The Golden Age of Orthodontics

In this podcast we speak with Dr. Terry Sellke, a board-certified orthodontist who has been practicing for 38 years. Dr. Sellke is an old friend of ours and he has been incorporating new technology and system enhancements into his practice for decades in order to achieve exceptional results while decreasing total treatment time. He retired from University of Illinois in 2006 as a Clinical Professor, Master Clinical, Co-clinical Director, and Master's Thesis Advisor where he had been since 1970. He now teaches his The Bottom Line Practice Management Program and Clinical Orthodontics to orthodontists and their staff worldwide. In February 2022, Dr. Sellke is running a multi day seminar where he will teach his course exclusively to orthodontists in Aruba. You can find out more about the program here: www.orthobottomline.com.

In this episode, we address other important topics like:

• What are the biggest orthodontic industry disruptors and how have they permanently changed the industry of orthodontics
• How can practices compete with the direct-to-consumer orthodontic model
• How can orthodontists adapt to disruption in the industry and new consumer demands for faster, cheaper, and more convenient service
• Letting consumers know there is an alternative to direct-to-consumer

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In this podcast we speak with Trey Lawrence, Vice President and General Counsel at the American Association of Orthodontists. Prior to joining the AAO, Trey practiced with a large law firm in St. Louis for about 15 years, concentrating in the areas of litigation and regulatory matters. We speak with Trey about the legal issues that might crop up while running your practice – some of them critically important to protecting yourself.

In this episode, we address other important topics like:

• What happens when you get a negative review and how do you respond
• Considerations when branding your own in-house clear aligner production services
• Can you pay general dentists a referral fee, and how to avoid getting into a fee splitting situation
• Can you give a patient a prize for sending a referral
• How to handle irate clients

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In this 30 minute podcast we speak with Kevin Dillard, who is the founder of Clear Blue Smiles, a direct-to-consumer aligner company that has solved a problem many orthodontists and consumers are concerned about: professional orthodontic oversight. Clear Blue Smiles utilizes an orthodontist in every case using Direct Monitoring to remotely monitor treatment. The most important point that Kevin stresses is that orthodontics is a complex biological process, and if treatment is not started and overseen by a professional you don’t know if it’s going to be safe or if it’s going to have a good outcome. In addition to serving as CEO and co-founder of Clear Blue Smiles, Kevin is a thought leader and legal expert in the industry. He served 18 years as an executive at the AAO as legal counsel.

In this episode, we address other important topics like:

• How Clear Blue Smile is different from other direct to consumer aligner companies
• Outlining the business relationship between Clear Blue Smiles and the orthodontists who take on their clients
• The two big problems that Clear Blue Smiles helps to solve for many orthodontic offices
• Feedback from consumers and orthodontists so far to Clear Blue Smiles’ business model

Kevin Dillard is the CEO and co-founder of Clear Blue Smiles. He spent 18 years as legal counsel at AAO, helping to shape the message regarding DIY orthodontics and spearheading Federal lobbying efforts at AAO.

In this 30 minute podcast we speak with Dr. Adam Schulhof about Grin, the remote orthodontic monitoring company he created. Grin is a comprehensive digital platform that provides orthodontic solutions to remotely monitor all types of teeth straightening needs by connecting patients to real orthodontists in their community. This allows orthodontists to remotely monitor their patients for routine visits. Adam guides Grin’s orthodontic global vision, oversees appliance design, and spearheads industry partnerships.

In this episode, we address other important topics like:

• Why and how Dr. Schulhof got the idea to create Grin
• Benefits that remote monitoring solutions bring to patients and orthodontic offices
• The effect that Covid-19 had on Grin’s development
• What does the future of orthodontics and dentistry look like, and how do products like Grin helps us get there
• Advice Dr. Schulhof would give anyone who is thinking about entering our speciality

Dr. Adam Schulhof, Grin Founder and CEO, combines more than two decades of orthodontic expertise: which includes pioneering the latest innovations in orthodontic technology. Grin is a comprehensive digital platform that provides remote orthodontic solutions for all types of teeth straightening needs by connecting patients to real orthodontists in their community. Dr. Schulhof is also a practicing orthodontist with offices in NJ and NYC. He graduated with high honors from the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey and received his specialty training from Columbia University.

In this 30 minute podcast, we speak about selling your practice with financial expert Brad Kucharo from John McGill & Company who is returning to the show as our guest. Brad talks about some of the things he looks for when an orthodontist approaches him with the question if it’s time to sell. He assesses not only their financial situation but asks if they are psychologically and socially ready to retire after decades in practice.

In this episode, we address other important topics like:

• How important is it to keep the numbers at your practice going up before you sell?
• What should an orthodontist do if they are solicited by a DSO or broker?
• How do the potential tax increases affect an orthodontist’s decision to sell their practice?

Brad Kucharo is both a Certified Public Accountant and Certified Financial Planner and has been providing customized tax and business planning services exclusively for the dental profession since 2007. He has helped over 500 dentists and specialists across the country plan for financial independence, reduced stress and greater peace of mind. Brad also developed and directs John McGill & Company’s comprehensive “Planning for Retirement” service. He formerly worked at Price Waterhouse Coopers and is a current member of the American Institute of CPA’s and the North Carolina Association of Certified public accountants.

In this 30 minute podcast we speak with Sue Hanen, an orthodontic consultant and life coach with more than 20 years experience. With extensive knowledge of the business of orthodontics, her focus is to create the certainty, clarity, and connection your team desires with sustainable operating systems.  

We also cover important topics like:

• The four hidden gems - metrics you should be tracking: No show percentage, Emergency visits, Retention visits, and Overtreatment time
• How to manage these metrics to recapture your time to invest those hours in however you want
• Helping practices discover the leading indicators to avoid disaster
• What will happen with virtual appointments and exams post-Covid

Sue Hanen has helped hundreds of clients bring order to chaos with diligent fact-finding, strategic planning, and follow-through. By developing healthy practice metrics, and clarity of goals, she has decreased stress and helped reach targets. Sue is an iPEC Certified Professional Coach, a Kolbe Certified Consultant, and loves to identify team members' strengths and natural talents to enhance job satisfaction and longevity.

In this 30 minute podcast we speak with Chris Bentson, a partner at Bentson Copple & Associates, a company that performs practice valuations, providing recruiting services, and negotiating transactions with both buyers and sellers. He also serves as Editor-in-Chief of the Bentson Copple reSource, a quarterly newsletter focused on the business aspects of running a successful orthodontic practice. Chris has consulted with a thousand orthodontic practices during his 30-year career. We speak with Chris about the changes brought about in the industry since the pandemic first shut down practices across the country last year.

We also cover important topics like:

• How an accelerate to digital has become the most enduring effect from pandemic for orthodontic practice owners
• Advice for graduating orthodontists choosing between a position at a group practice, a DSO, or joining a solo practice
• Solo practices capitalizing on the direct-to-consumer market with digital marketing
• Making up for lost production and cash flow due to Covid-19 shutdowns

Chris Bentson is a partner at Bentson Copple & Associates based in Greensboro, North Carolina. The company serves the orthodontic community by performing practice valuations, providing recruiting services, and negotiating transactions with both buyers and sellers. Chris has authored dozens of articles published on the business of orthodontics in numerous orthodontic publications. He also serves as Editor-in-Chief of the Bentson Copple reSource, a quarterly newsletter focused on the business aspects of running a successful orthodontic practice.

For show notes and more: pplpractice.com

In this 30 minute podcast we speak with Amir Abolfathi, the CEO and Cofounder of uLab Systems, developer of the next generation uSmile system that gives orthodontists control over treatment planning and processes while reducing their lab costs. Amir describes uLab Systems as a company that develops a suite of products for orthodontic tools: aligners, brackets and other hybrid systems. Computational power has increased exponentially, allowing orthos to now use a laptop computer to design treatments on systems like uSmile and then either send specs to the company’s manufacturing center or produce in-house with a 3D printer.

We also cover important topics like:

• How AI and machine learning simplifies production and treatment planning technology for orthodontists
• Addressing pain points that orthodontists face with future technological features
• Using a products like uLab Systems offers to lower patient costs

Amir Abolfathi has over 30 years of experience founding, building, and managing medical device companies. He is currently CEO and Cofounder of uLab Systems, the developer of the next generation uSmile aligner system. Prior to uLab, Amir was a founding member of Tusker Medical which was acquired by Smith & Nephew in 2020. He also was a founding member of EndoTex Interventional Systems and Embolic Protection, Inc which both were sold to Boston Scientific. Amir was the Executive Vice President of Research and Development at Align Technology, creator of Invisalign. He has held various management and engineering positions at Pfizer, Guidant, and Baxter-Edwards and has over 100+ issued patents.

For show notes and more: pplpractice.com

In this podcast episode, we invite Dr. Keith Dressler, CEO of Rhinogram, a cloud-based, HIPAA-compliant telehealth communications system, about how the communication style of our target audience has changed.  We dig into how orthodontists need to adapt to speak with patients in the future with Dr.  Dressler. By evolving communication to partly virtual means orthodontists can increase profitability. Covid has made us all take a hard look at how we reconfigure our practices physically and our processes, providing a forced test case on going virtual.

We also cover important topics like:

• Marketing strategies to help practices acquire new patients
• Opening up your practice to a larger service area
• Telegraphing benefits to the patient of new orthodontic technology through marketing
• New features coming to Rhinogram this year
• Importance of patient consent in text communication beyond HIPAA

Dr. Keith Dressler is the CEO of Rhinogram, a cloud-based, HIPAA-compliant telehealth communications system. He has more than 35 years of experience in private orthodontic practice and currently serves on the advisory board of the American Teledentistry Association. He is also an avid entrepreneur. In 2000 Dr. Dressler co-founded OrthoBanc and in 1998 he co-founded Elite Physician Services, a national healthcare patient finance company.

For show notes and more: pplpractice.com

In this episode:

Dr. Leon Klempner and Amy Epstein invited Brad Kucharo, a Certified Public Accountant and Certified Financial Planner from John McGill & Company, to the podcast to give us some financial tips and advice for orthodontics. This is especially timely as businesses plan their end of the year tax strategies, the recent change in the presidential administration, and the ongoing effects of the pandemic, specifically for practices that took Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans in 2020.

In this episode, we cover some important topics like:

• Statistics about practice performance over the last seven months after Covid
• Preparation for PPP loan forgiveness and the Provider Relief Funds filing
• Financial advice in case orthodontists again have to stop seeing patients in-person for any length of time
• How potential tax law changes under President-elect Biden will impact orthodontists
• Last-minute 2020 tax planning strategies and advice

Brad Kucharo is both a Certified Public Accountant and Certified Financial Planner and has been providing customized tax and business planning services exclusively for the dental profession since 2007. He has helped over 500 dentists and specialists across the country plan for financial independence reduced stress and greater peace of mind. Brad also developed and directs John McGill & Company’s comprehensive “Planning for Retirement” service. He formerly worked at Price Waterhouse Coopers and is a current member of the American Institute of CPA’s and the North Carolina Association of Certified public accountants.

For show notes and more: pplpractice.com