In this episode of The Best Practices Show, we revisit an interview that occurred during the COVID-19 Conference with Dr. Gary DeWood about treating patients in the middle of the COVID pandemic, (DISCLAIMER: They are not providing legal advice, but merely talking through their perspectives.) The team talks to Gary about a number of situations in this episode, but the one that rises to the top is the question of how to continue to treat patients during the coronavirus pandemic.

The first problem that comes up is the legality and the risk of seeing patients. There is some concern to treat emergency situations, but it’s difficult to discern what is and isn’t an emergency. The dental community has a decided interest in keeping patients out of hospitals, if only to limit their exposure to COVID. Gary and others believe in the safe practices of dentists’ offices, but there are still situations to discern.

The most important takeaway is that dentists should be doing all they can to actually serve their patients during this time. Often, that means not seeing them in the office. There are bigger forces at play than worrying about next week’s paycheck. The way that you handle yourself and your team during this time, they all repeat, will have a lasting impact on how things run when this is all over. Do what you can to stay in contact with your patient base. Show them that you care about their well-being—we are all isolated right now—and you may find that you actually strengthen your practice in the process.

Main Takeaways:

The ADA recommends that you should only treat people in emergency situations in the time of COVID. (3:00)

This is the time to step up to be a leader and lead your team. (5:30)

Do aesthetic emergencies still qualify as emergencies? (9:25)

Things you’re afraid of don’t go away—you can only change how you respond. (18:40)

In a time like this, you either show that you care or you don’t care—it’s just money... (25:45)

Quotes:

“The downside is that everything we’re reading now is just opinion.” – Gary.

“What risks are you willing to take?” – Gary

“You’re thinking of so many things to do—why don’t you think of one?” – Gary.

“Do you have enough masks to replace it after every patient?” – Gary.

“Closing your office is okay, but the best thing you can do is get emergency patients out of the medical system.” – Gary.

“What is the most important thing I can do to be of most service?” – Gary.

“You have to deal with what you can see.” – Gary.

“Go fishing for social distance...make your decision and then be ready to talk about it.” – Gary.

“Vulnerability is not a weakness; it’s a strength in times like this.” – Kirk.

“The way we manage this...is going to shape who we are when it’s over.” – Gary.

Snippets:

Making the decision to treat during COVID. (2:00–4:30)

What are you telling the dentists looking for leadership? (5:20–8:30)

Patterns of the great dentists who make it through. (17:50–20:55)

Stay in touch with your patient base. (23:25–25:00)

Let’s be open to all possibilities for us to get through this together. (30:00–32:00)

Bio of Our Guest:

Dr. DeWood is Executive Vice President of Spear Education. As one of the founding members of Spear, he directed Curriculum and Clinical Education for nearly a decade prior to joining in the launch of Spear Practice Solutions. Today, he splits time between teaching and consulting.

Dr. DeWood serves as an instructor in multiple Spear Workshops, including Facially Generated Treatment Planning, Occlusion in Clinical Practice, Advanced Occlusion, Sleep Medicine in the Dental Practice and a special focus workshop on temporomandibular disorder. He also maintains a limited private practice on the Spear Campus in Scottsdale, Arizona, and lectures nationally and internationally on practice management, treatment planning, case management, case acceptance, TMD diagnosis, appliance therapy, occlusion, and esthetics.

Prior to his contributions at Spear, Dr. DeWood maintained