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Howard Speaks: A Better You in 2024 by Dr. Howard Farran

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Categories: Practice Management, HR and Accounting;
Howard Speaks: A Better You in 2024 

by Howard Farran, DDS, MBA, publisher, Dentaltown magazine

Did 2024 sneak up on you, too?

Thanks to the magazine production schedule, I’m actually writing this column early in Q4—before Halloween, even!—which makes it hard to pull out a crystal ball and forecast what’s on the horizon for next year. One thing I do know, however, is that I want each and every reader of Dentaltown to increase their professional and personal success in 2024.

That growth and success requires effort and preparation, so I’d like to suggest a few ways you can get started on making 2024 a healthier year, both financially and physically.

1. Add an operatory.
To be a million-dollar dental practice, you and your team need to produce $500 an hour, 40 hours a week, 50 weeks a year.

This is much easier to do if you’re always working with extra operatories, and it’s even easier when each of those operatories is identically and fully stocked so nobody has to dig through random drawers or leave the operatory to find the right instrument. (This is why Southwest Airlines flies only Boeing 737s.)

When you have an extra operatory, if a patient calls with a dental emergency, your answer can be, “Yes, come in today.” Same-day dentistry has the highest rate of patient acceptance— diagnosed dental disease is of little use unless the treatment gets done. Nothing increases your close rate than doing it now, same-day. Why can’t you do it right now, today? Fix that! People are impulsive and want everything done now, so make that happen.

2. Master your clinical skills.
Eight percent of hospital emergency room visits are odontogenic in nature, so you need to be able to convert a toothache into successful endodontic treatment and a crown, or an extraction/bone graft/implant and crown. Stop referring out these more profitable procedures!

Start learning more about endodontics with the dozens of online CE courses available 24/7 on Dentaltown.com. Want to know more about the risks and benefits of performing root canals in-house? There’s a course about that. Deciding how to assess whether to treat or refer? Yes, there’s a course about that. How to perform better, safer and faster root canals? There are two courses about that specifically, plus many others focused on resorption, irrigation, endo emergencies and more.

When it comes to restorative dentistry, few Townies are as well respected as Dr. Lane M. Ochi, whose “Fundamentals of Fixed Prosthodontics” online CE courses are consistently among the year’s most popular. Once you’ve mastered the fundamentals of bonding, impression taking and the like, move into single-unit restorations and eventually full-mouth reconstructions. This is essential information for success in restorative dentistry! In this month’s Townie Poll, more than 40% of respondents said they’re still referring out implant cases. By this time next year, I’d love for more dentists to be comfortable, confident and competent when it comes to placing implants— and your practice pocketbook will thank you too.

To get started learning more, head to dentaltown.com/ce.

3. Focus on your health.
I talk a big game about million-dollar practices, but as the aphorism goes, the only wealth is health. Or, as entrepreneur and motivational speaker Jim Rohn said: “Take care of your body—it’s the only place you have to live.” I’ll expand on that and say when you take better care of yourself, you’ll increase the energy of your output too.

For years I’ve been following a thread on Dentaltown.com called “How To Really Get Into Great Shape.” Following like-minded dentists who’ shared their daily routines and experiences has greatly motivated me during my quest toward better health and fitness, and this thread includes lots of ideas of things you can try out and work on, plus the encouragement that I think can be essential for success. The link above will take you to some of the most recent posts from this conversation, which Townie “Teeth27” initiated back in 2013 and is still going strong more than 23,000 posts later. If you want to figure out how to combat the pain that comes from hunching over patients all day, or to ask your fellow Townies what worked as catalysts for them to make healthy changes in their lives, or to gawk at some gorgeous photos that could inspire you to plan your own vacation that involves hiking or other physical activity, head to the board!

Everyone wants their year to be better than the previous one, but not everyone has the drive and determination to make that happen. Improvement takes effort, education and support—and you can find all of those things in abundance on Dentaltown. Take advantage of all of the resources available to you!

And if you’ve got a goal for 2024, I’d love to hear about it: Leave a comment under the digital version of this column. I read every single one!
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