Podcasts about kois center

Today's throwback episode features an in person interview with Dr. Brian Baliwas...the one and only @sfdentalnerd!  Zach and Kevin were asking about dental myths and Brian delivered! The discussion navigated through occlusion myths and explores contemporary approaches to occlusion. Brian shares insights from his education at the Kois Center, advocating for an 'outside in' approach to checking occlusion. The conversation further delves into the importance of orthodontics in setting up a stable bite for long-term restorative success. Brian also touches upon practical tips to avoid issues with veneers and crowns, emphasizing the significance of clearing the pathway for a more functional bite. Some links from the show: Brian's Instagram handle Kois Center Join the Very Dental Facebook group using the password "Timmerman," Hornbrook" or "McWethy," "Papa Randy" or "Lipscomb!" Very Clinical is brought to you by Zirc Dental Products, Inc., your trusted partner in dental efficiency and organization. The Very Clinical Corner segment features Kate Reinert, LDA, an experienced dental professional passionate about helping practices achieve clinical excellence.  Connect with Kate Reinert on LinkedIn: Kate Reinert, LDA  Book a call with Kate: Reserve a Call  Ready to upscale your team? Explore Zirc's solutions today: zirc.com  

In this episode, Dr. Schmidt sits down with Adamo Notarantonio, DDS, FICOI, FAACD, a highly regarded cosmetic dentist, to explore the often-overlooked power of composite in aesthetic dentistry. While porcelain options often take center stage in smile makeovers, Dr. Notarantonio shares why mastering composite artistry is not only essential for delivering beautiful results—but also for becoming a true craftsman in cosmetic dentistry. From repairing fractured teeth on teenagers to fine-tuning provisionals, he explains how composite skills translate into superior patient outcomes and provides a deeper understanding of smile design. (Dr. Notarantion will be a speaker at AGD2025, July 9-12.) They also dive into the mindset shift required to build a fulfilling aesthetic practice—from ways to build skill and reputation to learning how to communicate treatment possibilities with patients without overwhelming them. This conversation offers practical insight, real-world advice, and inspiration for dentists at every stage of their journey. Dr. Notarantonio graduated from the State University of New York at Stony Brook School of Dental Medicine (2002), where he received honors in removable and fixed prosthodontics. He is accredited by the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry and received his Fellowship in the AACD in 2018. He is the current President of the AACD, Credential Examiner and Fellowship Chairman. Dr. Notarantio is a graduate and faculty of the Kois Center. He has received his fellowship in the International Congress of Oral Implantologists. He has been published in multiple dental journals and lectures nationally and internationally on such topics as CAD/CAM dentistry, implant dentistry, cosmetic dentistry, composite dentistry, and dental photography. Tune in to hear how investing in your skills can transform both your dentistry and your career.

In this episode of Clinical Edge Fridays, Dr. Christian Coachman, founder of Digital Smile Design, brings in a very special guest. Dr. Dean Kois, son of the living legend, Dr. John Kois, shares what it's like working with one of dentistry's greatest, why the Kois Center was created, and about the upcoming collaboration course with DSD that you don't want to miss. If you want to become a great dentist, be sure to attend this course! To learn more about the upcoming event and how to join, listen to Episode 852 of The Best Practices Show!Learn More About Dr. Coachman & Dr. Kois:Join Dr. Coachman on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/christiancoachmanFollow Dr. Coachman on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chriscoachmanLearn more about Digital Smile Design: https://digitalsmiledesign.comListen to Dr. Coachman's podcast, Coffee Break with Coachman: https://open.spotify.com/show/4ADCrWhqsUKbHmZtkhhgoBRegister for DSD Residency 1 On Demand: https://digitalsmiledesign.com/dsd-residency-1-on-demandJoin Dr. Kois on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/drkoisFollow Dr. Kois on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/koisdentistryLearn more about the Kois Center: https://www.koiscenter.comRegister for Dr. John Kois and Dr. Coachman's Optimizing Clinical Outcomes course (March 20-21, 2025): https://www.koiscenter.com/optimizing-clinical-outcomesMore Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listenJoin The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpaDownload ACT's BPA app on the Apple App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/best-practices-association/id6738960360Download ACT's BPA app on the Google Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.actdental.join&hl=en_USJoin ACT's To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/tttSee the ACT Dental/BPA Live Event Schedule: https://www.actdental.com/eventGet The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazinePlease leave us a review on the podcast:

To kick off this Clinical Master Series, Dr. Christian Coachman, founder of Digital Smile Design, brings in Dr. Marta Revilla-León, prolific author and Director of Research in Digital Dentistry at the Kois Center, to talk about a unique upcoming opportunity to hear from the greatest voices in dentistry. Not only will you learn how to become an advanced digital user — you will hear from the living legend, Dr. John Kois, among other dental rock stars! To learn more about this amazing course and how to be a part of it, listen to Episode 846 of The Best Practices Show!Learn More About Dr. Coachman & Dr. Revilla- León:Join Dr. Coachman on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/christiancoachmanFollow Dr. Coachman on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chriscoachmanLearn more about Digital Smile Design: https://digitalsmiledesign.comListen to Dr. Coachman's podcast, Coffee Break with Coachman: https://open.spotify.com/show/4ADCrWhqsUKbHmZtkhhgoBRegister for DSD Residency 1 On Demand:

Part of the strategy of a successful practice, as our guest points out, is to get the patient to become part of the conversation. This of course helps with case acceptance and patient satisfaction. We'll be talking about the importance of cusp protection in our restorations and why it's so important to consider a crown versus composite restorative. We'll also discuss how the standardization of dental materials within a given practice helps improve efficiency and productivity. Dr. Derse is a mentor at the Kois Center in Seattle, WA and has lectured internationally on cosmetics, restorative dentistry, aligner therapy, and case presentation and acceptance.

Send us a textSuch a cool experience to be able to sit down with Dr. Revilla-León on Humpday Happy Hour™ yet again!

Send us a text

In this episode, Andy and Chris welcome Shameek Popat, a dental professional with an incredible journey and passion for dentistry and CEO/Founder of Tooth Angel. They take a trip down memory lane to explore Shameek's childhood and the importance of family in his life, especially his close-knit connection to his uncle, who inspired him with a career in dentistry. Shameek's joyful outlook on life reflects his positive approach to both personal and professional challenges. He discusses his qualifications, from graduating from Guys in 1993 to earning an MSc in Sports Dentistry and an ICD Fellowship in recent years. He shares insights into the niche field of sports dentistry and explains some of the key issues. As a former dental practice owner for 18 years and now working as an associate, Shameek talks about the transition and overcoming owner fatigue. With connections in the dental world, both in the UK and abroad, he chats about his experiences mentoring at the Kois Center in Seattle and how dental education compares between the UK and the US. Finally, he talks about the story behind Tooth Angel, the innovative dental care product company he founded and shares the inspiration behind the brand and why it's set to make a big impact on dental practices. Topics: - Your childhood: where did you grow up? - What was family life like for you? - Were you close as an extended family? - Explain about your dental career to date, from graduating to earning an Msc in Sports Dentistry - Is sports dentistry a niche? - What are the specific issues present in sports, from a dentistry perspective? - Tell us about being a practice owner for 18 years - Did you suffer ‘owner fatigue'? - How did you find the transition from owner to associate? - Explain about your dental connections in the US & how dental education in the US is different to the UK - Tooth Angel – what's the story behind the brand and the inspiration?

Dr. Crystal is a comprehensive restorative dentist who practices in Mentor, Ohio. Her approach to patient care and practice management is to maintain curiosity, kindness, and excellence while providing a balanced approach, leaning in on evidenced based principles. She established her private practice in 2010 and is the sole owner operator of her boutique practice, and maintains staff dental staff hospital privileges at the University Hospital Lake Health since 2012. An avid and curious learner, she is a graduate of Case Western Reserve University, School of Dental Medicine and went on to receive training at one of the most prestigious dental residencies in the nation, The Audie L. Murphy VA Hospital Advanced Education in General Dentistry in San Antonio, TX. In private practice, Dr. Crystal keeps continuing education a top priority which countless hours of education yearly as well as remaining active in several local and national study clubs. She graduated from esteemed learning center continuums such as The Dawson Academy (2017) and The Kois Center (2023), as well as completed her MBA with emphasis on Healthcare Management in 2022. In her free time she enjoys fitness, cooking, reading, traveling, and spending time with her two children who provide endless laughter and adventures.

Thank you for tuning back into this two-part interview, where Dr. Dennis Hartlieb sits down with Dr. Betsy Bakeman to delve into her journey in dentistry. They discuss her roles as president of the AARD and AACD, her private practice experience, and her teaching position at the Kois Center. They also offer valuable insights on establishing healthy work boundaries, building strong patient referrals with specialists, and effectively showcasing your skills to the community. For a video version of the interview, highlights and more, check out⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠our blog post⁠.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Connect with Dr. Dennis Hartlieb and the DOT Team! Subscribe to our ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube Channel⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. | Follow us ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠on Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. | Learn about ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠becoming a DOT Member⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

This week's guest is Dr. Doug Thompson, a pioneer in understanding the connection between oral health and overall well-being. In 2016, he founded the Wellness Dentistry Network to encourage dentists to adopt this more holistic approach, moving beyond the traditional focus on drilling and filling teeth.Doug also serves on the American Academy of Systemic Health Board and is an adjunct faculty member and clinical instructor at the Kois Center. Doug started his journey as a lab technician, working by day and taking classes by night. This determined path led him to become a dentist in his 30s. Despite his hard work, Doug strongly believes in "living your life along the way," ensuring he enjoys experiences beyond his professional career.ResourcesFollow your curiosity, connect, and join our ever-growing community of extraordinary minds.CariFree WebsiteCariFree on InstagramCariFree on FacebookCariFree on PinterestDr. Kim Kutsch on LinkedInDr. Doug Thompson on LinkedInWellness Dentistry Network WebsiteIntegrative Oral Medicine WebsiteWhat's In This EpisodeDoug's unconventional journey to dentistry.How Doug has faced challenges in his life and career.The art of the late-life career shift.How passion and faith combine for Doug.

In this two-part interview, Dr. Dennis Hartlieb sits down with Dr. Betsy Bakeman to delve into her journey in dentistry. They discuss her roles as president of the AARD and AACD, her private practice experience, and her teaching position at the Kois Center. They also offer valuable insights on establishing healthy work boundaries, building strong patient referrals with specialists, and effectively showcasing your skills to the community. For a video version of the interview, highlights and more, check out⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠our blog post⁠.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Connect with Dr. Dennis Hartlieb and the DOT Team! Subscribe to our ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube Channel⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. | Follow us ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠on Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. | Learn about ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠becoming a DOT Member⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

This week's guest is the rebellious Leon Hermanides, Owner and President of Protea Dental Studio in Redmond Washington. He's also a Clinical Instructor and Scientific Advisor at the Kois Center. Leon's journey began in his native Zimbabwe, where his father was a prominent figure in the dental space who had vowed never to leave the country. However, it was a major surprise when his father decided to move the family to South Africa when Leon was 13.Across his life and career, Leon has embraced the idea of incremental change. At one point, he would make drastic changes overnight, believing that this would help his business evolve. However, he now realizes that the best results come from slowing down and figuring out the best changes over a longer period.ResourcesFollow your curiosity, connect, and join our ever-growing community of extraordinary minds.CariFree WebsiteCariFree on InstagramCariFree on FacebookCariFree on PinterestDr. Kim Kutsch on LinkedInLeon Hermanides on LinkedInProtea Dental Studio Website1. John Kois on Enriching The Heart, The Mind, and Dental IndustryTED Talk: The little risks you can take to increase your luck with Tina SeeligWhat's In This EpisodeLeon's journey across Africa, and then the world.How Leon embraced incremental change.How risk and reward impacted Leon's life.Why we should all strive to be extraordinary.

Today's guest is Dr. Mark Benavides, a dentist practicing in Ottawa, Illinois. Mark is a member of several prestigious organizations, including the American Academy of Restorative Dentistry and the International Congress of Oral Implantologists.He also uniquely serves as the Scientific Advisor for Computer Technology at the Kois Center. Mark is the only dentist member of iXorg, an organization that provides technical education and business networking to its members.In honor of Father's Day 2024, this episode features a few heartwarming stories about Mark's father - an incredible surgeon who inspired many people throughout his life.This episode contains some strong language. ResourcesFollow your curiosity, connect, and join our ever-growing community of extraordinary minds.CariFree WebsiteCariFree on InstagramCariFree on FacebookCariFree on PinterestDr. Kim Kutsch on LinkedInDr. Mark Benavides on LinkedInDr. Mark Benavides WebsiteWhat's In This EpisodeHow Mark's journey to becoming a surgeon changedWhy Mark's father was such an influential characterHow to spot an ‘asshole' at workWhy a smile goes a long way

On this episode of BUZZ, we are joined by special guest Dr. Michael Lowe, general dentist and inventor of the Tefball.  We explore the moment of inspiration as well as the entrepreneurial process, from design to manufacturing to distribution and marketing, as well as the challenges of bringing a product to market while running three thriving dental practices. Dr. Michael Lowe, a general dentist and the founder of Tefball, relocated to Victoria from Kentville, Nova Scotia in 2014. He holds a Doctor of Dental Surgery degree from Dalhousie University and an undergraduate degree from Michigan State University. Dr. Lowe is committed to continuous education, having completed advanced courses in soft tissue surgery, endodontics, orthodontics, and implant dentistry. He is currently studying at the Kois Center in Seattle, focusing on Aesthetic, Occlusion, and Restorative Dentistry. A CEREC Doctor Mentor, Dr. Lowe trains other dentists in CAD/CAM technology. His accolades include the Canadian Dental Association President's Award and the American College of Dentist's Award. He is an active member of various dental associations in both Canada and Oregon. Beyond his dental practice, Dr. Lowe enjoys golfing, hockey, hiking, and skiing. He also practices at Hillside Dental Centre in Victoria two days a week. For more information on Tefball, visit tefball.com.   Show Produced by Dentainment 
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 Dentainment is a Digital Creative Marketing Agency, providing services to the Dental Community such as:
Logo Design, 
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and more.   Discover the power of AI, video, social media, and more in ‘Best Dental Marketing,' the ultimate guide for Dental professionals looking to transform their marketing efforts and drive new patient growth. Learn more about Best Dental Marketing Here: https://bestdentalmarketing.com/   Sponsored by Basis Basis is a buy-now, pay-later financing solution where patients' credit scores do not determine their eligibility for financing.  Our goal is simple: To help maximize patient intake, while providing patients accessible financing without the hassle of a credit check. To learn more, please visit:  https://hellobasis.com/    

Head and neck cancer is the 7th most common cancer globally. Symptoms may include a lump in the neck, a sore in the mouth, or a sore throat that doesn't go away. During Oral Cancer Awareness Month, we want to take some time to spotlight the extraordinary dentists and practitioners who have taken on this little-understood cancer and survived.Today's guest is Dr. Michael R. Sesemann, a dentist, educator, and Nebraska Institute of Comprehensive Dentistry founder. Michael has been described as "the best dentist you've never heard of". He exudes a passion for his work that helped him through his cancer diagnosis.Michael served as the President of the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry between 2009 and 2010, is a member of seven American dental associations, and is currently an Adjunct Faculty Member at the Kois Center.In 2018, Michael found a lump on his neck. Like many people often do, Michael didn't get it checked out right away, after being told that it was probably just caused by allergies. When he found out that it was cancerous, he began a long and hard journey to recovery.ResourcesFollow your curiosity, connect, and join our ever-growing community of extraordinary minds.CariFree WebsiteCariFree on InstagramCariFree on FacebookCariFree on PinterestCariFree on TwitterDr. Kim Kutsch on LinkedInDr. Michael R. Sesemann on LinkedInThe Nebraska Institute of Comprehensive Dentistry WebsiteThe Nebraska Institute of Comprehensive Dentistry on LinkedInOral Cancer ResourcesDr. Michael R. Sesemann's Neck Lymph Node Exam VideoHead & Neck Cancer - Insights from Dr. Mike MilliganThe Oral Cancer Foundation WebsiteHead and Neck Cancer Alliance WebsiteChoose Hope WebsiteSide Effects Support WebsiteOral Cancer Cause WebsiteThe American Cancer Society - Seeking a Second OpinionCariFree Anticavity Fluoride Tooth GelWhat's In This EpisodeWhy Michael loves education.How he discovered the lump on his neck.Why parents should investigate the Gardasil 9 HPV Vaccine.Where Michael found hope in dark times.

This episode marks the first anniversary of Contrary to Ordinary. Thank you so much to all of our amazing guests, and to the listeners that have made this show extraordinary. It's also CariFree's 20th birthday! Another big thank you to everyone who has been a part of our amazing journey over the last two decades.In the last episode, we began our conversation with Dr. Betsy Bakeman, a private practice owner and expert in restorative and cosmetic dentistry. Betsy is included in an elite group of less than 300 dentists worldwide who are Accredited by the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry (AACD). In fact, she is one of 50 dentists worldwide and the first dentist in Michigan to have achieved the distinction of being an Accredited Fellow in the AACD.In Part 1, Betsy discussed the first people who believed in her, how much learning at the Kois Center means to her, and how important constructive criticism is to personal growth.Today, Betsy discusses the future of digital dentistry, her forward-thinking mentality, and we ponder why extraordinary people don't often see themselves that way.ResourcesFollow your curiosity, connect, and join our ever-growing community of extraordinary minds.CariFree WebsiteCariFree on InstagramCariFree on FacebookCariFree on PinterestCariFree on TwitterDr. Kim Kutsch on LinkedInDr Betsy Bakeman's WebsiteWhat's In This EpisodeThe future of digital in dentistryBetsy's mindset around teachingWhy she doesn't see herself as extraordinaryWhat excellence means to Betsy

In part two of this two-part interview, our host Dr. Dennis Hartlieb and guest Dr. Robert Margeas discuss communication in dentistry, Dr. Margeas' journey to becoming a scientific advisor at the Kois Center, and how he has achieved success in his own practice. Check out Dr. Margeas's private practice ⁠⁠here⁠.⁠ Due to technical difficulties, some parts of this episode may be difficult to hear. The complete interview transcript can be read on our website below. We apologize for the inconvenience! For a video version of the interview, highlights, transcript and more, check out⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠our blog post⁠.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Connect with Dr. Dennis Hartlieb and the DOT Team! Subscribe to our ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube Channel⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. | Follow us ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠on Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. | Learn about ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠becoming a DOT Member⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Dentists want every single one of their patients to walk away from a treatment with a smile that they can be proud of. If a practitioner can also make their patients feel comfortable in the alien world we inhabit, they must be doing something extraordinary, right?Today's guest is Dr. Betsy Bakeman, a private practice owner and expert in restorative and cosmetic dentistry. Betsy is included in an elite group of less than 300 dentists worldwide who are Accredited by the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry (AACD). She is one of 50 dentists worldwide and the first dentist in Michigan to have achieved the distinction of being an Accredited Fellow in the AACD.Betsy is also an adjunct faculty member and clinical instructor at the Kois Center which is where our conversation took place.Join us for part 2 of Betsy's interview.ResourcesFollow your curiosity, connect, and join our ever-growing community of extraordinary minds.CariFree WebsiteCariFree on InstagramCariFree on FacebookCariFree on PinterestCariFree on TwitterDr. Kim Kutsch on LinkedInDr Betsy Bakeman's WebsiteWhat's In This EpisodeThe people who first believed in BetsyWhat does being part of the Kois Center mean to Betsy?Building trust with patientsWhy constructive criticism is important to personal growth

How does one successfully launch a boutique dental practice in a saturated market like New York City? In this episode, we speak to, Dr. Arti Jagirdar, who shares her journey of establishing Flatiron Dental, a distinguished dental practice that offers more than just the basics. She offers a candid account of her decision to adopt a patient-centric, fee-for-service model and its subsequent impact on the practice. Dr. Jagirdar's unique offerings such as sleep apnea treatments and airway consultations have been key in differentiating Flatiron Dental in the bustling cityscape of New York.We also delve deeper into the nitty-gritty of setting up shop, from navigating lengthy lease negotiations to the vital role of legal consultations in contract signings. Dr. Jagirdar also recounts the unexpected challenge of a trademark battle over her practice's name, underlining the importance of resilience, legal advice, and the power of standing by your choices with integrity. Rounding up the conversation, we discuss the critical role of cultivating relationships and harnessing the power of word-of-mouth in attracting new patients to your practice, and how becoming a thought leader in the dental community can build a strong brand presence.What You'll Learn in This Episode:The importance of a unique service offering in a densely saturated marketInsights into the fee-for-service model in dentistryWhy never to sign a contract without a lawyer's approvalHow to handle unexpected challenge such as trademark disputesThe power of word-of-mouth and relationships in building a patient baseThe potential for thought leadership to strengthen your brandDon't miss this episode full of valuable insights from Dr. Jagirdar - it's brimming with lessons for anyone wanting to make their mark in a competitive market!‍‍Guest: Dr. Arti JagirdarPractice Name: Flatiron DentalCheck out Arti's Media:Website: https://www.flatirondentalnyc.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/flatirondental/Flatiron Dental Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5qHLpjIikJHlEOVv3Y7dYY?si=5d09cbd507704653‍Other Mentions and Links:‍Podcasts:438: DR. AVI PATEL | CLEAR ALIGNER ADVISORBooks:Man's Search for MeaningThe Denial of DeathThe Artist's Way: 30th Anniversary EditionSoftware:Open DentalBusinesses/Brands:Henry ScheinWonderist AgencyHDA Accounting FirmMethod - Unified SmilesTend Offices in NYCIdeal PracticesBreakaway SeminarsInvisalignQueensboro Plaza Dental CareLocations/Establishments:NYUFordham LawMount KilimanjaroKois CenterBanks/Financial Institutions:First Citizens BankBank of America Wells FargoHuntington BankProvideOrganizations:HIPAAOSHASpear EducationPeople/Connections:Robert MontgomeryDr. Michael NguyenDr. Frank SpearDr. Alina Lane - all smiles DentistryAlan Withall - Henry ScheinDr. Scott LeuneJayme Amos - Ideal PracticesElizabeth Mulderig - Ideal PracticesReed Wrisley - Practice Real Estate GroupPatrick Black - Precision Contracting CorpJaclyn Ionin - Intellectual Property AttorneyMike Gharib - Ideal PracticesChrystle Cu - CocoflossOther:Maslow's Hierarchy of NeedsMarfan Syndrome‍Host: Michael Arias‍Website: The Dental Marketer Join my newsletter: https://thedentalmarketer.lpages.co/newsletter/‍Join this podcast's Facebook Group: The Dental Marketer Society‍Please don't forget to share with us on Instagram when you are listening to the podcast AND if you are really wanting to show us love, then please leave a 5 star review on iTunes! [Click here to leave a review on iTunes]‍p.s. Some links are affiliate links, which means that if you choose to make a purchase, I will earn a commission. This commission comes at no additional cost to you. Please understand that we have experience with these products/ company, and I recommend them because they are helpful and useful, not because of the small commissions we make if you decide to buy something. Please do not spend any money unless you feel you need them or that they will help you with your goals.‍‍

684: The Evolution of Dental Education – Dr. John Kois & Dr. Christian CoachmanDentistry has undergone many changes — especially in education. In this episode, Kirk Behrendt and Dr. Christian Coachman bring in Dr. John Kois, founder and director of The Kois Center, to take a look at the past, present, and future of dental education, as well as a few simple ways you can become a better learner. Education has no end! To hear more about The Kois Center and how to become a lifelong learner, listen to Episode 684 of The Best Practices Show! Episode Resources:Learn more about The Kois Center: https://www.koiscenter.comRegister for Course 165 at The Kois Center: https://www.koiscenter.com/courses/165-treatment-planning-functional-occlusionFollow Dr. Kois on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/koisdentistry Join Dr. Coachman on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/christiancoachman Follow Dr. Coachman on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chriscoachman Learn more about Digital Smile Design: https://digitalsmiledesign.com Register for DSD Residency 1: https://digitalsmiledesign.com/dsd-residency-1-on-demand Subscribe to The Best Practices Show podcast: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listenJoin ACT's To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/tttSee ACT's Live Events Schedule: https://www.eventbrite.com/cc/act-dental-live-workshops-306239Get The Best Practices Magazine for free! https://www.actdental.com/magazineWrite a review on iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show/id1223838218Links Mentioned in This Episode:Read Black Box Thinking by Matthew Syed: https://bookshop.org/p/books/black-box-thinking-why-most-people-never-learn-from-their-mistakes-but-some-do-matthew-syed/7680742?ean=9781591848226Main Takeaways:Keep a beginner's mind.There is no end to improvement.Educate your mind as well as your heart.Find ways to stay passionate about dentistry.Surround yourself with mentors as soon as possible.Quotes:“I feel that it's important to maintain a childlike curiosity to continue to grow. I always want to be better tomorrow than I was today.” (4:12—4:23) -Dr. Kois“I used to talk to my graduate students when they finished their...

Today we're going to introduce a game changer in the dental practice management software world...‍‍This is an innovative, all-in-one, cloud-based practice management software, and it offers an array of powerful features that are custom built for dentists by dentists ready to revolutionize the way you work. ‍If you are a start-up and decide to sign up with Oryx, they will NOT charge you a single dime, until you reached 200 active patients!⁠⁠They are partnering up with all startup practice owners and making sure you succeed, fast!⁠⁠ Click this link to schedule a FREE personalized demo and to see more on their exclusive deal!⁠‍‍In this gripping episode of The Dental Marketer, follow the journey of Dr. Preeya Genz, from her early dreams of becoming a dentist to becoming the proud owner of her own practice, "the Whole Tooth," in Dallas, Texas. Dr. Genz shares her experiences working in different environments, including high-stress Dental Services Organizations (DSOs), sharing their impact on her career, her values, and her life. Listen as she talks about her dream boutique practice, how it faltered, and the trials she faced while working in her second DSO. Gain insight into her attempt at a practice partnership, the reasons why it didn't pan out, and the leap of faith she took to win her dream by purchasing her own practice on a loan.Tune into The Dental Marketer today to hear Dr. Genz's journey navigating the highs and lows while pursuing her dental dream!‍Guest: Preeya GenzPractice Name: the Whole ToothCheck out Preeya's Media:Website: https://www.thewholetoothtexas.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thewholetoothtexas/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheWholeToothTexas‍Other Mentions and Links:‍Tools/Resources:OryxDentrixEasy DentalEaglesoftLocations/Establishments:Kois CenterBusinesses/BrandsDoc In A BoxPeople/Communities:Dr. John Kois‍Host: Michael Arias‍Website: The Dental Marketer Join my newsletter: https://thedentalmarketer.lpages.co/newsletter/‍Join this podcast's Facebook Group: The Dental Marketer Society‍‍What You'll Learn in This Episode:How Dr. Genz's early exposure to dentistry shaped her career path.The struggles she encountered working in a high-stress DSO environment and how it influenced her values.The ride of running a boutique-style dental practice and the economic downturn that led to its demise.The impact of changing management practices and policies on overall work environment in her second experience with a DSO.The reason behind her decision to buy her own dental practice.The maneuvering skills needed to team build and set professional boundaries, inside and outside the office.How to strike a perfect balance between a career as a healthcare provider and a business owner.‍Please don't forget to share with us on Instagram when you are listening to the podcast AND if you are really wanting to show us love, then please leave a 5 star review on iTunes! [Click here to leave a review on iTunes]‍p.s. Some links are affiliate links, which means that if you choose to make a purchase, I will earn a commission. This commission comes at no additional cost to you. Please understand that we have experience with these products/ company, and I recommend them because they are helpful and useful, not because of the small commissions we make if you decide to buy something. Please do not spend any money unless you feel you need them or that they will help you with your goals.‍Episode Transcript (Auto-Generated - Please Excuse Errors)Michael: All right. It's time to talk with our featured guest, Dr. Preeya Genz. Preeya, how's it going? Preeya: Going great December and we're making it so far, which is great. Michael: That's awesome. And in December you're in Dallas, you said, right? It's super cold out there. I know like in the past it's been frozen.Preeya: It's bipolar weather. So some days it's. It's 65. I think it was 85 last week, but then it was also like 33. Um, so the days will swing from super high to low and then everything in between. So at this moment, I think it's like 63 it's sunny. It's beautiful. But I think tomorrow there's an 80 percent chance of rain and it's going down to the forties.That's crazy. Michael: Last week it was eighties. Oh my gosh, it's all over the place for you out there. Interesting. Does that affect like your I don't know what you plan to do, for example, like practice or is it like, nope, rain or shine, snow or whatever, we're open all the time. Preeya: I mean, sometimes it does, especially if like we have patients who will travel from like East Texas or Oklahoma.And for them, obviously the, the weather matters a little bit more. Um, so there's either delays or they decide. Maybe not the best idea, um, when it's hot and sunny, everyone's just complaining that it's hot and sunny. And when it's cold and wet, everyone's complaining it's cold and wet. And so for the most part, we just deal with it, wear layers and hope for the best.Michael: Yeah. Okay. Nice. Nice. Awesome. So if you can tell us a little bit about your past, your present, how'd you get to where you are today? that's a fun Preeya: question. Um, okay. So I grew up in Canada, moved down to Texas halfway through high school, and then spent the next decade trying to leave Texas. So went to college in New Orleans.Um, Learned I wanted to become a dentist when I was in like 8th grade, did a career survey thing, loved artistic things, working with my hands, Loved the science and healthcare aspect of things and had a dentist across the street who I babysat for and he lived a great lifestyle. And I thought, Oh, this looks pretty easy.I like this. So went to college in New Orleans, then, um, went to dental school here in Dallas. And within, I think, a week of graduation, we had moved out to the DC area. I worked for Doc in a box for about eight months. I think I made it eight months and. Realized very quickly. It was not my favorite place to be for a variety of reasons.Um, and we ended up moving out to the West coast to Washington state where I, um, got to work in what I thought was my dream practice. It was like the dental office coffee shop. Like we had espresso for patients. We had fresh baked chocolate chip cookies. All of the perks and benefits, um, super, super boutique, and it was owned by a clinical instructor at the Coyce Center. and so I learned about John Coyce and kind of Coyce centered dentistry a year out of dental school. And so my perspective has always been post grad has been looking at it from the perspective that John Coyce teaches at the Coyce Center. so I was there, I was in Washington for almost seven years.I worked for the first practice for about. Oh, like six months. And then the economy tanked. That was, uh, 2008 going like a bunch of employees, like everything went sideways. All the promises of what you can do as a dentist were kind of just shattered and broken. And, um, he found me a home at a practice that had four.Other dentists open 6 days a week, 12 hour days, and we all rotated through and the owner was a mentor at the voice center as well. So it was a very different form of voice dentistry. it was a much busier practice. The location was huge in terms of how everything worked. 3 days a week there and really got a sense of.The good, bad and ugly of how dentistry works. after that, I had a, we won and realized that 12 hour days were just not great when you have a newborn. And I ended up doing a start, like working for a startup that was. built by a denturist in Washington state denturists are, they can practice independently.They make dentures and, have a dental practice. So I worked for them for almost six months and it was somewhat disastrous, um, for a lot of reasons. Um, but learned a lot then moved into a practice that was more of like a very, very small DSO in Washington state that was. Privately owned, but he had like five practices along the Puget Sound and, um, did that time move back to Texas when we wanted sunshine, margaritas and grandparents to help with the two year old. worked for a DSO here for a couple of years, realized this was just not, it wasn't, it was a good way to like, get my lay of the land, learn more about. What dentistry is like in Dallas now and what I liked, didn't like location, all of that. And then, um, went into what was going to be a partnership with another colleague. but realized about a year and a half, two years in that I'd not bought into her practice, but. We had talked about doing it and I realized like our values just didn't quite align the way I wanted to practice was not the same as how she was running for practice and never was that going to actually work. ultimately ended up buying a, um, an existing practice that. Lived in a Victorian house where I'm sitting right now, and it was kind of the scaffolding of she had on the practice for 2025 years and really just needed someone to say, Hey, you need to retire. Let me buy your practice and and take over. So it ended up being kind of the scaffolding or building blocks for what I have.Now, so it's kind of like a glorified startup where I had, I had patients, so I had some cash flow, but I had to, you know, I changed out the flooring, took off the wallpaper, changed out the water lines, went from analog film processing to digital, all the things. And then we had to educate the patients in the value of.gums not be being inflamed and bloody and, um, look what we can see in these lovely big digital x rays. And, through this journey, I've always seen things from a risk based perspective where we're really looking at not just the teeth, but the whole person. What is the individual risk for each patient in terms of your. periodontal risk foundation, structural risk with carries and restorations, functional risk and airway.And, um, you know, aesthetically, what risks do we have in place? for me, I can't do that. And Two minutes or seven minutes. Like it's a, it's a conversation. Um, and so through this practice journey, everyone had always told me, like, you need to speed up, you need to talk less, you need to do more of the dentistry and more of the like selling, if you will.And it was always just like, I know, but like, how, how can I treat a stranger? How can I really get to the root of what's wrong with them if I don't take the time? And so. It was something that I mean, it's just been a recurrent theme to the point that when I left the practice, um, that I was going to buy into, I took like a six month sabbatical and really got into podcasts and all the different things learning like what, what do I need to be a business owner?Am I ready for this? What do I want to do? What does this look like? And really kind of getting into like, what would that be in real life as I worked on negotiating to buy this practice? and so a friend of mine was like, Oh, hey, by the way, I contacted the, uh, the dental. Director over at the DSO that I'd worked for for a couple of years just to see if maybe you could work there part time or something and I was like, no, you didn't.He's like, it's okay. He said, you're not a good fit for a DSO. And I was like, he's right. He's so right. I am not a DSO dog. Like I can't, I dance to my own tune. You can't tell me I have to sell a product. I don't believe in, you can't tell me I have to like meet these, Metrics, unless I believe in it, I want to do it.I want to do it for me. that was a big piece of kind of where me owning my own practice really came into play where I was like, I'm so broken. Like, no one does dentistry down here. Nobody does any of that stuff. Like, I need to do it myself and I need to create what it is that I want to practice in.And so that's really where we have landed. Um, circa about 2019, 2020, I realized And when I'm looking holistically at patients, and that's like holistically with a W, well, I also do care about what kind of materials, what kind of, you know, what toxins are residing in our oral environments and especially as dentists, like, what are we taking in as well? so like with my daughter, when she was born, we cloth diapered, you know, They're on organic, all the things like super much crunchier than I realized I was. I am one of those, like a kid has a fever. I'm not calling the doctor, like, let's figure out what's going on and you know, give it some time and see what we can do to heal before we medicate. and so that's my personal philosophy. And I realized like a lot of the patients I was attracting were those kinds of patients too, where they didn't trust a lot of the conventional things. They didn't necessarily, you know, they wanted to understand more than just like, Oh, I didn't brush and floss my teeth.And now I have these problems. Like what else is going on and do about it? That's not fluoride. What can I do about it? That's, you know, I'm doing everything that I should be doing otherwise. Why does this look like this? Why am I breaking down? And so really starting to cater to those patients. And, um, learn more about like what, what kind of dentistry does that was really where my practice, I think took a turn and, um, has allowed us to kind of get to where we are now, which is a biological or holistic dental practice, both with a W and just a straight up H.So crunch here, where we're looking at the whole person, we're looking at how do we detox? How do we reduce the toxic load for these patients, especially the ones who, I mean, they're just, they're sick. They've got Lyme. They've got, they're just more sensitive. They have other issues and everybody looks at them like they're crazy and dismisses them because they ask questions and they need somebody who can kind of be on their team.And even just listen, you know, a lot of what we do is the same as any other dentist stats, right? We're going to drill, we're going to fill, we're going to do local anesthetic, but. For some people, you know, the material matters a lot. for some people, they need to work a tooth at a time and then they need to.Beyond a detox protocol and they need to work with another provider who can help them to reduce the inflammation and just the response to any kind of trauma to their bodies. And so, it's been really interesting and eye opening and I probably learn more from my patients and they teach me at this point in time.Cause I'm like, oh, I don't know anything about that. Maybe I should find out. Um, so yeah. Interesting. Oh, and I guess the other piece of that is I did finish my voice. Center journey finished, but I did graduate like 10 years after I started at the center. And so that also factors big into the practice, um, in terms of how, I mean, it's a really good curriculum for merging, looking big picture, looking at the patient.And then also from a research evidence based perspective, factoring in the other parts and pieces of material safety, material science, biotoxicity, all of that stuff too. Michael: Yeah. No. Interesting. Okay. So real quick, tons of questions. But before we get into those questions, uh, how long have you, this acquisition started when and how long have you had Preeya: it?So I bought the practice in June of 2018, so we're at five and a half years. Okay. Five and a half years. Okay. Five and a half years. Cause COVID was in the middle of that, but you know. Does it count? Yeah. Just a bump in the road. No big deal. Michael: It's interesting. We rewind back. The lifestyle of the doctor you were, you said you were babysitting or you were, yeah, that's what attracted you.Are you, would you say, yeah, I'm living that lifestyle now?Preeya: No, I mean, it was a piece of it for me to it, but no, I mean, he, a, the lifestyle of a male dentist versus a female dentist is so different. I feel like. We need, we all need wives. I need a wife. Like my husband's super supportive. Thank goodness. Otherwise I wouldn't be here right this moment doing this thing. Um, but like, I think part of it too, is like, that was back in what the eighties nineties, how old am I? Oh, I'm going to say the nineties just for fun right now, early nineties, different lifestyle, right? Like the dentist lifestyle of, that era was You didn't have to work to market. people showed up, so you go to work, you do the dentistry and you leave and, like everybody caters to you at the office, right?Like For me, I feel like that's just not. The case, especiallyMichael: what, what, what is it different? And also if you can kind of like elaborate a little bit more on like male and female dentists, Preeya: there's so many things. Um, so I guess, what does it look like now for me? I, and it might just be because of who I am and how I practice and we're very tiny lean practice, but I go to work.I do the dentistry, but then when I leave work, there's more work to be done, right? There's always. At least for me, like, so whether it's chart notes and stuff, or it's some sort of marketing efforts, like, how does this look different? I think also, like, we started with kids later, which if you want to go into the female male dynamic, like, I didn't have children until I was 30. Largely because I wanted to get through dental school and then be married for a while. And then feel like we had a lifestyle established enough that we're ready to have kids.So we really did. We kind of push things out a good while before having children. but because of that, like the kids have been young for, for so much of. My practice now, even that, you know, trying to balance those things and as mom early childhood living child care, making sure they have all of their things requires a lot of me outside the office, but then also I'm required so much within the office.And as a female doctor, I feel like my female team. And I have a fantastic team now. So let me put that out there, but I feel like the team members don't necessarily coddle me as much as they would if I were a male doctor. they kind of, you know, they're like, well, you can do that yourself. Versus like, oh, here, doctor, let me go get this for you.There's just a little bit of a different mindset, um, and attitude. Or maybe I just give off the, like, I can do this myself. Leave me alone. I don't know. But I feel like I hear that amongst other women dentists as well. Yeah. Yeah. Michael: I get you. Do you feel like. Would you ever ask for it? Would you ever ask for like, guys, can you help me like kind of thing or Preeya: yeah, I mean, I would, but I think it's even just stuff like, Hey doc, you haven't eaten lunch.Do you want me to order something for you? even in a practice where I, my co doctor was with a male doctor, they just were asked or provided with more support than I was. And my female counterpart was. So I guess there's a contrast for you. and I don't feel like I necessarily need it, but it's nice.Michael: It's nice to like, to know that people are thinking of you like, Oh, they haven't eaten lunch. You know what I mean? Like, Preeya: yeah, I can have that more now with my team, but certainly there's been significant periods of time where it's like, Oh, I better eat something or I don't know.I think it, it's just a different dynamic. Michael: No, yeah. That's interesting. Especially from the nineties, but also like the male and female. I never thought about that. Yeah. You gave me something to think about. Yeah. That's really interesting. And then if we fast forward, you mentioned doc in a box. What is that?Preeya: It's a DSL. it was, you know, one of the larger internet or national corporations, um, very. I won't mention any names unless you want me to, but it was the very, you know, system from the, the practice management system was like the, it wasn't like DOS, but basically like you had to type everything in.Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Paper charts, um, not up to date anything. And I remember my first day there, I saw 30 patients. Michael: Wow. How did, what did you learn from that? Preeya: A lot. It was painful. Um, I mean, and it was paper charts. so I learned real quick how to template my notes and paper. Um, cause that was a big deal. It was interesting because.The two doctors that had been there previously, both left at the same time. And the only people left were like the support team. So the hygienist and the, the assistants and one of the doctors had, I mean, this man was. He produced a ton. He was top producer, but he was doing root canals and like anything he could access basically.So there'd be like 16 year old girl. Perfect. And Titian had a big old endo number 19 and a PFM and, and you're looking at her going, what happened here? saw a lot of that, which was. It was really interesting and challenging and it was an office where there'd been a lot of turnover. So one of the first things I think that I really had to learn was like, how do you finesse and create a relationship and trust quickly in an environment where there's been a ton of turnover and a ton of transition and, you know, trying to communicate to patients their needs, trying to establish that like, you're not just another doctor who's going to be in and out, which unfortunately I was, but, You know, in the meantime, I'm here.I'm here for you was a really interesting challenge, especially when you're 25 and look like you're not 25, like patients they don't view you as the doctor. And so it was a really interesting learning experience, especially where like, you literally have like two minutes to get through this person and, and be done with your exam and move on. Michael: Do you Preeya recommend like, cause I've heard this before where they're like, Hey. You're just getting out of residency, like, and you're looking for an associate, go to a DSL, get some grit under you and then, or do you recommend like, no, don't do that. That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard. Preeya: I think it kind of depends on, on the individual company and the person.So there's. I feel like I've practiced in all different practice environments at this point over the past 15 years. And there's something to be gained from each and every one of those experiences. What I repeat them, probably not, but you know, from a DSO setting, what you do get is, I mean, they teach you a lot about how to present treatment.They teach you a lot about like standardizing some of the things you do. you don't have to worry about, you know, paying your assistance. You don't have to worry about, um, if someone doesn't show up, like, chances are someone from an office down the way might be able to pop in and and be there for you.So I think that is. There's some value to that, for sure. There's value to just having other people around you who've done it. although some DSOs, you are the sole doctor. So then you're really relying upon maybe a dental director or someone to mentor you. But I think ultimately, like,in today's world, I think it's hard to find a private practice. That you want and trust, you know, their patients and your care if you, you're just right out of school. And so that's a really tough, actually like your first five years of practice, right? It's like, Ooh. That's a little rough, skill wise or just the judgment.I feel like you don't really get that judgment until you're at like year five for me. Maybe I was a late limber, but like year five, when I was like, yeah, I really, I'm good. Like I, I have my mentors. I have people I can rely upon, but like, I feel like I got this. It was like, cool. Yeah, I'm, I'm good. And you're 15.I was like, Ooh, I have a lot more to learn. No, Michael: that's good. That's good that you have that mentality though. Then fast forward, you worked in your dream practice. Yeah. And so if the economy, if they kept you on, do you think you should be working there today? Or would you be like, Preeya: eventually I would have, I would have outgrown it.I think, um, largely because of where it was to, um, where Washington state, it was. We were trying to move to either Seattle or Portland, and we ended up in Puyallup, which is described as a bedroom community outside of Tacoma, or outside of Seattle, and it's like the exurbs, and it was very cool for almost seven years, but I would, the creature comforts of Dallas were better for me, or like maybe somewhere in the Pacific Northwest, but, um, outside of location, like it was a neat practice.It was neat to see I guess, especially going from the, the very corporate minded to this entirely different experience. Um, and I think ultimately I still would have wanted to do my own thing and spread my own wings and design the practice the way I wanted it to be. But, um, I mean, it really gave me real quick insight into like, how would I like to practice and guess why I don't have to see.30 patients in a day, I can see five, I could see three and it would be okay. And we can still be profitable and productive and make a difference and do what I want to do. And I think that was a big, yeah. Michael: Is there anything you took from that practice that you're currently utilizing, like any systems or anything like that, that you're doing today in your practice?Preeya: Um, Yeah. I think we've modernized them a little bit, but, um, So we, instead of serving, um, lattes and chocolate cookies, we do serve hot tea. I actually partnered with a tea maker in New Mexico to have like our own custom blend of smile tea. So, it is the signature tea that patients actually do come into, have a cup or take a bag home and enjoy.So that's kind of a similar, it's not coffee shop, but it's tea. Yeah. Um, and I think really just that concierge level of care, really knowing each of our patients pretty darn well, is also a big piece of what I took from that practice. Um, and then his, he was 1 of the 1st, so the owner of that practice, he was in, like, the inner circle, um, right at the very beginning with John Coyce when he did classes out of his office in 5th, Washington.So he's one of like the, the OG voice guys, everything I learned from him. I mean, I learned photography from him. I learned kind of just intake new patient protocols and that experience. And so I've taken that and I feel like I've elevated it some and modernized it some and added more to it, but that all started.way back when in that office, just in terms of really diving into the questions and really trying to get to know my patients and understand their motivations for being here and for seeking care to begin with. Michael: Gotcha. Okay. Interesting. And then fast forward, you worked for another practice, right? And a lot more dentistry.And then you moved back to, or you moved to Dallas because of it's interesting. What made you move back was a change of lifestyle too. Like you're like, Hey, my family lives there. Right. And then you're like, I wanted I want them to be around our child, right? So when you did that, you worked for a DSO again? Talk to me about that. How was, how was that knowing that you're like, Oh, I just got a good, good, a lot of highs. You know what I mean? Like, and then we're going to go back to. I was,Preeya: it was interesting. So, um. I was initially very even interviewing with them, I was like, Ugh, it's a DSO. Like this is not gonna go well. I don't wanna do this. But I was like, okay. It was, it was presented to me as like the best of the worst. Mm-Hmm. . Nothing against, best of the worst. That's, but for me, who was just not that person at this time or whatever.Um, it was, I was like, okay, so. It was a different experience from the get go. I, like, went to dinner with the dental director and, uh, the office manager of the practice I was interviewing to join somebody else as well. And so, number 1, like, having a dinner meeting as opposed to, like, uh, go into a clinical sterile environment was a neat way to introduce and learn about the practice and the people who are in the leadership.Part of it. Um, this particular DSO at that time, he didn't hire anybody who had less than five years of experience. Um, the tenure of most of their doctors in most of the offices, with the exception of, like, the redheaded stepchild out used to hear, um. Doctors stuck around for at least two plus years.My co doctor had been there for 10, 12 years already. The person I was replacing had been there for five and she was pregnant and didn't want to practice anymore. So I knew that there had been some longevity in the practice. The demographics of the office, the modern technology that was present there, those were all really good things.And I really clicked with the office manager right off the bat. So. Those were some key factors that I thought were important. Um, they seem to have a good commitment to training and, um, kind of allowing us to really do our own treatment plans and manage our own patient pool, which was great. so it was a neat experience that way. things kind of changed after about a year and a half, the, uh, the dental director got sick and there's some changes in the management and they started wanting to, uh, bring on HMOs, extend hours, do weekends. And those were all things that were kind of non negotiables for me. I had worked Saturdays for three and a half years.And, uh, after my last Saturday, I was like, I'm not. I'm not doing that anymore. know more. Um, and, um, I also won't do HMO dentistry because I just, I can't, I value my patients and me too much to, to do that. so that was a big non negotiable for me. And then evenings, I mean, you just don't want me working on your teeth at six, 7 PM.Like I'm Michael: not, you don't want me working on it. That's a good way to put it. You know what I mean? Okay. Okay. So all of these things cause you to eventually just say, Hey, I'm leaving. I'm going to go do a partnership, you said, was it a partnership that you wanted to? Why didn't that work out specifically? Preeya: it was a few different reasons.I always knew I wanted to do dentistry the Coyce way. I just, that's how I think that's how I've learned It's a very different way of practicing than. What we learn when we get out of dental school, a big piece of that is just being really committed to really high quality, continuing education, right?Like we're not done learning ever. the person that I was potentially working with was burnt out. Um, she was like, I feel like I've learned everything I need to learn. Like I'll keep up with magazines and stuff, but like, I'm good. I don't want to drop five, 10, 000 to, to go to a class. Like I. That's not what I want to do.And that's just not in alignment with one of my core values of really always trying to grow and educate and learn and provide the best for my patients and myself that way. Um, so that was a really, really big piece for me, at least in terms of like, when I realized we, that was never going to change for her that we can't be in business together.If we don't share that same, I guess, commitment to education, the other. Our management styles were also very different, which can work, I think, if they're synergistic, but I often felt like I got the blame for creating this, like, environment of chaos in the practice and that I just wasn't doing things.But I also really, I wasn't an owner in the practice. So, like, when you're an associate who might buy in. While you have a lot of, responsibility, you also can't do a lot of things because you're not the owner. You don't write the paychecks. Like, whether the employees are not going to listen to you, or if you do something, you're going to get in trouble potentially, because it's not what the owner would have done.Like, it's a tough dynamic. I think I,knowing now being in the seat of the owner, the decisions you make ultimately are, are yours.And like, I can't share those decisions with anybody else, unless I know that we have like an equal stake in the practice and that we both moving toward the same vision and goal. So like, even my husband, like he has, he'll periodically make suggestions and I'm like, yeah, cool. That's nice, honey. Like back to your Heidi hole.You're not the boss. This is not your Michael: past. You and Preeya: he's like, okay, it's your thing. I think it's kind of the same thing. Like when you have, it's hard, I mean, to do a buy in to partner, um, a friend of mine described it as a, you know, a loveless marriage with no sex, like you're in this together. It's a business relationship.You should like each other and mesh together and share similar, like and vision values. But at the end of the day, like. It's a business relationship. you can't like kiss and make amends. It's just, it's hard to find that person, I think, or people that you can really do that with, especially if you're very strong in, in what you think needs.To happen. Mm-Hmm. , if you like alpha females who think my way is a good way to do it. Like that can be tricky. Mm-Hmm. . But really it just was, compatibility wise, it wasn't, it wasn't gonna work. and this is not anything to speak negatively of that other person, but like I always felt less than, I felt like I just wasn't as good at doing the things, even though I wasn't.That wasn't really my role, and it was hard because there were things I was expected to do sometimes, but not always, and so not really knowing was expected of me as that associate to buy in was tough. Cause when you don't know what, what you're supposed to be doing, it's hard to do what you're supposed to be doing.Michael: Yeah. Yeah, that's true. Yeah. You need, that's why you need like the guidelines set systems, right. Rules to know like, okay, the more of you, the more principles you have, I guess, the more you can be guided of like, okay, this is what we're going to be doing kind of thing, but if you're just like, I don't know, sometimes I feel like partnerships sound like a good idea, but you know what I mean?Cause you don't want to make a sole decision on your own. You kind of want to go out on this risk together. I don't know. Preeya: I don't know. I, you know, I'd like to think that there's somebody out there that would work well with, you know, most people, but it's, I mean, again, like, like a marriage, like how hard is it to find that partner in life?And there's a lot of other things that certainly fall into that. But like, if it's hard to do that, then to find a partner as a business partner too, can be really challenging. I think it might be easier to find a partnership where like the delegation of responsibilities. significantly different.I mean, the partnerships I see that work are typically like, well, they make all the, like the clinical and HR decisions and they do more of the, like, you know, the admin. So you've got really that operational versus the, Michael: like the, yeah, like operations, CFO, CEO, right. COO kind of thing. Yeah, no, I get you.I get you. Interesting. So then we fast forward and now you have your practice acquisition for five years. how did you find your location? Preeya: Okay. So, um, when I was in dental school, I had a big brother in dental school and he has taken that role on as like his lifetime role for me.So. When I told him I was moving back to Dallas, he was like, cool, let me set you up with this interview. So that is how I ended up at the DSM. And then, um, when the partnership thing didn't work out, he's like, well, guess what? We're going to, uh, lunch with this lady. And actually even when I was first moving to Dallas, he's like, I have this practice in mind for you.And I was like, dude, I don't even know where the Metroplex we're living. Like, I don't know anything. I'm not buying anything. Let's table that. So fast forward, I guess, like four years. Yeah. About four years. That same name popped up again. He's like, okay, she needs to retire. You need to buy her practice. We are going to lunch on Thursday.You need to be here at this time. So I went to lunch with him and, um, this woman I bought the practice from, and we talked about her practice and dentistry and all the things. And then, um, I think later that week I came by to, to walk through, walk around. So she was not selling the practice. She was practicing, but she was taking at least two months off a year to travel and do things.She had one employee, and then a couple of temp hygienists who'd come in periodically to, to do hygiene. And that was it. And so, um, but she owned the building and the practice. So I was buying real assets.Michael: Okay. That's good. That's really, really good. So then from that moment on, what did you kind of change when you decided to take over the acquisition? Did you, does that one employee still working there? Preeya: she lasted about a month. yeah. Why? Michael: Why did she last only a month? I think Preeya: she realized. So, my initial plan wasn't to change a lot.I did a hygienist that I worked with at the DSO practice who followed me to the private practice who then followed me to this practice. So we worked together for about eight years, which was great. So she was my person. And so she came into the practice with me as a hygienist and assistant. so we came in and we started cleaning things out and, um, not only had this, the doctor I bought the practice from on the practice for like 20 years, she had.Uh, like merged to prior practices, one doctor had had a stroke and another had had a heart attack, like all their stuff. And so we had this, like, sort of, dentist or pack rats, right? We're going to keep this thing just in case. So every cabinet had, like, all the stuff, just full, crammed in there. So we had to start cleaning stuff out.We started, you know, working on equipment maintenance and stuff and ripped the carpets out, ripped the wallpaper off the walls, repainted all of that. We start looking at water lines and there's like, you know, you open the, the trap and you're supposed to have like the, the clean traps in there. Well, there's like a blue pill and like a thing of like a 2 by 2 and cotton roll shoved in there.And that was it. And so we were starting to ask questions like, what, what is this scenario here? Because then you take it out and it was like a layer of a black crud just inside the trap. Like we had to extricate that trap and like, we start looking a little deeper. And so there's just, we, we ended up changing out every single waterline because there's just stuff in the waterline.And so that was, One example of some things that just hadn't been well maintained while we were not imparting judgment, sterilization bags were being taped closed. And then when it got run through the autoclave, then they would open the bag, take the stuff out and then reuse the bag. and it was a chemical, if it wasn't even an autoclave like that, where we're like, so I know this is how we were doing it before, but this is how we're going to do it now kind of stuff.And I think she's like, Ooh. This is, this is a lot of stuff. And I think it was a lot to take that on. She'd been with the other doctor for 20 years. And so she found her way out. And yeah, so she was there for a month. Um, it was helpful. Actually, one really interesting thing we did was we printed out all the patients.Who were of record in the practice. And I had her go through because she'd been there for 20 years. I'm like, can you just like, write me a note about each of these patients that you know, so that like, I have a sense of who they are, if there's any like red flags or anything like that. So, you know, there'd be one that was like only comes in when something's falling out of her head or make sure you collect first on this patient.Otherwise, you're not going to see the money. So stuff like that, which was very helpful, um, as we did transition and I had a new team and we could not, you know, these patients were the salt of the earth. Like we've been coming here for years. Like we don't want to trust this new human being, let alone a new team who has changed the entire practice.Right. so she was there a month. patients asked about her for about a year like everything was fine after that. Did you Michael: lose a lot of the patient database or you did? Oh, wow. Preeya: It wasn't. I mean, we have like 300 patients to start with. Okay. So I really bought the building and.Michael: How did you feel about that, Preeya, where you're like, you're losing patients, you're losing patients. Does anything ever come to your mind, like, what the heck, like, what are we doing wrong or anything like Preeya: that or no? You know, the first couple, kind of, but then what was interesting is every time we lost a patient, the phone would ring, like we'd end up with a new patient.So it was like this really interesting dynamic of like, out goes one, in comes another, like, hey, okay. And, you know, They weren't my patients and they didn't see me. And they, a lot of them, we lost because we share, you know, we showed them like, Hey, you've been getting like healthy gum leanings for years, but your gums are bleeding.You have bone loss. There's stuff beneath the gums that needs to be removed. Like there's disease going on here and we need to treat that. And they didn't want that. And so, if my Job and my goal. And I'm here because I want you to be better and feel better and have improved health, systemically too.And you don't want what I have to offer, then this is not a good fit. And you need, you do need to find care elsewhere, but we sent out letters from myself and from the outgoing doctor, every single patient that was like a goodbye and a hello that we physically mailed out. but we'd have patients call and they'd be like, so the new doctor, is she from like Pakistan or India or like, where is she from? But in a way, like they were. I mean, they kind of racially profiled me and then they come in and see me and they're like, does she speak English? I'm like, yeah, yeah. my front desk person didn't tell me about it for like six months.And I was like, I don't remember how it came up in conversation. I was like, seriously, these patients were like. Questioning my race like here in Dallas in 2018. Like really? Yeah, but yeah, it was it was interesting Hmm, Michael: what city in Dallas are you located Interesting that that, that occurred though. You know what I mean? I mean, there's people like that though. You know what I mean? That's kind Preeya: of like an older, older population. And I guess they just, yeah. You know, they want to find a reason not to like you Michael: though. Yeah. I think they say like, you can be the ripest, juiciest peach ever, but you're always going to find that one person who's like, I don't like a peach.Right. And then that's what happens. So, but interesting. So then throughout this process, What's been some of the best companies you worked with and some of the worst or ones that just didn't fit with you? Preeya: So the first website I had made, I don't know, I was dumb, I guess. Like they, they touted it as like.They're going to make this video for me and they make a website like 6, 000 or something. It's like, okay, that's not bad. But it that did not just dental, they did all kinds of stuff, but it was like the most like canned website. which thankfully they were willing to change for me.Like we, I just had to give them all the content, all of the different parts and pieces. And it took like six months to get the website live because they just. Couldn't quite get it to where I wanted it to be. And then, they didn't tell me that there was like an annual fee on it, and they waived it the No, they don't waive it.It was not a fee until like two years in, which was like the end of the contract. And if I didn't pay that fee, they would wipe the website and they didn't really warn me. And then I had questions and they ended up just pulling the entire site gone. And so I had no website all of a sudden, I was like, uh, what do I do?So thankfully I actually had a friend who, um, does marketing and she, she made me a site. So So that was, I'd say that was one of the, the more negative experience side. Yeah. Um, yeah. And I mean, we all have our website and those media things, I think that are not always the best experiences.It's hard to, hard to know who to trust. Um, love my practice management software, which is Oryx O R Y X. Um, I spell it when I first started, everyone's like, excuse me, what is that? That's not Dentrix. No, no, no. Nope. It's none of those. but I was an earlier adopter of Oryx. So we transitioned in 2018.after I bought the practice, we had easy dental, which is like a spinoff of, I think it might be a baby dendrix even maybe. but. cloud based based on the principles that Jon Kois teaches, which was amazing because nothing out there is like that. Nothing is able to give you like this risk based profile broken into the four food groups.Like that is how my brain works and sees patients. And it was able to be created into this software that does the same thing. And it makes it easy to present to patients and communicate with patients when they see things in three colors. Which seems like such a simple thing, but in terms of just building credibility and trust right off the bat, having this system that has number one, it has, like, so many different things built into it.It's not just. Charting and, and treatment planning, but also like your communication with patients. So you can text and email them and, there's a review component and there's the easy auto confirmations. All that's built into 1 system, even how you enter the data, you're entering. Diagnostics first.What is the diagnosis? And then you're creating a treatment plan based on that diagnosis. You get to enter in, like, how big is that composite on number 19? Is it, less than a third of the isthmus width? Is it a third? Is it greater than half? And it shows on the, like, odontogram. Look at that big ass filling or like, Oh, that's pretty little.And so when patients see that, or even like your team sees that, if they're not super, dental savvy, like they're able to grasp real quick, like that's real big. what do we think is going to happen? And the system automatically then creates a risk profile based on what you enter in. And so it's very straightforward than to share with patients or even to, like, agree with yourself, right?Because some days you'll look at something and think one thing and the next day that sway kind of kicks in and you're like, we probably watch Yeah. No, look, criteria. We know the data supports this, therefore this is what we should be doing is a lot easier to ration with yourself even I feel like than, just the, the standard software that's out there where you're like, well, I'd see a fillings on that too.That's all I know about. Michael: Interesting. were you shopping around before that or did you immediately get it because of the Koi center? I Preeya: got it because of the Koi Center. I wanted that and I had multiple people tell me like, don't be an early adopter. Like that's. kind of daring my IT company who set everything up was like, we don't know anything about this.I'm like, that's okay. Just talk to them. They'll, talk to you. We'll figure it out. And they ended up, they're like, Oh my God, the backend on this system is amazing. Like the security is phenomenal. I was like, yay. Go me. You should have me. You should have me. You should have me. You should have me. You should have me.You should have me. You should have me. Don't necessarily know. I just knew I had a lot of frustrations with Dendrix and Eaglesoft. Those were the two that I used primarily, uh, through my years prior to this and they're good systems, but like they didn't really leverage the power behind that risk based treatment planning.And even like the medical dental history to be able to have that in a system that just creates risk and allows people to actually look at it and own it and understand. The questions you're asking, so, like, when we have a new patient, they automatically get a link to submit all of their medical dental history forms the history.If every single question has a reason behind it. So, if I'm asking you about your level of dental fear, if the patient has a high level of fear, the little risk thing goes up and there's a little thing on the side that says, Hey, make sure you're asking patient about why they have fear. Like there's this little, little guy on your shoulder who's telling you like, Hey, This is might be important because of this, or if they have diabetes, like A1C, this is what you're looking at.If it's above this or below this, you should be concerned because we're considered cross reactions with whatever. And so, um, when the patients see it, there's pictures that go with, especially some of the dental things, like, is there notching on your teeth? And there's like a little diagram, a little video that'll show like where the notching might be.So the patients can be like. Huh? my gosh. Yeah, there is. And so it's awareness and ownership to some of the things that had, they have going on and then they can come in. A lot of tens are like, oh my gosh, you asked about this. And I never thought about that, but oh my goodness. Like, yeah, I snore when I sleep.should I be concerned about that? And so, Just that level of education that patients are coming in with has been a really big game changer for us Michael: Yeah. Nice. Awesome. That makes us happy. So then from that, throughout this whole process for you, we're coming to a close here, but let's talk about from the moment you decided in your mind, like, I want to, I want to, I want to practice.I'm going on my own. So today. What's been some of the biggest struggles, fails, or pitfalls you've encountered? Great Preeya: question. think like most people, I think finding your people, finding your team been an interesting struggle. I think we all love to love other people and support them. And, I've had kind of three versions of my team over the past five years.So I had the people I started with minus the person who lasted a month, my team. Then I had a version 2. 0 right after COVID and then version 3. 0 as of last March. And with each iteration, it's really actually aligned with like iterations of the practice too, where I feel like I need a change and lo and behold, guess what?A lot of the changes, the people who are part of my team right now. so the source of stress was also me in part, but also like. There was kind of a mismatch and where, where things were going. and so because of that, I think, like, knowing what I want, what my expectations are and being able to lead those people, I think is something that.I'm perpetually working on refining and improving and try to learn like, you know, more to do with that. and especially now, post COVID, all the different expectations people bring into the office when as employees, um, and managing those and managing their lives and their drama. I think that's. It's been a source of stress, but also very fortunate.I feel like all of the people I've employed have been really, really great employees. I have knock on wood, not had any of the crazy drama that you read about on social media and like hear your friends talking about and stuff too. and I think a lot of that has been like really trying to attract the people that I seek, whether that's just, you know, am I manifesting it and putting out there a And also just creating the vibe here that attracts a certain type of person as well, I think is a big piece of that. But I mean, it's a str

People who show grace and poise during stressful times are often compared to a swan drifting across the water. You might not see it, but a lot is going on under the surface to maintain that calm exterior. They rehearse, they plan, and they still get the jitters, even if they are very experienced and talented.Today's guest is Dr. Amanda Seay, an accomplished and accredited dentist and private practice owner who also educates through her training organization, imP.R.E.S. After graduating in 2011, Amanda went on to become a mentor and clinical instructor at the Kois Center. This conversation was recorded before the 25th Kois Center Symposium, where Amanda was speaking.Amanda's advice for anyone struggling with self-doubt is that "when someone sees something in you that you don't see in yourself, you need to believe them." She now mentors many early-career women, sharing her lived experience of balancing family and dentistry. As a mother of four kids, she has plenty of advice to share.ResourcesFollow your curiosity, connect, and join our ever-growing community of extraordinary minds.CariFree WebsiteCariFree on InstagramCariFree on FacebookCariFree on PinterestCariFree on TwitterDr. Kim Kutsch on LinkedInDr. Amanda Seay on LinkedInimP.R.E.S. WebsiteWhat's In This EpisodeAmanda's winding path into dentistry Her first, nerve-wracking experience of presenting.What advice does she give to other people trying to balance work and family?Something surprising that not many people know about Amanda.

I'm excited to announce that the Pediatric Dental Marketing Course is officially open for enrollment!This comprehensive course, developed by Minal Sampat and myself, is tailored specifically for pediatric practice owners and their teams. It is designed to turn your pain points into stepping stones for success, and to help you become the trusted dental home for countless children in your community. Head over to our site to enroll now! https://pediatricdentalmarketingcourse.com/‍‍Guest: David MaloleyBusiness Name: Relentless DentistCheck out David's Media:Website: https://relentlessdentist.com/David's Podcast: https://relentlessdentist.com/podcasts/Reveal the Hidden Potential In Your Practice! https://app.tryinterface.io/s/64c79b5f-a27b-41b8-b3a0-ea9dfe3eeedf‍‍Other Mentions and Links:Voices of DentistryDavid's Past Episode: 198HGTVBuc-ee'sIn-N-Out BurgerKois CenterPeter DruckerDeion SandersMinal SampatCanva‍Host: Michael Arias‍Website: The Dental Marketer Join my newsletter: https://thedentalmarketer.lpages.co/newsletter/‍Join this podcast's Facebook Group: The Dental Marketer Society‍‍My Key Takeaways:What are the key aspects to a high performance and self-driven team?The drawbacks to a top-down, authoritarian, leadership style and effective alternatives.How to build your patient experience around referrals, so patients can't help but refer their friends and family.The difference between self-managing team members, and those that need more guidance, and how to manage both.How to escape the tyranny of "urgent" tasks and ease your mind.How to manage a team that isn't fully on board with the plan.‍Please don't forget to share with us on Instagram when you are listening to the podcast AND if you are really wanting to show us love, then please leave a 5 star review on iTunes! [Click here to leave a review on iTunes]‍p.s. Some links are affiliate links, which means that if you choose to make a purchase, I will earn a commission. This commission comes at no additional cost to you. Please understand that we have experience with these products/ company, and I recommend them because they are helpful and useful, not because of the small commissions we make if you decide to buy something. Please do not spend any money unless you feel you need them or that they will help you with your goals.‍Episode Transcript (Auto-Generated - Please Excuse Errors)Michael: This is the Dental Marketer, the podcast where we teach you how to effectively market and grow your dental practice. And my name is Michael Adias, and my mission is to help you, the practice owner, attract new patients immediately, and effectively market and grow your business, so you can become the go to dental practice in your community.Now, today we're tackling a challenge. That you faced at one point or another, and that's how to build a thriving team culture when not everyone seems to be on board and joining us is a seasoned expert, second time guest, Dr. David Maloli. David was on episode 198, The Relentless Dentist, and in that episode, I'm going to put a link to it in the show notes below.Or you can go on the website and just search up episode 198. And in that episode, he talks about why having clarity is everything when starting a practice. The tough times you will face when you own a practice that you absolutely cannot avoid. And how to become a better leader for your team. And so that's what we discussed in that episode on 198.But in this episode, we dive miles deeper into a couple things. Specifically, a lot of those things that we talked about, but much, much deeper. For example, We discuss breaking down top notch teams. So have you ever wondered what it takes for a regular group of people, and what do you have to do to turn them into a supercharged team? Well, That's what we dive deep into in this episode. Into what pushes teams to the top. And lights that motivational fire under them. Then we also discussed the flip side of traditional leadership. And so we're going to chat about why the old school bossing around leadership might not be cutting it.We're diving into ways to lead that boost and inspire and not just boss around. Then we also talk about making your patient experience share worthy.So Dave's got the lowdown on crafting a patient experience that's so awesome, folks can't help but tell their friends about it. So get ready to learn how to make your patients your biggest fans. And then we're also talking about balancing self managing and guided team members. some teams they're a mix, right?Some people love their freedom, while others need a road map. And we're gonna chat about handling both kinds of team members, and letting everyone shine in their own way. And then, we'll discuss ditching the everything's urgent mindset. And Dave's got tips. to help you shake off that constant to do list pressure uh, that we all kind of feel like we have. So let's figure out how to take back your time and what really matters in this episode.That's what we're going to discover with Dr. Dave Maloli. But before that, I want to ask you, Have you ever scrolled through Instagram and noticed, the people you're following the pediatric dentist or pediatric practice, and they have thousands of followers, and you notice people are engaging with their content?They're creating content you love, that other people love, and you just know that they're attracting new patients every single day through Instagram. And you've thought to yourself, how incredible would that be if I had an Instagram account just like them? How fun would that be? Well Stick around after the interview to learn exactly how to do this, but for now, let's listen in to Dr.Dave Melloli. David, how's it going? Michael, David: I'm awesome. How about yourself? Michael: Doing pretty good, bud. Doing pretty good. It's been a minute. I think the last time we physically spoke was at Voices of Dentistry pre David: pandemic. Right. Yeah. I was going to say it's probably a different world that we're both walking in currently, relative to the last time we Michael: spoke.But since last time, and even in the episode, which I'll put in the show notes below, so, the listener can, you know what I mean, follow up and listen to it. But at the same time, you've always been really keen on leadership. You've always talked about it. Right now, currently, are you, are you working in a practice clinically or no?I'm David: not. I sold my practice literally right before the pandemic would have taken it from me. So I saw my last patient in March of 2020. Michael: Oh, nice. Okay. So then right now, what are you currently doing? David: I exclusively coach. Single location, dental practice owners. Um, I've done that one on a one on one basis for about five years.And I really focus on performance, which is to me, the people side of things, not only what's going on internally for the doctor, but how does that radiate as a force for good towards the teams? And I'm also building a platform called Dentist Ascend, and that's to really give that demographic, single location dental practice owners, every competitive edge, giving them, I've really analyzed the market once because I was in it for a long period of time.It's easy to see what are all the things that they need and what are all the things that would be nice, but create friction and getting them to progress from current state to desired state. Michael: Gotcha. So is it more monetary? Like, Hey, look, I'm trying to break even Dave. And I need to get me there. Right? Like I'm struggling.It's been two, three years. Right. Or is it more like, Hey, the team sucks. I hate coming to work. Money's good. I just, Mondays, when Mondays come around, I get sick, right? Which one is it kind of more? David: it's both. Um, I created a methodology called the dentist of sun methodology to make sure that, cause my background before I was in dentistry, I was really in performance working with elite athletes and my career kind of.Went full circle when I realized that I was kind of born to be a coach, that's what was allowing my practice to prosper was me coaching up my teams that led to, you know, one on one coaching engagements, but I think it's dangerous to separate one from the other because, you know, I call the top tier and enjoy cashflow, like how profitable are we, what are the business mechanics that are leading to that, but if you drill down.A layer below that, I call that enthused clients. So what sort of clinical care and patient experience are they getting? And then that's going to lend to. Enjoy cashflow, right? If we go a deeper layer than that, who's creating the experiences, the doctor and the team, I call it enhanced culture.And then the driver of all of that in my, with my clientele where they have one location and they're really masters of their craft, but they have to parallel their craft with. Leadership and business acumen. I call that elevate confidence. What's going on for that doctor? Or not going on for that doctor in some cases.To, that's inhibiting them from being at their best at work. Michael: Gotcha, okay. That make sense? Yeah, so this is a process, a system you've created, David: right? It is, it's an integration between business consulting and performance coaching. That, I've been around the block enough and I've I've been in the pit of despair as a practice owner myself for long periods of time, it helped me see what was genuinely high leverage for the doctor and also like what are the things that we're chasing and they're expensive, but they're not necessarily high yield.Michael: Okay, so you mentioned pit of despairs. What are some? Of the major pit of despairs that you remember where you were like, geez, my gosh, how am I going to get out of this? That maybe nowadays you see that coming back up or that's happening a lot with uh, some of the colleagues. Yeah, David: I think One of the phrases I go back to often is that we don't have business problems We have personal problems that manifest in our business and that really humanizes the process But for me in the first few years of my startup practice My wife was medevaced to have my son, that was a big trauma to me because I didn't know if either of them were going to come home, quite frankly, a few years after that, my wife had a stroke in my office again, medevaced to Denver to save her life.And the straw that broke the camel's back was about six months after that were half my team quit all in one week. it was more of a mutiny, kind of orchestrated by a toxic office Michael: manager. was that during the part where your wife had the David: stroke or no? It was like six months after, yeah.When, right when I was at my lowest and a shell of a man, and I really needed my team, it fractured. And... It was difficult financially, it was difficult emotionally. I remember having so much anxiety that I'd be bent over in the shower dry heaving before work some days. And so I had to crack the code because I knew that game wasn't sustainable at all.Michael: that, man, that is. So then what were some of the things that you started doing? Because honestly, Dave, if I was in, I'm just trying to think, trying to put myself in your shoes. I would kind of just say like, I'm just going to give it all up right now. Right. That's like priorities. My family team doesn't want to be here.Fine. I'm selling right. Like I don't, I don't care. I'll, I don't know, be an Amazon driver or something. But Yeah. Yeah. For you, what were the steps if you could pinpoint and kind of like break it down to us in a system, the first one to three steps that helped you to get out of there? David: Well, most of my work now is around flow.Like how do we find this optimal state of productivity where we feel good? Things kind of happen that feels magic, but we're putting effort into it. Just has all of our focus and attention. And now I can look back at those times and realize what wasn't working, where were the burnout triggers in my life?And also, where was I almost stumbling across flow triggers? And so the first one is purpose. I moved to this mountain town for a reason. And I had a little boy and I literally remember looking at him and his crib. He was sleeping one night and I was, I could feel my insides like quivering from all the anxiety.And I said to him, Bennett, I don't know how I'm going to figure this out, but I'm going to find a way. So in the flow continuum, you kind of need curiosity, passion, and purpose stacked really high when you get in those difficult situations. know that now. I didn't know that then, but I happen to have a little boy right in front of me that I didn't want to say, Hey, listen, it was a crash and burn.And we decided to move to Denver and gave up on the dream. So purpose was the big one. Um, the second one was. Accountability. I mean, when I look back at that moment of team unity, I don't know that I would want to work for me either. I wasn't, I was short. I didn't have much in the tank. I didn't sleep very well at night.and I'm sure they felt that and I'm sure when they left they felt somewhat guilty, but they were trying to preserve themselves. So I had to realize that everything that happened in these four walls was my responsibility, whether I liked it or not, whether I was prepared for it or not. And then the third one would be understanding what team building really means.I, my background was more from, I grew up on a farm and then I worked in high performance athletics for a long period of time. And those environments are very authoritarian. And I kind of thought, Hey, my name's on the door. It's my license we're working under. I signed the paychecks. So I point in that direction and you go in that direction, right?Well, not, not so much. It sounds good in theory, but. This isn't the military and my team always had other options and it created a lot of pain just because I didn't really know how to articulate, Hey, let's make this a meaningful, meaningful workplace for you. What gets you excited to come to work in the morning?What has you for feeling fulfilled at the end of the day and then chasing there, going back to curiosity, passion, and purpose, what are the things that you're interested in? What, how can we further educate and develop you? So. It was this top down management where we started into, we moved into a very horizontal management structure where everyone owned their zone.Now I know that it's self managing teams, but that's really what allowed me to not only survive. In a weird economic climate in a resort town that has nasty seasonal trends and end up being really proud of the product, meaning that patient experience, the reputation, but also all the outputs, all the things that happen when you run a smart business.Michael: Yeah, I like, I like that part at the end right now. So the product that you're trying to put out is the patient experience. David: Yeah, I, I believe. Again, I don't know that I could have articulated this as clearly then, but now I've got some separation and I coach clients on this. The idea that we were building into our patient experience was referral centricity.What if. The purpose of an appointment wasn't to get case acceptance. What if it wasn't to get them to reappoint? What if it was something higher and bigger, which would be give them an exceeding expectations experience where they couldn't help, but tell the next person they saw on the pickup line at school or when they went back to work.And when you build your. around a referral, you know, that people aren't just going to give it out, you have to earn it. And so that was the product you know, extends into reputation and ability. but that's what I always challenged my team is. We've got dozens of people on the schedule today, but that one in front of you right now, what can you do to make them feel like they're the only patient on our schedule today?Michael: I like that, man. That's super different. So how did you do that? How did you create that experience? So the end goal was always a David: referral.Well, if you don't mind, let's go into another flow trigger, a big flow trigger. We talked about purpose was a big one. Talk about curiosity. We talk about passion, but a massive one is autonomy. And when I started making my team, the CEO of whatever they were doing, it might be the schedule, it might be the finances.It might be the hygiene op. It might be one of my ops. That's when that really flourished. And I just. Decentralized operations, basically, although it was a small facility, I decentralized operations and task them to surprise and delight the patients on the schedule. And one patient might want to get in and out.So the surprise and delight was efficiency, but the other person might want, you know, if they're, if they have more time on their hands, they might want the additional touches like, Oh, I watch. HGTV when I came in last time and they remembered it and that program was up when I walked in the room. And it doesn't take much really to surprise and delight somebody because most customer experiences are pretty mediocre, right?Yeah. But it's all these little unexpected touches. It's nothing's going to blow you away. It's just that, wow, I got a birthday card from Dr. Maloli. Wow. We got a handwritten thank you after I was there one visit. Those little things compound like crazy. Michael: Interesting. So it's more of the, um, David: the details. Yeah.The details that seem trivial at first, that's a really good way to put it. If you didn't do it, nobody would miss it. And the fact that you are doing it, it doesn't take you five or 10 minutes. It takes you a moment, but just that little bit more eye contact, a little bit more conversation, remembering where they went to vacation last summer, because he put it in the notes, all those little things.And a small town or in a big town where people, they want, they feel ignored and they want to feel like they're valued. If you just put a few little deposits on that emotional bank account each time, it really adds up and it's that emotional connection. Now, more than ever, that people are really longing for.Michael: Yeah, I remember, I think that was in, and for anybody, for, for you, you're listening, I'm going to put it in the show notes below to Dave's, uh, newsletter, because I think today you sent something like about the three points to, to ponder and, and one of them was to rethink. Touch points, It was where can you inject and genuine care into the um, I guess this part of it, right?is this something that you recommend like everybody on the team should ask themselves this? David: Everybody on the team, every appointment, every day. Every day. It's a moving target, you're trying to customize it, you're trying to make it unique and personalized and unexpected, and there's different strokes for different folks, and somebody might love all your reminders and somebody might hate all your reminders, so you have to customize the experience, and I think, you know, there's a lot of people that are scared about this corporate takeover or what you want to talk about, um, I don't think it's real, I think Yes.It's a, just a different model. And if you want to win at your own model, you get excellent at your craft, which is dentistry, and you package that in a incredible experience. And you can run circles around anybody because it's so rare. I mean, I live in a high end area and I can go to an expensive restaurant and the steak might be good, but then the service is mediocre or I might go into retail and the same thing.So if you can surround yourself with a handful of engaged, creative people, they don't have to be trained in dentistry. In fact, sometimes I think it's a liability for them to have spent a long time in dentistry because then you have to take them through this unlearning process. That experience goes beyond the golden rule of, let me give you the dental experience I would want.It's upgraded into, let me understand the experience that you want and make sure that I give you that, and then nudge it up just one more rung and say, wow. Like. You'll never believe what happened at Malovi's office today. Michael: I like that. Well, have you ever experienced a day where, I mean, somebody's expressing this.They're wanting it. They're like, yeah, okay, guys, we're all gonna, what, where are the touch points we can add? And then there's like that one team member that just all the time, right? They're there, they get excited, then they bring it down and they get excited and then bring it down. what do we do with that?David: it's a big question. I mean, there's 80 percent of the workforce that are disengaged right now. some people are just risk averse and any change feels like a threat to their day. And so they need a little bit more coaching and nurturing and reminders. Most leaders get sick of saying the same thing over and over, but it's important that.We find the things that are precious and valuable to us, and we never stop talking about it because people will drift. Right. So there's that well intentioned person. And then there's the other person who might be like, Hmm, sounds good, but it's also a lot of work. Let's just see if we can let this blow over.And then you have that other insidious person. That's like, no way I ain't doing that. And then they start to kind of toxify and contaminate the others. So I really believe the future of leadership is. Understanding how to coach and develop your people, not just in dentistry, but in the workplace, because if you don't invest in them, they're always going to be looking for their next best.And so you have to, almost like what we just talked about with the patient experience, you have to customize the employee experience as well. Because some people are already self managing. If you start over managing them, you're going to run them off. Other people are used to being dependent on somebody else for making all the decisions.And if you don't nurture them to be decisive and confident and develop their skills and mindset, then you're going to run the top team member off too, right? So it's... Understanding how to build teams and grow people it used to be a, would be nice to have that skill, but now it's mission critical.Cause you're just going to have churn if you don't figure it out. So, that's a bit of a tangent of what we were just talking about, but to anchor that or bring that back home full cycle, I think understanding. How to get the best out of your people and making sure that your people understand, they really have three jobs, right?first job is to be good at their job, whatever that is, scheduler again, financial arrangements, dental assisting. The second job is to be a great teammate because if you're really productive and a toxic team member, then it's a no go. You're going to make the other people worse at their job. Like we were just talking about.And the third part is to grow. And it's the interesting thing about leadership is it's good for all people to grow. It feels fulfilling when we're expanding our capacities and capabilities. But that said, even though it's good for us, that most people will dig their heels in a little bit. So you have to build that into the culture of what are you going to focus on in the next 90 days?How are you going to get better? How can I support that? How can I be. How can I provide you the tools and training to get there? because if you get in any signs of status quo in this radically changing world, then it'll start to pass you by. And to me, that's the most dangerous thing of all is thinking what got us here will get us there.The big word that's getting kicked around in corporate circles is radically adaptable. And then there's like the laws of physics involved, right? An object in motion tends to stay in motion. The object at rest tends to stay at rest. And if you let your people rest on their heels and aren't telling them, like, part of your job is to get better at your job, then bad things happen.The consequences are too great for me. Michael: Yeah. So then. In, in this time where you're, if you can recall, like when you're busy, right, you're dealing with an employee, you're dealing with the patient, you're dealing with your own CE, right? Your own family, all this stuff. How can we tell what are the like marks of, Oh, they've been status quo for a minute now.Like they've been just, I don't know if they're, they're going down or up. You know what I mean? Like they just kind of passed by the radar because you're so boggled down with everything else. David: I think what we're, if we go to the root cause here, I think we really have to focus on what are our priorities and I'll share with you my personal experience, um, kind of an extension of what we were talking about earlier.That was about. Almost 10 years ago, where I had the family incident and the team mutiny and had to rebuild and then found out that it was a team member that was staying that created all the mayhem. in that churn, I noticed as I was rehiring for those positions that I wasn't getting as many applications as I used to.And. It wasn't that we had a bad reputation. It was just when people left, they weren't leaving my practice to go to another practice. They were leaving town because of cost of living. So a lot of the supply and demand issues that are, people are experiencing now. I felt that a long time ago and. What I had to do was prioritize making, even over patient care, which is hard for me to say, but it was true.I realized that if I didn't have a great team, I wasn't going to have that great patient experience. So I had to take that workplace environment and move it to the top of the list. What do I have to do to ensure that this is one of the best workplaces in town, not in dentistry, but again, facing competitors and banking and retail and hospitality.And so we have to move that to the front. And if we've moved that to the front. To sustain this team and allow this team to grow and flourish. Then we make the time for immediate feedback each and every day. We build some of that feedback into the huddle system, so that they don't have a chance to drift.And if they start to drift, that's when you start coaching them harder. And it's not to be mean, it's actually an act of kindness for the rest of the team to not let somebody pull down on the bar, like lower the standard when everyone else is raising the standard. So it's really our duty as employees, but you have a point, like there's 10, 000 things that we.Can be doing, we just have to make sure we know what one, two, and three are. And then we never lose sight of those priorities because not doing it again means this cascade of turnover and drama and gossip and being on the reactive side of that I've experienced it. And I wouldn't recommend it. I would recommend staying on the proactive side and really build a team, really a team building machine that has a communication cadence daily.Weekly, monthly, quarterly, uh, to make sure that people are always in momentum. Michael: Gotcha. Okay. Now, a lot of the times, Dave, how do you think we should handle this? Like when we're, we want to like, we're new, right? Maybe we've been open for a year or something. And we're looking to grow, but, you know, employees are scarce, right?Or, or just help is not as, uh, available as it used to. And you feel like you've created this beautiful workplace, but it's kind of like, they're like, oh, this is how much you can pay. Now I can get paid more at Bucky's, right? Or, oh, this is how much you're going to get paid. They're paying me more in and out or something.Right. and you're just thinking it's only monetary. Like there's no way I can pay you that much. That's it's just, I don't have it. What do we do in that David: scenario? It's funny. You say Bucky's cause I was just in Tennessee and they had this big sign out front, like 35 an hour for this 150, 000 for a night manager.And I was like, wow, this is competitive. Yeah. It's a big deal. again, something that I experienced in my local market where the cost of living is really high and I had to do a frame shift, meaning I couldn't see a team member as an expense ever. Cause I'd look at my payroll costs and I'd look at my overhead percentages and the payroll costs as a part of those overhead percentages.And I think, well, I'm way out of standard norms. But my alternative was also not having an employee and we have three columns full of hygiene and no hygienist. That's also a huge financial liability, not to mention a liability for your reputation and all these things you built up. So we have to look at them not to dehumanize people.I love people and I literally believe that all humans have unlimited potential. Some of them want to step into that and some of them don't clearly, but. if I got the feel during the interview process, that somebody was looking for something different, they were looking for a true culture.They were looking for more than just trading their time for my dollars. Then usually I was willing to invest in them and sometimes they came in really rough, meaning they didn't know a molar from a premolar They were rough around the edges, but they just didn't have any skills. And so we always started with customer service and said, the dental stuff will come from the reps.Right. And. So if I have to pay somebody 30 an hour or 35 an hour, my immediate question is, how do I make this person worth 90 an hour to the organization, either three times their wage or four times their wage and. It's like that ever seen those Peter Thiel questions, like he'll say, what if I had to accomplish my five year goals in six months, or it's something that's like so mind breaking.You're like, I, at first you're like, I can't, there's impossible, but if you sit with that for a while, you start to understand, like. Okay. If team overhead is say 33 percent and the rest of the overhead is 33%. So we're now at two thirds basically, right? And I'm getting 33%, which isn't an ideal dental practice.But when you're starting out, it's not uncommon for these numbers to skew like that. You start to realize an hour of the team's time is equivalent to an hour of my time. And so if I can save an hour a day by delegation, if they can prevent work and worry, if I can optimize this practice by only doing the things that.Require a dental license and then the high level CEU activities, you can hire all day. You just have to make sure that they're creating boundaries for you so that you're protected from decisions that you don't need to make. And then you, again, upskill them and train them up and up and up because the biggest risk in most of these situations is not having that person.Gotcha. So. You don't want to hire a knee jerk and get a, you always want to hire for culture fit and values alignment easier said than done, but you at least want to be screening for that, but the market will tell you what you need to pay for an employee and some sort of notion like this isn't sustainable is sometimes too quick of a reaction because what's not sustainable is.Bringing temps all the time and paying them 80 bucks an hour. What's not sustainable is your stress because you're onboarding a new person every two weeks. So there's a lot that goes into that, but I hope I've unpacked it enough that you have to like almost look at it like a fixer upper, like, okay, I'm getting this home for 260, 000.What do I have to do to make it worth 400, 000? That's easy to. To dehumanize it and put it in, into real estate forms. But if you're a good leader and a team builder, you can help that person see parts of themselves, the potential that no one's ever unpacked. So now you're serving yourself, you're serving the team member, you're serving the patient and you're serving the team.So that's the, we talk about a rare and valuable skill in this economy. It's that like being a builder of people and a unifier of teams. It almost solves for every other problem you have, your cashflow problems, your patient retention problems, your, I can't sleep tonight cause I'm too anxious problems.Like if you focus on that team dynamic, a lot of the other things take care of itself. It's especially in a, economy and a society now where people aren't as loyal, where they're more likely to skip work because there's. Eight inches of powder on the mountain, or they have something better to do. You really want to create a system and a machine, meaning this culture that attracts top talent, and then also helps them understand that you can go looking for greener pastures, but you're unlikely to find it.Michael: Interesting. I want to kind of rewind a little bit. You, you mentioned something with a team member. You said you don't want to overmanage them. How do you know when you are overmanaging someone? David: That's a really good question, Michael. I think you have to make sure technical term is psychological safety.That means no matter how long that you've spent at this practice, you No matter how much experience you have, no matter how loud you are or quiet, you are that all voices are need to be heard around here. So part of that, from a practice owner, you need to know, you need to ask them, like, what brings out the best in you.And sometimes you have to take them back to, like, who was a boss that you felt like didn't know how to bring out the best in you? And what were they doing? And then don't do that, right? Because the awareness sometimes isn't there, so you have to unpack it slowly. But you also have to make sure that there's an open dialogue, that if they feel like you're taking away some of that autonomy unnecessarily, that they let you know that, hey, Doc, it really makes me feel XYZ when you do this.And so it really has to be a dialogue and that psychological safety and. The open dialogue, the radical candor can only happen in an environment of high trust and high care. So the first job is to really give a damn about your people. And the second job is to make sure that they know that you have their best interests at heart.Now, where that gets complicated is where you have the radically independent person who's incompetent, who really needs guidance and coaching and management, right? So you have to be able to flex in and out, engage your Conviction based on somebody's level of competency, and there's graceful ways of doing that, right?It can be, uh, what's the marketing term? It can be a welcome guest or an annoying pest. Sometimes it's just a matter of your approach when you're managing those people. But it's not a one size fit all approach. And what happens sometimes is you have top performers that drift because they've got something going on at home with a spouse or a sick parent.So you always have to be on your toes as a leader because there is no checklist or prescription for this. It's you being hyper aware and knowing that your number one job first job is to, is to role model away. So who are you when you come to work? Are you representing the brand? And then you have to teach them how to think, giving them frameworks in which this is how we operate.This is how we take care of patients all from the surprise and delight thing to simple rules like No one sits in reception longer than five minutes or something like that with rare exception, and then you have to challenge them. And so that goes back full circle to what we were talking about earlier, about making sure that you're there for that graceful nudge to make sure that they're staying in momentum.And when you do this right, it starts to look like a flywheel at first. It takes a lot of effort going back to your young dentist. It's like, I'll never figure this out. I've been there, but over time. You start understanding how the mechanism really works, and it takes less and less management from you.You can't be hands off. Because all organizations will drift if there isn't somebody to tend to the belief system, the vision, the mission, but over time, it should get easier and people should be really good about getting work and worry off your plate. So you can focus on that coist training or the ortho training or all that stuff that really is going to pay the bills, but you're too busy doing 20 an hour stuff, cleaning up messes, putting out fires.Living in the tyranny of the urgent, all those sorts of things, that's, we have to evacuate the doctor from that so that they recover that freedom and realize, okay, now my career is what I thought it would be in the early stages. Gotcha. Michael: Awesome, David. I appreciate it. ask mainly that question because I feel like that's a lot of the times we... Maybe we do that and maybe we're giving too much autonomy to someone who doesn't need it. Right. It's like, Oh, you're not doing anything kind of thing. Right. But just looking busy. And then there's sometimes where it's like, cause of that, maybe we've been scarred.We do that with people who don't need it. Right. We're like, okay, wait, no, trust me. You're going to be, and we kind of push that on them. Like you need this type of guidance and all this stuff. Although they need guidance, everybody. Right. But it's more like. You're micromanaging now, right? And then that can be, heavy.You're just like, ah, you don't really believe me. You don't trust me or, I don't David: know, I can go further than that. Another component that really needs to be plugged in here that we should talk about is peer to peer coaching. You have to make sure that your environment is feedback rich and it's not just top down.It's not just the senior people down. It really is this environment where everyone's trying to get better. And they all are human and humble enough to know that there's blind spots. I remember one day... I have a pretty small space, less than 1200 square feet. And so the sterilization was right across from op two and we did the whole Disney thing.This is front stage. This is backstage. These are things that we only talk about backstage, but there was some personal stuff being talked about in hygiene and the hygienist with her patient, the chair heard it. And I didn't have to address it because she addressed it. She let it be known that, hey, it was really awkward for me being around that patient and hearing about that your Saturday night or whatever.And, and, uh, and sterilization. And she said, that's not how we do things around here. And so ultimately you need to set the standard, but it needs to be pleased by more than just you. In fact, with my clients now, I'm building out unity councils, which is an internal leadership team to make sure that, Hey, there's a keeper of the culture.Even when the doctor is heads down looking for another canal and an upper first molar for a root canal, there's keepers of the culture all the time, and it's not this environment where. when the cats away, the mice will play that's most environment. So you have to build in these fail safes and it all goes back to building trust and rapport one on one on one on one and making sure that you never take that for granted.Yeah, Michael: man. I think I'd feel like. If I wasn't in the office and I saw, dude, like maybe like a camera, I heard like one of my employees or somebody say, like, that's not how we do things around here, but oh my gosh, like, this is amazing, you know? David: Her name was Sam. I called her my sheriff. Yeah, that's good. There were certain standards, like we had our mission, our vision, our values, and then certain non negotiables.And if somebody crossed that line, I was rarely the person that had to move them and remind them. Um, usually the nudge was done by Sam or somebody else. Michael: Yeah. And so now today, how can someone introduce that peer to peer coaching, uh, within their team? Let's just say like somebody, one of our listeners are listening right now and they're like, I love this.I'm going to do it in our team meeting tomorrow. I'm going to say peer to peer coaching. Is that how it just kind of works or? David: No, no, it's a process, because this stuff is so valuable, it takes some time and this is where I kind of advocate playing favorites as a leader. Like you have to know the people who are committed organically to the practice.And the more of those people you get on board, the easier it is, but it's not going to be a all in type environment. It's just not how change typically works. I did a bunch of training and executive coaching. And if you go into a big organization, like say I bought your big company and I'm coming in as the new CEO or the turnaround guy or whatever it is, I.Immediately make the assumption that there are going to be a third of the team that's on board a third of the team. That's off board. They're going to be resistant. They're going to hate whatever ideas I come up with, even if it's good for them. And then there's the neutral third that could tip in either dimension.So I want to know always who are my loyalists who believe in what we're doing here? And I bring them in real close. I make sure I understand their ideas. I make sure that they're my feedback mechanism because I can't see or hear everything that happens in the practice. Not that they're informants, but they're the keepers of the flame, so to speak.If you get that rock solid, those people in the middle third will usually get on board because they they're not negative. They just aren't real leaders yet. And so what you're doing is understanding that. Leadership isn't about creating followers. It's about creating other leaders. And then that bottom third, they have an option to get on board or get out of the way.And sometimes you have to be that clear in the language where you start coaching them. And if coaching them isn't working, then you start telling them if they still don't maintain the standard, then you have to collide with them and say, Hey, listen, like, you know, either through your, verbal warning or written warning process.Like if you can't play at this level, you can't play this game. And so it's a tricky process, but you have to start infusing that into your culture. My, my team called it, uh, welcoming feedback. It was one of the core tenants of our operation and I didn't come up with it. They came up with it. So they wanted an environment where they felt like they could give me feedback.They could feel comfortable with me giving them feedback in real time on the fly. But. Hygienists would say, Hey, listen to the assistants. It would work better with the flow. If you did this or scheduling might give feedback because ultimately we're innovating all the time, right? Peter Drucker said that a business, because the purpose of a business is to create a customer, there are only two real functions, which are marketing and innovation.All the rest are just costs. So if you have that peer to peer coaching going on all the time, you're finding these little friction points, you're finding these little frustrations, and you're turning those into innovations. So that's the magic of what happens when you start doing peer to peer coaching, where everybody is a coach and also a, you know, a coachee. Um, but it's, I'm not, I'm not going to lie to you and say it's simple. We have to build it from the ground up. And that starts with. One on one conversations, make sure the standard is clear. Some of that standard is an obvious standard, like things that you can see, things that you can measure, but a lot of it is an emotional standard.Like what are the core values here? What is the behavioral standard emotionally here? And one of the things that my team came up with was, was out loud laughter. And when we put it on the board, I was like, okay, I'll concede. Like, that sounds good. And then I'd sit in the hallway and I could hear laughter from four operators and I'm like, Wow.Like that's creating trust. That's creating experience. That's creating value. So sometimes I don't think we really get the best ideas for our organization because we think we have all the ideas, but when you allow some of that, um, self managing team and stop trying to create followers and start to create leaders, Amazing stuff that you can't expect really starts to happen.Yeah. Michael: Nice, Dave. Awesome, man. I appreciate your time. Any final pieces of advice that you want to give to our listener? David: Yeah. if I were going to give an advice to listener, assuming that you're in a situation that's probably a little uncomfortable because most doctors are, one, know that it's normal.Because dentistry is hard. Being an entrepreneur is hard. Some of you are parents, that's hard. And you're never, ever, ever going to negotiate the standard. You want to be excellent at all of them. So you're probably feeling guilty that you don't exercise enough, or you don't sleep enough, or you don't socialize enough, or you don't spend enough time doing this or that.So my words of advice would be get rid of the guilt and shame. Um, and just get better because when I look around the landscape, dentistry is really a golden ticket. Meaning like if you can do a good job at dentistry, you can get a great associateship. If you can be a good entrepreneur and a great leader, you can create any lifestyle that you want.And that's, you know, to make what a dentist make, you might have to be a high level exec working 80 or 90 hours a week, flying all over the place. So don't lose sight of that golden ticket that you have. And also make sure that. Whatever path you're following isn't somebody else's vision and version of success.Because I see a lot of dentists want to be the next, this doc or that doc. And ultimately, you know what your path is. So don't be afraid to be an N of one and customize it completely to what you want. You can do whatever procedures you want. You can see whatever kind of patients you want. You can take. In network, out of network.Some of these things you can see it early, but you can build into it as you build up your reputation and skills. But the paralleling craft to your clinical craft will always be leadership. Because if you can lead yourself, you can lead a team. And if you can lead a team, you can lead your patients to better healthcare.So, that would be my parting shot for you. Michael: Awesome. So, if anyone has any further questions or concerns or wants to reach out to Dave, Dave, where can they find you? David: Well, I release a weekly podcast, it's called the Relentless Dentist. It's been around for about a decade now. Hard to say that. So there's lots of episodes and content free of charge there.If you want to get to know me better, I just created a dentist to send quiz. It's a video quiz. That's designed to help you reveal the hidden potential in your dental practice. I can give you a link to that or they can find it on my website and my social media on Instagram. Um, so I'm not as Deon Sanders would say, I'm not hard to find.Michael: Yeah, I know that's awesome. So that's all going to be in the show notes below. So definitely go check them out. And Dave, thank you so much for being with us. It's been a pleasure and we'll hear from you soon. David: Michael, thanks so much. You're a great host. Michael: Thank you so much for tuning into this episode and thank you Dave for being a part of the podcast. Again, really insightful, wonderful advice that you always bring to the audience, you the listener. So we really, really appreciate. If you want to ask him any questions or concerns, you can definitely do so by joining our free Facebook group, The Dental Marketer Society.And there you can talk with any of the guests that you've heard in the past or myself and, uh, interact with more of our listeners. Or if you want, you can go in the show notes below, look for Dave's name and click on the links and just reach out to him directly ask him any questions or concerns there. But we appreciate you tuning in and Dave, thank you so much again for being part of the podcast. Now, are you dreaming about having that wonderful, engaging Instagram, or it's Facebook or it's your TikTok presence, right? For your pediatric practice? Seriously, let's turn that into a reality.And one of the first steps you want to do is you want to start with understanding your patient's families. It's a game changer for your Instagram engagement. And in the Pediatric Dental Marketing course, which is a course created by Manal Sampat and myself, both of us, we teach you exactly how to create and grow with a purpose.your Instagram. Among many other things, that's one of the things we teach you. But lately we have received a lot of marketing questions on Instagram for pediatric practices. So I wanted to show you exactly what we cover. Now, when it comes to what's inside the Pediatric Dental Marketing course specifically for Instagram, we talk about Literally from the beginning to the end, how to get your bio getting started, your Instagram stories, the ideas you need to start implementing the insights that you need to look for on Instagram, the QR code and the saved content, how the algorithm works, what posts you need to do.And guys. She has you covered, Manal has you covered on how to schedule the post, what to post, 365 days out of the year. thinking is out of that, right? Like we got you covered. The type of hashtags, the reach you need to be looking for when it comes to hashtags, finding local influencer parents, and so forth.Then we dive into how to make the reels. And she dives into the training, finding trending audio all the time, scheduling your reels, download the Instagram reels checklist on the course all the ideas that we have for you. And so much more. Let me go even deeper and talk about team activity, how to get your team on board, the videos you need to start creating and so forth.The scheduling, how to create the content on Canva, which is a free platform, how to create custom templates, videos, flyers, worksheets, presentation templates, things like that for your Instagram. And also we cover the ads as well and how to specifically do the ads so that they can reach their maximum potential and obviously attract new patients.This is just a little sliver of what's covered. When it comes to Instagram in the pediatric dental marketing course, you'll dive into 30 plus units covering modern marketing basics, digital basics, digital marketing, social media marketing. And of course. I helped create the course. We also talk about ground marketing strategies, ensuring you're not just attracting, but deeply connecting with your community.I talk about how to get into daycare public schools, private schools, pediatric medical locations, chamber of commerce, businesses, learning centers, Uh, kumon Learning Center, small businesses, martial arts, Color Me Mine, indoor playgrounds, fitness facility.I cover an enormous amount of things on how to get into the community and other businesses when it comes to the pediatric dental marketing course. So you can check that out, but get your hands on these evergreen tactics, learn the art of engaging content creation, and even explore the magic of effective Facebook, TikTok, and Instagram marketing.Discover how enjoyable and rewarding marketing can be. And watch your pediatric dental practice flourish both online and in your community. So click the first link in the show notes below and see what this course has done and is doing for other pediatric practice owners. And at the same time, click the link If you just want to be nosy and see everything that's included inside of this course, which we continue to add to it, right? Every single month. And we have our monthly office hours where you, me and Manal sit together. Once a month, and we talk strategy and we talk how we can improve your practice. If you want to see all that, just click on the first link in the show notes below and you're able to look into the pediatric dental marketing course a little bit more.And if it's a good fit for you, we would love to see you in there. So click on the first link in the show notes below to check it out more for pediatric practices only. Awesome. So thank you so much for tuning into this episode. I really appreciate you and I'll talk to you in the next episode.‍

  Dr. Reza Ardalan welcomes the renowned Dr. Amanda Seay. Dr. Seay, a prominent figure in the world of dentistry, discusses a wide range of topics that are both enlightening and inspiring. From comprehensive restorative dentistry to her roles at the Kois Center and the Seattle Study Club, Dr. Seay offers valuable insights that every dentist can benefit from. One of the key highlights of this episode is learning more about Dr. Seay's new book, "SEE: Art Esthetics Dental Photography," which focuses on dental photography. Discover how this book can transform your photography skills and help you capture the essence of your patients in a unique and personal way. Dr. Seay also shares her wisdom on balancing a demanding dental career with family life. As a mother of four, she provides invaluable advice for women in the dental profession, discussing the importance of planning, intention, and giving oneself grace. But here's the real twist: Dr. Seay unveils a groundbreaking new membership-based online education program in photography and cosmetic dentistry. Find out how this program can take your dental skills to the next level, whether you're just starting out or looking to refine your expertise. The episode takes a deep dive into the power of social media in dentistry, with Dr. Seay sharing her journey of connecting with a global audience, showcasing her expertise and personal side. If you're looking for tips on how to leverage social media effectively in your dental career, this is a must-listen. Last but not least, hear Dr. Seay's candid advice for young women dentists who are embarking on their careers. Her insights on finding the right balance between clinical excellence and the business side of dentistry are eye-opening and will set you on a path to success. So, whether you're a seasoned dentist, a recent graduate, or even just someone curious about the world of dentistry, this episode is a treasure trove of knowledge and inspiration. Dr. Amanda Seay's engaging conversation with Dr. Reza Ardalan will leave you eager to explore the full podcast and absorb the wisdom she shares. Don't miss this opportunity to elevate your dental journey. Tune in now! For more information on Dr. Seay's new membership website, visit SeayWithin.com. 

Today we're going to introduce a game changer in the dental practice management software world...‍‍This is an innovative, all-in-one, cloud-based practice management software, and it offers an array of powerful features that are custom built for dentists by dentists ready to revolutionize the way you work. ‍If you are a start-up and decide to sign up with Oryx, they will NOT charge you a single dime, until you reached 200 active patients!⁠⁠They are partnering up with all startup practice owners and making sure you succeed, fast!⁠⁠ Click this link to schedule a FREE personalized demo and to see more on their exclusive deal!⁠‍‍Guest: Brad BillingsBusiness Name: Full ScheduleCheck out Brad's Media:Website: https://dentalbilling.com/full-schedule/Email: brad@mountainwest.healthcare‍‍Other Mentions and Links:Pacific Dental ServicesQSI AnalyticsDOSAbundant Dental CareDentrixDental IntelOpen DentaleAssistWeaveForbesAndrés Irlando Forbes top 40 under 40Fortune 500MicrosoftMicrosoft Leadership TrainingsPracticeWorksEaglesoftSQL databaseKois CenterCurve DentalDentrix AscendDentrix Enterprise‍‍Host: Michael Arias‍Website: The Dental Marketer Join my newsletter: https://thedentalmarketer.lpages.co/newsletter/‍Join this podcast's Facebook Group: The Dental Marketer Society‍‍My Key Takeaways:Some of the core steps to an effective front office onboarding system are clinical and insurance fundamentals, understanding practice software, phone skills, and financial arrangements.Empowering your employees does not mean handing them a script. Give them some autonomy to make their own decisions under a certain dollar threshold.How should you handle mistakes by team members?Help team members be individually successful and they will make your practice successful.The top 4 metrics that contribute to high profitability are 1. continuing care growth, 2. open hours, 3. number of indirect restorations, and 4. percentage of firm financial arrangements.‍Please don't forget to share with us on Instagram when you are listening to the podcast AND if you are really wanting to show us love, then please leave a 5 star review on iTunes! [Click here to leave a review on iTunes]‍p.s. Some links are affiliate links, which means that if you choose to make a purchase, I will earn a commission. This commission comes at no additional cost to you. Please understand that we have experience with these products/ company, and I recommend them because they are helpful and useful, not because of the small commissions we make if you decide to buy something. Please do not spend any money unless you feel you need them or that they will help you with your goals.‍Episode Transcript (Auto-Generated - Please Excuse Errors)Michael: Alright, it's time to talk with our featured guest, Brad Billings. Brad, how's it going? Good. Brad: Thanks for asking. Michael: Awesome, man. We appreciate you coming on. If you can you kind of break it down to us? Tell us a little bit about your past, your present. How'd you get to where you are Brad: today? Oh, that's a, that's an interesting one.So actually worked at Verizon Wireless for a number of years. 15 years and made it to lower level executive status great leadership development program and I had a ton of really good leaders. think what was interesting there and probably what I'd translate into dental is, they just had every metric you could think of all the data that you'd ever want for any.Situation out of every store, every phone, everything, they just had all the data and we use that to, you know, gauge and monitor performance. I was in the sales channel, that's kind of where I started and I'll be brief on that 1. and then I moved to, uh, Pacific dental services and that was my foray into dentistry.And it's probably good that I went to a company like Pacific dental. Specifically because I didn't know anything about dentistry and they had a really good training program, which is obviously something that you need. If you're going to, if you're going to try to enter into a leadership role, within the dental industry, you have to know what you're talking about.So, pretty extensive training in a very successful region. and that kind of was my entrance into the dental world. And then the other thing about Pacific Dental is they also had an exorbitant amount of data. They worked out of a system called QSI. There might be a few people on the station that, that know of QSI.It's really archaic. It was written in DOS and, still running in DOS. You had to do. Manual um, command entries to get it to do anything. And, and then they had an overlay. I forget what the overlay was called for the doctors to enter their clinical notes charting and things like that. But the reason that they had such a hard time transitioning to anything modern, was because of the amount of data that they were getting out of that. And that really was the foundation, That I think helped kind of springboard me into success outside and into, small DSO and, and starting up a private practice.It was kind of that foundation and understanding that, metrics drive decisions. And, and if you're just making guesses about what you should do within the business, you're oftentimes going to, guess incorrectly without those metrics and data. Gotcha. Michael: And so right now, what are you doing? Brad: guess there's more background in all of that. I left for an opportunity to run a small DSO. In Utah, or to help run, I should say. So I got hired as the VP at Abundant Dental Care, a phenomenal DSO. I still have a great relationship with them. I entered in to that relationship.They had about, I think they had four practices, so very small. they were doing about, probably about 500, 000 a month. So a decent amount of money. They were like many small organizations that I saw. They were running they had a really good foundation. So they had like a really good team, really good processes, really good.Atmosphere. And this is kind of why I chose to go with them is because their foundation was so solid, really good clinical work. They had some of the best dentists out there with a really good clinical leader, which is stuff that I don't know. So I didn't want to try to tackle. solving clinical gaps along with solving operational gaps.So that's why I kind of decided to go with them. And then they, this is going to be the most boring podcast you ever.Anyway uh, they were operating off like, you know, sugar house dental care at gmail. com and they had, you know, four practices and they're just sharing documents across gmail platforms and, you know, they were careful not to share HIPAA information across those things, but that made communication super challenging.So, I initially came on, you know, as operations to help with the, case acceptance, closure and, you know, operational performance. And there were just so many gaps everywhere else that did do that. And then I also started to, work on automated reporting is where I started.They were doing these spreadsheets every night. It would take, you know, 45 minutes to an hour of. Office Manager's time. They tracked a lot. They tracked everything. How do they track everything? They, it just does a spreadsheet. And they would pull manual Dentrix reports. So they would, and I don't know if you've ever dealt with Dentrix at all, but say create this report, and then you can walk away.Like you can, Yeah. Go to the bathroom and, eat dinner and then come back and it might be done. And you do that, but you have to do, you know, four or five different ones, and then you take all the data manually off of those. And manually enter them in this spreadsheet. They had four different spreadsheets, which was also really weird, four different spreadsheets.And then they had another operator that would grab, from those four different spreadsheets that were filled out by office managers and manually enter them into this master spreadsheet that the owner would look at in the morning and decide what our day was like the previous day and try to take action, depending on that.Right. far as execution is concerned, like. They did a pretty good job with what they were doing. Like they always filled that out. They always, you know what I mean? There's a lot of people that try to do processes like that and can't execute on it because it takes a whole lot of accountability and follow up to make sure that those numbers are right.So they were doing a good job. But was manual and it took four hours at least each night, plus the hour that it took that other operator put it all together. So you're talking about five hours a day, you know, how many working hours a week. So it was an incredible amount of hours.And then it was, it was often wrong because, human error. So I just, I got a wild hair and I went to the owner. I said, look I, want to make this automated. This is ridiculous. We're doing it this way. and he was like no, I'm not going to give you any resources. You can't do that. I don't believe that you can do that.You don't have the skill set. I was like, sure. Yeah, I, okay. So I just went and did it on my own. Like at night I, I called a buddy of mine that I went to college with. And, at the time he was working for a data company, just basically doing what I was asking us to figure out. Right. And all the time I'm like researching all this stuff too.Cause I there's dental Intel out there and there's, there's a few others, but I researched probably three or four and I found out that bad data in, bad data out. And to get access to that back, that backend of Dentrix was, very expensive. And I don't remember the exact dollar amount, but I already didn't have any funding approval to do what I was trying to do.And so I'm trying to stand up on, this manual SQL backend. So what I did initially was I took this spreadsheet, put it into one, protected spreadsheet, and then had an auto pull from the spreadsheet into this database. so all I really did initially was remove That last hour of the combination from that other operator.And you know, but I worked and I was like, Oh, this is, this can be powerful, but I'm not going to, I don't have the means. We didn't have the means that this is company we weren't profitable enough to go pay the amount of money needed to get under the back end of denture. Yeah. I started to research open dental was the first one that, cause everybody researches up though they start there cause free, right.You have access to everything. You have access to all the tables. It's not an API. all the back end. So we just did like a demo account in this back end to Open Dental. And but I don't, I'm no longer employed by them. I, I ended up growing this big enough to contract with them and move on. Michael: So what is it exactly? Like, if you don't mind me asking the you're doing right now, Brad: I own two practices with a partner, a doctor, that's a partner in Utah. The laws don't make you you don't have to be a clinician to own. It's one of like three states in the US but we're set up as A D S O. So, I can own a portion of A D S O that owns practices. So we are set up legally for me to own in other states as well.But we, right now we just have two practices. And then, I also own a company called Full Schedule, which is, I'm in strategic partnership with eAssist. I'm not a partner of eAssist, so I have to make that very clear. We're a separate company, but I am in a strategic partnership with eAssist, the dental billing company, and we essentially Some of their clients I own a company that has employees that call and fill their schedule essentially.So instead of doing that automated faceless, nameless, kind of process with like the weaves of the world and whoever else we have, we put a face and a name to it, set targets to it and help them get treatment and hygiene scheduled and then, you know, we charge per office for Michael: that. So is it more like, that part, full schedule, is it more like front office services in the sense of like, Hey, I only have one front office right now, I need someone to answer phones and, take care of stuff whenever that person's doing other things. Brad: not yet. It is on the road map to have an answering service. so right now we just are filling schedule. So it's basically like, we're 2 years in our recare list is miles long, but for whatever reason, we're never full.And our treatment is still out there and it's not getting closed. So employ only, Currently, I would say stateside, so that we have, experience that we have hygienists that have been doing this for years and years, scheduling appointments, know what clinically they need to be doing all of these.So we have about 30 offices right now that we. Essentially, we just find out what they want to do, what they want scheduled how they want it scheduled, which operatories they want it scheduled in, what their treatment times are that they want scheduled. And then we follow those standard operating procedures for that office.And we fill the needs of that office, eventually, you know, fill the schedule. if we don't reach our commitments to the office, we reduce our price per each schedule not fulfilled to our commitment. Okay, Michael: man. That sounds legit. cause that is a humongous need, right?as far as when it comes to front office and answering services and things like that. So. That'd be really good. real quick, Brad, if we can rewind a little bit. You mentioned that you worked for Verizon and that they had a great leadership program. What to you, because it made it great, and what takeaways from that program would you recommend someone in a dental practice, your dental practice owner, utilize?Brad: That's a good question. think anytime you have a program at all no matter how good the curriculum is or anything else, it's dependent on the people that are in it. I was lucky. I, I had some of the, in my opinion, and granted, it's my humble opinion. I had some of the best leaders, even in Verizon.I had a. The president of my region that I was in, Oh, Andres Irlando, he was Forbes top 40 under 40, just a amazing guy. He's running another tech company now. then I had a couple of other really, some of the smartest men that I've ever met.I think that Fortune 5 companies draw those kinds of. And then I had another guy named DJ Leckwold and another guy named Shane Schwab. And these guys were just very focused on, you know, personal growth and leadership, what that actually looks like and how to communicate with your teams around performance.Cadence and meetings large workload organization, which was very challenging for me. and that's what I would probably say Verizon had is, and what these leaders did is Verizon has a ton of resources. They have classes going on around the country all the time. Either run even by teams of Microsoft employees to teach you how to use Microsoft more effectively.They have time management trainings. They have, communication trainings you know, trainings based on books like crucial conversations, and, they have all of these trainings going on. And what these leaders allowed their team to do, and a lot of leaders wouldn't because it would affect budgets.They don't understand the, uh, return on investment that you're receiving, but they would allow us to fly around the country all over. I remember flying to, you know, Massachusetts from Arizona so that I could take a time management class for Microsoft and they're not cheap, but, I still use large majority of those practices today, or I wouldn't be able to do what I do.and then on top of that, you know, obviously they modeled what a leader should, what a leader should do, what a leader should look like. So that's probably what I would say. I got, I got out of her eyes on this really good leader. Michael: Gotcha. But how are you implementing that into the practice or how would you, if you were to tell me like, this is what you got to do, Mike, for your practice?Brad: Around leadership specifically? Yeah. I think there's a Appropriate priority level leadership and leadership development. if you're an individual practice owner, we've purchased practices where there's this harsh separation between front hygiene and clinical, right? And your practice will never be successful if you're not running like you have a true leader to follow and that leader is engaged and helping the entire team be successful, and not just, the team being engaged to, make the practice successful, but also they need to feel like you're helping them be successful, whether that's in, you know, their goals and where they're headed, or.In their skill sets in the practice, but you have to be engaged and know what your employees want and what they're trying to do every single day and help them get their goals. And if you do that they'll give it back to you and help you be successful and be happy working for you. And that's, I think a lot of what leadership really is, especially on an individual practice level.From there, I mean, if you're going to go larger than that, then it, it comes to Having a an actual training process from soup to nuts. So from beginning to end, when you bring people on, you can't just assume they know exactly what you're going to talk about. And if you don't have defined training process, there's no way everybody's going to have that same training experience and everybody's going to deliver a different product to every patient that comes in and, and that creates uncontrollables that then create a lower performance.And, so yeah, that, that's kind of the difference between private and as you grow, I think private is you could really just be a leader by. Being engaged with your team and helping them be successful in who they are. And then outside of that you've really got to start formalizing and structuring a training program, leadership training and development.Michael: Do you have one of those for your, both of your practices, Brad: I've only left Abundant. think I've been outside of Abundant for three months. We just bought our second practice. In August. So, do I have one? No. And, have I felt the pain of not having one?Yes. Did I build one at Abundant? I did. We had a very robust training program with videos and tests and the onboarding processes. And I led that initiative and, and built that whole platform. And I also built a like a knowledge based platform so that, Yeah, after the training, they could go back and reference it.So, I desperately need one here. I just, as I'm sure many of your listeners know when you buy that second practice, You're first standing it up, making sure everybody's reducing turnover and, you know, keeping production as high as you can through that transition. Michael: Yeah.And we'll dive into that right now. But when it comes to the robust training, if you can, Brad, could you make us one right now? Meaning like this is what from beginning. The steps you should be in initializing, you know what I mean? Like the, I guess more like the title headline and then the headings and that's it, you know what I mean?Kind of thing. Like, how should it look? Brad: mean, that's a pretty tough question because it you want to. Michael: Could you give us like front office? Brad: Yeah. So like front desk. Yeah. Sure. And also this depends on your structure too, because different people have front desk, do different things. But, it starts with, dental knowledge. You have to have a foundation in dental knowledge and normally.When front desk, when you're hiring front desk because of the wages that they're in they really don't have foundational knowledge and I'm talking like, Keith numbers and surfaces and procedures and really just the basics because people are going to be talking to them about that stuff and they can't be just caught.Blindly in the headlights there. And from there, it would probably be to like foundational again, very basic knowledge of insurances and those sorts of things. So really just foundational knowledge between clinical and insurances. If you're taking insurances, I should say, they should know all the insurances that you take. They should know all the um, leased networks that you take and how to check to see if they're in that leased network, so that they can answer those questions appropriately. And then, the 3rd foundational piece for their job should be a complete understanding of the system they're using.So the PRM, that probably the first 3 foundational things, and then I would move very quickly to and I'm talking probably before they even have face to face interactions. They need to have those 3 things locked in and tested, or you're going to be every interaction that they have.You're going to be deteriorating the integrity of your of the perception of your business, right? And then even before again, still before the 1st face to face interaction, you should set some very clear expectations on. Communication to patients, how to answer the phone, empower them to solve problems without passing the buck all the way till the end, even if they're going to make mistakes doing it.And that takes some training too. We made a lot of videos at Abundant specifically how to answer questions when people say, I can't believe I'm on a 300 bill, let me say. You know, you very quickly say I'm, sorry that you're unaware of this bill. How can I help today? And then if they say, any anger at all, then it's okay, no problem.We'll take care of that for you. If it's under 500 bucks, it doesn't matter. We'll take care of it for you because the value of a patient is way more valuable than 500 that they didn't know about that you're trying to wrangle out of their hands. So. Anyway, so those, that's probably the foundational training for them and then it gets into more I'd say more detailed actually, you know, doing, insurance coordination and entering that into the systems and you're getting more into the details of making sure patients are set up for success while they're there, how to check copays and how to collect money at the front, things like that. Michael: So that's good, man. This is a good like process. And you mentioned something.A lot of great stuff, but one thing you mentioned is, you empower the team to handle problems on their own. It's super huge. So how do you do that? Like how do we, do we just provide them like with scripts of like, what if scenarios or? Brad: that's not empowerment enough you can't script everything.It's literally Hey, I want you to take care of the patients any way you can. Anything that you think is right probably is treat them how you'd want to be treated. If you go outside of the bounds, then we'll have a discussion, but you won't be in trouble. And then it's really you know, you got to hire well.you give them that, let them go. You can't micromanage true patient care. You really can't. And because every patient is going to be a bit, different and so you've got to have, the right front desk person with the right kind of empathy and communication skills to be able to make a lot of those decisions on their own.And yeah, I mean, there's absolutely times where like, Hey, you probably shouldn't have given that. 500 credit because they actually did owe that, but at the end of the day, if they did a very good job and that patient stayed, it's worth more than 500 bucks. So, again, it's, I guess, continual coaching.So that would be empowerment to me is you say, yeah go do it. You said very loose boundaries. Like if it goes over 500 bucks from grab us. But anything else you have full autonomy, just let us know when you're done and we'll talk about it. Yeah. Michael: Interesting. Okay. So like having almost like full confidence in them to, yeah, you made a mistake.And then almost to the point where it's like, well, let's just talk about the mistake. That way they're like, okay, it's cool to make mistakes. I mean, not huge ones, but I'll learn from them. You know what I mean? Brad: I mean, there's been big ones, man, but I still think it's more valuable for someone to have that empowerment and make One big mistake, but have corrected 20 mistakes that the patient was feeling. maybe we got 1 big mistake where they went out of bounds, you know, and they shouldn't have done that. You're still saving those other 20 patients their empowerment. And then you do that correction.And, and that is the attitude you take, like. We love mistakes you learn from it. That's great. I love that you did that. like that man. It's really good that's what empowerment is to me. Michael: Okay, and have you ever gotten like pushback from so you mentioned something about a PRM, right?So have you ever gotten people like hey, man We've been using Open Dental or practice works or Eagle software ever I know like the back of my hand like don't be switching it what happens Brad: And yes, I mean, every practice that I've been a part of acquiring and switched off of all the mainstream archaic PRMs that are out there, clinicians, especially they, they all have just challenges with that change and change is hard, doesn't matter what it is, change is hard.So I get it. And let me tell you the things that we can do after we make this change and why you're going to like this better. I mean, I think we mentioned it, but I use Oryx and all the practices that I've managed and that I own. I think that's the thing, as long as you are open about the challenges that are coming.And then understanding about the challenges that those people are going to be facing through the change. And then also you can express and make sense logically as to why the change is needed. Then most of the time you can get through those transitions relatively easy. We started really early with Oryx, and.It's a thousand times more robust than when we really, when we very first started. those first, you know, few months while I was learning and trying to teach it, I had to be the brand advocate and then I had to, get, one by one by one, these other to say, no, this is the PRM that we want to use and here's why.And, and with that one by one by one, they just kind of starts to spread. And now I mean, I still go back and ask like, Hey, if you had a chance, there's still hiccups in every PRM, but also in works. And occasionally we get a hiccup and they submit to their help team. And, And you say, Hey, would you switch?Like, even after this, would you switch? And every answer resoundingly, every time they'd never go back, there's no way to go back to a server based. Archaic DRM like that, there just isn't. Michael: Why did you decide to go with Oryx? Brad: So I was kind of getting into that before I stop, but it was that whole automated reporting thing.It started with Open Dental, and we spent a lot of money training on Open Dental on a single office. We switched one office over to Open Dental. It was on an, it was on an acquisition that we, so it was a new acquisition that we were doing at Abundant, and decided rather than, you know, Just paying for a year of, because Dentrix charges you a year up front, figured that practice, you have to re sign a contract.Rather than doing that, we were just like, let's just try Open Dental, see what happens. Super painful transition. They had good support. Open Dental was, good support, but just a painful transition. The conversion was rough. everything was pretty rough training. Everything was pretty rough.Posting was rough. Everything was rough. It was just new to me. And it was, and I'm the one training, so I'm trying to learn it and train it. And they had good support and all of that. And then we, we actually stood up automated reporting. So we pulled their backend just straight out of their database.Dumped it into a SQL database, and started running automated reports. And then I showed the owner and he was like, I want more of this. I want all of this. I want everything you can do with this. And so he was just fully body and like, when are we switching to open dental? So I started doing test conversions and all the other practices we had.And at that point, I think we had seven. So I started doing these tests conversions and open dental. I've got a lot of experience in conversions now, and I wouldn't have done it the same way that I was doing it in that first office. But anyway, I had probably 4 test conversions done. I was about to pull the trigger and I had a buddy call me from.Texas from PDS, a doctor buddy of mine. he had just got back from Coyce Institute. And he's like, just talk to me about his great experience with Coyce and comprehensive dentistry. And you know, his plan to make his practice just pop and dude, it was so exciting and he's a very engaging guy, just exciting guy to talk to.So I'm like, that's rad, man. What else, What else did you learn? Tell me everything. And he's like, Hey man, there's this software that he talked about at the end. It looked amazing. Have you ever heard of it? Oh man, I've been, I've been researching and I, I researched everything like curve, open dental, Eaglesoft, Dentrix, Dentrix Ascend, Dentrix Enterprise.you name it, I probably have done a test conversion during that time period for it. And I was still going with open dental after all of that. I was like, nah, man, I haven't heard of it, but. Man, I just don't see how anything this is. This has got to be the one I've looked at every other one.He's like, dude, just check it out. I called him up and yeah, I was blown away. Like, it's simple. It's intuitive. And this again was, this was four years ago. So it was much less robust than it is now. I don't know how to explain that any other way, but it did not have all the features that it has now.And so anyway I, it was really frustrating, but I remember calling the owner and I was like, Hey, look I, I hate more than anybody that I'm making this phone call right now. Like I've put months into this, I've put nights, evenings, weekends, just to even stand up our one office and open dental, but we got to do more.And he was like, no. And I was like, all right, well you, and we, Abundant was a comprehensive dental model. Which kind of, it very closely aligned, like Oryx and our model very closely aligned. was like, look, I understand. Like I said, I hate this too, but you just get on the phone. I'll get Ronnie on the phone, Ronnie and and our owner got on the phone and kind of talked through, they actually knew each other, which was small world.Yeah. But, yeah, it was very he eventually got, so he saw it and he was like, well, I could work. So we, you know, we decided to make the switch for all of them. So we switched all seven of our practices over to work. Michael: Nice man, that's good. And right now are you going to transition to Oryx 2 with your two practices or already?I do Brad: it. I do it on day one. Yeah, I don't take over a practice with that. Yeah, I've got so many systems built through this now that It just has to be done. Like rather than trying to figure out how to remote in to a server with RDPs and then manually track things I, I already have prewritten programs that pull from works as APIs.And so I, I've switched an office over day one and get API access and we're off to the races. So, man, Michael: all right, good stuff, man. So, cool. Oryx is the winner for you then. That's what you like. Oh, by Brad: far. Yeah. Yeah. and I would just, for anybody that's out there looking like, I am an Oryx fanboy, so I'll get that out of the way.But, at the very least, like, Just stay away from server based platforms. It creates complication and expense. You just don't need, just don't need it. You have to pay an it team any break that you have, like, I have an it degree and it takes me hours to figure out. These complicated setups.So, no, it's just not yeah, I would say stay away from those. Go online. Orcs is a great Michael: base. Yeah. Gotcha, man. Awesome. Awesome. So then I know you've been talking a lot about data and metrics and I feel like that's, that's your thing, right? So it is. Yeah. If you were telling me right now, I'm telling you like, Hey man, I can't, yeah.I'm struggling. struggling in the sense of like, Sometimes new patients are good. You know what I mean? looks like I'm growing, but my bottom line is also growing and all these things. What data or metrics would you say? Hey, these are the top metrics you need to hyper focus on.Brad: Yeah. All right. So this is what and this is A correlation I learned through my extensive training, top 3 most correlated metrics to practice profitability. There's actually more. We talked about 5 or 6. I'll give you top 3 and then we can. expand a little more, but top three, number one is is actually continuing care growth year over year.and it's super interesting because it tells you so many things, but care growth year over year is always the first place I focus. And the easiest way. To start that increase because you can't obviously that's you're waiting a year to see if so it's a very lag metric.It's, you look at it after the fact. So you've got to do something up front and track a metric to make sure that you are even approaching that attainable year over year growth. quickest 1 for that is just reappointment rate. them while they're in the practice? And if you're not anywhere between 85 and 95 percent, then you're actually deteriorating your practice growth year over year.And every practice that I've ever gone to is like, oh, we're killing that. We always reappoint our, then you go look at, they're always at 60 to 65 percent. I'm telling you, everybody right now on the things on your podcast is going to be saying, no dude, we're. We're at 80 percent easy if they had a number that actually pulled the data, I guarantee between 65 and 70, 60 to 70.It's always Michael: there. That causes it Brad: to decrease. And there's statistics and I don't want to butcher them, but there's essentially there's a certain. recare patients that return and a certain percentage of new patients that return. And so if you're below 30 new patients a month, which majority of practices are, I mean, both of these practices that we just got are well above that, but a lot of practices are at that 30 to 50 new patient range.If you're at 30 new patients are below and you're below I think it's 75 percent reappointment rate assuming they're going to come back, then you're going to have an actual deterioration of patients. unless you have obviously some sort of strategy to then reactivate them, but then you're doing double work on the backend rather than just doing it on the front end while they're in the practice.All of a sudden, now you're employing my company full schedule to reappoint your patients for you, which then is another added expense, right? Um, Rather than just doing that job up front and tracking performance of that job, making sure your people are doing it. Gotcha. Michael: Okay. So continuing care growth and then reappointment.Brad: Well, yeah, so really continuing care growth year over year, all that other stuff was just about continuing care growth, but that's where I would focus. Initially the 2nd most correlated is Dr. Days, Dr. Hours, call it whatever you'd like. It's a very easy one to think about, but I mean, the less days that you're open, the less money you'll make.and this is to profitability. I'm not talking revenue. So. There's a lot of practices that have this super concern of like, we don't have enough patients, so I'm not going to open another day. But the statistics show that you open another day, you're going to be more profitable. Even if you think you're not ready yet.If you open another day, you're going to be more profitable. And it's just, you know, open it up on, Google and you advertise for it and you put marketing out for it. You may be down for a couple of months, but for the year, you will be more profitable just to open the day and be there and your people will figure out how to fill it.That's number 2. Number 3 is, number of indirects, and this is a challenging one because you can't obviously set a quota on your doctors doing number of indirects, but it is just a very highly correlated metric. Doctors that do more indirects make more money. Michael: So more indirects. Brad: Yeah, indirect Michael: restorations.Yeah. Gotcha. Okay. The first one, reappointment rates. Man, that's pretty huge. So like when you come, when it goes to that, The system that you utilize that Brad utilizes for making sure reappointment rates happen is Hey, right when they're in the practice, we got to get them on the books for the next appointment Now what would happen and I'm sure you've experienced this many times, but like, you know how people complain like the no shows, right? What do you do for that? Brad: so there's going to be no shows. A good no show rate is actually 15%, which is still a ton. And that's a good no show rate, right? Traditionally, I'd say most practices are probably in between 20 and 25%. Which is a huge slide. And yes, you need to work your very best to capitalize on bringing those patients back in.doesn't really in my metric calculation, it doesn't go into reappointment rate. Because reappointment rate is if you came if you did a dollar of production, we counted as a completed appointment, and then we check for the next appointment schedule.So, we don't count that into reappointment rate. But yeah, we have strategies around and we actually do you know, heavy confirmation, and then. And so if they don't show, we usually know why and then if they're not there within 5 minutes, we call them and text them. And then if they're not there all day, we, you know, we reach out to again, try to reschedule appointment.But I think most practices do that. That's kind of like the easy low hanging fruit. you're not doing that as a practice, you've missed. That to me doesn't even have anything to do with metrics other than understanding your no show rate which brings me to my fourth metric, which is a percentage of firm financial arrangements, which is different than what I was taught historically, but in my data.Now, it has changed and from financial arrangements, this means collect in full for any appointments you put on the schedule with the exception of obviously like hygiene exams and be patient. You can't collect before they're there. But if you're going to put a root canal and a crown on your schedule, have it paid in full before you put it on there. Michael: Okay. Is there a specific script you kind of like mentioned when you're like, Hey, you got to pay us in full. Brad: You know, surprisingly, it's not super challenging. You just say we do collect in full for our procedures. Before we put you on the schedule and then you basically just say, how did you want to pay for that today?And then if they ask questions you just say well our doctor's time is valuable so we really have to make sure that the people are going to show up that say they're going to be here and usually when people pay that means they're going to be here and people really understand it They're not turned off by it at all. Like if they're really planning on being there They're going to pay for it. Anyway, the only thing that we do is If a patient's like, you know, I don't get paid till Friday can you collect for me on Friday? Then we'll say, yeah, and Norix has a great tool.You just send a text link. So you put a little reminder and, in a calendar, and then you send them a text link on that day and they pay over that. And if they don't, then you have to pull them off the schedule because. you can assume Michael: that they're not going to be there if they haven't paid. Yeah, that's true.So then these are like the four main metrics we want to keep looking at. What are, in your experience, what are the numbers or the data that you notice or you see like in the forums or on Facebook or something where practice owners are talking about it, they're looking at it, but in your mind, Brad's mind is like, man, that ain't even that important.Brad: Interestingly enough, new patient count, it is important. get me wrong. You have to have a new patient count to grow your business. But there's so many clinicians that come out of school that are, they don't even care. You're continuing care patient depth. They just care. Like if they're coming on as an associate in your practice, they want to know how many new patients. a crazy skewed metrics. 70 percent of practices established over two years. Their revenue comes from continuing care patients. 70 percent of the revenue. So 30 percent of your revenue only comes from your patients after two years. So if you're in your first two years, yeah, hit the marketing hard.Make sure you're doing your reappointment rate. But after that second year, you should be focusing very heavily on your exams what's going on there. Michael: then, Right now, one of the questions I wanted to ask you is what can a dentist do today, practice owner, to improve their marketing or their business? Brad: marketing honestly. Michael: Or their business, or their business in general. I'll Brad: give you, I'll give you my basic marketing rundown and we're, averaging about.Anywhere from 60 to 80 new patients a month at both of our practices, and it's super basic, and there's plenty of practice out there that can do much more than this, like Abundant was, really approaching 100 new patients a month, but they spent, you know, a ton of time on marketing. This is like me in my spare time while I'm also not managing operations.And helping, you know, look for new practices, but this is, it's super basic. You need, Google ads and you need a really high Google score. and that's it. If you have Google ads a low Google score, you're just torturing yourself. So make sure you have a ton of reviews. Make sure as many of them are as five stars.Don't do anything shady. Give them the experience that they want. And if you have those two things in place, patients just find you and they come. At least that's in my experience. And then we also have strategies that we're on, certain streets with 20, 000 cars passing with high visibility.Like obviously those things matter. But outside of that, that and sandwich boards and the new patient special, we don't do much. Michael: With your Google ads budget, what's the budget look like for there? Brad: 35 an office, we try to stay below 1. 5 percent of revenue. And really right now, we're at like, 0.8 percent of revenue because. We just don't need to keep spending it. So 3500 a month is what we. What we were doing and then we just never really upped it and we don't really have to Michael: you're doing pretty good like 60, new patients and everything like that. So that's really good, man.Awesome, Brad Thank you so much for your time, man I truly appreciate it But before we say goodbye if anybody wanted to reach out to you for questions or anything like that, where can they find you? Brad: man, I got I got a ton of email addresses. Let's do a Brad at MountainWest. Healthcare. Alright, Michael: Brad at MountainWest. Healthcare, you said? Alright, so that's going to be in the show notes below for anybody who wants to to Brad. And Brad, thank you so much for being with us, man. It's been a pleasure. Thanks for having me on. Brad: talk soon. Bye.‍

Robert G. Ritter D.M.D., has a practice that focuses on adhesive esthetic dentistry. He promotes esthetic dentistry as part of his mainstream dental care. He was raised in Palm Beach County and  resides in Palm Beach Gardens. Dr. Ritter received his dental degree from The Medical University of South Carolina College of Dental Medicine in 1994. He is Adjunct Assistant Clinical Professor, Prosthodontics and Operative Dentistry, Dental Research Administration at Tufts School Of Dental Medicine. He is a Fellow of The American Academy of Esthetic Dentistry and a member of  The American Academy of Restorative Dentistry. He is a member of the American Society for Dental Aesthetics and the American Society for Color and Appearance Dentistry. He is a member of  The American Dental Association. In addition he is a board member and Past President of The Florida Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry. He was a member of the Seaside Study Club, a component of the Seattle Study Club. He is a member of the International Association of Dental Researchers. Dr. Ritter is both a Kois Center graduate and a Spear Education graduate. He and his partner are the directors of their own course, The Protocol, a live in person teaching curriculum.      Dr. Ritter is on the editorial board of Inside Dentistry and The Journal of The Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry and has published many articles on adhesive and cosmetic dentistry in several publications, including PPAD, Signature, Spectrum, Dentistry Today, DPR, Contemporary Esthetics, and Inside Dentistry. In addition, Dr. Ritter is an Editorial Board member of REALITY, a publication to keep dentists up-to-date with advances in the products, techniques and research of esthetic dentistry. He is also a product consultant to numerous dental manufacturers. He lectures over 30 times a year nationally as well as internationally on cosmetic dentistry, implant dentistry, materials, and social media as well as  digital technologies in and for the modern dental office.  Dr. Ritter and his wife Dr. Isabelle Ritter have a daughter Olivia and enjoy golf, tennis, the beach, movies and travel.  

Today we're going to introduce a game changer in the dental practice management software world...‍‍This is an innovative, all-in-one, cloud-based practice management software, and it offers an array of powerful features that are custom built for dentists by dentists ready to revolutionize the way you work. ‍If you are a start-up and decide to sign up with Oryx, they will NOT charge you a single dime, until you reached 200 active patients!⁠⁠They are partnering up with all startup practice owners and making sure you succeed, fast!⁠⁠ Click this link to schedule a FREE personalized demo and to see more on their exclusive deal!⁠‍‍Guest: Sundar JagadeesanPractice Name: DentiqCheck out Sundar's Media:Website: https://www.dentiq.nz/Email: sj@dentiq.nz‍Other Mentions and Links:‍Kois CenterVenmoPayPalZelleThe Thriving Dentist Show with Gary TackacsEkwa MarketingGoogle AdsBingScheduling InstituteDr. John KoisThe Psychology of Money - Morgan Housel‍‍For more helpful tips, strategies, ideas, and marketing advice:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thedentalmarketer/‍The Newsletter: https://thedentalmarketer.lpages.co/newsletter/Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2031814726927041‍‍My Key Takeaways:Do you best to stick with your practice philosophy and communicate that to your team! The details become easier when values are understood.If you're a comprehensive service, the extra time taken in patient onboarding is worth it!Don't overload patients with all the ins and outs of procedure details. Keep their health as top priority, but simplify your treatment planning so it's understandable.Cashflow is the underlying issue from most problems in business. Once this is in order, you free up bandwidth to serve more patients!Using a non-scripted approach to patient calls and asking lots of questions can be a great way to add a personal touch and show interest.Sometimes it's better to lock down just the big picture strategy and then brainstorm the implementation with your team.‍Please don't forget to share with us on Instagram when you are listening to the podcast AND if you are really wanting to show us love, then please leave a 5 star review on iTunes! [Click here to leave a review on iTunes]‍p.s. Some links are affiliate links, which means that if you choose to make a purchase, I will earn a commission. This commission comes at no additional cost to you. Please understand that we have experience with these products/ company, and I recommend them because they are helpful and useful, not because of the small commissions we make if you decide to buy something. Please do not spend any money unless you feel you need them or that they will help you with your goals.‍Episode Transcript (Auto-Generated - Please Excuse Errors)Michael: Alright, it's time to talk with our featured guest, Dr. Sundar Jaen. Sundar, how's it Sundar: going? I'm good. It's quite cold down in New Zealand here. I know, I think, Michael: I believe we have quite a bit of listeners in New Zealand, but I, we've never had an actual practice owner from New Zealand, but, We're excited to dive into your practice.Sundar: I've been actually following your podcast for a while now, and I've been listening to you for a while, so it's quite awesome for me to be on the show. I Michael: appreciate that, man. Thank you so much. Yeah I'll Venmo, PayPal, you ze use after this. We'll be like, thank you for the shout out, Zender. I appreciate you, ed.Thank you for the support, but could you briefly introduce your dental practice and the demographic you primarily serve? Sundar: So basically we are a general dental practice fully catering to family dentistry from fillings hygiene work to rehab. Full mouth rehab, fully restorative implants. We place our own implants and I do a bit of microscopic endodontics as well.So it's a fairly good mix of general dentistry and a wee bit of advanced restorative dentistry, as I would like to call it. The demographics here in Napier is basically, a middle to upper middle class group. And we are the fruit bowl of New Zealand. Like, it's quite a horticulturally, quite a big space in New Zealand and we export a lot of citrus fruits, stone fruits and the economies mainly agriculture based.Yeah. Michael: Okay, wait, real quick. What's the currency over there? Sundar: New Zealand dollars. Oh okay. Yeah. Interesting. Around and dollar and a half compared to the US dollars. Okay. Okay. So buys one and a half New Zealand dollars. Yeah. Michael: Gotcha. And that's the main thing over there at the agriculture, like the citrus fruits.You guys export that, Sundar: In this region, yes. But in general, New Zealand has the main industry here is dairy farming. And so we are quite an agrarian society. Gotcha. Yeah. Yeah. Michael: Interesting. Good, good lesson for us. Awesome. So then that's the primarily the demographic you serve. In which category would you place your practice?Would it be, DS o, private practice? Solo doc? Do you have multiple doctors or general. Sundar: So we are fully small boutique practice. I started the practice in 2018 by myself and then in 2021 I had my first full-time associate joined me. And then she worked with us for 2020 and the whole of 2022.She's back in California at the moment. And we've just started another dent associate dentist who started with us early this year. And we had a bit of a three month changeover. So there's two of us with one hygienist. It's a fairly small practice. Michael: Okay, nice. So then how did you know you were ready to bring on the associate full-time?Sundar: So when I set out the set out at the practice, my goal was to get a hygienist at eight months. So, but at six months we did bring her in at a kind of couple of months early. And I told myself like, the day when my new patient booking goes past three weeks point, I'll get an associated.So that, that's what it took me that length of time. We didn't plan it to be in two years or three years. whenever organically the practice grew we were going to do it. But 2020 after Covid hit, we went into this big lockdown and when we came back there was a huge influx of.Patients coming in after the lockdown and I couldn't handle it. And that's when we said we'll get an associate three week point was my cutoff. Michael: That was it. You're like, at three weeks we gotta, and immediately she jumped on us full-time. Or was it part-time and then Sundar: full-time? No, straightaway. Full-time. Ah, straightaway.Full-time. Yeah. I didn't wanna start an associate part-time for a reason because. My practice philosophy is very comprehensive dentistry boutique. You are, you are, You are looking at a patient. You are trying to understand it's more personalized. It's not like a DSO where you are just going through the numbers, kind of.focusing on a very limited number of new patients a month. So I wanted a person to come in full-time who would absorb into my philosophy first. And then go in, like, if I had a part-time, then the dentist has to work in a different practice with a different philosophy and half the philosophy in my place so that there will be a clash in their mindset.So that was my reasoning behind us asking someone come in, you come in full-time. Yeah. And you've been with me. Michael: Yeah. Gotcha. Okay. Was it easy finding an associate. Sundar: It is actually fairly difficult to get experienced associates in New Zealand at the moment. So I'm actually interviewing another dentist from Colorado and he's quite keen.Looks like our philosophies are kind of coming together. And then hopefully in 2024, we'll try and be a three dentist practice. Oh, wow. Michael: I thought you were interviewing associates in New Zealand, but sounds like you're interviewing associates everywhere, right? Sundar: Every anywhere in the world, to be honest. Mm-hmm. in New Zealand at the moment there's a shortage of experience, dentists.So my practice is at a stage where unfortunately I'm not able to mentor a young graduate, come in and. And kind of take them through the learning curve. We've reached a space where we have to kind of hit the ground running And also in New Zealand, because of after covid, especially the, there are a lot of people who expatriates who came back into New Zealand. When the lockdowns happened the rest of the world and they've all gone back out, back to Australia, us, uk, and all these countries. So, so there's a real shortage of experience to clinicians.There are, there's a good pool of new graduates coming through. Obviously new graduates they leave. Two or three years to warm their feet up and kind of get into the rhythm of doing dentistry at an advanced level. So that's where we are a bit stuck. And I think the government migration policy is a bit they're opening it up as well post covid.And so, so at the moment it's a bit easier to get a dentist from overseas, experienced dentist, I mean, Michael: Okay. Makes sense. Makes sense. So you're growing pretty quick. So what has been your experience with, different marketing companies and which strategies have proved to be most Sundar: effective? So originally when we started we were focusing on Ground marketing quite a lot, like newspaper ads, radio ads, print ads.Like, like put inserts into the local newspaper. Deliveries. We did get a good uh, group of, patients from that, but not enough to sustain a full startup full-time practice. It was like kind of half and half. And that's when I started researching and learning about s e o, and digital marketing.And the previous website I had wasn't good enough. one of my cousins he worked in the IT industry in the uk, so I asked him, can he review my website and tell me. From a non-dental point of view, from a patient point of view, do you think it's informative enough to do it?And he gave me a big list of corrections to be done on the website. And so it kind of built up into this whole situation. This was around just before the lockdown, just before Covid. We knew that Just ground marketing is not gonna work for us. so we decided, okay, we are gonna go into digital marketing if we are gonna expose ourselves in the region and also just across the region.Like New Zealand's quite a small country. We are in the north island of New Zealand, four hours drive south of us is Wellington the capital of New Zealand. so we said, okay we are going to concentrate on the region more. And then we went into digital marketing quite a lot, so, And at that stage I was listening a lot to Gary aka mm-hmm. the Thriving Dentist Show. And I came to know about Equa marketing. And then we signed up with them. And we are going on with them for three years now. Michael: Okay. So Echo marketing. Marketing. Yeah. Okay. And so the most effective thing, do you know currently what they are doing for you digital marketing wise?Sundar: Yes. So they manage our website the content in the website, and they manage all our social media handles. They pretty much manage the whole online presence. they keep working on the website quite a lot. Like they keep doing all my, content review.And pretty much every month there's new content being written and updated into the website. I do a bit of writing myself as well. And they proofread it and correct my blogs and they include that into the website and More of educational pieces for patients. So we do that a lot and they, they manage the whole lot of that.Google marketing what is it? Like Google Ads. So they do all that part and then they manage that as well. Michael: Okay. Okay. Interesting. So then how much budget do you typically allocate for your marketing activities? Sundar: for the first two years I decided I'm gonna allocate 5% of my, gross profit.So we did that. And then since we moved into ewa, it's a set fee. I think they charge around 1200 US dollars a month for the whole thing. And that has locked in my. Budget with them 12, $15,000 a year. And then we put another 5,000 US aside for, we still do a bit of print marketing and newspaper marketing and all those things.We just use a wee bit of that kind of a mix. Radio, primetime radio. Drive time, radio. Newspapers and all those things. We mix it up a VB bed. But I think mainly our patients are coming. Like I did review the reports on oryx last night and it was pretty much search engine for, since 8% of my patients are coming from search engine, from Michael: seo, from like their, the search engine, Google or Bing or something like that.Yeah. Gotcha. Okay. Interesting. And how many new patients are you currently getting Sundar: a month? So average we are averaging at 50 patients a month, 50 new patients a month. And for the first two years, obviously, because every patient is a new patient. Mm-hmm. we were, first year we had it good, to be honest.We were averaging close to 1 20, 1 50 a month. Uhhuh. There was a bit too much to start with, to be honest. I didn't have the time to concentrate on the personalized care I wanted to develop in this practice, but then it worked out like not all of them were looking for a comprehensive dentist at that stage.Yeah. Some of them were like, oh, it's a new practice. We'll check 'em out. Kind of people coming in as well. Yeah. And local social media influencers coming in to check me out as well. And there was bit of that happening as well. And it did, we did manage well in the first two years. But digital marketing is where we settled into the.Grew. Michael: Okay. So it was like about 120 at the beginning, but then you realized that was too much in the sense of the quality that you wanted to provide. 50 right now is a sweet spot. Sundar: 50 is the perfect spot for me. we are back at the stage where with 50, we are with two dentists.We are back at that three week mark. So need another one. We decided, we said we'll go for another associate. Yeah. So that's how we are progressing. Okay. Michael: Yeah. Okay. That's interesting. And then how equipped would you say is your team in converting calls into actual patients? Sundar: We did have fairly decent front desk group in the last four years, but I think we have finally nailed it with the two.Ruth and Detroit will come into our clinic now, in New Zealand. First time we have a, probably not the first time, but very rare occasion we have a male front desk person they have got onto the concept quite well and they understood the philosophy and they do a lot of I wouldn't say.A hundred percent. Like they're not filtering people, but they do a fair bit of pre-screening in the phone and then they bring patients on board. I think FrontDesk, as long as they understand the philosophy of the practice and they believe in the philosophy, they'll be able to convert a phone call to a person on the chair.And we spent a lot of time in the last 18 months to train them in the philosophy, and then that has rolled over into good conversion rates as well for us. Michael: What do you do if you can break it down for us to like, and remind us again real quick what the philosophy is, but at the same time, let us know like, in these 18 months, this is the system that we need to start believing in.Sundar: The philosophy of the practice is we are looking for patients who are seeking comprehensive care. say for example, they have a toothache, they come in, emergency patient, that's the limited examination. They're coming, they coming in for an loe, they get them out of pay. But then we explain to them about a comprehensive dentistry like we do a full coe full panel.Full set x-rays, full set photographs and get to treat the whole mouth. And any dental pathology we see in the mouth, we want to treat it and get them back to good health. So this is the one line of the philosophy and I told my friend desk that we are almost like dental evangelists in this part of the world.To me, the patients coming into my practice, we are pretty much our, their last chance for dental redemption. they have to hear what they have to hear. So we need the time and resources to spend time with them, explain what's happening in their mouth in more detail. What I find is people with they don't have the patience to listen to what all is happening in their mouth.They have a toothache or a problem, one single problem, and they want to just get that fixed and they wanna move on to the next part of their life. But challenge for us. Or for the front desk is to convert that single person from that mindset of pain, attendance or pain relief dentistry to a comprehensive patient like once we move them, or at least so the seed that you can be a bit more healthier.You don't have to lose a tooth every two years and you're still paying money for an extraction. At the end of the day, you don't have a tooth to show for the money you spent. And that's something I tell my patients all the time. And if unfortunately you lose this tool, We don't wanna lose another one.And that's the starting point. And then we took the time to kind of do clinical retreat days management retreat days, practice retreat days, with the whole team. And we would sit down and thrash out and we'll take randomly uh, a few concepts out of what is available out there. And then we sit and discuss, okay, this is what we want to do.How we are gonna do it. I'm kind of a big picture guy. I get, get the gist of what I want to do and then I roll the idea to my team and ask them how you want to do it. And when they decide, okay, this is how we are gonna do it, this is how we are going to speak to the patients, and all those things.And then it's their concept. It's, they believe in it and they know how to do it. It's because it's not trained or it's not out of shield for them. For me to come back and say, this is the word b hg gotta use, yes, we do discuss verbiage, but then it's not scripted, it's out of coming out of their core belief.That they want to see good, healthy smiles. And they kind of explain that. And we do these retreats often. And once we do these retreats, often they, over a period of time, they get to understand my thoughts and what I wanna achieve for the patient. And once they believe that, then the phone call conversion happens a bit better.that's what has worked for me. Michael: So there's no specific script that you guys follow? Like, oh, if the person says How much is it for, you know what I mean? Like a implant or do you take my insurance? There's no specific like, oh, we're gonna wanna Sundar: say this. No. My biggest thing for my team or front desk instruction is ask them more questions to understand them.Each call will be different. There's no scripted questions to us. And all they do is just try and question them more. Like, okay, if you are asking for how much it is, why do you ask them? Have you, do you have another call? Or do you have what kind of treatment are you looking for? Say for example, how much is an extraction?Then the next question would be, Is it a front tooth or a back tooth? Oh, it's a back tooth. Oh, how broken down it is? Oh, it's quite painful. I think, you know what may, so the conversation kind of drags on from there, but the main thing for the front desk is to express or impress on the patient's mind that unless a dentist sees the mouth, you're not gonna get an answer precisely.So that's where they're driving and then the conversion happens and they come and sit down, have a chat, and once they're in the chat, then it's up to the dentist to express my philosophy of teach them, educate about having this whole concept of comprehensive dentistry. but we don't have a totally set script.We don't have that. No. Michael: It sounds like you take a lot of time investing in the onboarding, right. Of your team members. You're not just like, guys, throughout this time we're gonna be learning quick systems. Follow what the office managers telling you that it's not like that. It's like we gotta onboard.And a lot of that time, more than 60% is like, It really internalizing the philosophy so you can care a whole lot. Yes, exactly. About the patient. Sundar: Yeah. Michael: I like that. I like that a lot. Yeah, because you almost feel, they say that's like a thing in, in selling, almost like they say when you sell, if they say no, you want to feel bad, that they're like, this thing that I have for you is gonna help you out so much.I feel bad that you're saying no. Exactly. Kind of thing. Okay. Interesting. I like that. I like that a lot. Your philosophy. Sundar: It does take time though. The downside to the concept of the way I do it, it does take time, for a person and I, yes. I have had staff members who come in and they themselves are a bit impatient to get rolling So the whole process gets, sometimes it's a bit, too slow for them and they pull out, but I said like, that's fine. Like you, you might as well go now. So that has happened as well. Michael: Yeah. No, but it's good. It's good that you are, you know, you're sticking to your guns kind of thing. Yes. And making sure not adapting to them.Interesting. Okay. So then, Right now, throughout this process, what have been some of the best companies you've worked with and some of the worst companies you've worked with that it just didn't work out for you? Sundar: one of the companies which did not work out for us was Scheduling Institute. So we did some time, like we spent almost like six, seven months with them. But they were really nice people. The concepts, I liked them. call it cultural difference between the two countries. I don't know, but I felt or my staff felt as well, they were a bit more aggressive or a bit more scripted.And that's where I got my concept of I don't want it to be scripted. I wanted to be organic. I want the patient to feel, be part of like walking into a friend's house, And that's the organic feeling I wanted in my practice. So we said no we will stop scheduling Stuart, we'll come out of that.So Shelling Institute something which did not work out for us, but two people who influenced a lot in my. Two people, two companies, so to speak, one is Dr. John Coce from the Coy Center in Seattle. He taught me the philosophy and the treatment concept and how to do higher value dentistry.at the same time, John also teaches you how to grow yourself as a person. And it kind of, The whole tribe is about being, doing better for yourself, doing better for your patients, doing better for your team, doing better for your family. it's this whole concept of working towards excellence.I learned that from John. And then the other person is Gary Tagus with the Thriving Dentist Show. what I learned from him was the whole concept of co-discovery being honest with the patient. If you don't know something, you don't know something, if you wanna wait and watch, you wait and watch. and if you are not desperate about making that sale, it happens. there's also like, like a subtle element of. Being detached to the sale. You want the health for the person, it's not a sale kind of target driven agenda there.I learned that from Gary ERs and it was an organic move from him to Equa as well. Michael: Yeah, that's true. I feel like if you don't have that monetary value all the time, you more have the, I need to help this person value. Sundar: Yeah. Yeah. Because there's a conflict of interest, right?Like you, we get paid. For the help we do to people. Whereas an NGO for that matter, they don't get paid for it. And then there is a concept of gratification. Like they, they're doing it for the sheer fan of doing it, the sheer satisfaction of doing it. And when we change the practice or the whole practice model, do that part, that's when it becomes easier for me to speak to the patient and say, You know what, you have all these problems, but it's great.Like it's, I'm getting excited. I could do this for you. I could change this for you. If you want to go. If you are ready when you are ready, I'm happy to do it. Yeah, and I did a presentation as last night and I was super excited. I was so buzzed out. The last two hours before the presentation I was just waiting to go into that case presentation and it worked out right?Like she enjoyed it and that's where it is. She wants to go ahead, but she still has to make the commitment financially and all those things. I understand that, especially with this whole new recession happening and the cost of living crisis and all those things. We understand people in where they are in their life and we give them the space they give back, into the practice.another company which has really worked with the comprehensive care, what we are trying to do is, oryx the dental software. Because I feel the software itself should support a clinician to make better decisions. And it should be intuitive and interactive to your workflow.A software should not be just a recording medium. Software should be part of your workflow, and that's what I like about Orx. from the time the patient, the phone call comes in, the interaction new, the welcome. Email, which goes out, the new patient forms, which goes out.Uh, Cause of my time with the Coy Center, this is fully embedded with the coy philosophy, the forms and everything. And that kind of speaks to the patient from the word go. That I've come to a place which is different. I've come to a place where they take care of me as a whole person, Not as a single tooth or a as a number. So Oryx gives me that platform to speak to the patient it's a soft, subtle message which goes to the patient that I am comprehensive, I'm looking to treat you comprehensively, and that's what our excuse is.And the moment the patient walks into the clinic, the way we take them into the room and settle in and we do the whole charting process. They could see the screen and we go through radio. Like the structured exam process. Dr. Coy teaches like radiographic exam TMJ tool structure, head and neck lesions morphological lesions, orthotic classifications, periodontal dfa, airway.I don't think any software, as far as I've seen, is so extensive and patient care centered, health centered, person centered I don't think any other software facilitates this kind of care. At least I've not seen it. Yeah. Michael: No. It's, that's fantastic. How did it take your team?Because you say there's a lot, right, that Orix offers and there's a lot of things and I feel like when it comes to softwares that have a lot, sometimes it either we tend to say like there's too many bells and whistles, or we tend to the team. It takes a lot for the team to get on board to know it, to understand it, you know what I mean?Did that happen with you or no? Sundar: It did not, to be honest, it did not because. I made a very conscious decision to hire people who were non-dental people. From the, so all my staff, a first time into dental industry, except for my first practice manager who started the clinic with me, she had 20 years of clinical experience, like as a practice administrator.But. Her time was done in the first two, three years, and then we made a conscious station to hire people who did not have any dental experience. So they came in with no baggages. They were not exposed to different softwares. They were not exposed to different philosophies. All they had exposure to was their own dental care themselves.Met a dentist, had a filling, had an extraction done, or whatever treatment they've done and that's about it. And another personal project we have as a family like me and my wife, is to encourage younger dental assistants who come to us. We encourage them to go on to a hygiene school or even dental school.So we motivate them to go on and do that. I see. So we kind of get people in from the homeschooling group. From high school dropouts and all those things. They come in, they get a bit of a grounding with us, and then they go back into schools. So we get people who are non-dental all the time.Michael: So it's easier to train them, especially with a oric real quick. Yeah. How much do you, if you don't mind me asking, how much does Orix cost? How much are you paying Sundar: for Orix? I'm paying. hundred and thirty $5 a month. Okay. Michael: Us. Us. Okay. And that's with everything at the very end. If you can tell me two things, what is it that your team, or three things, what is it that your team really loves about Oryx?The patients? What do they love about Oryx Sundar: and you, the team likes about Rx is. It's very easy for them to manage the scheduling. Mm-hmm. And the exam part. And then the treatment part, treatment planning part, I mean. So everything is segmented and everything is, is on a dropdown menu. So it's very easy to use.And that's what the team has told me that's the easiest part. from a patient point of view, all patient communication, is pretty much on a click of a button. Like, for example, one of the smallest things, but I love that feature is save the date, appointment. As soon as we book the patient in the room, we just click a button, it sends them out a text.I've asked this at my. Medical doctors, clinic. Can you send me a text so I don't forget it? I don't have to note it down. I don't have to write it down. They say, oh, we'll send one the day before, but to me, that's too late. So it's instant. And things like that, like small things like that, it's easy.And another thing patient from a patient point of view is, or ex, as soon as you get all your exam data very correctly and put it in then it gives you Dr. Coys diagnostic opinion automatically and it gives you the risk assessment, printout automatically. So that's a big thing for me.Making the patient understand, you know what this is what is happening in your mouth. And it's very easy for us to explain to the patient, especially in a comprehensive setting, you have to look at the whole thing. You have to look at the gums, you have to look at the teeth, you have to look at your, your aesthetics and all those things like it's organic, the whole thing.And patients like that. Patients like that because everyone wants to speak about themselves, right? Like everyone wants to, hear others speak about them. And when I give this report and they read it, and it's like, oh, that's me. Oh, is this what's happening? Oh, is this what's happening?Oh, that photo looks horrible. That x-ray looks horrible. They don't read x-rays, but. As soon as they see it on a piece of paper, physically on their hand, that makes a difference and Orx makes that possible from my point of view. For all these reasons, it makes my life easy. the biggest thing is when I first did the COI Center curriculum, my biggest challenge was how am I gonna implement this?I'm half the world away. I don't have the same kind of support system as a dentist in US has, like, they have local COIST members, easy support system. But I'm here. But then to me, ORX becomes my link back to the coy Center on an everyday level. It's a reminder for me, like, you go through this checklist, you not missing anything.Exam, you go through cavities watching existing illustrations. It's pretty much like what Dr. Coy speaks about. The checklist manifesto the book. Quite big on that in the first couple of sessions. He speaks about it like and how he trains us to, he says, you should not have cognitive overload.You should be thinking how you can make the patient better, but you shouldn't be thinking, have I noted this down? Have I noted this down? Have I, am I looking at this correctly? That's cognitive overload. I don't have that cognitive overload anymore. My energy is spent to interact with the patient, understand the patient, and present a comprehensive plan to the patient rather than, oh, have I noted how, what is the mobility?Have I noted? What is the periodontal pocket depth? Have I noted cavities? It's all there. It's a checklist. You just go through the list. Your exam is done. it's very systematic. You don't have to think it. Think about it. Dr. Coys one of the things he says about not to have to think about things is apparently when he goes to the SeaTac airport, he parks his car at the same place.when he comes back from the trip, he's like, I'm not thinking, where did I park my car? And all those things. He just goes to that spot straight away. He says, as dentists, we should preserve our brain and cognitive energy to serve the patient. Not to think about, oh, have done this, haven't done this.I've done. And that is, that small concept has changed my life as well. In personal life. Now I go from home to clinic. It's the same route, same speed, same things. Like it becomes a routine and it's actually quite liberating. To do that. Michael: Yeah. No, I like that. I like that a lot. So then it makes it a lot easier.Everything, right? Everything. Awesome. Okay, so then switching gears here a little bit, have you ever faced a situation where the promise results were not achieved with the expected timeframe within your marketing or marketing company or previous marketing companySundar: that has been there? Sometimes that has been there with equa as well. But I've come to a stage where I kind of let it happen. Sometimes I feel I take a more philosophical back step and say, I'd let this go. I'd wait and see how it pans out. It does put a cashflow pressure when things doesn't happen a bit faster.From a business point of view, it does put you on the spot sometimes, but, if we manage cashflow better as a business owner, like allocation. And that's another thing which has happened with us is since Covid. I looked at the profit for system. So the profit for system as such that from the cashflow point of view, has helped me a lot.Some months are big, some months are slow. But then there's no consistency. We kind of get frustrated about, oh, the marketing is not working, conversion's not happening. Front desk is not doing their job. Or the DA hasn't followed up with the treatment plan presentation, or the, these frustrations a reflection of your problem.On the behind is your cashflow. As soon as the money part is clear and slow and seamless. And as a clinician, as a business owner, my mind is clear to concentrate on the thing. So the frustrations on a day-to-day life from a marketing point of view or from a, staff performance point of view, I've got to a stage where, I'm not going to force and make it happen.sometimes we do. I, I'll admit, sometimes it does get to me sometimes, but mostly, once we manage the cash flow a bit better, then we have the systems in place. We trust the process and just go through that hurdle and then just move on to the next one. So that's how I've been doing it in the last three years.Yeah. Michael: Do you ever approach them and say like, guys, what's going on, or what's happening or, anything like that Sundar: that has happened? We do have a bit of a heated huddle sometimes in the morning. That has happened. Like, like we, it happened recently last week. We came off a long weekend, first day back.Couple of them were sick. And I was impressed. I wasn't happy. I did tell them, I did tell them the Tu Tuesday we were, and on the Wednesday morning when they were back, I did tell them, this is not on, you have to preserve yourself through the weekend so that you could turn up to work and be at your best.They did something in the weekend, which didn't go well and they were tired of a bit sick to come back. And I do voice my frustration. I think as a business owner, it's also. Important for me to express how I feel for my team to know that I'm human. I have pressures of running a business, cashflow, paying them, paying suppliers.There's a lot of financial pressures on running a business. And to me, it's about being honest and human, to your team. To the pressures of running a business and explaining it to them, like you guys have to sometimes start thinking like a business owner. If this doesn't work out, it's gonna put a big cashflow, press pressure on us, and on the clinical retreat days, another thing we discuss is the impact of today's sale in six months time.That's what's going to translate as a pay rise to you. If that doesn't happen, if you are not helping me to do that today, please don't expect a pay rise to me from me down the line. in the pot. I can serve it to you. If it's not in the pot, I can't serve it to you. I'm not gonna pluck money out of thin air and give it to you.Right. Like so. Yeah. Come on guys. We are a team. We have to settle down, get into the groove and do things so that we can serve people better, get paid better, and we share better. we do have those conversations now and then, in the clinical retreat days, we do explain it to them. Cause staff training days and things like that, we do discuss them team meetings.Michael: Okay. That's good. That's good that you're able to open up about that, you know what I mean? But express it that way. today, if we don't make it the sale, what you do today? Is it gonna affect six months from now? Yeah, everybody's pay. Yeah. That's real good. Awesome. So then one the last questions I wanna ask you.As a practice owner, what advice could you give our listeners who are new to this? Sundar: I would say if you are starting a practice out, be clear in your value system, out of your value system, you deliver the vision for your practice. And once you get a concept of what vision, what philosophy you want your practice to be, and make it unique.From what is offered around the area. Kind of backtrack it a bit, do a good area study, location study, be clear in your philosophy, and then stick to your guns and don't change the philosophy, at least within the first five years to see whether it's working or not. Do all your planning prior to that, before the day, first day you open the clinic, you go in and then you've done all your homework before that you're not there to change things.You all you're doing is just to sit there and let it happen. one other thing I would do differently if I need to, if I'm gonna do a, another startup is. I'd get a fairly decent reserve cash flow, personal cash to protect the family or give the family a good year's living expenses.One full year living expense before you go into it. Because one of the things we get carried away is, oh, we put everything into the new practice and we don't. Kind of keep reserves to take care of the family and cause the reality is, unless your family's happy, you're not able to concentrate on the new startup.You need that freedom to concentrate on the new practice fully. So reserve cash is something I'm quite passionate about. I tell the other dentists here in New Zealand who are starting practices to at least have. Anything between me around at least a bare minimum of a $50,000 reserve, personal cash stashed away to take care of the family.Yeah, and another thing I would say is look into Oryx as a software. I tell that to all my associates and all my dentists, all my friends, because the software itself should support your growth as a clinic. It should not be a recording medium, even for the associate who's gone back to California now.I did suggest her to go with Orex, as a software for the new clinic. She's starting in, California. that's something I'm quite passionate about, having your systems in place. And then grow. And one more thing is, When you come to acute the practice, have the minimum to start with.Don't over capitalize on the practice too early and be slow and adding things into it equipment wise, but have the real estate space ready for it from the word go. So that you don't have to, oh, I want to add another chair, but I can't fit it within this space. I have to move premises. So concentrate on your homework, getting the real estate right.You don't have to put it out all in one go, and you could slowly work your way through. In the first five years. Michael: Yeah. Awesome. Sundar, thank you so much for your time. We appreciate it. If anyone has any further questions or concerns, where can they find you? Sundar: They can find me on my website.dub do do ent.nz. Sj ENT nz is my email. I would love to hear from your audience. Yeah. Michael: Awesome. Yeah. So guys, that's gonna be in the show notes below to reach out to Sunar and Sundar, thank you so much for being with us. It's been a pleasure and we'll hear from you soon. Sundar: My pleasure, Michael. It was an absolute honor to be part of your show also a shout out to my team and my family for supporting me to get where we are today.Thank you so much. Michael: Awesome. We'll talk to you soon. Thank you.‍‍

Who is @SFDENTALNERD, Dr. Brian Baliwas is known on the gram for his punny digs and “read between the lines” posts. Often generating some buzz and perhaps a comment or 100 from our fellow dental professionals. Some love him, others love to hate him and he's ok with that. Welcome back to this week's episode with the super cool and chill Dr. Baliwas, recovering what we thought was lost footage from a live recording at Voices of Dentistry was a win for our team. Also, Irene's first time choosing to 1. Record solo. 2. Record Video 3. Have a 3rd wheel listen in while recording shout out to Dr. Avi Patel

An episode for the ages!  Want an open and honest conversation with someone who doesn't hold back, then Dr. Chris Ramsey is the episode for you! Oh and did we mention, Dr, Adamo Notarantonio fills in as our co-host???Christopher D. Ramsey, DMD was raised and currently practices in Jupiter Florida. His practice focuses on comprehensive esthetic and restorative dentistry. Dr Ramsey received his dental degree from Temple University School of Dentistry in Philadelphia Pennsylvania in 1999.Dr. Ramsey is a member of the American Academy of Esthetic Dentistry (AAED), a member of the American Society for Dental Aesthetics (ASDA), and an Accredited member of the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry (AACD). He is a Graduate of the Kois Center in Seattle Washington and also an Alumnus of the Pankey Institute in Key Biscayne Florida.Dr. Ramsey takes over 200 hours of continuing education a year to stay on the cutting edge of cosmetic dentistry, which is a rapidly changing profession. He is  the past President of The Florida Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry.

Today we're going to introduce a game changer in the dental practice management software world...‍‍This is an innovative, all-in-one, cloud-based practice management software, and it offers an array of powerful features that are custom built for dentists by dentists ready to revolutionize the way you work. ‍If you are a start-up and decide to sign up with Oryx, they will NOT charge you a single dime, until you reached 200 active patients!⁠⁠They are partnering up with all startup practice owners and making sure you succeed, fast!⁠⁠ Click this link to schedule a FREE personalized demo and to see more on their exclusive deal!⁠‍‍Guest: Jordan SandersPractice Name: Knox Mountain DentistryCheck out Jordan's Media:Website: http://knoxmountaindentistry.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/knoxmountaindentistry/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/knoxmountaindentistryEmail: jordan@knoxmountaindentistry.com‍Other Mentions and Links:Buzz MarketingInvisalignAll-Star Dental AcademyMango VoiceSwellKois Center‍The $100 Startup - Chris GuillebeauJordan on Episode 375‍Host: Michael Arias‍Website: The Dental Marketer Join my newsletter: https://thedentalmarketer.lpages.co/newsletter/‍Join this podcast's Facebook Group: The Dental Marketer Society‍‍My Key Takeaways:Honing in on your target demographic for dentistry will simplify and elevate your marketing efforts!When making content, it's important to make sure potential patients find enjoyment and entertainment from it.Utilizing phone skills such as calling patients by name, asking open-ended questions, and asking for the appointment can bring your scheduling to the next level!Digital marketing efforts are much easier to track ROI and make adjustments based on.Ground marketing can massively boost your local presence in the community early on!Not every employee resonates with certain styles of feedback. You may need to adjust based on personality of the team member!‍Please don't forget to share with us on Instagram when you are listening to the podcast AND if you are really wanting to show us love, then please leave a 5 star review on iTunes! [Click here to leave a review on iTunes]‍p.s. Some links are affiliate links, which means that if you choose to make a purchase, I will earn a commission. This commission comes at no additional cost to you. Please understand that we have experience with these products/ company, and I recommend them because they are helpful and useful, not because of the small commissions we make if you decide to buy something. Please do not spend any money unless you feel you need them or that they will help you with your goals.‍Episode Transcript (Auto-Generated - Please Excuse Errors)Michael: Hey, what's up Jordan? How's it going, man? I'm good, Michael. How you doing, my friend? It's been a year since the last 375 knocks. Wait real quick. Are you in Canada? I am, yeah. Okay. Okay. Yes. Okay. Okay. break it down real fast if you can. A year Jordan: ago, where were you at? Well, yeah, since the last time you and I sat down and had a little chat, it's it is changed a lot.We opened two years ago and so you kind of chatted with me about 12 months into that journey of, of the startup and, we were doing well, you know, things were, things were growing rapidly. We were adding new people to the practice. Lots of new patients were coming, and since then, it's just kept going.We've, added an associate to the practice since then. We've basically doubled our staff from where we were a year ago to where we are now. And it just really going in positive directions. I've have very grateful and thankful for all the opportunities that I've had in this practice.And it's been just a ton of fun along the way. Michael: Nice man. So real quick, could you briefly introduce your dental practice and the demographic you primarily Jordan: serve? You got it. So my name's Dr. Jarden Sanders. I own Knox Mountain Dentistry. It is a dental clinic uh, general dental clinic in Cologna, British Columbia.We are, our town is kind of. It's kind of urban. We're a growing city maybe about 200,000 people in this, in the city, but one of the most rapidly growing cities in Canada right now. Just cuz of our, we have awesome summers and awesome winters and people want to come live here for some reason.Where, Where I settle down with the practices kind of a unique spot. It was this up and coming district within Cologna that's since garnered the name, the brewery district which is neat. So we have. Tons of craft breweries and comedy places and live music and all this kind of fun, funky stuff.And as a result of that, the people that come to this practice are young. We have 3000 patients with an average age of about 32, which is super cool. it's not what I thought when I thought I'd open the doors here, cuz Colonna has been traditionally a bit of an older community.But that's changing so fast that it's just, it's moving in this direction for Michael: us. How is that man? Do you feel like they're coming in aware and they're like, look I wanna get my cleaning 32 year olds, right? Things like that? Or are they just like, dude, I your bottle hit my tooth, chipped it.Can you Jordan: fix it real fast? I mean, it's a little bit of both. We do get some of that usually it's like skis or sometimes beer bottles, but a lot of it's young families, we have. The mom typically comes in and, tests us out and then the husband shows up and the three kids and then their grandparents.And so it's kind of that, energy that we've been, we've been working with. But yeah, we set up in this really central location. Like I'm on a busy main street with large signage. And so people just, they're all moving to this area. And they just see us as they're walking by, driving by and, that's really what brings them in.So it's been kind of fortuitous. They keep building stuff around me, which is working out really well for us. Michael: Yeah. Nice man. Okay. And then, so you're a private practice, right? Solo dog, multiple doctors specialty or, yeah, Jordan: so just myself and my associate. When did you bring on your associate? It was a year ago, April.So about four months after you and I chatted, that was the, That was when I brought the associate in. Michael: Okay. And it was like once you hired them. That, was it home run perfect person or did you have to like let home associate Jordan: and bring someone else? Yeah, no, it was, it was kind of interesting. Like she, she cold called me in February.And, at that time I wasn't ready for an associate, like, I didn't feel ready. And so, you know, we were chatting and we kind of said, ah, it's like it's not the right time for the practice right now to bring on an associate. And even if it was you know, it would be. Part-time at best.And so, she went off and she found another associateship in a, in one of the adjacent towns. And she worked there for two months and then called me up again and said I hate this. I can't. Like how do we make this work? Yeah. and you know, her and I just, we clicked it was, it was great.And so I. Brought on an associate faster than I thought I was going to to get her. And it's worked out. It's worked out amazing. She's great. Did that bring pressure Michael: for you to be like, we gotta push it now to fill her schedule, do all this? Or was it like already there? There was no Jordan: pressure. Y yeah, there was definitely pressure.I, I told her, I was very honest with her. I said, this. If this was six months from now, this would be easy. It'd be no problem. But because we're doing this a little bit early, like we're, you're gonna start off slow and we're gonna have to build it up if you really want to work here.And she was okay with that. And so we just, she just hung out and just saw, you know, the emergencies that walked through the door and, I fed her most of the new patients which just actually was nice for me. It let me. Do more of the treatment that I'd had. Mm-hmm. Kind of getting built up. And since then, she's running two columns.I'm running two columns. We've got, three full-time hygienists basically every day. Is busy, you know, it's comes with the typical lulls that you get with any dental practice, you know, during the summer and during those early winter months. But, we're all doing well. Okay, Michael: man.Nice. So then what has been your experience with different marketing companies and which strategies have proved to be most effective? Jordan: Yeah. I, so I started off with the same marketing company that I'm using now. Now, like caveat to that is I do a lot of my own social media. I had, the early days of the practice.I spent a lot of time really establishing what I wanted. The brand of the practice to be and how that was gonna play itself out on the social media channels. So I do all of that and I still do all of that cuz I have quite a bit of fun doing it. But I leveraged the marketing company to deal with all of the things that I wasn't that good at.So, search engine optimization advertising on using Google AdWords and Facebook stuff. Building the website. And basically coming up with the synergy of how all of those things can work together to bring people through the front door. Probably the most successful stuff that we've had has been are, are Google, mostly Google Maps.We target a lot of people within the five kilometer demographic of the practice. Mm-hmm. So, you know, they search up dentist, we pop up in, in one of the top three because of that. And that's been really our boon with bringing new people through the front door. Ah, so who is your marketing company? They're a company called Buzz Marketing.They're local here in Colonna. They've been great. Honestly, I they've hit the, hit it out of the park every time we've done videos with them, photos with them. They, They have all the skills and the tools to do whatever I've needed them to do along the way. We did a mail marketing campaign where they did all of the graphic design.Yeah, they're just easy to work with, which has been the greatest part of it. Uhhuh Michael: true. Okay. And then you talked about you do the social media. Mm-hmm. So like, break that down for me. Does that, like, you just do the Instagram, then you schedule it out, or you just pump it out Jordan: once it, how does that Oh yeah.Yeah. I just, I just kind of you'd have to kind of understand what our Instagram is to really, to know, like we don't, I don't have a single picture of teeth on my Instagram account. Like I don't focus at all. On the tooth side of the business when it comes to social media, the social media is purely a entertainment type thing.So, we have patients come into the practice and we have this Instagram counter that sits in the front lobby that actively changes when people follow or unfollow the clinic. And so they follow it on their phone and they see the numbers flip over, which is super cool. But then it's just from there, it's just funny stuff.Like literally it's TikTok videos and stupid things that my staff and I do in the office. Our outings as a group are the things that we go do outside of clinic hours. It's really just meant to be more of a lifestyle channel than it is something that's meant to show people what. We do with teeth.It's meant to kind of, they get to see our culture. you're getting an inner look in what the culture of the office is like. And that's honestly attracted a ton of people to the clinic. They follow us on Instagram. I get a ton of engagement and every now and then I get to throw in, an Invisalign special day that we're doing.And that gets a ton of traction and people come and book because of that. Michael: And so you just post like, today I feel like posting. Yeah. Or like, like that pretty, it's never like scheduled. Jordan: when I see something coming up on the reels, that's a fun dad joke or something, I'll share that.Or, we sometimes pull pranks on each other in the office, so I'll video that and I'll put that up and yeah a bit unusual, but it's really worked for us. That was kind of the, what we established ourself as early in the day, and it's what most of our patients expect of us now.Yeah. Um, But yeah, I don't really have I don't schedule it. I don't, I, I don't use stock photography. I don't use anything that's pre-generated. I just, it's all stuff I make myself or stuff that I share from other creators. And just let it roll. Michael: Gotcha. So do you feel like having a content calendar, like, guys, it's money we gotta do, would hinder you even more, like kind of kill the sporadicness of it?Jordan: I maybe, I think it depends on what works for you. If you're creating content really, the main thing is just being engaging with your audience. know, Especially in my age category that comes to this practice. They're in their thirties, they're millennials. They're on Instagram and they're on YouTube.Like, those two avenues are huge for us. If you had an older patient population, maybe Facebook is a bit more prevalent for you. But yeah, as long as you're creating the content and keeping people engaged, I think you can do it with a schedule. That's fine. It just, it's sometimes hard to get your team on board with all that unless you're, willing to do it all yourself.Michael: Yeah. Yeah. That's true. That's true. So then how much budget. Do you typically allocate Jordan: for your marketing? Not as much as maybe would be advised. I think I'm spending, I know I'm spending about 3,200 a month right now. Most purely Google right now. I was in Facebook for a while. just found that that wasn't attracting.The type of patient that I wanted in the clinic. But what kind of Michael: patients was Jordan: it? Was it reading? A bit, a little bit flake here. Kind of what we might categorize as a lower quality patient. Someone that's a bit more, you know, impulsive in their clicking and asking questions and stuff.Some of those people wouldn't show up, or they'd, want things that we just weren't able to offer. And so, yeah, it was just, having those, having the Google presence, having people able to see us there has been really what, where the money's been spent. I thought about dialing it back.I kind of, tell myself that we've hit a critical mass where the most of the people that we get are coming from word of mouth referrals. But I haven't been able to convince myself to not spend that money yet. I think it's still doing really well for us. Michael: Okay, man. That's good. And then how many new patients are you currently Jordan: getting right now, like in a month?Varies probably high end 110. Average probably between 60 to 80 in that neighborhood. Michael: Yeah, that's pretty good, man. Yeah. And so, like, pie charted, if you can, like majority of, would you say like 80% is from goo Google? Jordan: Less so in the earlier days of the practice. Yes. I would say probably that much now, probably half most of the a good chunk as we've had self-referrals and people that have, like our, thing that we seem to attract is one person from a particular workplace will come to the clinic.And then all of a sudden we're seeing all of them. that tends to be how we've built the practice is just by collecting cohorts of people through their work conversations about, who's a dentist to see in town kind of thing. Do Michael: you tell them like, Hey man, Talk to us about your work or to your work friends or something that are, are they just naturally do it?Yeah, Jordan: We sometimes it depends on what the work is. We usually engage with our patients pretty heavily, especially in our new patient visit. I don't ask for it as much as I used to, Back in the early earlier days of the practice when I was doing a lot more of the ground marketing style stuff and really kind of trying to get people engaged.I would a hundred percent ask if I'd ask them, to tell their friends about us if they enjoyed the experience, to leave, leave a Google review. And most people were really good about that. But now I just, I don't need to do that. Yeah, people seem to do it themselves. Michael: Gotcha, man. Okay.How equipped is your team in converting calls into actual Jordan: patients? Excellent. Honestly, we did a lot of training related to phone skills and really just, how we categorize the people that that call, you so our office is set up with a phone tree that's designed to split existing patients away from new patients.And so anyone that is new to the practice will come down a specific route in that colt tree and they get a tag that's a new patient call on our end. And so we know when that comes in, that's a really high priority call. And so they bring them in and it's, we spent. Hours and hours going through verbiage and call conversion and how to bring some of that skills and get people to actually book and commit to appointments.But yeah, they're excellent. I would say they convert 80% of the calls that come in as far as new people. Yeah. Michael: That's really good man. Do you like sit down at the beginning were you like sitting down and listening to them and be like, guys, we gotta adjust. We got, did Track 2: you Jordan: have a consultant?Nope. No, I did that myself. Oh. So I still do that. We, I still audit call logs and listen to call recordings and say, you know how I had a company doing it for a while when we were doing the call phone training uh, which I did through a company called All Star. I found that to be really, really awesome.Uh, It is to build some of those foundational skills they were doing, auditing of the call logs for me and grading. Grading them. But since then we've moved away from that cause we kind of got what we needed to out of it. And I just do it monthly. I just sit down, I grab five calls and I just go through them and give feedback based on that.Yeah. Michael: What to you, Jordan, what would be like, my gosh, this was, this was beautiful, especially the way you handled this, and then what to you is like, oh my God, what happened? You need to change all Jordan: this. Yeah, I mean the, some of the most important things that we've found when talking to people is, using their name.People love their hearing, the sound of their name. It's the most beautiful thing in the world to them. Asking open-ended questions is huge. And honestly asking for the appointment, those three things alone are probably the biggest things that I look for when I'm listening to these logs.And really the things that make me cringe is when that doesn't happen. When we don't ask for the appointment or we just, you know, a price shopper calls and, we just say, well, yeah, this is what we charge for a crown. And we don't actually ask them to like, do you need a cr, do you need a crown?Is that, are you gonna come and do you wanna come in and get a crown? And so, yeah, it's just, you know, the girls up front are really busy and I get that not every day is gonna be, everyone's a game, but. We try to keep each other accountable. We want to be able to represent the business and the brand the way that, that it's always been and build that so that our patient experience is consistent.And that's really the big thing, is maintaining that consistency. Michael: How do you approach that now when maybe somebody's been working for you for a while and then you're like, Hey, I listened to a call. You sucked, right? Mm-hmm. But like, But like, how would you approach it? Jordan: so the way that I have it set up in the clinic, so I I I figured out a long time ago that I have certain skill sets when it comes to leadership, and there's certain other things that I maybe lack in.And one of them is really this maybe the softer approach to types of feedback. And certain people do well with that, constructive feedback and other people don't. And, all spectrums of that exist in the office. So we built this kind of management pyramid in the office.So I have myself, I have my office manager and I have a lead assistant and the three of us filter this stuff out. So my office manager is responsible for everything up front. My lead assistant is responsible for everything in the back, and I'm the kind of top of that pyramid where. All of the team will go to them first, or they will approach the team for various things.And then I step in as I need to. So in a case like a phone call, I would just take it to my office manager and say, we need to give some feedback about this particular thing's been happening. And so she'll do that. And if she feels like it was well received and worked well, then that's kind of the end of it.And we just follow up, next month. If it's not working, then, then we have a bit more of a, a formal sit down and, and, and work through it. But, I prepared a lot of my team and it's one of the beauties of doing a startup and being able to bring your own team into the mix is they all knew what to expect when they came in.You They all knew that feedback was gonna be just a part of the mechanism and they do really well with it. Honestly. They're all really hungry. They want to do better. They, we change things so often in the clinic that they almost expect feedback. which works well.You know, There's not a lot of hurt feelings. And even in the cases where people are feeling maybe a little bit taken aback but we can work through it together. Gotcha, man. Okay, Michael: so like the hierarchy kind of thing, right? Like you're, hey, you need to approach this, and then if it escalates, you approach it.Jordan: Yeah. It's only, it's hierarchy is, is a good word for it in the sense that that's really just how we operate when it comes to the operations of the business. When it comes to the actual interoffice culture, like we're a team, we work together. Mm-hmm. We do everything that we can to make people feel elevated and like they're doing a good job cuz they are, and.So that works well for us, providing positive feedback along with the negative or constructive stuff that we have to really opens up those doors for us to make those changes. Gotcha. Okay, man. Michael: Cool. And then you said you have, when the new patient call, phone call comes in is the software that does that or mm-hmm. Jordan: we use Mango Voice and they have a, dashboard type thing where you can build. A RY path of exactly how you want they call in and they get a thing that says, thanks for calling Knox Mountain Dentistry. If you're new to the office, press one.If you're need, wanna schedule something, press two, et cetera, and so on. So that's, and it tags their caller ID with a specific, NP or whatever we use in those cases. So the front knows exactly what's coming in. Michael: Gotcha. Okay. And since you opened up, or I guess it's the last time we spoke to him now, what have been some of the best and worst companies you've worked with?Jordan: Well, I mean, the companies, most of the companies that I worked with at the beginning, I'm still working with now. There hasn't been many. I've moved on from some, not because they were bad but just because we got out of them, what I think. We needed to. And we were able to move forward. As we've discussed, like, I've been with ORIC since we opened up, which has been our practice management software. I've been with Mango Voice, which has been amazing, good VoIP based phone service. We were using swell a ton for our reviews and messaging system. But one of the beauties about Orex is they keep adding features that.Make it. So I don't need that stuff anymore. I don't have to pay extra for some of these other pieces of software now because org has an online review platform now that lets me send out those text messages or emails for Google reviews or Facebook reviews. So, we were with, well and they were great, and now we're not because I don't need to.So that saves me a couple grand a year. Yeah. Same marketing company that I've been with all along. And then really our, I really did enjoy the training process that we went through with a company called All-Star Dental Academy. They were the phone skills based course that we did all module based online.But it really helped the, we did it as a team, so everybody did it. And it was kind of neat because it gave us these common talking points and understandings between. What the back was doing and what the front was doing, and they could kind of see eye to eye on some of these things now. So we use them for a good solid year to get, those foundations in place.That's pretty much it. There's not, I don't have a ton of, other stuff that I need to subscribe to these days. Nice Michael: man. Okay. Out of, there's a couple right out there. Cloud-based, all-in-one platforms, right? Practice management softwares. Why'd you pick oryx? Jordan: The original attraction for Orx was really the coy based stuff.So I'm a mentor at the Coy Center you know, I was always looking for some piece of software that would let me do the types of exams and dentistry that I was taught at center. this was exactly that. And the ORs of two years ago is not the ORs of today like it is.Is morphing and changing rapidly. It's one of the, the beauties about it, we all complain about our practice management somewhere on, on some level, but, I don't know another practice management company that has a Facebook group that I can go on and request a feature and the C is on there responding to it.I, that's a very unique environment. And they listen and they do these things for us and add these features that we ask for. And EZ great. Ozzie's great. It's been a really wonderful way for us to be able to provide the dentistry that we've always wanted to do. Yeah. That's Michael: really good, man.Mm-hmm. when it comes to Oryx, how much did you, what can I ask? How much do you pay? Jordan: It's four 50 a month. Us. For orx. the nice thing about ORX is they do offer a way to do just the clinical side. Like if you have existing software that you're using for your administrative side, you can continue to use that while using the ORs clinical side.you know, we were a startup, so we went all in, we had the opportunity and the time to learn it. But it's super intuitive. Like it's easy. I find that. They're, they have their little hiccups here and there, like any piece of software might. But it's hasn't been anything that my office manager hasn't been able to figure out and implement.Yeah. So, yeah, it's been a great, it's a great investment. Michael: Yeah. Cause I was gonna ask, is it easy to train people on and stuff like that? Is it onboarding or is it more like, oh my God, it's taken us like three months to get Jordan: this going? I think if you were converting, I think there's definitely some more headaches there, but I think there's gonna be headaches with any conversion.If you're starting fresh. It was pretty easy for us. We started from scratch. We did, they have a bunch of YouTube videos on how to, like, we never brought anyone in. It was the middle of Covid. When we opened. So we didn't bring a trainer in, we just did their, YouTube videos didn't cost us anything.And once we were through with that and we started implementing it, we were comfortable within it within the first month. It wasn't a huge issue for us to get hit the ground running with that thing. Gotcha. Michael: Okay. And so you utilize all of it then? All the features and everything? Yes. Oh, okay.Cool. What's Jordan: one of your favorite features from it? Oh one. I have different favorites for different reasons. Probably one of The things that we've come to be a little bit known for is what's called our risk assessments. So Orx generates a document like 15 pages long. That's basically all of the summary findings from their new patient exam with pictures and, all these little kind of easy to understand paragraph templates of the things that are going on with their teeth.And we print this off for people. It has this really informative pie diagram that shows where their risks are. And we give that to people in a little branded folio when they leave. It's kind of like their, it's not the report card. We call it the report card, but Yeah. It, it gives them something to, that's tangible to walk out with.So that's probably on the clinic side. That's one of my favorites. The review request stuff that they've added has been amazing. That's been really helpful. Texting patients, I just text people all the time. I used to pick up the phone and call people a lot and now I just text them cause yeah, they prefer that anyway.Yeah, so there's that the, it's a good looking piece of software. It looks fresh, it doesn't look clunky or, kind of Windows 95 esque Type approach. Easy to navigate. Treatment planning's really, really straightforward. I list goes on, like there's Not a ton about it that I dislike.And even the things that I have disliked in the past they've addressed and they've brought into the mix. Nice man. Michael: Awesome. All righty. So sliding back into the strategies for marketing, could you elaborate on any unique, maybe ground marketing or regular marketing strategies that have been successful to your practice?Jordan: Yeah, I think so. It's kind of in the beginning, the ground marketing was huge. We basically were plunked into this area that was just starting to come up at the time, you know, there was not a lot there. The building that I'm in was a parking lot for the, the fruit packing plant that's in behind us for two decades before they started building stuff here, but it just blew up when they started.So in those early days, I just went around, I used your scripts. They were great. I went around to the businesses in the area and I dropped off some stuff, and, talked with the people there that were the decision makers and said, Hey, like, we're gonna be opening our doors just down the road.Like here's a signup sheet we're, we're gonna be taking some names and some information of anyone that might be interested in joining our clinic. And I would collect all that. And I think we had two or 300 names before we even opened our doors. You know, we were making phone calls. Two weeks before our doors open and we had pretty much a full schedule. It was just, there was just three of us. I wasn't seeing many people a day. But yeah, that, that was a huge weight off the shoulders in those early days. It was just being able to capitalize on, I have names, I have people that are interested.I'm not gonna be sitting here twiddling my thumbs, hoping that somebody shows up. And that was great. As we've moved down into becoming a bit more established, it's, I've obviously needed to do less of that. Although I'm kind of thinking that I might do it again.I might do some, get more involved in the community in a sense to do, do some events, do some we just did. An Invisalign day, we had a we blocked off a whole day. We sent out email blasts to our patients. We did this thing where all we did all day was scan people for Invisalign, and we offered a bit of a promo to do it.And, we had like 30 Invisalign starts. Wow. Man, on that day, like, it was huge. Like, so, it still works even in established practices doing boots on the ground type approach. Really pays its dividends. Yeah. Michael: that's good. That's really good. I appreciate that man.Thank you for utilizing the, I could tell you did cuz you're like, signup sheet and I was like, oh yeah, he did. He did. But that's good man. So the Invisalign day, the promo, what was the Jordan: promo you guys were offering? We knocked a thousand bucks off, so I Invisalign in our office, we just have a flat fee for it.And we just do, it's all in, it's, all your treatment plus retainers. For a flat fee. And so we, we had a our, the way that our fee works is it's a bit on the higher end, so it allowed me to build in this really attractive looking thousand dollars off promo. And that's really all it took.Like we, we did that and people just, came, we just started, we emailed our existing patient base and they. They all filled up a bunch of slots and then they asked if their friend could come do it too. And I said, yeah, okay. Why not? Right? So, and we were doing Invisalign starts on teenagers. We did two 70 year olds.Like it was just, yeah. Like, it was all, all over the place. Like it was not what I expected at all. But, that's just what the, what this group of people needed to pull the trigger was just, Even just this kind of inkling that they're getting a bit of a deal.Michael: Yeah. Interesting. Could I ask what the fee is? Jordan: 6,500. Michael: Okay. No, it's not a bad No. Compared to, yeah. Okay. Jordan: Our main thing too, the reason that we did it initially was that my associate was new to it. And, you know, we, I do some, I don't do a ton, but we just wanted to do some more cases.You know, He said, let's do some cases. And so we did this and it. Just blew up, it was worked out really well. Michael: Nice. Yeah. Okay. And then, have you ever faced a situation where the promised results were not achieved with the expected timeframe? With any marketing company? Jordan: Not with a marketing company.I, so everything that I've ever heard and heard people say was how expensive but impactful. Mail marketing campaigns can be. And so I did one, I spent about eight grand on it. And you know, I did everything that, that I was, that I thought I was supposed to, I had a special landing page for the. That was on the uh, the card that went out. So if people went to the website that was on the card, it tracked them and was able to see, who was coming from various sources and, yeah, I mean, as far as dollars per new patient or it didn't do anywhere near as well as just the dollars we put into Google.Michael: Okay. You did it on your eddm or what's that? You paid Jordan: a company like was it? No. Yeah, so yeah, like I did the design. With my marketing company, we just did, like, it was really nice. It was a big like six by nine postcard thing. And then Canada Post just does they have a service that, that does the printing and the um, and the delivery of those packages.Michael: Okay. Okay. Yeah. Yeah. That happens sometimes. Like you mm-hmm. Could or miss. Right. So then as a practice owner, what advice would you give to our listeners regarding effective marketing and ROI tracking? Jordan: Yeah, I guess it depends on how comfortable you are diving into some of that stuff. Are anything digital is gonna be easier to track ROI on?It's really hard to make tangible distinctions about how your dollars are being spent when it's just, when it's a physical object that's going out into the ether. one of the biggest things that I think for as far as ROI goes is capitalizing on what your demographics are.So knowing what your demographics are, knowing how many pieces of property, businesses, and households exist within a three mile or five kilometer radius of your practice. Because realistically, what you're gonna get is you're gonna get the people that are close to you from where they live.The number of people that come from work to the office is way, way lower than the number of people that come from their homes. And, tracking that stuff, if you have a good solid marketing company, they can do that. They can create landing pages for you. They can, you can create different phone numbers that lets you track people that call numbers on various pieces of marketing.You can always do split tests to see how certain pieces of marketing play against each other. in the US you guys have a lot more leniency in some of your advertising than we do up here, at least in British Columbia. Like, we can't really offer, promotions to people in a, in an open way.Mm-hmm. I can advertise to my patient base, but I can't send. Postcard out that offers people a discounted exam and x-rays or cleaning that would just be a a no-no. But focusing on the patients that are gonna be in your practice for the longest, so, One piece of, one piece of marketing that I never thought would be as successful as it has been has been YouTube. YouTube impressions are cheap, super cheap. And the number of patients that I have come in, because they've seen my office video that we made Come up as a sponsored ad on whatever YouTube video they're watching. Like if you told me that a year ago, I'd say you're, you're silly.That's ridiculous. But it's been hundreds and hundreds. Like, it's very strange. Michael: They come in and they're like, Jordan: I saw you on YouTube. Kind of. Yeah. Yeah. I saw your ad on YouTube, man. Michael: Break that down for me. How do you do that? So you, go on a YouTube, you decide, is it just like, Facebook ads or Jordan: Google Ads, or how does that, honestly, I dunno if you've ever been on YouTube and watch, you're watching a YouTube video and That creator has, an ad all of a sudden comes up in the middle of your, your video. Mm-hmm. It'll just be my ad and, you know, the backend, Michael: the backend. Like, oh, how much do you pay? And Jordan: Oh, create it. I wanna, oh, I don't want quote me on it, but it's. Like less than a scent per impression or something like that.It's, It's really cheap. It's bundled up with Google cuz they own YouTube. But yeah, in incredibly inexpensive. Michael: Wow. Okay. And then so you just have the same video or you create a video specifically Jordan: for YouTube? Yeah, no, so we, we created a video, six months after we opened with this, my marketing company.I spent, Five grand on it. It's really professionally done. It's on our website. I leverage it all the time. Instagram, I like, I posted on Instagram I do these things many times over the last two years. But it's just that video. That's the one that's up on Instagram. So they get the intro into the office and they see, the area and it's me talking about the services we offer and things we do.And it's just set up in a way to be really attractive. And it works. And Michael: you set it up in like a radius of. Only around your, that's what you do like in YouTube, right? Around your town? Jordan: Yeah. Or your community or, yeah, like we our area's pretty dense, the focus of who I bring into the practices is anybody within six kilometers.So six kilometer radius has about, 15,000 people in it, and me and one other dentist. So that's kind of the area. And then anything outside of that, people will come. It's just I've found that as we've matured, our radius is expanding the people that we start attracting. Like, so now we bring people in from several hours away.They've moved away and they still want to come and see us or they've heard about us, so they'll drive in to do to see us here just because there's no option in their town. But, I think as you, as your practice grows and you start bringing in more people and have a bit more clout you can expand that radius and start advertising a little bit more broadly.But, it really just comes down to trying to make yourself look different than the person next door. And that's not always easy to do. You have You have to have something that people are attracted to, to be able to do that. Yeah, I think Michael: that's pretty really, man. Especially like u utilizing YouTube.Cause I feel like nobody's really, Jordan: Oh yeah. Like, it never crossed my mind in the early days of this, it's not, I'm not someone that, that peruses YouTube baton. But apparently it's by far the most hours spent than any other platform. Yeah. Yeah, that's true.Yeah. Michael: Interesting. Okay. Something to think about. Awesome, Jordan, I appreciate your time. If anyone has further questions or concerns, where can they find you? Jordan: You can give me, gimme a call at the office. look up the website, send me a message. And happy to answer any questions Michael: I can.Awesome. So guys, that's gonna be in the show notes below. And Jordan, thank you for being with us. It's a pleasure. I'll away from you soon. Appreciate it.‍

The Story of 2 Superpowers in DentistryEpisode #586 with Dr. Amanda Seay & Dr. Adamo Notarantonio Episode Resources:ImP.R.E.S.: https://imprescourses.comDr. Seay's social media: @dramandaseayDr. Notarantonio's social media: @adamoelvisSubscribe to the Best Practices Show PodcastJoin ACT's To The Top Study ClubJoin ACT's Master ClassSee our Live Events Schedule hereGet the Best Practices Magazine for Free!Write a Review on iTunesLinks Mentioned in This Episode:ImP.R.E.S. 2023 course registration: https://imprescourses.com/2023-course-registrationMain Takeaways:Remember that being a dentist requires a lot of hard work.Take CE that is transformational, not transactional.Learning photography is essential in dentistry.Mastering rubber dam isolation is essential.Always dream big. Quotes:“There's so much CE. For me, a transactional CE sometimes are those that — not that it's bad. You go to learn something specific, or maybe you go because you want to hear someone speak. They're there at the podium to give you some information, but there's no engagement. There's no follow-up. Meaning, if you have a question about what was taught after the class, you've got to figure out how to get that answer maybe from another colleague, internet, whatever. And you can do that, there are lots of little courses like that. But the transformational ones are the ones where there's a relationship. There's follow through.” (35:27—36:17)“The first transformational CE I had was the Kois Center. Because John Kois is, of course, the head of that whole center, and he is faculty. But he is the one that teaches that entire curriculum. And he's such a big, famous guy. I remember going there for the first time and I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, I have this question. I still don't get it.' Like, I still don't get it, but I'm so afraid to bother him. I don't want to go up there. So, I went up and I asked. And he asked questions back to test my understanding of, ‘Why do you think this? Tell me why. I'm not saying you're wrong but tell me why you think this.' And I'm telling him all this stuff, and he could sense my confusion. And he's like, ‘Can you meet me tomorrow at 6:00 a.m.? Let's go over this case.' And I remember that moment. I'm like, ‘You're going to help me.' Like, I'm no one. Like, you've got thousands of students that you see every year. And he did. And I remember leaving that course that week and coming home. And I'm like, he cares. He wants to see us better, and he's invested. Like, yes, we paid thousands of dollars to go to the Kois Center and learn from a great educator. But it extends beyond the transaction. And so, I hope that when I stepped into the educator role that I could achieve the same thing.'” (36:20—37:54)“There are some lectures that are better than others. But the hotel lectures or the study club lecture sometimes, it's...

Today we're going to introduce a game changer in the dental practice management software world...‍‍This is an innovative, all-in-one, cloud-based practice management software, and it offers an array of powerful features that are custom built for dentists by dentists ready to revolutionize the way you work. ‍If you are a start-up and decide to sign up with Oryx, they will NOT charge you a single dime, until you reached 200 active patients!⁠⁠They are partnering up with all startup practice owners and making sure you succeed, fast!⁠⁠ Click this link to schedule a FREE personalized demo and to see more on their exclusive deal!⁠‍‍Guest: Rania SalehBusiness Name: Oryx Dental SoftwareCheck out Rania's Media:Website: https://www.oryxdentalsoftware.com/Email: hello@oryxdentalsoftware.com‍Other Mentions and Links:InvisalignKois CenterThe Making OfOrange is the New BlackZoomPearlDr. Sana Yusuf‍The Happiness Advantage - Shawn Achor‍Host: Michael Arias‍Website: The Dental Marketer Join my newsletter: https://thedentalmarketer.lpages.co/newsletter/‍Join this podcast's Facebook Group: The Dental Marketer Society‍‍My Key Takeaways:Do your best to educate patients, and then let them decide whether or not to move forward with treatment. This will give patients a more inviting atmosphere!Your brand reputation starts before patients even enter your practice. Be sure your forms and online presence is as updated and clean as your practice!Sometimes a visual representation of risk areas is just what patients need to understand the treatment plan.Promoting patients with NO dental problems is a great way to attract new patients!Don't focus on just the negative areas in a patient's mouth, be sure to show them what is looking great too!‍Please don't forget to share with us on Instagram when you are listening to the podcast AND if you are really wanting to show us love, then please leave a 5 star review on iTunes! [Click here to leave a review on iTunes]‍p.s. Some links are affiliate links, which means that if you choose to make a purchase, I will earn a commission. This commission comes at no additional cost to you. Please understand that we have experience with these products/ company, and I recommend them because they are helpful and useful, not because of the small commissions we make if you decide to buy something. Please do not spend any money unless you feel you need them or that they will help you with your goals.‍Episode Transcript (Auto-Generated - Please Excuse Errors)Michael: Ranya. How's it going? Doing great. Thank you. That's wonderful. I spoke with you and I met you in the first making of Demo Startup retreat, and you gave one of the best speeches there, not because of like, you know, oryx obviously it's wonderful and it's great and everything like that.But because you touched a lot of our hearts, my heart, my wife's heart, everybody's heart, right? And I kind of wanted to backtrack a little bit and tell us a little bit about your past from that point on your present. How'd you get to where you are today? Rania: So I started as a general dentist. Uh, practicing right outside of Washington, DC and I was an associate for a couple of years, then decided to have my own practice, and that worked well for me.So it grew into a larger practice, multiple locations. I was doing really well. I was really happy, and I got pregnant with twins, had to be on bed dressed, and my practice went downhill very quick. and I couldn't understand why that was happening. And I started looking into our systems and into what the associates are doing, and it was all the same.So the same associates, the same front desk, the same marketing. Uh, how did we go from doing so well to doing so poorly? And I realized that we weren't implementing the systems the same way we were when I was in the practice. And I realized that a lot of the system were just in my head. I wasn't translating that to everyone.Um, and I started creating a little system just to, uh, put my practice back on track. Um, and I had gone through the Coy Center, so I loved John's systematic approach. I loved how you can look at the patient, gather some data, and you always come up to the same diagnosis. Started showing it to other people. They liked it, and this is how Orx was Michael: created. Nice. So you are the one who created it cuz of the pain points that you were experiencing? Yeah, Rania: in a way with a large group behind me, but Gotcha, gotcha. Michael: If we rewind a little bit, Rania, um, talk to me about your process of becoming a dentist.Rania: So, um, my parents are dentists, so it was kind of an easy choice. Uh, my brother is an orthodontist, my sister is a pediatric dentist, so they always, my parents always pushed us towards dentistry. Like it's the best profession. it was a bit of a no-brainer for me to go to go Michael: into dentistry.And so you came into dentistry and then from that point on, you always thought to yourself, I'm gonna own my own practice. Or how did that come up? Um, Rania: yeah, I dunno. No. I started as an associate not really knowing what I was doing. And, uh, I went to a very insurance heavy practice. and I didn't like the systems.I didn't like how fast paced, extremely fast paced it was. Um, I didn't agree with some, some of the treatment protocols that we had, but I was in a way doing my job. Mm-hmm. Uh, And that was like maybe 2007 when the economy was collapsing, everything was going so bad and we didn't have access to podcasts, like cures to the dental startup, to all that information about opening a practice.And of course, the owner of the practice I was at was always discouraging me. Like, it's a lot of money. I didn't know you could take a loan from the bank. Mm-hmm. Like we didn't have access to all that information, so I was always discouraged to, to open my own practice. Um, but then when I started going to the coy center and I'm like, I want to implement a different level of care, I found it was really, really hard to do if and to change systems if you are doing it in someone else's practice.and this is when I decided like, That's it. I'm opening a startup and I don't know how Yeah. Michael: To any of it. Were you looking for immediately a startup, like from the ground up or were you looking for an acquisition? Rania: I looked for an acquisition a little like for a short, wide, um, and I didn't find any good fit.there weren't that many in the area where I was like, right outside of Washington, DC I didn't want to drive too far. so I'm like, okay, I'll just do a startup and I'll do it the way I want. And everything I looked at was like, now you see all these amazing startups, super modern, like on the grade decor.But when I did my office and looking at offices, they were very ugly. And I couldn't picture my, I mean, it's silly like now if I'm evaluating a practice, I, I would look at numbers, I would look at product, I would look at a lot of different things. But back then I was just looking, oh, I, I really hate this space.Michael: so you were looking more at the outside of it, the interior design, things like that. Yeah. I was thinking Rania: like, if I want to create that vision for a practice, if I want my. Patients to have this amazing experience, it has to be done in a really nice space. Michael: Mm-hmm. Yeah, that's true. And then, so fast forward a little bit more.You mentioned you started running your dental practice and was it around the time where you're like, okay, my practice is going down, was when you gave birth to your twins? Rania: No, so, so I started the practice and, um, I'll backtrack a bit. Uh, as I said, like I had the vision for the practice. So a friend who's an architect, had also a vision of how a practice should be, and they had a really amazing location.Uh, we were featured in architecture and magazines. Google Ads were not very popular at the time, so we started, so Google ads, we got so busy, so quick, like we were, uh, breaking even by the second month or third month we were profitable. Very early on, we hit a million on the first year, we were doing really well and this is when my brother came and started doing one day of Ortho with me.That turned into several days of, uh, a month, and then my, we had, um, a periodontist come and join us, uh, my sister-in-law. Mm-hmm. And then we had, uh, and the practice started growing into having associates. Then I started looking at another location. and after that I got pregnant. I had to be on bed dressed, and this is when the office started losing a lot of money.Okay. It was not a hundred thousand alone that we were losing. Michael: Wow. Why? What was going on? Where it was specifically losing? So, Rania: um, the way we had the system in our practices, I was doing a lot of the exams and treatment planning. and then the patients would see different providers for the treatment. So they would see some of my associates fulfilling.So, so I was in way screening the patient. Mm-hmm. if someone needed ortho first and then some Pero treatment and then maybe, A couple of implants, if it was a cosmetic case and we're, we're going through all of that, I would coordinate the whole case and they were going through the department.and if they were fillings and, uh, some smaller treatments, some of the, uh, younger associates were doing, if they were more complex treatment, it was the more senior associates doing that. So, so we had all of this organized and I fear that when I wasn't in the practice, that piece went missing. So I was in a way the project manager.Yeah. Yeah. and when that went missing, uh, we were looking at patients and new patients were coming in and it, and they were just seen in hygiene and see you in six months, were gonna watch this, this, and that, and that's it. So people were not, presented with a comprehensive vision for their treatment and for their health.So, I think that was the biggest difference. Michael: Gotcha. How long did that last For? A few Rania: months. and then I started asking my associates to come to the hospital. So half my bedrest was in a hospital bed. Really Michael: horrible. So it was, I'm sorry, you were in bed rest for how long? The whole Rania: pregnancy. Oh wow. Like on week 12, I think I went on bed dress until I delivered.Michael: Really? Yeah, it was, uh, man, Ryan, that's pretty tough. Like that's a lot. You know what I mean? Like, uh, yeah. That, and then on top of, how much were you stressing out when you saw these numbers? Rania: Lot. You know, at the time I was watching Oranges, the New Black, and I was thinking to myself like, Jane is easier. At least you socialize with other people Michael: is easier.Rania: You know, you're not worried about the practice. Choose and bed dress. Maybe Jane. Michael: Oh. it's funny how our mind thinks though, when you're thinking that, you're like, my gosh, it's going down. And so you're stressing out about that. You're stressing out about, I mean, your, your pregnancy. how are you guys and your husband and everybody, how's like the family handling everything in this situation?Especially since you're, you know, orthos your family too and everything like that. Rania: So like everyone was trying to help anyway they could. Uh, Because we did well early on I had some resources in the bank, but like seeing this depleted month after month was really stressful. And we were try, like I would speak to the office manager and she's like, I.Our numbers are good. We're still getting the same, uh, amount of new patients. We're still very booked. And we s like I started looking at every piece of the puzzle, where aren't we doing well? And then I started looking at the treatment plan. So this is when I started inviting the associates. Let's review every chart and I would go through it systematically the way I learned at the COI Center.So let's look at the four different areas your gums. Uh, your, teeth hugged, bite, jaw, joint, and smile. And I would give a patient a summary of their health in the four different categories. And this is where it sparks ideas for the patient. Where if I would say a patient might not be thinking about Invisalign, I might say something like, uh, You mentioned that you are happy with your smile.I see a little bit of crowding, but since you're happy, we're good with that. And they might think about it and say, oh, you know, this bothers me a bit. Mm-hmm. Can it be done quickly, and this is where the Invisalign conversation comes, or I. Sometimes patients might have these very large restorations that they're not very concerned about, but maybe they're grinding also, or they have some bite issues.So I would look at that and I would say, um, you have these structurally compromised teeth, because of these large restorations. It could be a concern because of your grinding or because of this. So that puts you into a higher risk, and now it's up to them if they want to do it or not. And most of them would do it.So this was the type of conversations I was having with the patients that were my associates were not having, and this is going through the very systematic exam. and this was basically the basis of orex is I took the co exam. There is very systematic, very standardized, not like if you examine your patients that way, if you present to them the findings in these four different areas, it becomes.A lot easier for them to say yes, to your treatment. And it becomes, and they become more aware of their health. in a way you're educating the patient, uh, and you're giving them the power to make more informed decisions. So I told you about this. Now it's up to you. Do you want to. Replace these structurally compromised, fillings, um, with crowns or onlays, or do you wanna wait and see?Mm-hmm. It's your decision, but I'm giving you all the information that I can to make better decisions about your health, but ultimately it's up to you. I think this is the reason my practice true, and I realize that a lot of dentists don't go about mm-hmm. Treating their patients that way. and this is what Orex does, is it basically helps dentists do a very systematic examination in seven minutes and it generates a report for the patient.So everything I was telling the patient is in one report. That they can go think about review. yeah, like one thing that we do is we always examine four problems and we never reward hun. And even for very healthy patients, it's good to t them, like your gums and bones are exactly where we want them to be.At your age. Your teeth are doing great. we don't have any issues. You had two feelings in the past and we don't see any other issues. Your python judgment are great. You're happy with your smile, so we're really proud of this and we find that these are the people that take this report and put it on social media and share it with everyone.And these grow the practice more than the patients with a lot of problems. Because at first I would print that report and hand it to patients that had a lot of issues thinking they need to go review it, process it, understand what's going on to say yes to treatment. realized that the promoters are the one that got like the A plus.Michael: Great. Yeah. Yeah, that's true. Okay, so then. When you were teaching this to your associates, could they have just gone to the COI Center and learned it on their own? That way you didn't have to stress out so much? Rania: Yeah, I mean the, the COI Center is amazing and it's a long journey. but even John would tell you the issue he was having with a lot of the students coming through the co center is, it's a lot of information that you get and it's.And a lot of paperwork that people go to the practice and go and fall back into their own habits. It's a lot easy. Like you go, you, you learn something and you are so excited about it, and you're like, Monday morning we're gonna start inventing this. And Monday morning you have this emergency coming in and you have this unhappy patient and this insurance that got rejected and now this person wrote a bad review and mm-hmm.You're dealing with all of this and Tuesday is the same and. That's it. Yeah. Okay. By next week you forgot everything and you forgot that you wanted to implement this. Um, that's true. Yeah. So having it in your software where you don't have to think about it almost forces you to be more organized and more systematic.Michael: Mm-hmm. Yeah. I was speaking with Dr. Sauna Yusif. Um, and she tells me her favorite thing about orex among many other things. But is the, the wheel, the new patient wheel, and I'm assuming that's what this is, right? Yeah. Is where like they get the comprehen and then they're able to actually take it home or see it and say like, okay, look, this is everything going great where I need improvement.You know what I mean? They get their whole visual of it. Is that what that is? Rania: Yeah. Yeah. It, it's a personalized risk assessment. So patients started calling in the wheel. So, so that became the name. And, uh, we would get patients calling the office and saying, I want the exam. That gives me the wheel, because like patients, and especially the happy ones that have, it's all green, as I said, would, would take it to the office and show, show patient, uh, show their coworkers.Look, I got, I was just at the dentist and look at this and it's, it's a really nice presentation and it, we found that printing it out adds more value because patients are happy about it. We put it in a really nice folder. They take it, they show it to other, uh, to coworkers, to friends, to family members.And people are, how come my dentist never gives me this? and they would just, call and ask about it. Yeah, Michael: it's, it's almost the same concept that you were, that John was talking about, right? Like, you, we tell you all this information, you're excited, and then life happens, right? So same thing, kind of like you tell the patient all this information, maybe they're thinking about it, they get home, kids got hurt, they're in trouble, they gotta pick 'em up at school, h, husband, wife, all these things, right?Work. And they tend to forget about it. But if they have that thing there, you know what I mean with them, and super simple and easy for them to read and, and share. It's better. It's better. It's on top of mine for sure. For Rania: sure. And a lot of times they're sitting in your office and they're not truly listening.Mm-hmm. Like, I wanna get outta you. Mm-hmm. Like, just go on with it. And they go home and, and I've had so many patients that said, okay, okay, okay. And then they go home and they're looking like, uh, is scaling and truth planting scam? Yeah. And because by now we're telling them this is what you need, but now they have this information and they're reviewing that information, so.it's really a good way, but also, like, one thing that we don't really think about is the medical legal perspective. anything you say to the p anything that is not documented does not exist. Mm-hmm. And this is doing all the documentation for you. So you do your exam, we auto generate your progress note.We also auto generate that that goes to the patient. So that's almost their consent form. We also have consent forms in this system. But, but in a way, we told you that you needed that restoration and you decided not to do it. We told you you have an infection, you didn't come back for the treatment. so it's all documented.Michael: Gotcha. So then the new patient visit, how long does that normally take with this for you? Rania: So we time dentists doing the exam seven to 10 minutes. Michael: So it's really like, Rania: it's way more comprehensive, but it's very systematic and the exam is, would expand and collapse the way you need it. So if you say, uh, The patient has, um, jaw problems.The, uh, the T M J exam is gonna expand, but if the patient answered no to, to all the jaw questions, and you have like no problems, it's gonna collapse. So, and this is how you want it to be, to go quick on patients that have no issues, but to really dig deeper with patients that have more issues. Michael: Yeah.Okay. So that's really good. So then rewind a little bit, you went, explain this to your associates, you created this process. How long did it take you to start? All right. ORIC is live now. It's, it's happening everybody. So, Rania: on the twin first birthday is when I showed it to John. Oh, okay. For the first time, like, I created something that I want to share with you.can I come and see you? I actually, a friend facilitated this. It's not that easy to get access to John. Michael: Yeah. People gonna contact him. Hey John. Yeah. Rania: Like, now I forget. Like now I can text day. It was, um, and John gets. Pitched these ideas every day. So he wanted to be polite and he's like, okay, let's do a Zoom meeting.Like that's before Zoom was popular. I think it was something else like go to meeting or something. Mm-hmm. And he's like, don't fly to Seattle, because he was like 90% sure he was gonna say no. People pitch him crazy stuff every day. And I present this to him and he goes, I love it. Let's do something out of it.He's like, what do we do next? Mm-hmm. And I'm like, I didn't think it through. I didn't think. Yes. Michael: Yeah. Rania: And I'll back to you. And this is how the company really started. because before it was just, Forms and, I asked my husband to develop a couple of things to make it easier, but nothing was integrated into our system.Michael: Gotcha. Okay. And then, so how old is Orex? Rania: so we started the company in 2016. took about two years to have the first version, and it was only patient forms at the beginning, and then we did the clinical. And then we created the full software, Michael: the cloud, all in one platform, cloud. Mm-hmm. Based management software.Nice. Okay. And then, so right now, are you still rono working in your practice clinically? No. You sold it or I sold it. Rania: Oh man. When did you sell it? Soon after we started the company. It was taking way, like most of my time and most of my focus. Mm-hmm. So, Michael: How did you feel selling it? Were you like, is this, could I just do associates and do one clinical Rania: or, I thought about that and I realized I needed to focus.You know, having people think it's so easy to have associates and run the show from from afar. Yeah. But I tried it when I was on bed dressed and it's not that easy and it still takes you a lot of time and dedication. You cannot be on a beach or doing something else and have people working at everything goes smoothly.So I realized I had to decide, do I want to focus a hundred percent on Orx or 50% on orx, 55% on a practice. And I saw the potential in Orex. So, so I decided that it was the right choice. What made it really easy is one of the associates that came to work with us, um, was a perio pro. and he was an amazing clinician.And like at first when I thought about selling the practice and I spoke to, uh, a broker, everyone he presented to me, I was, I'm not too sure. I'm not too sure. But then when, Dr. Han said I'm interested in buying, it was a very easy decision. Like, he's gonna take great care of my patients, so Michael: and so he bought it.Okay, nice. So since then it's been, Man, all in with Oryx. and what I like about Oryx too is, You are open to everybody, right? DSLs and everything, but it's Yeah. Based off of a private practice, right? Where it's like, this is who created it for solo practitioner. Right. Like the private practice too, who can, can make it happen. Rania: Yeah. I think I, I was recently looking at, the practices that we get and our fastest growing segment is the startups.because for a startup it's really a no-brainer. I mean, no one is, no startup is going with the server, I hope. Mm-hmm. And they're getting on the tools that they need in one practice management software. They're getting the clinical and they're also getting a company with a forward vision. So, Anyone that looks at, at our software three years ago would think it's a tool to be new software now.So we're constantly evolving. Like we just added AI for radio graphs. every month we have a lot of new releases. Mm-hmm. Um, up to this date we spend most of our, money on development and engineering. So, We didn't think, okay, now we have a great product. Let's do all marketing and all sales, which most companies do.we still do a lot of development. I still think, that the software could be Michael: a lot. Like a lot of research and development in that process. Interesting. Talk to me about that ai, you, you're starting to implement that into. Rania: Yeah. Yeah. So, so we had a, uh, recent partnership with Pearl ai. we worked on the integration and we made it native.Uh, and I'm very careful with any integration I do because, Everyone wants to partner with everyone, but then, yeah, and then these integrations are clunky and they don't work and they're not part of the flow. So a big part of the decision with, which AI company we go with was, Who's gonna put enough resources to have a very, very seamless integration.Like, I don't want you to click on an image and take you to another software, and now wait for it to load. And now look and now see if mm-hmm there's decay or where the bone level is. I want it to happen immediately. and Pearl was one of the companies that worked with us, around that vision, and they were willing to put.Enough resources. So for each partnership, you need the two sides to be willing to put, enough engineering hours to make it an amazing integration. Michael: Yeah. No, wow. That's fantastic. That's news for me. I didn't know that. Pearl's fantastic. Like I spoke with Kyle not that long ago, and he's, highly about it, so we looked into it and it's, they're doing amazing things over there too.Yeah. So for both you guys to be partnering up, it's gonna be, it's new, you know. It's like, um, I guess like innovative, but at the same time, like it's uh, I mean, you know, it hasn't been done, so it's fantastic. Yeah, you're right. You are doing a lot of development in Oryx. I like that. So then what have you seen with startups right now where you can give us some good advice as far as within their year one to year five?Where maybe they did go with the server. Maybe they are paying an IT company, but also like they're also doing marketing, all this other stuff and they're kind of feeling like they're hitting a, a roadblock here somewhere. So, Rania: I dunno, like if you started with the server, it's not a good idea because if you're thinking to, it's not gonna grow with you the way you want.I mean, this is not the trend, this is not how the industry is moving I see a lot of the young startups thinking about having multiple locations, about growing. you need to start on cloud for that vision to happen. So, and we already have seen like, started with us two years ago now are on their third or fourth location, like Wow.Already. So I see that everyone is moving a lot faster than things were moving when I had my practice. in terms of marketing, I see that a lot of startups focus at the beginning on the external marketing and then they rely a lot on orgs for their internal marketing. and I always think about it this way, a and this is kind of what I did in my practice in the very early days.So the first 90 days we were spending 10 to $20,000 on AdWords, which was cra like Google did an article on us. Yeah. It was, back then it was crazy. Not a lot, much money. Yeah. Now it's more the trend. But back then was like, who's that crazy dentist? Yeah. Spending all that money. But this is what got patients in the door.And then having a great experience is what got the patients to come back. and I find with orgs, like they go, they do their online scheduling. It's already an amazing way of doing things. Um, they complete their patients forms. They're very interactive. We surveyed patients and they said that they thought that the office is more technologically advanced and they had more trust in the dentist before even visiting the practice.just because all the forms are picture based, very, very interactive. So patients are already getting that great experience. and then when the patients come in, they have this amazing exam. They have the report, all the, tools that they need are integrated. So it's very easy to pay. They're getting a tax to pay.they're signing their consent forms before coming online. So they feel that this experience carries through and these great experiences is what leads to giving the office a five star review. and it keeps growing that way. so we see a lot of our users telling us that Orex helps with their vision because it's that organized and it gives that patient that amazing experience start to finish.Michael: that's really good. Wow. Okay. So then, Orx right now is basically for everyone, but especially if you're looking to do a startup, it's the best starting point for you right now. Rania: I believe so. I believe, uh, not because I created it, but I believe it has a lot of tools that are so helpful for someone starting out.So let's say I was starting out and I hadn't gone through the Coy Center, I have on that. On the co information is already embedded in the software and it's all, updated every year. so if I'm doing an exam on a patient and I'm not sure about some diagnosis, I click on the information I can, and I have all the literature where this came from.So if a patient challenges me, like. Why are you recommending this treatment? I would just copy and paste the articles, like this is the latest literature, that's why we're recommending this treatment. if I want to send something to the insurance company, I have the latest literature, I have the diagnosis already pre-attached, and we pre-attached the radiograph.So like the whole system makes it so much easier. but for a new dentist, You're getting a software that is preloaded with the latest literatures on the forms that you need on the consent forms. Like basically a practice in a box. Yeah. And then you can customize it to what fits your needs and what fits your vision.But I think the clinical stuff there is in the software that's worth, yeah. Michael: Thousands of dollars. That, and that's what I get when I'm talking to you too, is like, I feel. You're really honed in on the, well, obviously cuz you created it, right? But like on the clinical side, the practical side, right? Like the, where it's like this is what is gonna facilitate your guys' job way much more times a thousand compared to like, we have a better online scheduling button, you wanna click it and it can be on the top left laptop.Right. You know what I mean? Like that's like, okay cool. I'd rather have that, you know what I mean? The clinical side of it, which is interesting. Very, very refreshing. Rania: Yeah. I think I'm more passionate about the clinical side because that's what I know, that's what I live and grieve. But I'm also very passionate about systems.And you see this in the practice management software throughout. So if you talk to one of, uh, of the other team members that were office managers, they would talk a lot more about that side of things. Mm-hmm. Um, And I think creating systems in your practice very early on would avoid some of the problems that I had.So if you're checking in a patient, there's a checklist for checking in a patient and if everything is checked, The appointment turns screen so you know that, the predetermination was sent, or the eligibility was checked. We checked the insurance, the patient is confirmed. I have all the information that I need pre-appointment, and I could customize the list to what my practice is.Same thing. If I'm checking out a patient, the appointment turns dark gray when everything is done. Uh, so I don't have to go to the front end, ask Olivia, did you collect the payment? Did you schedule the next appointment? Did you do this? Whatever is my checkout checklist. I know it's done when the appointment is dark gray.So at the end of the day, I wanna look at my screen and see it's all dark gray and. Blood pressure drop, so I know everything was Michael: done. You're like, maybe gel isn't that good right now. You know, Rania: easy, like, you know, these little systems and coming from the clinical perspective, like if you start thinking about it, I'm sending an insurance claim, everything auto attaches, like why am I having Mary in the front go and.Grab Tracy and ask her which one is number three. I need to attach it for Crown because we have, the radiographic system native to us. We know that this is the radiograph for number three. So now if I have a root can add that I'm sending to the insurance company, I'm auto attaching all of this. So we remove a lot of the barriers. Michael: Yeah. Increase more efficiency. Than anything else. Yeah. For you, Rania, I mean, I, I'm gonna ask a lot of, uh, Orex users this, but like for you, what was the thing that excited you the most right now from this point on to before? I know like every time there's something new that comes on, you're like, oh yeah.But right now, from this point on that you absolutely love utilize from Orex.Every Rania: month I have a new feature that I love and sometimes I even forget some features that we, and I'm like, oh, we have this. It's so cool. Uh, but I honestly think the risk assessment that we is the most valuable tool. just because gives you so much information about the patient. It. Excites your team.Like now your team understands why you do what you do. The team member reads this and at the front, you know how you get sometimes some team members that feel, oh, this doctor is pushing more treatment than they should. I don't like that. And now they understand or they're, they think they're trying to save the patient by saying, it's okay.You can do a filling, you don't need that crown, or mm-hmm. Let's do a trophy instead of the scaling. now your home team is on the same page. I find that, like, this is amazing for the team members because they understand the risk of the patient. It's amazing for the patient because they're educated and they're happy and they're referring you more, uh, patients, and it's easier for you because it makes you proud of your practice.Like this is what you're communicating to your patients. So I think that's the strongest tool or the one that I'm the most proud of. Yeah, Michael: the wheel, what the patient's term coined it, right. And they call it the wheel, but yeah, they call it theum, which is cool. Like, you know what I mean? They get it, they kind of give you the own nickname and then they're like, yeah, I wanna see the wheel.So I think that's fantastic too. If people wanted to see it, let's just say it right now. There's people who are like, oh man, I don't have orx, but what is the wheel all about? Can they go mind that somewhere? Rania: Yeah. I mean on our website or external software.com, and they can book a demo there. Rania Saleh DRAFT: okay. Michael: Yeah, guys, go do that.Thank you so much, Ranya, for being with us. It's been a pleasure. But before we say goodbye, can you tell our listeners where they can find you if they have any more questions or concerns? Rania: yeah, sure. Uh, hello@orexdentalsoftware.com and I'll answer you Michael: Uhhuh. Awesome. So guys go in Tolo, reach out to her, and at the same time, schedule a free personalized demo with Oryx.Check out the wheel, but check out every single thing that Rona's talking about, everything that they're developing, that they're doing, uh, for your practice. So I highly recommend it's gonna be the first link in the show notes below. So go check that out. And Ronya, thank you for being with us. It's been a pleasure and we'll hear from you soon.Thank you.‍‍

It may be hard to believe today, but opinion was the root of most dental practice in years past. Not in evidence-based research. When the Kois Center opened in 1994, it ushered in a revolutionary approach to dental care. It was the first center to provide a graduate program for practicing dentists that implemented a structured science-based curriculum. The center remains a flagship for science-based advances in esthetics, implants, and restorative dentistry.On the opening day of The Kois Center, founder Dr. John Kois advocated for an interdisciplinary research-backed approach to whole patient care. The Kois Center remains the only continuous learning center for dental professionals that conducts and publishes its own research. Self-funded, the research is not beholden to the interest of sponsors. In today's episode, we explore the elements that make the man behind the legendary Kois Center extraordinary. John has found his Ikigai and shared it with the world. To master the art of living, he embodies his values and tries to be fully present. Hear how he followed his curiosity and changed the way dentistry is practiced. ResourcesFollow your curiosity, connect, and join our ever-growing community of extraordinary minds. CariFree Website CariFree on InstagramCariFree on FacebookCariFree on PinterestCariFree on TwitterDr. Kim Kutsch on LinkedInDr. John Kois BioKois Center WebsiteWhat's In This EpisodeHow values guide Dr. John Kois' every decision.How to master the 'art of living' and slip seamlessly between work and play. What it means to live out the Japanese concept of Ikigai.How to temper an open mind with research and evidence. 

Wow!  This episode was such a fun one to record!  Dr. Seay is an amazing clinician, lecturer and mentor for so many dentists.  And did we mention she is a big fan of the DINKS, in fact she was one of the first people we hung out with after officially becoming a THING.Dr. Amanda Seay is the award-winning Founder, Chief Executive Officer, and Clinical Director of Expertise Dental in Charleston, South Carolina. Her expertise ranges from complex restorative treatment planning to comprehensive preventative and reconstructive dentistry.Dr. Seay is a recognized leader in the dental industry and has been featured in various dental publications for her influence and dedication to the profession. She was named the 11th Most Influential Person in Dentistry by Incisal Edge Magazine. She is the 85th dentist in the world who has earned the honor of Fellow Accredited Member status with the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry.Dr. Seay is the Director of Outreach and Engagement for the Seattle Study Club, an international and preeminent continuing-education organization for dentists.Dr. Seay is also the co-creator of imPRES Dental Courses, an internationally recognized dental esthetics continuum.She holds a clinical instructor position at the Kois Center, one of the most prestigious dental institutes in the country, and has published over 70 articles covering the art and techniques of esthetic dentistry. She also serves as the Restorative Section Editor for Inside Dentistry.She is a Key Opinion Leader for many leading dental companies and is involved in the testing and creation of new dental products. She was named Top 25 Women In Dentistry in 2012 by Dental Products Report. Dr. Seay was the recipient of the Lucy Hobbs 2015 Award for the Woman To Watch in Dentistry.In addition to operating a thriving full-time dental practice, Dr. Seay is a dedicated wife and the mother of four children.

In this episode, let's explore the fascinating relationship between dentistry and sleep. We delve into how early pediatric dentistry can set the foundation for a lifetime of restful sleep, and how certain dental treatments and procedures can assist in improving sleep quality in people of all ages. We're joined by Dr. Tracey Nguyen, an expert in the field of dentistry and sleep medicine to gain a comprehensive understanding of how these two seemingly unrelated areas are deeply interconnected. Whether you're a parent looking to ensure your child gets a good night's rest, or an adult struggling with sleep issues, this episode will provid valuable insights into how dentistry can play a crucial role in improving your sleep and overall health.   About Dr. Tracey Nguyen Dr. Tracey Nguyen maintains a private practice 30 minutes outside of Washington, DC in Northern Virginia. In 2015, she was accredited by the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry.  In 2016, she was honored with Top 25 Women in Dentistry by Dental Products Magazine.  Also in 2016, she finished her graduate training at the prestigious Kois Center in Seattle, Washington. She is one of the key opinion leaders in the Wellness Dentistry Network.  This organization was founded by Dr. Doug Thompson. The focus of this organization is to merge the gaps between medicine and dentistry and understand the oral systemic connection.   Connect with Dr. Tracey Nguyen Website: https://lansdownedentist.com/ Facebook: https://web.facebook.com/tracey.nguyen.9085 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drtraceynguyen/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tracey-nguyen-dds-fagd-aaacd-1101563/     About Meghna Dassani Dr. Meghna Dassani is passionate about promoting healthy sleep through dental practices. In following the ADA's 2017 guideline on sleep apnea screening and treatment, she has helped many children and adults improve their sleep, their breathing, and their lives. Her books and seminars help parents and practitioners understand the essential roles of the tongue, palate, and jaw in promoting healthy sleep.   Connect with Dr. Meghna Dassani Website: https://www.meghnadassani.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/healthysleeprevolution Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/healthysleeprevolution/ Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC9Lh_n7xmbhQVPGQrSjBIrw Get a copy of Airway is Life: https://www.airwayislife.com

Dental podcast: Welcome to DentalTalk. I'm Dr. Phil Klein. Today we'll be discussing the importance of temporaries in the smile design process including some tips and tricks. Our guest is Dr. Jennifer Derse, who has a restorative and cosmetic dentistry practice in Denver, CO and is a mentor at the Kois Center in Seattle, WA. She is founder and Chief Clinical Director of Espire Dental, a boutique hospitality-focused DSO.

Podcast Website Follow @dental_digest_podcast Instagram Follow @dr.melissa_seibert on Instagram Connect with Melissa on Linkedin Dr. Amanda Seay is the award-winning Founder, Chief Executive Officer, and Clinical Director of Expertise Dental in Charleston, South Carolina. Her expertise ranges from complex restorative treatment planning to comprehensive preventative and reconstructive dentistry. Dr. Seay is a recognized leader in the dental industry and has been featured in various dental publications for her influence and dedication to the profession. She was named the 11th Most Influential Person in Dentistry by Incisal Edge Magazine. She is the 85th dentist in the world who has earned the honor of Fellow Accredited Member status with the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry. Dr. Seay is the Director of Outreach and Engagement for the Seattle Study Club, an international and preeminent continuing-education organization for dentists. Dr. Seay is also the co-creator of imPRES Dental Courses, an internationally recognized dental esthetics continuum. She holds a clinical instructor position at the Kois Center, one of the most prestigious dental institutes in the country, and has published over 70 articles covering the art and techniques of esthetic dentistry. She also serves as the Restorative Section Editor for Inside Dentistry. She is a Key Opinion Leader for many leading dental companies and is involved in the testing and creation of new dental products. She was named Top 25 Women In Dentistry in 2012 by Dental Products Report. Dr. Seay was the recipient of the Lucy Hobbs 2015 Award for the Woman To Watch in Dentistry. In addition to operating a thriving full-time dental practice, Dr. Seay is a dedicated wife and the mother of four children.

Dr. Rob Ritter joins Alan for another wide ranging conversation about Florida, technology, implementing new things in your practice and the future of CE. The pros and cons of being an "early adopter" The trouble with most continuing ed is the "how to" of implementing it in your office The evolution of "The Protocol" (Rob's continuing ed course) Instagram dentists I don't hate What to do/say when your patients can't afford the care you're offering Do you have to give your patients many options? (Rob says no) What does Rob say to dentists that will do a compromise treatment plan? What patients don't remember about compromise treatment plans "Evidence Based Dentistry" and how do we know what we know? (are we citing one article or are we really understanding the evidence?) All or nothing statements and "tribes." Rob on Instagram: "Take the picture the day it goes in because that's the best it's ever going to look." Post recalls. Nothing lasts forever...especially dentistry Al's "Raving Fans" moment at the Kois Center (it involves red licorice). Rob's was Star Wars  Paying attention will pay dividends! Some links from the show: The Protocol Join the Very Dental Facebook group using the password "Timmerman," Hornbrook" or "McWethy," or "Lipscomb!" The Very Dental Podcast network is and will remain free to download. If you'd like to support the shows you love at Very Dental then show a little love to the people that support us! -- Crazy Dental has everything you need from cotton rolls to equipment and everything in between and the best prices you'll find anywhere! If you head over to verydentalpodcast.com/crazy and use coupon code “verydental10” you'll get another 10% off your order! Go save yourself some money and support the show all at the same time! -- The Wonderist Agency is basically a one stop shop for marketing your practice and your brand. From logo redesign to a full service marketing plan, the folks at Wonderist have you covered! Go check them out at verydentalpodcast.com/wonderist! -- Enova Illumination makes the very best in loupes and headlights, including their new ergonomic angled prism loupes! They also distribute loupe mounted cameras and even the amazing line of Zumax microscopes! If you want to help out the podcast while upping your magnification and headlight game, you need to head over to verydentalpodcast.com/enova to see their whole line of products!   CAD-Ray offers the best service on a wide variety of digital scanners, printers, mills and even  their very own browser based design software, Clinux! CAD-Ray has been a huge supporter of the Very Dental Podcast Network and I can tell you that you'll get no better service on everything digital dentistry than the folks from CAD-Ray. Go check them out at verydentalpodcast.com/CADRay!

Podcast Website Follow @dental_digest_podcast Instagram Follow @dr.melissa_seibert on Instagram Connect with Melissa on Linkedin   Dr. Amanda Seay is the award-winning Founder, Chief Executive Officer, and Clinical Director of Expertise Dental in Charleston, South Carolina. Her expertise ranges from complex restorative treatment planning to comprehensive preventative and reconstructive dentistry. Dr. Seay is a recognized leader in the dental industry and has been featured in various dental publications for her influence and dedication to the profession. She was named the 11th Most Influential Person in Dentistry by Incisal Edge Magazine. She is the 85th dentist in the world who has earned the honor of Fellow Accredited Member status with the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry. Dr. Seay is the Director of Outreach and Engagement for the Seattle Study Club, an international and preeminent continuing-education organization for dentists. Dr. Seay is also the co-creator of imPRES Dental Courses, an internationally recognized dental esthetics continuum. She holds a clinical instructor position at the Kois Center, one of the most prestigious dental institutes in the country, and has published over 70 articles covering the art and techniques of esthetic dentistry. She also serves as the Restorative Section Editor for Inside Dentistry. She is a Key Opinion Leader for many leading dental companies and is involved in the testing and creation of new dental products. She was named Top 25 Women In Dentistry in 2012 by Dental Products Report. Dr. Seay was the recipient of the Lucy Hobbs 2015 Award for the Woman To Watch in Dentistry. In addition to operating a thriving full-time dental practice, Dr. Seay is a dedicated wife and the mother of four children.

Dr. Kois is legendary.  Many have heard of him.  Many have learned from him.  Everyone that comes into contact with him speaks of how amazing he is.  Rather than sharing a bio, let me share a little about his teaching style directly from the Kois Center website:When considering a postgraduate teaching program to advance your skills as a practitioner, it is important to recognize the vision that program has for you and your success. Dr. John Kois, director of the Kois Center, wants to “enable motivated dentists to achieve extraordinary levels, expanding knowledge and application skills in restorative dentistry.” This is an admirable goal that will only be achieved if the instruction allows you to succeed in both learning the information and applying the knowledge you have gained.  The message has to first “reach you,” and then be accompanied by a realistic process you can easily follow so you can immediately make a difference in your practice when you return. John's first passion is to see you succeed. One of the primary tenants of his philosophy is “integrity.” This is pervasive in all aspects of his teachings. First, all of the information delivered is based on independent scientific evidence reviewed at the highest levels. This ensures that its application will yield predictable results. He is also passionate about relevancy, so the material is updated as new research comes out and is implemented into his teachings. He accepts no sponsorships and is not swayed by companies' agendas. He has developed “systems” so that the clinical protocols will work in “your hands.” He maintains small class sizes so he can interact with you and support you with your questions. John is non-judgmental and encourages you to offer your opinions and views on concepts. He insists that you approach him as an equal colleague and is open-minded and receptive to your questions and concerns. He wants you to have every opportunity to “get it, then do it.”  He has developed an extensive support system, with fellow colleagues (the Tribe), that have completed the courses and are accessible for you to utilize in your practice growth.He is passionate about teaching. He takes great pride in seeing you learn and succeed. He truly cares about the evolution of dentistry. He understands that you, as committed practitioners, are critical to this success. His passion becomes your passion.The DINKS start 2023 off like a rocket!

Different Mindset vs. Dangerous MindsetEpisode #505 with Dr. Tracey NguyễnFor an isolating and difficult profession like dentistry, you need a strong and positive mindset. But how do you begin to develop it? One way is through community. And to help you find yours, Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. Tracey Nguyễn from ASAP Pathway to share tips on where to go, who to seek out, and things to focus on early in your career. Your mindset shapes your life — so have the right one! To learn how, listen to Episode 505 of The Best Practices Show!Episode Resources:Dr. Nguyễn's Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tracey.nguyen.9085  Dr. Nguyễn's social media: @drtraceynguyenASAP Pathway: https://www.asappathway.com/pediatric-airway-training-events Subscribe to the Best Practices Show PodcastJoin the To The Top Study ClubSee our Live Events Schedule hereGet the Best Practices Magazine for Free!Write a Review on iTunesMain Takeaways:Find a purpose early in your career.Seek out friends, mentors, and a community.Think about the legacy you want to leave behind.To become good at something, learn from the very best.Work with people you respect, and whose work you respect.Quotes:“Early in your career, find a purpose. And once you find a purpose, and you find a goal, and you find what makes you happy, grab the people that will help you in that journey. I don't think that a lot of young dentists have that, but I think it's important for us to seek that. And it's also important for older dentists to mentor other dentists because we represent each other. At the end of the day, we represent each other. So, if one person isn't doing something right, it's a reflection of the whole community.” (5:51—6:25)“I don't think I grew as a dentist, as a person, until I joined the Kois Center, until I had that network of people to support me. When I look back, up until that 15-year [point], I was just working to get paid, working to pay the bills — and working to get paid really well. But I didn't really have a purpose.” (7:37—8:02)“In the first track course, [Dr. John Kois] has a good 30 minutes to an hour discussion on tribe and the meaning of community and taking care of each other. And I think because he instills that in his students, the students do that for the other students. And I've never had that kind of relationship.” (8:30—8:51)“The first Symposium after COVID-19, [Dr. Kois] ended it with, ‘Who's got your back?' And I thought this was so powerful that he said after COVID-19, he realized how many people had the Center's back. And then, he said, ‘For as long as I'm alive, we will always have yours.' And that was so powerful for everybody. And I took that, and I was like, ‘I want to do that for somebody else.'” (8:54—9:23)“At the top of your career, it's about your legacy. What do you want to leave back? And it's interesting because you don't think about your legacy until you're doing well. But I think we should think...

Dr. Adamo Notarantonio is a graduate of the State University of New York at Stony Brook School of Dental Medicine (2002), where he received honors in both removable and fixed prosthodontics.  He completed his residency in the Advanced Education in General Dentistry Program at Stony Brook in 2003, and was chosen by faculty to complete a second year as Chief Resident.Dr. Adamo was accredited by American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry in 2011, and recently received his Fellowship in the AACD. He is the only Accredited Fellow in New York State, and the 80th person worldwide to achieve this honor. He was further honored by the Academy when asked to serve as a consultant and examiner for the Accreditation and Fellowship processes.In 2016, Dr. Adamo was awarded the AACD's  Rising Star Award.  Dr. Adamo has been re-elected to serve on the American Board of Cosmetic Dentistry®,is the most recent past chairman of the ABCD, and has recently been appointed the Accreditation Chairman of the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry.Dr. Adamo is a graduate of the Kois Center, where he studied under Dr. John Kois. He also has completed The Dawson Academy Core Curriculum. Dr. Adamo has received his fellowship in the International Congress of Oral Implantologists. He has been published in multiple dental journals and lectures nationally and internationally on such topics as CAD/CAM dentistry, implant dentistry, cosmetic dentistry, composite dentistry and dental photography. Dr. Adamo also volunteers his time at the NYU College of Dentistry where he is a Clinical Instructor in the Honors Aesthetics Program.Dr. Adamo is an avid golfer and is also fluent in Italian.

Join JB, Chad and Jeff with Dr. Marta Revilla-León as she highlights the future of in face simulations and where digital dentistry research is headed.  You do not want to miss this one!Dr.  Marta Revilla-Leónv obtained her PhD in Prosthodontics and Digital Dentistry at The Academisch Centrum Tandheelkunde (ACTA) University in Amsterdam. She obtained her MSD in prosthodontics at the University of Washington in Seattle and a MS in Esthetic Dentistry at the Complutense University of Madrid.Dr. Revilla-León is specialist in digital dentistry with more than 100 publications in peer-reviewed dental journals in the last 4 years related with facial and intraoral scanning methods, virtual patient integration, digital implant scans with photogrammetry systems, polymer, metal, and ceramic additive manufacturing technologies, development of dental devices with Exocad, 3Shape dental systems, blender and artificial intelligence for dental applications.Prior to this position, Dr. Revilla-León has been the assistant program director in the Advanced Education in General Dentistry at the Texas A&M University in Dallas.Currently, Dr. Revilla is also Affiliate Faculty in the Graduate in Prosthodontic Program at the University of Washington in Seattle and in the Graduate in Prosthodontic Program at Tufts University in Boston.

Let's nerd out with @sfdentalnerd! Let's also talk a bit about the upcoming Seattle Study Club 'Rising Stars Forum' with Dr. Baliwas.Dr. Brian Baliwas, also known as @sfdentalnerd, has made a name for himself through the stories he tells through social media. He has utilized social media to not only market and grow a practice in one of the most saturated areas of the country, but also uses his platform to connect with other dental professionals as an active contributor to the social media dental community.Aside from his marketing and social media branding projects, Dr. Baliwas maintains a private practice in downtown San Francisco, California, near Union Square. His practice philosophy is centered on conservative, comprehensive, cosmetic dentistry that utilizes modern dental materials and techniques. Dr. Baliwas received his D.D.S. degree from the University of the Pacific Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry in San Francisco in 2014, where he graduated with high honors and was elected to join both Omicron Kappa Upsilon and Tau Kappa Omega dental honor societies.As an active member of the Seattle Study Club, the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry, the Academy of General Dentistry, and a graduate from the Kois Center, Dr. Baliwas strives to surround himself with some of the best practitioners in his field.

The Power in Learning About Gingival Architecture Episode #452 with Dr. Betsy Bakeman Do your patients care about gingival architecture? Chances are, yes! They just don't know what it is, or that it can be corrected. And sometimes, neither do dentists. So, to help you optimize the results of your dentistry, Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. Betsy Bakeman, adjunct faculty member at the Kois Center, to share what she's learned about gingival architecture, why you should learn more, and how to get started. To help patients achieve their ideal smiles, listen to Episode 452 of The Best Practices Show! Main Takeaways: You can alter gingival architecture for esthetic reasons. Learn gingival architecture to optimize outcomes. This knowledge will give you added expertise. Learning this will improve communication. Gingival architecture is simple to learn. Quotes: “You hear about the gingival architecture being the framework for the teeth, and it's something that I never used to consider at all, until I started going through the accreditation process in the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry. And they started talking about how this was really important for esthetics, and I knew what I wanted to do. I learned where the architecture should be, the symmetry, the harmony. But I didn't know how to manage it, and I struggled getting my patients to go to the periodontist, to go to a specialist. I struggled with communication with my patients, with the specialist, and I didn't know how to achieve optimal results.” (3:02—3:51) “[Gingival architecture is] really simple. It's very manageable. Any general dentist can learn these techniques, and it helps you in so many ways.” (4:14—4:24) “[What most dentists get wrong is] how simple and predictable [gingival architecture] is. It's just so simple and predictable. Once you know what to do, it's amazing how simple and predictable it is.” (5:24—5:40) “Even if you decide, ‘I don't like blood. I don't like working with a scalpel. I don't want to do that,' you become better at communicating what you want with your periodontist. So, it's helpful to know what the ceramicist is doing, to know what the specialist is doing. We become better communicators and we're more likely to get what we need when we work with our specialists.” (6:17—6:42) “You can't unsee it. Once you see asymmetry in the gingival architecture and the patient is asking you about this chipped tooth, this dark tooth, whatever it is that they're focused on, and then you say, ‘Can I point out some other things that I see that may or may not be important to you? If you're going to restore these teeth, you may notice afterwards that these gum heights aren't even on these two middle teeth. And there are opportunities to correct that before we do your two restorations so that it looks perfectly symmetrical.' And patients often say, ‘Oh, I didn't notice that.' Or they might say, ‘I didn't know you could correct that.'” (7:15—8:03) “Especially in people that have short teeth and gummy smiles where there's actually more tooth structure under the gum tissue, people are amazed. I mean, they didn't even know that that could be corrected. And so, they're so excited. It's added expertise in the eyes of the patient that you're the first person that mentioned that this could actually be corrected for them. They didn't even know it. And honestly, a lot of dentists don't know it either.” (8:04—8:34) “In dental school, we're taught a lot about single-tooth dentistry, and we really focus on teeth. I mean, dental school — dental anatomy, teeth, teeth, teeth, teeth, teeth. And I didn't know that you could alter gingival architecture for esthetic reasons until I was like 15 years out of dental school.” (8:43—9:06) “The AACD says if you're going to say you're a cosmetic dentist, you need to manage gingival architecture. Whether you do it yourself or you refer to the periodontist to have them do it, you're ultimately driving the bus and you...

Republishing one of our earlier episodes with one of our heros, Dr. John Kois!  Join JB, Chad and Jeff as they talk about the Kois Center, continuing education and in person learning post covid.  Dr. Kois is an incredible educator that founded and runs the KOIS Center in Seattle, WA.  "He is passionate about teaching. He takes great pride in seeing you learn and succeed. He truly cares about the evolution of dentistry. He understands that you, as committed practitioners, are critical to this success. His passion becomes your passion." 

Dental practice management software. Usually it's not the kind of thing that people get passionate about. Maybe you chose one back in 1998 and have just stuck with it because the fear of change was greater than the frustration of the status quo. Maybe you inherited your software from the previous owner of your practice. No matter how you ended up with your current software, you really should think about how well it's serving you. Today Alan is joined by Dr. Rania Saleh, the inventor/creator of Oryx Dental Software. Oryx is a smart and intuitive cloud based practice management software that was built around concepts taught by Dr. John Kois and the Kois Center. Rania invited two current users of Oryx, Dr. Meredith Gantos and Dr. Ashish Patel to talk about their experience using Oryx and why they chose Oryx in the first place. Some of the topics that the group covered were: How did you choose Oryx and what helped you make that decision? What was switching to Oryx like? What hardware do you use with Oryx? How does Oryx handling imaging? What are your favorite features? What would you tell someone who is interested but is stuck on the idea of change? Cloud software is the future of dental practice management software and these folks are pretty excited to talk about Oryx! Join the Very Dental Facebook group using the password "Timmerman," Hornbrook" or "McWethy." If you'd like to support the Very Dental Podcast Network then you should support our sponsors!  2 days. A bunch of the Spear Education all stars! Literally a Whitman's Sampler of all the greats! (Dr. Frank Spear, Dr. Gary DeWood, Dr. Gregg Kinzer, Dr. Jeff Rouse, Dr. Ricardo Mitrani and Dr. Darin Dichter! Also Adam McWethy! You've heard all of these guys on the podcast and this is a great way to see them all in one huge event! June 16-17 at Spear Education in Scottsdale! August 12-13 in Boston, MA! 14 hours of AMAZING CE! And if you tell them that you heard about it from Very Dental and you'll get $500 off! Go check it out! -- Zirc Dental Products' Color Method will rescue your team from clinical clutter and disorganization and if you use the coupon code “VERYDENTAL” to get 50% off their most popular level of organizational consultation. You'll have a box of all the different trays, tubs, cassettes and other goodies sent ot your office and then have an in depth conversation with one of Zirc's clinical efficiency specialists to help you choose what's best for your office!  So head over to verydentalpodcast.com/zirc and use coupon code “VERYDENTAL” to get 50% off Color Method consultation! -- Cosmedent is known for teaching restorative dentists how to make beautiful front teeth with composite. But let's not forget about gorgeous posterior resins! Would you like to learn to make life-like restorations with firm contacts and ideal occlusion? Dr. Javier Quiros is teaching “Become a Cosmetic Dentist with Posterior Composites this July 14-15th! You'll learn proper posterior layering techniques, material selection, how to get perfect contacts and even how to open the vertical dimension using the dentist's best tool…composite resin! I just got back from a course at the Cosmedent Center for Esthetic Excellence and I can't wait to go back! Their classroom is built for hands on teaching with a small class size. You get to use the best materials and you'll get to know your classmates. It's quite literally the best continuing education experience you can have! All overlooking Michigan Avenue in Chicago at the very best time to visit! Go check it out at verydentalpodcast.com/CEE! -- You won't believe all the changes and advances they're having over at CAD-Ray!  Now you can get the i700 in WIRELESS! Yes, you heard me correctly, all the goodness of the Medit i700 now is now available with no cables! The i700 wireless is available NOW from CAD-Ray and it ships immediately! If you've been waiting for a wireless intraoral scanning solution, your wait is over! Go check out CAD-Ray at verydentalpodcast.com/cadray or cad-ray.com -- Do you have something you use every single day on every single procedure? I do. There isn't anything I do in dentistry that Enova Illumination isn't a huge part of. I've owned a lot of different kinds of loupes. I've had Designs for Vision, Zeiss, Orascoptic…all of them. My favorites are the Enova's Vizix loupes in the Airon frame. Mine are red. RAWR! Along with the amazing, weightless and cordless Qubit, Quasar or Quantum headlights (all others are just toys) you cannot do better. Oh, did I mention the incredible Zumax 2380 operating microscope with built in still and video? Why haven't you checked out Enova Illumination yet? You can get a killer deal on all things Enova by using the Very Dental link you'll find at verydentalpodcast.com/Enova! -- Do you need help with a logo, website design or anything marketing? Our friends at Wonderist can definitely help! Keep your eyes open for the updated Very Dental Podcast website coming soon! It's amazing and it was designed by the pros at the Wonderist Agency! Want more information? Go check them out at verydentalpodcast.com/wonderist! -- Our friends at Crazy Dental have switched things up again! Now you can get 10% off your whole order from Crazy Dental using the coupon code: VERYDENTAL10! That's right…10% off your whole order! Go check out the amazing prices at verydentalpodcast.com/crazy and be sure to use the coupon code: VERYDENTAL10!  

Dental Marketing with Legwork Meetdandy.com/Melissa Podcast Website Follow @dental_digest_podcast Instagram Follow @dr.melissa_seibert on Instagram Follow Dr. Tracey Nguyen @drtraceynguyen on Instagram Connect with Melissa on Linkedin Dental Digest Podcast Facebook About Dr. Nguyen: Graduated magna cum laude from Virginia Commonwealth University. Dr. Tracey Nguyen maintains a private private 30 minutes outside of Washington, DC, in Northern Virginia. She is accredited by the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry and a fellow of the Academy of General Dentistry. On top of being trained by some of the best leaders in dentistry, she continued her training at at the Kois Center in Seattle, Washington. In 2016, she was honored with Top 25 Women in Dentistry. As a member of the Wellness Dentistry Network, her practice is heavily based on integrating overall health, bridging the gap with medicine and dentistry. Recently she created the Northern Virginia Interdisciplinary Airway Group, focusing on screening, diagnosing and treating children and adults with Sleep Disorder Breathing. I think dentists have a bigger calling today. The dental care model is very different from the medical model. We are heavily focused on prevention of disease and overall health. I understand that your mouth can reflect your oveall health. We have a serious epidemic with our children. Children are heavily medicated at younger ages at alarming rates. Medical appointments start with a prescription pad and there is little face to face with your physician. I focus on search for the root causes of your disease. I developed this group last year. The purpose of the group is to establish a multidisciplinary approach to airway/sleep breathing problems. Improper breathing leads to poor oxygen exchange and poor oxygen exchange is a leading factor in limiting our body's ability to deter disease. To properly address all the factors involved in this problem necessitates that dentists, physicians and allied health providers work together. The website is meant to be informational and educational to the public and other healthcare providers. We want the public to know that there are solutions to these complex problems and we want healthcare providers to work together for the best outcome for our patients. Professional Associations  American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry (accredited member) American Academy of General Dentistry (fellow) American Academy of Laser Dentistry American Academy of Sleep Dentistry International Congress of Implantologist Kois Center: Advanced education Spear Education Center: Advanced education

Lance and Holly return from Chicago Midwinter, cold and ready for their weighted blanket!  It was a lot of fun and can't wait for more.  Listen to this weeks episode, where we give shout outs to GC America, the AACD, our pal J Quint Whipple with Phoenician Dental Studio, Eugene Royzengurt updates us on the Ukraine crisis, LVI, dining at Carnivale and Soho House in Chicago, Better Help for our remote therapy, Chris Stafford going to the Kois Center, The Holderness Family on the Amazing Race, and of course.... Reddit!

SHOW: Airway Answers: Expanding Your Breath of Knowledge HOST: Nicole Goldfarb, M.A. CCC, SLP- COM® EPISODE NAME: MSE - Maxillary Surgical Expansion GUEST SPEAKERS: Dr. Richard Ting and Dr. Tracey Nguyen SHOW NOTES: This episode reviews the technique of Maxillary Skeletal Expansion (MSE) in order to grow the maxillary bone and increase nasal floor volume. Nicole Goldfarb, M.A., CCC-SLP, COM interviews Dr. Richard Ting who is an airway focused orthodontist in southern California, and Dr. Tracey Nguyen who is an airway focused dentist in Northern Virginia, as both of these practitioners have vast experience with this research-based technique to "grow the airway". Dr. Richard Ting https://www.tingortho.com/ Dr. Richard Ting is an Airway & Functional Orthodontist in Rancho Santa Margarita, CA who treats airway issues and mouth breathing in children, teen & adults. Dr. Ting's methods are state of the art and don't leave patients with a life-time dependence of appliances and altered bite. Dr. Ting is one of the few elite Orthodontists in the nation who have mastered the use of the MSE (Maxillary Skeletal Expander); perhaps the most experienced in the world. In addition, he teaches fellow Orthodontists and dentists the benefits and placement of the MSE world-wide through seminars and published videos. He is one of the few dental professionals that have a true understanding of Clenching Related TMJ Issues. Dr. Ting has successfully treated hundreds of patients who have had failed results by other dental professionals using common appliances and methods. He is also a Diamond Plus Invisalign provider (top 1% in the US). He is the Chosen Orthodontist for many local dental professionals and their families. Many Dentists and Orthodontists who live out of state travel to California to be treated solely by Dr. Ting due to his well-known expertise in the above mentioned specialty areas. Dr. Tracey Nguyen https://lansdownedentist.com/ Dr. Tracey Nguyen is an airway focused dentist that maintains a private practice 30 minutes outside of Washington, DC in Northern Virginia. In 2015, she was accredited by the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry. In 2016, she was honored with Top 25 Women in Dentistry by Dental Products Magazine. She is one of the key opinion leaders in the Wellness Dentistry Network. She is a visiting faculty mentor at Spear Education. In 2016, she developed the Sleep and Airway Group, In 2020, she co-founded ASAP, Airway, Sleep and Pediatric Pathway. ASAP is an online mini-residency for pediatric dental sleep medicine. In 2021, she was honored as the Scientific Advisor for the prestigious advanced dental education center, the Kois Center. Her mission is to develop a better understanding for the complexities of the disease and bring like-minded professions together to co-diagnose and treat. ABOUT OUR HOST: Nicole Goldfarb, M.A., CCC-SLP, COM https://sandiegocenterforspeechtherapy.com/ Nicole Goldfarb is a Speech-Language Pathologist and Certified Orofacial Myologist in San Diego, CA., and she is the owner of San Diego Center For Speech Therapy & Myofunctional Therapy that she founded in 2003. She has the distinction of being one of just a few Speech-Language Pathologists who holds a joint Certification of Orofacial Myology (COM) in all of San Diego County. Nicole has been practicing Speech-Language Pathology since 2003 and Myofunctional Therapy since 2008. Nicole has achieved numerous training in both Speech-Language Pathology and orofacial myofunctional disorders, and she has a special passion and interest in sleep-disordered breathing and diagnosing restricted frenums as they relate to myofunctional disorders. Nicole received intensive and advanced training for over a year with the nationally renowned Certified Orofacial Myologist, Katha Phair. Katha trained Nicole in her unique, specialized, and unmatched techniques that she had developed and refined over the past 40 years. In 2014, Katha Phair selected Nicole to take over her myofunctional therapy practice. Nicole has presented internationally to dentists, orthodontists, dental hygienists, oral maxillofacial surgeons, periodontists, and other specialists on Myofunctional Therapy as it relates to Sleep-Disordered Breathing. She is on the American Dental Association's children's airway screener task force (CAST), developing the universal screening tool that all dentists in the USA will use to screen children for sleep-disordered breathing. She is also writing a large chapter about Orofacial Myofunctional therapy in a medical textbook that will be published in 2023.

Dr. Rania Saleh and Nikki Baldwin are on the show today discussing a complete, cloud based software solution for dentistry. After a decade as a dentist and private practice owner, Rania's frustrations with dealing with multiple software platforms became the genesis of Oryx. The six year old company was founded on the science-based methodology used in the Kois Center, and offers a full service solution. Tune in to hear why Oryx may be the right choice for your practice. EPISODE RESOURCES https://paulhomoly.com Subscribe to The Dentalpreneur Podcast Visit the Dentalpreneur Podcast website Write a Review on iTunes Dental Success Network

The slang Dr. Ali Afshar uses to describe his dental repertoire is “tacklebox”, and his tacklebox includes implant surgery, restoration, and treatment planning. He uses both free-hand and guided surgeries, which is a skill he thinks many lose in dental schools that promote only guided surgeries. If you only learn guided surgery, you may be missing out on the technical knowledge needed to help your patients plan out their treatment and healing processes. Dental students are graduating school and immediately want to become implant dentists without fully understanding the precision that goes into this practice and the healing that is necessary after implant surgery, and Dr. Afshar sees a lot of rehabs and complicated cases of implants that need to be repaired or completely taken out and redone. For him, the biggest weakness in our industry is diagnostics and treatment planning.  This is where his tacklebox comes in handy. Knowing how to perform surgery is one thing but understanding the human body and its ability to heal can help you better understand your role as a dentist in this healing process. Every patient is different, and sometimes they aren't all going to fit neatly into your guided procedure or surgery.  That's why Dr. Afshar created Peer Education In Dentistry. It is a program that provides professional mentorship to fellow dentists in Canada looking for hands-on training to build their own tackle boxes of skills. Dr. Afshar runs a referral-only dental practice in Alberta, Canada, which has different marketing laws than in the US. This makes referrals the best-case scenario when it comes to promoting his practice. He relies on implant surgery and focuses on chair-side efficiency to attract new patients through word-of-mouth referrals. In This Episode: Different types of dental surgeries and which Dr. Afshar prefers 12:44 The tools and technology Dr. Afshar uses in guided surgeries 14:58 How having a tacklebox of skills gives you an edge in referral marketing 28:20 How Dr. Afshar balances teaching and public speaking 42:07 What it means to be in the unique position of being a GP dentist 50:08 Dental Slang Dr. Afshar picked up as an oral surgeon 51:49 Some Questions We Discuss What makes Dr. Afshar's dental practice so unique? 2:11 How do you find the right dental patient for your practice? 17:22 Why is implant dentistry so difficult? 20:52 How did a skiing accident change Dr. Afshar's perspective on dentistry? 30:35 How are DSOs affecting the multi-practice model in North America? 33:58 What inspired Dr. Afshar to start Peer Education In Dentistry? 43:19 Is DSO, General Practice, or AI the future of dentistry? 47:08 Resources: Visit our website: www.DentalSlang.com Connect with us on Facebook: Dental Slang Connect with Dr. Afshar on Instagram @afshar_dds Find out more about Peer Education In Dentistry  Learn more about the Kois Center

Dr. Talia Nutting has provided exceptional dental care in Knoxville since 2009. She has studied extensively on implant restoration at the Zimmer Implant Institute and with Biomet's Synergy Program. Dr. Nutting has received intensive training on Cerec CAD/CAM technology, which allows the office to offer crowns in one day. She is also a member of the prestigious Kois Center in Seattle, Washington. Dr. Nutting grew up just down the road in Kingston, Tennessee.  She was a hygienist for 3.5 years and then went on to study at the University of Tennessee, earning high honors at the College of Dentistry.  Dr. Nutting went to work as an associate at a practice in Knoxville, until she was convinced to buy a practice that was about 70% HMO.  After a divorce 2 years into ownership, Dr. Nutting pretty much gave up everything but her practice and started over.  She got off the HMO and got involved in airway.  Dr. Nutting and her husband Marshall, along with their two children, reside in West Knoxville.  When not at the office, you can find her lending support to her children's school and sports activities and making a point to hear great live music. She loves hot tea, coffee and the Rolling Stones.  

Dr. Paresh Shah maintains a private practice in Winnipeg, Canada with a focus on implants, aesthetics and interdisciplinary care. He also serves as a founder and co-director for a Seattle Study Club in Winnipeg. Dr. Shah holds a Master's degree in Physiology and a proficiency certificate in Esthetic Dentistry from the University of Buffalo (SUNY) and a GPR from the University of Manitoba in 1992. He is also a graduate of Misch Implant Institute and the Kois Center. Dr. Shah has taken well over 3000 hours of advanced education on all aspects of dentistry. He has numerous fellowships including the ICOI, AGD and Pierre Fauchard Academy. He serves as a key opinion leader for several dental manufacturers. He has used digital technology in his practice for over 12 years. Dr. Shah has been invited to give over 300 lectures on all aspects of restorative, interdisciplinary care and digital dentistry.www.drpareshshah.comhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/paresh-shah-a7aa6910/https://www.instagram.com/drpareshshah/https://www.facebook.com/paresh.shah.58----------------------------www.theinternationaldentist.comLinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/drgabrielalagrecaFB & IG @theinternationaldentist 

In today’s episode, I speak with Daniel Aneszko, DDS to the discuss the importance of dental care in the world of beauty.   Dr. Daniel Aneszko graduated from the University of Detroit Mercy in 1999, and then pursued a General Practice Residency at Loyola Medical Center, Oral and Dental Health Center in Chicago.   Desiring to deepen his understating for biomechanics of jaw function related to TMJ and bite related issues, Dr. Aneszko pursued postgraduate training in advanced dentistry techniques with The Hornbrook Center for Dentistry, The Kois Center, The Las Vegas Institute for Neuromuscular Dentistry, BioRESEARCH Associates, and CAD/CAM technology using Cerec and Invisalign®.   Some dental beauty topics that Dr. Aneszko cover in this podcast include the difference between a general dentist and a cosmetic dentist, tips on teeth whitening, if veneers are right for you, Invisalign vs. DIY teeth straighteners, and alternatives to fluoride, among other topics.   __   You can find Dr. Daniel Aneszko at his practice, Water Tower Dental Care: https://www.watertowerdentalcare.com/   __   Visit Our Website: https://www.shahfacialplastics.com For the Latest News and Specials From Our Office, You Can Find Us On Instagram at: @shahaesthetics

Dr. Guillaume Gardon-Mollard graduated from the Université d’Auvergne in 2003. He earned a post graduate degree in Prosthodontics from the University of Paris. He’s also a graduate from the Kois Center in Seattle. He practices in Tours, France where he maintains a general practice focusing on global treatment planning, combining periodontal, restorative, occlusal and esthetic treatments. He also trains students, as a visiting professor at the Tours’ University Hospital. He writes a blog started in 2013 www.thedentalist.fr where he shares clinical & communication tips as well as philosophical ideas and many reading suggestions. Join the community on Dentaltown at https://www.dentaltown.com

Join The Dental WINEgenist, The Dental Somm and The Dental Wine Guy as they educate Irene on the beautiful world of wines.  From Bordeaux to New Zealand and every beautiful grape in between, we discuss the incredible ways in which wine brings people together.  Kingly sponsored by our peeps at Dentsply Sirona.  Visit Irene's Instagram to check out her implant case using the Cavitron SofTip. For more info on the ultrasonic insert designed for use on implants check out this link or ask your distributor.  https://www.pattersondental.com/Supplies/ProductFamilyDetails/PIF_80272   Dr Volinder Dhesi: volinder.dhesi@trecdental.com Volinder S. Dhesi is a 2003 graduate of the University of Saskatchewan. His practices are located in Calgary, Alberta with his scope primarily restorative focused including comprehensive aesthetics and cad/cam dentistry.  He is both a graduate of the Kois Center as well as the Las Vegas Institute.  Currently, he is a Key Opinion Leader for Dentsply Sirona, as well as teaching faculty on Straumann’s Mini-Residency Program.  Outside of Dentistry, he spends much of his spare time with his wife of 17 years and their 3 children, He is WSET 3 certified in wine in spirits and shares his passion for both wine and dentistry on his Instagram handle @thedentalwineguy. Dr. Alexandria Balich: abalich2@gmail.com  Found on IG @the_dental_somm A general dentist from Chicago and recently moved to Denver. Between Chicago and Denver, I took 18 months off to travel around the world with my now fiancé. Inspired by the many wineries we saw on our trip I decided to start formally studying wine when we got back to the US. I’ve got my WSET level 1, 2. International wine guild advanced level 2 sommelier and starting my level 3 WSET this fall!           

The Noobie Dentist Podcast – Dr Andrew Cheng Episode Run Time: 00:59:56   Intro Today, I talk to Dr Andrew Cheng. Andrew is an amazing up and coming dentist in Australia. Andrew has completed many structured formal learning pathways and is passionate about CPD. These courses have allowed Dr Cheng to get the most out of his clinical practice, and take on ever more challenging and interesting cases. He has completed a Postgraduate Diploma in Orthodontics, a Postgrad Certificate in Dental Implantology, and he frequently travels to Seattle where he attends Kois. In this week’s episode, we talk about CPD and the importance of investing in yourself, how to get the most out of mentorship and how to be a successful associate. We also discuss maintaining our mental and physical well-being, the importance of self-care, and becoming a successful clinician. Guest Details Social Media: Dr Andrew Cheng - Instagram   Time Stamps [00:03:31] Dr Cheng’s origin story [00:06:45] Dr Cheng’s personality and dentistry [00:11:20] Structured learning and commuting for clinical days [00:15:43] Dr Cheng’s experience at the Kois Center [00:22:45] Highlights of Dr Cheng’s time in the US [00:23:55] What’s next for Dr Cheng? [00:24:35] Finding balance and coping with the stress of work [00:31:57] Dr Cheng’s five essential investments: Courses, assets and self-care [00:42:50] Dr Cheng’s ambitions for the future [00:45:21] What social media has done for dentistry [00:53:02] Starting a practice and the impact of the pandemic [00:54:47] Dr Cheng’s vision for 2021 [00:56:37] Dr Cheng’s top 3 dentistry Instagram accounts   Podcast Details As always, if you enjoyed listening to the Noobie Dentist Podcast, please pass the podcast along to your friends, classmates and colleagues. If you haven’t already, head over to iTunes and give the show a 5-star rating and if you have some time, leave a review! The Noobie Dentist podcast is now available on Spotify, YouTube, noobiedentist.com, the Apple podcast app, Stitcher and any other podcast apps out there!   Website: http://www.noobiedentist.com Instagram: @noobiedentist Sponsor Details Ivoclar Vivadent is one of the world's leading and most innovative dental companies, offering a comprehensive range of products and systems that provide you with new opportunities in dentistry – for even more aesthetic and efficient results and better dental care for patients. 'Making People Smile' – It's what they do! To find out more, visit www.ivoclarvivadent.com.au Headline Quote [50:51 - 51:21] ..Yeah, this was this thing I read where like, you know, like, if you are building a house, you don’t focus on building the house first right. Or, you know you don’t go in on day one and say “look, I am going to build this house perfectly”. What you do is you start, like with the foundation. So you pick up a brick and, you know, you look at the brick and you are like “ok, well how can I place this brick as perfectly as a brick can be placed?”. And then if you do that every day and, like, before you know it you have learned how to build that house. Or like, that house is, like, flourishing. Do you know what I mean? Conclusion Were you inspired by Dr Andrew Cheng? Are you considering expanding your resume of structured learning? We would love to hear your thoughts!   Remember to subscribe for more content!  

A la vuelta del verano se juntan de nuevo los barberos y deciden empezar con algo que todos los dentistas hemos hecho en algún momento, las EXTRACCIONES, que alegrías y disgustos nos dan a veces. Una veces eres el mejor dentista del mundo y otro sales sudando como un pollo, en este episodio los barberos filosofean un poco pero rápido se ponen a contar sus problemas y como los solucionan… Notas del podcast: Alveogyl https://www.septodont.es/productos/alveogyl Benex https://dentariel.com/blogs/news/como-sacarle-el-maximo-partido-a-tu-benex-ii-extractor-system Easy X-trac System https://www.atitan.com/subcategories/7-easy-x-trac-system Kois Center https://www.koiscenter.com/courses/

Alan is joined by Dr. Jenny Perna, aka: yogi_dentist on Instagram! She's an amazing Instagram follow for her posts on yoga, exercise, dentistry, CE and her amazing travel! Today Al and Jenny discussed a problem faced by many people for many reasons. How do you convince your brain that it's time to get up when the alarm goes of REALLY EARLY! Jenny has some really good insight that can help you get more done and feel more accomplished during your day. We also talked about her recent trip to the Kois Center in Seattle and how they're handling in-person CE in the COVID era! We're pretty big fans of the yogi_dentist and we think you will be, too! Some links from the show: Jenny's Instagram: @yogi_dentist Kois Center    Microcopy Dental has always been the place to get the most amazing single patient use burs anywhere. But have you ever wondered why a person would want to go the "single patient use" route? Microcopy is offering 2 hours of free CE about this very issue at dentalhacks.com/freece! You'll see why dental burs should be single patient use for lots of reasons and you can pick up 2 CE's on infection control as well! Go check it out at dentalhacks.com/freece!  

Dr. Justin Moody discusses his work with training dentists in implantology with Implant Pathway at the New Horizon Dental Center, digital workflow, indications for immediate implants in the esthetic zone, incision line complications, favored grafting materials, lasers, peri-implantitis, and his podcast, Dentists, Implants and Worms. Dr. Justin D. Moody graduated from the University of Oklahoma Health Science Center college of Dentistry in 1997. While in dental school he was awarded the National Disaster Medical System Appreciation letter for his efforts during the Oklahoma City Bombing, the Teledyne Removable Prosthodontic outstanding student award, the Oral Pathology outstanding student award and completed a mini residency in the General Dentistry department.Dr. Moody attended the prestigious Misch International Implant Institute where he was awarded a fellowship and mastership and attended the AAID maxi-course residency at the Medical College of Georgia. Dr. Moody has earned Fellow and Diplomate status in the International Congress of Oral Implantologists, Fellow and Associate Fellow status in the American Academy of Implant Dentistry and was one of the youngest Diplomates in the American Board of Oral Implantology/implant dentistry. Dr. Moody is adjunct faculty at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, a Mentor at the Kois Center in Seattle Washington and recently became an Honored Fellow of the American Academy of Implant Dentistry.Dr. Moody is the owner of Horizon West Dental group. In 2008 he opened the first Dental Implant Center in Rapid City, South Dakota. Dr. Moody founded Implant Pathway in 2014.  In 2017 Dr. Moody helped found the New Horizon Dental Institute in Tempe Arizona.   This 501(c)3 non-profit clinic was designed to help those that can't afford dental implants as well as the day to day dentistry, it is here that the Implant Pathway attendees can gain the valuable live implant training while helping the most deserving people right here in the USA.  Today Dr Moody calls Scottsdale Arizona home where he devotes his time to Implant Pathway, New Horizons Dental and continues to see patients in his private practices.  The Dental Clinical Companion Podcast (DCCP) is provided for general informational purposes only. The DCCP, MounceEndo, LLC, and Dr. Richard Mounce personally have no liability for any clinical, management, or financial decisions or actions taken or made by you based on the information provided in this program. The DCCP is not intended to offer dental, medical, legal, management, investment, surgical, tax, clinical, or any other professional advice. Reliance on the information in the DCCP is done entirely at the listeners own risk.  No guarantees, representations, or warrantees are made with regard to the completeness, accuracy, and/or quality of the DCCP.  The DCCP takes no responsibility for, does not endorse, and does not imply a relationship/affiliation to any websites, products, services, devices, individuals, organizations which are hyperlinked to any DCCP component or mentioned in the DCCP. Third party materials, hyperlinks, and/or DCCP content does not reflect the opinions, standards, and policies of MounceEndo, LLC (owner of the DCCP, Dr. Richard Mounce, the guest, or show sponsors). The DCCP makes no warranty that the Podcast and its server are free of computer viruses.The Dental Clinical Companion Podcast expressly disclaims any and all liability or responsibility for any direct, indirect, incidental, special consequential or other damages arising out of any individuals use of, reference to, reliance on, or inability to use, this podcast or the information presented in this podcast. http://www.dentalclinicalcompanion.com/  Support the show (http://mounceendo.com/)

“In this class I was thinking almost religiously, every dentists needs to take this class. This course should be post-doctorate mandatory.” Co-host Chad Johnson just returned from a training course with the Kois Center…and he has information to share! Join in to hear his report on what he learned this past week, including his number one recommendation.

Dr. Bob Margeas, a professor at the University of Iowa, Editor-in-Chief of Inside Dentistry, speaker, and educator, shares how he’s able to juggle everything while maintaining his private practice, Iowa Dental Group. He confesses that he was fired not just from his first job but from his second job, too, and shares the funny encounter that happened 20 years later. Despite a rocky start, he didn’t stop – which has paid off in the form of massive opportunities, growth, and success. Listen in to hear what Bob would tell his younger self if he could – and get a peek into what he’ll be sharing at The Exchange. Time Stamped Show Notes: 03:00 – Introducing Dr. Bob Margeas, a dental professional in Des Moines, Iowa, professor of Operative Dentistry at the University of Iowa, and Editor-in-Chief of Inside Dentistry 04:05 – What Bob did before dentistry 04:15 – He was a biology major and decided to take the test to get into dental school at the very last minute 06:30 – Bob’s dental confession 06:50 – At his first job, he did a filling for his girlfriend and gave her a discount even though his boss told him not to; he was fired from his second job, too 08:00 – When he was fired from his second job, he owed his boss $3,000; 20 years later he was at the Kois Center as a scientific advisor for composites and adhesives 08:30 – His old boss was at the Kois Center and heard Bob’s name at a symposium; they reunited and his old boss called him his “first associate” 09:20 – Until 2001 when he merged with the best dentist in Des Moines, he did well; but it didn’t take off until he found a mentor and was given an opportunity 10:10 – On making the jump to the aesthetic arena 10:35 – He was interested from the very beginning; in his first 5 years he had 500 hours and laid the foundation to be able to teach down the road 13:10 – If you have someone who believes in you, a lot can happen 13:20 – When aesthetic cases go wrong 13:25 – After 30 years of doing veneers, he still gets apprehensive when he’s going to seat 8-10 veneers; he doesn’t do them all at once 13:55 – If you’re not nervous, you’re not taking it seriously and that’s when things can go wrong 15:50 – On digital vs. analog impressions for implants 16:05 – The digital ones slowed him down because he works with just one dental assistant; he still uses analog dentistry 17:00 – Tim and Mike like digital; they say you can do 90-95% digital 18:08 – Bob has about $10,00-worthof parts and pieces for implants; the most profitable thing they do is posterior single-tooth implants 09:15 – When Bob got into implants and composites 19:30 – He started learning about implants in the 80s; he started placing implants in 2002-2003 and had a veteran as a back-up 20:30 – He restores implants and does about 200-240 implants a year 21:05 – He got into composites at the University of Iowa and took his first course in Chicago 3 times, then became an assistant 22:20 – He started lecturing in Canada in 2000 22:45 – On how he’s been so accomplished 22:50 – He was single and didn’t get married until he was 53; he had lots of time to write, research, and learn 24:02 – He got married in 2014 to a dentist; he now has two step-kids and flies back and forth from Iowa to Michigan where the family lives 25:20 – His practice is lean and mean; he implemented a bonus plan for his hygienists so they would be motivated to see more patients 27:20 – Now, there has never been a month where they didn’t hit bonus 27:50 – On the secret to success 27:50 – Happiness is the key to success; his goal is to educate the patient and have them accept the dentistry that they need 29:50 – When you feel bad for patients, bad things happen and you make bad decisions 30:45 – Advice for his younger self 30:50 – He would tell himself not to wait so long to start his own practice; he was an associate for a long time but you can make much more money as your own boss 31:30 – If he bought a practice, he would ask the cost of servicing the debt of that practice and if he could live off the rest after paying the debt 32:45 – Practice where you want to live and always look at the numbers and what you can make 33:10 – Bob is grateful for his mentors who gave him opportunities 33:35 – Some successes 33:40 – He’s fortunate to be a part of some prestigious dental organizations; he has a teaching center and is an expert in a town of experts 34:20 – He has an open door policy and helps people through cases; he recommends sharing information and is grateful for the respect of his peers 34:50 – On The Exchange, Smile Source’s annual meeting 35:08 – He’ll be talking about everyday dentistry in the morning; he will explain how he uses composite resin to alter the vertical/change the tooth shape to get people by 36:00 – He’ll show some live demonstrations in the afternoon and it’ll be interactive 3 Key Points If you’re passionate, people will want to share knowledge. Incredible things can happen with a mentor. When you feel bad for patients, you make bad decisions. Contact/Resources Timothy’s Family Practice – Chips Dental Mike’s Practice – Advanced Dental Bob’s Practice – Iowa Dental Group

Today's episode on Redefining Medicine spotlights Doug Thompson, DDS. Dr. Thompson has completed hundreds of hours of continuing education at the Kois Center in Seattle, Washington directed by Dr. John Kois. In 2005, Dr. Thompson became a Mentor to students, and in 2008 he earned the distinction of Clinical Instructor. By 2010, he was chairman of the Membership Committee and in 2011 was accepted, as one of four, to the Kois Center Advisory Board.  In 2014 he accepted an offer to Chair the Advisory Board until July of 2016. Additionally, in 2015 he was offered and accepted a part time Faculty position in a teaching role about Periodontal Medicine.  In 2016, he added the Wellness Dentistry topic to his teaching role. Dr. Thompson believes in an interdisciplinary treatment model that coordinates dental care with other medical practitioners for total body health care for his patients. He employs advanced DNA bacterial testing methods and other leading-edge dental science to enable early risk assessment and personalized treatment planning. He cofounded and helped lead an interdisciplinary study club attended by more than 40 dentists, which had representation from all dental specialties and focused on comprehensive treatment planning.   In addition to his dental training, Dr. Thompson is pursuing a Fellowship in Anti-Aging and Regenerative Medicine through the American Academy of Anti-Aging, Regenerative and Functional Medicine. In this continuum, he has presented to physicians a program titled, “Periodontal Disease and the Heart: A Collaborative Opportunity” in their Fellowship module XVI-D titled, “Metabolic Cardiovascular Medicine.”   In 2016 Dr. Thompson founded the Wellness Dentistry Network which is an internet based community of dentists with a keen awareness of how oral conditions affect whole body health. He also assists dentists and their teams with implementation strategies designed to put knowledge to work in their daily practices. Building a knowledge base of how to integrate oral health issues with medical health issues continues to evolve.  Getting started, keeping current, and growing is the challenge in this exploding area.  To confront this challenge is the mission of the Wellness Dentistry Network. Among other topics, he coaches risk assessment treatment planning, digital photography, and systems to transform traditional hygiene services into value added experiences of personalized periodontal medicine.

How is the mouth connected to the body? What can your oral health tell you about your full body health? Dr. Jaffer discusses these vital issues and more with Dr. Manjula Reddy. Dr. Reddy has been a dentist for over 20 years and is a partner at the TREC Dental Creekside Dental clinic in Calgary, Alberta. She organizes several charitable initiatives in Calgary on behalf of TREC Dental and is actively involved with Dentistry for All, having been on numerous missions to Guatemala. She is also keenly interested in the mouth-body connection, having studied this extensively with the Kois Center.

We have recorded on planes and exotic locations. Today, we are recording on the rooftop of the Westin overlooking Nashville. This is a catch up episode where Sully and Payrey share their recent travels with you. Sully was able to attend the IDS dental business summit in Cologne, German. If this is something that you haven't done, put it on your list for 2021. Sully shares a little bit about his trip to Germany and some of the great technology that was at the IDS. We also talk about the importance of quality CE and building the practice you would want to have. We cover everything we've been up to including challenges with building an amazing practice, finding your speciality, and balancing everything. Show Notes: [01:54] The IDS dental summit was a city filled with dentists. Sully met Brian Baliwas the SF Dental Nerd. [02:19] Downtown Cologne is a 5 minute walk from the IDS International Dental Symposium. It's also a trade show and a lot of products debut there. [04:31] You can get great deals at some of the pavilions if you want knock offs or generic things. [05:58] It was also a really great experience to get to touch and tryout the different products. It was like a Disneyland for dentists. [07:04] There is a ton of new software coming out for smile design. There are companies putting cool cameras into their lights. [08:09] Sully went to the GC party. It was epic over the top. [09:12] Payrey has been busy buying things. He wants easier access to labs. Stay tuned to what he has been up to. [11:04] He also bought a house recently. He is now closer to his office. [12:01] He is also looking into offering profit sharing or a 401(k) for his office. [13:07] He also consulted with The Crabtree Group. They are helping to develop systems into his office. [14:42] It's a lot of headaches being the only one running the show. [15:44] If the economy tanks, it would really affect business. People can afford things, because the economy is good. [16:41] Payrey is trying to build his general dentist practice with his hygienist and having two dentists two days a week. [18:02] Payrey finished a Kois course. He now loves general dentistry. [22:22] Build a base, you can always do implants or full mouth later down the line. [25:06] Don't let money stop you from taking CE from places like Kois Center. [26:30] Restorative dentistry makes people love their smile. Overlays can save money, and make patients happy. [29:43] Everybody pushes each other up when you surround yourself with people who are trying to do better. [32:00] Marketing has been shifting. We used to market as the family dental dentist. Niche marketing for procedures is catching on. Patients are looking things up to learn about specific procedures. Dentists are blogging and sharing information. [34:56] First step is to build you and your personality and then share you and your knowledge. [38:26] Being social is huge for building a general practice. [39:23] Let us know what your pain points are and what you would like us to talk about? [40:52] Sully is in a mastermind group, taking courses, and trying to balance work and family. [42:15] Life is too short. Build the practice you would like to have. As always thanks so much for listening! If you like the show we would love for you to review the show on iTunes as well as spread the word! If you have any questions or want to get in touch, shoot me an email at millennialdentist@gmail.com.   Links and Resources: MillennialDentist@gmail.com The Millennial Dentist Website @Millennialdentist on Facebook @MillennialDDS on Twitter On Instagram  Dr. Sully…@Millennialdentist on InstagramDr. Peyman…@drpeyray on Instagram Dr. Sully's website and blog Dental industry and Dental trade fair | IDS Brian Baliwas SF Dental Nerd Trios 4 Primescan iTero Element 5D Episode 77 Figure Out Where You Want to Go When Growing Your Practice With the Crabtree Group Kois Center Spear Education

Dr. Paresh Shah is here to talk about the importance of continuing education, treatment planning, and having a mentor. Dr. Shah was born in India, but has been in Winnipeg, Canada for 50 years where he has been a solo practitioner. He has recently added an associate to his practice. After being an associate, Dr. Shaw purchased a practice from a retiring dentist and built that practice up. He really became excited about dentistry when he found mentors and teachers and like minded people to grow with. In this episode, Dr. Shaw shares a lot of great information for young dentists and dentists starting out. He talks about the importance of getting or buying a patient base when you first start out. He talks about how to use technology in a smart, efficient, and profitable way. We talk about how to find and communicate with labs and lot more great stuff on today's show.   You can find our Dr. Paresh Shah here: Westwood Dental Center @drpshah_dmd on Twitter Paresh Shah on Facebook Westwood Dental Center on Instagram   Show Notes: [01:51] Dr. Shaw was born in India, but he has been in Winnipeg Canada for over 50 years. [02:26] His family and his practice are in Winnipeg and his daughter is a dentist in Chicago. [02:59] Dr. Shaw has been a solo practitioner, but he just got an associate. [03:06] He does restorative dentistry, implants, cosmetic dentistry, and interdisciplinary care. [03:20] He has a busy practice with three full-time hygienists. They have five rooms and their operation is very efficient. [03:32] Dr. Shaw loves what he does. He used to be a super dentist and do everything, but now he focuses on what he does best. [03:37] He has a great group of specialists that he works with. [04:06] When Dr. Shaw first started in dentistry, he was an associate. Although, he almost became an oral surgeon. [04:45] A distribution rep told him about a practice that was for sale, and he ended up buying his practice. He started with three chairs and no hygienist. He built the practice adding hygiene one day at a time. [06:15] How corporate dentistry is entrenched in the US. If you work hard, and you are smart, you can buy a practice and pay the debt off. [06:47] The importance of finding a practice that already has a patient base. [07:20] Ask what the dollar value of those patients are? [09:18] You can take the approach and build it and people will come, but to be successful you need a patient base. [09:53] You could also transition the patient base of a retiring dentist. [11:05] Find a mentor that will teach you how to diagnose and treatment plan and communicate with patients. [11:54] Millennials want a practice that has a luxurious look. [13:30] When you buy a new practice, there are aesthetic things you can do to make the practice look better. [14:35] The point of buying an existing practice is cash flow. [15:12] At first, Dr. Shah wasn't enjoying his work. Then he met a group of mentors and teachers and learned how to properly diagnose and treatment plan. He spent 5 or 6 years at the University of Minnesota. [16:40] He saw the great lives and practices of these older dentists and their passion for dentistry. [16:54] He is still friends with these guys. By surrounding himself with this group and taking several continuing education courses, he became enthusiastic about his practice. [17:58] Like minded individuals can be inspiring.   [19:40] Hanging out with people ahead of you closes your information gap. [21:07] Learning the foundation by going to the Kois Center and Spear Education. [22:45] To understand and learn everything a young dentist really needs a continuum course. [24:53] How you don't know what you don't know is absolutely true. [25:45] The importance of updating and learning new techniques. [27:38] How important it is to meet people and be exposed to people in other cities and other countries. [28:34] The importance of creating a nonthreatening environment and creating accountability. [30:15] The Seattle Study Club was founded by Michael Cohen. This is a university without walls that meets every four to six weeks. [31:08] They sit down and have treatment planning sessions. There are about 270 Seattle Study Clubs around the world. [31:34] The importance of finding a study club that wants to mentor you. [34:04] Dr. Shah lectures about current techniques for doing everyday stuff. People have to have a foundation. [36:30] How you can learn from your mistakes and decide what you can improve if something doesn't look good. [37:43] He also shows advanced treatment plan cases in his study clubs. [38:31] Digital workflow and new scanners and software. Dr. Shaw is trying to teach the digital workflow to get from here to there and be efficient about it. [44:28] How important it is to not make learning experiences sales pitches. Dr. Shaw and a friend are doing a two-day program and will have the products of several different brands represented. [47:33] Team members also need to be part of the education and the workflow training and creation. [50:24] Dr. Shah incorporates changes and checklists for a reason. He doesn't change procedure without having a reason and sharing it. [55:50] Buying a scanner, having a great lab, and getting a model printer is a great way to operate. [56:32] The key to digital is time. You can pay for your scanner in a year. [57:56] The value of saving time whether it's 15 minutes a crown or a week a year. [01:01:53] Interview labs and find a good lab that you can communicate with. Dr. Shah found a great lab in Canada through Instagram. [01:04:13] Send photos to your lab and keep the lines of communication open. You both need to be accountable with each other. [01:05:44] In Canada, lab fees are disclosed separate from dental fees.   As always thanks so much for listening! If you like the show we would love for you to review the show on iTunes as well as spread the word! If you have any questions or want to get in touch, shoot me an email at millennialdentist@gmail.com.     Links and Resources: MillennialDentist@gmail.com The Millennial Dentist Website @Millennialdentist on Facebook @MillennialDDS on Twitter On Instagram  Dr. Sully…@Millennialdentist on InstagramDr. Peyman…@drpeyray on Instagram Dr. Sully's website and blog Westwood Dental Center @drpshah_dmd on Twitter Paresh Shah on Facebook Westwood Dental Center on Instagram Kois Center Spear Education Seattle Study Club Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action

Dr. Amanda Seay is a dentist who focuses on restorative dentistry at her private practice in Mount Pleasant, SC. She is a life long learner and started taking CE courses right out of dental school. She is a clinical instructor at the Kois Center, she has published articles on the art and technique of restorative dentistry, and serves on the board of many peer-reviewed journals. On today's show, Dr. Seay shares how she discovered the turning point that made her acceptance rate go up. She has always taken education, preparation, and dentistry seriously, but when she began to build trust and relationships before diving into the clinical details of treatment, her patients began to respond better. This is an awesome informative episode that reminds all of us to focus on the human side of our practice. You can find Dr. Amanda Seay here: SeayAmanda@gmail.com https://www.amandaseay.net/ (Amanda Seay) https://www.facebook.com/DrAmandaSeay/ (Dr. Amanda Seay on Facebook) https://twitter.com/DrAmandaSeay?lang=en (@DrAmandaSeay on Twitter) Show Notes [02:10] Dr. Amanda Seay went to dental school at NYU in New York City. She graduated in 2002 and went to an associate-ship for a year and then started a practice from scratch. [02:48] Amanda believes that learning never ends. She started with continuing education right away and keeps learning. [03:05] Amanda runs a strictly restorative practice. She doesn't do root canals or implants. She focuses on aesthetics. She lectures and publishes. [03:58] When dentists first start out they don't really have a work-life balance. [04:49] Amanda started to see a change in her practice when she started investing in herself. [05:22] The turning point where Amanda's acceptance went up. A consultant told her not to talk dentistry. [05:49] It was a challenge to slow down and think about how to get a person to trust her for their care without talking about dentistry. [06:14] How dentistry is a lot like building a house. [08:13] My dental acceptance rate went up when I stopped talking about dentistry and started building relationships. [10:17] Role-playing is a great way to practice talking to patients. [10:41] A change in perspective and how time went down when Amanda started connecting with people. [14:41] Giving a range of fee options when doing a consultation. Using phases to make treatment plans affordable. [16:00] Finding somewhere in between to actually treat the patient. [18:45] Amanda charges a nominal fee for cosmetic consultations. [19:11] She prefers consultations at the end of the day, because she likes to do her restorative appointments early in the morning when she is fresh. [22:16] It's all about connection. Even in the second appointment as Amanda is gathering data for the treatment plan. [23:19] The importance of realizing what the patient actually wants. [23:40] Amanda has a standardized patient exam that she can keep under an hour or an hour and a half. If the patient wants something more complex, she will spend the time to plan it out. [24:41] The importance of formulating your treatment plan according to the patient's needs. [26:58] How you can't assume anything about anyone. [28:11] How Amanda got her whole team on board on the learning path. The biggest thing they did was learn from other practices that were doing things really well. [28:46] The importance of team coaching as well as personal coaching. [29:20] the importance of keeping your practice philosophy congruent and sharing with your team. [30:38] The importance of focusing on one thing and getting it done. [31:27] Amanda also uses the one thing principle for her personal life. [32:34] Get coaching, ask questions, and get help. Model people who are doing it well. [33:33] Advice for young dentists is invest in CE from the very start.   Links and Resources: https://www.koiscenter.com/ (Kois Center)...

Known internationally for his experience in cosmetic dentistry, Dr. Gary Radz is respected by local celebrities who come to him for a dazzling smile, as well as dental institutes in the US and abroad who call upon him to teach their dentists how to perform the newest procedures in cosmetic dentistry. His career as a dentist showed a brilliance in the field, and through his steadfast dedication in creating the best smiles possible for all his patients, he has earned a position of respect among other dental colleagues who call him a “dentist’s dentist.” Dr. Radz has been listed in 5280 Magazine as one of “Denver’s Best Dentists.” His experience in dentistry has been recognized by local and national media, and he has had the privilege of being interviewed by the New York Times, the Chicago Tribune, the Denver Post, the Rocky Mountain News, the Boulder Camera, the Charlotte Observer, Wild Blue Yonder, and Parenting Magazine. Dr. Radz has been asked to be a contributing editor to Denver’s BLOOM and SHINE magazines. Additionally, he has appeared on WBTV and Denver’s “9News.” Over the past 20 years, Dr. Radz has presented at many regional, national, and international meetings. To date, he has given over 800 presentations in nine countries on four continents. He has presented at the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry’s annual meeting 15 years in a row and in 2006, he was a featured speaker at the American Dental Association’s Annual Meeting. In the 2004 through 2016 issues of Dentistry Today, Dr. Radz was named as one of the “Top Speakers in Continuing Education.” Dr. Radz was recognized for the 8th time in 8 years in 5280 magazine in their Denver Top Dentists list. Upon graduation from the University of North Carolina School of Dentistry, Dr. Radz continued his education by completing two postgraduate residency programs. In the field of dentistry, this sets him apart because the residencies require an enormous commitment and considerable talent. In fact, his abilities as a dentist shined so brightly that he became the chief resident of both programs: the Advanced Education in General Dentistry program at the University of North Carolina and the General Practice Residence program at Rush-Presbyterian-St. Luke’s Medical Center in Chicago. He relocated to Denver in 1999 after practicing in Charlotte, North Carolina, for nine years. When he moved here, he immediately focused his practice on cosmetic dentistry and continued taking advanced courses to learn more. He completed advanced education programs in cosmetic dentistry at the Institute for Advanced Studies in Esthetic Dentistry, the Las Vegas Institute for Advanced Dental Studies, and most recently at the Kois Center in Seattle. Additionally, he has completed more than 2000 hours of continuing education in cosmetic dentistry. Dr. Radz has written more than 175 articles on cosmetic dentistry materials and techniques, and he serves on the editorial board of seven dental journals, including the Journal of Cosmetic Dentistry. He has served as the editor-in-chief of Mentor and ACEsthetics magazines. In 2003 and 2013, he was the chairman of the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry’s annual scientific meeting, responsible for the educational format of over 2000 of the world’s most dedicated cosmetic dental experts. In 2008 and 2012, he was program chairman for the Academy of Comprehensive Esthetics annual meeting. Dr. Radz has also developed a reputation as an excellent photographer. His photography is used by manufacturers and dental laboratories for promotion and education. Many photographs on this website were taken by Dr. Radz, and they feature patients of his practice. Dr. Radz’s photography has made the cover of several dental journals, including the Journal of Cosmetic Dentistry. Because of his long experience in cosmetic dentistry, Dr. Radz began to share his knowledge by teaching dental courses. For the last 20 years, Dr. Radz has lectured internationally on cosmetic dentistry. He has also served as an instructor for the Institute for Advanced Studies in Esthetic Dentistry, Ross Nash Seminars, and the Aesthetic Advantage programs. He was invited to become an instructor for prestigious Las Vegas Institute of Advanced Dental Studies. Dr.Radz is currently an Associate Clinical Professor at the University of Colorado School of Dentistry in the Department of Restorative Dentistry, where he is helping with the cosmetic dentistry courses for third- and fourth-year dental students. He has been a trainer for dental manufacturers, to educate other dentists on how to use new materials and equipment properly. For the 10 years, Dr. Radz served on the REALITY Publishing Editorial Board, which evaluates new materials and equipment in dentistry, then publishes the results to help dentists and their patients benefit from the latest in dental technology. For the past 8 years he has worked with Catapult as a product evaluator and as a mentor to dentists looking to get into dental education. Well vested in the professional dental community, Dr. Radz is an active member of the Academy of General Dentistry, American Dental Association, Colorado Dental Association, Metro Denver Dental Society, and Colorado Prosthodontic Society. He is a sustaining member of the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry (AACD) and a founding member of both the Canadian Academy for Esthetic Dentistry and Colorado Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry. In 2004, Dr. Radz was awarded fellowships from the Academy of Comprehensive Esthetics and the International Academy of Dental-Facial Esthetics. Dr. Radz was recognized as Denver Top Dentists list in 5280 magazine for the year 2004, 2008-2016.

The Kois and the Coachman team are some of the most brilliant minds in dentistry and they are live for the first time on today's show. This is a treatment planning session that you do not want to miss. John C. Kois, D.M.D., M.S.D. is the director of the Kois Center. Dr. Dean E. Kois D.M.D., M.S.D. is a faculty member at the Kois Center, and he maintains a private practice. He will be the surgeon in this planning session. Dr. Christian Coachman is a frequent guest on this show and a good friend of mine. He is also the creator of the Digital Smile Design system. Dr. Francis Coachman is the Director of the DSD Planning Center and a great dentist. They are all here today, to show us how planning and treatment all come together by creating the best plan.   You can find Coachman and Kois here: http://digitalsmiledesign.com/en (Digital Smile Design) http://www.dsdplanningcenter.com/about-us/ (DSD Planning Center Director Dr. Francis Coachman) http://www.wellclinic.com/team/francis-coachman/ (Dr. Francis Coachman) https://www.facebook.com/christiancoachman/ (Dr. Christian Coachman on Facebook) https://twitter.com/c_coachman (Dr. Christian Coachman on Twitter @c_coachman) http://www.wellclinic.com/ (Well Clinic) https://www.instagram.com/digitalsmiledesign/ (Digital Smile Design on Instagram) http://dsdmagazine.com/ (DSD Magazine) http://digitalsmiledesign.com/en/education (DSD Education) https://www.koiscenter.com/about-the-kois-center/faculty/ (Dr. Dean E. Kois) https://www.koiscenter.com/john-c-kois/ (John C. Kois, D.M.D., M.S.D.) http://www.drjohnkois.com/ (John C. Kois) https://www.koiscenter.com/ (Kois Center)

Dr. V. Kim Kutsch received his undergraduate degree from Westminster College in Utah and then completed his DMD at University of Oregon School of Dentistry in 1979. He is an inventor holding numerous patents in dentistry, product consultant, internationally recognized speaker, is past president of the Academy of Laser Dentistry, and the World Congress of Minimally Invasive Dentistry. He also has served on the board of directors for the World Clinical Laser Institute and the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry. As an author, Dr. Kutsch has published over 100 articles and abstracts on minimally invasive dentistry, caries risk assessment, digital radiography and other technologies in both dental and medical journals and contributed chapters to numerous textbooks. He coauthored Balance, a textbook on dental decay with 100,000 copies in print, and wrote the Rough World series, a young adult science fiction trilogy. He acts as a reviewer for several journals including the Journal of the American Dental Association and Compendium. Dr. Kutsch also serves as CEO of Dental Alliance Holdings LLC, manufacturer of the Carifree system, and Remin Media. As a clinician he is a Graduate, Mentor and Scientific Advisor of Dental Caries at the prestigious Kois Center. Dr. Kutsch maintains a private practice in Albany Oregon.   www.carifree.com

Ginger Price DDS is a Cosmetic Dentist in Phoenix, Arizona. Established in 1984, Dr. Price is known internationally. Dr. Price has been recognized as one of the best cosmetic dentists in the area and accolades come from not only her patients, but also from her peers. In addition, she is consistently featured in newspapers, magazines, radio and television segments.   A Phoenix native, Dr. Ginger Price earned her doctorate in dentistry from the prestigious Loma Linda University (LLU). What makes her the best cosmetic dentist in the area is the fact that she also studied fine arts in college.   Her talent and background in fine arts gives her a unique perspective which she uses to enhance all the services she provides.  Ginger Price DDS is also able to combine her talent and passion so that it benefits all her patients.   Dental patients appreciate the fact that she continually updates her skills by investing in continuing education. Hundreds of hours of additional training comes from such prestigious and reputable facilities such as the Pacific Aesthetic Continuum (PAC) in San Francisco and The Aesthetic Advantage at New York University (NYU).   A member of the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry, the Academy of General Dentistry, the American Association of Women Dentists, the American Orthodontic Society, the American Dental Association and the Phoenix Chamber of Commerce, Dr. Price is also a dedicated mentor at the Kois Center in Seattle.   www.drgingers.com

What does practice management software look like in the future? John Kois, Jr., CEO of the Kois Center in Seattle, WA has a pretty good idea about that. In episode 147, John sat down with Alan to talk about a new, cloud based practice management software called Evidentiae Technologies. This innovative software was created to help dentists with administering and organizing patient data to help formulate risk factors and even treatment plans. John explains all the things that make this software worth checking out. Rumor has it that it will be available to the general dental public sometime this fall! Some links from the show: The Dental Hacks Nation closed Facebook group has over 7400 members! Head over there to interact with other Dental Hacks listeners, guests and Brain Trust members every day, all day! Remember...if you don't have any thing "dental" on your FB page, we might decline your membership request. So IM the group or email us at info@dentalhacks.com. Vertical preps.  You've seen the photos. You've watched the masters doing it. Now you can learn them from Dr. Jason Smithson himself! Go check out his course in September at www.dentalhacks.com/vertical It's time to get serious about your composites. It's time to check out Bioclear. It's fractally different. And better. Find out more at www.dentalhacks.com/Bioclear Go Hack Yourself: Jason: Anatomic Profile Generator Alan: The Fifth Column podcast If you have any questions or comments for us please drop us an email at info@dentalhacks.com or find us (and like us!) at www.facebook.com/dentalhacks. Or, if you prefer...give us a call at (866) 223-5257 and leave us a message. You might be played in the show! If you like us, why not leave us a review on iTunes? It helps us get found by like minded people and might even help us get into "What's Hot" in the iTunes store! Go to this link and let the world know about te DentalHacks! Finally, if you aren't an Apple person, consider reviewing us on Stitcher at: stitcher.com/podcast/the-dentalhacks-podcast! If you would like to support the podcast you can check out our Patreon page! Although the show will always remain free to download, our Patreon supporters get access to special bonus content including (at least) one extra podcast episode every months! Also be sure to check out the Dental Hacks swag store where you can find t-shirts, stickers coffee mugs and all sorts of other things that let the world know you're a part of the Hacks Nation!

Mike was raised in Arvada, but Wheat Ridge is now my family’s home. His wife’s name is Bonnie and they have four children: Emma, Betsy, Carissa, and Jared.  His family is rounded out by our dog, Macie. His favorite times are spent with loved ones and He never miss a chance to cheer for the Broncos! Mike love volunteering through my church, especially when Hes able to offer dental services to those in need. Mike donates my time and expertise through Denver Dream Center and provided dental services to Hope House of Colorado, Stout Street Foundation, and Father Woody’s Haven of Hope. He also donate dental hygiene products to local schools and shelters. Mike followed my grandfather and older brother into dentistry and attended Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska for his Doctorate of Dental Surgery. While in dental school, he spent three months in the Dominican Republic as a student dentist, to provide care to the underserved. After graduation,  Mike completed a general practice residency at the Veterans Administration Medical Center in Omaha.   PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS Diplomate, American Board of Oral Implantology Diplomate, International Congress of Oral Implantologists American Academy of Facial Esthetics Associate fellow, American Academy of Implant Dentistry Master, Misch Implant Institute American Dental Association Colorado Dental Association Metropolitan Denver Dental Society Mentor, Kois Center of Seattle, WA

Dr. Moody grew up on a ranch just outside Crawford Nebraska where his family has called home for 6 generations. Graduating from Crawford High School in 1989 and attending the University of Nebraska at Lincoln studying Biological Sciences. In 1997 he graduated from the University of Oklahoma Health Science Center college of Dentistry with his doctorate. While in dental school he was awarded the National Disaster Medical System Appreciation letter for his efforts during the Oklahoma City Bombing, the Teledyne Removable Prothedontic outstanding student award, the Oral Pathology outstanding student award and completed a mini residency in the Advanced Education in General Dentistry department. Learning didn’t stop after graduating from dental school, Dr. Moody knew that incorporating dental implants into his practice was the right thing to do for his patients. He attended the prestigious Misch International Implant Institute where he was awarded a fellowship and mastership. Once a month for a year he flew to Atlanta Georgia to attend the AAID maxi-course residency at the Medical College of Georgia. That education and countless other courses and seminars gave Dr. Moody the knowledge and experience to become one the leading dental implantologists in the United States. He has earned Fellow and Diplomate status in the International Congress of Oral Implantologists, Fellow and Associate Fellow status in the American Academy of Implant Dentistry and is one of the youngest Diplomates in the American Board of Oral Implantology/implant dentistry. Dr. Moody is adjunct faculty at the University of Nebraska Medical Center and a Mentor at the Kois Center in Seattle Washington. Providing quality dental care to rural America is a priority of Dr. Moody's, he is the owner of Horizon West Dental group which has multiple offices in western Nebraska providing state of the art dental care with the latest in technology by some of the most highly trained dentists around. In 2008 Dr. Moody limited his practice to the field of dental implants by opening the first Dental Implant Center in Rapid City South Dakota. Today there are multiple centers in the Midwest providing cutting edge dental implant care to thousands of patients. Understanding how important continuing education is to today's general dentist, Dr. Moody lectures across the country and around the world as well as providing hands on training from his state of the art South Dakota Dental Implant Center in Rapid City South Dakota. Dr. Moody stays busy in his private practice and training dentists across the country and around the world. His real passion is for his family and friends. Christina, his wife of 20 years has been his biggest fan supporting his dreams and serving as business manager along with raising 2 amazing boys. Aaron is 19and is studying civil engineering at the University of Wyoming while Trent is 15 and already has an eye for business and the golf ball.

Dr. Mike Freimuth is the owner of ProSmile.  Dr. Mike received his dental degree from Creighton University School of Dentistry in 1994. He then completed a general practice residency at the Veteran's Administration Medical Center in Omaha, NE and has been in private practice since 1995. He is committed to continuing education. Not only taking classes but also devoting his time to teaching continuing education classes to his fellow dentists. Dr. Mike loves spending his time outside of work with wife Bonnie and two beautiful daughters, Emma and Betsy Diplomate of the American Board of Oral Implantology/Implant Dentistry (ABOI) Diplomate of the International Congress of Oral Implantologists (ICOI) Member of the American Academy of Facial Esthetics (AAFE) Member and Associate Fellow of the American Academy of Implant Dentistry(AAID) Master of the Misch Implant Institute Member of the American Dental Association (ADA) Member of the Colorado Dental Association (CDA) Member of the Metropolitan Denver Dental Society (MDDS) Mentor of the Kois Center in Seattle, WA Awarded 5280 Top Dentist 2008-Current A+ Status with the BBB 2008-Current Dr. Mike is committed to continuing education. Not only taking classes but also devoting his time to teaching continuing education classes to his fellow dentists!

I was asked by Dr. John Kois, founder of the amazing Kois Center dental training facility in Seattle, to speak to his doctors about great systems. I’m talking about the very systems that allow my clients to make more, work less, and do more of the dentistry that they love.    In this episode, you’ll learn about more than just the secrets to transforming your practice. You’re going to gain insights that can help you transform your life!    My many decades of dental consulting have shown me that most dentists work way too much. Sure, they’re making a good living, but are they really living the kind of life they want? That’s what I help my clients do—and you can hear all about it in this episode. Listen in for advice that’s practical, powerful, and proven!     In this episode, you will . . .   Understand why “sales” is simply finding out what people want Learn the “power questions” to ask patients—even before the exam See why listening to your patients has the power to transform your practice Find out why getting your patients to think long-term is so important Hear about ways to significantly raise your net     Episode Resources   Blatchford.com No Nonsense Transitions   Listen in for Bill’s great book offer and find out how to get a total systems analysis from him—free of charge!

Justin Moody, DDS shares how easy, predictable, and successful implants can be for general dentists.     I was the 5th generation to be raised on the Moody Ranch in Northwest Nebraska. Attended the University of Nebraska for undergraduate and the University of Oklahoma for my Doctor of Dental Surgery. Returned home to my hometown of Crawford Nebraska upon graduation and began my lifelong quest for continuing education. Have received my Diplomate in the American Board of Oral Implantology, Diplomate/Masters/Fellow in the International Congress of Oral Implantologists, Fellow and Associate Fellow in the American Academy of Implant Dentistry, Masters and Fellow at the Misch International Implant Institute, Adjunct Professor at the University of Nebraska Medical Center and am a Mentor at the Kois Center in Seattle Washington. I currently manage a small group of general dentistry practices in Western Nebraska and currently live and practice in Rapid City South Dakota where my practice is limited to Dental Implants.     Justin D. Moody DDS 705 Columbus Street Rapid City, SD 57701 (605) 716-5622 - Office (308) 430-2179 - Cell justin@justinmoodydds.com www.justinmoodydds.com

Dr. John C. Kois DMD MSD, director of the Kois Center in Seattle, WA, explains that just because you have a new toy doesn't mean you're good at using it. He also addresses his 'hitman' mentality of the past and his joyous 'healer' attitude today.    Dr. Kois received his D.M.D. from the University of Pennsylvania, School of Dental Medicine and Certificate in Periodontal Prosthodontics with a M.S.D. degree from the University of Washington, School of Dentistry. He maintains a private practice limited to Prosthodontics in Tacoma and Seattle and is an Affiliate Professor in the Graduate Restorative Program at the University of Washington. Dr. Kois continues to lecture nationally and internationally, is a reviewer for many journals and is the co-Editor in Chief for The Compendium of Continuing Education in Dentistry. Dr. Kois is the recipient of the 2002 Saul Schluger Memorial Award for Clinical Excellence in Diagnosis and Treatment Planning, and received a Lifetime Achievement Award from both the World Congress of Minimally Invasive Dentistry and the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry. Additionally, he is the recipient of the 2014 Dr. Thaddeus V. Weclew Award, which is presented annually to a dedicated educator who embodies the spirit of comprehensive dental care. He is the past President of both the American Academy of Restorative Dentistry and American Academy of Esthetic Dentistry, and a member of numerous other professional organizations. In addition, he continues to work with restorative dentists at the Kois Center, a didactic and clinical teaching program.   (206) 621-5310 / info@koiscenter.com

Steve Hand is one of the best-selling authors of the book Building the Ultimate Network which provides cutting edge ideas from experts around the world about how to develop productive relationships for business success. Steve has been an entrepreneur all of his life and is the Executive Director of Business Network International.     Ed Sanderson Chief Financial Officer and Co-Founder of Ducerus, relates to families who are wondering if they can send their kids to college.He has been in the college-planning field for seven years.   Dr. Scott Stewart has the training, expertise and experience of the Las Vegas Institute as well as the Kois Center of Advanced Dentistry . For the latest in tooth preservation and restoration, Dr. Stewart has trained extensively with the Alleman Institute of Advanced  dhesive/Biomimetic Dentistry. He is certified with the World Clinical Laser Institute for use of Waterlase™ and the diode laser. He is also trained and certified for the diagnosis, treatment planning and placement of Mini Dental Implants for tooth replacement and denture retention.   Joel Sangerman began investing in real estate as an asset diversification strategy in the 1990's.  In 1997 Joel formed DMC Equities, Inc. to specialize in Real Estate Investment and financing.    Joel co-authored the book “SOLD” which became an Amazon best seller.  He also was awarded the Editor's Choice Award for his work in the business book  “Trendsetters”.    Georgia McCabe Social media Strategist, Author, Speaker and branding consultant.