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Office Visit: Dentist Makes the Connection by Kyle Patton, associate editor, Dentaltown magazine

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Header: Office Visit: Dentist Makes the Connection

As a dentist, you spend most of your time at your practice. It's understandable that you might not get many opportunities to see what it's like in another doctor's office. That's why we bring you an “office visit” six times a year. It's a chance for you to meet your peers, see their practices and hear their stories.

This issue we caught up with Dr. Michael Young of Forever Young Dentistry in Sterling Heights, Michigan, and learned about his unique and logical approach to oral health.

What was the path you took to becoming a dentist? What drove you into dentistry?
I wasn't really sure what I wanted to do until late in my senior year of high school. I'd thought about medicine, but didn't want to be in the blood-and-guts kind of stuff. Of course it turns out that dentistry has just as much anyway—well, maybe not the guts.

I wanted to help and interact with people, and was inspired by a friend's father who had a dental practice in my hometown; he seemed to have it all together, and had a nice lifestyle. So I started undergraduate in predental and never wavered.

Also, I loved the artistry part of dentistry. Everything we do—even a small filling—is a piece of art: the contour, the anatomy. Part of the joy is creating something that looks excellent and also works well. The software gives you a good start but if you don't have an artistic mind and a vision of what you want the end product to look like, you're going to have some trouble. You have to be very creative and have an artistic eye.

Dr. Michael Young with patient

How is your practice laid out?
My office was designed by Michael Unthank, who was a dentist before he became an architect, so he's very specialized. It was designed to work beautifully and to maximize the value of time. We have the right amount of rooms for my team, the right amount of space, and nobody's tripping over anybody else. I have 3,000 square feet and it's optimally designed with every room basically laid out the same way, so anyone can jump into any room and just start working. There's a nice flow for the patient from start to finish, and for the team so we can be efficient. When we leave at the end of the day, we don't feel like we've run a marathon.

What's the workflow like?
The software works better now that we're using the Planmeca FIT System. Two of my staff members are certified in digital dentistry (CDD) and typically while I'm finishing the preparation on one patient, a CDD is scanning in a second room. I go to a third room and we can start to prep over there, so that by the time we're ready to scan this third patient, the first patient scan is already done. Then we just grab the plug-and-play PlanScan digital scanner, plug it into the laptop and we move forward.

Having two laptops and two CDDs has allowed us to improve our use of time, making us more efficient. I've taught the team what to look for and how to improve their artistry, because now they're the designers, and they love it. Because much of the procedure is delegated now, I'm free to do other things such as see other patients, do hygiene exams or even take care of business.

OFFICE HIGHLIGHTS
Name and Credentials: Michael L. Young, DDS

Practice Name: Forever Young Dentistry

Graduated from: University of Michigan, 1994

Practice Location: Sterling Heights, Michigan

Practice Size: 1,600 active patients

Staff: 2 administrative, 2 RDH, 2 assistants (1 RDA)

Website: foreveryoungdentistry.com


What's your practice philosophy?
We believe that a healthy body begins with a healthy mouth. We try to determine where our patients are at risk for quality-of-life issues, and make recommendations to reduce those risks. Why wait for disease to happen if we can be proactive? We focus on complete-health dentistry—how what we see in the mouth might be affecting the rest of the body, and vice versa. If patients have periodontal disease, we discuss how that may affect their overall health. Or if we see certain things in their health history, such as diabetes or heart disease, we talk about how this may affect their oral health.

We also try to predict who's at risk for expressing disease. So it might be tooth decay, periodontal disease, a broken tooth—we're an evidence-based practice, meaning we rely on science to make risk assessments to predict who may have a problem, then let them know ahead of time. We tie the whole body and mouth together, and try to assess people at risk for having health problems to help prevent those problems from happening.

What do you do to help set the practice apart from your competitors?
First, our team: From the first phone call, when you're greeted with a warm, friendly voice, to our clinical team and the person who explains your insurance benefits, you'll be treated as if you're part of our family. The next thing is our investment in Planmeca. Our patients love that we have the most advanced dental technology, which allows us to provide an efficient, accurate diagnosis and high-quality care. I've been providing same-day crowns since 2004, and while not every crown should be done that way, I'd say 90 percent of my crowns are.

Dr. Michael Young with patient

How has same-day dentistry affected your practice?
Patients who've already had a same-day crown are not happy when I have to send a restoration to the lab. They expect same-day results and appreciate not having to take more time off to come back. People don't want to wear temporaries, they don't want to have to come back to have the temporary put on, and they especially don't want to come back and get numb again.

My patients will tell their friends or coworkers about same-day dentistry, so if they hear that someone has to go back to get a crown put on my patients will say, “Well, my dentist does it same-day!” Their friends say, “No way! That's not possible!” but my patients tell them, “My dentist does it like that all the time.” So that's been very positive.

How do you get the word out about your practice?
Right now, the biggest avenues for new patients are our website and online testimonials. Marketing online is the way to go in this age. An overwhelming majority of people tell me that they found us on the internet, that they like our website and that we have more reviews than anybody else in the area—and they're good reviews. So we're very proud. As patients put more care into their health and well-being, they're relying more on positive online reviews to choose their dentist.

TOP PRODUCTS
Planmeca FIT System: If you took this away from me, I might just quit dentistry. I love being able to provide minimally invasive restorations in a single appointment with CAD/CAM, and our patients appreciate the care and efficiency. The ProMax Classic CBCT has improved our diagnosis and surgical planning for implants. Our patients appreciate the convenience of having this in the office, instead of being referred out and waiting.

3M Filtek: This is my universal composite. It performs well in the posterior and anterior and looks very natural. To be efficient we need a simple system we can use everywhere in the mouth for every indication. This does that for me.

Ivoclar Vivadent Variolink Esthetic Resin Cement: We are using this for all of our bonded indirect restorations. I've found it to be easy to clean up and its properties are excellent. This cement may also be universal, creating more efficiency and reducing need for inventory.

Ivoclar Vivadent e.max CAD blocks: This is the only block I use for my CAD/CAM restorations. It has superior aesthetics and strength so I can use it everywhere in the mouth. I see no reason to use another block. Again, less inventory, more efficiency.

Ivoclar Vivadent Bluephase curing light: It's important to have an excellent curing light because we place so many indirect bonded restorations. A curing light may not be glamorous and can easily overlooked, but this curing light should not be taken for granted.


What's the biggest challenge dentists face today?
The squeeze we're feeling from insurance companies. Some companies haven't increased benefits in four years, but the cost of producing high-quality dentistry is increasing. PPO insurance is becoming so prevalent that by the time that I'm done practicing in the next 15–20 years, we're not going to have much choice but to participate with these insurance companies. In addition to hearing a lot about this within the industry, Dr. Charles Blair, a dentistry consultant who speaks across the country, talks about this. He also mentions that the dentist who is best positioned to handle this change is one who has a great website and modern facilities with ample room, and who keeps up with current technologies, including CAD/CAM and cone-beam. If you don't have these things already, then you are struggling. You'll have a very hard time catching up and putting all of these technologies into your practice to be competitive in the industry, if you're not already there.

What are your patient philosophies?
We don't always realize this, but the most important thing to people is the value of time. Technology is great, but if it doesn't improve your value of time, then maybe it's not the right purchase. Patients have also recognized that we've invested in technology—from the digital X-rays to cone-beam and same-day crowns—to provide them with better dentistry. Plus, now with services that require fewer multiple visits, there's less referral so they appreciate the convenience—and for them, convenience is a big deal.

Front office view

Patient having conebeam scan

What's the greatest advancement you've seen during your tenure as a dentist?
First, digital technology—digital X-rays, digital impressions, digital design of crowns, digital CBCT for planning implant placements on a computer. They didn't teach digital dentistry to me back then, so it's something I've had to learn outside of school.

One of the biggest advantages for me is that I rarely have to send crowns to the lab anymore. The crowns that my staff create for my patients are beautiful and durable, not to mention more cost-effective now that I can do everything in-house.

The other thing is the cone-beam. Being able to surgically 3-D mesh your surgery beforehand reduces your risk and makes the procedure less stressful and more efficient. I had a patient who had an implant done by a local periodontist whom I really respect, and who actually has treated my mouth. So the doctor and I did an implant in my office for this patient, and planned it surgically with the cone-beam; I got a surgical guide and we completed the procedure in 40 minutes. The patient commented that he couldn't believe how much easier it was and how everything went so smoothly compared to the periodontist. That was very flattering. I attributed it to planning, so we were able to be very efficient—we knew exactly where the bone was going to be, where the implant was going to be, and there was a lot less stress.

OTHER PRODUCTS
Bonding agents
  • Bisco All-Bond Universal
  • Ivoclar Vivadent Adhese Universal
Burs
  • Premier
  • Brasseler
  • SS White
    Cements
  • Ivoclar Vivadent Variolink Esthetic
  • Ivoclar Vivadent Multilink Automix
  • Ivoclar Vivadent SpeedCEM
    Class II and Class III appliances
  • Triodent V3 Sectional Matrix System
    Patient financing
  • CareCredit
    Technology
  • Planmeca ProMax Classic Pan/Ceph/CBCT
  • Planmeca FIT System
  • Planmeca digital X-ray units
  • Dentrix automated patient reminder system

How do you see dentistry operating as a profession in the next five to 10 years?
We need to reverse the mindset that dentistry is a commodity, and to increase the value in oral health by showing the relationship between oral health and overall health. Insurance companies are dictating treatment and interfering with the relationships we have with our patients. It's not possible to get our patients completely healthy on a $1,000 yearly maximum benefit.

In the same way that the phone I have in my pocket now is much different than the iPhone I first bought in 2007, the software and technology that we use in the office will exponentially ramp up. While it is going to get better and better, this will come with a cost, because new technology isn't free. Dentists need to have the capital to stay current with the technology, and we'll need to delegate. We're going to need to find a way to stay competitive in a market that's becoming more difficult because of insurance companies.

What's your favorite procedure?
I love veneers because of the emotional impact they have on the patient. There's nothing better than seeing the smile on a patient's face when they look in the mirror.

Describe the most successful or rewarding experience in your professional life.
Participating in a variety of donated dental services has been rewarding because so many people can't afford good care, and we're able to make a difference for them. We've donated to many charities and have been fortunate to be able to provide them with free care, plus I get to help others while doing what I love.

Dr. Michael Young and his staff

Forever Young Dentistry



Dentaltown Magazine
April 2024
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