Gems Publishing - August 2019

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DIDN’T PATIENTS REALIZE I WAS THE BETTER DENTIST?

during treatment. And, one more thing. Shawn was fast! He didn’t spend time fussing over the little things (like complete caries removal, margins, or fit!). Bottom line, Shawn’s patients adored him. Returned to him. Referred friends, family, and co-workers to him.

"You and I measure the quality of our care based upon very different metrics from those of our patients."

If you’re in the top 1% of General Dentists netting (that’s NET PROFIT after expenses, before taxes) more than $500,000.00 per year from your dental practice(s), you can skip to the next article. If you’re not yet there, but would like to grow your practice and make (much) more money, read on. The epiphany I experienced with respect to Shawn’s success versus my struggle was one of the most important business lessons I’ve learned. Adopt this paradigm shift and you may experience a level of personal income growth you’ve never thought possible.

GOOD ENOUGH IS GOOD ENOUGH

No, I’m not for a moment suggesting we should deliver substandard care, leave caries, lack concern about margins, fit, etc. To this day I’m proud of my obsessive-compulsive nature when it came to delivering the highest level of quality care possible. I had microscopes that dropped down from the ceiling (same as you’ll find in every Endodontist's office) which I used to ensure my preps were perfect and my crown and bridge margins were amazing. The fact is, with all the steps I took to ensure optimal quality, I was only able to produce at an average (if not slightly slower than average) speed. Guess what patients want? A dentist they like, who is kind, gentle, truly interested in them … doesn’t hurt them, and gets them in and out of the chair as fast as possible! Wait! Don’t patients want quality care? Yes, of course. But you and I measure the quality of our care based upon very different metrics from those of our patients. If it didn’t hurt them, didn’t take very long, the bite is comfortable, and it doesn’t fall out … it must be good quality! One of my mentors in business, Dan Kennedy, has a saying: “Good enough is good enough!” Although I’d never suggest any of us perform and deliver less-than-excellent dentistry, I’ll tell you from personal experience that we often spend far too long obsessing over preps, margins, etc. to the point where we may actually be reducing the quality of our clinical results. How many times can we go over that margin before we prep the tooth down to a nub? Overheat the tooth? Draw perilously close to the pulp, etc.?

the point where you are optimizing quality at a far higher speed.

More patients will stay, pay, and refer droves of family and friends to your practice. You’ll not only be far busier but your hourly productivity will also go through the roof! Hourly productivity is one of the seldom examined KPIs that has a direct and dramatic effect on your income. The average General Dentist produces between $300 and $400 per hour. If you were to measure and continually track your hourly production over time, you could easily improve it. Yes, we’ll be adding Doctors’ hourly production to the Gems Dashboard in the near future! Many years ago, I learned of a Dentist, David, who very early in his career developed debilitating wrist pain (in his dominant, right hand). Surgeons told him there was little they could do for him, and, if he didn’t cease practicing dentistry, he would soon lose most of the function in his hand and wrist. Rather than give up, David traveled to Japan to study Japanese theories of ergonomics. How did Japanese factory workers perform the same repetitive tasks, at a high level of quality and speed, and rarely suffer repetitive motion injuries? He brought what he learned in Japan back to his practice in the United States and totally changed his manner of practicing dentistry. He has been practicing ever since and, nearly 30 years later, is injury free. Furthermore, Dr. David Ahearn, to my knowledge, may be the world’s most highly productive General Dentist at $1,650 per hour! EPILOGUE – WORLD’S MOST PRODUCTIVE GENERAL DENTIST

"Sadly, the quality of your margins and level of technical excellence ... simply aren’t in the top 10 reasons your patients choose, stay, pay, and refer to your practice!"

The scary truth is that, with only very few exceptions (like world-class Dentists whose patients are Dentists flying from across the country and even overseas for treatment), the quality of your margins and level of technical excellence in prepping and placing a distal occlusal inlay on tooth #2 simply aren’t in the top 10 reasons your patients choose, stay, pay, and refer to your practice! So, why did patients like Shawn so much? It’s really quite simple. Because they really liked Shawn! He had a wonderful personality and was the kind of guy you’d instantly like from the moment you met him. Shawn was caring, empathetic, and spoke from the heart. He was as honest as the day is long and was always fascinated to learn about his patients, their kids, their grandchildren, their work … conversations were always about “YOU.” What else? Well, Shawn was very gentle. He was way better at giving anesthetic than prepping a tooth. Patients never felt his injections, and rarely (if ever) experienced pain

MORAL OF THE STORY

Be more like Shawn. Not his clinical skills … but everything else! No pain, super compassionate, truly interested in your patients … run on-time … get them in and out of the chair faster. Find a happy medium for your clinical technique to

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