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Prevention: It’s Not All About the Tooth. It’s About Longer, Healthy Lives.

By: admin

May 4, 2017

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jsqus0Yko5w?rel=0&controls=0&showinfo=0&w=560&h=315]

On April 21st Jimmy Kimmel’s wife Molly gave birth to a boy and they named him “William.”

He appeared healthy for the first few hours the nurse in the pediatric floor noticed that William had a heart murmur and he was soon after her discovered taken to neonatal floor where with further investigation by numerous doctors they discovered that baby William was born with a heart disease called

The baby’s pulmonary valve was completed blocked. After surgery at the Children’s Hospital in Los Angeles, the surgery was a success. The baby will need another open-heart surgery in about 6 months and then as a teen another non-invasive procedure.

Kimmel was quoted as saying that “No one should have to make a decision to pay for a loved-one’s life. It should not matter how much money you make you should be able to save a person’s life…”

Yes, Mr. Kimmel, you are right! No one should have to end the life of a loved one or not be able to pay for life-saving treatment to save another humans’ life!

“Prevention: It’s not all about the tooth.”

This has me thinking that we, dental professionals, are in a perfect position to help our patients live a longer and healthier life. Oral disease contributes to systemic disease.

The research from our surgeon general and the National Institute of Health have been documenting this scientific research since the late 1900’s.

We are learning in today’s always changing world, that the main reason why our patients will continue to return to their dentist routinely and not constantly switch to a new provider, is when they understand the important role of their dental professional in their total health.

It’s our professional role to help our patients understand that we don’t just treat our patient’s mouth. It’s not about a tooth. What we want to be portrayed as are associates in our patients’ total health. We are partners in preventing disease. Not just oral disease but systemic disease. Today’s world of dentistry is about total health.

Putting a halt to inflammation and infection in the oral cavity is one important way we can help our patients eliminate systemic diseases: heart attacks, various inflammatory diseases, arteriosclerosis, Alzheimer’s and various cancers, etc.

My question to you is, “Are you sharing this important information with all your patients and helping them live a longer and healthier life?”

What words do you use to explain the important role you play in your patient’s life to help them live a long, healthy life?

Do your patients know the important you play in keeping their body healthy? Or contrary, do they think you only care about the tooth and nothing but the tooth?!

Worse yet, are the patients who think you just want to see them because you always “Find” something…i.e. you just want their money.

This is all about the truth and not about a single tooth.

Let’s tell our patients about how they can live a longer and healthier life.

Prevention saves money and saves lives.

It costs less money: Cash and insurance dollars when our patients routinely see their hygienist for preventive services.

Preventing disease is our number 1 role as dental professionals.

Baby Kimmel

The dentist, the hygienist and the dental team that sees the Kimmel family has a very important role. It is imperative that the Kimmels’ dental team speak about prevention and the important role it plays in keeping the whole body healthy.

I sure hope Jimmy Kimmel’s dentist is reading this. Maybe someone can send this information to Jimmy Kimmel.

I wish the Kimmels and their new baby “William,” the very best and I hope they understand how important it is for their baby to have a healthy mouth his entire life. This is key—It’s imperative that baby William have a health mouth his entire life.

Prevention of Disease: Oral Health Contributes to Total Health

By: admin

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jsqus0Yko5w&w=560&h=315]

Master Your Success Game Plan: Your Team and Your Dental Coach Included

By: admin

April 20, 2017

For the last 14 months I have had the great pleasure to work with the team at Evolve Dental healing; the office of Dr. Rachel Hall.

Dr. Rachel Hall hired Dental Practice Solutions to create systems for her hygiene department.

We had a few hurdles in the beginning because in order to soar, it is important to have the right team players on board. It took a lot of time to find the right fit to lead the hygiene department at Evolve Dental Healing.

They say “Timing is everything” and finally one month ago a new graduate applied for the position and the rest is history!

Starting 2017, Dr. Rachel decided to “Go Big!” The downside, so “I” thought, (lol) was that her year did not begin until January 11th. Dr. Rachel took an extended holiday. One would think that it is not good to begin the year in their business a week into a new year.

But……………not Dr. Rachel! Remember, I mentioned her goal for 2017, was to “Go Big!”This is exactly what happened once the year at Evolve Dental Healing began on January 11, 2017. Doesn’t matter that the office lost about 8 days in January 2017.

Let me share with you how they have mastered their success game plan. You can learn from this situation and master your own success game plan.

Here are a few steps to include in your success game plan:

The Number 1 Fact here is: MINDSET.

Dr. Rachel put her mind in success mode.

Number 2: She created a 90 Day Success Game Plan.

Let me explain that we outlined 6 goals for the practice to achieve and not only doctor but with her team by her side they accomplished these goals in 45 days NOT 90!

Number 3. Team Work

Number 4. Collaboration

You must collaborate with colleagues, study clubs and experts. AKA: A Dental Practice Management Consultant.

Two weeks ago I spent three days with the team continuing with their success plan. On day three I not only worked with the entire team to commit to the next level but in the afternoon I had time to work hands-on with the new graduate-hygienist.

Working hands-on with Elise, the new grad hygienist, proved extremely helpful to her and the future success of the practice.

The diagram below shows you were they are as of April 1, 2017.

I just spoke to Elise and the front office team before writing this. I was told that they had to add two extra days of hygiene this month because Elise and doctor are diagnosing a lot of perio therapy. I was told that 100% of the patients in the last two weeks have accepted treatment for perio therapy.

Below is a chart showing you where they were in 2016 and where they are as of April 1, 2017.

*Areas of Improvement*	Beginning of Consultation Process: 2016	April 1, 2017
*Perio Percentage*	8%	50%
*Days of hygiene*	4/week	Added 2 days/month
*Hygiene Openings*	2 daily	April 2017 No Openings
*New Patients*	Average 17	Average 27
*Office Production*	Average $93,870	Average $125,252

I feel blessed to work with this awesome team! I feel honored to do the kind of work I get to do in fact, because I love what I do so much, it is not a J O B but such a pleasure! It’s truly a pleasure to do what I get to do! And…I never have to work a day in my life because I enjoy this so much.

Do you have a success game plan? Do You?!

Contact our office to schedule a time to discuss your dental success game plan: mail://vanessa@dentalpracticesolutions.com or call: 949-351-8741.

Dentists: How to Choose an SEO Company

By: admin

April 14, 2017

While there may be simple dental SEO factors within a website’s coding that need to be addressed, most competitive areas require ongoing monitoring to ensure no other dental website passes you up. If SEO is priced at $300/month, they can’t create useful, engaging content. Especially after half of your money goes to pay the sales force that cold called you in the first place.

#2 Bragging About The Size of Sales Force

A true dental SEO expert doesn’t brag about his sales force. Rather, you should inquire about the kinds of relationships the SEO expert has with people within the dental industry or other websites they can publish on.

Dr. Seth Lookhart has dental offices in 3 countries and is widely considered an accomplished dentist. He says “When looking for an SEO consultant, I wasn’t interested in finding the cheapest there is. It’s about ROI, and knowing that everything is running efficiently.”

More and more dental offices are interested in knowing the SEO tactics actually being used, rather than getting sucked into a sales process with fancy buzzwords. This dentist in Apex, NC found that the key was learning the basics about SEO, in order to gain new patients for his growing practice.

The quality of your SEO expert’s writing skills, or their staff’s ability to produce remarkable content is important. Does the writing team create stories that people care about? Does the content consistently rank atop Google? How does the SEO company handle satisfying searcher intent? There are many ways to show how successful you are in SEO, but having a boiler room full of salesmen dialing-for-dollars isn’t one of them.

#3 “Secret Sauce” SEO

Transparency in SEO is a great sign. Being able to cogently identify exactly what’s being done for your SEO is of paramount importance.

Most SEO firms who are transparent in their tactics are much more likely to have an SEO strategy that involves both higher quality content, and relevant inbound links. While you should only work with an SEO professional you trust, nothing replaces great communication about what’s actually being done. My general rule of thumb is this: if they can’t explain in plain english what’s being done, it probably isn’t that great.

So what SHOULD you look for?

Look for an SEO expert that teaches about SEO. Thought leadership is a great sign in a consultant or company that claims to understand Google’s algorithms.
Work with an SEO expert that assesses your unique needs, before pitching a “sale.” By doing some quick keyword research, you can find out exactly how many people are searching for dental services in your area. Before you make the upfront investment.
A firm grasp of the dental industry. The SEO expert should be able to provide a wide array of dental marketing ideas that help SEO, and new patient flow. By knowing about the dental industry, SEO works much more seamlessly. From knowing which types of websites to earn links from, to knowing the kind of dental content Google favors, you can be sure that a dental SEO expert can be superior to a general SEO company.

Justin L. Morgan, known in the dental industry as “The Dental Marketing Guy,” teaches about dental marketing on his blog and YouTube show. Justin has been featured in major media outlets such as Dental Products Report, Dentistry Today, Dentistry IQ, Dental Town, Entrepreneur, and a number of Fortune 500 company blogs. He is the creator of The Invisalinks Method, the first and only SEO course for dental professionals.

The Dental Hygienists’ Role in Patients’ Treatment Plan

By: admin

April 6, 2017

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DFh4qnuPKbI?rel=0&controls=0&showinfo=0&w=560&h=315]

Hygienists’ Role

During the hygiene appointment, it is valuable for the hygienist to discuss what they see in the patient’s mouth.

The blog today is about a topic we are asked about often and it will support the Dental Hygienist’s role in patients’ treatment plan.

In Diagram A you will see our Time Management Formula which outlines where the hygienist should be during the hygiene appointment. This time management formula helps hygienist to find time to discuss what is seen in the patient’s.

The first part of every hygiene appointment will be the data collection. This will include not only the review of medical history but the perio exam, oral cancer exam, radiographs when necessary, a smile evaluation, visual exam, intra-oral photos.

After you collect all the important patient information you will sit the patient upright and knee-to-knee-eye-to-eye to now create a partnership with your patient to show them what you see. Now you are in the Treatment Planning phase of the hygiene patient appointment.

Please note: this time management formula is only a suggestion of time and if you have less than sixty minutes of time with your patient you will adjust the time formula so it meets your schedule. This is an example of time for the sixty minute hygiene appointment.

During this time with your patient you will show them what you see on their perio chart, radiographs and/or intra-oral photos. Let your patients be a part of what you see. Ask them to show you what they see after you show them. Say words like “bleeding, infection, large black area is tooth decay moving very close to the nerve which can cause you a toothache.”

Your patient is possibly hearing this information for the 1^st time and all these words are new to their oral condition. It can feel overwhelming for your patient to hear all this information, so break it down into words you believe they will understand.

This means that you will not say words like “Periodontal Treatment” but instead you will say “Gum Treatment.” You do not want to say, “Deep Cleaning” because when a patient has gum disease (AKA: Periodontal Disease) this is not treated with a cleaning but with a special “gum treatment” or “gum therapy.” It also down-plays what is actually happening in their mouth. A periodontal patient is not going to get a cleaning.

Once the doctor enters to do the exam it is the hygienists’ role to connect them with the patient and guide them through what has occurred during the appointment.

The connection is an update your patient; a personal aspect of their life. This is rapport building. It doesn’t need to take but a minute for doctor to be reconnected with a routine patient.

With the hygienist’s guidance, when talking with doctor in front of the patient and doctor, the patient will hear the same words used to describe the patient’s oral condition.

Then when dismissing the patient, the hygienist will again explain to the front desk what was completed, what the patient needs to schedule for (if not scheduled in hygiene room) and the valuable “reason the patient will return.”

Now your patient has heard this topic of discussion, these words which describe their oral condition, at least 3 times and they are beginning to be more familiar plus have a deeper understanding of what is happening in their mouth. They are now understanding why it is important to return sooner than later.

This system is part of what we teach our clients (Our doctors and their team) which is helping to “close the back door.” This is what helps keep our client schedules full and productivity high.

Do you know what percentage of your treatment plans come from the hygienist showing the patient hat is happening in their mouth?
Do you know the specific words to use that will add a lot of value for your patients to schedule, pay and return to your office?

This is what we spend a lot of time working on with our clients.

Let us know how we can support your team and get you to that next level of success.

Dental Appointment: When Will You Know What is Valuable To Your Patient?

By: admin

March 29, 2017

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uXW-wGS-z8E&w=560&h=315]

Dental Appointments. Your Patient’s Reason to Return

By: admin

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uXW-wGS-z8E?rel=0&controls=0&showinfo=0&w=560&h=315]

How do you know what is valuable to your patient?

What is the benefit to your patient if they complete their dental treatment or return for their dental hygiene appointment routinely?

What is your patient’s reason to return?

Let’s think about when you will learn what is valuable to your patient.

When will you know what is valuable to your patient?

For new patients you will (or should) discover what is valuable to them during that first phone call to your office.

It is important to listen closely to the words your patient is saying and the way they say what they are saying. Do they speak loud or soft? Do they speak fast or slow? What is their tone as they speak?

Do they say things like, “Money is going to be my reason for completing this treatment I know I need.”

BTW: This is a comment from a walk-in new patient for an office (a client office) I was working with today.

Most of the time your patient will make their decision based on their value around time or money. These are the two main factors that come into play when patients are making a decision and it is your job to overcome these objections before they even are a stated objection.

Why many patients will not return to a dental office is due to fear of anxiety from a previous bad dental experience. This is another topic of conversation.

Patient Discovery

When is the best time to discover what is valuable to your patient?

Answer: The first 2 minutes will be the most valuable time with building rapport and understanding your patients’ needs, what’s important to them and even how their day is going (ex: If they are rushed for time or having a stressful day!).

In fact, the first “Hello” and a handshake can tell you a lot about what kind of day your patient is having. This is where you can first begin to build (or re-establish) rapport.

This conversation can be as simple as “What are you doing this summer?”

If you were to ask me this question, I will tell you that I am going to an important high school reunion.

The topic of my conversation (If I am your patient today) will center around meeting up with old friends and wanting to look my best!

Now, it’s your turn as the clinician to open the door for me to look my best.

Do you have a special laser whitening offer going on?

YES?!

Now is a great time to ask “Debbie, if there is one thing that we can do to make you look better than ever for you high school reunion, what would that be?”

Great question! And if I am your patient here is what I will tell you:

“I would love to have my teeth look youthful again. I want them whiter and also longer.”

Does your office have a special smile makeover process?

If so, now is a great time to talk about this process and how it can make me look my best for the summer high school reunion.

Complete the scheduled appointment, do an “initial” smile evaluation and then have me back for a 20 minute consultation later this week. At this consultation appointment you will have your treatment (or financial) coordinator discuss the smile makeover and work out the financial arrangements. Now you will schedule the treatment.

This special consult adds value to your patient appointment. The initial patient value you discovered is why this patient wants to return ASAP for the consultation and find out more information about how you can help her meet her needs.

Do you see how simple that can be to have your patient understand “their” important reason to return to your office?

When you think back to the last day of patients in your dental office, can you think about each patient’s personal reason to return to your office?

This is not a reason around what you “found” in their mouth. This important reason to return has to be a reason important to your patient. This is a value to your patient.

In closing today I want to ask you, “Do you know each patient’s important reason to return?”

We teach this system with our clients, their team and it becomes a part of every patient appointment. This is what we call the R2R and it becomes a part of each patients record.

Case Acceptance R2R

By: admin

March 22, 2017

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6aRy5tdAszY&w=560&h=315]

Case Acceptance: Reason to Return

By: admin

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6aRy5tdAszY?rel=0&controls=0&showinfo=0&w=560&h=315]

What factors help you decide to buy a certain car?

What criteria helped you decide to buy your last washer and dryer?

And why do you buy your groceries where you do?

Think about this and when you last provided a diagnosis for dental implants or even something as simple as tooth whitening?

How did you present treatment diagnosed to your patient?

Did you tell your patient how cool it is that you can easily screw in the implant or did you explain about the high-tech NASA Technology and these Implants are made of titanium and should last the rest of your life if cared for properly?
Did you tell them the implants are inexpensive?

I highly doubt it!

Your patients are making their decision on the expected result and how this will benefit them.

So, they are not buying a washing machine based on how well it is designed but how well it works to clean their clothes, how it functions and it is possibly all that plus the cost to buy it.

Your patients reason to pay, schedule and return for treatment and routine appointments is the same as why the shop at a specific grocery store and why they decided to buy their car, etc.

Here are some tips to Keep Your Schedule Full:

Create a partnership with your patient
- Help your patient to own their oral condition
- Show your patients what you see

Show your patients what their oral condition is
Show your patient what their condition can look like when they choose your care
Show them any treatment you have completed in their mouth

“Remember when you had that open space and food was getting trapped there? Look how beautiful it is now? And you don’t have that terrible feeling of food stuck between your teeth anymore, do you? We can do the same thing in your mouth over here.”

We suggest to our clients (Dentists and their team) that if a treatment plan is X dollars or more (Typically $2,000) the patient will return for a special consultation with the office treatment coordinator.

This is a separate appointment with someone in your office who can review the value and benefits of why the patient needs to schedule this appointment and keep in mind what is specifically valuable to the patient
- This is someone on your team who is comfortable talking about dental treatment. They are
- Someone who is not afraid to talk about how much something costs – ex: comfortable talking about money

Always remember to show-off your beautiful dentistry

Take before and after photos
- Place these photos on the walls of your office
- Place a photo album of your patients before and after photos on a coffee table in your reception area
- Be sure your team is comfortable bragging—complimenting doctors amazing clinical skills and the patients’ outcome!
- Create Your Own “Wall-of-Fame!”

When working with our clients and inside our member-site called “Hygiene Empowerment, we teach you more about Case Acceptance and how you can keep your back door closed!

To Charge or Not to Charge. Oral Cancer Screenings

By: admin

March 13, 2017

Video: Oral Cancer Screenings. To Charge or Not to Charge

CLICK THIS LINK TO VIEW VIDEO

Years ago, the dilemma that most dental professionals faced was regarding whether to use advanced technology to screen for oral cancer.

Today’s Facts: The occurrence of oral cancer has continued to rise and has begun affecting a younger demographic, due to a staggering increase in the prevalence of human papillomavirus (HPV). Fluorescent technology for early discovery of this growing epidemic has continued to evolve. Adjunctive devices have been simplified and very cost-efficient. My preference is the OralID because of the light weight and small size of the device. This technology makes oral cancer screening a no-brainer.

The questions that continue to repeat in the dental clinicians mind is: “Should we charge for this or not charge?”

Once the dental team has decided to charge the next questions are:
“How much do we charge our patients for this enhanced oral cancer screening?”
“Do we only bill insurance, or do we screen for free as a service to our patients?”

The great news is: With the latest device having zero cost per patient use, you can incorporate the technology with whichever answer to the question fits your practice best.

Below, I will outline a few examples on ways to incorporate enhanced oral cancer screening into your practice.
To Charge
Charging for services performed is standard in health care. As you invest in your practice, in terms of both time and money, it is natural to assume compensation will allow you to make a return on your investments. Enhanced oral cancer screening is a service you provide, and it is perfectly acceptable to expect an increase in revenue in return for the service.
How to charge for enhanced oral cancer screening can vary from office to office. Here are a few options for charging:
Charge an annual fee: You can simply charge a flat fee for your enhanced oral cancer screening. Set a fee of around $20 (or within a range of $10 to $35) per patient, per year. If you educate your patients properly, you should see fairly high acceptance rates in your office. But if you just hand a patient a consent form and ask for a $65 fee, you will not have any success. So, if you decide to incorporate this method, make sure that the fee is reasonable and that you have educated your patients about the importance of what you are doing. Explain that you have invested in the technology because it could potentially save their lives. OralID offers Lifetime Team Training by our in-house hygienist, so you can get help with ideas on how to best educate your patients and maximize screening acceptance.
Charge one fee for life: In the spirit of the “whitening for life” campaigns that some offices offer, you can charge up-front for participation in an “oral cancer screening for life” program. Charge $35 to $100 at the first visit and then screen the patient at no additional charge during future visits (as long as he or she does not miss any hygiene appointments, of course).
Raise your fees: Increase your exam and/or prophy fees to include the service and do not charge the patient directly for it. This allows you the freedom to screen every patient and compensates you for your time and for your investment.
Not To Charge
Dental practices are always looking for ways to differentiate themselves from competitors. Offering advanced oral cancer screenings is a proven method for increasing marketability and gaining new patients. Performing free oral cancer screenings for every patient is a service that will be appreciated by patients and that will not only get you more loyalty from current patients but also motivate them to refer friends and family-and this is the ultimate marketing goal.
You can hand a card to each patient that reads, “Has your loved one been screened for oral cancer?” or a coupon for a free oral cancer screening. Doing so will certainly differentiate your practice from the others, building value in the practice by maintaining and growing the patient base. The days of “whitening for life” are unfortunately over, but offices can now incorporate “oral cancer screening for life” for their patients due to the latest technology finally being affordable enough to make it possible.

CDT Code to Bill: D0431
A change in thinking
Patient care should be the focus for all offices. Given that, you may eventually change the method you choose in regard to charging or not charging. It’s not uncommon for offices to begin screening by charging for the service, only to decide not to charge after finding a lesion that might not have been discovered without the device. For many practices, a situation like this one is a practice changer that leads to the realization that enhanced oral cancer screening is important for every patient.
So, when you are thinking about the new screening decision, whether “to charge or not to charge,” remember that there is no right or wrong. By making the simple choice to incorporate this technology into your practice, you could be making a life-changing decision for your patients.

For more information on the OralID go to: ORALID MORE INFORMATION