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Professional Courtesy: Change Your Game! by Dr. Thomas Giacobbi

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Categories: Practice Management, HR and Accounting;
Professional Courtesy: Change Your Game!


by Thomas Giacobbi, DDS, FAGD, editorial director

The December issue of Dentaltown magazine features the results of our annual Townie Choice Awards survey. There are many great dental products on the market, and winning a TCA is a special honor for companies because we allow all dentists an opportunity to vote. Today, I was surfing through the active topics on Dentaltown.com and came across a message board titled “What Has Been a Game-Changer for Your Practice?” Threads like this one have appeared in various forms over the years, and the discussions always draw plenty of interest.

In the case of this recent thread, the game-changers mentioned fell into three general buckets: practice management, equipment and procedures. While there are many other facets to consider in running a practice, if you’re looking to make a change, it would be a good idea to choose one of these categories first. If you like to play golf as much as I do, then think in terms of course management, clubs and your swing.

The two comments that jumped out at me in the case of practice management were:
  • Dumping patients with a dark cloud over their heads and no longer trying to be everything to everybody.
  • Requiring payment in full before treatment.
How many times have we heard that a small number of people are responsible for most of our stress and anxiety? (This can be said as much for team members as for patients, by the way.)

In the case of patients, I have found more times than I can count that sometimes I spend too much time trying to please someone, or to figure out a way to reach them in a way that helps them appreciate what needs to be done.

Add the following to your list of New Year’s resolutions: “I will no longer try to please every patient; some patients will be happier in another office.”

The other item may be easier said than done, but regardless of how you structure your financial policies, you won’t be happy unless the bills are paid (and that includes paying yourself).

Seeing is believing—and accepting
When it comes to equipment, so many things can be game-changers in the right situation. A few items I want to highlight from this thread:
  • “Isovac has dramatically improved the quality of my life and my assistants’ lives.”
  • “Intraoral camera. Easier to sell what I can show.”
  • Trios 4 Digital scanner.
Good isolation removes so much stress from any dental procedure that if I met a dentist who was burned out, I’d ask them what they routinely use for isolation. On the other end of the visual spectrum is what the patient can see, and that is facilitated by an intraoral camera. I use my intraoral camera on virtually every procedure, and I think it’s the greatest communication and documentation tool available. I know many dentists have not adopted this habit, however, because my patients still refer to it as “so high-tech.”

Intraoral scanners were mentioned a number of times in this thread, too, because they’re likely the greatest technology to hit our profession since the advent of digital X-rays. You can see more, communicate better and have access to tools that allow you to evaluate your prep before the case leaves the office.

Becoming proficient really pays off
The final category of procedures was interesting because the area that received the most discussion was painless delivery of local anesthesia. In spite of all the technology available, we still have to get our patients numb before we can do anything. We already know this is what patients remember the most from their visit. If you don’t receive compliments from your patients, read this thread for some great tips.

Other game-changers mentioned included socket grafting and learning to do molar root canal treatment with skill and speed. I think it’s game-changing to embrace one or two advanced procedures—removables, clear aligners, root canals, placing or restoring implants, etc.—and do them on a regular basis. Remember, we can’t be all things to all people, but we can be great at a few things, and that will be a game-changer.

If you have a game-changer to share, big or small, join the discussion on the original thread here. You also can comment on the online version of this column, or reach me directly via email at tom@dentaltown.com.
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