Seeing the Clinical/Technical Reality

Episode #315 with Dr. Bob Winter

There is a lack of communication between dentists and the lab. And to explain why that is and how to close that gap, Kirk Behrendt brings in Dr. Bob Winter for his insight into both the clinical and technical sides of dentistry. Keeping standards and expectations high is great — but keep them grounded in reality! For more advice on communicating effectively, listen to Episode 315 of The Best Practices Show!

Main Takeaways:

Dental students aren't taught how to communicate and interact with dental labs.

Because of this, there's a lack of effective communication between the two.

Dentists expect perfection from the lab without communicating effectively.  

Dentists should make an effort to find the right dental lab to collaborate with.

Learn to diagnose and treatment plan comprehensively.

Technology helps simplify things but isn't a panacea.

You still have to think analog in order to use digital technology.  

Digital isn't a prerequisite to becoming a quality dentist.

Quotes:

“In dental school, we learn a lot of basic concepts. And then, when we get into a practice, we’ve learned a lot of clinical steps. But unfortunately, in most schools, we don't learn a lot about the communication and interaction with dental laboratories. We just expect certain outcomes, and yet we don't communicate very effectively with dental laboratories. We just expect perfection, and we don't know how to interact and communicate because we’re not taught that in school.” (09:56—10:35)

“Today’s technology is evolving so quickly because of the digital world, whether it’s digital photography or even things like we’re doing right now. We can communicate with individuals around the world, real-time. So, [technology] simplifies things, but it’s not necessarily the panacea that solves our problems. And in the digital world, there are some current weaknesses in how it relates to the traditional analog world. And so, I'm just super excited to see all of it evolve. And hopefully, sooner than later, there's a seamless transition from analog to 100% digital.” (12:05—12:47)

“The only thing that makes me, as a specialist, a prosthodontist, different than anyone else is, I'm trained to look at patients comprehensively and to diagnose and treatment plan comprehensively. When it comes to procedures I do, it’s not different than any restorative person. So, it’s all about seeing the patient in a holistic manner and comprehensively. And in dental school, they get a reasonable exposure to that. But once you start seeing patients, you realize it goes beyond one tooth, or two teeth, or three teeth, or quadrants; it’s full-mouth evaluations.” (13:23—14:07)

“We can treat individual teeth fairly predictably. But when you see people with debilitated dentition, severely worn dentitions, multiple missing teeth, then looking at the big picture and understanding comprehensively what the needs are, I think, is the key.” (14:21—14:42)

“Unfortunately, there's a lack of effective communication between the dentist and dental laboratory. If you look at the percentage of prescription forms that are completely filled out, or at least to get enough information to do the cases comprehensively, it’s lacking. So, the expectations are really high of what you want in return, but the upfront communication is lacking.” (15:25—15:53)

“Many dentists, the more comprehensive cases, they want the technicians to solve the problems. But the dentist has to realize technicians do not have a dental training background. They can look at photos, they can look at mounted casts, and they can look at how you make the nuts and bolts work. But it’s still relying on the dentist’s clinical skills and understanding to help really...