Stay ConnectedThis podcast is here to give dentists and all dental office team members, in EVERY position, TACTICAL and PRACTICAL TIPS to:
– Be more efficient
– Have more fun
– Improve doctor and team communications
– Eliminate frustration
– And make your life easier!
Jump in! We are thrilled you have decided to LEVEL UP and be part of the DENTAL A TEAM!
New episodes every Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday.
Tiff and Britt discuss ways a practice can make sure their new patients are sticking around, including the importance of gaining feedback from those folks who are leaving and double-checking there's a chain of accountability in the first place. Episode resources: Reach out to Kiera and Britt Tune Into DAT's Monthly Webinar Practice Momentum Group Consulting Subscribe to The Dental A-Team podcast Become Dental A-Team Platinum! Review the podcast Transcript: The Dental A Team (00:02.16) Hello, everyone. I am back again today with the one and only brilliant Brit. I have coined her new name and it's sticking it's gonna fit. Add it to the list. She's got about 15 of them. So your 16th name brilliant Brit. Thank you for being back with me today. I am on pod nine. just recorded another podcast that I cannot actually wait to release to the whole world here because I love The Dental A Team (00:26.852) when we can dive into stats and numbers. So Britt, thank you so much for being here with me today and recording these with me. I'm excited for this one as well. How are you? How are you doing? How's life? How's the world of brilliant Britt? Britt (00:39.03) I mean, I'm here with Spiffy Tiffy, so it's a good time. The Dental A Team (00:42.074) That's fair. That's fair. That's fair. I can't believe how well that name stuck. comes on a just so everyone knows. When my anniversary comes around every year, I get something marked some sort of memorabilia marked with Spiffy Tiffy. And they haven't let my even though our caricatures are gone. If you've never seen our caricatures, you need to go do some Dental A Team digging. They're out there somewhere. And this year's came with my character because they know Britt (00:51.573) Yeah. The Dental A Team (01:10.339) that Spiffy Tiffy Care for sure cannot die. So thanks for reminding me of that, Brit. Britt (01:13.218) Definitely not. And it's one of the best nicknames, so it's a good one and it fits you so well. The Dental A Team (01:17.23) you The Dental A Team (01:20.749) thank you. Thank you. I feel like I have an easier name to rhyme with. you know, brilliant, Britt. I like it. Awesome. Well, thank you for all of that. Today, I wanted to chat new patients. And in the dental industry, we focus a lot of attention on new patients. And we focus a lot of attention on new patient acquisition. But it's something that I've noticed with a lot of my clients recently. Britt (01:26.136) Yeah. Britt (01:29.992) Thank The Dental A Team (01:48.556) I've done a really big focus this year for all of my clients on their active patient count and just making sure that that's continuously growing because I just don't think that there's enough emphasis put on that on the business side of practice ownership. So I've been really working with my practices on that this year. Part of that is looking at those new patients, that acquisition, but then also are they staying, are new patients returning? And I don't think that that's something we're constantly watching. We'll watch active patient count, new patient acquisition, and sometimes practices are watching their attrition. So what patients have left from their active patient count and looking to see with that, you guys are gonna look at, Your new patients minus your attrition gives you your actual active patient, like additions, right? Your actual new patients acquired, but you're not gonna notice that those new patients are not coming back likely until six months later when they should be coming in. If they randomly end up on some sort of follow up someone decided to do because they don't actually have re care in the system because there should have been SRP or in 18 months when they fall off as a nutrition patient and they're no longer your active patient count. So not watching that in between to me is like, I don't know, I, it actually makes me think of when I order off of Amazon so often. that I forget that I ordered something and it never came. That's what it feels like to me when you pay for a new patient, and you're not making sure that they're coming back. It's like ordering off of Amazon, forgetting you ordered it and never noticing that they took your money and didn't give you the product, which doesn't happen often. But I have had it happen where orders are delayed, orders are delayed. And I have to request it like sometimes you have to work for that stuff. It's not just as easy as a click. That's what our new patients are like. So when we're paying to acquire these new patients, and we're working really hard to get them in the schedule, you guys, making sure that they're coming back is going to be huge. Britt, I chatted with you about this like five minutes ago. You have a ton of really great ideas on that. You know, my space is always like, well, relationships, if they love you, they'll come back and like we could dive into that forever. But there's a million podcasts on that. I actually really loved the ideas that you have wrapped around The Dental A Team (04:12.971) how to make sure how we're tracking it, how to ensure that they're coming back and how to make them really value that space. So I would love to hear when you're working with clients or in the past when you worked with more clients, you guys, she's not up for grabs, okay, I'm just gonna put that out there. She's brilliant, is behind the scenes. But when you were working with clients before and what you see a lot of the other consultants doing, what are like top three spaces, top three ways Britt (04:28.17) Thank The Dental A Team (04:41.874) you think a practice could do really well in making sure that those acquired new patients stay. Britt (04:46.926) Yeah, I love your analogy on Amazon because I think we've all come that person either like that we don't recognize it doesn't come or something shows up and you're like, huh, what is that? And that's when I know I have a problem sometimes. good, good analogy. think number one, I'll start with like being aware, right? So how many new patients are we getting and what's our attrition rate? How many patients did we see 18 months ago? The Dental A Team (04:49.962) Thanks. The Dental A Team (05:00.765) Yep. Yep, agreed. Britt (05:14.21) that have not returned for an appointment, think is a reality check for everyone to see, do you have more new patients than you're losing? Do you have about the same, so we're running like even, or are we not even getting as many new patients as we're losing so that we know where we're at? And then I think some of the tips, you probably hear all the time, make sure everybody leaves with an appointment. Make sure everybody leaves with an appointment. like, number one, that's it. Hygiene, everyone should be leaving with appointments so that they don't fall off this, like fall off our radar. Cause then we've all got to just work to try to get them scheduled. They have to try to remember to get themselves scheduled. So that's number one. I think number two is going to be making sure that we have some sort of recare reminder for those ones that fall through, that fall off the schedule. We're doing texts, we're doing emails, calls if we need to. There's some sort of system around Recare to make sure that those patients are coming back and are getting back on the schedule, I think is huge. And my number three is anyone who's leaving the practice or doesn't come back, I want feedback. If they're moving, fine, no problem. Like if they're willing to give me feedback, I want anything so we know if there's a problem happening for why we're losing our patients. So we can fix those things and retain as many people as possible. The Dental A Team (06:30.927) Yeah, I think that's fantastic. And that feedback, you guys can come in the form of like Google reviews for sure. We always want to push Google reviews. But then also to my, to my phones team is what I'm going to call it. Whoever's answering calls or making calls, really being diligent when a patient says, no, we don't want to schedule or no, I'm okay right now. And really asking the hard questions of, know, can I ask why you're not returning? It's really important to our practice to ensure that we're top notch and that we're doing everything we can for our patients. So just want to know, we miss the mark somewhere? Are you, you know, are you moving? Like, can I just ask why you're not returning? Just asking that question being open for feedback and then not getting defensive, right? For sure not getting defensive. Don't take it personally. It's not you. Okay, it's a system. It's a it's a system problem in the practice if we're losing patience for anything other than like them moving and I've had I've even had patients where they're like, actually, my son just graduated dental school. So like, we're going here. I'm like, my gosh, for sure. Absolutely. Totally understand. So asking for that feedback can be a little bit uncomfortable, but it's super important, especially you guys, when we have new patients that aren't scheduling back. A lot of times they're overwhelmed. They feel they can't afford it. They feel maybe they didn't get the time that they deserve. They don't understand their treatment plan like really digging into those things because there's a lot I think for it when you're asking for that feedback, and you get feedback like that, that's an opportunity to be like, my gosh, I would hate to know that you you go into the world to any other dental practice and go confused. Like, can I at least can I take a couple of minutes with you and really dive into it and answer any unanswered questions that you might have? Whether you stay with us or not, I want to make sure I do my due diligence and you have the information. that really like that vulnerability I feel like really makes a person like, okay, show me what you got. And it can save a big save a patient, I've done it, I've saved patients that way. But regardless, I think our reason for being here is to ensure that people are healthier when they leave than when they came in. And even if that means a patient going to get a second opinion or going to another office and they get the treatment done somewhere else, at least you know, at night when you go to bed, you took your time. The Dental A Team (08:51.074) and you took their time to make sure that they understood. So, Britt, I think that's brilliant. And that follow -up kind of goes into like asking for the reason for leaving has to come from a phone call that was initiated most of the time that patients are not calling our practices and being like, hey, by the way, I'm moving. So please cancel my account. Like I'm not coming back. They don't think about the dentist, right? Or, hey, you made me upset and I'm not comfortable there. So I'm not coming back. Britt (09:03.458) and The Dental A Team (09:20.803) just FYI, I'm going over here. Like they're not gonna call and tell you 99 .9 % of the time. The way that we get there is with follow -ups. So Britt mentioned making sure that patients always have an appointment when they leave, making sure that we're doing our due diligence on follow -up if they don't schedule that appointment or if they fall off for whatever reason. So we're calling on re -care, but then Britt also there's the side of the treatment follow -up. And I think we think treatment and we think doctor. Britt (09:44.992) you The Dental A Team (09:48.211) When are they getting the crown done? What about that implant? What about that ortho? Like all of these pieces, but what about that SRP you guys? How many patients, how many new patients fall off the radar because you guys, your systems aren't automatically putting them on re -care. They're not coming up automatically on your re -care if they didn't get their pro -fee. So they leave no pro -fee, no re -care setup. They need SRP and then they're not getting called. And then Britt (09:54.732) Mm -hmm. The Dental A Team (10:17.452) two years later, they're like, Hey, and we're like, you're basically a new patient, like I've been seen there and I want my cleaning. Now like this pickle is conundrum and it happens all the time. So making sure we're doing our due diligence there as well. Britt, what do you do? Or what did you what do you do for your clients? Like what do you suggest for that kind of follow up so that those SRP patients are limited or you know, perimenopathy, full maltebrate, like all of those patients, how do you make sure that they don't fall off the radar? Britt (10:47.598) Yeah, so hygiene treatment is just the same as doctor treatment, right? So you're gonna wanna follow your 2 -2 -2. So two days, two weeks, two months. Like Tiff said, if someone's not scheduling, ask the hard questions. I can only provide solutions or work through it or help them in any way if I understand where they're coming from and what's going on, what's the true reason why they're not scheduling. So try to answer the question, solve it then if you can. If they still don't schedule, then set it up that like, hey, is it OK if I give you a call in a couple of days just to follow up, answer any other questions you have? So genuine concern for, like Tiff said, I want them to get the treatment taken care of. Wherever it is, I want them to feel like they've got a place that cares about them, that they get the treatment taken care of and take care of their oral health, and that we're following up. And we're going to continue that follow -up two days, two weeks, two months. And then at two months, I want to make sure they've got something scheduled for their next visit. So if they need scaling and route planning and they haven't done it yet, what solutions can we come up with? If we don't have a solution for that, then at least schedule their next exam if we're not going to do something else. Make sure it's really clear if they can't do that right now. We want them to do something But we want to make sure they're coming back so we can make sure no other issues arise and we have a chance to have a conversation to talk to them about the thing that they haven't gotten done, answer questions, make sure they know what's needed and walk them through it so they don't just get lost and never get that thing taken care of. The Dental A Team (12:12.095) Mm hmm. Yeah, beautiful. I love it. I love it. So making sure our new patients are returning is really going to come down to the scheduling and the follow up you guys and like we said in the beginning, you're going to see it in the attrition eventually, but I don't know about you. I don't want to wait 18 months to see if my money that I spent to acquire a new patient actually worked. And I don't I give like 50 % credit to a new patient number. Britt (12:40.802) Hmm The Dental A Team (12:41.661) Like it's a new patient today, but are we still, are we maintaining that patient? So really watching those numbers is super important. And I'm going to just reach out to the practice owners here, the doctors, the dentists, and just say, you guys, it is your job to make sure that your team understands what their job is. And if they don't understand that our job is to make sure that our patients…
Full show notes at the publisherRereleasing one of DAT's most popular episodes! Did you know there's a direct correlation between a perfect handoff and your case acceptance? Kiera explains in this episode, sharing perspectives from both doctors and hygienists. Remember the ICRP method? She touches on that, and gives pro tips on upping that case acceptance through handoffs. Episode resources: Reach out to Kiera Tune Into DAT's Monthly Webinar Practice Momentum Group Consulting Subscribe to The Dental A-Team podcast Become Dental A-Team Platinum! Review the podcast Transcript: The Dental A Team (00:05.806) Hey everyone, welcome to the Dental A Team podcast. I'm your host, Kiera Dent, and I had this crazy idea that maybe I could combine a doctor and a team member's perspective, because let's face it, dentistry can be a challenging profession with those two perspectives. I've been a dental assistant, treatment coordinator, scheduler, filler, office manager, regional manager, practice owner, and I have a team of traveling consultants where we have traveled to over 165 different offices coaching teams. Yep, we don't just understand you, we are you. Our mission is to positively impact the world of dental. And I believe that this podcast is the greatest way I can help elevate teams, grow VIP experiences, reduce stress, and create A -Teams. Welcome to the Dental A -Team Podcast. The Dental A Team (00:51.246) Hello, Dental A Team listeners. This is Kiera and you guys. Happy day to you. I hope it's a great day. I hope you're having a ton of fun. I just hope you're loving life. I really do. And if it's a rough day, just know I'm giving you a virtual hug. It's going to be all right. Things always work out. I had somebody ask me the other day, said, Kiera, why is life so hard? I said, life is hard because we're not willing to accept that maybe our life looks different than what we were planning on it looking like. It's hard because we're resisting what's actually happening. I've had that. I've had my whole identity shaken. I've had just some rough, rough things in life. And I think all of us have. I think that that's what makes us human. But I think at the end of the day, when you can look at life and say, you know what? I choose to love life. I choose to be happy. I choose to see the best in this. I choose to accept that life is happening for me and not to me. That's when a perspective changes and all of us have that opportunity. So I hope. I hope that today is just a good day for you. hope that you choose that perspective to see that life is happening for you and not to you. It's growing you where you ultimately want to grow. It's pushing you. might not feel great, but it's pushing you where you ultimately want to go. All right. That's Kiera just a little like, hey, sending you some love in this world. So today's topic is nothing to do with that. all about hygiene handoffs and why they're important to case acceptance. Yep. Super sexy, exciting. I hope you're ready. I hope you're just like, yep, let's do this. but hygiene handoffs guys, don't think we realize how much the hygiene department impacts case acceptance. Hi, Jenis, you are awesome. You help us so much. I, you guys, we've done quite a few podcasts around the hygiene department. So today we're going to dive into the hygiene department even more so. And with this hygiene department, first of all, we've done, what would doctor do? And I just had somebody reach out and ask me, how do we really get this? What would doctor do? We just did a podcast on it. you've got to block it in your schedule. I recommend doing it for four weeks and I recommend doing it case study wise. So round Robin. And if you don't know what the heck I'm talking about, go listen to that podcast, but that's just kind of a follow -up. Somebody reached out, asked me how to do this and then make sure that your doctors. Doctors, I've got to give you a huge tip on this. Please don't try to make our life hard like you did in dental school. The Dental A Team (03:06.19) We understand that every FMX has about 75 ,000 different treatment plans that you all dentists will create. We understand that. What we need to know in this, what would doctor do exercise is what you normally will diagnose. I understand that that tooth might be a filling. It might be a crown. It might be a root canal. It might be an implant and it might be a bridge. I'm well aware of that, but please doctors for everything lovely and awesome in life, just tell us. one simple thing that you normally will diagnose. understand you might go rogue. I understand it won't always be perfect and I'm not expecting you to be perfect. What I'm asking is that you give the hygienist and the clinical team an opportunity to feel confident teeing treatment up for you because that's most of the time what you're going to diagnose. We're going to give you a five to 10 % change. That's fine. You still have that, but please, like I said, for everything, holy, lovely, and good in this life, just choose one diagnosis for us. That's your general go -to diagnosis. We're not putting you in dental school. You're not being graded on the boards. We just need your basic one so we can win and we can teach treatment up for you. Otherwise, if you make it too hard, we say, forget it. We don't want to do this. It's too hard. They're always going to change their treatment plan. They're never going to treatment plan what they, what we think they're going to. So forget it. They can do it all on their exam time. Your case acceptance will be lower. Your patient experience will be lower and doctors, you don't have any help. So that's just my. I got on a little soap box for you, but I'm advocating for our teams and advocating for our doctors on this one. see both perspectives. So doctors just give us your normal go -to on that FMX. That way we can start to win and help you out as well. So then next is this handoff. We've talked about the I crap handoff. So when doctors come in, we introduce the patient, let them know if they've met them or not. Compliment the patient. They're doing great on their flossing. We give a recap of the treatment we've already discussed. Hashtag teed up. And we do a personal note. We do it in that exact order as well. Reason being, if I say something personal, the doctor can then pick that up and they have an immediate connection with the patient. Exam time drastically reduces. So those are all things that we've already discussed on other podcasts. Again, if you haven't heard them, go listen to them. Alex is amazing. She links all these in the show notes so you guys can just quickly click on those other podcasts. Shout out to Alex. She's amazing. She's the wizard behind. The Dental A Team (05:25.994) the keyboard for us that makes all of our show notes amazing and she makes your guys' life real easy. So with that said, next up is going to be these handoffs. So Hygienist giving that really awesome iCrap handoff, sorry it's the worst acronym but you won't forget it, to your doctor when they enter the room. Now some doctors are like, so Hygienist you gotta be on it. I hope you hear me snapping in the background. like, as soon as they walk through that door, you roll into your handoff. A lot of people say, but cure, I want to go tell my doctor outside of the room. Fine. That's totally fine. You can team up outside of the room, but in front of the patient, you've got to have this handoff. Otherwise doctors got to go through the whole spiel. they've also did with something missed. That patient doesn't know what was being discussed. It brings the patient into the conversation versus the patient just watching the movie versus being an active participant in it. Get your patient to actively be engaged, get them involved in. Like call your perio numbers out or your probing numbers out, help them co -diagnose with you. Have them look at x -rays with you. Have that patient be an active participant in the procedure versus a passive participant in the visit, if you will. So then doctors and hygienists, two pro tips that we've discussed before is getting them to say yes to you before we even present treatment. So, hey, can I put your bib on? Yes. Can I lean you back? Yes. Getting them to do it versus saying, okay, now I'll lean you back. Having that patient have autonomy and getting them to say yes throughout your procedure is actually teeing them up to want to say yes for treatment. Psychological guys, I had my whole undergrad in psychology and I love it. And I had a hygienist email me and she's like, Kiera, I tried this. My floor at acceptance is a hundred percent. Rock on. Shout out to you. You know who you are. You emailed me and I loved hearing it. It was so cool. So with that, Now doctors in the room, we do the treatment plan. Doctor gives a perfect handoff back to the hygienist. All right, it's Kiera. We want to get you back. So doctor is talking to the patient while giving the information to the hygienist. Do you see that triangle? I hope you do. Doctor talks to the patient. That way the hygienist hears what needs to happen. Patient is an active participant versus being just a silent listener. This way we have a perfect handoff. So then doctor gives the perfect handoff. Hey, all right, Kiera. So it looks like we've got some treatment that we want to get done. The Dental A Team (07:49.762) The great news is you're in good hands and we're going to get your mouth healthy. We're going to do this really easy for you. Doctors, tee up some, some confidence there. Okay. I'd like to get you back in about two weeks. We'll start on that upper right. We'll get that crown and that filling done. I know that was your biggest concern. Don't worry. We'll get that taken care of that way. You can eat again. I'd like to see you back in about two weeks and I'll need about two hours for that appointment. What questions do you have for me? I didn't say, you have questions? I said, what questions do you have for me? nothing. think I'm good. Fantastic. I can't wait to see you back. You're in great hands. Rachel, are your hygienist? She's going to take great care of you, get you scheduled back for that. Beautiful. Doctor, you did so many great things on that. You told us what they're coming back for. You gave us a timeframe of when they're coming back for it. You told us how much time they need. You edified the hygienist and you gave them confidence that you are a rock star dentist and they're in great hands. High five docs. That is something we need from you. Then we loop. Hygienist, you've just been edified. You've been given the information. Your job now is to take that information and either schedule right then if you're, if that's your practice protocol or take them upfront with that exact information. This handoff is paramount. I can't tell you when I'm in offices, I sit as a little fly on the wall watching everything go on. I hear this awesome handoff from doctor. I see our hygienist write it down on the route slip or wherever you choose to write it, message it, whatever you choose to do in your practice. I'm big on having something that has to be filled in so we don't miss these boxes. Then we walk up front and we're like, okay, front desk. Here we go. Cure is ready to go. We'll see you later. Cause you're busy and you're behind and you don't even say anything that doctor just said to you. Darn it. We just lost an opportunity right there. So now the front office is like, okay, we'll see you later. And then they're like, did you get them scheduled back? No, I didn't even know they had treatment. So this handoff hygienist is crucial and you guys are the best of the best of the best at it. or you're the worst of the worst. It's one of the two. So let's get you to be the best of the best at this. So that's why I like a route slip. That's why I like something that's written. I don't care how you do it. You can use a reusable route slip. You can use a blue note message. I don't care, but it has to be a template of those items. Otherwise it gets messy and sloshy. The goal should be that this patient knows exactly what they're coming back for, when they should come back and how much time they need to come back for. I promise you, if you will do this handoff. The Dental A Team (10:13.42) and make it your own, that's fine. I don't care how you do it. I don't care. I just care that you get these key pieces in it. If you will do this, your case acceptance will be increased. We won't have patients slipping through the crack and we'll be able to give them the best dental care possible. So then going up front, you literally say exactly what, what doctor said, Hey friend office, this is Kiera. So doctor did find some treatment on her and the great news is she's an awesome hands and doctor's going to do amazing work with her. Doctor would like to get her back for the upper right for that crown and that filling. That's what she was mostly concerned about. Doctor would like to see her in two weeks for about two hours. I've already got her cleaning scheduled. And Kiera, what questions do you have for me? I've got nothing. Thanks so much. Awesome, Kiera. You are in great hands with the front office. Say their name. They're going to take amazing care of you. And I can't wait to see you back at your next cleaning. Hi, Jenice. You take off and right there front office. Just got the handoff to pick it up to schedule perfectly from there. So hygienists do this, you edified the front office, you told them that they're great. So you left this patient in great hands. You also re -edified our doctor, reminding them that they're at the best place possible and you gave all the information. So now it's easy to schedule. Hygienists, you are a pivotal piece. You are like a cornerstone in this formula. You're the one who gets the information from the patient to hand off to the doctor. You're the one who gets the information from the doctor to hand off to the front office. You are literally this hinge between doctor, front office, doctor and patient. you hinge into areas that are pivotal to the patient experience and the patient success. So try it out. Listen back to this podcast, deep dive on it, role play. I can't wait to hear it. You guys are going to do incredible. Hi, Janice. You are paramount and so, so, so valuable in these handoffs. So try it out. Let us know how it goes. And if you guys need help, we do this in practices. We role play it with you guys via zoom or in person and help you guys really dial this verbage in because at the end of the day, I believe great case acceptance comes from great verbiage. It's all about our confidence and it's about the way we say things, making it easy for patients to say yes. All right guys, as always, thanks for listening. I'll catch you next time on the Dental A Team Podcast. The Dental A Team (12:22.505) wraps it up for another episode of the Dental A Team podcast. Thank you so much for listening and we'll talk to you next time.
Full show notes at the publisherKiera joins Haley Schultz on The Dental Download podcast to talk about maximizing associate dentistry. They discuss how to go about learning about numbers, overhead, meeting cadence, leadership and more, as well as the Dental A-Team's educational resource for new dental school grads. Episode resources: Listen and subscribe to The Dental Download podcast Listen to episode 654, Behind the Curtain of Dentistry Reach out to Kiera Tune Into DAT's Monthly Webinar Practice Momentum Group Consulting Subscribe to The Dental A-Team podcast Become Dental A-Team Platinum! Review the podcast Transcript: Kiera Dent (00:00.91) Hello, Dental A Team listeners. This is Kiera, and I am so excited because I actually did an amazing podcast with Haley from Dental Download, and it was all about associates, and I really feel like you guys are going to love it. And so I wanted to actually do a crossover episode on our podcast, so I really hope you guys enjoy. It was all about associates, getting you guys a ton of perks, coming out of school. I think it's great for you guys, and I hope you really enjoy it. Haley Schultz All right, hello, everyone. Welcome back for another episode. I know last time I had you on, we talked a lot about kind of the business side of dentistry and a lot of what you do with improving practices. But today I thought we could talk more about kind of advice for people that are going in as associates. So maybe they're not owners yet, but how can they maximize that time to kind of be prepared for ownership? So I'd love kind of your opinion. So if someone is going in as an associate for their first time at an office, Kiera Dent (01:20.878) Thank you. Kiera Dent (01:33.806) Thank you. Haley Schultz (01:39.466) What are some things that they can do or maybe what should they be trying to learn from the owner to get themselves prepared for ownership down the line? Hey, I'm so glad you asked this question because I did work at Midwestern University's dental college for three years in Arizona and I just want to like plant a seed and then I'll answer your question. So planting the seed is I've talked to so many owner doctors. I know the students and I feel like sometimes what students do because they're in such a learning phase, right? I worked with hundreds of them and so many of them told me Kiera. I know you told me this before, but I really wish I would have just taken the plunge into ownership. Initially, I was so afraid to do it, but really like an associateship is, it is beautiful, but I think it's kind of like dental school, right? You're D1, D2, D3, D4. It's almost like you guys have this path of D1, two, three, four, associateship, and then I'll become ready for it, or even residency associateship, then I'm ready for ownership. And I think it's similar. I mean, we don't have children. You can use this example. I've heard it many times of... You're never really ready when you get married. You're never really ready for children, but you jump in and you know you're going to be able to figure it out and we learn it along the way. So I just want to plant a seed. Um, almost every single owner I've ever talked to asking about their associate path. They all have told me, I wish I would have just straight on into ownership. So I'm just going to plant some seeds out there. It does not mean you need to do it because I know it can feel scary, but maybe just like percolate on that a little bit. So if you do elect to, cause I think most people go into associateship cause you feel like. I'm not prepared. And I want to say that most dental students, I'm saying most, you know yourself, so go for it what it is. But most dental students are actually more prepared than they think they are. You don't have as much like quote unquote, real life experience. And so I think the, the part that feels daunting is you don't really know how to like run a team. You don't know how to do the billing aspect of it. You don't know how it's, it's the nuances of running a business. But what I want to let you know is most associates in that they're super proactive, just like some of those students in school. Kiera Dent (03:38.094) owning a business is still gonna feel very daunting when you do get to that point. So just throwing those ideas out there, like the pieces you don't know about ownership that you're scared about, it's gonna hit you when you do buy the practice regardless. So, but if I was saying like, okay, I know I wanna go into an associateship, I know I wanna go in and I wanna own, basically I'm gonna take this time as like my mini residency in business. That's how I would treat this as an associate of. But that doesn't mean you're, I mean, cause you're also trying to learn like, Oh, I got to get my hand skills up and I've got to get my speed up and I've got to figure out how to work with an assistant. I think there's that piece that is beautiful that an associateship does allow you to do. But on the flip side of that, if you're going to go be an associate, I would definitely go learn all the billing and all the front office and go sit with the biller and say, Hey, I'm Haley. I have no clue what I'm doing here. I want to learn how to submit claims and just sit with them. They'll laugh at you. They'll giggle with you and be like, I have no idea what I'm doing. teach me how to do this, and then you actually submit claims. You actually call on the insurance plans. You actually answer the phone and schedule a patient. You actually go through and you present a treatment plan with the treatment coordinator. You listen to them. Listening and observing is different than doing. And so I really would just take it as like, that's my mini residency because the business aspect is going to be the part that's going to rock your world of managing the team, of reading the books, getting the PNL. I would talk to your owner doctor and say, hey, I'm super intrigued by business. Can you teach me? Like, I want to see how you look at your P &L. How do you talk to your bookkeeper? They might be willing to share. And if they're not, then hey, rock on. Come talk to me and I'll show you how to do a P &L. But really, I think that that's the pieces that are going to maximize you. You've got to learn the numbered aspects of the KPIs, the overhead, the bookkeeping, financial, the legal aspect. Like, that's the whole business side. And then the flip side is the billing, the office management. how we run our meetings, what's the cadence. Those are, I think are the two pieces in addition to getting your hand skills up that really is, I think a great way for you to maximize your associateship if you elect to go that route. But remember sitting in someone's house, like think of us growing up in our parents homes. We lived in a home. We saw our parents pay the mortgage. We saw them pay the bills. So we saw it, but until you have that ownership piece on you, it is a magnitude that I don't think there's really a way to prepare you. You like, Kiera Dent (05:55.662) It's up to here at your neck of like, oh my gosh, I have so much debt. And so just realizing that I haven't found a great simulator to prepare you for real life, just like our parents couldn't prepare us for marriage. Like we watch our parents with marriage. We watch tons of people with it, but living a day in and day out, I think there is an element that really you just have to jump in and then gain the mental stamina and grit. I think is the best advice of how can I manage those emotions, master my emotions to ride the tidal waves of life and not get thrown off. Yeah, that's great insight. And I'm curious in terms of if you do work with doctors right out of school that are going into ownership, are you working with many people right when they are getting started on they just bought their practice from ground zero or are you mostly having clients come in years into ownership and like, okay, we need to turn things around, we're struggling with this? Yeah. So, Haley, I'm glad you asked and you actually inspired me on our last podcast. I realized our consulting company didn't really have something that I felt was affordable for new grads. And I felt like that was just a zone. And we know my model is I just want to serve and help as many dentists as we possibly can to like love life and enjoy the aspects. So we actually just created a part of our consulting that is way more budget friendly, but gives the foundations. of the practice, it's more of a kind of like there is some DIY, but also you get massive access to the consultants. It is more in a group setting mastermind style. So you're learning from other doctors. You can ask your questions. We almost walk you through, not almost, we do. We walk you through like the 12 systems of how to set up your practice based on the months of the year to like get you in this good place. But it's way, way, way more budget friendly because I can do it on more of a math scale. And then when you're ready, you can add on calls and whatnot, because I just noticed that was a gap. And I feel like it's a gap in a lot of consulting because it's like kind of like financial advisors and me and Ryan Isaac, like we talk about this all the time. Like dentists, when you get out of school, you need a financial advisor to make these decisions, but financial advisors usually don't take you until you're making over a million. Well, same thing with consultants. Like we don't want to deal with they, you don't have the money. That just seems ludicrous to me. Cause then like you said, you're in hot water and now we're trying to bail you out of it. So, um, I'm actually really excited. We have. Kiera Dent (08:11.118) quite a few new like brand new doctors in there. We've got some existing doctors too, because I didn't want to just like only have newbie docs. Like we do have some advanced doctors. So, and it's just been really, really fun to see it evolve, but the doctors are loving it because it's doctor and team. And we'll talk about it more at the end, but truly any person who comes from this podcast, just mention it. You guys are getting 25 % off your monthly fee for life because I want students to feel confident owning practices. I want you to feel like you've got resources of a consultant on demand basically, because you're going to have a ton of questions. I know what you're going to go through. And I just saw that was a gap. So, math kudos to you of just planting the seed. And then our team went to work and we built a product that is beyond beautiful. And you get nine hours of consultant access per week or per month, excuse me, which right now most clients are only getting an hour and a half of time from a consultant. So we tried to just like... maximize it. Yes, it's in a group setting, but I believe that there's a massive, massive, massive advancement. Think about in class, students raise their hand and they ask questions that you never would have thought of, but you at least get the answer to it, similar to our consulting, and you still can have access to answer all your questions. I just thought that that was a gap, so we decided to roll that out, and so 100%. Then there's also a lot of clients that when you're going to buy a practice, I think this is really important to note. you usually see the cost of the practice and so you go to the bank to get that. And I recommended for years, ask for a little, like I'm talking 50 to 100K more of working capital if you can. And that's what you invest in CE and consulting and equipment because that's going to propel your business forward. It's not the actual line item of my practices as much. Tack it on and say, I'm hiring a consultant or convince the practice you're buying to hire a consultant. So it goes into the roll up fee. Those are the things to do so that way you have the funds available when you really need the help the most. Haley Schultz (10:07.85) That's awesome that you created that program. That's exactly like there was definitely a need for it. So I'm excited to know that that's available now for people. But when it comes to again, an associate perspective, and I mean, it can just be anything you're seeing with your clients for if they need to increase production, if that's one of their problems that maybe they're not producing enough. Do you feel like the time needs to be Yeah. Haley Schultz (10:31.082) towards clinical skills, actual CE, or is a lot of time it more communication skills that people need to really increase that production. Hmm. I think that there's gosh like like tenfold I think there's a lot of things that can go into it and so I'll just kind of like hit the high points number one I think given a lengthy amount of time Students and new doctors tend to take that amount of time. So my biggest piece is timing yourself There's these cool little blocks on Amazon and you can get your assistant to do it where you can like wipe it and it can be clean But you can actually flip the timer once you walk into the operatory and see how long it's taking you to actually prep the crown. I in addition to going and getting the exams and see how long your exams are taking you and just start timing yourself. It's kind of like when we train for like marathons or you're training for your race times. And if we're not tracking our metrics, you're actually not able to improve that. So I found like one of the biggest pieces of increasing production is just being able to shave off one, two, three, four minutes. That's going to radically help you. If you can shave five or 10 minutes for every procedure in a day, you're actually opening up space to add in one or two more procedures. and you're getting that dollar per hour production up. That's also gonna track you in on your dollar per hour for production. And so, not on the, don't get wild on me. Let's not go for our gross. Let's go for our true like office fees of like what the insurance will pay you. So go off that number. But when you actually start tracking what your dollar per hour is, most associate doctors come out and they're producing about 500 per hour. So like trying to get us into that $4 ,000 a day. But if you can get that up to even $600 an hour or up to $700 an hour and you productively schedule your day, that radically will increase that production. And so, and then also having confidence in yourself and pushing yourself, like you're going to get into a bind. And that's where I think communication skills come into play. If you know, I can push myself on my procedures and I can get my hand skills faster. I just need to have the word ninja skills to communicate to a patient in case something goes awry. Guys, it's dentistry. You are a real life artist working in someone's mouth. Kiera Dent (12:34.83) own that and be okay with him. Be like, you know what? Things just didn't quite go as planned. Push the next patient down. You learn, but don't get scared of that because you're learning. It's like a child who falls off a bike. They're not, they need to get back on that bike and keep riding. Same thing with you. So I really feel like tracking your production per hour, timing yourself and making sure it's there. And then figuring out like what takes you a long time. Is it the crown prep? Is it because you're…
Full show notes at the publisherTiff and Britt talk about how practices can give a boost to the hygiene department's profitability, especially as 2024 gets closer to its end. Specifically, the two give insight on increased re-care, appointment efficiency, and consistent SRP. They also discuss ensuring your practice has enough hygienists in the first place for your client load. Episode resources: Reach out to Tiff and Britt Tune Into DAT's Monthly Webinar Practice Momentum Group Consulting Subscribe to The Dental A-Team podcast Become Dental A-Team Platinum! Review the podcast Transcript: The Dental A Team (00:01.525) Amazing to have you back, Brittany. Thank you so much for podcasting with me again today. I stole you again on another podcast day and I truly appreciate it. I'm excited today because I've got some hygiene stuff I want to chat with you and for the dental world out there listening. Britt and Dana are both trained hygienists, trained and licensed. And so I always like to steal you guys when I have some hygiene stuff. So Britt, how are you doing today? Britt (00:29.875) I'm excited to be here. mean, I do love a good hygiene topic, but I love all of them. You know, it's always fun to podcast and chat dental. That's us dental nerds over here. The Dental A Team (00:35.084) I know. The Dental A Team (00:38.734) It's true. It's true. You do. And I appreciate that and I value it. So thank you so much for being here today. Brent, it is hot. And I know it's funny because we had a call this morning with a company that we're just partnering with and doing all kinds of fun stuff with this company. And he's in Utah. And this morning, he's like, gosh, it's hot. And I think, I don't know if you agree, but like, I know it's hot. But it seems to me when someone like acknowledges it, that they're like, how are you living there? That's when I'm like, yeah, it's like really hot. So then I'm like all day, I'm like, now I'm hot. Like I was fine. But how are you? You're 20, 30 minutes away from me in the same city. But the weekend was beautiful. Like, how are you feeling about summer so far? I feel like it's been a little wild with weather, but how are you feeling? Britt (01:23.758) you I same. love it's been a little while since we've had a monsoon. So maybe that's why right now I'm like, it's, it's hot. Yesterday I was outside and like, no way is it only a hundred degrees outside. Like it feels way hotter than that. So it was a little more humid cause we got a little rain, but we haven't had a good storm. feel like really come through and cool it off very well. And at least like a week or so. So I feel like that's what gets me through the end of summer. I love it. It's gorgeous. Most of the time I enjoy the heat, but July, August is like the The Dental A Team (01:28.203) I know. The Dental A Team (01:38.241) Yeah. The Dental A Team (01:46.966) Yeah. Britt (01:54.413) I'm ready for it to be a little bit cooler. The Dental A Team (01:56.653) I totally agree. I totally agree. I was chatting with someone yesterday, she's getting ready to do a half marathon in DC in September. And I was like, how are you training for this? She's here in the valley, like, how are you training? And she's like, well, I was running this morning at 430 in the morning, and it was only 104. And I was like, okay, well, at least the sun's not beating down on you, I guess. But like, training for that sounds like right now. So I agree for all of us. I know. I know for all of us Arizona natives and Arizona livers and goers like you got to enjoy the heat, which I do. I do. I enjoy it more than the humidity. So we'll stick with it. anyways, topics today, I really wanted to focus in on some profitability. We're nearing the end of the year coming up on quarter four. It's right around the corner and really just looking at what do we have left? Britt (02:38.114) You The Dental A Team (02:51.017) this year to accomplish for these doctors to hit their goals and these practices to really see that profitability increase this year. And I wanted to really speak to the fact that there are multiple people that are involved in the profitability of the practice. It's not just our dentists and our doctors who are filling their schedules. And it's like, do more, do another crown, do another bridge, do this, do another ortho case, like always getting these things in for sure. But when their schedules are full, their schedules are full. Coming up towards the end of the year, their schedules are going to be really full. And one piece that I like to slide in here is really how hygiene can help increase that profitability. And Britt, think it's, it's even more important towards the end of the year to look at it because just like doctor schedules fill up really fast for any of your benefits, things like that. Hygiene, recare fills up really fast because people are trying to use that last cleaning of the year, which makes this portion a little bit wonky. So really just kind of working through some of those trouble spots and and difficulties, but seeing how can hygiene increase the profitability. And Britt, I want to pick your brain specifically because you've done hygiene, you've been in that chair, I've done hygiene assisting, I've done hygiene scheduling, I've done all the other pieces, but I've never been a hygienist. And I think one of the pieces that I see most frequently come up when I am consulting practices is the hygiene department really feeling like one, we don't put enough emphasis on our re -care. Britt (04:02.603) Thank The Dental A Team (04:17.161) And so we're always clamoring for more, clamoring for new patients without regard to the re -care. So making sure they're in there. But then two, also a lot of my hygienists are like, gosh, what more can I do? Like, what are you asking me for? So really I'd love to hear from your standpoint, some areas that you feel like within re -care, not necessarily new patients yet, but just within re -care. How can hygiene really make sure we're handling our re -care patients with care and attention, seeing them, and also leaving room for that growth in their schedule? What did you used to do, or what did you like maybe with your scheduling or what have you when you were chair -side hygiene? Britt (05:00.01) Yeah, think number one when it comes to profitability and hygiene is just kind of knowing where we're at, right? So where's our hygiene department at when it comes to productivity? Are we being efficient with our time and our schedule, things like that. And some tips when it comes to efficiency, right? With our appointments, yes, it's appointment length. And I think sometimes it's hygienist, we can forget how much re -care frequency can impact our efficiency. So like one little tip is sometimes those patients who aren't doing all their work at home, I have a lot of work to do when they come in. I am stressed over the amount of time in the appointment to get everything taken care of because there's so much work to do. you looking at those patients and sometimes they might just need to come in more often. So I can get done efficiently. It's not so stressful on me. We're getting them healthier so they're not having so much to do every single time, reinforcing home care more often for them. So there's one idea of something to look at. Look at our efficiency. Look at our timing. Another one when it comes to hygiene that's around like efficiency and timing is I'm a big fan of starting same day SRP where we can. If I can knock out a quad that first visit while still giving them that great experience or if it's a re -care visit and they're like, needs to be gut dead, get something started for them in that realm, get a quad done and have them come back for the other three. There's a lot of like little kind of efficiency things like that are just little hacks to get the production in and it's not just for the production, it's patient care first and making sure we respect our time and the work that you're doing that you're getting paid for the work that you're doing and if a patient's not doing the work at home and they need to come more often then have them come in more often because it's The Dental A Team (06:22.598) Mm Britt (06:37.964) the right thing to do by them and it's going to help your schedule. The Dental A Team (06:41.146) Yeah, I think that's really important. What you just said is that it's also the right thing to do by the patient because I fear often what's put ahead of that is insurance frequencies, out of pocket costs, like maybe feeling selfish because it's more work on you. So you're just like, gosh, I'll just, I'll take the hit. I'll take the brunt of it. But at the end of the day, the bottom line is that their mounts are unhealthy and we know that that's a systemic issue. no matter where the unhealthy meter is at, where it's lying, it's still a systemic issue and it still leads to more more problems down the road. I think the more like all this gut health and all of these things surface and are coming out, I think there's going to be even more tied back to even simple routine home care. So I think that's really huge. And for that to be the forefront of our thought process when we are diagnosing, when we are treating patients, so even a patient that you've seen forever, might come in today and they might have one quadrant that just needs SRP like that quadrant or two quadrants or four quadrants like things change and people change. I didn't have gut issues that I was aware of prior to five years ago, but then something changed. My body reacted to the world around me, the stressors around me. And all of a sudden now I have to be more consciously aware of the things that I eat, the, you know, stress that I put my body under and things like this, but we forget that that happens, like that affects everything. And so our patients who have been seeing us routinely, oftentimes have changes in their lives that have affected their home care, their routines, or just the makeup of their body and their mouths are included in that. So I love that you said that because I think that's something that more people in the dental industry can really take to heart to kind of dispel some of the guilt. that's wrapped around trying to do better for our patients and feeling maybe selfish or something in the middle of it. So I think that's huge. Now, a statistic, a stuff that we use here at the Dental A Team is we truly want our hygiene departments to be about 30 % of overall production for a practice. So that's increasing profitability rate there. Most practices, I'm gonna tell you that are not tracking it, aren't looking at it. Britt (08:33.282) Mm -hmm. The Dental A Team (09:02.69) Most of the time from what I've seen, the clients that I've worked with, they're typically around 17 to like 22 % production overall, which isn't horrible by any means. I've seen 12 and 14%. So 17 to 22 being my average isn't the worst. love pushing 25 to 30 % because that really, really helps to increase that profitability and make it so that the rest of the practice providers can really use a schedule that flows well for them. So with that, your increased recare, your increased efficiency and making sure we're doing that same day treatment, we're doing SRP on people who need it, no matter how long they've been with our practice or not, things like that are going to hugely benefit that 30 % marker. with that said, we're adding, like we're like, gosh, you really need three cleanings a year. So we're to add a cleaning. So then that adds an appointment, right? Or we're going to do SRP. So then that adds an appointment. And then this realm since 2020, hygiene appointments have been few and far between. hard to come by. So I think if I've got hygiene listeners on here, which I know I do some hygienists out there, they're like, cool story, bro. How am I going to put these patients? So what did you do to help with that? I know we implement a lot of block scheduling within the Dental A Team. And how did you work that into your own schedule? Because I know you're a huge believer in a patient always leaving with an appointment and Britt (10:15.622) huh. The Dental A Team (10:30.428) always leaving with an appointment from the hygienist. So how did you do that projecting and creating your own schedule for your future patients? Britt (10:39.532) Yeah, for those of you that are having full schedules out there and sometimes, right, we've got to make our block schedules and depending on how many hygienists we have or if we're trying to hire someone right now, understandable that we've got to plan things out a little bit. Block scheduling for sure. So with those patients that I would like to see more often. Sometimes with block scheduling, might push them out a little bit. And with those patients, I'll say, hey, here's what we have right now. You can always call us and see if something opens up sooner, right? There are shifts in the schedule every day. Doesn't mean there will be something, but there are shifts, so you may be able to get in sooner. So if there are one that I'm like, hey, here's what I can do for you. We have a lot of patients to manage, right? Our front desk does the best they can, but they're not gonna be able to call every single patient that's out there that needs to come in sooner. We can have a short call list to work through, but if it's important to that patient for them to come in, then they can be the ones that are responsible for calling to see if something opens up sooner to get those appointments in. And schedule them out for the year. Usually I'll schedule out, if they're coming three times a year, don't just schedule the next two, schedule the next three so that they can get on the books. The Dental A Team (11:45.097) Yeah, I love that. I tell practices that a lot and it seems to be working really, really well. Okay, I'm going to pivot a little bit away from your hygiene brain. Britt, if you guys aren't unaware, it has an incredible business brain and business like projecting introductory and numbers and all of these pieces. She's fantastic at that the HR side, all of those pieces. So want to pivot over to that side of, of your world, Britt, and really start diving into more of these numbers because I think hygienists like Great, we've got some tips there. We'll kind of come back to that so that doctors and hygiene and team members can kind of see different areas where we can be more profitable. But as you're talking, I'm thinking, gosh, I wonder how many practices or how many practice owners out there don't have enough hygienists and maybe even don't know it. There's plenty of us out there who are out here who are searching for hygienists and hygienists. If you're out there, like come out from under the rocks, we need you. Let us know where you're at. Britt (12:37.592) Thank Britt (12:41.152) huh. The Dental A Team (12:43.335) So there are plenty of practices that are in the hiring mode right now, but I think a lot of practices maybe don't even know when they need to hire to expand on hygiene time and hygiene hours. So we're stressing and we're like squeezing tight on the hygiene realm and we're like, get them all in there, you're…
Full show notes at the publisherBritt and Tiff talk about how to look outside your department's corner of the schedule, including the power of X's and slashes and why this method will set your practice up for success. Episode resources: Reach out to Tiff and Britt Tune Into DAT's Monthly Webinar Practice Momentum Group Consulting Subscribe to The Dental A-Team podcast Become Dental A-Team Platinum! Review the podcast Transcript: The Dental A Team (00:07.502) Hello, Dental A Team. I am so excited today. I normally bring you Dana. She is my tried and true like can grab you in a pinch podcaster. And today I'm so excited. I am podcasting with the one and only, no BS, Britt. Brittany Stone is here with us today. Britt, thank you so much for being open to this. I know I like last minute through it on our schedule this week. Totally appreciate you. How are you? Welcome back to the podcasting world. How are you? Britt (00:39.891) I it's been a little while. I've done like some book club, but it's been a while since I've been on with consultants. So I'm excited to be here doing good. I mean, it's always fun. Whenever you get to spend some time with Tiff, it's a good time. The Dental A Team (00:50.061) Well, thank you. Thank you very much. I totally agree with you on that. I love spending time with you. And I remember way back when we started doing the video ones, we were in Zoom and I was like, you and I were trying to figure it out. And I like, this is so cool because we get to hang out. But then also I have to make sure my hair is done. So like, there's that aspect to it. But I'm excited you're here. Thank you, Dana. Thanks to you. We did a ton of podcasts the other day. Britt (00:52.945) you Britt (01:09.967) Thank Britt (01:14.866) you The Dental A Team (01:17.727) And we like we went on this one that gosh guys, it's so good. So go back and listen to all of the ones that have that have released this month because it was really good. But we went a little long and so I was like, shoot, we got this one more we got to do. So let me shift it over to Britt. It was perfect. And today, it's actually perfect as well because I know you've got your hygiene background, which I love to pull in from you and Dana, I've got my assisting background, but you also have HR management, you've done like health management, you've done, obviously you've ran practices, you've ran multiple multiple practices, you've done all these pieces. And what I wanted to talk about today was really learning how to read the schedule like a pro. And I think you have seen the schedule in so many different aspects as a provider, as a manager, as a scheduling coordinator, treatment coordinator, all of those places that it'll be really cool to see and hear your thoughts on that. So I'm excited to bring that in. And I think To start us off reading the schedule like a pro, I really, really want to hear from you, Britt, what your thoughts are from a hygiene perspective on sitting in a hygiene chair, you've got your hygiene schedule, and then the rest of the schedule, right? There's the rest of the practice has a schedule. What is it like as a hygienist sitting in that chair, reading the schedule, your own schedule and looking around? Is that something that like hygienists are trained to look for? Are they prone to look at the other spaces and see where is my doctor? What is that like? Cause I've, I've not sat in that chair before, so I'm personally intrigued. Britt (02:52.39) Tiff's the assistant chair that is like, what I'm watching like three chairs at once and you've got one. So I mean, with hygiene, it's easy for hygienists, I think, to get siloed, whether we're running a single column or we're running like an accelerated hygiene and running two columns. It's really easy for us to just get stuck in what we have for the day and not always take a look out at the schedule and see what's going on as a whole. So I'll encourage all the hygienists out there to The Dental A Team (02:56.393) Yeah, exactly. Yes, exactly. The Dental A Team (03:13.311) Yeah. Britt (03:20.498) look outside of just your column. think morning huddles help big time because that allows us to see, right, I can see what I have going on in my day. Assistance doc can flag things that they have going on in their day. If there's a time that's super crazy that I can be aware of around 10, like if I happen to have some time, let me go check in on them and see what's going on. Or if we have open time, is there anybody in my schedule that might have treatment that we can convert over to same day treatment to help look at the schedule as a whole? So for hygiene, it's super easy for us to get siloed in our little column and just take care of our little world over there and not always be aware of what's going on. I think assistants can do it too, if it's a multiple doctor practice that they just get stuck in their one doctor and we're not looking out at everybody else, but definitely encouraged, look at the schedule as a whole. And if you have an idea in the morning of what's going on and if the team communicates really well, like whatever we're using messaging wise, if something changes in the schedule and we make sure everybody knows, especially if it's something that I can help out with, then keep that communication open, because I think that helps us all work the schedule together. The Dental A Team (04:17.618) Yeah. The Dental A Team (04:23.24) I love that. love that. Okay, I was just curious. I was like, gosh, reading the schedule is not it's not easy. First of all, like it's not easy learning how to read the schedule when you've got a ton of providers or you've got I've got some doctors who love a single column and they love to work out of one column with one or two assistants and like they've got it. But then I've got other doctors who are like, give me three or four three or four hygiene plus at least three rooms dedicated to me and I want patients across the board. I'm like, okay, that's where it gets a little wild. So I always wonder for those practices, either direction, like, is it easy from that space to look across the board for a hygienist to say, this is where my doctor's at, or this is why he's not here yet. So thank you for that perspective. I think so I say when I was younger, my younger years, I used to say that the schedule was like a game of Tetris. Britt (04:51.082) huh. The Dental A Team (05:18.545) And I was like, it's a game, it's Tetris and I love Tetris and it's like putting it all together. And then as I grew into dentistry and I learned some more, I realized it's not actually Tetris, right? Because Tetris is like, where do things just fit together? And if we build a schedule like Tetris, those are the days when our providers, our doctors and our assistants even are like, what did you do to my schedule? So those are, I think of the Tetris schedulers. Britt (05:18.748) That's it. The Dental A Team (05:48.078) as the no white space. They're like, well, you see a space, fill a space. It doesn't matter what's there. It doesn't matter what goes there or who goes there, whatever else is happening. So, Tetris is the no white space game. Sudoku is the schedule game. Because you've got this little box and you've got one to nine numbers that need to go into this one box. But then you've got other boxes that one to nine also has. And you have to look in all of these different directions. So, you're looking up, down, across, diagonal. Britt (05:50.96) Thanks. The Dental A Team (06:16.589) and you can't have a repeated number in any of those spaces. So when I'm putting an appointment on a schedule, and if I'm gonna sit here and say you're gonna learn how to read a schedule like a pro, you need to go learn how to do Sudoku first. So if you know how to do Sudoku, you know how to look at the schedule because if I'm an appointment on the schedule, I'm looking across at all of those different spaces because sometimes what might be diagonal from me, from this space, might not be the same exact time, but diagonal. Britt (06:27.189) Hahaha. The Dental A Team (06:42.807) maybe my doctor is still in a new patient exam over in hygiene and I've discredited that not realizing it because I didn't look at all of the different angles. So when I'm putting an appointment on the schedule, I'm looking at it like Sudoku from whatever chair, even hygiene. If I'm putting an appointment in hygiene, I'm looking across the board to see, can my doctor get over and do the exam? Is this a good space for a new patient or is my doctor? in the sedation, right? How many times do practices have that? They're like, tip, I'm literally the sedation provider. I'm the only doctor in the practice and they've got new patients over here on the, on the hygiene schedule. And I'm like, my gosh, we did not look across the board. So I love to think of Sudoku and then adding that factor, which I know Britt you love and probably loved as a hygienist as well, the X's and slashes. So we can Sudoku it and then put those X's and slashes in there. Now, Britt, you even in hygiene, Britt (07:22.527) Yeah. The Dental A Team (07:40.034) You can just look at the doctor schedule and know where he or she is. I love X's and slashes. I know we talk about it a lot. We talk about blocks to simplify. That's another aspect, but Brit, tell me implementing, you consult, you've consulted for years. You have a handful of clients still that are near and dear to your heart. Hello to all of you. She loves you. And you've implemented X's and slashes. Britt (07:44.636) Mm -hmm. Britt (08:00.912) Yeah. The Dental A Team (08:06.527) and how to read a schedule in a lot of those practices, not all of them. So when I say Xs and slashes, number one, mean, Xs are doctor time, slashes are assistant time in most cases. Some of your programs, think, Eagle, soft and open, then I'll do like colors or blocks or whatever, but it's the same theory. Just switch it out. How did you, Britt, and how do you help teams to implement the Xs and slashes? within the clients that you work with, because you do work with a lot of teams and how do you find is the easiest way to implement those X's and slashes and gain the understanding on. Britt (08:42.928) Yeah, Xs and slashes. So two things that help us to be able to at least set us up for success with a schedule a little better. Block scheduling, because it's something like we've had a chance to review, we create our blocks. So in general, in general, we're creating kind of an ideal day with our block scheduling. And then our Xs and slashes implementing those is just all right, by the appointment, let's say it's a crown appointment. How much time at the beginning is assistant time? How much at the end is assistant time? And it's doctor time in the middle. So it's just breaking down truly for an appointment, which as you do this and as you think about it, I would just go through all our procedures. How much time is doctor time? How much time is assistant time? It's also a chance for some of you to evaluate how efficient we are with some of our appointments. Because I've definitely sat there with some clients and it's like, well, after this, well, then they might just sit there for like 10, 15 minutes. And it's like, all right, well. The Dental A Team (09:29.685) I love that. The Dental A Team (09:36.79) huh. Britt (09:38.876) Just sitting there is an efficient use of patient's time, nor our time. So how can we tighten it up, get it more efficient by looking at those Xs and slashes? And that's really it is seeing breaking down the time. How does it break down most systems? You can pre -program those things. not, you combine treatment. It's not always going to come up perfect. So reevaluate it. And there's ways to communicate those Xs and slashes from the doctor to the scheduler. So we make sure we get them set up right. The Dental A Team (10:04.242) Thank you. Britt (10:06.14) but it's really just planning it out, seeing how much time it's gonna take. And then between your blocks and your Xs and slashes, just remember it's not always gonna be an automatic like plug and play. Like we still wanna look at the schedule as a whole and confirm that like, yep, everything looks good there. That makes sense with where I'm putting it. I think it's kind of like a scenario where it's like. Great, go put the box on the table. But I forgot there's something else on the table. And if you put that box on there, it's going to fall off. But someone's like, well, I put it on the table and it fell off. But you told me to put it on the table. So look at the whole schedule. some common sense. Make sure it makes sense when you actually put that appointment in the schedule when you're using your block scheduling and your x's and slashes. The Dental A Team (10:51.291) I love that. That's so much good information. So reading the schedule like a pro, we're thinking about it like Sudoku rather than Tetris, but then we're adding that aspect of the blocks and the Xs and slashes to enable us to read it. So Xs and slashes taking what you just said, Britt, right? We're going to time probably time journal, right? You said let's make sure that we're efficiently using our time. And I think to bringing reality so that we can schedule it that way. Britt (11:19.665) Mm -hmm. The Dental A Team (11:20.061) When it comes to that, I find with a lot of my clients that number one, one of the first things I hear from my clients is it's never the same. It's always different because every patient is different. And I'm like, totally. I do not discredit that we are not working on robots. We are working on human beings a hundred percent, but there is a trend. There is a commonality somewhere. And when we start doing what Brett's talking about, where we're really looking at the amount of time that we're using, that's where you find those trends. So you're going to find spaces where you're like, holy cow, this takes me way longer than I thought it did. I need to like be more efficient and use this time more wisely. And then there's going to be spaces where you're like, wow, this is the same every single time you're finding the average time per procedure. And then you're allocating where was my assistant time? Where was my doctor time? The reason that I love access and flashes for it is because a lot of practices forget to Britt (11:55.739) Mm -hmm. The Dental A Team (12:17.341) they forget to remember that the assistant needs that time. so doctors oftentimes will be like, yeah, well, we'll get you in for that crown. It'll be like, my time's like 40 minutes max. Your time is 40 minutes max, right? But it's an hour to an hour and a half appointment, depending on the time, the assistant, like all of those pieces. And we forget those in what we're saying. So then we come back to a schedule and The assistants are like, what the heck did you do? And then like, doctor said 40 minutes. Well, yeah, but our assistant's new time. So the X's and slashes ensure that that gets in there. And then building the blocks based off of your average time helps to make sure that it's easy to schedule. So when we're reading the schedule, if we already have these pieces all…
Full show notes at the publisherWe all want our patients to be raving fans of our practice, right? Kiera gives tips on how to have your patients know they've hit an absolute gold mine in terms of dental care. Episode resources: Reach out to Kiera Tune Into DAT's Monthly Webinar Practice Momentum Group Consulting Subscribe to The Dental A-Team podcast Become Dental A-Team Platinum! Review the podcast Transcript: Kiera Dent (00:00.686) Hello, Dental A Team listeners. This is Kiera and welcome to the podcast. I hope you guys are having such a great day today. I hope that you remember that we truly are so blessed to work in dentistry. In my opinion, it is the greatest industry that we could ever be a part of and we're just so lucky to be a part of it. So welcome to the podcast. Thank you guys for being a part of the Dental A Team podcast family. Can you believe how long we've been going? Like how many episodes when I see people like, wow, episode 894. And I'm like, my gosh. That's so many episodes. We are about to break that thousand episode mark. And I just want to remind you guys, if you are new to the podcast, welcome. If you've been here for a while, also a reminder to head on over to our website, TheDentalATeam .com and click on the podcast tab. There, there is a search bar. And so you can always search scheduling or billing or office optimization or associates or CPA or taxes or literally any topic that you want. I kind of take it as a little bit more advanced version than Google. and you can search any topic and every podcast that I've ever done on that topic will pull up for you. So that way it might make that 900 episodes that seem as daunting. Just want to remind you, so head on over to TheDentalATeam .com, use it for a team resource. A lot of people want to make processes and protocols. They want to do training for new hires. Use the podcast as a resource. It's a free resource for you. We have lots of videos on YouTube as well. So some offices have even taken some of the stuff I've done. use the verbiage and they've actually made it into their onboarding documents. By all means, please let's work smarter, not harder. And that's my goal of the podcast is to truly make your guys' life incredible. I love to give back. And all I ask in return is that you share this with somebody every time you listen. Share it with somebody, share it in a Facebook group, tag us on social media, but share it because the more people you share it with, the more hands it gets into. And then that way we're able to be in every single practice. That's my goal is to be in every single dental office and just truly serve with positivity and tactical, practical in practice. So today's podcast today is going to be, I was actually at, I think I was at lunch with some friends. One of the people is a client of mine and. Kiera Dent (02:13.646) The other one is her husband. And so we were sitting at lunch and her husband works in the food industry. And so it's interesting when I go with them, I'm always like, my gosh, I've got to make sure I tip really well. And her husband said to me, he said, Kiera, there's a difference between a good tip and a memorable tip. There's a difference between being friendly or being memorable. Everyone is pleasant or everyone's a jerk. He said, but really being that memorable person in a positive way. And he said, we always only get one opportunity to make that impression. And so I've thought about it a lot of, you know, maybe I'm not always going to give a memorable tip, but thinking about it, like everybody typically tips, you know, 15, 20 % is the standard right now. But how can I make it where it's super memorable? And I thought about it because I watched this guy and I've hung out with them for several years. They're really dear friends to me. And I watch him and everywhere he goes. So if he goes into a restaurant, people are like, my gosh, hi. put him right at the perfect table. He rarely ever has to wait in line ever. Wherever we go, I notice he kind of gets this VIP treatment. And like he said, there's a difference between a good tip and a memorable tip. And working in the food industry, I've thought about this of like, you know, I'm a nice person and I'm pleasant. Like he said, like everyone's pretty much pleasant, but how do you become memorable? And so I know I'm coming from a food standard of how can we be memorable and like just a way to get through life if you know, like. your hair girl or your nail girl or things like that where you maybe want a little extra treatment like this person they can get into the pedicure spot anytime they want any day, any night, whatever they need because they've been memorable to these people. And so I was thinking about it of is your practice pleasant and a good experience or is it a memorable experience and how can we make our practices memorable? We all have an opportunity. Every dental practice is pretty much nice. I mean, I've consulted a lot of offices and generally speaking, the front office is really nice. The dental assistants are nice. People are nice. Sometimes it gets a little crazy. I mean, I've seen some that are not so great. I've had some front office where I walk in and they don't even smile. And I think like I'm a freaking consulted. I'm here to critique in the nicest way possible, but you're not even saying hi when I walk in is the first thing on my list. So I think... Kiera Dent (04:26.03) just knowing that, but generally speaking, most practices are nice. So what could you guys do to make your practice memorable where people are raving fans and want to refer to you all the time? And I don't think it necessarily costs money per se, but things I've been thinking about as I was prepping for this podcast are like, when they come in, do we work, like, do we greet them to where it's like they're our best friend? And we're so grateful that they're there. When we answer the phone, it's our front office and front office team members. I'm chatting with you too. are you doing your best to like make a magic moment for that person? If you guys go back, there's an incredible book called Unreasonable Hospitality, and they talked about creating magic moments for their guests at this restaurant, and they called them guests. And I just think about it, like also if we were to change it and think of our patients coming in as guests, would we treat them differently than we currently do? I just went to Disneyland and we took our company there for our company retreat and... We ended up doing a VIP tour, which is incredible. And I'm happy to geek out on Disney all day long. But the reason I did that with my team was because I wanted them to see a different level of customer service. I already think Disney is top notch on so many levels, but now let's take it to a next level. And how can we do that VIP within our company? What are you doing again, not to just have a nice experience, but a memorable, positive experience in your practice? What is your team doing to make a magic moment? When we're confirming, do we just feel like, it's just mundane like, hi, Kiera. We're calling to confirm your appointment at eight o 'clock. What could you do even just in the energy that we put out there? And what I wrote, it's literally sitting right here. I'm looking at my, you know, here we go, my little planner for the week. Above my coaching call day, I wrote magic moments. And I do that on every coaching call day because it's not just a coaching call. I could get very mundane. But for me, every coaching call is a magic moment. And my goal is to create a magic moment or a breakthrough or deliver more value than that client has ever experienced, whether they've been with me for one month or whether they've been with me for five or six years to bring a magic moment to that day on coaching calls. What if your friend office started doing magic moments when they did confirmations or what if your treatment coordinator, their goal was to make such a memorable experience with every single patient that came through. Kiera Dent (06:41.07) just to give them this incredible experience. And again, it's not a lot of time. I think it's intentionality of what, what are we doing and how are we presenting this instead of it just being a male of like, all right, it's a job. How are we making these memorable magic moments within our practice for dentists? How is your experience where it's so top notch? I have a doctor that I can think of right now who really left an impressionable experience on me. I've been to the doctor quite a few times in my life. And the one that I remember the most was actually my ER doc when I went in and I actually had my appendix. And I don't remember him because he made me feel better. And so I got my appendix out when we were in Arizona, but I remember this doctor because he was an ER doctor and he came in and I remember just him being so kind and sitting there. And I felt like he had all the time in the world for me. Now he's an ER doctor and Jason told me, my husband, he left and he went outside the room and he's like, Kiera, this man is literally freaking sprinting between rooms. And as soon as he like gets the door, he like calms himself, walks in and just is like so present, I think is probably the best word, so present and attentive to my needs. And then as soon as he was done, he like sprinted to the next room behind the scenes. And I just thought that doctor made me feel so seen, so heard, so loved, so cared about. I remember he's like, Kiera, there's no reward here for like being the tough girl. Like let's get you some medicine. That way you'll feel better. But he was so present and intentional when he was with me. And it didn't take a lot of time. It's not like I sat there with him for hours, but I remember that doctor and we were talking, this has been 10 years since I had my appendix out. And I still remember he left a very memorable impression on me. And again, people were like, it's cause you had your appendix out and you're in so much pain. And I'm like, no, like whatever. I had a lot of people that gave me medicine, but that doctor was so intentional when he was in my room that I felt seen hurt and I felt valued. I didn't feel like I was just a number or a job for him. So hi, Jenis. How can you make your patients have those magic moments every single time? And I don't think that, yes, there's a point of remembering things. Like I have another doctor and she said, hey, Kiera, how was your trip? Whenever I see her, she's a chiropractor who's working on my nerves because I've got some really bizarre things happening right now. And I said, Chris, how do you remember all this? I said, do you write it down? Because that's what we do in dentistry. And she said, no, I just genuinely care about you and your life. And I remember these things. And I thought about that of... Kiera Dent (09:03.374) she genuinely cares about me. She's a fee for service person. I could go to somebody much cheaper, but I know she cares about me as a human. And so how can we do that memorable experience? That's what creates the raving fans. That's what creates the referrals. That's what creates a word of mouth referrals. That's what grows businesses is by having these very memorable experiences, just like a tip, right? I can go in, I can tip the waiter because I feel like that's what I need to do. Or I can have a memorable tip where they remember me as well. When I come in the next time, it's like, my gosh, Kiera, here's a red carpet for you. But like they said, everybody is pleasant. But how can we make our dental practice be that experience that's memorable? So that's what I was thinking. And maybe this would be a really awesome team exercise for you guys. If you guys want a good team meeting, I think this could be an amazing one where it's like each department, how are we going to create a memorable experience for every patient that comes through? Doctors, how can you be like that ER doctor that I gave you the example of? And same thing with hygienists. How can our front office have it be where we feel like it's like Disneyland? I mean, they take so much intentionality with each person that's there and how can we do that? What can we change? Can we move the phones to where someone is not necessarily sitting there? So the person who is checking in patients is super present, super aware, very intentional with them. I'm not sure, I'm just throwing out ideas, but what would make it to where it feels very memorable as opposed to just an everyday transaction? Like I said, when we go to the bank, when we go here, I also think right now is a great time because I don't think that customer service is top of mind for 90 % of businesses right now. It's like people don't care if you're there or not. People aren't kind to you. People don't look up at you. People don't make eye contact with you. And so I think dental practices actually have an amazing opportunity to really disrupt the industry and to make it where you change it. What other things could you do? And again, I don't think these cost money. They just are genuine intentional pieces. How can you make perfect handoffs with your team so it feels like every person knows what's going on? How can we make our presenting of treatment even stronger to where the patient feels very confident with us? Again, how can we make these memorable moments? And so like I said, maybe have a team meeting where every department comes to the table and we look to see what would be very meaningful and what could we all do to enhance that to where it's no longer just coming to the dentist, but it's something that people genuinely look forward to. Kiera Dent (11:22.67) That's just a question to ask. So I really just thought it was a beautiful thing that my friend and I were talking about. I have not stopped thinking about this. And we're talking, it's been several months since we had this conversation of how can I make memorable impressions consistently? And that can be exhausting, but I also think it can be very fun. And I think reading the book, Unreasonable Hospitality is a great way to remember like every single patient that comes through, we have an opportunity to make a magic moment or a memorable experience for them in a positive way. Disney, I love going there because I feel like VIP, everyone's so nice. Everybody's smiling. Everybody's so kind. I feel like you don't get that. And that creates the magic of Disney. That's why I love going there. People are like, Kiera why do you go as an adult? And I'm like, because I feel the magic. It feels so happy. The ride people are so nice. They're waving like they love it. Their onstage presence is incredible. Even if they're having a bad day, you don't feel that way. There's no sadness from the employees there. It just feels like this happy, magical place. But it's a job for them. It's literally a job for them. And yet, They wave at you when you leave on the ride. They're so happy. They say, welcome back. You know, people that smile at you, even though they're doing their jobs, how can your practice be that way too? And make that memorable experience that patients rave about and want to refer. So this is something I'm obsessed with helping offices do. I love helping practices get this experience wher…
Full show notes at the publisherRereleasing one of DAT's most popular episodes! Dr. Dave Moghadam returns to the Dental A-Team podcast! This time, he's giving the goods on priority scheduling, something he's been working with for over a year now. He and Kiera go deep into priority scheduling with the following highlights: How to map out ideal schedule Keeping it flexible Rolling out to the team Space for emergencies How hygiene fits in And more! About Dr. Moghadam: Dr. Moghadam was born and raised in Morris County, New Jersey. After completing his undergraduate degree at Rutgers University in New Brunswick he went on to obtain his Doctor of Dental Medicine degree from the University of Medicine and Dentistry (UMDNJ) in Newark. During his time at UMDNJ, Dr. Moghadam received extensive recognition for his outstanding leadership, academic and clinical aptitude, and dedication to the profession. Some of his achievements include receiving the William R. Cinotti Endowed Scholarship and the American Student Dental Association Award of Excellence, as well as induction into the Gamma Pi Delta Prosthodontic Honor Society. He then chose to complete a general practice residency at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick where he received advanced training with an emphasis on comprehensive restorative treatment, endodontics, and implant dentistry. Episode resources: Reach out to Kiera Watch DAT Podcasts on YouTube Practice Momentum Group Consulting Subscribe to The Dental A-Team podcast Become Dental A-Team Platinum! Review the podcast Transcript: The Dental A Team (00:05.742) Hey everyone, welcome to the Dental A Team podcast. I'm your host, Kiera Dent, and I had this crazy idea that maybe I could combine a doctor and a team member's perspective, because let's face it, dentistry can be a challenging profession with those two perspectives. I've been a dental assistant, treatment coordinator, scheduler, pillar, office manager, regional manager, practice owner, and I have a team of traveling consultants where we have traveled to over 165 different offices coaching teams. Yep, we don't just understand you, we are you. Our mission is to positively impact the world of dental. And I believe that this podcast is the greatest way I can help elevate teams, grow VIP experiences, reduce stress, and create A -Teams. Welcome to the Dental A Team Podcast. The Dental A Team (00:51.438) Hello, Dental A Team listeners, this is Kiera. And you guys, today I am so excited to have back on one of my favorite doctors. He and I tend to come up with some fun ideas to podcast on. And so I'm super honored and grateful to have Dr. Dave Mogadam back on the show today. If you haven't heard, he and I have chatted so many different topics from mergers to practice to bringing on your hygiene team and how to calibrate your hygiene team. And today we're gonna take it on another direction with scheduling. So Dave, how are you today? I'm doing wonderful. How about yourself? Great and guys just so you know if you heard the last one Dave's got a killer mustache going on again today He's got like I wish you guys could see him because he came like ready to go today rocking and rolling Dave How's the weather where you're at today? I mean you've got the mustache going on perfect haircut today I mean you're looking You know, it was one of those things where I got fooled in the Northeast. You know, we have these fake spring days. So yesterday was really, you know, beautiful, sunny, everything like that. So I threw on a T -shirt and a vest. I was walking outside this morning and somebody asked me where my sleeves are. It's freezing. Well, that's how we are over here. Today's the coldest I think I've ever seen Reno and it's at 11 degrees today. And for me, freezing cold. Like I don't know what this is. We also had that fake spring. was almost in the seventies and then plumbing it down, got lots of snow. So it's probably coming your way. So get ready for it. Here it comes. But you know, here we go. So Dave, let's, let's dive right in. about, mean, you guys have a fun day. get customer service with Disney today. So just going to throw that out there. That's going to be a fun day, but let's talk scheduling. I'm going to just tee everybody up for a possible other conversation on customer service, Disney style, Priority scheduling, you're a dentist, you guys have grown a lot. Tiffany works with your practice, she's excited to come see you again. So kind of walk us through this priority scheduling and what you guys have found successful in your practice. So yeah, it's a really good topic. about a, a year ago now, I was really thinking about, know, what is going on with our schedule? Because for years and years, as we've gotten busier, The Dental A Team (03:07.126) Monday through Wednesday has always been like gangbusters and awesome. And then we get to Thursday and it is just like, my God, what is going on here? It's all the little ancillary nonsense that you just don't want to deal with. And everybody's running around and trying to deal with like seeing a bunch of patients and our practice is not really, you know, like that or geared for that really. And you work harder, it's less fun and everybody really just does not enjoy it, especially me. Right. So for years and years, we've kind of always heard the big consultant saying, you got to schedule to production and this and that. And that just never really resonated with me in the least bit. Because I always have this, and know my philosophy is about this is kind of schedule everything else right, plan everything else well, do the right things, treat everybody the right way. And the numbers come. I feel like when we fixate on the numbers, it's I don't know. just don't feel good about it. And I don't think my team does either. But what I can get behind is, well, everybody wants to have a better experience at work. And when myself and the other doctor are happier, everybody else is happier too, because we're not just walking around like grumpy pants. So I'd heard the idea of priority scheduling through a bunch of other podcasts. And I said, you know think I can get behind this. know you guys had been a big proponent of actually managing the schedule, setting time out better, everything like that. So I sat down and I figured out, what does an ideal week look like? What type of procedures do I want to do? How do I want to break them up? How do we set up time where the flow of everything's better? Where do we put in the ancillary stuff so it's not something where we spend one day running around and we just end the week on just like a ugh. kind of note there. So we started doing this, think, last March. And it could be the perfect storm. It could be a lot of factors. But between that, ramping up our marketing, everything like that, all of sudden that month, we were basically up maybe 20, 30 percent. And we've pretty consistently been doing that, except for not the last couple of months. Hashtag COVID. So, what are you going to do? That has more to do The Dental A Team (05:30.216) all the other factors that come into place of, you know, switching, switching over associates, switching over hygienists, all the lovely stuff that, you know, puts all the pressure on myself and the rest of the wonderful team here. Right. We're doing it. So I love that. And I love that you brought that up of you. Number one, I think it's really impressive that you're a dentist, you're the doctor, and you're the one who thinks through this. Because while yes, teams can do it. And I encourage teams to think like this if your doctors don't. But Dave, I love that you're always a very proactive dentist. You are always thinking about like, okay, what causes this? And instead of just focusing on the symptoms, you go to the root cause. Like what is causing us to have Thursdays that aren't as productive? What is causing us to have successful Mondays through Wednesdays? And what can we do to change that? And I then love that you went and took this to like, what would my ideal schedule be? Because as a team member, that's literally what I need from you. I need to know what my doctor prefers. Because I can put together a schedule But I know working with hundreds of dentists like Kiera Dent knows that not every dentist likes to practice the same way. Some doctors love to rock and roll until about noon and then like just fill it with fluff at the end of the day. They do not want anything hard. They don't want to be doing any production. Other doctors like, nope, that's when I like to do my surgeries, put my surgeries in at the end of the day. And so it really is paramount for our dentists to give us this like ideal schedule of what they want. And then we can word Ninja as team members. I Dr. Dave loves to see his patients for this procedure at this time. So there's a lot of different ways we could do it, but how did you kind of come up with your ideal schedule that you actually wanted to do? Like, how did you even map that out? Cause I think sometimes people are like, well, I don't, don't actually know what I want or how much I want to produce. Like, did you have only the type of procedures that was going to be ideal for you? Or did you have the dollar amount that was going to be ideal for you? Like, how did you build this out for priority scheduling? Yeah. Now I only did it based on the type of procedures. I actually, zero thought to the dollar amounts. I think, you know, it kind of all comes full circle and just kind of the way that we do everything here. And it's going to be super different in every office. And I mean, I've shared my template that I made in Excel with, you know, other friends and stuff like that, but it's not going to work for other other offices for a variety of reasons. I am very different than The Dental A Team (07:49.228) the guy next door or across the country and everything like that. And I mean that in a positive way. We all have our strong suits. We all have what we like to do. We all have what makes us successful and how we want to go ahead and practice. Just like you guys can't walk in and give somebody a cookie cutter template for consulting. It's the same thing here. So I think really, how did I figure out how to do it? What do I want to do? What do I find is helpful? What do we have a demand for in our practice? I mean, these are all factors that come into play. mean, I could love to, let's pick like a random procedure. mean, I could love to do immediate dentures every single day, but unless I'm in a place where we're just a denture -lating every human being, like that's not gonna happen. So it's a matter of taking like all these factors into account, figuring out what works and then kind of some of the logistics, like what is different on different days? We have a wonderful, wonderful dental assistant who's with us only on Wednesdays and has been for forever. and she takes care of all our denture stuff. She'll make flippers immediately for patients in the chair. She'll add teeth. She'll turn partials into dentures, stuff like that. So Wednesday mornings is when I'm lining up a lot of my setting up her implant kind of cases or just big extraction cases, things like that, where it's kind of like in a pinch, we can do the extraction and grafting. She can give them something temporary or stuff like that. So a lot of that stuff, we just kind of line things like that up that way. Other than that, I mean, I like to go ahead and get the day started with at least something moderately, you know, productive. So, you know, the way we do crowns in our office, we do them in a single visit. So, you know, it's either, it's going to be a block, like, you know, we start with that. The next hour is going to be, you know, something smaller space for emergency. and then, you know, kind of sprinkle things out throughout the day, having blocks where it's just going to be just longer, you know, quadrant kind of stuff. So I mean, that's the starting point. But the I think the big thing for, you know, doctors and team members listening is like, yeah, this is like the template. But it doesn't mean like it's it's set in stone. And if you don't get anything a day before, like tell everybody else to take a hike. Right. I mean, it's a matter of having that kind of idea of like, what makes sense for you guys is it 24 hours? The Dental A Team (10:08.494) 48 hours before where we're going to go ahead and just basically put either whatever or switch it up. Or if we're like a week out and we really got to get somebody in, let's switch the block, but then let's make sure we change it in the surrounding areas to accommodate for things so we don't have, you know, weird odd dead space. Right. Exactly. And I think that's a key piece that I feel like a lot of people almost become robotic when you do have these blocks in there. And it's like only put filling here. And it's like, no, no, no, guys, like we still need to utilize our brains and we need to think of what's going to be the best flow for our patients and also for our practice. And you're right for me, my standard is typically 24 hours before I don't put anything in that block or that space because my goal is to try and fill it. I also think it's really important. I know as a treatment coordinator, I just like I was, was building a puzzle piece all day long. So patients, almost saw them as puzzle pieces and where could I fit this patient? to fit with all the rest of the patients to make a really beautiful schedule. And so if somebody walked up and they said, okay, I'm fillings today, but I know I've got a bigger block, I'm not gonna stick this puzzle piece in the big block because it's not gonna fill that space. So I'm really looking to put this patient in where it's going to work best for our practice and also for the patient. But so often I think team members are like, well, this filling wants tomorrow, Kiera. And I'm like, well, yes. A child also wants candy every day for dinner too. And so just because the patient says they want that, what they ultimately want is a great experience. And as a team, what we ultimately want is a great experience. So let's kind of word ninja, help the patient realize like, hey, Dr. Dave actually prefers to do his fillings at this time. Let's reserve this for you. So that way I'm really doing it. Also guys, like I'm gonna give some tips to the front office and for all team members scheduling, cause I'm also not just pro front office, but also back office. Please like don't set yourself up for failure by saying what day works best for you. Because as soon as you open that floodgate, that patient's gonna tell you what they would prefer. That then you get into a pickle. Like what if we only have this assistant on Wednesdays that does this procedure, but they said Tuesday? Well now I've gotta tell them the great news of, our assistant's amazing and she's only in on Wednesday, so we gotta schedule you on Wednesday, but they just told me they want Tuesday, so I'm already in a losing battle. The Dental A Team (12:25.038) be proactive and say, fantastic, Dr. Dave loves to do his implants on Wednesdays. Let's get a time reserved. I've got 9 a or 3 p What works best for you? So that way I'm being directive on the conversation as well. It's going to help minimize that frustration and also make schedul…
Full show notes at the publisherEvery 3rd Thursday at 4:30 p.m. Pacific Time, the Dental A-Team hosts a free webinar on what should've been taught in dental school, but probably wasn't. Topics can include how to make your practice run smoother, how to think about DSOs, life as an associate, and more! Episode resources: Reach out to Kiera Tune Into DAT's Monthly Webinar Practice Momentum Group Consulting Subscribe to The Dental A-Team podcast Become Dental A-Team Platinum! Review the podcast Transcript: Kiera Dent (00:00.722) Hello, Dental A Team listeners. This is Kiera and welcome. Welcome to the show. I hope you guys are having such an incredible day I hope that you love the fact that you get to work in dentistry and I know sometimes we can forget how great our life is I know sometimes we can get caught up in the minutia of the patients the schedule the turnover That sometimes we forget and I have this cute little quote right here. So if you guys are watching, I have an office who gave this to me They know I usually leave them with a good quote and it says now and then It's good to pause in our pursuit of happiness and just be happy. And so today I hope that you pause in your pursuit of greatness and remember to just be happy, to be happy for the life that you're living, whether it's where you want it to be or whether it's not where you want it to be, to be happy that you're alive and that you have more days that you get to choose what you want to do. I was sitting on a plane flying and I sat next to a man and it was his birthday. And if I remember right, he was turning 90 and I said, what does someone at 90 wish for on their birthday? And he said, I wish for more birthdays. And I've thought about that a lot of, I be like, if I was 90 and my wish would be to be wishing for more birthdays, what would I, what would I be thinking about today? What would I be wishing when I turned 90 and wishing for more birthdays? Would I have wished that I would do today? And I think one of the biggest things I've come to is to just enjoy. to enjoy the life I'm living, I think there's so much of this like hustle mentality and you look on social media and we often feel like we're not doing enough or that we're not being enough or that all these things and I'm like, since when has that become culture? I was at another conference and they said that one of the greatest problems that our society is facing right now is social media and all the quote unquote criticism or people's opinions and that's preventing people from trying and. from living their life. And I thought about that a lot that, you know, is this something that we are doing to ourselves? Is this something that we could possibly, possibly, you know, work through? And I just think maybe instead of being so afraid and maybe instead of always on the pursuit and looking at what if we changed it and we enjoyed it? What if we did things just because we enjoy that? And this is something where I'm speaking more to myself than probably any of you have. Kiera Dent (02:21.836) I don't always have to be productive. And I think half of the game of life is to learn to love the life we're living and to really be content in that life that we're living. And so for each of you today, again, I hope that you pause in your pursuit of whatever you're pursuing and remember just to be happy today and to give yourself that great gift. As always, you guys, I hope that you just know how much I love you on our podcast family and thank you for making this podcast an incredible podcast. Thank you for making us one of the top dental podcasts out there. your reviews of the podcast, you sharing it, you tagging us, you sending in feedback of what topics you want me to speak about and our team to speak about at Hello @ The Dental A Team .com really helps us make sure that we're relevant for you because at the end of the day, this podcast is not for me. I love the podcast. I enjoy podcasting with you, but at the end of the day, this podcast was made for you to give you the shortcuts to success, to give you a community of people, to help you feel like you're not alone, to give you the tactical practical tips. of what you could and should be doing. And I hope that you're taking that on. I also believe in our mission is to positively impact the world of dentistry in the greatest way possible. And that might seem like a, like a funny mission for people, but I believe that there's so much good in this world. I believe that dentistry is incredible. I believe that working in a dental practice and giving people the confidence of their smiles and their being able to give them their, their lives back is something that we, we are so blessed to work in this industry. And I just hope today that you remember that and just know I'm grateful for you and to continue to please share this podcast, to leave the reviews, to let me know things that we can do to make this even better and more of a great resource for you. I always want to remind you all to go onto our website, TheDentalATeam.com and click on our podcast tab. There are hundreds, literally almost thousands of episodes for you built for you and your team, built for the tactical practical for you to share with your team. to give you the resources, any topic that you could ever imagine. I guarantee you we have a podcast on it. So go check those out. And if you ever need any help, always reach out. Hello @ TheDentalATeam .com. I'm always here to help you support you because I want you to succeed radically and just enjoy the life that you've been blessed with. So today I wanted to quickly, there was a question that came up of what they should have taught you in dental school. And it's funny to me because I actually did my story, my journey, if you're new to the podcast, welcome. Kiera Dent (04:42.01) I actually was a dental assistant and then I became a treatment coordinator and a scheduler and a biller and an office manager. And then I actually worked at a dental college at Midwestern University in Arizona while my husband attended pharmacy school. And when I was there, I remember I got the job and people asked me, Kiera why are you wanting to leave clinical practice and go into this education? And there was two reasons, but in my interview, what I said was reason number one is, I wanted to have a bigger impact and I knew I could not have that impact sitting in a clinical setting because I wanted to impact and inspire future dentists of how great this profession is. So that was my motivating reason. And I hadn't even thought about it until I was asked the question because my number one reason I was trying to get the job was because I wanted a discount on my husband's tuition. But I remember when I had my last day at my dental office. This is a little personal for me. I was working as a dental assistant and I remember I was curling my hair and I had the thought, Kiera you're probably not going to be in clinical dentistry again. And I wasn't, I was front office. And then I went into the dental college and I am so thankful that I worked there because one, I got to see what it's like for dentists and new dentists coming into the field of what your education's like. And mad kudos to Midwestern university in Arizona. Kudos to Dr. Gilpatrick and Dr. Brad Smith and Dr. Polito and Dr. so many Dr. Kramer and there were so many doctors that I worked with that truly are just incredible people. Like I have so many fun memories. I had such a good time. I decided to prank the dental students. I would make them like, my gosh, the things that I did at that dental college, I am so happy that they let me just be who I am and have fun with the holidays and make dental school fun for them. But what I really saw was one, There's so much clinical, there's so much of you learning how to do your .O .D .s and drop the box and get the perfect contacts that I think that there was so much about owning a practice that was maybe left and how to manage a team because you're such great clinicians and you love to be clinicians. And so I actually went and helped one of the students start her practice and I was a practice owner with her in Colorado. And we took our first practice from 500 ,000 to 2 .4 million in nine months and opened our second location. Kiera Dent (06:56.21) And if you think that that was a smooth, easy path, well, you should have known that both of us were basically on divorce row. I was on suicide's door. Like it was not a pretty scene and success oftentimes can come, but at what expense? so looking back at that, that's actually why I started the consulting company. Cause I thought if I could help her grow, what about all these other students that I know? And so shout out to all my Midwestern students. but I think a lot of things that they maybe should have taught you in dental school. This is not going to be a whole summary because at the end of the day, This is just a small piece, but I do want to let you know that we have monthly webinars to teach you a lot of these topics. And they're free. They're free CE. We call them Thirsty Thursday. It's on the third Thursday. So it's easy for you to remember. It's for those who are thirsty for more. And we do it on the third Thursday. And it is at 4 .30 PM Pacific time, 7 .30 Eastern. Free CE for you about things that you guys can learn and things that they should have taught you in dental school or things that they should teach you in a practice or. how you can make your practice run easier. And we have amazing guests that I vetted. We teach you a lot of content, but really wanting that to come for you guys. but a few things that I feel if I were to be able to talk to my students right now from Midwestern that I love so much of what did they not teach you in dental schools? Number one, you're probably more prepared than you think you are. And that's not going for every student. I know there were some students who needed it, but as I watched people become practice owners, Generally speaking, the students are actually pretty darn well prepared. And no matter how much more preparing you do, and no matter how much we do of this or that, you're probably still going to have, you're going to have concerns. And I remember when me and that student, opened our practice and we were producing like crazy mistakes happened, things happened. We didn't know what we were doing. I felt like we were two girls playing house and had no clue what we were doing. But I think isn't that life. Remember the first day you joined dental school or the first time you went to your first day working in a practice or your first day working on a live patient versus the Dexter. I think none of us feel prepared. And I think that that is good because it keeps us safe, but also I think it might keep us too safe. And so I wish that in dental school, our students would have learned that like, you're more prepared than you think you are at least at Midwestern. Now know that there's some colleges that maybe aren't as strong, but, you're probably more prepared than you think you are. And the other one is if you want to open a practice, Kiera Dent (09:12.224) open a practice. know there's a lot of commentary about DSOs and should we still open it and private practice and at the end of the day, I think that itch will never leave you. So if you have the itch to open a practice and to own, you probably are in the right shoes and to go for it. And I'm not saying to just haphazardly do it. That's why there's consultants. That's why there's coaches. That's why I'm obsessed with what we do because I wanted all of my students to have a resource in the industry where they could count on me. They could trust me to vet people. to lead them through it, to have no judgment, to answer the questions of what is a PNL or what are KPIs or what are all these things that I feel like I should know but I don't know. Let's stop shoulding on ourselves and let's just ask the questions and let's get the resources. But truly I wish that they would have taught you that you can own a practice and every doctor I've talked to for the most part, I'd say 90 % of them say, I wish I would have opened a practice sooner because I was more ready than I thought I was. Now on the flip side, I would also say I want you to learn a lot about your front office. I want you to learn the billing because I think that that's where doctors actually have a lot of worry and a lot of problems. And so that's actually why I created the virtual academy within Demilay team where I have literally CE courses for office management and billing. And they're not long, but taking the time just to understand and to get a lay of the land. So when you do have a team, you can truly help them. You know how to check and make sure your finances are correct. you know how to bill so that way you're never worried about your finances. And I wish that they would have told you that in dental school. Like, here's some pieces, here's some resources, learn this piece. Also the difference between cashflow and profitability and like what it is and how like it doesn't matter what you're producing, it matters what you're taking home. That's the biggest ticket because that's ultimately what like that's what we're working for. And I wish that there would have been some more conversation on that. And then I really truly wish in dental school, they would have taught the students to take their third and fourth years and treat them like mini resonancies, get the reps in, learn to get your speed up, learn to get your injections where they don't hurt, learn those things of the bedside manners and take the feedback from your professors. The girl that I worked with, she had done, gosh, I'm probably making this up, but over 200 crowns. And she practiced, people were like, there's no way. Kiera Dent (11:26.284) She was practicing, practicing on type it on. She was doing the reps and getting the reps and people were like, how did you guys hit the ground running from day one? Well, once she's an incredible dentist, like mad kudos to her, but two, she put the time in and the reps and she literally treated her third and fourth year as a mini residency and just did the reps and did the pieces to get herself the confidence. going into private practice, she was there. I also wish that they would have taught you guys to be confident in your exams. I love NDTR. If you're a podcast listener, phenomenal. If you're new to it, welcome. NDTR is my favorite exams, especially for new doctors. Cause it gives you kind of like a mental process of what to follow. Now you can think of the acronym as neuter. You can think of it as never date the rookie. You can think of it new dentist, tough road. You can think of it as Nevada dentist, totally rock. I don't care how you remember this acronym, but it's the next visit, the date to return, how much time is needed. And then is there recare scheduled for them? And what that does is it helps dentists to really get into those minds of how to do the exam effectively for patients to know exactly what do need to come back When do I need to come back? And how much time is this going to take? Because what you've done is you've just eliminated the three biggest objections that patients have when saying yes or no to treatment. And I really just think that those are some pieces that I feel like the profitability of the cashflow, how to run a business, knowing the front office and the billing, and then also like how…
Full show notes at the publisherBritt talks about the latest book club read, Your Next Five Moves: Master the Art of Business Strategy by Patrick Bet-David. This book is a great reminder that career success is not one-size-fits-all. Find the full book club rundown here! Episode resources: Reach out to Britt Tune Into DAT's Monthly Webinar Practice Momentum Group Consulting Subscribe to The Dental A-Team podcast Become Dental A-Team Platinum! Review the podcast Transcript: Britt (00:00.646) Hello Dental A Team listeners, this is Brett and you are here on the Dental A Team podcast and I'm super excited to be here with you. I get to take over for book club again this month and so I'm really excited to dig into the book that we've got planned for today. So get ready, let's do it. I've gone through, I've picked out some highlights that kind of hit me that I think are super cool. If you wanna go through and read it, I'm sure there's a ton of stuff in here. I have no doubt there's a lot of good stuff that might hit you a little bit differently. So it's a good read. This month our book club was Your Next Five Moves by Patrick Bett -David. So if you haven't read it, I'll give you a little insight, maybe a little teaser for you to actually go read or listen to the book. I'm a big fan of audio books. So it's a good listen even, but it's a fun one. It's more of like a strategic and tactical business one this month. and they hit on a lot of awesome things. I think one of the big overarching pieces that I love about this book, and I learned from a client a while back who'd been a practice owner for a long time, is that business is a game of strategies. And I think when you think about it, it is important, there's weight behind it, but it's kind of this fun game of things that you get to figure out. It makes it a little bit more manageable in those stressful moments of like, yeah, it's important, but It's kind of this fun game puzzle to figure out and figure out the strategies behind. And I think that Patrick in this book gave us a lot of good things to think about and tips to make us a little bit more strategic. As you are a business owner, even for leaders supporting business owners of things to think about, one of the first things he starts off with is really like mastering and knowing yourself. And I think he hit on some cool pieces and starts from a good place because Mastering knowing yourself is really knowing what you want to be. Like, what are you getting into this for from the get go? Maybe you're thinking about owning a practice or getting into business ownership or entrepreneurship. Really knowing like who you want to be, what you want to go into it for is a grounding piece for you and a grounding piece for you to think back on throughout your journey as a business owner as well. So I think that's an awesome place to start. And some of us, you you might be in it for a while and it might be time to think of Britt (02:18.18) Why did I get into it? Who do I want to be? What was it back then that I wanted to be? Is it still the same thing? Has it morphed into something different? But what's my grounding principle of why I'm doing it? And another piece of it is success is not a one size fits all. So I think in thinking about who you want to be, why you're here, why you're doing it, what's your drivers behind it, thinking about what's that vision, what are you going after? And it doesn't have to look the same as everybody else, right? Like not every doctor out there needs to own three practices or five practices or, you know, turn it into a little DSO or grow it, right? If one practices your vision and where you want to go and that's who you want to be as a business owner, like great, what does success look like around that? Which I think can also be a grounding piece for you as, right? Other voices can come in sometimes as business owners, as entrepreneurs, and you start comparisons of these thief of joy, you start to compare to other people. And because we think that one size or what's that greatest thing or what's the like top thing and if I don't have that top thing then am I successful and you can start to kind of fall into that realm. And just really remembering that really truly success is not one size fits all remember what that looks like to you. What it's defined as for you and go after that thing and don't compare to other people because it'll make you a lot happier and Not everybody is meant for the same journey, right? We're all built a little different, right? We all are happy doing a little bit different things. Everyone's kind of unique. So what is it for you? What's gonna make you happy and what success is gonna look like for you? And through that journey, right? In it's not one size fits all. What does it look like for you? What's gonna make you happy? Kind of starting to also accept there are no right or wrong answers to this. Right? So whatever it is for you, what success looks like for you, what you want to be, there's no right or wrong answer. It's truly what you want and what you want is the right answer. So think about it. If it's been a little while, remember it. If you're in a tough spot right now or in a stressful spot, like think about why you got into it. Master knowing yourself first. I think that is a fantastic place to start. The next piece he goes into is really mastering the ability to reason. Britt (04:40.038) And I think with this, he jumps into, I love that he said like, true maturity means choosing better options over good ones, right? Sometimes we're presented with multiple good options or like there's no bad option, there's just multiple options out there and learning to choose the better option over the good ones. And I think sometimes it's even, as he mentioned, sometimes there's an easy choice and an effective choice, right? And sometimes it's easy to choose. that easy choice instead of going for the most effective choice. So in kind of mastering that ability to reason, I think is learning and maturing to the point for all of us to being able to evaluate what options are available, right? Look at all of them. There might be lots of good options to go with. Can we pick the better option or the best option or the least bad option to go with? And kind of evaluate sometimes if I'm taking the easy choice instead of the effective choice when it comes to kind of going through and reasoning. I think within that is understanding kind of our motivation. Am I trying to just like release the pain and choose the easy option? Or is my motivation like, no, my motivation is to choose truly what the best option is for the business, what the best option is for my team, what the best option is for my patients. Really understanding kind of the motivation behind. your reasoning and why you're leaning a certain direction when it comes to making decisions. And I think along with that, like you said, also acknowledging and addressing some of our blind spots. Sometimes we're in like the thick of a decision. And especially as business owners, like we're in the thick of all our stuff going on. And sometimes it can be hard to see our blind spots. So sometimes getting some insight from someone else where our blind spots might be, or taking a minute to ask ourselves, right, where are my blind spots? Or sometimes I'll say like, what are my biases? kind of what are all the things influencing my reason for going with this decision? And is that a right way to think about it? Or do I need to acknowledge what my blind spots are, acknowledge what my bias is, and maybe kind of reevaluate things to be able to make effective decisions? I think in this reasoning piece, some of us, I identify with this, right? Some of us can get into analysis paralysis a little bit when it comes Britt (06:57.9) mastering the ability to reason, kind of thinking through the options, what's the reason I'm going with a certain choice. And I think it's also fair to remember that making a decision, making an effective decision with the information you have or can gather quickly is the way to go, right? And sometimes it's making a move, making a decision, moving forward with something, kind of like if there are multiple good options, then great, don't waste too much time on trying to pick which option is truly the better one with the information you have. What can you gather quickly? What is the better option to go with and go with it and make a move on it? He also talked about staying calm, right? Take responsibility, state specifically what you did to get to where you are right now. If there's frustrations involved, of channel those frustrations into getting better and preventing future problems. multiple pieces when it comes to reasoning, but really kind of becoming a master of the ability to reason is really being able to evaluate your options, choose the better options, understand what's motivating you or kind of what might be impacting your view of the scenario, and then make an effective decision with the information you have or can gather quickly and move forward, which I think all good tips that all of us can learn from at times. There are some that maybe need to slow down a second and look at things and make sure you kind of evaluate and have some reason behind it. And there's some of us that could get caught in that a little bit too quickly. Make sure you think through the pieces and then move, make the decision, stay calm, use the information you have and move forward. He also talked about building, mastering building the right team. Often as entrepreneurs, right? Business owners, even in dentistry. We want to do all of it sometimes, right? Like it's easy to want to do it all. It's your baby. You take so much pride in it. You want to have your hands on all the things to make sure that everything is being done well. And in the beginning, that's how you start, right? It's understandable. That's your starting point. That's where you begun and that's how it started out for you. But realizing Britt (09:14.746) there's the myth of the solopreneur that he talks about, right? That you can't ultimately do it on your own. If you want to grow, if you want to scale, you can't do it all. And so you're going to have to bring that team on. Now, we'll talk about it a little bit later on some tips that he's got for it. It's not meaning that you don't watch what's going on or have a way to evaluate what's going on, but it's understanding that you can't do it on your own forever. And building that right team around you is gonna be huge. He also talks about how trust equals speed. So when you get those right people on board that you can trust, give them that trust, let them move forward and you're gonna move a lot faster than you trying to do it all on your own or you trying to guide and direct all those people on every little thing because they're gonna move slower that way. So that was an awesome point. So master building your right team, bring your right people around you, get them to where You've got those people that you can trust and they're truly gonna help to speed you up when you trust them and let them move forward. Which goes along with this next piece of mastering the strategy to scale, right? You're gonna have to have that right team to go to the next piece, which is being able to master the step strategy to scale. And I think similar to the beginning of knowing yourself, the strategy to scale like... recognizing that there are multiple routes to success, right? Your route won't look the same as someone else's, let's be honest, right? Like everybody's gonna have different things that come along, different things you tackle that are gonna make it a little bit different route for you to get there. You can learn from people who have done it ahead of you. You can kind of adapt or adopt some of those things, but understand that there's multiple routes to success. So even if you find yourself in a tight spot trying to find a way out. It may not look the same as someone else. Look at what you've got in front of you. Realize that there's multiple routes you can go. What's the best option to go with? And then move forward. I love that he also talked about making momentum your friend, right? If you're wanting to grow, if you're wanting to scale along with this strategy to scale, make momentum your friend and be prepared for some chaos. Not that it needs to be ultimate chaos, Britt (11:34.308) the faster you move, you're gonna feel that movement, right? It's not gonna feel as slow. And if you're used to slow at the beginning and we start moving, it's gonna feel a little chaotic and you're gonna learn along the way, right? We're gonna adapt, we're gonna change, and you're gonna try to think ahead and think of all the things, but be prepared for some of that chaos that you might feel as you learn and grow, which I think a lot of you out there who are practice owners. I can relate to that, especially in some of your earlier years when you were growing maybe at a more rapid rate. And for those of you that are in it right now can probably resonate with that a bit as well. And he hits a couple key points when it comes to thinking through that strategy to scale, right? Thinking those five moves ahead and thinking about operating systems, right? Business development, innovative campaigns, how are you gonna grow and scale? and making sure you've got that leadership development, that you've got leaders to help you grow and to help you scale. And I love that he says, never compromise on speed, execution, or efficiency, right? So when it comes to scaling, you wanna scale well. And that's, I love that he walks you through the steps, right? So knowing yourself, being able to reason, building your team, and then going into your strategies to scale so that you're prepared to never on the speed, the execution or efficiency. And this is where he also talks about designing systems to track your business, right? You can't do it alone. You're not going to have your hands on everything. You can't see everything physically as one human being. So building up those systems to track your business and in dentistry and practice ownership in any business, it's going to come back to what are those unemotional like numbers? What things can you track? How are things going? and build those tracking systems so you can see, right, how are we doing in the dental practice? How's our production? How's our collections? What's our overhead at? Knowing all those things to see, are all the systems working that we're putting into place? Have we designed them well? Do we need to reevaluate them and go back so that we can have everybody functioning in a way to help support you? Britt (13:43.162) so you know what's going on within your business. So I thought that was super good insight. You know, we love numbers at the Dental A Team and we say, we love numbers and numbers love us, so don't be afraid of them. But truly as you scale and you grow, it helps you to have a pulse on your business of how things are doing while allowing your team to go, trust them, move forward, keep things going, keep that momentum going and having a pulse with numbers on how things are going within your business. And then the last piece he does is mastering power plays. And with this, there's a lot of him he talks about in th…
Full show notes at the publisherTiff and Dana lay out the most critical piece when it comes to communicating with patients during treatment planning: Focus on the patient's health, not money or insurance. Episode resources: Reach out to Tiff and Dana Tune Into DAT's Monthly Webinar Practice Momentum Group Consulting Subscribe to The Dental A-Team podcast Become Dental A-Team Platinum! Review the podcast Transcript: The Dental A Team (00:01.506) All right. Hello, Dental A Team listeners. We are so happy to have you back here with Dana and I, my most prized possession when it comes to recording podcasts. I truly love our time together and getting this time in when we're recording is one of the only times that we get to spend so much time together. So I love it. Thank you, Dana, for being here with me today. It's super special. And thank you, you guys. You have been like celebrating me today and you, just had your celebration and it's huge. And it's so funny that there's so many of us right now at this time within this company. and so many years have gone by that we've all just spent so much amazing time together. And when I podcast with you, it just reminds me how much I appreciate having you here on our team. and a part of our community, I think our team is incredibly valuable and incredibly important. So Dana, thank you for being here with me today and congratulations to you. I'm celebrating you today. You have been with us now for three years. That is huge. That is incredible accomplishment. And it's just a testament to the amazing opportunities that you've provided to so many of your clients. You've worked with a lot of people over those three years and just helped them grow so much. So Dana, hats off to you. Thank you for being here today and congratulations on your three years. How are you today? Dana (01:28.703) Thanks for such a warm welcome. You always make me smile in these introductions, so I appreciate that from you. I'm doing good and I, you know, get to celebrate you today too and I think that like I'm just so glad that I've been able to be a part of your seven -year journey with DAT. The Dental A Team (01:32.533) Good. The Dental A Team (01:45.654) Thank you, thank you. I am happy to have you here. And I'm excited to talk about today's topic. We've talked a lot about relationship building with our patients and within our team and the effects, the positive and negative effects that communication can have on one another. And today, I really, really wanted to look at that communication as far as treatment planning goes. How does it look from the treatment planning standpoint and really how that relationship affects the way that we think as well. And Dana, I know you work with a lot of clients constantly and I know we work on handoffs and all of those pieces and treatment planning and we have systems and steps and processes. And sometimes I know when we were prepping for this, I talked about a client that I wanted to speak on and I, and sometimes we just get to watch it land for them. And it was really close. We're on a video call and I was talking about NDTR, which all of our listeners should know what NDTR is. If you don't go find a podcast, we'll talk about it again in the future. I'm sure. We're doing NDTR, we're doing all of the pieces and I started reviewing treatment planning processes as far as problem solution problem, which is a system that I think we all implement with our practices, but it's something that I thought a couple of years ago just made so much sense and makes such a difference when it comes to really speaking to the patient about the issue rather than the solution. It's very easy for us to get caught up treatment planning a crown, treatment planning a filling, treatment planning an implant, which is something that's outside of our bodies. It's unrelatable. It's not ours. It's not, it's like where I'm buying a tube of lipstick. It's not mine. And I can make the choice emotionally to disconnect from that tube of lipstick, right? In the moment I'm like, this is the color I need. It's going to change my life. I'm going to look so much better. But by the time I get to the front of the store, most of the time I've emotionally disconnected from the result and I'm ready to put the tube of lipstick back. and not purchase it. So when I'm thinking about treatment planning, all of these solutions, treatment planning, the crown, there's not an emotional connection to that. And this is a space, unlike the lipstick, this is a space where you really need to be emotionally connected to that purchase because it's for your health. And when patients are treatment plans and we're not keeping that in mind, we're not keeping that emotional piece at the forefront of our minds and keeping that as an important factor, The Dental A Team (04:08.81) I truly think we're doing them a disservice. If I can do everything I can to ensure my patient is healthier when they leave my practice than when they walked in, I know I've done a dang good job today. We buy things on an emotional standpoint, like emotions. You know, I taught something the other day that was like, here I am saying like, I'm not going to buy anything. I'm saving all my money. I'm not buying anything. And then there's a 50 % off discount. And I'm like, I have to buy that. That's an emotional purchase. everything is based off of emotions. So when I had this conversation with this doctor and I'm like, we're focused in on the problem. I'm not selling you a crown. I'm selling you a fix to your broken tooth, to your decayed tooth, to your infection. I'm selling a healthier tooth, not a crown. Her eyes just like blew up. But she was just like, my gosh. And this is a doctor who's really struggling. treatment planning and treatment planning definitively because she feels like her patient base can't afford it or she feels like she's just after money and like all of those negative self -talk things that everyone in dentistry feels she's overloaded with them constantly and when I took it and said you're not are not selling a crown I'm not asking you for a thousand dollars for a crown or two thousand dollars in California I'm asking you to let me fix your tooth She was like, my gosh, I'm so excited to go implement this because this is a game changer for me. You just changed how I feel about treatment planning and Dana, I think a lot of our clients feel that way. think dentistry in general, we feel really like we're taking advantage of people and the perception of dentistry infiltrates our minds and we become that. And we are so scared to help that we hold back a lot, especially when we're not towards the end of the year and we're like, there are benefits. We start holding back from telling people the truth about what they need. And that's doing people a disservice. Dana, I know I've got my story and I know you've got a million stories of clients that you've worked with as well. But how do you see in your world as a consultant that focus on the problem rather than the solution? The Dental A Team (06:24.063) really comes into play and helps benefit your practices that you're working with all the Dana (06:29.939) Yeah. And I think it's focusing on the problem and solution and then ideal outcomes too. Like you as a practitioner know and team members too. So this is for TUP too for treatment when it comes to like ideal treatment planning is you know what will also give the best result for the patient as far as longevity, as far as function, as far as, and patients don't know what they don't know. And so it is challenging yourself to not just look at problem cause solution, but ideal solution, best The Dental A Team (07:00.322) Yeah. Yeah. I love that. I love that. And I love that you said they don't know what they don't know. And, they truly don't. Our jobs are to inform patients of what's wrong and that we can fix it. Or if we can't fix it, someone we know can, we can refer them somewhere else. And our jobs are, are to find those issues, celebrate the win, celebrate the healthy, find the issues that they're having and ensure that they know the path to success for a healthier and a healthier version of themselves. That gets lost a lot of times. And honestly, Dana, I think it's really easy to lose it, like to lose that focus when we are focused on goals. You know, we're focused on the production and the collection and the treatment plan case acceptance and these black and white non -emotional results are the focus that we're looking at. But we have to remember that there are systems and underlying pieces that get us to those And when we lose that piece of what we're working on, that's where I think we get lost in the minutia. So some of the pieces that really, really, really helped my doctor stay focused on that problem to my two favorite solutions to that is to forget everything, you know, about finances and cost. Don't think about their insurance. Don't think about their social standing or what you think they have in the bank account or what you think that patient base can or cannot afford. I know in my practice years ago, I had a man come in who looked like he walked straight in off the street. He looked like this man has no money. We diagnosed him all kinds of treatment. He had got like $40 ,000 worth of treatment that he needed, but we did our due diligence and we said, this is what you need. This is our best place to start to get you out of pain, to get you moving towards healthy. The next day. this man walked in with a grocery bag, okay, a grocery bag from like Safeway or Fry's or Kroger or wherever, a grocery bag full of cash to pay for his whole treatment. He'd just been waiting for the right place to invest that money and he decided that he was the right place. But had we gone off of our initial gut feeling of what this man could or could not afford, we may not have diagnosed everything that he needed. Or we may have said, you know what, this is a lot, let's start here. And only The Dental A Team (09:26.593) treatment plan five grand and left the other pieces to piece no later. So when we can forget the money aspects of it, insurance and cost aside and really just focus on the patient's health, I think that makes a huge determining factor. Like cancer patients or Dana, you've been through this. Like what if your doctor didn't tell you everything or tell you every option that you had to get healthy because they felt this is a more expensive route, you should go through this one because it's more affordable. You're not gonna get potentially the results you want or it might take longer, but this is the more affordable path rather than this one over here that's gonna cost you more. From your experiences, things fly in my mind, but what would that have been like for you as a patient not being able to make the decision for yourself because somebody made it for you ahead of Dana (10:20.169) Yeah, I think it would have been really obviously frustrating, right? Frustrating, I would have probably lost trust. And I probably would have gone somewhere else in that instance. And I think sometimes what is the eye opening, I just talked to a doctor about this the other day, he's been doing some more like larger cosmetic cases, and he's been getting really excited. And, and we were just talking about how it used to be like, okay, well, what are my options? And it's it's bonding, right in those front teeth. And then, so we were just talking about how ideally, right, when it even comes to finances, some things that we do to protect patients finances or we think that that's what we're doing, right? Well, if I am rebonding you every six months and I have just done those veneers from the beginning, it's actually like sometimes an aha moment and that what we think is financially best for the patient when we make that decision truly isn't. And in the long run, they spend more money on the bond and bond and bond and bond than they would have just spent on the veneers and crowns had we started from the beginning with The Dental A Team (11:19.356) Yes, I totally agree. I love that. Or the bridge, the bridge, the bridge when the other two teeth were fine or maybe just needed fillings and they could have done an implant and making sure that they have those choices. And I think that's the next step in the process for getting the money. Forget the finances. You have options. Okay, doctors, like you have options. You don't need to worry about them. Your team knows them. Your patients will find them out. So forget the money. Doesn't matter what the cost is and forget the insurance. You need to think about what's best for your patients. Give them the options. Here's the caveat to options guys. I have worked for doctors. I have worked with doctors. Dana has worked for and with doctors that give way too many options. This is just the case because you guys are in a world where you're making decisions for people. You're truly making decisions for people and a dentist beside might make a different choice in that same decision, they might have a different opinion. That's just the facts of dentistry and that's okay. That's okay. What do you think is going to be best? When we give a patient too many options, it's confusing. When things are confusing and there's not a clear path, we lose trust. So then all of a sudden we're like, well, if I need all of these things, do I really need any of them? Or is it okay? Because this just sounds like everything that could happen. to my tooth, you're trying to do something on it. So we lose trust in them. So our hard fast like standby is two options are always best. Three is the most. And three is like, you could do nothing. You could do an implant, or you could do a bridge, or do nothing, do multiple implants and a denture. Like that's my three options in most cases. Dana, how do you run that with your practices that you work with when it comes to options? Do you to do two? I like two because it's like chocolate vanilla juice. That's very easy. But I am, you know, I'll go up to three. But how do you feel that benefits your clients when they start utilizing a similar structure? Dana (13:25.577) Yeah, I agree with you. I'm like a two, three person, like, let's go in with ideal, right? We've got one backup plan. Because two, like when we give too many choices, patients will always default to the easy one. When they're confused, when they don't trust, when they don't understand, like they will always default to what is easiest. Now for every patient, that's going to be different as far as it is it easiest financially? Is it easiest time? Is it easiest to understand? Right? But they're going to go into default mode, and they're just going to pick the thing that they The Dental A Team (13:48.09) Thank you. Dana (13:54.119) understand or fits best in their budget or whatever is easy for them at the moment. And so I think understanding that, that like when we overwhelm with choices, patient is always going to default to something that is easy and that's typically not what gets them the best result or is ideal. The Dental A Team (14:11.29) Yeah, that's beautiful. That's beautiful. I love everything you just said. You're 100 % on track. We as human beings are going to choose the easiest route. I think dentistry,…
Full show notes at the publisher
Our TOPPODCAST Picks 
