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Office Visit: New Kid on the Block By Thomas Giacobbi, DDS, FAGD, Editorial Director, Dentaltown Magazine

More by this author (317)


Dr. Tamara L. Bailey moved to a new town, knew nobody, but turned her practice into a local success in two years

Welcome to the sixth installment of Office Visit, where we visit a Townie’s office and profile his or her equipment, design or unique practice philosophy. If you would like to participate or nominate a colleague, please send me an e-mail at tom@dentaltown.com.

This month, we paid a visit to Dr. Tamara L. Bailey’s two-year-old practice in Weston, Wisconsin. Dr. Bailey discusses the challenges of opening up and marketing a brand new practice, how new technology has aided in her care for patients and her patients’ perceptions of female dentists. 		Office Highlights

Computer System
  • Brush and Bond
  • Gradia Direct
  • Optibond Solo
  • Viscostat Clear


Crown and Bridge
  • Aquasil and Aquasil digit
  • Blue mousse
  • Integrity temporary material
  • TR2 temp cement
  • Triple trays


Equipment
  • Brasseler endo system
  • Cranex D, digital pan/ceph
  • Isolite Dryfield Illuminator
  • L.E. Demetron II curing light
  • Midmark equipment, sterilization center and autoclave
  • NSK Care 3 plus, handpiece maintenance system
  • NSK handpieces
  • Optime digital pa
  • Periolase
  • Ultralume 5 curing light


Laboratories
  • Diesen Dental Lab (removeable–local lab)
  • Great Lakes Ortho (ortho)
  • Keating Dental Arts (fixed)
  • Keller Lab (NTI)


Marketing
  • NPI
  • Radio and Television
  • Rebecca Palmer, Phoenix Practice Solutions


Miscellaneous
  • Canon Rebel XT camera,/li>
  • Designs for Vision loupes (1.5x)
  • Kois Center...CE continuum
Why did you move to Wausau, Wisconsin? Where were you practicing before you moved?

I moved to Wausau because my husband (a physician) was recruited for the newly constructed hospital in town. My office is about two miles from the new hospital. The hospital opened about six months after my office opened. They are doing a lot of recruiting to the area and a lot of young professionals are moving to this end of town because of the hospital. I practiced in the Cleveland, Ohio, area before I moved here.

What process did you go through to select your location and start your practice from scratch? Did you consider purchasing an existing practice?

I met with the president of the local dental society before I moved up here and talked with him about practice opportunities in town. He told me that there really weren’t any existing practices currently for sale; they were usually absorbed/purchased by a dental group practice in town. He also told me that there were plenty of patients in town for everyone and they welcomed a new dentist! What a refreshing concept! Many of the more established docs in town had closed their practices to new patients.
Name: Tamara L. Bailey, DDS
Graduate from: Case Western Reserve School of Dentistry
Year graduated from dental school: 1997; Completed GPR at the VA Medical Center in Cleveland, OH, in 1998.
Practice Name: Tamara L. Bailey, DDS       Year when practice opened: 2005
Practice Location: Weston (near Wausau), Wisconsin
Practice Size: 2,000 sq. ft.
Staff: 5(schedule coordinator, financial coordinator, clinical assistant, two dental hygienists.)
We moved here at the end of August 2004. I got my kids settled in their new schools the following week. I got a map of the area and spent every day driving up and down the streets in Wausau and surrounding towns. I looked for good visibility and location. If I got lost finding the street, I didn’t think it would be a good location. I also looked in the surrounding neighborhoods for new home construction. I found four locations that fit the bill and called the management companies and went from there.

What were the biggest obstacles when you opened your office? What are your current obstacles?

The biggest obstacle to opening my new practice was the fact that I knew no one in town other than my realtor. My kids were at a new school, so I spent a lot of time getting them settled and really did not meet too many people for several months. My kids play hockey, and once hockey season started (late October) I knew some people that I could ask questions about location and the towns and bounce ideas off of. I did find out that people in small towns don’t like to drive very far for services. The town is about eight miles across. People here don’t like to drive more than a couple of miles.

How did you attract new patients as the new dentist in town?

I used New Patients, Inc., to design a marketing mailer. The mailers hit the first day the office was open. The phone started ringing at 1 p.m. on the first day. It was pretty silent for the first three hours. It has been great ever since! Rebecca Palmer designed my logo and is currently working on my Web site. I also use radio and TV advertising. Interestingly enough, I have noticed a change in the marketing of the other dentists in town in the two years since I arrived here. I think, at first, I shocked a few people by marketing heavily. They are now seeing how successful it can be and I am seeing other dentists in this area doing the same thing.

What is your favorite procedure/specialty to perform?

I would have to say I love to do anterior composite/cosmetic cases. I really enjoy that moment when patients sit up in the chair and look in the mirror and are amazed at how they look. Most of these people didn’t realize some of the things we are able to achieve in bonded dentistry.

How has Dentaltown impacted your practice? Give examples of something that you now do differently because of Dentaltown.

How hasn’t Dentaltown impacted my practice. I do so many things differently now than I did the first time around with my other practice. I jokingly refer to my Ohio practice as “my practice practice.” I now know how I don’t want to do things as a result of that experience.

I also have to say that Dentaltown has impacted my life on a personal basis as well. If I look at a list of my five closest friends, four of them I met through Dentaltown. I look to them for friendship as well as practice advice. It’s nice to have people who I respect so highly to bounce ideas off of.

Tell me something that nobody knows about you/ something people would be surprised to know.

I used to be really, really shy. I wouldn’t talk to people in any situation for any reason. During school I never spoke up in class and wouldn’t ask questions. I still am a little introverted in certain situations, but now, for the most part, I don’t shut up. I’ve got 20 years of silence to make up for!

When did you make the switch to digital radiographs? What equipment are you using?

When I opened this office, I started with digital radiographs. I started with an Optime machine and added a digital pan/ceph as soon as I could afford to purchase it.

I have mostly Midmark equipment. It’s middle of the road price-wise, and the patients tell me it’s comfortable. I love the sterilizers and the cabinetry. I purchased dental cabinetry, even though lots of people advise against it. It is working well for me, and by purchasing from mostly one manufacturer, I got a very good price.

How do you keep your office paperless? What are you doing with explanation of benefits forms, signed treatment plans, consent forms, etc.?

Most documents are scanned directly into the computer and placed into the patient’s chart. We are in the process of making registration and medical history forms available through our Web site. We can e-mail the documents to the patients to fill out before they come in or they can fill them out online and transmit them to us that way.

When did you purchase the Periolase? What procedures are you performing with the Periolase?

I can’t believe it, but I have had the Periolase for a year now. It is an amazing device and allows me to treat more patients in house. I find that patients are much more accepting of periodontal surgery if they don’t have to leave the office to get it taken care of. In addition to Lanap, I use it for soft tissue preparation around crown preps when needed. I also use it for extraction sites, biopsies, and gutta percha removal in root canal retreats.

How did Advanced Hygiene Concepts assist with your soft tissue management program? Describe your program.

It’s not rocket science, but they helped me develop a protocol that I use when evaluating my hygiene patients. All patients receive full-mouth periodontal probing at each exam and we base their treatment recommendations on all of the information we gather. Like I said, it’s nothing new, but having a protocol in place gives the hygienists, dentist and front-desk folks a template to follow in scheduling appointments and providing treatment.

What mini implant system do you use? Describe one of your cases.

I use the Imtec MDI mini implant system. It has been a phenomenal service for edentulous folks. I only use them on the mandible and have had great success. It’s not a huge part of my practice at this time, but it is growing. I had a new patient in the other day who needs all of his teeth extracted. He was absolutely ecstatic that we can do upper and lower immediate dentures with the implants on the lower (He is already missing his lower anteriors). This case will take about two hours of chair time and it provides something the patient didn’t even know was possible.

What endo system are you using? Have you attended any hands-on training in endo?

I am using the system from Brasseler. I did attend some hands-on training and I now treat most of my cases without referral. We only have one endodontist in town and he is booked out about eight weeks. So by necessity I have been doing my own endo, and with the extra training am getting excellent results. I still refer out apicoectomies and some re-treats.

Where did you learn to perform limited short-term adult ortho?

I took Rick DePaul’s six-month Powerprox course. I also completed a year-long four-weekend course in orthodontics. I limit my practice of ortho to adults with limited crowding and relapse from childhood ortho. I really find the patients are very interested in this service, especially when they come to me seeking cosmetic treatment.

Describe the process you went through to develop your practice Web site? What suggestions would you give to a dentist considering a Web site?

My Web site is in development right now with Rebecca Palmer. It should be completed by the time this article goes to print. She and I talked about what I wanted my Web site to achieve and I answered a questionnaire. Basically I wanted a Web site to be user friendly and for it to be able to tell the patient about the office after hours. I know I check things out online before I make a call, and I want patients to be able to do the same. My advice would be to make the site easy to navigate and to accurately reflect the ‘personality’ of the office.

What was the cost of establishing the site and how long did it take? What is your Web address?

It cost $2,000 for Web site design. My Web site address is www.wausau-dental.com.

How do you view the Web site as part of your office marketing? Is this for existing patients, or is it truly a new patient referral source?

I plan to use it for both new and existing patients. I want existing patients to be able to refer their friends to my Web site if they are looking for a new dentist. My internal referrals are the fastest growing component of my new patient referrals right now. My Web address is on all of my business cards, appointment cards, stationery and my sign at the street. It’s also in our advertisement in the Yellow Pages and our direct mail pieces. I want people to see it several times and then when my commercial pops up on TV, patients can hop on the computer and check out the office.

What challenges do you face as a female dentist? How do you handle these issues?

There are only four solo female dentists in town. There are a couple more who are associates. I think it’s all a matter of patient perception. I am straightforward, caring and professional at all times. Patients pick up on that and feel very comfortable coming to me for their dental treatment. I’ve only had a handful of patients question whether I was ‘strong’ enough to pull their tooth or able to be the boss. I usually answer them with humor and they get the point.

What are your practice statistics? Size of office, number of ops, number equipped, number of staff and their titles, own or rent office, largest referral source.

My office is currently 2,000 square feet. I have five ops but only four are equipped (unless you count the treadmill I have in the fifth op as equipment – it’s my workout room!). I have two front-desk people (schedule coordinator and financial coordinator), one clinical assistant, and two hygienists. I rent the office. Our largest referral source is currently internal referrals followed closely by direct mail and television.

What was your best marketing move that generated new patients in the office?

The best marketing move I’ve made, by far, is my direct mail piece with New Patients, Inc. I am still getting patients from that initial mailing. It’s just about time to do another one!

I think, however, it’s the fact that I use my marketing sources together that makes them each more effective. My logo and Web site are on my TV commercial. My ‘jingle’ and information on the radio spots are repeated in the TV commercial. My Web site will further emphasize all of my sources. It has to work together to truly achieve effective marketing.

You are your own best marketing service. I talk to everyone I meet. When I’m purchasing something in a store and the cashier reads my name, she remembers my TV commercial. It’s working.
Dentaltown Magazine
September 2025
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