- Published on
Part III -- Why not you?
Dr Chris Baker practices and teaches around the world.
Each and every day, people are living their dreams.
People are getting wealthy. Practices are thriving, and getting free of insurance. Relationships are dynamic and wonderful. People are getting healthier every day, regardless of their age. Lives are improving every day. Let it be you! Your life can be the life of your dreams. Some people are living their dreams, and so can you! Let it be you!
Do you look at other practices, see them thriving and wish it could be you? You know, most people think about getting rich. Yet, only a very small percentage of them do. But anyone can. Someone is going to learn how to truly manage their practice, and turn it into the business it can be. Why not let it be you?
Don’t assume that you’re stuck with the way things are right now. You aren’t. Life changes every single moment, and so can you. It’s simply deciding - making a decision.
As the amazing Jim Rohn encouraged people, Someone is going to make the decision to become healthier than ever before. Someone is going to decide to eat healthfully. Someone is going to start walking or running regularly. Someone is going to start walking the stairs every day. Why not let it be you?
Every day people decide to improve their lives. Every day decisions change the course of lives.
Why not let it be you?
Nobody says it better than Jim Rohn when he gives his simple steps to make it YOU:
1. COMMIT TO WORKING ON YOU
Are you going to improve or stay the same? No matter what you have achieved, you are at a certain point right now. What you have achieved in the past is fine, but it doesn’t make a difference for the future. The decision about what you will become is made each day and every day.
Each day someone is making the decision to better him or herself. Let it be you.
2. MAKE A PLAN
Once you have decided to become better, you will have to have a plan. It doesn’t have to be a long, intricate plan. It can be simple. Walk a mile a day. Read an article a day. Work ON your business (away from patients) an hour a day. That is a simple plan with achievable goals.
Someone is going to develop a plan that will take them into the future of their dreams. Let it be you.
3. BEGIN YOUR ACTIONS
All of the great ideas, without action, become stale and useless. The key to turning dreams into reality is action. People who have great ideas are a dime a dozen. People who act on their dreams and ideas are the select few, but they are the ones who gain the wealth, health and wisdom that is available.
Someone will act today. Let it be you.
Stop looking at others who live the good life, wishing that you were as well, and instead begin to commit to your improvement, develop a plan and act on it. Someone is going to. Let it be you!
"I challenge you to make your life a masterpiece. I challenge you to join the ranks of those people who live what they teach, who walk their talk." ~ Anthony Robbins
Reference:
www.success.com/profile/jim-rohn
Next in Part 4 of How’s it workin’ for ya? (How Can I Get There From Here?)
People are getting wealthy. Practices are thriving, and getting free of insurance. Relationships are dynamic and wonderful. People are getting healthier every day, regardless of their age. Lives are improving every day. Let it be you! Your life can be the life of your dreams. Some people are living their dreams, and so can you! Let it be you!
Do you look at other practices, see them thriving and wish it could be you? You know, most people think about getting rich. Yet, only a very small percentage of them do. But anyone can. Someone is going to learn how to truly manage their practice, and turn it into the business it can be. Why not let it be you?
Don’t assume that you’re stuck with the way things are right now. You aren’t. Life changes every single moment, and so can you. It’s simply deciding - making a decision.
As the amazing Jim Rohn encouraged people, Someone is going to make the decision to become healthier than ever before. Someone is going to decide to eat healthfully. Someone is going to start walking or running regularly. Someone is going to start walking the stairs every day. Why not let it be you?
Every day people decide to improve their lives. Every day decisions change the course of lives.
Why not let it be you?
Nobody says it better than Jim Rohn when he gives his simple steps to make it YOU:
1. COMMIT TO WORKING ON YOU
Are you going to improve or stay the same? No matter what you have achieved, you are at a certain point right now. What you have achieved in the past is fine, but it doesn’t make a difference for the future. The decision about what you will become is made each day and every day.
Each day someone is making the decision to better him or herself. Let it be you.
2. MAKE A PLAN
Once you have decided to become better, you will have to have a plan. It doesn’t have to be a long, intricate plan. It can be simple. Walk a mile a day. Read an article a day. Work ON your business (away from patients) an hour a day. That is a simple plan with achievable goals.
Someone is going to develop a plan that will take them into the future of their dreams. Let it be you.
3. BEGIN YOUR ACTIONS
All of the great ideas, without action, become stale and useless. The key to turning dreams into reality is action. People who have great ideas are a dime a dozen. People who act on their dreams and ideas are the select few, but they are the ones who gain the wealth, health and wisdom that is available.
Someone will act today. Let it be you.
Stop looking at others who live the good life, wishing that you were as well, and instead begin to commit to your improvement, develop a plan and act on it. Someone is going to. Let it be you!
"I challenge you to make your life a masterpiece. I challenge you to join the ranks of those people who live what they teach, who walk their talk." ~ Anthony Robbins
Reference:
www.success.com/profile/jim-rohn
Next in Part 4 of How’s it workin’ for ya? (How Can I Get There From Here?)
Two of Dr Chris' books are:
REAL (left), which has great life strategies, and...
YOUR CHILD's SMILE (right), a parent's guide to their child's oral health.
- Published on
Part II -- Those Five People You Hang With
Dr Chris Baker, at the Abu Dhabi International Airport.
"You're the average of the five people you spend the most time with." -- Jim Rohn
Seriously? You must be thinking,
“Seriously? How can I be an average of the five people I spend the most time with?”
Yes, seriously. To the extent, even, that if you saw their financials, yours would be in the same neighborhood. To the extent even, that if your friends are fretters, so are you. And if your friends are fumers, about other folks, politics and life, so are you.
This "five person rule" affects everyone, whether they practice orthodontics or work at anything else.
You see, we are all a part of the quantum soup of energy, slow, fast, or in-between. If we are surrounded by slow, negative, fretting, fuming, confused energy, it doesn’t just rub off - it overtakes us. It is impossible to rise above that energy. The calibration level of the folks around you not only affects you, but becomes you. Or maybe it is better to say, you become it.
If the people to whom you are closest say they’re going to “think about it,” chances are good you will “think about it,” also. No action. If one of your close friends says he/she is going to start walking or running every day, jump on that! Or, you suggest the same. If no one follows - or wants to do it with you - maybe you need a new friend.
Years ago, when Claude and I had gotten serious in our relationship, Claude’s oldest son Trey then was in the throes of the autism spectrum. After a wonderful week away together with the children on a sparsely inhabited island off the Florida coast, we arrived back in Kentucky, all tired yet wonderfully refreshed. However, during that week, Trey had discovered that I was a fairly organized, strict purveyor of schedules, food, activities and so forth, actually excellent for autistic-traited folks, yet not to his great liking. He looked at his Dad and commented, “Dad, I think you need a new friend.”
(The happy outcome is that I am now Trey’s mother, following his adoption, his autism is greatly left behind, and he is crazy about me.)
If your friends aren’t growing, becoming, working on real legacies, you probably need new friends.
Seriously, how can you stop worrying, wondering, and doubting when those around you are worrying, wondering and doubting? How can you laugh at the confusion when those around you are not laughing at all? How can you grow when folks around you are stagnant. It’s been said you’re either growing or you’re dying.
The things you think about, focus on, and people you surround yourself with, ultimately shape who you become.
So, if your friends are on the Slight Edge - looking for tiny actions and decisions to make their life better, so are you. If your friends live by CANI (Constant and Never-ending Improvement), so do you.
It’s a deeply humbling reality to realize not only are your friends a reflection of you, and vice versa, but think about it - your practice is a reflection of you.
Let’s look at that again. Your practice - not just the orthodontics, the dentistry, not just the staff, not just the level of patient satisfaction, but also the effectiveness of the business, the financials, the building, the office, the treatment bay - it’s all a reflection of you. That is a huge and deeply humbling reality for all of us!!
Get your friends - get new friends if you need to - and get to work ON YOU.
Next in Part 3 of How’s It Workin’ For Ya? - Why Not Let It Be You?
“Seriously? How can I be an average of the five people I spend the most time with?”
Yes, seriously. To the extent, even, that if you saw their financials, yours would be in the same neighborhood. To the extent even, that if your friends are fretters, so are you. And if your friends are fumers, about other folks, politics and life, so are you.
This "five person rule" affects everyone, whether they practice orthodontics or work at anything else.
You see, we are all a part of the quantum soup of energy, slow, fast, or in-between. If we are surrounded by slow, negative, fretting, fuming, confused energy, it doesn’t just rub off - it overtakes us. It is impossible to rise above that energy. The calibration level of the folks around you not only affects you, but becomes you. Or maybe it is better to say, you become it.
If the people to whom you are closest say they’re going to “think about it,” chances are good you will “think about it,” also. No action. If one of your close friends says he/she is going to start walking or running every day, jump on that! Or, you suggest the same. If no one follows - or wants to do it with you - maybe you need a new friend.
Years ago, when Claude and I had gotten serious in our relationship, Claude’s oldest son Trey then was in the throes of the autism spectrum. After a wonderful week away together with the children on a sparsely inhabited island off the Florida coast, we arrived back in Kentucky, all tired yet wonderfully refreshed. However, during that week, Trey had discovered that I was a fairly organized, strict purveyor of schedules, food, activities and so forth, actually excellent for autistic-traited folks, yet not to his great liking. He looked at his Dad and commented, “Dad, I think you need a new friend.”
(The happy outcome is that I am now Trey’s mother, following his adoption, his autism is greatly left behind, and he is crazy about me.)
If your friends aren’t growing, becoming, working on real legacies, you probably need new friends.
Seriously, how can you stop worrying, wondering, and doubting when those around you are worrying, wondering and doubting? How can you laugh at the confusion when those around you are not laughing at all? How can you grow when folks around you are stagnant. It’s been said you’re either growing or you’re dying.
The things you think about, focus on, and people you surround yourself with, ultimately shape who you become.
So, if your friends are on the Slight Edge - looking for tiny actions and decisions to make their life better, so are you. If your friends live by CANI (Constant and Never-ending Improvement), so do you.
It’s a deeply humbling reality to realize not only are your friends a reflection of you, and vice versa, but think about it - your practice is a reflection of you.
Let’s look at that again. Your practice - not just the orthodontics, the dentistry, not just the staff, not just the level of patient satisfaction, but also the effectiveness of the business, the financials, the building, the office, the treatment bay - it’s all a reflection of you. That is a huge and deeply humbling reality for all of us!!
Get your friends - get new friends if you need to - and get to work ON YOU.
Next in Part 3 of How’s It Workin’ For Ya? - Why Not Let It Be You?
- Published on
Part 1 - The Big Picture
We go to dental school, to residency, and then finally (it seems), we are ready to go into practice. Did you have any idea what that entailed?
Did you know anything about a business?
Did you even know what you wanted practice to be like? I daresay you assumed it would give you a place to do your outstanding orthodontic or dental care, a job, and an income. Oh - and if it was your own practice, you got to "be your own boss.”
Now what does your practice look like? It does give you a place to do your outstanding orthodontic or dental care, right? It's probably more of a job than you bargained for, and an income - with more going out in expenses than you would have dreamed - or than you want!
And in practice for yourself you get to be your own boss - and work longer hours than the rest of the staff, unless you want to pay a lot of overtime and entrust some of the challenging business things to them (and you’re not sure if that’s good).
There are challenges - insurance, corporate dentistry, competition, "the books,” taxes and expenses - well - that stuff just about can drive you nuts. And affect your well-being - physical, mental and emotional - and your family, and, quite frankly, your sanity.
How’s it workin’ for ya? As the leader of your business, it’s your job to think about the bigger picture.
And there is, believe it or not, a bigger picture. A way bigger picture.
What is in the bigger picture that is missing from the picture you have now?
IF your practice is a reflection of you - and it is - then who you are defines the picture. And who you are is something to figure out. Who are you? What do you want? What do you want your life to be? And when you get that figured out, then how do you get there?
“You must take personal responsibility. You cannot change the circumstances, the seasons, or the wind, but you can change yourself. That is something you have charge of. You don't have charge of the constellations, but you do have charge of whether you read, develop new skills, and take new classes.” ~ Jim Rohn
Changing your life comes from figuring out who you are and what you want life to be.
And changing who you are comes from changing what and how you think. Changing what you think can come from changing your actions, your words and expressions, your food, your exercise, your activities, and who you hang with.
“You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.” ~ Jim Rohn
Back to your practice. If you have a desire and need to change anything about your practice, work ON you first. Einstein once said, “No problem can be solved from the same level of consciousness that created it.”
Don’t let it overwhelm you. You can change you by changing the tiniest decisions, tiniest habits, tiniest actions, one at a time. Today take time to meditate. Today take time for a walk or run. Today go home at a reasonable hour from the office. Think about what you want, who you are, who you want to be. Maybe - write some of your thoughts down.
Next in Part 2 of How’s it workin’ for ya? - Those five people you hang with
Did you know anything about a business?
Did you even know what you wanted practice to be like? I daresay you assumed it would give you a place to do your outstanding orthodontic or dental care, a job, and an income. Oh - and if it was your own practice, you got to "be your own boss.”
Now what does your practice look like? It does give you a place to do your outstanding orthodontic or dental care, right? It's probably more of a job than you bargained for, and an income - with more going out in expenses than you would have dreamed - or than you want!
And in practice for yourself you get to be your own boss - and work longer hours than the rest of the staff, unless you want to pay a lot of overtime and entrust some of the challenging business things to them (and you’re not sure if that’s good).
There are challenges - insurance, corporate dentistry, competition, "the books,” taxes and expenses - well - that stuff just about can drive you nuts. And affect your well-being - physical, mental and emotional - and your family, and, quite frankly, your sanity.
How’s it workin’ for ya? As the leader of your business, it’s your job to think about the bigger picture.
And there is, believe it or not, a bigger picture. A way bigger picture.
What is in the bigger picture that is missing from the picture you have now?
IF your practice is a reflection of you - and it is - then who you are defines the picture. And who you are is something to figure out. Who are you? What do you want? What do you want your life to be? And when you get that figured out, then how do you get there?
“You must take personal responsibility. You cannot change the circumstances, the seasons, or the wind, but you can change yourself. That is something you have charge of. You don't have charge of the constellations, but you do have charge of whether you read, develop new skills, and take new classes.” ~ Jim Rohn
Changing your life comes from figuring out who you are and what you want life to be.
And changing who you are comes from changing what and how you think. Changing what you think can come from changing your actions, your words and expressions, your food, your exercise, your activities, and who you hang with.
“You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.” ~ Jim Rohn
Back to your practice. If you have a desire and need to change anything about your practice, work ON you first. Einstein once said, “No problem can be solved from the same level of consciousness that created it.”
Don’t let it overwhelm you. You can change you by changing the tiniest decisions, tiniest habits, tiniest actions, one at a time. Today take time to meditate. Today take time for a walk or run. Today go home at a reasonable hour from the office. Think about what you want, who you are, who you want to be. Maybe - write some of your thoughts down.
Next in Part 2 of How’s it workin’ for ya? - Those five people you hang with
Dr Chris Baker (on left) leads orthodontics and pediatric dentistry CE courses worldwide.
- Published on
Where Dr Chris works: The Orthodontic and Pediatric Department entrance of the Advanced American Dental Center in Abu Dhabi, UAE.
"We must let go of the life we have planned, so as to accept the one that is waiting for us." -- Joseph Campbell.
Michael E. Gerber's "The E-Myth Dentist" is an excellent book on the business of dentistry .
Though she prides herself as being a Texas girl, Dr. Chris Baker practices in the Khalidiya neighborhood of Abu Dhabi, UAE.
“You can have everything in life you want, if you will just help other people get what they want.” ~ Zig Ziglar
Before you go further, read that quote from Zig Ziglar a couple of more times. That’s a WOW!
The question is, what do you want? That’s the “rub”. Work to figure out what you do want. So often we hold life in our hands like water, squeezing tightly to hold onto the water, and life trickles away.
“We must let go of the life we have planned, so as to accept the one that is waiting for us.” ~ Joseph Campbell
We need to figure out who we are, what we are here to do, to create, to become, what we truly want.
So just what DO we want, anyway?
I would venture a guess:
You want to Be Loved.
Nurture relationships with patients and their parents. These are the people who make your practice possible. Fall in love with them.
Creating love between your company (you and your staff) and those you serve will be absolutely priceless. You’ll go home amazed every night to think how much you are enjoying serving and loving everyone.
And, the funny part is that a love and caring-focused culture in a practice is a rarity and most fail in this department. Yet this is a great opportunity - to love and be loved by those in your practice.
“Do what you do so well that they will want to [experience] it again and bring their friends.” ~ Walt Disney
What else do you want? You want to enjoy every minute of your life.
While that seems obvious, few of us do this. We function by rote, and habitually. As Michael E. Gerber says, practice “Internal awareness and external intention.” Do what you are doing intentionally. It’s the Ram Dass thing, “Be here now.” Be present this moment. Let the fear float away like clouds.
“Learn to enjoy every minute of your life. Be happy now. Don't wait for something outside of yourself to make you happy in the future. Think how really precious is the time you have to spend, whether it's at work or with your family. Every minute should be enjoyed and savored.” ~ Earl Nightingale
Any other wants? You want to have a successful business. It’s what you do for a living and to support your family.
In our orthodontic and dental practices we are the doctor, the manager, the business owner, the entrepreneur. These are big roles that often feel overwhelming and complex. We go into these roles assuming that because we know how to provide orthodontic or dental care, we can do it all. We have a huge job!
We have a plan - or perhaps we should say a “wish list,” of what we assume the practice will accomplish.
As my recent blogs have discussed, our business plan, our dream, vision, purpose and mission need to be systematized so the system accomplishes what it should.
All these wants - and more - are dependent on YOU. You are the key. But - what to do?
Here are some benchmarks to help:
Benchmark 1. WRITE down what you want. Sit down in a quiet place where you will not be disturbed, with no phone, no computer, no TV, or other media. Take your pad of paper and pen.
Start with “want to be loved, enjoy every minute of my life, and have a successful business,” which are true for all of us.
Then think about you. Who are you? What did you come here to do, be, create, experience? Write it all down.
Plan to refer to the list as you go through your next week or two, and edit as needed, or just review and remember what YOU want.
Benchmark 2. Begin developing your relationships with the patients and parents in an even more meaningful way. Be real, be honest, be genuine. Genuinely interact. Use their name, as you greet and talk to them. Their name is the sweetest word in their world!
Show them - and TELL them - you are HONORED to evaluate and treat them. The great orthodontist Dr. Walter A. Doyle often reminded his students, "They are not YOUR patients; You are THEIR doctor. "
Listen. For the moments you are with each patient, focus on that person (or the parent with them.) Stay focused, and do not let your mind wander onto the trillions of other things in your day.
Develop ways to help the patient “own” their dental situation. It’s easy for us as giving, approval-addicted dentists, to let the patient “give” their dental needs to us. The reality is that their needs are theirs. We can offer treatments to help.
When the patient has not worn retainers adequately, TELL them, and NO, you should not make new ones for free.
When acidic plaque finally manages to start new decay, NO, you should not restore for free.
When the 12 year molar fractures due to apparent clenching, grinding, or just plain occlusal forces, even though it had a restoration before, NO, you should not take care of it for free.
But - remember - HOW you say it is everything. Loving, gentle explanation of what has happened in their mouth, with their teeth, without any judgement or finger-pointing is critical. Keep it informational.
Here's an example of how you can explain a diagnosis to a patient:
“Our human bodies are a tough place for teeth to ‘live.’ There are amazing pressures from biting, chewing, clenching. Teeth will always move and change from these pressures for our whole life. BUT - when you’ve had braces, you want the teeth to stay in the beautiful, functional position they’ve been put. So, the wear of your retainers is so very important. Your teeth need more wear than they’ve been getting. 7 out of 7 nights, (or 24/7, or whatever they need.)"
Communication and information is crucial. Diagnose thoroughly. Tell the patient what is going on. Otherwise, how can they know? Write scripts so your staff can communicate how the human body varies, is vulnerable, and will ALWAYS, ALWAYS change over time.
Say please and thank you frequently. Graciousness and kindness are what they want to experience as well as what you want to experience. You give it and watch it come back to you!
There's lots to think about and incorporate:
Time to get started! Go for it!
Start today, and let me know how it’s going.
Before you go further, read that quote from Zig Ziglar a couple of more times. That’s a WOW!
The question is, what do you want? That’s the “rub”. Work to figure out what you do want. So often we hold life in our hands like water, squeezing tightly to hold onto the water, and life trickles away.
“We must let go of the life we have planned, so as to accept the one that is waiting for us.” ~ Joseph Campbell
We need to figure out who we are, what we are here to do, to create, to become, what we truly want.
So just what DO we want, anyway?
I would venture a guess:
You want to Be Loved.
Nurture relationships with patients and their parents. These are the people who make your practice possible. Fall in love with them.
Creating love between your company (you and your staff) and those you serve will be absolutely priceless. You’ll go home amazed every night to think how much you are enjoying serving and loving everyone.
And, the funny part is that a love and caring-focused culture in a practice is a rarity and most fail in this department. Yet this is a great opportunity - to love and be loved by those in your practice.
“Do what you do so well that they will want to [experience] it again and bring their friends.” ~ Walt Disney
What else do you want? You want to enjoy every minute of your life.
While that seems obvious, few of us do this. We function by rote, and habitually. As Michael E. Gerber says, practice “Internal awareness and external intention.” Do what you are doing intentionally. It’s the Ram Dass thing, “Be here now.” Be present this moment. Let the fear float away like clouds.
“Learn to enjoy every minute of your life. Be happy now. Don't wait for something outside of yourself to make you happy in the future. Think how really precious is the time you have to spend, whether it's at work or with your family. Every minute should be enjoyed and savored.” ~ Earl Nightingale
Any other wants? You want to have a successful business. It’s what you do for a living and to support your family.
In our orthodontic and dental practices we are the doctor, the manager, the business owner, the entrepreneur. These are big roles that often feel overwhelming and complex. We go into these roles assuming that because we know how to provide orthodontic or dental care, we can do it all. We have a huge job!
We have a plan - or perhaps we should say a “wish list,” of what we assume the practice will accomplish.
As my recent blogs have discussed, our business plan, our dream, vision, purpose and mission need to be systematized so the system accomplishes what it should.
All these wants - and more - are dependent on YOU. You are the key. But - what to do?
Here are some benchmarks to help:
Benchmark 1. WRITE down what you want. Sit down in a quiet place where you will not be disturbed, with no phone, no computer, no TV, or other media. Take your pad of paper and pen.
Start with “want to be loved, enjoy every minute of my life, and have a successful business,” which are true for all of us.
Then think about you. Who are you? What did you come here to do, be, create, experience? Write it all down.
Plan to refer to the list as you go through your next week or two, and edit as needed, or just review and remember what YOU want.
Benchmark 2. Begin developing your relationships with the patients and parents in an even more meaningful way. Be real, be honest, be genuine. Genuinely interact. Use their name, as you greet and talk to them. Their name is the sweetest word in their world!
Show them - and TELL them - you are HONORED to evaluate and treat them. The great orthodontist Dr. Walter A. Doyle often reminded his students, "They are not YOUR patients; You are THEIR doctor. "
Listen. For the moments you are with each patient, focus on that person (or the parent with them.) Stay focused, and do not let your mind wander onto the trillions of other things in your day.
Develop ways to help the patient “own” their dental situation. It’s easy for us as giving, approval-addicted dentists, to let the patient “give” their dental needs to us. The reality is that their needs are theirs. We can offer treatments to help.
When the patient has not worn retainers adequately, TELL them, and NO, you should not make new ones for free.
When acidic plaque finally manages to start new decay, NO, you should not restore for free.
When the 12 year molar fractures due to apparent clenching, grinding, or just plain occlusal forces, even though it had a restoration before, NO, you should not take care of it for free.
But - remember - HOW you say it is everything. Loving, gentle explanation of what has happened in their mouth, with their teeth, without any judgement or finger-pointing is critical. Keep it informational.
Here's an example of how you can explain a diagnosis to a patient:
“Our human bodies are a tough place for teeth to ‘live.’ There are amazing pressures from biting, chewing, clenching. Teeth will always move and change from these pressures for our whole life. BUT - when you’ve had braces, you want the teeth to stay in the beautiful, functional position they’ve been put. So, the wear of your retainers is so very important. Your teeth need more wear than they’ve been getting. 7 out of 7 nights, (or 24/7, or whatever they need.)"
Communication and information is crucial. Diagnose thoroughly. Tell the patient what is going on. Otherwise, how can they know? Write scripts so your staff can communicate how the human body varies, is vulnerable, and will ALWAYS, ALWAYS change over time.
Say please and thank you frequently. Graciousness and kindness are what they want to experience as well as what you want to experience. You give it and watch it come back to you!
There's lots to think about and incorporate:
Time to get started! Go for it!
Start today, and let me know how it’s going.
- Published on
"Whether you realize it or not, your practice makes a promise to its patients. The promise will be derived from what the patients experience in your practice. " -- Dr Chris Baker
The Burj Khalifa, the world's tallest building, is in the United Arab Emirates, where Dr Chris' practice is located.
Dr Chris Baker's excellent book on childhood oral health is, "Your Child's Smile."
With two patients sitting in the reception room, "Dr. T" told his front desk staff he would be back in awhile, and went out the back door of his office. He was excited! The new special tires ordered for his beautiful Jaguar were in. He was off to collect them!
Two hours later, Dr. T returned to see the patients who had waited that long, as well as the additional five patients who had arrived in the interim.
True story. I got it from his receptionist who was left trying to help the patients feel okay that they were waiting so long.
Another dentist I know of typically has patients scheduled for 11 a.m., but regularly arrives at his office at 1 or 2 p.m. to the waiting patients. One patient told the receptionist to call him when the doctor “gets there.” It was amazing this patient actually was willing to come back! (This doctor’s reputation as an elite, outstanding cosmetic practitioner will only go so far.)
Whether you realize it or not, your practice makes a promise to its patients. The promise will be derived from what the patients experience in your practice.
If they experience chaos and long waits, your presented promise is chaos and long waits. This is because that is what the patients experience.
The promise will help patients decide whether they want to be part of your practice - or not.
Remember, your promise is defined to the patients by what your patients experience! Everything they experience in your practice. And, their experience is defined by their perceptions.
Whether you realize it or not, your practice makes a promise to the patients who come.
The promise may be stated or may be unstated.
I know, I know - you have a poignant ‘mission statement’ that evokes emotion in the reading of it. No matter - if the patient experience is different, your promise is that of their experience.
And you may have hired marketing consultants. Or marketing people - to create - well, marketing materials. Like websites, like brochures, like Facebook pages, like signage, and so on.
Yet - what exactly are you marketing?
Are you marketing what you want to market? Will your marketing show how your practice is totally stand-out and offering (and delivering) what no other practice is promising? (OR DELIVERING?)
What do you want your promise to be? Are you marketing that? Are you keeping that promise?
Ideally, your promise is one which expresses your positive passion and one which no business in dentistry actually delivers - except your practice!!
That’s what keeps your patients coming — because — you have provided them value that makes them happy, feel cared for, loved, and special, not to mention healthy!
Yet, look at how far from the ideal most businesses fall:
• A 2012 study published in Forrester Research found that customers reported their experiences as good or excellent only 37% of the time. That means 63% got a rating of “OK,” “poor,” or “very poor” from their customers.
• After an experience the customer/client experienced as poor, 89% of folks went to a competitor. Source: RightNow
• Would you believe that as many as 60% of people will pay more for a better customer experience? Source: Desk
• And the Genesys Report looked at the average annual value of each lost-to-a-competitor business relationship. Can you imagine what your lost income and joy is, because of the patients who have walked out your doors to go to another office, OR who have just given up on dental care?
• A 2009 study in China by Zhang and Pan showed that a non-financial measure, customer satisfaction, is significantly associated with contemporary and future financial performance. Furthermore, the enterprises with higher-level customer satisfaction enjoy higher profitability. Customer satisfaction is proven to have a direct relationship with financial success.So, making your patients happy makes you happy, too!
What else, after all, is your goal?
What is your promise? My passion and promise in my practice is love. Love and Orthodontics. Caring. Joy.
Whatever your passion is, make it your promise. Remember (as mentioned in my Oct. 16 blog "An EXCELLENT dental practice: What makes the difference?" ) your product in your business is your promise. The dentistry - excellent, outstanding dental orthodontic care - is the commodity you deliver.
That’s great. There are lots of capable, outstanding docs out there. But what makes you stand out? What is different? What is not available in other practices? Whatever it is, is your promise. Build your commodity — outstanding care — around your promise.
Now - market your promise. Some ideas: We market our promise of love and caring by loving and caring - Genuinely and exuberantly. Truly finding ways to express our love. Writing thank-you notes for every little gift or food a patient or parent brings to the office. (And they do!) Greeting every patient and parent as soon as we see them.
With the staff, we review our patients in the morning meeting to remind ourselves not only what orthodontic needs they have for this visit, and their payments status, but where they were going on vacation after the last visit, what special concerns they were having with their braces. We often walk into the room and for us girls, giving and getting a hug - with the mom, as well as with the patient.
Share recipes, share child raising, share laughs. If the parent is a dad, we find commonalities with him. Basketball (I went to dental school at the University of Kentucky, after all,) other sports (I grew up in Texas), travel, professions, and so much more.
Can you imagine? Relating, person-to-person costs nothing and brings us joy as we absorb the hugs and smiles and love returned to us. This is the parent’s, patient’s and our experience.
Market that.
And deliver on the promise!
Two hours later, Dr. T returned to see the patients who had waited that long, as well as the additional five patients who had arrived in the interim.
True story. I got it from his receptionist who was left trying to help the patients feel okay that they were waiting so long.
Another dentist I know of typically has patients scheduled for 11 a.m., but regularly arrives at his office at 1 or 2 p.m. to the waiting patients. One patient told the receptionist to call him when the doctor “gets there.” It was amazing this patient actually was willing to come back! (This doctor’s reputation as an elite, outstanding cosmetic practitioner will only go so far.)
Whether you realize it or not, your practice makes a promise to its patients. The promise will be derived from what the patients experience in your practice.
If they experience chaos and long waits, your presented promise is chaos and long waits. This is because that is what the patients experience.
The promise will help patients decide whether they want to be part of your practice - or not.
Remember, your promise is defined to the patients by what your patients experience! Everything they experience in your practice. And, their experience is defined by their perceptions.
Whether you realize it or not, your practice makes a promise to the patients who come.
The promise may be stated or may be unstated.
I know, I know - you have a poignant ‘mission statement’ that evokes emotion in the reading of it. No matter - if the patient experience is different, your promise is that of their experience.
And you may have hired marketing consultants. Or marketing people - to create - well, marketing materials. Like websites, like brochures, like Facebook pages, like signage, and so on.
Yet - what exactly are you marketing?
Are you marketing what you want to market? Will your marketing show how your practice is totally stand-out and offering (and delivering) what no other practice is promising? (OR DELIVERING?)
What do you want your promise to be? Are you marketing that? Are you keeping that promise?
Ideally, your promise is one which expresses your positive passion and one which no business in dentistry actually delivers - except your practice!!
That’s what keeps your patients coming — because — you have provided them value that makes them happy, feel cared for, loved, and special, not to mention healthy!
Yet, look at how far from the ideal most businesses fall:
• A 2012 study published in Forrester Research found that customers reported their experiences as good or excellent only 37% of the time. That means 63% got a rating of “OK,” “poor,” or “very poor” from their customers.
• After an experience the customer/client experienced as poor, 89% of folks went to a competitor. Source: RightNow
• Would you believe that as many as 60% of people will pay more for a better customer experience? Source: Desk
• And the Genesys Report looked at the average annual value of each lost-to-a-competitor business relationship. Can you imagine what your lost income and joy is, because of the patients who have walked out your doors to go to another office, OR who have just given up on dental care?
• A 2009 study in China by Zhang and Pan showed that a non-financial measure, customer satisfaction, is significantly associated with contemporary and future financial performance. Furthermore, the enterprises with higher-level customer satisfaction enjoy higher profitability. Customer satisfaction is proven to have a direct relationship with financial success.So, making your patients happy makes you happy, too!
What else, after all, is your goal?
What is your promise? My passion and promise in my practice is love. Love and Orthodontics. Caring. Joy.
Whatever your passion is, make it your promise. Remember (as mentioned in my Oct. 16 blog "An EXCELLENT dental practice: What makes the difference?" ) your product in your business is your promise. The dentistry - excellent, outstanding dental orthodontic care - is the commodity you deliver.
That’s great. There are lots of capable, outstanding docs out there. But what makes you stand out? What is different? What is not available in other practices? Whatever it is, is your promise. Build your commodity — outstanding care — around your promise.
Now - market your promise. Some ideas: We market our promise of love and caring by loving and caring - Genuinely and exuberantly. Truly finding ways to express our love. Writing thank-you notes for every little gift or food a patient or parent brings to the office. (And they do!) Greeting every patient and parent as soon as we see them.
With the staff, we review our patients in the morning meeting to remind ourselves not only what orthodontic needs they have for this visit, and their payments status, but where they were going on vacation after the last visit, what special concerns they were having with their braces. We often walk into the room and for us girls, giving and getting a hug - with the mom, as well as with the patient.
Share recipes, share child raising, share laughs. If the parent is a dad, we find commonalities with him. Basketball (I went to dental school at the University of Kentucky, after all,) other sports (I grew up in Texas), travel, professions, and so much more.
Can you imagine? Relating, person-to-person costs nothing and brings us joy as we absorb the hugs and smiles and love returned to us. This is the parent’s, patient’s and our experience.
Market that.
And deliver on the promise!
- Published on
Love sets us apart, both at home and at work. It is essential to the excellent practice of dentistry.
Living with love is an essential part of REAL life. Read about it in Dr Chris' book, REAL.
This blog is called Love and Orthodontics. Why? Because love makes the difference.
Dr Chris Baker practices at the Advanced American Dental Clinic in Abu Dhabi, UAE.
An excellent book on business management that takes love into consideration is Michael E. Gerber's The E-Myth Dentist.
Love is what sets us apart - in business, in relationship, in encounters, in family, in learning, in teaching, in situations, in catastrophe, in governing, in leadership, in selling, in buying, in living.
Dr. Edward and Dr. Sara, married dentists, had practiced for several years in their beautiful dental office at one of the Hospital Professional Buildings in their Midwestern town. One day they got notice that their lease was being recalled, because the hospital would be putting new "corporate doctors" into the offices of the professional building.
Those few years ago, medicine and medical practices were increasingly being “bought up” and “managed” by insurance companies - big corporations who typically ran the love in medicine right out the door.
A commodity is a marketable something produced to satisfy needs or wants. Orthodontic treatment is a commodity. A root canal treatment is a commodity.
“The commodity isn’t what’s important — the way it’s delivered is.”
~ Michael E. Gerber
A product is something that is the result of an action or process - the way your commodity is delivered. This is what Institutional Dentistry knows nothing about.
If you are selling only a commodity, you’re in the competition club. That’s where the lowest price wins.
But if you are selling the unique and valued product of love, you are rare. Your patients value your business because they think there is no close substitute -- and they are right.
Your business should have love, joy, caring, and gratitude as its products. Big institutions, such as corporations and government, do not provide these products of love.
Institutional medicine / institutional dentistry’s product is not love.
However, it can and should be OUR product that we individual dentists provide in OUR practices. This is a product where we can be very different from the “norm” and have folks waiting in droves at our door. This is a product that can transform lives. This is a product that can make our business stronger and successful, so we can transform even more lives.
Our website is called Love and Orthodontics – but why? Because love makes the difference.
Love is what life is really about. That’s why it leads to success and happiness, in business, in relationship, in encounters, in family, in learning, in teaching, in situations, in catastrophe, in governing, in leadership, in finances, in selling, in buying, in living
Love is what sets you apart, makes life worthwhile, and makes your work worth everything. See each and every one you encounter, as a brand new opportunity to fall in love.
By the way, Dr. Edward and Dr. Sara took the opportunities to love with them to their new office location. Life is great. Life is rewarding. Love is their life.
Patients often say “I used to love my dentist, but he retired. So, I went to the new dentist in the practice, and it just wasn’t the same. And I can’t even put my finger on what is different Something is missing."
Undoubtedly it is love.
Here’s an example about how you can provide love in your practice.
This story is about a boy named Sachi and what happened in a phone call from his mom. Sachi had come with his dad, for an orthodontic examination the day before. Now my receptionist came to say Sachi’s mom was on the phone and she wanted to talk to Dr Chris.
I picked up the call and greeted her with love and enthusiasm. She began: Sachi’s exam was a second opinion to another orthodontic exam. (I did not know that.) She went on to explain that the previous exam had not made them feel comfortable and they came searching a second opinion.
“Thank you for the opportunity to meet your family. Second opinions are important; it is important that you can find what makes you comfortable. God gives children parents with a sixth sense about what sounds and seems “right” for their child. Go with that. I was honored to see Sachi and share my thoughts.”
She said she her husband and her son were very comfortable with me and they wanted me to treat him.
“Thank you - I am honored to treat him.”
She replied, “ That’s the difference between you and the other doctor. You are honored to treat him, and the other doctor seemed to think we should be honored for him to treat my son.” (And she told me our fee was higher than the other doc’s fee!)
Takeaway lessons: love and be genuine. Readily express love in a genuine, professional manner to parents and their children.
See each and every one you encounter, as a brand new opportunity to fall in love.
Dr. Edward and Dr. Sara, married dentists, had practiced for several years in their beautiful dental office at one of the Hospital Professional Buildings in their Midwestern town. One day they got notice that their lease was being recalled, because the hospital would be putting new "corporate doctors" into the offices of the professional building.
Those few years ago, medicine and medical practices were increasingly being “bought up” and “managed” by insurance companies - big corporations who typically ran the love in medicine right out the door.
A commodity is a marketable something produced to satisfy needs or wants. Orthodontic treatment is a commodity. A root canal treatment is a commodity.
“The commodity isn’t what’s important — the way it’s delivered is.”
~ Michael E. Gerber
A product is something that is the result of an action or process - the way your commodity is delivered. This is what Institutional Dentistry knows nothing about.
If you are selling only a commodity, you’re in the competition club. That’s where the lowest price wins.
But if you are selling the unique and valued product of love, you are rare. Your patients value your business because they think there is no close substitute -- and they are right.
Your business should have love, joy, caring, and gratitude as its products. Big institutions, such as corporations and government, do not provide these products of love.
Institutional medicine / institutional dentistry’s product is not love.
However, it can and should be OUR product that we individual dentists provide in OUR practices. This is a product where we can be very different from the “norm” and have folks waiting in droves at our door. This is a product that can transform lives. This is a product that can make our business stronger and successful, so we can transform even more lives.
Our website is called Love and Orthodontics – but why? Because love makes the difference.
Love is what life is really about. That’s why it leads to success and happiness, in business, in relationship, in encounters, in family, in learning, in teaching, in situations, in catastrophe, in governing, in leadership, in finances, in selling, in buying, in living
Love is what sets you apart, makes life worthwhile, and makes your work worth everything. See each and every one you encounter, as a brand new opportunity to fall in love.
By the way, Dr. Edward and Dr. Sara took the opportunities to love with them to their new office location. Life is great. Life is rewarding. Love is their life.
Patients often say “I used to love my dentist, but he retired. So, I went to the new dentist in the practice, and it just wasn’t the same. And I can’t even put my finger on what is different Something is missing."
Undoubtedly it is love.
Here’s an example about how you can provide love in your practice.
This story is about a boy named Sachi and what happened in a phone call from his mom. Sachi had come with his dad, for an orthodontic examination the day before. Now my receptionist came to say Sachi’s mom was on the phone and she wanted to talk to Dr Chris.
I picked up the call and greeted her with love and enthusiasm. She began: Sachi’s exam was a second opinion to another orthodontic exam. (I did not know that.) She went on to explain that the previous exam had not made them feel comfortable and they came searching a second opinion.
“Thank you for the opportunity to meet your family. Second opinions are important; it is important that you can find what makes you comfortable. God gives children parents with a sixth sense about what sounds and seems “right” for their child. Go with that. I was honored to see Sachi and share my thoughts.”
She said she her husband and her son were very comfortable with me and they wanted me to treat him.
“Thank you - I am honored to treat him.”
She replied, “ That’s the difference between you and the other doctor. You are honored to treat him, and the other doctor seemed to think we should be honored for him to treat my son.” (And she told me our fee was higher than the other doc’s fee!)
Takeaway lessons: love and be genuine. Readily express love in a genuine, professional manner to parents and their children.
See each and every one you encounter, as a brand new opportunity to fall in love.
- Published on
One of the best books in print about dental practice management is Michael E. Gerber's "The E-Myth Dentist."
Dr Chris practices orthodontics in both the USA and in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (above).
Written for parents, Dr Chris' book, Your Child's Smile, is also used as a dental school textbook for its thorough, well-researched information.
Great advice for people in every profession can be found in Jim Rohn's "Twelve Pillars."
Another photo of downtown Abu Dhabi, where Dr Chris practices.
A fun fact from Dr Chris: Lucy Hobbs Taylor (1833-1910) was the first female dentist in the USA. Today, slightly more than half of all American dental students are women. Without a doubt, Dr Taylor had no headaches from working with insurance companies!
So how can you enjoy your practice more? How can you begin to take control of the business of your practice? The answer lies in working ON your practice, as well as IN your practice. One place to begin is to wrest control of your income from the insurance companies.
Contemplate the fact that insurance companies in today’s world really function as managers of most of the dental practices into which they are allowed. How can you become the real entrepreneur and manager of your own business?
Remember, as Jim Rohn explains, ”if you don't have a plan for your life, you fall into somebody else's plan.” Know what they have planned for you – taking as much money from your practice as possible.
You’ve got to begin minding your own business. You’ve got to start somewhere. Here’s a suggestion.
Review all insurance companies with whom you work. Categorize them into:
Once your patient has consented to treatment, it is their responsibility to pay on the day of service. It is the responsibility of the dental insurance carrier (a third party) to directly reimburse the patient for the portion of the procedure that is covered. The actual contract is between the patient, usually as an employee and the insurance company.
Even if the patient makes the mistake of believing that the contract is between the dentist and the insurance company, it is not. You must be clear on that and let the patient know your expectations BEFORE treatment is begun. A written contract between you and the patient or parent is recommended.
Assignment of benefits to you costs you a heavy financial and most undesirable burden in your practice, most especially when you multiply it by hundreds of patients.
Outstanding over-the-top dental and orthodontic care, is your privilege, honor, and responsibility. It is based on a relationship between you and the patient, without interference from third parties.
When the payment is made by the patient, it is a clear statement that they are taking an active interest in their dental health, their loyalty is to you, and that they value your service.
Stay out of the relationship between the patient and their insurance carrier and employer. Make your relationship with the patient fantastic, based on outstanding, over-the-top dental and orthodontic care.
Contemplate the fact that insurance companies in today’s world really function as managers of most of the dental practices into which they are allowed. How can you become the real entrepreneur and manager of your own business?
Remember, as Jim Rohn explains, ”if you don't have a plan for your life, you fall into somebody else's plan.” Know what they have planned for you – taking as much money from your practice as possible.
You’ve got to begin minding your own business. You’ve got to start somewhere. Here’s a suggestion.
Review all insurance companies with whom you work. Categorize them into:
- Managed care plans (HMO, PPO, EPO, POS, Medicaid and Medicare) that you have contracted with to pay you for the patient care
- insurance companies from whom you accept payment directly, but have no contract with them.
- Which reimburses at the lowest rates for your typical billed procedures. And, then, which is next lowest, and so forth.
- Which uses the most amount of staff time (and staff numbers) for filing, paperwork, appeals, etc. You may be paying 5 or 6 staff members just to do paperwork to get low reimbursements. This may be a loss-center for your practice that is masquerading as income.
- How much total income each brought into your practice over the last year.
- Reassign the patients in one or more plans to associates, as you prepare to transition the practice to free-market dentistry (no insurance participation) as soon as is feasible.
- Spend your time minding your own business, prioritizing all managed care and government health insurance strategem, Medicaid and Medicare, and then study your contracts to see when you can release them or opt out. Your goal is to get out of the insurance business and stop letting the insurance companies take your money.
- Study the insurance plans that you accept direct payment for the insurance portion. Even if you’re not a participating member of the PPO or other plan, you will be waiting longer for your money, spending more on staff to prepare and file claims, log in payments, and communicate with the insurance companies. For orthodontics, you may be waiting for quarterly payments or even every six months payments. You’re working for free for a long time. That means the insurance companies are the ones collecting interest on your money. And that interest is not in your practice or family’s bank account and will not ever be!
- Pay a staffer to sit for 1/2 to 1 or more hours on the phone trying to facilitate payment of an insurance amount? It is somewhat typical for a staff member to be on the phone with an insurance company representative who is located out of the country - typically India or the Philippines, for 30 to 60 minutes at a time, concerning one claim which still may not be paid. Ever. And - how much do you pay that staff member per hour?
- Write a “by report” for an insurance billing - after it’s already been returned for ‘more info’, and you spend time explaining the ‘medical necessity’, only to be rejected for payment. How much should you be making per hour? You just cost yourself twice that by a) not treating another patient during that time, and b) wasting your time writing such nonsense that the insurance company may or may not accept.
- Think of communicative tools that are as manipulative as “usual and customary fee?” Whose usual? Whose customary? What on earth does that mean? Let me translate: It means, “These words make the patient think if you are over the ‘usual and customary’ fee, your fee is somehow exorbitant and improper. “ Several recent legal cases have shown that the UCR utilized by insurance companies was neither valid, accurate nor reliable. (Davekos v Liberty Mutual Ins. Co, NY Atty General and Ingenix UCR database, “which was shown to downwardly manipulate the data,” McCoy et al. v Health Net et al and others.)
- Wait amazing amounts of time while the insurance gathers interest on YOUR money?
- Have patients who carry two insurances, one for the husband and one for the wife, and find that the “secondary” insurance company denies any payment because the “primary” insurance company has already paid some of the billing, and the secondary insurance company’s small print in the contract pays nothing further. (Even if the patients pay for 2 insurance coverages.) And you’ve waited for your payment, never to come, then have to bill the patient and wait some more - possibly never to come.
- Accept a credit card payment for which you pay a percentage
Once your patient has consented to treatment, it is their responsibility to pay on the day of service. It is the responsibility of the dental insurance carrier (a third party) to directly reimburse the patient for the portion of the procedure that is covered. The actual contract is between the patient, usually as an employee and the insurance company.
Even if the patient makes the mistake of believing that the contract is between the dentist and the insurance company, it is not. You must be clear on that and let the patient know your expectations BEFORE treatment is begun. A written contract between you and the patient or parent is recommended.
Assignment of benefits to you costs you a heavy financial and most undesirable burden in your practice, most especially when you multiply it by hundreds of patients.
Outstanding over-the-top dental and orthodontic care, is your privilege, honor, and responsibility. It is based on a relationship between you and the patient, without interference from third parties.
When the payment is made by the patient, it is a clear statement that they are taking an active interest in their dental health, their loyalty is to you, and that they value your service.
Stay out of the relationship between the patient and their insurance carrier and employer. Make your relationship with the patient fantastic, based on outstanding, over-the-top dental and orthodontic care.
- Published on
This is a BIG deal - dentists do not get an MBA in dental school. They typically do not even get so much as a course in business. Dental school is not designed to teach dentists how to run a business. Dental or medical school is designed to train doctors to care for patients.
Perhaps the best book in print right now on the business of operating a dental practice is Michael E. Gerber's "The E-Myth Dentist."
To be successful (and that is defined differently for each person), we must have a growing business.
Author Jim Rohn wrote, "If you don't design your own life plan, chances are you'll fall into someone else's plan. And guess what they have planned for you? Not much."
"The whole problem with dentist-as-employee versus dentist-as-business owner, is that in our dentist-as-employee role, we want and expect the salary for the job done, but really hate to have to look at what the costs are and what monies are needed to run the business, including investment capital for growth. " -- Dr Chris Baker
The best book on pediatric dental care and health of children is Dr Chris Baker's "Your Child's Smile."
Dental school prepares us to be technically capable. Just how capable and outstanding is up to us. With time and work IN our practices, and with continuing education, we can grow, learn and sharpen our skills.
However - and this is a BIG deal - we do not get an MBA in dental school. We do not even get so much as a course in business. Dental school is not designed to teach us how to run a business. Dental or medical school is designed to train doctors to care for patients.
And many to most of us end up in private practice. Guess what that is? A business.
A dental practice is a business that most of us don’t see as a business. We see it through our eyes of caring for our patients, as — get ready for this — a place to “do” dentistry and make a living. That is what it should be.
However, without the dentist having some training and education in how to run a business, the practice can become:
- an overwhelming amount of work for a doctor who has to work to manage the business-end of things after hours and on weekends. Some of you are spending 60 or more hours a week total, trying to get it all to work.
- a siphon for the practice’s hard-earned money to flow to insurance companies, dental suppliers, patients who do not pay promptly or at all, landlords, banks, and the government.
- a job for you that takes most of your free time away from your family, not to mention your emotional well-being and peace of mind.
- stress, stress, stress.
Most dentists do things backwards. We are first, technical experts in our profession; second, a manager of our business; and third, an entrepreneur. We need to switch that around, but our passion lies in the first, technical expertise.
We went into dentistry to “do” dentistry. Yet we can enjoy the dentistry even more when the management and entrepreneurship are “up front”, well-handled and flowing.
So here we are, in our practice, and… If you, as the dentist, are thinking of yourself as a dentist-as-employee, that mentality often lets the insurance companies in. These companies love to take the job and salary of a “manager.”
Contemplate the fact that insurance companies in today’s world really function as managers of most of the dental practices into which they are allowed.
As Jim Rohn so beautifully explains, ”if you don't have a plan for your life, you fall into somebody else's plan.” Guess what they have planned for you – taking as much money from your practice as possible.
To be successful (and that is defined differently for each person) we must have a growing business. To have a growing, successful business, we must work on our practice, and not just in our practice (as the technician).
Understand, there are plenty of other people and businesses who have great plans for the money you earn in your practice, and it’s not just the insurance companies. It includes the suppliers (dental supply companies), the government (Medicaid and Medicare), the patients (who do not pay their bills - on time or at all).
Another example of others who have great plans for the money earned by dentists are corporate dental companies and their executives. With student loan debt skyrocketing, young dental school graduates are working for corporations as employees, working unbelievably hard, for less compensation than should be for the work being done. And, these corporations typically make millions.
As dentists, our personalities tend to be overly giving to the point that we hurt ourselves and our families. We seem to think that, in some way, we shouldn't be charging for our services, or that we should charge, but just not too much. What is that about?
I think it's about our natures, which tend to be approval-addicted, as we attempt to love and care for everybody we can.
We hire staff members and expect them to carry out our wishes, and don't even have a system in place so they know exactly what that those wishes and systems are. First, it shouldn't be our wishes, but rather the needs of our business that determines what they do. Second, we need to have this all systematized, so that the staff members know what it is is expected of them.
The whole problem with dentist-as-employee versus dentist-as-business owner, is that in our dentist-as-employee role, we want and expect the salary for the job done, but really hate to have to look at what the costs are and what monies are needed to run the business, including investment capital for growth.
The scariest growth is growth that occurs and requires more capital, more employees, supplies, and equipment — and we have no monies available. So we take it from our families, our living. Or, that growth potential falls flat on its face.
We don’t get this stuff in dental school, and then we find ourselves in business without a good understanding of our business. Yes, you are dedicated to learning and growing in dentistry. But you could use some mentoring, help. advice, on systematizing and learning to work ON your business, as well as IN your practice.
Start with the book by Michael E. Gerber, The E Myth Dentist. It’s a great read. Then, think about topics like free-market dentistry, how to transition from being “under the thumb” of insurance companies to being in the “free market”, (Can you get out of insurance and have a great practice? - YES), how to take control of your practice, how to have everything you need to be congruent with what you want to do.
Management, marketing and finances all depend on your vision - what you want, first and foremost, from and in your practice.
There are answers. They lie in learning more about your business. You’ll actually spend less time ON the business when you start understanding more about it, and can even spend less time IN your business as well, without giving up your hard-earned living. I’ve done it. I’ve systematized. I have lots and lots of systems and plans already documented that can be shared. I’ve seen the results.
You know what? Most dentists live their practice lives on other people’s terms - those of insurance companies, staff, family members, colleagues. Their days are spent achieving other people’s goals and working toward other people’s agendas. Be one of the five percent who don’t.
Right now, you have the choice — step forward into growth and development through self-education, or step backwards into apparent safety and security, which are only apparent. You’re either growin’ or you’re dyin’.
Don’t get pulled into other people’s stuff that doesn’t serve you well!
There are other people working ON this practice and business stuff. Want a book list? Want recommendations for GREAT seminars? Want to be part of the Mastermind group to share and learn more about this, through email, online, in person, etc.? Contact me. There are so many great things going on; ideas, mentorship and structure. In the meantime, get The E-Myth Dentist, and read it, then read Gerber’s The Most Successful Small Business in the World, Jim Rohn’s The Twelve Pillars.
However - and this is a BIG deal - we do not get an MBA in dental school. We do not even get so much as a course in business. Dental school is not designed to teach us how to run a business. Dental or medical school is designed to train doctors to care for patients.
And many to most of us end up in private practice. Guess what that is? A business.
A dental practice is a business that most of us don’t see as a business. We see it through our eyes of caring for our patients, as — get ready for this — a place to “do” dentistry and make a living. That is what it should be.
However, without the dentist having some training and education in how to run a business, the practice can become:
- an overwhelming amount of work for a doctor who has to work to manage the business-end of things after hours and on weekends. Some of you are spending 60 or more hours a week total, trying to get it all to work.
- a siphon for the practice’s hard-earned money to flow to insurance companies, dental suppliers, patients who do not pay promptly or at all, landlords, banks, and the government.
- a job for you that takes most of your free time away from your family, not to mention your emotional well-being and peace of mind.
- stress, stress, stress.
Most dentists do things backwards. We are first, technical experts in our profession; second, a manager of our business; and third, an entrepreneur. We need to switch that around, but our passion lies in the first, technical expertise.
We went into dentistry to “do” dentistry. Yet we can enjoy the dentistry even more when the management and entrepreneurship are “up front”, well-handled and flowing.
So here we are, in our practice, and… If you, as the dentist, are thinking of yourself as a dentist-as-employee, that mentality often lets the insurance companies in. These companies love to take the job and salary of a “manager.”
Contemplate the fact that insurance companies in today’s world really function as managers of most of the dental practices into which they are allowed.
As Jim Rohn so beautifully explains, ”if you don't have a plan for your life, you fall into somebody else's plan.” Guess what they have planned for you – taking as much money from your practice as possible.
To be successful (and that is defined differently for each person) we must have a growing business. To have a growing, successful business, we must work on our practice, and not just in our practice (as the technician).
Understand, there are plenty of other people and businesses who have great plans for the money you earn in your practice, and it’s not just the insurance companies. It includes the suppliers (dental supply companies), the government (Medicaid and Medicare), the patients (who do not pay their bills - on time or at all).
Another example of others who have great plans for the money earned by dentists are corporate dental companies and their executives. With student loan debt skyrocketing, young dental school graduates are working for corporations as employees, working unbelievably hard, for less compensation than should be for the work being done. And, these corporations typically make millions.
As dentists, our personalities tend to be overly giving to the point that we hurt ourselves and our families. We seem to think that, in some way, we shouldn't be charging for our services, or that we should charge, but just not too much. What is that about?
I think it's about our natures, which tend to be approval-addicted, as we attempt to love and care for everybody we can.
We hire staff members and expect them to carry out our wishes, and don't even have a system in place so they know exactly what that those wishes and systems are. First, it shouldn't be our wishes, but rather the needs of our business that determines what they do. Second, we need to have this all systematized, so that the staff members know what it is is expected of them.
The whole problem with dentist-as-employee versus dentist-as-business owner, is that in our dentist-as-employee role, we want and expect the salary for the job done, but really hate to have to look at what the costs are and what monies are needed to run the business, including investment capital for growth.
The scariest growth is growth that occurs and requires more capital, more employees, supplies, and equipment — and we have no monies available. So we take it from our families, our living. Or, that growth potential falls flat on its face.
We don’t get this stuff in dental school, and then we find ourselves in business without a good understanding of our business. Yes, you are dedicated to learning and growing in dentistry. But you could use some mentoring, help. advice, on systematizing and learning to work ON your business, as well as IN your practice.
Start with the book by Michael E. Gerber, The E Myth Dentist. It’s a great read. Then, think about topics like free-market dentistry, how to transition from being “under the thumb” of insurance companies to being in the “free market”, (Can you get out of insurance and have a great practice? - YES), how to take control of your practice, how to have everything you need to be congruent with what you want to do.
Management, marketing and finances all depend on your vision - what you want, first and foremost, from and in your practice.
There are answers. They lie in learning more about your business. You’ll actually spend less time ON the business when you start understanding more about it, and can even spend less time IN your business as well, without giving up your hard-earned living. I’ve done it. I’ve systematized. I have lots and lots of systems and plans already documented that can be shared. I’ve seen the results.
You know what? Most dentists live their practice lives on other people’s terms - those of insurance companies, staff, family members, colleagues. Their days are spent achieving other people’s goals and working toward other people’s agendas. Be one of the five percent who don’t.
Right now, you have the choice — step forward into growth and development through self-education, or step backwards into apparent safety and security, which are only apparent. You’re either growin’ or you’re dyin’.
Don’t get pulled into other people’s stuff that doesn’t serve you well!
There are other people working ON this practice and business stuff. Want a book list? Want recommendations for GREAT seminars? Want to be part of the Mastermind group to share and learn more about this, through email, online, in person, etc.? Contact me. There are so many great things going on; ideas, mentorship and structure. In the meantime, get The E-Myth Dentist, and read it, then read Gerber’s The Most Successful Small Business in the World, Jim Rohn’s The Twelve Pillars.
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Dr Chris Baker's book on pediatric dentistry and orthodontics, Your Child's Smile is a priceless guide to the oral health of young people.
White spot lesions on teeth result from acid-producing pathogenic bacteria that demineralize the tooth surface.
For years, Dr Chris has used Pro-Seal, from Reliance Orthodontics, to help orthodontic patients avoid white spot lesions on their teeth.
A patient's high plaque level can cause white spot lesions to form.
If you look closely, you can see early stages of white spot lesions on this patient's upper teeth.
Damage to the teeth from white spot lesions often begin near the gum line or between teeth.
Dr Chris' book, Your Child's Smile, is a parent's perfect guide to their child's oral health.
White spot lesions on teeth result from acid-producing pathogenic bacteria that demineralize the tooth surface.
This begins the process of tooth decay. While these lesions occur in patients without any orthodontic or other dental intervention, they also occur during orthodontic treatment. The tooth damage results from the bacterial acids etching and eating away at the tooth structure. There is something you can do to greatly reduce the risk - more on that below.
The interplay between three areas will determine the risk and actuality of damage during orthodontic treatment: These are the orthodontic treatment (medical intervention); secondly, the complex human body existing in its environment, nature, including the trillions of microbes we call the microbiome; and third, the patients’ and parents’ degree of participation in care of that body.
Which of these areas can you impact to reduce the risk of damage? How can you provide that impact? The answers to these questions are important to all of us who offer and provide orthodontic treatment to transform lives.
To address these, we examine the aforementioned three factors of interplay:
The health of the human body and its microbiome is almost completely out of our purview, except that we can encourage the patient/parent to be aware of healthful practices that strengthen, not weaken, the microbiome.
The degree of participation of the patient/parent is again, almost completely out of our purview. But, we can encourage the oral health care practices (regular dental care, excellent oral hygiene and related) and the proper participation in orthodontic therapy. This includes wearing elastics and appliances and controlling oral hygiene so as to reduce the time of the orthodontic appliances being in situ (on the teeth).
The area of medical intervention is the area where we have some ways to mitigate the risk of white spot lesions. Unfortunately, this amounts to only one-third of the total factors at play. Remember that each human body is part of the complexity of nature and has its risks of harm, both with and without medical intervention.
Remember, there are two other huge factors at play. Even with your best efforts and knowledge, you cannot absolutely prevent white spot lesions. Fortunately, you can mitigate the risks. First, identify your patients who are most at-risk and consider the following.
Mitigate the risk:
ProSeal is a smooth surface sealant that sets completely without an oxygen-inhibited layer. This creates a smooth hard surface that protects the enamel. It resists toothbrush abrasion and can be used under any bracketing system. After using ProSeal/LED ProSeal with all orthodontic patients for many years and after seeing the results, including with extremely high-risk decay patients, I would not provide orthodontic treatment without it. With ProSeal usage, white spot lesion incidence is minimized. And, the sealant contains a UV fluorescing agent for easy monitoring of its presence over treatment times, so you can reapply as needed. This provides significant protection against acidic damage to the enamel surface.
Because white spot lesions appear much more frequently in males than in females, (the Tufekci study showed 76% of patients with such damage were male) observation with appropriate referral to Pediatric Dentist or GP for regular evaluative and preventive care is especially important in boys, and appropriate encouragement of adjunctive therapies, as above, should be considered especially in boys with higher plaque levels. 6
That’s what you can do in your Medical Intervention of Orthodontic Treatment!
The Second Factor: The Human Body Existing in its Environment, Nature
Our human bodies are not capable of regulating themselves, like “physiologic islands,” but each body rather, exists and is regulated - or not - in tandem with trillions of microorganisms, hosted by the body. As science discovers and reports this amazing interplay of bacterial life and the human body, we begin to be awed and quite frankly, stymied by how to best reduce risks and control the “bad bugs,” and allow the “good bugs” to flourish. If they do not, the human body does not survive. You have heard the idea of ingesting “good bugs” called “probiotics,” which are micro-organisms that keep us healthy and alive.
The National Institute for Health, NIH, Human Microbiome Project defined normal bacterial makeup of the body, and reported that microbes inhabit almost every part of the human body, including the skin, the GI tract and respiratory tract. Most of the time these bacteria live in harmony with the body and provide necessary functions for human survival, including major immune and anti-inflammation functions.
These microbes outnumber human cells in your body by ten times. Remember, there are trillions of them in your body, though the microbes are much smaller than human cells, so they are only about 1-3 percent of your body weight - about as much as your brain. In a 200 pound man, that would be 2-6 pounds of weight of bacteria.
The project calculated that more than 10,000 different microbial species are in human bodies, and the researchers believe they have identified 81-99 percent of those microbes.
What do the friendly bugs do for us? They provide enzymes so we can digest our own food, and absorb what we need. They produce vitamins and anti-inflammatories that we cannot. They help pregnant women prepare for birth, changing the vaginal microbial population to a healthy one for the baby to pass through, and provide the baby with its first dose of microbes that the baby will need. The friendly bugs help your body deal with the unfriendly bugs.
Researchers found that almost everyone routinely carries pathogens or “bad bugs.” In healthy people, they cause no disease, and just co-exist with the body (their host) and its total microbiome. However, these pathogens are etiologic in disease states such as infections, heart disease and cancers.
Additionally, nutrition and diet are critical parts of the body’s interaction with its environment, as frequent snacking and high carbohydrates and sugars help the pathogens overtake the friendly microbes.
In dentistry we are most aware of the potential pathologic bacteria-host interactions that cause gingivitis, decay, periodontal disease and other oral pathology. This is a factor about which you, as the doctor, can contribute little to reduce the risk of white spot lesions. The most healthful lifestyles and habits are up to the patient. Your encouragement might be helpful - but often the lifestyles and habits do not change.
Finally, the third factor which is the patient’s (and, for a child patient, the parents’) degree of participation, again, offer your encouragement. But expend your energy on the medical intervention - your treatment - and consider terminating treatment if it is appropriate to help the patient whose participation is inadequate. A word about prevention - if before treatment is begun, a parent says to you, “My child won’t…” - the parent is right. Save yourself the headache, save the parent and child the angst, and don’t start treatment.
As you consider the interplay between these three areas that determine the risk and actuality of damage during orthodontic treatment, you can know where you can impact the risks and how you can do so. Once you determine these, you can then happily provide orthodontic treatment that transforms lives, including your own, and help people have beautiful smiles, the best possible self-view, and the most comfortable and functional occlusion possible.
This begins the process of tooth decay. While these lesions occur in patients without any orthodontic or other dental intervention, they also occur during orthodontic treatment. The tooth damage results from the bacterial acids etching and eating away at the tooth structure. There is something you can do to greatly reduce the risk - more on that below.
The interplay between three areas will determine the risk and actuality of damage during orthodontic treatment: These are the orthodontic treatment (medical intervention); secondly, the complex human body existing in its environment, nature, including the trillions of microbes we call the microbiome; and third, the patients’ and parents’ degree of participation in care of that body.
Which of these areas can you impact to reduce the risk of damage? How can you provide that impact? The answers to these questions are important to all of us who offer and provide orthodontic treatment to transform lives.
To address these, we examine the aforementioned three factors of interplay:
- The Medical Intervention
- The Human Body Existing in its Environment, Nature
- The patient’s (and, for a child patient, the parents’) degree of participation.
The health of the human body and its microbiome is almost completely out of our purview, except that we can encourage the patient/parent to be aware of healthful practices that strengthen, not weaken, the microbiome.
The degree of participation of the patient/parent is again, almost completely out of our purview. But, we can encourage the oral health care practices (regular dental care, excellent oral hygiene and related) and the proper participation in orthodontic therapy. This includes wearing elastics and appliances and controlling oral hygiene so as to reduce the time of the orthodontic appliances being in situ (on the teeth).
The area of medical intervention is the area where we have some ways to mitigate the risk of white spot lesions. Unfortunately, this amounts to only one-third of the total factors at play. Remember that each human body is part of the complexity of nature and has its risks of harm, both with and without medical intervention.
Remember, there are two other huge factors at play. Even with your best efforts and knowledge, you cannot absolutely prevent white spot lesions. Fortunately, you can mitigate the risks. First, identify your patients who are most at-risk and consider the following.
Mitigate the risk:
- ProSeal (Reliance Orthodontic Products, Inc.)1
ProSeal is a smooth surface sealant that sets completely without an oxygen-inhibited layer. This creates a smooth hard surface that protects the enamel. It resists toothbrush abrasion and can be used under any bracketing system. After using ProSeal/LED ProSeal with all orthodontic patients for many years and after seeing the results, including with extremely high-risk decay patients, I would not provide orthodontic treatment without it. With ProSeal usage, white spot lesion incidence is minimized. And, the sealant contains a UV fluorescing agent for easy monitoring of its presence over treatment times, so you can reapply as needed. This provides significant protection against acidic damage to the enamel surface.
- Fluorides Some of these may be placed by your office or by the patient’s regular dentist. Most require patient participation and compliance. The patient must go for the office treatments, for the instructions, and/or utilize the recommended fluorides at home The fluorides may include, both in-office and home products. Fluoride agents like stannous fluoride and titanium fluoride deposit reservoirs on the tooth surface that may resist even low pH and severe decay challenges. Because it is critical that the patient maintain regular preventive and evaluative care, it is best to have the pediatric dentist or GP dentist provide the in-office fluorides, every 3-6 months, whether varnish or other preparation. Fluoride toothpastes, including Cari-Free, which claims to restore pH balance are at-home preparations.
-
Other adjuncts. These include
- Caseine treatments, like MI paste, which can be used at home daily,2
- Carbamide peroxide to restore pH balance3
- Xylitol gum. Be sure to recommend one that is bio-effective such as Xlear, and does not have other harmful ingredients such as artificial sweeteners that may interfere with the healthy microbiome.
- Probiotic supplements to work to maintain/restore the healthy microbiome.
- As Short-As-Feasible treatment time, to reduce the time over which the damage occurs. Although, it is important to know that the demineralization typically presents within the first six months of orthodontic bracket presence, and continues slowly over the next months.4
- Communication with patient/parent 5
- Communication with the patient’s Pedo/GP dentist 5
- Awareness of the Risk, and Refer, Refer, Refer
Because white spot lesions appear much more frequently in males than in females, (the Tufekci study showed 76% of patients with such damage were male) observation with appropriate referral to Pediatric Dentist or GP for regular evaluative and preventive care is especially important in boys, and appropriate encouragement of adjunctive therapies, as above, should be considered especially in boys with higher plaque levels. 6
That’s what you can do in your Medical Intervention of Orthodontic Treatment!
The Second Factor: The Human Body Existing in its Environment, Nature
Our human bodies are not capable of regulating themselves, like “physiologic islands,” but each body rather, exists and is regulated - or not - in tandem with trillions of microorganisms, hosted by the body. As science discovers and reports this amazing interplay of bacterial life and the human body, we begin to be awed and quite frankly, stymied by how to best reduce risks and control the “bad bugs,” and allow the “good bugs” to flourish. If they do not, the human body does not survive. You have heard the idea of ingesting “good bugs” called “probiotics,” which are micro-organisms that keep us healthy and alive.
The National Institute for Health, NIH, Human Microbiome Project defined normal bacterial makeup of the body, and reported that microbes inhabit almost every part of the human body, including the skin, the GI tract and respiratory tract. Most of the time these bacteria live in harmony with the body and provide necessary functions for human survival, including major immune and anti-inflammation functions.
These microbes outnumber human cells in your body by ten times. Remember, there are trillions of them in your body, though the microbes are much smaller than human cells, so they are only about 1-3 percent of your body weight - about as much as your brain. In a 200 pound man, that would be 2-6 pounds of weight of bacteria.
The project calculated that more than 10,000 different microbial species are in human bodies, and the researchers believe they have identified 81-99 percent of those microbes.
What do the friendly bugs do for us? They provide enzymes so we can digest our own food, and absorb what we need. They produce vitamins and anti-inflammatories that we cannot. They help pregnant women prepare for birth, changing the vaginal microbial population to a healthy one for the baby to pass through, and provide the baby with its first dose of microbes that the baby will need. The friendly bugs help your body deal with the unfriendly bugs.
Researchers found that almost everyone routinely carries pathogens or “bad bugs.” In healthy people, they cause no disease, and just co-exist with the body (their host) and its total microbiome. However, these pathogens are etiologic in disease states such as infections, heart disease and cancers.
Additionally, nutrition and diet are critical parts of the body’s interaction with its environment, as frequent snacking and high carbohydrates and sugars help the pathogens overtake the friendly microbes.
In dentistry we are most aware of the potential pathologic bacteria-host interactions that cause gingivitis, decay, periodontal disease and other oral pathology. This is a factor about which you, as the doctor, can contribute little to reduce the risk of white spot lesions. The most healthful lifestyles and habits are up to the patient. Your encouragement might be helpful - but often the lifestyles and habits do not change.
Finally, the third factor which is the patient’s (and, for a child patient, the parents’) degree of participation, again, offer your encouragement. But expend your energy on the medical intervention - your treatment - and consider terminating treatment if it is appropriate to help the patient whose participation is inadequate. A word about prevention - if before treatment is begun, a parent says to you, “My child won’t…” - the parent is right. Save yourself the headache, save the parent and child the angst, and don’t start treatment.
As you consider the interplay between these three areas that determine the risk and actuality of damage during orthodontic treatment, you can know where you can impact the risks and how you can do so. Once you determine these, you can then happily provide orthodontic treatment that transforms lives, including your own, and help people have beautiful smiles, the best possible self-view, and the most comfortable and functional occlusion possible.
- https://www.relianceorthodontics.com
- Lapenaite E, Lopatiene K, Ragauskaite A. Prevention and treatment of white spot lesions during orthodontic treatment: A systematic literature review Stomatologija, Baltic Dental and Maxillofacial Journal, 18: 3-8, 2016,
- https://www.speareducation.com/spear-review/2013/06/how-to-manage-white-spot-lesions.
- Tufekci E, Dixon JS, Gunsolley JC, Lindauer SJ. Prevalence of white spot lesions during orthodontic treatment with fixed appliances. Angle Orthod. 2011 Mar; 81(2):206-10. doi: 10.2319/051710-262.1.
- Maxfield BJ, Hamdan AM, Tüfekçi E, Shroff B, Best AM, Lindauer SJ. Development of white spot lesions during orthodontic treatment: Perceptions of patients, parents, orthodontists, and general dentists. March 2012. V 141: (3), 337–44.
- Tufekci E, Dixon JS, GunsolleyJC, and Lindauer SJ. Prevalence of white spot lesions during orthodontic treatment with fixed appliances. The Angle Orthodontist: March 2011, Vol. 81, No. 2, pp. 206-210.https://doi.org/10.2319/051710-262.1
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