The Best Practices Show with Kirk Behrendt

This is Good Sh*t: What Every Dental Professional Should Know

Episode #301 with Dr. Uche Odiatu

Two apples a day could keep the doctor away! But very few North Americans — including dentists — consume the recommended amount of fiber and other nutrients. For a lesson on nutrition and its effects on the gut microbiome, Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. Uche Odiatu to talk about how a healthy gut can lead to a better and longer life. It can also help you stay ahead of the curve in dentistry! For advice on becoming healthier and starting the health conversation with your patients, listen to Episode 301 of The Best Practices Show!

Main Takeaways:

All disease begins in the gut.

Understand gut health to get ahead of the curve in dentistry.

Learn about gut health, and overall health and wellness will become effortless.

You can begin to change or improve your gut microbiome in a day.

Intermittent fasting, time-restricted eating, and caloric restriction are ways to extend life.

Get healthy yourself before giving your patients health advice.

Enjoy food mindfully, and let food be your medicine!

Quotes:

“People often have heard about gut health, but they're not really sure how to apply it. You can tell they're not applying it because they show up sometimes tired. They're often not sure why they have brain fog. They're not at the weight they want. If you're literally not at the weight you want, you don't understand gut health, because when you understand gut health at a deep level, weight becomes effortless.” (06:06—06:27)

“If you're one of the 50 million Americans suffering from [low] energy level, to immune system issues, to not ideal weight, to poor sleep, to brain fog, to accelerated aging — if you actually look like your driver’s license picture — you need to know more about gut health. Because when you understand it, health becomes effortless.” (06:54—07:12)

“Total health is where to go. Patients are starving for healthcare providers that look at all of them and not just your little area, your little silo. That little silo is great, but you start with total health — medical history, anything new, how are you sleeping, are you tired, do you exercise, how are you eating lately. That’s how all my appointments start. Start with the bigger picture, then you go into the smaller picture.” (09:38—10:03)

“The gut microbiome is an amazing modulator of gene expression. The whole idea is your genes load your gun; your lifestyle pulls the trigger. So, genes are basically just a blueprint.” (11:30—11:43)

“A way to manipulate genes is to have the healthiest microbiome possible. In order to do that, you've got to look at a number of different things. The microbiome — a very esoteric subject. And people don't realize, you tweak it a bit, you could end up completely different. In how long? 24 hours. What you eat today, you can tweak your microbiome. In three days of junk food eating, you can actually lose 40% of your resident gut bacteria, which decimates you. And sure, you can get them back by having some good, healthy days. But some people lose species, and they lose them forever.” (12:13—12:48)

“We have 100 trillion single-celled organisms in our bodies, and they outnumber the human cells, the cells of human origin, 10:1. So, 98% of them are in the GI tract. About 2% of them are on your skin, under armpits, hair, nose, etc. But they are a powerful manipulator of your genes. They also train your immune system, because 80% of your immune system lies in the 26 feet of your digestive tract. So, people with poor digestive health often have immune system problems.” (13:24—13:53)

“If you have gut issues, digestive issues, from constipation to reflux to Crohn’s colitis, if you have a disrupted gut microbiome, it’s a precursor to prediabetes and diabetes. So, that being...

Show and Tell or Show and Teach

Episode #300 with Dr. M. Nader Sharifi

A teacher can forever change the trajectory of your life. Good teachers tell, and better ones teach — but the great ones inspire. And today, Kirk Behrendt brings on Dr. Nader Sharifi to talk about what makes a great teacher, how you can improve your teaching, and the future of learning. For more on how you can get the most out of your education, listen to Episode 300 of The Best Practices Show!

Main Takeaways:

Even bad teachers can benefit you in dentistry.

Acknowledge your mistakes when teaching. Don't just show the successes.  

When you're teaching, it’s not about you — it’s about the people listening.

Some teachers, you want to read. Others, you want to see.

Past masters are also great teachers.

Quotes:

“By the time we get to this point in our careers where we’re dentists, we have seen every conceivable flavor of educator in front of us. We have to have embraced education in some way, because to leave high school and go to college, you need to be willing to learn. And then to even leave college and go to dental school, you're committed about learning and you're not shy of it. And to take that step is a significant challenge for some of us, partly because of who’s taught us. So, we need good teachers to help us continue on our processes.” (05:29—06:13)

“To learn what's a good teacher, we also have to learn and understand what's a bad teacher. In dentistry, it seems to me that our bad teachers can also benefit us just a little bit, in some regard. So, that's really the “show and tell” part of it.” (06:15—06:32)

“Sometimes, I'll go to a conference, and there’ll be a presenter who will be full of glitz and glamour, and a beautiful patient from out of town who travels to see them, and has this humongous, multi-disciplinary treatment plan that took three years to complete, and it’s just spectacular dentistry. And at the end of the presentation, I realize I haven't learned how to do that. I saw that it was possible, but I didn't learn how to do it.” (06:33—07:06)

“The benefit [of show and tell] is, I see the potential for dentistry. I see the potential for myself. I see the opportunity. But I'm not able to do it. And that's okay. I just chose, in my path, I don't want to do that. I don't want to be that type of speaker. I don't want to be that type of teacher. I don't want to be that type of person. I want to be able to teach, and show a protocol, and show a process that's available to the participant in the audience. And so, that's not the show and tell, that's the show and teach.” (07:11—07:52)

“If we only show success and we don't acknowledge the mistakes we made to get there, if we only show success and we don't show the trouble that occurs in achieving that, it’s really a false reality.” (13:58—14:11)

“I was as far to one end of the scale as possible, being a presenter who would connect well with dentists much more so than I would connect with dental students, which was at the other end of the scale, because my first foray in teaching, which was inspired by some of my teachers, was in dental school. And it failed horribly. It didn't work well for me. I wasn't good at it, I didn't get positive results from the students. It wasn't working well, but I had a desire to do it. And I ended up evolving into having the opportunity to do it at the podium rather than in the classroom. And something resonated.” (19:14—20:02)

“Zoom doesn't give us that opportunity [to interact] the way that the live meeting will. However, for the first time in my life, I sat down with my laptop in my favorite reading chair in my bedroom and attended a symposium. And when the speaker said something that just astounded me, I could pause it, reverse it 15 seconds, write it down, listen to it again and...

The Missing Piece in Skeletal Growth and Development

Episode #299 with Dr. Rebecca Bockow

Airway dysfunction can lead to a number of comorbidities — anything from tooth decay to behavioral concerns. And to prevent them, it’s important to understand the possible causes. One of them is an undersized jaw, and Kirk Behrendt brings on Dr. Rebecca Bockow to talk about what influences skeletal growth and development, and the importance of early treatment and intervention. For more on identifying and treating tongue and respiratory dysfunctions, listen to Episode 299 of The Best Practices Show!

Main Takeaways:

Dentists may be the first providers to identify airway issues in patients.

Key things in skeletal growth and development happen as early as during breastfeeding.

Breathing and tongue placement habit strongly influences skeletal growth.

Undersized jaws can lead to comorbidities.

Ask patients open-ended questions to identify possible issues.

Look to early treatment and early intervention.

Treat the “why”. Look for tonsils, airway issues, and tongue-ties.

Understand structure, function, and behavior.

Quotes:

“When we see malocclusion, we might be, as dentists, the first providers to identify for some of these patients that they do in fact have an airway issue. So, this can present, for example, grinding. Grinding in kids and adults is a sign that airway is not great. We can pick up tongue- ties. Certainly, the easy ones to pick up would be a crossbite, open bite, underbite, overbite. These are all linked to airway dysfunction. So, once you see it, you can't not see it. And you'll start to see how prevalent it is.” (05:11—05:48)

“As care providers, we can sometimes ask open-ended questions for the patient, ‘How do you sleep?’ And it opens up Pandora’s box. ‘Oh, I wake up through the night. My child couldn't breastfeed. She’s still wearing Pull-Ups at age eight. We've got a lot of behavioral concerns, not paying attention in school, comes into my bed every night, tired during the day.’ And we, as orthodontists, see the crossbite. And so, all of a sudden, we’re tying things together for these families that they didn't even know were connected.” (05:49—06:28)

“If we think about skeletal growth and development, a lot of the key things that happen happen really early on, going back even as early as breastfeeding.” (07:20—07:28)

“Thinking about the tongue, all of those movements [when breastfeeding] require a great deal of coordination, as well as flexibility and strength. And so, if you have a child that has a condition called apraxia, and there's a lot of nuances to this, but globally thinking about a child’s ability to move the tongue in a way that's healthy, so getting that tongue up and forward, things like muscle incoordination or things like tongue-ties are going to adversely affect what's going to happen with the tongue.” (08:12—08:49)

“The nose is a natural filter. When you have the ability to breathe through your nose, the nose is going to humidify the air. It moistens the air. You filter out all the dust, the allergens, the pollens. Adenoids and tonsils are hypertrophic tissue, so if you have a child that's a mouth-breather, we tend to see bigger tonsils, bigger adenoids. And so, this cycle continues because they're more driven to breathe through their mouth, because now they have nasal respiratory obstruction.” (10:21—10:48)

“There's great documentation that links nasal respiratory obstruction with undersized jaws. And then, we start to see other comorbidities that we would notice as dentists, which include grinding, high carious incidents, hypertrophic tissue such as the gum tissue. And the cycle goes on and on. As orthodontists, we see this as crowding because the jaws are small. So, there's insufficient bone to...

A Way to Find More of Your Ideal New Patients

Episode #298 with Dr. Daren Becker

How do you find more high-quality patients who are ideal for your practice? Today’s guest, Dr. Daren Becker, is here to share how he developed a community of specialists and patients that became his ultimate referral source. Kirk Behrendt and Dr. Becker discuss the importance of referrals from specialists, how to ask for referrals from patients, and how to get high-quality referrals more consistently. For advice on finding new patients that will help your practice grow, listen to Episode 298 of The Best Practices Show!

Main Takeaways:

Work with other specialists and create a referral source.

Find specialists who are aligned with your thinking.

If you can't find a community that is aligned with your thinking, develop it!

Build relationships and trust with your patients.

Also build your patients’ awareness and understanding of their issues.

Do a post-treatment celebration with patients — even if it seems awkward.

Mass referrals can be great, but you won't have time to do dentistry.

Ask for referrals from patients you love working with. They will send you similar patients!

Find a mentor!

Quotes:

“The thing that I think I offer to my patients that may not be the routine in a general dentist practice is the idea of working with patients that have complex, interdisciplinary type of needs . . . I think for a lot of patients, their experience [of that] is very disjointed. And what we try to do is make that very congruous and harmonious.” (07:01—07:38)

“If I saw 20 or 30 new patients a month, I wouldn't have any time to do dentistry. I would just be seeing new patients to get five qualified new patients that need what I do — what I love to do. And so, for us, it became a necessity to get the number down to maybe 10 or 12 new patients a month, but have it be like 80% of those are going to be high-quality, highly-referred patients that are coming to me saying, ‘I need what you do.’” (08:48—09:24)

“We basically started working with our specialists . . . We have this group practice mentality, and we get together on a very routine basis — it’s scheduled in Dentrix — that we have a meeting every month, or sometimes more, to discuss and go over whatever the cases are that we have to talk about . . . That has developed into a referral source . . . For 2019, 85% of the new patients we saw were referred to us from one of our specialists. And the rest were referred from existing patients.” (09:39—10:52)

“Doing a comprehensive exam on every new patient, that is my goal for every new patient. Do we hit it 100% of the time? No. Do we hit it 80% or 85% of the time? Yes. But why is that? Because that's our standard. And we try to stick to that, and so that's what patients expect in our office. And now, patients call asking for that, ‘Hey, you saw my friend . . . I want that same exam or experience that they had.’ So, by staying consistent and staying true to your core beliefs, that just becomes what happens.” (17:47—18:39)

“If you want to do more complex interdisciplinary cases and you want to work with a specialist team that is going to refer you patients, ultimately, then you just have to start doing it. Like I say, I was going to these meetings without a single patient to talk about. Back then, we had charts. I would walk in with one chart, no chart — didn't matter. I was going to be there for the conversation of the other cases that were going on. And then, that's how that grew.” (19:09—19:40)

“It’s building the relationship, it’s building the trust, it’s building the patients’ awareness and understanding of their particular issues, concerns, problems. And once the patient has that ownership, it’s so much easier to talk to them because then they come ask...

Regulatory Changes that Every Practice Needs to Know

Episode #297 with Linda Harvey

A lot has happened in dentistry during the pandemic, including regulatory changes. And if you’re wondering about the potential changes and how to prepare for them, today’s expert can help! Kirk Behrendt and Linda Harvey talk about some of the policies, procedures, and protocols that were updated and what to be aware of. Know and understand the laws, and don't be resistant to change! For more advice on how to protect yourself and your practice, listen to Episode 297 of The Best Practices Show!

Main Takeaways:

Don't assume you're in compliance. Know and understand what's required.

Don't be resistant to change.

Every dentist needs to have adequate cyber risk insurance coverage.

Know what your cyber risk insurance covers.

You can't afford not to have a breach expert.

Stay current on changes so you can have protocols in place.

Take caution with PPE supply chain shortages.

Quotes:

“We learned quite a bit about COVID-19 . . . We learned how we had to protect ourselves. We learned that OSHA put dentistry at the top of the list when it came to high-risk categories for contracting airborne diseases in dental settings. So, we realized that there were actually laws that were already in place, such as OSHA’s Respiratory Protection Standard, that now applied to us in dentistry.” (08:08—08:39)

“There were a lot of folks that were capitalizing on the COVID-19 crisis, selling products that weren't fit to be used in a healthcare setting and masks that were counterfeit. So, we had to really step up a notch as far as our understanding and not just buy something because, ‘Oh, this looks like it’s good. This looks like it’s legitimate.’ We couldn't trust that last year. And even earlier this year, we saw the same thing happening.” (10:07—10:32)

“I happen to have an acquaintance who helped to author [OSHA’s] Bloodborne Pathogens Standard. He was on that committee many years ago, and he feels like it’s being picked back up. So, I feel like we’re in that train. And if OSHA takes it a step further and starts an initiative called a Special Emphasis Program, that means that they may take time to go actually investigate offices and do random inspections. Whether they will target dentistry, or healthcare, or what area they will target, that's to be seen.” (12:38—13:07)

“The likelihood is that you're more likely to get inspected if there's a complaint filed against the practice. Right now, OSHA does not have the manpower to go target dental offices. We know that they did in Tennessee probably five, maybe six years ago. But Tennessee is one of the 20-something states that has their own OSHA-approved plans, so they have some more restrictive and more stringent requirements than the federal law in some areas.” (14:07—14:31)

“I think, oftentimes, we assume we’re in compliance. And sometimes, when I start speaking about, let's just say the Bloodborne Pathogen Standard, and I take one little section that I want to really drill into, almost everybody in the room goes, ‘I had no idea we weren't doing that right.’” (14:47—14:59)

“I was one of those individuals that lived through no gloves, masks, and glasses. I was cleaning teeth with no gloves, if you can just imagine how gross that is now. Right? But nevertheless, we had to make that change. And I was one of the last ones to change, quite honestly. I didn't want to wear damn gloves. I've known these patients for years. Why was I fearful of them? But then, I finally got it. You know, we had young children. So, this is the same way that we are now. We’re making changes in our PPE, and we can't be resistant to that change. And we have to be open-minded about, ‘Well, maybe OSHA’s going to say that we’re going to have to continue wearing respirator masks,

The Acronyms for Success in Marketing

Episode #296 with Xaña Winans

Marketing isn't just about the pretty images — it’s all about the numbers! And without knowing your numbers, you can't improve your practice. So, today, Kirk Behrendt brings back Xaña Winans to teach you which numbers to keep track of so you can market more effectively. Don't just guess how your marketing is performing — measure and know! To learn about KPIs and all of the acronyms for success in marketing, listen to Episode 296 of The Best Practices Show!

Main Takeaways:

Image is important, but knowing your numbers is even more important.

Numbers are everything for marketing success.

If you don't measure, you don't know how any given piece of marketing is performing.

CPL (Cost Per Lead) should be lower than your cost of acquisition.

CPA (Cost Per Acquisition) helps determine what in your practice needs improvement.

If you're not measuring ROI, it’s just a guessing game.

Marketing needs time before you see any potential returns.

Measure the critical few. Choose two key KPIs to measure and focus on.

Know your ideal patient!

Quotes:

“Doctors, I think, get really excited about the beautiful pictures that they see, the gorgeous new website that a friend of theirs has, or somebody’s incredible postcard, or whatever they’re seeing in terms of other people’s marketing, and they think it’s all about the image. And the image is [only] this much of it.” (05:30—05:52)

“Marketing, 50% of it is the pretty stuff. But the other 50% is knowing the hard data, the acronyms, as I call them, of success: your KPIs and your CPLs and your CPAs. If you don't know your numbers, you can’t improve them. You have no idea if you are spending your money efficiently or just throwing it down a hole. And the numbers are literally everything for marketing success.” (06:01—06:23)

“There is a huge amount of money that is wasted when I see practices do marketing where they're just getting a ton of leads and a ton of people in the door, and they think it’s incredibly successful. But they're only shoppers. They're coming for a special, and they disappear. They don't come back for that second appointment. And while your cost per lead might be small, your cost of acquiring that patient all of a sudden got really, really expensive because they're not staying in the practice.” (07:54—08:20)

“If you do not get that new patient to reappoint — to come back to your practice — often, the cost of their first visit could be more expensive than the cost to acquire the patient. So, if you don't get them to come back, you're literally going to have a negative return on investment for that particular patient, which is crazy.” (09:37—09:58)

“The average patient stays in a practice a good 10 years. If you can just do that one thing that very first appointment to get them to come back so that you can start to build a relationship and build value, that is where your ROI comes from, because it is the patient continually adding more revenue to the practice every single year.” (10:06—10:26)

“[Dentists] get all caught up like their success only exists in how many times the phone rang and how many new patient appointments they got. But if you are not reappointing them, they're not quality leads. Or there might be something else going on in the practice that is an indication of something you need to adjust.” (12:34—12:49)

“A lead does not equal a patient. A lead is anything that gets somebody to respond. So, they filled out a form on your website. They picked up the phone and made a call. They had a chat with you online. They walked in your door because they happened to be walking past your practice and they had a question. That is a lead. That is not a qualified patient.” (13:05—13:27)

“I count a...

Avoid the COVID Mindset Gap

Episode #295 with Dr. Christopher Phelps

You may be tired of hearing about the pandemic, but this topic is worth listening to! Today, Kirk Behrendt brings in Dr. Christopher Phelps to explain the two mindsets that the pandemic created: risk-tolerant and risk-adverse. By understanding these ways of thinking, you can build strategies to change your patients’ and teams’ behaviors to grow your practice — especially during this time of uncertainty. To learn the best ways to market effectively to both mindsets, listen to Episode 295 of The Best Practices Show!

Main Takeaways:

COVID-19 created two main types of mindsets: risk-tolerant and risk-averse.

Analyze who’s coming in and why so you can improve your marketing.  

Create the conditions to drive patients to you and stay long-term.

Use the social proof and authority principles to market to both mindsets.

Market more to your risk-tolerant patients — they're still looking to get in somewhere.

Listen to your patients’ insights to come up with solutions.

Remind patients of all the safety precautions you're taking.

Positive Google reviews can attract more risk-tolerant patients.

Now is the best time to offer membership plans for patients.

Be adaptable to get ahead.

Quotes:

“Whether you realize it or not, when your patient walks through the door of your practice, they're coming in with a mindset already established. And most of the time, unfortunately, the mindset they're coming in with is competing with what we want to talk about. So, potentially, if their mindset competes, the door to “yes” is already shut in our face.” (09:26—09:43)

“Before COVID-19, 80% of our patients were more proactive, especially when given choice in the matter. And the minority were the reactive mindset ones, the ones that would just put it off until it’s too late. Now, COVID-19 has flipped the paradigm because this new mindset that pairs well with this proactive and reactive is, are they risk-tolerant or are they risk-averse. And what we’re finding is the risk-tolerant mindset tends to go along with the reactive mindset people, the ones that are taking the calculated risk by letting things get worse.” (12:01—12:31)

“All of those reactive mindset people, those risk-tolerant people, had always felt like they could get into a dentist anywhere at any time when their issue became apparent. That was what their calculated risk was, ‘Yeah, it doesn't bother me today. But when it does tomorrow, I'll find a dentist somewhere.’ But what did the shutdown show them? When their problem did manifest, could they find us? Could they get in somewhere? And the answer was, they could not. So, what it did was it created this powerful scarcity effect.” (12:52—13:20)

“While we had the risk-tolerant folks filling our chairs — that's great — guess who’s not coming in right now, and still really isn't coming in unless they have a big dental issue? That risk-adverse crowd, the majority of our patients.” (15:16—15:28)

“When I talk to a lot of the dentists that follow my advice on this, it’s been off the charts. In fact, many of our practices like mine, we actually produced so much towards the end of the year that we made up for the two-month gap. It was like we never even shut down . . . because we were tapping into that risk-tolerant mindset, getting as much done as possible. And they were more than happy to say yes because they didn't want to be stuck in that same situation again.” (17:13—17:38)

“I've almost been in practice for 20 years. I'm still going through the risk-tolerant folks, because we had a ton of them to get through. You built your practice on them; you just hadn’t realized they only come in on occasion.” (17:45—17:55)

“My main advice is . . . and I still feel like you need to be

Take Action: Treatment Coordination for a Successful Dental Practice

Episode #294 with Dr. Ann Marie Gorczyca

You don't need to spend a cent to grow your practice — you just need to take action. To teach you how to improve your treatment coordination as a dentist, as a team, and as a practice, Kirk Behrendt invites Dr. Ann Marie Gorczyca to discuss the contents of her book, Take Action: Treatment Coordination for a Successful Dental Practice. She will teach you how to promote your dentistry, take the lead with patients, and how to follow up with them so that you can improve your treatment coordination process. For tips on growing your practice without spending money, listen to Episode 294 of The Best Practices Show!

Main Takeaways:

Have a weekly strategy meeting for accountability.

Know your numbers and have clear goals.

Treatment coordination is not just a one-person job.

Don't wait for the patient. Take the lead and say, “Let's get started.”

Don't give up on your patients. Sometimes, it takes years.   

Follow up with your patients until you get a yes or no answer.

As soon as you hear “yes” from the patient, schedule their appointment.

Your job is to help patients get started and make it easy for them.

Quotes:

“If I can share one game-changer from [Traction] that I learned and implemented in my own practice, that is to have a weekly strategy meeting . . . Meetings are the moment of accountability.” (06:17—06:51)

“Know your numbers, because numbers are the language of business. Once you know your numbers, running a business almost becomes like a game.” (07:28—07:38)

“In dentistry, it’s very common to use the word “treatment coordination” because we actually never are taught to use the word “sales”. Somehow, “sales” has become a forbidden term, so we use the term treatment coordination. But once you wrap yourself around that topic and understand that it is sales that you are actually dealing with, then you can really study every aspect of sales.” (09:02—09:38)

“It doesn't really matter who is in the room with you when you do the initial exam. What matters is that someone capable is in the room and that you thoroughly review the diagnosis treatment plan, go over the financials, but then you say the magic words — and this is the most important thing — ‘Let's get started.’ That's what it’s all about.” (12:21—12:52)

“[Patients] are coming to you for help. And that is your obligation, to help them get started with what they need to do.” (15:15—15:24)

“If you're working in a dental office and you're not promoting your dentistry, using your dentistry, selling your dentistry, why are you there? That's your whole reason to be there, is to help people get the dentistry that they need, and you're there to provide it for them.” (16:27—16:44)

“I have had a patient start Invisalign who came for their exam nine years ago. It took him nine years to get started. And I've had another patient start orthodontic treatment . . . It took her five years to get started. And actually, when she got her braces on, she said to me, ‘Thank you, Dr. Gorczyca, for not giving up on me.’” (20:33—21:04)

“This is really important, for the dentist and the treatment coordinator to not unsell their own treatment. Don't say too much, because the patient came in wanting treatment. You don't want them walking out not wanting treatment.” (26:31—26:54)

“As soon as you hear the “yes” response, that's when you should stop and go towards scheduling the appointment to get started. Don't go into more detail. Don't go into how long it’s going to take. Just stop and make the appointment.” (27:37—28:02)

“Another thing that I highly, highly recommend, which is very effective, is the social proof of showing other cases exactly like the...

Your Future’s So Bright You’ve Got to Wear Shades

Episode #293 with Dr. Mark Hyman

Especially post-Covid, you may be wondering about the future of dentistry. But don’t panic — Dr. Mark Hyman is here to assure you that dentistry will survive and thrive! Today, Kirk Behrendt chats with Dr. Hyman about where dentistry is headed, along with some reminders on why this is one of the greatest professions out there. To learn everything you need to know on becoming excellent and thriving in this space, listen to Episode 293 of The Best Practices Show!

Main Takeaways:

Dentistry will survive and thrive.

Build the right team and treat them like gold.

Master your communication skills.

Invest in a coach. It’s small dollars for a massive return.

Invest in technology wisely.

Educate yourself, your team, and your patients.

You don't become excellent just by showing up.

Quotes:

“What I know for sure is dentistry will survive and thrive. The concept that the government labeled dentistry a nonessential business is shameful. Shameful to us, first, that we haven't raised enough public awareness of the benefit of optimal care dentistry.” (10:47—11:02)

“You've got to get the right team, and you've got to treat them like gold . . . The patient is not always right — your team is always right. You always have to protect your team. And I would rather lose a patient family and get a few one-star reviews than lose a valued teammate. And I didn't always feel that way in my career, and that was a mistake.” (12:54—13:20)

“I'd never hired anybody. I'd never fired anybody. I didn't know what to do. I didn't know how to set raises, how to look at overhead. And that's one reason that I would say to anybody, you have to have a coach. You can't just go to Google and figure this stuff out. You spend small dollars for a massive return.” (13:52—14:10)

“Do you think Michael Jordan just walked on the basketball court and started doing “yo mama” slam dunks? He practiced, and practiced, and practiced, and practiced. And that's how you become world-class.” (19:54—20:04)

“You don't become excellent just by showing up.” (20:19—20:22)

“Coaching is one of the great gifts you will give your team and yourself, because everybody needs it.” (23:11—23:16)

“If I could say to a young dentist there's one thing that you must do, buy an intraoral camera and take a picture on every patient before, during, and after.” (23:38—23:49)

“When people say to me, ‘Well, I pre-authorize everybody,’ I say, ‘That's because you don't use your camera.’ They're like, ‘Well, how do you know?’ I say, ‘Because if you showed people these pictures, they'd say, ‘My tooth is cracked. You need to fix it.’” (28:40—28:52)

“My hero and mentor in dentistry was Dr. Erwin Becker from Pankey. And he looked at me one day and said, ‘Mark, the reason most patients haven't accepted optimal care dentistry is that no one ever offered it to them.’” (30:49—31:03)

“My mentor in Greensboro confided in me last year was the biggest year he ever had — and that was with taking a couple months off for COVID-19. He still had his career year.” (37:38—37:51)

“The old Carnegie organization says three magic words: evidence defeats doubt.” (39:33—39:38)

Snippets:

Dr. Hyman’s background. (03:08—05:28)

The realities of being a dentist today. (05:54—10:20)

Resiliency in dentistry. (10:46—13:20)

Build the right team. (13:20—18:57)

Put in your 10,000 hours. (19:50—23:17)

Invest in technology wisely. (23:17—25:46)

Do you need to file pre-authorizations? (25:49—29:41)

Don't let money run your practice. (30:18—32:54)

Have a higher caliber of peers. (33:33—34:51)

The future’s so bright, you need shades. (35:05—38:09)

Advice for young dentists and...

What Holds You Back in Dentistry & Sleep?

Episode #292 with Dr. Erin Elliott

Maybe you want sleep and airway in your practice, but you’re feeling held back. Today, Dr. Erin Elliott returns on the topic of airway with advice on how to get started! Kirk Behrendt and Dr. Elliott talk about the most common obstacles dentists face and the best practices on how to overcome them. For tips on positive thinking, staying motivated, and having confidence in your work, listen to Episode 292 of The Best Practices Show!

Main Takeaways:

Don't let medical billing be a roadblock to doing sleep in your practice.

Fear of being sued shouldn't stop you.

Avoid thinking about the “what-ifs" — most of those fears never happen.  

Have confidence in your work. Don't let imposter syndrome hold you back.

Learn how to communicate and talk to your patients and team.

Always think about what's best for your patients.

Don't try to do it all — delegate.

Quotes:

“Complexity is the enemy of implementation. And dentists do one thing really well, is overthinking and making things more difficult than they need to be.” (04:29—04:40)

“I recently took a poll on the forum that I mentor on from people that have attended the course, ‘Why are you not doing as much sleep as you want to?’ And number one was medical billing.” (05:35—05:49)

“If you take care of the patient and do what's best for them — there are some jerks in this world. But to get to the point where you're sued, legally, it’s standard of care. And it’s also clinically acceptable work — you won't get sued. They have to have an expert witness in order to win. Ask me how I know, because I had to go through the process.” (09:21—09:45)

“You do feel like you're behind the ball all the time. And then, of course, people only post their most amazing work, and you're like, ‘Man, I am a crappy dentist,’ when really, you're getting patients out of pain, you're restoring their smile, their function. You're doing everything well, [but] you always feel like a failure. So, you've just got to get out there.” (10:48—11:11)

“Don't start expecting physician referrals if you don't even know what to do with a patient when you get them.” (22:42—22:47)

“It’s really the team that gets things going, and I think we don't utilize them enough.” (27:37—27:40)

“Stop being nice. It doesn't mean not to be nice, but it means that people are okay with you leading them. And it’s not being a jerk to have certain expectations that you expect them to meet. And if you have to correct them, they have given you permission just by being your employee.” (33:59—34:24)

“Just know that: (1) you know what you're doing; (2) you won't get sued; (3) take care of people, [and] you'll find satisfaction in your job.” (45:00—45:06)

Snippets:

Dr. Elliott’s background. (02:53—07:18)

Don't let your fears stop you. (08:09—12:06)

Don't let imposter syndrome hold you back. (12:59—14:41)

Have your “why” to keep yourself motivated. (15:21—16:19)

You can't do everything yourself/the champion concept. (17:07—21:13)

Other obstacles holding you back from doing sleep in your practice. (21:35—24:35)

Mistakes made and lessons learned. (25:46—27:45)

Have confidence in leading your team. (28:31—32:11)

Heidi vs. Howard study, and the origin of the word “nice”. (32:11—39:30)

Don't be easily defeated. (40:02—41:16)

Dr. Elliott’s sleep courses. (41:33—43:03)

Dr. Elliott’s contact information, website, and S1 course. (43:11—44:07)

Closing. (44:08—45:42)

Reach Out to Dr. Elliott:

Dr. Elliott’s website: https://3d-dentists.com/

Dr. Elliott’s email: