Why Interdisciplinary Dentistry is Too Hard for Most Dentists

Episode #404 with Dr. Jeff Rouse

Interdisciplinary dentistry is the future. So, why isn't there more buy-in, and why are dentists struggling to give interdisciplinary care? To reveal why it’s so difficult and the steps you can take to get started, Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. Jeff Rouse from Spear Education for his thoughts and advice to help you provide the best care for your patients. It’s time to help patients beyond their teeth! To learn how, listen to Episode 404 of The Best Practices Show!

Main Takeaways:

Education in interdisciplinary care is lacking.

Don't just focus on structure and biology issues.

Go beyond products and materials to help patients.

Airway is the gateway to comprehensive dentistry.

Join a study club!

Quotes:

“You have to feel confident and competent in doing [dentistry]. So, you have to have the education and spend the time learning it. And there are, unfortunately, very few places to learn that. A majority of the education we have is focused on technique because it’s company-driven, a lot of it. It’s, ‘I want to learn about E-MAX. I want to learn about zirconia systems. I want to learn about composites,’ because you're going to do a procedure. And the thought process is, ‘Show me how to do that thing, and then I'll go back and do that thing and make more money doing that thing.’ So, it’s technique, materials. Or it’s product, ‘Get me a scanner. Get me a milling machine. Get me a laser.’ Things. But once again, it’s materials from a company, your product from a company, driving dentistry. And unfortunately, for us, it also plays into what dental school taught us, which is how to work with materials and how to work with product.” (12:41—14:18)

“When we go through in dental school and put together a treatment plan, all we do is list what's broken, what's diseased, what I'm going to do about it. So, it’s singular. It’s, ‘Tooth number two has a . . . Tooth number 31 has a . . . They have this, and I'm going to use this technique in order to take care of it. This product. This machine.’ And that's not interdisciplinary dentistry at all. So, our education is lacking.” (14:19—15:06)

“Airway gives you the opportunity to get the patient out of the hygiene operatory, whereas talking to them about their teeth are worn, their teeth are in the wrong location, the teeth have the gums covering them; they need to be pushed back, harder conversation to have with people. Much more difficult. Especially wear patients, malocclusions, really difficult conversation because you don't want people, when they're brand-new to your practice, to think you're just after their money.” (17:54—18:27)

“I'm now seeing this increase in younger dentists doing what I'm going to call better dentistry, at least more exciting dentistry, more profitable dentistry, than they ever have before. It’s not because of the way we now teach it at Spear versus how Bill and I taught it; it’s because airway looks at skeletal and dentoalveolar as it relates to the skeleton differently than we ever have. It adds this extra piece.” (22:42—23:17)

“Airway gets people in for comprehensive evaluations, and it gets them to do more complex, comprehensive dentistry than I've ever had opportunities to do before.” (25:01—25:13)

“There are people out there that want to help you be better than what you are right now, and to achieve better than they are. If you're excited enough to be one of the best, there are lots of people that are willing to help you get there.” (27:56—28:12)

“Young dentists need to know that there are people that want to help them. And a study club format is probably the best way to go about doing that. And the two that I've been associated with are Seattle Study Club and Spear Study Club. They both have their...