Office Visit: 2016 TCA Cover Star Dr. Patrick D. Briese by Kyle Patton, associate editor, Dentaltown magazine

What was the path you took to becoming a dentist?
My grandfather, uncle and older brother were dentists, so it was always around me growing up. I was a late bloomer, I guess—I was more interested in playing golf than going to dental school.
When I turned 23, I remember my dad telling me it was time to make a decision. I was living in Memphis, Tennessee, at the time, waiting tables and playing golf. I traveled to New Orleans to visit my brother, who was a senior dental student at Louisiana State University. We went out with a bunch of his buddies down to Bourbon Street. I remember being impressed by how much fun they were and how much they loved dentistry. After that night I was hooked.

How is your practice laid out? What's the workflow like?
Right now I rent a dental office that was built almost 40 years ago. I've spent eight years trying to remodel it and make it my own as I've gotten busier, but I've come to the point where it's time to move on.
My office was built in 1980—the year I was born. It has a bit of "old dentist" feel to it: I have a shower in my private office that I converted to storage, a stove in the lab, wood paneling on the walls, eight-foot drop ceilings, a huge mural on the exterior of the building that was hand-painted by the dentist I bought the practice from, and Bunsen burner gas outlets in each operatory in case I need to knock out some denture wax rims wherever I go.
I bought the practice a year out of dental school from a dentist who had lost his license. It definitely isn't the most modern facility, but I've enjoyed watching the place transform into something that reflects the level of work I'm capable of. I love my little office! It's lean and mean, has low overhead, is efficient and it reminds me all the time of where I started.

What's your practice philosophy?
Always do what's best for the patient, and the business will grow.

What do you do to help set the practice apart from others?
I really don't know what other practices do. I think what we do really well is give our patients great service. I'd have to say that my team makes us special—I work with an amazing group of kind, professional women who believe in me and believe in serving our patients. I really am blessed to have my team around me. I get to focus on the fun clinical stuff, and they back me up on the patient care.

What are your favorite marketing techniques? How do you get the word out about your practice?
I really don't embrace external marketing like others do. I probably should, but I don't feel like spending the time or money on it. I rely primarily on word-of-mouth and internal referrals.
I practice in a small town so if I didn't treat patients well, word would get out. I try to do quality dentistry on every patient I see; I like to call and check up on patients when I have time.
One of the best things I've done from the beginning is to document all the procedures I do. I take pictures, and over time I've created a bunch of before-and-after photos to show patients what we can offer.

What do you think is the biggest problem dentists face today?
Burnout and balance! I worry about insurance companies being unethical, overpopulation of dentists, and corporate DSOs, but I try not to focus my energy on that. They are definitely real issues, but I think our biggest problem is the stress our job puts on us physically and mentally, personally and professionally.
We have to wear so many hats throughout the day: clinician, business owner, leader, motivator, educator, being a good parent, being a good spouse.. We spend so much energy in a given day on our practices, then have to go home to a family that deserves the same level of commitment. It takes a toll on you, and it takes a lot of practice and patience to perform at a high level day-in and day-out.

What's your patient philosophy?
Trust is everything; people don't say yes to you until you earn their trust. It doesn't matter how much you explain, educate or draw pictures on the tray table—it's all foreign to them. Patients respond by how you and your staff make them feel. We try to give them an honest opinion and treat them like family.

What's your technique philosophy?
Do quality work, do it fast, and don't hurt the patient.

What's the greatest advancement of change you've seen during your tenure as a dentist?
I've only been practicing for eight years! But two things that come to mind are the shift away from metal to monolithic porcelain (both e.Max and zirconia) and CAD/CAM 3-D printing technology. As technology advances, I think we'll be able to offer services at a lower cost. The future is so bright I can't wait to see what happens next.

Looking ahead, what would you like to see dentistry do in terms of the way it operates as a profession in the next five to 10 years?
I'd like to see the ADA and local components take a more active role in safeguarding our profession against unethical insurance companies, overpopulation of dentists, and student loan debt. Dentists don't retire much these days, yet schools keep popping up and churning out new graduates. It's a big issue and really needs to be addressed. DSOs will continue to grow as long as graduates come out with a ton of debt and no practice to buy. I'd also like to see the ADA make a push to introduce legislation at every state level that requires insurance companies to be more transparent and release how much of a patient's premium goes to claim benefits.

What is your favorite procedure?
I like to do all phases of general dentistry, but I really enjoy guided implant surgery, whether it's securing loose dentures by using locators or doing a fixed prosthesis. I really love being able to give patients the best that dentistry has to offer all in one place.

What can you not live without?
My amazing team, my loupes, a great lab technician and Septocaine.

Describe the most successful or rewarding experience in your professional life.
Taking over a practice that many thought was a risky move and turning it into a successful business. The story of how I got to be where I am today belongs on daytime TV. The guy I bought the practice from was arrested and his license taken away for drugs and alcohol. No one wanted to buy his practice; it was about to shut its doors when I came into the picture. His plan was to go to rehab, then come back into the practice after I babysat it for a year.

Once the dust settled, he failed to get his license back and I was left with the practice. It was outdated and barely equipped, and the practice numbers were declining. I buried myself in this practice, worked hard and took a ton of CE, and the next thing I knew, I'd created a successful business. I remember a quote I came across that stuck with me—I have no idea where it came from but I liked it: "Success comes to those who are too busy to be looking for it." This has always been my business approach.

What has Dentaltown done for your professional life? For your social life? What is your favorite feature?
Dentaltown has helped me improve every aspect of my business. We practice in a bubble, so being able to log in and learn from others' successes and failures is huge. It's pretty much free CE. You can also get honest reviews of products other Townies have used through the years.

Before I make any big purchases I check Dentaltown.com. My favorite feature is definitely listening to Howard Farran say during his podcasts, "It's a huge honor to be podcast interviewing my biggest idol in the world ..." That man has a ton of idols. I listen on the way to work and basically get free CE from my iPhone.