and you will change your life! To start taking control of your schedule, listen to Episode 602 of The Best Practices Show!
Episode Resources:
- Send Courtney an email
- Join Courtney on Facebook
- Subscribe to the Best Practices Show Podcast
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club
- Join ACT’s Master Class
- See our Live Events Schedule here
- Get the Best Practices Magazine for Free!
- Write a Review on iTunes
Main Takeaways:
Time is the new rich!
Prioritize creating a work-life balance.
Set up a scheduling agreement with your team.
Protect your schedule by always sticking to the schedule.
Run with your new schedule. You won't ever regret changing it!
Quotes:
“You spend so much time with your work family — and it is a family because you spend a significant portion, not even of your day, but of your life, in your practice doing what you love to do, which is great. But there's a balance that we're probably missing, and that’s to be able to be present for your family and for your life outside your practice and outside your work obligations. So, it's really important to strike that balance, and find your “why”, and take the steps to make the change.” (2:37—3:11) -Courtney
“Dentists have been classically misled to believe that they have to expand hours to attract patients to do more dentistry. That is just not true. Maybe when you start, to get it rolling. But eventually, the mark of a truly professional practice is when people come to you because of you during the hours that you work.” (3:36—3:57) -Kirk
“There are other people that will teach you, ‘Expand your hours. Work on Saturdays,’ and all that stuff, to grow your practice and grow your gross production. That is true. It will work because you'll be seeing a lot of different insurances and all those kinds of things to grow that. What you lend yourself to when you have less desirable hours is less desirable talent. The best people in the world know that they're good. So, if I'm a great hygienist or a great chairside assistant in your town, I know I'm good, and I'm going to go to a practice that values my contribution and the fact that I want a life. People don't think about this when they expand their hours. They just think of the financial opportunity. But you also have to staff a practice. When you're writing off a third, you've got to staff a practice that has to produce a third more. And it's naturally going to put you in some waters that are dangerous out there. So, I think changing your hours to fit your practice life is one of...
The Triple Threat: Unmasking the Struggles and Successes of Being a Mom, Entrepreneur, and Dentist!
Episode #601 with Dr. Katie Satula & Dr. Casey Dorsch
It’s incredibly tough being a mother, but when you add the extra challenges of being a dentist and an entrepreneur on top of that, it becomes even more complex. Leadership can be lonely, but to show you that you’re not alone, Kirk Behrendt brings in Dr. Katie Satula and Dr. Casey Dorsch, two members of the Dental Entrepreneur Program, who share their experiences of being mothers, entrepreneurs, and dentists. To learn from their struggles and success, listen to Episode 601 of The Best Practices Show!
Episode Resources:
- Subscribe to the Best Practices Show Podcast
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club
- Join ACT’s Master Class
- See our Live Events Schedule here
- Get the Best Practices Magazine for Free!
- Write a Review on iTunes
Links Mentioned in This Episode:
Learn more about the Wisconsin Dental Entrepreneur Program
Read Traction by Gino Wickman
Main Takeaways:
You need your village.
Find your balance.
Leadership is a lifelong learning process.
Get your values in place and help your team buy into them.
Belonging to a community will help you learn and overcome obstacles.
Quotes:
“One of the things that scared me [about ownership] was the finances, obviously. You have a huge student loan debt, a huge debt now from the practice, so that was really nerve-wracking, but something that helped me get over that was the thought of like, “Okay, someday I’m going to be able to say, ‘Hey, I’m the owner, my kids have soccer at 4:00 today and I’m leaving.’” I really wanted that flexibility not to feel guilty, not to feel bad, not to feel like a bad employee if I decided to leave early or take vacation with my husband or whatever. So the ability to be flexible. And my dad had that; he was an owner and he was at every one of our soccer games and he tried to be there for everything and he still owned a business. So I thought that’s what I want—I want to be able to have everything, have it all.” (06:31—07:14) Dr. Dorsch
“I was the complete opposite. I knew from early on in dental school that that was a big draw for dental school is that I could be in healthcare and treat patients and be a dentist and have a fulfilling career, but also be my own boss and own a practice and do all that. So for me that was always my end game mostly because of what Casey’s second point was, is I wanted the ability to have that work-life balance. Be there for my kids, my family, be there for the patients that are in the office and have that. There’s obviously pros and cons to it—yes, I can be there for my family, but you also get a call on Saturday afternoon and sometimes have to go in and things like that, but the goal was always to at some point be a practice owner.” (07:22—08:12) Dr....
Solutions to the Hygiene Crisis
Episode #600 with Dr. Sam Low
We’re all asking how to attract hygienists. But there's another question you should be asking. How do you keep the ones you've got? To help you motivate the right hygienists who are already in your practice, Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. Sam Low, associate faculty member of The Pankey Institute, with his insight into what hygienists truly want and the best ways to provide it. To learn how to keep your hygienists happy, listen to Episode 600 of The Best Practices Show!
Episode Resources:
- Send Dr. Low an email
- Learn more on Dr. Low’s website
- Subscribe to the Best Practices Show Podcast
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club
- Join ACT’s Master Class
- See our Live Events Schedule here
- Get the Best Practices Magazine for Free!
- Write a Review on iTunes
Main Takeaways:
Don't wait to give your great hygienists a raise.
Empower hygienists with CE and provide opportunities.
Add technologies that can decrease your hygienists’ stress.
Understand what your hygienists actually want from your practice.
Hire hygienists for their people-person personality, not just their skill sets.
A huddle is not an option. Do morning huddles with your team every morning.
Quotes:
“I know that dentists have always appreciated a hygienist. But I'm sure they never appreciated them till they didn't have one.” (2:07—2:20)
“When we go to any kind of service, we like to see the same people. We don't like somebody different. Like likes like. And so, our patients, who are used to Sally being their hygienist for 20 years — now, Sally's gone. Now, Martha's there. ‘Who's Martha? I don't know. Martha's going to be in my mouth. Is she the same as Sally?’ And then, they say, ‘Well, maybe I don't want to go back there.’ Especially if you have, what? Constant turnover. How many times have you heard patients say, ‘I don't know what's going on over there. Every time I go over there, there's somebody different’?” (3:44—4:28)
“The most frequent, perfunctory appointment in a dental office is a dental hygiene prophylaxis. Nothing else repeats itself like that. It’s predictable. You kind of know what's going to happen. So, if that's the situation, to me, it would be like a process. First of all, how much time do you want for each one of those perfunctory appointments to occur? Now, here's going to be your problem. There is no way, with third-party reimbursement, that you can pay for a dental hygienist and the operatory with what you're going to get off of a prophylaxis in one hour. We've worked the numbers. It's impossible. In fact, if you're not careful, it'll be kind of like Medicaid — you're going to be paying them.” (7:14—8:16)
“Dental hygienists spend 50% of their time scraping on teeth — 50% of their time at that one hour — with antiquated scalers and curettes that they will not let go of because that's the way they were taught, and they were taught that, ‘If I ever give them up,
Team “Never Sell” Your Practice
Episode #599 with Dr. Craig Spodak
Do you ever feel like selling your practice? Whatever your reason — stop! There is probably a better option. To explain the pressure you're feeling to sell, important things to consider, and different options that are available, Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. Craig Spodak, co-founder of Bulletproof Dental Practice and author of The Bulletproof Practice. Create a business you never want to sell! To learn how, and to learn more about the upcoming Bulletproof Summit, listen to Episode 599 of The Best Practices Show!
Episode Resources:
- Join Dr. Spodak on Facebook
- Follow Dr. Spodak on Instagram
- Subscribe to the Best Practices Show Podcast
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club
- Join ACT’s Master Class
- See our Live Events Schedule here
- Get the Best Practices Magazine for Free!
- Write a Review on iTunes
Links Mentioned in This Episode:
Learn more about Bulletproof Dental Practice
Register for Bulletproof Summit (August 11-12, 2023)
Read or listen to The Bulletproof Practice by Dr. Peter Boulden and Dr. Craig Spodak
Listen to Bulletproof Dental Practice podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher
Watch Bulletproof Dental Practice videos on YouTube
Main Takeaways:
Dentistry is whatever you want it to be.
Never forget the “why” behind your dentistry.
Ignore the FOMO you feel about selling your practice.
Identify exactly what you want in your life and your practice.
Don't make long-term decisions based on temporary emotions.
Quotes:
“Right now, we're all aware of this pervasive narrative of, ‘This DSO bubble is going to burst. Money is flooding in, but it's going to dry up. You don't want to be the last guy standing, not cashing in on the value of your practice.’ So, there's a lot of dental FOMO out there. I think that the narrative is strong and widely held by different parties. Whether those be different portions of the industry, there's a force to push us to...
The Truth Behind Happy Dentists
Episode #598 with Dr. Gary DeWood
There is one thing even the best dentists can't help you with in your practice. That one thing is your happiness. To bring you closer to it, Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. Gary DeWood, executive vice president of Spear Education, to reveal the secrets to becoming a happier practicing dentist. By identifying three simple things for yourself and your business, you will experience more joy in this profession. To find out what they are, listen to Episode 598 of The Best Practices Show!
Episode Resources:
- Send Dr. DeWood an email
- Join Dr. DeWood on Facebook
- Follow Dr. DeWood on Instagram
- Subscribe to the Best Practices Show Podcast
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club
- Join ACT’s Master Class
- See our Live Events Schedule here
- Get the Best Practices Magazine for Free!
- Write a Review on iTunes
Links Mentioned in This Episode:
Learn more about Spear Education
Upcoming seminars at Spear Education
Main Takeaways:
Identify how much time, money, and patients is enough.
Have a clear vision of what you want for your practice.
Make a plan for your goals to make them happen.
Only you can know what makes you happy.
Don't try to be everyone’s dentist.
Quotes:
“Aristotle said — and I don't know that anybody has really changed anybody's mind if they disagree with this — that the whole purpose of life is to be happy. That's what everybody is seeking. In fact, the more I have thought about that, read about it, and talked about it to people, the more I believe that to be true. The difficulty is no one can define what it is that will make you happy, or what things you need for you to be happy. That's when you get into the whole thing about, you have to decide for yourself what it is you're after. What do you want? How are you going to decide? That is not something anybody can help you with.” (4:13—4:54)
“It's impossible to feel successful at the end and say, ‘I did that all myself.’” (7:28— 7:33)
“There's a time in your life when you should have a consultant. I believe this. That's why I said I don't think anybody does it all themselves. There's a time when somebody has to tell you what to do, ‘Do this.’ Well, first of all, I would offer this, for what it's worth, from my own personal experience. If you say to somebody, ‘I don't know what to do,’ because you trust them, and they don't immediately ask you, ‘What do you want?’ it doesn't matter what they say — don't listen, because that's going to be about them. If you know this person and they say, ‘Well, what are you after?’ — because I honestly believe unless you have some...
How to Safely Reduce PPO Write-Offs Without Leaving PPOs
Episode #597 with Dr. Tom Orent
It’s impossible to reduce PPOs. That's what your friends and colleagues tell you. But it is possible — they just don't know how to do it right! To teach you how to do it safely, Kirk Behrendt brings in Dr. Tom Orent, “The Gems Guy” and CEO of Freedom Summit, to reveal his proven strategies that will free you from your “PPO hell”. To learn more about how Dr. Orent can help you and your practice, listen to Episode 597 of The Best Practices Show!
Episode Resources:
- Send Dr. Orent an email
- Join Dr. Orent on Facebook
- Follow Dr. Orent on Instagram
- Subscribe to the Best Practices Show Podcast
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club
- Join ACT’s Master Class
- See our Live Events Schedule here
- Get the Best Practices Magazine for Free!
- Write a Review on iTunes
Links Mentioned in This Episode:
Learn more about Dr. Orent’s Free 4-Step System
Learn more about Dr. Orent’s 1,000 Gems
Book a call with Dr. Orent today!
Main Takeaways:
Understand the true cost of PPOs to you and your patients.
Don't go fee-for-service just to go fee-for-service.
Remember that some PPOs will not negotiate.
Learn how to reduce PPOs the right way.
You don't need to leave all PPOs.
Quotes:
“We get out of school, and we make the assumption that, ‘If I can be the best dentist I can be clinically, everything else will fall into place.’ Well, the truth is, if that's all you're focused on, everything else will fall — but not into place.” (3:38—3:50)
“One of the things I did was I went 100% fee-for-service. I decided that PPOs — that was the end of that . . . You don't want to do it haphazardly, as I mentioned a moment ago. So many docs make that emotional decision, and they say, ‘I hate,’ name any PPO you want, whatever it is, ‘I'm just going to pull out of it.’ And then, they end up getting hurt, financially, and patients leave in droves, and they're not prepared to do it. They're not prepared financially. They haven't prepared their team on how you speak to these patients, when should you speak to them, what should you say, how should you say it, and who should say it. There are so many pieces to that puzzle of doing it well.” (6:04—6:45)
“[I realized] we don't need to be 100% fee-for-service when there are two plans that are actually paying us well, treating our staff well, and the patients are great. So, I would never go fee-for-service just to...
3 Best Practices to Prevent Embezzlement
Episode #596 with Matthew Nelson
Three in five dentists experience embezzlement. Don't let it happen to you! To prevent this from happening in your practice, Kirk Behrendt brings in Matthew Nelson, a practice management analyst from the California Dental Association, with three best practices that will keep embezzlers at bay. Know the red flags and do your due diligence before it’s too late! To learn what they are and what you can do, listen to Episode 596 of The Best Practices Show!
Episode Resources:
- Send Matthew an email
- Follow Matthew on Instagram
- Subscribe to the Best Practices Show Podcast
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club
- Join ACT’s Master Class
- See our Live Events Schedule here
- Get the Best Practices Magazine for Free!
- Write a Review on iTunes
Links Mentioned in This Episode:
Learn more about the California Dental Association
Protect your practice with LastPass
Main Takeaways:
Recognize the red flags of embezzlers.
Be involved with spot-checks and audits.
Make it known to your team that you audit.
Always do background checks on applicants.
Call references at the official business number.
Remember that embezzlers steal in multiple ways.
Quotes:
“There is a survey from the ADA from 2018. In the survey, about 49% of the dentists that responded said they had experienced some type of embezzlement or employee theft. What we're finding now, Dentistry IQ had an article, they said three in five. And with COVID-19, and with people furloughed and laid off, doctors started to open more of their own mail and finding weird things. Three in five, that's 60%. That's a pretty big impact.” (6:04—6:35)
“[The reason why dentists may be more susceptible to embezzlement is because] I don't think there's a lot of training. A lot of dentists don't think it will happen to them because it's their staff that they hired and brought in. Third-party payments are hard to track. Things like consultants, bookkeepers, CPAs, the second set of eyes, all of these things are usually the first to go when things aren't going how they're supposed to. There is, in healthcare more than any other industry, this sense of entitlement that the staff feels. Like, ‘If I didn't book this appointment, or if I didn't do this treatment coordination, or if I didn't get this person to say yes to doing this treatment, the doctor wouldn't even have this.’ More in healthcare than anywhere else, we see this amongst staff.” (6:52—7:41)
“Circling back to the impact, obviously there's financial loss, but there's turnover. And listening to a lot of your shows, obviously, you are a big proponent of time and having time back. When there's turnover, you're recruiting and staffing and training, and...
3 Tips for Writing a Hiring Ad That Stands Out
Episode #595 with Miranda Beeson
An ad won't fix your practice, but it can attract the right people. To draw in those awesome, future team members, your ad needs to stand out! To help you craft an eye-catching post, Kirk Behrendt brings back one of ACT’s amazing coaches, Miranda Beeson, to share three tips to write the best ad that applicants will find. Let the right people come to you! To learn how, listen to Episode 595 of The Best Practices Show!
Episode Resources:
- Send Miranda an email
- Follow Miranda on Instagram
- Subscribe to the Best Practices Show Podcast
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club
- Join ACT’s Master Class
- See our Live Events Schedule here
- Get the Best Practices Magazine for Free!
- Write a Review on iTunes
Links Mentioned in This Episode:
Register for ACT’s To The Top Study Club (July 28, 2023)
Register for ACT’s To The Top Study Club (August 11, 2023)
Watch How Should a Company Share Its Values?by Simon Sinek
Listen or watch The Best Practices Show Episode 572 with Heather Crockett
Main Takeaways:
Be crystal clear about your core values in your ad.
Utilize photos and videos to illustrate core values.
Share testimonials from current team members.
Use a call to action to weed certain people out.
Know which words and phrases to avoid.
Post your ad on social media.
Quotes:
“[The hiring challenge is] not just in dentistry, it's everywhere. But we're feeling it really hard in dentistry, especially a smaller practice when you're not part of a larger corporation that has recruiters out there constantly interviewing. When you're a private practice and you have a smaller team, or even 20 team members, and you're responsible for filling those seats with the right people, we're in a challenging place right now. I don't think I have a single team that I coach that isn't looking for at least one new team member. It's a problem across the board in every industry, but it hits dentistry really hard and it's ongoing. I don't think it's changing any time soon.” (1:51—2:27)
“One day, we're going to stop talking about pre-COVID and post-COVID. But this is really a post-COVID problem. I really think it stems from that era of people being at home for a period...
The Untapped Energy Goldmine Inside Every Dentist: Boost Your Life and Practice!
Episode #594 with Dr. Uche Odiatu
Do you want to enjoy more of your day, but don't have the energy? Get ready to bring it back with this episode! Today, Kirk Behrendt returns with Dr. Uche Odiatu, one of ACT’s favorite health and wellness gurus, with tips for tapping into your energy reserve through simple, actionable steps and mindset changes. If you're ready to boost your life and practice, listen to Episode 594 of The Best Practices Show!
Episode Resources:
- Join Dr. Odiatu on Facebook
- Follow Dr. Odiatu on Instagram
- Learn more on Dr. Odiatu’s website
- Subscribe to the Best Practices Show Podcast
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club
- Join ACT’s Master Class
- See our Live Events Schedule here
- Get the Best Practices Magazine for Free!
- Write a Review on iTunes
Links Mentioned in This Episode:
Register for SmileCon (October 5-7, 2023)
Listen to Bulletproof Hygiene
Read Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari
Read Die Brokeby Stephen Pollan and Mark Levine
Read The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Peopleby Sean Covey and Stephen R. Covey
Read The Brain that Changes Itselfby Norman Doidge
Read What the Bleep Do We Know?by William Arntz
Buy the Hooga Health Book Light
Main Takeaways:
Energy is currency.
Stay physically active for brain health.
Take the time for self-care and relaxation.
Pay attention to messages from your body.
Celebrate the people you respect and admire.
Quotes:
“You get paid for energy. People remember your energy. You can't hide your energy. When you walk into a room, you either have high energy or low energy. If you're in a dark or sad place, it's low energy....
Elevate Your Dental Practice! Learn 4 Ways to Communicate and 3 Skills to Listen Better
Episode #593 with Dr. Steve Carstensen
Listening is the most important skill, in and out of your practice. How you listen and communicate will drive your success as a dentist and as a human being. To help you provide the best care for your patients, Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. Steve Carstensen, co-founder of Premier Sleep Associates, with advice for improving your listening and communication skills while in the chair. To start getting more engagement from your patients, listen to Episode 593 of The Best Practices Show!
Episode Resources:
- Learn more on Dr. Carstensen’s website
- Join Dr. Carstensen on Facebook
- Follow Dr. Carstensen on Instagram
- Subscribe to the Best Practices Show Podcast
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club
- Join ACT’s Master Class
- See our Live Events Schedule here
- Get the Best Practices Magazine for Free!
- Write a Review on iTunes
Links Mentioned in This Episode:
Read The Clinician’s Handbook for Dental Sleep Medicineby Dr. Ken Berley and Dr. Carstensen
Learn more about World Sleep Society and World Sleep Academy
Read articles in Dental Sleep Practice
Read Books by Alan Alda
Read Fascinate by Sally Hogshead
Learn more about Mary Osborne’s listening exercise
Register for the ADA Children’s Airway Event (July 27-29, 2023)
Main Takeaways:
Know your patients, yourself, your work, and how to apply your knowledge.
Don't tell patients what they need. Start with a benefit statement.
Understand the benefits that patients are looking for.
Get good at questions, not answers.
Listen more, talk less.
Quotes:
“Communication touches everything we do. If we have a great idea, fantastic. But if it doesn't get out of our head into somebody else's
Why You Need a Clinical Coach
Episode #592 with Dr. John Cranham & Dr. Noemi Cruz-Orcutt
In the words of Brené Brown, we weren't designed to do everything alone. We all need a little help, whether it’s from a mentor, a coach, or a teacher. To explain the differences between the three types of guidance, why you need it, and how to find the right person for you, Kirk Behrendt brings in Dr. John Cranham and Dr. Noemi Cruz-Orcutt to share their mentor-mentee relationship and how it continues to grow. To hear more about how a coach can change your practice, listen to Episode 592 of The Best Practices Show!
Episode Resources:
- Send Dr. Cranham an email
- Join Dr. Cranham on Facebook
- Follow Dr. Cranham on Instagram
- Learn more at Cranham Culp Digital Dental
- Join Dr. Cruz-Orcutt on Facebook
- Follow Dr. Cruz-Orcutt on Instagram
- Subscribe to the Best Practices Show Podcast
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club
- Join ACT’s Master Class
- See our Live Events Schedule here
- Get the Best Practices Magazine for Free!
- Write a Review on iTunes
Main Takeaways:
Understand the differences between a teacher, mentor, and coach.
Find someone you respect, admire, and is the right fit for you.
Coaching or mentorship can help speed up your progress.
A coach can help you gain the confidence you need.
Don't choose anyone to be your mentor or coach.
Quotes:
“[Coaching is] one of those things in dentistry that is way underutilized. With the technology today, like virtual articulation and the ability to treatment plan on a computer, we can use technologies or software like TeamViewer, or Zoom, or any of these things to be able to share a screen, and it's like you're sitting right next to one another. I think it can really help connect dentists — whether you're a mentor, a coach, or even an interdisciplinary team — maybe better than we've ever seen it before.” (5:09—5:44) -Dr. Cranham
“If you have somebody that you trust, and you know if you put in the time that you're going to get a result, that's way different than putting time in when you're not sure you're going to get a result. That's called reinventing the wheel. And if I hadn't had those people, Pete [Dawson] and all those people early in my career, there's no way my career would have gone where it ended up, because by the time I had been practicing 10 years, I probably had the experience and knowledge of a dentist doing it 30 years. And so, you can get to a [higher] level much faster. “You hear the old adage, standing on the shoulders of the
Tips to Avoid the Summer Slump
Episode #590 with Adriana Booth
Summer is approaching, and so is the summer slump. But it doesn't have to happen to you! To help you avoid the “slow months” in your practice, Kirk Behrendt brings back Adriana Booth, one of ACT’s amazing coaches, for ways to stay focused and boost production when every other practice is feeling stuck. Enjoy your summer while still being productive! To learn how, listen to Episode 590 of The Best Practices Show!
Episode Resources:
- Adriana’s email: adriana@actdental.com
- Adriana’s Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/adriana.booth
- Adriana’s social media: @adrimarieb
- Subscribe to the Best Practices Show Podcast
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club
- Join ACT’s Master Class
- See our Live Events Schedule here
- Get the Best Practices Magazine for Free!
- Write a Review on iTunes
Links Mentioned in This Episode:
It All Starts with Marketing by Dr. Ann Marie Gorczyca: https://bookshop.org/p/books/it-all-starts-with-marketing-201-marketing-tips-for-growing-a-dental-practice-dmd-mph-dr-ann-marie-gorczyca/9046861?ean=9781935953562
Main Takeaways:
Have a year-at-a-glance calendar.
Start managing the summer schedule ahead of time.
Use the summer months to reactivate your A and B patients.
Utilize summer fun to build relationships between teams and patients.
Be aware and mindful of the summer slump so you can work to avoid it.
Quotes:
“One of the things we want to look at is, what do we have coming up? We talked about having a year-at-a-glance calendar so that we know within our own team who is where this summer. Are people out on vacation? Do we have events coming up? We have graduations, graduation parties. We have all these things going on. And yes, we have a digital calendar with the schedule. But being able to see it in front of us is so much more effective when it comes to planning so we can see the vacations, we have fun days possibly planned, and we have something to look forward to. When we also think of that, we look at our schedule internally, so where our patients are coming in, and we want to manage that time appropriately.” (3:21—4:08)
“If we notice we're getting a lot of last-minute cancellations, we're getting a few no shows — our patients also get summer brain. How can we stay ahead of that? So, we want to work our recare system. Starting April, May, we're planning for June, July, August to get us through the summer months that we traditionally call the summer months because school is out and we can say, ‘Okay, who hasn't been in?’ So, we think about reactivating patients who maybe have a little more free time. Kids have more free time in the summer. So, we want to...
How to Improve the Treatment Planning Process with Asynchronous Communication
Episode #589 with Dr. Christian Coachman
Episode Resources:
- Dr. Coachman’s Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/christiancoachman
- Dr. Coachman’s social media: @chriscoachman
- Digital Smile Design:https://digitalsmiledesign.com
- Subscribe to theBest Practices Show Podcast
- Join ACT’sTo The Top Study Club
- Join ACT’s
Dropping PPO's Isn't the Only Way to Reduce Your Write Offs
Episode #588 with Dr. Barrett Straub
Episode Resources:
- Dr. Straub’s email: barrett@actdental.com
- Dr. Straub’s Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/barrett.d.straub
- Dr. Straub’s social media: @bstraub10
- Kirk’s email: kirk@actdental.com
- Subscribe to the Best Practices Show Podcast
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club
- Join ACT’s Master Class
- See our Live Events Schedule here
- Get the Best Practices Magazine for Free!
- Write a Review on iTunes
Links Mentioned in This Episode:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/0lixufs3cobjbrm/OUTLINE_%20%20Dropping%20PPO%E2%80%99s%20isn%E2%80%99t%20the%20only%20way%20to%20reduce%20your%20write%20offs.docx?dl=0
Main Takeaways:
It’s all about achieving balance.
Increase control so you can decrease stress and burnout.
Fill your chair and maximize the efficiency of your schedule.
Know the real reason your team compensation percentage is high.
Before adding anything, understand what maximizing capacity means.
No matter your practice size or insurance participation, track your write-offs.
Quotes:
“If you've been listening to our podcast, we've been talking about our financial gaps in those four places where money leaves your practice between your gross production and the time you get to put money in the checking account. The first gap, and the biggest one, often is what we call the effort gap. That's basically made up of your write-offs, a big part portion of that. And what we've been talking a lot about with our clients and with other dentists is that finding the participation in insurance that makes the most sense for you and reducing that and reducing your exposure to those insurances to find that write-off percentage that works the best for you. So, we've been focusing a lot on PPOs and being able to reduce that. However, we don't want the focus only to be on, ‘The only way to reduce your write-offs is to drop PPOs,’ because it's not. There are some other strategies that you can use starting tomorrow to lower your write-off.” (2:33—3:31)
“We're in an economy of inflation. We're in an economy of low dental workforce demand. And we’re in an economy of decreased reimbursement from insurance and higher costs of doing business. So, our margins are getting tighter, and that's just a reality. It doesn't mean that it can't be overcome. It just means we've got to think smarter and track the numbers and make some smart decisions.” (5:04—5:29)
“One of the quickest ways to burn-out and stress is a feeling of lack of control over your practice. We hear from...
How to Find More Energy and Purpose in Your Days
Episode #587 with Katrina Sanders, RDH – The Dental WINEgenist
Episode Resources:
- Katrina’s website: https://katrinasanders.com
- Katrina’s email: katrina@katrinasanders.com
- Katrina’s Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/katrina.sanders.948
- Katrina’s social media: @thedentalwinegenist
- Tooth or Dare social media: @toothordare.podcast
- Subscribe to the Best Practices Show Podcast
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club
- Join ACT’s Master Class
- See our Live Events Schedule here
- Get the Best Practices Magazine for Free!
- Write a Review on iTunes
Links Mentioned in This Episode:
Register for Katrina’s next Disease Prevention & Wine Tasting course (October 5-6, 2023): https://www.eventbrite.com/e/act-dental-hygienists-live-course-october-5-6-2023-tickets-368595568267
Katrina’s 2023 speaking events: https://katrinasanders.com/calendar
Unique Ability: https://uniqueability.com
Main Takeaways:
Find your unique ability.
Discover your mission and purpose.
Always be learning and always be inspired.
Create a lasting impact that is outside of dentistry.
Be raw, authentic, and honest. People will support you.
Quotes:
“The reality is, inside of dentistry right now, we are seeing niched practices and we are seeing niched clinicians who are stepping into very unique roles inside of their practice where now, if they are taking the time to reflect on these things — so, number one, something that you're really good at. I talked to hygienists all the time that are like, ‘I'm really good at social media. I really enjoy posting videos, or doing cutesy little reels, and things like that on social media.’ Well, if you're really good at that, why are you not utilizing this as an aspect inside of what it is that you're doing in clinical practice? Couldn't you take something like this and lift this into your practice? So, little things like that. What are some of the things that you're really good at?” (16:25—17:17)
“So often inside of dentistry, we're so focused on, a hygienist is only as good as the number of minutes that his or her fingers are in somebody's mouth . . . I think we have to change. I think we have to flip that mindset to say, ‘Actually, we have these amazingly talented people who absolutely are good and are trained as clinicians.’ I know how to hold an instrument. I can hold an instrument very well. I can scrape a tooth very well. But there's so much more to me. And one thing that I found inside of clinical practice is how thrilling when you get to step into...
The Story of 2 Superpowers in Dentistry
Episode #586 with Dr. Amanda Seay & Dr. Adamo Notarantonio
Episode Resources:
- ImP.R.E.S.: https://imprescourses.com
- Dr. Seay’s social media: @dramandaseay
- Dr. Notarantonio’s social media: @adamoelvis
- Subscribe to the Best Practices Show Podcast
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club
- Join ACT’s Master Class
- See our Live Events Schedule here
- Get the Best Practices Magazine for Free!
- Write a Review on iTunes
Links Mentioned in This Episode:
ImP.R.E.S. 2023 course registration: https://imprescourses.com/2023-course-registration
Main Takeaways:
Remember that being a dentist requires a lot of hard work.
Take CE that is transformational, not transactional.
Learning photography is essential in dentistry.
Mastering rubber dam isolation is essential.
Always dream big.
Quotes:
“There's so much CE. For me, a transactional CE sometimes are those that — not that it's bad. You go to learn something specific, or maybe you go because you want to hear someone speak. They're there at the podium to give you some information, but there's no engagement. There's no follow-up. Meaning, if you have a question about what was taught after the class, you’ve got to figure out how to get that answer maybe from another colleague, internet, whatever. And you can do that, there are lots of little courses like that. But the transformational ones are the ones where there's a relationship. There's follow through.” (35:27—36:17)
“The first transformational CE I had was the Kois Center. Because John Kois is, of course, the head of that whole center, and he is faculty. But he is the one that teaches that entire curriculum. And he's such a big, famous guy. I remember going there for the first time and I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, I have this question. I still don't get it.’ Like, I still don't get it, but I'm so afraid to bother him. I don't want to go up there. So, I went up and I asked. And he asked questions back to test my understanding of, ‘Why do you think this? Tell me why. I'm not saying you're wrong but tell me why you think this.’ And I'm telling him all this stuff, and he could sense my confusion. And he's like, ‘Can you meet me tomorrow at 6:00 a.m.? Let's go over this case.’ And I remember that moment. I'm like, ‘You're going to help me.’ Like, I'm no one. Like, you've got thousands of students that you see every year. And he did. And I remember leaving that course that week and coming home. And I'm like, he cares. He wants to see us better, and he's invested. Like, yes, we paid thousands of dollars to go to the Kois Center and learn from a great educator. But it extends beyond the transaction. And so, I hope that when I stepped into the educator role that I could achieve the same thing.’” (36:20—37:54)
“There are some lectures that are better than others. But the hotel lectures or the study club lecture sometimes, it's...
6 Items You're Missing to Transform Your Day-to-Day Life
Episode #585 with Jenni Poulos
Episode Resources:
- Jenni’s email: jenni@actdental.com
- Jenni’s Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jenni.poulos
- Jenni’s social media: @actdental
- Subscribe to the Best Practices Show Podcast
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club
- Join ACT’s Master Class
- See our Live Events Schedule here
- Get the Best Practices Magazine for Free!
- Write a Review on iTunes
Links Mentioned in This Episode:
The Myth of Multitasking by Dave Crenshaw: https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-myth-of-multitasking-how-doing-it-all-gets-nothing-done-2nd-edition-project-management-and-time-management-skills-dave-crenshaw/14594823?ean=9781642505054
Quotes:
“Never in my years and years and years of coaching have I walked into an office and had a dentist or a team member tell me, ‘You know what? I have so much time available in my day. I always know exactly what I'm going to do, and when I'm going to do it. I start it and finish it without distractions,’ said no one, ever. Ever. Especially in this world. The dental practice is crazy. We’re always pulled in a million directions. That's the nature of the beast. So, without a plan for our days, we end up functioning, always, in reactive mode. And what we really need to do is move out of this reactive mode and into a proactive mode to create efficiency, have a more predictable day, and we become way more productive, and our days are happier.” (2:07—3:14)
“In the early 1900s, Charles Schwab, who at that time was a steel titan, the second biggest steel company in the country, he was looking for ways to increase his productivity. He wanted to beat out the competition and become number one. So, he had a consultant named Ivy Lee come in, and he said, ‘If you can give me 15 minutes, I will show you and your executives the way to get more done.’ Schwab, I can see him laughing through this, ‘Well, how much are those 15 minutes going to cost me?’ And he said, ‘Nothing. Unless it works, nothing. In three months, you can send me a check if it was worth it.’ So, three months later, Ivy Lee got a check for $25,000 from Schwab that said, ‘Thank you. You changed my life.’ Today, that's a check for $400,000 for 15 minutes of his time.” (4:54—5:54)
“So, this is the method. What [Ivy Lee] said is, at the end of your day, I want you to write down the six most important things that you need to accomplish tomorrow. Not more than six. Spend a few minutes. Think about it. What are the six most important things? Prioritize those items in order of their true importance. Not what I want to do, not what's easy to do — what's really important. Then, when you come in tomorrow, get to work. Concentrate on the first task. Work on that first task until it’s finished, and don't move on to the second until you've taken it to completion. Approach the rest of your list in the same manner. At the end of the day, anything that's not done moves to the list tomorrow, and you rinse and repeat.” (6:04—7:04)
“We talk about why [the Ivy Lee Method] works. Conceptually, this is so simple. What are the six things that I want to do? Why does it work? One of the main reasons that this really works is because of this myth of multitasking. It’s not a thing. Our brain can only focus, intentionally, on one thing at a time. What you're actually doing is called switch tasking. Your brain is jumping from one thing to another, and every time it does that, it has to refocus and the work that you're doing ends up not being as high quality and it takes you longer. So, you need to stay intentionally focused on one thing. Until it’s done, give it your full attention, and then move on to the next.” (8:50—9:40)
“I've presented [the idea of intentionally focusing on one task] to doctors and dental team members, and they're like, ‘This is ridiculous. Do you know what it’s like in the dental office?’ I'm like, ‘Yes. I've worked in a dental office for 20 years. I know exactly what it’s like.’ This doesn't mean I don't answer the phone. This doesn't mean that I don't deal with the patient in front of me. This doesn't mean, ‘I started doing payroll. So, sorry crown prep that's in seat two. I'll be there when I'm done.’ This means that the task that we’re working on, if we have to step away from it because of these other things, when we can come back, we get back into that. We give that our attention. It doesn't mean ignore everything that's going on around you. It means, what's the most important? Stick with it until it’s done. Then, next. Stick with it until it’s done.” (9:42—10:31)
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
2:01 Get out of the reactive mode.
4:35 The Ivy Lee Method, explained.
5:55 Item #1) Write the six most important things you need to accomplish for tomorrow.
7:06 Switch tasking, explained. Intentionally focus on one task at a time.
[]
Jenni Poulos Bio:
Jenni brings to dental teams a literal lifetime of experience in dentistry. As the daughter and sister of periodontists and a dental hygienist, she has been working in many facets of the dental world since she first held a summer job turning rooms and pouring models at the age of 12. Now, with over 10 years of experience in managing and leading a large periodontal practice, she has a firm grasp on what it takes to run a thriving business. Her passion for organizational health and culture has been a driving force behind her coaching career. She has witnessed firsthand how creating an aligned and engaged team will take a practice to levels of success that they never believed possible!
5 Tips to Increase Productivity as a Dental Team
Episode #584 with Robyn Theisen
Episode Resources:
- Robyn’s email: robyn@actdental.com
- Robyn’s social media: @actdental
- Subscribe to the Best Practices Show Podcast
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club
- Join ACT’s Master Class
- See our Live Events Schedule here
- Get the Best Practices Magazine for Free!
- Write a Review on iTunes
Links Mentioned in This Episode:
Best Practices Show Episode 566 with Robyn Theisen: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3XlrvOk7UUc
Best Practices Show Episode with Debra Engelhardt-Nash: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zPV3FI_qWKc
Quotes:
“Think about a dentist who does composites all day long. They're going to be “busy” and may not be as productive as they could be as if they thought through, what does productivity mean to them? What is the goal with that? What does it mean to be productive to them? The easiest way to measure it is by dollars, and there are other ways to know if you're productive, by patient flow and all different kinds of things that you could look at for getting patients into your practice.” (2:17—2:45)
“Working smarter, not harder, is cliché and it fits here with the way you leave at the end of the day. How do you feel about your day? If you're exhausted, that's a different type of productivity than leaving at the end of the day like, ‘That was a great day! It felt good. We saw patients. We were able to spend time with all of our patients. They left with great service.’ That makes for a more productive day, I believe, and there are ways to do that to make sure that you can accomplish that.” (3:57—4:24)
“Where I would start is setting goals, and then creating a block schedule or scheduling to goal, however you want. There are different ways to refer to it and different ways to set it up, but knowing, what is your goal at the end of each day? And the easiest way to do that is by a number. So, you have a production goal, setting up your goals that way, and then analyzing your schedule. When do I want to do the most productive procedures? When do I want to put those into my day? Do I want to have that all done by noon and after lunch? Or if you're working straight through that afternoon part, it’s set up where you're doing different types of procedures that don't require as much for you. I also think that blocking your hygiene schedule and setting that up with it is another way to not feel crazy during the day. How many exams do I want to do in an hour? How do I incorporate scaling and root planing blocks into that? How do I incorporate the new patient block so that you have the time to be in all of those different places, and give your patients the best that you have to offer, and take care of yourself in the process?” (4:47—5:51)
“In dentistry, we often hear, ‘September is always a slow month,’ or we have different “slow months” that we've talked ourselves into throughout the year. And if we are dedicated to a system, and then to the production and scheduling to production, the ebbs and flows don't have to be as high and low. You have a system around how you schedule to goal, the ways in which you direct patients to those holes, and the whole team is working on scheduling to that goal, so there's more consistency in your days, in your months, and in your years.” (7:23—7:54)
“You can look back at your production and know, ‘I did this many crowns. I did this many fillings. I have to seat this many crowns.’ So, if you can look at what those different services are and how many you need, you can start to put together a schedule that allows you to get your composites done, and it doesn't have to be a whole day of composites. You have your crowns blocks, you have your high production blocks. So, there's a way to look at what you have historically done and be able to create a schedule around that. And hopefully, as you become more productive, that changes a little bit too. So, you might have to tweak your blocks as you go along. But it’s about looking at what you've historically done, and what your goals are, and how do we fit those services together to get to that goal each day.” (8:50—9:31)
“Offices that have morning meetings are 17% more productive than offices that do not. And this is a great piece of the block scheduling system or scheduling to goal is the morning meeting. I think it’s a crucial part of it because it’s the opportunity that we have to look at today to say, ‘Are we scheduled to goal? If we’re not, what are the opportunities? What are the same-day treatment opportunities that we have that are coming in today that we could schedule? Where do they fit in the schedule so that we can get ourselves to the goal? And what are the next openings that we have within our doctor’s schedule, hygiene schedule, whatever that is? And again, who’s coming in today that potentially fits that? And so, we can direct those patients to fill those holes or the gaps in our block scheduling. And so, then it becomes a team sport to do this, not an individual business team that's stressed with getting the schedule full and having it be full. It’s the whole team.” (11:04—11:59)
“I have been to a number of morning meetings that they just read what's on the schedule. They read the same things that we can all read. It’s more about looking at the opportunities. I can read what's happening today. I want to know what I can't read on the schedule and what opportunities we have to fill those going forward.” (14:02—14:19)
“My third tip is around mix of patients. I know that there are many, many, many practices out there that are absolutely crammed full in hygiene. They’ve hit capacity. And what I'm also seeing at the same time, for those of you that have Dental Intel, is I'm seeing a correlation in the diagnostic percentage of the doctor. So, I see that the diagnostic percentage is lower than what we would like to see or what the national average is. And diagnostic percentage is looking at how many patients came into your practice today and that you diagnosed something new on. So, it’s looking at the number of exams that you've done and where you've diagnosed. And what I'm seeing is that we’re having the same patients come in over and over again, because we’re at capacity, so we’re rescheduling those same people. And the minute that somebody falls off a list or falls off their appointment, they cancel the appointment, they don't show up for it, we are using our ASAP list to fill back into the schedule. So, we’re recycling the same people over and over again instead of looking at the opportunity in our unscheduled patients. How many patients have not been in in six to nine months or six to 12 months? Even the 18 to 36 during the COVID-19 period, if we invited those patients back in and continued to mix up treatment opportunities, we’re going to have a different mix for the doctors as well.” (15:18—16:40)
“A lot of [unscheduled patients] still consider you to be their dentist. They don't realize how much time has gone by. And so, it’s not that they don't consider you to be their dental home. They are unaware of the time that has passed. And many times, we haven't called them, or we haven't reached out to invite them back.” (17:49—18:06)
“The diagnostic percent is impacted by many different things, one of them being the mix of patients. Another thing that I see that goes back to the block scheduling is that when doctors have no — there's no schedule to the day or cadence to their day, they're rushing in and out of exams, and the diagnostic percentage can also be impacted by that when you don't have the time to spend with your patients. So, going back to the block scheduling, if your schedule is more predictable and you have the time to be able to spend with your patients, that also impacts that number.” (19:23—19:53)
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
1:31 Productivity versus busyness, explained.
3:40 Work smarter, not harder.
4:39 Tip #1) Start by setting goals and schedules.
5:51 Be dedicated to a system.
8:39 Look at your mix of services to schedule.
10:47 Tip #2) Have a morning meeting.
12:11 A great practice has a great huddle.
15:14 Tip #3) Get a mix of patients.
18:11 Pay attention to your diagnostic percentage.
19:53
[]
Robyn Theisen Bio:
Robyn Theisen brings an entire life and legacy of dental experience to the team and every team with which she works as the daughter and sister of dentists. With almost 20 years of experience in dentistry, her roles ranged from practice management to operations at Patterson Dental to coaching teams. Robyn’s passion is empowering teams to realize that they can dramatically impact the lives of the people they serve by implementing skills and systems to remove barriers to life-changing dental treatment. She has done it for decades and does it every day with dental teams.
Outside of coaching, she enjoys time with her husband, Rob, and two daughters, Emerson and Ruby. She loves traveling, music, fitness, and cheering on the Michigan State Spartans.
Messages That Move People: Three Ways That Public Speaking & Presentation Skills Can Grow Your Practice or Advance Your Skills as a Dental Professional
Episode #583 with Katherine Eitel Belt
Episode Resources:
- Katherine’s social media: @Keitel1
- LionSpeak:https://www.lionspeak.net
- LionSpeak Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/LionSpeak.net
- Subscribe to theBest Practices Show Podcast
- Join ACT’sTo The Top Study Club
- Join ACT’sMaster Class
- See ourLive Events Schedule here
- Get theBest Practices Magazine for Free!
- Write aReview on iTunes
Main Takeaways:
It matters that your message is clear.
Clarify your message in an inspirational way.
Learn the difference between a framework and a script.
Understand why public speaking is an important business skill.
Quotes:
“Here’s the reality. Scripts work when people follow them. But they tend to be complicated. They tend to be, ‘Here is the step by step by step,’ and nobody can remember a hundred steps when the phones are ringing, and people are coming in and out. And it doesn't feel authentic because they didn't craft it. But one thing scripts did, whether it’s speaking from the platform or whether it’s on the phone, one thing scripts gave us was consistency of message if people followed it. And so, I like that. As a business owner, I don't want you to call my office and talk to Kelly and get one experience or one set of information, and then call and talk to Stacey and get something completely different. As a businesswoman, I want consistency of brand, of message, of information. But if we only look at scripting to give us consistency, we lose authenticity, that feeling that I'm actually talking to a human being who’s present in this moment, who is really getting me. But if we only follow on authenticity, then the conversations go wacky and wonky.” (5:43—7:00)
“I'm the kind of girl that says, ‘Why do I have to choose? Why can't I have something where I can have consistency of brand and message and information, I can get consistent results, and I can do it through this lens of authenticity and connectivity? And so, we look at every place where we need a particular outcome, and we ask ourselves, ‘What are the common threads in any good conversation for a new patient for answering this particular kind of question, for speaking from the stage? How can we make it super simple so that people can remember it in a moment, so it can't be a hundred steps? It’s got to be, usually, somewhere between three and five steps. And we have found that people will more likely commit to that, and they tend to do it when no one is looking. If they really believe in the framework, they’ll follow it when no one is looking, whereas with a script, they follow it when they think they're going to get a mystery shopper call. But otherwise, when no one is looking or listening, they tend to go back to what feels comfortable. I'm after sustainable, long-term results, and the frameworks have done that so much better.” (7:01—8:08)
“I think a lot of people would never aspire to be a public speaker. And maybe they never will. But Warren Buffett said, someone asked him, ‘If you had to narrow it down to one professional skill that you think is essential to people being successful in business, what is it?’ And he said public speaking. Think about an owner of a practice. Whether it’s a solo practice or a large group or a DSO company, as an owner, our main job, in my opinion, is to make sure there's never a day that the people who work for me aren't clear on what we’re creating. And because of that, there's never a day where they're not clear what they should be focusing on to help us achieve that future vision. And so, the ability of an owner to stand up before a team and clarify where we’re going, why we’re going there, and what it’s going to take, and simultaneously to do it in a way that inspires their team to want to get on board, is a very, very important business skills, and I would say lucrative skill, for the owners that know how to do that.” (8:29—9:45)
“All communicators, we have two things we’re trying to create with patients, with team, with the public, with our families. That is clarity. Every time we speak, we’re hoping we’re creating clarity versus confusion. And we’re also hoping that we can create that clarity in an inspirational way. In other words, people leave a conversation from me and they're not confused about what I'm asking for. They’re super clear, but they're also inspired to take a step toward what I'm requesting. And if we can do both of those, we are an excellent communicator. So, if you think about it from an owner’s standpoint, if you're hoping to scale your business, you may be talking to and making a presentation to investors. If you're a solo practitioner, you've got a lot of really big issues in our industry today, keeping your team on board, putting together a new team, realigning your team with new technologies and new things that you see for your future. A lot of people are bringing in sleep dentistry or they're bringing implants internally into the practice or whatever they're doing, and they’ve got to get people on board with that. So, that is standing up at a team meeting and essentially delivering the presentation. So, that's one way.” (9:45—11:03)
“The second way is, if you're a hygienist, if you're a dental assistant or an administrator, and if you have any desire to advance your career in terms of your salary or in terms of your position, then the ability for you to, again, clarify your message and inspire a team is an essential skill to be at the front of the line for that promotion and at the front of the line for salary increases. It’s a skill that owners and managers long for, and they're willing to pay for. And they notice the people at a team meeting that are able to stand up, make their case for what they're wanting to say, and do it in a way that brings people together and doesn't drive them apart. That skill is something we all want and we notice it in our employees. So, I think there's that. There's deciding that you're going to use these skills to forge your career.” (11:04—12:04)
“Lastly, the third reason I think that dental professionals would be interested in this is sometimes we are very passionate about a perhaps part of our work. And we wonder, what would it be like to help others understand it as deeply as we do, or be able to have the proficiency and mastery that we have. So, let's say a hygienist is particularly passionate and really highly skilled with lasers, or a clinician is really passionate about implant placement, or an administrator is really passionate about a particular way of enrolling patients into treatment. There is an entire industry of people who have not mastered those skills. And a lot of dental professionals will take on a side gig, if you will, of speaking about the thing they're very good at and very passionate about, and they have this very fun, lucrative side gig of sharing their passion with the industry. So, I want to encourage people that it’s easier then they think, if that’s a goal, to do it, and that our industry really needs them.” (12:05—13:17)
“It matters that [your message] is clear. It matters that it’s inspirational. They don't have to be Tony Robbins, but they do have to talk about why we’re going here and why the team would want to accept the invitation to get on board.” (16:19—16:34)
“We’re cursed with something that I call the curse of knowledge. So, if we’re going to take the front of the room, let's say, that might be a stage, but it might just be the front of your team meeting. Wherever that is, you're going to take the front of the room. It’s a leadership position. And we could all talk for days on the things we’re passionate about and that we know a lot about. But our audience can't listen for days, and they can't absorb it. And so, our goal is not to share with them everything we know about the subject. Our goal is to organize our content in a very tight and easy-to-understand way. I always say our job is to make the complex seem simple. It’s complex. Right? What you teach, what I teach, what these technical things, they're complicated. But our job is not to show how much we know.” (17:30—18:26)
“We use something we call the bookshelf framework. It’s essentially a four-step — the quickest way to describe it is, I'll say to the people we’re coaching, ‘Imagine you have a shelf and some brackets, a pile of books, and two bookends, and your goal is to make a beautiful bookshelf on the wall. Out of that pile of supplies, what would you need to put on the wall first?’ Of course, it’s the shelf and the brackets. So, that's how we build the content structure of the speech. We organize our content using this. The shelf represents, in one sentence, what is this speech about? What is the thing I want my people to understand and take away in one sentence? If we can't get clear about that, we can't get our audience clear about that. So, that's actually the hardest thing of the whole bookshelf, is getting that clarity. Once we’ve got that, then we put the books on. So, the books are the containers. We say up to five — less is more. The books are the containers for the supporting concepts of our bookshelf one-line, bottom-line. So, they hold the pieces, the examples the data, the support, all of that. Now, all the books aren't the same size. They might have chapters and subchapters depending on how much time you have. But once you get beyond five, people can't remember it and they tune out. So, we try to put everything we want to say inside these five books and how deep we go in them depends on time.” (18:52—20:32)
“The best speech I ever heard, I still remember it. It was almost 20 years ago. I heard this speech at the National Speakers Association, and to this day, I can tell you what that speech was about, what I did with the information, why I thought it was important then, and still now in my career. I remember he made us laugh, he made us cry, he made me think, he made me act . . . Joe Calloway. He had a 45-minute keynote to 2,500 professional speakers. That's a pretty big deal. He nailed it. And 20 years later, I can remember what he said. How many people listened to us and 20 years later can say, ‘I remember what Katherine spoke about 20 years ago’?” (20:34—21:19)
“ (
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
1:38 Katherine’s background.
5:08 Frameworks versus scripts, explained.
8:09 Why you need public speaking skills.
13:18 It matters that your message is clear.
17:02 Top things that separates a poor, average, or fantastic speaker.
18:26 The bookshelf framework.
Katherine Eitel Belt Bio:
Katherine Eitel Belt is considered The Unscripted Communication Expert in the US, Canada, and the UK. An international keynote speaker, author, and coach, Katherine is the creator of The Lioness Principle™, a unique leadership communication tool. This guiding principle along with several other easily replicable tools are what LionSpeak uses to help professionals communicate with more authenticity and effectiveness. The company specializes in a broad range of communication forums including frontline telephone skills (including mystery shopper services), public speaking skills for executives and sales teams, media readiness, inter-team communications, adult learning techniques for trainers and educators, and personal leadership skills.
Using creative, non-traditional methods to help professionals break through barriers and achieve phenomenal results is something Katherine and the team at LionSpeak love to do! Though this transformative work, Katherine has become a mentor to other consultants, trainers, speakers, corporate executives, and managers. In response to that demand, Katherine created her Transformational Training and Inspirational Speaker’s Workshops as well as her Lion Camp Leadership Experiences which are annual sell-outs in San Diego, California and are considered the premier team retreat for progressive corporate and healthcare teams.
Katherine is a SCN Spotlight-On-Speaking champion, National Speaker’s Association member, Speaking/Consulting Network board member, and past-president of the Academy of Dental Management Consultants. She was recently honored as the 2015 recipient of the prestigious Linda Miles Spirit Award for her contributions to the dental industry.
3 KPIs to Know if Your Periodontal Protocol is Working
Episode #582 with Miranda Beeson
Episode Resources:
- Miranda’s email: mirandabeesonicc@gmail.com
- Miranda’s social media: @actdental
- Subscribe to the Best Practices Show Podcast
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club
- Join ACT’s Master Class
- See our Live Events Schedule here
- Get the Best Practices Magazine for Free!
- Write a Review on iTunes
Links Mentioned in This Episode:
3 KPIs to Know if Your Periodontal Protocol is Working: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1T8shs-Fz86O7dtbfx3dma5kKOknvsIJo/view
The Best Practices Show Episode #574 with Miranda Beeson: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/5-strategies-to-encourage-dental-hygienists-to-diagnose/id1223838218?i=1000612492886
Katrina Sanders’ Disease Prevention & Wine Tasting course (October 5-6, 2023): https://www.eventbrite.com/e/act-dental-hygienists-live-course-october-5-6-2023-tickets-368595568267
Main Takeaways:
Monitor your periodontal visit percentage.
Monitor your periodontal diagnostic percentage.
Monitor your periodontal acceptance percentage.
Look at all three KPIs together to get the whole picture.
Help patients discover what they need rather than telling them.
Build value through conversation and bringing patients into the process.
Quotes:
“If we put something into place, strategies around creating periodontal protocol in the office, that's great. But it really doesn't mean much if we don't know if it’s actually working. Are team members following through? Are we getting the response from patients that we want? So, we want to know if those protocols are working so that team members can have accountability for their role in the process. Their own accountability, also maybe we need to be tied into that. Or we have our own as practice owners and doctors. And also, so that we can course-correct. Or, even better, celebrate when we need to. When the data points show us that need to put some countermeasures in place or course-correct, great. But if we’re doing really well, we want to take the time to acknowledge the team members who've been putting in the effort and making that happen. So, there are a lot of reasons why monitoring this is really important.” (3:12—3:58) -Miranda
“I would venture to say very few [practices have a periodontal protocol]. From my own personal experience as a hygienist, over the years, I can't remember a practice I joined that had an established periodontal protocol when I joined the practice. And then, when I look at coaching and the teams that I have had exposure to, most of those teams have none, or something they’ve tried to develop on their own and they really need some help getting it growing, getting it where it’s really actionable. So, I would say, if I had to put a percent on it, it would be a really low percentage of the number of offices that truly have a documented and aligned periodontal protocol in their practice, which is why we did that previous podcast around the strategies to help make that happen in your practice. But again, if we put that into place and we don't monitor for its success, then what's the point?” (4:27—5:14)
“I worked in a practice that when I joined the practice, it was two percent perio. And that's when I started looking into — I was the only hygienist there — how do I make a periodontal program? And by the time I left the practice about three-and-a-half years later, we were at 22% perio. So, it’s a matter of sitting down and aligning, and really creating that philosophy in the practice and putting strategy into, how are we going to identify health in this practice, and then what are we going to do to treat anything that’s not health so that we’re all doing it the same in a way that is the most optimal care for our patients?” (6:30—7:06)
“The first thing that we’re going to measure is our periodontal visit percentage. Now a lot of our clients and coaching clients have Dental Intel, so this helps us do that pretty easily. But you can do this manually as well, or just printing reports within your practice management software. And what that is is the percentage of patients that are seen by the hygienist within a given period of time, whatever timeframe you select. Generally, we’re looking at it weekly or monthly when we’re reporting on that.” (7:56—8:21)
“So, what percentage of patients that the hygienist is seeing are periodontal patients? We’re going to look at prophys, the D110, separate from all of those 4000 codes. And this is where you talked about, I have codes on my cheat sheet here. The codes that go into that periodontal percentage are D4355, the gross debridement; D4346, the gingivitis therapy, because technically, a patient is not diagnosed with periodontal disease when we’re using that code, but they're not healthy. And it is still technically a perio code by way of how we classify it. The D4910, so periodontal maintenance patients. And then, the quadrant codes, the periodontal therapy codes, D4341 and D4342. And in Dental Intel, which you can also customize this in your own software, would be your implant maintenance codes or your implant therapy codes like the D6080 and D6081. So, what percentage of the patients that the hygienists have seen, say, within a given month, of those patients, how many were a periodontal procedure that was performed?” (8:22—9:29)
“A lot of people, like we talked about in our previous podcast, are doing periodontal services and gingivitis therapy and coding it as a prophy. So, it really does start with coding for what we’re truly doing. Putting out a treatment plan, talking with our patient about the difference in this type of cleaning or hygiene services than what they're used to with preventative nature. So, really putting the appropriate codes on the services that we’re providing.” (10:13—10:40)
“If you're at zero percent, two percent perio, like I was telling you, my practice I joined was two percent perio. If I had thought I was going to get to the benchmark of 35%, 40% perio in the first six months, that would've been crazy. I want to go from two percent perio to four percent perio, four percent perio to maybe seven percent perio. Now, as time goes on and you're working a periodontal protocol over time and it gets more established and your team gets more comfortable having the conversations with patients, the business team gets more comfortable with handling objections around the treatment plans, you're going to see that gap increase larger each time. You might start with two percent increase. But eventually, you might go from seven to 12%, or 12% to 18%, 18% to 29%. That gap will start to increase over time as the confidence and knowledge within the team improves over time.” (11:06—11:54)
“I have some awesome teams, so shout-out to all my team. And all of them that are working on this right now, the biggest thing is celebrating and helping them stay motivated with the small accomplishments. I have a team right now that's, again, they started at zero percent. And when we did our last check-in for the weekly numbers, they were at three percent. And we’re going to talk about periodontal acceptance rate in just a minute as well, that was 100%. So, they went from no patients to three patients being diagnosed this week. All three of them accepted treatment. So, we had to stop and really celebrate that progress. Three patients might not seem like a lot if you have an active patient count of 4,000. But three patients being treated optimally for their disease state and your team feeling comfortable and confident, we have to celebrate that growth. And that means next time the growth is going to double because now, they're more motivated.” (12:47—13:38)
“When we look at our community, our culture, we look at research, we know that based on age differentials the research is a little different, but over half of the population has some form of periodontal disease, gum disease, gingivitis, and or active disease. And as we get older, 65 and above, that number goes up into the high 60s, in some research, even the 70 percentile. So, we’re looking for is, how do we reflect in our practice, on our patient population, that same level of care? And so, the benchmark is going to sit around 35%. And that will vary. I know that's a Dental Intel benchmark, and we do work with them pretty exclusively with a lot of our coaching clients. There are some people who would argue that that benchmark is 40% to 60%. It depends on your geographic area, access to care. There are different things that come into play. But certainly 35% is a solid benchmark to start from.” (13:49—14:43)
“The second KPI you're going to want to monitor is your periodontal diagnostic percentage. What that means is, it’s the patients that we’re seeing for hygiene that were diagnosed for new periodontal treatment. So, new codes that are those 4000 codes, the same ones that I mentioned before. So, a patient comes in for care. You have eight patients today, and two of them were treatment planned for a 4000 code. Maybe one of them for gingivitis therapy, and one of them for quadrant periodontal therapy. And so, we’re going to look at, out of those patients, what percentage of the patients that I saw at any given period of time were diagnosed with new periodontal treatment codes.” (15:38—16:15)
“I think really important for the hygienist to track [these KPIs]. The accountability really comes back to that team member. First, making sure that the team members who are going to be asked to track these numbers are a part of the strategy around why, why are we tracking them. They really have to have the buy-in. Otherwise, this is just a chore or a task that you're giving them. But when the hygienist is responsible for monitoring that, they're going to be paying closer attention to the outcome. They're going to be thinking more mindfully about it throughout the day and thinking to themselves like, at the end of the day, if they're tracking day after day or week after week, ‘What can I do? Because, oh man, I was at two percent this week. But Michelle was at 22% this week. Maybe I need to get with Michelle and figure out what she’s doing that I'm not doing.’ So, there's a level of accountability when the hygienist is the person tracking those numbers.” (16:31—17:22)
“When you're looking at your periodontal visit alone, that's telling you one piece of the picture. What we need to be looking at is, ‘How do we make that grow?’ Well, let's look at, how often are we making this diagnosis? If we can see that that number is maintaining relatively low, or maybe it has a spike, ‘Oh! What did we do last week when we had that spike?’ so that we can improve our efficiency with more diagnosis and more acceptance. These numbers are going to follow suit with your perio visit, initially. When you're first implementing a periodontal protocol program and you're at one percent in terms of your perio visit percentage, this number is also going to be relatively low because you're not really diagnosing perio. But as we start to diagnose more perio and this diagnostic number goes up, then over time as we schedule those appointments, that visits percentage is going to go up as well. And so, they really all tie into each other. But the consistency of monitoring it and, ideally, monitoring it at weekly team meetings, reporting to each other, checking in with each other, so that we can see ourselves along the way and not waiting till month’s end and looking backwards and, ‘Wouldn't it have been nice to know if halfway through the month I wasn't anywhere near where I needed to be?’ So, if we’re looking at that weekly, monthly at minimum, then we can start to make those changes that we need with the efficiency of the protocols to try to improve over time.” (18:07—19:30)
“If your periodontal visit percentage is doing great, you're up to 10% now, and then all of a sudden, it levels off, I bet if you look at your periodontal diagnostic percentage as of late, it’s gone down. Because if we’re not diagnosing new perio, that visit number, that overall periodontal percentage is going to decline. So, they do have a direct correlation which feeds into our other KPI as well. But you can't really look at just one and really tell how healthy your protocol is. You have to look at all three of them together to get the whole picture.” (20:01—20:35)
“The third [KPI] is periodontal acceptance percentage. So, what that one is is the number of those patients that we diagnosed with gingivitis or some form of periodontal disease and treatment planned those 4000 codes, how many of those patients commenced with all or at least part of the treatment that we recommended? So, what was the acceptance percentage from those patients of moving forward with that treatment that we recommended? And you can see how those tie in with each other. So, it might be important to see, ‘Great. Our diagnostic percentages was 20%. That’s huge! We did awesome diagnosing perio.’ But if our perio acceptance percentage was four, are we doing a good job relaying the value in what we’re recommending, or are we just doing it and checking the box? Now, if we’re 100%, that's awesome. We’re killing it. Every single patient that we treatment plan for periodontal therapy this month proceeded with treatment. We must be doing something right. Let's celebrate that and talk about what we did this month to make that happen.” (20:40—21:41)
“[Acceptance means patients] scheduled. They scheduled something. Something got put into the schedule from that treatment plan. So, if I treatment planned four quadrants of periodontal therapy for a patient and they scheduled for their first quadrant of therapy, that's considered the patient accepting. Now, there are two different ways you can measure this. And to get too complex, we should probably be careful. But you can measure it by the dollar amount. You can measure it by like, ‘I treatment planned $20,000 of periodontal therapy, and $10,000 of periodontal therapy got scheduled.’” (21:59—22:33)
“In the very beginning when periodontal protocols are newer to teams, I like to focus on patient acceptance first because it’s an easier measurement to understand and wrap your head around. And sometimes, when it’s new to our teams, that means it’s new to our patients. We haven't been talking about this. And so, them accepting even one quadrant is a big deal. And then, we can work through the experience of that first quadrant, building more value, they're not scared anymore because we kept them nice and comfortable. And then, they're going to proceed with scheduling the rest of that treatment. So, when it comes to breaking down acceptance, it’s that that patient that we treatment planned scheduled for something off of that treatment plan, at least got started with that treatment plan.” (22:33—23:18)
“I have teams, and I know they're not the only ones out there, that the doctor is doing the initial periodontal assessment, and diagnosing, and treatment planning, and discussing that with the patients. They see the doctor for their new patient visit. So, these periodontal protocols are going to be built into your new patient experience. But they're also built into your existing patient experience, those recare visits. So, that's your hygienists, for sure. And in a lot of offices, the hygienist also does see the new patient, so it would be built in there as well. But I don't want to miss out on mentioning that there are doctors who perform the new patient evaluation. They performed the full-mouth periodontal charting. They set the patient up and go over those findings with them. They're talking about the value of what's next and treatment planning. And so, we have to also know that the doctors, this information is really important to them as well. And in some offices, it might be the doctors or their assistants that are tracking this data around acceptance because it might be them that is having to develop that.” (24:03—25:00)
“These really all fit together in a bubble. But the diagnostic percentage and the acceptance percentage probably feed in the most. If you're just looking at acceptance percentage, you're going, ‘Great! We were at 100% this week. We killed it with patient acceptance for our periodontal procedures.’ But if we’re not looking at diagnostic percentage, is it that we diagnosed 50% of our patients with perio and 100% acceptance, or did we diagnose one patient with perio, and that one patient accepted? So, if we’re just looking at acceptance, we’re missing the piece of, how big is the exposure? Which is where that diagnostic percentage comes into play. In the same way that if we’re just looking at how many did we diagnose, what percentage did we diagnose, but not looking at how many of those actually moved forward with treatment, we’re only getting a piece of the picture. Those two really go closely together.” (25:18—26:13)
“[Periodontal acceptance percentage should be] as high as possible — 100%. I shoot for high goals. I want 100% of my patients that I'm recommending perio care to move forward. But we have to do, just like we have with anything else, where are we starting at? Are we starting at zero? If we don't have a periodontal protocol and we’re starting from scratch, then we might start a little bit lower because we know our team is not as confident yet presenting that. We know our business team hasn’t really worked through how they handle presenting the investment and handling the objections around it. So, maybe our percentage starts at, we'd like to have at least half move forward. And by next month, we want to be at 70%. And by the next month, 80%. And eventually, my goal would be all of the patients that you're recommending treatment to are moving forward because they have the value, you've set up easy systems for them to be able to pay for this investment if they're stuck there. There's really no question. They're asking for it, and they want it, and they're all ready to go.” (26:19—27:15)
“For me, a big piece of it is, it’s around value, and are we having the right type of conversation with the patient? So, are we making sure that we’re helping them to discover this disease process with us so that they want treatment, versus us telling them they need it? So, that's a piece of it. But then, also, when this isn't something that we’re used to implementing,
Put Your Dental Marketing to the Test
Episode #581 with Xaña Winans
Episode Resources:
- Xaña’s email: xwinans@goldenproportions.com
- Xaña’s social media: @xanaathena
- Golden Proportions Marketing: www.goldenproportions.com
- Subscribe to the Best Practices Show Podcast
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club
- Join ACT’s Master Class
- See our Live Events Schedule here
- Get the Best Practices Magazine for Free!
- Write a Review on iTunes
Links Mentioned in This Episode:
Take Xaña’s self-diagnosis quiz! https://www.goldenproportions.com/practice-marketing-checkup-act-dental
Xaña’s course on (June 16-17, 2023): https://www.eventbrite.com/e/discover-your-dental-marketing-dna-the-six-steps-to-success-tickets-274942178457
Start With Why by Simon Sinek: https://bookshop.org/books/start-with-why-how-great-leaders-inspire-everyone-to-take-action-2c622935-8c0c-4d97-9e9a-4fd6286d8336/9781591846444
Best Practices Show Episode 546 with Shelley DeGroff: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zgFoj5VUimQ
Jackass Brewing Company: https://www.jackassbrewingcompany.com
Main Takeaways:
Have a strategy.
Focus on branding.
Know your lead conversion.
Measure your lead generation.
Constantly optimize your marketing.
Make your new patient experience excellent.
Quotes:
“Every single doctor, when they call us, they might start out with something like, ‘I think I need a new website,’ or, ‘I've got a friend who’s been doing television commercials, and I want to do that.’ And what they're failing to see is that just going after a single strategy is not going to solve the bigger problem. But us telling them only gets us so far. It’s kind of like if someone tells you how to solve the problem, you're like, ‘Yeah, yeah, yeah. Whatever. I can figure this out on my own.’ But if you go through the journey and you diagnose the problem yourself — and that's what this quiz does — you can't unsee all of the things that it reveals that tells you, okay, your weakness is not just that you don't have a great television commercial. Your weakness in your marketing is like 16 other things.” (4:15—5:03)
“Most doctors focus on lead generation. They say, ‘I want the phone to ring. I want more patients. I want a certain kind of patient.’ But all they care about is the phone ringing. What they fail to realize is that to get true return on investment out of your marketing, you've got to start at the top of the funnel, which is your brand awareness and your brand message. And you've also got to pay attention to everything that comes after lead generation because that's where the return on investment comes from, is looking at are you converting the leads? Are you retaining those patients? Did you give them a great experience? Are they advocating for you and sending more people in? So, this quiz takes people through all the stages of the funnel, both things an agency that would do and that your own team could be doing or you could be doing to help improve your own marketing.” (6:04—6:51)
“The data tells me everything. And the data that we collect really correlates to everything that we ask in this quiz because it’s not just measuring how often the phone is ringing but, is it being converted, and are these patients being retained in the practice, and are you getting reviews and referrals? The part that I love about it is that it connects directly to your practice management software over 50 different platforms and it will measure your return on investment in real time. So, there's no hiding behind something that isn't working. It forces my team to get better because if the ROI isn't there, we need to pivot strategies or we need to change something about what we’re doing. I can also see if there's something on the doctor’s end, the team’s end that they can improve to help have an impact on their ROI. But if you're not measuring that bottom line number, it’s just a guess.” (7:33—8:24)
“As much as I love marketing and the art and the creativity that goes into it, it’s got to produce. And you've got to have some transparency in, ‘What was my end result in this thing?’ so you're not just throwing money down a black hole. But if you don't have that transparency — and I will tell you, this has become a big thing. It’s funny, when I started this about eight years ago, nobody was automating ROI. Now, it’s catching on. There are other groups that are starting to do it. But a lot of them still ask the doctors to run the report every single month. They say, ‘I need you to run a report, and I want you to match up these phone calls that we tracked that came in and try and find them in your patient reports, and then you're going to put this all on a spreadsheet so we can calculate your ROI.’ No doctor does that. No team does that. You know they don't have time. It’s a complete obligation. So, automating it and having that information at your fingertips has been a gamechanger for people.” (8:47—9:47)
“I think the biggest problem is [dentists] have a very narrow point of view as to what they need to be doing. They are not thinking big strategy.” (9:58—10:08)
“[Dentists] are focusing on the “what” and what “how”. The “what” is they're a dentist. The “how” is they're general, or they're using a piece of technology. But none of them are focusing on why they do what they do, and that is why their patients are only buying based on who takes their insurance, or what the cost is, or, ‘Can you get me in on a Saturday?’ So, this big other thing that I think is the biggest problem is dentists don't know their branding message, which is their “why”. And so, they are just one of many in their community, and they don't truly have the competitive advantage that they should in their marketing.” (10:23—11:01)
“Inefficiencies in marketing are, again, because there isn't a bigger strategy. And so, you might be putting all of your money into just one part of the marketing funnel. Often, they're putting it all into the lead generation, but it’s completely inefficient to spend all that money to make the phone ring is nobody is listening to the phone calls. If nobody knows the questions that the patients are having, and why they're choosing not to come into the practice and choose somebody else, or that your team doesn't know how to explain your “why” to these callers on the other end. So, these inefficiencies, I wish it was just one. But they're absolutely everywhere, following all the way down the process.” (11:58—12:41)
“Every doctor that I work with, they don't want quantity. I can get you quantity all day long. But they want a patient who comes in “preheated” that says, ‘Yeah, I looked at a bunch of dentists. Your vision, your values, the way that you take care of patients, that connected with me, emotionally.’ They come in; they already have trust with you. They move forward with treatment faster. They are bigger advocates of what you're doing, sending their friends and family because they get — it’s almost like a soul mate between a dentist and a patient when you can find the right doctor who shares your values and your vision. That really goes all back to that branding message and being able to put that out there in the first place.” (13:32—14:19)
“Trust comes from authenticity. That comes from truly being yourself and not creating this marketing message, this persona of something that you don't actually live by when the patients come into the practice. It’s about figuring out who you authentically are, why you love dentistry, why it’s so important to you, and then sharing that with people. And those are the people, that trust is going to be there because they're going to know it’s real and it’s authentic because it’s coming from you and not just some marketing created message.” (15:32—16:03)
“We have this broken down into sections that are related to the marketing funnel. And the first section, and this is almost universally the lowest score for every single person, is strategy related. So, we’re asking questions about things like, ‘Grade yourself one to five. Do you create annual smart goals about your practice growth?’ . . . Very few dentists have ever sat down and created goals for their practice unless they're working with somebody like you or I. So, we ask them about their goals. We ask them to grade themselves on, ‘Do we have an annual execution calendar and a budget? Are we sitting down as a team once a week or at least once a month and regularly reviewing the strategies and making sure that we are doing the things that we agreed that we’re going to do in order to be successful?’ We ask them, ‘Are we actually dedicating time each week in our schedule to do the marketing tasks, not just to have a plan but to actually put the plan into action?’ So, it’s all on a grade of one to five for each one of these questions, five being, ‘I'm killing it. I do this without thinking. I do this in my sleep.’ One is, ‘Oh, crap. I haven’t been doing this at all.’ And the strategy is universally where people get like 25% out of 100% on their scores, as a general rule. It’s pretty low. Big opportunities for improvement there.” (16:30—18:02)
“Branding has been the biggest thing that most practices are missing. So, let me set this up for you. Let's assume you're a patient. You're like, ‘I'm new to an area,’ or, ‘I just broke off a tooth and I don't have a dentist.’ They go online and search “dentists near me”, which is the first place almost everybody starts. They're going to see a couple of ads, and they're going to see the local listings in the Google Business Profile, and a whole bunch of opportunities under that. So, first, they're overwhelmed with a lot of information, trying to figure out who to pick. They are not picking a practice based on insurance, at that point in time, because they'd never even made it to your website. So, how do they decide who they're going to stop at and say, ‘I'm going to click on this site’? Because they're not going to click on the 15 different links that are going to be on that page. Yes, reviews are a big part of it. But if they are completely unfamiliar with your practice name and what you stand for, you're just one of the 15 on that page. If you've got a really strong brand and good brand awareness, and someone sees you and they go, ‘Oh, I've heard of that practice. I know what they stand for,’ there's instant trust and they are far more likely to click on it. So, you put in all that energy and effort to make sure your website is ranking number-one on the page. But you can get skipped if you're basically brand-new to them if they’ve never heard of you before. So, that brand awareness is hugely undervalued, in my point of view, because that's the thing that drives them to pick up the phone in the first place.” (19:31—21:08)
“If you stop and look at the practices in your community that are really successful, like the people that you almost envy because they have got it all going on — they’ve got a great social media presence, they’ve got great reviews, people talk about them a lot — I guarantee, if you go look at their marketing, there is a very clear message about who they are, what they stand for, and how they treat people. Their brand message, their tagline, however you want to be using it, is crystal clear. You probably didn't even realize it because you've been exposed to that same kind of message over, and over, and over again in all these different mediums, and it just felt right. It feels like that soul mate connection. You go, ‘Okay. This is why this guy is so successful,’ or girl, because they're clear on who they are and why people want to come to them.” (22:02—22:53)
“Once we get through strategy and branding, we get to the part that everybody is most familiar with, and that's lead generation. The first question that's on here is, we meet our new patient goals every month and they grade themselves one to five. And you know what? I get such an interesting response to this one because most of the time, they haven't set a target. There's no goal for how many new patients I want to get per month. They're like, ‘Well, is my schedule full? Then I think I'm getting enough.’ So, first, they have to understand how many new patients they're getting a month.” (25:02—25:34)
“We’re also asking them, ‘Is there a clear, digital marketing plan in place that is comprehensive — from SEO, to reviews, to social media, to paid search? Is there a plan, or are you hoping one thing is going to do all of it for you?’ Because again, back to the branding, that branding gets shared across all of the strategies and platforms that you're using. So, you can't just do one thing. We’re also asking them, ‘Is there more than one predictable new patient source that you're getting people from, aside from referrals?’ We all know those ought to be coming in. But there should be a minimum of two or three different lead generation sources, because if one of those lead generation sources goes dry, you're up a creek. Maybe your SEO is killing it and you're getting a ton of new patients in. But you have somebody who comes in who’s a competitor who’s really hitting it hard, and your SEO gets pushed down because maybe you're riding that wave of how well your website is doing, and so you don't keep up with it, or you go, ‘I don't have to invest as much money in SEO because I'm getting so many people.’ It’s really easy to lose traction and lose new patients very quickly if you don't have multiple sources that are regularly bringing you new patients. So, don't rely on just one. That's a really fast way to get bumped off.” (25:36—26:56)
“The other thing with lead generation, how the heck are you measuring it? Don't tell me, as a doctor, ‘We ask every new patient that schedules.’ That does not tell me where your leads are coming from because it’s the halo effect, especially if you're doing your branding right, they’ve seen you on social, they’ve heard about you from a friend, and they read your reviews. There could be any number of different things. You're going to have to have some level of call tracking in there to get more accurate data about how well your lead generation is working.” (26:58—27:27)
“Somebody has to have seen or had some interaction with your brand a minimum of seven to nine times — not before action, but before their brain even notices it and goes, ‘Oh.’ So, I could hear about ACT Dental seven to nine times from other people in a variety of things, but it doesn't really stick. It doesn't click until I've had that level of saturation. And then, you might make it into my consideration process. So, there's a lot more that goes into it before they're ready to take action.” (28:03—28:36)
“If you're clear on your brand message, they come in, they're pretty much going to agree with your treatment plan. They're not going to argue with you or go shopping for other doctors because they’ve got that trust, because they’ve seen your brand, they know who you are and what you stand for. It all works together. This is why you can't skip the steps. You've got to go step by step by step through the funnel.” (29:10—29:29)
“The one that we tend to forget about is lead conversion. So, great. The phone is ringing. Are they scheduling? That is critical. Are you listening to the phone calls? Are you able to document whether somebody is scheduled, didn't schedule, went to voicemail? It kills me, over 33% of all calls that come into dental practices go to voicemail. We have covered millions upon millions of phone calls, and I will tell you that consistently, 70% to 80% of all calls that go to voicemail hang up and do not leave a message. And they are on to the next dental practice. So, you are losing money simply because you don't even know that your phone isn't getting answered. The only way you're going to know that is with some level of call tracking.” (29:35—30:24)
“I hear [practices say they answer every call]. Then, we start tracking the calls, and we have a little review. We have a special chart that's a missed call analysis and it tells us exactly the dates and the times. And they're like, ‘Oh. Well, that's when we always have our Wednesday team meeting. I didn't realize that we were missing that many new patients who were calling at that period of time.’ Or, ‘We don't open until 9:00 on Thursday.’ So, all these people that are calling at 7:00 and 8:00 blew it. So, it’s very, very eye-opening once they see that data.” (30:38—31:07)
“We use this in our call tracking technology too. If someone hits your voicemail and you get that bounce-back text message, put in your scheduling link if you have online scheduling. Because often, they just want to make an appointment. If you can make it that much easier for them that they don't have to wait for a phone call back and they can take care of that right on the spot, you're going to convert that many more people.” (32:35—32:56)
“You've got to have the strategy at the beginning that looks at all of these stages because you're going to keep seeing — and that's what I love about this quiz. There are problems for everybody. Hell, my business doesn't do it perfect 100% of the time either. But there's going to be a little weakness somewhere. So, think of it as a constant optimization of your marketing that you can take, ‘Okay. I want to work on this one little thing, and I'm going to adjust it, and I'm going to come up with a new script for how we talk to patients. I'm going to come up with a different technology to help make sure that they get converted and schedule. I'm going to fix that problem.’ Then, I move on to the next problem, and the next problem. Nobody is going to get it 100%. But boy, if you could get your score from, say, 30% or 40% up to 70%, 80%, what kind of a difference would that make in the growth of a practice? You don't have to do tons more marketing and spend a lot more money. It’s about tweaking each of the stages of the new patient funnel.” (34:16—35:21)
“You've got the new patient experience — because you put all that energy and effort into getting somebody...
Real Value vs. Perceived Value
Episode #580 with Dr. Christian Coachman
For patients, it doesn't matter why you're a great clinician. What matters is that they perceive you as skilled, competent, and great. Today, Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. Christian Coachman, founder of Digital Smile Design, to guide you through the process of creating perceived value. Your patients aren't buying your treatment — they're buying the emotional experience that you provide! To learn how to translate your real value to perceived value, listen to Episode 580 of The Best Practices Show!
Episode Resources:
- Dr. Coachman’s Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/christiancoachman
- Dr. Coachman’s social media: @chriscoachman
- Digital Smile Design: https://digitalsmiledesign.com
- Subscribe to the Best Practices Show Podcast
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club
- Join ACT’s Master Class
- See our Live Events Schedule here
- Get the Best Practices Magazine for Free!
- Write a Review on iTunes
Main Takeaways:
People buy an emotional experience.
What matters is patients’ perception of value.
Every great practice needs a great storyteller.
Master the process of creating perceived value.
Being a good clinician is not a guarantee of success.
Learn how to translate your real value into perceived value.
Quotes:
“From my dental technician perspective, what I realized was that many clients that I have, dentist clients, of course, could be great clinicians but not necessarily have great practices, and vice versa. I saw clinicians that were not that great but were really succeeding with their practice. So, I noticed that being a good clinician, unfortunately — and I say unfortunately — is not a guarantee of success. And as a technician, 25 years ago, I started to ask myself, how can I help my good clinicians to be more successful beyond just managing the clinical procedures? That's when I started what I call the emotional dentistry concept, everything that can help a dentist generate perceived value.” (3:23—4:15)
“What I realized was that we all have our real value. Our real value is the value that we know we deserve because of our effort on learning, practicing, becoming more experienced, trying over and over again, using the right instruments and materials, etc. Every year, we get better, and that grows our real value. But what I also noticed is that in a capitalist world, real value doesn't make the magic alone. It doesn't really matter how much real value you know you deserve. What really matters for a business, including a dental practice business, is the value that people believe you deserve, or people feel you deserve. Basically, when patients accept a treatment plan, this treatment plan actually has very little to do with your clinical skills and a lot to do with the perception of value that this person had until that moment. So, I understood that it’s all about mastering the process of creating perceived value. That's when we started to explore the psychology, the human behavior, communication skills, body language, emotional experience, and everything that you need to do, everything that you can improve, to translate your real value into perceived value.” (4:16—5:49)
“People don't buy your treatment. They buy the emotional experience before your treatment. Meaning, they make the yes or no decision based on everything that they experienced so far, until the moment you presented the estimate to them. Now, rationally, people think that they are saying yes or no because of your clinical skills. Doctors think that the patient is saying yes or no because of their clinical skills. But, in fact, what we see is that the yes or no depends on this emotional experience. Why? Because major decisions in life are emotionally driven, and also because it’s very hard for the patient to understand clinical skills, even after the treatment. Imagine before the treatment.” (6:15—7:09)
“Even if you're a great clinician, a happy patient will have a hard time explaining the clinical technicalities of why you did something well. And the explanation, the word of mouth, will end up being much more on the emotional side, on the experience, on the perceived value generation. So, at the end of the day, before or after doing — it doesn't matter. What matters is the perception of value. And the perception of value is not necessarily 100% connected to your real value. So, it’s an art. Translating your real value into perceived value is an art that needs to bring — your team needs to master this process. The whole nonclinical experience needs to represent this process — your ambiance, your hospitality, your communication skills, your body language, the quality of your team in terms of behavior as well. And these things, unfortunately — and I repeat the word unfortunately here — are usually even more important than the quality of the treatment for at least the short-term success.” (7:17—8:32)
“Steve Jobs had a quote that is more or less like this. He says that the most powerful people in the world are the storytellers because they generate change. So, when I listened to that quote, he’s saying that it’s not the doers that are changing the world, the people that are actually doing something. Before them, you need a storyteller creating the inspiration. They are the ones, at the end, that are making people embrace the change. So, every great project, every great practice, needs a very good storyteller.” (8:54—9:35)
“We know that idealistically, philosophically, what really matters is our internal value. But the shortcut to succeed is to learn how to transmit this value. If we can, every day, invest a few minutes to try to imagine our day tomorrow, try to forecast, try to predict the key moments of tomorrow — just a day, tomorrow. It can be a normal day. But maybe you have an important discussion with your assistant. Maybe you're going to have to cover an important topic with your son. Maybe you're going to have to talk about a complex topic with your wife. Maybe you're going to have to interview somebody. Maybe you have a patient that is a little tougher than the average patient. You know that's going to happen tomorrow, so you have the chance to prepare for these moments. And you invest a few minutes, and I mentioned the shower because I like to do this exercise in the shower. So, as you're having a shower, you're thinking about tomorrow, and you're identifying those one, two, three moments that can be a key moment of your day that you can easily not think about. But if you think about it, it allows you this chance to mentalize the moment, to predict the moment, to build the moment in your head, to try to anticipate, what are the challenges that that moment will bring? What are the barriers that the other person will have when listening to you, or the topics that will create friction, that will create stress?” (10:56—12:45)
“If you put a little bit of energy, you can almost identify, anticipate, most of the issues that you're going to have in the key moment of your day tomorrow. And by anticipating this, you can build a strategy in advance. Building a strategy in advance is basically building the communication process to create value in your words, to create the perception of value. So, it’s not about you knowing that you're right, you knowing that you have the answer, but it’s you putting yourself in the other person’s shoes and trying to understand how to make that person at least respect a little bit more of what you're going to say.” (12:46—13:26)
“My goal is never to convince everybody. It’s not about convincing everybody. I think it’s about increasing the chances of people respecting a little bit more of what you're saying, even if they don't agree with it. They say, ‘Christian, I actually don't agree with you. But the way you're putting this and the way you're explaining yourself makes me think, and I'm at least respecting what you're saying.’ That makes a huge difference. And for me, this is the shortcut to achieving your goals. This is the shortcut to building projects. This is the shortcut to grow. This is the shortcut to empower partnerships and collaboration. This is the shortcut to empower staff members. This is the shortcut to avoid problems, [mis]communication, and stress.” (13:27—14:12)
“We’ve been talking about AI — not in dentistry, in life, in general — for many, many years. And why, suddenly, a few months ago, boom, ChatGPT and things like this? I was thinking about it. And in my non-AI specialist humble opinion, I had an aha moment why a tool like ChatGPT is so disruptive. It’s because it’s not only about information — Chat GPT tells stories. It’s actually a very well-written answer. If you asked AI in the past, you could search on Google, ‘I want to find this,’ and Google will give you the links, and the topics, and the explanations there in a very direct way but not transforming that information into a beautiful paragraph. ChatGPT creates an answer that looks like a human. Why? Because it looks like there's somebody thinking and putting a story together. That's why I think this is so disruptive. That's why everybody is feeling so threatened that suddenly AI is going to substitute us, because suddenly AI is telling stories about the information.” (14:44—16:06)
“The more you understand about emotions, human behavior, communication skills, persuasion, body language — [there's] so much content out there about that, showing that if you master all of these tools, you become more powerful. You can influence more people. You can make people change their minds. You can make people change their priorities. You can make people give up on certain things and adopt other new things. You have an impact on people. The better communicator you are, the bigger the impact you have on people, period. That comes with responsibility. And, of course, we can use examples of people that are great communicators without responsibility or good intentions. Many, unfortunately, politicians do that. They master communication. They become very good with persuasion, and they don't have your best interest. So, I believe that to make myself comfortable with investing in communication skills, to make myself ethically supported, I need to always remind myself that every little thing that I learn about how to communicate better makes my job harder in terms of being more responsible for everything I say and everything I do.” (19:47—21:16)
“There's a saying in the book, The Little Prince, that says something like, the more you captivate people, the more you fascinate people, the more responsible for them you are. That's so beautiful. When you make somebody like you a little bit more, when you make somebody admire you a little bit more, you are a little bit more responsible for that person, and you need to take that very seriously. And if you have that in mind, that really makes you think more and more about your behavior, your attitude, and everything you do towards that person because you already brought that person to your side. You made that person like you a little bit more. And this is something that I like to always remind myself of. When people say, ‘Christian, you are a good communicator,’ I immediately try to think about that. If I'm a better communicator, I need to be even more careful about people, about what I say to people, and about the influence that I have on people.” (21:19—22:25)
“Your treatment plan needs to be the most ethical treatment plan possible in the world. I usually use the example, the daughter test. You know you are a very good communicator. You know you can convince the patient. You build that beautiful treatment plan. You're full of confidence. Of course, we have the financial side in our head saying, ‘You're going to sell this $80,000 treatment plan,’ and you're super excited. You need to hold that for a minute and do the daughter test. What is the daughter test? It’s to pretend the patient that is walking in is your daughter. You look at your daughter with the exact same problems and clinical situation, and you look at your treatment plan, and you ask yourself, ‘Would I do this on my daughter?’ And if you're not 100% sure, don't use your communication skills to convince the patient.” (22:50—23:48)
“Let's say we could define what makes patients say yes. If we could dissect the “yes” and divide the yes into pieces and say, ‘Seventy percent of the yes comes from here. Thirty percent comes from there,’ I believe that at least two-thirds of the “yes” of patients comes from nonclinical aspects. So, the perceived value creation, the experience, the emotional connection, the fascination, the link, the relationship building, the trust building, in minutes, in one appointment, because everything needs to be happening before you present the plan. So, all this magic needs to happen, and two-thirds of that, in my humble opinion, comes from nondental things. But one-third of it still comes from dental. That's when you can really top this amazing experience with a very different way of explaining the actual clinical vision, the clinical plan that you have for the patient. And that's through what we call visual storytelling.” (24:37—25:55)
[Visual storytelling] is translating a boring treatment plan — and I say boring because everybody that is not a dentist thinks that dentistry is boring, and they don't want to talk about dentistry. So, if you talk about dentistry as a dentist and you present treatment plans like everybody does, you're working against yourself. You're diminishing the chances of people actually engaging with it. So, if we know that nobody likes to go to the dentist, it means that everything that we do that makes people feel like they are at the dentist’s works against us. That's basically the rule. Everything that you can do that makes the experience not look like a dental experience is a smart thing to do — absolutely everything, anything. If your practice smells like a dental practice, that's working against you. If you're even looking like a dentist, if your team looks like a dental team, if the front desk — everything. Whatever you can change works in your favor, including the process of presenting the plan.” (25:56—27:01)
“You need to translate your [treatment] plan. You need to change your treatment plan presentation from two perspectives. First, you need to change your dental language into a language that people actually connect with. Second, you need to translate your vision into a visual presentation. So, we know that every smart person that wants to convince somebody else of a project, they build a slide presentation. Treatment plans should be presented like any business project is presented, with a few cool visual slides that can make the nonexpert understand your vision and make that person embrace your vision. This is what we call visual 3D storytelling. And this is when 3D technology comes in. This is when working with your lab, transforming your lab into a content generator is key. So, your lab needs to support you with storytelling. Your lab needs to support you with images to allow you to tell a cool story. You need to learn how to ask for the right images from your lab because they have the software. They have the technology, not you.” (27:07—28:28)
“Let's say you want to tell the patient that their chin is too far back because the bone behind is not supporting it. You show the face in 3D, and you have the CBCT behind, and you put transparency on the facial image, and you show the position of the bone and the thickness of the bone, and you trace some lines. You draw over the picture, then you overlap the intraoral picture with the X-ray, the CBCT, the ideal design, and the 3D simulation of the ortho simulation. So, everything needs to be visual. That's completely, directly related to the first question, perceived value. I would say that this is one-third of the magic. Two-thirds of the magic is the nonclinical connection value, perceived value generation. One-third is the visual, clinical, 3D, perceived value generation.” (28:54—29:47)
“The shortcut to success is understanding how to translate your real value into perceived value. But the definition of success is very tricky. The success that we are [talking about] here is the exterior success, the business success, the professional success. And we talk about professional success because it’s very important. You cannot deny that succeeding in the world is important. But, at the end of the day, without being successful internally, meaning everything that nobody knows, everything that nobody cares [about], everything that has nothing to do with anybody else — that is the real success, when you're successful inside yourself, with yourself.” (34:11—35:01)
“Commercially speaking, we talk about the exterior success. But we cannot forget the balance, and we cannot forget that, at the end of the day, happiness comes from first having your inner success.” (35:08—35:24)
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
1:55 Dr. Coachman’s background.
2:54 Real value and perceived value, explained.
5:50 People buy emotional experiences.
8:32 The power of story in perceived value.
10:29 The shortcut to overall success.
14:14 Why people feel threatened by AI.
16:07 The optimism and silver lining around AI.
19:16 Communicate responsibly.
22:26 Do the “daughter test”.
23:50 Make the invisible visible.
27:07 Use visual 3D storytelling.
30:19 The story of Digital Smile Design and its future.
32:58 More about DSD and how to get in touch with Dr. Coachman.
33:57 Last thoughts about real value and perceived value.
Dr. Christian Coachman Bio:
Combining his advanced skills, experience, and technology solutions, Dr. Christian Coachman pioneered the Digital Smile Design methodology and founded Digital Smile Design company (DSD). Since its inception, thousands of dentists worldwide have attended DSD courses and workshops, such as the renowned DSD Residency program.
Dr. Coachman is the developer of worldwide, well-known concepts such as the Digital Smile Design, the Pink Hybrid Implant Restoration, the Digital Planning Center, Emotional Dentistry, Interdisciplinary Treatment Simulation, and Digital Smile Donator.
He regularly consults for dental industry companies, developing products, implementing concepts, and marketing strategies, such as the Facially Driven Digital Orthodontic Workflow developed in collaboration with Invisalign Align Technology.
He has lectured and published internationally in the fields of esthetic and digital dentistry, dental photography, oral rehabilitation, dental ceramics, implants, and...
Membership Plans: Automation & Intelligence
Episode #579 with Kirk Behrendt & Dave Monahan
Patients want dental care, but they feel that it’s too expensive. Employers want to offer dental care, but they feel that it’s too complicated. Dentists want to provide dental care, but PPOs are getting in the way. How can we solve these problems? It’s called a membership plan, and it’s the solution to providing easier, affordable, more transparent care. To explain how it works and the intelligence behind it, Kirk Behrendt brings back Dave Monahan, founder and CEO of Kleer, a platform to liberate dental care for patients and dentists. With a membership plan, everyone wins! To learn more about Kleer and the benefits of offering a membership plan, listen to Episode 579 of The Best Practices Show!
Episode Resources:
- Dave’s email: dave@kleer.com
- Mention ACT for a special offer! https://www.kleer.com/partner/act-dental
- Kleer’s Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KleerLLC
- Kleer’s social media: @kleerllc
- Subscribe to the Best Practices Show Podcast
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club
- Join ACT’s Master Class
- See our Live Events Schedule here
- Get the Best Practices Magazine for Free!
- Write a Review on iTunes
Links Mentioned in This Episode:
Kleer Intelligence: https://www.kleer.com/kleer-intelligence
Best Practices Show Episode 578 with Shelley DeGroff: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIXlupM40DA
Main Takeaways:
Incorporate a membership plan to increase revenue.
Membership plans will increase uninsured patient visits.
You will have recurring revenue with a membership plan.
A membership plan will help you move away from PPOs.
Investors will pay much, much more for subscription practices.
Quotes:
“A membership plan will improve patient engagement, the retention, and the revenue you generate from your uninsured patients. That's typically the number-one reason to do a membership plan. Most practices assume their uninsured patients come in, accept treatment, and everything is great. If you actually pull the data out of practice management systems, uninsured patients, on average, come in once every two years. Let me say that again — once every two years. And they accept half the amount of treatment of your insured patients. And so, it looks great when your insured patients come in and accept treatment, and you use your UCR maybe with a discount, and things like that. But you can make that so much better if you focus on those patients and gave them what they want.” (4:08—4:53)
“So, what do [patients] want? Well, we've done a lot of research. We actually did interviews of uninsured patients. We did focus groups. We did a national survey. They want care. So, they value oral care. They actually relate it to their overall health, their quality of life, and their longevity. So, they get it. They get that oral care is very important to them. They don't come in because they're afraid of the cost and they don't have a plan. They feel exposed when they walk into your dental practice. They're unsure. And pricing in the dental market is anything but transparent, so they don't know what they should pay. So, what do they do? What's the reaction to that? They don't come in. So, that comes back to the coming in once every two years and accepting half the treatment.” (4:53—5:38)
“The first value proposition is, get those [uninsured] patients to come in more often. If you give them a membership plan, it’s a simple subscription. It includes preventative care. They come in a lot more often — like two to three times more often. They accept two to three times more treatment. You create a loyal patient that comes in more often and accepts more treatment. It works over and over again. It’s amazingly consistent how well it works.” (5:39—6:05)
“[Value proposition] number two is, you can create a nice recurring subscription revenue source in your practice. On average, on our platform, our practices charge $372 a year for their subscriptions. So, if you do some simple math and you add 300 patients to your membership plan, it’s over $100,000 of recurring revenue. A lot of our practices build up that recurring revenue and they use it to pay their recurring bills like their office lease or their equipment lease, things that are recurring in their practices. Their subscription offsets that, and they can rely on that revenue. You know it’s coming in, year after year, because of the high renewal rate on membership plans. So, that's really nice to have.” (6:08—6:52)
“The third [value proposition] is reducing your PPO dependence. Most practices, about 75% of their patients use PPOs. We’ve done a bunch of measuring of these, and about 50% of those PPOs are unprofitable for a dental practice. And I know everybody is feeling this pain. It’s getting worse and worse as costs go up in a practice, and reimbursement rates go down. At some point, you're crossing into unprofitability for these PPOs. And some of them are very unprofitable. You can start moving away from those PPOs. We never say just run away from the PPOs. You've got to manage it . . . If you can start that journey and maybe drop the low production, low profit plans, and move a membership plan in, you can start that journey of moving away from your PPOs.” (6:58—7:51)
“When you have a new patient come into your practice who is uninsured, the reappointment rate, on average, for those patients is about 45%. If you put them on a membership plan, it’s 100%. So, you can move from a reappointment rate of 45% to 100%. If they buy a membership plan, I guarantee you they are coming back. It’s a great way to get insurance on those new uninsured patients. And by insurance, insurance that they are going to come back. And I think, on average, a practice spends about $400 per new uninsured patient that walks into their practice. So, you're basically making sure that patient comes back.” (7:55—8:29)
“On average, a practice has about 2,000 dormant patients in their practice management system. These are patients that came in at some point and haven't come back in 18 months. Those patients typically don't come back because they don't have coverage. They're much like the uninsured patients I described earlier. And so, if you get them on a membership plan, those dormant patients will reactivate and start to become loyal patients to your practice. So, I know it’s a lot, but there's a lot of value that you can create in your practice through a membership plan.” (8:36—9:04)
“For our practices on our platform, one thing that distinguishes Kleer from some of the other systems out there is, we actually measure results for a practice. So, we integrate with practice management systems and then pull the data back. And I'll give you the average on our platform of what a membership plan looks like compared to an average uninsured patient. They’ll come in twice as often. It’s almost right on that number. It might be a little lower than that, or a little above it, but on average, it’s two times more often. So, a membership plan patient, on average, comes in three times a year, whereas an uninsured patient comes in one-and-a-half times a year. So, it has a major impact on their visits.” (9:45—10:23)
“An uninsured patient will accept about 2.2 procedures a year and get 2.2 procedures completed in a year. A membership plan patient will accept 5.4 procedures a year. So, it’s well over two times more procedures that are accepted. What that all translates to is actually, from a revenue perspective, a membership plan patient will generate almost three times more revenue per practice. So, a membership plan patient will drive about $1,000 a year in revenue for a practice, whereas an uninsured patient will be about $370, $380 a year. So, it has a major impact.” (10:28—11:08)
“A membership plan patient, the preventative care is embedded in the plan. So, let's say you're paying $30 a month. You have your two cleanings, your exams, your X-rays embedded in that. The patient doesn't need to pay more for that. That's part of the subscription. So, what happens? They come in for their preventative care. So, they get their cleanings. They get their exams. They get their X-rays. And then, where does treatment come from? It comes from the hygiene appointment. About 75% of all treatment comes from hygiene appointments. And so, they’ll get their crowns or fillings, their whitening, things like that. So, it builds on itself. You build a subscription revenue, a recurring revenue model, patients come in more often, they accept more treatment, and it builds on itself.” (11:12—11:59)
“Our platform has a bunch of automation features in it from the get-go. So, from the very beginning, we have things like auto-renewal. So, a patient joins. They're put into auto-renewal, which means when they come up for renewal their membership plan automatically renews. They can opt out of it if they want. The practice can opt out a patient if they want as well. But what ends up happening is that automatic process and the patients agreeing to it drives about 75%, 80% renewals on your membership plan. It’s automated. Nobody needs to do anything. You don't need to call the patient. You don't need to email the patient. You don't need to recollect their credit card information. It just happens.” (13:40—14:14)
“We see about nine percent [of credit card] expirations. And basically, what you end up having there are some exceptions. In our example, when a credit card expires, the notification is sent to the patient and to the practice that this is expired and there's action to be taken. And so, you're handling the exceptions, and then 92% is going through automatically, which makes the job much easier. So, you have things like that. You have things like subscription payment processing happening in the background. You have these notifications happening, like I've described. There are lots of legal notifications that are required. You have things like receipts going out automatically, and all that stuff.” (14:26—15:09)
“[Automation] saves you time and money because it’s not cheap to have somebody enter information manually. That is an expensive — it’s hidden, but it’s expensive. We asked the office teams, ‘Do you like doing this?’ The obvious answer is, ‘No, I hate it.’ Who likes entering data into a system? It’s not fun. And so, they're happy that they can go do other things. It’s both saving money and time, and then, also, it’s a team satisfaction thing. It makes them feel better that they don't have to do that type of work.” (18:05—18:40)
“The data I referenced before, it doesn't matter if you're a PPO practice or a fee-for-service practice. Your uninsured [patients] are coming in about once every two years, and they're accepting about half the amount of treatment as a membership plan patient. So, it is what it is. And I don't care if you're fee-for-service or you're not. When you look at the data, that's what it says.” (19:07—19:27)
“This is the really interesting part about the discount. We actually measured fee-for-service practices and looked at the discounts that they're providing. It’s 10% to 15%, on average, because they give day-of-care discounts, and it adds up. It adds up fast. And the thing that is not smart about that is you give that away for free. You say, ‘If you get this treatment today, I'll give you a 10% discount.’ The patient is like, they're probably going to need treatment anyway, ‘Okay. Why not?’ I mean, they got the treatment. But you didn't ask them to commit any longer than that treatment. So, what's going to happen next time? What is that patient going to wait for? . . . So, now, there's a game in hand, and they know the price is not the price. They know they're now negotiating. But you haven't answered anything back except for, ‘I'm giving you a discount if you accept treatment,’ and therefore, I've trained you to ask for a discount every time you need treatment. Wouldn't it be better to give them a membership plan where you're giving a 15% discount — so they're getting that discount — but they're now committing to care? They're committing to coming in. They're committing to paying a subscription. And we also know they are going to come in and they are going to accept twice the amount of treatment. So, it’s a give-get. And that makes sense versus just throwing discounts at them.” (19:29—20:58)
“I don't think you want to [discount 15%] unless you get something in return. That's my feeling about it. For me, yeah, I'll give that 10% to 15% if the patients are committing to something longer term. The membership plan, I'm committing to at least 12 months. And then, if you do it right, you'll get at least 80% renewals on that. Plus, you'll get two times the amount of treatment accepted. So, it’s not like the patient is sitting there going, ‘I'm going to accept twice the amount of treatment. I'm going to come in twice as often.’ But you know it's going to happen. You know it. And so, you're getting them to commit to something of value to you, and you're giving them a discount, which is of value to them.” (21:46—22:25)
“From the patient’s mindset, it’s two things when they look at a membership plan. Yeah, they like the discount. Who doesn't? Nobody doesn't like discounts. But the other side of it is, they want care. They want access to care. They want it to be transparent. They want to know what they're going to pay. They'd much rather pay $30, $40 than come in and be surprised by a $400 bill. The psychology of that has been proven. So, you're now making it transparent. You're making it affordable. I understand what I'm going to be paying. I understand what I'm going to be getting. It’s a good deal for the patient, and they accept that, and then they commit to it. So, there are a lot of dynamics there from the patient’s perspective. It’s not just about the discounts. It’s access to care and transparency as well.” (22:26—23:11)
“I don't have proof of an investor coming in and paying this, but what the average is on subscription businesses versus non-subscription businesses is investors pay three to five times more for a subscription business than a non-subscription business. So, let's say you have a fee-for-service practice and it’s doing $1 million a year and it’s all fee-for-service. It’s one-off. There are no subscriptions. Or you have a $1 million practice and let's say $500,000 of that is a subscription revenue business and it’s something that's proven. It’s been in place for a few years. They’ll pay three to five times more for the $500,000 piece of that business than they will the other $500,000 part of that business. Why? It’s really simple. They know they're going to get that revenue in the future. They know those patients are coming back. They can put a value on that. They can see renewal rates going into the past and what they can expect. So, you put a much higher value on the practice by having that recurring subscription business.” (23:52—24:45)
“If you get the implementation wrong, it’s trouble. We measure the performance of our dental practices all the time, every day. We know how well they perform, what makes them perform well, and what doesn't. The number-one factor on success or failure in a membership plan is the first 60 days, roughly. And what does the first 60 days actually get driven by? Well, first, the design of the membership plan and the pricing of the membership plan. You've got to get that right.” (25:29—25:59)
“The [practices] that were really successful weren't the highest priced ones. But they weren't the lowest priced ones. What they were was somewhere in between where there was basically a place where it was profitable for the dental practice, but also, the patient looked at it and said, ‘Hey, that's a pretty good deal.’ The ones that were priced really low, the patient looked at it and said, ‘That's cheap. There's something wrong, and I don't buy into it. It’s a trap.’ The ones that were priced really high, obviously, you exclude a certain amount of patients. So, you've got to get that price just right. We have something called Smart Pricing that will take your fee schedule and all the data we have on our platform for all the practices, and it'll come up with a range of the right pricing for your membership plan. It'll give you a range, let's say, from $28 to $32, something like that, and you need to pick what you want to do on that range. Do you want to be more aggressive and have higher volume, or go a little higher and have less volume? So, you've got to get that right.” (26:06—27:04)
“You also have to get the plan design right. So, we can have an infinite number of care plans, but we don't suggest that. We suggest three to five care plans. One for a child, one for an adult, one for perio. If you have older patients, maybe one for senior care. And then, if you have children, maybe multiple plans for children. And you customize treatment inside those plans for those patients sets. You've got to get that right. And our team, the success team, will actually, to get the pricing right and also to get the care plan design right, we’ll talk to you. We’ll understand your practice, the treatment philosophy of your practice. Some like fluoride. Other practices don't like fluoride. Fine. We’ll build that in, your preference from a treatment perspective. We’ll look at your patient demographics. We’ll figure out what type of care plans you need based on our experience. We’ll help you price them. So, you've got to get that all right.” (27:04—27:53)
“You also have patients coming in who own small businesses. You can start there and talk to your patients. Ask them what do they do for a living, and they're like, ‘I own a small business down the street. It’s a construction business.’ ‘Oh, great. Do you have dental benefits that you offer?’ Most of them will say no. Sixty percent of small businesses do not offer dental benefits. ‘Would you like to offer dental benefits?’ Almost all of them are going to say yes. Eighty-four percent will say, ‘Yes, I would like to do that. But it’s too expensive. Too complicated.’ Say, ‘I got your answer. I have this subscription plan you can offer to your employees. You can decide, as an employer, how much to contribute to the subscription.’ It can be $5. It can be $10. Whatever an employer can afford, they can put into the plan. And then, our system will, basically, once you set that up and the employer agrees to how much...
Difficulties in Credentialing
Episode #578 with Shelley DeGroff
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Links Mentioned in This Episode:
PPO Advisors blog, “Case Study Shows 21% Fee Schedule increase after renegotiating PPO Contract”: https://ppoadvisors.com/case-study-shows-21-fee-schedule-increase-after-renegotiating-ppo-contract
Main Takeaways:
Credentialing is no longer a simple process.
Understand why it’s important to get credentialed.
Consider going fee-for-service and PPO in a hybrid model.
Don't go in-network with every insurance or the wrong insurance.
Understand the stacking order and the Most-Favored Nations clause.
Steer clear of NPI fraud! You will be caught, with heavy consequences.
Quotes:
“Why do we credential? Well, we credential because most of our patients that we see anymore have insurance and they want to go to an in-network provider. The statistics are changing though. It used to be where there was only seven percent fee-for-service the last couple two years. That statistic has changed and we’re growing to see more and more fee-for-service, which is great. I like seeing that. The latest statistic is around like 18, 19% fee-for-service practices back into the U.S. But still, we have a ton of providers graduating out every year, and there are more and more providers building their own practices, joining as associates, and they need to be busy. And so, the “why” there is getting in-network with insurances and credentialing and becoming an in-network provider.” (2:20—3:08)
“Becoming a credentialed provider, it’s a process. It’s a process that has gotten increasingly difficult over the years. They don't make it easy. They don't want it to be easy. But they do want you to be in-network, and they really push for providers to be in-network and for patients to go to in-network providers. Now, the insurance companies send their EOBs out to the patients with, ‘If you would've gone to an in-network provider, your savings would have been X. Here’s a list of five providers in your zip code.’ They're promoting in-network. So, it is really hard to stay fee-for-service or to not go in-network. But we certainly don't want people to go in-network with the wrong insurances just out of fear either.” (3:11—3:49)
“My personal hypothesis [for why fee-for-service increased from seven to 18%] is COVID-19. Right before COVID-19, we were seeing seven percent. Now, it’s 18%. So, that gave providers time to look at how insurance was impacting their practice when they were shut down. They were looking at contracts. They were looking at their dollar values and saying, ‘This isn't working.’ And a lot of providers started to drop.” (4:19—4:43)
“I really see more of a hybrid. I think we’re not going to see that full-on fee-for-service structure just blow up, but a hybrid of dropping lots of PPO plans that are not working for practices and keeping just a very few in-network policies. I think that's the new way that everybody is going to start to trend.” (4:52—5:12)
“[The credentialing process] takes a long time, much longer than what you're going to anticipate as a provider. So, associates that are graduating this month, most providers that are getting ready to graduate, they're not going to actually get their license until June or July. They can't even start the credentialing process until they have a license. And that means, from there, it’s going to take an additional, with the insurance companies, 30 to up to 120 days — 30 days at best, which we rarely see a contract go through in 30 days. That's not normal, especially for a brand-new provider.” (5:21—6:00)
“When you go through the credentialing process, they are verifying that you don't have malpractice, that you truly do exist, that you have a dental license, and there's nothing risky about you as a provider being in their network. So, the vetting process that first time definitely takes a lot longer than your second go around with either a recredential or going back into network after deciding to have termed maybe several years ago. So, new providers, they really need to expect, especially if they're going with umbrella companies or third-party contracts, that process always takes about six months. That's the number I'm going to give you.” (6:00—6:42)
“[Submitting claims under someone else is] very dangerous — NPI fraud. So, right there, you're committing NPI fraud. NPI fraud is identity fraud. It’s a fraud where you are saying, ‘I'm a provider of service, and this is my claim that I am submitting as the provider of service who did all the work,’ when you weren't that provider. So, now, the insurance companies who you know data mine every single thing you submit — they know how many claims, on average, a provider is submitting in, the types of procedures that they typically do on a daily basis — they have an idea of exactly how this practice functions. And then, all of a sudden, all of that doubles because the provider is now submitting claims in as the associate as well. They find that out immediately. And that is when they start digging in, red flagging the practice, and start to look at things.” (7:09—8:02)
“Most practices get caught on NPI fraud through a Medicare of a Medicaid audit first. And then, it explodes from there. So, those RAC audits that the Medicare and Medicaid sent out, that's where those get caught. And so, when you are doing NPI fraud, identity fraud, and you're defrauding the government, they like to make a case out of you and scare everybody else. So, it’s definitely something you want to stay away from. It’s very easy to catch NPI fraud.” (8:03—8:36)
“I see [NPI fraud] a lot. I hate to uncover that, but I see it a lot. There are small cases where we’ve had instances where an associate has been submitting under an owning doctor for a little bit, and an insurance company catches it — because you know what the insurance companies are doing. They're trying to recruit providers. So, they're looking at directories on websites and saying, ‘Well, I don't have that doctor on our register. Why is it listed on their website?’ And so, then they're calling, and they're saying, ‘Hey, do you have more providers than just doctor so-and-so?’ And in those cases, when a recruiter is trying to find doctors to get their quotas, and they use that to their advantage, let it slide, get them credentialed, and will just forget that that ever happened. Unfortunately, that's how the system works. There are other cases where the [NPI] fraud is so big, it was caught by a RAC audit first, that these providers are basing prison time, fines that they can't recover from, loss of license, forever. There are some big red flags that go with this. So, we certainly don't want to encourage providers to even play with the idea of it.” (8:46—9:59)
“For those new providers coming out of school, no, [there's not a lot you can do until the credentialing process is complete] because they don't have a license. So, there's nothing that can be submitted until the license is in. But for providers that are switching associateships and they’ve been credentialed in the past — no. I mean, it’s still going to take time to get them credentialed. It may not take as long, but they can at least start the process significantly sooner. So as soon as a letter of intent is signed with an associate that has all of their credentials, their license, their DEA, all of the things that are needed, then the credentialing process can start. So, even if that contract for the associate doesn't start for 90 days down the road, still start credentialing them so that that timeframe is narrowed down.” (10:12—10:58)
“The other thing is, providers can see patients as out-of-network. There's that thought of, ‘Well, for out-of-network, we just can't see anybody. They can only see the fee-for-service patients,’ and that's not true. They can see patients that are in-network as an out-of-network provider. Out-of-network benefits will be utilized, and you can give insurance patients a discount so long as the discount is shared with the insurance company. So, you can put on the claim form that we’re providing a 10%, 20% discount to the insurance patient to offset that out-of-network benefit that they're utilizing. So, there are ways to work with patients so that they understand that, ‘Hey, this is what's going on,’ and the practice is taking care of the additional out-of-pocket expense that they're taking on to be seen as an out-of-network patient.” (10:59—11:53)
“There are so many plans out there, and it’s overwhelming. This fear of, ‘We need to be in-network with everybody so that we can gain as many patients,’ is really not what I want our clients to be doing. I want our clients to credential with what is necessary for their demographic to be successful long-term. Meaning, looking at insurance companies that negotiate, insurance companies that have a record of increases annually, or at least every two years, that are substantial enough to keep you at a sustainable rate. This going in-network with everything because one patient asked for you to be in-network sometimes doesn't make sense.” (12:03—12:44)
“There's a connection between all of the insurance companies. They're all connected one way or another. So, when a provider says, ‘Well, yeah, I'll go in-network with your insurance companies,’ you may also be going in-network with six, seven, 20, 30 other insurance companies from that one agreement. And that's where then you start to really fall into the cycle of, ‘Now, we’re in-network with everything. We don't know where it’s coming from. The fees are getting out of control, and you start to feel overwhelmed. So, we don't want providers to just blindly decide, ‘This is who we’re going in-network with.’ There needs to be a “why”. Why am I going in-network with this insurance company? There are X amount of employers that have this insurance company in my area.’ Typically, you want the city’s insurance. You want school’s insurance. You want the hospital’s. Typically, the fire department’s and the police department’s fall under the city. So, those big employer groups, look into those in your demographic. Know who their insurance is with and start there. And then, figure out those contracts, ‘What else am I getting from those?’ before we start this spiral of accepting everything.” (12:45—13:58)
“The insurance companies should give you a payer list when you sign up to be in-network with them. So, when you sign up with Guardian, they send you a fee schedule and their payer list, all of the other insurances you get, but being in-network with them. So, on a yearly basis, you should be asking for the payer list from the insurance company so you have an idea of what new networks have come into play, which ones may have fallen off. And that's with every insurance company. So, all insurance companies have a payer list. Most of them don't give them out unless you're asking for it. So, it’s super important to have a copy of those.” (14:16—14:56)
“[Look] at your EOB to verify how the claim was paid. And that goes back into when I talked about the Most-Favored Nations clause. I don't know if you remember that last quarter, but the Most-Favored Nations clause is what gets every office without them even knowing. It’s where these insurance networks that are all connected — they're all connected one way or another. Aetna shares to Guardian. Guardian shares to Principal. Principal shares to Ameritas. It’s all one big web. So, once you sign an agreement with one and it’s shared to another, they have the ability to default to the lowest fee schedule in your practice. So, if you're not stacking your contracts and making sure they're paying off of the fee schedule you want, it’s an uphill battle. You're never going to get ahead.” (14:57—15:46)
“The Most-Favored Nations clause, it’s huge. It really covers everything. It is an agreement that allows other shared agreements within one agreement to share their information, and fee schedules, in dental. So, that’s how it all comes into play for us. But a lot of people don't think Most-Favored Nations clause even applies to dental. ‘That's a government thing. That has something to do with something bigger than us.’ And no, that's not the case.” (16:07—16:35)
“There are so many ways to contract. We have direct contracts, which are going to be directly going with that company. So, that's me as a provider directly going to Aetna and saying, ‘I want to be in-network with you, with you directly,’ and Aetna says, ‘Here’s my contract. Here’s the agreement. You'll be credentialed with us in 10 weeks.’ Or as a provider, I can go to Connection Dental. And it’s one of the largest umbrella companies or third-party administrators, so you'll hear TPAs used a lot. You can go to Connection and say, ‘I want to be in-network with Connection.’ And through Connection, I'm going to grab Aetna, Ameritas, Principal, UnitedHealthcare, Guardian, and on down the line. So, now, I'm in-network with multiple insurances through one contract, one fee schedule. And there are so many ways you can use that to your advantage, but there are so many ways that it hurts a practice because they don't understand the stacking order and that Most-Favored Nations clause coming into effect.” (17:04—18:07)
“When a provider goes in-network with Aetna and Guardian and Connection, now there are three ways Aetna can be picked up. It’s picked up directly, it’s picked up through Guardian, it’s picked up through Connection. So, now, Aetna is going to look at all of those agreements and see which one is going to pay less. So, even though they’ve got a really good fee schedule negotiated with Aetna when they originally signed up, Guardian may be less, and so they're going to pay those claims that way. So, it’s figuring out, ‘Wait, I'm over-credentialing. I'm already in-network with so many plans. Maybe I shouldn't be picking up this contract because it’s going to override a different contract.” (18:07—18:49)
“Unfortunately, that's a double-edged sword. We can go direct for a lot of good reasons. Some of the direct contracts have incentive plans. Some of the direct contracts — they're always going to credential faster than a third party. So, a lot of providers that are going through acquisitions or are in a huge hurry to get credentialed, they feel going direct is a better route because it’s significantly less credentialing time. But on the flip side of that, their fees, directly, are typically not as competitive as third-party fees. Now, that's not always the case. Every demographic is different. So, a provider who’s going to do their own credentialing really needs to know how they can pick up each insurance company so that they're looking at all of their options and deciding from there, ‘This is how I'm going to credential. I'm going to credential with these six companies through this one third-party contract, and then I'm going to go direct with MetLife, and I'm going to go direct with Humana,’ because they don't pick up through the third party or their direct contracts are better contracts.” (19:11—20:21)
“A direct contract sometimes traps a provider. So, it used to be you can get out of a contract whenever you wanted. You still can. You can still term a contract. It takes 90 days to term a direct contract. But these direct contracts are now putting stipulations in where if you term them directly, it’s at their discretion to put a block from you getting picked up through a third party if they want to put that block in place. And so, now, it’s not as black-and-white as it used to be. It used to be a no-brainer. I can term whenever I want. I can readjust this contract over here. Now, we have to really look at the big picture to make sure — that door may not open down the road. So, I wouldn't risk contracting direct because of the way their clause is written. I would go indirect for that purpose. So, those are the things that we look at when we’re credentialing a client.” (20:38—21:33)
“I think the idea was, five years ago, as a young provider, ‘I've got to be in-network with everything in order to build my practice up as quick as possible to catch up to the guys or gals that have been doing this for a lot of years and be competitive.’ Now, we’ve really got to look at what that write-off looks like first. The national average write-off is 45%. That's a big write-off. And overhead costs have jumped. It used to be 67%. Now, it’s 74%. That's a big jump. So, as a new dentist, a young dentist, with overhead as high as it is and write-offs as high as they are, honestly, needing to be that hybrid doctor where we’re fee-for-service for some of these big players because it just doesn't pay to take that 50% write-off is actually going to help you become a better sustaining practice than just accepting every insurance company.” (22:21—23:18)
“We see the trend changing. It went from seven percent fee-for-service and it’s jumped all the way to 18% in the last couple of years. So, I do feel like that number is going to continue to grow. But I'm going to see it grow, hopefully, more in a hybrid model where providers that have been heavy PPO starting to come in and drop a lot of their insurances that just don't make financial sense for the practice anymore. And then, we can strategically make the plan of, ‘These are the insurances that need to go. These are the ones we keep,’ looking at the ones that will continue to negotiate over the next couple years that will allow them to get out of contracts. All of those will go into play here. And then, as they continue to drop a few, you'll continue to do that over the course of several years, and then maybe hit that fee-for-service model. But it’s not something you want to jump into, in my opinion.” (23:19—24:11)
“[Forty-five percent in write-offs] means that you have a full-fee service. So, your full fee, your master fee for your practice, is $100 for a prophy. Obviously, I'm just throwing out easy math here. One-hundred dollars for a prophy. But if the write-off level is 45%, that means you're only paid nearly half of that. You are writing off half of what you do at 45%.” (24:46—25:13)
“Everything is going up. Employee costs are going up. Have you been on Facebook threads, all these threads of, ‘Front office came
Disease Prevention & Wine Tasting
Episode #577 with Kirk Behrendt & Katrina Sanders
Your practice can save lives. With routine care and education, you can help patients prevent many of the diseases they present with. So, how can you make the most of this opportunity? Today, Kirk Behrendt is back with Katrina Sanders, The Dental WINEgenist, to share advice for building value to the preventive care and treatment you provide. Help your hygienists do what they were trained for! To hear more about Katrina’s course and how it can help you optimize disease prevention, listen to Episode 577 of The Best Practices Show!
Episode Resources:
- Katrina’s website: https://katrinasanders.com
- Katrina’s email: katrina@katrinasanders.com
- Katrina’s Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/katrina.sanders.948
- Katrina’s social media: @thedentalwinegenist
- Tooth or Dare social media: @toothordare.podcast
- Subscribe to the Best Practices Show Podcast
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club
- Join ACT’s Master Class
- See our Live Events Schedule here
- Get the Best Practices Magazine for Free!
- Write a Review on iTunes
Links Mentioned in This Episode:
Register for Katrina’s next Disease Prevention & Wine Tasting course (October 5-6, 2023): https://www.eventbrite.com/e/act-dental-hygienists-live-course-october-5-6-2023-tickets-368595568267
The Trust Edge by David Horsager: https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/The-Trust-Edge/David-Horsager/9781476711379
Main Takeaways:
Trust is the currency of business, and core values are the pillars of trust.
Don't limit the opportunities for disease prevention in your practice.
Support your hygienists by being engaged in their education.
Help patients value their preventive care appointment.
Hygienists are not “just teeth cleaners”.
Quotes:
“A recommendation would be, ‘You should go to the gym every day.’ A recommendation would be, ‘Have five servings of fruits and vegetables.’ Those are recommendations. We use that “recommendation” word when we’re talking about treatment modalities that need to be done in order to address an active infection for the patient. And when we use the word recommendation, somehow, inside of the lizard brain of our patients, they think, ‘So, I have the option to not do it.’ Now, we know inside of autonomy, the patient always has an option not to do it. They could easily walk out. If you're in a hospital, and you've got a gunshot wound, and you choose not to have that treatment done, if you can walk out, you can walk out. They have autonomy inside of that. But the idea is, we need to be coloring this picture to help our patients understand that the treatment that we are talking about is a prescription from a licensed practitioner — because that's what it is.” (6:51—7:48)
“You have to have leadership. You have to have a culture inside of the practice, and you have to be very crystal clear about your core values.” (8:13—8:21)
“It’s called The Trust Edge, and this book is absolutely unbelievable. Inside of the book, it talks about the fact that trust is the true currency of business. It is. Because people will buy if they trust. They will actively seek out a Starbucks because they trust that logo. They trust that there's going to be consistency in what they order, that I can go to a Starbucks here in Milwaukee, I can go to a Starbucks in Honolulu, and I can order the same drink and get it prepared exactly the same way. There's consistency. I see a lot of trust inside of businesses that have worked and focused to maintain that trust. And then, you see things — I'll use an example. Southwest Airlines had a big issue with trust because they were not consistent. They lacked some competency in what was happening over the holiday season with flights and things like that. And because of that, because of that decline in trust, they see a decline in their overall revenue. Trust is the currency of business.” (8:33—9:37)
“This is what's crazy about [The Trust Edge]. He talks about the eight pillars of trust. There are eight specific pillars of trust. And inside of that, you have to be able to build those pillars of trust. He says that a critical aspect to that trust is knowing your core values. That's a huge piece. In the book, the author says that if you, as a business owner, practice owner, whatever, if you are not communicating your core values and your mission statement to your team every 30 days — every 30 days — your team members cannot recite that back to you. Now, that's important. Because in a dental practice, if you think about AZPerio, I mentioned I walk through the entire process of care. The doctor comes in at the end. So, who’s conveying those core values to the patient? Myself, the assistant in the operatory with me, the front office team member, even the website. These are all touchpoints before the doctor even has the opportunity to communicate with the patient.” (9:42—10:42)
“If we don't know the core values of the practice, then I don't have a scaffolding — I don't have a framework — for how to behave inside of this.” (11:03—11:10)
“This is the important piece of what AZPerio does. We look at numbers. We look at production. Every day, we've got our big, hairy, audacious goal. We look at, what do we want to see? What percentage are we on our way to our goal? What opportunities do we have? What openings does the doctor have? The masculine energy around a lot of that, those processes are built out. That is the framework. That framework is intended to protect so that when something like this happens — the bone material falls out, the sutures don't go in, the patient’s anesthesia isn't working as readily as possible — that the framework protects us inside of that. But it also means that we have to be okay when we’re not productive because, at the end of the day, we’re not taking care of people’s insurance plans and billing, we’re taking care of humans — humans with beautiful, robust lives. And our job is to be a part of that and to make it better for them.” (17:15—18:13)
“Disease prevention is something that dental hygienists focus on in our training. And yet, we get out into the real world after we graduate from hygiene school, and I think we’re so limited on what our opportunities are inside of disease prevention. We’re looking at a myriad of diseases that we can see in the oral cavity or that patients are going to present with in the operatory and talk about what our role is inside of that. We’re going to do this from a team perspective because we need our doctors, we need our front office team members, we need our practice managers to understand that when a patient comes in and they have periodontitis, that we have to be treating this disease fully and thoroughly. We need the time to effectively treat these cases. We need the products. We need the medicaments. We need the entire scaffolding of what that process of care looks like for a periodontally diseased patient to occur. We need the same thing with caries. We need the same thing with oral pathological lesions, oral cancers, tethered oral tissues, airway complications, infection control that, inside of all of this, these are all of the ways that we contribute to preventing disease, and we have to be able to break apart what these modalities look like so that we can understand what are some of the modern trends or techniques inside of delivering care for our patients.” (18:45—20:05)
“This is what's so crazy. The average statistic right now is that one in three individuals who have dental insurance use it routinely. So, we already know that there is a small portion of our population that will come in and receive routine dental care. And by “routine”, I think we’re all in alignment that this is a patient who comes in for their every-six-monther. I tell this story all the time, but where did that six months come from? This drives me crazy. In the 1950s, there was a toothpaste called Ipana Toothpaste. That spokesbeaver, Bucky Beaver, says, ‘Brush-a, brush-a, brush-a. Here’s the new Ipana.’ And then, at the end of the commercial, he says, ‘Brush your teeth with Ipana Toothpaste and see your dentist twice a year.’ Now, that was done by Ipana Toothpaste as a means of encouraging these individuals, the general public, to go in, see a dental hygienist, and have that dental hygienist say, ‘Oh my gosh, the Ipana Toothpaste commercial brought you in? Absolutely, you need to be brushing with Ipana.’ It was an interesting marketing strategy, was it not? Well, that was in the 1950s. And here we are 70 years later, and most individuals across the United States think it’s completely normal to see your dentist twice a year.” (20:22—21:35)
“If you see my very first slide in this program, it’s going to say, “That's how we've always done it.” That is the toxic statement that we have said inside of dentistry. In fact, I think that is the most disease-ridden statement. Dirty mouth? You've got to clean up that.” (21:40—21:55)
“We have seen an evolution inside of dentistry. And we’ll talk about that this afternoon, how we’ve evolved in dentistry in a myriad of ways: disease prevention, infection control, technology. There are so many ways that we’ve seen a change. And yet, it doesn't matter because, at the end of the day, we are still doing the same procedures. If you're using a rubber cup polisher, and you're using hand instruments, and you're treating your patients every six months, no matter what the complexity of the disease looks like, we are not delivering the correct layer of care for that patient.” (22:04—22:32)
“[When] we look at the prevalence of oral disease, currently, the statistic is about one in two adults between the ages of 30 and 79 have some form of periodontitis. Dental caries is the number-one chronic childhood disease. It is five times more prevalent than asthma. And every hour, one individual will lose their life to the ramifications of oral cancer. So, when you take a look at that, the reality is the disease is not stopping. Porphyromonas gingivalis isn't like, ‘Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't realize that you guys were all banding together and trying to help.’ The disease is still occurring. The disease is showing up in our chairs and across our communities. And so, when we take a look at what it is we understand about prevention, the first step in that is, what are we doing to actually prevent this? Because there's such an activity of the disease right now.” (22:33—23:22)
“It has to start at the top . . . And [by the doctor not being involved], what you're doing is you're bringing in a team member and now expecting that team member to transform the entirety of the scaffolding of your hygiene department, including how you're diagnosing periodontitis, diagnosing incipient decay versus active decay, identifying modalities in how to detect oral cancer, looking at pathological lesions, transforming the way we look at oral and subsequent systemic disease. You are expecting one individual — or maybe you send your two hygienists — you're expecting two individuals to go to a workshop, come back after three hours, and implement this when these individuals are not going to have the support from the top.” (24:10—24:54)
“I've worked with doctors who are very fixated in high-end cosmetics. ‘I want to be over here. I want to cut and prep veneers all day long. That's what I want to do. I want my hygienist to really be the wheelhouse of the practice, and I'm going to give him or her everything they need. So, I'm going to send them to this workshop. And then, afterwards, I'm going to sit down with them. I'm going to say, walk me through the pieces that you learned that you find to be impactful inside of our practice. What pieces of equipment do you need? How much more time do you need in the patient hour in order to be able to implement these strategies? What support do you need from our front office team members? What ways do we need to change some of the protocols? What needs to be done in the clinical notes? What types of conversations do we need to be transforming? What needs to be added to the website?’ When you implement a change in the practice, it has to go through every step. That change is like hot potato. It has to touch every hand.” (24:58—25:55)
“As a hygienist, if I go to a disease prevention workshop and I learn about how great probiotics are for oral disease, and I come back and I want to implement that, and the doctor says, ‘Yeah, go ahead. That’s great,’ now, I need the doctor to understand what these probiotics are, why these probiotics are important, why patients who not only have gingivitis but periodontitis, periimplantitis decay, risk for candida, are all going to be terrific candidates for that. I need the doctor to be on board so that when I prescribe this, the doctor comes in behind me and says, ‘Absolutely, Katrina is correct. Here’s why we need to integrate this into the practice.’ I need whoever the lead is who is ordering products to be able to order these products, stock them in the practice. I need my front office team to understand how we bill for that. I need to know, how do we integrate this into an explosion code so that any time that I'm diagnosing a patient with gingivitis, periodontitis, periimplantitis, decay, candida risk, that these are automatically exploding into the patient’s care plan. I also need support from the front office team in the event that the patient calls in and says, ‘Hey, I don't exactly remember. How often am I supposed to be taking that probiotic? Once a day? Twice a day? I'm not quite sure,’ because it’s going to be different depending on the patient. I might need an administrative team member to help me print out even postoperative instructions so I can send the patient out with it. I need every single team member to be involved in that tiny protocol.” (25:55—27:16)
“I travel all the time. I'm speaking, I'm presenting, I'm delivering. I can't tell you how many times a hygienist will come up to me and say, ‘All of this was amazing. I wish my doctor were here.’ I think doctors have this thought, number one, that hygienists want to be empowered to do this. And we do. But we want to be supported by our doctors. We want to be backed up by our doctors.” (27:20—27:42)
“People talk about The French Laundry all the time. It’s the amazing three-Michelin star experience . . . But when you go to a restaurant like that, it is choreographed. There is no room for issues. It’s just ships passing in the night. The drink comes down, the empty glass gets taken away. It’s not cumbersome. It’s not clunky. But you will go to a restaurant sometimes and experience this where it’s like, ‘Where is the waitress? What's going on?’ Well, how many times do you leave a patient sitting in the operatory, everybody is running behind, and the patient is just sitting there staring at the wall, going, ‘Where is everybody? Did they just leave me in here?’” (30:05—30:48)
“It's those little nuances that an intellectual human being is going to observe. And they won't be able to put their finger on it but, ‘I walked in, and nobody greeted me. Everybody at the front desk, they were all on the phone. So, I just sat down. Then, when somebody got off the phone, nobody said hello, so I had to be the one to get up and say, hi, I'm here for my 9:00. Then, I'm sitting here. It’s 9:05. Nobody is coming back to get me. Nobody has said anything. It’s 9:10. By the way, none of these magazines are up to date. They're all from the 1990s. So, what am I supposed to do? So, I'm just sitting with my phone. My phone has a clock on it, so I'm watching as I'm playing a game on my phone, or on Instagram, aimlessly scrolling. And nobody’s brought me back.’ All of these little inconsistencies — and that's before anybody has actually said anything. That's before I'm interacting with the clinical competence that I expect to see, tiny, tiny little things that we are casting judgment on right away.” (30:49—31:45)
“It drives me crazy when I would work in clinical practice, I'd be working on a patient, front desk would come back — I'm literally working with a patient, and the front desk would say, ‘Oh, Doctor is buying Panera today. What do you want?’ That's so weird. You're going to have me list off my lunch order while delivering clinical care to a patient? It’s those little micro nuances that completely erode and break it down. So, when we come together, when we bring the entirety of the team, when they hear a speaker say, ‘Here’s why we need to integrate this into clinical practice,’ I'm going to give you and the team time to now say, ‘How do we take this? How do we integrate this?’ so that anybody who has a touch point with a patient experiencing this disease modality understands why we’re approaching care this way.” (32:23—33:10)
“People make decisions based on emotion.” (35:51—35:55)
“It’s the invisible things that people will comment on.” (36:11—36:13)
“When you think about the brilliance of what happens inside of a practice — think about it. You have patients that come in and see your dental or hygiene departments every three, four, or six months. These patients, for one reason or another, do trust you. And the biggest issue that I see is that dentistry doesn't necessarily fully understand that with these individuals, these patients who come in three, four, or six months, that these individuals, at a minimum, are experiencing risk factors associated with oral disease.” (38:07—38:38)
“It is unbelievable what we’re unpacking inside of that oral and subsequent systemic disease profile. And this is where, I think, we have to change that conversation. Because our patients are so used to seeing us as, ‘I've been going in every six months. I get my teeth cleaned.’ Okay. Well, language issue number one, we don't clean teeth. I'm not a tooth cleaner. That's not what I do. I'm not a cleaning lady.” (40:20—40:43)
“The vast majority of the issue that I see inside of patients’ declining treatment plans across the United States is a lack of value and trust in what we do . . . These individuals see our value as, ‘I have dental insurance. The dentist I go to takes my dental insurance, so I'm going to use my free coupon.’” (41:00—41:21)
“These patients come in, and this is what they see. It’s transactional. ‘I'm going to...
The Recall Renewal Exam
Episode #576 with Debra Engelhardt-Nash
For the same reasons people renew their wedding vows, you should renew your commitment to your existing patients. Their recall renewal exam is the perfect opportunity to review your progress, reaffirm your philosophy, and strengthen your relationship. So, how do you get more patients to show up? To share advice for communicating the value of recall exams, Kirk Behrendt brings back Debra Engelhardt-Nash, practice management expert and co-founder of The Nash Institute. Remember — it’s not “just” a recall exam! To learn how to reengage, reignite, and reinspire patients with a recall exam, listen to Episode 576 of The Best Practices Show!
Episode Resources:
- Debra’s email: debraengelhardtnash@gmail.com
- Debra’s website: https://debraengelhardtnash.com
- Debra’s phone number: (704) 904-3459
- Debra’s social media: @debralnash
- Subscribe to the Best Practices Show Podcast
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club
- Join ACT’s Master Class
- See our Live Events Schedule here
- Get the Best Practices Magazine for Free!
- Write a Review on iTunes
Links Mentioned in This Episode:
Debra’s courses at The Nash Institute: https://www.thenashinstitute.com/about-the-nash-institute/meet-debra-engelhardt-nash
Debra’s other programs: https://debraengelhardtnash.com/programs
Pearl: https://www.hellopearl.com
Dental Intel: https://www.dentalintel.com
BlueIQ: https://getblueiq.com
Main Takeaways:
Recare treatment acceptance is between 25% and 35%.
Run a report to know your unscheduled treatment rate.
Understand why your patients don't accept treatment.
Be engaged and intentional in your conversations.
Exhibit proper body language in conversations.
Use artificial intelligence to educate patients.
Quotes:
“It’s one thing to know how to do the dentistry. It’s another thing to know how to talk about it and get your patients to say yes to it. Those are different skillsets. And sometimes, you have a great clinician who’s not a great communicator. And sometimes, you have a great communicator who’s not a great clinician. If you can marry the two and have a hybrid, that's the best of all worlds.” (3:52—4:13)
“The average treatment acceptance rate for new patients is between 70% and 78%. When dentists say they get 100% treatment acceptance, they're fooling themselves. That's not true. If you want to dummy down — if you want to talk about your phase treatment plan or modified treatment plan, and if you want to inflate your statistics to make yourself feel good — but if you're presenting comprehensive treatment plans, you're not going to get 100%. So, there's that statistic. But here was the statistic that really caught my ear, and it was that the treatment acceptance rate for recare patients is between 25% and 35%. That's when you go, ‘Uh-huh. Why is that?’” (6:01—6:53)
“We’re not spending enough time talking to our patients of record about treatment. We’re just not doing it . . . Familiarity sometimes breeds apathy. Familiarity breeds apathy. So, Kirk, if you were my patient, I say, ‘Oh, I know Kirk. He’s not interested. His insurance won't cover it. We’ve talked about those two crowns before. He doesn't want it. I don't want to offend him.’ So, that's one reason that we say, ‘Oh, Kirk’s not interested. Kirk doesn't want it. I've already spoken to Kirk.’ Seventeen years ago, I told Kirk, ‘You need those two crowns.’ And every time he comes in, I say, ‘You know, Kirk, you need those crowns.’ And you go, ‘I know.’ And I go, ‘Okay. I need to clean your teeth.’” (7:02—7:46)
“The other piece of that is, we don't give hygienists enough time to have conversations with their patients. So, timing is everything. Sometimes, doctors — and I say this lovingly and half in jest — brag about how little time their hygienists need to be effective. And I go, ‘Wait a minute. How are you determining effectiveness? Is it their production per day, or is it not only what is their production per day, but what additional treatment was diagnosed and accepted out of their treatment room, out of their operatory?’ So, we have to take a look at both of those things. I could have a great perio hygienist, and maybe he or she is not getting a whole lot of treatment acceptance out of their operatory because that's not what they were designed to do. But if I have a hygienist who’s seeing general care patients, then I want to take a look at, what additional treatment is being accepted out of that room?” (7:46—8:41)
“I go into some offices, and doctors will say, ‘My hygienist can see 12 patients in a nine-hour day! And they're not children.’ And I say, ‘Great. But what's your treatment acceptance from those nine people?’ And there was a hygienist who said to me, she sort of crossed her hands and she said, ‘I am not hired to sell dentistry. I am hired to clean teeth.’ We have a problem. We have a problem.” (8:42—9:08)
“Any strength taken to excess becomes a weakness.” (10:10—10:13)
“We don't intend to be apathetic. But, once again, I may look at your record — hopefully, in the morning huddle. I'm looking at Kirk’s information. And if I'm using Pearl, I'm seeing what radiographs are due for my patients coming in. So, I'm ready for you to come in. But I also can say, ‘I know Kirk. He’s not interested. He doesn’t want it. He’s not going to do it. So, we’re not going to talk about those crowns.’ And sometimes, we even coach the new hygienists coming in, we say, ‘Don't talk to Kirk about flossing. He doesn't want to talk about flossing. Don't ever talk to him about flossing. He hates talking about flossing. Don't talk to him about home care. He doesn't like to have that conversation about home care.’ So, now we train our successor, possibly, some of our bad habits.” (12:37—13:18)
“I think it’s timing as well. You talked about some of the other factors. Sometimes, we ask the patient [about treatment] at the end of the visit. So, first of all, if you already had to wait for the doctor for the exam for 20 minutes, and then you're going to sit and listen to the doctor and the hygienist talking about unscheduled treatment, or treatment that has just been diagnosed, or treatment that has been previously diagnosed — I need to get my kid to the soccer game. I need to get out of here. So, timing is also really important.” (13:22—13:49)
“We talk about new patients being VIPs, and we talk about how we’re going to razzle and dazzle them. What about our patients of record? What about those patients who've been true, blue, loyal to your practice for 15 years? So, that is when I came up with what I call the recall renewal exam. A lot of my friends heard me say it years ago. I remember Cathy Jameson hearing me say it at an ADA meeting in Seattle in 1995, and said, ‘Oh my gosh, I'm using that,’ which is great. And I think, once again, if we sit down — the most important question that a hygienist will ask a patient, and when she or he asks it, that's critical. And also, if we start doing some math on what this could look like, even if we had 10% of our patients of record move forward with some level of treatment, what that would do to our practice productivity.” (13:52—14:53)
“We need to be renewing our relationship with our patients of record. So, if you were my patient, Kirk, for 10 years, I am assuming that the relationship or the new patient experience you had 10 years ago is probably different than the new patient experience that I'm providing today. There are probably things we talked about 10 years ago that we don't talk about now. And I don't want to see you as just Kirk. I don't want to see you as just another recall, just another cleaning. I want to reinvigorate my relationship with you. I want to reengage. I want to reignite. I want to reinspire you to be a part of my practice.” (16:50—17:27)
“We really need to go back with you, my patient, and I might say, ‘You know, Kirk, you have been a patient in my practice for 12 years.’ ‘Wow. Has it been that long?’ ‘It has. Here’s where we were when you were a new patient, and here’s what we’ve done so far. Here’s where we are now. Let's talk about where we are now. Let's talk about your dental future. Let's talk about where we’re going, where we want to be.’ I also want to remind you of our treatment philosophy. I want to remind you of our culture. I want to remind you of the quality of care that you have received in the past. So, it’s not “just” a recall. In fact, sometimes we use that term. ‘Hi, Kirk. This is Debra from Dr. Smedley’s office. I'm just calling because it’s time for your recall. It’s just a recall.’ And sometimes, patients will call and say, ‘I'm calling to cancel my appointment. It’s okay. It’s just a recall. It’s just my recall.’” (18:00—18:57)
“One of the things that I might say to my elderly patients, my older patients — I'm one of those. I'm an older patient — I might say, ‘Your dental care is even more important than it was when you were younger. There are so many systemic causes that we’re discovering with dental health that it’s going to be even more critical for you to be on a more frequent appointment with us. We want to make sure that your oral health is part of your systemic health, and that's critical as we age.” (20:04—20:37)
“Don't wait until the end of the appointment, number one. So, if I looked at your record and I see that we have treatment that we planned that you have yet to complete, that's what I need to bring up first. And my body language has to be — I'm not looking at a computer. My head isn't turned. I'm not putting down my instruments. I'm not giving you the ugly — I'm not glaring at you, but I'm looking you in the eye and saying, ‘Kirk, I see that we have treatment that we have planned for you that is yet to be completed. Tell me what's prevented you from having it done.’ Because now, you're going to say a couple things: it doesn't hurt. Expensive. I don't have time. I really don't see the value. People used to say there are three things. There are four things. I think there are four things.” (21:35—22:32)
“Let's say you said [the reason you haven't accepted treatment is] cost. It’s expensive. I say, ‘You know, Kirk. Exceptional dentistry is expensive, you're right, because it needs to last. But think about this. Think about what it would have cost you five years ago when doctor originally treatment planned that for you. Think about what it might cost you five years from now. It will never cost you less than now. So, we could find a way to make that work for you, to factor that into your budget. What other concerns do you have?’” (23:02—23:35)
“I have my two questions. And my two questions work for almost everything. Number one, if we enhance our communication skills and commit our patients of record to treatment, is it good for them that we’re doing that, or is this a bad thing? Is it a good thing or a bad thing? . . . It’s a good thing. Okay. Then, the next question is, is this a good thing for our practice? . . . Then, why aren't we doing it? So, if you have to answer no, ‘Is this good for our patient?’ ‘No. It’s terrible.’ Then, don't do it. Sometimes, when we talk about allowing patients to make small payments over a long period of time in-house, is that good for the patient? No, because it’s going to prevent them from wanting to come back. It’s going to make them reluctant to return for care. There are all kinds of reasons why it’s not good for them. So, don't do it. If it’s not going to be good for the patient, don't do it.” (24:33—25:24)
“Let's say we have two hygienists working, and they see eight patients a day, and they work 200 days a year. That means we’re going to have 3,200 visits per year, and we divide that. We can say that would be about 1,600 active patients, possibly. But let's say we have the capacity for 3,200. See, that's the other thing we have to know, what's our capacity? But we have the capacity for 3,200 visits. Let's say that 10% of those patients are going to move forward with some level of treatment, and let's say it’s the equivalent of $800. That's another $128,000 per year. So, we want to know where my additional compensation is going to come from. It’s going to come from that. And it’s less expensive to market to patients I already have!” (26:45—27:42)
“We sometimes make assumptions based on age, based on what we’ve talked about, based on what I know about this person, based on insurance restrictions.” (27:58—28:07)
“Pearl is what is called second opinion. It is artificial intelligence that's actually reading the radiographs, not with your naked, subjective eye, but with an analytical, technological eye. So, it becomes a second opinion for the patient. It’s also a great visual for the patient. And knowing that patients, 50% of the population are visual learners, for them to be able to see — because sometimes we put those radiographs up, and for all they know, they're looking at an ink blot. They don't know what we’re looking at. They don't see what we’re looking at. But when you bring Pearl up and Pearl says, ‘We see decay here,’ and it colors it, and it circles it, and it says, ‘This is 35% into the dentin,’ it actually gives percentages, ‘This is 25%. You've got calculus, and calculus is into the tissue by X percent,’ man, it is hard to dispute that. A patient could dispute, ‘It doesn't hurt.’ A patient could dispute, ‘My gums don't bleed.’ But when you're looking at that visual chart that artificial intelligence has picked up, it’s pretty hard to dispute.” (31:48—32:58)
“One of the things we say to the patient during the recall renewal exam is, ‘It is time for us to gather new baseline data.’ If you've ever had a colonoscopy, or a mammogram, or an MRI measuring things, they want your baseline, and then they want to measure your current against the baseline radiograph, the baseline images that they have. So, we say to the patient, ‘It’s time for us to gather new baseline data.’” (35:09—35:33)
“The doctors, when you take a look at how to increase their revenue, one of the ways of doing that is you look at what I call your HPA, your highly productive activities. What are your highly productive activities that yield the most productivity in your office? I'm white-labeled for another consulting company, and I go in and I lecture. And they always ask the young doctors, ‘What do you think your highest paid activities are in your office?’ And they say new patient exams. And it’s not. The patient exams aren't your highly productive activities. What's it going to be? Now, if we want to talk about lab, it’d be crown and bridge. The other thing we talk about, if you're doing CEREC and if you're doing in-office crowns, it could be a highly productive activity. Quadrant dentistry, highly productive activity. Single-unit restorations, not a highly productive activity. Ross just did four direct restorations on a patient. It’s a highly productive activity at $1,200 a tooth. That's a highly productive activity. So, what are my highly productive activities, and are we doing them? What's your service mix?” (36:09—37:25)
“So many doctors are concerned about, ‘Do I raise my hygiene fees? Will my patients turn away?’ Not if you're doing a great service. Once again, if you're charging $125, or $135, $150 for a recare examination, you can't be doing a dine-and-dash exam. In fact, here’s another point. So many times, patients will say, ‘I only want my teeth cleaned. I don't want an exam.’ I would say you need to figure out, if you've got patients saying, ‘I don't want an exam,’ why is that? And I ask audiences, ‘Why do you think that patients say they don't want to have a recall examination?’ Some people say, ‘They don't want you to find anything wrong.’ And some people say, ‘Because they don't want to pay for it.’ Why don't they want to pay for it? They don't want to pay for it because they don't see value.” (38:17—39:10)
“I probably don't want to come in and have an examination because I'm getting the one that John described. We’re going to talk about cats, and TikTok, and we’re talking about construction. We’re not talking teeth, so why am I paying $150 to talk about my cat? Why am I doing that? I don't want to do that. Clean my teeth. If you're not going to have a conversation with me about my teeth, then I want to get out of there. I'll go have a drink with you at the bar and we can talk about our cats.” (39:19—39:48)
“[Start with] one patient a day and ask the magic question. ‘I see that you have treatment that was treatment planned that we have yet to complete. Tell me what has prevented you from having that done.’ And then, your hygienist needs to be comfortable having the answer. ‘Well, that's a lot of money.’ ‘It is a lot of money, isn't it? Think about what it would have cost you five years ago, and what it'll cost you five years from now, and what it would cost you today. It'll never cost you less than right now.’ Let's say it’s fear. ‘Help me understand what you’re fearful of. Are you fearful of the discomfort of the treatment? Are you fearful of the procedure? If you're fearful of the discomfort of the procedure, imagine what it will feel like if you do nothing, and it gets worse, and it starts causing you pain.’ So, we can talk about that fear. ‘It’s not bothering me right now.’ Yeah. So, we could actually solve a number of things. If you're afraid of discomfort, and you're afraid of cost, then the most important thing when we talk about now — that it’s not bothering you — this is when it'll cost you the least, and it'll be the least uncomfortable.” (40:01—41:09)
“You have to be careful that it doesn't sound like you're supersizing. ‘Hey, you want a crown with that cleaning today? Hey, you want whitening?’ You've got to be careful. But here’s the other piece. You've seen that cycle, the belief cycle. You've heard of the belief cycle. So, if I believe the patient doesn't want it, if I believe the patient isn't interested, if I believe the patient can't afford it, I'm going to behave in a way that I believe. So, I'm not going to say anything. My actions are going to perpetuate my belief. My belief is the patient doesn't want it, doesn't care about it. So, my actions are going to perpetuate what I...
How to Calculate Your Overhead in 60 Seconds
Episode #575 with Kirk Behrendt & Dr. Barrett Straub
If you're going to own a business, you've got to do some math! Overhead is one of the most important numbers that dentists should know, yet it’s the most neglected. To prove how uncomplicated it truly is, Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. Barrett Straub, ACT’s CEO, to help you calculate your overhead in under 60 seconds. With ACT’s Roadmap to Practice Profitability, you can start thinking better and making the changes you need to improve your overhead. To learn where to access this free resource and start using it today, listen to Episode 575 of The Best Practices Show!
Episode Resources:
- Dr. Straub’s email: barrett@actdental.com
- Dr. Straub’s Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/barrett.d.straub
- Dr. Straub’s social media: @bstraub10
- Subscribe to the Best Practices Show Podcast
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club
- Join ACT’s Master Class
- See our Live Events Schedule here
- Get the Best Practices Magazine for Free!
- Write a Review on iTunes
Links Mentioned in This Episode:
ACT’s Roadmap to Practice Profitability: https://www.actdental.com/free-resources/money-tool
Main Takeaways:
Overhead isn't as complicated as you think.
Understand why you need to know your overhead.
Learn how to track, control, and lower your overhead.
Give yourself grace. Make small changes and improvements.
Quotes:
“Overhead is going up. Costs are going up. And so, the problem or the challenge with overhead is multifactorial. One is, it’s going higher, and it’s harder and harder to keep that profit margin. Number two, we, in dentistry, have made overhead overly complex — way more complex than it has to be. And the outcome of that complexity, I believe, is many dentists, maybe most dentists, don't even track it.” (2:28—2:58) -Dr. Straub
“The complexity is coming from what we call buckets. What bucket does each expenditure go in, whether it’s team compensation, facility, supplies, lab, or operating costs? And us detail-oriented dentists, we get too into the details, and we worry so much about, ‘Am I putting this expense in the right bucket?’ that we eventually throw up our hands, wait for our accountant to tell us whether we’re doing okay or not, and move on. And that, ultimately, is not the right way to run a business.” (3:11—3:45) -Dr. Straub
“Overhead is a percentage of collections, not production, number one. Overhead has zero to do with production. Now, you could say that, ‘Well, your collection is a factor of your production.’ Absolutely. But it is a percentage of your collections. And you're right, we’ve been talking a lot about this, this push to produce, produce, produce. We like it when dentists produce more. But we want them to produce more when they have the gap set up, and the foundation and their profit margin set up, to where they're going to benefit from that.” (4:16—4:48) -Dr. Straub
“There are two reasons to know your overhead. One is so you know what day of the month you start making money. When you know your overhead, you know when you cross that dollar line in terms of collections, ‘Now, I get to make some money.’ And the earlier in the month that is, the happier we are.” (4:50—5:09) -Dr. Straub
“If you don't know your overhead, you're just outrunning the wolf every single month. It’s like me being your cardiologist going, ‘Don't worry what your cholesterol is. We’re just going to get you jogging. And salads.’ No — bad advice. Come on. And if you're going to transition someday or sell, profitability is huge. I don't care if you sell to a DSO or another private dentist. At the end of the day, the best practices to buy are the profitable ones.” (5:15—5:42) -Kirk
“At the end of the day, most dentists are realizing cash flow matters. Every one of us wants to have profit left over to put in our bank account. And there are many factors — we call them our gaps — but there are many gaps where cash leaves the practice. One is overhead. And we need overhead. We need expenses to run our business. But we want to manage it. We want to limit it. We want to make sure that we’re spending our money wisely and not on things we don't need.” (5:43—6:13) -Dr. Straub
“The other “why” [for caring about overhead], one is so that you know what it is and when you start to get paid. You can't decrease it until you know what it is and set up a budget and plan to decrease it. Otherwise, to your point, you're just guessing like, ‘Oh, what was my overhead last month? Oh, that's high. I don't have a plan for it next month.’” (6:14—6:34) -Dr. Straub
“The reason [overhead is] so complex is we dentists worry so much about how to organize it. And once we learn what the true definition is and how to calculate it in 60 seconds, we’ll realize it doesn't really matter in the end. So, all overhead is, is all your expenses minus your doctor salary and benefits. Your overhead is a one, dollar figure. It’s X amount of money. And then, divided by revenue, it’s a percentage. Now, we can break that overhead expense up into team comp, facility, supplies, lab, operating costs — our buckets, as we call them. And that is part of our process in our Money Roadmap in terms of setting a budget and setting up a strategy for decreasing it. But if you don't even know what it is, then who cares what bucket it is. You want to know, ‘How much money did I spend to run my business?’ You take all doctors, associates, doctor providers, out, salary and benefits. That's your overhead.” (7:30—8:34) -Dr. Straub
“If you're going to own a business, you've got to do a little bit of math.” (9:11—9:14) -Kirk
“You need to know [overhead] because you're a business owner. You want to know, ‘When I cross this line, I make money.’ We advise our doctors to have a monthly salary that they want to take, and then they know, ‘If I cross overhead, I get paid. When I cross that next line of my salary, now I'm in the bonus. Now, I have extra cash flow to invest, to bonus my team, to make all of our lives a little bit better, put money away for a rainy day. So, knowing these numbers, knowing these gaps, knowing when we’ve crossed into break-even just to stay afloat, then break-even so I get paid, now, what we all hope for is that there's money going in the bank even after all that.” (10:05—10:53) -Dr. Straub
“Your business will eat every dollar — every dollar — if you don't prevent that. If you leave money in the checking account and say, ‘Oh, we've got plenty in there,’ if you don't know your overhead, the business will eat it.” (10:56—11:11) -Kirk
“You can't cut to grow. A lot of dentists think, ‘Lower the overhead. Well, I've got to lower wages. I've got to buy cheap paper. I've got to go and get the cheapest supplies and C-Fold towels that are at the bottom.’ You can't think like that. It’s a function of your overall profitability. And so, knowing what influences those — because if you're in the game of caring about people, you're going to need to be able to pay benefits and good wages, long term. So, you have to understand how they go up and down.” (11:53—12:24) -Kirk
“Overhead is only one function of profitability. So, we can lower overhead. And what we mean about lowering overhead is, get rid of the waste. Get rid of the stuff you're paying for that you don't even know. Supply budget is one of the easiest ones in that we can set a budget, and when we hit that number, we stop ordering. Not all overhead — there's fixed, there are variables. Our Money Roadmap gets into that. You can cut so much on overhead. Once you're lean and mean, now we've got to increase our profit margin. We've got to increase the collections, our revenue, the top end, the top line. So, both of them go into that true profitability margin.” (12:25—13:12) -Dr. Straub
“For every $1 million you collect — think about this — you take your overhead from 71% to 61%, that's a net profit gain of $100,000. I would even argue you're going to work fewer days.” (14:11—14:25) -Kirk
“The way to keep your team well-compensated is to watch your overhead. Because if you're spending too much money in the other categories, then you can't pay your team as much as you want to, as much as you could, as much as they deserve. So, a lot of times, when we reluctantly don't want to go down the overhead management route because dentists feel like it means we've got to cut staff, or we have to limit — actually, it’s quite the opposite. The way to pay them more, incentivize them, is to control all your other costs so that when that added profitability does hit the bottom line, you can use some of it to incentivize your team.” (14:49—15:27) -Dr. Straub
“If your team compensation is 33%, it’s not that you're overpaying people. You could — it could be. But what that screams to me is your practice doesn't collect enough to be able to service that payroll level. So, a private practice, or less PPO-driven, that has great systems in place, watches their costs — you might have the same payroll as another practice. But your percentage is 33, and the other doctor who is paying the same amount out is at 25% or 24%.” (15:35—16:11) -Kirk
“Your overhead percentages can indicate that your collections aren't where they need to be. So, they can be diagnostic as well. The moral of the story is, track it, and then figure out how to improve it.” (16:13—16:28) -Dr. Straub
“[Finding your overhead is] super easy, 60 seconds. You're going to pull your P&L. Now, again, back to the “man up, woman up”. You're a business owner. You all have QuickBooks. You’ve got to be able to print a P&L . . . You can [call your accountant], and they’ll get you it. But as business owners, we should be able to print a P&L any day, any hour, any time we want. So, if you can't do that, talk to your accountant and say, ‘Hey, I want your services, but I want to be able to pull financials whenever I want. Let's figure out how to do that.’ QuickBooks is super easy to use. So, you print your P&L. That's number one. You have it in front of you. You go to the bottom of the P&L. It’s going to say something called Expense Total. It’s a big dollar figure. Write that down. Now, you go above that, and you find out one of your categories or buckets is going to be called Doctor Salary and Benefits. There's going to be a total. You're going to write down that number. You're going to subtract that from your total expenses. That's your overhead. That's it.” (16:30—17:37) -Dr. Straub
“That's part of the complexity, is that there's no standard way for a P&L. So, all a P&L is, is in QuickBooks, you get to organize all these line items of expenditures. And you get to organize them and dictate which category they go in. We have a seven-bucket model where there are seven buckets where all of your expenditures should fit in. The reason we like that is because it’s designed after how a dentist thinks. ‘Okay. I bring in money, and it goes out in one of these seven ways. And then, what's left over is my salary and benefits.’ We’ve seen a lot of P&Ls from lots of our clients, and there's no standardized way in the accounting world to do it. So, some will have three buckets, and some will have 342. And ultimately, we’ve got to talk to our accountant and say, ‘Hey, we’ve got to organize this a little different so I can understand it. Because all of these different categories make no sense to me.’” (17:46—18:41) -Dr. Straub
“In life, you go through these cycles. You go through ups and downs. You might be having the greatest quarter ever. Things are amazing. And then, the snow hits. Or you get hurt. You have to have a lower overhead so that you can deal with the weather, or life circumstances, or you have to go to two funerals in a month, or whatever. You've got to be able to have that breathing room. And knowing your overhead in 60 seconds, or following this, will make you sleep better.” (20:22—20:53) -Kirk
“One cautionary tale for overhead. I think another reason we dentists don't like to track it is, unfortunately, we like to compare ourselves to others. We dentists do that a lot. I mean, human nature. And what I'm going to say, track your overhead, and then take a deep breath. It’s okay. You can improve it. You can work on it. You're not a bad businessperson. You're not a bad dentist. Give yourself a little grace and get a little bit better every day. That's all we’re going to advise on how to improve your overhead.” (20:55—21:25) -Dr. Straub
“When we control our overhead, when we get that percentage as low as we can, reasonably, without stifling growth — we don't want you using a bad lab. We don't want you using bad materials. Never — then, any additional production/collections, we reap the increased profit margin based on that. So, let's say we have 72% overhead. We have a 28% margin before we even start to get paid. That's before taxes and before loan payments and all that. Well, if we go and just produce more, produce more, produce more, that goes with us. So, now, we’re producing more. We’re paying even more tax on a pass-through entity, and we’re getting less of that 28%. So, we’re saying, ‘Hey, why don't we control the overhead a little bit, even if it’s a few percentage points?’ Now, when you go produce more, which is always good, you're going to take more of that profit margin.” (23:00—23:55) -Dr. Straub
“We have a seven-bucket model. Number one is team comp. Historically, it’s always been 25%. We understand that's getting harder and harder to meet, and we’ve got to get creative. We have facility and equipment. That's going to be your rent, your utilities, your facility, your property, janitorial services, all of that, eight percent. Supplies, five percent. That includes drugs. Your lab, eight percent. That’s lab, that's implant, that's ortho, that's CAD/CAM. And then, operating costs, nine percent. This is the one that can get out of hand. This is the one where you kind of throw everything that doesn't fit a different category.” (23:59—24:40) -Dr. Straub
“[Operating costs can be] like office supplies, business office equipment, legal fees, accounting fees, collection costs — I'm reading right off the Roadmap — bank charges, all of these things. Computer expenses. They're typically expenses that are necessary but not related to the dental piece all the time.” (24:40—24:58) -Kirk
“The low-hanging fruit on improving your overhead is, one, set a supply budget. When you hit that number, stop spending — except for emergencies. And then, operating expenses, I can guarantee there's some money going out on a monthly auto-charge to your credit card that you don't even know about.” (25:00—25:18) -Dr. Straub
“If you're not collecting 100% of your net production, your overhead percentages will be worse than they should be. So, if we’re only collecting 95% of our net production, then that's five percent that doesn't get factored into these overheads.” (25:52—26:08) -Dr. Straub
“People look at team compensation as an expense, and they get angry. Back in the day when they would write checks, we would joke that the dentist’s pen would bend when they were signing checks. Think better. Our job here at ACT Dental is to help your thinking. That shouldn't be an expense — that's an investment. You're investing in human beings. You've got to invest in the business.” (26:50—27:10) -Kirk
“If you've listened this far into the podcast, which we’re hoping you have, you're probably a little angry, a little frustrated right now. We’re here to tell you, there is a way out. It’s actually wildly predictable. If you sat down and actually did the math once a month — I'm going to recommend that you get a coach. But even if you didn't have a coach, you could say, ‘Okay. This is not good. I need to fix this.’ Nothing stands in your way. You can literally fix this one bucket at a time.” (28:21—28:47) -Kirk
“Once you start tracking numbers, the decisions that you need to make become very clear and a lot easier to make. Knowledge is power.” (28:49—28:58) -Dr. Straub
“Don't overthink it. Don't beat yourself up. Just start tracking numbers and make small, incremental improvements every month and every year. And the long-range benefits or outcomes from doing that little bit of behavioral change will pay off dividends for decades.” (31:10—31:25) -Dr. Straub
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
1:30 The challenge with overhead.
3:57 Why you should care about overhead.
6:58 Why overhead can be so confusing.
9:50 Why you need to know your overhead and how to lower it.
16:28 How to calculate your overhead in 60 seconds.
20:55 The best advice for thinking about overhead.
22:47 The seven-bucket model.
29:02 About ACT’s Roadmap to Practice Profitability.
30:59 Last thoughts.
Dr. Barrett Straub Bio:
Dr. Barrett Straub practices general and sedation dentistry in Port Washington, Wisconsin. He has worked hard to develop his practice into a top-performing, fee-for-service practice that focuses on improving the lives of patients through dentistry.
A graduate of Marquette Dental School, Dr. Straub’s advanced training and CE includes work at the Spear Institute, LVI, DOCS, and as a member of the Milwaukee Study Club. He is a past member of the Wisconsin Dental Association Board of Trustees and was awarded the Marquette Dental School 2017 Young Alumnus of the Year. As a former ACT coaching client that experienced first-hand the transformation that coaching can provide, he is passionate about helping other dentists create the practice they’ve always wanted.
Dr. Straub loves to hunt, golf, and spend winter on the ice, curling. He is married to Katie, with two daughters, Abby and Elizabeth.
5 Strategies to Encourage Dental Hygienists to Diagnose Periodontal Disease
Episode #574 with Miranda Beeson
Hygienists are more than mouth janitors. They have the power to improve and potentially save your patients’ lives. So, why is your perio percentage still at zero? To help you improve that number, Kirk Behrendt brings back Miranda Beeson, one of ACT’s amazing coaches, to share five strategies that will empower and elevate your hygienists to diagnose more perio in your practice. Half the population has this disease! Let's give patients the optimal care they deserve. To learn how, listen to Episode 574 of The Best Practices Show!
Episode Resources:
- Miranda’s email: mirandabeesonicc@gmail.com
- Miranda’s social media: @actdental
- Subscribe to theBest Practices Show Podcast
- Join ACT’sTo The Top Study Club
- Join ACT’sMaster Class
- See ourLive Events Schedule here
- Get theBest Practices Magazine for Free!
- Write aReview on iTunes
Links Mentioned in This Episode:
Best Practices Show Episode 573 with Jaime Taets:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3W-sAG9LtXg
Other Best Practices Show episodes with Miranda:https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/search?query=miranda%20beeson%20
Best Practices Show episodes with Robyn Theisen:https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/search?query=robyn%20theisen
Pearl:https://www.hellopearl.com
5 Strategies to Encourage Dental Hygienists to Diagnose Periodontal Disease:https://www.dropbox.com/s/0jm5gywzaquobuu/5%20Strategies%20to%20Encourage%20Dental%20Hygienists%20to%20Diagnose%20Periodontal%20Disease.pdf?dl=0
Beat the Heart Attack Gene by Dr. Bradley Bale and Amy Doneen:https://bookshop.org/p/books/beat-the-heart-attack-gene-the-revolutionary-plan-to-prevent-heart-disease-stroke-and-diabetes-bradley-bale/16685772
Books by Patrick Lencioni:https://www.tablegroup.com/books
Main Takeaways:
Establish what periodontal health looks like in your practice.
Provide hygienists opportunities for education and training.
Foster a culture of collaboration and communication.
Implement a periodontal disease screening program.
Use all the technology you can to your advantage.
Quotes:
“We all know how prevalent periodontal disease is and how impactful periodontal disease is on overall health and systemic health. And if we’re not navigating our patients through that process and helping them to understand what the risks are, if they have the disease how can we manage it, are we truly helping them to the fullest potential?” (2:42—3:01)
“When we look at the prevalence of periodontal disease in our culture, we know that over half of the population, depending on the data around people’s age, has some form of periodontal disease. And as patients get older, 65 and up, we know that goes up into the 60s, and based on some research, even to the 70th percentile of people who have periodontal disease. And with the correlation we know now to so many systemic health risks — heart disease, diabetes, Alzheimer’s, and I think prostate cancer is in the mix now. There are so many things — patients are starting to become aware of that too. And so, it’s our responsibility to make sure that we’re doing everything that we can to support our hygienists to make sure that they're comfortable and confident in helping patients navigate that disease process.” (3:02—3:46)
“If you're not diagnosing and treating periodontal disease in your practice consistently, hundreds of thousands of dollars a year are walking out the door. And periodontal treatment itself, as well as building value, when people start to get more inquisitive about their health and their oral health and they start to look for more answers and, ‘How can I be healthier and better?’ that feeds into restorative as well. So, we’re leaving money on the table, for sure. So, from a business and profitability standpoint, if we’re not doing this, the profitability isn't where it could be, significantly. But then, on the other side of that is, we’re decreasing more and more risk for patients. And so, that's where we have to balance. Because as business owners, if you tell me I'm going to be hundreds of thousands of dollars more profitable — hygienists, you'd better get out there and start diagnosing perio. But the hygienists, they're not receiving that same impact that you are as a practice owner. Where it’s really going to impact the hygienist is knowing the impact that you're having on your patients, who a lot of these hygienists consider friends after years and years of taking care of them.” (5:05—6:10)
“When I first graduated, I graduated top of my hygiene class. I was so excited to go out into the world, and be this hygienist, and share all the knowledge that I had. And on day one, I remember having a patient, and I remember thinking, ‘Wow, this is more than I can do in one visit.’ Like, ‘This is perio. I'm pretty sure this is perio, but I don't know what to do here.’ And I remember the dentist who was so sweet. He took me in the hallway, and he was like, ‘So, are you finished with this patient?’ after the exam. And I'm like, ‘I don't think I am.’ He’s like, ‘I don't think you are either. There's a lot more going on here.’ And so, some of [the hesitancy] is a lack of knowledge, a lack of awareness of, how do we navigate treatment planning, diagnosing, talking about this with our patients? And then, there's also a lack of confidence. So, it stems from confidence and knowledge.” (6:33—7:21)
“For those hygienists that are a bit more seasoned, it can sometimes be a level of complacency. Like, we as a practice have never really made this a priority. We have never really talked about our philosophy around perio in this practice. I'm doing a good job. And a lot of times, they're doing perio and not actually treatment planning perio. They're just working really, really hard . . . They're breaking their bodies, honestly, over delivering care that is more than what they're coding or presenting to their patients. A lot of hygienists are doing perio in a prophy visit when the impact should be focused and deliberate so that also the patient is aware of the disease state and the risks that it has to them in their overall health.” (7:21—8:17)
“When [my client and I] talked today about creating a hygiene priority and working through some of these ways to encourage them to align, I said, ‘Do you feel like this is going to be valuable to you?’ And [one of the hygienists] said, ‘Yes. Even just having time for all of us to sit and talk about hygiene. Like, we do hygiene all day, but we don't ever talk to each other about what you do, or what I do, or what works well for you.’ So, the time dedicated to having that alignment time, she was like, ‘That in itself is so valuable.’” (9:24—9:57)
“You said something last week when we were at our To The Top study club about alignment, ‘Alignment and agreement are not always the same thing,’ which I thought was so cool to say out loud. You can align with someone even if you don't fully agree. It’s a compromise that you're making so that you're all on the same page. You don't have to be in full agreement to be aligned. I thought that was really cool.” (10:31—10:54)
“The first [strategy] is providing opportunity for education and training. So, like we just talked about, a lot of times, the hesitancy isn't because they don't want to do a good job, or they don't believe in perio, or maybe they [don't] recognize they're seeing perio. They just aren't exactly confident or have the knowledge to really move forward with diagnosing and treatment planning. So, creating that awareness and knowledge through providing opportunities. So, bringing in continuing education into the office, doing things as a team, internally, or seeking out and encouraging your team members to look externally for opportunities to learn about periodontal disease and where it’s going currently in our research.” (12:04—12:47)
“Having the opportunities there for the team to grow and learn together, it’s team building, and it’s alignment driven, and it’s going to help for them to have the knowledge and the confidence that they need to feel comfortable bringing that up with patients, and being able to answer the patients’ questions when they ask them.” (12:57—13:15)
“There are experts that are out there like Katrina Sanders who are going internationally to learn this information. You can't do that as a practicing hygienist working four or five days a week, chairside. You can't go to all of the best symposiums throughout the country, internationally, to learn all of these new processes. But you can find an expert or a couple of experts or mentors who are doing that and learn from them. They are teaching you through their learning. The whole community needs to come together to start to see that we can impact, starting very small, and go as big as we want to go. But it’s how much time do you have. And sometimes, the teams don't have that time. That's why it can be helpful to carve time out, where you're bringing someone into the office, or playing some webinars in the office together as a team.” (14:14—15:04)
“There are so many books in the world that we can learn from. There are so many people with a plethora of information. They're out there. We have to seek them out and then carve that time intentionally to make sure that every year, we’re not just going online and getting our 15 free CEs, clicking through the videos as fast as possible and just answering the quiz because we already know this information. Seek out new information that might take you into a more mindful growth place in...
The Stages of Change
Episode #573 with Jaime Taets
If you own a business, you need a coach! Even coaches need their own coaches for support and guidance. Today, Kirk Behrendt brings in ACT Dental’s very own coach, Jaime Taets, CEO and founder of Keystone Group International. She shares key insights from her years in corporate culture that will help energize and unify your practice. With her model, the stages of change, you will finally understand why your team isn't on board with your plans, and what you can do to change that. To learn more, listen to Episode 573 of The Best Practices Show!
Episode Resources:
- Jaime’s website: https://jaimetaets.com
- Jaime’s social media: @jaime_taets
- Keystone Group International: https://www.keystonegroupintl.com
- Subscribe to the Best Practices Show Podcast
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club
- Join ACT’s Master Class
- See our Live Events Schedule here
- Get the Best Practices Magazine for Free!
- Write a Review on iTunes
Links Mentioned in This Episode:
The Stages of Change: [link needed]
You Are Here by Jaime Taets: https://jaimetaets.com/product/you-are-here
Pre-order The Culture Climb by Jaime Taets (launches June 20, 2023): https://jaimetaets.com/the-culture-climb
Jaime’s podcast, SuperPower Success: https://open.spotify.com/show/0W4ht8Sb4jxV9lMLI0XsBq
Culture Cohort - Creating a Culture of Contribution and Not Fit (event on May 17, 2023): https://www.eventbrite.com/e/culture-cohort-creating-a-culture-of-contribution-and-not-fit-tickets-567064203297?aff=ebdsoporgprofile
The Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni: https://www.tablegroup.com/product/dysfunctions
Main Takeaways:
Everyone needs a coach.
Understand the five stages of change.
When you know better, you can do better.
Don't hire a coach that doesn't have a coach.
Communicate seven times in seven different ways.
Quotes:
“You don't hire a personal trainer to give you a bowl of ice cream and the remote. Right? Think about that. You would never hire a personal trainer to do that. Why would you hire a coach to come in and pacify you, or just come in every now and then and tell you you're doing a good job? I don't believe that's the job of a coach.” (5:23—5:40)
“I think we’re advisors. We’re there to help you see what you can't see, because you're too close to it . . . You already know your business, so I'm not coming in and telling you, ‘This is what you need to do.’ I'm coming in and asking you questions so that you can take a step back and say, ‘Wow. I didn't realize it because I was so close to it, but we do have that problem,’ or, ‘I can see that now.’ And that's worth its price in gold.” (5:40—6:04)
“I have a coach. Any advisor, coach, anybody you're going to have come into your business, if they do not have a coach, run in the opposite direction. Because we all need to level up and have somebody that's helping us.” (6:05—6:18)
“As humans, when something is changing — and this can be the smallest change, it can be a big change. So, it really doesn't matter, the magnitude — you go through these five stages. And when we talk about it with leaders and coaches, let's say we’re a business owner of a dental practice. They're going like, ‘Why won't my people get on board with what we’re doing?’ We usually help them step back and say, ‘Because we haven't done the work needed to help them see the change and what's involved in the change.’” (7:55—8:28)
“The different stages of change, our job as leaders is to help people get through the stages as fast as possible, not expect them to just be on board because we sent an email, or we said something once. And that's the part as leaders I think we get hung up on, is we get frustrated. And so, when we share the stages of change, it’s to help leaders understand, don't be frustrated. Just realize they're somewhere on the stage. They're in one of those stages and we have to figure out how to move them.” (8:29—8:56)
“The first stage of change is awareness. So, if you think about a curve and there are five stages on that curve, the first stage is awareness. And what awareness means is — wait for it — I'm aware of the change. But that's it. I've seen an email. Okay. That doesn't mean I'm changing. It just means you've sent me an email. I've heard you mention it. Okay. But that’s all that is to me. I'm just aware that there is a change we’re talking about.” (9:58—10:26)
“After awareness, we move people to understanding. Understanding is interesting. I know a little bit more about the change. Not quite sure how this is going to work or how it’s going to impact me, but I understand it maybe a little bit below the surface, a little more than just, you've sent me an email.” (10:28—10:45)
“Whenever somebody says, ‘But we communicated it to them, and we wrote a process for them,’ I'm like, ‘That's two out of seven. What else are we going to do?’ And they're like, ‘What?’ It’s scientifically proven, [you need to tell people something] seven times in seven ways. And that might mean verbally. That might mean in a meeting where they're connecting dots, because it’s all about dot-connecting. They aren't on the journey. They haven't been thinking about it for three months or three years like you have. They don't see the same problem you see from their seat. And so, you have to paint the picture for them in pieces and put it together for them. Most leaders give up too early. They get frustrated, and then the employee is frustrated. And it's because we don't have this common language to point and say, ‘I'm only at awareness. You haven't gotten me further than that. I need more,’ whatever that looks like. That's what we want to create, is that common language.” (11:54—12:47)
“Awareness is discomfort. Like, ‘Uh-oh. What's changing?’ Understanding is, ‘Okay. Open to hearing more, but I have no idea what this means for me.’ The third stage is acceptance. This is a really important one. We call this stage fragile hope. This is three stages in to the five, and they're still not fully on board. What it really means is, they're now open to being involved in the change, but they don't fully understand the change yet. And what happens with most leaders is we get people to use the language, even trigger words that you'll hear from people on how they know where they're at on the change. You'll think you got them there because they're saying all the right things. But all it’s going to take is for someone to be like, ‘Oh, yeah. We tried this three years ago. You weren't here, but Kirk did this before. Yeah, we tried. It doesn't work, and he’ll probably go back.’ All it takes is someone to put any amount of “uh-oh” in there, and they slide right back down the change curve.” (12:57—14:03)
“Most organizations that we come into, even if they think they're good at communication, only get people to acceptance. And then, they wonder why people are still wavering. Because at acceptance, I have a foot in the past, pre-change, and I have a foot in the future, knowing something is happening, and I haven’t yet decided which one I want to be in.” (14:04—14:22)
“So, going from acceptance to the fourth stage of change, which is commitment, that's the biggest chasm, as leaders, that we have to cross. That is where the work is. So, I tell leadership teams, ‘When you feel like you have someone to acceptance, double down. Don't take your foot off the gas at that point and think you're done and move on to the next thing.’ That is the point where you actually have to increase your communication. You have to talk more about what's going on. You have to create a different space and places for people to have the conversations and drive the change.” (14:27—15:01)
“Commitment means I am taking proactive steps in relation to the change. So, words that you would hear from somebody when your team is fully committed, you're going to hear things like, ‘Hey, Kirk. That thing you were talking about, I know we’re doing that. But I was also thinking, what if it could also help us over here?’ You know you have them, because they're not focused on the change and the pain of it. They're actually proactively thinking about other things that could happen and that you could also leverage that change for.” (15:02—15:32)
“Advocacy is where I am going to be an evangelist for the change and I'm going to help other people get through the change. I'm going to advocate for what we’re doing, and why it’s the right thing for the company, how it’s going to help us. And so, you have to get through commitment and get somebody to that evangelist stage for them to be in advocacy.” (16:13—16:33)
“We get this question all the time, ‘That sounds like a lot of time.’ Here’s what I will tell you. You can spend it upfront on the change, or you can spend it on the backend when it’s not working and when people aren't following the process. You're going to spend the time regardless. So, why not spend it proactively? Focus on that so that you can move on to the next change. Because how many organizations are still reliving change they made a year ago, processes that aren't being followed, things that aren't being done in a consistent way? It’s because they didn't actually manage the change the first time out, and so now we manage the fires that are created because of it afterward. So, I think you're losing time no matter what.” (16:36—17:19)
“Most don't know about models like this. This is from my big corporate days, but I've simplified it down. I'm reminded of the Maya Angelou quote, ‘When you know better, then do better.’ If I don't know it, I can't do it. But now that you know it, now we need to actually use it and be more aware of how we come across. Self-awareness is the first step. But how you do it is you focus on the people on your team who are actually good at this. So, when I come into a leadership team, I'll know the people that have a little higher emotional intelligence. And that's not a disrespect to — some people have higher natural emotional intelligence than others. Emotional intelligence typically, and empathy, is the key to being really good at change management and getting people through. Because you have to be able to sit in their seat, and look at what you're saying, and go, ‘Ouf, that email could really come across wrong if we say it that way, from their seat.’ And so, sometimes as a leadership team, for you, it’s surrounding yourself with people that can see different perspectives and aren't afraid to tell you, ‘I don't know if that message is going to be received in the way you intend it to be received.” (18:00—19:10)
“When you feel like you are micromanaging, it’s because you're not managing change. You're not having the real dialogue, human to human, to say, ‘Does this make sense? What else should we be thinking about?’ It’s oftentimes asking different questions to get people through that change curve, is you've got to turn their brains on in a different way. Because here’s the thing. Your employees are not sitting around like, ‘I'm just going to stay at the awareness phase. Screw them.’ That's not happening. They don't realize they're not at advocacy.” (19:54—20:28)
“A $300 million general contractor, I've been working with them for four or five years. In January, at their annual planning — they’ve had Lean. So, a lot of people heard about Lean in the manufacturing and construction space, Lean Six Sigma. They hired a full-time person who’s been there for two years driving a Lean agenda in their organization. But it’s been faltering, and stopping, and starting. We were planning it, and I finally turned to the executive team. I drew the stages of change, and I said, ‘Where are you at as it relates to Lean on the stages of change?’ This is the executive team leading the entire organization. We’re two years in. And all but one of them, the person who owns the Lean team, said, ‘I'm back at understanding.’ I'm like, ‘Hundreds and hundreds of thousands of dollars have been spent that is really going nowhere because none of you are actually committed or advocates for Lean.’ And it was this moment of — they weren't operating every day trying to undermine what was going on in the organization. But until they have the language to say, ‘I'm not there yet,’ that opened up a whole dialogue, and now actually has had other ripple effects in the organization where they're like, ‘We’re not having these kinds of conversations, and this is the kind of stuff that's holding us back.’” (20:32—21:55)
“The entire organization follows right where the leaders go. And if the leaders are all going in different directions, what direction does the organization go? It’s spattered. It doesn't have clear focus. And that's actually the biggest fracture we see in most organizations today, and why you're having retention issues, and all these things, is because they look at the leaders and go, ‘Every single one of them is misaligned.’ And what we tell leadership teams is, ‘If you think you're hiding your misalignment, your dysfunction, your distrust between yourselves, you're not.’ Think about parents who think they're hiding what's going on. You're not. The organization is seeing it, and they're seeing that you're not aligned.” (22:32—23:14)
“Two things happen when a leadership team is not aligned. People take advantage of it. It’s the whole mom, dad — I'm going to go to which one’s going to give me the answer about what I want to do this weekend or give me the answer I want. That's what they do to the leadership team. So, when they see fractures, if they know they can get it from Kirk, they're going to say, ‘I'm going to go ask Kirk and get what I want,’ even if somebody else isn't aligned to that. So, they see right through it. Or it causes them anxiety. It causes them like, ‘I don't know what to do because I don't see my leaders being cohesive and being aligned.’ And so, if we don't start there, none of the rest of it matters.” (23:15—23:54)
“Pick a change. And this could just be, ‘We’re going to make a small change to a process,’ or, ‘We’re going to start measuring something different.’ Don't pick your biggest, like, ‘We’re implementing a whole new system.’ Don't start there. You’ve got to build the muscle. But start with a change that's happening.” (24:22—24:38)
“Here’s what advocacy is. Advocacy is when someone else pushes back, I step forward versus stepping back. And what a lot of leadership teams don't realize is they go through the stages of change, and they don't get as far as they think they do. And the moment somebody on their team down in the organization has a problem with it, what do they do? ‘Oh, yeah. Yeah, you're right. Yeah, that's not the best thing to do. You're right.’ We need all leaders to be full-on committed and advocates of this. And to do that, we have to make sure they have the talking points, and they have what they need.” (25:15—25:52)
“Start using this language, whether it’s in a one-on-one and you're having a performance conversation. Where are they at? ‘Do you understand? Do you fully accept where we’re at? How can you be committed and show your commitment to this?’ Start using the language because I think it’s going to change the dialogue that you have.” (25:53—26:10)
“Unless there's a high degree of trust, we’re having good, healthy debate and discussion, we’re not fully committed. We’re nod-our-heads committed. And that's what I think happens in a lot of organizations. Especially as a business owner, and this is something that owners need to realize, is people are going to nod their heads when you say something just because they feel like they're supposed to do that. That does not mean they're committed. So, create the opening to say, ‘I see you're nodding your head. Walk me through where you're really at. Do you fully understand why we’re doing this?’ And give them the opportunity to say no. At least then, you know, and you can do more work, versus we go, ‘Okay. Yup, they nodded their heads. Everyone was looking at me in the room like we’re all good,’ and then I move on to the next thing. That's where the pain comes from, because people are just nodding their heads because they know they're supposed to, because you're the business owner.” (26:54—27:45)
“When we know better, we do better. So, now, you know. Everybody who is listening, you know that this is a real thing. It’s scientifically proven. It’s how humans’ brains are wired. You can use this at home. You can use this in your community groups. You can use it, when you get good at it, at the office. It works in life to say, ‘How are we going to get people on board with what we’re trying to do where they feel comfortable, and we can be successful as a team?’ So, just practice it. Try a conversation. Try it out with somebody that you trust. Start using it in your leadership team. And maybe you just start there.” (28:19—28:53)
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
1:39 Jaime’s background.
4:47 We all need a coach.
6:18 The stages of change, explained.
8:56 Stage 1) Awareness.
10:27 Stage 2) Understanding.
11:39 The 7/7 rule.
12:48 Stage 3) Acceptance.
14:27 Stage 4) Commitment.
15:33 Stage 5) Advocacy.
16:34 Choose how you spend your time.
17:20 Know better, do better.
19:10 What's holding your team back?
21:57 As goes the leadership, so goes the team.
24:01 Where to start.
26:12 Give your team the opportunity to say no.
28:10 Last thoughts on the stages of change.
29:26 Get in rhythm.
31:24 More about Jaime’s podcast, books, and future events.
Jaime Taets Bio:
CEO, public speaker, author, podcast host, and thought leader, Jaime Taets, is uniquely qualified to address this internal culture crisis. With over 20 years in corporate culture, 13 of which were spent leading large-scale global transformations at Cargill, one of the largest privately held corporations in the world, Jaime has honed the craft of bringing leaders and their people together for a unified goal. It is with that leadership mindset
4 Steps to Follow When You Lose a Rockstar Team Member
Episode #572 with Heather Crockett
If you own a practice long enough, you will lose some great team members. How do you not freak out when that happens? To help you keep calm and carry on, Kirk Behrendt brings back Heather Crockett, one of ACT’s amazing coaches, with a four-step process to guide you through what to do, how to do it, and a better way to think when it happens to you. It’s not always horrible when a team member leaves! To learn why, listen to Episode 572 of The Best Practices Show!
Episode Resources:
- Heather’s email: heather@actdental.com
- Heather’s Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/heather.r.crockett
- Heather’s social media: @actdental
- Subscribe to the Best Practices Show Podcast
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club
- Join ACT’s Master Class
- See our Live Events Schedule here
- Get the Best Practices Magazine for Free!
- Write a Review on iTunes
Links Mentioned in This Episode:
Traction by Gino Wickman: https://benbellabooks.com/shop/traction
Main Takeaways:
It will be okay.
Take a deep breath.
Do a current assessment.
If possible, do an exit interview.
Assess all the people you still have.
Have a contingency plan (not a plan B).
Quotes:
“Yes, it’s true. It’s going to happen. There are team members [that] come to the practice that are the right people. They fit your core values. They get results. They do all of the things that mean a lot to you and to the other team members in the practice. Sometimes, those people leave. They move on. The reasons can range. Oftentimes, it’s because you did something to encourage them to become a better person or to pursue something amazing. And that's okay too. We talk about how amazing leaders grow other amazing leaders. And sometimes, they hit a point where they need to move on and go somewhere else.” (2:23—3:08) -Heather
“Off of the heels of the pandemic, ACT Dental lost three of its top people — in a row! I was floored. And they were amazing people — still are — great contributors to our environment. Two of them said, ‘It’s just time to chart a new course. I'm going to start my own business.’ And they did. I'd love to sit here and say, ‘Yeah! I love giving people wings! I love it when they quit and start their own business, and I high-five them!’ In my soul, I say, ‘I'm so happy for you!’ But in my gut, I'm like, ‘No! Why? Not today!’ The third one said, ‘This has been unbelievably stressful. I can appreciate where you're going. I just want a regular, predictable job.’ And I was so happy for them to do that. In the middle of it, I almost had another panic attack. So, I had a panic attack during the pandemic. I probably almost had a heart attack during this one. It’s going to happen, and you think the world is going to come to an end. And it doesn't.” (3:23—4:37) -Kirk
“Kirk, with what you just said with what you experienced, you needed step number one right away: deep breaths. It’s going to be okay. It doesn't always feel like it. But what I'm reminded of are your circles that you refer to with what I can control and what I cannot control. If you focus on what you cannot control, you're going to drive yourself absolutely crazy mad. If you focus on the things that you can control, you're going to be okay. We cannot control if a team member chooses to leave. Like, let's not hold them hostage in the practice. No. It’s going to be okay. People are going to come and go. This is a reality of running a business, running a practice.” (4:55—5:39) -Heather
“During the COVID-19 days in the conference, we brought many people in that were experts on mental health. I am not one of them. One of the models that the World Health Organization showed us — it was powerful. Still use it today — was two circles. In the middle circle, you write what I can control. Outside of that circle is another circle. That's what I can't control. And what they taught us and everybody that was listening was, where is your focus? When your focus is on the middle circle, it’s a healthier day mentally, emotionally, and physically. When it’s all over the circle, it’s not so much.” (5:45—6:27) -Kirk
“You have to not do anything stupid. Don't make any rash decisions in the moment. Take those deep breaths, know that you're going to be okay, and realize that these things are going to happen. So, you just have to accept it and say, ‘Okay. Yes, it’s not ideal. And we had this happen before. So, it’s okay.’ And with these steps, you're going to have a good plan of what to do next.” (7:16—7:45) -Heather
“Give space to your emotions. It’s valid to feel all the things. It’s okay to be upset. It’s okay to be relieved if it’s not a great team member. It’s okay to be disappointed that they left your practice as well. So, I would say, it’s okay. It’s okay to feel all of the emotions.” (8:48—9:07) -Heather
“When you have a foundation of core values, systems, good things — the more the foundation, the less the tree waves at the top. You're like, ‘Okay, we’ve got a pretty good business here. We’ve got good values. We’ve got a good rest of the team.’ The less that exists, the more the tree is waving all over the place and you're thinking, ‘I should just sell and get out of here. I don't know if I should do this anymore.’” (9:11—9:37) -Kirk
“Step number two is to take a step back and do a current assessment. If there's the potential for an exit interview, do an exit interview with the team member. See what worked and what didn't work for them. Really get down to what their main issues were. Was there anything that they held back and they didn't share with you? And then, look at the things that you could have changed about the relationship, if anything.” (9:42—10:14) -Heather
“I do love the exit interview when you can get it. You're not always going to be able to get it. And then, if you do get it, the second question is, ‘Did I really get some authentic feedback?’ And so, I did that with those team members. I'm like, ‘You've got to help me. This really hurts. Can you give me some coaching?’ And I always preface things good, bad, or indifferent with, ‘You can't hurt my feelings.’ I've been saying that for a long time because it doesn't always lend itself to everybody telling you the truth all the time. But what it does do is it opens it up for more of that. And so, when you do an exit interview, you can start to assess, ‘Wow. I probably should learn from this experience.’” (10:18—11:01) -Kirk
“People don't leave practices. They leave people. And so, there are some things you can control, and you can't control. But when I can diagnose like, ‘Wow, they left me,’ my next question is, ‘How do I not do this again?’ And this is the part that probably hurts the most, the current assessment.” (11:05—11:28) -Kirk
“What can I now learn from this, moving forward? From this experience, what can I take from this in order to improve myself and become a better leader?” (11:33—11:43) -Heather
“Remember, you're the business owner, if you're the dentist listening. And no one could make as many mistakes as you and stay employed as long as you have. If you've turned over your team three or four times in the last couple of years, what's the constant here? It’s you. So, we’re not here to beat you up. What we are here to do is, every change process starts with telling the truth, getting some feedback. That's why it’s essential to have a coach.” (11:45—12:15) -Kirk
“[If] you don't have a coach and you lose one or two good team members, you start making up your own story if you don't have that feedback. And oftentimes, the story that you make up is not a good one. But if you have somebody from the outside looking in saying, ‘Okay, let me tell you what happened there,’ you can be receptive. You're not always taking the information and liking it. Some of my favorite people in the industry always start with telling me something like this, ‘You don't have to like what I'm going to tell you.’ And I'm like, ‘Okay, here it comes.’” (12:18—12:50) -Kirk
“This is your humility check. This is your, ‘Okay, what can I do?’ Look inward for a minute so that you can have a better outward mindset.” (13:00—13:10) -Heather
“Step number three. Let's talk about the people that you still have. Let's assess those people. Are they fitting our core values? Do they get results? What can we do now that we’ve gone through step one and two without making those rash decisions? Is there someone within the practice that can now help to fill this current void?” (13:18—13:43) -Heather
“My favorite thing that happened — even when this happened to me — I had someone raise their hand and say, ‘I want that job.’ I thought to myself, ‘But you're in another department.’ They said, ‘I think I can do this job.’ And they shined in it. There are hidden opportunities that you don't see yet. And people, when they want to be a part of it — remember, you're now recruiting internally. Somebody knows that role. They think they can take the role. They want the role. That's a good move for you.” (14:07—14:38) -Kirk
“There's also the purging of over-functioning type of things. So, this is another instance. You might have somebody that's an office manager. They do a lot. You've told yourself they do so much here. And now, one day, they're not there. You're like, ‘Okay, who’s going to do all this work?’ And you think to yourself, ‘Okay. Well, we got it all done in a day or two.’ So, you don't have to run out and hire a very — it’s always good to have somebody in that role if your practice is big enough. But you don't have to make the rash decision to hire somebody and fill that void of that salary right away. There are times you can say, ‘Okay, listen. There are some things we can outsource.’ In any change or any system, I think this is a good process to go through, like what can we systematize, what can we automate, what can we outsource? Are there any of these things that we can outsource that might fill this void for now?” (14:39—15:34) -Kirk
“This is a great opportunity to go back to the drawing board with your Function Accountability Chart. So, let's look and see, in the organization, who does what, what are their roles, what are their titles? Perhaps we do have, or we did have, too many people. And there may be an individual that is ready to rise to the occasion and fill that void.” (15:45—16:05) -Heather
“[Heather’s] thing was, you’ve got to have a plan B. And I told her, ‘Heather, no! Plan B is for wimps.’ So, I tell my kids — please hear me. I'm not trying to be right. I never think plan B. Maybe that's one of my problems. I think there's only plan A. You don't come up with a plan B. But what we’re really talking about is when plan A doesn't work. What's the new plan A? That works better for me. Or a contingency plan. ‘We’re working with this. What I'm working on isn't working anymore. Now, it’s time to go to a new plan A.’” (17:33—18:07) -Kirk
“I'm on board with a contingency plan. I think that this step has to include — you have to be honest and address this with the team. So, the big elephant in the room, you have to address it. And the sooner you address it with the team, the better. After your 24 hours or 48 hours of having all the emotions and being able to think about it and process what's happening, then you're going to address it head-on with the team and say, ‘Okay. What's our contingency plan?’ This is when the team is probably going to come out of the woodwork, the right people, if you have the right people in your practice. They're going to start stepping up. ‘Well, I can do this. I can scan documents. I can make confirmation calls. I can do . . .’ And you're going to be pleasantly surprised with those people in your practice that are going to step up to the plate and help out.” (18:11—18:55) -Heather
“Plan B might be more than a people plan. It might be a business plan. There were some offices that we coached that when COVID-19 happened, they said, ‘Listen. I'm going to go the no-insurance route.’ And so, they pulled the trigger on the last few insurances and never looked back when or if they lost some key people.” (18:57—19:22) -Kirk
“Another one might be like, ‘I'm trying to build this bigger practice. I've lost two amazing associates. I'm not going down that route anymore because what I've taught myself is I'm not good at keeping associates.’ So, they rethought their business plan, kept it simple, and became more profitable that way. That's not for everybody. But what you can do in a new plan, or a contingency plan, is rethink your future here.” (19:22—19:47) -Kirk
“Dentistry is an amazing business. You're not stuck to somebody else’s rules. So, when bad things happen, it’s good to, number one, take a breath. Number two, take a current assessment of the situation. That's why I think it’s critical to have a coach or an advisor, somebody that can help you think through the numbers, the emotions, and maybe what happened. Number three, take a look at the people that you have and say, ‘Okay. What do I do here, and how do I better strengthen this group?’ Then, number four, does this all make sense with how we’re going to move forward in the next couple months? I think, at the end of the day, it’s good to know that you're always going to be okay.” (19:49—20:28) -Kirk
“I ran into a dentist that I worked for for almost ten years. Long ago. Great, amazing man. Like a second dad to me. I learned so much from him. I ran into him at the Utah Dental Association Convention here in Salt Lake a couple of months ago. He was speaking with a young woman I'd never met before, so I went up and said hello. He introduced me. She’s his former assistant. She’s in dental school. So, as his dental assistant, did she leave the practice? Was she an amazing assistant? She’s now in dental school and wants to buy his practice. So, it’s not always horrible when a team member leaves. It’s an opportunity.” (20:56—21:45) -Heather
“When you start putting your brain in the right place, on the other side of the fence, good things happen.” (22:14—22:19) -Kirk
“Prepare yourself mentally because this is going to happen. And follow the steps. Take a deep breath, come back and revisit this podcast, follow the steps, and you will be just fine. And if you really feel like you're anxious about it, give us a call. We would love to help you through it.” (23:00—23:18) -Heather
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
2:11 Why great team members leave.
3:09 Step 1) Take a deep breath.
5:39 The two circles, explained.
7:12 Think before you act.
8:43 Give space to your emotions.
9:40 Step 2) Do a current assessment.
10:15 Learn from the exit interview.
13:16 Step 3) Assess the people you still have.
17:20 Step 4) Have a contingency plan.
20:55 Look for the silver lining.
22:56 Last thoughts.
Heather Crockett Bio:
Heather Crockett is a Lead Practice Coach who finds joy in not only improving practices but improving the lives of those she coaches as well. With over 20 years of combined experience in assisting, office management, and clinical dental hygiene, her awareness supports many aspects of the practice setting.
Heather received her dental hygiene degree from the Utah College of Dental Hygiene in 2008. Networking in the dental community comes easy to her, and she loves to connect with like-minded colleagues on social media. Heather enjoys both attending and presenting continuing education to expand her knowledge and learn from her friends and colleagues.
She enjoys hanging out with her husband, three sons, and their dog, Moki, scrolling through social media, watching football, and traveling.
3 Keys to Identifying the Early High-Risk TMJ Patient
Episode #571 with Dr. Tiffany Lamberton
About 10 million people in the world have TMD. So, why do dentists ignore this problem? We need to think better, and today’s guest helps do exactly that. Kirk Behrendt brings in Dr. Tiffany Lamberton from TMD Collective to help you understand everything joint-related, how to be fearless about treating these patients, and finding ways to connect with the right specialists. Identifying it early is the key! To learn more about this overlooked condition and what you can do to help, listen to Episode 571 of The Best Practices Show!
Episode Resources:
- Dr. Lamberton’s website: www.tmdcollective.com
- Dr. Lamberton’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tiffany-lamberton-4354aa228
- Dr. Lamberton’s Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/tmdcollective
- Dr. Lamberton’s Pinterest: https://br.pinterest.com/tlamberton2
- Dr. Lamberton’s social media: @tmd.collective
- Dr. Lamberton’s TikTok: @tmdcollective
- Subscribe to the Best Practices Show Podcast
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club
- Join ACT’s Master Class
- See our Live Events Schedule here
- Get the Best Practices Magazine for Free!
- Write a Review on iTunes
Links Mentioned in This Episode:
Dr. Lamberton’s educational platform or coaching/mentorship: www.tmdcollective.online
Specialty Imaging Temporomandibular Joint and Sleep-Disordered Breathing by Dania Tamimi: https://www.elsevier.com/books/specialty-imaging-temporomandibular-joint-and-sleep-disordered-breathing/tamimi/978-0-323-87748-0
Chicago Study Club: https://chicagostudyclub.com
Main Takeaways:
Look beyond the teeth.
Slow down your diagnosis.
Know the signs of airway issues.
Pain isn’t the only symptom of TM issues.
Start collaborating with different specialists.
“There needs to be a way to bring the joints into the picture more because we always are just very focused on the teeth, and how they fit together, and the bite, and the occlusion. But I always think of like, if you're building a house and you do these beautiful front doors, you're building this entryway, you’ve spent $40,000 on these doors and the hinges are like $3.99 from the hardware store, you may run into problems. And so, I think that as dentists, we need to have a little bit bigger lens of looking at the jaw joints, looking at the muscles of the head and neck — myofunctional therapy is really big right now. (3:20—4:04)
“I think that there are a lot of myths as far as telling people, ‘Oh, you have clicking and popping. You're fine,’ or like, ‘Oh, your joints look like they're really degenerated, but you're going to be fine with that.’ I give the analogy — I have an 11-year-old and he’s an incredible skier. We were just up at Whistler. He’s doing hits, and he’s in and off the runs. If he had a bad ski injury and injured his knee, let's say his medial meniscus, ACL, some of the soft tissue of the knee, you wouldn’t even think twice about ordering an MRI to evaluate, ‘Are we going to do PT and a brace, or are we going to do arthroscopic surgery?’ And so, I get a little bit frustrated when I start hearing so much pushback about like, ‘Well, why do you need an MRI of the TM joints? Why would you do that on someone that doesn't have any pain?’” (7:40—8:35)
“I think especially our young female patients where they may be a little bit hypermobile, or they may have more ligament laxity, or basically where you have a series of things, maybe they had a gymnastics injury, or they fell on their chin, or they fell off the rope swing, as a dentist, or especially as a mom, you're like, ‘Are your teeth okay? Are you bleeding? Do you need stitches?’ But no one thinks about the jaw joints. And the issue is that even if you have a little bit of displacement of the disc, that's going to affect the growth of the condyle early in life.” (10:18—11:00)
“When you're thinking about craniofacial defects, and as we’re starting to see different bite presentations — we used to call it cheerleader syndrome. They used to say, ‘Well, there are all these young females with anterior open bites. Maybe they're yelling too much.’ It turns out, from talking to Jim and Drew and those guys, as we’re starting to get better tools with our modern imaging and correlating that with our clinical exam, we’re realizing that not all TM joints are normal, or not all of them are healthy, and not all of them are reaching their full growth potential.” (11:01—11:39)
“What we’re seeing is rotations of atlas in these kiddos. Even though they may not have a lot of pain, they may be starting to have other sympathetic system symptoms that are manifesting as maybe headaches or postural changes. And so, I think that what I want to manifest is this crystal ball of — so, rather than having that 45-year-old patient in my chair that's crying because she can only open two finger widths because her jaw is locked closed after she had her restorative work, what if we could go back in time, or now, as we’re moving forward, as we’re starting to look at interceptive ortho and these kids that are younger and younger, and we’re starting to see things like crossbites, or anterior open bites, or bite changes, and postural changes, muscle changes, that's where I think the myofunctional therapists are really our advocates because they're looking at them in different ways. (11:59—13:03)
“I think dentistry, with how we’re trained, we’re just very focused on the teeth. I think we need to have that bigger lens of looking at things as we’re learning more and more about how all these systems work together and function in our patients.” (13:47—14:03)
“We need to start training ourselves to utilize the tools that we have available to us. I'm friends with a lot of endodontists, and I say to them, ‘Would you ever want to do molar endo without your microscope, without your GentleWave, without your CBCT?’ And they're like, ‘No! I could never go back!’ And so, I think that when you start seeing things like in the airway world, if you start seeing that kiddo that has the tonsils that are kissing on the midline, or you see the kiddo that can't even lift their tongue from the floor of the mouth, or you see that mismatch between the maxilla and the mandible of the growth and development, once you start seeing those things and start to look through that bigger lens, I think you just can't unsee it.” (14:21—15:11)
“Airway dentistry is really amazing. I think the paradigm is shifting where there are a lot of dentists that are getting excited about airway and realizing that the oropharyngeal airway space is really our jam, and we can impact that, especially in these young kiddos. But I want us to think more than just putting in a mandibular advancement device, because I do think that back when I was starting to delve into the sleep and TMD world, if you start to change the position of the jaw, you realize that you need to know what the condition of those joints are before you start doing that. Because if the patient ends up having maybe some subpar outcomes, maybe they have some bite changes. Maybe they start to have clicking and popping of their joints. Maybe they start to have pain. You want to know what your starting point is. And I think that that's what I really want to emphasize . . . is really, in the beginning, let's slow down to get the diagnosis.” (15:28—16:40)
“I think with dentistry, we’re so quick to jump to like, ‘Okay, this is a great case! I can really fix these things. I can change your bite.’ But you've got to know that those joints are stable. So, no matter what your treatment proposal is, whether it’s ortho, whether it’s a referral to an oral surgeon, whether it’s restorative dentistry or equilibration, my message would be, let's slow down and let's look at all those three points of the triangle.” (16:41—17:12)
“I don't want us to forget about the joints. Because, like I said, those are the hinges. And if those break or aren't functioning properly, you're going to really start to see show it affects other parts of the system. You're going to start to see how it affects the neck and the cervical spine. You're going to start to see how, if you start looking at your patients, their sternocleidomastoid, or maybe they have a torticollis in their neck, or you start to look at how they're holding their body or how they're moving. And so, I think that we can't leave those things out. As a general dentist, I think we’re perfectly positioned to be the leader of the team and to really be bringing all these different collaborators into our orbit. And so, I want to encourage — don't be afraid of that.” (17:33—18:23)
“Our friends in the oral and maxillofacial radiology world, we've got to be talking to them. They're taking those big, full-field of view CBCTs that look at airway and upper cervical and the TM joints. I always do an overread with my OMR. They're an important part of my team. Even though I know a lot, I want to make sure that I'm not missing anything.” (18:53—19:18)
“Back in the day, we used to think that splint therapy was the only thing. I don't know if you had a patient like this where you made an appliance, and they're like, ‘Oh, it’s great! It’s wonderful!’ Then, they come back like six months later and like, ‘Augh, I'm having all this jaw pain again.’ And so, you adjust. Or maybe you have your assistant come in and adjust. And then, you're like, ‘Oh, no! She’s back!’ She comes back six months later and, ‘It’s broken.’ And so, again, I think that whatever type of appliance you're doing, just knowing what your starting point is really gives us that prognosis discussion, and it really lets us tell our patients like, ‘This is your anatomy.’ I tell my patients, ‘You want to own your anatomy.’ Because no matter what you do, if you didn't tell them about it ahead of time, it’s your fault. Because you did that crown, or you did that splint, and all of a sudden, it changed everything.’ (19:47—20:49)
“I think myofunctional therapists have really jumped on that virtual model as well [during COVID-19]. And so, even if you don't have someone right down the street from you, or you haven't hired one, I would say, as a dentist, first of all, talk to your team. Who’s excited about this? Who wants to be certified? Or sponsor someone to get certified. One of my colleagues in the Chicago Study — actually, a couple of the female dentists there have paid for a person on their team member to become a myofunctional therapist. I'm like, ‘Yes!’ Or look into big networks. Social media has some incredible myofunctional therapy communities. The Breathe Institute is incredible. There are a lot of different ways to connect virtually as well. Find out, is there a myofunctional therapist that is an outstanding rockstar in their right that would take virtual appointments?” (22:34—23:40)
“The crushing debt of dental school, we’ve got to figure out a way to not let that be an anchor and limit how we think and how we practice.” (25:54—26:04)
“If you're interested in doing this, do a fee-for-service model style of practice. And even if you have a restorative practice, Dr. McKee always says, ‘Just pick out three patients that you're going to work up this way this month.’ Or maybe two. Do that slow process of gathering all your records, your photos, your digital scans, deciding after you've taken the clinical history, are there enough check marks that you're thinking like, ‘I think that this person may have some issues’? whether it’s pain, or jaw deviation, maybe limited range of motion, maybe headaches. Or maybe in this young kiddo, you're seeing these bite changes and you're seeing growth patterns that, there's that mismatch between the maxilla and the mandible, or you're seeing some concerning things about how it’s not just about getting the teeth to fit together, it’s also how are they growing.” (27:08—28:13)
“The NIH tells us 10 million people, worldwide, have TMD. Females are twice as likely as men to have it. And my question is, why are we ignoring this? Or why are we waiting until they have pain or problems?” (29:05—29:21)
“As a dentist, we can't be fantastic at everything. But we can bring people into our orbit that have that different lens. And then, that pushes us forward in our learning.” (29:45—29:56)
“When you start to understand modern imaging and how that correlates with our clinical exam, all of a sudden, it’s not scary anymore because you know exactly what's going on, and you can tell the patient, ‘Hey, instead of this beautiful ice cream cone, your condyle looks like a high-heeled shoe because you have this really degenerative condition.’ And so, I think that really, with our young patients especially, if we’re starting to see changes with their growth that are concerning as far as that mismatch between the jaws and with the cervical spine, that's when we can really make the most difference to these young kiddos.” (33:55—34:41)
“Do Pilates. I'm a huge proponent of Pilates. I think as dentists, you're in these terrible postures all day. You've got to find a way to preserve your spinal mobility. I was listening to a couple other podcasts where they're like, ‘You've got to be able to practice and take care of your body for the next 20, 30 years.’” (34:54—35:18)
“Stay humble, stay curious, find your people, and do Pilates.” (36:04—36:08)
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
1:31 Dr. Lamberton’s background.
6:49 What dentists get wrong.
14:05 Look through a bigger lens.
15:13 Don't forget about the joints!
19:18 Know your starting point.
21:19 Connect virtually.
24:13 Slow down.
28:40 Why are we ignoring TMD?
30:01 Build a practice with what you enjoy.
31:42 More about TMD Collective.
34:49 Last thoughts.
Dr. Tiffany Lamberton Bio:
Dr. Tiffany Lamberton is a Washington native who has dual degrees in both Physical Therapy and Dentistry, both from Loma Linda University. When she graduated with her DDS degree, she was also inducted into the Omicron Kappa Upsilon National Honor Society and received awards in Oral Pathology and Leadership. She currently has focused her practice on evaluation and treatment of Temporomandibular Joint (TMJ) Disorders and is available for New Client appointments via her website www.tmdcollective.com. She will be a speaker for the Pacific Northwest Dental Convention and is delving into the educational world speaking about TMJ, Airway and Myofunctional Therapy. She is a member of the ADA, WSDA, and is a Pierce County Dental Society Board Member. She is also a member of AOMT and the Chicago Study Club. Dr. Tiffany considers herself a life-long learner! She lives in the North End of Tacoma with her husband and two children, and enjoys snowboarding, wake surfing, and Pilates.
How Many Days Are You Working for Free?
Episode #570 with Kirk Behrendt & Dr. Barrett Straub
Episode Resources:
- Dr. Straub’s email: barrett@actdental.com
- Dr. Straub’s Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/barrett.d.straub
- Dr. Straub’s social media: @bstraub10
- Subscribe to the Best Practices Show Podcast
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club
- Join ACT’s Master Class
- See our Live Events Schedule here
- Get the Best Practices Magazine for Free!
- Write a Review on iTunes
Links Mentioned in This Episode:
ACT’s PPO Roadmap:
ACT’s Effort Quotient: [link needed]
Main Takeaways:
Follow the money in your practice.
Understand the effort gap and the energy gap.
Make incremental progress. Success isn't overnight.
Quotes:
“[If you're asked how many days you're working for free,] most people hearing that would say, ‘I'm not working for free any day. We’re charging for our dentistry.’ But in many cases, you're not on some of the days. We find that just about every dentist is working some portion of their month for free. Meaning, there's no revenue coming in for zero to three days, maybe if you're a fee-for-service. We’ve seen up to seven to ten days for some practices that are heavily in PPOs. And the whole idea is that we want to minimize the amount of time we’re working for free. We love write-offs. We love being charitable. We want you to keep doing that. But we want you to know, and your team to know, how many days are you actually working for free. And my guess is, most dentists don't know.” (2:19—3:07) -Dr. Straub
“There are gaps in every dentist’s practice where money is leaving. And that doesn't mean it’s all bad. It just means that it is getting harder, and harder, and harder for dentists to know and follow the money through their practice. So, if you start at the top with gross production, there is the first gap. We call it the effort gap. And that is the gap between your gross production and your net production. And so, that's the one we’re going to focus on today. That's the one we have been focusing on with our PPO Roadmap. It’s very, very important. And that's the difference between the dentistry you produce and the dentistry that you can actually collect on. So, your net production is your maximum collectible amount. So, we see practices producing $2 million writing off, the national average is 42-ish percent of write-offs if you're participating with PPOs. So, you could produce $2 million of dentistry but have a net production of $1.2 million. And you can only collect on that. So, you might have an $800,000, $600,000 effort gap. That's huge.” (4:14—5:34) -Dr. Straub
“One of the challenges, one of the pain points, one of the realities that we see — and I've experienced this. We all have — is we all graduate from dental school with some assumptions, with some thoughts of how we need to practice dentistry, ‘Well, everyone else is doing it, so we have to do it that way.’ And what a lot of people find themselves in is we get out, we go into private practice, we have to be contracted with X, Y, and Z insurances. And we get 15 years out of school, and we're like, ‘I am working really hard, and I thought I'd be making more.’ And that realization, that's what these gaps are for, is for a dentist one day out of school or 50 years out of school be able to follow the money in their practice.” (6:33—7:24) -Dr. Straub
“You're going to hear us talk about getting out of PPOs. And we’re actually not ever going to say like, ‘Every dentist needs to get out of PPOs.’ We’re more of the mind that, ‘Let's track the numbers. Let's know what our effort gap is. And then, let's make some decisions to shrink that gap to where we’re most comfortable.’ So, we see our top-performing, fee-for-service practices in the five, six, seven percent write-off range, and most of that coming from charitable, or what I call elective write-offs. Mrs. Jones has fallen on hard times. I want to give her this dentistry for free because I can. That's fun. That's a great write-off. That's where you're impacting lives to give away dentistry. That's awesome.” (7:24—8:13) -Dr. Straub
“Our highest PPO practices, yeah, they're upwards of 40%, 42%, 43%, even 50%. That's a lot. They're working really, really hard to have the same collectible amount or less than some fee-for-service. Now, we have tons of practices in the middle. So, you don't have to be either/or. We have lots of practices that have gone through our PPO Roadmap and lowered their worst PPO-performing contracts. Instead of 40%, now they're sitting in 25% and they're feeling really good. Maybe they drop one more, and they're sitting in 18%, 15%. And maybe they’ll never go lower, because going from 40% down to 20%, that's a lot of profitability that you just put in your pocket.” (8:14—9:02) Dr. Straub
“The older you get, the less you have of this very valuable thing called time. So, what you realize is it’s not so much the money, but you're giving away days, and days, and days, and days, and days of your life that you never get back. You never get them back.” (9:49—10:05) -Kirk
“You've got the effort gap at the top, gross production, to actual net production. Then, you've got another gap in there, which is net production, collectible production, your actual collections percentage, which I think should be crazy high. And so, you're losing money there. Then, you've got your overhead percentage down to your net profit. And you've called it out best, most dental accountants look at the bottom line of a P&L statement and go, ‘You're doing good! Wow, there's $274,000 in here! You're doing great!’ And you're like, ‘But I don't have any money.’ And then, there's one other gap that falls below that, which is cash that goes out that you don't see on a P&L statement like loan payments, like taxes. And so, you've got to be cognizant of these gaps so that you can play with these dials and enjoy your life. Otherwise, your only goal or plan is just more, more, more, more, more, more, more.” (11:07—12:03) -Kirk
“If you're a practice owner, the thing you're worrying about most is, ‘Of my gross production, how much do I actually get to put in my bank account?’ And you're going to realize soon that there are these gaps where money goes out. And as long as you know that, you can make some improvements. The alternative solution has always been, do more, do more, do more. And every time you do more, add a practice, add an op, add a team member, add more capacity, start working Fridays, Saturdays — we’re not saying that's always bad. We’re just saying that adds complexity. And complexity adds more effort, and effort adds energy, and more effort can add more stress. And we’re saying, before you make any of those decisions, know what your gaps are.” (13:45—14:34) -Dr. Straub
“If you truly graduated from dental school and said, ‘I can't wait to work six days a week,’ then go nuts. But no one’s said that.” (14:59—15:12) -Dr. Straub
“You have a life, and you have a practice. And if they're not aligned, you will always default, and your practice will make your life worse off. But if they are aligned and you say, ‘I'm only doing this dental practice thing to have a great life,’ then you get to design your practice. And that may mean not working Fridays, not working Saturdays, not working nights. And that's awesome — if that's what you want to do — which is what I want to do, and you want to do, and most of our clients want to do.” (15:15—15:42) -Dr. Straub
“You have your gross production. That's your one, true master fee. That means everything you've done, you build it out correctly. You then wrote off, whether it’s a PPO write-off, whether it’s an elective, charitable write-off — when you do those six veneers on your mom, actually bill it out and write it all off. You can't put zero in the ledger.” (15:52—16:14) -Dr. Straub
“Simple math, if you have a 25% write-off, you're working one week out of your four of each month for free. You're working until that second Monday before you're even making any revenue in order to pay your team. And now, you have the overhead, so now you're going to pay your team for a while. And you just hope that there are some days left in a month where you, doctor, get some. And for most of us, in most of our careers, we didn't really know those gaps. But where the gaps are going to come in is we’re going to know, our clients will know, exactly what our write-offs are, what those gaps are, how many days they're working for free, and not to beat themselves up.” (17:32—18:11) -Dr. Straub
“What happens when you're more profitable, when you have more money? Does your life get better? Do you get more charitable with your team? Do you have less stress and you have more smiles? Everything gets better.” (18:28—18:40) -Dr. Straub
“At the end of the day, it’s not money. Money allows freedom. That's really what it does. When you make enough money, you go, ‘I'm good.’” (19:06—19:12) -Kirk
“If you are part of PPOs, what we want you to do is bill your true, one master fee. Write it off, what the contracted amount is, just so you know. So, then you know in X, Y, Z PPO plan how much per month, per year are you writing off for that plan. You do that for all your plans. You do that for your membership plan. And you do that for your elective, charitable care, guaranteed services. You set it up so that you charge your full fee, write it off, and just start tracking the numbers. Nothing more.” (19:27—19:58) Dr. Straub
“We don't ever want to say it’s bad to have associates, or partners, or multiple practices — no. However, you have to go in with the knowledge of, ‘Where are my gaps? Why am I adding this capacity? Would it be more intelligent to shrink our gaps before we do that?’ We’re always going to say yes. But just this concept that there are some intangibles. There's stress. There's blood pressure. There's heart rate. There's more blood being given on some practices than others for the same potential collections.” (22:52—23:23) -Dr. Straub
“You're not really creating any more value unless you're getting, essentially, time back. Why would you add six more ops if it doesn't give you six more days?” (23:40—23:50) -Kirk
“Somehow, the message is getting across to young dentists and graduates that the way to a predictable, great life is multiple practices as quick as humanly possible. And once that happens, they will have more time. And I was in those shoes. When I graduated from dental school, I remember saying, ‘I'm going to own five practices. I'm going to run the business. I'm going to get out of the ops.’ And I soon realized, ‘Holy cow. Running this one practice is super hard, and I don't have it figured out.’ I would rather the mindset be, yeah, if you want to do that, go nuts. But get your first practice tight. Get it predictable. Then, use the franchise theory on those best practices. I think it’s opposite to say like, ‘I'm only going to get that life predictability once I have enough practices and enough associates and enough doctors and enough hygienists where I can take time off.’ Again, the more complex, you're going to have less time off.” (24:46—25:42) -Dr. Straub
“I would've originally said maximize your net production with minimal effort. So, we say effort equals time, which I love. Then, it becomes, maximize your net production or the amount you can collect with the least amount of time.” (27:04—27:21) -Dr. Straub
“There's no dentist out there flying from city to city on Fridays going, ‘I built an amazing fee-for-service practice. I work 162 days a year. I came all the way here to show you how you can do the same.’ Because any dentist that has ever done that is not speaking at state meetings anywhere. They're on a boat, or at a golf course, or at a curling tournament on the weekend, or you have a camp way up north. You are not thinking about, ‘How am I going to spread the message?’” (28:00—28:31) -Kirk
“The Effort Quotient is basically saying, how many days per month are you working for free? So, there are four numbers you have to pull. So, one is, how much did you write off last month to all your PPOs combined? That is the contracted fee, the difference between your one true fee and your contracted fee. So, all your PPOs, how much did you write off to all of them? Number two, elective write-offs, your charitable, your guaranteed service, all the stuff that you have some control over, you're not contractually obligated. That's number two. Those are dollar values. So, dollar values for all three of these. The third is your collections gap. So, if your collections was 95%, then I want you to put a dollar value to that five percent you didn’t collect of your net production.” (29:28—30:22) -Dr. Straub
“I think 95% collections is poor — very poor — of your collectible production. Most people say, ‘Ninety-five percent, that's okay because Sally’s been working at the front. I don't want to tip over the apple cart. She’s doing a fairly good job.’ But you're losing a lot of money. You should collect 100% of your collectible fee.” (30:24—30:50) -Kirk
“Do you know where that five percent come out of? The doctor’s wallet. That is straight profitability to the doctor that goes away. So, we have to collect as close to 100%, if not 100%. And some people collect more than 100%, which is a good place to be.” (30:51—31:08) -Dr. Straub
“Three dollar values [to know]: PPO write offs last month, elective write-offs, dollar value, last month, and the lack of collections, what dollar value less than 100% did you collect last month. Now, you add those three together, and you get a bigger dollar value, and you divide that by your production per day, your gross production.” (31:09—31:33) -Dr. Straub
“How many days did you work last month, and what was your total gross production? That's your production per day. That's your office’s output. That is what you are able to put out in the world, output last month. And when you divide that, you are basically showing how many of your days did you work for free.” (31:40—32:01) -Dr. Straub
“Simple math. If those three numbers together are $30,000, and your production per day is $6,000, you're going to divide that and you're going to say 5.0. You work five days for free. And it took that first five days before you could even start making money. And again, it’s simple math. But it’s eye-opening because no one is calculating this.” (32:04—32:29) -Dr. Straub
“If you do the math and you find out it’s five days for free, don't stay there. Now, we’re going to go to four days for free. Then, three days for free. What you're doing is making incremental progress on it. You're going to feel better. More money will come to the bottom line. Your team is going to feel better because they're working at breakneck speeds to keep this up. And when you start to back off and you work less days for free, you have more choices.” (32:31—33:02) -Kirk
“You don't have to charge for everything under the sun when you're getting more people to pay your full fee. Something breaks. You can say to a patient, ‘Oh, Mrs. Jones, don't worry about it.’ When you need every dollar, every day, all the time, you're charging for everything all the time. You have to. You don't have a choice. And so, our goal is to give dentists their life back, to help them make more profit. But as you can see, it’s the byproduct of really knowing a lot about your business.” (33:07—33:33) -Kirk
“You're literally going to go to your Dentrix, Eaglesoft, or Dental Intel and you're going to get those four numbers: PPO write-offs, elective write-offs, the lack of collections, that percentage less than 100, what's the dollar value of that. Divide that sum by your production per day, and you're going to know how many days you're working for free. Then, you say, ‘Am I okay with that?’ That's question number two. And if you're fully fee-for-service and your number is like 2.5, you might be fine with that. And then, you say, ‘If I'm not fine with it, what am I going to do?’ That's where our gaps are going to come in. You're going to download our PPO Roadmap. You're going to start analyzing your collections. Number one is, if you're collecting 95, get it to 100%. That's easy. And then, number two, look at those PPO contracts. Start looking at, what is my energy gap? What is my effort gap? How can I tweak that? Conversely, how can I get more 100% payers into the mix to offset some of that insurance?” (33:43—34:46) -Dr. Straub
“Knowledge is power. Decisions get easier to make when you have the data.” (35:06—35:12) -Dr. Straub
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
1:41 How many days are you working for free?
3:52 Working for free, explained.
5:36 Follow the money in your practice.
10:51 The gaps where money flows out of your practice.
15:42 The effort gap.
20:48 Think about the intangibles.
23:24 Create the life that you want.
25:42 Shrink the gaps so that you have more time.
29:20 ACT’s Effort Quotient.
31:33 Gross production per day, explained.
33:33 Next steps.
Dr. Barrett Straub Bio:
Dr. Barrett Straub practices general and sedation dentistry in Port Washington, Wisconsin. He has worked hard to develop his practice into a top-performing, fee-for-service practice that focuses on improving the lives of patients through dentistry.
A graduate of Marquette Dental School, Dr. Straub’s advanced training and CE includes work at the Spear Institute, LVI, DOCS, and as a member of the Milwaukee Study Club. He is a past member of the Wisconsin Dental Association Board of Trustees and was awarded the Marquette Dental School 2017 Young Alumnus of the Year. As a former ACT coaching client that experienced first-hand the transformation that coaching can provide, he is passionate about helping other dentists create the practice they’ve always wanted.
Dr. Straub loves to hunt, golf, and spend winter on the ice, curling. He is married to Katie, with two daughters, Abby and Elizabeth.
Dental Insurance Independence
Episode #569 with Dr. Mark Murphy
Is insurance getting in the way of you and your patients? Do you want to get rid of it altogether? Well, stop right there! To help you avoid a disastrous outcome, Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. Mark Murphy, Chief Growth Officer from ProSomnus, to provide five steps for a smoother transition into insurance independence. Always look before you leap! To learn the smart way to move away from insurance, listen to Episode 569 of The Best Practices Show!
Episode Resources:
- Dr. Murphy’s email: mmurphy@prosomnus.com
- Dr. Murphy’s email: markmurphy@funktionaltracker.com
- Dr. Murphy’s social media: @mtmurphydds
- Funktional Sleep: www.funktionalsleep.com
- Subscribe to the Best Practices Show Podcast
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club
- Join ACT’s Master Class
- See our Live Events Schedule here
- Get the Best Practices Magazine for Free!
- Write a Review on iTunes
Main Takeaways:
Take time to do the math.
Identify your value proposition.
Share your value proposition with patients.
Write the dreaded letter and do it strategically.
Communicate your letter to each one of your patients.
Quotes:
“We are free to choose however we want to practice, wherever we want to practice, whenever we want to practice. This is still maybe the greatest profession ever invented. We get to do whatever it is we want to do, work on whom we want, build the team that we want, do the kind of dentistry we want, and accept the kind of reimbursement models that we want. And I don't care about the economy. I don't care about insurance reimbursement, or availability or no availability of good employee bases. It might take a little longer in some locations, no doubt. It might be harder out in the middle of nowhere land to go nonpar, to live in that kind of world. It might be harder to do comprehensive care. But I've seen practices still accomplish that. If they're willing to work that path, and chase that dream, and make that their vision, it'll become their reality. We are free to choose however we want to do dentistry, whoever we want to be, and what for. And you can't do that in too many other things. It is incredible.” (5:41—6:34)
“I'm from the Detroit metropolitan area. And so, my joke is, Frank Sinatra said it a ton, if we can do it here, we can do it anywhere. In the last decade, we were the only state to lose population. The city of Detroit itself lost 25% of its population. We’re as insurance-ridden as anybody else. We had the deepest, darkest economic woes of anybody. And yet, dentistry survived. And guess what? Guess who survived the best? Dentists who were extremely insurance dependent? I think not. In fact, it was dentists who were more insurance independent. The less that you were feeding from the hind teat that we might call insurance, the more you were dependent on that, the more you were dependent on whatever happened in the economy. And the less dependent you were on that, the freer you were to practice the way you wanted.” (7:50—8:37)
“Someone will say, ‘I can't [be insurance independent]. I have too much debt.’ I'd say, ‘Oh, wait a minute. I think what you said was you can't do that now. That's correct. You probably can't do that now.’ So, when you say, ‘I had this dream. I went to dental school. I had these visions of how I practice. And then, I got saddled with $300,000 and $400,000 worth of debt. I got out. I bought this practice. I inherited the staff that isn't very motivated. They're not alive. They can't see the future well.’ And you say to yourself, ‘I can't get to my dream.’ I would say, stop! There's a comma in that sentence. By the end of the year. Maybe by the end of next year. But guess what? If you start that sentence with, ‘In five years, my practice can be . . .’ then, it starts to become a believable path.” (9:01—9:39)
“Where I wouldn't start is to say, ‘I'm fed up with insurance. I don't like it anymore. I'm going to cut my ties. The umbilical cord is clipped, and I'm off on my own,’ without knowing what risk that carries, without knowing what financial barriers were in your way, without knowing how your team felt — because you can't get there by yourself — without knowing how your patients really felt about that, without knowing whether you've really built a conversation with them, that they understood the value difference of seeing you versus seeing a participating or PPO dentist. If you don't do that, man, the risk is high.” (10:43—11:14)
“The mistake that most of us have made is trying to leave insurance without the right kind of preparation, the right kind of steps in place, the right kind of risk analysis so that we can plan and mitigate appropriately. We don't do that because we didn't go to business school. And so, we don't think in terms of some of the skillsets that we need to make those kinds of decisions.” (11:14—11:33)
“Dentistry has given up 22% of their average income over the last 11 years. That's the ADA statistics, two percent per year over 11 years. You can see those graphs. Now, if you took away 22% from somebody tomorrow, they would throw open the sash and scream, ‘I'm mad as hell!’ But if you took two points a year every year for 10 to 12 years, it’s like putting a frog in warm water and bringing him up to a boil. They never jump out. That's what's been happening to us because reimbursements are going down, debt is going up, and the business model for dentistry is getting more and more challenging. And so, what we’re going to see is more people — that's why you said we’ve had such demand on it, more people saying, ‘How do I get rid of insurance? How do I move in that direction?’ So, the first thing I'd say is, don't jump out of the pot and into the fire.” (11:55—12:37)
“There are steps. There's a sequence. There's a planning system you can utilize to do that, and it’s very simple. When we look at it, we look at it in five steps. The first thing that's most important is you really have to do the math. It’s really simple. You have to do the math. And the math is, what percentage of your patients have what kind of insurance? What kind of write-offs are you taking? You put that into a pretty simple algorithm. Anyone can do this themselves. It’s not easy, but you can do it yourself. If half your patients were PPO and half your patients were fee-for-service and you're collecting your full fee, you might be making 30% off your cash patients and 10% off your PPO patients. So, your blended take, if you will — and that's the wrong way to look at a business. I understand that. We could go into a whole different discussion on that — is you're netting 20%. So, you have to figure out, is it Delta? Is it Blue Cross? Is it one of the Aetnas? Is it a Cigna PPO? There are so many different things. And so, you have to categorize each of those, look at how many patients, how many dollars, how much write-off. Do the analysis and figure out, what's my risk of leaving that group of patients behind? How many of those patients would have to come with me in the new world where I wasn't going to participate with that discounted fee schedule for me to come out whole?” (13:01—14:15)
“It’s never this simple. But in the simpler example I've just described, 30% return on my investment from half my population, 10% from the other, the blended result is I get to keep 20% of a $1 million practice. I'm making a couple bills a year. Life is great. The risk-weighted analysis is pretty simple in that case. If I took a look at that 10% population and I went to full-fee on them, I didn't participate in that fee schedule reduction, two-thirds of them could leave. Two-thirds of them could leave, and I'd be able to retain 30% on the diminished population. And what would my practice look like? Let me think. Same dollars in my pocket at the end of the year. Same net. I'd see fewer patients. I would do fewer procedures. I would work fewer hours. Who doesn't like that so far?” (14:17—15:02)
“We don't do the math and realize that in that, again, oversimplified version, we would only need to keep one-third of that population of patients. And I don't know too many dentists who have such a poor relationship with their patients that a third of them wouldn't stay. So, the first thing is you have to understand the math. Now, if it’s 90% you have to keep, the risk is higher. If it’s 33%, it’s lower. So, we really have to understand the risk of a population of patients. And it’s usually not one singularity, it’s a blend of Delta, Blue Cross, Cigna this, and PPO this. We have to put that together and understand so that maybe you decide you're going to leave these couple of PPOs first. Then, you're going to look at leaving these couple of PPOs. And if you haven't gotten hurt too bad there, then I'm going to go after Blue Cross and Delta. There's a way of mitigating that risk and managing that risk. But first, you have to do the math.” (15:03—15:51)
“I want to know your full production before you have any insurance write-offs or other kinds of write-offs. I want to know your full production, and then your insurance write-offs separated off from the total write-offs because I want to know how much are you really giving away to the insurance companies, and then how much do you choose to give away personally, or you lose in accounts receivable that you don't collect. We want to put those in different buckets. I want to see what the bucket is. So, if you have a $1 million practice and you're writing off $200,000 to the insurance companies, you have $1 million in production, and $750,000 in collection, and $700,000 of that is from the insurance, and the other $50,000 is from other, then I start to get a picture of how much you're writing off for insurance.” (16:14—16:52)
“I want to know how many patients have insurance that is being written off, and then, categorically, which ones. And if we've got a good dentist who can really dive into their data and dive into their software, I'd like you to take a look at those major procedures that you do and figure out what's the average percentage write-off for your Delta patients, for your Blue Cross patients, for your Cigna this, for your Aetna that, because you might have varying ones. And the risk-weighted analysis might lead us to say we should take a look at these couple of insurance relationships, PPOs, whatever they are first, and other ones later because these don't seem to be as bad. And so, we might parse them out in groups. That means it’s going to take me longer because you'll see that there's a six-month cycle to this kind of information flow. But I need to know how many patients, how many insurances.” (16:53—17:43)
“I also need to know what your P&L looks like because your P&L is going to tell me, overall, based on that production model and whatever the mix of insurances and collection is, how do you get to net out what you net out. And I don't want the P&L that says, ‘Here’s what I'm going to pay taxes on.’ I couldn’t care less about that. I want the P&L that says, ‘Here’s what I really make in total compensation.’ That's a different number. That's, how much do I pay myself, how much do I pay into my retirement plan, I've got my kids’ cell phones, an extra car, whatever else is going on in your life, all good by me. I'm sure you've got that all figured out with your accountant. But what is your real, total compensation on that practice revenue? Because that's what I'm going to use as the standard to say, ‘This mix of insurances gets us to this number. How does a different mix maybe get us there? How many patients do we need to keep?’” (17:43—18:28)
“Step number two is identifying a value proposition. It could be creating a value proposition for your practice. There are likely some things that you do in your practice with your team for your patients that are different, better, innovative, more comfortable, more convenient, or something than someone around you does. If there isn't, we’ve got to go find some of those and add them to your mix of services.” (19:52—20:17)
“We do a couple of business things called a KJ analysis or an RWW, a Real-Win-Worth analysis. We look through that list and you line them up to say, ‘Which ones carry the most value? Which ones are the easiest to talk about? Which ones have the best real value to us to explain to patients that they're in a different place?’ And we want to do that, why? Because down the road, we’re going to have a conversation with that patient about why they might want to stay in this practice instead of going to another practice when it costs them a little bit more money to stay here. And if they don't really understand that value proposition, then they're more likely to leave. So, I want to mitigate the risk by my second step, identifying the value propositions that we can incorporate into patient conversations on a daily basis.” (21:13—21:57)
“If we have patients that are there for the wrong reasons, it’s challenging to elevate the value proposition in their mind. But if we have patients of record that have come to know, love, and trust us, and understand who and what we are, then the identification or the ownership of the value proposition is strong. Now, step three takes us to sharing that with the patients. It doesn't matter if I've got this stuff. I've got it on the shelf. Maybe I make exquisite provisionals and I polish them up in such a way that the gum doesn't stick to them. I leave proximal contacts. I let tissue heal for three or four weeks before we take an impression. I mount cases in our articulator and show that to patients. I polish composites and put anatomy in them. But if I don't explain to the patient that, ‘Take a look at this restoration,’ and they go, ‘Oh, man. It looks just like a tooth. I can't even see it,’ well, honestly, I'd humble brag and say, ‘If you'd come in to see me five, six, seven years ago, I probably would've done one like you have on this tooth over here. But what we have found is if we spend a few more minutes polishing and reshaping these like this, two really cool things happen. Number one, they last longer. Number two, those little nooks and crannies I put in there so that it looks like a tooth, they help the tooth chew like a tooth. They're supposed to be in there, those little nooks and crannies. And if I leave it like this one over here, it doesn't work as well.’ That's a value proposition conversation I just had with a patient to help them understand why my filling is a little bit better than the average or someone else’s filling. So, when I ask them to pay a little bit more, they're more likely. Guaranteed? Nope. More likely. Why not guaranteed? People are still people. They're just more likely. I want to keep more of those patients. I want to move the needle a little bit in my favor for retention of that body of patients. And so, it’s not just having a value proposition and identifying it — I've got to share it.” (25:47—27:26)
“Your value proposition might not be doing better dentistry. Your value proposition might be, ‘We have a more harmonious team.’ You care more about people. You give back to your community. They could all be behavioral things. There's probably going to be a mix of some clinical things and a mix of some behavioral things, some environmental things. And that's your mix of who and what you are as a value proposition. Communicating it to them is what's critical.” (29:52—30:17)
“I'm so embarrassed. I've got to tell you one of the worst things I've ever done. I graduated in 1981, and we had a lot of General Motors, Ford, and Chrysler patients out here, and OEMs. Great insurance. Ninety percent, $1,200 or $1,500 for the coverage per year. Back then, my crown fee was $300. So, the worst thing I've ever done for dentistry is, those patients who’d come in and I'd say, ‘You need this crown, this crown, this crown, this crown, and this crown,’ and they'd say, ‘Does my insurance cover it?’ And I'd say, ‘Hell yes. Knock yourself out.’ And some doctors would waive that 10% copay. We didn't do that, but some did. But when $1,200 or $1,500 allowed you to do four or five crowns, we taught those patients to become insurance dependent. We taught them to think like it was an entitlement and like it was a third party evaluating the necessity of this treatment plan. Fast-forward to today and it’s, for me, 35 years later, they pay the same amount. We forgot to adjust that puppy for inflation. We made a lot of mistakes, and it still covers $1,200 and $1,500. And now, that covers one crown and two cleanings a year, and not too well.” (34:57—36:00)
“We’ve created this own world for ourselves. That's actually good news, if you're sitting in my skin. I say that's great news. If we've created this, we could create something else. That means we’ve got to spend some time, effort, and energy unlearning for people about this entitlement program and what insurance is and what it isn't. Now, the trouble is, the ADA is not going to do that for us. Your local state dental society isn't going to do this for us. No manufacturer is going to put on a multi-million-dollar ad campaign. We have to do that mano a mano, womano a womano, one person to one person conversations, face to face, and that's how we’re going to win.” (36:02—36:33)
“Moving away from insurance is not mechanical. You can do the math, but it’s behavioral. You and your team — not you. You and your team. In fact, your team, then you, if you can help it — have to own the value proposition that you're going to share with the patient. If you think that's a good idea, and you sit in your upper echelon and look down on your team and tell them what they're going to do, they will nod and they will smile for two or three days of the first week, an hour-and-a-half for two of the second week. But they will wear you down, and they will win. They will win the day. It’s about engaging your team with good leadership skills, about painting a picture of a preferred future that they might want to enjoy along with you. It’s about sharing that pie when it grows. Because if we end up with fewer patients but we end up making more money doing more of the dentistry that fulfills us, and helping more of our patients have healthy mouths, we should all win. It isn't for me to make more money. We should all win. Patients should win, my team should win, and I should win.” (36:45—37:44)
“When I went nonpar in 1991, it took me forever to get there. When I consult with people now and I talk to them about doing it, it took me forever to get there. Why? Well, because I knew I wanted to go there right away. I was scared. I knew I wanted to go there, but my team wasn't ready. And I...
Risks and Benefits with Patients
Episode #568 with Dr. Lee Brady
Every dental procedure has risks and benefits. How well are you communicating them to your patients? If you're unsure or don't know how to get started, don't miss this episode! To empower you with risk communication, Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. Lee Brady, director of education for the Pankey Institute and founder of Restorative Nation. She shares her insight for managing patients’ expectations, reducing fears around procedures, and helping patients take ownership over their decisions. To learn how to advocate for patients through your communication skills, listen to Episode 568 of the Best Practices Show!
Episode Resources:
- Dr. Brady’s website: https://leeannbrady.com
- Dr. Brady’s Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/drleebrady
- Dr. Brady’s social media: @drleebrady
- Restorative Nation: https://restorativenation.com
- Subscribe to the Best Practices Show Podcast
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club
- Join ACT’s Master Class
- See our Live Events Schedule here
- Get the Best Practices Magazine for Free!
- Write a Review on iTunes
Main Takeaways:
Learn how to communicate risks and benefits.
Be mindful of what constitutes a risk for your patients.
You have the gift of time. Slow down your conversations.
Focus on risks and benefits that are most relevant for patients.
Advocate for your patients by giving them information and education.
Quotes:
“I think about all of my communications with my patients as being about risks and benefits. It’s the core of patient communication. And often, as dentists, we do think of that as a technical thing, like one procedure has certain technical risks over another one. But I actually think it’s a much bigger conversation than that because, for my patients, they think of the cost of one procedure over the other. One might be a risk or a benefit. A common one is how long it takes for a procedure to get done. So, with implants, we want all of our patients to do implants. And sometimes, they still ask about doing what we would call an old-fashioned bridge. Well, one of the benefits to a bridge is, chop, chop, you're all done in three to six weeks, where implant dentistry sometimes takes six to nine months. To us, we go, ‘Well, that's a no-brainer.’ We want the best thing, technically. To a patient, that may be a tipping point decision.” (3:26—4:24)
“Some people consider any surgical procedure a risk, no matter how much we tell them it’s easy and straightforward. Or the discomfort. There are a whole range of things that we can put in our risks and benefits box that actually are more tied to the logistics of the dentistry for the patient, or the emotional side of it for the patient, than they are about the stuff we learned in dental school.” (4:27—4:50)
“For me, if I need an informed consent, that says to me that I don't trust that patient, or I don't think they trust me, that there's something inherently not right about our relationship. And then, the question I ask myself is, ‘Should I be doing significant dentistry on a patient that I'm not in relationship with, where we don't have that really solid foundation?’ So, it’s a different way of looking at it. But I kind of grew up at the Pankey Institute, and a lot of what I learned there was about patient communication and individualized care, and that piece of it.” (5:18—5:57)
“Every patient that I talk to, we discuss risks and benefits of, not every possible technical solution, but the ones that would be relevant to them, the ones they're most interested in. We go through the technical risks and benefits, the time, the money, the procedures. And then, I document that in their chart that we had that conversation. But I don't have them sign it that I documented it. With that said, I don't do really complex surgical procedures in my practice. I can see where in some practices, depending on the types of procedures that you do, you could totally make a different choice. And that would be okay with me. I think you've got to do what makes you feel comfortable. If having them sign a form makes you feel more comfortable than not having the form then, by golly, you should be doing that. In my case, the form makes me more uncomfortable, so I don't do it. I think that's the great thing about dentistry. We get to make those choices.” (6:32—7:33)
“I tell people all the time, you can have anything you want. The reality of it is, you can pretty much have anything you want around how you could practice dentistry. And whatever you design, now you have to ask yourself, ‘What am I going to have to do to get it? What are the costs of doing it?’ And often, the cost is you're going to produce less if you work fewer days a week. Or sometimes, it’s funny, you don't. You think that'll be the cost, and the reality is you produce just as much, or you produce more because you're more focused on the days you're in your office. Or if you're actually having a good time, you're enjoying yourself more, you're going to be more productive. But it’s always a give-and-take. It’s always about, there's stuff on both sides of the scale. You've just got to say, ‘Am I willing to give this up to have this?’ But it’s a gift in dentistry that we get to do that. We get to design our lives.” (12:51—13:49)
“That's success, when a patient comes in and they have ownership around the choices they made for themselves based on the options we give them. It wasn't at all about what I'd said. The part to celebrate was that he got, ‘I chose to do this, and I knew what the outcome might potentially be. So, now I'll go back, and I'll make a different choice.’ It’s hearing that somebody has that kind of ownership that makes me want to celebrate, that I'm actually getting better at communication. I'm actually learning how to do this better. It’s taken a lot of decades, but I'm getting there.” (16:07—16:51)
“If I don't do a comprehensive exam, however you define that, if I don't look for all the risk factors — and I don't know what all the risk factors are that the patient has, whether that's technical risk factors, or I get to know them and it’s something that's going on in their lives right now, or whatever it is. But if I don't own those risk factors, I certainly can't have a conversation with them about that. So, it always starts there. And I tell dentists this all the time, and I actually believe this, any time I have one of those uh-oh moments in my dental practice, what I know is there was a risk factor someplace that I didn't uncover on the front end, and it cropped its head up and it showed up in my life.” (17:59—18:53)
“One new learning for me this morning was, this is a patient who’s at the very end of a three-and-a-half, almost four-year treatment plan. Guess when we discussed fees? Three-and-a-half to four years ago. You have all these big, glorious conversations about your treatment plan, and here’s what everything is going to cost, and you lay it all out. And so, one of the things that I realized this morning is, when you start to do this kind of dentistry that spans some time, because it’s interdisciplinary or it’s very complicated, one of the risk factors is — and there are two. I think there are two pieces of this puzzle. One could be that you get to the very end of a treatment plan, and your teeth are looking good, and they're feeling good, and you sometimes forget why you were doing all this in the first place. So, it’s possible that the value proposition, for him, isn't quite what it once was for these last little steps.” (19:39—20:44)
“I wonder if we need to do, not really a new case presentation or a new consult, but for these long cases, if periodically we need to schedule a check-in. The patient and I check in together and catch up, like, ‘Here’s what we’ve gotten accomplished, and here’s what's still ahead of us. Let's talk about the logistics for what's ahead of us, what's still to come,’ so instead of there being a four-year gap between the execution of some pieces in the conversations about that, it’s closer in time so that it doesn't get lost someplace. So, those are risks and benefits. There are big benefits to doing complex dentistry and interdisciplinary care at a dental level and at a patient level. And one of the risks is you can't remember those conversations, always, for four years.” (20:57—21:56)
“One of the pieces of this that took me a long time to get is that they're not my teeth. They're actually the patients’ teeth. It’s the patients’ health, and they are the patients’ choices. And I love that word, that my job is to be their advocate. At a beginning level, my job is to help the patient have the information that they need to be able to successfully make their own choices.” (23:01—23:33)
“I always hesitate to use the words “information” or “education” because sometimes I think we put way too much stock in it in dentistry. And I'm really clear that having the information does not move someone to action or change someone’s behavior. However, if you don't have the information, you have no option for changing your behavior or for making another choice. So, there's a level at which the information is foundational. So, the patient does need to understand the current conditions that are going on in their mouth. The patient needs to understand what their choices are. And in my case, I would say they need to understand the risks and benefits of those different choices, including choosing to do nothing. There's a certain set of risks and benefits to choosing no treatment. And then, once the patient has that, then my job is to support them in that choice. And then, ultimately, the third piece of it is if I'm actually the right person to execute the treatment they choose. Then, my job is to now put my technical hat on and actually execute that care or the phases of the care that would fall into my purview. But, exactly, it’s the patients’ choices. I think that's a better way to think about it for the patient. And I also think it's a better way to think about it for us as the caregiver, as the practitioner.” (23:35—25:05)
“One of the things that I thought in the beginning when I started to learn about a different way to practice, I really had this picture in my head of, ‘I'm going to do these new patient appointments that take two hours or longer. And then, the patient is going to go away, and I'm going to sit down, and I'm going to spend an extended period of time reviewing all their records. And then, the patient is going to come back, and we’re going to spend however much time together talking about all of this. And then, of course, they're going to absolutely want to do everything I recommend. And then, it'll all move forward.’ And first of all, my experience is that model actually doesn't work that way, always. Some patients, it works great. They're ready to make a decision at that first consult or treatment planning. Some people aren't. They need time to process.” (26:01—26:53)
“In dental school, unfortunately, we were taught, ‘Do an exam. Present the treatment plan. The patient says yes.’ You know what? That model works awesome for some procedures. Like, if you said, ‘What percentage of the time does that model work when they need a simple occlusal filling?’ I'm hoping the numbers are reasonably high. If I said, ‘In the average practice, how often does that model work if they need a single crown?’ I'd also expect your numbers to be reasonably high. I can remember a time in my practice where for scaling and root planing your numbers wouldn't have been really high because, at that point, the general public wasn't very knowledgeable about gingivitis and periodontitis. Today, when you tell somebody that they need a deeper cleaning, or whatever language you use, my guess is your numbers are pretty high because people start with a base understanding and a base desire. I mean, the reality is, if they're in our practices, they care about their teeth.” (27:37—28:40)
“One of the things I think we forget in dentistry is we have the gift of time. We have the gift of time. We get the opportunity to see the same patients over, and over, and over over an extended period of time. So, the whole conversation does not have to happen in one appointment. This conversation can be an evolution. I actually think it’s better that way. I actually think it works better if you don't ask the patient to eat the whole elephant in one appointment. Give them a chance to get some information, go home, experience some things for themselves, come back, and then deepen that. So, you're right, you have to spend a little bit more time. But that time could be divided up over a pretty big number of appointments.” (29:02—29:54)
“If you're going to be with the patient and have a conversation with a patient, for that conversation, however long it is, 60 seconds, 120 seconds, five minutes, can you be fully present with that person and actually, in that conversation, get the most out of it so that when that one minute, two minutes, or five minutes is over, the patient has a different level of ownership and understanding about whatever it was you talked about, even if it was one tooth or one old filling? And if the answer is yes, then we’ve moved the ball forward. If the answer is no, in truth, to me, you wasted two or five minutes that could've been super important in your relationship with that patient.” (29:57—30:42)
“What does dentistry need to look like for you to love it, for you to really be empowered and engaged? I know dentists who have come to my practice, and they’ve observed in my practice, who walk away and go, ‘I could never do this this way.’ And I'm like, ‘You know what? That's awesome learning. That was worth you standing here for however many hours, seeing how I do it, to walk away and go, this does not fit my personality. It doesn't fit my philosophy.’ I happen to have a dentist that's a super good friend that I've known forever. He sees probably three to four times the number of patients on any given day than I do. And he does it because he loves it that way.” (31:44—32:25)
“If you're going to try to change your practice, change it slowly. Do not derail a high-speed train because it will not get you to the outcome you want.” (33:08—33:19)
“When you pull up to the office, if you actually have to sit in your car for a minute to get yourself prepared to go in, my intuition is there's something about what's happening in your practice that you might want to evaluate and say, ‘Could I do it differently?’ so that you're not sitting in the parking lot going, ‘Okay, I can do this.’” (34:41—35:02)
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
3:06 Risks and benefits, explained.
5:01 Why Dr. Brady rarely does informed consent.
7:36 What Dr. Brady learned after returning to dentistry.
13:51 Get better at communicating with patients.
17:17 Risks around not remembering fees.
22:39 Your job is to advocate for your patients.
25:34 Slow down your conversations.
30:49 Have it your way.
35:34 More about Dr. Brady’s online courses and Restorative Nation.
Dr. Lee Ann Brady Bio:
Dr. Lee Ann Brady lives in Phoenix, Arizona, with her husband, Kelly, and three children, Sarah, Jenna, and Kyle. She owns Desert Sun Smiles Dental Care, a private restorative practice in Glendale, Arizona. Outside of her private practice, Dr. Brady is the Director of Education for The Pankey Institute, recognized for hands-on education programs focused on occlusion and restorative dentistry. She is the founder and lead curator of Restorative Nation, a supportive learning community for dentists.
In 2010, she was recognized by Dental Products Report as one of the “Top 25 Woman Dentists in the U.S.” in the category of dental educators. In 2005, she joined the non-profit Pankey Institute as their first female resident faculty member. Within a year, she was promoted to Clinical Director, and held this position until November of 2008. In 2008, she was asked to join Dr. Frank Spear in the formation of Spear Education and the expansion of his curriculum. As the Executive VP of Clinical Education at Spear Education, she managed the development and delivery of all programs in addition to her teaching responsibilities. In 2011, she left Spear Education to focus more on patient care and hands-on education.
Dr. Brady earned her D.M.D. degree from the University of Florida College of Dentistry. Being a lifelong learner, she dedicates countless hours to studying and understanding occlusion, restorative dentistry, and dental materials performance. She enjoys researching and teaching these clinical disciplines, as well as patient communications, case acceptance, and team development. She is passionate about solving complex cases, understanding the needs and concerns of her patients, facilitating the success of colleagues, and helping dentists find balance in their lives.
Howard’s Best Advice for a Successful Career in Dentistry
Episode #567 with Dr. Howard Farran
Episode Resources:
- Dr. Farran’s website: https://www.howardfarran.com
- Dr. Farran’s Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HowardFarran
- Dr. Farran’s social media: @howardfarran
- Dentaltown: https://www.dentaltown.com
- Subscribe to the Best Practices Show Podcast
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club
- Join ACT’s Master Class
- See our Live Events Schedule here
- Get the Best Practices Magazine for Free!
- Write a Review on iTunes
Main Takeaways:
Your practice is a business. Learn about business.
Learn about demographics before starting your practice.
There's no “good” time to start your business. Just start now.
Audit the people — and the dentists — you choose to be around.
Quotes:
“If you get an A in business and you're a horrible dentist, you'll be a millionaire. And if you're the best dentist in Kansas City and you don't know anything about business, you're going to have a very miserable career. You have to learn business when you live in capitalism, especially somewhere like the United States.” (4:45—5:01)
“Demographics is the most important thing [to learn]. I'd say in the last ten years, every time I see a kid come out of school and they do a $1 million the first year and put $350,000 take-home, they always went to a town of 5,000 and they're the only dentist. A lot of them went to a town of 2,500. But you see in Arizona, where we have two schools, every kid thinks that if they go to North Scottsdale where all the rich people live, that's where they would make the most money. And in 2008 when we had the economic collapse, I think Arizona had like 74 or 76 dental offices go under. Half of them were in North Scottsdale. And when I opened up in Phoenix, Arizona, the town south of me, Maricopa, which is just a 30-minute drive, did not have a dentist for the first seven years I opened. And then, there's a town next to it called Florence which didn't get one for seven years. I'd have all these faces as, ‘It took me an hour to get here. It took me 30 minutes.’ And so, these kids don't understand demographics. You go to any major city, there are all these medical dental buildings, and they seduce these young, dumb, green kids who don't know any better and say, ‘Well, we’ll do your buildout for free. And we’ll give you six months’ free rent.’ Well, why do you think they're doing that? Because they have a horrible, horrible, horrible location that only you would rent. No Starbucks would go there. If a Starbucks or a mani-pedi, if something retail would not go in your location, then why the hell are you going there?” (7:52—9:28)
“You don't do mani-pedis and hair. But you clean teeth, whiten teeth — it’s basically the same thing. It really is. As far as a business, it’s hair, nails, teeth, gums. [Patients] don't go to the dental office because they're worried about P. gingivalis and anaerobic bacteria. They go because they want whiter, brighter, sexier teeth, and they want their nails done and their hair done. And you're in the third floor of a medical dental building in an area that has a dentist for every 500 people, and then you think you're going to solve this massive nightmare demographic problem with a Facebook Ad? Are you out of your mind?” (9:29—10:04)
“The thing I would say the most is demographics. Business in three words is supply and demand. Why are you going to create a supply of something where there's no demand?” (10:53—11:03)
“It took me four months and ten days to open up. I see these kids now, and they're like, ‘Well, I need more training,’ so they go do a residency. And then, they go to the Navy. Then, they go work for some corporate dental chain. And the bottom line is, they're just fear-driven. And there's no “good” time to have a child, and there's no “good” time to start a business.” (11:32—11:54)
“The reason that banks are loaning to these kids, I mean, 99.5% of the loans get approved because dentistry is so non-competitive. The only reason you fail on a bank loan is a personal failure of getting your license taken away. And it’s usually drugs. So, if you can look in the mirror and say, ‘I can stay clean. I'm not going to lose my license,’ from whatever drug you're on — you're only going to fail if you get addicted to something. So, if that's not your problem, borrow the money and get in.” (13:03—13:36)
“The markets have changed over the years, but I kind of like acquisition better than de novo. De novo is when you open up a store from scratch. I kind of like acquisition better because look what happens. Let's say you go to a town, and let's say there are 5,000 people and there are five dentists there. If you open up a dental office, now there are six dentists there. If you go in and buy an old man out, now, there are still five. So, when you purchase, you eliminate a supplier and you're not adding supply to the standard demand equation. So, I like acquisition better.” (13:38—14:18)
“Half of America lives in 147 towns. The other half lives in 19,008 towns. And many of these states — take Iowa, for instance. If you go to Iowa, they’ll give you a list of 20 towns. If you go there, the state of Iowa will give you $100,000, and Delta Dental of Iowa will give you another $100,000. So, you're complaining about your $300,000 student loans, and you can pay off two-thirds of it. So, then you go to this town. Then, you go down to the mayor, and it’s a town of 5,000. They’ve got like eight empty buildings on 1st Street and Main, and they’ll say, ‘Do you want one of these buildings?’ They’ll give you the building. So, now, you own the land and the building. You've got $100,000 from Delta, $100,000 from Iowa. And those small towns, they think a really great job is $10 an hour. I mean, they'd kill for $10 an hour. So, now, your number-one cost of labor, which is 28%, is now your lowest cost. You have no competitors. You don't have to do all these PPOs. And it’s crazy good.” (14:24—15:26)
“It’s all trust because we sell the invisible. These young dentists will go in there and they’ll buy this practice. And they’ll see all these old ladies who are 60 years old that have been there for 30 years, and they got a raise every time the earth went around the sun, and he thinks his labor cost is too high. So, he says, ‘You know what? I'm going to fire these five 60-year-old women and replace them with five 20-year-olds for half the money. And then, what does that town of 5,000 think? ‘Oh my god. When old man McGregor left, all them good ladies, they didn't even stay for 30 days. That guy is a disaster.’ And then, you're going to try to change your brand on Facebook, and Twitter, and Pinterest and all this bullshit where it’s just noise — they don't trust you.” (18:07—18:54)
“The dentists that unleash their staff to communicate, and diagnose, and get out the intraoral camera and show the X-ray, and all that stuff, they have a far higher treatment plan acceptance. I can't tell you how many dental offices I've been in where the dentist blames it on exogenous factors like the economy, and Obama, and Trump, and “build the wall” and the Chinese, and all this crap. And I'm like, ‘Okay. I've heard all your noise. But you collect $750,000 and take home $145,000 on the same number of patients, 1,800, as the guy next door. He’s got 1,800 patients in the same damn town, and he’s collecting $1.4 million and taking home $400,000. You both have the same president, the same country, all the exogenous variables.” (19:46—20:32)
“Thirty years ago, one of the leading variables of the super successful were the ones who took the most CE every year. The ones who grew the fastest were taking 100 hours a year. And five years out of school, they had their fellowship in the Academy of General Dentistry. Ten years out, they had their masters in the Academy of General Dentistry. And what I like about the AGD is if your three dentist buddies just want to meet at the bar and drink beer and talk about Donald Trump and the sky is falling and all that stuff, you're a summary of your five best dentist friends in your dental office. And at home, you're a summary of your five best friends who are out of the dental office. And when you join the AGD and when you're going to those AGD meetings, those other five dentists who become your friends, they're CE junkies. They're on a quest to learn everything. No little detail is going to be missed. So, now you're with five guys who are gunners. They're just going for it. They want to learn implants, and ortho, and endo, and perio, and ped. They want to learn it all. So, now, your five best friends are getting their FAGD, their MAGD, and then they're calling you up saying, ‘Hey, are you going to that course on Saturday?’ And you're like, ‘What course?’ It reminded me of when I was in the dorm and you tell a friend, ‘Are you ready for that test tomorrow?’ And they're like, ‘What test tomorrow?’ I'm like, ‘God, are you out of your mind? We have a test at 8:00 tomorrow.’ So, if you hang around with people who know there's a test tomorrow, who knows there's a CE course, who are telling you to go do this, you're a much better dentist.” (21:46—23:18)
“Really, really, really audit your dentist friends.” That's why I like Dentaltown. I mean, who are these dentists that after 5:00, half of them want to go home, watch ESPN, drink beer, and say they hope their dental office burns down and they collect the insurance policy. And then, the other half are on Dentaltown arguing about the best bonding, root canals, whatever, till 3:00 in the morning. You need to feed off that energy.” (23:43—24:08)
“Look at sports. You watch the Superbowl or a basketball game, the coach is totally engaged, walking up and down the field, yelling in plays. He’s totally in with his team. As they come off the field, he hugs them and all this stuff. You go into dentistry, the dentist gets done with the root canal, walks in his office, and shuts the door. I would check out my patient, and talk to them, and then greet the next one in the waiting room, super engaged. I'm in the game the whole time. I'm pacing the floor. When they say, ‘Okay, I've got to greet the next patient, I'll say, ‘Well, do you want me to go get them?’ Because I like to go out in the waiting room and shake their hand, and talk to the next people, and make them laugh or whatever. But you're totally engaged, and you feed off that.” (25:22—26:07)
“Half the dental offices in America, the dentist is the last person to get to work. He shows up 10 minutes late. This patient has been in the room at 8:00, and he walks in at nine after and sits down with his Starbucks coffee. And then, when he’s done at 4:30, he’s like, ‘Well, can you make the temporary?’ And he goes home. When you're the last there and the first to leave, take the offices where the dentist is there first and he stopped by Safeway and got a dozen donuts. He's in there first, and he’s the life of the party, and greeting them, and listening to them, and also making them feel safe. You go to most staff meetings, the doctor does all the talking because the staff is not even engaged and they live in fear. In fact, if somebody wasn't going to go to the staff meeting, it should be the dentist. Or the dentist should go and not talk, because you need your team to talk. You need them to tell you — communication, communication, communication.” (26:12—27:08)
“If you had an A+ team and you did horrible dentistry, you'll have a $1 million practice. And if you're the best dentist in Kansas City and your team is miserable, you'll be miserable your whole life. It’s all HR. It’s 80% people. It’s people management. It’s quarterly reviews. You go on Dentaltown, and people say all these things like, ‘I can't believe my hygienist . . .’ They're always griping about their hygienist, or their staff, or whatever. And the problem with gossip and griping is it’s misdirected.” (27:10—27:44)
“I think the worst thing in HR is not realizing that you have a toxic person in there that comes to work, their glass is half empty.” (28:30—28:38)
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
2:32 Dr. Farran’s background.
5:02 Learn business and demographics first.
11:09 There's no “good” time to start your business.
13:36 Acquisition versus de novo.
15:27 Focus on the person in the mirror.
21:35 Audit the people who surround you.
24:08 Eighty percent of dentistry is HR.
Dr. Howard Farran Bio:
Dr. Howard Farran, DDS, MBA, the founder and owner of Dentaltown.com and Dentaltown magazine, has practiced dentistry at Today’s Dental in the Phoenix metro area for more than 30 years. In 2017, Incisal Edge magazine ranked him among the 32 most influential people in dentistry.
Dr. Farran has lectured internationally on the business of dentistry since 1990, captivating audiences with his blunt, humorous, and practical insights into the industry’s most controversial subjects. His genuine passion for helping dentists provide faster, easier, higher-quality and lower-cost dentistry to their patients is what drives him to this day.
In 1999, Dr. Farran released the timeless “Your 30-Day Dental MBA” series, which is available on YouTube and iTunes. Since then, he has released massive amounts of distinguished content, including his monthly “Howard Speaks” column in Dentaltown magazine, the 11-part online CE course “The Virtues of Profitable Dentistry,” and his world-renowned podcast series Dentistry Uncensored with Howard Farran, which has released more than 1,500 episodes and has been downloaded more than 8 million times. Dentistry Uncensored’s guests include dental professionals from around the world, including top-tier specialists, dentists fresh out of school, CEOs of the world’s largest dental companies, and experts in marketing, finance, practice management and more.
The Keys to Effective Morning Huddles
Episode #566 with Kirk Behrendt & Robyn Theisen
Episode Resources:
- Robyn’s email: robyn@actdental.com
- Robyn’s social media: @actdental
- Subscribe to the Best Practices Show Podcast
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club
- Join ACT’s Master Class
- See our Live Events Schedule here
- Get the Best Practices Magazine for Free!
- Write a Review on iTunes
Links Mentioned in This Episode:
Dental Intel: https://www.dentalintel.com
Main Takeaways:
Make morning huddles the most important thing of your day.
Establish a time where all team members can be present.
Start and end your morning huddles on time.
Be prepared and be engaged.
Remove all distractions.
Quotes:
“[A morning huddle is] an opportunity to all get together at the beginning of the day, start with something positive, and kick off a great day together. It’s also an opportunity for us to identify areas that, ‘What do we have going on today? How can we serve our patients best? How can we make this flow best for our team? And then, for tomorrow, what opportunities do we have, and how do we use today to fill those opportunities and maximize the time we have?’” (2:05— -Robyn
“Depending on who you're listening to, many people agree that teams that do huddles produce, on average, about 17% more — I don't know why 17%. I've heard that so many times — than teams that don't.” (2:36— -Kirk
“[A morning huddle] gives us an opportunity to focus, to fine-tune our day, and know exactly what opportunities we have and how we’re going to maximize them.” (2:54—3:01) -Robyn
“I hear so often from team members, ‘We get there, and then the doctor shows up late,’ or, ‘Everybody is talking during it,’ or, ‘We read off the schedule. I can read everything that we’re talking about. It’s right on the schedule. They're not focusing on the right things.’” (4:32—4:49) -Robyn
“The first [step] is identifying the time. Ten to 15 minutes, when you get into the rhythm, is all you really need. Obviously, morning is when most people do it. I have teams that prefer to do it, if they don't have a team that comes in at the beginning of the day, they may do it over lunch. They may decide that they all end the day at the same time, so that's where they do it. It’s about establishing a time that everybody can be there and doing it.” (5:29—5:51) -Robyn
“A missing component when people talk about leadership is predictability. You have to be consistent as a leader. If you're a father, you have to be consistent. If you're a mother, you have to be consistent. If you're a leader, you have to be incredibly consistent. People start to believe in you when they know what's going to happen — in a good way, not a bad way.” (6:13—6:32) Kirk
“If the doctor doesn't show up on time, [the team starts] to believe that too, that there isn't value [in the huddle] and that it’s not important.” (6:35—6:40) -Robyn
“I know what you're thinking. ‘Kirk, you don't understand. I've got a lot going on. I had to talk to the periodontist. It’s crazy at my house. I had two kids that were sick this morning.’ And so, you come in with your cape and you go, ‘I own the business, so I don't need to really be here. Just tell me what's going on, and you guys get started without me.’ The second you start thinking like that, we all see your behavior as, ‘He or she doesn't care.’ So, you have to make it important.” (6:43—7:11) -Kirk
“Along with having [a morning huddle] is starting and ending on time. So, the point is to be consistent with what time you start. End on time so that you're not late with your patients or getting your day started late. So, having [a huddle], and being on time. The second piece that I would say is, when you get to the meeting, you're at work. It’s time to go. There's no eating. There's no putting on makeup. There are no cell phones. It’s time to get to work and be prepared for the day. So, no disruptions.” (7:23—7:50) -Robyn
“Start on time and end on time. That's critical. Even if the huddle is terrible, start with that.” (7:52—7:56) -Kirk
“We had a great coach years ago, and he made us do our meetings at like 12:03 and 10:35. And I'm like, ‘Why?’ He goes, ‘Because 12:03 is 12:03. It is not 12:05.’ And I've never forgotten how specific that is. When you're not on time for anything, it screams, ‘I don't care.’ So, if you're going to want people to be on time, which is an important component of your practice — you could actually build a dental practice just by being on time. You could. Think about that. And it starts with a huddle. So, you have to be prepared.” (8:00—8:31) -Kirk
“When the meeting goes — bam. There's no food. I don't mind coffee. But if you're going to do a huddle, a team meeting, anything — and don't do it over lunch because I'm starving. When I'm hangry, I can't think. I've got to eat too. So, make sure you set up some rules. Remember, the thing is you've got to set up some rules.” (9:19—9:37) -Kirk
“To me, [putting makeup on at work is] the same thing as — when you arrive at the office, when you punch in, it’s not to surf the internet. You're punching in because it’s time to work. And so, that means coming prepared, being ready to go, because we’re walking out of the meeting and we’re going straight to our patients. So, being prepared for the workday and being ready to go, that's when we start our workday.” (9:47—10:05) -Robyn
“We talked about predictability, being on time, and starting on time. A big part of that is coming prepared. So, it’s being specific about what each person or each department is bringing to the meeting. And I like to tell my teams, if you can read it on the schedule — I can read that. I'm looking for things that aren't on the schedule. And so often, I see that business team members are the ones that are preparing for hygienists, for assistants. And I find it very important for every person to be auditing their charts and coming prepared with their schedule, because the more that you put into researching and knowing exactly what's happening in your day, the better results you're going to get from the information that you've researched.” (10:17—11:02) -Robyn
“You have to have the admin team members [at the huddle]. Non-negotiable. I think it’s really important. Remember, one of the things you have to do in a business is you teach people how to treat you. I get it that Mrs. Finelli is early for the appointment. She loves coming early, chatting with everybody. She probably brought some muffins or whatever. But putting a sign up there in the front saying, ‘Hey, we’re back meeting. We’ll be with you in a minute,’ she will get that.” (12:22—12:48) -Kirk
“Even saying to [a patient], ‘Gosh, it’s great to see you. We’re going to go have our meeting to prepare so we can give you the best experience possible today. We’ll be back with you shortly.’ That's really what we’re trying to do for the day, is prepare for the patient so that they have the best experience with us.” (12:51—13:05) -Robyn
“[A huddle] doesn't always have to be 15 or 30 minutes. We’ve seen huddles that are really well done in eight minutes.” (13:08—13:15) -Kirk
“There is the perception that [a huddle] has to take so long, and for bigger teams that they can't get through it. It’s really about coming prepared and having each person know their role, and you can efficiently go through it no matter how many people you have. It’s about coming prepared and knowing exactly what each person’s role is for the meeting.” (13:21—13:38) -Robyn
“One thing that I've had success with is having meeting buddies. So, if there are people that come in late, it’s their responsibility to find their meeting buddy and find out exactly what happened and be prepared for that meeting buddy to give their information the day before. So, they're giving that meeting buddy their information to give at the morning meeting, and then finding them when they come in so that they can find out what's going on for the day and what was at the meeting.” (14:09—14:33) -Robyn
“Here’s how dentists’ brains work. And this is how your brain works, if you're listening. You're always thinking in terms of exceptions. So, when Robyn and I are talking concepts, you're thinking about the one team member this is not going to work for, or you have three patients that aren't going to go for this, or you've got a partner or associate that this isn't going to work for. Stop thinking like that. Start thinking globally like, “This would be important for all of us to be on the same page.’” (14:35—14:59) -Kirk
“If you're going to build a dental practice with all these moving pieces — I don't care if you have four team members or 400 team members — you have to decide, how well do you want this thing to run? And I would caution you to not bypass the huddle because you've got team members coming in at every — you're going to lose 17%, if not more, of your production because you decided not to do that.” (15:18—15:44) -Kirk
“If you have a dental practice and you run it, I would make the huddle the most important thing of the day. Period. And think better about it.” (15:46—15:55) -Kirk
“I am a big fan of Dental Intel. We use it at ACT, and I know many of our offices have it, especially their Morning [Huddle] and the way that it is set up. One of the things that I like the most about it is that it looks at three days, yesterday, today, and tomorrow. I think that yesterday can be overlooked by many team members, and the importance, and I think there are some specific things with looking at yesterday that can help us to capitalize on opportunities. What I mean by that is I know in many morning meetings teams will look at, for example, ‘Who are we going to ask for reviews from today?’ And so, when we start with yesterday, now I can go back to those team members and say, ‘How did it go with asking for those reviews?’ So, there's an accountability piece to it, and it’s a way to identify the opportunity. So, if we didn't ask, or we weren't successful with getting the reviews, what do we need to do to change that? If we’re focusing on collections and we need to get our collection percentage up to be able to review, ‘Here’s what we said we would do today,’ then tomorrow, we’re going to say, ‘Did we actually do that?’ And so, it’s an opportunity to reflect on those things, and have some accountability with our teams, and identify opportunities to improve or celebrate the win.” (17:31—18:45) -Robyn
“You do have to talk about the loss. But when something goes well, the huddle is the perfect opportunity to go, ‘Hey, whatever you guys did at 1:00 and how you put those appointments together, that was freaking amazing.’ You're going to positively reinforce that. What you want to do is you want to give voice or energy to that because where your energy goes and where your brain is, that's what you create more of.” (18:52—19:18) -Kirk
“What gets measured gets improved. But what gets measured and reported on exponentially improves. And [hygiene reappointment percentage is] a wonderful one just to put in the “yesterday” thing. My hygiene reappointment percentage for yesterday was 95%. Boom. And you're going to see, once you start putting that in the morning huddle, it’s going to go up. Because if I'm a hygienist in a dental practice and I'm at 72%, I'm not going to report 72% today, 71% today. I'm going to feel some pressure, in a good way, to up my game.” (20:03—20:36) -Kirk
“Numbers don't have to be viewed as negative. To me, they're not subjective. They're black and white. So, if a hygienist is at 70%, what we really need to identify is, why does that keep happening? And if somebody else is getting 90%, what are they doing that the other hygienist isn't, and how do we change that system so we all get the result we’re looking for?” (20:46—21:06) -Robyn
“I am a big fan, and I know at ACT we’re a big fan, of block scheduling and scheduling to goal or looking for opportunities and being productive. And so, in Dental Intel, looking at today and tomorrow, there are opportunities to at look to know, ‘Have we scheduled to goal? Do we have openings in the next two days? And if so, what are the opportunities that are coming in today that we can fill into those holes, or how do we direct them?’ So, if the business team members come with, ‘Here’s the next rock that we have in the doctor’s schedule,’ or, ‘Here’s our next new patient opening in hygiene,’ we can identify those people coming in today, who can fit into those, because our best opportunity to do it is with the people that are in front of us, not the ones we have to call on the phone.” (21:14—21:54) -Robyn
“That's something that I would say the admin team comes prepared with. So, they're looking for people who have balances, do we have treatment plans assigned. So, we know all of those people that are coming in. And I know Ariel recommends talking to those patients before they even go back for their treatment, and we’ve identified it so we know exactly who those people are and can make sure that we get those balances. If we aren't able to collect the balance before they go back, now, all of our assistants and our hygienist also know those people have got to stop by and see the business team before they leave today.” (22:17—22:44) -Robyn
“I heard a statistic that it takes up to 17 touches to get in touch with somebody once they’ve left your office. So, if we can identify those people in terms of next schedule hygiene appointment — is everyone leaving with a hygiene appointment? Is there unscheduled treatment that needs to go on? Are there balances that we need to collect? We have a greater opportunity doing that today than we do trying to catch them once they leave.” (22:52—23:14) -Robyn
“We can look at opportunities, I think a great one is hygienists coming prepared with who needs perio charting today. That's a great opportunity where that can really put a hygienist behind. So, if we can identify who those people are at the beginning, now the assistant or the admin team, or whoever can help out with that has time to prepare and know exactly who can fill that in instead of when the patient comes in, now we’re trying to scramble to see who can help out. We’ve allowed the assistant or the business team member time to identify what their day looks like, and who can help where and be able to plan their day to accommodate.” (23:56—24:30) -Robyn
“It’s an overlooked opportunity to really plan, review yesterday, celebrate the wins, identify areas that may go on our issues list to be able to figure it out as a team how we address them. We look at today and maximize the opportunity for today and the flow of the day to make sure that people have a great day and patients have a great experience, and then identifying the opportunities for tomorrow so we can capitalize on any openings that we have or getting patients in in a timely manner. So, really identifying that, looking at those three days and making it the best that we can make it.” (24:42—25:13) -Robyn
“We’re at an age where finding, keeping, and retaining great team members is harder than ever. There's no better way than for you to sit down, create a few giggles, fun stuff. Now, you don't want team members disrespecting you because you're giggling all the time, and nothing is happening. That's not good. But remember, team members that are great ones — nobody ever leaves a practice. They leave a person. So, if you have a great chairside assistant, or a great front desk person, or a great anybody in your practice, one of the greatest things you can do to keep them long term is to be engaged with them. And the huddle is a great place to do it.” (25:44—26:25) -Kirk
“When you do your huddle — like, I want people to know I care. I care about you. And so, as a dentist, a huddle is more than a huddle. It’s the fulcrum. It’s the beginning of a great relationship that only gets better if you treat it and think about it the right way.” (26:33—26:50) -Kirk
“[Make] it fun. I know Dental Intel has the motivational minute at the end, and different fun videos. I have teams that bring in jokes or a motivational quote for the day. So, ways to make it fun and get your day started on the right note, and set yourself up for a positive day.” (26:53—27:08) -Robyn
“I'll throw in one more tip too. Do you guys get Google Reviews? I hope you do. You're going to get some great ones. What a great opportunity to say, ‘Hey, before we start the meeting, I've got to read this. It came in yesterday.’ And read it, and go, ‘Thank you, guys. That's who we are.’ Or when a patient brings in gifts, somebody brings in muffins and they say, ‘You've changed my life,’ what a great opportunity to share the story, or share the story of the kids on the team members in the dental practice. Say, ‘Hey, I just want to say congratulations to Lucy and her daughter. I saw that yesterday. That was so cool.’ You're going to show people you care. Again, is your practice relational, or is it transactional? The huddle tells us all.” (27:10—27:55) -Kirk
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
1:47 Why you should do morning huddles.
5:22 Establish a time for morning huddles.
7:20 Get rid of all disruptions.
10:12 Show up prepared and be engaged.
11:58 Admin team members need to participate.
13:06 Huddles don't have to be 30 minutes.
13:38 Arrange meeting buddies.
14:34 Make huddles the most important thing.
17:26 Use Dental Intel’s Morning Huddle feature.
18:46 Use huddles to reinforce positive behaviors.
19:53 What gets measured gets improved.
21:08 Looking at today and tomorrow in Dental Intel.
21:56 Get aligned about patients and opportunities during huddles.
24:33 Last thoughts.
Robyn Theisen Bio:
Robyn Theisen brings an entire life and legacy of dental experience to the team and every team with which she works as the daughter and sister of dentists. With almost 20 years of experience in dentistry, her roles ranged from practice management to operations at Patterson Dental to coaching teams. Robyn’s passion is empowering teams to realize that they can dramatically impact the lives of the people they serve by implementing skills and systems to remove barriers to life-changing dental treatment. She has done it for decades and does it every day with dental teams.
Outside of coaching, she enjoys time with her husband, Rob, and two daughters, Emerson and Ruby. She loves traveling, music, fitness, and cheering on the Michigan State Spartans.
Why You Need a Leadership Team
Episode #565 with Jenni Poulos
Whether you have a team of three or a team of 30, you need a leadership team. To reveal why you need one and what it can do for your practice, Kirk Behrendt brings back Jenni Poulos, one of ACT’s amazing coaches, with advice for building a great leadership team early in your career. Remember, you can't run a practice alone — and you were never meant to! To start creating a smarter, healthier, more aligned team, listen to Episode 565 of The Best Practices Show!
Episode Resources:
- Jenni’s email: jenni@actdental.com
- Jenni’s Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jenni.poulos
- Jenni’s social media: @actdental
- Subscribe to the Best Practices Show Podcast
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club
- Join ACT’s Master Class
- See our Live Events Schedule here
- Get the Best Practices Magazine for Free!
- Write a Review on iTunes
Links Mentioned in This Episode:
Kolbe: https://www.kolbe.com
DiSC: https://www.thediscpersonalitytest.com
Myers-Briggs: https://www.themyersbriggs.com/en-US
Rocket Fuel by Gino Wickman and Mark C. Winters: https://benbellabooks.com/shop/rocket-fuel
Traction by Gino Wickman: https://benbellabooks.com/shop/traction
Main Takeaways:
You can’t be a solo leader.
Find a mentor or coach early in your career.
A leadership team is not just for small practices.
Figure out who you are and your unique ability ASAP.
Be intentional and committed to creating a leadership team.
Having a leadership team will keep you aligned, smart, and healthy.
Quotes:
“I love Brené Brown, and one of my very favorite quotes of hers is, ‘You can't do it all alone. You were never meant to.’ And really, when you're running a practice any size, you need help. You need someone that you can bounce ideas off of. You need someone to work through the challenges. You need people to execute in their unique abilities so you can execute in yours. And having members of a leadership team that you trust that you can be vulnerable with, that can help you make tough decisions, live within your core purpose and your core values, is going to really elevate your practice, elevate your life, and take you to places you didn't know that you could go.” (2:06—2:54) -Jenni
“Having a leadership team does not mean run out and get a partner. That's not what we’re talking about. It may include that at one point in time. But sometimes people think, ‘Well, running a dental practice is lonely. I need somebody I can work with and bounce ideas off of, so I'm going to split my business in half and bring in another dentist.’ That's not the smartest thing. It’s not. If you're lonely, get a coach. It’s a lot cheaper.” (2:57—3:25) -Kirk
“The big elephant in the room, especially when I begin coaching and working with small docs and I say, ‘Hey, we need to get our leadership team going,’ they say, ‘I'm a group of five. I'm not going to have a leadership team. I'm a solo leader.’ It’s like, ‘No, you're not a solo leader. And you're not intended to be a solo leader.’ I will be a part of your leadership team. Or if it’s not me, if you don't have a coach, you need to find a mentor. You need to find someone that can be that thought partner with you that can help you make decisions, help you think outside the box, look at things in a different way. You have to bounce ideas off of someone, or else you're living inside of your head, which is a dangerous place to live all of the time. So, no matter how small [of a practice] you are, you need a leadership team.” (4:13—5:08) -Jenni
“As a coach, that's one of my favorite things to do, is to be a part of your leadership team, to be that person that you can bounce ideas off of, and think differently, and point things out in ways that maybe you wouldn't. That's what a great leadership team does. They challenge each other to look at things in a different way, to look outside the box, have a new perspective, maybe think about something that we didn't think about. And this is how we get to the best decisions for the practice.” (5:08—5:38) -Jenni
“The first thing you should do when you own a business is get a mentor or a coach. A mentor can save thousands and thousands and thousands of hours of your life. A coach can do exactly the same thing.” (5:43—5:55) -Kirk
“The other thing I didn't really do early in the process, which I'm going to encourage all of you guys to do, is figure out who the hell I was. I wish I would have taken every personality test under the sun, like the Kolbe, DiSC, Myers-Briggs, worked with an intense behavioral specialist, and figured that out by the time I was 30. And then, I would have gone all-chips-in on who I was.” (9:29—9:55) -Kirk
“You need to be thinking about priorities, the path, the vision, and where you're going. And a leadership team is going to help you get there.” (11:06—11:14) -Jenni
“There are three areas that you need to really excel in to kill it in your practice. You need to be aligned, you need to be smart, and you need to be healthy. An amazing leadership team is going to level you up in all of these areas because the alignment is going to come clear when you have someone that has these complementary strengths to you, and you can bounce ideas off of one another, and get really clear on where you're going and developing priorities and a path for your team that gets you to these goals.” (11:23—11:59) -Jenni
“An amazing leadership team is going to get you aligned, get you smart, and get you healthy.” (12:51—12:56) -Jenni
“Pete Dawson used to say making money was a byproduct. It’s the byproduct of doing the right thing with the right people for the right reasons, all that kind of stuff. And that is absolutely true. If you're a dentist and you want to make a lot of money, it should never be your goal. Your goal should be to do something great.” (13:01—13:16) -Kirk
“Being a great leader and being a great leadership team isn't about what you tell people. It’s about how you show up, how you support, how you grow the people around you, and how you grow great leaders. And when you're so in the weeds alone, it becomes frustrating and it’s hard to really be the type of leader that projects what they expect. When you're so in the weeds, it’s hard to project that amazing attitude, that smart, aligned attitude that you expect of your team. And when you can share in the responsibility, when you have people that you can bounce ideas off of, bounce frustrations off of, you can really project what you want. And as a great leader, you're in front pulling and leading and showing what you want. You're projecting the attitude. You're projecting the core values. You're projecting the work ethic that you want to see from your team. And that's going to elevate everyone around you, and they're going to want to work harder for you because they see you working hard for them.” (15:06—16:26) -Jenni
“People don't leave practices. People leave people. So, if you ever lose a great team member, they didn't say, ‘This place is messed up.’ They left a person. So, the leader has got to get better.” (16:44—16:54) -Kirk
“A great leader is this: it’s not somebody who is amazing, thoughtful, brilliant — no. A leader is consistent. What they do, ultimately, is grow other leaders that grow other leaders.” (17:02—17:13) -Kirk
“You can't just develop a leadership team and go, ‘Go!’ There are laws. You have to have bylaws. One of the most important bylaws that I screwed up a lot is you can't have workaround conversations. You can't have these sidebars. You can't agree to something and then have a sidebar and trump the other people on your leadership team. That's the fastest way to make them super angry at you and obliterate trust.” (18:14—18:39) -Kirk
“Because we have trust and vulnerability, we've been able to come to the table and say, ‘Whoa, we’ve agreed that we don't do this. We've agreed that we bring things to the table, and we discuss them.’ It allows us to work through those challenges and grow together. But absolutely, you have to be committed to one another, committed to the process, and you have to work at it. And when there are agreements, you have to honor them.” (18:49—19:18) -Jenni
“Vulnerability allows us to create these environments of psychological safety. And we’ve talked about this before, Google actually did a study on this with 40,000 teams. The most effective teams across all industries have environments of psychological safety. What that means is team members feel free to say, ‘I don't know. I need help. I made a mistake,’ and to ask questions without fear of repercussion from their teammates or their leaders. As a leader and as members of a leadership team, that begins with you guys practicing that together, and then modeling it for your team. And being vulnerable doesn't mean like this weepy, oh-my-gosh sob story. It's about being honest. It’s about saying, ‘I need help,’ about saying, ‘I don't know.’ And that is a tremendous strength that you need to learn and grow into. And when you can develop that, when you can develop that within your leadership team, your team will see that and they’ll begin to feel free to say, ‘I want to grow, and I need help to grow in this way. I'm uncertain and I need help here. I made a mistake and I want to get better.’ That's what you want from your team. You want them to say, ‘I want to be better, and I need help in this way to get better.’ When they start asking for help in that way, that's when the magic is going to start happening.” (20:36—22:19) -Jenni
“An effective leadership team, the meeting cadence and getting things done, it can't be haphazard. The one thing I would encourage you is that you really have to set aside time to say, ‘We’re going to be intentional about this. We’re going to sit down. We’re going to land the plane. We’re going to talk about the things that matter.’ Just as we talk so much about the importance of the team meeting, meeting with your team, calibrating with your team, this is also so important with leadership. And the bigger you get, the more intentional you need to be about this. Don't just think, ‘Oh, we’re going to fit in some time at our lunch,’ or, ‘We’re going to meet for a few minutes before.’ Because what happens? We see an emergency over lunch, or we’ve got to finish our chart notes, or life happens and we’re coming in late one day, or we have to leave early. Be intentional about creating this team and being committed to it, or it won't work for you.” (24:13—25:17) -Jenni
“Time is the new rich. I don't care how big your practice is, how many locations you have. I don't care how cool your practice is. All I care about is how much time you have. The person who has the ability to do what they want with their time is the richest person in the world. And that's the hugest benefit to building something that's worthwhile, more time.” (26:30—26:54) -Kirk
“Whether you're a practice of three or a practice of 30, this is a component that you need. Having a leadership team, be it two, five, ten people, it’s going to create that aligned, smart, and healthy practice. It’s going to bring outside perspectives, bring complementary strengths, and it’s going to let you share in the challenges and the joys in your practice. So, if you don't have one, commit to making it happen.” (27:30—28:00) -Jenni
“Even if your practice is really cool and you have an amazing leadership team, you've got to have a coach that coaches your leadership team. Our coach is going to be here next week. She’s a badass. She kind of scares me a little bit. I'm worried to see what's going to come out of her mouth. But she can say things I can't say. She can call me out in the middle of the room, and we use terms like “gloves off”. ‘Here they are, gloves off. Here’s the truth.’ And one of my favorite things she’s ever said to us is, ‘I can see ceilings you guys can't.’ And it’s so true. It’s amazing when somebody from the outside can take your leaders and make them healthier and think better in a way that there's more glue and more alignment.” (28:06—28:47) -Kirk
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
1:54 Why you need a leadership team.
2:56 Leadership teams aren't just for large practices.
5:39 Stop living in your head.
7:31 Figure out who you are and your unique ability.
11:01 Get your team aligned, smart, and healthy.
14:59 What it means to be a great leader.
18:11 Develop trust and vulnerability.
22:24 Be aligned at the top.
24:01 Invest in your leaders.
27:26 Last thoughts.
Jenni Poulos Bio:
Jenni brings to dental teams a literal lifetime of experience in dentistry. As the daughter and sister of periodontists and a dental hygienist, she has been working in many facets of the dental world since she first held a summer job turning rooms and pouring models at the age of 12. Now, with over 10 years of experience in managing and leading a large periodontal practice, she has a firm grasp on what it takes to run a thriving business. Her passion for organizational health and culture has been a driving force behind her coaching career. She has witnessed firsthand how creating an aligned and engaged team will take a practice to levels of success that they never believed possible!
If I Only Knew Then What I Know Now
Episode #564 with Dr. Colin Richman
Your health and your time are two of the most important resources you have. Once they’re gone, they’re gone! But it’s not too late to invest. To help you protect these assets, Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. Colin Richman, assistant professor in the Department of Periodontics at the Medical College of Georgia, to share the lessons he wished he knew in his early years of practice. To hear about the best ways to prepare for your future, listen to Episode 564 of The Best Practices Show!
Episode Resources:
- Dr. Richman’s email: richmancs@gmail.com
- Dr. Richman’s cell phone number: (404) 784-7272
- Subscribe to the Best Practices Show Podcast
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club
- Join ACT’s Master Class
- See our Live Events Schedule here
- Get the Best Practices Magazine for Free!
- Write a Review on iTunes
Links Mentioned in This Episode:
A Philosophy of the Practice of Dentistry by Dr. L.D. Pankey and Dr. William J. Davis: https://pankey.app.neoncrm.com/np/clients/pankey/product.jsp?product=86&catalogId=10&
Mayo Clinic Executive Health Program: https://www.mayoclinic.org/departments-centers/mayo-clinic-executive-health-program/sections/overview/ovc-20253196
Cleveland Clinic Executive Health Program: https://my.clevelandclinic.org/departments/executive-health
Cooper Clinic Executive Health Program: https://www.cooperaerobics.com/Cooper-Clinic/Executive-Health.aspx
Johns Hopkins Executive & Preventive Health Program: https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/executive_health
Integrated Dental Seminars: https://www.integrateddentalseminars.net
Main Takeaways:
Balance your life.
Make smart investments.
Be proactive with your health.
Join an Executive Health Program.
Don't normalize your day-to-day stress.
Quotes:
“I tell my residents, I tell my kids, I tell anyone who will listen to me, your career is a 40-year project. It’s not, ‘How much am I going to make next year?’ and, ‘Which potential employer is going to pay me a $10,000 sign-on bonus or $2,000 more a month?’ This is a 40-year project. And in hindsight, it’s not a dress rehearsal. So, as a young graduate about to enter this noble profession, I'll tell you as follows: balance your life. Look at Pankey’s Cross of Life. On the four pillars of what he talks about, profession, love, faith, and you, get everything in balance.” (14:16—15:20)
“Very, very, very few dentists ever go bankrupt. You all can be successful no matter what you do. Enjoy it. Enjoy the ethics of an ethical career, and be prepared. Be prepared for the serious things. Let some of the glamor, the glory, the cars, and the big houses be an aspiration for one day, but get everything into perspective. What is important is, run a decent practice. You don't have to have the biggest practice in town. You don't have to have the most number of zeros behind your name on the bank statement.” (15:24—16:10)
“Stop and smell the roses. There's a wonderful quote that is unfortunate. It takes a crisis to stop and smell the roses — which is what happened to me. I like to believe I was successful. I had a fabulous practice. I was lecturing all over the country. I was teaching. I was working with residents. I was on the school board. I was at every one of our kids’ games. But there was very little time for Colin, and there was [less] time for Colin as a husband.” (17:00—17:34)
“Recruiting as many patients as you can as your primary objective in life is not what we were put on this planet for. Very few reasonably ethical — I'm not talking of the best of the best — reasonably technical individuals do not land in trouble. They all make a decent living. Some have got an extra one or two zeros. I did very well. I had a lot of balance. We saved in our 401(k) from day one, so there's 40 years of saving. We had an IRA from day one. We did all of those things because I came from an immigrant family who fled the Holocaust with their lives, and that is where we grew up, in South Africa. So, we were taught, you save a decent amount of money as a priority. And we did. We had intelligent investments, not speculative investments; balanced investments, non-high-risk investments. And the magic of compound interest over 40 years, thank goodness, when the crisis came, money was not a problem. I could walk away and do whatever I wanted to do. And that's what I'm doing now. I'm having fun with dentistry as my hobby. I earn a few pennies, and that's fun. We could do that. So, balance is, remember you've got a family. Remember to be involved. Get off that cell phone and have dinner with your family.” (18:17—20:18)
“We’re not on this planet to see how many patients we can recruit, because then the problem is, what are you going to do with all these patients? I love these ads, ‘100 new patients a month.’ What are you going to do with those 100 patients a month? Are you going to examine them? Are you doing treatment? Are you going to drill-and-bill? So, that is part of balance. You are the driving force of the empire. You are responsible for those working under you, although that's changing in the corporate world. You are responsible for the well-being of your staff, the well-being of your family, the well-being of everything around you, and the well-being of the thousands of patients you are blessed to treat. You are the course. Look after yourself.” (20:26—21:19)
“Be proactive. And [looking after your health is] part of it. Set up a proper retirement plan. Make sure your wills and all your legal documents are up to date. Make sure you're accounting. Make sure everyone around you knows your wishes.” (25:17—25:31)
“I have always exercised, whether it was jogging around the neighborhood. Then, about eight years prior to the cardiac arrest, friends invited me to join their biking group. I'm not a great athlete. I don't have to get out there every day and run or do whatever, but exercising is a priority. We watched our weight. We watched our diet. As I mentioned, I knew we had a cardiac history, so diet was important. I was carrying a few extra pounds that, in hindsight, I didn't need to be carrying. But the important thing is, when they diagnosed me with high blood pressure and with what's known as heart failure five, six years ago, at that stage, treatment should've gone beyond tablets. And had I known about the Mayo Executive — I did not know about it. At that stage, most of us have very deliberate day-to-day activities. I would have gone for that Mayo Executive physical, or the Cleveland, or the Cooper, or whichever one you want. I chose Mayo, and I chose the main branch of Mayo because I think they're ranked as the number-one medical entity in the world. That's why I went there. It’s readily available, and it did not cost me a fortune.” (26:28—28:10)
“Balance it out. Exercise. Exercise with your kids. Spend time with them. Exercise doesn't mean you've got to break a vigorous sweat every time. Exercise means movement. Sign up with a gym. Give your staff, as a benefit, gym privileges. Look after your staff. I looked after my staff. It was part of the condition of the sale of the practice, I'm told, that they will be looked after at the same level that I had done for the past 30 years. And I still work with my successor in that. We help our patients to look after their mouths. What about the body that's attached to that mouth? And look after your own. Now, a real sidebar issue: how many dentists see their dentist twice a year, and floss every day, and all of that stuff? . . . That's a topic for another time. Look in the mirror. Am I doing what I'm saying, or saying what I'm doing?” (28:19—29:27)
“[One thing I would have done differently is] I would have gone to Mayo for an executive physical. Once they made a diagnosis many years ago, and I had a heart issue, and I was hospitalized, I would have gone to Mayo. I would’ve put more credence to, ‘We don't know why you're having a problem,’ as an unacceptable answer and I would've delved deeper. So, on a personal note, that is what I would have done differently.” (30:22—30:50)
“When I mentioned to my existing cardiologist — whom I haven't had a great relationship with in Atlanta — that I want to go to the Mayo Clinic and they're going to do this, that, and the other, he commented, ‘Well, you know, we can do all that here.’ And I thought to myself, I didn't say anything, ‘Then why didn't you?’ So, I think you've got to be proactive, and quizzing, and ‘Why does this happen?’ And when you talk about the Pankey cross balance of life, that's not a religious cross. That is the four pillars of balancing your life out and taking things seriously.” (32:04—32:53)
“Our lives are complex. Our lives are full, and we wear numerous hats without realizing it. We’re under intense stress without realizing it. And that stress becomes normalized, all the little sidebar crises that dentists have to get through their day, and to get through their week, and the individual crises of each staff person, and then the plumbing goes out, then the compressor packs up, then the crown didn't arrive on time. Every time that happens, it pulls on that heart muscle a little bit. And that becomes normal. One has got to put that in perspective. One has got to put that in perspective. The five percent of patients who don't pursue treatment — think of the 95% that do pursue treatment and the 80% of those that become part of your extended family. You can't make everyone happy. Most of us who are in the service businesses strive for 100% success. There's a balance. There's a serious balance there.” (33:18—34:38)
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
1:35 Dr. Richman’s background.
4:19 The event that shortened Dr. Richman’s career.
13:47 Stop and smell the roses.
17:44 What balance truly means.
22:25 Be proactive with your health.
25:43 Dr. Richman’s thoughts on exercise.
30:07 Things Dr. Richman would have done differently.
34:54 More about Dr. Richman and how to get in touch.
Dr. Colin Richman Bio:
Dr. Colin Richman was born in South Africa. He graduated from the University of Witwatersrand School of Dentistry and completed his residency in Periodontics at the University of Connecticut. He practiced general dentistry in London and Johannesburg, South Africa, for six years before entering his post-graduate residency program at the University of Connecticut. Following completion of his residency program, he and his wife moved to Atlanta, Georgia, where he held a faculty position at Emory University School of Dentistry until the school closed. He then entered private practice, limited to Periodontics and Implant Dentistry, for the past 27 years.
Dr. Richman is an assistant professor in the Department of Periodontics at the Medical College of Georgia and is affiliated with Perimeter Community College, Department of Oral Hygiene. He is very actively involved in Periodontally Accelerated Osteogenic Orthodontics (PAOO) and has been described as a pioneer in the emerging technology of PAOO.
Dr. Richman has delivered more than 200 continuing education programs both in the U.S. and abroad. He is the Director of the Seattle Study Club of Atlanta and belongs to numerous dental organizations. He is a Diplomate of the American Board of Periodontology and an Honorable Fellow of the Georgia Dental Association.
Dr. Richman is married to Maureen Richman and has two sons, Steven, who is a practicing tax attorney in Atlanta, and Peter, who is entering law school with a focus on cyber law.
How To Make a Dentist’s Life Easier
Episode #563 with David Harris
Over your career as a dentist, the chances of being embezzled is about 70%. So, what can you do to lower that risk? To share some answers, Kirk Behrendt brings back David Harris, embezzlement expert and CEO of Prosperident, with four best practices to prevent embezzlers from stealing your time and money. Put systems in place so embezzlement doesn't happen to you! For tips to make life as a dentist a little bit easier, listen to Episode 563 of The Best Practices Show!
Episode Resources:
- Prosperident: https://www.prosperident.com
- Call Prosperident: (888) 398-2327
- David’s Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/davidharrisprosperident
- David’s social media: @davidharris9406
- Subscribe to the Best Practices Show Podcast
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club
- Join ACT’s Master Class
- See our Live Events Schedule here
- Get the Best Practices Magazine for Free!
- Write a Review on iTunes
Links Mentioned in This Episode:
**Email David for a free copy of his Embezzlement Risk Self-Assessment Questionnaire: https://www.prosperident.com/contact-us
Prosperident’s Hall of Shame: https://www.prosperident.com/hall-of-shame
Dental Embezzlement: The Art of Theft and the Science of Control by David Harris: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/dental-embezzlement-david-harris/1134016570
Previous Best Practices Show episodes with David: https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=act+dental+david+harris
Main Takeaways:
Prevention is better than the cure.
Check collections and deposits monthly.
Remember to check your day-end reports.
Track any financial discrepancies with a graph.
Learn to use your practice management software!
Your team doesn't need access to bank statements.
You should be delegating to your team, not abdicating.
Quotes:
“The chance that a dentist will be embezzled in his or her career is around 70% . . . So, it’s not a problem that affects a small corner of dentistry somewhere. The majority of dentists will be embezzled. Sometimes, it’s taking tens from the office, or a few thousand dollars, or maybe scrap gold from the gold jar. And sometimes, it’s over $1 million dollars.” (4:14—4:44)
“About half of those who get embezzled once will be embezzled again. And about half of those will be embezzled again.” (4:49—4:59)
“Most dental offices don't have really good control systems, and that means that people get away with things that shouldn't happen. And the goal is to improve. It’s just like dentistry. If I'm a patient and I go to my dentist and say, ‘Doctor, I want to spend the least money in my lifetime on my teeth.’ What the doctor is probably going to do is hand me a toothbrush and a can of dental floss and say, ‘Use those like you believe in them, and see my hygienist every six months. That will keep your lifetime outlay to the minimum, because what happens if you neglect those things is going to cost a lot more, and it’s going to be a lot more invasive.’ And I'll say exactly the same thing about embezzlement. Prevention is far, far, far cheaper and requires a lot less heart muscle than remediation.” (5:30—6:21)
“Let's talk first about how embezzlers think. If you're a dentist and I work for you, the first question I'm going to ask is, ‘Does [the doctor] know how much money should be in today’s bank deposit?’ It doesn't matter, to be clear, whether you make the bank deposit or I, your office manager, does. The first question is, does [the doctor] monitor how much the practice management software says was collected? And if the answer to that question is no, which is probably the case in 80% of practices, then stealing is incredibly easy for me. I mean, all I have to do is divert some of the deposit. I don't have to do anything exotic in the software. If you do monitor deposits against collections, I can still steal. But it’s a lot harder because now what I have to do is teach the software how to lie to you about how much money came in. It can be done, but that's a lot harder.” (6:32—7:26)
“Let's ask the really basic question: why do 80% of dentists not compare what the software says they collected versus what went into the bank? It’s a simple concept. The problem is that the practical application of it is a little bit tough. So, it’s the end of the day, today. It’s 5:00. You had a busy day. You’ve seen 20 patients. You got bit twice. You are really thinking about getting out the door. There's a report that appears from your practice management software, and you get the idea, ‘Okay. But before I go home, I really need to check this against the bank deposit.’ Here's the problem. A lot of the money that was collected today is going to arrive in your practice’s bank account either earlier than today or later than today. In other words, we have what we call timing differences. So, think about a patient who pays today by credit card. Your software captures that as a payment today, your practice management software. But that money doesn't get to your bank until probably two or three days from now. So, you actually have no way of comparing that amount in your software against the deposit in the bank today. You have to say to yourself, ‘Okay. I need to write that down on a piece of paper, put it in a spreadsheet or something, and then come back to it three days from now and see if that amount actually arrived.’” (7:27—8:54)
“Another complication is that a lot of payments go by electronic funds transfers into a doctor’s account. And when an insurance company pays by EFT, there's a timing difference but it’s actually in the opposite direction. So, what the insurance company does is they send out the money electronically, and they send the EOB, the explanation of benefits, by the U.S. Postal Service. Electronic funds transfer of money gets there in your bank account in about 30 minutes. The EOB, the explanation of benefits, might take four or five days to arrive, and then somebody in the practice opens it, and they might be too busy today to post it, so maybe it goes tomorrow. And again, what you're forcing the doctor to do is to go back into the electronic banking and try to find a deposit that might've happened four days ago, or it might've happened 34 days ago. So, trying to do all that at the end of the day when you're really thinking about getting out the door is a bit of a daunting problem, and it’s asking a lot of somebody at a moment in time when they probably don't want to do it. And the consequence is, as I say, most doctors have given up on this one.” (8:57—10:14)
“We have always had the tradition that [checking collections and deposits] should be done on a daily basis. And I'm probably going back to before your time, but if you think back to before computers, in the old pegboard system, there was really no such thing in pegboard as a monthly report. The whole focus of pegboard was today. And at the end of the day, the doctor got the report and the bank deposit, and lined one up against the other, and decided that all the money was there. So, we’ve continued, even though computerization has been around in practice management software for over three decades, that basic mentality of, ‘This is something we should check at the end of each day,’ is still there. I'm going to make a radical suggestion. Don't do that. Let's look at a month at a time instead of a day. And that means a couple of things. The first thing it means is that rather than doing this activity 20 times in a month, we do it once. So, that just got a lot easier. Even though we’re doing it for a bigger period of time, once is easier than 20. If you had to do a quadrant of fillings, you would logically try to do them all at once because it’s numbing once, and prepping once, and so on, rather than doing that four times for a quadrant.” (10:17—11:46)
“There are some other advantages [to checking collections and deposits once a month]. The second advantage is that a lot of those timing differences that I mentioned have now self-corrected. In other words, when you're looking at a whole month at a time, a credit card payment that is recorded in software on the sixth of the month and gets deposited to your bank on the tenth of the month, there's no longer a timing difference because you're looking at the month as a whole. So, now the timing differences you have to contend with when you look at a month are only the transactions that overlap the first day of the month and the previous month, or the last day of the month and the next month. So, the percentage of deposits, if you're looking at a single day, it’s really easy for 80% of the money you take in today to have a difference between the day it hits the bank account and the day when it hits your software. When you look at a month at a time, now you're probably talking about five or eight percent. So, the magnitude of the stuff that's difficult to resolve gets much smaller.” (11:56—13:07)
“Here’s the second trick people can do. So, we’re looking at a month at a time. When you look at your collections according to practice management software versus your deposits in the bank, you're probably going to end up with what I'd call a variance. In other words, this month, either you collected more according to your software than what went into your bank, or you collected less. So, let's take that number and see how we can resolve it. And there are a couple of things you could do. You can look in your previous month’s bank statement and try to find this stuff with a negative timing difference, or you can look in your online banking after the end of the month and try to find this stuff with a positive. So, you can try and track down the origin of the variance. That's the best answer, but it’s also a lot of work.” (13:09—14:05)
“The other thing you can do is you can create a graph and stick the variance on that graph. So, we’re having this conversation in April of 2023, which means we probably just did or are about to do this for March. So, let's say in March that the practice management software collections were greater than the bank by $2,200. What you do on a graph somewhere, and it can be up on your wall, if you'd like, or it could be on a spreadsheet or something like that, is you put a dot for March at $2,200. You do the same thing for April. You do the same thing for May. And if you're mathematical about it, you fit a regression line to those dots. If what you're looking at is timing differences, timing differences reverse. So, let's say on the last day of the month, a patient pays $4,000 by credit card. And let's keep it simple and let's assume that's the only timing difference for that month. What you're going to see at the end of that month, let's call it March, at the end of March, what you're going to see is practice management software is greater than bank deposits by $4,000. What you're going to see when you look at April is the reciprocal. In other words, in April, you have a $4,000 deposit and nothing in practice management software because the payment was recorded in March. So, the variance reversed, if what you're looking at is timing differences. When you plot your timing differences over time and you fit a line to them, what you get is something with a slope of zero, or pretty close. If you look at that line and it’s not zero, it’s increasing, for example, now you don't have timing differences anymore, it’s something else, like maybe embezzlement. But you know what? Putting that dot on a graph takes a whole lot less time than trying to go back and find the origin of that $4,000 variance and make sure that the money was deposited.” (14:06—16:20)
“If you're not doing a comparison between collections and deposits, you've made it so easy for [thieves]. I mean, the dumbest, laziest thief on the planet can steal in that framework. So, let's eliminate the bottom half, intellectually, of the people who want to steal from a dental practice. This one step [of checking collections and deposits] will rule out those people. Anybody who can't figure out how to crook your software now can't steal from you. And if what's involved is doing this once a month, and as I say, not having to actually track down the source of the variance but just plot it, that makes life so much easier. Can people still steal from you in that case? Yes. But now, what they have to do is trick the software, which is a lot harder and a lot more demanding.” (17:09— 18:00)
“This really basic control [of comparing collections and deposits], which, as I say, most people don't do because it looks too daunting, if we can make it as simple as getting a month-end summary report from your software, looking at your monthly deposits from your bank statement — and when you look at your deposits, just to point out something that may not occur to all the audience, you have to pull out any nonrevenue deposits. So, if you got PPP money back in the COVID-19 days, that was a deposit to your account, but it was not revenue in your practice management software. If you have multiple accounts and you're moving money back and forth, those are nonrevenue deposits. So, you have to screen that stuff out. But if you have none of those, every bank statement gives you a total for the total deposit, so you don't even have to add them up.” (18:04—18:55)
“The other advantage of looking at a month at a time is that what some thieves have done is if they think the doctor is looking at day-in stuff but doesn't look at month-end information, then they’ll come in on a Saturday or a Sunday when the practice is closed, and they’ll put through a bunch of transactions that they don't want the doctor to see. When you look at a month as a whole, you catch all those things. So, there's an advantage there as well. But the real advantage is, let's shut down those stupid, lazy thieves and let's make it so that anybody who pulls money out of the deposit and doesn't do something in software to cover it up will get caught.” (18:58—19:43)
“First of all, why would you have to [tell your team you're going to start verifying collections and deposits]? You get the bank statements, I'm hoping. And I really have an issue with any dentist who lets staff get that stuff first. Staff generally don't need access to your bank account. So, the banking side, you get already. There are some dentists who don't know how to print a month-end report from their software. And I would suggest that if you're listening and you are in that category, I have one word for you: learn.” (20:15—20:51)
“I'm going to say something that a lot of your audience won't like to hear, but it has to be said. Whatever reports you rely on as a practice owner from your software, print them yourself. As soon as you allow a staff member to print a report and hand it to you, you have given up control over the parameters used to generate that report, and it is really easy to hide stuff from you. So, I know there are doctors out there who would like to go their whole career without learning the first thing about their practice management software. That software is more important to your financial well-being than your handpiece is. And you all know your handpiece like it’s your child. You need to embrace your software with about the same amount of enthusiasm.” (21:00—21:49)
“If you don't know how to print reports in your software, there is somebody, somewhere, who can show you.” (21:50—21:55)
“What's involved here is getting bank statements that you already get anyway and learning how to print one, exactly one report, from your software. And assuming that you can climb those two mountains, you don't need to go to your office manager and say, ‘I'm going to start doing this.’ You might end up going to the office manager later with a question about discrepancies. And if they’ve never seen you ask that question before, they may wonder why or even how you got the information. But you can decide, at that point when you're likely facing a problem, how important secrecy is to you. But just to do this calculation, no, you don't need anybody’s help.” (22:15—23:01)
“Step number four happens when you start seeing variances that don't look like they're caused by timing, like somebody stealing your money. A typical thief will take between two and four percent of your collections. So, you have an office that's collecting $100,000 a month. That means we would expect a thief, once they get comfortable with their pattern, to be taking between $2,000 and $4,000 a month from you. So, when you're looking now at your variances each month between collections and deposits and you see that January was $2,000 and February was $2,300 in the same direction, and March was $1,700 and April was $3,500, when you start seeing that the variances are all on the same side of the origin on your graph, as I said, this isn't timing. So, now, you have a sleepless night. And what you do, hopefully, in the morning, is call Prosperident.” (23:24—24:37)
“When we investigate, our investigations are completely invisible to staff. We go to tremendous lengths to make sure that when a doctor calls us with unconfirmed suspicions — and sometimes, it’s been confirmed — but when it’s somebody who says, ‘I think Sally, my office manager, is stealing,’ our whole process is intricately planned so that Sally has no idea we’re on the job. And that's important.” (25:50—26:18)
“A dentist will call me, and they’ll say, ‘Yeah, I've been a bit negligent in my overseeing of my practice, and now I think that Sally, my office manager, is stealing.’ And what I say to that doctor, and I will say to the next one who calls me, is let's understand how unequal this battle really is. You are busy all day, every day, trying to do great dentistry for your patients. And that is your primary focus. And while you're spending that time doing that, Sally, your office manager, has the whole day to think about how to separate you from your money. And beyond that, your control systems are 100% visible to her because she’s the person who lives with and probably, in some cases, implemented those controls. So, Sally knows whether you compare the day-end report to the bank deposit. Sally knows whether you look at a day-end report at the end of the day, or you just throw it in your basket to get to when...
The Missing Ingredient to Team Trust
Episode #562 with Adriana Booth
Episode Resources:
- Adriana’s email: adriana@actdental.com
- Adriana’s Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/adriana.booth
- Adriana’s social media: @adrimarieb
- Subscribe to the Best Practices Show Podcast
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club
- Join ACT’s Master Class
- See our Live Events Schedule here
- Get the Best Practices Magazine for Free!
- Write a Review on iTunes
Links Mentioned in This Episode:
Traction by Gino Wickman: https://benbellabooks.com/shop/traction
Main Takeaways:
Connection, conversation, communication, and core values lead to trust.
Your core values are the foundation to develop your team’s trust.
Have regular, scheduled check-ins with your team.
Live your core values.
Quotes:
“At the root of it, we love people, and we love to help people. And I think that's most of us, especially in the dental field. We are there to help. We are there to serve. And when we think about that connection, when you truly get to know people and you're empathetic, sympathetic — to a point — and you know who they truly are and how they work, obviously, you are like the little birds of a feather. You kind of start to attract like-minded people. And all of a sudden, you'll end up with a team who have all these similarities and respect for one another. They have a connection. And what happens next is pretty easy. It’s that trust. We don't have to fight for trust, at that point.” (5:04—5:52) -Adriana
“I can't work for you as a dental assistant — and I'd be a terrible dental assistant — and I can't lean on the core values if I don't know the core values. And so, I think one of the things that you have to do in order to build something that's trustworthy, long term, very healthy, it’s got to be built on the right values. And you know this, your favorite people care about the same things that you care about. So, my question to you is, what do you care about as a dentist? And once you figure that out and put those out there, it’s your favorite thing, ever.” (6:35—7:04) -Kirk
“I worked recently with another one of our awesome coaches, Heather, and been putting together a lot of things with our core values. And just like we tell our clients, we have to keep it in front of you. That's why we put it on shirts. We put it on our water bottles. We have it on stickers. At any given time, when I walk into a practice that I'm coaching and if I ask the team, ‘Hey, tell me what your core values are again,’ and they don't know them, it’s a little bit of a heartbreak for me because I know, at that time, the doctor can't be that committed to their core values if his or her team doesn't know them by heart. And that's a big one.” (7:26—8:03) -Adriana
“I have a couple teams, I know their core values because I've been in enough meetings and enough conversations that they talk about them so much, I can even rattle off their core values. So, that's when I know that are living their core values. And they hire, fire, have conversations around them, tough conversations, fun conversations, they have projects, they do their social media around it because they truly are living it.” (8:06—8:33) -Adriana
“I'll give you the secret today of how to find the right people. It’s super simple. And I didn't come up with this. It’s actually from Gino Wickman, if you read the book, Traction. Finding the right people in your practice, they have two things — not 90. Two. They share your core values, and they get results. Period. When you create a team of people that, number one, share your core values, they're all-in on your values and they get results, you're killing it. And you don't even know why. If you're missing one of those two, you're miserable, and your brain is headed in that direction.” (8:39—9:15) -Kirk
“I'm not talking about the hallway drive-by conversations, the lunch time chats. It’s truly what we call here at ACT a check-in. We have a form. It is very structured. That's a thing that I always explain to my teams is, at ACT, yes, we might be a little off-the-cuff sometimes, and we like to customize everything for our clients. But at the same time, as much as we like fun and off-the-cuff, we really love structure because we want repeatable processes. So, we want to give each of your team members the same opportunity to check in with the doctor, owner, manager, their team lead, however we want to structure that, to have time, one-on-one, have goals, so we have a little bit of fun or fluff in there, so a little bit of personal connection, and we leave with priorities in what's next steps so that we have a follow-up. And we always leave with a next appointment scheduled, just like our patients.” (9:30—10:33) -Adriana
“Here’s my question to you, as a dentist. Do you love your team? And everyone goes, ‘Yes, I do.’ Well, what's the system, or what do you do that supports what you just said? And having a regular check-in — again, we didn't come up with this. We had a coach that made us do regular check-ins. And I thought they were kind of hokey at first. And now, I'm like, ‘This is the most important thing you could ever do.’” (10:50—11:10) -Kirk
“[At check-ins], we’re going to also mix [personal high, personal low, professional high, professional low, core values, and priorities] in with how can leadership help the team member. Because there might be something that me, as a team member, thinks of, and this just, I covet my time with Christina, who I do my check-ins with, and Kirk, because that is my time to say, ‘Hey, how could I improve? What do you see from the outside that I can do a little bit better? And I would like to work on X, Y, Z. Do you have any ideas for me? Do you have any resources?’ And that's exactly what your team members will do. So, it becomes this two-way conversation that is directed by the team member. A key ingredient is having it on the schedule, having a time block, making sure you're sticking to that time block, 15 minutes is pretty good, pretty common. Some will do 30, if they want to maybe grab a bite to eat in that time. And they’ll say, ‘Hey, how could I help you? How are you helping yourself?’ so that it’s not just you, as a team member, relying on your manager or your owner to do it for you. It’s a little bit more self-guided. You want to have that sheet printed. They fill it out and turn it in at least a day prior so you, as the manager or owner can review it, make your own notes, because you want to show that team member it’s valuable to you as well.” (11:36—13:04) -Adriana
“You don't have to have team members share all these intimate details. What you're giving is you're giving space to it . . . Team members can tell you whatever they want. But just by the fact that you've carved out 30 minutes, or 15 minutes to say, ‘This is our time together.’” (13:41—14:03) -Kirk
“You're changing the whole annual review conversation. Now, having a regular check-in, and you're talking about results and priorities, it makes it so easy for both of you, the employer and the employee, to talk about a raise, if that's on the board. Because somebody that's bringing big results, and we’ve talked about you're coaching them on a regular basis, and it’s a regular system, and they run the meeting, it’s powerful because now, it becomes a hugely healthy opportunity.” (14:08—14:40) -Kirk
“In a world where we hear dentists all the time say, ‘I can't find great people out there. Our practice is growing,’ and in the same breath, the dentist talks about the dentistry, and the patients, and how big it is, and a second location, and they can't even remember team members’ names. And I'm like, ‘Oh, you're forgetting the single-most important ingredient to how all this work, which is team members that trust you.’” (14:44—15:08) -Kirk
“I've just walked through this with a client who, she’s a great leader. She’s really team oriented. The beauty in [check-ins] was she said, ‘My team member came to me. And she had copies of the last year of her check-ins.’ And they only do check-ins about every other month. And she said, ‘Hey, I want to show you my timeline. These are the things you told me to work on. And, look. I've done all of these things.’ And she said, ‘Now, where do I go from here?’ She was sitting there ready for the, ‘I want more money,’ conversation. But it was the opposite. The team member is now so invested in that relationship, in the business, like, ‘How else can I help?’ And that's the key. Once we get on the same page with core values, we’re connected, they are bought in, they care about your business as much as you do, at this point, and then that ball will keep rolling.” (15:22—16:19) -Adriana
“If I'm a team member working for you, and you're the dentist, and you're sitting down with me and we’re talking about core values and results, you can see how this relationship changes. You change from the boss to someone’s coach. And you're all dreaming of that. We don't know how to do it until we have a system. So, we’re giving you the system today.” (16:21—16:41) -Kirk
“The missing ingredient to team trust is you've got to have core values, and you've got to have a system like a check-in. And look at your practice as a garden. It’s a beautiful garden. And the garden needs care. Weeds will come into the garden. If you don't weed the garden, the weeds take the garden. The garden also needs fertilizer. It needs water. It needs some good sunshine. So, it requires proactive care. And so, what we’re suggesting here is use the good care, which is all these things that we’ve mentioned, so that your team continues to grow, because it’s only going to get a little bit weirder for a while in the employment market.” (17:09—17:44) -Kirk
“Once you get good people, good people attract more good people. That's the key. And when your valued at your place of employment, it doesn't become a job. You want to be there. And you want good people to be there with you. You get really picky. You get really picky about who you work with, how they show up, how they behave, and you become invested in, now, as the owner, weight is off of your shoulders a little bit because your team is doing a lot of the, ‘We don't act like that her. Oh, no. No, no. We don't do that. This is how we behave. This is what we believe. Come on. Fall in line, or you're going to have to get off the bus.’” (17:56—18:38) -Adriana
“It gets picky on both sides of things. You get picky because you're attracting a higher quality team member. The team members also get picky about who comes into the fold too. They’ll chew up and spit somebody out who’s not playing along with the core values.” (18:42—18:55) -Kirk
“Core values are not feelings. They're not aspirational words like excellence and awesomeness. They're behaviors at the workplace that you've completely enforced that are true behaviors that you like to see, like all-in attitude, like we before me. And when you do that, you can see everybody starts to buy in to the behaviors and it becomes something super special.” (18:59—19:24) -Kirk
“I absolutely love [core values]. This is my favorite thing of all time because if I would've known about this in my 20s, that would've saved me a lot of stomach lining. And people often dismiss core values as, ‘Oh, that was way back in the ‘70s and the ‘80s.’ No. Look at any big brand today. No matter who it is, if they're strong and they have an incredible following and support structure and trust with team members, you're going to see it’s bound by core values.” (19:26—19:51) -Kirk
“Once you start seeing core values in your own practice, you'll go to the smallest store and you're waiting to cash out – usually, if there's even a human there, because we talked about AI is taking over, your self-checkout, you've got your virtual card, your Apple Pay – and you see their core values posted. And you're like, ‘What? They even have core values here? That's awesome!’” (19:57—20:21) -Adriana
“Human beings don't even absorb anything — they have to hear it seven times, seven different ways for them to even initially adopt it. And core values are like the bound structure — think about at home. Do you mention it one time to your kids? No! You become the CRO, chief repeating officer. There are things I've said in my house so many times that the walls could repeat it. But they're value-based things. Same thing applies in a great practice. Any great leader repeats the same things over and over. But they're the things that matter, not, ‘Did you do this? Did you do that?’ I'm not talking about micromanaging. I'm talking about, ‘We do this because. We behave this way. We are this kind of people. We believe this.’ And so, you can't do it once. And then, you've got to find different ways to make them come alive, whether they be medals, whether they be stories, whether they be Instagram posts. That's a game that we’re always trying to figure out, how do we do this? How do we bring it alive?” (20:45—21:44) -Kirk
“We’re huge proponents of two hours, weekly meetings. And that's a piece of that meeting rhythm that is very structured. We talk about the core values every single meeting. We rate them. How often are they showing up? How do they show up? How do they show up in our team and out to our community? And if we aren't doing that every single week on some level, I promise you, you're not living your core values, and they're not that important to you.” (21:47—22:16) -Adriana
“The more you lean into what we’ve talked about today, which is the secret ingredient — which is core values — the more you lean into it, I promise you, the less crazy stuff you deal with.” (22:20—22:29) -Kirk
“A few last ingredients that I would say is that connection. Connection is the key to long-lasting relationships, in general, but especially with your team members. Get connected. Do your check-ins. Build that value for the relationship and lean hard on your core values. It will totally change your practice and change your life.” (22:52—23:13) -Adriana
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
2:08 Adriana’s background.
2:57 Why this is an important topic for dentistry.
5:55 The missing ingredient to trust.
7:05 Live your core values.
8:35 Have regular check-ins.
10:34 The structure and logistics of check-ins.
14:40 Check-ins help your team be invested.
16:19 Attract great team members from core values.
18:55 Core values are everywhere.
20:21 You can't just tell team members once.
22:17 Last thoughts.
Adriana Booth, BS, RDH Bio:
Adriana Booth is a Lead Practice Coach who partners with dentists and their teams to cultivate leadership skills, build practice growth, and streamline business practices. After spending nearly two decades in the dental industry working with top-notch dental teams, Adriana came to ACT to share her passion for professional growth, high-level training, and systems creation with our clients.
As a dental hygienist with a love for continuing education and personal growth, helping a practice become successful is at the heart of her passion for dentistry.
Adriana has a B.S. in Dental Hygiene from West Liberty University/O’Hehir University. By being involved in several Columbus, Ohio, study clubs, Adriana maintains strong relationships within her local dental community. She enjoys a variety of fitness activities, family time, good books, and at the top of her list, her fur babies.
What Your Patient’s Gut Health is Telling You
Episode #561 with Dr. Uche Odiatu
There is more to gut health than probiotics, and it all starts in the mouth. Today, Kirk Behrendt brings back one of ACT’s favorite fitness gurus, Dr. Uche Odiatu, to talk about one of his favorite subjects: gut health. He passionately shares his knowledge about the microbiome, advice for engaging team members, and ways to talk to patients about this very important topic. A healthy mouth leads to a healthy gut! To learn how dentists and hygienists can help patients with whole-body health, listen to Episode 561 of The Best Practices Show!
Episode Resources:
- Dr. Odiatu’s LinkedIn: https://ca.linkedin.com/in/druche
- Dr. Odiatu’s website: http://www.druche.com
- Dr. Odiatu’s Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/UcheOdiatu
- Dr. Odiatu’s social media: @fitspeakers
- Subscribe to the Best Practices Show Podcast
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club
- Join ACT’s Master Class
- See our Live Events Schedule here
- Get the Best Practices Magazine for Free!
- Write a Review on iTunes
Links Mentioned in This Episode:
Viome: https://www.viome.com
Main Takeaways:
Change your diet for better gut health.
Acknowledge the role of gut health on mental health.
Understand how antibiotic prescriptions affect gut health.
Learn how to engage your patients in gut health conversations.
Involve and empower your team so they learn more about gut health.
Quotes:
“If you want to be current, you've got to know about the microbiome because your patients are reading about it every night.” (3:49—3:54)
“The average Joe thinks, ‘Oh, I take a probiotic.’ There's much more to gut health than taking a probiotic, just like there's more to health than popping a vitamin pill.” (4:31—4:39)
“Gut health is elusive. It’s amorphous. You've got to think of how these gut florae became a part of us. When we’re born, basically, the womb is very sterile. When the baby comes through the birth canal, that's the first introduction to the microbiome, or the mother’s microbiome. However, if you were born by C-section, which is about one out of three kids, one out of three patients born now, they get more of a skin microbiome. They get more staph bacteria than lactobacillus and bifido. It takes about seven years for a C-section delivered baby to catch up to a vaginally delivered baby.” (4:40—5:18)
“Back 40 years ago, only one in 25 kids were born by C-section. Now, it’s one in three. So, when you talk about one in three, you're thinking about 30% of patients that are born without good, diverse, stable biome. And they do suffer from it. The Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology has shown how they're more likely to have asthma, more likely to have metabolic syndrome, more likely to have food sensitivities. So, there are a lot of things going on. This all might sound, ‘Uche, as a dentist, how am I supposed to know these things?’ We know now that if people don't manage blood sugar well, guess what? They're also likely to have more bleeding upon probing, and loss of attachment. Diabetics lose teeth two to three times as much as a person who doesn't have diabetes. So, this is where the conversation goes. It’s really important to have a working knowledge, and you've got to read the books. You've got to listen to the podcasts. You can't be scared about it because these patients are Googling biome, gut, kombucha, and kimchi.” (5:19—6:16)
“In South Korea, the average adult eats 35 kilograms of kimchi a year. That's how much cheese the average North American eats a year, 35 kilograms of cheese in a year. So, kimchi, it’s very fermented. It’s got 20 times more probiotic qualities than other fermented foods like yogurt and fruit and vegetables. When you look at the obesity rate of South Korea, it’s about 10%. The obesity rate in North America is 35%. So, if you start looking at fermented foods and probiotic foods, you realize how it impacts metabolism, immunity, and how you look. So, I bring these things in eclectically when I talk. But ultimately, you've got to look current. You can't just think gut conversations just start with a probiotic. There's much more to it.” (6:21—7:12)
“The mouth is the gateway. And the number-one way to change and have a healthy gut is to change what you're eating. And who’s in charge of the eating apparatus? The dental industry. So, we are perfectly poised — there's never been a better time to talk gut health because we are in charge of the entrance to the GI tract. It all starts here.” (7:13—7:30)
“Hippocrates said, ‘Let food be your medicine, and medicine be your food.’ And Hippocrates also said, ‘All disease begins in the gut.’ He said that 2,300 years ago. And now, we realize the information about gut health, it’s true. (8:45—8:58)
“Right now, if your bacteria were fermenting fiber, which they love, and you were eating about 30 grams a day, as a man, 35 grams a day, your body is pumping out short-chain fatty acids. And they are the most anti-inflammatory agent your body makes. And every hygienist knows inflammation is key. Back in 2009, JADA said a lot of the destruction of periodontal disease comes from a hyper-inflamed host, a host that goes overboard, a weak immune system, burning out and causing bleeding and creating a lot of osteoclasts that are breaking down bone. Well, if your body has enough fiber and you're fermenting and making short-chain fatty acids, you now have a big bucket of water, anti-inflammation, and you can douse the flames easier. So, anyone who is eating fiber, anyone who is eating 30 grams a day for men and 25 grams a day for women, they can actually douse the flames of inflammation. They have a less likely chance of almost every modern disease, including gingivitis and periodontal disease.” (9:05—10:02)
“Right now, they're saying that 90% to 95% of North Americans aren't eating enough fiber. They literally have all these fires in their body, and they cannot douse the flames. So, if your bacteria aren't getting fermenting fiber, what happens if they can't ferment? They can't douse the flames of inflammation. So, the joints hurt, hair hurts, cognitive irritation, gut inflammation, psoriasis, eczema, ankylosing spondylitis, gingivitis, periodontal disease, all because the body is unable to make short-chain fatty acids. And this body is incredible. It has its own pharmacy. But you've got to give it the fuel, and that's where food comes in. Let food be your medicine, and medicine be your food.” (10:06—10:44)
“Dr. Paul [Tennenbauer], PhD in immunology, said if you are going to eat a meal that’s debauchery, if you have a cheat meal — again, pizza once a week, there are 21 meals a week. It’s basically one of the 21. So, it’s not so bad, one out of 21. If you give your bacteria what they want, they’ll let you have your cheat meal. But if you have a big meat meal with a lot of saturated fat and processed food, and you don't give them what they want, they will slow down digestion. You'll have gas. You'll have constipation. You'll have inflammation. But if you have a salad with your big steak, you have two sides, broccolini and asparagus or mushrooms, now you make your bacteria happy.” (11:20—12:00)
“Give your body a couple of fermented foods a day, and now you're giving them what they want. Now, they’ll let you digest that [not-as-healthy] food. They won't give you as much gas. They’ll douse the flames of inflammation around your joints. So, it’s like a tag team, back and forth”. (12:16—12:28)
“If you want to make your own pizza, you can have gluten-free bread. You can have whole grain bread. You can put real cheese on, feta cheese, goat cheese, instead of that spray-on orange cheese. You could put hormone-free meat. You can get free-range chicken. You can put broccoli on pizza, mushroom and broccoli on pizza, [if it isn’t] taboo for you. You can put peppers. You can put olives. You can make a pizza healthy. It’s not debauchery if you make your own.” (12:29—12:58)
“Only one out of 100 people are celiac. There are some people who are gluten-intolerant, but they're not gluten-allergic. Celiacs are definitely allergic to gluten. A lot of people eat poor-quality bread. Some people say, ‘Oh, I don't do gluten.’ Eat better quality bread, whole grain, sprouted bread. Sourdough bread is very much gut-friendly. Sourdough is a different kind of yeast. It’s a different way that bread is made. Sourdough is gut-friendly. Rye bread is gut-friendly. One-hundred percent whole grain bread is gut-friendly. White bread, the white bread that you can make into a snowball, not very gut-friendly. But for most Americans, guess what? That snowball, that white bread, is two to four grams a day for the average American. But again, very heavily processed.” (13:11—13:52)
“This is from Justin [Senebaugh]. Justin [Senebaugh] is a microbiologist out of California. Processed food is our downfall. The more processed food we eat, the more processed food the patient eats, the higher likelihood they're going to have an inflamed gut and chronic levels of inflammation, things that don't heal well. Peri-implantitis. We’re so good at putting out the fire and having good integration around the implant. But we don't talk to patients about — you do an implant on a shift worker, you do an implant on a sedentary person, you do an implant on a person who is depressed — one of the periodontists I heard lecture at the Dental Economics Conference last year in Nashville with Dr. Pam, he was saying that he was surprised how people who take antidepressants have a six percent higher chance of not accepting that implant than a person who doesn't take antidepressants, just because depression is an inflammatory condition. They have higher levels of C-reactive protein. So, start looking at the bigger picture. Start thinking A and B and C. There's much more to the body than one plus two. There are many ways of looking at it. The body is always synergistic in how it responds to what we do.” (13:54—14:59)
“Ninety-eight percent of bacteria in us are good. There are bacteria, archaea, eukaryotes. Everyone knows about H. pylori. But not all the H. pylori are bad. There are about three different strains. Only one causes a problem. The other two don't always cause a problem. E. coli, there are about 20 or more different strains of E. coli. They all live inside us. C. difficile is always hanging out. It’s like the Hell’s Angels in the parking lot called our gut. But guess what? If you don't have a lot of good, beneficial flora, now they get more parking spots. As soon as C. difficile gets more parking spots, guess what? Now, you've got quite the party. So, what happens is you've got to really feed the good ones and starve the bad ones.” (15:09—15:48)
“There are 42 trillion single-celled organisms in us, the same amount of cells of human origin in the body. But 85% of our human cells don't have a nucleus, and they don't have bacteria. So, that's why the gut bacteria actually outnumber the human origin ten to one. But species wise is sheer dominance. So, we have 21,000 human coding genes. You and I are 21,000 genes. But the sheer collective genetic footprint of the 10,000 to 20,000 species inside you is up to 100 million genes. So, who runs the show?” (15:58—16:32)
“The earth is 4.6 billion years old. There was zero life for a billion years. About 3.5 billion years ago, bacteria formed. These same bacteria are living inside us. A lot of immunologists and microbiologists joke around, we could just be the walking vehicles of bacteria to survive. Because when you're living, they're your friends. But when you die, within three days, your body decomposes by the same bacteria that helps you live. So, when the body decomposes, that's your bacteria now chowing down on you. So, think about it. They're ruthless. Most of us treat our bacteria bad our whole lives, starving our bacteria, not getting good sleep, not being physically active, poorly managed stress. So, now, you die. Three days later, the decomposing started. And it’s the same bacteria that — people always think the bacteria comes from the flies. No, it comes from the bacteria inside us. They're our friend, but now they're your foe.” (16:44—17:36)
“We think of the GI tract as it starts here and ends at the butt. So, there's up to about 26, 28 feet of it. So, that makes sense. The gut flora starts here. There are about 700 species in the mouth. Again, most of them, beneficial. Most bacteria in the mouth are part of your friends. So many dentists, though, don't know what's going on inside. We kind of know the bacteria that often produces or ferments and breaks down sugar and causes decay. We know that. But the other bacteria, we haven't analyzed them yet. They're so amorphous it’s hard to fully understand. So, that's why when people get an imbalance, all of a sudden, you get Candida, or you get thrush. You get a white tongue. So, if I get someone coming in at 50, 55, 60 with oral thrush, I know that Candida albicans is overgrowing. But we have it in our mouths all the time. When your beneficial flora is high and there's good sleep and a good immune system, the body can keep Candida at bay. But when someone has gone through a recent bout of antibiotics, or multiple bouts of antibiotics, if someone has stress, or if someone has dry mouth, or someone doesn't sleep very well, now they have Candida. And it manifests as millions, if not trillions, of bacteria multiplying and you get this white coating, which is basically Candida setting up condos on your tongue. It means that that's the body out of balance, and dry mouth sets that up.” (17:50—19:08)
“Dry mouth sets up the mouth out of balance. If the mouth is dry, someone is not going to digest food as well. So, when you think about digestion, people always think it starts in the stomach. But if someone has a dry mouth — think about it. Two-thirds of all prescription and over-the-counter medication causes dry mouth — two-thirds. As we get older, 55, 60-plus, dry mouth. People who mouth breathe, dry mouth. People who are anxious — think of all this post-pandemic stress — dry mouth. So, if you're chewing food with a dry mouth because of stress, age, anxiety, and side effects of maybe three, four, or five medications, now, I'm not even going to start the breakdown process. Digestion starts in the mouth. Actually, I should really say it starts when you're thinking about the food. But if you have a dry mouth, you start swallowing that food without it being touched with all the saliva to bring it into a liquid form. You don't have all the enzymes. And now, the stomach has to work harder to digest the food and absorb it. (19:08—19:58)
“You can eat a great diet with dry mouth, and now you're going to have nutritional deficiencies. That's what a lot of doctors don't understand. ‘Hey, your diet looks good. I wonder why you're lacking B-12 or you're lacking this nutrient.’ Well, what happens is, you're chewing your food too fast in a dry mouth because you're anxious, and you're sleep deprived, or you're mouth-breathing. Now, you're sending down food only partially broken down. The body is a miracle, but it can't work magic. And now, you become nutritionally deficient, simply because of a dry mouth. And that's why when I see a patient with dry mouth, I call that the sign of accelerated aging. I want to get their attention. ‘Accelerated aging.’ ‘What can I do?’ ‘Well, we’ve got to start getting you nose-breathing. How are you sleeping?’ So, all these conversations start with the dentist and hygienist.” (19:58—20:38)
“You've got to start talking the talk of total-body health. And now, as a dentist, I can talk dry mouth, and digestion, and absorption, and slowing down the aging process. ‘Just by having a fully functioning, fully restored mouth, I can actually help slow down aging. You know why? Because when you have a fully restored mouth with good saliva and good TMJ, now you can break down food. And literally, you have healthier lungs, heart, liver, and brain.’ So, it starts with us. This is where dentists have to start taking ownership. We are oral physicians. We are physicians of the mouth. I don't just do veneers. I'm a physician of the mouth. I'm looking at the big picture. ‘Let's see your meds. Let's talk about shift work,’ that kind of thing.” (20:38—21:17)
“People think of burnout as stress, ‘I'm not managing stress well.’ People are taking antidepressants. However, when you think of the gut, think of the bacteria as your — they're traveling with us from birth to grave. They don't have a brain, but they have a consciousness. So, when someone is stressed, mouth-breathing, when someone is stressed, poor sleep, when someone is stressed, eating comfort foods, when someone is stressed, muscular tension, your bacteria, they don't have a brain, have a consciousness. They sense you not moving. They sense your dry mouth. They sense the lack of nitric oxide. They sense the lack of rest. So, what happens when your bacteria senses it? Digestion slows. Any time you're in fight-or-flight, or angry, or upset, or frustrated, or irritated looking at the news, the body puts all the energy into the present moment because there is no gradient to stress. It's all or nothing. So, when you're angry, looking back at the guy honking the horn, you're watching the news on CNN, looking at FOX and all this stuff, what happens is your body goes into high alert into the present moment. It puts digestion on hold, so digestion slows. Any time you're anxious, digestion slows down. The minute digestion slows down, your body can no longer repair, recover, and grow. That's why stress can literally make you shorter.” (21:49—23:05)
“They talk about there are three reasons why kids will often not be as tall as other kids. So, 80% is genetic, family. But three negative impacts on childhood health is stress, infection, and food quality. So, 20% of your kids’ height is the amount of stress they had in that childhood home, how much immune system challenges, how sick they were, and the quality of the food. Twenty percent is a big impact. It’s one or two inches. And again, it’s the bacteria. Bacteria have a part to play.” (23:05—23:37)
“Your bacteria, they don’t know light or dark. But they do know when you’re horizontal. And some bacteria are most awake when you're dreaming. Many bacteria are very awake when you're dreaming. And dreaming is what sleep scientists have said now is when your body processes emotion or processes memory. So, if people are stressed, they literally grab the emotional dirt from today and drag it into...
Preventing Embezzlement in Your Dental Practice: What Every Dentist Should Know
Episode #560 with Amber Weber-Gonzales
Almost half of all dentists will experience embezzlement in their careers. What's worse, it can happen more than once! You need safeguards in place, and Kirk Behrendt brings in Amber Weber-Gonzales, head of Prosperident’s Proactive Services Group, to share their best practices to help you protect your business. Your practice is like your patients’ oral health — be proactive and preventative to keep it healthy! To learn more about deterring embezzlement and catching it early, listen to Episode 560 of The Best Practices Show!
Episode Resources:
- Amber’s email: amber.weber@prosperident.com
- David Harris, CEO of Prosperident: (888) 398-2327
- Subscribe to the Best Practices Show Podcast
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club
- Join ACT’s Master Class
- See our Live Events Schedule here
- Get the Best Practices Magazine for Free!
- Write a Review on iTunes
Links Mentioned in This Episode:
Prosperident: https://www.prosperident.com
LastPass: https://www.lastpass.com
Main Takeaways:
Trust and verify.
Create a process of transparency.
Know which key reports to focus on.
Implement a solid end-of-day process.
Do your due diligence before hiring anyone.
Learn the common red flags of an embezzler.
Practice good habits with passwords and emails.
Quotes:
“Almost 50% of dentists, at least one time in their profession, their career, will have embezzlement occur. It’s a large number. And it doesn't usually occur just one time. In our experience at Prosperident, of those 50% that have embezzlement occur, 11% of dentists who had it occur, it happens twice. Four or more times, we see about 8% of repeat clients of the ones who've already had it occur. So, it’s not a one-and-done type scenario. It’s a recurring, revolving door, especially with the change in staff and things like that. So, there's a 50% chance it’s going to happen to you. We’re seeing those statistics come up from what they used to be, sometimes in the 60, 70 percentiles.” (4:16—5:07)
“The majority of cases where we find theft or embezzlement is from a long-term, trusted employee. And part of that is you build a relationship, the psychology behind it. It’s almost like your work-marriage type scenario. And so, yes, Sally’s been there for 25 years. You trust, but sometimes forget the verification part. That's one of the things that I oversee with Prosperident, is we really want to teach practice owners how to have transparency with their team members, whether they’ve been there for 20 years, or two years, or two months.” (6:06—6:44)
“Trust but verify. That's one of the biggest sayings that has been instilled in me. I think that comes from my ranching background in Wyoming. You're out there and you're like, ‘I think those are my animals over there.’ But you still have to verify because there are other people that are doing the same thing as you, livestock. I know that's an interesting analogy, but that's where that comes from. What you see sometimes is not always what you're going to get.” (7:28—7:53)
“In the dental world, we’re all about documentation and attention is in the details. When you go enter a clinical note, you make sure all the details are there, no different from the business aspect of your practice. So, where’s the verification for you to ask questions to have that transparency with your team? If you were to ask a question, can they easily and readily not just give you the answer but also show you how they have verified and have the documentation to stand behind what's happened with a patient’s account?” (8:11—8:41)
“One of the main things that I really want to focus on when I interact with clients is having really specific and clearly outlined methods and documentation on end-of-day closing. What that means is, at the end of the day, after seeing ten patients and done 22 hygiene exams or whatever, are you going to have the time to put on a different hat and say, ‘I'm going to print off all these reports 100% on my own through the software’? In a perfect world, you would say, ‘I'm going to go ahead and put on my business hat. I'm going to print off all my reports at the end of the day, and I'm going to make sure everything lines up.’ But sometimes, my saying to a lot of practice owners is you have to delegate to elevate.” (9:21—10:02)
“One of the most important things that I try to help doctors instill is a really good end-of-day process. Make sure there's true separation of responsibilities. You have an active team that is going to help you obtain daily reports of what occurred in your practice, and it’s not just one individual team member like Sally, the office manager. So, there's true separation of responsibilities, and there's that verification that everybody is participating. So, the verification and the trust process of how that is being completed is better, and that they also know that, ‘This doctor or the person that I'm working for or working with, they want to know what's happened. While they’ve been working on patients, they want to understand what's happened in the business. And at the end of the day, they want that documentation put together, and we have to provide that to them in a regular manner.’” (10:06—11:01)
“One of the main things we see with people who embezzle is they're very territorial. So, if their co-worker wants to take over helping them with part of their job, or, ‘Hey, I'm going to go ahead and run these reports for the day,’ they don't want anybody touching that. The same thing happens when a doctor starts to take over some of their territorial duties. ‘Hey, I want to go ahead and run that report today,’ or, ‘Hey, I want to look at that.’ That transparency starts to disappear because they don't want to be transparent. They don't want to give you the answers or be able to say, ‘Yeah, sure. Go ahead. Let me help you do that. Do you need help?’ And so, that's one of the reasons that we’re so about transparency. You should be able to ask a question at any moment, ask for a document at any moment, and there should be no hesitation.” (14:13—15:01)
“We’re all about protecting the financial integrity of your practice. So, for me, the main reports [to focus on] is, I want to see exactly the revenue details that occur so that you have something to reference to where your revenue actually goes, meaning your bank account. So, let's make sure what is recorded in the software is actually what has occurred financially for your business. That's one of the main key reports I always tell practices to focus on, is understanding the details of daily revenue so that you can track that on a monthly basis.” (15:13—15:45)
“You need to randomly check and make sure that the passwords and email that you have on file, for example, insurance, different things like that, truly work. And in my experience, what I've seen happen is Sally, that front desk manager — you have it in a spreadsheet. Let's say you don't use LastPass or those other programs that store that and help you make sure it’s safeguarded. I've seen this a lot where it’s spreadsheets or written in a notebook. When Sally leaves and you go to access things, what you have on your file, you can't access it. And we’ve experienced that so many times at Prosperident where even to complete employee payroll, you can't do that. Or you go to log in to order stuff off Amazon for the business, and it’s locked down because it was changed at some point, and you weren't aware of that.” (16:21—17:15)
“One of my top silly things right now [that dentists do] is Amazon, where we order everything for the practice through Amazon, but there's no true verification and everybody can get on Amazon and have a free-for-all. So, that's one of my things, is Amazon. I'm pretty big on that. Another thing is business credit cards where the business credit card is on file and used for a lot of stuff, and they keep a copy of it up at the front. And if they need to order lunch, or they need to do different stuff, everybody can have access to that.” (19:39—20:14)
“I recommend [having individual credit cards], especially if you're going to have an office manager or somebody that is your business team leader — obviously, she needs to be able to take care of business and the needs sometimes daily. I do recommend that that person have their own individual card. That allows accountability with that person too because they know it’s easier for him to look at everything that I am completing versus what the doctor is completing. So, it gives that separation of oversight. So, your own individual credit card for you, as a practice owner, and then the team would have their own different card with different numbers. It allows for oversight and accountability.” (20:50—21:30)
“Obviously, everything is in a digital world. So, your team will be responsible for deposits. But what I want to reiterate about that is it should not just be one individual person that's responsible for that. If you are physically taking deposits to the bank, at Prosperident, we've always recommended that the doctor be in charge of that so that there's a little bit more safeguarding in physical type payments such as cash, checks, things like that. So, making sure that no one individual person is in control of not just revenue received but how that revenue is being entered into your bank, making sure there's true separation and oversight.” (23:17—24:03)
“We’ve come across practices like that [that don't collect cash]. But I still think, sometimes, that's just not going to happen. I mean, depending on the practice. And that's where, as an owner, okay, you say that you're not collecting any cash; it’s zero. The oversight on that to see if you actually were would take a lot of understanding the software and details and where to double-check for that. So, that's something you'd want to contact us for so we could teach you how to make sure, if you say you're not collecting cash, that you aren't collecting cash and it’s being misappropriated somewhere.” (24:18—24:56)
“One of the main best practices, in my experience, we see a lot of change right now happening with staff members. So, I think really doing thorough checks on who you're hiring, and smart hiring, making sure you're doing reference calls and double-checking who’s walking through the door so that you're not bringing somebody in that maybe has a history of embezzlement, but they were able to hide it pretty easily. And I know that's difficult right now because everybody is struggling to find staff. But I think, for me, one of the most important things right now from a preventative aspect is really screening who you're hiring so you don't bring somebody in that maybe is not going to align with protecting that financial integrity of your practice.” (25:47—26:33)
“One of the main things I've seen lately is change of timeline. Meaning, somebody turned their resume in to you, they say they were the office manager, they oversaw accounts payable, managed all the insurance. I mean, they are super qualified. And they maybe stayed at a job, let's say, seven years. And when you get on your good friend Google, and you make sure that their reference numbers are true, and you contact these previous people, sometimes, what is on that resume, just like David [Harris] said, is not always true. They maybe didn't have that actual duty — maybe for the last three months of their job. Or they didn't work there the entire time. They changed the numbers a little bit to not show a small area of unemployment, or things like that.” (28:05—28:54)
“If somebody wants to embezzle, say you hire somebody new, and everything checks out perfect. If they truly want to embezzle, we’re not going to 100% stop them. But with a system of oversight, we’re going to deter it. And hopefully, if you're following protocol, you can catch it earlier rather than later.” (32:49—33:07)
“Part of the service that we offer, if a doctor chooses, is we will have interaction with some of your key team members to teach them and help them understand the system and help implement it. It’s not just about protecting the practice owner. As a former team member, it’s about protecting my safeguards too. I want to make sure everything is in place so that if somebody were embezzling that was a co-worker, number one, I'll catch it early. And number two, there are safeguards in place so that the software is set up or things are set up correctly to where I'm not taking the fall. Somebody is not coming to me and saying, ‘Amber, you were supposed to oversee all of the insurance. What happened? This is messed up,’ and I don't have a good system of transparency to provide. So, I tell team members this isn't just about protecting the owner of the practice. This is about protecting you, also, and your integrity and abilities in the practice.” (35:20—36:22)
“This really relates to what our purpose is in oral health. We want to be as preventative and keep things as healthy as possible. And so, I think at Prosperident we feel the same way. We want to help doctors keep things as healthy as possible. And while we’re always going to probably be doing investigations for some practices, if we can prevent a doctor from having a huge loss in the practice because we helped them have a great system of oversight and implementation, that's the reward in itself.” (36:43—37:14)
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
1:53 Amber’s background.
4:00 Why this is an important subject in dentistry.
5:10 Embezzlement is not clear-cut.
7:06 Trust and verify.
9:08 Have a good end-of-day process.
11:21 Three heads are better than two.
13:19 Create a process of transparency.
15:04 Key reports to focus on.
15:46 Best practices for passwords and emails.
17:15 Why you need to use LastPass.
19:07 Top things to not do.
20:22 Suggestions for credit cards.
23:12 Suggestions for deposits.
24:03 Are you truly not collecting cash?
24:57 Disable credit card sharing.
25:33 Do your homework before hiring.
26:34 Look for what you can't see on a resume.
28:55 Things to ask previous employers.
30:48 More about Prosperident and how they can help you.
36:23 Last thoughts.
37:20 How to get in touch with Amber or David Harris.
Amber Weber-Gonzales Bio:
Amber Weber-Gonzales began working in the dental field as a Registered Dental Hygienist in 2005. With a background in accounting and her interest in the business side of dentistry, she moved into office management roles and, ultimately, into dental consulting. Before joining the Prosperident team, Amber discovered embezzlement taking place in one of her client’s offices, bringing to light her aptitude for the kind of investigative and preventative work she now performs for our clients. Amber was recently the runner-up in the prestigious Spotlight on Speaking competition, featuring dentistry’s best-emerging speakers, and has been published in Dentistry Today magazine. In June 2022, Amber was appointed the head of Prosperident’s Proactive Services Group, which provides embezzlement prevention services to individual practices, groups, and DSOs.
7 Steps to Reduce Cancellations
Episode #559 with Robyn Theisen
One secret to a better practice is better scheduling. When you can reduce your cancellations, you will have better days, a happier team, and become more profitable. You can do exactly that with seven essential steps, and Kirk Behrendt brings back Robyn Theisen, an amazing ACT coach, to share how to incorporate them into your office. With a few changes to your verbal skills and mindset, you can start saving more appointments! To learn how, listen to Episode 559 of The Best Practices Show!
Episode Resources:
- Robyn’s email: robyn@actdental.com
- Robyn’s social media: @actdental
- Subscribe to the Best Practices Show Podcast
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club
- Join ACT’s Master Class
- See our Live Events Schedule here
- Get the Best Practices Magazine for Free!
- Write a Review on iTunes
Links Mentioned in This Episode:
Previous Best Practices episodes with Miranda Beeson: https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=act+dental+miranda+beeson
Dental Intel: https://www.dentalintel.com
ACT’s Capacity Tracker: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1MdN96fVhau8tcP10kW2_cU-Tv91K8r7l/view?_hsmi=241651107&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-98AjmJ7LkC2HvkK9uuY8l577tbOQ_8dHgEv1V_RVjByeE1xTLRFEYlHJVqxNmOsEBjwFPH-Cjr7iCbb4p-dJiLdKWb7A
Main Takeaways:
Remember that all of your cancellations start at the chair.
Value your dentistry and communicate that to patients.
Track your cancellation and no-show percentages.
Appointments are confirmed once they’re made.
Never tell your patients it’s okay to cancel.
Code and track your patients’ behavior.
Get rid of your cancellation fees.
Quotes:
“Cancellations become something that’s acceptable in the practice. And with practices today that are busy, hygiene is overflowing, they tend to become, as soon as someone has cancelled, it’s filled. So, they overlook the problem and how much time is spent on keeping the schedules full. If we could keep more patients in the schedule, there is more time for your business team and your whole team to be spending with patients and creating those relationships.” (2:04—2:33)
“We must value what we do and speak to patients in that way. Patients place as much importance on an appointment as we do. So, when we talk about, ‘It’s just a cleaning,’ or we brush over that appointment when we’re walking a patient out for PIT Stop, or we don't talk to them about how important those appointments are, creating urgency, any of those things, it devalues the appointment, and it becomes very routine to them, and it becomes no big deal.” (3:30—3:54)
“It starts with our belief system. And what you believe is leadership and how you talk about dentistry. So, the clinical team and the dentist himself or herself and how they talk about it, that's really important. It isn't “just” a cleaning. I like to tell people too, when [they] don't want to schedule ahead and they say, ‘I don't know what I'm doing six months from now,’ I'll say, ‘Well, great. Let's get this scheduled, and then you'll know so when something else comes up, you can tell them, I can't do that. I've got to be at my dentist at that time.’” (5:40—6:10)
“Seeing a hygienist twice a year, that’s sometimes the only doctor’s appointment that people have in a year. And the mouth is the gateway to so many things. It’s a really important appointment. It’s not “just” a cleaning.” (7:08—7:20)
“All cancellations start at the chair. I think the business team carries the weight of the cancellations and no-shows. And really, the clinical team has such an impact on this as well with the language and how many times they talk about the cleaning, how many times they talk about returning for the appointment, the urgency the doctor puts on the treatment that they're recommending. All of those things start at the chair.” (8:00—8:26)
“[We want] the patient to hear it over, and over, and over again with the PIT Stops and the handoffs. I know we tire of doing them in dentistry, and it’s really not about us. It’s about the patients, and they can't hear it enough.” (8:29—8:40)
“Know the cancellation and no-show percentages. You cannot impact what you don't know. And most often, I think people believe that their cancellation or no-shows are low, and it’s oftentimes higher than they believe that it is. So, knowing what it is — you can't impact it without knowing where you're starting from.” (9:55—10:13)
“We use, and many of our practices use, Dental Intel. That's a great source. Now, in Dental Intel, it has to be done correctly. For each software, there are nuances to how you break or cancel an appointment so that it falls into the right bucket with cancellations and no-shows. The other ways are capacity trackers. So, having each clinician keep track of how many hours they saw patients for that day, and how many hours they did actually see them. So, that's a manual way to do it as well.” (11:25—11:53)
“I would like for [cancellation and no-show percentages] to be under 10%, combined. I do believe that having some openings in your schedule is good because it allows for growth. It allows for new patients to come in. It allows for us to have scaling and root planing. We need to have some ability to have openings in the schedule — emergencies that call, some of those things. But I want them to be controlled, and I want to be able to refill them. So, having that under 10% is my goal.” (13:11—13:45)
“Consider your appointments confirmed when they are made and use language that supports that. So, telling your patients that you have the time “reserved” for them, ‘It’s on our calendar. Go ahead and put it on yours so that you also have reserved that time.’ Eliminate “confirm” and “remind”. If we continue to call and confirm appointments, it means it wasn't firm in the first place. When we've “reserved” time for them, that's the language that we want to use. And when you're calling those patients as a courtesy reminder between appointments, using it more as an assumptive close of, ‘We’ve got this time reserved. We’re all set to see you tomorrow, and we’re looking forward to it,’ rather than, ‘If you can't make it, call us,’ or giving patients a bunch of outs of ways to not come in, or it’s okay to cancel or no-show for the appointment.” (16:23—17:15)
“Having a 48-hour cancellation notice, you've just told patients when it’s okay to cancel with you. So, eliminate the 48-hour cancellation. The appointment is reserved. Let's go on the assumption that the patient is going to be there.” (18:44—18:57)
“[Instead of “cancellation”, say], ‘We’ve had a change in the schedule.’” (19:53—19:55)
“Start coding patients’ behavior. So, creating codes in your practice management software to track cancellations, changes in schedule, no-shows, and late arrivals so that we can track a patient’s behavior. Someone once told me, ‘When a patient shows you or a person shows you who they are, believe them.’ And so, if there is this trend in how they are treating you, it’s on us to respect our schedule and to train the patients how to respect it as well.” (20:26—20:56)
“I like to create my own [patient behavior] codes so that it’s a way for us to track it and it keeps it separate from any ADA code. It’s another code, and it’s unique to our practice. So, create a code that works for you.” (21:48—21:58)
“At two [cancellations], I'm going to have a conversation about it . . . You recommended having the conversation about putting them on a call list. I would add another option to that. I would allow them to be on a call list, or they could go ahead and prepay to reserve the time with us. So, ‘Either one of those will work. Which is going to be best for you?’” (23:19—23:48)
“I also say to patients, ‘Gosh, it looks like we’re having a hard time getting our schedules to line up. What recommendations do you have, or what suggestions do you have that could make it easy for this to work for the both of us?’ So, putting it back on the patient too, to understand from them like, ‘What can we do with this system that's going to work for you to be here when you need to be?’ So, it’s not just about me. It’s about them too.” (24:50—25:15)
“I hear from teams all the time that it’s customer service to allow patients to behave this way. I push back on that in that this is a relationship business. And in a relationship, there are two sides, and each person is responsible for their behavior. So, it’s having boundaries and teaching them to respect my time, and I will absolutely do the same for yours.” (25:58—26:17)
“I hear a lot of team members, and I used to do it myself too, when patients would call to say that they needed to cancel their appointment, I would tell them that, ‘Oh, that's okay.’ And really, it’s not okay. So, remove that piece of it. I believe when patients call in and they are, ‘I'm so sorry. I can't be there,’ they're expecting for us to make it very easy. They're expecting for us to say, ‘It’s okay. No problem. We’ll take care of it.’ And so, I like to tell them, ‘Let me put you on hold for one minute. Let me take a look at your account, and I'll be right back with you.’ And by putting them on hold, the pausing, collecting yourself — because I know that these can be hard conversations for team members to have. It’s a change for them. It’s different, and confrontation or having a tough conversation can be hard for them. So, putting them on hold, having the patients wait for a moment and collecting your thoughts, and really being able to understand how many times this patient has cancelled, or they have not shown up, or they have been late helps you to frame what you're going to say next.” (28:01—29:03)
“Many of our practices right now, hygiene is overflowing. They're not going to get in for six months. So, how about saying, ‘Gosh. I'm concerned because my next appointment that I have available is six months from now. That is a long time between your hygiene visits, and I'm concerned about your health. Is there any way that you can keep that appointment today?’ Or what are their health goals? Like, ‘I'm really concerned. I can't get you in to see the doctor for another month or so. I'm concerned about the crown that you were needing. Is there any way that you can keep that appointment?’ So, build value into it, and go back to what's important to them rather than scolding them. It’s really about, let's build value into this and see what they can do to make it.” (31:57—32:37)
“Get rid of your cancellation fees. I believe that verbal skills outweigh a cancellation fee, hands down. And cancellation fees are generally a threat. They don't really get used. When they do, they get reversed. And the fee that is charged is never enough to cover the appointment time. So, instead, use the other things we've talked about. Create a bulletproof no-show cancellation policy and get rid of the fee. Keep more patients in your schedule.” (33:22—33:59)
“As the business team, when you put these into place and you save appointments, celebrate it. Let your team know that you saved an appointment. It’s a big deal. So, when you actually put these things into place, celebrate the wins and celebrate the decrease in that no-show cancellation percentage.” (35:54—36:11)
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
1:49 Why cancellations are a problem in dental offices.
3:23 Step 1) Value what you do and communicate that to patients.
5:29 How to get the team to think better and create value.
7:57 Step 2) All cancellations start at the chair.
9:51 Step 3) Know your cancellation and no-show percentages.
10:13 Where to get the data for broken appointment percentages.
12:55 Good and bad cancellation and no-show numbers.
14:24 Breaking and dragging appointments.
15:11 The Capacity Tracker.
16:20 Step 4) Consider your appointments confirmed when they are made.
18:41 What to say instead of “cancellation”.
20:22 Step 5) Start coding patients’ behavior.
21:32 Should I use the ADA’s patient behavior codes or create unique codes?
22:25 How many strikes for cancellations?
23:50 Teach patients how to behave in your practice.
27:57 Step 6) Don't say, “That's okay.”
31:06 Advocate for your patients.
33:18 Step 7) Get rid of your cancellation fees.
35:46 Last thoughts on cancellations.
Robyn Theisen Bio:
Robyn Theisen brings an entire life and legacy of dental experience to the team and every team with which she works as the daughter and sister of dentists. With almost 20 years of experience in dentistry, her roles ranged from practice management to operations at Patterson Dental to coaching teams. Robyn’s passion is empowering teams to realize that they can dramatically impact the lives of the people they serve by implementing skills and systems to remove barriers to life-changing dental treatment. She has done it for decades and does it every day with dental teams.
Outside of coaching, she enjoys time with her husband, Rob, and two daughters, Emerson and Ruby. She loves traveling, music, fitness, and cheering on the Michigan State Spartans.
Difficulties in Digital Dentistry
Episode #558 with Dr. Marcos Vargas
If you're wondering when to jump into digital — now is the best time! It’s been proven to work, the technology keeps improving, and your labs are already using it. So, why are dentists still hesitant to change? To explain some of the hurdles in digital dentistry and ways to overcome them, Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. Marcos Vargas, Professor of Family Dentistry at the University of Iowa. Start using digital to improve your patients’ experience! To learn how to get started, and to sign up for his free webinar, listen to Episode 558 of The Best Practices Show!
Episode Resources:
- Dr. Vargas’s email: marcos-vargas@uiowa.edu
- Dr. Vargas’s Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/marcos.vargas.1963
- Dr. Vargas’s social media: @marcosvargas999
- Hands-OnLine: https://www.handsonlinelive.com
- Subscribe to the Best Practices Show Podcast
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club
- Join ACT’s Master Class
- See our Live Events Schedule here
- Get the Best Practices Magazine for Free!
- Write a Review on iTunes
Links Mentioned in This Episode:
Composite Mastery Webinar with Dr. Bob Margeas, Dr. Marcos Vargas, and Dr. Stephen Phelan: https://phelandentalseminars.com/cmo-webinar-wj
Main Takeaways:
Don't be afraid of change.
Now is the best time to jump into digital.
Your world will open up with digital dentistry.
Start slow, get your team’s buy-in, and practice often.
Keep an open mind and continue learning for the rest of your life.
Quotes:
“I think, more and more, dentistry is moving towards digital. I think there's more interest, not only from the younger generation, but the older generations are jumping in there too. This is a subject that moves so fast, and there are so many components. The implementation, when we’re thinking about why it is difficult and you think about economics, one of the difficulties is, where do you jump into it? It’s kind of like buying something new. When do I jump into it? Do I [get] the model of this car now? Do I wait a couple of years with more features? So, it’s a little difficult to know where to jump [in].” (4:12—5:01)
“There's no right or wrong when you jump. The sooner you jump, the sooner you are going to get into digital, obviously. I would say, looking at the market and looking at what I know [about] digital, I would jump right now. I think the technology has been proven. There is a lot of research behind the scanners we have right now, to the point that I will say, yes, you can jump right now and immediately get good results.” (6:05—6:34)
“Now, how do you jump into it, and what areas? Is it aligners? Restorative dentistry? I think, in general, most dentists will do restorative dentistry. So, jump into buying yourself an intraoral scanner. I will say that is the entry point. Buy yourself a digital scanner. With that, you are going to scan upper and lower arches, bites, crown preparations. Maybe start with a crown preparation that is supragingival, something relatively simple. And then, communicate with your lab that you are jumping in. And the labs, surprisingly — it’s not everyone, but the grand majority — they already are digital. So, dentists, we haven't jumped into digital when laboratories already are way far ahead than the dentists in digital technology.” (6:35—7:32)
“We still, in some cases, do analog impressions with impression material. The laboratory is going to scan those impressions and work everything digital. So, what I think is much easier, faster is if we scan and send that data to the laboratory. The communication is faster. You don't have to wait for the impression to get to the laboratory. It’s immediate. I send it now, and in two seconds they’ve already got it, so they can start your case.” (7:34—8:04)
“It’s a parallel. We’re teaching the principles of, let's say a crown preparation. And then, there is a [fork in the road], and we say, ‘Now, we have to take an impression. You can do it either way, digital or analog.’ And then, we start talking a little bit about the advantages and disadvantages of maybe one over the other. But also, we need to be conscious that some of those students are going to be practices where they don't have digital yet. So, we need to teach them both. I will say more and more people are jumping, but not everybody is digital. So, in academics, it’s a little difficult to make that complete change, or maybe what percentage says digital and what percentage says analog. So, that’s why we teach them both, parallel.” (8:35—9:29)
“We think about AI as something that can do everything. ‘Artificial intelligence, that's everything. I don't have to even touch it.’ But artificial intelligence has different degrees. We already have artificial intelligence in these machines. So, some of this equipment, you scan for a crown, you're telling it what crown you're looking at, and the AI in the machine immediately finds your margin. So, there's already something incorporated in these systems to help you design what you're doing. A lot of the digital process is driven by AI; we just don't realize it. A lot of things are already going into modern dentistry with AI.” (10:10—10:54)
“This is one of the difficulties when we talk about implementation, is that sometimes, as a dentist, you want to jump into something. You go to a meeting, and you go talk to a rep, or go to the exhibit floor, and you get excited about implementing something in your practice. You come back, and your staff is like, ‘Well, just settle down a little bit. We need to talk about it. We need to think about it.’ So, it’s important to have the people in your team buying into the concept of digital.” (11:38—12:06)
“In restorative, you're doing a crown. And when you do analog, you might not get a margin. What does it mean? You have to retake the impression. In digital, it means you delete that area you didn't get, do an [area of] isolation, rescan, and you get the margin. So, speed and comfort for the patients are things that when I talk to my team, I discuss it and say, ‘Think about the advantages. We don't have to have the material for five minutes in the mouth. The patient is going to be more comfortable because there is not that — they call it “goo”. ‘I hate that goo,’ people will say. And the first time you do digital with those, it’s like, ‘Oh my god. I love it, doc! I hate that goo. I feel like salivating, saliva all over.’ And they love it. So, again, bring the team in that way. I found out that is a very good way.” (12:23—13:15)
“The benefit [of digital for team members] is that there's less cleanup because you don't have all that impression material going around and you have to clean it. It’s faster. Patients like it. They're happier with your system, happier with the dentist. And some of the assistants get excited about this. So, they can scan. Instead of taking alginate models, you can take scans. And then, you can print them. That's probably the next step into digital, maybe getting a printer in your office. I think that's the second step, once you are comfortable with the scanning. So, I think the team realizes the advantages. And once you explain the advantages to your team, I think most teams are excited with the technology and improving patient service.” (13:17—14:06)
“We think, ‘I am happy with what I'm doing. Why change? Why modernize myself if I'm already happy with what I am [doing]?’ I wouldn't say that that's not right. But I think we produce fear in ourselves because we are afraid of change. Moving from analog to digital is change, by itself. So, people are like, ‘No, it’s working fine. Why do I have to change? And then, the expense.’ They make more excuses than there really are to not jump into digital.” (15:05—15:51)
“I don't believe that [digital decreases traditional skill and craftsmanship]. I really do not believe that. Because what do we know? We know that the better dentistry we do, the easier for technology to follow up on that. Like my margins. The better margins, the smoother margins I give to digital, the better the fit is going to be on my crown. So, the craftmanship, I see it’s still there. When we try to teach somebody digital, I tell them digital is just a different way to get an impression. Instead of analog, it’s digital. But the quality of the work should be good for both. It should be the highest quality you can put out there. So, I will never equate loss of quality, loss of craftsmanship, to digital. I will say that it should be maintained. We need to maintain that quality of dentistry.” (16:20—17:16)
“Once you [start doing digital dentistry], maybe start designing your cases [digitally]. Move a little further along to digital smile design or bridges. Scan your restorative and mix it with esthetic. Meaning, you can take photos of the face, the smile, at repose, and then get your scans, put them in the computer, and you can design. You can start showing the patient, ‘If you do veneers, you will close the diastema.’ So, all of a sudden, it becomes a diagnostic tool at the same time. Not only tools for the restorative dentist, but also for the diagnostic portion of the dentist. You can incorporate CBCTs in that. That's maybe another step, incorporating in their designs, CBCT. You can plan your implants.” (17:34—18:26)
“The world opens up after you go step by step. I think the first one is the scanner. The second one is the printer. And the third is design into the computer. Now, does every dentist want to get in there? Maybe not. Maybe some would like to get in there from a diagnostic point of view. Some of them like to go diagnosis plus treatment. You start combining things in the digital world, and that's very doable. Some people already do it that way. We try to teach it that way. At least from the esthetic point of view, the senior students will take photographs, scan CBCTs. And then sometimes, for an esthetic case, now with the CBCT, I know where the bone is. I know where the gingiva is, where the CEJ is. We can plan to the detail how the surgeon, the periodontist, is going to trim the tissue for me to have the ideal length of the crown. And then all that planning, maybe I have a missing tooth, I have an implant, how everything fits. So, digital also brings multidisciplinary dentistry together, I would say.” (18:28—19:32)
“Stage number one, getting the scanner and to start scanning, it should be maybe a week or a couple of weeks. Because again, if you're going to start scanning for models, things like that, you scan and send it to the lab. They print it, you get it back. Or for a crown, you send it, they send your crown back with a model and everything. So, that's one or two weeks, I think, there. My suggestion to everybody getting into scanners, don't start with five, six-unit bridge, or even a three-unit bridge. Start with a single crown because I think that's the easiest that you learn.” (19:54—20:35)
“Practice. The more you practice ahead of the patient, the better you're going to be at scanning. For a long time, once we started getting the scanners, like probably ten years ago, I would come in the morning and then fire up the scanner. We had the 3M scanner. I don't remember the name nowadays. But you had the powder and everything. So, I would go and practice on my model. Because your patient comes in, and every time, it becomes faster, and faster, and faster. So, practice. Don't think that, immediately, you're going to run with it. You need to start slow with easy dentistry. You don't want to start with very complicated dentistry. So, be patient. Be patient because, eventually, that piece of equipment will pay for itself.” (20:36—21:25)
“I don't have any doubt that a lot of the things that we’re doing is going to get even more mainstream, digital. I might even say, now, it seems like it’s mainstream. You go and talk to a group of people, and the idea of impressions is kind of foreign to some people. Some people have gone completely digital. So, whether it’s mainstream or not is kind of difficult. But every time I try to foresee the future, it’s like, oh my god. I think it’s bigger, bigger, and better. Faster scanners. Eventually, the scanners are going to become cheaper, scanners that can see through blood, through saliva. Wouldn't it be great that you prepare the tooth, and it’s bleeding because you nicked the gingiva, and all of a sudden, the scanner with doppler radar or whatever, they get you the margins, get you everything? And AI will give you warnings, ‘Oh, there is a rough margin here, a J margin.’ Things like that, I think, eventually, is going to happen. That is going to make the life of the dentist much easier. It just has to be.” (21:42—22:50)
“With the explosion of knowledge over the last 10, 20, 30 years, if I look back on myself, when I went to dental school 35, 40 years ago, the dentistry that I knew in that time is dentistry that I don't practice anymore. It’s completely changed over the years. That dentistry that I learned is not the dentistry that I practice now. So, to students, I will say dental school is boot camp, to give you the basics to go and pass the board and start practicing dentistry. But learning about dentistry doesn't stop that day. The next day, you need to keep learning, learning, learning, and learning. Because if you drop the ball in learning, you are going to fall behind your colleagues that are learning, learning, and learning.” (23:57—24:46)
“Keep learning throughout your life. Expect that everything is going to change that you learn. And with the explosion of knowledge, cramming basic information in four years is so difficult for us. And then pushing to do three years — I don't think three years is enough to get you the boot camp. Now, I call it boot camp because so much knowledge is out there. So, is it easy? No. I would never say that getting through dentistry is easy. But it’s exciting. It’s fun. It’s a very rewarding profession in a lot of aspects. So, go do dentistry.” (24:53—25:35)
“This is as good a time as any to jump into digital. Start slow. Involve your team. Reach out to educators or people that teach a little bit of the tips and tricks of digital dentistry. Keep an open mind. Be patient. Practice. Those are the things that I will say are the initial hurdles to go into digital dentistry. But I will say jump in now because it’s exciting. It’s going to get better and better.” (29:14—29:46)
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
1:44 Dr. Vargas’s background.
3:52 Where we are with digital dentistry.
5:34 When is the best time to jump into digital?
8:17 Are students today learning both analog and digital?
9:49 AI's role in digital dentistry.
11:19 How to get your team to buy in.
14:45 What dentists get wrong about digital.
16:03 Is digital linked to a lack of skill and craftsmanship?
17:17 Digital smile design.
19:34 Practice, practice, practice.
21:26 The future of digital dentistry.
22:52 What to expect in dental school.
26:18 More about Dr. Vargas and his future courses.
29:05 Last thoughts on digital dentistry.
Dr. Marcos Vargas Bio:
Dr. Marcos Vargas attended Cayetano Heredia University School of Dentistry in Lima, Peru, and graduated in 1985. He spent two years, 1990 to 1992, in the AEGD program at the Eastman Dental Center in Rochester, New York. He received his Certificate and Master’s Degree in Operative Dentistry in 1994 at the University of Iowa, where he is currently a Professor in the Department of Family Dentistry. His primary research interests are in the areas of dental materials, including glass ionomers, dentin bonding, composite resins, and esthetic dentistry.
Dr. Vargas is also recognized for his expertise of Direct Restorative Treatment Procedures and conducts numerous lectures and hands-on seminars in the U.S. and internationally. Dr. Vargas has published extensively in the areas of dental adhesion and resin composites for over 25 years. He maintains a private practice limited to operative dentistry with an emphasis on esthetic dentistry.
8 Advantages to Numbers
Episode #557 with Heather Crockett & Courtney Dalton
Numbers can be awkward and uncomfortable, but you need to talk about them with your team. There are many advantages to doing it, and Kirk Behrendt brings back two amazing ACT coaches, Heather Crockett and Courtney Dalton, to highlight eight of them that you need to know. If you want results, it starts with numbers! To learn the benefits of knowing, tracking, and reporting on your numbers, listen to Episode 557 of The Best Practices Show!
Episode Resources:
- Heather’s email: heather@actdental.com
- Heather’s Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/heather.r.crockett
- Heather’s social media: @actdental
- Courtney’s email: courtney@actdental.com
- Courtney’s Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/courtney.dalton.739
- Courtney’s social media: @courtney.hannig
- Subscribe to the Best Practices Show Podcast
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club
- Join ACT’s Master Class
- See our Live Events Schedule here
- Get the Best Practices Magazine for Free!
- Write a Review on iTunes
Links Mentioned in This Episode:
ACT’s Capacity Tracker: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1MdN96fVhau8tcP10kW2_cU-Tv91K8r7l/view?_hsmi=241651107&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-98AjmJ7LkC2HvkK9uuY8l577tbOQ_8dHgEv1V_RVjByeE1xTLRFEYlHJVqxNmOsEBjwFPH-Cjr7iCbb4p-dJiLdKWb7A
Traction by Gino Wickman: https://benbellabooks.com/shop/traction
Episode 552 of The Best Practices Show with Miranda Beeson: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oBHDC4fOXHc
Main Takeaways:
Numbers produce results.
Numbers create accountability.
Numbers help create teamwork.
Numbers eliminate the subjective.
Numbers quickly lead to solutions.
Numbers attract accountable people.
Numbers lead to healthy competition.
Numbers build clarity and commitment.
Quotes:
“It’s crazy important. Without numbers, we don't have any data. And without that data, we can't make any changes to what really matters to the practice and to our lives.” (2:42—2:51) -Heather
“[Talking about numbers] gets better over time, absolutely. But in the beginning, it can feel really icky and awkward. That's why I'm saying it kind of feels worse in the beginning, because it does feel weird. It feels sticky because we may not have much experience with it. So, it feels kind of wonky. Do things get better? Yes — as long as we are talking about the numbers and putting some countermeasures in place to continue making them better so that we reach our goals.” (3:11—3:35) -Heather
“To answer the question, why do we struggle with tracking, if a team has never been asked to do that and then they're asked, suddenly, they're aware of the disconnect between what they didn't know and what they now know. And usually, the first issue is, ‘Well, what do we do? What do we do, now that we know what we didn't know before?’ It feels overwhelming. And to echo Heather, it’s super sticky because it’s unknown territory. So, now, we’ve pointed out where the disconnect is. And now, the next question is, where do we go from here?” (3:40—4:08) -Courtney
“Numbers cut through murky, subjective communication between manager and direct reports. It’s data. It’s not emotional. It’s not anything except what it is. It’s a number. It tells us if we’re on track or off track. Are we moving this way, or are we moving that way? It’s not, ‘I think you're doing a bad job,’ it’s, ‘Well, this was the goal, and this is where we fell,’ whether it’s below or above. So, it’s not murky at all. It’s crystal clear.” (4:55—5:23) -Courtney
“There's that time and effort, ‘We’re busy, we’re busy, we’re busy.’ We feel like we’re doing all the things. Well, what do we have to show for our effort? And that is results. So, we can be busy, or we can be focused and actually get some things done. That speaks to advantage number one in a huge way.” (6:47—7:04) -Heather
“[Accountability] requires accounting. We’re going to make sure that we have set clear expectations and clear goals. And the numbers that are in there, that's what we’re using to keep track of that. And then, we can hold each other accountable to what we said we’re going to do.” (7:47—8:02) -Heather
“If you know what the goal is, and if you're someone who’s responsible for bringing a certain set of those data points with you to your weekly team meeting — which, if you're not having it, you should be — then you can't ask someone to do anything. You have to know what that data point is or what the goal is and be accountable to it, to reporting on it, to understanding what it really means and how it benefits the practice, overall.” (8:06—8:30) -Courtney
“[Accountable people appreciating numbers] means that they understand what that number means and what it reflects on. These are also the people who are objective. They're not subjective. They understand that the number is related to the process, and they appreciate what it means for the practice, overall. So, there are numbers people and there are non-numbers people. And that's okay. But essentially, you still have to dig through all of it to really understand where that number came from and what the point of it really is. What are we tracking? Why are we tracking it? And now that we know, what do we do with it?” (9:40—10:16) -Courtney
“[Numbers] also light a fire. When you have the right person and they own a number, they really want that number to be in the green. They want to reach their goal every week because you have the right person on the right number.” (10:29—10:42) -Heather
“As soon as you start asking them — again, you don't know what you don't know. Now, we know all this information and it’s going to make some people feel a little bit uncomfortable. But once you know, and you have an appreciation and an understanding, now we can go somewhere. Now, we can really be open and vulnerable, and have a great discussion about how to get from A to B together.” (11:22—11:44) -Courtney
“The clarity piece, we need to have a number. And every team member, they don't know what it is that we’re expecting of them. ‘You need to make sure that you have great capacity.’ Well, we need to have butts in the chair in order to produce what we need to produce. We’re a business. So, what does that look like? Back to what Courtney said, we need to understand why. If we understand why we’re tracking it and what the result is going to be when that number is in the green and we are hitting our goals, then we have that commitment and that layer of clarity because then I know, as a hygienist, why I'm tracking my capacity. And that piece alone helps me to take away some of that sticky awkwardness and uncomfortableness from it.” (11:57—12:44) -Heather
“It’s an E – R = C. If you're not setting up their lane, ‘This is what's expected of you. This is what I want you to know and to understand,’ if you don't do that, conflict. And that's where you're back to sticky. You're back to murky. You're back to bad feelings. And it’s data. It’s not bad. It just tells us where we are.” (12:48—13:09) -Courtney
“If you're the right person in the right seat, you're seeing that goal or that number, you’re thinking, ‘I'm going to do one better next week. I'm going to do five better.’ So, if I'm a hygienist, I'm thinking, ‘I want to identify some opportunities to help my patients.’ And inherently, that's going to increase my production per hour. And inherently, I've now crushed last week’s goal. So, for me, it goes back to right person, right seat. That person is going to adopt that number as their own, and see the value in it, and continue to be competitive — even with themselves — to get a better number, week after week.” (14:44—15:21) -Courtney
“If you have the right people, they're going to care enough about that number. They're going to get competitive. And like Courtney said, they're going to try to one-up themselves to produce a great number for the practice.” (16:08—16:19) -Heather
“What gets measured get improved. But what gets measured and reported on exponentially improves. And I'd one-up it to say what gets measured gets monitored. What gets monitored gets attention. What gets attention gets action. And what gets action gets results. There are a couple of different layers that go into that. So, you have to report on that. So, yes, they produce results because, again, reiterating what we've already said, as long as we’re reporting on it, you have the right person reporting on that number, they care, so they're competitive, and they're going to one-up themselves. Of course that number is going to get you the results that you want.” (18:33—19:08) -Heather
“There's a difference between just putting the number down and glossing over it, and recording your number and talking about it, truly reporting on it, measuring, understanding what you're measuring, and then taking action on it. So, yes, numbers do produce results. And I love how Heather said there are a few extra steps in between there that are so equally important.” (19:15—19:39) -Courtney
“When you're talking about these numbers, you're having that collective discussion around countermeasures. So, maybe we didn't hit the goal. What can we do? What are some ways that each of us can contribute towards next week towards greening the red? It’s not just a hygienist problem if they don't hit their goal. It’s also scheduling. It’s also the doctor talking about treatment. It’s also language skills. It’s so much everyone in the practice that every issue bears everyone talking about it. It has to come from the entire team because it’s their collective thoughts that get the wheels in motion towards the solution, and not just one person saying, ‘This is what we should do.’” (21:23—22:11) -Courtney
“Back to the word, accountable, we’re holding each other accountable to these numbers too. It allows for us to say, ‘What can I do to help you?’ when it’s somebody’s number. And we may be unsure of how to get that number where it needs to be. But the other individual team member does know. They just need help from the team. So, it gives the space for us to ask for help and to ask if somebody needs help with something as well. So, I do think that it fosters that teamwork aspect hugely.” (22:18—22:48) -Heather
“When you're in the red, your problem is right there. So, the “identify” is really easy. It makes it so much easier to talk about it when you know, ‘What is the problem?’ ‘Well, we’re not hitting this goal.’ Well, stop and, to Heather’s point, IDS (identify, discuss, solve) it. Let's talk about why. And again, get the collective effort of your team to pour in their thoughts and opinions and facts and come up with a solution. So, you're absolutely going to solve problems faster because the problems are right in front of you. If you're tracking them every week, you know what the goal is. You know what's above. You know what's below. If it’s below, let's talk about it. That’s the true problem that you want to attack that week. And with the attention of the team, you can do it really quickly. And if they're the right people, you're going to get there extra, extra speedy.” (25:48—26:43) -Courtney
“We need to start with the why. Why are we going to track numbers? If the team and the doctor understands and knows the why, then the how gets so much easier. And there won't be as many questions that come up with that. So, I would say understand the why in the beginning. Before you bring it to your team, you have to have a why statement prepared.” (27:32—27:57) -Heather
“The team will not care if they don't understand the why behind it. And if you give them a couple, at first — don't hit them with 87. Just give them a few. They know the why, but they have to believe in the why. And then, you can expand. And then, you can give a little bit more. And then, just like Heather said in the beginning, now, it’s really taken off. And now, we’re achieving our goals, and we’re setting new ones, and we’re achieving those too.” (28:02—28:32) -Courtney
“It’s okay to admit to your team, ‘This is new to me too. I've never done this before. It’s going to be hard. It’s time to get a little bit uncomfortable.’ And that's okay. It’s okay to say, as a leader, ‘I'm new to this too. Let's grow into this together.’” (29:49—30:03) -Heather
“Just do it. If you want to be in a better spot, whatever “better” looks like to you, you have to start somewhere. Just jump in. This can be a little intimidating, but it’s going to show you how to get to where you want to go. And you have to be ready to embrace it and be really excited when you finally have your team that's on board, tracking numbers, having conversations, and getting results. Just do it.” (30:08—30:38) -Courtney
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
1:36 Why dentists struggle with talking about numbers.
4:42 Advantage 1) Numbers eliminate the subjective.
7:37 Advantage 2) Numbers create accountability.
9:29 Advantage 3) Numbers attract accountable people.
11:45 Advantage 4) Numbers create clarity and commitment.
14:20 Advantage 5) Numbers create competition.
18:21 Advantage 6) Numbers produce results.
21:13 Advantage 7) Numbers create teamwork.
24:16 Advantage 8) Numbers help you solve problems faster.
26:56 Know your why and your core values.
29:36 Last thoughts on the advantages of numbers.
Heather Crockett Bio:
Heather Crockett is a Lead Practice Coach who finds joy in not only improving practices but improving the lives of those she coaches as well. With over 20 years of combined experience in assisting, office management, and clinical dental hygiene, her awareness supports many aspects of the practice setting.
Heather received her dental hygiene degree from the Utah College of Dental Hygiene in 2008. Networking in the dental community comes easy to her, and she loves to connect with like-minded colleagues on social media. Heather enjoys both attending and presenting continuing education to expand her knowledge and learn from her friends and colleagues. She enjoys hanging out with her husband, three sons, and their dog, Moki, scrolling through social media, watching football, and traveling.
Courtney Dalton, BS, RDH Bio:
Courtney Dalton is a Lead Practice Coach who focuses on establishing a solid foundation in order for a practice to thrive. With over 15 years of experience in the dental industry, she is as passionate about patient care as she is about those who are providing it.
Courtney has an A.S. in Dental Hygiene from Manor College and a B.S. in Exercise Physiology from West Virginia University. Outside of coaching, she enjoys teaching group exercise classes and spending time with her husband, Dan, and children, Lola and Levi.
Current Trends in PPOs You Need to Know
Episode #556 with Sandi Hudson
Insurance is all so confusing — and it’s not the dentist’s fault! To provide guidance and help you figure out the PPO landscape, Kirk Behrendt brings in Sandi Hudson, founder of Unlock the PPO, to demystify PPO trends and explain what you need to know about insurance participation. More practices than ever are dropping their plans. Maybe it’s time for you! To do it with the help of an expert, listen to Episode 556 of The Best Practices Show!
Episode Resources:
- Unlock the PPO:https://unlocktheppo.com
- Unlock the PPO Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/UnlockThePPO
- Unlock the PPO social media: @unlocktheppo
- Subscribe to theBest Practices Show Podcast
- Join ACT’sTo The Top Study Club
- Join ACT’sMaster Class
- See ourLive Events Schedule here
- Get theBest Practices Magazine for Free!
- Write aReview on iTunes
Main Takeaways:
Always do your homework. Don't start randomly dropping insurances.
Understand direct contract versus shared network agreements.
Know the difference between an opt-out and a termination.
Make a habit of auditing your EOBs regularly.
Don't try to figure this out on your own!
Quotes:
“Whatever you signed ten years ago is no longer what you're getting. It’s a completely different thing that you're getting with all of your participation than what you originally agreed to. So, you need to be the one to take control of that instead of letting the insurance companies make those decisions for you.” (5:00—5:19)
“Until recently, I'd say the last couple years, most offices complained about their PPO fees, but they didn't necessarily make drastic changes with them. Even if it was a crappy fee schedule, it seemed hard for them to completely let go of them, a lot of times. And now, I'm seeing far more offices dropping plans. My partner, Lisa, on the startup side, is seeing startups become a lot more selective about what they take to start with. So, it used to be that even if you didn't take very many PPOs, you always took Delta. That was kind of the given. Lots of her startups are not even taking Delta now to open a brand-new practice. So, we’re starting to see new practices be more selective.” (5:47—6:33)
“After COVID-19, we saw things start rebounding in terms of your patients coming back, offices getting busier. But now, all of a sudden, they're dealing with higher supplies. Everything has gone up in price. Even more so, the staffing issue right now is huge. If you can find staff at all, if you have good staff, you're having to pay more to keep them. If you're trying to find new staff, that's impossible in a lot of areas, particularly with hygienists. We had so many hygienists exit the industry with COVID-19 and choose not to come back at all. There's a real shortage, so it can be months, sometimes, to find a hygienist to work. So, you've got that whole side. Expenses are going up. And then, now, on the flip side, you've got PPO fees that are staying very stagnant. So, most of the doctors I talk with are really in a place where they're like, ‘Now is the time. If I'm going to be changing my insurance contracting, whether I like it or not, there's not a choice anymore. I'm not able to pay more to a hygienist than I'm getting from the insurance company for a prophy.” (6:44—7:56)
“A lot of dentists are telling me they're supplementing. They're lowering their income in order to offset higher staff expenses that they need to pay for just to keep things going. So, that's a tough deal. At some point, something’s got to give with that. And so, I'm seeing a lot more offices saying, at least these bottom ones, ‘We’ve got to start somewhere. Let's start looking at these bottom payers, and let's figure out how we can get a game plan and at least start chipping away little by little.’ If you're not going to do anything drastic, which is often not the best case, going from a heavy PPO practice to a fee-for-service practice overnight is not necessarily the recommended action for most offices. But how can we at least look to see what's working, what's not, and get some kind of game plan to get some action?” (7:57—8:48)
“The difference between a direct contract and a shared network agreement . . . a direct contract means you sign directly with the insurance company. So, if you sign directly with Aetna or MetLife or Guardian, or whoever it is, the upside to that is that it’s going to be an easier way to participate. You sign directly with the insurance company. You know what you're getting. It will put you in-network faster than if you go through a shared network agreement.” (14:07—14:35)
“There are some definite advantages to direct contracts. All things being equal, I prefer direct contracts. If we can get a good direct contract, that's always our goal. But where the big dilemma has come in is all of these insurance companies now have made multiple shared network agreements with other companies. So, really, Delta is the only one left that has no shared network agreements with anybody. If you want to be in-network with Delta, you've got one choice. You sign directly with Delta, or you stay out-of-network. There are no other avenues to participate with Delta. Pretty much everybody else has at least some of their networks that can come in through shared network agreements with other companies.” (14:36—15:18)
“A shared network agreement is essentially that you're in-network with that insurance company, but you're using somebody else’s fee schedule. So, as these insurance companies have continued to make more and more of these agreements — I mean, there are a lot of them now that could have eight or ten different shared network agreements. So, one thing you have to be really careful about is understanding, of your contracts, who has shared network agreements with who. Otherwise, here’s what happens. I talked to somebody this week who said, ‘Yup, I already bit the bullet. I already sent in my termination for company A.’ I said, ‘Well, that's great. But the problem is, as soon as you get out of that contract with company A, company A has seven other shared network agreements with companies that you're in-network with. So, as soon as you drop that, you're going to get picked back up again by somebody else. You're going to be back in-network, and you're going to get paid on somebody else’s fee schedule.’” (15:19—16:14)
“We can all guess how this works. If you drop a direct contract, because in most cases, not all, a direct contract is going to override everybody else. So, as long as you have that direct contract in place, they take priority. But as soon as you get out of that direct contract, that's when the insurance company can attach to any other shared network agreement that you have in place. Now, the way this should've worked is it should've all been set up so that if there's a shared network agreement, they have to ask your permission to be added. Well, we can all laugh about that now because we know that's not the way it works. You can opt out of most of those agreements, but the burden is on you to opt out. You automatically get opted in, and you have to be the one to figure out how to opt out of those agreements.” (16:20—17:08)
“If you have a direct contract and you terminate it, you want that company to be picked back up again by the highest paying option. Or maybe you want to stay completely out-of-network. Well, the insurance company has no interest at all in paying you the highest option. If there are five contract options that they have to choose from, why do they want to attach to the highest option? They're going to want to attach to the lowest option.” (17:11—17:35)
“If you start randomly dropping things thinking, ‘It’s finally time to get out of some of these bottom ones,’ where you can have a really unpleasant surprise is, all of a sudden, you're back in-network, and now you're getting paid worse than you were originally because there's a lower paying shared network agreement that attached back on for you. So, if you're not careful, you can actually go the wrong direction with some of this. That's why, before you actually make any changes, you want to go, ‘If I get out of this, what, of my other contracts, could pick that company back up again? And do I want them to pick up, or not?’ And if not, then opt out of those agreements. Most of them, you can.” (17:36—18:17)
“When we say opt out, just to clarify, an opt-out is different than a termination. A termination means you're terminating the whole contract. An opt-out means you're keeping that contract in place, but you're saying, like if you opt out of Aetna’s agreement with Ameritas, what you're saying is, ‘Hey, Aetna. I want to keep my contract in place with you. I still want to be a contracted provider with Aetna, but I don't want you to allow Ameritas to attach to your fees.’ So, those are two different pieces of this whole puzzle.” (18:18—18:50)
“You want to step back, map out everything ahead of time, and decide where you want to move things. Get all that paperwork in place proactively before you start randomly dropping things. Otherwise, it’s six months down the road, and you're like, ‘I dropped all this stuff and I'm not making any more money. What happened?’ We don't want that happening either.” (18:51—19:12)
“Every six months or so, pull a handful of EOBs and look to see, ‘Am I getting paid the way I'm supposed to be getting paid?’ Because what will happen is, a lot of times when these shared agreements are created, either you don't get a notice, or you got a notice, but nobody caught it. Nobody realizes, ‘Does it mean anything to us?’ And so, pretty soon, they start automatically downgrading, and you don't even know that it’s happening. So, you definitely want to be spot-checking EOBs on occasion and going, ‘Is this actually paying me the way I thought I was supposed to be paid, or has something happened here that we weren't aware of? How do we jump in and rectify that?’” (19:52—20:35)
“In the market right now, if an insurance company negotiates, you're probably looking at 3% to 5%. This is not going to be something that overwhelms you with crazy high increases. There are a couple of companies that have done pretty major decreases across the country in the past couple of years. So, keep an eye on that . . . You've really got to keep requesting every two or three years. They're not going to do a request or look at it more than once every two years, sometimes once every three years now. So, honestly, don't waste your time every year going back. But if it’s been two or three years, go back and ask. All they can say is no, so it’s certainly not going to hurt you to ask.” (21:48—22:41)
“We used to work with some amazing reps with the insurance companies. And we still do work with some amazing reps. But their ability to have the same kind of discretion to make big increases is not as much there as it used to be. This is kind of a different game now. It used to be if you had a really low fee schedule for your area, then the insurance company reps would go, ‘Yeah, this is pretty low. Let's get you up into a more reasonable range.’ And we would see some that would be bigger increases. There's not as much of that now. So, if they do anything, you're going to see a little bit more of almost a cost-of-living kind of range. You're not going to be looking at huge increases in a lot of areas.” (22:47—23:32)
“There's always a case to be made, if you are in an underserved area where they need providers — a lot of this is timing. Sometimes, an insurance company last year did not negotiate. This year, they are. So, it’s still good to continue to keep that in a rotation with your practice where every couple years you're checking back, because you just don't know. In your area, things can change. There's not necessarily a lot that you're going to be able to do to make that increase bigger outside of, how badly do they need you? That's the big thing.” (23:34—24:09)
“I remember having three little kids and being a couple years into a new practice. I remember a lot of sleepless nights, laying there, thinking, ‘Okay. We’ve got the supply bill due in three days. We’ve got payroll in five days.’ That's a real thing. With the cost of dental school now compared to where it used to be, dental practice owners have to be more business-oriented than they did 20 or 30 years ago. There's a lot more at play here. So, then you get that end trend where you go, ‘I don't have to worry about that as much, and I have the ability to get out of some things that maybe I wouldn't have done five years ago.’ So, the trends I see tend to be more geared toward where that dentist is at in their life as opposed to their practice.” (26:05—26:59)
“I do think COVID-19 was a gamechanger for dentists in some other ways where — I mean, nobody liked the whole, let's be forced to shut down our offices outside of our control. Nobody likes feeling out of control. But there are a lot of dentists who came out of that and said, ‘I was able to reprioritize a few things in my personal life — by force, maybe, but I still did it. And now, I want my practice to look a little bit different.’ And so, I'm definitely seeing more dentists say, ‘My end plan that I thought was going to happen when I was 55, now I'm 48, and I'm doing it now instead.’” (27:03—27:43)
“If you've got a new patient calling and you can't get them in, then that's a problem. And if you're saying, ‘Well, we can get you in, but my next opening is July 17th,’ well, that doesn't do you any good. Because when you think about it, you've only got eight hours a day, or however many hours a day you see patients, to see patients. If you're booking out six months instead of two weeks, what is that gaining you? You can only see one patient at a time. So, continuing to book farther and farther and farther out, that doesn't get you anything other than
Surgically Facilitated Orthodontic Therapy (SFOT)
Episode #555 with Dr. Drew McDonald
With new technology and advanced procedures, you can give patients better results faster than ever. Dentistry is evolving, and to highlight the importance of 3D imaging and surgically facilitated orthodontic therapy, Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. Drew McDonald with his best practices for maximizing case outcomes and preventing the results that you and your patients don't want to see. Stop hiding in the past with 2D! To learn how 3D and SFOT will increase your patients’ quality of life, listen to Episode 555 of The Best Practices Show!
Episode Resources:
- Dr. McDonald’s website:https://www.mcdonaldortho.com
- Dr. McDonald’s Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/drew.mcdonald.984
- Dr. McDonald’s social media: @drdrewmcdonald
- Email Kirk for Dr. McDonald’s Master Classes: kirk@actdental.com
- Subscribe to theBest Practices Show Podcast
- Join ACT’sTo The Top Study Club
- Join ACT’sMaster Class
- See ourLive Events Schedule here
- Get theBest Practices Magazine for Free!
- Write aReview on iTunes
Links Mentioned in This Episode:
CBS News story about AGGA:https://www.cbsnews.com/news/agga-dental-device-lawsuits-teeth-damage
Surgically Facilitated Orthodontic Therapy (available April 2023) by Dr. George Mandelaris and Dr. Brian S. Vence:https://link.springer.com/book/9783030900984
SureSmile:https://www.suresmile.com/en-us
Chicago Study Club:https://chicagostudyclub.com
Stay tuned for Dr. McDonald and Dr. Courtney Lavigne’s courses, fall of 2023!
Main Takeaways:
Learn from the mistakes of AGGA.
Embrace 3D. 2D imaging is no longer enough.
Never expand without proper teeth and bone assessments.
Slow down. You can't analyze everything in a limited amount of time.
Thoroughly understand what you're working with before starting treatment.
Quotes:
“There's a lot of controversy going on right now, especially because of the CBS News story that came out about the AGGA appliance, which is an Anterior Growth Guidance Appliance. It’s an orthodontic appliance that's trying to move teeth. But what was happening to these cases that are being shown on TV is that the patients’ bone levels, in terms of their alveolar bone, was very likely not assessed before that patient got into treatment. And so, what happens is, you can only move teeth so far because there's an envelope around bone, around the roots, that keeps the teeth stable. If you push those teeth beyond what the capacity of that bone has to handle that, then you can push teeth right out of bone. You can expose roots. You can cause teeth to die. You can cause severe recession. And I can't tell you how many times I see adult patients in my office that have been through some sort of orthodontic treatment in their life, and a lot of times, they have significant bone issues where you're trying to move teeth and that bone is thinner. And you're at a high risk getting into this orthodontic case if you try and move those teeth in that thinner bone.” (5:33—6:42)
“What surgically facilitated orthodontics is is that we can utilize our periodontist colleagues a lot in these situations. And if we’re able to diagnose that patient’s bone conditions — or their alveolar phenotype is the fancy word for that — before we start our orthodontic treatment, a lot of times, these patients, we can work together with our periodontists to do bone grafting or soft tissue grafting along with the orthodontic tooth movement. And what ends up happening is a much more stable result. We’re preventing things like recession from happening along the way.” (6:44—7:17)
“One of the other big benefits [of surgically facilitated orthodontics] is that teeth move about 50% of the pace faster than they would without utilizing the surgical techniques. And so, a lot of times, patients, especially adult patients who really don't want to be in treatment very long, this becomes a bonus for them because they get in and out of treatment faster. And they're happy because they're not having unforeseen recession. They're not having trouble with their teeth. They’re not having loose teeth that are about to fall out at the end of treatment. But it really all comes back to, we need to be diagnosing at a higher level before we get into these orthodontic cases. And that involves, as a minimum standard of care in orthodontics, utilizing a CBCT. And that is 100% where the profession needs to go.” (7:18—8:07)
“Whenever you start diagnosing cases of ortho, there are really four regions that are very important that you need to look at, one of which is the upper anterior bone around the front teeth. Why would that be important? Well, if you're going to move those teeth and flare them, or retract them, or whatever tooth movement that you're going to do, it’s a good idea to know if there's adequate bone to handle that type of move. On the other side, in the lower anterior, that is the highest frequency area to have thin bone. And we know from certain types of growth patterns, especially people with jaw joint issues that have thinner bone in the lower anterior, a lot of times, or open bite cases. And so, if you're trying to correct that bite issue and we don't have great bone, we’re asking for trouble. And so, again, those are two of the most important areas.” (9:44—10:35)
“The other areas that are very important are in the back, our posterior teeth. Especially in today’s world where we’re doing a lot of expansion and trying to help expand the maxilla for breathing issues and all of that, if we’re doing an expander that bases off of the teeth and has the potential to tip those teeth or push those teeth out, then we need to know, does that bone in that area have enough thickness to handle that movement as well? And also, if we’re going to expand the maxilla, the mandible has to go with it, and we have to upright those lower teeth. If we don't have great bone around those lower back teeth to upright into, we’re going to see a ton of recession. And very likely, we’re going to see an unstable result.” (10:36—11:21)
“Traditionally, in ortho, we've thought of utilizing periodontists and all these surgically facilitated techniques as maybe a little bit of overkill because, ‘Oh my gosh. We’re asking a patient to go do this surgery along with orthodontics. And if all we were telling them was that it might speed up your treatment,’ which, we’ve known that for a long time. That's been since the ‘80s with the Wilcko brothers. Dr. Frost had also pioneered that. In general, that was our only excuse to get someone to go to a periodontist back in the day. And so, a lot of patients would go, ‘Eh, I don't really care that much about that.’ And what would end up happening is that we'd see recession when we thought we weren't going to. So, again, this is where the 3D world and CBCTs have changed how we execute plans, is it allows us to see the enemy before we get in on the treatment plan. If we see that bone has areas of concern, then we should get them to our periodontist before treatment so that they understand, ‘If I do this procedure, I'm going to have less likelihood of having recession and problems later.’ And so, that's really where the 3D world is changing the way that we interdisciplinarily work together, if that's a word. Essentially, it opens up our world.” (11:47—13:03)
“If our patients see they’ve got that thinner bone, a lot of times, they ask me, ‘Okay. What do I do? I don't want that recession. I don't want problems with my teeth. I can see how thin that bone is.’ And that's where, again, it opens up the conversation that you need more involved treatment. And patients say yes to that more involved treatment.” (13:04—13:21)
“A lot of the older — in any profession, not just ortho — they say, ‘Hey, we've always done it with this set of imaging. Why do we have to move into this?’ And oh, by the way, there's so much fear about a 3D image possibly adding more radiation to the patient . . . And they base a lot of decisions on old material. And what I mean by that is that today’s 3D X-ray machines, cone beam CTs, when we do a light scan on an orthodontic patient, we’re doing less radiation in one 3D image than we are from a panoramic X-ray and a ceph X-ray, which are two-dimensional images. And so, if you're going to sit there and say 3D is overkill because of radiation purposes, I think that that argument is by the wayside, at this point. Again, that's based off of old CT images, which are heavy radiation. Cone beam CT is much different. And so, we have to start changing that narrative that we’re over-irradiating our patients when we have these newer tools to be able to have a much better radiation level for them than what our old images used to provide.” (14:02—15:18)
“The way we’ve always done it needs change.” (15:36—15:38)
“You can't see joints or airway issues on patients without 3D, in a lot of these cases. And I should clarify that airway issues, especially pharyngeal airway issues, they're visualized. They're not diagnosed on an X-ray. The X-ray is a helpful tool. However, what orthodontics really needs to be is so much more than teeth. Because what puts a patient in our chair and creates malocclusions are airway issues, tongue issues, TMJ issues. And to execute how we correct those, we have to see all of these things. Otherwise, if we overlook them diagnostically, they're going to come back to haunt us. And what's dead will never die. We are going to be chasing and chasing a malocclusion because we didn't get to the root of the problem. We can only see that with imaging. And 2D imaging is not enough anymore.” (15:48—16:43)
“When we come out of ortho school, we know that there are certain things that we don't want to stress with tooth movement. One of those is if we have thin tissue. That was always the traditional thought is, ‘Oh, look at the gum tissue,’ because we could see it at the surface. It’s right there in front of us. And so, a lot of times, there are adult patients, and it’s been well-established that a patient needs to be periodontally stable before going into orthodontics. I don't know that everybody who starts orthodontic cases observes that, sometimes, because I've seen a lot of problems after ortho that come up.” (17:22—18:00)
“In general, I think every orthodontist and every periodontist out there understand, in common, that there's a risk for periodontal issues when you get into ortho. But we’ve always looked at it as, ‘Is there already recession, or is the gum tissue thin?’ What we need to wrap our heads around is, where is the bone? So, back to playing together, this is where the imaging facilitates conversation. Basically, in my world, we do our diagnostics with our CBCT, MRI, whatever else we do. But with that, I put together a whole presentation that shows those levels of bone to the patient. And then, with my referral to the periodontist, it has those same pictures of...
How to Make Airway Dentistry Profitable
Episode #554 with Dr. Tracey Nguyễn
Airway is profitable. So, why aren't more dentists adding it to their practice? To reveal the common reasons why dentists don't succeed and what you can do differently, Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. Tracey Nguyễn, co-founder of ASAP Pathway, with advice for overcoming the challenges in this space. Adding airway will help your practice grow — as long as you do it right! To learn how to make airway profitable in your dental practice, listen to Episode 554 of The Best Practices Show!
Episode Resources:
- Dr. Nguyễn’s Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/tracey.nguyen.9085
- Dr. Nguyễn’s social media: @drtraceynguyen
- ASAP Pathway:https://www.asappathway.com/pediatric-airway-training-events
- Subscribe to theBest Practices Show Podcast
- Join ACT’sTo The Top Study Club
- Join ACT’sMaster Class
- See ourLive Events Schedule here
- Get theBest Practices Magazine for Free!
- Write aReview on iTunes
Main Takeaways:
Don't overcomplicate airway dentistry.
You need your team’s support to do airway.
If you can't find your dream team, create it yourself.
Giving patients “homework” will undermine your expertise.
Expect the worst but know that things will eventually work out.
Quotes:
“I think the big thing that people don't get is that airway dentistry is not — you don't take a course, and you're going to come out making a lot of money from that one course. It’s not like implant dentistry or a composite course where you're learning an actual skill, and then you're going to practice it Monday morning. Airway dentistry is more of, think about it like an occlusion course, or more of like a philosophy course. And just like occlusion, there are several different camps. You have to decide what you jive with more, what fits your philosophy. So, I always tell people that comprehensive dentistry is airway dentistry. It’s not different.” (5:10—5:52)
“People try to overcomplicate airway dentistry. You're still doing dentistry. If someone has an airway problem, and they don't believe you, and there's all this dentistry to be done, don't spend two hours convincing them they have an airway problem. Just do the dentistry. I think that's the big thing that a lot of dentists forget. We forget to be dentists first. The whole thing with airway dentistry is, understand that there's an airway component, and understand that your dentistry could potentially make it worse. So, don't make it worse. It seems so simple. We definitely overcomplicate what airway dentistry is.” (5:54—6:37)
“One of the things I mentioned in my How to Make Airway Profitable is you're not going to do it without your team’s blessing. We all know this. We go to a course, we come back, and they think that, ‘Okay, they took a weekend course. My dentist is going to be gung-ho for two weeks, and then it’s going to trickle away.’ The thing with airway dentistry, it’s such an emotional impact for you, your significant other, your children, that your team needs to see that. And most likely, someone in your team is suffering from it, or someone in your team knows someone that's suffering from it. So, once the team has a “why” for themselves, then they can support your why.” (6:49—7:30)
“I remember being with Rick Roblee at a meeting, and he said, ‘If you can't find your team, make it yourself. If you can't find these people, then you develop your team.’ So, basically, as a restorative doctor, I'm one of those doctors that I don't spread the wealth. I have a very strong referral network. That specialist basically gets all of my patients. I have two periodontists and two oral surgeons. And those people, we have a really great connection with. So, my referrals, common sense, you don't bite off the hand that feeds you. Right? And so, those are the ones that are going to listen to you more and respect you a little bit more. The ones that aren't buying in, don't waste your time. They’ll come when they're ready. I think that's the thing that we struggle with. Like, we want certain people on our team. But if they're not ready, they're not ready. So, then you find someone else that's willing to listen, and then you grow them. You grow together as a team. That's how I pretty much developed my network.” (7:52—9:01)
“I have a love-hate with social media. But social media has pretty much built my entire platform. When I think about when I was discovering myself and discovering my why, I was like, ‘Wow, there's not that much information about this.’ And so, I decided to, ‘Well, I'm going to put it out there.’ I made all my social media pages public. I started blogging about literature reviews. I would basically post a literature blog, post a case blog on social media, and I started to get known. People were messaging me, ‘Hey, I just read this.’ And then, they started connecting with me as the airway specialist or airway dentist. And then, just being real on social media, most of my patients do find me from that. I get a lot of referrals, actually, from other dentists and other medical colleagues. I get referrals from other medical colleagues because I developed my own group, locally. And like I said, you grow it yourself.” (9:45—10:52)
“I'm still learning how to structure it. Because while I am a heavy restorative practice, the new patient worth for a restorative practice is, you get this patient as a new patient, and you get X amount every year. That's the cost of this new patient because you're going to see them every year. As a specialist, you’ve got one treatment, and then they go back. So, I'm still learning that. With my team, it’s like, ‘All right, guys. I need more new patients than a GP because I've got one shot with one treatment.’ It’s a learning curve. I'm learning things differently and how to communicate with patients.” (11:43—12:22)
“What I will tell anybody, if they're doing airway, is do not give your patients homework. This is what I did, and I realized, ‘Why am I doing that? I'm supposed to be the expert in this.’ So, do not have all these books in your waiting area and say, ‘You should read this book.’ Do not give your patients books. Do not give your patients things to read because you're supposed to be the expert. You look in their mouth. You're supposed to know what's going on, or suspect what's going on, and direct them to the right care.” (12:37—13:14)
“As a restorative doctor, we ultimately decide the restorative material we want to use. But we don't go, ‘I just came from an Ivoclar lecture, and I'm going to use this type of composite. I'm going to give you the MSDS on these three types of composites. Can you go home and research which one you want me to use Monday morning?’ It makes no sense. Right? But we do that with airway. We’re like, ‘You know what? We think you have a breathing problem. We think you have this. Here are some articles that you can read, and here are some literature reviews that you can read.’ No! Patients don't want that. And so, my number-one thing is, do not give the patient homework. You have to be very confident in what you are seeing and how you think that this patient should be treated.” (13:18—14:11)
“If you're going to make recommendations in treatment, know what you're recommending. If you are giving people homework, then you don't know what you're recommending. That makes you look like less of an authority, and there's going to be lack of confidence from a patient standpoint.” (15:35—15:53)
“I do like social media. I think that you have to decide who is going to do that social media for you. I definitely think that you want to be careful about oversharing. But I think that patients do look for social media for content. That's pretty much how I got started with it, finding me. They search for you based on that.” (16:05—16:32)
“I do [social media] myself, and it’s very exhausting. But I think when you do it yourself, it’s very real and it’s very organic, and patients connect with that. Patients know when it’s not you.” (16:44—16:57)
“I think social media can be good and bad. Bad, in the sense that it can really mess with your psyche with the whole likes, ‘Do they like me?’ The more popular you get, you're also going to get people that don't like you. Every once in a while, I'll come across a negative review or a negative post, and it hits you to the core. So, you have to remember that when you put yourself out there, you're going to take the good and the bad.” (17:34—18:07)
“I got accredited in 2015, and that was my first drop. It probably took me about two to three years to get back up again. So, I will say, with anyone that’s debating on dropping insurances, just expect the worst. But it’s going to be fine. Tough it out. Figure out your why and make sure the entire office understands your why, because that's going to keep you going.” (19:26—20:03)
“The office that I worked with when I came out [of school], what I loved about them is, there were three doctors in there, and one of them was a prosthodontist. So, while I was getting paid pennies, I learned a lot as a dentist. And I think that's very valuable, that growth and having that mentorship, someone teaching me a little bit about the business, and then discovering what kind of dentist you want to be. Because I don't think you really know until you start diving into it and you're like, ‘Okay, I don't know if I like this. I like this.’ And then, you figure it out.” (25:44—26:13)
“From an airway dentistry component, you're doing more dentistry. So, it’s not really an increase of fee, you're just doing more dentistry. You're looking at these arches. You're rounding out the arches. You're doing more bonding. You're doing comprehensive dentistry to try to not make the airway worse. So, that, as a whole, you're doing more dentistry.” (26:49—27:12)
“There are other procedures that you can add in your wheelhouse. One of the things is orthodontics, Invisalign. Most people are already doing Invisalign. Well, now, you're setting it up for restorative. Now, you're setting it up to make the airway better. You're increasing the oral volume space for the tongue. I'm doing Invisalign on younger kids, so we're catching them a lot younger. So, that's an extra tool that I'm doing. Laser therapy treatments. I was already doing lasers, crown lengthening in soft tissue, hard tissue. Now, I'm looking at frenectomies, tongue-ties. I'm looking at the soft palate like NightLase. So, there are definitely extra procedures that you can do that pertain to airway to add into your wheelhouse.” (27:14—28:03)
“You're going away from single-tooth dentistry and being overall comprehensive care. I think that's the goal with occlusion courses, and that's the goal with airway. It’s comprehensive care. Get away from single-tooth dentistry. Even get away from quadrant dentistry.” (28:46—29:01)
“When we take any of these large comprehensive classes at Kois or Spear, we’re trying to take a step back from single-tooth dentistry and then go into comprehensive care, because that's where the money is. It’s how much you treatment plan. And you're not doing it, obviously, for the money, but you're being more comprehensive in your care.” (29:26—29:46)
“Like any occlusion course, the profitability comes. It’s more about the dentistry that you start treatment planning. So, don't think of it as, ‘I just took an implant course. I'm going to place five implants.’ It’s not an immediate relief like that. It’s basically changing your mindset. Think of it as an occlusion course. As you start to see more of it, as you start treatment planning these cases, the profit comes. The key is knowing how to treatment plan these cases.” (32:20—32:54)
“We have to make dentistry practical because that's the only way we’re going to do it. We’re overcomplicating everything. Just make it practical and make it fun.” (34:25—34:37)
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
2:06 Dr. Nguyễn’s background.
4:39 Don't overcomplicate airway dentistry.
6:39 You can't do it without your team.
7:33 Build your core team and network.
9:17 Building your network with social media.
12:23 Don't give your patients homework.
15:56 Do your own social media and don't overshare.
19:09 How long will it take to start making a profit?
22:13 Dr. Nguyễn’s insurance journey.
25:13 Figure out who you are.
26:14 Airway means doing more dentistry.
28:04 Go back to the principles.
29:48 The future for Dr. Nguyễn.
32:06 Last thoughts on profitability in airway.
33:22 More about Dr. Nguyễn’s courses and how to get in touch.
Dr. Tracey Nguyễn, DDS, FAGD, AAACD Bio:
Dr. Tracey Nguyễn, a.k.a., “Dr. Tracey,” received her DDS, Magna Cum Laude at the Virginia Commonwealth University, Medical College of Virginia. She pledges to treat each patient with the highest standard of oral health care.
Dr. Nguyễn is very involved in the local, state, and regional organizations, i.e., Loudoun County Dental Study Group, Northern Virginia Dental Association, Virginia Dental Association, and the American Dental Association. She is a member of the American Academy of Laser Dentistry, the World Clinical Laser Institute, and the International Congress of Implantologists (ICOI). She understands the importance of lasers in dentistry and was one of the first doctors that introduced the hard tissue laser dentistry in Loudoun County. She is also a Fellow of the American Academy of General Dentistry. She thus understands that providing great smiles and excellent oral health are the result of going above and beyond basic requirements.
Dr. Nguyễn serves as an editor for the AGD peer-reviewed research manuscripts. She also has continued to advance her dental and clinical...
How to Motivate My Team to Use Technology
Episode #553 with Dr. Kelly Tanner
Your team is averse to technology. They're intimidated, overwhelmed, and not motivated to learn. But is that actually true? Technology might be what your practice needs, and today’s guest explains why. Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. Kelly Tanner from Next Level Dental Hygiene to reveal how your team may be craving new technology and how you can help them learn. For the naysayers in your practice, she also shares advice for encouraging and motivating them to learn. To hear more about technology and getting your team to use it, listen to Episode 553 of the Best Practices Show!
Episode Resources:
- Dr. Tanner’s website:https://drkellytanner.com
- Dr. Tanner’s Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/kelly.g.tanner
- Next Level Dental Hygiene:https://www.nextleveldentalhygiene.com
- Next Level Dental Hygiene Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/Nextleveldh
- Next Level Dental Hygiene social media: @nextleveldh
- Subscribe to theBest Practices Show Podcast
- Join ACT’sTo The Top Study Club
- Join ACT’sMaster Class
- See ourLive Events Schedule here
- Get theBest Practices Magazine for Free!
- Write aReview on iTunes
Links Mentioned in This Episode:
The Dental Handoff podcast on Spotify:https://open.spotify.com/show/3afYSFs5POJlcMmS0zsjh0
The Dental Handoff podcast on YouTube:https://www.youtube.com/@thedentalhandoff
Books by John Maxwell:https://store.maxwellleadership.com/All-Books_c_237.html
Books by Jim Collins:https://www.harpercollins.com/collections/books-by-jim-collins
Main Takeaways:
Your team might actually want to learn how to use new technology.
Help team members understand how technology will help patients.
Give team members reasonable expectations for learning.
Train your team and provide real-time feedback.
Technology can bring your team together.
Ask your team how you can help them.
Quotes:
“Technology is 3D scanning devices, it’s CBCT, it’s digital cameras, it’s lasers, it’s digital censors. It’s anything new. Sometimes, for some offices, it’s technology for AI. It’s reading the radiographs, sending them over the interwebs into the global outer space system where there's a space modulator . . . and sending it out somewhere to have it read, to have your team be supported by these technologies so they can best serve the patient. And so, that's what I mean by technology.” (4:32—5:15)
“You have to help that team member go back to their original answer about why they're there to begin with and why they're showing up every day. I would bet you, because most people answer yes to this, that it’s about serving people. So, can we, with this technology — with this procedure protocol, whatever, fill in the blanks, CBCT, 3D scanner — serve the patient at a different level to help them understand and to help them get the best health outcome from this? If you can relate that and translate that back to that dental professional, that dental team member, they're more likely to be able to figure out how to put it in their workflow.” (11:22—11:58)
“Docs will go out to a convention, and they come back with the shiny thing. They roll it back in, and it’s like, ‘Oh, this is the best thing that I've ever purchased! Okay, let's use it on Monday.’ Everybody is going, ‘What is this about? What do we even do with this?’ So, one, you've got to train your team. Some of the best companies I've worked for and worked with have the best trainers and support around that tech. And then, also, where do those procedure’s protocols fit in around that individual schedule? So, for instance, I love, love, love teaching offices about how to integrate 3D scanning in their hygiene operatory. So, agnostic to any type of scanner, just using it, putting it in play to educate. It is not about selling, because educating is serving. So, when you make time, one three-minute scan that you can do compresses that visit down. You gain back 10 minutes of time.” (12:26—13:25)
“A picture can be worth a thousand words. What is a scan, or an X-ray, or something else that you're showing them visually that is worth even more than a thousand words? Because it’s about a visual, an emotional experience for the patient. That's how we all make decisions. So, if we can integrate something, a CBCT scanner, a 3D scan, show them what it is, they can see what you see, they go, ‘Whoa. I didn't know that that was there. I now want to take action on that.’ Don't you think, dental professional, that saved you time? Because now, you don't have to try to explain it, from this very complex thing that they can now see for themselves.” (13:26—14:09)
“It’s practice, just like anything else. Holding a high speed, doing a certain procedure, it took you a little while to get there. We all have to remember that the first time that we held a mirror, it took a minute to not feel like we were going to drop it down someone’s throat. So, it’s going to take that muscle memory, that repetition, that repetitive nature of putting it into your workflow, having the doctor and team be also giving you some grace to do that. I'm not saying give you 10 extra minutes. That's not what I mean. But be intentional about practicing that. So, with the scan, scan yourself. Sit down with teammates. If you're waiting on a patient, or a patient cancels, or during lunch time, or whatever, sit someone down in the chair. Practice on them. Get better. Get that feedback from team members.” (15:00—15:48)
“I always start with, ‘How can I support you?’ The best words, ever. ‘How can I support you with this?’ Listen for more than five seconds, pause, and let them fill in the air space. Because they’ll tell you if you listen. And say, ‘How can I support you? Do you need more time?’ And don't give them the answer. ‘What are you having the most challenge with? What do you think would be most beneficial for you?’ And then, once they tell you if they need a little more time, or they need a little more coaching, bring that other trainer back in during a lunch-and-learn, whatever that looks like. Or people hire me to come in to consult and watch their workflow.” (17:51—18:33)
“My dentist has a new team. And the team member, this is her third scan for this intraoral scanning device. And so, I'm a trainer, just not paid by anyone. But because I'm a consultant, she’s like, ‘Okay. I know who you are, and I know you train. Give me any feedback.’ I'm like, ‘I want you to be confident. I want you to know that you have got this.’ She starts to do it, and she’s like, ‘Tell me if I can do anything.’ So, I reached up gently, and I held her arm, and I went, twist. She goes, ‘Oh.’ And I said, ‘Parallel.’ All it needs, sometimes, is one word for her to see that difference on the screen and how it’s turning up. And she goes, ‘Oh, I didn't know that!’ It just takes one flick of a wrist, and here it is. It’s filled in all the spots where it was missing before. I said, ‘You see, it’s like a camera. If you hold it too far away with this particular scanner, it’s trying to fill in the information from what it thinks it needs.’ And she’s like, ‘Oh. Just like a real camera.’ ‘Exactly. It’s going to be blurry, so it’s trying to make sense of it.’ ‘Oh.’ So, it’s that real-time feedback, just like coaching.” (18:49—19:54)
“[AI and radiographs are] so important because it’s the appointment where everyone is rushed, and the doctor is rushed. Sometimes, doctors and hygienists are rushed. We’re all thinking that we’re looking at the same X-ray. We’re looking for the same things, we think. But then, it’s just sitting there. This pathology is just sitting there because it’s not jumping off the screen at you. But then, these AI technologies are already prescreening this and somewhat giving you a second opinion — not taking you out of the equation but helping you. They're supporting you to say, ‘Hey, I'm over here. Look at this. Look at this,’ with a percentage of confidence that that may be what you're looking for or looking at. And then, you could say, ‘Nah, I don't agree with that,’ or, ‘Whoa, I almost missed that.’” (21:44—22:31)
“These AI systems, they're constantly taking in information, as we all know. The more information you feed it, the smarter it gets. And the more cases you put in, it’s going to give you more output based on different patients all over the world. And so, you're sitting there in the op, and all of a sudden, these boxes come up around the teeth or at the bone level saying, ‘Hey, there's bone loss here. There's loss of lamina dura. There's potential pathology here.’ And I'm going, ‘Whoa, I never would've otherwise seen that. I would've thought maybe it was something else.’ I think that it’s easy in any part of our lives, if we’re experiencing something, to try to explain it away of, ‘My stomach is upset. Oh, it’s probably that thing that I ate,’ or, ‘It’s probably this.’ ‘Well, how long has this been going on?’ ‘A week now.’ ‘No, it’s not that, then. It’s probably something else.’ But we can look at it and say, ‘No, that's probably just cervical burnout on the X-ray.’ ‘No, it’s caries because this also thinks that it’s caries. Should we look a little bit closer?’ It truly gives you that second opinion to be able to give you the best predictable outcome for that patient. And to catch things when they are small is always the goal, because dentistry only gets more expensive.” (22:32—23:47)
“Training by many companies and manufacturers, we need to take advantage of this. With doctors who have purchased technology, please take advantage of this training. It...
The 3 Reasons You Should Share Your Numbers With Your Team!
Episode #552 with Miranda Beeson
There is a cost to running a business, and your team should know those numbers. Once they understand it, they will become more committed, more accountable, and more trusting. To help you build that team, Kirk Behrendt brings back Miranda Beeson, one of ACT’s amazing coaches, to reveal the ten key numbers every dentist should be sharing. To learn how to create a smarter, healthier team for your practice, listen to Episode 552 of the Best Practices Show!
Episode Resources:
- Miranda’s email: mirandabeesonicc@gmail.com
- Miranda’s social media: @actdental
- Subscribe to the Best Practices Show Podcast
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club
- Join ACT’s Master Class
- See our Live Events Schedule here
- Get the Best Practices Magazine for Free!
- Write a Review on iTunes
Links Mentioned in This Episode:
ACT’s Capacity Tracker: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1MdN96fVhau8tcP10kW2_cU-Tv91K8r7l/view?_hsmi=241651107&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-98AjmJ7LkC2HvkK9uuY8l577tbOQ_8dHgEv1V_RVjByeE1xTLRFEYlHJVqxNmOsEBjwFPH-Cjr7iCbb4p-dJiLdKWb7A
Main Takeaways:
Numbers lead to accountability.
Sharing numbers will create more commitment.
If you are transparent with your numbers, you will create trust.
Know the top ten numbers you should be sharing with your team.
Determine whether you're sharing too much or not sharing enough.
Quotes:
“Most of the time, the question stems around either, ‘Have I shared too much?’ or, ‘Am I not sharing enough?’ And the why behind it is really simple. It’s really three things. You want to create accountability. The numbers and sharing the numbers helps with commitment with your team. It also helps to build trust, to help you guys move forward. So, it’s really accountability, commitment, and trust. There's a whole lot more, but it really sums it up into those three reasons why sharing the numbers can be helpful.” (2:53—3:24)
“Accountable people appreciate numbers. I've always been someone who’s a very accountable team member. Nothing brought me more joy than knowing, where did you need me to go? Where’s the goal? What's the target? How can I get there? It’s the people who want to be held accountable, who want to grow within your practice, they're all-in, they love having numbers to help drive them there. It also holds the team accountable to applying countermeasures when needed.” (4:27—4:51)
“[A countermeasure is], what is something we need to do — start, stop, or pause? What is something we’re doing well that we need to keep doing? What is something that is obviously not working that’s resulting in this data point or this number that we need to stop doing, and maybe we need to think about starting something different instead?” (5:30—5:48)
“If we’re committing, as healthcare providers, that we’re going to be giving the best level of care that we possibly can, providing the best options, treating their health optimally, treating their disease optimally, the numbers are going to help us to know, are we giving the best care we can give to our patients?” (12:38—12:54)
“When I was an early hygienist, I was top of my class. I did all the things right. I was that employee from day one that was all-in. But I didn't understand the numbers. I didn't understand tracking, KPIs, what they were, overhead — nothing. So, when I got a hole in my schedule, you best bet I was going to protect that hole. I wanted that cancellation to stay in there. I wanted it to be first thing in the morning, our last thing in the day, or maybe right after my lunch. And I was so excited because I got a break, for goodness sake. Once I learned what that meant to the practice, what that meant financially, overall, what it meant to my paycheck, in the end, and everybody else’s, I didn't want holes in the schedule anymore. I realized how impactful it was in a negative way, and I was so committed, I would go in the hygiene re-care room and call to try to fill that hole myself.” (15:01—15:54)
“Once your team knows the numbers, what they mean, and how they benefit the practice, as well as themselves, they're going to be more committed to maintaining a full schedule and keeping that capacity up where it needs to be.” (15:55—16:06)
“When practice owners are transparent around the numbers, team members don't have to guess. They don't have to guess about the security of the practice. We’ve heard about practices where, ‘I didn't make payroll this month.’ A team member doesn't ever want to have to experience something like that. So, when you're open and transparent around the numbers — now, I'm not saying tell them what's in your bank account, but enough to know that, ‘Our practice is healthy. We’re in the green quite often. When we’re in the red on these KPIs, we’re doing things to change it to get back on track.’ It helps the team to feel more confident and more secure. It limits the skepticism that might be created in their mind, the storytelling that comes up in their mind around the practice, when we’re open and honest. It builds trust between the team and leadership and the doctors.” (16:51—17:40)
“[Trust] goes both ways. As a team member, you can trust the doctor more. But the doctor can start to trust the team. When the team understands what's going on and they can work together to put those countermeasures in place, and you as the practice owner start seeing that happening without you having to — it’s kind of like with your kids. They're going to start cleaning their room without you begging them, and yelling at them, and asking them to clean their room. All of a sudden, I'm going to trust that they're going to clean their room. And so, you can start, as a practice owner, really trusting your team as well because it goes both ways.” (18:32—19:06)
“We talk all the time at ACT about E – R = C. So, expectations minus reality equal conflict. And we know that trust and conflict really are hand-in-hand. If we can create expectations around these numbers with our team and expectations around what we’re going to be doing to implement changes to those numbers over time, the reality can then match and reflect that and will limit the amount of conflict that we have between team members, between departments, between leadership and team members, sometimes even between leaders, when we have multiple leaders on a team. And so, that's going to lead to less conflict, and that's going to mean stronger trust, overall, within the team as a whole.” (19:32—20:14)
“I've worked with doctors where they're sitting in their office during the day, and they're like, ‘What does Jodi even do up there? Every time I walk up front, it doesn't seem like she’s doing anything.’ We talked about micromanaging for just a minute, but it really comes back to trust. If you can see that these are the key performance indicators, these are the numbers that Jodi is primarily responsible for, and they're killing it, Jodi is probably doing some pretty awesome things up there and we really don't need to sit in our office and stress and worry. We can trust that she’s on top of it because we can see it in the data. Now, if it’s the other way around, it might be worthy of a conversation. But it’s going to help you have that trust.” (21:16—21:59)
“Most team members don't even know that [gross production and net production] are two different numbers.” (24:13—24:18)
“If you are someone who is considering transitioning to more insurance-independence, the team understanding those numbers — again, we go back to trust. They will trust in the security because that can feel scary to a team member. Just like most doctors, most of us lean into insurance participation. You go on any other forum, we talk about this all the time, blogs and forums online, they're going to tell you, ‘Participate with every insurance because you'll get more patients. You'll get more patients.’ But what we know through our process is, that's not the way to become more profitable, really, and live a better life and have that better practice. So, we know that. We have to help our team members to understand that too. We’re seeing that from our bookkeeper on a monthly basis, those adjustments, and what we thought we made versus what's really going in the bank. We have to help our team members to understand that there's a shift, and there's a write-off, and there's that difference there between gross and net production.” (25:57—26:53)
“Collections is super important to know. Obviously, we need to know what we’re producing. But does that even matter if we’re not collecting the money around what we’re producing? And that really feeds right into our AR percentages and knowing where we stand on accounts receivable. It’s really important for your team, as a whole, to know, what's our collections percentage this month? Did we get 100% of what we produced, or did we get 75% of what we produced in the bank? That matters. And it falls right into accounts receivable. If we didn't get all of that money, it’s just money owed to us that's going to keep going on down the line. Old money, as they say. But it’s still technically money that we have to try to figure out how to get back in the bank.” (28:22—29:06)
“Our hygiene reappointment percentage [is another important number to share]. Of the number of hygiene patients that come through the practice, how many of them are we prescheduling and reappointing right then and there for their next visit? Because that's going to maintain our schedule, over time.” (30:06—30:19)
“[Your hygiene reappointment percentage should be] in the 90s. I say 92% would be a minimum. I shoot high. I have high expectations. I would like to see 94%, maybe, or more be reappointed. There are always going to be some patients who are moving, or they just cannot preschedule because they're around my neck of the woods, in the military, maybe. They might be deployed on their next visit. But certainly, in the high 90s. Otherwise, how much manpower and effort are we going to be spending four months from now, six months from now, trying to track that person down and getting them back into the schedule?” (30:38—31:12)
“A little healthy competition can go a long way. You could build bonus structures into this type of thing as well, if you really want to build competition when you're in a really healthy, financial place. Even just that, those numbers are hanging in the break room on your boards, month to month, and that one person consistently is in the red when everyone else is in the green, they're going to want to bring that number up. They don't want to be the odd man out. A little healthy competition goes a long way.” (32:27—32:54)
“I have worked within a couple of practices where we started around two percent, and they were able to build that periodontal percentage up into the 20s and 30s within a year to two years of time. So, what that is is, how many patients are coming through the hygiene room? If I'm a hygienist and I'm tracking this, how many patients did I see this month, in general? And of those patients, how many were periodontal codes? So, our full-mouth debridement code, our gingivitis therapy code, quadrants or localized periodontal therapy, and periodontal maintenance. Of the number of patients I saw, what percentage of them were periodontal patients? And really, a healthy number is going to be somewhere between probably 35% and 45%.” (33:08—33:52)
“I think fluoride is one of those things that — actually, I was working with a coaching team recently, and they switched from foam to varnish. And they had a predisposed notion that the patients were not going to like the varnish. Like, ‘They're used to this. They're not going to like that. It’s also a little bit more expensive.’ So, when we were chatting about it, they're like, ‘Well, we have noticed that the acceptance has gone down since we started with the varnish.’ And I said, ‘Tell me a little bit about how your hygiene team is bringing that up, chairside.’ And so, when she roleplayed that out to me, it was, ‘We wrap up with a patient, and we say, ‘Would you like to have your fluoride treatment today?’ And then, the patient says, ‘Well, I don't know. How much is it?’ And then, we’re telling them, and then they're like, ‘Oh, maybe not.’’ And so, it’s a little bit around, how do we use the verbal skills to build that value, ‘So that we can protect your root surfaces that are exposed from a higher risk of cavities and sensitivity, we’re going to apply a fluoride varnish for you today. How does that sound? Great.’ So, it’s all about how you're delivering the value behind that.” (35:41—36:53)
“[Capacity] is, how much open time do we have in our chair? How much availability do we have of our providers? And of that availability, how much of it is currently scheduled? So, we want to know, if I have eight hours a day as a hygienist, am I consistently having eight hours of that day filled with patients, or am I at five one day, and six the next, and seven the next? And we’re busy. We’re so busy, and we’re booked out until August, and we have nowhere to put patients. But consistently, when we’re tracking capacity, we’re seeing that there is space in the schedule. There are holes. And so, now, we know, if we’re booked out six months, that must be the last-minute cancellations. That’s short notice changes in the schedule. How can we do something different to try to combat that? So, that's what that number is able to tell us, is how successful are we being with keeping the schedule full.” (38:03—38:56)
“A lot of people start considering bringing on an associate. But we need to look at capacity, and is our schedule truly full, and can we really support someone else, or do we have some holes going on?” (40:00—40:10)
“Treatment acceptance can be measured in two different ways. We can measure, of the number of patients who were presented with a restorative or elective option today, what percentage of those patients accepted? So, if we presented to two people and one of them moved forward with something, we’re at 50%. The other way that can be measured is based on the dollar amount presented. So, we can look at, out of the dollar amounts of treatment presented today, what dollar amount percentage was accepted? You can track it either way, and it’s really important to know that the data is being entered in correctly to be able to track that information correctly on the back end. But both of those basically tell us, how much value are we building in what we’re recommending? Are our recommendations working? Is our communication working? What's happening up front when that treatment is being presented by our front office? Do we have the right financial policies in place to help our patients be able to afford the treatment? If we’re not doing well in treatment acceptance or patient acceptance and treatment, we have to look at each step in that treatment presentation process and see, where is the kink in the chain, and how can we create some countermeasures there?” (40:22—41:32)
“You might not even need to share the [overhead] percentage. It’s going to depend on the team, to a degree. But they need to know what overhead is. Here’s why. I worked on a lot of dental teams, and this is what I hear: ‘I can't believe the doctor is on another trip to Cancun on a private plane. And did you see that they had a $700 bottle of wine on the table? I can't even get new Cavitron tips.’ So, that's the imaging. That's our storytelling that our team members are often creating . . . But when team members understand what overhead is, they don't look at gross production at $500,000 last month and assume that the doctor is getting $500,000. They will understand that there's a cost of doing business. We have to keep the lights on. We have to have someone clean the office. We have to buy trash bags — down to the most minute detail that it takes to run a business.” (42:26—43:33)
“Dentists and leaders, they assume that people know [the cost of running a business]. I'm telling you — team members do not know that overhead is a thing, or what it is, or how it impacts the practice. So, even just the concept of overhead is important to share. And it’s really, in my opinion, dependent upon the culture and the health of your team if you're going to share the percentages or any numbers around that overhead.” (43:39—44:05)
“There are a couple of numbers within overhead that I think are important for the team, supply budget and laboratory, because those, the team can impact. When they're getting those lab invoices, they can have a system for double-checking charges and making sure that duplicate charges aren't on those invoices. And they can monitor for things around your lab overhead. Supply is huge. What we see a lot of times, coming into coaching, is we can reduce overhead percentage for doctors pretty quickly just by initially getting on top of managing supplies. So many teams don't track and budget for supplies. They order what they need when they need it. They don't look first to see if there's a hidden stockpile in an operatory that they forgot about. So, when we start bringing the team into overhead, those are two components that I feel the team can have some control over, if your team members are the ones responsible for ordering.” (47:16—48:18)
“If you want to build a smarter and healthier team, the numbers are a part of it.” (49:42—49:46)
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
2:01 Miranda’s background.
2:41 Why sharing numbers is important for your practice.
4:19 Numbers mean accountability.
10:43 Numbers mean commitment.
16:44 Transparency creates trust.
19:29 E – R = C.
23:25 Gross production and net production.
28:20 Collections.
30:01 Hygiene reappointment percentage.
32:56 Perio percentage.
35:38 Fluoride.
37:51 Capacity.
40:11 Treatment acceptance.
42:02 Overhead.
47:06 Two important overhead numbers: supply budget and laboratory.
49:24 Last thoughts on sharing numbers.
Miranda Beeson, MS, BSDH Bio:
Miranda Beeson, MS, BSDH, has over 25 years of clinical dental hygiene, front office, practice administration, and speaking experience. She is enthusiastic about communication and loves helping others find the power that words can bring to their patient interactions and practice dynamics. As a Lead Practice Coach, she is driven to create opportunities to find value in experiences and cultivate new approaches.
Miranda...
Video Confidence on Social Media
Episode #551 with Kirk Behrendt & Allison Lacoursiere
Your millennial audience is the largest consumer group. If you want to reach and connect with this generation, you need to be online! To help you build that familiarity and connection, Kirk Behrendt brings in Allison Lacoursiere, owner of Clear Coaching and Clearly IG, to explain video confidence on social media, why it’s critical for your practice, and how to do it. With a few simple systems and a lot of practice, you can be more confident in the online space. Start changing your digital reputation today! To learn how, and to hear more about Allison’s courses, listen to Episode 551 of The Best Practices Show!
Episode Resources:
Allison’s website: https://www.yourclearalignercoach.com
Allison’s email: allison@yourclearalignercoach.com
Allison’s social media: @yourclearalignercoach
Subscribe to the Best Practices Show Podcast
Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club
Join ACT’s Master Class
See our Live Events Schedule here
Get the Best Practices Magazine for Free!
Write a Review on iTunes
Links Mentioned in This Episode:
Instagram University: https://www.yourclearalignercoach.com/instagram-university
Main Takeaways:
Improve your digital reputation by using video.
Stay relevant by using video in your social media.
Be intentional about the videos you create for patients.
Video is the best way to connect with your millennial audience.
Using videos can increase your case acceptance and conversion rates.
Quotes:
“When we think about video content, it’s actually becoming the norm for how people are interpreting, understanding, and learning about anything on the internet. And so, for a dental practice who, we’re business owners, we want to make sure that we’re representing ourselves well, in an authentic way, and helping people capture their attention to understand who we are faster. If we’re not using video content, we’re becoming irrelevant.” (3:50—4:14)
“[Video] has an 80% higher conversion than anything else on the internet. And so, if we think about that, if we want the best website, if we want the best SEO, if we want the best of anything for our own business, we have to use video to be competitive.” (5:13—5:27)
“I know in dentistry we never like to say that we’re selling. We’re educators. We’re educating our patients. But the reality is, when we’re selling something, it really is just helping somebody make a decision to say yes. And so, really, it is still sales. As much as we don't like to admit it, we’re still selling in dentistry. And when we’re selling anything, there are about seven to eight touch points for somebody to say yes. One of those touch points can be even before the patient gets into the practice. And when you have a video of the doctor or of a team member of a trusted person explaining the consequences, the risk, why something is necessary, even just explaining orthodontic procedures, it helps the patients have that one touch point already to say yes. When they come into the practice, already, they know you. They like you, and they’ve started to trust you, which is one of the ways that patients will say yes to whatever you're telling them that they need for their overall health.” (5:49—6:48)
“Familiarity allows people to trust you more. So, even though, not consciously, they're like, ‘Oh, you're familiar to me,’ subconsciously, you're familiar to them [from watching your videos]. So, their anxiety decreases, and they feel more comfortable when they get into the practice.” (7:07—7:20)
“A lot of times, my docs are like, ‘I am too afraid,’ or, ‘This is so uncomfortable.’ It’s kind of like listening to your own voice on the phone. But as soon as you start doing it again and again, you become better at it. You become more confident. And that is 100% what I would suggest, is to be the best beginner there ever was. Be the best beginner at creating video, and you will become great.” (8:37—8:58)
“When we think about the millennial audience, that millennial cohort is the largest cohort of purchasers and decision-makers that are coming into our world. They are our consumers. And so, we have to talk to them in a language that they understand. And oftentimes, now, if we don't have video content, if we don't have a social media presence, if our millennials can't connect to us in the way that makes sense to them, then we feel or seem outdated to them.” (9:42—10:09)
“There’s a lot of misinformation on the internet about dentistry. There's a lot of bad information. There are a lot of people out there scamming our patients on the internet because they're putting things out there, they're making social media content, and they're creating videos. And so, my hope and wish is that great clinicians and providers will also create videos and will also educate their patients so that our millennial consumer can have that true and real information that combats the rest of the noise and the misinformation out there.” (10:17—10:46)
“Let's say somebody has recommended your dental practice to go to. The next thing a millennial audience is going to do is look you up online. And when they see you online, they're going to notice what your website looks like, if you have a YouTube channel, if you have an Instagram, a Facebook, what your photos look like. Your digital reputation is a way that you represent yourself on everything online. I know amazing clinicians who I would trust my mom to go to, who if I look them up online, I wouldn't know that about them. I wouldn't know that they're a great clinician. And so, it’s taking it from being unknown in your values, in your excellence, in your professionalism, internally to be externally known in your digital reputation. It’s more important than ever, and it’s not going away.” (12:06—12:53)
“Google yourself right now. Search everything that you can find about your practice, about you as a clinician, online. If there's anything that you'd want to change, then go ahead and change it because you have other people looking this up right now.” (12:56—13:07)
“If this is going to be the video that's going to be popping up immediately on your website, then it needs to be a bit more polished. You don't want it to be low quality. You want it to look really professional and nice. But if you're on social media or any of those platforms that is about authenticity, then show up as yourself. What I always say is, remind yourself that you know yourself. If you are a dentist and you are explaining a crown, or explaining your practice, or explaining why you love dentistry, this stuff is so known to you that you don't even have to think about it. So, I would say that's my first step for the confidence, is trust that you know what you're talking about — because you do. In fact, you probably talk about it a hundred times a day. So, trust that element. You know your stuff. You know what you're talking about. You do it all the time.” (13:37—14:24)
“I want to give you a hack or a tool. If you're just starting out, this is one of my favorite ways to do it because it helps you save time and you can repurpose your content across multiple different channels. The goal would be to take a higher quality video. You can use your MacBook camera, or you can use the camera on your computer, and film as much as you possibly can. And then, chop that up and put it wherever you have a presence. That's another conversation we can have about what presence should I have. But let's say you have a YouTube channel. Use that longer video on your YouTube channel, and then chop up the little pieces and use it for your Instagram. So, repurpose your video content as much as you can. And even in that, you can take quotes, you can take clips, you can take certain segments, and you can actually put that into a little writing and put that onto your social as a quote from you. So, repurpose your content as much as you can. As you are starting out, you want to make this time valuable.” (14:39—15:39)
“Get really intentional about it. As a coach, I love to talk about the values of an organization, the things that matter the most to you. When you can film videos intentionally, talking about these things that really, really matter to you, the more people will get to know you before they come into the practice, or before they even decide to book with you. So, what you really want is to decide, internally, who are we, what do we do, what makes us different, and film videos on those topics.” (16:14—16:44)
“Whenever I'm coaching a practice, we write out the values, and then we create video examples about each of those values. So, let's say a value was service. Amazing. What are some video examples that we could film around service? That might be capturing somebody walking an elderly patient out to the car. It might be a home visit that you're doing. It’s evidence that this is your value, and [you] live it. You can be intentional about that, and people get to know you even before they meet you.” (16:45—17:13)
“If you are starting video and you feel unconfident, that is okay. Most people start there. Just be the best beginner there ever was. The first thing you need to know is that no one is going to be as critical about you as yourself. And so, make a promise and a pact to yourself that you're not going to criticize your appearance. You're not going to notice that your left eye is a little bigger than the right, that maybe your right ear is a little bit lower than your left. No one will notice that. And the fact that you notice that — it’s okay. But no one is going to criticize these things about you. So, first and foremost, leave that aside. Don't become perfectionistic about your appearance.” (18:22—19:08)
“This is not about you. This is about the people that you're meant to serve. And so, as soon as you can switch the focus from me to all of the people that might need to hear my message, or might be helped by hearing my message, or might come to my dental practice because I'm a great dentist — it’s 100% about them. It’s not about you. And so, think about the one person. If [even] only one person watches this video and makes a decision to be healthier because of it, then your work here is done.” (19:28—20:02)
“If we’re in dentistry, we care about helping people. And so, ground yourself into that. Align yourself to that like, ‘I'm here to help more people.’ That really is what marketing is. How do we help more people? How do more people get to know about us? And when you can really sit into that intention before you film, that's when you're going to feel less self-conscious and uncomfortable.” (20:38—21:02)
“What gets scheduled gets done. If we can schedule this into our marketing strategy for the year, it will get done. And so, what I would say is be prepared for the videos that you're going to film ahead of time. Make sure that you wear the clothes that you want, your hair looks the way that you want it to look, and then film as many as you can. Don't try to get on camera every single day in a different way. Just get ready and film as many as you can. Repurpose them across multiple platforms and schedule it so it will get done.” (21:24—21:56)
“A lot of people are like, ‘Well, what videos do I create? What do I even talk about?’ Think about the questions that your patients are asking you on a day-to-day basis and answer those questions on video. Those are ways that you know you're connecting right to your audience. They're already asking these questions, so go ahead and answer them on video and put them online.” (22:54—23:13)
“[Social media and video is] something that's worth getting comfortable with. If the reason why you're not on video and social media is because you're not confident, then we can fix that.” (24:20—24:27)
“You're the only one, as a business owner, as a clinician, that knows what's in your head and your heart, why you're there, why you do what you do. No one else is going to really be able to say it as well as you're going to be able to say it for yourself. As much as marketers love to create messaging, the best one is going to come from your heart and your head and from your voice. And so, if you can do that, you're going to be able to connect with people in a different way, in a more powerful way, so that they're ready to start dentistry when they walk into your practice.” (24:35—25:04)
“Just try it. Start today. If you're listening to this podcast and you're like, ‘Wow, this is one of the reasons why I don't get on video. I don't feel confident,’ my suggestion is to go home and film a video. And then, film another one tomorrow. And another one tomorrow. Because it will help you be that beginner and to get confident with this skill and this tool. It’s not going away, and we need to connect with our patients where they are, which is on social media, online, and on video.” (25:20—25:47)
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
2:05 Allison’s background.
2:49 Why video confidence is important for your practice.
4:15 Use video to be competitive.
5:28 How video helps increase conversion and treatment acceptance.
7:35 Be the best beginner to become great.
9:24 Connect with your millennial audience.
11:43 Digital reputation, defined.
13:08 How authentic should you present yourself?
14:25 Repurpose your content as much as possible.
16:04 Have your reputation precede you.
18:03 How to gain more confidence.
20:03 Focus on how you can help others.
21:03 What gets scheduled gets done.
22:11 Is audio quality important when getting started?
22:42 What kind of videos should you create?
23:15 More about Clear Coaching and Clearly IG.
25:14 Last thoughts on social media confidence.
Allison Lacoursiere, RDA, OA, CPC, ELI-MP Bio:
Innovator Allison Lacoursiere, RDA, OA, CPC, ELI-MP, is the creator of the Clear Aligner Systemization methodology. Allison helps dentists and teams streamline efficiencies to increase both patient and practice satisfaction and health.
A native Canadian, Allison moved to Bermuda at the age of 19 to work as a dental assistant and to seek adventure and try something new. She incorporated a system in that practice which generated $80K a month in clear aligner production.
With over a decade of dental practice experience, Allison is a sought-after mentor and speaker. She helps dental teams improve culture, increase production, and grow into their full potential. She is certified through International Professional Excellence in Coaching and is a member of the International Coaches Federation. Allison is a member of Toastmasters International and has trained with Dale Carnegie Speaking Institution. She is a Certified Transformational Trainer through LionSpeak.
Allison is passionate about fitness and wellness. She is an active team member and competitor on the Bermuda National Beach Volleyball Team. Allison is also a certified personal trainer and yoga instructor. Her passion lies in empowering individuals to achieve their ultimate potential and life satisfaction.
Real Talk About the Dentist-Assistant Relationship
Episode #550 with Kevin Henry
If you’ve ever wondered what your dental assistant is thinking, don't miss this crossover episode! Kirk Behrendt brings back Kevin Henry, co-founder of IgniteDA and host of the Dental Assistant Nation podcast, to demystify and help improve dentist-assistant relationships. He highlights common roadblocks that each side faces, and solutions you can start applying today. Your dental assistants deserve more than they're getting! To hear what they're really thinking and to learn how to help them, listen to Episode 550 of The Best Practices Show!
Episode Resources:
- Kevin’s website:https://www.kevinspeaksdental.com
- Kevin’s social media: @kghenry23
- IgniteDA:https://ignitedds.com
- IgniteDA social media: @ignitedentalassistants
- Subscribe to theBest Practices Show Podcast
- Join ACT’sTo The Top Study Club
- Join ACT’sMaster Class
- See ourLive Events Schedule here
- Get theBest Practices Magazine for Free!
- Write aReview on iTunes
Links Mentioned in This Episode:
Dental Assistant Nation podcast:https://open.spotify.com/show/26p2Sp3hw53va0EkeKun33
Rocky Mountain Dental Convention:https://rmdconline.com
Traction by Gino Wickman:https://benbellabooks.com/shop/traction
Main Takeaways:
Learn how to communicate.
Stop playing the blame game.
Prevent favoritism and learn how to fix it.
Value and appreciate your assistants so they stay.
Help train your dental assistants so that they become great.
Money won't fix everything. If assistants are unhappy, they will leave.
Quotes:
“It’s absolutely true [that great dental assistants are hard to find]. And let's define what great is. Because I think a lot of times, we have assistants who are coming into this industry right now, some of them are actually coming from outside of dentistry, being taught from the ground level all the way up. So, I've heard the same thing from dentists. And assistants who are listening to this podcast, yeah, I have heard there aren't a lot of great ones out there. But I always say, ‘What's the definition of great? And how are you, as a dentist, actually helping to train them to become great? And how much leeway do you give in that time?’ But absolutely, there's a huge shortage out there of dental assistants.” (4:13—4:45) -Kevin
“We have to make sure that the assistants who are here feel valued, feel appreciated, and they stay.” (4:53—4:58) -Kevin
“I always tell my assistants, ‘You can't sit back and expect somebody to come to you and say, we need you to do this. You have to tell them, what are your passions, what do you look forward to doing this year, and then work on a plan with the dentist on how you become a better assistant and work together on that.’” (5:41—5:55) -Kevin
“Over communicate. There should be incredible clarity around job descriptions. And you should treat everybody with the same respect. When somebody excels, then that opens the door for them to be a leader. You can talk to them, and they could potentially be the lead. But I think you also have to be vulnerable with your team. If you're doing favoritism, you should give people license to call you out and go, ‘Listen, I need to talk to you about something. It’s what I'm experiencing. You have a favorite here.’” (8:01—8:32) -Kirk
“I was speaking to the assistant, and I said, ‘Whenever we know that somebody is a favorite and we’re not that person, sometimes, we pull back.’ Right? And so, I said, ‘Are you the one pulling back instead of pushing forward?’ And like you said, having that open conversation about, ‘This is how I feel,’ and really bringing it forward, or you’re just taking it home and grumbling. I think that we’ve got to get past the point where we’re talking to others about it instead of talking to the person that we have the issue with.” (8:44—9:12) -Kevin
“If you're truly going to create a team, you have to have high levels of trust where they can give you feedback. And you have to be emotionally intelligent as a leader and go, ‘This is going to hurt, but it’s the truth.’” (9:26—9:35) -Kirk
“The dentist has to be open to hearing [feedback], and the assistant has to have enough guts, shall we say, to actually have that conversation too.” (10:03—10:09) -Kevin
“Data removes all emotion. There's nothing that fixes [the doctor blaming the assistant] faster than a time study. Here’s what a time study is. It’s recorded time in and out on a patient when the patient arrives and the patient leaves for a procedure. So, if you're an assistant, pick the top ten procedures this is happening in. Create a time study sheet. Patient came in, patient left for this procedure. Doctors are going to hate it because “everything is an hour” — and it’s not true! They're going to look at it and go, ‘Wow . . .’ There are a couple things to this. It’s a time stamp. All it is is time in, time out. Doctors only notice when the patient is there. They don't know when the patient arrived. They don't know when the patient left. And so, now, the blame goes away. We’re just looking at data. If you and I don't have any data, we’re talking about how we feel. And that's going to be emotionally charged.” (10:35—11:30) -Kirk
“Remember, the doc was blaming the assistant because the room wasn't set up properly according to his standards. That's why I said, ‘Is there some truth in there?’ We don't often like to be told that we didn't do the right thing. So, I asked, ‘Was there some truth to it that the room maybe wasn't set up properly? Or is there a communication problem between expectations?’ And if that's the blame game that's going on there, then eliminate that part of it. Make sure that you understand exactly how it should be, and eliminate that part of the blame game, and then see how the timing does.” (12:32—13:06) -Kevin
“If you're saying that the assistant can't read your mind, don't you already know the problem here? Don't you already know that you're not communicating?” (16:49—16:55) -Kevin
“Dentists and assistants spend so much time together. You've got to ask, ‘How do I communicate with you? What do I need to know from you, even if it’s just short, sweet stuff?’ This dentist may not want to talk a bunch. Get in, get out. Fine. Just give me the little bit of information I need to know.” (17:13—17:29) -Kevin
“Communication is always the responsibility of one person: the sender of the information. It’s never the [receiver’s responsibility] to understand all the details.” (17:33—17:41) -Kirk
“Pay scales are going up and up and up for hygienists, for assistants, for front office because docs don't want to lose them. They're willing to pay over the top to keep them. And team members know that now. So, it’s a different game, I think, than it even was for COVID-19.” (18:42—18:56) -Kevin
“As a dentist, as an entrepreneur, you have to run a profitable business. When your pay compensation across the board is in its 33% range, I can already tell you a couple of things. I don't even need to know your name. You already have a people-dependent practice. Your practice is pretty chaotic. You throw person after person. Everybody is tired and everybody feels underpaid. And that is true. And it’s not because you overpay people. The truth is you don't have a business that collects enough money to support the payroll that you have. Because if you're really good at running a business, you should know where your pay compensation number should be. And when you keep them in the 20%, 25% range and you're collecting enough, now you can pay people top level. You should pay people top level. It’s on you as the business owner to make sure you've got great systems. If you don't have any systems in place, you're doomed. Now, it’s just a free-for-all, and you're probably giving what's called a hush raise.” (19:10—20:10) -Kirk
“You're not just running a practice. You're running a small business. Just like the local florist, the funeral home, the hamburger stand, whatever you want to pick in your hometown, it’s a business, just like yours should be. And every one of those employees are part of your business.” (21:19—21:32) -Kevin
“People often think that money will fix everything. And I will tell you, from the assistant side of things, it’s a very temporary Band-Aid. Because I guarantee you, if they're not happy, they’ll look for somewhere else. Even if it’s a dollar more an hour, they’ll take it.” (21:38—21:52) -Kevin
“People won't leave unless they're unhappy . . . The best [dental team members] never say, ‘Money is the reason I'm here.’ It’s on there — don't get me wrong. It’s two, three, or four, but it’s never number one.” (21:54—22:09) -Kirk
“[Dental team members] want to feel appreciated. They want to feel like they belong. They want the culture thing that people sometimes roll their eyes about. I guarantee you, it’s so important, and so often overlooked.” (22:10—22:19) -Kevin
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
1:42 Kevin’s background.
2:14 Roadblocks in the dentist-assistant relationship.
3:09 Why Kevin started Dental Assistant Nation.
4:01 The shortage of great dental assistants.
5:57 Roadblocks created by dentists to assistants: favoritism.
10:12 Roadblocks created by dentists to assistants: blaming assistants.
14:15 Roadblocks created by assistants to dentists: lack of communication.
18:12 Roadblocks created by dentists to assistants: expecting more work for no extra pay.
21:07 You're running a business, not just a practice.
22:20 Dentists and assistants need to collaborate.
24:11 More about Dental Assistant Nation, Ignite DA, and how to get in touch with Kevin.
Kevin Henry Bio:
With 16 years in the dental publishing industry, Kevin is the former group editorial director for UBM Medica’s dental division, consisting of: Dental Products Report, Modern Dental Assistant, Dental Practice Management, Digital Esthetics, Modern Hygienist, Modern Dental Business, and more. He was named as one of the top five influential voices in the industry on Twitter (@kgh23).
In Kevin’s former life, he was a public relations director for NAIA, a national small college sports organization. He is currently a beat writer for the Colorado Rockies and the Denver Nuggets. Living in Colorado, Kevin loves to be outdoors, whether it be hiking, skiing, or white-water rafting.
Why Investing in Your Team Is So Important
Episode #549 with Jenni Poulos
Your team is your most important asset. If you want a better practice, investing in your team members is one of the best things you can ever do. To share how you can commit to their growth, Kirk Behrendt brings back Jenni Poulos, one of ACT’s amazing lead coaches, with advice for training, educating, and growing the people around you. When you take care of your team, they will take care of you! To learn how to build a better team for a better practice and a better life, listen to Episode 549 of The Best Practices Show!
Episode Resources:
- Jenni’s email: jenni@actdental.com
- Jenni’s Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jenni.poulos
- Jenni’s social media: @actdental
- Subscribe to the Best Practices Show Podcast
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club
- Join ACT’s Master Class
- See our Live Events Schedule here
- Get the Best Practices Magazine for Free!
- Write a Review on iTunes
Links Mentioned in This Episode:
Rocky Mountain Dental Convention: https://rmdconline.com
Atomic Habits by James Clear: https://jamesclear.com/atomic-habits
Main Takeaways:
Let go. Learn to delegate and elevate.
Commit to growing the people on your team.
Invest in your team’s education the same way as your own.
A two-hour team meeting, done right, is a worthwhile investment.
Your team members are the people who will bring your vision to life.
Quotes:
“We oftentimes think team members should come trained, they should come educated, and the time that they spend in the practice should be enough. Dentists are quick to invest in themselves on tons of education. Clinical education, they will fly all over, spend top dollar for top education. They see it as an investment. But they don't, for some reason, take that leap to, ‘I need to invest in my team in the same way,’ because they need to stay in their circle, and they need to delegate and elevate their team members so they can be ballers everywhere else in the practice. And the way to do that is to invest in education.” (2:49—3:34) -Jenni
“As leaders, what we need to get really good at is letting go of the things that a) are not our highest and best, the things that we shouldn’t and don't have to be spending our time doing. We want to delegate those items to other team members that are going to be better at them so we can stay doing the things that are best for us. We can put them executing and killing it at the things that they want to do that they're best at. And by doing that, we continually elevate the people around us. We trust them. We have to let go of the vine, let them take the reins, delegate where we can, and we continually grow the people around us. You have to invest in them, invest in some education, invest in bringing them into a room where they can hear you speak, laugh, have a good time, learn something new, and be in this amazing community and this amazing environment, and go back and say, ‘I want to take the reins. I want to take this over. I want to kill it for you, and I want you to stay in that op doing what you do best. You delegate the money to me. You delegate these things to me, and I'm going to grow for you.” (3:52—5:07) -Jenni
“You're going to build a team. It is your most important asset. Facebook ads, your CBCT, your building — those are not your most important assets. Your most important assets, your secret sauce, is when you have the right people in the right seats. That's the whole jam. When you make that happen, your life gets better by the minute.” (5:14—5:32) -Kirk
“The real issue here is that dentists take on extra stuff because they think, ‘Nobody is smart enough,’ and they just take it on. Well, you have to take on less in order to grow.” (5:38—5:48) -Kirk
“As a dentist, there are people that can talk money. There are people that can do scheduling. There are people that can do photography. There are people that can do anesthesia. You shouldn't have to do all of those things. It all depends on your vision, now. And every time you do that, the “elevate” comes with the time. You free up more time. So, you now can invest your time into the things that you want. But you have to have the fundamental thought process like, ‘We’re going to delegate and elevate together.’ So, it’s not just taking people to education. You've got to invest in them in team meetings, other things like that.” (5:54—6:25) -Kirk
“You've got to commit. You have to commit to growing your people. You have to commit to your values and what you want, and you have to stop, sit down, work on the practice, and you have to allow your people time to work on the practice as well.” (6:48—7:08) -Jenni
“Some doctors who are listening don't think a two-hour team meeting is a worthwhile investment. I'm just going to say this. If you work 32 clinical hours, you give me two hours. You don't need to work all 32. You can work 30 clinical hours, pay your team for 32, and I promise you, if it’s done right, they will kill it for you.” (7:10—7:34) -Kirk
“One of the things that [a two-hour team meeting] allows us to do is getting back to that delegate and elevate. It gets us in the same room talking about things, and we can create alignment. We can say, ‘Who’s going to be best here? Who’s going to be best here?’ We create systems and we create predictability in our days. So, when we sit down, when we get aligned as a team every week, we stop and we pause and we say, ‘Okay, what are we doing? Where are we struggling? What's the issue? What do we need to work on? What do we need to improve? Who can own this?’ Suddenly, things start to fall into place. Our days become more predictable. It gets easier. And really, the profits follow that.” (8:41—9:31) -Jenni
“If you're a dentist and you think your team meetings suck, and it’s a two-hour waste of time, you're telling yourself the truth. You should look at those two hours like, ‘They might suck right now, but they're not going to suck forever.’ And that's why working with a great coach, having a structure, when you get it down, the meeting gets better and better and better, and you start to look forward to it.” (9:41—10:01) -Kirk
“[If] you start being late [ to your team meetings], you don't show up, then you scream to the team, ‘I don't care. It’s not important for me and for us to sit down to work on things.’ And I tell everyone, you've got to trust. Give it time. You have to actually learn how to run a great meeting. And we had to learn at ACT how to do this as well.” (11:22—11:43)
“A lot of you are looking at your profit and loss statements and, ‘Oh my gosh, dentistry is becoming an expensive profession.’ True. But when you're looking at the line item that says “team cost”, stop it. Change your name. It’s not a cost. It’s an investment. I'm going to invest in these people, and my job as a business owner is to make sure the rest of the numbers work. So, you can look at that number and you can write checks — if you still write checks — and those checks will be bending. Or you can say, ‘No, I'm investing in human beings. And I'm happy to pay people that because when I think right, it lends itself to the right output.’” (12:39—13:14) -Kirk
“When you invest in [your team], they get better. They invest in you. They care about you. They are engaged and invested in the practice. And when team members are invested, they're happier, you're happier, and the patients see it. Again, the profits will follow, and they will stay.” (13:15—13:32) -Jenni
“We have to be even more so invested in creating amazing experiences for our teams in which they feel like they can grow, like they are a part of a team, like they are a part of something, that they come to the practice, and they leave more days with their cup full than empty.” (14:14—14:34) -Jenni
“We’re going to have hard days, and not every day is going to be perfect. And in the dental practice, we have exhausting days. Our motto here is a better practice for a better life. If we leave every day with our cup completely empty, we have no time left for our life outside. So, by creating predictability, by investing in people — yes, we have struggles. Yes, there are days that are really hard. But we band together as a team. We function in our unique abilities, and we work really hard for each other. And when it’s a hard day, we might leave exhausted. But we leave saying, ‘Man, we nailed it today. We accomplished something today.’ And then, we have room left for those big moments that happen outside of [our work] life.” (14:37—15:33) -Jenni
“If you want to build the life that you want in your practice, you want your vision to come to fruition, you want to have this amazing life and this amazing practice where you take care of your patients and you feel like you're making the world better, like, why you became a dentist, that starts with taking care of the people that are around you. Because when you take care of them, they're going to take care of you. And they're the people that are going to bring that vision to life for you.” (15:47—16:21) -Jenni
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
2:20 Invest in your team’s education.
3:35 Delegate and elevate, explained.
5:48 Commit to growing your team.
7:08 How a two-hour meeting can change your practice.
12:08 It’s an investment, not a cost.
13:34 Fill your cup.
15:36 Last thoughts.
16:33 About ACT’s future courses and seminars.
Jenni Poulos Bio:
Jenni brings to dental teams a literal lifetime of experience in dentistry. As the daughter and sister of periodontists and a dental hygienist, she has been working in many facets of the dental world since she first held a summer job turning rooms and pouring models at the age of 12. Now, with over 10 years of experience in managing and leading a large periodontal practice, she has a firm grasp on what it takes to run a thriving business. Her passion for organizational health and culture has been a driving force behind her coaching career. She has witnessed firsthand how creating an aligned and engaged team will take a practice to levels of success that they never believed possible!
Street Drugs and Dentistry
Episode #548 with Thomas A. Viola, R.Ph, C.C.P.
Episode Resources:
- Tom’s website: https://www.tomviola.com
- Tom’s podcasts: https://www.tomviola.com/category/podcasts
- Tom’s email: tom@tomviola.com
- Tom’s Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tomviolarph
- Tom’s social media: @pharmacologydeclassified
- Subscribe to the Best Practices Show Podcast
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club
- Join ACT’s Master Class
- See our Live Events Schedule here
- Get the Best Practices Magazine for Free!
- Write a Review on iTunes
Links Mentioned in This Episode:
NIH: https://www.nih.gov
Main Takeaways:
People today have greater access to drugs.
Educate yourself on common and popular substances.
Patients don't always tell you every drug and medication they take.
Use verbal skills when asking patients about substance use or abuse.
Quotes:
“Pharmacology is like the Rosetta Stone. If you know a patient’s medications, you know everything about them. So, all you need to have is a list of medications and a working knowledge of pharmacology, and you've got everything you need to fill in that medical history with everything that's important for today and then for the future, as far as treating that patient. So, it’s building treatment plans, it’s building the rapport — but it’s treating the patient as safely as possible.” (2:42—3:07)
“Twenty-five years ago, when I first got started in dental pharmacology, when I first designed that form that people would fill out for their medical history, I left spaces for people to write in the names of their medications. I left five spaces, and most people filled in three. So, can you imagine — 25 years ago, people took three medications. Now, if they have cardiovascular disease, that's three drugs just by itself. Then, you add on GI, respiratory, diabetes, the list goes on and on. It’s not uncommon now for patients, on average, from what I'm seeing just working with my students, eight to ten meds — eight to ten medications. Plus, the over-the-counter drugs, the dietary supplements. It’s an incredible, long list of things. And with every new drug comes new complexity for dentistry, which is why we do what we do.” (4:57—5:43)
“Patients either give you the wrong information or don't want to tell you everything about them. And there are numerous reasons why. But yeah, sometimes it’s also, ‘I'll tell you, but I won't tell you the extent to which.’ So, for example, alcohol is a good one. Tobacco, another good one. Marijuana, another good one. ‘Do you use marijuana?’ ‘Occasionally.’ But what is your definition of occasional? And lately, it’s this topic of street drugs. What really is not a street drug anymore, I would say there are substances of abuse that are in the fringes. They're not mainstream drugs, but they're becoming more mainstream, and more and more people are being exposed to them. So, do you, as a dental professional, know everything you need to know about that substance to be able to treatment plan around it? Were you taught about it in school? Where would you get an education on a “street drug” or a substance of abuse if you've never even heard of it before?” (6:43—7:36)
“Everybody, in my opinion, who knows about what we call street drugs knows the mantra here, which is, what's old is new again, and what's new is also new again. And that is, there are some drugs that just never disappear. If I had to say to an average dental professional, ‘Give me an example of a street drug,’ I think some people would say heroin. Some people might say cocaine or methamphetamine. But when you think about it, those drugs have been around for 20 to 30 years. And at the same time, the heroin that I saw people doing on the streets of New York City when I lived there so many years ago, that heroin is nothing like the heroin that's available today. That potency back then may have been somewhere around eight to 10%. Now, the potency of heroin that's available on the street is upwards of 80% to 90%.” (7:46—8:33)
“Beyond what we call mainstream, if you will, street drugs or substance abuse are the more exotic ones. And the one that's affecting a lot of communities right now is a drug called xylazine, which is known on the street as “tranq” because it’s a tranquilizer. But it’s mixed with so many other drugs, heroin and fentanyl, especially. And the problem is, it’s so popular, it’s so attractive that it gets mixed into the “drug supply”. Even though you didn't ask for it, you get it anyway.” (8:43—9:17)
“People ask me this all the time, ‘Why is fentanyl so popular?’ Every time I hear anybody talking about drugs, it’s fentanyl, fentanyl, fentanyl. The answer is micrograms. That's the best way I can describe it. Fentanyl is so super potent that you only need micrograms of the drug. Now, that's less than a milligram, a microgram of this drug, to get some feeling. So, number one, that means, what? It’s easy to conceal because you only need a very little bit. It’s easy to transport because, again, you only need a little bit. So, it’s not like you’ve got this big package of hashish or this big package of cannabis you're trying to carry around. You can carry this in a tiny, tiny, little bag in your pocket without anybody really noticing. So, small amount of drug yields big return. So, fentanyl will always reign supreme because it has this super potency. A little goes a very long way.” (9:54—10:57)
“With all opioids, resistance develops. So, the more opioid you take, as I like to say, the more opioid you need to take. And it’s going to be the same thing with fentanyl. You build up a resistance to the effects of fentanyl. So, now, the user, who’s already built up a resistance to what they would consider to be their usual dose of fentanyl, wants something else. They want to mix it up. They want to try a different drug. They want a different feeling. And that's how this drug, xylazine, became so popular. Xylazine, very potent. You don't need much of it. It stated as a veterinary analgesic. It was in veterinary medicine. It was never really approved for human use. But because it’s veterinary, first of all, we don't know what's a safe dose. I guess we could probably have a pharmacologist figure that out for us. But the problem is, it’s not legal. It’s being used in an illicit fashion and it’s being mixed into the drug supply with fentanyl because it increases the effects of fentanyl but also adds an effect that fentanyl doesn't give you. So, lots of large cities have tested the “drug supply”. They buy samples on the street, they go back to a lab, and they test it. What did they find? Almost every case they find xylazine is also included with fentanyl. Xylazine is a tranquilizer. So, what does it do? It puts you into a stupor, basically. You're completely tranquilized. So, your fentanyl dose has worn off, but instead of you, at that moment, craving more fentanyl, the tranquilizer has kicked in. The xylazine has kicked in. And so, you're just sort of sitting there, hanging there in this sort of oblivion. And you're so completely tranquilized that, number one, you don't really have much of a good idea what's happening around you. Number two, you can easily become a victim. A predator could easily take advantage of you. And number three, when you do finally “come to”, well, now you're desperate for more fentanyl because even though you've been under the influence of the tranquilizer, xylazine, for all this time, your crazing for fentanyl has become a tidal wave. So, now, you want more fentanyl. And you're going to get more fentanyl with more xylazine in it. And so, this becomes very cyclical where you can spend days under the influence of fentanyl mixed with xylazine. And you know what happens. You don't take care of yourself. You fall into disrepair. You lose touch with your family and your friends. You lose everything. Basically, your life becomes empty because you're constantly under the influence of this drug.” (10:59—13:36)
“I get this all the time, and it’s a very good question, ‘Hey, Tom. I work in a pretty nice neighborhood. I don't have people that are strung out on drugs lying on the street or in shelters around me. Most of my clientele are middle class or upper middle class. They're not going to be the type to use fentanyl and xylazine.’ And that's the problem. The problem is, people who are not in the mode of staying under the influence of a drug all the time will use smaller doses and will use enough so that they can still function, but still use at the same time. So, you don't get to the point where you're under the influence of this combination of two drugs for days at a time, but maybe for several hours.” (14:02—15:52)
“You might say, ‘Well, why would anybody who’s not really into staying under the influence of drugs forever, why would that person even attempt to use this drug?’ Well, number one, because of the appeal. And number two, because it is a way of escaping. It’s escapism. Just like everything else, so many other things we do to escape, like video games and using alcohol and using cannabis. It’s the same thing here. I'm using these drugs to escape my own reality. But what if I didn't sign on for this drug, xylazine? What if I just signed on for fentanyl because my friend told me it’s really awesome and I could get a nice, quick buzz, and I'll be right back to it in no time. But I didn't know the stuff I bought has xylazine in it. And now, I can't function. I can't drive home. I don't know where I am. I can't do my job. And so, it has impacts economically, but it also has an impact now because let's say I manage to navigate that tidal wave and I'm able to keep it under control and say, ‘Okay. I can still function. I could still go to work every day. I could still use this fentanyl stuff even though it’s mixed with this stuff, tranq. I can do it all.’ (14:53—
“At some point, I need to see a dentist. Right? At some point, I need to see my hygienist. And you may not suspect that this person is using fentanyl with this drug, xylazine, in it. You might think this person doesn't do any drugs at all because they don't mention it on their medical history. They don't “look” like someone that uses fentanyl with xylazine mixed in it. But what if they need anesthesia? What if they need sedation, conscious sedation? Now, even though they haven't mentioned it on their medical history, and never mentioned it to you, it doesn't even come up in conversation. Now, that becomes life-threatening because the drugs that we use for sedation, some of the drugs that we use, anxiolytics, even nitrous oxide, can increase the potency of these drugs, fentanyl and xylazine, dramatically.” (15:59—16:45)
“You might say, ‘Who would be nuts enough to use fentanyl and xylazine before they go to see the dentist?’ And that's when I always say, what's one of the most stressful places a patient can find themselves? In your dental chair. So, in that case, why wouldn't they use the fentanyl and xylazine in advance of the dental appointment to escape what they consider to be the pain that they're going to experience in the chair? So, that's where the medical mystery and medical emergency comes from.” (16:46—17:13)
“I decided the easiest way to do it was to be flat-out honest and ask point-blank. In the nicest voice and with the biggest smile on my face, I say, ‘Have you had, or do you currently have, an issue with a substance abuse disorder? Do you have an issue with substances? Can you say that you rely on a substance on a somewhat regular basis to get through your busy, trying days?’ And just let it hang in the air. It’s awkward and it’s uncomfortable for the first five seconds. But then, when the patient realizes you mean them no harm and that you're not going to be calling the police and that you just honestly need to know that information, that's when it comes out.” (18:30—19:13)
“You and I might talk about a glass of wine, ‘How many glasses did you have?’ I might admit to three, but I probably had six. It might just be that with using fentanyl and xylazine. Again, there's no cookie-cutter approach to this. Every patient is going to be different. Some patients might take offense. But always try to keep it as light as possible, and keep it coming from the perspective of, ‘Look, we deal with thousands of patients. We’re not here to judge. We’re just here to get all the information we can to keep this appointment safe for you. So, we’re not judging. We just need to know. And that's what I say over and over again. And when you say it like that, and when you let it hang there, and you don't say anything else, after you ask that question, ‘Do you currently have, or have you had an issue with substances or a substance abuse disorder?’ stop talking. Let them talk. And they might say no. So, maybe you qualify a little bit and say, ‘What I mean is, do you use substances like a lot of people use, like cannabis? Have you tried fentanyl?’ ‘Maybe two or three times.’ If you get a no each time, then fine. Then, I think you could say you've probably exhausted every effort. But I think when you ask a few times, and you keep it light, and you keep the smile on your face and come from that perspective of, ‘Look, just trying to get the information here. Not just you, it’s thousands of patients,’ those people who really do use it were more than likely to admit to some part of using it.” (19:17—20:43)
“A lot of people won't tell their medical doctor, their physician’s assistant, their nurse practitioner, about these strange sores on their arm that have developed as a result of this drug, xylazine. That's the thing about xylazine. If you inject fentanyl that's mixed with xylazine, you will get these sores on your arm that don't heal very well — as a matter of fact, sometimes, become gangrenous and sometimes lead to amputation. So, ‘I don't know what's going on, but I've got these sores on my arm. They don't look really good.’ I may not tell that to anybody, but I might tell you, the dentist or the hygienist, because you're approachable. You're easy to talk to. Hey, you bothered enough to ask me, so here it is. Are you ready for that answer? What do you do then? So, that's why you listen to podcasts like this, you come to courses like mine so you can say, ‘Okay, here’s what you've got to do.’” (20:47—21:38)
“The first thing you've got to do [if you have a patient with xylazine sores] is get them to see a medical doctor. And again, it’s no stigma. Ge them to see a medical doctor. Get that would addressed because it could get bad quickly. And we don't want anybody getting amputations for a reason of, ‘Well, we only took a look at it.’ Get them medical help. And let them know that they're not the only ones. That way, you've taken a situation that could be potentially deadly for that patient and literally save their life. And you've heard me say that before. Dentists, hygienists, assistants, save people’s lives every day because you save them from themselves. They don't make very well-informed or well-thought-out decisions because they're not experts. That's where we come in.” (21:38—22:22)
“Stimulants [are important to know about]. I can't say it enough. I know a lot of people really hang their hat on energy drinks and stuff like that. But I will tell you that ADHD medication still, ADD medication, still ranks up there as a stimulant that a lot of people use because, quite frankly, their insurance company pays for it. So, I don't have to go out and buy methamphetamine, although it’s cheap enough now. I don't have to go out there and buy cocaine. I can buy Adderall or Vyvanse. By prescription, my doc writes me the script. I go to the pharmacy, and I get them filled. It costs me virtually nothing, whatever my copay is. I come back to my room, if I'm a student in school, I come back to my house, and maybe four out of the seven days that week, I take my Concerta, my Vyvanse, or whatever, the way I'm supposed to, every day. But for the other three days, I crush the tablets up and I snort them. Now, nobody’s going to know this, number one, because it came out of the same bottle. And if anybody were to do a drug test on me, what would they find? I've already admitted I take Concerta. So, why would you look for anything else? But I'm not using it the way I'm supposed to. I'm using it in a way that I wasn't supposed to. And yet, it flies under the radar and nobody knows about it. So, stimulants scare me because of the access. And it’s the same thing with cannabis. I'm leading somewhere with this, and that is young people.” (22:35—24:04)
“Children have never had greater access to cannabis and stimulants than they have today. In my day, it was alcohol. My mom and dad would lock up the cabinet with the alcohol in it. But now, most homes have, perhaps somebody uses cannabis, even if it’s for medical reasons. Or maybe they have a child that uses medications like ADHD medications. The access is there. So, if you don't know to think about it or ask about it, it won't even show up on your radar. So, that's why you ask the question as generically as possible, ‘Do you have any issue with substances? Do you have a substance abuse disorder?’ (24:06—24:45)
“What if [when you ask about substance use, a patient says], ‘I don't know. Oh, you know, once in a while, I take . . .’ Go on the NIH.gov website. It’s right on the front page. Download the questionnaire. Hand it to the patient and say, ‘Fill this out.’ And just from their scores alone on that page, you could pretty much tell if they may have an issue with substance use. And that will help you make some more informed decisions about what to do with sedation, with the analgesics. If I'm using fentanyl and xylazine, and then I've had enough done that I need an opioid for my pain control, wow, that's a lethal combination, adding an opioid to the fentanyl and xylazine I'm already using. Unwittingly, the dentist may have created that cocktail because he or she prescribed it without knowing the patient was on these other two drugs.” (24:45—25:31)
“The other thing that scares me a little bit besides stimulants is the drugs that you don't know the patient is using. So, there are drugs out there, for example, Suboxone. Suboxone is prescribed for patients who have an opioid addiction to prevent relapse. But Suboxone in high doses actually causes an opioid-like effect. So, there are people out there that are addicted to Suboxone. The drug that they were using to treat the addiction has become the
The Cost of Open Chair Time
Episode #547 with Kirk Behrendt & Christina Byrne
An empty chair is more than just an empty chair. It will tell you the strength of your systems, where you can improve, and the true cost of each vacant seat. By tracking and understanding your open chair time, you can start making better business decisions! To help you simplify the process, Kirk Behrendt brings back Christina Byrne, ACT’s director of operations, to talk about ACT’s Capacity Tracker, where to get it, and how to get your team to use it. To start running a better, healthier practice, listen to Episode 547 of The Best Practices Show!
Episode Resources:
- Christina’s email: christina@actdental.com
- Christina’s social media: @actdental
- Subscribe to the Best Practices Show Podcast
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club
- Join ACT’s Master Class
- See our Live Events Schedule here
- Get the Best Practices Magazine for Free!
- Write a Review on iTunes
Links Mentioned in This Episode:
ACT’s Capacity Tracker:https://drive.google.com/file/d/1MdN96fVhau8tcP10kW2_cU-Tv91K8r7l/view?_hsmi=241651107&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-98AjmJ7LkC2HvkK9uuY8l577tbOQ_8dHgEv1V_RVjByeE1xTLRFEYlHJVqxNmOsEBjwFPH-Cjr7iCbb4p-dJiLdKWb7A
Main Takeaways:
Help your team understand the cost of having an open chair.
Tracking numbers and a healthy culture go hand in hand.
Before anything, start tracking your open chair time.
Hiring a hygienist is not always the solution.
Filling chair time is a team effort.
Quotes:
“[Open chair time is] one of those things that people don't understand, really. Oftentimes, we’ll talk to a team, and they’ll say, ‘I can't get a patient in for six months. We’re totally booked. We need to hire a new hygienist. We need to do this.’ And what they fail to do is look backwards and see how much open time they had. And so, the why of tracking this is so important to the practice because if you don't look back and if you don't track the capacity in that way, you are going to make really bad business decisions. You're going to hire that other hygienist, and you're going to find out it’s going to be so costly to have another person in there who can't see patients because you're not filling the schedule, or patients are falling off the schedule.” (3:12—3:59)
“If you're taking PPOs, one opening and you're ruined for the day because you're really only getting about 60% of those dollars anyway. And one of the things we do know about practices is when they're calculating how much PPO is in their practice, the majority of those patients are coming into hygiene. They might not be doing all their dental work, but they're for sure coming in for that “free cleaning” twice a year. And so, that's a huge loss to the hygiene department and to the practice, in general.” (5:40—6:14)
“We have to start with tracking [open chair time]. Most offices are not tracking it. They're just thinking from their perspective, ‘We can't get another patient in for seven months, eight months. I don't have an opening until October.’ So, what I like to do is have practices first be proactive and set it up every day, how many hours was I available to see patients, and how many hours did I actually see patients? And not from the time I punched in. It’s, when are you available? So, if you start at 8:00 a.m. and that's when you start seeing patients, and you take an hour lunch and you're done at 5:00, you have eight hours available to see patients. So, if you don't have all eight of those hours filled, you need to do that math and do that calculation on a daily basis and figure out, where am I right now, moving forward?” (7:03—7:53)
“When I was doing hygiene clinically, if I had an opening or a patient didn't show, I was like, ‘That's awesome. I can write my notes. I can sharpen instruments. I can stock my room.’ I loved it. I thought it was great. Now that I understand the business side of it, I'm like, ‘Oh my gosh, I'm terrible.’ I have to apologize to Dr. Tingzon if she’s listening because I didn't realize. Now, I know. And I understand the cost of that opening in that room.” (8:09—8:38)
“If I'm going to have a conversation with your hygienist and he or she says to me, ‘I feel like I'm working really hard. I have to talk to doctor about getting a raise,’ I'm going to tell them, ‘You can't just go into that meeting with a feeling. You have to go into that meeting with data.’ And if that hygienist is incentivized to increase his or her compensation, then they should start tracking their numbers and making sure that their chair is filled so that they can go to the doctor and say, ‘Look, doctor. For the last three months, I have been at 95% capacity, and I've been doing great with these patients. I have a great mix of services. I'm diagnosing more perio.’ Then, that hygienist is in a position to actually earn what he or she is asking for. So, it actually is a win-win, doctor. If you are going to plan to have those conversations with your hygienist, give them the tools so that they can come to you. I think you'll be happy to give them an increase in their compensation if they are showing you that they're increasing revenue to the practice.” (10:08—11:15)
“If there is a cancellation, it’s not always [the hygienist’s] fault. However, all cancellations start at the chair today. So, if I have you in my chair today, I'm going to do everything I can to increase your predictability of coming in at your next three, four, or six-month interval based on my conversation with you, based on what we discover, how we talk about what's necessary, any treatment that you need, any areas of bleeding or recession, anything that we want to check the next time you come in. So, I'm building value for that next visit — and every visit beyond — with what I do today. So, in that sense, it is [the hygienist’s] responsibility to [fill chair time].” (11:35—12:18)
“A healthy range is somewhere between 92% and 95% capacity. So, over the course of a week, a month, however you want to track it, there are times when you need to do things in the operatory. We’re not saying it has to be 100%. But I would say 92% to 95% is industry standard for what's a healthy capacity. And that's for doctor too. You're not off the hook either, Doctor. This isn't just about hygiene capacity.” (13:25—13:54)
“There is nothing wrong with sharing numbers. One of the things we often do is we internalize those numbers and we think that it’s because we’re bad. But the number is just reflecting how strong your systems are. So, if your capacity is low, let's take a look at some of our systems. Let's look at our handoff system. Let's look at our preclinical conversation system. What do we do when we’re handing off a patient? Do we just say, ‘Oh, yeah. The patient had bitewings and a prophy today’? Or are we going in and saying, ‘Mrs. Jones was talking to me about this tooth that she has on the upper right, Doctor. So, I took a PA, and I took an intraoral photo, and I showed her this fracture. I told her that sometimes when you see something like that, you might recommend a crown.’ Now, I'm building trust with the patient, and I'm actually building a lot of respect with my doctor because I am partnering in that patient’s care. And the patient is like, ‘Wow, this is really different.’ They're going to be incentivized to come back.” (15:43—16:42)
“People think you can either have one or the other. You could have a healthy culture, or you could track numbers. But you can't do that. You [need to] have both. When we don't track anything, when everything is unknown, that's not healthy. People are worried. They don't know the health of the practice. Are we going to have a job next week? When you're tracking numbers and you're showing that — you're not condemning somebody or picking on somebody because they don't have the number. You're saying, ‘Hey, let's talk about this. Let's talk about how I can help you to improve. What could we do differently? How can I support you? Is there any training that I can help you with that can help you to improve this number?’ So, instead of looking at it as a negative, it’s such an opportunity for growth.” (17:45—18:30)
“If I look six months out and my schedule is full, but my capacity is only at 75%, what's happening? Am I not building that value for that next visit? It doesn't even have to be something from our perspective as a clinician. What does our confirmation or our reminder system look like? Are we reaching out to patients? Are we providing them with the value of coming in and making sure that what they're doing is valuable to them too? We have to look at it from their perspective. Most people have that, ‘What's in it for me?’ So, we have to find out what that is for our patients so that they feel incentivized to come in for that next visit.” (19:40—20:22)
“I'm not saying it’s just the hygienists’ responsibility. It’s everybody’s responsibility. If I spend time chairside and I'm talking to the patient about bleeding, or perio, or whatever the case may be, and the doctor comes in and he or she is like, ‘Oh, no. This is fine. She’s good. We don't have this,’ that's not helpful. So, everybody has to be on the same page as far as where we’re going and what our philosophy is.” (20:29—20:57)
“You have to know: do you even have enough hygienists? Do you not have enough hygienists? Do you have too many? This might be a good opportunity. If you need 13 days of hygiene but you're only using nine, then that means you have so many patients who cannot get into the schedule. And if you still have a capacity issue, then it’s chaos. So, then you need systems to make sure that the patients are actually showing up for the appointments. And once you do that, then you can either add hygiene days or you could start to consider, if you are a PPO practice, this might be a good time for you to start thinking about dropping some of those PPO plans. Because rather than hire a new hygienist and go through all of that, maybe you can still satisfy everything that you need in the practice by eliminating some of those PPO plans and getting your full fee for some of those patients.” (24:39—25:35)
“The knee-jerk reaction is always like, ‘I've got to hire a hygienist. I've got to add a new room.’ But we have to look at the data and we have to do some homework before we make those decisions.” (29:28—29:37)
“The first thing to do is download the tracker and start using it. Now, I'll say, start using it after you talk to your team about why it’s important and why it’s valuable to track this stuff. And it’s not as a punishment to anybody. It’s a way to understand where we are today so we know what we need to do to improve.” (31:32—31:51)
“Get your data aligned first and see where you are. Because if you don't know where you are, you don't know where to go from there. And also, make sure that it’s a team effort, and it’s collaborative, and nobody is out to get anybody, that we’re all here to help each other and we’re trying to make everybody’s job easier.” (35:27—35:48)
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
1:57 Christina’s background.
2:34 Why understanding open chair time is important.
6:54 Things to know about the cost of open chair time.
9:38 Getting hygienists to track chair time is a win-win.
11:17 Is it the hygienist’s responsibility to fill chair time?
13:13 Healthy and unhealthy capacity ranges.
13:55 ACT’s tracking sheet.
15:02 Numbers reflect the strength of your systems.
16:55 Track numbers to have a healthy culture.
19:15 Capacity will help diagnose root problems.
21:16 Determine how many days of hygiene you need.
24:31 Why you need to do the math for hygiene.
25:36 Be smart about how you expand.
27:53 Part two of the formula.
30:01 Building emotional intelligence into the formula.
31:07 Recap of the tracking process.
33:23 How dentists can track their capacity.
35:14 Last thoughts on open chair time.
Christina Byrne Bio:
Christina Byrne has been involved in dentistry since 1985. Over the years, she has held many positions on the dental team, including dental assistant, business office, and dental hygienist. Christina’s extensive knowledge of the front office and clinical procedures is a great asset, and she loves to impart her knowledge to guide dental teams do the best they can to achieve a Better Practice, Better Life!
Insurance-Free: Is It for Me?
Episode #546 with Shelley DeGroff
Insurance is a game, and insurance companies have the upper hand. So, what can you do to win? To help answer that question, Kirk Behrendt brings in Shelley DeGroff, founder and CEO of PPO Advisors, a company that turns PPOs into profit. She shares insight into how PPO contracts work and advice for strategically dropping your PPOs. Insurance-free is the way to be! To keep more of the money you deserve, listen to Episode 546 of The Best Practices Show!
Episode Resources:
- PPO Advisors: https://ppoadvisors.com
- PPO Advisors Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PPOAdvisorsLLC
- Subscribe to the Best Practices Show Podcast
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club
- Join ACT’s Master Class
- See our Live Events Schedule here
- Get the Best Practices Magazine for Free!
- Write a Review on iTunes
Main Takeaways:
Add and drop PPOs strategically.
Do an EOB audit on a regular basis.
Start credentialing as early as possible.
Negotiating isn't easy, but everyone should do it.
Understand how to stack and navigate your contracts.
Quotes:
“Credentialing and insurance contracts are not what they used to be. It used to be that you could sign up with an insurance company, and you were going to get a great rate, and you were going to get patients from that contract. It doesn't work that way anymore. You're signing up for a contract, or with a contract, and you're getting 50 other shared networks with that. And if you don't set yourself up into the right contracts, you're really backing yourself into a corner for successful PPO negotiations and contracting down the road. So, we really need to understand what we’re doing so the success of our practice can continue to grow.” (3:02—3:42)
“[Credentialing is] not fast. Nothing about credentialing is fast, so prepare yourself. If you're a new doctor doing an acquisition or doing a startup, you need about 120 days to get yourself a network. So, don't wait until you take ownership. Start that process as soon as you have the letter of intent signed and you know this practice will become yours, or your startup six months in advance, if you can.” (4:08—4:35)
“As you're still building out, get your PPOs set up. You need a tax ID number, a physical address, a phone number — which, you can get a Google number and then we can transfer that somewhere else if we need to. Those are really the key things we need to get you set up with an insurance contract. So, get that process going as soon as possible. Don't wait around and think, ‘Oh, I've got 30 days till closing. I know this is in the bag. Now, I'm going to start the process.’ You're going to overwhelm your staff and you're going to overwhelm yourself. It’s hard. It’s a long process. They don't make it easy.” (4:35—5:11)
“Delta Premier is everybody’s worst nightmare. We’re to the point where now we’re seeing most states do not honor Premier status through an acquisition or any sort of change. So, even if you're bringing on a business partner and you change your TIN, most states are removing the Delta Premier access at that point. So, grandfathered in is truly grandfathered in, in these states. Meaning, you can't change a thing. So, when you buy a practice, you've really got to be looking at the numbers and saying, ‘Okay. When I came into this, the practice was Premier, and they were doing $300,000 in production with Delta. My reimbursements are going to be significantly less on that.’” (5:42—6:29)
“If the majority of your practice is Delta — which, almost every practice we work with, the majority of production comes in from Delta. It’s the top producer in almost every state — you're going to see a difference of anywhere from 15% to 25% in reimbursements on Delta Premier and Delta PPO. So, those numbers need to be crunched. We definitely need to have a better game plan in place. And maybe we’re going to have to pick up a different PPO in addition to Delta PPO. Maybe we’re going to pick up Aetna now that we’ve never had. And if the rate is negotiated to 80% of the UCR of the practice, well, then that helps offset that major deficit we took by becoming a Delta PPO for the associate coming on board. And then, we can start to schedule out and not receive as many Delta patients, and we start filling our chair space with better PPOs. So, strategically looking at how we can make a better game plan, long term, with the right PPO contracts in play.” (8:09—9:09)
“Everyone should negotiate because you can still negotiate. It’s just not as easy as it used to be. It used to be a letter. It used to be, send in your UCRs, and we’ll take a look, and we’ll bump them up a little bit. It’s not like that anymore. Really, the narrative is, they try to get rid of you when you call in and ask for an increase — transfer you many times, drop your call. They hope you get busy with other things, and it doesn't pan out. So, negotiations mean you really need to look at the big picture. Don't waste your time in your negotiations. Understand that they're shared contracting with every PPO you deal with.” (10:58—11:35)
“If you're not getting the value out of the current contract you hold, look at your shared contracts and see how you can stack and navigate that whole web of agreements to your advantage.” (11:58—12:10)
“You have shared agreements, and you have umbrella companies. A shared agreement is typically, for instance, Aetna. Aetna is a direct contract. You can go to Aetna, directly get insurance from them, or an insurance contract from them, for you to be a provider. In signing that, Aetna has an agreement with Guardian, Ameritas, Principle, and so forth. It’s a shared agreement. So, now, you're in-network with all of their shared options. An umbrella company, or a third-party administrator — TPAs are often called umbrella companies as well — that's not typically insurance. So, when you go to Zelis, Zelis is the third-party administrator and the direct contracts shared to the umbrellas in a way to expand their network. So, when you sign up with Zelis, you're also now getting Aetna, Ameritas, Guardian, and all those big national players, as well as a lot of small demographic players. But it’s always to expand that PPO network.” (12:21—13:23)
“You're seeing campaigns of Cigna, Aetna, DenteMax, all these companies reducing their fees, saying, ‘Hey, you know what? We’ve paid out too much. We’ve done too much. We need to lower the pay scale for your demographic. Here’s a new fee schedule. Take it or leave it.’ That started happening in 2020 as COVID-19 came out and everybody was struggling with their businesses. Then, they dropped, ‘Hey, we’re going to reduce your fees too.’ And as one company starts doing that, they all start doing that. So, we’ve seen significant increases, a rise in these write-offs. But they’ve also still left that door open to play the game. And I keep telling my clients, ‘You've got to look at insurance as a game. Because that's really what it’s turned into. Now, they're reducing your fees here. How can we raise them somewhere else? What do we need to do to get that back to a manageable level? We really need to be seeing write-offs with the amount of overhead we’re dealing with. Our write-offs need to be in that 20% range, not 40%, not 45%.” (15:04—16:11)
“The best way to find out how you're participating and how your claims are actually getting paid is on that EOB, because your EOB is always going to say, ‘This claim was processed utilizing the connection fee schedule, utilizing the Aetna direct fee schedule.’ The reason why that's important is the most-favored nations clause. And every doctor should know what that is. Yet, I speak all over and nobody really knows what that is. So, the most-favored nations clause is the clause that allows the shared agreements to utilize the lowest fee schedule they can attach to within a practice. So, when Aetna shares to Ameritas, and Ameritas is shared to Principle, and Principle is shared to Guardian, they're all connected through this web. They have the ability to say, ‘Oh, this practice, the doctor has a direct contract with Aetna. They also have one with Guardian, and they have one with connection.’ Now, they're looking for the lowest fee schedule to process that claim on if you haven't stacked your contracts accordingly.” (16:39—17:44)
“When you're researching and trying to find out what's the next step for us to do better with our insurance and you're trying to vet that right company, negotiations is a part of it, but understanding how to stack and navigate those contracts is just as important because you can negotiate a great rate. But if it’s not placed in the right order within your contracts, it will not be utilized.” (17:47—18:10)
“Really, it’s coming down to looking at your fees, your UCR for your zip code, and then looking at all of the fee schedules available in your demographic. Fees are negotiated by zip code. So, you can't share a fee schedule and call an insurance company and say, ‘Hey, my buddy opened up a practice. They're in a different zip code, but I really want that fee schedule.’ You're going to get yourself in trouble, so we can't do that. So, it comes down to looking at the fees, looking at your master fees. And I want to put some importance on master fees. All too often, master fees are too low for your demographic. And if we continue to keep our master fees too low, then the insurance companies have no reason to increase their reimbursements. So, we have to be diligent about increasing master fees yearly. Far too often, when we evaluate practices, they're in the 40th percentile. And they should be in the 80th.” (18:35—19:29)
“Your master fees are your UCR for the practice. It’s the UCR of the practice, and then the insurance company gives you their UCR. And then, the difference between the two, if you're in-network, is your write-off . . . There's a difference. And we never want to see a practice submit full fee as the PPO fee, because you are telling the insurance company, ‘Oh, we’re paying you 100%.’ ‘We’ll lower your fees next year.’” (19:43—20:15)
“I don't want [practices] to look at the amount of contracts they hold because, ‘Oh, I only have two contracts.’ No, you don't. Your contracts are shared out to a million other contracts. So, that is not the gauge you want to look at. It is definitely the amount of write-offs that you are providing to your patient base. So, your ratio between fee-for-service and PPO. A client that's working with us, they can be 30% PPO and the remainder fee-for-service. We can still help. The reality is, there's less than six percent fee-for-service practices left in the United States. Now, I think that number is going to start to increase where we are going to see, we can't keep going. Our next step is to become insurance-free because the overhead is too high, the write-offs are too high, and the math doesn't work.” (20:53—21:41)
“It’s so liberating to have these conversations with our clients who are like, ‘We dropped MetLife. We dropped Delta. Can you help us now with the rest of this? Can we look at the game plan long term?’ because they can't sustain. But we don't want our clients to feel like that's our only option. We want to look at the numbers strategically. And our goal is to help you increase what you can, get out of what is not making sense, and then, two, three years down the road, maybe you will be completely fee-for-service. But you don't want to jump ship all at once because that can cause a lot of stress on the whole practice.” (22:32—23:06)
“[Scheduling out is] a real gray area. It’s really touchy, and each contract is a little different. Your paid contracts, they're a little bit more lenient on saying, ‘Hey, if you don't want to accept new patients, that's completely fine. If you're not accepting new patients this month but you are next month, perfect.’ There are ways around the lingo to be able to schedule out so that you fill up chair space with the right PPO patients, and then backfill with the ones that are not paying as much. So, look at the lingo within your contract that will allow you to say the right things so that you don't get into any legal situations. Because we are supposed to treat all patients as though they are the exact same, whether they're fee-for-service, insurance-based — no discrimination.” (23:59—24:51)
“Communication is key here, and the understanding. Because it’s scary to go out-of-network with some of these insurances. And when you spring that on staff, they're like, ‘Wait a minute. We’ve had families that have been coming to us for 15 years, and we’ve been accepting their insurance. You're just going to tell them no more? They're going to leave.’ There is a way to do this. There is a way to talk them through to where they want to stay with your practice. And if you prepare your team and they understand your end goal, the results really do work.” (25:48—26:16)
“You hear all the time that DSOs are able to negotiate better rates across the board. What's happening is, they can leverage a fee schedule from a certain demographic and share that fee schedule across their entire group, sometimes. But it’s not that the individual provider can't do the same thing. It’s just, demographically, they only have one region to work in. And what defines a large DSO? That changes too, with each insurance company. So, I don't want that to get into the minds of these solo practitioners because they still have a lot of leverage that they can fight against those DSOs that are moving in.” (28:16—28:58)
“Absolutely, you can [go insurance-free]. And I would be worried if you feel like you can't, honestly, because there are so many ways that you can grow your practice. There are in-office membership plans. There are all these other avenues that you can bring in outside revenue that's not tied to PPOs. Now, when you acquire a practice, it’s a little bit harder because you're acquiring a patient base that is used to those PPOs coming in. That's where we really want to start to thin out the ones that are unnecessary and get them to a manageable level of PPOs and contracts that are sustainable. But those startups where they're looking, if they can keep their overhead costs low and do things the right way, you absolutely can still be fee-for-service.” (30:21—31:10)
“Don't just sit on your contracts and understanding your PPOs because it’s too overwhelming. You're losing money if you don't know how you're set up. So, take charge. Start that process of figuring out our network, and don't get so overwhelmed with the process because it can really be something that is able to make huge strides and changes within your practice by making a few easy tweaks.” (36:03—36:28)
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
1:33 Shelley’s background.
2:47 Why this is an important topic.
3:42 What you need to know about credentialing.
5:12 The “Premier” nightmare.
7:16 Associates need to crunch the numbers.
9:09 Add PPOs strategically.
10:42 The current landscape of negotiations.
12:10 Shared coverages and umbrella companies, defined.
13:30 Why average write-offs are climbing.
16:12 Perform regular EOB audits.
18:20 The game of insurance and looking at your fees.
19:32 Master fees, defined.
20:20 Diagnosing your involvement with PPOs.
21:41 Is fee-for-service increasing?
23:36 Is scheduling out a good idea?
25:00 Communication is key.
26:17 Will dental insurance become more like medical insurance?
27:49 Do solo practitioners get different rates than DSOs?
29:58 Can you go insurance-free in the future?
31:13 About PPO Advisors and how to get in touch with Shelley.
35:56 Last thoughts on going insurance-free.
Shelley DeGroff Bio:
Shelley DeGroff, founder and CEO of PPO Advisors, knows dentistry. After graduating from the University of Nebraska, she began working as a dental receptionist in a nearby dental office. After completing her certification as a dental assistant, Shelley transitioned to become a successful Office Manager. It was in that role that Shelley began noticing the need for PPO negotiations for her employing doctor. This experience began the business model for PPO Advisors, which has now become a nationwide industry leader.
Objections Are a Gift!
Episode #545 with Miranda Beeson
Objections are a normal part of your practice. They are also opportunities if you change your mindset! To help you reframe objections and see them as gifts, Kirk Behrendt brings back Miranda Beeson, one of ACT’s amazing coaches, with advice and strategies so you can overcome the most common objections you hear in your office. Help more of your patients stay in your chair! To learn how, and to hear more about Miranda’s dental administrator’s course, listen to Episode 545 of The Best Practices Show!
Episode Resources:
- Miranda’s email: mirandabeesonicc@gmail.com
- Miranda’s social media: @actdental
- Subscribe to the Best Practices Show Podcast
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club
- Join ACT’s Master Class
- See our Live Events Schedule here
- Get the Best Practices Magazine for Free!
- Write a Review on iTunes
Links Mentioned in This Episode:
DiSC: https://www.thediscpersonalitytest.com
Miranda’s course March 16-17, 2023: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/act-dental-administrators-live-course-march-16-17-2023-tickets-347257716177
Main Takeaways:
Reframe how you think about objections.
Train your team to build trust with patients.
Identify what a patient is actually objecting to.
Create a welcoming space for patients’ objections.
Use “Feel, Felt, Found” to affirm your patients’ feelings.
Quotes:
“We want to shift our mindset around objections and consider them a gift. So, instead of being afraid of an objection, how can we create an environment where our team welcomes objections? When we have a patient who is interested and they're still engaged and providing us an objection, we have to look at that as an opportunity to present them with the information they need to help them make a decision.” (3:38—4:02)
“When we look at objections as gifts, it’s really a request for more information. And so, that means they still want more. They're still in it with us. They haven't written off the idea of moving forward with that recommendation just yet. So, if we can shift our mindset — and part of that is building the skills and having some verbiage to feel confident so that we can approach it in a way that is welcoming. We’re actually going to be inviting objections in instead of running away from them as fast as possible.” (4:03—4:34)
“A lot of times, a patient is just really nervous about telling you what their objection is. Maybe they're embarrassed because they're afraid it’s going to hurt. Or maybe they're self-conscious about other people knowing that they're doing this treatment. Maybe they know someone that works with them in practice. Maybe it’s about their finances. And then, again, that makes them feel a little shameful or embarrassed, and they don't want to bring that up. And so, we have to create a space that's very welcoming of an objection.” (5:50—6:19)
“Imagine that you're putting a pillow out on your desk, a nice, soft pillow. A nice place for that objection to land. You're going to welcome that objection. You're going to invite it in. You might even encourage what that objection might be if they're not saying it out loud. Use the words, “it sounds like”. I love saying, ‘It sounds like you might have some more questions around the finances. Tell me more about how you're feeling about that,’ or, ‘It sounds like you're curious how your insurance benefits are going to play into this. Let's talk about what limitations there may or may not be.’ So, you can put the objection right on that little pillow for them, welcome it, invite it, and create a safe space where they're like, ‘Okay, this person is on my side. They're going to help me through this.’ Because until they can build trust with you, they might feel that shame or that guilt and they don't want to put the objection out there. So, sometimes, we have to pull it out of them a little bit and welcome that objection.” (6:45—7:46)
“If you're taught how to make the transaction when you're brought on board, like, ‘Here’s how you open the treatment plan. Here’s how you print it. And here’s how you post the payment,’ it’s very transactional but there isn't focus on that relational aspect of that role, then you're not going to be able to openly build that trust. They're not going to feel as comfortable inviting that in.” (9:17—9:38)
“If you're talking about your patient needed fluoride, you know why they need it, you've talked to them about why they need it, and they're still not sure, they're still creating some objection, don't immediately take it personal or get upset or defensive. Now, you're visually sitting across the table from that patient looking at this problem. Slide up next to them, figuratively, sitting at the table. Be shoulder to shoulder looking together at the same problem on, how can we solve this? How can we push through this objection? How can I help you to understand the value in what we’re talking about? So, a big part of it is getting your mind wrapped around, we’re on the same team. You're not objecting to me. You're objecting to what I'm offering in this moment. Let's figure out why. How can I help you?” (10:16—11:05)
“A big piece of motivational interviewing and changed behavior is affirming the patient or your client. So, their feelings are valid. Their feelings are their feelings. We need to acknowledge and affirm the validity of that.” (12:37—12:52)
“Any one of us has been in a situation where we are in a consideration phase of a product, a service, a trip, a car, anything, and we have to really contemplate, ‘Can I do this? Do I need this? Should I do this? What are all the other factors going on in my life that this could impact?’ And so, that's real. It’s real when [patients] are having those thoughts and feelings. And so, yeah, we have to tell them, ‘I completely understand where you're coming from. If I was in your situation, I may be having the same questions. Would it be okay if we take a few minutes to talk that out?’ Again, it’s going to build little pieces of trust every time you open up and have those conversations. So, acknowledging and affirming that their thoughts and feelings are valid, even when you don't know what they are yet. They don't always tell you what the objection is. But even acknowledging, ‘I can sense some hesitation. I feel like you have some thoughts around this. I feel like you have some feelings around what I'm recommending. Would you share those with me so we can work through that together?’” (12:55—13:58)
“I love the [Feel, Felt, Found concept] for two reasons. One, it builds in that affirmation. It builds in that concept of, we’re on the same side. But it also provides the person who has to approach that objection with a little moment to create clarity in their mind . . . Feel, Felt, Found is basically saying to someone, ‘I understand how you feel.’ Maybe you're going to say, ‘I have felt the same way before,’ or that social proofing, that herd mentality, ‘Many of our patients have felt just like you. What we have found is,’ and then you can go into your “so that,” your why. And so, when you have the “feel” and the “felt” always the same, ‘I understand how you feel. Many of our patients have felt the same way,’ those three to four seconds of verbalizing that, in the background in your mind, you can be decompressing, taking that breath, and formulating the “found” and what's going to come after that. It gives you a pause. Even though you're speaking, it’s a pause in the background to, ‘Okay. Now, I can approach this “found” and I can handle this objection with this patient.’” (14:23—15:34)
“A significant amount of our population is S [personality] style, 69%, I believe. And then, we have our I-style, which are also very people-oriented. That's about 11%. So, we’re at well over the majority of the population who have an attachment to being a part of something and that people connection. And so, if you can help people to understand, ‘You're not alone in this. There have been plenty of other people,’ many other people, most of our patients — you can phrase that however you want — then they feel like, ‘Okay. I'm not standing over here alone on this island with this objection. They’ve encountered this before, so they can probably help me. I don't need to be ashamed. I'm not the only one.’” (16:09—16:54)
“There's also the factor of how many more people could we help. So, how much money walks out the door every single day if we have team members who aren't confident with handling objections? And in the same breath, how many people are losing the opportunity to be healthier and to be built into this trust environment with us if we’re not approaching those objections in a healthy way? And I promise you, I didn’t. For years, ‘Please don't ask me any questions. Please don't ask me any questions. Just do what I'm asking you to do,’ because I didn't feel confident as a clinician, early on, to really handle those things. It takes practice and it takes time.” (21:45—22:28)
“I always say, any time a patient is in my vicinity in a practice, ‘I am working towards your agenda, not mine. Now, I may have things that I'm looking for, and checklists that I'm following, and all of those things. But ultimately, you chose me to serve you, and this is your body, and it’s ultimately your decision. Now, I feel like it’s also — because you chose me to serve you — my responsibility to be equipped with the communication strategies, the knowledge, the experience and skill, to then provide you with the best benefits when you're here.’” (24:26—25:00)
“There are going to be people that still need to go home and process. They can't make a decision on the fly. Fine. But if you take that opportunity, if we had that conversation and you still said, ‘I think I'm still going to pass,’ they're going to be more likely to at least look a little deeper into that subject or consider it a little bit more the next time when their teeth are sensitive. When they're eating ice cream at home, they're like, ‘Hmm, I wonder if that fluoride would've helped.’ It doesn't mean they're ever going to change their mind. But they may. And they definitely trust you more and respect you more for validating their feelings and having that open conversation. So, next time they have a concern or a question, they will be so much more likely to bring it to you than they would have if you had just shut it down or shut down yourself.” (25:35—26:21)
“A lot of times, patients will say, ‘I mean, that's a car payment,’ when you really break down financing or something around a large case. And I love it when they say that because I agree with them. I tell them, ‘You are exactly right.’ It may be $400 or $500 a month. These large All-on-X cases, this could be $800, $1,000 a month, if they're financing the whole thing. So, I tell them, ‘You're exactly right. It is. However, you would get that car and drive it for about five years, two hours a day. You could make the same investment in yourself and in your health, and you're going to use it 24 hours a day, possibly for the rest of your life, at least for the next 20 years. You could decide which you'd rather invest in. But you're exactly right. It is.’” (28:40—29:28)
“If a team member is listening to this, a front office team member, a clinician, and they say, ‘I tried that Feel, Felt, Found. I did it one time. It failed terribly. It felt horrible. I'm never going to do it again,’ no! You have to keep trying. You have to try again because the more you do it, the better you're going to get. And you will start to see the change in the relationship and in the conversations you have with your patients. You just have to stick with it, and you have to keep trying.” (30:18—30:45)
“Often, the first objection that someone puts in front of you may not even be their true objection. So, work with open-ended questions as much as you can . . . ‘Do you have any questions?’ That's a closed question. You're not going anywhere with that. But if you ask your patients, your clients, open-ended questions, what I mentioned earlier, I said, ‘Tell me more about your feelings on that,’ or you can ask someone, ‘I sense a little hesitation. What would be helpful in you making this decision?’ So, again, you're creating an open paragraph form for them to fill in the blanks with something other than a yes or a no. And a lot of times, people will lean into, ‘That's a lot of money,’ as their first objection because it’s top of mind. But there's something deeper. So, even if you figure out the finances, if they're still wanting to think about it, the value is not there, or they're afraid of the pain, or they know someone who has done this before. So, you do have to keep asking those open-ended questions to really uncover the true objection.” (32:50—33:57)
“How often do we acknowledge the things that our team is not doing well? And I say this both ways. The team has to acknowledge and celebrate their leaders too, when they see them making change or making progress. As a team, we have to celebrate each other. If you overheard someone use Feel, Felt, Found and make some change with someone, shout them out at huddle the next day, or in the moment. You have to celebrate each other as you're working through these challenging concepts. If it’s just the negative all the time, we’re going to give up. If we can be positive and celebrate each other, that's when everybody really rallies and gets motivated.” (35:29—36:05)
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
2:08 Miranda’s background.
3:10 Why it’s important to reframe objections.
5:15 Identify the true objection and use the “pillow”.
7:47 Train team members to build trust.
11:06 Acknowledge your patients’ thoughts and feelings.
14:04 Use the Feel, Felt, Found method.
18:04 Patient objection example: “I don't want to do X-rays.”
19:38 Create anchors and talking points.
23:06 Patient objection example: “I don't think I really need fluoride.”
26:54 Patient objection example: “I want to go home and think about this.”
28:15 Patient objection example: “It’s too expensive.”
29:35 Keep trying Feel, Felt, Found.
30:47 About Miranda’s course for front office administrators.
32:39 Last thoughts on why objections are a gift.
34:30 Celebrate when you or your team does well.
Miranda Beeson, MS, BSDH Bio:
Miranda Beeson, MS, BSDH, has over 25 years of clinical dental hygiene, front office, practice administration, and speaking experience. She is enthusiastic about communication and loves helping others find the power that words can bring to their patient interactions and practice dynamics. As a Lead Practice Coach, she is driven to create opportunities to find value in experiences and cultivate new approaches.
Miranda graduated from Old Dominion University, and enjoys spending time with her husband, Chuck, and her children, Trent, Mallory, and Cassidy. Family time is the best time, and is often spent on a golf course, a volleyball court, or spending the day boating at the beach.
12 Systems to Prevent Burnout
Episode #544 with Kirk Behrendt & Ariel Juday
At some point, you and your team members will experience burnout. Without great systems in place, you may end up where you don't want to be! To help you prevent burnout in your practice, Kirk Behrendt brings back Ariel Juday, one of ACT’s amazing coaches, to share 12 simple systems you can start implementing today. Planning is the key to preventing burnout! To learn how to get started, listen to Episode 544 of The Best Practices Show!
Episode Resources:
- Ariel’s email: ariel@actdental.com
- Ariel’s social media: @actdental
- Subscribe to the Best Practices Show Podcast
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club
- Join ACT’s Master Class
- See our Live Events Schedule here
- Get the Best Practices Magazine for Free!
- Write a Review on iTunes
Main Takeaways:
Planning is the key to prevent burnout for you and your team.
Create checklists and task lists to streamline the workday.
A spreadsheet of important contacts will save you time.
Review the schedule in advance with team members.
Reassess your goals and values periodically.
Plan your ideal schedule and then protect it.
Use technology to save your energy.
Remove negative communication.
Ask for help when you need it.
Have a plan B in place.
Leave work at work.
Quotes:
“[Burnout starts] when they don't prepare for the growth . . . We see a lot of practices, and they’ve made it so far just based off of their own knowledge, or their people that they have are great team members. But what they don't realize is when you multiply team members or you multiply patients, things get stressful because we’re not doing things necessarily the same way every time, or we don't have a system, or we don't have a checklist. So, then things start getting missed, and then we get overwhelmed.” (4:37—5:12) -Ariel
“A system means that we all know what we’re responsible for, when we’re responsible for it, and how to get it done. So, if we have every team member on board and they know what they're supposed to do, they have their daily tasks, they have their daily systems, then we know exactly where we’re at in the system and we don't go home thinking, ‘Did that get done? Did I miss that lab case? Did I forget to submit that insurance claim?’ Because as soon as we start taking work home with us is when we know we’ve already hit that burnout threshold.” (6:30—7:04) -Ariel
“Create basic checklists and task lists for every position. So, what is your admin team members’ daily checklist? What is your office manager’s daily checklist? What is your assistant and hygiene? Have one for everyone. That way, we know, one, are all of the tasks getting done? And two, are multiple team members doing the same task? Because we can easily divide it in a better, more efficient manner if we know who’s doing what and if it’s going toward that department’s strengths.” (7:19—7:51) -Ariel
“Something everyone can do is make a daily task list for every position so that you know what to do. And then, order it in the importance of the day. So, ‘First thing, I need to do this. By lunch, this needs to be done.’ And then, by the end of the day, I know everything is done so when I go home, I can enjoy time with my friends and family.” (7:55—8:18) -Ariel
“We always joke that team members are waterboarded. They're not really onboarded. They get thrown into these positions. Now, as a dentist, you think everybody gets it. You think you've told them all these times. You have to remember, you're working with human beings, wonderful people, and they're trying to manage these situations. And they don't think like entrepreneurs. They're just trying to do the best they can every single day, so you have to give them the benefit of the doubt.” (8:21—8:47) -Kirk
“You'd be surprised how many people are like, ‘Oh, we just do it.’ I was like, ‘But what do you do? What do they do?’ Or you ask, ‘Well, what does your office manager do on a daily basis?’ You'd be surprised how many dentists can't answer that. ‘Well, she answers the phone. She submits insurance.’ I'm like, ‘For eight hours?’ So, it helps you to know. But I always like it too, to be able to help my team members. So, if someone is really busy, if you're really busy, I don't even have to interrupt you. I can say, ‘Okay. Let me see your checklist.’ I can see where you're at and say, ‘Well, I can help with that,’ and then go do it. So, it also helps with that teamwork of, I know what everyone is doing. I can go and help them when they need it.” (9:16—9:59) -Ariel
“You'd be surprised how many people don't have a checklist because they think it’s common sense. They think we just know it. And even if it is common sense, what about when it gets hectic? You've answered phone call, after phone call, after phone call, and now you have a patient walking in. Now, you have an emergency. We’re human. We forget things. And sometimes, we need that checklist to bring us back into, ‘Okay. Where was I at? What do I need to do?’” (10:00—10:24) -Ariel
“Once you have that checklist in your system, I always tell everyone to have a plan B. So, these are the 100 things we need to do in a day as plan A. But what do you do when you're short-staffed? Have that plan ahead of time so that the team knows, ‘Okay, we’re down a hygienist. These are the 90 tasks that absolutely need to be done. The other 10 are great. But if we don't get to it, we don't get to it. It’s okay.’ If you're down an admin team member, what are the essential tasks that need to be done, and what are the ones that we say, ‘Hey, if these don't get done for the week that she’s on vacation or out sick, we will still survive’? That way, you don't leave it up to the team members to pick and choose what are the important tasks. Because remember, in the moment, we’re not thinking straight. We’re just going with the flow. And sometimes, we fill our days with the easier tasks or the tasks that seem important, but maybe we then forgot a whole week of insurance claims to submit.” (11:47—12:44) -Ariel
“Anything that you're doing manually, use your technology. I had one doctor, we were talking the other day, and he’s like, ‘I spend a half-hour at the end of the day typing my notes.’ I was like, ‘Wait. There are templates. You just push buttons and answer questions. It’s very quick.’ He never thought of, ‘Let the technology work for me.’ If we’re spending a lot of time on inserting patient forms that patients fill out, use the technology. Let them fill out the form digitally, and then we can import it directly into the software. So, anything that can save energy — and I know it’s not hard to enter a medical history, but I don't want to use my mind power on that.” (13:09—13:56) -Ariel
“Have a spreadsheet, internally and externally, of who to go to for what. Because I feel like dentists, all day, are putting out fires and answering questions and, ‘Oh, we need to change a lightbulb. We need to call the plumber.’ But as a team member, I can call the plumber if I know who the plumber is and what his phone number is. But a lot of times, I have to interrupt you to go and ask who that is. So, if we can create a Google spreadsheet or anything in the office that any team member says, ‘Hey, I need to call,’ they can call right then, and it’s not bogging someone else down to have to go find that information.” (15:37—16:12) -Ariel
“Create an ideal schedule and stick to it. And have your team protect it . . . If you don't like to do crowns in the afternoon, you don't have to. You can set up your schedule. I have one client, he said, ‘I don't want to do any exams on Wednesdays.’ I'm like, ‘Well, then why are you doing exams on Wednesdays?’ We have to design the schedule. And you can't make it overnight. You can't all of a sudden say, ‘I don't ever want to do this.’ It takes some planning. But protect it. Find out what makes you happy, what procedures you enjoy, when do you have the most energy, and protect that.” (16:29—17:08) -Ariel
“Pay attention to time zones in which you're best at what you do. When you're younger, you can do a lot. But when you get older, you're like, ‘I can't think in the afternoon.’ And so, you've got to protect your time and get everybody invested in that. Because if I'm working for a dentist and I haven't had this communication about how to organize the schedule, I'm going to put whatever I can find in there. And you're just going to do it because the schedule is the thing we follow service to. Whatever is in the schedule, we’re just going to do. We’ve been trained to do that.” (17:36—18:15) -Kirk
“We’ve been trained to see those seven emergencies that just got put in. And it’s like, hold on. What if we only limit it to three emergencies today, and we did three tomorrow? But it’s going back to, ‘I need to take care of everyone.’ Well, I want to take care of them. But we all know that true emergencies are different than what patients tell us an emergency is. So, have those questions. Are they in pain? Can they eat and sleep? Because some of it, they're fine if they come in tomorrow instead of squeezing them in today. It’s just we put that mindset of, ‘We’ve got to get everyone in. We’ve got to get them in today.’ And it’s like, no. Let's protect our schedule. Because we know when we have a nice flowing day, we all have more energy.” (18:17—19:06) -Ariel
“Do not take any work home with you. I know people have after-hour cellphones. And I only think those are necessary if you're really wanting to interrupt your evening and you're wanting to go in the office. Especially if you're going back in the next morning at 7:00 a.m., is there really anything that's going to happen that the patient can't live? We have to remember, there are emergency rooms and urgent cares for a reason, that they can go and get out of pain, and then see us first thing in the morning. Don't take it home with you.” (19:13—19:48) -Ariel
“Have a plan. Plan out, when are you going to be taking vacations? When are the holidays? A lot of offices are closed on Fridays, or they work every other Friday. If you can plan which Fridays you're off that go right into the long weekends that have Monday holidays, that’s going to give you and your team more time to recuperate. And I always say when you have that plan, I know we always try and squeeze a little bit more in towards the end of the year. But if we know how many days off, or we know what time we’re working extra, we don't get that resentment because we know, ‘I'm working five days this week, but I only have three days next week.’ Mentally, that helps you and your team members prepare.” (20:40—21:28) -Ariel
“Ask for help when someone is too busy. If you normally write up the lab slips but you're really busy, or you have a long procedure to go into, ask your assistant to help. Ask your front desk to help fax in or call in that prescription. Sometimes, we think, ‘Oh, this is my task, so I have to do it 100% of the time.’ But our team members are happy to help. They just need to know what to help with. So, don't be ashamed to have to ask, or delegate tasks and say, ‘Hey, for today, can you make sure this gets done?’ And I guarantee you, they’ll be happy to do it.” (23:07—23:48) -Ariel
“Go back to your values. Really look at, what do I enjoy? What are my values? What is success? Because I think we start getting in, and we start out practicing, and ten years later, we don't necessarily have the same idea of what kind of practice we want to have. So, you have to reassess and make sure, am I following the vision I have? How do I want to feel? What do I need to accomplish that feeling? What's my vision? That's going to help you assess your goals and make sure that you're on the right track. Because sometimes, we don't even know what our goals are or what our vision is, and we let the day-to-day take it over.” (24:29—25:14) -Ariel
“Sometimes, producing more is not going to give you what you want.” (26:45—26:49) -Kirk
“Be prepared. A lot of team members are not reviewing the schedule, and they're being very reactive instead of proactive. Because in the day, the schedule is, and we’re just taking care of the schedule. But if I review it ahead of time, I know where there are times that it’s going to get a little hairy.” (27:39—27:59) -Ariel
“If you're not having a huddle, definitely start having a huddle. This helps you plan out that day and review the schedule. And not too far in advance, because we know the schedule changes. But at least one to two days in advance so that you can make that plan.” (28:41—28:55) -Ariel
“Remove the negative communication, either with yourself or with your team. I always put it back to stay in the bubble. So, if we only talk about things that we can control, that's in the bubble. I can control my attitude. I can control the schedule, for the most part. But I can't control the weather. I can't control politics. I can't control the traffic outside. I don't even allow that communication to come in from team members, from patients. I never ask, ‘How was your drive here?’ because I'm opening up a can of worms if it was terrible. So, only talk about the positive things, and don't let our team members go in that negative circle.” (30:58—31:41) -Ariel
“You work hard every day. None of you ever signed up for how physically and emotionally demanding dentistry was going to be. And it’s an amazing profession. But without countermeasures, without systems, this great profession can take you in a direction you don't want to go.” (33:06—33:21) -Kirk
“Do it early. If you're saying, ‘I don't need it,’ everyone hits burnout at some point. So, get prepared and think about it now before you get to the moment, because we don't make good decisions when we’re tired.” (33:32—33:45) -Ariel
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
1:46 Ariel’s background.
2:46 Why preventing burnout is important.
4:12 How burnout begins.
5:53 Systems can help prevent burnout.
7:06 Create basic checklists and task lists for every position.
11:39 Have a plan B.
13:03 Use available technology.
15:19 Have a spreadsheet for important contacts.
16:24 Create an ideal schedule and stick to it.
19:08 Don't take work home with you.
20:37 Have a plan for vacations and days off.
23:02 Ask for help when you're too busy.
24:23 Reassess your vision, goals, and values.
27:34 Be prepared by reviewing your schedule in advance.
30:50 Remove the negative communication.
32:57 Last thoughts on burnout.
Ariel Juday Bio:
Ariel has a master’s in healthcare administration and several years of dental experience in all aspects of the administrative roles within the dental office. Her passion is to work with dental teams to empower team members to realize their full potential in order to better serve patients, improve office systems to ensure a well-functioning team/office, and to help everyone have fun in the process!
Outside of work, she can be found by the beach or the pool reading a good book, enjoying sporting events with her husband, Alex, or exploring the outdoors with her Bluetick Coonhound, Maddux.
The Truth About Being a Dental Entrepreneur
Episode #543 with Dr. Barrett Straub, Dr. Timothy Baggott, & Dr. Ashley Berghuis
If you do great dentistry, the rest will take care of itself. That’s what dental school tells you, but there's one problem: “the rest” doesn't just take care of itself. There is much more to being a successful practice owner. To fill in those gaps and provide guidance, Kirk Behrendt and Dr. Barrett Straub brings in Dr. Timothy Baggott and Dr. Ashley Berghuis to talk about ACT’s Dental Entrepreneur Program and how it helped them become better leaders, better entrepreneurs, and have a better life. To learn more about DEP and the things dental school didn't teach you, listen to Episode 543 of The Best Practices Show!
Episode Resources:
- Dr. Straub’s email: barrett@actdental.com
- Dr. Straub’s Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/barrett.d.straub
- Dr. Straub’s social media: @bstraub10
- Dr. Baggott’s email: TCBaggottDDS@gmail.com
- Dr. Berghuis’s email: aberghuis@racinedentalgroup.com
- Subscribe to theBest Practices Show Podcast
- Join ACT’sTo The Top Study Club
- Join ACT’sMaster Class
- See ourLive Events Schedule here
- Get theBest Practices Magazine for Free!
- Write aReview on iTunes
Links Mentioned in This Episode:
Margin by Dr. Richard A. Swenson:https://bookshop.org/p/books/margin-restoring-emotional-physical-financial-and-time-reserves-to-overloaded-lives-richard-swenson/6893728?ean=9781576836828
The Energy Bus by Jon Gordon:https://jongordon.com/books/theenergybus
ACT’s Dental Entrepreneur Program:https://www.actdental.com/dental-entrepreneur-program
Main Takeaways:
Most dentists graduate with high clinical skills, but low business skills.
Doing amazing clinical dentistry is the easy part of your practice.
Owning your own practice will put you in control of your life.
Cultivate an environment that you and your team will love.
Start by making one small improvement every day.
Learning doesn't stop if you want to succeed.
Quotes:
“The important piece of being a dentist is you have a life too. A lot of times when you get into dental conversations, it’s all about, ‘Oh, yeah. The practice, and the production, and another day.’ A big reason you became a dentist is to have a life. And we also understand that they compete. They compete for resources, energy, and time.” (4:28—4:49) -Kirk
“The first seven, eight, ten years of my career — you're so fixated on developing your dental skills. As you forge the clinician you want to be, and as the business becomes a more consuming part of the equation, you realize all those skills, that's kind of the easy part, and this other stuff that you didn't go to school for and that you're figuring out on a daily basis is a whole new bag of challenges.” (6:11—6:40) -Dr. Baggott
“As I've gotten more secure or more confident, I've honed in more on the little things and realized there is no magic bullet to suddenly take your practice to these million-dollar projections that you hear people talk about. It’s really just . . . tweaking things on a daily basis. Turn this knob a little bit here, turn this knob a little bit here. And it’s not as overwhelming for me and for the staff if we can, every day, leave the office a little bit better than we left it.” (7:12—7:45) -Dr. Baggott
“In dental school, they teach you how to be a good clinician. You get out of school, and your first couple of years out, the wheels are turning, you're doing great with your skills, and you're honing those in, trying to get faster and more efficient. But you don't know how to manage your staff. All the numbers, and being an entrepreneur, being a business owner, you don't learn that stuff in school. They dabble in it a little bit, but you really don't get a whole lot of that in school.” (8:13—8:41) -Dr. Berghuis
“I think after that five-year hump is when you start to realize, okay, you have the skills. Now, it’s making sure that your staff is on the same page with those core values and making sure your practice has the value that you want it to and it’s what you want it to be.” (8:47—9:05) -Dr. Berghuis
“I think we’re people pleasers as dentists, to a fault. And so, we want our staff to be happy. We want our patients to be happy. And if we feel like somebody isn't, I think that's what keeps us up at night too, other than the business part.” (9:32—9:45) -Dr. Berghuis
“Dentistry is lonely. I always say dentistry is lonely. Leadership is lonely. And dentistry, especially, can be lonely because we didn't learn a lot of this in dental school. And every dental school, probably in the world but certainly in America, we get this advice: just do great dentistry, and the rest will take care of itself. I think it’s some of the worst advice I've ever gotten.” (10:15—10:38) -Dr. Straub
“It’s true, you always want to do the best clinical dentistry. But there are world-quality, amazing clinical dentists out there that are running horribly failing practices because they are living by that, doing amazing clinical dentistry. Their patients don't know it, their team doesn't know it, their books are a mess, and they have the bedside manner of a table and can't talk to someone — and they're still doing great clinical dentistry. But that's only part of it. We have to do that. That's a minimal requirement. But there's so much more. We've got to be good businesspeople, we’ve got to be likable, we have to learn how to communicate with people, and we’ve got to be good leaders.” (10:38—11:16) -Dr. Straub
“It’s hard sometimes because the world is sharing stories with us and there's competing information coming at us. We’re reading different dental magazines and listening to different podcasts, and when we’re there alone, we’re thinking, ‘Gosh, I've got to produce $3 million. Everyone’s got 15 hygienists or eight practice locations. I should do that too.’ And for some people, that is the right path. But for some, it’s not. And that's the beauty of dentistry. But it’s hard sometimes to wade through the noise and find your true one path that's right for all of us and go down that road.” (11:17—11:54) -Dr. Straub
“I think that's the biggest challenge that I face, and all of us, is getting to that hump where it’s like, okay, I have this self-confidence. I've been around long enough. I see where I want to go, and I'm going to put on earmuffs for some of this noise, and I'm going to listen only to the advice and the people and the things that share my core values and are going to get [me] closer to that final goal.” (11:54—12:19) -Dr. Straub
“What I find the most rewarding is not when I have a good day, it’s when my entire staff — especially watching my associates — have a good day. They're newer grads. They’ve been out of school a couple of years. So, watching them grow, watching them have success, honestly, is more rewarding for me, at this point.” (16:05—16:23) -Dr. Baggott
“Most dentists do want to live that American dream of leading their own practice. It’s difficult in the beginning, obviously, and I think that scares a lot of young dentists away because, financially, they didn't get a lot of information in school on how to do those things. But I think going through the trenches in the beginning, you're going to reap the rewards later.” (19:52—20:11) -Dr. Berghuis
“I worked the corporate life for a while a couple of years out of school. And there are pros when you're just out of school because you can just focus on the dentistry. But if you don't have the personality to be an employee, which I do not, it’s tough to stay in that position for a long period of time.” (20:16—20:33) -Dr. Berghuis
“As an entrepreneur, I think of, ‘Hey, if I solve one problem, and then I solve another, I get to make a buck. And if I solve a few more problems, I get to make another buck.’ And eventually, you solve enough problems, you can make a living. And that's kind of how I feel. And I don't say that to scare people away from ownership. I've come to embrace it. When you take that mentality, it makes it easier to fight through the suction pump that keeps struggling. If something breaks, can you fix it? There's going to be an endless amount of problems that you can solve, and you’ve got to look them in the face, and smile, and take them one at a time, write them on a Post-it note, and then start throwing them away.” (22:24—23:07) -Dr. Baggott
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
0:54 Dr. Berghuis’s background.
2:33 Dr. Baggott’s background.
4:51 Dr. Straub’s background.
5:56 The reality of being an entrepreneur and a dentist.
6:42 Things that keep dentists up at night.
10:13 Dentistry and leadership is lonely.
12:20 One-year goals for a better life.
18:22 Associateship or ownership?
20:33 The path to ownership.
24:36 About ACT’s Dental Entrepreneur Program.
28:25 Leave the campsite better than you found it.
Dr. Barrett Straub Bio:
Dr. Barrett Straub practices general and sedation dentistry in Port Washington, Wisconsin. He has worked hard to develop his practice into a top-performing, fee-for-service practice that focuses on improving the lives of patients through dentistry.
A graduate of Marquette Dental School, Dr. Straub’s advanced training and CE includes work at the Spear Institute, LVI, DOCS, and as a member of the Milwaukee Study Club. He is a past member of the Wisconsin Dental Association Board of Trustees and was awarded the Marquette Dental School 2017 Young Alumnus of the Year. As a former ACT coaching client that experienced first-hand the transformation that coaching can provide, he is passionate about helping other dentists create the practice they’ve always wanted.
Dr. Straub loves to hunt, golf, and spend winter on the ice, curling. He is married to Katie, with two daughters, Abby and Elizabeth.
Dr. Timothy Baggott Bio:
Dr. Timothy Baggott has lived in the Greater Milwaukee area his entire life. After completing his undergraduate studies at Marquette University as a Pre-Dental Scholar, Dr. Baggott graduated Cum Laude from Marquette University School of Dentistry in 2010. Upon graduation, he began a private practice in Greenfield, sharing a location with his father, Dr. William Baggott. In 2013, Dr. Baggott returned to MUSOD as an Adjunct Professor. In 2018, Dr. Baggott took over the downtown dental practice of Dr. Paul Smaglick. He has served on the Board of Directors for the Greater Milwaukee Dental Association, as well as a delegate for the Milwaukee Region for the Wisconsin Dental Association House of Delegates.
Outside the office, Dr. Baggott enjoys spending time with his wife, Laura, and three kids, Ken, Andrew, and Evelyn.
Dr. Ashley Berghuis Bio:
Dr. Ashley Berghuis grew up in southwest Michigan, more specifically Gull Lake, and completed her undergraduate studies at Western Michigan University. She moved to southeast Wisconsin after undergrad to complete her dental education at Marquette University, where she graduated Cum Laude and fell in love with the cheese-head state.
Dr. Berghuis finds it important to give back to her community and the dental field through volunteering. She has been involved with Give Kids a Smile Day, Mission of Mercy, and many school oral health programs in the area.
Outside of dentistry, she is an avid football fan who enjoys hiking, traveling, yoga, spending time with family, friends, and her rescue Black Lab mix, Riley
Without Value There is Only Price
Episode #542 with Miranda Beeson
Dentistry is sales that's done with your ears. You need to listen more, talk less, and still build value. It sounds challenging, but anyone can do it with a few simple steps. To help you get started, Kirk Behrendt brings back Miranda Beeson, one of ACT’s amazing coaches, with advice for creating value with your words and actions. Price isn't always the problem! To learn the system for communicating value, listen to Episode 542 of The Best Practices Show!
Episode Resources:
- Miranda’s email: mirandabeesonicc@gmail.com
- Miranda’s social media: @actdental
- Subscribe to the Best Practices Show Podcast
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club
- Join ACT’s Master Class
- See our Live Events Schedule here
- Get the Best Practices Magazine for Free!
- Write a Review on iTunes
Links Mentioned in This Episode:
Healthy Heart, Healthy Brain by Dr. Bradley Bale and Amy Doneen: https://bookshop.org/p/books/healthy-heart-healthy-brain-the-personalized-path-to-protect-your-memory-prevent-heart-attacks-and-strokes-and-avoid-chronic-illness-bradley-bale/18640747?ean=9780316705554
Beat the Heart Attack Gene by Dr. Bradley Bale and Amy Doneen: https://bookshop.org/p/books/beat-the-heart-attack-gene-the-revolutionary-plan-to-prevent-heart-disease-stroke-and-diabetes-bradley-bale/16685772
Main Takeaways:
Help your team understand the value of what you do.
Standardize your messaging among your team.
Objections are a gift and an opportunity.
Always apply the “so that” concept.
Utilize the power of the pause.
Listen more and talk less.
Quotes:
“When you take the price off the table and you look at, ‘Did we build the value we needed to build from the phone call, in the back, throughout the whole process?’ then price isn't really the problem anymore. So, then we can look at, ‘Is there still an objection? And if so, how can we take care of that?’ because it’s not price if we've built value.” (3:34—3:51) -Miranda
“Dentistry is sales. Whether we want to call it sales or not, it is sales in its own way. And so, there's a buying cycle. It starts with that awareness that the patient has at home. And then, that first transition into consideration is when they call us. So, the first opportunity we have to start building value with a patient is when we say hello on the phone. And then, where do we take it from there? So, it’s probably the most important piece of where we start building value. Are we affirming the patient calling us, and are we validating that we’re the right fit, and having a really relational conversation with that patient on the phone versus just your transactional, ‘What's your insurance? Give me your phone number. When can you come in?’” (4:44—5:26) -Miranda
“It’s all about the way that [value is] shared through the words. You have to be really intentional with that in building that value. We talk all the time about right person, right seat. You have to make sure that the person that's answering the phone can deliver this level of value to your team. I want someone to walk in the door, and when they walk in, if I'm that person who answered the phone, I want them to feel like they're greeting a friend. They were looking forward to coming in to seeing me. And if they share with me something on the phone that's important to them or valuable to them, I need to hear that. I need to bank it. And then, I need to turn that back around and let them know, ‘You have chosen the right place. This is how other patients with similar experiences have benefited here.’ Give them a testimonial. Do that social proofing. Let them know, ‘You're not the only one, and we’re here for you.’ It is all about the words.” (7:20—8:11) -Miranda
“Money spent on dentistry is one of the best investments a human being can make. I think you've got to start there. So, when you're working the front desk, or you're working chairside, or you're working hygiene, or you're a dentist, you've got to believe that what you do is crazy valuable. That's the first place to start. If you think you're overcharging people, nobody wants dentistry, then nothing we’re going to say in this podcast is going to help you.” (9:27—9:47) -Kirk
“Another great thing that I think works really well to help team members, especially if they're new to your team, maybe they worked at another office, or maybe they came from veterinary world or something of that nature, help them to understand the value of what you do. Share patient experiences. Maybe present a case to your team at a team meeting, all the way from how that patient felt, what their confidence level was before they came in, what were they looking to achieve, and then what did they get to through the dentistry. Because the dentistry and the quality of that is incredibly important, but how did you impact that person’s life with that dentistry, their health, their family, their appearance, their confidence, whatever it may have been, because that's where the value really comes from.” (10:25—11:09) -Miranda
“It’s hard for team members who look at a large treatment case and they say, ‘Gosh, it would be hard for me to approach that treatment case and take care of that investment,’ and they start to relate to the patient, and they start to pass some of that bias on when they're delivering or talking about the care. But if they can truly see and understand, they're not in that hopeless place that the patient is in. If they can see that case study, if you can share with them, ‘This is how we’re able to help people here,’ the value is going to build within your team members, and it will exude from them naturally once they fully understand what you're capable of doing in the office.” (11:10—11:45) -Miranda
“So many patients walk through the door obviously nervous. That's probably one of the biggest things. People have a fear or nervousness, or they may have a conditioned bias, ‘I know they're just going to try to sell me X-rays. I know they're just going to try to sell me that fluoride.’ So, if you can lead with why, and that's really what “so that” provides you. If your mind is conditioned to lead with “so that” every single time, ‘So that we can see the areas of your mouth that we can't see just by looking with our eyes to make sure they're healthy, we'd like to update your radiographs today so that we can protect those exposed root surfaces. And I know you shared with me you have some sensitivity. We'd love to help you with that. We'd like to apply fluoride varnish for you.’ That can apply in any aspect. It can apply with a crown. It can apply with their treatment plan itself, ‘So that we can make sure we don't have any unexpected surprises throughout this process, I'd like to really look at this plan with you and make sure you understand where your investment is going.’ So, it takes that, and it flips everything around to where the patient’s brain is moving forward with you. And then, you can put out the information versus them objecting as soon as they hear you say, ‘You're due for X-rays today.’” (12:33—13:40) -Miranda
“You would be in the hygiene chair and working with a patient, and you feel like they're on board. And then, they leave, and you'd see they didn't schedule. And then, you'd go talk to your business team coordinator, your treatment coordinator, and they'd say, ‘Oh, they were a little overwhelmed with how much it was. They weren't ready to invest.’ And you're like, ‘What? They were so ready in the back.’ So, part of it is developing the value in the back using — co-discovery is a word that gets used a lot in dentistry now, but it’s very helpful.” (14:35—15:00) -Miranda
“The biggest thing is creating the space when you're in the clinical world for the patient to share with you what they're thinking and feeling about what you're seeing, for them to drive that conversation and let you know, are they motivated, do they have questions. I love, as a hygienist, to have a photo up, ‘Oh, I need to get myself ready over here. I'm going to grab some things,’ and you leave it in front of the patient. It’s that large molar with the cracked, old amalgam and all the things going on that you know is really best served with a crown. But they're going to hear crown, and they're going to think dollar signs. So, if you could have that image up, allow the space for them to say, ‘Is that my tooth?’ and if you can say, ‘Actually, it is. What are your thoughts on that?’ and then open the door for them to start telling you what they see and how they feel, you'll be surprised how you can extend that conversation.” (15:03—16:00) -Miranda
“You have to not just share what we need to do next when you get up front, but why. ‘Why does it matter? What's in it for me?’ is all the patient wants to know. So, it’s just as important to say what we did today, what we’re doing next time, why are we doing that next time, and how is it going to benefit Mrs. Jones.” (16:23—16:42) -Miranda
“I heard one of my mentors say you're going to sell more dentistry with your ears than your mouth.” (16:48—16:52) -Kirk
“Talk less and listen more. If you're doing most of the talking during your OHI, during your co-discovery, you're doing it wrong. It really should be, ask a question, open the space for the patient, and then have them talk as much as possible because they're going to give you their motivators. They're going to give you their values. And then, they’ll let you know if they have a desire for this, if they feel like they have a need for this.” (17:26—17:51) -Miranda
“It’s not about us just dumping our agenda and information on our patients. And some of that is time. We get a little crunched in and we kind of revert to that. But it’s more about opening that communication and letting the patient out there know, ‘Yes, I'm with you.’ For us to say you should, you need, you would, some patients will resist even more because, ‘You're not going to tell me what to do.’ So, you have to be really careful and work with the person. It’s a person in the chair. It’s not just a set of teeth.” (18:26—18:57) -Miranda
“There are extremes on both sides, if you look at the worst of it. The worst of it could be that they are too agenda-driven, too price-driven. They're just trying to build profit and not really looking at the bigger picture. And I think you can have the worst-case scenario be on the exact opposite end of that too where they're too empathetic and biased and they're not putting enough value on their work. They're doing a lot of “gimmes” or, ‘We’re just going to patch that up for now because I know it’s going to be expensive.’ And they're trying to be nice. But nice isn't always being nice because it may not be what’s most appropriate, or at least even giving the patient the option to decide.” (19:20—20:01) -Miranda
“The best-case scenario is when a dentist really values and has confidence in what they're doing. They’ve invested in their education and their skills and their equipment and their team, and they also care very deeply, not only about that person but about the outcome that they're delivering.” (20:08—20:26) -Miranda
“In a dental office, it’s always a team thing. There are no individual players. Every single person and every single department works together like a cog in a wheel. It’s the inner workings of a watch. There's that center spoke, but every piece that revolves around it is important. So, if you're a dentist who’s 32 and trying to figure all this out, and the main objection that keeps coming up of why people aren't accepting is it’s just too expensive, I think the whole team needs to work together on, ‘How do we orchestrate and collaborate our conversations so that we’re speaking the same message, so that we’re standardized in how we care about people? What is our philosophy? What are our core values? Are we implementing those and living them every single day?’ working together departmentally and as a whole to make sure that if Jane, our hygienist, is going to build value in a certain way, then when Joey up front helps take care of that, they're good to go.” (20:56—22:00) -Miranda
“One thing I hear dentists say often when we work in coaching, you'll hear every now and then, ‘I have someone that when I overhear what they're saying, I'm kind of like, oh, I probably wouldn't have said it like that.’ It’s like, ‘Have you shared that with your team? Have you shared how you would like information to be communicated with patients in the office?’ It’s something that you have to create a system around.” (24:37—25:01) -Miranda
“If you're in the front office and you're getting stuck on price with a patient, more than likely, the value wasn't there. So, a quick, easy question is, ‘I can hear where you're coming from. Most of our patients who still want to think about it share with us that maybe there's more clinical information you'd like to know about this procedure before moving forward. Would you like to have an opportunity to speak with your hygienist about this a little bit further, or speak with the doctor about this a little bit further?’ because they may be afraid to open up to you that they really just didn't understand what or why they need it. So, give them that. Give them that opening to share that true objection. And a lot of times, it’s not actually the cost. There's something else around it. So, open that up. Is it something clinical, or is it truly financial? Because I can help you with both while you're here. You don't have to go home to think about it.” (27:02—27:53) -Miranda
“Lean into photography, whether it be extraoral or intraoral. And then, create that space [for patients to share their thoughts], the power of the pause. Actually, count in your head. Give it five seconds after you pull it up and ask them, ‘Tell me what you think about this picture,’ and then stop. Don't close that silence. It’s going to feel a little awkward, but just live in it for a minute. Count in your mind, and they will fill that silence with some very valuable information that's going to help you help them.” (27:59—28:28) -Miranda
“Objections are a gift. They're a gift and an opportunity for you to build that value and figure out, where is that little missing piece of value, and how can we help this patient to get there?” (30:46—30:56) -Miranda
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
1:49 Miranda’s background.
2:47 Where this idea originated.
3:55 It starts at “Hello.”
5:25 Show patients value through your words.
9:16 Believe that what you do is valuable.
10:22 Help your team value what you do.
11:54 Apply the “so that” concept when you communicate.
14:15 Create space for patients to think and share their thoughts.
16:42 Sell dentistry with your ears.
18:57 Without value, there is only price.
20:27 Collaborate on conversations with patients.
22:41 Standardize your messaging.
26:34 Give patients an opening to share their objections.
28:42 Objections are a gift.
31:08 Last thoughts.
Miranda Beeson, MS, BSDH Bio:
Miranda Beeson, MS, BSDH, has over 25 years of clinical dental hygiene, front office, practice administration, and speaking experience. She is enthusiastic about communication and loves helping others find the power that words can bring to their patient interactions and practice dynamics. As a Lead Practice Coach, she is driven to create opportunities to find value in experiences and cultivate new approaches.
Miranda graduated from Old Dominion University, and enjoys spending time with her husband, Chuck, and her children, Trent, Mallory, and Cassidy. Family time is the best time, and is often spent on a golf course, a volleyball court, or spending the day boating at the beach.
Clicking & Popping in Your Practice
Episode #541 with Dr. Jim McKee
There's a quick way to build your practice — and no one wants to do it! Millions of patients have occlusal disease, and you can help them by adding joint and occlusion diagnosis to your practice. To help you become more confident in this space, Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. Jim McKee from Spear Education with advice for rethinking occlusion and understanding its value. Don't shy away from occlusion — embrace it! To learn how, and to learn more about Dr. McKee’s Advanced Occlusion workshop at Spear, listen to Episode 541 of The Best Practices Show!
Episode Resources:
- Dr. McKee’s Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jim.mckee.104
- Dr. McKee’s social media: @jim.mckee.104
- Subscribe to the Best Practices Show Podcast
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club
- Join ACT’s Master Class
- See our Live Events Schedule here
- Get the Best Practices Magazine for Free!
- Write a Review on iTunes
Links Mentioned in This Episode:
Spear Education: https://www.speareducation.com
Dr. Gary DeWood and Dr. Jim McKee’s upcoming Advanced Occlusion workshop: https://campus.speareducation.com/workshops/advanced-occlusion/details/schedule
Chicago Study Club: https://chicagostudyclub.com
American Equilibration Society: https://aes.clubexpress.com
Main Takeaways:
It is more important now than ever to understand joints and occlusion.
Occlusion and joint diagnosis is the fastest way to build your practice.
Embrace joints and occlusion rather than being intimidated by it.
Recommend treatment to patients who are ready to hear it.
Not all clicking and popping is the same.
Learn to redefine occlusion.
Quotes:
“[I] got out of school after four or five years and didn't really understand occlusion. I saw a lot of cases that intimidated me. I started to pull away from recommending treatment planning on more complex cases because I really didn't understand how the teeth should fit together. But what I really didn't understand is when someone came in with a clicking joint or a popping joint, what that meant to me. So, I did what most of us are taught to do. I ignored it.” (2:30—2:57)
“My journey in this whole area of occlusion started out as most people do, from a pain-based perspective, because if a clicking joint didn't hurt, I basically ignored it. And sometimes, that's the right thing to do. But what I've learned over the years is every clicking joint is not the same.” (3:12—3:33)
“A clicking joint is basically a structurally altered joint. And part of the problem is, as dentists, we’re taught about occlusion in terms of how the teeth fit together. And while that's an important part of it, the reality is, occlusion today should be defined, I think, as how the lower jaw fits to the upper jaw. So, it’s not only how the teeth fit together, but it’s also how the right joint fits against the right joint socket with the disc in between, and the left joint fitting in the left joint socket with the disc in between. So, where I used to think of occlusion as primarily how the teeth fit, now, I'm thinking of it basically as a tripod and how do the three legs fit together. What I've learned over the years is that, many times, we have problems at the back end of the system because we have some type of structural alteration of the joint. And I didn't understand that in the early years. I was focused just on the teeth.” (3:40—4:43)
“When dentists really understand occlusion, what happens is we see how many patients occlusion touches in our practice. So, if a patient is going to come to you, let's say for an out-of-network service, it could be implants, it could be airway, it could be holistic dentistry, it could be esthetics — it could be any of those — I will tell you that most of the time, occlusion or joint diagnosis is the easiest way to build a practice because, quite frankly, no one wants to do it.” (6:47—7:23)
“I would really encourage dentists, especially young dentists, if you're looking to build a practice where patients are going to come to you for a specific reason and not necessarily because of the insurance company that you're affiliated with, if you can learn how to diagnose joints and understand occlusion, I know it’s the fastest way to do it because no one else wants to do it. That's the reality.” (7:59—8:25)
“Today, with especially the popularity that airway has, you have to know joints if you're going to do airway. Really, so many of the problems that we see with airway are at the maxillary level, and there's some constriction of the nasal complex so we don't have adequate breathing. We have a lot of collapsed pharyngeal airway space as well. And a lot of times, that's related to the joint. So, in order to treat airway today, I think you have to be an expert in occlusion as well because, so many times, those patients have both of those problems going on. So, I really think today, occlusion is the foundation for so many things that we do on a day-to-day practice. Regardless of the complexity of the case, occlusion touches everything.” (9:12—10:07)
“When I look back at my career, if I was a 30-year-old dentist and I had a 30-year-old new patient come in, a lot of those patients had large amalgams or were going to need crowns over the course of the next 25 years. So, a lot of my early production revenue was generated through doing crown work on old fillings. If I'm a 30-year-old new dentist today and a 30-year-old new patient comes in, they don't have that type of future restorative work that's going to be necessary to replace those composites or whatever would be filling the tooth today. I think, today, what you're going to see is a lot of those patients have had orthodontics that maybe now has relapsed and hasn’t been stable because there has been an occlusal component that wasn't recognized. So, today, I think as a practicing dentist, it becomes more important than ever to understand occlusion, especially to understand the joints.” (10:18—11:18)
“When we talk about occlusion and joints, it’s a ball-and-socket joint. The top of the lower jaw fits into the base of the skull, and muscles contract to open and close the jaw. So, if it’s a ball-and-socket joint, we don't want the ball or the condyle to grind against the base of the skull with a joint socket. So, we’ve got a disc in there that attaches like a bucket handle, and the disc has attachments on the outside lateral pole, inside medial pole. And if those attachments tear, that's how we start to click or pop.” (11:21—11:55)
“We've made joints way too complicated. Part of it is because we never saw them. Everything that we saw and our knowledge about jaw joints was basically an artist’s drawing based upon what a dentist told them they thought it looked like. When we started to image, back when imaging came out 30 years ago, we realized, ‘Mm, that's not really an accurate representation of what we’re seeing anatomically.’ Many times, the structural breakdown was far greater than the drawings in the textbooks. And that's why occlusion became an unpredictable discipline in dentistry.” (11:58—12:35)
“If we can understand the structural changes at the joint level, the discussion becomes so much easier. So, basically, structural alterations generally start at the soft tissue level. If you've got hard tissue bone and soft tissue disc, we generally don't see bone issues if the disc is protecting the bone. So, the tipping point or the first domino that has to fall is a ligament tear. And that can be a ligament tear at the outside, the lateral pole, which would be a partially displaced disc. If we were looking at the literature, it'd be called the displaced disc with reduction, which means we get back under the disc when we open. But I'm going to add a qualifier. I'm going to say at the lateral pole.” (12:37—13:22)
“The other type of disc displacement we have is if the ligament tears at the medial pole. Easy enough to think about. Partial disc displacement of the lateral, complete disc displacement at the lateral and the medial pole. So, that's the first part to think about, is it a partial disc displacement or a complete disc displacement? Now, the reason why that's important is because if we look at the joint socket, we talked about bite forces. And when we bite down, we have a lot of muscle force that we can generate when we bite down. The muscles are positioned between the teeth and the joints. Forces are going to be distributed between the teeth and the joints. At the tooth level, what we try and do is to make sure that every tooth touches with the same amount of force. We don't want to overload one, two teeth. They break, they wear, they loosen. So, basically, we’re trying to get an even bite to distribute to all the bite forces through the roots of the teeth and into the bone.” (13:23—14:24)
“Generally, what we’re seeing is we’re seeing injuries at the joint level earlier than we ever thought. When you really think about the jaw joint, it’s an orthopedic joint. The problem is, orthopedic physicians don't look at this. There's not an orthopedic physician that I know that thinks that this jaw joint is an orthopedic joint. So, now, it falls to the dental world where normally it would fall to the oral surgery profession, their specialty. Oral surgeons are plenty busy taking wisdom teeth out, doing orthognathic surgery, placing implants. So, from a patient’s perspective, it’s an area that's kind of fallen through the cracks in terms of trying to get diagnosis and treatment.” (16:39—17:23)
“If you can be the dentist in your community who can recognize these problems and give people answers, they will beat a path to your door. And that's exactly what happens in clinical practice. It really is.” (17:25—17:38)
“When we talk about managing occlusion, I think people are living longer. People are also getting injured earlier. If I look back, when my mom was younger, she didn't drive until she was 30. She wasn't playing travel soccer, travel basketball, getting elbowed in the jaw. She wasn't having the amount of facial injuries, trauma, whatever you want to call it, to growing patients, especially females, who are in a subset of patients who are least able to adapt to an injury to the joint. Females tend to have a more lax ligament system to account for childbirth. And what happens is, especially today in growing patients, we see more joint injuries than we used to.” (17:39—18:23)
“The easiest thing to think about clicking and popping, number one, is it a partially herniated disc or a completely herniated disc? Because if it’s clicking and popping, it’s herniated. Now, I'll give you a tiny exception that's an outlier just so we have a little bit of context here. You can also get a click or pop if you open really wide and maybe open past the eminence. You might get an opening click at 40, at 42, at 45 millimeters. But that's exceedingly rare. That's probably one to two percent of the cases. Most of the cases, if a patient comes in with a click or a pop, the question is, is the ligament torn at the lateral pole, or is it torn at the lateral pole and the medial pole? If it’s the 60-year-old patient who has been clicking for 30 years and never had a problem, I'm thinking it’s probably a partially herniated disc. Because discs that are completely herniated, generally, if they have problems — because they all don't. Some will adapt. But the problems generally are in that population. If they do have problems, they generally present in one of two ways. Something hurts, which is a low distribution issue, because the soft tissue isn't present and now the bone is grinding against the joint socket, or something doesn't fit, which is namely the teeth because we've lost the gasket and now we have a bite that doesn't fit together because we don't have stability at the back end of the system. And as that changes, now the front teeth don't fit together either.” (21:41—23:29)
“In terms of clicks or pops, number one, is it a partially herniated disc or a completely herniated disc? Number two, does it present as something is hurting or something is not fitting? Now, one of the things you have to do as a dentist when you're checking whether it fits or not, we can have the patient close down and see how the teeth come together and look at it that way. What we also should do, though, is not only check from a dental position but also check from a skeletal position. So, if we can seat the joints in the socket, whether you use bimanual like Pete Dawson talked about, whether you use a leaf gauge like Frank Spear talks about, whether you use an anterior deprogrammer like John Kois talks about, what we want to do is to position the condyle skeletally, and then look at the bite. And here’s the take-home: if the bite is uncoupled greater than the thickness of the disc, let's call it two millimeters, then the likelihood increases that we’ve lost the gasket at the back end of the system. That's the easiest way to think about it.” (23:30—24:40)
“[There is] an old tool that Mark Piper called reading the bite. Basically, what you're doing is you're looking at the anterior tooth relationship in a skeletal position. And really, what you're doing is you're now comparing that space to the thickness of the disc. It’s an easy clinical skill to look at. I think, honestly, it’s probably the easiest clinical screening tool that we have, along with understanding the history.” (24:41—25:06)
“I used to present treatment plans or discussions like this before the patient had enough information to make a good decision. What I have changed is I have frontloaded my educational discussion with the patient earlier in the appointment than I ever did in the past. So, generally, this discussion starts by taking a history. If they say they click, if they said they had ortho because they had a large overbite, if they say they had ortho with headgear, I know right off the bat that, likely, there was a joint-based problem. So, if they're coming in specifically for a joint-based issue, I'm going to educate them early so that by the time we get to the end of the clinical exam, all that's doing is verifying what we talked about initially before we even looked in their mouth, based upon what I learned from their history.” (27:31—28:26)
“I learned this at the Pankey Institute, that if I could build a patient base of patients who valued the type of dentistry I was offering, it was more likely that they would say yes to treatment, or that we would do treatment, but we may have to phase it. My mistake early on is that I was presenting treatment plans to patients who weren't ready to hear it. They didn't value it, so the first question that came out of their mouth is, ‘How much does insurance cover?’ And a lot of the stuff I was doing wasn't covered by insurance, so I had a lot of noes.” (30:03—30:39)
“In terms of implementing, my best advice to a young dentist is take a morning a week and make that your comprehensive dentistry day, whatever you want to call it. And I'm talking about joints and occlusion. But really, what I think the practice of the future is going to be is the diagnostic practice. You're not going to have, as I said before, as much restorative dentistry to do as we've had in the past simply because people are taking better care of their teeth and we have better materials. So, I think what you are going to have is a diagnostic practice that might be joint-based, that might be occlusion-based, that might be airway-based, that might be orthodontically based. It could be anything like that. But what we have to do, I think, is become diagnosticians. Because so many times, the patients who I have seen who have problems have not had treatment plans that have been developed with a comprehensive thought process.” (30:48—31:53)
“I still see patients today that come for insurance reasons, so I'm not saying you have to get rid of that or you shouldn't do that. But I'm saying if you can develop another side of the practice, a diagnostic practice, I always think of it almost as a diagnostic subspecialty in my neighborhood practice. And the beauty of that, from a practice management perspective, is I have a column for my production, and I have a column for the assistants’ production. And if we can create a diagnostic practice, whether it’s airway, whether it’s joints, whether it’s restorative, whether it’s implants, our assistant now can produce revenue through diagnostics. And all of a sudden, now, you start to build a practice that has some sustaining numbers, and you have enough money now to go to some CE that will allow you to implement more.” (32:44—33:30)
“When I look back at my practice, there's nothing that I have done that has had a greater return on investment than continuing education. That's what allowed me to treat patients that I never would have treated otherwise.” (33:33—33:47)
“There's an old saying, if you're a baseball player, you can hit for average and hit for power. That's kind of what I did for my practice. I had a regular practice. I would do single-unit crowns. I would do direct restorations. And as my skillset started to increase, first in recognizing problems and then being able to provide treatment, what I started to do was to do bigger cases. I still had the bread-and-butter stuff going, but I started to add to that. That was my pathway.” (35:21—35:54)
“A lot of times, if I look back at my mistakes, it’s because I was recommending treatment to patients that simply weren't ready to hear it yet. Technically, the treatment was correct. But I hadn't prepped them well enough so that they can make a good decision and accept the treatment.” (37:40—37:59)
“Realistically, you're not going to get everyone. There are going to be people that no matter how well you explain it, they're not going to be able to do it, for whatever reason it may be. But I think that your case acceptance rate can increase dramatically based upon how we explain things to patients and how we give them choices to move through a case, either all at once or on a phase basis, based upon if they need to do that.” (38:01—38:28)
“I'm hoping that the people listening to this podcast will redefine occlusion. And if we can redefine occlusion to include not only the teeth but also the back end of the system of the joints as well, all of a sudden, now, occlusion becomes very predictable. And with occlusion, so
The Top 10 Health & Fitness Myths
Episode #540 with Dr. Uche Odiatu
There are many myths about health and fitness. Without guidance, it can be overwhelming to start the journey to a healthier life. Today, Kirk Behrendt brings back one of ACT’s favorite fitness gurus, Dr. Uche Odiatu, to dispel 10 of the most common myths that people believe about being healthy. It’s never too early to improve your health! To learn how to win the health and fitness race, listen to Episode 540 of The Best Practices Show!
Episode Resources:
- Dr. Odiatu’s website:http://www.druche.com
- Dr. Odiatu’s Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/UcheOdiatu
- Dr. Odiatu’s social media: @fitspeakers
- Subscribe to theBest Practices Show Podcast
- Join ACT’sTo The Top Study Club
- Join ACT’sMaster Class
- See ourLive Events Schedule here
- Get theBest Practices Magazine for Free!
- Write aReview on iTunes
Links Mentioned in This Episode:
Breath by James Nestor:https://www.mrjamesnestor.com/order-now
Oura Ring:https://ouraring.com
The Diet Myth by Tim Spector:https://www.orionbooks.co.uk/titles/tim-spector/the-diet-myth/9781474619301
Main Takeaways:
You can't go hard all the time.
Not all fats and carbs are bad for you.
Most people don't need a trainer to become fit.
Supplements aren't as crucial for bettering your health.
Genetics isn't the only thing that determines one’s healthiness.
You don't have to be in great shape to talk about fitness with patients.
It’s never too early to start thinking about health, fitness, and ergonomics.
Quotes:
“The hard-driving, overachieving, perpetually advancing dentists or dental professional loves going 150%. We brag about being busy, busy, busy. However, when you look at fitness and health, busy, busy, busy and going 110% doesn't win the race. It doesn't even win it if you're training for the World Cup or training for the Olympics. You have to periodize your training. You see, slow and steady wins the health and fitness race.” (3:06—3:30)
“I think, sometimes, we think all-or-nothing works. Meanwhile, slow and steady, consistency, wins the race.” (4:26—4:32)
“I think you only need a trainer if you really start with no base, or you have an injury, or you have a medical condition. But otherwise, on your own, a simple walking program is better than nothing.” (7:21—7:33)
“Think of the ingredients in an apple. There are no ingredients. It’s just apple. And when you start looking at supplements, sweeteners, stabilizers, emulsifiers, and preservatives, they actually do us more harm, many times, because our microbiome, the 42 trillion cells that call you and me home, have been on this planet for hundreds of millions of years. They don't know artificial sweeteners. They don't know soybean oil or citric acid. All they know is, ‘This is odd.’” (8:22—8:52)
“Our bacteria don't have brains, but they have a consciousness. They understand an apple. They understand fiber. They understand Omega-3 in fish. So, I would spend all my time looking more for whole, good-quality food. And if you can, certified organic, hormone-free meat. Cattle raised without antibiotics, if you can. That's the way to go. Supplements [are] at the bottom of the chain.” (9:10—9:34)
“Vitamin D is important. But again, you get vitamin D from the sun by sitting outside, or having your sunroof open driving down the highway, or in egg yolks, or in sea food. You can get a lot without any supplements. Supplements are not a very regulated product. The FDA and Health Canada, their thing is, as long as it doesn't kill anyone, you can actually put anything you want on the label — as long as you're not claiming to cure disease. So, life extension, beautifying, natural skin — lots of promises. But food is number one for me.” (9:38—10:13)
“Instead of on grass, like we were designed for millions of years, we jog on asphalt so we can face the traffic and show them how hard we’re working. If you're jogging in a field, great. Running in grass is perfect. Jogging on asphalt facing traffic, looking like you swallowed a lemon, is really not the way to go.” (11:45—12:03)
“You can go hard, but you can't go hard for a summer, a year, 10 years. Your body wasn't made to.” (15:34—15:39)
“Young people think they're going to live forever. You'd be surprised how many young dentists go, ‘Eh, I have forever to do ergonomics. I've got forever to take care of my back. Reflux? I'll take medicine for that. I'll do that when I'm older.’ They think they have so much time, they never actually make time to do it. And sometimes, when you know you don't have forever, you make a decision to, instead of majoring in minor things, major in the importance of health.” (16:09—16:30)
“As people get older, you'll see people seeing the value in health because you see patients come in at 70, 80, 90 that look good and feel good, and don't look and feel good. So, that imperative desire to take care of this body is more pressing as we get older.” (16:31—16:43)
“The more you don't participate in those kinds of sports, the more your knees and hips are fine at 50. I don't know how many of our friends — and I love my college friends, my high school friends who played football and hockey — knees jammed, hip replacements, shoulder replacement, meniscus tears, ACL, neck is jammed, shoulder is jammed, rotator cuff problems. And that's age 40. When you're that beaten up, what's going to happen between 40 and 80? It’s not going to be pretty. No matter how many offices you own, no matter how many anti-inflammatories you take, no matter how much money you have, this body is not just a carcass that’s supposed to take you from point A to point B. So, the whole idea is, if you push it hard, you have less left over for that second half of life.” (16:58—17:43)
“The muscles are just empty tissue. They don't have a mind of their own. All they know is youth, which is movement, and all they know is accelerated aging and disease by sitting still. And the challenge is, 70% of our waking time is spent sitting.” (18:17—18:30)
“I never want to act my age.” (19:01—19:02)
“People say, ‘I've tried everything! I'm still 100 pounds overweight.’ Well, you haven't tried everything. There are things that work every time. And it works every time. It’s like nuts and bolts when it comes to fitness. But we make it too hard by trying esoteric, weird things. ‘Uche, have you heard about the caterpillar diet?’ ‘Uh, no.’ ‘Have you heard about the cotton ball diet? You swallow cotton balls. It makes you feel full.’ ‘I haven't heard about that one.’ So, slow and steady wins the race. Look at fundamentals.” (19:31—19:57)
“Sometimes, you think, ‘Oh, I naturally have wide hips,’ or, ‘I have narrow shoulders,’ or, ‘Naturally, I don't have good cardio,’ or, ‘All the men in my family died of heart disease. I'm just going to follow suit.’ Well, genetics load your gun. Lifestyle pulls the trigger.” (20:16—20:30)
“There aren't many dentists who say sleep is their secret weapon. They say, ‘My iTero is my secret weapon,’ or, ‘My CEREC is,’ which is fine. Those are important devices. But why can't sleep be your secret weapon?” (21:12—21:21)
“You're most able to tap into your gifts when you're calm. When you're irritated and annoyed, you can't find your loops, guess what? You're useless. You can't tap into left and right brain or past wisdom.” (21:33—21:44)
“I don't know how many people talk about, ‘Yeah, I'm on a diet. I'm not eating carbs.’ And I say, ‘You don't eat apples?’ ‘Oh, no. I eat apples.’ ‘Do you eat salads?’ ‘Oh, I eat salads.’ I said, ‘Carbs are apples and salads.’ ‘Oh, no, no. I don't mean those carbs.’ So, carbs have got a bad reputation. I love carbs. I live for carbs. Fruit, at least two a day. Salad, once a day. Vegetables, two or three servings every day. Whole grains. I'm not celiac, so I can do whole grains — quality whole grains. Sourdough bread, Ezekiel Bread. I love carbs.” (21:58—22:29)
“Carbs aren't the enemy. Volume is the enemy. [Also] not knowing serving size, the wrong carbs, white rice without any fat and protein on it. So, if I'm going to have some rice on a plate, guess what? I'm going to put some salmon on it. I'm going to put some olive oil on the rice. Put some vegetables [because] the glycemic index spike is so large. If I'm going to eat a lot of carbs, I'll do it after the workout when my metabolism is revved up for 16, 17, 18 hours after. So, timing is everything.” (22:49—23:18)
“I don't eat carbs within two hours of bedtime. This is really good for anyone who wants to experience more growth and recovery and growth hormone. So, two hours before bedtime, no food. Two, three hours, no food. And the body then can spend all this time resting and recovering instead of digesting food.” (23:18—23:34)
“They proved [all fat being bad] wrong so many times. Fat was considered toxic in the ‘80s. Remember, we had big plates of pasta and muffins, and we demonized fat. Maybe one egg a week. Many doctors said, ‘Oh, you can only have one egg a week because of the cholesterol.’ Well, now, we've realized in 2007 and 2017, lots of good studies, Harvard, The Lancet, have shown that saturated fat doesn't support heart disease. If anything, if you're an athlete, if you're active, fat in your diet is not such a bad thing. It’s very satisfying. It helps you to stymie your cravings.” (24:35—25:07)
“That water off a duck’s back is definitely something my mom taught me, that whole serenity. Grant me the wisdom to act on the things I can act on, and the ability to leave things I can't work on and leave them out of my mind. Much more peaceful way to go. So, I can spend all my psychic energy healing, restoring, wisdom, consolidating memory, processing emotion, being present for my colleagues and friends and family.” (26:24—26:49)
“We have more diabetes now in North America than ever — 30 million diabetics in America, 70 million prediabetic. So, out of the 330 million Americans, 100 million are prediabetic or diabetic. This is an inflammatory condition. Definitely has a spillover effect into the oral space. So, they need guidance. It’s not working. We’re getting fatter. We’re getting more insulin-resistant. So, whatever is happening is not working. We need a healthcare provider, an industry, to take charge. So, as the hygienist, you're in charge of the wellness field. Start talking health. Have a favorite health book. Quote a journal. Do it in a nonjudgmental way. Patients are starving for people who are enthusiastic and convinced about the gateway starting here. The gateway to health starts here, and we’re the only healthcare provider that's in charge of the gateway.” (27:47—28:36)
“People curse their butt, but they nourish the Pop-Tarts. People hate the belly hanging over their belt, but they're going through the airport to all the fast-food areas instead of going to the lounge or going to Starbucks and grabbing the fruit or grabbing the salad. So, this mouth is the key to how good you look.” (29:23—29:41)
“We hate the result, but we nourish the cause.” (30:17—30:19)
“As long as you're on your own journey, you don't have to look like Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson to talk nutrition. You don't have to look like Tae Bo does to talk whole-body health.” (30:37—30:46)
“Once you've started your own journey, that is a vulnerable place to be. When you ask someone, ‘Any changes in your medical history?’ or, ‘What's going on in your life right now?’ is a better question to ask, they’ll say, ‘I just went to the doctor. He said I need to lose a little bit of weight.’ ‘Oh, me too. Everyone’s had a challenge after the pandemic. But here’s what I'm doing.’ Now, you've got a connection. I think...
Burnout: How to Spot It and Take Action
Episode #539 with Kirk Behrendt & Jenni Poulos
A third of your life will be spent at work. When you consider this, preventing job burnout is one of the most important things you can do. If you're already experiencing burnout, it’s not too late! To help you spot it and take action, Kirk Behrendt brings back Jenni Poulos, one of ACT’s amazing coaches, with advice for understanding its causes, symptoms, and the best ways to manage it. Don't let your job chip away at your health! To learn what you can do to avoid and cope with burnout, listen to Episode 539 of The Best Practices Show!
Episode Resources:
- Jenni’s email: jenni@actdental.com
- Jenni’s Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/jenni.poulos
- Jenni’s social media: @actdental
- Subscribe to theBest Practices Show Podcast
- Join ACT’sTo The Top Study Club
- Join ACT’sMaster Class
- See ourLive Events Schedule here
- Get theBest Practices Magazine for Free!
- Write aReview on iTunes
Links Mentioned in This Episode:
“Job Burnout: How to Spot It and Take Action” from Mayo Clinic:https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/adult-health/in-depth/burnout/art-20046642
How Should a Company Share Its Values? by Simon Sinek:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5yE541BY-1c
Atomic Habits by James Clear:https://jamesclear.com/atomic-habits
Main Takeaways:
Understand the main causes of job burnout.
Eliminate dysfunction in your workplace.
Create rules and boundaries for work.
Maintain a good work-life balance.
Give team members predictability.
Have a support system in place.
Quotes:
“The World Health Organization has officially classified burnout as a medical condition. People often say, ‘Oh, it’s just stress. It’s just being tired. It’s just fatigue. You just need to reset and relax.’ That's not true. It is an official medical condition that affects your mental and physical health.” (2:15—2:34) -Jenni
“One of the first and most important things is unclear expectations existing in your workplace, in your day-to-day. This is one that we can actually have a lot of control over for both ourselves and our team members. We can take action on this one right away. And it really can cause horrible days when we don't know what to expect. When we have no predictability, it can be demoralizing.” (4:01—4:41) -Jenni
“[Your team] should be welcomed into an environment where you can say, ‘This is what you can expect.’ And it starts with something as simple as a job description, ‘Here’s what we expect. Here’s what you can expect.’ It starts with job descriptions, but it also goes into systems. The more that you can have this in writing for great team members when they can come to work, the higher chance that they can succeed.” (4:48—5:14) -Kirk
“It’s providing expectations for your teammates. It’s also setting clear expectations for your patients, how we expect and accept to be treated from our patients on a day-to-day basis.” (6:04—6:18) -Jenni
“When we have our team meetings now, I love coming to work because I know the rules. I know what to expect. When you walk in the door and you're like, ‘Well, who knows what today is going to be?’ you're immediately in a place of stress and walking on eggshells. When you have clear rules, boundaries, expectations are set, you can come in and say, ‘You know, there might be some struggles today. I might see some difficult patients. I might have to have some hard conversations. But for the most part, 80%, I know what to expect. I know what my day is going to bring, and I know how to manage it.’” (6:23—7:04) -Jenni
“It was great to hear from [Brené Brown] that we have billions and billions of data points that point to something that helps mental health. Do you know what it was? It’s called boundaries. Boundaries around social media consumption, boundaries around work, boundaries around behavior, boundaries around what we do and what we don't do, boundaries have been proven to establish . . . cognitive mental neural pathways . . . The whole idea is, you start telling yourself a better story around how days work. Think about it. If I don't have any rules or boundaries around social media consumption, what I eat, when I sleep, when I work, I just work. That creates a pattern in my brain that tells me I don't have any control. And therefore, I tell myself a terrible story about this thing called work.” (9:16—10:08) -Kirk
“When we don't have boundaries, when we don't have clear expectations, we have a lack of control. A lack of control in our days, those days when we walk in and it’s like, ‘I'm just along for the ride. I'm saddling in, and I hope that it goes okay because I don't have accountability. I have no control over my team. My patients show up sometimes, pay sometimes, which leads to me not knowing if I have a healthy business, not knowing if I'm going to be able to pay my bills, not knowing if I'm going to keep my team members. Am I going to be hiring?’ All of these things without the expectations, without the clarity, we get into this place where we have no control.” (10:15—11:03) -Jenni
“One of the really important things is that we have a support system. We need to have people that we can lean into, that we can talk to and say, ‘I'm struggling,’ or, ‘I need an outside perspective,’ or, sometimes, just an ear to chat about life. It’s really important that we have social support, emotional support around us, people that we can trust and be vulnerable with.” (12:22—12:48) -Jenni
“You have to have a coach because the worst person to talk to about your business is yourself. Or therapy. Therapy is a wonderful thing. You see a lot of wonderful, healthy people, and they’ll tell you, ‘Therapy was important to me because I was actually able to verbalize some of the things I was experiencing so that they didn't become behaviors that were unhealthy.” (13:06—13:26) -Kirk
“You also need a support network, a social support, of other people that do what you do. That's why you have to be in a study club. A study club, a great study club, is not about the information. It’s about keeping the fire lit and realizing, ‘Hey, I'm normal.’ And you have other people that are doing the same things as you are, and they're looking out for you. They have your back, they know you, and you feel connected. And it’s in sharing that information in proximity — there's power in proximity, being with other people — that you feel like, ‘Wow! This isn't so bad.’ You actually leave a social support network with hope.” (13:26—14:04) -Kirk
“Community is so important because we get things off of our chest. And sometimes, it’s even just, ‘Other people are going through this. I'm not alone. I'm not crazy,’ and we learn from each other.” (14:05—14:17) -Jenni
“One of my favorite quotes that [Brené Brown] has is, ‘We can't do it all alone, and we were never meant to.’” (14:20—14:26) -Jenni
“One of my biggest things that I push with everyone that I coach, doctors, teammates, that I reiterate over and over and over again is that asking for help is a strength. It’s something that we oftentimes see as a weakness. But saying, ‘Hey, I need some help here. Hey, I don't get this,’ that is a strength that we need to lean into that is going to help us work through stress and not fall into burnout.” (14:32—15:02) -Jenni
“This is one of the main things that people come to us for: ‘My culture is falling apart. People are at each other’s necks. It’s not a good place to be.’ And lack of control, unclear expectations, not having support, not having people to talk with and vent to, all of these things result in these dysfunctional workplaces. And not really having your purpose, having your why, and saying, ‘These are my values. This is what's important to me. This is why I come to work,’ when you don't have that solidly in place, it’s hard to create a really great culture and a really great environment.” (16:44—17:31) -Jenni
“Having a dysfunctional workplace can make you hate dentistry. It can make you want to quit.” (19:10—19:17) -Kirk
“Having really clear expectations goes a long way towards eliminating dysfunction in your workplace, because when I know what's expected of me, I can focus on it, I can execute it, I can ask questions. One of the most important things is having an environment of psychological safety. Google actually did a study of 40,000 teams, and they found that the number-one thing that existed in all highly functional teams was an environment of psychological safety. And that means that team members felt safe to make mistakes, be vulnerable, say, ‘I need help,’ without fear of retribution from their leaders or their teammates. And they felt appreciated. So, as a leader, let your team members be vulnerable. Be vulnerable with them. And I'll tell you, you need to appreciate people. Saying thank you is free.” (20:07—21:06) -Jenni
“In our leadership meetings, we sometimes have heavy conversations, and we hash it out. But we feel safe to bring our voices to the room and say what we believe. Everyone is vulnerable with where they're coming from and what they believe, and that doesn't always exist.” (21:54—22:13) -Jenni
“Better practice, better life. It’s that work-to-live and live-to-work, all of those things. We talk so often about planning our lives first. One of the exercises as coaches that we go through with our teams and our docs every year is filling out something that we call the Better Life Planner, in which they look at the entire year ahead of them and plan their year. And the first thing that we plan is our life. We plan our time away. We plan our family time. We plan our reset time. It’s so important that we give ourselves space to live.” (22:46—23:28) -Jenni
“You spend 30% of your life at this thing called work — 30%. Don't up it to 40%.” (25:09—25:16) -Kirk
“You could make a ton of money. You can have a lot of fun. You can serve people with a unique purpose. You can love what you do. But you've got to have a life, at the end of the day. And having boundaries around work is critically important.” (25:26—25:41) -Kirk
“You know who makes the rules? You make the rules. Patients don't make the rules. You can't say, ‘Well, this is the only time my patients come in,’ and it’s 7:00 p.m. Don't say that to yourself. When you start to say that, you now have no life because you're serving a patient base that you believe will only come in at their easiest time of day.” (25:43—26:03) -Kirk
“To really avoid burnout, you need to have a plan and boundaries at home and at work. At home, it needs to look like quality family time or quality social time with whomever it is that's important in your life. It looks like having a schedule for good, restorative sleep. It looks like exercise and healthy eating. These are all things that we know, scientifically, that impact burnout that we can put into place to help it. At work, it’s having a plan. It’s saying, ‘These are our expectations. This is what we’re going to focus on. These are our rules. These are the boundaries.’ And having those plans at work and at home, it works together very beautifully to give you the life that you envision.” (26:56—27:49) -Jenni
“If you're feeling exhausted — not just stressed, but exhausted — talk to somebody. And don't feel like you have to suffer through this alone, because there is a way to the other side. There is a better life. There really is. We just have to be intentional about it, and we have to plan for it. A great life doesn't just happen. It’s something that we make. So, be intentional about making it a great life.” (29:34—30:03) -Jenni
“Burnout creates exhaustion. You're tired. And I'll tell you, when you're fatigued, you make bad decisions.” (30:07—30:14) -Kirk
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
2:00 Burnout is a medical condition.
3:16 Causes of job burnout: unclear expectations.
5:56 Provide expectations and predictability for team members.
8:28 The importance of having boundaries.
12:19 Causes of burnout: not having a support system.
16:16 Causes of burnout: dysfunctional workplace dynamics.
19:56 Create an environment of psychological safety.
22:27 Causes...
The Recovering Perfectionist
Episode #538 with Dr. Kelley Brummett
Dentists strive to be perfect. This eventually leads to stress, anxiety, and burnout. If you're feeling stuck in the cycle of chasing perfection, don't miss this episode! To help you unlearn the perfectionist mindset and transition to a growth mindset, Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. Kelley Brummett from The Pankey Institute. She shares her struggle as a healing perfectionist and insight for focusing on progress and excellence. Overcome the pressure to be perfect! To learn how, listen to Episode 538 of The Best Practices Show!
Episode Resources:
- Dr. Brummett’s website: https://conservationdentistry.com/dr-kelley-brummett
- Dr. Brummett’s Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kelley.brummett.5
- Dr. Brummett’s social media: @kelleybrummett
- Subscribe to the Best Practices Show Podcast
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club
- Join ACT’s Master Class
- See our Live Events Schedule here
- Get the Best Practices Magazine for free!
- Write a Review on iTunes
Links Mentioned in This Episode:
The Pankey Institute: https://www.pankey.org
A Philosophy of the Practice of Dentistry by Dr. L.D. Pankey and Dr. William J. Davis: https://pankey.app.neoncrm.com/np/clients/pankey/product.jsp?product=86&catalogId=10&
The Growth Mindset by Helen Glasgow and Joshua Moore: https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-growth-mindset-a-guide-to-professional-and-personal-growth-joshua-moore/383704?ean=9781548164928
Main Takeaways:
Strive for excellence, not perfection.
Be kind and nonjudgmental with yourself.
Don't let the idea of perfection consume you.
Focus on progress rather than on being perfect.
Remember that your dentistry has an expiration date.
Quotes:
“That's what we tend to do to ourselves, [is] we say, ‘Oh, this dentistry is going to fail,’ or, ‘This dentistry did fail,’ or we criticize, or we judge, or whatever it is. And it’s like, no, everything has an expiration date, and it’s totally dependent on the variables that that patient hosts. And we get to play a part in our skills and understanding our patient from the health standpoint to even the temperament standpoint.” (6:37—7:09)
“All of my dentistry, as Dr. Lee Brady taught me, will fail. I might get lucky. There might be a case or two. But that's not really the goal. The goal of dentistry, in my mind, is to make people feel better, to make people healthier, to make people function better.” (7:31—7:51)
“The perfectionist quality . . . that came about from my years as a springboard diver because there was a perfectionist piece to competing at that level. I had a full-ride scholarship in college. You could get a 10, which is the highest score you can get. There's not a lot of satisfaction because once you do something well, you want to do it better. Once you do something good, you want to do it well. So, that tape that tells you how old I am, that ran through my brain and did affect me in very negative ways, sometimes. I found that creeping in. I found it creeping in in dental school. I found it creeping in even in daily practice. So, I think it’s a common challenge. I don't want to use the word problem, but it’s a common challenge that is not commonly talked about.” (7:58—9:11)
“When I'm looking at a lecture that has some amazing work, maybe even complex things that I'm thinking I might not even attempt, or maybe I don't feel like I have the skills to do that, the idea is to say, ‘Okay, what can I learn from that?’ Was it a skill? Was it a technique? Was it a material? Was it a communication piece with a patient of even being able to gain the trust of that patient to do the treatment? Because that's a lot of it, is that trust and skill. So, I think putting your learning hat on and being open and trying to sit in the space of nonjudgment of yourself while you look out.” (10:49—11:35)
“It’s somewhat addictive. There's a piece of the brain, the amygdala, where a lot of our addictions come from, our sensory, our emotions. You do a case, and it is beautiful. Regardless of how difficult it might have been, that's a little dopamine. And it’s like, ‘Okay, who else? What's next?’ And sometimes, you can lose sight because, again, it’s those principles, like striving for versus demanding.” (13:31—14:11)
“Your dental education, I'm going to expect, was excellent and equipped you with a lot of skills. But the whole idea is that in a finite amount of time, you're developing to become a practicing dentist. And from there, you get the chance to grow your skills. And those skills are now going to encompass maybe practice ownership, maybe being an associate within a practice, whether that's small or large. So, the idea is to say, as you're defining yourself in dental school, your skills and what you enjoy doing, what you didn't like doing, what you said you’d never pick up when you walked out of school, continue to refine that. So, find CE courses that seem to speak to you, that seem to give you energy.” (16:37—17:34)
“As Rich Green taught me, if you can dial in and answer for yourself one thing that gives you energy, or two things, and remember that and bring that forward, that can guide your CE for the rest of your life.” (17:36—17:51)
“Take what you have in your brain, put it into your hands, execute, make mistakes, grow from them, and realize that the mistakes aren't necessarily detrimental. They're just, ‘Ah, okay. The way I did that procedure, I can maybe improve on that next time.’” (19:46—20:04)
“Involve your team. As I said earlier, this isn't a common problem, this perfectionist conversation, that a lot of people are willing to talk about. But it’s something that our team needs us to talk about with them.” (20:04—20:22)
“I find part of a perfectionist’s healing process is that I can procrastinate. And that procrastination can be my lack of trust or faith in myself or in something and, ‘I'll get to it. I'll get to it. I'll get to it.’ That is a sign for me that, ‘Okay. Step back, Kelley. What's going on? What am I trying to avoid?’ And that's not true for everybody, but that can be somewhere that it shows up.” (21:24—21:57)
“The procrastination piece, sometimes, gets revealed by being busy . . . The [busier] that I am, the less I feel like I can focus, and be present, and execute, and learn. Because every time I'm doing a restoration or having a conversation with a patient, there's something I can always walk out of that room and learn from. And that's the gift of what we have of being able to grow.” (21:58—22:46)
“I have spent many years in therapy. That is something that has been beneficial to me, to be able to talk out the things that you feel. I'm a big believer in [the idea that] your emotions are there, but it’s your thinking that drives your behavior, and your behavior drives your results. And when I'm willing to go there, I can oftentimes find more peace and not have that striving pop up. So, the idea is, I used to say I'm a recovering perfectionist. Because the reality is, I was. And I am, still. However, to recover means to return to. So, oftentimes, when I realize I might be stepping off the path, I don't want to return to my beginning. And that's the beauty, is we’re not going back to where we started. We’re going back to where we recognize that maybe our resilience has dipped. And that is now called a healing perfectionist’s path, because I am healing. Every day, I'm healing.” (23:09—24:25)
“It’s remembering that it can be admirable for young dentists striving. The idea is, strive. Don't get stuck in the trap, that gap of having information, and maybe you do execute, and things don't always go. But that's the beauty of what we get to do.” (24:26—24:50)
“It’s that thinking, the more you say it, the more you think it, the more you believe it, the more it'll keep coming about. Because, honestly, I hope to goodness that I am making progress because I don't want to be practicing like I was when I graduated from dental school. That's what took me down to The Pankey Institute, was sitting there saying, ‘I hated dental school, but I gained a good education. Now, what? Do I just keep practicing like this? What does that look like?’ And that's what progress is. And so, the encouragement is, find the people that allow you to be who you are while you're discovering who you are. That's one. And then, two, get around education that allows you to grow, not put you in a box that if you don't do step one to step ten the way that they told you to do it, then you're wrong.” (25:31—26:33)
“Allow yourself to get in there and learn and struggle, because it’s that step into the panic zone when they say real learning is actually happening, not when you're sitting there just soaking up some words.” (27:20—27:37)
“You're not alone. We are all walking through this world together. We’re all connected in some way. And my hope is you hear [that] you're right where you need to be. You're in the driver’s seat to decide where you want to go.” (28:08—28:26)
“Try not to let the fear of unknowns and uncomfortable things consume you.” (28:39—28:48)
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
1:36 Dr. Brummett’s background.
3:55 Why this is important in dentistry.
9:52 Be nonjudgmental with yourself.
11:38 Strive for excellence, not perfection.
14:15 Being a dentist is like being an athlete.
16:12 CE advice for dentists.
20:24 Perpetual misery caused by striving.
22:49 The healing perfectionist.
24:52 Trading perfection for progress.
27:40 Last thoughts.
28:52 More about The Pankey Institute.
Dr. Kelley Brummett Bio:
Dr. Kelley D. Brummett was born and raised in Missouri. She attended the University of Kansas on a full-ride scholarship in springboard diving and received honors for being the Big Eight Diving Champion on the 1-meter springboard in 1988 and 1992. Dr. Brummett received her Bachelor of Arts in communication at the University of Kansas and went on to receive her Bachelor of Science in nursing. After practicing nursing, Dr. Brummett went on to earn a degree in dentistry at the Medical College of Georgia. She has continued her education at The Pankey Institute to further her love of learning and her pursuit to provide quality individual care. Dr. Brummett is a clinical instructor at Georgia Regents University and is a member of the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry.
Dr. Brummett and her husband, Darin, have two children, Sarah and Sam. They have made Newnan their home for the past nine years. In her free time, she enjoys traveling, reading, and playing with her dogs. Dr. Brummett is an active member of the ADA, GDA, AGDA, and an alumnus of The Pankey Institute.
Getting Patients to A.S.K. for Treatment
Episode #537 with Katrina M. Sanders, RDH, BSDH, M.Ed, RF
Today, patients consult Dr. Google before coming into your office. They are skeptical, untrusting, and won't easily accept treatment. You can't tell them they need treatment — you need to get them to ask for it! You can do this using the A.S.K technique, and Kirk Behrendt brings back Katrina Sanders, The Dental WINEgenist, to talk about her course on this method to get patients eager for treatment. While she’s here, she also talks about her line of wines and her exciting journey into this space. To hear more about Katrina, wine, and her love for dentistry, listen to Episode 537 of The Best Practices Show!
Episode Resources:
- Katrina’s website: https://katrinasanders.com
- Katrina’s email: katrina@katrinasanders.com
- Katrina’s Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/katrina.sanders.948
- Katrina’s social media: @thedentalwinegenist
- Tooth or Dare social media: @toothordare.podcast
- Subscribe to the Best Practices Show Podcast
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club
- Join ACT’s Master Class
- See our Live Events Schedule here
- Get the Best Practices Magazine for Free!
- Write a Review on iTunes
Links Mentioned in This Episode:
Aridus wine: https://www.ariduswineco.com
The Wine Op: https://www.thewineop.com
Main Takeaways:
Build your verbal skills to convey the problem, consequence, and solution.
Use co-discovery to encourage and engage patients in the process.
Help patients understand their problem so they ask for a solution.
Don't do the bare minimum. Your patients deserve the best.
Be disruptors and innovators in perio.
Quotes:
“Perio has gotten a bad reputation over the years for doing the same age-old procedures over and over again. Patients hate coming in and getting tissue grafting done because they’ve seen, ‘Forty years ago, my neighbor had that done. And they hate what it looks like,’ or, ‘It created a lot of pain.’ In addition, perio is also one of those professions where we’re seeing patients in an asymptomatic disease process. The patients aren't typically in pain. So, for example, your endodontists, a patient is in pain. They want that tooth endodontically treated yesterday because they're in pain. Or, what about your pediatrics? Pediatrics, you're golden. Every parent wants to take care of their kids, right? But in perio, we have to be true innovators because we are the ones who are fighting that oral systemic link on the front line. And we do see patients that have multimodal comorbidities. So, they have to be early adapters to a lot of the pieces. They have to be the ones to move dentistry forward. Because if we don't, what happens? The patient suffers.” (1:07—2:08)
“My mom would be here today if she had seen a physician who said, ‘Linda, this is not right. We need to look into this. We need to address this.’ And I think about how many times we, in dentistry, see patients that are experiencing comorbidities, or we’re looking down the airway of the patient and we know that there's something going on with this patient. And who are we to withhold that information?” (5:50—6:13)
“Dentistry is very reluctant to change. We are so used to doing the same thing. Hygienists, every hour on the hour, we do the same thing. There's a profile, sometimes, to an individual who chooses a profession where you do the same thing every hour on the hour, yet you're extremely educated. So, we’re in a situation where we know too much, and we are screaming to jump out of this rigmarole of 8:00 to 5:00. We know these patients, ‘Oh, yeah. Tim is coming in. He declines that treatment plan every time. Here we go.’ And yet, the reality is, when we start to institute education, that does create an expectation in dentistry to instill change. And it is disruptive.” (15:53—16:40)
“Dentistry is well aware that they are capable of making changes. And yet, when it really comes down to instilling that change, it means that we would have to disrupt what we know. Somebody has to lead that change, and I'm trying to do it.” (17:35—17:49)
“Part of dentistry’s challenge is that we are too buttoned-up. It’s like, unbutton that white lab coat. Calm down. The only way that we’re going to get there and really create the change that we need to see is if we sit down and have the conversations with each other, and stop being so fearful that people are judging us. If you're struggling to remove that piece of calculus, go ask your colleague next door, ‘Hey, I'm struggling to remove this calculus. I need help,’ instead of ignoring it, and then the patient suffers.” (31:14—31:40)
“The A.S.K technique is how we’re going to use our Assessments to build a Strategy so that our patients Ask us for the treatment based on the knowledge they now have about their disease process.” (32:51—33:02)
“I don't think it should be about case acceptance. I think it should be about the patient asking us for the treatment. We need our patients to understand the why. I don't know about you, but I'm exhausted of trying to talk to patients and convince them they have a disease process they don't believe they have. So, this is really our way of creating a different dynamic, of shifting that focus to helping the patient confront their disease process through co-discovery.” (33:08—33:34)
“Maybe back in the day, 20, 30, 40 years ago, if you were a doctor in your white lab coat, [patients] believed whatever you said. But now, with WebMD and Dr. Google and all that jazz, people are questioning. They want to know.” (33:47—34:01)
“It’s problem, consequence, solution. If [patients] don't understand the problem, they don't care about the consequence. And they sure as heck aren't going to care about the solution. So, we have to take it back to, how are we going to provide the patient with the knowledge that there is a problem and have them accept that?” (34:25—34:41)
“When you're in hygiene school, you're taught how to talk to the patient about periodontal disease. But you are not taught to talk to the patient about some of their barriers. That patient is usually your family member or your friend, and they're stuck in that chair. Now, you enter the real world, and you have to figure out insurance is a motivator for patients, finances, their time, the patient questioning you because that isn't your family member or your friend. That's your 4:00 patient coming in, and they are inquisitive, and they maybe don't trust you. And so, you have to build that. And how do you build that so that the patient understands the why?” (34:58—35:36)
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
0:51 Why perio and pioneer go together.
2:41 Do the right thing for your patients.
6:45 Wine, dentistry, and serving underserved populations.
12:07 Facing opposition as a speaker.
15:03 Challenges in the world of education.
17:52 The WINEgenist story and helping to rebuild Rwanda.
24:48 Katrina’s 9two5 White Blend.
27:09 The five S’s of wine tasting.
29:44 Katrina’s 5two9 Red Blend.
30:30 Where to find Katrina online.
32:23 The A.S.K technique.
34:41 Hygienists need to be equipped with verbal skills.
35:37 Fixing teeth versus changing lives.
37:17 Last thoughts.
Katrina M. Sanders RDH, BSDH, M.Ed, RF Bio:
In the ever-changing world of dental science where research, technology, and techniques for patient care are constantly evolving, dental professionals look to continuing education to provide insight, deliver actionable steps, empower, and create a dramatic impact within their clinical practice.
With wit, charm, and a dash of humor, Katrina Sanders enchants dental professionals with her course deliverables, insightful content, and delightful inspiration. Her message of empowerment rings mighty throughout her lectures and stirs a deep sense of motivation amongst course participants.
Katrina is the Clinical Liaison for AZPerio, the country's largest periodontal practice. She performs clinically, working alongside Diplomates to the American Board of Periodontology in the surgical operatory. Katrina perfected techniques during L.A.N.A.P. surgery, suture placement, IV therapy, and blood draws. She instructs on collaborative professionalism and standard-of-care protocols while delivering education through hygiene boot camps and study clubs.
The Power of Lasers in Your Practice
Episode #536 with Joy Raskie
Lasers have been around since the ‘90s. It’s time to bring them into your office! To demystify lasers and dispel the myths around them, Kirk Behrendt brings in Joy Raskie, CEO of Advanced Dental Hygiene, to highlight the importance and advantages of utilizing lasers in your practice. Every practice needs this innovative tool! To learn about lasers, Joy’s courses, and how to get started, listen to Episode 536 of The Best Practices Show!
Episode Resources:
- Joy’s email: joyraskierdh@gmail.com
- Joy’s Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/advanceddentalhygiene
- Advanced Dental Hygiene:https://advanceddentalhygiene.com
- Subscribe to theBest Practices Show Podcast
- Join ACT’sTo The Top Study Club
- Join ACT’sMaster Class
- See ourLive Events Schedule here
- Get theBest Practices Magazine for Free!
- Write aReview on iTunes
Links Mentioned in This Episode:
Lasers in Hygiene course:https://advanceddentalhygiene.com/courses
Main Takeaways:
Understand why using lasers is important for your practice.
Learn how to verbalize the benefits of lasers to patients.
Know the different types of lasers you can use.
There are other uses for lasers than hygiene.
Using lasers can be very profitable.
Quotes:
“Lasers are important in dentistry for numerous reasons. Doctors can use them instead of a blade or a scalpel. I know a lot of misconceptions with people is they think, ‘Oh, wow. Lasers are painful.’ They're actually not painful. Sometimes, doctors, when you're doing surgery, you have to numb a patient up. If you use a laser instead of a blade or a scalpel, you may have to use topical or no anesthetic because it doesn't go as deep. In hygiene, you use it to kill bacteria. And a lot of times, you can use it pre-cleaning, you could say, and there's no pain at all associated with it. When I started incorporating lasers, patients’ feedback was, ‘Hey, this was not as sensitive when you cleaned my teeth,’ which was, in my opinion, a better experience in my chair.” (2:38—3:28)
“I don't think a lot of people realize that lasers have been around since the ‘90s. So, they’ve been around for 30 years. And I think that over the last two or three years, more and more offices are incorporating them, especially in every single hygiene chair.” (4:12—4:27)
“There are three types of lasers. You have soft tissue lasers, hard tissue lasers, or therapeutic lasers. Hard tissue lasers are pretty much erbium CO2. Doctors point the light at a tube, and it cuts through tooth, and it cuts through bone. Those lasers are typically $80,000 to $140,000. You have to use that laser a lot to get your return on investment. What I specialize in is soft tissue lasers. Obviously, soft tissue, that's what us hygienists use. And doctors use it to cut gum. Soft tissue laser diodes, typically, also can be therapeutic lasers. You can put different attachments on and treat TMJ, or you don't use a fiber and you can treat pain, inflammation. You can accelerate healing. Even dental assistants can use some of these lasers for biostimulation or pain reduction, which happens in a lot of procedures that we do in the dental office.” (4:38—5:42)
“What we did in our office to incorporate lasers easily was we incorporated a consent form. We had a printed-out consent form. The patient got it when they arrived. They read about it, just a one-pager. And when they came back to see me, I would ask them, ‘Hey, were you able to read the consent form? Do you have any questions about lasers? I'm really excited to use lasers today.’ So, that was an easy way to incorporate it. I would use it prior to the teeth cleaning on every single patient.” (6:05—6:34)
“I know if hygienists are listening, you're like, ‘What? You're adding a new service and a new tool?’ The laser bacteria reduction, the procedure that's done prior to the teeth cleaning, takes about four minutes. And you're like, ‘Okay. Well, I have an hour,’ maybe some of you have 45 minutes, ‘How do I add that in?’ I found if I took down the chitchat, so I got my patient in, I went through their health history — a lot of times, pre-laser, I would be talking about, ‘Oh, did you go on vacation?’ I tried to do that while I was performing the laser treatment. So, that would be an easy way. Cut the chitchat and put it in there.” (7:19—7:54)
“If you're adding [the laser] to SRPs, I would say that would be maybe two to three minutes per quadrant. So, if you have a half-mouth SRP come in, you're probably spending about five, maybe six minutes extra at the end of the appointment doing that. Before laser, I would use Arestin. I would use a localized antibiotic. I would have to get those out. I would have to prepare that. I would have to insert it into each and every single tooth area. I feel that when I got my laser, I was probably spending about the same amount of time doing that.” (7:55—8:32)
“Usually, if an office incorporates laser, if they want to make money doing it, you make money in hygiene. Dentists use a laser instead of a blade or a scalpel. So, if you're doing a gingivectomy or a gingivoplasty, or you're doing a crown prep and troughing, you're using a laser but not charging more money for it. It’s just the tool. Just like you don't charge more to use a blade or a handpiece, you don't charge more for a laser.” (8:49—9:19)
“When I started out using lasers 10 years ago, we charged $35 for this. And I find offices are still charging in the 30s for this if they're maybe newer, maybe in the Midwest. After about a year-and-a-half, we increased that fee to $44. I find if you're maybe in Minnesota, Iowa, Colorado, Texas, kind of up and down the middle of the U.S., in the 40s is a really good, typical fee. Now, when I go teach over in New York, Maryland, Virginia, or I teach in California, you can almost double that fee. Nobody is charging even $50. For a laser bacterial reduction on the coast, you're probably $65 to $95.” (9:55—10:43)
“If you're charging out the laser for the deeper cleaning, the SRPs where you're going in and pulling the infection out of there, these usually take longer. They're single sites. If you're just doing one single site, let's say a D4910 comes in. You just have one single five-millimeter, and you don't want to put them through the SRP, I would say you would charge a typical fee that you would for Arestin. So, $50. Now, if you're going to do a whole quadrant, which most of us hygienists are doing the quadrant care, I charge $100 to $125 a quadrant because my SRP fee was $350. So, I thought $350 plus the $100. A patient is walking out spending $450 per quadrant.” (10:44—11:29)
“A lot of offices that are more insurance-based, they have to write off all these fees. So, they're having to write off a lot of that quadrant care. Where they can make more money where they charge the patient is with laser. I would find most offices in the middle of the U.S. are charging $225 per quadrant. I see up towards $350 to $500 a quadrant on both coasts. So, if you think of $500 a quadrant, you could be making $2,000 with laser just on perio.” (11:30—12:03)
“Hygienists and doctors can utilize a laser to treat cold sores and canker sores. So, the patient comes in in pain. You use the laser. It does not hurt the patient. If anything, they leave pain-free. So, that's a really good procedure. It’s less than five minutes, and a lot of offices are charging $200. You can also charge that out to insurance, and insurances are even giving you money back. I've heard insurances giving back $125, $150 back for this as well.” (12:09—12:43)
“Before we even got lasers, my boss had an Electrosurge. And probably some of the dentists listening to this podcast are still using and loving their Electrosurge. It’s a really powerful tool. But the problem with Electrosurge is you can't use it around metal. You can't use it around implants. But with a laser, you can use a laser around implants. There are so many studies out there that lasers are safe.” (13:23—13:45)
“[Doctors] can use a laser to uncover an implant. They just want to make sure that they take breaks around the tissue because a laser is going to produce a lot of heat. So, if it’s a lot of tissue that you're trying to take off, remember, it’s heating up. It’s heating up. I like to use a word in my class called laser sunburn. We don't want to give our patients a laser sunburn where if you're outside in the sun too long, your skin would have too much sun radiation. If you use a laser on a piece of tissue too long, you can cauterize the tissue. You can cause black tissue charring. Those are all unwanted effects. But if you have the right training and use lasers safely, they can totally be used around implants, and even with peri-implant mucositis. So, even hygienists can use a laser around infection around an implant.” (14:00—14:49)
“All 50 states have a certain law around lasers. If you're a doctor, pretty much, you can do whatever you want with any tool you want. So, you can use laser. Most states don't require training for a doctor. There are certain states that do require training for doctors.” (15:51—16:10)
“In Texas, dentists and hygienists have to have a 12-hour live CE certification. You can do that online. We do live 12-hour webinars where we do hands-on. Out of the 12 hours, three of those hours have to be hands-on training. And they specifically say utilizing what the hygienist is doing. So, even the doctors have to get trained in hygiene. That way, if a hygienist comes to the doctor, ‘Hey, I have a question,’ the doctor can answer that. Now, Colorado is another one that requires eight hours of education. And you have to have hands-on training. They don't require it to be live, so you could have part online, as long as you have hands-on training on the device. California is one that requires appropriate training. And West Virginia, October 7th of 2022, they started allowing hygienists to use lasers.” (16:12—17:19)
“Out of the 50 states, hygienists can use lasers in all of them except Georgia, New Jersey, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Pennsylvania. They don't allow lasers. And I think that's it. Other than that, hygienists can use lasers. You have to look at your State Dental Practice Acts. Look at the rules, or reach out to me on my website,advanceddentalhygiene.com, and I can tell you what your rules are.” (17:21—17:51)
“If you have a laser and you're not using it in your practice, why not bring it out? Bring it into hygiene. I have some free courses on my website, “Lasers in Hygiene”. We have “Treating a Cold Sore with Diode Laser Therapy”. It’s like $8. Go to these introductory courses. See if your hygienists are intrigued by the laser. If they're not excited about watching these free CE — you get CE for them, most people walk away with, ‘Wow, I could actually utilize this!’ Come see me. Get trained and utilize that laser. If you buy a laser and you go through the training that the laser company gives you and you still don't feel confident, spending $500, $600 to get a certification and to actually utilize that is going to be tenfold.” (24:11—25:03)
“If you utilize the laser for a laser bacterial reduction, meaning before the teeth cleaning, if you have eight patients a day and you use it on half of them, you're going to make that $7,000 back within three months by doing one single procedure on half of your patients on a four-day workweek.” (25:07—25:27)
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
1:06 Joy’s background.
2:22 Why lasers are so important in dentistry.
3:30 Resistance to incorporating lasers.
4:28 Types of lasers.
5:42 An optimal way for hygienists to incorporate lasers.
7:00 How long laser procedures take.
8:34 How much you should charge for laser treatments.
12:04 Other uses for lasers.
13:08 Using lasers around implants.
15:38 Who can and can't use lasers.
18:22 What lasers may look like in the future.
20:01 Joy’s certification and verbalization training courses.
24:04 Last thoughts on lasers.
Joy Raskie, RDH, Bio:
Joy Raskie, RDH, is the CEO of Advanced Dental Hygiene, specializing in hands-on dental laser education. As a world-renowned lecturer, she conducts live and online laser training courses, as well as in-office...
Improving Cash Flow with Better Financial Arrangements
Episode #535 with Kirk Behrendt & Ariel Juday
Money is a good thing to talk about, but you may be the wrong person to do it! You need confident, competent team members to collect what you're owed, and today’s episode will teach you how to build that team. Kirk Behrendt brings back Ariel Juday, one of ACT’s amazing lead coaches, to share some guidelines around how money should be talked about and handled in your practice. To start creating a better system for better financial arrangements, listen to Episode 535 of The Best Practices Show!
Episode Resources:
- Ariel’s email: ariel@actdental.com
- Ariel’s social media: @actdental
- Subscribe to the Best Practices Show Podcast
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club
- Join ACT’s Master Class
- See our Live Events Schedule here
- Get the Best Practices Magazine for Free!
- Write a Review on iTunes
Links Mentioned in This Episode:
Episode 510 - Are You Billing Your Full Fee?: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qp-V9D540D0
Episode 511 - Say This, Not That When Collecting Money: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-k3Uo-1_Khw
Main Takeaways:
Invest in your team members’ training and education.
Get rid of limiting beliefs about your patients and their money.
Overcommunicate with your patients about financial arrangements.
Anything you want to collect should be in writing and signed by patients.
Offer CareCredit. It will help patients afford treatment with less risk for you.
Quotes:
“[The problem dentists have is] limiting beliefs, that they don't want to talk money, or, ‘Patients can't pay,’ or that they're not involved and they say, ‘Oh, my team’s got it,’ but they don't know what questions to ask to make sure. And money is not a bad thing to talk about. I don't want you giving everything away for free. You need to be paid. And trust me, your team members want to be paid, so they're going to want to collect the money if they understand and they have the support on how and when and what to collect.” (3:37—4:09)
“I can't go to school to be a dental receptionist or learn dental insurance and accounting. There are courses, but they're hard to find. They can be expensive. And so, team members don't go out and search it for themselves. As teams and doctors, we have to provide that for them because they don't come with that experience already. And if they do, it’s because it’s from another office. Good or bad habits, we don't know until they're in the practice. So, we have to invest.” (4:50—5:20)
“A lot of the times, we say, ‘Hey, go answer the phone. Collect money. Schedule,’ and those are their three guidelines. It’s much harder than that.” (5:20—5:29)
“What are our financial agreements with ourselves and our practice? What do we want? List out the questions and ask yourself, what forms of payment do we want to take? Do we want to accept checks? Do we want to accept all credit cards? Do we want to accept third-party financing? Do we want to allow payments? And then, once we say yes or no to those things, then we dive deeper into, what type of payments do we want to take? When does it make sense for us to use outside financing? Because it’s all a balance. We know if we go to outside financing, there's going to be a fee. But we know collecting money over several months ourselves is much harder. So, we have to ask those questions.” (5:53—6:45)
“We have to ask, what type of discounts do we give? When do we give discounts? We have to set guidelines because doctors and dentists like to give discounts. And I always ask, ‘Why? Why are we giving that discount?’ And so, really start thinking about, why would we give a discount? When would it be? Who is okay to give that discount to, and what amount? Because the more we can get all of these questions answered ahead of time, the less you have team members coming to you throughout the day asking, ‘Oh, Mrs. Smith wants to pay this. Mr. Jones wants to do this.’ It helps them. They have their guidelines, and they know. Then, we can turn that into educating our patients on, ‘This is when we collect. This is how we collect. And this is how we can help you.’ Anything outside of that would be a further conversation.” (6:46—7:35)
“You have to have the person who assumes everyone bought that couch off of the yard sale and it’s got millions of dollars in it. You don't know. You don't know if it’s stored in their walls. I'm still hoping that happens to me one day. You assume that everyone has [money] until they tell you they don't. And once they say that they don't have it, that means they don't have it right now. So, then, ‘Okay. Let's go to my financial arrangements and see, what can I offer you and how can I help you afford this.’ But you have to go in believing that you've provided enough value and you've educated them enough that they're going to want to pay full fee for it. Because if they do value it, then they will pay. Maybe they can't pay today. And that's okay. That's when I go to my arrangements that I've already preset.” (8:57—9:46)
“If [patients] want [treatment] and I don't want to make finances a barrier for them, let's find a way within the guidelines that work for both of us. It has to be mutually [beneficial], that it benefits them, and it benefits us as a practice. I cannot agree to a patient who says, ‘Yeah, I'll get these two crowns done and I'll pay you $5 a month.’ I'm going to be retired before those crowns are paid off. But for them, it’s, ‘Okay, what's within your budget?’ And if it’s not something that I can accommodate, that's when I would look at my outside financing and see. And even if they say they can't pay it today, we don't know what their situation is going to be in a month. Do they get an end-of-the-year bonus? Do they just have some things that they have to pay off? So, we don't want to ever assume that they don't want it just because they can't do it that day. They're always going to remember how you made them feel. If you judge them when they do have the financial means, they're not coming back to you.” (10:35—11:33)
“With [CareCredit], you want to help more patients be able to financially afford it. CareCredit and other outside financing is a way that some of them can, because maybe they're on a monthly budget that doesn't fit your monthly budget. Maybe they're on that $50 a month, whereas you don't want to take that risk, but an outside financing will. And that's where you have to say, who takes the risk? Let the outside financing take the risk because they’ve been doing it — they're in the industry. They know how to collect money. They charge the fees. We are not a bank. We are not a credit card company. All I know is how to collect today. And if they need help doing that, then that's what I'm going to use, my resources.” (11:58—12:43)
“I hear, ‘Well, [CareCredit] charges a huge fee.’ Well, they have to get paid somehow as well. But what is the fee of me trying to hunt down payments from my patients, sending the statements, doing the phone calls? And we all know the time value of money. If I can get 90% of my money today, then I will pay that 10% fee. But if I'm spreading it out over a year, it’s not worth the same. And how many hours have my team members spent reminding Mrs. Smith, ‘Don't forget, you have that payment coming up,’ or, ‘Your credit card was declined.’ It’s a lot of hassle, and it puts the conversations in a negative tone with your patients and your team members. It’s easy to talk money when it’s positive, ‘Hey, this is the crown you're getting. This is your investment.’ But when I'm telling you now you owe money, and then you have to tell me you can't pay today, it hurts the relationship because patients don't like owing you money.” (12:43—13:41)
“Everyone can make their own threshold. I say anything that you want to collect should be in writing. The only thing I would say is, a hygiene appointment that is typically covered 100% by insurance, sure, maybe not. But anything restorative or outside of your prophys should be in writing. And if you say, ‘No, I don't need it signed. I don't need it in writing,’ that tells me you're willing to write it off.” (14:23—14:50)
“If I don't have it in writing, now you've made it very hard for me to collect. And when we get into a disagreement or conflict with a patient, I don't have anything to back me up proving that I showed them this investment, proving that they agreed to it. It’s very easy for me to collect when I say, ‘Hey, Kirk. Today’s portion is $1,500,’ and you say, ‘I didn't agree to that.’ ‘Oh! Well, on November 7th, you signed this treatment estimate saying . . .’ ‘Oh, yeah. I did.’ It’s very hard to deny when you see your own signature on paper. And then, even if it gets to the point of collections, if I'm sending you to collections, I need a way to show that I went over this with the patient. And it’s all about informed consent as well. If they want to make a fully informed decision on the treatment, that includes the investment.” (14:51—15:46)
“If you are at the point where you're sending the patient to collections, you know that you're not getting that money back. There's a very small chance that you're getting it back, and very small chance you're getting that patient back. I'm more on the principle of, if you get a service, you should pay for it. So, I'm not opposed to sending patients to collections because, to me, it’s trying to hold them accountable for that, and in hopes that I do get some return. But you have to do your due diligence of having that upfront communication, having the financial arrangements signed in place. Even if they're making payments, it needs to be signed. We need to know exactly what those payments are and when those payment dates are coming out.” (16:06—16:47)
“If the doctor has done a good job presenting the treatment and the value of it, [patients] already have an idea of how much it’s going to cost. They may not know the exact dollar amount, but they're going to know, $18,000. They shouldn't be expecting $5,000. They already have an idea. So, let them process it. Let them think through in their mind, because I don't know what's in their bank account. I don't know what's in their investments. Let them have that 30, 45 seconds, even a minute of thinking, ‘Okay, where can I pull this from?’ Let them be the first ones to say anything. Because some patients say, ‘Oh, I can't do that.’ And then, that's when I say, ‘Oh, okay. What can you do?’ And then, they say, ‘Well, I'd be able to pay that next week. I have to move some things around.’ So, before I even offered anything else, I figured out, ‘Oh, they actually can pay it in full, just not today.’” (18:14—19:08)
“Taking a deposit is fine. The patient is going to know that, and that's where the communication comes in. And then, if they say, ‘Oh, I really need to split this into payments,’ ‘Okay. Our typical is, we do half at the prep, and then half at the seat date. Is that something that would work with your budget?’ And then, pause. Only give them one option at a time because I don't want to talk them out. I always start with my most ideal, which is collecting in full. Then, I will go to my second ideal option, which is still collecting payment in full before seating. If they say, ‘Oh, two payments, that's not . . .’ ‘Okay. What if we push your treatment out one month, and then we divide it into three payments?’ Go in baby steps and say, ‘What would work for your budget?’ And they say, ‘Well, you know what? I can do $5,000 a month.’ ‘Okay. Can you do a $3,000 down payment today, and then we’ll do the $5,000 a month? Then, when you come in, you'll get your final product. You'll be all caught up.’ And that's how you'll talk them in.” (19:19—20:23)
“For me, going past three months is a lot for you to be collecting in an office. That's when I would say, ‘We can talk about outside financing if that's something you're interested in,’ and let them know, ‘We utilize CareCredit in our office. We can apply today and get approved if you want more information,’ and see where their mind is at. I see a lot of team members go instantly into giving them all these options. And I tell everyone, if I'm the patient and you give me the options to make payments, I'm doing it.” (20:28—21:01)
“As long as you're collecting the final dollar before the final placement, then you're in a good spot.” (21:34—21:41)
“When [the patient] walks in to get that full-mouth rehab and you say, ‘All right, you're taking all your teeth home today. Let's go ahead and get you squared away,’ they know they're going to pay before they go see you in that chair. Because once they have that final product, they have those shiny new teeth in their mouth, then they come out, what are you going to do when they say, ‘Oh, I don't have it today’? I mean, I would tell them, ‘Well, then you can't take the teeth home today.’ But that's harder.” (21:51—22:19)
“I want to talk to the patients before the appointment to see where they're at, to get that collection. And ideally, I've already had the conversation with them over the phone. It’s not a surprise. But if it is a surprise, it’s much easier to have the face-to-face conversation, get it squared away before their appointment, before they're adding more of a balance. Because if they owe me $800 and they're scheduled for a crown today and they can't pay me the $800, well, now they're going to walk away, and now they're going to owe me a lot of money. And that hurts the relationship. They're not going to want to come in for their hygiene visits. They're not going to want to answer the phone, even if I'm just calling to tell them happy birthday. It hurts that relationship because no one wants to owe anyone money. If I owe you money and I have a financial agreement, and I know that I'm paying you, and it’s already squared away, then I'll show up for my appointments.” (23:44—24:38)
“I personally don't think any dentist should be talking money because they don't know the ins and outs. I always caution even clinical team members. And it’s not the actual dollar amount. Everyone can say, ‘This investment is $18,000.’ It’s the after part when patients start having questions and they start asking you, and you don't know those answers. Now, the patient is losing trust in you. So, I always say stick with what you're good at.” (25:12—25:42)
“If you're strong enough, and you really value the work you do, and you're confident, and you know the answers, go for it. I'm not saying you shouldn't present it. But I also say, let and back up your admin team members, especially if they’ve already had the conversation, ‘Well, Mary told me I owe $18,000.’ ‘Well, then you owe $18,000. Mary is the one that knows. I leave that all to her.’ Give them that authority.” (26:26—26:53)
“There are lots of reasons why [credit cards are] declined. So, don't get that prejudgment in your mind of why it was declined.” (30:43—30:51)
“If I don't get into contact with [a patient who owes], they are no longer on a payment arrangement with me. I take them off. They go into my collections, and then they get my statements. They get the phone calls as a normal patient would. And then, I make a flag that they are not able to create more financial arrangements with me. I'm not going to allow them to make more payments in the future because they didn't uphold that relationship and that agreement that we made prior.” (31:48—32:14)
“Overcommunicate. Let them know so many times. Even if they are on a financial arrangement and a payment plan, let them know what their current balance is. ‘Okay, Mrs. Smith. I know you're coming in tomorrow. We do have that agreement that you're going to pay the $200 towards the total balance.’ Or, ‘Mrs. Smith, you're coming in, and I noticed that there is a balance on the account from your last appointment. I'm not sure if you received the statement or not, but we can go ahead and take care of that when you come in tomorrow for your hygiene appointment.’ Let them know, and overcommunicate with them to the point where they're like, ‘Yeah, I know. I've got it.’ And it’s like, ‘Okay, perfect.’” (32:52—33:30)
“The problem isn't that you told them too many times. The problem is they say, ‘Oh, I didn't know about that.’ And that's where it gets uncomfortable. And then, they say, ‘Oh. Well, I'm not going to do my crown today.’ Now, the doctor has a hole in his schedule because they didn't know about that previous balance. So, I overcommunicate with them. And if they're not contacting me and they know that they have that balance — I've sent them statements, I've sent them phone calls — that's a good indication they're probably not showing up for that appointment. And now, I can be proactive of trying to fill that spot for them instead of having a cancellation and, ‘Well, I knew he wasn't coming because he had this balance. He hasn’t talked to us.’ Then, that goes into the whole scheduling and how you can be proactive. So, that's why financial arrangements are very important.” (33:32—34:19)
“You need to give your team members the confidence. Because sometimes, money is hard to discuss. Patients don't like it all the time. Team members don't like it. But if I have clear guidelines, and it’s written, and we’ve agreed, patients have signed, I know what I'm able to do, I have the confidence of when to collect payments, when to give discounts, it helps. And then, it makes me spend the energy on building that relationship and communicating instead of trying to figure out, ‘How can I do this?’” (34:20—34:47)
“It’s okay to joke with [patients], ‘Yeah, we kind of are [expensive].’ Or, they say, ‘Doctor must be trying to get a new car.’ You're like, ‘Yeah. Trust me, have you seen my car? He must be taking it, not me! I'm not getting this.’ Have fun with the patients. Because when they say it, most of the time, they don't mean it in a harsh way. They're just like, ‘Huh. Wow.’ And if you lighten the mood of like, ‘Yeah, we get it,’ or, ‘Well, then you won't get to talk to me.’ So, I like to lighten it because then they chuckle, and then they're like, ‘Yeah, you're right.’ They start seeing all the value of what they're receiving. It’s not just the dentistry that they're receiving, it’s the relationship, the other services that we provide, the comfort that they get. Especially if they like that massage chair, say, ‘Someone’s got to pay for it.’” (35:41—36:38)
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
1:34 Ariel’s background.
3:25 The problem dentists have around money.
4:09 Your admin needs more support and...
How To Make Conflict Healthy in Your Practice
Episode #534 with Kirk Behrendt & Heather Crockett
Conflict can be helpful and productive. It starts with a safe, open environment where you and your team can communicate. To help you create that space in your practice, Kirk Behrendt brings back Heather Crockett, one of ACT’s amazing lead coaches, to share the secret to building trust and vulnerability with your team. Channel frustration in a healthy, productive, and meaningful way! To learn how, listen to Episode 534 of The Best Practices Show!
Episode Resources:
- Heather’s email: heather@actdental.com
- Heather’s Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/heather.r.crockett
- Heather’s social media: @actdental
- Subscribe to the Best Practices Show Podcast
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club
- Join ACT’s Master Class
- See our Live Events Schedule here
- Get the Best Practices Magazine for Free!
- Write a Review on iTunes
Links Mentioned in This Episode:
Traction by Gino Wickman: https://benbellabooks.com/shop/traction
Main Takeaways:
Before anything else, have your core values set in place.
Understand destructive versus productive conflict.
Discuss and define what conflict is as a team.
Be willing to engage in productive conflict.
Don't settle for artificial harmony.
Quotes:
“I want to start with our favorite equation, E – R = C, expectations minus reality equals conflict. If our expectations and the reality don't match, conflict ensues. This is something we talk about a lot. When this conflict happens, especially amongst team members or with yourself and a team member, what do you do? And how do we put a system, a protocol, in place for when it does happen? How do we deal with it?” (2:08—2:38) -Heather
“I hated conflict. So, what I would create was called artificial harmony. If you think of this spectrum, on one side of the spectrum, you have this artificial harmony, which is, ‘It’s okay. It’s not a big deal. I don't want everybody to be upset. We’re just going to get along for today.’ And what it does is it creates unresolved conflict that ultimately becomes a crisis. And then you've got, on the other end of the spectrum, destructive conflict, where you're driving conflict. And your job as a leader, as a parent, as a spouse, is to find the sweet spot in between.” (2:46—3:23) -Kirk
“In the past, I would have team members say, ‘You don't trust me. You don't trust me.’ Well, we’ve got to have rules, and I've got to stick to the rules. Part of the rules is how do we communicate. You've got to have core values, and you've got to have structured meetings. And when you start to have these rules, these are called boundaries, people know what to expect and you can engineer some vulnerability where you can share how you're feeling. But it’s in an environment that's protected by these boundaries for how you conduct those meetings.” (4:09—4:37) -Kirk
“We talk about having rules and being able to be vulnerable with your team. That's the kind of trust that we want. Once we have that layer in place, now we can move on and talk about conflict. Well, what does conflict look like? What kind of things about conflict bother you or bother your team members? Everybody has their own story. Everyone has a history of how they’ve dealt with conflict in the past. And this oftentimes will shape our character and how we deal with conflict now as adults. We don't know that about one another until we have the conversation.” (4:40—5:14) -Heather
“At ACT, we have a great resource that we use with our clients called our Conflict Personal Histories exercise where we have that conversation. We give room for that discussion, and we talk about the things that happened when we were kids and adolescents and moving on from there so that we understand more. I can ask you, ‘What was conflict like when you were younger? What things were okay, and what things were not okay?’ My kids know that when daddy swears, he means business. He doesn't swear very often. But when he does, that's when they understand and know, ‘Okay, daddy is really mad.’ He is, in fact, shaping their conflict history now. So, when they're adults, if someone swears, it might make them feel uncomfortable. And so, the same thing is going to happen with every other situation.” (5:15—6:07) -Heather
“We've had team members share experiences that they’ve had where they didn't experience yelling growing up. And when they got married, their in-laws, their family did yell, and it was normal for them to yell. So, you see how everyone experiences conflict a little bit differently through their life, and that then shows up as adults when we are interacting with one another. Someone’s take on conflict is going to be different from another.” (6:11—6:38) -Heather
“People that don't deal with conflict, it ultimately becomes a very unhealthy situation. And then, it explodes in a fragmentation of the relationship. And that's a tough place to be.” (7:01—7:14) -Kirk
“Start with a discussion of what conflict is, what feels normal for your team, and what feels abnormal and uncomfortable. And then, move into conflict agreements where you're going to agree as a team not to swear, not to raise your voice, all of those things, where we’re going to use a calm tone of voice, we’re going to speak our minds. Any of those items are going to be on your agreement list. And then, have everyone on the team sign it.” (7:17—7:42) -Heather
“As a team, I would encourage you to sit down and define what [destructive conflict and artificial harmony] looks like. Destructive conflict is when we are passive-aggressive, when we’re mean-spirited, we are attacking the person and not the issue. Artificial harmony is when we have something to say, and we don't say it. And when we don't say it, we are actually engaging in destructive conflict in a roundabout way and doing more harm than we are good.” (7:51—8:20) -Heather
“There's a whole chapter [in Traction] on the issues component and IDS. IDS stands for Identify, Discuss, and Solve. And when I bring this to the teams that I coach, I actually encourage them to change Discuss to Debate, because that’s what helps to foster this healthy conflict. I'm going to come to this IDS session. We’re going to look through these issues. Once we've identified it, I'm going to debate. I'm going to say, ‘This is my idea. This is my thought. This is why I think this will work.’ And there's a good chance somebody else on the team, this happens often, has a better idea. And if they don't say that out loud and they hold that back, that's not doing the team any favors.” (11:22—12:07) -Heather
“I don't have any team that I'm coaching that doesn't have a core value that's related to respect or teamwork. And when that destructive conflict enters into the practice, it brushes up against your core values, which is why it feels so icky. And that's when we need to address the behavior with a courageous conversation with that team member to say, ‘Listen, this is one of our core values. These are the nonnegotiable behaviors for the practice and how we behave in the practice.’ In addition to that, remember, destructive conflict is that mean-spirited, you're attacking someone and not the issue. That's when you need to pull them aside and have that conversation. And I would lean very heavily on core values.” (13:52—14:43) -Heather
“Don't get mad at people. Get mad at a system.” (15:08—15:10) -Kirk
“The first step is awareness. Think of what the first thing is that pops in your head when you think of conflict. And what you and I are describing today, I'm hoping that it’s going to change your mind about what you hear, what you think of when you hear the word conflict. Now, when it goes to that destructive line, you are going to recognize it now more than ever because you've listened to this podcast. You're welcome. It’s a gift.” (15:50—16:19) -Heather
“Level 10 meetings give structured space to produce that productive conflict. We rate all of our meetings . . . from one to 10. I won't rate it a 10 if we didn't have some kind of productive conflict.” (18:37—18:57) -Heather
“Go for the big conflict right away. When you identify the biggest issue in any meeting and you make a commitment as a team to stick to the rules on our core values and IDS it, what you find is that solving the biggest problem or attacking the largest conflict in the room often solves other smaller conflicts because they're interrelated. They’ve often multiplied as a result of the main conflict and created other conflicts.” (19:10—19:43) -Kirk
“Don't be afraid to engage in productive conflict. Be ready for it to feel a little weird and different. Get comfortable with being uncomfortable. Be sure that you set those rules and agreements beforehand. And be prepared to be relieved, because having that productive conflict will propel your practice forward in a way that you've never been able to before.” (20:40—21:04) -Heather
“Remember, you spend 30% of your life at work. Make sure you get to a place where it’s healthy, it’s productive conflict, people trust you, and we know we’re going to be okay.” (21:09—21:19) -Kirk
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
1:14 The reality of conflict.
2:39 Artificial harmony.
3:48 Know your team’s history with conflict.
7:44 Define destructive conflict and artificial harmony with your team.
8:21 The anatomy of an excellent meeting.
11:20 Why IDS (Identify, Discuss, and Solve) is important.
12:09 Have your core values in place.
13:17 Signs that conflict is destructive.
16:31 It’s better to be clear than nice.
17:45 Learn how to have Level 10 meetings.
19:09 Identify and solve the big conflicts ASAP.
20:36 Last thoughts.
Heather Crockett Bio:
Heather Crockett is a Lead Practice Coach who finds joy in not only improving practices but improving the lives of those she coaches as well. With over 20 years of combined experience in assisting, office management, and clinical dental hygiene, her awareness supports many aspects of the practice setting.
Heather received her dental hygiene degree from the Utah College of Dental Hygiene in 2008. Networking in the dental community comes easy to her, and she loves to connect with like-minded colleagues on social media. Heather enjoys both attending and presenting continuing education to expand her knowledge and learn from her friends and colleagues.
She enjoys hanging out with her husband, three sons, and their dog, Moki, scrolling through social media, watching football, and traveling.
Growth in Dentistry
Episode #533 with Kirk Behrendt, Katie Poulsen, & Jessica Lamers
What does growth in dentistry mean to you? In this episode, Kirk Behrendt joins Katie Poulsen and Jessica Lamers from the Growth in Dentistry podcast to talk about how growing your practice starts with you and your team. Figure out how to attract the right people for your team, and you will create a great culture that attracts more of the patients you want! For the best advice to help your practice grow, listen to episode 533 of The Best Practices Show!
Episode Resources:
- Katie’s email: kpoulsen@dentalintel.com
- Katie’s Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/katie.c.poulsen
- Katie’s social media: @katiesuepoulsen
- Growth in Dentistry podcast:https://www.growthindentistry.com
- Subscribe to theBest Practices Show Podcast
- Join ACT’sTo The Top Study Club
- Join ACT’sMaster Class
- See ourLive Events Schedule here
- Get theBest Practices Magazine for Free!
- Write aReview on iTunes
Links Mentioned in This Episode:
Dental Intel:https://www.dentalintel.com
Voices of Dentistry:https://www.voicesofdentistry.com
Traction by Gino Wickman:https://benbellabooks.com/shop/traction
Atomic Habits by James Clear:https://jamesclear.com/atomic-habits
Main Takeaways:
Always think ahead and create a plan.
Learn how to think bigger and to think better.
Focus your energy on the things that matter most.
Invest in your team — your most important resource.
Get people to want, value, and spend money on dentistry.
Quotes:
“As a dentist, or anybody, you’ve always got to be thinking the best is ahead. That's a fundamental thing. It’s called the Future Pull. It’s very important for all of us, psychologically. So, I love the idea of being a quarter ahead, but I also like the idea of next year, the year after. That's why we have each one of our clients do a 10-year, three-year, two-year, one-year plan. It’s to think better.” (6:04—6:25) -Kirk
“You always have to have a bigger plan because it helps you make better decisions. So, if you have a 10-year plan, you might not know all the details, but you can be calm enough in the moment to say, ‘Okay, listen. This is how this is all going to come together, and it’s not going to be perfect.’” (6:27—6:40) -Kirk
“Get out of that pattern of, ‘Oh, we’ve just got to capitalize and somehow finish strong.’ I would tell you every quarter is the best quarter. And I don't subscribe to the whole, ‘Oh, that's a slow month.’ Get rid of that right away. If you have a slow month, that's a pattern in your brain. That is not a pattern in your practice. You've created that self-fulfilling prophecy.” (7:57—8:19) -Kirk
“My son goes to this new baseball club team, and the coach said, ‘Don't ever say you suck. Don't ever tell yourself, I suck. Because the second you tell yourself you suck, you do. We don't do that here.’ And I was like, I love this. Don't put yourself down or tell yourself patterns.” (8:21—8:40) -Kirk
“If you're looking to capitalize on insurance benefits, I get it. But you're also building more of that. You're building more of, ‘What can insurance pay for?’ Now, there's a certain truth to that. But that shouldn't be the focus of all your phone calls. It shouldn't be the focus of all your energy. The focus of your energy should be, ‘How do we do our best for our patients all the time?’ And we’re building these annuities that mature, maybe not at our own speed, but they mature eventually. I think that's a better, healthier way to think about it.” (9:04—9:36) -Kirk
“I have young dentists that are like, ‘I've got so many people in the queue right now, and we’re taking really good care of them. They decide, ultimately, on these treatment plans. And when they do, it keeps us crazy busy.’ And that speaks to your systems. So, I'm a big fan of thinking bigger than that, and then also taking it to an operating system that’s 13 weeks.” (9:36—9:59) -Kirk
“I'm going to give you the whole secret. It’s so cool, because every human being can get around 13 weeks. I do the same thing with my team. We figure out what we want to do for the year, and we break it down into quarters. I have 18 people on my team. 18 people can get around getting three things done. 18 people can get their brain around achieving five metrics, which are leading indicators, which lend itself to the lagging indicators. You can't get your brain around everybody trying to do everything and finish strong. That's too hard. And it’s really cool, once you get into this pattern, which is a better pattern for everybody that's listening, you start to teach yourself a story. You're like, ‘Wow, we actually did all that last quarter.’ And then, you sit with your team and you go, ‘So, what's that mean to you guys?’ ‘Well, I think we could do more.’ And you, as a leader, go, ‘What? What did you guys just say?’ ‘I think we could do better.’ And you're like, ‘Whoa, that's crazy. What do you think we could do?’ And it becomes their idea. That's the fun part of being a leader.” (10:05—11:01) -Kirk
“Businesses that do $180 million a year use this exact system. So, don't tell yourself, ‘Well, I'm a dental practice. It’s different.’ That's the ultimate lie. Use a simple operating system like Gino Wickman’s.” (11:10—11:23) -Kirk
“All of this is really done in the huddle, for the most part. Having an incredible huddle is 90% of it. And let me give you an example. A great huddle run very well, you have somebody who is a champion of certain things . . . So, let's start with past-due balances. I would love to come work the front desk of one of your offices. It would be so fun. I would have so much fun. I would take control of that. I would pull everyone’s past balance, and I want to start in the schedule today. I would tell everybody in the huddle, ‘Okay, guys. Listen. Before she goes back, she comes to see me. She owes us $1,700. I'm going to collect it all before we start. Are we good?’ And once you start to do that, everyone goes, ‘Wow, you collected $1,700 before we started?’ ‘Yeah.’ Because if you don't do that, you start to repeat patterns, and the balances grow, and people don't show. You've got to have somebody who’s like, ‘No, I want to win in this department.’” (11:42—12:35) -Kirk
“A lot of dentists get stuck on the money. Listen, money is to your practice what oxygen is to your body. Without it, both die. And you're giving it all away. So, you have to have somebody who feels — they're not mean. They're not aggressive. They just go, ‘No, we’ve got to get paid for what we do.’” (12:38—12:58) -Kirk
“It’s not about the money. We’re going to stop the behavior. We’re going to stop the behavior of people showing up, getting free dentistry, and then we kind of ask for it, maybe. No — you should be paid for what you do.” (13:14—13:24) -Kirk
“I think money spent on dentistry is one of the best investments a human being could ever make. Everyone in your practice has to believe that. It is a tragedy if anyone in your practice thinks, ‘What we do is expensive. It’s not really worth it.’ That is failure at the highest level.” (13:27—13:44) -Kirk
“You've got to get your team immersed in education. You've got to get them involved. I could show you, statistically, that money spent on your oral health is going to improve your life. It’s going to improve the quality of your life, possibly the length of your life. You will be a so-happy person if you make this investment in your oral health. That's what I believe, so that's going to translate in how I communicate, how I talk, how I make eye contact. And I think the person who does that — it should be everybody, including the dentist.” (13:48—14:18) -Kirk
“Every business needs two people. It needs a visionary, and it needs an integrator, somebody who is all about details, somebody who says no, somebody who organizes the money. And when you put those two together, it’s magical. It’s absolutely magical.” (16:10—16:22) -Kirk
“Dentistry, [depending on] who you're listening to, is a $350 billion industry. It’s not going to dry up. Everyone is like, ‘It’s going to dry up.’ No, it’s not. That's silly. Every expert believes and agrees that by 2030, it'll be $700 billion. Billion. And I did say billion. So, if you're sitting there going, ‘Nobody’s coming to my office,’ that's a problem. First of all, you've got to believe that what you do is great. And everybody has got to understand that money spent on dentistry is one of the best investments. Let's start there. So, that's number one.” (18:08—18:43) -Kirk
“If you're in a game where you're just trying to get people to say yes, how pitiful is that? I wouldn't come to your practice because you're just trying to get me to say yes. My whole thinking is this: how do we build a system in which we find out who people are, find out what they want, and we build it so they ultimately say, ‘I want to do this,’ and they value it?” (18:56—19:15) Kirk
“This is sales training 101. Any time the price is too high, the value is too low. Period, exclamation point. So, if people aren't saying yes, your fee is too high, and you have not created any value for human beings. When you start to create more value, people will go, ‘I thought it was going to be about that much, and I want to do this.’ And you go, ‘What'd you say?’ And you're like, ‘Wow, you actually said yes.’” (19:16—19:40) -Kirk
“Your job as a dental care provider is, how do we get people to want what we do?” (20:35—20:39) -Kirk
“I think you should actually take the word “need” out of your vocabulary. Nobody needs dentistry. They don't need it. You say, ‘You need a crown here,’ I would go, ‘Excuse me? People have demonstrated they don't even need teeth. People can eat chicken on bone. They don't need teeth. You can actually live without teeth. How dare you say you need teeth?’ You don't need teeth. That is a lie. How about we think like this? I'm going to figure out what these people want, and I'm going to be the provider. I'm going to help solve problems, and I'm going to think wants.” (20:44—21:12) -Kirk
“I will spend every penny, gladly, on things that I want because I want them.” (21:59—22:04) -Kirk
“The first phone call to your office, people should hang up and go, ‘Damn, that was good. That's going to be expensive because she was good.’ No one ever should hang up the phone and go, ‘Man, that's going to be cheap. I hope I get out of there and only pay $50.’ They should go, ‘She’s good. She’s really good.’ And then, all these little touch points, you should say to yourself as a patient, ‘I've never had this level of care. I've never met a group of people that are so in-tune with their customers. They ask great questions, and I like them, and they like each other. And I think it’s great.’” (22:34—23:06) -Kirk
“People have to start paying your full fee, period. Period. If you're only charging people a fraction of your fee, you are not creating value for human beings. You have...
Should I Add an Associate?
Episode #532 with Paul Sletten
How do you know if you're ready to add an associate? To help you answer that critical question, Kirk Behrendt brings back Paul Sletten, founder of the Sletten Group, to share his insights on achieving successful partnerships and transitions. It all starts with having a plan. You know how to plan your vacations — now, it’s time to plan your life! To learn about the best planning tips for adding an associate, listen to Episode 532 of The Best Practices Show!
Episode Resources:
- Paul’s email: paul@lifetransitions.com
- Paul’s website: https://theslettengroup.com
- Subscribe to the Best Practices Show Podcast
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club
- Join ACT’s Master Class
- See our Live Events Schedule here
- Get the Best Practices Magazine for Free!
- Write a Review on iTunes
Links Mentioned in This Episode:
Other episodes with Paul: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/search?query=paul%20sletten
Associate Feasibility Analysis: https://theslettengroup.com/services/associate-feasibility-analysis/
Main Takeaways:
More than half of partnerships and associateships fail. Don't be that statistic.
A successful partnership begins with having a transition plan and life plan.
Know the key questions to answer when looking for an associate.
Create a flexible plan, not a rigid plan.
Have a plan for your life.
Quotes:
“I would say over half [of partnerships and associateships] fail. They don't have a plan. Those transitions have been, in most cases, slapped together. ‘I think I need to add an associate. Oh, there's one! Let me have a conversation with you.’ Pretty soon, they're working together. And the owner, the host doctor, did not have a plan.” (7:03—7:32)
“Everything begins with the owner having a transition plan and an updated life plan.” (8:14—8:20)
“A practice transition plan always includes the Associate Feasibility Analysis because they need to know, can you support another doctor in your current setting? Can you do it in a physical plant? Can you do it with an ability to be able to feed and help them build a productive schedule, first year, not by handing them all of your production but by helping to grow the practice so that they can become productive? If that doesn't happen, the whole thing is going to blow up.” (9:33—10:15)
“What you're trying to do when you add an associate, if they're going to have the ability to take an equity position later to buy in or buy you out, they’ve got to be on a path where they're starting to generate enough income and they can begin to see the light that they would be able, at some point, to afford to buy in. Simply stated, that they would be able to make the payments on their portion of the practice overhead, that they would be able to retire their note and make their note payments on school loan debt, and that they would have a good living income remaining after those obligations are met.” (10:53—11:36)
“We let [prospective associates] know that we’re not looking for an associate. We’re looking for a young doctor who wants to be an owner but will be an employee in the initial phase of the relationship. We set it up that way so that they're thinking about themselves becoming an owner in the practice. And we don't want people to come in and “try it”. They're going to have a period while they're an employee where they will have the chance to stay or leave. But we talk to them, and we help create a clear pathway to ownership.” (13:48—14:30)
“[The prospective associate’s] ability to buy in is going to be dependent — it’s going to be conditional — on a highly successful initial employment phase. It’s not automatic, ‘Okay, the two years is up. I get to buy in now?’ That's not the way it should be set up. And a highly successful initial employment phase really needs to be defined.” (15:33—16:00)
“[Prospective associates] have to be able to get along with the team. The team has to like them, genuinely, and endorse them. You want the doctor’s endorsement, but the team endorsement is more powerful. And the patients have to really like them. They're going to be fed some active patients and some new patients from the practice when they first come on board. But they'd better start generating their own referrals along with that by creating wonderful experiences that the patients like and go home and tell their friends and family about. So, they have to be successful at a variety of levels. They have to be coachable.” (16:30—17:16)
“We see a lot of young doctors who are not coachable, at least not at first, because they haven't gone bump in the night yet. And so, coachable, to me, is simply having them be hungry to learn, and open, and coming with a mindset that, ‘I learned a lot in dental school, but I have so much more to learn. And I want to be in a position and in a practice culture where that's available and embraced.’ So, you want the candidate who is borderline going to drive you half nuts with all their questions instead of the one who sits back and never asks a question. That person worries me.” (17:24—18:14)
“The owner’s decision to add an associate really comes along with a commitment to be willing to make their life more challenging, in the early going, with all the mentoring you're going to have to do. So, you get the dividends and the rewards later. But you have to be willing to make that commitment. And that could mean Saturday morning meetings. It means meetings in the schedule, with topics in the schedule.” (19:03—19:36)
“If you have 1,300 or 1,500 active patients, if you're going to cut back on your own schedule, you could potentially add someone with that number of patients. But that's not big enough in a general practice. Same thing in a specialty practice. If you have a nice referral base that beautifully feeds your solo practice, you're not ready for an associate yet. So, you really would have to add someone who’s got some sparkle and substance so that they can help grow the practice and expand the referral base.” (21:01—21:48)
“There are so many people who have a really nice, sweet, solo practice and who have colleagues who have four practice sites, or six, and they say, ‘I think I need another one,’ so they set up a satellite. What happens next? Because if they're going to add an associate and then try to do that expansion, the associate is not ready to help with that. They don't really understand their role yet, and they don't really understand the practice culture. And you can only spread the owner so far.” (23:35—24:17)
“When they do it well, the owner has their own transition plan and life plan in place, and they’ve got their action steps and timetables. So, in the 10-year case that I mentioned, they're going to have a 10-year plan, and action steps and timetables need to take place during that 10 years to prepare them for their eventual exit. It may mean the addition of another doctor. It could be, over 10 years, the addition of two doctors. But that's highly dependent on the success pattern of the first placement of the first doctor. So, that's a really important thing.” (24:43—25:24)
“[Prospective associates] need to have a facility that's large enough to house the second doctor. You do not want to have a small facility, bring in the second doctor, and then split shift, because they're never there when you're there, and they’ll never really understand how the success was created because they're in the off-hours with a new team.” (25:24—25:51)
“If you're wondering what to do inside a transition plan, always go back to putting the patient at the center of the model. How will this impact our patients? So, if you have a split shift, your patients are going to have a very different experience if they come in on one shift or the other shift. It’s not going to be consistent. It’s not going to be comparable, and you're not going to grow the practice that way. So, that's why you would have to either move and build out another suite, or if you're fortunate enough to have adjacent space, not go overboard but appropriately expand your suite.” (27:05—27:47)
“In a general practice, we’re talking about the first year that the employee doctor is in the practice, the practice has to be strong enough to move 300 to 500 active patients, or new patients in combination, but that total, into the young doctor’s schedule in a thoughtful way. That's one indicator that you look at. If you can't do that without harming the host doctor’s productivity and personal income, then you're not quite ready. And there are lots of other things to look at as well.” (28:52—29:35)
“The owner in the solo practice bringing on the young doctor has to have a financial reserve fund sitting there to be able to absorb the additional expenses for much of that first year that the new doctor is in. Or if they're tight, financially, they’ll end up bringing somebody on board and after three, four months, regardless of the performance of the young doctor, they look at themselves in the mirror one morning and say, ‘Oh my God! What have I done? I put myself into a corner.’ So, that's a component as well that I wanted to mention.” (30:06—30:45)
“In the plan to add somebody to the practice, you need to calculate the ripple effect and the impact of what that's going to do to the practice. For example, are you staffed strongly enough that you can absorb another doctor without adding additional team members? Typically, they have to add an assistant, at a minimum. And then, there's a ripple effect. As the practice continues to grow, you're going to add more people. And that will fan the flames of the growth, but there is definitely a ripple effect. What kind of investment am I going to have to make in terms of updating some technology in the office to get ready to have that other doctor come on board? What are we going to have to be able and willing to spend on continuing education? What are our new staffing costs going to look like? There's a big checklist there.” (32:16—33:19)
“You could find a great person that fits your practice culture beautifully. And if you don't have your plan in place, it may not work.” (36:33—36:43)
“A successful transition is absolutely achievable. It’s available to you. You just have to be careful, cautious, make good selections, have a good plan together that is connected to your life plan, and you've got to be in a position where you personally are ready, financially and psychologically.” (36:50—37:20)
“You have to have a flexible plan. You don't have to have a rigid plan. And that builds some comfort into it because when we think about putting a rigid plan together, it really locks us in, and it feels like we’re in a straitjacket sometimes.” (39:38—39:59)
“The very act of planning includes flexibility.” (40:10—40:15)
“We can't try to begin a plan looking at what to do next week without some concept of why it’s important. That makes planning fun.” (41:28—41:42)
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
2:04 Paul’s background.
4:00 Why this is an important topic.
6:39 Why more than half of partnerships and associateships fail.
7:59 Everything begins with a transition plan and a life plan.
10:16 When associates should begin paying for themselves.
12:23 Be very clear upfront with prospective partners.
14:31 Define a highly successful initial employment phase.
17:17 Look for coachability.
18:25 What a mentorship looks like.
19:39 Key performance indicators to know.
21:52 Expectations to talk about early on.
22:58 Things to think about when expanding with an associate.
24:31 Have a large enough facility.
25:52 Problems with splitting shifts.
28:23 Be able to comfortably move patients.
29:36 Have a financial reserve fund.
30:46 Calculate the ripple effect of adding an associate.
33:21 Growth sucks out cash.
35:50 Other thoughts and cautionary tales.
37:44 You need a plan for your life.
38:57 How to get in touch with Paul.
39:33 Have a flexible plan.
40:15 What a flexible plan looks like.
Paul Sletten Bio:
Paul D. Sletten founded the Sletten Group, Inc. in 1975 in Denver, Colorado. They are in their 48th year of business and have developed an international clientele, having assisted and completed transitions in all 50 states, six provinces in Canada, and two states in Australia. They continue to exclusively work with fee-for-service dentists and their teams around the country.
It is exciting to see both people and practices grow, and to know they have had a hand in so many transitions brings them enormous joy. Their wide-ranging experiences allow them to bring what they have learned to each new client situation. This experience helps them know how to tailor their services to the unique needs of each client and to be able to offer multiple options to almost any client situation. Due to this ability to customize their services, the Sletten Group also works with all of the specialty practices in the dental industry.
Paul has spoken at more than 285 dental meetings around the country. This includes almost all of the major dental meetings and numerous study clubs. The topics focus on all aspects of Practice Transitions — including buying a dental practice, selling a dental practice, and much more — as well as personal growth and development for dentists and team members.
Pam Sletten, a partner in the group, assists and works in the business and is very involved in helping their clients.
In an effort to expand their range of services for young dentists and prospective buyers, the Sletten Group helps in evaluating practice opportunities and sets a proper course for professional lives. All at the Sletten Group continue to focus on their own personal growth. They come to the world with a sense of wonder and are constantly on a quest to learn more and apply that learning to the benefit of their clients.
How to Make Your Clear Aligner Systems Profitable
Episode #531 with Allison Lacoursiere
If you think clear aligners are not for your practice, this episode will change your mind! Kirk Behrendt brings back Allison Lacoursiere, founder of Clear Coaching and creator of the Clear Aligner Systemization methodology, to explain why every dentist needs to offer clear aligners and how to create a system for this untapped resource. Don't let opportunities walk out of your office! To learn how you can get started today, listen to Episode 531 of the Best Practices Show!
Episode Resources:
- Allison’s website: https://www.yourclearalignercoach.com
- Allison’s email: allison@yourclearalignercoach.com
- Allison’s social media: @yourclearalignercoach
- Subscribe to the Best Practices Show Podcast
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club
- Join ACT’s Master Class
- See our Live Events Schedule here
- Get the Best Practices Magazine for Free!
- Write a Review on iTunes
Main Takeaways:
Develop your clinical confidence.
Get buy-in from your team about clear aligners.
Use your team to educate patients about clear aligners.
Create specific systems that your team is in alignment with.
Say, “Yes, this!” to motivate your team when they do things right.
Quotes:
“The first thing — and this is going to be the foundation of everything you do in your practice with your team and your patients that's going to help you be successful — is your clinical confidence. The more confident that you can be as a provider that you can treat these cases and know exactly how to utilize the software and the mechanics of the aligners, the more profitable you're going to be, but the more aligner cases you're going to do. And so, the first step for any provider is to, one, decide which clear aligner they want to use, and then, two, get the education around how to use it really, really effectively, because your confidence will be the key to your team getting on board and starting to do more cases.” (6:29—7:12)
“I see almost a cavalier approach, like, ‘Eh, I know what to do,’ or the approach of like, ‘If I don't know everything, I won't even start.’ And so, I talk to doctors all the time between those, and both of those ways don't result in the success they want. The good news is, online education and those communities allow for us to be educated so much easier than we use to be. I was the dental assistant that was sneaking into orthodontic lectures — don't tell anybody. I would have the badge of “Doctor” and I would go in, and in the background be writing all my notes because there was nothing online for an orthodontic assistant to understand clear aligners. And now, there are so many options to be able to get that clinical confidence, to have a community that can help answer questions, and to really have that support. If you're stuck with a case, there are so many providers that you can call on to help you with the clinical aspect of it.” (7:31—8:28)
“If you're a doctor that has had a patient ask you these questions, my two solutions for you is, one, don't get defensive by pushing back. Like, ‘Why would I pay you if I can get this for $1,000 online?’ One, don't get defensive. Two, get very empathetic and concerned. So, come from a place of like, ‘Oh, gosh. Yes, I've heard about those aligner companies. I feel so worried about the patients that are actually going through with them because they don't have anybody taking care of them when they're moving teeth through bone. As a doctor, that's something I'm trained to do, and I have taken exceptional, additional training in order to be able to do that. And so, it scares me when patients are getting that treatment and no doctor is watching and overseeing that result because big, big consequences can happen.’ So, come from that place of concern, and then tell them why it’s so much better to see a doctor with this case than getting somebody to mail them their clear aligner cases.” (9:26—10:27)
“There are very few procedures, especially in a general practice, that the doctor does not need to do that is still profitable. And so, when I'm looking at the profitability of any practice that I'm looking at, one of the first questions that I have is, ‘Where is your Invisalign booked and scheduled? Where are your clear aligners booked or scheduled? Show me your schedule.’ And if we have all of those appointments booked in the doctor’s chair and the doctor is the one that's running that, then I know for sure that there's so much opportunity right now to make Invisalign or your clear aligners more profitable.” (11:02—11:39)
“The first step is to engage your team. One, your hygienist, help them understand the language on how to educate their patients on the benefits of moving their teeth into the right position. A lot of times, when I go into a practice and I talk to my hygiene team about putting teeth into the right place, and malocclusion, and the consequences of the chipping, and all of that stuff, that's the part that they resonate with rather than, ‘Hey, we need to talk to our patients about clear aligners.’ We need to help our teams understand why. Why is this part of our practice philosophy? Why is this something that we care about? Why is this something that we want to educate our patients on with consistency? When we can get our hygiene team to understand that, it’s almost like you can't unsee what you've seen when it comes to the possibilities of putting the teeth into the right position, getting them out of malocclusion, and getting your patients healthier. And so, as soon as the hygiene team is bought into that, they're going to talk about clear aligners all the time because they know and understand the true results for the patients and how it’s going to benefit their overall health over time.” (11:41—12:44)
“If your clinical confidence is exactly where it can be and you're super-efficient planning these cases, you have the systems in your practice that are going to support that, and your team is bought in, 30 minutes a case [is what it takes].” (14:02—14:14)
“The range of what people charge is anywhere from $3,500 to $8,000 for an orthodontic case. So, 30 minutes for $3,500 to $8,000, that's a pretty good deal when it comes to being in dentistry, I would say.” (14:30—14:45)
“[Clear aligners are] one of those procedures that patients come in and they're like, ‘I want this. I want it.’ They're not coming in asking for a root canal. They're not coming in asking for a crown in their lower molar. They're coming in asking for clear aligners and things that are going to help them be healthier and have a more beautiful smile.” (15:15—15:31)
“Your hygiene team is so critical because they're going to be the educators day in and day out. They're the ones that are teaching the patients every single day. But then, your dental assistants are a huge asset to this as well. And, of course, depending on your location, what your dental assistant is allowed to do in your state or province matters. But they can be the ones that are having that initial consult. They are the ones that are taking all the initial records. They are the ones that are bonding. They are the ones that are doing the aligner checks. And they are the ones that are helping the doc literally step into the room and confirm that everything looks good, based on their training and ability to know what “good” looks like.” (15:46—16:22)
“When I was dental assisting and I was the ortho assistant, I had 20 patients a day. My doc would be dragged into the room, check a few things here and there, and get his way out to go back and do his restorative dentistry. So, it’s so powerful. You can have a complete ortho chair that you're not running. That's another team thing that you need to know is possible for you within your clear aligner world.” (16:24—16:46)
“I got bored of clinical dental assisting when I was in my practicum. I was like, ‘Oh, gosh. How am I going to get through this?’ And as soon as I got the tools to be able to educate patients and talk to patients confidently, to run the clear aligner systems, it kept me in clinical practice for a decade — a decade. And I loved it. I still love it. And I see this transformation in dental teams all the time where they go from feeling not super engaged in what's going on to being a partner in the restorative aspect. And so, it’s exciting for dental teams to be re-engaged, which I think we can agree, collectively, at this point in the world, needs to happen right now. We’re seeing a lot of team members disengaged, and I think that clear aligners are one of those ways that we can empower our team members to run that process. It can keep a lot of team members in practice with joy while increasing productivity in your practice, decreasing stress for the doctor, and increasing patient care.” (17:17—18:12)
“Create specific systems in your practice. Make sure that everyone in your team [knows] this is a team approach, this is a team procedure. Everyone has a touchpoint when it comes to the clear aligner systems. And so, create systems that are very clear for every person in your practice so that everyone knows who is doing what, when, and how. So, when is your office manager calling the insurance company to find out what coverage they have for the clear aligners? How are they talking about it when a patient calls on the phone and says, ‘How much are your clear aligners?’ How are they answering that? Make that a system. How are you scheduling them in your practice, and when? The secret answer is no more than 48 hours. Make sure you bring people that call into your practice within 48 hours because that's when they're most excited to say yes.” (19:15—19:59)
“You want to have a total goal within your practice. Like, what are we trying to do? Who are we talking to? Who is a candidate for clear aligners? Have a goal in your practice so that your whole team can work towards it. And it creates almost a culture of celebration because everyone is involved.” (20:00—20:16)
“Create videos in your practice. So, if you have a doc teaching a team member how to do anything, take your camera out, video him or her doing it, and put it into an online video platform so that your team can have video content in your practice. You don't have to keep saying the same things over and over again if you get a new team member.’ (20:57—21:15)
“It starts with buy-in from the team. If the doc is like, ‘Guys, we just need to slam our schedule,’ and they're like, ‘But why?’ that's going to be a tough sell for the team. So, make sure there's buy-in from the team. Help them understand why this is important, why we want to do it, and then, at the beginning of the day, in your morning huddle, ask the question, ‘If we get somebody that's interested in clear aligners, where do we want to put them today?’ And I promise you, your team will be able to find somewhere. They will be able to find somewhere. If they're motivated to do it, they understand the why, and you guys have a goal as a practice, and you're saying every day, ‘Where are we going to put that clear aligner patient if we get that call?’ they’ll be able to find a place. You don't want to have the front desk just shove somebody in there and hope that's okay. We want it to be an agreement with the team.” (21:54—22:35)
“When you have a goal, everyone is running the exact same race. In fact, they're pulling each other along. They're helping each other. That's the beauty of it, is that you have every single person bought in to the same mission. And sometimes, our practices are like, ‘That's so expensive,’ or, ‘How do I afford that?’ But there are a lot of ways that we can create a goal with an incentive for a team that doesn't have to be hugely monetary, or even monetary at all. In fact, a lot of times, when you look at the data of the reasons why team members leave practices, number one is not money, it’s not feeling valued. That's the reason that they leave. And so, when we reverse-engineer that to solve for that problem and want them to do more of what we’re hoping for, we actually value them more for the things that they're doing.” (23:10—23:57)
“How can you set a goal that has a result in helping your team feel more valued and seen for the work that they’ve done? That's the way that we set a goal. And the power of it, when I see teams come together, anything is possible. It is so exciting.” (23:57—24:11)
“I would start with five cases a month. Try starting with that. Hit that goal, crush it, and then go to seven the next month. And then, start to increase from there. Let your team have that benchmark, let them hit it, celebrate, and then make it bigger. Continue to do that and continue to acknowledge the team for what they're doing in order to achieve those goals.” (24:31—24:53)
“When you start to see your team do some of the things that you want them to do, there are two words that you can say to make them do more of it: yes, this. So, let's say I was like, ‘Kirk, I want you to start to scan some of your patients and educate them on the effects of malocclusion and their opportunities to correct this with clear aligners,’ and you're like, ‘Okay, doc. Got it.’ And I see you the next day scanning a patient. That moment is so critical in that team behavior for me to be like, ‘Yes, Kirk! This! This is exactly what we were talking about!’ Isolating those moments, that's going to help your team do more of what you want them to do. And it’s two words: yes, this. It will change the way that your team is motivated.” (25:52—26:34)
“Clear aligners enable practices to create a culture of celebration because everyone is involved. Everyone gets to see their result, the patient is excited, the team can be excited, and it’s something that can be a really, really beautiful commonality between everyone on the team. I have seen shifts in practices that I'm coaching that have created this beautiful culture of celebration based on their clear aligner goals. So, the connection is so real. It’s amazing.” (27:13—27:38)
“After a patient has said yes to clear aligners, the likelihood of them starting to pay more attention to their teeth, care about their oral health even more — they’ve just made this investment in themselves, in their mouth. At the end of treatment, this is an amazing time to discuss any anterior wear that needs to get built back up, any implants that need to get placed. Finish taking care of this patient. What I've seen with this is that those patients are more likely to say yes to those treatments because they’ve already invested in themselves, their oral health, and they know the value of it. They’ve seen the results and they're ready to finish off their mouth, their health, because they already trust you and they’ve had such a great experience with the clear aligners.” (27:53—28:35)
“Don't underestimate the power of being able to create treatment plans during and after the clear aligner process for patients that you may assume wouldn't have said yes to these things before. I started to track the treatment plan acceptance after Invisalign or after clear aligners, and it’s massive. Those patients are way more likely to say yes. That, I think, is a beautiful opportunity to keep in your back pocket as you're getting through these cases and finishing them.” (28:37—29:06)
“This is something that you can change immediately. A lot of doctors I talk to have this goal of doing more clear aligners. And I want you to know that wherever you are right now in that journey, you can start to do more immediately. You can change your perspective. Listen to this podcast, and go back into your practice, and tell your team, ‘Hey, guys. Let's set a goal for clear aligners. Let's talk about this. What questions do you have about it?’ It’s something that can be changed very quickly with intentionality. And remember, there are so many places that you can get that clinical confidence, if that's what's holding you back. And as a reminder, you're not dumping more on your team with this. You're actually empowering them to have a more enjoyable experience in your practice. So, these are common reasons why docs might think like, ‘Ugh, it’s not for me,’ or, ‘It’s not the time.’ But you really can make the shift very quickly and easily, and the benefits and the results are huge.” (29:46—30:41)
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
1:56 Allison’s background.
4:04 The state of clear aligners today.
6:04 Where to start with clear aligners.
7:12 Get advanced education in clear aligners.
8:29 How to effectively respond to patients’ questions.
10:50 Utilize your team.
13:26 What 30 minutes will get you.
14:45 Patients want clear aligners.
15:32 Your hygiene team is critical.
16:51 Empower your team to change your patients’ lives.
19:04 Make specific systems.
21:17 Get buy-in from your team.
22:36 Set specific goals for your team.
25:40 Two words to help motivate your team.
26:50 Clear aligners create a culture of celebration.
27:41 Create treatment plans during and after the clear aligner process.
29:38 Last thoughts on making the aligner system profitable.
30:43 How Allison can help you, and how to get in touch.
Allison Lacoursiere, RDA, OA, CPC, ELI-MP Bio:
Innovator Allison Lacoursiere, RDA, OA, CPC, ELI-MP, is the creator of the Clear Aligner Systemization methodology. Allison helps dentists and teams streamline efficiencies to increase both patient and practice satisfaction and health.
A native Canadian, Allison moved to Bermuda at the age of 19 to work as a dental assistant and to seek adventure and try something new. She incorporated a system in that practice which generated $80K a month in clear aligner production.
With over a decade of dental practice experience, Allison is a sought-after mentor and speaker. She helps dental teams improve culture, increase production, and grow into their full potential. She is certified through International Professional Excellence in Coaching and is a member of the International Coaches Federation. Allison is a member of Toastmasters International and has trained with Dale Carnegie Speaking Institution. She is a Certified Transformational Trainer through LionSpeak.
Allison is passionate about fitness and wellness. She is an active team member and competitor on the Bermuda National Beach Volleyball Team. Allison is also a certified personal trainer and yoga instructor. Her passion lies in empowering individuals to achieve their ultimate potential and life satisfaction.
An Answer to the Great Resignation
Episode #530 with Dr. Steven Kupferman
If you're tired of experiencing the Great Resignation, there is a solution — you just need to be open to it. To tell you about virtual assistants and how it changed his practice, Kirk Behrendt brings in Dr. Steven Kupferman, co-founder and CEO of MedVA, a company that provides qualified virtual assistants specifically for doctors. Is your in-house staff overwhelmed? Are things not getting done? A virtual assistant can help! To learn more about MedVA and how they can support your practice, listen to Episode 530 of The Best Practices Show!
Episode Resources:
- Dr. Kupferman’s website: https://la-coms.com
- Dr. Kupferman’s email: drkupferman@medva.com
- MedVA: https://medva.com
- Subscribe to the Best Practices Show Podcast
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club
- Join ACT’s Master Class
- See our Live Events Schedule here
- Get the Best Practices Magazine for Free!
- Write a Review on iTunes
Links Mentioned in This Episode:
The White Coat Investor: https://www.whitecoatinvestor.com
Kolbe: https://www.kolbe.com
Main Takeaways:
Virtual assistants can do almost anything your in-person employees do.
Your front desk person may benefit from having a virtual assistant.
Figure out which tasks you can outsource to virtual assistants.
Having virtual assistants will improve in-house staff retention.
There is no language barrier hiring MedVA assistants.
Quotes:
“You go back and forth in your mind, ‘Can I do this? Can I not do this? Are they going to be able to do this? Are they not going to be able to do this? How are they going to help me? Is it worth the money? Security — I'm not going to meet them. Who are they?’ But sometimes, you've got to take a leap of faith and try something out. You won't know whether it’s effective or not until you actually try it. And that's what happened with me. I had this incredible first virtual assistant, who still works for me to this day, who was so dedicated. He, to this day, is one of the best employees I've ever had.” (5:36—6:18)
“The great thing about a virtual assistant is everything is recorded. You can record your training sessions with them, and then that institutional memory gets passed on very easily. So, once I started to get things under control, the easiest things to give them were things like getting benefits and revenue cycle stuff. That has become, in my mind, something that should not be done by taking up real estate in your office. That's a job that should be done remotely from start to finish. That was really where things got started, and that's the easiest way to really get into the virtual assistant space, is to have them do revenue cycle, benefits verification, and things like that.” (7:46—8:33)
“[Insurance companies] are often hampered by the Great Resignation, more so than the dental offices. And so, they don't have people to answer phones. Most of their work is also done offshore. Sometimes, you can wait 15 minutes just to get somebody on Delta Dental or somebody on some other payer. So, 15 minutes is a good day, I think, for benefits verification — unless you're using some sort of online portal, which, oftentimes, you don't really trust anyway, or more offices don't trust, especially if you're doing a big case of some sort. So, 15 minutes is par, I think, for benefits verification. And it could be longer. That's what we’ve seen. And so, that's what we’ve done. We've utilized our offshore team to do that exclusively, and that's been fantastic.” (8:58—9:54)
“I went from there to accounting, bookkeeping, marketing, HR, scribing, letters, notes, and reports. And the tasks are endless. I mean, obviously, they can't be a dental assistant. They can't be a medical assistant. They can't take blood pressures and vital signs, and suction for you, and choose the shade of composite that you're going to be using that day. But everything else that's running in the practice can almost all be done virtually.” (11:25—12:04)
“The people that are running your practice, they don't like to do mundane tasks. That's what burns them out. And so, what you end up doing when you're utilizing virtual staff, you can really promote the people that are there, move them to higher-level tasks, do more to retain them, pay more to retain them, while putting these other tasks of, for example, sitting on the phone waiting for Delta Dental to answer, have somebody else doing that so that they can greet patients, which I think a lot of people who are in your office love to do. They love the patient interaction, even though they're not caring for the patient, or suctioning, or making a temporary crown. They love the patient interaction, the administrative staff. You want to keep them as long as possible, retain them, and using virtual assistants allows you to do that.” (12:53—13:47)
“The first language in the Philippines is English. They have Tagalog, which is their language. But everybody learns English from day one in school, so that is the official language of the Philippines. So, language is not a barrier. Now, they use different words for different things, just like they do in the UK, for example, or in Australia. But language is not a barrier at all.” (14:10—14:34)
“[The Philippines is] a healthcare-oriented country. They care for people. That's what Filipinos are known to do. In many other countries, they employ people from the Philippines to care for people. So, they are healthcare-centered. Everything there is healthcare centered. And so, the virtual assistants that I have are generally in the healthcare field to begin with, before we even do any training for them on U.S. healthcare. They're healthcare-trained at the outset, whether they're nurses, or therapists, or physical therapists, or whatever it may be, dental assistants or dentists. They're already healthcare-trained professionals. That's what they do in that country. Those are their main industries.” (14:45—15:30)
“All the other marketing stuff, making brochures and taking out ads, or whatever else you're doing for marketing, can be done remotely, of course. Visiting offices is harder. Bringing cookies or asking offices is a little harder. But if you think out of the box a little bit and you get a DoorDash account, and you call, or you use companies — there are companies that will deliver lunch to businesses. Forget medical or dental businesses. Deliver lunch and have a virtual lunch meeting. There are companies that do that on a day-to-day basis now. And they’ve taken off during the pandemic because it’s much easier to have a company send lunch to 10 people and then meet on Zoom, especially in high-traffic areas like California, New York, Chicago, and all those other places. So, marketing is easy if you think out of the box a little bit.” (18:13—19:10)
“[This concept of virtual assistants is] really new, and I think a lot of people, generally, are hesitant to try something new. Most dentists have a smaller operation and they don't need it — they don't feel that they need it because they’ve got one person working up front, and maybe one in the back, or two in the back, or three in the back, and they don't know that the person up front is overwhelmed and holding things together on their own, and that they could use a little help and add $10 an hour, $15 an hour, whatever it is. They can use that help. So, I think that that's probably where people get it wrong, is you think everybody is doing fine until they leave, and they say, ‘Gosh, I'm working too hard,’ or, ‘I'm resigning.’ I think that that's where a lot of people get it wrong, thinking that it’s not for them, or that, ‘I can't do this.’” (21:14—22:16)
“The simplest things like hygiene recall and getting patients in that have treatment plans that are not completed that the person upfront doesn't have time to do, and all these little tasks that you have on your mind, your email and your inbox, pass them off. [Virtual assistants will] get it done.” (25:09—25:28)
“I've always struggled with the transmission of institutional information along the way. I started with one employee in 2009. And the things that I discussed with the employee are gone, the goals that I had. The information that had gone from employee to employee is a game of telephone, and it doesn't always translate. But if you're having your first session with a virtual assistant, that's all recorded. You can record it all, and you can tell them everything. And then they’ll remember it, they’ll watch it, they’ll share it with the next virtual assistant. And all that becomes much more scalable rather than handing them an employee manual or whatever book you have, your standard operating procedure book or whatever it happens to be in your practice.” (26:07—26:59)
“I think that the real innovation is that these are people who are really working for you. You're not as much outsourcing them as you are hiring people who are working remotely. They happen to be in the Philippines, but they're going to be people who are working specifically for you. I think outsourcing where you sign up with an agency and they're answering your calls, or you're faxing them or emailing information to work on, and they're working on stuff for you and stuff for somebody else, to me, that's not an ideal situation. I think the real ideal situation is to find a company that is going to provide people that are working specifically for you. They are your employees. You tell them what your hours are, what you want them doing for you, specifically, and they're working specifically for you. And you take care of them like any other employee.” (30:11—31:01)
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
1:37 Dr. Kupferman’s background.
3:19 Why he started MedVA.
5:21 Resistance to having virtual assistants.
6:53 Training virtual assistants.
8:34 The best place to start utilizing virtual assistants.
9:59 How MedVA grew and evolved.
12:11 Things he learned from outsourcing.
13:49 Is there a language barrier with virtual assistants?
15:30 Scalability and marketing.
19:11 Ways to manage virtual assistants.
20:59 What people get wrong about virtual assistants.
22:16 Virtual assistants help get things done.
23:22 How it works and where to start.
25:29 Scalability in training virtual assistants.
28:26 More about MedVA.
29:59 Last thoughts.
Dr. Steven Kupferman Bio:
Dr. Steven Kupferman, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of MedVA, holds M.D. and D.M.D. degrees from the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and from Harvard School of Dental Medicine, respectively. He brings nearly two decades of experience in the healthcare industry. He is the founding physician of LACOMS, Los Angeles’s premier Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Center, where he first pioneered the use of Virtual Assistants to optimize the management of his practice while simultaneously improving the quality of patient care. Dr. Kupferman and his wife, Danielle, reside in Los Angeles with their four children.
Why Trust Requires Rules in Your Practice
Episode #529 with Kirk Behrendt & Heather Crockett
Without trust, you don't have a team. Building that trust is hard work, and Kirk Behrendt brings back Heather Crockett, one of ACT’s amazing coaches, to share tips and advice for getting started. Before anything else, you need to establish some rules! Once you do, everything else will become a lot easier. To learn why you need rules to build trust as a leader, listen to Episode 529 of The Best Practices Show!
Episode Resources:
- Heather’s email: heather@actdental.com
- Heather’s Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/heather.r.crockett
- Heather’s social media: @actdental
- Subscribe to the Best Practices Show Podcast
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club
- Join ACT’s Master Class
- See our Live Events Schedule here
- Get the Best Practices Magazine for Free!
- Write a Review on iTunes
Links Mentioned in This Episode:
Books by Patrick Lencioni: https://www.tablegroup.com/books
Traction by Gino Wickman: https://benbellabooks.com/shop/traction
Brené Brown: https://brenebrown.com
How Should a Company Share Its Values? | Q+A by Simon Sinek: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5yE541BY-1c
Books by Simon Sinek: https://simonsinek.com/books
DiSC: https://www.thediscpersonalitytest.com
Main Takeaways:
Everyone needs a good set of rules.
Building trust with your team requires hard work.
Understand predictive trust versus vulnerability-based trust.
Once you establish rules, you will attract people who like those rules.
If you're having a hard time establishing rules, hire a coach to help you.
Quotes:
“The issue is trusting one another on a deeper level than just predictive trust. Predictive trust, when we delineate between predictive trust and a different kind of trust that’s a vulnerability-based trust, our predictive trust is, I know that my husband is going to take the trash out because he’s so great at doing that every Friday morning before the trash guy comes. I know that Chris is going to show up to my meeting on time because that's who she is. She’s going to show up on time, every single time. Those are predictive-based trust type of behaviors. What we are going to dive into today, we’re going to talk about vulnerability-based trust and what that looks like.” (2:20—3:05) -Heather
“Vulnerability-based trust is the ability to open up and be honest with one another on a team to say, ‘Hey, I made a mistake. I did something wrong. I need your help. I'm stuck. I'm still learning.’ So, it’s taking the ego out of it and using our out-loud voices, bringing our ideas and our thoughts and our opinions to the table and putting it out there and saying it out loud, being honest with one another in a timely fashion.” (3:15—3:46) -Heather
“Vulnerability-based trust requires rules in your family, in your business. And one of the rules is you've got to have rules around behaviors — and that is core values.” (6:11—6:20) -Kirk
“I was at ADA SmileCon, and Brené Brown spoke. It’s one of the best lectures I've ever heard. I was moved. I was riveted. She said to a room of thousands of people, ‘Y'all got to have a set of rules. How many of you have a set of rules called values?’ And I was shocked by the number of hands that went up. There were so few hands, it was frightening. And she said, ‘You've got to have some rules, some behaviors.’ And what I didn't do as a leader is I didn't have a set of rules and behaviors.” (6:23—6:56) -Kirk
“Simon Sinek did a short speech on why values should be written. It’s fantastic. He says values are verbs. You should never have “trust” or something like that as a value because values have to be actionable.” (7:06—7:21) -Kirk
“It goes back to our favorite equation of E - R = C. I can't trust you and know that you are going to behave a certain way, especially around the verbs of the core values, until we have those core values set in place. Especially as we put together our strategy and our process as laid out in Traction as well. So, as the leader of the business, you need to have those things set in place before you can start embarking on the pathway of that vulnerability-based trust. We need to have these rules in place. We need to agree that, ‘This is how we’re going to behave in our meetings. This is what we’re going to do in our meeting. These are the behaviors that we’re going to embody on a weekly, daily, hourly basis, our core values. This is really what is expected.’ And once we lay that foundation, then we can start moving into the vulnerability-based trust concept.” (8:14—9:13) -Heather
“How this applies to your dental practice is this: if you're listening and you follow Lencioni’s work, and you know how important trust is in a business, my encouragement is to start with rules. And if you can't establish rules, that’s why you hire a coach.” (10:53—11:09) -Kirk
“It takes some time, but once you start establishing the rules, you start living by the rules. You start attracting other people that like the behaviors like core values. They go, ‘This is awesome! This is why I work here.’” (11:42—11:51) -Kirk
“Accountability happens with accounting. Accountability is not saying, ‘Hey, I trust you.’ No. We agreed that this is going to happen in seven days, and it happens the way you agreed.” (12:24—12:35) -Kirk
“We use the DiSC assessment. So, people take their quick DiSC assessment and they figure out if they're a D, I, S, or C. And our S’s — and there are a lot of S’s in dentistry because S’s are steadiness. They're nurturing, they're naturally humble, they're genuine and authentic, and they're very caring — very caring to the point that, oftentimes, they have something to say, and they choose not to say it because they want to spare the other person or other people their feelings. They don't want to rock the boat. They don't want to create or cause any conflict. They don't want to hurt anyone’s feelings — which is admirable, to a degree. The problem is, oftentimes, when we don't share out loud some of our thoughts, feelings, and opinions — notice, I said some. Some of our thoughts, feelings, and opinions, because sometimes we can overshare — the problem is, especially as we are talking as a team and we don't share those ideas and thoughts, we are actually doing the team more harm than we are if we’re quiet. So, if we stay quiet, we’re doing the team more harm than if we shared that idea and that thought in the first place.” (13:04—14:18) -Heather
“Not having the right people in the right seats, that's probably the toughest one of all time. Like, ‘Okay, we’re going to do this.’ Well, the person who’s going to do this really isn't the person that should be doing this. And so, if you can't make these decisions, you know they're holding you back. And they're holding you back in a big way.” (14:43—15:02) -Kirk
“One of the things is not calling out the truth. And when you can step into rules, you have behaviors, you’ve got the right people in the right seats, you can start to go to the second layer of the pyramid, which is conflict. Lencioni’s whole thing of starting with trust and then getting to conflict, you can't get to conflict unless you have trust.” (15:46—16:06) -Kirk
“As we work our way up the pyramid and we have that accountability piece, that peer-to-peer accountability gets much easier when we trust each other. When it comes from a place of, I'm not saying anything because I need Kirk to share a login with me and I'm afraid that Kirk’s going to say he can't get that done for me, or I don't want to rock the boat, I don't want to hurt his feelings like, ‘I can't believe you haven't done that for me. I've asked you to do it a couple of times for weeks,’ whatever it is, coming from a place of understanding, that we’re doing this for the betterment of the entire team, and there are no personal attacks attached to it. And I think that's one of the biggest hurdles for a lot of these team members to get over.” (16:50—17:32) -Heather
“Everybody wants the results, but nobody wants to do the hard work that gains the results.” (18:21—18:26) -Kirk
“There are three selves: the self you want to be, who others think you are, and who you really are. And there's the lowest amount of stress or energy when all of those three get as close as possible.” (19:47—20:05) -Kirk
“Work doesn't have to be a four-letter word. It can be a fun word.” (20:53—20:56) -Kirk
“We always say as goes the leader, so goes the team. So, the leader has to go first. And you can bring it and be transparent. Once you introduce this concept to your team, you, as the leader, need to go first and lead by example to say, ‘Okay, guys. Spoiler alert, I'm about to be vulnerable. I screwed this up. I made a mistake and I need your help.’ And that's okay.” (21:13—21:38) -Heather
“Patrick Lencioni talks a lot about, ‘Don't let them see you sweat.’ Why would we do that? Why would we not want our team to see us sweat? It’s really okay for them to see that we’re struggling with something.” (21:38—21:53) -Heather
“All change processes start with the first step, which is telling the truth, which can include being vulnerable.” (23:14—23:23) -Kirk
“We can, as leaders, have a mixture of that humility and the confidence. That's what really makes an amazing leader. Not only do they have that humility, but they also come in with a confident front as well. And they're developing other leaders in that same way. So, let them see you sweat in the way that you are, in fact, telling the truth and being honest.” (24:36—25:00) -Heather
“Get over yourself and be first. Go first. Be vulnerable with your team. Find that level, that in-between area, of where you need to be vulnerable and where you need to be confident.” (27:49—28:00) -Heather
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
1:45 Why this is an important topic.
3:05 Vulnerability-based trust, defined.
3:47 Kirk’s journey.
8:00 The importance of having rules in place.
9:14 Having rules lead to trust.
10:56 How this applies to a dental practice.
12:50 Roadblocks of having vulnerability-based trust.
18:01 Results require hard work.
21:02 Let them see you sweat a little.
23:09 Change starts with telling the truth.
24:11 Embrace the rules first.
27:33 Last thoughts.
Heather Crockett Bio:
Heather Crockett is a Lead Practice Coach who finds joy in not only improving practices but improving the lives of those she coaches as well. With over 20 years of combined experience in assisting, office management, and clinical dental hygiene, her awareness supports many aspects of the practice setting.
Heather received her dental hygiene degree from the Utah College of Dental Hygiene in 2008. Networking in the dental community comes easy to her, and she loves to connect with like-minded colleagues on social media. Heather enjoys both attending and presenting continuing education to expand her knowledge and learn from her friends and colleagues.
She enjoys hanging out with her husband, three sons, and their dog, Moki, scrolling through social media, watching football, and traveling.
Occlusion with Your Patients’ Growth & Development
Episode #528 with Dr. Curt Ringhofer
Countless people are affected by temporomandibular joint disorders. Fortunately, you have the opportunity to correct it. If you want to be a valuable resource for your TMD patients, don't miss today’s episode! Kirk Behrendt brings in Dr. Curt Ringhofer, an instructor from the Chicago Study Club, to talk about recognizing, diagnosing, and treating growth deficiencies early so you can set patients up for proper growth and development. To learn more, and to find out how to join the Chicago Study Club, listen to Episode 528 of The Best Practices Show!
Episode Resources:
- Dr. Ringhofer’s email: curt@cdofop.com
- Dr. Ringhofer’s office number: (708) 349-0022
- Chicago Study Club: https://chicagostudyclub.com
- Subscribe to the Best Practices Show Podcast
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club
- Join ACT’s Master Class
- See our Live Events Schedule here
- Get the Best Practices Magazine for Free!
- Write a Review on iTunes
Links Mentioned in This Episode:
The Bruxism Triad by Dr. Jeff Rouse: https://c1-preview.prosites.com/temp2bngb078h1/wy/docs/Dr.%20Jeff%20Rouse%20-%20Inside%20Dentistry%20Bruxism%20Triad%20Article.pdf
Finding Connor Deegan: https://www.aapmd.org/aapmd-blog/finding-connor-deegan-video
Main Takeaways:
Find the Connor Deegans in your practice.
Set young patients up for proper growth and development.
Recognize, diagnose, and treat growth deficiencies as early as possible.
There are more TMJ patients than you might think, and they will seek you out.
Remember that what we know today about occlusion may be wrong tomorrow.
Quotes:
“If we set people up for success, in any aspect of life, we’re setting them up in a way that they can grow. And it’s no different in growth and development. If we notice that there's a growth defect, whether it’s at the maxillary level or the mandibular level, we’re setting them up to grow properly. And when we set them up to grow properly, it’s going to affect the airway. And we all have heard the stories from Jeff Rouse — and airway seems to be the sexy topic nowadays — and the effects it can have on not only development of kids, but as we get older, there's more diabetes and heart disease.” (5:55—6:37)
“I read an article not too long ago that the highest incident of airway-disordered sleep is from about three to eight years old. Well, that's when the brain is developing. And if we’re suffocating the brain of oxygen, it’s not able to develop as well. And a lot of that has to do with the exoskeleton, which I learned from Mark Piper, that if we can grow the exoskeleton, now we don't encroach on the airway and kids can sleep better.” (6:37—7:08)
“What I've learned from Dr. Piper and Dr. McKee is that we have imaging to back up when there's lack of growth at the joint level. You have less projection of the mandible, which then gives you a smaller airway size. And so, if you can back that up with actual science and facts, it’s hard to dispute that. But I think maybe, then, the dominoes start to fall. If you have a smaller mandible, the tongue is encroaching on the airway. So, now, you become an open-mouth posture, which causes a narrow maxilla because the tongue is not occupying the mouth and advancing the premaxilla and widening the maxilla. So, what came first? Quite frankly, I don't really care. I think we need to diagnose it all, and then treat it as necessary.” (10:25—11:14)
“Jeff Rouse wrote an article on the bruxism triad. People with airway-disordered sleep are going to grind their teeth more. I always saw those kids with all that wear on their teeth, and I thought it was occlusion. Going through The Dawson Academy, I thought, ‘Oh, okay. The teeth don't match up. They're not in centric relation.’ Well, Dr. Rouse — really credit him for bringing that to the forefront — showed that, no, that could be an airway issue, and we need to look past the second molars, and are there enlarged tonsils and adenoids and things that are inhibiting the children from sleeping well.” (11:42—12:19)
“Did you ever read the article, Finding Connor Deegan? It’s about a kid who grew up in Chicago, and his mom wouldn't accept the fact that he had ADHD. Making a long story short, when he would test, he was testing cognitively gifted. But they kept saying he had ADHD. And it turned out he had an airway problem. They went through and they expanded his arches, took his tonsils and adenoids out — and the mom was adamant. Now, he’s an A and B student. And he doesn't have the stigmatism of having attention-deficit disorder.” (13:03—13:42)
“Talking to some of the physicians at that pulmonology group I work at, their hands are tied because they have about 15 minutes to talk to each patient. In dentistry, we’re lucky. I have a fee-for-service practice, so I can sit and talk to patients as long as I need to get that diagnosis and find out their history. And when I'm evaluating someone for growth or temporomandibular joint disorders, or any new patient, for that matter, the first thing I'm doing is sitting in my consultation room to find out what they want. And then, we go into the treatment room and we take a look. Because you can almost get as much, if not more information, by talking to the person rather than just looking in their mouth.” (13:49—14:34)
“One of the things that you'll hear when you're sending a young kid to an orthodontist and they have that Class II bite, or the discrepancy between the upper and lower jaw, is you hear a lot of reasons why. And my favorite one is, ‘Oh, they’ve got the upper jaw of the father and the lower jaw of the mom.’ And it’s like, no — this is a growth deficiency. And when you get the images, they have an anterior displaced disc, which disrupts the growth center sitting on top of the condyle, so then you can't get that projection of the mandible. Because when we think about growth, the maxilla is going to grow first, and then the mandible follows.” (16:44—17:27)
“Dr. Piper talked about the first permanent molars, which are the smart molars. And if we all visualize, what happens is as the maxilla is growing, the mesial inclines of the maxillary first molar interdigitate with the distal inclines of the lower, causing distraction osteogenesis of the condyles. I think of it like nature’s Herbst appliance. It’s causing the mandible to come forward. But if we lose the ability for the condyle to grow, what happens is then, if you clench the teeth together, it can hold the maxilla back from growing as well. So, that really doesn't ever hold true. Because I'll be at meetings and orthodontists get a little uncomfortable because they're like, ‘Well, some kids grow and some kids don't, and we’ve just got to try it.’ And I'm like, ‘No, we don't have to try. We can image and find out where the disc is.’” (17:28—18:20)
“The other [misconception] you hear is, ‘They have an anterior tongue thrust.’ Well, the question becomes, was the tongue there that caused the bite to open, or were they pushing their tongue forward because their airway was constricted, so they had an open-mouth posture where the tongue didn't occupy the roof of the mouth, so now we can't advance the premaxilla and expand the arch? So, I think that's where people get confused.” (18:21—18:50)
“One thing I heard Pete say when he was speaking one time, he goes, ‘If you're going to quote me, quote me on when I said it because things are going to change and I'm going to be proven wrong if I said something 10 years ago.’ And I love that line because it’s 100% true. What we’re talking about today could be wrong tomorrow, for all we know.” (19:19—19:39)
“There was a study club that I was involved with with [Dr. Piper], and it was about how the mandible gets ignored. There was so much out there that the temporomandibular joint is really a growth center that helps everything else develop. And it’s like the red-headed stepchild, if you will. Nobody wants to talk about it because we’ve got implant dentistry, we’ve got esthetics, and now airway seems to be the one. But there are so many people that are affected by temporomandibular joint disorders. And whether it’s from pain — and those are the easy ones. It’s the occlusal discrepancies that make it the most difficult. The vast majority of Class II patients have some type of growth deficiency at the joint level because their mandible didn't project. And when you think back to the most difficult cases, it’s the ones where the upper and lower teeth don't match together. They don't line up correctly. And those are the ones where we can't develop an occlusal relationship.” (21:06—21:14)
“We think of occlusion as the static relationship between the upper and lower teeth. But it’s the dynamic relationship that really gives us difficulty. We can get the patient to grind right and left and get everything adjusted perfectly. And as soon as they start chewing, you get that elliptical movement, things start to go haywire. And it’s the ones that go haywire, the Class IIs. And if we can diagnose those patients ahead of time, whether they accept treatment to correct it or manage it, whatever they do, they're taking ownership of it. And it’s not the dentistry I gave them, it’s their skeletal relationship. It’s their condition of their body. So, they're assuming the risk with us. And we’re not writing checks back because of dentistry that didn't work.” (22:14—23:01)
“Jim and I practice a half-hour from each other, and we are both busy. There is more of this out there than people — and they seek you out. I've never, in a million years, thought I would have a practice that dentists are referring to me. And, at first, it was a little uncomfortable because I didn't know what to do after I diagnosed them. But to speak to the point that these patients are crazy, they're not crazy. They just don't know where to go, and they’ve never gotten an answer. Because what did we learn in dental school? Give them a splint and, hopefully, they got better. But we were just hoping. Where, now, we can understand what the anatomy is. Is it structurally intact? Is it structurally altered? Is there an anterior displaced disc? Is there inflammation in the joint? All the different aspects that we would do for dentistry, no different than periodontal disease. We need to figure out why is there gingival inflammation, because it can come from plaque and calculus, it can come from a poor restoration. We need to figure out the why before we can figure out the how. And then, the patient needs to accept the risk with us. And that's really where I think people seek us out.” (23:52—25:03)
“If you have a Class II patient that is evaluated in the seated condylar position, so not MIP, by manual leaf gauge, anterior deprogrammer, whatever camp you came from and however you're going to get that patient to centric relation, or what we’ll call the fully seated condylar position, evaluate the anterior teeth. And if you have greater than a two-millimeter discrepancy in the horizontal or vertical dimension, or midline discrepancy, those are the patients that we need to start to think there's a loss of dimension or a lack of growth at the joint level. And we need to evaluate that because, especially in growing kids, if they can't grow, we’re setting them up for failure. And that's a concept that Dr. Piper taught me, called the rule of twos. And where it came from was the disc thickness is two millimeters. So, if you have a two-millimeter anterior open bite in any of those three dimensions, that could be an issue of a disc displacement.” (26:52—27:59)
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
1:47 Dr. Ringhofer’s background.
3:08 How he got Terry Bradshaw’s jersey.
5:17 Why growth and development in occlusion is an important topic.
7:10 How his practice has evolved.
8:35 Why aren't humans forming properly to breathe?
11:14 The bruxism triad.
12:19 Find the Connor Deegans in your practice.
14:35 Working with pulmonologists.
16:29 What most dentists get wrong.
20:17 The vision for his study club.
23:06 Myths around TMD patients.
25:25 What we can expect to learn in the future.
26:40 Last thoughts on growth and development in occlusion.
28:02 More about Chicago Study Club.
29:55 How to get in touch with Dr. Ringhofer and how to join the study club.
Dr. Curt Ringhofer Bio:
Dr. Curt W. Ringhofer graduated from the University of Illinois Dental School, and has committed himself to providing only the finest dental care. He and his team have continued to educate themselves, assuring that you will only receive the latest state-of-the-art, personalized care.
Dr. Ringhofer has pursued advanced dental education at the Dawson Center, The Kois Center, Misch International Implant Institute, and The Piper Clinic. He is also a member of two study clubs in which he meets with dentists from both the United States and Canada throughout the year. He lectures extensively throughout the country on TMD, Occlusion, and Sleep Apnea.
Dr. Ringhofer is a member of the American Dental Association, American Equilibrium Society, Academy of General Dentistry, American Academy of Restorative Dentistry, as well as a Fellow in the International Congress of Oral Implantology.
Outperforming the Pack in the Age of Covid
Episode #527 with Dr. Grace Yum
Dentistry suffered during the pandemic. Yet, some practices were able to outperform and thrive. To share how they did it, Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. Grace Yum, founder of Mommy Dentists in Business, who polled members of her MDIB community for their best practices. She found seven key points that helped them outperform during COVID-19, and you can use these tips to prepare for the future. To learn what successful practices did to outperform the rest, listen to Episode 527 of The Best Practices Show!
Episode Resources:
- Dr. Yum’s Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100075730122393
- Dr. Yum’s social media: @dr_mrs_boss_mom
- Subscribe to the Best Practices Show Podcast
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club
- Join ACT’s Master Class
- See our Live Events Schedule here
- Get the Best Practices Magazine for Free!
- Write a Review on iTunes
Links Mentioned in This Episode:
Mommy Dentists in Business Podcast: https://mommydibs.com/podcast
CEO Roundtable events: https://mommydibs.com/events/ceo-roundtable
Main Takeaways:
1) Adopt protocols quickly.
2) Call your patients individually.
3) Drop PPOs as soon as possible.
4) Run “lean and mean” with your team.
5) Be prepared to see emergency patients.
6) Do more elective dentistry. Some are low risk.
7) Build a great culture that your team wants to stay in.
Quotes:
“Looking back and polling the 10,000 [in the Mommy Dentists in Business community], I was able to harvest information, analytical data, on independent practices — not large DSOs — on what they did to financially do better than previous years. One might think, ‘Of course. We shut down. It was COVID-19. Nobody practiced for a couple months. Of course, numbers are going to go down. Of course, production is going to go down. Overhead went up,’ etc. However, there were many practices that outperformed what they did in previous years. And so, I wanted to know, ‘What did you do to outperform yourself?’ And hence, the word, outperformers. And I was able to collect a lot of information from everyone who was willing to share. Some did not want to share publicly on Facebook, so they sent me private messages or emails. And after filtering through all that data, I was able to come up with seven consistent points for action.” (5:11—6:29)
“Number one, COVID-19 protocols were adopted and set in place, in motion, fast. So, the practices that were able to prepare their teams and get those protocols in place and get everybody lined up early on so that when the states say, ‘Open,’ they're ready to go. Because a lot of states said emergencies only. You can only do emergencies. It depended on population density of your town because there are rural parts where COVID-19 didn't hit, and it was business as usual. So, it didn't affect them. But if you were in a very densely populated city where COVID-19 was rampant then, yeah, there were a lot of issues. So, practices who were able to say, ‘Okay, I've got protocols in place. My team is on board, and they're trained,’ and they were kept in the loop during quarantine, they were able to open their doors with confidence, with their team, confident, and quickly.” (9:58—11:04)
“Number two, offices or practices that called their patients individually rather than a mass email, they were able to fill the schedules quickly. The patients felt cared for and were less afraid. They had communication with their patients. The team handled all the questions with compassion, not saying, ‘Oh, you're ridiculous. Don't worry about it.’ No, they said, ‘We understand you're nervous. We understand you're scared. Let us answer your questions. We want to make sure you're comfortable coming in, and not afraid.’” (11:45—12:21)
“There are practices that did both, mass emailing and calling. And you know your patients. You know the ones that are going to be timid and ask you 50,000 questions, and you know the patient that's like, ‘I trust you blindly. Whatever you say, doc. I'm coming.’ So, you have to know your patient base and who you're really going to call.” (13:03—13:25)
“Number three, practices that dropped PPO insurances became more profitable. And that's obvious. You're not in-network anymore. You're going to get cash pay. Of course, it’s going to hike up your productivity and your income. Most doctors would be afraid to drop insurances. But the ones that did drop their PPO did see an increase in their profits because they communicated to the patient why they were dropping the PPO. They explained, ‘I can't see multiple patients at a time now. We can only do one at a time. The rise in cost of PPE, I am trying to keep you safe. I want you to feel comfortable being the only patient in the office and nobody else around, and we want you to know that we paid extra money for the PPE so that we’re all covered up, that you're going to be safe.’ Those patients completely understood and agreed to pay full price.” (13:27—14:31)
“Everyone who dropped [PPOs during COVID-19] were like, ‘This is the perfect time.’ They did it, and they were like, ‘I'm so glad I did it.’ It was the right time to drop the PPO. They were ready.” (14:54—15:07)
“Number four, practices that ran lean and mean, meaning they trimmed the extra fat, they saw their profits rise. So, they ran on a skeleton crew, but they were able to provide the same level of care because now, they're really doing one-on-one, not three ops filled. They were able to do the one-on-one care with a skeleton crew. They lowered their overhead, but then dropped insurances and increased their productivity as far as monetary wise. So, they were getting their profits up.” (15:20—15:58)
“This was the best time to drop toxic employees because you had to furlough. And then, you could bring back who you wanted to bring back. So, they realized, ‘Hey, this guy or girl is always giving everybody trouble. Keep them furloughed. I'm not going to call them until I really need them.’ And so, they said, ‘I'm going to pay for two assistants, and I'm going to drop insurances, and we’re going to run on a skeleton crew.’ One front desk and one back assistant. That's it . . . Why have all these extra hands when you don't need to?” (16:23—17:04)
“Number five, many doctors saw an increase in seeing emergency patients. There were a lot of broken fillings, clenching, and a lot of bruxism. And that's probably because a lot of parents were home with their kids. Everyone was stressed during COVID-19, not just dentists. Doctors reported an increase in broken restorations and, therefore, more dental work. And then, again, going back to what I stated in the beginning, the doctors that secured their PPE first, they were able to see the new patients because the dentists in their community that didn't have their PPE couldn't see patients. So, the ones that adopted the protocols early, got their air purifiers, got the N95 masks, got the gowns, got the face shields, they made patients feel comfortable. They were taking patients from other dentists in the community because they had everything. They were ready to roll. So, all of a sudden, their schedules are packed with emergencies because they had everything. And the minute they could practice again, they were on it.” (17:06—18:16)
“The sixth point, it’s going into what kind of dentistry we were doing. So, a lot of emergencies. But then, because everybody was doing Zoom calls, patients were looking for elective work. They're looking at themselves on camera and they're like, ‘Oh my god, my teeth are brown!’ They wanted veneers. They wanted whitening. They wanted Invisalign. They wanted cosmetic work. More and more people were self-conscious of what they looked like because of Zoom calls or Google Meet calls or Microsoft Team calls. Patients were seeking elective services alongside emergency services. So, that Invisalign case, that $7,000, $8,000 case, boom, they were like, ‘Sign me up. I'm in.’ And how easy is Invisalign? You're scanning a patient, and there were no aerosols, unless you're getting to the bonding buttons and stripping down. But initially, you're just scanning, come back, deliver your first set of trays. There is very low risk in Invisalign at the dental office.” (18:35—19:50)
“The last point that I'm going to leave you with is that doctors who provided a strong culture for their team also reported increase in profits. Because the doctors engaged their team members during quarantine, they leaned in, they said, ‘We’re going to be on WhatsApp. Is your family sick? Did you guys get COVID-19? I'm sending you dinner. Uber is coming over to drop off dinner. You guys need groceries? I'm going to give you guys grocery cards. You guys need this? I'm going to send you this.’ And the doctors who were like, ‘Hey, let's meet on Zoom. Let's check in. Let's talk about the protocols. Let's talk about the PPE. Let's talk about your fears. What are you worried about? What are you not worried about? What do you need?’ those doctors who showed true leadership and kept their team close reported higher numbers. So, that is really important, culture.” (20:29—21:29)
“A lot of this comes down to communication, basically. Communicating with your team, communicating with your patients, communicating with your distributor or manufacturer and getting supplies. If you had a good relationship with the person that you're ordering supplies with, you bet they're going to send you the box of N95s really fast. If you're that person’s favorite dentist and you treat that rep really well, oh yeah, they're going to send you what you need, and fast. If you're only ordering through websites and eBay and there's no person to talk to, good luck. You might be getting fake ones.” (21:32—22:11)
“Right now, the challenge is human capital crunch. People are having a hard time finding employees or team members. And so, they’ve learned, if you can keep your culture happy and people happy, you can maintain. But — I hate to say it — a lot of team members, they're going to leave you for that extra $5. It’s really hard to be pushed into a corner. But a lot of companies, including DSOs, ended up paying double what you normally pay for an hourly employee to keep them around. And now, it’s about building a better mousetrap in your company. It’s about retention. Because we all know, when you have turnover, it’s costly. It’s taking time, spending more money training a new person. You want to retain the good talent that you have because, chances are, they're going to get poached.” (22:42—23:42)
“Learn to communicate. And you need to be a people person. I'm not saying you need to be a pushover or a doormat — I'm not saying that. But you need to learn how to cultivate rapport. That will serve you well ten times over. You need to be likeable. Don't be a jerk. Nobody likes a jerk. Not your patient, not your rep, not your team members. I get it — you worked really hard and long to be a doctor. But stay humble. Don't be a hotshot, because nobody cares for a hotshot. And even if you practice long term, even 20 years out, you're still learning new things. You still make mistakes. And I know that you're going to think, ‘Oh, I'm a doctor. I have “doctor” on my scrub top.’ In 20 years, you're not going to even want to wear scrubs anymore.” (24:35—25:19)
“When you put out good energy and good karma, it comes back to you. It really does. So, I believe that as a young dentist, learn your skillset, learn your trade, learn from mentors, but be a good person. Do what's right for the patient. Do what's right for the team. And put yourself in the other person’s shoes. So, understand before you want to be understood.” (25:43—26:07)
“Keep learning. Keep going. Don't be discouraged. Day to day, it can be discouraging. But look for the positive in that day. Look for your why. Did you make a patient smile? Did you get someone to say, ‘Oh my gosh, I love the color of my teeth,’ or, ‘Oh my gosh, I can smile again’? Look for the reasons why you're in this in the first place, because that's going to keep you motivated and that's what's going to keep you coming. And guess what? The money will come.” (26:37—27:08)
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
2:00 Dr. Yum’s background.
3:45 Mommy Dentists in Business Podcast and website.
4:31 How her group became a hub for information.
9:47 Getting ahead during COVID-19: get protocols in place quickly.
11:45 Getting ahead during COVID-19: call patients individually.
13:26 Getting ahead during COVID-19: drop PPOs.
15:18 Getting ahead during COVID-19: run lean and mean.
17:06 Getting ahead during COVID-19: see more emergency patients.
18:32 Getting ahead during COVID-19: do more elective dentistry.
20:29 Getting ahead during COVID-19: keep your team close.
22:12 Findings from her group after COVID-19.
24:11 Advice for dentists.
26:21 Last thoughts on outperforming during COVID-19.
27:11 About CEO Roundtable and future events.
Dr. Grace Yum Bio:
Dr. Grace Yum is a lifelong resident of the Chicago area, where she grew up in Glenview. She is a mother and a certified pediatric dentist — a certification achieved by only 5% of all dentists in the U.S. Dr. Yum is the former founder and practice owner of Yummy Dental & Orthodontics for Kids, and she is also the founder and CEO of Mommy Dentists in Business.
In addition to managing the MDIB community, Dr. Yum hosts her own podcast, Mommy Dentists in Business Podcast. With 11 complete seasons, Dr. Yum’s podcast has been in the iTunes top 100, was ranked number 3 of 15 of the top dental podcasts by Patterson Dental’s Off the Cusp publication, and has been downloaded nearly 80,000 times.
Dr. Yum has quietly become nationally recognized in her field. She has appeared and was featured on the TODAY Show on NBC, NBC Chicago as a repeat guest, Parents magazine, Parenting magazine, and Chicago Parent magazine. She has also appeared on many podcasts, with topics covering dentistry, work/life balance, and business tips for the working mom.
My 3 Biggest Pet Peeves in Dentistry
Episode #526 with Dr. Jeff Rouse
Aside from patients and insurance, there are numerous things about dentistry that can rile you up. Today, Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. Jeff Rouse, one of ACT’s all-time favorites, to share three of his pet peeves in the dental space and the changes he would like to see in the future. If you're ever planning to meet Dr. Rouse, pay attention! To learn what not to say or do in his presence, listen to Episode 526 of The Best Practices Show!
Episode Resources:
- Dr. Rouse’s Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/jeff.rouse.58
- Dr. Rouse’s social media: @jeffreyrouse
- Subscribe to theBest Practices Show Podcast
- Join ACT’sTo The Top Study Club
- Join ACT’sMaster Class
- See ourLive Events Schedule here
- Get theBest Practices Magazine for Free!
- Write aReview on iTunes
Links Mentioned in This Episode:
Spear Education:https://www.speareducation.com
Dr. Frank Spear, Dr. Gregg Kinzer, and Dr. Ricardo Mitrani’s treatment planning course (December 2-3, 2022): https://content.speareducation.com/2022-spear-live-art-of-treatment-planning
Main Takeaways:
Put in the effort.
Get rid of the defeatist mindset.
One course is not enough to improve.
Join a study club and be open to sharing your work.
Don't assign the value of an insurance company to patients.
Quotes:
“Whenever I saw Frank lecture, or Gregg — anybody lecture — I would always think, ‘I want to do that. That's cool. I want to be able to treat that.’ And, in fact, I'll even go back farther. In 1995, I saw John Kois lecture. And I said, ‘I want to do that. I can't do that right now. I'm going to figure out how to do that.’ I never, ever said I couldn't do those things because they weren't in my world. I just changed my world, and it started with me. I changed who I was and my confidence and competence to do the case.” (4:30—5:19)
“It’s such a defeatist attitude — and lazy attitude — to say, ‘Those case patients aren't in my world,’ because that's the easy way out. It’s not, ‘I'm going to go learn how to do it. I'm going to go find those patients. I'm going to figure out how to do that.’” (5:20—5:39)
“If you talk to dentists and they say they're burning out, it’s because they're not challenged. They're not getting any better. And if you don't get any better, I understand why you're burned out. I wouldn't want to do the same junk every day. You've got to be getting better. You've got to be putting some effort into this. You've got to have something that’s going to drive you to the next year, and the next 10 years. And so, for me, I'm more excited today than I've ever been to do dentistry. I love it. I love it right now more than at any other point in time in my 34 years.” (5:59—6:37)
“To take the easy route and just say, ‘Not in my practice,’ that drives me crazy.” (7:50—7:56)
“When I went back through and looked at all those people that we were doing very significant dental care on, you know what the common element was? They had been to a ton of other dentists and have been sitting in their hygiene program for years, getting exams that said, ‘Nothing is broken. Nothing is diseased. We’ll see you again in six months.’ So, when you're walking out of the room and you say to your buddy, ‘Those patients are in their practice, not in mine,’ no — they were in your practice for years. You just didn't bother to either learn how to diagnose it correctly or get them out of the hygiene operatory and actually have a more comprehensive view.” (10:43—11:29)
“Number one on my list of things that aggravate me is taking the easy way out and assuming that those people aren't in your practice, because they are there.” (13:13—13:24)
“What it really comes down to is when they're walking out of the room and saying, ‘Those aren't in my practice,’ it’s like they're saying your baby is ugly.” (19:42—19:49)
“I want everyone to have the joy that I get out of doing this kind of dentistry. I want everyone to experience that. It is so much fun. It is absolutely the best way of doing dentistry, in my opinion. And I want everyone to experience it so badly that when I hear them giving up that easily, it just kills me.” (20:02—20:23)
“You've got to put in the effort to get the benefit. And no one course is going to do that in treatment planning.” (20:48—20:57)
“You could take a course in some sort of software that you're going to use to plan implant placement. And you come home, and you use the software. That's not treatment planning. Treatment planning requires you to understand not only breadth of information but depth of that information. And an introduction like facially generated treatment planning at Spear gives you a taste of what is required in order to get there. But it has to be studied in more depth than that.” (21:36—22:22)
“In 1995, I saw John Kois. Went and heard Frank Spear lecture. If I had just gone, ‘Well, okay. I guess that's it,’ that would've been silly. No, I had to hear Vince Kokich lecture. I had to hear Dave Mathews on perio. I had to go travel all over the country to go to different courses. And I found certain people that all taught me the pieces that I needed to be able to synthesize that information. And then, working with Bill Robbins, all of his knowledge, my knowledge, all of that came together and I can start treatment planning at a higher level. But it took a few years. It was a handful of years involved in order to get to where I started feeling comfortable with it, to where those cases started coming around.” (22:25—23:23)
“To think you're going to go to one course and have it — actually, I heard it the other day. And it’s someone I'm really close to that took facially generated treatment planning. I said, ‘We’re doing this other thing,’ and she said, ‘Well, I already took that course.’ And I'm like, ‘Oh. So, you got it? That one course, you got it all?’ She’s like, ‘Well, no.’ I'm like, ‘There. You don't. You need more.’” (24:23—24:58)
“One course may teach you how to do a better composite. One course is not going to teach you how to be better at doing interdisciplinary dentistry. That requires continued work, continued learning. And the best thing to do is commit to learning it, and then find a group, usually a study club, that has specialists in it that you can continue to evolve your ability to treatment plan. And then, you've got to do it. You've got to make the photographs, and collect the data, and present cases to that group.” (25:03—25:40)
“I think that's one of the bigger issues in dentistry is that we don't have a coach watching us all the time and correcting us all the time because we tend to be loners. And our practices are usually alone.” (26:38—26:52)
“I was an associate in a practice for a while. And if we’re an associate, we tend to not share as much as we should. And so, I think being open to sharing — like I had a second ago, the associate here in the office was doing a case that is unfamiliar with implants and how to manage provisionals and such. And so, we sat down, and I trimmed some of it, and they trimmed the other part. And that's a quicker way to learn the lesson than doing it on your own and having it look like crap, or fail, or whatever, and then you have to go, ‘Okay. Well, next time I've got to do this differently,’ and then having to evolve that way.” (26:55—27:42)
“It’s a sematic issue, but it’s the truth: the patient isn't a Delta patient. The patient is a patient. The patient has Delta insurance. And they didn't go out and buy Delta insurance, their employer bought Delta insurance. And I'm using Delta as a generic term, not a specific. It happens to be one of the bigger ones that I hear about, but it could be any insurance. The person isn't a Delta person, meaning the values of the Delta Dental insurance of having cheaper care, or whatever it happens to be. That may or may not be the values of the patient. And yet, when they walk in, you go, ‘Yeah, that's a Delta patient.’ Well, we kind of give up on them. ‘Yeah, I treat a bunch of Delta patients.’ I'm like, ‘Okay. The patients, they have needs. Right?’ ‘Yeah, but they're Delta patients.’ I'm like, ‘Dude, that doesn't stop them from making a decision independent of Delta. There are all kinds of ways to work around that.’” (28:59—30:15)
“If a patient wants care, they can get care. If they want what we have to offer, then they can do it. Absolutely, they can do it. And so, assigning the value of the insurance company to the patient drives me crazy, because it’s not right. There’s a bias when they walk in the door as to how you're going to go about treating them. And I think you [should] offer them the solution that you would recommend for yourself or your family and see where you go from there. Give them a chance to say yes or no.” (30:29—31:22)
“If you don't ever begin the process, you'll never get there. You will always do the same thing.” (36:17—36:22)
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
2:05 Dr. Rouse’s background.
3:41 Pet peeve 1: the defeatist mindset.
6:38 Why he loves dentistry now more than ever.
13:24 The beauty of interdisciplinary dentistry.
20:24 Pet peeve 2: not putting in effort.
25:48 No dentist is an island.
28:30 Pet peeve 3: “I treat a lot of Delta patients.”
31:24 Advice for dentists.
37:43 Pet peeve 4: Buffalo Bills fans.
39:37 More about Spear, Dr. Rouse’s courses, and how to get in touch.
Dr. Jeff Rouse Bio:
Dr. Jeff Rouse is recognized as a pioneer in the field of airway prosthodontics — the impact that a compromised airway has on the stomatognathic system. Along with fellow Spear Resident Faculty member, Dr. Greggory Kinzer, he developed the "Seattle Protocol" to recognize, control, and direct resolution of airway distress in a restorative dental practice.
Dr. Rouse maintains a private practice in San Antonio, Texas, and practices with Dr. Kinzer and Dr. Frank Spear in Seattle. He is also an adjunct assistant professor in the Department of Prosthodontics at The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio. Among his dental accolades, he has written numerous journal articles, including a portion of the “Annual Review of Selected Dental Literature” published each summer in the Journal of Prosthetic Dentistry. Most recently, he co-wrote a textbook by Quintessence titled, Global Diagnosis: A New Vision of Dental Diagnosis and Treatment Planning.
After graduating from dental school in San Antonio, Dr. Rouse completed a two-year general practice residency at the University of Connecticut Health Science Center. He practiced family dentistry for 12 years before returning to school to earn his specialty certificate in prosthodontics from The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio in 2004. He is a member of the American Academy of Restorative Dentistry and American College of Prosthodontists, and past president of the Southwest Academy of Restorative Dentistry.
I Dropped Delta & I'm Still Too Busy
Episode #525 with Dr. Kevin Groth
Do you and your team provide exceptional service for your patients? If you do — and you believe it — why are you accepting average or below-average fees? It’s time to make some changes, and today’s guest is here to help. Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. Kevin Groth, who recently dropped Delta, to share his journey, what he’s learned, and advice for dentists looking to be free from PPOs. You deserve to get paid for the work you do! To learn how to get started, listen to Episode 525 of The Best Practices Show!
Episode Resources:
- Dr. Groth’s email: kevingroth@gmail.com
- Dr. Groth’s Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/grothdental
- Dr. Groth’s phone number: (248) 229-9380
- Dr. Groth’s social media: @drkevingroth
- ACT’s PPO Roadmap:https://form.jotform.com/221648541900150
- Subscribe to theBest Practices Show Podcast
- Join ACT’sTo The Top Study Club
- Join ACT’sMaster Class
- See ourLive Events Schedule here
- Get theBest Practices Magazine for Free!
- Write aReview on iTunes
Main Takeaways:
You should get paid for the work you do.
PPOs mean working one out of every four days for free.
Do your homework and the prep work before dropping PPOs.
A few great patients will leave you, but don't take that personally.
Believe in yourself and your team. You can do this and be successful!
Quotes:
“At the beginning of the year, you always look back on the previous year. And I hate that because you look at the numbers and be like, ‘I wrote off that much money from doing the work but not getting paid for it?’ And that's what we’ve done the last couple years, to the point that I always bring my manager into the office and say, ‘This is crazy. Should we think about doing this? What do we do? I think it’s time to maybe think about dropping.’ And then, we get on with our busy week and we put it to the wayside.” (3:36—4:02)
“It became time to say, ‘Let's get paid for what we’re doing.’ Actually, I remember the day. It was a day where I did like three hours of posterior composites. And then, I realized, Delta, I had to write off like 55% of what I just did. And I worked so hard for those composites that it’s crazy to me.” (4:16—4:37)
“I'm not saying the write-off is 55% for everything. But those specific procedures that I did was close to that. And my hourly wage was less than what my hygienists were producing at that time. So, to me, it made no sense. And I'm like, ‘You know what? I'm too busy, too many patients, and I'm writing off so much. It’s time to make some changes here.’” (4:38—4:58)
“If someone is listening to this and they're thinking about [dropping PPOs], I would also look at your office and what you do as a practice. Are you separating yourself amongst the peers around you that make you stand out from a value aspect? Because patients see this as a monetary thing. If they don't value you, they're going to walk. And I think it’s an important thing to say, ‘Am I ready for this? Do I have the right team? Do I have the right technology? Do I have the right services? Do I have the right brand to make a pretty drastic change without going crazy or doing it the wrong way?’” (5:55—6:28)
“We looked at last year, and it was like, ‘Dang, we wrote off half a million dollars’ worth of work.’ And this is another thing, is we raised our fees last year to combat inflation. And yet, it didn't do anything besides make our collection percentage go down.” (6:51—7:09)
“Pick one out of four days, and those are the days you work for free.” (7:13—7:16)
“About 20% to 30% of Delta patients will probably leave you, according to the research. Some people say 10%. But also, if you lose 30% of those Delta patients, you're still going to net even. So, when I looked at that, I was like, ‘Okay. We can lose 300 patients out of the 950, and I can still be at 2,100 patients,’ which is still too many patients for me to occupy. So, why wouldn't I jump in and [drop Delta]?” (8:05—8:30)
“This is the best time you can drop Delta because everything is more expensive. If I dropped Delta two years ago, people would think it’s a money-hungry grab. But the reality is, everything is more expensive, so people anticipate this, saying, ‘Okay. I pay more for groceries. I pay more for gas. I pay more for my dentist visits. And that's okay because this is part of life and what we’re going through right now.’ And people that value you won't think twice about that. That's the key, is you've got to look at these things from those perspectives and say, ‘You know what? I can do this. I believe in myself and my team.’” (9:22—9:59)
“I said, ‘Guys, we’re better than the average dentist. I think we all agree with that, right?’ ‘Yes.’ ‘Okay. Then why are we accepting fees that would be usual and customary in our area? It doesn't make any sense because what we provide is a service that goes above and beyond anything that's usual here. Nothing is usual. We’re extraordinary in how we do it. I know all of you believe in that. So, it’s time that we start looking at this, and it’s time to start thinking about these things. Because if I don't do this, then we’re going to have to make some changes internally, which I don't want to do. So, it’s either we make these changes that would be beneficial to everybody, or I start looking at things and saying we need to start cutting back here, here, here, and lower our bar to the lowest common denominator of the area.’” (10:00—10:48)
“The process of it is really getting yourself mentally on board, that this is the process that we’re going to go through. I believe that this was what's best for us, and I believe that this is something that is going to be better for our office to continue to provide the care that we’re doing without changing who we are as a business or an organization.” (11:33—11:52)
“[The reception to the Delta letter] was a mixed bag. We had some patients that dropped us right away. And we started making an Excel spreadsheet of this, saying, ‘Okay, here are the patients that left us for this.’ It was a handful. They didn't even give us a chance. Some people said, ‘It’s strictly financial. I'm sorry. I have to go somewhere else.’ Or maybe they were waiting for opportunities for us to change so they could leave, because maybe they moved further away, or whatever it may be. There was a combination of things that people left us for.” (14:17—14:43)
“I was actually surprised by the number of overwhelmingly positive reviews or feedback of the letter that we got. And people would want to talk to me. So, I'd be running three hygiene and seeing 15 patients a day, but then they'd be like, ‘Can we talk about this letter?’ And I'd be like, ‘I don't have time for this.’ But I guess you need to prepare for that. Know that you're going to have a five, 10-minute dialogue about Delta. And as long as you are confident in terms of how you deliver that message, people understand and say, ‘I get this is why you're doing this. I respect it. I understand that you are better than average, and we’re not going anywhere.’” (14:45—15:18)
“I also have an amazing, amazing front desk that has taken on the bulk of the phone calls and dialogues with these patients. So, I'm not putting a fresh 21-year-old up at the front desk to answer these phone calls. I have people that believe in who we are. They’ve been through the process with this office. They know what they're saying. And quite frankly, I gave them the autonomy to do whatever they need to do that is right to make this patient happy, or communicate how we need to. And at first, they were a little clunky in the dialogue. Like, you can try and script this as much as you can. The reality, you're going to evolve that script to the point where it’s going to get to a different position by the tenth phone call with somebody versus the first phone call.” (15:25—16:05)
“I think we’ve lost about 60, 70 patients so far, which is not too bad for 950. And of the 60, 70 patients, there might be five or six that I'm going to be missing. The rest were probably good weed-outs anyway. And it makes sense. If they don't value who we are, they were there for the financial component of things, because we took their insurance. And they left us because it wasn't aligning. But I don't want patients that don't value me. And to me, it’s like, if you don't value me and what we do and how we do things, why are we in this relationship?” (17:05—17:37)
“[Dropping Delta has] weeded out some of the dead weight. And I don't want to call people that. But at the same point, we all have those patients that you see on the schedule, and you're like, ‘Ugh. Gosh, I can't stand this person.’ Or they drive my front desk nuts, or there are always issues with the billing, or whatever it may be. Those people leave, and I'm like, ‘Good. Find some other office that you can do this to. Because, quite frankly, you probably shouldn't have been here all along.’ And this is a good reason to have them go.” (17:40—18:04)
“This is one I took from Zach [Sisler], is I will say, ‘My door is always open. You're always welcome back here.’ . . . And I don't tell that to everybody.” (18:08—18:20)
“It’s crazy, looking at the schedule. I look at the monthly report, or whatever it is, and I'm not writing off $3,500 a day. That's insane. That's so much work. You're talking about two crowns’ worth of work that you write off every day on that sheet. It’s like, this is crazy because I'm working so hard. And I'm sure everyone listening is working hard. You should get paid for what you do. I work hard. I go to these courses. I get a bunch of great labs, and materials, and all these things that I do to give my best to these patients. And yet, I can say that I'm writing off 30%, 40%, 50% of what that is. It’s not right.” (18:46—19:20)
“I hope that other people have a brand of some sort, and they believe in what they do, that they believe that they offer a service that goes above and beyond the usual and customary. Because if you do, then get paid for that.” (20:51—21:03)
“You have to be flexible. You have to keep a blind eye to that list and not get yourself so hung up on why people leave you because you don't know their life experience or circumstance that they're in. So, if they leave, I hope the best for them. I really do. And I'm going to miss several of those patients that left me. But it’s what's best for me. It’s what's best for my company. It’s what's best for our patients. It’s what's best for my team. That's what you've got to look at. It’s not the individual that leads you.” (23:34—24:04)
“[Even after dropping Delta,] I'm still busy. Still way too busy because I didn't lose enough people.” (24:16—24:21)
“People don't like surprises. So, if you can make it so they're not surprised and they know exactly what's coming, I think people are reasonable with it.” (25:28—25:37)
“We have a lot of patients that think Delta Dental is the best insurance. And they always say, ‘Well, I don't understand. I have the best insurance plan. Why don’t they cover this much?’ Well, that goes down the rabbit hole of what Delta Dental is and what insurance is in dentistry versus medical insurance. There's a huge difference with that, and they don't understand that. I've had patients that said, ‘Well, I don't get it. You're doing a write-off. Can't you write that off in taxes?’ It’s like, ‘That write-off is very different than what a governmental write-off is for taxes. You have to receive money in order to pay the taxes on that.’ And he goes, ‘It looks like you're getting taxed twice.’ I'm like, ‘Pretty much. I'm glad you understand this now.’” (25:42—26:22)
“People have called me disgusting . . . ‘This is disgusting. I can't believe that this is happening at this office. I've been a patient for decades. He’s disgusting.’ ‘Oh, okay. I'm sorry you feel that way.’ The paying upfront thing, ‘Doesn’t he have enough money? I don't understand. Is this practice struggling? Because he has to now get paid upfront. Is that a big change?’ I'm like, ‘No. That's because that's a Delta policy. You have to get paid upfront.’” (26:31—26:58)
“I had one guy, I saw his wife one time when I was right out of dental school. I don't even remember her anymore. And obviously, something didn't happen well. But I had seen him for nine more years. And I've treated him well for the nine years. And as soon as he got the Delta letter, he said, ‘This is the last time I'm coming here because you didn't call my wife back nine-and-a-half years ago.’ ‘But you've been a patient here for nine-and-a-half years, and you haven't had any issues with me, have you?’ ‘No.’ But you're going to find any excuse to leave. And if you want to say it’s your wife’s problem, no. It’s because of financials.” (27:03—27:41)
“Here’s a big caveat. Most of the time you have conflict in your practice with a patient, it’s because of finances. And that's what it comes down to. What's really the true problem here in those that have left my office is because it’s a financial thing. And I respect it. I understand. I know people are in different positions, no matter what it is. But if they value you enough, they will stick around.” (27:43—28:04)
“[What most people get wrong is] I don't think they believe in themselves. I don't think you believe or have the confidence that you could do something like this, and that you should be part of the system. You are just another fish going down the stream type of a thing. Stop that stream. That’s what I think people get wrong, where they get so hung up on who leaves you, or they don't believe that they should ask for this as the value of what they do. But I ask that value when I ask for somebody that's on a different insurance plan, and
How to Stay Healthy While Traveling
Episode #524 with Dr. Uche Odiatu
Traveling can take its toll. If you want to stay healthy while you're on the road, you need great habits and a positive mindset. To help you be your best no matter where you are, Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. Uche Odiatu, the fitness guru, to share some simple tips you can try on your next trip or vacation. To learn the best secrets for before, during, and after your flight, listen to Episode 524 of The Best Practices Show!
Episode Resources:
- Dr. Odiatu’s website: http://www.druche.com
- Dr. Odiatu’s Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/UcheOdiatu
- Dr. Odiatu’s social media: @fitspeakers
- Subscribe to the Best Practices Show Podcast
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club
- Join ACT’s Master Class
- See our Live Events Schedule here
- Get the Best Practices Magazine for Free!
- Write a Review on iTunes
Links Mentioned in This Episode:
Brown University sleep study: https://www.brown.edu/news/2016-04-21/sleep https://www.cell.com/current-biology/pdfExtended/S0960-9822(16)30174-9
Dr. Andrew Huberman’s light study: https://hubermanlab.com/using-light-sunlight-blue-light-and-red-light-to-optimize-health
The Mind-Gut Connection by Dr. Emeran Mayer: https://emeranmayer.com/book
Jim Rohn: https://www.jimrohn.com
Albert Schweitzer: https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/peace/1952/schweitzer/biographical
Dr. John Demartini: https://web.drdemartini.com/the-breakthrough-experience-houston-nov-2022
Chicago Midwinter: https://www.cds.org/midwinter-meeting
Main Takeaways:
A good travel experience starts with mindset.
Bring travel-friendly food that is good for your microbiome.
Hydration is key for overall health. Bring a water bottle with you.
Motion is lotion. Don't stay cramped on long flights or long commutes.
Adjust for sleep changes in new environments so you can still be well-rested.
Quotes:
“Many people lose it when they get away from home base. It’s drive-throughs, it’s fast-food, it’s airport food, and they show up a little worn around the edges, not their best.” (2:35—2:45)
“Almost all success, in any endeavor, starts with the mindset. People think, ‘I hate traveling. Ugh. I don't know why I booked such an early flight. Ugh. I can't stand it. I always write off the first day going anywhere. I always write off the day coming back.’ They start off already behind the eight ball. They're already defeated before they leave. So, I have a mantra. I say these words: I love travel. Travel loves me. I love travel. Travel loves me.” (4:39—5:02)
“I see all these people on Facebook complaining about their delay, their missed flights, their cancelled flights and, ‘Oh, look at me. I'm stuck with 17 people in this row. There's a guy vaping beside me and someone with a comfort dog.’ Well, that's your experience. A different way to experience it is, set the tone for enjoyment. I love travel. Travel loves me. And the universe, or a god, or the energy field somehow brings to you better experiences that will align with your expectation. Some people expect to be late. They expect to be tired. They expect to have someone [without] good hygiene beside them. They expect not to get upgraded. So, it starts with mindset. I love travel. Travel loves me. That's not a guarantee, but what I do is I stack the deck in favor of having a better travel experience. That's the way you start off — mindset.” (5:02—5:47)
“The day before, I bring stuff with me so I'm not always struggling for food. I bring something called miso soup. Miso soup is prepackaged. You just add hot water. So, even at an airline that doesn't serve food, like Southwest, I get a little cup. I can get hot water and mix up my miso soup inside. Miso soup is cheap. You can get four packets for about four, five, six dollars online. It’s a fermented food, great for the microbiome, which helps you have a better circadian rhythm change experience. I'll bring green tea with me. Coffee, sometimes . . . More coffee for me is like throwing dynamite on a napalm bomb. I don't need as much caffeine as most people, so green tea is good. A little bit less caffeine, tons of antioxidants. So, I bring my own.” (6:33—7:20)
“Traveling internationally, you can't bring nuts and seeds and fruit with you. That's not something unless you're traveling in your own country. I go across the border quite a bit, so I can't bring fruit. I can't bring nuts because customs will take it away. You can't bring seeds. Heaven forbid, if you threw an almond out and it grew into an almond bush in Arizona. So, that being said, miso soup and green tea is a must for me.” (7:33—7:53)
“I bring an empty container for water because you can't bring water, obviously, through security. But I do know once you get across, they now actually sell filtered water. So, it’s good for the environment [to bring your own bottle]. But also, now, instead of spending six dollars a bottle for some of these designer brands of water, I get filtered water at any number of different water fountains in the airport. So, that's a pretty good thing. Also, in the fitness room. Again, if people want to buy water, they can spend the five, six, seven, eight dollars, FIJI Water and Evian water. But the fitness room, it’s free. You get filtered water in the fitness room. I can fill this one liter or one quart bottle up. So, I bring an empty bottle with me. That allows me to stay hydrated, because dehydration is a big part of lacking good travel instruments.” (7:54—8:39)
“When I check in, I always ask, ‘Where is the fitness room?’ I love being on the same floor. They’ve shown, it’s called geographic success. Most dentists know about geographic success. Geographic success for most dentists is, you do a big case on a patient, and they move a week later, and now they're in Osaka, or now they're in Seattle. But geographic success, for me, when I check in, is I get to be on the same floor as their fitness facility, or very close. So, now, I can pop in and out a lot easier than if it’s in a different hotel tower. So, when I go in, I want to see if I can be in the same tower or on the same floor. And all I'm doing is stacking the deck in favor of being closer towards the gym.” (9:12—9:50)
“There was a study at Brown University. It was a study shown in Cell Reports, 2018. They’ve actually shown the first night in a new bed, anywhere, your brain, half of it stays hypervigilant. And you're thinking, how is that possible? Why would I? Well, at a certain level, you're used to sleeping in your own bed, your Sleep Number. You've got the king size. You've got the servants waving palms at the family. When you're in a new bedroom or a new hotel, what happens is your brain thinks, ‘Hey, there could be danger here.’ It’s a primitive, primordial failsafe feature that's part of our DNA. So, for the last million years, any time a caveman or cavewoman is in a new place to sleep, the brain stays hypervigilant, ‘There could be danger here.’ So, you might think you're sleeping, but you're not sleeping as deep as you would the second night.” (10:53—11:43)
“Any time you sleep deeper, you're more lucid, better memory, more emotionally engaged, more EQ, emotional intelligence. It’s always profound.” (12:01—12:09)
“A better-rested brain has better connection to past associations, left and right brain coherence. You're more energetically ready for the day.” (12:21—12:30)
“If you're fit already, if you travel well-rested, if you love lecturing, if you are happy at home, if you travel well on the plane, you arrive hydrated, you have good nutritional status, you can actually weather the storm of going to a lobby bar and having a drink, do the entertaining, then go to the [hotel] room. But most people are sleep-deprived, continuously. They're challenged at home. Their work is challenging. They don't have good habits at home. They don't exercise. So, they're high-performance race cars that get regular fuel, regular oil, and they arrive behind the eight ball. But if you're already in fit shape, you can actually weather the storm of a lobby drink, with good intentions and not overdoing it.” (13:54—14:37)
“No matter what your age, your muscles have no idea how old you are.” (17:08—17:11)
“Andrew Huberman, a neuroscientist out of California, talks about early morning sun, before noon, awakens or helps reset your superchiasmatic nucleus and helps to reengage that primitive, caveman, prehistoric part of us that likes daylight first thing in the morning.” (17:59—18:14)
“Our muscles have no idea how old we are. The only thing they know is that we move a lot, which is youthful, or we sit a lot, which is accelerated aging. So, if you're a high mover, whether it’s step count or physical activity, your muscles, all they know is, ‘Kirk is a teenager. Kirk is youthful. Kirk is youthful.’ If you sit a lot, and you get up after watching three seasons of Sons of Anarchy, and all of a sudden you're like, ‘Whoa,’ you feel stiff — most people expect to be stiff and sore and clogged. But it doesn't have to be that way. The science says muscles have no idea how old we are.” (20:19—20:53)
“70% of our waking time is spent sitting. I often try and do my Zoom calls standing. So, that might be the next thing, to elevate our desks. I'm sitting in this room where I can get Wi-Fi today, but I'm all about standing more often. There’s an enzyme called LPL, lipoprotein lipase, and the gene for it is 10 times more active when you're standing. And lipoprotein lipase takes sugar and fat out of the bloodstream into the working muscles, and it’s about 100 calories more every three hours that you're using just by standing. So, I'm a firm believer in standing more. I alternate my standing and sitting when I'm working with patients. My re-care exams, I'd rather stand and do them and crank up the chair. So, I do my exams standing. It makes me look more energetic. I look more alive. I think differently when I'm standing. More oxygen to the brain. So, that being said, sitting is the new smoking.” (20:59—21:45)
“They’ve also said that motion is lotion. Arthritis, joint pain, and inflammation hits about 45 to 50 million Americans. Arthritis, stiff joints, inflamed joints. Well, cartilage has very little blood supply. What they need, though, to get increased circulation of good nutrition and take away the toxins, is good movement. Synovial fluid pumps harder when the joints are moving. So, motion is lotion means the more you move, the more greased your joints are. That's pretty powerful. Motion is lotion.” (21:45—22:20)
“No excuses when it comes to fitness. If I'm in the mood to work out and I think, ‘Oh, I have no shoes,’ or, ‘I only want carry-on. I don't want to fit shoes in,’ I'll go downstairs in black, shiny dress shoes. I'll go down in tuxedo pants and leather shoes. Who cares? I'll never see these people again. If anything, when you walk into a gym with shorts on and black dress shoes, the gym empties. ‘Who the heck is this freak?’ Now, I have all the equipment to myself. So, I'll work out in dress shoes. I'll work out in flip flops — which aren't the safest. I've never worked out in bare feet before, but I don't care. I'll never see these people again. What will people say? ‘Who are they? Who are they?’ So, I talk about it all the time — no excuses. I've gone to the gym in jeans and a tank top. Why not?” (22:43—23:22)
“They’ve actually shown a lot of circadian rhythm disruption is simply because our bacteria — which have no eyes, but they do have a consciousness — know we’re off our schedule. So, if normally you go to the bathroom first thing in the morning, guess what? Now, you're going to the bathroom at 2:00 in the morning. Your bacteria goes, ‘What are you doing? What's going on?’ Now, the bacteria is thinking, ‘Hey, do I make serotonin now? Do I help pump out these neurotransmitters? Or do I have this person still asleep?’ The person is awake. Usually, they're asleep at 2:00 a.m. Probiotics help bring harmony to the microbiome.” (23:55—24:28)
“People often overpromise what probiotics can do. Scientifically, they’ve shown probiotics can help with antibiotic disruption with the microbiome. After someone takes amoxicillin for 10 days, or penicillin for seven days, or clindamycin, which is one of the more challenging ones, antibiotics have also been shown to increase stability and diversity to the microbiome. It doesn't give you free range on pop, tequila, stay up all night and listen to Def Leppard. You've still got to do all the good habits. People often think, ‘Uche, I've tried probiotics for four days. It did nothing for me.’ Well, you hate your job. You're a shift worker. You don't exercise, and you eat Pop-Tarts. So, taking probiotics without doing the fundamentals is like throwing fertilizer on your driveway, and there's no seed or soil. You need seed and soil. The seed and soil is good sleep, loving your job, and a good diet. Then, probiotics can plus you.” (24:29—25:15)
“On the road, if you have a reasonably good diet, probiotics help to balance out the microbiome, which they’ve shown now is a big part of circadian rhythm disruption. But you're thinking, ‘Uche, the large intestine is far from the penial gland.’ Well, guess what? These bacteria are responsible for 40% of the 500,000 circulating metabolites in the body. This is actually from a gastroenterologist, Emeran Mayer, author of The Mind-Gut Connection. Your microbiome is responsible for 40% of the 500,000 circulating metabolites in your body. So, if they're feeling disrupted, unwell, if they're away from their time zone, if there's light-dark cycle disruption, guess what? Your mind is impacted. So, to have these microbiomes happy, you need a better functioning physiology and neurology.” (25:15—26:00)
“Sitting on a plane, anything in a confined space — so, say you didn't get the upgrade, you're not at the exit row, you're not in premium economy, so you're stuck in that smaller regular seat — crossing your legs makes it worse. You're already cramped, and now you're cutting off circulation. It doesn't mean you can't cross your legs. Just don't have them crossed for an extended period of time.” (27:02—27:20)
“I never get a window seat. I never get the middle seat. I always get the aisle. The only time I get a window seat is when I'm doing a red-eye [flight]. Because in a red-eye, I don't want to be disturbed. So, I make sure I have no liquids two hours before the red-eye. I have my noise-cancellation headphones. I have earplugs, orange glasses before I go, a sleep mask so I don't see all the lights and pings and the person moving next to me. Then, I'll sit at the window seat for the overnight flight. However, all of the flights, I want aisle. That way, I have more room. I can get up and down. I get up at least every 45 minutes to an hour.” (27:21—27:49)
“They’ve actually shown that we sleep best and deepest when it’s about 65, 66 degrees, which is a little chilly for some people. But having it at 71, 72, 73 at nighttime, we don't sleep well when it’s hot. Cooler is better.” (29:01—29:13)
“If you're on your own, or you have the agreement of your partner, 65 to 66 degrees has been shown by neuroscientists that you get the deepest sleep. Cold outside the room, warm under the covers. And they’ve shown people who have insomnia often have elevated body temperatures than people who sleep deeply.” (29:22—29:40)
“There are so many different hacks to be healthier. People think, ‘Oh, I don't like cold showers.’ You can still be healthy not taking cold showers. How about an infrared sauna? If that's your sticking point — if you're exercising, you're loving your job, loving your relationships, and eating healthy, an infrared sauna is not going to make or break you. I only do lukewarm showers. Big deal. Wim Hof, The Iceman, makes it sound like if you're not doing cold showers, you're going to die early. A lot of fitness fanatics make fitness sound so complicated.” (30:40—31:09)
“Elite experts always make it sound like, ‘You've got to do everything.’ Oh, really? Now, you've made the wagon so high, people are falling off the wagon all the time. My fitness, my nutrition, my wellness wagon is low. So, if I fall off, I can get back on easy. Because most of life is off balance. It’s not so perfect.” (31:15—31:31)
“They’ve even shown cold water on your face helps you sleep deeper. So, you don't have to immerse yourself in an ice bath. But if someone was very sick, or they were competing in a decathlon, or a LeBron James during the championships, then I would say dot the I’s and cross the T’s. But a cold shower, it’s called a hormetic effect. So, at the end of your shower, turn down the water a bit so it’s not so hot. Maybe make it warm. And for you, that could be your cold shower that day. So, don't think that you have to do everything perfectly to do this thing called a fit life.” (31:40—32:12)
“America’s business philosopher, Jim Rohn, said that when you're on vacation, think vacation. Don't think about the office. When you're at the office, don't think, ‘I really should take a vacation,’ that you're never really present.” (33:32—33:41)
“If you spend a lot of time doing work on vacation, you're definitely sapping the vibe of that vacation time. It’s not really vacation.” (33:52—33:58)
“Albert Schweitzer, the humanitarian anthropologist, said the best teacher is role modeling. So, instead of telling people what to do at home, and telling your friends, and having chats about BMI, organic food, keto, and paleo in the lobby bar, lecturing to your buddies, live it.” (34:41—34:55)
“One of the most successful diets ever that the AMA acknowledged, the American Medical Association, is the Mediterranean diet. It’s not just about food, it’s the fact that they don't argue at the dinner...
Selling a Specialty Practice
Episode #523 with Paul Sletten
Someday, you will sell your practice. If you own a specialty practice and don't know where to start, don't miss today’s episode! Kirk Behrendt brings back Paul Sletten, founder of the Sletten Group, to share his expertise and the key things you need to know for a successful transition. Whether you have a few years or a few decades left doing dentistry, it’s always the time to prepare for your exit. To start creating a plan that gives you peace of mind, listen to Episode 523 of The Best Practices Show!
Episode Resources:
- Paul’s email: paul@lifetransitions.com
- The Sletten Group:https://theslettengroup.com
- Subscribe to theBest Practices Show Podcast
- Join ACT’sTo The Top Study Club
- Join ACT’sMaster Class
- See ourLive Events Schedule here
- Get theBest Practices Magazine for Free!
- Write aReview on iTunes
Main Takeaways:
Solo practice is not dead or dying.
Have a five-year transition plan in place.
Involve your team in your transition process.
Build and maintain a broad, healthy referral base.
Keep a healthy practice, and you will sell for top-dollar.
Quotes:
“Every transition has the fundamental basics in common with each other, but every one of them is unique because the practice culture is unique as an extension of the core values of the owner or owners.” (2:29—2:44)
“I have to go on record and apologize to all the specialists who have had to sit in dental meetings and try to interpret how it might apply to them when transition issues are discussed, because the seminars are almost all directed at the general dentist. That makes some sense because 80% of the population are general dentists. But the specialists get left out, and there are some really important things to talk about and discuss with them.” (2:48—3:24)
“When we talk about transitions, in general, every person thinking about transition has to put a plan together. And in putting that plan together, we've talked about their need to do it five years in advance of when they intend to implement it. And the reason for that is there are some things to understand.” (3:48—4:13)
“Our plan, when we work with a client, is to help them put the business plan together, and the timetable, and the action steps that lead to the actual transition. But they're also going to want to link that practice plan with their personal life plan. And that applies to all specialists as well.” (5:22—5:49)
“If you contrast what a pediatric practice does compared to an endodontic practice or an oral surgery practice, those two practices are unique. An endodontist or endodontist group of doctors, if it’s a group practice, they need a succession plan. What happens when Mary, who founded this practice 38 years ago, walks out the door, having retired? What do you lose? What walks out with her? And what are you going to need to do in terms of defining an ideal candidate profile for the young doctor that you're going to go out and recruit and bring into the practice to move into that practice culture? What other partners are going to have to step up in some areas where they hadn't been responsible before because Mary has always been the visionary and the keeper of the flame? So, succession planning is really, really important.” (5:50—7:01)
“[Endo and oral surgery] are heavily, heavily reliant on referrals. They work hard to build and retain referral relationships. And one of the cautionary tales that you hear if you listen to people who tried to retire and had a difficult time in getting their practice sold for what they thought it was worth, is that they had missed the point of understanding where they need to keep their referral base expanded in terms of the age range. So, if you are a 65-year-old endodontist in solo practice and you're getting ready to retire, there's a great chance that your entire referral base will be within 10 years of your age in either direction. And they're all getting ready to retire themselves. So, a discerning buyer candidate coming and looking at that situation will notice that, of course, because that's part of the fact-gathering that they will ask questions about when they're looking at whether they should be interested or not. And if you have a tight bunching of ages of the referral community that aligns with the seller’s age, you're going to have some problems.” (7:17—8:44)
“There are some changes in our society, of course, in that patients are living longer — much longer, in many, many cases — on the norm. And so, that isn't quite as much of an issue. It is an issue, but you've got to be sure and continue to meet people and continue to be intentionally visible. But one of the barriers or one of the things that block that kind of thinking is if you're a solo practice and you're going hard every day. You're not thinking about growing your patient base. And so, after a while, the practice even becomes a little bit stagnant. And it’s what the predictability is for whether the buyer is going to be able to afford to buy your practice and will it cash flow well. So, you've got to keep a really sharp eye on attrition in your referral base and be mindful of that. If you're in your 40s right now, keep that in mind as you go through the remainder of your career.” (10:34—11:54)
“Everything is not drying up in the specialties. To me, it gets back to, what are you doing that keeps your practice healthy? What are you doing to continue to have a setting, a practice culture, that people thrive in and love to be part of? If you're doing that, you're not drying up. Now, if somebody goes to sleep at the wheel, that could happen, of course. But I don't see that as a generality.” (12:30—13:01)
“If you get around to staying in a solo practice, it’s more challenging at transition time if you haven't kept your referral base broad and in good, healthy condition like your practice is.” (14:49—15:11)
“A young endodontist is looking for a practice to own. He’s been an associate at three different practices over the last six years, and he is looking for something to buy that can be his own. And so, when we started with him, the first question we asked him is, ‘Do you know what you're looking for? Have you identified what would be an ideal setting for you? Where do you want to live? Where do you want to raise your kids? Where would you feel great practicing? What kind of practice do you want to have? What kind of a team do you want to put together? What are your thoughts? What are your money issues? What kind of school loan debt do you have? What size practice are you looking to buy?’ And the thing about endo practices is that they're so doggone profitable, it’s amazing. It’s not unusual to find one with 65% profit margin in tax. And they have the lowest overhead of anybody in dentistry.” (15:38—16:50)
“Your kids can learn a great deal and add some life skills themselves by watching mom or dad go through a transition. You see what it takes. You have to do a whole bunch of clarifying. Whether you're buying a practice and getting into practice and launching a career, or whether you're ready to get out, the planning skills are life skills that kids need to be exposed to intentionally. And there are great benefits that come when that happens.” (18:35—19:12)
“It’s important for people to understand that several of the loudest preachers out there saying that solo practice is dying or dead and comparing it to the dinosaurs, they're investors in DSOs.” (19:25—19:42)
“As we’re working with this young endodontist, we’re asking them all these questions as a couple. You need the input of both parties. They're both huge stakeholders. One will run the practice and be in the practice. The other might very well not be in the practice, but nonetheless, they're influencers. They need to make some decisions together.” (20:03—20:32)
“There are awesome practices available in smaller towns. I don't mean tiny towns like the one I grew up in with 2,500 people, I mean 50,000, 60,000, 75,000. There are unbelievably good lifestyles available in communities like that, and amazing practices. I strongly recommend people at least look at those. If they have proximity to a major city, that's even better. There are great lives to be lived in places like that as well, as an option.” (20:38—21:17)
“[For endo or oral surgery], I'll give you a big number and I'll give you a small number. A big number would be 45 to 50, to have a relationship with that many people. But you're going to make it or break it based on the dirty dozen. If you have 12 great referrers, you've got a career — as long as you nurture those relationships and pay close attention to them.” (21:41—22:12)
“By tailoring a schedule and your work commitment, your clinical time-at-the-chair commitment, then you can do all kinds of things with that that are creative and that will blend in beautifully with your lifestyle.” (24:11—24:25)
“There's a timetable that's in place from the time that a specialist makes a decision to transition — this is why you need a five-year plan. It, predictably, is going to take longer to recruit a specialist than a generalist. There are notable exceptions to what I've just said. But that's true, what I've just mentioned. It’s going to take longer. Let's say you're solo and you're going to do a search. You need to plan on taking two to three years. It can happen faster than that, and you need to be prepared if it does, and ready and flexible. But it could take that long, especially if you're taking the time to be really selective so that you leave your team and your referral doctors in a great place by bringing in a successor that they're going to relate to. That's a gift to all of them, and to the new person taking over the ownership.” (27:59—29:10)
“If you have a two-doctor partnership, your operating agreement for the partnership between the two partners should have a clause in it. The typical clause that you see, way more than half the time, is that the younger partner would have the first right of refusal to buy the practice on notification of your intent to retire. That's the wrong way to do it, in my opinion. I think you're way better off having language that requires the partner to buy it. It’s good for you because it ensures you, the seller, of not having to go through some steps that are, indeed, avoidable. And it's really good for the younger partner because it allows the younger partner to bring in an associate of their own choosing and move that person through a process where they eventually become an owner as well.” (29:48—30:54)
“Another common practice that I used to see 40-plus years ago when I started in the business was that you never tell the team until you've sold the practice. Both of those issues defy logic. There are a lot of people who are dental brokers clinging tightly to the notion that you shouldn't tell your team until you have the deal all finished. And what's the rationale behind that? Well, they’ll tell you that you run the risk of losing your team if you tell them that you're leaving. And I say you run a far greater risk of losing your team if you don't tell them. Once you've made your choice, your decision, why not invite your team to participate in the process actively? They should meet the candidates. You should get an idea from them what kind of personality and what kind of a skill set, attitudes, core beliefs, would fit in your practice culture. They're the ones who have the best insights to that.” (32:01—33:25)
“When somebody asks you, [‘How much longer do you intend to practice?’], they're really asking two questions. The question is, ‘How much longer are you going to be here, doc?’ The second question — the real question — is, ‘What will I have to do when you're not here anymore, doctor? Will I have to leave and find another practice?’ So, lean into it. Don't tap dance. Lean into it and say, ‘Well, I'm going to retire at some point in my career. And, by the way, when I do, what kind of person would you want in here? I'd love your input.’” (36:38—37:14)
“I've even heard things like periodontal practices don't sell for as much as they used to. Endodontic practices don't sell for as much as they used to. That's not true. If they are a great practice and it’s really a healthy practice, they sell for top-dollar. If they're in a desirable location, in a good suite, and where the owners have taken really great care of the referral community that supports them, they're selling for top-dollar.” (38:37—39:16)
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
1:57 Paul’s background.
3:34 Why succession planning is important.
7:04 Be cognizant of the age of your referral sources.
11:59 Are specialties and solo practices drying up?
15:11 What to look for when buying an endo practice.
17:08 Planning skills are critical life skills.
20:00 Small-town practices can be great options.
21:18 How many referrers do you need in endo or oral surgery?
22:42 Tailor your schedule and work commitment.
24:44 Other important items to think about.
27:49 The timetable for a successful transition.
29:10 Advice for selling to a younger partner.
31:28 Tell your team about your transition plans.
37:20 Talk about what will change and what won't change.
38:24 Last thoughts on specialty transitions.
41:28 How to get in touch with Paul.
Paul Sletten Bio:
Paul D. Sletten founded the Sletten Group, Inc. in 1975 in Denver, Colorado. They are in their 48th year of business and have developed an international clientele, having assisted and completed transitions in all 50 states, six provinces in Canada, and two states in Australia. They continue to exclusively work with fee-for-service dentists and their teams around the country.
It is exciting to see both people and practices grow, and to know they have had a hand in so many transitions brings them enormous joy. Their wide-ranging experiences allow them to bring what they have learned to each new client situation. This experience helps them know how to tailor their services to the unique needs of each client and to be able to offer multiple options to almost any client situation. Due to this ability to customize their services, the Sletten Group also works with all of the specialty practices in the dental industry.
Paul has spoken at more than 285 dental meetings around the country. This...
Dr. Bob Skinner – ADA Meeting Chair at ADA SmileCon
Episode #522 with Dr. Bob Skinner
If you weren't at SmileCon 2022 — why not? It’s a great place to learn and have a good time. There are tons of CE, activities, and events you won't want to miss! To tell you all about it, Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. Bob Skinner, the meeting chair of SmileCon 2022, to welcome you to this amazing event. To learn more and to register for SmileCon 2023, listen to Episode 522 of The Best Practices Show!
Episode Resources:
- Dr. Skinner’s website: https://skinnerdentistry.com
- Dr. Skinner’s Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/robertl.skinnerdds
- Subscribe to the Best Practices Show Podcast
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club
- Join ACT’s Master Class
- See our Live Events Schedule here
- Get the Best Practices Magazine for Free!
- Write a Review on iTunes
Links Mentioned in This Episode:
SmileCon: https://www.ada.org/education/smilecon/smilecon-future-meetings
Main Takeaways:
Learn about SmileCon and its vision.
Save the date for SmileCon 2023!
Go to SmileCon 2023!
Quotes:
“We work on these a couple years out, so it’s not like we started thinking about this last week. There was a lot of preparation. We have the basic CE courses, because a lot of people like to come here to get CE. We’ve got phenomenal speakers. So, you can come here, you can have fun and see all the wow moments that we put in, but you can get a good education too. You can learn new techniques, new materials, new supplies, and new equipment. A lot of people like that. We’re always in a great destination.” (1:24—1:55)
“[The NASA mini museum is] one of the wow moments we have. They brought a mini museum from NASA. They brought the moon rock . . . One of the lounges has a little NASA mini museum. We had to pay to get it here from NASA about 30 miles away. I said, ‘I think we can swing that.’ We had to get a little security for it. And so, that's a wow moment. You can come see that and be part of NASA. Leland Melvin is going to be our keynote, an astronaut that went from the NFL to an astronaut. Think about that. You don't see that much. Super, super nice guy.” (3:16—3:56)
“We wanted to create some FOMO. Why aren't you here?” (4:13—4:16)
“Another vision we had was Street Fest. I thought, ‘We’re going to be in this building for two days. Let's get outside. It’s October. It’s in Houston. The weather is going to be great.’ So, we’re going to close the street down in front of the George R. Brown Convention Center. We’re going to have a stage set up and have a live band . . . We’re going to close the street and have food trucks come in, and you can go to different food trucks and get the cuisine of Houston. I've been down here six times in the last year-and-a-half. I've never had a bad meal. It’s phenomenal.” (6:57—7:33)
“Another thing that we’re starting today was a thing that I coined as Dental Olympics. We had an Olympian kick that off this morning. Texas has four dental schools. And I always thought, ‘Well, do they have a kumbaya moment?’ And the more I thought about it, I said, ‘You know what? They're competitors. They're trying to get the best students to go to their school.’ And I understand that. But I said, ‘There are times where you can compare, and get around a table and talk about what works at a school and what doesn't work at a school.’ And I visited with some of the deans who said, ‘Yeah, we need to do more of that.’ I said, ‘Why not do it at SmileCon?’” (7:36—8:16)
“My job [as a mentor], from here on out, is to make sure you're successful.” (11:03—11:05)
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
1:12 Dr. Skinner’s vision for SmileCon.
4:37 Getting Brené Brown to speak at SmileCon.
6:38 Events happening at SmileCon.
7:36 Bringing schools together with Dental Olympics.
10:33 What's next for Dr. Skinner.
Dr. Bob Skinner Bio:
Dr. Robert Skinner was born and raised in Fort Smith, Arkansas, and has always felt a special passion for this area. Although he had to leave to finish his education, he knew he would return here to establish his dental practice and raise his family. And that is exactly what he did. The patients he began treating are now bringing their children — and even their grandchildren — in to see him!
Having completed a bachelor’s and master’s degree from the University of Arkansas, he attended the LSU School of Dentistry and received his Doctor of Dental Surgery in 1986. During his dental education, he was involved in extensive research in the subjects of Oral Pathology, Cancer, and Endodontics.
His work garnered four NIH Grants, top awards at Table Clinics presented nationally and internationally, and produced three abstracts and seven journal articles. In 2012, the LSU School of Dentistry honored him with their Alumnus of the Year Award.
That same drive to learn still exists today and is the reason he attends so many continuing education courses each year. He has rarely missed a national, state, or local dental meeting/seminar and serves as a State Delegate in the American Dental Association’s House of Delegates.
Elected by his peers, he was honored to serve as the General Chairman of the ADA Annual Session 2009. In the same year, the Arkansas State Dental Association presented him with the Distinguished Service Award, one of the highest honors given.
Dr. Marty Jablow, David Pleva, & Tim Caruso at ADA SmileCon
Episode #521 with Dr. Marty Jablow, David Pleva, & Tim Caruso
Do you have pain in your wrists, neck, or back? Then you need to listen to today’s episode! To talk about this important but overlooked subject, Kirk Behrendt brings in three experts, Dr. Marty Jablow, David Pleva, and Tim Caruso, to help dentists and their team prevent and treat the physical suffering that comes with dentistry. From prophylactics to choosing a great mattress, they offer the best advice for recovering from long, stressful hours at the office. To start feeling recharged and pain-free today, listen to Episode 521 of The Best Practices Show!
Episode Resources:
- Dr. Jablow’s email: marty@dentaltechnologycoach.com
- Dr. Jablow’s Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jablow
- Dr. Jablow’s blog: https://dentechblog.blogspot.com
- Dr. Jablow’s social media: @martyjablow
- Tim’s email: carusopt@ameritech.net
- David’s email: dplevapt@sbcglobal.net
- Subscribe to the Best Practices Show Podcast
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club
- Join ACT’s Master Class
- See our Live Events Schedule here
- Get the Best Practices Magazine for Free!
- Write a Review on iTunes
Links Mentioned in This Episode:
Raving Patients: https://www.facebook.com/groups/ravingpatient
Westin: https://www.westinstore.com
Main Takeaways:
Start taking care of your body ASAP.
Be mindful of your posture throughout the day.
Learn how to breathe properly and practice it daily.
Accommodate your body for aging and other changes.
Sometimes, it’s okay to ask patients to accommodate you.
Don't forget about your team members. They are suffering too.
Quotes:
“Bury [bad reviews] with good ones. That's really the thing. I'm lucky. We get really good reviews. We’ve got a lot of them. You can use companies to get them. There's a Facebook Group Dr. Len Tau runs, which is Raving Patients. You might want to get in that and some of the stuff there. With that, you have to remember that we’re all going to get bad reviews. My office gets an occasional one-star review. But most of them are not about treatment. A lot of it is strictly about money. And you know what? People will dismiss some of that stuff. But some of them have legitimate complaints. And you know what? You need to address them. But unfortunately, you cannot address them in public. Be very careful what you say. There are HIPAA violations and things like that. So, if you do have one, reach out to people who may be able to help you craft a very nice response that will keep you within lines of HIPAA. And with that, do the best you can.” (1:06—2:12) -Dr. Jablow
“My office, we’ve got 400, 500 reviews. We’re a 4.9. So, we’re not perfect. We’ve got one-star reviews, two-star reviews. If you get a one-star review that says nothing, that's fine. I mean, it’s dismissed. So, with that, bury them with good ones. Everybody is going to have a bad one. We’ve all been to a restaurant and had a bad meal, or bad service. It doesn't mean I don't always go back. It’s the consistency in that. So, do the best you can. Address real issues in real ways but be careful doing so.” (2:15—2:54) -Dr. Jablow
“If you ever get a negative review, the best thing you can ever do is call the patient right away — like, immediately — and not be equipped with an agenda. Just say, ‘Listen. I care, and I noticed. Tell me.’ And then, at the end, say thank you. A lot of times, that's a good start.” (3:29—3:47) -Kirk
“Sometimes, you can negotiate them taking [negative reviews] down. Again, if it’s real, then you've got to fix something. That's really the important part. If it’s a real problem, fix it. Admit to the error. That's always the case. If it’s the crazy person, well, thank God, you're not treating them anymore.” (3:48—4:09) -Dr. Jablow
“Crazy people don't know they're crazy. So, don't try to reason with crazy people. If they have this long history of being unhappy, you're not going to change that.” (4:11—4:21) -Kirk
“Don't necessarily take [negative reviews] personal. It may be directed at you, but don't take it that personal way. It makes it more difficult for you to deal with it on a non-emotional level.” (4:25—4:36) -Dr. Jablow
“Everybody has their own, what I call, issues. None of us sit the way we’re supposed to. I always say, even for my patients, the thing I really want to invent has already been invented but no one will pay me for it, which is to sit up straight. And so, I always said to the patients, ‘You sit in front of your computer monitor, and all you're doing is slouching.’ So, I want a broom handle with two suction cups. You get the idea. And you can't come in. That would solve a whole bunch of neck pain, TMJ pain, all of that stuff. But you have to first get the patient to understand that posture matters.” (8:24—9:06) -Dr. Jablow
“Whether it’s a patient or the dentist, if you don't understand that your posture can be a problem, is contributing to your problem, you're never going to accept the solution, just like everything else in dentistry.” (9:08—9:19) -Dr. Jablow
“Dental professionals will do anything on the planet to make sure that the patient is comfortable, to their own detriment. They're doing gymnastics and cartwheels, and they keep asking, ‘Are you okay? Are you okay? Are you okay?’ And the patient is only in the chair for one hour. And so, if you would say, ‘Can you turn your head? Can you scooch over? Can you open your mouth bigger for a little bit longer? We’ll be done sooner, and you'll feel fine.’ But the dental professionals are there for 12 hours, sometimes longer. And they're suffering.” (9:40—10:14) -Tim
“I make the mistakes that [Tim] is talking about. There are times that it is easier for me to move than it is to move the patient. And if I can do that for a short period of time — and I'm lucky. I've been doing this a long time, and I've got the gray hair to prove it . . . But with that, you have to sit there and go, ‘Okay, what are my physical limitations?’ I remember when I had hurt my back — and it had nothing to do with dentistry — I couldn't do an extraction for a week. I compensated for it in different ways. And you have to understand that. But there are always what I call the cheat. You know what? It is easier for me to turn than the patient. Or I'll stand up and do something because it’s easier. And as long as I can keep that small, that's great. But when it starts getting to be too much time and my back starts to hurt from it, then I have to be able to say to the patient, ‘You're going to have to help me.’” (10:30—11:35) -Dr. Jablow
“One of the big things that we see is that patients will do all the exercises we give them. But posture, if you don't watch posture — it’s the key to everything. I'll have patients back in my clinic all the time saying, ‘I do the exercises, but they don't help.’ But then, you look at them, and they sit slouched, and they're not watching their posture enough.” (11:41—11:58) -David
“Exercise is like flossing.” (12:05—12:06) -Tim
“I always say, ‘What's the hardest exercise that you've been doing?’ And they go, ‘Um . . . Um . . . Um . . .’ They can't show you what the exercise is, which leads us to believe that they're not actually doing the exercise. So, same when I go and I'm bleeding to death on my bib in the dental office and they say, ‘Have you been flossing?’ and I say, ‘Um . . . Um . . . Um . . .’” (12:13—12:35) -Tim
“There's something that says 90-something percent of households in the United States have floss in them. So, everybody pretty much has it. Using it is a completely different thing. And what you're saying is true. I can do all the exercises, but I can't compensate for the fact that I may have an issue that I'm not addressing.” (12:44—13:06) -Dr. Jablow
“It’s kind of like breathing. You can control it. But when you stop thinking about it, you then lose control over it. So, you need something to remind yourself all the time that you're slipping into something that's not healthy.” (13:13—13:26) -Dr. Jablow
“I have a quote in one of the talks that I give. Dr. [Balanky], and I can't remember where he worked out of, but the quote said, ‘When the exception presents itself,’ so, those are the people that you have to accommodate, ‘treat them exceptionally. But that's not what your daily routine should be.’ So, being mindful.” (14:02—14:20) -Tim
“Everyone has their musculoskeletal complaints. We do a little survey. I think the male dentists have more lower back pain. The female dentists have more upper back and neck pain. And the hygienists and the assistants are their wrists and their hands, generically, what we see. The other thing that we see is when the new equipment is purchased — and no offense to the dentist to my right — they get the new chair, and the staff gets the old, broken chairs. They don't get a new one too. So, sometimes, that’s an issue, where ergonomics comes into play. The staff is accommodating to the broken equipment that they have to make use with during the course of the working day, to their detriment as well. Like, the seat pan is loose, so I have to sit askew in order to balance the seat pan in order to treat the patient. Or assistants can't see because the dentist’s back of the head is in the way.” (14:43—15:41) -Tim
“Or the chair is placed at a different level. I watch, sometimes, where I have to say to the patients, ‘Can you turn to your left so that my assistant isn't reaching so far, or having to stand, or do something different?’ Again, asking the patient to accommodate. Sometimes, as a dentist, you're going to have to accommodate too for your own assistant. It’s a give-and-take.” (15:42—16:06) -Dr. Jablow
“One of the assistants asked me yesterday, ‘Well, I really can't ask my boss that.’ And I'm like, ‘Well, shouldn't you have a working relationship? There's no “I” in team. Hey, doc. Can I get a peek?’ They can take a look and see what they need to do. And equipment for assistants, just thinking about it, the archaic belly bars, the new assistant programs are using saddle seats because then they could physically get closer, get higher, turn and move a whole lot easier and maintain a better posture. Because if that belly bar is there, typically, they're hanging on to it for dear life so that they don't fall on top of somebody.” (16:09—16:47) -Tim
“People accessory-breathe. Accessory breathe means they're shrugging their shoulders and using their neck musculature in order to breathe when you should be using your diaphragm. Like, all the stuff from your belly button up, your diaphragm should be working when you breathe, but your shoulders shouldn't go anywhere near your neck, and your chest shouldn't move. If you're a singer, you sing from your diaphragm. If you talk to singers, they got it. So, if you put one hand on your chest and one hand on your belly, if you're breathing properly, the hand on your chest shouldn't go anywhere. But your belly should move when you breathe in and breathe out.” (17:44—18:20) -Tim
“A little more oxygen in you is good, and it relaxes you. You're not going to be as stiff. So, you can do [breathing and exercises] in between patients. You can do it when you can. They talk about getting to a traffic light and tucking your stomach in for 10 or 20 seconds as a way to try and work on your gut. Some of this stuff is easy. You just have to know from these guys what to do, and then be serious about instituting it and incorporating it into your day.” (19:01—19:33) -Dr. Jablow
“More of it is trying to teach you what you need to do. Because you can come to us three times a week, and we do our stuff in the clinic, and you feel better. But if you keep falling apart at home, you're never going to get better. So, our goal is to teach you the correct exercise to treat yourself. And you'll start monitoring, ‘I'm getting stiff. I need to do my exercises. I'm starting to have pain. I need to do my exercises.’ So, our focus is on getting you to take control of your own symptoms. That's where it’s all at, at this point, is you become a self-treater. Because if you want me to do it, we’re never going to get anywhere. You have to take responsibility and treat yourself.” (21:35—22:07) -David
“I can think of this lady who had back pain with sciatica, and she wanted to go back to play tennis. And this is a long time ago when [David and I] worked in the clinic in Oak Park together. So, we got rid of her sciatica. I got rid of her back pain. She was playing tennis. And she came in one day with this piece of paper in her hand. And I said, ‘Hey, how are you doing?’ And she goes, ‘Oh, I'm great. I'm doing my exercises. I'm playing tennis.’ She goes, ‘But I want to talk to you about this.’ And I'm like, ‘What is it?’ It was our bill. And I said, ‘Is there something wrong?’ And she said, ‘Well, it’s the bill.’ And I said, ‘This is what we charge everybody. We didn't charge you more or less than anybody else. Did we not accomplish the goal of you getting back to doing what you wanted to do?’ ‘Yeah, you did. You did. But you never touched me.’ I didn't have to lay hands on her to get her back to doing all those things. And so, I said, ‘Well, I'm really sorry but this is what it costs, whether I touched you or not.’ I learned something after that. So, now, when someone comes to my clinic, I put my hand on their shoulder when they come in, and I go, ‘How are you doing?’ And then, we have no problem with that ever again.” (22:14—23:27) -Tim
“We get that too in dentistry. If you don't actually touch them, you just do the exam, sometimes they go, ‘But the doctor didn't do anything,’ because the treatment is what you're paying for, not the knowledge to get you there.” (23:30—23:45) -Dr. Jablow
“Typically, when we look at massages, they don't provide long-term relief. People come to us and say they feel better, temporarily. And all you're doing is relaxing these muscles. But if you still have a problem there, as soon as the brain recognizes, ‘Wait a minute. There's still an issue there,’ they're going to tell that muscle to spasm again to not move that joint. So, it’s kind of like relaxing a little bit. But until you address the problem, it’s never going to be fixed. That's our goal, is to fix that problem so you don't have to rely on other things to get you back to where you need to be. And sometimes, it’s just a matter of doing simple exercises every couple of hours.” (24:24—24:57) -David
“One of the basic things we do is talk about retraction for necks. So, between patients, you're doing this, walking down the hallway. You're sitting with the patient, and you're getting stiff and sore. You do a couple of those, and go back in. Sometimes, they're really basic things that can get you through your day. But people tend to not do that. Now, they're in pain again. And now, we start the whole cycle again.” (24:57—25:15) -David
“We all love a nice massage. But if my two fingers are numb in my hand, or I have raging sciatica down my leg, that's probably not going to get rid of that. Now, once we get it where it’s under control and manageable, and you want to go for a massage, or you want to go for something else, that's perfectly fine. And it’s great if you can do it. Or get the [massage] gun out and relax my shoulders a little bit. That's fine. The issue that we see as clinicians is people will start with their trainer, or someone who doesn't know how to care for medical conditions trying to manage that, to their detriment, where they make it worse.” (25:18—26:00) -Tim
“The human body can only be subjected to so much.” (27:09—27:11) -Dr. Jablow
“Everyone’s body reacts differently to the stresses put on it. And we all have about the same parts, give or take. But everyone responds to the stresses put on that at different rates . . . As a dentist, sometimes the procedures that are pretty benign, the patients are flying out of the chair and their response to that is way overblown compared to how you think it should be. And it’s the same with people with back pain and neck pain where it shouldn't be a 10 out of 10, but it is, for some people.” (27:29—28:05) -Tim
“For dentistry, if you guys beat yourself up all day for 10 hours, whatever it happens to be, and you don't go home, and you don't rest enough at night to recharge the batteries and let your body recover from the stresses you put on it, and you go back and do it again, do it again, do it again, do it again, four days in a row, five days in a row, and you're out of balance, physically, bad things happen.” (28:08—28:32) -Tim
“There are things I'm going to be able to do when I'm younger. But now, when I get older, there are things I'm going to have to make accommodations for. And we need to know that.” (30:12—30:20) -Dr. Jablow
“The last two days, we’ve seen a good number of students [with pain in] their shoulders, their necks. And some of it is the equipment they're using and their programs. It is what it is. That's what they have to use. But making them more mindful. Or the loupes that they're using. They're all set in an office — they're not in their office, they're set in the exhibit hall or wherever they buy their loupes, and the focal length isn't enough, and they're dropping their heads to focus, even though it’s supposed to make things easier for them to see and visualize.” (31:16—31:50) -Tim
“We’re getting measured for a new set of loupes. And they have all my measurements, so they know what they are. But the reality is, I'm leaning in more. And I know I am. Why? Because my eyesight has changed too. And we don't always change our loupes because the magnification works. But the rest of it isn't, so I'm leaning in more. So, again, you have to always think about all these little pieces of the puzzle that may change exactly what we’re doing, even if you don't think anything changed. That's the reality.” (31:54—32:26) -Dr. Jablow
“Get your iPod, put on your comfy clothes, take your comfy pillow, and go to the Back to Bed store and tell them you're going to be there for a little while, and lay on their beds. It annoys the heck out of the sales guys. And you need to find one that's comfortable there where you lay on it and you go,...
Shannon Pace-Brinker at ADA SmileCon
Episode #520 with Shannon Pace-Brinker
Your dental assistants do more than you think. They are capable, worthy, and keep your practice running. If you want them to stay, it’s time you empower them! One of the best ways is by investing in their education. Today, Kirk Behrendt brings back Shannon Pace-Brinker, founder of the Academy of Chairside Assisting, to talk about valuing your assistants, elevating them and their skill sets, and helping them grow with her upcoming course. Support your valuable dental assistants! To learn how, listen to Episode 520 of The Best Practices Show!
Episode Resources:
- Shannon’s email: shannon@chairsideassisting.com
- Shannon’s Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/chairsideassisting
- Shannon’s social media: @chairsideassisting
- Academy of Chairside Assisting: https://chairsideassisting.com
- Subscribe to the Best Practices Show Podcast
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club
- Join ACT’s Master Class
- See our Live Events Schedule here
- Get the Best Practices Magazine for Free!
- Write a Review on iTunes
Links Mentioned in This Episode:
Shannon's ACT Dental Dental Assistant's Course
Dental Hygiene Nation: https://www.dentalhygienenation.com
Teeth Obsessed Etsy shop: https://www.etsy.com/shop/TeethObsessed
Teeth Obsessed: https://teethobsessed.com
Main Takeaways:
Invest in your dental assistants. They are worthy.
Of 337,000 dental assistants, less than 28,000 are certified.
Elevate the certification so your assistants invest in themselves.
Give assistants the chance to see what they’re capable of achieving.
You and your assistants are a team. Help them grow so they can help you.
Quotes:
“I do love dental assistants. My heart has always been for them. I feel like they really work so hard, and they're so talented. Everybody has their own thing. And what they do in the practice really well, I think sometimes we don't know what that is, and we’ve got to find it. I also feel like dental assistants feel like they're unworthy. And it’s giving them the feeling that, ‘Listen, you are someone. You are great,’ no matter how you may feel, that someone thinks you are the lowest on the totem pole, or maybe you're not worthy of the status of some of the other people in the practice. We are worthy.” (2:16—2:54)
“It’s what you do with yourself, as far as the education. People say, ‘Well, I don't want to pay for my own education. The doctor should be paying for that.’ It’s like, no, no, no, no. You have to invest in you. This is how you're going to grow. But I think the problem right now is we don't have enough people bonding together to be there for that person.” (2:54—3:13)
“I think assistants don't really have anybody that says, ‘Hey, listen. Tell me about you. How can we make you better and help you be fulfilled? Because we don't want to lose assistants in this industry.’ And right now, it is a hard time. There are so many openings for assistants, and we need to keep these good people in that assistant’s chair. And I feel like right now, more than ever, they need hugs. They need love. They need affection. We need to say, ‘We love you,’ and keeping them there, and finding out what can we do to keep them in the office. It’s a sad time. We’ve got to lift them up.” (3:21—3:53)
“When I was going to dental school, and I went to Wake Forest to get my dental assisting degree, we basically were working with dentists at that time. Right now, in all these dental schools, no assistant is working with any dentists because they're all closed down. There's not a school where the doctor is working, and the doctor goes to school, and the assistant is with them at the same time. The only time they ever work with an assistant is when they're going to take their exams. And I think that's a problem because we weren't, from day one, working with an assistant to say, ‘We’re a team. We’re a team right now.’” (4:12—4:40)
“It’s never about money. It’s telling [dental assistants], ‘Hey, you are just as worthy as I am. I trust your opinion. I trust you.’ Yeah, they’ve got to be trained first. But letting them have a voice, and then when they're trained to do these things, I mean, there's so much that assistants can do nowadays that we couldn't do before. Let them run with it. Don't still keep control.” (4:46—5:05)
“Our dream is that [dental assistants] can do expanded functions. But let's talk about the worst part. The worst part is there are 337,000 dental assistants, and less than 28,000 are certified. So, the value of certification is gone. And I'm going to tell you why. Because the difference in the pay for an assistant who is certified versus one that's not, is pennies. Why would I continue to pay $300 every two years and keep my CDA if I basically can do the same thing I'm doing in a practice and not be certified, and the doctor does not elevate that as far as the salary goes? There's no difference in the salary, so they don't see it. So, right now, 337,000, and only less than 30,000 are certified. It’s sad.” (6:10—6:59)
“Everybody has a skill set. You have to find out what that is and then get them to feel like, ‘Wow, I am really good at this,’ and own it, and let go. Let them run with it. That's how you're going to keep them, is letting me bloom and blossom and, most importantly, do more by myself. Because, again, that's what we yearn for, is to feel like we are a part of that team. But most importantly, everybody always says, ‘Oh, hygiene is a producer. A dentist is a producer.’ I'm a producer too. And I think that this is the mindset that doctors have to have.” (8:24—8:54)
“I love my doctor because he lets me be Shannon, and he gives me the credit, and he says thank you, and I love you. And it’s not about the money. During COVID-19, I made $15 an hour. I can show you my paycheck. $15 an hour. It wasn't about the money. It was about doing something I really love. And when I can make $15 an hour — and that was the only job I had. It wasn't about the money. It’s never about the money. These team members want to be appreciated. We want that “thank you”. And we’ll stay with you forever.” (9:07—9:36)
“Over the last year, I've seen people not really seeing a value in whitening. And it’s cash! How dumb is that? I mean, they're like, ‘Oh, whitening really doesn't make me any money.’ $249 for an hour’s worth of whitening is good money. It’s more than some associates make. And so, this is where we’ve got to change the mindset. People want it, so they're going to [go to] you, or they're going to [go] to someone else and get it.” (10:19—10:39)
“What I always want people to understand is, it’s not about the whitening. It’s what comes from it. And more treatment will come when you're doing that and you're making people happy about their smiles.” (10:50—10:59)
“The assistant and the hygienist have a wall. It is this persona of, assistants feel like they're the lowest on the totem pole, and hygienists sometimes, people think the persona of a hygienist is that they think they're better than us, or they're paid three times as much as we are. And it’s true. But they’ve gone to school longer, as most of us. And so, I know why. But the thing is, we always feel like we’re not . . . And what Amber [Auger] and I hoped to do was to change that. We said, ‘We have to do something.’ The practice is not running if everybody isn't on the same page. It doesn't matter what role you have.” (16:25—17:03)
“The problem in dentistry is we don't laugh enough.” (27:04—27:05)
“Sometimes, the doctor doesn't even know the capabilities their assistant really had. That's what's crazy, is at the end of the day, they didn't know they could do those things [they did at the course] because they never gave them the chance to do it. And the beauty is, now that they’ve done it, doc, you don't have a choice. You've got to turn it over because they just showed you that they could do it.” (34:22—34:35)
“Assistants want and yearn to feel needed. They yearn to get to that next level. One thing I always say is, when you invest in me, I'm going to always remember that. I will forever be grateful. And if you want me to stay with you for 30 years, let's be partners in this and let me grow. I can't keep doing the same dang gone thing I've always done. And I think that this is where we have to. And sometimes, we’re better at it than the doctor — no offense.” (34:58—35:24)
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
2:03 Uplift your dental assistants.
3:55 What you need to know about the assisting position.
5:23 Expanded functions for dental assistants.
7:00 Develop and utilize your assistants’ skills.
9:39 About Shannon’s courses.
17:50 Giving back with her online shop, Teeth Obsessed.
31:48 What you'll learn at Shannon’s two-day course.
33:23 Go to Shannon’s course with your assistants.
37:07 How to get in touch with Shannon and sign up for her course.
Shannon Pace-Brinker, CDA Bio:
Shannon Pace-Brinker, CDA, is a national and international speaker and published author of over 300 articles for various publications. She has been a practicing dental assistant for over 25 years and works for Dr. Robert Korman in Virginia Beach, Virginia.
Shannon has taught over 2,000 classes on dental assisting techniques and over 60,000 dental assistants over the last six years alone. She has taught at the Nash Institute, Dawson Academy, and Spear Education, instructing through both lectures and hands-on programs.
She has written over 300 articles regarding Clinical Application and has a current column in Dental Product Reports for the team evaluation of dental products and materials. She has her own publication for dental assistants with partnership of Schein Dental called "Side by Side". She has started one of the first online platforms designated for dental assistants called the Academy of Chairside Assisting.
Shannon is an active member of the AACD. She was the first auxiliary to sit on the AACD Board of Directors and was awarded the Rising Star Award. She has also been recognized as one of Dentistry Today’s Top 100 Clinicians for the last 10 years, Dental Products Report 25 most influential women in dentistry, the Lucy Hobbs Award, Sunstar Butler achievement award, and Dr. Bicuspid’s Dental Assistant Educator of the year.
Sameer Bhasin, CareCredit at ADA SmileCon
Episode #519 with Sameer Bhasin
You don't know what your patients can or can't afford. So, why not give them options and let them decide for themselves? To help you do that, Kirk Behrendt brings back Sameer Bhasin, vice president of strategic alliances at CareCredit, to dispel some of the myths and misconceptions about patient financing. CareCredit benefits everyone! To learn more and become a CareCredit provider, listen to Episode 519 of The Best Practices Show!
Episode Resources:
- Sameer’s email: sbhasin@carecredit.com
- Sameer’s phone number: (210) 792-8829
- CareCredit Partner Portal: https://www.carecredit.com/partnerportal/contactus
- Subscribe to the Best Practices Show Podcast
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club
- Join ACT’s Master Class
- See our Live Events Schedule here
- Get the Best Practices Magazine for Free!
- Write a Review on iTunes
Main Takeaways:
CareCredit is for everyone, not just a certain demographic.
Understand the benefits of CareCredit for your patients.
Your treatment acceptance is not as high as you think.
Patient financing is not just about making money.
Don't assume what your patient may want.
Understand the 80/20 rule.
Quotes:
“If I were to ask 100 offices, ‘What is a good patient financing percentage in your practice? What dollar amount would it be?’ I would probably get numbers from $10,000 a year in patient financing to $1 million. Nobody knows. Nobody knows what that is. So, 80/20 — or what I call the other side, 10/20 — is an easier metric to think about. So, what does that mean? 10% of your patients should be applying.” (3:26—3:54)
“It doesn't matter whether you are a specialist who only sees 10 patients a day, and it doesn't matter if you're a GP that sees 30 patients a day. 10% of your patients should be applying [for financing] because that's a good spot. That's a spot where you will find, a lot of the times, when patients say, ‘Let me think about it. Let me call you back. I need to talk to my spouse.’ So, these are the patients who may or may not have insurance benefits, may or may not have credit cards. They are saying no. Or, ‘Let me think about it,’ is a nicer way of saying no to treatment right now. So, 10% of your patients should be applying.” (3:57—4:28)
“The moment you start to hit that 10%, you start to see that your overall production goes up. Your overall collection goes up. And a good number for a good patient financing part of your practice should be 20% of your overall over-the-counter collection should come from third-party financing. That's a good, healthy number. The assumption is, ‘Oh, we want 50% of your business, 100% of your patients.’ No. 15% to 20% is a good, healthy number. That shows that you are utilizing patient financing in your practice as part of your process, not as a product, not as an afterthought. And that's the place you want to be.” (4:35—5:16)
“I'm sure the audience thinks like, ‘Oh, I don't think I have that problem. Our patients pay cash. Our patients are rich,’ or, ‘Our patients are not very rich,’ whatever that may be. The easiest and the best way to help meet that reality and step away from that perception is, pull up your diagnosed and unscheduled report. It is a great way for you to find out the demographics you're seeing and the mental ceiling that you may have. You will see the reports.” (5:19—5:49)
“Numbers tell a beautiful story, and facts don't care about your feelings.” (5:51—5:54)
“Once you see [your reports], you see the numbers will tell the trend of, ‘A majority of the people on this diagnosed and unscheduled report are $2,000, $3,000, $5,000. All right. I'm pretty good when it comes to treatment and they’re $500 or $700. That's not where my problem is. My problem is at $1,000.’ Or you might see that, ‘I am very good at crowns, but crown patients are not on here. But the moment I talk about aligners or talk about implants . . .’ Now, you can see, is it the procedure? And now, you know, ‘Okay, what do we need to do differently?’ Because you can't ask your team to make a change when you don't even know what you're changing for or why. So, it’s a good place to start.” (5:57—6:43)
“We assume that patient financing, the only solution it can provide to you, as a doctor, is making more money. And if you've been practicing long enough, you're fee-for-service, from a monetary standpoint, you live a nice, comfortable life, you don't see a reason to. But here’s the difference: what if you can maintain the same lifestyle, instead of working five days, to four days? Or if you're at four days, to three days. What does that time do for you? So, you're right. You don't need it because you think, from a monetary standpoint, ‘I'm very comfortable. My kids go to a good school. I live in a nice house. I drive a nice car. I go on good vacations.’ Fantastic. So, you don't need to make any changes. But what would you do with that extra day?” (7:26—8:09)
“At the end of the day, sometimes, you've got to work with the willing. If you don't care, for whatever reason, I can't really fix it. Because when you don't care — I can't be the only one caring in this situation. It’s the same thing as the patient who comes in. You know you can help that patient live a fantastic, healthy life with a beautiful smile. If the patient is not ready, there is no amount of your clinical skills — so, where is the value of the treatment? So, if you were to say, ‘I don't need it,’ that's absolutely correct. You may not need it. Financially, you're pretty good. What is it that makes you get to the next level of dentistry you want to do? Are you doing the treatment you want to do, or are you doing the treatment that's coming through your door?” (8:15—9:02)
“Here’s something to think about. If I were to look at 10, 15 years ago, if I saw a Mercedes on the road, or a Lexus or a BMW, the assumption was it’s a doctor or lawyer or a high executive. It was a pretty safe assumption. Expensive cars. Fast-forward 10 years, you see a lot of those cars. And it’s not because, all of a sudden, the demographics have gotten richer. The financing got to a point where it allowed for people to be able — it’s not like people didn't want to drive a Lexus or a Mercedes. They just couldn't afford it at that point in time. But now, the financing has helped it. So, if you look at the transition, the same thing from there to dentistry, I honestly do personally believe when a doctor talks about a $10,000, $15,000, $20,000 case, patients do want to get that treatment. They know that this would be life-changing for them. But their reference is, ‘It’s not broken, bleeding, or hurting, so I can't. I can't because holidays are coming around.’ Life takes over. So, this is where when it becomes part of your process, the conversation is amazing. When the patient actually accepts the treatment that you are recommending, not a portion of it, and not, ‘Let's spread it out over the next five years,’ treatment. It’s, ‘I believe it. I can do it. You showed me the way to do it, and I want to do it.’” (9:44—11:19)
“Doctors get to excel on their clinical skills by CE courses, and going to conventions, and taking next-level advanced courses. The hygienists get to do the same thing. Assistants get to do the same thing. But when it comes to the business team, who is discussing this? Where do they go? So, when I don't have a team that’s comfortable and trained, and I give them those resources, human nature automatically says, ‘I'm not going to talk about something I'm not comfortable talking about. So, let's not talk about it, and let the patient do it.’ Now, this is where it starts to click. And we understand that. This is where CareCredit, as a company, our constant focus is, how can we make it easier? How can we make it easier for the team members? That's why we are integrated with every practice management software. How can we make it easier to have that conversation? There are tools and resources. How can we make it easier? That's where we have experts. We have content that we can share. It’s all free. So, it’s easier for us to do that. But the question becomes, are you open and willing to learn that? Or do you want to continue to do the same thing over and over again?” (11:47—13:02)
“We are here to help. That is all we do. The CareCredit rep is not going to come into your office and say, ‘You are not doing enough CareCredit.’ It will be more about, ‘I don't think we’re helping as many patients as we could. How can we help you change that?’ There are tools where the offices can know ahead of time whether the patient will get approved or not without running their credit. How does that change in your conversation? The patient experience, it’s all in communication.” (13:03—13:29)
“Money is the easier thing to fix. That's where we come into play. But the harder part is for the patient to believe the treatment that you recommended, there's value in it. And I have heard it so many times from the doctor, to the hygienist, to the team members, to the business team members, ‘Okay, there's something I need to do. How do I get it done?’ And that's where, the majority of the time, in my experience, the ball gets dropped. It comes down to, ‘It’s $10,000. How would you like to pay?’” (13:29—13:56)
“The assumption [dentists make about CareCredit is] that they don't think they need it, or their patients need it, that they have good treatment acceptance. That's the big one. The moment we ask the question, ‘How is your treatment acceptance?’ Sometimes, I don't even get to finish my question, and the answer is, ‘90%. It’s 90%.’ Like, ‘Well, it can't be 90%. That means you're presenting 10 cases of $9,000 to 10 patients, and all nine are accepting it.’ ‘Well, no . . .’ So, that's where they get it incorrect.” (14:17—14:47)
“The other [thing dentists get wrong] is assuming that patient financing is only for a certain income demographic. I walk into some offices where they say, ‘We don't require patient financing because our patients are very wealthy.’ Or, the other side of that is, ‘Our patients won't get approved because they are not.’ So, that's the assumption, that patient financing is only for large treatments. Large is very subjective. Large to some people is a $300 payment, and large to some is $3,000. So, that's a big gap, going back to not understanding who your patient base is, and the assumptions are, ‘Everybody pays cash,’ or, ‘It’s only for large treatments.’ No. It’s for everyone. I have financed things that were $1,500, and I have financed things that were $50,000. So, it has nothing to do with that. It’s more about making it available to the patient and letting them decide.” (14:47—16:07)
“That's one of the biggest misses we see, is assuming what the patient may want. And it’s the hardest place to be. Nobody has that, first of all. If somebody out there has that, we would love to invest in it, that you would know who can afford what. We don't know that. And that's where the consistency comes into play of, keep it consistent. Keep it up front. Have that conversation. Educate your patient. Let them make the decision.” (16:09—16:36)
“I have even had conversations with some practices, like, ‘I've gone to your website, and patient financing is buried so deep, far in there, I can't even find it. So, to me, as a patient, that tells me you don't want to offer it, or you don't offer it.’ So, either, a) you are going to be very inexpensive that I don't need it, or, b) it’s not an option so I may need to look someplace else. Or I need to phase it out over the next five years.” (17:00—17:26)
“What is more important, having 90% of something, or 100% of nothing?” (17:54—17:58)
“Interest rates, those are some of the things you and I can't control. But I can tell you how the patient changes their behavior. More and more will start to hold on to their cash. More and more will start to keep their credit cards open because they don't know when an emergency may show up. So, now, when it comes to patient financing, it really becomes more important to give them an option that's not handling their cash, and it’s not taking space on their credit card. It’s keeping it separate so I still have that option.” (18:46—19:18)
“Have interest rates changed the way treatments are planned? Have interest rates changed the way patients are walking in? It’s not. So, why add on one more barrier? It’s a mental barrier. At the end of the day, I, as a patient, know whether I can afford it or I am ready to get this treatment done or not. So, there is a lot of external noise, and that's what it is. You can't do anything about it. We have had great economies, and we've had not-so-great economies. Ultimately, the only thing I can control is how I show up and how I show up for my patients.” (19:23—19:59)
“Keep an eye on what the market is doing. But don't make every decision about your patient based on that. Let the patients make that decision. They're smart people.” (20:06—20:15)
“It’s not going to be a flip of the switch and saying, ‘All right. Tomorrow morning, things are going to look very different.’ It’s a process, just like anything else. So, let's take that first step to see where you're at, what are some of the challenges, what is your focus that you are looking at for this year or at the end of the year. Are you looking at your reports? I'm sure that you are looking at your benefit reports. Are you looking at CareCredit reports of the patients who have money available on their card? It’s available to you. Why not pull the patients who have treatment, who have benefits left, and have CareCredit on their credit card come in? Make it attractive.” (21:19—21:56)
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
0:33 Sameer’s background.
2:12 It’s okay to wear Lulu pants.
3:02 The 80/20, explained.
6:43 Why you need third-party financing.
9:06 Be an advocate for your patients.
11:19 How CareCredit can help your practice.
13:57 What people get wrong most about CareCredit.
16:37 Educate patients about their options.
18:12 Don't make assumptions based on the market.
20:31 Last thoughts and how to get in touch with Sameer.
Sameer Bhasin Bio:
Sameer Bhasin is the vice president of strategic alliances at CareCredit. He is dedicated to working with dentistry’s key opinion leaders and leading educators. One of his key initiatives is to gather the latest insights, ideas, and practical tools presented at dental meetings and conventions. To help increase recommended patient care, he shares these best practices with CareCredit’s community of more than 110,000 enrolled dental providers. Prior to his current role, Sameer acquired more than a decade of front-line business practice experience in his position as practice development manager, and subsequently as regional sales manager.
Dr. Josh Austin at ADA SmileCon
Episode #518 with Dr. Joshua Austin
Today, from the floor of ADA SmileCon, Kirk Behrendt brings back one of ACT’s favorite dental comedians, Dr. Joshua Austin, who uses humor to talk about some of the serious issues that many dentists face. He shares his insights on mental health, emotional well-being, and the role of therapy as he reflects on some of the key victories in his life that he has learned to celebrate. To be inspired by his story and to start celebrating the achievements in your life, listen to Episode 518 of The Best Practices Show!
Episode Resources:
- Dr. Austin’s email: jaustindds@me.com
- Dr. Austin’s Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JoshuaAustinDDS/
- Dr. Austin’s social media: @joshuaaustindds
- Subscribe to the Best Practices Show Podcast
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club
- Join ACT’s Master Class
- See our Live Events Schedule here
- Get the Best Practices Magazine for Free!
- Write a Review on iTunes
Links Mentioned in This Episode:
American Academy of Clear Aligners: https://www.aacaligners.com
Reingage: https://www.reingage.com
Voices of Dentistry: https://www.voicesofdentistry.com
Main Takeaways:
Always be kind to yourself.
Appreciate the things you're able to do.
Learn how to celebrate victories — even small ones.
Talk to yourself the way you talk to people you love and respect.
Friends, coaches, and consultants are great — but you need a therapist.
Quotes:
“I remember being 11 years old and getting Comedy Central added to our cable package and experiencing that for the first time. I think it’s when it launched. And I remember early on, being 11 years old, and seeing a Howie Mandel standup special and thinking, ‘God, I would love to do that one day. But there's no way I have the talent or skill to do that.’” (15:31—15:48)
“Remember the movie, Field of Dreams? It’s one of my favorite movies. There’s a character named Moonlight Graham. And Moonlight Graham comes up because he got one at-bat in the Major Leagues, and then he never got to play again. And I remember somebody in the movie saying something like, ‘Aren't you angry? Don't you wish you had more chance?’ And he’s like, ‘No. I got to live my dream, even if it was one at-bat.’ And so, [opening for Jim Gaffigan] was my one at-bat. It'll probably never happen again, and it’s fine. And not a ton of dental meetings have standup comics, surprisingly, so it'll probably never come up. I'll probably never get another chance to do it, and that's totally fine. I'm totally happy with it. The fact that I got to do it once was amazing.” (16:35—17:18)
“I'm bad about celebrating . . . I don't celebrate things if something happens. Like, we had a great CE course yesterday. It’s a packed room, sold-out room, and it was like, ‘Oh, great course!’ I'm like, ‘Yeah, I don't know . . . Whatever. It was easy,’ trying to find some way to diminish it because I don't like to take the compliment.” (17:19—17:41)
“Andrea, my wife, had basically told me, ‘We’re celebrating this. We’re going to get a champagne or cocktail when this is done.’ So, I stopped at the hotel bar. It’s the closest to the bank of elevators that we were staying in. No rhyme or reason to it, it’s just where we stopped, and ordered a glass of champagne or cocktail, whatever it was. We’re standing there, and the bartender brought it over, and he was like, ‘These are paid for.’ Someone down at the bar had seen the set and paid for our drinks. He came over, and he was like, ‘Hey, I just want to let you know it was awesome. You're so courageous to have gotten up there. I would’ve never had the courage to do that.’ So, it was great. We enjoyed our nice drink. And I remember Andrea went to bed. I was still, adrenaline going, so I couldn't sleep. And at some point, I went in the bathroom of the hotel room, and I closed the door, and I sat on the floor and cried for 45 minutes. Which, it was weird. It wasn't a sad cry. It was this moment of intense appreciation for the fact that I got to do this thing that I'd always wanted to do.” (17:42—18:51)
“[Voices of Dentistry] was the first place that I ever shared my mental health journey. And that was in February of 2020. And it was literally — like, I had an hour. I did 40 minutes about other stuff, and then the last 20 minutes was this mental health thing. And I'd never gotten feedback about anything like I got about those 20 minutes.” (25:28—25:49)
“My wife makes fun of me because — I can't believe we’re talking about this — I don't like to be naked, even with her . . . She calls me a never-nude, which is a reference to an old show with Jason Bateman, Arrested Development. There was a guy there who’s called a “Never Nude”, who didn't like to ever take his clothes off. And so, that's me. And she was like, ‘I cannot believe that you will show this video where you strip down to your underwear. You don't take your shirt off for anybody, and yet . . .’ And I was like, ‘Yeah, because I can get a laugh out of it.’” (29:49—30:37)
“You go to a Wendy’s or a Burger King, and it’s a horrible experience, all the way around. Then, you go to Chick-fil-A. So, where does Chick-fil-A find these people that are this amazing? How do they find these amazing people to work for them? And it’s the idea that they hire the same people that Burger King or Wendy’s hires. It’s that their systems are different. And so, the system makes the experience. The system makes the service.” (39:51—40:16)
“This is something I talk about with my therapist often, is that I don't celebrate stuff. And she’s like, ‘You have to celebrate.’ And Brené [Brown] talked about it a little bit yesterday, about internal dialogues with ourselves. Brené talked about your internal dialogue about yourself. Like, you should talk to yourself the way you talk to somebody that you love and respect.” (41:55—42:17)
“When you have these negative dialogues with yourself about yourself, it makes it to where you marginalize successes, and you overinflate the failures. That skews this internal dialogue you have. You're kind of cutting yourself off at the knees. And I'm speaking about this like I'm some expert, and like I've fixed it. And no, it’s still a problem.” (42:57—43:21)
“When I had my first real, big international gig, when I spoke in Europe, [my therapist] was like, ‘You need to celebrate this. This is something you've wanted to do. You did it. You need to take some time to reflect on it, and celebrate it, and not minimalize it, not say like, well, there was probably somebody else that they booked, but they were busy. Oh, it was COVID-19, so they couldn't get somebody from this country to go, so you were the third choice. Stop having that conversation and celebrate the achievement. Celebrate the victory.’ And so, it’s still a huge challenge for me. I think it’s all internal dialogue systems, and it probably stems from family systems that were in my family of like, if you got straight A’s, it was, ‘Cool.’ It’s what you're supposed to do. You don't get a Happy Meal because you got straight A’s on your report card. That's what you're supposed to do. So, those systems come in early. The problem with that is that creates an achievement cycle that can never fulfil what you need.” (44:09—45:16)
“The most valuable therapy sessions I have aren't where I'm just like, ‘And then, this. And then, that. And then, this.’ Whereas [my therapist] stops you and is like, ‘All right, hold on a second. Let's think about that. Why did you react that way? What was this? Where did that come from? Oh, that connects back to this.’ They're trained that way. They're trained to find those connections, and find those patterns, and identify them, and help reshape the way that we think. A consultant or a coach can't do that. A “hairapist” can't do that. And I'm not saying don't have that personal connection with your consultant or your coach, or don't have that connection with your hair stylist. But you still need to have somebody in your life who is professionally trained to handle these things, and to not just listen to you talk for an hour to give information and feedback and systems back to you.” (47:19—48:08)
“Here’s the thing about my therapy journey. It’s not only changed the way I feel about myself — and it’s not perfect. I'm not there — it’s also changed how I communicate with people. That doesn't end when I step foot in my office. That carries into my office. That carries into how I communicate with my staff, how I communicate with my patients, how I communicate with people in my industry. And so, that's the thing about therapy, is it permeates your whole life.” (48:48—49:16)
“In dentistry, we have a treatment plan. You need six restorations and three implants. You work towards a treatment plan. At some point, you're done. But there's always maintenance. Like, when are you done getting your teeth cleaned? When you don't have teeth anymore, I guess. And then, we’ve all failed, somewhere along the way. Like, when are you done with therapy? For some people, if there’s one or two traumatic experiences that you're trying to work through, there may be that. You may be able to work for some time and get to a place where you're good. But, for me, I don't know if I'll ever be done with it. And I think that's okay.” (49:21—50:01)
“My day is a series of answering other people’s problems. Solve this problem, solve this problem, solve this problem. And if I solve enough problems, I get to go home and pet my dog and hug my wife. And that's the goal every day. How many problems do I need to solve to where I'm done? But for that one hour a week [in therapy], I'm someone else’s problem. I don't have to be the answer, and I don't have to answer a problem or find a solution. For one hour a week, someone finds a solution for me. And that solution may just be listening. It may be feedback. We may do EMDR, whatever it is. But for that one hour a week, I'm no longer solving everyone’s problems. And it’s super valuable.” (50:21—50:59)
Snippets:
0:00 Rambling on random subjects.
2:31 About Dr. Austin’s hand-on course at SmileCon.
3:58 Meeting Dr. David Galler, doing standup, and opening for Jim Gaffigan.
23:49 About Voices of Dentistry.
25:50 Reflecting on ACT’s COVID-19 Conference.
29:09 Being a never-nude.
31:16 Dr. Austin’s Trump impersonation.
35:15 Being complimented by Todd Williams.
38:05 Fanboys are weird.
39:23 Core values makes things better.
41:46 Be kind to yourself.
45:49 Why you need a therapist.
51:22 Dr. Austin’s ride home.
Dr. Joshua Austin Bio:
Dr. Joshua Austin, DDS, MAGD, FACD, is a native San Antonian. After attending San Antonio's Health Careers High School and the University of Texas at San Antonio as an undergrad student, Dr. Austin graduated from the University of Texas Health Science Center San Antonio Dental School.
Dr. Austin is a member of the prestigious Seattle Study Club, which is a network of professional dental study groups dedicated to ideal comprehensive dental care. Dr. Austin's other professional memberships include the Academy of General Dentistry, the Texas Dental Association, American Dental Association, and the Rotary Club of San Antonio.
Dr. Austin is a published author and lectures nationally on restorative dentistry and reputation management. He has a monthly column and weekly e-newsletter in Dental Economics, the most-read dental magazine in the world.
In the past, Dr. Austin has served as a faculty member in the Department of Restorative Dentistry at UTHSCSA Dental School. Dr. Austin has received several awards during his dental career. In 2009, the Texas Dental Association honored Dr. Austin by naming him Young Dentist of the Year. In 2010, the Texas Academy of General Dentistry named him New Dentist of the Year, the most prestigious award it gives for dentists who have graduated in the previous 7 years. Dr. Austin has earned a Fellowship and Mastership in the Academy of General Dentistry. In 2014, Dr. Austin was awarded with a Fellowship in the American College of Dentists for his outstanding commitment to ethics in patient care.
The Modern Comprehensive Mindset
Episode #517 with Dr. Christian Coachman
In today’s competitive world of dentistry, you need to think comprehensively. But what does it mean to have a modern comprehensive mindset? To explain what it truly means and how it can reinvent your practice, Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. Christian Coachman, pioneer of the Digital Smile Design methodology and founder of Digital Smile Design. Today, there is no room to be an average dentist! To learn how to differentiate yourself and become a “three-star Michelin dentist”, listen to Episode 517 of The Best Practices Show!
Episode Resources:
- Dr. Coachman’s Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/christiancoachman
- Dr. Coachman’s social media: @chriscoachman
- Digital Smile Design: https://digitalsmiledesign.com
- Subscribe to the Best Practices Show Podcast
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club
- Join ACT’s Master Class
- See our Live Events Schedule here
- Get the Best Practices Magazine for Free!
- Write a Review on iTunes
Main Takeaways:
Stop practicing biased dentistry.
Understand the two pillars of DSD.
Everything starts with mindset and vision.
Great planning is what leads to great outcomes.
Create small plans that you can follow through with.
Comprehensive dentistry can only exist with teamwork.
Stay humble and always embrace your beginner’s mindset.
Quotes:
“[The modern comprehensive mindset is important] because the future of dentistry belongs to the comprehensive thinkers. We know dentistry is becoming more and more competitive. Things are changing drastically, everybody says, and that's true. We are going through a disruption in dentistry. Consumer behavior is changing. Solutions for clinical execution are changing. And the corporate dental world is changing. So, dentists need to basically understand that there will be no room for average practice owners. Either you're going to become extremely special and different, or corporate dentists will take over whatever you do.” (7:21—8:17)
“What I call the three-star Michelin restaurant idea, the three-star Michelin dental office idea, is exactly like in the restaurant business. In the past 20, 30, 40 years, we had all these neighborhood family restaurants that were pretty good, and people would go and eat there. They're mainly gone since chains of restaurants that in the past were just cheap, bad food learned how to do very, very good, fancy food as well with a nice ambiance, nice environment, nice experience. And it took over that whole middle part of the industry, leaving only space for the Michelin chefs to keep their freedom and keep their individuality and keep their business going. So, as a practice owner, I believe that you need to make a choice. Do you want to become a Michelin-star dentist, or do you want to just work for a corporation? And there's no right or wrong, but that's what I see.” (8:17—9:27)
“To become this unique, special place, the main change is related to this new comprehensive thinking process. You need to think comprehensively. You need to build a comprehensive team. You need to do comprehensive diagnoses. You need to document the patient in a comprehensive way. You need to improve your first appointment to become comprehensive, research about that human being sitting in front of you. You need to expand your vision.” (9:28—10:00)
“We do what I call biased dentistry. 99.9999999% of dentistry done is biased. What I mean with biased dentistry is a dentist that sees a patient on a first appointment and sees what they like the most and what they want to see. And human beings are not fragmented like that. You don't have an aligner patient. You don't have a veneer patient. You don't have an implant patient. You have a human being that, on the first appointment, deserves a comprehensive report, a comprehensive diagnosis, a comprehensive treatment plan. And afterwards, understand exactly what they need.” (10:00—10:41)
“There's also “comprehensive” [as in] understanding the patient experience, how you change people’s priorities. How do you become special in people’s imagination? How do you differentiate yourself? How do you create perceived value? The key is, how do you position yourself, positioning comprehensively, position yourself as the comprehensive doctor in town? That is the shortcut to success in the next 10 years. How can you position yourself, brand yourself, spread the word that you are the comprehensive dental practice in town? Of course, there are other ways to achieve success. But I can guarantee that this is a very smart way to guarantee success in the next decade.” (10:44—11:33)
“We can talk about fancy, modern digital technologies. We can talk about fancy treatments, sophisticated surgeries. We can talk about new tools to develop new things. But at the end of the day, it starts with the mindset. You need to ignite this passion to challenge yourself. You need to reinvent yourself. You need to have enough motivation to say, ‘Okay, I'm a good dentist. I'm doing okay. I'm happy with my work. I'm proud of my work. But that's not enough. I want to find a more meaningful way to do dentistry.’” (12:17—13:03)
“What we do, it’s already meaningful, yes. Every dentist doing a good job should be proud. But how can we become even more meaningful — meaningful to ourselves, meaningful to our staff, meaningful to our patients? How can we go deeper? How can we become more vital? How can we make the real difference in people’s lives? People say, ‘Okay. I did 10 veneers, and my patient is smiling better, and I made a difference in their life.’ Yes, you did. But could you make an even bigger difference? The 10-veneer, cute, superficial smile is great. But how can dentistry become more meaningful? How can you really change, long-term, somebody’s life?” (13:13—13:59)
“There are so many amazing things that a dental team can do to a patient in changing people’s lives and not be stuck with what I call camouflage dentistry — superficial, camouflage dentistry, not understanding the hidden problems, not understanding the real problems of the patient, and not expending our toolbox to really address what needs to be addressed. And everything else starts to become much more relevant in our life as a dentist. And with this type of dentistry, I believe you never get tired of dentistry.” (13:59—14:46)
“That is one of the biggest bottlenecks that I see in this process of becoming a real comprehensive care provider, is building a comprehensive team, and inspiring and motivating this comprehensive team. And that is basically leadership and communication skills. We don't learn that in dental school. As I say, modern comprehensive dentistry is a team sport, different than dentistry in the recent past. It’s a team sport. When doctors come to me and say, ‘Christian, I'm a comprehensive dentist,’ I say, ‘No, you're not. Because that doesn't exist, our comprehensive teams.’ You may say, ‘I'm a leader of a comprehensive dental team.’ But by yourself, you cannot be a modern comprehensive dentist, the same way that you can't be a digital dentist. There are no digital dentists. There are digital teams.” (15:18—16:28)
“Comprehensive, digital dentistry only exists with teamwork. And that's completely different than the way we did dentistry historically, where the dentist was doing everything. And so, of course, you had an assistant. You would refer a patient to an orthodontist. But that's not modern teamwork. The level of teamwork I'm talking about is when you see a super, super, top sports team working together and delivering something together. That's the type of work that we need to bring into dentistry to deliver this type of dentistry.” (16:29—17:06)
“Comprehensive treatment planning and unique emotional patient experience — these are the pillars of DSD.” (19:54—20:01)
“Comprehensive treatment planning is pillar number one. But pillar number two is as important, and that is the patient experience, the perception of value. So, pillar number one is how to deliver more value. Pillar number two is how to make people value that you're delivering more value. Because one thing is to be great. And the other thing is to be seen as great. One thing is to be very good. The other thing is to make people value that you're completely different. So, if you're going to invest in this very challenging journey of reinventing your practice, to really move into comprehensive oral care, somebody has to pay for it. And the patient is the one that has to pay for it. And they happily pay for it if they see the value.” (20:22—21:15)
“We call DSD where great dentistry meets great business. So, it has to be great dentistry first. Because, above all, we are ethical, and we are focused on the patients. We love ideas that can allow us to deliver better dentistry, but at the same time, allow us to have a better business. Not every strategy brings both. Unfortunately, many doctors out there are focusing on the business, not on the patient. We don't like that. We don't want that. But many doctors out there do their best on the dentistry, and not necessarily getting the best on the business. So, we love ideas and strategies that can bring these two worlds together where great dentistry meets great business.” (21:22—22:15)
“We see that every dentist is doing great today. And sometimes, unfortunately, even dentists that are not very good clinically are doing great. They're basically doing great, business wise, because they are creating this unique experience and developing strategies to make people value what they do. And you see on Instagram, or you hear about dentists that make a lot of money because they're mastering the process of making people come to them and making people love what they do. Because it’s very hard for patients to actually evaluate how good they are as a dentist. Patients will evaluate everything else, and then decide that they are good dentists because of everything else. But the strategies are probably not that organized in terms of how to create a five-star dental practice experience for the patients, how to create the three-star Michelin restaurant experience in a dental practice. But we see people talk more and more about that.” (22:44—23:59)
“The first pillar that may sound, initially, as the one under control is actually the one that is not under control. When it comes to comprehensive treatment planning, first, treatment planning is much more difficult than clinical execution. And our whole industry is biased towards clinical execution. Meaning, courses, conferences, lectures, books, articles, R&D, software, technologies, systems, techniques, equipment, instruments — everything is driven to help dentists perform better dentistry. But our problem is not there. Our problem is before performing dentistry. It’s decision-making, diagnosing, and treatment planning. When we know exactly what the patient needs, it’s easier to perform. So, we see that all over the world where we can find many more great clinicians than great treatment planning.” (24:01—25:07)
“For me, the number-one problem of dentistry, by far, is decision-making. Dentists all over the world, even the very good ones, are making poor decisions every day. We can make better decisions. We need better systems to make better decisions. And it’s not standardized. Dentistry is very unprofessional when it comes to diagnosis and treatment planning decision-making. There are no books about it. There's very little know-how on standardization. And I usually say that may be why medicine doesn't take dentistry that seriously. That's maybe why if you send a patient to 10 different good dentists, you're going to come back with 10 different diagnoses, 10 different treatment plans, 10 different estimates. That's how much room for improvement we have in this area. And our focus is, what are the strategies that can help a dentist make consistent, better decisions when it comes to diagnosis and treatment planning.” (26:07—27:15)
“Our great Peter Dawson said many, many times, ‘If you know where you want to go, it’s easier to get there.’” (27:36—27:43)
“The quality of an outcome is only as good as the quality of the plan. Because there's no magic. You cannot just, poor planning, great outcome. Maybe once in a lifetime, you get lucky. Once a year, you get lucky. But the quality of the outcome of a treatment can only be as good as the quality of the plan. The seed is planning. Planning means diagnosis, tee communication, treatment planning, risk assessment, what are the options, making better decisions. So, you don't see that. You go to conferences, and nobody talks about it. Everybody talks about the clinical execution. Very few talk about decision-making.” (27:47—28:32)
“It doesn't matter how much you change. It doesn't matter the speed of change. What matters is that you're moving. You have to move, one step at a time. Don't be stuck. That's the beauty. Don't compare yourself. Don't feel like you're falling behind. No, it’s about moving and enjoying the journey every day, a little bit better.” (29:03—29:25)
“I want to hire the right people. I want to train the right people. I want to do the blueprint with the architect. I want to design the whole experience. I want to buy the right technology. Can we start from scratch, ideally? Yes, we can. Is that possible for 99.9% of people? No. So, what you need to do is to create a transition strategy, a plan. I call it a five-year plan. You build a five-year plan where you create your vision first, and then you reverse-engineer your strategies and you create steps.” (29:45—31:13)
“We know life is not easy. Dentistry is not easy. Building a successful career is not easy. But we cannot feel overwhelmed. We need to keep the excitement, the vision, and the motivation.” (31:49—32:02)
“Everything starts with the vision. You need to have a vision for yourself, regardless of if you're a young graduate, if you just bought a practice, you're already a mature practice owner, or you are already planning your exit strategy. It doesn't matter where you are. I love the idea of having a five-year plan. So, starting with the question, where do you want to be in five years, that's, for me, the key. You close your eyes; you need to know where you want to be. Even though we know that we may not get there, ever, or not in five years, or we’re going to get somewhere else building these plans, building the vision creates the energy to move. So, you have to have this vision.” (32:03—32:58)
“Don't create plans that are too overwhelming because you're not going to fulfill them in one or three months. You're going to get mad at yourself and you're going to quit. It’s exactly like we do when we say we’re going to go to the gym, and we’re going to look amazing, and this and that. We sabotage ourselves and end up, if we don't go for a while, we say, ‘Ah, that's not for me.’ I'm going to try to find an excuse and build my happier life without going to the gym. And that's who we are. So, we try to develop strategies where you can collect these early victories. I think the early victories are underrated. People don't talk enough about how to create strategies that allow people to almost have 100% guaranteed early victories.” (33:02—33:58)
“I think that the key here is to be humble, to keep our beginner’s mind. I've been working with so many great clinicians, and I'm very proud of the work that I did with these great professionals. But there's so much room for improvement, always. We have to reinvent dentistry, and we have the tools to do it. And to do that, we need to put aside everything that we’re already very good at and pretend for a moment that we are beginners. As they call it, beginner’s mind. And when you think as a beginner, everything is possible.” (38:26—39:12)
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
3:33 Dr. Coachman’s background.
7:10 The modern comprehensive mindset, explained.
11:47 Why it starts with mindset.
14:46 Comprehensive dentistry can only exist with teamwork.
17:20 The evolution of DSD.
19:47 The two pillars of DSD.
22:15 Work on the second pillar.
27:15 The seed is the planning.
28:36 Can you start this process from scratch?
31:14 Feed your energy and your motivation.
34:46 Learn to practice emotional dentistry.
36:30 About DSD Day.
38:18 Last thoughts on the modern comprehensive mindset.
Dr. Christian Coachman Bio:
Combining his advanced skills, experience, and technology solutions, Dr. Christian Coachman pioneered the Digital Smile Design methodology and founded Digital Smile Design company (DSD). Since its inception, thousands of dentists worldwide have attended DSD courses and workshops, such as the renowned DSD Residency program.
Dr. Coachman is the developer of worldwide, well-known concepts such as the Digital Smile Design, the Pink Hybrid Implant Restoration, the Digital Planning Center, Emotional Dentistry, Interdisciplinary Treatment Simulation, and Digital Smile Donator.
He regularly consults for dental industry companies, developing products, implementing concepts, and marketing strategies, such as the Facially Driven Digital Orthodontic Workflow developed in collaboration with Invisalign, Align Technology.
He has lectured and published internationally in the fields of esthetic and digital dentistry, dental photography, oral rehabilitation, dental ceramics, implants, and communication strategies and marketing in dentistry.
Mike Buckner, Pearl, Inc. at ADA SmileCon
Episode #516 with Mike Buckner
Your eye can see up to 50 shades of gray. But wouldn't it be great to see more in your X-rays? Well, you can — with artificial intelligence! There are many things AI can do better than humans, and Kirk Behrendt brings in Mike Buckner, senior vice president of partnerships at Pearl, to explain what AI is, why it’s important for dentistry, and how a system like Pearl can elevate your practice. AI is the future of dentistry! To learn more about Pearl and how to integrate it today, listen to Episode 516 of The Best Practices Show!
Episode Resources:
- Mike’s email: mike@hellopearl.com
- Pearl:https://www.hellopearl.com
- Subscribe to theBest Practices Show Podcast
- Join ACT’sTo The Top Study Club
- Join ACT’sMaster Class
- See ourLive Events Schedule here
- Get theBest Practices Magazine for Free!
- Write aReview on iTunes
Links Mentioned in This Episode:
Oura Ring:https://ouraring.com
Main Takeaways:
AI does not replace, but it enhances human capabilities.
The average dentist picks up 70% to 75% of everything on an X-ray.
On average, AI’s accuracy for the same image is between 84% to 85%.
When dentists work with AI to analyze an image, accuracy increases to 90+%.
Pearl can provide a comprehensive report on all the undiagnosed opportunities.
Remember that AI is not perfect, and it can't detect 100% of everything, every time.
Quotes:
“You think about where artificial intelligence has been over the last few years in the medical space, you think of mammograms and X-rays. Artificial intelligence has already been incorporated in medical for quite some time now. And so, the fact that we are just now able to bring this into dentistry in 2022 is a lot of fun to be on the front lines here.” (3:20—3:42)
“I don't think that we need to be worried about computers taking over dentistry at all. We know that's not going to happen. But what we do know is there are some things that computers can do that humans just straight-up can't.” (4:21—4:33)
“Are you ever in those situations where you're talking to a good friend and you're like, ‘Oh my gosh, I've got to show you that picture of,’ fill in the blank, whatever that picture is, and you're scrolling back, you're looking through your thousands of pictures that you take that you never do anything with, and they're lost somewhere in your phone? Well, for example — and if you're at home, you can do this — get your iPhone, go to the Photos app. Down in the search bar of the Photos app, you can type in something very generic: bird, dog, tree. And AI will actually go in, and within a second, find all of the pictures in your phone that have a dog, or a cat, or a tree in those pictures. And that is, for an example, of how AI has been programmed to recognize what looks like a dog.” (4:55—5:38)
“I didn't tag the photo with [my wife], but I have her picture in a contact, just her face shot, in my phone as “Carly”. And so, the example that I gave you was I typed in “dog”, and I had 328 pictures of dogs that popped up on my phone. And I typed in “Carly” — thank goodness there were more than 300 — there were like 3,000 pictures of her. But one of the pictures really caught my eye. It was a picture of when we were in Tahiti, and it was a silhouette of her face. I literally had to do a double take. I'm like, ‘Wait, is she even in this picture?’ And I look a little bit closer and zoom in, and sure enough, she is. So, there are certain things that computers can quickly analyze and see that are probably naked to the human eye.” (5:48—6:33)
“The human eye can see anywhere between 30 and 50 different shades of gray. Now, you think of the X-rays that our doctors are viewing every day. The black and white, the grays, the human eye can distinguish between 30 and 50 different shades. Computers and AI can come in and now analyze and distinguish between 550 to 750 different shades of gray. So, we are able to go in and, with the AI technology, pick up things that otherwise may have been missed, or catch early-stage caries that oftentimes goes missed.” (6:36—7:13)
“[Pearl has] one of the largest collections of X-rays in the world. We started this process of analyzing dental X-rays clear back in 2015, and really going in and highlighting, for example, what caries looks like, widening of the periodontal ligament, calculus, etc., and programming those things so that after millions of X-rays, the computer system can basically recognize and learn and continue to improve. So, what's fascinating, even since I've been at Pearl from the end of 2021 until now, even seeing the accuracy improve has been phenomenal.” (7:37—8:19)
“Looking at 2D images, bitewings, and periapicals, one of the studies we did was, basically, if you have a dentist who is looking at a set of X-rays, the average dentist will pick up about 70% to 75% of everything on that X-ray, as far as what's accurately depicted on that X-ray. Now, when AI comes in and analyzes that image, now the accuracy is anywhere between 84%, 85%. However, when AI analyzes the image and the dentist comes in and they work together, they analyze that radiograph together, now the accuracy is upwards in the 90 percentiles of everything that should be detected, picked up, and presented to the patient.” (8:41—9:26)
“Pearl has two platforms. The first one, we call Second Opinion. Second Opinion, all we need there is to sync with the imaging software. So, the patient comes in, sits down, gets an X-ray taken. And within a minute, minute-and-a-half, you now have all of the AI detections and predictions up on that X-ray. So, you can see bone level measurements. You can see calculus, caries, how far into the dentin, how far into the enamel the caries has protruded. You can see all those details within a very short period of time after taking the X-ray. That's what we call Second Opinion.” (9:44—10:23)
“We know that there's a lot of data there that we’re able to pick up [with Pearl]. So, if we can take all of that data and all of the detections the AI found, and then we want to compare that with what's in the practice management software — so, we’re actually looking to see, ‘All right, if AI picked up this list of things here for this patient, what has actually been presented to the patient? What's on the treatment plan?’” (10:25—10:46)
“For the first time, ever, a software is now able to provide a report, a very comprehensive report, of all of the undiagnosed opportunity in a practice.” (10:55—11:07)
“When we work with a practice that is utilizing Practice Intelligence and we go and we analyze the last 18 months of radiographs — and we’re choosing 18 months because that's generally your active patients — it’s very rare that we find a practice that does not have over $1 million of undiagnosed opportunity.” (11:34—11:55)
“How often do we find that we were looking at an X-ray, all of these things that we want to present, but we know the patient in the chair, ‘Oh, they're going to freak out if we go through this whole list of things. They're going to think that we’re overselling,’ so we maybe aim low? But now, to be able to show, ‘Hey, here’s the X-ray. And all of our X-rays are backed by an FDA-cleared AI platform.’ Let's use it as an educational experience. Let's talk about what AI has picked up, what we’re looking at on the X-ray.” (12:19—12:47)
“[What dentists get wrong is thinking that] AI is perfect. AI is perfect, and it’s going to find everything. Everything is going to be 100% accurate. It’s going to come pretty dang close. But the example that I gave with the phone, like when I typed in “dog” into my phone, out of those 328 pictures of dogs, I had two that were deer. It got pretty dang close. And as I'm looking at it, I can see, ‘Oh, I can see how the computer confused that.’ And we’re analyzing the X-ray. The quality of X-rays, as you know, it ranges. And so, sometimes, we’ll come across a false positive, for example. But the accuracy is continuing to improve, so much so that we can even distinguish the difference between cervical burnout and caries.” (13:03—13:49)
“Most of our clients that come in and start utilizing Practice Intelligence — so, for us to analyze the last 18 months of images, depending on the volume of images, we allow about two-and-a-half weeks to really analyze all of those images and compile that report for the practice. And going forward, we do a 40-minute training. And most of our clients will have this up in each operatory as almost like their image reader, so that as soon as the X-rays come in, as soon as the X-rays are taken, they can show this to the patient immediately. So, about a 40-minute training.” (14:02—14:37)
“We really are making a difference in what that standard of care is and elevating the standard of care. We did a case study with the Dental AI Council. We took 137 dentists and we had them all review one FMX, and basically said, ‘Go in, analyze every tooth, how you would treat it, and what the treatment plan would be.’ Out of 137 dentists, we had less than a 50% average diagnostic concurrence. We had results all over the board. We had treatment plans ranging from $300 to $36,000. It was all over the board. And yet, we are still relying on a technology that is a doctor and the team reading black-and-white images.” (15:01—15:43)
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
2:33 Artificial Intelligence in the dental space.
3:42 AI, explained.
4:37 How AI is already part of your life.
5:39 Some advantages of using AI.
7:14 How Pearl helps with caries management.
9:27 Is Pearl easy to integrate with current systems?
10:24 Find your undiagnosed opportunity with Pearl.
12:48 What dentists get wrong about AI.
13:50 Other things AI can do, and the learning curve.
14:38 The problems that Pearl can solve.
15:45 More about Pearl and how to get in touch with Mike.
16:07 Q&A: What is the Oura Ring?
19:19 Q&A: Have you ever been mistaken for someone else?
21:02 Q&A: What do you do to blow off steam when you're fired up?
24:52 Q&A: Daily routine secrets.
Mike Buckner Bio:
Mike Buckner was most recently the director of business development for the dental division at Weave, a communication platform for small business. He also served as the director of business development at software company Dental Intelligence, and was a business development executive at Solutionreach, a patient engagement platform for healthcare practices.
Dr. Mark Hyman – at SmileCon
Episode #515 with Dr. Mark Hyman
In this special episode from ADA’s SmileCon in Houston, Texas, Kirk Behrendt brings back one of ACT’s favorite guests, Dr. Mark Hyman, to share some of the most valuable advice that every dentist and prospective dentist should hear. Dentistry is one of the best and most rewarding professions — you just have to put in the work. To learn how to make your future years in practice shine, listen to Episode 515 of The Best Practices Show!
Episode Resources:
- Dr. Hyman’s website: https://drmarkspeaks.com
- Dr. Hyman’s email: drmark@drmarkspeaks.com
- Dr. Hyman’s social media: @drmarkspeaks
- Subscribe to the Best Practices Show Podcast
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club
- Join ACT’s Master Class
- See our Live Events Schedule here
- Get the Best Practices Magazine for Free!
- Write a Review on iTunes
Links Mentioned in This Episode:
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Sean Covey and Stephen R. Covey: https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/The-7-Habits-of-Highly-Effective-People/Stephen-R-Covey/9781982137137
Main Takeaways:
Learn how to be the best boss possible.
Success leaves clues. Learn from successful people.
Know what you are and aren't good at as early as possible.
Surround yourself with the best people in good and bad times.
Take care of your mind and body. Suffering is not a badge of honor.
Quotes:
“You can't get an arrow back once you shoot it. You can't get a bullet back once you shoot it. Once you say something to a teammate, the one time you humiliate a teammate, or correct them aggressively in front of a teammate or a patient, you never get it back. And you'll never have that same level of trust. And that's a shame. So, I try to be the best boss possible. Part of that was, know when to not say something because I'm not ready to say something constructive.” (2:31—2:54)
“You are on stage, and the team is watching. So, it’s okay to put yourself in time-out — or when you are asked a question by the team. There's a classic example. One December, a dental assistant came to her boss and said, ‘I've worked real hard this year. Can I have a dollar-an-hour raise?’ He’s like, ‘Sure.’ And this teammate went and told the entire team. Then, everybody wanted their dollar-an-hour raise. Times ten employees, times how many hours a year. It was a multi-multi-thousand-dollar boo-boo that wasn't anticipated. So, I love the thought that the doctor can say, ‘That's a good question. I'll consider it. Let me study this. I'll get back to you. Let me decide the raise I want to give to the entire team, because everybody is valuable.’” (3:25—4:06)
“One of the most frightening things for [young dentists] is their level of debt. And their role models, many of their role models have said, ‘It’s going to take you 15 years to pay off your school debt.’ And I try to tell them I can show them how to do it in 15 months if they trust me, if they trust the systems, and they get good role models, and good verbal skills, and some new clinical skills, and use equipment consistently.” (4:36—4:58)
“One of the biggest shames for me of dentistry is we buy some high-tech equipment, and we don't train on it.” (5:04—5:09)
“You don't have to do anything unless you want to be successful.” (5:41—5:44)
“I love three magic words: success leaves clues. What do the most high-impact, successful men and women in dentistry do? They spend a ton of time on their own personal self-growth. They educate the team. They liberate the team to use all of their talents. They bring in consultants and coaches that have skillsets different than they do. They celebrate and enhance their highest levels of skill, and they minimize their weaknesses.” (5:45—6:11)
“I knew what I wasn't good at, so I didn't do it. I hated endo. I didn't do it. I had 11 board-certified endodontists within 50 yards of my office. So, why try to find an MB2 canal when it’s not my joy, when I did a gorgeous root canal and showed the patient, and they're like, ‘That was a lot of money. Why does it still hurt?’ versus when I do veneers on someone and they break down crying, and hug me, and write me thank-you notes. So, I'm a pretty simple, lower-level paramecium of an animal, and I love that human response. I love the reward for my dentistry. It’s fine to be paid. But the emotional joy, and the five-star reviews, and people sending their friends, and the trust — that is the gift, to me. The gift of being part of people’s families.” (6:12—6:54)
“Part of figuring out what you're good at is, as the technology changes, and you get more continuing education, and you get positive feedback from patients, you go, ‘I want more of those hugs. I want more of those thank-you notes. I want the gifts delivered. I want the five-star reviews when I do the cosmetic dentistry that people can see.’ When I do the root canals, when I do apicos, the patient just says, ‘That was expensive,’ or, ‘That didn't take you long.’ So, for me, I'm a needy animal, and I need that joy and that feedback.” (7:56—8:23)
“So many speakers say, ‘Kirk, look at my 28-unit veneer, perfect case. Two visits, and we’re done.’ I'm like, ‘Yo mama. That's not the way it works.’ It didn't work that way for me. You had to re-impress. A provisional came off. You're cementing two of the veneers, and you put them in backwards. Life happens. So, to me, it’s not interesting that it happens, it’s how did you react to it. As a leader, do you throw things? The clients that you have had — I hope it’s not many — where a doctor throws instruments at the team, what a way to poison the well.” (14:23—14:50)
“If you really want to be an exquisite leader, you have to know you're on stage and you're being watched. And either you say, ‘I don't care. It’s my business. I'll do what I want,’ or if you really want a depth of commitment from the team, you don't do that. They know that they're safe, and you would never humiliate them, show them up in front of a teammate, in front of a patient, or guide and lead them out of fear.” (16:05—16:28)
“It’s classic Stephen Covey, habit five: seek first to understand, then to be understood.” (17:00—17:05)
“[If I could give my younger self advice], I think I would specifically try to take better physical care of myself because of how I physically ended up crumbling at the end of my career with my L4-L5 blown out, and arthritis/carpal tunnel, tennis elbow. Statistically, I did 90 years of dentistry in 32 years. So, dentists of my generation, that was a badge of honor, how much you lived out of the operatory. And that's stupid.” (17:51—18:15)
“I wish I had my 25-year-old body back and realized that the extra production that I did, it’s not worth it now.” (18:29—18:36)
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
2:24 Ways to be the best boss possible.
4:06 Get rid of your debt in 15 months.
5:10 Success leaves clues.
6:57 Figure out what you're good at.
8:23 How to find your best life partner.
12:52 Dr. Hyman’s next chapter and future seminars.
15:05 Bouncing mirrors in frustration.
17:26 Advice for his 25-year-old self.
18:39 Why it’s important to surround yourself with good people.
20:46 Last thoughts.
Dr. Mark Hyman Bio:
Dr. Mark E. Hyman is a renowned, full-time practicing dentist in Greensboro, North Carolina. He is a public speaker whose work is characterized by his warmth, enthusiasm, sense of humor, and passion for dentistry.
As an accomplished seminar speaker, Dr. Hyman has lectured throughout North America and internationally, receiving rave reviews. For the past 14 years, Dentistry Today magazine has selected Dr. Hyman as one of the top 100 speakers in dentistry. He is an Adjunct Full Professor at the UNC School of Dentistry in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, and has taught at The Pankey Institute in Florida and at Spear Education in Arizona.
Real Solutions to the Hiring Climate Challenges
Episode #514 with Angela Heathman & Miranda Beeson
Quiet quitting is the new trend. And your solution shouldn't be loud layoffs! It is challenging in today’s hiring climate, and Kirk Behrendt brings back two amazing ACT coaches, Angela Heathman and Miranda Beeson, to help you navigate the craziness in finding and retaining great people for your team. If you want team members who are committed to you, you need to be committed to them! To learn what you need to fix for a great team, listen to Episode 514 of The Best Practices Show!
Episode Resources:
- Angela’s email: angela@actdental.com
- Angela’s Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/angeheathman
- Miranda’s email: mirandabeesonicc@gmail.com
- The ACT Team’s social media: @actdental
- Subscribe to the Best Practices Show Podcast
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club
- Join ACT’s Master Class
- See our Live Events Schedule here
- Get the Best Practices Magazine for Free!
- Write a Review on iTunes
Main Takeaways:
Understand what “quiet quitting” is and why employees are doing it.
Check-ins matter. Have them regularly with every team member.
Separate your check-in process from performance reviews.
Think out of the box to retain current team members.
Core values are essential to creating a great team.
Quotes:
“Having a great team is the most important thing you'll ever do as a dentist.” (1:40—1:45) -Kirk
“Ever since COVID-19 and people working from home, there's been this online community, especially with the younger people that are on our teams, where they're starting to see all of these toxic culture posts and “quiet quitting,” everyone who is working through their workday just getting enough done to get by. They're just not all-in. I know one of our core values at ACT is all-in, and for those of us who have always naturally had that personality style, I think it’s hard to understand where these people are coming from. But if you hop on to some of these social media platforms, “quiet quitting,” if you search it on TikTok, millions upon millions of posts. And so, that's what people are up against now that is brand new. It’s something that employers, dentists, have never had to really worry about in the past.” (3:25—4:13) -Miranda
“Quiet quitting is something that's been around for a long time, it just wasn't labeled. But it’s become more progressive since the work-from-home era that we had over the last couple of years. So, it’s really those people who, they show up, they may show up on time, they may show up a few minutes late, right under the radar. They're always doing just enough to make sure that they're not having repercussions in the workplace. But they're not really going above and beyond, and they're certainly not giving their all. They're always having their ears open to what else might be out there and what else might be available. And they call it “quiet quitting”. They're not really making a stink. They're not making a fuss. But they're also not giving their all.” (5:10—5:49) -Miranda
“Check-ins matter. Because if you can really get to the core of what's motivating someone, how can we develop them in their current role, or is there a better role for them that they're striving for, versus them listening to that whisper outside of the organization and possibly going elsewhere.” (5:57—6:12) -Miranda
“So many of our offices that we coach have never done what we call at ACT a check-in. But even more common language might be team development, or a coaching call, or a review. They’ve never had these one-on-one conversations with their team before. And so, sometimes, when I introduce this idea like, ‘Hey, we want you to actually talk to your team members one-on-one for 20 minutes every month or two,’ that's a foreign concept to a lot of people.” (6:17—6:51) -Angela
“Get to know your team members. Know what motivates them. Know what they want to develop, and learn, and grow, and do. So many of our doctors and team members have been really hesitant to do that because it makes them a little bit nervous. But after they do and they implement it, oh my gosh, they're so happy that they have taken the time to really get to know each other on a different level.” (6:54—7:17) -Angela
“Quite often, when we do sit down and talk with a team member, we’re talking to them about something negative, something that we’ve noticed repetitively, a behavior that we'd like to correct, or whatever that may be. And so, if you hear from the doctor or an administrator, ‘I'd like to talk with you for a few minutes, later,’ your team member is like, ‘Oh, great. What did I do?’ But really [develop] a culture of separating that performance review process from personal development and having two separate organizational processes to where you can sit down and say, ‘I'm taking off my boss hat or my doctor hat right now, and I really want to talk to you, human being to human being. I want to know, are you getting out of this what you want to be getting out of this? If you're not, how can I help you reach those goals that you want to reach personally? Because we do value you here and we’d like to see you more invested. How can we make that work for you?’ and really [separate] it from that negative space of a performance review.” (7:32—8:28) -Miranda
“Do you think having a great team is important? I would think you would say yes. I ask audiences all the time, ‘On a scale from one to 10?’ And they go, ‘Well, yeah. It’s a 10.’ I'm like, ‘No, it’s a 12. It’s a 12 out of 10.’ And then, if you do value that, what do you do that supports that? It’s not about taking them on trips. Don't get me wrong, some of that stuff is really fun . . . The whole idea is that you're building a team by nurturing them, letting them know that you care about them, and having space to be able to talk about that.” (10:13—10:50) -Kirk
“What's so sad for me that I've seen in some offices is they might do an exit interview when someone is leaving, and then they find out all this turmoil and stress that this team member has been under, and uncovering a lot of things that, ‘Gosh. Wouldn’t it have been great if we would've known all of this years ago?’” (11:42—12:04) -Angela
“The playing field is level in the world. There's no business that's like, ‘Gosh, I put out an ad and I'm getting flooded with all these resumes, with all these overqualified people.’ No. The water line is low for everybody. And so, what that means for you as a dentist, or even a dental team, is you've got to up your game. And core values are no joke. They're just not.” (12:45—13:06) -Kirk
“The bottom line is this: when you have your core values locked in, you talk about them, you hire, fire, reward, you believe in them, you walk it, you at least discuss them, you're laying a foundation that's way bigger than the work, I would think. And it gives people a special “why” in how they want to be attached to you and the purpose.” (13:19—13:41) -Kirk
“What I find [core values] to be most helpful for my team members is they answer questions before they even arise. So, some of [our core values] are all-in, always be growing, results driven. So, we can pause and think about, ‘Well, how would our core values answer this question that I have?’ And it can solve a lot of things that come up.” (14:00—14:27) -Angela
“What are people being fed from the outside in, these toxic cultures? A lot of people are concerned with micromanagement, not really feeling like they have ownership or autonomy. So, when you have those established core values and they're living strong within your practice, you have the ability to create a lot more autonomy and ownership with your team members. And then, they feel more invested, and they feel like it’s theirs as much as it’s yours. It’s really easy if they're trying to make a decision to say, ‘Does it fit within our core values?’ Then, I feel like you know how to make a good decision on this.” (15:09—15:40) -Miranda
“Of course, as the owner or the dentist, you're always going to have the final say. But if you have a team that really lives the core values, it’s like a filter that everything goes through, and then you can alleviate some of that pressure or micromanagement that they often feel that gives them that desire to go find something a little more freeing.” (15:40—16:00) -Miranda
“We can't always do anything about what's happening in the environment. It’s really hard for everyone right now finding new team members. But if we can really focus on nurturing the relationships we have with our current team members, then we can slowly build, versus continuing to lose and needing to rebuild and rebuild in such a challenging environment.” (16:41—17:00) -Miranda
“Thinking about some alternatives to the way we’ve traditionally worked in the past, so Miranda talked earlier about people that are working remotely. And that's not completely impossible in dentistry. We do have some people that might be outsourcing some of their social media or accounts receivable. And they might be outsourcing them to a company, or they might be outsourcing them to someone who works remotely. So, those are some options that you can consider too.” (19:04—19:37) -Angela
“A couple of my teams actually are doing some outsourcing because they love the team that they have, and they don't want to rock the boat. So, they have decided, ‘Okay, hiring is crazy right now, and we love the place that we’re in. We know that if we add one more team member to this mix, it’s going to shake it up.’ It doesn't necessarily mean that it’s going to be bad, but they want to keep the team the way they have it. So, they’ve made some decisions to outsource some things.” (19:38—20:09) -Angela
“We have to think outside of the box. We get into these types of situations where we can't do things the way we’ve always done them. It’s not working right now. We have to think outside the box. And [outsourcing is] a great option for that. Another thing is looking at the people that you have on your team. If you need an assistant and you're really struggling — you’ve had an ad out for four months. You cannot find someone who will show up to an interview. Or if they do, they're late and they're in their sweatpants — then maybe it’s time to reframe what we’re looking at. Maybe you have a business team member who is spent on their business team responsibilities they really enjoy. They're always the one that's like, ‘Can I come look at that case? Can I pop into your surgery tomorrow?’ And you think, ‘Hey, maybe this person is someone that we can invest in and talk to, like, do they want to transition into the clinical realm. Maybe it’s going to be easier for us to find a business team member than it is an assistant right now.’ And so, looking at things outside the box. If you know they're the right person for your team, is there a way to reposition them within the practice that can build value there? (21:10—22:14) -Miranda
“If your schedule is crazy and it’s nuts, here’s a question for you: would you want to be a dental assistant in your office? And if the answer is no, you've got to fix that.” (22:19—22:28) -Kirk
“If you have an assistant that tells you, ‘I value my lunch breaks,’ and you're working them through their lunch break on a regular basis, they're not going to stay with you for very long.” (22:30—22:39) -Miranda
“I don't think there's a reason to see patients after 5:00 p.m. You can't give me one good reason. And so, if you've got weird hours, you're always going to be challenged to find amazing people, because they know they're amazing and they don't want to work till 7:00 p.m.” (22:52—23:07) -Kirk
“You're always going to find less desirable people when you've got staggered hours, because you're trying to save a few pennies and you're trying to please a few patients that you don't even like anyway.” (23:19—23:30) -Kirk
“People like rules. They like predictability.” (24:11—24:13) -Kirk
“It’s not like seven team members are toxic. If you're in that boat, you need more than just a coach. It might start with one team member that you're tolerating who’s putting you in a corner, who’s rolling their eyes, and they're creating this air, and you're giving into it. That is dangerous. And I'm telling you, that can be fixed. It can be fixed 100% with a great coach, great rules, great core values, and you can reduce the toxicity. And now, it becomes a more fun place to work, over time.” (24:23—25:06) -Kirk
“The more you lean into core values, the less crazy stuff you deal with.” (25:21—25:24) -Kirk
“If you're looking for one thing to start with, start with the check-in. Get those on the schedule for your team.” (25:47—25:52) -Angela
“We’re asking people to show up and spend the bulk of their life with us, committing to our vision and our dream when we’re practice owners. And we really have to respect our team members, and we have to care about our team members, and acknowledge that they're doing that for us. And so, it’s a great opportunity during those one-on-one check-in times to really make sure that you're making those personal connections with your team. And that's going to build a stronger foundation. And hopefully, they're going to stay with you for a long, long time because they’ll respect that.” (26:34—27:00) -Miranda
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
2:02 Angela and Miranda’s backgrounds.
2:45 Decoding the current hiring climate.
4:37 Quiet quitting, explained.
6:13 Get to know team members with check-ins.
12:09 Core values are no joke.
18:47 Outsourcing is an option.
21:00 Other out-of-the-box options.
22:14 Fix your scheduling.
23:33 Get a coach.
24:14 Purge the toxicity.
25:40 Last thoughts.
Angela Heathman, MS, RDH Bio:
Angela Heathman is a Lead Practice Coach who works with dentists and their teams to help them accomplish their goals. She believes the hard work you do on your practice is just as important as the work you do in your practice!
Angela has over 20 years of clinical dental hygiene, dental sales, and practice coaching experience. When she transitioned from her role as a clinician to her role as a sales account manager, she realized both her passion for education and practice development. Angela holds a master's degree in dental hygiene education from the University of Missouri-Kansas City.
Miranda Beeson, MS, BSDH Bio:
Miranda Beeson, MS, BSDH, has over 25 years of clinical dental hygiene, front office, practice administration, and speaking experience. She is enthusiastic about communication and loves helping others find the power that words can bring to their patient interactions and practice dynamics. As a Lead Practice Coach, she is driven to create opportunities to find value in experiences and cultivate new approaches.
Miranda graduated from Old Dominion University, and enjoys spending time with her husband, Chuck, and her children, Trent, Mallory, and Cassidy. Family time is the best time, and is often spent on a golf course, a volleyball court, or spending the day boating at the beach.
Dentistry is a Team Sport
Episode #513 with Kirk Behrendt & Heather Crockett
You're not just a dentist — you're also the player and the coach for your team! And to help you and your practice be on your A game, Kirk Behrendt brings back Heather Crockett, one of ACT’s amazing coaches, to explain how football relates to a dental practice and the takeaway tips that you can start using today. You can't run your practice alone! To start becoming the best team possible, listen to Episode 513 of The Best Practices Show!
Episode Resources:
- Heather’s email: heather@actdental.com
- Heather’s Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/heather.r.crockett
- Heather’s social media: @actdental
- Subscribe to the Best Practices Show Podcast
- Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club
- Join ACT’s Master Class
- See our Live Events Schedule here
- Get the Best Practices Magazine for Free!
- Write a Review on iTunes
Links Mentioned in This Episode:
Traction by Gino Wickman: https://benbellabooks.com/shop/traction
Main Takeaways:
Delegate and elevate. You can't do dentistry alone.
Alignment with your team is essential.
Have countermeasures in place.
Positivity breeds positivity.
Be a confident leader.
Quotes:
“Last night, I went to a football game with my husband, and I was thinking of a couple of my clients and some of the struggles that they’ve recently been having. And some of those struggles come from the fact that they — in my mind, I'm thinking that they're the quarterback, and they're going on the field, and they need their team to come with them, and they need their team. This is a huge deal. They need to have a team around them supporting them as they're going onto the field to play this team sport. They can't do it by themselves. And oftentimes, they carry too many of the things that they need to do with them.” (3:06—3:42) -Heather
“I was just talking to a client this morning about how they could delegate using their digital printer to one of their team members. But sometimes, they're a little bit hesitant to let something like that go or to train their team on it. But they're doing one too many things. We talk about better practice, better life. Part of that better practice, better life is letting go, delegating and elevating to our other team members. And we need to be able to trust our team to take these tasks on, to protect us. Like, as the quarterback, we need the offensive line. We need that center to protect us so that we don't get sacked.” (4:06—4:42) -Heather
“You're going to have plays. You go out, and each team member knows the play when the quarterback calls the play or when the coach calls the play. And so, then, the team knows how to execute that play. They know their role. They know exactly which route to run in that play. Well, if we don't tell our team what those plays are, we don't tell them what our ultimate goal is, they're going to be completely lost. So, when you go to pass, you go to throw, your wide receiver is not going to be there to receive the pass that you just threw because you didn't tell them that game plan to begin with.” (6:35—7:13) Heather
“What makes the game better is when everyone knows the game plan.” (8:21—8:24) -Kirk
“The practice owner has too many things on their plate. They need to delegate that to other team members. And not necessarily does each role have a similar amount of things on their plate. But the more evenly spread the tasks are within the practice, the better things are going to run because we have that expectation, and we have that role.” (8:56—9:23) -Heather
“We could take this in multiple facets. Like our Function Accountability Chart, who’s in charge for each thing, so that when we come off of the field we can say, ‘Oh, we missed that. Quarterback got sacked. What do we need to do to change and improve? Do we need a different offensive lineman to take the center’s job? Do we need to try that for a couple of rounds to see if that is what we need to do?’ Maybe the previous center doesn't quite have what it takes, the “get it, want it, capacity to do it” thing that we get from Traction. Is that person in the wrong role? Oftentimes, we hear of a high school player, ‘I did wide receiver in high school.’ Well, now, in college, they might switch to a completely different role. Their coach might see their potential somewhere else. And we need to do the same thing in a dental practice.” (9:24—10:12) -Heather
“Could you imagine playing on a football team where the offensive coordinator and the head coach do not get along and they are not on the same page? It’s going to confuse every single person. The key of alignment is essential.” (11:17—11:30) -Kirk
“If you're a dentist and you're in a five-doctor practice and you have 75 team members, or whatever, the problem is not your team. The problem is the five leaders at the top. Any crack in daylight between the five blinds everybody else.” (12:00—12:15) -Kirk
“As a coach, you've got to have alignment time. You should never go onto the practice field where you didn't align with the other coaches.” (12:26—12:33) -Kirk
“Don't make dentistry harder than it is. You have a group of people that are on your team. You have to treat them like a team. You have to practice. You have to have a game plan. You've got to have core values that attract the right type of players. You've got to treat it like practice.” (13:29—13:41) -Kirk
“Let's talk about confidence here for a second, because if your quarterback goes out and is unsure, what is the feel of the rest of the team?” (14:14—14:21) -Heather
“You have to go in with all this confidence to say, ‘Look. Yes, we are down by 14 points, and we have five minutes left of the game. But you guys, we can totally do this.’ And is that team going to rally around that quarterback? Absolutely, yes. Or the quarterback can go in and go, ‘Oh. Well, it looks like we lost this game.’ Not okay. So, coming in with that confidence factor, that positivity breeds positivity. So, as you go into the game and the situation, it’s okay to say, ‘Okay, we’re going to call a timeout for a minute. We’re going to get really confident. We’re going to get aligned on the play that we’re going to do, on the game plan, for the next few minutes. And we are going to make this happen together because we can. It’s absolutely possible.’” (14:30—15:17) -Heather
“Confidence is like porcelain. With every layer, it gets stronger.” (15:26—15:30) -Kirk
“You can create a wildly predictable, healthy, awesome practice. What you have to do is you've got to simplify the processes. You've got to think like a team, and you've got to put a game plan together.” (17:28—17:38) -Kirk
“Last night, the game that I went to, our rushing yard, at the half, was negative five. Negative five, rushing yard. So, I'm going to look at that and go, ‘Are you serious right now?’ So, when we go into halftime, we’re going to put countermeasures in place. The coaches, the team, we’re going to say, ‘Holy cow, look at our stats. Our KPI says this. Negative rushing yards.’ Now, as the running back and the quarterback, we have this fire. We are going to make those rushing yards positive again. Not only that, but we’re going to blow it out of the water. By the end of the third quarter, those rushing yards were better than the opposing team. So, countermeasures are anything that we put in place to change a number in a positive way.” (18:08—18:49) -Heather
“A lot of times, your answer, your countermeasure, will be a system. That's what's really cool. It doesn't have to be an effort. It doesn't have to be a new person. It doesn't have to be a new purchase. We just need to tighten up our checklist or our systems. Now, you can accurately diagnose, ‘Where do we need to go?’” (19:13—19:29) -Kirk
“Sports analogies are often my favorite because you see a team come together around a set of values. You get the right people in the right seats. You simplify the game plan. You put in measures and countermeasures. You make the alignment super tight at the top. You practice over and over again. And then, when it comes to the game, that becomes fun. If you’ve ever played a sport, you know how that is. A great week of practice usually translates to a great game. The game becomes the fun part.” (19:38—20:08) -Kirk
“Rely on your team more than you ever have before. Delegate and elevate to them. See them as your peers. They are here for the same amount of ownership that you are. They want to see you and the practice succeed. So, really, really rely on your team in that way.” (20:18—20:37) -Heather
“It’s not always about winning and losing. But I will tell you, winning is a lot more fun than losing. And you can understand that as a dentist.” (21:15—21:22)
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
2:14 Heather’s background.
2:46 Dentistry is a team sport.
3:43 Dentists are doing too much.
5:20 How an “audible” works in a dental practice.
8:46 Relating football to a dental practice.
10:12 How Nick Saban runs spring practice.
10:57 Alignment is essential.
14:12 You need to have confidence.
17:08 Have countermeasures.
20:11 Last thoughts.
Heather Crockett Bio:
Heather Crockett is a Lead Practice Coach who finds joy in not only improving practices but improving the lives of those she coaches as well. With over 20 years of combined experience in assisting, office management, and clinical dental hygiene, her awareness supports many aspects of the practice setting.
Heather received her dental hygiene degree from the Utah College of Dental Hygiene in 2008. Networking in the dental community comes easy to her, and she loves to connect with like-minded colleagues on social media. Heather enjoys both attending and presenting continuing education to expand her knowledge and learn from her friends and colleagues.
She enjoys hanging out with her husband, three sons, and their dog, Moki, scrolling through social media, watching football, and traveling.
#InternationalPodcastDay
Episode #512 with Laura Barry & Andy Konkle
Since launching The Best Practices Show many years ago, it is still going strong. And to celebrate International Podcast Day, Kirk Behrendt brings in two amazing ACT team members, Laura Barry and Andy Konkle, to share and reflect on some of the most valuable and life-changing advice they’ve ever received. Not only will their tips help you in life, but it will also help greatly in your business! To continue hearing the best information to build a better practice and better life, listen to Episode 512 — and all future episodes — of The Best Practices Show!
Episode Resources:
- Laura’s email: laura@actdental.com
- Andy’s email: andy@actdental.com
- The ACT Team’s social media: @actdental
- Subscribe to the Best Practices Show Podcast
- Join the To The Top Study Club
- Join ACT’s Master Class
- See our Live Events Schedule here
- Get the Best Practices Magazine for Free!
- Write a Review on iTunes
Links Mentioned in This Episode:
Kolbe: https://www.kolbe.com
Main Takeaways:
Surround yourself with the right people.
Figure out what you're good and bad at early on.
Lean into your core values. It will simplify everything.
Life is difficult. Don't try to do everything on your own.
Every situation is “flippable”. Choose the better attitude.
Quotes:
“Surround yourself with great people, and don't try to be good at things that you're not good at.” (4:30—4:34) -Kirk
“Finding out what you suck at is really important, in life and in business. And I would suggest, do that as fast as possible.” (7:43—7:49) -Kirk
“In a business, when you start to realize what you're good at, and you spend more of your time doing what you're good at, and you surround yourself with people that are good at the things you suck at, that makes your life better.” (8:03—8:16) -Kirk
“I think [ACT puts] great intention in getting the right people together. I had worked for a former company — and I say this all the time — I would still be there if it hadn't been for an acquisition. But they were big on the right fit. It was an IT consulting firm. So, obviously, you have to be IT savvy, which I wasn't. But then, they went for the cultural, ‘Do these people fit what we believe in?’ That was many, many moons ago, and we still have gatherings. We had an office in Madison, Appleton, and the Milwaukee area, and we can still get a good 20-plus people together for a mini reunion. That showed how solid, and the intention in gathering the right people to accomplish whatever your business goals were. And I think [ACT] does the same thing.” (12:12—13:01) -Laura
“For me, I was at the same place for over 20 years. And for many of those years, I thought it was a great culture fit. We got along. Everybody in my area seemed to be striving for the same goals: lifelong learners, always looking back, trying to improve on your situation. And then, the pandemic and a couple other things changed that, in my mind. I didn't feel everyone was all on board anymore. And as I had plenty of time to think about it, I'm like, ‘This isn't working for me anymore.’ And when I started doing my research and saw the posting for this position here [at ACT], I didn't know it was core values until I read that. I'm like, ‘Holy cow. That means a lot.’” (14:39—15:29) -Andy
“When you lean into the core values and you get the right people in the right seats, it’s crazy. You can't even describe what happens. It’s so weird. Because everybody talks like, ‘Oh, I want a great team. I want this. I want to have fun at work.’ And if you really diagnose, ‘Why aren't you having fun at work? Why aren't you getting somewhere?’ it only comes down to two things: you have the wrong people that have different values, or you're just not getting results. Like, you don't have them in the right seats. And so, simplifying that by saying, ‘Hey, look. You hire people because they fit your core values and they get results,’ and it starts to make things more and more simple.” (17:06—17:40) -Kirk
“Celebrating victories is an important thing. Getting some acknowledgement means a lot.” (18:37—18:42) -Andy
“Everybody here, I think, going along with the right people in the right seats, it feels like a family to me. I know I can trust that somebody is going to help me if I need the help. “We before me” is one of our core values, and that's in full practice every day.” (18:43—19:04) -Andy
“If you're a dentist listening, you've got to call those out, what are the things you like, what are the things you don't like, and put words to them. And then, your team members can communicate that. Because that was a feeling I had, but I never knew how to describe it accurately without getting angry or fired up. Now, it’s just a value. That's all it is.” (19:58—20:15) -Kirk
“Yelling at work doesn't work. It just doesn't.” (20:55—20:58) -Kirk
“I think my dad [gave me the best piece of advice], in so many different ways: you can be right, or you can be married. But you can't be both.” (25:09—25:16) -Kirk
“Another piece of advice is, surround yourself with the right people. But that’s a little cliché. You hear that all the time. The real magic happens when you have a tool, or you can actually see a methodology in how to do it. Because it’s one thing to say, ‘Surround yourself with the right people.’ But what does that really mean? And I think really honing in on this process of core values and people that get results, that is one of the biggest life-changing things I've ever experienced in business.” (25:53—26:29) -Kirk
“Your children don't hear what you say. They watch what you do. I think that's a thing I'm constantly thinking about, because I don't always say the right things.” (26:37—26:47) -Kirk
“I was speaking with a life coach many moons ago, and it was super, super simple. ‘All you have to do it flip it. Whatever it is, you can flip it.’ So, her story was, you see a penny on the ground. It’s like, ‘Ugh, it’s just a penny,’ or, ‘It’s a penny! I've got one more penny.’ So, you can look at something bad or good. But everything is flippable. It’s your interpretation and how you move ahead. Are you going to take a bad attitude or a good attitude? And odds are, you're going to be better off with the better attitude.” (27:13—27:48) -Laura
“When I was a freshman in college, moving into the dorm, before my dad left to go home after dropping me off, he said, ‘Now, you need to look at this as if it’s a job. At least eight hours a day, you should be focusing on your studies.’ And that resonated with me, for some reason. Number one, ‘Do you think I'm going to mess this up and do nothing?’ But it was great advice where I took it seriously. Like, ‘You're right. Holy cow, this is my future. I need to pay attention to these courses and study.’ Now, did I study for eight hours every day? No. But I guess if I looked at it, yeah, I did stuff on the radio station. I did stuff for the TV station. So, probably put more than eight hours in a day. But that's what I loved, and that's where I found what I'm good at. So, that meant a lot to me, and that's always come back to me. And, in fact, dropping my nephew off at college this week — and I didn't know how he’d take it, so I wrote it in a card because I'm not the best speaker. So, I'm like, ‘Okay, don't open this now. Open it some other time.’ So, whether he takes advice or not . . . But I think he is.” (28:11—29:24) -Andy
“Dentistry is hard. Don't try to do it on your own. Leading a business is hard. Don't try to do it on your own.” (43:38—43:42)
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
3:14 Celebrating International Podcast Day.
6:19 Find out what you're good and bad at.
10:36 Does Andy ever get angry.
11:31 What works and doesn't work in improving workplace culture.
15:51 Core values will simplify everything.
20:39 The last time Kirk and Laura got angry.
23:20 Q&A: What is the best piece of advice you've ever received?
30:15 Q&A: Do you have a good scar story?
35:43 Pop quiz: podcast history.
42:30 ACT’s Master Class, Money Roadmap Tool, and To The Top.
Laura Barry Bio:
Laura joined ACT Dental in September of 2021 as an Executive Assistant. She brings over 24 years of senior administration, project coordination, and relationship-building experience.
"Better Practice - Better Life is what drew me to ACT Dental — truly a mindset that applies to all walks of life."
Andy Konkle Bio:
Andy joined ACT Dental in February 2022 as a Video Producer. A lifelong resident of Wisconsin, he has made a tour around the state calling Milwaukee home for the past two decades. He brings over 25 years of storytelling, video producing, and social media experience. Past assignments have included a little of everything. Covering Super Bowl XLV, spending a night on an aircraft carrier, and the Tick Races are a few of his most memorable stories.
When Andy sets the camera down, you can find him and his wife, Lisa, taking full advantage of nice weather, especially when there's an outdoor festival involved. Experiencing different locations and cultures while finding craft breweries and attending sporting events with family and friends are some of his favorite pastimes.
Say This, Not That When Collecting Money
Episode #511 with Christina Byrne, Jenni Poulos, & Ariel Juday
As a business, you need to collect money. But dentists aren't collecting what they're owed! And to change that reality, Kirk Behrendt brings back three amazing ACT coaches to help you rethink your habits, your systems, and your language so you can overcome the challenges of collecting money for your practice. Remember — it’s okay to collect! To learn how to do it with confidence, listen to Episode 511 of The Best Practices Show!
Episode Resources:
- Christina’s email: christina@actdental.com
- Jenni’s email: jenni@actdental.com
- Ariel’s email: ariel@actdental.com
- The ACT Team’s social media: @actdental
- Subscribe to the Best Practices Show Podcast
- Join the To The Top Study Club
- See our Live Events Schedule here
- Get the Best Practices Magazine for Free!
- Write a Review on iTunes
Links Mentioned in This Episode:
ACT Dental’s Say This, Not That document: https://form.jotform.com/221665137804153
ACT Dental’s Verbal Skills Webinar: https://www.actdental.com/verbal
Take Action by Dr. Ann Marie Gorczyca: https://bookshop.org/p/books/take-action-treatment-coordination-for-a-successful-dental-practice-ann-marie-gorczyca/15107051?ean=9781949642384
Episode 506 of The Best Practices Show: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6QXdjukwKEk
Main Takeaways:
Get the right thinking, the right language, and the right person to collect.
It’s not “mean” to collect money for a valuable service you provide.
Your practice is a business. If you don't collect, it won't survive.
Don't offer patients the option to not pay you.
Collecting is a collective effort.
Quotes:
“[Collecting money in a dental practice is] a huge deal, because it’s the money that you are owed. And if you don't collect it at the time of service, first of all, it’s not worth what it was the day you did the procedure. But it’s much harder to collect it after the fact. People don't answer their phone, they don't read their mail, they don't check their email. So, you're so much better off when you collect it right then and there.” (2:57—3:22) -Christina
“[Collecting money is] not mean. You're providing a valuable service to your patients, and it’s something that is worth something. It’s worth a lot. It has value. We don't feel like it’s mean when we go to the grocery store, and we have to pay for our groceries. I don't think that someone is being mean to me when I go to a store and pay for the goods or services that I am receiving. For some reason, we have this different belief around dentistry and dental care that it doesn't have that value or that worth, especially for that time-of-service collection. We need to throw that limiting belief out the door, own the fact that these are valuable services that the doctor, the team, everyone deserves to be compensated for.” (3:34—4:27) -Jenni
“Remember, it’s a business that needs money to survive. Bottom line, if we don't collect the money, the business can't continue.” (4:28—4:37) -Jenni
“It’s your service. Don't devalue your service. And team members, they are only concerned about collecting if they feel that coming from the dentist or from the leadership. If the team member doesn't know any differently, they're going to collect. It’s these notions that we put in our mind, or we start perceiving who can pay and who can't pay. They wouldn't be here if they couldn't pay. They know. We all know. We don't leave the grocery store with our groceries and say, ‘Bill me.’ We’re not doing the barter system anymore, so it’s okay to collect.” (5:45—6:24) -Ariel
“Of course, nobody wants to — I mean, I don't want to pay. I might value it, but if I have the option not to, I'm going to choose it. So, we’re not offering that option. [We ask,] ‘How would you like to take care of today’s investment portion?’ . . . If you take one big key word away, it’s that these are investments. It’s not a fee. It’s a return when we invest. We get a return in something. So, I'm going to pose the question of, ‘How do you want to take care of this?’ not, ‘Do you want to take care of this?’” (7:20—8:02) -Jenni
“It starts from the day that we actually diagnose and treatment plan and set the patient up for that visit. So, the first time they hear that they need to pay $500 shouldn't be the day that they have the procedure and they're walking out the door after. They should know that, because when we got them in the schedule, we told them, ‘Here’s what you need to prepare for. This is what your investment will be.’” (8:03—8:32) -Christina
“I've seen the evolution in all of my years in dentistry. I started in 1985, and it was a “price”. Then, it was “cost” because that sounded better. Then, we went to “fee” because that sounded a little bit better. But I love “investment”. I think “investment” is wonderful because, what Jenni said, it implies you're going to get something in return, which means I'm going to have better health, I'm going to look better, I'm going to feel better. So, I think, definitely, that is the way to go.” (8:33—9:08) -Christina
“It goes back to systems. What is your system? Because anyone can ask someone to collect if they already know about it. Now, I may not want to drop the bomb on the patient. But I'm okay with collecting if they already know. So, what's the system? Did I present it to them? And then, what's your system for checkout? There's no reason where you should never ask, because you have a series of questions. Did I schedule? Did I collect? Did I go through my checklist or my notes? So, there's really no reason for you to ever miss part of it if you get yourself in a good rhythm and a good system of that. And then, you don't even have to think about, ‘Oh, yeah. Now, I have to ask.’” (9:11—9:52) -Ariel
“When you're collecting, you should be confident about it. You shouldn't apologize. Don't go, ‘Oh, it’s $500.’ So, I think that's really important. The language matters, but it’s also the way that somebody is saying it, the confidence that they have behind the ask.” (11:19—11:38) -Christina
“There's no reason to not very directly ask your team members, ‘Hey, are you comfortable and confident talking about money?’ Because if you have an entire team that's not, you're going to have to practice. You're going to have to roleplay. But if you have someone that's like, ‘Game on. I would love to be the point person for collections,’ then let's utilize that strength and that confidence that that person has.” (11:39—12:03) -Jenni
“You know how they say bees and dogs can sense fear? So can patients.” (12:04—12:08) -Kirk
“I like [saying], ‘Let me help you with your investment options or your investment portion for the date of service. Let me help you understand how we take care of your investment portion on the time of service.’ Again, it’s driving home those value words around the service or around collecting, and I want you to continually layer those in.” (12:30—12:55) -Jenni
“I like that, ‘Let me help you,’ because it also implies that I'm helping the patient. We’re in it together. Our job is to help make this as easy as possible, whether it’s the procedure itself or the ways to pay for it. So, I love that. I love being able to have that conversation and let them know we’re on their side.” (13:09—13:31) -Christina
“That one is also great for past-due balances, ‘Let me help you get caught up.’” (13:32—13:37) -Jenni
“I'm going to lean into how I can help you [rather than say, ‘Our office policy is . . .’]. ‘Let's see how I can help you. Let me help you understand how we take care of this in the practice.’ It’s all about what I can do for you, not what you're going to do for me.” (14:13—14:28) -Jenni
“I think you need to give yourself and your patients a little bit of grace. If you've been operating for 15 years, and people are walking out the door, and you're sending them a statement, you're not going to turn that around tomorrow. So, let your patients know. Let them know what to prepare for. If they're not prepared today, that's totally fine. ‘Let me help you understand what's going to change the next time you come in. We’re going to expect this. This is what it’s going to be. But for today, we understand. You're a great patient. We don't want to drop this on you right now,’ that kind of thing. So, I think that you need to give yourself some grace to get used to the idea, and then also give your patients some grace. Because you have trained them to not pay. So, now, we have to retrain them to pay.” (14:30—15:18) -Christina
“Systems really are designed to assist, not insist.” (15:58—16:02) -Kirk
“When I presented treatment, my system was, I scheduled the appointment and then reviewed the investment. But sometimes, patients don't like that. So, I say, ‘Okay. Well, let's review it. And now, let's get you scheduled.’ There are small tweaks that you have to allow your team members to make. But they have to understand the expectations and the end goal. The end goal was still that I got them scheduled and that I collected. How we went about it depended on the patient. I wanted to guide it towards their experience and what made them comfortable.” (16:22—16:55) -Ariel
“This document, the Say This, Not That, the reason that we have this third column is so there's some variation. There's some authenticity to your practice, to your team members. Because we do want you to be authentically you. We want you to be confident and comfortable, and you're most confident and comfortable in your own skin. So, if you would never say something one way, don't force yourself into it. If you feel like, ‘I am so confident getting them scheduled first, and then reviewing the financials, because that gives me that boost,’ then do that. Do the thing that feels authentic to you that’s going to give you that confidence.” (16:58—17:45) -Jenni
“This is not something that you're going to hand to your team members and say, ‘Here, do this.’ This is going to take probably several team meetings. I would suggest, take a team meeting and work on each section at a time, and really talk about what feels more comfortable. And in that third column, write down what your agreements are. Because the agreements are there to help you to remember. And it’s also there to help keep us accountable. If we have said that this is important, and we want to change the face of the practice, and we want the practice to be profitable, then we have to start collecting.” (18:06—18:41) -Christina
“When we make these agreements, it’s easy for us to say, if somebody says, ‘Hey, Chris. We agreed that this was how we were going to do this, and you're not saying it this way. Let's talk about how we can make it easier for you to have these conversations with the patients.’ Or to your points earlier, am I even the right person in the seat? Maybe that person is not right for that job, but they might shine somewhere else. So, figuring that out is really important.” (18:45—19:15) -Christina
“During these conversations, find out what is comfortable. When team members say that something isn't comfortable, they're like, ‘Oh, I can't say that. That doesn't feel right,’ figure out why. Because it might be that it is actually uncomfortable, and it doesn't flow very well in the current system or process. Or it might be, ‘Oh, I'm not comfortable saying that. I'm not comfortable presenting treatment over X amount because I don't have that myself.’ So, you can start learning. And I always tell everyone, you don't know what people are hiding in their couch. So, don't assume they can't afford it. But our team members, they are the ones talking to the patients. So, we have to figure out, why is it uncomfortable? Can we overcome that with them? If not, what do we do instead?” (19:16—20:05) -Ariel
“We got some great feedback from someone that's in our awesome To The Top study club where we were talking about investment. One of the docs said, ‘My team isn't comfortable referring to very small dollar amounts as an investment.’ So, we calibrated around it, and we made the decision that we have to hit a certain dollar amount to be comfortable using that word. So, they had this conversation around, ‘What feels right to us? What feels authentic? I don't like saying your “investment portion” is $3.’” (20:07—20:39) -Jenni
“I usually like to say [the deposit is] to secure the appointment. ‘In order to secure the appointment in doctor’s time, or to reserve the time in doctor’s schedule, this is what we’re going to do. We’re going to ask you for $250 today, and then we’ll get your appointment scheduled. And when you come back in, your investment will be,’ whatever. I think that makes sense. And the thing too, that deposit is less about the money and more about the commitment. It’s more about the predictability. If I have put down $250, I'm not going to cancel that two-and-a-half or three-hour appointment. But if I have no skin in the game, that's a huge chunk of time for somebody to, on a whim, decide, ‘Oh, I don't think I want to go today,’ and not show up.” (21:21—22:12) -Christina
“Every medical procedure, I think I've even paid in full, not even just the deposit. So, we expect it for bigger procedures. We know. We’re just waiting. We’re not going to say, ‘Oh, do you want me to pay for this now?’ We’re waiting for them to tell us, ‘Okay. We’re going to go ahead and collect this to secure the appointment.’ And patients will say, ‘Okay,’ or they’ll say they can't. And now, you say, ‘Okay. Let's talk and figure out when you can.’ It might just be timing. And that's okay too.” (22:15—22:47) -Ariel
“I always want to have my financial arrangements completely signed, set in stone, completed prior to the patient sitting down in the chair, walking in that day. I love Barrett’s “no surprises”. We want our patients to be comfortable and confident when they arrive that day and not worrying about what happens. And it might be that there are a few payments leading up to it, or it might be one before one day of, and one after. But let's get to that day with that plan already set in stone, signed, and scanned into the patient’s chart.” (24:27—25:06) -Jenni
“Patients are already worried about what's going to be happening once they're in the chair. So, let's take [out] one more fear of, ‘How am I going to pay for this?’ Let's talk about that ahead of time. That way, when they show up, all we have to do is worry about making them comfortable.” (25:08—25:24) -Ariel
“You want to advocate and help the patient as much as you can through the process. But even before that begins, when we know that we’re going to be utilizing financing, we’re going to be presenting financing, [say], ‘Let me help you understand how a lot of patients are able to afford this treatment right now.’” (26:33—26:52) -Jenni
“Be honest with it as well. You don't have to say “loan”, but you can tell them it is a healthcare credit card. So, ‘The benefit is you can use it here, here, and here.’ And I always throw in the vet, because that's where everyone’s like, ‘Oh, yeah. I spend money there.’ And then, if you do offer a promotion, ‘We offer six months no financing.’ Now, I will tell you, ‘You have to be able to pay those off.’ That way, there are no surprises. So, they don't come back and blame you of, ‘Oh. Well, you tricked me into using this.’ Give it to them of, ‘Let me benefit you. Let me show you how you can use this. I'm going to give you all the information, and you can make the decision.’” (26:54—27:35) -Ariel
“I utilize CareCredit myself at the vet. And when I've presented financial options to patients, I've actually been able to say, ‘Hey, I have experience with this myself. This is how it went for me. This is how I made sure to take care of it and pay it off in time within the promotional period.’ So, I could authentically talk about, ‘It worked. I got the care that my little love needed immediately.’ And that gave the patient confidence because it was like, ‘Okay. You've been there. You've done that.’ We don't want to go first. We don't want to be alone. We want to know that someone else has done it, and that it’s going to be okay.” (27:38—28:17) -Jenni
“Let them know, ‘This is how we can do payments.’ Now, I will say, this is the biggest thing I always hear, ‘But they didn't qualify.’ So, the doctor is like, ‘But Ariel, make payments for them because they didn't qualify for CareCredit.’ Let's think through this. CareCredit is a very large company. They know how to collect money. They don't qualify for CareCredit, yet I'm willing to make payments for someone who is proven to have bad credit history? Usually, when they didn't qualify, they probably shouldn't qualify for payments with us either.” (29:00—29:37) -Ariel
“That would be the, ‘Let's begin making payments and building up that credit to go towards it,’ not, ‘Let's begin making payments after.’ You didn't sign up to be a bank, so let's remember that.” (29:38—29:57) -Jenni
“Doctors are hard. They want to just have a handpiece in their hand and do those procedures. But you have to think about, what is the outcome of that? Like Ariel said, if they don't qualify, if their money is not good enough for CareCredit, then I don't think that we should be extending them that courtesy. Because we've said this for how many years, if a patient is tight at the end of the month, what bills are going to be left unpaid? It’s not going to be their mortgage. They're still going to pay that or their rent. They're still going to buy food. They're still going to pay their utilities. They're not going to pay their doctor. So, you don't want to get into that situation because it’s uncomfortable for everybody.” (29:58—30:42) -Christina
“Even if they get declined [for CareCredit], now you know where to lead your talking points, as Jenni said. That's not the end of the road. It doesn't mean they can't afford it. Now, we say, ‘Okay. Do we need to make payments ahead of time? Do we need to ask family members? Do you have other savings? Do you need to move your money around?’ Get them thinking. And it’s okay to have silence because they have to think. We...
Are You Billing Your Full Fee?
Episode #510 with Kirk Behrendt & Ariel Juday
You think you're billing your full fee — but you're not! So, to help you get the pay you deserve, Kirk Behrendt brings back Ariel Juday, an amazing ACT coach, to explain why billing your full fee is crucial, how to train your team members to do it, and ways to not be the limiting factor to collecting your full fee. Stop working one out of every three days for free! To start collecting your full fees today, listen to Episode 510 of The Best Practices Show!
Episode Resources:
- Ariel’s email: ariel@actdental.com
- Ariel’s social media: @actdental
- Subscribe to the Best Practices Show Podcast
- Join the To The Top Study Club
- See our Live Events Schedule here
- Get the Best Practices Magazine for Free!
- Write a Review on iTunes
Links Mentioned in This Episode:
AADOM: https://aadomconference.com
Main Takeaways:
Understand the consequences of not billing your full fee.
Train your team members to always bill your full fee.
Involve your admin team and ask for their input.
Show patients the true cost of your dentistry.
Check your fees annually to be up to date.
Don't assume patients can or can't pay.
Quotes:
“The most important part is you want to show the patients the value of dentistry. If we’re not showing them what it costs, they're not going to know. So, we’re giving discounts, or we’re showing our PPO fee. They're going to think, ‘Oh, this is normal. This is what it is.’ So, we’re not showing them the true value, and they're going to make up their own numbers in their head based off of what they're seeing.” (3:21—3:46) -Ariel
“You can't make decisions off of your practice if you're not seeing the real numbers. So, if we’re billing our PPO fees because we think that it simplifies our processes, we can't make true decisions because we don't really know what the fee is, what is our overhead for that procedure. We really can't make decisions, and we don't know if we’re keeping up with our PPO fees. So, the easiest is to bill our fee and let the PPOs keep up with us.” (3:50—4:23) -Ariel
“Your practice management software is going to try and tell you to put in the PPO fee and bill it. Because that way, when insurance pays, you don't have to do the individual write-offs, and your team doesn't have to focus on anything. So, they make it sound like it’s super easy. A lot of practice managers and team members who don't really know the unintended consequences of not billing your full fee, they also think it’s easier. They think it’s saving them time. But really, the unintended consequences are they could be making mistakes.” (4:50—5:25) -Ariel
“I've seen lots of dentists give back refunds to patients that were never deserved because we’re doing multiple write-offs, because we don't know how to read the EOB and the ledger. So, that's why to keep it simple is actually to bill the full fee. When the insurance check comes in, then we can make the appropriate write-off. We know everything is correct right there. And people say, ‘Oh, that takes me more time.’ In the end, it really doesn't. Because now, you're not auditing accounts later. You're touching it, you're one and done.” (5:26—5:57) -Ariel
“Make sure that our claims are being sent with the full fee. And usually, it’s in your settings. It’s a little checkbox for setting up those claims. You want to make sure your insurance claims are sending your full fee. That's the most important part, because that's so easy you can do that change tomorrow without affecting anything in your software.” (7:22—7:43) -Ariel
“What about the ledger? What are we showing on the ledger? This is one that if you're not showing your full fee on the ledger, I don't recommend doing it right when you get off because it’s going to be a change in the way people are seeing it, the way your patients are seeing it. So, you want to make sure you communicate with the team of the change. But it is a simple change. You go in, and it’s another checkbox showing your full fee on the ledger. Now, this means you have to do a little bit of work, which becomes software-specific of, ‘Okay, but I want to give accurate estimates.’” (7:47—8:21) -Ariel
“That's the important part, is giving patients the accurate treatment estimates. Each software is designed that you can still do that based off of the PPO fee schedule. And this is where the hard work comes in, is you have to still have those PPO schedules put in. But if you've been billing your PPOs, then you definitely have the fee schedules. And you can still do this even when you're out-of-network, is giving them an estimate as well based off of this fee schedule. Your software knows whether to give a discount or not based off of how you input it.” (8:21—8:54) -Ariel
“At least [check your fees] every year. At least check to make sure, ‘Am I up to date?’ And then, throughout the year, spot-check. See some of those big codes, your top 20 codes that you're billing. And we always say if it is a code that a patient is going to see a lot, so their prophys, their bitewings, things that they may be paying out of pocket for or they see more often because they get them done more often, those, we don't want to make a huge increase right away, because then patients are going to think we’ve been deceiving them. But ones that they don't see all the time, the extractions, the crowns, the root canals, those, you can make a bigger increase if you are behind.” (9:13—9:54) -Ariel
“If you are in-network with PPOs and you increase all of your fees, just know you're not going to get a huge check tomorrow. It takes time. But we need to let the insurance companies know as well, ‘Hey, this is how much it costs.’ And if all of us are billing a higher fee for a crown, the hope is, eventually, the insurance company will reimburse a little bit more.” (10:07—10:30) -Ariel
“I know people are like, ‘Oh. Now, you want me to audit.’ But if we’re billing our full fee, we’re looking at every EOB to make sure the payment is correct. And so, you can start catching those things right away.” (12:02—12:14) -Ariel
“You also want to audit your EOBs because insurance companies, they're a business. And they hope that you take what they paid and what they said as fact. And you'll see that they’ll deny some things. Cores are denied a lot because they say, ‘Well, you didn't show proof.’ And all you have to do is send in either the seat date or send in an appeal. But they don't want you to do that so that they don't have to pay. But if you have that process in place that you're reading each EOB and seeing and fighting for what you deserve and what your patient deserves, you can catch those. It does take a little bit of extra work. But insurance is hoping that you're going to roll over and take their fee that they give you.” (13:07—13:53) -Ariel
“The team members aren't the ones setting the fee, so they should not feel bad about it. It’s, ‘This is the fee.’ And for doctors who say, ‘Oh, that's too much,’ no, that's your fee. That's what you should be paid. Value what you do. We don't question the value when we go to the grocery store, ‘Ah, that's too much. I should get a discount.’ No, that is the value. And that's why we want to start showing the patients now. Because as you get out-of-network and now you have to start showing them, at least patients saw, ‘Oh, okay. My crown cost $1,500. But because of my insurance plan, I was getting a discount.’ They already know that, so they don't think, ‘Oh, you've just now tripled the price of your crown.’ So, that's why I want everyone to start showing it now and saying, ‘Hey, this is the value of a crown.’ That way, later on, they say, ‘Yup, I've seen that number before. That's not a shock to me.’” (15:28—16:27) -Ariel
“From my perspective, it’s the team members that project their own feelings that get the results of the hesitancy from the patients. So, we cannot judge any patient on what they can pay. And I always make a joke, we don't know what they have behind their walls or in their couch. Make it fun. Like, we don't know where they're hiding their money. And if they want to pay for it, they will. But I'm not going to assume that they can't pay for it. Assume that everyone can and will pay for it, and they will tell us differently.” (17:17—17:52) -Ariel
“If [patients] say, ‘Oh, I can't afford that,’ okay. Well, now, I go back to my financial agreements and my system within my practice of, okay, what options can I offer? Do we have a payment plan? Or do I say, ‘Okay. What is your paycheck schedule? Are we able to push you out two weeks so that it falls on a paycheck period?’ That's when you start letting the patient decide of when they can pay for it and how they can pay for it. My job is to tell them the value and tell them the investment, and then let them tell me yes or no. And if it’s a no, okay. Now, I'm going to come back with some solutions for you to help you start thinking, ‘How can we make this work?’” (17:53—18:35) -Ariel
“Some team members say, ‘I can't afford that.’ You can if we have the right agreement in place. Same with patients. They may not be able to pay for it today, or they maybe can. We don't know. We have to let them decide that, not us.” (18:39—18:54) -Ariel
“Admin team members are not given excellent training on verbal skills and fees. And when they are, they shine. They can shine. It’s the dentists that becomes the limiting factor on full fees.” (19:28—19:40) -Kirk
“I've had so many dentists say, ‘Oh, Ariel. Let's give them a discount.’ And my first question is, ‘Why?’ And they're like, ‘Well . . .’ And then, it’s, ‘Oh, they can't afford it.’ I'm like, ‘Did they tell you that, or are we assuming that?’ We can't assume, and then I go in and present the value and say, ‘Hey, this is your investment,’ and they tell me, ‘Okay,’ and then I come back, and I'm like, ‘Oh, hey. You owe me that discount you wanted to give because they're willing to pay your full fee.’ It’s in our mind, and the dentist starts thinking like, ‘Oh, maybe this one will be easier.’ But maybe it won't. You can't charge that. The value of a crown is a value of a crown, and you just have to go with it. And once again, you have to value your own work. You're the one doing it. Stop giving out discounts just to hand them out.” (19:44—20:36) -Ariel
“I tell [patients] the value, and they look at me, and I just smile. I'm great with the awkward silence because it’s like, okay, I'm going to let you process. I'm just here smiling, letting you know. I'm not backing down from it. ‘This is what it is. This is what you need.’ And then, they come with a solution and they say, ‘Oh, okay. How about I pay this? Do you take credit card?’ ‘Absolutely.’ So, it takes time.” (21:49—22:16) -Ariel
“Make it fun for the front, because talking about money is not fun for everyone. And that's where it goes to right people, right seats. You have to have someone who’s okay with talking about money. But I say one KPI that they can track is the over-the-counter collections. And each day, they can say, ‘Hey, guys. Guess what? I collected 100% of what I was supposed to.’ And it makes it fun because it’s an easy accomplishment for them. Or they can celebrate those hard balances. They're like, ‘Augh! I've been chasing Ms. Mary down for months. And today, she paid!’ That's a celebration. And we know it’s not all about the money. But if we’re not collecting the money, it doesn't matter what you're producing.” (22:17—22:58) -Ariel
“You have to take it step by step. You can't go tomorrow and say, ‘Okay, I'm going to bill my full fee. I'm going to drop all my networks, and then I'm going to be a millionaire.’ It doesn't work that way. We have to take it one step at a time and get your team involved, especially the dentists that don't know what's going on at the administrative level. Ask them and get them involved in the process. See how it may affect their day and their processes. And some of it, they may come back and say, ‘Oh, we can't do that.’ Ask them why, and ask them why again, and say, ‘Well, can we try this? Can we try it for three to six months and see what happens?’ Very rarely, will they go back to the old way.” (23:49—24:29) -Ariel
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
2:09 Ariel’s background.
3:06 Why it’s important to always bill your full fee.
4:23 Unintended consequences of not billing your full fee.
6:55 What team members should pay attention to in the software.
8:54 How to systematically update your fees.
11:22 Irregularities in auditing and shared agreements, explained.
14:42 Start showing patients your full fees now.
16:43 Let patients tell you what they can afford to pay.
18:54 Dentists are the limiting factor on full fees.
22:16 Make collections fun for the admin team.
23:01 What to expect by billing your full fee.
25:04 Last thoughts.
Ariel Juday Bio:
Ariel has a master’s in healthcare administration and several years of dental experience in all aspects of the administrative roles within the dental office. Her passion is to work with dental teams to empower team members to realize their full potential in order to better serve patients, improve office systems to ensure a well-functioning team/office, and to help everyone have fun in the process!
Outside of work, she can be found by the beach or the pool reading a good book, enjoying sporting events with her husband, Alex, or exploring the outdoors with her Bluetick Coonhound, Maddux.
The Power of Self-Care & Rituals
Episode #509 with Courtney Dalton & Gina Diakonov
Dentistry is draining. And to recover physically and emotionally, you need to practice self-care. There are different ways to do it, and Kirk Behrendt brings back two amazing ACT coaches, Courtney Dalton and Gina Diakonov, to talk about their self-care rituals, why having one is important, and how you can start your own. Care for yourself so you can keep caring for others! To learn how to get started, listen to Episode 509 of The Best Practices Show!
Episode Resources:
- Courtney’s email: courtney@actdental.com
- Courtney’s Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/courtney.dalton.739
- Courtney’s social media: @courtney.hannig
- Gina’s email: gina@actdental.com
- Subscribe to the Best Practices Show Podcast
- Join the To The Top Study Club
- See our Live Events Schedule here
- Get the Best Practices Magazine for Free!
- Write a Review on iTunes
Links Mentioned in This Episode:
Atomic Habits by James Clear: https://jamesclear.com/atomic-habits
Main Takeaways:
Self-care is what refills your tank.
Make time for self-care and make it a ritual.
Don't feel guilty about taking time for self-care.
Your self-care ritual will set the tone for your day.
Hold yourself accountable for creating self-care time.
Quotes:
“Gender plays a big part in this. A working mom dentist has some added responsibilities — dads do too. Those dad docs do too. But let's talk about the mom side. It takes so much out of us to be a parent. It’s amazing, it’s fulfilling, and it’s the best job in the world. But it’s exhausting. And then, when you wake up to go to work and you spend your day there, I hear those mom docs say to me, ‘I've got nothing left. I still have to prep the dinner when I get home because I didn't do it on Sunday. How do I have the energy from having a long day of work and still have the energy to give my best to my family? Because I want to show up. I'm just really tired, and I don't know where to go from there.’” (5:35—6:22) -Gina
“Our teams and our doctors that we work with, they feel so pulled and so dictated by the needs of the practice that they get caught up in it and get overwhelmed by it. And rightfully so. It’s hard to be a business owner. It’s hard to have people with you that you trust to help fuel your business forward. But to Gina’s point, at the end of the day, when you go home, if there's nothing left in the tank, you don't have the energy for your family. You definitely don't have the energy for self-care, for doing the things that you want to do. So, one thing that we do, as coaches, is help them find the balance.” (6:58—7:35) -Courtney
“If you're not present for yourself, you can't show up in either facet of business or personal.” (7:42—7:48) -Courtney
“I find that what makes me feel great in self-care is fitness. I feel 100% guilty when I do anything after my working hours. Because the kids are gone, I'm work, work, working all day, now, I'm done and they're home, and I feel compelled to give them all of my energy. Whatever I have left, I want to be present for them. But there are nights when I leave and I have to go teach a fitness class, or I sometimes leave to go take one. And I will tell you, the guilt is real. But I love it. If I don't do that for me, I am not there for them. I need a little me to give more to them, to my career, and to the people that matter.” (8:10—9:05) -Courtney
“We recently purchased a Tonal. It’s a workout equipment that's in my house. So, the time that I now have to not worry about changing and driving to the gym and dealing with traffic, I've inherited back. It’s more time for me to get into the room with a Tonal and get out. But what does that mean? I'm feeling guilty that I'm in my own home making the babysitter, my husband, somebody else watch the kids so I can get that me time. So, I feel that guilt as well. I totally need it. I get that endorphin release and I'm a happy person. And my kids and my family feel it too.” (9:20—10:08) -Gina
“Everybody’s got to find their thing, whether it be at night, whether it be a yoga class — something. You've got to find the time and carve it out.” (11:41—11:47) -Kirk
“When I don't have the exercise, I have to take two or three deep breaths when there's something stressful. [When I take time to exercise], I'm like, ‘Ah, whatever. It’s all good.’ So, you've got to find the time.” (12:45—12:57) -Kirk
“You don't find [the time], you make it. You have to carve it out. And I'm an early bird. Maybe because I'm in the season with the kids and they’re seven and four, and I have to. And I have the guilt afterward. So, I carve the time out before.” (13:02—13:19) -Courtney
“It’s important enough to me that I don't mind that early wakeup call. I don't mind it at all because I feel so good after [the workout]. And it sets the tone for my whole day. I can tackle the big team meetings. I can tackle the really hard client issue that's been festering in my brain for a few days. I'm good. I've got it. But if I don't get that time in the morning, I set myself up for a tough day.” (14:02—14:27) -Courtney
“Your spouse, your partner, or your significant other, whoever is your companion and is helping you day in, day out, tap into that person to find the balance. And it goes back to E minus R. Have the conversation out loud. I know that one of the things that I do if someone sends me a text message, I respond in my brain, but I forget to hit send. And then, I think I hit send, and I think that we’re clear, but we’re not clear because that wasn’t actually an external conversation. Have the conversation out loud, ‘You do dinner because I'm going to go here,’ or, ‘Get everybody ready for school, and I'll pack lunches. And then, I'll do this.’ If you don't clearly outline who’s going to do what, it goes right to communication, then you're going to have a really bumpy day or a bumpy week.” (18:37—19:29) -Courtney
“My husband, when it’s the summertime, he works very long and late hours. So, it’s a little bit dicey depending on when we are in the year based on his career. He’s a tennis pro, so he works when people are outside playing and having fun. So, I already know that division of labor is not going to be equal, and that's just a part of our relationship. So, in the summertime when he does have an evening off, I know that he actually needs that time to go and clear his mind because he has been working so hard.” (20:02—20:39) -Gina
“I can't even imagine how difficult [it is to be a single parent]. But I would say this, even in that environment, clarity and communication and division of labor is really important. I know a lot of single mothers that are dentists, and they get help. And they're not afraid to get help. They have parents helping them out. They have a nanny helping them out. They have somebody helping them out . . . I'm not ashamed to pay for help.” (22:02—22:26) -Kirk
“You've got to find out what you're happy to pay for.” (23:10—23:12) -Kirk
“How about a babysitter so that you can go out on a date, to have that self-care with your significant other, or your girlfriend, or your buddies? Bring it in. That's a good use of money, in my household.” (23:24—23:37) -Gina
“Babysitters are cheaper than divorce attorneys and psychiatrists.” (23:40—23:43) Kirk
“It’s the power of rituals, finding rituals in a week, whether it be exercise, whether it be when you start work. You're going to see all of this goes back to one thing: we’ve got to get some rituals down. And what rituals do is they create neuropathways.” (25:17—25:33) -Kirk
“That conversation [at the dinner table] — there's no phone. No phone at the table. TV, off. Be connected with each other. Now, we’re imperfect. Sometimes, the TV is on, I won't lie, in my house. But we don't do phones at the table. We are connected to each other. And the sense of harmony that that gives us is so invaluable. I don't think that we could function without that time together to check in and to talk and connect.” (26:50—27:26) -Courtney
“How do we connect? We do roses and thorns at the dinner table . . . We all take turns. Usually the youngest, it’s her idea, and she says, ‘Roses and thorns, everybody!’ And she’ll start us off. Her rose that she shares with us is the best part of her day. And the thorn is the part of the day that maybe didn't go so great. Not the worst part, necessarily, but something that maybe sparks a discussion. So, we go all around the table. We all share it. It’s the best ritual.” (27:35—28:10) -Gina
“If you're a dentist listening right now, you never bargained for how physically, emotionally stressful dentistry was going to be at this point in your career. You're 15 years in. You never thought, ‘Yeah, I knew it was going to be this stressful.’ No. It is a physical sport that's emotionally and spiritually draining at times, and you've got to find a way to refill the bucket. And a lot of it is going to have to be with your personal rituals, whether it be exercise, whether they be dinner, whether they be when you finish, when you start.” (31:05—31:32) -Kirk
“Self-care, in whatever form that looks like for you, if it’s reading, if it’s walking, if it’s fitness, if it’s family time, whatever that looks like, make time for it. If you can't figure that out, we can help you figure out how to put that as a priority so that you can be present in what you do, be present for those who depend on you, and be present for yourself. It’s so important to carve the time out. Make it a ritual. Make it a habit. Make it repeatable so that your days are better and better.” (32:32—33:09) -Courtney
“The dentists in this world, and team members, that have control of their time are the wealthiest people anywhere.” (33:23—33:29) -Kirk
“My biggest piece, which I always have to work on, is holding myself accountable to that ritual. Carve out the time. And if it’s really hard, do a little bit of those Atomic Habits style. Plug it in here. Plug it in there. But keep yourself accountable to whatever it is that you're passionate about for your self-care, and it'll get easier. You're going to keep stacking that habit and you're going to be able to organize your life to hold yourself accountable and prioritize yourself. You're going to love yourself for it.” (33:59—34:34) -Gina
“We have dentists come in here and go, ‘Oh, I see patients until 6:00.’ Then, we make them not do that anymore, and they go, ‘Gosh, my practice didn't die at all. I got busier.’ I'm like, ‘You've got three more hours a day. You could do a lot with three more hours a day. You could be a better person. You could sleep better. You could feel better.’ So, make sure you get control of your time. And when you don't feel like you can, that's when you reach out to somebody to help you be accountable.” (34:41—35:06) -Kirk
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
2:10 Courtney and Gina’s backgrounds.
4:32 Why self-care is important in dentistry.
7:48 The guilt that comes with self-care.
11:41 Make the time for self-care.
14:28 Advice for dentists who want a great life.
17:08 Division of labor and communication in the household.
21:16 It’s okay to ask for help.
23:58 The power of rituals and patterns.
32:24 Last thoughts on self-care.
Courtney Dalton, BS, RDH Bio:
Courtney Dalton is a Lead Practice Coach who focuses on establishing a solid foundation in order for a practice to thrive. With over 15 years of experience in the dental industry, she is as passionate about patient care as she is about those who are providing it.
Courtney has an A.S. in Dental Hygiene from Manor College and a B.S. in Exercise Physiology from West Virginia University. Outside of coaching, she enjoys teaching group exercise classes and spending time with her husband, Dan, and children, Lola and Levi.
Gina Diakonov, MHSA, RDH Bio:
Gina Diakonov has been involved in dentistry since 2000. She has held multiple roles in the industry such as dental assistant and hygienist, faculty member at the University of Detroit Mercy School of Dentistry, and Director of Development and Training. She advanced her education earning a Master of Health Service Administration from the University of Detroit Mercy. She has a passion for community dentistry and volunteers regularly in Metro Detroit.
Gina enjoys spending time with her husband and two daughters, their dog Suge Bite, traveling, amateur gardening, and playing tennis.
Say This, Not That for Scheduling
Episode #508 with Ariel Juday, Adriana Booth, & Andy Konkle
Patients should fit into your schedule — not the other way around. For that to happen, you need to guide them with your language. And to teach you the words to say and avoid, Kirk Behrendt brings back his amazing ACT team for their insight into scheduling success. Master what to say for late, no-show, or canceling patients! To learn the secrets to protect your schedule, listen to Episode 508 of The Best Practices Show!
Episode Resources:
- Ariel Juday’s email: ariel@actdental.com
- Adriana Booth’s email: adriana@actdental.com
- Andy’s email: andy@actdental.com
- The ACT Team’s social media: @actdental
- Subscribe to the Best Practices Show Podcast
- Join the To The Top Study Club
- See our Live Events Schedule here
- Get the Best Practices Magazine for Free!
- Write a Review on iTunes
Links Mentioned in This Episode:
ACT Dental’s Say This, Not That document: https://form.jotform.com/221665137804153
Main Takeaways:
Don't ask patients when they want to schedule.
Know which questions to never ask your patients.
Eliminate words like “cancel” from your vocabulary.
Tell patients what you can do, not what you can't do.
Learn how to tell patients no without saying the word no.
Take time to practice and audit yourself after each interaction.
Quotes:
“[Scheduling] is extremely important. It helps us to manage our time and have predictability.” (2:44—2:50) -Adriana
“No one wants a root canal, a crown, a filling. There are only a select few of us that choose to schedule to go to the dentist. So, my first thought [to asking, ‘When do you want to schedule?’] is no. Second thought is, ‘Okay. Well, if I have to come in, I'm going to pick a specific hour. And most likely, they're not open. So, now, they're going to have to tell me no.’ So, that's why you don't want to ask.” (4:16—4:39) -Ariel
“[By asking patients when they want to schedule,] you're setting yourself up for having a bad experience for that patient. Or you're having to get into a conversation, and we’ve created a barrier — an unintentional barrier, but we’ve created a barrier for that patient.” (4:48—5:02) -Ariel
“You should never try to fit into anyone’s schedule. They should try to fit into yours.” (5:12—5:17) -Kirk
“You have a schedule to protect. And your ability to guide patients into the right spot is critical, not only to the overall flow of the day, but there are procedures you should be doing certain times of the day. So, I think the first part is, let's think better about our schedule. Now, we can support it with verbal skills.” (5:28—5:46) -Kirk
“If the doctor does that procedure in the morning and in the afternoon and I have both of those options, then I would [ask, ‘Do you like mornings or afternoons?’] because now I'm guiding them and letting them feel in control. But if the doctor only does that procedure in the mornings, then I'd say, ‘Would you prefer Tuesday at 8:00 a.m., or Thursday at 8:00 a.m.?’ So, to me, it depends if the doctor has that availability or the office has that availability.” (5:59—6:25) -Ariel
“It depends on the practice. I have some practices that may have wide-open schedules. And say we do give the option of morning or afternoon to an office that is super limited in time. If I say afternoon and the doctor does do the procedure in the afternoon, but now we’re four weeks out for an afternoon, that's going to give a bad impression to the patient also. Like, ‘Wow, they're so busy they can't see me for four weeks. Wow. Is this the right place for me?’” (6:36—7:03) -Adriana
“When it comes to Say This, Not That, you don't always have to know exactly what to say. You've got to have an idea of what to say. And one of the things that we teach that's been taught forever is, don't tell people what you can't do. Always be focused on what you can do.” (7:33—7:48) -Kirk
“I'm looking back on some of my best experiences as a patient. And when I needed a procedure done, they would guide me. Like, technically, I would come in at 3:30. But luckily, my practice was open until 5:00. So, they're like, ‘Are afternoons still the best for you?’ ‘Yes, they are.’ ‘Okay, great. Next Tuesday at 3:30. That's the next opening. Can you make it?’ ‘Yes.’ ‘If not, it’s going to be this much longer out.’ So, guiding that patient to the best possible way that still fits in the open schedule, I think, is the best way to go.” (7:58—8:36) -Andy
“No one likes to hear the word no. But we all know when we’re being told no without actually being told no. So, they say, ‘Oh, I can only make it here at 4:00.’ ‘Oh. Well, doctor actually does these procedures in the morning for the best results.’ Well, why would I want to come in at 4:00 if I'm going to get bad results? So, I’ve told them no, they can't come in at 4:00, without saying, ‘Nope. Too bad.’ I said, ‘Well, actually, doctor can see you on Tuesday at 8:30.’ And the same thing is, ‘Are you open on Saturdays?’ ‘We’re open Monday through Friday. We do have early morning appointments available, and right around lunch time, if that works for you.’ You can guide them to, ‘What works for your schedule?’ in there as well.” (9:08—9:58) -Ariel
“I'm thinking back to some of the other times guiding to needing procedures. The hygienist would ask me if my job was still the same and what schedule I work. So, they had an idea of what worked for me and could look at what was open as it was going on, knowing that afternoons worked best for me and that I was busy in the morning. So, getting that information from your patient is a good idea as well.” (10:12—10:41) -Andy
“As a hygienist, I would always preschedule my patients as they were leaving. I didn't ask them what time they preferred. I didn't ask them what day. I went from where we were, right now, and moved six months and a week out. And I would say, ‘Your appointment card is in your bag. When we get closer, you'll get reminders. And we can adjust, if necessary,’ and left it at that.” (10:48—11:12) Adriana
“The bib is the seatbelt. You don't get out of the car until you take your seatbelt off. So, when you have that bib on, it is holding you down. It’s holding you back. I'm not quite finished. I'll take your bib off once you're finished here in our appointment. So, it’s a signal to the patient that they are still in treatment.” (11:36—11:55) -Adriana
“The biggest gift you can give your admin team is setting the expectation for what they are coming back for and how much time they are going to be in the office. That way, on that walk from your operatory to the front area, they can think, ‘Oh, wait. I have to be here two hours, and then I come back two weeks later for an hour. Okay. Let me start managing, in my brain, my time, my schedule.’ And I can have already told them the next visit we have available is going to be next Wednesday at 9:00. Ariel will help you with that on your way out.’ That way, we've already set that in their brain, and they can start rolling it around. Because some people aren't processors. They can't make appointments on the fly. So, we want to respect that. But I also, when I get up there to Ariel, I don't want Ariel to look at the patient and think, ‘What do you need scheduled for?’ And then, the patient says, ‘What? Two hours? She just said I had a crown. Two hours? That's crazy!’ So, we really want to give that gift of this beautiful handoff.” (13:34—14:39) -Adriana
“I love the handoff. Because not only, one, it helps you make sure that I'm scheduling correctly for your clinical schedule, but it also — that walk of amnesia. I don't know why it’s real, but it’s real. So, the patient needs to hear it again so that when the patient goes to tell me, ‘Oh, no. I don't need to come in in two weeks,’ ‘Well, actually, they just told us together. So, we’ll see you at that 7:00 a.m. time.’ It helps and makes sure, and they all know that, ‘Oh, they're on the same page.’ I can't play mom versus dad, or aunt versus uncle. Can't play good cop, bad cop because they know we’re in communication. We’re on the same page as a team.” (14:41—15:23) -Ariel
“You have to say something eight times for someone to hear it one time.” (15:57—16:00) -Ariel
“Naturally, we don't process things or hear things until we’ve heard it over and over and over. We need to hear it seven times. So, on that eighth time that you've said something, now it sinks in, ‘Oh, okay. I got it. I know this now.’” (16:06—16:23) -Ariel
“‘I know I have an appointment at noon. It’s 9:00, and I'm going to have to cancel.’ ‘You know what? Let me get your provider. I'm going to let you go ahead and talk to her. I'm going to place you on a brief hold.’ I'm going to give them a little bit of time to think about, can they really not make that appointment, or could they squeeze it in today.” (18:38—19:00) -Adriana
“It’s okay to say, ‘Augh, this was a really long appointment scheduled in doctor’s time. We scheduled it specifically for you. Is there any way that you can make it?’ It’s okay to make sure that they understand that they're really putting you at a disadvantage by doing this. Or even telling them that this is such last-minute, there's no way that you can get another patient in that appointment slot. So, now, they're like, ‘Oh, okay. Not only am I hurting the doctor, but now another patient that could've been in.’” (20:01—20:37) -Ariel
“The worst thing you could say when it comes to Say This, Not That is, ‘That's okay.’” (21:04—21:07) -Kirk
“I can tell you from my evil hygienist days, ‘Oh, 20 minutes [late]. Oh, goodness. Well, I had you for 45. You've missed half of your appointment.’ And then, they're staring at me. I'm like, ‘Ugh, I mean, we can see what we can do. But you're going to have to come back. Now, we’re going to have to have two visits to make up for one. Let me see if that's okay with the doctor.’” (21:28—21:53) -Adriana
“You tell them, ‘Well, we had you scheduled. I don't know if we’re even going to be able to do everything today. Unfortunately, I'll have to go check with your provider and see if they're okay with the amount of time we have left.’ And as an administrative team member, I always left it up to the provider because they're the ones that know, can they get it done, can they not get it done. Or sometimes, they would say, ‘Yup. Well, we can do diagnostics and the exam today, and then they can come back.’ So, I would tell them, and then the patient would get upset. And, ‘I'm sorry, but we had you scheduled at 4:00, and it’s now 4:20. So, next time, we’ll need you to show up at 4:00.’” (22:00—22:41) -Ariel
“The important thing is, number one, letting them know this is not okay. Don't say, ‘No problem.’ Because when you say, ‘No problem,’ and they're 10 minutes late, what do you think is going to happen next time? They're going to be 15 minutes late.” (22:43—22:53) -Kirk
“If it’s their first time, I always say, ‘Try to see them.’ Of course, I'm coming from the administrative side of it too. But try to see them because they did make an effort. They did show up. And do I really want to schedule them out for the chance of them being late again if I can go ahead and get it done today, while still telling them that they're late, ‘It’s not okay. We’re going to do what we can. Next time, I really need you to show up on time,’ but then, they're at least appreciative of it as well?” (23:14—23:42) -Ariel
“Now, if it’s the second, third, fourth time [they're late], well, I don't know why they're in your schedule. But if they are showing up, that's when I would say, ‘You know, we talked about this, Mrs. Smith. We really cannot keep doing this. We’re going to have to reschedule, and we’re going to need you to show up on time for that appointment.’” (23:44—24:02) -Ariel
“It reminds me a little bit of my parents — a little bit of tough love. They want the best for you, just like your provider does. But some of it is teaching them tough love and a lesson. They have to understand. They might learn your value. You're more than happy to provide the service, but you guys have to learn that our time matters too. And if you're coming to see us, you need to respect that and do everything you can to be on time.” (24:15—24:40) -Andy
“We’re teaching people how to treat us. In a business, you teach people how to behave. You teach them how to treat you. If they constantly are late and constantly don't show, basically . . . we’ve let this happen over time.” (25:01—25:23) -Kirk
“I've always been the one to call and say, ‘We had you scheduled at 3:00. I hope there's no emergency keeping you from us. Please give us a call back.’ That way, they know that we care, and the only reason that they didn't show up for their appointment that's okay, in my mind, was an emergency. And then, if they do call, and hopefully they do, that's when I would bring it back to, ‘Oh, was there an emergency? Is everyone okay?’ Making sure that, one, they are okay because they no-showed. But if they have to make up an excuse, it goes back to making them sweat a little bit of, ‘Oh, no.’ Well, now, I also know I'm not going to give you those prime-time slots if you admitted to no-showing for a nonemergency.” (25:40—26:25) -Ariel
“The no-shows are tough. I had this discussion with a team, ‘What do you do about a new patient that no-shows?’ And I was like, ‘Oh, you're asking the wrong person because I'd say they do not get another try.’ It’s really challenging. For someone that you know that has never no-showed before, you give them some grace. Something could've slipped. But for someone who you scheduled, you had extended time for, they were confirmed, and then they blew you off — you don't know them, so you don't have a relationship. That's a tough one.” (26:31—27:09) -Adriana
“There are things we can do to improve the relationship before we see [patients]. And so, one of the steps that we crossed over is calling patients in advance before their appointments. I'm a big fan . . . If you're a restorative doc and you only have 1,200 patients active in your practice and you get 20 new patients, it’s worth your time to do a small pre-phone call and say, ‘Hey, Adriana. This is doctor so-and-so. I'm looking forward to seeing you tomorrow. I wanted to reach out and say hi.’” (27:29—28:00) -Kirk
“I have several office managers that [call patients in advance]. And they will, ‘I'm the office manager here. I want to make sure you have a great experience. I will be your contact. Once you come into the office, you will meet the rest of our team. They're amazing.’ And then, it goes from there. But they know they have a point person, and that's helpful.” (28:17—28:37)
“The [confirmation] call, in general, if you can get the doctor to do it, that's the best. And then, secondary, definitely a team member, especially as the world is moving to online scheduling, because online appointments have literally no connection. They haven’t even spoken to any team member to make this appointment, so it’s very easy to cancel because they have no commitment. They have not talked to anyone. So, especially with online appointments, I would say make the phone call to reach out to them and welcome them. Even if they’ve already filled out all their forms, they’ve already got all the information, it’s still nice to welcome them and say, ‘We’re looking forward to seeing you,’ making sure they know where to park, whatever it may be.” (29:02—29:44) -Ariel
“There are ways to be nice without saying some of the key trigger words. Don't say, ‘If you need to cancel.’ Well, I wasn't even thinking of cancelling. And now, you put that word out in the universe and in their mind. Or, ‘If you need to reschedule, please give us a call.’ In our minds, as administrative team members, we want to know ahead of time. We want to avoid the no-show. But now, we've put it out there. Where if I never tell you, ‘It’s okay to cancel,’ or I never even say the word cancel, it’s not in your mind. You're not thinking, ‘Oh, yeah. She told me to call her if I needed to cancel.’ So, keep those words out of your vocabulary when you're scheduling, when you're making phone calls, if you're confirming. Don't give them the option.” (29:51—30:39) -Ariel
“I would say get rid of the word “cancel” completely. Nobody ever cancels on you. The new phrase is, ‘There's a change in schedule.’ Because if you're ever calling a patient going, ‘We had a cancellation today,’ you could probably trade that out for “violated”. ‘Hey. We had a patient violate us today and totally blew us off. You want to come in?’ No. In a great business, in a great dental practice, they don't have cancellations. They might have a change in schedule, which is a nicer way to say it.” (30:42—31:08) -Kirk
“Remember, at the end of the day, this is always about trust and relationships, always. So, you've got to make sure that your practice screams that.” (31:37—31:44) -Kirk
“Figure out what your pain points are in your own practice and come up with some things that are comfortable and natural for you to say in your own way. You don't want to sound like a script, but we can always be here to help too, to give you pointers and tips.” (33:23—33:39) -Adriana
“Outside of roleplaying, because no one likes roleplaying, when you hang up the phone or when a patient leaves, take 30 seconds and audit yourself and say, ‘Augh, dang it! I said cancellation. Ugh. Next time, I won't.’ And that makes you aware of what you're saying. And soon, you will see it gets less, and less, and less. And then, eventually, it'll become pretty much extinct. And sometimes, you'll catch yourself. But then, it'll be like a trigger in your mind of, ‘Oh, I said that,’ and you won't say it again. Keep auditing yourself.” (33:47—34:18) -Ariel
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
2:32 The importance of scheduling and why it’s a problem.
2:53 Questions to never ask your patients.
7:30 Tell people what you can do, not what you can't.
11:20 Why the bib is important when prescheduling patients.
12:33 Tips for preconditioning your patients at the chair.
15:37 Be okay with repeating yourself.
17:19 Guide patients as a team.
18:03 What to say for cancellations.
21:14 What to say to late patients.
22:53 Should you reschedule late patients?
24:03 Give patients some tough love.
25:25 What to say for no-shows.
27:09 Confirming patients with verbal skills.
28:49 Other trigger words to eliminate.
31:52 Last thoughts on Say This,...
Finding Your Path to Financial Freedom
Episode #507 with Dr. David Phelps
How do you gain more freedom in your life? It’s all about cash flow, cash flow, cash flow — and you can create it outside of Wall Street! And to help you find your path to financial freedom, Kirk Behrendt brings in Dr. David Phelps, creator and CEO of Freedom Founders, to share those alternative investment strategies. While it’s not for everyone, you can supplement and even start replacing active practice income with real estate. To learn how with Freedom Founders, listen to Episode 507 of The Best Practices Show!
Episode Resources:
- Dr. Phelps’s social media: @DrDavidPhelps
- Freedom Founders: https://www.freedomfounders.com
- Freedom Founders Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FreedomFoundersGroup
- Dentist Freedom Blueprint Podcast: https://dentistfreedomblueprint.com
- Subscribe to the Best Practices Show Podcast
- Join the To The Top Study Club
- See our Live Events Schedule here
- Get the Best Practices Magazine for Free!
- Write a Review on iTunes
Links Mentioned in This Episode:
Books by Dr. David Phelps: https://www.amazon.com/David-Phelps-DDS/e/B00RPCHD42
Main Takeaways:
You can diversify your portfolio with real estate.
Don't invest all of your wealth into 401(k)s and stocks.
Understand your “freedom number” and lifestyle burn rate.
Get your passive or asset-based income higher than your burn rate.
Be proactive with your finances to finally step off the financial treadmill.
Quotes:
“What I learned in life is in order to really have financial freedom, the real focus has to be on cash flow.” (16:06—16:14)
“I'm not saying investing in 401(k)s, the stock market, index funds, and mutual funds is a bad thing for people to do. But I found, in my experience — and now we’re hundreds of members of Freedom Founders — that the curation of real estate alternative investments, and particularly, the inefficiency of that market, allows for a lot more ability to navigate like we’re doing right now in the markets where we have a lot of downside risk protection. So, my philosophy, overall, is to really gain financial freedom, which is what we’re all after, at some point.” (16:17—16:51)
“How about practicing on your own terms where you can ditch some of the PPO managed care contracts you've got, or just practicing because you like to do it? You need to replace a certain amount of your active income. Maybe not all of it. So, it’s asset-based income. When you focus on the cash flow, there's also value-add inflation hedge to real estate.” (16:54—17:15)
“It’s the cash flow, it’s the cash flow, it’s the cash flow. That's where we differ from Wall Street, which is all about accumulation. You'll build up an estate, build up as big as you can. And then, when you “retire,” you're going to start to deplete it 3%, 4% a year. And they have these algorithms, over time, you'll deplete it. And hopefully, by the time you expire, about that time is about the time your accounts will expire. We look at it completely differently. We never want to kill the golden goose. The golden goose continues to produce. In fact, that's what gets to be passed on to heirs and beneficiaries in this way. So, that's the overriding philosophy.” (17:16—17:49)
“The first milestone is getting to a point where your passive or asset-based income, that cash flow, is equal or a little bit more than your lifestyle burn rate. So, your burn rate is different than your income. Most of the time, your income is going to be up here, and you pay taxes. And then, you get down to your lifestyle, and you put money in savings or investments. So, I want to show people that if you can get to whatever your burn rate is, that's going to give you a lot of margin for peace of mind. It doesn't mean you're ready to retire, but it means you've got peace of mind to actually change the model under which you're currently living your career path, your practice, whatever it might be, that you could even take some pressure off. Because when you know you've got something there that's giving you a safety net, everything changes.” (18:24—19:12)
“The first step is figure out your freedom number, which is your lifestyle burn rate, and reverse engineer. We look at, what do you need in actual capital that you could invest in the right kind of assets to produce that income? And so, we’re very diversified in real estate. Some people say, ‘Well, if you're in real estate, that’s not very diversified.’ But I say, ‘Well, actually, you can diversify a whole lot in real estate.’ I'm not saying that needs to be the end-all for all people. It is for me. But I've been doing this for over four decades, so I'm very comfortable with it. But when people first come to Freedom Founders, we let them take baby steps because most of them have had money in the markets and 401(k)s. And look, I get it. So, we, little by little, encourage them to test-drive another model. And before long, most people have moved a significant amount of their capital from the stock market Wall Street into alternatives.” (19:25—20:15)
“Wherever people are, whether it’s in business or investing in assets, it’s a time to realize that the markets are changing a lot. And whatever people thought they knew or experienced in the last several years is changing. It doesn't mean you quit. It doesn't mean you put your head in the sand. But you have to realize that you have to be very prudent about your next moves. And there are good moves and not-good moves. It depends upon where you are in your life, and what assets you have, and the skillsets.” (22:37—23:03)
“Probably the greatest thing . . . it’s about relationships. Who do you know? Who do you know that you can trust for insights about anything in life?” (23:03—23:14)
“Realize your own time value, what's important. If your time is better expended in your practice — which, for most doctors, it is — and with your family, then probably trying to have a few rental properties on the side until you get to a certain run rate of those kinds of properties, you can't really scale it — scaling it to get over the hump where you could actually afford to pay a manager, or be more passive in investing into real estate syndications or funds, which is more passive. But then again, you've got to know, ‘Who am I investing with, and what's their track record? What do I know about them?’ That's a whole other level of due diligence that you don't necessarily have to do so much when you're in control. Now, you're giving up control to buy your time back. There's always a trade. There's always a trade.” (24:11—24:56)
“The freedom number is your lifestyle burn rate. If you can keep that down — I don't mean to live like a pauper. I don't mean to live in austerity like you did when you were a student. But don't go for the, ‘Let's get the big house in the big neighborhood, and let's get the big cars.’ If you can keep things down and truly learn how to get invested in assets that will produce some kind of a dividend or rent or interest off of assets, and see that number start to climb, and don't let your lifestyle elevate faster, and if you can get it even close within a few years by keeping your lifestyle down to a decent modicum of living, that changes everything. And it’s hard to do. It is so hard to do because we go to school for all these years, and we've invested time, and we’ve got student loan debt. Of course, that has to be paid back. And that is a real anchor to people. But still, you've got to build the stuff in. Because if you don't, you get on a treadmill. You get on this treadmill. And it’s like, ‘When do I get off this treadmill?’” (27:27—28:36)
“In your mid-to-late 40s, your 50s, for sure, mentally and physically, the work that we do in dentistry, it’s exhausting. It takes its toll. And so, if you're going to want to practice for longer-term — and I'm not saying that people are going to have to. Again, if you watch your finances, you're not going to have to. But let's say you want to. You want to have longevity. Just like a prime athlete, particularly in athletics that are very physical like football, well, those athletes don't usually last very long because it’s so physical. They get pummeled and beat down. And if they get three, four, or maybe five years, that's a career. Well, dentistry could be, relatively speaking, the same thing. I mean, three or four years is small. But let's say you go really, really hard early on and bust it for 15, 20 years. Your body is not going to be able to take it.” (28:43—29:31)
“If you have a little bit lighter run rate and don't feel compelled to have to play the societal expectations of, well, you're not successful unless your practice is doing this, or you're having a run rate of this, or this many ops, or you don't have multiple practices, or you're not doing this or this — I mean, the comparison factor today, not just in our industry but in society, overall, I think, is very, very bad. And I think people need to say, ‘Look, I'm going to live my life.’ A lot of our young people are looking at it that way. We see it with the generations coming up. Not so many are as compelled as maybe we were about, ‘We’ve got to get out there and hit it, and crank it, and take it while we can get it.’ There's a whole lot of life for you to live if you take a little bit more of your time and don't feel compelled to have to keep up with everybody else.” (29:31—30:16)
“Geography plays a big part. There are places in the country where it definitely makes more sense to rent or to lease. Realize, when you buy and you own, that real estate — again, I'm very much a fan of real estate. So, you might say, ‘Well, sometimes it makes sense to rent.’ But you tie up a certain amount of capital. Typically, on a commercial building of any kind, the bank, today, is going to require you to put probably about 30% down. Well, if you're talking about, let's say, a $1 million building, which that could be the case in many places, that's $300,000. That $300,000 is tied up in real estate, which is good. But when you're in a business building mode, having access to cash, and not having to borrow everything you do to expand or add to, your biggest engine is your business, your practice. Don't start putting too much money out into investments until you've really optimized your business strategy or model. I think too many people start thinking, ‘Well, I need to go out there and get all this money invested in other stuff.’ Even though I'm a big believer in real estate, I still tell people, ‘Look, stay focused on where you're going to get the biggest return on investment.’ In business, if you do it well, your return on those dollars invested, it’s going to be at least 50% to 100%. That's your return on well-placed invested money back in your business.” (31:09—32:25)
“As soon as people start making money in their business, they’ll start complaining to their CPA, who tells them, ‘You'd better write this big check, Dr. Jones. Get ready. Coming up in April, you're going to owe $75,000.’ Dr. Jones has barely written a $75,000 check in over four or five years, and all of a sudden, he’s profitable. And he’s going, ‘Oh. What can we do about this?’ And the CPA or the financial planner goes, ‘I've got exactly the thing for you. It’s a 401(k).’ ‘Oh. How does that work?’ ‘You put money into this vehicle. It’s going to compound. And you get a tax deduction, so it’s going to lower your taxes.’ ‘Great! Sign me up. Sign me up.’ There's, in Wall Street, a great marker of this. It’s really a construct that's been oversold.” (32:49—33:31)
“I'm not against the discipline of people putting money in anything where they are actually doing it on a regular basis. That's not the worst thing that could happen. But what I don't like is the fact that when you put money in tax-deferred retirement accounts, that money is locked up until you're 59-and-a-half. You can't take it out without paying a penalty in tax. So, even though people say, ‘Well, it’s compounding,’ yeah — but you know what? In your hands, your ability to use that money in other opportunities can far more make up for these — it’s not even savings in tax. It’s a tax deferral because you will pay that tax someday. So, it’s not tax savings. You're putting it off.” (33:32—34:06)
“Your tax rates are likely to be higher down the road when you “retire” or start taking money out than they are today. It’s just, I think, a fact of life. We can all say taxes are not going to go back down. They're going to go up. So, is it better to pay taxes on the acorn, that is, the money down here, versus the oak tree up here? Well, it makes more sense to pay it here, be done with it, and have what I call unfettered money that you could put in anything. You could put it in your business, your practice, real estate, or even stocks and bonds. I'm just not a fan of locking that money up where you can't get to it.” (34:07—34:37)
“I can't tell you how many people come to Freedom Founders where the majority of their wealth outside their practice is in 401(k) type vehicles. I'm talking about significant, seven figures or more. And yet, they're 42, 45, 49 years old. They're a decade or more from being able to access that money. Yet, if they have that money that they can actually put in viable investments today that can get the cash flow, they could cut back on their practice time immensely, if not sell. But it’s locked up. And I go, ‘You know, we can help you self-direct that money, at least get it out of the stock market, if you wish. But you still can't touch it until you're 59-and-a-half.’ And they just drop their head and go, ‘Ah, I wish I would've known.’ It’s not for everybody. Some people, if that's all they do and they make a regular contribution, then that's better than doing nothing at all. So, I'm not trying to bash it. But for people who really want to be on the forefront of their finances and their future freedom, I’d say it’s better to keep that money close to the nest and use it appropriately for your means.” (34:38—35:40)
“Being a landlord, it’s not all fun and joy. There are things that you have to take care of, even if you have a “manager”. And so, it depends on your personality, it depends on the market, it depends on where this building might be. So, I'm not saying you do it or you don't do it. It’s really got to be an assessment that somebody helps you look at it, scrutinize it from all the angles, and then make a decision. It could be a really good decision, or it could be a really bad decision.” (37:42—38:08)
“I think it’s time to go back to quality and say, ‘How can I get more freedom in my life?’” (41:34—41:38)
“As long as you keep escalating your lifestyle as fast as your income goes up, you really never get free.” (41:44—41:50)
“If you get to that [freedom] number quickly with investments replacing your lifestyle burn rate, it changes everything. And that's what I try to sow into everybody I talk to, especially young people who are starting out, because I think they look ahead and go, ‘I should be doing this and this by this age to have this kind of house.’ It’s like, stop that. You're going to be a lot freer a lot sooner if you change that model a little bit.” (42:00—42:20)
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
1:55 Dr. Phelps’s background.
4:03 The important call that changed his life.
10:11 The genesis of Freedom Founders.
15:08 Why this topic is important in dentistry.
17:50 Financial freedom, explained.
20:20 What most people get wrong about real estate.
25:33 Advice for getting started.
30:26 Should I own, or should I rent?
32:38 Tax-deferred retirement accounts, explained.
35:48 The landlord market.
38:26 Books by Dr. Phelps and more about his podcast.
40:56 Last thoughts.
Dr. David Phelps Bio:
Dr. David Phelps owned and managed a private dental practice for over 21 years. While still in dental school, he began his investment in real estate by joint-venturing with his father on their first rental property. Three years later, they sold the property and Dr. Phelps took his $25,000 capital gain share and leveraged it into 31 properties that produced $15,000 monthly net cash flow.
Multiple health crises suffered by his daughter, Jenna (leukemia, epilepsy, and a liver transplant at age 12), caused Dr. Phelps to create the freedom to leave practice and make time for what mattered most.
Today, Dr. Phelps is a nationally recognized speaker on creating freedom, building real businesses, and investing in real estate. He authors a monthly newsletter, Path to Freedom, and hosts The Dentist Freedom Blueprint podcast. He is also the CEO of Freedom Founders, through which he provides hundreds of professional practice owners a blueprint to create Freedom in their own lives.
How to Help Your Patients Take Treatment Seriously
Episode #506 with Christina Byrne, Angela Heathman, & Heather Crockett
Do you ever tell your patients it’s “just a little cavity” or “only a quick screening”? If you want them to take treatment more seriously, you need to change your language! And to help you shift your thinking, Kirk Behrendt brings back three of his amazing ACT coaches to explain what minimizing language is, how it’s affecting your treatment planning, and ways to eliminate them from your practice. Minimize your minimizing language! To learn how, listen to Episode 506 of The Best Practices Show!
Episode Resources:
- Christina’s email: christina@actdental.com
- Christina’s social media: @actdental
- Angela’s Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/angeheathman
- Angela’s social media: @angeheathman
- Heather’s email: heather@actdental.com
- Heather’s Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/heather.r.crockett
- Heather’s social media: @actdental
- Subscribe to the Best Practices Show Podcast
- Join the To The Top Study Club
- See our Live Events Schedule here
- Get the Best Practices Magazine for Free!
- Write a Review on iTunes
Links Mentioned in This Episode:
ACT Dental’s Say This, Not That document: https://form.jotform.com/221665137804153
Main Takeaways:
Your language matters!
Stop devaluing your work with your words.
Don't downplay patients’ diseases with what you say.
Roleplay with your team and practice saying the right phrases.
Your entire team needs to be aligned and calibrated on language.
Quotes:
“The problem that we’re talking about is using minimizing words when we’re explaining treatment to our patients. Why is this so big? Because if you're going to the doctor’s office and they tell you that you have cancer, they're going to tell you what stage of cancer it is. And then, you understand at what level, what degree that cancer is at. We need to use the same outline in dentistry in order for our patients to understand the diagnosis that we’re recommending.” (4:45—5:14) -Heather
“[Minimizing language] is any phrase or word that you use that makes . . . what you're doing, what you're seeing, what they're experiencing less than what it actually is. So, an example of that might be using, ‘You have a little bleeding. You have a little cavity.’” (5:30—5:53) -Angela
“I hated when the doctor would say we were going to “watch” something. Because from [the hygienists’ perspective], we got to see the patient when they sat down in the chair from what they have done or not done in the last six months. And so, I know that this patient doesn't live in the same household with his toothbrush. The doctor doesn't know that when he or she comes in because I've done such a great job of making them look good and removing that plaque and calculus and stain. So, from the hygienists’ perspective, we tend to be a little bit more on the aggressive side because we know what that patient looks like and what their home care is.” (6:25—7:03) -Christina
“Start with listening to yourselves. I can remember going into practices and talking about this same exact thing and having the teams practice it. So, literally, sitting in the operatory and have one of the team members pretend to be the patient and the doctor talk about what he or she is saying. And one practice I was observing, and it wasn’t a real patient, it was one of the team members, but the doctor was saying, ‘A little cavity,’ or, ‘A little bit of bleeding.’ And I would pipe in and say, ‘How much bleeding? How much cavity?’ Because it’s so ingrained. We feel like we have to wear our patients’ diseases.” (8:27—9:11) -Christina
“I worked with a doctor years ago, and I won't say who, but that doctor would apologize when they would see something. So, they might find a cavity, ‘I'm so sorry. You have a cavity.’ Like, no! You're not sorry. They did this on their own! You had nothing to do with it. We’re so ingrained to want to help our patients so much. But we’re not helping them if we’re not being honest with them.” (9:12—9:44) -Christina
“It isn't ours. The patient needs to own that this is their diagnosis. They have periodontal disease — not “we found”. You have periodontal disease. And that takes the onus off of the doctor and the team members too, to say, “you have”. And to Chris’s point, backing up all of your recommendations and diagnoses with some kind of data, especially when it comes to periodontal disease. If we’re not perio charting our patients, what information do we have to back up that diagnosis?” (9:48—10:27) -Heather
“It’s not always about minimizing the treatment. Sometimes, we’re minimizing what we’re doing. Like, we might be doing an oral cancer screening, and instead of saying that we’re doing an oral cancer screening, we might say something like, ‘I'm just going to check for anything that looks abnormal,’ or something like that. And no — you're doing a very important screening for the patient. And they need to know that part of it too. The same thing when you're doing X-rays or taking a pan. You're checking for very specific things, and you can mention that. You don't have to say like, ‘Oh, I'm just looking for this.’ Make sure the patients understand the value of what your exam or your diagnostics are too.” (12:04—12:54) -Angela
“Patients value [exams and diagnostics]. They’ll value it more and ask. If it’s been a couple of years and they haven't had that pan, and you explain to them the reasons why you take a panoramic X-ray, they're going to ask. The good patients that you want there in your practice, they're going to ask and say, ‘We haven't taken that big X-ray. You know the one that goes around my head? We haven't done that in a while. When do we need to do that again?’” (12:55—13:17) -Heather
“The reason to take bitewings is not because you're due.” (13:19—13:21) -Christina
“When it comes to talking about scaling and root planing — and when I was a clinical hygienist, and this is what I also talk to my teams about — is using the same verbiage that the insurance company is going to use when they get the explanation of benefits. So, oftentimes, we’ll say deep cleaning or periodontal therapy. If we say scaling and root planing, that's the exact same thing that's going to show up on that patient’s explanation of benefits. So, they're going to connect the dots and know that we did what we said we were going to do. Not only that, but then you can explain to the patient what that procedure looks like and tell them, without minimizing words but in layman’s terms, exactly what that is.” (14:25—15:07) -Heather
“I would usually say something to the effect of, ‘I need to go below the gum tissue where you cannot clean yourself at home with a toothbrush or floss. I'm going to use special instrumentation to make sure I remove as much of that plaque and calculus as I possibly can. And we’re going to, in some cases, smooth that surface so that bacteria cannot attach itself and wreak havoc again.’” (15:10—15:38) -Heather
“What Chris was talking about before, it’s very uncomfortable to start using language that you haven't been using. But I love, Kirk, what you say all the time, and we took it from Rachel Wall, tell me your feelings, your philosophy on periodontal disease. Now, tell me, what are you doing to support what you just said? And if you're still feeling uncomfortable with it, have a roleplay session and practice during a team meeting so that you can get used to it and get comfortable.” (16:56—17:25) -Heather
“I have a team who is really struggling with this. It’s hard, right? It’s really, really hard to change your language. And so, they have a jar. It’s the minimizing language jar. Every time somebody says “little” or “just”, they have to put their name in the jar. And their team helps them to, ‘Oh! Doctor, you said “little decay” again! You've got to stick it in the jar!’ And so, then, at their team meeting, they pull it out and they read about it and, ‘Okay, how can we make this better?’ And every week, it seems to be less and less, which is good. But it’s a good reminder for the entire team to help each other out and to keep each other accountable to that language.” (17:30—18:09) -Heather
“If it’s “just a little,” why bother?” (18:43—18:44) -Christina
“We would see patients in hygiene. And then, if the doctor happened to have time in their schedule, they would do the restoration that day. And oftentimes, the doctor would minimize it and say like, ‘Oh, this little cavity. I can do a little filling. We might not even have to use anesthetics,’ and he would totally minimize it. And then, guess what would happen when they went up front to pay? Well, they didn't have “a little” fee. They had the same fee as they’ve always been charged. And so, what we did at my office is any time the doctor said a minimizing word during an exam, the hygienist or the assistant would lightly tap the dentist on the top of his shoe. And at first, he would look up like, ‘What?’ And then, he realized like, ‘Oh, yeah. I'm doing it.’ And that would be a chance to recover on the spot and say, ‘And I'm so glad we caught it early, because this is going to get bigger.’ And so, that was a nice on-the-spot thing to do.” (18:49—20:04) -Angela
“Any time you're actively working on something with a coach or with your team and everybody knows about it, it’s something that's much easier to talk about. So, if you're trying to get better at scanning, or you're trying to get better at communication or your PIT Stop, if you can acknowledge that you're working on it, then it’s much easier later to talk about it.” (21:31—21:57) -Angela
“The entire team needs to be calibrated on this too, because that patient is going to go to the front desk and schedule, and you don't want your admin team member to say, ‘Okay, let's get that little cavity scheduled for you.’ You can't say, ‘Oh, that's a clinical thing.’ So, we have to do this across the board. Every single person on the team has to be aligned and calibrated on what to say.” (22:58—23:24) -Christina
“The more confident your team gets in these verbal skills, the more you'll see your treatment plan acceptance numbers go up and your schedules are full.” (24:34—24:42) -Heather
“It doesn't happen overnight. This is something that definitely has to be practiced . . . Think about yourself as a football team. When you're in practice, you're practicing against your teammates. You're practicing with each other so that when it’s time for the real game, you know what to do in front of the other team. And so, we could think about it the same way.” (25:12—25:38) -Christina
“Roleplay in the operatory, at the front desk, so that your brain has the muscle memory of having these conversations so that when it is “game time” and you're with the patient, you'll remember that you had this conversation already, even though it was with your team. And it gives you the ability to make mistakes with your team.” (25:40—26:00) -Christina
“I heard something really good the other day. Dr. Richard Short sent it to me, one of our members. It was a video of someone saying, ‘Practice makes, what?’ And the audience came back and said, ‘Perfect.’ And he said, ‘No. Practice makes progress.’ And I thought that was so great because we think about this ideal of perfect. You're not going to be perfect. Get that out of your brain right now. Even if you've been doing it great for a year, you're going to slip up. There's going to be a day when you're sitting with a patient and you're going to say, ‘Oh, there's a little bit of bleeding here. Augh! How did I do that!’” (26:01—26:36) -Christina
“Eliminate the [minimizing] word. You have bleeding. You have an infection. You have decay. Get rid of a little.” (27:10—27:23) -Heather
“One of our coaches, Courtney, recommends to her clients that they say action words like, ‘Your gums are bleeding. Your tooth is cracking. Your tooth is decaying.’ And I really love that.” (27:52—28:07) -Angela
“Grant yourself grace. You've been doing it one way for so long. Grant yourself grace. Start small, even if you eliminate one word. Focus on one of the words that we talked about and getting rid of that. And like Chris said, progress, not perfection, in the beginning.” (29:21—29:36) -Heather
“Think about it as a mindset shift or a mind shift. So, don't start your morning huddle and say, ‘Okay, we’re never going to say the word “little” anymore.’ Let's have a team meeting. Let's talk about the mind shift. Let's talk about the pitfalls that might be there. Acknowledge that, yes, we have done it this way for a long time, and we’re going to make a shift. And talk about it. Talk about why it’s important. And then, start the process.” (29:38—30:10) -Christina
“In the end, this is all about patients’ health. And if they understand what's going on in their mouth, we can get them closer to health. I think that's the most important thing.” (30:27—30:37) -Angela
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
2:10 What ACT coaches do and why they're amazing.
4:29 The problem, and why it’s so big in dentistry.
5:15 Minimizing language, explained.
8:19 Where to start.
10:49 Don't minimize exams and diagnostics.
13:54 Other words and phrases to be aware of.
16:26 The minimizing language jar.
18:10 Patients will devalue what you minimize.
20:50 Celebrate your successes.
21:59 Have a place to document your language.
22:52 Your entire team needs to be calibrated.
23:24 Unintentional benefits of changing your language.
25:12 Practice makes progress.
26:48 Eliminate the minimizing words.
28:31 Make it black and white.
29:08 Last thoughts.
Christina Byrne Bio:
Christina Byrne has been involved in dentistry since 1985. Over the years, she has held many positions on the dental team, including dental assistant, business office, and dental hygienist. Christina’s extensive knowledge of the front office and clinical procedures is a great asset, and she loves to impart her knowledge to guide dental teams do the best they can to achieve a Better Practice, Better Life!
Angela Heathman Bio:
Angela Heathman is a Lead Practice Coach who works with dentists and their teams to help them accomplish their goals. She believes the hard work you do on your practice is just as important as the work you do in your practice!
Angela has over 20 years of clinical dental hygiene, dental sales, and practice coaching experience. When she transitioned from her role as a clinician to her role as a sales account manager, she realized both her passion for education and practice development. Angela holds a master's degree in dental hygiene education from the University of Missouri-Kansas City.
Heather Crockett Bio:
Heather Crockett is a Lead Practice Coach who finds joy in not only improving practices but improving the lives of those she coaches as well. With over 20 years of combined experience in assisting, office management, and clinical dental hygiene, her awareness supports many aspects of the practice setting.
Heather received her dental hygiene degree from the Utah College of Dental Hygiene in 2008. Networking in the dental community comes easy to her, and she loves to connect with like-minded colleagues on social media. Heather enjoys both attending and presenting continuing education to expand her knowledge and learn from her friends and colleagues.
She enjoys hanging out with her husband, three sons, and their dog, Moki, scrolling through social media, watching football, and traveling.
Different Mindset vs. Dangerous Mindset
Episode #505 with Dr. Tracey Nguyễn
For an isolating and difficult profession like dentistry, you need a strong and positive mindset. But how do you begin to develop it? One way is through community. And to help you find yours, Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. Tracey Nguyễn from ASAP Pathway to share tips on where to go, who to seek out, and things to focus on early in your career. Your mindset shapes your life — so have the right one! To learn how, listen to Episode 505 of The Best Practices Show!
Episode Resources:
- Dr. Nguyễn’s Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tracey.nguyen.9085
- Dr. Nguyễn’s social media: @drtraceynguyen
- ASAP Pathway: https://www.asappathway.com/pediatric-airway-training-events
- Subscribe to the Best Practices Show Podcast
- Join the To The Top Study Club
- See our Live Events Schedule here
- Get the Best Practices Magazine for Free!
- Write a Review on iTunes
Main Takeaways:
Find a purpose early in your career.
Seek out friends, mentors, and a community.
Think about the legacy you want to leave behind.
To become good at something, learn from the very best.
Work with people you respect, and whose work you respect.
Quotes:
“Early in your career, find a purpose. And once you find a purpose, and you find a goal, and you find what makes you happy, grab the people that will help you in that journey. I don't think that a lot of young dentists have that, but I think it’s important for us to seek that. And it’s also important for older dentists to mentor other dentists because we represent each other. At the end of the day, we represent each other. So, if one person isn't doing something right, it’s a reflection of the whole community.” (5:51—6:25)
“I don't think I grew as a dentist, as a person, until I joined the Kois Center, until I had that network of people to support me. When I look back, up until that 15-year [point], I was just working to get paid, working to pay the bills — and working to get paid really well. But I didn't really have a purpose.” (7:37—8:02)
“In the first track course, [Dr. John Kois] has a good 30 minutes to an hour discussion on tribe and the meaning of community and taking care of each other. And I think because he instills that in his students, the students do that for the other students. And I've never had that kind of relationship.” (8:30—8:51)
“The first Symposium after COVID-19, [Dr. Kois] ended it with, ‘Who’s got your back?’ And I thought this was so powerful that he said after COVID-19, he realized how many people had the Center’s back. And then, he said, ‘For as long as I'm alive, we will always have yours.’ And that was so powerful for everybody. And I took that, and I was like, ‘I want to do that for somebody else.’” (8:54—9:23)
“At the top of your career, it’s about your legacy. What do you want to leave back? And it’s interesting because you don't think about your legacy until you're doing well. But I think we should think...
Dentures Need Suction but They Don't Have to Suck
Episode #504 with Dr. Wendy Clark
Dentures get lost and broken — and that sucks. But your duplication process doesn't have to! And to convince you that dentures can be fun, Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. Wendy Clark, an expert prosthodontist from UNC-Chapel Hill, to share what dentists get wrong and the advancements that have been made in the digital space. Digital dentures don't suck! To learn more about why they're great for you and your patients, listen to Episode 504 of The Best Practices Show!
Episode Resources:
- Dr. Clark’s Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wendy.a.clark.9
- Dr. Clark’s social media: @drwendysworld
- Subscribe to the Best Practices Show Podcast
- Join the To The Top Study Club
- See our Live Events Schedule here
- Get the Best Practices Magazine for Free!
- Write a Review on iTunes
Links Mentioned in This Episode:
Carbon: https://www.carbon3d.com
Mission of Mercy: https://www.amissionofmercy.org
The Cupcake Technique by Valerie Cooper: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bl34KCyC5Yo
Main Takeaways:
3D printing is the future.
Digital makes dentures predictable.
You don't need a scanner to get started.
Digitizing is better for you and your patients.
Don't underestimate the value of record preservation.
Quotes:
“You really can't underestimate, in all of your practice, being kind to staff. It takes you to the next level.” (4:58—5:04)
“A lot of people don't like dentures, which I've never understood. But I always like to get in the psyche. And I think it’s because they're not very predictable. I tell my students you can do every single step correctly, every single step perfectly, and then it goes through processing, and there's an error. And that insertion appointment, your denture doesn't fit. And in practice, that's no fun. When you're a dental student and it takes you like 18 appointments to make a denture, and then you don't get to insert it at that appointment, it’s the worst sinking feeling.” (6:33—7:04)
“How can we make [dentures] more predictable? And digital dentistry is why it’s there, so you can get that predictable fit, support, stability, and retention, that suction. But dentures don't have to suck. They can be fun.” (7:07—7:19)
“Digital dentures have gotten such a bad rap . . . The first lecture I did on digital dentures was actually 2013, so I hope I'm starting to learn my stuff. And from that first lecture I did in 2013 to the last lecture I did last week, I always get the question of, ‘I don't have a scanner. I can't do this workflow. How can I do this workflow?’ And the great thing is, you don't have to have a digital scanner. You can jump into the workflow by digitizing your impressions.” (8:52—9:30)
“By now, most full-service laboratories will have a benchtop scanner of some...
10 Steps to Better Implementation
Episode #503 with Dr. John Cranham & Lee Culp, CDT
You have a ton of great ideas, and you're excited about all of them. But how do you put them into play? If you're struggling with implementation, don't miss today’s episode! Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. John Cranham and Lee Culp, founders of Cranham Culp Digital Dental, with 10 steps to help you create a process for better implementation. Don't let your vision go to waste! To learn how to overcome the challenges of implementing your ideas, listen to Episode 503 of The Best Practices Show!
Episode Resources:
- Dr. Cranham’s Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/john.c.cranham
- Dr. Cranham’s social media: @johnccranhamdds
- Lee’s Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lee.culp.cdt
- Lee’s social media: @leeculpcdt
- Cranham Culp Digital Dental: www.ccdigitaldental.com
- Subscribe to the Best Practices Show Podcast
- Join the To The Top Study Club
- See our Live Events Schedule here
- Get the Best Practices Magazine for Free!
- Write a Review on iTunes
Links Mentioned in This Episode:
Episode 372 of The Best Practices Show with Dr. John Cranham: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V89AbeNNJHY
Kolbe: https://www.kolbe.com
DiSC: https://www.thediscpersonalitytest.com
Main Takeaways:
First, formulate your vision.
Sell your vision to your team.
Identify key players in your practice.
Block out enough time to train your team.
Always have open lines of communication.
Set benchmarks so the team can self-assess.
Encourage continuous, never-ending improvement.
Quotes:
“Every doctor that is trying to be better has to hone this skill. They’ve got to be able to decide they want to do something, get excited about it, and then have some steps that they can follow. And understand that whatever you're doing, whether you're learning scanning, or you've gone and taken a class from Frank Spear and you're changing your prep design, whatever it is, you have to go through this process. And there are going to be some bumps and bruises and a little bit of frustration. And the last thing that's really important is you can't go it alone. You've got to get the people around you excited about it and make them feel that they're a part of it.” (6:24—7:00) -Dr. Cranham
“Getting excited is one thing . . . But then, it’s really committing to, ‘Is this what you want to do?’ That's the first question you've got to ask yourself, ‘Is this really what you want to do?’ Understand the responsibility that you're putting onto yourself to do it, and then go do it.” (10:55—11:15) -Lee
“Step one is, you have to formulate a vision,
How to Improve Results and Automate More with Less Work
Episode #502 with Dave Monahan – CEO of Kleer
How do you get more people into your practice without the extra work? You can do it with automation! And to share the best software for automating your processes, Kirk Behrendt brings back Dave Monahan, founder and CEO of Kleer, to introduce three new Kleer features that will help you automate more so you and your team can focus more on your patients. To learn more about Kleer and how to get started, listen to Episode 502 of The Best Practices Show!
Episode Resources:
- Dave’s email: dave@kleer.com
- Mention ACT Dental for a discount! https://www.kleer.com
- Kleer’s Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KleerLLC
- Kleer’s social media: @kleerllc
- Subscribe to the Best Practices Show Podcast
- Join the To The Top Study Club
- See our Live Events Schedule here
- Get the Best Practices Magazine for Free!
- Write a Review on iTunes
Main Takeaways:
Automation will help increase your collections.
More automation means more time with your patients.
Automate the renewal process with Kleer. It will pay for itself!
Kleer Intelligence Automation will eliminate many time-consuming tasks.
Automated marketing with Kleer Intelligence Growth will grow your membership.
Quotes:
“You have patients who come in all the time but are very hard to make any profit off of. Then, you have other patients that are profitable that don't come in. So, what does a membership plan do? It gives the patient coverage. It gives them access to some discounts. Most importantly, though, they're paying a subscription for access to their hygiene visits. And so, on average, on our platform, a patient pays $30 a month. That goes directly to the practice. That's not given to Kleer. That goes to the practice. It doesn't go to the insurer. It doesn't go to a third party. It goes straight to the practice.” (7:02—7:33)
“For $30 a month — again, it'll range. It’ll range from $20 to $50 a month, depending on the type of plan and where you are from an economic standpoint, like where you're located. But the net is, that patient paying that subscription gets their two cleanings or two exams, their X-rays, typically, an emergency exam. We’ll design this with the practice and customize for the practice, depending on what their treatment protocol is. But since they're paying a subscription, they come in. They come into your office for their hygiene visits. So, it goes from a fee-for-service patient who comes in once every two years, to a membership plan patient who comes in one-and-a-half times a year. Those are the numbers. So, they come in three times more often.” (7:33—8:09)
“What happens when somebody is in hygiene? They accept treatment. 75% of all treatment is accepted in the hygiene chair. So, it creates this cycle where they come in, they get their hygiene, and they accept treatment.” (8:11—8:22)
“When you measure a Kleer patient who is using a membership...
Setting Up Your Team for Success with Clearly Defined Roles and Job Descriptions with Adriana Booth.
Solving the “Do You Take My Insurance?” Question
Episode #500 with The ACT Dental Team
You get the dreaded question, “Do you take my insurance?” Your skin crawls, your palms sweat, and you don't know how to respond. But after today’s first official edition of Say This, Not That, you and your team will know exactly what to say and how to say it. Kirk Behrendt and his awesome ACT team share their expertise and advice to help you answer with confidence. To learn how to become a more confident, positive, and effective communicator, listen to Episode 500 of The Best Practices Show!
Episode Resources:
- Kirk’s email: kirk@actdental.com
- Dr. Barrett Straub’s email: barrett@actdental.com
- Christina Byrne’s email: christina@actdental.com
- Adriana Booth’s email: adriana@actdental.com
- Deena Meldgin’s email: deena@actdental.com
- Jenni Poulos’s email: jenni@actdental.com
- Ariel Juday’s email: ariel@actdental.com
- Heather Crockett’s email: heather@actdental.com
- Robyn Theisen’s email: robyn@actdental.com
- The ACT team’s social media: @actdental
- Subscribe to the Best Practices Show Podcast
- Join the To The Top Study Club
- See our Live Events Schedule here
- Get the Best Practices Magazine for Free!
- Write a Review on iTunes
Main Takeaways:
Don't let the question bother you — most patients don't know what to ask.
Find the right verbiage to tell patients what's true and helpful.
Always start by building a relationship with the patient.
Never be the one to ask what insurance they have.
Change your practice by changing your mindset.
Words, and how you say them, matters.
Quotes:
“Surround yourself with great people, because your life gets better.” (2:22—2:25) -Kirk
“I believe — we all believe, here at ACT — what we say matters. Words matter. Words carry weight. The way we communicate with each other, with our patients, it changes our days.” (3:24—3:37) -Jenni
“Your ability to communicate as a team is going to determine how far you go in dentistry. So, lean into learning about how to communicate.” (4:23—4:30) -Kirk
“If they're saying something without even getting their name first, you've got to start there. You need to start building a relationship with that patient over the phone first. In this life, we are human first. We need to make sure that we are getting their name and understanding a little bit about them before we...
Episode #499 with Dr. Grace Yum
We all need community and support. And as dentists — especially dentists who are moms — that may not be easy to find. But one dentist decided to change that, and Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. Grace Yum, founder of Mommy Dentists in Business, to share her insights and what she’s learned as the creator of this thriving community. To learn more about MDIB and how to get involved, listen to Episode 499 of The Best Practices Show!
Episode Resources:
- Dr. Yum’s Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100075730122393
- Dr. Yum’s social media: @dr_mrs_boss_mom
- Subscribe to the Best Practices Show Podcast
- Join the To The Top Study Club
- See our Live Events Schedule here
- Get the Best Practices Magazine for Free!
- Write a Review on iTunes
Links Mentioned in This Episode:
The Best Practices Show Episode 447 with Dr. Grace Yum: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uaGty6m-Pv4
Mommy Dentists in Business Podcast: https://mommydibs.com/podcast/
Mommy Dentists in Business: Juggling Family and Life While Running a Business by Dr. Grace Yum:https://bookshop.org/p/books/mommy-dentists-in-business-juggling-family-and-life-while-running-a-business-grace-yum/15681053?ean=9781942707943
Mommy Dentists in Business: Advice to My Former Self by Dr. Grace Yum: https://www.abebooks.com/servlet/SearchResults?isbn=1950370038&cm_sp=mbc-_-1950370038-_-all
Happiness 101 by Dr. Tim Bono: https://bookshop.org/p/books/happiness-101-previously-published-as-when-likes-aren-t-enough-simple-secrets-to-smart-living-well-being-tim-bono/7395689?ean=9781538743423
Operation Smile: https://www.operationsmile.org/
Main Takeaways:
Whatever it is, find something to get involved in.
Community is a big part of one’s happiness.
If you don't have a community, create one!
Listen to your community for feedback.
We all need human connection.
Quotes:
“My world changed when I became a mother. There is no school that you can go to to become “the perfect mom” or “the greatest mom”. You have your own mom, as an example, and maybe other mothers and parents as examples, but there really isn't a way. You just do it. And I'm only saying this because when you're a dentist, you learn how to be a...
The Global Diagnosis Education Story
Episode #498 with Dr. Bill Robbins, Dr. Jim Otten & Dr. Brian Schroder
Global Diagnosis Education is more than a virtual study club. And today, Kirk Behrendt brings back three of his favorite dentists, Dr. Bill Robbins, Dr. Jim Otten, and Dr. Brian Schroder, to talk about the genesis of Global Diagnosis Education, their vision behind it, and why you should become a member today. If you're looking for community, mentorship, and a safe space to learn and fail, GDE is the place for you! To learn more about GDE and how to join, listen to Episode 498 of The Best Practices Show!
Episode Resources:
- Dr. Robbins’s website: https://www.robbinsdds.com
- Dr. Robbins’s Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bill.robbins.79656
- Dr. Robbins’s social media: @billrobbins91
- Dr. Otten’s Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/james.otten.71
- Dr. Otten’s social media: @jamesottendds
- Dr. Schroder’s website: https://mysmileartist.com
- Subscribe to the Best Practices Show Podcast
- Join the To The Top Study Club
- See our Live Events Schedule here
- Get the Best Practices Magazine for Free!
- Write a Review on iTunes
Links Mentioned in This Episode:
Global Diagnosis Education Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/offers/KocrSnLA/checkout
Global Diagnosis by Dr. J. William Robbins and Dr. Jeffrey S. Rouse: https://www.quintessence-publishing.com/ita/en/product/global-diagnosis
Main Takeaways:
Global Diagnosis Education will help you implement what you've learned.
Being a part of this study club will help you become a better teacher.
GDE provides a nonjudgmental, secure place for learners.
You will become willing to fail in this safe environment.
Don't wait — join the GDE study club today!
Quotes:
“This started years ago over a couple of margaritas, I think. All the best ideas happen over alcohol and wine, or whatever. But it turned out well. And I had the conversation — I had been teaching Global Diagnosis at other places, marginally — not as well as [Dr. Robbins] does it. But I always loved the concept because it’s simplifying the complex. And great thinkers do that. They simplify the complex. And for dentists, I saw them struggling with how to put things together and how to organize their thought process in dentistry. I said, ‘We’ve got to take this out somehow and we’ve got to do something different. What about if we took it online?’ And like you said, two years later, then the pandemic hit. We had the opportunity to do it. Well, why wouldn't we do this?” (3:41—4:30) -Dr. Otten
“The object and the vision...
Why You Need a SMART & HEALTHY Team
Episode #497 with Deena Meldgin
You don't want your workplace to be a frat house, but you also don't want it to be the DMV. There's a sweet spot to achieving that balance, and Kirk Behrendt brings back Deena Meldgin, one of ACT’s amazing lead coaches, to share her secrets for a smart and healthy practice. It all starts with listening and communicating with your team! To hear smart advice for running a successful dental practice, listen to Episode 497 of The Best Practices Show!
Episode Resources:
- Deena’s email: deena@actdental.com
- Deena’s social media: @actdental
- Subscribe to the Best Practices Show Podcast
- Join the To The Top Study Club
- See our Live Events Schedule here
- Get the Best Practices Magazine for Free!
- Write a Review on iTunes
Links Mentioned in This Episode:
Books by Patrick Lencioni: https://bookshop.org/books?keywords=patrick+lencioni
Main Takeaways:
Your team needs a balance of smart and healthy.
A healthy culture is the most critical thing for your practice.
It is healthy to track data. Choose three to five metrics to track.
Recognize when team members are afraid of tracking numbers.
Really listen to your team to understand the health of your business.
You can't have only one person tracking and reporting on the numbers.
Having a smart and healthy practice means every team member is all-in.
Quotes:
“It’s really, really important to have both. And when I share this with my team, I tell them being a smart team means that we’re super organized, we have systems, and we track metrics. We know the health of the business. And being a healthy team means that we have a great culture. And to make it fun, I tell my teams if we’re just a smart team that’s super organized, but we don't have any fun, we’re kind of like the DMV. And if we’re just a healthy team that has a ton of fun and we’re not organized, we’re like a frat house. So, we have to have a little bit of both.” (4:59—5:27)
“I actually think the healthy side is more important than the smart side. And the healthy really consists of having a strong level of trust and having this great culture. And we talk about the five behaviors of a cohesive team, and it starts with having a safety within the room and having trust with each other. If we don't have that healthy side, your team members are going to nod their head yes, and it’s going to fall through the cracks 24 hours later.” (5:28—6:00)
“In being a smart and healthy team, we have to know the health of the business. We have to know if we’re healthy or not in each department. And so, we’re talking about the smart side and tracking numbers, but we have to have, as a team member, an awareness of where we are and if our practice is healthy or not. And every team member needs to have a piece in that and ownership for a number in order for us to reach our practice’s overall goal.” (7:55—8:24)
“As far as tracking numbers, there's no emotion behind numbers. They just tell a...
What Are You Willing to Do?
Episode #496 with Rachel Wall, RDH, BS
You want a successful, profitable practice. So, what are you willing to do to achieve that? There are a few key things you should be willing to invest in, and Kirk Behrendt brings back Rachel Wall, CEO and founder of Inspired Hygiene, to help you identify what's worth doing to help your patients and your practice. To hear her advice for elevating your systems and your practice, listen to Episode 496 of The Best Practices Show!
Episode Resources:
- Rachel’s website: https://www.inspiredhygiene.com
- Rachel’s Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/InspiredHygiene
- Rachel’s social media: @inspiredhygiene
- Subscribe to the Best Practices Show Podcast
- Join the To The Top Study Club
- See our Live Events Schedule here
- Get the Best Practices Magazine for Free!
- Write a Review on iTunes
Links Mentioned in This Episode:
Overjet: https://www.overjet.ai
Pearl: https://www.hellopearl.com
Denti.AI: https://www.denti.ai
Dr. Roy Shelburne: http://royshelburne.com
Inspired Hygiene’s Standard of Care worksheet: https://www.inspiredhygiene.com/standardofcare
Main Takeaways:
Be willing to commit to a high standard of care.
Be willing to look into medical reimbursements.
Be willing to get out of your comfort zone.
Be willing to consider assisted hygiene.
Be willing to train and to delegate.
Be willing to use AI diagnostics.
Quotes:
“There's not one way to run a dental practice, and there's not one way to elevate and improve a hygiene department either. And you're going to hear a lot of great things from all of Kirk’s guests. If you get one little pearl and put it all together, it’s going to make an amazing difference.” (5:05—5:21)
“You want to have as few denied claims as possible. We’re playing in that lane. We want to have as much success for our patients in our practice as possible, from a clinical and a financial standpoint. So, what are some of the things that we can arm ourselves with to be able to make sure that our diagnosis is ironclad, and our documentation is ironclad, and that our systems within the practice are supporting the hygienists to be able to have the time that they need to do a diagnosis? Because that's always the knee-jerk reaction with this. We’re in this age right now of like, ‘Okay, something’s got to give.’ Hygiene wages are going up. Reimbursements are going down. And the first thing everybody thinks about is time, ‘Well, we’ve just got to see more patients in the day.’” (10:47—11:41)
“Consider something like assisted...
TMJ & Airway-Directed Orthodontics Episode #494 with Dr. Drew McDonald As an orthodontist, it’s easy to just focus on moving teeth. But most of your ortho patients have underlying joint and airway issues — and they’ve had them before being in your chair! And to shift your thinking so you can recognize and treat these patients, Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. Drew McDonald to explain the connection between airway, joints, and teeth. Straightening teeth is the easy part! Take your practice to the next level by screening every patient for joint and airway disorders. To learn more, listen to Episode 494 of The Best Practices Show! Episode Resources: Dr. McDonald’s website:https://www.mcdonaldortho.com/ ( https://www.mcdonaldortho.com) Dr. McDonald’s Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/drew.mcdonald.984 ( https://www.facebook.com/drew.mcdonald.984) Dr. McDonald’s social media: @drdrewmcdonald Email Kirk for Dr. McDonald’s Master Class: kirk@actdental.com Subscribe to thehttps://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen ( Best Practices Show Podcast) Join thehttps://www.actdental.com/ttt ( To The Top Study Club) See ourhttps://www.eventbrite.com/cc/act-dental-live-workshops-306239 ( Live Events Schedule) here Get thehttps://www.actdental.com/magazine ( Best Practices Magazine) for Free! Write ahttps://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show/id1223838218 ( Review on iTunes)
Links Mentioned in This Episode: Spear Summit:https://content.speareducation.com/2022-summit ( https://content.speareducation.com/2022-summit) Chicago Study Club:https://chicagostudyclub.com/ ( https://chicagostudyclub.com) Main Takeaways: Recognize joint and airway issues before starting on a case. Most ortho patients have underlying joint or airway issues. Don't focus on just the teeth or esthetics. Help patients prevent relapse. Screen every patient! Quotes: “Whenever it came time to apply to dental school . . . I didn't get in the first time. For any predental students listening . . . it’s competitive out there. And I know for anybody listening that's applying to school or applying to residency — if you want it, go after it. And if you don't get in the first time, do it again. Because ultimately, this profession gives back to you in so many ways.” (3:47—4:19) “I was tired of not having an answer for something that was commonly coming up in my orthodontic practice as to why patients were relapsing. And what we stumbled upon, or what I feel I stumbled upon, was that most orthodontic patients are there because they’ve got a joint issue, an airway issue, a tongue issue, or minimal other things — it’s not just teeth. And we’ve got to get to the bottom of why that patient is in our chair to understand how we do treatment and how we keep it stable.” (8:07—8:35) “Recognizing joint issues, airway issues before you get into the case helps you navigate those cases and be successful. And ultimately, you also change the lives of your patients. That's the biggest bit, is people come in with problems they don't even know about.” (8:43—8:58) “In ortho school, we tend to cling to old research that basically divorces us from both situations of airway and joints. I go into this in my lecture, but there are some pretty dogmatic thought patterns in orthodontic education that basically says we have nothing to do with joints. And a newer set of research white papers that was done in 2018, 2019 basically said we’re cleared of having to worry about the airway. ‘We don't make it better. We don't make it worse. Why should we care?’ was kind of the consensus of a lot of that paper. What the details were in both of those papers, on the airway side, it really did say we’re involved in this. We need to be screening as soon as we see kids, adults — anybody. We need to be at least screening for patients.” (9:44—10:39) “What lands 90% of patients in my orthodontic chair is an underlying airway issue. If they're a mouth-breather, if they...
Helping Patients Make Good Choices Episode #493 with Dr. Jim McKee Your average intelligent patient wants a healthy mouth. But for that to happen, they need help making good decisions. And to guide you into developing informed, enthusiastic, and committed patients, Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. Jim McKee from Spear to share the wisdom he learned and applied from his predecessors. Don't just sell crowns — give patients the choice of better oral health! To learn how, listen to Episode 493 of The Best Practices Show! Episode Resources: Dr. McKee’s email: jim@mckeedds.com Dr. McKee’s Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/jim.mckee.104 ( https://www.facebook.com/jim.mckee.104) Dr. McKee’s social media: @jim.mckee.104 Subscribe to thehttps://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen ( Best Practices Show Podcast) Join thehttps://www.actdental.com/ttt ( To The Top Study Club) See ourhttps://www.eventbrite.com/cc/act-dental-live-workshops-306239 ( Live Events Schedule) here Get thehttps://www.actdental.com/magazine ( Best Practices Magazine) for Free! Write ahttps://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show/id1223838218 ( Review on iTunes)
Links Mentioned in This Episode: Dr. McKee’s Advanced Occlusion workshop at Spear:https://campus.speareducation.com/workshops/advanced-occlusion/details/syllabus ( https://campus.speareducation.com/workshops/advanced-occlusion/details/syllabus) Dr. McKee’s Demystifying Occlusion seminar at Spear:https://campus.speareducation.com/seminars/demystifying-occlusion/details/schedule ( https://campus.speareducation.com/seminars/demystifying-occlusion/details/schedule) Dr. McKee’s study club:https://chicagostudyclub.com/ ( https://chicagostudyclub.com) Main Takeaways: Put your patients’ needs first. Inform and educate your patients. Break down treatment into stages. Make patients feel informed, not sold to. Give patients time to think about treatment. Quotes: “Everyone hears “complex treatment planning” and they think there's going to be a full-mouth reconstruction. Not true. I've done a lot of full-mouth reconstructions two crowns at a time. And it may take six, seven years to do the whole case. But it was done at a pace that the patient could afford to do it, both maybe financially and emotionally, because sometimes patients really aren't ready to make that full commitment. That’s what I mean about helping patients make good choices.” (5:22—5:48) “What I did in the early years, I would do the two crowns and I'd forget about the rest of the case. What's changed is, if we keep the patient’s best interest in the forefront of our treatment planning thought process, that was what forced me to learn how to phase treatment. And once I could phase treatment, my case acceptance went up. Because face it, you're going to do a full-mouth rehab, or someone needs that level of dentistry, whatever it is. That's a big ask. And a lot of times, patients simply can't do it. So, therefore, it becomes helpful as a dentist if you can break that down into stages.” (5:48—6:24) “There's an old saying that every full-mouth rehabilitation is a number of single-unit crowns on the same patient. So, if you can start breaking it down to make it easier for you too, [you will] really enjoy starting to take on more complex cases.” (6:24—6:42) “I was teaching at The Pankey Institute, and a dentist said something that I'll never forget. He goes, ‘I try never to take an impression of more than six teeth at a time.’ Because for a crown and bridge, if you're going to take a full-arch impression, that's a lot to do and to keep everything dry and get accurate margins. The key to being able to do that is having good provisionals. And once you can master that . . . then you can start to break those cases down to help patients make good decisions.” (6:54—7:29) “[I] have a discussion with [patients] to raise their knowledge level because, quite frankly, they can't make good choices if they don't...
How to Rethink Your Thinking Episode #492 with Kirk Behrendt & Heather Crockett Whether you realize it or not, you talk to yourself throughout your day. And 80% of that self-talk is negative! So, to help you put a stop to the negative thinking, Kirk Behrendt brings back Heather Crockett, one of ACT’s amazing coaches, with tips on how to retrain your brain with positivity. Get rid of the stinkin’ thinkin’ for a better practice and better life! To learn how, listen to Episode 492 of The Best Practices Show! Episode Resources: Heather’s email: heather@actdental.com Heather’s Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/heather.r.crockett ( https://www.facebook.com/heather.r.crockett) Heather’s social media: @actdental Subscribe to thehttps://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen ( Best Practices Show Podcast) Join thehttps://www.actdental.com/ttt ( To The Top Study Club) See ourhttps://www.eventbrite.com/cc/act-dental-live-workshops-306239 ( Live Events Schedule) here Get thehttps://www.actdental.com/magazine ( Best Practices Magazine) for Free! Write ahttps://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show/id1223838218 ( Review on iTunes)
Links Mentioned in This Episode: Previous Best Practices episodes with Heather:https://www.youtube.com/user/actdental/search?query=heather%20crockett ( https://www.youtube.com/user/actdental/search?query=heather%20crockett) The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Sean Covey and Stephen R. Covey:https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-7-habits-of-highly-effective-people-30th-anniversary-edition-sean-covey/12583202?ean=9781982137274 ( https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-7-habits-of-highly-effective-people-30th-anniversary-edition-sean-covey/12583202?ean=9781982137274) Main Takeaways: Positivity is always possible. Make a habit of practicing gratitude. Be mindful of who you surround yourself with. You have a choice in how you respond to stress. Don't try to figure out your business on your own. Quotes: “You, as a dentist or a dental professional, your hands can only go so far, and that's it. Your back can only go so far. But your brain has infinite potential. And what you want to do is make better choices over time.” (2:26—2:40) -Kirk “[This mindset is] not just important for dentists, it’s important for everyone. You've got to keep that positive outlook. You've got to keep a mindset that is happy and not depressed all the time.” (3:01—3:15) “It’s really not a good idea to try to figure out a business on your own.” (7:12—7:16) -Kirk “80% of your own self-talk is negative. You need someone else to come in and point out all of the great things that you're doing. I do that all the time [as a coach] with my clients and say, ‘You've got to stop being so hard on yourself. Look at all these amazing things that you've accomplished. And we’ve come so far.’ We need to give space to the things that we need to celebrate.” (7:53—8:13) “One of my own personal core values is contagious enthusiasm. I really don't like grumpy attitude. Guess what? I'll get a text message, I'll get an email, I'll get a phone call with bad news. What am I going to do with this bad news? Right? I can really complain about it, or I can reflect on it and, ‘Okay. Let's think of what we can do now to be positive moving forward.’ And I oftentimes will help my clients move into that positive direction.” (8:26—8:57) “[Stephen] Covey said this, which I love. This is so important to think about. He said between stimulus and response, there's a space. And in that space lies our freedom and our power to choose our response. And in our response lies our growth and our happiness.” (9:18—9:36) -Kirk “People say garbage in, garbage out. That is not true. Garbage in, garbage stays.” . . . If you're not feeling good, you're feeling a little negative, what's going on in your brain? What are you feeding your brain? Because what you're feeding it, it’s staying.” (11:26—11:43) -Kirk “Who you surround...
The WHY Behind the WINEgenist Episode #491 with Katrina M. Sanders, RDH, BSDH, M.Ed, RF You chose dentistry to help others. But how do you keep yourself from getting burned out? There is a way, and Kirk Behrendt brings back Katrina M. Sanders, philanthropist, clinical hygienist, and level one sommelier, to share her why for creating The Dental WINEgenist and motivate you to find your why for dentistry. Do you want to be reenergized from your work? To learn how, listen to Episode 491 of The Best Practices Show! Episode Resources: Katrina’s email: katrina@katrinasanders.com Katrina’s website:https://katrinasanders.com/ ( https://katrinasanders.com) Katrina’s Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/katrina.sanders.948 ( https://www.facebook.com/katrina.sanders.948) Katrina’s social media: @thedentalwinegenist Tooth or Dare social media: @toothordare.podcast Subscribe to thehttps://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen ( Best Practices Show Podcast) Join thehttps://www.actdental.com/ttt ( To The Top Study Club) See ourhttps://www.eventbrite.com/cc/act-dental-live-workshops-306239 ( Live Events Schedule) here Get thehttps://www.actdental.com/magazine ( Best Practices Magazine) for Free! Write ahttps://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show/id1223838218 ( Review on iTunes)
Links Mentioned in This Episode: Start With Why by Simon Sinek:https://bookshop.org/books/start-with-why-how-great-leaders-inspire-everyone-to-take-action-2c622935-8c0c-4d97-9e9a-4fd6286d8336/9781591846444 ( https://bookshop.org/books/start-with-why-how-great-leaders-inspire-everyone-to-take-action-2c622935-8c0c-4d97-9e9a-4fd6286d8336/9781591846444) Best Practices Show Episode 378 with Katrina:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6mLAZwpVz4U ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6mLAZwpVz4U) Enneagram test:https://www.truity.com/ ( https://www.truity.com) Kolbe test:https://www.kolbe.com/ ( https://www.kolbe.com) Katrina’s May 4-5, 2023 course:https://www.eventbrite.com/e/act-dental-hygienists-live-course-may-4-5-2023-tickets-350458439627?aff=erelexpmlt ( https://www.eventbrite.com/e/act-dental-hygienists-live-course-may-4-5-2023-tickets-350458439627?aff=erelexpmlt) Katrina’s October 5-6, 2023 course:https://www.eventbrite.com/e/act-dental-hygienists-live-course-october-5-6-2023-tickets-368595568267?aff=erelexpmlt ( https://www.eventbrite.com/e/act-dental-hygienists-live-course-october-5-6-2023-tickets-368595568267?aff=erelexpmlt) Main Takeaways: Start with understanding your “who” and “why”. Find a purpose that is much bigger than yourself. Your work must be a renewable source of energy. Focus on your why to keep energy vampires at bay. Remember — your skills are valuable for your community. Quotes: “I continually found, throughout my clinical practice, that the days when I could connect back to my why, my passion, the thing that really drove me to dentistry and the thing that continues to keep me moving in dentistry — I had to focus on that why. I had to release those frustrating patient experiences, and I had to release those insurance companies that are going to make my life frustrating, and I had to go back to that why.” (5:39—6:06) “I do get patients that are afraid to sit in my chair. They see the needle and they start to panic. I do get questions about, ‘Does my insurance cover this?’ And so, that layer upon layer, over time, it makes it hard for me to continue to go back to that. But I'm going to treat you like my mom, or I'm going to treat you like my dad, somebody I care about, somebody who I know is deserving — all of my patients are deserving of my top level of care. But it’s hard to renew that energy over, and over, and over again when you've got these energy vampires that are pulling you out of that. And so, as a provider, that's where I began to feel the burn-out.” (8:16—8:54) “Patients can be energy vampires. They can drain you. And if you're doing that every hour on the hour, don't you get to the end
The 90-10 Case Acceptance Episode #490 with Dr. Tarun “T-Bone” Agarwal Case acceptance should be as high as possible. That's what you've been led to believe. And to challenge that idea, Kirk Behrendt brings in Dr. Tarun “T-Bone” Agarwal, founder of 3D Dentists, with four tips to help you rethink and improve case acceptance. Sometimes, less is more! To learn how to get your patients to say yes more often, listen to Episode 490 of The Best Practices Show! Episode Resources: Dr. Agarwal’s Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/tbonespeaks ( https://www.facebook.com/tbonespeaks) Dr. Agarwal’s social media: @tbonespeaks Dentistry Made Simple podcast:https://3d-dentists.com/podcast/ ( https://3d-dentists.com/podcast/) 3D Dentists 3D Retreat:https://3d-dentists.com/3d-retreat/ ( https://3d-dentists.com/3d-retreat/) Subscribe to thehttps://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen ( Best Practices Show Podcast) Join thehttps://www.actdental.com/ttt ( To The Top Study Club) See ourhttps://www.eventbrite.com/cc/act-dental-live-workshops-306239 ( Live Events Schedule) here Get thehttps://www.actdental.com/magazine ( Best Practices Magazine) for Free! Write ahttps://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show/id1223838218 ( Review on iTunes)
Main Takeaways: Understand the 90-10. Give a good, full diagnosis. Present patients with choices. Always set firm, financial agreements. Utilize third-party financing for patients. Use the three levels of priority scheduling. Offer dentistry in fewer, well-planned visits. Quotes: “I believe we have been massively misled about case acceptance and what case acceptance should be. We’re all led to believe that case acceptance should be as high as possible. And I actually want case acceptance to be around 10%.” (6:00—6:12) “Here’s what I think happens. We see a tooth, we tell a patient they need a tooth done, and we forget about everything else going on in their mouth. And we never give our patients the chance to say yes to doing all of their dentistry in fewer, well-planned visits.” (6:19—6:33) “The 90-10 concept comes from this: I want 10% case acceptance. And what I mean by that is, if Kirk came in as a patient and he’s got a mouth full of old amalgams that are starting to break down, I want Kirk to say, 10% of the time, yes to doing everything. But 90% of the time, I want Kirk to say yes to doing at least one area of his mouth. So, it’s a some-or-all concept.” (6:50—7:19) “I tell patients, ‘You have a right to choose to do some of it, none of it, or all of it.’ So, 90% choose to do some of it. Some people choose to do none of it. And 10% choose to do all of it in fewer, well-planned visits. And that's the premise of the concept.” (7:20—7:36) “We don't present what people aren't ready to hear, or willing to hear. So, we believe in a nonconfrontational, non-salesy approach to case acceptance. We believe in an influential approach to case acceptance, not an educational approach to case acceptance. And so, we have a four-step process that we teach.” (8:25—8:45) “The first concept is, I think it’s our ethical obligation to fully diagnose what all is going on in a patient’s mouth. That doesn't mean make up things. That doesn’t mean everybody is a full-mouth rehab. That just means if you looked at this patient and you assume — and this is a big assumption that we have to get through our heads — that money is not an object. We have to diagnose with the assumption that money is not an object. And the second assumption I take is, ‘What would you do if this were your mouth?’” (9:17—9:51) “We have a fear of overwhelming the patient. We have a fear of hearing “no”. And I think the crutch of the problem is we don't know what we’re looking for. We don't have the diagnostic eyes to see. I'll give you an example. Last week at one of our programs, I put up a picture and I asked all 12 dentists in the room, ‘Put up a treatment plan from this one picture. Assume money is not an...
Reinfection Rates & What You Need to Know Episode #489 with Dr. John Molinari Dentistry has a history with infection control. It has become better and safer because of it, and we can do it again for COVID-19. And to encourage keeping your practice and patients safe, Kirk Behrendt brings in Dr. John Molinari, expert on infection control and co-author of Cottone’s Practical Infection Control in Dentistry. He explains everything you need to know about reinfection rates and what you can do to keep your community healthy. Don't let your guard down against reinfection! For more advice from the expert, listen to Episode 489 of The Best Practices Show! Episode Resources: Dr. Molinari’s email: johnmolinariphd@gmail.com Subscribe to thehttps://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen ( Best Practices Show Podcast) Join thehttps://www.actdental.com/ttt ( To The Top Study Club) See ourhttps://www.eventbrite.com/cc/act-dental-live-workshops-306239 ( Live Events Schedule) here Get thehttps://www.actdental.com/magazine ( Best Practices Magazine) for Free! Write ahttps://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show/id1223838218 ( Review on iTunes)
Main Takeaways: COVID-19 is here to stay. Vaccines alone will not prevent reinfection. Practice the proven methods of infection control. There are many more cases than what's reported. Stay positive. Advancements are being made quickly. Quotes: “[COVID-19 is] not going to go away. I hate to say that. People keep saying, ‘Well, you have a vaxxed team for influenza, and we have some of that under control.’ But still, people get the flu even after they get the vaccine. And of course, a lot of people get the flu vaccine. Well, flu vaccine research started in 1940. So, we've had like 80-some-odd years of research with flu vaccines. We only have a little more than two-and-a-half years with SARS-CoV-2. And these coronaviruses do mutate a lot. They change.” (3:52—4:30) “The good news — the good news first — is that [COVID-19 Omicron] reinfections with this tend to be milder, especially if you're vaccinated. So, that's good, which is what these [vaccines] were designed to do, prevent severe illness, hospitalizations, death. But the not-so-good news is this thing continues to adapt and mutate where now we have BA.4, BA.5, which are predominant in the U.S. And they can escape our antibodies to a certain extent.” (4:37—5:05) “[COVID-19] antibodies can protect, but not like a hepatitis B immunity or a measles immunity or something like that, which is more stable. And so, you have people who could get reinfected, especially if they had a mild infection the first time where they didn't produce a lot of antibodies. This virus is really — I hate to give it a human characteristic, but it’s very smart. It can adapt and change very readily. The good news is that the most recent mutations appear to present with milder infections, especially for those who are vaccinated. The unvaccinated continue to be much more severe in hospitalizations.” (5:06—5:52) “I will tell you one exciting thing that I think is on the horizon. And I don't have a crystal ball, but there are clinical trials, including in this country, on what's called a pan-coronavirus vaccine where they actually are taking antigens from different coronavirus strains, not just SARS-CoV-2, and trying to find stabilized antigens so that they can induce a broader immune response with this pan-coronavirus vaccine down the road, which will not only protect against what's out there, but will also help protect against the emerging stuff down the road.” (6:26—7:08) “One of the themes I hear is, ‘I'm really tired of this crap. We’re okay. We got vaccinated. We got boosted. These are expensive. This is expensive. What can I do?’ So, they're not necessarily following what they were doing during the peak of the pandemic. What they need to realize is this is part of the new infection control, just like gloves were in the ‘80s for
The Pathway to Bigger CE Episode #488 with Dr. Steven Vorholt If you're listening to this podcast, you already know the importance of continuing education. And today, Kirk Behrendt brings in Dr. Steven Vorholt, course instructor from The Pathway, to answer every dentist’s burning question: is bigger CE worth the bigger cost? He shares his journey to explain the benefits of big CE and the mistakes you should avoid as you get started. Start CE early and take it often! For more advice on choosing high-value CE, listen to Episode 488 of The Best Practices Show! Episode Resources: Dr. Vorholt’s website:https://www.stevenvorholtdds.com/ ( https://www.stevenvorholtdds.com/) Dr. Vorholt’s Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/vorholt ( https://www.facebook.com/vorholt) Dr. Vorholt’s social media: @vorholtdds The Pathway courses:https://www.thepathway.com/courses/course-catalog ( https://www.thepathway.com/courses/course-catalog) Subscribe to thehttps://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen ( Best Practices Show Podcast) Join thehttps://www.actdental.com/ttt ( To The Top Study Club) See ourhttps://www.eventbrite.com/cc/act-dental-live-workshops-306239 ( Live Events Schedule) here Get thehttps://www.actdental.com/magazine ( Best Practices Magazine) for Free! Write ahttps://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show/id1223838218 ( Review on iTunes)
Main Takeaways: CE keeps you from stagnating. Start big CE as early as possible. Every successful dentist takes big CE. Travel for CE to get into a different mindset. Meet people — the pearls are after the course. Quotes: “You cannot do big CE until the office is running well. If you go out and learn something, and then you try to bring that into a ship that's already casting to one side, you're still losing water.” (4:19—4:30) “When I look at the landscape of dentists that I consider my colleagues and that I want to be around, all of them have taken large continuum CEs, high-value and high-cost. And when you look at people who you might consider really successful in your own local area or maybe in your state, they’ve probably taken big CE. So, it’s not the people who are going to their state dental association to get their 40 hours checked off or doing stuff one webinar at a time to get 40 hours over the year, or the back of a magazine.” (10:17—10:52) “I [got my 40 hours checked off] the first three years out of school because I thought that's what you did to keep your license active. And that's one of my biggest regrets was, looking back, that I didn't dive in sooner.” (10:53—11:03) “I'll hear from a lot of young dentists, ‘How can I afford [CE]?’ I don't know if you can afford not to. You've got to think, a $20,000 CE — and there are companies out there that let you finance this stuff too. Like Proceed Finance, it’s a patient finance, will also finance dental CE for the dentist. And there are other companies. And most companies like The Pathway have payment plans and such like that. So, you can work it out on a monthly basis that's comfortable for you. But the jumping off the trampoline of that CE back at your practice is what really counts.” (11:04—11:40) “When someone says, ‘Is it worth it to spend $20,000 on CE?’ The answer is, well, what's the CE? What's it going to give you? What's the return on investment? That's true with anything. Like, if someone were to say, ‘I'm going to spend $100,000 on X, Y, Z,’ but it’s going to make them a million dollars over the next five years, great. The money doesn't matter. It’s all about the return. So, if you're interested in doing something like implant dentistry, which is its own subspecialty, you need to have high-quality CE. You cannot dabble because the stuff, just to get set up for it, is at least $25,000 in motors, parts, pieces, and implants. So, if you're not also backing that up with really good training that's high-quality and has good follow-up and backup and whatnot, then you're just going to be...
How to Be Different & Have Patients Beat the Door Down Episode #487 with Dr. Tim Herre Do what no one else does, and patients will flock to see you. And to help you find your X factor for your practice, Kirk Behrendt brings in Dr. Tim Herre, founder of the Breathe to Thrive Holistic Dental Center, to share his journey into holistic dentistry and advice for getting started. Self-discovery is your first and most important step! To learn more about finding your path and passion in dentistry, listen to Episode 487 of The Best Practices Show! Episode Resources: Dr. Herre’s email: dr.tim@gmail.com Dr. Herre’s website:https://holisticdentalkc.com/ ( https://holisticdentalkc.com/) Dr. Herre’s Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/timherredds ( https://www.facebook.com/timherredds) Dr. Herre’s social media: @drtimherre Holistic Dental’s social media: @holisticdentalkc Subscribe to thehttps://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen ( Best Practices Show Podcast) Join thehttps://www.actdental.com/ttt ( To The Top Study Club) See ourhttps://www.eventbrite.com/cc/act-dental-live-workshops-306239 ( Live Events Schedule) here Get thehttps://www.actdental.com/magazine ( Best Practices Magazine) for Free! Write ahttps://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show/id1223838218 ( Review on iTunes)
Main Takeaways: Figure out who you are first. Decide how you want your practice to look. Find something you enjoy that no one else does. Listen to your patients’ goals, then tailor to their needs. Keep learning and improving yourself, your team, and your practice. Quotes: “We know what we know today, and then tomorrow we do better.” (5:53—5:55) “You've got to figure out what's right for you, because I think I've gotten caught in the trap too. You listen to a lot of other people talk about their practice and, ‘I have 10 practices,’ or, ‘I'm doing X, Y, and Z.’ But what's right for you? Do you want something small? Something big? What procedures do you like to do? What do you want your clients to look like? So, I think it’s figuring out who you are first.” (11:58—12:22) “Everybody, all the time, is like, ‘I want an airway practice.’ But what does that truly mean? I think airway being a buzzword can mean a lot of different things to a lot of people. Even “holistic” can mean a lot of different things to a lot of people. But what does it mean to you, and how do you want to spin it?” (12:46—13:05) “Number one is, what do they want and what are their goals? What does the parent want for their child, versus project what we want on them? I think that's probably the biggest thing, is always ask them, ‘Well, what do you want?’ because then you can tailor what you're talking about to what their needs and goals are and give them choices based on that. Because it’s not always a one-size-fits-all. And so, I think first and foremost is listening to them and their story.” (15:29—15:56) “When you find the path that you want to take and you're passionate about it, it may take time, but things fall into place if you're always trying to figure things out.” (16:52—17:04) “That's been the biggest thing, is I found a procedure, or I found something that I enjoy that no one else does, so when all the other people in town, or therapists, or moms hear about it, that they have to come see [me].” (17:56—18:10) “When I rebranded to include “holistic” in my name, that brought in a whole other group of people. They come in because they want something different, but they're more open to listening to the message that you have. And they're more open to you sitting down and educating them, and your team educating, them on, ‘Hey, this is what I see,’ versus, ‘It’s broken. Fix it.’ They’ll be more proactive with their care and more receptive to, ‘Hey, I'm not in pain, but I see these things. Let's make a long-term game plan to help get me on track.’” (18:26—19:01) “When you're doing it for the right reasons, then it doesn't make it as...
Transforming Lives: Treating Patients with Autism Episode #486 with Karen Raposa, RDH Imagine having a toothache, but you're unable to communicate. In fact, you may have patients like this in your practice. Autism affects many children and adults — and you can have a positive impact on their dental experience. And to teach you how, Kirk Behrendt brings in Karen Raposa, author of Treating the Dental Patient with a Developmental Disability, to explain the misconceptions about autism and ways to educate yourself and your team. Every person deserves great dental care! To start helping these patients today, listen to Episode 486 of the Best Practices Show! Episode Resources: Karen’s website:http://www.karenraposa.com/ ( http://www.karenraposa.com/) Karen’s email: Karen@KarenRaposa.com Subscribe to thehttps://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen ( Best Practices Show Podcast) Join thehttps://www.actdental.com/ttt ( To The Top Study Club) See ourhttps://www.eventbrite.com/cc/act-dental-live-workshops-306239 ( Live Events Schedule) here Get thehttps://www.actdental.com/magazine ( Best Practices Magazine) for Free! Write ahttps://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show/id1223838218 ( Review on iTunes)
Main Takeaways: Autism is not a monolith. Educate yourself and your team about autism. Become an advocate for patients with disabilities. Everyone deserves compassionate, life-long dental care. Get involved with organizations like AADMD to learn how to help. Quotes: “When it comes to autism, if you've met one person with autism, that's it — you've met one person with autism. So, there can be misconceptions that, ‘Oh, I just do the same thing for everybody, and it’s going to help everybody who has autism.’ But every individual with autism is entirely different.” (2:37—2:53) “Unfortunately, a lot of [misconceptions about autism] is because of the media. What the media tends to show is people who are higher functioning with autism. Because there are people who maybe are not comfortable socially, but they're brilliant. They're savants, and they can play instruments amazingly, or they can go through life, when it comes to their education, very easily. But it’s a spectrum.” (3:36—3:59) “People don't realize, ‘What does that mean, “spectrum”?’ Well, it means that some people with autism may be extremely intelligent, and some people may be severely impaired, intellectually. And socially, some people may be able to communicate well and get along with others, and other people may not have that ability at all. And some may need someone to care for them for their entire life, and other people may be very independent. And I think the misconception is that it’s just this one image that you might have in your mind. And most of the time, individuals like my son, you don't hear about on TV programs or in the news, unless something really bad happens.” (4:01—4:44) “In general, most people go into dentistry because they want to help people. What tends to happen with the autism population is, most of the time, a dentist, a hygienist, an assistant, wants to help. They're just afraid they might do the wrong thing. And so, instead of trying something, very often, they choose not to help. And people with autism are human beings and deserve that valuable, life-long dental health just like everybody else does.” (5:01—5:35) “I can understand. I didn't know anything about autism. I was a hygienist. Prior to my son, I probably would've done the exact same thing and been like, ‘Oh my goodness. I don't want to do something wrong and have this end up being a bad situation. So, I'm just going to see if I can find another place for this patient to go.’ And the reality is, there really are not places for these individuals to go. Everybody needs to chip in and help a little bit to make a huge impact.” (5:37—6:06) “You're working with this person; you've learned that this person doesn't speak to anybody. Imagine if they...
What Most Dentists Get Wrong About Social Media Episode #485 with Allison Lacoursiere Not using social media is a big mistake. And for dentists feeling uneasy about the online world, today’s episode will change your mind! Kirk Behrendt brings in Allison Lacoursiere, founder of Clear Coaching, to explain why you need these platforms, how to do it well, and ways to connect with the patients you want in your practice. It’s time to embrace social media! To learn the best practices for social media success, listen to Episode 485 of The Best Practices Show! Episode Resources: Allison’s website:https://www.yourclearalignercoach.com/ ( https://www.yourclearalignercoach.com/) Allison’s Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/allison.lacoursiere ( https://www.facebook.com/allison.lacoursiere) Allison’s social media: @yourclearalignercoach Clearly I.G.’s social media: @clearlyig Subscribe to thehttps://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen ( Best Practices Show Podcast) Join thehttps://www.actdental.com/ttt ( To The Top Study Club) See ourhttps://www.eventbrite.com/cc/act-dental-live-workshops-306239 ( Live Events Schedule) here Get thehttps://www.actdental.com/magazine ( Best Practices Magazine) for Free! Write ahttps://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show/id1223838218 ( Review on iTunes)
Main Takeaways: Understand your vision and values before showcasing on social media. An online presence helps your patients know, like, and trust you. Be authentic. Don't change who you are when you're online. Create a system for capturing special moments. Don't manage social media on your own. Social media is your digital resume. Quotes: “[Social media] can be just as bad, or as frustrating, or as difficult as it can be good . . . It’s just the future. It’s the future of the way that we communicate. It’s the future of the way that our patients find out information about us. And what I like to call it now is it’s our digital resume when we are a business owner. And so, when we want people to understand who we are, what matters to us, and really pull back the curtain on what we’re doing in our business, social media is the best way we can do this with its visual platform and with the way that it’s reaching this audience.” (4:29—5:10) “[Social media] wasn't always as important. But it’s becoming more and more important because our audience has changed. The people that we’re trying to talk to has changed, and this is the way that they digest information. And so, one of the biggest things I would say that I see in the industry where we’re doing it wrong with social media is having a mindset that it has to be a certain way, or we have to be a certain way on social media for it to be successful.” (5:17—5:40) “If you can understand why social media is going to help your business, how it’s going to help your business, understand the platforms that you're going to use to get in front of the people that you want to serve the most, and then know how you can show up authentically, it’s not going to feel as icky and it’s going to have this very strong purpose to it so that you can really be excited about social media rather than dread it.” (5:44—6:06) “Don't change anything about who you are to get onto social media. Just show what you're doing that is working. Show the great care that you're doing with your patients. Show the fun that you're having with your team. Show who you guys are as a practice. And that's what's going to be the social proof that will allow patients to choose you and know, like, and trust you.” (6:48—7:06) “Doing [social media] well is understanding your values, your vision, who you are, showcasing in a very authentic way what's happening in your practice every single day. What's not doing it well is when you feel the need to only post dancing videos on the platform, or when you're only emulating other pages that you're seeing that really isn't authentic to you. You can always tell when you watch
The Ultimate Decision-Making Filter Episode #484 with Kirk Behrendt & Heather Crockett As a dentist, you make critical decisions every day. And to help you make the right ones, Kirk Behrendt brings back Heather Crockett, one of ACT’s amazing coaches, to share the magic formula to navigate decision-making in your practice. If you follow this system, you will make better decisions much faster and improve your business! To start reducing decision fatigue today, listen to Episode 484 of The Best Practices Show! Episode Resources: Heather’s email: heather@actdental.com Heather’s Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/heather.r.crockett ( https://www.facebook.com/heather.r.crockett) Heather’s social media: @actdental Subscribe to thehttps://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen ( Best Practices Show Podcast) Join thehttps://www.actdental.com/ttt ( To The Top Study Club) See ourhttps://www.eventbrite.com/cc/act-dental-live-workshops-306239 ( Live Events Schedule) here Get thehttps://www.actdental.com/magazine ( Best Practices Magazine) for Free! Write ahttps://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show/id1223838218 ( Review on iTunes)
Main Takeaways: Establish your core values early in your career. Hire, fire, and reward based on your core values. Work on keeping your core values alive in your practice. Understand the consequences of tolerating bad behavior. Quotes: “Your core values are nonnegotiable behaviors in your business. These are deeply ingrained things that make you tick. And when you really distill them down and let them bake for a year, you say to yourself, ‘Holy moly. That is what we are all about.’” (3:56—4:16) -Kirk “The more you lean into your core values, the more you call them out, the more you recognize them, the more you reward, fire, hire around your core values, crazy stuff goes away. I'm not kidding. You have less and less crazy stuff when you lean into your core values.” (5:22—5:39) -Kirk “Your favorite people that you'll ever work with, that you'll ever be with, that you'll ever really enjoy yourself as you're with them, is that they care about the same things you care about. The least favorite people you'll ever work with, ever be with, ever be around, they're not bad people. They just don't care about the same things that you care about. So, assignment number one is, figure out what the heck you care about and build a business, a team, a cause, a calling, around these core values.” (5:48—6:19) -Kirk “If people were to say, ‘What's the three most important things you've ever learned in business?’ number one would be, you've got to figure out your core values. Build an entire brand, an entire team, hire, fire, reward, recognize people around these things . . . Number two is, you need to put the right people in the right seats. Right people, right seats. It’s this: right people do one thing — they fit your core values. Right seats are, you've determined what seats make this practice work, and these people get results. The only reason you ever, ever hire people is for two reasons: they fit our core values and they get results. Not because they're nice people, not because they're your neighbor, not because they’ve worked here before. Everyone in your business has to fit your core values and has to get results, period. That's all there is to it.” (8:02—9:04) -Kirk “You're going to be presented with challenges. Your ability to overcome these challenges, make really good decisions about your business, determines the health and success in the future.” (9:05—9:16) -Kirk “I've had several client calls where a client will bring an issue to me as their coach, and they’ll say, ‘Help me with making this decision.’ And I always circle them back to their core values. Because not only are the core values these nonnegotiable behaviors for the practice, they're also guiding principles. They're like that third person in the room helping us to make these...
Using the F.O.R.D. Concept to Build Relationships in Your Practice Episode #483 with Kirk Behrendt & Jenni Poulos No matter how hard you try, you can't remember everything about every patient. But there is a way to document key details about them. It’s called the FORD concept, and Kirk Behrendt brings back Jenni Poulos, one of ACT’s amazing coaches, to share what it is, why you need it, and how to use it in your practice. FORD is a shortcut to better relationships! To learn the faster, easier way to bond with your patients, listen to Episode 483 of The Best Practices Show! Episode Resources: Jenni’s email: jenni@actdental.com Jenni’s Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/jenni.poulos ( https://www.facebook.com/jenni.poulos) Jenni’s social media: @actdental Subscribe to thehttps://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen ( Best Practices Show Podcast) Join thehttps://www.actdental.com/ttt ( To The Top Study Club) See ourhttps://www.eventbrite.com/cc/act-dental-live-workshops-306239 ( Live Events Schedule) here Get thehttps://www.actdental.com/magazine ( Best Practices Magazine) for Free! Write ahttps://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show/id1223838218 ( Review on iTunes)
Main Takeaways: FORD is an easy way to document key patient information. This system ensures your entire team is up to date with patients. Patients will trust you more quickly when they feel listened to and cared for. When patients trust you, they are more likely to accept your treatment plans. Quotes: “Patients want to know you care. They want to know that you're listening. They want to be remembered. We all do. And I've had so many teams say to me, ‘Gosh, we’re trying to find a way to put these notes so we can remember things. Do we put it in the clinical notes? How do we do it? Do we pin it? What's a great system for this?’ And one of the amazing doctors in our community taught us about this FORD concept. It’s a way to create a system to consistently and reliably know what's important to our patients so we can talk to them about it.” (4:04—4:41) “The FORD concept is making small notes about your patients’ Family, their Occupation, their Recreation, and their Dreams. These are the things that are personal to our patients. So, just by making small notes about each of these items, FORD, keeping them in your software, you can reference them before your patients come in and remember the things that are important to them. And immediately, shortcut relationship, because you begin to talk about them.” (5:33—6:08) “[FORD] really simplifies this [relationship-building] process, and you're not relying upon Sally’s brain to remember what was important about Mrs. Smith. You're not relying upon your assistant to recall what was talked about six, seven, eight weeks ago the last time a patient was in your chair. Our days are busy and crazy, so make this easy on yourselves and capture these key items.” (8:14—8:46) “Great leaders, great communicators, great team members, they remember the things that light people up. They remember those exciting moments. And when we talk about our dreams, it’s those light-up moments. It’s those exciting moments. And it actually brings us into a headspace where we have this release of dopamine, this release of serotonin, and we’re happy and excited and engaged. Our brains become malleable from a scientific standpoint. We’re actually more likely to engage in treatment and act upon things when we’re talking about the things that we love and the things that we like. So, our family, our dreams, these are things that are going to light us up, that are going to make us happy. And when we can set the stage of a conversation, what's important to you, to your life, what makes you happy, that conversation about the crown, the filling, the crack, whatever it’s going to be, it’s a much easier conversation that's grounded in relationship and trust.” (8:52—10:01) “If you're like me, you don't remember...
Why You Have to Go to SmileCon in Houston This Year! Episode #482 with Dr. Bob Skinner – ADA Meeting Chair If there's anything you want to learn about, you need to be at SmileCon! This dental event is one you don't want to miss, and Kirk Behrendt brings in Dr. Bob Skinner, chair of SmileCon 2022, to tell you everything you need to know. From the latest in dental technology to a range of activities — even NASA’s mini museum — there will be something for everyone to enjoy. For more about SmileCon 2022 and to register today, listen to Episode 482 of The Best Practices Show! Episode Resources: Dr. Skinner’s website:https://skinnerdentistry.com/ ( https://skinnerdentistry.com/) Dr. Skinner’s Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/SkinnerDentistry/ ( https://www.facebook.com/SkinnerDentistry/) Register for ADA SmileCon 2022:https://www.ada.org/education/smilecon ( https://www.ada.org/education/smilecon) Subscribe to thehttps://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen ( Best Practices Show Podcast) Join thehttps://www.actdental.com/ttt ( To The Top Study Club) See ourhttps://www.eventbrite.com/cc/act-dental-live-workshops-306239 ( Live Events Schedule) here Get thehttps://www.actdental.com/magazine ( Best Practices Magazine) for Free! Write ahttps://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show/id1223838218 ( Review on iTunes)
Main Takeaways: Go to SmileCon! Go to SmileCon! Go to SmileCon! Quotes: “To me, to go to an annual meeting, to go to SmileCon, you go there to reconnect and to connect. And if you don't go to these, be it the ADA or any of them, you're missing out.” (10:03—10:13) “We have 120 presentations at SmileCon this year over three days. So, there's not going to be anything that you can't hear and learn about.” (10:17—10:24) “I go to meetings a lot of times to learn from my colleagues. Now, most of these speakers are our colleagues because they're doing it too. But that's what I think a lot of people that don't routinely go to meetings [miss out on], whether it’s state, local, or national. That's what I get out of going to a lot of meetings.” (10:45—11:04) “If there's something you want to learn about, you need to be at SmileCon this year. It’s going to be a great show for everyone, regardless of why you're going.” (11:50—12:00) “All dental meetings will have this. We’ve called ours Dental Central with SmileCon — and it is. It’s a central place that we can all go, and we can learn, and we can meet. And there will be some fun stuff there to play with too. And then, after it’s all over, we can smile on what a great experience [it was].” (15:48—16:04) “It’s going to be great. We’re looking forward to seeing everybody and reconnecting. And I think that's the thing that you need to think about. It’s the relationships that make the world turn around. And so, that's what's good about it.” (23:03—23:14) Snippets: 0:00 Introduction. 2:32 The vision for ADA SmileCon 2022. 9:52 What to expect at ADA SmileCon. 12:17 Participate in the Dental Olympics. 15:21 Experience Dental Central. 21:46 Last thoughts on SmileCon. Links Mentioned in this Episode: Unlocking Us podcast:https://open.spotify.com/show/4P86ZzHf7EOlRG7do9LkKZ ( https://open.spotify.com/show/4P86ZzHf7EOlRG7do9LkKZ) Dare to Lead podcast:https://open.spotify.com/show/3oEPsPKDhPVoNNL7pH5db6 ( https://open.spotify.com/show/3oEPsPKDhPVoNNL7pH5db6) The Power of Vulnerability Ted Talk by Brené Brown:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iCvmsMzlF7o ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iCvmsMzlF7o) Dr. Bob Skinner Bio: https://skinnerdentistry.com/meet-dr-skinner/ (https://skinnerdentistry.com/meet-dr-skinner/)
How to Do Profitable Non-Selling Dentistry Episode #481 with Dr. Pat Lillis You don't need to be pushy to be profitable. And to help you get more yeses without the hard sell to patients, Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. Pat Lillis to share his secret formula to profitable procedures in a non-selling manner. With predictability and a strong team culture, you can increase production without increasing your workdays! To learn more about profitable, non-selling dentistry, listen to Episode 481 of The Best Practices Show! Episode Resources: Dr. Lillis’s email: drlillis@mac.com Dr. Lillis’s website:https://opdentaldesign.com/ ( https://opdentaldesign.com/) Dr. Lillis’s Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/patrick.lillis.33 ( https://www.facebook.com/patrick.lillis.33) Dr. Lillis’s social media: @drlillis Subscribe to thehttps://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen ( Best Practices Show Podcast) Join thehttps://www.actdental.com/ttt ( To The Top Study Club) See ourhttps://www.eventbrite.com/cc/act-dental-live-workshops-306239 ( Live Events Schedule) here Get thehttps://www.actdental.com/magazine ( Best Practices Magazine) for Free! Write ahttps://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show/id1223838218 ( Review on iTunes)
Main Takeaways: Start with a vision. Predictability is the key. Don't sell dentistry to patients. Master the posterior restoration. Cultivate your team and your culture. Educate your patients, then back away. Quotes: “Without vision, it’s almost like we waste a lot of time in dentistry. And we only have so many years and hours and days at the chair. So, I think it starts back to vision.” (4:16—4:28) “The holy grail of dentistry, to me, is efficiency, predictability, and time.” (6:28—6:33) “When you're doing your procedures, you should take a stopwatch and you should be able to time that down to the minute of when you're going to start and when you're going to stop. And if that is not predictable, then it’s time to start looking at that procedure, if it’s really a good idea to keep in your armamentarium and your practice. Now, if it gets you out of bed in the morning and you love it, great. Go for it. But it’s really homing in that predictability. But the posterior crown, the posterior implant crown, the full-mouth reconstruction can be as well. As long as you can predictably know where you're going to end up before you start, that's the holy grail of dentistry. That's how you become profitable.” (7:12—7:52) “For me, in my hands, it just wasn't efficient. It’s more efficient to do the same four or five procedures — which I love to do anyway. I know when I'm going to start and when I'm going to stop. That, to us, is we just turn and burn. So, you go from one crown preparation to the next crown preparation, to the next one, to the operative procedure. You pre-block your schedule out where you're just going to do crowns and major stuff in the morning. Then, you're going to do operative dentistry in the afternoon, sprinkled in with exams pre-booked out. That, to us, has been a very, very efficient model. And it took us from working four days a week all the way down to three days a week, and still producing the same numbers as we were when we were doing four days a week when we were doing a hodgepodge of dentistry.” (9:26—10:09) “You can do an intraoral scan on a posterior implant crown in 10 minutes. And then, you can deliver that in another 10 minutes. So, that's about 20 minutes. Let's be conservative. Let's say it’s 30 minutes, total, chair time. There's no anesthetic, there's no packing core, and it’s all scanned. It’s crazy. But it gets glossed over and people don't realize it. And if you can master the posterior restoration, it’s a huge practice-builder. I cannot tell you how many patients come into the practice and say, ‘Yeah, I just left my other dentist because he put this crown in like four or five times, and it’s never fit really well. And it took him...
My Journey Out of PPOs Episode #480 with Dr. Bill Crinzi Your family, your future, and your team depend on this one thing: your decision to go out-of-network! And to reveal how it can be done, Kirk Behrendt brings in Dr. Bill Crinzi to share his personal journey out of PPOs and into a better life. Start slow, plan ahead, and don't be afraid! To learn how you can start moving away from PPOs today, listen to Episode 480 of The Best Practices Show! Episode Resources: Dr. Crinzi’s Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/wcrinzi ( https://www.facebook.com/wcrinzi) Dr. Crinzi’s social media: @linkster61 Subscribe to thehttps://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen ( Best Practices Show Podcast) Join thehttps://www.actdental.com/ttt ( To The Top Study Club) See ourhttps://www.eventbrite.com/cc/act-dental-live-workshops-306239 ( Live Events Schedule) here Get thehttps://www.actdental.com/magazine ( Best Practices Magazine) for Free! Write ahttps://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show/id1223838218 ( Review on iTunes)
Main Takeaways: Start slow. Don't be afraid of losing patients. You don't need to be everyone’s dentist. Be prepared to talk to patients about dropping PPOs. Plan for the potential smear campaign from insurance. Patients will return and be willing to pay for great dentistry. Quotes: “The staff was looking to [get out of PPOs] even before COVID-19 hit. They knew things were kind of hectic, and they were like, ‘Let's get this together.’ We were spinning, but we weren't hitting bonuses as much as we were back when we first signed on, and they were seeing that things weren't great. So, they were all-in on it. They weren't as afraid as the leadership was.” (7:19—7:45) “We started [with] maybe one or two patients. We would start having a little bit of discussion about, ‘You know what? We might be thinking about leaving. They're not letting us have a personal relationship with you. They're interrupting the care that we can give you.’ That kind of conversation, we had with our patients. And we couldn’t have it all the time. The hygienists were afraid they were going to run behind if we’re going to have this conversation with every patient. So, obviously, that was a discussion that we'd have in a team meeting. But for the most part, that was how we got started. And the fears kind of dissipated.” (8:44—9:24) “You've got to have some thick-skinned people in the admin area because you will get some patients that'll get a little bit frustrated with, ‘Why did this happen? What happened?’” (9:27—9:37) “For the most part, there are a lot of patients that if insurance didn't cover their treatment, they weren't going to have it done. And we tried — I mean, we knew that was us and how we presented. We had to create that value for the treatment that we were doing for patients. But there's still that small percentage of patients that'll say, ‘If they're not paying for it, I'm not going to do it,’ and they’ll go down the road to an in-network person.” (10:27—10:51) “Once we got all our existing patients to come through the cycle once and they know the policy now — that was where the fear was with me. I didn't want to lose those existing patients. How dare they! They were my buddies. I had some friends that left. We had 20% leave. That’s what they told us was going to be happen, and that's exactly what happened.” (12:14—12:36) “A lot of the experts tell you that when you're going out-of-network, don't send a letter to your patients. Make sure you have that one-on-one contact. We couldn't do that with 5,800 patients. There's no way you could do that. So, we had to send a letter . . . We sent the letter out, and that was our foundation of the patients who were going to complain about it. ‘We sent a letter out.’ ‘Oh, I didn't get it.’ ‘Well, we can look online. Is this your email?’ ‘Yes, it is.’ ‘Well, you did get it.’ And then, we’ve got it all over the reception area. People are...
How Your Team Can Help Your Practice Be Financially Successful Episode #479 with Kirk Behrendt & Jenni Poulos You can't do great dentistry without talking about numbers. And to do that, you need to first understand them yourself. Once you know the metrics that matter, you can help your team be aligned with the goals for your practice. And today, Kirk Behrendt brings back Jenni Poulos, one of ACT’s amazing coaches, to help you navigate the difficult conversations around money and numbers with your team. Conversation leads to collaboration! To learn how to get started, listen to Episode 479 of The Best Practices Show! Episode Resources: Jenni’s email: jenni@actdental.com Jenni’s Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jenni.poulos (https://www.facebook.com/jenni.poulos) Jenni’s social media: @actdental Subscribe to thehttps://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen ( Best Practices Show Podcast) Join thehttps://www.actdental.com/ttt ( To The Top Study Club) See ourhttps://www.eventbrite.com/cc/act-dental-live-workshops-306239 ( Live Events Schedule) here Get thehttps://www.actdental.com/magazine ( Best Practices Magazine) for Free! Write ahttps://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show/id1223838218 ( Review on iTunes)
Main Takeaways: It is okay to be profitable. Make conversations collaborative. Get your team to weigh in so you get buy-in. Educate yourself before educating your team. Be comfortable talking about money and numbers. Quotes: “Bottom line, you do run a business. And your business needs to be healthy, and it needs to be smart.” (2:40—2:48) “Sometimes, we get stuck when we have to talk about those other smart pieces, those things that are around money, because we think, ‘Gosh, they won't care,’ or, ‘They won't understand,’ or, ‘They won't be bought in.’ And I'll tell you, the team is telling themselves their own story about the finances of the practice. So, let's help fill in that story with some true pieces. Help them understand some key concepts around money and around finances that are going to help support the business.” (3:06—3:37) “People don't think holistically about how many people are actually supported by your practice. We look at who comes into the practice every day, the five, six, seven, 10, 20, 30 people, and we think, ‘Okay, I'm offering some level of support to just those people.’ But then, we look at who’s behind those people. There are dads, and moms, and kids. There are whole families that are reliant upon what's happening in that practice every day.” (4:06—4:43) “When we open our eyes a little bit and think about who are all the people that are connected to this practice, we realize we get to actually do a lot more for a lot more people than we realized. And the team members see that too. They begin to feel like, ‘Oh my gosh, I'm not just supporting me and my family. I'm also helping to support the hygienist, and her kids, and their family, and their dreams, and their goals.’” (4:44—5:14) “It’s okay to be profitable. Your profit is to your practice what oxygen is to your body. Without it, both die. And so, we’ve got to have a reasonable amount of profit.” (6:30—6:41) -Kirk “Profit lends itself to margin — emotional margin, time margin, profitability so you can make decisions financially. It can help you slow down and enjoy people. It can help you commit to more quality. So, it’s okay to be profitable.” (6:42—7:03) -Kirk “We need to educate our teams on where our goals come from, why we have certain agreements, policies, and systems around collections, why we don't want to be a bank to our patients, why we can't just say, ‘Yes, I would love for everyone in this office to make $100 an hour.’” (7:10—7:32) “Before you have targets, financially, you've got to have data. This becomes the foundational piece where most people go wrong.” (9:28—9:36) -Kirk “Not given appropriate information, we make up our
Getting Out of PPOs By Blowing Up the Box Episode #478 with Debra Engelhardt-Nash Thinking outside the box is great. But why not get rid of the box? And to help you start thinking beyond the ordinary, Kirk Behrendt brings in Debra Engelhardt-Nash, practice management expert and co-founder of The Nash Institute. Go above and beyond to exceed your patients’ expectations, improve their experience, and increase revenue! To learn more about out-of-the-box thinking, listen to Episode 478 of The Best Practices Show! Episode Resources: Debra’s phone number: (704) 904-3459 Debra’s email: debraengelhardtnash@gmail.com Debra’s website:https://debraengelhardtnash.com/ ( https://debraengelhardtnash.com/) Subscribe to thehttps://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen ( Best Practices Show Podcast) Join thehttps://www.actdental.com/ttt ( To The Top Study Club) See ourhttps://www.eventbrite.com/cc/act-dental-live-workshops-306239 ( Live Events Schedule) here Get thehttps://www.actdental.com/magazine ( Best Practices Magazine) for Free! Write ahttps://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show/id1223838218 ( Review on iTunes)
Main Takeaways: Go above and beyond what's usual and customary in dentistry. Respond to patient questions with above-usual answers. Give patients information to help their decision-making. Build relationships with patients as quickly as possible. Always tell patients about everything you offer. Quotes: “If we’re going to change our behavior, if we want to behave in an above-usual and customary way, if we don't want to do things usually and customarily, then get rid of the box that we pigeonhole dental practices in, ‘We have to do it this way because this is how dental offices do it.’ Do it your way.” (2:51—3:11) “Patients expect certain things in offices. They expect a toothbrush at their hygiene appointment. They expect to be re-called. They expect cleanliness. They expect sterilization techniques. That's expected. And then, there's what we call augmented behavior. So, augmented behavior is, what do we do that’s usual, but we do it in an unusual way, we do it in an above-performance way?” (3:15—3:40) “Let's talk about the little bag. Sometimes, the patient comes in, they're paying $200 to $300 or more for a re-care, and you give them this little plastic bag that, frankly, looks like a dog poop bag. You know that plastic bag that doesn't cost you anything? You might have gotten it free from Crest or Colgate or somebody, and it’s the kind of bag I use when I walk my dog. So, think about, what can we do that would be exceptional and people say, ‘Man, when I go to my dentist, I get this kind of bag’?” (4:16—4:47) “When patients say, ‘Well, my insurance company says that your fees are above usual and customary. My insurance says that your fees are higher than the fees that they're going to allow,’ my answer would be, ‘I'm so glad you've given me an opportunity to address that. Because I am sure that we have demonstrated that our behavior and our abilities and our professionalism, our techniques, our materials, are above usual and customary. We would never want to be considered usual and customary. We always want to be considered above usual and customary, and some of the things that we do are not recognized by your insurance plan. But they're recognized by you, aren't they?’” (5:29—6:10) “If you never tell your patients what you have to offer, they will never choose it.” (7:32—7:35) “I don't have the right or responsibility to tell somebody what they can or can't afford. My responsibility is to tell them what we could do for them and let them choose that for themselves.” (7:44—7:54) “For so many years, we get frustrated that the patients are insurance-dependent. Ladies and gentlemen, we made them that way.” (10:11—10:19) “[The reason I ask patients what inspired them to call] is I want to engage in a relationship as quickly as possible. Because truly, patients are...
The Science Behind Positive Thinking Episode #477 with Robb Zbierski Your brain is like a bank account — you don't want to be in the negatives! Make deposits and do it often. And to teach you the science behind positive thinking, Kirk Behrendt brings back Robb Zbierski, a best-selling author and personal coach from Freedom Personal Development, to help you maintain a positive state of mind. If you want to learn how to create habits for healthy, positive thinking, listen to Episode 477 of The Best Practices Show! Episode Resources: Robb’s Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/robb.zbierski ( https://www.facebook.com/robb.zbierski) Robb’s LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/robbzbierski ( https://www.linkedin.com/in/robbzbierski) Robb’s social media: @robbzspeaker Freedom Personal Development:https://freedompersonaldevelopment.com/trainmybrain/ ( https://freedompersonaldevelopment.com/trainmybrain/) Subscribe to thehttps://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen ( Best Practices Show Podcast) Join thehttps://www.actdental.com/ttt ( To The Top Study Club) See ourhttps://www.eventbrite.com/cc/act-dental-live-workshops-306239 ( Live Events Schedule) here Get thehttps://www.actdental.com/magazine ( Best Practices Magazine) for Free! Write ahttps://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show/id1223838218 ( Review on iTunes)
Main Takeaways: Don't be stuck in negativity, urgency, and complacency. Learn ways to raise your energetic state of mind. State of mind is 70% of generating any result. Understand high and low energetic values. Get in the habit of small “wins”. Choose happiness. Quotes: “You've got your brain’s unhelpful default settings. Your brain is naturally focusing on and looking for some version of negativity, urgency, and complacency. And the things you benefit from focusing on that are designed to overcome that are heightening your awareness on what's most important, creating energizing goals, designing a schedule that gives you space, and then having an ongoing system for feeding your mind.” (9:07—9:30) “As human beings, we want to revert back to old ways. And those old ways are focusing on negativity, urgency, and complacency.” (9:52—9:59) “It’s how you start your day. And actually, it starts the night before. But what you do in the first 30 to 60 minutes of your day, that determines the day you're going to have.” (14:18—14:29) “When you get yourself in the habit of doing things that feel like wins, that raises your energetic state of mind.” (14:39—14:46) “Different energetic states of mind carry different power and energetic values . . . You've got things like shame, despair, humiliation, and blame. And hopelessness and guilt sit on the bottom. And then, way at the top, you've got peace, serenity, love. And so, what happens is you’ve got an energetic value to each of these states of mind. And it’s a nonlinear relationship.” (15:09—15:43) “When you're down in shame, despair, humiliation, you have very, very low energetic value. And moving to a place of neutrality is an exponential jump in your energetic state.” (16:03—16:17) “Forgiveness is a very high energetic state of mind, [as well as] love, understanding, reason, serenity, peace. But so many of us, you mentioned the stuff you're willing to tolerate, it’s mainly tied to energetic states of mind like desire, craving, anxiety. Like, ‘Oh my god, I've got to get the bills paid. I've got to pay the rent. I've got to pay the salaries. I've got to pay the insurance.’ And that creates a high level of anxiety. So, any tools that you have at your disposal that, when you use them, will elevate that energetic state of mind, you're going to have a better experience. You're going to get better results.” (16:39—17:14) “People at the top of their game, the people who are the thought leaders, CEOs, Olympic athletes, they understand that state of mind is 70% of generating any result. And I don't mean like closing the sale. I mean like
Why Most Social Media is BS Episode #476 with Dr. Adamo Notarantonio There are good things that social media can do for dentistry. But there's a bad and ugly side that every dentist should be aware of. And today, Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. Adamo Notarantonio, co-founder of the imPRES courses, to highlight what we already know: most social media is BS! Every gorgeous image is the result of education, practice, and a billion more of hours of practice. Don't be discouraged by what you see! To learn the good, bad, and ugly of social media and how to stay motivated, listen to Episode 476 of The Best Practices Show! Episode Resources: Dr. Notarantonio’s social media:https://www.instagram.com/adamoelvis/ ( @adamoelvis) Dr. Notarantonio’s courses:https://imprescourses.com/ ( https://imprescourses.com/) Subscribe to thehttps://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen ( Best Practices Show Podcast) Join thehttps://www.actdental.com/ttt ( To The Top Study Club) See ourhttps://www.eventbrite.com/cc/act-dental-live-workshops-306239 ( Live Events Schedule) here Get thehttps://www.actdental.com/magazine ( Best Practices Magazine) for Free! Write ahttps://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show/id1223838218 ( Review on iTunes)
Main Takeaways: Understand the good, the bad, and the ugly of social media. Don't strive for perfection — no one can be perfect. Practice, practice, and practice some more. Be authentic on social media. Get educated — a lot. Quotes: “A cool part of social media for the younger generation [is] they could see what the possibilities are. But I think they have to realize and understand that to get to the level of the educator that we all look up to, like a John Kois or Frank Spear or Gregg Kinzer or Amanda Seed — do you know how much work they had to do to get to that level?” (9:33—9:57) “Instagram is great to meet people. I have great friends — I use it as advertising for my courses. Obviously, that's great. But the amount of work that I do behind closed doors to get to the level that I'm practicing at right now, the younger generation can't fathom because they want — and not to their fault — everything is so fast; the click of a button on a phone, boom, boom. That's not the secret to success.” (9:57—10:19) “We all have work out there we’re not proud of. Maybe the patient loved it. Maybe it wasn't our best. But you learn from it. That's the whole point.” (10:36—10:44) “To do composites at the level I'm doing, I failed a thousand times. I redid 10,000 of them. I practiced a billion times. And I think that gets lost now because, ‘Oh, you need food? Okay, DoorDash. Two seconds. You want this? Boom. Five seconds.’ That's not reality.” (10:45—11:03) “I don't want to bash social media altogether and say it’s BS — it’s not. It’s great for certain things. And I see it more with the younger generation, ‘Hey, teach me how to do,’ or, ‘What camera did you use?’ And I want to reply to them like, ‘I'll send you my camera. You still won't take that picture because you don't understand the settings and the lighting and all that.’ The better question would be like, ‘Hey, where can I go to learn that?’ And I will say, ‘Take this course. Take that course.’” (11:08—11:32) “Social media shows you the before and the after with the nice car and nice clothes. The amount of work that you need to do to get there, everybody wants to overlook that.” (13:59—14:09) “In the sense of how it’s good, [social media] made me what I am or where I am right now.” (14:45—14:49) “The other good part [of social media], you meet amazing people. I'm in a group chat with probably 50 dentists around the world. Their work, every day I'm like, ‘Oh my god. That's insane.’ So, it’s cool for the exposure, to see stuff that — we would've never heard of half these people. And they wouldn't have a shot to come up if we weren't able to notice them. So, I think that's the good, for me.” (16:02—16:24) “My advice to...
Adversity is opportunity — if you have the right mindset. And to help you move forward from the difficult times in your life, Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. Kevin Growth to explain why you will have a few bad years, how that's a great thing, and ways to embrace the years that suck. Too many good years can make you complacent! To learn how to fall and fail gracefully, listen to Episode 475 of The Best Practices Show! Episode Resources: Dr. Groth’s email: kevingroth@gmail.com Dr. Groth’s Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/grothdental ( https://www.facebook.com/grothdental) Dr. Groth’s social media: @drkevingroth Subscribe to thehttps://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen ( Best Practices Show Podcast) Join thehttps://www.actdental.com/ttt ( To The Top Study Club) See ourhttps://www.eventbrite.com/cc/act-dental-live-workshops-306239 ( Live Events Schedule) here Get thehttps://www.actdental.com/magazine ( Best Practices Magazine) for Free! Write ahttps://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show/id1223838218 ( Review on iTunes)
Main Takeaways: You can learn something from every bad moment. Embrace the difficult years you will experience. Bad years are a matter of when, not if. Be surrounded by the best people. Success is never linear.
Quotes: “In Traction, Gino Wickman talked about out of a 10-year window, you're going to have two great years, six good years, and two awful years. And I think the important thing to reflect on is that you're going to have two really bad years, and those bad years are actually what propel you forward.” (3:50—4:06) “It’s not a matter of if I have something bad happen to me in the future, it’s a matter of when. I hope that happens a long time from now, but it’s only inevitable that you're going to go through something bad. And that's okay. And it’s something that I think we should all embrace.” (4:26—4:40) “The thing that really helped me this time around is I was very vulnerable and very open to people that I really lean on. And through that, it made everything so much better for me.” (4:42—4:51) “Embrace the “suck” because something good is going to come from it — if you actually want to propel forward.” (5:23—5:29) “I really embraced some really great years in ’19, ’20. But at one point in time, I was like, ‘Well, I got my vision done. We’re great. I'm okay with it being this way. I want to take my foot off the gas a little bit.’ And when you do that, you get complacent. You get content with how things happen. And then, all of a sudden, maybe some things start slipping through the cracks. And then, that's when you start realizing that — it propels you — you have to fall.” (8:23—8:49) “It is easy to coast. And it’s fun, and it’s good. You need brakes. Everybody needs a little bit of rest, but at the same point in time know that the next wave of “suck” is going to come, and then that's going to drive you into a whole different realm of, ‘What do I need to do now?’” (8:55—9:10) “It’s good to have a vision through [life] so you have an understanding of what direction you want to go down. In 10 years from now when I'm 45, what does life look like for me? My kids will be a certain age. My family will be doing this, this, this. What does the dynamic of this office look like? Because then, you can now piece things back and say, ‘Okay, in order to get there 10 years from now, I need to splice this segment up. So, in three years from now, I want to be on this trajectory.’ And then, you can go even further and say, ‘In a year, this is where I need to be in order to get to the three years.’ And from a quarterly basis, you could do that too. So, you always want to have quarterly priorities or quarterly goals or some way of tracking these metrics to make sure you're on the right plan.” (25:38—26:21) “[The perfect practice] doesn't exist. And also, if you do buy that, there's no sense of...
Why Listening is One of the Best Growth Opportunities Episode #474 with Dr. Kelley Brummett Sometimes, what you thought you heard a patient say isn't what they said. And as a dentist, that can get you into trouble! And to help you be a better communicator and avoid misunderstandings, Kirk Behrendt brings in Dr. Kelley Brummett from The Pankey Institute to share some insight into polishing those skills. Listening isn't just about hearing words! To learn how to be present, open, and a better listener, listen to Episode 474 of The Best Practices Show! Main Takeaways: What you thought you heard may not be what was said. Listen to people’s body language, not just their words. Don't end conversations with an answer. Ask your team for help. Learn to be present. Quotes: “It’s a continual process to learn about how we as dentists, how we as humans, can be better listeners.” (7:50—7:58) “Whenever you're having a conversation with someone, and let's say you ask them a question like, ‘Hi, how can I help you?’ and they give you a response back, it’s asking another question instead of just closing that conversation with an answer. Because oftentimes, what we’re doing is we’re trying to dial into what the real, whether it’s a cause-effect link, so we can help. Because it’s one thing when you say, ‘This tooth is broken. You need a crown,’ and the patient says, ‘Okay, I agree.’ But then, if they don't schedule, and if we didn't ask another question like, ‘Is there anything that might get in the way of scheduling this today?’ or, ‘Are there any other questions that you have?’ or, ‘Is there anything I can show you?’ you might not understand some limitations a patient has, and that can be frustrating.” (12:13—13:18) “I have found, for myself, that I can run into trouble by missing something really critical with a patient, and what I thought I heard sometimes isn't exactly what the patient was saying.” (15:25—15:37) “Whenever I'm with a restorative patient and I've got to go straight to hygiene, as I'm walking to that hygiene room, [I try] to make a ritual of, how do I disconnect from the patient I was with? How do I not make eye contact with the front desk — because that will cause me to be hijacked to a different direction — and then walk into the next room with as much awareness and openness as I can.” (16:25—16:54) “The biggest way to close the gap . . . is if I can recognize that if I ask the question to the patient, or to the person I'm having the conversation with, ‘Help me understand what I thought I heard,’ or, ‘Let me say back to you what we’re doing right here,’ or, ‘Let me say back what I just heard you say to me.’ Ask for some clarity. And I'll be honest, I think that that's a really hard thing to do because there's a rejection piece, possibly, because you might be received negatively or, ‘What do you mean? You haven’t been listening to me.’ So, it’s scary.” (18:27—19:21) “I had a patient in my chair, and he was a mechanic. And he never wanted to put his fingers in his mouth, as far as flossing, because they were stained. And why he would not floss, it took me a few conversations to ask him, ‘What's that about?’ And he said, ‘Look at my hands.’ But I'd never really asked him before. I was just, ‘Okay, you decided not to floss. We’ll just leave that be.’” (20:06—20:33) “The other thing I experienced, which has really affected the way that I manage patients while I'm doing dentistry, [the patient] was really struggling in the chair with suction and water and air. And sometimes, we’ll hear dentists talk about, ‘Gosh, this person was so grabby, and they wanted me to do this. They didn't trust me that I was going to take care of them.’ And I sat him up and I said, ‘Can I ask you a question? Has something happened to you? Because you seem concerned that something’s going to happen to you.’ And he’s like, ‘You know, after you asked me that question — I almost drowned once.’ I would have never thought that an experience of...
The Money Tool Roadmap Episode #473 with Dr. Barrett Straub Do you ever wonder where your money is going? Do you want a better grasp on your financial health? If you do, you need ACT’s newest resource, the Money Tool Roadmap! And today, Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. Barrett Straub, ACT’s CEO, to talk about how this tool will help you understand profitability, manage your cash flow, and create more true profit. To learn more about the Money Tool Roadmap and how to get it, listen to Episode 473 of The Best Practices Show! Main Takeaways: Understand the sweet spot of profitability. Habits are more powerful than willpower. Learn to save early — and save a lot. Don't make decisions based on fear. Know the meaning of true profit. Quotes: “It’s a very stressful day when you don't have financial margin, you don't have extra money in the bank, you don't have a rainy-day fund. When you're in those positions and collections dip, that gets really stressful.” (3:57—4:10) “There's not a clear line between these four, but there are roughly four financial life phases. The first is, you're out of school. We call it high uncertainty and high debt. Most dentists graduate with a lot of debt. They're going into practice, they're going to buy a house, they have a new family, they're buying cars. They're starting to enter real life. So, high debt. Then, they have uncertainty, ‘Where will I practice? What's my earning potential? Will I be fast enough, clinically? Will I be able to sell dentistry?’ We think we’ll be good dentists, but there's still high uncertainty. Both, that high debt and that high uncertainty, cloud our decision-making.” (8:36—9:18) “I, in that [high debt, high uncertainty] phase, said to myself a couple times, ‘I'm going to see if there's any money left over at the end of the year. And if there's any extra, I'll invest it.’ And guess what? There wasn't any money left. And then, I did it for another year. And then, finally, I learned an important lesson.” (9:19—9:36) “The next phase is phase two. High debt, still, but a little bit lower uncertainty. So, maybe you've been out of practice a few years. Maybe you're a brand-new practice owner. You're starting to figure it out a little bit. But you’ve still got, especially if you just bought a practice, your debt even increased because you've got a practice loan. Maybe bought some equipment to upgrade the office. So, now, you’ve found your speed. You're getting a little more confident, dental wise. Your debt load just went up, so you still have that stress. Again, that's a very easy phase to say, ‘I've got too much debt. I'm going to wait a few more years. In a couple years, I'll have enough money to start really investing.’” (9:36—10:22) “Phase three is moderate debt. So, now, we’re paying off some of the debt. Maybe you've been a practice owner for a handful of years. The dentistry is getting easier. The uncertainty is getting low now, but you still have moderate debt. Now is where, often, dentists take the next step in practice upgrades. Maybe you buy a CEREC. Maybe you buy a CBCT. You still don't know where your money is. You still say, ‘Boy, I'm paying a lot of tax. I don't see this money.’” (10:24—10:53) “Phase three is where you're like, ‘Shoot. I'm 38 years old. I thought I'd have a lot more money saved away. I thought I'd be doing pretty good. I have some, but I need more.’ Then, you say, ‘But in a couple more years, I'll really be able to sock it away.’” (11:14—11:36) “Then, you get to that last phase, your late 40s, maybe early 50s. You really got low debt, really low uncertainty. You've got dentistry figured out. You're rolling. And then, you go to your financial advisor. It’s like, ‘Okay, let's start nailing this down, when I can retire, and all that,’ and your advisor says, ‘You can't retire for a long time. You don't have nearly enough saved. Oh, and by the way, your practice isn't worth nearly what you think it is.’ So, now, you thought you're going to
The Truth About Transition from Analog to Digital Episode #472 with Dr. Brandon James Digital is the future. If you embrace the change now, your dentistry will be more accurate, more efficient, and have more predictable results. And to help you transition from analog to digital, Kirk Behrendt brings in Dr. Brandon James to share his transition journey, advice for handling technology phobia, and ways to adjust to the learning curve. Digital dentistry is advancing — don't be left behind! To learn how going digital will benefit your patients and your practice, listen to Episode 472 of The Best Practices Show! Main Takeaways: Without the right people to use it, expensive equipment is just décor. Transitioning to digital will help you empower your team. It will help you be better, faster, and more efficient. Digital can empower patients’ decision-making. Don't be last to go digital — it’s the future. Quotes: “If you're purchasing all this equipment and your “why” is so that you can have a better picture for your Instagram post or your Facebook post, that's the wrong why.” (4:04—4:11) “In the world of digital dentistry in full arch, it’s not necessarily that what you're doing in the analog world is not working — it is working. But the digital world allows you some more efficiencies and some more ease in what we’re doing.” (8:15—8:32) “You've got to have the right people in place to institute this. Because you can buy $150,000 of equipment, and then it just comes and sits on a shelf. And we’ve all done that, in some regard. But when the stakes are that high, when the dollar figures are that high, you really need to have people in place to implement it.” (10:25—10:46) “I love dentistry. I truly do. But I don't want to be doing clinical dentistry till 3:00 or 4:00 in the afternoon, and then turn on my digital designer hat and sit there and design cases for three, four, five hours into the night, and then see my family and kids at 9:00 at night. That's not what I signed up for.” (11:44—12:02) “I absolutely believe that all of those rules and regulations that we all abide by of prosthodontics in the analog world, those still apply. Just because you buy a piece of machinery doesn't take out the rules of the game. It’s intended to enable you to do it a little bit better, maybe do it a little bit faster, do it a little bit more efficiently so that it then becomes a little bit more affordable for the patients, and you can control that cost. Because treating these patients is hard work.” (12:36—13:03) “For us, it wasn't that anything was not working in the analog world. It was just that we started seeing that maybe we can do things a little bit quicker, a little bit faster, a little bit more efficient, have a little bit more predictability in the process. And that's where we’re going with things.” (13:13—13:31) “My favorite part [of the transition process], at this stage of the game that we’re in, is seeing [the team] take ownership of the process itself and empowering them to feel like they have a real say in the process.” (14:30—14:48) “[Digital] also, I think, really empowers the patients’ decision-making from a standpoint of, they can see. A lot of things that we talk about and makes sense to us, it doesn't make a hill of beans to the patient. We might as well be talking Greek to them. But when they can tangibly see something on the screen instead of having all that goopy impression in their mouth, or we can do a facial scan and all of a sudden it pops up on the screen and, ‘Oh my gosh, that looks a lot like me,’ it’s not just this pixelated avatar-looking thing, it’s a powerful motivational — I mean, we never like to say it, and it causes my toes to curl a little bit, but it is a good sales thing for people to see that, and it’s an empowering thing for that process.” (16:04—16:55) “The more information that we can put in front of [patients], I really feel that it empowers them to make a confident decision
The 5 Don'ts of Attracting a New Hygienist Episode #471 with Rachel Wall, RDH, BS An ad won't fix your practice. But with the right strategy, you can attract the right people. And to help you magnetize your future ideal team, Kirk Behrendt brings in Rachel Wall, CEO and founder of Inspired Hygiene, to reveal five important don'ts when attracting new hygienists. Money isn't the only thing that great hygienists value! To find out what they look for in a practice, listen to Episode 471 of The Best Practices Show! Main Takeaways: Be flexible and keep an open mind when hiring someone new. Create an attractive culture that makes people want to stay. Never create incentives that are only for new hires. Avoid adding too many details in your ads. Engage your team in the hiring process. Highlight your unique perks. Be creative. Quotes: “You want to create a situation that's attractive, bringing [new hygienists] into the practice, and then create a culture that really helps them want to stay.” (5:39—5:51) “It certainly is not all about money. And I think there are hygienists out there that would be willing to take a little lower rate if they really and truly believe that the culture was healthy and strong. And you've got to, in addition to finding the right fit from a financial standpoint, find the right fit for a culture.” (7:22—7:42) “You do need to keep an open mind, and don’t count somebody out right away. But also, the same goes for the employee. You've got to keep an open mind too and be willing to look at the practice and say, ‘Okay, they're doing things at a higher level. They're using digital scanning, and I don't have experience with that. They have a really thorough perio protocol, and I don't have experience with that. But I'm willing to learn and I'm willing to see, what is their philosophy, and what do they believe about these services that really brings a lot to their patients and brings value to their community.’” (8:14—8:49) “You don't get what you don't ask for. But also, don't just expect because you asked for something that everybody’s going to hand it to you.” (10:52—10:59) “You don't get what you don't ask for. However, you've got to be able to document your experience that is going to warrant you getting what it is you're asking for.” (11:53—12:05) “Don't use only one or two methods when you're seeking a new team member. And it’s not just hygienists. This really goes for any position in your practice. I'm hearing things about Indeed. The latest I've heard about Indeed is there's not much coming from Indeed. But someone else may have a different experience. So, you've got to try multiple ways.” (12:40—13:04) “Use Indeed if you've seen that work in your area. But you've also got to network. The best people come, often, from networking. They come from people that you know. Now, again, don't hire them just because you know them, or your neighbor knows them. But if they happen to fit your core values and they get results, then you also have someone that has some history with this individual, which is always super helpful.” (13:11—13:34) “Get to know the leaders at your dental hygiene programs, even if they're not local, even if they're in another state. I moved to another state when I started practicing dental hygiene. So, hygienists are willing to do that if they are going into a practice that they really think they're going to enjoy, and it’s meeting their expectations as well.” (13:38—13:59) “We created a recruiting deck for our clients to use. And so, [create a] video. One of our clients, we built this deck for him. We’re like, ‘You've got to have a link on this slide to your video on your site. And, by the way, you have 423 reviews in Google and they're five-star.’ Potential employees are going to be looking at that kind of thing, and you want to highlight that. You want to highlight what you can bring to the table because they're checking you out as well.” (17:34—18:10) “Number two don't:...
The Foundation of a Better Practice & a Better Life Episode #470 with Dr. Tito Norris To build a better practice, you need a key secret ingredient: the best people for your team. And to reveal how to find, hire, and keep a fantastic group of people, Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. Tito Norris to help you set the foundation for your best possible practice. From self-care to core values, he shares how he created his better practice so he could enjoy a better life. To learn how you can achieve the same, listen to Episode 470 of The Best Practices Show! Main Takeaways: Core values are the foundation of your practice. Don't get sucked into the growth mentality. Care for your physical and mental self. Balance your drive and your time. Schedule a time to relax. Quotes: “It’s really easy to get sucked into this growth mentality and, ‘I've got to be bigger. I've got to be a better provider.’ There's competition with your colleagues and your classmates and your competitors, and all this kind of stuff. And all that stuff is good. It’s healthy because that's what drives us. Especially people who are in the dental profession, very often, tend to be very driven. They're very Type A. But you've got to balance that with sharpening the saw and with coming home at the end of the day and being able to give your family the best of you rather than just the rest of you.” (4:24—5:05) “It’s really difficult to take care of everything else if you don't first take care of yourself.” (5:47—5:51) “A lot of my friends ask me, ‘Tito, how do you do it? How do you take off that much time?’ And I say, ‘The answer is simple. I schedule it.’ I open up my 2022, 2023 calendar. It’s already done. So, all the meetings I want to go to, all the vacations I want to go on, it’s already done. It’s in the books. It’s in the calendar. And guess what? The time that's left over, that's when I see patients.” (7:41—8:07) “Number one, take care of yourself. And part of that is the physical itself. But then, the other part is really taking that time off for your mental self as well and finding whatever it is that helps that mental balance.” (8:29—8:47) “We whittled, and whittled, and boiled it down to seven things that are now the foundation of our practice. And I say foundation because now it’s like, ‘How on earth did we ever operate without them?’ Because now, we hire using our core values. We interview our new candidates, and we say, ‘Okay, does this person fit our core values?’ And we fire by our core values, and we discipline by core values, and we reward by core values. It’s a complete foundation of the people portion of our practice — which is our practice. Your practice is your people.” (11:27—12:12) “Let me give you our [eight] core values: [I’M TO LEAD]. Innovative. That's the “I”. Mindset — having a positive mindset. Team before self. Having Ownership mentality in everything that you do. Being a Lifelong Learner. Being Efficient with your time, with your energy, with your resources. Attention to detail. And I would've said Disney-type service, but we upped it just a bit. It’s making Disney jealous.” (16:22—17:01) “I love Tom Landry, the coach of the Dallas Cowboys. A legendary coach. And he used to always say, ‘Hire the athlete, not the position.’ That was his quote. So, if you can find someone who’s got the right stuff, whether that's a server at a restaurant — they're all over the place. You've just got to find them, and you've got to make them a better offer. Now, what does that mean? That's not always just money.” (22:34—23:02) “The main thing is having the right person. If you've got the right person, they’ll basically find the right seat. Not always. Sometimes, they need a little guidance and direction and support. But that's the key, number one, because [you can have the] right person, wrong seat.” (30:01—30:19) “What you can never resolve, really, is the wrong person, right seat. And when we say wrong person, literally, what that means...
A Tale of 2 Paths: DSO or Private Practice Episode #469 with Dr. Barrett Straub There's a better path to success than churn-and-burn dentistry. And to help you choose the best path for your career, Kirk Behrendt brings back ACT’s CEO, Dr. Barrett Straub, to explain the two paths you can take: DSO or private practice. They highlight the advantages, disadvantages, and everything else to consider when making your decision. For a roadmap to the dental practice you envision, listen to Episode 469 of The Best Practices Show! Main Takeaways: Understand the benefits and drawbacks of each path. Choose the right dental career path for you. Get a practice coach for guidance. Have confidence. You can do it! You control your destiny. Quotes: “One of the ingrained, great parts about this profession is we get to control our destiny. We get to choose how we want to practice, where we want to practice. And if you are in one segment of the industry, you can change it. Dentistry is wonderful for that aspect that we truly do control our own path.” (4:32—4:52) “More and more dental graduates now are going into some sort of associateship, whether it’s with a DSO or another private practice. There are less and less that are as motivated getting a private practice, own their own practice, right away. I think that's a mistake — selfishly. I own my own practice. I think it’s the best. And there are lots of different reasons for that.” (7:16—7:39) “Why would a dental graduate want to be an associate right away? There are some obvious ones. You have a lot of debt. You want to increase your clinical skills. You want to learn from more experienced dentists. You want to just get into the game a little bit. And that's totally valid.” (7:41—8:00) “Think ahead 10 years and literally envision what your life looks like, what your practice looks like, what kind of dentistry you want to be doing. And if that is private practice, then make decisions that move you closer to that reality. And maybe your vision of that is to be an employee dentist with a corporate [dental practice]. Great. Make decisions that move you closer to that.” (10:13—10:39) “If you're a graduating dental student and you're like, ‘I want to be like a Barrett Straub. I want to own my practice. I want to have that work-life balance. I want that,’ then I'm going to encourage you to, if possible, find your associateship. If you want to be an associate — totally agree. That's valid. Do it in private practice. Work for a private practicing dentist that's going to show you that life, that's going to sit down and show you the profit and loss statement, the cashflow statement, the balance sheet, and is going to teach you some of the business aspects, that's going to show you what it means to run a private care practice, versus a lot of graduates who go into corporate dentistry, go into DSO knowing that they're going to transition to private practice. And that's great. But there's a lost opportunity, I think, because it’s a different model.” (11:42—12:35) “If your goal is over here in the private practice side, find an opportunity in private practice. It doesn't mean you have to buy that practice. It doesn't mean you can't, after your two-year agreement, find a different one or go buy your own practice. But you're going to learn so much more by knowing your vision and then making decisions that get you closer to that, versus just telling yourself this story, ‘All my classmates are going to work for X, Y, Z dental. I probably need to do it. It’s easy, and they're offering a sign-in bonus.’ Well, you don't have to do that.” (12:36—13:03) “There will always be a huge need for great private practice.” (17:49—17:54) “Have some confidence. You absolutely can do it.” (19:23—19:25) “A private practice dentist that owns their own practice is going to make drastically more than an associate over the course of their career — twice as much, I've read, or average of $56,000 a year over the...
How to Effectively Resolve Conflict Episode #468 with Dr. Erin Elliott Whether it’s with your team or your patients, resolving conflict may not be your strong point. But you can't avoid it forever! And to help you understand, prevent, and overcome your fear of conflict in your practice, Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. Erin Elliott, lecturer at 3D Dental, for advice on being more direct and effective when dealing with frustrated patients and team members. For the best strategies to resolve conflict, listen to Episode 468 of The Best Practices Show! Main Takeaways: Don't always delegate conflict resolution to your team. Figure out the source of frustration or anger. Overcome your fear of conflict. Address conflict right away. Embrace bad reviews. Be clear, not nice. Quotes: “I was an associate, so that kind of helped [in avoiding conflict]. And having a partner does help too, because I was like, ‘Oh. Well, my partner says we can't do that.’ You know, you have someone to blame it on. But I would just make a team member deal with it. I'd be like, ‘Oh, you go talk to them. I am too afraid.’ And part of it is that I want to be liked. Second is, I feel like patients shouldn't feel, if they treat us crappy, that they get to have direct access to the doctor. But what I soon realized is if I do get involved sooner, then we tend to resolve it sooner.” (5:57—6:37) “Every time you point a finger at someone, you have three pointing back at you, if you think about it. And so, the first question I ask is, ‘What's my part in it?’ It’s a hard thing to do, especially if you have an employee that is not good. You're like, ‘Well, it’s the employee. What part do I have in this?’ Well, maybe you're not leading them correctly. Maybe you didn't give them a chance — whatever it is. I try to look at my part.” (8:37—9:06) “When it comes to patients, I feel like most of [the conflict] is over miscommunication — a lot of it, finances. Maybe we didn't communicate their part properly, or the expectations of the treatment and what they were going to get out of it. And in the past, I just put a team member in charge of it. My office manager, she loves the challenge of, ‘By the end, this person and I are going to be friends.’ She likes that challenge. But I told her, ‘Get us involved sooner,’ because it’s amazing, when we get on the phone, all of a sudden, the demeanor of the patient changes. I don't know what it is about the “Dr.” in front of our name, but all of a sudden, they start behaving.” (9:08—9:59) “Not being afraid of conflict and addressing it right on or directly and coming in and admitting your part of it, humbling yourself, I think that goes a long way.” (16:17—16:35) “I would say I delegate the majority of [conflict]. [I intervene] just when after a couple phone calls, nothing’s being resolved. And I think dentists are a little wimpy. We want to be liked, most of us. And then, we go into a job where everyone hates you. Right? And then, we ask for money for doing all this stuff. So, we have to not be afraid of not being liked.” (19:40—20:12) “We have this whole thing where patients like to hold us hostage with reviews. And you also can't be afraid of a bad review. If you look through mine — and I do have some — it’s mostly about insurance and money, and the people usually sound totally ill-informed and ignorant. And it makes [the reviews] more real, but it still is a dagger to the heart. And I respond to every good review and every bad review and address, ‘I'm sorry that you had this experience. We strive to be clear and the best, so if you would give us a call, maybe we could discuss further.’ But don't let the patient hold you hostage on a bad review.” (20:23—21:14) “Don't automatically give the money back [to unhappy patients]. That's not always what they're after.” (21:15—21:20) “What I basically do with employees, let's say they're talking too loud in the hallway, or on their cell phone too much, or whatever it is. Instead...
Are You Rested or Restless? Episode #467 with Dr. Uche Odiatu Health is wealth. It’s the prerequisite for everything we want in life. But while we want to be healthy, many of us struggle in getting started. So, to help us establish a foundation for overall wellness, Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. Uche Odiatu, one of ACT’s favorite wellness gurus, with advice for head-to-toe care. We can all use a stronger health reserve! If you're ready for your holistic health journey, listen to Episode 467 of The Best Practices Show! Main Takeaways: Be equally passionate about your life and your practice. Don't take your health for granted. It’s your wealth. Breathe through your nose, not your mouth. Stay focused on the positives. Focus on self-care. Quotes: “Losing that “been there, done that” T-shirt keeps you young.” (2:29—2:33) “We see stress show up in the mouth. So, patients love it when you start talking total head-to-toe care. And I'm not just trying to get them into the office more often for hygiene. But I do tell them, ‘If you have stress in parts of your life, not enough sleep, overeating, and it’s showing up in your mouth, one way to reduce your inflammatory burden is to not just come in twice a year for hygiene, come in three or four times.’” (9:52—10:11) “It’s not just about changing amalgams to resin; it’s looking at stress and how it shows up in the mouth, and talking about sleep, and talking about nutrition at the same time.” (10:16—10:25) “Knowledge is power. We have more. You can Google, ‘How to get a flat stomach,’ and you'll find it. You can Google, ‘What's the best source of magnesium?’ and you can get the result. But taking action on it is a whole other thing. It’s not just taking action. A lot of people are motivated. But three days in, they’ve lost the motivation.” (12:22—12:36) “When people say, ‘I'm having a hard time translating my case presentations into treatment plans and production. I'm having a hard time getting patients to say yes,’ well, it’s because you don't have the conviction. Conviction sells.” (14:42—14:54) “There's nothing like self-care to make you feel valuable.” (20:04—20:06) “Most people go to see a physiotherapist when they have a problem. Go before you have a problem.” (20:13—20:17) “[Have] equal passion for your personal life as your professional life.” (21:11—21:13) “A lot of dentists, clinically, we’re incredible. We’re between Kois, Pankey, Dawson, and all these other programs. But the courses on clinical are packed at conferences. The ones on leadership and intangibles and communication, always lower in attendance because people say, ‘I want to know how to do a crown in eight minutes.’ But the fact that you have leadership issues, that you have self-regulation issues — that's where you should be. Most dentists have challenges in the intangibles, not the clinical.” (21:15—21:39) “If someone has poor physical reserve, poor emotional reserve, and poor financial reserve, you can't weather any financial storm, any economic storm, any emotional storm, any physical storm. So, we need to rebuild our reserves so we can weather the storms — because the storm is coming.” (23:57—24:11) “People talk about conversations with colleagues and peers and team members. The most important conversation we have is with ourselves. That self-conversation is numero uno.” (25:55—26:04) “We’re always self-deprecating. Why can't we have that feeling, ‘Hey, I'm a healthcare provider. I'm in one of the top three professions on the planet that's resilient against recession’? Why can't our self-talk be stronger?” (26:35—26:48) “Metacognition is catching yourself doing something you no longer want to do, and you set the tone for a new conversation. And that's where I think this starts. It’s the mindset of good self-care. It’s a mindset of resiliency.” (27:06—27:17) “The brain is eavesdropping on your breath, up to 21,000 breaths we take. So, if we’re breathing shallow, the body thinks, ‘Hey,...
Connection and the Psychological Safety of Teams Episode #466 with Dr. Jackie Kinley Workplaces can be busy, unwelcoming, and stressful. And when people are stressed, they disconnect. So, how do you get your team to be a team? For some insight into team connection, Kirk Behrendt brings in Dr. Jackie Kinley, founder and CEO of AIR Institutes, to explain what true connection is, how it affects work performance, and ways to create a shared vision and mission. And all of this starts with you, the leader! To start creating a safe and welcoming environment for your team, listen to Episode 462 of The Best Practices Show! Main Takeaways: Understand what real connection is. A lack of connection is harmful. Real connection is hard work. Life is all about relationships. Instant pleasures are empty. Be the master of yourself. Quotes: “When you don't get connection, when you don't get the warmth and the attention and the love, and you don't feel seen and understood, and you don't feel like you belong, it could be really harmful. It creates sadness and fear and anger.” (5:50—6:06) “There are instant pleasures. You can get on Facebook and feel like you get a little hit of something. But they're empty pleasures. And a connection is not about that. It’s not about that little hit of whatever. It’s deeper than that.” (10:20—10:35) “Real connection, you have to work at it. It doesn't just come. It doesn't just happen. That's why you say, ‘I've got one or two friends,’ because friendships aren't quick and easy. Connection is hard. And that's what makes it so rewarding, is that you have to work.” (10:40—10:58) “Connecting and being part of a team, it’s not just going into the office and doing your job and leaving, it’s how do you actually connect with the other people in the office. Like, how do you become a team? How do you have a shared mission, a shared purpose? Those are things that are lacking. Everybody has their own agenda. What's our shared agenda? At the end of the day, what do we all want? And people, generally, want to feel happy, connected, secure, safe. And that's going to require us working together in different ways. And technology is not going to solve that.” (11:17—11:53) “Sometimes, workplaces, not by intention but just by design, can be unwelcoming and busy. And so, it’s about being very deliberate in creating spaces where people can come together and support each other and care about each other — not care for each other, but about each other. And if we don't have places like that, people aren't going to feel safe. They're not going to feel open. They're not going to be willing to connect.” (12:53—13:22) “Teams care about each other. They have a shared purpose. They're willing to sacrifice for other team members. Sometimes, you don't see that in offices. You see people, ‘I'm going to come in, I'm going to do my job. This is what it is,’ because people are doing the best with the resources they have. They're tired. And I think what we don't realize is, sometimes, the more we can slow down and connect with each other and become a team, then we’re all better as a result of that.” (14:11—14:41) “Teams require leadership . . . You need leaders that help to promote connection, create a culture where people can feel engaged, and they're part of something, and they're making a difference, and they're not just foot soldiers. And so, there's a deliberate and intentional thing that has to happen at a leadership level to be able to create teams.” (14:46—15:07) “Just having a job is not enough. People want more than that now. People want meaning in their life.” (15:28—15:33) “When you create an environment which is safe and welcoming, your employees not only feel better, but they actually do better.” (17:07—17:17) “It starts with you. Nothing grows from the outside in. It always grows from the inside out. So, it starts with knowing yourself.” (19:22—19:29) “The more resilient the individuals are and self-aware they...
How to Set Your Fees Correctly Episode #465 with Kirk Behrendt & Christina Byrne You have control over your fees. But are you setting them the right way? If you're not sure, today’s guest will help you find out. Kirk Behrendt brings back Christina Byrne, ACT’s Director of Operations, to share where dentists go wrong in setting fees, how to get team support, and ways to respond to patients’ concerns. And remember, never apologize for the prices you set! If you're ready to confidently set your fees, listen to Episode 465 of The Best Practices Show! Main Takeaways: You and your team need to understand the value of your dentistry. Communicate that value to patients with verbal skills. Don't raise your fees in a reactionary way. Compare your fees to other practices. Never apologize for your fees. Quotes: “The inherent problem [with fee structures] is that we don't look at what it actually costs to provide that service to the patient, and we’re just picking a fee out of the air because it sounds good or looks good or we don't want the patient to complain about it. But we don't take into account all that is involved in that procedure.” (3:11—3:32) “One day, the doctor might be sitting there, and the lab bill crosses his or her desk, and they're like, ‘Oh my gosh, the lab fee is so high! Let's raise our crown fee.’ That's such a reactionary way to do it and not really thinking about what's involved.” (5:46—6:04) “Most of our doctors are doing high-end work. And you have to consider, ‘Am I spending time talking to specialists? Am I in the lab myself, in my own lab, in my office, articulating the models and doing all of this?’ So, all of that plays into it. And yes, the lab fee does too. But it shouldn't be a reaction to the lab fee. That shouldn't even be a part of it. That, you should have already thought of before and incorporated into the fee, and the time that's involved, all the materials, everything that you're doing, and also looking at what is appropriate in your area.” (6:08—6:48) “Even if you tell me 50% of your practice is PPO, that still gives you 50% opportunity to get your full fee from the other patients who aren’t.” (7:42—7:51) “If you think about your schedule, you have your highest-compensated team members doing the work for pennies, basically. I'm talking about your hygiene team. And oftentimes, what happens — even if you're completely fee-for-service, I will find this too — is that doctors are hesitant to raise their hygiene fees because they are fees that people see often. So, they are considered what we would say inflexible fees, where you don't want to raise them every other month, and you don't want to raise them by $20 or $30 for every exam, prophy, and bitewings. But you should do something to get them incrementally up to at least the 60th to 70th percentile because you're losing on that procedure.” (9:10—10:01) “[An inflexible fee] means that you want to be careful about how you're increasing that fee because it is a fee that a patient sees every six months. So, you don't want to raise it every six months. Some fees, you can do that to get yourself up to a higher level. And you also have to be careful about how much you raise it. Because let's say your hygiene fees, you raise each one of them by $20. That could be a $60 to $80 increase for the patient, and we have to be mindful of that. We have to think about, ‘What is that going to look like to the patient?’ So, I'm all for doing those inflexible fees incrementally. And again, that's your exam, it’s your prophy, it’s your bitewings, it’s your fluoride, the things that patients see on an every-six-months basis or so.” (10:12—11:01) “Your flexible fees, that's where you have room to really make some tangible differences and really increase the potential impact to your practice. So, if my crown fee is in the 40th percentile today at $900 and I want to get to the 60th percentile, that means increasing it to $1,199. I would say go for it...
A Better Year in 90 Days Episode #464 with Kirk Behrendt & Jenni Poulos Having big goals may be exciting. But if you don't have a plan, you won't have progress! A 90-day plan is the best way to focus on your priorities, and Kirk Behrendt brings back Jenni Poulos, one of many amazing coaches at ACT, to share the best way to strategically organize your time. You can have a better year in just 90 days! To take your practice from good to great, listen to Episode 464 of The Best Practices Show! Main Takeaways: A better year can happen in 90-day segments. Collective energy can only go for 90 days. Don't only focus on what's broken. Have less than five priorities. Take time to celebrate. Quotes: “We have realized and really embraced a strategic planning cycle that we execute every 90 days. And by breaking our year into these chunks, we’re able to focus, give our best effort, to the things that matter now and make real progress, versus having this long, spread out plan that we never really complete because we lose steam, and we don't reevaluate. So, 90 days works for human nature, works for our brains, and it works for teams of two or 20.” (3:15—3:59) “The great thing about this strategic planning every 90 days, first of all, you have to intentionally pause. When you go into this 90-day strategic planning cycle, you have to say, ‘We’re going to stop. We’re going to talk about what we did, the successes that we had, what do we need to keep doing, what are we changing, and build new plans.’ And it really helps team members reflect on what's working, reflect on what's not working, and continue to improve as we move forward.” (5:52—6:29) “When we step back, sometimes we realize, ‘Hey, what we were focusing on, maybe it wasn't the most important thing. Maybe we need to shift it,’ and we build these executable plans with steps that everyone can get engaged in. When we build things over a year, it’s hard to say, ‘Hey, we’re going to do these steps over 365 days.’ Oh my gosh, you get so lost in that. But if I say, ‘Hey, I'm going to focus for six weeks on something,’ I can really give my attention to that for six weeks.” (6:30—7:03) “One of the quickest ways that you can kill motivation for yourself and for your team members is to never complete things. And if you have these huge, huge, huge, huge tasks or huge goals that you say, ‘We’re going to do this, and we don't really have a set plan for it. We’re just going to start going,’ it becomes demoralizing to the team, eventually, because they feel like, ‘Oh my gosh, we just can't get anywhere.’” (10:19—10:54) “If you have a bigger group, as a leadership team, say, ‘Hey, let's focus in on what's important. Then, let's bring it to the team. Let's get their input. Let's get them to weigh in so they will buy in. Then, we’re going to develop the 13-week plan, and we’re going to see success because it’s something that we can concentrate on and execute from start to finish, and then reevaluate.’” (11:17—11:43) “I want to give you a good tip about the 13-week plan. When you establish your 13-week plan, I would like you to plan to finish it in 10 weeks.” (11:43—11:54) “If I told you I can have you do this one thing that will reenergize your team every 13 weeks, would you not jump all over that?” (15:47—15:58) “When we focus just on what's broken, we miss half or more of the picture and we miss the opportunity to look at things that are working and take them from good to great.” (16:22—16:34) “Our brains are hard-wired to go to the negative. So, we have to be very intentional about celebrating and saying, ‘What's working, and how can we utilize the things that we’re doing really well in other areas? What can we learn from them? How can we grow and build upon the things that are working?’” (17:01—17:28) “We spend so much time highlighting what's broken that that's also demoralizing. We have to learn from our celebrations.” (17:29—17:41) “As a dentist, as a business owner, you...
A Big “Key Word” for Your Future Success Episode #463 with Kirk Behrendt & Heather Crockett How often do you say yes to something, only to regret it for days, weeks, or even months? Sometimes, you just need to say no! And to help you say it effectively, Kirk Behrendt brings back Heather Crockett, one of many great Lead Practice Coaches at ACT, to remind you that saying no is okay, and that “no” is a key to your success. Stop saying yes to the wrong things! To learn how, listen to Episode 463 of The Best Practices Show! Main Takeaways: Stop saying yes to everything. Be courteous but firm when saying no. Saying no will free up your time and energy. If you can't say no, find alternative ways to say it. Know what you're giving up every time you say yes. Quotes: “The word “no” feels kind of icky when you say it. And you regret saying it, like, ‘Ugh.’ But . . . you can regret saying no for a few moments, or you can regret saying yes for days and weeks.” (5:43—6:05) “If we say yes to too many things or the wrong things, then we’re going to regret it for a lot longer. And when we say no, we might regret it for just a little bit, but not quite as long as if we said yes to it.” (6:09—6:23) “There are so many good things that we can say yes to. And we need to pause and reflect on all of the things in our life, including our company practices, our work life, what are we giving up by saying yes to something good? Are we giving up something great in its place?” (10:33—10:59) “What are you saying no to if you are saying yes to having weekend and evening hours for your patient?” (11:37—11:44) “There's such a gray area, sometimes. There are good things that we’re saying yes to that might be affecting other people. For example, if we’re saying yes to a patient to same-day treatment, but we haven't taken into consideration our team — which comes before the patient — consult with your dental assistants first, doctors. Have a system in place for when you're going to do that same-day treatment, because your assistants will be very upset if you do same-day treatment for this patient and you're saying yes to the patient, but you might be saying no to your team.” (14:39—15:14) “Those core values have to be there. Your leadership team and all the dental partnerships that you're talking about, that is really going to get so much easier when your core values are in place because they help you to make decisions.” (19:54—20:10) “It’s crazy important to take time for yourself, for your family, for your leadership team, and for your entire team. Reflect on the decisions that you need to make, vet them against your core values, and get a little bit more comfortable with saying no or, ‘I'd love to. Can't.’” (22:39—22:59) Snippets: 0:00 Introduction. 2:25 Heather’s background. 3:13 The big key word. 5:27 What you need to know about saying no. 6:48 An alternative to saying no. 7:25 How saying no will change your life. 10:18 Reflect on what you're giving up by saying yes. 14:29 Talk to the people your decisions will affect. 15:28 Be clear on your systems and shared agreements. 20:34 Love/loathe/no homework. 22:36 Last thoughts on saying no. Reach Out to Heather: Heather’s email: heather@actdental.com Heather’s Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/heather.r.crockett ( https://www.facebook.com/heather.r.crockett) Heather’s social media: @actdental Resources: The EOS Life by Gino Wickman:https://benbellabooks.com/shop/theeoslife/ ( https://benbellabooks.com/shop/theeoslife/) Traction by Gino Wickman:https://benbellabooks.com/shop/traction/ ( https://benbellabooks.com/shop/traction/) Heather Crockett Bio: Heather Crockett is a Lead Practice Coach who finds joy in not only improving practices but improving the lives of those she coaches as well. With over 20 years of combined experience in assisting, office management, and clinical dental hygiene, her awareness supports many aspects of the practice setting. Heather
How to Treat the 5 Most Difficult Patients Episode #462 with Dr. Bill Robbins & Dr. Jim Otten As a dentist, you want to help everyone. But sometimes, it’s okay to just say no. And to help you handle the impossible-to-satisfy patients, Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. Bill Robbins and Dr. Jim Otten, instructors for the Global Diagnosis Education study club, to reveal the common types of difficult patients and how they’ve learned to treat them over decades of practice. Even masters make mistakes. And now, you can learn how to avoid them! For more wisdom from the best in dentistry, listen to Episode 462 of The Best Practices Show! Main Takeaways: Understand the types of difficult patients. Learn to read red flags for difficult patients. Avoid elective aesthetic dentistry on strangers. It’s okay to say no. Learn how to do it effectively. Quotes: “The first [type of difficult] patient that I'm going to talk about briefly is the one that I figure out ahead of time is a wack job, or at least that I can't meet their expectations. And the older I get — I'm not great at this — I'm better than I used to be at reading the red flags.” (16:17—16:34) “One thing I do not do is refer a wacky patient to one of my friends. It just doesn't make any sense.” (16:52—16:58) “One easy fallback as a general dentist is to say, ‘Mrs. Jones, I'm sorry. I just don't believe I've got the skillset to meet your needs.’ And I'm not saying whether it’s emotionally meet them or technically meet them. I'm just saying I don't have the skillset. And they can't really argue with that. I mean, there's not much to say when a dentist says, ‘I'm not the one for you. I don't have the skillset to treat you.’” (17:05—17:29) “Being able to say no is not one of my great strengths. But I have gotten better at it.” (18:11—18:15) “We’re seekers and we’re healers. And we want to help everyone. We really want to help everyone. And we’ve got to realize that our skillsets are limited. No matter how talented, educated, developed, experienced we are, we all still have limited skillsets.” (18:23—18:41) “Whether it’s a behavioral skillset, a psychological skillset, a technical skillset, they're all limited. And we’ve got to know ourselves well enough to say, ‘This isn't something that I could be comfortable doing my best.” (18:47—19:02) “The second [type of difficult] patient is the one where I put the veneers in, the value is too low, they call back tomorrow. They go home thinking they're great, but they call back the next day and they tell the front office, ‘I'm not happy with the veneers. I'll need to speak with Dr. Robbins.’” (21:09—21:24) “My standard line when I'm seeing a patient that I know is unhappy is, I say to them before we get started, ‘Mrs. Jones, may I say something before we get started?’ And she goes, ‘Sure.’ She’s sitting here like this because she knows I'm going to fight with her about the veneers. And I say, ‘I know you've thought a lot about this over the last 24, 48 hours. And here’s the deal. I promise you that I'm going to listen to what you say because I know you've thought a lot about it. And I'm going to do whatever I need to do to make you happy again.’ And that diffuses all the anxiety in the room.” (21:31—22:05) “The second [type of difficult] patient is the one that I see what needs to be done, and I just do it. It’s no fun. But if you do anterior dentistry, you're going to cut some of your own anterior dentistry off. It is part of the deal.” (22:32—22:47) “The third patient is the more difficult one, and the one I've probably had to deal with the most. And that is when they call up and say, ‘I'm not happy,’ and I didn't expect it. I thought they looked like a million bucks, and they don't.” (23:04—23:16) “The problem is when they are unhappy with the results — sometimes they know why and sometimes they don't — but I can't see it. And that's when I think the difficulty occurs. And that's the patient that's unhappy with something...
Why Dental Marketing Works Episode #461 with Xaña Winans It’s not that marketing doesn't work — you just need a solid plan to make it work. And to help you create that strategic plan, Kirk Behrendt brings back Xaña Winans, founder and CEO of Golden Proportions Marketing, to reveal why marketing is important for a dental practice, what makes it work, and how to not get in your own way. If you're frustrated with marketing and ready to make it work, listen to Episode 461 of The Best Practices Show! Main Takeaways: Understand your marketing DNA (direction, needs, and attributes). Every practice is different. Marketing is not one-size-fits-all. Create a solid, predictable, consistent marketing plan. You need to participate in the marketing process. Marketing is effective when it’s done right. Quotes: “What makes [marketing] work? A plan . . . Because when you have a plan, you know where you're going, you know what direction you're headed in, and it really forces you to follow a step-by-step process. That's how marketing works.” (5:04—5:22) “I think people think of marketing as this super creative, people walking around in black turtlenecks, the Apple kind of minds of the world, that it’s super creative. But honestly, a lot of marketing really comes down to numbers. It’s very scientific.” (5:23—5:41) “The thing that works the best in marketing is having a plan, tracking what you're doing, reacting to the numbers. It’s really the boring side of marketing, but that's what makes it work, is being able to measure it. And from there, then you continue to adjust and adjust and adjust your strategies till you find that perfect sweet spot.” (5:41—6:00) “The supercool marketing videos and the flashy website, all of that stuff looks really good, which is why it has our attention in the first place. And every doctor does it, and you can burn through a lot of money just chasing that next shiny object because it looks good. And then, they end up frustrated with marketing, ‘Marketing doesn't work,’ when in reality, it’s just that you're taking this shotgun approach and there are just ideas all over the place instead of following one, solid, predictable plan.” (6:58—7:30) “Marketing is incredibly effective if it’s done right.” (7:33—7:36) “What makes a patient pick you? It’s understanding your [marketing] DNA.” (10:51—10:54) “Right now, I think most doctors tend to approach it completely backwards. They go for that shiny object, ‘I need a new website. I need to be doing something on social media,’ without knowing what direction they're headed in, and is that the right strategy, and how to use that strategy the right way to actually get them there.” (14:23—14:41) “Everybody can use the same tactics. It’s more about how you put them together that makes a patient stop and say, ‘I want this practice versus this one.’” (16:11—16:19) “[Understand your] underlying personality and that it’s okay to tap into it, because that's what patients are buying. They're not walking in the door buying somebody who is just trying to get them in and out as quickly as possible and just collect as many insurance dollars as they can. When they're spending elective dollars on implants, Invisalign, and full-mouth, they're buying the person in the practice as much as they're buying the work that you're doing for them.” (18:32—19:01) “What makes marketing work once the phone starts ringing is what happens in the practice.” (21:26—21:30) “We get so caught up in getting it perfect that we never get started on it in the first place.” (22:10—22:15) “Practices look at their marketing as though they're supposed to get that perfect patient . . . That's what they want right out of the gate instead of looking at, ‘Let's bring people in. Let's find out how this experience goes. How do we continue to refine it? How do we tweak our messaging so that we get an even better patient?’ Some practices, they put the brakes on too quickly instead of that consistency.”...
Wisdom from the Greatest Gift Idea Episode #460 with Dr. Kevin Groth Dentistry can put you in a dark place. Some days, you will ache from your feet to your soul. But you have the power to change that! And to share some motivation and inspiration, Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. Kevin Groth, an amazing Adjunct Faculty Member at ACT, with resources that helped him find the balance for a better practice and better life. To learn how he continues to find happiness in life, listen to Episode 460 of The Best Practices Show! Main Takeaways: Find your core values and essentials of your life. Surround yourself with the people you love. Keep your mind and your body sharp. Balance time, money, and health. Don't be limited by your thinking. Embrace the struggle. Stay humble. Quotes: “It’s all about your perspective on things. Your positive outlook creates positive results.” (5:40—5:45) “It's important, for anybody listening, to find fulfillment in their life.” (6:47—6:50) “Everyone strives for happiness right now. And it seems like it’s a constant theme of, ‘I'm not happy with my job. I'm not happy with my life. I'm not happy with my marriage. I'm not happy with my kids,’ whatever it is. Well, you can control that. Dictate it. And ultimately, what it comes down to is, if you can identify, ‘These are the things that make me happy,’ then do it.” (7:13—7:30) “A person is limited only to the thoughts he or she chooses.” (12:05—12:09) “I think dentistry can spin you to [negativity] so quickly. You have a bad patient experience, bad patient, things didn't go that well in the operative realm of things, or whatever it may be, and you start being like, ‘I'm tired. I'm tired. I'm tired. I'm done. I don't want to do this anymore,’ and you start getting negative. But then, those negative thoughts turn into negative outcomes. And negative experiences shape everything about your environment. And to me, I'm just like, ‘I'm done. I am done with negative thinking.’ As a Man Thinketh [says] the power of your thoughts shapes you. And I said, ‘No more of these negative thoughts. Positive thinking only.’ And I've had the best couple weeks now.” (12:23—12:59) “I control the things around me. Enough of the external life scenarios dictating what I am and who I am. It’s all about what I do based on my thoughts. And those thoughts drive the results that come out of the chair, come out of my life, come out of my experiences with people, my relationship with others. I come home happier because I am the one that's in control of my life. You push positive thoughts, and you're going to have positive results.” (13:01—13:27) “You don't want to die with a bunch of money in the bank, because you then become something that, ‘I worked for this much time. And this much energy I put into this, and it didn't relate to anything at the end of it all because I wasted five, 10, 20 years of my life, because it just sat in a bank account when I'm in a coffin in the ground.’” (15:22—15:41) “There are three things in life. You have time, money, and health. And in each segment of life, you have a deficiency. So, when you're in your 20s or so, you have your health and you have time, but you have no money. And then, in your middle life, you have your health, hopefully, you have your money, hopefully, but you don't have time because we’re running around like crazy, taking care of family. But then, when we retire, you have your time, you have money, but you don't have health, necessarily. So, ultimately, the whole secret of life is trying to navigate the deficiency.” (17:15—17:51) “In our phase of life, time is our most valuable possession we can have. So, why am I wasting time at work doing things that aren't allowing me to fulfill my time with my family? Cut the hours, cut the days.” (18:03—18:16) “The other thing is that we’ve got to take care of ourselves. Because if you take care of yourselves at an early age, it’s going to delay the health component later on in...
Whose Mindset Needs to Change First? Episode #459 with Dr. Gary DeWood You spend time trying to change your patients’ minds. But it’s not their mindset that needs to change first — it’s yours! And to help you in that process, Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. Gary DeWood, Executive Vice President of Spear Education, with some tools to change your thinking. When your mind is open, your possibilities are open! To learn how to think differently so you can help your patients think differently, listen to Episode 459 of The Best Practices Show! Main Takeaways: Your thoughts can shape the world. Everyone reserves the right to change their minds. Change your mindset first to change your patients’ minds. To get people to think differently, talk about things differently. Use verbal skills to make a value statement about your practice. Quotes: “I have never thought of myself as being that smart. And I realize that to a lot of people — people tell me, ‘You're smarter than you think.’ And I say, ‘Well, that's a good thing. I hope I spend the rest of my life feeling that way.’ Because as soon as I think the other way, I promise you I'm not going to be willing to listen to things. And everything I got, I got from somebody.” (4:04—4:26) “You want to be a better dentist? Go and be a patient. Sit down and be a patient. And tell the dentist you go to, ‘I'm here because I trust you, and I want to be a patient. And that's how I want the interaction to be.’ It will change everything you do if you do that.” (8:49—9:05) “If you want to change how people think about something, one of the easiest ways to begin that process is to talk about it differently.” (12:41—12:47) “Here’s the difference between a significant and insignificant problem. No human being will ever claim a problem is significant unless they're looking for a solution. They won't. I promise you that.” (15:46—15:56) “One of [Dr. Dawson’s] most profound statements ever, for those of you who have never heard it, ‘If you quote me, date me.’ What did he just say? I reserve the right to change my mind about anything I tell you that I believe today, because I am open to hearing what everybody else is experiencing.” (27:23—27:36) “Someone who has a significant dental issue that they claim is always open to the possibility that there might be things they don't know about yet because they have something going on already. There may be things they're not aware of. I don't have to climb the hill to go over to the other side like I do with people who believe they're healthy.” (28:55—29:13) “I also found there was no correlation to the amount of time since the patient has been to see a dentist and what they believe about themselves — zero. There was none. I couldn't correlate that at all. People who hadn't been to a dentist for 25 years often still thought they were healthy. In fact, the same percentage, I found it was probably like 95% of patients, called our office and believed they were healthy.” (29:46—30:08) “Your thoughts shape your world.” (32:40—32:42) “My favorite line out of [As a Man Thinketh] is that you will rise to the heights of your highest aspiration, and you will sink to the lows of your basest thought. You create what happens by what you believe.” (32:43—32:58) “If you want to change the minds of the people who come to your practice about dental benefit plans, which is one I hear all the time, whose minds have to change first? It ain't them. It’s us.” (33:44—33:55) “Here’s the important thing to remember. Was your decision to be in the PPO a clinical excellence decision or a business decision? It’s never a clinical excellence decision.” (34:08—34:21) “You want to change your patients’ mindsets around dental hygiene? Please stop saying the word, “cleaning”, will you? Please stop saying that. It’s a totally demeaning word. In fact, this was the schtick that we came up with over the years. Whenever anybody would say, ‘I need to get my teeth cleaned,’ everybody in the
Navigating Your Preferred Future in Dentistry Episode #458 with Dr. Mark Hyman If you ever feel stuck as a dentist, remember this: you get to make choices in who you serve, what procedures you do, where you practice, when you do them, and how you want to do it. You get to choose your preferred path! And for reassurance, Kirk Behrendt brings back one of ACT’s favorite people, Dr. Mark Hyman, to share his experience and valuable advice to help you become successful. There is no linear path to success, and you get to be the one to pave it! To hear more from the master, listen to Episode 458 of The Best Practices Show! Main Takeaways: Get rid of your limiting beliefs. Figure out what you love, then do it. Success won't be linear or exponential. If something doesn't work out, try something else. Remember that you get to decide your future in dentistry. Join study clubs and hire a coach. You can't afford not to. Quotes: “I’m a firm believer that with you, yourself, with your team, with your practice, with your patients, there are no hostages. No one has to be in your practice. No one has to work there. You don't have to work there. So, what is your vision for your preferred future? Who do you want to treat? What procedures do you want to do? How do you want to do them? When do you want to do them? That is the beauty of dentistry. We get to sculpt exactly what we want.” (7:43—8:07) “Dale Carnegie says three magic words: success leaves clues. What do the highly successful men and women in dentistry do? They get great consultants, they go to tons of continuing education, they buy the best equipment, and they use it on everybody with no fear of failure.” (10:14—10:30) “[Dentistry] is an investment, like anything that's worth paying for.” (11:44—11:48) “What do you love? A student says, ‘Root canals are profitable. The overhead is only 37% in an endodontic practice.’ I'm like, ‘Do you love root canals?’ ‘No.’ ‘Well, then don't do them. You don't have to.’ What do you love doing? What do you get fired up about doing?” (15:52—16:06) “What I would tell my students is to consider a residency. Try different things. If you go do a program and it isn't the right fit for you, then go do something else. You're a young man. You're a young woman. You've got your whole life in front of you. Don't think that you're stuck doing something that you don't enjoy.” (16:46—17:02) “That is part of the beauty of dentistry, is you get to choose where you want to live, who you want to serve. Part of that preferred future is to make the decision, ‘I am not going to be a pawn of the insurance company. I'm going to be a doctor caring for my patients, not a provider of a commodity.” (18:44—19:02) “Your success isn't necessarily linear or exponential. Sometimes, it is a sine wave up and down. And if it’s on a trend down, it will come back up.” (22:32—22:41) “You've got to take a step back sometimes and say, ‘What do I really want to do? Why did I go into this profession?’ There are still so many opportunities. And again, that 32-year-old that's probably going to practice another 30 years, if they took two or three years off to do more training, yes, it would be a hit to them and their family, short term. But long term, they’ll be happier.” (23:26—23:46) “One of my mentors in dentistry said, ‘If you go to a six-hour seminar and you only get one good idea out of it, it’s worth the entire day.’ And if you go with that perspective, I could hear one thing that's going to change my life, that's pretty amazing.” (26:14—26:31) “I remember going to Pankey the first time. And one of the most amazing things that I've ever heard was the quote, ‘People will buy what they value. They’ll buy what they want, not necessarily what they need.’ It’s the words of Harold Wirth . . . So, you've got to find out what they want.” (26:31—26:54) “I remember Frank Spear say, ‘You only treat what you see. You only see what you know.’ It’s like, whoa. So, I've got to look...
Cracking the Millennial Code Episode #457 with Ryan Vet Now, more than ever, we coexist with multiple generations in the workplace. And to help you navigate the challenges that can bring, Kirk Behrendt brings in Ryan Vet, owner of Speaking Consulting Network and author of Cracking the Millennial Code, to share advice that will help you better understand the people you work with. Cancel generational stereotypes, not one another! To create a balanced, collaborative environment, listen to Episode 457 of The Best Practices Show! Main Takeaways: Understand what shapes someone’s identity and personality. Learn how to listen to people different from yourself. Don't make generalizations about others. We are more similar than we think. Give people grace. Quotes: “The first thing that is most important, and people don't often start here, is what are your priorities? Priorities are different than your goals. Your goals are, ‘I want to have this much in the bank account,’ or, ‘I want to be on the cover of this magazine or be interviewed on this news station.’ And all those goals are great. But priorities are really, what are those things that no matter what you're doing in life, whether you're being the best toilet scrubber you can be — which, I have owned cleaning companies and I have scrubbed plenty of toilets in my day — or you're running a multinational company, what are those things that never change?” (4:30—4:57) “If you get your priorities straight, you can do just about anything you want.” (5:07—5:10) “Even in my own career when I've seen things not go the way I had hoped, or encountered failures, often, it’s because those priorities are not in the right order, and you start to get off-kilter.” (5:10—5:20) “[The second piece of advice] would be, surround yourself with people. I always have three people in my life. The first is my co-runner, someone I'm running alongside of, someone that's in the same stage of life, going through the same things. The second person I always have is the forerunner, the person who’s run ahead of me, who has been there, to mentor. And then, the third person I have is someone that's a couple steps behind me, because I often find that as I'm trying to coach or mentor someone else that's coming up and is a little bit younger or trying to get into a new career path, I learn more from trying to coach them than anything else that I do.” (5:23—5:58) “The title [of my book] has “millennial” in it. It’s really not about millennials that much at all. In fact, if you look at page count, maybe only 20% to 30% of it is about millennials. The rest of it is this intergenerational connection, how they interact, and how one generation influences the next generation. And the reality is, whether you're in a corporate office, a dental office, at home, or your neighborhood, you're having some of these interactions with people from different generations, or that were raised by parents of a different generation, which is something I talk a little bit about in the book as well. You could be a millennial born to boomer parents or Gen Xer parents, and you're going to be a different millennial than your fellow coworker or classmate.” (8:57—9:40) “We all have blind spots. And so, as I was doing research, of course, I knew all the stigmas that millennials are known for. In fact, the back cover basically has a list of the things that millennials often get dinged on as far as their flaws. But what I quickly found was, we are the way we are because of our parents. And our parents are the way they are because of their parents and the way they were raised.” (10:18—10:42) “When it comes to hiring, understanding some of [the generational differences] and how they're looking at it is important.” (11:38—11:43) “Millennials actually want to be mentored, which is one of the biggest things that people, especially boomers — not calling boomers out, but boomers generally don't feel that millennials have any respect for...
Why Last Week Was a Great Week Episode #456 with Dr. Barrett Straub Every week can be a great week. You just have to have good systems and be around the right people. And to help you make that process easier, Kirk Behrendt brings back ACT’s CEO, Dr. Barrett Straub, to share some tried-and-true tools that will help your practice. Being a business owner and running a team doesn't have to be difficult! Find out about ACT’s To The Top study club, what they can offer, and why you should join. For a path to a better practice and better life, listen to Episode 456 of The Best Practices Show! Main Takeaways: Surround yourself with the best people. Find the best mentors to learn from. Support your team members. Accept your weaknesses. Be a lifelong learner. Quotes: “We say it all the time, leadership is lonely. It’s lonely at the top. And not necessarily a bad thing, but our thinking can get a little skewed when we’re working in our practices all day.” (4:46—4:57) “That's one of those stories that we can tell ourselves when we’re stuck in the insurance PPO game, that, ‘There's no way out. I have to do it this way. I couldn't possibly do it the way he or she does.’ And those are stories that are all false. And sometimes, when you get in the room and you learn from people that are just like you, all of a sudden, that story changes a little bit.” (7:11—7:30) “If you're talking to yourself, that's dangerous. Because 80% of your self-talk is going to be negative.” (9:07—9:12) “In dentistry, the better your business is, the less your worries are. Your life is best when your business worries are at their least.” (11:26—11:35) “When things are predictable, life gets a lot better.” (11:36—11:39) “Dr. Pete Dawson was an incredible mentor of mine . . . He said, ‘Making money in dentistry is actually pretty easy, Kirk. It’s the byproduct.’” (12:53—13:02) “You're not really a great leader until you create other great leaders that create other great leaders.” (13:48—13:53) “If you study the best leaders, they all never stop learning.” (16:50—16:53) “I said, ‘Dr. Dawson, what piece of advice would you give me in this career of dentistry?’ And he said, ‘Great question. I would say this: don't ever tell yourself you have it all figured out.’ And I said, ‘Really?’ He said, ‘Yes. Kirk, I don't have it all figured out.’ I was 24, he was 64.’ And he said, ‘I'm learning from my students all the time. The other thing you'll understand is, the people that have it all figured out, they're not that much fun.’ So, become a lifelong learner.” (17:53—18:20) “It’s better to get two things done really well than try to chase 92.” (20:47—20:51) “We walk our talk in [ACT’s] Team Week. And so, our coaching philosophy, our coaching program, really came about from a few years of working through what does work and what doesn't work. And we tried it before we ever coached on it, and we found what works. And we’ve basically taken our operating system that we use every day — and we believe in it because we, firsthand, have seen it work — and now, we coach on it. And so, it’s our way to walk our own talk, and it definitely works.” (22:47—23:17) “Our attention gets diluted after 13 weeks. We start to move off of our core focus. We start to look for bright, shiny objects. And every 13 weeks we need a chance, dentists and ACT Dental, to stop, time out, get out of the business, get out of the practice, and work on the practice because usually, we’re working in the practice or working in the business. So, that time is really, really important.” (23:18—23:44) “A lot of us listening would go, ‘Yeah, I totally believe in my team!’ But it’s the Rachel Wall question. I'll give her full credit for this. You ask any dentist like, ‘What do you believe?’ ‘Yeah, my team comes first. My team comes first.’ And then, she asks the ultimate question, ‘What do you do that supports what you just said?’ When you stop and land the airplane and tell your team, ‘We’re going to...
What You Need to Know About Orofacial Pain as a Specialty Episode #455 with Dr. Mary Charles Haigler A toothache may be more than a toothache. It could be TMD, TMJ, or even symptoms of a heart attack! Learning about orofacial pain can change and save your patients’ lives, and Kirk Behrendt brings in Dr. Mary Charles Haigler to encourage you to find out more. Dentists are the best professionals who can make a difference for these patients. And to do that, education is the key. To learn how you can help your suffering patients, listen to Episode 455 of The Best Practices Show! Main Takeaways: Orofacial pain is broader than just TMD. There are many risk factors for pain symptoms. Listen to your patients and take good medical histories. For orofacial pain patients, opioids can make things worse. If you don't see anything wrong with the tooth, step back and reassess. Keeping up with CE and different fields is very important for this specialty. Quotes: “Patients will come in and they’ll inform me that they’ve been diagnosed with TMJ. And so, I have to tell them, ‘Well, let's break it down a little bit more, because there can be a disorder that involves the articular disc being out of place. There can be arthritis, which can either be osteoarthritis or an autoimmune condition. There can be muscle pain or myalgia. There can be a combination of those, or they can be separate.’ So, it’s trying to figure out exactly what that patient has going on so that we can tailor the treatment or the management to whatever symptoms they're actually having.” (5:38—6:20) “You can learn a lot just from hearing what the patient has to say. Even if they don't fully know what's going on, they could still tell you, ‘Well, when I open, I can only open this wide now. I used to click, and now I don't.’ All of those are little key words that tell you maybe it’s a disc disorder. Or some patients will tell you that they have other joints that are achy and painful, so then that clues you in. So, getting a good history helps to start the process.” (6:49—7:22) “I look for comorbidities like mood disorders, anxiety, depression. I'll look for sleep disorders such as obstructive sleep apnea because those things can be correlated to jaw pain as well. And so, we like to look at the whole picture, the whole patient, to try to figure out the best treatment for them.” (7:24—7:43) “Looking at the whole patient helps you to be able to — I'm not going to necessarily treat every part of that if they have hypertension or they have a mood disorder. But I can help them to get that treatment, which then helps us to get them well.” (9:37—9:53) “I've heard people say, ‘Well, I'm concerned about working with [TMD and TMJ] patients because some patients will come in and say that they have a tooth that hurts. And you look at the tooth, and there's nothing wrong with the tooth, but they're convinced that it is.’ Well, that could mistakenly lead to a practitioner thinking that the person’s either making it up, trying to get something done that's not needed, or get medicine that's not needed. But the reality is that in a lot of those cases, they do feel pain in a certain tooth — but the pain is not coming from that tooth. There's a discrepancy in the site versus the source of the pain.” (10:12—11:58) “I'd like other dentists to be aware that if a patient has a toothache — and I know you're trying to help them — but you don't see anything wrong with the tooth, just step back and try to reassess.” (11:48—12:01) “We can only do the best we can with what knowledge we have. And so, that's why I feel like it’s really important for the orofacial pain community to reach out to dentists, reach out to ENTs too, because a lot of patients will have earaches that are actually pain from the temporomandibular joint as well.” (12:24—12:47) “With orofacial pain, I know I've mentioned TMD a lot because that seems to be the biggest overlap with general dentistry. But orofacial pain...
The Most Important 4 Minutes of Any Appointment Episode #454 with Tom Viola, R.Ph., C.C.P. A medical history can change lives, and four minutes is all you need! It’s the most important part of any dental appointment, and Kirk Behrendt brings back Tom Viola, “Mr. Pharmacology” and founder of Pharmacology Declassified, to help make the documenting process easier, more efficient, and as accurate as possible. You can't know everything, but you can ask the right questions and learn to read between the medical history lines. For everything you need to know about the four critical minutes, listen to Episode 454 of The Best Practices Show! Main Takeaways: Patients today are more medically complex than ever. Always make time to review medical histories. Learn the three questions to always ask. Document everything you possibly can. Listen to your patients. Quotes: “Your patients have never been more medically complex than they are today. People take more drugs today, more medications today, more substances today, so they're evermore complex. And that means you've got to be an expert in pharmacology. Even if it wasn't your favorite subject, or even if it’s not top priority on your list of everyday things, it has to be because you've got to maintain the patient’s oral health, but also their systemic health at the same time.” (5:46—6:12) “The greatest blessing ever bestowed upon dentistry was that you could take the patient’s medical history directly from the patient. They're sitting right in your chair, they're right there in front of you. But the greatest curse ever inflicted upon dentistry was that you could take the patient’s medical history directly from the patient themselves, because they're not their own best reporter of their own medical history. And if they don't know, you won't know. If they don't want you to know, you're not going to know.” (7:03—7:26) “It’s so important to be a sleuth, to be able to read a medical history and read between the lines and know what questions you need to ask the patient to get all of the information, not just necessarily the information they know or want you to know.” (7:34—7:48) “The most important four minutes of any dental appointment are the four minutes you take to look at that medical history.” (9:02—9:09) “Some things are important. Some things aren’t. This is important. This is going to make or break your day. It’s going to make or break your patients’ trust in you. It’s going to make or break your career, perhaps. You've got to be able to make the time to take a look at that medical history. Now, if you don't have the time and you can't make it yourself, then delegate. You've got a valuable resource in your hygienist.” (10:15—10:36) “Especially for patients who take medications that can cause suicidal ideation, a lot of times, if they’ve gotten thoughts of suicide, they may not tell their clergyperson. They might not tell their medical doctor, their nurse practitioner. But they might tell somebody who’s easy to talk to, who listens to them, and who’s actually generally concerned about them. And that's usually their dental professional.” (11:54—12:16) “I made my way through college being a bartender. And I could tell you, one thing you learn as a bartender is you learn how to listen, and you learn how to speak. That's what I offer up to you guys: listen. Listen to your patients. Listen to what they say.” (12:28—12:40) “The first thing I'd like to recommend is that you have a medical history form the patient can fill out in advance. A lot of offices do. They have them online now. Get a lot of that done in advance and out of the way so that doesn't waste any of our four minutes.” (13:51—14:02) “If you can't do [medical histories] online, then maybe work your workflow so that you can delegate that to someone who can visit with the patient before you. Typically, that's the assistant. Sometimes, it’s the hygienist. But get them to do that information intake for you so that...
Why the Best Dentists Never Stop Learning Episode #453 with Dr. Daren Becker Masters never call themselves masters, and they are lifelong learners. To be the best, you need to keep learning. And to help you become a better learner, Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. Daren Becker, one of the best practicing dentists, to share his approach to learning and ways to further your education. If you think you know everything, you can't learn anything! To keep an open mind, listen to Episode 453 of The Best Practices Show! Main Takeaways: You can never know everything. Take courses at multiple institutions. Remember to keep “sharpening the saw”. Seek out different mentors and places to learn. The best dentists know they don't have it all figured out. Quotes: “The day I say, ‘I made it,’ is the day that I hang it up.” (27:08—27:11) “When I was practicing with Dr. Jim, maybe after three months I'm there, I'm right out of dental school. Sure, I'd heard all this stuff. But when I heard it originally, I hadn't gone to dental school yet, so I didn't know anything. And I realized very quickly, because Jim had me for that whole first year — I sat in on every single new-patient exam that he did. Not just sat in, I was the assistant while he was doing his comprehensive evaluation on every new patient that he saw. I sat in on that. Wow, what an experience. Wow, what a way to realize what you don't know. And just to be able to hang, to speak the language, I had to go further my education.” (27:24—28:13) “Before he passed away, I loved sitting in any course where Dr. Dawson was in the audience. He would take more notes than anyone there. Dr. Parker Mahan, same thing. And it was a great role model to being a lifelong learner.” (46:07—46:26) “The best dentists I know are continually trying to learn more and better, both technical and behavioral and philosophical and all of that. And the best dentists I know have sought out many different mentors and teachers and places to learn. So, when people ask me, ‘Should I take Pankey or a Dawson course?’ the answer is yes. The best dentists I know have studied at at least two, and usually three of the bigger centers: Pankey, Kois, Dawson, Spear.” (46:42—47:26) “I was down at Pankey taking — I don't remember which course. Continuum 5 or 6, something down the road. Not my first time. I was in a lecture, and I want to say Dr. Rich Green was in the room, and he was helping us get through this concept of incisal edge shape and the pitch and the bevel. Anyway, it clicked for me, and I finally got it and understood it in a way that I could feel like I could apply it. And I was a little bit perturbed that no one had ever told me this before. And my dad said, ‘Go pull out your Continuum 1 manual.’ And back then, we got these big, thick manuals. ‘Pull out your level one manual and look at it.’ And sure enough, not only was there a section on this, in my own handwriting were notes about the same topic. So, I just wasn't in a place where I was ready to learn it.” (47:37—48:44) “Why do I keep going and taking courses even though I'm on faculty and I'm teaching Essentials 4 now? Well, very simply, I might have missed something. There might be something new. I might hear it differently because of where I am now. I might hear it differently just because it’s somebody different telling it to me.” (48:56—49:14) “I think if we are myopic in our learning, in our continued learning, and, ‘I am only going to take courses here. Pete Dawson is my guru, and I'm only going to take courses at the Dawson center,’ okay, great learning. But at some point, you're going to be missing out on something else.” (49:19—49:41) “The Cornell Effect by Dr. John Cranham and A Better Way by Dr. Pete Dawson, these are books that I love to reread. And I might find inspiration when I need it. I might find a pearl that I missed the first or second or third time I read it. But I think dental continuing education is the same thing.
The Power in Learning About Gingival Architecture Episode #452 with Dr. Betsy Bakeman Do your patients care about gingival architecture? Chances are, yes! They just don't know what it is, or that it can be corrected. And sometimes, neither do dentists. So, to help you optimize the results of your dentistry, Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. Betsy Bakeman, adjunct faculty member at the Kois Center, to share what she’s learned about gingival architecture, why you should learn more, and how to get started. To help patients achieve their ideal smiles, listen to Episode 452 of The Best Practices Show! Main Takeaways: You can alter gingival architecture for esthetic reasons. Learn gingival architecture to optimize outcomes. This knowledge will give you added expertise. Learning this will improve communication. Gingival architecture is simple to learn. Quotes: “You hear about the gingival architecture being the framework for the teeth, and it’s something that I never used to consider at all, until I started going through the accreditation process in the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry. And they started talking about how this was really important for esthetics, and I knew what I wanted to do. I learned where the architecture should be, the symmetry, the harmony. But I didn't know how to manage it, and I struggled getting my patients to go to the periodontist, to go to a specialist. I struggled with communication with my patients, with the specialist, and I didn't know how to achieve optimal results.” (3:02—3:51) “[Gingival architecture is] really simple. It’s very manageable. Any general dentist can learn these techniques, and it helps you in so many ways.” (4:14—4:24) “[What most dentists get wrong is] how simple and predictable [gingival architecture] is. It’s just so simple and predictable. Once you know what to do, it’s amazing how simple and predictable it is.” (5:24—5:40) “Even if you decide, ‘I don't like blood. I don't like working with a scalpel. I don't want to do that,’ you become better at communicating what you want with your periodontist. So, it’s helpful to know what the ceramicist is doing, to know what the specialist is doing. We become better communicators and we’re more likely to get what we need when we work with our specialists.” (6:17—6:42) “You can't unsee it. Once you see asymmetry in the gingival architecture and the patient is asking you about this chipped tooth, this dark tooth, whatever it is that they're focused on, and then you say, ‘Can I point out some other things that I see that may or may not be important to you? If you're going to restore these teeth, you may notice afterwards that these gum heights aren't even on these two middle teeth. And there are opportunities to correct that before we do your two restorations so that it looks perfectly symmetrical.’ And patients often say, ‘Oh, I didn't notice that.’ Or they might say, ‘I didn't know you could correct that.’” (7:15—8:03) “Especially in people that have short teeth and gummy smiles where there's actually more tooth structure under the gum tissue, people are amazed. I mean, they didn't even know that that could be corrected. And so, they're so excited. It’s added expertise in the eyes of the patient that you're the first person that mentioned that this could actually be corrected for them. They didn't even know it. And honestly, a lot of dentists don't know it either.” (8:04—8:34) “In dental school, we’re taught a lot about single-tooth dentistry, and we really focus on teeth. I mean, dental school — dental anatomy, teeth, teeth, teeth, teeth, teeth. And I didn't know that you could alter gingival architecture for esthetic reasons until I was like 15 years out of dental school.” (8:43—9:06) “The AACD says if you're going to say you're a cosmetic dentist, you need to manage gingival architecture. Whether you do it yourself or you refer to the periodontist to have them do it, you're ultimately driving the bus and you...
How Digital Workflows Are Changing the Landscape of Dentistry Episode #451 with Dr. John Cranham & Lee Culp, CDT Digital is one of the greatest things that’s happened in dentistry. You can get more done in less time with higher predictability. So, why aren't more dentists transitioning to a digital workflow? Today, Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. John Cranham and Lee Culp, founders of Cranham Culp Digital Dental, to explore the resistance to digital, how that prevents high-level dentistry, and steps to transition to a digital workflow. Digital is the future! To start your transition journey today, listen to Episode 451 of The Best Practices Show! Main Takeaways: Efficiency, predictability, and communication improves with digital. Using digital will help you educate patients on the spot. Avoid going back and forth from analog to digital. Digital is as good — if not better — than analog. High-level dentistry requires technology. You can't learn this in a weekend. Quotes: “[Digital is] an incredible time-savings. And then, the outputs are so much better, it leads to higher degrees of predictability in what we’re doing.” (7:56—8:05) “I had a conversation with some of the people we’re coaching — it was kind of a game — ‘How much money would somebody have to give you to take your 3Shape away? To go back to stone and do it the way you used to, how much would they have to give you?’ It’s a big number for me because of how much better it is and how much more efficient it is.” (8:07—8:30) “I used to really think you couldn't do veneers with scanning. I do veneers with scanning all the time now.” (9:25—9:31) “The tip that I would tell, and this is where I think people get into trouble, is they don't trust the digital. So, what they will do is they’ll start to do something digital, and then they go back to analog to check it. And when you start going back and forth between analog and digital, I think you can really screw things up. It’s better to be all digital or all analog.” (10:01—10:24) “I don't know that we’re doing any better with impressions than we are with digital scans. And we can still do corrective casts if things aren't working. But [with digital,] Dr. Cranham is able to do things so much faster, and efficient, and be able to educate his patients right then, not two weeks later after we pour all the models and do all this.” (11:50—12:11) “I can simulate anything you can possibly think of on my computer screen.” (12:46—12:51) “When we look at what's going on in the research community and the prosthodontic community and all the journals, everything is digital. All the research is digital now. Obviously, there is biological research going on. But if it’s anything in prosthodontics where we’re making things, all the journals are digital now. And I think that qualification from the universities is something we needed to have because we’re showing cool things that could be done very predictably every day.” (14:51—15:21) “Dr. Dawson used to say that it was good for the patient to come back because at the first visit, you just showed them the problems. They needed a week or so to think about the problems in order to accept the case. Well, I don't know if that's true or not. I think we maybe said that because it made us feel better about the fact that it took us a week to mount the models.” (20:03—20:24) “Patients come in, and the more we can get done that day is a good thing — if we’re not compromising.” (21:07—21:15) “My real passion is, if I can get more dentists to not freaking wing it and to really plan where they're going, dentistry is going to be better. And that's what I feel like, is that the old way, dentists found out that they could do a pretty good job not really having a clear picture and visualizing but prepping the teeth and letting the lab sort it all out. Sometimes, that works out. Sometimes, it doesn't.” (21:40—22:09) “[Digital] eliminates a lot of “winging it” because we’re so much...
The Geriatric Tooth Fairy – Saving Our Seniors Episode #450 with Sonya Dunbar Some of our seniors become invisible. And that means they are not well-cared-for — especially when it comes to oral health. But there are ways that dentists can help, and Kirk Behrendt brings in Sonya Dunbar, speaker, educator, and CEO of The Geriatric Tooth Fairy, to share how mobile dentistry can save our seniors. Let's take care of our greatest generation! For the best advice from the tooth fairy, listen to Episode 450 of The Best Practices Show! Main Takeaways: Long-term care patients have a great need for oral care. Mobile dentistry is for everyone, not just the underserved. You can diversify your financial portfolio with mobile dentistry. Teledentistry and mobile dentistry are great ways to branch out. Spread smiles, love, and respect for seniors who come into your office. Quotes: “My grandmother had an upper denture and lower teeth, and I noticed that the CNAs in the nursing home weren't even taking out her denture — let alone brushing her teeth. So, of course, I didn't care because I was there every morning and every night, so I did it. But one day, when I was in her room, her roommate said, ‘Sweetie, can you brush my teeth? They don't come out like your grandmother’s.’ So, I said, ‘Of course!’ So, I went over to her bed and started looking through the drawers, and I didn't see a toothbrush. I went to the bathroom. There wasn't a toothbrush. I went to the nurse’s station. There wasn't a toothbrush in the building.” (2:59—3:32) “A lot of home health care companies called me for me to train their home health aides on how to properly take care of the teeth. And one thing I noticed, I could train them all how to brush teeth and how to deal with a dementia patient. But they need to know the diseases and sicknesses connected to oral care. I connect the mouth to the body. But so many non-dental people separate the mouth from overall health. So, I draw a real good picture about diabetes, heart disease, even urinary tract infections — so many things that are connected. There are over 200 known diseases and sicknesses connected to the mouth.” (7:23—8:01) “Some people think that mobile dentistry is just for the underserved. But no, it’s not. Mobile dentistry is for everyone.” (13:11—13:17) “I encourage [dentists] to extend an arm outside of their practice with teledentistry and mobile dentistry. Maybe send your hygienists out to people that may be in a nursing home or to the school. Give them the teledentistry camera and let them do the exams. The dentists could do the exams. The hygienists could do the cleaning. And that frees up a chair in your office.” (13:59—14:20) “I think [dentists] least understand how to get started. People don't understand that there are steps in getting started. Just like there are steps in starting a brick-and-mortar practice, there are steps in getting started in mobile [dentistry].” (14:56—15:13) “I met a young dentist out of California. She has the van, and she goes to stay-at-home moms. And she’ll get a whole zip code. And she targeted that, splashed it out with marketing. Those mothers are calling her. She has a waiting list in certain zip codes. And if it’s a mother and father and two or three kids, and you do all those exams and cleanings and whatever they need, and then go to another, you've made your production and you're staying in the area. Everybody knows gas is outrageous right now. But just staying in that same area, you're driving around, but you're bringing it to them.” (16:19—16:59) “[Another dentist] does mobile ortho. He does mobile ortho and Invisalign. He goes to a space, texts all these people, tells them when they're going to be there. They line up and come to him. And he has a big bus. He has an old school bus. Can you tell me the overhead that this dentist is not paying?” (17:11—17:31) “If someone wants to diversify their financial portfolio as a dental professional, they...
Expanding Your Thinking Beyond the Oral Cavity Episode #449 with Dr. Steve Carstensen People are more health-conscious than ever. And who are the best professionals to go to for better health? Dentists! But it’s not just about fixing teeth and cleaning gums. Today, Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. Stephen Carstensen, co-founder of Premier Sleep Associates, to highlight the other side to dentistry, breathing and airway, so you can help people breathe better to live better. Don't just be another dentist — help solve airway issues before they happen. To learn how, listen to Episode 449 of The Best Practices Show! Main Takeaways: Start the sleep and airway conversation with your patients ASAP. Only dentists can solve cranio-facial issues before they happen. Be professionally curious and ask good questions. Learn new ways to engage with your patients. Have confidence in what you're doing. Quotes: “People who don't sleep well, they don't sleep well because they don't breathe well. And if we allow the body to breathe well — at any age — then the body will take care of its own sleeping problems. And the more we address this early in life, the better the physiology goes on through life.” (9:35—9:55) “I treat 50 and 60 and 70-year-olds in my clinic. Well, all those people used to be five, six, and seven. Right? And so, what if we could treat a three-year-old and do something about breathing when they're tiny? Maybe they don't become 50 and 60 and 70-year-olds with massive problems.” (9:55—10:12) “In dental school, we’re trained, ‘Well, these people need protection from themselves, so let's make them a nightguard.’ Nobody should have a nightguard without questions about their sleep and breathing while they sleep, because it’s so highly correlated — not cause it, but correlated. So, don't make any nightguards without asking, ‘Do you snore? Do you breathe well at nighttime? Do you wake up refreshed?’ those kinds of screening questions you can find from a STOP-BANG, for example.” (13:09—13:34) “One of the things to consider is when patients come back to you and they say, ‘Well, I can't wear a nightguard,’ ‘Well, why not?’ ‘Well, it just doesn't feel comfortable.’ There are not very many reasons why a nightguard should feel uncomfortable. In Pankey training, early on, they said, ‘Well, it’s because you didn't have it fitted right, because you didn't have it adjusted right.’ So, we'd spend a lot of time doing that. But what we really need is more curiosity. Why didn’t it fit right? What’s going wrong? And you'll discover a lot of patients who don't breathe well. And when you start thinking about that, you can make a different appliance.” (13:44—14:13) “Be professionally curious. Read some books. There are a lot of good books to read.” (14:20—14:24) “Buy a copy of Breath [by James Nestor] and put it in the reception room, because people are going to have seen that. And when they see that, they might go to the dentist and say, ‘What should I think about that? I've heard of that book. Should I read it?’ or, ‘I read it. What are you going to do to help me?’ Just throw out the question. Start the conversations. And pay attention to what the answers are so that you can identify where it is that you need to learn some more stuff.” (15:04—15:28) “Getting paid is not the biggest problem, any more than it used to be. The biggest thing is comfort and confidence in what you're doing.” (16:17—16:25) “The key is the dentist has to get curious, and then train the team. Because in Washington State, I am legally obligated to do the exam, to ask the patient what their chief complaint is — and that's it. That's all I have to do, legally, to treat a patient with an oral appliance.” (17:02—17:25) “People are wanting to find ways to improve their overall health. And as dentists are increasingly seen as part of the primary care network — not just the oral care network, but the primary care network, because we can see the results of bad health on...
Top Lessons in Leadership in 2022 Episode #448 with Kirk Behrendt & Heather Crockett Even the best dentists don't have it all figured out — and that's okay! Progress is what's important. And to help you in your journey for improvement, Kirk Behrendt brings back Heather Crockett, one of ACT’s amazing lead practice coaches, to reflect on some of the favorite lessons they’ve learned in becoming a better leader. It all starts with knowing yourself and the things you're bad, good, and great at. To hear some of the best advice for improving your leadership skills, listen to Episode 448 of The Best Practices Show! Main Takeaways: Find out who you are as quickly as possible. Know your strengths and weaknesses. Identify your unique abilities. Be okay with being wrong. Improvement never ends. Learn to pause. Quotes: “I learn every day about leadership and the aspects of leadership. I don't have it all figured out quite yet. My inspiration from Kirk is to get from books. And so, that's where I have been getting a lot of my inspiration.” (2:28—2:43) “When you're developing these other leaders, you're also leaning on them to help you in an area where you might not have the skill, the expertise. So, you might have a team member that does have that skill and expertise that you don't have. Developing them as a leader is only going to benefit you and the practice.” (4:46—5:05) “I attended an education workshop a couple of months ago, and one of the speakers, what she was talking about really resonated with me . . . She highlighted this book called Humbitious [by Amer Kaissi]. Now, humbitious is not a word in the dictionary. But when she was talking about it, my interest was piqued because one of my own personal core values is humility. So, I wanted to learn more about what this humbitious meant, and it’s combining humility and drive and ambition in leadership and what that looks like.” (7:59—8:39) “Humble people believe that they can become better people than what they currently are. And they understand and realize that they can't do it alone, and that they need other people to help them. So, what it looks like is being willing to and openly apologizing when you make a mistake or when you don't have it all figured out.” (9:11—9:33) “I often see with our clients and practice owners, in general, that they want their team to see them as somebody that does have it all figured out.” (9:41—9:50) “Everybody has room for improvement. Even the great doctors that I've worked for still had room for improvement and things that they could do to become a better leader.” (12:33—12:42) “[The user’s manual is] really important because it helps to identify how to best communicate with each one of your team members. And it allows for the team to start being more vulnerable with one another to say, ‘Hey, this is how I feel about something.’ For example, in my user manual, I put that I value social time. If you come straight at me and you get straight down to business on something, I'm going to feel a little bit miffed because you didn't ask me how my weekend was. That just goes along with my preferred personality communication style. So, that's how important they are. Because even though another personality style might want to get right down to the research and the business, that approach would probably offend me. And it’s nothing that they did wrong, it’s just that they didn't understand. They didn't know how to communicate with me until the user manual was created.” (13:28—14:24) “It’s all about identifying your weaknesses. And that's a really hard thing to do because we don't want to see ourselves in that negative light. We don't want to say, ‘Oh, I did something wrong,’ or, ‘I made a mistake,’ or, ‘I'm not as good as I could be.’ So, we really need to identify loving critics and then allow them to give us specific feedback.” (17:57—18:21) “Don't be afraid to be transparent with yourself and with your team. Embrace humility. Grant...
How I Built Mommy Dentists in Business Episode #447 with Dr. Grace Yum Being a mom is hard. Being a mom, dentist, and business owner is even harder. You can't do it alone, so Kirk Behrendt brings in Dr. Grace Yum, founder and CEO of Mommy Dentists in Business, to help dentists who are moms find the community and support they need online. As the old saying goes, it takes a village to raise a child. To find your village that can help make your life better, listen to Episode 447 of The Best Practices Show! Main Takeaways: There will be some sacrifices being a dentist and a mom. Find or create your “village” if you don't have one. MDIB is a great resource to find a community. It’s okay to not feel okay as a new mother. If you're overwhelmed, hang in there! Quotes: “Nothing in life that's worthwhile is easy.” (7:52—7:56) “You have to figure out who are the people that are going to help you because you cannot do this by yourself. It’s just a lot of work. So, whether it’s a part-time nanny, full-time nanny, whether it’s the grandparents, it takes a village. That expression is very true, and you need to figure out who your village is. And that support network is crucial to your success and your happiness.” (15:38—16:07) “There are days where the school might call, ‘You need to pick up your kid. She’s got a fever,’ and you're in the middle of a procedure. So, you're going to have to send a dental assistant to go pick up your kid and bring them to the office. So, there are some modifications that we all have to make and do, and sacrifices, in order to be able to do both dentistry and be a mom.” (16:30—16:57) “A lot of mothers have this feeling of guilt like, ‘I'm not there enough for my kid,’ or, ‘I am not present enough,’ or, ‘If I was a stay-at-home mom, my kid might be better off.’ And those are all emotions and feelings that a lot of mothers feel. That's normal. And you just have to do what's best for you. There are people like me that, I wouldn't be a good mother if I was a full-time mom. I just am not cut out to be a full-time mom. And God bless the full-time mothers because I think that's a harder job. For me, it’s easier to go to work — I have full control of my workspace — than it is to be at home full-time. And for me, I'm fulfilled, personally, with dentistry as my career, helping patients, seeing my patients and my team. That fulfills me. And if I didn't have that, then I'm not sure if staying at home while the kids are at school, I'd find something in lieu of that that would be fulfilling.” (16:58—18:01) “What I found was that there wasn't really a space for me to ask questions such as, ‘Oh, I just got back from maternity leave. Did your schedule change?’ or, ‘My hygienist who’s working for me, she just got back from maternity, but she needs a place to pump or nurse.’ And the comments from the men — they think they're funny — were not helpful at all. They would say things like, ‘Well, tell her to pump in the car — and clock out, by the way,’ or, ‘Tell her to not come back to work until she’s done with that,’ just things that were very short-sighted or not helpful. Not that they aren't being polite or professional. It’s just, they don't get it.” (20:28—21:17) “As a mom, you're at work and thinking about, ‘Okay, what am I making for dinner tonight?’ or, ‘Oh my gosh, Jimmy’s got his school play tomorrow. What do I need prepped for that?’ or, ‘Oh, the birthday party is this weekend. Did I buy the birthday gift? I need that wrapped. Oh, Christmas and Hanukkah. Oh, the play. The school.’ So, there are a gazillion things going on in a mom’s brain while she’s at work. And then, when she’s at home, she’s thinking, ‘That temporary crown that was rocking a little bit, I hope it stays on for the next two weeks. That patient who had a dry socket, I hope that he’s doing well. Oh, my phone’s ringing because I'm on-call, and little Benjamin just got whacked in the face with a baseball bat and cracked number eight and...
What Most People Get Wrong About Embezzlement Episode #446 with David Harris If you think embezzlement can never happen to you, take time to think again! No one is immune, and it’s impossible to prevent. All you can do is make it more challenging for the people who choose to steal. And to help you in that process, Kirk Behrendt brings back David Harris, CEO of Prosperident, to debunk common myths about thieves and embezzlement so you can outsmart them and reduce your chances of theft. Cash isn't the only thing an embezzler will take! To learn ways to protect your practice, listen to Episode 446 of The Best Practices Show! Main Takeaways: No dentist is immune to embezzlement. 75% of dentists are stolen from at some point. Embezzlers may be smarter than you think. Think beyond cash theft. Thieves will adapt. Make it challenging to steal from your practice. Always reach out to an expert for help. Quotes: “In 2019, [the American Dental Association] went to [17,000] dentists and they said, ‘Have you been stolen from?’ And I'll give you the good news first. 53% of the respondents said, ‘I don't think so,’ because this question doesn't always lead itself to absolute answers. Of course, the other 47% had been stolen from. So, the ADA asked them a follow-up question, ‘Okay, how many times?’ And now, it got a little bit interesting. 26% — so, about half of those who said they’ve been stolen from — said, ‘Once, as far as I know.’ 11%, twice. 2%, three times. And the one that really made me stand up and take notice was that 8% of the respondents said, ‘Four or more times.’” (3:55—4:44) “Some things that we don't know here. For example, we don't know how many of the 53% [from the ADA study who] said, ‘I haven't been stolen from, to the best of my knowledge,’ will get victimized in the rest of their careers. And we don't know how many of the other 47% who had been will get stolen from again. We also don't know how many people were stolen from and just didn't realize it, or how many were stolen from and did realize it, and for whatever reason, chose not to disclose that to the ADA.” (5:07—5:37) “If you start with 100 dentists, probably 75% of them will get stolen from sooner or later.” (5:41—5:46) “[Embezzlement] is not a crime committed on you by a stranger. It’s a crime committed by somebody who you had a relationship with, you were almost like family to. And they used the trust and the faith that you placed in them and leveraged it into theft. So, it’s a very personal crime. The money is an issue — it has to be. But in a lot of cases, it’s the sense of violation. It’s that thought process where you say, ‘I was at her daughter’s wedding three months ago. And it’s just starting to occur to me how much of that wedding I paid for.’ It’s that, that really hurts.” (7:09—7:52) “The first thing [dentists get wrong about embezzlement] is, ‘I have immunity because . . .’ And if we had a live audience with us today, there'd be some people sitting like this with their arms folded and their face tight. You could probably even see them bruxing a little bit. And what it all says is, ‘Well, it might be the person to my left, and it might be the person to my right. But it won't be me.’ And then, they have some algorithm that they’ve constructed that puts them in the immune category. For example, ‘My staff have been with me for 20-plus years.’ And every embezzlement has a first time. Sometimes, it’s a newly hired staff member who’s been with you for three months. And sometimes, it’s your office manager of 25 years.” (8:30—9:18) “We can't control the external pressures that are exerted onto somebody that makes them wake up one morning and say, ‘Today’s the day I'm going to steal.’ And the backstory could be a lot of things.” (9:20—9:31) “I've seen both sides of it where somebody who you think is almost too stupid to tie their shoes can successfully steal. And at the same time, you see some pretty creative, inventive thieves who come up...
How to Put Together a Crisis Coverage Plan Episode #445 with Paul Sletten Sometimes, you can't see bad things coming. And when it happens, you need to be prepared. One way is by having a crisis coverage plan, and Kirk Behrendt brings back Paul Sletten, founder of the Sletten Group, to share his expert advice on how to create a plan that will keep you covered and buy you time. Stay covered no matter your age, health, or financial situation! To learn how to check your boxes for coverage, listen to Episode 445 of The Best Practices Show! Main Takeaways: Join or create a practice coverage group. Three or four dentists is not enough for a group. Coverage groups should meet regularly and often. Be selective in putting your coverage group together. Plan out who makes the call in a crisis, and who to call. Coverage groups can also help in non-crisis situations. Quotes: “[Having a crisis plan is] extremely important. Everybody needs to have a transition plan in place, regardless of what stage they're at in their career. In fact, they need to have two plans.” (3:39—3:54) “Maybe the percentage of [a crisis happening] is smaller than five percent — but they happen. And when they happen, one of two things will occur: either the practice will go into a nosedive because they're not acting on it or putting a plan together or had never thought about it previously, or the practice will get covered.” (4:16—4:40) “Simply defined, a crisis of this type would be something that alters the ability of the owner of the practice to be able to continue to be productive in the practice, either for a short period of time because they're ill but they're going to recover, or for an extended period of time because they were in an accident and can't physically perform and that puts them in a crisis, or because something happens tragically, and they die. But that's very rare compared to the likelihood of disability.” (5:36—6:16) “The place to begin is to put together what we call a practice coverage group. A practice coverage group is a group of like-minded dentists who respect each other and who are in proximity to each other who would be capable of covering for one another in the event of disability or some kind of a crisis. And I've seen people put these groups together, but they’d only put three or four dentists in their coverage group. And that's a real tremendous strain on the covering dentists. That's not enough.” (7:41—8:23) “If you only have three or four [dentists in your practice coverage group], they're going to run out of gas and put the practice back in jeopardy — even though it had been covered — because they just don't have the time to do it, because there's such a big time demand on each person. So, eight or nine, those are really good numbers.” (8:49—9:11) “The commitments that the coverage group would be able to make would be to cover the practice for three months, let's say, pretty much at a max. It can go longer than that, but in our experience, that pretty well maxes it out. But that does buy you time, if it’s going to be a slow recovery, to find a locum tenens who can come in and be the dentist to cover it for several months, if needed.” (10:43—11:18) “In some situations, we've seen where by the time we get called, a couple of months have gone by [since the crisis occurred]. The team has no idea what their future is, and the family is so grief-stricken, in the event of a death, that they haven't taken any action and they haven't called anybody. So, part of the plan you need there in the crisis coverage plan is there needs to be, ‘If this happens, who makes the call, and who do you call?’” (15:07—15:42) “Insurance companies are very slow to pay with disability coverage too, as you all know . . . I would say five to six months. In the event of a death, in the event of life insurance, if your practice is worth a million dollars and you're in a partnership, for example, you need to carry insurance that will allow, upon...
Where is Your Vagus Nerve? Episode #444 with Dr. Kevin Kwiecien Whether it’s a bad patient, team member conflict, or just a not-so-great day, those are not life-or-death, fight-or-flight situations. Nothing in dentistry is a “saber-toothed tiger”. So, why do we respond to challenges as if they are? Your brain is the answer, and Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. Kevin Kwiecien to explain what the vagus nerve is, why it’s important, and how you can use it to manage stress. Your energy can impact those around you! To learn how to create a calm, healthy environment for you, your team, and your patients, listen to Episode 444 of The Best Practices Show! Main Takeaways: Learn to change your brain. Be calm to create calm around you. Have awareness of your tendencies. Practice meditation on a regular basis. Create habits to be in parasympathetic tone. Quotes: “In 2022, there are no saber-toothed tigers out there. But our reaction if something crazy happens is like when we go back to caveman times when there must be a saber-toothed tiger and I need to be in my amygdala. And you don't. But we don't realize that in 2022, we’re safe. There's not a saber-toothed tiger. But our bodies still respond that way. And so, what can we do to realize that?” (10:52—11:22) “If I walk in and I'm in fight-or-flight, you don't know and I don't tell you that I'm in fight-or-flight, but because you're another animal, you instinctively pick up on that. It’s the energy. One animal knows when another animal — especially in fight and certainly flight, and we all see freeze as well — the other animals pick up on it. And when we pick up on it, instinctively, we go, ‘Well, I guess I'm in fight-or-flight too. I guess we’re going to battle. I guess I need to be ready for something,’ and the whole energy in the room changes. And we didn't really need it to be. And so, if you, as a leader, as a dentist, are aware of that, think about the impact you have on your team and your patients and those around you.” (13:10—13:50) “It starts with being aware of self. And if I am a very high D [on the DISC profile] and I am having a conversation with a very high S, I need to be aware of that and I need to flex towards the S. And if the S is flexing towards the D, we meet somewhere in the middle. But the beginning of that is, am I aware that I'm a D? And there are good things about a D. I get stuff done, I'm very direct, and I get stuff done fast. The dilemma of being a D is I can be a little abrasive sometimes. I can be overbearing. And if you don't do it with me, I'll just do it myself. And if I'm aware of that, then I embrace the strengths of my personality profile, my tendencies, and I embrace them and I use them, I maximize their potential.” (20:52—21:45) “What habits are you creating so that you become — it could be setting your watch — but what are you doing to create new habits to remind you, ‘Oh my gosh, I need to be in parasympathetic tone. I need to take a few deep breaths. I need to tap into my vagus nerve’? And although it sounds simple, it’s not. But that is about the simplest way to start it, is think about how you're breathing, because that always gets you into parasympathetic tone.” (23:52—24:21) “Your hygienist is not a saber-toothed tiger. The fact that the cord is not going in on the distal-buccal of 18 is not a saber-toothed tiger. The fact that you're even really close to the pulp — luckily, in dentistry, it’s not brain surgery. I don't mean to belittle dentistry, but it’s not a saber-toothed tiger. Our emergencies, our hygienists, everything that goes on in a dental office is not a saber-toothed tiger. But we respond like it is. Instinctively, we respond like it is because we’re humans. So, what can we do to realize that it’s 2022, and it’s not a saber-toothed tiger, and get back into your frontal cortex?” (26:40—27:22) “We expect an immediate response. We think we have to, if we get texts, text them right back. If we need to know something,...
Are Your Patients Getting Comfortably Numb? Episode #443 with Dr. Alan Budenz How sure are you that your patients are comfortably numb? Are you 100% sure? Do you just hope they are? There's a better way to know than just guessing! And to help you know with 99.9% certainty, Kirk Behrendt brings in Dr. Alan Budenz to share some techniques you can start using today. Numbing is the first step to high-quality dentistry! To learn how to give patients the most comfortable experience, listen to Episode 443 of The Best Practices Show! Main Takeaways: Learn as many anesthesia techniques as you possibly can. Always ask patients about their history with anesthesia. Tell patients what you're doing. Don't surprise them! Know the best ways to assess anesthesia. Even experts will miss from time to time. Quotes: “Getting your patients comfortably numb is incredibly important. You can't do good-quality dental work if the patient is feeling pain and fighting you, so you've got to have good control.” (2:28—2:40) “I want to deliver local anesthesia as efficiently as possible, because I've never had a patient beg me to give them more shots. I always think of the movie, Little Shop of Horrors, with Steve Martin and Bill Murray, and Bill Murray’s like, ‘Oh, yeah, doc. Hurt me!’ It’s like, no, no, no, no, no. That's not real people. So, we’re not going there. I want to be really efficient with local anesthesia. And in giving the shot, inherently — you don't want to cause the patient pain giving the shot either.” (2:43—3:15) “Although the injectable needles are still, by far and away, the most reliable, we’re still looking for better ways, easier ways, more comfortable ways to deliver the anesthetic. And that's encouraging.” (9:33—9:46) “I think we’re still going to be using needles for a good while. But I think that some of these patch delivery techniques, like the iontophoresis, some of the things that have been developed more for medicine and trying to adapt them for dentistry. Part of the problem with dentistry is that versus putting a patch on the skin for anesthesia like they do in medicine, we’re dealing with a very moist environment. So, a patch may not stick well onto the mucosa. We’re usually trying to get deeper nerves. Like, the inferior alveolar nerve is rather deep through the tissue. It’s hard to direct the anesthetic that deep from a patch. So, I think these things may have promise, but I think it’s going to take quite a while to get developed.” (10:05—10:59) “When I'm delivering local anesthesia to the patient, before I do it, I tell them what I'm going to do.” (15:39—15:47) “As I go along, I'm walking through and I'm talking to the patient as I'm [administering the anesthesia]. I'm telling them what to expect, what they're going to feel. And so, for example, if I'm going to shake the cheek, I tell them, ‘I'm going to shake the cheek,’ rather than staying stoic and silent, and then I'm suddenly doing something, the patient is startled, ‘What? Why is this guy shaking my cheek?’ or these kinds of things. I want to avoid surprises.” (16:38—17:05) “I'm trying to tell the patient what I'm doing and what to anticipate in terms of feeling and so forth. But I know that sometimes patients totally tune me out, and all they're hearing is, ‘Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah,’ in a calm, quiet voice. But you know what? If that's hypnotic to them, that's fine too. It still works to relax them and remove some of that anxiety. But the bottom line is that as I'm doing everything, I'm telling them what I'm doing to make this more comfortable for them. I'm telling them what I do to make this a better experience for them. That, to me, is extremely important.” (17:09—17:53) “How do we normally assess anesthesia? We ask the patient, ‘Do you feel numb?’ ‘Uh, yeah. My lip feels kind of numb.’ So, you pick up an explorer and you poke around. Right? Well, hopefully, they don't feel that. And then, you pick up your drill or your curette, whatever,
Why You Should Practice Breathwork Episode #442 with Dr. Cristian Pavel We breathe all day, every day. But how often do we think about the way we breathe? It turns out, we are overbreathing. And to explain how that affects the body and mind, Kirk Behrendt brings in Dr. Cristian Pavel, a dentist, life coach, and yoga instructor at YogaSix. As a yogi dentist, he will help you incorporate breathing into your dental practice so you can relax, reduce stress, and relieve anxiety. To master better breathing for a better practice and a better life, listen to Episode 442 of The Best Practices Show! Main Takeaways: We are all breathing too much and too fast. Breathe less when you're stressed — not more. High-quality breathing equals a high-quality life. Deep breaths are tools you can use at any moment. Breathwork can help ease anxiety for your patients. Quotes: “Yoga, essentially, is the practice of finding ourselves, finding stillness, allowing the mind to do its thing without needing to control every element, because that is where a huge source of suffering starts from.” (4:42—4:58) “Most people are on the overstimulated side. We’re constantly go, go, go, go, go. And it’s a deeply conditioned pattern in our culture. Technology is beautiful. And as incredible as it is, the utility of it has a double-edged sword effect because now that we are more efficient, we have to do more things. And we have this compulsion to do even more things.” (9:18—9:44) “What I find myself doing — and a lot of other people — when there is finally time to rest, we’re unconsciously still scrolling aimlessly through social media feeds, or whatever cellphone ritual it is, keeping the mind constantly preoccupied and alert. And when this is unchecked, when we’re not aware of how we’re feeling about this, the body gets overstimulated. The fight-or-flight mechanism gets triggered over and over again, repeatedly, and it’s just not a sustainable function. So, we have this chronic stress that gets perpetuated and compounded and naturally progresses into chronic disease and chronic inflammation.” (9:44—10:26) “Invite the notion that it’s okay to not be okay. I think we’ve all reached this false sense and false reality, especially in dentistry, because you're conditioned to have to be the top. You always have to be the best. And if you're not, you just don't feel good about yourself. And even though that technically ends once you graduate, it still continues, that conditioned reflex continues, like, ‘Oh, the guy down the street just opened up four more ops,’ or whatever the dialogue or the narrative. Or, ‘Oh, I have less patients this month. It must be saying something about me.’ And what I want to say first and foremost is, it’s okay to not be okay.” (13:56—14:39) “What I say in almost all my yoga classes, the quality of your life is predicated by the quality of your breathing. How we breathe is how we live. And the goal of my yoga classes is to really let people feel that. And most of the time, that's accomplished, as long as they allow themselves to.” (17:58—18:14) “Almost everyone I pay attention to is not paying any attention to their breath. This is the most fundamental process of our body, and it controls everything. Carbon dioxide is the ultimate hormone. It controls every biologic function in our body. It has its hand in something. So, it blows my mind how little attention is placed on the most important thing. In this health-and- wellness world now, every single calorie, every little thing is scrutinized. But our body can survive two weeks without food. How long can it survive without breathing?” (18:15—18:54) “One of the things that a lot of people still find interesting and shocking is that we’re all overbreathing. The average adult, according to James Nestor’s book [Breath] and a lot of research that was done, takes about 12 breaths per minute. The average elite athlete takes about five-and-a-half breaths per minute. So, we’re...
How Technology is Influencing Dental Education Episode #441 with Dr. Gerard Kugel Now is an exciting time for dentistry. Things are becoming easier, faster, and more accurate, opening up new possibilities. But as much as we talk about technology, dental education has been behind. So, where is the big technology push? To explore that question, Kirk Behrendt brings in Dr. Gerard Kugel to explain the technology lag, its causes, and how we can work to move things forward. Embrace technology, no matter your age! To learn why and how, listen to Episode 441 of The Best Practices Show! Main Takeaways: Don't be the first or last to experiment. Technology will always come and go. There is no must-have product. Always embrace technology. Never stop learning. Quotes: “I think dental education has been a little bit behind. And why do you think they're behind? What's one major reason we don't see the big technology push in dental schools? Expense. It’s expensive. Technology is costly. In my private practice, different story. You're at a school that's got 200 kids, 150 kids, it’s expensive. And secondly, your faculty, which sounds funny. You’ve got an older faculty who haven't embraced technology. So, I think technology in dental education has always lagged a little behind.” (5:10—5:41) “Even though technology, we talk about it, it still hasn’t been totally incorporated into the dental community the way you would think.” (6:20—6:28) “Five days a week doesn't mean you're a better dentist. What means you're a better dentist is you take the care, you learn, you read, you practice, you're humble, and you know that you can improve. I tell dental students I learn every day. It doesn't matter how many years I've had under my belt in dentistry. I learn. That's why I embrace technology at my age.” (8:20—8:39) “Even a technology that we take for granted today, which is bonding to dentin, posterior composites, there was a time when that was very controversial. And I lived through those battles.” (12:03—12:14) “The guy or gal who gets up and says, ‘This is the must-have product,’ I get that all the time, no, there is no must-have. I could hand you five different composites, and you would be fine with those.” (13:30—13:41) “I always say don't be the first on the block, don't be the last on the block. Do a little homework. Listen a little bit.” (14:33—14:40) “Anybody who says digital scanning is not accurate — it’s easier, it’s accurate.” (27:32—27:36) “We are going digital. Most schools are because it’s the way to go. And I'm not telling you — I can do a great job with a polyvinyl siloxane impression. They do a great job. But in this day and age, if they're sitting in front of you and you've got impression material and you've got a scanner, if you don't grab that scanner, then you're just living in the Dark Ages. You've got your head in the sand. My patients love — they think you're a better dentist, even if you're not, because you're [using] digital.” (28:35—29:06) “Get into a good situation at a good practice. Never stop learning. Find some good educators that are not bought and sold by corporations that you can latch on to.” (30:42—30:57) “One of the regrets I always have is, I restored implants since the ‘80s. I'd never placed implants. Be well-trained. Placing single-tooth implants with a surgical guide is not that complicated.” (31:33—31:44) “I tell students all the time, it’s not the dentistry; it’s the person behind the teeth that is often the issue.” (33:43—33:49) “If you've got a patient that you really don't feel comfortable working on, be careful. Because all that money means nothing if you're miserable. What does it take to make you miserable as a dentist? How many miserable patients to make you miserable? One. You need that one miserable patient. And it doesn't mean you didn't do a good job. It means they're miserable.” (34:02—34:19) “I got the best advice from [Dr. Murray Gabel], who was a legend here. He died at...
What You Need to Know About PPOs and IPAs Episode #440 with Dr. Barrett Straub There's an old story of what success looks like in dentistry. You're always busy, packed with patients, making millions, and have tons of PPOs. But if you're here listening, you already know something’s wrong with that picture. And in this special edition podcast, Kirk Behrendt and Dr. Barrett Straub introduce ACT’s new PPO Roadmap, a guide for insurance independence to help you work smarter without the fear of dropping bad PPOs. Don't stay stuck in high-volume dentistry! If you're ready to take control of your life and practice, listen to Episode 440 of The Best Practices Show! Main Takeaways: Learn to work smarter, not just harder until burnout. Don't chase patients and production without strategy. You can provide great service without giving it away. Knowledge will remove insurance independence fears. Your life should always come first. Quotes: “We, as leaders, have egos. We have pride. And I think, sometimes, we tell ourselves, ‘I should or can be all things to all people. I should be the leader that can be a visionary and the implementor.’ And what I've learned through this is no one can be everything. No one can be perfect at all phases. And when you surround yourself with the right people that have skillsets that fill in your blind spots, it’s amazing. Not only can you accomplish more, but work is more enjoyable.” (11:50—12:23) “We, by no means, are anti-PPO. We are pro-insurance independence. And so, sometimes, the narrative in dentistry becomes, ‘You've got to cut all your PPOs. You've got to become fee-for-service. It’s the only way to do it.’ And we love fee-for-service. I personally have been doing it my whole career. I love the model. However, every practice is unique, and every dentist is unique, and they’ve got to find their own sweet spot.” (17:05—17:32) “We’re launching the idea of insurance independence. And what that means is you have enough payers, 100% payers, where you get 100% of your fee that if you stopped all your PPOs the next day, you could still be profitable enough to pay your bills.” (17:34—17:54) “We all became dentists, and we bought our own practices, and we’re business owners, in part, for freedom. We want to control our own destiny. We want to practice the way we want, with who we want, on who we want.” (18:20—18:32) “If we really think about the number of lives we can impact — a small impact, a great impact — every day, we come across so many people. It’s a great profession.” (19:11—19:21) “When you sign up for a PPO, you're saying, ‘I accept a 10%, 20%, 30%, 40% discount. I'm going to write it off.’ And I'm willing to do that because the belief is that the volume of new patients or the volume of people accessing my practice, because I'm on the list, will outweigh the write-off. That, by definition, is a high-volume method. So, whether dentists know it or not, or made a conscious decision or not, they're in the high-volume game.” (21:31—22:07) “Once you're in this vicious cycle of the high-volume game, it’s hard to get out because you're working harder — because you have all these patients that you need to see. And you've got to see a lot of them because you're writing off 30%. And when that happens, a patient that has no insurance that wants to pay you full fee, they can't get in for six weeks because your new patient schedule is booked out. So, they go elsewhere. And so, it becomes harder, and harder, and harder to break out of that. All the while, your margin is shrinking.” (24:46—25:17) “Dentists, we need to stand back and look at our practices as if we’re a third party looking in and say, ‘Some of this stuff doesn't make sense. I have to think smarter and think differently about who I allow in my practice and the business strategy so that I can increase that margin.’ It doesn't mean that you've got to cut all your PPOs, ever. But the [PPO] Roadmap is going to show you how to identify...
Verbal Skills to Move Away from PPOs Episode #439 with Kirk Behrendt & Jenni Poulos Dropping bad PPOs can be daunting. But there is one thing you can do to make the process a little more comfortable — utilizing verbal skills. Different words carry different weight, and Kirk Behrendt brings back Jenni Poulos, one of ACT’s amazing coaches, to explain how a small change in language can make a big difference in perception. By improving your verbal skills, you will build trust, value, and confidence. And, ultimately, you will retain the patients you want to keep in your practice. To learn how, and to learn more about ACT’s free Say This, Not That resource, listen to Episode 439 of The Best Practices Show! Main Takeaways: Language matters — your words carry weight. Your team needs to be aligned on language. Think of ways to phrase things with a positive spin. Tell patients what you can do, not what you can't. Eliminate fear and communicate confidently. Quotes: “The things that we say do carry a lot of weight. The language that we use — people have preconceived notions. They have stories that they tell around words. So, the language that we use matters. The safety that language can build, the trust that it can build, it is going to help your team navigate their own fear and stress around this and help move your patients through any fear and stress that they have about this transition [from PPOs]. So, you need to practice this, to lean into this, to give it plenty of time to have this transition be successful.” (3:14—3:50) “The person that answers your phone doesn't represent your business — he or she is your whole business if I don't know you. And the care and skill and eloquence of someone at the phone determines a lot of your success.” (3:58—4:12) “We don't think about this. Our clinical team comes in with extra school. Our hygiene comes in with extra school. And our administrators come in, and they are expected to execute a ton of tasks every day that they’ve received no additional training in. And we, as dentists, as managers, as those running the practice, we’re responsible for filling that gap and giving that training to our admin team members.” (4:41—5:12) “Everyone on your team needs to be aligned around the language that you are using when you decide to make these transitions [from PPOs]. And you're going to practice, practice, practice, practice, and everyone is going to be comfortable and confident with the message that you're delivering.” (5:17—5:35) “I absolutely believe that when we make the decision to transition away from PPO in-network status, this conversation begins chairside with our patients. There's a different level of trust that exists, oftentimes — not oftentimes, the majority of the time — between doc and patients, between hygienists and patients. And we don't want our admin bearing the brunt of this conversation. We want our clinical team to be starting the conversation about this transition [from PPOs] from a place of what our core values tell us about how we practice dentistry and why we are making this transition, and then we can move it up to the front for admin to fill in gaps.” (5:48—6:34) “Many, many docs that I have been lucky enough to take through this transition of decreasing their dependency on insurance, the first question always is, ‘I don't even know where to begin this conversation.’ There's so much fear tied to it. And I would say, ‘What does it mean for you to practice dentistry with your core values at the forefront?’ Because when you can answer that question, you can succinctly tell your patients why this transition — because just like you said, you didn't get into dentistry to join a thousand PPOs and to write off a third of your paycheck. But I bet your core values tell you quite a bit about why you got into dentistry.” (8:44—9:24) “Get rid of the limiting belief that, ‘My patients will only see me because I am on their insurance plan.’ I want you to throw that...
5 Reasons You Do Not Bill Medical for Dentistry Episode #438 with Laurie Owens There is a list of dental procedures that medical insurance might pay. So, why do dentists avoid billing medical? Today, Kirk Behrendt brings back Laurie Owens, director of medical billing at Devdent, to share five reasons you don't bill medical, why you should start, and what you can do to increase claim acceptance. And the benefits go beyond reimbursement! To learn how medical billing can add value to your practice, listen to Episode 438 of The Best Practices Show! Main Takeaways: Get a complete health history of your patients. Understand why a procedure needs to be done. Ask the right questions — not yes or no questions. Don't give up billing for medical after one try. If your claim is denied, call and find out why. Medical billing won't answer all of your problems. Quotes: “We sometimes are so rushed in dentistry that we forget that these are people with stories. And literally, medical billing is telling their story. And I think if we [don't] slow down a little bit and realize that there could be a story here, we’re not going to get it. We’re going to just rush, rush, rush, fill the schedule, and not realize there was a story that we missed.” (3:13—3:38) “My number one [reason you don’t bill medical], you have an incomplete health history. And sometimes, it’s not the practice’s fault. But here’s what the patients think: ‘This doesn't have anything to do with my mouth.’ But are we asking? Are we making sure they understand the importance of — there's actually a video out by Delta Dental that talks about how many diseases the dentist can find. This is not something the medical doctor finds, it’s what the dentist can see. And people see their dentist more than their medical doctor. I've seen my dentist five times more than my doctor. So, if that's the case, and you know that these are all within the scope of your license, why should you not be paid for them?” (8:18—9:11) “Are you letting your patients know, ‘This complete health history provides us enough information that if we can maximize your benefits through medical, we would have the documentation to do so’?” (10:11—10:22) “We have to learn how [a health condition] has affected their lives in order to be able to tell the story. If you have a cancer patient, and now you're seeing them, and they can't eat because of the sores in their mouth, and you don't know it, how is that really effective treatment planning for a patient? It’s not. So, we have to ask them how these things have affected their lives, how they're physically feeling — especially if they have to change medications.” (13:04—13:35) “A lot of people will say, ‘Well, it’s a lot of work.’ But did you know it could help your dental insurance claims too? By being thorough, you are helping your dental claims go through faster when you have all this documentation.” (14:10—14:25) “In medical, they say, ‘If a patient says it, put it in quotes.’ You don't have to say that that's what you said. If the patient says it, put it in quotes. But asking the right question — quit asking yes or no. Ask them to tell you about it. ‘Tell me about when they found your diabetes. Tell me about when the doctor diagnosed that GERD for you. Tell me what happened. When was that? Were you older, younger? Did you have any other complications, other than what we’re sitting here for today? Tell me about that.’ They're always interested.” (14:27—15:04) “[Reason] number three [for not billing medical], you're only looking to fill the schedule. Now, I'm all for filling the schedule. Please don't get me wrong. I agree, you should fill the schedule. But my number one is, if I say, ‘The doctor has some open time today,’ then, apparently, he’s not very good at his job. Or you're going to fit this patient in to inconvenience these other patients. And that doesn't make any sense.” (15:12—15:48) “If it’s an emergency, medical will still pay. So, I get...
How to Create a Healthier, Happier, & Higher Performing Culture Episode #437 with Judy Kay Mausolf People want to work where they're happy. And if your existing team looks stressed and miserable, how can you attract the kind of people you want — or anyone — to work in your practice? It all starts with leadership, and Kirk Behrendt brings in Judy Kay Mausolf, known as “the velvet hammer,” and owner and president of Practice Solutions, to share ways to create a healthier, happier, higher performing practice. Do you want a happy career in dentistry? To find out how to achieve it, listen to Episode 437 of The Best Practices Show! Main Takeaways: Build your practice around your core values. Hire people based on your core values. Gel your existing and new team members. Set realistic agreements on how to interact. Talk about things before it becomes an issue. Constant communication is key. Quotes: “If your existing team members are stressed and they're not happy where they're working, how are you going to bring somebody new into that situation and keep them?” (10:14—10:21) “Everybody says — I don't care what state I'm in — they're like, ‘Oh my gosh, Judy Kay, you don't get it. You can't buy team members.’ It’s like, yeah, you can if you try. But you can't just run a little ad that says, ‘Wanted, 8:00 to 5:00.’ You have to be creative. Some of the best ways to find team members are on Facebook, with the team doing videos and talking about, ‘Come join our team! Hey, we’re really a fun place to work.’ And it might also mean that we’re investing outside the dental industry. We’ve kept the dental industry a secret. We haven't really shared what an amazing career it could be.” (10:22—11:00) “[Your practice] has to be healthy. We have to be able to come to work and work in an environment where we feel safe, where we can trust leadership, where we feel respected, we feel appreciated. Those are conceptual words, so often, that aren't attached to actions. And that's one of the things that, in the Culture Camp, we define, ‘What does that look like? Don't just use the word. If we’re going to show each other respect, how do we show each other respect on a daily basis? What does that look like in measurable actions?’ And there's not a separate standard for the doctors. Everybody’s on the same page when it comes to this.” (22:31—23:15) “What's the attitude? What's the energy we bring in the door when we step across the threshold? We’re responsible for that energy. And if we’re a doctor or manager, we are the leaders. We have to set the tone. We have to lead by example.” (23:16—23:27) “We want to attract people that want to work in our practice. We want to have the best of the best in the industry. And if it’s a healthy place to work — people want to go where they're happy. I mean, it’s as simple as that.” (23:31—23:41) “People think happy is fluff, but it’s not. And happy isn't just about — you can't just say, ‘Be happy, damn it!’ It doesn't work that way. You have to get rid of stress. You have to build respect and trust. And those are key in feeling happy in the practice.” (23:42—23:58) “Happy is the attitude and the fun. We teach body patterns, changing body patterns when we’re stressed to positive body patterns. We talk about what are some things we can do for each other to lift each other up if we have interesting patients. And what do we do when the wheels do fall off? How do we not kick each other and support each other? Because the wheels are going to fall off.” (24:02—24:33) “High performing is about the communication being everything. How do we keep each other in the loop, and what are things that we need to create as part of processes that happen consistently so that we don't get so busy that we don't take the time? Because that's what I hear all the time, ‘Judy Kay, you don't get it. We don't have time to communicate.’ I said, ‘I'm sorry, you don't have time to not communicate.’” (24:39—25:01) “Emotions get...
Understanding Artificial Intelligence in Dentistry Episode #436 with Dr. Marty Jablow Artificial intelligence isn't taking over dentistry — yet. But it is changing what dentists can do. AI can enhance your dentistry, and Kirk Behrendt brings in Dr. Marty Jablow, president of Dental Technology Solutions and “America’s dental technology coach,” to explain how AI can improve diagnosis, boost treatment planning, and help you to help your patients in brand new ways. If you want to take your dentistry from Jurassic Park to state-of-the-art, listen to Episode 436 of The Best Practices Show! Main Takeaways: AI is an enhancement for dentists, not a replacement. Understand why you need a particular piece of technology. Ask yourself what the technology is going to do for you. Choose the technology that is right for your practice. You don't need a high budget to be high tech. Don't be on the trailing end of technology. Quotes: “We’re in a place now where we’re not necessarily doing something new, we’re just finding better and more efficient ways to do them.” (4:10—4:18) “If we take it out of dentistry, there are many places — there's radiology of the brain and things like that — where [AI is] as good as a radiologist. What that does is it opens it up for other people in places that may not have that expertise to get that expertise. If I'm in some unforsaken place that doesn't have that kind of person available, well, that may mean that I can use this AI to make a better diagnosis than I would maybe on my own.” (9:23—9:53) “When I've used [AI] real-time in my office, it might point out areas that I need to look at. It’s not necessarily making the final diagnosis. That is still left to me. Takes a human being to do that. It’s complex. But with that, it points out areas that are suspect. And with that, then I can use other data points — see, that's the whole thing. To me, it’s all about how many data points can I have to make the best decision possible. Well, the AI is looking at these radiographs and making that determination from the radiograph.” (9:55—10:34) “Ultimately, do I think [AI] will lead to a decrease in dentists? Yes. Will it be any time in the next 10 years? The answer is probably no. But ultimately, yes, because technology is going to catch up with a lot of things. It won't catch up with abuse, neglect, and all of those things. That, it won't be. And accidents. But what it will do, and I've seen some of this, we’re going to have more precision in what we do.” (13:08—13:36) “If I can place something in a patient’s mouth and have a laser drill the very minimum to get things accomplished, and then restore it almost in the exact same manner, it’s going to be beneficial to everyone.” (13:42—13:56) “[AI] may not take the doctor out of the room — it’s the number of doctors that you need in the room.” (14:44—14:49) “Whenever you're going to implement or want to acquire new technology, there's one important question: what is it going to do for you? That's first off. And then, is there an ROI? Now, not all ROI is necessarily money. Sometimes, dentists need something to kick them in the butt to get excited about dentistry again, or something new and different, or that kind of thing. So, when I look at that, I kind of look at it the same way. But the first thing is, what are you asking it to do for you? Is it going to make your life more efficient? Is it going to give you better treatment? Is it going to give you better outcomes? What is it going to do? Because if you can't answer that question, why do you need it?” (16:40—17:25) “You have to pick what works for you. And why do you do it? So, an example would be, depending on the cost of your crown, can you make enough money to justify the mill? I think everybody can justify an intraoral scanner. But can they justify the mill, the $50,000 to $75,000 for the mill and the cost of the blocks? Because you can get crowns now, done — now, depending on what you're doing and...
Selling Your Practice Under Ideal Conditions or Under Duress Episode #435 with Paul Sletten Selling is one of the most important things you will do in your practice life. But whether you're the seller or the buyer, you want to ensure ideal conditions. And to help you in that process, Kirk Behrendt brings back Paul Sletten from the Sletten Group to share his expert advice so you can plan, prepare, and transition successfully. You will likely sell your practice only once. To learn how to do it right and under the best conditions, listen to Episode 435 of The Best Practices Show! Main Takeaways: Have a plan for selling under ideal conditions. Also have a plan for selling while under duress. Be prepared so that you have more options. Buying from needy sellers is very dangerous. Fixer-uppers are usually dangerous situations. Don't buy or sell on your own — get an expert! Quotes: “If the seller comes to the closing table in a financially needy position, they’ve got to score a big win. Look out, buyer. Because it’s liable to be a biased process, a stacked deck, if you will, because they’ve got to scratch every cent out of the sale of that practice.” (3:33—3:55) “If they’ve done a great job planning and implementing their plan financially over their career, the sale of the practice — even though it’s a big number, typically, in a healthy practice — is really only the icing on the cake. So, if you're going to have a win-win outcome, you can't have someone needy sitting at that closing table.” (3:57—4:19) “I think an ideal selling price for a practice is what a talented buyer can afford to pay for it. Reducing the debt, retiring a debt over a reasonable period of time, say seven to 10 years, and getting an ever-improving lifestyle in the process so they're not an indentured servant while they're paying off the practice, I think that's what a practice is worth.” (5:17—5:46) “I don't think I can ask [a dentist if they need the money from the sale] early in the process. But as you're going through the process, certainly. That's a question we ask everyone that we’re helping to sell a practice, ‘What kind of condition are you in for your retirement, and what sort of a contribution does the sale of your practice need to make?’ And we get right on that topic upfront. And sometimes, in those situations — sometimes, not always — the seller is going to come to us and literally tell us upfront, ‘Here’s what I need out of the sale of my practice.’ And we very nicely let them know that this isn't the way it works. Your practice is going to be worth what it’s worth based on a whole bunch of criteria, and we’re going to do a formal practice valuation.” (7:06—8:03) “Ideal conditions would be where you have a healthy owner and a practice trending well. Maybe it’s a little bit flat, but it’s not in decline. So, it’s a healthy practice. You've got a good team in place; you have a good reputation; you have a good net profit; you have good patient numbers. Or in the case of a specialty practice, you've got a good referral base and that kind of thing. So, it’s all systems-go. It’s something that someone is going to be able to step into and ride it into their own successful career because it’s really doing well. That's what we call ideal conditions.” (8:19—9:07) “Duress is when the owner of the practice is ill, or is injured, or had died, and the practice has been impacted in a huge way by those conditions. And so, here, you have a real high, strong sense of urgency to get it sold as fast as you possibly can. You still want to sell it to the right person and all of that. But everybody needs to have a plan for selling under ideal conditions, and a plan for what to do if something bad happens, God forbid.” (9:11—9:53) “We’ve had so many situations that we’ve had to deal with and help with over my career where suddenly someone becomes ill, or is in an accident, or dies in a plane crash, or takes their own life, and everything imaginable
It’s OK to Not Be OK Episode #434 with Dr. Gina Dorfman How much do you trust your team members? Do you question their abilities, or do you find them capable? Do you delegate, or do you feel better off doing everything yourself? If there is one ingredient for success in anything, it’s trust. And Kirk Behrendt brings in Dr. Gina Dorfman, co-founder and CEO of YAPI, to reveal how trusting her team at the highest level led to running multiple successful businesses. For her advice on how to build the ultimate dream team, listen to Episode 434 of The Best Practices Show! Main Takeaways: Find the right people for your practice. Share your vision with your team. Trust your team of being capable. Designate adequate time for training. Give them the right to make decisions. Quotes: “People always ask me one question, ‘How do you get all of this done?’ And the secret is, I don't do anything. I just have people around me who are absolutely amazing.” (4:47—5:00) “I'm nobody without the people around me. And I sincerely mean it.” (5:18—5:24) “First, it starts with vision. If we want our people to come to work and build what we want them to build, our vision needs to trickle down to them. And we’re doing a very, very bad job at doing this as a profession, as dentists, because we talk to our patients and — I mean, I get it. Throughout the day, we hear things like, ‘Doc, this tooth didn't hurt until you touched it. And nothing personal, but I don't like the dentist.’ And so, what we do is we hide. We hide in our offices.” (10:46—11:27) “We tell the story to ourselves that unless we do it ourselves, no one is going to do it better than us. And even if they could, by the time I teach them how to do it, and by the time we get all the quirks solved, it’s better and faster to do it ourselves. That's a bad story.” (13:23—13:50) “You [start to believe the story you tell yourself]. And you believe them so much that you keep telling those stories to yourself. And your team starts to believe those stories because they see that you have no confidence in them.” (14:12—14:24) “You have to delegate, and you have to trust your team to get the job done.” (16:32—16:39) “Dr. Howard Farran says that you have to delegate authority. And in my office, we call it a $200 decision. So, in my office, every team member has the right to make a decision. And if I lose $200 because of that decision, it’s going to be just fine. The worst thing that can happen is they come to me asking questions all the time, because then I can never leave the office. How can I go to Maui for 30 days? How can I run a software company if my team cannot make decisions without me being there?” (16:41—17:24) “We’re struggling to even hire people right now. But I think the fact that we are afraid to delegate, and we’re doing a lot of jobs that are beyond our pay grade, I think that's a problem for us.” (17:51—18:06) “You have to have the right person with the right training. And I see it all the time. It’s like, ‘Oh, well, if the hygienist has downtime, she should call the recall.’ Uh-uh. No. No — not unless she has the right verbal skills.” (19:21—19:37) “How many people get to answer a phone in a dental practice before they get trained on doing that?” (20:08—20:15) “I cannot tell you how many times we've trained an entire team on how to use a software that is designed for the whole team to use while they're still checking patients and doing things. And I get it, production is important. But it’s also important to delegate time to non-production, training your team to getting better.” (21:16—21:41) “When you have 20 years of people liking you, you're doing something right. I have seven associates, and all of them have been referred to me by previous associates. That's — you're doing something right. And the thing is, you train people, you share your vision, and you trust them to do their job.” (25:51—26:12) “Treat people well. Literally, when you make the people around...
How to Not Spend Money on Marketing and Still Get Great Results Episode #433 with Minal Sampat, RDH You don't need to spend a crazy amount of money to market effectively. Whether you're a new practice with little money to spend, or an established practice looking to change your marketing strategy, today’s episode is for you! Kirk Behrendt brings in Minal Sampat, author of Why Your Marketing is Killing Your Business, to share some of her marketing secrets that you can start implementing today. To master effective marketing for different budgets, listen to Episode 433 of The Best Practices Show! Main Takeaways: Understand your target audience and how to speak to them. Know which marketing strategies will work for your practice. Your current patients are the top two for new patient referrals. Find ways to internally market to your current, loyal patients. Avoid overspending on websites and things you don't need. Don't be afraid to try new things. Quotes: “The reality is, all marketing works, and all marketing does not work. There are practices and companies out there who will say, ‘Do print mailers! Print mailers are amazing! We get hundreds of patients from it.’ And then, we have practices that are like, ‘Absolutely not — never do print mailers! They're horrible for us! They never work for us!’ It’s true with everything. So, what is right for you? What is not right for you? How do you get around it? And what I realized was that my real success came from not adding more marketing but leveraging the marketing businesses were doing, specifically, practices were doing.” (7:30—8:02) “The number-one thing in marketing is, know your audience. But in our field, in dentistry, we never talk about knowing your audience. When I ask a GP practice who your audience is, they're like, ‘Well, age two to 85, whoever comes in.’ But that's five different generations. They all react to things differently. They buy differently.” (10:41—10:58) “Video is powerful because they get to see you. They get to connect with you. They get to see your smile. They get to see who you are as an individual. You could do the makeup. You could add the filters. You could do all of that. But the video is something where your personality is going to come through.” (11:25—11:41) “According to Forbes, the average user spends 88% more time on a website with a video than without. Why? Because we’re nosy people. Think about it. All the listeners who are listening, if you go to a website and there's a video, you press the play button. You just do, every time, because we are nosy people. That's why social media is so successful. But when your website does not have a video, you just keep scrolling.” (13:08—13:34) “I would help practices who call me and say, ‘Minal, we need to get on social media! Can you help us?’ Now, I am a social media coach. So, clearly, from a business perspective, I should say, ‘Of course! 100%, get on social media!’ But I never say that. I always come down and say, ‘Why do you want social media? Why do you think you need it? Do you need it because your competition has it? Do you need it because your granddaughter is telling you you need to be on TikTok? What is the reason behind it?’ And they're like, ‘I don't know. We just keep hearing it.’” (13:43—14:09) “Where are your patients coming from? Who are your patients? And let's say that we run a whole analysis, and they're like, ‘Well, the majority of our patients are in the senior population. We have X, Y, and Z, 65 and above patients. That's our bread and butter. That's who we see.’ So, I'm like, ‘Okay. Well, if that's the case, then we have to break this down and say, where do I spend money? Do I go to TikTok? Do I go to Facebook? Do I go to Instagram?’ And then, you start figuring things out and say, ‘Okay. Well, we want to go to Facebook.’ But this is the same population that really works on connection and communication, and they want to see you. So, while you might want to spend...
Trends in Insurance Reimbursement Episode #432 with Dr. Roy Shelburne Everything you know about dental insurance today — well, it may be different tomorrow! So, to help you stay ahead of the trends and changes and protect your practice, Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. Roy Shelburne to share his expert advice. There are ways you can maximize your reimbursement, and it starts with one thing: read and understand your contracts! If you want to collect every cent you're entitled to, listen to Episode 432 of The Best Practices Show! Main Takeaways: Dental insurance rules are constantly changing. Always read and understand your contracts. Double and triple-check your documentation. Audits are done for a reason, not at random. Be prepared when communicating with insurance. Quotes: “What you know about dental insurance today, the rules are going to change tomorrow. The codes are going to change tomorrow. So, we have to continually keep our focus on understanding and doing it correctly.” (4:36—4:52) “[Insurance companies] like claims that are clean. They don't like to have to send it back and ask for other information. It’s harder for them and it’s more expensive for them. So, that's the reason why they're concerned about having it done the right way.” (8:29—8:42) “So many dentists look at the contract and only review the fee schedule and think, ‘Okay, I can live with this fee schedule.’ But, in fact, there are all kinds of other limitations or restrictions on that plan that have a broader effect on the reimbursement scheme. So, they aren't aware. It’s like, ‘Well, this says it’s going to pay at this amount.’ However, there's also a different section in that contract that says, ‘Oh, and by the way, under this situation, we can't pay. Under this situation, we can't pay.’ So, it’s understanding, first off, the restrictions and limitations not only in the fee schedule, but also the way the contract is set up.” (9:18—9:59) “The contract, primarily, is seldom read. Or if it’s read, it’s misunderstood. And secondarily, the contract that you've signed with the insurance company gives them the right to change that contract with 30 days’ notice. So, not only have dentists not read the contract when they signed on originally, those letters that the insurance companies send to their network dentists periodically could have some very significant modifications to that contract where they're letting you know it’s changing, and the person who gets that letter, or the doctor who gets that letter, looks at it and goes, ‘This is junk mail,’ dumps it in the trash can, when the contract has been changed and it’s been disclosed in that letter that you haven't read.” (10:14—10:56) “The concern is, we’re talking about inflation and how it is now increasing at a not foreseen rate. Maybe, what was it, in the ‘80s, it was similar to this? But now, do the costs for dentists go down? Absolutely not, as far as you have to pay teams more money. We have to be competitive in the employment market today. And as far as the supplies, they’ve gone out the roof. And what has been the trend with reimbursement? Has it increased? No. Absolutely, it’s going down. How do you make that work? How do you work harder and make less? And how many additional patients do you have to see, and what's your capacity?” (13:39—14:33) “As far as the EOB, I think it’s meant to be obtuse, to be able to not follow. The more confused you are, the less likely you are to go ahead and counter, to appeal that denial.” (18:34—18:46) “Ignorance is no excuse. And honestly, the bottom line, you're going to bleed a whole lot of money on the table if you don't pay attention.” (20:30—20:36) “In my experience, although they say it’s a random audit, I don't think that's a thing. It’s an audit that is caused, triggered, by being unusual in your submissions. And the insurance companies view that very, very specifically, very succinctly. So, any kind of deviation. And as far as the...
There is No “Plan B” Episode #431 with Dr. Zachary Sisler We’re conditioned to have a plan B, just in case. But if you're putting time and energy into plan B, then plan A is doomed to fail! And to prevent that from happening, Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. Zachary Sisler to share how you can create the best plan A for your life and practice. Remember, there is no plan B — just invest and succeed in plan A! For advice on how to make that happen, listen to Episode 431 of The Best Practices Show! Main Takeaways: Give your time and energy to plan A. Plan A needs to continuously evolve. Commit to the process for progress. Don't have a plan B with office hours. You don't need a plan B with PPOs. Become super clear with your vision. Have clarity about who you are. Quotes: “When you learn the importance of “there is no plan B” and all your attention goes into plan A, you realize how much time and effort and energy you're going to have to put into it.” (2:33—2:44) “I think there's this tendency to, ‘Well, what if my initial plan doesn't pan out? I do have to have some kind of backup. I do have to have some sort of . . .’ I'm like, ‘Well, if you need a backup from the moment you start, are you really as clear as what you think you are on your vision, or clear as what you think you are in how you're going to take this practice to where you want to take it?’” (4:05—4:28) “The moment I take my energy off of plan A and focus it to plan B, plan A is doomed to fail.” (4:32—4:37) “The quote from Atomic Habits is, it’s about your commitment to the process that determines your progress. So, to me, getting better in those finite little elements each day, one little aspect, pays dividends exponentially in the end.” (9:01—9:22) “I think you can do a my-way-or-the-highway in a loving approach. So, the way I would say that is, when we faced resistance, it wasn't like, ‘You don't want what we’ve got to offer. Get out.’ No, it’s not that. You're still giving them, ‘Hey, you know what? We care about you. We wouldn't recommend this if it really wasn't in your best interest. So, someday, when you're ready, we’re going to be here for you.’ That right there has planted so many seeds and, really, just going on good faith, has provided so many benefits for our practice.” (13:51—14:28) “There was no plan B with [setting my office hours]. And was it scary? Yeah, it was scary. You sit back and you think, ‘Oh, man. What's going to happen?’ But again, I think we related it back to our core values and our vision. So, when we say that we want to be relational with people, when we say that we want them to feel uplifted when they come into the office, it’s not just because I want that at the office. I want my family to feel that too. And guess what? My family needs to see me other than at 9:00 p.m. on a Thursday night when I got off work. I want them to get some of the best hours too.” (17:08—17:45) “You need to figure out what you want your life to look like, and then revolve your plan around that. So, what I mean is, I went to dental school with people who, as they were coming out of school, they were like, ‘I'm only going here. I'm going back to where my family is at. That's my only option,’ and they weren't very open-minded from the standpoint of what their vision was. And some people might say, ‘Well, they were committed to that plan.’ I'm like, ‘Yes, but it’s because that's all they ever knew. It’s the only area they ever grew up in. They only know where all the grocery stores are.’ So, to a degree, when you're figuring out your vision, part of it is, envision as if you could have the life you always wanted. And then, work backwards from that.” (22:57—23:55) “For these young dentists who are sitting there thinking like, ‘I don't even know what to think,’ think about what your life would look like if you knew you could do anything. Then, start to work back from there. And it’s not going to be all at once. It is going to be a lot of little...
Rethinking Endodontics – A Systematic Approach Episode #430 with Dr. William Nudera No dentist can do everything. There are times when you have to refer. And to make that process easier and more organized, Kirk Behrendt brings in Dr. William Nudera to talk about his book, NuEndo: ReThinking Endodontics. It contains a flowchart roadmap that will guide general dentists and endodontists to have predictability and efficiency with diagnosis and prognosis. Having this book is like having an expert in your office! To learn more about this great resource that will improve your clinical decisions, listen to Episode 430 of the Best Practices Show! Main Takeaways: Understanding what you're doing and why is critical. Communicating with patients and other specialists is key. Your “crazy” patients aren't crazy, they're just frustrated. Be clear with patients to make their decision-making easier. The secret to endo is practice, repetition, and volume. Quotes: “Nobody can do everything. Even super dentists run into problems once in a while.” (5:15—5:18) “It comes down to communication. People, when they come in and they're labelled as “crazy,” they just haven't been communicated to as well enough as they need to be to understand expectations moving forward. So, yes, we get more challenging people — people that need a little more TLC — challenging cases, but our treatment begins the moment I start talking about what we can do, realistically. We lay it down for them in black and white and say, ‘Here are your possibilities.’” (6:29—6:54) “By the time somebody comes to my treatment room, they have three options: either they do nothing, they make an attempt to save the tooth, or they remove the tooth. And that's it. And when we lay it out like that, they have to choose which risks they want to take, because everything comes with risks. And when we really communicate with [patients] and get to the bottom of why they're frustrated, it’s because no one’s ever told them this before. So, yes, we do get those outliers that some people just don't like to deal with. But when we can manage them, they become putty in our hands and expectations are all in line with what we can do. And not everything we do works. But people really understand that we’re trying and communicating really well with them. So, that's what it comes down to, is communication.” (6:54—7:35) “[Some dentists] are doing endo for purely monetary reasons. Well, we’ve got to think about this. I mean, what are we really doing here? We’re doctors, right? We’re here to help. So, yes, endo is lucrative. Implants are lucrative. That's why everybody likes to do them. However, we have to have our mind in the right place in order to really render quality care, regardless of which modality we use.” (8:56—9:18) “Our definition of success is much different than the patients’ definition of success. So, when we talk about endo, we want to think that the tooth’s going to survive for a lifetime. Unlikely. It’s how long can we get this tooth to survive. Because some people are okay with just a few years, apparently. But we want our stuff to work a lifetime. And sometimes, that's just not reasonable. So, again, it all goes back to those communication points, how long can we expect things to last, how much can we control of the treatment, because we’re all at the mercy of biology and our patients.” (12:14—12:46) “The dentists that I work most frequently with, we always have those open lines of communication. There's never really any question about what we need to do. We’re always on the same page because of a cultivation of two decades of learning each other’s philosophies.” (14:06—14:18) “Let's take it back to the brand-new practice when I was just starting, when I'd get those referrals, such as complete root canal treatment on tooth number three that's been accessed and perfed right through the furcation — with no warning to me, whatsoever. So, how do you manage something like that? Well,...
A Better Way to Find and Hire Great Team Members Episode #429 with Dr. Susan Thompson As a dentist, you wear many hats in your practice. But there's one you can let go of — hiring. There's a better way to hire than you being the one to do it, and Kirk Behrendt brings in Dr. Susan Thompson to share how. You don't need to do everything! And when you involve your team, they can help you hire great people. To learn the secret to finding and hiring the best team members for your practice, listen to Episode 429 of The Best Practices Show! Main Takeaways: Weed people out very early in the process. Core values are critical for hiring great people. Let your team leaders do the hiring for you. Don't micromanage everything in your practice. Hire for personality — it can't be taught. Quotes: “It used to be that I did the hiring and took the lead on it, no matter the position and the department. I was really frustrated with that, and we had a — I can't take credit for the idea — sweet, retired dentist who helps out when we’re out of town who was filling in one day, and I stopped by the office to do some paperwork and mentioned it to him. And he said, ‘Oh, I never did that at the end.’ I was like, ‘Well, then who hired people?’ He was like, ‘Oh, I let [my team] hire. They have to work with them. Let them hire them.’ And I was like, ‘That's genius!’” (4:14—4:45) “My whole front desk has been hired by Erin, who’s the director of that department. And they all think that she’s the boss. And so, they go to her with everything. If they are sick, they call her. They don't call me. And they really see her as authority in a way, I think, that they wouldn't have if I hired them and said, ‘Oh, but Erin’s in charge.’ So, I think that's been really good. And the same thing in the operative department. Gena, my assistant, has hired a couple of assistants now, and same sort of attitude. They truly see her as a leader, I think, much more than they would have if Ben and I had interviewed them and hired them, and then said, ‘Oh, by the way, do what she says.’” (6:06—6:49) “One thing we’ve seen — I'm sure every practice has over the years — we have had some people that were incredible at their job. Particularly, one time we had an assistant that was phenomenal — just so good. Ben and I didn't know, but she was toxic for the team. And that's an interaction that doesn't include us. And so, for them to be able to meet these people and see if they're going to be good at their job, but also how do they fit into the team, and to the dynamics of things beyond the doctor-employee relationship, has been really valuable.” (7:08—7:40) “We’ve definitely had some COVID-19 failures. One, we hired that didn't show up. One that we hired and came — this is my favorite story — worked for a day, said she didn't think it was for her, and then disappeared before we could pay her. And it took me like six months to pay her for her day of work. So, no, it’s not perfect. But the people that come out of it have been really good. And I don't feel like in the ones that didn't work out that I could've done any better or foreseen something that they did. It’s definitely not perfect, but it’s so much better than before. I don't feel like it’s my fault, or I let them down if something doesn't work out. And I think it helps them learn for the next go around, like, ‘Look at this. Look at that. Ask this question,’ and helps them get even better at it.” (10:18—11:11) “One little trick that I think Chris gave us years ago was, when we put an ad on Indeed, we’ll typically have something in there like, ‘Give us the five reasons why you're going to be an amazing team member.’ And just weeding out the people who will take the time to answer that question gets rid of most people, and that narrows the field for the people who are actually interested in your job and aren't just click, click, click, click.” (16:17—16:40) “Personality [is one of the top things to look for in
A New Way to Make More and Work Less Episode #428 with Angela Heathman You don't have to work more to produce more! And to reveal some of the secrets to earning more while working less, Kirk Behrendt brings back Angela Heathman, one of many amazing lead coaches at ACT Dental. With her coaching expertise, you can learn how to plan more strategically to create the practice and life that you want. For tips on working smarter, not harder, listen to Episode 428 of The Best Practices Show! Main Takeaways: Plan strategically for the year. Mitigate schedule conflicts early. Look at your calendar quarterly. It’s not always about adding more. Plan your life, not just vacations. Quotes: “One of my teams that I was talking to this week was talking about how the doctor is going to be gone for a couple weeks next month. And they were still talking about their goal as their whole yearly goal divided by 12, essentially. And I brought up the fact that they probably won't hit it with the doctor being gone for so long. And what we were then talking about is maybe setting goals on a per-hour or per-week or per-day basis instead of just that monthly goal. So, it was a little bit of a change in thinking for them, because they already planned on not hitting that goal and were just planning, this month, to blow it out of the water.” (2:25—3:05) “If you start by planning out the year strategically, then you can make it go a lot smoother for the whole year. You don't have to really make up time or try to hit these summer goals later in the year, because if you’ve planned for it like in January, February, March on an hourly or daily basis, you've already accounted for the time off that you're going to take.” (7:24—7:50) “Start by marking off — you could use any type of calendar. If you want to do a digital calendar or a big at-a-glance calendar on the wall, it doesn't matter. But what you need to do is figure out what days you're going to be gone for family vacations, for holidays, days off around holidays, CE, and also figure out when your team members are going to be gone too. And then, you'll know how many days your practice is going to be open for the year. And sometimes, that visual is nice to see, like, ‘Oh, gosh, we’re not really going to be here in July,’ or, ‘We’re all taking different weeks off in March.’ So, sometimes, it’s nice to be able to mitigate any issues that might be coming up too.” (8:15—9:01) “A lot of our offices will have team members that will provide some coverage as well, like maybe the hygiene is doing general supervision, or there's an admin team member there who’s answering the phone. So, a lot of our doctors are able to check out.” (9:22—9:38) “I think that it’s important to figure this out with your team, because sometimes they think that we’re just asking for all their days off for the year because we’re micromanaging, or we don't want them to take a vacation. But that's not true. The reason we want them to put their time off in advance is so we can strategically plan what the goal should be for the year.” (11:55—12:22) “Even if [dentists] do the planning in advance for the year, they don't always look at it on a quarterly basis on if they did work the amount of days that they thought they were going to. And they might have had some unforeseen snow days, or COVID-19, or something like that that they didn't account for. We talk about countermeasures at ACT a lot. So, you will want to put in place some countermeasures. Maybe that's adjusting your daily goal going forward, or maybe that's that you have to work another day that you thought you were going to have off, to make up for those unforeseen changes.” (13:46—14:25) “I think a lot of [dentists] are just like, ‘Oh, I think I work about 16 days a month,’ and they just think, ‘Oh, I work four days a week, roughly four weeks a month.’ And that's where I see the biggest issue, is that they just estimate. And so, I know it sounds a little tedious to go...
Things to Pay Attention to Before You Sign a Contract Episode #427 with Dr. Suzanne Ebert You don't want to buy a practice that's held together with duct tape. That's why you need professional guidance! And today, Kirk Behrendt brings in Dr. Suzanne Ebert from ADA Practice Transitions to help you prepare before you sign on the dotted line. With her expert advice, you will learn how to do your due diligence so you can have a smooth transition. If you want a stress-free transition experience, listen to Episode 427 of The Best Practices Show! Main Takeaways: Your ultimate goal is to not be blindsided. Communication leads to a smooth transition. Have all the difficult conversations upfront. Take time to “look under the floorboards”. Get clarity around what mentorship means. Be clear on the seller’s exit timeline. Quotes: “I don't know if you in your position have ever heard of some transitions where the younger doc comes into the practice, and they look around, and they don't know what's going on here. The systems are not what they thought they were going to be. The staff has not been told that they're the new owner, potentially. The compressor is being held together with duct tape and chicken wire. This happens. It’s a horrible scenario for these doctors coming in. So, what we do is we make sure that that doesn't happen. We have a whole transition plan that goes from start to finish.” (11:21—12:09) “How are we going to handle the staff? How are we going to inform the staff that this is going on? How are we going to handle if you need to get licensed, if you need to get credentialed with any certain companies? We’re going to make sure that that younger doctor has a checkoff list that basically goes through, ‘Take a look at the equipment. Make sure it’s all functional. What supplies are you using? What do the clinical operations of this practice look like on a day-to-day basis? What's the typical schedule? What do treatment plans look like? Have we talked about that?’ So often, these conversations don't happen. And when they don't happen, the younger doc comes into the practice, and they get blindsided. We don't want that to happen. So, we say starting a couple of months out, you're going to start having these conversations.” (12:36—13:32) “My very strong opinion is that your staff needs to be involved in the transition. And I contend that if you have been in one practice for 35 to 40 years — I'm going to tell you a secret — your staff probably knows that you're thinking about getting out! And if they don't, start dropping some hints that it’s time. Think about it. I would like everybody who says, ‘I'm not going to tell my staff until the day of the new doctor walking in,’ I want you to put yourself in that staff member’s shoes who has been there, potentially, with you for years and years, feels like they're a very valued part of the office. Think about what they experience when you tell them, ‘So long! I'm no longer your employer. Dr. so-and-so is coming in.’ It’s shocking.” (14:08—15:09) “Life happens. Things do happen. So, if it is an associate situation, we have a full associate contracting toolkit. And that guides our doctors through, how do you plan for an eventual breakup? If there's a problem, how are we going to handle this? What are we going to do if there's work in progress? What are we going to do if there's a clinical issue that we can't seem to resolve? That's all written out at the beginning. So, again, have the hard conversations before the contracts get signed. There's a lot more to a successful transition than a successful transaction.” (21:41—22:25) “We are not advocates of dual representation. I can just leave it at that. Every doctor needs to have their own team representing their own interests. I will say that when you follow our system, or when you follow the ADAPT way, there are a lot less disputes. There's a lot more room for negotiation. There's a lot more communication. And...
The Truth Behind the Shortage of Dental Assistants Episode #426 with Shannon Pace Brinker, CDA If you've got a great dental assistant, you'd better not let them go — especially now, more than ever! And for insight on what you can do to keep them in your practice, Kirk Behrendt brings in Shannon Pace Brinker, founder and CEO of Chairside Assisting. Even without the shortage, your assistants are valuable — so make them feel valued! To learn how, and for other ways to earn their loyalty, listen to Episode 426 of The Best Practices Show! Main Takeaways: Find ways to make your assistants feel important. Invest in your assistants with continuing education. Know what your assistants are best at and love to do. Believe in your assistants and give them your trust. Thanking your assistants will go a long way. Quotes: “I feel like now, with the loyalty the older assistants have, we’re so much more valued. And now, more than ever, the opportunities are endless for what we can do in the practice. And a lot of times, all we want is just recognition, recognition that, ‘Oh my gosh, thank you so much for being here. Thank you so much for staying with me.’ And we’ll stay with you until you retire if you treat us right. And that's one of the things that is so valuable. If you’ve got a good assistant, you'd better not let them go right now, because there are dentists calling me every week, sometimes twice a week, looking for a really good assistant and trying to steal them from other practices. And that's really what's happening right now. The shortage of assistants is almost, I feel, an emergency state.” (6:14—6:59) “Tell [your assistants], ‘I'm going to invest in you.’ If you invest in the assistant, they’ll stay with you. We’re loyal people. And my team of trainers, I can't tell you how many of my trainers were not certified. I personally paid for it. I said, ‘You know what? You can't work for me if you're not certified,’ because that, to me, is a status and I wanted those credentials for them. And I think this is where it’s not valued anymore. These doctors have got to get these team members certified so we have earned the right. And make them earn it. But we’ll stay with you forever because you invested in us. And I think that's really the secret.” (8:32—9:04) “If you don't have the money, send one [of your assistants to CE], and really invest in that one. But the expectation, the problem sometimes in dentistry, is we’ll send a team member to go and take these courses, and when they come back, did you ask me what I learned? Did you really make me accountable for what I learned?” (9:40—9:56) “When you invest in an assistant for courses, you're saying, ‘Listen, I want you to know exactly what I know. But most importantly, I need a sounding board. I need somebody that I can bounce things off of,’ because a treatment plan doesn’t just come from the doctor. And sometimes, we see things a little bit different. Just let us voice our opinion with you, and we’ll do the best dentistry we possibly can together.” (11:21—11:43) “If we want all of this technology, it’s great to have it. But somebody’s got to own it, and somebody’s got to utilize it. And this is where you tell me, ‘Listen, Shannon. I want you to be my Invisa-leader. I want you to take my photos.’ Just because you said that, I am going to take it so serious. I'm going to 100% own it. But most importantly, I'm going to be excited about it and I'm going to make sure you use it. It’s not going to sit and collect dust. And I think this is where we fall short in dentistry, is assigning people these roles.” (14:58—15:28) “The assistants need titles. We need to feel like we are important to the practice. And honestly, that's the way to do it. And getting us to train with the camera, it is the most important thing that the doctor could do right now, because we are the ones that have more time to take the photos.” (15:46—15:59) “Manufacturers understand that it takes the doctor...
Getting Started with Systems in Your Dental Practice Episode #425 with Laci Phillips If you're using Post-its as your training manual, you need a better system! And to help you create the best one for your practice, Kirk Behrendt brings in Laci Phillips, cofounder of Practice Dynamics, to shift your thinking and reveal how to get started. Systems give you organization, consistency, and predictability, and the way to achieve it is with an SOP. To find out more about SOPs and how to create them, listen to Episode 425 of The Best Practices Show! Main Takeaways: You need a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) manual. SOPs are living, breathing documents. Keep them updated. It’s up to leadership for team members to follow systems. Great things will happen if you have great systems in place. Creating systems will take a lot — a lot — of time. Quotes: “If you are a team member and you've ever said, ‘Oh, I had no idea that was my job,’ or, ‘Wow, I don't even have a job title or responsibilities,’ or, ‘I have no idea how to do that,’ or you're responsible for training somebody and you're not even fully trained yourself, these are the things that we’re talking about right now — systems, documented, actually organized and put into categories. So, no matter where you are or what you're doing, you know where to go to find any answers that you need. And it becomes an easy training manual as well. And I just find it’s something we don't have in dental practices. It’s kind of crazy to me.” (2:52—3:35) “What I'm talking about is an SOP manual, a Standard Operating Procedure manual. And it’s a living, breathing, document. It changes as your procedures change, as your systems change. Maybe you don't accept all third-party financing anymore. Maybe you use different vendors for different things. Things change. Life changes. Procedures change. We have to document that and keep those up to date as well.” (4:43—5:15) “It took us a good three years — I'm not kidding — to put [our SOP] together. This is not something that you just all of a sudden, on the weekend, or you send homework with your team to get this done. But there's a nice, concise, consistent way to get it done that we have found. And so, it does take a lot of time.” (6:18—6:39) “Use your leads. You use your team leads. So, you have a business team lead, you have a clinical team lead, you have a hygiene team lead. And maybe even, now, you have a marketing lead. And so, you use those leads in the capacity in which we put them in that role, ‘Hey, if something changes, if something is different in your department, in your category, please let me know so that I can update the SOP manual.’ And, again, it’s digital. It’s a Word document, or you can lock it down as a PDF. But it’s digital so that it’s easy to do.” (6:58—7:36) “Let's say I'm a sterilization assistant and I'm gone today. I'm out, and somebody else needs to pick up this pace for me, and they’ve never done it before. Oh — I can pull out the SOP manual, go to “Sterilization,” and it’s going to tell me exactly about the STATIM, the cold sterile, the hot sterile, where do things go, how do I use it, what do I do. It would even allow the doctor, if need be, to jump in and do some things maybe the doctor isn't used to doing. But it’s a leadership role in getting this together for our team.” (9:06—9:42) “[When team members don't follow the systems] this is a leadership issue. It’s leadership. And look, I get it. Dentists go to dental school to become dentists. What makes them happy is being in the patient’s mouth and changing lives, and doing beautiful dentistry, making people feel healthy and whole again. But guess what? When you bought that practice and when you hired team members, you became a leader. Whether you like it or not, you are a leader by default. And you could either be a great leader, or you could be a bad leader. That's totally up to you. But you're a leader, regardless. So, when anybody tells...
Better Profitability Through Insourcing Episode #424 with Brenda McNulty There are things not getting done in your practice. But what if there was a way to get a team member to do exactly what you need at your budget? Well, there is! And Kirk Behrendt brings in Brenda McNulty, the dental group director from Support DDS, to tell you all about insourcing — a great way to help your team members free up their time. If you want a remote, certified, trainable team member who can work on your schedule to increase profitability, listen to Episode 424 of The Best Practices Show! Main Takeaways: Insource what your team members don't like doing. Support DDS offers complete front desk support. There is a large pool to choose from in Support DDS. You can customize when and how they work for you. They will be trained to represent your brand. Quotes: “Right now, burnout is happening at a huge rate. People are leaving a dental office to go get paid $0.50 more an hour down the street. I live in Colorado. There's a big, huge sign out in front of Target that says $24/hour starting wage. It took me years to get $24 an hour! And let's face it, if I was working at Target, or if I'm working at Dollar Tree or In-N-Out Burger, I'm pretty much leaving all my cares at my job when I leave. Dentistry is not like that. We have things that carry over day to day. It is very stressing on the body, on the mind, on the communication, vocal skills — everything. It’s stressing. And so, people that are really good are demanding a lot of money, or they're going to go somewhere else for $0.50 more.” (4:17—5:06) “Imagine that you put out an ad for exactly what you want, and within two days, you had three people to interview that matched your skillset, that matched everything that you want perfectly, all well below the budget of what you want to spend. Imagine that. And that's why [Support DDS] is so popular. Because you're not getting a service, you're getting a team member that represents your team, and they do whatever it is that you want them to do.” (5:31—6:03) “I tell the dentist, ‘Go to your team and say, ‘What are you doing right now that you don't like to do?’ And they’ll give them a list of all the things they don't like to do. And then, have the dentist say, ‘If we took those things off of your plate, what could you be doing?’ And you'll find out all the things that should be getting done that aren't.” (6:49—7:06) “We have some offices that are paying thousands of dollars in marketing each month, and yet their phones are going unanswered. We have other offices that team members are sitting on hold for 45 minutes with Aetna, or Cigna, or fill-in-the-blank of whatever insurance company, all because the office needs to know whether something is covered or what the history is. But the team members don't have time to serve both the patient in the office as well as the back side of it. So, I think where the value comes the most comes from knowing what the need is of the dental practice.” (7:36—8:14) “[My favorite position we have is] the director of first impressions. The new patient phone calls are routed to our team members in Zimbabwe who speak with a beautiful accent. It kind of sounds British-Australian squished together. So, it’s an accent that people want to listen to. They take the new patient phone call, and they ask all the questions that normally, in office, they don't have time for, like, ‘What are your expectations of us as your new dental home? What inspired you to contact us?’ They're also able to spend as much time as they need to develop that connection with the patient.” (8:19—8:54) “By implementing this director of first impressions, what we’re doing is we’re rolling out the red carpet long before [patients] even walk up to your front door.” (10:28—10:36) “The people that are the director of first impressions, one of the first things that they do is create a list of the top 20 things about the practice. So, if somebody says,...
Hiring, Finding, and Keeping Great Team Members Episode #423 with Kevin Henry Great team members are hard to come by. And even if you find them, how do you keep them in your office? It’s becoming harder than ever, so Kirk Behrendt brings in Kevin Henry, co-founder of IgniteDA, to share his findings for the best practices to find, hire, and keep great people. Patience is one key ingredient — and you will need lots of it! For more expert advice on keeping the best team members, listen to Episode 423 of The Best Practices Show! Main Takeaways: Branch out into other industries to find great people. Have patience. Finding the right person takes time. Start having “stay” interviews, not exit interviews. Play to your team members’ strengths and talents. Create a space where you have mutual respect. Ensure that your team members feel listened to. Always thank and recognize your team members. Find ways to incorporate fun into your practice. Quotes: “We’ve got to quit having exit interviews and we’ve got to start having stay interviews. We’ve got to start talking to our team members right now about their goals, their hopes, what they like, and have those open and honest conversations about what they don't like in the practice as well, what's that one system in the practice that's tripping them up every day that they dread coming in because of that. I think when we have those open, honest conversations and those team members hear that we’re actually interested in not only fixing and tweaking those problems but also how they can be a part of things moving forward, and that they are really a part of the plan, that changes the dynamic in the practice completely.” (5:30—6:07) “Set up a time, and it’s not the end of the day, when you and a team member — and I think it should be a one-on-one. I don't think it should be everybody sitting around the room — where you both can really focus on things. You both can take notes. You both can put aside the phone, everything else, and just say, ‘What can we do to make each other better? What can we both do together to make this business better?’ Because, as you know, it’s not just a dental practice, it’s a business. How do you grow that bottom line together?” (6:29—6:55) “[Ask team members,] ‘Where do you see yourself in six months? Is this what you love to do? If not, why?’ I think things like that where you can actually open up the door for honest communication — and let's be honest, not every team member is going to want to share this. Not everybody is comfortable sharing where they're not happy in the practice. But I think if you really set that, ‘This is a safe zone. This is Vegas. What happens in here, stays here. But we’re also going to do what we can to move forward,’ I think that that's a really important thing for team members to know that they can talk openly and freely, and that it’s not going to be held against them two weeks later.” (7:28—8:05) “One of the biggest things that I'm hearing from a lot of team members out there — I've seen it — people throwing money at people to stay. And it turns into a bidding war. And I will tell you, the vast majority of team members I talk to, it’s not about the money. It is about being happy. It’s about being productive. It’s about feeling like you're part of the team.” (8:16—8:38) “I don't think you have to like everybody you work with. But I think you've got to respect everybody that you work with. And I think there has to be that mutual respect in the practice as well. So, what are you doing in the practice to build those relationships where people don't look at somebody as “just” an assistant or “just” a sterilization tech, or whatever it might be? And I think whenever you build up that mutual respect in the practice, that's a big step toward those people going, ‘This is a place where I want to stay.’” (8:43—9:11) “[When a great team member is thinking about leaving,] you've got to ask that team member what's important to...
Common Mistakes Dentists Make in Marketing Episode #422 with Grace Rizza Marketers are not magicians. They can't turn $50 into 1,000 loyal patients. But what they can do is help you focus and strategize to attract new patients and increase loyalty. And today, Kirk Behrendt brings in Grace Rizza, CEO of Identity Dental Marketing, to share some of the biggest mistakes made in dental marketing that you need to know and avoid. Don't try marketing on your own! To learn how to get the most out of your time and money, listen to Episode 422 of The Best Practices Show! Main Takeaways: You will always be spending on marketing. Being cheap will cost you more in the long run. Start ASAP and get ahead of the curve. Don't try to do everything on your own. Always vet your advisors and ask questions. Quotes: “You can actually shape how people think of you. You can shape what they think of you with effective custom branding.” (3:47—3:55) “[Dentists] don't always realize that [marketing] is its own area of study, that people actually study marketing. Someone made a joke to me the other day. A client said, ‘It’s like I need a second degree in this!’ And I said, ‘You do, if you're going to try to do it on your own! I do have a degree in this. And there are several certifications that you should get if you're going to be running campaigns and things of this nature.’ And they just hadn't really thought about it, that while they were studying dentistry, that other people are studying marketing. So, I think it starts with knowing or accepting the fact that you don't know it and being open to learning from other people’s mistakes.” (5:15—6:00) “You shouldn't do it all on your own. When it comes to marketing, you're likely going to waste a lot of time and money with the more technical side of things. Like, launching an optimized ad campaign is probably not the highest and best use of your time. As soon as you figure it out, it’s going to change. And you're probably going to realize that it’s not ideal for you to do that. But ramping up the number of reviews in your practice, getting your patients to refer to you, having those internal systems that increase your new patient numbers, most definitely, you want systems for those kinds of things. But with the marketing that should be outsourced, it’s the more technical side. It’s the ads, the SEO, setting audiences, managing budgets.” (7:20—8:06) “One of my biggest problems right now in business, in general, is that you've got hundreds of thousands in debt in dental school. You've got, now, a buildout and the fanciest equipment and the most beautiful office, because these are all things — I'm going to be really offensive right now — that feed the ego. These are all things that make you feel special. Like, did you really need the most expensive dental chair when you don't have anyone that's going to sit in it because you have zero marketing budget? So, I have these conversations all day long. By the time they think about marketing, there's no money left. So, my question is always, ‘Well, what do you have to lose if you don't have marketing? All of that previous investment is now at risk, because without patients, you have no cashflow. You have nowhere to go.’” (11:56—12:50) “My advice would be, start asking these questions sooner. Ask, ‘Okay, what does it take to acquire a new patient in my market with this method?’ And then, reverse-engineer what it’s going to cost to make those methods work for you. Instead of saying, ‘I have $500. What can you do with it?’ ask, ‘What's it going to cost to get 20, 50, 80 new patients a month?’ And then, figure out how you can make it happen.” (13:45—14:13) “Template or builders for websites [are one of the biggest marketing mistakes]. So, when marketing companies use drag-and-drop builders — this can be Wix, Squarespace, Webflow, GoDaddy Builder, Elementor; there's a million — it’s not ideal for SEO. So, a lot of times, we’ll have people say, ‘Well, can...
A Healthy Way to Look at Numbers in Hygiene Episode #421 with Kirk Behrendt & Christina Byrne Do you want to provide high-quality care for your patients? Then you need to track some numbers! And to share the most important metrics you should be tracking in hygiene, Kirk Behrendt brings back Christina Byrne, director of operations at ACT Dental. Kirk and Christina explain why you should care about those metrics and how to have the numbers conversation — because what gets measured gets improved! To learn more about the metrics that matter, listen to Episode 421 of The Best Practices Show! Main Takeaways: Tracking metrics will lead to a healthier team culture. Knowing your numbers will improve your patients’ health. Numbers will measure the value you provide to patients. Metrics will measure the hygienists’ value to the practice. Quotes: “[Metrics in hygiene] are important for a couple of reasons . . . I think it’s important for hygienists to be responsible clinicians, providers. They support the profitability of the practice. And that's all secondary. The first and foremost reason to do this is because knowing what our numbers are and improving our numbers is only going to improve the health of our patient base. The key to the success of a healthy hygiene department or a healthy practice is how healthy are our patients. And we can't say, ‘Oh, yeah. Our patients are all healthy. We’re doing a great job. They're coming in every six months.’ If you don't track that information, you really don't know. You're just going by a feeling. And feelings, that's not telling you the true story.” (1:52—2:47) “I think the key thing to start with, as a dentist, is to meet with your hygiene team and talk about your philosophy of care. Talk about what's important. Talk about, ‘What do we believe about periodontal disease? What do we believe about the health of our patients?’ Even, ‘What do we believe about when to take radiographs? Should we do a caries risk assessment? What are our thoughts on fluoride, on all of these things?’ When you can position that “why” of why we think this is important and how does it benefit our patients, then you can say, ‘Okay, great. We all align, and we all agree that fluoride is an important protocol or an important medicament that we can use for our patients. How are we going to track that we’re doing that?’” (3:04—3:55) “What gets measured improves. But what gets measured and reported on improves exponentially. And I can say that in all of my experience working with teams that that is absolutely the case, that if we just skate by and we never, ever track numbers, then they're not going to improve. They're just not.” (7:11—7:30) “I have a lot of offices that I work with, and the team member will say, ‘I never get a thank you. I never get recognized for what I do.’ Well, here is the perfect opportunity to get recognized for what you do. If you are reporting on your numbers every week and they're increasing, then that's great. Now, that's your recognition, if that's what your goal is. The other piece of it too, and I tell team members this all the time, you are going to measure your value, if you will, to the practice based on these numbers.” (8:17—8:50) “You have two responsibilities as a team member: you have to align with the core values, and you have to get results. And so, if I'm not tracking results, then how can I then sit down in a meeting with my boss and ask for a raise or ask for some increase to my compensation? So, if I'm a hygienist and I can present to my doctor, ‘Hey, in the last six months, this is what I've done. I increased this. I increased that. I've converted a lot of patients to comprehensive exam. I had conversations about restorative dentistry, and then they scheduled,’ that gives you some power as the team member to come to that meeting with the data, not just a feeling or, ‘Hey, I've been here for two years. I should get a raise.’ Like, no. You are a provider in the...
Is Private Practice Dead? Episode #420 with Corinne Jameson-Kuehl, RDH, BS DSOs have become more prevalent. But it doesn't mean private practice is dead! In fact, it’s thriving, and Kirk Behrendt brings in Corinne Jameson-Kuehl, owner of Custom Dental Solutions, to share her knowledge and experience to help you succeed in getting started. Whether you're buying a new practice, starting from scratch, going group or solo, she offers her best practices so you can achieve your practice goals and thrive. To learn more, listen to Episode 420 of The Best Practices Show! Main Takeaways: Private practice dentistry is still alive and thriving. Understand the key foundational pieces for success. Be aware of innocent misunderstandings to avoid. Prepare appropriately so you're more likely to succeed. Quotes: “We’ve seen through the years with dentistry, private practice can thrive and really do well with the right parameters in place. I don't believe, as a whole, a lot of our new owners need anything other than a really good foundation to start their practices, get a few pieces in place that maybe they didn't learn in dental school, and then, at the right time, bring in their consulting group to ramp up their production and evaluate efficiencies and all these types of things. And they really can manage quite effectively on their own without giving some outside company a percentage of what they're working so hard for on a day-to-day basis.” (4:10—4:51) “There are a few pieces that [practice owners] need in place to be successful. Number one, we want to make sure they get credentialed appropriately. If they're going to be in an environment where it is insurance-based versus fee-for-service, which most new owners, we encourage they need to take some insurances and they need to build that rapport before they would even consider going fee-for-service. So, fraudulently, a lot of these people do not get credentialed appropriately and they think they can work under the previous owner’s name or their license or something, which is big fraud.” (5:54—6:27) “I just told a new owner the other day, because she said, ‘Well, I don't know about this. I don't know about that.’ And I said, ‘We just need to start. We just need to protect it from the beginning. You can bring all the fancy stuff later, after the smoke clears. But we do need to have policies of what's expected of you as an employer, and then what's expected of them as employees. And then, written job descriptions. We need that in place as well before we start hiring people. Or if we’re transitioning with the team that the previous owner had, is there a transition agreement in place? What does that look like? How are we moving forward with that relationship?’ So, those are foundational.” (6:58—7:36) “There truly are some innocent misunderstandings about [the credentialing] process, and I think people mean well when they just don't understand, and they think it’s okay. The reality is, each licensed professional, meaning a dentist, needs to apply for their own credential with that insurance company. So, if they're purchasing a practice where they're Delta Premier — which is wonderful; this is great — they themselves need to apply for that as well. It is fraud to work under the previous owner’s Premiere status or anything like that. And unfortunately, we see that all the time. And most of the time, it truly is innocent. People really don't know any better. But I would really hate to have somebody who’s just starting off start off on the wrong foot simply because they just didn't do their research to know that this is what needs to be in place.” (8:14—9:05) “You can have different providers in the same location taking different insurances. But it is a nightmare for the administrators and for the schedulers as well, because we really have to be careful that if somebody would be credentialed with a different insurance company, [like a dentist taking over their father’s...
Transitioning from People-Dependent to Systems-Driven Episode #419 with Kirk Behrendt & Heather Crockett It’s great to have that awesome team member who does everything and runs the show. But what happens if they leave? That's right — they take all that greatness with them! Your practice needs to stop being people-dependent and start being systems-driven, and Kirk Behrendt brings in Heather Crockett, one of ACT’s amazing Lead Practice Coaches, to share how. One important tool is predictability, and you can achieve that with a great system. To learn how to create great systems for success, listen to Episode 419 of The Best Practices Show! Main Takeaways: There is no greater gift than predictability and systems. Systems save you thousands of hours in the long run. With systems in place, you can focus on things that matter. When you become systems-driven, your costs decrease. Your systems will eventually become second nature. Quotes: “When you're people-dependent as an entrepreneur, that means Judy does everything. Judy knows how to do this. Judy knows how to do that. Judy knows everything. And so, it makes my life better that Judy knows how to do it all. Well, there's a downside to that. Judy may leave someday, and she takes it all with her.” (2:16—2:32) “The other downside is that when you're too people-dependent versus systems-dependent, you become dependent on adding more energy and more hands to a problem. So, you have three people at the front desk, and they're awesome. But they're taxed because you don't have any systems in place. And so, they come to you, and they go, ‘Doc, we’re stressed.’ And you go, ‘I know. Let me help.’ And they go, ‘We need somebody.’ And you don't have any organization. You don't have any systems. You don't have any checklists. And so, you go, ‘Hire somebody. I don't even care. Just put an ad.’ And you keep throwing person, after person, after person at the problem.” (2:33—3:13) “When you're people-dependent, your team compensation is going to skyrocket. It’s probably going to be in the 30% range, which is going to drive your overall overhead way up to the high 60s or low 70s, or maybe even the 80s. And one thing happens: nobody’s happy with their compensation. You aren't happy, and they aren't happy.” (3:27—3:48) “A lot of times, when you move to being systems-driven, your costs go down. Now, here’s a caveat: you're not paying your team less. You could actually make an argument you're going to pay them more. It’s just that they're not trying to figure everything out, every day, uniquely, for every patient; we’ve got systems in place.” (4:40—4:57) “Think about the amount of time it takes for a team member to figure out how to do something, especially if they're a new hire, or to do something again that they’ve only done once or twice. It takes a long time. And yes, it takes time to document and implement a system. However, it saves you hours in the future. Not only that, but you make it the same across the board so that everyone is doing a task the same way every time it’s completed.” (5:07—5:38) “Here’s what's important to you as a dental practice owner. When we talk about systems, systems allow you to give the best energy to things that matter most. Which, when you have a system in place, you can actually give your energy to the best currency in your practice, which is relationships.” (7:08—7:22) “You need predictability. Predictability only comes from systems. And you have to improve these systems time, over time, over time. And so, what it allows you to do, again, is you can give your best energy to things that matter most. That's why some people can do so much in such little time, because they’ve got a great system in place.” (8:50—9:09) “If a patient is coming in for an emergency appointment, rather than having the clinical team figure everything out when the patient arrives, it takes 10 seconds for the admin team member to put a note in that appointment what they're...
Incorporating More Oral Pathology in Your Dental Practice Episode #418 with Dr. Ashley Clark Survival rates for oral cancers are not great. So, the best thing to do is to actively prevent them. And today, Kirk Behrendt brings in Dr. Ashley Clark, Division Chief of Oral Pathology at the University of Kentucky College of Dentistry, to share the importance of early detection, the steps to take when you come across a case, and how to communicate your findings without terrifying your patients. Screening every patient, every time, can help save a life! To learn more, listen to Episode 418 of The Best Practices Show! Main Takeaways: Early detection is critical to preventing oral cancers. Screen every patient, every time, for oral cancer. Adequately train team members to look for signs. Never ignore leukoplakia. It can become cancerous. Communicate clearly without scaring your patients. Quotes: “Oral cancer is probably the biggest thing we deal with — the most important thing that we deal with, specifically squamous cell carcinoma — and survival rates aren't getting any better. They really haven't significantly improved. So, my passion is to get the information out there, catch it before it turns into cancer. That's my main goal, is to educate as many general dentists, specifically, as possible on how to find leukoplakia, what it looks like, what it can mimic, and what to do about it so we can hopefully prevent these oral squamous cell carcinomas from happening.” (2:25—3:02) “The five-year survival rate for oral cancer that is HPV-negative is 45% to 50%, overall. And that doesn't include the fact that they're going to have a pretty disfiguring surgery to try to get the cancer out, plus or minus radiation where they might lose saliva and have to deal with those quality-of-life issues. So, if we can catch leukoplakia as it’s in its dysplastic phase, surgically removing it lowers that risk of that patient having oral cancer by 50%. So, that's where we are. I will say that the rates of HPV-negative oral cancer have declined, and that correlates with the decline in smoking. But the survival rates still aren't great.” (3:14—4:04) “[The decline in HPV-negative oral cancer risk] directly correlates with the decline in smoking. About 80% of patients with HPV-negative oral cancer are pretty heavy smokers — or people who smoke pretty heavily, I'd rather say. But one interesting thing that’s happening is between the ages of 18 and 44, there's been this cohort of young women who have been getting tongue cancers without any risk factors — no HPV, no tobacco, no alcohol. So, that's another thing I like to get out. Don't ignore your 30-year-old female patient who has a white tongue lesion, because incidents have grown 0.06% every year for like 20 years. So, that's another group that might be getting overlooked.” (4:09—4:56) “I think other healthcare professionals who are focusing on the teeth might forget to look at the soft tissue. That's not a value judgment — I did it myself several times when I was in charge of looking at teeth. I forgot, or I was focused in on that pathology. So, I think it could be really easy to focus in on the crown you're doing and forget about doing an oral cancer screening. So, I think doing them every patient, every time, is one thing upon which we could improve.” (5:34—5:57) “Another [important] thing is to not ignore leukoplakia, especially if it’s on the gingiva. Sometimes, leukoplakia doesn't really look that scary — especially proliferative verrucous leukoplakia. Initially, it doesn't look that scary. But if it’s left untreated, nearly 100% will eventually turn into cancer. So, don't ignore things that could come down the road.” (6:04—6:26) “I train a lot of dental hygienists. And they actually find a ton of lesions, in my experience. They might not always know what they are as well as a doctor who might have a little bit more training does. But the hygienists have been great at screening and...
Alignment Starts at the Top Episode #417 with Kirk Behrendt & Courtney Dalton Of your entire life, 30% of your time will be spent at work. So, why not make it a great place to be? And to help you make that happen, Kirk Behrendt brings back Courtney Dalton, one of ACT’s amazing coaches, to talk about how to proactively create alignment with your team for a healthy, happy, high-functioning practice. If you want to set your team up for success, listen to Episode 417 of The Best Practices Show! Main Takeaways: Alignment starts with leadership. Set your team up for success. Communicate expectations clearly. Lean and fall into your core values. Create time for team check-ins. Quotes: “If you're a one-doctor practice or a multi-doctor practice, [core values and alignment] trickles down into everything that the practice does and who they are. So, if you have someone, either on the doctor team or on that leadership team, that's not in line with core values, that's not aligned with a purpose or a vision, the team themselves won't have that energy and buy-in that you're really hoping that they have. So, one person who doesn't really sit well can really be a detriment to the success of the team.” (2:53—3:28) “Your leadership is so important. If they are functioning in an unhealthy way, the team sees that and they're going to follow, every time. So, having alignment overall is just — you have to have it.” (4:27—4:41) “There was one team member, the leadership, who the doctors really felt was quite valuable, and she wore the office manager hat, ‘We’ll drown if we get rid of her. We need to know everything before we can find someone else.’ What they didn't realize until a lot of discussion and a lot of peeling back the layers, was that the problem was this person. She wasn't a good core values fit. That air, when you walk into the room — you know when you can feel that there's something off? It was caused because of a lack of alignment, because of this person, wrong person for the seat that she was in. Doesn't mean she was a bad person. She just wasn't the best fit for that role within the practice, and it caused a lot of issues in the team. And in hindsight, we had a meeting not long ago, and the dynamic of the meeting with her gone was amazing.” (6:09—7:17) “Patrick Lencioni said nothing trumps organizational health — nothing in business — except the lack of it.” (8:30—8:37) “[Core values are] so important. And practices don't always realize that. They think because they're great on paper, they're going to translate and be great within the practice. But I think it’s important to ask deeper questions surrounding your core values. Lean into them. Fall into them. Use them to help guide your decisions. And when you do that, the right choice is much more clear for the benefit of the practice.” (10:22—10:55) “Another thing we say all the time, set their lane up for success. How do you do that? Clear expectations. What can we specifically, measurably, ‘Here’s what I expect from you. And in return, here’s what you can expect from me,’ so that that conflict moment, we can shrink it down. We’re never going to make it go away completely; we’re imperfect people. But if we can even out those expectation-and-reality moments, wouldn't that be great? And to avoid or at least minimize the conflict that comes up later down the road.” (15:24—15:59) “All unresolved conflict becomes a crisis — all. We just don't know when.” (17:08—17:15) “Most practices, I don't think, are really doing a lot of check-ins with their teams. So, we think of a check-in as the dreaded review where we have to talk about things with a dollar attached to it for that team member. When you do a quarterly check-in or set your frequency of those check-ins, that teammate is coming prepared with the information. They’re bringing the talking points, ‘Here’s what I feel really successful at. Here’s where I need some more support. Here are some highlights from my week....
Automation For Your Team to Feel More Human Episode #416 with Dr. Ryan Hungate What do your patients and team members have in common? Most likely, they are spoiled by tech and automation. Whether through Amazon, banking, or DoorDash, people automate things they don't want to do. So, why hasn't dentistry done the same? Today, Kirk Behrendt invites Dr. Ryan Hungate, former Apple employee and founder of Simplifeye, to explain why you need automation for your front desk team and how it can make their work more human. To learn more about Simplifeye and the ways it will benefit your practice, listen to Episode 416 of The Best Practices Show! Main Takeaways: Today, technology can do things better. Technology and humans are complementary. Automation doesn't mean removing jobs. Automate tasks that your team members dislike. Most patients want automation. Quotes: “We have to acknowledge that our front desk team doesn't wake up, stretch in the morning, and go, ‘Man, I can't wait to go schedule 30 patients! Man, I can't wait to go reconcile 80 transactions in electronic health records!’ That’s not what they're excited about. And I'm guessing, interestingly enough, doctors aren't excited about actually drilling the tooth. We love talking with patients. Your front desk team loves talking with patients.” (14:01—14:30) “It’s the in-between stuff that's boring. Right? We don't want to do that stuff anyway, so what if we could take those in-between things, the scheduling of patients, the reconciling of payments, the verification of benefits, whatever it might be, and automate it? A lot of people will look at that and go, ‘Well, with automation, aren't you removing jobs?’ No — no. Hell no. We’re allowing people to be more human. We’re turning them bionic. That's the best part. We’re going to allow you to do the stuff that you want to do and love and take away the stuff that you didn't want to do anyway.” (14:51—15:22) “We also have to realize that our front desk team is pretty overworked right now. We kind of pile on them. And what does that mean? Well, meaning that if you take phones, for example, this is for a majority of doctors out there, 12% of dentists have direct scheduling. That's it — just 12%. So, if you want an easy leg up on your competition, go all-out direct scheduling. But on top of that, because phone calls are so interruptive, your front desk also misses 30% of the phone calls. That's the best front desks, by the way.” (15:39—16:17) “Think about the way that you want to schedule an appointment with your doctor. Like, when you go see a dermatologist, are you excited to call them up and find an appointment? . . . Now, imagine that doctor, tomorrow, said, ‘You know what? I'm going to get rid of all this. And now, the only way that you can communicate with me again is via phone.’ What would you think? You would think, ‘This is upsetting.’ But you might even think something worse: ‘I'm going to find another doctor.’ Because now, you've had a taste of [automation]. And even better yet, even if a patient hasn't had a taste of how good that can be, they have somewhere else — with Uber, with Amazon, with any online retail store or experience in their life. Postmates, who’s going to bring you food at the tip of your fingers, wherever you want to, DoorDash, whatever it might be, all these things are happening.” (16:32—17:32) “Traditionally, people have been averse to some of this technology. Why? Because, okay, I'm going to open up my schedule to have somebody else, some technology, schedule appointments for me. That's nerve-wracking because, guess what? They used to not be able to do it as well as Bobbi at the front desk. Bobbi’s better. Well, I'm happy to say that there's now technology that can do it. In fact, maybe better than Bobbi.” (18:15—18:41) “Make sure you talk to your marketing company and get good statistics on your website. If they're not passing that data to you on a consistent basis, go find a new one....
Failure Is an Option Episode #415 with Dr. Jim Otten No one does perfect dentistry — no one. Failures can happen, even when you do the best work possible. So, why are dentists obsessed with perfection? Failure has its benefits, and Kirk Behrendt invites Dr. Jim Otten, co-instructor of Global Diagnosis Education, to share the lessons he learned from failing so you can develop a healthy mindset and attitude for when things don't go as planned. Each failure can be a step to success! To take the first step, listen to Episode 415 of The Best Practices Show! Main Takeaways: Failure is going to happen, eventually. Each failure can be a step to success. Be willing to take risks and next steps. Focus on the most important things. Manage your patients’ expectations. Quotes: “In dentistry, we can have a bit of ambiguity tolerance. Can't we? We can have failure. We will experience failure at some level. I always loved the quote that Jack Nicklaus had. He was talking about any round of golf he played in his professional career, and he said, ‘Of the shots that I take, of the 67, 70 strokes that I take, maybe two of them are exactly the way I wanted in that round. The rest of it is to miss it well.’ So, if he was to have that perfection mindset of, ‘I have to hit every shot perfect. It has to fall exactly where I want it,’ he would've never achieved what he achieved. And every dentist should think the same way.” (6:50—7:33) “If you don't pull the trigger and take imperfect action, be willing to take imperfect action and risk — minimize your risk, now, but risk — you'll never grow.” (7:36—7:48) “All of us suffer, in some way, from our limitations that we have around our thoughts and our ability. And oftentimes, we get frozen.” (7:51—8:03) “The best lessons in life I ever learned were from the biggest failures I had, because they challenge you to reach down into your core, discover who you are, and how you're going to reframe the rest of your future and move forward.” (8:28—8:44) “If you don't like the game you're in, it’s like Scott O'Neil says, change the game. It’s time to change the game. If you don't like what you're doing, if you're not satisfied, if you're not feeling enriched by this, it’s time to change the game. Well, how do you do that? You have to be willing to take risks, and you have to be willing to take the next step.” (11:11—11:29) “The first step, I think, is a matter of awareness. And when I say that, I think about the quote that Maya Angelou has. She says, ‘If you must look back, do so forgivingly. If you look forward, do so prayerfully. But the wisest course is to be present in the present, gratefully.’ And I think that's the first step, is to allow yourself the forgiveness for anything that you are trying to pull forward from the past. That's done. If you did your best and it didn't work out, it didn't work out. And your future is something that you certainly want to focus on. But be present in the moment. What can you do each day?” (17:23—18:17) “You have the time that you create. You have control. And it really depends on your level of passion and commitment, whether you're willing to take time to start making progress. So, it sounds harsh, but we all have the same amount of time, and we all have the same structure of time. It just depends on how you want to use it.” (20:35—21:03) “I always wanted to be the best I could be. I always wanted to be my best and try to do my best. And I noticed that my best effort, in similar circumstances, wasn't working out as good on some patients as in others. And I started thinking, ‘What's going on? I'm doing the same things, same techniques, got the same preps, making the same impressions, using the same materials, using the same lab. This patient’s doing good. This one’s breaking teeth.’ And so, it was bothersome to me, and I think it’s because I was paying attention. I think if you look at your dentistry as a learning laboratory, you'll start to see...
Mastering Case Acceptance: The Question is the Answer Episode #414 with Kirk Behrendt & Jenni Poulos Your practice is built on one thing: your patients’ trust. So, how do you get your patients to open up, listen, and engage with what you are saying? To help you master this area of case acceptance, Kirk Behrendt brings back Jenni Poulos, one of ACT’s lead coaches, with expert advice for building trust, rapport, and understanding so that your patients say yes to treatment. Removing fear is the first step! For easy-to-implement tips to increase your patients’ comfort and connection, listen to Episode 414 of The Best Practices Show! Main Takeaways: Make patients feel safe, heard, and understood. Understand patients’ brain function during stress or fear. Be aware of patients’ verbal and body language cues. Recognize when you have rapport with your patients. Ask good, open-ended questions to engage your patients. Quotes: “When patients sit in your chair, they're nervous, oftentimes. It doesn't matter if it’s the first time the patient has come in to see you or if they’ve been there five, 10, 15 times. If they're experiencing an issue, if they're experiencing pain, or if you're sharing with them something that's new, if they don't trust you, if they don't feel comfortable with you, they're going to have a hard time hearing what you're saying, understanding what you're saying, and engaging in their treatment, being an active partner in their treatment.” (2:42—3:15) “How well you communicate determines how far you go in dentistry.” (4:26—4:29) “The success of the practice really relies upon your ability to have patients say yes to treatment. So, we want to know how we can get them to say yes, build trusting relationships, and really beyond that, we want to create long-term, committed patients that will refer to the practice.” (5:19—5:39) “Rapport is about building relationships that get us to some level of mutual understanding that makes communication easier. We don't want to run right into our ops, sit down next to our patient, and spend no time establishing relationships, building connection. Because if we do, we are not in rapport with our patients. We are not creating an environment in which they are open to communication, open to hearing and engaging. So, I really want you to always be asking yourself, before you begin telling a patient anything about the treatment that they need that you're proposing, I want you to think about, ‘Am I in rapport with this patient?’” (8:21—9:12) “You want to be good at paying attention to and reading patients’ body language. Body language does not lie. Nonverbal cues are 55% of communication. By language is 38%. Only 7% is what we say. So, we want to pay attention to, ‘What does the patient’s body language tell me? What is their eye contact telling me?’ And we want to be attentive to the tone and pace of our patients’ language and how our tone and pace is in alignment with that of our patients. This is going to help us build relationships. It’s going to help us get in rapport if we can pay attention to some of these things.” (10:11—11:02) “If you don't read cues and body language, you can inadvertently scare and confuse patients. If someone comes in and they're very closed off and nervous, and your energy levels are too high and you're too excited, you're going to set them off a little bit. They're not going to feel comfortable. They're not going to feel like you see them. So, these are things that we need to be attentive to when we walk into a room.” (11:03—11:31) “When we’re looking at body language, really, what we’re asking is, ‘Is a patient open to me, or are they closed? Are they open to hearing what's going on, or are they closed off?’ There are some really easy cues that you can look for with your patient, even just identifying a few of them. If a patient’s arms are really crossed, they're sunken down, if they're hiding their thumbs in their hands, maybe they're...
Building Your Cosmetic Practice Within Your Practice Episode #413 with Dr. John Cranham If you had to guess, how many of your patients dislike their smile? You've got more than you think! Some of your patients just aren't talking to you about it. Whether it’s whitening, veneers, or bonding, there is a growing demand for these types of procedures. And to help you build this area of your practice, Kirk Behrendt brings in Dr. John Cranham, co-founder of Cranham-Culp Digital Dental, with the best advice for getting started. To learn how to build your cosmetic practice within your practice, listen to Episode 413 of The Best Practices Show! Main Takeaways: Balance your general and specialty procedures. Intentionally block out time for your larger cases. Understand your patients’ problems and desires. Cosmetics can be a gateway to better oral health. Visualization and planning are especially important. Quotes: “What I love about cosmetic dentistry is that, with my training and background in occlusion from Dr. Peter Dawson, I learned really early that there were a lot of people that had ugly smiles because of underlying functional problems. And form follows function, and function follows form, and it became my gateway into restoring and helping people become more healthy, biologically and functionally, even though they may have been driven by esthetics.” (4:03—4:33) “The practice within the practice, to me, is figuring out how much of my time as a general dentist that I'm going to spend doing specialty procedures, and what is going to be my balance on the general side doing my bread-and-butter.” (6:15—6:30) “I think the healthiest practices that I've seen in the people that I've coached and taught over the years are those ones that have this really healthy general practice. They’ve got a couple hygienists, and they are good at bread-and-butter dentistry and single crowns, and they’ve got a good perio department, and all the things that make for a healthy general dental business. And if you can get to the point where your salary and your bills are being paid out of that general practice, and then you take two, three, four days a month to block to do a large case, well, after you pay the lab bill, all that money falls to the bottom line and it becomes your fastest way to really significantly increase your income.” (8:27—9:15) “The one thing you've got to remember about cosmetic dentistry is, the occlusion can be dead-on, the restorations can be fitted perfect, perfect margins or near-perfect margins. But if the patient doesn't love it, it’s kind of a failure.” (13:53—14:10) “There's a definite process, when you go to the specialty side, that I think a lot of dentists underestimate.” (17:29—17:38) “When I do a smile design case, I want the temporaries to blow [the patient’s] socks off. I want them to look at the mirror and be thrilled with where we’re going. And that only happens with a process of data collection, having time to do that, having time to study it, do some designing.” (20:27—20:46) “For a long time, we taught that you should always bring everybody into the doctor first and do an hour-and-a-half exam, and do full records, and all this stuff. And I tried that, and a lot of the patients were turned off by it because they didn't need all that. So, I think it’s important to first look at your patients through the lens of, what kind of problems do they have, and what are their desires.” (23:19—23:45) “A great diagnosis, like getting really confident about what is going to be the best plan for this patient, is critical for the patient to accept treatment.” (26:14—26:23) “As time has gone on, I have learned that the more I can think about a case upfront — and I've done a lot of cases so I can think through things pretty quickly — I know that the clearer the picture in my mind of where I'm going, the more profitable I'm going to be in this case, and the smoother it’s going to go.” (29:33—29:53) “If you're...
The Future of Facial Esthetics in Dentistry Episode #412 with Dr. Louis Malcmacher Botox is just for wrinkles. Right? Not anymore! It is now mainstream in dentistry, and it will continue to grow. And to help you understand the need for dental Botox, Kirk Behrendt brings in Dr. Louis Malcmacher, president of the American Academy of Facial Esthetics, to explain the benefits that offering Botox will have for your patients and your practice. For everything you need to know to get started, listen to Episode 412 of The Best Practices Show! Main Takeaways: Botox has become mainstream in dentistry. Fillers and Botox are not just wrinkle removers. Dental Botox can offer orofacial pain relief. It can also be a treatment to reduce bruxism. Studies have proven that Botox is safe and effective. Patients willingly pay for this recurring service. Quotes: “You can learn to do anything, clinically, and be good at it. It’s just training, and practice, and practice. That's the old joke. That's why they call it a “practice,” because you're literally practicing your whole life when you're a dentist.” (5:47—6:01) “Even if you treat 28 teeth with veneers or crowns and implants, they still have great-looking teeth. A great-looking smile is everything around it. It’s the lips, it’s the cheeks, it’s the folds, it’s the skin. That really is everything else.” (12:43—12:58) “Dentists are the only healthcare professionals that can practice total facial esthetics. Why? Because we don't only control the teeth anymore. We control everything else with Botox, fillers, and PDO threads in the face to lift up sagging skin, to fill in the cheeks, fill in the folds, the perioral area, make all these wrinkles in my face disappear and patients’ faces disappear. That's why we coined the term facial esthetic dentistry, because now dentistry is literally from here to here, and we can control the whole thing.” (15:20—15:56) “There are now more dentists doing Botox and fillers than there are dermatologists and plastic surgeons, which, total in the U.S., there are only about 15,000 combined of plastic surgeons and dermatologists. There are at least 20,000, if not more, dentists that are doing this at this point in time.” (16:05—16:23) “That's the thing that dentists really need to wake up to, is always give people what they want. And the number-one most requested esthetic service in the world is Botox. And fillers for volumizing the face is number two. So, that's what your patients want.” (17:26—17:42) “We’re so ingrained that, ‘Oh my gosh, my patients are so cheap. They will not go ahead and pay for this unless it’s covered by insurance.’ Not with Botox and fillers.” (18:53—19:03) “If you're thinking about getting into Botox and fillers, ask this one question on your medical history form as a practice filter . . . ‘Have you ever gotten Botox and dermal fillers before?’ Leave a line, or just give them yes or no. And you will not believe how many patients check yes. And these are the same patients, by the way, that have told you that they don't have the money to fix tooth number 19, the lower first molar, because the insurance doesn't pay enough, or they don't want to fix it.” (19:19—19:59) “Look at the ADA Health Policy Institute. They have great statistics. They literally go week by week as to what's happened in dental offices through the pandemic, even now post-pandemic for that. Now, even post-pandemic, dentists are way behind. During the pandemic, and even last year, 2021, they were way behind. They were still down 20% in terms of patient volume, patients coming in, production. They had to raise their fees. I mean, you raise your fees and you've got lower patient volume, that's typically not a very good mix for all of that. But those dentists that have been doing Botox and dermal fillers, they were up 30% to 48%.” (20:59—21:42) “Botox changes the entire paradigm when it comes to TMJ and orofacial pain. It is so effective in treating the muscles so...
Overcoming the Obstacles to Comprehensive Dentistry Episode #411 with Dr. Bill Robbins Your patients deserve comprehensive dentistry. So, what's stopping you from providing it? Today, Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. Bill Robbins, one of the creators of the Global Diagnosis system, to help you overcome some of the obstacles to comprehensive dentistry. One of the hardest parts is forming your vision, and Dr. Robbins has a list of advice to help you get started. If you're committed to providing the best care for your patients, listen to Episode 411 of The Best Practices Show! Main Takeaways: Have a vision of where you want to go. Attend study clubs to form that vision. Find a mentor to help shape your vision. Hire a consultant early in your career. Prioritize developing your leadership skills. Create a team based on your practice. Develop the skillset you need with CE. Quotes: “My “why” is because [comprehensive dentistry] is what patients deserve. I believe that when a new patient comes to me, they're coming to me for two things: they're coming for my expertise, and they're coming for a treatment plan. And I'm going to give them both of those things. And sometimes, they don't need anything but two sealants and bleaching, and I will have spent a fair amount of time doing a comprehensive exam on them. But there's value in that.” (6:03—6:32) “I consider a comprehensive exam not only to be the right thing to do, but to be a wonderful marketing tool. I've never spent any money on marketing. That's just not been my way. I mean, we've got a website, so that's not true. We do spend money on a website. But other than that, my marketing has always been through word-of-mouth, essentially. And so, I see the comprehensive exam as both what a patient deserves and as a way to get more patients to come in.” (6:47—7:15) “If a dentist doesn't do a comprehensive exam, then the dentist cannot do comprehensive dentistry.” (9:23—9:29) “The downside [of a comprehensive exam] is that I waste some time. If you consider time that I could've been doing single-tooth dentistry, I'm wasting it talking to a patient who just needs single-tooth dentistry. I get that. And so, I think there are certainly variations on the theme. It doesn't have to be, every patient gets a comprehensive exam. But every patient that’s going to get comprehensive dentistry has to have a comprehensive exam. I do know that for sure.’ (10:59—11:23) “I think the hardest part of this whole thing, the absolute hardest part of moving your practice into doing comprehensive dentistry and comprehensive exams is getting a vision of doing it. Because once you get a vision, then you have something that’s out there and all you have to do is figure out the steps to get there. But it’s the belief that that's where you want to be. The problem is that once you get it — you, meaning the dentist — you have to share it with those around you. Because if your family at the office isn't on board, then it ain't going to work out.” (12:57—13:36) “I think it’s really important to have an older dentist, a mentor, that you admire and who you would like to emulate in terms of practice philosophy, but also personal life and all the other important things, and approach them.” (18:01—18:16) “Make leadership [your] primary focus ahead of dentistry. Because if they don't see you as a leader in the office, both when you know they're watching you — when they're with you and you're not paying attention to them, they're watching you for sure. And how you manage patients, and how you manage staff problems, and how you manage all of the crap that comes into our lives, that's the most important thing around a dental practice. So, I really think leadership and relationship-based leadership is one of the major keys.” (34:00—34:38) “Leaders are created. They create themselves; they're not born. And it takes work to become a leader.” (35:00—35:06) “The hardest part is getting a vision. That's the most...
The Key to Calling Out Real Issues Episode #410 with Kirk Behrendt and Jenni Poulos Don't just band-aid your problems — get to the root of it! And to help you identify and solve the problems in your practice, Kirk Behrendt brings back Jenni Poulos, one of ACT’s lead coaches, to reveal the steps to calling out real issues together with your team. Be proactive in resolving problems so they don't become a crisis! To learn how, listen to Episode 410 of The Best Practices Show! Main Takeaways: Step back and take a holistic view. Pause and ask what the real issues are. Identify the problem behind the problem. Get good at asking, “And, what else?” Prioritize your most important issues. Fixing the real issues will save time. Quotes: “It’s so devastating for doctors and team members to band-aid and patch, and band-aid and patch, and talk about the same things over, and over, and over again. It kills momentum. It kills meetings. It can kill trust too.” (0:56—1:14) “There's no greater fatigue than mental fatigue. And if you diagnose the mental fatigue, what you're going to find is we’ve got to get to the real issue. And when you get to the real issue and you can diagnose it and do something about it, your life will actually change. It'll change over and over again.” (1:47—2:04) “Our minds tend to go to all of the obstacles, to all of the reasons that something won't work. And then, we get into this putting-out-fires mode and dealing with one little thing here, and one little thing there, and one little thing here, and we just don't look holistically at things so we can pause, change our thought process, and think about, ‘Okay, what's really affecting this? What is this really going to affect? How do I need to think about change on a whole?’ We just don't step back to look at things in a way that can help us really understand what's going on.” (2:45—3:31) “The first thing, really, is just to pause. What is the real issue? We talk in circles. Are we run, run, run, run, run about something that we’re frustrated with? And sometimes, just asking a team member, pausing during a team meeting and saying, ‘Okay, let's just take a second here. In one sentence, can we say what is the real issue? Let's try to bring it in a little bit and identify what is the issue, not talk about what are all of the effects that I'm seeing. What are all the things that are circling around here? Let's bring it in. What's the real issue?’ Because it’s easier to work with one thing versus a million things that are going around.” (5:06—5:59) “Here’s a question that'll add to the real issue. Is this person a good core values fit for your practice? And if the answer is no, there's nothing you're going to say, there's no formula, there's no wisdom, there's no motivation that will ultimately fix this. We just don't care about the same things, and eventually it’s going to fall apart. So, you have to identify the real issue. Because people that fit your core values on your team, they’ll be willing to listen. They understand, and at least they’ll be open to the conversation.” (6:12—6:40) “The problem is rarely the first thing that is stated. There's always something behind that that's causing it. We’re looking at the symptom. We want to know what's the actual cause. A great and very simple example, I was working with a team and they're like, ‘The data’s wrong! The data’s wrong. We don't know this. We don't know that. We can't figure it out.’ The root cause is they had no idea how to actually use the software. So, the problem wasn't that the data was incorrect. The problem was that they didn't have the training to understand how to use it. So, rather than spending all this time analyzing the data and where it’s wrong, it actually was an inability to use a software. So, a very simple explanation. But so often, we don't look past what's happening to say, ‘What's causing this? What is the root cause?’ And if we want to actually solve a problem, we...
Defining Trust in the Art of the Consult Episode #409 with Dr. Christopher Ramsey Trust is hard-wired in our DNA. Otherwise, who would ever go to a dentist? Letting a stranger crawl into your mouth would be out of the question! But even while trust is innate, it still must be earned. And to help you effectively gain your patients’ trust, Kirk Behrendt brings in Dr. Christopher Ramsey to explain the four categories of trust so you can understand, define, and apply it to your consult. For secrets to an enthusiastic yes, listen to Episode 409 of The Best Practices Show! Main Takeaways: Clearly define what reputation and trust means for your practice. Your patients’ first impressions of your practice are critical. Apply benevolence, integrity, competence, and predictability. Genuine trust needs to be earned and will take time. Strive to understand the people coming into your practice. Quotes: “Humans are pretty predictable if you take the time to understand them.” (5:48—5:50) “One of the best quotes from a book called Mindset is, I cannot see a better ability than taking the time to understand other people. Because if you don't, you will always default to the one thing that you know, which is yourself. And if you have a life where you think, ‘Well, they don't act like me. They don't talk like me. They don't walk like me. They don't do what I would do, so something must be wrong with them,’ that's not good.” (5:50—6:12) “I would find myself asking the question, ‘What makes your practice unique? Why are people even coming to you?’ You may have bought a practice that's been there for 30 years. Maybe you started from scratch. You're working with your dad. You're working with your mom. Okay, it’s all different. But what's going on? And everyone would say, ‘Well, we have a really good reputation.’ And that would come up all the time, ‘We have a really good reputation.’ ‘Excellent. Great answer. If you don't mind, define reputation for me.’ And then, people would stumble and be like, ‘Well . . .’ And people said, ‘I know it in my head. I just can't get the words out.’ So, I said, ‘Imagine you're that same person now at work. If you can't define it to yourself, how are you defining it to the people around you that you're asking to carry this business?’” (11:33—12:25) “[Bergland says in The Neuroscience of Trust], we all have a propensity to trust. It’s how we’re wired as humans. It’s in our DNA to want to trust. That's how we’ve evolved as humans. And so, the thing you need to understand about trust is it is innate within us to want to trust. It’s been the key to our survival. So, right off the bat, as humans, we are wired that way to want to trust. I meet somebody and I go, ‘Yes, I'll trust them.’ Because think about if that wasn't wired. No one would go to a dentist for the first time! You have to walk through their door, meet a stranger, and let them crawl inside your mouth, which is in and of itself an intimate experience. That's a lot of trust for a stranger.” (16:16—16:55) “What we found was, after going through all the literature, there were 23 references of trust in psychology, 23 for management and communication, and then another 19 spread across sociology, economics, and political science. What was really cool was, when it was all said and done, they broke [trust] into four basic categories: benevolence, integrity, competence, and predictability.” (22:02—22:25) “Predictability, by definition, is important for dentistry because predictability is a person’s actions that are consistent enough to be forecasted in a given situation. Well, what does that mean in dentistry? That means people can look at stuff online and go, ‘Wow, look at all the smiles they’ve created. I see that they’ve done this before. There are some predictable results in what they're doing. Okay, let me now look at that person.’ So, I do like predictability as being one of the categories.” (22:54—23:23) “Benevolence is about this relationship,...
The One Habit to Improve Your Future as a Dentist Episode #408 with Kirk Behrendt & Heather Crockett Why do some dentists produce more per hour, while other dentists struggle? One answer is time — or how you think about time. Successful people take the time to think, and this habit is crucial for your practice. Clarity breaks will improve your future, and Kirk Behrendt brings back Heather Crockett, ACT’s Lead Practice Coach, to share how. If you feel that your practice is running you, not the other way around, it’s time for a clarity break! To learn about its value and the best ways to schedule them, listen to Episode 408 of The Best Practices Show! Main Takeaways: Clarity breaks are crucial for your practice. Without clarity, you won't have focus. Don't just try clarity breaks. Schedule them. Work on your business, not in your business. Take time to “sharpen the saw”. Less is more when talking about priorities. Quotes: “It’s crucial to have that clarity break because we get so lost and focused on the busyness of the day and all of our tasks that sometimes we lose sight of those priorities, or how to improve the business and how to make it better. And the same thing goes with dentistry too. We need to make sure we land the plane, get that clarity, think about how we can improve our day-to-day. It saves us thousands of hours and helps to not only improve the business but the bottom-line profitability.” (5:01—5:35) “They're called priorities for a reason. We need to focus on what we say is the most important, big, hairy, audacious goal, if you will, for this quarter, and then keep that at the forefront of our minds so that we focus on and work on that the most this quarter. Less is more when you're talking about priorities. If you have five, are they all going to get done and be done well? Probably not.” (5:38—6:05) “It comes back to your core values and your core purpose, which is something that we do early on in our coaching process before we jump into anything else. We go back and say, ‘Okay, these are our core values and our core purpose that we said are core to us and the foundation of the practice.’ And if we’re saying that we don't have time to get that clarity and decide what our priorities are and to give time to our team members, then we’re saying that these core values and core purpose are null. They don't mean anything.” (8:31—9:03) “My [Apple] Watch will remind me to have focus time. It will say, ‘Open mindfulness.’ I want to sit and be mindful at the beginning of the day and at the end of the day. So, within five, 10 minutes of putting my watch on in the morning, it will pop up and say, ‘Open mindfulness,’ and help to focus. There are so many different options — you don't have to have an Apple Watch. But what I'm saying is it helps me because it reminds me to get in the right frame of mind for my day and helps me to clear out everything else that I'm thinking about, because I'm worried about this, I'm worried about patient X that's coming in at 11:00 that I'm a little bit nervous or anxious about. Helping me to calm down and focus can be very helpful, even on a daily basis.” (12:47—13:40) “Don't try a clarity break — schedule regular clarity breaks. They're part of who you are. It’s like scheduling sleep. Sleep is not underrated, and it’s not optional. You should actually have scheduled clarity breaks, one of them being with your team every single week. Our highest producers schedule two hours of clarity breaks with their team, because you can work 30 to 32 clinical hours, have a magnificent practice — and trust me, your team will appreciate the fact that you're slowing down the whole business to talk about how we can get better. And it makes everyone happy. You guys are all looking for the secret. There's no secret. It’s your patterns, your values, and what you do every day that determines who you become.” (14:39—15:32) “These hands can only go so far. Your back can only go so...
Providing 5 Star Dentistry in a Discount World (A COVID Conference Favorite) Episode #407 with Dr. Keith Phillips In a world where dentists are pushed toward valuing quantity over quality, how do you provide the best possible care you can? Dr. Keith Phillips shares his tips for getting better at diagnostics, how to look at the bigger picture, and how to work with integrity. To find out how you can give your patients the five-star care they deserve, listen to Episode 407 of The Best Practices Show! Main Takeaways: Watching a problem won’t make it better. Don’t sacrifice your integrity. What treatment would you want for your own teeth? Use all the tools at your disposal to perform a comprehensive diagnostic. Listen and work with the patient. Quotes: “What I want you to be thinking about is how you were trained in dental school to approach a treatment plan, and how long you have been in private practice, and how that has changed. Do you look at patients differently now? Do you look at their treatments differently? And most importantly, do you look at their diagnosis differently?” (00:45—01:06) “A lot of dentists frequently don’t recognize the incomplete fractures of teeth. They often diagnose them incorrectly, they look at them and they say, ‘They’re there,’ and they use that phrase…’We’ll just watch that.’ And to quote Dr. Pete Dawson…’What the hell are you going to watch it do, if you just watch it?’ And of course, sometimes they’re treated improperly. Do you treat when you don’t need to? Do you leave them alone?” (02:06—02:43) “We should start treating teeth more conservatively earlier on.” (04:02—04:09) “I think there’s a lot of cases that we leave untreated that should be treated. There’s a lot of cases that we treat and we should question should it be treated, or at least how you treat it. And we don’t want to be guilty of doing non-conservative treatment. Does every tooth that has a crack in it need a crown? No. But I would contend that if a crack goes into dentin, we certainly want to treat the tooth somehow…It is your decision to make ethically, combined with talking with that patient.” (11:46-12:27) “You’ve got to find ways to look at these teeth using cameras, using inter-oral cameras, handheld cameras, transillumination, you’ve got to clean the teeth off, you’ve got to dry the teeth, you’ve got look at all those things.” (14:50—15:02) “You’ve got to look carefully, you need to look at teeth all these different directions, all these different ways, so that you know what you’re looking at.” (16:00—16:07) “It’s not this tooth, it’s the entire process of the mouth—what’s the pathogenesis of that?” (25:02—25:08) “I just have to question every time I treatment plan a patient—would I do it on me?” (26:05—26:09) “The success was putting Danny in a position to prove to himself that he could manage this.” (35:24—35:31) “I remember talking about Actinomycosis in dental school, but I never put that together, and the key here is you’ve got a cracked tooth. That bug is in your mouth all the time, but unless it can get to a place where it can thrive in an anaerobic environment, it’s not a problem, such as a cracked tooth or an area of decay. It has to have that portal of entry into a tooth.” (43:36—43:57) “I think if you’re going to practice in a discount world and you want it to be five-star, you owe it to your patients to be better at diagnostics, to be better at conservative restorations, but most importantly, to look at the cause of everything you’re restoring. How did it get there? Why is it there? Do I need to intervene in the occlusion or the type of restoration we use? All those kinds of things factor into your decision about how to treat the tooth.” (44:32—45:07) “The problem I find most often though is that I didn’t pay attention to the occlusion. Either it’s sensoric excursion or a...
Leadership, Management, and Team Engagement (A COVID-19 Conference Favorite) Episode #406 with Josey Sewell Do you find yourself dreading Mondays? Well, 70% of the working world is with you! Employees are disengaged worldwide, and they are increasing in number. And to help prevent you from having frustrated and disconnected workers, Josey Sewell from Dental Intel shares how to grow better leaders and managers and have better team engagement. If you want to create a healthier, more joyful work environment so you can look forward to Mondays, listen to Episode 406 of The Best Practices Show! Main Takeaways: Only about 15% of the world’s workers are engaged. Great managers are critical for worker engagement. Lack of clarity creates chaos and frustration. People want to be coached, not managed. Create vulnerability-based trust with your team. Don't be afraid of numbers and data. Quotes: “People are looking for purpose in work, and it’s up to us to provide them and help them see that purpose. And when you can do that, it’s amazing how your team can support you.” (10:49—11:02) “[According to a Gallup poll,] just 15% of the world’s workers are engaged at work or appeared to have great jobs. 70% are just not engaged. And what I mean by “not engaged” is that maybe they clock in, and they clock out, and they're not necessarily super excited to be there, but they're not really that miserable. They're just in-between. They just do enough to not get fired. And, unfortunately, 70% of the world’s population is living that. The other 15% are actively disengaged. So, what that means is they are miserable, and they want to commiserate with everybody and make everything difficult for everybody else.” (11:51—12:35) “One of the things that I learned is that that 70% [who are not engaged], sometimes they were on the fence. And what we found in working with a really large team is that their choice to become the active employee or the disengaged employee often had to do with how we dealt with the 15% of people who were disengaged. Because if they got away with whatever, and there was no accountability, and they made everybody miserable, but it didn't matter that they didn't follow the rules, why on earth should I really put forth a lot of time and effort into this team or into this company? So, make sure that you are consistent with your rules. If you say this is the way that it’s going to be, you stick with it.” (12:36—13:16) “Gallup says that if we increased even just to 50% of people being actively engaged in work, the world would literally change overnight. Actively engaged employees boom your business, inspire teams, and solve problems instead of creating them. They volunteer in the community, have fewer workplace accidents, have better health and well-being, and make fewer mistakes.” (13:26—13:51) “The single, most profound, distinct, and clarifying finding ever: 70% of the variance in team engagement is determined solely by the manager. It’s the manager that makes such a difference.” (14:24—14:42) “Being a great doer of tasks does not always make somebody a great manager. And there's not a lot of training or things that are available for managers, so you have to put an emphasis on helping them lead and manage people.” (15:29—15:43) “If you're just doing an annual performance review like they used to do decades ago, that is not enough. [Employees] want constant feedback and coaching.” (16:37—16:46) “People don't want to be managed. People want to be coached. And so, the manager has to turn into being a coach. The coach does not only just provide answers with every question that's asked; they ask good questions to facilitate learning. They're not judgmental. They're supportive. They do not dictate what must be done. They facilitate development and learning. Command and control is out, and collaborate and coordinate is in. So, it’s much more that your team members, every single one of them, is leading within their position.”...
Mental Health in Dentistry (A COVID-19 Conference Favorite) Episode #405 with Dr. Joshua Austin Maybe not everyone needs a therapist — but every dentist needs a therapist. And to highlight the reasons why, Kirk Behrendt brings in Dr. Joshua Austin to this COVID-19 Conference to talk about his personal mental health journey, the stigma around mental health in dentistry, and some sobering statistics you need to know about dentists. It’s okay to not be okay, and it’s time to be okay talking about it. To learn ways to protect your mental health, listen to Episode 405 of The Best Practices Show! If you or someone you know — in or out of the dental community — is struggling with depression or is in distress, please reach out today. Resources are linked below. Main Takeaways: Dentists are at high risk for mental health crises. Every dentist should have a therapist. If not a therapist, have someone you can talk to. Find different ways to bring down your anxiety. It is okay to not be okay, and to talk about it. Quotes: “I saw [Contagion in 2011], and I was in such a dark place in my life that I thought to myself multiple times watching that movie, ‘Wow, this would be great because this would mean I don't have to deal with this stuff anymore, and I wouldn't have to get up to go to work the next day, and I wouldn't have to get up to fake feelings in a relationship that isn't positive for me, and it would be a great answer to the problems of my life.’ And looking back on that now, that is so incredibly tone-deaf that it’s embarrassing to say. But what I think it highlights is that we can end up, as dentists, in dark places mentally and emotionally and it can make us think some thoughts that we’re not comfortable talking about because we are a surgical group.” (3:35—4:24) “I'm not saying everyone needs a therapist — just every dentist needs a therapist.” (9:29—9:34) “There's no reason why you couldn't do a video conference with a therapist and spend 30, 45 minutes, an hour — it costs you $150, probably — and be working on ourselves in a way that we should that we generally don't.” (14:21—14:38) “I became a dentist because of my dad. My dad practiced dentistry for 25 years in Amarillo, Texas, and he taught at the dental school here in San Antonio. And all my life, I wanted to make my dad happy. And honestly, that's what drove me into dentistry. I wanted to make my dad happy, and I wanted to hear my dad say that he was proud of me. There’s a problem with that. My dad died when I was 10 years old. So, no matter what I do in dentistry, I'm never going to hear that he was proud of me. That moment is never going to come. And what led me to realizing I needed a therapist started from that.” (23:26—24:09) “I come into the office one morning, and there's an email at our desk. It was from a guy named Chris, and it said he was seeking dental care elsewhere. And under “comments” it said, ‘Dr. Austin just seems so angry all the time.’ Which is one of those things that — I thought I was really good at hiding all of that and keeping that in check.” (25:35—25:58) “I think there are a lot of people out there who are like me that, yes, we all wanted to help people. But the reason they became a dentist was maybe a reason that they can never fully solve, or they can never fully get the validation that they need. And so, it becomes a 2,500 square-foot coffin every day. And I want people to know that the way out of that is not trying to find some MLM solution to sell CBD products or nutritional shakes. It’s not any of that. It’s coming to terms with what's in your brain and what's in your mind and seeking therapy to try to become a human being that copes better with the day-to-day stresses that we all have.” (27:42—28:35) “You've got to have a good life at home, and you've got to have a good partner. And sometimes, a good partner is no partner. There are times in our lives that we need that too. And so, that's something that we...
Why Interdisciplinary Dentistry is Too Hard for Most Dentists Episode #404 with Dr. Jeff Rouse Interdisciplinary dentistry is the future. So, why isn't there more buy-in, and why are dentists struggling to give interdisciplinary care? To reveal why it’s so difficult and the steps you can take to get started, Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. Jeff Rouse from Spear Education for his thoughts and advice to help you provide the best care for your patients. It’s time to help patients beyond their teeth! To learn how, listen to Episode 404 of The Best Practices Show! Main Takeaways: Education in interdisciplinary care is lacking. Don't just focus on structure and biology issues. Go beyond products and materials to help patients. Airway is the gateway to comprehensive dentistry. Join a study club! Quotes: “You have to feel confident and competent in doing [dentistry]. So, you have to have the education and spend the time learning it. And there are, unfortunately, very few places to learn that. A majority of the education we have is focused on technique because it’s company-driven, a lot of it. It’s, ‘I want to learn about E-MAX. I want to learn about zirconia systems. I want to learn about composites,’ because you're going to do a procedure. And the thought process is, ‘Show me how to do that thing, and then I'll go back and do that thing and make more money doing that thing.’ So, it’s technique, materials. Or it’s product, ‘Get me a scanner. Get me a milling machine. Get me a laser.’ Things. But once again, it’s materials from a company, your product from a company, driving dentistry. And unfortunately, for us, it also plays into what dental school taught us, which is how to work with materials and how to work with product.” (12:41—14:18) “When we go through in dental school and put together a treatment plan, all we do is list what's broken, what's diseased, what I'm going to do about it. So, it’s singular. It’s, ‘Tooth number two has a . . . Tooth number 31 has a . . . They have this, and I'm going to use this technique in order to take care of it. This product. This machine.’ And that's not interdisciplinary dentistry at all. So, our education is lacking.” (14:19—15:06) “Airway gives you the opportunity to get the patient out of the hygiene operatory, whereas talking to them about their teeth are worn, their teeth are in the wrong location, the teeth have the gums covering them; they need to be pushed back, harder conversation to have with people. Much more difficult. Especially wear patients, malocclusions, really difficult conversation because you don't want people, when they're brand-new to your practice, to think you're just after their money.” (17:54—18:27) “I'm now seeing this increase in younger dentists doing what I'm going to call better dentistry, at least more exciting dentistry, more profitable dentistry, than they ever have before. It’s not because of the way we now teach it at Spear versus how Bill and I taught it; it’s because airway looks at skeletal and dentoalveolar as it relates to the skeleton differently than we ever have. It adds this extra piece.” (22:42—23:17) “Airway gets people in for comprehensive evaluations, and it gets them to do more complex, comprehensive dentistry than I've ever had opportunities to do before.” (25:01—25:13) “There are people out there that want to help you be better than what you are right now, and to achieve better than they are. If you're excited enough to be one of the best, there are lots of people that are willing to help you get there.” (27:56—28:12) “Young dentists need to know that there are people that want to help them. And a study club format is probably the best way to go about doing that. And the two that I've been associated with are Seattle Study Club and Spear Study Club. They both have their own advantages and disadvantages, but they're both critical. In fact, if you can be in both, it’s even better. If you could figure out a way to be in both of...
The Necessity of CBCT & MRI Imaging in Today’s Orthodontic Diagnosis & Treatment Planning Episode #403 with Dr. Drew McDonald Without imaging, you're basically guessing treatment plans — and that’s never a good thing! To know the best possible treatment for your patients, you need MRIs and CBCT. And to help you get started, Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. Drew McDonald to talk about the pushback with imaging as well as the benefits and value they have for you and your patients. Don't go into treatment blindly! You can have clear images that present the truth. To be a better clinician that changes patients’ lives, listen to Episode 403 of The Best Practices Show! Main Takeaways: A clear image will help you see under the surface. MRIs can show the severity of joint instability. CBCTs and MRIs are safer than ever before. Having images can increase case acceptance. Imaging will lead the way to being better clinicians. Quotes: “The biggest thing of why [it’s important], for me, on what we’re talking about with imaging is that it’s the truth. You can't fake that. It’s right there in front of you in the cold, black mirror that you're looking at on that X-ray or that MRI. And ultimately, it tells your patients the truth. But for me, whenever I started going down the road of, ‘Okay, let's see what's under the surface. Let's see why this patient isn't responding the way that I anticipated,’ that really shed a lot of light on what are the true problems here.” (12:07—12:37) “The other unpleasant conversation that you get to have with patients when [relapse] happens is, ‘Well, I thought this was going to stay. Why didn’t it?’ And it starts to look like you, as the doctor, didn't do your job. Well, no. If you did your job at the front end and diagnosed and said, ‘Hey, we need to take care of not just the teeth but these issues to keep this stable,’ then you really did your job and you're in the clear as a doctor.” (13:09—13:33) “Right now, in dentistry, the biggest evolving part of this profession is on the imaging side. I think we’re in a huge revolution of how we’re going to do dentistry, where everything is going to be in 3D and people are going to routinely do MRIs, not just TMJ specialists. In my world, I think I'm one of the few orthodontists that do it. But it’s going to be widespread. And honestly, it gives so much value to the patient. We treat them to the highest standard of care possible instead of limiting what we could do.” (15:02—15:35) “I started looking at my 2D X-rays and then looking at the 3D and saying, ‘Well, I can kind of see this on the 2D.’ On a lateral ceph, you can see adenoids. It’s clear as day. You can see tonsils clear as day. So, you don't necessarily have to be totally in the 3D world, at this moment, to be able to start looking for the things that we should be looking for. I mean, on a pano, you can see turbinates clear as day on a lot of patients and see noses really well. And also, the biggest thing, you can see joints. So, just in our every day, what you take as a general dentist, what you take as an orthodontist, those images are still very valuable if you know where to look besides just the pearly white things in this little area right here.” (17:24—18:09) “I started saying, ‘Okay, maybe I should be doing [imaging] on a few more patients,’ because I'm starting to see maybe this is part of their problem. But I was recognizing surface issues like narrow palates and things that then I go, ‘Well, maybe I should see if there's something causing this under the surface.’ And then, at that point, you show the patient, and they go, ‘Yeah, let's follow up on that ENT referral.’ I never thought, as a dentist, I'd be writing as many ENT referrals and chiropractic referrals and TMJ stuff that's never thought of as part of your world, but it certainly is.” (18:15—18:52) “One of the most valuable pieces of having imaging behind it is I could go to the ENTs and say, ‘Hey, here are these pictures
Why Dentists Are Scared to Try Anything New Episode #402 with Dr. Zach Sisler Change can be daunting. But you owe it to your patients, your team, and yourself to continuously learn and evolve. Dentists are afraid to try new things, and Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. Zach Sisler to share three reasons why and how that fear can be conquered. If you give up on trying, that's the end of the game! To get into the mindset of trying something new, listen to Episode 402 of The Best Practices Show! Main Takeaways: Gain confidence to be willing to try new things. Seek out knowledge to find a way to succeed. Don't be afraid of failure and rejection. Just try. Be objective with rejection. Don't take it personal. Trying new things leads to self-discovery. You miss 100% of the shots you never take. Quotes: “The reason that this is important is because when I first came out of school, I was super hungry. And I mean I took every course under the sun. I wanted to try everything. I wanted to really ramp my practice up. And then, I think once you get to a point where things are going somewhat smooth and you do have some good systems in place, you almost get on this autopilot. You're like, ‘All right. Well, I could just coast here. I could just relax, ride this out for the rest of my career and be done.’ But realistically, I think we owe it to our patients, we owe it to our teams, and ourselves as well, to not become stagnant.” (7:53—8:33) “I feel like there were three ways, as I look back, in why I wouldn't try something new, or why when I talked to other dentists, they don't want to try something new. And the first one would be, ‘I don't know how to do that.’ I'm like, ‘Okay. What don't you know?’ ‘I just don't know how to do that. I don't know how to do that procedure, so I refer that procedure out.’ I'm like, ‘Okay. Well, there are courses all over that you could go and actually obtain the knowledge to learn how to do this, and then maybe you keep more stuff in your office.’ Or maybe you decide that, ‘Hey, I tried this and I actually like doing it. Maybe I want to dive deeper into that and find more CE on that and learn more about that, and then apply more of that to my practice.’” (19:32—20:18) “To me, the knowledge excuse is kind of a cop out. There are plenty of avenues, whether it be a course, whether it be a mentor, whether it be reading out of a textbook or journals or whatever. You can find knowledge to apply. So, that's kind of on you if you're not willing to at least seek out some of this knowledge to find a way to succeed.” (20:19—20:46) “Reading is very much a weakness for me. I don't enjoy it. I struggle to get “through” books. They really have to capture my attention. And so, I set a goal. I was going to read 12 books last year. I was like, ‘I'm going to read a book a month.’ And that's a lot for me. But as I started reading, I found what I liked, and I found what I didn't like. And I found what captivated me and kept me really engaged, and I found books that like, ‘Ugh. Man, I don't want to pick up another one like this.’ But had I not at least even set the goal, had I not even tried that, I wouldn't have known what I liked and what I wanted to read more of and what I wanted to learn more about.” (22:35—23:19) “To me, [reading] was starting something new and realizing how to dive into it and really what I liked from it. And I've done the same thing in dentistry too. I did a lot of CE on TMJ and liked it, initially. And then, when I started treating it, I realized it’s a complex onion with many, many layers, and I dove deeper down that route and saw what I wanted to take and what I wanted to utilize. And then, I did airway CE and I learned, ‘Okay. This isn't something I love, but I know people who do, and I'd love to get my patients in their passionate hands. They're really all about that.’ And then I found, as I started going down other avenues, that I really love esthetics. I really like implants. I really like
How Do I Compensate My Hygienist? Episode #401 with Dr. Kevin Groth, Dr. Rob Ritter, and Dr. Pat Lillis You need to hire a hygienist, but they're in short supply. And the ones who apply ask for outlandish salaries! So, what do you do? Do you pay incoming hygienists more and create animosity? Do you raise everyone’s salaries and have high overhead? Or do you just choose to go without hiring? For some insight to help you navigate this dilemma, Kirk Behrendt brings in The Big Three, Dr. Kevin Groth, Dr. Rob Ritter, and Dr. Pat Lillis for ways to fairly compensate your hygienists without losing your mind. For their best practices on finding, hiring, and keeping the best hygienists, listen to Episode 401 of The Best Practices Show! Main Takeaways: Take emotion out of compensation decisions. Use metrics to determine your hygienists’ salaries. Consider giving all your hygienists the same salary. Quality hygienists exist — you just need to be patient. Hygienists are not more important than everyone else. Empower your team to be the best they can be. Quotes: “Right now, we hear it all over the country, it’s supply and demand for hygienists to work in your practice. I know there aren't enough hygienists. Either they left the profession, didn't come back, or they're coming back and asking for some of the most unbelievable salaries that I've ever heard in my career. And then, dentists are struggling on how to compensate them.” (10:03—10:23) “It’s an interesting thing with hygienists. Let's just start it there. I think we’d all agree with that, it’s very interesting. Because remember, they're taught in hygiene schools that they don't work for the dentist, they work with the dentist. They are that mid-level provider. And they want to be compensated because they typically have more education than our clinical assistants or our administrative team. Yet, I don't make emotion-based decisions on how we compensate our hygienists. I don't — I won't. I will not go down that path.” (10:29—10:58) “When it comes to hygienists, here’s what I do that's pretty simple. I know what I charge for a hygiene prophy for an hour. I take that number times eight — because that's how many patients they're going to see in an hour on a typical day, not including the new patients, not including the scaling and root planings — and then I take 30% of that, and that's what they can make for the day as a starting salary.” (11:29—11:54) “Most general practices run somewhere between 60% and 70% of overhead. That's what it costs them for overhead. So, I'm not going to compensate them more than that because my overhead is somewhere between 60% and 70%, in most general practices.” (11:58—12:14) “I've got two ways for [hygienists] to make legitimate bonus money that will increase their hourly rate on things that they do. So, we do a bare-ass minimum, a BAM, and I know how much they need to generate for the day. So, in a general practice, let's just say it’s $1,000. They need to do $1,000 for the day as a BAM. What I do is I give them 10% of anything over $1,000. So, if they did $1,500 for the day — and they get everything, whether they sell a toothbrush or a whitening kit or a fluoride treatment, whatever they sell. I don't care if they sell it. And I know we’re not supposed to use the word “sell” by the practice management consultants, but that's what they're doing. They're marketing, they're selling, whatever you want to call it. So, if the difference is $500, they get 10% of that, $50, and you amortize that out over eight hours, how much is that? That's an extra $4 or $5 an hour on top of their initial amount of money that they're going to get.” (12:26—13:21) “The second compensation is, when I go in the room and I diagnose a unit, a crown, an onlay, a veneer, an implant, they get 1% of whatever is done. So, if I do a crown, and we just say it’s $1,000, they get an extra $10. If I do two crowns I diagnose, they get an extra $20. You amortize that out, it’s
The Team’s Role in Transitioning Your Practice Episode #400 with Paul Sletten You've spent a lifetime building a great team. But one day, your time will come to leave them. And if you care about your team, you need to involve them in the transition process. To help you leave your practice in good hands, Kirk Behrendt brings back Paul Sletten from The Sletten Group with expert advice on how and why your team should be involved. Your greatest asset is your team — don't betray them with a sudden exit! To make your transition less difficult and challenging, listen to Episode 400 of The Best Practices Show! Main Takeaways: Have a plan — no matter where you are in life. Link your business plans with your life plans. Involve your team in the transition process. Choose an associate that your team loves. Sell when you are financially healthy. Be patient. The right buyer is out there. Quotes: “Most people focus on — and I've done this myself early in my career — financial things, on steps in a transition, and things like that, timetables. And what you also need to do is you need to coordinate and tie your practice transition plan with your life plan. I've seen people put business plans together, and then have their life plans sabotage the business plan because they were never connected, or never discussed, or never processed. So, the life planning is of huge importance in terms of success in transitions.” (2:26—3:09) “We’re all in transition all the time, aren't we? I mean, personally, professionally, and everything else. And we need to build skills at becoming successful in transitions. And that absolutely has to involve putting your life plan together.” (3:09—3:27) “If you're going to go find someone to join the practice, and with you staying, or if you're going to go find someone to take over the practice as you exit, you need to include the team.” (7:05—7:17) “Which would you rather have, a team that finds out on the day of the closing what a monster event that is, and then have the new owner have to deal with their response? And you're much more likely to lose people doing it that way than you are if you bring them into your confidence and ask them to be confidential with patients, and with everything else, and involve them.” (7:37—8:12) “You know the old deal, ‘If the doctor’s not there, the practice is worthless and will sell for nothing’? That’s absolutely true, in some cases. But in this case, it wasn't even close to true because the team was there. And the patients stayed. It took four-and-a-half months to sell that practice, which was agonizing because we wanted to do it in two weeks. But it took four-and-a-half months. And after that period of time, the attrition in terms of active patients was something like they lost 11 people, who left the practice. And everyone else stayed. And one of the huge reasons why the doctor who now owns it and is thriving in that practice was chosen is because the team loved him.” (13:19—14:14) “It’s really almost impossible if the seller comes to the table in a needy financial position to have a win-win outcome, because they have to get every penny out of the sale. And they often drive off the buyer because that clearly is the number-one issue. If the person who’s done a good job with financial planning and been disciplined over their career comes to the table in a very different way, they're going to get the same amount of money at the closing, but they're looking to put it together in a real winning fashion for the successor as well, because that kind of practice is what you call a legacy practice. And that's a practice that can continue serving that community for many, many decades after the exit of the founder.” (15:09—16:07) “If you have a hierarchical structure with your staff, that’s probably not a good idea to tell them and involve them in the process, because they're not going to want to be involved in the process because you haven't worked on building those...
The 5 Bottlenecks for Dentists in Digital Smile Design Episode #399 with Dr. Christian Coachman Before you buy great equipment, you need to build great systems. And to help you achieve that, Kirk Behrendt brings in Dr. Christian Coachman, founder and CEO of Digital Smile Design, to give you solutions to five bottlenecks in digital smile design that is holding you back. Just having a scanner won't make you a digital dentist! If you don't know how to use it, or don't have a system in place for it, your fancy equipment will gather dust in the corner. For the best advice on improving patient care through digital technology, listen to Episode 399 of The Best Practices Show! Main Takeaways: Create and implement great systems. Have a vision for you and your team. Learn how to prioritize processes. Understand the importance of human resources. Be disciplined in sticking to your routine. Overcome the “gray zone.” Quotes: “The future belongs to comprehensive clinics. It’s not dental offices anymore, but comprehensive clinics. It’s beautiful, it’s powerful, it’s life-changing, and it is a beautiful story that patients love to hear. When a patient understands what it means going to a real comprehensive clinic, there's no way back. They don't want to go back to a “normal” dental office. So, the future of high-end dentistry belongs to the ones embracing this new concept of comprehensive care that goes beyond just the teeth and really takes care of the human being, as a whole.” (11:14—11:52) “The first huge thing, probably the major one we didn't learn in school is how to create systems. Building systems is the number-one bottleneck. We learned that the scanner does a great job, so we go and buy the scanner. And then, the scanner is in the corner, underutilized. Why? Because we didn't build a system to fit the scanner in to make the scanner the most powerful tool possible. So, we don't get the return on investment. Frustration, etc. And many times, when we have challenges in front of us, we end up going to the old way of doing things and we underutilize, or we let the new idea fade.” (15:16—16:06) “The dental industry and the dental clinics all over the world, these people know how to build systems. They don't know how to treat patients; they don't know how to do dentistry — but they know how to build systems. So, dental office owners, we need to learn how to build systems before we buy fancy equipment.” (16:39—16:59) “Everything that we do well, unconsciously, we created a system. But it can take years, because through the struggles and mistakes, we make decisions. And if we decide that we want to do this, and we do it over, and over, and over again, without even thinking, it becomes a smart system because that's the only way for us to do it well and repeat over and over and make money out of it. So, many things in our offices are already a decent system, just because we do it so much, and over and over again. Now, the trick is to find a shortcut to build a system faster, or to think about it and speed up the process of building a system.” (17:10—17:54) “[Systems] need to be documented. It needs to be agreed on. It needs to be brainstormed with the team. Everybody needs to say, ‘This is what we need to do, exactly like that.’ It needs to be revisited from time to time to be repolished, refined, and improved.” (19:13—19:28) “Only after you build a system do you ask yourself, ‘What kind of investments do I need? What do I need to buy? How am I going to fit these new ideas inside my system?’ And when you do investments after you have a system, you get much better return on your investment, on whatever you're buying to fit the system, and not the opposite like we usually do. We buy stuff, and then we try to figure out how to make something work with that. Every equipment that we buy is just a piece of the system. It’s not the whole system.” (19:53—20:25) “If you're too busy working, you don't have time to make money, they...
I Have Said It 700 Times! I Can't Say It Anymore! Episode #398 with Jenni Poulos Your team members’ success is your success. So, how do you ensure they succeed? One way is by communicating clearly, and Kirk Behrendt brings back Jenni Poulos to share expert advice on having clarity with your team. If you're tired of not having your expectations met, and you're tired of repeating yourself, remember one thing: before you point the finger, turn your thumb! To grow as a leader so you can help your team be successful, listen to 398 of The Best Practices Show! Main Takeaways: Clarity is usually the issue, not the team member. Overcommunicate your expectations. Don't do drive-by communication and expect results. Always ask the three clarifying questions. Listen to understand. Don't listen with an agenda. Quotes: “The real issue here is clarity. I have had this thought process myself as a leader and a manager 700 times, and I talk about this every day with coaching clients, ‘Why aren’t they doing it? Why isn't it happening? I thought we agreed to this.’ There's usually one common denominator, and it’s rarely the team member.” (4:24—4:52) “When I want something to be executed, when I need something to be done, when I need expectations and reality to be in alignment, I have to overcommunicate so clearly what my expectation is, what I want to be done, how I want it to be done, so that the team member can move forward confidently. We fail to ask people if they understand what our expectation is of them, and this is a big gap.” (6:19—6:55) “When we are coming to an agreement, or when I am asking something of someone, I don't want drive-by communication. I run by someone at five million miles an hour and I tell them that I want something done, and I just expect it to be done, and they maybe heard five percent of what I've said. So, whose fault is that? It’s not their fault. So, I'm going to slow down, ‘Sally, I need you to do X, Y, and Z. Are you good with that? What did you hear? Do you have what you need? When is it going to be done?’” (6:56—7:38) “I always am going to ask these clarifying questions when I'm communicating with someone. I want to know, ‘Did you hear clearly?’ I want to make sure that I was clear in my communication. So, ‘What did you hear? Do you have what you need to do this? Do you have what you need to be successful?’ You will learn so much from this question across all levels of communication with your team. And then, ‘When are you going to do it?’ Tie it to a time. That's how we get things done. That's how we build habits.” (7:52—8:35) “I love to tell all of my team members, ‘Listen, your success is my success. So, it only serves both of us to have this open, honest communication and for you to tell me, hey, I'm not clear on this. I didn't understand.’ Because if they're not successful at their job, I'm not going to be successful at mine.” (10:32—10:54) “Before you point the finger, turn the thumb.” (17:58—18:02) “When you are communicating with team members, trying to figure out what's going on, when they are talking to you or telling you what's happening, please listen to them. Because if there is an actual instance in which they need more learning or they don't understand and you're not actually listening, you're not going to work through that.” (19:20—19:42) “Listen to hear, not to respond. Listen for understanding. You will learn by listening to [your team members]. So, please; it is a very important piece of this. When you ask a question, you need to actually listen to the answer.” (19:46—20:04) “We always want to look externally at what the issue is. It’s always the team members “not getting it.” It’s always something with someone else. Because the hard learning, the hard thing is looking at yourself and saying, ‘I'm the one that needs to grow. I'm the one that needs to change a little bit.’ But really, as goes the leader, so goes the team.” (22:04—22:32) Snippets: 0:00 Introduction. 1:43
5-Star Customer Service for Your Dental Practice Episode #397 with Dr. Ann Marie Gorczyca Your boss is the customer, and the customer is always right — even when they're wrong! So, how do you ensure you provide excellent customer service at every step? To share secrets from her latest book, At Your Service: 5-Star Customer Care for a Successful Dental Practice, Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. Ann Marie Gorczyca to reveal how you can create a winning team and culture for your practice to thrive. To master 5-star customer service at every level of your business, listen to Episode 397 of The Best Practices Show! Main Takeaways: Customer service is everything in dentistry. Create a winning team culture for your practice. Know the traits you will not tolerate on your winning team. Master the ten powerful customer service phrases. Learn about the four complainers and how to handle them. Quotes: “Customer service is everything — everything. I want the listeners to remember this: who is the boss? Who is the boss, even of the dentist? The boss is the customer. The customer pays your paycheck. So, the better service that you can give, the more you'll be rewarded. And customer service is everything. We are a service industry. Dentistry is a service industry. So, customer service is what we do. We are providing care for our patients.” (3:16—3:55) “Think seriously about your culture, about your team culture, because culture is what the patient feels the second they walk into your dental office. And culture is not optional. Culture is the sum of the behaviors that you choose as a team to have on your team.” (4:33—5:01) “Have a team meeting and ask them to write down what are the winning traits that we want on our team, what are the traits and behaviors that we are screening for and looking for on our team. And collect those responses and go over them as a team.” (5:52—6:16) “If you have a winning culture and you want to sustain it, you must be intolerant of those behaviors which do not sustain your culture, or destroy your culture, or minimize your culture, weaken your culture.” (7:35—7:55) “Have your team write what are the traits not tolerated on our winning team. Now, this is interesting. I have 21 traits. But if you go through these traits, all 21 really come down to one, in my opinion: bad attitude. The other 20 are a subcategory of that first major thing, which might be considered bad attitude.” (9:34—10:00) “When a patient asks you something, stay away from using the term, ‘No problem,’ because it’s a negative term. And you don't even know what the patients are hearing a few feet away from where you're talking. You might say, ‘No problem,’ and all they hear is “problem,” and they're thinking, ‘There's a problem?’ So, stay away from that term. That is not a customer service term.” (15:29—16:08) “[Customer service phrase number ten], ‘I apologize for our mistake. Let me make it right.’ The customer is always right. Even when they're wrong, they're right. So, apologize, ‘I'm sorry for our mistake. Let me make it right.’ You don't ever want to get in an argument with a customer. Even if they're wrong, don't make them wrong. Make them right.” (16:51—17:19) “[Customer service phrase] number nine, ‘Thank you for your business. See you again soon.’ You cannot say thank you enough.” (17:21—17:27) “[Customer service phrase] number eight, ‘I'm not sure, but I will find out.’ Now, you're going to be asked a lot of questions. A patient asks you about their insurance balance. Maybe you don't know the answer. ‘I'm not sure, but I will find out.’ And you will find out. If you see it, you own it. If you hear it, you own it. You don't pass the buck. You follow up until you get the patient their answer, whatever that might be. You might not know the answer, but you're going to find out for them.” (17:28—17:57) “[Customer service phrase] number seven, ‘What else can I do for you today?’ Before you release the patient, before you sit...
Insider’s Secrets to the Hiring Nightmare Episode #396 with Deena Meldgin & Courtney Dalton There's nothing more important than having the right people around you. But the challenge is finding those right people. There are a few things you need to do before you even think about hiring, and Kirk Behrendt brings in two ACT coaches, Deena Meldgin and Courtney Dalton, to share their secrets to attracting and keeping the best team members. Hiring can be a nightmare — and it doesn't have to be! For the best tips on hiring and to feel better about the hiring process, listen to Episode 396 of The Best Practices Show! Main Takeaways: Invest in your current team members. Find alternatives before you think about hiring. Core values are essential for successful hiring. Your favorite people care about the same things as you. Highlight core values in ads to attract the right people. Lean into your team for the hiring process. Quotes: “It all leads back to core values and making sure that you have an established vision before you even start the hiring process.” (4:31—4:37) “There was a big issue with a team member, and I kept saying, ‘The issue is that they're not a good core values fit.’ And I kept getting brushed off until it hit them in the face that, ‘Yeah, you're right. They're not a bad person; they're just not a great fit for the direction the practice is going, and for the belief that the practice has, and how it wants to move forward.’ So, all roads lead back to core values.” (5:24—5:48) “Another way to really attract people that align with your values is to really call it out in your ad, ‘Here’s what we represent.’ I absolutely love that, because I think that your best team members, or the best team members in dentistry, they have a job. They have a position right now. Right? And they're looking for something else because of a cultural change or a leadership change. And so, if our ads stand out and share what we represent, we’re more likely to attract people who align with those values.” (11:50—12:21) “[Get] creative with putting out — even in our social media — like, how can we continue to attract people who are excited about our values, excited about who we are? People aren't looking for an ad that talks about all of their responsibilities. They're looking for something that stands out. So, go into it as if you're on the other end. What's going to stand out? Even ask some of your team members. Maybe you're looking for a hygienist. As a hygienist, what would stand out to you? What are some things that you would like to see in order to click that button and apply?” (17:14—17:48) “If at all possible, if we can avoid the hiring crisis right now, because everyone’s in it and everybody’s feeling it, is there an alternative within who we have to get everybody realigned? Do we really have to hire? Is the issue that someone wants to leave who is unhappy? Can we have more frequent check-ins with that team member and get back in alignment? Will that solve the problem? Is it on the clinical end or the admin end? It’s so easy to say, ‘Okay, we’ll terminate, and we’ll stop this working relationship.’ But is that the easiest thing right now? No. There's not a whole lot of bite. So, maybe, really, the answer is more internal than external.” (18:00—18:43) “Sometimes, tapping into your own team who already does align with how you think and your core values, that's one of the best assets that you can tap into, is to network through them. If they are a good fit with you, they probably know people who are a good fit with them and inherently would be a likely good fit for you. And if you lean into your team when you do have those people come in, ask them their opinion. If your team is really strong and your team feels like this wouldn't be a good fit, they're probably right. If they love that person, even if they do know that person, or they don't, and they say, ‘Yes! We would love to work with them,’ listen to your team....
How Many Patients Do I Need? Episode #395 with Angela Heathman To be a profitable practice, you need to have the right number of patients. But how do you know how many are too much, and how many are too few? In today’s episode, Kirk Behrendt brings on Angela Heathman, Lead Practice Coach at ACT, to discuss how many patients a practice should have. Kirk and Heather talk about when to add a new doctor, the dangers of exhaustion, tips on how to get the most out of the patients you have, and much more. To answer the question “How many patients do I need?” listen to Episode 395 of the Best Practices Show! Main Takeaways: More patients doesn’t mean better. Determine what you want out of your practice—how much do you want to be working? For one doctor working four days a week, 1200-1500 patients is the capacity. Capacity for hygienists is around 750 patients. A doctor’s schedule should be full 95% of the time, and a hygienist’s 92% of the time. You can expect to lose 15% of clients due to natural causes—figure out how many you need to add to offset that. Quotes: “If you are a single practice and had 3100 patients, I would expect that you would be exhausted. I would expect that you would be exhausted or that your patients weren’t really getting probably the standard of care that you really wanted them to, because you probably just don’t have the capacity in your office to take care of that many folks. The simple answer is usually about 1200-1500 for one doctor working four days a week.” (03:50—04:20) “Typically, that office that has 1200-1500 patients has two full-time hygienists then, working four days a week. So, the number that we think about for hygienists is usually around 750. Again, longer story is that it could be anywhere between 750-1000, but typically the offices that we’re coaching are spending 60 minutes with their patients, they’re doing perio, which means they’re needing time for scaling and root planning, and also three and four-month re-care appointment, so that’s why that number is more around 750 instead of 1000.” (05:23—06:00) “You can be anything that you want to be, but figuring out how to make that work for your own life is what’s most important, and a lot of times you don’t have to do that, and sometimes we get kind of caught up, like you said, in the ‘more, more, more,’ but you can have a very good life and not have to do that if you don’t want to, so figuring that out first is important.” (07:02—07:24) “If you’re feeling like ‘Oh, we need to add more hygiene hours, we need to add another hygiene day,’ one of the things you’ll want to look at is your capacity; like how full is your schedule already? Because if you’re measuring that and every day you have two hours of open time, then I would argue that you don’t need another hygienist—at least not right now—first you need to fix that problem of having all the open time.” (08:18—08:48) “I always want to look at [capacity] in terms of percentages. So, for a hygienist we want their schedule to be full about 92% of the time, and for a doctor, 95% of the time. And so, what that shakes out to in the matter of a week is only about two cancellations—so only having about two hours open to really hit that benchmark.” (10:21—10:50) “One of the things we coach our teams to do is something called an RFR. I would like to give credit to whoever started that, but I don’t even know who it was, but RFR stands for Reason For Return. So, making sure it’s clearly documented in your clinical notes the importance of why that patient needs to come next time. So, if next time you’re going to be taking a PA to check a tooth, or a pano, or looking at an implant, or something like that, putting a little something additional in that clinical note so that whoever is fielding that cancellation call can have something very tangible to refer back to. Like, ‘Oh, you...
Understanding & Optimizing Coverage Options Episode #394 with Dave Monahan – CEO of Kleer.com Patients want more dental care — they're just afraid of costs. So, how do you get patients to come in more often and accept more treatment? One secret is membership plans. And to explain how membership plans benefit both dentists and patients, Kirk Behrendt brings back Dave Monahan, CEO of Kleer, to share his data comparing behaviors of uninsured, insured, and membership plan patients. By switching to membership or subscription plans, patients can get the care they want and need without the hassle of insurance. If you're frustrated with third parties and want to liberate dental care, listen to Episode 394 of The Best Practices Show! Main Takeaways: On average, membership patients visit the dentist 50% more. Membership patients accept two to three times more treatment. Having membership plans will help generate twice your production. Most practices are not collecting full fees from their fee-for-service patients. Investors will pay five times more for a business that has recurring revenue. Quotes: “In our market research, we saw . . . it frustrated dentists and dental practices who were basically at the whim of third parties, and we saw patients who couldn't get access to the care they wanted. Because when you think about a patient, they really have two options: they can buy dental insurance, which when they look at that, very complicated 20-page agreements; very difficult to understand if they're going to get the value out of it; they're expensive. Then, on the other side, they can go without coverage. But being a patient without coverage is scary. They don't have any idea how much things are going to cost. So, they stay away from the dentist. So, we wanted to marry those two things under “liberate dental care”; give dentists control and give patients better access for the care they need.” (3:51—4:30) “When [patients] buy a subscription, they come in two to three times more often. So, you're not just getting that subscription revenue, they're also coming in for their recare. And where does treatment come from outside of recare? It comes from sitting in the chair, talking to the hygienist, talking to the dentist. 75% of all non-preventative care treatment comes from coming in for recare. And that treatment revenue, just to explain that, that's from them sitting in the chair, talking to the hygienist, talking to the dentist and accepting fillings, crowns, so on and so forth. It’s the other things outside of the preventive care that they're accepting. So, you have to add those two things together. So, you have this recurring model, people paying subscriptions year in and year out, and they're coming in two to three times more often, and they're accepting twice the amount of treatment as they normally would. And that's what that treatment revenue is.” (11:26—12:19) “There's a book out there called The Membership Economy. It’s now getting aged, but it studies companies in all kinds of industries and they compare companies that offer subscriptions or memberships versus companies that don't. And the average across all the industries is, if you are part of a membership or a subscription, you buy twice as much as somebody who is not. That's the key.” (13:06—13:31) “The patient, in our example, wants more care. They're just afraid of costs. They're afraid of not having coverage. They're afraid of not getting a good deal. And so, they're timid about coming in. Or when they're in their chair and you're saying, ‘You should get this treatment,’ or that treatment, they're skeptical. They're not bought in. But the membership gives them access to the care they want and makes them more comfortable accepting treatment that they want. So, normally, if they don't have it, they're not accepting it. But they're walking out your door saying, ‘I should've gotten it. But I was afraid of how much it’s going to cost,’ or, ‘It’s going to cost...
How to Find and Keep Great People Episode #393 with Dr. Erin Elliott It’s a challenge trying to find, train, and keep great people. Is all that even possible? And where do you start? To provide some answers, Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. Erin Elliott to share how she discovered out-of-the-box solutions for those challenges in her office. A great practice needs great people. And to find them, you first need to attract the right ones! And if what you're doing isn't working, you can always do something different. For more tips on finding great people for your great practice, listen to Episode 393 of The Best Practices Show! Main Takeaways: Think outside the box to attract the right people. Choose personality over experience. The dental part will come. Firing “bad patients” is one way to reduce team turnover. Eliminating phone calls may keep your team happier. Outsource the daunting and overwhelming tasks. If you're unhappy or feeling stuck, do something different. Quotes: “The big thing that T-Bone taught me is that there's absolutely no way we should be doing the dentistry that we did in dental school only.” (6:56—7:04) “I didn't think we would struggle with [finding and keeping the right people] where I live. But this whole employee thing, I still don't understand it. At the core of it, we still have the same team. We have a large team: six hygienists, five that work all at the same time, three doctors, I work with three assistants. It’s kind of a scheduling — it’s a lot of fun. Let's just say that. So, at the core of it, our assistants and hygienists have all stayed the same. But for some reason, front desk has been so difficult for us. And we have tons of people moving to our area. We are so booked with new patients, good quality patients, and I can't understand why there's not a workforce. But most of the people moving to our area are retired. So, we just don't have a workforce, even with all these people.” (10:52—11:44) “We’re working two front desk people short right now. And just the thought of trying to find someone and train them, two new people, and then not having any dental experience, because we’re trying to think outside the box, it’s overwhelming, the thought of it. And when we did have someone no-show for an interview, it was like the sails were deflated. It’s like, ‘What do we do now?’” (12:01—12:28) “I was answering phones, and I was like, ‘Man, I could've answered more than half of those by text.’ So, here’s when I was thinking outside the box. If the thought of training is overwhelming, let's outsource that. There's got to be like, ‘Here’s the basics of Eaglesoft. Here’s the basics of [dentistry]. You're going to sit down in our basement and watch some onboarding videos for two days before you even come upstairs,’ something to take the training out of the hands of the people that are there. Because telling someone to click there, and then click there, I don't have patience for it.” (12:54—13:32) “The second [issue] was the phone calls. I'm not testing this till next week, so bear with me. But I found a service where if it rings three times and goes unanswered, it sends an automatic text from a phone number that I chose. And it just says, ‘Hey, sorry we missed your call. How can we help you?’ And we can text with our patient to answer questions and eliminate phone calls. When we’re working this short, the phone calls are the problem. It’s like they catch up on voicemails, and then call those patients back, and then they're full of voicemails again. So, that's where I'm at. I'm trying to think outside the box, just eliminate phone calls, eliminate busywork, and let them focus on the patients that are there.” (13:34—14:26) “I think at the front, it’s a constant barrage of phone calls, problems, people not being nice. I don't know if they see a place to move up there. So, I want to try to create kind of a specialty feeling amongst the front so that they have their ownership.”...
Is the Stoneage of Dentistry Dead? Episode #392 with Dr. John Cranham & Lee Culp, CDT Does a dental practice with robots and artificial intelligence sound far-fetched? It may seem like science fiction, but advances in digital dentistry make the impossible a reality. In today’s episode, Kirk Behrendt brings Dr. John Cranham and Lee Culp, CDT on the show to discuss how digital dentistry has evolved, the challenges it presents, their brand-new collaboration of Cranham Culp Digital Dentistry, and much more. To find out why the future of dental is digital, listen to Episode 392 of The Best Practices Show! Main Takeaways: Digital dentistry is primarily about communication, and making things is secondary. A scanner is the best place to start when first going digital. Today’s software is easy and fun to use. If there’s a focus on digital during dental school, it will become second nature to young dentists. The future of dentistry is moving toward digital, even to the extent of robotics and artificial intelligence. Quotes: “When we look at digital dentistry—and this is where it’s so important—digital dentistry is more about communication than anything else. Making things actually becomes secondary to the communication we have as a dental team, whether it’s restorative dentists, periodontists, orthodontists, oral surgeons, laboratory, whatever. We build virtual patients, and diagnose and treatment plan and restore, if necessary, those patients that we’ve created digitally as a team, on a computer, at the same time, while we’re all looking at the same patient. That’s never been done in the history of dentistry, and that’s really what we can do today, so we can virtually do anything you can conceive.” (06:06—06:54) “One of the things I think challenges doctors that look at it, is they tend to look at the technologies like a scanner, and they look at the CBCT, and they look at maybe T-scan or a variety of different things, but what they lack often is a way to bring all of these technologies together to be able to evaluate data and to be able to treatment plan and to then make things like wax-ups and provisionals and splints, and all these things. And so that’s where I think the next real evolution is—getting software in the practice that allows the team to, as Lee would say, either be doing things completely in-house or share with an orthodontist or surgeon, and communicate in a way that, if you pull something up and share a virtual instrument through Team Viewer, they can be a hundred thousand miles away and still be like you’re sitting right next to each other.” (09:16—10:19) “I think the first thing is you get a scanner and you learn how to scan for simple crowns. My concern is a lot of doctors stop there; it’s like the scanner becomes only for simple things, where they can be doing diagnostics and interfacing with labs and utilizing at a much higher level. To me the message is…digital provides us the ability to visualize three-dimensionally for simple and complex things so much better and easier than ever before. And so what I’m most excited about is the ability for doctors to really embrace comprehensive care in maybe a way that they’ve avoided.” (17:18—18:09) “The software available today is very easy, very intuitive, very fun to use, and it’s great for diagnostics—for just looking at models on an articulator, for just evaluating while the patient is in the chair. The world of digital doesn’t even really know this or comprehend that you can do these things. So, I think that’s our message today—the software or the systems are so much more powerful to do all kinds of things that you didn’t even know they were capable of, and John and I want to bring that to the world and show people how much better it can be, doing what you’re doing, and doing a whole lot more—doing it digital.” (19:01—19:44) “Since we’re not...
The Secret Ingredient to Great Meetings Episode #391 with Christina Byrne Do you dread scheduled meetings with your team? Are they boring, exhausting, and just not great? Maybe your team meetings are terrible — and they don't have to be! To show you how to have productive and structured meetings to save you time and energy, Kirk Behrendt brings back Christina Byrne, lead practice coach with ACT Dental, to share some of her coaching secrets. Meetings don't have to feel pointless and draining! To learn how to make them energizing and fun, listen to Episode 391 of The Best Practices Show! Main Takeaways: You, the dentist, need to value team meetings. Be intentional with team meetings. Always have an agenda. Understand the difference between action items and issue items. Don't let your limiting beliefs get in the way of progress. Lean on your coach and team. You don't have to do this alone. Quotes: “Meetings tend to rehash the same old stuff over and over again, and nothing ever gets finished. And I'm sure anybody who’s listening could relate to being in a meeting, twiddling your thumbs, hearing people talk about the same thing over and over again, knowing that we’re going to come back here and sit down in a month and talk about the same stuff, because we either don't keep people accountable to the things that we agreed to, or we’re just having a meeting for having a meeting’s sake.” (3:27—3:57) “Meetings do increase communication, but that communication is really important, and the intentional piece of communication is really important. So, one of the things that we try to do here is to always have a plan in place before we have our meetings.” (3:59—4:15) “Our time is so valuable. Time is the new rich. And if we can say what we need to say and accomplish what we need to accomplish in half the time, it makes everybody’s lives better.” (6:11—6:24) “When we’re starting with a new client, we present the idea that they need to have weekly team meetings. And immediately, they're like, ‘Oh my gosh, there's no way we’re going to do that,’ because their limiting belief is filtered by or colored by the way that they had their meetings before, which were nonproductive. But we have such a good agenda and such a great meeting pulse that there's just no way that you're not going to accomplish things.” (6:28—6:54) “I like to have fun at meetings, and I like to talk about barbeque and football too. And there's actually time for that in the agenda. That's how we start all of our meetings, is with, ‘Let's talk about a little celebration,’ or a segue about, ‘What did you do this weekend?’ Because it’s not all cold, and it’s not all by the book. We do have to get to know each other too, so we do leave space for that and there is budgeted time in the agenda for that.” (6:55—7:23) “In our system, we talk about scheduling a two-hour block once a week for your team. Now, you can use some of that time for your huddle. So, think that the minimum would be an hour and 45 minutes to accomplish all the things that need to be accomplished in a week so that you can make sure all the goals you set for yourself are going to be achieved.” (9:09—9:34) “We look at the team meeting as a time for people to get together, to connect, to really sit down and work on the practice, on the things that show up that are priorities that we need to make sure we have a fully functioning practice, and that we’re moving forward. Progress is the name of the game. If you're staying still, then you're losing. So, you need to be progressing every single year.” (9:35—10:03) “Oftentimes, doctors don't lean into their team for this. They think they have to shoulder this burden all by themselves. But the beauty of our meeting pulse is that there's not really a leader. I mean, you want to have somebody who can help direct which section of the meeting we’re going to go to next. But the doctor doesn't really have to lead the meeting every single week. And so, that becomes...
Finding a Mentor in Dentistry Episode #390 with Dr. Kevin Groth & Dr. Zachary Sisler Every dentist needs a mentor. And, eventually, every dentist needs to become a mentor. But how do you find one — a great one — and build a relationship? For an idea of what an amazing mentorship looks like, Kirk Behrendt brings in Dr. Kevin Growth and Dr. Zachary Sisler to share their mentorship journey and the important lessons that being a mentor and mentee has taught them. Mentorship is a two-way street! To learn the key things to look for when seeking mentorship, listen to Episode 390 of The Best Practices Show! Main Takeaways: It’s easier than ever to find great mentors. Mentorship is not a one-way street. You grow together. Mentors come and go, and that’s okay. Your team can also be your mentors. Be willing to lean into the “awkward” and ask for help. Don't be afraid of failure. Quotes: “If you don't have a mentor in dentistry, it’s very isolating. You're going to crack at some point. So, everybody who’s listening to this should know that there's an important role, that you need to serve as a mentee and a mentor out there for other people.” (8:21—8:33) “With mentors, it’s not necessarily a one-way street. It’s not necessarily like the mentor is just teaching a mentee; you're growing together as you're going through this.” (8:57—9:10) “I used to think, initially, ‘I've got to find this guy who’s going to be with me for the rest of my life. We’re going to grow together.’ And there's very much a season of your life where mentors maybe come and go. Like, I had a great mentor when I was in dental school. He helped me a lot, and he helped grow me, and really encouraged me to get out. And then, as I moved on and transitioned to other things, that faded a little bit. And that's okay. It’s okay to realize that in that current season of life, there are still people around me that I can find and connect with and know that it’s not necessarily forever.” (11:18—11:53) “Ultimately, when you are looking for a mentor, the importance is to be vulnerable too. Because I think, oftentimes, you want to go to these people that you aspire to. But I think it’s easy to say, ‘Look at how much I know. Look at what I do. Look at what I am.’ And it’s almost the opposite of that. Because if you could say, ‘I don't know anything. Teach me. I'm a sponge. I'll do whatever you want me to do. Just show me the ropes, and I'll do it.’ And when you could actually learn that way, and then you implement it into your life and you could see it, it engages the mentor. Because then they're saying, ‘Wow, this person is actually taking my advice and putting it to practice. And that's so, so important as someone looking for a mentor, is to, one, engage with them, and then also implement it.” (13:23—14:07) “If you're alone in life and you don't have people to lean on, what's the point? You're just going to struggle. It’s going to be depressing. And ultimately, it’s energizing to know the people that I look to, the people I trust the most and I'm vulnerable with and comfortable going to with life moments are expressing to me like, ‘Lean on me. We got you. We’re going to do this.’ And that makes me better.” (23:08—23:31) “Mentors are there to build you up and to also provide the safe space to talk, but also to provide the, I don't want to say criticism, but the hard truth, sometimes. It’s not like, ‘Oh, no. It’s fine. You're doing great.’ No, it’s, ‘Hey, guess what? You didn't do that really great. You messed up. So, let's talk about it and see how this is going to be different next time.’” (26:13—26:44) “I used to have mentors who, I would send them a case and I would show them about how excited I was about it, and I was looking for them to build me up, and they just continued to beat me down and rip the case apart. And I was like, ‘Man, I could've really used just a little bit of encouragement before all of that happened.’ So, I think it’s this fine balance of...
Elegant Handoffs & PIT Stops in Your Dental Practice Episode #389 with Kirk Behrendt & Heather Crockett There’s a great deal of pressure in the dental industry to move quickly and get through as many patients as possible to be more profitable. But is that creating a healthy atmosphere in your practice, or does it instead cause more conflict? Today Kirk Behrendt brings practice coach Heather Crockett on the show to discuss the topics of the Elegant Handoff and the PIT Stop—find out how utilizing these systems will lead to more clarity, predictability, and overall patient satisfaction. To learn why you need to slow down and make a PIT Stop, listen to Episode 389 of The Best Practices Show! Main Takeaways: Predictability and clarity help to calm the patient and set everyone up for success. When you deliver on what you promise, you create trust in the marketplace. A second set of eyes helps you more accurately assess a situation. Slow down and make a PIT Stop—discuss the Procedure, Investment, and Time involved. A PIT Stop leads to more clarity. Learn to ask questions instead of talking more. Practice these systems and they will become more natural. Quotes: “One of the challenges you have is creating a predictable, safe environment for your patients where they know what to expect and it actually happens the way you described it. And so there’s two components to it: we call it an Elegant Handoff, and then there’s something called the PIT Stop. Now you as a dentist, you know this; if you can put these things in place, it gives you what you and your team need—you need high levels of predictability. It’s an incredible system.” (01:46—2:18) “One of the things you have to do is you’ve got to learn how to over-deliver. Now, I say that because the only businesses in the world that are growing, they’re over-delivering, which means they’re making promises and they’re giving people that they serve a little bit more. Now the first piece of this is you’ve got to deliver on what you promise, and we use a formula internally, and we use it in almost everything we do, which is E-R=C…Expectations minus Reality equals Conflict. If you can build your dental practice where expectations are set, and the reality is your patients…what happens to them or happens with them or happens as a result meets their expectations, you have little or no conflict. The challenge for most businesses is we have so many expectations but the service or the experience provided is less than we expect, so the reality is much less.” (04:57—05:54) “In a dental practice you guys have so many processes, there’s a lot of moving pieces. And so, putting in a system where you can make promises and they’re delivered the way you promise them, it has multiple benefits. Like I said, it benefits the patient, it benefits the team members because they’re doing the same thing every single day, it improves the quality and consistency in which you deliver your care because it’s enhancing the product—you’re going to see, you’re going to become more efficient. You’re actually going to be able to promote more because you’re going to become more confident, and you’re probably going to do it in less of a time frame.” (06:36—07:15) “Every single appointment, and I do mean every appointment, do a PIT Stop, which means we’re going to slow this down. Even if the patient wants to do the procedure today, we’re going to pause, and we’re going to go through our system, because I know if we don’t have a lot of clarity before we start treatment, that’s where problems happen—that’s where bombs go off, and surprises take the equity out of the relationship.” (09:07—09:31) “By implementing an Elegant Handoff—this PIT Stop that you’re talking about—really helps to make our patients feel comfortable, and then it propels them to refer the people that they care about—their...
Understanding Dental Insurance Episode #388 with Dr. Travis Campbell Dentistry is the easy part of being a dentist. Dental insurance, on the other hand, can be a nightmare — especially when you don't understand it. And to help make dental insurance more of an annoyance than a nightmare, Kirk Behrendt brings in Dr. Travis Campbell, “The Dental Insurance Guy,” and author of Understanding Dental Insurance. If your biggest frustration is having your claims denied, read this book today! And to learn how to make insurance work for you, listen to Episode 388 of The Best Practices Show! Main Takeaways: Learn the myths about dental insurance. Don't blame the insurance company if your claims are denied. Provide more information to increase claims acceptance. Know which procedures are covered under medical rather than dental. Coding is how you communicate with insurance companies — learn it! Quotes: “Everybody thinks being out-of-network is the best way to make money. And I will say it’s probably easier that way. But what I've noticed is there are a lot of patients in the world that will only go see an in-network dentist. Period. They're brainwashed, or that's their mentality, or it’s financial. Whatever the reason, there are a lot of people that will never set foot in a fee-for-service office or an out-of-network office. It’s just what they are. And I wanted to help them.” (6:08—6:40) “If we understand how insurance works, the amount of write-offs we have to take are so far less than what we think. When we went back in-network, most of my fee structure now is 15% or 20% discount, when it used to be 35%, 40%, 50%. Well, we also have plans for our cash patients, membership plans, where they get a 10% or 15% discount naturally. So, for me to give 10% or 15% to a cash patient or 15% or 20% to an insurance patient, is not a big difference. And so, I can treat everybody pretty close to the same fees in-network. So, why not? And our collections went up by $700,000 last year.” (6:45—7:35) “The number-one thing I would say I learned myself was, we’re taught well in clinical. And when I first got out, the CE courses I took were mostly clinical. They're the fun stuff. They're the ones we want to learn more of. But I realized after spending a fortune on some high-end clinical classes on TMJ therapies and CAD/CAM and a lot of other things, it doesn't matter what we know if we can't communicate with the patient well enough to get them to want to purchase what we can do.” (8:34—9:12) “When I started learning more about communications with patients, that opened up everything else. It doesn't matter if we’re the best clinician in the world to do an implant, or high-end surgeries, or whatever. Because if we can't get the patients to say, ‘Yes, I'm willing to drop X amount of money to have you do this thing that will change my life,’ it doesn't matter.” (9:14—9:36) “I've been a business coach for quite a few dentists. And one of the biggest challenges I see [in] most offices [that] are struggling financially is treatment acceptance. And dentists have an average of 25% or 30%. And it boggles my mind because we always want new patients, but we have all these patients that aren't getting treated in the first place. And if we can just have higher treatment acceptance, we don't need new people. We could drop insurance plans. We can do a whole lot if we have the ability to take care of the people that are in front of us already.” (9:40—10:14) “[What most dentists get wrong about PPOs and insurance is] listening to the myths. There are so many myths in the industry. Feeling like you have to file every claim, regardless, is one of them. Insurance companies don't want to see claims that they're not going to pay for. It’s a burden to them as well. And yet, I see it all the time, and it hinders what we do. Because insurance companies, for instance, if you do services that are noncovered, their software doesn't know how to deal with that. And so,...
Contribution Margin in Your Dental Practice Episode #387 with Fred Joyal As a dentist and business owner, it’s important to understand profit. But profit margin isn't the only thing to keep your eye on — you also want to focus on contribution margin. And to explain what this is to help you grow your business, Kirk Behrendt brings back Fred Joyal, co-founder of 1-800-DENTIST, to show you a different way of looking at profit. Dentistry is one of the most profitable industries in the country — and the profit is there for you! To start reducing overhead and increasing revenue, listen to Episode 387 of The Best Practices Show! Main Takeaways: Have a great coach. You can't run your business without them. Learn the different ways to leverage your contribution margin. Once you beat your overhead, every dollar you produce is a 70% profit dollar. Help your team understand contribution margin so that they can help you. Every action either increases or decreases case acceptance. Quotes: “Every dentist should have a coach. Why you think you can run your business without coaching — everybody who’s good at anything has a good coach or a great coach. I have two.” (2:49—3:01) “[Contribution margin is] basically about the profitability of dentistry as an enterprise. And you have to understand that most businesses, as they increase their revenue, their profit often decreases. But normally, it stays very static. It doesn't change direction. Like, if they go from making $5 million a year to $20 million a year, their profitability, their percentage of profit, doesn't increase.” (5:41—6:16) “I love using the example of a supermarket just so people understand how a lot of businesses operate. Supermarkets operate at a 3% profit margin. So, they have to sell $33 million of groceries to make $1 million of profit. There's competition everywhere. Think about the inventory. Think about the waste. Think about the shoplifting. Think about the unions — all of these things that they have to deal with. And all they're going to make is 3%, no matter how big they get. If they move it to 3.3%, they're ecstatic.” (6:17—7:00) “Dentistry is completely different as a business model [from other industries] because it has a very unique structure, which is, it has what you would say a large percentage of fixed costs versus variable costs. In other words, rent, leases, equipment purchases, supplies, labs, and employees, those are all pretty much fixed. The variable costs are consumables and lab. And so, what happens is, the term is, when you “crack your nut,” when you beat your overhead in the month, suddenly, every dollar you earn after that, you make about 80% profit because all you have is labs and consumables against it.” (7:01—8:08) “Once you beat your overhead, conservatively, every dollar that you produce in a practice is a 70% profit dollar.” (9:08—9:17) “Dentists don't experience the contribution margin advantage because they're stuck at that level, the $750,000, or something like that. So, they say, ‘Oh, no. Anything I do, my profitability is only 30%.’ And for them, it is, because somehow, they never break through. But the idea is, at $750,000, you've paid your employees. You're paying yourself $60,000 a month or something like that, or whatever. And that's all you're doing, is you're paying yourself, you're paying your team, you're paying all your fixed costs and all your variable costs. The next $100,000 that you make, it goes right in because you don't have to add any staff. That next $100,000, $70,000 of it is yours in profit. There's no expense against it. And you can keep doing that indefinitely.” (12:09—13:18) “What's going to happen is, your costs are going to go up, but they're going to be disproportionately low, relative to other businesses, because your fixed costs are covered, which is a huge percentage. So, your payroll is going to go up. Your supplies are going to go up. Your labs are going to go up. But suddenly, if you're...
The 80% Approach from Dan Sullivan Episode #386 with Kirk Behrendt & Jenni Poulos Dentists tend to seek perfection in everything. But is that perfection holding you back from being productive? Today, Kirk Behrendt brings Jenni Poulos on to the show to discuss Dan Sullivan’s 80% Approach. Dan created the 80% Approach as a method to help us escape the paralysis caused by perfectionism and procrastination and become productive. Kirk and Jenni discuss the steps and challenges involved, as well as tips for how to start using it. To learn how to stop letting perfection get in the way of progress, listen to Episode 386 of The Best Practices Show! Main Takeaways: Just do 80% of a task instead of stressing about getting it right immediately. Perfection is your enemy. Take your 80% and hand it to someone else to add another 80% to it. Your first attempt should never be more than 80%. Sometimes you just need to get something on the books. Most of the time, done is better than perfect. Figure out what your unique abilities are. Quotes: “One of the biggest challenges that people have…and [Jenni] mentions this, is perfectionism and procrastination. I have it too, and it’s like, ‘We’ve got to write this system up—we’ve got to get it all right, and got to get it perfect,’ and first of all, I don’t have the time to do it. And then secondly, I’m not the one that needs to do it perfectly, because I’ll mess it up every single time, and it slows the process down.” (03:40—04:09) “[Perfectionism and procrastination] are keeping you back from progress. And it was just this huge light bulb moment, that if we can let go of this need to get everything to 100% before we hit play, before we hit go, we make so much more progress. And the reality is sometimes we have to let it go at 80% to even know if it works, right? We spend all of this time on the little details, and sometimes we have to get something into action to even know what the little details are, and that’s true for systems in the office a lot of times.” (04:21—05:02) “I’ll sketch something out, and I get to 80%. Then I hand it off to other people who are really good at details, and they get it to another 80%. So think about this—you get it to 80%, and then they take what’s left and they improve it another 80%. What’s the math on that? We are now at 96%.” (07:42—08:05) “Whenever we begin to work on something—our 80%—it’s always fairly easy when you’re first attacking something, because you have good energy to put into so. So by sharing this task, be it a financial arrangement document, a scheduling system, what we’re able to do is everyone is able to give fresh, good energy to it. And we move really quickly through things because we have good energy.” (09:40—10:10) “There are some instances in which you need to give 110% really, or 100%. That’s why in the other 80%, save your energy. Give 80%, move through it quickly, and let other people help you, and you’ll be able to identify holes, identify weaknesses. Have someone say ‘You know what, this is a good idea, let’s take it to here. I’m great with the details, let me do the math.’ And that is where you will make progress.” (15:29—16:04) “Everyone is happier when they are operating within their unique abilities, and I think that’s a really important thing, because we have days—a lot of days—in the dental practice that are hard, that are stressful, that we hit the ground running and we don’t stop. If you think about your unique ability as a rubber band, and when you’re within your unique ability your rubber band is whole and it’s not stretched. As you stretch more and more and more and more out of those places that are not your unique ability, there’s strain, and eventually it snaps. It snaps back, and team members have conflict when they’re operating out of their unique abilities. Things don’t get done; things fall through
How I Stay on Task Episode #385 with Dr. Marty Williams Do you want to be more efficient, more productive, and a lot less stressed out? Then you need systems and checklists for your practice! And to help you build your ideal system, Kirk Behrendt brings in Dr. Marty Williams to share his checklist that gives him predictability and peace of mind. A checklist is one of the easiest ways to get things done! To learn the best practices for staying on task, listen to Episode 385 of The Best Practices Show! Main Takeaways: Checklists will give you high levels of predictability. Distractions are inevitable. But checklists will keep you on task. By using checklists, you can ensure that nothing gets left undone. Having checklists and systems will improve workflow. Review your system and checklists often for improvements. Quotes: “[Staying on task] is extremely important because there are certain things that we do and want to have done with each procedure, and with each system that we have, or the patient that we see. I want to follow certain steps so that I assess, diagnose, and treatment plan all the different areas of their mouths and make sure that I get all the documentation in at the end of the week.” (4:29—4:59) “I practice the Pankey/Dawson philosophy where we get [patients] in, I do a separate new patient exam. I spend at least a good hour with them. And then, all the data that we gather, at the end of the week, my team will give me a purple folder that will have all the information in there, and it'll have a copy of the checklist in there. So, I sit down, and I'll go through that step by step. I'll start by looking at all the notes that were taken that day. I have it right here, and it’s listed down here, the sequence of steps, and looking at the X-rays, looking at their periodontal information, looking at the information about the tooth, the aesthetics, the smile, function. And then, I take a set of clinical photographs for each new patient. I want to make sure I edit those and read those and put them into the Dentrix system. So, we take all their information. I put it right into their Dentrix chart.” (5:05—6:03) “Sometimes, when I'm going through this, there are distractions. I come in on a Friday and typically go through all my new patients from the week. And sometimes, there are emails; I would get distracted and look at it. Or my phone will go off and I'll look at that, or UPS comes and rings the doorbell, and I come and let them in, or I have my therapy dog here, he wants to go out to the bathroom, or I just want to take a power nap and then come back, and I've got everything here when I get done with all these distractions. And I think I have all my i’s dotted and t’s crossed. I go through the checklist at the very end, and I literally check everything off to make sure that I checked all the areas of that case that I wanted to, and I made a nice diagnosis and a thorough treatment plan for each patient.” (6:06—6:56) “You'd think that I'd have it down and I wouldn't need the checklist. You’d think, every time, my memory would have that checklist right in my head. But I'm amazed at the times I go through and it’s like, ‘Oh my gosh! I didn't do that part,’ and I go back and open the chart back up, and I redo that step and check it off the checklist, and I know that I've got it done. And so, nothing gets left undone.” (8:35—9:02) “[Checklists] are the strategic things that I do when I need to get things done. There are so many other piles of things and emails that can be done, but I want to make sure I get the important stuff done. And then the rest of it, it'll be there when I get back on Monday.” (9:49—10:05) “[My current system] has been pretty standard and set for a number of years. But all of our systems and things we do in our team meetings, we try and periodically bring those back and review them to see if there are any changes we want to make. And as we learn new information, we...
Get Ready to Take Your Practice to the Next Level Episode #384 with Dr. Leonard Hess Are you ready for your practice to work for you, and not you working for your practice? If you are, it’s time to take your practice to the next level! And to guide you through this process, Kirk Behrendt brings in Dr. Leonard Hess from The Dawson Academy to share the best advice for being in the top 10% — not just in production, but also in quality of life. To learn how to take your practice to the next level with The Dawson Academy, listen to Episode 384 of The Best Practices Show! Main Takeaways: Be a physician of the masticatory system, not a tooth mechanic. Stop comparing yourself to what you see on social media. Don't be pressured to do treatment that you're not ready to do. Never attach your self-worth to your case acceptance rate. Predictability is important for overall practice health. Become the go-to dentist within your community. Be in the top 10% for quality of life, not just for production. Quotes: “There are different ways that you could be in the top 10%. You can be in the top 10% for production, which is nice. But I want to be in the top 10% for net income. There are a lot of people out there producing $1 million a year, yet they're dragging home $180,000 or $200,000 a year because their overhead is 80%, 85%. It’s not uncommon that we’re running into dentists that have overhead pushing 85%. And, boy, I'll tell you what, dentistry is really hard work. And if you're working that hard only to be making $0.15 or $0.20 on the dollar, then there are things that have to change.” (4:49—5:22) “There are a lot of foundational skills that we weren't really taught in dental school that we need to learn if we want to put ourselves in that top 10%.” (6:16—6:25) “Dental school, it’s a hard process. It’s difficult. But it really only prepares us to be minimally competent. Dental school prepares you to pass a board examination, which is an examination of minimal competency: can you do an MO on tooth number 12? Can you scale and root plane? Can you set some denture teeth? Can you do an endo access on a fake tooth? Can you do a crown prep on a single tooth? That's what it prepares us for. And then, when we get out in the real world, the challenges that we face are far beyond bacteria.” (7:28—8:01) “When you think about it, in the world, who makes the most money? Who are the most successful people, if we want to look at money? It’s people that can solve the biggest problems. And what we want to do is we want to be able to set you up to become a problem-solver within your community. When somebody has a problem that's beyond normal and ordinary, we want you to be the go-to dentist in that community, and those people will start coming to you. But there's a lot that you need to learn to become that problem-solver. And if you commit yourself to that journey, the money is going to start beating down your door. And the next thing you know, you're going to have to see less patients. You can work less days. Your production per hour is going to start to go up. And dentistry is going to start to become fun again.” (8:34—9:16) “A lack of predictability, I predict that you're going to have a very rough road ahead of you. You're not going to enjoy dentistry as much as you could. Because when it’s predictable, also, not only is it profitable, but that's how your patients are happy. And when your patients are happy, they start going out in the community and start talking, and you build your reputation that way.” (9:46—10:07) “To be a very effective dentist, you need to stop being a tooth mechanic and you need to start being a physician of the masticatory system. And so, what you need to understand is you need to gain the perspective that teeth are functioning within a system. And that system is made up of the joints, the muscles of mastication, the back teeth, the front teeth. And those four components, they all need to be working in harmony...
I Hate Teams Episode #383 with Andre Shirdan You’ve got the tech, the license, and you’ve bought your practice—now what? Now you need the most important component—the people. Kirk Behrendt brings Andre Shirdan on to the show today to discuss why he “hates” teams. An expert coach, trainer, and motivational speaker, Andre explains how to create an environment where your employees will flourish. To learn about what it takes to build an effective team, listen to Episode 383 of The Best Practices Show! Main Takeaways: Have a crew, not a team. Always keep the Four Ps in mind: People, Process, Product, and Philosophy. Figure out who you are and what you want. Whatever you are, be good at it. You want your employees to succeed—be happy when they decide to move onward or upward. “Rice, not cotton candy.” You want something substantial and sustainable for your practice. You live on your reputation—strive to be the kind of person that others seek out. Quotes: “I’ve been to hundreds of team-building events—I ran the youth group at my church; I took them to these team-building events, and there was this real big high until they got on the bus home. It was this real big high in the employees that I took on these events, and then the ride home. And I never saw the sustainability of that idea of “together everyone achieves more.” And the way that I have always illustrated it is, in offices—any office we’ve ever worked in—the lotto goes to $500 million, and everybody buys a ticket. So as an office we go out and give somebody a dollar each and they go buy the tickets. What happens if they all hit? The doctor is the only person coming in that Monday morning, because everybody else is at the state capital collecting that check. So is it really a team? Did everyone achieve more, or did we do it individually?” (02:18—03:20) “What I realized is that you could be 5’2” or 6’2”, and when you get in that boat, you row at the same pace as everybody else, or you get off that boat. And what I find is that we hire people for whatever reason, and expect them to row, not realizing that they have bad days, they have good days, and we should be able to say, ‘Hey, you know, you’re having a bad day? Get off the boat today—no problem—but you can get back on tomorrow.’ But everybody should have a safe word—you know, call you up and say ‘Kirk, you know, I’m having a bad day, can somebody fill in for me?” But then we have to make sure that everybody in the office is trained to be able to fill in that gap. Man down, but not the practice. And that’s okay, but we have to be able to hire to that end.” (04:08—05:00) “I believe in the four pillars of a business, which are people, process, product—and for us, that’s productivity—and then philosophy. And again, philosophy is that glue, philosophy is that thing that weaves through everything that we do.” (12:06—12:19) “When I talk to doctors and they say, ‘Hey, should I buy CAD/CAM?’…And I go, ‘Does it fit into your work process (Process), can you afford it (there’s the profitability part of it), will your people use this if you buy it, and does this fit into your overall philosophy of care?...Can you tick those boxes? If so, let’s go find the money to get it.’ And it’s really all about…I tell people, ‘Just stop asking questions and go back to those four things. Can your idea stand on those four pillars, and if so, move forward.’” (12:47—13:21) “I need the philosophy to be really clear—the elevator pitch. Can you tell it to me on the ride down on a short elevator trip? If you can tell me that, then we can package it and we can give it to everybody else in the office. And when somebody deviates—again, safe word—I can say, ‘Hey, are we off track? Are we off process? Are we down staff? Are we out of our financial range? Are we off message?’ And then we can circle back.” (15:51—16:20)...
Hourly or Salary? Episode #382 with Robyn Reis Whether you decide on hourly or salary, be sure to do your homework! And to help you determine which may be best for your practice, Kirk Behrendt brings back Robyn Reis, an HR expert from Bent Ericksen, to share everything to consider when choosing hourly or salary for your employees. To learn about the benefits, pitfalls, and the laws you need to know, listen to Episode 382 of The Best Practices Show! Main Takeaways: There are advantages and pitfalls for both hourly and salary. Consider every circumstance that a salary is going to cover. Quarterly audits are essential for salaried team members. Have all expectations in writing to avoid future problems. Schedule regular check-ins with team members. Be sure to follow the wage and hour laws in your state. Quotes: “It’s all about predictability. People think that when I give somebody a salary, it’s predictable. They know when they're going to get their paycheck, how much they're going to get paid. It works for a lot of people. But the caveats that go along with a salary are twofold. One is classification of the employee is first and foremost. And that is, are you exempt or nonexempt? No matter how you pay somebody — hourly, salary, commission, per diem, in blueberry pie — it has to be determined whether they're exempt or nonexempt. That's according to the federal Fair Labor Standards Act. And that's part of the Wage and Hour Division laws that govern how much taxes are taken out and all that good stuff.” (4:36—5:28) “What you want to think about when it comes to that predetermined or predefined salary is, are you making sure that they're getting paid for the time that they work? So, even as a salaried employee classified as nonexempt, you still need to clock in and clock out. You still need to verify your time. That's part of the record retention requirements and the timekeeping. Again, keeps everything fair and equitable. People are being compensated for the time that they work.” (8:56—9:29) “When you do give a salary to a nonexempt employee, you want to make sure that you're accommodating or counting on all the hours you expect them to work.” (10:45—10:56) “[Expectations are] absolutely huge because a team member has to understand, a) how do they earn their paycheck, and b) when there are some incongruencies that there is something to go back to to say, ‘Wait a minute. This is what I understood.’ So, having it in writing is key. It’s not only for the team members’ understanding, but for protection of the doctor so that they can say, ‘Yes, I'm following all the employment compliance laws that I need to follow for my particular practice in my state, and this is where we start our relationship and our channels of communication.’” (13:23—14:05) “Putting it in writing means that there is less chance of, ‘Wait, nobody ever told me that,’ or, ‘I thought it was this way.’ Putting it in writing lessens the chance of miscommunication. And when push comes to shove, there's no, ‘He said she said,’ or, ‘I thought she meant that,’ or, ‘He promised me this.’ Every lawyer everywhere will tell you, if it’s not in writing, it didn't happen, much like the patient records.” (14:05—14:31) “Putting it in writing is really, really important for that employer-employee relationship. No misunderstanding, no question marks. ‘These are your hours. This is your schedule. This is what is expected of you. These are your benefits. And this is what you're going to be compensated.’” (14:52—15:10) “The pitfalls are, when you do a salaried employee, you still have to watch your hours. They still have to track their hours. So, as a nonexempt employee, they still have to track their hours. I would recommend that somebody who pays their team on salary, once a quarter, go back and audit, ‘Are we in alignment with what the expected hours per week were, what the hourly rate calculates out through the salary, and did we miss any overtime timeframes...
The Reason Communication is Challenged in Your Office Episode #381 with Katie Poulsen Just like on the playground, there is an in-group and out-group in your practice. And typically, the dentist is in the out-group. To explain why that is and what you can do to close the gap, Kirk Behrendt brings in Katie Poulsen from Dental Intel to share her research findings for why communication is so challenging in your office. There are many key elements to running a successful practice, and one of them is to keep your team happy! To find out how, listen to Episode 381 of The Best Practices Show! Main Takeaways: In-groups and out-groups form because of conflict. Dentists are typically in the out-group of their practice. Communication breakdowns cause conflict. Not communicating expectations can cause conflict. Set a time for discussion so conflict can get resolved. Have consistent meetings, individually and as a group. Effective communication is learned, not inherent. Quotes: “I wanted to study who was in the in-group in a dental practice, who was in the out-group, and why were they in the in-group or out-group, or does it even exist. And I had an idea, but I wanted to verify it. So, through a survey, and interviewing with multiple different roles in the practice, hygienists and dentists, different genders in each role — I didn't want there to be any gender bias — I found that, as you can imagine, dentists are in the out-group of their practice.” (7:27—8:05) “For a lot of dentists, [being in the out-group] happens for a lot of reasons. And what it all revolves around is conflict. For whatever reason — and this is a whole other thing that needs to be studied — most dentists, I don't know if they choose the profession because they don't like conflict, or the profession makes it so that you don't like conflict. Maybe they liked it before, and now they don't because they're in the profession. But it really does draw people who do not like conflict.” (8:52—9:28) “We can make a generalization that most humans don't love conflict. But for whatever reason, there are a lot of dentists who are conflict averse. And so, they want to do their job. They show up, they do their dentistry, and they let the office manager or somebody else in the office deal with all of the drama in the practice. Which, then they're like, ‘I'm the leader, and so I'm going to be over here. You guys work together. Let me know when you have a problem.’ Which, really, it makes for a huge chasm in the communication breakdown. It makes it so you don't get trusted by your employees. They don't go to you with problems because you're not approachable.” (9:29—10:16) “Dental hygienists do have overlapping responsibilities in the practice. I did a lot of anesthetics for the dentist. You can feel like your hands are tied a little bit with diagnosing periodontal disease. Like, you can see it, but you can't diagnose it. Or can we diagnose it? It’s being seen as a provider, even. I mean, there are a lot of practices where the dental hygienist is just treated like a member of the staff. And maybe they're okay with that. But that's the root of where all the problems exist. And it’s not just dentistry. It happens in any place where some of the tasks and expectations overlap between providers.” (12:04—12:50) “Add the fact that there's not time to have conflict in a busy dental practice. You can't approach [your team] over the patient, and the next patient is coming in the door. And by 5:00, everybody’s ready to get out of there. So, if you don't set time to discuss these things, then they don't ever get resolved.” (13:23—13:44) “When reviewing and surveying a bunch of these providers, hygienists and dentists, I was looking for common themes of why they were in the in-group and the out-group. And the first and most prominent theme that came about was expectations, setting expectations. And there were a lot of hygienists who felt like the line was always moving. And the same
Don’t Wait So Long to Do This Episode #380 with Dr. Rob Ritter Creating a successful practice of your own is a long process, so the sooner you get something right, the more beneficial it is—don’t take so long to start improving your practice! To help you learn from past mistakes, Dr. Rob Ritter joins Kirk Behrendt on today’s episode. Bringing along a wealth of knowledge, Dr. Ritter explains his personal journey with building multiple practices, what he should have done differently, and why you should learn from his examples. To find out why you shouldn’t wait to improve your practice, listen to Episode 380 of The Best Practices Show! Main Takeaways: Stand up for where you want your practice to go. Know what you’re good at, and refer out everything else. Patients know when you’re trying to sell them something. You can train skills, but you can’t train a personality. Don’t compromise on your health. There’s no shortcut to greatness. If there’s no joy in it, don’t do it. If you want to do something, do it. Quotes: “I did everything wrong the first three years—everything you could think of, right? And learn from my mistakes, I have no problem sharing it—you want to ask me a question, ask me the question—I’ll tell you. I gave in to patients’ demands; I let them say things to me that I would never let somebody say to me right now; I let my team members do things that I would never let happen right now; I did not have a clear, coherent message. I tried to kind of hone it all together early on, but it really didn’t come together until Chris became my associate, that we formed this partnership, that we had this vision of what we wanted to do, what we wanted to be known as, how we wanted to do it for the next 20-25 years.” (11:32—12:15) “You can’t make decisions when you’re angry, right? You have to take some time to chill out. So you go in the back or the office and you think, ‘What am I doing wrong?’ And so you’ll eventually have these individual meetings with your team members, and say to them, ‘This is the vision I have for the practice. This is the type of dentistry I want to do. This is the way that we’re going to do it. If this is not what you’re comfortable with, then maybe this is not the right place for you.’” (12:52—13:14) “Figure out in the first year what’s working and what’s not working. Figure out the team members who buy in to the vision that you have for the practice and empower them, and then let the others get weeded out over a period of time, because the truth is, most of the people you start with are probably not going to be with you five years down the line if you start to make changes to the practice that you want as far as your big vision of the type of dentistry that you want to do.” (14:26—14:55) “If you’re very good at what you do, and you treat patients really well, the right patients will find you. I’ve always said ‘Just do the right thing for people; the money will always follow.’ Whenever you put the money first, you’re going to have problems. You’re just going to have a ton of problems. The money will always come to you as long as you do the right thing.” (23:53—24:12) “You’ve got to get a person that has a good heart, somebody that actually wants to be there, that wants to improve—both personally and professionally—I love those people. Because I’ll teach them the skill set. As long as they want to be there, they’re trustworthy, they’re forthright, they believe in what you’re doing, they enjoy what they’re doing—that’s what you want. I really believe hiring people that have very few skills for the position, but hiring the right personality, is everything.” (30:03—30:32) “My advice to young dentists—get the best quality loops that improve your posture and your ergonomics early in your career. Do not make exceptions for patients who will not go back...
Safe & Reversible Techniques for the Worn Dentition Episode #379 with Dr. Dennis Hartlieb As you move into more complex dentistry, you will attract a more demanding population. So, how do you financially and emotionally protect you and your practice from those patients? One way is reversible dentistry, and it can even help you enjoy your career! And to teach you how, Kirk Behrendt brings in Dr. Dennis Hartlieb, CEO and founder of Dental Online Training, to share his learnings about techniques for worn dentition. By doing more reversible dentistry, you can make your patients, your practice, and yourself happier. To learn more benefits of safe, minimally invasive, and reversible treatment, listen to Episode 379 of The Best Practices Show! Main Takeaways: Minimally invasive, reversible dentistry is safer for patients and dentists. When you don't do reversible treatment, the patient owns you. Reversible techniques can reduce the opportunity for conflict and surprises. Be skilled with composite and porcelain so patients can decide what's best. Understand the relationship of worn dentition to joints and airway. The problem isn't below the nose, it’s above the nose. Quotes: “What was good about being an average student was that I had to work harder than my classmates to be decent at dentistry. And it’s been a real advantage for me. I was the person in the lab at night that was re-prepping teeth, and re-prepping teeth, and re-prepping teeth because it didn't come easy to me, and it wasn't natural to me.” (3:16—3:37) “I've probably prepped more plastic teeth than I have human teeth, and I've been doing this for 30-some years. But as they say in football, to get ready for Sunday, it’s all about Monday through Saturday. And I think in dentistry, it’s not just about the days that you're seeing the patients, it’s the days you're not seeing the patients and how you're getting your skills better.” (3:49—4:08) “Mentorship, I think, is the key to dentistry. It’s key to everything in life, but especially in dentistry because of the skillset that we need, the techniques that we need to learn. It’s so difficult to learn them just haphazardly.” (6:29—6:45) “I allow the patient to make the decision that's right for them. Some patients, it’s all about durability, ‘Give me the strongest material. I want something that's going to last the longest. I don't want to worry about it. I travel a ton.’ That's fine. Porcelain is the answer. Other patients are like, ‘Don't drill my tooth. I don't want you to touch my tooth. If you can minimize how much you drill the tooth, then I will own the fact that there's going to be more maintenance with a composite veneer than what there will be with porcelain veneers.’ I think the key for dentists is to have both skillsets so that you can allow the patient to make the determination and not you choose. And I'll tell you, it’s really rewarding because when patients have made the choice, then they own their choice, for better or for worse.” (13:26—14:06) “The challenge, I think, is when you're looking at these patients with worn dentition, very often, what's happened — it happens in my practice, as much as I hate to admit it — there are a lot of patients who've been long-standing patients in your practice, and you're just very slowly watching their teeth wear away. And you don't know what to do. You don't know how to intervene. It’s certainly not something that we’re taught in dental school, and the only intervention techniques that we are taught are full-mouth reconstructions.” (15:19—15:46) “Corky [Willhite] had talked to me about a case he had just done where he had used bonding to open up somebody’s bite. And I said, ‘Corky, this is brilliant. You've got to start teaching this.’ And the very next case, it was a worn dentition case, and the patient came in, and I said, ‘You know what? We’re going to be a little safer with this. And instead of prepping your teeth, we’re going to do this in a more...
The Power of Core Values and Curiosity Episode #378 with Katrina M. Sanders RDH, BSDH, M.Ed, RF, The Dental WINEgenist Dental school teaches the bare minimum of what's possible. If you want to move dentistry and your practice forward, you need to stay curious! And today, Kirk Behrendt brings back Katrina M. Sanders, known in the dental community as The Dental WINEgenist, to share how core values and curiosity empowered her to move dentistry in her own unique and entertaining way. Don't keep doing the same old thing — explore and elevate your practice! For some of the best advice on developing core values, being a disruptor, and staying curious, listen to Episode 378 of The Best Practices Show! Main Takeaways: Core values always begins with the leader. Core values apply at all moments, good and bad. Building core values should be a team activity. When the team is involved, there is shared responsibility. The work around core values never ends. Always be curious and continue to explore. Quotes: “Core values isn't the oath that you set on graduation day. That's not for the day when everything is going well, and all the patients are showing up on time, and your scrubs are perfectly pressed, and you packed your lunch today. No, your core values, who you are, your “why,” that message is for the moments when “fit has hit the shan” and you've got a troll who’s messaging on social media.” (10:26—10:54) “One of the challenges that I run into, particularly when I'm working with my clients, is although they have these core values — I've got one client in particular who’s got an amazing mission statement. I love it. I'm like, ‘This is amazing.’ And yet, just because we have a placard on the wall that says these are our core values, does that actually mean that those core values show up? And I think the cool thing about core values is the work around a core value never ends.” (14:05—14:32) “I'm a business owner, so I've had to build my own core values and then relay that to my team, ‘These are the core values of The Dental WINEgenist brand. Period. This is how we function. This is how we work. This is how we collaborate. This is how we communicate.’ And yet, when you run into challenges, when you run into a situation in clinical practice with a patient, we have to take a step back and go, ‘Did our core values show up in that moment? Did we practice with integrity? This patient showed up late and it totally disrupted our day. Were we able to adhere to our core values of high-level, world-class dentistry when we had to cut short the appointment?’” (14:33—15:15) “The vast majority of us go to dental school, go to dental hygiene school, we become educated in dentistry because we actually do want to help people. And yet, our own core values, our own practice philosophy, oftentimes comes into question, whether that's a patient questioning, ‘Oh, I don't know. The doctor said I need a crown on that tooth. But can't I just get away with a filling over there?’ It’s not even about you're questioning my clinical savvy. It’s, ‘I'm telling you that the doctor is saying you need a full-coverage crown on this tooth because that is what's in the best interest of your tooth. They're not doing this because they need another car payment on their Mercedes.’ It’s when moments like that happen that we have to lean back on our core values.” (16:02—16:50) “When we say to our employees, to our team members, ‘These are our core values. This is what we stand for. Let's do activities. Let's talk about this,’ if you're a dentist, if you're a practice owner, it begins with you. It begins with you. It begins with making sure that you are giving your team the tools and the resources to be able to follow through with those core values.” (20:25—20:47) “If we’re going to talk about clinical excellence, and let's say that that is a provision of a core value, for example. Or even if we are going to say integrity, literally, the definition of integrity...
Replacing Yourself in Your Practice to Get More Time Episode #377 with Dr. Sully Sullivan Every dentist will one day reach their transition point. But replacing yourself doesn't mean you stop doing dentistry! And for insight into this process, Kirk Behrendt brings in Dr. Sully Sullivan, host and creator of the Millennial Dentist Podcast. He shares his eye-opening experiences and learnings about what it means to replace yourself in your practice, and how to do it effectively. For this millennial’s advice on planning for your future, listen to Episode 377 of The Best Practices Show! Main Takeaways: Build something that can buy you more time in life. Don't get stuck in the hamster wheel of dentistry. The sooner you build financial stability, the faster you can grow. Don't be afraid to spend money on CE and technology. Every time you say yes to something, you're saying no to something else. Replacing yourself doesn't mean you're no longer doing dentistry. Mentorship needs to be scheduled in. Quotes: “We live in a social media world where you get on Instagram and you see people doing all this cool stuff, and you're like, ‘Gosh, I want to go and do that.’ But a lot of it is challenging because people either don't want to put the work in to go do it, or what I think is the bigger problem, is that we’re too busy doing other things. And so, when I say that, that could be you have clinical dentistry that's bogging you down, you have admin stuff that's bogging you down, personal stuff that's bogging you down.” (4:59—5:28) “Ultimately, as I've grown in our practice and as our practice has gone from two docs to four docs, from 3,000 square feet to 11,000 square feet, from 12 team members to 20-something team members, the one big thing that I keep trying to buy more of is time. It’s bandwidth, because what I've found is that when I get more time, that allows me to actually look at the business as a business, not as a highly specialized monkey, which is, on some level, what we are. That, to me, was the biggest “why” behind it, was how can I get more time.” (5:28—6:08) “What's the best way to grow a practice? Do you bring on more people to do the same amount of dentistry, or do you expand the offerings that you have? Do you put more items on your shelf? Are you going to sell the same stuff, or are you going to add more items to the shelf?” (7:10—7:24) “I think the other challenge we have is, and I see this globally, that a lot of dentists will look to hire somebody to do stuff they feel uncomfortable doing. Take molar endo, for example. That's a hard thing to do that you're expecting some new grad to know how to do. That's difficult. And so, [my] dad really led the way. And even into his middle 50s and his late 50s, he was still clinically taking CE, going to Pikos, trying to push himself. So, then, all of a sudden, his idea was, ‘Okay, I'm going to stop doing dental school dentistry,’ and not giving me grunt work, but stopped doing the stuff that I knew how to do to do the things that I didn't know how to do. So, early on, I was exposed to this idea that we could grow the practice with the same number of patients by just replacing the dentistry he was doing with more dentistry that I would come in to fill the gaps.” (7:29—8:28) “The start of 2017, I buy 50% of [my dad’s] practice. And at that point, all of a sudden, [my dad] delegated a huge chunk of the administrative duties to me. Over time, that became a huge bog-down for me, because all of a sudden, now he basically replaced the admin part and a lot of the stuff he didn't like to do to where now he’s getting to show up and just love the dentistry that he’s doing. And what a spot to be in, to show up every day and love everything that you're going to do. That's the dream, right?” (9:46—10:23) “One of the surest things that I learned and know is that the sooner you can build some level of financial stability, meaning, you don't live outside your means, that you save...
Tips for Anterior Composites Episode #376 with Dr. Marcos Vargas Patients are aesthetically driven more than ever. But aesthetics is beyond just the tooth itself or what the patient wants. And to share tips on how to have these discussions with patients, Kirk Behrendt brings in Dr. Marcos Vargas, a professor in the Department of Family Dentistry at the University of Iowa. With his advice, you will think differently about aesthetics and anterior composites, and learn why composites are vital to your practice. To learn how to make your patients happy with your composites, listen to Episode 376 of The Best Practices Show! Main Takeaways: Aesthetics is not just about the tooth itself, but the entire face. Never give the mirror to the patient! And keep it at your arm’s length away. The “perfect” smile is different for each person. Avoid patients who you can't make happy with your dentistry. If you want to learn aesthetics, learn dental anatomy. Quotes: “Anterior composites are one of those materials [that], with the proper techniques, [can] really save tooth structure. It’s just so conservative, the nature of it. Preparations are minimal, if needed. I think dentistry is moving in that direction, conservative dentistry. We’ve been moving for a while, and that movement has accelerated. So, I think everybody needs to know composites. When you tell your patient you are going to do something very conservative, they immediately perk up and say, ‘Oh, I like that,’ because probably from their physicians and medicine care, since I'm getting more conservative — like surgeries are getting much smaller, getting into robotics and things like that, they know that minimally invasive is better. So, that trend is catching up in dentistry too.” (5:38—6:29) “Patients know. It’s like, ‘Oh, conservative. You want to save my tooth or my tooth structure. That's great.’ So, I think nowadays, we should be looking into providing that care to our patients, minimally invasive care, preventive care, in all aspects.” (6:30—6:49) “Always think about the face, the smile, and then the teeth from the outside to the inside. The face frames the lips, the lips frame the teeth, and the teeth are framed not only by the lips but also by the gingiva.” (9:14—9:28) “In the past, we looked at just the teeth. We just looked at the teeth, and the rest wasn't that important. But patients come to you for aesthetics. And aesthetics is not on the tooth itself, it’s in how all the teeth fit together, the centrals, the laterals, the canines, the premolars and the buccal arch, how they fit together, where they are with respect to the gingiva, how the gingiva comes down, how the lips move when the patient smiles, how they show it, how their lips move and show the teeth, and how that smile fits on the face. So, that's how I think somebody that is new to dentistry needs to look into it, from the face in.” (9:35—10:15) “Usually, a patient will come with a very specific — aesthetics can be small, it can be big. So, let me give you a couple of scenarios. One is when the patient knows very specifically what they do not like. Example, ‘I do not like the space between my front two teeth.’ Or somebody can say, ‘I don't like my smile.’ So, very different. And the diastema between the two front teeth is very specific. So, they already know exactly what they're coming for to the office. And on the other side, you have the people that have these, ‘I want to have a better smile.’ So, it’s a very different approach that I have.” (11:03—11:48) “Usually, the patients that have a small diastema, I would probably grab a little composite, put it in the mouth, just muck it up, three-second cure, give them the mirror. Now, let's do a little parentheses, because I think that's a tip that I want to give you there, the mirror. I learned a long time ago, never, ever give the mirror to the patient. Always hold it for them at an arm’s distance. And it’s your arm distance, not the patient’s....
Why You Should Add Sleep to Your Practice This Year Episode #375 with Dr. Mark Murphy Dental sleep medicine has gotten easier, safer, and more effective. And on top of that, up to 25% of the U.S. population have obstructive sleep apnea. If you haven't already, why not add sleep to your practice today? To further explain why you need to add airway, Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. Mark Murphy from ProSomnus, along with advice on how to start implementing it into your practice. If you want to help people have better lives with airway, listen to Episode 375 of The Best Practices Show! Main Takeaways: Up to 25% of the U.S. population have obstructive sleep apnea. Today, dental sleep medicine is easier, safer, and more effective. Now, 20% of physicians are favorable towards oral appliance therapy. There's never been a better time to add sleep to your practice. Not adding sleep could mean liability for malpractice claims. Quotes: “20% to 25% of the U.S. population — 40 to 50 million Americans — have obstructive sleep apnea. What's counter to that thought is, 40 to 50 million have obstructive sleep apnea, but only 10%, maybe 15%, have ever been diagnosed. So, 85% of that population that I just talked about have never been told they have obstructive sleep apnea. They think it’s snoring. Snoring does not mean sleep apnea, but they go together very much, very frequently, most of the time.” (4:33—5:00) “You think back to your training, you learned the six essential elements. And one of them was oxygen. You can't live three minutes without it. And so, it’s a very essential element. And we didn't know and understand much about sleep. When the older generation like me were learning about physiology, we didn't learn much about sleep. We still don't know a lot, but we know a lot more than we did. And sleep is critical to our overall health.” (5:16—5:40) “They're tying poor sleep to things like dementia, cardiovascular disease, stroke, arrhythmia, diabetes, depression, we could go on. It doesn't start or cause all those diseases. Maybe the only disease it’s actually tied to from a causal standpoint might be arrhythmia. But it makes every one of those things on that list worse, so that you're 23 times more likely to have a heart attack, four times more likely to have a stroke, five times more likely to die of COVID-19 if you've got obstructive sleep apnea.” (5:40—6:04) “Picture that you've got two pathways when you look at one of your own patients and you say, ‘This patient looks like they have sleep apnea, and they should get tested.’ I can either, in all but about four or five states, I can order the sleep test. I cannot read it and interpret it — I can read it, but I can't interpret it. I can't issue a diagnosis. I can't order up an oral appliance. That always has to be done by a physician. But I can order the starting of the ball to roll down the hill. Or I can send them to my local sleep physician. Those are my choices.” (12:50—13:17) “I can order the sleep test and then a doc-in-the-box who’s sitting in an office somewhere, god knows where in the country, but they're licensed in your state, reads and interprets the sleep test, writes a diagnosis, and writes you a prescription. That's fine. It doesn't endear you to your local physicians at all, but it’s a way to get the ball rolling in your own practice. And I do that about half the time. The other half of the time, I send them to my local physicians, who are sleep physicians, and they do the testing. And if they're mild or moderate, they send them back to me. And if they're severe, they send them for a CPAP. And we’ve all agreed to those kinds of protocols and standard operating procedures.” (13:17—13:49) “If you went back just five years ago, if you found one out of 100 physicians who was favorable towards oral appliance therapy, grab on and go find another one. Today, if you went looking at that same 100 physicians, you'd find 15 or 20. That's a big deal. Now, it’s still...
Thinking Outside the Box in Hiring Episode #374 with Robyn Reis Hiring the right person for your practice was always hard. After the pandemic, it got even harder. So, what can you do to find that amazing, capable candidate? To help you start thinking outside the box when it comes to employment, Kirk Behrendt brings in Robyn Reis from Bent Ericksen & Associates for the best hiring practices. Don't hire the first person who comes to your door! For her creative advice on attracting the best people, listen to Episode 374 of The Best Practices Show! Main Takeaways: Prospective employees are now asking for higher wages. Get creative with benefits. They don't need to be in dollars. Have a structured onboarding program for new hires. Help your team master what you hired them for. Be mindful of burnout for your existing employees. Showing appreciation to your team goes a long way. Hire for attitude, train for skill. Quotes: “Pre-plague, if you will, [hiring] was really hard to begin with anyway. You had to be really mindful about the ads you're writing, what you were promoting. But you had a really good chance of finding a qualified dental person to fill in for a dental hygienist, front office, assistant, treatment coordinator, whatever it might be. Post-plague, we have discovered that there was a tremendous amount of exodus of people that just didn’t want to return to the profession. And that created such a tsunami of openings that we just, you know, supply and demand. There wasn't enough inventory for the dental practices to find qualified dental people that have the skills and knowledge that a lot of practices are looking for.” (4:13—5:05) “We always have talked about the adage of hire for attitude, train for skill. Well, we’re finding that it is extraordinarily hard to find those skilled dental people, number one, but then to find the attitude and the behavior and the person who’s pumping sunshine, they then don't have the training resources at the dental practice to actually train the technical, the terminology, basic skills of the position. It was hard before. It’s even more hard now. So, employing different strategies and thinking outside the box, such as having a conversation with your mailperson, nowadays, is not unusual in looking for dental personnel.” (5:17—6:07) “[Candidates asking for higher wages] is definitely a trend that we’re noticing for any position. If the position was traditionally a $20 an hour position, administrative or dental assisting, we’re finding that candidates are asking, on average, for about a $10 to $12 increase. So, they're now asking for $30, $32 for what a $20 an hour position was, traditionally. And they are discovering that, yeah, practices are willing to pay for it because there's such a shortage.” (7:18—7:51) “Can the practice afford [paying higher wages]? Can you negotiate? Of course. I would absolutely not walk into or make a commitment to a new hire of a high wage if, a) you're not comfortable and your practice numbers don't support it and, b) be willing to negotiate, especially if they say that they have experience in a prior dental office. What we have found is there are not apples to apples in dental practices. You work with the best of the best, and that is much different than somebody who is maybe insurance driven, or has a lot of high turnover, or does scheduling differently. So, not only do you have to worry about if they say they have five years in a dental practice, keep in mind, they have five years in another dental practice, not yours. So, still, the training, the onboarding, is so important in helping make that new hire a success.” (7:54—8:55) “If you have the resources to devote and onboard this new hire in your way of doing things and teach them the technical, absolutely, I would choose that over a skilled person any day, if the vision and the values are aligned.” (9:59—10:16) “Of course, you want to always keep stepping up when you change positions....
Thriving in Chaos Episode #373 with Dr. Mark Hyman “The way you start isn't the end of the story.” Take it from Dr. Mark Hyman, who almost quit dental school, bought a bankrupt dental practice, and then made it worse. But he fought his way through the chaos, turned his practice around, and even went on to become one of the top leaders in continuing education. And today, Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. Hyman to share his words of wisdom for how to thrive in chaotic times. To learn about his journey to success and how you can also thrive, listen to Episode 373 of The Best Practices Show! Main Takeaways: Perfection is an impossibility, especially in dentistry. Your team comes first, not your patients. Listen to your teammates — oftentimes, they know best. Money spent on coaching is the cheapest money you'll ever spend. If you make a bad hire, let them grow elsewhere as quickly as possible. Quotes: “There are no 4.0s in dentistry. There is no perfection chairside, clinically. It’s an impossibility. And so, it’s kind of cliché to say, ‘Well, strive for perfection and accept excellence.’ That's the way that you will [not] last in this profession, if you devastate yourself every time you fail, every time you stub your toe. It’s not healthy.” (7:48—8:09) “I got that call yesterday from one of my students who had stubbed their toe on a final exam and has got to retake it. And they were questioning whether they belonged at UNC. And I said, ‘We picked you for a reason.’ We had about 2,000 initial applicants. Per year, we interview 240. We take 82. I said, ‘We picked you for a reason. You're looking at yourself and saying, well, I'm last in my class. No, you're 82 out of 2,000. So, there's no question you can do the work, it’s, are you willing to stick to it? Are you willing to hang in there and keep slogging away, keep chucking, keep chopping, keep fighting your way through it?’ There isn't anything in dental school, by itself, that's too hard to do, it’s just you're drinking from a fire hose. There is so much coming at you, it could become overwhelming.” (8:47—9:38) “The way you start isn't the end of the story.” (9:49—9:51) “I want the men and women in dentistry to take their dental hats off and become businessmen and women and say, ‘Would I pay $200 a day for a coach that would increase my practice $1,000 a day?’ Most dentists work 200 days a year. That's a $200,000 increase over five years. It’s a million-dollar change for $200 a day.” (15:27—15:47) “I adored my former partner. I knew from the second day it wasn't the right fit, and for eight-and-a-half years I tried to put a square peg in a round hole. And she’s fabulous. We just weren't a good fit, professionally. But I kept saying, ‘I can educate her. I can raise her game. I can figure this out because I can solve it. I can save this.’ And I was wrong.” (21:40—22:03) “The best advice I could give somebody listening today is, if you make a bad hire, let them grow elsewhere as fast as possible. Don't try to heal them. Don't try to solve them, save them, rescue them. If it’s a bad fit, it’s okay to say, ‘Let me help you grow elsewhere.’” (26:34—26:50) “Your teammates who love you and adore you and that you have put your faith and trust in all those years, listen to them. They know better.” (28:50—28:57) “Dentistry done right is such a joy. And when it’s done without systems, without good coaching, without good equipment, without policies and predictability, it can be a nightmare. It’s not a whole lot of fun that way.” (35:50—36:01) “It’s all about the relationships. And your team comes first, not the patient. Your patient is always right; they just don't have to be your patient. You have got to protect your team.” (36:38—36:47) “Coach Dean Smith in the 1960s, if you watch a basketball game, you see a player shoot, score, and then they point. Coach Smith started that. It was required, once you scored a basket, you turned and you pointed to the man or woman who...
The Importance of Having a BHAG Episode #372 with Dr. John Cranham When setting goals for yourself, you don’t want something small and timid—no, you need a goal that’s Big, Hairy, and Audacious! To help you understand this concept, Kirk Behrendt invites Dr. John Cranham to today’s episode. A renowned dentist and teacher, Dr. Cranham explains why you should be setting goals, steps you can take to reach them, and much more! To learn about setting and achieving your Big Hairy Audacious Goals, listen to Episode 372 of The Best Practices Show! Main Takeaways: Successful people always have a goal they’re working on. When creating your goals, spend a good amount of time thinking about what you want them to be. We don’t always attain all our goals, and that’s ok. Always keep striving to be better. No one has it all figured out—there’s always room to learn. A good BHAG should not be comfortable. Quotes: “The biggest things in my life that were important to me from a professional standpoint started with an idea that got me excited; that seemed impossible—almost seemed like I couldn’t do it, and I think that’s one of the things, is that if you can think of something that really excites you and it seems impossible, but there’s a sliver of chance that you might be able to do it, there’s something about that that sort of ejects you out of bed in the morning.” (05:09—05:43) “If you don’t have that goal, that thing that’s exciting you, then it’s really easy to just get caught into the day-to-day routine.” (06:17—06:27) “It’s not as much about attaining the goal as much as it is chasing it and using it for inspiration.” (07:27—07:37) “You can find a coach that can give you a path, but then it’s ultimately up to you to get up every day and to follow that path and learn from it and tweak it along the way.” (12:08—12:21) “For me, the best [BHAGS] are usually gonna be things that make me feel like I’m making a difference, like that that’s gonna be benefitting the people—other people on the planet—and if there’s some financial reward as well doing that, that’s good too, because you’ve kinda gotta fuel both of those things if it’s gonna be a business thing.” (14:38—15:03) “Really successful people, they have the ability to create daily behaviors that direct themselves towards these goals, these stepping stones.” (15:45—15:56) “I think one of the things to really remember as a dentist is that old book—you know, good can become the enemy of great.” (20:19—20:26) “I think the joy in any of us is when we are giving our best, and as part of that best we have the feeling that we’re helping other people and making the world a little bit better.” (20:40—20:51) “The people in this profession that I admire and I think are getting the most joy out of it are the ones that continue to strive to be better.” (24:21—24:30) Regardless of how long it takes, if you’re working towards it you’re growing, and if you’re growing I think you’re happy.” (28:01—28:10) You gotta keep evolving, and you have to understand that as you’re going through this life that where you think you’re gonna be at 45, 55, 65—whatever—doesn’t necessarily…it’s just gonna be where you are. And that’s why I think you always have to review—‘Ok, where am I? And is what I’m doing now working for me?’” (30:43—31:10) I think the biggest thing is as you think about your BHAGs, think about it beyond just financial.” (38:53—39:03) “I think that as a dentist the more you can focus your time on becoming a great diagnostician, and then also looking to put workflows into your practice that will allow you to see the problems and see the solutions faster—that’s what I’m helping dentists do now through visual workflows, but however you choose to do that, do that.” (39:49—40:17) “Set some of those BHAGs,...
The 2 Buckets of KPI Benchmarks to Improve Your Practice Episode #371 with Curtis Marshall They say that data doesn’t lie, and today’s guest knows that more than most! Kirk Behrendt brings in Curtis Marshall to explain the steps you can take to grow your practice and increase profitability. A veteran of marketing and dental coaching, Curtis will explain his two “buckets,” as well as the areas on which you should be focusing. To learn more about using benchmarks to improve your practice, listen to Episode 371 of The Best Practices Show! Main Takeaways: Make your core values prominent in your practice. Focus on individuals over profits. Use benchmarks to show what’s possible. Increase your practice by knowing what to do with the patients in your office, and what to do with the patients who aren’t in your office. Focus on these four components to increase your effectiveness: hygiene appointments, rescheduling family members, unscheduled treatments, and collections. Talk with patients about the costs—don’t just send them a bill. To be most profitable, collect payments within 30 days. Once you leave, it’s difficult to influence patients—focus on same-day case acceptance. Utilize technology to handle patients outside the office. Quotes: “In order to hit your success, you’re going to have situations where you’re going to have to make a choice; that’s where core values come into play, and really where I see them so powerful.” (03:35—03:46) “These are great—core values are great—but it’s all about individuals; they’re the ones that makes all this happen.” (07:58—08:04) “The product and dollars, those will all be gone—they could be gone tomorrow—but increasing ourselves as individuals, that’s going to carry with us for a lifetime.” (08:32—08:43) Benchmarks are good for some things, but just to have, you know, they’re not. This is something that many dental offices want to have, but what is it going to do? You ultimately need to see where you are, and then improve, because you can always improve.” (10:55—11:12) “If I’m really trying to increase my practice, it comes down to two things, and two things only. The two things are simple, they’re not even…it’s not production, it’s not collections, it’s not new patients, it is simple. I need to know what to do with my patients that are coming in the office today, and I need to know today what to do with the patients who are not in my office today.” (12:16—12:42) “Even though we love our patients, often times we’re not focusing on all of these four things.” (17:04—17:11) “If you just make sure that the patients you’re talking to, that you’re collecting those dollars on them, everything else gets taken care of.” (22:48—22:56) “If you just do [the four things], Kirk, you are not gonna have patients not in the office, not scheduled; you’re not gonna need to reach out to the patients who are not in your office, because you’re taking care of everything while they’re in the office.” (30:14—30:29) “We want you to take care of the patients in your office. You do that. Let technology get the patients to come in the office so you can do all that. Stop calling people, stop taking your time on printing out lists and not taking care of the Kirks and the Curtises who are coming in your office. Take care of them because you have a hundred percent chance of talking to them in person—you do not have a hundred percent chance of calling them.” (39:33—40:00) Snippets: 0:00 Introduction. 01:47 Curtis’ background. 03:21 Using core values. 05:58 Curtis’ favorite core value. 07:23 The importance of individuals. 10:19 Using benchmarks 11:53 Profitability formula. 12:17 Two things to increase your practice. 13:49 Do patients have a hygiene appointment and are their family members...
One Amazing System to Improve Your Team Communication Episode #370 with Angela Heathman & Courtney Dalton Did you know that your team members are actually craving communication with you? They want to know how they're doing, where they stand, and just have an opportunity to communicate. One of the best systems to improve communication is with a team member check-in, and Kirk Behrendt brings in two ACT Dental coaches, Angela Heathman and Courtney Dalton, to share how to create this system. You don't just want to attract and retain the right people for your practice — you also want to grow them! To learn how by improving communication, listen to Episode 370 of The Best Practices Show! Main Takeaways: The people component is important in your practice. Your team members are actually craving more communication with you. Team member check-ins should be frequent, short, quick, and casual. Have team members run the agenda and the meeting. Let your team know you care about them with your behavior. Quotes: “[The team member check-in is] a time for self-reflection. So, the team member will come prepared. They’ll fill out some highs and lows personally, professionally, where they feel they have strengths within the practice, and then where they feel like they can identify some opportunities of growth or of improvement. It’s typically quick, maybe 10, 15 minutes or so. They give all that information to their doctor or their doctors, and it sparks this really great conversation about, ‘Here’s the value I see in you. Here’s where I think and agree that you're doing really well. And I agree, here’s where we can maybe give you some tips or help you improve,’ and the doctor can give some really constructive feedback as well to help to continue to encourage growth in that team member. And then, the cycle continues. When you leave it, you schedule your next one so that there's never a question from that team member, ‘Where do I stand? Am I doing well? Am I not doing well?’” (5:30—6:29) “What we’ve learned over the past few years is that employees really want more constant, less pressure type of feedback. So, that's how and why we adapted the check-in like Courtney was talking about, more frequent, short, quick, casual. Your team members really want to have that time with you.” (7:03—7:24) “[Team members are] usually craving that communication, and they're always usually a little bit nervous [about the team member check-in], because a lot of them haven't had that one-on-one time before. So, before the first one, they might be a little bit nervous, ‘I'm kind of scared going into this.’ And then, they find out, ‘Oh, this is no pressure. This is just a conversation.’” (10:04—10:24) “I remember being an employee at a dental office and never having a review the entire time that I worked there. So, I can kind of speak to that too, that we want to talk to you. I would always ask, ‘Am I going to have a review at some point?’ And I was always told if I don't, that that's a good sign. But that's not a good sign. You want to have these conversations so your employees aren't wondering.” (10:28—10:58) “The team members are actually craving communication. That's 110% true. As a clinician, when you go that long, it’s a year — or sometimes, more likely, more than a year — between your reviews, you have no idea where you stand, if you're doing well, if you could be doing something differently or changing your perspective on something. By having that frequent cadence check-in, you know that the doctor and you have this really great open dialogue, and that craving is satisfied because you just know. And it’s not always about getting a pat on the back. And it’s definitely not always financially related. It’s really just about, ‘I want to be seen. I want you to look at me, talk to me, and just really satisfy that craving of communication.’” (11:08—11:59) “Everybody thinks they're too busy, but they just have to schedule [team member check-ins]....
Tips When Adding a Dentist Episode #369 with Paul Sletten Transitions are like marriages. They’re difficult, stressful, and shouldn't be rushed. But they're worthwhile when you find your ideal partner! And there are steps and processes you can take to ensure you find the right partner for your practice. To help you with that process, Kirk Behrendt brings back Paul Sletten from The Sletten Group to share expert planning advice for smooth transitions. Remember to be patient — the right candidate is out there! For more of Paul’s advice and to learn how he can help you transition, listen to Episode 369 of The Best Practices Show! Main Takeaways: Have two transition plans: an ideal plan and a crisis plan. Appraise your practice’s capacity to add another dentist. Know the attributes of your ideal candidate. Identifying an ideal candidate is a team-based process. Choose someone who is coachable. Take time to get to know the person you’re interviewing. Be patient. The right candidate is out there. Quotes: “What I've noticed is that some people [add associates or dentists] very haphazardly like it’s going to be easy. And it isn't. It’s far more complex than it would seem at first blush. People do add dentists and get lucky. They found the right one and it ends up working. But I'd like to bring them today a model for how to do that and the steps involved and the importance of the steps.” (3:01—3:49) “I think you can add a dentist when your practice is robust, when it’s growing, when it’s healthy, when it’s trending in a positive direction and, in a general practice, when you have enough active patients to be able to handle another dentist. So, one of the first steps in the transition process is to appraise your practice’s capacity to add another dentist.” (4:12—4:41) “If [your practice] is large enough, or if you're cutting your role back to allow patients to move over to the incoming doctor, that certainly can work. If somebody has 900 active patients, they're not ready to add another dentist. If somebody has 2,000, they may be ready or they may not be ready. But it’s important to appraise that and to talk about that.” (4:50—5:23) “I think when you're considering adding another dentist, you want to add somebody who can make you better, who can make the practice better, more accessible to patients, and someone that fits with the culture of the practice. So, you need to really look for talent. If you have an exceptional practice, you have got to find an exceptional young dentist.” (8:51—9:18) “This is really a team-based process. When we’re working with a client, we involve the team in the process of identifying what an ideal candidate profile would look like. So, when you're going out to recruit or to find somebody to bring into your practice, you have to make some determinations as to who would fit in your practice and who wouldn't.” (9:55—10:21) “Clinical skills are extremely important, of course. But it’s really a list of intangibles. It’s a list of core values that need to be in link with the core values of the practice. You need to talk about work ethic. You need to talk about what does this person, without learning anything about the opportunity, at first, but just being interviewed and screened, what are they looking to do, ideally, with their future? What are they looking for? What have they been exposed to?” (10:52—11:30) “Coachable means, are you hungry to learn? Are you, on a daily basis, looking for new skills and new services you can bring to that patient? Are you looking to grow and develop yourself? Because if somebody’s going to be exceptional, they're going to have to do an awful lot of work on themselves in terms of their own personal growth and development.” (12:25—12:51) “We don't want to tell [candidates] all about the practice opportunity that we’re advertising for and, thus, coach them on how to interview.” (14:25—14:34) “If you're not finding the [candidate] you want, be patient. Be...
8 Outgoing Phone Calls Your Practice Should Make Episode #368 with Jenni Poulos Every dentist and team member feels too busy — especially when it comes to making outgoing calls. But are you too busy to build your practice, or too busy to be more productive and profitable? You can create a better practice just by making phone calls, and Kirk Behrendt brings back Jenni Poulos to share how in Part Four of the Verbal Skills Webinar. To learn about the eight outgoing phone calls your practice needs to make, listen to Episode 368 of The Best Practices Show! Main Takeaways: Put energy into keeping patients you already have. Be proactive in how you're reaching out to patients. Lean into the relational aspect when making calls. Be aware of HIPAA compliance when making outgoing calls. Prep with patient information for outstanding treatment calls. Save-the-date calls give you the gift of time. Reminder calls should be 24 to 48 hours in advance. Reminder calls are reminders, not confirmation calls. Set aside time to get these calls done. Quotes: “We don't want to be a reactive team. We want to be a proactive team. We always want to be proactive in how we’re reaching out to patients and the things we’re reaching out to them about. It allows us to eliminate E - R = C (Expectations minus reality equals conflict), it allows us to build value, and it allows us to control our days.” (1:43—2:02) “People think they have to put so much energy into getting new patients into the practice — you do. And let's put some energy into keeping the patients that we already have. So, this needs to be something that is systematized that happens consistently. Don't tell me, ‘My schedule is full, so I don't need to make these calls.’ Because I'll tell you what, if you don't make them, eventually, your schedule is not going to be as full. So, this recare/recall, we’re going to reach out to our patients and we’re going to invite them to get back on the books.” (5:23—6:04) “When you're making outgoing phone calls, you have to be aware of HIPAA compliance. So, if we are leaving a message, we’ve got to be careful about what we say. We can't leave any personal health information. We can't talk about specific treatment that a patient is going to be needing. So, we want to just lean into the relational component of these.” (6:08—6:32) “I like to tell teams to just KISS [with recare phone calls]. So, Keep It Simple Stupid. ‘Doc and I were talking about you. Give us a call. Dr. Poulos and I were chatting. We were thinking about you today. He asked me to give you a call. Give me a call back.’ A key thing there is that it’s not just me, Jenni, team member, saying, ‘Hey, I'm thinking about you,’ it’s doctor and I saying, ‘Hey, we were thinking about you.’ That little extra layer is going to get you some more return calls.” (7:18—7:52) “Stay on top of [recare phone calls]. Set aside time to get them done. And we’re just letting patients know, ‘We’re thinking about you. Give us a call back.’ And you'll be able to get them on the schedule.” (8:47—9:04) “If I haven't seen you in two years, I did see you at some point, I've established some sort of relationship with you already. Let's try to re-call you back to the practice. Also, I want my data to be clean. I want the data in my software to be clean. I want to know how many patients I really have. So, you've got a lot of patients sitting in there that have moved or that are now seeking care elsewhere. I want my software to accurately reflect the status of my patients. So, [the purging call] is going to help you get there.” (9:24—9:55) “The reality is that the farther and farther and farther a patient goes away from being in your chair, the harder it is to get them back on the schedule and the harder it is to get them to schedule treatment.” (11:35—11:49) “[For outstanding treatment calls], I want you to lean really, really heavily into that, ‘Hey, doctor and I were reviewing your chart. We’re thinking...
The Missing Ingredient in Leadership Episode #367 with Fred Joyal It takes boldness to do all the things you need to do in dentistry. And if you want to thrive — not just in dentistry, but in life, being bold is a prerequisite. So, to teach you how to take the first step, Kirk Behrendt brings in Fred Joyal, co-founder of 1-800-DENTIST, to share how he found the secret ingredient for a better, successful life. In his new book, Superbold, he gives you a step-by-step process to help you achieve the level of confidence you need. Boldness can be taught — it’s up to you to want to learn! To make boldness your new superpower, listen to Episode 367 of The Best Practices Show! Main Takeaways: Boldness is a superpower. Hesitation is an opportunity killer. Learn to reject rejection. Embrace that people don't care. All the good stuff happens in your discomfort zone. Quotes: “I would see bold people and go, ‘Why are they like this? Why are they doing this? Why aren't they afraid of rejection or embarrassment or anything? They're just speaking up and they're doing all this stuff. They must be born that way.’ And I realized, gradually, that they weren't, because there were times when I made a bold move, and it made all the difference in my life. Starting 1-800-DENTIST was a bold move. It was crazy. You start any business, you've got to be half nuts, to invent a business from scratch. But I couldn't do it consistently, so I worked at it and worked at it.” (6:14—6:52) “Boldness is a superpower. Everything flows from this. If you master this, if you are confident in action — because confidence is how you feel; boldness is how you act and how you get stuff done.” (6:56—7:12) “I was shy. Now, what I learned is, my behavior was shy. I wasn't always shy. It wasn’t genetically true. I mean, I am this height. I am not 6’8”. I'm never going to play in the NBA because I am not tall. But I behave shyly — I did behave shyly. I hesitated. These were all actions. These were all behaviors that I decided to change and be uncomfortable.” (8:15—8:49) “I made the choice to be uncomfortable because I started to learn what was on the other side, because every bold action I took was rewarding, and every time I hesitated was a punishment — I missed out on a girlfriend. I missed out on a job. I missed out on a raise. The list goes on. And the same thing is true for a dentist. You've been beaten down for four years in dental school by these professors, and you're out there, and you're supposed to come out and interact with patients and run a team. This all requires boldness. It takes boldness to ask for a referral from a patient. They go, ‘I don't like to do that.’ Who cares if you don't like it? If you want to build a practice, you have to get comfortable doing it.” (8:50—9:41) “You've got to do a tremendous amount wrong to fail as a dentist. But to thrive as a dentist, to have a fantastic life and give the patients the treatment they deserve — I mean, if somebody needs $40,000 worth of dentistry to get their optimum health back, you can't present $3,000 worth of dentistry and be afraid to say, ‘That's going to be $40,000.’ That's a bold thing to do, but it’s also your professional responsibility. Now, they may have trouble getting around the cost of that. But that's not the issue. The issue is, are you comfortable telling them that they need $40,000 worth of dentistry, and it’s one of the best investments they're ever going to make in their whole life?” (11:13—11:57) “You have to learn to reject rejection. Rejection has nothing to do with you. When somebody says no, they mean “not yet,” most of the time — in business. If it’s a guy picking up a girl and she says no, she means no. Right? She doesn't mean “not yet.” But most of the time, rejection, you have no idea what headspace that person is in when they reject you. It could be the worst day of their life. They could've just gotten fired. They could've just divorced. Their blood sugar could be...
An Important Ingredient to Fee-For-Service Dentistry Episode #366 with Dr. Barrett Straub Regardless of where you are in your practice, you need to differentiate. But where do you start, and how do you effectively market to your ideal patients? Today, Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. Barrett Straub to share three parts of the five-step process for differentiation. With these tips, you can create a strategy to market to the patients you want! To learn what makes a great differentiator and how to communicate it to your patients, listen to Episode 366 of The Best Practices Show! Main Takeaways: Step one for differentiation: identify your core customers. Step two for differentiation: identify your core competencies. Step three for differentiation: identify your weaknesses. Patients value differentiators that can be seen, touched, felt, and experienced. How you communicate your core competencies to patients is important. Don't invest time, money, and people into your weaknesses. Be intentional about interpersonal skills, marketing, and how you talk to patients. Quotes: “The beauty of dentistry, it’s the greatest profession on Earth. And one of the reasons that it is that is because we can design it any way we want. We have choices, and one of those choices is to participate in PPOs or not to participate in PPOs. And the reason to not participate in PPOs, for me, was to control how I wanted the practice, how I wanted the flow, what type of patient I wanted, how I wanted my day to look and feel.” (4:58—5:31) “I want my decisions to be between me and my patient, and I want our goal to be about health and dentistry. I love that I don't ever have the conversation, ‘What does my insurance cover?’ And I don't ever — not ever — but I rarely have the negativity about diagnosing treatment. I don't have, ‘Well, your insurance is going to cover this, so we’re going to do that crown.’ It is more of a, in my opinion, straightforward discussion about your dentistry, your health, and what you want for your health.” (6:07—6:43) “[Fee-for-service] is not for everybody. And there are many different ways to run a very successful, satisfying dental practice. And so, I don't want anyone to hear, ‘You have to go fee-for-service.’ Not at all. However, differentiation is an idea that is very near and dear and at the top of the list of every marketing department in all businesses in all of America. It just hasn't been for the last 50 years, until recently, in dentistry.” (8:19—8:46) “Dentistry, historically, hasn’t been big in marketing. Maybe 50 years ago, they didn't need to market. It certainly was frowned upon 50 years ago. Probably up until 20 years ago, it was very, very frowned upon. But marketing and differentiation go hand in hand. And you cannot effectively market yourself if you haven't differentiated yourself.” (8:49—9:17) “If you are marketing yourself saying the same things that every other dentist is, ‘We do crowns. We’re cosmetic dentists. We have great customer service,’ everyone says that. Now, we’ve just gone down the road of making ourselves a commodity. However, if you can truly differentiate yourself, if you can have actions and words that are special and unique and you market that, now you have effective marketing.” (9:18—9:43) “How do you know if you need to differentiate? Number one, do you want less PPO and more fee-for-service? Even if you're never going to be fully fee-for-service, most are going to say, ‘Boy, yeah! I'd like a few more fee-for-service and a few less PPO.’ You need to differentiate. Do you want more loyalty from your patients? Absolutely. Who doesn't want more loyalty, no matter how they pay you or no matter what insurance? Yes, you need to differentiate. Do you want to be seen as special? Do you want to be seen as a doctor? Do you want to be seen as not just a commodity? You need to differentiate. Do you want less negativity every time you recommend treatment? You need to differentiate. And if...
Helping Patients Understand Their Benefits Episode #365 with Dayna Johnson “Sometimes, you have to spell things out in crayon for people.” And this is exactly what today’s guest does best. Kirk Behrendt brings in Dayna Johnson, a Dentrix expert, to share advice for helping patients understand their insurance benefits. It is more difficult than ever to navigate insurance — for both your patients and your team! To be better prepared for your patients’ questions and to become better advocates as a practice, listen to Episode 365 of The Best Practices Show! Main Takeaways: It is up to dental practices to help patients understand their plan coverage. Start with the basics and don't overwhelm patients with details. It is harder than ever to figure out what the patient owes. Use verbal skills to communicate to patients’ their out-of-pocket costs. Make sure your practice management software is up to date. See the reality of what happens at the front desk. Quotes: “There are a lot of things that dental teams have to deal with with their patients, their practice management software. I think about the dental team as the advocate for the patient. They're advocating on the patient’s behalf for dental benefits, and they're advocating for their patients for preventative care. And we’re not just dentists; we’re oral health physicians. We’re in the healthcare industry, and it’s up to our teams to advocate for our patients for good, recommended healthcare, for oral healthcare, and getting that paid by the insurance companies. So, there's a lot that our dental teams are having to navigate themselves through.” (3:39—4:30) “A lot of times, patients don't even care if it’s covered or not covered, ‘Just explain to me what my out-of-pocket is and how I can afford to pay for it. Because you're recommending it to me, and I know I want it because I trust my doctor. Now, how can you help me afford it and pay for it?’ And that's what I want our offices to do, is to really help advocate for their patient as far as understanding what their benefits are. If something’s not covered, or if something has some kind of limitation on it, then how can our teams give that information to our patients without owning those insurance benefits — because those do belong to the patient.” (5:55—6:35) “Start with the basics. Sometimes, you have to spell things out in crayon for people. Whenever I'm working with a team and we’re presenting treatment, recommended treatment, and they're discussing it with the patient, it’s easy to try and give the patient too many details, too much information. And then, that just confuses people. I always try and help my teams to start with the basics. Let them know what their out-of-pocket is. So, if we’re presenting a crown and a buildup and we know the buildup is not covered, just give them the total, ‘The total is $2,000. Your expected out-of-pocket is going to be $1,500.’ And then, if the patient says, ‘Well, why is my out-of-pocket so high?’ then, we can start adding layers of details.” (6:51—7:54) “We really want to try and keep it simple. I always try and present things in a very simple way. That way, it sometimes will eliminate a lot of those questions that we don't really need to get into if we don't have to. If patients are okay with a $1,500 out-of-pocket, then we just talk about, ‘Okay. Well, what are our options to pay for it?’ Now, if they start to ask, ‘Well, why is my out-of-pocket so high?’ then, we can add on a layer of, ‘Well, your insurance company, they don't cover this particular service.’ And then, we can start going into different layers of details as patients ask questions.” (7:56—8:38) “It is harder than ever [to figure out what the patient owes]. When I was in my own dental practice, it used to be insurance covered 100, 80, 50 percentages. You had a maximum; you had a deductible. And there weren't all these limitations and frequencies and exceptions. Nowadays, insurance companies are downgrading...
The 3 Ps of Scheduling Episode #364 with Christina Byrne When you create the schedule you want, your life will be so much better. And to help you create that ideal schedule, Kirk Behrendt brings back one of ACT Dental’s superstar coaches, Christina Byrne, to share three key things to know about productive scheduling. Stop chasing patients who don't value what you do! Understand and implement the three Ps of scheduling and increase your number of “A” patients. To start creating the schedule you want, listen to Episode 364 of The Best Practices Show! Main Takeaways: Profitability, predictability, and productivity are the three important Ps. Create the schedule you want from the very beginning. Scheduling needs to be strategic. Identify the kinds of patients you're putting into your schedule. Don't chase patients who don't want to be in your office. Choose to see your “C” patients, but on your own terms. Quotes: “[Scheduling is] a huge problem because everybody has their own idea of what a good schedule should be. And it depends on where you are in your career, where you are in your ability to get patients in and see the right patients. And so, there's often this huge struggle between the front and the back with regards to the schedule, and then even tighter between the doctor and the assistants. And hygiene is usually tapping their foot too because they need the doctor’s time. So, it seems like it’s easy to just, a patient is in the schedule, and just do dentistry, and everything will work itself out. But it won't. And it has to be something that's done really strategically.” (2:19—3:02) “From the very beginning, just create the schedule you want. Don't get sucked into thinking you have to throw everything into the schedule wherever it fits. Really create the schedule that you want.” (3:09—3:21) “I've noticed in my years of coaching and also being in the dental practice, like I said, I was an assistant, I worked at the front desk, then I went to hygiene school. So, I know what the schedule means to every single role in the office. And the three things that I keep coming up with when I coach teams is that they want three things, and all of them start with “P.” They want profitability, they want predictability, and they want the schedule to be productive.” (6:08—6:36) “If I had to pick one [of the three Ps] that is the most important one, I would have to say it’s predictable. Because from predictability, you will become profitable. You will have productivity in your schedule, and you're also going to have happy team members. So, I think predictability is probably the highest one.” (6:56—7:16) “To me, [predictability] means that we know when we start, we know when we break for lunch, we know when we end for the day. It means that we have done our due diligence and our homework to know that when I do a crown prep, 85% to 90% of the time, it’s going to take me six or seven units to do that. When I do a seat crown, it’s going to take me three. And that has its own things, ‘Is my lab good? What does my scanning look like?’ So, if you get that stuff predictable, then your seat crown appointment is going to be predictable. You should never have to schedule more than three units for that, 85% of the time.” (8:18—8:59) “This is healthcare, and there are things that come up. But just imagine, if you could be predictable in 85% of your day, then those things that do come up are not going to cause the chaos that normally happens.” (8:59—9:11) “It’s all about making sure that the people who you are serving value what you do.” (10:12—10:19) “Patient identification is a way to decide where and when you're going to put the patients in your practice, into the schedule. And it’s really about understanding who values what you do, basically. Do they pay on time? Do they show up on time? Do they bother to call if they’re not going to show up on time? Do they accept treatment? Are they patients who call us once every three years...
Dental Practice Owners Understanding Ownership Episode #363 with Andre Shirdan You would never advertise, “Please come run my million-dollar business. No experience necessary!” But not understanding ownership in your business is like doing exactly that. And to help you become a better owner of your practice, Kirk Behrendt brings in Andre Shirdan from The CREW Process to share the four pillars you need to know to understand how to run your practice. If you’re ready to be the business owner you need to be, listen to Episode 363 of The Best Practices Show! Main Takeaways: Dentists are never trained on understanding practice ownership. Four important Ps in your practice are: people, process, profit, and philosophy. Philosophy is the strongest pillar of the four Ps. Every single dental procedure needs to be a process. 51% of dentistry is technical. 49% is people and customer service. Understanding KPIs and norms will help in understanding the business of dentistry. Quotes: “My brother-in-law was the worst businessman in the whole world. Phenomenal clinician, but really the worst businessman in the whole world. And coming in and looking at it, I realized dentists are never trained on [understanding ownership]. And we go in and train these guys how to run their businesses, but they never really get it. I mean, in general terms, they're not accountants; they're dentists. And that's what they should do, and that's what they do best.” (5:23—5:50) “What I found is that a lot of [dentists] abdicate that responsibility [of running their business] to somebody else — like me. I worked the front desk, but I did everything. But we, front desk people, and I always consider myself a recovering front desk person, I came in — and think about this. If there was a Monster ad, it would say, ‘Please come run my million-dollar business. No experience necessary, and the girls will train you.’ And that's really what I came into, as running this business having no idea how to run a dental practice. And I realized that almost everybody that I ran into had that same story.” (5:52—6:29) “What was really interesting about when COVID hit, I got these phone calls from doctors who said, ‘All my staff is gone. I've never had to put anything into my software. I've never had to do this, and I need to become the owner of my business again. I need to be able to run my business that I've never had to before.’” (6:30—6:56) “And that started this chain of events, which was, now I have to train a doctor to run a software, to understand what the reports mean, to understand the discrepancies that we typically see or get explained away from a front office person who says, ‘Oh, yeah. That's just an adjustment we make for this,’ but now understanding how that impacts different things, understanding why the deposit slip, when I deposit $1,000, I only get $960 out of my bank account — well, there are credit card fees and care credit fees, etc., etc. — and understanding that where they never really got it before, they just sort of handed it off to the accountant.” (6:57—7:34) “I think the biggest benefit [of understanding this] is the ability to understand it if you need to understand it. We don't have to. I always say it’s a light switch. Just flick it. You don't need to know how electricity works. But there's some value in walking into Home Depot to buy a new light switch and understanding how the electricity actually gets to that switch. So, you have to understand it even if you don't ever do it on a regular basis. You've got to understand the process, or — to use that analogy — you get shocked.” (7:55—8:22) “What happens a lot of times is, in the course of my consulting time, I recovered $750,000 worth of theft where the doctors had no idea it was happening to them. And this last year, I saw a lot of doctors who stepped up and said, ‘I've got to run my business differently, not just the guy who writes the checks and the guy who says yay or nay for vacation
There is Always a Better Way Episode #362 with Dr. Gary Sanchez If you can't enjoy your life outside the office, your amazing career in dentistry is worth nothing. That is the core message behind Kirk Behrendt’s company, ACT Dental. His purpose is to help dentists create a better practice and better life, and he discovered this passion after meeting Dr. Gary Sanchez from the WHY Institute. In today’s crossover episode, Kirk and Dr. Sanchez share how discovering your “why” is the first step to success in any part of your life. If you want to awaken your “why,” find your passion, and find a better way, listen to Episode 362 of The Best Practices Show! Main Takeaways: Discover your “why” to find your purpose and passion. Understand the nine “whys” formula and put your thoughts to action. You need mindset, commitment to a process, and execution for success. Know when something is “good enough” so you can move forward. Embrace the journey and be humble. There's always something to learn. The obstacle is the path. Quotes: “Here’s what the world wants: everybody wants to run the marathon, but nobody wants to do the training. They want the medal. They want the reward, but they don't want to do the work. This is the secret that no one does. You can get the attention of every expert in any industry. You know how you do it? I can actually walk into any town and get the top 10 CEOs to book an appointment with me. Do you know how I can do it? I can tell them that I'm creating a research project or, ‘I'm writing a book about the 10 top CEOs in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and I've selected you. You're one of the top 10 CEOs. You're going to be a chapter in my book.’ Every single person will give you an appointment. Same thing with a podcast. You can say, ‘I'm creating a podcast called The Best Practices Show. I'm selecting the best dentists or experts in the world. You're one of them. I need you on my show.’ Anyone will move their schedule to be an expert that's selected in your book.” (12:19—13:18) “You can get an appointment with anybody. Just interview them. Interview them, document it, and put it somewhere. That is the easiest way to become an expert.” (13:20—13:28) “Just do the right thing. Because any time you don't do the right thing, it’s going to catch up to you. It always does. We see it in sports. You see great people fall all the time. When Joe Paterno and some of the biggest names — Bill Cosby — get off track, it comes back and catches up to them, at some point. I'm not going to sit here and tell you I'm the perfect human being. But when you walk into an industry like dentistry, just do the right thing and stick to it, and you'll be okay.” (13:38—14:09) “My whole life now, since meeting [Dr. Gary Sanchez] and doing what I do is, I just have to stay in my circle, which is my “why,” helping people create a better way. A better practice leads to a better life. It’s not about more money, it’s, ‘How do we make this better?’” (15:41—15:55) “I got this from a restaurant that I went to. This woman hands us a check, and she had a little rock on the check. And they have a little saying, and it says, ‘The obstacle is the path.’ . . . Now, in my work, I love the obstacles. Give me your biggest obstacle, and we’re going to make that the path. We’re going to find a way to use this obstacle to create it and make it better.” (16:01—16:28) “There's a lot that you don't know in the journey, and you've got to constantly stay curious.” (18:13—18:16) “One of the greatest, most important things any human being has to constantly work on is being self-aware. Because the lower your self-awareness, the more challenges you have as a human being.” (18:33—18:44) “I don't know who said this, but I keep thinking of the three selves. There are three selves: the self you think you are, the self everybody thinks you are, and the self you really are. And you lead the less turbulent life, it’s the least stressful to be as close to those three as...
The 5 Components to a Successful Practice Episode #361 with Dr. Len Tau Do you want to be the person who loves going to work every day? With a few changes to your thinking, you can! In today’s crossover episode, Kirk Behrendt and Dr. Len Tau talk about the five components you need to achieve a better practice and better life. A successful practice doesn't have to mean long hours, drama in the office, and no work-life balance! To find out how to overcome these challenges you may have, listen to Episode 361 of The Best Practices Show! Main Takeaways: Create a plan and stick to it. Have a function accountability chart. Use metrics and data. Surround yourself with the right people. Be clear about your core values. Have systems and checklists for everything. Quotes: “You don't have any rules. You can set your own rules. You don't have to go into insurance if you don't want to. You can do anything you really want when it comes to your dental practice. But it’s amazing to me, over the years, how many people have not wanted to go into solo practice, and they wanted to join a group practice, they wanted to join a DSO, they wanted to be an associate. They don't want the freedoms that dental practice ownership allows.” (7:11—7:35) “Yes, running a dental practice is not the easiest thing. You have patient issues, you have money issues, you have staff issues. There are so many complexities to running the business. But it gives you the freedom that most professions don't give you.” (7:35—7:47) “Everybody’s got to have a plan, an “A” plan, your one-page strategic plan.” (17:36—17:41) “You're going to run into what's called the ceilings of complexity, Dan Sullivan called that years ago, where you just can't do any more. And what you have to do as an entrepreneur is you've got to make them simple again. Now, “simple” is not “easy.” It’s not. Simple requires thinking. It requires all of this. And on your plan, when you're thinking about your future as a dentist, it’s got to be thought out really well.” (19:22—19:42) “There's never, ever, ever, ever, ever a reason to see a patient after 5:00. You can't give me one. Because if you see a patient after 5:00, that screams to me you don't give patients a good enough reason to come in the hours before 5:00, which screams to me also you don't value what you do.” (23:01—23:19) “You've got to have metrics. You've got to have KPIs (key performance indicator).” (25:20—25:23) “You're never looking for perfect. You're just looking for progress.” (26:48—26:51) “We don't have to be perfect. It’s called dental practice for a reason — because you don't have to be perfect at it.” (27:24—27:29) “What's your PPV (production per visit) as a practice? You already know what it is. So, if it’s $421 an hour, we’re going to go to $435. It’s not about money. A lot of times, it’s about scheduling. It’s about being a little bit more efficient. When you go over to $435, it has a dramatic impact to the rest of the formula.” (29:49—30:09) “A second [leading indicator to know] would be number of visits a dental practice has in a month, whether it be through hygiene, doctor, whatever. If you have 310, we go to 325. You're now multiplying those two numbers, which has an exponential impact on the outcome. (30:09—30:25) “It’s very important to know your gross and net collections percentage. People always say, ‘Well, my collections are 100%.’ Well, you're collecting 100% of what you could collect. But I really want to know the discrepancy between what your gross production is and your actual collections, because that tells me everything. Because you might be at 99% or 102%. That's awesome. But what you don't know is that your real collections percentage is 66%, which means you write off a third of all that you do — which means you work one out of every three days for free.” (31:09—31:42) “What I talk to people about is, ‘I'm so busy, and I take all these PPOs.’ So, my thing to them is, ‘Well, look at the...
The Importance of Systems in the Dental Office Episode #360 with Dr. Sully Sullivan Whether you want better patients, better working hours, more vacations, or all of the above, it all comes down to one thing: you need to have systems in place. In today’s crossover episode, Kirk Behrendt and Dr. Sully Sullivan (from The Millennial Dentist) chat about generational differences in dentistry, the systems you should have in place, and some important keys for the success of your practice. To hear some of Kirk’s best advice for improving your practice, listen to Episode 360 of The Best Practices Show! Main Takeaways: Surround yourself with great people and great thinkers. It is your responsibility to train patients how to treat you and your team. Invest in training your team so they can handle problems efficiently. Show your team and your patients that you value what you do. Have regular morning huddles with your team. When you can't change the person, it’s time to change the person. Quotes: “Here’s the thing. You go to dental school to learn how to do dentistry. And then, you get out and then realize, ‘Wow, I've got to run a business, and there are people attached to these teeth. And now, I have to manage the emotions of all these women.’ And the true fact is that you've got to learn how to run a business.” (4:09—4:22) “You can do whatever you want to do [in dentistry]. You can hire whoever you want, and you can fire whoever you want. You can go, ‘This isn't working. Buh-bye.’ We don't even call it firing. We call it freeing up your future and money.” (4:51—5:05) “A new dentist, rule number one, stay away from dentists. Just stay away from all dentists. And I mean that in a tongue-in-cheek way, but the truth of it is that as a young dentist, you've got to pick your neighborhood. You've got to get around great people that are going to influence your thinking, because [if] your thinking goes bad, your business model goes really bad. Because you're going to sit next to a dentist who goes, ‘There are no good people out there.’ And you're going to go, ‘No, there are a lot of them. They're just not working in your office.’ And then, people are going to go, ‘You've got to work Saturdays. Say goodbye to your kids and your family for a while. And sign up for all the PPOs.’ And I'm like, that's dumb. Why would you do that? You earned the greatest profession, ever. You've got to surround yourself with people that think really well.” (7:08—7:49) “You can't work any harder [at a certain point]. You've got to think better.” (8:21—8:23) “When you open up your practice, you've got to train patients to pay. You've got to tell them when to come in. You can't let the inmates run the asylum. Because what happens over time is you go, ‘I hate this!’ You've got to effectively teach people how to treat you in a business.” (8:59—9:19) “The seven most expensive words in business are, ‘That's the way we've always done it.’ That's the worst phrase. ‘Why do you guys do that?’ ‘That's the way we’ve always done it.’ You can't do that. That's a dumb reason to do anything.” (13:28—13:41) “People love structure. They love to know what to expect. If you tell me it’s a one-hour appointment, you can't keep me for an hour and 15. I'm mad. But if it’s an hour and you get me out in 55 minutes, I'm happy. It’s super simple. You can build a whole practice just by being on time.” (15:09—15:28) “You can't be late for a huddle, because whenever you're late it screams, ‘I don't care.’” (19:53—19:56) “All cancellations happen in one place. They don't happen at the front; they happen at the chair. Everyone says, ‘Fix it up front.’ Cancellations happen at the chair.” (25:17—25:24) “Don't say, ‘What works for you?’ because it screams you don't value what you do.” (26:21—26:24) “You've got to hang around with the right people. You just have to. There are some people you should not spend time with. You just shouldn't, because you're like, ‘This is a bad...
How to Deal with Cliques, Low Engagement & Bad Meetings Episode #359 with Adriana Booth You may be thinking, “I don't need a coach.” But after today’s episode, you may change your mind! Today, Kirk Behrendt brings in Adriana Booth, one of ACT Dental’s lead coaches, to talk about three common challenges in dental practices: clique-forming, low engagement, and bad meetings. And as she explains, it all comes down to leadership. Without a strong leader, you won't have a strong team. To find out how a coach like Adriana can help you and your practice, listen to Episode 359 of The Best Practices Show! Main Takeaways: A strong team requires a strong leader. Know your core values, priorities, goals, and have ownership. You need to have consistent and frequent team meetings. Talk about your core values at each team meeting. Without team buy-in, you will have low engagement. Preventing clique-forming in your practice is your responsibility. Quotes: “[Dentists] do not want to prepare for [team meetings]. ‘I don't know what to do. What are we going to talk about? How do I get my team to do any of this? I don't have time!’ That's what I hear.” (3:25—3:36) “I've yet to meet a client who doesn't give me the blank stare or the outright, ‘You are crazy,’ when I say, ‘You need to have a weekly meeting. Two hours every week.’ They're like, ‘Do you know how much I can produce in two hours?’ I do. But I know how much more you can produce if you focus on your practice every week, and you increase your communication, and you actually work on the business.” (4:14—4:40) “We call [clique-forming] a gang war, and it’s by department. It’s the hygienists against the assistants, the assistants against the admin team. And it’s only because we are not communicating well and working on things together. We’re allowed to separate, and everybody can have their own little gripes and their own little quarrels. But we’ve got to bring it together, and we’ve got to mix them up.” (5:23—5:47) “It’s our job to look over and see, ‘Oh, wait. Amy and Stephanie are always whisper-whisper.’ Amy and Stephanie no longer sit together. When we do an exercise, they're not in the same room. Let's split the clique up. And eventually, they start finding, ‘Oh, I have a lot more in common with this other person. Oh, we’re on the same page. We can work together and really get this plane up in the air again.’” (5:48—6:13) “[When you have low engagement], what's really going on is you have no team buy-in. What's your cause? What are your core values? What are they following? Where are your priorities? We have to have some structure and priorities and ownership.” (8:03—8:15) “[Core values] need to be so ingrained in your brain. And if you're like me and Kirk, our brains, they're in there. But sometimes, they just can't hold all the goodness. So, I need to have it in front of me. I like to have it on a shirt. I want it on my mug. I want to know it, breathe it, live it.” (10:27—10:45) “The first part is always going to be, ‘What is our focus?’ And our focus can't change every single week. We’re not going to hit results if we are always trying to catch a moving target. So, we need to sit down as a team, go through a fun exercise, get up out of your seat, brainstorm, mind map, and figure out, ‘What's going to be impactful to our practice? How can we measure it?’ We need to be able to see results.” (15:51—16:21) “We need to have a focus. We have to have priorities, and we need to be able to measure them. And we need a quick way to resolve problems when they arise. And I don't mean problems like, ‘Oh, somebody didn't stock the hygiene drawer.’ I mean, ‘Why aren't we hitting our goal? Why are we four weeks behind?’” (16:22—16:38) “Some of us are just very helpful, and then it looks like we want to take over and do everything. And that's not a bad thing. But it can be a little bit squashing to the energy of the room when other people are just a little bit less apt to...
Can You Help Find Emma? Episode #358 with Dr. Tracey Nguyễn Dentists can have a great impact on airway health. And yet, they have been the least active in this field — especially pediatric dentistry. As Jeff Rouse says, adults are roadkill, but kids can be saved! And today’s guest, who is passionate about bringing awareness to the dental community, will tell us how. Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. Tracey Nguyễn from ASAP Pathway to share intervention strategies in airway and how to identify those she calls the Emmas of the world. To learn about ASAP Pathway and how you can start helping children, listen to Episode 358 of The Best Practices Show! Main Takeaways: Airway is not just a field for orthodontists and pediatric dentists. General dentists need to drive the field of airway. Look for signs and symptoms of dysfunctional airway before setting teeth. Don't oversimplify or overcomplicate things. Just do good dentistry. The pediatric medical community wants dentists to get involved. Quotes: “I dabbled in sleep, but I really didn't like all the occlusal changes with sleep. It really didn't jive with my philosophy because I'm sitting here dialing in the occlusion, and then I'm going to put an appliance that just messes it all up.” (1:57—2:12) “[Jeff Rouse] talked about the impact of airway in our occlusion, and vice versa. Basically, his philosophy now at Spear is, ‘Is my treatment going to be airway-positive, negative, or neutral?’ And that really made sense with me. I didn't understand why it was okay to have these messed up bites if you had sleep apnea, but not okay if you didn't. So, there's the ethics in what you're supposed to do.” (2:28—2:58) “Now, I talk more on the peds side because Jeff [Rouse] will say the adult side — he calls it roadkill. Basically, you're done. There's nothing I can do for you. But kids, you can. And the interesting thing is, I didn't understand why the dental community wasn't as concerned when we had the most impact. So, my journey has been about making the dental community more aware.” (3:25—3:56) “I really think general dentists are going to drive this field. We’re the ones that do these comprehensive treatment plans. We’re the ones that understand how to talk to our specialists. We’re the ones that know how to bring everyone together. We’re the ones that have to drive it. It’s not a field strictly for orthodontists, strictly for pediatric dentists. And that's what I'm seeing. I'm seeing more and more general dentists want to do it; they just don't know how, or what they're supposed to do.” (4:33—5:07) “[What dentists get wrong about airway is] that we’re not good enough to be involved in it. It’s so weird when I say that, because when we talk about this, I speak to so many dentists that are like, ‘Well, an ENT has to get in first and take the tonsils and adenoids out.’ I was like, ‘Well, you know it’s beyond tonsils and adenoids, right? You know tonsils and adenoids are not a fix.’ And it’s interesting because dentists, they don't realize that they can do so much and guide these kids and direct them in the right treatment, just get to the right care.” (5:55—6:31) “Us as general dentists, we understand comprehensive care for adults, but we don't understand comprehensive care for children. And comprehensive care for children deals with growth management and making sure that this child is going to develop the best he or she can be. And I don't think we get that. Our focus is about fixing the problem, not looking at red flags.” (6:35—7:08) “I think that people overcomplicate it. Just seeing all these camps, it’s like, ‘Hey, guys. If you're going down these rabbit holes and taking all these classes, the one thing that you're forgetting to do is to diagnose what you're treating.’ It’s just basic dentistry. And Jeff [Rouse] will always say that, ‘Just do dentistry.’” (7:51—8:16) “If we just stick to the basics of dentistry and home in on your diagnosis, dentistry actually can impact...
Mastering Verbal Skills – Part 3 Episode #357 with Jenni Poulos Cancellations will always be a part of your practice. But wouldn't it be great to reduce or even prevent them? And that's exactly what Kirk Behrendt and Jenni Poulos will teach you how to do in the final part of Mastering Verbal Skills. If you communicate the value of your dentistry well, your chairs will be full, and patients will keep their appointments. But when patients do need to reschedule, there are good and bad ways to handle it. To learn the best practices for handling cancellations with “A,” “B,” and “C” patients, listen to Episode 357 of The Best Practices Show! Main Takeaways: Your tone, your words, and your body language matters. Filling chairs starts with communicating value to your patients. Don't place the onus on your front desk staff. Set them up for success. Cancellations and rescheduling shouldn't be easy for patients. Learn how to respond to “A,” “B,” and “C,” patient cancellations. Have excellent note-taking practices to record patient information. Quotes: “The words we use matter. The tone that we use matters. How we lean in and how we listen, it matters. As humans, our brains are hardwired to read into specific terms, to read into specific words, to read into nonverbal communication. And whatever we say to someone, they're already writing a story in their head based on the preconceived notions that they bring with that piece of language or with that tone. So, how we deliver things and the words that we choose are really, really important.” (2:55—3:30) “I gave you an action item in the very first [episode] to start making a “say this, not that.” I want you to pull out that list, and the first thing I want you to do is put “cancel” and a circle around it and strike through it. We change appointments. We reschedule appointments. We don't cancel appointments.” (6:14—6:29) “People pay for things that they value. They show up for things that they value. So, if we, as a team, are really good at communicating the value of the treatment, the value of the appointment to the patient, the likelihood of their changing the appointment, not showing up for the appointment, is dramatically reduced.” (6:48—7:07) “We talked about before that I don't want you to confirm appointments. There is a little caveat there. When you schedule appointments, I want you to tell your patients, ‘We consider all appointments confirmed when scheduled. We’ll give you a reminder call, but this time is reserved specifically for you. It’s confirmed in our books. So, we’re putting it in Sharpie in the book, and I want you to put it in Sharpie in the book too. Don't just pencil us in. We've got you confirmed. We've reserved the time for you.’” (7:53—8:27) “The story that I bring with [using the word] “confirm” is that I can change it; it’s not yet confirmed. I like to remind someone of the time that has been reserved specifically for them. It carries a different weight.” (10:17—10:31) “You don't want to make it easy for people to change their appointments. And if you do have to change your appointment, there's a legitimate reason, I want to get you reappointed immediately. I don't want my admin team to be spending time chasing you down, going back and forth, to reappoint that. I want your after-hours message to state very clearly, ‘We do not accept any changes to the schedule via message. We only accept changes to the schedule during business hours.” (13:57—14:32) “The RFR (reason for return), what it is doing is it is letting people know we have listened to them, we have heard them. We are creating that trust and that safe space. So, this one item is hitting on so many of these key concepts that we talked about in the first webinar.” (21:42—22:00) “You need to have excellent notetaking practices. If you don't know how your software works about breaking appointments or changing appointments, you need to know this. You need to learn how your software works. You...
Mastering Verbal Skills – Part 2 Episode #356 with Jenni Poulos In part one of Mastering Verbal Skills, Kirk Behrendt and Jenni Poulos discussed how words carry weight and why language matters in your practice. In today’s lesson, Jenni explains why listening also matters and how critical it is for mastering verbal skills. With the templates they provide, you can learn how to listen to and answer some of the most difficult questions patients ask! For more on active listening and communication, listen to Episode 356 of The Best Practices Show! Main Takeaways: Listening is also a crucial part of verbal skills. Improving verbal skills will open up possibilities. Language helps differentiate and communicate your practice’s strengths. You can communicate value to your patients using appropriate language. Use the “feel, felt, found” concept to discuss difficult patient questions. Quotes: “What we say matters. How we say it matters. How we lean in, and how we’re curious, and how we listen matters. And listening is as big a part of verbal skills as is speaking. It affects our relationships with our team members. It affects our relationships with our patients, our case closure, the predictability of our days, our lives. So, it’s super important.” (1:49—2:18) “[A typical comment from patients is], ‘I'm only going to do it if it’s covered.’ And we have to move patients past this limiting belief that their insurance exists to provide them with optimal health, because we believe that, ‘If my insurance says that I can't have it paid for, then I don't need it,’ and that could not be farther from the truth.” (3:55—4:18) “Our understanding of insurance is completely rooted in the way that medical insurance functions. Medical insurance and dental insurance do not function in the same way at all. So, we want to differentiate by changing the language. We don't want to call it “insurance” because it doesn't function how you understand insurance. It’s not a full-loss item. It’s a benefit that will assist, but it’s not going to cover everything. It was never intended to, nor will it, ever.” (5:11—5:48) “People are advocating to use their benefits because they have them. I don't want you to look at their benefits as the enemy, just how do we communicate the way that we do it in our office, the way that we utilize benefits, in order to move patients through to acceptance.” (6:33—6:51) “Write this down. It’s a great phrase and it will help you with this question. ‘What I want you to understand, Mrs. Jones, is that your benefits exist to help you maintain, but not to obtain, oral health.’ That's a great way to think about them.” (7:02—7:21) “People pay for the things that they value. We will invest in what we value. I like to joke about this, but I say this with my team, ‘Oh, your Coach bag goes so great with your Class IV perio disease.’ I have invested thousands of dollars in a purse. If I value my health, I probably will invest an equal amount in that. So, it’s important that we’re able to convey value and help patients see value and lead them to the value that is there. And if you can believe it and confidently communicate it, the patients will have an easier time seeing it.” (11:14—11:56) “People may not know this, but [insurance companies] actually can come back and say — up to a year later — ‘Hey, we overpaid, and we need some money back.’ You may preauthorize, get payment, and be told in eight months, ‘I need money back.’ So, there is never a guarantee of payment from the dental insurance companies. Never tell your patients that there is a guaranteed payment. It is always only an estimate. Even after the check has cleared the bank, it is still not a guarantee.” (12:05—12:39) “Unless your patient, and there are instances in which they are part of an exclusive provider organization where they must see an in-network provider to get any level of benefit — and those types of plans do exist — for the most part, they are able to...
Mastering Verbal Skills – Part 1 Episode #355 with Jenni Poulos Would you rather “pay a bill” or “make an investment”? Words carry weight, and language matters — especially with your patients. And to help you master the verbal skills you need for your practice, Kirk Behrendt brings in Jenni Poulos, one of ACT’s lead practice coaches, for a three-part series to explain every key concept you need to know. To learn how to become a better listener and communicator, listen to Episode 355 of The Best Practices Show! Main Takeaways: There are eight key concepts to master verbal skills: 1) Expectation minus reality equals conflict. 2) Language matters. 3) Build connection and value. 4) Ask the right questions. 5) Become a better listener. 6) Listen to understand. 7) It’s a lifetime practice. 8) Be responsible for how information is received. Quotes: “[E – R = C is] the most important concept. As a coach, it’s where we begin with teams. It’s important in how we communicate with each other. It’s important in how we communicate with our patients. The things we do and the things we say, when they aren't in alignment, that's when conflict ensues. I mean, I use this in my life. This is literally the most foundational concept, that if you can really embrace this and learn, ‘How can I make the expectations that I'm setting up for my team members, for my patients, and the reality of what they experience be in alignment?’ will your days be better.” (6:16—6:59) “Language really does matter. The words that we say, the words that we use, carry weight. The tone that we use, it carries weight. How we say things, how we lean in, what we say and how we say it, matters. So, I want you to choose your words wisely.” (7:40—7:58) “A really easy example here is when we think about the words “confirming” and “reminding.” I coach the team that I work in, we never “confirm” an appointment. We actually tell patients, ‘We consider appointments confirmed when they are made. We will give you a reminder call.’ Because if I'm calling to confirm the day before, that means it’s not already set in stone. Two words that have a big difference on their impact.” (7:59—8:33) “An actionable item that's great for teams is, sit down around a table and come up with a “say this, not that,” document. What are some of the words that we want to say in the office that builds connection, that builds trust, that builds value, and what are some of the ones that we want to avoid? Docs all know about the difference between a shot and a little injection. Right? If I tell a kid I'm giving them a shot, they're going to be bouncing out of the chair a little bit than, ‘Hey, I'm just going to have a little poke here.’ Same thing, big impact.” (8:34—9:07) “The person that is asking the questions is actually the person that's in control of the conversation. So, I want you to get really good at asking questions, but asking the right type of questions, which are open-ended questions. I never want you to be asking things that can be answered with a simple yes or a no because this is how we learn about people.” (11:17—11:41) “We want to know if we’re safe. As human beings, we want to know if we’re in a safe place. That's our reptilian brain, our amygdala. It’s constantly scanning our environment to say, ‘What's going on around me?’ And by listening to people and asking good questions, we let them know, ‘Hey, you can trust me.’” (12:52—13:14) “Active listening, it’s such an important skill that you really have to practice. You need to be an active listener. You need to physically lean in. You can't just be listening for what you're going to say. You need to listen for what the patient is saying.” (14:07—14:31) “Great communicators listen more than they speak.” (15:28—15:31) “When you become a better listener, you become better at asking questions. And when you become better at asking questions, you eliminate E – R = C moments.” (15:52—16:03) “Don't be a drive-by...
The Most Important Thing You Will Ever Do in Your Practice Episode #354 with Jenni Poulos & Heather Crockett Core values are the most important thing for the lifetime of your practice — so important that one ACT team member has them tattooed on their body! That is the kind of all-in attitude at ACT Dental. And today, Kirk Behrendt brings in two ACT team members, Jenni Poulos and Heather Crockett, to share their journeys on developing their personal and professional core values and putting them to practice. Don't wait! To start your core values journey, listen to Episode 354 of The Best Practices Show! Main Takeaways: Core values are the guideposts for all your actions and decisions. Core values are important throughout the entire process of your business. Core values are great in accountability conversations or difficult conversations. Core values will help you quickly move through conflict. Core values will give you confidence in your decisions. Quotes: “Core values are huge. Once we leaned into and learned the importance of core values, there was no turning back. They are the guidepost by which we measure and make all decisions. They help us lean into what's really important, and when something is ruffling our feathers, when something doesn't feel right, we can always tie it back to those things going against our core values. You just can't underestimate their importance.” (00:49—1:29) “When there's something going on in my life that's not quite making a ton of sense, it’s because they're brushing up against one of my personal core values.” (2:56—3:07) “When I have to make a hard decision, or maybe it’s not a difficult decision but I'm just a little bit uncertain about the choice that I should make, I'm really going to pause and say, ‘How would my core values respond to this?’ It’s really great in accountability conversations or difficult conversations with team members. And this is why it shows up in hiring and firing.” (6:30—6:59) “This brings me back thinking to March 16th. We all know that day. And in my practice, things were changing, and we were wondering if we should close, ‘Should we close the practice?’ We didn't know what to do. And I was sitting with the docs in my practice. The leadership team was all sitting in this room, and we’re going, ‘Gosh, I'm not sure. Do we close? Do we stay open?’ And we said, ‘Guys, wait a minute. What do our core values tell us?’ And immediately, we’re like, ‘Well, we close. It’s the right thing to do.’” (7:01—7:41) “[Core values] give you confidence in your decisions. And when you have confidence in your decisions, you can move forward. And that's something that's really hard, oftentimes, is moving forward. But when I can have confidence in those decisions, I can be all-in.” (8:12—8:28) “[Core values are] 1,000% important throughout the entire process of the whole business, from beginning to end. And letting them bake for a little while is really key, because you'll come up with them, and think about them — I mean, mine are still baking. And it’s okay to mold them and tweak them as time goes on. But the sooner you get to the concrete core values, the quicker your team can rally around them and know exactly what they mean.” (10:37—11:10) “It’s important to make sure there's a couple of bullet points, that the team is very clear about what it is exactly this core value means. One of my teams recently came up with a core value. The title of the core value is just “zest,” which I love. I totally love this core value. The word that they are using, you just know what it means, the passion for what they're doing. So, finding a way to have your core value title really show what it means is amazing. And if it needs a little bit of tweaking over time, then that's okay too.” (11:11—11:51) “If you approach core values as, ‘Oh, yeah. It’s just this feeling,’ it’s kind of fluff. You won't really talk about them, and you won't have the confidence to post them and put them...
Time & Money Secrets from One of the Best Dentists in the U.S. Episode #353 with Dr. Kevin Groth & Dr. Bob Margeas Working four days a week is hard work. But you can be just as productive working three — if you know how! And to share a few time and money secrets from the best dentists, Kirk Behrendt brings in two of his heroes in dentistry, Dr. Bob Margeas and Dr. Kevin Groth. You can't grow money, but you can grow your practice! To learn how to be profitable without sacrificing time and energy, listen to Episode 353 of The Best Practices Show! Main Takeaways: Find a mentor, ASAP. It is possible to work less days yet earn more. Pack your scheduled days to increase production. Stick to doing high-production procedures to stay profitable. Don't push patients. It’s their mouth, time, and money. Treat people well, and patients will flock to your practice. Dentistry is a competition with yourself, not other dentists. Quotes: “You get just as much done working three days, three-and-a-half days a week as you do four. And four days a week is hard work.” (13:00—13:08) “People think, ‘Oh, you're crazy.’ Well, you know what? People come in when you're there. They schedule for production. I'm much more efficient, and patients don't miss their appointments. Because now, if they miss an appointment, they don't get in for eight weeks. Because when you only work four days on, 10 days off, or eight days a month, everybody’s busy. You're packed. Is it easy work? It’s not easy. I can't say it’s easy. But knowing you have 10 days off, pretty darn nice.” (13:24—13:54) “I never look at the schedule — ever. Ever. Ever. Read my lips. I am against — this is just my own thing. I don't like to know what's going on, because I don't want it to ruin my day. But I know what they tell me. When I'm on Sunday, I say, ‘Hey, what time do I start tomorrow?’ And she always will text me. And she’ll say, ‘Okay, you start at 7:00.’ So, I know I have something productive. If I'm starting at 8:00, it doesn't bother me because I don't have anything that I was going to be doing anyway.” (17:56—18:26) “My production, per se, has not really gone down, even though I went from 12 days to nine days, to eight days. Why? Because it’s packed in. I may be double-booked at times. But I feel like if I can go four days hard knowing I have 10 days off, wow.” (19:03—19:23) “Now, where am I losing? I lose on posterior composites, because it takes you a half-hour to do it, and you're getting $200-some. I try to make my associate do those. I honestly do. I say, ‘When I'm in my office, I'm only here eight days a month. I've got to be profitable.’” (30:30—30:47) “Most of my production is high-production items. Like, the most profitable thing, 100%, in my office, is a posterior single-tooth implant. Why? Because it only takes you five minutes, take the healing cap off, make an impression or scan, and send them home.” (31:16—31:34) “I'm also at the point now where I'm like, ‘I don't want to do these posterior composites,’ because they do take up a lot of time. So, my conundrum is the fact that patients want to see me. I don't know how to say, ‘You need this work, but I'm not going to do it.’ So, we’re working on that and those type of systems.” (32:40—32:59) “Do I have a shared production goal with my staff? No. But I know in my head that it takes me $100,000 or $120,000 to pay the bills, or whatever it is. I kind of know what I have to do. I don't want you to think that I don't have a goal. But I think it’s really difficult to say, ‘Okay, we need to do $200,000 this month,’ or to get a bonus, or this and that. Because then, sometimes people feel pressured to talk patients into having things to hit their goal.” (37:05—37:34) “Sometimes, people will say, ‘Well, I'm 70 years old. I don't know how long I'm going to live.’ I say, ‘Listen. I'm not here to tell you how to spend your money. But I just had a patient, 95 years old — 95 — had six lower...
Lessons from Unsuccessful Partnerships Episode #352 with Paul Sletten Not having a transition plan is like running laps with no finish line — it’s not fun, and you will plateau quickly. Whether you're looking to transition in the near or far future, today’s guest will help you get started. Kirk Behrendt brings in Paul Sletten from The Sletten Group to share the best planning advice so you can create successful partnerships and have seamless transitions. If you want to transition successfully, listen to Episode 352 of The Best Practices Show! Main Takeaways: A successful transition begins with having a plan. Have a clear timetable for transitioning. Transition plans are not one-size-fits-all. Don't use your colleagues’ plans. A practice transition plan and the dentist’s life plan need to be connected. Know what an ideal candidate profile looks like for a particular role. Partnerships with family members require twice as much work. For successful partnerships, commit to communicating well. Quotes: “Let's talk about unsuccessful transitions. The biggest reason, by far, is that they don't have a plan. When a practice owner wants to transition a practice, either by adding another dentist at an appropriate time or transitioning out of the practice, everything flows from the plan of the owner. So, if the owner is unsure of how to do it, when to do it, and those kinds of things, then the other doctor who’s under consideration for joining the practice can't make their plans either. So, it’s critically important that the owner have a plan. And so often, they're using their friends or their colleagues’ plan and contracts and haven't thought through their own issues.” (3:07—4:00) “There's another thing that's really important. And that is, there needs to be a connection between their practice transition plan and their life plans. They have to be connected. They have to be congruent.” (4:01—4:13) “A lot of times, they just kind of slap [transition plans] together. They meet somebody at a dental meeting, and the person makes a good impression and says, ‘You know, we ought to talk further.” And they do talk a little bit further. And the next thing you know, there's an invitation to come into the practice and get on a path to partnership, at some point. It’s just miraculous if something like that would work. Some do. But the vast majority don't.” (4:18—4:47) “You have to have a timetable. How many people do we ask, ‘How much longer are you going to practice, and at what pace?’ And the typical answer is five years. And then, you talk to some of them five years later and you ask them the same question, and they say, ‘Five years,’ and so on. And so, what they're doing is they're just running laps with no finish line or no tape at the end. That's not fun. And then, the practice starts to go sour. It begins to plateau. And it can't sustain a plateau, so it begins to go into decline. And now, you're losing value for your practice.” (5:27—6:14) “If somebody’s in a healthy financial condition, the seller, for example, at a closing table, you've got a really wonderful opportunity to put a win-win outcome together. If somebody comes to a closing table in a needy position, look out, buyer. Because they just absolutely need to sell it, but they also need to stick around and keep working. And that can raise other really nasty issues, because the patients need to start moving over to the new owner so they can pay the overhead expenses and begin to prosper, but they won't do so readily with the old owner in there.” (7:43—8:26) “It’s so important to do the best match you can. For example, if you own a practice and you are in practice for 35 years and you're ready to transition, you and your team have been teaching your patients what to expect when they come to your practice for care for all 35 years. The new incoming dentist who will become the owner needs to know what those expectations are and what you've been teaching people to expect,
No One is Above the Law: The Things You Need to Know About HR Episode #351 with Dr. Ann Marie Gorczyca HR is one of the most difficult things you will face as a business owner. And bad HR decisions will cause many headaches. But you're not alone! Today, Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. Ann Marie Gorczyca to review important things to know about HR so you can run a successful business. She shares examples from her most successful book, Beyond the Morning Huddle, to help you avoid dangerous and costly mistakes. For the best advice on avoiding HR nightmares, listen to Episode 351 of The Best Practices Show! Main Takeaways: Understanding HR is as important as maintaining your dental license. Learn the six functions of HR to avoid costly mistakes. Be very inquisitive in the interview process and verify given information. Know and be up to date with laws and their changes. Enforce and update your team employment policy and procedure handbook. Hire slow, fire fast. Quotes: “It is essential that every dentist know the HR laws. Fortune 500 companies have full-time attorneys to run their HR departments. And dentistry, dentists in their private practice, are held to the same law standards as Fortune 500 companies that have a full-time attorney running their HR. So, that's how important it is. (4:19—4:48) “HR has six functions. The first function is recruitment of new team members. The second function is the on-boarding process. The third function is the day-to-day HR management. The fourth function is distribution of resources. The fifth function is the laws that you need to follow. And the last function is termination, whether it be by natural retirement, or layoff, or in the worst-case scenario, a dismissal situation. But in those six functions of HR, dentists need to know how to do things right to avoid costly mistakes.” (5:40—6:47) “[HR] is an essential topic. It’s as important as maintaining your dental license.” (7:16—7:22) “Let's start with area number one, the on-boarding process, hiring a new team member for the very first time. You are going to collect resumes. You're going to interview people. The thing that you need to look for is the recommendation from the previous employer. You're going to ask the all-important question, ‘Would you rehire this person?’ And you're going to wait to hear if you get an affirmative, enthusiastic yes. But if there's any hesitation, ‘Uh, well . . . Uh, she was good at billing insurance,’ or you don't get a yes, that is a red flag.” (8:19—9:12) “Step number one, be very inquisitive. When you look at resumes, call for references. Verify employment. Verify the previous position. There are plenty of people, for example, who never were a dental office manager, but they will put on their resume that they are a dental office manager. Now, if you don't call that previous employer and say, ‘What function did she do in the office?’ They say, ‘She was a receptionist,’ well, there's a huge difference between a receptionist and a dental office manager.” (9:18—9:56) “And also, you need to check on licenses. Someone can put on their resume that they are a registered dental assistant, and you can go on the California website to verify that they are a registered dental assistant. And maybe their license is not active. Or maybe they’ve lost their license. So, you need to verify.” (9:58—10:19) “Let's say they work at such-and-such dental office. Go online, look up the dental office, call the main number. Because the number that they put on the resume could be their cousin, their mother, their best friend. It might not be the dental office.” (10:49—11:08) “Also, you need to verify dates of employment. Because there may be holes in the resume where they’ll put down that they worked in one dental office for 10 years, but actually, maybe they just worked there for two or three years. So, you need to verify the dates of employment.” (11:10—11:29) “When you interview the candidate, you need to be aware
Bugs & Drugs: The Controversy Surrounding Prophylaxis Episode #350 with Dr. Tom Viola, R.Ph., C.C.P. Imagine causing an accident while trying to prevent said accident. That is where prophylaxis stands in dentistry. By prescribing them unnecessarily to prevent infections, it can actually create resistance and increase infection risk. But there are ways to prevent this! And Dr. Tom Viola returns with Kirk Behrendt to teach you everything you need to know about prophylaxis to help you prescribe them appropriately and effectively. For the best practices on being a steward for antibiotics, listen to Episode 350 of The Best Practices Show! Main Takeaways: Dentists are overprescribing unnecessary antibiotics. Overuse of antibiotics can lead to resistance. Antibiotics and antibacterials can have adverse effects. Overusing clindamycin can increase the risk of C. diff infection. For the average patient, there is no evidence that prophylaxis is necessary. Guidelines for antibiotic prophylaxis are constantly evolving. Quotes: “[Why prophylaxis is controversial] boils down to two main points. And the first one is, is antibiotic prophylaxis even necessary? If I have to ask that question, I have to ask a preview question to that. What the heck is prophylaxis and why is it necessary? Well, we know that there are certain vectors under which bacteria that normally reside in the mouth can end up causing trouble in other parts of the body. Obviously, one of the issues is infective endocarditis. That is where bacteria from the mouth have found a way into the endocardium and may cause issues that can ultimately lead to bad outcomes for our patients.” (3:20—4:03) “Bacteria in the mouth can find a way to where we’ve had replacement joints, plates, knee replacements, hip replacements, and so on. And that can lead to joint replacement failure. These are pretty significant events in people’s lives and, certainly, we want to try everything we can in dentistry to avoid that from happening. So, one of the ways we avoid bacteria that normally resides in the mouth to find other places or other ways into the body cavities is to prophylax with antibiotics, to kill them before they have a chance to establish residence elsewhere. But it’s controversial because everybody knows that when you overuse an antibiotic, it increases the risk of infection.” (4:05—4:47) “There is that whole aspect of antibiotic stewardship, which is, we should be the stewards. We should be the lookouts for making sure that antibiotics are used both effectively and efficiently, but also appropriately so we’re not overusing them and therefore causing resistance to occur.” (4:47—5:04) “I can run down the list pretty easily, of antibiotics, that we normally use in dentistry. And that's the problem, in and of itself, is that we have a great arsenal of antibiotics that we use in dentistry, but unfortunately, it’s a very small arsenal. And they're not really all antibiotics. We use the term colloquially but, really, they're antibacterials.” (5:14—5:33) “Penicillins are our favorite antibacterials. That would include penicillin VK and amoxicillin, specifically, in dentistry. And I'd be hard-pressed to find a general dentist and any dental specialist as well that hasn't prescribed amoxicillin at some point in their practice. And the reason for that is because it works, because it has great efficacy and great coverage against the bugs we find in the mouth. Now, the penicillins are bactericidal, which means that they destroy the cell wall and, therefore, they kill the bacteria. Which would sound great if you're treating virulent bacteria that you want to get rid of. But remember, they don't just kill the bad guys; they also kill the good guys. And that can lead to problems with things like opportunistic infections and even the potential for increasing the risk of bleeding in patients who are using drugs like Coumadin. So, they're great drugs, but they do have their...
Is Balance Attainable? Episode #349 with Dr. Kevin Groth Your profession is a part of you. It may give you purpose, direction, and some degree of happiness. But your work is not all of you. And if you give 100% to your work, you will have nothing left to give yourself or others. To speak from experience and offer advice, Dr. Kevin Groth returns with Kirk Behrendt to share his journey of attaining work-life-self balance to help you become your best self. To find out the steps for a simpler yet fuller life, listen to Episode 349 of The Best Practices Show! Main Takeaways: Become in-tune with your emotions and develop self-awareness. Identify who you are at your core. Self-awareness will drive everything else. Understand the essentials — things that give you purpose and direction — in your life. Never give 100% of yourself. Give 80% so you have 20% left to give. Learn to say no to obligations, especially when you don't have the capacity. Quotes: “[I was working] Monday through Friday, sometimes some Saturdays. But really, it was probably 225 days, I would say. I think I counted that up in 2019, 2018 . . . Now, I'm down to 160 and keep dropping that number because I found a nice way to tune those dials that we talk about all the time and figure out what works for me and what doesn't.” (04:32—05:03) “[By working less days, my income] increased. Which, I don't know what kind of magic it is. It doesn't make any sense to me, mathematically. But for some reason, you do find a sense of purpose and things that you want to do, and you become more efficient with it.” (05:12—05:24) “When you have the right team around you to support you, everything gets a lot easier. Everything is far more manageable. And I found that you've just got to get the right people in the right seats and get out of their way.” (05:25—05:35) “[Identify] who you are at your core. If you can identify who you are at your core, that will drive why you do something to give you a purpose. And then, once you know your who and your why, then you could realize what you do and how you do it.” (08:04—08:17) “We all experience things on a daily basis. But we just, a lot of times, tune out our emotions because we don't want to deal with it. And once you start listening to those emotions and really reflecting on it, it becomes more of a self-awareness. And that self-awareness becomes something where you become more knowledgeable of who you are. And then, that can drive everything else.” (08:31—08:50) “I think the first thing with anybody who’s in that point of their life trying to discover themselves, you've got to start with who [you're] not. It eliminates some of those things that you say, ‘Okay, this is not me. This is not me. This is not me.’ And eventually, it does lead you down a path to then discover, ‘This is me.’” (09:41—09:57) “It’s so important, no matter what phase you are in life, to know who you are. And it drives how you do something.” (11:15—11:20) “I think it starts with identifying, once you know who you are, what are the essential things in your life. When I can list the three to five things that really give me purpose and direction, it really simplifies things down to, ‘What do I want to devote my time and energy to?’ as well as what are some things that bring me joy in my life. Because then, if you can surround yourself with the bulk of what you do based on your essentials, and then you fill in those little spaces with some of the joys, there's a far more meaningful, fulfilled purpose out of your life that a lot of people just don't really have, to be honest.” (11:54—12:30) “[Richard Swenson in Margin] talks about, ‘We should never give 100% of ourselves. We should always give 80% of ourselves. Because if we give 80% when asked upon, we have 20% to give. But if we’re running ourselves ragged, if we don't have the energy, if we don't have the means to give when we are asked upon, that's when you get burnout. That's when you get stressed....
How Much Should I Spend on Dental Marketing? Episode #348 with Xaña Winans There is no magic formula for marketing. But there are ways to make good investments. And to help you figure out how much and where to spend on dental marketing, Kirk Behrendt brings back Xaña Winans, founder and CEO of Golden Proportions Marketing, for a guideline to better marketing decisions. If you want to invest in your own success and get ahead of your competition, listen to Episode 348 of The Best Practices Show! Main Takeaways: 55% of dentists are spending a minimum of $1,000 a month on marketing. A quarter of practices are spending over $5,000 a month on marketing. Lead generation is one area where you will see results. Invest in digital, such as SEO, paid search, and online reviews. Tracking is the only way you'll know whether you're getting a return. Recording calls is the best way to see if your marketing budget works. Your marketing needs to be consistent, and you need to give it time. There needs to be commitment from dentists and their practices for results. Quotes: “[Determining a marketing budget is] important because money is a driving factor for everybody. It’s determining, ‘How do I spend enough money to get the results that I want, but I don't waste money that I could be taking home to my family?’ So, if you are just guessing how much money to spend, it’s going to constantly make you stressed and wonder if you're doing the right thing, ‘Am I spending it in the right places?’” (06:14—06:37) “[Jim Du Molin] did a huge survey to find out what doctors were spending. And over 55% of doctors are spending a minimum of $1,000 a month, which doesn't sound like that much. But what was interesting to me, just about a quarter of practices are spending over $5,000 a month on marketing, which is way more than I think most dentists would expect. They think, ‘I can just rely on referrals and internal marketing, absolutely free.’ But I'd tell you what, if your practice isn't growing, that's probably why, because your competition is outspending you. They're getting brand awareness that you just don't have.” (07:55—08:30) “Once you're up and established, if you are cruising, you're a full practice, you've got tons of referrals coming in, you're still going to want to spend at least 2% to 3% of your gross collections every single month, if only because 8% of the American population moves every single year. You're going to, just by sheer people moving out of the area, lose some of your patients, so you have to keep investing.” (09:13—09:41) “Anything you spend on, you should be able to measure it and make sure it has a good ROI.” (10:39—10:44) “Your ROI is really going to depend on what you're measuring. There are actually five different places where your marketing money goes, and you have to measure ROI based on where it’s spending. The first thing is foundational stuff. And it’s really difficult to measure an ROI on things like designing a new logo, building a new website, doing a setup for SEO or paid search. Those are things you have to have, but they're usually one-time or one every couple of years expenses. So, that, don't expect ROI. It’s just an expense. That's foundational stuff.” (11:34—12:10) “You're going to spend money on things called subscriptions. When you have Weave and LocalMed and RevenueWell and Swell, and some of these other review sources and online scheduling, they're still marketing expenses. You have to count that in your marketing budget. The ROI for those can also be really difficult to measure because they're more like internal marketing tools. They're things that you need to keep patients engaged, so I wouldn't be looking for a big ROI there either.” (12:12—12:44) “Where you're really going to see [results] is when you're spending money on lead generation. So, paid search, SEO, direct mail — if it’s relevant in your market, television — if it’s appropriate in your area, or radio, that is where the money
Modern Ultrasonic Debridement and Aerosol Management Episode #347 with Chrissy Ford, RDH Aerosol management is vital during COVID-19. And the limits on ultrasonics and other aerosol-producing procedures creates a perfect opportunity for clinicians to relearn forgotten protocols for hand instruments and ultrasonics. Today’s expert, Chrissy Ford, founder and CEO of Advanced Hygiene Solutions, shares tips, techniques, and things to consider when returning to manual procedures. She also shares advice for effectively and efficiently using ultrasonics to maximize comfort and hygiene for patients. For the best practices on getting the most out of ultrasonics for COVID-19 and beyond, listen to Episode 347 of The Best Practices Show! Main Takeaways: Aerosol capture should be the number-one consideration during COVID-19. Now, more than ever, the quality of hand instruments is very important. Returning to hand instruments, ergonomics for hygienists should be considered. There is a lack of ultrasonic insert selection in most clinics. Many hygienists are not using the correct ultrasonic inserts for each case. They are also using a higher power setting than necessary, which creates more aerosols. Hygienists are forgetting to check their inserts for wear, which reduces clinical performance. ReLeaf, DryShield, and Isodry is not recommended for primary aerosol capture. When used correctly, HVE can be 90% to 98% effective in aerosol reduction. Quotes: “What is hygiene going to look like during COVID-19 and beyond? Obviously, none of us have that crystal ball. Some of us are back to work, so some people have that sense a little bit more than others, what it’s going to look like. Obviously, it’s going to look different for different people, depending on where you are, depending on what your state and your provincial guidelines are going to allow you to be doing. I think it’s safe to say that the majority of us are going to be limiting our aerosol-producing procedures for a while. So, our polishing, our airflow debridement, our ultrasonic scaling, is going to be set aside for a little bit.” (00:57—01:31) “Many hygienists are cringing at the thought of hand scaling only. And don't get me wrong, I'm right there with you. But we have to persevere through that and push through and know that we’re going to be doing this for our patients. And they need us.” (01:33—01:47) “Life without ultrasonics, que the tear down my face. I know a lot of hygienists are feeling the same. We rely on our ultrasonics a lot. And what is that going to mean for our hygiene appointments? It is going to mean an increased time to get that same job done. So, obviously, we know we’re not going back to business as normal, seeing eight patients a day. But we’re going to need longer to get the same job done, and hand scaling takes longer than our ultrasonic use on heavier cases.” (02:00—02:28) “We want to be thinking about ergonomics for the hygienist and that clinical strain. Our bodies have been off work for a while, and that muscle memory has been gone. And now, we’re hand scaling. And it’s hard, ergonomically.” (02:29—02:41) “When we get to that point that we can pick up our ultrasonic scalers again, we want to make sure that we’re going to be using them effectively and efficiently, not only to minimize the exposure of our risk with aerosols during COVID-19 but, obviously, we want to make sure that we’re going to be having good clinical outcomes while we’re doing that, and also for patient comfort as well.” (04:21—04:40) “How are we going to get the most out of our ultrasonics? Lots of different factors with this, but it is essential for the clinicians to operate the ultrasonic scaling device at a minimum effective power for the task at hand. Proper tip selection is a critical step in the implementation of effective and efficient debridement without having unnecessary root damage.” (04:42—05:08) “One thing that I want to talk about is what I notice when I...
Posterior Composites – Tips & Tricks Episode #346 with Dr. Lee Ann Brady Today, Dr. Lee Ann Brady from The Pankey Institute shares some of her favorite and must-try techniques for posterior composites. From her favored isolation systems to the many uses for plumber’s tape, she has a variety of advice to improve your dentistry today! To hear this expert’s tips, tricks, and techniques for creating the best, aesthetic composites, listen to Episode 346 of The Best Practices Show! Main Takeaways: Patients find Isolite to be a comfortable form of isolation. ReLeaf isolation works best on patients with strong gag reflexes. Rubber dams might make a comeback peri-Covid for aerosol prevention. Ivoclar’s OptraDam is the kinder, gentler version of a rubber dam. Retraction pastes are probably the best hemostatic agents in all of dentistry. Pre-wedge every time for a successful matrix. Teflon tape has multiple uses in dentistry. Prep scrub every tooth you prep to prevent sensitivity and reduce bond degradation. Be cautious about mixing and matching universal adhesives. Composite warmers will transform your life. To prevent cross-contamination between patients, don't reuse composites in the warmer. Quotes: “One of the biggest challenges we have when we do adhesive dentistry of any kind, direct or indirect, is managing contaminants, isolation — so, water, saliva, red blood cells, all of the contaminants that are automatically in the oral environment, and then some of the ones that we introduce through our handpiece. And they're actually not our friend when it comes to optimum adhesives, and we want to try to manage that.” (03:35—04:01) “I love working with an Isolite. Most of my patients find it really comfortable once you get it in and get it in position. And they prefer it over having to hope they're staying open wide enough for you or worrying about their tongue. It actually really does do a great job at managing isolation from a standpoint of moisture in the oral environment, managing aerosols.” (04:31—04:55) “I can't use [Isolite] on everybody. And so, the other device that you see listed on the picture is called ReLeaf, and it comes from a company named Kulzer. They're the people who make Ivory Rubber Dam materials. And I use ReLeaf for a couple of different scenarios. One is, somebody posted in the chat, ‘What about patients with a really strong gag reflex?’ This will work much better because you're not putting any pressure or contacting the tongue. And it also works really well for patients at high functional risk.” (05:24—05:58) “If you get the ReLeaf, get one for your hygiene department as well, because it’s probably the best thing that we can think about from a standpoint of using an ultrasonic.” (07:43—07:57) “Rubber dams are one of these things that most of us were super glad that we were able to leave behind when we left dental school. And then, there are other people who say, ‘I do all my dentistry under a rubber dam. I do think that thinking about going back to rubber dam isolation may be on people’s radar screen after we get back in our offices, simply because of the fact that it does isolate us from the patient’s oral environment, and it does prevent aerosols.” (08:42—09:12) “[The Ivoclar OptraDam is] actually what I call the kinder, gentler version of a rubber dam. Why is it the kinder, gentler version? Well, a couple of reasons. Number one, everything all comes together so you don't need to know where the frame is and sterilize it and find the dam material. It also isn't a flat piece of rubber dam, so it literally is the shape of the back of the mouth. And because it’s not under tension, you don't need a rubber dam clamp. And if you don't use a clamp, you don't need palatal anesthesia on the maxillary, and you don't need long buccal anesthesia on the mandibular. It’s already got the little holes punched in it, so you literally just punch the holes with your rubber dam punch.” (09:26—10:07)...
Simple, Predictable, Digital Denture Workflows (With or Without a Scanner) Episode #345 with Dr. Wendy AuClair Clark (Covid Conference) Dr. Wendy AuClair Clark loves digital dentures. And according to pilot studies, patients do too! Going digital speeds up fabrication, cuts down chair time, and can be less expensive. It’s not just the dentist’s workflow that improves, but also access to care for the denture population. What's not to love? If you're still not convinced, Dr. Clark demonstrates how the digital denture workflow is easy, predictable, and very low stakes. For more reasons to try digital today, listen to Episode 345 of The Best Practices Show! Main Takeaways: There is no longer just one workflow. Any step can now be digitized. Every single stage of your diagnostics is preserved with digital. Printing is generally a faster, less expensive way to digitally fabricate. Milling is usually stronger and more aesthetic. Milled PMMA will minimize staining, porosity, and fracture risk. You can reline, rebase, and repair milled PMMA dentures the same as conventional ones. The average digital denture workflow is about 2.65 visits versus 5 for conventional. With milled, there are fewer postoperative adjustments with digital versus conventional. In pilot studies, patients preferred every aspect of digital dentures over conventional. Digital can help close the access-to-care gap for older, edentulous patients. One downside is there are only short-term studies on first-generation printing. Quotes: “I heard a lab tech, Josh Jakson from Evolve, who really laid it out as simply as I've ever seen. And it’s so true, that every aspect of digital dentistry can be put in one of three buckets: data acquisition, design, or fabrication. So, digital dentistry really is an easy thing. And you could take any aspect, so whether it’s making a CEREC crown, you scan for the acquisition, you design it, and you mill it. And it’s the same for digital dentures.” (03:44—04:09) “The other thing that I like people to be aware of is that there's not one workflow anymore, that truly any step can be digitized. And so, if you want to do a whole analog workflow and digitize one step, that's fine. If you want to do digital start to finish, that's fine too. So, it shouldn't be as exclusive, I think, as we tend to make it sometimes.” (04:20—04:40) “Printing, in general, is a faster, less expensive way to digitally fabricate, so the CAM portion of CAD/CAM. And milling is usually stronger and usually more aesthetic. But there are exceptions to every rule. So, this is just the basic blocks that they would fall into. Printing is going to be additive, so you're building it up. You have uncured resin that you're building in layers to create something. Milling is subtractive. I would say it’s like when Michelangelo had a block of marble and he chiseled out David. That's what we’re doing with our dentures. We’re chiseling out these PMMA works of art.” (05:06—05:41) “For a milled denture, you can have a monolithic option. And they have a block from AvaDent, Ivoclar has a block as well, where basically the white and the pink are housed in the same puck of acrylic. So, it’s kind of like an Oreo, is how it was described to me by the rep, where they have the pink on both sides, and the white in the middle. And the mill is aware of where the pink and white sit within that puck. And so, it’s built in in the software to mill it out precisely. So, the teeth are white, the base is pink, but it’s all monolithic. There's nothing bonded, nothing individual. It’s a block of a denture. So, this is going to be your strongest and maximized tensile forces and functional forces. You could also have a bonded denture where you're going to have the bases milled, and then the teeth are bonded into the sockets.” (06:11—07:00) “Alternatively, if you don't want to work through a specific company, you can design and rig up your own monolithic denture. And this is what I've...
Cyber Security Episode #344 with Debi Carr (Covid Conference) You wouldn't give your keys, wallet, and phone to strangers — but you're giving personal information to strangers online! And you may be doing it unawares. Phishing emails, security questions, and even that game on Facebook could all compromise personal information. And to help you be proactive in protecting yourself, your patients, and your practice, Debi Carr is here to educate you on how to develop a culture of security, both in and out of the office. For expert advice and best practices for cyber security, listen to Episode 344 of The Best Practices Show! Main Takeaways: We are giving away more personal information than we realize. Always investigate when hit with ransomware. When buying supplies online, buy from reputable and known sites. If buying from lesser-known companies, investigate before giving your information. Be wary of links and be aware of what you are downloading and clicking on. Every practice should have a security manual, and a record of the training you’ve done. Always use two-factor authentication whenever it is available. Have an IT partner that fully understands security. For patients and employees, have guest Wi-Fi that is off your network. Be proactive and create a plan. Without a plan, it will take longer to recover. Security doesn't begin and end in the office. Practice this everywhere. Quotes: “While we’ve been living in fear, there is one group of people that have actually been thriving. This is their dream environment, because any time a hacker can create fear, can create chaos, they are going to profit. And they have done that. As we become desperate, they thrive.” (00:36—01:01) “In February alone, there were over 300,000 malicious websites that were listed with ICANN and with WHOIS. And this is where you claim your website domain — 300,000 of them. The FBI has identified, or actually, Google, has identified over 500,000 phishing emails, daily, being sent out. And over 200,000 of those have got malicious attachments with them. It’s crazy, because they know that if they can create panic, if they can create fear, that we won't think. We’ll just click, and we’ll go with it.” (01:12—02:04) “We hear a lot about ransomware, but what we don't hear a lot about is the other viruses that can affect and infect a computer or a network system. And they are actually, as far as I'm concerned, do more damage. Because a ransomware attack, it’s bad. I'm not going to lie to you. That can be a devastating attack. They get into your system with a ransomware, they encrypt your system, you know they're there.” (02:20—02:48) “Whenever you get hit with ransomware, you should always investigate, especially now. We’ve seen more sophistication in the attacks where not only are they attacking and encrypting the data, but they are actually exfiltrating the data now. So, it’s really important that you have a forensic investigation and do the response to a ransomware attack in a methodical manner.” (02:52—03:21) “To me, the infection that is worse is infections such as keyloggers that sit in your system. We’ve seen LokiBot. That is a keylogger that sits in the system. And we know that it’s coming from emails. There's a lot of talk and conversation out there about contact tracing. And so, the hackers have jumped on that bandwagon and they're sending emails out from the World Health Organization saying, ‘You’ve been around somebody who has been verified with COVID-19. Click here. Download this so you know what to do.’” (03:22—04:09) “What they're doing is they're allowing a keylogger, which is a type of virus that sits in your network, and it basically mimics everything and traces every time you hit a key on the keyboard. So, you go to your bank, you put in your password. You're putting in your username. You put in your password. You're giving that information away to the hacker that's sitting in your system watching everything you do.”...
The 3 Rs for Future Practice Growth Episode #343 with Sandy Pardue Every practice should have a great recall system. And the problem isn't that dentists don't have great recall systems — it’s that they think they have one, when they actually don't! If you are one of these dentists, today’s guest has a ton of great advice. Kirk Behrendt brings in Sandy Pardue from Classic Practice Resources to teach you three simple things to help you improve your practice. She will teach you recipes for the 3 Rs you need: a recall system, retention, and reactivation. To learn how to implement these Rs and develop the best recall system, listen to Episode 343 of The Best Practices Show! Main Takeaways: You need the 3 Rs: a good recall system, retention, and reactivation. A good recall system includes calls, texts, emails, and snail mail — something for everyone. The majority of broken appointments were people that were prescheduled. Not every patient deserves to be prescheduled. There's nothing in the practice more important than filling the schedule. Don't run from your upset patients, run to them. Practices that value relationships will retain more patients. Retention goals for every practice owner is about 83%. Patients coming in every 18 months is a healthy retention number. January, February, March, and April are the best months to start reactivation. Patients absent from the practice for 13 months or longer is a reactivation prospect. Quotes: “Retention in dentistry is not good. It’s actually, in many practices, only 50% to 60%. And that's very low.” (03:42—03:50) “165,000 dentists in the United States of America, and some of them are getting three new patients a month, and some are getting 130. So, let's just say that 165,000 dentists got 10 new patients a month. That is a lot of people changing dentists every month. We have a huge problem in dentistry. Now, we put what we’re going through with COVID-19 in the mix. Patients, if they haven't been in touch with the practice, and maybe the practice has dropped out some of their vital systems, they're going to be looking for a new dental home. And that's what happens in dentistry whenever you stop communicating with people, or they don't feel comfortable calling because a long time has passed. So, it’s important to have those systems in place that keep them coming back.” (04:00—04:57) “Every practice should have a good recall system. A problem is that they think they have a recall system, but they don't. And what I mean is, as I go into practices — I've worked with over 600 dental practices — one of the first things we’ll ask is, ‘What is your retention?’ And they're like, ‘What do you mean?’ Well, they don't know. And the second thing I'm going to ask is, ‘Can I see your recall recipe in writing?’ And they look, ‘We don't have that.’ So, what that means is, they never really developed a recall system.” (05:13—05:56) “What happens is, [practices] get a third-party company that helps with text messaging and emails. And now, they have just said, ‘Okay, they're going to handle it.’ That's not good. And then, they say, ‘Oh, yeah. Well, we use this company.’ And you guys that are listening have all heard of them, and they're all great companies. But here’s the problem. When I ask the practice, ‘What is that third-party company communicating?’ they rarely know. And if I ask how often, they rarely know. And the fact is, they have no recall system, which I like to call a “recipe.” (05:59—06:42) “The only thing that will give you consistent results — because any practice owners, they're familiar with having a day that's like, $1,000, and then a $5,000 day, and we might shoot up to $7,000, and every day is a surprise. The only way you'll ever have predictability in your practice, ever, is through consistent actions by your team.” (07:57—08:22) “If you're just starting and you don't have [a third-party software to find retention], it’s okay. You don't have to go get that...
What You Need to Know About Google My Business & Your Website Episode #342 with Kristi Simone You've finally built your website, and it’s ready for patients to use. But just because you've built it doesn't mean it’s done! Managing your website is a constant editing process. And to help you be up to date and searchable, Kirk Behrendt brings in Kristi Simone, CMO at Whiteboard Marketing, to teach you the best practices of website building and utilizing Google My Business. If you want to create a website that will increase your conversion rates, listen to Episode 342 of The Best Practices Show! Main Takeaways: Fill out your Google knowledge profile. Be active on your Google My Business page. It will help you show up in search results. Build your website for how Google is going to search for it. Your website should also be built for patients. Keep it clean and simple. Home pages are the most important to get right. It’s where patients spend the most time. Have your calls to action at the top of your website. 45% of website users click off in 10 seconds or less. Make information easy to find. Don't have videos streaming in the background. It increases the loading time. Patients want clickable buttons, such as Google Maps, calling, and online scheduling. Online scheduling and chat can increase your conversion rates! Use Google Posts as a free advertising opportunity. Don't build your own website. Let the experts build it for you. It’s recommended to redesign your website every three years. Quotes: “We recommend that dentists redesign their [website] every three years, or at least making sure that just because you've built your site, you're not ever finished with it. You should always be working to update content, add new pages, add a blog, do different things to keep your website current all the time.” (04:28—04:46) “[Google owns] pretty much every aspect of internet search. You also have other players in the industry like Bing, Yahoo. But Google really owns 90% of that search purpose. So, when we build websites, we are really building it for how Google is going to search for it and different things that make your website show up for Google when a patient may be searching for a dentist in your specific area, or a dental implant in your specific area.” (05:18—05:48) “You also have to build a website for your patients to be able to use. There’s a lot of data out there that shows that 45% of actual users jump off of a site within 10 to 15 seconds. So, one of the other reasons that we really focus on building websites for is to get a patient to do whatever you want them to do, know whatever you want them to know, within 10 seconds or less.” (05:53—06:20) “You're building [your website] for Google, you're building for conversion rate optimization, and then you're also building it for speed. We want those websites to load really quickly. The ideal is three seconds or less.” (06:21—06:35) “One of the first things that we ask [dentists] to do when we’re talking about Google My Business is pick up their phone or their laptop and search their own name on Google and see what pops up. What they should get on the right-hand side is called the Google knowledge profile. And that is what Google is really using to pull up your practice information when a patient is searching for a dentist in that area.” (07:05—07:29) “Google considers dentists as a local business. So, they're local to Columbus, Ohio, or Chicago. It’s really local to that. Where you think of Nike, for example, that's not a local business. That's a national, international brand. So, it’s really important that that knowledge profile that you just pulled up and looked at is filled out with all kinds of great information. And that's how local search works, and that's how Google My Business works. To tie it together, your website is the heartbeat of that knowledge panel information. Your Google My Business profile actually allows you to add your website URL....
Do I Know That My Patient is Comfortably Numb? Episode #341 with Tom Viola, R.Ph., C.C.P. Hello? Is there anybody in there? When it comes to ensuring that your patients are comfortably numb, there’s a lot to consider—it’s much more than just a little pinprick. Tom Viola joins Kirk Behrendt today to discuss the different types of anesthetic agents and how to improve the implementation of anesthesia in your practice. To find out how to ease your patients’ pain and get them on their feet again, listen to Episode 341 of The Best Practices Show! Main Takeaways: When patients wait to seek dental care, it results in more pain. Novocain is typically considered the most common anesthetic, but almost no one uses it anymore. Different anesthetic agents are metabolized by the body in different ways. There’s no one size fits all solution when it comes to anesthetic agents—the patient’s medical history and condition can rule out the use of certain agents. Perfecting anesthesia isn’t something that happens in the classroom—it takes time and practice. Quotes: “It’s tough for dental professionals to take pharmacology and make it applicable and practical to their everyday practice.” (04:46—04:54)
“My job is to make this whole world of pharmacology fit into bite-sized pieces that you can use to get better outcomes for your patients.” (05:47—05:56)
“The reason is all about one thing—pain. Pain is a demotivator and a motivator for our patients.” (07:26—07:33) “If we can get that pain to be not a bad memory, but an ‘Ehh’ memory, then they won’t be so fearful next time, and they’ll come back sooner, and we won’t have this vicious cycle of pain being a demotivator and actually making the situation worse over time.” (09:49—10:05) “I can never teach anyone technique and accuracy because those are the skills you hone in years of clinical practice.” (10:42—10:50) “Am I using the right anesthetic agent for this patient based on their particular medical history and what medical complications they may have?” (12:25—12:36) “It’s all about the type of anesthetic agent and making sure the patient understands that the anesthetic agents we’re using, for the most part, are honed to perfection based on their specific needs.” (16:17—16:30) “If my expectation is I should be numb in a minute, and I’m not numb after five, I’m not blaming the anesthetic agent—I’m blaming you.” (20:56—21:04) “Just make sure of the selected agents you chose to be your favorites, you’ve got enough to cover every patient with every specific or individual type of medical complication.” (35:02—35:12) “While Prilocaine may be an amazing agent, this methemoglobinemia thing stands in the way of a lot of clinicians warming up to it.” (37:30—37:38) “I guess my greatest advice is don’t be stuck with one [topical] because again, based on the procedure and the patient, you may want to decide to use a different topical versus one size fits all for all your patients.” (41:40—41:53) “When in doubt, always, always take what you’ve learned in podcasts like this and courses like mine you can take, and realize that you’re the clinician.” (42:13—42:25) “Do your own research and come up with what you think—based on what I’ve said—is the right strategy for you, because not every anesthetic fits every patient.” (42:42—42:52) Snippets:
Who is Tom Viola? (03:12—05:57) Why is this important? (07:16—09:59) Challenges of anesthesia. (10:24—13:22) A variety of anesthetic agents. (13:36—16:30) Advantages and disadvantages of agents. (16:43—24:57) Lidocaine vs. Mepivacaine. (25:06—35:12) Prilocaine and Bupivacaine. (35:38—39:03) Topicals. (39:04—41:53) Final thoughts. (42:12—46:02) Reach out to Tom Viola: Phone Number: 609-504-9252
Email: tom@tomviola.com
Website: https://www.tomviola.com (https://www.tomviola.com)
Instagram: @pharmacologydeclassified https://www.instagram.com/pharmacologydeclassified/...
Digital Implant Dentistry Episode #340 with Dr. Mark Ludlow If there's any way digital can elevate your practice, use it! Today’s guest, Dr. Mark Ludlow, is here to talk about the benefits of digital implant dentistry and its future. Kirk Behrendt and Dr. Ludlow examine the different ways using digital can help students, dentists, and their patients. If you're interested in what digital could do for your practice, listen to Episode 340 of The Best Practices Show! Main Takeaways: Digital doesn't replace fundamental dentistry; it’s a tool. Digital is objective, and can also help students get more practice. Using digital can positively change the patient experience. It can also cut down chair time with the patients. Analyze how digital can fit into your practice. Quotes: “I've been doing this stuff for quite a while, just because it was something that interested me, and it was something that I saw as moving into the future and what would be the future trends of dentistry. And so, that's why I hopped on it earlier. And looking at it now versus how it was back then, it’s almost unrecognizable how different it is now.” (04:45—05:06) “A lot of what we do in prosthodontics is we’re coming in, sometimes to fix things, sometimes to redo cases, and stuff like that. And so, you really want the tried-and-true thing to constantly work, and something that's always worked and has worked over the years and has big history. And sometimes, that's a little bit difficult when it comes to digital, because hardware changes, software changes, different things change so quickly.” (07:31—08:00) “There are so many things that you can do with digital that back in the day I couldn't even really fathom doing.” (08:45—08:53) “I think the one thing people have to remember is, what digital does for you is it doesn't replace fundamental principles and fundamental dentistry. They're tools, just like everything else is a tool. (09:23—09:34) “I think what a lot of these [digital] tools do for us is it allows the student, especially, to start really being able to self-evaluate, because the scanner and the software to merge it, it’s just a tool. It’s going to give them a completely objective readout to where they can start to look at things and really self-assess and see, ‘Okay. This is what I'm doing. This is what I need to do better.’” (11:57— 12:23) “[Digital] is not getting feedback from the faculty that may look at it and be like, ‘Ugh, this stinks!’ And you go to the other faculty and they're like, ‘This is the greatest prep we’ve ever seen!’ Digital doesn't do that at all. It’s completely objective. It says, ‘Well, you were off 500 microns here, a millimeter-and-a-half this way. You were completely off.’ So, it really helps the students.” (12:24—12:46) “Before, in labs, you had to sit there and prep, and do your thing, and have the faculty be there. Now, they can go ahead and do this any time. So, the kids are getting a lot more practice than they normally would because they can get the feedback off-hours and get more experience that way.” (12:49—13:07) “If there's some way that digital could augment your practice, get into it.” (29:08—29:14) Snippets: Dr. Ludlow’s background. (03:05—07:01) Old and new-school prosthodontics. (07:25—10:05) Benefits of digital for students. (10:42—13:39) The digital side of implants. (14:27—17:47) Changes in digital. (18:31—20:09) What dentists and students get wrong with digital. (20:17—22:00) The future of digital. (22:14—25:11) Favorite thing about working with students. (25:30—28:46) Last thoughts and Dr. Ludlow’s contact information. (28:57—30:53) Reach Out to Dr. Ludlow: Dr. Ludlow’s email: ludlowm@musc.edu Dr. Ludlow’s Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/mark.ludlow.779 ( https://www.facebook.com/mark.ludlow.779) Dr. Mark Ludlow Bio: Mark Ludlow, DMD, is an Associate Professor at the Medical University of South Carolina College of Dental Medicine. He is the division director of...
Leadership is Lonely Episode # 339 with Dr. Barrett Straub Something that no one warns you about is the fact that leadership—and dentistry as a whole—can be lonely. A leader has a great deal of responsibility, and if not properly managed, you can find yourself burnt out. Today, Dr. Barrett Straub joins Kirk Behrendt to discuss their experiences with leadership in the dental field. To learn how you can overcome the loneliness and become a better leader, listen to Episode 339 of The Best Practices Show! Main Takeaways:
Look to your mentors and peers for advice on how to grow as a leader.
The people you surround yourself with have a large impact on who you are.
Keep an eye on what you consume—too much negativity will adversely affect you.
Other dentists undergo the same challenges as you—you are not alone.
Not only will ACT Dental University provide you with knowledge from the top minds in the dental field, but it will also make you a part of a community and support group that wants to help you live a better life.
Quotes:
“It’s unique and unlike any other business leader in the world in that, as a dentist, you are not only the CEO, but you’re the manufacturing line.” (01:30-01:40)
“It is lonely when you are responsible for running the business, responsible for thinking smart, thinking strategically, and responsible for producing the revenue.” (01:45-01:55)
“In a normal business you can sit down with your leadership team and strategically think through some solutions and implement change—it’s hard for a dentist because we don’t have the time or luxury necessarily to sit down and figure stuff out, because we’re doing dentistry all day.” (03:38-03:52)
“One of the things that slows you down is when you wake up and you’re not living your core values.” (04:54-04:59)
“One of the most important things that you have to do is you have to experience yourself the way your value system is telling you to go in dentistry, and that’s when you wake up.” (05:22-05:31)
“If you’re listening and you’re like ‘I care about my team, I’m a life-long learner, but it’s just not getting better…’ you have to make it better. You have to, or else what you start to do is you start to give up, you start to lose that energy, and we don’t want that to happen.” (06:26-06:42)
“I came out of dental school thinking ‘I’m gonna be a great leader, I’m just born for this—I’m gonna kill it.’ And what I found out really quickly was I wasn’t a great leader, and it’s really, really hard. And holding leadership positions is way different than being a leader in a dental practice or a small business because now you’re dealing with real people and real emotions, and real-life challenges that affect your day-to-day operations of your business.” (07:27-07:57)
“You don’t need to bring in a partner to have community.” (11:07-11:12)
“I think it’s really important as dentists you have a safe place to go where you can be vulnerable.” (12:16-12:23)
“Yes, leadership is a risk, and it is lonely, and it is hard. And it’s totally worth it. To be a leader and be able to bring people up and improve their lives and help them do things they never thought they’d be able to do before—there’s no greater rush in life than to do that.” (13:22-13:42)
“Your problems are how you think about the problems—everything you have is a thinking problem.” (15:45-15:51)
“The only thing that separates you from them is how you think.” (16:24-16:28)
“I always love a hug from a great client, but what’s more fun was watching clients hug other clients, saying, ‘We gotta stay connected.’” (20:37-20:45)
“I think the thing that’s cool about our company is we’re big on core values, so we end up attracting the people that care about the same types of things.” (23:49-23:57)
“Surround yourself with people with same core values, similar core purpose, with the same level of humility, ability to be vulnerable, and
Digital Workflow, Telemedicine & Working from Home Episode #338 with Dr. Larry Emmott For many dentists, 2020 forced them to use digital technology to maintain their practice from afar. However, for Dr. Larry Emmott, embracing the benefits of the digital workflow has long been his way of life. Dr. Emmott joins Kirk Behrendt today to explain the steps you should take to streamline your practice and give yourself more time. To learn how utilizing technology will make your practice more efficient and profitable, listen to Episode 338 of The Best Practices Show!
Main Takeaways:
We take our access to technology for granted.
Digital workflow lets you use your digital records to do things differently.
People have always resisted change—don’t let that stop you from improving your practice.
Have staff members understand that technology is not an extra step—it’s just the way things need to be done.
Embracing technology will increase your profitability by reducing the number of staff members required.
There’s so much that staff members can do from home.
Streamline your practice by using technology to implement electronic systems—this will give you more time.
Quotes:
“Have people understand that technology isn’t something extra—it’s actually what makes your practice thrive.” (02:52-02:57)
“Many of the things which we do now that allows us to do this—to have school from home, to work from home, to communicate, to stream movies from Netflix—all of that stuff has to do with the infrastructure of the high-tech world we now live in. If we had been faced with this same issue just twenty years ago in the 1990s, it would have been completely different; we wouldn’t have been able to do all the things that we do.” (04:44-05:10)
“Up until 2020, I was basically teaching people how I could streamline the flow of work in the dental office, but the fact is that because it’s electronic and digital I can do this same work not in the office.” (07:57-08:13)
“People resist change because it threatens their self-image, and they fear loss of status.” (11:54-12:00)
“One of the things I want the dentist and the staff to understand is that when you’re dealing with change, those are the things that you have to deal with; there’s more psychological stuff, and so helping support them, helping to make sure they’ll be valuable—in fact more valuable—after the transition I think is important.” (12:31-12:48)
“If you have good electronic systems, you can do more with fewer people.” (13:38-13:46)
“The so-called crisis isn’t in healthcare—it’s not the care. We have amazingly good care for the most part. The crisis is in affordability—it just costs too darn much money to get sick in America…Telemedicine will allow us to do things in a more affordable way.” (19:52-20:20)
“That was the way you used to have to do it; so it involved a human being getting data, which was paper charts and paper schedules; doing an action, which was making my phone call; to come out with a result, which was the confirmation of appointment…So what we do now is the computer gets the data in the form of the patient’s information…it goes up to the cloud to some cloud computer, it sorts it out, it sends a text message that comes out of my phone back to the patient saying ‘See you tomorrow at 2:30,’ and it does it every day with every patient, with no person ever picking up a telephone.” (23:57-24:44)
“Every time you create a system or put in a technology, you save hundreds—if not thousands—of hours in the future.” (31:25-31:34)
“Our best doctors that had their team members [come] back did the best effort they could daily to truly educate their team on what the virus was. Our worst were subject to team members going ‘I watched a YouTube video’ or ‘I saw on Facebook.’” (34:23-34:41)
“Our team members don’t have to be in the office unless we’re actually putting our fingers in the patient’s...
Critical Steps to Fun & Predictable Dentistry Episode #337 with Dr. Glenn DuPont Dentistry should be a fun, profitable, and predictable career. But for many young professionals coming out of dental school, this isn’t the case, and their practice can become overwhelming and stressful. Kirk Behrendt is joined by Dr. Glenn DuPont to talk about the critical steps to ensure that your patients love you and the work you do, while maintaining a strong business. To learn the best practices you should take to grow a practice that is predictable and profitable, listen to Episode 337 of The Best Practices Show! Main Takeaways: Spend time early on with a patient making a diagnosis and treatment plan. Rethink your approach to solving a case. Unpredictable things happening in your practice should be rare. The goal is to have a patient love you and the work you do on them. Don’t overlook problem when they arise. If you’re feeling disillusioned with dentistry, reach out and find a good mentor. Quotes: “I talked with a classmate recently who’s ready to retire. And he was saying that some of these younger dentists just don't understand that a nice, profitable, relaxed practice is possible. They wonder why he’s not busier. And his answer is, ‘Because I don't want to be busier. I'm making a great profit.’” (04:42—05:03) “I think dentists need two things. They need someone to manage their staff and their practice like [ACT Dental]. But I think one of the things that we haven't done so good in is helping dentists manage and practice their cases so that they are profitable and predictable.” (05:09—05:29) “I think [students] get out of dental school and maybe they're in a corporate type of format or a dentist who runs a very high-volume practice. And in dental school, you're not doing high volume. And all of a sudden, you get thrown into this, and it’s not what they thought. It’s not what they expected. And that's why dentists come to The Dawson Academy and come to us a lot of times, get me involved with them, is that they know there's a better way.” (08:02—08:38) “I had a dentist, a classmate of mine, call me after ten years he was out. And he said, ‘I got great patients. I'm in a nice little town in Georgia. I'm a member of the country club. My kids to go private school. And I hate it.’ I said, ‘Why do you hate it?’ He said, ‘Because my practice is running me. I got out of dental school and all I knew was how to get busy. I didn't know how to get busy in the right way.’” (08:57—09:26) “We all run into the same problems in dentistry; it’s how we solve them. It’s the thought process and solving them.” (10:56—11:03) “Think of a restorative case, and let's think of it backwards than what you typically see presented. So, where do we want the end to be? We want the end to be that patient smiling, saying, It’s great and it feels good. My bite feels good. My speech,’ loves everything about what you did, and for that reason, loves you. That's the ending I want. And that's what makes us feel great. Yeah, we get profit. We have to have a profit. But that is what we work for.” (11:40—12:28) “I think the number-one mistake [dentists] make is not spending the time to diagnose and treatment plan. Pete Dawson would say the most important appointment we spend with the patient is the exam, and then the most important time we spend is our working on the models to determine what's wrong and what we’re going to do.” (19:26—19:55) “I think the biggest problem is, dentists think spending time treatment planning is lost revenue. And it’s not, because you will find more work to do and you'll do longer appointments, so you're going to be more profitable.” (20:13—20:33) “The one thing that dentists have trouble with — not the biggest problem — I think the main thing I've seen they have trouble with is once they get a lot of this in order, and I've taught them how to gather the information and how to put it together and how to go through...
How the Face is Supposed to Work Episode #336 with Dr. Michael Gunson Faces have multiple functions. It needs to breathe, eat, and communicate. But while a face may excel at these tasks, it may not be aesthetically pleasing — and vice versa. And to talk about how to achieve a functional and aesthetic result with treatment, Kirk Behrendt brings in Dr. Michael Gunson from Spear Education to teach you how the face works and how to redefine normal. For the best practices on treating the face for form and function, listen to Episode 336 of The Best Practices Show! Main Takeaways: The face has three key functions: to breathe, eat, and communicate. Understand why something looks good in a particular location. “Normal” is just the average of what has ever been observed. Using standardized normals won't always make a face aesthetic. Understanding why something looks good will help you adjust for people who are not “normal.” Connect with patients. Help them understand the problem, and they will accept treatment. Quotes: “My partner was at the forefront of figuring out how to move the teeth and jaws in a way that's aesthetic for the face. Because prior to him, for the most part, people were just going by cephalometric normals or, ‘Let's just put the teeth together, and that'll make a good face.’ And that was not true. So, he devised a way of measuring and treating the face aesthetically. But as I did that, I discovered you don't always hit the bullseye going by these standardized “normals.” And what I started to discover is that “normal” is a bad word. None of us should be trying to make anything normal. Normal is just the average of what has ever been observed.” (07:17—08:14) “My partner, Dr. Arnett, says, ‘Put the chin here. This is the location where the chin belongs.’ So, I started asking questions like, ‘Well, why? Why does the chin belong there? Why does that look good?’ Because if I understand the why behind it, then I can make adjustments for people who are “not normal” or not underneath the bell curve. So, I started asking all these “why” questions.” (09:59—10:26) “There are some functional keys to the face. In other words, the face has a job to do, and that job is to do three main things: the face needs to eat, it needs to communicate, and it needs to breathe. And what I discovered looking at all kinds of data, all kinds of articles, is that the brain is in charge, and the brain will override just about any aspect of the face in order to accomplish those three goals. So, does the brain care that the teeth wear down when somebody chews or talks? No. The brain only cares that we eat and that we communicate. Does the brain care that posture can be deformed in the neck and hurt if growth is incorrect? No, the brain doesn't care if the neck hurts. The brain’s actually responsible for the neck hurting as the patient cocks their head forward, has bad posture, in order to breathe.” (10:32—11:46) “In me speaking with my patients and having a connection with my patients, I felt like I was not connecting with them based on, ‘Oh, let me just explain to you that your jaw is in the wrong place, and we need to put it in the right place.’ And the patient’s like, ‘Okay?’ So, the patient has to believe me, at that point. That's far different than sitting with a patient and listening to them, ‘Well, what is the problem?’ ‘Well, my neck hurts. My jaw hurts here. My mom’s always yelling at me to stand up straight. I drool.’ It’s like, ‘Yeah. I'm sorry you're going through that. Do you want to know why you're doing those things?’” (13:03—13:52) “I'm connecting with the patient’s story. This is their life story, and I'm connecting with their life story, and they're feeling me connect with that. They're feeling me understand that life story so that now we’re on this same level; we’ve joined stories. So, now, the question comes up, ‘Well, what are we going to do about it?’ Well, they know that I understand them now, and they...
Post-Covid vs. Peri-Covid Episode #335 with Dr. Kevin Kwiecien If you’ve needed an excuse to make changes to your practice, now is the perfect time! Covid-19 brought with it many tragedies, but also opportunities. To offer some perspective on what this means for dentists, Kirk Behrendt brings in Dr. Kevin Kwiecien from The Pankey Institute to reflect on this past year of the pandemic. He explains some of the benefits of this time that he calls peri-Covid, and also reminds us that we are not post-Covid just yet! To hear about the changes you can make and why now is the best time for them, listen to Episode 335 of The Best Practices Show! Main Takeaways: As of today, we are still not post-Covid. We are very peri-Covid. Peri-Covid is an opportunity to talk about health. It’s also an opportunity to make changes to your practice. Patients are more amenable to change during peri-Covid. Use this to your advantage! Practice the three P’s: predictability, progress, and purpose. Quotes: “If you've been pregnant, or have a partner who’s been pregnant, or anybody in the world that's been pregnant, we talk about prenatal vitamins, prenatal care, prenatal this. Then, we’ve got postnatal as you're healing. Even if you look at Peloton right now, they’ve got postnatal yoga and things like that. And, of course, when you're pregnant, you are perinatal. And people always say “post-Covid.” And I'm like, no. There was pre-Covid. We certainly haven't hit post-Covid yet. We’re now over a year-and-a-half peri-Covid. And we thought we were getting to post-Covid, but we’re still quite peri-Covid.” (07:34—08:12) “People thinking, ‘Oh, no. We’re post-Covid now,’ I'm like, it’s a different mentality. You're still in it, and what does that look like for you? When you're pregnant the first month, it feels one way and you like being pregnant. And probably, when the pandemic started, some of you liked the Netflix binging and the forced hanging out at home, especially after you got the PPP loan and the EIDL loan. But then, when you're in your seventh month of pregnancy, you're like, ‘Have I not had this kid yet?’ And now, we’re in the — I don't even know what month we’re at — 16, 17, 18 months of being pregnant with Covid, and we’re all ready to be post-Covid. But we’re not. We’re still peri-Covid.” (08:17—09:03) “This peri-Covid time that we’re in in the 18th month of pregnancy, the pressure is still there. And it might even be worse because we feel like we’re close to the end, and yet there are dentists who are still looking for associates. Most dentists right now are looking for team members. That's the biggest stress right now across the country, how do you find a good team member right now. It’s that scarcity mentality right now. It’s, you don't have to be in scarcity mentality, but how do you realize that you're in scarcity mentality, how do you manage it, and how do you move on with hope and abundance mentality versus scarcity mentality. And that's a lot of the conversations we’re having lately.” (11:01—11:56) “There's a reason that we decide how we want energy and information to flow through the office. As I say, how energy and information flows through the office optimally with intention. We've decided how that looks for us so that when there's a little glitch, we still know what optimal looks like. That's predictability, but it takes work. And the progress, for me, it’s every day, what is the small little shift, the tiniest thing that you can do so that you don't do exactly what you did yesterday. What's the teeniest, tiniest, shift? Because that's progress.” (16:47—17:27) “A lot of practices, I'm guessing it’s the majority, meaning over 50%, if they look at their checkbook, pre-Covid, and they look at their checkbook now, it’s probably more now. And so, they had this downtime where they had to think about it, and money came in from different ways. They had their AR, they were doing emergencies, they had PPP, they had EIDL. The...
What is Your Practice “IT” Factor? Episode #334 with Dr. Michelle Lee Differentiating your practice is one of the most important things you can do. But just being unique isn't enough. You still need the “secret sauce” to put that uniqueness into practice. And to help you find and apply your own “it” factor, Kirk Behrendt brings in Dr. Michelle Lee from the Pankey Institute to share the philosophies she learned from the organization. For Dr. Lee, focusing on relationships and the patient experience is what helped her practice thrive. To hear her advice on finding your unique “it” factor, listen to Episode 334 of The Best Practices Show! Main Takeaways: Differentiate yourself through practice philosophy, different services, or patient experience. Relationships are part of the “it” factor. Cultivate relationships with your team and your patients. Differentiating your practice can positively impact your team. Start small with team meetings. Don't tell your team to do it — invite them. The Pankey Institute provides a template for the “it” factor, as well as a life/dental compass. They will also help you bridge the gap between what you know and how you practice it. Practice gratitude and mindfulness with yourself, your team, and your patients. Quotes: “Dr. Pankey had a practicing philosophy construct. He said you need to know yourself, you have to know your work, you have to know your patient, and you have to apply that knowledge.” (09:21—09:38) “All patients come with a story, just like I have my story. All patients come with different circumstances. They have objectives and they have different temperaments. How do we begin to know our patient, that practice philosophy piece, if we’re not able to spend the time with them?” (13:35—13:52) “My differentiation in my practice is that comprehensive exam, is really fully understanding where the patients are coming from to then fully understand what kind of treatment plan we’re going to go to, and then executing that. But that execution piece is also that technical piece, that I think patients appreciate the communication, the philosophy, and understanding what their circumstances may be.” (15:07—15:35) “My heart just goes back to gratitude every day — and my team. I wouldn't be here if it weren't for my team. I'm the last person that patients meet when they enter the practice, and so to be able to have that culture where all of our hands are on the rope and we’re pulling in the same direction, I always say that it takes a village. And I really appreciate the gifts that my team shares with me.” (17:03—17:32) “Speaking personally for myself, the type of practice that I have is a fee-for-service, out-of-network practice. And so, that is the only way that I feel like my practice can thrive, is to differentiate [myself], whether it’s through a practice philosophy or, at least for me, having different services for the patients, or creating a new patient experience.” (18:10—18:45) “A couple differentiations that I have is, all patients in our practice get a tour. Just like if you were a guest in my home, I would invite you in and I'm going to walk you through, and I'm going to tell you where things are. And we’re really going to thank you. We really thank our patients for coming into our practice. Everyone puts down what they're doing. I'm going to say pre-Covid days — now, it’s a really big smile with my eyes with my mask on. But we really welcome our patients to the practice, and we thank them for being there. So, we really warmly welcome them.” (18:47—19:23) “The other thing that we do is just that experience. I always say I don't like to treat strangers. But once we meet, and once we have this new patient exam together and this thorough exam, we will no longer be strangers and you will be a part of our Fleetwood Dental family or my practice family.” (19:23—19:42) “I want to make sure that the practice stays viable, that we keep growing. And so, we have to really keep...
It Can't All Be Done With a Bur Episode #333 with Dr. Jeff Rouse Aesthetics should be the byproduct, not the driver of airway treatment. And a problem in dentistry is the pervasive camouflage treatment culture that many clinicians participate in. So, to expose the problems with this mindset, Kirk Behrendt brings in Dr. Jeff Rouse from Spear Education to teach you that not everything can be fixed with a bur; airway might be the answer. But don't just take any old course on sleep — sleep and airway are not the same thing! For more of Dr. Rouse’s advice, listen to Episode 333 of The Best Practices Show! Main Takeaways: Dentistry needs to go beyond the aesthetically-driven camouflage treatment culture. Dentofacial growth problems need to be addressed, not camouflaged. There are more than just structural and biologic issues; there's a bigger picture. You can't solve airway issues with a bur, by cutting away and removing things. Comprehensive care isn't taught in dental school. Don't just take any sleep course. Learn about airway. Quotes: “[Dr. Christian Coachman wrote in his post], ‘In my humble opinion, the main challenge of modern dentistry is, go beyond the aesthetically-driven camouflage treatment culture.’ And I totally agree. I wrote him and said that we need to also have ENTs and sleep physicians think the same way. . . His idea was, we need to stop just taking constricted arches and malocclusions and camouflaging it by adding veneers and crowns, that we need to get to the core problem, which is that we've got a dentofacial growth problem. And we need to address that.” (08:09—08:57) “Dental school has a huge problem. And I don't think there's an answer to it, honestly. I can't figure an answer. If you turned a dental school over to me tomorrow, could I put a curriculum in that would advance our ability to treatment plan more ideally the way Christian was talking about? Absolutely. What would be the problem? Well, a lot of those treatment plans require multiple years, so you're not getting the hands-on. You're not actually cutting on teeth and stuff; you're doing other things. But even more important, it would require retraining all of the faculty. And every time a new faculty member came in, they'd have to be retrained all over again.” (09:52—10:36) “At Spear, we teach that facially-generated treatment planning starts with esthetics; where do the teeth belong, like setting a denture; function, how do you put the lower denture in to get it to work right. Then, you talk about structural issues and biologic issues; do they have disease, did they break a tooth, what kind of ceramic I'm going to use. In dental school, we only talk structure and biology. There's no, ‘Where do the teeth belong?’ It is simply, get hand skills so that you're not going to hurt people when you leave. And do you need to do that? You absolutely do. The problem is, we call it “treatment plan”. They say, ‘Okay. You've met your new patient. Now, you're going to present your treatment plan to me.’ And that implies that it’s comprehensive in nature, and it’s not even close.” (10:41—11:33) “We need to continue to spread the word that there's more than just structural and biologic issues. There's a bigger picture that needs to be taken into consideration.” (12:50—13:00) “If the only thing a dentist knows how to do is cut with a bur, they don't understand the interdisciplinary nature of what they just put on the teeth. Then, they try to provide a solution simply by warping ceramic, building out huge bicuspids, teeth that are overlapped, ‘Well, if I prep this, it could do this and do that.’ I mean, they're always trying to figure out how to solve it with a bur. And what we’ve started to look at and look at differently is, if you take that case, and the analog or digital version of the mockup is great because it gets commitment from the patient. I want that. But I want you to then, instead of just counting the number of teeth you've...
Up in Smoke: Will Cannabis Replace Analgesics in Dental Pain Management? Episode #332 with Dr. Tom Viola, R.Ph., C.C.P. You might know that one person who really loves their mints. But it turns out, those could be edible cannabis, not Altoids or Tic Tacs! And because so many different forms are available today, it’s almost impossible to know who could be using cannabis. So, why is this important to dentistry? To answer that question, Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. Tom Viola to explain some of the direct and indirect impacts, as well as some of the ethical dilemmas of cannabis. To learn what dental school didn't teach you about cannabis, listen to Episode 332 of The Best Practices Show! Main Takeaways: Cannabis is still an unknown, and its use has an impact on dentistry. There are many myths and misconceptions about cannabis. Cannabis actually raises your blood pressure and heart rate. In high enough doses, cannabis can increase anxiety. Cannabis can cause immunosuppression and increased risk of infection. Patients who use cannabis are more resistant to the effects of anesthetics. Because cannabis isn't standardized, we don't know how much a patient may be taking. Cannabis can span any age group. It’s not just younger people taking it. Always ask patients about their cannabis use. Quotes: “Cannabis is an unknown. I didn't learn about it in school, you didn't learn about it in school, because at the time, cannabis was still a Schedule I substance under the federal law, which meant it was illegal, like heroin, like LSD. So, we didn't learn much about it, and we really didn't anticipate that cannabis was going to get such widespread political and social acceptance — and medical acceptance — as it has now. Honestly, it’s still a quagmire. It’s still illegal, Schedule I, at the federal level, but approved in, if you want to call it that, or legalized or decriminalized in 35 states throughout the country. So, it leaves everybody in a quandary because, again, your patients have never had such widespread access to a drug that we, in our education, never really learned much about.” (07:50—08:37) “The first thing you need to know as a dental professional is that what your patient is smoking, consuming as a gummy, vaping, is probably not one of the three original strains but some hybrid of those three strains that specializes in a specific THC or CBD content that the patient is demanding or the patient expects.” (14:57—15:17) “The next thing to realize is that many people believe that cannabis, marijuana, mellows you out. And therefore, by logical extension of “mellows you out,” that means it must lower your blood pressure, lower your heart rate, make you calm and less anxious. Actually, that's not true. Actually, cannabis raises blood pressure and raises heart rate, and in high enough doses can actually cause paradoxical effects of dysphoria, anxiety, agitation.” (15:21—15:54) “From our perspective as dental professionals, it’s like, ‘Yeah, you're right. If you can use cannabis, why do we need to prescribe an opioid? I'm good with that too.’ But if you look at the legislation in all these states where opioid education is mandatory, what's one of the primary things that’s central to all of those education programs? Did you educate the patient? Did you ask an at-risk patient one question: do you have, or have you had, an issue with substances in your past? And guess what? Cannabis is a substance. Your patient may not agree with it. Heck, you may not agree with it. But at the end of the day, it is. So, all of a sudden, it’s easy for the patient to say, ‘Hey, don't worry about it, doc. I had a gummy an hour ago. I'm good.’ But is that substance abuse?” (18:39—19:28) “The big question is about how to take a good medical history. The fourth question [to ask patients] is, ‘Do you use cannabis? And if you do, when was the last time you used it?’ Because that's going to affect the vital signs, increased blood...
How to Manage the “Karens” in Your Practice Episode #331 with Xaña Winans Sometimes, it’s better to let people believe they're right — whether they are or not! But what do you do when the crazies get out of control? To help you manage the “Karens” who storm into your practice, Kirk Behrendt brings back Xaña Winans, owner and founder of Golden Proportions Marketing, to talk about the three types of crazy people you may deal with in your practice. To learn when to take the air out of the fire and when not to engage at all, listen to Episode 331 of The Best Practices Show! Main Takeaways: Don't feed the crazies. They thrive off of your energy! Be proactive. Prevention is better than the cure when dealing with these people. “Karens” are looking for attention and a fight. Don't engage. The “easily offended” are looking for validation. Give them some power. Prepare answers to questions from “vaccination hall monitors”. Show them you care. Take caution with how you respond to “Karens”. They can take down your business. Quotes: “I think we have gotten way more sensitive to pretty much everything in this society. But people are definitely crazier, and we’re more aware of the crazy. So, it multiplies. You see someone acting completely bananas, and it’s funny to you, so you're going to throw it up on social media, on Twitter, Facebook, wherever, share it with all your friends. It goes viral, and all of a sudden, you got this massive problem on your hands. So, these “Karens” have an outsized impact for the thing that they're doing. Like, they're getting way more attention than they deserve, in my opinion.” (06:18—06:54) “There are a couple of really distinct type of personalities that we have to be prepared for, and they each have a different strategy that goes with them. So, there are “Karens,” which are basically the, ‘I'm going to do what I think is best, and I'm going to tell everybody else that they're wrong.’ There's what I'm calling “vaccination hall monitors,” the people who are calling your practice and asking if everyone in the office is vaccinated. And then, ultimately, this is the group that we can't control, it’s the people who are easily offended. You could do anything that seems slightly controversial, but you didn't mean it to be, and they will go off and make it their personal mission to destroy your business.” (09:48—10:28) “It is really common for a patient to call a practice and ask, ‘Before I come in, is everybody in your practice vaccinated?’ And well-meaning front office managers are literally just answering the question. They're saying, ‘Well, most of our team is vaccinated,’ or, ‘Our doctors decided that they're going to wait a couple of months to get vaccinated,’ or they just say, ‘Oh, it’s really none of your business. I can't share it.’ And because they haven't done it in a well-scripted way, what happens is these hall monitors — and this is why I'm calling them hall monitors — they feel it is their responsibility to now tell the entire community that nobody should go to your practice because your inability to have your entire team vaccinated is putting everyone at risk, like you're going to personally be killing people when they come into your practice. So, you've got to be careful.” (11:58—12:51) “In advance of getting these kinds of questions [from “hall monitors”], put together a video that shows your patients and prospective patients all the things that you are doing to keep patients extra safe. So, you can do fun stuff. You can show the doctor and the hygienist holding a six-foot long ruler away from each other so they can make sure that they're socially distanced. Or you can show the assistant having 17 layers of masks on. Show everybody what you are doing, seriously and with a little comedy in it, and put this together as like a one-minute video. And then, you need to be proactive about it. You need to put this out on social media and say, ‘We want to share with you all of the things...
The Life Balance Mindset Episode #330 with Dr. Tito Norris No one on their deathbed says to themselves, ‘I really wish I would've worked more.’ In fact, most people regret working too much, not cultivating relationships, and not letting themselves be happier. And to help you avoid some of these potential regrets, Kirk Behrendt brings in Dr. Tito Norris to share how he achieved his work-life balance mindset. If you want to know how you can have a life and still have a thriving business, listen to Episode 330 of The Best Practices Show! Main Takeaways: Before caring for others, you've got to care for yourself. Care for yourself physically, emotionally, and mentally. Being a workaholic is not sustainable for your health or well-being. You can actually become more efficient while working less! Take that vacation — your team needs a break from you! Plan your vacations in advance and set it in stone. Have systems in place. It could save you thousands of future hours! Overvalue your time. Find the balance between work, family, and yourself. Quotes: “When you're lying in your deathbed, no one has ever said, ‘Gosh, I wish I would've worked more.’ Right? It’s quite the opposite. What people say is, ‘I wish I would've taken time to cultivate that relationship with my children and my spouse,’ whoever it might be. When I look at achievements in my life, those are the things I'm most proud of, is the fact that I've got a healthy relationship with my wife and children.” (04:35—05:07) “Before I can take care of anyone else, I've really got to take care of myself. So, what does that mean? That means that I've got to put the right kind of fuel in my body. I've got to eat mindfully, eat nutritious things. And that's different things for different people, but we all know what we should and shouldn't be eating, and should and shouldn't be drinking, for that matter. And you've just got to start there, with fuel for your body.” (07:55—08:23) “Find something that you love and take care of yourself physically, as well as emotionally and mentally, whether that's yoga, or meditation, counseling for mental health. All those factors are part of life balance.” (09:19—09:37) “We just can't be workaholics these days. We've got to find that balance between being efficient at work, creating excellence at work, and finding that family time and taking that time off to take those vacations.” (09:39—09:57) “I started my practice from scratch. I hung my own shingle in 1998. And probably for the first five years, I had two really young children, and I was trying desperately to grow my practice, and I was just burning the candle at both ends, just working my patootie off day in, day out, late nights, early mornings. And I had not taken time for myself. I was starting to get out of shape. And it wasn't doing well for my marriage, and there was a lot more stress there than there should've been. And I can't think of the actual cathartic moment or watershed moment where things changed, but I knew that I had to do something differently.” (10:59—11:50) “I started prioritizing time off and scheduling that time off. And simply visualizing that time off and actually scheduling that time off in advance, like a year in advance, that actually forced me to take it off and actually forced me to close down the practice for those periods of time. And “close the practice,” those are like, three dirty words. But amazing things happen when you close the practice.” (12:05—12:35) “We became so much more efficient when I started working less. When we started working fewer days, we actually skyrocketed. It’s so counterintuitive, but it’s so true.” (12:59—13:13) “The key is to hire amazing people and to empower them to make great decisions, and to coach them.” (16:32—16:43) “People want to be admired. They want to be respected and they want to be appreciated. They really, really want to be appreciated. So, it’s just one little thing that I try to do.” (25:30—25:45)...
The Secret of Scheduling Success Episode #329 with Dr. Pat Lillis Time is one thing that dentists give away the most. And if you don’t learn to run your schedule, it will run you! So, to help you become a master of your time, Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. Pat Lillis with tips for managing your practice calendar. His first piece of advice: don't let your patients run your schedule! Categorize and pre-block procedures to better organize your time. If you're tired of working crazy hours and want to know more secrets of scheduling success, listen to Episode 329 of The Best Practices Show! Main Takeaways: One of the best parts of dentistry is being able to choose your hours. Time is the most valuable commodity we have. Master your scheduling early in your career. Break your schedule into major and minor times. Know how long procedures take so you can pre-block your schedule. Don't reschedule patient cancellations right away. Have a nonrefundable deposit on your time. Don't let anybody tell you you can't do something — you can! Quotes: “The longer you practice, the more you maybe appreciate this, but I think the most valuable commodity we have is time.” (05:28—05:34) “About two-and-a-half, three years ago, I was talking to Bob Margeas. He said, ‘You know, you should go three-and-a-half days a week.’ I said, ‘I can't do it!’ And he’s like, ‘What do you mean you can't do it?’ I said, ‘Agh! I can't do it! I've got to be there four days a week because I've got to get all the cases in.’ He’s like, ‘Listen, you won't miss a beat if you go three-and-a-half days a week.’ I said, ‘I don't know.’ So, I took the leap of faith about two-and-a-half years ago. I met with the team. I brought them all in. I said, ‘Here’s what we’re going to do. I'm going to leave Thursday at noon.’ And, of course, everybody freaks out. They say, ‘Well, you can't do it because we’ve got to see our patients,’ and this and that. And it’s totally not true. So, I work three-and-a-half days a week. And I've got to tell you, one of the best things I've ever done.” (06:22—07:05) “My grandfather was a dentist. I grew up four houses from him. And every day, on the nose at 5:00, he'd be honking his horn driving home from work. And my dad was an attorney, and he didn't get home until like 9:00, 9:30. So, people always say, ‘How'd you get into dentistry?’ I say, ‘Well, I saw my grandpa. He was home every day at 5:00. I thought that was the coolest thing ever.’ I learned early on how he scheduled. He was a master of scheduling. Even 35, 40 years ago, he was doing this stuff.” (09:36—10:06) “We break our day up into halves, and we bisect it by lunch. So, we have major and minor times in our schedule. I've got to be honest with you, by the time the afternoon comes around, I get tired. I'm just not that sharp as I was in the morning. I'm a better morning person. Some people are different. Some people can go in the afternoon. Whatever it is that fits you, you can schedule however you want.” (11:08—11:34) “What we do is, we do all the major stuff in the morning. So, we call it major and minor time. So, majors would be all the major procedures: crowns, bridges, implants, All-On-4s, dental reconstructions, you name it. That's what we do in the morning. And we want to be pretty well finished up with all the major time by about 1:00. So, then 1:00 comes, and then we switch over to consultations, new patient exams, crown and cementations, denture adjustments, denture deliveries, all the stuff that you can do without concentrating all that hard. So, that's how our days are broken up.” (11:35—12:16) “What you just said happens where, ‘Dr. Lillis says these procedures are at 8:00 in the morning.’ ‘I can't come in at 8:00.’ ‘Okay. Well, he has a 10:00.’ ‘I can't. Give me an afternoon.’ And they're like, ‘Well, he doesn't do this procedure in the afternoon.’ And it’s amazing, what I've seen over the years is that if you tell patients that, they’ll come to
A New Way to Look at the Comprehensive Exam Episode #328 with Dr. Kevin Groth You might get by cramming five-minute exams at the end of your appointments. But it isn’t the best way to learn about your patients. It’ll also get you quickly overwhelmed. To show you a better way, Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. Kevin Groth to share his protocol process so you can help diagnose and solve your patients’ issues. His first step is to start slow to build relationships with your patients. For more tips you can merge into your practice, listen to Episode 328 of The Best Practices Show! Main Takeaways: Five minutes is not enough time to discover anything about your patients. Structure your office based on relationships and care. Slow things down and get to know your patients. Build rapport. Don't get sucked into the capital aspects of dentistry. Believe that what you're doing is beneficial for your patients. Co-discover issues with your patients. Don't assume that patients can't afford a service. Don't take offense if patients refuse the exam. It may not be the best time for them. Quotes: “It’s so easy to get bogged down into the doldrums of general dental life. And I was working 220 days in 2018 and running around with my head cut off, type of feeling, and doing examinations at the last five minutes of each appointment. And new patients would come in for a hygiene appointment, and then they'd see me for five minutes. And I just felt very overwhelmed and drowning in what we consider general dentistry. And you start really becoming resentful of the profession — and it’s an amazing profession. There could be a better way.” (04:48—05:24) “My comprehensive exam comes from my current patient pool. I do a comprehensive examination on new patients as well, and we oftentimes discover a lot more. But a lot of times, these things come from the practice within. Like you've said time and time again, you can form a practice within a practice.” (06:44—07:04) “Five, seven years ago, I would have new patients coming to my dad’s practice, and we’d see them. Right off the bat, they get their teeth cleaned. I would meet them after their cleaning and I would see them for about five minutes, 10 minutes, or whatever it may be. And it’s really difficult to really discover anything with the patient and build a rapport and trust with them, let alone say, ‘Hey, you need all this work done.’ So, you kind of get in that grind like you would in dental school where you're just looking for caries, looking for periodontal disease, looking for oral cancer — the things that you were trained upon. But, quite frankly, like they say in Dawson Academy, about 70% to 80% of the patient population all have some type of functional disease or issue going on.” (08:01—08:42) “Unfortunately, you have a lot of people in the industry preaching that if you do this technique, or you do this procedure, or if you buy this technology, it’s going to make you productive and you're going to have a more fulfilled life, and you're going to have a better practice, and your patients are going to be better off. And you get sucked into that. And I think I was a product of that right out of dental school because I heard placing implants would do a lot of those things. So, I spent the $20,000 and did an implant course. And I don't place implants, to this day. And I think it’s just because I didn't really have a clear understanding of why I was doing something, and it’s because I didn't know who I was to begin with. And that's really what it’s all about in anything in life, is that you need to know who you are, which then flows into why you do something.” (10:38—11:26) “I want to impact people. I want to change their lives. And from a dental aspect, I want to have a relationship with every single patient I have. So, if I treat people with the regard as if you are my brother, my sister, my wife, my mother, however it is, I have to give you what I would do on them. And so, I...
Bridging the Gap Between Material Selection & Clinical Application Episode #329 with Dr. Taiseer Sulaiman Imagine a dentist who doesn't know what they're putting into your mouth. They don't know the name or even the basic components of what they're using. Would you really want them restoring your teeth? To help you not be that clinician, Kirk Behrendt brings in Dr. Taiseer Sulaiman to teach you the importance of understanding the materials you work with. Close your gap between material selection and clinical application! If you want to optimize your restorative treatment, listen to Episode 329 of The Best Practices Show! Main Takeaways: Dental students are suffering from the gap between material selection and clinical application. Students are graduating from dental school with minimal knowledge about materials. No matter how talented you are, if you select the wrong material, it will not support your work. Not knowing how to select and apply the right material can ruin your practice! New materials have a lack of clinical trials and data. Finding trusted sources of information for dental materials can be a challenge. Offer gold restorations to patients before new materials. You know gold works! Quotes: “One of the challenges that we’re facing in dental education, before we get into the clinical world, is that if you look at the area of dental materials, usually, it is taught by material scientists — and I have the utmost respect for them. Without them, we wouldn't be able to do the things that we’re doing for our patients in our clinical practice. But many of the material scientists did not have the opportunity to try the things that they were researching and discovering on patients. And so, they were missing that link.” (05:15—05:50) “To be in an area where you can understand the research world, where you can understand the development and be up to speed with the materials that are introduced into our profession, and to be able to evaluate that, to research that, and then take what's useful and apply it in the patient’s mouth or in a specific clinical scenario, that's when you really complete the circle. And so, that's where I think most of the dental schools are missing out on.” (05:51—06:18) “Our students are really suffering, because if you think about dental materials that were taught in the ‘70s and ‘80s, there were about five or six materials that were out there, and that was it. And so, now, if you look at dental cements alone, there's like eight, nine different types of dental cements. I mean, you talk about the adhesive systems, you talk about ceramics, you talk about composites, impression, etc., you can go on and on, how do you teach this to dental students and when do you teach it to the dental students? So, that's been a challenge in the dental curriculum, which I hope — and I'm certain — that a lot of dental schools are focusing and looking at.” (07:21—08:01) “You can be a talented, god-gifted clinician with hand skills and dexterity, but if you select the wrong material and you apply it incorrectly, does it really matter how talented you are or how well you prepared that tooth? That material is not going to support your work. Patients look for final outcomes, and they don't know how you isolated the tooth, how you prepared it, how wonderful your line angles and convergence and all that. They don't really care about that. They want a final restorative outcome that lasts for a long time.” (08:04—08:42) “Something as simple as not knowing how to select the right material and not knowing how to apply it is a big problem because it will ruin your practice.” (08:44—08:54) “The current curriculum right now, dental materials, is taught in the first year. [Students] don't even know what a cavity is. How can you teach them about adhesion and restoration of non-carious cervical lesions using composites? They don't even know what a non-carious cervical lesion is. So, that's the severity that we had.
The Fuel of Your Practice: Collections = Profits + Expenses Episode #326 with Dr. Ann Marie Gorczyca If your collections were a bathtub, how much of it are you letting down the drain every month? You may be surprised once you find out! And to help you minimize your expenses and maximize your profits, Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. Ann Marie Gorczyca with tricks and advice for collecting payments and getting your accounts receivables to zero. It’s possible with just a few changes to your practice! For more, listen to Episode 328 of The Best Practices Show! Main Takeaways: Collections are the engine of your office. Collect what is owed to you! Don't keep a financial coordinator who doesn't have the ability to collect. Minimize your expenses, but don't skimp on value or quality. Cut expenses by cutting waste! Look through your own mail. You may find errors on invoices. Use the “magic pink stickers” from SmartPractice. Don't wait 30 days until your patients’ payments are past due. Call them at 21 days. Send an invoice to overdue patients every week until it is paid. Have the doctor sign the invoice. It works like magic! Electronic fund transfers are the best things you can do. Don't get carried away with giving discounts. Keep track of them each month. A weekly meeting is the best investment you can make with your team. Quotes: “I realized having a weekly meeting, one hour every week, is really the best investment you can make with your team, because you can go over all the scores, all your numbers, everyone can report their KPIs. You can say, ‘What are we working on? What's our top priority?’ And you have the ability to change things on a very fast pace, like that day.” (08:31—09:01) “Collections equals profits plus expenses. Now, you might say, ‘Dr. Gorczyca, why are you so focused on collections?’ Well, because that's your bottom line. That's the fuel of the engine of your office. You'll hear a lot of dentists talk about production, production, production, production. But that's not really your fuel. Your fuel is your cash. And if you're only thinking about production, maximizing production and not focusing on your collections, you might be wasting time doing things that you're not profitable in, or maybe you're not getting paid for.” (11:31—12:20) “I think the first 10 years of my practice life, I was very focused on production. But then, the older you get, the more you realize to be profitable and to truly work in the most efficient, smart way that you can, I think it’s a more direct focus for you to look at your collections and understand that collections equals profit, which is your salary. And I include my team salary in there as well, because if my team is getting a raise, I'm getting a raise. We’re in it together.” (12:51—13:41) “Your profits are determined by how high your expenses are, so it is your goal to minimize your expenses as much as possible. Now, I'm not talking about skimping on value, if there are certain materials that you need that are the highest quality materials. I'm not talking about cutting expenses by cutting quality. I'm talking about cutting expenses by cutting waste, by cutting shelf life, by cutting things sitting on the shelf that you're not using or may never use, and also price checking. If you can get the same product from a different vendor and it’s exactly the same thing, why would you pay more money for it?” (13:43—14:34) “Think of your collections as a bathtub, and your patient payments go in the bathtub and your insurance payments go in the bathtub. But there is that drain — your write-offs and discounts, or courtesies — that's letting the money out of the drain. So, the more you let out, the less collections there are there.” (15:19—15:51) “When I started working with [Bassim Michael], the first thing he told me was, ‘Dr. Gorczyca, get your own mail. Do not have the front desk get your mail. You get your own mail, you go through everything in your...
What Most Dentists Are Missing in Their Practices Episode #325 with Dr. Leonard Hess Dental school taught you to pass an exam. You can do basic procedures and run a practice, but there's a lot more left to learn. And to teach you about the things your practice may be missing, Kirk Behrendt brings in Dr. Leonard Hess from The Dawson Academy. If you want to create a practice that's profitable and special in the marketplace, listen to Episode 325 of The Best Practices Show! Main Takeaways: Knowledge is empowering. Start continuing education right away. You don't need to conform to the insurance-dictated model of care. Look at insurance for the source of positivity that it is. Treat people in dentistry ethically and responsibly, and the money will come to you. To be financially successful, learn to solve problems that others aren't solving. Learn the principles and foundations to make dentistry predictable and profitable. Quotes: “Most of our patients are actually, over their lifetime, being grossly undertreated. And a lot of times there's criticism in the press out there, or Reader’s Digest articles, or there’ll be one of those gotcha pieces in the media where they try to villainize dentists and act like we’re overtreating people or trying to do things unethically. But I'm going to be honest with you, what I find in my practice is that most people have been undertreated over their lifetime, which is why they get to be 50 or 60 years old, and they're really frustrated with the level of health that they’ve attained. And it’s simply because of the standard of care, which is being dictated by insurance and a $1,500-a-year minimum or maximum and all that good stuff.” (07:51—08:32) “The trap that I see a lot of dentists fall into is that they think that they have got to immediately conform into this insurance-dictated model. And I want to qualify what I'm going to say with a little pre-statement. Number one is, we like to badmouth insurance. And what I don’t want to do is say that insurance is a bad thing. Because insurance, in a lot of ways, is a great thing. It’s one of those things that a lot of patients have which helps them to pay for their care. And it’s not going to go away. But what we need to do is instead of complaining and making insurance a source of negativity, is look at it for the source of positivity that it is.” (12:23—13:07) “It doesn't mean that we just fall into line with insurance and let them control our practice, let them control our fees, let them treatment plan for us, and to allow the insurance company to create that wedge or barrier between the patient and us. And insurance companies love to do that. They love to create that wedge of deniability, ‘Well, this is now denied. This procedure wasn't necessary. Your fees are outside of customary and usual. You're not in network,’ all these different rules that they have in place where they try to keep us boxed into a corner. But we don't necessarily have to play that game.” (13:08—13:47) “I get the problem that a lot of young dentists have, is they come out of school, they're coming out of school with more debt than ever, and everybody’s anxious. Most young dentists are not ready to own their own practice, so a lot of times, what does that mean? They’ve got to look for an associateship. So, a lot of times, practices that are looking for associateships, they're insurance-based practices. And these dentists dive in, and they just become indoctrinated into that model of care. And the reality is, yes, a lot of our patients have insurance, and they want to maximize it. But where we really box ourselves into the corner is that we stop giving patients the ability to choose to do what's best for them, and we start to recommend treatment based on what insurance will pay for. And those are two different things.” (13:48—14:34) “If you enjoy what you're doing and if you treat people in dentistry ethically and responsibly, the money will come to...
Reality vs. Social Media Episode #324 with Dr. Nate Lawson Social media can be a great tool for dentists. It’s a growing resource for clinical examples, and an effective way to market your practice. But it can also have its downsides. To share some of his personal learnings on these platforms, Kirk Behrendt brings in Dr. Nate Lawson for his insights into social media dentistry. What you see online isn't always reality! For tips on avoiding social media comparison, listen to Episode 324 of The Best Practices Show! Main Takeaways: Social media is a great place to find visuals of clinical examples. One disadvantage of social media dentistry is the perpetual comparison. Constantly seeing unattainably beautiful dental work can skew your perception. What's highlighted on social media is people’s best work — not their everyday work. Strive to be better, not perfect. Perfection is unattainable. Invest in yourself with continuing education. It will give you knowledge and confidence. Quotes: “There are parts of [social media dentistry] that are really great. I remember I graduated dental school in 2011, and I used to search on the internet to try to find examples of how to do stuff clinically, like how to do better crown preps, or veneer preps, or whatever I wanted to learn how to do. And there was very few information out there.” (08:02—08:22) “One of the things that hit me, the only reason I was thinking about talking about this today was, I was looking at a post of a buddy of mine, and he posted this case that now I look back and I think it’s really nice. When I first saw it, the rubber dam was a little bit torn, and not every edge was perfect, and maybe there was a little bit of old composite left in the prep. And I thought to myself, ‘Well, look at that piece of crap.’ And then, I thought to myself later, ‘No, that's not a piece of crap. That's actually very beautiful dentistry.’ Like, if I did that on any given day, I would go home and feel great about it. I just maybe didn't get to look at it blown up to 10 times size. And it’s also, it didn't come after I had just looked at three different things that looked like they were the smoothest — I mean, they looked nicer than regular teeth. So, I do think that that's one of the disadvantages of social media and social media dentistry.” (14:35—15:34) “I was doing a crown prep. And I was sitting there, and I was on my third, final impression, and I was looking at it. And I'm staring at the final impression, like looking at one part of the margin. And [the patient is] like, ‘What's wrong? Is it not good?’ I was like, ‘I don't know. I just don't know if it’s perfect, and I don't know if it’s great.’ And he said to me, ‘You know, the enemy of good is great,’ or something like that, basically meaning you get 95% of the way, and then to get the extra 5%, sometimes you kill yourself, and you sometimes even make it worse.” (18:24—19:01) “A lot of times, where I run into trouble where my dentistry doesn't come out quite as perfect is sometimes when I'm pressed with time and I'm fighting this thing that's like, do I want to spend five minutes going around and finding this extra material, or this one special wedge that I think might work, or do I want to switch out three more wedges just to see if this one’s going to get in there perfectly, where I have to make some compromises in the quality. I think I have a base level of where I want to get, and then I try to get to that level, and then try to exceed it as often as I can.” (19:43—20:26) “The stuff I see on social media, I don't think that anybody should use that — I mean, it’s great to aspire to that. And I feel guilty saying this because I don't think that any . . . You know, is it bad for me to sit here and say, ‘Don't aspire to making teeth look better than they did before every single time you restore one’? But I think we just have to be honest with ourselves that you can't do that every day.”...
The Art of Failure: The Top 10 Reasons Your Dental Marketing Flopped Episode #323 with Xaña Winans Every failure is an opportunity to learn. But if you don't know where and how to improve, you can end up making the same mistakes! To help you avoid another flop, Kirk Behrendt brings in Xaña Winans of Golden Proportions Marketing to explain why your dental marketing failed, and where to focus your improvement. If you’re ready to learn from your mistakes, listen to Episode 323 of The Best Practices Show! Main Takeaways: “Fail forward” by using failure as an opportunity to get better. 10) Choose the best marketing medium for your target audience. 9) Understand the difference between strategy and tactic. 8) Think about your target market and the problem you're trying to solve. 7) Go where your competition is not. 6) Inspire action with your call to action. Be intentional with your language. 5) Is your product or service great? Be self-aware — know your online reputation. 4) Have an adequate budget. Marketing costs money! 3) Measure every piece of marketing you're doing. 2) Be more patient. ROIs don't happen overnight. 1) Make it easy for people to buy from you. Quotes: “Failure is always an opportunity to learn . . . Fail forward. Everything that you do that didn't work out exactly the way that you wanted is an opportunity to get better.” (05:37—05:50) “The number-one reason why your marketing failed is you're choosing entirely the wrong medium for the audience that you are trying to reach. So, let's say, for example, you are trying to reach families and you decide you want to do a lot of Facebook advertising. I'll tell you what, the young families, they're over on Instagram right now. So, if you are not on the right medium where your audience actually lives and is engaging with your message, it’s going to be a flop. You're going to be wasting a ton of reach with people that just aren't your right target.” (07:23—07:57) “People aren't putting the strategy before the tactic. They're just picking the shiny object, the, ‘I want to do social media marketing funnels,’ or, ‘I want to do an infomercial that comes out,’ because they're excited by the tactic. So, if they are not actually thinking strategy . . . You've got to have a long-term goal. You've got to have a plan; the tactic fulfils the strategy. The strategy is the goal and the plan of what you're trying to accomplish. So, if you don't know what that stuff is, you're throwing darts at the wall.” (09:51—10:25) “Do you know their age? Do you know the income of the person you're going after? You're going to have a very different target for income if you're going after families than if you're trying to target people who need implants. You've got to think about what problem it is you are trying to solve for the person. That is also part of your target marketing. So, am I trying to solve a problem of dark teeth, or missing teeth, or the fact that somebody just has a really tight schedule and can only be seen in the mornings or late evenings? Figure out what that problem is. And then, the last part of defining that target market is really thinking about what is the want of the person you are trying to reach.” (11:41—12:20) “The best place to start is by looking at your own practice demographic. Just dig into your practice management software. Pull up, by zip code, how many patients are coming from a particular zip code. And you should also be able to see the total revenue that is coming from that zip code. So, you can see, are these people that are high dollars that have money to spend and are willing to spend it with you. It’s easy to want to say, ‘Okay, my target audience is the super-wealthy community that's 20 miles away from me.’ That's a target, sure. But that's a terrible target because you're not going to get a lot of people to come see you. We know people still have convenience in mind when it comes to dentistry.” (13:28—14:09) “The seventh reason that...
Confessions of a Non-Practicing Pessimist Episode #322 with Robb Zbierski Human brains are hardwired for negativity. But we can choose to change this default setting! And to help you become more successful at life, Kirk Behrendt brings in Robb Zbierski from Freedom Personal Development with tips to manage your mindset. By changing your habits, perspective, and attitude, you can achieve the results you want with less effort! To tap into the power of your mind, listen to Episode 322 of The Best Practices Show! Main Takeaways: Human brains are hardwired to focus on negativity, urgency, and complacency. Due to the hardwiring, people are subconsciously pessimistic. Modern society and culture support this hardwired negativity. Focusing on one problem sets off a chain reaction of problems in your brain. You have the ability to change habits, thought processes, and perspectives. Practice gratitude regularly, knowingly, and intentionally. Quotes: “Right, wrong, or indifferent, we are all born, we are all shipped from the factory. Our brains have certain default settings. We are hardwired to focus on specific things. The biggest ones that we see that actually hold us back, our brains are hardwired to focus on negativity, urgency, and complacency. The short version is, we think it sucks, we think it needs to be fixed right now, but we’re unwilling to contribute or do anything because that might be a little uncomfortable.” (09:38—10:07) “Most people don't wake up going, ‘I'm going to be a jerk today.’ But the reality is, the way our brains are hardwired, we end up unconsciously being a jerk or being a pessimist because it’s a survival mechanism. Like caveman days, saber-toothed tiger days, we’re always looking for threats. Our brains are hardwired to look for threats so we live longer. Unfortunately, that tendency, that hardwiring, is buried deep in our DNA. And our challenge is that what our brain perceives as a negative input or a threat today, it’s just not the same as it was back in the caveman days.” (10:23—11:04) “Grizzly bears, saber-toothed tiger, tribe with a stick and can throw a spear, is a threat. You're going to die unless you can address it. Today, like if you're going back to conferences and they don't have Starbucks out, you're like, ‘Argh, institutional coffee! Argh!’ Right? Your brain thinks that's the same thing. Or you throw a treatment plan out to your patient, and they're like, ‘Yeah, let me think about it.’ And you're like, ‘What? What do you possibly need to think about?’ Right? Or like, ‘I need more information.’ ‘Okay. Here’s the information. You have teeth. They need to be fixed. This is how to fix them. That's the information.’ And you go into defensive mode. You're like, ‘Why are you trying to shut down my practice by saying no?’ It’s like, you don't wake up going, ‘Who am I going to be pissed at today?’” (11:05—11:58) “Ultimately, unconsciously, because of these unhelpful default settings, this hardwiring, we just end up having a lot of negative thoughts. And then, the reality is, we do live in a culture that I think kind of helps promote this. Right? Like, the news and social media. The reality is, you turn on the news, it’s the worst thing in the world. Or you read the paper, it’s like, if it bleeds, it leads. That’s what sells newspapers and magazines.” (13:34—14:05) “You have tools at your disposal that are inside of you. They're free, they work. But being aware of them and cultivating the skill is actually proven to overcome all these “default settings”. And so, as it relates to overcoming pessimism or overcoming your brain’s natural tendency to focus on the negative, ultimately, we’re talking about attitude.” (17:23—17:47) “There are mindset management tools that you can use that are simple, and they work . . . It’s your ability to laugh, your ability to practice gratitude, and your ability to manage your mental input. Those are the three big tools that you have at your disposal.”...
Lower Risk – Increase Prognosis Episode #321 with Dr. Betsy Bakeman Risk assessment is the most important tool for designing the best treatment. And to share the most effective way to lower risks and have a good prognosis for your patients’ teeth, Kirk Behrendt brings in Dr. Betsy Bakeman to talk about a new system of thinking, the four diagnostic parameters, for better outcomes in patients. Veneers are useless if you lose your teeth! To learn more about treating patients comprehensively for the long run, listen to Episode 321 of The Best Practices Show! Main Takeaways: It’s important to figure out why something is happening to patients’ teeth. Always look to reduce risk in areas of perio, biomechanics, function, and esthetics. You can reduce risk, but you can't always eliminate risk. Risk is a moving target in patients — things change. It’s important to help your patients understand their level of risk. Treatment doesn’t need to be done all at once. Continuing education is the best gift you can give yourself. Quotes: “The whole concept of lowering risk, of looking at a patient and making a complete diagnosis and looking at where their risk factors for breakdown are and really categorizing that in a very simple way: low, medium, high. Periodontally, biomechanically — which is the structural integrity of the teeth. So, that's the patient’s risk for caries, erosion. And then, functionally, load-based failure. And then, also looking at the patient for esthetics, do the teeth show, because that has an influence on where we put the teeth and everything. So, you categorize in those four areas, are they low risk, medium risk, high risk.” (04:40—05:24) “You have to work to lower the risk. Now, that may be treating the decay. It may be saying the decay is too out of control, we need to remove the teeth and move toward implants. Load-based failures. Is this a parafunction patient? Is this just friction? Are the teeth rubbing together, and we can fix that, the way the teeth come together? So, we always are looking to lower risk. And the amazing thing that does when we really think about that and make a thorough diagnosis and we design our treatment plans to lower risk, we increase prognosis and predictability. And patients really get it.” (05:32—06:11) “It’s just a different way of looking at things and looking at the whole patient and making some decisions about where to go with things. And people are so appreciative. You end up treating the patient for the long term and you create very happy, very pleased patients. And it doesn't mean you have to do it all at once. Sometimes, we stage treatment over time. But you're going in that direction to lower risk and increase prognosis. And it feels really good. It feels like you're serving the patient.” (07:32—08:06) “You have to force yourself to think [in this way]. [John Kois], he has systems that go through that, that go through perio, biomechanics, structural integrity of the teeth, the function, and the esthetics. And you actually have to write down in those areas and think about it in that way. And in the beginning, you have to fill out the form. You have to start to get your brain to think that way. And you develop the risk assessment, and you say to yourself, ‘Okay. I know this patient wants veneers. But if I don't manage the function, the reason the teeth look this way, this whole thing is going to fail.’ Or if the patient doesn't treat the periodontal disease they have, I could do beautiful veneers, but they're going to lose their teeth. And so, you structure things that way.” (08:51—09:42) “The patient that needs the most dentistry, they're coming with the highest level of risk. And sometimes, we can lower risk. But in some areas, we’re not able to. We just have to manage it, and to the best of our ability, but we’re not able to eliminate it. And so, that's where I find risk assessment is really important as well, because I actually talk to the patient about their
A Completely Different Perspective on How to Enjoy Dentistry Episode #320 with Dr. Kevin Kross There is no real secret to enjoying dentistry, but there are ways to make it more pleasant for you, your staff, and your patients. To share some of those tips, Kirk Behrendt brings in Dr. Kevin Kross to help you enjoy more of your time at the office. His first tip: don't take things quite so seriously! Break the ice with new patients and spend time getting to know them. Most patients want to know about you and how you can help them, not the technical details of their teeth. For more of Dr. Kross’ tips and advice, listen to Episode 320 of The Best Practices Show! Main Takeaways: Take CE courses to learn what they don't teach you in dental school. Be open-minded toward different teaching philosophies. Show gratitude, especially towards your team. You don't need to work full-time! Be very intentional with your time. Figure out what you truly love about practicing dentistry and target that. Don't take things quite so seriously. Quotes: “I tell [students and mentees] all the time, ‘Listen, just don't take it quite so seriously.’ I think we get trained to, you know, everything is the end of the world. And early, early in my profession, I might’ve even been a dental student, when somebody told me, they kind of shrugged and said, ‘Well, at least it’s not brain surgery, right? We’re working on teeth here. But more importantly, we’re working on people. And they just want you to be honest. They want you to be straight up with them.’ It’s so rare, at least where we practice, that they want to know about their teeth. They want to know about you. They want to know how you can help them.” (08:09—08:42) “Get to know the patient. Find out what they're after, why they're even in the chair today, and what makes them tick. And just that level of communication, I think it — I hope — it displays that I'm interested in them first. Dentists can kind of get a bad reputation, I think, a lot of times, from telling them about what's wrong with them, ‘The patient wants to know what's wrong with them first.’ It’s like, don't do that. We’re all great diagnosticians, to some degree, and I think it’s just easier to get to know them on a personal level first.” (08:46—09:22) “There is no secret [to enjoying dentistry]. That's for sure. If I had to pick one word, it’s gratitude. And I've had some employees we had to get rid of. But I think we all have team members that didn't work the way you wanted to, and that kind of thing. But if you show gratitude towards a staff member, a team member, it’s not about the money so much with them. My thing is, I want to have the highest paid team around. But I think, more importantly, I want them all to always feel like they're effective at work. And I think that's really what we all want, right?” (10:16—10:58) “If you want to run a truly comprehensive practice, learn the stuff that they don't teach you in dental school. And you have to do it all-in. You can't tiptoe around this, and do a little of that, but then go back. You just have to dive in and trust the multitudes of people that have done it that way and developed really, really good practices because of it.” (17:03—17:28) “I think one thing that we maybe fail at in getting across to students is, yes, we can teach you how to do this. Yes, we can give you the protocols and all of the information and knowledge to really, really help patients far and wide. But you do have to figure out the way to implement that in a practice. It isn't going to be for every single patient that walks through your door. And that's okay.” (22:09—22:39) “For me, it took three to five years of really sitting down and focusing on a certain patient’s problem and just helping them understand it. It doesn't mean they're all going to say yes. It doesn't mean your revenue is instantly going to go from $50K to $100K to $200K a month. But over time, over a few years, if it takes 10 years,...
The Future Foundation of Orthodontics Episode #319 with Dr. Drew McDonald Orthodontics is more than just straightening teeth. And today’s guest, Dr. Drew McDonald, explains how foundational knowledge of patients’ issues can lead to more successful treatment and happier patients. Kirk Behrendt and Dr. McDonald talk about the interconnectedness of airway and joints in ortho and how interdisciplinary understanding can help patients long term. Don't be led astray by the esthetic side of things! For more on the importance of foundations, listen to Episode 319 of The Best Practices Show! Main Takeaways: Look under the surface — the foundation — in patients’ issues. Airway and jaw joints influence structure, which leads patients into the ortho chair. Ortho is more than straightening patients’ teeth. Don't get lost in the esthetic side of things. Straight, white teeth isn't the endgame. Understand who’s in your chair so you can give them the best treatment. Quotes: “As an orthodontist, we see patients with teeth that don't fit together, teeth that are crowded, whatever it might be. But at the end of the day, when we start peeling back the layers, we’ve got to know where that came from. And what we’re starting to understand, it seems like more and more every day, is that the airway side of things, the TMJ side of things, the growth and development, that those two factors, especially, really influence and create an orthodontic patient. Somebody with a bad bite and bad teeth, under the surface, there's an airway issue, or a joint issue, or both, a lot of the times.” (06:09—06:41) “If we understand the foundation of our patients from a joint standpoint, from an airway standpoint, from even cervical, spine things, and the bone around their teeth, then we know what's going to be successful and stable long term because we’re addressing the under-the-surface things that got the patient into our chair.” (11:45—12:03) “The other nightmare of orthodontists is relapse. So, if we can understand the foundation of our patients and what got them, under the surface, into our orthodontic chair, then we set ourselves up for better success, stability, and ultimately, a happier patient.” (12:34—12:48) “Whenever I, quite honestly, wanted to be an orthodontist, I wasn't thinking about jaw joints or airway stuff. And some of that wasn't really a big part of what we were taught in school. And ultimately, I've gotten to know a lot of very influential people in my life who have taught me so much about the foundational side of joints, of airway. Dr. Mark Piper, he’s a big role model of mine. Jim McKee, in terms of the joints. They're not orthodontists. Those dudes, they put something in my head that did not come from orthodontic residency. But as I went back to patients after seeing them talk, I go, ‘This is my everyday patient. All of these Class II patients that all have clicks and pops, that's no coincidence.’” (13:26—14:15) “The things that can lead orthodontists astray is that we start thinking about the cosmetic side, the esthetics, that that's all the endgame is for these patients.” (16:48—16:56) “I think it’s easy in ortho, sadly, at this point in the game, to get led astray. And I will say, it’s a frustration of mine to see — and I'm not saying anything negative of the people that you see all over certain social media stuff. I'm just saying we have a better story to tell. And I think that the story to tell is that we can do more than straight teeth. It’s, we are the people most equipped to do more than straight teeth, and recognize it, and help people structurally.” (17:21—17:47) “You can't just diagnose something and tell somebody they need to do something. You have to be able to motivate them. And ultimately, you have to know why that person’s in the chair too.” (19:50—20:00) “I really do think that our place in the world as orthodontists is going to be involved in multidisciplinary health-related things. And again, I know that the
The Top Thing Dentists Miss or Don't Ask with Patients Episode #317 with Dr. Tom Viola, R.Ph., C.C.P. To make the best treatment planning decisions for patients, you need to know their medical history. And to do that, you need to ask the right questions. Today, Kirk Behrendt brings in Dr. Tom Viola to teach you the three key questions to ask patients to get their medical history. What you don't know about your patients could impact their care! To learn what you weren’t taught in dental school, listen to Episode 317 of The Best Practices Show! Main Takeaways: Know your patients’ medical history to make well-informed treatment planning decisions. All you need is the patient’s medication list and an understanding of pharmacology. Build a good team around you and teach them how to take a good medical history. Ask patients good, open-ended questions to get the information you need. The first question to ask patients is, “What do you take?” The second question to ask patients is, “Why do you take it?” The third question to ask patients is, “Did you take your medication today?” Asking those three questions will help you understand what you're getting into with patients. Substance abuse/use has an effect on dental therapy. Ask patients about it! Quotes: “We really sometimes miss [important] things when we take medical histories, when we inquire about patients’ medications. There are some things we miss because even we don't think it pertains to dentistry when, in fact, it does.” (08:00—08:12) “It goes well beyond medications and xerostomia and even system-induced xerostomia. It has to do with, do you know enough about the patient’s medical history to make well-informed, good clinical decisions in your treatment planning? And the only way you're going to really know that is if you know the patient well enough. And the only way that's going to happen is if you know their history. So, medical histories [are just as] important [as] almost anything else you do in your practice, because without knowing your patient intimately and sufficiently, you're not going to be able to make those decisions.” (08:23—08:57) “The greatest blessing ever bestowed upon dentistry was the fact that you could take the patient’s medical history directly from the patient themselves. They're right there. Right? What more convenience can there be? And the greatest curse ever inflicted upon dentistry was that you could take the patient’s medical history directly from the patient themselves. As in, if they don't know, you're not going to know. And if they don't want you to know, you're not going to know. But you can overcome that obstacle when you realize that all you really need is a list of their medications and a good working foundational knowledge in pharmacology.” (09:37—10:12) “I will tell you the thing I hear the most. In the beginning of the medical history, this is the question that gets asked, ‘Any changes to your medications?’ And immediately, the answer is, ‘No.’ Why? Because it’s easier to say no than it is to give me, the dental clinician, the information I need to be able to fill in the medical history. So, conditionally, I say, ‘No.’ And everybody’s like, ‘Okay. No.’ And we move on. But we missed so much of what we could've grabbed from that interaction.” (11:01—11:32) “Build a good team around you. You've got to invest the time and the money, if necessary, in your team to be able to teach them how to take a good medical history, what questions to ask, and how to ask leading questions and open-ended questions to get the patient to give up the information that maybe they don't want to give up, or maybe they don't know to give up.” (11:41—12:01) “Ask the right questions. So, you've had your teammate ask the questions. Now, you ask the question too, but in a different way. So, your team member could say, ‘Any change to your medications? What's new with your medications?’ Or something like that. But I have...
Whine About it With the WINEgenist Episode #316 with Katrina M. Sanders, RDH, BSDH, M.Ed, RF She isn't everybody’s cup of tea, but she is someone’s glass of wine! Today, Kirk Behrendt introduces Katrina M. Sanders, The Dental WINEgenist, to share her passion for dental hygiene and good wine. Great conversations need great wine! And with the two combined, she hopes to support, encourage, and empower others to elevate dentistry. If you're a dental professional who needs to whine about dentistry with wine and a like-minded tribe, listen to Episode 316 of The Best Practices Show! Main Takeaways: COVID-19 exposed many existing problems in dentistry. The Dental WINEgenist sparks conversations about those problems. Dentistry can be isolating since professionals are siloed in their own operatories. And because dental professionals are isolated, it stops communication and great ideas. Join The Dental WINEgenist to share ideas and support one another in elevating dentistry. Great conversations require great wine! Quotes: “It is isolating. We’re stuck in this operatory where now, a lot of times, we don't have other colleagues to share ideas, ‘Hey, come look at this X-ray. What do you see?’ If you're a one-doctor practice, you don't have somebody aside from maybe your hygienist to share some of those ideas. And if you're one hygienist in the practice, you don't have somebody to help you sharpen instruments. Or if you're struggling to remove that piece of calculus, you don't have a colleague to bring into the operatory to help you out. And so, this is, I think, where a lot of ideas stop, a lot of high-level clinical practice care stops, and I wanted to be a part of the conversation that isn't happening in dentistry. And so, you want to have a fabulous conversation, you've got to bring some great wine. So, that's who we are. The birth of the WINEgenist.” (12:05—12:53) “I think dentistry was caught with its scrub pants around its ankles when the pandemic happened. And the reason for that, I think, first and foremost, is that a lot of things that we needed to address in dentistry but hadn't had been swept underneath the front office rug. There are things that we should've been talking about, like lack of leadership and efficiencies within the practice.” (17:35—17:57) “I think that what I do is highly essential. I'm not risking my life [during COVID-19] to just clean someone’s teeth. I'm an inflammatory specialist who’s highly trained in infection control. And before I go back to the operatory, I want to make sure that we’re doing this safely so that I'm not putting myself at exposed risk, nor am I putting the rest of the team members or other patients at risk. And that's where the conversation got away from us, is because these conversations that we should have been having about the essential nature of the work that we do, the responsibility that we have to the profession, that conversation went out the window. And it was more about us having fears about our safety, or lack thereof, when we go to work.” (19:48—20:27) “The concern really became, so much was swept underneath the rug. And with one wave of a regulatory hand, boom, everything got blown out and it was exposed — we were exposed as dental professionals — to the things that were inadequate in our profession, conversations that needed to be happening. And that's where I think we’ve had the opportunity since March 17th to do better as a profession, to take what it is that we’ve experienced during this global health and financial crisis and really create the pivots that dentistry has so desperately needed for so long.” (20:53—21:33) “We started to see patient screening taking effect [during the pandemic]. And what that did, that peeled back the layer that a lot of hygienists have had grief about for a long time. And that is, how do you update health history information on patients who are not interested in updating health history information? Well, now, it kind of...
Seeing the Clinical/Technical Reality Episode #315 with Dr. Bob Winter There is a lack of communication between dentists and the lab. And to explain why that is and how to close that gap, Kirk Behrendt brings in Dr. Bob Winter for his insight into both the clinical and technical sides of dentistry. Keeping standards and expectations high is great — but keep them grounded in reality! For more advice on communicating effectively, listen to Episode 315 of The Best Practices Show! Main Takeaways: Dental students aren't taught how to communicate and interact with dental labs. Because of this, there's a lack of effective communication between the two. Dentists expect perfection from the lab without communicating effectively. Dentists should make an effort to find the right dental lab to collaborate with. Learn to diagnose and treatment plan comprehensively. Technology helps simplify things but isn't a panacea. You still have to think analog in order to use digital technology. Digital isn't a prerequisite to becoming a quality dentist. Quotes: “In dental school, we learn a lot of basic concepts. And then, when we get into a practice, we’ve learned a lot of clinical steps. But unfortunately, in most schools, we don't learn a lot about the communication and interaction with dental laboratories. We just expect certain outcomes, and yet we don't communicate very effectively with dental laboratories. We just expect perfection, and we don't know how to interact and communicate because we’re not taught that in school.” (09:56—10:35) “Today’s technology is evolving so quickly because of the digital world, whether it’s digital photography or even things like we’re doing right now. We can communicate with individuals around the world, real-time. So, [technology] simplifies things, but it’s not necessarily the panacea that solves our problems. And in the digital world, there are some current weaknesses in how it relates to the traditional analog world. And so, I'm just super excited to see all of it evolve. And hopefully, sooner than later, there's a seamless transition from analog to 100% digital.” (12:05—12:47) “The only thing that makes me, as a specialist, a prosthodontist, different than anyone else is, I'm trained to look at patients comprehensively and to diagnose and treatment plan comprehensively. When it comes to procedures I do, it’s not different than any restorative person. So, it’s all about seeing the patient in a holistic manner and comprehensively. And in dental school, they get a reasonable exposure to that. But once you start seeing patients, you realize it goes beyond one tooth, or two teeth, or three teeth, or quadrants; it’s full-mouth evaluations.” (13:23—14:07) “We can treat individual teeth fairly predictably. But when you see people with debilitated dentition, severely worn dentitions, multiple missing teeth, then looking at the big picture and understanding comprehensively what the needs are, I think, is the key.” (14:21—14:42) “Unfortunately, there's a lack of effective communication between the dentist and dental laboratory. If you look at the percentage of prescription forms that are completely filled out, or at least to get enough information to do the cases comprehensively, it’s lacking. So, the expectations are really high of what you want in return, but the upfront communication is lacking.” (15:25—15:53) “Many dentists, the more comprehensive cases, they want the technicians to solve the problems. But the dentist has to realize technicians do not have a dental training background. They can look at photos, they can look at mounted casts, and they can look at how you make the nuts and bolts work. But it’s still relying on the dentist’s clinical skills and understanding to help really definitively drive the treatment plan.” (16:12—16:41) “The key is making the effort in finding the right laboratory that's willing to collaborate. And again, there're all kinds of...
TeamSmile Gives Back Episode #314 with John McCarthy from TeamSmile In 2007, 12-year-old Deamonte Driver lost his life. And the cause was a treatable one — if only his mother had dental insurance. Enraged and inspired after hearing Deamonte’s story, Dr. Bill Busch created TeamSmile to provide free dental care for children in need. And today, Kirk Behrendt brings in John McCarthy from TeamSmile to share the impact and importance of dentists participating in this program. For more on why you should volunteer with TeamSmile, listen to Episode 314 of The Best Practices Show! Main Takeaways: A 12-year-old boy, Deamonte Driver, passed away from an untreated tooth infection. Upon hearing Deamonte’s story, Dr. Bill Busch was inspired to start TeamSmile. TeamSmile’s core is to provide free dental care for children in need through the power of sports. The TeamSmile model doesn't work without volunteers! These programs provide life-changing services and can also save lives. Quotes: “The mission of TeamSmile is to provide a life-changing dental experience through the power of sports. In a nutshell, what we do is we throw dental tailgate parties. We go into communities such as Milwaukee and we set up in a baseball stadium. We work with the Brewers. We work in Kansas City with the Chiefs, the Royals, in supporting KC. But we’re at the point now where we are truly national. We’re working in Fenway Park with the Boston Red Sox, and we’re in California with the Angels and the Rams, and so on. So, we’re literally coast to coast, north to south.” (05:34—06:08) “Prior to the pandemic, we conducted 33 programs in one calendar year, impacted 7,126 children, and did over $2.8 million in free dental care and oral health education. But in a nutshell, we create these large dental clinics in stadiums and arenas. We literally set up about $650,000 worth of equipment and supplies while we’re in Fenway Park, while we’re in Target Stadium in Minnesota, while we’re in Arrowhead in Kansas City, and on and on. We work in New Orleans at the Superdome, and Mercedes-Benz in Atlanta — which is spectacular, by the way. But we will set up enough where we’ve got 16 dental operatories.” (06:09—06:54) “The Deamonte Driver story, in short, was a little 12-year-old boy in the Baltimore D.C. area that had a toothache. Single mother, very little money. Had a toothache. But the mother said, ‘We can't go to the dentist because we don't have dental insurance. We don't have the money to pay for that.’ Well, it got more and more painful, and so he went to the hospital. Dr. [Bill] Busch is watching this at home in Kansas City on an NBC Nightly News special with Brian Williams. Well, [Deamonte] goes to the hospital, and the hospital doesn't have a dentist on staff. They tried to pat him on the back and do what they could for him there and sent him home. That toothache got infected. That infection spread to his brain. At 12 years old, Deamonte Driver passed away. And Dr. Busch — I talked to him a lot about this — he said, ‘I was mad. I was upset, thinking, ‘We live in the most wealthy country in the world, and we’ve got a 12-year-old boy that didn't have to die if he was treated appropriately. Could've been completely fine if he was treated. And here he is, dead.’ And he started thinking, ‘What can I do?’ (07:39—08:39) “I think this concept was just brilliant, looking at it, because what we do is, not only do we have stadiums and arenas, but we’ve got a DJ for all of our programs, we have face painters, we bring out the players, the cheerleaders, the mascot. And so, what the intent is, is to use these stadiums and use these teams — and by that, I mean players, cheerleaders, mascots — and create an environment that is cool, that is fun, takes the fear out of dentistry. There’re a lot of children that we’re dealing with that have never been to a dentist. They may be 10, 12 years old, and have either never been to the dentist, or they're scared of the dentist. They're
A New Look at Occlusion Episode #313 with Dr. Jim McKee Joints are connected to everything in dentistry, yet no one wants to do it — or knows how! And to help you understand and rethink occlusion at the joint level, Kirk Behrendt brings in Dr. Jim McKee so you can build this into your dentistry. Don't let occlusion be the weak link in your practice! To learn more and gain confidence in treating occlusal problems, listen to Episode 313 of The Best Practices Show! Main Takeaways: Occlusion is the weak link for most dentists. How dentists define occlusion is actually not reality. When thinking about occlusion, think at the joint level, not just the tooth level. If you have a bad joint, you're going to have a bad bite. Gain confidence in occlusion at the joint level, and your practice will skyrocket. Quotes: “I really realized that occlusion was the weak link for most dentists because it’s what we come out of dental school with being the most — we’re not confident in it. We see occlusal problems, and we’re not totally sure what to do with them.” (05:09—05:24) “So many patients that sit in our chair have occlusal problems. But here’s the problem. When that young dentist talks about occlusion, what they're typically talking about is how the teeth fit together. Because as dentists, that's how we define occlusion. That's not reality though, because when you think about it, really, it’s how the lower jaw fits to the upper jaw.” (06:44—07:09) “I have to credit Mark Piper for this, because Mark was the first person that showed me an MRI back in 1990. And it changed the way I thought about occlusion, because I started thinking not just at the tooth level, but at the joint level. And really, I think we’ve had the thought process backwards. The discussion was always, ‘Does an uneven bite cause a change in the joint?’ Because typically, it might cause us to clench our teeth, we might start to brux, the muscles would pull on the disc, and eventually the disc will displace. What I've learned over the years is that I think we have to look at it the other way around.” (07:37—08:14) “There was just an article published in Cranio in January of this year that talked about if you have a malocclusion, your odds increase that you have structural changes at the joint. So, we’re really starting to get a better handle on it. And that's why I think we need to take a new look at occlusion. Because I will tell you, if as a restorative dentist you can gain confidence in occlusion, not only at the tooth level but at the joint level, your practice will explode.” (08:37—09:05) “I absolutely believe two things. There are more structural changes in the joints than, as a profession, we believe. We were taught five to 10% of people might've had significant intracapsular problems. The number is at least a third. The other thing is that, really, in order to gain confidence at the restorative level, I think we have to understand the joints.” (10:20—10:48) “Pete Dawson was the one who told me this many years ago: there has to be a reason why people are going to come to you — other than your insurance, other than the times you're open. They have to come to you for a clinical reason.” (11:07—11:18) “It’s interesting. Everyone wanted to be an esthetic dentist. Everyone wants to be an airway dentist. Everyone wants to do implants. No one wants to do joints. And yet, if you have an airway case, if you have an esthetic case, if you have an implant case, we have to know the condition of the joints in order to be able to treatment plan predictably.” (11:23—11:43) “The jaw joint, we don't think about it like an orthopedic joint. But in essence, that's what it is. And if we really think about it, it’s the first orthopedic joint that's injured in life. People don't tear their ACL when they're three years old. People don't tear their rotator cuff when they're three years old. People do fall out of the tub and hit their chin on the tub and start to injure a...
Could It Be Airway? Episode #312 with Dr. Tracey Nguyễn Airway isn't just appliance therapy — it’s about reducing the risk of sleep-related disorders for overall health. And today’s guest, who didn’t like or start out with sleep dentistry, is here to explain why all dentists should be thinking about airway in their practice. Kirk Behrendt and Dr. Tracey Nguyễn talk about focusing beyond just patients’ teeth, and how airway is connected to everything. To learn how to get started, listen to Episode 312 of The Best Practices Show! Main Takeaways: Disorders we see in children are related to airway issues. Dentists are as important as sleep physicians in managing sleep-related disorders. Other physicians need to know that dentists can help treat patients. Patients trust dentists. They spend more time with dentists than primary care physicians. Start with the medical history. Get to know patients before looking in their mouth. Reach out to different specialists for support. Airway is connected to everything! Quotes: “What's going on right now with all these diseases, especially with children, all the neurocognitive issues, the ADHD, I kind of realized that, ‘Wow. Could this all be airway issues?’ And the best person to manage the face is a dentist. And so, I didn't understand why we were not equally as important as a sleep physician. The first person that a child should get a referral to is the dentist.” (07:11—07:39) “I think the profession that has the most influence in change is dentistry. I mean, medicine is really all about management. I had a five-year-old on a CPAP, and I talked to the physician. I was like, ‘Okay. What's the endgame of this? What do I need to do to get this child off of CPAP?’ And the sleep physician said, ‘What do you mean?’ I was like, ‘What do you mean, you don't understand what I mean?’ I was like, ‘What is the endgame?’ And for them, they didn't even understand that, because medicine is about management.” (08:08—08:47) “You see [issues] in all ages. And the question you have to ask is, ‘Could it be airway, and could my dentistry impact the airway positively or negatively?’ So, I think that's a very important conversation to have. Patients trust the dentist. They spend more time at the dentist than they do at their primary care. And we connect the dots.” (10:54—11:20) “The way dentistry is working is, we’re trying to get beyond just looking at pictures of teeth and be like, ‘Well, let's start with the medical history. What's going on? Who is this patient?’ Your first class in treatment planning should be understanding the medical history. We kind of skip that. As physicians, we forget the medical history and we go straight to taking pictures of teeth. So, I'd like us to slow down. I think that when you slow down, you get to know the patient, then you develop that trust.” (12:01—12:35) “With airway dentistry, it’s no different than restorative dentistry. You're going to need your orthodontists. You're going to need your oral surgeons. You're going to need your specialists. So, it’s just a different way of managing it. And you're managing it from a health’s perspective now.” (14:27—14:43) “With kids, all the neurocognitive [consequences appear] before you see the malocclusion. So, when they come into your office for that first dental cleaning, that’s so important. You’ve got to recognize the sleep problems before you send them to the orthodontist. And the adult world is obviously a little bit different. But it always goes back to screening and understanding the signs and symptoms.” (15:06—15:35) “Before, I was just focused on the esthetics. But now, when you come from a health perspective, a perspective where you actually care about the patients’ well-being and things that you can do for them, your case acceptance for your treatment skyrockets. Because now, the communication is, ‘Wow, this person really cares about how I feel, how I look. And my dentistry could actually...
Crushing Candy: Pandemic Mental Health Strategies and Beyond Episode #311 with Kristy Menage Bernie, RDH According to the World Health Organization, one in four people will suffer from mental illness in their lifetime. Since COVID-19, that number has nearly doubled! To explain why that is and how we can better prepare for the mental health pandemic, Kirk Behrendt brings in Kristy Menage Bernie to talk about ways to manage mental illness and eliminate the stigma attached to the subject. For resources to help improve your mental health, listen to Episode 311 of The Best Practices Show! Main Takeaways: According to the WHO, about 25% of people will suffer from mental illness in their lifetime. On average, people wait 10 to 11 years to seek care for mental illness. Taking care of yourself is an obligation, not a luxury! Yoga can improve your mood more than walking and vigorous exercise. There are many apps that can improve anxiety and depression. Have compassion for those with mental illness, and also their children and caretakers. Quotes: “Pre-pandemic, according to the World Health Organization, one in four of us will suffer from some type of mental illness in our lifetime. And then, recently released from the Center for Disease Control, that figure has nearly doubled. And that study ended at the end of February. So, we’re seeing this staggering impact. In fact, you'll find many experts who are saying we have a concurrent pandemic, and it’s mental health. The mental health pandemic is real.” (07:02—07:43) “What I think is just so fascinating is that we’re hesitant to talk about mental well-being, and rightly so. In fact, I thought, ‘Our family is so unique. There's no one like us out there,’ when in fact, it’s much more prevalent. And the World Health Organization says 25%, that's of what they could qualify, but what we know about mental health, on average, most people will not seek care for 10 to 11 years.” (08:51—09:26) “Another interesting statistic, Candy Crush is probably one of the most utilized app games in the world. I wasn't necessarily a fan. But as the pandemic hit, I started to realize that I was playing more — full disclosure, I think I'm on level 8,700. Gah! Why? Why was I so engaged in it? Well, first of all, it has a very addictive quality. But secondly, it takes you out of your current circumstances for a brief moment of time and gives you the opportunity to figure out an issue or a problem and solve it, and then level up. You get rewarded for that.” (12:50—13:33) “Candy Crush gave me some control back. I play it way too much. But get this, there are app technologies that will improve anxiety and depression. And Personal Zen is the one that really has the most science behind it.” (14:18—14:37) “Taking care of yourself, it’s not a luxury; it’s your obligation. So, don't feel bad about taking care of yourself.” (19:51—20:00) “At the end of the day, again, write down or think about it, ‘What did I do today that really impacted someone’s life?’ And I can't think of a profession more that does things every day for people than dentistry. But acknowledging that for yourself builds your self-esteem, helps release your own anxiety, and keeps you from slipping into depression.” (21:03—21:33) “Yoga increases GABA [gamma aminobutyric acid]. And that's the chemical that helps us feel better, aside from the obvious ones. GABA prevents the negative thoughts from coming in . . . So, we know that yoga increases that more than walking and vigorous exercise. And it’s that neurotransmitter that keeps us from thinking negative thoughts about ourselves.” (25:21—25:58) “Dentistry can shift. And what I like to say is, we can replace confusion with compassion. And not only those that may be facing a mental health challenge, but those who are children of those individuals, or those who care for those individuals, because it is a huge ripple effect that's pretty profound.” (29:49—30:14) “[Dentists] see people more...
Reshaping Dental Labs & Education Episode #310 with Dr. Mike DiTolla Labs will tell you that crowns take two weeks to make. But this isn't true — it could be made much quicker! And to teach you why you should start demanding three-day turnarounds, Kirk Behrendt brings in Dr. Mike DiTolla to explain the correlation between seating times and the need for adjustments. More adjustments mean loss of patient confidence, loss of time, and loss of opportunities. Don't just settle for “how it’s always been done”! To learn more about the benefits of a faster turnaround time, listen to Episode 310 of The Best Practices Show! Main Takeaways: Seat crowns in three days instead of two weeks, and the need to adjust almost disappears. Dental school normalizes the two-week turnaround time — but it should be three days. Not many dental labs are willing to turn a crown around in three days. Start demanding it! Check your dental assistant’s crown work for over-polishing before dismissing the patient. Polish zirconia crowns instead of glazing them. Quotes: “One thing that largely hasn't changed from when I graduated is the two-week turnaround time that a dentist takes from the time they prep a crown to where they seat a crown.” (14:07—14:17) “Going from waiting two weeks to cement a crown to three days is a game-changer. I mentioned earlier that I left and went to Sirona, where you can do same-day crowns. And that is an ideal that we should stretch for. But we’re still waiting for a really affordable value-based system that’s easy to use before most dentists dip their toe into making restorations chairside. But seating it the same day should certainly be our goal, at least for single-unit posterior crowns.” (15:17—15:47) “Every dentist knows that if a patient is away for six weeks, or eight weeks, or six months with a temporary on, when they come back to have that permanent crown be cemented, the chances of it fitting decreases as that time increases. And I'm here to tell younger dentists that the opposite is true, that when you start seating crowns after three days instead of two weeks, your need for adjustments almost disappears.” (15:47—16:11) “Most dental laboratories aren't willing to turn a crown around [in three days]. And they will actually tell you that it takes longer to fabricate a crown and make it, which just isn't true. You can make an E-MAX crown the same day. You can make a zirconia crown the same day. It needs to sinter overnight, but it’s ready on the second day. Really, what the problem is, the labs aren't hiring enough employees to be able to handle this workflow. And since dentists just have always said yes to two-week crowns, that's how it’s always been.” (16:14—16:44) “Any time we take a bur to a crown, even if you polish away all the scratches on the surface, there’re still tiny little microfractures under the surface that you can't see that connect over time and cause failure, and the crowns are less aesthetically pleasing. And any time a crown gets thinner, it’s more prone to break anyway, besides these microfractures that are in there. So, our goal should be not to have to touch any crowns. Our goal should be to drop a crown from a foot above the prep and it just sucks into place. And for that to happen, this three-day turnaround is really important. And there's just not that many labs willing to do this three-day turnaround, and we need to all implore our labs to do it.” (17:46—18:24) “Maybe we should all be heading to same-day dentistry. But that's $100,000 and a lot of training to learn how to design and make crowns. In the meantime, three-day crowns is a perfect stopgap. And it’s going to give you 90% of what you get from that same-day restoration.” (18:55—19:10) “It starts in dental school. In dental school, we don't even do most of our own lab work. It gets sent either to an outside laboratory or a central laboratory within the dental school. So, it might be two or three weeks till we see...
Form Meets Function: The Magic of Interdisciplinary Care Episode #309 with Dr. Tito Norris Are you tired of the inefficient back-and-forth communication and guesswork with your specialists? Today’s guest will remind you that it can change! Kirk Behrendt brings in Dr. Tito Norris, creator of The Norris 20/26 Bracket System, to talk about the different ways to enhance interdisciplinary communication using modern advancements and technology. To hear more about the value of an interdisciplinary treatment plan and how to increase efficiency, listen to Episode 309 of The Best Practices Show! Main Takeaways: Orthodontic partners are one of the most important people to your practice. Spend time with your specialists to understand what they can and can't do. There is a need for talented orthodontists who can tackle challenging interdisciplinary cases. To do sophisticated dentistry, you need to change the patients’ oral landscape. Interdisciplinary dentistry needs a HIPAA-compliant, cloud-based EMR. Be willing to make investments in yourself to increase your skill level and differentiate yourself. Ortho doesn't have to be a two-year penalty box; there are many ways to increase efficiency. Quotes: “Something that I picked up a long time ago is, whenever possible, try to get your gingival margins placed at your correct positions in relationship to the CEJ first. In other words, if the patient is going to need some crown lengthening, do it on the front end. Because as an orthodontist, we need one of two things: we either need an accurate CEJ, or we need an accurate incisal edge. And if we can have both, then hallelujah.” (08:39—09:06) “If teeth have wear on them, we would much prefer — and this is critical — to do pre-orthodontic bonding. So, what does that mean? That means that I want the teeth to be restored provisionally to their natural shapes and forms that they used to be when the patient was a teenager. And you're like, ‘But Tito, how am I going to do that? The occlusion’s not going to allow that.’ Don't worry about the occlusion. That's my job. Your job as a restorative dentist is to restore those teeth and essentially give me back teenager-looking teeth.” (09:25—10:08) “It became apparent to me in a very early time that we needed a bracket slot dimension that was .020, something that would allow an .019 wire to fit in there and then have really great intimate contact and that's going to give you more control. And it just wasn't available. And why wasn't it available? I just didn't understand this. And the answer I got was, ‘Well, it’s just tradition. It’s just the way it’s always been.’ And I was like, ‘This is ridiculous. No one could give me a good reason as to why we don't have a .020 bracket slot, so I'm actually just going to make one.’ And so, I did.” (17:41—18:25) “The challenges I had to the previous bracket system was, we were using an .019 wire in an .022 slot. So, we had sloppiness in there. And so, it was difficult to finish the case because you'd have to put in enough torque in the wire to overcome the sloppiness, and then it would start to engage. And then, it was always a guessing game. And so, you'd guess a little too much, and then you'd guess a little too little. And so, there was just all this slop in play and too much tolerance, basically, between the bracket and wire interplay. And that's what made finishing cases challenging.” (19:56—20:35) “When you subscribe to restoring the teeth to their natural shapes, what you've done is you’ve created a three-dimensional blueprint for communication between the orthodontist and the restorative dentist. So, you've taken all the guesswork out of the communication, because what you've done is you’ve told that orthodontist, ‘I want these teeth exactly this long. I want these teeth exactly this wide. And I want you to take these teeth and couple them together.’ And so, that in and of itself is incredibly valuable because it eliminates that back-and-forth...
(Audio) How to Produce 30% More Without Adding Any Hours or Raising Your Fees Episode #308 with Curtis Marshall Work smarter, not harder! Increasing your hours isn't the surest way to produce more. And today, Kirk Behrendt brings in Curtis Marshall from Dental Intel to teach you how to produce 30% more in your practice. His secret is the morning huddle, and you can have more production without getting more chairs, working more hours, or raising your fees! For more on how Dental Intel can help you and your team, listen to Episode 308 of The Best Practices Show! Main Takeaways: Working more hours isn't a sure way to increase production. Data helps you know where you are so you can move forward in the right direction. Morning huddles are the secret to higher production. Don't undervalue the huddle, and make sure your team is on board. Have good, accurate information. Have actionable items and know what to focus on. Huddles should be quick — 15 minutes is almost too long. Make sure your patients have a future appointment. Make sure your patients accept treatment. Quotes: “[You can] produce more without doing what most people tell us, which is, ‘Get more new patients, open more hours, put more chairs in.’ That's typically the answer for producing more, is, ‘Well, you need to work harder,’ and that's not necessarily the truth.” (05:05—05:23) “Why is data important in your life? The same answer is what we’re saying for dental practices. The reason why data itself is more important now more than ever is because it’s giving us the true, actual status quo, ‘This is what's happening’ whether you like it or not.” (07:04—07:25) “If you don't know where you are today, then you cannot move forward in a timely fashion. That's why data is so important for every dental office in 2021 and in the future.” (07:58—08:11) “The more information we get, the easier it is to be more productive. For example, when I was in high school, for weight training, the main thing that they did was said, ‘Go do bench and go do squats. You need to get really good at your bench and get really good at your squats.’ That's how they trained you on how to become better, faster, stronger. Well, now, what they're focusing on is plyometrics. They're focusing on core. They're focusing on the true things, because now they’ve tested and truly found out that it’s not necessarily — even though you want the big guns for the girls — this right here isn't where it’s at. It’s more in the core.” (12:45—13:31) “The important information to know [about morning huddles] is, first, make sure everybody’s on board. The team members have got to be on board. Second is having good, accurate information. Lastly, actionable items, what to really focus on.” (15:52—16:07) “If I'm having a huddle, the main goal is to do, what? That's probably the biggest thing to realize when looking at the data, or the information, the reports, whatever it is, the discussion. What's the outcome that we’re wanting? Is it just to check off morning huddle? If it’s just to check off morning huddle, you will fail every time.” (21:04—21:27) “The morning huddle is not to say, ‘Hey, we need to do better as a company.’ That is a meeting. That’s your weekly, monthly meeting with your office managers. That is not what morning huddle is for. It’s to say, ‘How can I better care for my patients?’ And there's really only one of two ways that we can take better care of our patients when talking about the morning huddle. Number one, making sure that they have a future appointment. Simple, right? Number two, making sure that they accept the treatment that we’re presenting them.” (22:48—23:31) “New patients are not rescheduling, and we’re not discussing it. It’s okay that K.C. left without an appointment. My question is why, so that today we don't repeat what we did yesterday. And then, the follow-up is, ‘All right. Sam, the action item is for you to reach out to K.C. and make sure she gets a future...
Solutions to the Edentulous Dilemma Episode #307 with Dr. Pat Lillis More and more patients are losing their teeth. And according to Dr. Pat Lillis, this trend will continue to grow. Today, Kirk Behrendt and Dr. Lillis talk about how you can educate yourself so you can be equipped to help edentulous patients. Don't think this doesn't apply to your practice — people are outliving their teeth! To be better prepared with solutions, listen to Episode 307 of The Best Practices Show! Main Takeaways: More and more people are losing their teeth, so dentists need to be ready with solutions. Be equipped — patients are educating themselves about these topics. Document your cases and build a library to show patients. Visuals are important! Many patients may opt for zirconia. Give them that option. Practice long enough, and failure will happen. Teeth will fracture or debond. Use the “power of threes.” Too many options can confuse patients. You'll need this in your practice, even if your current population is younger. Quotes: “It’s becoming a bigger and bigger issue. When I started practicing, I would see some [edentulous] patients just trickle in through the door. And then, over time, it’s just becoming so rampant. And you kind of scratch your head thinking, ‘Why are so many people losing their teeth?’ and demographics of patients, etc. But I don't know. It seems like every week we get more and more of these patients that come in through the door.” (05:24—05:54) “[Edentulous] patients are coming into my practice. And they're definitely coming into your practice. And so, if you don't have the tools in the toolbelt, so to speak, then it’s going to be very, very difficult to treat these patients. And I just think it’s something that we have got to learn how to do, whether you like it or not.” (05:59—06:15) “[Early] on in my career, the options were a little bit limited in the porcelain world. But nowadays, with all the materials that we have, the zirconia, all the bars, and all this really amazing technology, we can do zirconia and we can do ceramics very, very routinely. And it’s a thinner restoration. It’s smaller. It’s more challenging to do it clinically, but it’s an amazing thing. And I see that getting left out of treatment plans. And the reason I say that is because on several occasions, people will come into our office for a second opinion. And we’ll give them the same, but then we give the zirconia option. And I can't tell you how many patients have elected to do that type of procedure.” (11:09—11:53) “I agree with Bill [Robbins]. It’s never been a better time to practice dentistry than right now. We have so many things at our disposal to really help these patients, to give them solutions that they never had before. If you were to lose your teeth 30, 40 years ago, what were your options? Wearing dentures. That was just the way it was. But now, 2021, what're your options? You can have teeth that are fixed in your mouth. You don't have to wear a denture anymore.” (13:30—14:05) “Nowadays, you can meet with your surgeon before you're doing the cases, and they can merge CBCT scans and intraoral scans. And you can start digitally planning these cases out with your surgeons. And you can get down to quality, how much bone to take away, where exactly the implants are going to go before you place them, how many you're going to place, where they're going to go, what's the prosthesis going to be. Those are all things that you can do now in the digital world. But the diagnosis and treatment planning stage hasn't changed. How we capture and how we plan has changed.” (17:16—17:53) “The number-one thing I see that goes wrong is material selection. Are you doing plastic teeth or doing zirconia teeth? And then, how much bone you have to reduce to do that procedure. So, that's the very first thing that I see that goes south on these cases.” (20:00—20:14) “I say [to patients], ‘Listen, you're not going to die because you didn't get...
Future-Focused Dental Sleep Medicine Episode #306 with Dr. Steve Carstensen Airway has a butterfly effect. If you don't breathe well, you don't sleep well. And we all know what poor sleep can do to physical and mental health! So, to stress the importance of treating obstructive sleep apnea early, Kirk Behrendt brings in Dr. Steve Carstensen to talk about the potential orthodontic and health disasters when left untreated. Help people breathe better, not just every night, but over their entire lives! To learn how to make the biggest difference in children, listen to Episode 306 of The Best Practices Show! Main Takeaways: Dentists can make a difference in people’s health and lives from infancy to old age. Airway is managed differently for adults and children. We need to ask if children are sleeping well. There is an inadequate diagnosis for children. If a child isn’t sleeping well, it is likely because they aren’t breathing well. The new screener tool from the ADA will help identify more at-risk children. For adults, other countries are ahead in airway management; the U.S. is tied to CPAP. Only 18% of people who are supposed to be using their CPAP use it. About 32% of people don't bother with a diagnosis because they don't want to use a CPAP. Quotes: “My whole life is to make sure that people breathe better every night — and actually, over their whole lives. So, it’s kind of a 4D thing. It’s three dimensions of airway that we all learn about in anatomy class in dental school, plus the fourth dimension of how it affects their lives from their infancy all the way to their old age. And dentists have an amazing and really rewarding way to make a difference in all that.” (06:23—06:51) “If the American Dental Association is going to roll out a screener, instead of just making up five questions and thinking, ‘Okay, these must be important because we think they are,’ we’re actually going to have scientists, researchers, and there's a periodontist with a PhD in medical science informatics who is going to help us, and we’re going to make this an unkillable tool for anybody to use. So, the ADA will now have the world’s best tool for identifying children at risk for breathing problems. That's a powerful thing because it takes that out of the hands of, ‘Well, I think they breathe okay,’ into something that's really important.” (12:49—13:31) “There're 163,000 practicing dentists. There're only a few thousand practicing physicians, and out of those few thousand practicing sleep physicians, there're only a few hundred, maybe not even 200, that are practicing pediatric sleep medicine, because the biggest difference is we manage airway completely differently for adults and kids.” (14:17—14:41) “Sleep physicians don't really have a ton of tools to work with little kids. Plus, the problems are different. So, our screener tool is going to be aimed at identifying those problems, what's going south about these kids’ health and behavior and issues every day, every night, that we can intervene as dentists. Because actually, we’re the ones who are going to be in charge of fixing the problems that we are identifying.” (14:43—15:08) “If we can identify a four-year-old whose maxilla isn't growing correctly because they don't swallow right because they don't breathe right, then know that by the time they're 12, they're going to be an orthodontic mess. What if we can fix it when they're five? We can make them breathe better and have a better bite.” (15:37—15:53) “If we’re thinking about adults, then other countries are ahead of us [in airway management], because we in the United States are tied down to CPAP. If you go to get a diagnosis, then you're going to get a CPAP from most sleep physicians. And the sleep physicians are kind of just zeroed in on that.” (16:13—16:33) “In 2021, Phillips, one of two giant companies making CPAPs, produced a very cool infographic for World Sleep Day on March 21st. What they came up with is...
How to Avoid Making the Worst Hiring Mistake of Your Life Episode #305 with David Harris Hiring without due diligence will cost you your time, money, and mental health. To teach you how to make better hiring decisions for your practice, Kirk Behrendt brings back David Harris, CEO of Prosperident. From drug tests to social media, David gives you the best tips to weed out bad candidates early on. Want to know the habits of time thieves and embezzlers? Listen to Episode 305 of The Best Practices Show for more of David’s advice! Main Takeaways: Hiring the wrong person is costly — in time and money! Weed out unsuitable candidates as early as possible. Dental practices need to do drug tests and background checks. You can't reliably do background checks yourself! Broaden your applicant pool and don't hire in a hurry. Don't give predictable questions in interviews. Check applicants’ social media pages. Don't use phone numbers that applicants give you. Google it yourself. Confirm exact dates of employment, not approximate dates. Look for gaps. Ask former employers about applicants’ final positions. Also ask if they would rehire them. Use a reference number in the application to test if they follow instructions. Require applicants to record a brief video as part of the application. Make applicants invested from the beginning. Standardize your application form so that you're not influenced by visuals. Verify credentials and check photo IDs! And check IDs when they're not ready. Involve staff in the interview process. Be upfront about the scrutiny applicants will be under. Quotes: “If you put 200 dentists in a room and you asked them, ‘How many of you enjoy hiring staff?’ I'd be very surprised if anything more than two hands went up. Dentists hate this job. And like any job that you hate, when a shortcut magically appears in front of you, you're really tempted to take it. And that gets you into trouble when you're clearing snow off the roof of your house and you take shortcuts, and it equally gets you in trouble when you hire staff.” (05:33—06:06) “The reality is that most dentists make hiring decisions with less information than they should have. And the part that should get their attention is that, in most cases, that information is right there in front of them, and they just either didn't realize that it would help them or didn't realize how easy it was to get full information so that they can make a good decision.” (06:43—07:07) “If you want to play the HR lottery and hire people blindly in the hope that they turn out okay, when you're wrong — and I'm going to say “when” here as opposed to “if” — you're going to dump a lot more time into that than it ever would've taken you to vet this person properly at the beginning.” (08:03—08:26) “About 70 million Americans — so that's one in four adults — has a criminal record.” (08:33—08:39) “We’re entrusting dental practice employees with money, with protected health information, with sharp instruments. We just need to know a little bit more about them than traditionally dentists do.” (10:06—10:23) “There is no website you can go on to and pay $50 and have it reliably tell you whether or not somebody has a criminal record . . . Unfortunately, it’s not something you can do yourself and go to some website and get the answer.” (12:22—12:59) “One of the mistakes that a lot of people make is that they're hiring in a hurry. The reason that they're hiring in a hurry is that somebody leaves on short notice, and then the poor doctor is starting from zero and trying to build a relationship with somebody that they're going to hire and do it all within 48 hours. And that's never a good idea.” (15:01—15:24) “In your life, when you meet people who you think might be a good fit for your practice — and you can meet them in all kinds of different places — start keeping track of that.” (15:26—15:36) “If we have to choose, and most times we do, between personality and knowledge,...
The 2 Kinds of Dental Patients and Why It’s Important to You as a Dentist Episode #304 with Dr. Gary DeWood There are patients who believe they're healthy, and there are patients who believe they have significant issues. And today’s guest, Dr. Gary DeWood, explains how these mindsets develop and how it affects how you interact with them. Kirk Behrendt and Dr. DeWood talk about the importance of words and how it can change the way patients understand and value the services you provide in your practice. Words matter! For tips on attracting the right type of patients, listen to Episode 304 of The Best Practices Show! Main Takeaways: Dentists need to change their mindset and culture. Many dental patients think they're healthy, and dentists perpetuate that belief. Don't use “dental” and “insurance” in the same sentence. Say “benefit plans” or “benefits”. Value your hygienists and show it! Instead of “cleaning,” call it “hygiene therapy”. Ask patients what dental health means to them. Quotes: “People coming to the dentist is like people going to a Broadway show. They get there, they're not exactly sure what's going to happen. Sometimes, it can be unpleasant, or even unwanted. But whatever happens is going to create an experience. And if that experience is one that exceeds their expectations, it’s going to be remembered and valued.” (05:28—05:57) “If you ask the appropriate questions, some patients will decide that you are not the place for them to come. And that's important too, because one of the worst things that can happen is when that doesn't happen and they show up, and their expectations are not met because we were never really on the same page. And unfortunately, they go out and they tell other people about those things.” (07:07—07:28) “Patients who believe they're healthy think they're coming for the reason that we have trained the public to come to a dentist. And I will tell you that this isn't my question, this was Lisa’s question, a friend. She would ask people, ‘What significant dental issues are you dealing with right now?’ And most patients said, ‘I don't really have any issues. I just need to get my teeth cleaned.’” (08:07—08:30) “[Patients who] believe they're healthy, if they have an issue, it ain’t significant. And almost always, they already believe they know the answer. People who claim a significant issue are different. They're usually looking for answers. And so, that differentiation made it possible to have some idea who was coming.” (08:58—09:18) “If you want to change the mindset around dental benefit plans in your practice, there are two things you can do. First of all, answer this question: what minds have to change first? Ours. If we believe that dental benefit plans suck, we tell people that through our mindset. Because believe me, whatever you believe is being transmitted, no matter how you think you talk, I promise you it’s being transmitted. And the only thing that happens then is that you and the patient wind up in a little muddy hole whining about how terrible it is. Tell me how that benefits anybody.” (15:20—16:08) “I remember people walking in and plunking down, when they had to bring all the paperwork — you know, you had to sign all the forms ahead of time and they had to bring all this stuff — and they'd throw it down on the counter and they would go, ‘I have this, but it sucks.’ And you want to go, ‘Yeah, they all suck.’ Don't do that! Please don't do that.” (16:15—16:32) “I believe one way to change culture, which is part of mindset, it’s mindset now translated to action. So, here’s my recommendation: stop saying the words “dental” and “insurance” in the same sentence. In fact, stop saying those two words together in your practice, without exception. Say “benefit plans” and “dental benefits,” or “benefits”. People will start asking you things. Words are important. You want to change your mindset? Start talking about things differently.” (16:41—17:10) “I think most dental...
Getting the Dryness Out of Dry Mouth Episode #303 with Dr. John Cranham & Dr. Thomas Eschenroeder Chronic dry mouth doesn’t just affect the aging population. It can be a result of genetics, various medical conditions, or prescription medications, and can negatively affect a person’s quality of life. So, today, Kirk Behrendt brings in Dr. John Cranham and Dr. Thomas Eschenroeder to introduce Voutia, a new oral hydration device that provides continuous relief for people with chronic dry mouth. You don't have to suffer with xerostomia! Listen to Episode 303 of The Best Practices Show and find out if Voutia is for you! Main Takeaways: Dry mouth is a bigger problem than the dental/medical community is willing to admit. It’s not just head and neck cancer that affects saliva — other cancers and medications can too. Dry mouth can affect how a person talks, swallows, sleeps, and even what they eat. Voutia is a new oral hydration device that can be used during the day or night. Once you start using Voutia, your salivary flow will feel like normal again. Quotes: “I've restored thousands of mouths, and there's just nothing worse than having perfect margins and control over everything, and then something that is totally out of our control starts to rob the person of their saliva, and then they just start getting caries everywhere.” (06:53—07:09) “One of the things, to me, that was the most moving was the fact that when you have dry mouth, you basically lose the ability to have a normal feeling mucosa. Your mucosa basically turns like leather. And so, what happens is, once you start using this device . . . your mucosa feels normal again.” (13:23—13:50) “The other thing that happens is, people with dry mouth are constantly sipping water. And the problem with that is they feel bloated. And the water goes through their mouth so quickly that they can't really hydrate their mouth with it very well. And because of that, it’s never satisfied. So, by wearing this device, they actually feel like they have normal salivary flow again.” (13:53—14:16) “The other thing that makes it so complicated is, as we have this population in our practice that's getting older, particularly if you've done work on them and you're trying to maintain it, the very best-case scenario is that it holds up occlusally and it holds up biologically, and then they go off into the sunset. But when you start having increased medications, that usually means they're not as healthy. So, it’s harder and more dangerous to do procedures on them.” (15:29—16:03) “Nothing’s more scary when somebody walks in and you've got to go take a tooth out, or put an implant in, or do something like that on somebody that pulls out their medication list and it rolls across the table. And we’re seeing that more and more. So, anything that I can do in my practice to keep my dentistry lasting for as long as the patient does and minimizing the amount of work that I've got to do so if something does fail and it is a margin or something, maybe we can go in there and clean that margin out and put something in there without having to lose the tooth or take everything off.” (16:05—16:45) “[Voutia’s cannula] is almost like a human hair, practically, in terms of how thin it is. So, again, a very elegant way to solve a problem that’s larger than, I think, the dental community really wants to maybe admit.” (18:26—18:44) “Everybody’s familiar with lozenges, gums, rinses, artificial saliva, sprays, and whatnot that you can use. But the problem is, these things are limited to the fact that you can use them when you're awake. And you also have to keep in mind the fact that it’s a continuum. Certain people have a little bit of salivary function, certain people have none. And if you stick a piece of gum in somebody’s mouth and they have zero salivary function, it’s just not going to work.” (19:53—20:27) “I think people think that the only cancer that affects saliva is head and neck...
Mental Fitness: The Game Changer Episode #302 with Dr. Jackie Kinley People exercise to improve their physical fitness. But how often do people exercise their brain for mental health? To teach you how to build psychological resilience, Kirk Behrendt brings in Dr. Jackie Kinley, author of Mental Fitness: The Game Changer, to share a framework to help you adapt to and tolerate stress in a more positive way. Your brain is like any other muscle — keep it healthy with exercise! To begin developing your mental muscles, listen to Episode 302 of The Best Practices Show! Main Takeaways: Stress can wear you down physically and psychologically. Like physical illness, mental illness can occur in anyone if we’re not careful. There are mental habits you can build and develop to stay healthy through stressful times. People aren’t broken, they just haven't developed the skills to tolerate and cope with stress. Psychological strength needs to be built and maintained. It’s not about feeling better, it’s about getting better at feeling. Quotes: “When we first started to speak about this, everybody thought that this pandemic was going to be a sprint, that we just had to hunker down, we had to deal with things, we had to just buckle down and get through it. And what's become really clear is it’s a marathon. So, the stress has persisted. And as stress persists, it has a significant impact on us. Not just physically, our physical bodies, but psychologically, stress can really wear us down.” (05:22—05:51) “Your brain is like any other muscle, and we have to develop skills to be able to deal with stress.” (06:23—06:29) “Mental illness can occur in any of us if we’re not careful and if we don't take care of ourselves, just like physical illness can happen.” (06:47—06:54) “I talk about four mental muscle groups. If you can see fit, which is perspective; if you can think fit, which is keep your thinking brain calmed down and focused; if you can feel fit, which is deal with all those emotions that come up — anxiety and panic happen when emotion starts — and then the last one is act fit, is if you can reach out to other people, stay connected. And so, these are skills, these are habits of mind. You can learn these things. You can make connections in your brain and you can strengthen those through exercises so that it becomes second nature. You can build the muscle memory so when you're under stress, you know how to respond in a positive and adaptive way.” (09:09—09:56) “People aren’t broken; people just haven't developed skills. So, these are capacities that you can develop. When you don't have those capacities, if you get stretched and strained, then you can certainly develop symptoms — anybody can. Any of us can. Any of us can get anxious, depressed, even psychotic. Any of us can if our capacity is breached. And so, it’s not about judging people, it’s about understanding what resources individuals have, psychologically, and helping them to develop the skills they need. These aren't character flaws; these are skills deficits.” (10:50—11:26) “We have a lot of beliefs, ‘Anger is not safe. Anger is dangerous. Anger means I did something wrong, if somebody gets angry with me. Sadness is weak,’ all of those things. There's so much misinformation about emotions. And emotions are actually adaptive. They're empowering. They're very, very helpful. But like the truth, they can be used for good and evil. Anger can be used for advocacy and ambition and perseverance. It can also be used to be nasty and mean.” (13:12—13:42) “When we can't deal with anger, when we can't deal with sadness, when we can't deal with fear, and when we get stuck in emotions, that's when we get sick. So, stuck fear leads to anxiety. Stuck sadness leads to depression. Stuck anger leads to suspiciousness and paranoia, aggressive behaviors. And people will try to medicate away those symptoms. They try to get rid of them. But actually, it’s the opposite. The way we get rid of...
This is Good Sh*t: What Every Dental Professional Should Know Episode #301 with Dr. Uche Odiatu Two apples a day could keep the doctor away! But very few North Americans — including dentists — consume the recommended amount of fiber and other nutrients. For a lesson on nutrition and its effects on the gut microbiome, Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. Uche Odiatu to talk about how a healthy gut can lead to a better and longer life. It can also help you stay ahead of the curve in dentistry! For advice on becoming healthier and starting the health conversation with your patients, listen to Episode 301 of The Best Practices Show! Main Takeaways: All disease begins in the gut. Understand gut health to get ahead of the curve in dentistry. Learn about gut health, and overall health and wellness will become effortless. You can begin to change or improve your gut microbiome in a day. Intermittent fasting, time-restricted eating, and caloric restriction are ways to extend life. Get healthy yourself before giving your patients health advice. Enjoy food mindfully, and let food be your medicine! Quotes: “People often have heard about gut health, but they're not really sure how to apply it. You can tell they're not applying it because they show up sometimes tired. They're often not sure why they have brain fog. They're not at the weight they want. If you're literally not at the weight you want, you don't understand gut health, because when you understand gut health at a deep level, weight becomes effortless.” (06:06—06:27) “If you're one of the 50 million Americans suffering from [low] energy level, to immune system issues, to not ideal weight, to poor sleep, to brain fog, to accelerated aging — if you actually look like your driver’s license picture — you need to know more about gut health. Because when you understand it, health becomes effortless.” (06:54—07:12) “Total health is where to go. Patients are starving for healthcare providers that look at all of them and not just your little area, your little silo. That little silo is great, but you start with total health — medical history, anything new, how are you sleeping, are you tired, do you exercise, how are you eating lately. That’s how all my appointments start. Start with the bigger picture, then you go into the smaller picture.” (09:38—10:03) “The gut microbiome is an amazing modulator of gene expression. The whole idea is your genes load your gun; your lifestyle pulls the trigger. So, genes are basically just a blueprint.” (11:30—11:43) “A way to manipulate genes is to have the healthiest microbiome possible. In order to do that, you've got to look at a number of different things. The microbiome — a very esoteric subject. And people don't realize, you tweak it a bit, you could end up completely different. In how long? 24 hours. What you eat today, you can tweak your microbiome. In three days of junk food eating, you can actually lose 40% of your resident gut bacteria, which decimates you. And sure, you can get them back by having some good, healthy days. But some people lose species, and they lose them forever.” (12:13—12:48) “We have 100 trillion single-celled organisms in our bodies, and they outnumber the human cells, the cells of human origin, 10:1. So, 98% of them are in the GI tract. About 2% of them are on your skin, under armpits, hair, nose, etc. But they are a powerful manipulator of your genes. They also train your immune system, because 80% of your immune system lies in the 26 feet of your digestive tract. So, people with poor digestive health often have immune system problems.” (13:24—13:53) “If you have gut issues, digestive issues, from constipation to reflux to Crohn’s colitis, if you have a disrupted gut microbiome, it’s a precursor to prediabetes and diabetes. So, that being said, the microbiome is the collective, invisible, single-celled organisms that call you home, and they have a symbiotic relationship. You feed them, they feed you...
Show and Tell or Show and Teach Episode #300 with Dr. M. Nader Sharifi A teacher can forever change the trajectory of your life. Good teachers tell, and better ones teach — but the great ones inspire. And today, Kirk Behrendt brings on Dr. Nader Sharifi to talk about what makes a great teacher, how you can improve your teaching, and the future of learning. For more on how you can get the most out of your education, listen to Episode 300 of The Best Practices Show! Main Takeaways: Even bad teachers can benefit you in dentistry. Acknowledge your mistakes when teaching. Don't just show the successes. When you're teaching, it’s not about you — it’s about the people listening. Some teachers, you want to read. Others, you want to see. Past masters are also great teachers. Quotes: “By the time we get to this point in our careers where we’re dentists, we have seen every conceivable flavor of educator in front of us. We have to have embraced education in some way, because to leave high school and go to college, you need to be willing to learn. And then to even leave college and go to dental school, you're committed about learning and you're not shy of it. And to take that step is a significant challenge for some of us, partly because of who’s taught us. So, we need good teachers to help us continue on our processes.” (05:29—06:13) “To learn what's a good teacher, we also have to learn and understand what's a bad teacher. In dentistry, it seems to me that our bad teachers can also benefit us just a little bit, in some regard. So, that's really the “show and tell” part of it.” (06:15—06:32) “Sometimes, I'll go to a conference, and there’ll be a presenter who will be full of glitz and glamour, and a beautiful patient from out of town who travels to see them, and has this humongous, multi-disciplinary treatment plan that took three years to complete, and it’s just spectacular dentistry. And at the end of the presentation, I realize I haven't learned how to do that. I saw that it was possible, but I didn't learn how to do it.” (06:33—07:06) “The benefit [of show and tell] is, I see the potential for dentistry. I see the potential for myself. I see the opportunity. But I'm not able to do it. And that's okay. I just chose, in my path, I don't want to do that. I don't want to be that type of speaker. I don't want to be that type of teacher. I don't want to be that type of person. I want to be able to teach, and show a protocol, and show a process that's available to the participant in the audience. And so, that's not the show and tell, that's the show and teach.” (07:11—07:52) “If we only show success and we don't acknowledge the mistakes we made to get there, if we only show success and we don't show the trouble that occurs in achieving that, it’s really a false reality.” (13:58—14:11) “I was as far to one end of the scale as possible, being a presenter who would connect well with dentists much more so than I would connect with dental students, which was at the other end of the scale, because my first foray in teaching, which was inspired by some of my teachers, was in dental school. And it failed horribly. It didn't work well for me. I wasn't good at it, I didn't get positive results from the students. It wasn't working well, but I had a desire to do it. And I ended up evolving into having the opportunity to do it at the podium rather than in the classroom. And something resonated.” (19:14—20:02) “Zoom doesn't give us that opportunity [to interact] the way that the live meeting will. However, for the first time in my life, I sat down with my laptop in my favorite reading chair in my bedroom and attended a symposium. And when the speaker said something that just astounded me, I could pause it, reverse it 15 seconds, write it down, listen to it again and say, ‘Okay,’ and then pause it again, make a couple of notes to myself, and then press play and never miss a beat. And so, I realized that there is going to be...
The Missing Piece in Skeletal Growth and Development Episode #299 with Dr. Rebecca Bockow Airway dysfunction can lead to a number of comorbidities — anything from tooth decay to behavioral concerns. And to prevent them, it’s important to understand the possible causes. One of them is an undersized jaw, and Kirk Behrendt brings on Dr. Rebecca Bockow to talk about what influences skeletal growth and development, and the importance of early treatment and intervention. For more on identifying and treating tongue and respiratory dysfunctions, listen to Episode 299 of The Best Practices Show! Main Takeaways: Dentists may be the first providers to identify airway issues in patients. Key things in skeletal growth and development happen as early as during breastfeeding. Breathing and tongue placement habit strongly influences skeletal growth. Undersized jaws can lead to comorbidities. Ask patients open-ended questions to identify possible issues. Look to early treatment and early intervention. Treat the “why”. Look for tonsils, airway issues, and tongue-ties. Understand structure, function, and behavior. Quotes: “When we see malocclusion, we might be, as dentists, the first providers to identify for some of these patients that they do in fact have an airway issue. So, this can present, for example, grinding. Grinding in kids and adults is a sign that airway is not great. We can pick up tongue- ties. Certainly, the easy ones to pick up would be a crossbite, open bite, underbite, overbite. These are all linked to airway dysfunction. So, once you see it, you can't not see it. And you'll start to see how prevalent it is.” (05:11—05:48) “As care providers, we can sometimes ask open-ended questions for the patient, ‘How do you sleep?’ And it opens up Pandora’s box. ‘Oh, I wake up through the night. My child couldn't breastfeed. She’s still wearing Pull-Ups at age eight. We've got a lot of behavioral concerns, not paying attention in school, comes into my bed every night, tired during the day.’ And we, as orthodontists, see the crossbite. And so, all of a sudden, we’re tying things together for these families that they didn't even know were connected.” (05:49—06:28) “If we think about skeletal growth and development, a lot of the key things that happen happen really early on, going back even as early as breastfeeding.” (07:20—07:28) “Thinking about the tongue, all of those movements [when breastfeeding] require a great deal of coordination, as well as flexibility and strength. And so, if you have a child that has a condition called apraxia, and there's a lot of nuances to this, but globally thinking about a child’s ability to move the tongue in a way that's healthy, so getting that tongue up and forward, things like muscle incoordination or things like tongue-ties are going to adversely affect what's going to happen with the tongue.” (08:12—08:49) “The nose is a natural filter. When you have the ability to breathe through your nose, the nose is going to humidify the air. It moistens the air. You filter out all the dust, the allergens, the pollens. Adenoids and tonsils are hypertrophic tissue, so if you have a child that's a mouth-breather, we tend to see bigger tonsils, bigger adenoids. And so, this cycle continues because they're more driven to breathe through their mouth, because now they have nasal respiratory obstruction.” (10:21—10:48) “There's great documentation that links nasal respiratory obstruction with undersized jaws. And then, we start to see other comorbidities that we would notice as dentists, which include grinding, high carious incidents, hypertrophic tissue such as the gum tissue. And the cycle goes on and on. As orthodontists, we see this as crowding because the jaws are small. So, there's insufficient bone to accommodate the eruption of the adult dentition. And so, it’s sort of this aha moment when we start to link what goes on early with breathing and tongue function or dysfunction and the way that...
A Way to Find More of Your Ideal New Patients Episode #298 with Dr. Daren Becker How do you find more high-quality patients who are ideal for your practice? Today’s guest, Dr. Daren Becker, is here to share how he developed a community of specialists and patients that became his ultimate referral source. Kirk Behrendt and Dr. Becker discuss the importance of referrals from specialists, how to ask for referrals from patients, and how to get high-quality referrals more consistently. For advice on finding new patients that will help your practice grow, listen to Episode 298 of The Best Practices Show! Main Takeaways: Work with other specialists and create a referral source. Find specialists who are aligned with your thinking. If you can't find a community that is aligned with your thinking, develop it! Build relationships and trust with your patients. Also build your patients’ awareness and understanding of their issues. Do a post-treatment celebration with patients — even if it seems awkward. Mass referrals can be great, but you won't have time to do dentistry. Ask for referrals from patients you love working with. They will send you similar patients! Find a mentor! Quotes: “The thing that I think I offer to my patients that may not be the routine in a general dentist practice is the idea of working with patients that have complex, interdisciplinary type of needs . . . I think for a lot of patients, their experience [of that] is very disjointed. And what we try to do is make that very congruous and harmonious.” (07:01—07:38) “If I saw 20 or 30 new patients a month, I wouldn't have any time to do dentistry. I would just be seeing new patients to get five qualified new patients that need what I do — what I love to do. And so, for us, it became a necessity to get the number down to maybe 10 or 12 new patients a month, but have it be like 80% of those are going to be high-quality, highly-referred patients that are coming to me saying, ‘I need what you do.’” (08:48—09:24) “We basically started working with our specialists . . . We have this group practice mentality, and we get together on a very routine basis — it’s scheduled in Dentrix — that we have a meeting every month, or sometimes more, to discuss and go over whatever the cases are that we have to talk about . . . That has developed into a referral source . . . For 2019, 85% of the new patients we saw were referred to us from one of our specialists. And the rest were referred from existing patients.” (09:39—10:52) “Doing a comprehensive exam on every new patient, that is my goal for every new patient. Do we hit it 100% of the time? No. Do we hit it 80% or 85% of the time? Yes. But why is that? Because that's our standard. And we try to stick to that, and so that's what patients expect in our office. And now, patients call asking for that, ‘Hey, you saw my friend . . . I want that same exam or experience that they had.’ So, by staying consistent and staying true to your core beliefs, that just becomes what happens.” (17:47—18:39) “If you want to do more complex interdisciplinary cases and you want to work with a specialist team that is going to refer you patients, ultimately, then you just have to start doing it. Like I say, I was going to these meetings without a single patient to talk about. Back then, we had charts. I would walk in with one chart, no chart — didn't matter. I was going to be there for the conversation of the other cases that were going on. And then, that's how that grew.” (19:09—19:40) “It’s building the relationship, it’s building the trust, it’s building the patients’ awareness and understanding of their particular issues, concerns, problems. And once the patient has that ownership, it’s so much easier to talk to them because then they come ask you, ‘Well, what are we going to do about this? How are we going to solve this? How am I going to make sure that this doesn't get worse?’” (24:15—24:45) “At some point, you get to an end point...
Regulatory Changes that Every Practice Needs to Know Episode #297 with Linda Harvey A lot has happened in dentistry during the pandemic, including regulatory changes. And if you’re wondering about the potential changes and how to prepare for them, today’s expert can help! Kirk Behrendt and Linda Harvey talk about some of the policies, procedures, and protocols that were updated and what to be aware of. Know and understand the laws, and don't be resistant to change! For more advice on how to protect yourself and your practice, listen to Episode 297 of The Best Practices Show! Main Takeaways: Don't assume you're in compliance. Know and understand what's required. Don't be resistant to change. Every dentist needs to have adequate cyber risk insurance coverage. Know what your cyber risk insurance covers. You can't afford not to have a breach expert. Stay current on changes so you can have protocols in place. Take caution with PPE supply chain shortages. Quotes: “We learned quite a bit about COVID-19 . . . We learned how we had to protect ourselves. We learned that OSHA put dentistry at the top of the list when it came to high-risk categories for contracting airborne diseases in dental settings. So, we realized that there were actually laws that were already in place, such as OSHA’s Respiratory Protection Standard, that now applied to us in dentistry.” (08:08—08:39) “There were a lot of folks that were capitalizing on the COVID-19 crisis, selling products that weren't fit to be used in a healthcare setting and masks that were counterfeit. So, we had to really step up a notch as far as our understanding and not just buy something because, ‘Oh, this looks like it’s good. This looks like it’s legitimate.’ We couldn't trust that last year. And even earlier this year, we saw the same thing happening.” (10:07—10:32) “I happen to have an acquaintance who helped to author [OSHA’s] Bloodborne Pathogens Standard. He was on that committee many years ago, and he feels like it’s being picked back up. So, I feel like we’re in that train. And if OSHA takes it a step further and starts an initiative called a Special Emphasis Program, that means that they may take time to go actually investigate offices and do random inspections. Whether they will target dentistry, or healthcare, or what area they will target, that's to be seen.” (12:38—13:07) “The likelihood is that you're more likely to get inspected if there's a complaint filed against the practice. Right now, OSHA does not have the manpower to go target dental offices. We know that they did in Tennessee probably five, maybe six years ago. But Tennessee is one of the 20-something states that has their own OSHA-approved plans, so they have some more restrictive and more stringent requirements than the federal law in some areas.” (14:07—14:31) “I think, oftentimes, we assume we’re in compliance. And sometimes, when I start speaking about, let's just say the Bloodborne Pathogen Standard, and I take one little section that I want to really drill into, almost everybody in the room goes, ‘I had no idea we weren't doing that right.’” (14:47—14:59) “I was one of those individuals that lived through no gloves, masks, and glasses. I was cleaning teeth with no gloves, if you can just imagine how gross that is now. Right? But nevertheless, we had to make that change. And I was one of the last ones to change, quite honestly. I didn't want to wear damn gloves. I've known these patients for years. Why was I fearful of them? But then, I finally got it. You know, we had young children. So, this is the same way that we are now. We’re making changes in our PPE, and we can't be resistant to that change. And we have to be open-minded about, ‘Well, maybe OSHA’s going to say that we’re going to have to continue wearing respirator masks, and that could be what's required.’ We just don't know yet.” (15:13—15:50) “It’s more than just having your Notice of Privacy Practices posted on your website or...
The Acronyms for Success in Marketing Episode #296 with Xaña Winans Marketing isn't just about the pretty images — it’s all about the numbers! And without knowing your numbers, you can't improve your practice. So, today, Kirk Behrendt brings back Xaña Winans to teach you which numbers to keep track of so you can market more effectively. Don't just guess how your marketing is performing — measure and know! To learn about KPIs and all of the acronyms for success in marketing, listen to Episode 296 of The Best Practices Show! Main Takeaways: Image is important, but knowing your numbers is even more important. Numbers are everything for marketing success. If you don't measure, you don't know how any given piece of marketing is performing. CPL (Cost Per Lead) should be lower than your cost of acquisition. CPA (Cost Per Acquisition) helps determine what in your practice needs improvement. If you're not measuring ROI, it’s just a guessing game. Marketing needs time before you see any potential returns. Measure the critical few. Choose two key KPIs to measure and focus on. Know your ideal patient! Quotes: “Doctors, I think, get really excited about the beautiful pictures that they see, the gorgeous new website that a friend of theirs has, or somebody’s incredible postcard, or whatever they’re seeing in terms of other people’s marketing, and they think it’s all about the image. And the image is [only] this much of it.” (05:30—05:52) “Marketing, 50% of it is the pretty stuff. But the other 50% is knowing the hard data, the acronyms, as I call them, of success: your KPIs and your CPLs and your CPAs. If you don't know your numbers, you can’t improve them. You have no idea if you are spending your money efficiently or just throwing it down a hole. And the numbers are literally everything for marketing success.” (06:01—06:23) “There is a huge amount of money that is wasted when I see practices do marketing where they're just getting a ton of leads and a ton of people in the door, and they think it’s incredibly successful. But they're only shoppers. They're coming for a special, and they disappear. They don't come back for that second appointment. And while your cost per lead might be small, your cost of acquiring that patient all of a sudden got really, really expensive because they're not staying in the practice.” (07:54—08:20) “If you do not get that new patient to reappoint — to come back to your practice — often, the cost of their first visit could be more expensive than the cost to acquire the patient. So, if you don't get them to come back, you're literally going to have a negative return on investment for that particular patient, which is crazy.” (09:37—09:58) “The average patient stays in a practice a good 10 years. If you can just do that one thing that very first appointment to get them to come back so that you can start to build a relationship and build value, that is where your ROI comes from, because it is the patient continually adding more revenue to the practice every single year.” (10:06—10:26) “[Dentists] get all caught up like their success only exists in how many times the phone rang and how many new patient appointments they got. But if you are not reappointing them, they're not quality leads. Or there might be something else going on in the practice that is an indication of something you need to adjust.” (12:34—12:49) “A lead does not equal a patient. A lead is anything that gets somebody to respond. So, they filled out a form on your website. They picked up the phone and made a call. They had a chat with you online. They walked in your door because they happened to be walking past your practice and they had a question. That is a lead. That is not a qualified patient.” (13:05—13:27) “I count a lead as any time that the phone rang and it was a new patient opportunity. For example, if your phone isn't getting answered and the call goes to voicemail, it’s still a new patient opportunity so it’s...
Avoid the COVID Mindset Gap Episode #295 with Dr. Christopher Phelps You may be tired of hearing about the pandemic, but this topic is worth listening to! Today, Kirk Behrendt brings in Dr. Christopher Phelps to explain the two mindsets that the pandemic created: risk-tolerant and risk-adverse. By understanding these ways of thinking, you can build strategies to change your patients’ and teams’ behaviors to grow your practice — especially during this time of uncertainty. To learn the best ways to market effectively to both mindsets, listen to Episode 295 of The Best Practices Show! Main Takeaways: COVID-19 created two main types of mindsets: risk-tolerant and risk-averse. Analyze who’s coming in and why so you can improve your marketing. Create the conditions to drive patients to you and stay long-term. Use the social proof and authority principles to market to both mindsets. Market more to your risk-tolerant patients — they're still looking to get in somewhere. Listen to your patients’ insights to come up with solutions. Remind patients of all the safety precautions you're taking. Positive Google reviews can attract more risk-tolerant patients. Now is the best time to offer membership plans for patients. Be adaptable to get ahead. Quotes: “Whether you realize it or not, when your patient walks through the door of your practice, they're coming in with a mindset already established. And most of the time, unfortunately, the mindset they're coming in with is competing with what we want to talk about. So, potentially, if their mindset competes, the door to “yes” is already shut in our face.” (09:26—09:43) “Before COVID-19, 80% of our patients were more proactive, especially when given choice in the matter. And the minority were the reactive mindset ones, the ones that would just put it off until it’s too late. Now, COVID-19 has flipped the paradigm because this new mindset that pairs well with this proactive and reactive is, are they risk-tolerant or are they risk-averse. And what we’re finding is the risk-tolerant mindset tends to go along with the reactive mindset people, the ones that are taking the calculated risk by letting things get worse.” (12:01—12:31) “All of those reactive mindset people, those risk-tolerant people, had always felt like they could get into a dentist anywhere at any time when their issue became apparent. That was what their calculated risk was, ‘Yeah, it doesn't bother me today. But when it does tomorrow, I'll find a dentist somewhere.’ But what did the shutdown show them? When their problem did manifest, could they find us? Could they get in somewhere? And the answer was, they could not. So, what it did was it created this powerful scarcity effect.” (12:52—13:20) “While we had the risk-tolerant folks filling our chairs — that's great — guess who’s not coming in right now, and still really isn't coming in unless they have a big dental issue? That risk-adverse crowd, the majority of our patients.” (15:16—15:28) “When I talk to a lot of the dentists that follow my advice on this, it’s been off the charts. In fact, many of our practices like mine, we actually produced so much towards the end of the year that we made up for the two-month gap. It was like we never even shut down . . . because we were tapping into that risk-tolerant mindset, getting as much done as possible. And they were more than happy to say yes because they didn't want to be stuck in that same situation again.” (17:13—17:38) “I've almost been in practice for 20 years. I'm still going through the risk-tolerant folks, because we had a ton of them to get through. You built your practice on them; you just hadn’t realized they only come in on occasion.” (17:45—17:55) “My main advice is . . . and I still feel like you need to be doing this now, you've got to increase your marketing efforts to find more of those risk-tolerant patients. They're still looking to get in somewhere. They're still not sure who’s open
Take Action: Treatment Coordination for a Successful Dental Practice Episode #294 with Dr. Ann Marie Gorczyca You don't need to spend a cent to grow your practice — you just need to take action. To teach you how to improve your treatment coordination as a dentist, as a team, and as a practice, Kirk Behrendt invites Dr. Ann Marie Gorczyca to discuss the contents of her book, Take Action: Treatment Coordination for a Successful Dental Practice. She will teach you how to promote your dentistry, take the lead with patients, and how to follow up with them so that you can improve your treatment coordination process. For tips on growing your practice without spending money, listen to Episode 294 of The Best Practices Show! Main Takeaways: Have a weekly strategy meeting for accountability. Know your numbers and have clear goals. Treatment coordination is not just a one-person job. Don't wait for the patient. Take the lead and say, “Let's get started.” Don't give up on your patients. Sometimes, it takes years. Follow up with your patients until you get a yes or no answer. As soon as you hear “yes” from the patient, schedule their appointment. Your job is to help patients get started and make it easy for them. Quotes: “If I can share one game-changer from [Traction] that I learned and implemented in my own practice, that is to have a weekly strategy meeting . . . Meetings are the moment of accountability.” (06:17—06:51) “Know your numbers, because numbers are the language of business. Once you know your numbers, running a business almost becomes like a game.” (07:28—07:38) “In dentistry, it’s very common to use the word “treatment coordination” because we actually never are taught to use the word “sales”. Somehow, “sales” has become a forbidden term, so we use the term treatment coordination. But once you wrap yourself around that topic and understand that it is sales that you are actually dealing with, then you can really study every aspect of sales.” (09:02—09:38) “It doesn't really matter who is in the room with you when you do the initial exam. What matters is that someone capable is in the room and that you thoroughly review the diagnosis treatment plan, go over the financials, but then you say the magic words — and this is the most important thing — ‘Let's get started.’ That's what it’s all about.” (12:21—12:52) “[Patients] are coming to you for help. And that is your obligation, to help them get started with what they need to do.” (15:15—15:24) “If you're working in a dental office and you're not promoting your dentistry, using your dentistry, selling your dentistry, why are you there? That's your whole reason to be there, is to help people get the dentistry that they need, and you're there to provide it for them.” (16:27—16:44) “I have had a patient start Invisalign who came for their exam nine years ago. It took him nine years to get started. And I've had another patient start orthodontic treatment . . . It took her five years to get started. And actually, when she got her braces on, she said to me, ‘Thank you, Dr. Gorczyca, for not giving up on me.’” (20:33—21:04) “This is really important, for the dentist and the treatment coordinator to not unsell their own treatment. Don't say too much, because the patient came in wanting treatment. You don't want them walking out not wanting treatment.” (26:31—26:54) “As soon as you hear the “yes” response, that's when you should stop and go towards scheduling the appointment to get started. Don't go into more detail. Don't go into how long it’s going to take. Just stop and make the appointment.” (27:37—28:02) “Another thing that I highly, highly recommend, which is very effective, is the social proof of showing other cases exactly like the patient’s case. ‘Let me show you a case exactly like your case that we treated with Invisalign,’ and then show the before and after photos. That is extremely powerful.” (32:39—33:02) “Doctors do need to take...
Your Future’s So Bright You’ve Got to Wear Shades Episode #293 with Dr. Mark Hyman Especially post-Covid, you may be wondering about the future of dentistry. But don’t panic — Dr. Mark Hyman is here to assure you that dentistry will survive and thrive! Today, Kirk Behrendt chats with Dr. Hyman about where dentistry is headed, along with some reminders on why this is one of the greatest professions out there. To learn everything you need to know on becoming excellent and thriving in this space, listen to Episode 293 of The Best Practices Show! Main Takeaways: Dentistry will survive and thrive. Build the right team and treat them like gold. Master your communication skills. Invest in a coach. It’s small dollars for a massive return. Invest in technology wisely. Educate yourself, your team, and your patients. You don't become excellent just by showing up. Quotes: “What I know for sure is dentistry will survive and thrive. The concept that the government labeled dentistry a nonessential business is shameful. Shameful to us, first, that we haven't raised enough public awareness of the benefit of optimal care dentistry.” (10:47—11:02) “You've got to get the right team, and you've got to treat them like gold . . . The patient is not always right — your team is always right. You always have to protect your team. And I would rather lose a patient family and get a few one-star reviews than lose a valued teammate. And I didn't always feel that way in my career, and that was a mistake.” (12:54—13:20) “I'd never hired anybody. I'd never fired anybody. I didn't know what to do. I didn't know how to set raises, how to look at overhead. And that's one reason that I would say to anybody, you have to have a coach. You can't just go to Google and figure this stuff out. You spend small dollars for a massive return.” (13:52—14:10) “Do you think Michael Jordan just walked on the basketball court and started doing “yo mama” slam dunks? He practiced, and practiced, and practiced, and practiced. And that's how you become world-class.” (19:54—20:04) “You don't become excellent just by showing up.” (20:19—20:22) “Coaching is one of the great gifts you will give your team and yourself, because everybody needs it.” (23:11—23:16) “If I could say to a young dentist there's one thing that you must do, buy an intraoral camera and take a picture on every patient before, during, and after.” (23:38—23:49) “When people say to me, ‘Well, I pre-authorize everybody,’ I say, ‘That's because you don't use your camera.’ They're like, ‘Well, how do you know?’ I say, ‘Because if you showed people these pictures, they'd say, ‘My tooth is cracked. You need to fix it.’” (28:40—28:52) “My hero and mentor in dentistry was Dr. Erwin Becker from Pankey. And he looked at me one day and said, ‘Mark, the reason most patients haven't accepted optimal care dentistry is that no one ever offered it to them.’” (30:49—31:03) “My mentor in Greensboro confided in me last year was the biggest year he ever had — and that was with taking a couple months off for COVID-19. He still had his career year.” (37:38—37:51) “The old Carnegie organization says three magic words: evidence defeats doubt.” (39:33—39:38) Snippets: Dr. Hyman’s background. (03:08—05:28) The realities of being a dentist today. (05:54—10:20) Resiliency in dentistry. (10:46—13:20) Build the right team. (13:20—18:57) Put in your 10,000 hours. (19:50—23:17) Invest in technology wisely. (23:17—25:46) Do you need to file pre-authorizations? (25:49—29:41) Don't let money run your practice. (30:18—32:54) Have a higher caliber of peers. (33:33—34:51) The future’s so bright, you need shades. (35:05—38:09) Advice for young dentists and the future of dentistry. (38:52—41:10), Dr. Hyman praising Kirk for two minutes straight. (41:23—43:36) Dr. Hyman’s contact information and closing. (44:39—46:46) Reach Out to Dr. Hyman: Dr. Hyman’s website:https://drmarkspeaks.com/ ( https://drmarkspeaks.com/)...
What Holds You Back in Dentistry & Sleep? Episode #292 with Dr. Erin Elliott Maybe you want sleep and airway in your practice, but you’re feeling held back. Today, Dr. Erin Elliott returns on the topic of airway with advice on how to get started! Kirk Behrendt and Dr. Elliott talk about the most common obstacles dentists face and the best practices on how to overcome them. For tips on positive thinking, staying motivated, and having confidence in your work, listen to Episode 292 of The Best Practices Show! Main Takeaways: Don't let medical billing be a roadblock to doing sleep in your practice. Fear of being sued shouldn't stop you. Avoid thinking about the “what-ifs" — most of those fears never happen. Have confidence in your work. Don't let imposter syndrome hold you back. Learn how to communicate and talk to your patients and team. Always think about what's best for your patients. Don't try to do it all — delegate. Quotes: “Complexity is the enemy of implementation. And dentists do one thing really well, is overthinking and making things more difficult than they need to be.” (04:29—04:40) “I recently took a poll on the forum that I mentor on from people that have attended the course, ‘Why are you not doing as much sleep as you want to?’ And number one was medical billing.” (05:35—05:49) “If you take care of the patient and do what's best for them — there are some jerks in this world. But to get to the point where you're sued, legally, it’s standard of care. And it’s also clinically acceptable work — you won't get sued. They have to have an expert witness in order to win. Ask me how I know, because I had to go through the process.” (09:21—09:45) “You do feel like you're behind the ball all the time. And then, of course, people only post their most amazing work, and you're like, ‘Man, I am a crappy dentist,’ when really, you're getting patients out of pain, you're restoring their smile, their function. You're doing everything well, [but] you always feel like a failure. So, you've just got to get out there.” (10:48—11:11) “Don't start expecting physician referrals if you don't even know what to do with a patient when you get them.” (22:42—22:47) “It’s really the team that gets things going, and I think we don't utilize them enough.” (27:37—27:40) “Stop being nice. It doesn't mean not to be nice, but it means that people are okay with you leading them. And it’s not being a jerk to have certain expectations that you expect them to meet. And if you have to correct them, they have given you permission just by being your employee.” (33:59—34:24) “Just know that: (1) you know what you're doing; (2) you won't get sued; (3) take care of people, [and] you'll find satisfaction in your job.” (45:00—45:06) Snippets: Dr. Elliott’s background. (02:53—07:18) Don't let your fears stop you. (08:09—12:06) Don't let imposter syndrome hold you back. (12:59—14:41) Have your “why” to keep yourself motivated. (15:21—16:19) You can't do everything yourself/the champion concept. (17:07—21:13) Other obstacles holding you back from doing sleep in your practice. (21:35—24:35) Mistakes made and lessons learned. (25:46—27:45) Have confidence in leading your team. (28:31—32:11) Heidi vs. Howard study, and the origin of the word “nice”. (32:11—39:30) Don't be easily defeated. (40:02—41:16) Dr. Elliott’s sleep courses. (41:33—43:03) Dr. Elliott’s contact information, website, and S1 course. (43:11—44:07) Closing. (44:08—45:42) Reach Out to Dr. Elliott: Dr. Elliott’s website:https://3d-dentists.com/ ( https://3d-dentists.com/) Dr. Elliott’s email: erinelliottdds@gmail.com Dr. Erin Elliott Bio: Dr. Elliott grew up in Southern California but went away to a small NAIA school in Western New York, where she played collegiate soccer and graduated summa cum laude. She graduated Creighton Dental School in the top 5 of my class. After school, she settled in North Idaho and began her dentistry career. She...
Move It or Lose It – Beyond Ergonomics Episode #291 with Dr. Uche Odiatu We've all heard the benefits of exercise, but it goes beyond ergonomics. To remind you of the neurological benefits of being physically active, Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. Uche Odiatu for a lesson on how exercise can keep your mind healthy and add years to your practice. And the best part is, you don't need a lot of time to get moving — start today! For more, listen to Episode 291 of The Best Practices Show! Main Takeaways: There are neurological and physiological benefits to being physically active. Exercising and fitness goes beyond just “looking hot”. Fitness isn't a cost, it’s an investment. Sitting is the new smoking! Walk more, walk briskly, and live longer. You don't need a ton of time to exercise! Quotes: “Most people, when they think of exercise, they're thinking a flat stomach. They think of squares. They're thinking of “looking hot” for your high school reunion . . . Dr. Church from the Cooper Institute in Texas said the benefit of being regularly physically active, 90% of it is from the neck up, which means neurologically, longer telomeres, better synaptic connections, less toxin buildup, better sleep.” (05:27—06:04) “People who aren’t physically active are 1/10th as productive as people who are physically active.” (07:06—07:12) “Michael Colgan, PhD, in a book called Save Your Brain, said by age 55, for most people who are physically inactive, which is basically 85% of the audience here . . . almost half of their mitochondria are no longer fully functioning.” (09:21—09:43) “I don't think fitness costs anything. It’s an investment. Nutrition is an investment for me. My exercise equipment is an investment for me. My yoga mat is an investment for me. My Lululemon is an investment for me . . . Everything in your body that costs, it’s actually an investment, from my brain to my nutrition to my equipment.” (16:01—16:31) “We weren't designed to sit. It literally shuts down our physiology. It shuts down breathing. And you're thinking, ‘Is that a big deal?’ Well, the brain, at three pounds, is the biggest oxygen hog. At three pounds, our brain uses 25% of the incoming oxygen. So, when you're sitting, your brain is being starved of oxygen.” (25:27—25:45) “If you can't be in the top 2% in income, be in the top 2% in having a complete exercise program.” (36:34—36:40) Snippets: Dr. Odiatu’s background. (03:17—04:48) Why movement is so important in dentistry. (05:27—11:05) Sleep is the secret weapon. (11:42—13:21) Treat your body like a high-performance race car. (14:51—18:00) Move it or lose it. (18:52—20:36) Dentistry is a sport. (21:15—24:28) Sitting is the new smoking. (24:55—27:15) Movement is life. (28:10—30:35) Walk more (briskly) and live longer. (31:21—33:21) The ergonomic side of movement. (34:11—36:40) Myths of exercise and Dr. Odiatu’s exercise routine. (37:09—39:16) Interval training is important to the body. (39:26—41:39) Don't overdo it! (42:01—43:39) Keep yourself healthy to add more years to your practice. (44:33—46:14) Dr. Odiatu’s contact information and virtual presentations. (46:43—48:26) Reach Out to Dr. Odiatu: Dr. Odiatu’s Instagram: @fitspeakershttps://www.instagram.com/fitspeakers/?hl=en ( https://www.instagram.com/fitspeakers/?hl=en) Dr. Odiatu’s email: odiatudmd@gmail.com Dr. Odiatu’s website:http://www.druche.com/ ( http://www.druche.com/) Further Reading: Save Your Brain by Michael Colgan:https://www.amazon.com/Save-Your-Brain-Michael-Colgan/dp/0978348605 ( https://www.amazon.com/Save-Your-Brain-Michael-Colgan/dp/0978348605) Mother-Daughter Wisdom: Understanding the Crucial Link Between Mothers, Daughters, and Health by Christiane Northrup:https://www.amazon.com/Mother-Daughter-Wisdom-Understanding-Crucial-Daughters/dp/0553380125 ( https://www.amazon.com/Mother-Daughter-Wisdom-Understanding-Crucial-Daughters/dp/0553380125) Dr. Uche Odiatu Bio Dr. Odiatu has a DMD...
The 5 Things That Patients Want Episode #290 with Dr. Sam Low If you've ever thought to yourself, “I don't know what my patients want,” and don't know where to begin, today’s guest is here to help demystify what patients find important when it comes to their dental health. To teach you how to hook and educate your patients so they are motivated to make better decisions, Kirk Behrendt invites Dr. Sam Low to explain patients’ fears, desires, and expectations from their dentists. To learn about the five things patients want, listen to Episode 290 of The Best Practices Show! Main Takeaways: 1. Patients don't want pain! 2. Patients want to look good. 3. But patients don't want to pay. 4. Patients want things done now. 5. Patients want everything done by you. Create trust and communication with your patients and your team. Create your niche in dentistry. Find the patient you want, and then keep them. Use motivational interviewing. If you educate your patients, you can keep them for life. Quotes: “This is basically what they want — first of all, [patients] don't want to hurt. And if you hurt them, I promise you, they're going to get on up and they're going to kill you. You can't hurt them.” (05:21—05:33) “Number two, [patients] want to look good. I don't care if they have no money. They expect to look good. They expect to look fantastic. We’re selfish. That's what we want.” (05:38—05:47) “Number three — sorry — [patients] don't want to pay . . . ‘If I'm a Medicare patient, how come I can't get any dentistry done?’” (05:48—06:06) “[Patients] want everything done now. You know this milling game? Sure, I love the technology. What really pushed the milling game is patients want it now. They don't want to wait 30 days. They want 30 minutes.” (06:09—06:24) “Patients want everything done with you; it’s convenience. ‘Doc, are you sure you can't take the impacted wisdom teeth out of my daughter? You did such a great job with these ceramics.’” (06:31—06:45) “40 years ago, a dentist was the only game in town. There weren't a lot of other dentists around. You do know, we’ve got 65 dental schools. You've got to create a niche. Because if you don't create that niche with you, your nonverbal cues, do you know what's going to happen? [Patients are] going to go to somebody down the street — because [they] can.” (08:37—08:58) “The number-one way to build a practice is relationships.” (09:45—09:50) “Find something in [a patient’s] medical history or their dental history you can hook into. That's the way you do it. Find something that you can parlay into the conversation.” (10:50—11:01) “Do you know the number-one phrase that sells more perio than any other phrase? ‘We see today the irreversible loss of your jawbone . . .’ Did we say we’re losing teeth? No. We said your jawbone. That is the number-one elevator pitch for you. And the second is, ‘There is absolutely a mouth-body connection.’” (12:40—13:14) “Once you educate [patients], they’re yours for life.” (16:48—16:51) Snippets: Dr. Low’s background. (02:15—03:07) Origin of the “five things” framework. (04:04—07:00) Create a niche in your dental practice. (07:40—10:04) Find something in a patient’s medical history to hook and motivate them. (10:50—14:05) The importance of motivational interviewing. (14:54—17:39) Is there a link between the amount of perio and restorative that patients do? (18:07—22:15) The future of perio. (22:59—25:57) Last thoughts. (26:10—27:05) Dr. Low’s contact information. (27:55—28:36) Reach Out to Dr. Low: Dr. Low’s email: slow@dental.ufl.edu Dr. Low’s website:https://www.drsamlow.com/ ( https://www.drsamlow.com/) Dr. Sam Low Bio: Dr. Sam Low provides dentists and dental hygienists with the tools needed for successfully managing the periodontal patient in general and periodontal practices. As an associate faculty member of the L.D. Pankey Institute for 25 years and Professor Emeritus, University of Florida, College of...
The Dental Sleep Medicine Recipe for Success: Episode #289 – Part 5 – Billing and Documentation with Dr. Mark Murphy Screening and treating your patients might’ve been easy. But now comes the worst part — billing and documentation. In the final episode of this five-part series, Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. Mark Murphy to help you understand the biggest barrier to success in DSM. His solution? Outsource! To learn how outsourcing could benefit you, your staff, and your practice, listen to Episode 289 of The Best Practices Show! If you missed any of the previous episodes, be sure to go back and listen to Episodes 285 – 288! Main Takeaways: Over 90% of dentists will quit DSM out of frustration with documentation. Outsource! Third party companies know how to communicate with insurance companies. Outsourcing will save you time, money, and give you peace of mind. Third party billing and documentation companies know how to get you paid! There are only 4% of dentists doing DSM. The population of people with obstructive sleep apnea is growing. Quotes: “Whatever an hour or an hour-and-a-half is worth to you, write that down. When we finished using a third party as a documentation support software system . . . I would not spend three minutes at the end of my last patient finishing my documentation for the day, because there's a checklist, there's punching buttons. Everything gets done automatically.” (03:06—03:43) “When I've talked to people who said, ‘Well, I've tried sleep medicine, but I just quit,’ I said, ‘Why’d you quit?’ The number-one answer is, ‘I couldn't get paid.’ I said, ‘Why couldn't you get paid?’ ‘Well, we tried to bill.’ ‘Did you try to do it yourself?’ ‘Yes.’ I go, ‘That might be the problem.’” (03:47—04:00) “90% to 95% will quit doing dental sleep because of the documentation.” (04:59—05:02) “If you say, ‘The hour I spend cutting the lawn every week is like Zen meditation,’ then knock yourself out and do it. Absolutely. Let me tell you, you're not going to feel that way about documentation and billing.” (05:57—06:08) “I probably pay $300 a month for my software. I probably pay $49 a claim and 8% for my claims. That is a cost of doing business. That is a cost of not having to spend an hour-and-a-half at the end of my day, or not having to upset my team by trying to get them to do something that they're not capable of doing.” (13:03—13:21) “The billing and documentation part, I always say, are the biggest barriers to success in dental sleep medicine. What I probably should say is they're the biggest barriers if you try to do them yourself.” (23:55—24:06) “The number of people that have obstructive sleep apnea in our population is growing faster than the number of people we’re treating.” (25:55—26:02) “There are 180,000 dentists, 150,000 GPs, ballpark. Maybe 6,000 dentists are doing dental sleep medicine. That's 4%. . . So, there's an incredibly large population of patients in need, and it’s growing . . . So, if you decide to cross that chasm and step into the arena to do some dental sleep medicine, it’s a pretty easy downhill path.” (27:16—27:54) Snippets: Synopsis. (02:24—04:25) What outsourcing really means. (04:47—06:16) Myths of medical insurance. (06:42—10:35) Things to know about billing and documentation to get started. (11:05—13:21) Third party billing companies get you paid. (13:38—16:07) SOAP (Subjective, Objective, Assessment, and Plan) notes. (16:21—19:40) Why Dr. Murphy chose to be a Medicare provider. (21:19—23:31) Last thoughts on billing and documentation. (23:55—25:09) The future of dental sleep medicine. (25:33—28:12) Advanced education and associations to join. (28:18—32:59) Closing. (33:00—35:24) Reach Out to Dr. Murphy: Dr. Murphy’s email: mmurphy@prosomnus.com Further Reading: American Academy of Dental Sleep Medicine:https://www.aadsm.org/ ( https://www.aadsm.org/) American Sleep and Breathing Academy:https://asba.net/ ( https://asba.net/) American
The Dental Sleep Medicine Recipe for Success: Episode #288 – Part 4 – Treatment with Dr. Mark Murphy Now that your patients have been tested, it’s time to figure out the best way to help them. In part four of this series, Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. Mark Murphy to talk about treatment — the easiest part of dental sleep medicine! He reviews the steps after a positive test result, his appointment process, and how to follow up with your patients. To learn more about how to treat your patients effectively and efficiently, listen to Episode 288 of The Best Practices Show! If you missed any of the previous episodes, be sure to go back and listen to Episodes 285 – 287! Main Takeaways: Don't dwell on the 20% of patients you can't help. Focus on the 80%. Compliance with CPAP use is still low. But sometimes, CPAP is the only solution for particular patients. Using a digital scanner has advantages for you and your patients. Adding sleep even one day a week is profitable. Treatment is physically and mentally the easiest part of this process. Quotes: “See, we’re dentists. We dwell on the patient who’s focused on the money, or we dwell on this one outlier, and we build systems for that. Don't do that. Don't do that. Build systems for the 80% that are moving forward. Just run with those 80%, and tell the other 20%, ‘I can't fix you. I can't fix that. That's not my fault.’” (06:29—06:44) “Most studies will tell you that the average CPAP patient is only wearing their CPAP 40% of the time. This gets worse. What do you mean “wearing it”? Define wearing it. Eight hours a night, seven nights a week? Oh, no. In the CPAP world, they define compliance or adherence as 4.5 hours per night, five nights out of seven.” (22:33—22:57) “They’ve been making CPAP smaller, quieter, cleaner — everything. Masks, better fitting. They’ve been doing all kinds of things. And still, compliance stays like crap.” (26:14—26:24) “[New doctors] say to me, ‘Well, this patient only has this many teeth, and they're really mobile. What do I do?’ Well, you probably don't make an oral appliance. You probably tell them they have to have CPAP. Sorry. We can't fix everything. I can't fix that. I don't have a solution. Oral appliance therapy has some requirements, and that patient might not meet the requirements.” (30:50—31:06) “Today, the hard cost of a scanner has come down so much that I think it’s going to make it a more cost-effective decision for somebody to move from analog impressions to scanning. Dentists who do dental sleep medicine have made that switch like that, because a full-arch upper and lower impression costs about $45.” (36:30—36:47) “I scanned her upper, her lower, and took the bite in three minutes and 49 seconds . . . I'm not looking to save eight minutes. Maybe I am. Because if I save eight minutes a day, at the end of five days, that'd be 40 minutes. At the end of a month, that'd be a couple of hours. Maybe I can make my kid’s soccer game, or maybe I could schedule another crown prep or two. Or maybe I could get out of work earlier, take another vacation. I would have choices to make with my time.” (37:43—38:15) Snippets: Synopsis. (02:20—04:09) Next steps after a positive test result. (04:48—06:46) Appointment structure. (07:04—10:53) Evolution of oral appliances. (11:09—20:40) “Effectiveness” of oral appliances. (20:59—23:30) The New England Journal of Medicine SAVE trial. (23:31—29:05) Dr. Murphy’s treatment process. (29:52—34:29) Advantages of digital scanners. (35:57—38:19) Follow-ups with the patient. (38:45—40:05) Results: four indicators to look for after treatment. (40:14—45:04) How to score each of those four indicators. (45:26—50:19) Does airway health go hand in hand with restorative dentistry? (50:57—52:30) The logistics of adding DSM into your practice. (53:05—56:39) Advice for dentists and last thoughts about treatment. (56:54—59:50) Dr. Murphy’s contact information. (1:00:24—1:01:06) Reach Out...
The Dental Sleep Medicine Recipe for Success: Episode #287 – Part 3 – Testing with Dr. Mark Murphy You've talked to your patients about sleep apnea, screened them, and finally convinced them to see a physician. But what do you do once your patients get tested? In part three of this airway series, Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. Mark Murphy to teach you the next steps once you have their test results. But how do you get patients interested in a sleep test to begin with? Listen to Episode 287 of The Best Practices Show to find out! And if you missed the previous episodes, be sure to go back and listen to Episodes 285 and 286! Main Takeaways: Don't be cheap — pay someone else to figure out the medical billing. Get patients in the right perspective and interested in wanting a sleep test. 85% of sleep tests today are done at home — a simpler and less invasive method. For patients who have a lot going on, refer them to a sleep physician. Diagnosis is neutral, not judgmental. You're just telling patients the truth. Get comfortable with 75%. Accept that you can't help 100% of your patients. Quotes: “There’s an old John Wooden quote that I like. Failure is not fatal. Failure to change because of the mistakes you make and try different things differently may be fatal.” (01:39—01:51) “I think where most dentists get [airway] wrong is not figuring out how to get paid for it.” (03:06—03:11) “It’s so hard for [dentists] to accept 75% success as world-class. And yet, I think to myself, you'd be in the Hall of Fame in every sport if you shot 75%, if you scored 75% of the time, or you batted 750. You'd be in a Hall of Fame of the Hall of Fames.” (06:32—06:48) “Some patients are unaware of things, and then they become aware. Once they become aware, that's still different than are they interested or not in what's going on . . . If I've engaged them enough, asked them enough questions, engaged them in conversation, been a good listener, shown them how much I care, then they probably come to trust me a little bit. So, unaware, aware, interested, they believe and trust in you. And then, they say the magic words, ‘Well, what do you think we ought to do?’ That's where I want a patient to be on that learning ladder.” (10:26—11:21) “My triage in my mind is, am I confirming or denying that this patient has sleep apnea, or do I need a broader diagnosis — this patient has a lot going on. If they have a lot going on, I always send them to my local physician. I punt.” (16:56—17:10) “Am I putting a little bit of fear in [patients]? Well, hell yes, I am. Because it is a serious disease. They're 23 times more likely to die of a heart attack if they have sleep apnea, and I want them to move on to get treatment.” (39:00—39:08) “So, you see a patient who you think is at risk, and you don't encourage them to get a test, and they die. And you could've saved their life. Is that your partial responsibility? Boy, that's a discussion I don't want to have to have. Now, you've got somebody who has a positive test result, and you paint the picture as, ‘Well, if you kind of want to and you're interested, you might want to go get this device thing,’ and they die. And you could've saved their life. Do you feel the responsibility of that?” (42:24—42:52) Snippets: You can't learn something without doing it. (01:22—02:30) Where dentists go wrong when it comes to sleep. (03:02—07:33) How to get patients interested in a sleep test. (07:59—12:32) The presumptive close: assume your patients say yes. (13:05—14:26) Types of sleep tests. (14:55—19:23) You can't treat 100% of your patients. (20:29—22:18) Four types of tests and consumer wearables. (22:37—29:51) Treatments and side effects. (30:50—34:18) Should you review test results with patients? (34:48—41:24) Telling patients the truth. (42:18—46:07) Last thoughts on testing. (46:16—47:28) What Dr. Murphy’s company does. (47:51—49:04) Reach Out to Dr. Murphy: Dr. Murphy’s email:...
The Dental Sleep Medicine Recipe for Success: Episode #286 – Part 2 – Screening with Dr. Mark Murphy You already screen patients for oral cancer — now, do it for sleep apnea! In part two of this series, Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. Mark Murphy to teach you the best practices for screening your patients. Screening is quick, easy, and noninvasive. And the best part is, you don't need to figure out billing before you do it! For more of Dr. Murphy’s advice, listen to Episode 286 of The Best Practices Show! If you missed part one, be sure to go back and listen to Episode 285! Main Takeaways: Patients and their lives are very dynamic. You can't just screen them once. Dentists are responsible and capable of screening for sleep-related breathing disorders. Create curiosity and interest so your team wants to screen patients. Use the STOP-BANG questionnaire to screen at-risk patients. Use the BEARS questionnaire to screen at-risk children. You don't need to figure out the billing to start the screening. Have intentional conversations with patients about their risk, with hope of treatment. Quotes: “The algorithm we use has age as one of the eight factors that we look at very closely. And if you have three of the eight factors, you're at moderate risk. Four, you're at high risk.” (05:56—06:05) “Even though the incidence of you finding an oral cancer, the incidence of you impacting somebody’s life is very small, you're willing to invest the time, the effort, and energy no matter what. You would never think of skipping that oral cancer screening exam . . . So, what if I told you that I needed you to screen for something during that hygiene visit, like oral cancer, that happens in 20% to 25% of your patients, and then when you do that you can save their life? Could you commit to that, no matter what?” (08:19—09:23) “That's not the reason to do [screenings], to cover your ass . . . It’s about helping your patients be healthier.” (12:37—12:53) “You don't have to treat sleep. I'm not suggesting you have to treat sleep . . . I don't have to be a specialist. I don't have to be a sleep doctor. I don't have to be a sleep dentist. But I've got to screen. And it doesn't take long.” (12:55—13:29) “The idea here is, I have an algorithm that's pretty darn predictive for sleep apnea. And it’s not very invasive to get that information. Intentional conversations will do it.” (28:55—29:07) “You have a chance in these kids to maybe change a long lineage. And to the person who says, ‘Man, you sure you want to do that to a five-and-a-half-year-old?’ What, you want them to have five years of hell and treat them when they're 11?” (32:33—32:45) “You don't have to treat perio. Right? But you have to get started in screening for perio and making a referral. Same thing. So, I have to get started in screening [for sleep apnea]. I don't have a choice. I care about my patients, and I have a responsibility — moral, ethical, maybe even legal — so I want to get started in screening.” (35:39—35:56) “When you go to some of the Scandinavian countries, 30% to 70% of the patients get oral appliance therapy first, CPAP therapy last. Hardly anybody wears a CPAP. Give a CPAP to 100 people, 40% will be wearing it at the end of the year. Give an oral appliance to 100 people, 90% will be wearing it at the end of the year, maybe 95%.” (42:37—42:59) Snippets: Dr. Murphy’s screening process. (02:41—05:00) Are patients static or dynamic? (05:20—06:53) Best practices for screening. (07:34—10:28) Not screening is inappropriate practice. (11:11—14:15) How to help your team understand the importance of screening. (15:06—18:24) Ask high-quality questions. (18:25—22:36) STOP-BANG questionnaire and six other questions to ask. (23:06—29:07) BEARS questionnaire. (29:51—32:45) How to refer patients to a sleep test. (33:05—35:06) Just get started. (35:38—38:36) Last thoughts on screening and STOP-BANG/BEARS review. (39:10—41:08) Dr. Murphy’s contact information...
The Dental Sleep Medicine Recipe for Success: Episode #285 – Part 1 – Physiology with Dr. Mark Murphy Snoring is more than just noise, according to Dr. Mark Murphy. Over a billion people suffer from obstructive sleep apnea, and your patients may be one of them! To stress the importance of screening for this disorder, Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. Murphy for a five-part series to teach you everything you need to know to implement dental sleep medicine into your practice. If you want to change or even save your patients’ lives, listen to Episode 285 of The Best Practices Show! Main Takeaways: Billing, communication, and documentation is the hardest part of dental sleep medicine. Sleep apnea is an epidemic that dentists need to help treat. Comorbidities are exacerbated with obstructive sleep apnea. Screen patients for sleep apnea, even if you don't want to treat them. Better sleep means better health and a better life! Quotes: “There is nothing I've seen in dentistry that is even remotely more rewarding than feeling like you've saved somebody’s life, feeling like you maybe saved somebody’s marriage, feeling like you got two people back in the bedroom together that were having trouble sleeping.” (11:32—11:49) “How many dentists does it take to change a light bulb? It takes five; one to change the light bulb, and four to sit around and talk about how great the old one was.” (15:24—15:31) “We take water for granted. There are a lot of people that live most of their lives somewhat dehydrated, and it has a huge impact on their physiology. Oxygen, though, is not ever listed as one of the important, major six nutrients. And yet, I would argue that it is the forgotten nutrient, because you can survive without breathing well, but you can't survive without breathing. And you will be compromised if you're not breathing well.” (17:56—18:24) “20% to 25% of the adult population has obstructive sleep apnea. And as high as 85% to 90% of those people have never been diagnosed.” (21:30—21:39) “Saw an ad the other day for a new FDA-approved drug, prescription only, that if you suffer from obstructive sleep apnea, you can take this to be more alert during the day. Oh, really? So, instead of getting at the root cause of the problem, we’re going to find a way to obtund your signs and symptoms so that you don't maybe get treatment and you function better every day, and we’ll just burn you out faster. It’s horrible.” (22:53—23:21) “Patients will think if they snore, it’s just snoring — that it’s just a noise that they make. In reality, there's a very high correlation between snoring and obstructive sleep apnea. It’s not diagnostic, but there's a strong correlation.” (25:47—25:59) “A person with obstructive sleep apnea is not two, or four, or eight, or 16 times more likely to die of a heart attack — they're 23 times more likely to die of a heart attack because of the stress and the strain that's put on the heart.” (27:24—27:39) “There's a 53% survival rate over 20 years if you have severe sleep apnea versus not having it — 20 years. All ages, all causes of death. That's crazy. There should be alarm bells going off.” (32:12—32:29) “Back in 1994, there was no state in the country that had an obesity rate that was in excess of 20%. In 2019, there was no state in the country that had an obesity rate under 20% of the population in the state.” (42:30—42:47) Snippets: Dr. Murphy’s background. (02:33—06:24) How to make airway and sleep work in your practice. (06:57—08:49) Why Dr. Murphy is passionate about dental sleep medicine. (09:20—14:23) Dentists are resistant to change. (15:16—16:46) Oxygen is taken for granted. (17:36—20:53) Dentists are on the front lines to help treat sleep apnea. (21:28—23:21) The U.S. Army is ProSomnus’ largest customer. (23:22—23:58) Sleep is the secret weapon. (23:59—25:13) Misconceptions about physiology. (25:42—29:09) People are ill-informed, but not ill-curious. (30:05—32:29)...
Where Structured Interdisciplinary Concepts Started Episode #284 with Dr. Jeff Brucia If you’re frustrated with dentistry, you're not alone. Today, Kirk Behrendt brings in Dr. Jeff Brucia from F.A.C.E., an institution where the greatest minds in dentistry gathered with frustrations of their own to seek out the best solutions. The result was an interdisciplinary approach to learning, and F.A.C.E. could be exactly what you need! Don't spend two-thirds of your career doing things you're frustrated with or doing them the wrong way! For motivation on continuing to do the very best in your practice, listen to Episode 284 of The Best Practices Show! Main Takeaways: Be motivated to think first and do second. Predictability at the highest level is important. And patients want predictability! F.A.C.E. is not for everybody. It is for the most committed learners. Many dentists spend most of their career doing things they’re frustrated with. Continue to motivate yourself to do the very best. Quotes: “When I signed up for the [FACE occlusion program], I'd been out of school five years. And [Tom Basta] thought I was too young. In fact, he was not going to allow me to take the program five years out of school. And why? Why would you turn away a young dentist? And he said, ‘You haven't made enough mistakes. You haven't seen enough failures.” (13:26—13:48) “You've all experienced doing a single second molar crown, the same way you've done it 10 other times. And on the 11th time, everything goes wrong. Well, why is that? So, what F.A.C.E. tries to do is answer those questions and bring predictability to it.” (25:16—25:35) “How can I sit a patient down at every level-three program and prep from beginning to end diagnosis, treatment planning, full-mouth preps, impressions, mountings, case delivery? How can I do that time, after time, after time on a living, breathing, patient the most advanced dentistry in the world with 20 people in my space? Because it works.” (41:46—42:17) “Managing patients’ expectations is all about understanding the predictability of what you do.” (53:09—53:16) “Successful dentistry builds practices more than anything else.” (53:55—54:01) “A successful practice is one where you keep all your patients.” (55:12—55:17) “Take a good look at your practice. What's working? What isn’t? Where do you want to be in 5, 10, 15, 20 years? The majority of people that come through F.A.C.E. are in their last trimester of a dental practice. They have chosen to practice their last period of time doing the best dentistry in the world. And you know what they all say? ‘Why didn't I do this earlier?’” (56:22—56:50) Snippets: Dr. Brucia’s background. (03:13—05:56) The origins of F.A.C.E. (06:59—11:09) “You haven't made enough mistakes.” (11:28—14:36) Think first, do second. (15:01—16:37) Dentistry’s need for accurate instrumentation. (17:09—19:47) Dr. Peter K. Thomas. (20:25—21:54) Dr. Charlie Stewart. (22:03—22:49) The importance of predictability. (23:33—29:38) Dr. Peter Dawson’s ice skating analogy. (29:55—34:29) Facebow versus earbow. (35:29—39:18) Dr. Brucia’s frustrations in dentistry. (39:18—43:12) The importance of airway. (43:30—50:14) The future of dentistry. (50:40—59:02) How to get involved with F.A.C.E. (59:28—63:41) Reach Out to Dr. Brucia: http://facedentistry.org/ (http://facedentistry.org/)
Why Leadership is Your Most Valuable Marketing Strategy Episode #283 with Xaña Winans You want to grow your practice, so you turn to marketing. But it’s not just the marketing that will solve your problems. According to Xaña Winans, CEO and founder of Golden Proportions Marketing, leadership is at the root of every problem. To help you appreciate the value of leadership in marketing, Kirk Behrendt brings back Xaña for advice on how to become a better leader to help your practice grow. Listen for more on Episode 283 of The Best Practices Show! Main Takeaways: Problems are always traced back to leadership. The good news is leadership can be taught! Learn to delegate effectively. Articulate your vision properly. Be a strong decision-maker. Practice ownership, accountability, and responsibility. It’s never too late to become a better leader! Quotes: “This idea that leaders are born is baloney. I think we all think of our natural-born leaders, the people that are incredibly charismatic, and they carry a room . . . But there are so many other things that are part of leadership that we have to be taught.” (07:31—07:50) “Marketing is the entire patient life cycle, and marketing is about growing your practice. So, you as a leader have to be involved with the growth of your practice, because once that phone gets picked up, it’s out of your marketing company’s hands, to an extent. The better a leader you are, the better the results are that you're going to get from the investment that you've made.” (08:55—09:15) “It’s funny because, often, I find [the clients themselves] are the very problems that get them to call us in the first place. And they don't realize that leadership is at the root of why they're having these problems.” (10:10—10:19) “Everybody thinks there's one amazing silver-bullet strategy out there that's going to fix all these problems, when in reality everything that happens in your practice is a result of you as a leader.” (10:31—10:46) “If you do not like the results you're getting, go stand in front of the mirror. Self-awareness is 100% of the base of this. If you don't understand that as a leader everything in your business rises and falls with you, and the decisions that you make and how you lead people, you will never be able to change.” (13:46—14:06) “70% of the decisions that an entrepreneur makes are going to be right. But 30% of them are going to be wrong. But if you make those decisions quickly, you can look at it real fast and say, ‘Okay. That wasn't the right strategy for marketing my practice. Let me go back and make a different decision.’ If you agonize over it, you drag the entire process out and the marketing doesn't move forward.” (22:00—22:22) “Learn how to become a better leader . . . Make it a lifelong pursuit. It’s not something that you just do on a whim. It’s got to change you as a person because it has that long-term impact if you really embrace the change that you're going to get.” (38:47—39:06) “It’s not the marketing that's going to solve [the] problem. The marketing will help solve the problem once I got the leadership problem solved.” (39:33—39:40) Snippets: Xaña’s background. (03:17—03:54) Why this is an important topic in dentistry. (04:20—05:06) Everything goes back to leadership. (06:14—07:11) Can leadership be taught? (07:29—08:06) Leadership is instrumental to practice growth. (08:32—09:15) Problems of not having a great leader. (10:10—11:20) Why do dentists look at leadership as the last thing? (11:47—12:45) Don't stand in the way of your own growth. (13:33—14:15) Learn how to delegate. (15:07—15:59) Steps for effective delegation. (16:27—18:26) Be clear in your vision and articulate it properly. (19:08—20:04) Example of vision casting. (20:24—20:59) Be a strong decision-maker. (21:05—22:22) Three questions to ask before making a fast decision. (23:15—24:11) Accountability requires accounting. (25:35—31:00) Xaña’s favorite leadership principle:...
Both Sides of a Great Associateship Episode #282 with Dr. Kevin Groth & Dr. Renee Miller A great associateship is possible — it’s a matter of effort and open-mindedness from both sides. And today, we have two guests, Dr. Kevin Groth and Dr. Renee Miller, to share their thoughts and experiences on how to create successful partnerships in a dental practice. Don't just settle for any job or environment! For advice on finding opportunities for a better practice and better life, listen to Episode 282 of The Best Practices Show! Main Takeaways: No dentist is perfect. Don't expect perfection from mentors or students. Find people who share your core values. Give associates room to make mistakes. Seek out mentors! The sooner, the better. Open your mind to better opportunities. Quotes: “Everyone’s heard the story of the burnt-out, young, new grad dentist that is just miserable and has no defined vision for their life . . . And it comes from lack of confidence coming out of school and lack of having a good mentor.” (04:40—05:14) “If you're a young dentist or in dental school, take opportunities to lean on [mentors] because they just want to be there to help. And if you're not going to take those opportunities, then you're missing out on potentially great opportunities later on in your career.” (10:32—10:45) “A lot of associates don't think that they have a choice to find an environment that works for them. And until you're exposed to it, you don't really realize that you can.” (33:42—33:53) “Nothing of what I did in dental school is shaping who I am as a dentist today. It was all the extra things I went and saw, and did, and people I sought out right out of dental school that really drew me forward.” (43:36—43:47) “There are so many people that are there to teach with the right intentions. There are so many dentists out there that want to have mentees under their wing. And yet, nobody takes them under their wing because nobody asked. Nobody took the steps forward to get on page with them.” (44:26—44:42) “The moment you're out of dental school, don't think it’s over. Try to be inspired to constantly find ways to grow and do better.” (45:54—46:00) Snippets: Why this is an important topic in dentistry. (03:46—06:25) Renee’s journey. (06:37—08:12) Kevin’s lessons learned about mentorship. (08:36—12:33) Renee’s thoughts coming out of grad school. (13:05—14:42) Renee and Mark’s core values. (15:03—19:39) Lessons learned about hiring the right people. (19:54—23:05) Be fair to new associates. (23:47—24:50) The importance of having and giving support. (25:21—27:21) Mark and Renee’s thoughts on work-life balance. (27:41—31:07) Mark and Renee’s thoughts on what dentists get wrong. (31:28—34:24) Give associates room to make mistakes. (34:27—35:28) Be transparent from the very beginning. (36:57—42:00) Advice for young dental students. (43:00—46:00) The possibility of a great associateship. (46:49—47:31) Last thoughts. (47:54—49:21) Kevin Groth & Renee Miller Bio Dr. Kevin Groth’s primary goal is for every person to walk out of his office knowing that they received the highest-quality, most personalized care possible. Dentistry is more than just a profession for Dr. Groth. He sees every patient as an extension of his own family, and when you are in his chair, you’ll always be treated well. Dr. Groth’s favorite part of being a dentist is that every day and every patient is different. He loves the variety of people he gets to meet and procedures he performs to help patients maintain their smiles. Since graduating from the University of Michigan School of Dentistry, Dr. Groth has been recognized locally by Hour Detroit Magazine as a Top Dentist, and nationally as a Top Doc. As a passionate dentist who wants to provide the best care for his patients, Dr. Groth pursues continuing education through The Dawson Academy, serves on the executive board of the Periodontal Bunting Society, and is the...
No BS Interview on Digital Photography Episode #281 with Dr. Adamo Notarantonio If you want to be a good dentist, you need a digital camera — and know how to use it! In today’s podcast, Kirk Behrendt brings in Dr. Adamo Notarantonio to teach you why. Not only is it a way to display your work, but it is also an effective way to communicate with patients and prospective patients. To learn about other benefits of good photography in your practice, listen to Episode 281 of The Best Practices Show! Main Takeaways: Work ethic leads to success. Put the time in. You need good photography in dentistry. Dentists need social media. Instagram is free advertising! Understand the materials you're working with to be a better photographer. You will never be a good dentist without a digital camera. Quotes: “One of my biggest pet peeve questions I get when I show my photos on Instagram is, ‘What camera did you use?’ And I'm like, ‘Listen, I can physically send you my camera with my SD card, and you'll never take a picture like me. Why? Because you don't understand light. You don't understand camera settings.’ You have to put the time and hours in to understand this to create the kind of work that you see that these guys create.” (11:28—11:52) “I don't know how anybody practices without a digital camera. I think you're nuts if you do. But if you can start getting into the artistic stuff, and it doesn't have to be crazy, the amount of advertising — I get so many patients from Instagram. And we used to spend $10,000 on 30,000 flyers to five local zip codes and get patients looking for deals, not looking for quality.” (15:59—16:20) “A lot of people will ask, if I post a composite, ‘Which composite?’ That's really not the question you should ask. ‘What camera?’ It doesn't really matter, to be honest. You need to understand how the composite I'm working with handles, what color is it really, how does it reflect light, and stuff like that.” (18:50—19:07) “If you're not taking before and after photos of your work constantly, which is what I do, how are you going to improve?” (23:31—23:37) “When you're able to display your work at the highest level, they come to you. You don't even have to do anything anymore.” (32:48—32:56) Snippets: Dr. Notarantonio’s background. (03:32—06:32) Denzel Washington’s garbage truck story. (06:56—07:58) How Dr. Notarantonio became successful. (08:16—12:26) Why photography is an important topic in dentistry. (13:01—16:39) His aha moment. (17:27—18:13) What dentists get wrong on this journey. (18:39—21:46) You need good photography in dentistry. (22:35—25:43) Photography as a communication style. (26:41—29:27) Taking risks. (30:05—31:38) Where to start. (32:11—35:07) Last thoughts. (35:30—36:56) His courses. (37:28—39:19) Reach Out to Dr. Notarantonio: Dr. Notarantonio’s email: adamoelvis@gmail.com Dr. Notarantonio’s Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/adamoelvis/?hl=en ( https://www.instagram.com/adamoelvis/?hl=en) Dr. Notarantonio’s ImP.R.E.S. courses:https://imprescourses.com/ ( https://imprescourses.com/) Further Reading: Talent is Overrated by Geoff Colvin Photo course, “When the Pictures Really Matter”http://en.whenthepicturesreallymatter.com/ ( http://en.whenthepicturesreallymatter.com/) Adamo Notarantonio Bio ADAMO E. NOTARANTONIO, DDS, FICOI, FAACD Dr. Adamo Notarantonio is a graduate of the State University of New York at Stony Brook School of Dental Medicine (2002), where he received honors in both removable and fixed prosthodontics. He completed his residency in the Advanced Education in General Dentistry Program at Stony Brook in 2003 and was chosen by faculty to complete a second year as Chief Resident. Dr. Adamo was accredited by https://www.aacd.com/ (American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry) in 2011, and recently received his Fellowship in the AACD. He is the only Accredited Fellow in New York State, and the 80th person worldwide to achieve this honor....
The Art of Selling in Dentistry Episode #280 with Dr. Leonard Tau A myth about dental patients is that they only care about cost. While that may be a significant factor, patients also care about high-quality dental work — and are willing to pay for it! Today, Kirk Behrendt brings in Dr. Leonard Tau to teach you the art of selling in dentistry. He claims that by becoming a better listener and communicator you will increase case acceptance. If you want to know more on how to get patients to say yes, listen to Episode 280 of The Best Practices Show! Main Takeaways: If you don't sell treatment, patients will spend their money elsewhere. Patients will say yes to treatment if you create the value for them. Dentists should learn to talk money to patients. Know your numbers. Ask patients their budgets. Get a chat button for your website. It’s another opportunity to reach out to patients. Learn to actively listen to your patients. Your reputation is as important as your credit score. Be cognizant of body language. The right body language can increase case acceptance! Help patients get money, and they will accept treatment. Quotes: “A healthy practice has a really good case acceptance. An unhealthy practice has a poor case acceptance, and people walk out, and they go somewhere else and they spend their money elsewhere.” (05:58—06:07) “[To] grow your practice, patients need to say yes. You can only make so much money from the re-care and the small things that come through the office.” (06:48—06:55) “Most dentists don't like to [talk money]. I think you need to learn how to do it because, ultimately, the patients trust you. They come into the office, they trust you, they want to hear what they need, why they need it, and the cost involved.” (10:54—11:07) “When patients feel comfortable and they understand the value, the money is not necessarily the biggest issue. Patients can find the money if they see the value.” (11:38—11:45) “The art of the sale actually starts with the first interaction with the practice.” (13:04—13:08) “Patients don't say yes to treatment because they don't feel a connection to the office. I connect with the patient before they even come in.” (15:35—15:40) “The chat allows me another opportunity to reach out to patients who are trying to interact with the practice. Patients who are scared don't necessarily call the practice. They're going to chat with you online.” (21:08—21:17) “We don't listen very well. That's a huge mistake we make as dentists.” (23:43—23:47) “[Dentists] have very poor follow-up skills. When a patient says maybe, most practices have no way of reaching back out to them.” (36:12—36:18) “I don't shy away from third-party financing at all. I embrace it and I want to use it as much as possible, because I'd rather have 90% of something than 0% of zero. And if a patient says no, they don't spend any money at my practice.” (44:03—44:17) “Education without action is just entertainment.” (46:11—46:12) Snippets: Dr. Tau’s background. (03:24—04:58) Why selling is important in dentistry. (05:41—06:55) One reason patients say no to treatment. (07:25—08:03) Learning to talk to patients about money and treatment. (08:29—10:16) Should the dentist or a team member talk money to patients? (10:34—12:10) How to get better at selling dentistry. (12:37—15:58) Ask patients their budget. (16:06—19:48) Call versus chat. (20:14—22:02) What dentists get wrong in the art of selling. (22:12—25:09) Trust is the bottom line. (25:33—26:05) Your reputation matters. (26:20—26:58) How to disarm patients. (28:00—31:39) Importance of body language. (31:50—35:02) Work on follow-up skills. (35:58—36:31) Help patients understand and value what they're getting. (37:03—38:06) Ask patients for their credit scores and help them get money. (38:08—41:02) Discussing insurance with patients. (41:17—42:17) How to handle patients’ objections. (42:45—45:33) Last thoughts....
Right People, Right Seats Episode #279 with Kirk Behrendt and Christina Byrne You want to find the right people for your practice, but how do you find them? To answer that question, Kirk Behrendt chats with Christina Byrne to share lessons on creating the best conditions to attract the best people for the right seats. Don't waste time figuring out the how! Focus on finding the who using tips from Episode 279 of The Best Practices Show! Main Takeaways: With the right people in the right seats, you will be more productive and less stressed. Create the best conditions to attract the best people. Be clear. The clearer you are, the less problems you will have. Know your core values and focus. Create a function accountability chart. Focus on finding the who rather than figuring out the how. The right people share your core values. The right people GWC — they get it, they want it, and they have the capacity to do it. Give people a chance to succeed. Quotes: “One of the most important lessons [Peter Dawson] ever taught me — and I can still see his eyes when he said it — he said, ‘Kirk, you need to understand. When you have the right people, you can produce twice as much in half the time with a quarter of the stress.’” (07:14—07:27) “Another thing I'll never forget as long as [Peter] lived — and as long as I live — is he would say, ‘Money is the byproduct. You get the right people in the right seats, or you do dentistry for the right reasons, and any dentist can make plenty of money. And they’ll never have to worry about money because they’ll be creating so much value.’ And I found that to be absolutely true.” (07:36—07:58) “The clients that we coach, I find the ones that really care about what they do, they always do extremely well. The ones that just need money, I worry about them because it’s the money that's the focus and it’s not the people.” (07:59—08:11) “Find the greatest people ever. Find the right people, put them in the right seats. You'll be good for the rest of your life.” (08:34—08:39) “When you find the right chairside assistant, it changes your life not in a month but in about a minute.” (08:49—08:56) “People always ask us, ‘How do you find the right people?’ Well, you don't. They find you — for the most part.” (10:06—10:12) “Nobody ever quits a dental office. They quit a person.” (10:50—10:53) “Patrick Lencioni says in his book, The Five Dysfunctions of a Team — it’s my favorite quote in the entire book, and I absolutely believe this to be true — if you could get all the people in an organization rowing in the same direction, you could dominate any industry.” (19:51—20:07) “When it’s everyone’s job, it’s nobody’s job . . . In a business, you've got to clearly delineate and outline who does what.” (26:32—26:44) “When you stick to your core values, you're always going to be okay.” (32:06—32:08) “Dan Sullivan, who’s a great coach of mine, said this, ‘Stop trying to figure out the how. Just try to find the who.’ And I found that to be true, because the who can do this way better than you can trying to figure out the how.” (35:58—36:10) “When your core values don't line up with another human being, it never, ever, ever, ever, ever works . . . You have to tell people what you care about, which attracts other people that care about the same things. The wrong people, they're not bad people. They just don't share your value system.” (37:22—37:58) Snippets: The importance of having the right people in the right seats. (03:09—04:20) Some lessons learned. (06:12—08:11) The secret to dentistry. (08:12—10:12) Create the best conditions to attract the best people. (10:12—11:51) There are four conditions. (11:52—17:34) The fundamental problem most dentists make. (17:35—20:18) Eight questions to help clarify your vision. (20:18—23:22) Have a plan and keep it simple. (23:23—25:13) The bottleneck is never at the bottle. (25:14—27:43) Getting the seats right. (27:43—30:28) Having core values in...
7 Steps to Drop Your Bad PPOs Episode #278 with Dave Monohan – CEO of Kleer.com Are you tired of dealing with bad PPOs in your practice? Many dentists are, but have a hard time moving away from them. And to teach you how, Kirk Behrendt invites Dave Monohan, CEO of Kleer, to talk about the seven steps you need to know to drop your bad PPOs. If you're a dentist who’s frustrated with insurance and wants to take action, listen to Episode 278 of The Best Practices Show for Dave’s advice! Main Takeaways: Step one: face your fears. Step two: implement a dental membership plan. Step three: stop offering discount plans. Step four: analyze your PPOs. Step five: renegotiate or drop bad PPOs. Step six: support your patients through the transition. Step seven: market to new patients. Quotes: “Dental insurance went from broken to obsolete because of COVID-19. And it’s a point now where dental practices are basically at the breaking point. A lot of dental insurance is just completely unprofitable for dental practices now.” (05:19—05:33) “What we see with our practices that offer a membership plan is patients who get the membership plan, relative to uninsured or uncovered patients, will come in two to three times more often and they’ll accept twice the amount of treatment.” (07:33—07:44) “When a patient has a plan — it doesn't have to be a membership plan; it can be another plan, just so they have a plan — they come in two to three times more often.” (09:05—09:13) “75% of treatment acceptance comes as part of your hygiene visit. So, if you're coming in for your hygiene visit, you end up accepting a lot more treatment. That's the simple math. And it ends up being you drive about twice the production for membership plan patients versus uninsured patients.” (09:41—09:54) “What we hear from a lot of dental practices is they have a lot of frustrations and anger towards insurance. But they don't take action to move away. And the reason is they're worried, and they have fear that if they make significant changes to their PPOs, they potentially will impact their production, how many patients they have, their profitability.” (12:53—13:15) “The number-one surprise we see is actually how many [PPOs] are unprofitable for practice . . . Anywhere between half and 60% or 70% of the PPOs that dental practices are accepting are actually creating negative profit for their practice.” (14:45—15:06) “Just get rid of the discount plan. You don't need it anymore. Your membership plan takes the position of the discount plan, and it’s much better for you and it’s much better for the patient.” (22:17—22:26) “The average in the U.S. right now, a dental practice is in network with 15 dental clients. It’s gone up. About 10 years ago, it was five. It’s now 15. And so, a lot of practices are just bringing in whatever, not even knowing it’s profitable for their practice.” (24:06—24:24) “If you're going to threaten that you're going to move away from [bad PPOs] or drop them, be ready to do it.” (30:38—30:45) “When COVID-19 hit and the practices were shut down except for emergency care, we were still selling quite a few membership plans.” (38:23—38:29) “If you don't control the dental plans that are in your practice, you won't control your practice.” (45:53—45:59) Snippets: Dave’s background and Kleer. (02:58—04:06) Why this is important in dentistry. (04:50—05:33) How Kleer can help create care plans. (06:15—07:57) Data for uninsured patients’ behavior. (08:24—09:54) The subscription plan is the new economy. (10:39—11:59) Step one: face your fears. (12:20—13:51) Biggest myth about PPOs. (14:38—15:43) Step two: implementation. (16:12—18:52) How smart pricing works. (19:06—20:18) Step three: stop offering discount plans. (20:58—22:27) Step four: analyze your PPOs. (22:55—25:15) Shared networks. (25:39—27:43) Step five: renegotiate or drop bad PPOs. (28:46—31:15) Don't hyperfocus on dropping PPOs. (31:37—32:04) Step six:...
5 Things Every Dentist Needs to Know About Nutrition Episode #277 with Dr. Uche Odiatu Dentists are experts on teeth. But how many are experts in nutrition? Today, Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. Uche Odiatu to remind you that nutrition is a vital part of your practice. With over 15 years of professional knowledge in various areas of health and fitness, Dr. Odiatu will teach you the best practices on how dentists can stay fit while in practice. Not only will you be in better health, but your patients will be more willing to learn about nutrition and overall wellness. To hear about the five things every dentist needs to know about nutrition, tune in to Episode 277 of The Best Practices Show! Main Takeaways: Understand the foundational principles of nutrition. Calories are misunderstood. You don't have to give up everything. Intermittent fasting is good for the human body. Teeth are vital for chewing. Chewing better means absorbing food better. Good nutrition habits should be effortless, doable, and sustainable. People have different nutritional needs. Get in shape yourself before talking to patients about nutrition and overall health. Quotes: “See all of [the patient], not just their hormonal system, not just their gingiva, not just their mind. Integrate the knowledge and you can really get patients better.” (03:43—03:52) “One of the most important aspects of what the mouth does is masticate. So, if we don't understand the common threads and the foundational principles of nutrition, we are just basically fixing stuff and going, ‘Good luck with the nutrition. Good luck with the diet.’ And they're going downhill, because the number-one inflammatory source in our lives is eating inflammatory foods, eating food that doesn't serve us well.” (05:24—05:49) “It’s almost impossible to be healthy if you're eating fast food all day, not eating vegetables, not drinking water, and drinking alcohol daily to excess.” (07:14—07:25) “The better quality your food, the more your caloric intake will be regulated on its own. So, the first step of this is, understand calories and how we’re being misled into thinking we all have to eat less. Meanwhile, you eat better, eating less will happen automatically because your body will stop searching for nutrition.” (10:30—10:49) “It’s not any one meal that makes people fat or unhealthy; it’s meals eaten every day for a decade that make you unhealthy.” (11:32—11:40) “Any time the body is not eating, the body is healing.” (21:53—21:55) “We know enough to talk nutrition, but we always think it’s outside our scope of practice.” (23:29—23:32) “We try to explain to patients about nutrition and overall health, and we ourselves have a hip that hurts. We have reflux. We have a fading memory . . . I would say you can't take a patient on a journey that you haven't been on. So, get in shape first.” (26:32—26:48) “Teeth are much more than looking great in your headshot. It’s about digestion and absorbing food better. And whoever absorbs food better is going to have less inflammation, longer life, better mental clarity, flatter stomach, possibly have a six-pack, and more hormonal balance, testosterone, estrogen, progesterone, growth hormone. Hormonal balance needs ideal foods being brought in.” (29:38—30:01) “Anything that makes nutrition more complicated, patients drift away from . . . Anything that’s complicated is not sustainable.” (34:01—34:33) “The number-one mistake is cutting calories to get healthy. Cutting calories has no place in 2021.” (40:19—40:24) “Nutrition, fitness, health, inflammation, ergonomics — it should be effortless, doable, and daily.” (46:23—46:30) Snippets: Dr. Odiatu’s background. (02:47—04:03) Why nutrition is an important topic in dentistry. (04:29—06:15) Nutrition and health. (06:52—09:14) First thing to know: calories. (09:31—10:49) People’s biggest misstep is the calories. (11:25—13:09) Glucose and muscle. (13:30—15:43) Second thing to know:...
How DSM Saved Some Practices During the Pandemic Episode #276 with Dr. Mark Murphy What if adding dental sleep medicine to your practice not only improved people’s health but also increased revenue? Today, Kirk Behrendt brings in Dr. Mark Murphy to tell you how! We know sleep is important for overall health, yet this topic is often overlooked by the dental community. With up to 30% of Americans possibly affected by obstructive sleep apnea, dental sleep medicine is an area every dentist needs to implement into their practice. If you want to learn more about this growing market that will continue to grow beyond the pandemic, listen to Episode 276 of The Best Practices Show! Main Takeaways: A billion people worldwide have obstructive sleep apnea. The majority of people with obstructive sleep apnea go undiagnosed. Bad sleep negatively affects physiology. People’s health and life will change by treating this disorder. Treating this disorder is also very rewarding for the dentist. Obstructive sleep apnea does not just affect obese or old patients. Adding sleep to your practice will increase revenue.
Quotes: “There are a billion people worldwide that have obstructive sleep apnea. In the United States, it’s estimated somewhere between 20% and 30% — we don't know for sure — 45, 50, maybe 55 million. Depends on which article — it doesn't matter. A shit-ton of people have obstructive sleep apnea.” (10:18—10:39) “85% to 90% of people with obstructive sleep apnea have never been diagnosed or treated. So, it’s this huge pandemic within the country before we had the pandemic.” (10:42—10:51) “You don't really die of sleep apnea. You die of heart attack. You are 23 times more likely to have a heart attack if you have obstructive sleep apnea, four times more likely to have a stroke, ten times more likely to have an arrythmia, depression, diabetes, congestive heart failure — we could go on.” (11:08—11:28) “Once you dip your toe in treating it, just like any dentist who’s dipped their toe in pain management, dipped their toe in cosmetic dentistry, dipped their toe in any aspect of dentistry that wasn't just Joe fill-and-bill, it feels very rewarding.” (11:45—12:01) “Think of how their physiology is getting whacked when they're five, six, eight, 12, 15, on their way to all the list of comorbidities that I talked to, how many people had abnormal childhoods because we didn't know about this. But today, we can go into that mouth and we can say, ‘Holy crap. You don't have enough room for your tongue and it’s falling back on itself and choking off your airway.’ And you think, ‘Well, it’s not such a big deal.’ No — snoring is, by itself, an indicator that that child has obstructive sleep apnea.” (13:41—14:13) “I was closing the patients’ airways who needed it open more than the other patients! I was killing my patients by making them bite splints and being so attentive to MIP or centric relation . . . But it’s what we knew at the time. It was the standard of care . . . To do that today, to treat a patient who’s a grinder with a traditional bite splint and not thinking about their airway would open them up to potential litigation down the road.” (16:51—17:28) “We can learn how to do dental sleep medicine. It is, mechanically, incredibly easier than a bite splint — way easier than a bite splint.” (19:56—20:04) “Dental sleep medicine grows 12% to 15% per year no matter what.” (23:47—23:53) “How did dental sleep medicine save some dental practices? Well, when your dental practice is closed and you're not permitted to do dentistry, other than emergency work, what I do is not dentistry; it’s medicine. I am a dentist, but I am a DME, durable medical equipment, provider for a very necessary disease that needs to be treated: obstructive sleep apnea.” (24:28—24:54) “A person who has obstructive sleep apnea, just like a person who has a vitamin D deficiency, is three, or four, or five times more likely to die of COVID-19. So, it couldn't...
The Current State of Education in Dentistry Episode #275 with Dr. Wael Garine Main Takeaways: There is a lot more to learn after dental school! Learn from verified sources such as Seattle Study Club. Stay up to date with research, products, and techniques. Be a speaker that is authentic, down-to-earth, and gives applicable advice. Teach people to be predictable, efficient, and practical.
Quotes: “You are going to be as good as the people that you associate yourself with . . . and the same thing goes with education. We are going to be as good as the dental education entity that we are associating ourselves with.” (07:32—08:02) “Dentistry is one of the strongest professions . . . If you want to know how the economy is doing, ask your dentist.” (21:55—22:07) “The best people that I learn from are people who are very down-to-earth and meet us at the same level. They're not coming from above; they're coming more from the same level from where we’re coming from.” (31:45—31:55) “To me, a good goal for me as a speaker is, I want to speak about something, and I would hope that everybody in the audience will take something from my talk and be able to apply that the next day in their practice.” (32:12—32:22) “What we should expect to see is that digital learning is going to be there more than it was before . . . However, I know down in my heart, this is not going to overtake the face-to-face education that we love to do.” (34:08—34:35) “There is room for digital; there's no question about that, and I think the pandemic showed us that. But I do believe that in the future, education is going to be in person with a little bit of eLearning.” (35:21—35:32) “You don't know what you're missing. You definitely don't know what you're missing until you come and see what's going to happen at Seattle Study Club Symposium. You absolutely will miss a great, great opportunity to see phenomenal speakers that will be very, very difficult to see in person over the next five or ten years.” (36:13—36:31)
Snippets: Dr. Garine’s background. (02:49—03:52) What is Seattle Study Club? (04:30—08:20) Seattle Study Club Annual Symposium. (08:21—10:26) Symposium for non-club members. (10:52—13:35) Current state of continuing education. (14:55—17:30) COVID-19 meeting guidelines. (18:37—20:48) Challenges on the trade side of things. (21:14—23:35) Trends in continuing education post COVID-19. (24:22—25:06) Tools in virtual education. (25:40—27:27) The Symposium platform. (28:49—30:39) Advice for prospective speakers. (31:18—33:41) The future of continuing education. (34:08—35:50) Last thoughts. (36:13—38:25)
Reach out to Dr. Garine: https://drgarine.com/about/team/dr-garine/ (https://drgarine.com/about/team/dr-garine/) Don't forget to register for the Seattle Study Club Symposium!
General Dentistry & Sleep: How They Go Together Episode #274 with Dr. Erin Elliott Snoring is a problem that almost everyone denies having. In fact, most people don't realize they do it, or how potentially life-threatening it can be! Today, Kirk Behrendt brings in Dr. Erin Elliott, who warns that sleep apnea is no longer an “old, fat man’s disease.” It can affect people of all ages, shapes, and sizes — even children — and it can go undiagnosed for years. So, how can dentists help? To learn how and why you should implement sleep apnea treatment into your dental practice, listen to Episode 274 of The Best Practices Show! Main Takeaways: Dentists are on the front lines for people’s health. Sleep is important for overall health and wellness. Learn to screen for and treat sleep apnea. Medical insurance will pay for oral appliances. Help patients realize they need help. It will increase compliance! But don't be too pushy.
Quotes: “As soon as I see someone’s anatomy, I'm like, ‘You have sleep apnea,’ because it’s not an old, fat man’s disease. And unfortunately, in America, that's how people look at it, is an old, fat man’s disease. And I treat young, petite people, healthy people, all the time.” (09:33—09:49) “It’s not voodoo. Oxygen is not anything crazy to get to this kid. Sleep is not crazy to want to achieve. So, I don't understand why there's so much resistance. (10:50—11:02) “The myth is that medical insurance doesn't pay for oral appliances. They do if you have the right documentation. The other myth is that they don't pay well — which is often true . . . And the third thing is that you can’t do sleep without medical insurance.” (18:30—19:01) “We get people to sign up for aligners every day. Comprehensive care, cash fee, insurance doesn't help, $5,000 to $6,000. Why aren't we able to present an oral appliance that could improve the quality of their life and even extend their life for $2,500 and get them to accept treatment? And it’s because people are so reliant on medical insurance . . . That's the first question they ask. They don't care about my certifications and initials after my name. Their first question is, ‘How much is it? Do you bill medical?’” (19:20—20:01) “It’s the primary care, the nurse practitioners, endocrinologists, psychiatrists, marriage counselors — there are so many people that are in the trenches with people that need help — chiropractors, naturopaths. So many people need our help, and these people are exposed to them and interact with them every day. They just don't look for it and don't know what to look for. And there's some fear in the medical world because they don't know enough about the appliance. So, then, they just don't bring it up.” (23:14—23:47) “Where the medical world really misses is connecting with the patient, finding their pain points and helping them realize they need help. You'll get far more compliance when they understand the disease that we’re trying to treat.” (27:52—28:07) “So many orthodontists think, ‘Oh, no. We’ll just wait till they're 12.’ Let's just wait till they're done growing and their sutures are sealed, and they’ve been sick this whole time. Why are we not expanding and intervening in growing jaws earlier? That, I'll never understand.” (30:47—31:02) “There are so many things in the way that our lifestyle of convenience exacerbates inflammation, tonsil enlargement and obligatory mouth breathing, no filtration of bacteria, ear infections. It’s just a bad downward cycle, because once those tonsils are so large and they can't breathe through their nose, there's no chance to catch up.” (33:11—33:36) “Complexity is the enemy of implementation.” (45:26—45:29)
Snippets: Dr. Elliott’s background. (03:30—08:02) Why sleep apnea is a big topic in dentistry. (08:28—09:49) Children are often undiagnosed. (10:30—12:10) How to monetize this. (12:41—13:46) How general dentistry and sleep work together. (14:07—14:50) Having a “sleep champion” in...
The Bulletproof Practice Episode #273 with Dr. Craig Spodak Many dentists want a bulletproof practice, but few know how to build it. If you happen to be one of them, you're in luck! Today, Kirk Behrendt brings in Dr. Craig Spodak, author of The Bulletproof Practice, to teach you what it is and how to create your own. Whether it’s fear of failure, having a fixed mindset, or being too comfortable and “coasting,” Craig will teach you how not to prevent yourself from building your dream business. To learn more about how you can become fulfilled in your practice, listen to Episode 273 of The Best Practices Show! See the video and get the show notes at https://www.actdental.com/273 (https://www.actdental.com/273) Main Takeaways: Life is about nonstop learning. Have hunger and resiliency to achieve more. The “bullets” never stop. Develop a sense of self-reliance. Learn from people who have gone before you. Be willing to fail. It may lead you to be happier. Growth mindset is teachable. The gears of a practice is more than sales and marketing. Invest in human capital. Focus on the good moments.
Quotes: “I think life is all about sequential and nonstop learning. You just keep learning. And it’s okay to stay a consummate beginner and a consummate learner. I think it’s really cool.” (06:34—06:43) “A bulletproof practice is one that takes the challenges and hardens from the challenges; they get better. You don't just survive and persist; you actually evolve and thrive through the challenges.” (09:39—09:52) “Success is building with the bricks people are throwing at you.” (09:57—10:01) “A bulletproof practice is one in which all the systems are designed, and the psychology is right to defend yourself against any “bullet” that may be coming at you.” (10:21—10:29) “I think the decision to have a better day is entirely up to you. You can decide, if on your way to work you spill the coffee on your lap and someone cuts you off, you can decide at that moment before you ever enter the office if today’s going to be a good day or a bad day.” (11:40—11:54) “Your fulfilment and your happiness is going to be the art that you have to design. It’s an art of fulfilment. It’s not a science of it.” (12:48—12:56) “People that have growth mindsets always use the word “yet.” ‘I'm not good at this yet. I don't have it yet. I haven't learned it yet.’ And a fixed mindset is just like, ‘People don't learn. People don't change. It’s easy for them. They don't have to do the work.’” (14:13—14:26) “I find leadership to be a very troubling word to use, because you can't appoint a leader. Leadership is earned.” (21:34—21:48) “There's all types of leadership. And we’re all leaders in certain domains of our life.” (22:58—23:02) “The gears of a practice are its culture, its leadership, its team, its marketing, it’s systems, its numbers. Those are the gears that run the practice . . . a bulletproof practice has the ability to have all those gears turning.” (29:13—29:54) “If your human capital is not engaged, if you're not appreciating and encouraging and developing your human capital, it will never appreciate, and it won't work. Yet, we turn a blind eye to that.” (32:49—32:59) “If your admin team is handling your phone calls in an offensive manner, your dental work will not be appreciated.” (35:53—36:00)
Snippets: Dr. Spodak’s background. (02:55—04:41) His philosophy on learning. (05:11—06:43) Origin of the bulletproof concept. (06:55—08:54) What is a bulletproof practice? (09:03—10:29) The “bullets” never go away. (11:16—13:18) Where do I start? (13:58—15:57) Fixed and growth mindsets. (16:26—17:32) Hiring the right team. (17:33—20:30) You can't appoint a leader. (21:34—24:06) Growth mindset in the bulletproof practice. (24:16—24:47) Handling fixed mindset team members. (25:20—26:58) Everyone has a unique ability. (27:07—28:10) Gears of a practice. (28:53—30:07) Is there one most important gear?...
A Story of Courage and Hope: The Cornell Effect Episode# 272 with John Cranham Life may not always go to plan, but there isn’t a shadow of a doubt that each moment is a beautiful one. There is no better example of this fact than the story that we have to share today, so join Kirk Behrendt as he brings in John Cranham to talk about the amazing impact his son, Cornell, has had on the world. You may be surprised to learn just how much of a difference faith and a little bit of perseverance can truly make. Tune in to Episode 272 of The Best Practices Show to find out more about the story of Cornell and his family! Main Takeaways: - Embrace the fact that many of our life’s stresses can pale in comparison to the trials of others if we take a moment to truly think about it. - Embrace knowing that comparison is the enemy of contentment. - Embrace your dreams and be comfortable with where you want to go and who you want to be in life. - Embrace learning to walk the talk. - Embrace the understanding that even little actions can make a big difference when your heart is in the right place. - Embrace today and enjoy living the moment. - Embrace the opinions of others and take time to see what can be learned from their wisdom. Quotes: - “This was something I felt like I had to do. I didn’t have a choice. I was gifted with this, and I had to tell the story”. (6:30-6:36) - “In the midst of all this [tough times] was just this kid that just had this joy about him and this ability to kind of, separate out the bad stuff. To find the magic in the moment. It just kind of warmed your heart and just pulled you in and wanted to make you pull for him”. (10:45-11:05) - “Part of the joy that I saw from my son, was that he was just fighting 100%”. (11:33-11:39) - “I say that I was an 85%er and I could get by with that. But, he [Cornell] shamed me into realizing that the gifts that I have been given, are worthy of more effort”. (12:22-12:37) - “As a young dentist- or as a young professional or young person- going from 85 to 95, or 96, or 97 percent over the course of 20 years changes the trajectory of your whole life”. (12:42-12:53) - “Comparison is the enemy of contentment”. (14:33-14:36) - “I think in this world right now, I worry about young dentists as there’s so many things with social media and Instagram and people posting things about where they are in their lives. And I think it’s so easy if you’re having a bad day to look at that. And half of it isn’t real- I mean, you can be comparing yourself to something that isn’t even real”. (16:57-17:23) - “If somebody is making more money than me somewhere and lives in a better house- or thinks they live in a better house- ya know, it just doesn’t matter. Because it’s gotta be your path”. (17:46-17:55) - “You can work towards being your best and not be bitter about what somebody else is doing”. (18:25-18:32) - “If you as the leader veer from that [walking the talk], it’s kind of giving permission to the team members- that you’re not really taking it seriously”. (21:05-21:13) - “In the end, we can have our causes that we want to speak out against. But in the end, the hand that we’ve been dealt is the hand that we’ve been dealt. It’s our responsibility to pick ourselves up and make the best of it”. (34:49-35:08) - “He [Cornell] embraces obstacles in a way that- I get emotional talking about it, but- he embraces obstacles as his biggest gift. It sounds crazy, but, he just does”. (45:01-45:18) - “It’s one of those things- the clarity that you can see the future of where you wanna go, the more you can be disappointed if your reality doesn’t align with that at the time that you want”. (46:27-46:39) - “You can have goals and dreams, but God has the timeline of when things happen”. (46:50-46:56) Snippets: - Background of John Cranham (5:30-6:50) - The “Why” (7:15-10:27) - The Relentless Journey (10:32-14:13) - Comparison is the Enemy (14.14-18:58)
(Audio) 5 Essential Numbers You Need for a Successful Practice Episode #271 with Dr. David Moffet You may say, “I think my practice is doing well.” But you can't just think it’s doing well — you’ve got to know. And today, Kirk Behrendt brings in Dr. David Moffet, a retired dentist and private dental coach to teach you the five essential numbers you need to know to help you build a successful dental practice. Knowing the numbers will help you not only gain but retain new and existing patients. Tune in to Episode 271 of The Best Practices Show to find out which five numbers you need to know! Main Takeaways: - Knowing the numbers gives you a successful practice. - Know your daily, weekly, and monthly productions and collections. - Know the number of phone calls coming into your dental practice. - Know the number of patients being seen daily in your office. - Know exactly where new patients are coming from. - Know what a new and existing patient is worth, and how many new patients are coming in. Quotes: - “Coaching, to me, is necessary. If you want to get fit, you really need a personal trainer to keep you accountable. If you want to lose weight for a wedding and then put the weight straight back on, just do it yourself. That's the same. Just try and fix things yourself. Go to seminars, take good notes, put the notes on the front desk. Two weeks later, they're on a shelf. That's called “shelf help.” That doesn't work. (11:06—11:34) - “Numbers are the way of keeping score. We’ve got to know these important numbers because they identify trends before they happen, and they allow us to predict rather than to react to things.” (12:43—12:56) - “38% of calls to a dental practice either go to a voice mail or they don't get picked up. And those people never ring back. And if that's a new patient, and that's a new patient worth $500, and that happens once an hour, eight hours a day, five days a week, that's $20,000 a week. That's $1 million in your practice that never sees your appointment book.” (26:47—27:19) - “The purpose of an appointment is to make another appointment.” (29:59—30:03) - “An appointment that is made is harder to cancel than an appointment that is never made.” (30:57—31:02) - “If somebody’s not playing for the team, guess what? They get traded.” (46:56—46:59) - “The teams that are invested, the investment pays off for everybody.” (47:45—47:50) - “You can't just say, ‘Oh, I think we’re doing well.’ You've got to know. What gets measured gets improved upon. What gets measured gets rewarded.” (48:50—49:02) Snippets: - Dr. Moffet’s background. (03:21—08:47) - Importance and value of a coach. (09:12—11:40) - Why are numbers important in dental practice? (12:17—15:04) - Australian vs. U.S. insurance companies. (15:18—17:31) - 1st essential number: production and collections. (18:18—22:41) - 2nd essential number: number of phone calls. (23:20—28:13) - 3rd essential number: patients being seen in your office. (29:21—33:21) - 4th essential number: where new patients are coming from. (33:53—35:46) - Best way to track new patients. (36:43—40:01) - 5th essential number: new and existing patients’ worth and their numbers. (40:07—42:37) - Guidelines and best practices. (43:42—47:51) - Last thoughts. (48:12—49:04) - Dr. Moffet’s 36-page report. (49:23—50:44) Reach out to Dr. Moffet: - Dr. Moffet’s website: www.theultimatepatientexperience.com
Further Reading: - Dr. Moffet’s 36-page report: www.ultimatedentalreport.com - Dr. Moffet’s book, How to Build the Dental Practice of Your Dreams Without Killing Yourself in Less than 60 Days on Amazon:...
Best Financial Practices So You Can Keep the Money You Earn Episode #270 with David Harris “Embezzlement? That can never happen in my practice!” Well, it can — and most likely will — according to dental embezzlement expert, “professional cynic,” and CEO of Prosperident, David Harris. Today, on The Best Practices Show, Kirk Behrendt interviews David to reveal the shocking prevalence of financial fraud in dental practices. Using his vast experience from fraud investigation, David will teach you the best financial practices so that you keep the money you earn! For advice on how to avoid embezzlement in your practice, tune in to Episode 270 to learn more! Main Takeaways: - Embezzlement is a huge problem in dentistry. Don't assume it won't happen to you! - It can happen multiple times. - Do a basic comparison between the software and the bank. - Outsource a separate set of eyes to third parties. - There is a knowledge gap between doctors and staff. - Dentists should supervise the staff’s day-in process that they don't understand. - Get direct, not indirect, information. - Most dentists are unfamiliar with their practice management software. - The wreckage of embezzlement goes way beyond the money. Quotes: - “80% of dentists will get embezzled, sooner or later.” (03:31—03:04) - “The worst thing a dentist can do in terms of setting themselves up for embezzlement is to hire somebody who knows how to do it.” (05:42—05:47) - “35% of dentists don't compare how much money the software says was collected with what went in the bank. If that isn't done, what you're doing is you're opening the door to the stupidest, laziest thief on the planet.” (07:32—07:49) - “Sometimes embezzlement, I think, started by accident.” (14:06—14:09) - “There's almost inevitably a knowledge gap between the staff member and the doctor in certain areas, and not in the doctor’s favor.” (15:17—15:24) - “[Some dentists] tend to feel like, ‘I have more education than this person. My IQ’s probably higher than theirs. And therefore, in a battle of wits, I should prevail.’ It’s just not that simple. These folks know a lot more than the doctor about the things that are relevant to stealing.” (16:17—16:39) - “Transparency is the first casualty of embezzlement.” (21:39—21:41) - “If you hire somebody who is inherently a thief, it’s a ticking time bomb. And you can't watch everything that would need to be watched to prevent that.” (24:12—24:25) - “Not every embezzlement is attributable to a bad hiring decision.” (25:15—25:18) - “The problem with the software is called D-O-C-T-O-R. Most software comes out of the box pretty secure. And then, people in the practice do things to undermine it.” (29:31—29:43) - “It’s not like there's going to be a COVID-19 that hits computers, and you come into your practice one morning and they're all gone. That's not going to happen. For the rest of your career, whether it’s two years or 30 years, that practice management software is going to be really important to you. So, let's acknowledge that and quit hoping that it just disappears one day.” (51:17—51:41) - “Trust, but verify.” (52:19—52:20) - “People are self-interested creatures. And it’s hard for dentists to remember that and to govern themselves based on that certainty.” (55:37—55:53) Snippets: - David’s background. (02:22—02:32) - The problem of embezzlement in dentistry. (02:57—04:34) - The “million-dollar club” and serial embezzlers. (05:09—05:59) - Best financial practices. (06:49—09:25) - The dynamics of trust. (10:23—13:28) - How embezzlement starts in a practice. (14:04—16:39) - What does outsourcing really mean? (17:03—19:19) - Do I tell staff about third-party bookkeeping? (19:45—20:56) - The best team members love accountability....
HOW I GOT HERE: Untold Stories of the Superheroes of Dentistry Episode #269 with Dr. Scott MacLean “Some tortures are physical, and some are mental. But the one that is both is dental.” And many might agree with these lines by Ogden Nash. But most dentists are not sadists (we hope!). In fact, many are probably like today’s guest of The Best Practices Show, Dr. Scott MacLean, a passionate dentist, generous mentor, and sought-after speaker. He is a member of the Greater New York Academy of Prosthodontics, as well as numerous associations, and Kirk Behrendt invites Scott to teach you the best practice in how you think about your dental career. To hear his story of how he found success in his practice, tune in to Episode 269! Main Takeaways: - You don't know everything as a dentist. - Be humble and genuine. It’s not just about money. - Be involved. - When you're giving, it comes back. - “Stinking thinking” can take you down. - Document your work. - Take time to learn, and continue to learn. Quotes: - “I realized that my job is to learn, learn, learn. And that's why we call it a “practice.” We’re not doing it, really. We’re practicing all the time.” (05:55—06:05) - “My goal was to be like golf. When you're playing golf, you want everyone to have a good game so you'll have more fun. Because the word “competition,” really, it means to learn together. (13:19—13:33) - “Never make it so that you're wishing your life away. So, when you're in the middle of exams, don't wish the next three days away that you have to study. Really value that time that you have to study and make yourself better.” (19:29—19:45) - “Replace yourself with someone better than yourself.” (20:40—20:42) - “Treat the patient to the best that you can, and not assume that they want something cheaper.” (24:41—24:47) - “Get involved, or else you're not going to be part of what's going on. And as you give, you'll start to get more back.” (29:28—29:31) - “Successful patients will send you more successful patients. (50:28—50:32) Snippets: - Dr. MacLean’s background. (01:39—07:15) - Why and when he got into dentistry. (07:33—10:44) - His powerful dental school experience. (10:53—13:52) - Starting a family with debt, and lessons learned. (14:03—22:10) - Post-dental school, and lessons learned. (22:24—32:49) - Importance of maintaining a positive mindset. (33:12—36:05) - Anxiety, RED CIA 40, and preventing depression. (37:08—43:12) - Most difficult time as a dentist. (43:41—46:51) - Learnings from building a practice. (46:51—50:44) - Tips on a successful career. (51:25—53:41) - The weirdest thing that ever happened. (54:28—56:59) - Advice for younger dentists. (57:31—60:30) Reach out to Dr. MacLean: - Visit Dr. MacLean’s website: https://www.drscottmaclean.com/ - Dr. MacLean’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drscottmaclean/?hl=en - Dr. MacLean’s YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/smmaclean
You Can't Always Be the Hero in Dentistry Episode #268 with Dr. Chad Duplantis See the video, show notes, quotes and links at https://www.actdental.com/268 “Know thyself,” declared some wise folk before our time. This age-old saying carried on for millennia and still holds relevance — especially in dentistry! And to teach you the importance of knowing your limits, knowing your motivations, and knowing yourself as a dentist, Kirk Behrendt brings in Dr. Chad Duplantis, a key opinion leader in restorative and aesthetic dentistry. He shares his 20 years of insight and learnings to help you establish the foundations for a successful practice. Tune in to Episode 268 of The Best Practices Show for his tips and advice! Main Takeaways: - You can't always be the hero. Ask for help! - Find mentors! And don't always wait for the mentor to find you. - Work in the best interest of the patient. - Know your limitations. - Enjoy what you're doing. - Build a great experience for your patients. - Understand why you do what you do. - Immerse yourself in education beyond dental school. Quotes: - “If you start realizing that, yes, you are going to fail at times — and that's okay; you're going to make mistakes — and not everybody is going to like you, then you're going to have a successful practice, or at least the foundation for a successful practice.” (05:09—05:22) - “If you focus your practice around the patient rather than yourself, that's another key to success.” (09:03—09:09) - “Don't just rely on what dental school taught you. Start taking some advanced classes in these procedures that you may want to do.” (11:38—11:44) - “I do not enjoy molar endo, and I cannot do it in a time-efficient manner. So, you know what? It goes elsewhere.” (12:55—13:02) - “In order to succeed in any business, you have to be an effective communicator. (14:01— 14:08) - “It’s all about building a great experience for your patients. And part of that experience is the technology you have, but it’s also part of knowing what you can do really well and what you can't.” (18:59—19:10) - “People don't buy what you do. They buy why you do it.” (19:24—19:27) Snippets: - Dr. Duplantis’ background. (02:18—03:11) - Lessons learned from practice. (03:47—05:22) - Importance of finding mentors. (05:56—09:28) - Being a “jack of all trades” in practice. (10:17—12:32) - Enjoy what you're doing. (12:39—13:23) - Evolution of a dentist. (13:54—16:53) - His influences. (17:40—19:53) - Seattle Study Club Symposium. (21:00—23:31) - His topic at Seattle Study Club. (23:41—24:35) - Evolution of materials in dentistry. (24:51—25:48) - Benefits of Seattle Study Club. (26:25—28:06) - Advice for young dentists. (28:43—31:14) Reach out to Dr. Duplantis: - Dr. Duplantis’ email: drduplantis@gmail.com - Facebook group: Dentists IN the Know https://www.facebook.com/groups/365320961113815/ - Visit Dr. Duplantis’ website: https://www.fossilcreekdental.com/chad-c-duplantis-d-d-s - Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/toothdoc_dup/?hl=en Don’t forget to register for the Seattle Study Club Symposium! Further Reading: - Simon Sinek, author of "Start with Why and The Infinite Game"
In this episode of The Best Practices Show, Kirk and the ACT Dental team speak to Dr. Lee Brady about the onset of the Coronavirus pandemic as well as tips for prioritizing what really counts in your practice. The team is thankful to have Dr. Brady on the program to share her insights. She offers advice on a range of topics, including how to keep your patients’ health a priority in the pandemic, and how to choose the right material for a variety of reconstruction types. Wryly, she suggests that technicians often know more about materials than dentists do, and it wouldn’t hurt dentist or patients to refer to technicians for advice on appropriate material choices. Despite the challenges of "pandemic dentistry" and the myriad of material options, Dr. Brady succinctly communicates that ultimately she is a healthcare provider first. She shares a brief story of a patient who displayed a fever at her appointment and how the team was able to get her to urgent care to address any more immediate medical needs. It’s not that your job as a dentist isn’t important, but that your role as a healthcare provider is number one. Keep that in the back of your mind and you’ll have no problem being successful. Main Takeaways: What is it going to look like when we pick the pieces back up? You are the most critical factor in the success of your practice. It’s not about the dentistry, it’s about a standard of care. Recommend treatment with the highest benefit profile versus the lowest risk profile. Technicians sometimes know way more about materials than dentists do. There are no bad materials. We need to learn how to use them. For veneers, choose material with the closest light properties to real enamel. We need to be paying attention to our practices to be smart fiscally. Quotes: “One of the gifts of the Pankey Institute is community.” (6:00) “I knew on Sunday that I was going to have to completely change my practice on Monday.” (10:40) “Bread and butter dentistry is going to be our backbone.” (13:30) “For me, the backbone of my practice has always been day-to-day operative dentistry.” (18:35) “Make sure to fully explain to your patient all the risks involved with a compromise.” (26:45) “The rule of thumb about zirconia is that the prettier it is, the weaker it is.” (30:15) “We have to give the laboratory the appropriate amount of space.” (35:00) “Be disappointed, but then get over it. And find out what the solution is.” (36:50) “When materials break, there are lots of different conversations to have.” (45:40) “I am 51% healthcare—I am always a healthcare professional.” (51:00) Snippets: Lee introduces herself. (5:30–7:30) Explaining the standard of care to your patients. (25:00–27:00) Zirconia versus lithium disilicates. (29:00–31:30) Connect with Lee Ann: Email her at Pankey.org Sign up for her webinar at Pankeygram.org Restorativenation.com Search on YouTube Lee Ann Brady on Pinterest for her favorite dental materials
In this episode of The Best Practices Show, Kirk and the ACT Dental team speak with one of their favorite clients, Dr. Kevin Groth. Kevin talks about his time working with ACT Dental and how they have coached him as a young dentist. Over the course of the conversation, Kevin describes what it is like being fresh in private practice, the growing pains of a newbie, and how to leverage your connections into mentors to grow as an individual. Only newly into his thirties, Kevin displays great character and resolve for someone so young. Having spent time with the ACT team, Kevin talks about how each of them contributed to his development as a dentist in meaningful ways. But all of them, he says, exhibit a few like traits that any young professional can take heed to model for themselves. Kevin lists a fearlessness, a passion for continuing to learn, and a desire to work hard as key motivators. But perhaps most valuable to the young dentist is the power and magnitude of being mentored by great people. It’s by being coachable—and being determined about it—that you can access the kind of teaching that’s most consistent with the goals and vision for your practice and your life. Finally, Kevin cannot harp on this enough, you need to understand what it is you want out of your career. Without a grasp on this, it is impossible to chart a path forward. But in all of the striving there are two key things to keep in mind, and they are lessons that Kevin has held onto dearly. The first is a poignant quote from Kirk, that "the happiest people have the simplest lives". And the second is that "having the freedom to do what you want with your time is the greatest luxury, and we should not forsake that in the moment". Kevin shares a brief story of walking up a path with his daughter and how he didn’t want that moment to end. It’s a profound discovery to find meaning in the small things, but Kevin and the team urge a sense of purpose, and for that purpose to drive you in everything you do. Main Takeaways: The older generation needs to know that millennials are jaded. Millennials don’t want to kill themselves for a retirement life: they want to enjoy their lives now. Five characteristics of the dentists at the top of their game: 1) They started their careers out of dental school without anything. 2) They are all passionate about continuing education. 3) They actually apply knowledge learned. 4) They all have had amazing mentors. 5) They all have an amazing work ethic. Do not let fear dictate your ability to be the best and provide the best care. You don’t have to start out being great—look for lessons and be willing to learn. Get as much experience—from a variety of sources—as you possibly can. You have to make the hard decisions that will allow your practice to sync up with your vision. Engage in discussions where you promote vulnerability, so that people can learn. Emphasize what you want to spell out the direction going forward. There isn’t a mentorship booth—you have to seek them out. You can inspire people with small gestures, like a thank you note or a beloved book. You have to pursue the mentors. Quotes: “My main concern was my team.” (5:30) “I think millennials are going to change the way we do things.” (11:00) “I was really intentional about picking up as much as possible from all these different practices.” (14:30) “Just take the action and start—don’t be afraid to fail.” (17:45) “It’s okay to let a toddler fall. The best teachers allow those moments to happen.” (20:15) “Education is everything, but you have to structure what you want to learn, too.” (25:00) “The happiest people I know have the simplest lives.” (26:20) “Falling in love with perfection is dangerous. The important thing is excellence.” (30:30) “Ask a mentor; ‘Tell me something I don’t know about myself.’” (35:10) “This is what happens when you have a team that aligns with what you want.” (39:15) “When you are a mentee, your job is to inspire...
In this episode of The Best Practices Show, Kirk speaks with image expert Janice Hurley about how to maintain your best image while meeting with clients remotely via Zoom and the like. They first discuss the general anxiety and uncertainty that most of us felt going into the first few weeks of the pandemic. Janice explains that it starts with understanding your audience and showing them that you do care about what you look like, and how they see you. In addition to this, make sure that you are being thoughtful about your audio choices, too. Think about the space you’re in while on a Zoom call, and set up your environment to help make your audio and video as clear as possible. Take calls in a room that dampens the sound, for example, and keep the mic close to your mouth to boost clarity. You should think about lighting, too. Consider a ring light, and avoid lamps. Another tip is to use a separate, higher-quality webcam as opposed to the camera built into your laptop. Janice then shares several examples of colleagues’ before and after photos once they had made changes to simplify and increase the quality of their Zoom audio and visuals. In most of these examples, the people in the screenshots made small changes to their hardware, their lighting, or the arrangement of the room to make it easier to focus while boosting attention and professionalism. Janice implores the listener to pay attention to ads and the stock photos that show people adapting to the Zoom call world. She suggests even taking a photo of your actual background and using that as a virtual background. The benefit here is you can brighten your background up and draw the attention of your viewers. And here are some background no-no’s: no blinds, no doors, and no busyness. In closing, Janice talks about her workshops and who attended them. She really thought long and hard about whether she wanted to go back to work, but once she felt passionate about dentistry again, she got into it. She revamped her newsletter to dentists about how to magnify your “stage presence” in the industry. Now she runs these workshops for people around the world. Main Takeaways: We live in a new reality, but we still have old habits. We have undervalued the visuals, so to speak. You need to be consistent with your persona. The most important thing for video is audio. You need adequate lighting on your face. The depth of your space is an important consideration, too. Keep your background clean and uncluttered, if possible. What you have to say will be more important than the visuals, but the visuals strongly communicate value. Our visuals ultimately communicate respect. Quotes: “It seemed like no one else was saying the things I thought were really important.” (4:10) “The photo that you put up for your Zoom profile should look just like the one that your audience sees when they pull it up for the meeting.” (7:20) “If you’re on a Zoom call, there’s real value in understanding what you do have control over.” (10:50) “We can be casual in what we wear, but as soon as we’re slouching...it becomes harder for our audience to focus.” (19:40) “What determines your ability to use a virtual background is your computer’s memory capacity and updated software.” (24:00) “A casual approach worked in the beginning, but now that it’s become a part of life, we need to make it feel like it’s work.” (30:15) “Meetings in person are going to come back in some way, in some form.” (32:00) Snippets: Janice’s background. (3:00–4:45) Why is this important? (7:00–9:45) Where do we start updating our visuals? (10:15–11:00) Have a “pre-Zoom” meeting to work out any audio/video problems. (16:00–18:00) Male and female best practices. (26:45–28:00) The future of Zoom conferences. (32:00–33:00) Janice’s workshops. (35:20–37:00) Reach out to Janice: Search Janice Hurley on Google, Facebook, IG, etc. Visit her website at janicehurley.com. Register to join Janice’s Feb. 24th, 2021 workshop!...
In this episode of The Best Practices Show, host Kirk Behrendt sits down with his longtime friend, dental marketing guru, Xana Winans. Xana and Kirk talk all things marketing in 2021—focusing on creating measurable goals that will keep you from being reactionary in your marketing (something we all did way too much of in 2020). Kirk starts out the conversation by asking Xana why a dental practice should have a marketing plan and how much should be spent on said plan. While money spent depends on the practice and that practice’s goals, marketing is essential for dental practices to attract and retain those sought-after patients. While a lot of what we see in marketing are “shiny objects” like an awesome website or active social media feed, the bread and butter of a good marketing strategy lies in measuring the available data, Xana says. Together, Xana and Kirk take a look at some of the key elements you should be measuring in your dental practice in order to market effectively, while also going over the mix of marketing strategies that will give you maximum bang for your buck. The episode wraps up as the two uncover some common marketing mistakes practices make—encouraging dentists to not get distracted by the “squirrels” always popping up and instead focus on building a consistent brand. Creating a marketing strategy in 2020 was rough, but with any luck, marketing in 2021, or at the very least having a good plan, will ensure that things go a lot smoother in the new year. Main Takeaways Dentists need a marketing plan to have a smooth, not reactionary, year (5:18) Good marketing begins with measurements and research (8:40) ROI is everything (11:19) Be specific about your marketing goals (16:58) Real money comes from a patient staying in your practice (19:40) Pick 3-4 KPI’s to track when goal-setting (21:20) What you spend on marketing depends on what you want to accomplish (29:00) Look at your marketing in two ways: building assets and recurring costs (32:30) You need a full mix of marketing strategies to be successful (34:40) Follow your marketing plan, but measure it (44:15) Track everything and create a plan (46:23) Key Quotes “It you don’t have a plan, all you spend your time doing is reacting. And that’s what we spent the entire year [2020] doing—reacting to the shockwaves that kept hitting the industry.” “Doctors waste money constantly by not converting the leads.” “The whole point of marketing is to make the phone ring and then get that patient into the practice. But if you don’t keep them, it’s a complete and utter waste of money that you’ve done in your marketing.” “Pick your critical few marketing strategies and hit them hard and do them well.” “Setting a plan for the year—now is the time to do it! We are just on the verge of a brand new year. If you’re not getting your plan together, you’re going to be halfway through the year and going, ‘what happened?’” Snippets Getting to know Xana (3:20) Why you need a marketing plan (4:30) Marketing research (8:31) Simple metrics of marketing in dentistry (10:21) How to set marketing goals (15:52) How much of your production should come from new patients (18:10) What KPI’s to track (20:32) Tracking retention (22:45) How much to spend on marketing (28:40) Brand consistency (37:00) Heat-mapping (38:20) Biggest mistakes practices make in marketing (41:02) Bio of Guest Xaña Winans is Golden Proportions Marketing’s CEO, founder, resident visionary, and lead strategist. As one of the industry’s most sought-after dental marketing consultants, she collaborates with our team on a diverse group of clients to create strategic marketing solutions with measurable results. Her passion for dentistry is evident in the work that she does, and in the award-winning products GPM produces to help your practice thrive. Xana Winans Contact Info GoldenProportions.com Additional Resources Free Marketing Breakthrough call
On this episode of The Best Practices Show, Kirk cohosts with Dr. Mark Hyman as they talk with Onset’s Craig Conrardy all about the practice of buffering anesthetic. Buffering raises the pH of any local anesthetic closer to physiological, allowing dentists to not “miss” as much when it comes to numbing a patient, overall making the anesthetic of choice more predictable. In contrast, after an unbuffered injection, the body must raise the pH of the anesthetic towards the physiologic pH before the patient can effectively achieve pulpal anesthesia. As Onset’s director of sales and marketing, Conrardy is passionate about educating dentists on the wide variety of benefits buffering can offer, especially in an industry that was upended with the arrival of a global pandemic. Dr. Hyman, an advocate for buffering in his own practice, shares some of the benefits he has experienced through using Onset’s buffering tools, including an elevated patient experience, saving dentists’ time, reducing the use of PPE, and cutting overall costs. Conrardy shared that the biggest obstacle he’s found to a practice adopting buffering is an aversion to change in the dental world. But as he’s traveled across the country introducing this technique to hundreds, if not thousands, of dentists and dental practices, he’s found that the results speak for themselves. The conversation concludes with Conrardy debunking some common myths about buffering, and Dr. Hyman and Kirk alike advocating for a continued push to try new ways of practicing and learning as we move into a new year. Main Takeaways Buffering anesthetic elevates the patient experience (8:50) With one shot, Onset allows dentists to get back on schedule (15:04) Onset reduces dentist PPE by 50% (18:21) Buffering frees up dentists’ time (20:35) Buffer costs a practice approximately $3 per patient (24:00) The biggest obstacle to adopting buffering is a fear of change (30:32) Young and experienced dentists alike should be open to new things (38:08) Key Quotes “During the pandemic, it was just such a blessing for us to get all these doctors calling us and telling us, ‘oh my gosh, your product was great before the pandemic, now it’s allowing me to continue treating patients.’” —Craig Conrardy “The men and women in dentistry, we want to take better care of our patients, and this is an idea whose time has come.” —Dr. Mark Hyman “The power of this, the compounding power of this for your joy, your success, your profitability, the flow, the five-star reviews, the new patient referrals—the entire package we want in a successful private practice—this is the simplest. It’s a $3 per patient answer to a really complicated problem.” —Dr. Mark Hyman “All we’re asking dentists to do is imagine. What if you could? What if you actually could sit there and do it then get up and finish your next procedure?” —Craig Conrardy “So much is out of control for us in dentistry. When we can control something, that’s a good thing.” —Dr. Mark Hyman “There are complex purchasing decisions in dentistry, this is not one of them. This will be one of the easiest, coolest things you ever do.” —Dr. Mark Hyman Snippets Seat it, treat it, and complete it (5:33) The impact of buffering in a pandemic (12:32) The bottom and top line of buffering (18:29) Biggest myths about buffering (24:12) Why to trust a company like Onset and not DIY buffering (31:06) A buffering case study (33:45) Craig’s predictions on the future of dentistry (37:10) Bio of Guest Experienced National Sales And Marketing Director with a demonstrated history of working in the pharmaceuticals industry. Skilled in Enterprise Software, Sales, Sales Operations, Customer Retention, and Sales Management. Strong sales professional graduated from
In this episode of The Best Practices Show, host Kirk Behrendt sits down with serial entrepreneur, speaker, and author Chuck Blakeman to talk re-humanizing the workplace of a dental practice. Blakeman believes that since the dawn of factories, our culture has slowly but steadily grown towards de-humanizing our workforce. This same trend is all too true in the world of dental practices. Kirk asks Blakeman for his best advice to return humanity to the 8 to 5, and takes a deep dive into a world where there are no longer managers. Re-humanizing a workplace that has been de-humanized by too much telling and not enough asking isn’t an easy process, but from his bevy of experiences, Blakeman shares some of his best advice, starting with a return to our humanity through awareness and creativity. Blakeman goes on to illustrate how training is better than telling when it comes to building leaders, and that overall, a dental practice, or any workplace, needs input from its people to regain its collective humanity. The episode concludes with Blakeman’s insight into turning employees into adults again, a practice that includes letting your people make decisions, making it possible for them to do what they like and what they’re good at, and asking the most powerful question in business: "Why?" The final factor to take a practice from de-humanized to re-humanized is through examining your own mindset. Blakeman emphasized that if a leader thinks his or her people are stupid and lazy, those people will most likely be stupid and lazy. On the converse, when leaders believe that their people are smart and motivated, re-humanizing is not only possible, it’s probable. Main Takeaways Awareness and creativity make us human (5:58) Training is better than telling when it comes to building leaders (16:34) Leaders don’t tell, they ask (19:32) Managers have reports, leaders have followers (27:21) Decision-making makes us adults (29:10) Letting people do what they like and what they’re good at re-humanizes the workplace (33:01) The most powerful and least asked question in business is "Why?" (38:49) When it comes to re-humanizing the workplace, the place to start is your own mindset (42:23) Key Quotes “We’ve de-humanized work. Now we have to figure out how to re-humanize it.” “What de-humanizes us is other people telling us what to do.” “What’s the one thing most people at dental practices are not allowed to do at work? Make decisions.” “People commit to what they create.” “You can impose any goal you want on anybody, but if they don’t believe it, it’s not going to come true.” “Managers need to become leaders and they do that by asking questions, instead of making statements.” “Why is the most human of questions. It’s the one that motivates us.” Snippets Why no practice should have a manager (5:11-9:03) Consensus and collaboration (9:12-13:30) Agency of Responsibility (13:53-17:04) Input equals ownership (17:44-23:51) Everyone should be a leader (23:57-28:36) What really makes us an adult (28:53-31:40) Distributed decision-making (35:00-39:14) Bio of Guest Chuck Blakeman is a serial entrepreneur, international speaker, best-selling business author and world-renowned business advisor who built ten businesses in seven industries on four continents, and now uses his experience to advise others. His company, Crankset Group, provides outcome-based mentoring and peer advisory for business leaders worldwide. Chuck sold one of his businesses to the largest consumer fulfillment company in America and led three other $10-$100 million companies. He presently leads the Crankset Group and a for-profit business based in Africa, focused on developing local economies to solve poverty. Chuck is a results leader with decades of experience leading companies in marketing, import/export, fulfillment, call centers, website development, printing and direct mail processing. Some of Chuck’s customers have included...
This episode of The Best Practices Show is all about real estate. Austin Hair and Nathan Palmer sit down with host Kirk Behrendt to discuss how to handle relocating your practice and how to navigate whether to rent or to buy. After briefly discussing how COVID has affected real estate, Nate goes on to give some insight into how to determine whether to buy or rent a dental office space. He explains the importance of considering your strategies and goals, as well as the capital available to you, when making this determination, so that the real estate and the decision is the best value for you and helps you achieve your goal. Nate and Austin go on to discuss the importance of location and new patient acquisition. Austin suggests that location should be the main consideration over whether you buy or rent a space. Nate also points out that it’s not only important to consider you physical location, but also your digital location. They recommend doing research yourself to determine which location would be best and to figure out the correlation of increased space cost and increased patient acquisition. In addition to doing research, Austin also stresses the importance of using someone who is experienced in your area of industry. Nate encourages the listener to be creative as you consider your options, because the perfect place doesn’t always exist. Overall, it’s an extremely important decision that needs to be handled with great care and intentionality, and Nate and Austin do their best to equip dentists to make that decision with Real Estate University. Main Takeaways It’s important to identify long-term and short-term strategies when determining whether to buy or rent. (8:54) Both physical and digital real estate is important to consider. (15:13) It’s important to make sure you do research and use someone who is experienced in this specific area. (18:12) It’s important to be creative as you consider options, because the perfect option isn’t always out there. (28:57) Consider which location will best serve your needs and help you become most profitable. (30:01) Key Quotes “Not everybody starts at the same point.” “The most important thing is optimizing the value of your lease.” “You’ve got to have some goal in mind, and then try to find the right real estate that compliments that goal.” “For dentists, this is one of the most important decisions you’ll ever make in your life, because the cost of buildout is so high.” “Consumers and patients are becoming less loyal and more convenience driven.” “You have the ability to take a strong, stable practice, great provider, good patient base, and when the right times come up with your lease and expiration, then move that to a prime location.” “Priority number one should be location over whether you’re going to rent or whether you’re going to buy.” Snippets How COVID has disrupted the real estate market (4:46-7:53) Buying vs. renting (8:43-11:54) Data analytics behind patient flow and location (12:42-17:51) The value of increased rent with new patient acquisition (22:47-26:05) Bio of Guests Austin Hair was a professional wake boarder for twelve years who began buying residential properties on the side and turning them into Air BNBs, as well as buying and opening gyms. Later, after an invitation from Nate, Austin went on to complete the Tony Robbins Mastery Program, and after selling his gyms, he now does commercial real estate full time. Nathan Palmer has been in real estate since coming out of college. Because of an apprenticeship right out of college, Nate was introduced to the health care retail niche and has been focusing on that ever since. Initially, they focused exclusively on urgent cares, but in the last few years, his team has started to expand to the dental world. Austin Hair and Nathan Palmer’s Contact Info: Email: ahair@leadersre.com Website: https://reuniversity.org Additional Resources Podcast:...
In this episode of The Best Practices Show, guest Dr. David Mugford, sits down with host Kirk Behrendt and cohost Dr. Bill Robbins to discuss the biggest challenge to being successful in a practice. Before they discuss the biggest challenge, David explains why The Seattle Study Club and the Symposium are so valuable to him, and the role it has played in making him a better clinician. He explains that while the education is immensely valuable, the relationships, friendships and accountability that come from being part of The Seattle Study Club is one of the best parts. David goes on to discuss what he believes to be one of the greatest challenges, or limiting factors, in success, isolation and trying to do things alone. He explains that when there can be a spirit or teamwork and camaraderie established among specialists and dentists, instead of a system of hierarchy, that it betters the community as a whole and also the patient’s experiences. He also points out that this type of mindset allows you to better yourself not just as a provider, but as a person. David also emphasizes the importance of relationships, not just in reaching the next level in care, but also in order to protect against the isolation and stress that comes with dentistry. He shares how important it is to build a team of people and then pursue continued education together. Once you’ve found a team and pushed one another, there will come a time when you find yourself in a position to pour into and invest in the next generation of dentists, and that is critical to the continued development and improvement of dentistry as a whole. Towards the end, both Bill and David share how excited they are about the future of dentistry and they emphasize once more the immense value in finding a team, being part of something like The Seattle Study Club, and attending The Seattle Study Club Symposium. It’s a wise and enjoyable way to grow as a person and as a provider. Main Takeaways Seattle Study Club isn’t just about continuing education, it’s about relationships. (7:07) Isolation is one of the biggest challenges to having a successful practice. (12:21) Being a specialist is about working together as a team. (14:57) Relationships are the key to avoiding the stress and isolation that comes with dentistry. (19:59) It’s very important to grow and develop the next generation. (29:44) Key Quotes “[Symposium] is an experience. At the end of it, it’s like going on a retreat, and just coming back uplifted, inspired, and ready to move forward.” “I really think that one of the most limiting factors, in success, is when we try to do it all by ourselves.” “When you start to work with and become friends with other dentists, that have been out there for a while, [and] set up mentorships, you start to see what the possibilities are.” “As a specialist, what I really feel, is we need to establish a team, as opposed to a hierarchy, where it’s one or the other. Really, we need to be supporting each other all the way.” “Sure, we can do great dentistry, but if it’s just great dentistry for ourselves, that’s nothing. We do it for our patients, and we do it so we can elevate our level of practice, to become better people as we do it.” “If you can go on this journey with other people, it’s always better.” “As soon as possible, form an interdisciplinary team, [and] get educated together.” Snippets Seattle Study Club and the Symposium (6:50-11:08) The biggest challenge to being successful in a practice (11:21-13:17) The role of a specialist in lifting up a community (14:55-17:58) How to combat isolation in dentistry (19:49-23:02) Investing in the next generation of dentists (29:00-32:52) Bio of Guest Dr. Mugford has been a periodontist for a little over 30 years, and he deeply loves what he does. He has trained directly with the most prominent Clinicians and Institutions including: The L.D. Pankey Institute, The Dawson Academy, The Spear Institute, The Pikos...
On this episode of The Best Practices Show, host Kirk Behrendt sits down with Dr. Lorne Lavine to discuss IT security, specifically in regard to protection against ransomware viruses. Lorne begins by explaining how the increase in ransomware has increased the need for excellent data security. He emphasizes the importance of making sure that anyone who has access to your network has the appropriate security in place. Next, Lorne describes how a practice would go about recovering from a ransomware virus. He explains the value in having a good back up and what a practice is required to do following a ransomware virus, which is a breach of HIPAA. Dr. Lavine also walks listeners through how they can stay protected. First, it’s important for a practice to have a good quality firewall. Next, it’s important to keep software current and up to date. And finally, make sure that your staff is trained to be able to spot ransomware emails, as this is the most common point of entry for a ransomware virus. Lorne ends the episode by discussing how HIPAA has changed and what we can anticipate from HIPAA law in the future, as well as an explanation of the importance of, and purpose of, cyber liability insurance. Main Takeaways There has been a push to go electronic with data. (9:13) There has been an increase in ransomware attacks since COVID. (12:02) Anyone who has access to an office’s network, needs to be keeping those connections secure. (12:19) A breach is defined as loss of control of your data. (17:03) Some HIPPA laws have been reinterpreted the last couple of years. (32:29) Key Quotes “As healthcare providers are getting more and more electronic with their data, we need to make sure that we do everything we can to secure and protect that data.” “Ransomware is a specific type of virus that locks your files.” “It’s mandatory that we, as IT providers, do everything we can to make sure that no one has access to our client’s data.” “If you are hit with a ransomware virus, you have suffered a HIPAA breach.” “The most common entry for ransomware Is email.” “Small, local, solo practitioners are a bigger risk than large health groups who have multiple HIPAA compliance officers on their pay roll.” Snippets Ransomware has changed the need for security. (10:40-13:44) The secure way to set up portals (13:45-14:59) Recovering from ransomware attacks (15:45-18:47) How to stay protected (20:56-24:53) The future of HIPAA and cyber security (31:29-33:58) Explanation of cyber liability insurance (34:09-37:16) Bio of Guest Dr. Lorne Lavine began his career as a periodontist and found that what he loved most was the technology. Having grown up around technology, Lorne had a knack for figuring out the technology which turned into him helping other practices with their technology. After moving to California, he happened into full time IT work helping dentists determine the best technology for their practice, and he now has six employees. He has lectured in Scotland, Australia, Brazil and across North America. Dr. Lavine’s Contact Info: Email: support@thedigitaldentist.com Phone: 866-204-3398 Website: www.thedigitaldentist.com Additional Resources Free Security Predictor Checklist: https://go.thedigitaldentist.com/free-checklist
In this episode of The Best Practices Show, Dr. Sam Low highlights four critical areas in which to improve your practice’s efficiency, profitability and customer relationships. He brings his 25 years of practicing, teaching and consulting expertise to the challenge of evolving habitual office systems to meet challenges faced by dental practices of all sizes. Dr. Low shares concrete strategies in four key areas of practice management. He talks at length about optimizing the role of dental hygienists to best leverage their talents and also introduces the concept of a “product market center” through which to sell dental items for the convenience of patients as well as to establish a revenue stream. Dr. Low also suggests ideas for getting as much value as possible from recall appointments and the many long-term impacts of Covid19 on dental and periodontal practices. Today’s presentation took place as part of the Covid19 Dental Relief Conference. Main Takeaways Your dental hygienist is also your new patient coordinator. (13:37) Review dental-assisted hygiene with enhanced efficiency. (21:00) Create an oral hygiene product market center. (37:05) Ways of ensuring standard recall appointments are effective and valuable. (47:43) The 60-minute appointment is over – especially for PPO patients. (52:16) Key Quotes “We are losing out by not maximizing what we do with our hygienists. They are not cleaning people. You know what they are? You watch. They're the nurse practitioners.” “Stop using the words, “fix” our “treat” ever in a dental practice. Always use the word manage.” “(Patients) need to walk out of there knowing that gum disease is … an autoimmune disease.” “Dental hygienists: If you have anxiety and fear about going back to work and you are working with a practice that has always had quality infection control, you have nothing to worry about.” “If you are in a PPO practice, especially in a hardcore PPO practice, you are not going to be able to have hygiene appointments for 60 minutes. It’s not going to happen.”\ “Look outside of dentistry (for business models). Start reading things outside of just dental magazines.” “Teledentristy – used the right way – is going to be probably one of the most important areas we have.” Snippets Four revenue-related elements to examine in your hygiene practice (8:05-9:31 Leveraging your dental hygienist appropriately. (14:05-14:57) Periodontitis: Takeaways patients need to have. (19:11-19:34) Four buckets for periodontitis classification. (24:28-24:55) What you’re optimally doing in the second hour of a new patient appointment. (26:58-27:33) Valuable laser applications. (35:20-36:36) Systems for co-marketing and offering dental products. (41:40-42:52) Strategies for reducing your rate of no-shows and cancellations. (49:38-51:50) The evolving role of teledentistry. 1:00-1:00:26 Bio of guest Dr. Sam Low is an associate faculty member of the L.D. Pankey Institute and Professor Emeritus at the University of Florida’s College of Dentistry. His consulting practice focuses on creating positive interactions between dentists, periodontists and dental hygienists through communication skills and continuous quality improvement to enhance esthetics, tooth retention and implant placement. Contact Website: www.drsamlow.com Email: slow@dental.ufl.edu Resources VoiceWorks: https://www.floridaprobe.com/voiceworks.htm PreViser: www.previser.com PerioSciences: https://periosciences.com ProBiora: https://probiorahealth.com ActDental U: www.actdentalU.com
Dr. Rich Rosado and Robyn Reis make a guest appearance to update listeners on the ADA’s work and current HR concerns. They emphasizes the importance of understanding and implementing various safety protocols to protect patients and staff. They cover the role dentists might play in the roll-out of vaccinations as well as an admonition to remain skeptical of “instant” Covid19 testing, which can be unreliable. Robyn also goes through specific situations to consider when exposures do occur with patients and team members. Rich shares a bit about the status of PPP legislation and recommends members consider joining the non-partisan “Tooth Party” and refrain from letting the nation’s current political division distract from the important work of advancing the health and well-being of patients. Robyn’s message is clear: Prepare. Prepare. Prepare. She runs through a number of protocols that dental practices can establish in order to respond to Covid-19 exposure most effectively. Contacting local public health authorities in your state is the first step. Developing strong PPE protocols and ground rules for lunchrooms and team meetings are also cornerstones of a robust plan. Main Takeaways Protocols to follow if you or a patient receives a Covid19 diagnosis. (5:02) Be prepared to meet specific governmental policies and procedures. (8:00) The status of vaccinations and the potential role for dental practices. (12:25) Cautionary note about Covid19 testing reliability and availability. (14:30) Status of PPP relief and legislative goals (16:50) Understanding the Family First Coronavirus Act (FFCRA). (25:40) Defining the Americans with Disabilities Act and employer responsibilities with regard to HIPAA. (28:03) What happens if the doctor tests positive and the practice has to close? (29:51) Steps when someone from your team has been exposed (43:54) Key Quotes “Dentistry is essential care. If there's anything we figured out during the first parts of the pandemic it was that oral care that goes untouched, undiagnosed, unviewed, unchecked starts to become an oral health crisis.” “At this time they're treating dentistry like an emergency room or a hospital setting. Be vigilant and you’ll be able to continue to practice.” “If I could implore you to be a dentist, to be a colleague, to be a friend boss, a compassionate person, and understand that there are no politics in a vaccine.” “If someone reaches out to the office and says, we have testing, you'll be able to test your patients and your staff every morning in under 15 minutes, those tests are not specific enough to trust.” “It’s inevitable that you’re going to face (a Covid19 exposure) so I would highly recommend that you come together as a team and make sure that you have a plan in place.” “The state health department should always be your first phone call to find out about your specific situation. There’s always going to be nuances and caveats.” “If a team member is exposed, that doesn’t mean you have to shut down. That person just needs to follow the CDC guidelines on quarantine.” Snippets Understanding and executing Covid19 policies and protocols. (7:58-8:34) A percentage of patients won’t seek routine dental care without a vaccine.(10:27-11:04) Potential role for dentists in vaccine administration, state by state. (13:20-14:24) Use caution with regard to Covid19 testing. (14:34-15:22) Provisions of proposed new PPP bill pending in Congress. (16:59-17:36) It’s imperative that every dental practice have a plan. (24:36-25:10) Layers of protection are essential to the initial response when an associate tests positive. (27:18-27:47) The Americans With Disabilities and how it applies. (28:05-29:29) Doctors who require staff to get tested must cover the cost.. (33:11-33:47) Protocols when a team member is exposed to someone who has been exposed? (45:38-46:55) Bio of Guests Richard J. Rosato, D.M.D., is an oral and maxillofacial surgeon practicing in...
From all of us at ACT Dental, we wish you the happiest of holidays and pray you are all safe, healthy and able to enjoy time with family and friends. It is a season of gratitude and there is much to be thankful for. We don't simply mean that gratitude is meant for the good things in life, but it is also meant for our trials as well. We need to be grateful for our families, our blessings both personally and professionally, and health that has kept us functional during a year of uncertainty. But we also need to be grateful for the trials experienced and the lessons we have learned throughout these recent times. We have experienced moments where we have had to reassess our priorities, become more conscientious of helping others, allowed for humility to set in during times where it would have been easy to be upset. We have been given an opportunity to show who we truly are inside and to be examples to others while lifting up those that need us. Be thankful, be grateful, be happy by choice and enjoy this holiday season.
In this episode of The Best Practices Show, Kirk sits down with Debi Carr to explore the many ways in which dental practices might be vulnerable to data breaches, hacking or other cyber threats. Their conversation covers a whole checklist of areas for concern and ways to take proactive measures to protect both patient privacy and valuable assets and applications. Debi urges dental practices to take control by treating HIPAA not as a regulation but as a tool to guide sound policy and planning with regard to securing computer and data systems. She recommends partnering with an IT specialist who understands not only the programs that are unique to dental practices but is also equipped to monitor for telltale signs of intrusion. The wide-ranging discussion covers a gamut of cybersecurity hot-button issues confronted by every dental practice, regardless of whether business is being conducted inside the office or remotely from home. These include password security, firewalls, wireless router updates, ransomware, antivirus protection, breach insurance and coming up with a robust plan that addresses all of the above. Today’s interview took place as part of the Covid-19 Dental Relief Conference. Main Takeaways Brief background on the dental relief conference. (00:14) How Carr’s came to cybersecurity and health care management systems. (01:49) Proactive do’s and don’t’s for dealing with cyber-hacking and breaches. (05:42) Things you can learn and do today – a checklist for strengthening home and office cybersecurity protocols. (08:37) Why and how to install a firewall. (10:57) The importance of keeping your wireless router up to date. (11:56) Things to know about passwords and safety protocols. (13:11) Explanation of two-factor authentication. (15:40) More about wifi router vulnerability and strategies for protecting data. (18:04) Defining ransomware: How hackers infiltrate and infect systems. (20:12) Firmware updates and how to assess whether your router needs to be replaced. (23:55) Thoughts on WhatsApp as a tool. (26:56) The importance of maintaining IT partnerships even while working remotely or when practices are shut down by pandemic. (28:22) Overview of anti-virus best practices. (31:30) Access to QuickBooks and what it entails in terms of risk and vulnerability. (32:20) Protecting your system following remote access interactions.(33:35) Risk analysis and implementing security controls, written manuals, policies and procedures. (34:29) Specialty insurance against data breaches and related investigations. (41:15) Fundamentals of forensic investigation following computer system breaches. (46:00) What to do if you experience a ransom attack. (48:43) Cybersecurity doesn’t have to be overwhelming, scary or expensive. (51:34)
Key Quotes “Stop looking at HIPAA as regulation. Look at it as a guide, a tool, it’s incremental because you can use it to implement best practices.” “Every home in America – whether we’re in a pandemic or not – should have some basic security controls in place in their homes “ “Any time you can enable two-factor authentication, you should take advantage of it.” “Any hacker that gets into an application may have a door to other applications on your computer. So strong passwords are an added line of defense.” “You've got your firewall, you've got your router, you've got your strong passwords, but you still want to back up and have multiple backups in multiple locations.” “If you’re projecting out to the Internet at all – if you’re on the worldwide web – then you need to have a firewall.” “The steps that every practice needs to take as part of HIPAA should include a breach notification or breach incident response plan.” “It’s really important that in the event of an attack you call in someone that can be an incident response mitigator and walk you through all those stacks.” “I don’t want it to be scary because we have the best tools at hand.
Our guest on this episode of the Best Practices Show podcast is Dr. Lauralee Nygaard, a renowned periodontist and long-time member and leader of the Seattle Study Club. Lauralee chose dentistry as a profession because of the flexibility paired with the challenges of serving clients in all situations. Early on in her career, she had to work through a lot of imposter syndrome, spurred on by negative referrals and critiques of other dentists in her area, but she has found that the key to her practice’s success is taking exceptional care of her patients and the rest will fall into place. A lifelong learner, Lauralee has gleaned a lot of knowledge from thought leaders outside of the dental industry. She learned from Malcolm Gladwell about the intrinsic need for people to be in relationships, which cemented her belief that taking exceptional care of her patients would drive positive word-of-mouth referrals, and this continues to be her #1 source of new clients to this day. Lauralee has also found a great source of community, as well as personal and professional enrichment, through the Seattle Study Club symposium and her local club. She has been mentored by and has been a mentor to many clinicians over the years, and these relationships have been essential during this uncertain environment due to COVID-19 for finding mutual support and encouragement. In addition to signing up for the Seattle Study Club symposium coming up January 29-31, 2021, Lauralee challenges listeners to connect with 2 people this week just to check in and see how they are doing during COVID-19. You may be surprised by the impact of a single phone call. Main Takeaways: The origins of the Seattle Study Club (7:15) Finding business advice outside of dentistry (16:20) Connecting with your patients is the secret (19:43) Knowing someone that came before you (25:00) Dentistry is a perfect fit for women (28:38)\ Quotes: “I’m passionate about telling young clinicians – and women in particular – that they can be very successful in dentistry, and being a female is an asset, something that they should be willing to embrace.” “I think the secret of my practice success is relational connection.” “It’s cheaper than therapy to pay for me to go to symposium because those are my people.” “If I wanted to build my business, I had to take exceptional care of people.” “Charisma is not a gift – it’s a skill.” “I didn’t understand that 80% of my business could come from 20% of my people.” “There is always room for exceptionally taking care of people with a relational experience.” Snippets: Lauralee’s story (2:07-2:59) The power of symposium (9:13-10:58) How Lauralee found growth while remembering her roots (14:03-15:02) People want relationships (17:32-18:53) An impactful letter that Lauralee received from a patient (19:43-21:38) Advice to younger clinicians (24:31-24:56) Bio of Our Guest: Dr. Nygaard is a Board Certified Periodontist, with three additional years of specialty training beyond dental school. Dr. Nygaard attended Loma Linda University where she earned her Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS) degree. Dr. Nygaard continued her education for three additional years at Loma Linda University in the graduate periodontics program for specialty training in periodontics, soft tissue procedures and implant dentistry where she earned a Certificate in Periodontics and a Masters of Science degree. Dr. Nygaard is well known for her exceptional skill with connective tissue grafting and esthetic dental implants. She is also an advocate for patients who desire to manage their total health through proper oral health. She works closely with several cardiologists and heart attack & stroke specialists to manage patients' risk(s). Dr. Nygaard lectures on the possibilities and benefits of connective tissue grafts, as well as other dental topics. Dr. Nygaard is a member of numerous dental organizations including the American Academy of Periodontology, the...
In this episode of The Best Practices Show, we revisit an interview that occurred during the COVID-19 Conference with Dr. Gary DeWood about treating patients in the middle of the COVID pandemic, (DISCLAIMER: They are not providing legal advice, but merely talking through their perspectives.) The team talks to Gary about a number of situations in this episode, but the one that rises to the top is the question of how to continue to treat patients during the coronavirus pandemic. The first problem that comes up is the legality and the risk of seeing patients. There is some concern to treat emergency situations, but it’s difficult to discern what is and isn’t an emergency. The dental community has a decided interest in keeping patients out of hospitals, if only to limit their exposure to COVID. Gary and others believe in the safe practices of dentists’ offices, but there are still situations to discern. The most important takeaway is that dentists should be doing all they can to actually serve their patients during this time. Often, that means not seeing them in the office. There are bigger forces at play than worrying about next week’s paycheck. The way that you handle yourself and your team during this time, they all repeat, will have a lasting impact on how things run when this is all over. Do what you can to stay in contact with your patient base. Show them that you care about their well-being—we are all isolated right now—and you may find that you actually strengthen your practice in the process. Main Takeaways: The ADA recommends that you should only treat people in emergency situations in the time of COVID. (3:00) This is the time to step up to be a leader and lead your team. (5:30) Do aesthetic emergencies still qualify as emergencies? (9:25) Things you’re afraid of don’t go away—you can only change how you respond. (18:40) In a time like this, you either show that you care or you don’t care—it’s just money... (25:45) Quotes: “The downside is that everything we’re reading now is just opinion.” – Gary. “What risks are you willing to take?” – Gary “You’re thinking of so many things to do—why don’t you think of one?” – Gary. “Do you have enough masks to replace it after every patient?” – Gary. “Closing your office is okay, but the best thing you can do is get emergency patients out of the medical system.” – Gary. “What is the most important thing I can do to be of most service?” – Gary. “You have to deal with what you can see.” – Gary. “Go fishing for social distance...make your decision and then be ready to talk about it.” – Gary. “Vulnerability is not a weakness; it’s a strength in times like this.” – Kirk. “The way we manage this...is going to shape who we are when it’s over.” – Gary. Snippets: Making the decision to treat during COVID. (2:00–4:30) What are you telling the dentists looking for leadership? (5:20–8:30) Patterns of the great dentists who make it through. (17:50–20:55) Stay in touch with your patient base. (23:25–25:00) Let’s be open to all possibilities for us to get through this together. (30:00–32:00) Bio of Our Guest: Dr. DeWood is Executive Vice President of Spear Education. As one of the founding members of Spear, he directed Curriculum and Clinical Education for nearly a decade prior to joining in the launch of Spear Practice Solutions. Today, he splits time between teaching and consulting. Dr. DeWood serves as an instructor in multiple Spear Workshops, including Facially Generated Treatment Planning, Occlusion in Clinical Practice, Advanced Occlusion, Sleep Medicine in the Dental Practice and a special focus workshop on temporomandibular disorder. He also maintains a limited private practice on the Spear Campus in Scottsdale, Arizona, and lectures nationally and internationally on practice management, treatment planning, case management, case acceptance, TMD diagnosis, appliance therapy, occlusion, and esthetics. Prior to his contributions at Spear, Dr. DeWood maintained
Dr. Michelle Lee delivers a presentation on an array of temporomandibular disorders (TMD), the problems they cause for Dr. Lee’s patients, and how different appliances can offer therapeutic solutions. Different facial muscles are affected by TMD and that in turn causes breathing problems, general and localized pain, and issues with biting and chewing. This is both therapeutic and diagnostic, and we need to treat it as such. The “why” of TMD treatment includes understanding and prioritizing muscle comfort, occlusion stability, and a free airway. Anterior (muscle) deprogrammers are a diagnostic tool and they can help correct some bite problems. Dr. Lee explains some of the risks involved with anterior only therapy and reviews the functions (and key symptoms) of the muscles of the face: the temporalis, the masseter, the digastric muscles, and the plerygoid muscles. Dr. Lee describes a patient named Emmy who suffered from a lot of pain in her back and neck, problems with posture, and mouth breathing. The science behind mouth breathing and how it can negatively affect facial development and healthy sleep are truly connected. Bite splints should fit properly or patients will play with them too much. A high resolution pulse oximeter can also be used to check for sleep apnea problems. She also shares a personal story of her six-year-old son, Nathan, and how his deep bite and tongue tie affected his sleep breathing and general development—UARS (Upper Airway Resistance Syndrome). Pankey’s Cross of Dentistry: Know Yourself Know Your Patient Know Your Work Apply Your Knowledge Main Takeaways: You can use Appliance Therapy before, during, and after treatment. (3:30) We need to understand the muscles, the joint, occlusion, and the airway. (9:30) “For every 10 degree change in the angle of disclusion, there is a 30% change in the force applied.” (32:32) “We can be the change we want to see in the world [through our dentistry].” (43:45) “TMD and UARS are more linked than we previously thought.” (54:14). Quotes: “I’ve been able to stand on the shoulders of giants at the institute.” — Michelle “Do the clench test if you want to determine if your patient has a high anterior only risk.” — Michelle “The timing of the sound of clicks can give us a better understanding of occlusions.” – Michelle “In the war between muscle and teeth, muscle always wins.” – Michelle. “Mouth breathing is not a developmentally good thing.” – Michelle. “I know there’s a big pause in our lives, but we can sharpen our skills.” – Michelle. “Start with a little bit of ramp and move up...that’s why it’s called therapy.” – Michelle. Snippets: How Michelle got into dentistry. (2:00 – 3:30) Michelle’s philosophy. (5:00 – 6:00) Why we use TMD appliances in the first place. (8:20–9:40) Emmy’s case study. (44:30 – 46:30) Michelle’s son Nathan and his UARS. (51:40 –53:30) Bio of Speaker: Dr. Michelle Lee is very proud to provide all aspects of comprehensive dentistry which includes Restorative, Cosmetic, TMD, and Sleep Apnea treatment to the Fleetwood and Berks county areas. Dr. Lee is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine with a one year post graduate General Practice Residency Program at the Abington Memorial Hospital. Dr. Lee continues to be a life long learner herself and constantly keeps herself abreast of dental advancements by committing to hundreds of hours of advanced dental education. She is an active member of the Pankey Institute, American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry (AACD), and American Equilibration Society (AES), and other courses for advanced education. Dr. Lee has advanced knowledge and training in the TMJ, Disorders of the TMJ (TMD), bite disorders, and Sleep Apnea. She continues to expand her knowledge in this field because she feels passionate about Dentistry based on the relationship of the Jaw Joint, Muscles, and Occlusion (teeth). She approaches dentistry with precision, accuracy,...
Sean White, CEO of Whiteboard Marketing, specializes in helping dental offices establish an effective media presence and optimize available web search tools. When it comes to ensuring a thriving practice, today’s tools go far beyond the traditional referral. Knowing how to harness the power of Google and related technology requires specific expertise that Sean shares in detail. Google’s coveted “front page” real estate involves Page 1 points of entry for prospective patients including Google’s Pay Per Click (PPC) ads, the Google Local 3-Pack (maps, review and listing) and search engine optimization. Proximity, relevancy and Google reviews are the first things to consider optimizing and are featured at the top of any given search return, but it can involve more time than pay-off for the inexperienced practitioner. When it comes to the most valuable real estate, the search results below the ads, maps and business listings are actually where 60-70% of prospective patients click for more information, especially if they are on a desktop computer. The payoff is significant, but the effort is unlikely to succeed without a commitment of time and resources to manage search engine optimization (SEO). Dental practices need to be aware of domain settings, logo icons, webpage tags and unique content creation (website, blog). To climb the ranks to Google’s Page 1 it requires time, patience and persistent effort to manage tools and track return on investment. Follow-up is necessary to ensure that, once they convert and click through, prospective patients arrive at a user-friendly website that includes things like an interface that is friendly, provides access to a one-click phone call from the screen, offers live chat and online options for scheduling and bill payment. Main Takeaways Why understanding Google search is key to growing a dental practice. (04:34) What is Google Pay Per Click and how does it work? (08:25) What constitutes the Google Local 3-Pack offering? (10:11) The majority of prospects click through on the actual search returns, which are trickier than Google ads and require commitment and optimization. Here’s why. (19:20) Best practices for optimizing and leveraging Google products in ways the search engine will reward with improved visibility. (24:52) Key Quotes “If you’re a dentist trying to figure out how to work all this stuff you’re essentially wasting money. We want you to be in the chair, treating your patients and doing what you’re best at.” “There’s 20 to 25 potential results on that first page of Google, which is enough for most folks to look at. Some folks don’t even know how to go to the next page. So the answer is, Yes. You definitely want to be on the first page.” “What SEO is about is generating opportunities: Phone calls, web forums, web chats. The days of key word rankings and searching for yourself and not showing up — you can’t have that mindset anymore. You’ve got to look at the back-end data.” “You have to have your conversion tracking set up on Google analytics because that’s the real true testament to the efficacy of SEO. That’s what the goal should be of your marketing partner or yourself — tying lead generation to your SEO efforts.” “Any SEO company that’s confident in what they do should be more than confident telling you that you’re going to get at least three to four patients a month on a minimum just from your SEO effort.” “If you want to be available and have a good presence in all the factors, then it costs money to do that and typically it’s a really good value.” “Ultimately, without sales nothing happens. You gotta get your phone to ring more than it is. You gotta be able to convert new prospects over the phone and over chat and over web forums. You gotta have scheduling ambassadors if you really are truly interested in growing a practice.” Snippets 02:49 - 03:40 - A little background about Sean White, CEO of Whiteboard Marketing 22:12 - 22:25 - Major Google ad...
In this episode of The Best Practices Show, ACT Dental Lead Coach Christina Byrne joins me to cover one of the most important and highly requested questions from dental practices: How do we fill our schedule? Together, we share 5 fast ways to fill your schedule right now! Chris and I speak on the importance of keeping open communication and providing accurate information to your patients, especially during a global health crisis, as well as what to do when patients and team members are feeling anxious about covid-19. We break down how to make your Morning Huddles exceptionally effective, emphasizing the value in picking KPIs that are leading indicators, talking about them in your huddles, and focusing on healthy reappointment percentages. We address what it means to recommit to getting good at the basics, meaning regular re-care, with some classic and creative examples of how to do this in your office. It’s extremely important to continuously work on improving verbal communication skills with your patients, so make that a priority in your practice! Don’t hesitate to tighten up the re-care intervals for when you might see patients back for their next appointment. Certain patients may really need that, which can benefit your practice too. We then touch on the power of re-energizing your internal marketing campaigns, noting options like running promotions and encouraging patients to utilize and maximize their insurance benefits. Utilizing the learning opportunities available in this document and in our private Facebook group will be a game changer for your dental practice, especially in 2020. If you’re not a member of our Facebook group, be sure to join! If you would like some more one-on-one help, schedule a call with us today! Download the handout to follow along by going here: https://www.actdental.com/opt-in-84a4b234-e88d-438d-86ad-a9efb51d2a85 Connect with us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/thebestpracticesshow Join our private Facebook group: www.facebook.com/groups/442589266173928 Episode Timeline: [00:00] Introducing the topic [02:55] Step 1: Get super clear about WHY the schedule is not full in the next few months before you attempt to fill it [08:43] Step 2: Make sure your Morning Huddles are “World Class” – this will create your biggest ROI [22:19] Step 3: Recommit to getting really good at the basics, which has to do with regular re-care [41:22] Step 4: Tighten up the re-care intervals for when you might see patients back for their next appointment [43:08] Step 5: Re-energize your Internal Marketing Campaigns [47:13] Outro: Utilize the learning opportunities with this document and our Facebook group!
In this episode of The Best Practices Show, Kirk sits down with Dr. Glenn Dupont, who has been in dentistry for forty-one years, and has experience and expertise in restorative dentistry. Initially, Glenn talks about the origin of the Dawson Academy, which began as a study group with Dr. Pete Dawson and several other prestigious dentists. Dr. Dawson was exceptional at his ability to simplify things and that he never stopped learning or writing. He was passionate about changing dentist’s lives. Dr. DuPont does a lot of complex and challenging cases and wants to help other dentists understand how to simplify those types of cases. He believes that if you approach it systematically and follow the steps, challenging cases don’t have to be too difficult. When something is sequenced to be predictable and efficient, that is when it’s most profitable. Quality and principles should be constant, the only thing that should vary is how long the process takes. Regarding sequencing, first you need to make sure the patients joints are stable and healthy. After establishing healthy joints, determine where the front teeth go. Once you’ve determined this, it’s all about the back teeth hitting. When developing the sequence for a case, it’s important to determine what work needs to be done and during which phase the work should be done. This helps to simplify the process. Prioritize and organize a few steps at a time instead of all of them at once. In regard to making progress in cases and seeing them to completion, it’s important to make sure the patient understands the process from the very beginning, and then to advocate for them based what is best for their life at that time. You need to not only plans out the steps, but determine how long each step will take. This information helps the patient understand the process. Do not be afraid to quote the fee. Follow a checklist for predictability and profitability. Dr. DuPont is an experienced, exceptional dentist, who is eager and willing to help other dentists become better at what they do. Main Takeaways When you follow the steps, complex cases are not difficult to do (6:51) The principles and quality are constant, how long it takes varies (10:22) Dividing work into phases allows you to simplify the process (18:34) It’s important first that the patient understands the process, then it’s important that you advocate for them (22:29) The whole process is easier if you follow the checklist from the beginning (36:42) Key Quotes “If you follow a systematic approach, those kinds of cases are not difficult to do, but you’ve got to follow the steps.” “To sequence something for predictability and efficiency leads to profitability, and that’s sort of the bottom line.” “Treatment plan the best [option].” “The number one thing is, are the joints healthy? Are the joints stable?” “The main reason that I see for people losing teeth isn’t really decay, it’s really broken teeth and the forces on the teeth.” “Most difficult cases are solved when you figure out where the front teeth go.” - Dr. Dawson “Once you get [the steps] in the phases and you get them prioritized, now you step back and you say, ‘Where can I combine appointments?’ That’s what gives you the profitability.” “The patient has to understand the whole process, up front, and that’s critical. And none of these decisions are made without the patients understanding.” “I not only determine each step, I determine the time that it takes for each step.” “I don’t want dentists to be afraid to ask questions or be afraid to quote the fee.” “Do they understand it? Do they really want it? Okay, I’m going to work with you, let’s figure it out.” “You can do a big case, and you will lose money if you don’t sequence it efficiently.” Snippets 3:57-5:38- A background of Dr. Pete Dawson and the Dawson Academy 8:11-9:19- Why sequencing is important 9:30-11:23- Quality is the constant, time is the variable 11:55-20:54- How to...
Seattlestudyclub.com for general resources and check out the SSC Symposium, which is online this year from January 29-31, 2021 Dr. Scott MacLean YouTube page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCRp7FHWTjpb7BeuFjmX2Azg Dr. Scott MacLean Instagram: @drscottmaclean Dr. Scott MacLean website: https://www.drscottmaclean.com/ SSC is designed for team members, specialists, general dentists and any extension of dentistry that want to be advanced and learn about a varied list of topics. The symposium has some of the best speakers in the world and it will be very interactive. At the 2021 symposium, Dr. MacLean will be discussing the DTX Studio and how it can help treatment plan and map the procedure for implant placement. · “There is no such thing as a successful hermit” If you want to be challenged and see how great people think, refer to the SSC and see what they have to offer from the symposium to the local study clubs. The resources are endless and constantly improving. Mentorship can occur and provide a hands-on personal touch on how to succeed with a life associated within dentistry. To a group of lab technicians: “How often do we have the implant in the right spot?” – of 350 people, the response was only 50-60%. Each person is very individual with different structures in different locations, from the nerves, to the bone levels, to the type and style of tissue. Guided surgery allows for a plan to be done outside the mouth and making it easier to execute that plan while inside the mouth. Whether it is “Dynamic Guided” or “Template Guided”. Not every implant should be placed at bone level. There are times that the proper plan involves platform switching or other techniques to provide the proper treatment. The two versions are: “Dynamic Guided” involves a scan that is then taken into a program called “X-Guide” which allows for the clinician to see on a screen what their hands are doing based off of the scans and images that had been taken. The other is “Template Guided”, or having the patient take a CBCT x-ray and an intraoral scan that are then combined to help guide where the implant should be to provide a proper implant location. To do this same day, you can have a 3D printer produce a template in your office. The software used by Dr. MacLean is DTX Studio. To see him in action, refer to his YouTube video at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DErtuSGOSHM Reduction of error and increasing predictability is the hope. Artificial Intelligence (AI) can be used for anything from diagnostics to charting. A simple process of taking a pano and/or CBCT combined with an intraoral scan then populate everything from existing conditions to bone levels, which can reduce the amount of time spent trying to gather information. It can also assist in determining potential pathologies or success rates of treatments. These treatments may even continue to being non-ionizing radiation patterns of gathering information (video mouth trays that can image the whole tooth), which has been a concern for many for a number of years. This will never alleviate the need for dentists. You still need to have a great person to understand the information being obtained and to perform the treatments. There is an emotional portion of dentistry that will never be automated. With so many potential treatments associated with a single diagnosis, it does help to have a very visual educational tool to discuss with the patient any concerns and to help them see the reason for the treatments. When it comes to the SSC local clubs, these moments can be aided by having specialists involved to get a varied set of opinions to further improve the potential outcome. We are finding ourselves in a pattern where training of team members (both in the office and labs/specialists) needs to be different due to the advancements that are developing. Have the treatment options established with a system, it allows for team members to fully buy-in to the process and can make the...
Dr. John Cranham, a full-time dentist and also a lecturer, discusses the digital dilemma: the transition and cost of going digital in dentistry. John begins by addressing the reason for going digital which is to improve your quality and your efficiency once you make the transition. He emphasizes that all of the technological advancements make this is an exciting time to be in the field of dentistry. One important point regarding the digital transition and advancements, is how important the analog experience is. The ultimate work that is done in dentistry is analog work (the former way of taking molds and doing models) but doing scans and models digitally, takes away that necessity. There are two main dilemmas in going digital. The first, and most common dilemma, is cost. In his opinion, the cost ultimately balances out when you consider material cost that you will no longer have, as well as time savings. He also encourages people when they are shopping around to consider the reasons why equipment prices differ. Another hesitation that people often have is that they are not tech savvy enough. It is the assistants who will usually be using the equipment and they will receive training on how to use the equipment. He gives the encouragement that going digital is necessary if you want to be as predictable, efficient and profitable as possible. Another benefit of going digital, is the ability to communicate the problems and solutions to the patients. When you can digitally show a patient what is going on inside of their mouth, and how the mouth is a whole system, it increases their understanding of why something needs to be done. There is much less error and need for adjustments when using digital over analog. John shares about his new book coming out, The Cornell Effect. He gives a glimpse into what his son’s journey has meant to him and some of the principles in his book. He also shares about what the Dawson Academy has meant to him and why you should consider joining. Main Takeaways - Going digital allows you to be more accurate and more efficient - The new digital technology makes dentistry an exciting field to be a part of right now - The biggest dilemma of going digital is cost - It’s important to go digital if you want to be as predictable, efficient and profitable as possible - The digital way results in the least amount of error and adjustments. Key Quotes “For me, if I’m going to jump into digital, I’m going to make sure it’s at least going to be, quality wise, as good as what I can do in the analog world.”-John “My personal hope is it’s going to make the ability to be able to visualize optimal dentistry and design occlusions, to design beautiful smiles, much more attractive to the mainstream population of dentists, because it’s not going to be as difficult.” -John “The things I was dreaming about fifteen years ago are here now and evolving at warp speed.” -John “You cannot replace the experience of doing something analog.” -Kevin “When you get to your patient, your patient is one hundred percent analog. It’s analog, you’ve got to do it with your own hands.” -John “I think that that’s what everybody gets stuck on, is the cost, and then I think the second thing that people get stuck on is maybe they’re not that technologically savvy.” -John “I think you’re going to leave predictability, efficiency and profitability on the table if you don’t start getting into this game.” -John “My goal for what I do, as a dentist, and maybe the legacy that I would like to leave behind is, I would like to be able to take all the protocols that Dr. Dawson sort of created, in terms of doing more complex dentistry, and do this in a more efficient, predictable manner in the digital world.” -John “If you want to start getting excited about doing some of the larger things, these are the protocols that are just going to get better and better.” -John “There’s just people sometimes put on this earth to inspire...
Drew is an orthodontist who specializes in Invisalign. Initially, Drew, who will be a keynote speaker, describes the Seattle Study Club Symposium. The Seattle Study Club is one of the best resources for learning about dentistry. Drew has a chapter in Santa Barbra where they meet about nine times a year and bring in speakers to educate the providers, and therefore better the dental care their community receives. Drew discusses the importance of transitioning from analog to digital, given the digital culture we live in today. He compares braces to an analog experience and Invisalign to a digital experience. He shares ways that he has gone digital in his practice, including online exams and consultations. Drew also shares that going digital enables his work with other specialists to be more efficient and accurate. Next, Drew discusses the benefits of aligners over braces. He points out that because people are living longer and keeping their teeth longer, a lot of orthodontic work is being done on adults, and adults almost always prefer aligners. In his opinion, if a case can’t be treated with aligners, it’s because of the provider, not because it’s not possible for it to be treated with aligners. Another massive benefit to aligners is the digital aspect. While there is usually only one diagnosis, there are multiple treatment plans. Drew shares that for him personally, he tries to learn about different specialties so that he can treatment plan more effectively. Moving forward, Drew explains what he is excited about in the future of orthodontics. One thing he appreciates is the amount of exposure there currently is to orthodontics. Far more people are aware of the importance of orthodontic treatment for functional purposes, not just aesthetic purposes. He values all that is available currently in orthodontics and all that is coming in the future, because of the ability to improve his patients’ quality of life, not just their smile. He also shares how valuable it is to be a part of a group like Seattle Study Group Symposium, in order to be challenged and grow into a better clinician, and to stay informed about new developments within the field. Main Takeaways Seattle Study Club is one of the best ways to learn about dentistry The best way to future proof your practice is by transitioning to a digital approach Aligners are valuable because many adults need orthodontic treatment but are hesitant to receive braces Learning more about different specialties helps you treatment plan more effectively This is an exciting time to be in dentistry and orthodontics because of what’s here and what’s coming in the future Key Quotes “[Seattle Study Club] has evolved into essentially one of the best resources for learning about dentistry.” -Drew “Everyone expects to have a digital experience at this point.” -Drew “What’s the best way to future proof the practice from anything that’s going to happen?” -Drew “I think a lot of times dentists, and doctors in general, we just don’t value our time as much as we should.” -Drew “We know that patients are living longer, we know that they’re keeping their teeth longer, and we know that there’s going to be more and more of a need for restorative work.” -Drew “My treatment planning has become better with aligners, because we are using that digital setup.” -Drew “Just learning the different aspects of different specialties then helps me treatment plan, and then execute my cases, better.” -Drew “It’s amazing what we can do for a patient’s quality of life that’s more than just a pretty smile.” -Drew “In my practice, I want to provide the absolute best possible care that you can get anywhere.” -Drew “I think a key piece to anybody’s development is just being in the right room, being in the right group.” -Kirk “If you’re looking to just become a better, all around complete, clinician, then check this virtual Symposium out.” -Drew Snippets - Introduction of Seattle Study Club...
On this episode of The Best Practices Show, Kirk and Kevin spend time talking with Dr. Joshua Austin. Initially, Josh points out that he strives to always be authentic because he doesn’t want others to think that he’s anything other than a normal comprehensive dentist. It’s easy to look at social media and assume that because you aren’t doing big complex cases, that you aren’t a good dentist and Josh encourages listeners that this isn’t true. Josh goes on to explain that comprehensive dentistry should be a goal for everyone. For the sake of your patients, you want to be able to offer those services to them. Both Josh and Kevin recommend educational courses as a way to work towards comprehensive dentistry. Additionally, they emphasize the importance of having a mentor. In regard to the cost of continuing education, such as Seattle Study Club’s Symposium, Josh shares that this is the year to do it, as it is virtual, and the tuition is very cheap in comparison. Josh goes on to share steps to implement what you learn through your continuing education. First, he recommends increasing the level of your comprehensive examination experience for your patients. An important component of increasing your level is to include some sort of imaging, whether it’s photography or an intra-oral scan, so that you can communicate with the patients. This helps the patients understand the issues more and trust you to treat them. Additionally, it’s important to give the patients plenty of time, even if that means bringing them back for a second appointment. While transitioning to comprehensive care can feel intimidating, Josh recommends starting by just setting aside one half of a day a month for comprehensive exams and treatment. By starting with this amount of time, you are actually starting to do comprehensive care and then that amount of time will grow over time. Another important aspect of comprehensive dentistry is to have a team of specialists around you. These relationships with other specialists evolve into mutually beneficial relationships. You are able to ensure that your patients receive the best care, that you are only doing work you are genuinely qualified to do and capable of, and then you often receive referrals from the other specialists you work with. Something like Seattle Study Club’s Symposium is a great way to find a good team of specialists to work with. Main Takeaways Comprehensive dental should be a goal for everyone (12:38) The cost of continuing education is well worth it (24:16) Incorporating imaging into your comprehensive exam goes a long way (28:41) Slowing it down and taking more time with a patient is of great value (33:30) Start by setting aside half a day a month for comprehensive care treatment and examinations (37:30) Key Quotes “Comprehensive dentistry is a goal that we should all have.” -Josh
“You don’t just go to these educational courses and all of the sudden become a comprehensive dentist overnight.” -Kevin “The best clinicians are going to be a part of the Seattle Study Club, and they’re there to lend their expertise.” -Josh
“You can’t treatment plan it if you don’t examine it.” -Josh
“If a picture’s worth a thousand words, an inter-oral scan is worth a billion words.” -Josh
“Never be afraid to do a second appointment.” -Josh
“Every challenge is going to be a series of steps, the most important one is the first one.” -Josh
“You have to have a team of specialists that you work with.” -Josh
Snippets 12:37-15:19- The importance of working towards comprehensive dentistry 20:31-20:47- The cost and value of continuing education such as the Seattle Study Club 24:24-28:55- Improving the level of your comprehensive exam 36:24-41:50- A practical way to get started doing comprehensive dentistry 42:01-46:05- The importance of having a team around you 46:53-49:50- The importance of being in a group like Symposium
Bio of guest Dr. Joshua Austin is a...
In this episode of The Best Practices Show, Kirk talks with Jenni Poulos, a lead practice coach at ACT Dental. Kirk and Jenni discuss three important frameworks, the first being "E-R=C" (Expectation minus Reality equals Conflict). It’s important to make sure what the patients expect to happen and what actually happens when they come, are consistent. This framework is one that is helpful to constantly refer back to. The second framework is Ask, Listen, and Repeat. Building trust and great relationships is accomplished by seeking to understand the patient, and this is easily accomplished when following the three-step process. The third framework is Language Creates Value. How well you communicate your services and how qualified your team is, will determine how much your patients value your practice. The 5 steps for reducing dependency on dental PPO includes considering your readiness. You are able to determine your readiness by looking at the data. It’s important to consider why patients are at your practice; because of you or because of their plan. Also, having enough cash saved up to cover three months of your practice’s operating expenses, plus enough in savings to cover a year of your expenses, are important safeguards to have in place when going through this transition. Gather the data. It’s important to begin by considering how many active patients you have, these are patients who have visited in the last eighteen months. Then, see how many patients are on each insurance plan. It’s also wise to consider your procedure codes, so you are able to determine how much chair time is being spent on those patients. Also take note on how many new patients you get from each plan. Additionally, look at your contract with insurance companies, run explanation of benefit audits periodically on each contract, and know your fees. After you gather data, then you need to get a plan in place. It’s important to determine which plans you can afford to eliminate and the order in which you should do so. It’s very important that the transition is gradual so that you are aware of the effects of each change. As you’re considering your data, it is helpful to consider that insurance costs are also a marketing cost of sorts. Another valuable thing, as you begin to transition, is to have a membership plan in place. Once you’ve completed the first three steps, its time prepare your practice and your team. Face to face is a much more effective and respectful way to communicate the changes to your patients. Each morning you can make note of who is coming in that day that needs to be informed about the insurance changes. Letters are a very ineffective way to notify your patients. Finally, as you move forward in this process, it’s important to communicate over and over again. Make sure that you are truly equipping your team to be able to walk your patients through the time of transition. Mindset is very important throughout the process, and one important mindset shift to make is to stop thinking of it as insurance and think of it instead as a benefit plan. Another important thing to note is that it’s important to always be honest with the patients so they know what to expect. It’s also valuable to affirm what your patients feel, encourage them that others have felt the same way, and share with them what others have found. Additionally, positivity in how you respond to questions about insurance is very important. Main Takeaways E-R=C (10:33) Ask, Listen, and Repeat (12:40) Get a plan in place (34:35) Prepare your practice and your team (47:03) Feel, felt, found (1:02:05) Key Quotes “We always need to seek to understand before we try to be understood.” -Jenni “Everything that we say or don’t say is contributing to the value of what we do.” -Jenni “Your ability to communicate will determine how far you go in dentistry, with your team, with your patients.” -Kirk “Data removes all emotion.” -Jenni “The seven most expensive words in business
In this episode of The Best Practices Show, Kirk speaks with Dr. Kevin Groth and Dr. Bob Margeas. Dr. Margeas specializes in restorative dentistry and is based in Des Moines, Iowa. Bob enjoys the puzzles involved with teaching dentistry and collaborating with other thought leaders in the field. Bob describes some of the core values that inform his practice, including looking for cost-effective solutions while prioritizing the patient’s health. He does everything he can to help the patient without making them feel like they absolutely have to shell out big bucks. After talking a bit about lessons learned and best practices regarding esthetic dentistry, Bob and Kevin move to what may be the most important lesson of the episode: That gaining the trust of your patients is paramount. Greater than the temptation, or even the need, to leverage your patients financially, you will always come out on top if you present the truth. Listen to your patients, Bob says, and give them the truth. They will most certainly return to your practice if you’ve earned their trust. Another key thing to remember is staying transparent. You will have more success in the long term if you are honest about what you actually don’t know. Don’t let your fears of rejection, or anything else you may have as a young dentist, prevent you from admitting when you don’t know. Your honesty and sincerity can guarantee a patient for life. And lastly, lean on the experience of your peers. They will help you, even those working in competing offices. The profession is respected, but procedures and tech change with the wind. Ask for help. Don’t be afraid to link up with someone more experienced if you’re lost or confused. The community is here to help. Main Takeaways: You absolutely must know your core values and live by them. (5:30) It takes the pressure off patients to not sell them treatments. (12:00) You need to build relationships to deliver hard news. (16:50) Just tell them the truth—and shut up. (25:00) You need the skill sets and tools to manufacture something that will last. (34:30)
Quotes: “Man who says job cannot be done should not interrupt man doing the job.” (7:00) “If I get a couple rehabs a year, I’m pretty damn happy.” (9:30) “Just because you don’t want the right thing doesn’t mean I have to do the wrong thing.” (10:05) “I’m just a referee. It’s your decision ultimately.” (12:20) “When you feel sorry for a patient, bad things happen.” (17:45) “You almost have to go through moments of failure to learn.” (20:10) “When you’re young and out of school, you want everyone to like you.” (21:15) “If you just treat people honestly...you’re going to come out on top.” (25:40) “I still have to remember after 30 years because materials change.” (32:30) “I’ll hold out and do the right thing for the patient.” (36:00) “Never alienate other dentists in your town.” (38:45) “Always tell the truth. Don’t try to utilize patients for financial gain.” (41:10) Snippets: 6:30-8:00 – Bob’s core beliefs 10:50-13:10 – The concept of diagnosing with the “referee” 15:45-19:20 – Helping the patient with little or no options 22:55-25:00 – Inherent challenges with making decisions for patients 27:10-28:40 – Some of Bob’s “MacGyvering” 39:45-42:00 – Good words from Bob and Kevin
Reach out to Dr. Bob Margeas: https://www.instagram.com/drbobmargeas/ (https://www.instagram.com/drbobmargeas/) https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=dr+bob+margeas (https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=dr+bob+margeas) Register for the https://seattlestudyclub.com (The Seattle Study Club Symposium), Jan. 29-31, 2021
On this episode of The Best Practices Show, Kirk talks with Bob Sommers, the ‘Likeability Guy’ and creator of the Five Star Review System. They begin by discussing the importance of Google reviews and why having the right mindset is essential to success. Instead of going for volume, practices must pursue relationships and allow feedback to come naturally. The idea is to thank as many patients as possible, not flood their inbox with ineffective and unsolicited requests. Automation always leads to an abysmal response. When everyone understands the value of a review program, the Law of Likeability says that loyalty will inevitably be reinforced. Customers may even be prompted to write reviews without being asked. By providing ‘lagniappe,’ or ‘a little extra,’ practices can build good will and create a pseudo-obligation in the customer’s mind. Email should be the priority. Texting is tied to busyness and customers won’t always come back to your message. Instead, use both strategies to increase your response rate in a positive way. The single most important thing to do when asking for a review is to follow through immediately. Be clear in your intent, but approach it from an honest perspective. Tell the customer what the review means to you and thank them for their time. Bad reviews are inevitable. The quality of your response reveals your character and the success of the interaction. Negative comments are often changed if approached with an appropriate lens. It’s important to understand the difference between platforms. Always evaluate your motivation. “When you understand a review strategy,” Bob says, “you cannot in good conscience go back to doing it the way you were.” Main Takeaways Personal requests are tied to exponential growth (13:17) The right mindset means valuing relationships over volume (18:35) Positivity creates loyalty through the Law of Likeability (21:28) Sending an immediate request leads to a higher response rate (30:55) “It’s not what you did, how you did it, it’s your character.” (53:15)
Key Quotes “If you don’t have a Google review mindset, and if you don’t have a strategy, you just have a tool that you don’t know how to use.”- Bob “If you want the right mindset, here’s what you need to do. You need to go out and you need to write a 5-star Google review for a business you really like.”- Bob “You’re reinforcing the positive behavior and you’re pushing gratitude out into the world.”- Kirk “The goal should be ‘how many patients are we going to thank for writing Google reviews this week?’”- Bob “There are probably 15 psychological principles that are going to allow you to get the highest percentage of your happy patients writing well-written, SEO-friendly, 5-star Google reviews because they want to.”- Bob “There are things you can do to prompt people to want to write reviews prior to you asking them.”- Bob “The atmosphere in the office is completely different when you do this from the perspective of the patient.”- Bob “You’re not writing the response for the person that wrote the review, you’re writing the response to people who are reading your response. And what they’re looking for is your character.”- Bob “If Google completely removed their reviews, they were gone, would you have said to yourself ‘I spent my time wisely pursuing Google reviews,’ or would you say to yourself ‘what a foolish waste of my time and money?’”- Bob “This is not about getting a review, it’s about really creating something special here long term.”- Kirk Snippets 10:19-11:23- Why Google reviews are important 15:13-17:00- The value of keyword rich content 23:09-24:29- Having a Google review strategy 29:36-31:50- The most effective way to ask for a review 32:15-32:39- Taking the patient’s temperature 46:05-47:30- Rewarding the individual 51:15-54:30- How to get a bad review off Google 55:41-56:50- The worst thing you can do with Yelp 1:00:20-1:01:46- When reviews could disappear...
Dr. Bill Robbins - General Dentist in San Antonio, Texas that has a "very rich life" that has still had his fair share of challenges. He has published over 80 articles, abstracts, and chapters on a wide range of dental subjects and has coauthored a textbook, Fundamentals of Operative Dentistry – A Contemporary Approach. He recently co-authored a new textbook, Global Diagnosis – A New Vision of Dental Diagnosis and Treatment Planning. Contacts: www.stoneoakaesthetics.com, Global Diagnosis Study Club - https://www.actdental.com/gde-home (Meeting almost every Friday from 9-11 am EST) Dr. Kevin Groth - General Dentist in Detroit, Michigan who considers both Kirk and Dr. Robbins as mentors as leaders that have guided his life over the past number of months during these COVID challenges. His favorite part of being a dentist is that every day and every patient is different. Contacts: www.grothdental.com The "WHY" in the conversation is "about the journey". Not about where you end up at the end but how you get there. The "Pankey Cross" involves a Center that indicates "Happiness" with arms on the cross that say: Love, Work, Play, and Worship. The more you can live your life in balance with these 4 concepts, the more happiness you can enjoy. The pathway we take may not always be the pathway we originally planned on taking, but that doesn't mean it is the wrong path. As we go through the journey, we may find that our original plans were not in our best interest. But be sure that as the journey goes on, you don't forget the things that need to be considered the most important. As Dr. Robbins was receiving a major award, he discusses the moment of realizing his journey had led him to be a highly respected and amazing dentist and teacher, but a lousy husband and father - which is one of the most important moments in his life. He decided to take off a half a day off to be with his family. When he did that one thing, it completely changed the dynamic as his wife was able to see he was making a sacrifice to set his priorities in order. His happiness now is not associated with the successes of his practice but how he lives his life. The left brain is the Executive part of the brain that makes the decisions and helps us to know where and what to do while the right brain is the Intuitive side of the brain or the "feeling side". Dr. Robbins discusses how the shutting down of the left side of the brain can allow for the kind and blissful right side of the brain to show through. You need to be in tune enough to recognize those special times that arise and "be there" when those moments happen. Be aware enough to understand that when you say "yes" to something, it means you are saying "no" to something else. Quotes: - We were created to be happy. - If you are a young dentist and are involved in a lot of debt, living your life in balance is difficult to do and may not be appropriate as we go through certain passages in our lives and we have to sacrifice in some areas. - If you look at 100 dentists in the US, 2% are masters, 8% are adept, 36% are students, and 54% are indifferent. - The happiest person I know is my dog Lulu who is happy all the time. - "You owe it to yourself to be the absolute best dentist you can be" was the old guidance. Although that still holds somewhat true, the guidance is now "Being a good dentist is one part of a great big picture". - Dentistry is important but it may not be that important, but Family is WAY important! - If you want to talk about balance, the Family has to be a top priority. - If you default to your "normal life" it is going to be a left brain life. Unless you do something to keep that from happening, that is your default. - Have some way in your life to pay attention to your right brain and listen to it. It can only function in the present time. - Stay out of the future and live in the moment. - "I make the rules, I can change this, I control this..." - Simplicity...
· Whiteboard Marketing is an outsourced full-service marketing group looking to help businesses like dentists by understanding where they want to take their companies and helping them get there. o Anything from building a website, taking over a website, consulting towards strategic marketing, SEO, online reviews and many other services · Their goal is to give “White Glove Service” with a lot of personal attention · Regarding reviews, the WHY is seen as most everyone will be looking at reviews before they try or purchase a service or product, and dentistry is no different o Whether it be Google, Yelp, Facebook, many dentists aren’t even sure that they need reviews to help their businesses. · Google reviews aren’t the easiest to come by, but they assist by being a “Key Ranking Factor” o As someone is looking up your office, many Google sites will have the ability to post reviews of that location, which are then used as key words during general searches to drive people to those reviews and to that location. · Immediately on the search page, you will have the number of reviews catch your eye, whether there be many or few. · Google will also pull reviews from locations like Facebook, AllReviews.com, HealthGrades and others. All of these are designed to build confidence, gain trust and to bring diversity to the reviews. · Google favors businesses that respond to reviews o Everyone that uses Google is a Google Customer, thus when you are updating your site and responding to prompts, you are rewarded by Google · Clients with more reviews are moving up in the “Google Local 3 Pack” o Proximity to the search, Relevance of the search, and amount of reviews · You should not incentivize the actual patient for leaving reviews. o If Google finds you are doing such things, they may take all of your reviews down · Everyone has great ideas but are they Sustainable and is it Marketable o Plan the Work…Work the Plan · Now is a better time than ever to ask for a review, especially if you can get a review that explains your thoroughness regarding COVID safety o You try to create dynamics to your reviews o Facebook is the #1 resource dentists are using for social media and making connections. Some even put their reviews in their Timelines · People are corresponding much more electronically and you may want to look at linking responses with reviews. o To be sustainable, have someone be in charge of social media and growing reviews, as well as guiding where the reviews are coming from. · Any reviews are a positive thing, but they can be hard to get o You have to have a Gmail account to leave a Google review o Reviews have been a hot topic for the past 7 years · How to ask for reviews: o In Office – Verbal request, Paper, Signage and Buttons that ask for reviews, Team Involvement (discuss reviews in you huddle with goals for receiving the reviews) o Post-Appointment – Text, Email · Consider having a card to offer people that assists in leaving a review. After any good deed or a very positive experience, don’t be afraid to ask. They help to drive the practice. · There isn’t an official number of needed reviews, but the more you participate in a Google product, the more attention it feels you get...
I think for a lot of us, the COVID pause had us all thinking about what is, what sort of matters most and, and, you know, got us to think about where we are. 05:06 This is maybe a bit of an announcement to the dental world, but I always envisioned that I would simply gradually stop practicing and primarily just teach. I figured at 60, I would probably not have the energy to do both anymore because doing dentistry is hard work and the grind of the road and teaching while it's very, very exciting, it is taxing. And so I, I really thought that I would devote all my time to teaching, and just to continue to be the clinical director at the Dawson Academy. And when the COVID thing hit, I just started to realize that as my daughter was leaving dental school, that I was going to have this window of time to practice with her and teaching 60 or 70 days a year took me out of the practice and off a lot. So knowing that I couldn't do both things anymore, at once I thought about it, and again, it is inherent to the values of the Dawson Academy and of what Dr. Dawson taught us. There really wasn't much to think about. It was time for me to step down as clinical director, still staying involved with the Academy, still going to be teaching some of the seminar classes. I know the Academy is going to be announcing shortly who the new clinical director is that I'm very excited for. And I'll definitely be sort of co-clinical director for this year during this transition. 06:44 So that is a huge decision for me, but I think that it's important that as you evolve as a dentist, and it may even be as simple as letting go of certain procedures that you're doing as you hone what it is you do and want to do. And Kirk, you've driven this home over and over and over that as a dentist, 07:06 we really get to choose just about everything. You know, who's with us when we work, you know, if you're a morning person, you can be there at 6 o'clock. If you're an evening person, you can be there until 10 o'clock. But I think that this was a humongous decision for me, but now I'm probably two months into it. 07:29 Caitlin started with me August 1st. And it's emotional for me to, to talk about what it's like to have her here with me. And as I look at it, my most important student of my life as having her and making sure that I can spend this time with her, a lot of you have heard the story of my son. 07:52 That's going to be our next podcast, Kirk talking about the book. That's going to be released soon in regards to him. But you know, he's in the practice, he's doing a lot of the digital mounting, and a lot of the lab stuff for us. So it has become quite a family affair, but yeah, but maybe we start there and talk about how we make some of those decisions, then maybe we can kick around, you know, what's my practice like now, because what's fun is like, I'm just a dentist again. You know, it sounds kind of crazy, but for so long, I pretty much just focused on large things and teaching, which sounds amazing. And it is to some degree, but it's also, it's also challenging from the standpoint of it being, taxing. Now I'm doing some fillings again and molar root canals and doing just a general dentist again. Today we're going to get to get inside the mind of a great restorative dentist. 08:52 Kirk: And I got a lot of questions I want to ask you, but let's speak to the obvious, you know, you spend a whole life of in what you and Pete taught me was just the predictability. You spend a whole life trying to get things predictable, be in control. And let's just face it dentists that are really good about their business and dentistry they're control freaks. And so now you're kind of swimming upstream of this control issue and letting go, and you're in a good phase. That's a huge shift for you to step down from Dawson, you know, and step away from that. But you got your daughter coming in. It's gotta be hard to let go of control a little bit. 09:52 Dr....
It is difficult to know which is the most fair way to let your team members know you value them, that they feel that value, yet is still fair to you as an employer. To have expectations met in a financially struggling time is extremely important.
In the first few years of your career there are many questions you may have. In the middle to ending years of your career there are many answers you wish you could give to those just beginning. Dr. Kevin Groth discusses what it is like to be a new dentist, offers suggestions on how to set yourself up ideally and lets you know what lessons he has learned in the early portions of his career.
Was the money worth it? Did you see a return on your investment? Curtis Marshall spends some time with Kirk explaining how to see more new patients without spending your hard earned money!
Our guest on this episode of The Best Practices show is Xana Williams, Founder and CEO of Golden Proportions Marketing. Xana coaches Kirk and the ACT Dental team often on their marketing plan and strategies, continually encouraging them to adjust and improve their systems and goals. Xana joins us on this episode to discuss how to avoid the upcoming production plummet and end 2020 strong. She explains that many people inside and outside of the dental industry are viewing the current crisis as COVID, but that the real crisis is actually the recession caused by COVID, which could impact the economy for years to come. She walks viewers and listeners through the 6 stages of every crisis, identifying the manifestations of each of these stages as they are appearing right now. The 6 stages are: warning, risk assessment, react, revise, resolve, recover. Many dental practices have been riding high this summer with packed schedules and waiting rooms, but they are unprepared for the production plummet that will likely take place during the remainder of 2020 because of their inconsistent marketing efforts. Xana discusses ways for dental practices to get back to where they need to be during a recession in order to differentiate themselves from competitors. In addition to updating your vision and goals based on the current economic landscape, it is crucial to make sure that you have the right systems in place to effectively push through the ups and downs of business while providing excellent customer service. Xana encourages listeners to resolve to not get stuck again and to be prepared for the impacts of this recession by staying vigilant about tracking your KPIs and getting your name out there. Finally, she emphasizes the importance of having a good group of advisors around you who can help you identify blind spots and opportunities while you have your head down in the day-to-day. 5 Main Takeaways: How to avoid the production plummet (6:21) 6 stages of this crisis (7:50) COVID is not the crisis - the recession caused by COVID is the crisis (9:48) When you stop marketing, you will fall off the cliff (29:52) Differentiate yourself through brand awareness campaigns and superior service (35:36)
Key Quotes: "Everybody has this Idea that we just need to get back to normal, but I'm gonna tell you that normal is gone." "Everybody is thinking of the crisis as if it is just COVID." "A little bit of slowdown leads to a complete flattening out." "COVID is having a long-term effect on the decisions we are making." "We are making our decisions based on where we are stuck right now." "Always be marketing." "If you don't know where you're going, you don't know how to get there." "Have a system for everything or that's where you'll run into your service problems." "Whenever there is a failure in any business, it is inevitably based in the system." Snippets: 4:22-4:55 – Why it is important to pay attention to avoiding the production plummet 7:42-7:50 – Most practices are not prepared for the remainder of 2020 or 2021 20:11-20:42 – The coming financial fallout 24:21-24:41 – Trying to push the train 39:50-40:08 – Having the right systems in place 46:46-47:59 – Looking at your cash flow 52:40-52:55 – Running a business overall during the recession
Bio of guest: Xana Winans has been in the business of dental practice marketing for 25 years and she is married to a dentist, so she has ridden the highs and lows of the economy through the lens of the dental industry plenty of times. Xana has learned that two of the keys to effective leadership during crisis and peace-times are to always be marketing and to make fast decisions, and she coaches Golden Proportions Marketing's clients with these keys in mind. Contact: https://www.goldenproportions.com/ (https://www.goldenproportions.com/) https://www.goldenproportions.com/septemberslump xana@goldenproportions.com
BPS231 The Life of a Biomaterial Researcher with Dr. Nate Lawson Today’s Episode: Dr. Nate Lawson is here. Nate is the Director of the Division of Biomaterials at the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Dentistry. He’s published over 150 articles, abstracts, book chapters, and periodicals related to dental materials. He is a researcher, teacher, and a dentist who practices part time. Nate is passionate about biomaterials and research. He also loves teaching and speaking in front of groups. He is always willing to share his knowledge and takes what some might consider boring and make it exciting. Nate shares his background and how he always knew he’d be a dentist. He went to college for engineering, but ended up on a research project with Dr. John Burgess. This project sparked his love for research and rekindled his love of dentistry. He shares how his journey began and how he ended up in Alabama. Nate also talks about some of the exciting projects he’s been a part of and the progress made in dental materials over the last five years. We also get to learn exactly what biomaterials are and why they have so much potential. Nate has a special gift of appealing to younger dentists and making the science of his work exciting.
Show Notes
[03:10] Dr. Nate Lawson is the director of biomaterials at the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Dentistry. He's originally from Chicago. His days are filled with research and testing different properties of materials. He also teaches and has an active practice where he sees patients. [05:10] He loves teaching and doing research. [06:16] He went to college for engineering, but it was always his plan to become a dentist. In college, he lucked out and started doing research with Dr. John Burgess. [13:19] Nate talks about the importance of biomaterials and how the latest trends are always changing. There's always something new coming out to stay on top of. [15:15] Nate also works with dental manufacturers to make the products better. [18:14] Nate talks about the future of research and the health of funding. [20:43] Currently there have been some effective online components of teaching dentistry. Although, students do miss the feedback of the in-person classroom. [22:53] Nate is 36 and has done a remarkable job connecting with the younger generation. [27:13] Nate thinks Facebook groups are a great opportunity for mentoring and loves the quick visuals of Instagram. Social media serves a purpose of being cheap and accessible. [32:38] The Practice-Based Research Network collects data and publishes it, so that clinicians will have access to the information. Clinicians can enroll for free. [36:21] Nate talks about bioactive materials. He's been doing research on testing the bioactivity of different dental materials and the clinical effects. Links and Resources: https://www.drnatelawson.com/ (Dr. Nate Lawson) https://www.instagram.com/dentinaltube/?hl=en (Dentinaltube on Instagram) nlawson@uab.edu http://www.drjohnburgess.com/index.html (Dr. John Burgess) https://www.marcusdblackdds.com/ (Dr. Marcus Black) https://pbrn.ahrq.gov/ (Practice-Based Research Networks )
Episode #230: Dr. William “Bo” Bruce - Occlusion & TMD -- Keeping it Simple. Occlusion is one of the key building blocks of a great dental practice. We must know the fundamentals. In addition, 95+% of TMD patients can be helped in a very conservative way if we understand basic joint function. You can save a seat for Dr. William Bo' Bruce’s ACT Dental U Friday Master Class - July 24th 11:00 AM - 1:00 PM EST: Occlusion & TMD Fundamentals. Course Objectives: Learn which of the three only ways to build an occlusion is most predictable. Understand the “must know” principles of TMJ function & occlusion. Learn how to treat a majority of your TMD patients easy and with confidence. https://www.actdental.com/offers/T29an5rX/checkout
Dr. William “Bo” Bruce’s website: https://www.upstatesmiles.com/
Dr. William “Bo” Bruce received his D.M.D. degree from the Medical University of South Carolina in 1998. Subsequently, he completed a one year residency training in St. Petersburg, Florida where he studied with The Dawson Center for Advanced Dental Studies. After completing his training, Dr. Bruce opened a private practice in Simpsonville, South Carolina. His practice is geared towards solving complex restorative and aesthetic problems. He was encouraged by Dr. Dawson to practice in a way that would not compromise excellence, thereby rendering success. Recently, Excellence in Dentistry honored Dr. Bruce as the recipient of the Woody Oakes Award. From all the applicants, this award gave Dr. Bruce the title of The Most Outstanding Young Dentist in North America. Dr. Bruce is a nationally recognized speaker on esthetics with predictability. He has been a featured lecturer for The Chicago Mid Winter, American Equilibration Society, American Dental Association, and AACD just to name a few.
He has authored and published numerous articles and is a consultant for several dental manufacturers. Dr. Bruce is also co-founder of Upstate Smiles Seminars. https://www.upstatesmiles.com/courses/ultimate-esthetic-and-function-connection/
Dr. Bruce and his wife Lisa have 3 children, Preston (20); Zachary (18); Megan (16). His favorite hobbies are teaching other dentists and spending time with his family.
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Episode #229: The Red Flag Warnings of Heart Attack and Stroke with Drs. Bradley Bale and Amy Doneen Today’s Episode:
Drs. Bradley Bale and Amy Doneen are the doctors behind the BaleDoneen Method. This is a method practiced by healthcare practitioners to detect and treat cardiovascular disease to halt, stabilize, and even reverse cardiovascular disease and help people avoid large life events like heart attacks and strokes. Through their research, they have discovered that treating inflammation can also prevent damage to the small vessels which leads to many of the diseases caused by aging.
Dentists play a huge role in the process, because periodontal disease or endonitic disease are inflammation factors. They believe in an integrative approach where all of the healthcare providers work together to fight inflammation and be on the lookout for markers that can indicate inflammation. Today, they share some red flags that dental providers can look out for and ultimately save their patient’s health. Dr. Bale and Dr. Doneen are the authors of https://www.amazon.com/Beat-Heart-Attack-Gene-Revolutionary/dp/1681620227 (The Heart Attack Gene), a valuable read for cutting edge dental professionals.
Show Notes
[02:45] Dr. Doneen and Dr. Bale have been working together for the last 20 years. They look at arterial disease through the lens of inflammation and early disease detection. [03:42] The BaleDoneen method also has an impact on protecting the small vessels that cause diseases of aging. [04:04] Dental colleagues are key in fighting inflammation. [04:43] Inflammation drives the formation of arterial disease and triggers events like heart attack and stroke. High-risk periodontal pathogens will drive that inflammation. [08:07] Dr. Doneen shares why fighting inflammation is so important now during the pandemic. They have research that demonstrates causality with high-risk pathogens. [10:42] The common denominator of people who perish with COVID-19 is micro vascular disease in the pulmonary tract. It's all due to inflammation. [14:08] Dr. Doneen shares red flags such as a diagonal earlobe crease Frank's sign. Male pattern baldness is another sign. White coat hypertension also places people at risk. [16:57] Dr. Bale talks about fordyce granules and how that can be a marker of hyperlipidemia which can increase risk of arterial disease. [18:18] Anybody with a blood pressure of 120/80 is at risk and should monitor their blood pressure. [21:09] It's critical to go to the dentist and maintain periodontal health. [24:18] Beat the Heart Attack Gene was written to help the public learn how to look for inflammatory markers and fight inflammation. [25:48] Dr. Doneen and Dr. Bale are excited about the future of preventing microvascular disease. That's what their new book will be about. [28:34] Dr. Doneen shares a special offer on their 16-hour preceptorship program on the BaleDoneen Method. They have an online program. You can learn more on https://baledoneen.com/ (BaleDoneen.com). [30:29] Incorporating information from The Heart Attack Gene is cutting-edge dental science. Hygienists who are taking care of periodontal disease are saving lives. Links and Resources: https://baledoneen.com/ (BaleDoneen Method) http://theheartattackandstrokepreventioncenter.com/ (The Heart Attack & Stroke Prevention Center) https://www.amazon.com/Beat-Heart-Attack-Gene-Revolutionary/dp/1681620227 (Beat the Heart Attack Gene: The Revolutionary Plan to Prevent Heart Disease, Stroke, and Diabetes)
Episode #228: The Hidden Ingredient to Doing More Dentistry with Dr. Mark Hyman Today’s Episode: Dr. Mark Hyman is here to talk about the secret of getting more dentistry into your practice. There is so much education about the science of dentistry. Today, we are going to focus on the soft skills that don’t often get talked about. Mark now teaches at the UNC School of Dentistry. The same school that he once quit. Until a wise advisor told him to give it another chance because being a dentist is nothing like being a dental student.
He ended up graduating in three years and volunteering in Israel where he met his wife. He bought and revived a stalled practice, and now he spends his time speaking and lecturing to share his vast years of knowledge and lessons learned. Today, we talk about the hidden ingredient of relationships with your team and patients. The important secret ingredient that really makes a practice work. We also talk about the limitless joy of owning your own practice and building your own dream team.
Show Notes
[02:37] Dr. Mark Hyman was born and raised in North Carolina, he now teaches at the UNC School of Dentistry the same school that he once quit. [03:45] He ended up graduating dental school in 3 years. He volunteered in Israel and that's where he met his wife. He revived a stalling practice with some help from inspirational speakers. When he left the practice it had 17 employees. [04:38] He now teaches and lectures. He's earned that right, because he's made every mistake in the book. [06:51] There is still unlimited opportunity for private practice dentist relationships. It's not easy, but it's important. [08:26] You're actually not competing against other dentists. You're competing against flat screen TVs and trips to Disneyland. If you slow down and use some of the great Innovations in dentistry, you will have more work than you know what to do with. [10:10] You can pay for anything if you cut it up into small pieces. [11:09] You can break it down into how many Starbucks a family is willing to forgo to be healthy. [12:15] You need to communicate and slow down and get into a relationship with your patient and actually find out what they want for their teeth and their smile. Do this instead of running around from room to room. [12:28] Everything changes when you stop telling people what they need and instead listen to what they want. [14:42] Hire bright men and women and get out of their way. Shine up those diamonds in the rough. [18:47] Get your team personally invested in your potential new hires. [24:23] Making an impact in people's lives is the most important thing. [25:28] Morning huddles, planning, and the process are so important. Life happens, and you have to learn to flex. [28:00] Profit sharing is important for team members. People who stick with you and work hard get rewarded. [29:18] The answer is yes what's your question? That's the type of team to have. [30:02] Be a caring citizen in your community. Be a prominent citizen not the cheapest dentist. Don't join in the race to the bottom. Have an immaculate office and have relationship time. [32:23] Mark loves meeting new patients and wants to figure out how to help them. He also wants the team to be like a family. [33:48] On Friday, Mark is having a master class on how to get a patient to say yes. The ultimate patient experience. This starts from the first call and all of the steps that get to yes. [37:16] Work through the 10 questions and listen. [38:32] Mark has spent 32 years improving his practice experience. [40:05] Mark shares his advice for young dentists. Links and Resources: https://drmarkspeaks.com/ (Dr. Mark Hyman) https://www.actdental.com/actdentalu (ACT Dental U)
Episode #227: Secrets to More New Patients by Removing Friction with Dr. Eric Rindler Today’s Episode:
Dr. Eric Rindler is here to talk about his tool Schedule Widget that removes resistance for potential patients and makes it easier for dentists to be found and contacted. Dr. Rindler is a periodontist in San Antonio, Texas. After being in practice for 20 years, he decided to get his MBA. He then started looking at the practice of dentistry from a different lens. We are both enthusiastic about education, dentistry, and the great people we meet along the way.
In this conversation, you get a glimpse into the enthusiasm of Dr. Rindler and how his tool Schedule Widget can improve your practice and conversions in the easiest way possible. We also talk about ACT Dental U and our love for education, and above all else the great people and connections that we get to make all while improving our love of dentistry and dental practices.
Show Notes
[01:45] Dr. Eric Rindler was in private practice for over 20 years. Then he went back to school and got his MBA. This gave him a new lens to look at everything Dental. He started studying the dental ecosystem and looking at each stakeholder. [03:20] He came up with a tool called Schedule Widget to increase engagement in practices. [05:57] There's no shortage of patients out there. Less than 18% of patients go to dentists. Online scheduling needs to be available to help make it easier for patients to go. [07:02] 75% of the calls during working hours are missed. We need to do a better job. Online scheduling will increase lead conversion. [07:53] The weakness is lead conversion. Once the patient shows up, they need to become part of the practice. [09:22] You pick and choose which spot to put the patients in and they are still triaged by the staff members. It's not just people in the public signing up online. [11:08] There needs to be training and skilled methods for screening initial phone calls. [13:51] Schedule widget helped Dr. Bob Margeas get hundreds of new patients. It removes friction and makes things easy for new patients. [16:23] Schedule Widget is on different websites. If someone goes to a dental website, they will get a list of local available dentists and specialists. They can schedule directly right there. Friction removed! [19:19] Schedule Widget is free, but there is a premium model which includes customization features. [20:44] Sign up now. It's free, and it only takes about 90 seconds. [21:47] The goal is to grow dentistry by having the easiest possible user interface. [28:08] ACT has a great team of coaches and intern ninjas. It's all about having a better practice and a better life. [32:13] Kirk could be in CE all day. He loves learning and the people he gets to meet and interact with. [34:43] Lagniappe is a Cajun word that means a little more and that is what we are trying to give through our services and tools. [37:43] Sign up to Schedule Widget and use the code ACT dental. ACT Dental U attendees get the premium version for free. Links and Resources: http://rindlerdds.com/ (Dr. Eric Rindler) https://www.oldwellsolutions.com/ (Schedule Widget) https://www.iowadentalgroup.com/our-dentists/dr-bob-margeas/ (Dr. Bob Margeas) https://www.actdental.com/actdentalu (ACT Dental U)
Dr. Bradley Bale has been on the cutting edge of heart health for decades. I’m excited to talk with him because this is such an important topic for new and established dentists. There is evidence that oral health, heart health, and overall health are not only related, but can be used as tools for diagnosis and treatment. Dentists are in a unique position to be at the front lines of patient health, and Dr. Bradley Bale is here to break it down for us. Dr. Bale is a medical doctor and he and Dr. Amy Doneen are the founders of https://baledoneen.com/ (The BaleDoneen Method). They are also co-authors of https://www.amazon.com/Beat-Heart-Attack-Gene-Revolutionary/dp/1681620227 (Beat the Heart Attack Gene).
What is so exciting is that there is solid scientific evidence that shows that oral health is a sign of heart health, brain health, and more. This information can also be used to educate your patients and team about the important work you are doing by saving lives through early detection of disease. Treatment can prevent the occurence of heart attack, stroke and more. Dr. Bale shares how he got involved in this field and how important it is for him to help his patients by saving lives. He also shares an exciting new program that he’s introduced to help all of us assess our arterial health, because heart attacks and strokes are preventable.
Show Notes
[02:20] Dr. Bradley Bale is a medical doctor. When he was in family practice, he would see his patients have strokes and heart attacks.
[03:10] Dr. Bale knew Dr. Paul Shields who had one of the first pieces of equipment that could identify coronary calcification. It was called electron beam tomography.
[03:39] Dr. Bale used CT scans to look for signs of disease in his patients. Dr. Shields recommended treating calcification before a heart attack.
[04:01] The patients who took the test and received the treatment didn't have heart attacks and strokes. The thought of inflammation being the cause of heart attacks was just beginning to evolve in the early 1990s.
[04:51] He started working with Dr. Amy Doneen around the year 2000. Dr. Doneen did her thesis paper on Dr. Bale's coronary data.
[05:37] Dr. Bale and Dr. Doneen wrote the book https://www.amazon.com/Beat-Heart-Attack-Gene-Revolutionary/dp/1681620227 (Beat the Heart Attack Gene).
[05:57] The book has become a national bestseller. It's focuses on the heart attack and stroke prevention care that Dr. Bale and Dr. Doneen give. It also has a section that focuses on oral health.
[06:23] They have a new book coming out at the end of this year. It's about how their care reaches way beyond preventing heart attacks and strokes. Their patients also have an extremely low risk of dementia, Alzheimer's, heart failure, kidney failure, and ED.
[08:15] There is a recent correlation with Alzheimers and gingivitis. If you want to have good health, it starts with a healthy mouth.
[09:18] Dr. Bale's grandfather was a dentist and his oldest son is an oral surgeon. There's a ton of evidence between the health of gums and teeth and risk for heart attack and stroke.
[10:17] They now have evidence that show that high-risk periodontal pathogens are actually a cause of heart disease.
[11:23] Living at a low altitude was one of the number one ranked reasons for being at risk for heart disease. Number two is oral health.
[12:41] Number three was skipping breakfast, and number four was having more than two to three drinks a day.
[14:04] Dr. Bale shares a story about a patient who had disease in his arteries and high inflammatory markers. Without seeing the patient, Dr. Bale knew he had an infected tooth. It turned out Dr. Bale was right. After dental treatment, his markers dropped down to almost normal.
[19:10] Cardiovascular disease is the number one cause of death and disability. It's also occurring in younger people. It's critical to maintain the wellness of the gums and teeth.
[19:56] Dentists need to educate...
Dr. Ashton Prince is here to talk about the three fears that patients have and how to overcome them, and the three fears that dentists have and how to overcome those. Dr. Prince has a restorative and cosmetic practice in St George Utah where he lives with his family. He also comes from a family of dentists. We talk about patient fears such as anxiety, pain, and embarrassment along with solutions for dealing with these issues. If you want a hint, most of these solutions revolve around communication and honing this extremely important skill. Then we move on to the fears that dentists have. We talk about how nothing great is ever accomplished without failure. Along with the importance of overcoming fears whether they revolve around money, business, your practice, or your reputation. We also talk about making time for your family. If your work doesn’t work for your family, what’s the point? We also talk about having a financial plan and security. Then we circle back to the all important communication aspect of running a great practice. Show Notes [02:38] Dr. Ashton Prince has a private practice in St George Utah. He's been in practice for 12 years and specializes in restorative care and cosmetics. [04:10] He got into dentistry to help people and improve lives. It's more about communication and relationships. [05:20] 20% of dental patients have at least a minor fear or anxiety as to what they are getting themselves into. [06:23] The first thing is the fear of the unknown. His office Works off of word-of-mouth referrals, so new patients have already had a conversation with an existing patient. [07:07] Try to make the patient as comfortable as possible. Ask them what is making them nervous. These include cost, procedure, and pain. [08:16] Dr. Prince starts a conversation and asks the patient how they expect things to go. The patients fears will ease if they feel a little more in control. [10:56] Fear of embarrassment is fear number 2. People have low confidence about their teeth and smile and also worry about the financial aspect. [14:19] A lot of times it's the front office staff who's trying to calm the patients down instead of the dentist. [15:13] It's good to ask if this is relational or transactional. [15:43] One out of three people in the ages of 50 to 65 are embarrassed about their teeth. [16:00] Fear number 3 is pain. [17:45] Dentist's number one fear is criticism. Dentists want to be looked at as experts. [21:05] You can't do anything great without being criticized. [24:00] Fear number two for dentists is a fear of financial crisis. They have worries about student loan debt and then fears about retirement. [27:17] Making money is a byproduct but you still need to know how to run a business. [28:12] Set goals and find out what's most important to you. [29:32] Make sure that you are maximizing your opportunities. Get a Roth or IRA. [30:20] Hire a financial adviser and/or educate yourself. [33:00] Fear number three of dentists is fear of business failure. A great coach can guide you. [35:33] Another fear is fear of failing your family. Change your hours to make things work with your family. [37:02] Try changing your hours from 7 to 3. [40:47] When dealing with fears it needs to be communication based. It's time to start perfecting those skills. Links and Resources: http://ashtonprincedmd.com/ (Dr. Ashton Prince) https://www.daveramsey.com/store/product/the-total-money-makeover-book-by-dave-ramsey (The Totally Money Makeover) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00U0OBRTE/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1 (How to Retire with Enough Money: And How to Know What Enough Is)
If you're a private care fee-for-service dentist, and you're wondering how you can sustain your practice for the long term, this show’s for you. Dentistry changed in 2013 when people started losing their employer covered dental plans. 33% of adults in the US don’t have dental insurance. Having an in-house membership plan can help these patients, increase patient loyalty, and create revenue. Megan Lohman is a worldwide expert on dental membership plans, and she’s here to break it all down for us.
Megan is the Co-Founder & CEO at Plan Forward. Megan started out working for a practice that started a membership plan. It was not only a huge success, but they had surprising benefits that they didn’t expect. The plan was going great, but the administration was getting to be too much. That’s when she founded Plan Forward which helps run and administer the plan. Megan shares the surprising and unexpected benefits of having a plan. She talks about how it increases revenue, and she shares best practices to keep things running smoothly.
Show Notes
[02:03] Plan Forward creates and powers in-house membership plans.
[02:19] Megan was friends with her co-founders wife. She worked for him at his practice.
[03:01] Healthcare changed in 2013. A lot of patients were asking for guidance when their employers no longer offered insurance.
[03:56] The membership plan grew organically. Patients understood what to expect.
[04:30] The plan grew so much that it was a headache to manage. That started the market research behind a platform to manage dental membership plans.
[05:00] It's hard to find a business that doesn't have a plan or a subscription service.
[05:32] Recurring revenue was an unexpected benefit of having a membership or subscription model.
[06:09] When you look at the number of uninsured patients and people who don't use their benefits, there are so many encouraging things.
[07:09] Not all dental plans are created equal. A robust membership plan can create retention and patient loyalty.
[07:37] It might look like you're reducing your fees, but you're getting an entire patient population to come in more. Plus, they're paying regularly.
[08:34] Patients on subscription plans always spend more.
[08:57] The most resistant people are the doctors and the teams. It's the dentist's plan, and they can create it the way they want. They can do fee balancing at the end of the year or whatever they need to do.
[11:01] Your plan needs a monthly payment office and your team needs to talk to patients about it. Megan can share best practices to make your plan a success.
[12:18] 1500 patients on the plan are your patients. Every practice has a member base already. This is a simple value add for uninsured patients.
[13:55] To make this work you have to have auto renewals. You must offer a monthly payment option to cover preventive care.
[18:26] People are comfortable paying for something that they find value in.
[21:33] Don't cherry-pick, offer the plan to everyone. Also, post it somewhere in the office.
[22:49] The membership plan is for uninsured patients. 33% of adults in the US don't have dental insurance.
[24:23] If you're looking for an edge, a membership plan can turn your uninsured base into a loyal base.
[25:18] Create the plan on a per person basis, not for the entire family.
[26:40] It's surprising that not every practice sees the value in this.
[28:11] This is an added value for any practice of any of any size. It's a tool to treat every patient that you can.
Links and Resources:
https://www.planforward.io/ (Plan Foreword)
MLohman@planforward.io
https://www.linkedin.com/in/mlohman/ (Megan Lohman on LinkedIn)
https://www.facebook.com/teamplanforward (Plan Forward on Facebook)
https://twitter.com/teamplanforward (Plan Forward on Twitter)
https://www.instagram.com/teamplanforward/ (Plan Forward on Instagram)
Bill Robbins and Joshua Austin are here today to talk about an inexpensive way to remove friction and get more customers in the door. You know Bill Robbins, he’s been on the show in the past. He’s an experienced dentist and a teacher. It’s his goal to remove friction and make dentistry easier for the dentist and the patient. He is joined by Joshua Austin who has a restorative practice in San Antonio, Texas. Joshua is a clinical columnist for Dental Economics and a host of the Working Interferences podcast.
He started his practice in 2009 and didn’t have a lot of cash for marketing. He did notice that he was getting web traffic from reviews on Google and Yelp. That’s when he started using reviews and then social media to market his practice. Now everyone is doing that. Today we talk about a new tool called ScheduleWidget that can capture a new patient from your website before they bounce away. Schedule Widget can remove the friction of the phone call by allowing patients to schedule online without having to make that initial call.
https://www.schedulewidget.com/signup?promo_code=151 (https://www.schedulewidget.com/signup?promo_code=151)
If you're looking for a brand new way to look at the new year and create the best year ever this show is for you, because Dr. Uche Odiatu is here to talk about getting fit, staying fit, and how to make that happen. Uche is my friend and one of the smartest guys in dentistry. Today, we are talking about dentistry and how critical it is to stay healthy when practicing.
We all know that dentistry is a great profession, but it can be stressful. That’s why it’s so important for busy professionals to get fit and stay fit. We talk about finding the time to exercise. How it helps with stress, fitness, and making you feel better. According to Uche, the stats say that 95% of our population aren’t exercising on a regular basis at a level of intensity that would create benefit. To be at the top or our game, we also need to create a plan and make time for fitness.
When a young professional is putting their heart and soul into their practice, exercise can be one of the first things to go. Studies show that exercising for one hour can help slow down aging, lower your cortisol response, and enable better decision making. That being said, light exercise can also be very beneficial. Uche talks about interval training, going for walks, getting proper rest, eating whole foods, and so many more things that will get you fired up about fitness.
Are you struggling with bad discount plans, low rates of acceptance from uninsured patients, or dealing with dental insurance that just isn’t good for you or your patients? These are common problems that many practices face. Especially, those just starting out and existing practices in this ever changing landscape. I have an expert today that has a solution for these problems and more.
Dave Monahan is the CEO of Kleer a dental membership platform that makes it easy for practices to create their own customized membership plans for their patients. The platform supplies the tools and resources needed to run things smoothly, stay in compliance, monitor data, and get support. Dave shares why a membership plan is a no-brainer for any practice. He shares benefits for the office, dentist, and patients. He also shares some of the pitfalls and how Kleer can help overcome these.
For show notes, links and resources, please visit https://actdental.com/podcast/ (https://actdental.com/podcast/)
Today’s Episode:
Being a dentist is one of the greatest jobs in the US, but it’s up to you as the dentist and practice owner to make sure that you schedule your work in a way that brings you joy, time, and money. Lead practice coach Christina Byrne is here to share six steps to creating a schedule that fits your work into your life and not the other way around. Proper scheduling can make everyone happier and more productive in the right ways.
Christina has been involved with dentistry since 1985. As she puts it, she has sat in every chair. She’s been an assistant, worked the front office, and is a hygienist. She is also strategic in helping dentists build better practices that lead to more money and better lives. She shares her tips for time blocking or what she calls strategic scheduling. This strategy can help utilize assistants, staff, operatories, and the dentist's time in a way that makes the practice better for everyone involved including your patients.
For show notes, links and resources, please visit https://actdental.com/podcast/ (https://actdental.com/podcast/)
Today’s Episode:
Debt can be a huge stressor for recent graduates and young dentists. According to my guest today, students leaving NYU dental school in 2023 could have as much as $700,000 in debt. He also says that statistics like the average dental school debt of $280,000 is low based on the real cost of attendance. Fortunately, there are ways to manage student loan debt without living like a pauper or constantly being stressed.
Travis Hornsby is a CFA who helps six-figure student loan borrowers by creating custom student loan plans. He runs Student Loan Planner which is a group of experts that can help you manage student loan debt that’s $50,000 or more. They can create a student loan plan that details your path to freedom or connect you with private lenders to refinance at a lower interest rate.
Travis shares some great information and techniques that he helps people use to make the most of forgiveness plans and programs that are available. Even better, for a small fee, he and his team can create a plan that could save you thousands, along with those sleepless nights. He’s even created a free student loan debt calculator that helps you run your debt through different repayment options. This is a can’t miss episode for anyone who has student loan debt and needs a plan to tackle it in a smart way.
For show notes, links and resources, please visit https://actdental.com/podcast/ (https://actdental.com/podcast/)
Having the right people can make or break your practice. But finding and hiring the right team members can be one of the biggest challenges you face. In todays show, Tonya Lanthier shares her insights on how to attract and retain great team members.
Driving your practice forward is a goal that most dentists have. We have a special show today that will give you five solid methods to drive your practice forward through medical billing. My friend and frequent guest Laurie Owens is a professional coder and billing expert. She is trained in dental and medical billing, but focuses exclusively on the dental field. The steps that Laurie shares today will help improve case acceptance and help patients maximize all of their benefits. Laurie is the director of medical billing education at Devdent. They offer coaches, tools, and education to make dental practices thrive.
In this episode, Laurie talks about the importance of education and creating a strong foundation for billing practices. She talks about how coaching can help accelerate your practice and how continuing education is important for everyone. She also shares how to start small and get everyone on the same page for certain services. She shares techniques to maximize a patient benefits and get treatment covered. We talk about how to think outside the box, and Laurie gives her take on the future of dental insurance.
New studies in airway-focused dentistry are ushering in a major paradigm shift in our field. Fifteen Years ago, airway wasn’t even on our radar. For those of us focusing on TMD, it was all about second molar interferences causing TMJ problems. We spent our time debating CR and CO and muscle versus joint position. It’s exciting to see how experts are realizing airway is a critical point for evaluating a case. We’re better understanding just how important breathing is to so many of the cases we see. Breathing might be why a patient clenches his jaw, or why she grinds her teeth. Things wepreviouslyblamedon things like parafunction turned out to be airway issues.By expanding our focus to airway, we’re able to catch medical issues patients may not have thought to investigate. As dentists, we’re the health care providers spending a lot of time with healthy people. Our physician colleagues have unfortunately been siloed into only seeing sick people, and only being able to be in the room with them for a short period of time. When’s the last time you received an x-ray at the doctor as part of a regular check-up? Dentists are able to screen people who are asymptomatic and help patients to catch a health issue earlier. Take Orthodontics As an example. Orthodontists sometimes perform two-phase orthodontics where they treat children early then treat them again when they’re a bit older. Colleagues and parents alike though orthodontists were billing patients for money, and that kids should wait for treatment until they’re 11 or 12. Now that we realize early treatment could improve their airway, we see how it can also help children’s growth and development. Is it profitable? Yes, but most importantly it’s the right thing for a young patient’s healthy development.
Everyone agrees that the key to having a great practice is having a great team. But the key to having a great team is GREAT communication. On today's episode, ACT Dental Director of Coaching, Leigh Ann Feight, talks about the keys to creating successful communication rhythms in your practice.
Today’s Episode:
New and established dentists spend a lot of resources on marketing. Even those that say they don’t pay for marketing put time and resources into making sure that they have happy patients who will give referrals. What if there was a way that you could generate more patient acceptance and earnings without paying for business? Well there is, and it’s all about data. If you don’t have data or don’t have accurate data, your decisions are based on guesses.
Curtis Marshall is the Director of Partnerships for Dental Intel a platform that helps dental practices track, analyze, and grow their practices. They provide actionable data to offices, so that they can find and correct where business is falling through the cracks. On this episode, we talk about how important accurate data and tracking is. Curtis also shares a technique that can increase your profits without paying more for marketing or advertising.
For full show notes, links and resources, please visit: https://actdental.com/podcast/ (https://actdental.com/podcast/)
Dentistry is changing and evolving and the opportunities for young dentists are endless. When just starting out, it’s good to be able to differentiate yourself. Today’s incredible expert is Doug Thompson. Doug’s practice is called Integrative Oral Medicine. It’s an interdisciplinary treatment model that coordinates dental care with other medical practitioners for total body health care for his patients. He uses DNA bacterial testing and other scientific methods for early risk assessment and creating personalized treatment plans.
We talk about everything today from how a young dentist can get started focusing on total wellness and how to find other specialists for your network. Doug has even started the Wellness Dentistry Network which is an internet based community of dentists that care how oral health affects the whole body. We talk about specialization, periodontal health, inflammation, heart health, and airway health. Doug shares his in-depth knowledge and gives us tons of useful resources.