Orthotown December 2021 - 13

party to announce that I would soon be
entering his practice. It felt like a done deal.
However, a few months later, he invited
me to lunch to let me know he had changed
his mind and was no longer looking for a
partner. Naturally, I was crushed. I wondered
if I wasn't good enough and worried about
what I would do after graduation. I began
reaching out to other orthodontists to see if
anyone was interested, but no one in Memphis
was hiring.
In hindsight, losing this opportunity was
the best thing that could have happened.
Practice ownership was a natural fi t for my
strengths (and weaknesses), and without this
failure, we would have never taken the risks
necessary to start our own practice.
Failure #3:
When my assistant
used the wrong etch
(Or: That time I had
a panic attack)
This story still makes me cringe. When
I was an orthodontic resident, I would use
multiple bonding systems, mixing and
matching as needed to accomplish my clinical
goals. When we opened our practice from
scratch, we had no clinical assistants, so this
pattern continued. Further, because we had
opened from scratch, we didn't inherit any
clinical systems. Naturally, once we started
adding assistants, this lack of structure was
diffi cult for everyone. After all, assistants
can't read the doctor's mind.
Most mistakes were minor, but I still
remember an assistant accidentally applying
hydrofl uoric acid etch-a very strong
etch that is supposed to be used only on
crowns-to all 26 teeth of a teenage girl.
When I found out, I freaked. The patient
experienced some sensitivity for a few days,
and when I received a call to inform me, I
had a panic attack. I thought I was going
to have my dental license revoked and lose
everything I had worked so hard to achieve.
Fortunately, the effects of the incorrectly
used etch were short-term, and there was
no damage to the enamel.
The silver lining was that it forced me
to rethink the systems in my practice. It
showed me the importance of delegation
and of having turnkey systems like you
might see at a McDonald's or Starbucks.
Each clinical chair was standardized and
things such as hydrofl uoric acid were clearly
labeled. We also trained more regularly to
ensure consistency from assistant to assistant.
Failure #4:
When I almost lost my team
The worst moment in our eight years as
a practice involved a major hiring decision
that did not pan out. In one day, we were
approached by every member of our team
except one to tell us that we needed to let
this person go. Worst of all, we chose not
to heed their advice. It wasn't that we didn't
believe our team, but we thought we could
fi x it. It turned out that we were wrong. We
did eventually part ways with that employee,
but not before a lot of additional damage
was done.
As with most things, the fault did not lie
with just one person-certainly not solely
the employee in question. This situation was
the cumulative effect of several missteps,
most of which I gladly own. While it took
around six to 12 months to regain the trust
of the team, I'm happy to say that our team
culture today is as good as it's ever been. The
adage " Hire slow and fi re fast " is so true.
I just wish that it were easier to live out.
Failure #5:
When we closed a location
In 2018 we were offered a " no-brainer "
opportunity to work inside the space of
a pediatric dentist in a great area with
no surrounding orthodontic practices. It
required minimal investment to get started
and we inherited a steady fl ow of new patients
on day one. The main problem was, three
locations ended up being one too many for
our team. Also, because we were sharing the
space with another practice, it meant that we
had to set everything up from scratch each
day we arrived. Further, we saw patients only
two days a month, which was not enough
for us to provide the level of care that we
were accustomed to.
Even though we were profi table, the
location quickly became every team member's
least favorite, so we decided to close it after
one year. The decision naturally upset several
patients and it was defi nitely a failure, but
we did learn our limitations and strengths
as a practice.
Conclusion
The main thing I want to share is that
every orthodontist makes mistakes. I fail
every single day in some way. If I were
able, would I go back in time and do things
differently? Of course! But I gladly embrace
my past and deeply appreciate the ways
in which it has made me a better person,
practice owner and orthodontist.
Ultimately, I hope this column grants
you the perspective that failures, both big
and small, are an opportunity to learn and
to improve. We cannot lose ourselves in
the midst of struggle and storm. We must
always remain humble, willing to learn, and
true to who we are at our core. If we do, it
will always serve us well.
Dr. Kyle Fagala is the owner and orthodontist
at Saddle Creek Orthodontics, with locations
in Germantown and Collierville, Tennessee.
Fagala is also the co-founder of digital marketing
agency Neon Canvas and host of the podcast
The Digital Orthodontist: Live!.
He is the course director of and lecturer
for an occlusion class for first-year dental
students at the University of Tennessee Health
Science Center, and a key opinion leader for
3M Oral Care. ■
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Orthotown December 2021

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