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Dental Consultant in Clackamas | Give your dental marketing a boost in 2018

By: admin

February 14, 2018

Guest Blog By: Mandy Fischer of LocalMed.

Was one of your New Year resolutions for 2018 to improve your marketing strategy and bring in record numbers of new patients?

If it was, but you’re not entirely sure where to begin – we have some suggestions for you! These 5 action points can help you decide where to focus your time and effort this year in order to take your marketing to the next level.

Take advantage of peer-sharing groups.

If you’re looking for a sure-fire way to expand your marketing toolkit this year that requires nothing but your time and effort, check out and get involved in the groups that already exist for your benefit on social media.

There are dozens of groups and forums out there where dentists, office managers, consultants and marketing professionals are discussing best practices, what works and what doesn’t. Make it your mission to find at least one group that you can contribute and ask questions in this year!

2. Audit your digital presence.

Google yourself, and check out the first few pages of results. Make sure that your practice’s name, phone number, address, email address, web address and doctor’s name are all correct on every listing. If it isn’t – make a note of it, and fix it ASAP. If there’s differing information, you’re doing significant harm to your brand and likely losing potential patients.

Your digital presence is there to build trust with potential patients, and if you’re providing conflicting information, they’re just going to choose a different dentist.

3. Be strategically social with your patients.

Take a critical look at your social media strategy. Are your posts engaging people, or is nobody looking? Make it your mission to post relevant, fun, personable information that will make people WANT to come to your office! One of your most valuable assets is your branding – and that includes your social voice!

Post authentic photos of you and your staff having fun in the office, or happy patients (make sure to comply with HIPAA law) – and stay away from posting anything clinical that will scare away patients (i.e. a before and after of teeth whitening is fine, but a patient being prepped for implants is not!).

Diagnose your overall brand health.

Your brand includes your visual assets, your brand voice and your customer experience. Evaluate your office’s current efforts, and come up with a specific plan for improvement.

Some questions you can ask to diagnose how you’re doing:

What are your reviews saying? Do you have any reviews? Are they old or negative?
What is your social media interaction like? Is your social brand voice unique and engaging?
What’syour marketing materials look like? Do you have a library of mismatched assets that could be attributed to any dental practice? Do you have a brand guide that establishes standard fonts, colors and voice?
What are the common complaints or comments patients have made in regards to your calls, procedures or marketing? Ask your staff. What can you do to make their experience even better!

Close the loop on your marketing.

In addition to the tasks above, make sure you have a comprehensive marketing strategy in place. Facebook ads, direct mailers, referrals and ground marketing are all great ways of getting the word about your practice out.

But how do you convert leads into patients? If it’s by phone call only, or an “online request”, it’s time to upgrade to a better system.

Real-time online scheduling is the missing piece that closes the loop on your patient acquisition process. Enable patients to schedule an appointment with your office from wherever they find you, like your website, Google, Facebook, HealthGrades, Yelp, etc.

By giving patients the option of booking their appointment on the their own time, you can significantly increase your conversion rate on your current marketing efforts, meaning more patients in your door without needing to add any additional marketing strategies.

AUTHOR: Mandy Fischer
Marketing Coordinator for Local Med

Thank you to our guest blogger this month! We had a wonderful response a few months ago when Mandy wrote for us. We appreciate LocalMed and all they do to get patients scheduled even when you are not there to answer the phone call.

Clackamas Dental Consultant | 4 Tips for More Productive Employees

By: admin

January 23, 2018

Research has shown time and again that happiness plays a large role in the productivity of employees. For example, a study conducted by Google saw a 37% increase in productivity as a result of initiatives focused on improving employee morale. Financial incentives alone are often not enough to boost employee performance, as our brains are hardwired to respond to positivity.

Here are 5 simple tips you can follow to help improve happiness in your team. For more solutions for running a more productive practice, contact our firm today!

Give recognition where it’s due. Employees that feel valued are more likely feel happy about their work. Take time to recognize positive contributions of the team. Not only will this make the recognized employee feel proud of their work, it can also incentivize others to work harder to achieve the same praise.
Get them invested. It’s most likely the case that financial gain was not your sole reason for starting your business. Maybe you’ve had a lifelong passion for helping others. Maybe you’ve always been fascinated with the science of dentistry. Whatever those reasons were, share them with your team! Knowing that they’re contributing to something bigger can help employees take pride in the work they do, no matter their role.
Set clearer goals. When your employees don’t have a clear expectation of their role, it can be difficult for them to recognize whether or not they are performing well and lead to increased stress about their work. By setting clearer expectations of your employees and goals for your business as a whole, your employees will have a standard to judge their work against, and therefore be able to feel better about good performance.
Promote from within when possible. A common concern of employees is a fear that they won’t be able to grow in their current jobs. By establishing a culture of development and promotion from within the company, you’re clearly communicating to your employees that you want them to see your office as a long-term home, not just another job.

Studies indicate that US companies lose about $500 billion annually due to loss of productivity caused by unhappiness at work. Don’t let your team be a part of this problem. If you’re looking for additional strategies for running a happier, more productive office, contact our firm today!

Dental Consultant | Don’t Discredit Your Value

By: admin

January 2, 2018

Many people may not recognize the value that their dental provider brings to their lives. From the improved confidence that comes with a straighter, brighter smile to the life-saving benefits of regular dental care, you have the opportunity to make a profound difference in the lives of your patients. Finding ways to help patients recognize the value you offer will also help them recognize the importance of dental care and can turn your patients into raving fans. Below are some tips that can help patients better understand your value.

Build awareness of the dental solutions you offer.
Often, the reason patients fail to seek treatment from their dentist is simply a lack of information about available options. For example, if they don’t know you treat sleep apnea, they’ll never think to ask you about it. Make it easier for patients to learn about your offered services. Whether you do this through your website, printed materials, or simply by talking to them, this will be the most effective first step in opening the door to growth.

Be proud of your credentials.
People often fail to realize just how much work goes into becoming a dentist. From undergrad and dental school to continuing education, you should showcase your expertise. You can do this by hanging your diploma on the wall or by posting videos online about continuing education.

Build a connection.
Get to know your patients and what’s going on in their lives. This will show that you don’t just see them as another mouth to treat. These relationships will make your practice stand out in your patients’ minds and keep them coming back with referrals.

If you are having trouble maintaining patients or have low new patient numbers, an undervaluing of your service could be the problem. A simple way to begin resolving this is through building relationships with your patients and clearly explaining the expertise and solutions you offer.

For more guidance on how to share your value with current and potential patients, contact us today!

HOW TO SPOT AN OROFACIAL MYOFUNCTIONAL DISORDER DURING THE HYGIENE VISIT; Five signs to look for that could change a life

By: admin

December 13, 2017

Have you noticed that some patients tend to have more lunch stuck on their teeth then others?

You know the patient that comes in and apologizes for eating on the way to her appointment. You tell her that it is fine, that you are just glad she had lunch. When she opens her mouth, you are shocked. It appears that the entire bagel is still in her mouth, smashed up against her teeth. How is that possible?

Then there is the 60-year old man that instantly falls asleep when you lean the chair back and starts snoring just as you are going to give him an injection. How about the cute little six-year old girl that has a speech impediment, or the five-year old boy with an overjet and long skinny face with dark circles under his eyes.

You may have thought that the lady with the bagel mouth was just not kind enough to clean up before her appointment, and left you to do it for her. Well, it is very likely that she has an ankylosed tongue that does not allow her tongue to reach up high enough to clean food debris off of her teeth.

It may be obvious to you right away that the 60-year old man is suffering from sleep apnea, but did you know that is could be due to his tongue not being able to reach up to the roof of his mouth. It is literally blocking his airway at night because it rests on the floor of this mouth.

That cute little six-year old girl hasn’t been able to develop proper speech patterns due to a tongue thrust. And you got it, the five-year old boy is a thumb sucker. These are all signs of an Orofacial Myofunctional Disorder (OMD).

HOW TO SCREEN FOR OROFACIAL MYOFUNCTIONAL DISORDERS

Dentists and hygienists are in a prime position to screen for Orofacial Myofunctional Disorders. There are several signs we can screen for to determine if the patient may have a disorder and benefit from seeing a trained therapist. The following are some of the most commons signs:

Upper or Lower Lip Frenum Restriction

Jaw Pain or Clicking/Popping

Mouth Breathing

Sleep Apnea

Snoring

Ankyloglossia (tongue tie)

Forward Head Posture

Neck Pain

Enlarged Tonsils/Adenoids

Acid Reflex

Narrow Palate or Crooked Teeth

ADHD

If you are new to learning about OMT, keep it simple by starting with these five signs and symptoms:

Ankyloglossia

Commonly referred to as “tongue-tie” occurs when the lingual frenulum is too short to allow for normal tongue movements. Best if done with the patient in an upright position. Have the patient open wide and lift his tongue to the roof of his mouth. Determine is he is able to reach his tongue up to his incisive papilla easily or if he struggles. Then have him stick his tongue straight out, if the tip appears heart shaped, this is a sign that he is tongue tied. The heart shape apex happens when the frenum is short and pulls down the center of the tongue.

Low tongue rest posture

Think mouth breather. When nasal breathing is impaired, the jaw drops and the tongue rests low and forward in the mouth in order to open the airway for breathing. It may be that nasal breathing is not impaired, but mouth breathing has become a habit. Watch for your patients resting position. Is the mouth open? Is he breathing out of his mouth or nose?

Tongue Thrust

Tongue thrust is in which the anterior surface of the tongue makes repeated contact with any of the anterior teeth, or protrudes between the arches. Have the patient swallow for you while you are holding his bottom lip. If he has a tongue thrust he may have a very hard time swallowing. He may need to pull the lower lip out of your hand in order to complete the swallow. In a healthy swallow, the tongue rests in the palate, the teeth come together, and then the person swallows. The facial muscle should not move, so any lip puckering or licking of the lips before swallowing should be warning signs of tongue thrust. Another sign will be an anterior open bite.

Sleep Apnea

When you place a patient in the supine position and he immediately falls asleep and starts to snore, this is a sign that he may have sleep apnea or other conditions keeping him up at night. Luckily for us trying to get work done, this does not happen very often. In most cases you will need to question the patient. You will often get the response of “my wife tells me I snore, but I don’t know”. If nothing else, this is an opportunity for them to become mindful of possible snoring and to question their spouse or use a sleeping app to record their sleeping patterns and sounds. Referring the patient to have a sleep study or consult with his medical doctor is a good place to start.

Digit Sucking

Although there are adults that suck their thumb, odds are that most of your thumb sucking patients will be children. It may be an easy screening if you see the child suck his thumb, but often they will not do it in public and you will have to look for signs and question the parents. Look for an anterior open bite and a swollen nub on the patients thumb or fingers. One reason a child may suck his thumb at night is to help open his airway so he can breathe. If he has a tongue tie he may be using a digit to press the tongue down out of the way. Resting the tongue on the incisive papilla area is also soothing and if his habit is hold the tongue down, he is missing out on this natural soothing technique. OMT specialists have ways to help break the child of this habit and can help with underlying causes.

WHAT IS OROFACIAL MYOFUNCTIONAL THERAPY

Orofacial Myofunctional Therapy (OMT) is the neuromuscular re-education or re-patterning of the oral and facial muscles. It is the establishment of correct functional activities of the tongue, lips and jaw, so that normal growth and development may progress in a stable, homeostatic environment. OMT specialists obtain training in this field in order to work with patients to correct disorders that are affecting their well-being. Think physical therapy for the mouth.

HOW TO BECOME A TRAINED OROLFACIAL MYOFUNCTIONAL THERAPIST

Orofacial Myofunctional Therapists include dentists, dental hygienists, speech pathologists and occupational therapists. Although OMT may be in the scope of our license, further training is required in order to properly treat patients. Training opportunities for those interested in learning more about Myofunctional Therapy include private mentoring from a current Myofunctional Therapist, courses through academies or associations, or information learned within the educational curriculum.

CONCLUSION

Proper treatment of OMD’s require a collaboration of dental and medical professionals. By being aware of the signs for these disorders, you are able to provide a screening for potential issues and refer them to seek treatment with a trained OMT. When you become aware of OMD’s you will start to see them everywhere- maybe even in the mirror.

References:

International Association of Orofacial Myology- www.iaom.com

Academy of Orofacial Myofunctional Therapy- www.aomtinfo.org

Academy of Applied Myofunctional Sciences- www.aamsinfo.org

American Speech-Language-Hearing Association- www.asha.org

Cindy Rogers, RDH, BS, OMT is the lead hygiene advisor for Dental Practice Solutions. She started in dentistry as the front desk girl in 1998, and has since been a business leader, dental hygienist, writer and untiring advocate of Orofacial Myofunctional Therapy.

The Dental Hygienists Role in Keeping Doctor’s Schedule Full

By: admin

December 6, 2017

Every success schedule in the dental office begins with a strategy. Without a strategic plan, you are not able to meet the financial goals to keep your dental practice surviving.

The best plan is to not survive, but thrive.

What is the dental hygienist’s role in keeping doctor’s schedule full?

1^st Step to Doctor’s Success Schedule

The first step for hygienists to help keep doctors schedule full is to have a mindset that they are like an associate to doctor; helping the practice to grow.

2^nd Step to Successful Scheduling

The next step is actually two-pronged. The hygienist needs to audit all patient records before their day at the office begins. This audit serves many purposes but for this blog we will stick to the topic of what a hygienist’s role is for successful scheduling and helping doctor’s schedule stay full all day.

When auditing the patient’s records look to see what outstanding treatment is necessary. Why does the patient need to schedule this? What is the urgency the hygienist and all the clinicians will speak to this patient about?

For example: Does the patient have a dark spot on their bite-wing x-ray and when you audit the patients record you feel concerned they may very soon have a toothache.

Why did this patient not want to schedule this appointment? It is important to understand the patient’s objection so that when the hygienist has the patient in their chair they can immediately address the patient’s previous objection.

Example: Without even saying; “I know money is a concern,” what you can say is (Have the patient seated upright in the chair with x-rays, and/or intra-oral photos there in front of the patient), “Mrs. Jones, doctor and I are both concerned about this black spot on your x-ray. Let me show you this area. Do you see this black spot? Here is the nerve of your tooth and as you can see this black spot is very close to the nerve which means that once it reaches the nerve it will cause a toothache and also means we probably need to do a root canal and a tooth with a root canal needs a tooth. This means spending a lot more money to keep this tooth.”

Notice how the hygienist in this example address the patients concern before they could even give their objection which they stated at their last appointment and this is the reason the treatment is unscheduled.

It is also very important that hygienists not only think about the gum health of their patients but provide a visual exam.

After the hygienist completes all of their screenings, it is a great time to sit the patient upright in the chair and show them what you see. Look together with the patient. Make the patient part of this process. This means that you look together and ask the patient if they see what you see.

Use words that the patient understands. Saying words like “periodontal disease,” and “tooth decay” probably don’t mean as much to your patient as if the words: gum infection, inflammation, active disease, cavity, black soft spot, etc.”

When you see holes in doctor’s schedule it’s time to take a look at the hygiene patient exam process. It’s a great time to look at patient records who have not scheduled their appointment and discuss as a team what you can do differently so these patients will schedule and pay.

The best way to get patients scheduled and paying for the care you offer is to communicate (your words and actions) in a way that helps the patient to feel and believe they want what they need.

Many of your patients have left your office without committing to schedule and pay for your care. Many of these patients also took very nice vacations this summer, they already plan to buy that new iPhone X, some have spent a lot of money on a really nice car and many have spent thousands of dollars on a sleeve of body of tattoo’s.

Our job? We have a responsibility to help our patients want what they need. Don’t most people want to live a longer and healthier life? This is our overarching message, “Optimal oral health will help you live a longer and healthier life!”

Still have holes in your schedule? Please feel free to reach out to an expert. This is one area that we have created a success strategy around. Our client offices have many patients who now schedule and pay for treatment AND many of their patients pay before their treatment is complete.

Our client offices have a system in place for big cases where patients are currently paying in advance for doctor and hygienist’s services.

Most of the medical cosmetic offices have patients pay in advance and why can’t your patients feel urgency to pay for keeping a healthy mouth?!

It’s all in how you are delivering your message to the patient in your chair.

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.

DENTISTRY TODAY considers her a top dental consultant for the past 16 yrs.

The focus of Dental Practice Solutions is to create healthier, longer lives for your patients while supporting the practice to optimize their hygiene department. The team at Dental Practice Solutions, takes an integrative approach with your team to create an increase in your production and collections without working harder. When you continue to use the systems implemented, you will benefit from production that creates dividends year after year, for the life of your dental practice.

Debbie is also a former Hygiene Program Director and clinical assistant professor for the dental hygiene program at USC in Los Angeles.

Debbie is passionate about supporting dental teams to provide a profitable, patient-centered dental practice through improving systems and efficiencies in the dental hygiene department

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.

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.

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

More compliance. Less defiance. Innovative model for case acceptance by patients…the path of least resistance.

By: admin

November 22, 2017

By Steven Ury, DDS, Periodontist
Randy Nolf, DDS, Periodontist

Dentists and hygienists are using a simple to complete analytical software making discussions with the patients easier…making the progression to treatment compliance easier… and enabling a practice to substantially increase case acceptance for periodontal therapy. This technology makes available a single language, with everyone “on the same page”, to discuss periodontal disease, and the necessary treatment.

The software allows for thoughtful and readily understandable discussions with patients thus improving the progression to treatment acceptance through a path of least resistance.

Implementing innovative technology into the practice, using risk and disease severity health scores as clinical support, will no doubt increase patient compliance.

PreViser™ Corporation www.PreViser.com provides their web enabled Oral Health Information Suite (OHIS) software for free. The use of the technology provides three (3) numbers, or scores, indicating patients’ risk of future periodontal disease, existing disease state and their ongoing oral health stability. With these 3 scores, patients then have a clearer idea of the severity and comprehensiveness of their problems. In other words, they know how things are going.

A nice feature of the OHIS is that it allows practitioners to recalculate the risk scores, just as if the patients had completed the advised treatment. So, a patient can visualize what will happen without treatment compared to what will occur with the recommended care. That’s when the fun begins. These scores predict whether the treatment plan will be working. Outcomes are the key.

Dental practices are utilizing this powerful method to impact a patient’s decision to proceed with care for a lifetime of oral health. Case acceptance is markedly improved providing more treatment for periodontal disease by the dentists and hygienists including any necessary subsequent restorative care.

Why now? Well, there’s a new sheriff in town. Patients and practitioners, as well as insurance companies and employers, are relying less on subjective findings to determine if periodontal care is working. Welcome the new law of the land – objective findings derived by an analytical software. Practitioners are accurately communicating with patients about their risk of disease and the outcomes of treatment. Everyone’s “on the same page”. We’re talking Evidence Based Practice here; the integration of clinical expertise, patient values, and the best research evidence into the decision-making process for patient care.

Instead of dentists and hygienists potentially disconnecting on a diagnosis, a treatment plan or a prognosis, they can agree and provide an easy to use, objective and reproducible way to measure, understand and communicate patients’ risk and disease level as simple numeric scores.

People relate to scores and knowing their numbers gets them involved. Physicians supply blood pressure, cholesterol, and diabetes numbers to their patients to follow their progress. Now dental patients will know their periodontal disease scores and look for improvement in the numbers.

More and more dentists in the know are advocating the principles of a medical model of healthcare for dentistry. Less repair and more interception and prevention. Consider the PerioCentric™ practice, defined as a best practice in which treatment revolves around sound periodontal diagnosis and treatment, utilizing metrics to evaluate treatment outcome. It employs a simple step by step, reproducible, algorithmic approach to care we call the PerioBlueprint™.

When implemented it provides dental professionals the knowledge and tools to discover undiagnosed and untreated periodontal disease in an existing practice. The appropriate care for these conditions will result in improved health for patients as well as production and revenue for the dental practice that may prove to increase exponentially.

Dentistry is adjusting to a new paradigm that is better for patients by shifting focus away from procedures for repair of disease… to a model of interception and prevention of disease.

There is unprecedented demand for increased care for periodontal disease. The most recent data from the Center for Disease Control revealed that 47.2% of adult Americans exhibit periodontal disease and the disease increases to 70.1% of adults over 65 years. Contemporaneous insurance company data reports only about 7% obtain periodontal treatment…Only 7%.

Dentistry has a busyness problem. Nationally, approximately 1 in 3 dentists say they are not busy enough. Imagine the increase in production and revenue when discovering that perhaps 50% of patients require some form of periodontal care. And not just code 1110 “prophy” care – we’re talking anesthetized scaling/root planing, pocket reduction and tissue grafting surgery. LANAP, and more. Of course, when maintenance starts, using the obligatory code 4910 will result in more comprehensive visit than a code 1110 “cleaning” and thus, improve hygiene production.

We are in a time of transformational change in healthcare and tremendous opportunities for enhanced collaboration among healthcare providers exist. Dentists have a chance to fundamentally rethink their role within the healthcare system and take advantage of these new opportunities. It would not only help peck away at dentistry’s busyness problem but would also allow dentists to contribute much more significantly to whole-body health. And really, isn’t that what it’s all about.

Dr. Steven Ury, Periodontist
Dr. Randy Nolf, Periodontist
PreViser Corporation and AdViser Corporation Co-Founders
Directors, The Synergy Academy (www.TheSynergyAcademy.com)
UryAdViser@gmail.com

About Dr. Ury

Dr. Steven R. Ury, Periodontist

Academic Faculty Director, The Synergy Academy

An entrepreneur at heart, Steve Ury altered his career from engineering to focus on the potential of the burgeoning dental industry. He earned a degree in dentistry, owned a general practice and then became a periodontist with an office in NY.

During his leadership of dental study groups and as past president of the largest periodontal organization in the northeast United States, Dr. Ury interacted with other dental professionals. He foresaw the changing landscape of periodontal care and referral.

As co-founder of PreViser Corporation, he witnessed the development of analytic software to help expose undiscovered periodontal disease. More disease revealed equates to more treatment rendered resulting in more healthy patients.

Lack of busyness is problematic in dental practices. Realizing periodontal disease concerns approximately 50% of the adult population but only about 7% have related care, he considered the possibilities. Dr. Ury believes that dentists could easily increase production and revenue by administrating in-office, non-surgical and basic surgical periodontal treatment.

About Dr. Nolf

Dr. Randy Nolf, Periodontist

Clinical Faculty Director, The Synergy Academy

As a periodontist, Randy Nolf has witnessed the changing dental industry as an opportunity is expanding for general dentists and specialists alike. Dr. Nolf believes that the same is true for dental education which is at the dawn of a major shift to less centralized, more affordable, and rapid practice adoption model of delivery.

He has continually been involved with teaching since he received his advanced certificate in Periodontology from Temple University in 1981. His outstanding credentials include a certificate from the gIDE Master Clinician program and as co-founder of the PreViser Corporation.

Dentistry is adjusting to a new paradigm, better for our patients by focus shifting away from repair to interception of disease. Interception as a treatment model is possible through sensitive artificial intelligence permeating into our practices. Randy is gratified to witness this evolution in part through software he created and now being adopted throughout the Us and UK.

Dr. Nolf has been an advocate of supporting general dentists with in-office training as well as on-site surgical procedures his entire career. 35 years integrated into dentists’ offices has led to a new system of training called “Synchronized Dental Learning™” facilitating rapid adoption of new surgical procedures into general practice.

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

3 Steps to Create Efficient and Profitable Doctor/Hygiene Exams

By: admin

June 25, 2014

Do you feel stressed knowing there is going to be a patient exam in the hygiene room? Are you concerned the exam is only going to keep you waiting and running behind? Do you wish this process could be quicker yet more effective? As a practice management consultant, this is one of the most common complaints I receive from hygienist’s and doctors.

The hygienist’s tell me doctor keeps them waiting. Some hygienists tell me that doctor chit-chats for what seems like 20 minutes. They tell me “doctor wants to talk about my patient’s personal life and I don’t have time for this.”

The doctor tells me that when they get to the hygiene room there has been no conversation about the patient’s teeth. They say that when they arrive to do the hygiene exam there is no conversation –nada. They tell me their hygienist says nothing when they enter to complete the exam. Some doctors, who have never met the patient, don’t even get a proper introduction to the patient. BTW: Doctor should at least say a brief “Hello” to all new patients before any services begin. AND… doctor will be known as THE EXPERT and very well respected if he or she can let the new patient know they are making an individual diagnosis for a specific type of x-rays before hygiene treatment begins. This makes new patients really feel like they are King or Queen, like they are a VIP. This is only one-way to gain Raving Fans for the life of the dental practice! Continue reading to learn the 3 steps to create efficient and profitable doctor/hygiene exams.

Step 1 is to create a strategic plan for the exam.

Break up every routine prophylaxis and periodontal maintenance appointment into three areas. These three areas (Shown in the photo above) are: 1) data collection 2) case presentation and 3) the hygiene treatment and doctor exam.

Step 2 is discovery and explanation.

Before the data collection, decide what you must know to treat your patient at the highest level of care. Much of your information needs to be pre-determined prior to the patient’s arrival.

Every hygienist should take time at the very beginning of their day – before the morning team huddle (usually about 10-15 minutes prior to the morning team huddle a chart audit should be completed by the hygienist), to review all patient charts, patient routing slips, previous x-rays, previous chart notes, etc. It is important to understand each patient’s current oral health/systemic health status, past dental and medical history, etc., before the patient arrives.

When the hygienist reviews each hygiene patients chart they will check to see if the patient needs to complete a new health history (It works best if you anticipate the need for a new health history prior to the patient’s arrival). The hygienist needs to be aware of patient’s medications; including herbs, vitamins, and even OTC medications that the patient is currently taking.

Once the patient is seated in the chair spend a few minutes (no longer than 5 minutes) reviewing the patients up-to-date medical history, asking if the patient is taking any new medications. Other important questions to ask are if they have had any recent hospitalizations, surgeries, etc., etc. All providers need to ask these medical history questions prior to beginning any treatment. Always review the chart before the patient has arrived for their appointment and understand if they have previously diagnosed treatment that is still unscheduled.

Are there other family members who are overdue for a hygiene appointment? The routing slip (if set up properly in your computer software) can provide valuable patient and family information. This is valuable patient and family information for the hygienist to report on at the morning team huddle. Also the hygienist will report on any outstanding treatment that needs to be scheduled at the morning team huddle (email our office for a morning huddle protocol you can use).

Once the patient has arrived for their appointment you will inquire if they have a chief complaint. Take blood pressure annually, and record in the patient’s chart. Refer patients to their physician if they appear to have a blood pressure that is not within normal limits. You will be saving a few lives when you discover patients who have need to see their physician and have their blood pressure checked by their physician. Many patients return to future hygiene appointments now taking blood pressure medication that would have gone undiagnosed if a dental professional did not stop to check this. This is a great way to be a hero in your patients mind!

Ask all patients: “Do you ever experience a dry mouth?” (Indicates they are at high risk for caries or at least need a rinse for dry mouth, etc.) Ask about frequent headaches, clicking of their jaw or if they have pain in their jaw (A possible sign they may need a night guard).

Annually complete an oral cancer exam using the latest technology to screen for any precancerous lesions (ViziLite, VELscope, IDENTIFI, etc. can identify a precancerous lesion versus look or palpate and find a lesion that may already be malignant). Oral cancer is on the rise due to HPV in young adults. (Read some of the research: http://1.usa.gov/UC2tlT) Many insurance companies now pay for this important screening annually.

It is very important to annually provide a full-mouth periodontal screening exam. This will include a six-point probing along with documentation of recession, bleeding points, mucogingival involvement, furcations, mobility, suppuration, etc. When you explain to the patient (before you begin the exam), about the numbers you will be calling out, you will have the patient involved with their treatment, Begin by explaining what the range of numbers mean: health or disease. Always explain this before you pick up a probe or recline the patient back to begin your screenings.

Involve the patient by asking them to listen for the highest and lowest number you will call out. Let patients know that once you are done with the exam you will sit them up in the chair and ask them to report back to you the lowest and highest number they heard you call out. This will help patients to become involved in their treatment plan.

Explanation before reclining patients back in the chair, as well as sitting them up to explain your findings, will help you to establish great rapport with your patients. In return this will help to get the patients buy-in to schedule and pay for treatment in the very near future.

If you do not have another team member available to write down the periodontal probing while the hygienist calls out the numbers, use a recorder to talk into and later go back, listen to your probe readings, and you can quickly document in the patient’s chart. This may take a little more time but the benefits to the patient and practice are huge!

Before the patient arrives you should know if they need bitewings or a full mouth series of x-rays. In fact, the chart audit by the hygienist that morning should only be to double check to be certain that everything in the patients chart and on the schedule are correct. Usually patients will be pre-scheduled for future x-rays before the end of their current hygiene appointment (Don’t wait until the day of the patient’s appointment to decide what x-rays they need).

Step 3 is complete the doctor exam sooner than later.

There is no need for doctor to wait until the end of the hygiene appointment to complete the hygiene patient exam. At approximately thirty five to forty-five minutes into the sixty minute hygiene exam, doctor’s assistant should be able to give doctor a nudge to move into the hygiene treatment room and complete the hygiene patient exam. The assistants should have a timer or be aware of the time on a clock so they can lead doctor to the appropriate rooms at the best time.

The hygienist does not need to get up or stop what he (or she) is doing to notify doctor about a hygiene exam. Having doctor arrive at a specific time frame during the hygiene appointment to complete the exam should be standard procedure for every routine hygiene preventive care appointment. If there is a change in the patient’s planned treatment, then the hygienist can notify doctor or the assistant of this change and adjust the hygiene patient exam as necessary.

As a Dental Practice Management Consultant, I have worked with hundreds of offices who use this doctor/hygiene exam protocol and it has been a great tool to de-stress many hygienists and doctors. It also creates thousands of happy patients who feel like they are provided optimal care without having to sit and wait for doctor.

Using this strategic plan for Doctor/Hygiene exams will create a stress-free day for the entire team and your patients will leave your office feeling like you are the world’s best dental provider. This plan will create efficient and profitable doctor/hygiene exams.

Want more RAVING FANS?

Here is a little secret tip to decrease anxiety and the dreadful fear of the dental office: Wait to put on the patient bib until you have reviewed the patient’s health history and have explained the treatment you will provide. Now you are ready to put on the patient bib and recline them back in the chair. Sit down when speaking to your patients. Face the patient: knee-to-knee and eye-to-eye. Watch how this will create a more positive patient-experience. You patient’s may not notice what is different about their experience in your office because this is just a subtle change in the way things are usually done in the dental office. This also leaves patients feeling like you really care about them!

Would you like more ways to increase profits in your dental hygiene department? Get your complimentary subscription to our weekly Dental Profits Newsletter. You will also receive our 7 Day Dental Hygiene Profit Tips when you do subscribe here: http://bit.ly/12zpg2D

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Debbie Seidel-Bittke, RDH, BS, is founder of Dental Practice Solutions, a full-service dental consulting, coaching, and speaking business, focused on increasing profitability through your dental hygiene department systems and services. Dental Practice Solutions will guide you and your team to provide a profitable, patient-centered dental practice that is team driven not micro-managed. Email or call Debbie to schedule a complimentary look at your profit potential. Ms. Seidel-Bittke, can be reached by email at: dentalpracticesolutions@gmail.com or by phone: 503-970-1122. Website: www.https://dentalpracticesolutions.com

Caries Risk Assessment: Saving Dollars for Your Dental Patient Adds Profits to Your Dental Practice

By: admin

July 9, 2013

I get excited when a dental office contacts me to be their Dental Practice Management Consultant and recently I had a few offices contact me who were located outside of the United States.

Their reason to call was to have a US Dental Practice Management Consultant implement preventive services for their practice and bring preventive protocols to their practice.

One of the most overlooked areas in a dental practice today is the Caries Risk Assessment. (CAMBRA) It happens a lot that offices do not have a protocol in place to assess and prevent caries. CAMBRA is not new. The California Dental Journal produced two journals dedicated to this topic in October and November 2007 and again in October 2011.

It is very rewarding to be a part of the shift in other countries who have millions upon millions of their population without preventive care services! There are dentists in these countries looking to make a change in their country. Congratulations to these dentists for leading CHANGE!

Caries Risk assessment is one of the areas we can see a huge shift in the underserved populations. With the guidance of a Consultant you will have a turn-key value added system in place to prevent disease and create one more profit center.

(Read below and add your own numbers to see what this means for your practice and profitability.)

What is CAMBRA?

CAMBRA assists providers to systematically evaluate caries risk in an individualized manner; children as well as adults.
Tailors a specific preventive therapeutic management plan or “care path”;
Customizes a restorative plan in conjunction with preventive care; and
Supports the dental professional to plan a timely, specific, and appropriate periodicity schedule based on the patients’ caries risk.

To effectively prevent and management the disease of caries, care should begin early, ideally during at age 1 a comprehensive oral exam visit is completed.

Yes, assessment begins very early. Do you tell parents that a child’s first visit is at age 3? NO? Think again.

Here are steps to prevent caries risk:

A caries risk assessment is the first of these critical steps,
Give the provider more information to help them consider the risk and health status of each patient before beginning the exam.
Caries risk assessment provides information pertaining to three specific overarching domains: white spot lesions, decalcification enamel. defects or other obvious decay in the child.

The information obtained from a caries risk assessment allows the care provider to formulate a caries risk profile for the child, and also an adult. This is an essential first step to determining the prevention and treatment plan, as well as the periodicity of patient follow-up/continuing care visit. (one month, three months, six months, or one year).

The CAMBRA-based dental practice will increase the usage of current preventive products. (Another profit center for your dental hygien department) The dental practice needs to have these products available to the patient so they can easily improve self-efficacy and begin using these preventive care products immediately.

CAMBRA-based prevention and nonsurgical caries management should lead to a shift away from restorative procedures to procedures focused on prevention and early intervention; cost analysis and development of financial models should show the economic value change the psychology of the dental professional’s messaging style.

Include attractive literature for patients to read in your reception areas and take home with them to learn more about Caries Prevention.

The new CDT codes for CAMBRA will assist in reimbursement for the patient.

In January 2013 the CDT codes were revised and D 1204 and D1203 are no longer used. For the patient who receives a fluoride varnish the insurance billing code will be: D1206.

For adults and children who receive a fluoride other than a varnish the code for billing used will be: D1208.

What does this mean for the profits to your practice?

For patients who are assessed moderate to extremely high risk they will return every 1-3 months for a short appointment to assess biofilm, review home care and diet, provide a fluoride varnish and if the patient will always use a 1.1% Sodium Fluoride each night.

Here is a breakdown of what this may mean for your dental practice and the patient:

RISK ASSESSED Interval of Service Services CDT Code Fee

Mod – Extremely High 1- 3mos Biofilm eval, F2 Varnish, eval home-care, 1.1% NaF D1206, D09999 $ 65

Low 6 mos Prophy, F2 Varnish D1110, D1206 $135

Most offices will enroll at least 100 patients annually into CAMBRA. This above chart can be used to assess your profit potential. (Average practice is approximately 1500 patients)

CAMBRA strategies are implemented with a focus toward prevention and early intervention. Studies should also determine if there is significant practice growth and case acceptance once the patient oral health is improved.

CAMBRA represents best practices and should become the standard of care in disease prevention and treatment.

ABOUT DEBBIE SEIDEL-BITTKE, RDH, BS

Are you looking to improve profits in your dental hygiene department? Debbie has an innovative and successful way to consistently increase profits in your dental practice.

Many dentists today only need a 1 or 2 day workshop in-office to create the best solutions. Some offices find it valuable to participate in one of our online membership programs. This investment will be your highest ROI .

Check our services section on the website to find one that meets your needs. Consider getting your team involved in our 12 week Case Acceptance Program. You won’t need to stop your day of work at the office or pay for a dental consultant to travel to your office. The program is at your fingertips 24/7 indefinitely.

Debbie writes for many of the major dental conferences in the world. She is recognized for the past 8 years as “One of Dentistry Today’s Top Consultants.”

Many of her clients span from not only the United States but Brazil, Australia, India and the UK, just to mention a few. She has unique and one-of-a-kind learning systems for offices all over the world to participate in as well as in-office workshops and dental hygiene consulting.