The confirmation process is at the heart of any successful practice. Without solid, unwavering, and detailed plans, patients fall through cracks, which can send teams into tailspins of stress as your practice’s revenue plummets. The mistake teams make around the confirmation process is that they care more about the patients than they do themselves. By…
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Hygienists think they communicate every day, and yet when asked what is the most challenging thing about dentistry, many of them say, “Team communication!” Communication is a complex and delicate process. To say one communicates with others and then still complains about the level of miscommunication says something about the kind of communication occurring and…
Read MoreYou’re sitting next to the patient, waiting for his response. You’ve done it right. Showed your patient all the x-rays with the bone loss. Described the hygienist’s findings of 5 to 6 mm pockets, bleeding, the pus. Providing a pamphlet of periodontal disease and the oral-systemic consequences was the final touch in gaining the buy-in…
Read MoreOf the more than 2,500 dentists surveyed in 2003, 80% said their work was stressful, according to the ADA Center for Professional Success’ 2003 Dentist Well-Being Survey Report. In the 2015 version of the survey, 78% of the more than 2,100 dentists replied that their work was stressful. The percentage of dentists reporting severe stress…
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Welcome to the most wonderful time of the year when parties, family gatherings, shopping, baking, eating and indulging are all part of the magic of the holiday season. Unfortunately, all that fun is often replaced with the stress that we put on ourselves thinking that we have to get everyone the perfect gift, attend every…
Read MoreYou’ve worked hard all year, and you deserve time off during the holiday season. Most dentists find themselves working longer hours and more days in the lead-up to holidays to accommodate their patients’ desire to get a year’s worth of work completed before their insurance benefits lapse. You take the onslaught of patients now for…
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I wanted to share with you a conversation I recently had with Tony Edwards, editor of DrBicuspid.com. Tony was feeling overwhelmed and stressed after a large event that took so much of his time that other tasks were neglected. He was feeling like he couldn’t keep his head above water, so I shared with Tony…
Read MoreTime is a consumable commodity that equals the playing field among the rich and poor, successful and seeking, experienced and neophyte. Time is the commodity that we can choose to give away for free or turn it into a million-dollar moment. We make or break these moments by our perception of time, how we value…
Read MoreThere are foundations in everything we do. Foundations in construction, parenting, communication, business. The same is true for stress management. When we gloss over or completely bypass the foundation phase of a process, eventually things come crashing down like a house of cards. To ensure you have the basics in stress management, let’s review three…
Read MoreEnd of Year Success Most dentists I speak with a look forward to November and December. Not only because they don’t need to shave or there are lots of holiday celebrations, but because November and December are the months in dentistry when production is easy, the schedule is full, and patients from long ago resurge…
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