Dentaltown December 2019 - 60

office
visit

We have a candy bowl by the checkout
counter that everyone crowds around, including our own Speedy Delivery Mr. McFeely.
My front desk tells everyone it's "job security,"
but it's really because while we do serious
work, we don't take ourselves too seriously.
There are other things in life besides teeth.

OTHER
PRODUCTS
Bonding agents
* OptiBond Solo Plus (Kerr)
* OptiBond XTR (Kerr)
Burs
NeoDiamond (Microcopy)
Handpiece
Midwest Tradition (Dentsply)
Restoratives
* Triodent V3 rings (Ultradent)
* Filtek Supreme and P60 (3M)
Impression materials
Exafast NDS (GC America)
Cements
* FujiCem (GC America)
* NX3 Universal (Kerr)
Practice management
Dentrix Dental (Schein)
Chairs
Belmont

60

DECEMBER 2019 // dentaltown.com

Given its proximity to Mexico and the
San Diego Naval Base, South San Diego
has a very diverse patient pool. How
do you ensure the practice appeals to
patients from different backgrounds?
And how does that affect how you
market to new patients?
My patients are mainly retired or
active military and their families from the
neighboring communities of Coronado,
Imperial Beach and South Bay San Diego.
It really helps when my staff and I are from
diverse backgrounds ourselves and reflect
the society we live in. I've moved through
different schools and jobs, and each time I
encountered diverse groups of people. I've
been offered halva, kaju katli, pão de queijo,
lumpia and tamales so, yes, I've broken
bread and forged friendships with patients
of every major race and socioeconomic class
and those with different beliefs.
A certain degree of emotional intelligence
is also required. I know that if my patient
is answering work emails on the phone, he
or she wants to be in and out quickly. If she
just had a baby, she wants to relax or sleep
in the chair. If they're retired, they want to
chat about anything and everything under
the sun. By understanding my patients'
needs without them explicitly verbalizing
it, I can create a pleasant experience. As
a result, most of my new patients are by
word-of-mouth referrals.
But that doesn't mean that it's easy!
I've instructed my staff that a patient can
specifically request to watch the news during
treatment, but as soon as they leave, we
must change the channel back to HGTV
or Food Network.

You opened your practice four years ago
so, relatively speaking, you're still in the
beginning stages of ownership. What
were some problems you experienced,
and how did you end up addressing them?
From something as basic as switching
out a faulty air/water syringe to something
more complex like auditing the data in my
practice management software, I've come
across and solved so many problems. But
essentially, I'm not trying to reinvent the
wheel. If I have an issue, it's likely that
another dentist has been through it before,
whether it's removing a stripped implant
screw or upgrading to Windows 10. I have
so many bookmarked Dentaltown posts,
CDA journal articles and American Dental
Accessories blogs for later, I'm not even sure
if I'll ever get to them all. My desk at home
and work is organized chaos. But I love that
the information and knowledge is all there!
For the sake of readers who might
be thinking about opening their own
practices: What's something you wish
you'd known about practice ownership
before you started out? And any other
advice?
If practice ownership is one of your
goals, don't wait. A lot of colleagues who
are thinking of owning a practice have
expressed that they're afraid to take the leap,
citing that they need more experience. After
a year or two, you're more than qualified.
As I've referenced before, the information
and support is all out there. Also, don't
underestimate a practice transition when
considering it against a startup.
What's an average day like at your
practice?
I create an environment where my
staff and I can do our best work. We run
one column of hygiene, one column of
treatment, and one for emergencies, consults,
try-ins and deliveries. Insurance is verified,
appointments are confi rmed, and copays
http://www.dentaltown.com
Dentaltown December 2019

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