Clackamas Dental Consultant | Dental Practice Solutions | Dental Consultant Near Me

Dental Consultant in Oregon | Converting Leads into Patients

By: admin

March 22, 2018

Marketing is an essential part of attracting new business. Strong print and internet marketing materials can help introduce your practice to potential new patients. Glowing reviews and testimonials tell people that you have a trustworthy team and offer quality care. However, even the best marketing efforts won’t contribute anything to your business if you fail to convert leads into patients. There are a variety of reasons outside of your control that might stop someone from scheduling an appointment at your practice, but it’s important to make sure you do all you can to help motivate people to seek treatment with you. Below are some tips to help your team more effectively sell the value of your service to potential new patients.

Be responsive and available. As a dental professional, you know what it’s like to be busy. Often, your patients have busy lives of their own. Make sure your team is available to take calls as they come and try to offer flexible appointment times to help people work within their limited free time.

Don’t be too pushy. While it’s helpful to be clear about all the treatments offered at your practice, patients are often turned off by overly “salesy” approaches. Take the time to get to know a patient and their needs, goals, and budget before trying to sell them on dental solutions. This will make them feel valued and understood, increasing the likelihood of treatment plan acceptance.

Offer a friendly and welcoming environment. There are a number of people who absolutely dread going to the dentist. Because of that, some potential patients may already have a negative feeling towards you and your team despite no fault of your own. Work to overcome this discomfort quickly by offering a personable and kind environment. Make sure your team greets patients by name and gets to know a bit about them. A little can go a long way.

Don’t lose track of people. Repetition is one of the easiest techniques for cementing something into memory. If a potential new patient contacts your office, be sure to follow up if you don’t hear from them again. You never know the reason they didn’t call back, so taking that step for them can offer a second chance to make a connection and help your practice stand out more in their mind.

Many dentists find it difficult to think about their practice as a business. It is likely that you chose dentistry due to a passion for service and healing, not bookkeeping or sales. Yet nearly any successful retailer will say that the only way to gain business is to give customers what they want, when they want it. Contact us for more strategies on boosting new patient numbers and patient retention!

Debbie Seidel-Bittke, RDH, BS

Debbie Seidel-Bittke, RDH, BS is a dental consultant, coach, speaker and author. She is also CEO of Dental Practice Solutions. Debbie is a world-class leader in creating profitable hygiene departments. She is well-known as a former clinical assistant professor at USC in Los Angeles and a former hygiene department program director. Dentistry Today recognizes Debbie as a Leader in Dental Consulting. She can be reached at (888) 816-1511. Send an e-mail to info@dentalpracticesolutions.com or go to her website: https://dentalpracticesolutions.com

Check out the Free 3-Part Hygiene Department Training: http://www.dentalhygiene.solutions

Oregon Dental Consultant | What is your BIG Audacious Goal for 2018?

By: admin

March 20, 2018

It’s that time of year…again! The gym was packed tonight. I could barely find a parking spot! Even my chiropractor was running 20 minutes behind schedule. He told me this month of January is very busy with people wanting to take care of their health.

I started seeing a chiropractor in August 2017 (After someone ran into my car and then ran off! Another story, another time) and no one else was even scheduled at the same time as my appointment.

If you think this blog is a bit trite, let me explain…. The Dow Jones was at an all high record!

What does this mean for you?

It means that people are spending money.

So, what will you do differently in 2018?

What is your BIG audacious goal?

Are you thinking you are ready to retire?

Are you thinking 2017 was good enough?

If you said “yes” to the two questions above and if you say the Dow Jones on January 4, 2017, I want to suggest you step outside your comfort zone.

Want to retire in the next five years?

Yes?

I suggest you make a commitment. Call it a resolution to improve your treatment planning and case acceptance skills.

Check out some of the classes at the numerous dental conferences with your team and especially your hygienist. Your hygienist should be the one team member who gets your patients “set-up” to accept treatment before you doctor, even walk in that hygiene room to begin your exam.

Are you satisfied with your production and collections in 2017?

Yes?

My suggestion is that you run some reports such as unscheduled hygiene appointments and unscheduled treatment. These are two great areas to look at.

This is important to do now because you want to tap into this time of abundance in our world. IT is happening NOW.

Whether you want to retire this year, in five years or in twenty-five years today is the day to write down your BIG audacious goals.

AUDACIOUS GOAL

Why an audacious goal?

I saw an audacious goal because if you don’t step outside of your comfort zone, things will remain the same for you.

Comfort Zone. Definition: a place or situation where one feels safe or at ease and without stress.

Or put another way: To Remain the Same.

How will you accomplish your audacious goal?

Create a new habit.

The second thing you need to do is write down your goal and the third is to have confidence that you can achieve this goal.

What is the #1 habit I have now accomplished?

I wrote it down and I also have confidence that I can absolutely achieve this goal.

It is one VERY simple goal. What is it????

I have started to make my bed every day.

Ok. SO, it’s day 5 in 2018, and I am telling you that it is so simple that I have achieved it.

Your audacious goal needs to be a simple one. It needs to be something that you absolutely, without a doubt, can accomplish.

You must write this down.

I also want to suggest that you write these goals down as a team.

If you want to have your own goals, that is fine but if you have business goals, to accomplish them, you will need 100% team participation.

YOUR WHY

Now that you have decided to write down at least one goal you will accomplish in 2018 (Love my optimism? lol), I want to ask that you think about WHY you want to increase _______________.

The reason you must get clear on this is because if you make $100,000 more in 2018, your front office employee(s) still make $12.hr (Maybe more. Maybe less) which means nothing is in it for them.

Your “Why” can be to spend more time with your family. In this case maybe you want to work three days and not four each week. If this is an example of your goal in 2018, I suggest that you allow your employees work on this goal, so they can earn the same salary in three days.

When you create your goal, it needs to be shared with your team. Remember, they are there to support your vision for the practice, so you must find a way to involve your entire team if you want to accomplish your dream.

Tips to Prioritize the Action Plan

Identify what needs to be done to accomplish your goal(s).

For example: If you want to improve the number of New Patients who come to your office in 2018, write down your number accomplished in 2017.

Write down the systems, the processes needed to achieve your audacious goal(s).
Write down who needs to do what and when to accomplish your goal(s).
Accountability is key so have one person who will report on your progress.
Finally, is to look at your goal(s) daily and do at least one task that will move you towards accomplishing your goal(s).

Whatever you do, enjoy accomplishing your BIG audacious goal(s). Life is too short to be stressed every day.

Remember to do something small every day to achieve your goal. Create one habit that will get you to your goal(s) in 2018.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Debbie Seidel-Bittke, RDH, BS

Check out the Free 3-Part Hygiene Department Training: http://www.dentalhygiene.solutions

Dental Consultant | Now is the Time for Tax Planning for Your Practice

By: admin

March 15, 2018

By Doug Fettig, CPA, MBA

In case you hadn’t noticed, the annual “tax season” is upon us, with everyone working towards the tax deadline of April 15^th! However, you may not fully appreciate how engaging in tax planning with your CPA or financial advisor throughout the course of the year can pay huge dividends, both in stress and in your final tax bill. So, when the dust settles from this year’s tax season, resist the temptation to go back to “business as usual.”

The earlier in the year you begin your tax planning process, the more your CPA can leverage the change in tax laws to ensure that your dental practice is maximizing the tax benefits and minimizing the tax impacts. A forward-thinking CPA will engage in tax planning with their clients several times during the year, creating the best possible tax situation and also ensuring that you are not hit with a “tax surprise” after year-end. After all, nobody likes to get a call from their CPA informing them that their tax bill will be bigger than was originally estimated!

Here are three really good reasons to make time for your tax professional now and to get your dental practice and your personal financials in the best shape possible.

One: It’s Time to Get Your Financial House in Order

Before your tax professionals can prepare your annual tax filings, your books will be evaluated to ensure that all transactions have been posted correctly. By starting the process during the year, your tax professionals can help you tidy up your records for the majority of the year and institute process changes to address any systematic errors.

This quick turnaround provides multiple benefits including:

You’re in a position to satisfy bank covenants by supplying accurate financial statements during the first month of the New Year.
You’ll have a clear sense of where you stand financially when making important decisions during the year regarding investments in your dental practice, employee compensation, wealth management, and tax planning.
You’ll get ahead of the curve when you aren’t bumping up against a filing deadline.

In other words: Since you’ll need to do it anyway, why not get a head start?

Two: It’s Time to Leverage Your Financial Data for Business Planning

During the year, not at year-end, is the appropriate time for a real-time look at your finances. A clean, up-to-date set of financial statements and the associated management reports transforms your “gut feel” for the health of the dental practice into concrete metrics to evaluate revenue streams, operational efficiency, and financial controls.

These reports generated from your dental practice can help you answer key questions about the business, such as:

Is your dental practice attracting the right clientele to reach the target reimbursement rates for services rendered?
Is the mix of services at your dental practice attaining target profitability?
Is the dental practice managing receivables to minimize late payments and delinquencies?

A dental practice with soft performance can leverage this data and associated expert advice to institute strategies, process changes, scripting changes, and/or employee development initiatives to render improvements during the year. Even the strongest dental practice can find room for improvement.

A mid-review by your tax professionals can provide information to help you make investment decisions with respect to the dental practice – e.g., leasehold improvements or capital equipment procurement. It may trigger a review and update on insurance coverage for your practice as well.

Three: Meet with Your Tax Professional to Develop Your Tax Plan

A mid-year conference with your tax professional places you in the driver’s seat for the work you’ll do together in the remainder of the year. You can take the opportunity to outline your anticipated financial reporting requirements – e.g., tax returns for bank loans, student loans. You can schedule your collective resources when it makes the most sense for your dental practice. And you can outline your mutual obligations to ensure thorough and professional accounting services and tax filings with the least amount of effort on both sides of the table. It’s good for your dental practice and good for the bottom line.

Summary

Without a doubt, the insights that you glean by engaging in tax planning during the year can inform actions that will benefit you and your dental practice in the coming year and beyond. What better gift could you give yourself?

If you would like more information or would a free consultation regarding your tax or retirement plan status, please contact Doug Fettig at dfettig@aldrichadvisors.com or at 503-716-9316.

Bios

Doug Fettig, CPA, MBA, is a consultant and dental speaker within the Dental Services Group at Aldrich CPAs + Advisors, ranked as one of the top 100 accounting firms nationwide. With over 25 years of business and consulting experience, Doug has the unique ability to understand dentists’ needs and help them grow efficient and profitable practices. His insight allows him to effectively communicate business concepts to dental practices while strategically addressing tax, investment, and retirement planning needs.

Your Dental Practice Profitability Compass

By: admin

November 29, 2017

How much time did you spend planning your last vacation?

Did you map it out?

Or, did you just throw some clothes in a suitcase and take-off in your car headed in what you thought was the quickest path to your destination?

I bet that you took many hours to plan your last vacation and you started packing probably the week before you left.

In today’s world of technology, you pulled up your map using your mobile device and maybe you printed the directions on your laser printer.

How much time do you spent planning your day at the dental office?

Does your team have a practice profitability compass?

Your Compass

The compass we provide our clients is what you probably know as a “team huddle.”

Once you have this system in place, it should take about ten minutes to plan your day.

The entire team will audit their area of expertise.

Here are a few suggestions to organize your team huddle:

Begin with the financial coordinator (Office manager or similar position) reporting on production/ collections: Monthly goal and your current month-to-date production/collections. Talk about what went well the previous day and what did not go well, etc.
Scheduling coordinator reports on open holes in today schedule and in the near future. Let the team know about ER patient availability. Provide doctor with a list of new patients for him/her to call before their 1^st (Yes! This is something different and you will stand out among other dentists in your community if you do this one thing!)
Hygienists come to this meeting with an understanding and communicate to the team about which patients need: new medical history, Oral ID™ FMX/BWX, doctor exam, perio charting, outstanding restorative needs, family members who also need a hygiene appointment or restorative care, post-op call update (For all patients who received local anesthesia), etc.
Assistants audit their schedule to share and inquire about patients with special needs, local anesthetic needed, type of impression needed, results of post-op calls from the day before, which patients have family members who need a hygiene or restorative appointment, etc.
Yes, even doctor has a part in the morning team huddle. We suggest that our doctor call all new patients scheduled during the week prior to their 1^st appointment. Doctor will report on the outcome of this quick call to welcome the new patient.

When everyone takes time to look at their schedule and review their patient needs as listed above, you will discover adjunctive and necessary services your scheduled patients and their family members need.

When you look at your practice profitability compass you can work together as a team to close various gaps in meeting your goals. You will also be able to serve your patients at a much higher level.

Closing the Gaps

Maybe you are still scratching your head. Some of you think meetings are a waste of time.

What I am suggesting is that everyone let the team know what is needed to make the day profitable, efficient and provides the best care for the patients.

Your morning team huddle will help navigate your day and eliminate any un-necessary bottlenecks which might occur.

This compass is what makes a day that has a smooth landing without turbulence.

Be sure to grab this free 3-part hygiene video department training, webinar on the Gingivitis Code plus flowchart on training the patient with gingivitis and Strategic Planning Session: http://www.dentalhygiene.solutions/

You can reach Dental Practice Solutions to schedule a complimentary strategic planning session by calling 949-351-8741 or you can send an email to: admin@dentalpracticesollutions.com

You can also go to the website: www.https://dentalpracticesolutions.com

Newport Beach Dental Consultant | How Do We Bill It and Get Reimbursed?

By: admin

November 3, 2017

Please join Founder of Dental Practice Solutions, Debbie Seidel-Bittke and Consultant, JoAnn Leon
for the course
“How Do We Bill It and Get Reimbursed?”

JoAnn Leon will walk attendees through the correct treatment and billing sequence for reimbursement to occur is a timely manner.

Proper sequence must occur for many services so patients insurance will reimburse the service rendered.

The following topics and challenges offices often face will be covered at the upcoming course:

Extractions – Routine or Surgical: Why you may not be getting paid.
Bone Graft at the Time of Extraction: What is your billing sequence and information submitted to insurance co.?
Ortho Extractions: Are you getting paid? JoAnn will share exactly how these need to properly be submitted to insurance for expedited insurance reimbursement.
Dry Sockets: Are you getting paid? JoAnn will discuss the proper method for reimbursement.
Offices with Invisalign: How are you billing? Steps to expedite reimbursement.
Emergency visits: How to use the after hours code.
Proper Billing for Occlusal Adjustment.
And so much more!

Course Information

Course Date: November 30, 2017
Dinner Begins at 6:00 PM
Course: 6:30 PM – 8:30 PM
2 CE Credits

Click Here to Register

**Limited Seats Available**

We ask that those attending bring their billing challenges as JoAnn will take time to personally work with you to ensure these claims are reimbursed.

We look forward to seeing you there.

Secret Ingredients to Your Dental Practice Success

By: admin

May 25, 2017

The Ingredients to Your Dental Practice Success

The success of a dental practice depends upon doctor “OWNING” their business, taking the lead, building up their team and then implementing all the systems, info, etc., provided to them by the dental practice management consultant.

Dental Practice Solutions can only deliver the ingredients for your dental practice to use. It is up to you to implement and use the knowledge we provide. This is how it all comes together to create HUGE SUCCESS!

I am “Over the Moon” excited to receive this message when I awoke this morning.

This is the message I received from our client:

“Looks like we will do over $45k this week.

We have smashed target for the month of May, thanks to the hygienist packages.”

~Dr. Rachel Hall, Evolve Dental Healing

Secret Ingredients to Your Dental Practice Success:

“Hygienist Packages” refers to our proprietary system for dental hygienists (also the doctor, treatment and financial coordinator) to present patients to increase case acceptance and payment of hygiene services.

If you would like to see how this can work for your dental practice please contact our strategy coach Vanessa Garman for a complimentary strategy session. Vanessa can put together a plan and discuss how this will work for you:

Call her to schedule this time: 949-351-8741 or Email to Schedule: vanessa@dentalpracticesolutions.com

#ourclientsrock #dentistryrocks

Debbie Seidel-Bittke, RDH, BS One of Dentistry Today’s Top Consultants

ABOUT DEBBIE SEIDEL, RDH, BS

Debbie is the CEO and Founder of Dental Practice Solutions. She is a former dental hygiene program director for a hygiene school in Portland, Oregon as well as a former clinical assistant professor at the University of Southern California.

She also co-taught the Practice Management Course at USC for the senior dental students.

Through her wealth of knowledge and development of curriculum Debbie and her team at Dental Practice Solutions serves dentists throughout the world. Debbie not only consults with offices globally but she speaks at most of the

national dental conferences as well as writes for many of the dental journals.

Contact our strategic planning coach to create your next level of success just like Dr. Rachel Hall has done. Email Vanessa

Website: www.https://dentalpracticesolutions.com

Maximizing Your Capacity Inside the Dental Jungle

By: admin

December 28, 2016

Maximizing Your Dental Practice Capacity

In the dental jungle there are thousands of success stories. Let me introduce you to our guide an elite dentist, a peak performer, in our dental industry. His name is Dr. Frank Frederickson.

DENTAL HYGIENE DEPARTMENT/TEAM EMPOWERMENT – MAXIMIZING YOUR CAPACITY INSIDE THE DENTAL JUNGLE

Dr. Carley Carlson is a dentist of five years. She purchased a dental practice three years ago from a dentist who basically let his practice die. She was able to get a good deal on the price of this practice because it was run down by the previous dentist.

Dr. Carlson decided that in 2017 she wants to take a big leap forward so she has paid to travel into the dental jungle and she has hired her guide named Dr. Frederickson.

Dr. Carlson’s first goal is to break the two million dollar mark for 2017. She knows that focusing on her dental hygiene department will be one of the best ways to accomplish her big goal for 2017.

Dr. Carlson’s question to Dr. Frederickson is, “How do I break the two million dollar mark in 2017?” Dr. Frederickson’s response: “In all honesty, not many dentists think like this but those who do, they actually do it. Size doesn’t matter. You will only be limited by what lies inside the mind.”

Simply put, dentistry is a series of interactions. The student learns from his or her professors and then they will apply what they learn on their patients. A dentist learns from his advanced General Practice Residency and applies what he or she learns on her patients. An experienced dentist moves up the ladder of success by taking continuing education courses; one symposium at a time, adding to their repertoire to help patients.

The king of dental learning experiences a life of success inside the dental jungle with their guide such as Dr. Frederickson.

In the team training with Dr. Frederickson; an experienced mentor or coach, combined with the “Empowered Hygiene” curriculum, you exactly what your team needs to grow your dental practice. Each member of your team will have a leadership role with specific responsibilities, accountability and support to grow the dental practice.

Dr. Frederickson says that empowering the team, providing leadership and accountability from your guide, aka: your coach, will yield the biggest boost to your dental practice.

I’m not just boasting about being “The Guide” so that others can achieve the same outstanding results that our other doctors who walked through the Dental Jungle have experienced, but I do know that doctors who allow a guide to take them through the dental jungle, they double their practice production.

Because they follow a guide who has traveled through the jungle before them, it’s conceivable that a two million dollar practice for Dr. Carlson is easily within reach.

Within a local study club, you have dentists who are competing for patients. By contrast, your guide and everyone supporting you, take a personal interest in you doing well. That in itself can’t hurt when you have the right mindset.

In our Hygiene Department, Team Training, we ensure success by creating a team driven practice. The team members are empowered to be their very best. This means that your team members are peak performers. Each member of the team has a leadership role with accountability and rewards for their success.

I really enjoy helping doctors walk through the dental jungle to maximize their capacity. The leap to your next million dollars in 2017 is only limited by your mindset.

The Hygiene Empowerment with Team Training, will be the best investment you can make for your success in 2017. There is no other place you can go to deposit one dollar and have a return of ten dollars! And those dollars earn dividends for years to come.

Let me know if you are ready to walk with your guide through the dental jungle in 2017. I’d like to show you the way.

You may want to ask about our Mastermind Training which begins on Friday January 20, 2017. Schedule a Call with Debbie Seidel-Bittke, RDH, BS and Dr. Bill Williams

One of Dentistry Today's top dental consultants

Debbie Seidel- Bittke, RDH, BS Dental Hygiene Consultant

Debbie Seidel-Bittke, RDH, BS is a dental consultant, coach, speaker and author. She is also CEO of Dental Hygiene Solutions, powered by Dental Practice Solutions. Debbie is a world-class leader in creating profitable hygiene departments. She is well-known as a former clinical assistant professor at USC in Los Angeles and a former hygiene department program director. Dentistry Today recognizes Debbie as a Leader in Dental Consulting. She can be reached at (888) 816-1511. Send an e-mail to info@dentalpracticesolutions.com or go to her website: https://dentalpracticesolutions.com

Minimize Short-Notice Cancellations and No-Shows: Important Facts You Need to Know

By: admin

May 28, 2013

What can you say about your schedule today? We are about half way through another year so if you have something you are not satisfied with let’s do something about this challenge. I promise you are not alone!

In a recent survey we took, the most common complaint from dental offices was about cancellations and no-shows. Most reported 2-3 openings in the hygiene schedule daily.

First let’s take a look through a critical eye and dig into this very common situation. Why do you think your patients cancel or no-show for their appointments? Why do hygiene schedules have so many openings? And what can you do about it now?

Have you assessed the reasons why your patients are cancelling short-notice? What are they not showing for their appointment? When you have a clear

Understanding of your patients’ behavior and when you know that you are communicating the benefits or your care, now you can develop an effective plan to reduce cancellations.

At a team meeting this month, review how many short-notice cancellations and no-shows occurred in the past 30 days. Write down the top three reasons patients call to cancel. Do you understand why they neglected to show for their appointment? These answers will shed some light on the problem you have at hand and now you can create working solutions.

Perhaps you have thought about charging or, maybe, you currently charge a cancellation/ no-show fee. I don’t recommend this. First of all, you can’t legally charge for a service that was not rendered. This will also not change the patients’ negative behavior.

There will be a lot of cancellations in the dental hygiene department when patients believe they are coming in for “just a cleaning” and they do not understand how important oral health is to their overall body wellness.

Set a goal of no more than a 5% cancellation rate.

Make sure that your patients understand the urgency of preventive care vs. the urgency of emergency after hour calls to resolve a tooth problem!

Your Appointment Change Policy

The most effective policy to stop the last minute cancellations and no-shows is to ask for 72 hours notice should your patient need to change the day and time of an appointment. I recommend that if patients need to change their dental appointment that they give you 72 hours notice. The reason I suggest this is to stop anyone from scrambling to fill a hole in your schedule last minute and if you don’t work on Fridays this means a patient can’t cancel after Thursday.

When you are out of the office the phone message needs to alert patients that your answering service/machine does not accept appointment changes and they are to call back during your business hours. State your business hours on the phone message.

If you are setting a new policy in place make sure that your patients read and sign acknowledgment of this at their dental visit to your office. You may want to have this posted in treatment rooms, on postcards sent to patients confirming their hygiene appointment and definitely post in the reception area. Include this in your financial policy especially what you charge for missed or last minute cancellations. Do attempt to charge for this fee if patients are not following your policy. I am not going to say that in a court of law you can legally collect on this but I believe patients need to have respect for your time and your business policies.

Always document no-shows and last minute cancellations as well as the reason they have cancelled or no-showed.

One proven method to stop last minute cancellations and no-shows is to use Forever White™. This is a patient incentive program utilizing whitening for your patients. Forever White™ is the same premium whitening product that many offices use today however, Dental Practice Solutions can offer this to dental offices at wholesale prices. There are no hidden monthly fees to order. If you are whitening patient’s teeth for the first time, the take-home trays and whitening gel cost to your office is less than $8.00. Typically patients pay a lot of money to whiten their teeth whether it is take home trays and/or laser whitening. If you can purchase tooth bleaching products for very little cost you can pass this savings over to your patients. When a patient comes in without short-notice cancellation or without failing to show for their appointment, twice a year, at their dental hygiene appointment, patients qualify for a free syringe to whiten their teeth. The cost-benefit ratio of giving a patient two syringes of gel, (1 syringe two times a year) vs. the cost of an open hole in the schedule is a WIN!

Most people work off that mentality of WIIFM?! (What’s in it for me?!)

If a patient understands they can get free touch-ups for whitening how likely are they to miss their dental appointment? Not likely. Isn’t that correct?

I have been in offices and heard the patients calling to cancel because they have a hair appointment. This means the patient never really did value their appointment.

How can you build value for optimal overall health and give patients something they really want? It takes effective and consistent communication about the important benefits of optimal oral health that will create urgency with patients over time.

It is all in your hands. What will you do differently today?

A Plan to Change Patients’ Lives ‘One Smile at a Time!’

By: admin

April 18, 2013

“Dentistry is about changing lives!” I had no idea when I chose to become a dental hygienist that I would be able to help patients live a longer and healthier life! Besides providing optimal health we also create beautiful smiles!

How does a dental office plan to create beautiful smiles, optimal patient health, be profitable and with little to now stress? The answer lies in how you begin your day. You may rush into the office at the last minute but if you take time to breathe, meet as a team for 10-15 minutes and prepare for a dream day at the office, everything else can be like the icing on the cake!

Start your day at the office or the day before by reviewing the patient charts. Then discuss as a team, the days patients, challenges, difficult personalities, pre-medication, special needs, exams, x-rays, exams needed, emergency time available, etc. The morning team meeting is where you can create your plan for success and it is where the profitability is maximized for the practice. Make sure you have an effective plan not just recite who is coming into the office. Talk about bottlenecks, who has outstanding treatment and where ER appointments can be fit in, etc. This is not a good time to flip through charts but to come prepared with valuable information to share with each other.

Have your financial coordinator or the office manager report to your office production and collections. Are you on track and what will you do when there is a decrease production? Allow the team to experience bliss when there is an increase in production! What is your plan to celebrate success?

Communication

If you want success treating patients with aesthetic and periodontal disease communication is key. Annually have your patient complete a smile evaluation during the hygiene appointment.

Ask you patient to complete a small intake form about their smile when they check in for their appointment. When the patient is seated in the chair have the hygienist give the patient a mirror, show the patient a shade guide and have the patient pick what shade they believe they are according to the guide. You will soon find out you open doors to aesthetic treatment that patients never would have dreamed about completing.

Use the intraoral camera to document not only restorative concerns but bleeding, heavy calculus and plaque.

Ask yourself these questions: “Did I ask my patient the right kind of questions? “Did I ask questions that only allowed my patient to answer yes or no?” “Did I ask my patient to express their ideas and concerns?” Did you really understand emotions inside of your patient?” If you answered “No” to any of these questions, there is a good chance your patient will not be satisfied with the outcome, regardless of how clinically sound any treatment is presented. It is possible that your patient may not be in the right frame of mind to hear your answers to their questions.

Sit down at a team meeting and know what questions you need to be asking patients.

Treatment Planning

Treatment planning for aesthetic dentistry and all preventive treatment concerns should be a group effort. This includes doctor, the entire team, the lab and even referral dentists. Your patient expectations need to be met for the entire process of communication, case acceptance and future patient relationships to continue. It is very important that patients understand their end result and personal benefits for completing treatment recommendations.

Sit down as a team and discover what your patients really want. Have you taken a patients survey to understand what they really want from you as their dental healthcare provider? How do you measure the success of your communication and listening skills? What percentages of treatment plans are outstanding? How do you know that patient understand the benefits and why they really need the treatment completed?

When was the last time you assessed your outstanding treatment plans? What is your plan to get those treatment plans completed this year? When was the last time you discussed outstanding treatment and alternative options with those patients?

Get to “YES!”

Of course you want your patients to respond with “YES!” You just need to know what questions to ask them. Listen closely to their answers and what their body language as they are speaking. They are giving you their honesty with many non-verbal clues.

Creating the Plan

Each morning, come prepared to discuss options to hear more patients say “YES!” each day. Monitor your successes and keep track of the outstanding treatment plans. If you find many patients leave the office saying “I need to think about it” or “Let me talk to my husband” let me suggest it is time to look at your verbal skills and make some changes in your communication skills.

We are in the business of changing people’s lives. We really can change each patient’s life just one smile at a time. Imagine the great feeling and rewards you will experience if you can change a smile that your patient has never imagined possible!

Communication, planning, and execution can go a long way when you provide optimal health and excellent aesthetic dentistry. Now we’re talking success!