Kiera and Britt outline how to go about assessing 2024 for your practice. They give three metric areas and discuss questions for evaluating each: Profitability and business Clinician and dentistry skill Personal and team fulfillment Included in all that is the recognition of accomplishments. Don’t forget to celebrate! Episode resources: Reach out to Kiera and Britt Tune Into DAT’s Monthly Webinar Practice Momentum Group Consulting Subscribe to The Dental A-Team podcast Become Dental A-Team Platinum! Review the podcast Transcript: Kiera Dent (00:00.812) Hello, Dental A Team listeners. This is Kiera and today is a special day. I have the one and only Brittany Stone, no BS Britt. What else do you have? What other names Britt? think bad.   Britt (00:11.616) mean, you got my full name today. So like that's always, Tiff did that the other day on a podcast too. And I'm like, I always get worried when it's my full name that comes up.   Kiera Dent (00:15.127) You   Kiera Dent (00:21.158) Brittany's still back on the podcast. Don't worry. No fear there. It's just a good name. I mean you go by Britt. I only usually call you Britt every so often it comes through as Brittany   Britt (00:23.542) you   Britt (00:31.786) My mom did a good job. I'm happy with it.   Kiera Dent (00:34.22) Yeah, and then BS. What's crazy is there's an office that I consult and their office manager is killer. She's incredible. And her initials are BS. And I was like, you and my BS are two good BSs.   Britt (00:47.03) huh, it's true. They are fun initials to sign on anything when it's like a legal thing that you initial and you sign BS. I'll just say it makes me Google anyways.   Kiera Dent (00:56.458) I mean, someone that I know, I won't say who they are. They have an account called BS Investments. So it's like they're just like nonsense investments. And we were transferring some money and the bank stopped us and they were like, are you sure you want to send it to this? Yes. So agreed. The legal, all the things. There's some good initials. But I thought they were very clever to have BS investments. Like those are just the ones that are like shot in the dark. You don't know what's going to happen. So with that,   Britt and I are back on the podcast. thought it'd be fun to podcast today about like, let's just go through kind of what we do internally. Britt and I work, believe it or not, we're not just consultants in Denali team. Britt does all operations within our company and her and I really do yin and yang. And so I thought it'd be a fun podcast for us today of kind of like, how do we assess how our 2024 was for you guys to really like, let's go through how was 2024 for you? What things should you be looking at? How do you assess if it was a good year?   if it wasn't a great year, because honestly, I think it's fair to say that 2024 was actually our hardest year as Dental A Team, like all the way around. And I think a lot of practices had a hard year. I think there were some who had like best years ever. But I think it's important to note that like ebbs and flows in business are normal. And that's okay. It's just how do we assess was it a good year or not? But shoot, I mean, we hired consultants this year, we hired recruiters this year, like we went all in this year.   because there were a lot of things we were struggling with as a company and I think like struggling and also on the high ends, we also hire coaches then too, but it's like making sure you're really getting the need and the support you have. And like those were pivotal decisions you and I made throughout this year, yin and yanging off of what we both had and our different perspectives.   Britt (02:41.949) Yeah, for sure. I think when it comes to looking at years, like even your tough years, right? Everyone's going to have them. That's welcome to business. Welcome to life. That's what happens sometimes. And even just looking back and making sure that we always look at the things that went well. I think sometimes when we get to end of year, you're like, my gosh, what are all the things? What do we need to fix? What do we do? And making sure to take a look back at what went well and the things that went well.   What do we need to keep doing and not lose track of as we start to focus on maybe some areas or some other areas?   Kiera Dent (03:13.248) I agree and I'm glad you brought it up because I think sometimes you and I are actually cynical and like it's like yeah, yeah, yeah, that was something good. So my question is, I mean, this is a real question. haven't, you guys, we don't script any of this. This is just me and Britt rifting in real life here. How do you not just like get complacent and be like, yeah, that was great, but we need to fix all these things. Like how do you really celebrate the good things going on and not lose sight of those? I don't know. Like I said, this is a rift. You and I have never really talked about this in real life.   Britt (03:20.721) huh.   Britt (03:41.378) I think it takes effort. That's why I try to keep it top of mind because it's more a reminder for me than anyone and anyone else out there that's like me that we struggle to look for the things that did go well or the things that are going well. So it's making the conscious effort to find those things that went well and acknowledge them because yes, I agree.   Kiera Dent (03:47.982) you   Britt (04:01.802) very easily that I'm like, yeah, yeah, or like not take credit for like certain personality types, right? Like I'm like, yeah, it's like, sure, sure, And like move on to the next thing. But I think everyone can benefit, myself included, from practicing and becoming better at accepting the things that did go well and accepting the accomplishments.   Kiera Dent (04:18.67) I actually love that perspective. makes me think back, like I started doing this little exercise where they say to do a celebration at the end of every week. So you literally look back on your week and you write an entire paragraph of the celebrations of the great things that happened for that week before you go in and start planning your next week. And I thought it was stupid. Like, I skipped it for quite some time. I was like, I know better than you. That's just a waste of time. And it's interesting because on the weeks when I will do the celebration box,   Britt (04:41.174) you   Kiera Dent (04:49.31) and you and I both attended this event so you know exactly what I'm talking about. That celebration piece literally flipped my brain into a more optimistic, positive, I could do more momentum than when I'm just like week to week, what did I not get? And I honestly wonder, and I have no backing and nothing other than just my own personal experience, I wonder if truly celebrating those wins and really building that momentum before we go into our build.   can actually help us see the positives. it's almost like those are the sunglasses we're putting on. So then when we do go and tackle where things didn't go well, maybe we have a better proactive mindset on it versus like, we suck, we need to figure this out. It's almost like down and beaten versus vibrant and finding the solutions rather than just problems.   Britt (05:27.914) Thank   Britt (05:36.374) Yeah, and I think it's the perspective, right? That I think when you start with what you've accomplished, it makes going into planning to accomplish more things like, all right, like, yeah, we can do these things. So like, it's not like, well, we keep working on the same thing, right? Like, are we keep doing this? Are we keep doing that? Or like, there's always something wrong. Like, no, it takes a minute to set some perspective on it first, and then move into the next things. And I think for us, right, working with clients, I become more aware of it because I think like,   care about them celebrating more than I care about me celebrating. So like when things happen, I'm like, no, no, no, can we stop for a second and just acknowledge like how far you come right now? Like I was on the phone with the client the other day. And I've been with them since like early on when they opened and they like expanded and added associates and I'm like, can we just acknowledge for a minute and just like, I've been with you for like four years almost now, but like how far you come and really a relatively short amount of time.   Kiera Dent (06:07.32) same.   Kiera Dent (06:23.182) you   Kiera Dent (06:33.086) Which is ironic Britt because without us again scripting any of this I did the exact same thing for a client that I've had for almost the same amount of time I think I'm a year longer than you with that client and I said can we just celebrate the fact that you've built this practice You've had two babies you've cut down your hours You've expanded your practice like you've gone from these numbers to these numbers like that's a lot and I remember one of the doctors she's like Thank you for telling me that because I think I forget to to acknowledge where we've been and where we've come from   And there's a quote that I heard where it says, we overestimate what we can accomplish in a year and we underestimate what we can accomplish in a decade. And I think it's just that like, we really do get a lot done. It's just the day in, day out grind. It's often hard to see progress when you're in it consistently. So agreed. I think that that's a good way to start of like reviewing your 2024 of like, let's celebrate the things that did go well and like make a whole laundry list and like have it as the brag sheet.   Get your leadership team. And honestly, Britt, we should do this before we set our goals. We should probably have a nice brag sheet, because I think a lot more got accomplished. And it's also fun to look back and see, we did accomplish a lot. I think it helps you also set the stage for the next year of, we were able to do all this this year. Let's make sure that we're being realistic with what we can do next year as well.   Britt (07:49.504) Yeah, and I think evaluating some of the benchmarks too, right? think everyone, most people can feel the strain of like staffing, right? And so it's like, all right, we still may not be like completely staffed, but how have we handled this scenario or got creative or taking care of things like, those also are wins even though it's maybe not our ideal scenario we'd like to be sitting in, but we've done a lot with the circumstances we've been in.   Kiera Dent (08:12.347) For sure. And I also think like you and I just in our last meeting hiring consultants. If you know any consultants, I'm not doing a shameless plug. This is a legit plug. I'm just going to ask for it. If you know anyone who'd love to be a consultant, we do not poach from offices. So don't even think about it. But if you know anyone who wants to be a consultant, send them our way. But like you and I literally in our last meeting, that's my little commercial. Thank you for listening. But like we literally came down to it we're like, Hey, this has been a problem for us for so long.   Britt (08:34.326) No.   Kiera Dent (08:40.492) What can we actually do to get out of this pickle? And we forced us to innovate and think outside the box, which I thought was really beautiful that we did. And I think for offices, like you said, assess the metrics and like don't harp on it. It's not like Britt freaking hire somebody, even though I sometimes wanna say that to you. Sometimes I'm like, just go find somebody. But the reality is like, let's innovate, let's think about it. Let's come up with different solutions that we can all do together. So on that agreed, celebrate.   look to see where we may be missed and why. I think us doing a deep dive of like, why, what things can we change? Instead of being like, well, we just tried to hire whomever we could. It's like, well, let's get creative. If we can't find hygienists, I know I just did this with an office, like, we can't find hygienists. So we literally talked about like, let's do a CE for hygienists, like once or twice a year. So all the hygienists come and if they're not happy, like amazing, it's a networking opportunity or when they're ready to move positions, they think about us.   We're literally going and we're gonna schmooze. Like I kid you not, we're gonna be schmoozing at that hygiene college constantly. Then I thought like, why are we going through administrators? Dental colleges, like the best way to get to the students is through the students. So how can we get like the students to get together in the hygiene schools? Like we came up with so many ideas when it's like, we can't hire anybody. We started offering part-time hours. This office has not wanted to offer part-time hours and we decided.   Let's actually look to see how could we hire part-time people. and I, did a similar thing. We're like, all right, this is tricky. Who's our ideal consultant? What did they do? Where are they at? Let's start figuring out a different solution for it. And I think that that's a fun thing of business, at least for me. That's the puzzle of how do we figure out these scenarios? Do we need to hire someone? Do we need to find somebody? Do we need to think outside the box? We need to get more creative. Or did we just set two lofty of goals that were unrealistic and we need to pare that down for next year?   Britt (10:23.648) What's this?   Kiera Dent (10:28.288) So on that, are you guys ready to review 2024? I think easy. think, and again, Britt and I have no script for this, so we're just going to riff for you. But as I'm assessing and what we do in Denali team when we're looking at 2024 is one, I think it's very easy. Did we hit our production numbers? Yes or no? Like, did we hit that? Two, how's our overhead? What's our profitability on the business? Did we hit that or did we not? Why or why not? After you do all this, after you've celebrated. So don't forget, celebrate first, then go into this.   Britt (10:28.501) Thank you.   Britt (10:36.778) Hehehe.   Britt (10:53.984) which is   Kiera Dent (10:57.166) I think I'm also looking at providers. Like how many providers do we need more providers? Do we not? Like how do we do well on that? We're looking at our goals that we set at the beginning of the year to the end of the year. How did we do on that? Why did we hit them? Why did we not? Were they the right goals to set? Were they not? And then what we start to do, and this is coming up for us, is we start to set the projections for the next year. Like what are all the raises? What are all the different pieces? How's our marketing? How's our bookkeeping? How's our legal? Like all those things we assess and what are we going to have coming in for next year to then set our new goals for next year? like   Really, think, Britt, when we look at it, I don't think if you hit production or you hit all your goals that that was necessarily a win of a year. I think you and I might have also shifted our definition of winning, but I'll let you speak to that first before I share. Do you agree with that? Disagree with kind of your thoughts because I think it's very easy to like it's only production, but I don't think that necessarily equates to the win.   Britt (11:45.236) No, mean, numbers for sure need to be reviewed, right? That's our objective. How did we do? What were we shooting for? It's necessary. We need to look at them. And especially knowing we have hard, fast costs and expenses, right? Things that need to be covered. So those for sure. And then I think the rest of it is a lot more.   systems team soft skill kind of things almost of like, all right, take a look at what are all of our departments? How are all of our departments doing? What's going well in those departments? What's not going well in those departments? And looking at business-wise big picture things, but numbers are part of it. I agree. A lot of the other things have to do with our experience for our patients and our experience for our team, honestly, right? Because that's what systems build. It builds experiences for everybody.   Kiera Dent (12:15.318) you   Kiera Dent (12:37.559) And I'm so glad you said that because I agree. I think there's the data, the metrics, so the numbers, how do we do, then how are our systems, how's our team, how are all the different departments, how's our marketing ROI? Looking at that P &L, C is all the amount of money we're outputting actually getting the ROI that we're needing. But I think you and I asked each other really, I think telling questions throughout the year of are we happy doing what we're doing?   And like for me, I got to a spot of like, love my clients, but I am not happy day in and day out. remember, gosh, but this is a few months ago. I don't know if you remember it. You're like, I'm not happy and you're not happy. that's why you're no BS Britt. You will never like let me off the hook. Do you remember that conversation?   Britt (13:21.91) I I remember that and cause it's like, that's not the way it has to be. think like that was the cut, like right, we're not. So like, it doesn't have to be that way. So what do we need to do to make it not that way?   Kiera Dent (13:33.676) which I probably should have finished the statement. Like agreed. You came to it of like, you're not happy. I'm not happy. Like we're pulling all the weight of this. And if we're not happy, what's causing this unhappiness and what do we need to do to change it? And what was interesting is when we had that conversation, we realized that the vision we had set a few years ago of our company was actually the wrong vision that we had. and it was, don't know, Britt, I remember the day that we decided to give up our current vision or like our prior vision.   that we had been striving for and driving. I don't know how you felt, but it was like this, like, I didn't feel like I had lost the game or I was giving up. It literally felt like a sigh of relief of like, yeah, that's actually like the wrong vision and we don't even want to go for that anymore. And we need to create something that we actually are all excited about. That's doable. That gives us the lifestyles that we want to have. I don't know how you felt, but it was one of like, like I said, one of the hardest years to say like, well, shoot our North star. We don't even want to go after anymore. We need to find a new North star.   but also it was so liberating to have those honest conversations with each other as well.   Britt (14:34.426) And I think that's end of year, right? And going through and reviewing some of these things and even in some of the soft stuff, I'm like, there's definitely a personal check in too, I think, and especially for leadership, right? Because leadership shapes everybody else. So I have no doubt. I know it, right? The rest of our team feels it too. If we're being impacted, they're 100 % being impacted by it. And that's not what any of us want. So what do we need to shift, change, work on, maybe reassess or reset on what we're shooting after and   focus on to make things better, right? And that's like you said, it's not necessarily like money, dollar better. That always has to be there. Don't get me wrong. Profitability always has to be there. But are there other things that we can do that we're not having to push for something that we're not really behind?   Kiera Dent (15:18.282) Exactly. And I think that that's where end of year is such a good check-in. It's like, how did our number shake? How are our metrics? How are all of our KPIs? How did our quarters go? Were we on track? Were we off track? But then also, like, are we still super happy and fulfilled doing this? And if not, what do we need to do to shift and change that? Like for us, I remember when we realized like we need to hire a coach to come in and help us like set our vision because we're all in the weeds of this. When we decided we were going to hire recruiters to bring in different people for us that are better at this than we are.   we decided to bring, like, we brought in quite a few different people to our team. We've, shifted the vision. We worked on a different vision for the company and then we started setting like more realistic goals up until this year. I've been in founder mindset founders are like meant to double their production every single year. And like, that was fun until it wasn't fun anymore. And I was like, I'm tired. You're tired. We're all tired. Is this something that's necessary to achieve the vision of helping and serving more dentists?   Britt (16:10.454) you   Kiera Dent (16:17.792) And so like our vision of having massive impact in this world and positively impacting the world, that hasn't shifted, but how we do it is where we shifted. And so I think really like as you're assessing your year this year, look at it, look to see where did we hit, where did we strike? And maybe you're in the flow of like, I love everything and I just wanna go to the next level. That's also a zone of like, what is the next level? Like I have offices that are just like humming along, but even sometimes like.   Sometimes I even create chaos when we're just humming along and I think you want to tell me to like quit the chaos. But like you either will have chaos for real or we will create chaos because I think as human nature is like the secret to fulfillment is growth. Like we're looking for that growth piece but doing it in a way I think that's sustainable, realistic and attainable as well was maybe a good lesson I think we learned this year as well.   Britt (16:47.22) Hahaha   Britt (17:06.016) Yeah, I would agree with that. And I think with offices too, right? It's fun because we get to work with offices at a variety of stages. And I've even got some clients where they've got multiple locations and those locations are all in different stages. And we have to have the conversation of like, yes, like when we look at numbers across the board, right? We take a look back at months.   We've got to acknowledge there are standards, you're like, we have like a baby face and like a teenage phase and an adult phase. And the issues or struggles are going to be very different. And the successes are going to look a little bit different in all of those stages. And that's okay. And so in those different stages and depending on where you're at, right. Listening to this or where clients are at, what is it you want to go after? And what are the things we want to do? And like you get to a more mature stage in some locations that it's like, great.   What else can we do? There's always stuff to advance or that's the time that if you're really looking for that growth and like it might be time to start exploring what that could look like if it is another location or expanding or something.   Kiera Dent (18:05.678) Absolutely. And I think a setting like even a three year target too helps us make better decisions for where we want to be this year as well. So like, what is that three year focus and where do we want to be in three years? But agreed with you, Britt. It's like, I think that it's a it's a balance as you set goals and you review your year of how am I profitability wise and business wise? How am I as a clinician and our dentistry? And then how am I on my personal fulfillment and team fulfillment? Where are we at? And I think when you look at those three different metrics,   But I also think it's important and I don't know, but I'm super curious on your intake or insights on this. Like what happens when you see you've got a gap and we're like, all right, I look at it and I know our numbers are not where they want to be. I know my clinical dentistry is incredible. I would love to learn like another CE and like fulfillment wise, I'm good, but I'd like to take a few more vacations for the year. Like I think sometimes we see the gap, but we don't actually know like how do we get to the other side of that gap? So do you have any like tactical   practical ideas for offices when they're in that boat of how to get to the other side of that gap.   Britt (19:10.396) say I think that's where like community you're looking outside. Sometimes it's really hard to see how to jump that gap when one I've never seen it done before right I'm just sitting so silent that I'm doing everything that I know how to do and I just genuinely don't know a different way to do it. And so getting that insight from other people connecting with the group seeing what can be done I think is probably one of the best ways of like reaching outside of yourself or asking for some help to be able to see like how can we get through that gap.   and what aligns with you on the way to make up that gap.   Kiera Dent (19:42.218) Mm-hmm. And I think like I'll piggyback on that of agreed like someone's done it success leaves clues So let's find some who's done it and done it successfully and like have them help us So whether that's a coach whether that's a mentor whether that's books But I also think but there's something to be said and you and I really had I wouldn't say a tug of war because I think we were both on the same Same side of the rope. It was just like where do we put the spend because we were looking at costs and we're like Okay, does it make sense to spend this? for X result   Britt (20:00.63) Thank you.   Kiera Dent (20:12.192) or does it make sense for us to DIY it? And so how do you, this is her real question, I'm curious, I'll tell you how I do it, but like how do you decide when it's worth it to spend the money versus when it's like worth it to DIY and invest it on your team and on the resources that you already have?   Britt (20:31.082) I mean, I think it might be, it depends on how fast you wanna go, right? I really do genuinely think that, cause it's like, sure, we can try it. And if it doesn't work, then of course, like we need to go get some outside help. If I want it to get done faster, then all right, like maybe I just go for the help now right away and it's gonna, I'm gonna get there a little faster than maybe potentially failing, failing forward, learning from it, but still taking that time to fail. So I think that's.   My honest answer is I think it depends on how fast you want to go and what makes sense. What can you afford?   Kiera Dent (21:03.714) Yeah, I would agree with you. And I think also investing in things that are going to generate you money, like a decision we have is on a recruiter to hire us this like amazing customer success sales and biz dev. Like it's a very unicorn position. And we have been trying for what a year to hire this position. And so when we look at that, I know for us, I also look at like, how long have I been in this pickle of an issue? And how long am I willing to continue? Like when we had the, like the realization of it's been a year.   We're like, all right, we clearly run the experiment. We're not great at this. We need help. And also, when we invest in things, like when I invest in consulting and we hired somebody to help us do our vision and build out the pieces, I knew that, yes, that cost was going to be high, but my ROI on the other side of it was going to be exponential. So I like to invest in things that are going to help me, like hiring a recruiter that's going to hire a key player for us. Yes, it's an initial upfront cost, but that key player   Britt (21:37.462) We'll you   Kiera Dent (22:01.344) should generate exponential revenue for us long-term as well. And so I think when you look at the dials like that too, how fast do you want to go? How long has this been a pain point for you? And then also like, is it a passion for you too? Cause I think like Britt, you and I will sometimes DIY when I'm like, do you want to do this? Cause I don't want to do this. Like, and maybe we do it for two months, three months. But I think like knowing that also, think putting the deadline on yourself, we had the deadline for us with this person, like   Britt (22:19.072) True.   Kiera Dent (22:28.172) We said, we're going to give it a month. We're going to try our best. We're going to do all these different pieces. We've got all these pieces in play. And if it doesn't work, then we're going to execute on this decision. But I don't know. I feel, Britt, so many people stayed too long in the DIY phase when if they would just hire the help or bring on the different pieces, it feels scary to spend the money. But I think the more you can realize, I guess it's just ROI. And I don't know how to even help people get more comfortable with that. But I think I've learned over the years, like,   I sometimes actually waste so much money DIYing where if I would just take, like just have the gumption and the like kahunas to do it, like we'd be so much better off for it. And so I think that that's also a skill as you go through. But then there's other people like, I think you and I would look at our clients, our clients execute, they take the risks. And I think because they take the risks and they execute consistently, that's why they have insane growth. Like our clients numbers are like doubling and like,   One of my favorite offices in three years, we've gone from 2 million to almost 6 million, like huge ROI on that. But then we have other clients that just don't want to execute and implement, like even if they have the help to do it. So how do you assess yourself on that? I think would be a good question I would ask you,   Britt (23:41.984) think it's cost and I think assessing yourself because I'll own it right on some of those things is ego because I'm like, no, I can do it right like I should be able to fix this I should be able to do it. I can do it. So it's feels like failure even though it's not that's my my story. I'm telling myself it's failure but there's no nothing out there that says I can't get some help. And I do like in the end genuinely believe right I I want to surround my people   myself with people who are ultimately better at everything than me because that means I'm only going to grow and get better. kind of letting go of that assessing yourself like am I ready to let go of that ego be ready to accept the hell you ready to like not see it as failure but see it as growth and if so then like take the jump and make the move.   Kiera Dent (24:28.11) Absolutely. And I think you and I, there's always going to be more things that we want to spend money on than we necessarily have the funds for. I think something we did really well this year as we moved through our business was we assessed of all of our spend of has that person that we're going to spend on done what we're asking for and have they done it successfully before versus like a hope and a wish. Like, we heard like we really vetted a lot of companies this year and a lot of different people before we made the spend of can they do it? But I think something we also did well is like   we jumped in with both feet and we're like, we're going to make this work no matter what and we will get the ROI. And I think that's half of like, whatever you spend in life, a lot of it comes down to you too. And I think for us, the pain point or the way out was greater than sitting in it for longer. And maybe it's just the time we're in, but I think like as business owners and as teams, the more consistently you can get yourself out of the pickle, the quicker you can do it. Like more is lost through indecision than a wrong decision. So like just execute, cause you're going to learn faster than you   than sitting there waffling. But I think as I would be reflecting back on 2024, I would be looking at how are my numbers? Am I good with that? And do I know that? And can I do that? How's my clinical dentistry? And am I good? And do I need help there? And then how's like my happiness, life fulfillment? And then what are the gaps within all of them? And also like assessing our teams and our practice, what are the gaps? Who can get me to the solution the fastest? And then just make the decision and move forward with it because I think   I think so many practices could have so much help and have so much happier lives and less stress, but they just sit in it for so long, ourselves included. But yeah, I actually do think it's a muscle that you learn to develop. And I think the quicker you can learn to decide, make educated decisions and move forward, realizing you're going to figure it out. And if you commit to it, you're going to find the way. I think you have such better years and more success quicker. It probably goes to the book like who, not how.   let's execute on these things and be really good at what we do well and hire experts to do the other parts.   Britt (26:22.656) you   Britt (26:29.95) Yep, agreed.   Kiera Dent (26:31.726) Cool. Well, there you guys go 2024. So I think I would look at it, would review and really take this time to assess, see how your practices, see how you're doing, see where you can raise the standard and I think have someone like Britt in your corner as an owner where you can have the uncomfortable conversations, you can have the growth conversations. You know that you're both working hard to get the business where it needs to go and then set deadlines and execute. But I don't think either of us regret our decisions to hire the people we hired this year.   to make the spend. I think there was one that we'd both agree was a bust this year. Like if I could go back in time, I think you know exactly who that bust was. But hey, guess what? We learned from it and we learned what we won't do next time. So I still don't think it was a bust because we would never have learned otherwise. We tried something and it didn't pan. And we're going to try something the next time. And I'd say all of you do it. And if we can help be a part of that journey.   Britt (27:05.046) Thank   Kiera Dent (27:23.5) We literally are experts who have been there, done that, done that successfully. We get practices to be profitable. We implement the systems. We help the leadership teams. We implement within your practices. We teach you the systems and foundations so that way you literally have someone who knows how to do it and you don't have to do it. And so if we can be a part of that, out. [email protected]. and I have success story after success story, like offices and lives that have been changed. And I think we're living proof of that ourselves as well. So reach out anytime we're here to help you.   Let's make 2025 your best year. So when you're looking back next year, you're looking at your profitability and you're saying it's exactly what I wanted, if not better. My clinical dentistry is exactly where I want it to be, if not better. My practice is exactly where I want it to be, if not better. And my life and my happiness is where I want it to be and it's only getting better. And I think that that would be a beautiful goal to set for 2025. So Britt, any last thoughts you've got as we wrap up today?   Britt (28:15.518) No, I think my only thing is always make sure to celebrate. Those of you who are doing awesome, rock on, keep it moving, keep going that direction. And those of you who look at this year and realize like, hey, maybe I could go quicker with some help. Like you said, that's what we're here for. So we're here to help support.   Kiera Dent (28:30.486) Yeah, and we love it. Like we absolutely love it. We get so excited seeing our clients win. And it's so fun to celebrate them to show the longevity of what they've had and to also give them the guidance and set realistic goals so they're not having to try and figure it out themselves. And as an owner, I think that's the greatest gift we can give you is you don't have to do this alone anymore. You don't have to try and have all the answers. You literally have resources at your fingertips who know how to do it very successfully. So Britt, thanks as always for being on the podcast. I love a good podcast with you.   Britt (28:58.291) Agreed, thanks for having me.   Kiera Dent (28:59.987) Of course. And for all of you listening, thanks for listening. I'll catch you next time on the Dental A Team Podcast.

Kiera breaks down need-to-know pieces of leadership meetings—ones that are regularly scheduled, have focused agendas, and require personal ownership from each person present. Episode resources: Reach out to Kiera Tune Into DAT’s Monthly Webinar Practice Momentum Group Consulting Subscribe to The Dental A-Team podcast Become Dental A-Team Platinum! Review the podcast Transcript: Kiera Dent (00:00.798) Hello, Dental A Team listeners. This is Kiera and welcome to the Dental A Team podcast. I hope you guys are just having the best day of your life. I hope that you just remember we are truly so incredibly blessed to be able to be in dentistry. I say this often and I genuinely mean it. I think it's so incredible that we get to be a part of dentistry. We get to be part of all this evolution. We get to be a part of AI coming into our practices and being able to have all these fun things. We're able to help our patients with   PRF and now there's laser that's helping with restorative treatments have less sensitivity and we're able to add it on and have literally patients healing like within three days after a full mouth extraction by using a lot of these procedures like it is truly mind-blowing that we get to be a part of this and giving people their smile. I was in an office this last weekend one of the the team members she's new to dental and she said you know a smile is the universal hello.   And while, yes, I've heard that before, it just kind of hit me again of how beautiful of a work dentistry is where we get to help people with that universal hello of being able to smile and have the confidence and also be able to fuel and be able to eat the healthy foods that we need to eat. To my mother-in-law, she had an accident and she wasn't able to eat. Some things happened and just hearing like how hard it was for her to be able to eat and consume food and how hard it was for her body to heal. just thought...   I think we sometimes forget how important our job and our role and what we're doing in dentistry is and the life impacts we're able to make for people. just wanted to remind you of what a great work you're doing and mass kudos and celebrate your team because we really are doing a work that changes lives. I understand we're not heart surgeons, but we are smile surgeons and we're able to give people the smile and the confidence of their dreams and make that a reality for them. So just wanted to remind you.   Keep doing what you're doing because you're making an incredible impact in this world. So as always, thank you for being a part of our Dental A Team podcast family. If you've not left a review, please go leave those five star reviews. Be sure to share this podcast with someone. Just literally like send it to someone. I want you to think of one dentist or one office manager or one hygienist that you know. Just send this podcast to them because I really am here to inspire and positively impact this world of dentistry in the greatest way possible. And the only way I can do that is providing great content.   Kiera Dent (02:21.984) that you naturally want to share. So please share this with someone. And today's topic is going to be really fun for you to share. It's all about how to run effective leadership meetings. I know. Don't worry. I know how to give a good pitch and hook. How to run great effective leadership meetings. I just came in off the road. did nine leadership meetings in one week. That was my latest record. It's definitely something that I have not done before. And to say I was very tired at the end of it and   What my favorite phrase is, came from Tony Robbins and he said, bone tired, but victorious. And that's how I felt. I was literally physically exhausted. I slept in four different hotel rooms in five different days. It was just very, very like I was running. I was sleeping on all different time zones. But by the end of it, my cup was so full from being able to help so many offices achieve goals and dreams and amazing leadership teams that they never believed were possible.   And for me as a consultant, think my greatest success is watching my offices. Yes, I love numbers. I love hitting up sexy numbers. I love seeing offices who when I first started with them, like I have one office that I'm thinking of, when I first started with them, they were doing about 2 million. Incredible practice. They were doing a great job. And just over the course of a few short years, they are now producing, we're hoping that they end in the 5 to 6 million range.   And so to be able to give that ROI of sexy numbers, those are always fun for me to throw out to you of true real life examples, other offices that are producing 12 million, other practices that started out as scratch startups that are now producing 1 million, 2 million, 3 million, and having very successful profit margins on that too, because I don't care what your top line number is, I care what your profitability is, to see offices that bringing on partners are able to pull in 35 % profit.   Those to me are really fun, sexy numbers, because I think in consulting, you're looking for ROIs. And so to be able to share those success stories, but then I also have other offices that don't have as great of numbers. And I really do look to see what's the difference between them. And I think there's a few differentiators and one is execution and commitment. Offices that flourish truly do execute and commit for at least the three to six months or whatever we've committed to as a team, they commit and they stay committed to that. They don't just like, yeah, we did this. And then they let it slip off.   Kiera Dent (04:41.056) The owners are very, very strict with that. Something else is the doctor is very much, the owner is very much involved in not necessarily running the meetings or doing all the pieces, but they're there setting the vision. They are there being a part of it with the team and they very much love their teams. And then the other part is they expect their teams to rise up. They expect their teams to have the conversations. They invest in their teams. They pay for the consulting, but they have their teams come to the meetings.   I have an office and like our meetings every single month. We have our leadership meetings and it is never missed and it is never let go. It is and it is in gold and it's so important and they expect the leadership team to go and tell the doctor what they learned at that meeting versus my other offices who are missing the meetings. They're not blocking the schedules. They're not taking the time. They're not following through. And then we're looking at the numbers. We're consistently looking at the numbers to see where we at, where the lovers and we fall in love with numbers.   All of my offices that are very successful know their metrics forward and backward. If I called each of them up right now, they would know their overhead, they know their profit, they know their collection percentages, they know how much is in their AR, they would know how much their doctors are producing, every single one of them. Like literally I would call them, but that's been trained over years of this is what we need to look for and we need to make decisions off of that. And then I train leadership teams to do the same. Training leadership teams to think like owners, to look at this practice and take the ownership of like, yes, the doctor is here.   but leadership teams are now setting the vision. They're setting the goals. They're setting the objectives. The doctor has a small portion of that as the owner, but the leadership teams are ultimately taking the ownership and having an ownership mindset on the practice. The doctors that don't do as well in consulting, or I would say in general, are the ones who are making excuses that are blaming, that aren't having the uncomfortable growth conversations with their team, that aren't expecting their team to show up to meetings. It's crazy. Some teams start right on time. Like the offices that do really well.   They are always set up, prepared. Everyone has a notebook and a pen. They're there usually five to 10 minutes before the meeting starts. And that's the expectation that they have versus other offices. They're coming in. No one has notes. No one's taking notes. No one's following up on what's going on. You obviously have two different stages, two different standards, but both of them have the same opportunity if they desire. And so just giving you guys some tips on how you can run very successful leadership meetings is one.   Kiera Dent (06:59.796) always have it like set in the schedule and everybody comes and I recommend you always start five minutes like they're there five minutes before and that's on time. We always have an agenda. So there's got to be an agenda. I follow the traction model by Gina Wickman. We call them L10 or level 10 meetings. And there's a very solid structure in there where we start with our personal professional wins of the week. And then we have our expectation of what we're hoping to get out of the meeting. I do this every single time our team does it. My offices that I coach do this.   After that, we then go into reviewing last week. Did we get our action items done? Where are we at? We look at the numbers and the metrics. If anything is off track for that quarter, that goes to an issue that we're going to discuss. And then we move on to issues and issues we don't just go one by one by one. We categorize them, we put them together, and then we look at what's the one, two, and three most important things to get solved and resolved. And we come to meetings to resolve. We don't come to meetings to just talk. So we're coming there to make decisions. We're coming there with all the information people speak up.   Then we commit, we have our action items, people follow through. And a lot of times it's like dependent upon the office manager to tell everyone, no, in very successful leadership teams, you are taking notes, you are writing down your action items of what you need to get done. So you take personal ownership of it. The office manager is just expected to know everything going on. And if something's off track, they go have a conversation with that team member. But if leaders can come to the table this way, if leaders show up this way, leaders are being very involved, the bulk of the time is spent on those issues.   We're not here to debate it of a way of making people right or wrong. We're here to debate of what does the business ultimately need and why is this an issue without blaming? Sometimes it is like you got to call people out like, hey, Kiera, you're not showing up to these meetings on time. And I can either be annoyed, that's the ego, or I can say like, you know what, guys, you're right. And I need to set an alarm 10 minutes before so that way I'm here. I really have found that excuses destroy leadership teams.   excuses of why things aren't happening are what destroy and make it to where we can't move forward. And these are the things that I would recommend and encourage that you actually remove out of your leadership and call each other out of like, Hey, is that an excuse or is that a fact? And encouraging your leadership teams, like I'll throw another plug for Patrick Lanziani's, five dysfunctions of teams book, making sure that we're actually all talking about it. And we're, we're working on winning.   Kiera Dent (09:22.582) And we've got to have the healthy debate. We've got to be able to call each other out and not take the personal offense. We've got to put our egos at the door and it's okay to feel bad because you didn't meet the standards and you let your team down. But that doesn't mean we make excuses or we blame. We take personal ownership and then we commit and resolve and we don't have it happen again. And so that's how you run effective leadership meetings. And then we always rate them and we rate them honestly on a one to 10. So 10 was, was an incredible meeting. We got a lot done. There's a solid plan in place. Everybody's clear.   One is this was a complete and utter waste of time. And the more honest and truthful we are with our meetings, like I've given my team a six before I'm like, it was a six today because we just got in a spin and we resolved nothing today. And it was an absolute waste of time for all of us. So next time we come in, this is what we need to do differently. I usually don't give that low of numbers, but when it's not a good meeting, leaders need to step up and say the honest truth. Now there's the flip side where people are like, I'm never giving tens or I'm never giving this like, but if it was.   give the celebration and let's celebrate that we did an incredible job as a leadership team. and then the other piece that I always recommend. So we start on time. It's always consistent. We have an agenda. There's someone who's taking notes, but everybody should be taking their own notes of what they're expected to do. There's true follow up. No excuses. Let's have that. And then whatever we discuss in the leadership team needs to stay confidential within.   and we all need to be committed. We're not having side conversations and that's literally being all brought up within that leadership team meeting. And you can also do this within your team meetings too if you don't have a leadership team today. But really making sure we're doing these pieces, we're building the trust, we're having the conversations, we're having the healthy debate, we're fully committed. And then I recommend ending that meeting about 10 minutes before time so that way we can make sure, okay, what did we discuss today? What's the action plan?   who's doing what and what did we truly like solve today to make sure we're all on the same page. And it's almost like giving you a 10 minute time to recap it before we get to the next meeting. And I found that that really, really helped. So even on my calendar, we shrink it up by 10 minutes. That way we can recap it at the end and we can end and be done right on time. And I'm always very committed to we end on time. Now, if you're in the middle of something that's very important and if we could get this resolved, we can move it forward faster.   Kiera Dent (11:37.938) move the next meeting if appropriate, but try really hard to end on time. I understand sometimes it takes a while to get things there. So I give our leadership team permission of like, let's move our next meeting by 10 or 15 minutes. That way we can get this resolved. Let's be respectful of time. But I think a lot of those things are very helpful for running it. And something I found is I'm obsessed working with leadership teams. I'm obsessed with helping leaders learn how to run a practice and think like an owner. So we look at the numbers to make the decisions. We have the...   growth conversations with each other. fully committed when things aren't there, we figure out how to have the conversations with each other. This is the type of stuff that freaking lights my fire because if I can teach a team of leaders how to be leaders, that doctor is able to then have a practice that flourishes with a team that's bought in and committed to things that they would never imagine possible. This doctor that I was telling you that went from 2 million to about 6 million, we were chatting and he said, Kiera, I never believed that this would be possible. And I'm like, it's because   it's probably not possible with just you. But when you have a leadership team that's as passionate and fired up about it, they go and find the creative solutions. They're thinking about it as a business. And I've had to like work with this team. We're talking a year, two years, three years. We're helping them look at the numbers and learn the numbers because I don't think that that's happenstance. I don't think that this is something where we just naturally get it. And team members, myself included, we're not looking at the business like a business. We're looking at it as a team member of our   Like the awareness piece that we have is all that we know and all that we know is making paychecks and then paying our bills. We don't know what overhead is. Like it would work. Like that's how much is left over at the end of your paycheck. We don't have big tax bills because our taxes are just taken out of our paychecks for us. And so really helping teams understand how this works in a business. I think there was like a golden star moment in one of my meetings where the office manager said,   This is so incredible because you've literally taught me to think like an owner that I'm thinking like an owner and this is going to hit my PNL and what can I do so it doesn't hit my PNL and I make sure that it's fair amongst the other practices in the organization. And it was like chef's kiss, so much love for her because she literally thought like an owner. She thought this is going to hit my PNL. I don't know that I want to pay for this. What other solutions do we have? So that way it's not taking away from our profitability of our practice.   Kiera Dent (13:57.802) when you can get your leadership team thinking like that and asking those questions, but that takes time, that takes education, that takes having the conversations. And so really, hopefully, that gave you a quick structure of how to run these leadership meetings. But I think the core piece is being consistent, executing consistently, following through, having the conversations, and then staying laser focused. We're all focused on it. Really, really truly is gonna help you guys have incredible leadership meetings.   and incredible practices. So kind of take an assessment of yourself. I gave you a little checklist of like my really amazing offices and then offices who actually don't do as well. Some maybe some DNA traits of these different practices and DNA feels a little unfair to say because I don't think that they're naturally born with it. So I would say that these are more talents that they've developed throughout the years because I believe anybody can be a successful business owner. I believe that anybody can actually have a thriving practice. I believe that practices should flourish.   Somebody I heard, I overheard that they said they thought that the glory days of dentistry is over. And I almost spit like my food out because I was so taken back that we do create our own realities. And I actually would argue that we are in the most glorious days of dentistry. There are so many opportunities around, there's so many ways that we can serve more patients. There's so many amazing things that you can do. And maybe it's just because I consistently see it with the clients that we consult that.   they're living the glory days that they're having these incredible practices that cashflow is not an issue for them. The profitability is there that they can take vacations with ease. Like, of course, everybody goes through ebbs and flows of owning a business, but the glory days are here if you want to. And I think having a leadership team really can help you. So if we can help with that, this is what I think we specialize in exponentially. We definitely do the systems and the foundations. And then we move you into leadership teams and helping them think like owners and the numbers and the pieces. And if that just feels like   Gosh, like I would love that. Reach out, [email protected] or go to our website, TheDentalATeam.com and click book a call. I promise if you're not quite ready, we'll let you know and we'll give you resources. So no matter what, your time will definitely be well worth it. Cause I will make sure that you get resources and value no matter if you work with us or you don't. Because I think sometimes we just need to have the courage to do something differently and to have the courage as an owner to say, I don't know this. I had to say this this year, like guys, I don't know this. I've never done this before.   Kiera Dent (16:14.764) We need to hire an expert who has and can teach us the way. What I'm obsessed with of what we do is we do it with the doctors and the team to make sure that doctors, you don't have to just learn it and then go try and execute it to your team. Cause I actually think as a business owner, that's the hardest part. We literally help with that integration with your team, getting them fired up, getting them excited about it, making it easy for them. And that's what I think we're experts in. There's lots of consulting companies, but definitely team does it with doctors and teams, getting our teams to think like owners, getting them to be incredible leaders.   getting goals to be hit with ease and to have a just ton of fun. Like throw the confetti, laugh a lot, have a good time and serve as many patients as you can. So reach out, I'd love to help you. And as always, thanks for listening. I'll catch you next time on the Dental A Team Podcast.

Tiff and Dana discuss the ideal ways to utilize expanded functions dental assistants (EFDAs). They provide different ideas of how an EFDA can effectively fill in gaps, address scheduling SNAFUs, why state regulations need to be taken into consideration, and more. Episode resources: Reach out to Tiff and Dana Tune Into DAT’s Monthly Webinar Practice Momentum Group Consulting Subscribe to The Dental A-Team podcast Become Dental A-Team Platinum! Review the podcast Transcript: The Dental A Team (00:01.464) Hello, Dental A Team listeners. We are back at you. Dana and I, Dana, thank you for being here with me today. I'm so excited to see you. How are you on this lovely, lovely, still morning? Yes, morning.   Dana (00:14.474) God, I'm doing pretty good. I'm excited to be here. I like this. I know you're always like, I love my time with Dana. It's equally reciprocated. So I'm excited to get a little extra Tiff time today.   The Dental A Team (00:21.101) Thank you.   Thank you, me too, me too. We really need to, I was thinking this morning, as I was getting ready for work, I was like, my gosh, we need to schedule the Seven Falls hike in Tucson because it's getting cooler, we'll say. So yeah, we need to find a weekend that we can get down there, you can get up there, and we meet, it's almost in the middle, right? So, awesome. Okay, hiking is my jam, you know that, we'll get that scheduled and...   Dana (00:42.731) Yes.   The Dental A Team (00:49.771) We're going to spend some time together today. We've already recorded one podcast and I cannot wait for that one to release. I think it was fantastic. Doctors. was really good. We just did it about coding and making sure that systems are accurate and billing is accurate and billing representatives, making sure that you're getting the support you need from your doctors within that coding accuracy department. So go listen to that. If you haven't listened to it yet, I do love all of our podcasts. I think that they're all fantastic, but   We like to hear it from you guys too. So whatever you think, whatever you need, if there's ever ideas that you guys have too that you're like, gosh, I would love more information about this. Do you know anything? One, ask us at [email protected] We're always here to help answer questions or give ideas. But if you've got podcast ideas, like we are open to them. literally, the consulting team goes through and we pick the topics and we try to think of the things that you might like. And I honestly think sometimes we might miss the mark on something. So.   Let us know if there's things that you want more information on or things that we could dive into further for you, because we're here for that. Also drop a five star review. Let us know what you think down there as well, because we do love hearing about it. I love sharing podcasts, Do you ever share a podcast with your friends? I have a very specific friend group that's podcasters, and we very specific podcasts that we share. Do you have one of those in your life?   Dana (02:10.75) Yes, I do. And I always joke around and say, if I start sending you podcasts or even sometimes like funny Instagram things, like you've made it to my inner circle.   The Dental A Team (02:18.672) Yeah, I totally agree. I saw a the other day that was like, it's a full-time job. I'm here for it. You're welcome. And it was like sending memes all day to my best friend or something like that. And my best friend is a stay at home mom. And so I sent it straight to her. She's like,   You're welcome. I'm gonna log on at the end of the day and I'm like, my gosh, got a lot of things in here. Yeah, but I do, I love sharing the podcasts and sometimes I'll share a podcast and they're like, gosh, I can re-listen to this. I'm like, I don't know. Like sometimes I just re-listen to podcasts and I get nuggets and tips that I didn't catch before or it hits a little bit differently. And I know I've gone back and listened to years later a podcast and been like, wow.   I didn't even realize it could have meant this or now I'm in this space of my life and it's completely applicable. And I think about that on my free time, I listen to much different, I listen to leadership and life coaching style podcasts and I do sprinkle some dentistry in there just to stay up to date. But it made me think this morning too, these podcasts that we do.   Sometimes we've got startup doctors or two years into owning the practice or associate doctors who maybe don't own their own practice yet or maybe they don't want to own their own practice but they're super new, listen to a podcast and then fast forward five years, we've been doing this podcast for a long time you guys, going back and listening to it from a different perspective. Today I'm a different person than I was five years ago when I first listened to it.   It made me think about that this morning. I love podcasting, I love pulling you guys into the podcasting world and getting this time with you. And it really made me think about how different stages of your life things are just gonna hit a little bit differently. So I wanted to take that minute to just remind everyone to go back through. We've got a million podcasts. Share with your friends, share with your family who's in dentistry. Like how many of us, right, have some sort of family member who's also in dentistry that could use the information?   The Dental A Team (04:19.771) Just a quick reminder, and today's topic is super fun. I am not an EFDA. I will put that out there. I'm not an EFDA, but I'm a dental assistant at heart. I will say it every single time. I just said it on the last podcast. I love dental assisting. It just makes me so happy. It fulfills my soul. So today, Dana, I thought it would be really fun to take a little adventure down the road of what an expanded functions.   dental assistant within a practice might look like. And I think this is a good space for teams and for doctors, a good podcast for doctors to really get some ideas on what that could look like within their practice. Now doctors, will say and listeners out there, not every state sees an EFDA for what another state sees them as.   So a lot of the things that we're going to talk about, remember we consult practices from coast to coast. We are all over the country. And so we've got tidbits and pieces that we picked up from different practices all over different states. So caveat to today, I want you to go check what your state's requirements are, what your state's legalities are, what they can or can't do before taking anything we say and implementing it right off the bat, right off the bat, unless you already have that information. Really easy place to go is your state dental board.   ADA usually has some interesting facts on per state. So just go double check those beforehand. So that's my caveat, but Dana and I both have worked with a lot of practices who do utilize EFTAs. It's a wild wild west out here, so we don't require the EFDA, but we do have that available here and you can do more with it. You can do the coronal polishing and things like that here in Arizona, but it's...   sadly not yet required in Arizona. I think it is getting pushed towards that way. But I wanted to pick your brain a little bit Dana on some things that you've seen maybe just within different practices across the country. We don't have to like state specific them or anything, but how have you seen chair, know, chair side wise with a doctor and after really be useful to the dentist and the practice for maybe even practice flow.   Dana (06:29.374) Yeah, so I there's two ways that I think are super common. And I do think that, like knowing, like you said, knowing your state regulations, exactly what you're after can and can't do will kind of help you choose which way might work best for your practice. And there is the first way is they really have their own column, right? And the doctors hop in where doctor is needed. And then the flip side of that is there isn't a separate column for them. They just follow the doctor.   So I think it just kind of depends on how much they can do independently based on state laws as far as which one you choose. But those are the two most common structures that I see. And I think that...   Again, we wanna maximize the way that we utilize them. The other thing that I see is EFTAs being used a lot for assisted hygiene because if they can coronal polish, that's just another avenue for them to be able to help in a different way, help to boost production too and just see more patients.   The Dental A Team (07:19.283) Yeah, thank you.   The Dental A Team (07:29.703) Yeah, I agree with that. I was thinking the same thing with hygiene and I was actually thinking as you were talking about like their own provider column or utilizing that provider situation where the doctor's kind of almost the assistant following the assistant, right? It makes me think of your hygiene schedule because if you've got an assisted hygiene schedule or even just two or more hygienists, your doctors are going in for what they need to for their exams. So it's kind of similar I think to...   practices and team members get a little hung up on the scheduling piece and like wrapping their minds around it because you're kind of like Reworking how you thought about an appointment you learned how to schedule an appointment you learn the X's and slashes and the block scheduling but now we're like totally warping what you knew and adding a new caveat but if you think of it in that like assisted hygiene or Double or triple hygiene where the doctors coming in for the exams. It's kind of similar the doctors coming in for   their pieces, right, for the drilling and the decay removal while the assistant stays there just like the hygienist would stay there and finish the cleaning, et cetera, the assistant staying there and filling the tooth back in and finishing it out. So the doctor would come and go and follow the assistant more as a provider. So I do have, I actually have an interesting like smash of all of that information. I do have a practice in a state in Tennessee.   that she's a fantastic dentist and she has like these insanely great ideas and she's always smashing things together. She actually took a hygienist, had a hygienist EFDA. So she had a hygienist go get her EFDA and now she truly is like a provider column because she's doing hygiene and she's doing EFDA out of that column, out of her chair in her room. So it's kind of cool because when practices do that, I have a few practices that are maybe not hygienists, but doing that   kind of column in that chair, that process for like a provider of a few offices that are doing that. And it's almost like you can then look at it as you would an associate or that fifth hygiene. Like how much is this column, how much is this chair able to produce based on what my UFDA can produce and not just what my doctor. So then my doctor column, like my doctor heavy column over here can be those big long.   The Dental A Team (09:46.101) crown appointments or root canals or whatever. And while he or she is able to break and go do what they need to do in my assistant, my EFDA column, they go pop over and do that and my EFDA finishes it. It's almost as if my EFDA is a provider there and can provide that column's worth of production. So it really helps you, think, when you do it that way to be able to split it out very easily. And then Dana, you mentioned the assistant following the doctor.   that's kind of the same as it is now, but you would need that other assistant to be there if the other one, like you've got two assistants calling the doctor, but that one makes it, that one I think is probably the easiest version for the scheduling aspect for people to digest because it's more similar to the way we naturally already learned how to schedule. So I think that's probably the most common one that we see.   Dana (10:22.368) there.   The Dental A Team (10:41.62) And then the hygiene one, I love that, the assisted hygiene, because yeah, coronal polishing, most of them can coronal polish and most states allow that, but again, double check that for you. But I do, actually have a practice that seriously struggles with hygienists. Like they're just in an area that is impossible to get and keep a hygienist. It is so hard. So what they've done is they've actually completely changed the model of their practice and we're still testing it.   We're only a few months in, so do not drop everything and change everything unless you have already been on this train and you're ready for it, but I'm not suggesting you drop everything and change it. Hygiene is difficult right now. I will put that out there. And we need more hygienists, so everyone out there listening, if you wanted to be a hygienist, go be a hygienist. need more of you guys. But this practice is really struggling in their hygiene department, so what they did was they actually got rid of the normal hygiene model, and the doctor   is the hygienist and the doctor, but he's got his FDES who are running the hygiene schedule. So he'll actually have like full hygiene only schedule and he'll run three or four columns of just hygiene. And it's actually super similar to a pedo practice scheduling. So there are smaller appointments and the assistants are doing most everything. He goes in and scales and does the exam at the same time. And he pops out and he's just running around like a pedo doctor would from room to room doing the scaling and the exam.   So that's actually been super beneficial for their practice because then they'll do three days of hygiene, two days of heavy treatment because they've got now four assistants. And so they can run assistant-driven columns on treatment days. And then his column, he can run two chairs on his with two assistants and then two assistant-driven columns.   where his F-Dos can be over there doing whitening, they can do impressions or scans for night guards, all of those pieces. So smashing all of those worlds together, he is exhausted, I'm not gonna lie. He's still trying to figure it out, because he's running around like a chicken. But it is a kind of cool smash between that Peto style of scheduling and then going back to that GP style of scheduling for those F-Dos.   The Dental A Team (13:00.019) I know you have lot, have practices spread out all over the place too. What have you seen practices doing? Those were kind of like examples, even similarly, but what have you seen in your practices, them really be able to utilize those F-DOS4 within all of their treatment?   Dana (13:03.21) Yeah.   Dana (13:15.86) Yeah, I love that you pointed out, Pito, because that is a great space to utilize an EFDA because assistants are doing a lot of the hygiene, but when the assistant can do the sealants and do the night guards and even do some of the restorative, you know.   The Dental A Team (13:25.984) Yeah.   Dana (13:30.812) after the preps are done, jump in and do that. So, PETO is a great avenue where you can really maximize an EFDA. So, if you're a PETO practice, consider at least having one EFDA on your clinical team because you really can maximize what they can do, especially, I mean, kiddos were trying to crank and burn out those sealants pretty routinely on those kiddos. And so, having an EFDA that even they can be scheduled specifically in their column for that, that's a really great way to maximize it. I do agree on those power hygiene days. I've got a lot of practices   that are doing the same thing where it's a power hygiene day. We are bringing in as many hygienists or assistants as we can and doctor and team are cranking out as much as you can there. And I like the assisted hygiene model and even if you're not in pedo, right, to be able to have them say, hey, no, let's go in overflow. Let's do your whitening today. Hey, no, let's go into overflow. Let's get that night card started. Like they can maximize and expand on what's already on a hygiene column. And if you're just a practice where like your restorative side   The Dental A Team (14:14.005) You too.   Dana (14:30.668) is busy and you are booked out so far, consider bringing in an EFDA who can run their own, like essentially have their own column that you hop in and out of while you're seeing your patients to really be able to maximize the restorative need in your patient base.   The Dental A Team (14:44.576) Yeah, absolutely. I love that you said that about pedo with like the sealants and things, because I was actually in one of my favorite practices not that long ago out in Atlanta. She's a pedo dentist and it is just like, I love pedo practices. I just get so, I feel like a child when I'm there and like, my gosh, I'm so excited. And it's so much fun, but it's moving so quickly. And the front office gals, the scheduling, they slid in like.   some sealants on a hygiene day, right? Which is like a no-no in this practice and in PETO, like if it's a hygiene day, it's fricking hygiene. And if you're not, don't have F-dos or hygiene doing the hygiene and doctors, it's a no-go. You don't do this, right? So they slid in some sealants because it was break, was spring break, of course. And doctor was like, I'm not really sure how you expect me to get this done. And in my brain, I was like, wow, that's wild to me that she's responsible for the sealants and that   I didn't, in that moment I was like, my gosh, she doesn't have someone here to do the sealants for her. That blows my mind, right? So was like, we gotta get this fixed because if a kiddo is here, a kiddo is ready, a kiddo needs sealants, bust it out. 15 extra minutes to get those sealants done is way better than reappointing, bringing them back, getting them settled in again, getting them prepped, like.   All the children love going to this specific practice. I'm not gonna lie, they love coming back. She's fantastic. But that's not always the case. So if you are a pedo practice or just even a pedo practice that schedules out really far and this patient needs sealants, it's really fantastic to, like you said, be able to just be like, yeah, let's just pop over here. This, know, EFDA over here or this high jumps over here is gonna get these sealants done for you while this person moves on to their next patient or that patient, that person can stay with that kiddo.   give that expanded service while someone else takes the next patient because you're all kind of doing the same things. And I know in pedo model, there's more dental assistants typically than there are hygiene. It's very rare that we see hygienists working in a pedo practice. So having those FDAS on hand is gonna be super beneficial. Maybe one, maybe two, depending on how busy you are, to really bust some of that stuff out. I think that is brilliant.   Dana (16:58.23) Yeah, and I've had a lot of general practices switching right, like we talk about sealants all the time, especially to hygiene. Like that's just a great add on for hygienists, even in adults. But I've got a lot of offices where they're switching adult sealants to flowable. Well, the hygienist can't really do that, but guess who can? And then it makes that transition super easy. We can find it in hygiene, we can do it while they're there for their hygiene appointment, but we're able to do a flowable or something that maybe the doctor prefers. So I just think, think about   The Dental A Team (17:03.319) Yeah. Yeah.   The Dental A Team (17:11.225) Bye.   Yeah.   Dana (17:26.804) the things that you would love to incorporate or where you might have just a gap as far as a need for it. And if you're a practice that does that, if you're a practice that's like, I just need somebody to kind of fill in those gaps here and there and FDOT is a great solution oftentimes to the obstacles that we're running into.   The Dental A Team (17:46.251) I totally agree. My doctor for years was like, this is so frustrating because I would prefer flowable over the sealant material because it doesn't chip as easily, but he was the only one that could place it. So I agree that is brilliant. And I think whether, whether your state allows the APTA space to really be driven like that, to really be utilized, effectively, start thinking about those things that maybe even a regular dental assistant could take from your plate.   that you're holding onto that doesn't require that extra schooling or education or letters on their name. Start looking for those spaces. Pedal, general practice, oral surgery, like surgical assistance. There's a lot of stuff they can do too. And a lot of things that assistants can do that we forget to utilize them for and then we get behind or we get stuck.   you know, stuck on something. know a lot of my associate dentists, our sticklers, still about their temps. I walk into practices and I'm like, why are you making a temp right now? Like, this is insane. This is why you have dental assistants. And the dental assistants over there twiddling their thumbs like, have nothing to do all day and I don't feel important. And you know, I'm not valued. And it's like, get your butt out of that chair, doc. What can she do to help support you? Or what can he do to help support you to give that patient an even better experience and to get you moving so that that next patient's experience   Dana (18:42.038) Yeah.   The Dental A Team (19:05.716) isn't negatively impacted just because you're spending time doing things that you don't have to. So, EFDA or not, I think it's really important to look for those areas where a dental assistant can be super supportive. Dana, have you had a lot of practices that have been in search of EFTAs and struggled to find them? Or I feel like my practices that can utilize EFTAs, like they're out there. They're finding them fairly easily and able to get them.   into the practice right away, but what have you experienced with that with the hiring search for Aftis?   Dana (19:38.646) Yeah.   I mean, I definitely think that they're out there. think practices can find them. And then I think if you can't get set, like if there is an assistant that you absolutely love in your practice, who you're like, she's just as a chair side master, or he just is so fantastic. Consider reaching the topic of looking for growth, right? Are you looking for growth in your position? Is this something that you would consider? I think we could implement it really well in the practice. And it's something that I think you would be great at. I think that that's an easy space to look within your practice if you can't find someone out there because oftentimes,   we've got that fantastic personality, that amazing chair-side go-getter, that if we had the conversation with them, it's something that they'd consider.   The Dental A Team (20:16.892) I totally agree, I think that's brilliant. I actually have a doctor here in the valley that did that and I was like dang, this gonna be everybody. He had like three assistants go and he's like my life's about to be so easy. I was like sure, we're okay. Yeah, so I do agree, I do agree. All right guys, hope, dentist, I hope you found this super valuable and I hope it gave you at least some ideas or sometimes we kinda just feel stuck or lost or like I just need like.   Dana (20:26.633) I love it.   The Dental A Team (20:39.682) something lost in the hygiene world, like whatever it might be. I hope there was a tip or a trick in here that helped you. For my FDAS out there, you guys are fantastic. For my dental assistants out there, you guys are fantastic. My heart is with all of you guys, my hygienist, front office representatives, like I hope everyone found something super helpful and valuable within this podcast and I want you to share it with each other.   especially when it comes to the scheduling. It does get little wild. It's just a little hard sometimes to bend our minds to understand what it is we're looking for. So Dana, I think action items, number one, check your state requirements and your state laws. Like what are you allowed to do with an EFDA? And number two slash three is really explore the idea and figure out where could you add more value to your patient's appointment.   reduce your time or not, at least not increase it utilizing an APTA or a dental assistant for more than what you might be right now. Dana, is there anything else you can think of? feel like those are like the two main shebangs right now. Like think about it, figure out what you can do, think about what you'd want to do, and then implement, figure out how to implement within your practice. Yeah, awesome.   Dana, thank you so much for being here today. Your ideas were fantastic. I know you've seen so many different things in all the practices you work with. And I know that with your virtual clients, you worked a lot on the scheduling model. So thank you so much for having that knowledge and for being here with me today and letting me pick your brain. I adore you and I appreciate and value your time today. Awesome, everyone. Thank you.   Dana (22:12.768) Thanks so much.   The Dental A Team (22:16.539) Go leave us a five star review. I wanna know if you enjoyed this. Doctors, I really wanna make sure that this stuff is really hitting home for you, that it's something that's super valuable for you. So reach out to us, [email protected] Let us know if you loved it. Let us know if there's more information that you'd like or if you're trying this model already and you've got some, you know, some stop holds, some holdups, some walls you're hitting, whatever that might look like, reach out to us. We're always here to help. [email protected] and we will catch you next time.

The more engaged your team members are with your practice, the happier everyone (patients included) is. Kiera shares four questions to ask employees in connection to their engagement, then breaks down how to interpret the responses and what to put into place for improvement. Episode resources: Reach out to Kiera Tune Into DAT’s Monthly Webinar Practice Momentum Group Consulting Subscribe to The Dental A-Team podcast Become Dental A-Team Platinum! Review the podcast Transcript: Kiera Dent (00:00.75) Hello, Dental A Team listeners. This is Kiera and welcome to the Dental A Team podcast. I'm so happy you guys are here. I hope today has just been an incredible day for you. And I hope you guys just remember that we are so lucky and so blessed to work in this incredible industry of dentistry. We are getting ready to roll into Q4 and I hope you guys are just feeling good about it. Like Q4, end of year, here it is. And I hope you guys are just loving it and enjoying it. And you just feel like you are completely and utterly prepared for the greatest time ever.   As always, thank you for listening and please, please, please go leave us that five star review. Please share this in other groups, tag this, snag this. You guys are gonna wanna share today's podcast. I know you will, but you guys downloading these episodes, sharing them with other people, that's how you keep us as the top dental podcast. And you know our mission is to get this podcast into every dental practice out there because I believe that if we can positively impact the world of dentistry in the greatest way possible, we are gonna make the greatest good.   We're gonna be able to help teams. We're gonna be able to help owners. We're gonna be able to help patients have the best lives, the best experiences, the best communities. And that's what I'm here for. So today I wanted to go into a topic about how to get better employee engagement. All right? Anybody here for it? Are you here for employee engagement? Because if you are, I am here for it. I think having employees is some of the like hardest and most rewarding part of owning a business. And so today,   I just wanted to give you guys some amazing tips of how can you guys get your employees engaged. So my husband, actually is overseeing several, several, several physicians and people within his hospital. And we were talking about employee engagement and I feel like there's a space of like, we, do we survey our teams? Do we not survey our teams? What do we do with this? And he mentioned that at the location that he's at that they actually hide.   four questions within their survey to find out how employees are engaged. And so I will read them to you. Number one is, my work gives me a sense of personal accomplishment. Number two is, and you guys, I'm definitely looking and I'm reading this right now. I would recommend your company as a good place to work. I intend to stay with your company for at least the next 12 months, and I am proud to work at your company.   Kiera Dent (02:21.742) So those four questions, my work gives me a sense of accomplishment. I would recommend this place is a good place to work. I intend to stay here for the next 12 months and I'm proud to work at this dental office. And as we were talking about this engagement, my husband has, with all of his team members, he has several, several team members and he just came in getting tens across the board of his employee engagement. And so I was asking him about it I said, what is it? And he said, these are the four questions that at their hospital that they're the most concerned about knowing.   How are they at? And so I asked my husband, said, okay, tell me more. I want to like do some information research outside of dentistry. What are people doing in other healthcare professions? What is that? And he said, I asked him, said, what are the things that really helped for your organization? And he gave me a pretty good list of as a manager, as a leader, what is he doing for his team to make sure that they're taken care of? And one of the things that I thought was crazy interesting is he said, the first one was that they're never alone.   that everybody helps each other out, that they feel like that they're a part of a team. He said that all of them actually talk about getting a lunch break and being able to have that time away from patient care and that they are fulfilled by their patient care and that they're like what they're doing is something they're very passionate and fulfilled by. They're compensated well. They have great hours that they're working and we're talking, this is a hospital setting. So it's stressful. It's hard. They have a lot of cases there and patients that they're responsible for. They see patients every 15 to 30 minutes. like   Just think about dentistry, we're not seeing them that often, at least we're hopefully, unless we're pediatric or ortho. But just thinking about how can we get our employees more engaged? And I've kind of had this like weird space of, we've always done two times that we would actually, send out surveys to our team and something, I was talking to a friend and they have done a lot of studies on, on surveys and your employees actually will rate themselves higher.   than how they actually are because we had some surveys and people were giving us tens across the board and then like a month later they were giving us a notice and I thought, gosh, like how is this even real? And so I'm in this weird, conflicted space of, here's the four questions but how do we actually get that information? Because there have been a lot of studies that have been done that actually show that employees actually want to show up the way they think that their employer wants them to be. So they're going to maybe give higher numbers and higher ratings than how they really feel.   Kiera Dent (04:44.396) because as human beings, always want to be seen better than we actually are. so thinking about that and how do we build that and how do we build this space? But really, how can we get our employees engaged and excited about what we're doing? I think those four questions, if I were to go back and to look at offices that we consult and work with practices and looking at my practices, like I have several practices that have some of the best engagement. And I think about them that their work does give them a sense of fulfillment.   that they do plan to stay with that office for the next 12 months. And I think that comes from leadership giving a great vision of where they want to go and really having it be something that these people are passionate about. think them feeling like that they would recommend your office as a great place to work and that they are proud to work at your location. And maybe today your team's not that way. And maybe we need to flush some people out and bring on people that really are aligned with that vision.   I know it feels scary because the world has been tricky to hire and the world has been harder to find and retain team members. But I do believe that when we have those four things core and we have our employees bought into it, we have our leadership team in place with that. And we really are working towards that. I do believe that we have stronger engagement. I also think I'm working on really, really speaking the truth and encouraging your team to do so as well.   At the end of the day, you should be able to put your vision out and your team should be buying. And if they're the correct team and the best team, and if not, then it's okay to let people go and find a location that they really are satisfied with and you can keep driving it forward. It's always interesting when I consult practices and I see offices that have right people, right seat. And we were actually just on a meeting. I'll pull up some notes for you guys. We were just on a meeting and we're super excited to be working with this guy. And he was talking about.   If you guys haven't read the book, it's called the EOS life and I really really really loved the EOS life because there's a great definition where they talk about that people are compensated correctly, that people feel like they are having a sense of fulfillment and excitement and engagement, that they feel like they have time for their other hobbies and their lives and that they're just truly truly fulfilled within what they're doing.   Kiera Dent (07:04.844) and that they have time and the bandwidth to do it. And I thought, how often are we kind of scraping things together, myself included within our companies, because right now it feels like, it's hard to get people hired. It's hard to get people engaged. But if we can think about, all right, these are the four questions that we want for our employees. But in addition to that, we do want people to be really engaged in the work that they're doing. They find it meaningful. We want them to feel like they're compensated very well and that they're giving back and contributing to the growth of the organization and that they have the time.   to have passions outside of work and they feel fulfilled by that. And like we have them in the right seat so much that we almost have to tell them to stop working because they have such a love and a passion for what they're doing. And so maybe today you might be looking and thinking, my gosh, there's no way my team's that way. Or you might be looking and thinking, wow, my team really is more engaged than I give them credit for. But what is a small one or 2 % shifts that you can make that would actually make your team more bought in and more engaged to it. And this is what I think I am the most passionate about within consulting.   is being able to help offices get their teams aligned to be rowing in the same direction where, like this coach told us, they said, the greatest thing is getting all the human capital rowing in the same direction. That's gonna create the momentum with ease. But if we're not there, we need to figure out is our vision wrong, is where we're headed wrong, are people wrong? Do we not have people engaged? Is this a place where culture is wrong, where leadership's wrong? Like what is the piece that needs to be fixed? Because oftentimes we try to like,   throw out so many great things when really it's just one small change that if we were able to make that change, things would actually move forward a lot faster. So really looking at those four questions, really looking to see what is our culture, what is our vision, and do we have all of our human capital rowing together? And if not, it might be time, like myself, where I hired a mediator coach to come in and help us set the vision of our company, to help get our team realigned and reinvigorated on where we wanna go. You guys, I am a consultant and you would think that I would,   always know how to do it the best. And that I would like to dispel any falsehoods around that because, yes, I'm an incredible leader and yes, I have it credible. I also can run out of like, where am I going? And was this vision the right vision? And I need some clarity around it. And so knowing when it's time to pull in a coach or a guide or a consultant to help you get aligned because they can hear things and they're not in the weeds.   Kiera Dent (09:26.602) I realized I was in the weeds and I can't see clearly myself. You guys, I do this for a living. I coach other practices. I'm able to get their visions, but when you're in it, you're so close to it that you can't see it. And I realized to get my engagement scores higher, to get our team bought into things higher. I needed to hire somebody outside of our organization who can say the things that maybe I can't say, or who can say the same things that I say, but my team hears it differently because it's coming from someone else. And it's crazy because I believe as leaders.   When we can realize that we need that help and that guidance for ourselves and also for our team. That's the greatest thing a leader can do. Our job as leaders is not to know all the answers. Our job is to find the answers. Our job is to guide them on a compelling vision. Our job is to make sure this is a place that's, that's fair. That's incredible that people are proud to work here, but that doesn't mean that we need to enable. That means that we need to empower with accountability and ensure that where we're going, our human capital, AKA our entire team.   is bought in and driving. Now we won't have all A players and that's okay. We might have some B players, but the reality is we want everybody passionate driving towards that same goal with vigor and vim and excitement. Otherwise we've got people pulling us back and that's where things get very hard. That's when we start to have a lot of the team turnover, but truly when we can set our goal and our vision and our sights in the same direction, our entire team will be more aligned. So.   I would love to help you guys. I'd love our team to be able to help you guys guide you, help your team get that vision and that guidance, help give you doctors that vision and guidance, because oftentimes we're on our own isolated islands thinking we have to figure this out ourselves. But I realized that's our own ego speaking, not what's real. There is so much help out there around you to give the guidance, to bring your team, to get them bought in. and I'm so grateful that Dental A Team.   I truly believe is the best consulting company out there to do this for you and for your practice. So let's get your team bought in. Let's get you guys excited. Let's get that energy back. So everybody's rowing in the same direction and we can truly have that incredible definition of an incredible life where we're so fulfilled. We're so passionate. We're compensated well. The business is thriving. We have time for hobbies and family and other things extracurricular. And we do it with so much ease because we love what we do so much and getting people in those right seats, right places with the correct deliverables around it.   Kiera Dent (11:45.408) is really the greatest way. So reach out, [email protected] There's no reason to wrap up this year and have it be hard for you when the easy answer is right in front of you. You just have to reach out. And I promise you that if you're not the right fit, we'll let you know. We'll let you know if you are the right fit. But generally speaking, when you come, we probably have a solution that you haven't thought of. And we always do everything with ease, simplicity, and making sure it's fun for you and for your team. So reach out, [email protected]   And as always, thanks for listening and I'll catch you next time on the Dental A Team Podcast.  

Tiff and Dana discuss the importance of coding accuracy in dental practices. That includes universal codes everyone can understand, how to stay up-to-date on resources, the best way to know team members are getting paid for all their work, different codes across specialties, and more. Episode resources: Reach out to Tiff and Dana Tune Into DAT’s Monthly Webinar Practice Momentum Group Consulting Subscribe to The Dental A-Team podcast Become Dental A-Team Platinum! Review the podcast Transcript: The Dental A Team (00:01.11) Hello Dental A Team listeners, we are back at you today. I have the one and only Miss Dana here with me to podcast. I love pulling Dana in. I love pulling all the consultants in, but I truly love pulling in Dana. think I shouted you out this morning. do. Wednesday core value shout out in our.   I know that we've done some podcasts on that. So if you're not already doing a core value shout out every day or every week, please by all means go listen to those podcasts because it's freaking incredible and Dana you truly are the epitome of ease within our company and for your clients and I just think you need to publicly shout it from the rooftops be Just recognized for that aspect of your personality. You truly do make life easier I know a lot of your clients feel the same way you are   so good at finding the easiest path for the systems implementation for whatever it is that needs to be done for us as a company. So Dana, welcome today. I'm so excited to have you here with me. Thank you for joining me on this beautiful Wednesday. I don't know what day this is gonna air, but it's a Wednesday today. And it's absolutely gorgeous here in Arizona. How are you, Dana?   Dana (01:08.193) doing good, Tim, doing good. love days like today.   The Dental A Team (01:11.629) I do too, I do too. It's starting to get fallish in Arizona, which means 85 degrees instead of the 105 that we had last week, least up in Phoenix. I know you get a little bit more fall down where you're at, but I'll take the 85 over the 105 for sure. Today, Dina, I wanted to pick your brain.   I've got some information today I wanna share with the doctors. It's also for billing departments, for treatment coordinators, for whomever wants to listen to this. But I really wanted us to shout out our doctors for really, really just knowing everything about their businesses. I know that you guys are all here listening. I know you're watching, whatever it might be, to really learn more about the business side and about what the team is doing to help support your practice. So I wanna shout you out for that. And I just think it's a really incredible tool.   and resource to have to truly know what it is that's going on, the inner workings behind the scenes of your practice, aside from just the dentistry that you're performing. So shout out to you guys for being here, for listening. Team members, if your doctor's not listening yet, please share it with them. Dana, today I really wanted to pick your brain and go over some coding information. I know it sounds super boring, you guys, but stick with us. We've got some great tips and tricks and some tools, especially for you doctors who are out there to really   focus in and pay attention to the things that are being input into the system and sent off to insurance companies, or if you're fee for service, you still need to be insanely accurate within your system and making sure that we're using the right tools. So doctors, again, this one's for you as well. Billing representatives, treatment coordinators, front office representatives, office managers, whoever you might be, whoever might be touching a ledger or an account or a code in general dental assistance, hi, Genes, you guys.   This is all gonna be really great information for all of you. Coding with Accuracy happens to be a book, by the way, you can purchase that. But honestly, coding with accuracy is incredibly important and valuable to your system, not only for the billing portion to ensure that we're accurately sending things off to insurance companies, accurately getting paid, but realistically to show super accurately what you've actually done with your patients to your patients. That way, if anything were to ever come about and anyone needed to look into it or   The Dental A Team (03:28.327) your patients had questions and they asked for the account, it makes sense to the next person who's looking at it. And you can say, yes, I did that, that was me. I did that filling, I did that crown, I did that crown seat, I did those pieces. I know a lot of practices, and Dana, I think you've probably seen this too, a lot of practices will overuse, in my opinion, an office visit or a palliative treatment, to certain codes like that and unspecified, because they're just not sure.   what to use. And so they throw one of those, especially office visits, and I'm like, what is this office visit? How many, this patient's been in for 20 office visits. They're like, most of those are crown seats or like if a filling needed to be adjusted or like, and I'm like, wow, so we don't have any documentation right here that we ever sat any of these crowns.   That's an issue. looking at those pieces and making sure that we're super accurate with what we're calling things is something I really, really want to talk about today, Dana. Have you noticed that as well? I know you see a lot of clients, you do a lot of virtual clients, but you see a lot of ledgers, you get a lot of things sent to you, and you have been traveling a ton this year in office to practices as well. So what are you seeing when you're out there when it comes to coding and just kind of like randomness that you're seeing thrown around?   Dana (04:40.983) Yeah, I agree with you on just like the miscellaneous codes. I delivery. What did we deliver? Because we need to know exactly what we delivered today. And then a lot of just like 999 things and sometimes a 999 code you absolutely   The Dental A Team (04:47.133) Yeah.   Dana (04:55.967) can utilize it, should be utilizing it, but oftentimes too, it's like, no, there's actually a code for that. Like we don't have to send a 999 with documentation and notes, there's a code specific for that. So making sure that offices really are up to date, also to like when things change because they do change occasionally. And so just having somebody who knows those things in and out has resources to spot check and that we are billing what we're doing and coding exactly what we're doing.   The Dental A Team (05:25.511) Yeah, I totally agree. The 999 code, I love that one. It is thrown in there for everything and I am guilty of the 999 code because I'm like, don't know what he's even talking about. 999, that sucker. And I'll explain, I'll say exactly what he just said to me. I have no idea what he said, but I've got this. So I'm surely, surely guilty of that one. I do love the staying up to date and doctors, I really want you to know and understand within dentistry.   There's not, like we have a course for billing that will review billing for you and will go over the basics of billing, what it needs to look like, how to send a claim, how to input an EOB and a payment and all of those pieces. But there's really not a good school for billing where it's like, gosh, I'm gonna send them to a billing school and now they've got this accredited school has shown them this kind of like medical billing, right? You can go to medical billing school and now you're a medical biller.   to be a dental biller, you just needed someone ahead of you to show you how to do it. So within this world, it's just super important, like Dana said, that we stay on top of it as best we can. So making sure that we're getting ADA emails sent to us and that we're watching for any codes that change, because they will let us know. Whatever your state's dental association is, I know here it's the AZDA, the California Dental Association.   Whatever it is, make sure that you're signed up for those auto emails, because that's going to be the best resource. And then as those yearly conventions come around that we all love to go to, that we hate taking boring classes, look for any updates. I wouldn't say you've got to hit the billing courses yourself, or you have to send your billing rep to the billing courses. Sometimes they're a bust. Sometimes they're super insurance prone or driven. I don't love that. But if there's anything that's like coding updates or   New laws things like that. It's always a good idea. So I do want to preface it with that Just know always staying up to date just getting those resources sent to you is going to be super super important And now aside from that there are things like coding with confidence coding with accuracy All of those different books that you can get I believe coding with confidence you can order from Amazon or ADA I think both of them have it. I think it probably comes from the ADA when you do it from Amazon, whatever you choose   The Dental A Team (07:37.7) It's a fantastic book and having that resource, there's a companion book that goes with it as well. I always had that resource with me. It was literally in a drawer behind my desk and as soon as I had something pop up for an implant or gosh, when we were doing over dentures and there's just so many parts and pieces and little things that need to be accurately coded.   There's no way I'm gonna remember all of these things or intuitively know it. So I would pull those books out constantly and I would go through it with my doctor and I'd say, okay, does this describe, is this what you're saying? Is this describing it? Because even just for regular dentures, there's different codes that can be used. And if you use one that's a maxillary but you're doing a mandibular denture, you're not gonna get paid, right? And even if you put upper denture in the thing and you did a mandibular code, they're still not gonna pay it because it doesn't match.   So just making sure that those codes are super accurate. Now from a doctor's standpoint, why is this important? Super important because you need to be paid, right? So my owner doctors, you need to be sure that your practice is being paid, that you're being paid for what you're doing, your hygiene team's being paid for what they're doing, and that if, again, anything were ever to have been and come about, somebody looking at the ledger, looking at the account, looking at the chart, can accurately and confidently see exactly what you performed. So not only do you need to get paid,   you need to cover your tail. For my associate doctors and even my hygienist who might be listening, you really, really wanna watch your production and your collections, because typically, especially my associates, you guys are gonna be paid off of that in some form or fashion. So making sure that the coding is correct and that it accurately, actually reflects what you've done is key. Otherwise, you might get paid for a filling when you did an onlay.   Right, and the billing representative, has, or he has no idea, they were not chair side with you. So if it's not fixed chair side, or if you, gosh, Dina, how many times have you seen this one, where chair side, you know, we were scheduled for an MO, chair side, doctor's like, this went into the distal, we've gotta update that. So we update it, we tell the patient, we're like, got another service added, get the treatment plan going, lay them back, finish the filling, and then they go up front, and then they get paid on an MO.   The Dental A Team (09:51.99) because the MOD was never switched out and the appointment went before it was set complete. again, the billing representative, he's not chair side. They have no idea that that billing changed. The dental assistant needed to update and change it. So making sure that that's accurate in there. Now, Dina, I know you have a lot of practices and a lot of associates. You've got a lot of big practices that have a lot of associates. How do you make sure at the end of the day, at the end of the month, at the end of everything, that these guys are knowing exactly what their   being paid on? Like how do you make sure that they know with confidence that they're getting paid for everything that they did?   Dana (10:28.329) Yeah, I have them usually daily check their provider production and check their individual provider day sheet just to make sure that everything was accounted for. If there were changes, if something was walked out inaccurately, catching that from the very beginning is super important because honestly, like you pointed out, the difference in some of these codes is hundreds of dollars worth of production. And that can be even within implant parts, even with indentures, like a difference in that   that coding can majorly impact production. So making sure that everything is accounted for, everything that they did is on there and everything is walked out and ready to submit. So that whether it's insurance based or we've got to call a patient and say, hey, you know, we under collected that service did change, we had added. whether it is patient portion that we've got to update or insurance portion, just making sure that we're catching that. And I like to do it daily because   Claims are submitted daily. We're reaching out to patients and we don't want a patient to go till the end of the month before we're like, hey, by the way, you missed a thing, right? So I like my, especially my associates and hygiene to just look and make sure everything's accounted for each and every day.   The Dental A Team (11:34.98) Yeah. Yes.   The Dental A Team (11:47.01) Yeah, I agree. think that's perfect because pulling that sheet, especially like Dentrix and Eagle Soft and OpenDone, like all of these programs have a super easy sheet to print at the end of the day or even like print screen and then just look at it. So we're not using all the paper all the time. I've definitely had it where a doctor will come back like a week later and be like, we didn't actually do a buildup because we just, you you treat and plan a crown and we should plan a buildup just in case, or you have your doctors who treat and plan only a crown and then add a buildup.   if we needed a buildup and so vice versa. A week later, we're like, I didn't build up on that crown. I'm like, well, bro, she gone, she lost. There's no way, it's so uncomfortable to call a patient and be like, by the way, we forgot to charge you for that billing that's underneath the crown that's to build the tooth back up because of the K. And now I'm in this whole conversation of like, why didn't this just get done the first time? So I totally agree. I think that's brilliant. And doctors also, looking ahead at your schedule,   Dana (12:21.687) It was true.   The Dental A Team (12:43.172) Prepping your schedule in conjunction with that is gonna be huge. We get really comfortable. Our dental assistants are incredible. I was a dental assistant near and dear to my heart. It's my favorite position. If I were ever to like quit everything in life and go back to in-office dentistry, it would have to be as a dental assistant. I would not do anything else. It's my favorite space. But you guys, I messed up sometimes. Like it happens. I would get forgetful.   Like how many times did I forget to grab the bond? And I'm like, you can't do a filling without a bond. How did you forget that? And then expecting me to change it every single time in the chart or make sure that it was accurate ahead of time. Things flip through the cracks. So we've gotta have checks and balances. We can't just rely on one person to get it right every single time. So your dental assistants prepping the charts, prepping your schedule for the next day is huge, but I really wanna implore that you guys, you doctors,   You are looking at your schedules as well. You know what's coming up and you know that it's accurate. I had a dentist that worked in our practice. He's fantastic. He's gone to all of this oral surgery, like extracurricular. He's just, it's insane. I watch his videos on Instagram and I'm like, that's so gross. I always must do him. Like I remember the first time I did a bone flap with you and I was like, what? I can't do this, but he's so good. He did all of these like perio surgeries, oral surgeries. He did so many things in our practice and holy cow.   A GP girl over here, learning how to code for all of these extensive procedures that he was doing. He was doing, you know, he's doing the blood draws before it was even a thing. I am like, are we allowed to do that? Like I'm in my practice, like what the heck? This is crazy. And now I'm having to code things that to me are like outlandish.   and I'm sitting there Googling things. Like, this doesn't make sense. So I'm pulling out my little code book and like, gosh, it is in here. This is a dental thing. We can do this, but there's no way those added procedures would have been accurately coded if I didn't take those extra steps to ensure it. And if he didn't, bless his heart, come to me every day.   The Dental A Team (14:47.322) with a list of the things that needed to be added to tomorrow that wasn't accurate or things that we missed today. He would double check his treatment plans just because they were so extensive. And honestly, there were times, like he did GP work in our practice as well. So there were times too where he would catch a filling surface was missed or an onlay surface was missed. And I'm like, dang, not only are, you know, did we miss something on your giant surgery over here that I literally cannot assist with, cause I will pass out.   But we also miss like a surface on an online, like, goodness gracious, right? But he is my example because he was so diligent about making sure that the charting was accurate. Like, of course he wanted to get paid for the things he was doing, but he's like, I need to make sure that whatever it is that I'm doing, it's all here. It's all accounted for. And when he went to go do all of the accrediting with the oral surgery boards and implant boards and like, he's got all this crazy stuff behind him now. He needed all of those things. He called me from Texas years later.   And I was like, remember that patient that we did that thing? And I'm like, my gosh, yeah. So I'm like looking for this patient. He's like, I need all of their notes and I need all of their ledger and I need everything to submit to the implant board. And I was like, my gosh, thank goodness we went through and did all of those things. So you guys, it doesn't matter what you're doing. You don't have to be doing crazy dentistry or crazy oral surgery within your practice. Those minor things need to get caught as well. And Dana, earlier you mentioned like the 999 code.   And I know we have to go in or have the auto updates done and make sure that the codes are being updated. But I did notice there are more and more systems that even have as simple as broken appointment code already in there, Crown Seat Code, Denture Seat Code, all of these pieces. So when you're working with practices and you're seeing this, or they ask us, we'll get text messages from office managers that are like, this is what he said, what do I code that as?   I don't know, right? But what are you doing? How are you helping them to figure out, this is probably not a pallet over 999 or what an office visit, this is probably X, Y, or Z.   Dana (16:52.117) Yeah, I mean, I'll be honest, if a lot of times I am pulling like a coding with confidence, or I'm googling things and, I'm trying to piece it together or I'm asking, you know, okay, well, like, walk with what does that look like? Walk me through like, can you explain the process to me? So maybe I can find it in here or send me a picture of the part that maybe I can look it up. But it's really just doing due diligence and combing through the codes that are available. And then determining   The Dental A Team (16:58.797) Yeah.   The Dental A Team (17:10.987) Yes.   Dana (17:20.083) If there is a specific code for that procedure and if there's not, then yeah, you do a 999 code with lots of documentation, IOPs, all the things, so that once it gets to insurance, they can determine if it's something that they're covering.   The Dental A Team (17:35.266) I agree, yeah, I love that. I do love Google, I have Googled so many times. I've been in office trying to help them come up with cheat sheets, which is the next little topic here, but that I'm like, what is this? Or give me a picture of this so that I can put it on their cheat sheet. And doctors who are doing things like implants or dentures even, crowns, anything you're doing, having those cheat sheets is super helpful.   I have a lot of my practices throw those into their operations manual. So with the crown setup or whatever, it'll also have the steps and the codes that would be used. We have to update it when they update, but have all of those available there side by side with it. So it'll be like, crown seed, and it'll be the setup, and then it'll be all of the codes. The ones that get wild are our implants, right? Our All-On-X denture cases. Those ones get wildly insane.   dentures, right, start to finish because what happens is in the treatment planning mode, let's use denture, right, as a treatment planner, right, so I'm a dental assistant and the doctor says we need to do a full denture. Cool, maxillary denture. And then I'm like, treatment coordinator, here you go. And they're like, cool. And then they schedule a denture. There's like 16 steps sometimes to a denture.   Right, so having that and being able to break it down and break it apart shows that all the steps and processes were done and then having a cheat sheet that goes along with it helps not only your treatment coordinator and your scheduler, but it helps your biller and your dental assistant, even your hygienist. I've had so many hygienists come to me and say, what step are we on? And I'm like, well, I'm not sure, let's look. Like, let's look at our checklist and see where we're at. So even within that denture, having the denture treatment plan for pricing.   Dana (18:56.011) Yes.   The Dental A Team (19:24.294) Obviously, right, any extractions, any bone grafts that need to be done. If you're doing a temporary denture before the final is done, if you're doing, gosh, if you're doing a scan and a final delivery, like they're getting much faster. But before, remember, we had to have a wax rim, we had to have teeth and wax, we had to have the color shade, we had to have a try-in, then we had to have a realign. Like all of these pieces needed to be segregated out in there so that we treatment plan.   the one thing, but we have those steps readily available so that it can be scheduled correctly and in order. And then having those cheat sheets with those codes lined up is super helpful. I have a practice in Wisconsin that was just getting so confused on the implant process and an ortho process. And I was like, easy peasy, let's just like section this out. And now every single time they've got it laminated and they just pull it out. They're like, I've got my implant sheet. I've got my ortho sheet or whatever. So I always have them add that as well. So Dana.   Wrap it up for us. So we've got coding, checking, all the pieces. What could an office do, a doctor do to ensure maybe even adding it to their operations manual? What's the process they should make sure that is being followed and updated yearly within all of these pieces that we've talked about today?   Dana (20:42.627) Yeah, I think it's added to your yearly calendars that you make sure that you do know the updates you have the codes every year and just like we get Insurance fee schedules and we do all of our insurance updates just add that to that list one So add and make sure we've got do we have the resource for it? And do we know what they are? I think to any time that you are adding a new service just checking and double-checking that you know what the codes are So if you're bringing in a CBC team, make sure that those codes are in there and you've got fees attached to them   and all of those pieces. I love your cheat sheet idea as far as especially where there's a there's a lot of nitty-gritty things that need to get built out for specific things like ortho-like implants making sure that you've got cheat sheets and you make it really really easy and then make sure you've got a very clear communication system for when treatment changes so that it gets changed all the way okay and then I think daily having people look at them and just one   Final tip I guess in in with your cheat sheets oftentimes we call things things that like are not in the code, right? The description of the code is not that and then we're constantly like, what are they actually? What do they actually call right? A lot of your systems will allow you to add notes to like those procedure codes put in what you call it in the office so that it's easy to find it will still put the actual code definition on your piece going on your claims go out, but if you call something something specific   just update it in your system so it's easy for the team to buy.   The Dental A Team (22:12.623) That was brilliant. I know my dentist had like five different terms for a hater bar and I never, was like, I don't know what you're talking about. And the Ribon, he would call the, you know, the Perio procedure by the name of the material he needed. And I was like, so, and he only do this once every, I don't know, 10 years. Like this procedure is never done. He's like, we've got to do a Ribon. Where's the Ribon? I'm like, I don't even remember what this is.   I don't know what that says. So yes, I agree. I love that idea, the descriptions and making sure too then I would transfer. We do this in our Google Drive, you guys. Whatever you might call it, also probably put that on your cheat sheet, maybe in parentheses. Like this is what it is. These are the five different terms that any of our doctors may call it so that it is easy to find and easy to figure out. I think that's brilliant. Awesome, thank you for wrapping us, Dana. I think this was insanely beneficial for all of our doctors out there and our team members again.   Doctors, if you're here listening, congrats. I think that's so huge. It's really important for you to know and understand these things. Share it with your team, because they can use these pieces too, especially anyone who's doing your billing and your practice. And then team members who are out there whose doctors haven't heard this one yet, share it with them. Make sure that they understand what they're getting into as well, and that they're supporting you in your position as a team member to be super accurate, because you're depending on them.   to get things right so that you can do your job. So share it with them. Make sure you guys are all up to date and as always, reach out for any questions you might have. [email protected]. We are not code masters, but you guys, we are solution masters and we will find the answers or find the way and we can help you with just about anything you can think of. [email protected]. We can't wait to catch you next time.  

Josh Scott of Studio EightyEight is back for more! He joins Kiera to talk about the marriage of creativity with performance marketing for dental practices, how to pull meaning from conversations when talking about dentistry, why putting yourself out there actually helps your patients, and more. Episode resources: Learn more about Studio EightyEight Reach out to Kiera Tune Into DAT’s Monthly Webinar Practice Momentum Group Consulting Subscribe to The Dental A-Team podcast Become Dental A-Team Platinum! Review the podcast Transcript: The Dental A Team (00:00.526) Hello, Dental A Team listeners. This is Kiera And today I am so jazzed. have one of my dearest friends and I don't mean that like as a podcast intro, like truly this person is someone that I just count as one of my greatest friends. And I'm so excited to welcome Josh Scott, CEO, founder, Studio EightyEight Marketing. They have the best swag. I was just telling Josh, I wore their sweatshirt all summer long. I am a terrible ambassador. I don't take pictures and post, but I love your swag. So Josh, welcome to the podcast. How are you today?   Hey, I'm great. It's always good to be here. looking forward to this all week when I see it show up on my calendar. And yeah, you know, I don't know that I believe you, Kiera. You say you wear the flag, but I've never seen proof of it. So we can talk like that on a podcast, but just saying I've never seen it. You know, I should like stop this podcast right now and run upstairs and go grab it. So then we have the, all the social proof, which I think I'm going to do. So we're just going to hit stop. All right, Josh. So, like I said, we were going to hit stop and   for the world to see. All right. It exists. It exists. All right. I love this sweatshirt so much, truly. And I love you guys so much, but like your swag this year was my favorite swag of all because the sweatshirt just feels like a nice hug and I appreciate that it's your company, but it doesn't feel like I'm just wearing like swag, like EightyEight You've got the nice like sports attire to it. So it felt good that I wasn't like.   Studio EightyEight I need to work on our Dental A Team. Cause I'm like, when I send you swag, it's like be Dental A Team today. Of letting me still be a human, but also that. So it does exist. I hope that my marketing team takes this crops it. It's on here. We'll tag you. We're going to use this clip for like the next three years. That's what's going to happen. Yeah. No, it's fun. Our team, they, so, so first off with swag, it's like, try to give people stuff that they would actually wear. So it's not just like,   blatant, you like you look like a team member of ours when you're wearing our stuff because you're just all EightyEight out. But, and they have a theme every year. So this year was this whole athletic company kind of vibe, which was a ton of fun next year. We're already like in concepts for, we do it in Q1 every year. So already in concepts, this whole like camping, kind of like modern camping theme. It's kind of fun. Like, they're, they're all geeked out about the videos. They're going to shoot around it. The, know, we're looking at like little tin mugs and things like that.   The Dental A Team (02:22.413) So it's fun, but I always encourage, this is a good segue, because I encourage dental practices, like when they do swag, sometimes it's just like their logo, really big on the shirt or the hat or whatever. It's like nobody wants to wear a hat that says XYZ dental. But dentistry is so easy. If you just put, get a trucker hat, put smile on the front of it, put your logo on the back, smile more, smile bigger, let's all smile. That message is so...   awesome to like wear out in the world. And people love that. I've got this one sweatshirt from a dental practice to smile more on the back. And what's funny is when I wear it's a really cool hoodie. When I wear it, like people talk to me. They're like, yeah, I love that. You know, like, yeah, the world needs a smile more. And sometimes like when I'm traveling, I'm pretty introverted. And I had this on one time. It was like eight people kept talking to me and I was like, okay, I remember to never wear this again when I'm traveling because it actually creates conversation. And I'm trying to like check out from.   So I love it. And I think like good call to that because it can be so easy. And that's what I actually love about you guys with your marketing is your marketing is so very intentional. And I think dental practices can have it be very intentional, but it's very easy and it's fun. And I think you guys make it fun. And that's actually why I love you guys as marketing people that I recommend you guys do so many great things, your rebrands, your websites, your marketing. So   Josh, we were talking before about how there's kind of like these two parts to marketing that practices have really struggled with up until now within marketing. let's kind of like just do some chit chat on marketing. We'll probably like morph into CEO. Like I don't even know where we're going to go today, but we're just going to have a good time. Cause when Josh and I podcast, it's since the first podcast we ever did together, it's been a comical, like comedy show, either pre post or in the middle. And I think that's why we both love to podcast.   Yeah. Awesome. No, I think in dentistry, it's what's really interesting is up until this point, like historically from a dental marketing standpoint, if we go 10 years ago when the 15, whenever when digital started to come around, everybody got real focused on what we call the marketing services. like SEO, digital ads, some social media and, and dental marketing companies on the whole have been really bad at what they've put out. And so they almost kind of do this, like what's this minimum viable product we can put out.   The Dental A Team (04:43.819) at a recurring retainer rate, like 500 bucks a month, a thousand bucks a month, 250, whatever, and just do enough to get by. Lots of stock content, how can we replicate it, how can we scale it, do it at an MVP, and just get it done and collect revenue. And so that was the state of dental marketing for a while. When we came around, I kind of had this different vision of, it felt like nobody was doing creative work. So I kind of came in with this whole creative agency approach of.   let's make beautiful brands and websites and photography and video. Cause I felt like all things being equal. If you're just looking at a bunch of stock websites, the first one that's kind of waves your hand and says, Hey, we're different. Look at us. It's just going to win. Like the Gary V says, the creative is the variable. And I've always believed that. But now, so, so then it kind of led us to this point where people were having to choose and they would say like, okay, like our competitors, their biggest knock against us was okay. Beautiful websites. Like they would actually concede that like,   beautiful websites, but they're not going to score good on Google. If you come with us, they're going to score better on Google. And so we almost had this war of, okay, you can speak to humans and do something that's designed really well, but Google doesn't like it. Or you do something that Google is going to score well, but like it just is not connecting with humans. And so maybe we get a lot of traffic to it, but we're not converting at a high rate. And so it just becomes this kind of cycle.   And what we've been able to do the last couple of years is I really challenged that belief within our agency and just said like, guys, can we do something that's still gonna connect with humans? Like you're still gonna feel something, but can we also build amazing SEO into it? Can we build amazing ad strategies that get that same traffic, but now they're gonna convert higher. And so for me, it almost became this like custom story-driven creative meets performance marketing.   And that's really like the most ideal growth strategy out there. And so we spend the last two years really, mean, we've hired SEO specialists, ad specialists. I honestly think right now, mean, our two SEO specialists, I would probably put them up against any dental marketing SEO in the country at this point. And it's kind of led us in this whole reorganization because now our marketing services are starting to take off and   The Dental A Team (06:57.801) internally, we're trying to actually marry that too. Like, okay, we've got a creative agency on one side and a performance marketing agency on the other. And it's, you know, it starts breaking stuff and then you're like, okay, these systems don't work. And so that's been a ton of fun. is, yeah. of fun, like air quotes. I that's the CEO fun, right? Like, it's so fun. I know. And this is what happens. It's like you, as a company, as a business, you find a better way to serve clients and you're like, yes, let's do that.   and you get a year or so into and you're like, this is like breaking a lot of stuff that we have to now go back and rebuild. This is the fun when they're like, hey, start your own business, your freedom and you know, then you get into and you're like, this is a lot of work and energy. But we're having a ton of fun with it. And I think that that's really where the so kind of a history of dental marketing and where it's at today is I think being able to bring the both, both of those together, like this best of both worlds. If we're talking about growing a practice, it's   custom creative storytelling content with performance marketing. Man, if you can put those together, like you can grow a practice. And I think something I really love about you guys is I think as dentists who are a bit more introvert, like you say, you're introverted traveling. I think they feel very similar that way too. And it's like, my gosh, but I have to now be all online or in order for me to have this, have to be this like very bubbly. Like, I mean, there's some amazing doctors out there that have actually done it.   But I really love that you guys don't make them be anything that they're not. And that's like your whole premise of what you guys do for marketing is like, no, you be authentic to you. So if you're outgoing and extroverted, like let's do that and let's build your marketing message around that. But if you're more introverted and more person, like you want to, you want to keep that close to you, that's also fine. And so really just giving people the playground of be who you want to be and tell your story the way you want to tell it and run your practice the way you want to.   And you're ultimately going to attract patients who jive with that. Like you don't have to be a one size fits all to be successful. And that's something I've just always loved about your guys' style, your approach, and the way you operate. Yeah, it's probably the biggest pushback we get when we talk to potential clients. And to be honest, I would imagine people don't reach out to us because of this as well. But they're like, Josh, I don't really have a story. Or I don't know what my story is.   The Dental A Team (09:15.495) or I saw these clients that you showed in this speech, but like I'm not them, you know, cause sometimes we tend to show the more sexy work, the work that we're really proud of and people like, yeah, but that's a brand new startup and that space looks amazing. And my space just does not look like that. And so there's this barrier to it. And what I would say is there's a couple of things is number one, like everybody has a story and that's part of our job and our discovery is to really pull that out, you know, with questions like, why did you even go into dentistry? Like why choose this profession?   why this location, why this path of CE that you've decided to commit to. Those types of things really help us put together, okay, here's the why behind it. The other part of it is it doesn't have to be entirely like your personal story either. It's really more the story of the practice. And some people are real okay with those intertwining and it kind of meshing into the gray. And then some people are like, nope, they compartmentalize it. Here's my business, here's my personal life. They are completely separate.   And so like, get that too. I'm like, well, then the storyline becomes the practice. Like, why is this practice here? Why should patients choose you? Why is your team better? If given the choice of any practice in the community, you say patients should come here first. Why? Like, let's explore some of that. So it's a little intimidating to approach it. And I mean, need to hear the doctors right now. mean, with video, it's, nobody likes being on video and watching themselves. And so that's, that's also, they're like, so I need video.   I'm like, well, your site's gonna perform way better with a video. Okay, I'm trusting, I'm like, trust me, our team's gonna be great, it's gonna be interview style, you're really gonna feel at ease, but that's another big hurdle to overcome sometimes. And I just have to say, as someone, I mean, I had to learn video pretty early on in my career of Dental A Team, and I remember there was a company called...   drive and we hired a marketing company. I $80,000 in three months with zero ROI and I made probably I kid you not 200 videos. Like I literally pulled our operations manual. I should have the team pull some of these videos from the archive for you. Like there's one where I buy into cake and I ate so much frosting that it actually hit my uvula and I started gagging, but I was so committed to finishing this video, not redoing it that I like. And then I like,   The Dental A Team (11:38.079) I'm crying and laughing and keep going like commercial. Another one I'm pulling the operations manual out of the oven as like a turkey dinner like I'm dressed like like the amount of video nonsense that I did was ridiculous. But I think it was really great because it taught me like nothing's perfect. And I think even now you don't have to be perfect to get this. But what I love is I actually use you guys if you go on to Denali teams website, I love I always say if you want to feel like a million bucks.   Like even better than going to the spa or getting your hair done or anything like that. Like men, I don't know what you guys do to feel like posh and luxurious. Like maybe it's like getting a like well tailored suit. Like Josh, what is it for men? Like for girls it's like we go get our hair done, we get our lashes down, we get a makeover. What's like the equivalent for men? You know, I can get down with a good, you know, massage and a manicure. Like I'm not gonna lie, but I'm not talking about most.   man, you know, maybe a football game with a beer. can, I can go that way too. So whatever it is where it makes you feel the most posh. always say, if you want to feel that way in photography and video studio, EightyEight will make you feel that way. And that's something I have always loved about you. say like my best photos, my best photo shoots, my best video shoots always are studio EightyEight can tell without a doubt. Like you guys have this, you must have set presets. Like honestly, all the photos look the same. Like you can tell that they're just as incredible and I always feel my best. And so   We actually had you guys come out this year. Our team did our company retreat in Disneyland and you guys were so nice to accommodate because that's where I flew my whole team in. all virtual and we actually did a photo shoot in our hotel. Like I kid you not the things Studio EightyEight can do and make look incredible is off the charts. We went over to an office and they were so kind and accommodating for us and then we came back and they actually interviewed me and I was so nervous about this interview and I do this for a living.   and I've worked with you guys before I've gone through your brand pieces and I love that through your brand exercise. It's actually not hard. you just answer questions that are very simple. And then you guys, Studio EightyEight like delivers what I have inside of me that I don't know how to explain in a, creative artistic way, which I think is beyond magic that you were able to do. but to the interview in the video part, they did just ask me questions and I just rifted.   The Dental A Team (13:56.201) And I rifted for quite some time and they're so nice. I love people on the other side of the camera that are giving like the head nod, like very intentional. They're so good at it. They're so nice. Like that's something I think you guys do incredibly well. And, I saw the final product. was interesting. I was out for a little while this year and I came back and I saw this final part. I didn't even know it was on the website and I happened to be looking at our website and it was so incredible to see my, my story and my life.   You guys were able to parse it together. I like it super emotional about it because you don't realize it's in you. You don't realize that that's a part of you. And I think you guys are just like, that's why I love Josh. I think you just see people for who they really are and you bring that to light in a way that's so safe and so accommodating and so just special. I think is probably the best way. feel like the way you present our photography and the way you present our websites and the way you present brands and the way you present video.   Is you take someone who doesn't know how to express themselves like so many of us feel like we're alone or people don't get it like I was just watching Survivor last night and every single person on the show is saying like you just feel so alone you feel like people don't get you you feel like you've been an outcast your whole life or you feel like you know, why am I the one doing this and I'm like every single freaking person on this planet feels that way and yet working with you guys you just it's like it's almost like the way I'm envisioning it is almost like you   pull out this like little green sprig of life that I didn't even know was a part of me. And I feel like I'm pretty confident. I know who I am and like I can tell my story, but it's just magic how you pull that together. So doctors or teams or any company worried about it. One, you guys are just so good at it. But like I said, I feel like you're able to take who we are and create masterpieces that we didn't even know were a part of us. And you're welcome to use that as like a testimonial, because honestly, I didn't intend to any of this.   I'm just going keep letting you talk. don't even. But it really is. It's just like the little glitter moments that you don't realize are a part of you is what I think you guys bring, which is probably why I rep your swag all the time. Like, because I think it's just magical of what you're able to create for people. And again, like I've done how many sessions with you guys, like Josh, you and I have gone through so many rounds of my brand and my life and my story. And I feel like you guys know me, but you weren't even there this time. It was your team.   The Dental A Team (16:19.245) And they were able to bring this out of me. And I just watched it and I was like, yeah, that's exactly how I want Dennis to feel. That's exactly how I want people to feel. That is my life. That's why I freaking built this company to serve people on that level. And I just think mad kudos to you. And yeah, it's a testimony that I didn't mean on a podcast, but I just think it is magic to watch you guys like spring to life stories that people don't even realize. So if you're questioning, like I don't even feel like I've got a story.   You probably have this story. You just don't know how to put the pieces together. And if you don't think about it and you just interview, you guys are very creative and talented at pulling it all together. Yeah. Well, thank you so much. I mean, that's, and I know it's obviously very heartfelt. David was out with you guys recently and he's, he's one of our full-time photographers. He just is on the West coast. He used to actually live here in Columbus and that's how we got to meet him. He came to me and said, Hey, I want to move to LA. And I was like, fine, just handle everything, you know, like West of the Rockies. And so   he's an amazing guy. And I'll tell you, part of our process is like with those content creators, the talent has to be there for sure. But what a lot of people don't realize is the missing piece is the human component. like it isn't anything, but they have to be able to, mean, we, go through training on like interview skills. We go through training on, you know, walking into a room of, of, like a dental practice and you've got, you know, six to eight females there and they've got some anxiety about what's happening. And they were just told.   24 hours before that they're gonna have their photos taken and you gotta be able to go in and like manage a room and manage people. I mean, we train on posing because you can't just like put people together and expect a great team photo either. There's a lot of like science and intentionality that goes around that. And so we've worked really hard on that stuff. But like you're right. mean, we, it's, we had a client recently and what I, what I loved what she said was we delivered the photography and video and, and,   And she, I think she was texting Joanna and I and she just said, this is who I thought I was, but I wasn't sure. And when your stuff came back, it was like that person I thought I was, like I am that person, you know? And she saw that on the other side. It's almost like you get to see how the world sees you. And I think so much of it is like, we're just in it day to day. like,   The Dental A Team (18:37.111) Having a grip on that story and even like your impact on the world on the day to day is so hard, I mean, because we just like, we get up, see like the starts and the stops. We see the times we just like failed or said something we shouldn't have and had to go back and fix it. We see we're dealing with a client that's not working well or a patient or a team member's attitude and every day can just be like that. And you get to the end of it you're like.   I don't know, man. feel like I'm surviving. I feel like I'm trying to build something, but it's just like, we're going against gravity. Just trying to make it happen. And when somebody else comes along and they go, they almost step back and get this 30,000 foot view. It's almost like the, like the movie screen view. Like they, they force you to almost like sit up towards the back of the movie theater and zoom out on your life. And now you're seeing it play in this like feature film. And yeah, you have these moments where you're like, this is amazing. Like this is worth it. This is.   actually, like this is actually beautiful, like it's actually moving me. And that's an amazing thing to be able to do. I think we all, so going back, I think we all have that in us. It just takes somebody to come along and go, no, this is practice you're building. Like the world needs this. Like this is beautiful. And I love like when I get to talk to entrepreneurs and CEOs and dental owners, cause I'm like, you guys are actively, like here's what you don't realize. You're actively participating in creation. Like you're building something that did not exist there before.   So like that's, that's this amazing thing and you're doing it for the better of the world. Like what, what better story? Let's just take that. What better story is there out there than that? It's just not. So entrepreneurs, I'm like, yeah, like this is what you're doing. of course you have moments when you're tired. Of course you feel exhausted. Of course you feel drained. You're like putting your energy out there to actually create something that has never existed before for the better of humanity. Like,   it's going to drain you, it's going to zap you day to day. You're going to be like, there's nothing special happening here. And so I had to come along and go, but there is, and here's what we see is so powerful. And as you were saying that I couldn't help but think about, there's this company called story worth, like not a plug for them whatsoever. I just happened to, my husband's parents are quite a bit older and, my parents are like, my husband, I are both very fortunate that both of our parents are still alive.   The Dental A Team (20:59.781) And I decided this year I was going to have maybe make like a little competition between his parents and mine, just as I, my thought of how I could get these stories done. but I'm having his parents and my parents write stories every single week and we're going to compile it and put together books for, all of my siblings, all my husband's siblings. And I know like the grandchildren and everybody just kind of wants these stories. And it's interesting because his parents and my parents both were like, I don't want to write these stories. There's really nothing to say.   Because I think we minimize our stories and our lives. And we're like, but I'm not Walt Disney, or I'm not Gandhi, or I'm not Mother Teresa. But we don't realize that 99 % of the population is not them. We're all just average day people. But those average day people are the people that impact and change. And so for my in-laws, them writing their story, no, this isn't going to be a best seller. I'm not going to go put it out there. But it's not meant to be. It's meant to serve our family and the people that are connected to my in-laws and to my parents.   just like in your practice, your story and your practice and why you even built this is not meant to be for every single patient in the United States or across the globe. It's meant to be in your niche of the people that you're meant to serve and that you're there to serve. And so I really just love that you said like you bring it to the forefront and it's been really fun to watch my in-laws and my parents this year see that they actually do have a story. And again, it's through prompts. Like you said, it's like very simple things that they didn't even realize.   But it's been so magical to learn about them in an easy way. And that's, think, what you guys do really well. so, but I did the same thing with my mom. This whole thing, know, story worth Joanna did with her mom and for Mother's Day and I did it for my mom. And it's like she's not as consistent as I would like her to be with them. But competition Josh, got both parents going against each other and it's great. They've all done it. We're consistent.   That's a great idea. But it's like every now and then, and because she's just up earlier than me, like I get up and I get my email and it sends them to me. And so I get this and a couple of times I've been like, I'm so busy, my email box is full, but I forced myself to stop and I read it. And sometimes I'm just like, this is fascinating. Like, you know, even thinking about like what she came out of and how she raised us and you're right. And then when they all get kind of stitched together, it's going to create this like, you know, amazing story.   The Dental A Team (23:21.227) I was at the ODA two weeks ago, Ohio dental association, and I was walking the trade show floor. We usually actually don't support it, but there were some speakers there and we did a reception and all that. So we had a team on the floor and I'm walking and I just know a lot of people. So it's just like, you're stopping every so often, but notice this new marketing company on the floor. And I forget what their name was, but their display was kind of modern and minimal. And I was like, okay. Like it kind of caught my eye. All the guys have like the Nike dunk pandas on.   which is what my team wears at conferences. so immediately I get into this like, dude, they're knocking us off. They're stealing our shoes. We wear these shoes. So I was like, I'm going to go have some fun with them. So I just walked up. I said, hey man, I like the kicks. And he was like, thanks, thanks. I said, yeah. I said, my team wears those at conferences. We've been doing that for a little while now. And he's like, your team? I was like, yeah. I said, we're just over a couple rows. I said, Studio EightyEight And he's like, Studio EightyEight And I'm like, yeah, I'm Josh. I was like, Gavin, I read his name title. Nice to meet you.   And he goes, you're Josh with studio EightyEight I'm like, at this point, like, yeah. So a couple of his team members come over and he was like, dude, you, he tells his team members, he's like, guys, we've learned everything we know from this guy and their company. I'm like, then I'm like, great. Because I get agencies that come up to us and they're like, do we follow your stuff? We're building an agency. We're doing the exact same thing. I'm like, amazing. Yeah. Copy our stuff and build another business. so that's a whole nother conversation, but.   He goes, he's like, were the first one to bring custom photography and video into dental. And I'm like, I was like, bro, I don't know about that. I'm sure people did custom photography before that. And he was like, no, but you were the original disruptor of that whole thing. And I was like, we were probably the first one to create a business model around it and be able to take it nationwide in a way that was profitable and that served the profession. So was like,   Yeah, but it was like that. So he's repeating the storyline back. It was actually, it was very like, kind of, I don't know, was like sincere and it was cool. It was like this, you know, interaction, but I was like, I've never thought of myself like that. But when somebody says it and then you're kind like, well, I mean, maybe, I don't know. I'm a disruptor, who knows? But yeah. I love it. I love it. And I think like, as you were saying that, I think so many of us don't realize how impactful what we're doing.   The Dental A Team (25:43.946) is I was just reading an article this morning and they said, what's the most impactful book you've ever read? And they said, shoe dog. And shoe dog came up at another conference and another conference. And that's literally just a story about Nike. And I guarantee you that person when they're and I don't know their name. I have not read it. It's on my queue because I saw it again of like reading the most impactful book. But I just think most of the things that impact us the most are people's stories.   The things that we remember our people stories the things like and even if it's a small thing and it's not some person like Walt Disney or Gandhi or Nike So many of those stories just need to be told and I think we're in a day and age like you look at social media like people watch videos because it's telling stories and they're entertaining and it's fun for us and yet if I go on Jason's Social versus mine. We have two very different algorithms Like Jason has a little bit of dark humor on there and I'm like, my gosh, you watch this like I'm laughing but I feel like   a little embarrassed that I'm laughing at it. Like Jason and he, like, he just thinks it's hilarious. Whereas he comes on mine and it's like all Taylor Swift. So like very different algorithms, but yet people are building content for different people. And so that's the whole point of like these practices. Like you're not meant to serve every person. You're meant to serve the people that you were like truly destined to serve. And I think that's what I love about dentistry is the lives that we get to change and the magic we get to create. Like you create that magic for these owners of being able to see like   their work come to life, like you said, the masterpiece while dentists are being able to create those smiles for all these patients and let their life become a masterpiece as well. So I just think it's lovely. I really do. And I think, I think we downplay how incredible we are. And I think I'm here to propose like there might be a better way, obviously not in the egotistical way, but in the way of like, I did do some good things and I did take some hard risks and I did it because I want to serve these people. Yeah.   Like there's nothing like we should be sharing that more. And obviously people know my mission is to positively impact the world of dental. And I'm like, the way you do that is by showing up as you and you do that by, doing these things day in and day out. So I think it's just, it's a lovely thing that you guys do. And I would say if you haven't gone through the brand exercise or had your photography or had the videos, like try it. Because like you said, I think you get a zoom out from someone else's perspective and see your life and not in an egotistical way, just in a like, dang.   The Dental A Team (28:09.002) Like I have done a few things in this world and I think it makes the suck days of success not as hard. because you're like, wow, there has been something that's been made. So again, this wasn't the intent of the podcast. just naturally came probably cause I put the sweatshirt on. feel more in studio EightyEight mode. Well, I think here's kind of one of my, my recent thesis because I was reworking a keynote recently and for next year. And I was like, we're   If marketing is all just about data and KPIs and analytics and all this stuff, we just, we just end up with this kind of like empty thing of just literally trying to drive traffic to get this knowing like, okay, for every thousand people we convert at like 2%. So like, let's, let's get 10,000 people in and a hundred thousand people. And we're, driving traffic for the sake of this like minimal possible conversion. And I think just in our world, and it's going to have to be like this as we move forward, people need to feel some.   And that's the side of marketing we don't talk a lot about. And I'm actually very empathetic to it because on one side we've got ROI and KPIs and data and we can prove something's working. And to be honest, it's easier to throw a couple thousand dollars at Google and end up with new patients in the chair than it is to go, how do I build a brand? Because that's so subjective and it feels like it's all like feeling and things and the way photography makes people feel and the way they connected with this video and.   the user experience on the website, like how many clicks do they have to go? It's all that very subjective, like subtle stuff and building a brand is hard. Like there's, there's not a lot of checkpoints along the way. Like, I doing a good job? You know, our son recently left for college about six weeks ago. He went to university Cincinnati, which is about two hours away. So he's not so far, but I remember that whole thing of, as soon as he decides he's going to Cincinnati, it starts this clock like,   as a parent, you're just like on the clock. It's like, there's okay, 45 days till he's gone and start shrinking. And what I probably wasn't prepared for is it really smacks you in the face with this one major question, which is, did we do enough? Because now the time is, it almost is like the time is shrinking. You've got 45 days left. Did you do enough the last 18 years? Cause now he's leaving and, that's, it's a, it's a tough question. Like were we enough? And especially on Joanna's side, it was, it was very   The Dental A Team (30:31.018) You know, there's a lot of emotion to it. Like I got 45 days. had these 12 conversations I need to have with them. And, but you're also like, but I can't shove them in that time either. You just have to trust. And I go back to like, okay, so how would I know that I was a good parent? There's no data. There's no KPIs. There's no like ROI on this along the way. But I remember things like there was this moment, like when he was eight and I watched him interact with some adults and he used some manners and you're like, okay, like   I actually can't believe he learned that, you I remember his very last volleyball game as a varsity in high school, they went to the regional finals and they ended up losing. And so it was like this emotional night, but one of the dads came up to us and said, hey, I just need to tell you, like, Kaden's been a great leader on this team. His son was a freshman. And he said, they were very intentional about, this is not just the seniors team, this is all their team.   taking what they learned and pouring it into the freshmen. said, you may or may not hear that all the time, but he said, your son is not only a great leader, but he's a great man. And my son just looks up to him so much. And it's moments like those where you're like, okay, I might've done enough, you know? But it's in building a brand is a lot like that. It's just, hard to get your hands around. And so I think that's sometimes why we skew the other way of just give me data, let me throw money at it, give me data, give me KPIs. And then it's either it's working or it's not working. And we move on to the next thing.   where building a brand is like, it's two years, five years, 10 years, it's a lifetime, but it's harder. Yeah. And I think it's important for doctors to realize in teams that what you're building is a legacy for as long as you're doing it for. It doesn't have to be a lifetime forever, but you are building a brand and you are a brand and what you're doing is changing lives. so recognizing that, and I think like,   not to add so much weight to it that it feels daunting, but to add enough weight where you realize like what you're doing is important and what you're creating in those patients. Like I don't think I was on a podcast earlier and I said in dentistry, we're not heart surgeons, but we are smile surgeons and giving that confidence to our patients. I think that we undermine possibly the incredible work that we're doing for society and the confidence we're able to give all these patients.   The Dental A Team (32:51.942) is something that I do think is worthwhile. like the patients need to find out, they need to find you because otherwise they're gonna go to someone else and not to say another dentist isn't as good, but I guarantee you the doctors that are listening to this podcast and the ones that are working with companies like Studio EightyEight you're the ones that I would want my patients to go to and my family to go to. so it's like when we're in a world where anybody can be found, we need to have our best doctors standing out. And I believe that that's our moral obligation to serve patients at the highest level.   Just like I believe the best doctors need to be out there and the best surgeons need to be out there because like we only have one set of teeth. And so if you can help save more teeth and more smiles, I think it's like it's a no brainer that you need to have your brand and your business very, very readily available. So Josh, I just love this podcast. I felt all the feels. I feel like so many doctors just need to share their stories. And so people are interested. How do they work with Studio EightyEight? How do they connect with you? Like I said, you guys, I have gone through, I think everything Studio EightyEight does.   I've done their brand, I've done their photography, I've done their websites. It's an incredible experience and it's very easy. So how can people even just dip their toe into this if they're interested? Yeah, for sure. A couple of best ways to reach out. Number one, I'm on Instagram at Joshua Scott. So I'm still in my accounts and DMs. So just send me a message if you heard this podcast. Just even say, hey, I heard the Dental A Team podcast. You'll get a response from me. Ask me anything.   I'm more or less, I'm like, I'll offer you advice all day long. I'll take a look at your stuff and just give you my professional opinion on it. and then if you want to reach out to studio EightyEight or get specifics there, it's, go to the website, s8e8.com letter S number 8 letter E number 8.com. there's a bunch of buttons there. can submit to get in touch with somebody and they can walk you through our packages and what we do and see if it's potentially a good fit for you. I love it. I would say if nothing else.   Just make sure that you are, you're sharing your story like the little story worth of our parents because that's so important for people to see you you don't have to be the video. You don't have to be all the different things. You do it on your level and your terms of what you are. But I do believe that the world needs you. Patients need you. So in the most loving way, don't be selfish and like hide yourself away, share yourself because this world needs you. Josh, thanks for being on the podcast today. It was such a good time with you. Of course. I always enjoy it. Appreciate it.   The Dental A Team (35:14.154) Yeah, none of this was scripted, which is a ton of fun. You just kind of get on and, you know, when you can talk to a friend and it just goes wherever it's, it's always a lot of fun. It's a good time. And for all of you listening, thanks for listening and I'll catch you next time on the Dental A Team Podcast.  

Kiera is a guest on Dr. Gallagher’s Podcast in this crossover episode! There is a lot of important ground covered here, including how to establish the ideal practice flow, the differences in consulting between speciality and general practices, why being a human being feels like a lost art, how to hire the best people, and more. Episode resources: Listen to Dr. Gallagher’s Podcast: Apple, Spotify, YouTube Reach out to Tiff, Britt, and Dana Tune Into DAT’s Monthly Webinar Practice Momentum Group Consulting Subscribe to The Dental A-Team podcast Become Dental A-Team Platinum! Review the podcast Transcript: Brendan (00:02.346) Of the Dental A Team, this is Kiera Dent, right? So this is, I love that it's dent because there's dental dentin, part of the tooth and stuff. So it's just perfect. It really worked well. And you have a consulting agency, right? Dental A Team. And how many years have you been in around?   Kiera Dent (00:16.95) Yeah.   Kiera Dent (00:25.494) Thank you.   Kiera Dent (00:30.976) Yeah, so we've, the company is almost eight years old. She's about to have her eighth birthday in November, but yeah, it's been fun. It was a complete random idea that I came up with to start it, honestly, to help a bunch of dental students and here we are. So it's been a really fun place to be.   Brendan (00:49.738) Two more months and eight years, congrats!   Kiera Dent (00:51.796) I know. Thank you. Thank you. It came from, I worked at Midwestern University's Dental College for three years while my husband did pharmacy school. And one of the students straight out of school said, hey, Kiera, I want you to come help me start my practice. And I said, my gosh, like, absolutely. I've always wanted to be a practice owner. I was a dental assistant and a treatment coordinator and an office manager prior. And so I went and I helped her start her practice and   We took our practice from 500,000 to 2.4 million in nine months and opened our second location. And then I thought, my gosh, like if I could help her do this, there's all my other like favorite dental students. Like I'm sure I could probably be a resource and a help for them. And so that's really what spurred the consulting company. I had never worked with a consultant before. And then I started helping practices and adding, you know, 25,000 of production to their schedules very quickly. I was adding, increasing case acceptance to a hundred percent.   within one day and I just thought, okay, there's something about this and it doesn't have to be hard, but I'm gonna be a resource for all those dentists in school because you guys go to school and you're so passionate about what you're doing, but then there's the business side of it. And so if I could be a resource, a trusted resource, knowing what you're learning in school, so that way you guys can be so successful, positively impact your world, help your community, help your team, help your patients, and you guys are living your best lives.   That really is what spurred me into being a consultant. So here we are all with the love. have no clue what consultants should do. I just keep making up what I believe my students from Midwestern would want to have and just keep coming from love of you guys, just doing the best to support dentistry and us supporting you in that vision.   Brendan (02:30.004) Excellent. And so you're not at Midwestern anymore. That was only in the beginning for those years. So roughly eight years ago.   Kiera Dent (02:33.068) Mm -mm. Yep. Yep. I worked there for three years. No, so three years. And then I went and I worked in Colorado for two years. And then I started the company in 2016. Yeah, 2016. So it was great. It was a good time. And here we are now, eight years later.   Brendan (02:48.904) And in Colorado, that was the practice that you brought them from X to that would be roughly five X. Wow. Well done. Well done. So they started for a year there. You knew them. You had a good rapport, good relationship with them over a year or two. You grew it from that. then you're like, and that's when you decided, OK, let's scale. How did you take that next step from there? So it was just you working at her practice. Right. And then from there, you said.   Kiera Dent (02:55.008) Mm -hmm. Yeah. Thanks.   you   Kiera Dent (03:08.384) Totally.   Kiera Dent (03:13.344) Mm -hmm. Yep.   Brendan (03:16.136) So you don't work with her anymore. was like a see you later. I'm going to figure it better.   Kiera Dent (03:18.072) No. It was incredible. And we had such a good run. And I have to give mad kudos to her as a dentist, because I think we were really a dynamic duo. I came in with amazing like management and TC skills. We both didn't know what we were doing. And I think that that's part of doctors opening practices. But kudos to her for bringing me on because she knew I knew pieces she didn't know how to do.   but yeah, it was, I think more her vision. We both were very gung -ho. We wanted to serve more. We wanted to have a bigger impact and footprint. And so it was, we got this practice going and then we bought our second location and then there ended up getting like seven practices all together. But things I learned from that was, it was over the course of like five, six, I ended up leaving. She continued. and it was something very interesting that those are like sexy numbers to put up on a scoreboard and.   Brendan (04:00.019) In two years?   Kiera Dent (04:12.268) Everybody always has the bright eyes of like, my gosh, like how did you do that? But I think my obsession has come, like her and I were both on like death row. Like we were working 2 a to 10 p It was insanity to try and get that success. And while yes, there's sexy numbers on the board, we both realized that there's more to life than what we were doing. And are we gonna just like slay and try and drive this through or is there maybe something more to this? so yes, it was, we did part ways and I'm just so proud of everything that she created.   But I, like one, my marriage, my life, all of those things were falling apart. And I realized me traveling back and forth from Reno Tahoe area to Colorado all the time was just really hard on my marriage. I wasn't seeing my husband. I was completely anorexic. I was like 98 pounds and I'm 5 '8". And it was just, everything felt like it was deteriorating. And so that was where it had to be like, let's do a step back. Her life was deteriorating. And I thought...   there has to be a better way to success than what we've done. Like, yes, we've got sexy numbers to throw up on the board. Yes, we've got all these cool things, but is there not a better way that we can do this where you can have an incredible family and you can have incredible numbers and you can have a thriving business. And that really has become my passion and obsession is helping more dentists live a fulfilled life, hitting up those sexy big numbers or whatever they want to do, but still maintain their life, their identity, their freedom is really what I'm obsessed with within our company and our culture.   and really helping dentists get that life.   Brendan (05:41.89) yeah, and that's such a great pitch to where it's let's let's seize that life that we dreamed of again. love that now in where it started to get a little rocky there speaking of Colorado, but while it started to happen was that the first two years when you were there was that within the five six years when she scaled to seven or so practices first two   Kiera Dent (05:47.68) Yeah.   Kiera Dent (05:51.634) Hahaha   Kiera Dent (05:55.564) Mm   Kiera Dent (05:59.692) No, so that was my first two years. Yeah, absolutely. And both of us were there. And I think that that happens, right? You've got all the student debt. I used to call her 2.5, like when she's hunched over, not like good ergonomics. I'm like, hey, 2.5, we're 2.5 million debt. Like with student loans, the practice acquisition, within our first couple of months of owning the practice, our building was being torn down. So we had to move our patient base to another location, build up another practice. So   And I think oftentimes it's how people come out, right? Like you've got a lot of debt, you've been sitting in residency for so long, or you've been in school for so long or whatever it is, or you're an associate and you feel like, okay, I bought this practice. I think there's this like innate desire to just hit the ground running, but we forget that that can only sustain for so long. Like we are human bodies, we are not human robots. And realizing that there's...   so much that can happen. We also were very naive. We did not have systems in place and we just kept adding more fuel to our fire that was already burning and blazing bigger than we were. And so we got to a good place. We were hiring other doctors, but I think that that's where my obsession has come of, like, let's give systems. And I just got off a podcast with one of our doctors that we work with and her and her husband are kind of thriving and jamming the same way I was.   But what they've done differently is we like, we're really specific of let's get all these systems in place before we buy our second location. And like, let's slow to grow rather than like fly to die. Like it was a very different model and they're thriving and they're happy and their marriage is incredible. There's different, like both are available to us. I think I'd prefer, let's take the, take the sustainable route that's very doable that keeps your passion alive rather than killing you off at the beginning.   Brendan (07:46.548) Yeah, yeah. So when you translate into systems and processes, I, so coming from a clinician, a provider background system and processes, I have an idea, you know, like the system I'm thinking of is like the computer or no, but really in a practice setting, if I could just have some insight to what you mean behind that developing systems and processes before you buy that second practice, what were some of those systems, if I can, if I can know.   Kiera Dent (07:51.178) Of course.   Kiera Dent (08:01.321) Yeah.   Kiera Dent (08:06.102) Sure.   Kiera Dent (08:16.015) Of course, yeah. And this is what I just geek out on. This is why we have the podcast. It's like tactical, practical with ease. So it's like, do you have a process for how you're doing our billing process? And in Dental A Team, I actually made 12 categories that kind of fall within the 12 months of systems to have. So there's your office management. You've got your practice profitability and your numbers. We have our dental assistants and how we set up our rooms and our operatories. We have our handoffs. We have our   like how we hire and onboard people. We have our operations manual completed. We have our treatment tracker and case acceptance. We have our hygiene protocols to put those into play to make sure our hygiene teams diagnosing and we're treating patients the same way. We have our doctor optimization where we're really working on like, what are the clinical skill sets of our doctors and are we maximizing their skills within? And so those are what I mean by systems. And I'll be completely honest. We were like just two girls flying by the seat of our pants.   So like we did not have a process for billing. We did not have a process for scheduling. It was just like dump it in and we'll figure out how to do it versus like you can have, I mean, I've added multiple millions to people's schedules just by having block scheduling with ease and they're out by four o 'clock, they're out by three o 'clock. We're putting up really hard, like great numbers. The patients are happy, the team is happy. Like literally I have a practice that I took from 2 million to 4 .5 million just by changing their block scheduling.   And so it's like, these are the simple systems that maybe you don't have to go buy another practice unless a DSO or something like that is what you're trying to do. But let's make sure that we have those, because I've also gone to offices and they're like, we're completely maxed out on our space and I find an operatory there. We don't actually have to go buy a bigger building. We can keep it here. We can systematize it here. We can maximize, like, are we doing our handoffs? Are we collecting before they leave? Are we having proper treatment plans?   Are we tracking our case acceptance? Are we watching the things that like our hygiene teams doing? What's our hygienists producing per hour? Are there ways that we can help our patients more? What's our morning huddle? Those systems in place make it clockwork where it's very predictable magic behind the scenes. Like we know we will have magic in our practice because we have systems in place. And maybe we don't have to go for the multi -practices unless that's our drive and our desire, then by all means, let's do it.   Kiera Dent (10:37.408) but let's make it to where we can stamp it out. I promise you, like you look at McDonald's, think that's the easiest one. They were the crowning jewel of systems. They were not stamping this out haphazardly. They were looking for the efficiency and making it to where each new place would have the same exact experience just in a different location. What's your experience and your practice and how can you go replicate that with ease is really what I mean by systems behind the scenes.   Brendan (10:43.572) Mmm.   Brendan (11:01.556) Yeah, and were you doing all this at Midwestern?   Kiera Dent (11:05.67) No. So at Midwestern, if you recall, I feel like I was your tooth lunch lady. I handed out all the teeth, the composite, the like all the things I don't know in the simulation center. So I worked with the first and second year students and helped with the radiology and all of that. But prior to that, I was a dental assistant, a treatment coordinator, a scheduler, a biller. I just wanted to get a discount on my husband's tuition. I'll be fully honest. And it just had to work out. So then I became this cute little tooth lunch lady. Like, here's your teeth, here's your composite, here's your bands.   Brendan (11:32.958) Hahaha   Kiera Dent (11:34.99) And then went and helped her in Colorado and then started helping other dentists just really.   Brendan (11:40.084) Yeah. And Midwestern, because there are two Midwesterns, there's Arizona and Illinois, right? You were in Arizona, was going to say, because Reno, Nevada. Are you still in Reno, Nevada?   Kiera Dent (11:43.262) Arizona. We are. Yep. So we still live here. My husband ditches residency here because my family lives over in California. So it was the closest location without paying California tax. Yeah.   Brendan (11:57.16) Wonderful wonderful and just just just step back to being at Midwestern have you ever seen it like a show or a movie or something where The guy or girl moves the plant that's in the shade into the light and then all of a sudden the flower blooms I Feel like that's where you moved yourself out of the shade into the light not to make the old figurative But I literally see like because because now you're killing it you're consulting with all these practices and stuff doing so no, that's a really   Kiera Dent (12:11.338) Yes.   Kiera Dent (12:22.262) Thank you.   Brendan (12:25.662) First of all, the story is incredible because you've to appreciate someone who takes that hop, skip and a jump gets into the environment. That's a maybe it's a risk and it just they blossom. that's, you know, I don't want to, I don't want to be like a radio show here, but I, know, I really seek for the optimism in people's lives. There's a lot of fear going on these days. There's a lot of skepticism, a lot of conspiracies, and it's really nice to find let's let's hone back in together and let's really get into the nitty gritty of the good things.   Kiera Dent (12:37.568) Thank you.   Brendan (12:54.898) and success stories. yeah, so that's just, wanted to touch that really there because I really appreciate that. You know, we need, we need risk takers and we need to admire those and understand how they did it. Okay. So moving on, can you just shout out your podcast on, so everyone knows?   Kiera Dent (12:55.308) Totally.   Kiera Dent (12:58.7) Thank you.   Kiera Dent (13:07.916) Yeah, of course. Yeah, we have the Dental A Team podcast. Gosh, I think I'm about up to, we might have surpassed our 900 mark and headed towards our 1000 mark of episodes. So definitely try to have a ton of resources for free out there. And for any dentists out there listening or students, like I love the students. Clearly I have a very soft spot in my heart for students and residents, people who want to grow. But if you go to our website, TheDentalATeam.com, we have our podcast link.   And literally you go and you type in anything, treatment planning, scheduling, verbiage for dropping insurance, like you name it. I probably have a podcast or two on them and all of our databases there for you. So trying really hard just to give back. and like you said, my goal is to positively impact the world of dentistry in the greatest way possible and just remind us of how like blessed we are to be able to change people's lives through dentistry. And, I truly believe that owning a practice should not be hard. It does not need to be hard. You can still have everything you want. So yeah.   Our podcast, The Dental A Team, love to have you there. Thank you for that shout out.   Brendan (14:10.314) Yeah, thank you. Thank you. Now continuing, if you can do me a favor and on your Instagram, the bio, if you can just change, I think you changed the name of your handle, your organization, the company, the podcast, that handle changed in your bio. I think it's, might've been an older handle, but you can't click it is what I mean. We just got to fix that. That'll help out your followers so that they can make the link between you and you know, and your consulting group. Just something I noticed, but yeah. So, so moving on for there.   Kiera Dent (14:12.897) Yes.   Kiera Dent (14:19.965) Mm   Kiera Dent (14:26.842) sure.   Kiera Dent (14:32.118) Yeah.   Thank you.   Brendan (14:37.852) So you have the pockets you have on providers and stuff. You just had Dr. Jason Auer back on. I just saw him last week at the Amos conference, which is pretty cool. And I had him on the podcast last year. That's a lot of fun. How often do you meet with providers, owners, DSOs versus private practices? I'm curious what the percentages are there. And then the percentages of providers versus do you ever talk with other   Kiera Dent (14:43.36) Okay.   Brendan (15:06.74) people that consult for practices.   Kiera Dent (15:09.022) Yeah, for sure. So hopefully I understood your question. I'll answer and if I missed it, please, I'm here for it. But our consulting primarily focuses on GP practices. We have a really strong pediatric following as well. Some OS, some ortho. We kind of dabble in all of the specialties a little bit, but really GP and our niche is to work with the practice owners. We sometimes will work with their associates, so the doctors and then also the team. As I found,   Like we put so much out there for the doctors. Like everybody is targeting the doctors. Why would they not? The doctors are the buyer, the doctors are the ones running the practice. But I realized if we can elevate the team as well and we can teach the team to think like owners and we can get the team inspired and excited, that's 90 % of the battle of having a successful practice. So we coach both. We raise up office managers. We build leadership teams. We do quarterlies. I do work with startup practices all the way up to multi -level DSOs.   And so really kind of everything in between my sweet spots, usually the two, three, four, five locations is really what I love to do or practice owners who are wanting to grow and possibly sell to a DSO. I love the startups. love to give them the system so they really do well. Exponentially, we have an entire CE online database that's got operations manual and all those pieces, but really my body has physically been in over 250 dental practices. I used to travel about   265 days a year. And so I now have cut that back and I don't travel as much as I used to for work. I do more for fun, but that's really kind of our nutshell. And then we bring all of our doctors together and I love to get doctors to just share. from the brand new owner to the experienced owner, having them collaborate together in mastermind settings where there's so much knowledge, I get to see it. Most people don't get to be in 200 offices. They don't get to work with 200 teams.   But to bring all these teams together and bring all these doctors together, that's where we elevate and lift everybody up. And so it's really fun. So hopefully that answered your question, but if not, ask any other ones about that.   Brendan (17:15.124) Yeah, yeah, yeah. No, that definitely answers it. And what kind of percentages are you at now versus in the beginning working with DSOs versus smaller private practices? I'm curious.   Kiera Dent (17:23.66) Gotcha. So we're more like, I would say 90 % are our private practices and 10 % are the DSOs. However, a lot of our practices do sell to those larger DSOs, which I think is just a common piece right now. But I am very pro not, I don't have a one size fits all. Our consulting is very much, what does that doctor want to do? And some doctors are like, Kiera, I get emails from DSOs every other day, but that's not what I want to do.   And my job's not to say like, let's build it to sell to a DSO. My job is to say, Brendan, what life do you want to have? What do we want to do? Where do you want to be? Like, what do you want your financial retirements to be? How much time do you want off from the practice? And let's build your practice to suit your life and fulfill your life. Because if you are happy and thriving, everything else will fall into place.   Brendan (18:10.516) Yeah, I would like everything else to fall into place one day. Hopefully nine months after graduating, that's the goal. I did already sign with a practice. It's a multi -practice out on Long Island. How many practices have you worked with on Long Island?   Kiera Dent (18:12.492) It will.   Kiera Dent (18:20.351) Amazing.   Long Island, I've actually had two over there. So I've definitely been up in that area. I had a practice in the Bronx, definitely not dental 365. I used to work with an office named Brian Stimler. He was out there and then there was another office in there just slipping. This was, mean, we're talking six years ago that was in Long Island. I like, I could see them. I just cannot remember their name. I'll look it up post show and let you know.   Brendan (18:27.786) 10 .0365, who, who, can I know?   Kiera Dent (18:46.829) But yeah, I'm flying out to Canadaigua on Sunday to go and work with a practice up there. So I still come out that way, but I don't have any more on Long Island.   Brendan (18:56.02) That's all right. Wow. Okay. So you're all over the U S Canada at all. Cause you mentioned.   Kiera Dent (18:59.198) Mm -hmm. So I have consulted in Canada. I've consulted in Australia and New Zealand as well. I was trying to do the whole international thing. We have lots of listeners international, which is super fun. But I almost got deported from Canada on one of my visits. after that, which I thought Canada of all the places. So almost the client told me just to say I was going for fun. so I did. They like searched my phone.   Brendan (19:15.546) What? How did that happen?   Kiera Dent (19:27.722) They were like, what are your clients? What do you do? Like, what do these friends do? They're dentists and they told me, technically I'm allowed to go over there to collect data without a visa, but if not, that they could deport me. I was so scared. I've never been that scared in my entire life. I was shaking. I definitely went and visited by Niagara Falls. Like I literally was a whole complete tourist. I told my clients like, I'm sorry, we'll not be doing anything. We still have a good giggle from that time. But yeah, after that, I just stopped.   Traveling International for development.   Brendan (19:57.802) Is that by plane, car? Like what?   Kiera Dent (20:00.308) It was in the airport. I should have. So it's funny. I was actually in Canandaigua and their practice was in Toronto and it was like a two, maybe a two hour drive across the border. And I should have done that. But my assistant at the time, like we were just new, we were young and I had someone booking travel for me. And so she flew me back to Newark and then flew me to Toronto. And when I did that going through Toronto customs, I was rookie.   The things I did wrong one I was dressed like a business professional on a Saturday Two I was trying to be so super ultra honest and put that I had peanuts like I had nuts in my bag Which was so dumb like I wasn't eating it there like I don't know what my thought process was on it And I remember getting a pink line across my little document going into Canada Which sent me to the right not to the left. I was sitting there waiting forever then I started to wonder like   Why am I in this line? Like usually this is a faster thing. Then I started to get nervous. like I have contracts and things like that in my email. Luckily when I got up there, the lady was not having any, anything like we were not getting onto good terms. Like they're very strict at border control. And luckily my, they're so mean.   Brendan (21:14.794) They are like for like it's good to be strict, but you're there for business. What's wrong with I don't like why are they stopping? I don't know what and the peanuts. What's wrong with peanuts?   Kiera Dent (21:22.152) So they say, are you bringing any nuts with you? And I was like, why did I say yes to that? Just don't eat them while you're over there if you accidentally, or throw them away. I don't know what my deal was. yeah, but then on my flight back, my client was like, you're fine. You got over. And I said, I don't think I'm fine. And truth be told, when I went back to the airport, there's a code that they'll put on some tickets. I couldn't check in. So when I was flying back, I wasn't allowed to check in on.   line said go to the airport. I printed my ticket and I got four S's on my boarding pass, which then meant I got searched up and down left and right. The really cool thing is because I do work in dental offices, my bag and my shoes actually flagged that I had bomb making materials on me. They asked what I do for work and what my husband does for work, found out we were in healthcare, which I mean, there are some things that we do have in dental offices that probably could contribute.   Brendan (21:56.554) no, yeah.   Kiera Dent (22:20.214) So when they found out I worked in healthcare, I was allowed to go, everything was fine. I got to the gate, I got searched again at the gate, and then finally I was able to fly back home. So I have never been so excited to see the US flag flying after. So that was my end of international consulting. I've still consulted people in Canada, but they have to come over to the US. I'll meet them right at the border, but we do it all in the US now. So that was a good lesson learned early on.   Brendan (22:46.665) Okay.   Yeah, yeah, fair enough. And you could probably do a bit virtual. Why do you need to meet in person? I'm curious.   Kiera Dent (22:54.74) Yeah. So that was like really what I built the company on and we've since shifted and whatnot. But what I found was like going to people's offices, like I went to one office, I'd been consulting them for about six months and I walked in and they had paper charts. Never once did paper charts come up on any of our calls. And I'm like, excuse me, we have paper charts in this office. Like how was that never a conversation? And what I realized is what me as a consultant might see that maybe isn't like   a good flow or good things, a dentist who's been doing this for years might not even know that that's abnormal. And so sometimes being able to see the practice can really help. It can really help us evaluate. We can get the team on board. So that's been something that's been really fun. But we've also now learned that, like, I think after seeing so many practices myself, we know a lot more of the questions to ask of the team pieces of the flow. There's different ways. mean, COVID really helped exponentially grow that virtual piece. And honestly, we can get, I would say,   We're like 98 % as good of results virtually as we were getting in person. So the only thing I think people miss is just like us being with their teams. So now we're flying all of our doctors and teams together. So we're still able to influence. And we learned through COVID, we did virtual team events and teams love it. Like we ship swag boxes and we really learned how to have this like fun, engaging experience virtually that teams get bought into. And then it's cheaper for the doctors not to have to fly an entire team.   Brendan (23:58.548) if could.   Kiera Dent (24:22.092) to a location as well.   Brendan (24:23.956) Right, right, right, right. I just thought of a couple things to ask you really quickly. Have you ever met Paul Vigario of SurfCT? No, okay, they're an IT company. They do a bunch of things, but you were mentioning kind of, I forget the exact word you used, but you were saying like building up and motivating the team of the dental office. He uses the word empower, which I thought was interesting. I didn't know if you guys had crossed paths or something, but he would be a good person to connections in the network. The other thing is I could,   Kiera Dent (24:31.658) I have not. That'd be a one.   Kiera Dent (24:42.221) Mm   Kiera Dent (24:50.944) Yeah.   Brendan (24:53.8) I wanted to ask you because you like to go your at least you started the business by going in person to these offices. Do you have any recommendations that you make as far as the flow? Because you have the waiting room and then you have the operatories and all double chairs. Maybe if consult consulting group, consult rooms and follow up rooms next to them. And then towards the end on the way out, it's different from the entrance because people got dental treatment and they got to make that payment. Hopefully before they leave the office. Is that anything that you evaluate and make better or   Kiera Dent (25:19.717) Mm -hmm.   Kiera Dent (25:23.564) Totally. Yeah. One of my offices, they're a very big booming practice. They do over 14 million a year in one location. And I went up to their office and it's kind of my running joke. said, you guys, I don't even want to put this on my resume that I did this for your practice. We're talking big booming practice, huge practice. They've been doing amazing for years. What I implemented in their practice were flowers that I went and bought from the store.   and put in vases at their checkout location because what I noticed is they were not getting a high of cases closed because there was no privacy. It was too big of a thing. And I also noticed the flow was really confusing because people were coming from both directions and they were actually running into each other. Patients were backing up, patients were leaving. And I'm I'm kind of embarrassed that like, Kiera Dent came in, Dental A Team, and I put flowers on your checkout.   But what happened was their case acceptance skyrocketed. The patient flow I practiced with the entire team. Because what's crazy is those little things we don't think about, but the patient experience exponentially increases and our case acceptance goes up exponentially. So I'm like a miracle girl in practices. Case acceptance is my jam. Having really smooth flows for practices is really what I love to do. And so yes, in my perfect world, if I get to see your blueprints before you build the practice,   Always having an in and an out because it really helps but if like the practice is how it is Let's figure out flows Sometimes I'll just add a little bench by the checkout where people can actually seat their patients so the patient's not leaving the door Little different things where you can hand like a route slip or anything of communication like the baton passing between the front and the back office so that way everything is just so clean and what's going on between the front to the back and having that flow very   very easy. But yeah, that's something I really love to see. Because just one small little thing or in big offices, I do like a direction and a flow of traffic. So that way we're getting all patients going through one door, getting them to check out, there's a set process. I call it like the HOV lane or the like, so they're just a quick checkout, like a speedy checkout, send them to this person. If they're a longer one, put them here, have different people that are better with different skill sets at those two seats.   Brendan (27:16.394) Interesting.   Brendan (27:30.378) I like that.   Kiera Dent (27:41.61) Sometimes on the check -in, I'll have people take payments, so we're not backing them up. In really large practices, when they start to get bigger and bigger, I will start to have the clinical team, like very easy. If they just need a fluoride payment, just swipe that card in the back, very easy. We can get credit cards on file. And then there's checks and balances to make sure none of it gets missed because more hands in pots can oftentimes lead to chaos. But if it's a systematized way, you can do so much with a flow and make everybody's life so much easier.   Brendan (28:09.738) Absolutely. So then at least to my next question and right on that, virtually, how do you assess someone's patient flow and the routes and finding that HOV lane?   Kiera Dent (28:18.348) So, oftentimes we will still go to practices, but if I'm not in a practice, it's really simple. Like do a little FaceTime video with me, like walk me through your practice, show me what your patients are doing. and what's really fun about our consulting is when you've seen so many offices, you can like within 10 minutes of being in a practice, I already know what they could do to improve very quickly. Cause you just see it. It's like we're playing a game and I spot it. And so just do a fast, easy FaceTime. I've got an office right now and   We work through their entire flow virtually and everything's moving really well. So just an easy FaceTime or a Zoom will take me around the whole office and we can just pick up a small little change here or there.   Brendan (28:59.998) that a lot. Are you only working with general dentistry? Can you come over and work in oral surgery at least a little bit? Maybe.   Kiera Dent (29:05.782) course. Yeah, we have three OS offices right now. So yes, we do branch out to other specialties. OS is fun. I like working with GPs that did implants and things which I get there's a world of like OS you're more trained. GPs love to dabble. I think like I'm not here for that debate but I am here for I love OS. I think OS is so awesome the things that we can do for patients I think.   being able to give people confidence back, being able to do it with so much ease. I love surgery, I love surgery cases, I love implants, I love bone grafting. We did a ramus and we harvested the ramus for an implant and it did not go well. So I have a lot of respect for MaxoFacial who do it well because ours was not a good experience. But it's just fascinating the thing. So yes, we definitely work in OS and help with that.   Brendan (29:43.08) A lot of fun, yeah.   Kiera Dent (30:04.202) And they're just different things.   Brendan (30:04.532) You said, yeah, you said three office. Is it three different offices or like one organization or the three different organizations? Okay. Okay. It is one of the max. I'm curious, max, Dr. Iraq's.   Kiera Dent (30:09.652) Mm -hmm. Mm -hmm. Yeah. Yep. Yeah. No, no. I would love to just go see how they do it because I think I'd learn so much. And that's the other fun thing. I am always, I tell offices, I'm like, I'm here to teach you any tip and piece that can make your life easier, but I'm also here to learn from you too. So much of what we do in our consulting, yes, came from experiences and things we brought to it.   But there's so many great ideas that I see in offices that I'm obsessed with. I've seen really awesome ways to cut down supply costs just with tip -out bins. I've seen awesome ways with flow. I've seen really awesome things with things you do in the waiting room. There's just so many cool things when you go and see offices. So I would love to go see Mac's offices. What are they doing? What's their patient experience like? What's their team experience like? Because offices...   Brendan (30:45.567) Mm.   Brendan (31:01.587) Yeah.   Kiera Dent (31:05.164) It's usually dependent upon the owner doctor. I'm like, you can easily, I usually within like five or 10 minutes of meeting a team, I can tell, will they be successful or not? And most of it is due to the owner doctor and how they are. Dr. Jason, he's incredible. He has such a heart of gold. He's very committed to where he's going. I'm like, he, he like plants success everywhere he goes because of who he is. like, his team of course is thriving. know they're thriving without even seeing his office. So yeah, it'd be really fun to go see him.   Brendan (31:14.452) Hmm   Brendan (31:34.132) They are, they really are. And you need to meet Megan Dwyer too. She's like his go -to, maybe you know of her though. Yeah, they are, their organization is pretty incredible. Of the DSOs, I would put them at the top of the list, I think. Moving forward, I'm very curious to see, because they're fairly new. They've been in it for a bit, but they're fairly new. I'm curious to see where they go. I still have a couple more questions if you have some more time. What's, so here's a quick one. What's something you like to spot the,   Kiera Dent (31:34.986) Thank   Kiera Dent (31:47.104) Mm   Kiera Dent (31:57.546) Yeah, of course I do. Yeah, absolutely.   Brendan (32:03.838) The gaps, I love that. What's one difference you see in oral surgery offices that's different from the general dentist office?   Kiera Dent (32:11.3) Wes is just big treatment plans most of the time. Like it's a, we're not, we're there to build a relationship. We're there to love them, but we're not there. Like you're not there Dennis forever. Like you guys are there for very much a specialty. And so like the way you schedule an OS practice compared to how I schedule a GP practice, the relationship building with an OS practice, a lot of it's going to be relationship building with all your GPS in the area where GPs.   are more about just attracting patients in. So that's something I see a lot, but OS is, I think OS is helping the doctors. OS has a reputation of like, pop that anesthetic in, take the teeth out and off they go. It's kind of a little bit more, it is a little more rash. And so just helping those doctors realize like that experience is getting you the reputation all the way out. Like you're an incredible surgeon.   Brendan (32:59.06) more rash. Yeah.   Kiera Dent (33:08.372) Make sure the bedside manners match your expertise. Make sure that patient feels your love for them because dentistry is such an intimate experience. Like nowhere do you let a stranger put their fingers in your mouth. Like it's just, weird. Like we literally let these strangers do it. It's very weird. And so helping those, is. And then a lot of OS, I noticed that they're such brilliant surgeons that they struggle with team dynamics a lot.   Brendan (33:19.388) It is. It's your mouth. Yeah.   Very vulnerable, yeah.   Kiera Dent (33:35.424) That's something I noticed more so in OS than I noticed in GP. so helping them see like you are this incredible surgeon and I want you to be the expert there. And I also want you to be a human to your team. Like Dr. Jason is, he is a very different OS. He doesn't have that chip. He doesn't have the, which I mean, my husband's in medicine too. And there's some surgeons who have that chip on their shoulder and they're total jerks. And like I watched even in the healthcare, some doctors are such   Brendan (33:36.088) Kiera Dent (34:03.67) jerks to their team. And I'm like, you get so much more further if your team's behind you than you do by like barking orders at them or telling them. And I understand surgery is stressful. Like if we mess up, the surgery has some not so great side effects to it. And so I understand the need for that perfection, but I'm like, teach your team with those perfect systems that you want it perfect every time and then love on them when they do great things too is something I noticed. Now that's not like   Brendan (34:13.524) Mm -hmm.   Kiera Dent (34:32.006) blanket statement because there's GP doctors that have that need that exact same advice. But that is something I think it's just OS is it's fast. It's like shucking teeth all day long and   Brendan (34:42.046) Yeah, no, it's so it's so disappointing though. And I completely connected with that. I'm surrounded by such brilliant people. Some of the people that have gotten just at my program, don't want to mention the program, but at my program surrounded by other oral surgery surgeons and residents that have gotten the top scores in the country. And but there's just such a disconnect where they're like, they just think it's taken out teeth. And I get made fun of for taking a long, I like to take a long time at the consult. I'll ask you three times before you walk out. Are there any questions that I can answer for you? You know, I don't care if that's annoying.   or if I'm taking too long and the assistants are bugging me or making fun of me from the hallway and stuff. But it's that patient experience. It's exactly what you said. And I make a lot of content on the side, make fun of that too. But no, I'm really connecting with you on that. It's such an important thing. And I cannot stand that ego. I don't care if you have a DDS and an MD. We are human beings. And outside of the clinic, you're Josh. You're just Peter. You know, I'm just Brendan, right?   Kiera Dent (35:38.956) Thank   Brendan (35:41.066) You're not talking to this and that. And you know, obviously there's so many amazing people out there and you know, those are some of my friends. So I'm not talking about them, but it's an interesting thing. It's so weird to find such a predominance of that ego and elevated mindset. And I've found dentists who are just the same exact thing too. For another time though, but yeah, feel like we're going on to that. But it does, comes down to the patient experience. And I really do appreciate that.   Kiera Dent (36:02.861) you   Kiera Dent (36:09.398) for sharing.   Brendan (36:11.074) man, I just missed there were another two things that I had lined up ready to go. shouldn't have said anything.   Kiera Dent (36:18.49) No, you're good. I think though, as you said that, I think the greatest thing that doctors can do is build that confidence in your patient. I tell all my treatment coordinators and consultors and doctors, I'm like, they are not here buying dentistry. They are buying your confidence. They are buying your, that you're going to get the best results because I'm like, people forget that like we live in dental Tinder.   Like there is another dentist, there's another maxofacial somewhere else that can get like, they can do the same thing. And I'm like, they're buying you, they're buying your confidence, they're buying what you can give them of the dream and the hope. And so yes, like I love to ask what questions do you have for me? I want you to be rock solid leaving here. That helps that patient know one, what questions do you have for me is great. It's open -ended. I'm getting them to say yes to me rather than no to me.   Two, I'm telling them how I want them to feel. I want them to feel rock solid, confident, moving forward. What questions do you have for me? If they tell me they want to check with their spouse, absolutely, I want you to check with your spouse. What questions do think your spouse will ask you? That way I can make sure you're fully prepared for it. That's my way I can get past it and find out what's really taking this patient back. When they're like, hey, I need to check my work schedule, absolutely no problem.   Let's add you to the schedule. So me, Kiera Dent, who's ditzy over here, doesn't forget about you, Brendan. I never want to let you slip through the cracks. I'll just pop you on the schedule. You give me a call when you get to work, if that doesn't work for you, because I would hate to let you slip through the cracks. So many little things where we're making that patient the VIP. I feel like in today's world, it's funny because we think that there's so much competition out there, but I'm like, it's actually really easy to stand out and it's called being kind. I think the world has gone through the COVID crank.   I think we've become very self -centered in a lot of ways in the world. And I'm like, the greatest way for us to give incredible patient experience is to be kind, to show up as a human being, to sit knee to knee with them on their level. Like you said, what questions do you have for me? I think we've kind of forgotten how to be human beings. We've become human robots. And that's how you can actually stand out in today's world. I'm like, it's such an easy way to get an edge is to just be kind and to treat them.   Kiera Dent (38:27.828) and make sure that they're rock solid confident is going to be the way to win those patients. And then like, I don't care whatever you do have great bedside manners. but I remember my ER doctor when I had an appendix burst, I loved my ER doctor, I loved him and he was so busy, but he made me feel so taken care of. And my husband went out to while I was waiting in the room and he's like, our doctor is literally running between rooms, but as soon as he gets the door, he like walks in so slow and like, Kiera I'm here, whatever questions you have.   and then would like book it as soon as he left the room. I never felt that rush. I felt like he was taking great care of me. And I think that's a great way for all dentists to have an edge and to win the patients that need to be served by you.   Brendan (39:11.21) Yeah, you need to have that humanistic quality to you it and just back to you were saying how it's like tinder There's always another it's like there's always gonna be another oral surgeon who's taller. There's always gonna be on their dentists That's better looking That's that's so funny And just just a few more questions. I I got back to it by the way the Within those first two years, I'm curious I want to just just if we could touch into the secret sauce a little bit here   Kiera Dent (39:23.628) Sure.   Kiera Dent (39:28.768) Yep. Good.   Brendan (39:40.884) Cause I'm going to start in this practice next August, August 15th. And I am, I want to, I want you to come over and do a whole revamp and we figure out what's going on. The offices, the practices, I'll pay for it. However we got to do it. But within those first two years, I'll be working for someone, but you were with someone who had started her own practice or was working in.   Kiera Dent (39:59.724) Nope, we started it. We bought it from a retiring doctor. Yep.   Brendan (40:01.61) Start from there. What were some of those key things, maybe two or three things, if you could touch on them that got her from the, regardless of the numbers, but what got really the scaling going? You said systems and processes, so you got those going. Is there another one or two things that I should be looking for in my first two years? I got a two -year contract, that's where I signed. I want to be a partner there one day. What's something I should be looking into to find or bring to the table to be that missing piece, if you can share something, one or two things.   Kiera Dent (40:19.724) Thank   Mm   Kiera Dent (40:29.78) Yeah, of course. So I think I'd find out where are the gaps in that practice right now. What are the things that the owner doctor maybe doesn't enjoy doing? Are they really amazing with numbers? Are they really amazing with the team? Are they really amazing clinicians? Because usually people have a natural gravitation to something. And so when I look at practices and partnerships, I work a lot with partners and helping doctors come together.   Brendan (40:40.36) you   Kiera Dent (40:55.94) is what's the complimentary piece? So like when I have a husband wife duo in a practice, I'm like, all right, one of you is probably naturally gifted with the team and one of you is probably naturally gifted with numbers. That usually tends to be the dynamic I see with partners. When there's multiple partners in there, we obviously bring different skill sets to the table. But I would say go find out as a partner, if your skill sets the team or if it's numbers, I also say that that can't be your crutch either.   You still need to go learn the other side of it. So that way you can be a resource for them. So just because you might not like numbers, go figure it out, figure out how they do the billing, go talk to the front office, have them like you sit in the chair and physically send the bill. So you understand what that process is like. So you know how you can help support your team as well. And also how you can check and audit the numbers in the books. I really love when doctors come in with an owner mindset and there's also gotta be a level of appreciation.   while there's also confidence. So recognizing that that doctor took all the risk to build this practice for you, I think goes a long way. But then at the same time, you need to come in with something that they don't have that you're going to bring in. really being observant of what don't they like or what are the gaps? How's the team doing? Are we doing team meetings, listening to podcasts? And then also remembering that you're a leader. So I think you leading, no matter if you care to do it or not.   as a doctor, you're just a natural leader to your team. We are always going to follow you. We're always going to respect you because you're our doctor. And so I think those are the pieces, but I feel pretend this was your practice. What things would you have to know? You'd have to know the numbers. You'd have to know what profitability is. You'd have to know what your EBITDA is. You'd have to know the billing processes. You'd have to know how to hire and fire. You'd have to know the HR portion of it. You also have to be a great clinician. And so as you like, usually I say your first six -ish months, you got to be a bang of   clinician. Like I need you to come in, I need you to produce, I want you to do all these things and really learn that mentorship piece and then like start to take on those little pieces of the practice ownership. So when you come to the table, you're not just bringing a check to buy into the practice, you're bringing skills that are very valuable to this practice that's complimentary to what they have already.   Brendan (43:05.994) Excellent and thank you for that. We actually are doing some stuff on the marketing side so I'm very glad that you mentioned those things. Okay great so we'll be touching base throughout next year. I start August 15th so we'll be doing that. We'll be touching base. Is your work expensive?   Kiera Dent (43:18.355) I'm caught.   Kiera Dent (43:28.199) Yeah, of course. So we do online and we do in person and really we try to customize it to your practice. And so all of our fees have always been covered by either the amount we reduce in your overhead or the production we add to your practice. I've never once not had our consulting paid for and we range anywhere from like ,600 a month all the way up to $4 ,500 a month, depending upon the amount that we would be doing, whether we're coming to your practice, whether we're coming out here.   what different pieces we're doing and how much hands -on. But really, my goal is how can we help people succeed and flourish is what I love to do.   Brendan (44:00.468) next one.   Brendan (44:06.354) Excellent. And you have a team, I'm sure you have other people who's Shelby, by the way, she's just, she helps coordinates things or.   Kiera Dent (44:12.441) Yes, Shelby is my executive assistant and our customer success. And she really so she does all of my scheduling and coordinating, which is incredible. And then she also takes care of all of our clients, too. So she's beautiful. She's incredible. I hired her. She was my next door neighbor, actually. And I was like, I was like, this girl takes care of my plants when I'm on the road. She just noticed my plants were dying and started watering them for me. She just like randomly check in on me. She was a waitress. And I'm like,   Brendan (44:28.468) Amazing! That's great!   Kiera Dent (44:40.138) This girl loves people so much. want her in my life and on my team. so, yeah, we've worked together for almost four years now and she's just truly incredible.   Brendan (44:50.922) That's amazing. that's so nice that it's like a family business. Yeah!   Kiera Dent (44:53.44) So look for good talent. I know, look for good talent everywhere. I've hired people from my next door neighbor. I've hired people from friends of friends. I've hired people from church. You always gotta be on the lookout for incredible talent because those people are the people you want in your life.   Brendan (45:09.428) How do you find the roles for them in your company? I'm curious, because with one of my marketing startups right now, with the co -founders, that's what we're looking for. We need this and this done. But then finding the right people, you know, on top of the day -to -day, the nine -to -five, you found people at church, neighbor. And they just happened to fit that thing that was missing at that one time, or they molded, you trained them. I'm curious.   Kiera Dent (45:23.98) Sure.   Kiera Dent (45:31.168) Thank   both. So I think it's important, like whenever I tell people like, hey, we're going to try and find a role. And we don't know, I just say, great, like, let's write down everything, like, just dump it all on a list of everything that you are either doing, or you need to delegate out or things you'd like to not be doing. And then let's see if we can cluster it. So can we lump tasks together? Like for me, I need someone to book my travel, I need someone to do my emails, check the mail, like take care of my clients when I was on the road.   All that really falls into an assistant role. And then I was able to go find that person. And when I first did it, just dumped everything on a list. I went back with a pink highlighter, my favorite color. And I'm like, these are things that truly only I can do. And it's a good ego test because 90 % of that list is not only you can do. They're probably like 5 or 10%. That truly are tasks that only you can do. And then I looked at the ones that took me the most amount of time. And then I was like, OK.   Who could I hire for this? And that's how I started hiring these different positions. Now, a lot of times, you kind of know an assistant role or an executive assistant role or a manager role or a marketing person. And then I'll either put posts out there, job postings out there. I write my posts. I hate jobs to where I'm like, I don't know. I make them very fun because I really love that person and I want them to come be with us and realize how great of a position this will be for them. But no, there's so much that can be done.   with freelancers, like my first personal assistant I hired for 500 bucks a month. like, I don't even know what I'm having you do, but like, know I need you. So like more tasks will come as you take on more things and I'll just like keep paying you. And so then they just morph. And usually those personal assistants or those assistants that are kind of at random, like jack of all trades, master of nothing, they really just... So I found my first one on Indeed. I hired her. I just put an ad out.   Brendan (47:20.446) Yeah. Where did you find that person, by the way?   Brendan (47:27.518) Thank you.   Kiera Dent (47:28.876) Viva HR is a great resource too, that I love. I'm happy to share a link with all the listeners. It's $99 a month and you can post on all the platforms, unlimited ads. And I was like spending $15 ,000 a year on job postings for a while. This has cut down a huge expense for us. So I do post there. but I write mine very fun. So I like talk about how fun our company is. I talk about our Disneyland retreats. go on, I talk about like, what's your favorite cupcake flavor. So that way it's just very intentional. And then for them to come back to me.   I do tell them they have to respond back with certain things. And if people don't do it, I just weed through. But yeah, the first personal assistant I hired, she was a college student. She came from a great company in the area. And she just loved me from day one. For personal assistants, I have a really good process that I'm happy to share with anyone trying to hire this role, where we make them do certain things like book a trip for me, schedule this dinner thing. And I look to see their thought processes and how long it takes them. So I kind of test them through the interview process.   So she was hired from Indeed. Another one was hired. Shelby was my next door neighbor. But yeah, they just come from all over random. But I found the best people for that role are usually from hospitality. So waitresses, servers, Starbucks. Anyone in that service tanning anything in that world where you've got to really be high end nice. I love a waitress or a waiter because they've got to watch so many people.   Brendan (48:26.388) Mmm.   Kiera Dent (48:53.376) They serve a bunch of people. They're very fast paced. Like that's a good person who matches me. I love to bring those people in. but yeah, that's, so that's where I find those people. But indeed, honestly, college towns, a lot of people in college town just want like, I don't need them full time. So they're really good role to bring in part time. But I found the ones that are in college usually are the best ones for that personal assistant. And then   Brendan (48:56.67) Yes.   Brendan (49:01.642) Speaking of tanning, yeah, this light isn't doing me any good. But all right, anyways, start, keep going, keep going. I'm very worried.   Kiera Dent (49:21.036) depending on what they're going into school for. Shelby was going to school for business administration, so it was a perfect match for her. My other one was going to school for teaching, so she was with me through the time she got her degree, and now we're still really good friends after that too.   Brendan (49:34.026) Amazing. You're brilliant. This is one system in process to another. I really appreciate this. I really do. Excellent.   Kiera Dent (49:38.73) Thank you. Thank you. I want to make your life easy. So whatever we can do to like simplify and ease people's lives. That's what we're here for.   Brendan (49:47.046) Yeah, absolutely. Thank you so much for coming on. No, I'm just now you're we're hitting the cap where there's there's a lot to take in here. Can you do me a favor and please go and take a look at Max's offices and everything like within this year so that afterwards that we can talk stealing double things.   Kiera Dent (50:04.46) Right. Exactly. Well, he's so great because he's been on your podcast earlier today. He just mentioned he was like, everybody thinks they're competitors. And the reality is we're not competitors. There's enough teeth to go around. There's enough like all, all ships rise, like all tides rise all ships. And I love that perspective. I'm like, we need more people like him. I guarantee you if you went and saw his offices, he'd take you around. And that's the type of doctors. Like, we attract these doctors.   Brendan (50:28.84) I did actually, yeah.   Kiera Dent (50:32.32) who want to give to others, who want to lift each other up, that want to share their best ideas. And that's what I'm committed to just creating more of because the more we celebrate, the more we share, the more we lift each other up and we give all these ideas, like I will happily give anything I can for you because the more you can succeed, the more you're going to rise other people up with you as well. So why not? The world needs more goodness and more positivity. So let's create it.   Brendan (50:56.21) It does. does. The one thing because he has a corporation now. It's a big organization. They're amazing. They're beautiful. But then there's going to be certain ceilings and walls and what you can and can't do. Unfortunately. And I was very I saw his offices and he is outstanding and his team is great. They're lot of fun. They're a lot of fun. And I I love that. But I just saw the path to kind of I don't know where I'm going to make it. And I want to try to go towards administrative in addition to   taking out teeth and doing the oral surgery. And I felt that in a DSO, there would be certain boundaries that might prevent that growth. And I'm sure you understand that, right? Especially with your story of the blossoming, right? So yeah, I could do, and then there was one person that their organization hired that I knew of that probably wouldn't work well, but butting heads kind of stuff. So you have to make decisions as you move on. So I'd be very curious if I was to work there.   Kiera Dent (51:47.148) Sure.   Brendan (51:52.126) We wouldn't have a future of a project together of building, creating systems and processes. So you know what I mean? Like, and this is kind of like how I like to connect. had a great conversation today. I can't thank you for not coming on. You have such a busy schedule. Shelby's great, by the way. I'm all over the place. It's only me here right now. And one day learning from you, maybe I could scale, but thank you so much for coming on. I'm going to, I'm going to be posting this on whatever platforms we can. I'm sorry that you're recording this with the backwards Riverside. Thanks.   Kiera Dent (51:57.299) Sure.   Kiera Dent (52:06.41) Thank you.   Brendan (52:21.78) for Shelby to putting that together though. Yeah, thank you. I know we're hitting that hour mark. So I want to be conscious of your time. Maybe we could do part two sometime in the future. Or maybe when you come through, if you can. Can I, I know you have a team now, in the future, revamping the practice and stuff. Is there a different price from getting you versus a team member, a delegate? How does that work?   Kiera Dent (52:22.841) Yeah, of course. Thank you.   Kiera Dent (52:31.18) Thank   Kiera Dent (52:34.516) Yeah.   Kiera Dent (52:45.453) Yeah, great question. I have always tried to make sure that whomever I hire is just as good as me, if not better. I even tell other people, I'm like, honestly, my consultants are usually better than me due to the fact that all they do is consulting. And so they're truly incredible for it. So I have never wanted to have a different fee for myself or for consultants. And so currently, it's the same fee. I just don't take on as many clients. However, with that said,   certain people that we've connected with and if I'm in the area and it works out, by all means, I'm happy to come. And even sometimes it's me plus a consultant because I just, my biggest expectation of ourselves is I feel like we have got to be there for clients. Like when I need my coach, I need her. And so we are so on top of it that I would never want to have it where I am busy, I'm on podcasts, the clients can't get in touch. So I always, if I even am on an office,   I pair myself with another consultant just so you guys always have support and you're never left due to the fact that I am busy and I do travel. absolutely, there's no extra fee if it's me or someone else. So yeah, that would be, but honestly, our consultants, I only bring on consultants in our company that have my experience or better, that they've had to grow multiple practices, that they have the dental experience, that they've got the passion for dentistry, that they've grown multiple practices.   because I don't feel like if you haven't been in their shoes, it's very hard to convince people of what to do or to even have that empathy. yeah, so that's how we operate. But now if I didn't bring on people that were just as good as me, if not better, I think that'd be a flaw of myself as well.   Brendan (54:23.924) That's such a good idea. Do you ever get all your teams, the consultants together on the podcast all at once? How often do you do that?   Kiera Dent (54:29.482) We do. actually did one. It was actually really weird to have all of us on there because like virtually you don't know who's going next. So was kind of this like weird dynamic. But we all do get together. It was one of those like, it's always like, there's a little bit of a delay and then like we're all consultants. So we're kind of like sharks. No one wants to like sit back. So it was just like really weird. I'm like, guys, like it'd be so fun with podcasts together. And then we were like, that was really, really weird. So Maxis3.   Brendan (54:51.155) Yeah.   Kiera Dent (54:58.538) But usually two of us will get together. But yeah, the consultants are truly magical. And I'm just so lucky to have such a great team of people who just have the passion and the love for their clients and their patients and their team that they're just really, really amazing people.   Brendan (55:14.363) Have you seen that meme of the Spider -Man where they're like in a square and they're all pointing at each other and they all look exactly like feel like that where it's like, are you gonna go? Are you gonna go next on the?   Kiera Dent (55:17.994) Yeah.   Kiera Dent (55:23.702) Well, and it's hard because like everybody's screen, like if you're on Google meet or on Riverside, like all the boxes for each screen are in different spots. So it's not like we can be like the top, the bottom, like all of us are different. so, yeah, but our team does get together every day. We've, I've just found in a virtual company, you've got to keep that team morale and have fun. And so it's so fun that we like, when we see each other in person, it's like, nothing has passed by, which I really am so proud of our team for doing. So it's been fun.   Brendan (55:50.826) You got a powerful team then that you guys all respect each other. You guys are friends. That's a group that's hard to find. You must, I mean, you're the leader in the organization that must have been, it's just, it's probably another testament to you that you know how to pick the right team members. You have a feel for people. That's interesting. I've learned a lot about you today and I appreciate it was a slow start to the conversation, but I feel like we got to a really good place and I can't think of her coming on. This is, I've been very impressed. Thank you for doing what you do. I'm looking forward to seeing where we can go in the future.   Kiera Dent (56:14.751) Thank you.   Brendan (56:19.006) when I finally, I gotta get out of this residency program and start practicing, hopefully.   Kiera Dent (56:22.325) Enjoy it. Learn as much as you can through residency. That's why I tell all my doctors, I'm like, go through it through residency. Learn everything you can. Get your bedside manners up. Get your speed up. Get your skillset up. Get so confident in that. Get your treatment planning up because then you're going to walk in and now people are paying you as the doctor, as this private practice. They're not coming to you because they have to. So like take this as the most beautiful, amazing, like couple of months and just soak in everything you possibly can.   Because private practice is not like residency or dental school or anything like that. Now you have to be the one that like is really the magician that turns it on and gets people to follow you because they love you, not because they have to come to it.   Brendan (57:03.732) Yes. Yes, that's going to be lesson one. You'll have to teach me how to empower the team. I want everyone on the same playing field.   Brendan (57:32.478) Anyway, so thank you. won't take up any of your night. I know you got the family to get to, but thank you so much.   Kiera Dent (57:38.547) Absolutely, thank you so much as well.  

Kiera gives listeners advice on what they should be checking in on with their practices as 2024 begins to wind down. This could be finances, operations, staffing, or personal health. She also encourages setting strategic goals as you begin to forecast 2025. Episode resources: Reach out to Kiera Tune Into DAT’s Monthly Webinar Practice Momentum Group Consulting Subscribe to The Dental A-Team podcast Become Dental A-Team Platinum! Review the podcast Transcript: Kiera Dent (00:00.842) Hello, Dental A Team listeners. This is Kiera Welcome to the podcast. I hope today is just an incredible day for you. I hope you're loving it. I hope you just remember, hey, we're in dentistry and dentistry is the most incredible thing that we can ever be a part of. You guys, just think it's absolutely magic of what we get to do. It's absolutely incredible of the lives we get to live. It's absolutely incredible of the lives we get to serve and to help every day between our teams and our patients and our community. Like it is just magic.   that we get to be here. And so I hope all of you today, just like write maybe a little letter of gratitude of how grateful you are for this life that you get to live, for this practice you get to be a part of, for this community that you get to be a part of. Maybe journal it, maybe text it to somebody, because I truly do believe that we build momentum and seeing the good in our world is truly, I think, a talent. I think it's a muscle that we have to strengthen day in and day out. And that's really what I try to do on the podcast is bring you tactical   while also positively impacting your world. And so please share this with someone, leave us those five star reviews, download this podcast, put it in the Facebook groups, tag us while you're listening, whatever feels right to you, because you doing that helps other people see this and other people who might be in darkness or not knowing where they're going or maybe not feeling as optimistic about where we're at in dentistry. This can be a great resource and a gift for them. So please share and just thank you for all of you that have shared and made Dental A Team Podcast the greatest podcast out there for dentistry.   All right, today I'm excited because it's end of year. And end of year for me is like exciting and exhilarating and sometimes daunting. So I really, in our private consulting within Dental A Team, we actually do this where we prep our doctors and our teams to look at the next year and to really go through a deep dive review. This is actually my favorite time of year with our offices to deep dive them through.   What should we be looking at with it being end of year? So today on the podcast, I'm going to just take you guys briefly through it, but just know if you want that deep dive, please come join us on TheDentalATeam.com book a call with us, reach out. [email protected]. I am obsessed with planning and preparing and making sure our offices are thriving without worry. That doesn't mean that every day is a great day, but it does mean that they always know the Dental A Team is going to prepare them and be planning ahead with them and looking down the line with them.   Kiera Dent (02:21.346) because that's what I feel like we need to do. And so often we're very reactive because we forgot to be proactive. And so that's what I'm obsessed with doing with our offices and doing it with ease. And so every quarter having a way to check in on these things, every quarter we assess where we're at and where do we need to go and really being able to do that within our practices. So today, just thinking about end of year, a few things that you guys should be looking at as a quick highlight, like this is a very high level. I spend a good chunk of time preparing this for our doctors. We do it in our private doctor.   mastermind that we have every single month together. And then with our private clients, definitely working on this. just did it with my clients prepping for end of year. and like I said, I will give you a high level so you guys can have a taste of it. And then if you want to go deeper and one -on -one with your practice, be sure to join us. It is never too late to join. It's never too late to take the step to a different life. It's never too late to reach out for an expert who can guide you. And I would just encourage you, if you've been on the fence or you've been thinking about it for a while, do it, give yourself the greatest gift to have.   resource in your pocket. We never know when things will be hard for us. We never know when those days will come. This year, I haven't shared this publicly, but I had a really, really hard year this year, probably the hardest year I've ever had in business. And I just think about what did I do to be prepared for that? I could never have planned for that to happen in my life. It happened so unexpectedly. It kind of came out of left field on me. And I think about how did I get through that? got through that with an incredible team, truly of people who supported me through it.   And I got through it with incredible coaches. Had I not built that incredible network of my business coach, my financial coach, my CPA who's there with me, my lawyer team, I have a legal team, my personal trainer, my physical therapist. If I would not have had my mental therapist that I go to for therapy as well, that seven people in addition to my family and my team that were there supporting me, I would not have made it through.   And I had no clue that that hard time was coming. There were no warning signs. It came out of left field. And so I just think like, we never know when that's going to be there, but having that advisory board around us to support us, to guide us, to give us the direction when we can't see it is truly, I think, the greatest gift I've ever given myself, the most confidence I've ever given myself as a business owner. And so I think that's where the passion comes of.   Kiera Dent (04:42.75) You don't know what you don't know. You don't know what's coming ahead. But what we do know is we can always be proactively prepared for it. And so I think I have proactively prepared for the last seven years to be to this place. I brought in experts. I don't want to know everything, but I know as a business owner, it's my responsibility to know all those things. So I hire people. I have great consultants. I have great coaches. I have great people on my team to make sure that our business is always where it needs to be, no matter what my life cycle is.   So with that, I think that that's actually something great to start off with for end of year. Where are you at with your advisory board? you have an amazing consultant? Do you have an incredible CPA that guides you? Does your CPA look ahead and do you know your tax planning? Where are you at right now for the end of the year? Are you prepared with that? Do you need to start saving? Do you need to make end of year expenses? Consulting, equipment, CE, different things that you want to do to grow your team for next year and for your business for next year.   Do you have a CPA that's proactive or are they reactive and just send you a bill? Because to me, they're a partner in the business with me and I expect them to be a partner with me. I expect them to be looking down the line where I'm not seeing things. Do you have a financial advisor that's making sure that you're on track for where you want to be when you retire and that all this work that you're doing is actually going to the work and the lifestyle that you want to have when you're done working. Do you have a plan for bringing in associates in an exit plan? What does your exit plan look like and do you have that mapped out?   with your consultant, with your financial advisor, with your CPA. So all of you are rowing in the same direction. And if not, let's get that in place. Let's look at this year. How did we do? Did we hit the goals we want? Did we not hit the goals? Why? I want you to get to the root cause of why. Why did we or why did we not? And I want you to answer it with no excuses. It's very easy to say, we didn't hire, but is that really true? Or did we just not look outside the box? There's outside the box thinking there are people everywhere.   And to me, I don't allow myself to have excuses for end of year. What happened? Why did we get here? What was the root cause of it? And I push my clients. I don't let them just give me the easy of like, Kiera, it was a hard year. Yes, I always wrap them with a hug. Yes, I'm always there as a support. And yes, I'm always there to ask the hard questions because if we don't have someone asking the hard questions and answering them ourselves, honestly, we are going to stay in a rut of excuses rather than action and execution. And to me, that's the, that's the worst place to be because you can't get out of it.   Kiera Dent (07:04.11) We're constantly sitting in this swirl that we can't get out of. And so really having somebody that doesn't let you off the hook. I think that's why my clients are with me for so long is because they know that I'm gonna guide them to where they wanna go. I'm gonna ask the hard questions, I'm gonna support them, but we're also gonna get like, we're gonna GSD and get some work done. And so looking at yourself, why did you or why did you not? Now setting goals for next year, it should be at least a 10 % growth minimum.   Unless you're in heavy growth mode, then it could be higher than that. But something I've learned in a lot of the coaching and trainings that I've gone through is let's make sure our goals are super achievable and attainable because that actually builds momentum for practices. Bringing on new doctors, looking at our forecasting. We have our doctors go through and they forecast out how many days off they're going to be taking throughout the year. Doctors, I want you to take time off. Let's do that. Let's plan for that. And let's make sure that we have a plan in place to set appropriate goals.   with the time you're taking off to plan and prepare for it. So we're not just haphazardly setting goals, but we're actually strategically knowing where we need to go and what we need to do. So right now should be a time where we're forecasting out what raises, what hires, what are our costs gonna be? What's the time off that we're going to be doing to make sure our goals are very realistic for next year as well. Right now you should be assessing every department, what's going well, what can we improve on? Looking at your marketing efforts, looking at your accounting efforts, looking at your advice from your financial advisor efforts.   All these things are the things you need to be doing right now to be preparing for the end of the year to make sure that we're on a great foot to ring in 2025. I really have learned that having a good plan in place, having somebody who, who like really pushes me to answer these questions. I love it. I love to be challenged. I love to look, I love to ask the questions. I love to get my team on board. So me myself as the owner, I need to do this first.   Then I take it to my team and I ask them the same questions. And then together we co -create the answers together that all of us are bought into. What's our bonus? If we're going to have a bonus, what's our profit share? If we're going to do a profit share, why are we working towards these goals? What is it getting us? Is it giving us the life that we ultimately want to be living? And if not, let's make some changes to make sure it is. Are you happy with the work you're doing? you fulfilled? would say 80 % of the time it's okay. There's going to be 20 % where we do not feel fulfilled and that's okay.   Kiera Dent (09:20.462) But 80 % of the time, do you feel fulfilled? Are you excited to go to work? Are you making the money that you want to be making? Is your team compensated the way you want to pay them? Do we need to make some adjustments and some improvements? You guys, what's crazy cool about dentistry is every single thing that you want to do is fully within your control. All of it. We just need to be proactively planning rather than reactively responding. So proactively plan rather than reactively respond. I want you to be having the dreamiest life.   I want you to know that next year you're going to hit the goals with ease rather than hoping and wishing and praying on everything, single possible star that we're going to hit it. I have an office right now that's been trying to add some doctors to their practice and our goals are a little shaky because we planned, we prepared. I mean, we've been working six months to find the right doctor. We're not willing to just hire a doctor, but we've been working. And when I look at that, it'd be really easy for me as a coach to be like, guys, like great job. Like we did it.   But we looked at it and we said, all right, what do we need to do to make it strong? What do we need to do to find this person? We are not going to take the excuses with my team. We've been trying to hire consultants. So if you know anybody, don't worry, we're not poaching from your practice. But if you know someone who's ready to take their next step and become a consultant, please email me. [email protected] or just send in your resume. We actually have it online. Like I said, we do not take anybody from practices. We consult. But if you know anybody, send them our way. But when we went to our meeting,   I asked our team, said, all right, what other things have we not done? We just keep doing the same thing and that's freaking insanity. I'm like, I'm crazy about it. You guys are crazy about it. They are out there. What do we need to do to change? And it was interesting because when we came into it with that mindset, we came up with some incredible solutions that we have never thought of, but it was a must, not a wish. And so for you as end of year, how can we make your goals for next year be musts, not wishes?   How can we think outside the box? How can we like not let ourselves off the hook? How can we be like this office where it was like, all right, we've got to find a doctor. We've got to do these things for us. We need to find consultants. We're not going to take this hiring's hard. That's for the weak. That's for the offices that aren't really here for it. Yes, that's true. It's fact, but guess what? Life's not fair. And you guys are better than that. All of us are better than that. So let's rise up to the potential that we have within us instead of falling to the mediocrity that is so easily available. Let's rise up.   Kiera Dent (11:47.788) Let's be better next year, but let's do it with ease and fun and confetti and glitter and all the happiness because I don't believe that rising up has to be hard. I believe it needs to be disciplined and executed. I believe that we need to truly have good people around us and good support systems around us. I believe that every possible thing we want is out there. We just have to figure out how to find it and how to get there.   And honestly, right now I am truly here to say that Dental A Team has two incredible consulting models. We are rolling out something that I have never done before. And I am so excited. We are bringing people in person for the first time in Dental A Team's life, because I decided I want people to have these conversations together face to face in person. I want people to have an opportunity for experts of dentists just like them to come together where they can actually share their best ideas with each other. We have brilliant.   Brilliant brilliant doctors within our community and I cannot wait to bring them all together I can't wait to quarterly like really like Sexy whiteboard it out and like get to the root causes of your practice and do it with your coach and with a community of doctors Just like you I am so excited to be doing that We also have our online virtual one of a mastermind group that people are literally obsessed with either one There's one -on -one. There's custom for you   But I am so jazzed about it and it's time. It's time for you to take care of you. It's time for you to take care of your practice. This beautiful, precious team and community and patients that you've been blessed with. It's time to rise up and let's proactively take charge. You guys like, honestly, we have never once not paid for ourselves in consulting. We always cover our costs and we give you so much freedom. If there's an asterisk, because I had someone come to me and they're like, Kiera, you said all this on the podcast and   that's not what happened. And I did prove that we did exactly what we said, but you also can't have the excuse of not showing up as well. You also have to do the hard things. You have to fire the people that are hard. You have to hire the people. You have to think outside the box. You have to be committed to these results as well, instead of sitting back and having blame and excuse. And to this doctor, if they are listening, there is so much love with this and there is absolutely no judgment because all of us are at different spaces in our world. But I know as a coach and a consultant.   Kiera Dent (14:07.854) that there is an opportunity for all of us to rise up. And if we get rid of that amazing best friend who's there with all the excuses and we bring on the one who has the solutions and that's more of the one we listen to versus the excuses one, your life will be different. Your life will be better. Your practice will thrive with more ease than you could have ever imagined. And I can't wait to have you be a part of it. So reach out. [email protected]. Let's get you guys to that level and truly take the time right now to make sure that 2025 is successful with ease.   not with a hope and a wish. I promise it's possible. I'm here to help you. I am so proud of you for being on this journey. You're doing better than you think you are. Make sure you have the support around you as well, because then it can be done with massive ease. And with that, thanks for listening. I'll catch you next time on the Dental A Team Podcast.  

Often when scheduling appointments, it’s all about the patient. But what about the doctor or team members? Britt and Tiff give tips for scheduling while keeping efficiency and quality in mind (for both parties). Episode resources: Reach out to Tiff and Britt Tune Into DAT’s Monthly Webinar Practice Momentum Group Consulting Subscribe to The Dental A-Team podcast Become Dental A-Team Platinum! Review the podcast Transcript: The Dental A Team (00:01.057) Hello everyone out there listening. I am so excited to be here today. I have snagged the one and only Britt Stone again today to do some podcasting with me. Britt, how are you today?   Britt (00:13.087) doing great. I mean, we're cooling off a little here in Arizona and it's a great time of year. Fall's beautiful.   The Dental A Team (00:19.89) I agree. I loved the weekend weather. I know you weren't here for all of it. You had an awesome vacation, but it was really truly beautiful. And then I saw, well, Sunday got a little bit warmer. We went for a hike and we were like, well, this is a little bit warmer. And then I saw, gosh, by Thursday we're supposed to be like 95 again. So it's only here for, I think the heat's only here for a moment again. And then we'll drop back down, but it has been a wild.   summer, like it's still summer here. I don't know how we're still experiencing summer. And I know, Brett, you and I both grew up here and I think people always ask us like, how do you do it? And we're like, I don't know, it's like three months of heat. And I think this year they challenged us and they were like, the universe was like, I'm gonna give you six months. And then their nature said, no, we're gonna like see if you can handle this. I feel as though I've never experienced anything like this in my life of living here.   Britt (01:10.389) I mean, we broke some records. Sometimes that's an exciting thing and sometimes that's not an exciting thing to say.   The Dental A Team (01:16.857) Totally agree. Not the records I wanted to break, but that's okay. We're still alive. You guys were still surviving. and I think we both probably, yeah. And I think we both probably can still say that we love where we live. So I love it. Love it. Love it. Thank you for being here. today I really wanted to pick your brain on some efficient appointment, scheduling, tips and tricks for the doctors out there. I really want to speak to, we always speak to both doctors and teams, but I really wanted to speak to doctors today and I wanted to   Britt (01:23.351) I'm not trying any place.   The Dental A Team (01:46.223) pick your brain a little extra because I you've really, really hard on some efficiency tips within the, you know, cost world as well. So we'll dive more into that. But Britt, from hygiene perspective as well, dental assistant perspective, we've got all of those different spaces. I'm really, really looking at efficient appointment scheduling. And for me, I'm constantly reminding teams, team members and   doctors because I think doctors will stick their foot in their mouth sometimes too, to really, really look at what's working well for your practices flow. Like what's going to work best for you. And as the doctor of the practice, like when do you want to do these appointments? Do you want to do a root canal at 8 a.m.? Maybe possibly like do the root canal at 8 a.m. Right? Do you want to do a root canal at 2 p.m.? Would you rather do it, you know, after lunch, before lunch? Like where do you feel the most yourself?   and the happiest to do these procedures because if we're just constantly looking at where the patient wants to come in, what's convenient for the patient, that's not always going to give them the best experience. So in that moment of scheduling.   The patient might be excited and happy because they got the appointment that they wanted, but when they get there for the appointment, are they getting the best experience that they possibly can based on the flow and energy of the practice? Or did we just schedule you something super late in the day when you're exhausted and tired and you've been working so hard or you had pizza for lunch and you're like, I don't want to do this freaking root canal. Like, I don't know. know my doctor that I worked with side by side for years, hated nothing more than coming back from lunch and having   fillings, like interproximal fillings and crown seats for three hours. He was like, this is going to be the worst three hours of the day because it was so much movement. It's like, just want one crowd, like, or one long appointment, right? Like I just needed one patient with three crowns. Like I just want one something long that we can just sit down, dig in, be done. All of that like crazy running around and like sporadic energy.   The Dental A Team (03:48.869) for him needed to be earlier in the day when he was more like spry, right? He's just like ready to run. And I could appreciate that too because I felt the very same. And so when we figured that out for this doctor specifically, we were able to really switch the way the day works. It was better for me as his assistant.   It was easier for me when I was doing scheduling and the patients actually had a better experience. So when I think of effective and efficient appointment scheduling, it's one of the first places that my brain goes is really what does the doctor want? I think we tend to look at what do our patients want? What does our team want? Our team wants easy and it's easy to let the patient dictate the schedule. But we forget to say the doctors, what do you want your day to look like? And I think   Today, focusing super hard on that doctor aspect and really leveling up how much the doctors take into consideration and take that control on within that is what I'm here for today. Britt, what are your thoughts on that efficient appointment scheduling and from a doctor's side, like a doctor's angle, what could that look like for them?   Britt (05:00.515) with you and everyone's different right some doctors want the big things in the morning and the smaller things in the afternoon some function the opposite and the reason why ultimately we want to know what doctor wants and how they're gonna work best is because one when doctors always are limiting factor right so like when we can have them functioning at their best everything's gonna run a little bit smoother and so like you said when it comes to guiding patients in the schedule think of   What's going to help everything over all run smoother? Because that's going to give the patient a better experience. The team's going to be functioning a little bit better. The day's just going to run smoother when our limiting factor, which is doctor, is able to function at their best. And when they're functioning at their best, they're also going to be the most efficient. So I love that when it comes to taking that into account.   And we'll talk about some things today that are even some like good like numbers or metrics to know of and be aware of to see like, it working? Is it not? Where are we? What can we improve upon? Right? Because at the end of the day, I know all my doctors, right? We want to be able to also like produce as much as we can in the time we're there, right? You're spending time away from your family, you're working. So how can we do the most with the time that you are spending at the office? And it does come down to scheduling and there's some ways to track it to know exactly how we're doing.   with this, whenever I start to talk numbers, I'll always say, we always want patient experience to be fantastic. And of course, quality of work to be fantastic, which we know you guys do as well. And there is a point where you can like push that line a little too far. So when we're talking about these things, even when it comes to scheduling, quality of work and quality of patient experience are always top of mind. we make sure we remember those. But some good numbers to look at to see how we're doing when it comes to scheduling will be like your doctor   production per hour. So do you know how it's averaging out so you can take your whole entire month? How many hours did you work in that month, are patient hours? We know you guys work a lot more hours, but how many patient hours did you work? And what's your production per hour? Because that's when it comes to efficiency or how is our block schedule working. That's kind of what we're playing with is how much can you do within the time that you have? And if that number is low or not where we need it to be, then   Britt (07:17.377) How can we be more efficient, schedule more appropriately with the correct production, or tighten up the schedule if we can and still giving that a great experience and the quality that we need to have there. What can we do to get that production per hour up? So it's a good number for doctors to track. If you don't know your number, figure it out, super easy. What did you produce last month? How many patient hours did you have available on the schedule?   divide it and it'll give you your production per hour and then you know where you're starting and then you know where you can go.   The Dental A Team (07:51.121) I love to do that formula as well in looking for open hours on the schedule because it really, really shows us how efficient or effective we could have been or what we could have produced as well. So efficient appointment scheduling, think with the block scheduling, you guys, we talk about block scheduling all the time. So we're not gonna dive into block scheduling a ton today. There are a million podcasts on it. Like reach out to us, [email protected] if you need more information on that.   So we're not going to do that right now, but when you do have that set, which is what Britt and I were alluding to, like where do you want to do these procedures? Where do you want them scheduled? How do you want your day to flow? When you have those things set, meaning you have to know how long it takes you and your assistant to complete certain appointments, you need to know.   how many of each appointment you need in a day to get to your production projections, right? Like what's my goal for production per day? I'm gonna build that out and do a perfect day schedule and then I'm gonna go back through and like Britt said, really count my hours. And you can do this for hygiene, you can do this for a doctor, count how many hours were available to be scheduled and divide your production by that to get your dollar per hour, to get your hygienist dollar per hour.   If you've got assistants who are operating as producers because they're FDs or whatever you've got in your state, you can do it for all of those different spaces and really see how well you or your associate or your high-dense or dental assistants are really paying for yourselves and what that could look like. Now on the flip side of that, I like to go in then and say, okay, well, this is my dollar per hour goal. Owner doctors, Britt.   Tell me if I'm completely off base here. I'm typically gonna have my owner doctors 850 plus per hour. My associates, I'm like 550 to 750. I would love to see an associate at 850. Totally possible. Owner doctors, I would love to see you closer to like 1050, 1200. Like those are the numbers I would love. PPOs, like they're gonna drastically change that for you. But we can work around it and it's the time of year to ask for being pieces, all those pieces. So we don't need to get into that today, but those are like.   The Dental A Team (10:04.485) good goals to mull around. So then what I do on that note of the schedule, right, is look at these were my available hours. Well, as I'm doing my available hours, I'm also going to count my open hours. I just did this actually. I was in Utah a couple weeks ago with a prized practice and I just did this for him because he's like, tiff, like, we just tanked. I don't know what happened. And so I went through the whole year and I did available hours.   Britt (10:22.58) Thank   The Dental A Team (10:33.214) And then at the same time, I had one screen was available hours. The screen over here was open hours and it was how many for each provider I did the doctor, I did all of his hygienists and I did it for each one. And I said, okay, so we're about 40 to 50,000 off from the goal we've set this year. Let me show you where it's at. And we could literally pinpoint the month that had enough open hours just for him alone, not even including hygiene that was that gap.   the month, like not even just production for sure. You can say like, we were down a little bit here, but there was a month that he should have far exceeded the production, the monthly production goal that they had set that he was still under. But you could easily see because we had that perfect day scheduling in, we had the blocks in there. We were able to easily see how much he should have been doing and then calculate it backwards and forward. So we could do the lab measures to see   Why didn't we hit those goals and where was it and how could we have been more efficient with our appointments? And then the lead measures to see, okay, well, if that's the case, what do we have to do moving forward? So I love that you said to do that. And I think, too, what you're alluding to and what you're getting to with that is really looking at what are you doing now? Because then you can see, am I using this time efficiently and effectively? Like perhaps you've got the perfect day schedule in there.   and you've got your blocks, but maybe you did it two years ago or even six months ago and you're like, I'm still not where I thought I would be. So now go back through and see one, what were your open hours? And then two, is it actually working? Cause Brett, think I'm, you know, I've experienced this and tell me if you have where I've gone in and doctors are like either scheduled, not enough time.   for certain things and they're going late and now patients are like, but we're using blocks. And I'm like, but these patients are like waiting, like there's such an issue here. Or they're scheduled too long and then they've been done for an hour before the patient gets back. But on the schedule, they're not changing it. And so there's no reality set in. Have you seen that as well where doctors are like, well, I'm full and practices, right? Our teams are like filling the white space, it's full, but it's still not reaching goals.   Britt (12:57.111) Yeah, and though agreed and you're right on your numbers. I'm like 500 minimum That's my low end for anyone per hour that you should be hitting so if you're not there Hey, that's an opportunity for you to get there and know where a benchmark is and agreed in a PPO office 500 to 850 like it's it's attainable fee for service and   Just to kind of clarify one thing when you say owner doctor right getting that 850 or plus Even easily some doctors into like thousand pretty easily or more Owner doctors usually when you start to bring on associates you get to do the more complex things that you like Usually to do and so you're getting those higher dollar procedures while associates are taking care of some of the lower dollar one Which is why we say that so just to give a little context behind some of those numbers   and agreed when we look at open space or how we're scheduling, then it's like, right, if I'm able to produce $850 an hour and I've just got like 30 minutes of slush time in there that we're not using, that's like opportunity costs. That's like 400 bucks easy that we're losing that if we scheduled better.   We could have added another $400 in that day just with that 30 minutes when it comes to scheduling. So starting to see the schedule in that way, it's not just full or not. It's what's the quality of the things that you fill it with and looking at those open space, like what's the opportunity cost? it is, it'll take your production per hour real quick when you've got that open space, because it's a big zero in there. So filling the schedule.   which I know everyone wants a full schedule, but it's like, all right, what are we doing and what do we need to work on and are we filling it in the right way? So just viewing the schedule in that way and helping your team to see it, right? Sometimes team members don't see it that way, but you see it that way now and helping them to understand what we could put in there. And with timing, when it comes to efficiency in the schedule, right? If doctors...   Britt (14:57.449) always give time for your assistants. So I'm not saying like tighten up your schedule so much and forget about your assistants and the time they need to turn around a room or do what they need to do. But it might be a good time if you're not hitting the production per hour that you want to, to start kind of seeing how long does it actually take you to do procedures and do a time study and say, all right, how long does it take? Can we schedule smarter or more efficiently with reality of how long it takes instead of kind of adding in some buffer time?   The Dental A Team (15:25.663) Totally, totally makes sense. And something you said there was really that cost per hour that you just lost with that slush time. So there's that happy medium, you guys, that Britt is mentioning where it's like patient experience, right? Patient experience trumps everything. And so you need that slush for the patient experience, fine, but really evaluate, did you actually need it? So there's a lot of practices we work with that the doctors are like, I need to build relationship.   100 % we are relationship driven people and we are a relationship driven company. So we are never going to discredit that or take that away from you. But what tools are we using to help build that relationship? Is your support team supporting you in that? Are they passing off information? Are they having conversations with you, with the patient? You know, are they just standing there stoic and quiet like, I'm waiting for you to initiate, right? Like your dental assistant needs to be like,   engaged and having conversations because if that's all on you, it's going to take you extra time and you're in there for a very short amount of time in comparison to your support team, whether it's hygiene or dental assistance. So ensuring that they're giving you that proper information and those handoffs and really involving you in conversations that they are or have had with the patient far outweighs and exponentially increases that relationship with the patient. And so it.   decreases the amount of time and effort you're having to put in to create that relationship and to add that extra value. You're actually adding more value because they feel a relationship with two or three or how many ever of you there are, they're feeling that relationship with multiple people and they feel an attachment to the practice. so take some of the stress off yourselves, ask the support team to really support you, right? Call them your support team. That's what they are there.   to do, especially your dental assistants, they're there to support you and support the patient and see how can I increase the efficiency, the timing, right? The experience without making things longer. Because now that 30 minute slash time, that potentially $400, right? You can slide something else in there and know your patient got a better experience potentially.   The Dental A Team (17:44.809) than what they may have with that slush time, right? Patients wanna be in and out as well. You've just gotta do it in a way that doesn't feel rushed. And number one, your treatment has to be good. Your work needs to be good. You've gotta take the time that you need to accomplish great dentistry and then make everything else really, really efficient and effective. People appreciate that. People appreciate when you value their time as well.   and you're not just kind of dilly-dallying. You're like, yeah, let's get this done. It's gonna be freaking amazing. And as long as you keep that high energy there, they're gonna trust it they're gonna come back. Britt, you have this incredible sheet that you showed us recently for consultants. You've been working your tail off on. We don't even talk about the whole sheet, but kind of talk for a second about how you're doing the cost analysis by procedure, maybe even just like a crown, like to really   not only look at your doctor per hour, dollar per hour doctors, but also to look at how effective is the cost management per hour or per procedure. So walk us through that just real quick and they can get a little smidgen of an idea.   Britt (18:58.399) Yeah, some of the things that we'll work through with our clients when we know, all right, let's look at how efficient we're running and what the cost is for things is looking at what does it actually cost us for a procedure? like breaking it down by the amount of time, how much is like the facility costs? How much does it cost me for my assistant? How much am I paying the doctor associate for this procedure? And then what's my lab fee? What's the cost of all the supplies that are used for that procedure?   So I can truly see what is that overhead for that procedure. And especially for some of our lab procedures, especially when you get to like your all on X cases or sleep appliances even, places where depending on where you've got your fee or what insurance fees that you're contracted with.   The Dental A Team (19:39.098) for sure.   Britt (19:47.209) Sometimes that profitability is not so great or sometimes even in the negative on some of these procedures Which just allows you that information allows you one. It's a reality check a gut check a little bit Allows us to straddle up strategize a little bit better to see all right What procedures are worth us doing right? I'll say if you love doing it then let's figure out a way to do it to where it's also Profitable so it makes business sense along with the things that you love to do If you don't love to do it and it's not super profitable for you   maybe you refer those things out because it's just not necessarily like completely worth the time. But until you start to kind of look at those things and know what the cost is, you don't have the information to make some of these decisions. And also it'll help you to guide you on insurance plans we are in network with.   When we get to the point of being able to go out of network, what ones do we want to go out of network with because our profitability on those procedures are just so low. So it's just good information to have to dig in to see, all right, where are we?   and you can play around with time, right? And efficiency. If you can go from 90 minutes to 60 minutes for something, that's gonna impact your profitability on that procedure. And it might just be that little switch if we can do it a little more efficiently that allows us to be like, okay, that makes business sense for us to do that procedure. We just need to ensure that we're not taking a ridiculous amount of time on it.   The Dental A Team (21:11.642) Yeah, I totally agree. I love that. And it made me think of a client that I have near and dear to my heart that was doing all on X cases in his practice. he liked them. He thought he loved them. And he got real tired of them real quickly. And we did a little cost analysis and really saw that, well, he realized for one that he brought them in because he thought they were going to be game changer for the practice. And it was going to be this   Britt (21:24.599) you   The Dental A Team (21:41.62) lucrative situation where he could take a step back and he could do a couple all-in-x's a month and be done. Like he didn't have to do all of these other little pieces. And so he thought, that's going to bump production collections. My overhead is going to be fantastic. I'm going to be profitable and I'm going to do less. And so he brought all-in-x in-house and come to find out, right? It's a lot of freaking work. And he was not, he wasn't bad at them. He was fantastic at them, but the follow-up.   And the denture work like who loves like if you love dentures, like you better shout it to the world because there are doctors out there that need to know you're there. We need to know where you are because we need to send you all of our dentures. Okay. If you love them, shout it to the world, right? Shout it from the rooftops. And he just was like, this is a pain in the butt to follow up and how many post-op appointments there are and adjustments and the dentures are this denture broke and I've got to remake it and I've got another lab cost and I've got   Britt (22:26.187) Thank you.   The Dental A Team (22:39.102) So when we did that kind of cost and time analysis, he realized real quickly, because when he came to us, he's like, I am, he has like 72 % overhead. He's like, where's my profitability? Right? He's like, I'm doing all my nexes. I'm like, well, let's figure that out. And so we realized real quickly that something that he semi liked that he thought he would love, that he thought was going to be a game changer for his practice was actually costing him money and losing profitability for the practice because of   just all of the pieces that were involved. And he was like, you know, I don't like it that much. Like I'm really not like, I'm really trying to get my feet wet with it. And it's a lot to deal with. It's a lot to handle. And Tiff, don't think I actually want to do this. I was like, fantastic, start referring them out. That's, it's okay. That's why oral surgeons are here. That's why, you know, there are other people who do love to do it. And for my oral surgery practices, like they are incredibly lucrative. They are a really great.   tool for those practices because they're not doing fillings and crowns and crown seats and limited exams and re care exams and new patients with it. So for this specific doctor, we did exactly that where we did this cost analysis, we did this appointment efficiency analysis, really looked at his dollar per hour, his hygiene dollar per hour, his open hour, like we did all of these things that we're talking about you guys and came down to what is it that you want to do in your practice?   And what are you doing that you're trying to save your practice with or create something that you don't actually love that could be costing you money and time. So we had to really take that analysis. Like he also, you know, hates doing fillings. So we're trying to figure that out, but most doctors are like, get these fillings off my schedule. So, you know, we try to figure that efficiency piece out too, but I think when it comes down to it, these steps that you're saying to take.   really are the make or break to really figuring out what your practice looks like and what it could look like. So inventory wise, right, I would say go through and make sure that your appointments are the way that you want them and the length of time that you want them. And encourage your team, you guys, when you go long or when you go short on an appointment, change it on the appointment book so you can see the reality because then I'm gonna tell you, like Britt said, I want you to go back.   The Dental A Team (24:57.214) through and do an analysis of your actual dollar per hour. So in comparison to your production, what was your actual dollar per hour? And also look at your open hour time. So what could you have produced if we had scheduled more effectively? And then also I would go through on your procedures and do this cost analysis because I do think hand in hand with the appointment efficiency goes this. You want an efficient and excelled patient experience.   and you want an efficient appointment and to know your dollar per hour that you're supposed to be getting in conjunction to what the cost is per procedure based on the time you're taking, I think is just like the magic sauce of really figuring out what you can do with your practice.   I would do those things. And if you need help with them, if you need ideas, if you're like, I don't understand this cost analysis thing, because you guys, it was over my head for a split second too. And I was like, wait, say that again. Just reach out, [email protected] re-listen to this podcast, obviously, but always reach out. You guys were here for that. So Britt, is there anything that I missed in those action items or last minute thoughts you want to give to these incredible doctors who are listening today?   Britt (26:13.717) Yeah, I think those are great action items to take and I think.   This is for our doctors that you're banging your head against the wall like how am I not as profitable as I want to be, right? What are the issues? Or you're like, I don't think we can fit anything else into our schedule, but I'm not as profitable as I want to be. These are the things that are going to give you the information to bring some reality to it. And sometimes it can be those conversations of like, hey, we've got those doctors, we've got those people we love them who are a little chatty and you can still have a great place to experience and not talk so long.   So like sometimes that's the reality of like, hey   We make a choice, right? Either let's adjust that, still chat, but like, it doesn't have to be as long and we can fit a little bit more into your schedule. Or like, you get a little bit more time for talking and we're as profitable as we can be or as efficient as we can be with our schedule if that's the ultimate patient experience you want to have. And so I'll just allow you to make smarter decisions. I mean, I've had some doctors that are in rural areas when it comes to certain types of procedures that maybe aren't the most profitable, but they're like, hey, I want to be able to provide that to my community.   Awesome. I love that. Let's just be aware of it, see if there's anything we can do to manage the overhead and make it efficient. And then we may just manage how many of them that we do out in one day or one week or one month to ensure your space to kind of make up the difference with other procedures.   The Dental A Team (27:38.389) Yeah, okay, awesome. You guys, this was incredible. Britt, thank you so much for always being open to diving into more numbers with me than we do on a lot of the podcasts. This one or one is super dedicated to our amazing doctors who are out there really just trying to make sure that you're giving the best to your patients and that you're getting the best for yourselves because we at the Don't Ateam truly believe if you are giving exactly what people.   deserve if you're giving that experience that people deserve when they come to a dental practice, you will reap the rewards. And those rewards should be insane profitability. In our opinion, you should be insanely profitable. You should be living your dream life because you're giving an incredible thing to patients that they can't get anywhere else. So with that said, go do these things, go figure it out. If you need help, if you are a current client, reach out to your consultant, or to our consulting team because we're here to help you with that.   If you're not yet a client and you're a future client or you're someone who's just listening because you love listening to our voices, reach out. Hello at thedoubleAteam.com. You guys, we're here to help you and we will give you whatever information that we possibly can because we just want everyone to experience the best lives you truly possibly can. So Britt, thank you so much for being here. I cannot wait to hear how everyone loves this podcast, so drop a five star review below.   We wanna hear how much you love this. We wanna know how much you love diving into the numbers side and really, really effective doctor style items. Like I'm so excited for this one. So Britt, thank you everyone. Have a great rest of your day.  

Happy Halloween! In this episode, Kiera lists four “tricks” in dental practices that might scare a practice owner off, and gives advice on how to turn them into treats. Leaking revenue A team that doesn’t care about company goals Untapped potential holding you back Low case acceptance and high overhead Episode resources: Reach out to Kiera Tune Into DAT’s Monthly Webinar Practice Momentum Group Consulting Subscribe to The Dental A-Team podcast Become Dental A-Team Platinum! Review the podcast Transcript: Kiera Dent (00:01.09) Hello, Dental A Team listeners. This is Kiera and happy Halloween -y. man, I love Halloween. This year, I'm so excited. We have some really, really, really special neighbors and they have two kids and they have definitely allowed us to be a part of their family. And so they're now six -year -old son. They have a six -year -old and a two -year -old. Their six -year -old plans our Halloween costumes for us. If you know anything about Kiera Dent or if you don't, my mom was very much not.   pro having her kids trick or treat. My mom is very, very, very conventional and she did not want to teach her children. She felt like trick or treating was slightly like begging and she did not want her children to be that way. And so I do not, I do not endorse that nor agree with that. And my mom has since changed, but that was her beliefs as a young mom. so trick or treating, she had us go what's called pick a treat where we would actually take treats to our friends instead of trick or treating. And so   Actually last year, 2023 was the first time that Kiera Dent actually went trick or treating. And it was with this family that takes us with us. Last year we were Incredibles. And this year he has given, this little boy has given all of us the assignment of something from Toy Story. He plans every one of us who we're going to be. So this year I get to be Little Bo Peep. My husband's Woody. Don't worry. We'll definitely post up some pictures for you guys, but happy Halloween. I hope you have the best time. I hope it's fun, but.   What I wanted to do today is one, thank you guys for being a part of our podcast family. But two, remind you, please share this podcast with someone fun. Today's gonna be a fun one. These are things that should scare you as a dental practice owner. Our goal is to help you learn to overcome them and running practice does not need to be scary. So come and join our consulting with us. There's no tricks, just treats for you guys. And I'm gonna give you guys four little things that probably do scare you as practice owners and ways to overcome them.   We're going to do a little trick or treating here where I might trick, I might treat. Of course I'm going to treat guys. Here we go. but please share this podcast with those around you. And thank you for being a part of our Dental A Team podcast family. If I could give you a giant hug right now and just tell you how much I love and appreciate you for who you are and the special things that you bring to dentistry and to this world. And, just you being here, no matter what you do or don't do is a huge blessing to those around you and in my life as well, even though I might not know you personally.   Kiera Dent (02:26.07) I feel you, I feel your energy and I'm so grateful for you. just share this with someone that you feel could use that huge giant hug of love and appreciation and probably just like some fun and some support. with that, right. Number one possible scary thing in a practice is revenue leaks in your practice. So what are some of those things that are leaking out revenue that if we just were able to patch up that hole might actually be able to help you. So things such as inefficient scheduling, billing errors, uncollected payments.   So I want you guys to look at your practices and see where are our revenue leaks. I think this could be a really fun almost scavenger hunt for you and your team to think about like, where are all the ways that we might be losing money on imperfect handoffs, on not billing out all the procedures that we do, on not having the correct dollar amounts attached to those. Keir Dents practice definitely sent out a $0 crown. We billed it straight to insurance. You better believe they were so happy to send me the EOB on that. That is a revenue leak in our practice. so,   on our inefficient scheduling? Have you built in the block schedules? Have you created a perfect day schedule? Are we working and role playing on how we can get people perfectly in there? Are we looking for same day treatment opportunities? That's a huge revenue leak within your practice. Looking for those same days, you get raving fans out of it and you're also able to help a ton of people with it. So can we actually help you guys close up that revenue leak and make it even better? What about the billing errors? Like I mentioned, attaching the correct things to our procedures so we get our money in within those.   20 to 30 days the first time and we're not having to rebuild or reattaching like setting up a process and a policy that we all follow every single time. Make that quick checklist, have it in the notes. We just grab it and go and everybody's there with it. It makes it so much easier. Uncollected payments, I can't tell you how many offices just let patients leave without stopping at the front desk or getting credit cards on file so that way we can bill these patients very quickly and collect. It's so easy. You guys, I have all of my stuff on autopay. I go to the therapist, I credit card on file, click, paid, done.   At my chiropractor same thing at my therapist my my physical therapist same thing at my gym person All these quick ways like you guys we live in a world of credit cards on file. We have Apple pay We have all these different pieces. Can we do that there? And what are the revenue leaks within your practice? Those are just some to get your your mind spurring But really look at that because that could be very scary in a practice. You're doing the work Let's make sure you're getting paid for it. Like I said, no tricks just treats. It does not need to be scary   Kiera Dent (04:50.132) Number two, your team not caring about your company goals. Well, that can feel scary because doctors can feel like, I'm rowing this boat all by myself and it can feel awful. And so let's get your team to care about the goals. How can this help give them a better life? How can this help them help more patients? How can we get them on board and excited? I have an office right now and we're rolling out sleep in their practice and I cannot wait. We're making it all fun. They're going to get like part of the bonus and the rewards of helping more patients not die from sleep.   That's incredible. That's such a fun way to do it. And so looking for ways, people don't care about things that they're not passionate about. No surprise, right? Like that's a very easy thing. Kiera, give us some wisdom here. But I think sometimes simplicity and remembering what we already know is half the point of learning. And a lot of times learning is just remembering what we already know. And so getting our team, like what inspires them? Why do we want to hit these goals? How many patients do we want to serve together as a team? And oftentimes if your team doesn't care about the goals,   guess what, they might not be your right team. You want people that are obsessed about hitting these goals. You want people that are excited about building this practice. It's gonna serve so many patients. And so you also, as the owner and the leader, need to feel that way about it. Oftentimes when teens don't care about goals, it's because the owner doesn't actually care. And I say that with love and a huge giant hug and no judgment, because sometimes it's hard to stay motivated as owners. Sometimes we need someone to pick us up.   You guys, am so appreciative over these last couple of months. I've had some personal things in my life and so grateful for the coaches in my life that literally have like lifted me up with love and support and helped me figure out what is my vision? What is my path? I have probably five really strong people in my life and I'm so grateful. I happily pay them. so, I could not do this without all five of them. And just so thankful that I have that support system around me because   A lot of times it is hard to keep trying to figure it out on your own day in and day out. And so really being able to have that from your team and have that support is something absolutely magical. All right, number three is untapped potential losing you money. So things like, could we do some CE within our practice? Could we do helping a lot of our team start like learning to scan or taking impressions, or could we add Invisalign or could we add sleep to our practice?   Kiera Dent (07:09.886) Or what other things are untapped potential within every team member? Could we do better with our treatment plan acceptance? Can we do better with how we schedule our practice? But what is this untapped potential? If I was looking at your practice today, what I think that your practice is a brand new baby, like in the life cycle of a business. Is it maybe a toddler? Is it maybe like a teenager? Is it a young adult? Is it like in its prime? Is it a dying practice, like getting a little bit older to retirement? Or is it on its way to death?   There's untapped potential within all of those lifespans. And so what's our way that we're able to find that untapped potential because there's so much opportunity. I have offices right now that are, we've just added very simple things to the practice and we've been able to take them from a $2 million practice to a $4 million practice just by adding in some untapped potential with them. Are there untapped potential within like the operatories in the space within your practice?   Is there untapped potential around your hygienist being able to offer fluoride to every patient or fluoride therapy where it's toothpaste and fluoride treatments? Is there untapped potential with us scanning for night guards? Is there untapped potential with us looking for same day treatment opportunities? These are fun little things that could be spooky and scary, but if we look at them, make them fun. Now, I'm gonna put a huge like asterisk caveat with this.   We do not wanna add all these things at the exact same time because that is very scary and daunting for our team, but we can brainstorm and like throw everything on a board and then pick the thing that's the easiest, least amount of effort with the greatest impact. And that's what we wanna go implement and execute on our practice. right, number four of things that are scary, no tricks, just treats today, of low case acceptance and high overhead. So kind of technically two in one.   So low case acceptance, that can feel really scary. It can make doctors feel like patients don't like me. It can make treatment coordinators feel like, we're just not closing cases. Case acceptance to me just tells a story. One, are we doing incredible with how we're presenting treatment? Doctors, are you using that NDTR next visit date, time, the re -care, there we go. Are you doing that and putting the bow on every single treatment plan that you're giving?   Kiera Dent (09:20.032) Are you diagnosing with confidence? Are we doing quadrant dentistry rather than solo tooth dentistry? Are you confident on how you're presenting it to the patient? Are you possibly planting weeds in your flower garden by giving them obstacles as opposed to opportunities without realizing it? After doctors give this the most amazing confident treatment plan, they put the bow of NDTR on it. Team members, are we all taking that perfect hand off, scheduling them first and then having our team present the treatment plans and the finance?   Are we leading with insurance? Because if you better believe if I'm any part of your life, you will never lead with insurance. You will always lead with what we need to do. And then we will help the patient say yes to the treatment. Low case acceptance to me tells what are the doctors confident in, what's the treatment coordinator confident in, and where are awesome opportunities to grow. I love case acceptance. I'm obsessed with it. I'm obsessed with helping offices. I have literally taken a practice from 9 million.   to over 40 million just by working with them on case acceptance. I kid you not, there's multiple practices in it. They are incredible. And we just work on case acceptance over and over and over over over and over and over and over over again, because we know that that's what's gonna help more patients have a happier life. So when I look at this, I love it. It tells me what is that treatment coordinator afraid of? What does that treatment coordinator need to break through? What does that doctor need to break through? I can look to see the type of treatment plans just by looking at your case acceptance.   And so looking at this and how can we boost it? Now, if it's too high, I know we are actually not diagnosing enough. If it's too low, I know we're not closing and it's a happy medium. If you're presenting implants and high cases, it should be a little bit lower. If we're doing a single tooth dentistry and general dentistry more so, you should have a much higher case acceptance. So looking at that, because that can feel very eerie in a practice of like, what are we doing wrong? Oftentimes it's not what are we doing wrong? It's what are we saying? That's actually not helping us get to our case acceptance that we want.   So play the game, have fun with it because that case acceptance fills the schedule. Now if our schedule is too full and we're not hitting our goals, let's look to see what are we diagnosing doctors? Let's see, are we truly diagnosing full comprehensive care or are we diagnosing what we think they want? No, those are questions for you to answer that can feel spooky and eerie, but they do not need to be. Just be confident, the patient's there. It's not your fault they're there. It's not your fault that they have this treatment. It didn't get there overnight and now you have the amazing opportunity to educate them.   Kiera Dent (11:40.93) help them get healthy again and become like so fulfilled by having that confident smile again. And then that in turn can also reduce your overhead. Looking at our P &L consistently, making sure that we're not overpaying for things that we don't need, but also making sure that our revenue we're producing what we need to be producing for our practice. These are things that I am obsessed with. I love them. It doesn't need to be spooky for you. It really just needs to be fun for you. And so that's why at this Halloweeny time,   No tricks, just treat. And within our consulting, we have our online version and we also have our in -person version and both of them give you a way for these spooky things to actually be done with ease. So I'd love for you guys to come try it out. Like, what's it gonna hurt you to come and be a part of a community of people of like -minded dentists, to have consultants at your fingertips that literally will give you the answers to all these spooky things and also get your team on board with you.   to come and either be in person and meet us. We're literally getting ready to have our doctors in person together and work on your business from the minds of brilliant people to be able to lift you and your practice to the highest heights that are out of this world, to be able to have consistent accountability in your practice of people that hold you to a higher standard and grow you. Come join us and be a part of it. I'd love for you to come try it out. Running a practice truly does not need to be scary. So come try us. I'd love to have you.   No tricks, just treats for all of you. You guys, I am obsessed with dentistry. I'm obsessed with helping you guys have the life that you deserve to live and that you're worthy to live and that you have every capacity to have. I'm obsessed with getting your team on board with you. So come try us out. Hello @ TheDentalATeam .com or just go to TheDentalATeam.com. Book a call with us. You guys, it's not scary. We literally like meet you with open arms and a huge hug. And we're there, whether you are on the top of your game or you are at the bottom of your game, anywhere in between.   We're there for you and I can't wait for you guys. end of year. It's a great time for you to be looking at these things, to make decisions, to make sure that next year that you are successful without knowing that it's maybe going to happen or not, but being confident that it will happen for you. Now is the time for you to take action, to not have it be scary and to have the best, best life that you could ever imagine. Reach out. [email protected]. And as always, thanks for listening and I'll catch you next time on the Dental A Team Podcast.  

Tiff and Britt are here to give advice on how to maintain consistency during the busiest times. They talk about keeping a positive mindset when things become stressful, how to avoid getting stuck in “fix mode,” how to find what tasks you can automate, and more. Episode resources: Reach out to Tiff and Britt Tune Into DAT’s Monthly Webinar Practice Momentum Group Consulting Subscribe to The Dental A-Team podcast Become Dental A-Team Platinum! Review the podcast Transcript: The Dental A Team (00:02.11) O my gosh, Dental A Team listeners, I am here today with the one and only Brittany Stone. I am so excited. I bring you Dana a lot and Dana is freaking fantastic. You guys know how much I love my time with her. But recently, I have been mixing it up a little bit and I love it. I get my couple hours a month of just one -on -one solo time with you, Britt. So thank you. I love having you here. I love that we're in different colors today. I think it spices it up a little bit.   How are you on this beautiful Friday when we're recording right now? It's Friday and it's freaking beautiful outside, right?   Britt (00:38.059) I know Arizona, it's like the end of summertime where it starts to break a little bit in the heat. We're like, my gosh, this is why I live here. yeah, that's right. This is the reason why. I like that I got a full name today. It's always fun when that comes out and I get called by my full name. So I'm excited to be here. know, anytime I get with you consultants, anyone on our team, especially one -on -one, it's my favorite.   The Dental A Team (00:49.495) You got it.   The Dental A Team (01:01.005) I love it. love it. I had I had a client today actually on our coaching call say, what's the weather like out there? Like, are you is it cooling down? And I was like, no, it was like 101 the other day, I think he got down to like 95. But there was 99. And like, we're all over the place. And I told my friend the other day, she's like, gosh.   it's supposed to be fall, like where's our fall? Where Arizona is, and we don't get fall, we get ideal hiking weather. So we are walking into ideal outdoors weather in Arizona. There's no fall. We just get our hiking season until now May. So here we go, ready to hike.   Britt (01:36.779) we can get back outdoors. know Tiff today is like, should I go for a run? And I'm like, should I go for a ride tomorrow? Probably. Like now we can liven back up and be outside.   The Dental A Team (01:46.702) I was actually thinking that last night when I was like, gosh, dang it, what do do? And I was like, Britt would totally be on a ride right now if she could. I love it. I love it. Well, I want to hear from you guys. What do you do when it's nice outside? And I hope that some of you are in some beautiful weather as well. I know we've got some Arizona listeners out there for sure. But we've got listeners all over the country. And honestly, we have listeners outside the country. So I love hearing about the weather. I love thinking about that. And I love just making sure that   Britt (01:52.384) -huh.   The Dental A Team (02:12.777) No matter what your experience with Dental A Team is top notch and we are here for it. So you guys today, I really want to talk about busy season because with fall coming, with winter coming, being in fall, all of these pieces, your busy season is about to really, really hit in the dental practice. I know for a lot of pediatric practices that summer. So sorry guys, you're coming out of your busy season, but for majority.   Britt (02:38.145) Congratulations.   The Dental A Team (02:38.89) Yeah, they were crazy, right? just did analysis with my Peto practice this morning in July and August were freaking bananas for them, but September is starting to slow down. So with October coming as well. So here we are in the middle of it all in the thick of it all and hopefully you guys have already done things to ramp up that schedule from September to October now looking freaking amazing and really just getting into it maybe within the year benefit letters things like that. I know we put all the suggestions out there.   But as it gets busier, I know me and I think you know me. I you probably know me better than most people in my life at this point. I tend to, as it gets busier, get more and more and more forgetful. And I don't know if I'm the only one out there, but I'm forgetful by nature just in general. a very forgetful human being and I don't mean to be, but it's just who I am and I have to love myself for it. But as things get busier, especially when I was in practice,   this time of year where it's like that end of year rush, get the end of your benefits done, prep for the new year that's still busy, we tend to forget to focus in on that ultimate patient experience. And those pieces that we do that really set us apart from other practices, they get forgotten. Those are the first things to go. It's kind of like forgetting the chocolate chips and the chocolate chip cookies and you ended up with these bomb sugar cookies because you forgot that stuff or   Britt (04:00.307) You   The Dental A Team (04:03.164) the baking powder or whatever. Like we just, start forgetting those little things. And Brett, I really wanted to talk with you today because I know you coach a lot of practices and especially in our group practice realm, you have a ton of practices in there, you and Dana and the other consultants that really come together every week to talk about these kinds of things. And in preparation for that, I wanted to pick your brain and see what do you have practices doing right now or what have they been doing and how do you   Truly help your practices prep for this busy season to really keep that patient experience at the forefront and top notch. What are you doing and how can our listeners do something maybe a little bit different, something they can pick up?   Britt (04:45.471) Yeah, end of the year we know it gets busy. I always say once Halloween hits, it's like poof, like we're in January because that seems to be the holiday that after that all the rest of them come along and it goes real fast. And in the dental world, we are really busy on top of it because people are coming in to utilize their end of year benefits, whatever it may be, getting stuff done before the holidays or in between their travels. While our team has also taken some time off for the holidays.   The Dental A Team (04:58.983) That's so true.   Britt (05:14.707) So I think it's a time that number one thing I would say is remember the things to be consistent at, right? So be consistent at our huddle, be consistent at making sure we have a plan on how we're gonna tackle the day. Because if you start with that strong foundation, keep it consistent, it's gonna help you to make sure that like, all right, we can handle this. And it's not gonna get too wild for us to where we kind of hit that frazzled zone where we start to forget about that patient experience. So I think.   That's number one, is stay consistent on the things that are gonna help you. And I always say, if you're leaving morning cuddle saying, well, we'll just figure it out. my gosh, it gives me anxiety. No, we won't, it'll get crazy. So figure it out before you leave morning cuddle when those things get added in and even add a little like reminder, right? We're here for team and patients. So let's make sure our team and our patients have an awesome day today. I think even just that to keep it a little bit top of mind can go a long ways.   The Dental A Team (05:54.873) hahahaha   The Dental A Team (06:13.067) I love that. I love that the consistency of it and really finding those pieces that create the magic when you're not busy. So you said like morning huddle, making sure our team is prepared and making sure our focus there is too, that our team has a good experience because when we have a happy team and our teams enjoying what they're doing, it just translates to the patient experience so easily. So staying consistent in those pieces and   If you don't have a good morning huddle routine, like reach out, we've got a million of them and we've got a million ideas, a million podcasts on them. And writing those things down, right? Make sure that the systems and processes, even if you're in the thick of the busy right now, write it down. What's working for you guys? What's separating you from the others? What's projecting your success today?   so that you can keep doing those over again. And Britt, it makes me think I have this conversation with practices and honestly with people in my life constantly, I hate nothing more in life than wasted time. And to me, Britt knows this. It makes me so angry inside and it makes me wanna just like leave whatever situation it is, right? I'm just like, this was so absurd to me.   Britt (07:17.665) That's accurate. It's accurate. 100%.   The Dental A Team (07:31.458) So, and I say that meaning I don't wanna do things that aren't getting the result that I intended. And if I'm doing things consistently that are not getting the result that I wanted, that is wasted time because I could have been doing something that was getting the results I wanted. And what I tell practices and friends and family is like, you're literally running the definition of insanity. If you feel insane, you feel crazy, you feel...   spun up and out of this world out of control, it's probably because somewhere you're running the definition of insanity doing the same thing over and over again, expecting a different result. And with what you're saying, kind of combining those things, it's really taking back that control and seeing what's working that you're doing consistently. And when you're busy, how do you maintain the control over that consistency? How do you ensure that those things stay top of mind for you?   Britt (08:09.291) Thank   The Dental A Team (08:29.344) I love that I get on a, you know, I get on a time tangent. So you guys like don't even test me on that. It's not worth it. It's like my biggest pet peeve and Britt does. Go ahead.   Britt (08:39.967) You have a really good point and I think a lot of times it's easy for us to get stuck in what's not working or like picking the things that go wrong and any practice we walk into there are a lot of things you are doing that are working. So I think it's big to recognize whenever we're evaluating what's going on within the practice, what is working for us because I guarantee you there are things that are working for you.   The Dental A Team (08:47.487) Yes.   Britt (09:09.483) And we don't want to lose sight because sometimes we try to fix another issue and we get rid of something that's working for us and then it doesn't turn out the way we want it to. So I just want to kind of highlight that a little bit. Like that's an important statement that you made is focus on what's working, focus on the wins. They're in there, they're out there. Don't just focus on the bad things. And keeping those things that are working top of mind are just as important as working on improving the things that aren't working.   The Dental A Team (09:37.368) I love that so much. And I work with clients constantly on that very topic because it is really easy to get lost in that. And I always say that it's like, you've got a new haircut, and you decided bangs were your jam this time. And you're like, I'm doing bangs and your hairdresser's like, cool, let's do it. You get bangs and we're like 1990s style bangs and we're walking down the street.   and somebody walks by and is like, my gosh, you did it. Your bangs look amazing. And 10 people tell you your bangs look freaking amazing and your hair is bomb. And then one person walks by and they're like, ooh, I don't know if I would have done bangs. When we go home and we look in the mirror, we're like, should I have done bangs? One person out of 11 said, don't know about that. And we're contemplating whether we made the right decision or not because it is so much easier to find and look at and   and be stuck on what's not working, what's wrong, how do I fix this, do I do better, than it is to look at what could be right. And when we start with what's working, rather than starting with what's not working, we can easily see what systems and processes are creating what's working and can any of those apply to what's not working. But if we flip it, we're stuck on fixing.   we get stuck in fix mode and we say, what's not working? How do I fix this? Instead of saying what's not working and how or what is working and how do I do more of this? Efficiency you guys like that is just efficiency and time management. those are Kira Dent says like efficiency will be on my tombstone on my grave one day because that is what I live my life by and this is why because it just doesn't my brain cannot comprehend.   doing something for no reason. There is a reason behind everything and we have to be intentional about it or we go crazy. And in the midst of being busy, that intentionality gets dropped. We're just doing, we're taking everything in as it comes and we're like, my gosh, I'm inundated. have so many things to do. Front office is checking out, checking in answering the phone and sending claims at the same time. Like one person is doing all of these things.   The Dental A Team (11:52.476) And we're like an octopus in every space dental assistants, they're running four chairs because we had emergencies at the front office was like, no, we can do it. It's fine. One more crown before the end of the year. Don't worry. And my dental assistants are like, I'm going to kill you. And we've all got these octopus arms running all over the efficiency piece, the intentionality, the integrity of it all, the action ability that gets left to the side because we're just moving. And those are the days you guys that I run into the most walls.   Those are the days I wake up the next morning with bruises and I'm like, how did this even happen? I don't remember, but I've ran into 15 walls because the universe is like slow down, slow down and do the things that matter. So in the midst of being busy, the patient experience actually drops. And what I've seen happen is we cram a ton and I just talked to a practice actually yesterday about this and I was like, this is what happened. You guys got busy. So we get busy.   And we're like, I don't have time for all of that stuff that worked to get us busy. You guys, that's the point. I don't have time for re -care calls and re -care is booked out for three months anyways. Why am I calling them? And then what does three months from now look like for a hygienist, Britt?   Britt (13:06.635) We got holes in it and then all of a sudden we're like, well shoot, why are there holes in the schedule?   The Dental A Team (13:11.036) Because we stopped doing what worked to fill that schedule. And when we're busy, we stop doing those pieces, or we stop looking for a workaround. If I don't have time for calls, what can I automate to ensure that the information is still getting out there that people are still getting touch points? Can I ramp up emails and text messages? If I can't get on the phone? Like what can I automate that keeps those touch points going and keeps that relationship building? Because this practice I talked to yesterday had a stellar   month, stellar month, they were like, this was one of our best months ever. Get into the next month. Three weeks later, they're like, it has sucked. It has tanked. We've had no patients. I have not treatment planned anything. And I'm like, well, you're gonna have them next month is gonna tank too. Because guess what we did is in our busy month, we lived it up. We partied it out. It's like getting that giant paycheck in your 20s. And you were like, yes, like I got paid. And now I'm going out for the weekend.   But then in three weeks, we're like, shoot, is due. I wish I had the money. That's kind of what we're playing here. We're like, awesome, we've got all of this excess and we're going to live it up and we're going to party. And then comes the fall and we break down. So giving your patients the ultimate experience when you're busy, you guys, my biggest, biggest, biggest suggestion is to automate what you can find the pieces that you don't have to.   Do every single time on your own. There's a ton of automated pieces out there There's virtual assistants that you can hire to help offload some pieces even that the phone calls and the touch points to Patients reaching out to them while your stuff is busy like whatever that looks like I can I consider that an automation if I have a virtual Assistant who's not physically in the practice busy with me. That's an automation I can automate I can pull things off of my team   send it over to my virtual assistant and automate it from there. Making sure that systems and processes are actually being written down that we know what they look like. like Britt, like you said, staying consistent with those things that are working like morning huddles. How can our team win? How can our patients win? And really, really, really using like checklists. I know that's so mundane and so elementary, but Britt.   The Dental A Team (15:33.944) How have you seen it? You've had a ton of clients before. You work with clients now, like I said, on that group basis. I know there's a stark difference between a practice that uses checklists and a practice that doesn't use checklists. And what have you seen in your experience from each?   Britt (15:50.815) Yeah, I mean, I'll also just plug that like I personally am a checklist person, right? Because I couple things. I don't want to have to spend the energy to try to remember it when I can just write it down or have it on a checklist and make my life easier. Like, no, no pride in that. Like I'm not trying to be the one that like, my brains are like vault. I'll remember everything. It's not.   The Dental A Team (16:04.747) Yep. Yep.   Britt (16:15.443) I if our congratulations, I haven't met any one of those. But so I'm a big checklist person. And that's the difference. It helps with the consistency, right? Because everyone's trying to do their best, right? Everyone wants to get all the things done and make sure they don't drop anything. But nature of human beings, like if we don't have it somewhere to make sure that we're getting all the things done, it falls in, especially when we're busy, right? That it's like we get to the end of the day and it's like   I don't, what did I do today? Like, I don't know, did I get all the things on? I don't know, I'm so tired, I'm just gonna go home and we'll like try to do it again tomorrow. But when you have a and I love, especially for a front desk, a checklist that has like times in it. So it's like, clean things, midday things, afternoon things, or something, however you wanna organize it that's gonna help you, so then we don't get to the end of the day and have this whole checklist of things to do.   The Dental A Team (16:52.278) Okay.   The Dental A Team (16:59.125) Yes.   Britt (17:09.545) And front desk, you get pulled in a million different directions. So it's like, all right, once I'm done checking someone out, where was I? What do I need to be focused on? I can go back to my checklist. yeah, this is the next thing I need to get done. anything for me, TIFF is efficiency. And I'm like, if I can automate something and not have to use my brain to try to remember it, like, hallelujah, I don't want to waste energy where I don't have to. If I don't have to memorize something, I'm not going to waste the energy to try to memorize something. Because I'd rather spend my energy on other things.   The Dental A Team (17:34.91) Agreed.   I totally agree. I totally agree. I have to highlight you said, like, we're not vaults. We're not going to remember everything. And I like to think that I'm special in that, like, gosh, what is wrong with my brain? Like, you don't know how many times I've been like reminded of something I was supposed to do that I forgot. I'm like, what is wrong with my brain? Why can't I do this? Right? Like, I just need to understand it's okay. And then I'm not the only one. Like, I'm not alone. Mine is special. Like, I know that. Like, I know.   I'm pretty bad, but I use Blitz. I've got checklists, I've got Post -Fit Notes, I've got things in my calendar. We use ClickUp reminders. That's been fantastic with our company and that's a way to automate those checklists. actually have a pediatric practice out in Virginia and they have, Virginia and Maryland, they have all of their checklists, all of their end of day sheets, all of their monthly sheets, their, gosh, like the sterilization checklist. Everything is in ClickUp.   And so the team goes into ClickUp and they go in and or Asana any of those styles, especially for our administrative team, those are super helpful, you guys makes it really easy. I've got other teams that have it written and they'll do the laminated sheets with the dry erase markers and maybe they've got a big team. so they'll take a picture and they'll slack it into the team space at the end of every day. So it's not physically being turned in, but it's on.   automation like that. So I know we have automations in Slack that help us remember to fill out our KPIs or to go into our click up and update it like we have things that come automated as well. So that we remember things and as consultants, like we've got, you know, a handful of freaking clients to try to remember everything on and something you said about that, like, our brains not evolved. It's so funny to me, because for me, I can still recall, gosh,   The Dental A Team (19:33.458) I've been with Dental A Team at this point for a little over seven years. So I have been out of my practice for seven years. So 10, 15 years ago is when I was with these patients. I can still recall multiple patients. I remember what they do for a living, their names, right? I could probably come up with their date of birth if I tried hard enough. I know what their kids did. Like I was thinking just the other day about   this family that I loved and she was always so sweet. She always wanted to like come in and talk to me about Brody and what is Brody doing? And her son loved Legos. And Brody at this time, Brody's 16 now and Brody at this time was like three. She's like, I can't wait for him to get into Legos. I'll have to bring you some Lego sets when he's ready to get rid of them. And I was thinking about it because Brody now is that kid's age then playing with Legos. But I was like, how in the world is it okay for me to be able to remember that conversation?   from 13 years ago, but I cannot tell you what I did yesterday and did I accomplish all my notes and get everything done. Like that is so far beyond comprehension to me and frustrates me so much, but it is just the point. Like we remember things that hit us on an emotional level or a trigger level. Like we remember things for God only knows why, but we forget the other pieces. And it's just crazy to me, but.   Anyways, Britt, tell me I guess.   Britt (20:59.859) It's human nature, right? We're all humans. And that's at the end of the day. I sometimes we want to think that we're not human, but guess what? Everybody's human. So do the things to help yourself out, especially when you know you're heading into those busy times. And then I want to plug like a soft thing for patient experience too. I think this is helpful always, but especially when we get busy. I think that dental practices, right? We're all multitaskers. think front desk might.   The Dental A Team (21:08.474) We are all human, that's fair.   Britt (21:27.541) take the cake, like everyone assistance hygienists, we multitask a little different though. But I think right, we're pulled in a lot of different directions, but we want to be there. The best thing you can do is be there present with your patient when you're actually right in front of them. And so when you walk into that patient, like, just take a deep breath, like, as simple as that, just take a deep breath. So it kind of signifies like, all right, like this is where I'm at. So you can be present with that patient.   The Dental A Team (21:41.146) there.   Britt (21:54.613) So even though it's a busy time, you might be an assistant running three different chairs or something, you know, but if when you walk up to that patient and you look at them in the face and you take a deep breath so you can actually be there with them, I think that goes a really long ways that like, no matter what else, they may have waited a few minutes, but it goes back to the people remember how you make them feel. And if you can be there with them, like that's the piece they're gonna remember.   The Dental A Team (22:18.575) Totally. I love that you said that because that is so important. And that's part of those pieces of, we said to go back and figure out what separates you from the other practices and your intentionality and your relationship is probably what separates you from the practice down the road. They're billing, they're seeing patients, they're doing the x -rays, they're diagnosing however they want to diagnose, but those are the pieces, those soft skills, those are the pieces that do separate you. So automate.   as much as you can on the other side of that so that you have the time, the space, the availability to be intentional with those pieces when you're busy. So absolutely. Okay, biggest pieces, biggest takeaways from today, you guys, write your systems and your protocols down, know what they are, take inventory of what's working and how you got there. What's working? How did you get there? And can you apply it in other areas? Use checklists, you guys, and do more of what's working.   less of what's not working, automate the pieces that you can so that you can spend time focusing on those pieces that truly separate you from the practice down the road because you are different and that is so magical and you need to really, really, really hone in on those pieces when you're busy. That's the most important part and it's the first part that gets dropped. Britt, thank you so much for today. I knew that you have some incredible insights to this one.   I appreciate you being here today. Of course. All right, guys, go do these things. Don't wait. I know you're in the thick of it right now. I know you're busy and you're like, tiff, Brett, I don't even have time for these things. Make the time because it's worth it. Don't let January, February, March tank because we didn't do the work right now. So go do the things. Brett likes to say choose your hard. Is it hard today or is it going to be hard later? And later usually means longer. So do the hard right now.   Britt (23:45.905) Yeah, thanks for having me.   Britt (24:07.381) Mm   The Dental A Team (24:13.806) we're drop us a five star review because as always, we'd like to know how you enjoyed this podcast and reach out anytime. Hello@TheDentalATeam .com. We are here to help you. I mean, we can't wait to meet you.

Kiera and Dana download the latest Dental A-Team book, The Power of Fun: How to Feel Alive Again by Catherine Price. Specifically, the two discuss why it’s so important to strive for playfulness, connection, and fun even in the workplace, as well as a new DAT project — coming March 2025! Find the full book club rundown here! Episode resources: Reach out to Kiera Tune Into DAT’s Monthly Webinar Practice Momentum Group Consulting Subscribe to The Dental A-Team podcast Become Dental A-Team Platinum! Review the podcast Transcript: Kiera Dent (00:01.026) Hello, Dental A Team listeners, this is Kiera and I am so pumped. I got the one and only Dana with me, usually Tiff and Dana podcast. And today Dana and I are gonna podcast. How are you, Dana?   Dana (00:11.532) I'm good. I'm excited to be here. I know it's been too long and it's a fun space, so I'm glad I'm here.   Kiera Dent (00:17.514) I agree. told Shelbi, I was like, record. Can we start getting the consultants on with me too? Like I enjoy solo casting, but it'd be fun to hang. So I'm super glad. And today you guys, Dana and I are bringing you a special treat. We are going to book club podcast. Dana, Britt and I are probably the ones who actually book club in our company. So we're the constant three that do it. And I, as Dana this morning, I was like, did you by chance read that book? Because if so, I'd love a podcast guest with me on it.   Thank you, Dana, for coming to the rescue with me. But I think it's gonna be great. Our podcast, our book club for this month is The Power of Fun, How to Feel Alive Again by Katherine Price. And honestly, Dana, I think you might know this, but maybe you don't. The reason I chose this podcast or this book was because the confetti was on the front. Like, that was why I chose it. On the book cover, there was confetti. Ryan Isaac and I were talking about it, because I think I sent him the book of like, Probably Die with Zero or   profit first, like some like hard book and he's like, why don't we have more fun books, Kiera? So that's actually where it came from. But I'm super curious. Kind of let's dive into this book. If you guys didn't read it, totally fine. If you did, I think it's a slower read. I think Dana felt the same, but I think that there was a lot of good nuggets for now. And I'm all about how we can create more fun because I think adults forget how to have fun. That's I think my biggest takeaway is like, we've forgotten how to have fun. And she gave some good tips on how to have more fun in our lives.   What about you, Dana? What do you think?   Dana (01:46.936) Yeah. Yeah. I mean, there was a lot for me to take away. I don't think I've ever like, categorized my fun, or like, thought about creating space for fun. Like I think I'm a person that has a lot of fun, and I laugh a lot and there's a lot of joy in my life. But I did definitely like reframe my like, okay, well, what level of fun am I having and prioritizing that higher level of fun or what she calls true fun in my life.   Kiera Dent (02:14.752) Yeah, absolutely. And she kind of talked about like, well, I loved a lot that she talks about is how much of our society has actually shifted us to not have as much fun. And I think one of my favorite takeaways in the book was when she talked about how like, our cell phones were actually designed to be like slot machines. And so like slot machines are intent, like, so much study has gone into keeping people like in the slot machine mode. And yet if we're doing that with our phones, gosh, like our world is crazy to think about. And so   helping us find ways to minimize distractions. And something she said is like, when you're not fully present, you're not happy. And so how can we be like in the moment having fun and like we're spending so much time consuming, but she said like, phones are actually causing constant stress and higher cortisol levels. And so playfulness, connection and fun are the things that we should be going for. And that's like laughing, being in nature, being purposeful and being present. And like times when we feel most alive are when we're actually playing. And I just thought it was such an interesting mindset of like,     great, my phone's a freaking slot machine, which we all know. It's a heavily addictive, we're constantly wanting to go to it. And yet that's actually what's causing us to not have as much fun, which I don't know, like to be debated, like is it true? Is it not true? And this is where Dana and I love to book club. This is how we actually book club is we talk about like, well, what do you think? How do you feel about that? What are like your thoughts? So Dana, tell me your thoughts. Let's have a real book club, Denali team style today.   Dana (03:34.574) Yeah, I mean, I do think that like, I can admit my phone can be a distraction and I can think that I'm enjoying something but if I put it away and I do something else, like, I can definitely see that I enjoy that other thing more, right? And so I think we tend to hold on to the phone or do the phone thing because in the moment it's like, yeah, scrolling, tick tock, I'm laughing, right? Or looking and catching up with family on Instagram, like that's fun.   Kiera Dent (03:56.097) Mm-hmm.   Dana (03:59.982) But when I put the phone away and I focus on connecting with the people around me and being really playful and engaging, I feel like that is definitely a different level of fun. And so I think that it it's prioritizing those moments and understanding that like what your phone really lacks is that connection.   Kiera Dent (04:21.944) Right, for sure. And I think some people might argue like is connection really fun? And like, do I actually need that? And do I want that? And I just think like, again, the books are here for conversation. They're here to challenge our beliefs and to question and to see like, what are we doing? And what really is that way? But what I thought was interesting is, so over the summer, I had some things that came up for me and I was very disconnected from my phone. And I'm not gonna lie to you.   for like the first three days. And that happens every time I go on vacation. I don't know about you, Dana, but literally every time I go on vacation, I have like withdrawal. So Jason and I will intentionally go to places where I to like shut my phone off. I don't have service. I will purposely not buy service when I go places. And it's like a withdrawal. And I feel angry for usually like my first two-ish days, sometimes even up to three, which I don't know if that's a good thing or not. But I thought about it and over the summer when I didn't have my phone, it was crazy how like,   I want to say carefree, I became, but I went through the withdrawal period first of feeling angry, mad, annoyed, like, just give me my freaking phone. It was weird. And I'm like, gosh, am I like a, like literally having withdrawals, leaving this addiction? I don't know. Or was it like chicken and the egg, or was it like cause and effect? I don't know. So I don't know, Dane, if you've got thoughts on that, but those are the things that I've been thinking of. like, is it really true or is it not?   Dana (05:43.374) Yeah, I definitely go through like, I would say more like anxious, like am I going to miss something that's important or am I going to so like the anxiousness at first, I will say that I do have like when we go on family vacations or we go camping or we do those things, like I will put my phone in a drawer even if I don't have service. But then the flip side of that is I get really upset that I didn't snap photos because I'm like, I want to be in the moment. I want to remember the moment like with my eyes and be super present. But then I get home and I'm like, I didn't take any pictures.   Kiera Dent (06:03.658) I agree.   Kiera Dent (06:12.33) I know, because like, but that's all we have, right? Are the memories and the photos and photos can like, Jarrett, it's even crazy because like Apple vision right now has a quote unquote live. And I was at this thing in an Apple vision, like guru came to our little conference. Like we got all these Apple vision pros and they said, like, what we're doing is like, we're creating time travel. Like I kid you not, this was part of their pitch for Apple vision pro, because what they said is like, if you do the video in live, you can put the Apple vision pro on and it is   Simulated as if you are really back in that moment So like taking the videos which I think is like perpetuating us having our video so we can relive the moment rather than living in the moment is Contrary to I think how you have fun and so I think that there's like I think that's why she categorizes the fun within the book I think that's why she has you look at it because I don't think it's an all-or-nothing But there is a company I was talking with Jason Tonori shout out to him when I was up at his practice and we were talking about and there's this company called Brick   like a brick wall and the purpose of the brick is what you do is you actually like tap your phone and you brick your phone so we basically put our phones back into brick mode like remember when we used to have brick phones and all they did was like call and kind of text like that's actually the purpose and what this company is about because so often and it's crazy because when you brick your phone you literally have nothing on there and it's wild how much you like it's almost like phantom hands go to the scroll or phantom hands go to   Siri or phantom hands go to Safari, like all these things that I don't think we realize how dependent and reliant we are on it when it's like, no, I want to go on a hike and just use my phone for this. But then on the hike, it's like, well, let's check where we're going to go for lunch. Well, I don't have that. And I've got to go back to survival skills of like, all right, I guess we like drive to the town and figure that. So it is this like interesting concept, but I'm curious if we had like less phones, would we be happier?   Or is there like this or like have more fun or is there maybe a middle ground Dana and this is something we're obviously just rifting on right now and we don't have answers to it. We're just talking, talking shop here. What do think?   Dana (08:13.028) Yeah. Yeah. I mean, I think with anything, right? Like anything is great for you in small doses. And then, you know, when it can be large doses, maybe it's not so good for you. you know, my hope is that there is a middle ground on this and that we can use technology and advance in technology and use our phone. But also, I think big takeaway from this book is making space for more fun.   Kiera Dent (08:39.668) And Dana, what are some of the things like, how do you make space for Murphun? Like, what did you take away from the book or what are you applying in your own life? I'm putting you on the spot. Maybe you, I don't know.   Dana (08:45.218) Yeah. No, that's okay. No, I like that she kind of like went through like one big thing I'll use myself as an example, right? As a mama for like, something that she suggested is just making time as far as like looking at the things that you have to do and making sure like with your partner in my instance, like my husband, like that those things are distributed evenly, right? So that like, I'm not the one that's making all the doctor's appointments and coordinating all of the kids schedules and doing those things helps to create space when those   roles are divided evenly, there's more space for both of us to be able to prioritize fun. She talked about like organizing your physical and mental space. So using a planner and making sure that you plan for things and you've got deep, you know, deep work and focus time. And then outside of that, when you get lots of things done in your deep work time, it frees you up time to have more fun. Physical space, you know, she talked about just like organizing your physical space so that   when those things are organized, you don't have to constantly be cleaning up clutter or doing those things. It frees you up more. So I thought she had a lot of great suggestions that I think most of us can apply something to to buy a little bit of time.   Kiera Dent (09:57.034) Right. And I'm, I am obsessed about this. So this summer I went and attended a bunch of conferences with Tony Robbins about, he calls it his RPM, Rapid Planning Method. And like I learned about it and I hated it. And then for some reason it clicked this year. And I'm actually super freaking pumped because like non-shameless plug here, our new, like we're rolling out a little bit different of our consulting program and we are bringing people in person.   and I'm super jazzed if you're interested and you want to come like mastermind with doctor to our brilliant and it's a leadership. it's you and your OM and then we actually help take it back to your team for you. So like still doing all the pieces. We focus in on your business for a nice retreat time. And then we're also going to work with you quarterly. Plus you still have your customized calls. Like it's like 99 % Dental A Team. We're just now bringing you guys in person to mastermind together and with us. And like the fun, exciting part of it is   I actually am so excited because I am so passionate about life and dentistry. Like I realized life is my passion, dentistry is my platform. And so how can I help more dentists and more people have more time in their lives, but do it in the way that is fun? And so part of Tony's thing that we're actually going to incorporate like styles of Tony, but made Kiera's way and then tied into dentistry for your practice is Tony had us go through and actually map out like the categories of our life. And I'm so pumped because I'm going to help dentists do this again.   like taking from Tony Robbins and then adapted to Kiera's way of how I want to do it. But it was so magical because Dana, I actually built a category of fun because I realized I never did fun and I didn't actually like schedule fun. And so every week when I'm looking at my week, I look for like, where am I connected to Jason? What am I doing for the business? What am I doing for like, and I call our house like our Oasis, there's also power and language. So like, it's not just Jason, it's like my forever love story with Jason and then   fun. Like I wrote like life is meant to be fun and playful and like have the sprinkles and the confettis. And so every week as I've been doing this for the last couple of months, prepping and preparing and like fine tuning how I want to do it with our doctors. So don't worry, like it will be so much business. But if you don't have the life that's fun and fulfilling for you, we missed the mark in my opinion, which is why I'm so excited. And if you're interested and you want to be a part of our inaugural like beta group with us, like please join us. It's gonna be freaking magic. But like   Kiera Dent (12:19.512) It's been awesome Dana because I feel my life is more balanced and I hate the word balanced because work and fun are not equal. Like they're not, but they feel balanced. And I feel like every week I look forward to like, what is my fun? And if it's not in my calendar, I'm like, well shoot, I need to have more fun. And it is the same thing of like, can I delegate these things to Jason or someone else? So that way we can have more time. You can look for like different apps or using people are like, hey, we're doing all these tasks. Could we?   Could we hire a nanny for this or could we hire like this summer I hired a lawn care company and I thought it was so dumb, but Jason did so many projects that he's never done because we didn't have to mow the lawn. And it's just like a little test that I tried to do. We've since gotten rid of them and he's back to mowing the lawn. But the idea is like we're building our lives and having that fun element in there, not just doing our work and like the drudgery day in day out. So to me, it felt like much more intentional with our time.   than just being on autopilot, which is what I'm so excited about. Like, yes, of course, it's 90 % business, but if I miss the mark of your life being what you want it to be, I feel like we've failed. So that's actually what I'm so excited about. And if that jazzes you reach out, hello at thedeadlyteam.com. I can't tell you how excited I am. This has been a project in the making for years and it's coming to life March, 2025. So get ready, reach out. And even if it's fine, like it's too late, we have multiples throughout the year. So like, don't even panic. You'll be able to be a part of it, but   And it's still everything Dental A Team is offered with team integration and doctor integration and practice. But like, how can I help people have more fun and have a life that's more purposeful and meaningful is what just lights my fire Dana. And I think that that's the whole premise of this book.   Dana (13:56.172) Yeah. Yeah. And, and I think it's just like, understanding what building in fun gets you because like, when I have fun, I am definitely more creative. I am definitely able to focus, right? Because I had an output of energy somewhere else. And I can definitely focus. It does help fight burnout, right? Which we always fear for teams is are they going to get burnt out? And I think that when there's fun built in, it helps fight those things off. It helps fight off stress. When you build those things in and, and   Yeah, I think that that's, you're right. Work and fun never are necessarily balanced, but they definitely, fun can help work not feel so overwhelming.   Kiera Dent (14:38.145) couldn't agree with you more. And I love that you brought up the point about burnout because like, everybody's looking for the master like bullet of how do we avoid burnout? And I'm like, I think it's just having more fun in life. Like, can we allow ourselves those simple pleasures in life? Think of how much time as children we spent playing and creative and shutting our minds off. And now it's like nose to the grindstone like robots. And it's been interesting because as I've, I've changed my schedule up, like I said, I'm testing on myself as the lab rat here to the not like   let's keep it more like PR. I'm testing on myself as the beta test here, and then we're gonna take it to other people. But what I found is, if I have this shut off time, and I have this time where I can be more creative and more fun, my ideas for the business come so much faster and easier, rather than trying to like plow through. And I realized there's like a different mode of creative and like operative. And there's, it's two different parts of our brain. And so it's like,   Dana (15:10.754) video.   Kiera Dent (15:34.456) to me, it kind of took away the guilt of like, go have fun because I actually, like simultaneously, I'm actually working on the business. Like whatever I'm doing here is actually there. So if I'm organizing my house, I'm organizing my business. If I'm having fun, I'm having fun in the business. Like they go energetically across the boards and like my best ideas have literally come when I'm hiking or when I'm on the water and I'm like, my gosh, that's a great idea. Or I'm on vacation because everything else is shut off. And I think that's the whole point is like giving our brains like through this fun, a time of shut off where it's just   and everything almost goes into like rest mode, even though we're actively having fun doing something and being playful and laughing.   So with that, I think for all of you, have more fun. How can your practices have more fun? How can your life have more fun? I think that it's just, if you don't enjoy the book, that's okay. I felt like it was a bit of a slower read, but I think the principle of how can we have more fun and how can we build more fun into our life. And if you need help like I did, be sure to join us. Platinum is coming your way and it's gonna be freaking fun. If you're like, I need systems and I need one-on-one help, great, we've got that for you too.   Obviously we do systems and whatnot within Platinum, but it's really about how can we create your life and have your practices there. It's just gonna be magic. So reach out, join us. Hello at thedeadlineteam.com. Dana, thanks for podcasting on having some more fun with me.   Dana (16:52.324) Yeah, absolutely, anytime.   Kiera Dent (16:54.696) I loved it. And for those of you who are on our book club with us, next month we are going to have Deep Who Not How, The Formula To Achieve Bigger Goals Through Accelerating Teamwork by Dan Sullivan. I'm obsessed with Dan Sullivan. Like I love Dan Sullivan so much. I literally met Dan Sullivan at a conference and I like geeked out and was just like, my gosh, I need to talk to you. Like literally has changed my life and...   Now you guys can have who, not how, which I think is a really awesome one, especially with hiring and all the different pieces, like who do we need, not how do we always do this and rely on ourselves. So get ready for that. Dana, thanks for being on the pod with me today. Of course, and for all of you listening, thanks for listening and I'll catch you next time on the Dental A Team Podcast.   Dana (17:32.578) Yeah, thanks for having me.

Kiera speaks with Drs. Nick and Whitney Forsythe about their journey of being married and buying (then growing) a dental practice, and where they are now. Points include not letting work ruin a personal life, laying the groundwork for a good reputation, managing schedules, and more. Episode resources: Reach out to Kiera Tune Into DAT’s Monthly Webinar Practice Momentum Group Consulting Subscribe to The Dental A-Team podcast Become Dental A-Team Platinum! Review the podcast Transcript: The Dental A Team (00:00.634) Hello, Dental A Team listeners. This is Kiera and I am so giddy. I had this grandiose idea that I wanted to start bringing on some of my favorite people, my favorite doctors, and I could not be more excited to bring on these two doctors, Dr. Nick and Dr. Whitney. Our story goes so far back. I actually knew both of these two in dental school. I watched them fall in love, get married, have a baby, like all the things. They have two babies. They've got their practice and I just thought it'd be really fun for them to come on.   because I think they have a really magical story of their practice and their practice journey and the things that we've gone on. So Nick and Whitney, welcome to the show. Two of my faves. How are you today? So good. for having us. Of course. It's so fun because we talk every single month and you guys are for years. Like how many years? About five, six years we've been doing this and you guys are my 6 a.m. call. We have had that call for years. And to just see where you're at now just makes me so happy.   when I don't have my 6 a.m. call with you and I start calls, I'm like, well, my day started funny because it's all good. But it's been so fun over the years. We've just done a lot of fun things. And so I think you guys just have a very fun, like practice journey that you've been on. And I think like, let's just share some of the things as much as you guys want to. But really, I mean, I think you guys need to just share how you fell in love in dental school. Like who saw each other first? Because I don't even know this, Whitney, you were a year ahead of Nick.   And it's just been fun for me to watch you like in the tooth lunch. Like I was the lunch lady. I just watched everybody fall in love and you guys were the cutest couple. Like who noticed who first? How did you guys actually meet? I need to know that. I was the cougar. It was just welcome week when they had all those like freshmen events. And then I was like, you're together so much too, that like everyone's kind of like, man, like you guys should meet up. And we, I got her number after a test, like a basic test.   test no makeup. I remember walking you know we'd walk back and forth to the class and seeing you and you're like my gosh you guys you saw the progression.   The Dental A Team (02:16.637) Whitney was a year ahead of Nick and it was just fun to watch like because Whitney you're a little more reserved which I'm shocked and so happy that you are on the podcast. Nick is the social butterfly in the relationship but still like you've got your reservations and whatnot but I was like watching Whitney like fall in love Nick was so cute and I just loved watching both of you and two of you. You two are I mean I think everybody finds their perfect match but you two are just like such an incredible couple and then I remember Nick you reached out to me you know so we're thinking about buying a practice Kiera what do you think and I was like   Well, I think you guys should do it. And then lo and behold, move back up to Washington. You got your practice there. You bought a fee for service practice. I was scared out of my mind and I'm like, whoo fee for service practice. Everyone's kind of scared. Yeah, we get checks. would definitely say, I mean, you have to go with what you feel and you helped us look, we looked for.   I was still in school. think we looked for two years. think our main issue was just finding a big enough practice or at least that we can grow into for both of the banks. And I think a lot of people were checking us on like, it's not going to be enough or there's a lot of things. we found, you know, after a while, I think if you look at enough deals, you finally get a sense of what feels good. And it did feel good. And we...   Yeah, I mean, at the end, even at the final hour, people were still kind of like, should you do this? it worked out really well. You were with us every step. I mean, it's been an honor and it's been fun. And I just thought like, it's fun to share stories because I mean, even on a coaching call we had the other morning, it wasn't planned. And I didn't even realize we had the podcast coming up when we kind of went like on a little memory lane journey, which is what spurred the idea for this podcast of like,   what you've been through to get here. And I mean, for full transparency, it was two doctors and a four-op practice that was fee for service. To say I was a little nervous is an understatement. was like, you guys, two doctors, like you're going to cannibalize this one practice. And like, it's okay. We'll just send one of you off to be an associate. like four new patients a month. Yeah. low new patients, but he had good will in the community. He was ramping down. I think we,   The Dental A Team (04:38.605) We maxed out his current impatience to begin with. We came in, we had to be soft changes, I think we called it with you, because we had, I think, four or five 30-year vets in the practice that stayed with us all the way, I mean, until recently, so just retired. But we, our idea, you know, we, with kids, we swapped off days. We didn't work all the time. It was just too much.   But we kind of cleared the patient base and the team was so much on our side. It was so helpful. We always in the background, I knew we needed more rooms. had someone look at the building. We bought the building as well, which I'm so glad we did. They kind of said, we think you can get two or three more. And we were like, okay, hopefully we'll cross that when we get there. And then we, you know,   Probably every year we've talked about this every year. Okay. When's the remodel build out more rooms going to happen? 2020 happens. So that occurred. And then finally last year we got serious about it and really looked at the numbers and yeah, it was a lot. Our accountant once again was like, are you sure? This is how.   Talking with you and really finding like the break even point. we do this build out, what do we have to produce monthly? Is that a realistic thing? And I think that's what helped me throughout this whole process that I'm just like more analytical and I need to see the numbers before I go forward. We bought the practice for 650 was doing eight 50 maybe we.   You know, grew, had to replace everything, not visual, I would say. So a lot of my men, but I think we, we were starting to peak at like 1.6 and you know, definitely making huge jumps, but it was peaking all at the right time. We started, it took us a good year to prep for the build-out. So we're planning a full remodel, adding three chairs.   The Dental A Team (06:52.301) One more hygienist. Another hygienist. we started to, we were just talking about this. We started to pre-ramp up everything. It all hit, you know, we had all of a gone from four new patients a month to 50 new patients a month. We do accept Delta Premier, but that was it. So it was a good amount. We felt like we were also on pace. All of sudden we couldn't fit in anybody else and we needed it.   And so it kind of turned at just the right moment. And it really, I think all the pre-work with you, especially, know, you, Whitney and you are so much better than me at that. I'm like, of like, it will work out maybe. Whitney definitely, you and Whitney had the numbers, you had the forms for her and she had filled them out and you guys had talked like exactly how much we needed to produce. What was the bottom, you know, if things went.   the worst it could go. So that like really calmed us. I mean, like, we're like, okay, here's the exact numbers, the exact patients. that was the exact employees. mean, we went from five employees to now like we have 15. it's like, when do you hire them? You know, we kind of, over staff in the beginning, for sure. Yeah. The biggest thing we could have done is over staffing for a moment so that you're ready and everyone's trained. were worried about.   training and, yeah, all of the assistants are just super independent now, which was a big thing with more ops. And I remember talking to you, you gave us goals the year before, like, okay, here's where your assistants need to be. Here's how many you should have. So we had like really checked those boxes and it was like, gosh, I'm so glad we did that. Cause it's just a lot. It's a lot going on. It really is. And something like.   I just am so proud of both of you. And I love you guys are what five, six years into your practice ownership and you're still in love because I remember when we very first started, I was like, we have to keep you guys also happily married. I have very vested interest in you, but like your practice needs you too as well. And so I think that's been something really lovely to watch both of you do as well. Like Nick, you really come into your role. Like you're really incredible with the team and Whitney's great with the team. She's also really good with numbers. And so we've kind of divided like.   The Dental A Team (09:14.325) Nick, take these areas, Whitney, you take these areas. But something I think is so paramount to note, I wanted you guys to get more ops sooner. Do remember? Like it was every all the time from like two doctors for ops. I don't know how this is going to work out. And you were also super adamant with me of like we're not working Fridays. Like you had a baby pretty soon into practice ownership. Then you had a second baby. And something that I just want to highlight that I think you guys have done exceptionally well is you work really, really well together as a team. So that's one thing to highlight.   Two, I feel like actually, like you said, Nick, the tipping point was perfect. Like we knew we wanted to expand to more ops, but I think actually like hindsight's 2020, which we're looking at today. I actually think you guys did really well because we maximize every like possible thing we could do other than adding Fridays or another associate. were adding Fridays. Like we were having to do it. Yeah. Cause it was just too, we were almost losing patients because we were too far up of doubt.   And that was, so we were hitting and you told us that we were going to hit that point. Right. Like we're sure. Okay. So if we get to this, this is what we're going to do. And it was always like a short-term plan. So we'll do this just for a little while. but I also think it was smart. mean, could you imagine if we would have added in all these ops and you had four new patients a month? Like that would have been. Like we would have made it work, but it wouldn't have been as smart. And so I think you guys have just really played your cards right. And, I remember.   Gosh, I think it was last year I was in your practice and we mapped out your block schedule. And I'm like, all right guys, this is what you'll be producing. And I remember taking it to you, you were both producing. I talked to you at the end of the day and you both laughed at me and you're like, there's no way, Kiera. Like that's ridiculous. And now to see all the construction go through, but Whitney and Nick, you're right. Like we literally built the plans of.   low end, high end. And I think that that has actually served you really well. We know the numbers, we know the BAMs, we know where you need to be. You guys are producing. Something I've noticed that I think you guys have done ridiculously well is you haven't allowed the practice to destroy your marriage or your life. Like you guys are parents. You really have prioritized being parents. Like it's so cute to see you as parents. You also prioritize your marriage. You also have friends. Like Nick, I know your family's close by.   The Dental A Team (11:30.017) How have you guys done that successfully? Because your practice has grown. It's blossomed. Like we just went down memory lane and going from 650 to where you are today is just, I think it's surpassed all of our wildest dreams. I knew you guys would do it, but how have you guys been able to like keep that balance? Cause I think so many people want your life, but they don't know how to do it. I think you guys have just done it really well. So any thoughts? I'm genuinely curious. I don't know the answer. So kind of give me some feedback on that. That's so nice of you. Yeah. We, we definitely.   We call you our marriage counselor as well as our business coach and our consultant. it's nice to be so intentional about it. I think it forces us. It doesn't sound romantic, but like we schedule one date a month at least. mean, having a nanny helps. She watches the kids a couple of days a week and now we schedule her out.   You know, we also use Nick's parents a lot and Nick's family. So it's just like, have to schedule it and it sounds silly, but that's what we've done. And then just, our goal every year we like, okay, we want to take one vacation a quarter. I think that's been really important, even if it's just a long weekend, a week here, long weekend, next quarter, it's just, yeah, being super intentional about it. And otherwise you do burnout. For sure.   And it does get busy and I feel like the first year we didn't have that figured out. we basically, mean, especially without kids, this was our life. This was our baby. so putting the work in front end, guess, paid off. But yeah. And keeping it. Yeah. At our meetings, we do spend time. Like you told us we plan out our personal and our business. So we keep it very like we have to plan it out. And if we do it, it.   I mean, we do appreciate it, especially like that one trip a quarter or just something short, just to like take your mind off of it. Cause especially husband and wife, mean, it's all we talk about. It's all we talk about. It's really hard. we have to be like, okay, we're not going to talk about it. We're to do something else. Yeah. Which I think is just awesome. And it is something that I love and you guys do it so well is we do plan your personal life and your professional life. And then we check in on it. I mean, I love this year's scorecard. It's like, did you take your one trip for this quarter? Because I'm,   The Dental A Team (13:49.709) Like, why do we not track our personal lives like we do our business life? And so I just think it's been fun to watch you evolve. And Whitney, think something that you just did so beautifully was you really wanted to be a mom and a dentist. And so I thought it was fun where we brainstormed through it and you're like, this is how many days I want to work. And we started low end and high end. Like, what do we have? But we never, I thought we did a really good job of not putting pressure on you to, have to work this many days to produce. We built the practice.   with the expansion to be able to sustain whether you wanted to come back full time, whether you want to come back part time, but we did it on like lowest amount of hours. And we knew Nick could do that. And I think that that was just something I don't know how was that for you as a mom? Like maybe you can speak to that. I mean, it did come with guilt. That was so such a huge decision. Like I want this practice to thrive, but I also want to be a mom. So finding that balance. mean, I don't   definitely don't have it all figured out, that's for sure. But setting boundaries I think is important. Like, okay, I will work two to two and a half days and that's it. We have to make it work or we'll find other options. Like I'm pretty set in my ways about that because I don't want to get like, they're only little ones. So I don't want to give that up. And it's hard as a couple.   to, you know, if there's a hygienist down or if someone's down, it's hard not to sub in. Cause it's like, we're, we have to really, we have to set rules. we, we will sub in and help, but we have to go, okay, like let's treat this like we're, you know, like we can't just to like make family a priority, which is good. I think that's so hard though. Like, how do you guys do it? Is it just like, we hold each other accountable because you are dentists. There's two of you, which actually I love.   know, like, Nick's sick, Whitney can cover and if Whitney's sick, Nick can cover and when Whitney's out on maternity leave, like Nick can be there and we can schedule your lives that way but like how do you hold those boundaries strong? II don't know and maybe it's just you guys have decided that family life is the most important thing for you and that's going to be our number one motive because I think it's so easy to slip and be like, well, we'll just cover here. We'll just do this. Like, do have any tips on that because I think that might be a secret sauce to your success. You know what?   The Dental A Team (16:05.741) Looking at the numbers like if I'm sub in for hygiene I say You know how much am I gonna lose today? Can we fit these people in here and there like is it worth my time and worth? truly losing time with my kids for a thousand dollars like just breaking it down or you know, whatever the goal of twenty three hundred dollars like   Can I make that up in a clear letter case? Yes, I could. it's like just, yeah, priorities, I guess. Yeah. And there, mean, for sure for Whitney Moore, I mean, there's stress and guilt, tears, you know, I mean, it's just, we really have to communicate. I mean, that's the biggest thing. I think that's the biggest thing between us. It forces us as business owners when we're having our meetings, we have to talk about it. And it's almost like you're, you're pushed.   further as a couple because you just have to have these conversations like, it, know, do you want to do it? And we have to feel comfortable like just saying no, or, you know, kind of having those tougher talks with each other so that we can, we have to be on the same team, you know, as much as possible. I think that that's something also that I love watching you too, is you're very supportive of each other. And it's been that way all the time. And like, you'll kind of have like the little.   Like we know each other's pieces. Like Whitney's going to freak out about numbers and Nick's going to take a longer time to write notes. Like we just know it. And so we build things and we'll like, we'll have some comedy around it. But I think you two are truly on each other's is no competition. Like his wins are totally my wins and vice versa. That's yeah. I love that. We definitely know like, I have a lot, we know each other's like pitfalls. know we're going to fall short and it's always like.   But both of us are motivated on our own. It's not like someone's intentionally doing something. We're really not competitive with each other. Like one of us, like during the day we will swap schedules. I think that's been the biggest thing too for the build out is separating our own specialties. Like he does a lot of surgery. He did the year long residency and more sleep and clear liners. So it's like finding those niches as well. I think, you know, there are   The Dental A Team (18:23.117) a lot of your people that you work with, know there's bigger clinics and we're pretty small time compared to a lot of people, we getting those specialty sections down, getting the systems down, and not like we have perfect systems, but like really pushing clear liners early, just like not with the patients, but just bringing it up and then getting that rotation down so we can bring like a really nice.   And then it feels good to the patients and it's a clean system. the, you're delivering like a high end, you know, just going through those, cause there's, you're going to make mistakes. And same thing with me. did that the Alabama implant education residency, and that was a big decision for us. Cause I had to be gone a lot, but getting it, getting the systems in order to be able to like do an implant for somebody and know for a fact, like.   They're going to love it. They're not going to be in pain. They're going to tell their friends. And then by the time we built out, were ready to expand. weren't like fumble. mean, of course there's always a little fumbles, but we weren't fumbling as much. We had already gone through the trials. Yeah. For sure. Not giving up because it's easy to be like, you have one bad case. And you're like, I'm never extracting two.   which I think is amazing. And I really have watched you guys both support and Whitney when you said like his wins are my wins. I know Nick, like when Whitney has her wins. And something I do think has also been very intentionally planned throughout your guys's career is making sure that I think sometimes, especially in like a husband, wife duo or pieces, like, well, Nick is the quote unquote higher producers. So we're just going to put all the pieces and like Whitney, you're going to take the other piece. But we like.   I knew you guys knew that's never gonna make for you to be happy. And so it was like Whitney, we've got to also build something where you're excited about it. So the clear liners and the sleep and something where you're passionate. We've even talked about sending you to go do implants too at some point when the babies get a little older, if that's what you want to do, but like giving both of you the edge and the niche. But then like you said, it's here to win for both. And so it's like, if I can help Nick out, I'll do this. And if he can help me out, think Whitney, I know you like definitely like helped with like notes or different things like I'll help here and Nick will help here.   The Dental A Team (20:37.857) I just think it's been incredible because I think so many couples can't do that. And so I think you guys have prioritized your marriage, your babies, your life over the practice. And in doing so, you come to the table every time as more complete. I don't know how to explain that better than that. Like, I think you take care of yourselves first. Like you put the oxygen mask on yourself, you take care of each other, and then you come to the practice and you take care of your team, but you're intentional and you follow through. So I was curious. I obviously have my own opinions of what's made you guys successful, but if you were giving any tips to offices,   even if it's husband wife duos or people that are expanding, what are any of the tips of things? Like you said, I think we were smart to bulk you guys, especially where you're in a small town. We just started hiring. We're like, well, we'll just take them. We'll make the numbers work. But were there any other things that you guys feel have been maybe things that have set you apart? I think we've listed off a few like the implant course, Whitney having her own specialty, being intentional with the time your kids are there, but anything you guys feel that would be tips for couples or people doing an expansion.   that you feel really helped. Because honestly, I know you say I've got bigger practices, but I don't care about the over the top line. I care about profitability. I care about happiness. And honestly, you guys are huge players in that arena. And you've done it really, really well. So all the tips are here. Yeah. And you do put up big numbers. So let's just like, I think the only other thing we didn't touch on is I'm glad we did wait a little bit to expand until we built our reputation.   built those Google reviews. And now it's like we get so many referrals, that's our main source, referrals is our main source. So building upon that was important and really having an understanding of like we live in a small town. where our other office is going, a lot of people, it kind of was a happy coincidence. A lot of people dropped Delta, which is the only one we have and or accept.   It's funny. mean, you really have to be, I think we were talking to just ready for opportunities. Same, same like, with, with getting our systems down, we were kind of like ready to expand our, our reputation. Initially, that was like our first thing, just like pump reviews, get the talent. I said, we did a lot of like town things, especially before kids. have more time. go around, but then, you know, a couple of offices went. Stop.   The Dental A Team (23:01.261) changed hands and didn't do very well. And we were all of a sudden like in a great position to take all those patients. And I feel like we were just always all of we had a few things fall in our lap that we were prepared for. And we, know, if we wouldn't have, I think, put the front end work in, it would have been tough to take advantage. Totally. Yeah. I think like that's actually something I had not pinpointed. So I'm glad you both talked about it. I think you do a really good job of   looking down the line and also planning for opportunities. So like the expansion, the new patients, the small town, like, and I think you guys both do a really good job. Nick, I know this is your sweet spot, but it's like when there's, I mean, you guys picked up someone from a car accident you were in, like such a random experience, but like, I think a lot of offices like, no, we're not ready for that financially. But you guys are like, nope, we know we're going to need this. So let's hire this person and we'll figure it out. We know we need hygienists, so let's bring them in.   We know we're going to be expanding. So let's get those systems in place. We know we're going to need to increase our production and like offer a bigger skill set. So like Nick, you go and get implants, Whitney, you clear liners and sleep. We are training the team to be able to do it. Like you literally took your front office person. You knew you'd need a nanny and she then transferred into being a nanny. So we didn't lose someone you already trusted. We brought someone else in. Like literally you guys are constantly looking for those opportunities, but not just looking, but seizing on them. And like, how do you get the guts to do that? Cause I mean,   I know the one you currently are on, buying the property behind your space. That was freaky, but so brilliant. You're going to have to expand. You're in small town. You're going to have to expand. like, Nick, just, you went, you talked to someone and now lo and behold, you guys purchased the land behind. Like, how do you- I don't have my guts to Nick. I don't rain on his grave. I think if I didn't have Whitney, I would probably be bankrupt already.   Yeah, we're varying. I'm always trying to buy stuff. It's going to make us better. Shiny object syndrome for sure. I think a big thing that you're talking about too, we kept the employees here. We tried to be as soft. We have to change some things, but we tried to be as soft as we could and having them on our side was huge. And then we build this reputation all of a sudden of being like great people to work for.   The Dental A Team (25:26.603) which so is the person that we bought from. And so then all of sudden you get people, you know, of course you always have, have to do trial and error with some employees, but we've like got this great team and everyone's very supportive and we really invest in someone when we hire them. Like I will, I do some of the HR, but we will like train and train, we'll come in extra, like we will, you know, if your kid's sick.   I'll help you. know, we really try to make sure like our team feels really good. We try to like bonus them and do, and that has been one of our biggest things because now all of a sudden I don't do, there's like, they're taking over a lot of the stuff and it's really cool to see all all of we have to have team leads and it has made our lives so much better because also we don't have to. That's helped the balance as well.   Big time, yeah. We don't have to worry as much. were so hands-on. The bottleneck. Almost too, I mean, for sure too much. And we've finally been able to step back and just like so proud of our, we've always been proud of our team, but now it's like, I feel like we've got such a good culture going and it feels really good every day. Everyone's laughing and I mean, patients love that too. They pick up on it. Yeah. And I think that's something I've watched you guys do. You really,   So many of our calls, like of course we're always talking numbers. we're looking at the metrics, but like so many of the conversations are around the team. Like how do we have the conversation? And I mean, when you say 30 year vets, that was also another worry of like, all right. So we're taking on a practice of four operatories, two doctors and 30 year veterans. And how do we like make sure that we sustain that? But I really just love that you guys, you truly have love for your team. have love and loyalty and you want them to succeed and like.   It's been amazing. I think there were things when I was like, I don't think I would do that. And you guys are like, nope, this is what we want to do. And you've set the stage of this is how we want to operate our team. I think it's really paid undue dividends for you. just took a long time to get there. So what I'm trying to point out is you have done a lot of freaking groundwork and foundational work and building the reputation and building the reputation in the community, building the reputation with the teams, treating the team really, really well, looking for the opportunities.   The Dental A Team (27:49.035) to now, like I'm not going to say it's easy going and of course you'll always have your pieces, but like there is more smooth flow than there was when you very first started. And like maybe you have any other tips of how you have such a good culture with your team. Like you guys are wicked loyal. I'm like, if you, Nick and Whitney hire you, like they'll be with you until you have grand babies. Like you'll be with them forever. What is it that you guys do? Because some people are like, no, they're hard. We need to fire them. And we have changed out some team members in the time of knowing you. But what do you guys do that you feel?   sets you apart to have that team that's got such a good reputation in the community. think we try, just like we do with each other, we try to get everyone's back as much as possible. we, you it's hard to say because you can't be like, so, you know, so Lucy goosey, but we really will, like, we will do anything for the team. Like it is so worth it. mean, we want it to be a positive experience.   flexible or super flexible. we will, we can, I will make whatever work. will hire extra people. Like we have an extra assistant that helps with hygiene. We got to do assistant hygiene, but we'll just like have a, just a fully trained assistant just to always, especially when we're having, it has changed our hygienist attitude in this. They talk in the town. It's such a small town and all of a sudden we're like getting more hygienist.   hey, can we come work for you in a time where it's so hard to get hygienists? know, we've got, we're just so lucky. Do you remember when you sent me the ad of how much your hygienists were going for in your area? Do you remember that? I think it was like 150 bucks an hour. Like I'm not making this up. Literally on Indeed. And to hear in an area where people are paying $150 for a hygienist, you and I both laughed and I was like, just hire a dentist. We'll like mess with you. But to hear that.   You guys are just doing some really incredible things that are different. Like you do train up your assistants and you want to make sure they're taken care of. But on the flip side, you have high accountability. Like Whitney, your forms are always filled in and you guys follow through on what you say you're going to do. And if we talk about meetings, you're going to execute with them. And so it's this interesting dynamic of the love and the accountability. And I think people don't realize that you can have both. And I think you guys are a really beautiful example of that. Yeah. Thank you. Of course. Of course.   The Dental A Team (30:12.119) Well, I just wanted to showcase you. think so many people need to hear of where you started, that it is possible to have this balance. I mean, you work four days. Whitney, you're working what? Two days? Two and Two and a half. Yeah. Two and a half. You're a mom. You have a nanny. You get things done. You guys have this dynamic, this amazing dynamic. And what's something I am so proud of you is you are consistent. Like you will always fill out your agendas for our meetings. You will follow through on the action items that you need to do. And I just say mad kudos. Nick looks at Whitney. I know what that look was.   someone will. But I also think that that's like amazing. Nick, both like you and I both know Whitney's gonna execute on that. I give her way more action items than I give you. I say some things. I also know that you're gonna go in you're gonna produce and you're also gonna have like some of the hard conversations Whitney and I both don't want to do that. And you're like, Yep, I'll go handle that. That's where he thrives. You thrive there, Nick. And so   What I love is you guys have really looked at each other's strengths and weaknesses. You really helped each other out. And it's like, I'm going to pick up for you versus blaming you. And I think you do that for your team. And I think that's the culture that spread throughout. just like, like all the heart eyes and just so I just am grateful to showcase a couple that has flourished in a town where you were getting four patients, four operatories, a husband, wife duo, they've had two babies.   and you're able to have the life you want, the practice you want, the team you want. But it also came with some hard work and opportunities that you've taken as well. I mean, shoot, Whitney, some of the calls we get on, it's like, well, let's just go to the spreadsheets. Like, let's figure out the numbers, let's figure it out. But you're constantly observant, you're constantly willing to push the envelope. You guys will try anything. The number of things we tried for new patients is impressive. And every time we got one more new patient, we would celebrate it.   But thank you guys for just sharing your stories. And I'm going to open it up. Any last things you want to share, say, if not, we'll wrap up. But just really appreciative of both of you. So any last thoughts you've got? my god, we appreciate you. I can't believe it's been five, six years now. And honestly, your call.   The Dental A Team (32:18.445) We always have something to talk about. You can get complacent and you're like, man, what am going to talk to Kiera about? Like, I don't have anything. And then there's always something that you just light our fire every other Tuesday at 6 a.m. I think it like, it's very easy. We get each other. We both get worked up about different things and you're very good at like, you're our sounding board. We're sounding board and we each like the numbers calm Whitney down and kind of talking things out.   For me, it's just so helpful. that's been great. It's great. to know without you. Well, and I just appreciate, like, you're the people I love to work with because I get so giddy to watch great people flourish, succeed, and have the lives they want. And I agree. I look forward to my calls with you every morning, like every other Tuesday, 6 a.m. I know you're on there. And I think it is something fun. And I appreciate you trusting me to light the fire, to paint the vision, say, no, no, no, we're not getting complacent. Like, where are we headed next?   and then we start building towards that. So thank you for being on the podcast with me. Thanks for being in my life. And it's fun to watch your journey and your story go from meeting in dental school to now having this incredible life that you get to share just makes me so happy for both of you. Thank you guys. And for all of you listening, I want you to have the success stories of Nick and Whitney. And so reach out anytime. [email protected], but truly.   Take the nuggets and the gems you just heard from this dynamic couple, this incredible duo who's built this amazing practice in life and implement it in your own lives. And as always, thanks for listening. I'll catch you next time on the Dental A Team podcast.

Did you know? Practices working with the Dental A-Team tend to see a 10 to 30% increase in revenue and at least a 5 to 10% decrease in overhead. In this episode, Kiera talks about key ways hiring a consultant for your practice will boost your success. Episode resources: Reach out to Kiera Tune Into DAT’s Monthly Webinar Practice Momentum Group Consulting Subscribe to The Dental A-Team podcast Become Dental A-Team Platinum! Review the podcast Transcript: Kiera Dent (00:01.038) Hello, Dental A Team listeners, this is Kiera. And today I am so excited because as things are coming to a wrap up at the end of the year, I know a lot of you are possibly talking to your CPAs, financial advisors, looking for all those different areas where you're possibly like, gosh, like maybe your practice is freaking thriving and you're looking for, it's end of year. What can I do? How can I maximize my practice? What are some options? Or maybe you're on the other end where you're like, gosh, 2024 was such a hard year for me. And so just wanted to pop on and let you know.   three ways that a consultant can help your practice either thrive or come back from surviving into thriving. Because oftentimes we don't realize that consulting can actually propel our practices forward. It's also a complete tax write-off for most practices, which is great if you're thriving and you need to find ways to spend cash and be able to get through the end of the year. Consulting is actually a great option that a lot of offices do, whether it's a pay-in-full option or whether it's monthly payments or even some offices will pay 50 % end of year.   and then 50 % throughout the rest of the year. So a lot of great options, but the reality is that I love about consulting is I like to invest in things that move me forward. So at the end of most years, I'm looking for what's an area or a gap that I have in my business, whether that's in my marketing department or my sales department or my dentist, like what dentists things can we bring to the practice? But every single thing that I'm adding into my practice, I want to make sure.   is going to give me an ROI. So an ROI is a return on investment and I don't like to buy things that are just cash. So looking at like, if we were for example, to say buy a car, well, what's the ROI that that's gonna bring and bring money into my practice? Probably nothing. In Dental A Team, our clients tend to see a 10 to 30 % increase in revenue and at least a five to 10 % decrease in overhead. Now it is a two way street. We can give every tool and resource but if clients don't execute,   then they're obviously not gonna see the same results. However, clients who do see the, who do implement and do receive the results, they actually see incredible value. So we have offices like this year that have added 10,000, 50,000, 100,000, 250,000, multiple millions to their schedules by working with us. We have other offices that have decreased their overhead. I had one office at the beginning of the year start out at 75 % overhead and they are now down to 53 % overhead with intentionality.   Kiera Dent (02:20.43) leadership put into place where their team is actually looking at the numbers and viewing the practice in a way of as a business, not necessarily just as a practice. And so being able to find something where if we spend, say 20,000, can they give me at least 20,000 back and or more? So 40,000, 50,000, can I get a return on my investment is a really great thing to look.   Other examples are like CBCT scans. Like, can you add that in and how many CBCTs could we do and give better patient care with purchasing these items? Maybe looking for an implant course that we could attend. Maybe looking for CE, but really doing something that's for our team and for every person on our practice to elevate. And that's actually something I love about Dental A Team is we aren't just focused on the doctors. I think going to all these events as business owners,   I found that the hardest thing for me is when I show up to an event and then I have to come home and bring it back to my team. And it's like, I'm all ramped up and amped up, but the team didn't necessarily get the same excitement that I did. The team wasn't in on all those meetings and different pieces with me. And so therefore I feel like, gosh, like this is sometimes hard to get the buy-in. And so when we built Denali team, I said, hey, what we're actually gonna do is we're gonna build a company where we coach the doctors and we coach the team together.   So doctors, we hear your plan of your vision. We help you build that vision. And then team members, help you implement and execute and build leadership teams and train your team on the billing and the tactical and all the systems. But we're helping you build the business, the practice of your dreams to be able to give the patient care and the team experience that you desire. And so thinking of those things, and that's kind of where I just wanted to pop in of like, whether your practice is thriving and you're like, Hey, what it's going to take us to the next level. I might consider consulting as an option.   Or if you're like, gosh, you know, could this CE course move us forward? Possibly. But like, I have offices that go to CE courses, like sleep. How do get your team bought into that? How do you like, and how do we know the CE to implement or not implement? Sometimes having a consultant or a coach can help actually get you more revenue, more value, more buy-in because they're helping guide and coach the team. And Denali team truly is experts at this. And so it's something really fun. So I just wanted to kind of give like some areas where   Kiera Dent (04:35.488) If you're looking for that way to get some money off of your books, consider consulting, consider something that's gonna move you forward. Or whether you're looking for like, gosh, this year was really, really hard for me, we need to figure out those gaps. Either end of that spectrum, I do believe that consultants can help. And when you're looking for a consultant, some great things to look for are number one, has that consultant or consulting company been there, done that and done that successfully in your situation? Have they coached and consulted offices like yours? Do they have testimonials of offices like you?   Do they know where you want to go and do they have the path that they can show you of where you want to go? So if you're looking for, want to sell to a DSO in the next five years, do they know how to do that and have they helped other clients successfully? If you're like, nope, I want to be in my practice for the next 20 years and I want to have a legacy practice. Have they done that for other people? If you're wanting to expand and buy multi-practices, have they done that? If you're wanting to get your office manager to be doing all the pieces, have they done that? If you're wanting to add in a leadership team so that way everything's not on your shoulders,   that consultant done that and done that successfully? Have they been in your shoes? And for me, I like it when they'll like selfishly as a business owner, I'm busy. The last thing I want to do is have to go and like learn from my consultant and then go implement it with my team. I really love to have a consultant who teaches me and my team simultaneously. It feels like it allows me to like multiply and double myself rather than trying to do it myself because I feel like there's so much on owners. And so that's something that I just think is niche.   None of my coaches coach by team. And I really wish that they would because it'd be so much easier to have somebody else besides me coach and educate and get them excited rather than it all leaning on my shoulders. So when we built Dental A Team that was something I was adamant about of I want to make these dentists lives easier. want to make the team's lives easier. I want to be that bridge between doctor and team member and helping us all align and be on the same page. So as you're looking at it and just thinking that's how you're going to vet for a really good consultant.   Also look to see who is that consultant and do they align with where you want to go? Do they have the same principles, the same values? So for me, ours is we want to positively impact the world of dentistry in the greatest way possible. And I don't believe that dentistry is what makes you your person. I believe it can be a great portion of your identity, but I believe that your life and your family and your hobbies and who you are as a person is the most important. So ours is the yes model. It's you as a person we focus on and what your life, your dream, your team, who you are as people.   Kiera Dent (06:59.874) Then we focus on E for earnings and profitability and making sure that you're profitable as a company. And then S stands for systems and team development. Do we have the systems to run and we're not dependent upon team members so we teams can go on vacation, they can have fun. And as we grow and expand and, or if we lose team members or we need to hire new team members, we have a system in process where it's system dependent, not team dependent. I say it's system dependent, it's team implemented and adds the sprinkles and the sparkles with the team flair to it.   So we have tried and true systems that we're gonna then be able to go in. What are you looking for? Are you looking for someone who comes in and they are A to Z cookbook and they give you the systems that way? Or are you looking for someone who's going to be more collaborative with you and hear what you want and then be able to add in different pieces for it? What are you looking for and what are the results? And then do their results speak for themselves? Can they tell you consistently they hit this?   Do you want a doctor community? Do you want a team community? Do you want to go in person and go to events and masterminds? Or do you want to have it virtual? How do you want this to work out? And so really looking at those options are going to be pieces to look for. In Dental A Team we heard, we heard what you guys were saying where you said, we want in-person masterminds. We want to network with these other doctors. We want to learn. so come 2025.   Welcome, we are going to be meeting you all in person with an elite leadership retreat where it's doctors and leaders coming together. So doctors in their office manager, doctors in their associate partners, coming together and really masterminding on your life, on your practice and on your business. Having a great time where we actually like hot seat on your business and we work on your life and you workshop for a day and a half and meet incredible people. We also are working with your team simultaneously. So what you're learning.   In person, we're gonna be able to help take back to your team. So we still lift that training your team members for you, putting places, pieces into play. And we also have for newer practices that might need just like the foundations and building blocks of a business where we do it in a group setting where every single month there's a new system that you can implement while also having access to the consultants every single week. So different ways and different pieces and what that looks like for you as consulting.   Kiera Dent (09:02.422) And then let's just think of like, what are some different ways that a practice like truly a consultant should and could help you go to thriving rather than just surviving. And some of the things is like, I think one of the greatest things we do is find the small little areas to make your life exponentially more efficient, whether that's from handoffs, collections, the way we set up our statements, the way we do our confirmations, the way we build our schedules, the way we do our handoffs, like those very small little pieces. People ask me all the time, Kiera, how are you able to like...   add 30,000 to a schedule in one day. And I'm like, honestly, it's from handoffs, morning huddles and collecting at the end of the day. Like that's all it is. It's nothing hard. It's nothing crazy. But when we get a whole team bought into this process and this system, then the system flows and moves. So it's very simple. So things that I think are super important is can we look and maximize your schedule for increased production? I love to do less work and get more gain. And so how can we work less and make more?   Like how can we do that and give better VIP patient care? And so I love helping people build out block schedules. Like I was talking to an office earlier and they said, Kiera, should we expand our practice? And I said, well, like, let's look at where you're at and are you maximizing all of what we already have or should we go and like spend more money on it? And so many people don't realize like what we already have, we could like wring it out, squeeze it out a little bit more and there's no extra cost to the practice, but there's actually little efficiencies that we can put into place.   One of my favorite examples is I walked into an office and they're like, Kiera, we know we need more space. We have no more space for patients in this practice. And we know we need to have a bigger building. Like we're already like, we've got land. We're already building the other building. Like that's our biggest problem. Within about 15 minutes of working with this office, I was able to find where they could add another operatory. They added another operatory and we were exponentially able to increase their practice, but they were so closed because they thought that there's no possible way for us to add.   anything else into this practice. And yet sometimes just having another set of eyes outside is able to help you see what truly is possible. And so that's something that I'm obsessed with that I love. We're able to add hundreds of thousands to this practice and serve more patients while their other building was being built. It made it a smoother transition as they moved into the next location. And really we ramped up their handoffs, their doctor exams, little small things, tracking our treatment so doctors know what they're diagnosing, tracking our case acceptance, looking to see are there little ways we can do it.   Kiera Dent (11:28.12) have an office that we've added multi-millions to in the course of working with them. And everyone's like, how have you done it? And they said, we hired this coach. And this coach coaches all of our treatment coordinators. And our treatment coordinators then learn little ways to say things, different ways to present things. They're an incredible office at implementing and executing, but it's in these small, little verbiage tips that are able to help them. And so how can we maximize your practice for exponential growth, but do it in the easiest way? Let's not come in and change everything.   Let's look for the tiny little things. So number one that I feel like a consultant really can do of the three ways they can maximize and optimize your practice from thriving to thriving or surviving to thriving is one, maximizing your practice for optimal. Like I said, looking for those little spots where if we just do one or two little changes, a little verbiage change here, a little collection here, a little change in our scheduling and block scheduling, we really truly can actually make your practice so much more profitable. And something I'm very big on, one of our core values is ease.   How can we make this so easy for our practices that the team's excited to implement it, the office is excited, and it gets us the great result of helping more patients? So that would be number one of ways that I think a consultant truly can help you thrive in 2025. Number two, consultants are really able to take the numbers of a business and translate them into action to help your practice grow. So, so many dentists come to us and so many office managers come to us and they have no idea how to read a PNL.   They don't understand what KPI should be. They don't understand how to use the metrics, the numbers of the business as levers in the business of, okay, if we increase this, we can decrease this and we can actually get more of what we're looking for. They have no idea how to do it. And the honest reality is that's okay. You didn't go to dental school to learn business, but a consultant and a really educated consultant can actually help you translate those numbers into action. And so what I'm obsessed with doing is teaching our offices and our leadership teams.   Let's look at the numbers. Let's figure this out. What should our payroll be? What should our supplies be? What should our labs be? How can we make one or two changes? Do we need to increase our production? Do we need to increase our collections? Do we need to decrease our costs? What is it going to be? And then teaching the team, like the leadership team and our doctors to look at the numbers and say, I love numbers and numbers love me. Because when we can look at the numbers and get so obsessed and excited about these numbers of what's our overhead, what's our profitability.   Kiera Dent (13:47.456) What are our metrics and how can we translate this into helping more patients? Teams then start to look at it and put the puzzle pieces together. For me, numbers are just puzzle pieces and like, how can we put the puzzle pieces together to make this incredible practice grow and thrive and be able to serve and help more patients? So it's something I am obsessed about because if we can get this dialed in for them, guess what? They're going to be able to freaking thrive.   They're gonna be able to look at the numbers, but not just looking at the numbers, but taking it into action. So if our overhead's high, what do we need to do? A lot of consultants come in and they want to cut. My goal is to not cut unless we're like overspending on supplies and then all we need to do is put a supply tracker into place and bada bing, bada boom, it's all fixed. People now know how much we can budget. You empower them, you teach them, they fill it in. Our supplies are instantly fixed. Same thing with our lab supplies. They can get fixed very quickly.   So when we look at it and we can just give them the empowerment, give them a simple spreadsheet, give them a simple worksheet, give them the tools and the levers, teams now get excited about it. And I have teams and it was so fun. I was on a call and one of the teams is like, well, we are thinking about this and we're not sure that we want to do this. Cause when we're looking at the numbers, we realize this. And I wanted to cry because when the team is looking at the numbers like a business owner and they're seeing, Hey, do we really need to hire this other employee?   Or is that gonna impact our overhead and could we band together and do we wanna do this? Or is this something that's a nice to have, but not a must have? Or is it, no, this is a must have and if we hire this other person, this is how many more patients we should be able to serve and it should translate into these kinds of goals. And so many people are like, Kiera, there's no freaking way that you could ever get my team to be that way. And I say, try me. Like truly, I'm very confident in what we do because as a team member myself, I didn't understand numbers. As an owner, like.   The most liberating day of my life was when I realized that numbers are a superpower and not something to beat myself with. Like when I realized the numbers are truly the treasure map. Like if I'm looking for the clues to success, look at your numbers, look at where you are. You will literally see what you need to do to be able to move forward. And that's something that I think is so empowering, so inviting. And when we can teach doctors and owners and teams to look at their numbers and turn it into actionable help for your practice.   Kiera Dent (16:03.584) you're able to truly thrive. And now success is not something that just is happenstance. Success is something that's very predictable that you can do. So using your numbers would be number two that I think great consultants can do for you and your team. And then number three that I think a consultant really can help you do. So number one, like we said, was optimizing the efficiencies within your practice, finding those pieces. Number two is translating your numbers into actionable ways to help your practice and getting your whole team to be able to see these numbers of   the yardstick of success of how many patients we're able to help and serve. Number three would be setting and achieving goals. I think setting goals is always tricky. think figuring out projections, I think it's hard when you look at the schedule and you're like, I don't even know what I should set my goals and I wanna take vacations, but I can't take vacations and I'm stuck here and I'm not able to have the family life I want. And I say, again, it's back to the puzzle pieces of numbers and schedules and being able to set realistic goals for your practice. So I tell our offices, I tell my doctors,   I don't care what schedule you want to have. don't care if you want to be off at three o'clock. I don't care if you want to work three days a week. I don't care if you want to take six weeks of vacation, like whatever you want. Let's like just tell me and then let's plug it in and let's figure out how we're able to, to use our practice and use our schedule and use our team in a way that's going to fulfill all the needs and the wants of the practice. It's so doable. And I think that that's what's so fun for me is to set these goals and help practices and teams reach higher potential than they ever imagined that they could have.   I remember getting a text from one of my doctors that we coached and he said, Kiera, when you came into our practice and you set a goal of X amount, this practice, they were producing about 200,000 and we looked at it, we figured out the schedule, we did the block scheduling, we optimized the schedule. Again, going back to the number one, optimizing little areas of efficiency for maximum impact. The doctor said, you came in and you said we should be able to produce 300,000 a month. And the doctor said, I did not believe you for one second.   And he said, and what's crazy is we did 300,000 our first month. did 305 our next month. We did three 10 our third month. And to see them going from 200,000 to 300,000 felt like something that they had never done before. And so helping offices turn dreams into a reality is what lights my freaking soul on fire. Because when I can help you see that like the numbers are there and the schedule is there and all we need to do is bring the pieces together and you're able to have the dream life that you want to have the family time that you want to have the practice that you want.   Kiera Dent (18:21.902) Yes, there areas where we're maybe going to need to make a sacrifice or we realize, can you want to do this? Let's maybe hire an associate or we think outside the box. But really, I believe like my passion is life and my platform is dentistry. And so helping dentists have the life that they want, having teams have the life that they want is where my life, like my life goal and passion is as a consultant because helping so many people achieve this. Like I have doctors and when I met them, we were producing 150 and now we're producing 500,000 a month. And   The reality is that practice did not believe that this would even be possible. And now they're hitting goals and objectives that they never believed were possible. And they're stretching the envelope and they're figuring it out and they're serving more patients and they're helping more patients and they're truly being the dentist that the community chooses. When I see offices having that and the dentist is having their dream life and they're having more free space for admin time in their world and their team, their leadership team is taking it on. That's what I feel like we've made it. We've made it for that office.   When I have another office and they tell me, Kiera, every year you do the projections with us, we take it to our CPA and they laugh at us. I'm like, you've got to be crazy. There's no way you're going to hit those numbers. And every year we hit them and we hit them with success. And they're like, Kiera, it's magic because those are numbers that we never believed we'd be able to do. But you break it down so simply. You help us set these realistic goals. You look at our schedule, you look at our providers, you look at the time, we look at what our team can do. We make sure we put our life forward and what we want to be doing so that way we're living our best selves.   and you help us set and achieve these goals that we never believed were possible. And to me, that setting and achieving the life that you never believed was possible, you always hoped it would be, but we help you achieve that. And so those are three areas that I really feel that consultants can help you either thrive even more or go from surviving to thriving. And like I said, I am so passionate that we built different models for different practices. So if you're a newer practice and you're like, we're just starting out and our budget's not as much, phenomenal, we literally built a program.   that takes you through the systems that you need, that gives you weekly access to consulting where you can literally come on and ask your questions and send your team because I'm so adamant that we're gonna coach your team and we're gonna coach the doctors and we're gonna teach you to take care of you, to have a profitable practice and have systems that are dependable so you have predictable success rather than hoping and wishing for success. So if you're brand new, there's an option for you and there's a great space and our community is so incredible and people just love it.   Kiera Dent (20:44.398) If you're a practices like, we're a little bit beyond the fundamentals. We're not this newer practice. We want to have more one-on-one help within our practice. Phenomenal. We coach your team. do coaching calls with you and we bring you in person to work on your practice and on your life to make sure that you're getting what you need. If you're like, Hey, we want some help in our practice. We want you to come to our office. Amazing. We have options for that because I believe that consulting isn't a one size fits all. I believe that a practice is not a one size fits all. I believe that a life is not one size fits all.   I believe that you know where you want to go. And I believe that with the great coach and a great consultant beside you who's been there, done that and done that successfully over and over and over again, you truly can have whatever you want. And so I just wanted to pop on and give you guys some resources that you're looking at the end of the year, whether it's your best year or whether it was your one of your hardest years, there's solutions. And I truly believe that the greatest people of all time, they have a coach and they have a mentor next to them. They have someone that's going to push them. They have someone who's going to grow them. They have someone who's going to work with them.   someone who's not gonna give up on them when the hard times are there, someone who's gonna guide them, someone who's gonna help their team grow and thrive. And if that's what you're looking for, I'd recommend looking into consulting and seeing, is this an option for you? At Dental A Team, I wanna give you so much value. And so whenever people schedule a call with us, we look at your practice and we give you value. So even if you're not a perfect fit, you're gonna leave with great resources and we're gonna direct you to someone who can help you. If you're a great fit for us and you're someone who's growth minded,   You're someone who's committed to success. You're someone who wants to grow your team and wants to grow you. You're a great fit for Dental A Team. And if you're like, gosh, I just don't even know what consulting is like, I encourage you to just make the call. It's not gonna hurt to get on a call. It's not gonna hurt to figure it out. It's not going to hurt. The pricing can be anywhere from as low as like $12,000 a year, all the way up to 50,000 a year. There's variable pricing throughout, but I promise you every single one of those dollars that you put in is going to come back to you in ROI of systems.   of decreased overhead, of increased profitability of your practice, of better case acceptance, of reduced errors on billing, of higher collections. So it's this crazy thing that it's one of those best investments that's going to give you a guaranteed ROI on your investment. And for me, when I'm looking at investments and I'm looking to see where I should invest my money, investing in my team, investing in myself and investing in a way that's going to give me a guaranteed ROI is where I bank.   Kiera Dent (23:05.548) And so I would invite each of you, if you're thinking about it, if there's consultants that are there that jive with you, check, I gave you guys a way to interview a consultant, to look for them. Do you vibe with them? Have they been there? Have they done that successfully? Have they done it successfully in your shoes? Do they understand your practice? Do they understand your team dynamics? We work all across the nation. We work in rural towns. work in...   the heart of DC, we've got consultants from all over the board, we've got doctors on our our ambassador team that help us with doctor issues, we've got an incredible thriving doctor community that works and helps each other, we have brilliant people that have MBAs and different pieces in business, we have hygienists, we've got dental assistants, we've got regional managers, so the plethora of knowledge within our consulting is insane and so being able to be a part of that community where your questions get answered on a 24-7 basis.   We have direct access to consultants who know how to grow you and your practice. We're able to truly grow and grow with everybody that's around you and you're around like-minded people because I believe that proximity is power. And when you're around people that are thriving and you're around people that are succeeding and you're able to pick their brains and be able to learn from them, that's how we elevate. I purposely joined Tony Robbins highest level of consulting because I wanted to be around those people. And what's crazy is every time I'm around them, I grow and evolve to the next level because they share tips with me.   They inspire me. I ask them how they're doing things and they share. And that's what we've created for dentists. So if you want to be a part of it, I'd love to have you reach out. [email protected]. Go on our website, TheDentalATeam.com, book a call, whatever it is. But whatever you choose to do this year, invest in you. Invest and commit that 2025 is not going to be happenstance success. It's going to be guaranteed success. Let's find a way to get you that guaranteed success. And whether it's us, another consulting company, another ROI,   I don't care what you choose, but make sure you do something different to ensure success for 2025 rather than hope for it. These are three ways that a consultant can help you go from thriving to even higher or from surviving to thriving, whatever end of the spectrum you're on, whatever it is, there's a solution for you. I think check our egos. It's hard. It's hard to ask for help, but it's one of the greatest things. And once you enter the world, you realize no one's there to judge, especially in Dental A Team. My rules are no judgment. Come as you are, show up, add more value.   Kiera Dent (25:20.566) and make sure that you're committed to getting success and that we don't give excuses. If that's who you are, come, come and be a part of it. I'd love to have you. And if I can help in any way, always reach out. [email protected]. This is your life. This is your practice. Your team needs you. You need you. Your patients need you and you deserve the best of the best. So go for it. Let's make 2025 the best it can be. And as always, thanks for listening. I'll catch you next time on the Dental A Team Podcast.

Tiff and Britt discuss what the end of 2024 should ideally look like as far as fee schedule analyses and negotiations. They touch on comparisons within your area, the right percentile to aim for, when to send out negotiation letters and requests, and more. Episode resources: Reach out to Tiff and Britt Tune Into DAT’s Monthly Webinar Practice Momentum Group Consulting Subscribe to The Dental A-Team podcast Become Dental A-Team Platinum! Review the podcast Transcript: The Dental A Team (00:01.871) Hello, Dental A Team We are back at you again. I have Britt back with me today. We have some fun stuff to talk about and I'm excited for it. Britt think you are fantastic. You're a fantastic brain and I love picking your brain. So thank you for allowing me to do that. And we talked a lot of clinical recently and now I'm like switching your brain because I want to talk business side.   Britt (00:02.536) you   The Dental A Team (00:29.684) great at everything, but those two are like your powerhouse specialties. Always hygiene because you're hygienist by trade and by heart. But the business piece comes still naturally to you too. So I'm excited for today's topic. But what is something I'm totally making this up you guys so it's nervous now.   Britt (00:48.887) I'll say one while you think about it. I'm like, Tiff is very generous. Tiff has a brain too. That's why we're nerdy consultants guys. Like these are the things we talk about with each other all the time.   The Dental A Team (00:59.801) That's so true. That's so true. Thank you. That was very true. We're like, guess what happened? Did you know? What is something that you're excited for, for yourself or Dental A Team, like in the professional world we'll say, for this quarter? What's something you're excited for?   Britt (01:03.189) you   huh.   Britt (01:24.503) excited. I'll tell you what, I love our group that we have going.   One, we've got quite a few people that are hitting their best months ever. So that's super fun. And I'm just excited for that group over there and all the things they're going to accomplish over this next quarter. Because it's just fun. It's a fun, like I get to interact with them every single week. And it's just such a good time for me that I'm excited for them to end their year super strong over there.   The Dental A Team (01:54.958) I agree. I agree. I think the doctor community in general that we've been able to create this year and the momentum that they've got going on over there has been so incredible. We've got the two different communities. For those of you who are with our, I'm going to say practice with our company on the group coaching level with Britt that you guys are thinking that you're speaking of now, it's freaking exploding over there. And those doctors are seeing some massive improvements and it's just so cool to see them.   talking to because I think that's something just in nature that we need naturally as human beings is we need that like family space and they say it takes a village, right? They tell you it takes a village to raise a kid. It takes a village to do anything. We are meant to be in groups and not siloed. And in dentistry, it's so easy to silo ourselves. And I agree. I agree. I think that is a space of excitement this year.   I love it. I wanted to see what you would say. I'm excited for that as well. And I'm excited to see what's on the horizon for 2025 for the Dental A Team and excited to see who's going to come on that journey with us. And hopefully all of you guys are coming on that podcasting journey with us. You can anticipate that this podcast will forevermore be here as far as we can see. We love delivering this content to you guys. We love being able to reach you in this way.   And we hope that you have found benefits in it, that you share it, that you tell your friends, because we know, again, it takes a village. we love hearing stories of sharing. We love hearing stories of this podcast. Help me so much. I sent it to my friend. And just to remember you guys, like our mission is to get as much information out into the dental world as we possibly can and reach as many of you as we can. And it takes you to help us with that. So share these as they become.   your favorites and so helpful in your lives and then share with us too anything that you feel like we could do more of anything any topics or things that you want more of we do pre -schedule these and that is on my to -do list so if you've got ideas I'm here for them.   Britt (04:04.267) you know who to tell you say, Tiff, we want more of this. And she will, with consultants, help us pick out some awesome topics.   The Dental A Team (04:07.649) Yes.   The Dental A Team (04:11.694) Yes, yes, it's one of my favorite things to do. So I'm super excited. Today, I really want to talk about rounding out the end of the year and what that could look like as far as fee analysis, fee schedule analysis, negotiations, all of those pieces, we're getting asked to kind of those questions right now. And I think it's a really great topic to just spread the information on. And if you're waiting longer than like October, November timeframe to get started on this, kudos to you hats off, it's going to be   going to be a busy road. But October, November timeframe is really when I start pushing clients to start looking at these pieces so that next year we can set you up for a win when it comes to your fees, when it comes to your goals, when it comes to what we're able to accomplish, making sure that we're super set up right away to get into a good group. So these schedule analysis and negotiation.   Britt, I know you do a ton of this and you work with practices all across the nation that are doing this and in your group calls right now, a lot of this is coming up. So what do you feel like is the number one space to start with when it comes to fee schedule analysis and negotiation? Now, I think a lot of practices arbitrarily are like, I want to negotiate fees and like, how do I do that? And like, there's so many parts and pieces you could start anywhere, but where do you have your practices start?   from the get go to get on the path of getting this done.   Britt (05:36.395) Yeah, this is a question that actually like it just came up this. Because we have a new client that just like finally closed on a practice and so they're getting into the practice. And so it's like, all right, well, we need to look at things and it's a little older practice. They're going to be transitioning a lot of stuff to upgrade and update it. And fees will be one of those things that they need to look at. And I think the first thing is knowing how your fees compare to like fees in the area.   So kind of where do we land? Are we low? Are we like in the higher? Are we right in the middle and starting to see where we're at right now compared to our area? Cause everywhere is going to be a little bit different. so that's the first thing that I would start with, cause that's going to help you to know how much do we need? Like, are we behind? Do we need to start increasing and maybe a little bit more, you know, a higher of a percentage than someone else who's already in like the 90, 90 plus percentile?   So that would be my first step for you.   The Dental A Team (06:36.475) I totally agree. Now you mentioned percentile. On the majority, what do you recommend that they should be at? Because I know it kind of differs. It's kind of all over the place. But if you were to give like a flat rate percentage for majority of the procedures, what should that percentile look like?   Britt (06:52.663) Yeah, and I want practices to be up at like, I want us to be practices that are providing right really high quality, which all our clients do right. And so I really do want them to be in that like, top 25 % is usually my marker somewhere in that top 25, if not 80 % or higher. And just so that we're staying on top of it. And we know entrance always lags. And so I'm like,   Let's not be crazy high, but let's be at the top and let's keep pushing things forward as far as insurance reimbursements go as well. Because that's another thing, if we don't ever look at our fees and our fees stay low, guess what? Insurance companies go off of that and they say, hey, out of all our doctors, we're paying pretty well if we never increase our fees. So we want to make sure that we stay competitive and that we keep driving things in the right direction while still being fair to our patients.   The Dental A Team (07:44.308) Yeah, I love that. I agree. think something that we forget in dentistry is that we are not the only dental practice. Number one, not that we forget that because there's one on every corner, but the fact that what you're putting out there, what you're sending to the insurance company is impacting dentistry as a whole. So as people don't increase their fees and they don't change them and they stay okay with a $600 reimbursement or a $600 fee for a crown with a   $250 reimbursement as they stay okay with that over the years, it makes it more difficult for anyone to get the increases. And then all of a sudden this doctor that's been getting $600 for a crown is like, what the heck? Why am I upside down? And why do they pay so little? And I'm like, well, you said it's okay. You didn't change your fees. You've universally said this is what I'm worth for my crown. So I think that's a great reminder.   And on that just making sure too that in the back of the system, there's always a little button that says your UCR fees go to your insurance companies. I don't need to go on the ledger always because that's a write off and it's like extra work and that's human error availability. So while I'm not saying to put it always on the ledger that way, you can ensure that your UCR fees are going to insurances just so that it's in their system. They're constantly seeing it. They're constantly seeing that $400 write off.   for the crown or whatever that might be. So I do love that. So getting a fee analysis, well, looking at your fees, number one, then you said, be in that percentile, get those comparisons. Now that comparison needs to be done yearly. And I know a couple of practices that are like, I did it like two years ago, three years ago, I'm fine. If you're not doing it every year, you have that space to fall backwards. And I don't know about you, but I have never seen a space where   inflation falls backwards or doesn't happen. So if we're not looking at our fees, inflation is still happening. So two, three years, you've had two, three years of inflation stacking on you that you haven't looked at your fees and changed them, increase them or negotiated. getting that fee schedule comparison of your local area practices near you is going to be really, really important. You can hire companies that do it for you.   The Dental A Team (10:04.31) But I also know a lot of Patterson and Henry Schein reps, those people that are, you know, you're ordering your supplies from, they can usually grab one of those pretty quickly and pretty easily for you. So check with those reps as well. And I would surely get your this year's analysis in preparation for 2025. So once you have that analysis, you see where you're at, you're like, gosh, okay, my UCR, my usual and customary rates can increase here, here and here, we kind of   I don't know, I go through them. And when I was an office manager, I'd sit down with my doctor and we'd go through them almost procedure by procedure to look for it. You're looking for like reds, right? I'm looking for like, this is really out of line. Sometimes I'm changing my wings by $2 or an exam by $3. Sometimes it's only a dollar to get in line, but doing it procedure by procedure really is helpful. So you've got that fee schedule analysis, you're updating it, you're going through it. And then what? What's   what's next? You're like, cool, I know what I need to do. Now how do I get other people to believe me that this is what I'm worth and get these insurance companies paying more?   Britt (11:10.261) Yeah, and I want to make one quick plug. You mentioned on making sure we're clicking the little button that our fees are going out to insurance companies. Guys, that's like a strong recommendation. It's almost like I have to because what happens if we're not is fees can change and insurance might be paying more. But if you're not submitting your office fee and you're submitting what you thought their fee was, they're going to keep paying the lower fee.   The Dental A Team (11:23.029) Cheers.   Britt (11:37.471) And also a plug for just like evaluating. I know I've seen some practices where I know that that insurance actually pays a higher fee for the service than you're charging as your office fee. And it's a like generally insurance covered procedure. So you're missing out on so much because you're keeping that fee so low. So just a couple of plugs for like the reason why you do it. Those are some of the reasons as it's completely fair. And I know some doctors, right, get afraid of, you know,   Well, I don't want to increase it. Or some that have a lot of cash paying patients, which is totally understandable. And that can be a factor in deciding how quickly you start to increase things. But when you start to get it on a track of consistently evaluating where your fees are and every year making some sort of increase, and even if it's on your financial policies that you have a line in there that's like, know, fees are like,   may change over time and if you're doing a big increase, I don't like to cause alarm where alarm is not due. So it can be, hey, you know, on all our treatment plans, make sure we've got a disclaimer if it's good for 30 days, whatever it may be for fees. So when we update them, we honor whatever it is we plan to honor. And then we have a line in there that also says that fees can change, you know, or fees may change. So it's only guaranteed for a certain amount of time.   The Dental A Team (12:43.104) Thank you.   Britt (13:03.147) And that guarantee is not what insurance is gonna pay. That guarantee is just what our fees are that we're charging out. So as long as we have some of those things in place ahead of time, then when we go and increase them, guess what? You go and increase them. And when patients have questions, then you can let them know just like everybody else out there in every other business, right? Our fees will increase over time. We all know, we've all lived in the past.   couple of years and seeing what's happened with inflation so it shouldn't be a surprise that just like every other industry out there that the dental practice is going to increase their fees over time as well.   The Dental A Team (13:41.662) I completely agree. I completely agree. think you said something really important there of like, making sure that you're honoring what you said and making sure that you're saying everything you need to. And I know, even when I was treatment coordinating and treatment planning patients at the end of the year, that was part of my spiel. Like that was part of what I would say is, I don't know what your insurance is going to decide to do next year. And they may decide not to cover this at all. They may increase the rate so it increases your out of pocket.   And even if you're out of out of benefits now, like it's never going to be less than it is today. The rates are never going to go down. So at the end of the year, it's definitely something that we can utilize in conversation, but always having those, those caveats of this is good for 30 days or 60 days or 45, whatever it is that your practice has decided. And then honoring those as you move forward, as those changes happen. I know that's a scarcity mindset for a lot of people.   not just doctors, but even the billing coordinators or the office managers who have to make those changes of like, what are my patients gonna say? What are my patients gonna think? And when we really add it up on a re -care appointment, it typically is less than $10 increase when you go through everything line item by line item. And to me, that's a Starbucks drink. And so it's like, can you allocate a Starbucks drink for me every six months?   to make sure that you're getting the services that you deserve in the amount of time you deserve. Because what happens if we don't increase our fees, we don't change how we're doing things and how we're being reimbursed, we have to do more in less time. So if we don't ever increase our fees, now we're like, shoot, it's not paying for itself. My hygienist now has to do 40 minute appointments or 50 minute appointments instead of 60 so that we can add another patient every day.   to get the reimbursement that we need. Or we stay up with the times we figure out what our fees should be. We ask for the increases from insurance companies and we get paid what we should, you guys. That is, I am so strong on that. That is like not even a soft suggestion. That is a strong must. Get paid what you deserve to be paid. And your fees will reflect that. It'll reflect where you're at. If you feel like a $600 crown is what you deserve,   The Dental A Team (16:07.226) then do a $600 crown. I don't I have no qualms about what you decide. Your crown is valued out or whatever procedure it is. I'm just begging you to ensure that you're always staying up to date because the things you want to do with your practice, the things you want to do for your team depend on the money that's coming in that depends on your revenue. And your happiness and your life depends on the revenue of the   practice and these are easy ways to ensure that you're constantly growing and creating a space that you actually want to live in. So I will always advocate for that and I will always be the push potentially that you guys need and I think Brit is in alignment with that. So once you have those fees, once you've come to terms with it and you guys, if you need help with verbiage by the way, and this one little podcast didn't do it for you, reach out to us. Hello @ The Dental A Team .com.   Instagram, we're on Instagram all the time. We have our Facebook, we have our Facebook groups, we've got our doctor communities, like reach out to us wherever level you need to and we will help you with all of that. We love that stuff. Burbage is my jam. Communication is my jam. Once you've got those fees in alignment, you need to send out negotiation letters. You need to send out the request to the insurance companies. It's gonna be a very rare occasion. I've personally never seen it. An insurance company is like, hey, guess what? Merry Christmas.   I'm upping your fees next year, congratulations. Sometimes you might get, I would get EOBs that I'm like, we got paid a dollar extra on this exam. Apparently our fee changed. Sometimes they will just gift it to you, but it's never going to be anything extravagant and it's never going to be anything that's going to get you to the percentile that you're actually looking for if you're not asking for it. So those negotiation letters and those requests, Britt, when do you suggest they start sending those and what's that process look like that?   that you've worked with clients and kind of worked through that with them.   Britt (18:03.509) Yeah, so with that...   like starting to evaluate your fees now, right? And start sending those things. like end of year, third, fourth quarter is a good time to go ahead and do it. So then you can start implementing those things in January, right? So that would be the nice thing. It's nice when you have a set time that you usually do it. Because also when you increase those fees, right? Treatment plans, if we have a 30, 60 day guarantee, whatever it may be, then, you know, those patients come back, even if it's already signed, we, it's   It's very easy for us to know when we need to update treatment plans just systematically for the team. And then it comes down to sending a letter. So usually it's a letter, but you can always contact your insurance company and say, hey, right?   What do I need to do in order to go ahead and submit for an increase in fees and they can inform you of what that process is. There's also companies out there that help to do it for you if you want to go that route as well. So it depends on, you know, either on your own, find out what the process is with the insurance company, the correct apartment to contact.   what form it needs to go in and then also reach out to a company if you kind of want to see what their process is and what that would look like. I'll have some tips and tricks. I'll just caution. Sometimes they'll talk about going in an umbrella plan to get some better fees. There's pros and cons to it. That might be a thing for another time, but just know there's pros and cons and understand what that would mean for the office because it's a little bit more administrative effort being under an umbrella plan and making sure   Britt (19:34.463) plans and network with us than just being directly contracted with an insurance company.   The Dental A Team (19:39.515) Totally. That was a really good caveat to mention. I think of fee negotiations the same as I think of signing up with insurances, Like credentialing with insurances, decredentialing, negotiating fees. It's all a very similar process. And in that process, it takes a lot of follow -up. So making sure   Whenever you start, usually say just like Britt said, fourth quarter, like October, November timeframe, I really want to be through the thick of that by the time next year comes so that I get that renewal right away. And it's not lingering into February, March or April, but now I'm making changes on things. I really like it to be clean at the beginning of the year. So October, November timeframe and those follow ups are, are crucial. That's where I think these companies come in really handy.   Especially at the end of the year, we're really busy. So we don't have a dedicated someone that can add that to their schedule. That's where I would lean on that or I don't know, virtual assistants, things like that too, that can do that kind of follow up for you to ensure that these letters are being received. They're being put into action just the same as a claim you guys. It's all the same insurance is the same no matter what you're sending them, whatever the piece of paper is that you're sending them electronically or on paper, it's all processing about the same. So it's gonna get   received and they're like, that's cool. And then they're to be like, let's see if they really care. Do they really want this thing to happen? Do they really want this provider credential? Do they really want to get paid more? And they're going to like let it sit there. So a lot of follow up that goes into that, but make sure you get it done. Timeline is now. If you need help with that, if you need ideas, if you're looking for a company that might help.   Reach out. We've got a couple of different people that we recommend and that we work very closely with that we've loved over the years. Hello @ The Dental A Team .com. Or if you need a quick like checklist, we've also got all of those always available. So just let us know. Now, action items because we never leave without action items, whether it's a coaching call, an event, or a podcast, you will always have some sort of action items coming to you. So Britt, help me round this out. We need fee schedule comparison.   Britt (21:38.828) you   Britt (21:50.091) Yep, so make sure you do analysis with your area, right? So evaluate your fees. Yep.   The Dental A Team (21:50.167) I'm from a company in Europe.   The Dental A Team (21:55.166) Yep. Then we're gonna percentile it, we're gonna get in that higher percentile. So I think for me, I would say get the fee schedule analysis, evaluate, do your UCR, and do your negotiations kind of simultaneously. I give a deadline, Britt, do you do you agree with my deadline of having your fees, your UCR, usual and customary rates updated by January 15, no matter what next year, have somebody dedicated to it. So somebody is pulling and asking for fee schedule analysis now.   You're comparing that fee schedule analysis to your current fees. You're sending out negotiation letters to your insurances you're contracted with and you're getting your rates increased by January 15th, no matter what, do or die. Yeah.   Britt (22:38.389) Yep, and I want to add to this just in case you've got some people where you haven't done this before, increasing your fees is not dependent on your insurance fee negotiations. like implement though, that can move forward. Like that piece, whatever you decide on your increases, that can go into play for your office fees. While even if it's not by January 15th, we're still working on getting those negotiations done.   The Dental A Team (23:02.467) Good call. Good call. Thanks for seeing through that. All right, you guys, you've got your actions, you've got your tips, your tricks, if you need more, if you need clarifications, whatever it may be, I'm telling you, I say this every time we are honestly here for you. So reach out. Hello @ The Dental A Team .com drop us a review down low five stars are always appreciated. And we like to know that this was very helpful for you. Give us a share.   Britt (23:05.601) You   The Dental A Team (23:24.049) and give us a download, whatever that looks like so that you can make sure that your other friends in the dental community know to get this done as well. So we're here for you. We love you all. Thank you, Britt, for being here with me today and for helping me through that analysis situation. You're fantastic. All right, everyone. Of course, I will always have you. All right, everyone. Have a great rest of your day. I hope you go listen to other podcasts on here. We do have other ones that...   Britt (23:39.339) Thanks for having   The Dental A Team (23:49.468) relate back to this and back to some of the stories I talked about today. So enjoy your day. We will catch you next time.

Kiera and Britt are joined by Dr. Renae Sweeney, a dentist in South Florida who put in a lot of work to make her practices stand out. The three discuss how she was able to effectively find her client base, the importance of staying confident in your goals, and more. Episode resources: Follow Dr. Sweeney on Instagram! Reach out to Tiff, Britt, and Dana Tune Into DAT’s Monthly Webinar Practice Momentum Group Consulting Subscribe to The Dental A-Team podcast Become Dental A-Team Platinum! Review the podcast Transcript: Kiera Dent (00:00.862) Hello, Dental A Team listeners. This is Kiera and today is just a super fun day. I have two people on here today. I have Dr. Renae Sweeney. You may have seen her on social media. You may know Rafiki. You may know her birds. You may just see her as one of the funniest people on Instagram. And we have the one and only No BS, Stone coming on today. I'll start with Britt. How are you doing today, Britt? Welcome.   Britt (00:24.645) I mean, I'm great. I'm excited to be here. I love when you share my nicknames now with clients since Dr. Sweeney is one of my clients that I get to work with. So you're welcome, Dr. Sweeney. Now you know what my nickname is.   Kiera Dent (00:31.874) Ha ha.   Kiera Dent (00:35.244) you   Dr. Renae Sweeney (00:36.044) Yes, I love it. love it. No, super excited to be here with you guys. Thank you. Thank you.   Kiera Dent (00:39.221) And dr. Sweeney welcome. Yeah, we're so excited Like I love you. I don't know as much about you because Britt has worked with you guys for so many years you and Soon to be hubby, right soon to be   Dr. Renae Sweeney (00:49.033) Yes, yes.   Dr. Renae Sweeney (00:54.355) No, he's so is that it's actually a little bit confusing. So we've actually been married for three years, but we are finally doing our wedding this year. So I know it's like a little bit confusing because yes, we're we're having our wedding actually in six weeks. Funny enough. But yes, we've been married for three years already, which is crazy.   Kiera Dent (01:02.249) Okay   Kiera Dent (01:09.398) That's amazing. Okay, so married we've been like Britt has worked with you and your husband we can now say husband but like wedding that's exciting. That's gonna be so fun. So I thought it'd just be fun to like bring both of you on. I want to know all about your bird like everybody I think I want to know some about your social media. But I thought it'd be really fun for you and Britt to kind of go on like a little walk of like how you guys were how you guys met Britt told me that she loves working with you and   Dr. Renae Sweeney (01:17.706) Yes.   Dr. Renae Sweeney (01:30.73) Mm -hmm.   Kiera Dent (01:35.82) Dr. Molina because you guys are truly like a dynamite couple. You're willing to try everything. You guys have grown so much. You've gone from one practice to two practices looking for a third. So Britt, I'm going to kind of let you like jump in and guide and navigate on some ways too. But really, I think it's just going to be fun of like, let's go on like a walk down memory lane of what are some of the things you guys have done to get to this level. And Renae, you're so fun. Like you're so happy and so vibrant and yet you guys have a lot going on. So I will kind of turn it to Britt.   Dr. Renae Sweeney (01:36.64) Yes.   Dr. Renae Sweeney (01:43.478) Mm -hmm. Mm -hmm.   Dr. Renae Sweeney (01:58.923) Thank   Kiera Dent (02:02.348) Have fun, let's do a little walk down memory lane and of course I'm gonna interject because I'm gonna have a ton of questions.   Dr. Renae Sweeney (02:06.879) Yeah.   Britt (02:07.97) Well, the fun thing of the walk down memory lane, I think is that I worked with Dr. Molina first, right? And one location and Dr. Sweeney, you were still, think, working somewhere else, right?   Dr. Renae Sweeney (02:14.547) Yes.   Dr. Renae Sweeney (02:20.489) Yeah, so when we when we bought the first practice, I was still working actually like at a corporate office. So I've kind of been in my background, worked for a nonprofit, worked for private practice, worked for corporate offices all before I like we bought a second location, which is the location that I'm mainly at. So yes, you did start with kind of like him on the side. So I was like in that but kind of indirectly in it. But yes, so which is crazy, because I think it's been like over three years now, which is wild.   Kiera Dent (02:49.068) I just remember calling Dr. Molina one day. Like we were just having a conversation. He's like, what on earth? Amazon just threw a package in our pool. Like that was literally like the conversation I had with him and it feels so telling of his personality. You guys are in Florida. You're in a very saturated area, which I love because you found success in a saturated area, but you've been behind the scenes. You bought a practice that was mostly Spanish speaking and I'm sure your Spanish was like not quite there yet. So.   Dr. Renae Sweeney (03:00.545) Yes.   Yes.   It was.   Dr. Renae Sweeney (03:11.73) Yes. yeah.   Kiera Dent (03:15.33) That's a fun, like, hey, let's treat these patients and not even be able to sell to them. Cool. So anyway, Britt, keep going. I'm excited. It's like fun things about both of you. Very entertaining couple for sure.   Dr. Renae Sweeney (03:19.282) Yes, yes.   Britt (03:26.565) They are 100%. I love them. And I love that now I get to work with both of them. Because once we had practice number one, when practice number two came into play, that's when Dr. Sweeney and I got to connect a little bit more to where I got to start working with both practices and her one -on -one. Sometimes I get to see both of them when we like hop on calls together and they're in the same place. But it's been fun having second location. know they've got big dreams and aspirations, which I think Dr. Sweeney can tell us a little bit more about. But I do.   Dr. Renae Sweeney (03:33.563) Okay.   Dr. Renae Sweeney (03:41.799) Mm -hmm.   Britt (03:55.525) love working with them because I think you both were pretty clear on where you want to go from the beginning, right? Like, you know where you want to go practice wise. Dr. Molina has been big on making sure we get all the systems into play. So like, know we're going to be doing this more. So let's make sure we've got things in play. And then it's been fun because now you've got another practice that you're working on. You've transitioned, stabilizing, agreed with Kiera. It's like you're in an area where, you know, you know that there's competition and you guys are creative and get out there. And Kiera, I'll add.   Dr. Renae Sweeney (04:00.391) Thanks.   Dr. Renae Sweeney (04:06.812) Mm -hmm. Right.   Dr. Renae Sweeney (04:22.362) Mm   Britt (04:24.975) I know that Dr. Sweeney is working on her Spanish, so like, who's getting there?   Dr. Renae Sweeney (04:27.336) Yes, it's funny because now I'm like, have patients now who like have stayed with the practice, know, since prior to me purchasing or acquiring the office till now. And I just had a patient the other day who was like, my gosh, you're like, you're doing so well. Like you sound like you're fluent in Spanish now, which I am by no means like actually fluent. But yeah, it's I always tell people I'm like, careful what you wish for. Because I always used to say like years ago,   Kiera Dent (04:28.608) Hola!   Kiera Dent (04:48.589) you   Dr. Renae Sweeney (04:53.841) before I ever really knew like where I would end up or how things would be. I was said that I wanted to learn Spanish more and I was like, be careful what you wish for. Cause I got exactly what I wish for unknowingly with it. But yeah, so it's, it's been a work in progress, but it's awesome. I love it. And it's, as you said, it's a very unique area that we're in South Florida and like Miami, like as a whole is just very, very different. And I think the unique part about learning Spanish here, I was so impatient. This is that it's not just one type of Spanish because you have people who are from Venezuela,   Kiera Dent (05:02.056) Hahaha   Dr. Renae Sweeney (05:23.736) Puerto Rico, Colombia, Cuba, like you have so many different dialects of it. So for me, I have to like learn a word like six different ways in Spanish, but my patients are awesome about it. My staff is bilingual and awesome about it. So like they've helped me so much. And it's something that like, it's just another like challenge that I get to take on, but it was definitely like a big challenge having to overcome as a new dentist coming out, buying a practice and finding out like.   Kiera Dent (05:32.778) you   Dr. Renae Sweeney (05:49.358) in the process of it that it was such a heavily Spanish speaking practice as someone who is not fluent in Spanish and really at the time didn't really speak Spanish at all. But I think it just goes to show that if you're willing to put in the effort and the time, how much you really can, what you can do and the challenges you can overcome and really, it's just so much, so many things are possible if you're just willing to take the time and learn and dedicate towards it.   Kiera Dent (06:14.744) So like dive into that a little more for me, Dr. Sweeney. I am dying to know like, what do you guys do differently from your perspective? Obviously like with Britt's help and with different things you guys have done, like what do you feel has been like some key pieces to your success or how do you get that grit? Cause I think a lot of people would have been like, I'm not signing on the dotted line on this practice or I'm going to give up on this. Like it's a saturated market. It feels like you don't allow yourself excuses. So kind of walk me through like, what are some of the things that you feel have really set you guys up to be as successful as you've been?   Dr. Renae Sweeney (06:21.391) Mm -hmm.   Dr. Renae Sweeney (06:35.907) Right.   Dr. Renae Sweeney (06:43.906) Right. So in the process of ours, it was definitely unique. Like you don't know what you don't know. Right. So, I mean, even in the process of getting that office, there were so many things that we were still learning. Because yes, we already had one practice on our belt. But again, every practice acquisition, every practices, it's just different. You're dealing with different owners, sellers, brokers. Like there's just so many different key parts that are.   It's different in every single deal and even that we're seeing as we're looking for a third practice now. So we really didn't know up until right before closing, basically, most of our documents and things were kind of said and done that we found out that it was portrayed to us that it was, there was obviously Spanish speaking patients, which is just a very normal thing in South Florida across the board. Most places that you work at, they want you to be bilingual. that was, I figured that was, we were gonna have that, but it wasn't until really closing that we found out.   out that it was such a high majority of the office was Spanish speaking, which   I remember after we met with the owner that day, because it was different in this deal that we didn't really meet the owner until at the very end. So more or less, unfortunately, the broker kind of misled us a little bit. again, this is, you know, just comes with I'm sure you guys have seen a lot with just different practices, you deal with different people. Right. So I remember we went home after that meeting and we kind of looked at each other and we're like, what do we do? You know, and I remember I was very panicked because I'm like, I don't I'm not fluent in Spanish. Like, should we do this? Should we not? You know, and then we kind of ultimately made the decision that we're like, you know, it's   a good opportunity. You I'm willing to learn the Spanish, like all of the staff is bilingual. And for anybody who's from South Florida, they will know that like Miami versus where we are in Broward County, it's about 30 minutes like north.   Dr. Renae Sweeney (08:25.076) Yes, you have patients who speak Spanish, but it's slightly different. There are patients who know more English. It's just a little bit different environment. So was like, I think we can navigate it. think we can do this. And I had said, I always wanted to learn Spanish more. I was already kind in the process of trying. So was like, you know what? This is going to be my push that it's sink or swim. Like really, it truly is. And that's how it is with owning your own business, having your own company, your own office. Is that way anyway, that it really is like sink or swim. Like you have to just learn how to figure it out. And I was like, okay, this is just another challenge. We're going to take it on. So definitely, I think we made it a little bit   harder for myself in the process, but long term I'm super grateful for it because like I said, it's just a very unique environment that we get to be in. I get to be a part of a community that...   is different from what I grew up with, is different from what I, you know, was a part of before. And it was something that I wanted to be a part of and wanted to understand more about. And I just love it. My patients have been super great in the process of like, I've never had anyone be upset with me of getting something wrong. If anything, I think they like try to help me more with learning. And they're like super proud when they come back and they're like, my gosh, you're doing so well with your Spanish. You're able to do this. And for me, I always tell people like, sure, could I get away with not speaking Spanish and relying on my staff? Absolutely. But like for me,   Kiera Dent (09:30.05) I   Dr. Renae Sweeney (09:37.854) personally that was a big thing because i'm like then i now lose a different level of connection with my patients and again i know people who do that i came from an office where the per se owner didn't speak spanish and we were in a very predominantly spanish speaking area so you can definitely get away with that but for me i was like you know i don't want to lose that aspect of it and i know that it's something that like i can do again it's just   have to dedicate the time and effort will i ever be at that point where i'm fully fluent probably not at this point hopeful that like we can get close but you know i think it's just one of those things that like when you really are willing to set your mind to it and have a vision for what you want and how you want things to be like you'll just do what it takes to get there no matter how long it takes because more than anything i'm like now we're i'm   little bit more than two years into this office. And I'm like, time is going to go by no matter what. like, if I keep taking steps forward and keep dedicating the time and effort, whether that's to learning Spanish, whether that's to our systems or, or to, you know, the vision that we have for these offices, like you're going to get there eventually. And before, know, like, it might not be as fast as I want it to be, but it's   when you look back in time, like you get there and then for other people, they're like, my gosh, this happened so fast, you know, so we oftentimes, I think things feel with progression. I'm sure you guys can even feel that way, you know, with your own businesses is that progression sometimes feels a lot slower to us as we're in it and we're doing it day to day. But you know,   in the long run when we look at other people, it's easy to think that success happens so fast for them. So very long -winded response of all of that. But all that is to just say is that's how I think we try to look at everything with our practices, is that just taking steps forward and towards our dedicated goal every single day, you're gonna get there eventually, and you just have to stick with it, knowing that things are gonna be up and down with stuff, but just stick towards it, and you will get there.   Kiera Dent (11:03.776) Mm -hmm. I like it.   Kiera Dent (11:16.842) Mm   Kiera Dent (11:22.594) Totally. Yeah, no, think kudos to you. I think that shows like your guys' entrepreneurial spirit, the grit. And I just had a conference and Tony Robbins said, people overestimate what they're going to be able to accomplish in a year and underestimate what they're going to be able to accomplish in a decade. And I really think that that's lovely because I think so many people, it's hard. Like you can think like, I'll be fluent in Spanish in a year, but like maybe in a decade, you're actually going to be super fluent within this.   Dr. Renae Sweeney (11:28.537) Mm   Dr. Renae Sweeney (11:38.555) Yes.   Dr. Renae Sweeney (11:45.357) Mm -hmm. Yeah   Kiera Dent (11:50.402) And like, look how far you've come in two years and this patient base, but also like looking at your, which I didn't really give into your bio of like you were a previous bar fit, hit fitness instructor. You taught classes throughout dental school. Then you taught it while you were in your first practice. You also are a former D1 dance team. You have your degree. You have like three Instagram accounts. So it's not just one, but three. And I'm sure with every other child and animal or whatever you choose to add to your life.   Dr. Renae Sweeney (11:52.475) Mm -hmm.   Dr. Renae Sweeney (12:04.827) Mm -hmm.   Dr. Renae Sweeney (12:18.247) Mwahahahaha   Kiera Dent (12:19.778) They'll probably have their own page too. But I think also like some people might look at that and be like, my gosh, she's her. But I'm like, no, what I love about you and the reason I wanted you on the podcast is because I feel like you have this grit and determination, but I feel it's because you have this guiding star of where you want to go. How did you get so clear on your vision of where you wanted to go? Like, was it just innate? Did you say like, this is the goal we're going for? Did you unravel, be like, all right, this is what our life's going to be? How did you get so confident on your goals of where you're headed?   Dr. Renae Sweeney (12:31.587) Mm -hmm.   Mm -hmm.   Dr. Renae Sweeney (12:46.544) Yeah, I that's a great question and side note, I'm like the quote that you said with Tony Robbins is super funny because I actually just put up a post I think like a day or two days ago and I used that in the caption as well. Like the first time, like when I heard that I was like, this is so good. And I actually didn't even realize it was from Tony Robbins, but side note, so that was really funny. Yes, but it's so true, so true. No, it's such a good question. So I think on a lot of different fronts, like if someone had asked me years ago, like I...   Kiera Dent (12:55.681) Hahaha   Yes.   There you go. Now you know. He said it literally at the conference. So there you have it.   Kiera Dent (13:12.12) you   Dr. Renae Sweeney (13:12.963) never thought I would move to Florida, let alone have a monkey, a golden conure, like have multiple practices. So like, I cannot say this is like from a young age, like where I thought I would be, but I think, but a couple of different things, I think for sure, you know, Dr. Molina, give him so like, Raul, I give him so much credit for a lot of things because he truly is.   like such an entrepreneur through and through. And him and I always talk about it. I truly believe that that was like a God given gift for him. So for us, like at the end of the day, our faith is like super, super ingrained into every single thing that we do. So he has a very good vision that we have, you know, has been implanted in him and that we have worked on together and kind of always are continually talking about revisiting.   Where we want things to be where we like see our practices where we see our life where we see different things heading and at the At the base of it. We always say that you know, we have these goals. We have these things in mind But we always come back to like God where do you want us to be? do you want us to land? What is this supposed to look like for us and we very much like follow in accordance to that so like it's truly been a blessing that we've been able to do all that we have and like where we're at in life and we're super super grateful and thankful for it and we always just say that you know, like   whenever we think we want to head towards, like we start aiming and heading towards that. And if it doesn't work, like we know we're going to get turned around and we're going to head back to like the other direction that we're supposed to be in. But yeah, it's something that I think we always keep revisiting that at the core of it. We always say like our mission and our vision for just our offices is that we really want to change the way that people think about going to the dentist and give them an excellent experience across the board. And what that can look like can be super different. I came from a background where   from a young age, it was always very instilled in me of really having a servant's heart of being a part of mission trips, and which, know, throughout high school, college, dental school, and even now, I've been a part of a lot of nonprofit organizations, mission work locally and internationally, and really just at end of the day, it's because we enjoy helping people, and I think a lot of dentists and doctors go into the field for that reason.   Dr. Renae Sweeney (15:21.078) And that's always stayed kind of at like the root of it is that for us, like truly helping people and in dentistry, know, yes, we're treating teeth, we're treating oral health issues, but at end of the day, like you're treating humans. And I think if we can keep that at the, for us, if we can always keep that at the core of what we're doing, like we're always going to strive to create like this great experience for people, no matter what that looks like, because, you know, we're treating a person, we're finding out their story, we're creating that connection. And I think that's what's super important and allows us to   Kiera Dent (15:43.0) Sure.   Dr. Renae Sweeney (15:51.272) no matter how much things might change as we're going throughout time that always keeps us rooted in where we want to be and in what that looks like is because we're always coming back to that and what our true mission and vision is. And that being said, through that, whether it's two practices that we have or a dozen practices or what locations we're in, all of that are, I think, to...   Kiera Dent (15:59.936) Mm -hmm. Totally.   Dr. Renae Sweeney (16:19.457) to our vision in all of that. that's something that like, yes, we always just come back to and we try to keep at the core of it. But, you we do monthly meetings, we do weekly meetings with our staff to always continue to check in to see like, okay, this is where we want to be. Like, are we heading towards that? Are we taking steps towards it? Because it's very easy to say like, this is my dream. This is what I want to accomplish. But if you don't have natural check -ins and things that, you know, we're constantly revisiting or even, you know, meetings with Brittany where we're...   Kiera Dent (16:34.52) Sure.   Dr. Renae Sweeney (16:44.949) you know, on a monthly basis, always checking in, like, how are things going? Like, is this where we want to be? What do we need to do to get there? Because if you're not, it's very easy to completely veer the other way. And then you get over here and wonder, how did I get over here when really I wanted to be over here? Right. But it's like, you have to constantly take steps and do those check -ins to evaluate, like, am I actually taking steps closer or farther away from where we're trying to end up?   Kiera Dent (17:07.41) Exactly. No, and I'm so glad you said that. And I actually, I want to actually pivot to Britt because I think so many people have visions and they're lofty and they're like excited and gone home. What I love about you is it does feel core. It feels like this is your core. You want to serve people. You want to help people. You guys have such entrepreneurial spirit, but I think like entrepreneurial spirit without systems and check -ins is pure chaos. So I'm super curious to Britt as a consultant who's watched this incredible dynamic couple grow.   Dr. Renae Sweeney (17:22.346) Mm -hmm.   Dr. Renae Sweeney (17:29.546) Mm -hmm. Great.   Kiera Dent (17:36.738) What are some of the things you've seen that maybe they've done very successfully from a bird's -eye view, right? Dr. Renae, let's just have her be the amazing report card of how great you guys have been. But what has been some of the things you've seen that have set them up for success that maybe other practices aren't doing that's controlled that entrepreneurial spirit into predictable systems and consistency? Because I really do believe they've got the core and the heart. I know they've got systems backing it as well.   Britt (18:02.787) Yeah. And I think that's one piece that Raul and Renae, I think we're super solid on, even when just Raul and I were working from practice number one, that we were, the two of us were super light. And he's like, I want systems in this first practice. Great. We want to get that. And he's like, we want to get this dialed in because then we knew from the get go that they were going to take those and go duplicate at other practices that that was their ultimate goal. So we wanted to get practice number one running really well, getting things to work great. We know our   How are we scheduling appointments? Are we collecting deposits? How are we talking to patients about it? What's our verbiage? Scheduling, he's really good at comprehensive treatment planning. So making sure that we've got that down and making sure all the pieces were in plain functioning in that practice number one, before they went to more practices, which I'm like is super smart for those wanting to go into multiples. Because often people will like, well, great, let's just like start going and buying more practices and start kind of.   getting out there and going where we want to go and make it happen fast. And that's one way to do it. But it can start to become too much chaos when, well, this practice isn't doing well. Well, how are we doing things across the board? So I think just with, you know, Renae's vision and where they wanted to go and being so intentional about where they're going, they were also intentional in how they got practice number one set. So then they could go and keep doing it in other practices. And Renae can   probably speak to, right? Then being the doctor that comes into practice number two, having those systems to be able to support it. And she's done a great job of transitioning things over there, working with her team, growing as a leader to where like now when they're ready for that next practice or the next practice after that, they've got the two of them and they're awesome supports of each other. see them cheer each other on all the time to then, you know, keep going and keep building and keep spreading all the great things that they're doing for their patients.   Kiera Dent (19:58.754) That's love hearing that because, and Renae, I'm coming to you next on this, that is so hard as an entrepreneur. Like I give our story of we bought our first practice and nine months later we bought our second. That was pure freaking pandemonium and we were psychotic. And I tell everybody, that's why I built a consulting company is to have you not learn like the hard way like we did. How have you guys been able to like curb that? Like you have been in this practice for, I think you were saying two, maybe almost three years before you're about to buy a third.   Britt (20:03.845) Okay.   Dr. Renae Sweeney (20:19.184) Mm -hmm.   Dr. Renae Sweeney (20:24.889) Okay.   Kiera Dent (20:27.618) But like that's dedication and discipline that I think a lot of entrepreneurs don't have. So how have you guys been able to like, is it like you guys keep each other in checks and balance? How do you do that? Is it that you've got Brittany who like keeps you like on the straight and narrow? Like what is it to help you guys really be dedicated and disciplined rather than chaotic and out of control chasing a vision?   Dr. Renae Sweeney (20:30.245) Mm -hmm.   Dr. Renae Sweeney (20:47.621) Yeah, I mean, I think it's all of it, you know, it's because I think it's very easy to get just completely out of control, get overwhelmed. Because at the end of the day, like there is with having your own business, whatever field that isn't or no matter how many dental offices you have, like there's just always things to be done, right? There's always more that can be done. There's always like it's just always endless, right? But you have to like learn how to keep it in check. You have to learn when to shut it off, have boundaries with things. So, yeah, I mean, even just between him and I, like we   Kiera Dent (20:51.32) Thank   Dr. Renae Sweeney (21:16.896) as you said, like we always share each other on we're always like talking about, you know, how we can better things and just even with our staff to like, that's why we do these monthly meetings. That's why we have these different things in place. So that way, you know, they see things from a different view than we do. And I think that's a super important thing as an owner in any capacity is like, your staff is a vital part to your growth, you know, like, sure, I can sit there at the end of the day and say, this is my practice, you know, I'm in charge of things and you know, whatever, which yes, that's true. But   Also, like if I can rely on my team and continue to build them up because at end of the day, you can continue to build so that you're building up people to be to a higher level, like through and through, and like you're building up leaders, you're automatically gonna thrive and grow because you're just gonna continue to grow and expand as people are able to step into higher positions, take on more responsibility to be able to delegate things more. So I think us always just being able to   really like with the meetings with Brittany, on our own time, like having these points where we're always looking at like, okay, how can we get better? Like, what did we do well? What can we improve upon? How do we keep pushing this forward and always keeping those visions in mind of what we're trying to achieve and through the way, like along the way realizing like...   we would love to get it all done at once. And I think as dentists, we're like, or dental professionals, like we're very type A, most of us that we want like everything done perfect and everything done, you know, as quick as possible, but like, that's just not always the reality, right? So you have to have like kind of your highest priorities, like how this needs to happen and then work from, from there. Otherwise, I it can get super chaotic because I, I know even for us, even having the systems we have in place, it's very easy that to look at something and be like, my gosh, I need   all of this stuff done, I need it all done right now and it all needs to be perfect and you just like can't like you're going to overwhelm yourself and it's going to be like mass chaos with things versus if you can like tailor back in you know the things that are the most important that we really need to focus on and get those like systems running and in place knowing that like we always talk about it roland that like running business i think it's like kind of like juggling like you're always throwing one ball up in the air and other ones are coming down and like we're talking back up and i'm sure britney if i have talked about this many times as well that it's like   Kiera Dent (23:03.82) Yes.   Kiera Dent (23:25.527) Mm   Dr. Renae Sweeney (23:30.125) know people like including ourselves we we progress and we regress right and like that's always going to happen and i think knowing and understanding that it makes you better able and better equipped to deal with everything that comes along but yeah so for us with having so we bought the first office in 2021 bought this one in 2022 so it was about like a year and a half between when we got that one when we got this one and now we're looking at a third office so it has been a couple years now if you ask us like   Kiera Dent (23:50.584) Thank   Dr. Renae Sweeney (23:57.996) Sure, we would have loved to have a third office sooner, things to move more quickly. But at the end of the day, I truly believe that things happen for a reason in accordance with a plan that if it did happen faster, we would get the downside of now you're dealing with so much more before we're totally ready for it. And sure, are you ever going to feel 100 % ready? No, because that's just not how it works. But it has been a blessing on that side that the bright side is we've had more time to put more systems in place to   Kiera Dent (24:16.054) you   Dr. Renae Sweeney (24:26.685) get some of our staff that's been with us more established, more comfortable with things. So that way, when we get a third office, we have more key players in place that it's much, much easier to take those systems, push it over to the other practice and have some of our staff over and help them to be able to be more acclimated to how we do things within our brand and within our offices and bring them into the culture that we're already building. So I think the beauty in having more time between that is that you're able to better establish your systems and your culture.   Kiera Dent (24:26.996) Mm   Dr. Renae Sweeney (24:56.267) Which is really hard because I think Brittany and I have talked about it before that it's like that can really make or break your office right if you don't have a good culture and a good system in place sure you can be the best doctor in the entire world, but like That's that's gonna. It's kind of come to a head right you're gonna be the bottleneck in all of that So it's super super important more than anything like that. Yes, you want to be a great doctor You want to have those services, but like you want to be such a good leader that you're continuing to bring up other people You know into these positions their understanding system so that way you can basically like   pick up and plug anybody into those positions, build them up to be leaders as well and have a type of culture where it's like people are comfortable and excited about what's being built within it because they feel really a part of something.   Kiera Dent (25:37.89) Totally. I love what you said. And I love that you guys, you're so driven on goals and where you want to go, but you're also very realistic with life. And you're realistic of not trying to force a plan, but to live in the plan. And then refining and seeing the blessings and the joy within all of it. And I think that that's a beautiful perspective that not a lot of people have.   Dr. Renae Sweeney (25:45.257) Mm -hmm.   Dr. Renae Sweeney (25:51.956) Mm -hmm.   Dr. Renae Sweeney (25:58.15) and   Dr. Renae Sweeney (26:04.788) Yeah.   Kiera Dent (26:04.952) I know you guys are so busy. And so I'm to bring you back on Dr. Renae because I'm dying to know about how you became the influencer you became starting social media in 2023 because so many people are like, if you didn't catch the wave in 2020, then you might as well kiss it goodbye. And I think you are walking proof of that. But today I just appreciate you and Britt coming on and talking about your practices, talking about your vision, talking about your entrepreneurial spirit. You bring so much love.   And I love how much you love your team. love how much you love the path. I love that you love grit and determination and like we have in our saying, Britt knows we have a core value called grit and it says like challenges fire me up and I live for breakthroughs. And I feel like you embody that. Like challenges do fire you up and all these like you don't see them as big stumbling blocks. Like, yeah, I'm going to climb this freaking mountain. I'm going to learn Spanish. I'm going to take this on. We're going to do this. And I think to hear a doctor   Dr. Renae Sweeney (26:44.477) Good   Dr. Renae Sweeney (26:50.675) Mm   Kiera Dent (27:01.782) just like other doctors be able to do that is beyond amazing. So I'm so appreciative of your time. I know you are such a busy doctor. So we're gonna bring you back, because I need to know all about your parrot and your monkey and your social media, because I'm dying to know all about that. But are there any last things as we wrap up today that you wanna add to anything that's been said today?   Dr. Renae Sweeney (27:13.363) Yeah.   Dr. Renae Sweeney (27:21.252) say and I think this leads into like what we can talk about next time is I think more than anything it's just like your consistency with things no matter what you're doing whether it's social media or your office or any of that is like I always tell people I'm not the most creative person there is nothing special about me and like what I have done or what you know we're trying to accomplish it's just the ability to be consistent and all that because I think through and through your hard work and your consistency is what's going to carry you through you can be you know they always talk about it with sports like you can be the most talented person but at end of the day someone who works harder and is more consistent is going to surpass   that person at some point in time and I think it's so true with anything so whatever you know whatever you're trying to do or whatever you know your goals are you know with your offices or or in your personal professional life just knowing that like if you really stick with it and dedicate the time and effort and knowing that like being consistent is not just a couple weeks or a couple months it's like   months and months and months or years and years worth of dedicating discipline and continuing to come back to that, like that you really will get and I think not just get to where you want to be but surpass where you want to be through that because at the end of the day, I think your discipline and your consistency matter just like so much to it and your dedication to the process of what you're trying to build and be a part of.   Kiera Dent (28:12.855) Yeah.   Kiera Dent (28:31.48) Brill, like I'm writing that up on here. Brilliant. I love it. Thank you so much. Britt, we'll just wrap up quickly with you. Any last thoughts you've got about Dr. Renae, Dr. Raul, things you've seen, anything you want to add to this as we wrap up today.   Dr. Renae Sweeney (28:33.562) Yeah.   Britt (28:45.379) Yeah, I think the only last thing I'll add, I love them. They're amazing. I think they also do a lot to feed themselves, which I think can be tough for entrepreneurs too. I love hearing about trips they take, places they go. They still do a lot of things with friends, right? And do things outside and go take trips. And so I think that's another piece of like, she is, they are amazing people and they have the dedication, they have the consistency. Like they have that drive of being an entrepreneur, but   They are very dynamic humans. There's a lot of other things that they do as well, which I think is part of what makes them so successful is because they have all of those pieces, family close by, family farm, all the things that make life fun and exciting along with being an entrepreneur.   Kiera Dent (29:27.264) Amazing. I love being someone who doesn't know you as well as Britt does, but to just see also the relationship you two have together of how much Britt knows about you and how much you guys have used each other and just the beauty that you guys have. And honestly, Renae, you guys are the couple that I'm like always rooting for. I want successful people like you to win. I want you guys to be the most successful and the most flourished because I know you're just doing good in this world. So thank you for being on the podcast today. Thank you for your time.   Dr. Renae Sweeney (29:37.764) you can take.   Dr. Renae Sweeney (29:45.431) Thank you.   Dr. Renae Sweeney (29:53.181) Thank you. I appreciate you having me. Thank you. Thank you   Kiera Dent (29:56.812) Of course and don't worry everybody I will have her back to like learn all about the socials so everybody this is Dr. Renae and Britt and all of you listening I hope you guys take notes from them learn from them follow her go like watch her and then stay tuned because we'll have her back and as always thanks for listening and we'll catch you next time on the Dental A Team Podcast.  

Tiff, Britt, and Dana are on the podcast to celebrate those guiding dental practices around the country, including Dental A-Team’s own, Kiera Dent. Let’s give it up to the bosses who we know constantly have their teams’ well-being top of mind. Episode resources: Reach out to Tiff, Britt, and Dana Tune Into DAT’s Monthly Webinar Practice Momentum Group Consulting Subscribe to The Dental A-Team podcast Become Dental A-Team Platinum! Review the podcast Transcript: The Dental A Team (00:01.719) Hello everyone. Welcome back to the podcast today is a really fun adventure of a podcast for us today. I snagged both Brittany and Dana for today's podcast and this is super special to us. This is like so close to our hearts and we're so excited to be here. I don't think that we've done a threesome here in a while and that makes me excited. I hope it makes everyone excited. But today is.   bosses day you guys this is national bosses day and this is a day to recognize our teams as well as most importantly today our bosses and we really just want to have some discussions around that so I snagged Britt and Dana today for this incredibly special and hit home hit our hearts podcast today ladies Britt so we don't all speak at the same time how are you today how is how is Britt's world   Britt (00:56.812) mean, Britt's World is good. Whenever I get to spend time with you guys all together, I don't know that all our listeners understand how much we actually enjoy hanging out with each other. And so getting to spend some time together on the podcast, thanks for doing it, Tiff.   The Dental A Team (01:04.62) That's true.   The Dental A Team (01:10.856) Of course, of course it was Shelbi's brilliant brain came up with this idea and she's like, this is coming. I was like, thank goodness. I always miss these dang things. I'm like the, the, you know, thought that counts person. So I was just so happy she thought of it and Dana, Danie over there. How are you?   Dana (01:29.574) I don't know if I'm gonna live that one down. I'm doing good. Again, just like Britt said, excited to be here, excited to just get a couple extra moments with you two.   The Dental A Team (01:31.68) You're not.   The Dental A Team (01:39.131) Awesome. I agree. I agree. And today you guys, I love having the two of you on here. It's so fun. And I'm just so excited to really pour our hearts and our souls into today's podcast for the listeners and for the world to hear but specifically right now in this moment from this care that to hear she is our boss, our leader, our you know, star finder and growth.   grower, like she's our pusher, she's our everything that this company requires in order to keep going. She is the push that's behind us and the love and the heart and the soul that's behind us as well. And I think every one of us on the team could come up with 500 different reasons why she is the incredible leader that she is. But luckily for us, we're the podcasters. So we get to do we get to do the fun part today and love on Miss Kiera Dent and   I think each of us will kind of chime in here and go. We're not gonna take two hours of your time diving into all of these pieces, but Ms. Kiera Dent, she's likely listening to this. At some point, she listens to all of them. And I really want to, from the bottom of my soul, recognize today just the incredible leadership skills that she has honed in over the years. Kiera and I, we've known each other for...   seven, a little over seven years now. Gosh, I think we're like coming up on seven and a half years actually, which is a long time in the world that we live in. And I have had the incredible experience and the incredible opportunity of watching Kiera grow as a human, a real life person and as a leader. And within this company, I have seen her grow through so many stages. And I can't say all, because I know there's still more to come, but she has just become this incredible, invaluable.   piece of all of our lives whether it's in the business and in the company or outside of the company and I hope that she Realizes that and I know she doesn't so I know As often as we can saying it out loud to her in a public platform or wherever it can possibly be She needs to hear those things and the culture that she has she has created and the culture that she has realized that we needed and that she realizes realized that she wanted to emanate to   The Dental A Team (03:54.642) her team and to the world to massively impact the dental industry on such a high scale like we can is really, really, really key aspect of who she is for us. And ladies, I don't want to steal all the show. know I talk the most. It's just my God given talent here. But I want you guys to chime in too and just let's love on Kiera. And then you guys, we're going to dive into some stories and it's going to be going to be boss day story time. Don't worry, Kiera.   personal stories, it's going to be a boss day story time for all of our clients too. So ladies, welcome to the show. Thank you for being here again. I'm so excited to hear from you.   Britt (04:31.934) Yeah, you bet. I think Tiff, you said a lot of amazing things, but I think one of the things that I truly appreciate about Kiera and her as a boss is all the ideas that she brings to us, right? Dental A Team, all the things we do, all the random things we come up with, a lot of them come from her brain. And she comes up with way more than what our listeners out there even get to hear experience.   The Dental A Team (04:54.246) That's so true, yes.   Britt (04:56.546) Which coming from me like that is a weakness for myself and so I appreciate that so much in her and coming up with ideas and I think when anything needs to be done she can figure out a way, something to figure out a solution to it. And so I think that's one of the things that I value in her the most is just her creative brain, that visionary brain to come up with a million different ideas and I also appreciate that she and I get to go back and forth on some of those ideas and I'm like we'll workshop that one, we'll come back to that one, let's talk about it.   And it's great and it's fun to be able to kind of go back and forth with her. So I truly appreciate that about   The Dental A Team (05:32.326) Totally agree, totally.   Britt (05:34.42) Thank   Dana (05:35.238) But I'll piggyback off that just from the opposite perspective of that. I love that she does bring all the ideas, but she also gives us the space to bring our own ideas and understands that like the team can come up with things and can, I just love that she allows us to be a part of that creative space because it doesn't happen everywhere. And so I do truly.   admire that in her as a leader. And I think that too, like having her as a leader in our company also allows   me to be a better coach, right? Because I see the things I see the grind that she puts into the culture pieces. I see the consistency that she does all the time. And then it makes it easy to say in my coaching, like, I know it works. I've seen it, I have a vision of it. And I have somebody who lives, breathes and is it that just helps make me   coach in those areas so much easier because I see how it works, I see the consistency, I see all the pieces and so those are probably the two things that I truly truly just love and admire is like she lives what she says.   The Dental A Team (06:45.146) Yeah, I totally agree. And I think it's really cool that we were able to come together today to do this for sure. And like I said, listeners, we're going to get into a couple of other discussions and conversations. But I think it's really cool because the three of us actually have, and listeners for you to know, very different relationships with Kiera in and out of the company. So within the company, we are all consultants, right? That's our first born name here is consultant.   but we each have a different space of life that we live in within the company. And then obviously, know, friendships outside, you know, I've been here for seven and a half years. So like, things are different, you ladies three years, like that's a long time. So things are different in and out of the company, but I just think it's really cool to be able to hear these things from you guys too, and see how different the perspectives are, right? The different pieces that land like, Britt, you're...   you're talking to her constantly. you guys just FYI, Britt is kind of a boss to us too. So Britt, love you, two pieces. Thank you for everything that you do. It's really cool that I get to do this with you on here. But Britt's in that space of like that in between where she's, she's kind of, she is still a consultant. She does still have a handful of clients and she does a lot of our group coaching models, but.   she is that in between space for a lot of things with us. So she gets a perspective of Kiera where she kind of gets hit with the ideas first, and then they get down to the rest of us. you know, and Dana's ton of virtual clients, holy cow, she works so well with so many pieces. And so she gets a lot of the the creative side from Kiera where you guys are creating so much content and just creating this incredibly magical   space of information for so many people and so many so many clients and non clients and a lot of the stuff that you guys see from us comes from, you know, the brainchild of Kiera, but the brainchild of Dana to her Dana, I love that you you spoke on the innovation piece because you really do you have so much innovation in our company and so many ideas and Carol give like a tidbit, you know, after it goes through Britt a tidbit of an idea. But then Dana, like you just run with it and you create this and   The Dental A Team (09:00.097) incredible product every single time we know we can count on it. We know you're going to get it done and that it's going to be magic like no matter what. So it's just really cool, I think to see those different perspectives based on the positions within the company. And I think it's cool because we all share the same feelings, right? We have different pieces that we'll pick out. But the overarching theme really is that   she's been able to build a company that we can be proud of working with and for. And she's been able to build a company that we can reach so many people and change lives on this massive scale. And we're constantly innovating to ensure that we can reach even more people without detracting from the results or the, you know, the relationships and really just adding value every time. And that comes from Kiera's push and, and her kind of,   almost training us in that way, right? Like her leadership and Dana, like you said, what we get to see, we get to become. And so it builds this space and breeds this mentality where we're like, yes, I can step into that. So as she's stepping out and into a new space, like we're almost right behind her stepping into the space she just showed us and trained us on in all of our different spaces. And it makes me think too of   of the practices that we work with and all of the bosses who are out there, managers, office managers, regional managers, dentists, the doctors, the practice owners, all of you bosses who are out there who are running a similar situation or learning how to do that. And maybe you're at the baby step stages and I want you to know we've all been there and know, Kiera I told you seven and a half years ago did not look like this. were just babies like trying to figure it out and   what it's been able to grow into and the human that Kiera has been able to grow into, even if you're at your baby stages, I want you to know, like you've got examples all around you and you've got mentorship and we're here to say, it's not always easy, but it can be fun. And you can find that path, but with all of those leadership spaces and those quote unquote bosses of the practices,   The Dental A Team (11:13.01) Dana, you were just talking about a client that you spoke with, I think you said yesterday, and I want to hear, I want you to kind of talk about that. Like I want to hear that side and I want doctors to know and leaders to know that you're all in a very similar space most of the time. There's always someone that you can relate to. So don't ever feel like you're alone and teams. We really want to take you through just some of the   pieces that we see on the other side, that it looks like to be a boss so that we can really talk about how we can always appreciate it, whether it's National Bosses Day or not. And Dana, really talk me through that conversation. think it was spot on and I have a lot of doctors that I talk to, they're in the same space as your client and tell us about it.   Dana (11:59.129) Yeah, sure. I think it does not open my eyes because I see it all the time. Doctors come to us and it's like part of why they bring coaches on is for their team, right? I want my team to feel like they have a really great resource. I want to figure out how to lower the stress of my team. I want to figure out how they can be more efficient so that like they feel better at the end of the day. And so it's just in recognizing bosses today, I wanted to recognize like the doctors and the owners who really   do stress about their team and not about like my team stresses me out but about how my team is doing are they feeling stressed are they feeling fulfilled are they feeling motivated and the doctor I talked to yesterday was like how do I how do I stretch and expand to able to give my team members raises before I even take home a paycheck   And I just think it's so important to recognize those owners and recognize those bosses and team members to hear that like these owners stress about you and your livelihoods and how they're going to make your life better, whether it's at work or whether it's outside of work.   through a raise or through bonuses or through those are things that doctors ask us about all the time because yes, the practice is right there but the team is right there too. And I think sometimes like that gets missed or unheard or I don't always think to doctors or owners know how to translate that to the team.   The Dental A Team (13:28.39) I totally agree. totally agree. I think that's something that's a hard conversation to have. think already like finances and financial conversations are difficult, regardless. And for bosses for owners, it's even more difficult. Because when you do collect that money, you know, you know where it's going. And I think a lot of team members are like, okay, I know where this is going. But so it's difficult for doctors to even say, Hey, guys, guess what, like,   I'm living off my savings right now or I'm living off of the loans that I took out to have this practice so that I can make sure you guys get to have a paycheck. And like that's part of practice ownership for sure. And I'm not discrediting that that's not just a factor of practice ownership. So I don't want team members to feel like, gosh, let's go praise our doctors for that. But I want you to understand those spaces. And like Dana said,   And I have a client too that recently said a similar thing where she's still doing a lot of her hygiene on her own and like trying to build her practice, but her TC is like needing a raise and wants a raise and she's like, she deserves a raise and I have to find the money and I'm going to take it out of, know, this space and this doctor is still not taking home a paycheck either. So I love that conversation and that understanding and Britt, I know you've got clients too. And I know you work with our   our group coaching space and actually like our group coaching space you guys is full of these doctors that are you know, it's all the spectrums you guys but I feel like we have such a good group a handful of doctors who are living in that space right now that are trying to figure out their overhead so that they can pay their team so that they can build lifelong relationships with their team members to stay forever and they're thinking of themselves last and Britt I know you have a lot of those conversations too and   And I think, Britt, like, how do you suggest or train or, you work with teams as well. think more than any of us, works with the most teams, Britt, I know you do too. So how do you make sure that the teams without the doctors having to say something like this really can recognize on any day? It doesn't have to be national bosses day, but really just like saying hello and seeing our bosses instead of just us always expecting it on the flip side.   Britt (15:42.08) Yeah, I think in life, right, it's really important to try to look at something from the other person's perspective, right? And I think it's easy as team members. I mean, I do it too sometimes, right? Like just to think about, like what's the impact to me? What's going on with me? Or even if it's just like me and my team members and not thinking about, all right, what is it like to be an owner? And being an entrepreneur, being a small business owner is not always the easiest path, right? It takes a heart and soul from you.   from these owners to go and do that. And I think that's what I see in our clients. And I love seeing in our clients is that they care so much about what they're doing. And being leaders, being owners, being bosses, sometimes it means making hard decisions. It's like they care so much about team members. And sometimes we've got to have hard conversations to help them see how whatever's going on is impacting the group because they're looking out for the business as a whole.   the group, the whole team as a whole, and they care about you as individuals. So like it is a fine balance. So helping team members just kind of like put yourself in their shoes, right? And I, some team members out there, if you're a lead, then you start to understand it a little bit more of those people that you're in charge of. If you haven't been a lead, like think about if you were a lead of your department, right? Like what would be the things that you're...   watching out for, looking for, that you would be responsible for. And then just like take that to the next level as the in charge of everything. Like the buck stops there and our doctors take that on, right? That's part of being an owner that you take that on, but everybody wants to be appreciated, right? Just like, and being a leader, they give and give and give a lot, right? And they're pulled in lot of different directions and just taking a minute to just recognize it and say, you know what?   that's pretty cool that they're creating this place for us. Or you know what, that's pretty awesome that they bought us lunch today. You're pretty awesome that we went out and did something as a team, or they take such great care of our patients. And like, that's something that I'm just so proud to be a part of because that's not always everywhere. And so there's a lot of great things and great doctors going, you know, that we work with and all around and just take a second to kind of see it from the other side and recognize all that you do have where you're.   The Dental A Team (18:00.949) I agree. I totally agree. And I think in this moment and this day and on this podcast, like we're here with our hearts and our souls for Miss Kiera Dent 100%. But ladies, I think we're here too to celebrate all of the bosses, all of the managers, all of the leaders and all of the people who are out there making an incredible difference in other people's lives. Even if you just want to take the, you know, small handful of people in your team that you're positively impacting, not to mention the community around you and   anyone that you come into communication with and you touch their hearts and their souls. And I want you guys to walk away today understanding and knowing that we see you, we hear you, we value you. And I know the people that are around you do as well, but we're here to speak on their behalf in case they're not speaking enough and you're not feeling it. You are seen, you are heard, you are valuable and your team would not be where they are.   today, whatever that life looks like, if it weren't for you and your company and your and your practice and your leadership, again, no matter which spectrum that is, if it's exactly how you want it to be, if you're on your way to where you want it to be, or if you're in the space, that's like, gosh, I really, it needs to be totally different. It doesn't matter your team is here with and for you. And the right team is here with and for you and you are loved. And I hope that you have   the most incredible day today, most incredible day tomorrow, and that you just feel that love from all of us and teams, National Bosses Day. So if you didn't know that, go grab a coffee or a flower or chocolate, or just a big hug when you get into the practice and a high five and just say thank you so much for all that you do today and every day.   Ladies, thank you so much for being here with me today. This was a fun podcast to be able to put out into the world. Ms. Kiera Dent, thank you for all that you have provided us with and for providing us with this space. Cause I don't know if y 'all know out there, this podcast is Kiera Dent's brainchild and we would not be here today without her. We would not be able to celebrate her today on this platform if it weren't for the hard work she put in.   The Dental A Team (20:19.289) over five years ago to make this a reality for all of us. So thank you guys so much. Dana, Britt, thank you for being here. Go love on your bosses and have the best day ever everyone.  

Is there a service in the dentistry field you’re interested in learning more about — perhaps enough to add it to your practice? Tiff and Britt dive deep into how to go about expanding services. They give examples, how to tap into your creative side, hurdles that might come up and how to pivot, and more. Episode resources: Reach out to Tiff and Dana Tune Into DAT’s Monthly Webinar Practice Momentum Group Consulting Subscribe to The Dental A-Team podcast Become Dental A-Team Platinum! Review the podcast Transcript: The Dental A Team (00:01.134) Hello Dental A Team listeners, we're back today. You've got Tiff and Britt and I'm using your Britt nickname today. Always, I said Brittany Stone last time and like you mentioned, like it's always a little weird. It's so weird to me when people say, this is Tiffanie. And I'm like, it's Tiff. Tiffanie is like so formal. It makes me sound, it either makes me feel like a child or old. Like there's no in -between. It's not my age right now. Whatever, whatever this in -between stages is Tiff. So Britt.   Welcome back. I'm excited to be here with you today. I think we have a fun topic that is right up your alley. You love the clinical stuff and this one's diving into clinical. How are you this beautiful afternoon? Yeah.   Britt (00:44.197) different crowds. don't know about you, Brittany or like Brett or if you're Tiffanie or Tiff for me, like it just it depends on what crowds and like kind of like what phase of life did I go by my full name or my short name. So but I'm doing great today. I'm excited to be here. Agreed. I love chatting a variety of things, right? So it's always fun. We love it with clients because you never know what they're gonna throw at us, which just makes our life super fun, which I think we love about it. And I think we've got a fun one for everybody today.   The Dental A Team (00:54.293) Yes! I agree!   The Dental A Team (01:07.628) So true.   The Dental A Team (01:13.036) I agree. I agree. I do love I like have a love hate for it. I should say, right? Like I love being thrown curveballs. But then sometimes I'm like, Whoa, my brain. Like this is a big one or dang, I had 15 curveballs but five with five clients this just today like and sometimes it's exhausting but I do love it. I had a client yesterday. We were talking about   Britt (01:22.03) That's nice.   The Dental A Team (01:38.528) something I can't even I told the last podcast I told you I can't remember all that far. But we're talking about something and I was like, gosh, this is actually it was it's a different type of marketing. And it was two days ago. That's why I can't remember. But they're in a space they're in a they're in Texas. And they're in a community in Texas that is it's just oil fields like they're just it's the oil field industry. And   Initially, they're like, how do we stop cancellations? I'm like, fantastic. Like, here's some pieces, here's some things. And then we're like digging through and we're realizing, I'm like, listen, guys, like, let's put these pieces into play for sure. But sometimes you're just in a place that's like, you're going to experience cancellations. These people are getting sent out at midnight for three months to go work in a different oil field. Like they don't have the flexibility. And so it was really cool. And the conversation, the point I say this is like,   I had to really think outside the box and I said, you guys, your marketing, your systems, while I have systems that are tied and true and I know that they work, this is why doing it here is different. I may say this is why Dental A Team is different, because calling further in advance on your confirmations or telling them you're going to charge them or coming up with all of these solutions that work for many practices, let's implement those for sure, but you've got a different   type of community. I think changing your marketing to we're here when you need us, because that's what you're hearing. And more of that like same day, let's get patients in, hey, call us, switching the marketing efforts is going to work in your area. And the reason that was so cool was because it was so drastically different than majority of other clients. And it was really fun to   get that outside the box thinking and like, gosh, okay, let's put our hats on and we brainstorm together and the hygienist in that call was just like, she stood up at the end and she was like, I am so excited for this because at the end of every visit, when I walk them up and I do my NDTR, I tell them, if you need anything else between your appointments, we're here for you, please call. She's like, so this is expanding on that and I was like, you've already been priming your patients for it.   The Dental A Team (03:48.199) This is exactly what we need to do. But it was so cool, Britt, because that just highlights like the differences and really getting thrown those curve balls and having fun with it and really diving in and figuring out where are you and how can we expand on that. And that's something I think clinically that we want to talk about today even is really how to expand your range of services. And Britt, I know I didn't prep for this piece and I do this to you guys all the time.   I realized that but my brain just is like ping, ping, ping, ping, and I just go for it. So before we even get into like the super doctor clinical stuff, I know that you as a practicing hygienist before you were all into the state you guys, if I need any information on what the dental industry is doing and what's progressing, I know Britt's my girl. So she I know that you have always been so invested in that and I would love to pick your brain right now on.   Britt (04:34.747) Thank   The Dental A Team (04:44.87) Before we talk about doctor clinical, hygiene clinical, and how did you as a clinician or as being over the clinicians as a manager, how did you help hygiene to expand their services?   Britt (04:59.291) Yeah, so I mean, it's always fun. Doctor can do a lot more than the rest of the team, right? So when we get there, there's a lot more options. And for hygienist and even assistants, right? It's gonna be a little bit of like, what can you do within your state, right? That you're under your license, under your scope of practice that you can do. I'd say number one, be aware of that. And even if you want to be able to do more in your state, even I would say encourage you to like.   be involved if you want to, you know, you can give anesthesia now and that's something that hygienists want, you want to be able to do one day, be involved with your local associations and things and help move those things forward. Cause it'll help to expand and just make you a, like a more advanced clinician in the end of it. So that's my like one plug is like, cause I know every state's going to be a little bit different and then know what you can or can't do and explore it. And at the end of the day, hygienists and doctors, right? Whatever   and assistance, whatever we see that's gonna be a benefit to our patients, kind of like to what you were talking about, custom fit it, but what are the advancements? What are the new things? What can we do that would be beneficial to our patients and in line with our standard of care or something we might wanna evaluate and adding to our standard of care? What is there number one and just get familiar with it.   and then see if it's something that you want to be able to add to your practice. know I'm a big laser fan from like back in the beginning when I first got out of school, because it's something we could do in Arizona. I'm a big believer in it for those who can do it. If you're not doing it, it might be something worth considering and starting to look into to see if it'll benefit your patients. I love it. I know these days a lot of hygienists like Airway, Myofunctional are big things that are coming out now that can be super beneficial. And a lot of people are learning that.   Even things like for assistance, right? Being able to learn to do things that like maybe your doctor is doing now, but you could do. Those are also things that are expanding. Maybe it's not a new procedure for our practice, but you, it's expanding you and what procedures you can do, which is gonna help the practice overall. So I think just look, be aware of what's out there. Read your articles, be a part of groups, go to your CEs and just be aware of what.   Britt (07:14.477) exists so then you can determine what might be good. And I think for doctors, doctors are they've got a lot on their shoulders and they're they learn a lot and they're exposed to a lot. But team members bring stuff up to doctors all the time that they haven't heard about or they didn't know their team would be interested in doing and you can help to kind of have the practice progress and expand things.   The Dental A Team (07:36.275) I totally agree. I love all of that. I may you're gonna say laser, I think laser is huge. I think it's a giant benefit. And I think that got really hyped when it you know, first started and then people are like, I don't know. And I think it's something that kind of has fallen off. So I, I surely encourage hygienists to go do that. But something else that you mentioned was the like my functional space, the airway, the sleep apnea, those spaces, and I actually worked with a client over the summer.   who had a really fantastic, thriving sleep department. And she did it, it's taken years to get there and she's done it. They've got the systems and processes, everything's written down, write it down. But the interesting piece to me about it was that the doctor barely touched that department. She had a hygienist that loved it, that just saw the need. She, from a personal level, she connected with it.   Britt (08:09.317) Thank   Britt (08:26.171) Thank you.   The Dental A Team (08:34.826) She loved it, she wanted it to do well, and the doctor handed it over to her. So she had a hygienist that went and learned all of this stuff down to the medical billing. Like she's processing the claims for that department. So one of her top hygienists in her practice actually is now running her sleep department. And so expanding her range of services, and I'm not saying go pull a hygienist to start a sleep department. I'm saying look for the things that interest you guys and see how can you expand on that, even if it's something   you're already doing, how can you do more of that? I think is what Britt's saying, but watching them thrive in that personally, like she was so happy and she loves hygiene. She still does like a day or two of hygiene a month because she loves hygiene, but she was genuinely lit up talking to me about the sleep department. And so it expanded the services of the practice, but it expanded the services for her and the impact she can potentially make.   personally on on the community. So I love that you said that. That highlights a piece that I want to make sure we talked about was what interests you. So hygienists, RDAs, FDs, dental assistants, doctors, associates, all of you guys. What interests you? Like what do you look at and you're like, gosh, that would be cool. But maybe you're afraid to step your foot into and dip that toe in and kind of test the waters or you're like, gosh, it just seems so hard or whatever.   reason why aren't you doing it? What interests you? I've had a lot of practices this year that I that were like, gosh, I need to expand services. One PPL reimbursements suck you guys we know that and when you can expand services, you can do higher value things like obviously it makes the production the collections easier. So I had a lot of practices this year that were like, I can't and don't want to drop insurances, but how do I make more? So one space I had them evaluate   was to because most people don't put it in their system. I hope you are track, truly track what you're referring out and how many of those things you're referring out. So root canals, perio procedures, implants, oral surgery procedures. I love all of my specialists. I love you. But really if there's something in there for my dentists and FDs and RDAs and all of you guys, like, is there something   The Dental A Team (11:00.851) that you enjoy and you want to learn more about, look at what you're referring out. Kavya, I had an office Brit, she was like, I refer out a ton of root canals. I wanna do root canals in office. And I said, okay, we can do that. We can pull root canals back in office. There's courses all over the place that you can go get refreshers on. There's an hour -end course I know of that's fantastic. You can do this. She's like, okay.   I said, let's sit on this. Like, let's think about the work it's going to take and let's evaluate how many root canals you're going to do. I talked to her on our next two week call two weeks later. She was like, Tiff, I hate root canals. I was like, yeah, I didn't think you liked them, but I needed to go. We needed to go with it for a second. She's like, I don't want to do root canals. I send them out because I hate them. Cool. Then let's not do root canals. Let's look at the other pieces. So caveat is don't pull things in just to expand services, just to offer more, just to make more money. If you hate doing something, don't do it.   Do more of what you love. So we're evaluating here to look at what interests you and how can we do more of it? Are there things, Britt, you mentioned, you mentioned, right, you talked about, right, getting the things that the hygienist can do and within your state it's different, especially when it comes to FDAS, RDAs, dental assistants. It's all over the place, you guys. In Arizona, like, we don't get any special acknowledgement, we just.   do everything and you either know or you don't know and you learn it. So, Wild Wild West out here, California, Colorado, like they're Colorado's placing fillings, right? Like that's cool, Tennessee, they're placing fillings, they're like a provider. Here, I actually don't know anymore what that is. I mean, I know what is fine.   Britt (12:44.057) It depends. There's some places where it's rural and even hygienists can place fillings if they get certification for it. So sometimes there's some if it's an area in need. that's where it's like, know what's going on in your state.   The Dental A Team (12:50.182) Yeah.   The Dental A Team (13:00.246) Exactly, exactly. And to speak to that point, like once you do know, Britt, like you said, for those spaces, hygienists, for sure. But then you guys, my RDAs, my FDs, my dental assistants that are listening, I know what it's like to feel like such a big important piece of that appointment and feel like, gosh, I really helped this patient or I really helped my doctor. Go figure out what you can do. And where can you expand so that your   expanding your range of services because that adds value in. Britt, I'm sure you've seen it too. You've got practices too, or have worked with practices too, who have these expanded functions that they're able to do in hygiene and or assisting side. And what has that done when they take on those pieces and the support team will call them, right? The support team is like, no, like I can do this. Let me do it. What does that do for the doctors? What have you seen for the doctors? Like what are they available to do them?   Britt (13:57.371) Yeah, I want to say first, even for my assistant, I'm a big believer in anyone within a dental office. This is your profession. Like you are a professional. So by expanding your skills, you are just expanding yourself as a professional and what you can do. like, I want to throw that in. Number one is like, I hope you all view yourselves that way. That's how I view all of you because it's true. You have amazing skills. You do amazing things every day. And by working to like the highest level of your ability,   taking on those things, learning them from your doctor, getting the trust from your doctor where you're able to go and do it on your own, frees the doctor up to be able to do more of the things that only they can do. I always say doctors are our ultimate limiting factor, right? How many doctors do we have in the practice? How many of the rest of the team do we have? It's usually at least two to one, if not three to one when it comes to doctrine, we're pulling them in a million different directions. So the more we can do,   I'll tell you for hygiene, I'm like great when my assistants can do a lot, that means my exams are going to be more on time. So it helps a lot. We can fit in more patients for treatment because we can utilize our assistants and be able to take care of more patients throughout the day. And you guys know, like doctors do a great job of knowing our patients and building that relationship.   The Dental A Team (14:59.439) Yes.   Britt (15:13.603) hygiene assistant front desk, like you guys know those patients. So you also help to give them a great experience that you're there with them through most of that appointment. You're taking care of a good part of that appointment. Doctor gets to come in and do the part that they need to do. And then you take care of the rest of it. And I have seen for assistance, right? It's performing to the extent that you can on a lot of those things I talked about.   But I also have assistants who are helping to like manage team, manage supplies, find, you know, better prices for things. They're learning to design crowns or learning to mill crowns. is so much that you can learn to do. But like I said, just builds you up as a professional and makes it so we can take care of more patients within our office.   The Dental A Team (15:59.5) I love that. I love all of that. think one thing I didn't even think about that you mentioned was like learning how to do the crowns or learning how to do the 3D machines or the impressions or the scans that you need to send things out. Like that's, that's a space I didn't even think of. And I love that you said that.   Britt (16:10.055) Thank   Britt (16:17.5) 3D printers, right? Some of them, like, they're printing out, you know?   The Dental A Team (16:18.982) Yes.   Britt (16:22.511) retainers, or they're printing out dentures and all that stuff. And there's some cool, there's a lot of cool stuff that are advances if your office has it that like, if they do, or if you're looking into it, those are the things that the team helps drive the doctor so much because the doctor can't do everything right again, they're one person, even if we've got multiple doctors compared to how many team members we have. But if a doctor has a team member that's like, I'm here with you, I'm here to learn it with you, let's do it.   doctor is going to be a lot more confident to say all right let's do it and it helps everybody.   The Dental A Team (16:58.052) I totally agree. I did a podcast not long ago with the dentist on here. Dave Mogadam you guys can search for it somewhere and they might put them in notes, whatever. But he spoke on that about some advanced courses that he's taken this year, that he actually took some of his dental assisting team with him so that they could learn that stuff because he doesn't. He loves it. He gosh, this man is creative. Like he would sit all day. he has a 3d printer at home.   that he plays with that he makes toys with. He brought me a toy like the next day at the office, he brought me a little toy and made me this little octopus thing. But I was like, my gosh, he loves the creative side. But he sees the value in allowing his team to have a part to play in that and allowing his team to learn it. And I don't think you always have to go to the courses. A lot of those places will send somebody out to your practice too. But the value in that is huge. And now he's been able actually, I just talked to him today and he   Britt (17:25.435) Yeah.   The Dental A Team (17:53.894) had his first sedation day. And so he's been able to like implement other bigger, broader things into his practice to add value to expanding his range of services because his dental assisting team has been able to take things on like that. So I love that you said that. Now within the doctor space, I think it's super important, you guys, I'm gonna go back to the beginning on what interests you. What are you sending out that maybe you could keep in house if it interests you?   And why aren't you doing it? That's my biggest question. If it interests you, why aren't you doing it? Overcome that fear, overcome that hurdle, and go for it. I think right now is the perfect time, maybe even a little bit late, to choose your CE for 2025. Like, choose your CE whatever year you're listening to this in. Make sure next year your CE is already chosen by...   October. Know what you want next year to look like. And if you don't know, that's okay, like it'll it'll come. That's fine. But plan that out. Because one of the biggest hurdles that I hear from doctors, and the reason they're not expanding services, or they're not doing the thing they truly want to do is time, time, and money. And I have a doctor, we're working on next for next year, reducing the number of days it should take to hit his minimum goal, because he wants to do so much CE and his issue is time.   and being able to provide financially for his team. So taking off time at the office and seeing the impact that that has on his team, we've got to like, finagle some workarounds and some goals so that we can still pay the team, whatever, right? But that hurdle, we're working through it. So if you know what your hurdles are, what's holding you back from doing the thing that you truly want to do, now you can plan a workaround. Okay, great. If that's the hurdle,   How do we get you more time? And you get into this space, think, Britt, I know I get in this space and you help pull me out where it's just like, I can't see outside of the problem because I'm so in the problem. it is just like, sometimes I'm just like, no, it just sucks. And you're like, okay, it sucks today. We'll come back tomorrow. It's fine. And you navigate that really well with me. So kudos and thank you.   The Dental A Team (20:08.871) But sometimes that's the space I think that we get into with expanding services too. Like, gosh, yeah, that would be cool Tiff, but like, how am I supposed to do that? Brett, I have no time. And so, Brett, think something that we do really well is taking our doctors from that space. Like, where is it that you want to go? And this is, want to go, I want to do the service. And then we work backwards and say, cool, this is the path that's going to get you there. What are the hurdles that are going to come up that we can anticipate?   not all of them are anticipated, right? But what can we anticipate within this path? What hurdles may come that we can have a pivot ready for so we can work around it. And if it's the time or the money, fan -freaking -tastic, it's October and we're planning for next year. Guess what, guys? We can do anything with your goals. We just add it into your goals and we make the magic happen. that's the easy space of it. But what interests you? Why aren't you doing it? What are you sending out?   What are things that your support team can help with and do they want to? And then choose your CE for next year. Those are my biggest points. And Brit, for someone that's just like on the edge of their seat, gosh, this Brit and Tiff, are freaking amazing. And you've got me pumped up and ready to go. But they're like, ha. And then two weeks later, they forgot about this. What do you suggest for them? Like, how do they stay motivated in this space of potential busy and chaos? And I'm not ready to look at that. What would you say to your client?   today to keep that motivation.   Britt (21:39.163) Yeah, I think that right thoughts not written down or put into motion get lost, right? And so we've got to do something to where either   It's maybe going on a whiteboard in your office. So you see it there regularly and you know that that's something you want to work towards. Maybe it's like looking up the course and when's the next date and putting that up somewhere so that you know that that's what you're working towards or having some sort of accountability buddy. I think if you're normal, we all get to those spots where it's like, I can't see past my nose right now and I need someone to help me see past my nose and we've got to step away or get someone from an outside perspective to pull us out of it.   thing with treatment and so it's like make it something that's gonna put into motion. Don't make it just a thought, write it down somewhere, schedule the event, pick what you want to go to, something to move forward and you know what doctors? Go into a course about it.   It still doesn't tie you to anything right now. Like, so if you're like, hey, I'm interested in it, but like, my gosh, it seems like such a big thing to tackle. Start with one thing. Start with one thing and see if you're as interested as you are. And I say the same thing to...   I'll just add one last thing to sometimes it's the market we're in that's also going to drive you right. I've got some docs who are in areas where we may not have a lot of specialty around. And so they're like, my gosh, I feel for my patients. I want to be able to do more for them, but I don't know.   Britt (23:09.231) This is where Tiff and I are coaching you. Take the push, go take a course on it and just start to explore it and you get exposed to people who have done it. You can do whatever you want. Like at the end of the day, if you really want to do it, you can. And sometimes it's just explore it first, take the first step and that's all you need to do right now. And then take the next step.   The Dental A Team (23:28.787) Yeah, one step at a time. I love that. I love the whiteboard idea. Alright guys, I hope you feel motivated. I hope you feel powerful. I hope you feel excited to go find something. It doesn't have to be grandiose. It doesn't have to be something big. But go find something that excites you that you can learn or you can add and you can expand what you're offering in the next year. Go do it.   Drop us a review below five stars are always appreciated. Let us know what you decide I want to know what you guys are doing too because Britt I don't know about you but that's where a lot of our Knowledge base comes from is picking the brains of the people we work with so share that breadth of knowledge Leave us a review Reach out. [email protected] we want to hear from you guys And if you need help working that backwards like if you're like gosh, I just can't see through it you guys We have coaches too. I have a coach that helps me   work through things in my life that helps me work through my health and fitness and mindful journey like all of those pieces. We all have coaches and we are here for you for those types of things. That's what we love. That's where our passion lies. And I want you guys to understand if you need it or if you just need a little smidgen of direction, reach out. [email protected]. are here to help you guys. And I hope you have a fantastic rest of your day.  

Kiera is a guest on the Dental Lighthouse Podcast with Jason Tanoory to talk about the power of quarterly meetings. They discuss the benefits of a third party, how to have healthy conversations, and why there needs to be an atmosphere of trust and vulnerability to have good communication. Episode resources: Listen to the Dental Lighthouse Podcast Reach out to Kiera Tune Into DAT’s Monthly Webinar Practice Momentum Group Consulting Subscribe to The Dental A-Team podcast Become Dental A-Team Platinum! Review the podcast Transcript: The Dental A Team (00:02.151) Dr. Jason here, welcome back Dental Lighthouse podcast. On today's show, I have the one, the only, Kiera Dent. And hello, Dental A Team listeners. This is Kiera. And today I have the one and only Jason Tanoory. This is seven years in the making. seven years I've been trying to get on Kiera's podcast. And after begging,   for the last three days, because Kiera and have been together nonstop for the last three days. She has finally allowed to give me a six minute window of recording time. Not true. We had to extend this longer because we only had 30 minutes originally. you said, no, no, need more time to unpack this. I have so many issues that I need to unpack that doing it in six minutes was not going to be a window. It's true. But honestly, I do feel like it was   It was a missed opportunity. I've podcasted with Amy many times on the podcast, but for Jason and I to get here, I mean, think this is the most we've hung out at any time I've come to these meetings with you. And so maybe that was what, how it happened this round, but truly, think honestly, in the seven years we worked together, it's been really fun to watch your practice evolve. And so I'm super excited to rift on this. I mean, I can ask questions. We didn't know whose podcast we were basically hosting from, cause we now are both hosts.   But I think there's just been some really incredible things that have come out in seven years. I watched your practices grow exponentially over the years. I watched you grow. I watched Amy grow. I watched your teams evolve. And being able to do these quarterlies, everyone says, Kiera, you still consult. And I'm like, I do consult still. But honestly, Jason, and this is not me trying to boost your ego for any stretch. I continually have come out here. It's so far away. You my furthest office.   The Dental A Team (02:19.946) I even got COVID here one time and stayed at the holiday for like a week. But I just learned so much. I think you're an incredible leader. think the world needs more of you and what you're doing. And so it's just really fun to have you and me kind of have this rift of a podcast today and share the things that we've learned possibly over the years. Wow. So I was not expecting that. Maybe we should have practiced before we hit record. But thank you so much for saying that. I really appreciate it.   Let's give our listeners a little bit of context here, right? So you guys know my story and you obviously, if you're a listener of Kiera's podcast, you know her story. Our story is that about six or seven years ago, we were starting to scale at a level that I was worried about controlling it. I was worried about how to get out of the weeds and   work on the business instead of being stuck in it. And I was worried about having someone to basically MC our leadership meetings, facilitate them, run them, make sure we stay on track. And the first person I thought to help me with that was Kiera. And she has been doing that in some capacity for us over the last seven years. And it's just been...   such a blessing for us to have her to lean on over the last seven years as we've continued to scale. And that's why we're together today. We're basically wrapping up our final quarterly meeting. this week had two quarterly meetings every day lasting anywhere from two to five hours, depending on the size of the office. We're just about to roll into our final one in about an hour or so.   So maybe we talk about this week, maybe we just talk about, well, I'll talk about anything. What do you think? Yeah, I think talking about this week since it's so relevant and I think it's actually super interesting to know something as I watched, you asked me to come in and help. We were kind of building off of the EOS model. Traction was where we started. I remember I had no clue what you were talking about and you said, don't worry, Kiera, you know dental, we know traction. We'll just work together.   The Dental A Team (04:42.606) But I think that that's something I've always loved about you and your practices is you guys will try anything. You're great implementers, you're great executors, you have a really beautiful vision. And I even think back to our first meeting, what your vision was to what your vision is today and the way you've been able to explain that to your team. so yeah, I think, and then I remember Amy called me one time and said, Kiera we're not just gonna have you work with one office. We now have four offices. So that felt like, let's try and figure this out. And then it's like, now we've got five offices and now we have six offices. And I think we've done a really good job of   figuring out what are the best things to implement, what do we want to do for these offices? But what I love is that you are so obsessed with making sure your entire teams are bought into the vision, bought into the pieces. And it's been really fun this time, you're no longer clinical. So you actually get to like come around and be a part of all of it. And I think it's been a really, it's been a fun yin and yang this round that we've never experienced. This was our first time doing it together fully for all of the practices. Yeah, I think.   So yeah, a hundred percent everything that you just said. You know, we started with EOS and the Gino Wickman model from the book Traction. And if you guys haven't read that book and you feel lost in as far as how to facilitate growth in your business, I think that's a great place to start. And then we've used that as a core and then incorporated some, some Lencioni principles into there. And basically by sprinkling in a little bit of this and sprinkling in a little bit of that, coming up with our own.   secret sauce that I feel at least at this moment serves our purpose and our intentions really, really well. And your point about me not being clinical and being able to actually be at the meetings and be engaged in the meetings, it's bittersweet because I think leaders or let's call them owners, owners of dental practices would   probably rather abdicate the responsibility of having these meetings. And there was definitely a part of me that said, well, we'll just bring Kiera in to do it. So I can, you know, dot, dot, dot. And really the self-talk that I was, I was saying to myself was, I don't want to do it. I don't want to have uncomfortable conversations. I don't want to work hard on trying to create clarity of vision and where we're going. So I'll just go work on this crown while Kiera does it.   The Dental A Team (07:07.287) And that served me well, selfishly, for a year or two. But then you start to realize, if we're going to scale, the founder, the owner, has to be an integral part of the process. Now, they don't necessarily have to lead the meetings, per se, but they have to be there. They have to chime in when it's appropriate. They have to even give someone like Kiera, who's facilitating these, clarity on the vision.   And I feel like this week was really great where we could play off of each other. You did just a phenomenal job of running the meetings, going through the agenda. And then you leaned on me if there was a specific part of vision, you know, where are we going? What do we mean by this? Jason, can you speak to that? And I think it ultimately benefited each of our teams. Definitely agree. And I think like, just to help listeners see,   You didn't start here, right? And I think so many people, when they look at where your practices are, they're like, well, Jason's not in them. He's running all these meetings. But like, let's back up. There were a good five, six years where you were at the core one. You and I would always chat before every quarterly. So I'd at least understand what you wanted. And I would go with Amy, who's just incredible. Amy makes my life easy. I love you, Jason. And I love Amy. Like, is really, they're an incredible group. They make my job easy.   But there was always clarity before everyone. So if you are a practicing clinician still, don't feel like maybe you have to completely remove yourself clinically to be able to do this. Jason scaled up to this and it was always within the goals. We knew that he wanted to eventually get out of clinical. So I knew where he wanted to go. It was always working the practices up to that. But I think to your point this round, what I think has been so powerful between both of us is, I think sometimes when you're the founder, it's great to give vision, but sometimes it's hard to   be the only person, at least for myself and my team and in other teams I coach, sometimes having to be all of it is hard. And when they hear it from a different perspective, like, love that you're a male, I'm a female, we bring two different energies to the table. When we're going through the meeting, I rally them up and then I ask Jason to share about the vision because I think it's so important for teams to really get behind you. You set the North Star for it.   The Dental A Team (09:24.354) But then it's also, they're hearing it from multiple facets as well, which I think helps the team. Like you'll hear things that I'm not hearing. I'll hear things that you're not hearing. We're coming together. Cause at the end of the day, we want these teams to win and flourish. but I also think the relationship we've built over the last seven years helps us really jive on that. And I think coming to the table, we were very aligned on, on values already. And so I think when you're looking at coaches and doctors, like, are you aligned? Because I think it would have been hard if I'm always pushing production and you're pushing culture.   that's not gonna mesh. And so making sure that you two are aligned, I think when you're guiding a team and we've really ripped it off of each other, I think in a really great way, because I know where you wanna go. And honestly, I love your team so much. mean, they've had babies, they've grown, they've evolved. And it's really fun for me to see these cultures and these teams talk about numbers and get an ownership mindset, but they didn't start there. And we've like really grown them through. But I mean, even today we were talking with a team about profitability and to teach them.   how to look at P &Ls and teach them about numbers and to think like owners. I think the light bulb moment was when our first meeting this week, you have an office manager. How long has Megan been in her role? She's been with me for, it's gotta be almost 15 years. And she's been the office manager of our flagship office, our biggest office for gotta be seven, eight years maybe. Megan.   if and when you listen to this, I'm very off in those guesses, I apologize. That's why I write things down so I don't have to remember them. But the reality is she's just an amazing key part of what we're trying to do. Totally. And what I loved about Megan this meeting, because I watched her when she came into the OM role, was she said, hey,   what about this? This is me thinking like an owner. And she questioned something that was going on within their practice of how is this going to hit my PNL? How's this going to impact her profitability? And honestly, I felt like both you and I probably saw like fireworks go off because she gets it. She understands that she thinks about the numbers. She thinks about the profitability. She thinks like an owner. And I think her decisions are much stronger and much sounder because she's coming from that viewpoint. But like, again, it took time.   The Dental A Team (11:36.088) But I really love Jason that you are so passionate about growing your team into these incredible leaders and they know where you want to take them. And I love that in all the meetings you've said, this is our reason, this is why we exist. This is selfishly what I want to do. And if that doesn't align with you, that's okay. And I think giving teams permission of if they're not aligned with you, you'll help them find another job, but this is what we're doing and we're really passionate about it. And it's been really, really awesome to see the teams gravitate towards that and learn and ask the questions.   I think that's something I've learned from you over my years. You do a good job of making a safe space for them and we work on that every time of trust and vulnerability, saying the things, asking the questions, giving the clarity so that way they can really be empowered to make decisions and grow their own practices. And truth be told, of all six of them, no meeting is the same. No teams winning statements are the same. No teams objectives, the rallying cries. None of them are the same. None of them have the same metric issues. Like they all are very individualized and giving them the empowerment.   to figure out what they want and guiding them. But really they set the stage and I think that that's what buys them into the culture and also to the practices. Yeah, so much to unpack there. So we're here. That's why we have you now all the time in the world, Jason. We could not do this earlier. He was stressed. I could feel it from him. like, let's go. He's like, hold on, hold on. Yeah. need more time. Yeah, I can't stop me sweating, right? Man, where do I start? There's so much.   So much wisdom in what Kiera just said. So first off, I do think that there's a tremendous amount of value in having quarterly meetings and figuring out a way to get out of the whirlwind and work on the business and set it in it. I also think there's value in bringing in a independent party for lack of a better term, because they get to see it with a new objectivity that   maybe you are not seeing it with because you're constantly caught in the storm. Now you might be at where you can't afford something like that, or you may be at a point where you feel like you can do it better yourself, whatever it is, you're going to ultimately work through those pain points and those issues. And I would suspect that you come out the other end realizing that I need someone to help facilitate this, someone that's not so attached to it personally. Yeah, I'll never forget.   The Dental A Team (13:59.962) you know, we'll go on a little tangent here. So we used to do, anonymous surveys with the team. This is one of the first times that Kiera ever came to our, one of our quarterlies to help us. And at the quarterly, we used to unpack the results of these anonymous surveys. And this was an anonymous survey for a particular office. And we were getting a lot of what back then I would call negative. Nowadays I would call constructive feedback regarding a specific employee.   And everyone at the table was trying to spin it in a way where, yeah, but she's still able to do this or she's still able to do that. And we were like basically lying to ourselves about the situation. And Kiera would just be, you know, in the corner, just listening intently, not saying anything. And then after everyone had a chance to kind of sell their side of the story, Kiera's like, look, guys, here's the deal. Like, and I don't know this person and I'm not attached to this person.   But based on all of the feedback that you guys are giving me and based on what I'm hearing other people in the practice say, this is a horrible culture fit and you need to let her go. And we're like, you're right. But we were like, we all have this story that we were like telling ourselves because we were like in the situation. It's like the forest through the trees analogy. And to have someone that really has no, now Kiera loves us and has ties to us, but really has no like.   like emotional ties to what we're doing that can just give her wisdom with a level of objectivity that just we were lacking at the time. that's the first point. Like whenever you can bring someone independently in, just think it resonates better. And it's kind of like the classic parenting situation that my wife, Karen and I are always talking about. So I can parent my teenage son till I'm blue in the face and telling him life lessons and what to expect and what have you.   and he can just ignore me for a litany of reasons. But my next door neighbor will say the same thing to him and he's like, that's a good point, I'll consider that. And I'm like, what? I've been telling you that for a year. And so sometimes your team just needs to hear it from a different source. Yeah, and I think that I remember that meeting too. And I think my role, I take it very seriously, of like my job is to not come in and fire people or.   The Dental A Team (16:24.283) do anything crazy like that. But my job is to truly be that person that isn't in it day in and day out and to give that perspective that ultimately is gonna help them win. And I think that's defining what winning looks like and really knowing that I care about all of them as people and as a business and as an organization that I know is doing great things. I think you also have to have somebody who's willing to speak up like that too in a gentle manner that really gives them the clarity and the guidance. At the end of the day, they get to make the decisions and I might be off base, but.   I think it really has been this building of being able to say, is this maybe a paradigm shift that we could look at? And I know we did quite a bit of that this week with the offices, which is really fun with Jason and I being able to riff with each other because again, maybe they've heard it from Jason so many times in the organization, me parroting it or saying it in a different way. It just sometimes will click with people. And sometimes what I say, think resonates. Jason, again, our ultimate goal is to help them win. And neither of us, mean,   I think both of us do a good job of not having the ego. We just come to the table. What I mean, it's been worked on. I remember when I first came in, I felt like I had to just be the best for you guys and I had to be this incredible consultant. like, I needed Jason to tell me I got all my gold stars. And that was my ego serving rather than coming in. And my job is to just do the best for this team. Your job is to come in and do the best for this team and to help this team flourish. There's no ego associated with it. It's really...   How can we give them the guidance and the clarity they need to be able to truly flourish and have fun doing it and to be successful? it's, I mean, you guys have rolled out. What I love about you guys is you will constantly change and evolve and we're asking questions. So post meeting, like, how did that go? What did we learn? What did we learn about the organization? And mad kudos to you and Amy. That's why I think I love coming is you're never die hard. This is what we're doing. You'll have, we'll have the healthy conversations. We'll have the debate. We'll go back and forth, but.   end all, be all, you'll try things and see if they work because you want everybody to win. And I think that that's something so powerful that I think if leaders can learn that and they can learn to set their egos aside and they can learn like there are things being said that we need to take on and try or do things differently. I think it helps a lot. And honestly, I learned so much in all these quarterlies listening to you, listening to your team. I'm constantly writing little notes for myself. But I think it's just being around people that elevate you and lift you up and   The Dental A Team (18:45.206) bringing the best out of your teams just is such a fulfilling experience. And I think that's why we love doing these quarterlies because you see the teams evolve quarter after quarter after quarter and just get better and better. Yeah, a hundred percent. And I think one of the common themes with this last round of quarterlies was just an emphasis on communication, an emphasis on what we call going into the storm and   you know, having each one of us give permission to the team that we want feedback. We want to be told that we're doing a good job. And if we're not doing a good job, it's, it's not that we're intentionally trying to do a bad job. It's just, I'm doing things how I thought they were supposed to be done, either based on my experiences or my training or what have you.   And if I'm not doing a good job, like, let me know. Like, I deserve to know, I need to know. And the only way that this practice is really going to win is if you give me that feedback and I'm receptive to it and I can grow from it. It's such a paradigm from where I think a lot of dental practices are maybe that are not as far along the journey where the founder or the doctor is so worried about new patients and production and we got to do this, we got to do that.   Which is all important, don't get me wrong, but like it's crazy because we're bigger than most organizations and over the last year we just been doubling down on communication. it's, it's, we're having our best year ever, our most profitable year ever. And it's without a, like this crazy emphasis and well, you have to do this for new patients and you have to do this for turning over the room, like all important. Don't get me wrong. But when, when you just double down on   the communication and just making sure people feel heard and making sure that you're giving honest and sincere feedback, making sure you're going into the storm and having these conversations. Like from that mindset, we have exponentially grown. And this is the first set of quarterlies where it was literally discussed at every meeting and not necessarily us bringing it up. Like team members bring it when, when creating an issues list, the team will say,   The Dental A Team (21:01.496) I wish someone would give me more feedback. I wish that I had more clarity on if I'm doing a good job or we didn't hear those things a couple of years ago because we weren't making it nearly as much of a point of emphasis as we are now. I agree. I think like if I go back to a few quarterlies, I remember I came to the meeting, Jason and I had not prepped this. I knew kind of the direction he wanted to go. I always try to bring something that I think will facilitate opportunities.   And I remember talking about Patrick Lencioni's five dysfunctions of team and you started giggling and the whole team started giggling and they're like, did you two talk before? And the answer was no, but we both knew like this is how we build it. And as it's morphed over the years, I think your winning triangle is a beautiful way. But what I think we've done really well and mad kudos to you guys is you talk about going into the storm. And I think when people look at that pyramid, they feel like, yeah, yeah, trust and vulnerability is important.   But like we want to win. And so we spend a lot of time up here like winning in the metrics where we really hit an emphasis of like, how do we get that trust and vulnerability? And like every quarter, it's a constant conversation of how do we develop more trust and vulnerability? How do we get more of those conversations? And something that I thought was so interesting that's come up in a couple of the meetings this round are the team says that, yeah, but this like, this wasn't the culture and other practices.   and that's why I'm afraid to speak up. And I started thinking about that and ruminating on it as we've been going through each office, realizing that society kind of trains us to like, don't speak up. I was even talking to my husband last night and I just noticed like, he gave me an example from his hospital and I was like, like what, you can't really coach your spouse all the time. You gotta like make sure you do it delicately. And I just, thought, gosh, this is a great opportunity for you to go into the storm and have that.   But when teams aren't taught that, that's what I love about doing it with the teams and coaching the teams and helping them in the smaller practices, is they're all hearing the same thing. We're all giving each other permission to have feedback and to have trust and vulnerability and teaching them how to have the conversations and how to receive it. Because at the end of the day, Jason, I'm sure you will say the same thing of all the practices we coach, the number one thing I hear from every practice consistently is communication. Like that is the number one issue that comes up. And so if you can teach them how to have   The Dental A Team (23:18.746) trust and vulnerability, go into the storm, have the conversations and have it be something where we're not confrontational, but truly it's a conversation to get like, we're on the same team, let's figure this out. I love the analogy you had of the sports team and how they call out the shots, they call out the plays to make us so we can win and helping teams realize like in a day-to-day basis, we do that together and making that their daily life and they're like building that skillset for them.   I'm excited because yes, it will help the practices flourish, but also these team members are elevating to levels they didn't even know because now they can communicate better in their personal lives. They can communicate better with their family and their friends. And it just elevates them to this whole new level of life. I know when I started learning, like have those uncomfortable conversations, have those growth conversations, like have them quicker and not delay them. Cause as you've mentioned multiple times this week, when we delay those conversations, it's truly not benefiting anybody. The dental system doesn't hear it.   the front office isn't here, the patient didn't have a great experience. The only person that benefited was realistically my ego, which ultimately is selfish. And not that I'm doing it intentionally to be selfish. I think we do try to have it in the realm of being kind, but being kind is also clear and having those conversations so people don't feel like they're on eggshells. It's really incredible because if teams can learn to communicate with that, so many things get fixed very quickly because now we're all focused on the same thing.   and having permission for that. Yeah, one of my favorite Ramsey quotes, my listeners will know that I have a man crush on Dave Ramsey. I a lot of it. To be unclear is to be unkind, right? So I think we fool ourselves into thinking like, okay, we just observed so-and-so do something incorrectly, but I don't want to hurt their feelings. So I'll just...   I'll mention something later or you'll, I'll never, I'll sweep it under the rug or I won't, I won't deal with it. And to your point, when you choose not to deal with it, that person doesn't get any better. The business doesn't get any better. The patient experience doesn't get any better. The only person that really experiences, the only person that really benefits from you not having that conversation is you, because you can choose to be selfish and not have to develop the courage to go have that conversation. And when we say,   The Dental A Team (25:38.372) going to the store and develop the courage to have that conversation. We're not talking about guns blazing, you know, screaming at someone. We're talking about going into that conversation from a position of empathy and curiosity, asking questions with the intention of trying to grow that person. so the business can ultimately get closer to winning. I think it's been fun to give real life examples for practices because handoffs, handoffs are a constant theme that comes up in all practices.   and to show them that like, if we can help them go into the storm and when that handoff doesn't come perfectly to you, that you're then able to ask that person for the feedback you need. And it's crazy, there's one office that you guys have and the office manager is really good at, if it's not a perfect route, slip in a perfect handoff, they don't accept it they do it with love. But that office knows, and we were even talking in your flagship practice, like when the office manager sits up there, everybody brings perfect ones in.   but maybe for other team members, they're not doing that. And giving the team the power, the permission, the ask for it, and helping them just get one or 2 % better, that's one or 2 % better across an entire organization, which elevates us so much more. And I think that that's something I've really loved. Every single quarterly, we really focus on that trust and vulnerability, then the healthy debate, bringing up the issues. And I love, love, love.   when we have new team members that feel safe enough to do it, when we have existing team members that have been with us for a while, but to start to watch them find their voice and realize it's not a problem, it's not an issue. We're just bringing it to the table so we get the data to really make the best decisions. Some of the best things, I think about our meeting last night, I just was adamant, I'm like, I wanna do assisted hygiene. And it's like, where has this been for months?   but she had the voice, she knew she could bring it up and now they're going to hopefully be able to roll out something that hadn't previously been an option for them. And so again, we want that every time, but I think just encouraging that one or 2 % more vulnerable, more trust, more going into the storm, more healthy debate. Jason, I think you guys have done an incredible job in your organization as a whole. And I know that starts with you and Amy, right? You and Amy and Jen, you guys have it consistently. So you're building those muscles. You roll it down to the regionals. You roll it down to the office managers. We roll it down to the teams. We're teaching all the teams.   The Dental A Team (27:52.078) this is how we communicate here. And somebody have said like, but this wasn't how it was at other offices. And that's where I love when you like, asterisk it and say, at Finger Lake Cental Care, we want it to be a different experience for our team, our patients and our community. And this is what we're doing that's different. Like if this is your vision, join us, cause we want you to be a part of it. Amen. Preach sister. I mean, we've been doing it for like what, three days? So we're pretty, pretty aligned. But Jason, I have a question because-   Selfishly, I'm a caller. Hi, my name's Kiera Dent. I own this consulting company. I coach a lot of dentists. I hear this. But how did you get so crystal clear on where you wanted to go? Because I think I've watched you over the years more and now you're so clear. Why do we exist? It's to serve. I obviously know that that's a piece of who you are and that's what it is. And you can rally that to your team and you can give them the clarity around it. But like,   I think a lot of people go into business because they love dentistry. And then they build these practices because they want to help more people. They're maybe entrepreneurs, they want to do that. But like helping some of the listeners, they might not have the clarity and the experience. Like how did you almost go through that journey to figure out like, this is my legacy, this is where I want to go? Because I'm sure there were times it was hard and you're like, well, maybe this is it. Maybe we sell, maybe I'm done. Maybe you've always had the desire of I want to go. But I even know when I first met you, your goals.   to what your goals are today and like the vision, I actually feel like you shifted, you went away from goals to a vision and a mission, but like how did you go through that journey? Yeah, yeah, there's a lot to unpack there. That's Good thing we didn't have eight This is gonna be a three-part series. So I think whatever you pay attention to, whatever you spend time thinking about, ultimately,   drives behavior. So I got to a point in my life where I was through meditation, through journaling, I was like, well, what am I really doing here? Like, dentists are blessed to have, for the most part, a good lifestyle financially. And I was at a point where, you know, I'm making good money. Like I'm content with this. But I just felt that there was more, there was something more I could be doing.   The Dental A Team (30:17.532) And where I was at, was struggling to use a metaphor, struggling to get out of bed, right? was like, you know what, like I just need something else to, to drive me. I want to be able to jump out of bed and just tackle the day. And I just currently feel that what I'm doing on a day to day basis is not motivating me enough to want to like really tackle this day through. So through a lot of, you know, books and   in meditation and talking to other people. I ultimately came upon this practice of what Ed Milet calls, who's a popular podcaster. calls his definition of hell and his definition of hell is going through your life, living it a certain way, and then you ultimately pass on to the afterlife. Now, depending what your faith is.   you would ultimately, after you die, you would meet your Maker. So my Maker is Jesus Christ. My faith is an extremely important part of my life. So I go through this exercise where I've passed on and I'm in the process. I'm walking up to Jesus Christ. I'm walking up to meet him for the first time. And next to Jesus is another person. So as I'm getting closer and closer to Jesus, I'm like, who is this other person? Who's this person that's sitting or standing next to Jesus? So I finally get to Jesus and   and we introduce each other face to face, and I say, know, hey Jesus, who is this person next to you? And he looks at me and he says, Jason, this is the person I created you to be. This is the person that when I created you, I expected you to become. And from my perspective, I'm looking at that person and I'm thinking to myself, how close am I to that person? Are we?   identical twins or are we like so unrecognizable that I almost have a sense of guilt for how I live my life. So just going through that practice, I think to myself, who did God create me to be? And everyone's going to have a different answer to that. And the answer that I got through prayer and meditation was God's created me to   The Dental A Team (32:30.69) have a certain level of influence and impact to as many possible people as I can have. And I can use the platform of dentistry or our business to ultimately facilitate that. with that context and with that backdrop, I'm trying to grow an organization that is ultimately going to give just the highest level of team members, patients, and communities the ability to be influenced by good. So currently we have 150 employees.   And I feel like I'm trying my best to give all 150 of them the best possible job that they can have. Like an outlet to just serve people. And at the end of their day, you know, it's not gonna be perfect every day. It's not gonna be roses every day. But at the end of their day, they just feel a sense of joy and fulfillment that they get to truly serve other people. They get to pour into other people and they can drive home and think to themselves, man, I love what I do. What I do matters.   What I do allows me to take care of my family and all those things, right? So I would love to do that for 300 people. I would love to do that for 500 people. I would love to do that for a thousand people. And then the trickle down effect of that is those thousand employees can serve exponentially more patients at that high level. And then with the profitability of that, we can give back to the community in an irrational way. And I just love that mindset. you know,   Will I ever arrive? Will I ever finish that? Will I ever check that back? No, it's just a journey. It's like, I'm just going to keep plugging away, plugging away, plugging away. And when I do pass on and I do meet the person standing next to Jesus, my hope is he's pretty darn recognizable. My hope is Jesus says to me, you know what? This is what I intended you to do. This is what I created you to do. You know, good job. Yeah. Thank you for sharing that because   I think so many people don't know how to get there. And as you said that I have watched you and something that I really want to highlight is you have your vision, you have your mission. It's beautiful. And that's like actually why I've loved you and I being at the cordolese together. Cause you can say that and you can share that and a team hearing that from their boss, if you will, I think is very powerful. But I also want to highlight you set the vision. You're not doing all the pieces like   The Dental A Team (34:54.544) and you really do trust and empower your OMS and the teams to do it. I think it's interesting, we're sitting here together in a podcast because Jason's almost like a ghost. Like he's there, you show up, and then all of a sudden he's gone and he just, he's just gone. Like he says goodbye and he's gone. And so I actually love that I wanna highlight that because I think so many people when they have a vision like this, they feel like they have to be the one to create it. And you realize I need to set the North Star.   I need to get the great people in place. I need to do my role and encourage and empower them to do their role and expect them to do their role so that way we can serve more people. And that's something I have watched you from day one be very good at. But you do it in such a gentle and direct way that I feel like people should really like, are, you set the North Star and then you bring all these people together, but you really do hold them highly accountable for what they need to do.   But it's like in a way, I think there's accountability that can be harsh and judgmental and there's accountability that can be direct and kind. And I think you've done a really masterful job. That's why I love learning from you. That's why I love being here. Because I feel like I get better and it's great that I can help bring something to the table as well. It's because I think that's true leadership mentorship. And I think you, you view yourself as a leader and also a very strong mentor to these people to become the best they can be. Well, I appreciate you saying that. That's the goal, right?   I just want to grow people to a level that they didn't even think possible. with that growth, they can continue this vision, right? And it doesn't necessarily have to be with me. They can do it in their church. They can do it in their kids' schools. I just want them to have the right mindset of like, wow, what I do matters and I can create so much influence and impact on my social circle.   So instead of putting my head in the sand, I'm gonna actually do that. I'm gonna try to create nearly as much influence and impact in my life and my circle as Jason poured into me. And then just the flywheel just continues to gain momentum. Which I think is just incredible and it's fun. I love something else I noticed that I think I would love to highlight because I feel like I get a really beautiful bird's eye view of being in the practices and watching you and seeing the teams come to life.   The Dental A Team (37:06.488) I watch you in meetings and you will chime in and you'll paint the vision and then you sit back and you let the team do it. And I think that that is so hard for leaders that have great ideas, but I watch you because you ultimately want them to flourish. You want them to have conversations. And then there's certain times that I watch you and you come in pretty strong of like, well, here's this place or this is what I see or hey, can I give you coaching like in the moment? And I love that you're not afraid to do that, but you also know when to step back and when to jump in.   And I think that that's a learning piece that I've actually been able to watch you like refine over the years to really allow the teams to feel safe, to feel like they can have it. Cause for a long time, I felt like teams did rely on you. They did lean on you like Jason, what should we do? And now I think you've been able to guide them and coach them and teach them how they can do it on their own while also like inserting yourself in the right time when it's necessary for them as well. And I think that's a good leader to know when to speak and when to let them.   And some of them might flounder. I think we watch them set some of their goals and sometimes I'm like, well, I might have chosen something different, but they bought into it. Let's let them run the course and guide them throughout it as well. But truly trusting and believing they're on the right course all the time. 100%. And there's so many cliches out there, but the reality is that allowing people to make their own decisions, giving them boundaries, allowing them to make their own decisions. And if they fail, like,   That's where the true growth comes from. What happened here? What went wrong? And how can I grow from this moving forward? In my opinion, that's really the only way to grow people. So if you're gonna micromanage them and make all the decisions for them, then they're just gonna be a robot. And they're just gonna expect just daily micromanagement from their leader. And that's not what I'm trying to do here. It's so fun and I think people...   I mean, you keep saying, all the major, I care you've heard me say this four or five times. Like we do, we kind of have a similar thing. But we, think it's, you remember to love that office and those people and we give them as if it's our first time having this conversation because they deserve it. Even though you and I have heard it. I mean, we're about to have our sixth run through this, but to just constantly love and pour into them, I think is really amazing. that's kind of, those are my questions. Jason, you got anything for me? I mean, I'm open for whatever you want.   The Dental A Team (39:28.41) I have so many questions for I'm ready. I we have like how much time? We've like five minutes. yeah. So our next quarterly is starting in five minutes. So this is real life here. This is real talk. Sitting in this amazing office, they're getting ready. We can hear the chairs right over there. So let me ask this question. And then, you know, we can always come back for a part two. You can be a VIP again on the podcast. I'll bring you back on, Jason. So the talking about vision, the   The Kiera that I met in 2017 was traveling nonstop, bragging is not the right word, but was very proud of the fact that she had been to every continent and in multiple countries. But the Kiera that I know now has a very different goal, very different vision, likes to travel to help people, but not nearly at the cadence that she was doing.   what has occurred in your life that has encouraged you to pivot on that vision. So you're still able to help a lot of people, but not nearly the way that you were to by constantly being in person all over the world. Yeah, great question. That is a lot to unpack. But I think when I started it, it was   I had a very strong desire to help as many people as I could and also want to get as much experience as I could. I felt like to be the best consultant and the best coach, let me go grab as much data and information as I could. And so that was really my goal. Like let me help and serve and be in as many offices. And then after it was at about 250, I started realizing what does our company need from me as a CEO? And the answer was I wasn't there. I wasn't there to set vision.   I mean, I was literally running around the country and having somebody else completely try to run the company. And we started talking in leadership and I'm sure you can relate to this. It just started to realize that while yes, I love consulting, I need to be very intentional with my time to make sure that our company grows in the direction that I want it to grow and our team needs it. And I had to really realize like what my role and responsibilities were to lead and guide our team rather than being constantly on the road. And so,   The Dental A Team (41:46.236) I think it was a hard shift because my identity was so wrapped up and I'm this traveling consultant and this is what I do. And I think it was easy for me to stay there because I knew how to do that role well. Whereas being a CEO and setting all these things, that wasn't as, I mean, I didn't go to business school. I just built a business because I wanted to serve and love and help dentists really get the life they wanted and empower their teams as well. And so,   I think I stayed in it maybe a little longer than I maybe would have, but realizing that if I really want to serve an impact on a higher level, and that's in the middle of all my vision boards, it says massive impact, and my goal is to just positively impact and serve as many people as I can, me doing that one-on-one wasn't going to get me to that goal. And so I think similar to you, it's like, you've got to scale back, you've got to get more people, you've got to train more people.   And then also like truth be told lifestyle, traveling that much was really hard for my health. could like, it was hard for me to stay consistent with workouts. I was eating like cake pops. Like I was known as the cake pop queen for so long, like eating so much crap and my body honestly just started to really hurt. And I thought my greatest tool in my toolbox is my body. And if I'm not taking care of this body, it's actually going to limit the amount that I can grow and evolve and help more, more practices truth be told. And so   I think there's probably some wisdom, some maturity, some uncomfortability. mean, I still have the time to do something like, don't even know what a CEO is supposed to do. Like I really have no clue and it feels awkward for me, but I know if I sit here long enough, I'm going to figure it out rather than just doing what's comfortable for me. And so I think maybe I got older, I got a little bit wiser, but realized if I really wanted to go for where I wanted to be and to serve as many people, what I was doing was not serving my family. wasn't serving my health.   And while yes, it was so fun to do it, I felt like there was probably a better way to do it. Yeah. Well said. I've been in similar experience. Like I think as a dentist, it was easy, easier for me to just be in a treatment room, put an implant in, do a root canal. But the reality is I could train up other dentists to do that at a high level, just like you could and have trained up other consultants. And I've experienced them firsthand to do what you're doing at a high level where   The Dental A Team (44:07.616) is the one unique ability to use some Dan Sullivan terminology is like casting vision, running a company. And once I decided that that needed to be my responsibility and I could own that, then everything changed. And I would assume that it's been a similar experience for you. It has, it feels rocky. I feel like I'm like a little toddler through that still. It feels shaky. And I also think that that's important to highlight that.   when you realize that's the role for you. I think as we mature in age, we often forget that we need to like fail and to grow and it's going to be uncomfortable and that's actually where we need to be. So many consultants come in and they've been top dogs, they've been regionals, they've been office managers. It's easy for them and they come to consult and it's hard. It's completely different. And I actually think that there's, if we can learn to love that struggle and to   fall in love with the process of becoming who we're ultimately meant to be. I think we go into that storm a lot faster and a lot sooner, even though it feels awkward and it's okay to say, don't know what I'm doing. I know you guys said that, Amy's like, we didn't know what we were doing. Last year was a little bit different of a year. Like we're all learning. But I think the more you encourage that, become that, get more comfortable being uncomfortable, and I know that's so cliche, people say that. The only way you get like comfortable being uncomfortable is get yourself uncomfortable. I think that that, I think that's why you and I jive because   We both know what we need to do. And I love coming and learning from you. You push me. My goal every time is to say something that makes Jason go, I had never thought that way. And I did it this time a couple of times, which I so I think it's like also surround yourself with people that are aligned, which is why I so continue to see you. I've cut back the people I see. I love them, but I'm intentional with what are the offices I'm going to go participate and consult.   because ultimately I want to keep growing myself and growing those offices, surrounding myself with people that I really admire and really respect on their leadership and come home so fulfilled to be a better leader. Because it's hard sometimes to stay that strong leader, but being around people like that's why I'm so happy you guys get to see us together. This is very rare that I actually podcast with a person in person. But to be able to see that, to be around it, I think fuels my soul and gives me encouragement because   The Dental A Team (46:28.848) Every time I've met you, Jason, I'm not the same person. You're not the same person. Our lives are not the same of where they were. So even if we said the same thing we said six months ago or two years ago, we're different people. So we're going to pick up different gems and keep evolving. And ultimately my goal is to grow with you and with your organization, myself and also my skills to constantly be able to serve at a higher level and serve more offices as well. Amen.   All right, that's a wrap. That's a wrap. I don't know how you end yours. I usually let my editor end it. How do you end yours? just copy. usually say, I obviously like thanks for having the convo. It was fun. agree. I agree. I love I love in person. I love the conversation. I can share information on Kiera's contact information. I'll share it in the show notes, some links and stuff like that.   But yeah, thanks for listening. Yeah, and I'll share links about Jason and I told you I'm so glad you have a podcast the world needs more Dentists and leaders like Jason and so just thanks for being here and as always thanks for listening We'll catch you next time on the Dental A Team podcast and the Dental Lighthouse podcast. Thanks guys

So much of practice profitability comes from tracking supplies and overhead. Kiera pulls back the curtain on how practices can keep track of supplies, avoid shortages, and stay within budget. Episode resources: Reach out to Kiera Tune Into DAT’s Monthly Webinar Practice Momentum Group Consulting Subscribe to The Dental A-Team podcast Become Dental A-Team Platinum! Review the podcast Transcript: Kiera Dent (00:00.59) Hello, Dental A Team listeners. This is Kiera and welcome to the podcast. I hope you guys, it's crazy to think I've been doing this podcast for so long and I still get new ideas and that's thanks to you guys. So just so you know, the podcast is built for team members and teams, doctors and owners by team members and practice owners to give you guys the best tips and tricks to be able to share from hundreds of practices across the nation and across the globe to give you the shortcuts to success and to give you a community so you don't feel like you have to do this alone.   I was at my, my gosh, I'm going to say the words on the podcast. You guys, you're going to find out how old I am. I went to my 20 year high school reunion. I kid you not. And I was terrified to go. none of my friends from high school that I hung out with in high school were going. So I was going kind of solo and, and by like none of my friends, did know people, but they weren't like the close friends that I'd hung out with all the time. None of them were going. And I was super stressed and I didn't know if I wanted to go. And I almost bailed   about 20 times. And then I decided, you can always just leave. Just go say hello. You've already paid. It's right by my parents' house. It's not far away. And it was interesting because there was a girl that we weren't necessarily close in high school. I knew of her. She knew of me. But it was fun because she built a business. I built a business. And we were talking because when you're business owners, know there's not a lot of people you can actually geek out with all the time and talk to them about business strengths and weaknesses   She said to me, said, know, Kiera I'd really love to get with you more often because I feel like as business owners, we need that community and we need people that are like us to help us know that we're going through it. And I just thought, I am so lucky because my dentists do have a community and the dentist I consult have a community and they don't have to do this alone. And they're like, I've literally been there, done that and done it successfully. And our team has been there, done that and done it successfully. And we're able to share with you all the tips and all the tricks and all the things.   So that way you don't have to go through the hard things. If I could find somebody who has grown a consulting company, which I did, that's who I hired as my coach. but really just like leaning in. And then what I decided to do is our dentists, we actually meet the first Tuesday of every month. call that think tank Tuesday for our one -on -one clients. And then our group mastermind, which is so freaking fun. It's a really, really, really, really awesome community that I'm loving. And they get.   Kiera Dent (02:21.448) way more access than they even do on one -on -one. But every single week they come together for Ask Consultants Everything. And then we also have a mastermind where they get to come together as well. And my biggest piece was I was thinking back to why did I join Tony Robbins? And I thought I joined it for Tony Robbins, but I realized I joined it for a community of people that push me, that I'm not the smartest one in the room, that people can help me run my business in ways that I don't even know because community is what we're all here for. And so for you guys,   to just think like how blessed are we to have this podcast community to be able to come and share from hundreds of practices and get best ideas and to really get out there. Because what I found is in today's world, we don't have to be alone unless we want to. We don't have to do this on our own unless we want to. And I will literally give you every single piece of knowledge that I have anywhere and everywhere to make sure that you succeed and that you've lived the life you want. My goal is to positively impact the world of dentistry in the greatest way possible.   Dentistry is my platform and life is my passion to give you guys the life that you deserve, to give you the team and the skills for doctors and teams to flourish. So today I really wanted to just go through a quick tactical for you about inventory management, which is not my typical podcast style. Normally I'm more about life, but today I thought, let me give you guys some quick tips on how to do supplies and to keep track of your supplies and make sure that we don't have shortages, make sure that we're within budget.   And kind of just helping you and your team get on that because what I found is so much of profitability comes from tracking our supplies, tracking our overhead. And if we can get that dialed in, that's one less thing that we have to worry about. So, Hey, who's for ease. I'm here for ease because at the end of the day, we can do it the hard way or we can do it the easy way. And I would love to share with you the fastest, easiest tips I've learned. And then also what I expect from you as the community is if you have ways that I'm not talking about on the podcast, please email me. Hello @ TheDentalATeam.com   I'll either bring you on as a guest or we can take some of your ideas if you don't want to be a guest and share it because I believe that yes, while you're consuming and receiving, it's also important for you to give back. And I believe that the secret to living a fulfilled life is giving back and serving as well. There's so much fulfillment in my life to serve you and to give you these tips and to give you resources from other practices, but I wouldn't be able to give it to you without their experiences as well.   Kiera Dent (04:36.354) Whether that's you join us and become one of our ambassadors who actually get to help coach some of our doctors. Whether it's you become a client, we're able to help with that. Or you just email me in and share some of your greatest ideas. I would love that. I would love it so much and it will make you feel good because then you were able to share an idea. And everyone thinks their ideas are dumb and guess what? Going from hundreds of practices, most practices are actually not doing it. And some of my best ideas are the simplest things like an office had standup desk for their front office and I thought, gosh.   I wish so many other offices knew that. So no idea is dumb. And I just want you to not feel scared to share. And don't worry, I will always polish it up and make you sound like a million bucks. So you never, ever, ever, ever have to worry. Just email me Hello @ TheDentalATeam .com and be sure to give back. Cause I think that that's a great way for you to also feel fulfilled. So with supplies, number one, I like supplies to be at a four or a 5 % of total collections. So a great thing, there's a supply spreadsheet that I've given to a lot of our offices that we consult.   where it literally is just what are they doing for their ordering and then what is the budget? Because so often, like I was a dental assistant, I would just order what we had always ordered in the past. And that's actually not the best way to do inventory management and that we don't need to. So if we give them a 4%, so let's just make our math super simple. If we're collecting 100 ,000, 4 % is four grand, 5 % would be 5 ,000. And then what they do is, whoever's ordering, they just put it on a spreadsheet, they just deduct it down, and that's our budget for the month.   Now, something else that I love are clear tip out bins. I'm obsessed with going into offices and finding this beautiful blank wall and I found it in every practice. So don't think that your practice can't do it. Sometimes you have to get a little creative, but there's always space for it. But the clear bins, when I worked at Midwestern University's dental college in Arizona, we bought so much extra inventory because we couldn't see things. And think about our houses. Like, yes, we can tuck it in drawers, but we can't see things. And for inventory, we want to be able to see things.   to know how much do we actually have of things. And so even at the dental college, students would stock their drawers and we would go through so much composite because people would be hoarding composite. And so I'm also not obsessed with stocking rooms a ton, especially if you wanna get your inventory down and get your supplies lower, which you can absolutely do. And so what I love to do is have one, the spreadsheet and the budget. So whomever's ordering knows exactly how much they can spend.   Kiera Dent (06:54.83) Let's not have it be free reign. You can also do it for the front office. I know Amazon can really run quickly on us, but make them just track it on a quick, simple spreadsheet. That way we can always watch that and get that in control. I understand that if you order implants, you might need to go higher. If an office is doing implants, usually add together the supplies and the labs. I do about between 12 and 14%, again, depending upon the rest of your practice. I'm aiming for a 50 % overhead, excluding Dr. Pay. So you can kind of play with the numbers and figure   but a good like overall supply budget is like four to 5%. That does include hygiene supplies as well. And front office, I usually give them a half a percentage to 1 % for front office supplies. Again, look at your overhead, look at the percentages. We have an incredible overhead calculator that has it all broken down into the percentages of what we recommend for each category. And then you can use your P &L and plug it in and it's really awesome. So with that said, I love to get that budget set up. And then if we can, let's get those clear,   Clear bins set up so that way we can see. Some offices will draw a line on the bin of like when it gets down to here, this is when we order. So we can visually see and it becomes so fast. You can put tags, there's some inventory management where some people will tag it and then just scan it. Other people have the tags on the bin so it's very quick when we need to reorder, cuts down the time for us. I do really love some buying GPOs. Synergy is one, so be sure to let them know Dental A Team sent you.   I think they're great because they have a whole buying group. It's kind of like Costco where we get cheaper items because we're with the group of multiples. And I think Synergy is one of the best that allows you to still work with your preferred vendors. They do work primarily with Darby. However, with that said, you can still work with most of them and still get discounts. So yes, it might take a little bit of time to get up to date, but hey, if we can buy the same stuff and actually just save ourselves a couple hundred bucks a month or a couple thousand, isn't that worth it? I always say yes.   So that's another thing is to look into that synergy or a buying group such as that. If you have a buying group you love, please be sure to reach out, let me know. Hello @ TheDentalATeam .com. will happily vet them, find out about them and see if it's someone I would recommend to our community. But with that, then what we wanna do is we also wanna make sure that our team knows what our supplies need to be. And then everybody, I really am not obsessed with having things in operatories because if I have to stock.   Kiera Dent (09:11.724) six operatories with composite that can get very costly. And so also having tubs or those carts, if you don't know what I'm talking about, be sure to reach out. I'm happy to share pictures with you. But cart parking, and so we have like two carts for implants. We've got a cart for endo. We've got our composite, and you can have little tubs or bins. It just has everything in it. And think about how many doctors we have, how many providers. But then we just basically take it from sterile on our tray setup, take it to the room, we clean it all   put it away and off it goes. And then all I have to do is just stock the carts or the bins rather than stocking all the rooms. And I had a practice that we were actually able to cut down their supply costs exponentially due to the fact that we, all we had to do was literally just take it out of the operatories. And we were able to save so much because stocking each room was so costly and I'm having to stock basically six offices versus just having to stock those bins. The bins are also faster because I can look for it. We can fill it. And then it's all in sterile. Everything's there.   You can have drop downs. saw an office that actually had drop down bins. It's like a, I guess a clothing pull down, you know, like in closets where they're really tall. They did that for their sterile and it was amazing because they were able to have all their supplies right there. People were able to then just like restock the bins. And I did this at Midwestern when I was at the college. And what I found was I didn't have to have as many supplies because I was able to see everything. And also we had the tubs and the bins, so not as many things had to go.   And I think that's just a good way for you guys to get the supplies down to keep track the supplies to not have the supply shortages But again visually getting everything out. So if you were starting this sometimes even just in the operatories I do keep my disposables like cotton gauze floss things that we're using all the time that are very minimal cost Those stick in the operatories. You can also get the clear bins and stick them right behind your 12 o 'clock cabinet That way all those things are very easy. You can see them They're not very minimal things that we've got a stock, but really the bins are so easy   Offices love them. It might seem like a little bit change, but it makes it very, very, very simple for it. So a lot of those things, yes, I keep my disposables, my sections in the room. So those things are very simple. We use them all the time. Keep those there and they're not very costly, but the composite, the matrices bands, the impression material, all those things do become a little more costly. And so being able to cut those down really can save and then empower someone, empower them to be your supply champion, empower them   Kiera Dent (11:37.538) really be able to grow this and to, and get the person who's obsessed with like winning and figuring out how they can make ends meet. They're usually the person who really loves to be over supplies. And then they know their budget, they save the money and they're able to get it. Oftentimes buying deals when like a company has like buy two, get one free, run the numbers and make sure it's actually a good deal. Cause sometimes they're not that good of a deal. So there's my quick tactical practical for you of inventory management. Like I said,   Set up the spreadsheet with the budget, make sure we're tracking it, give the budgets to them, look at your overhead. Then the clear bins are a great thing. You can just Google them. There's a lot of them, like Z -Line, I think, is a company that has them. But just Google clear tip -out bins. They come in multiple sizes. You'll want a nice big wall. You can also put them in the operatories. Take things out of the operatory so it's all in one place. It's easier for people to track and manage. And then give someone the empowerment to just rock it and to make sure that we're never out of things.   I usually used to check my supplies like every week. My supply person usually gets one hour. It can be per week or every other week, depending upon how much you guys need to order. And that usually can keep the order going consistently. Yes, when we run this lien, we do have to order more often. But it's a great way to keep it to where we're not over bulking, over stocking, because we don't want to order as much. And then get into that GPO group buying. like Synergy, like I mentioned, can actually save you a lot of money.   for buying the exact same things you're already doing and you don't have to change. So check them out. Be sure to tell them, Dental A Team sent to you, if we can help you guys with this, get it set up, talk to your clinical team, get them excited and on board. That's what we're here for. And as always, thanks for listening. I'll catch you next time on the Dental A Team podcast.

Tiff and Dana are encouraging listeners to start planning for an end-of-year celebration now to show your appreciation for the team. Their advice includes ideas that cost money, and ones that don’t! Episode resources: Reach out to Tiff and Dana Tune Into DAT’s Monthly Webinar Practice Momentum Group Consulting Subscribe to The Dental A-Team podcast Become Dental A-Team Platinum! Review the podcast Transcript: The Dental A Team (00:00.756) Hello Dental A Team listeners, this is Tiff I am back at it today with miss Dana and Dana I'm so excited for you to be here with me We've had a lot of time together like this recently and it makes me so happy. I love when we can do it and Gosh, we need to schedule that hike. I'm telling you it's getting to the fall   So I can come down and see you soon. know that Aaron and I want to do that soon. So how are you today, Dana? How's life in Southern Arizona treating you today?   Dana (00:31.429) doing pretty good like you said around the outfall although it's still in the hundreds so the thought of hiking sometimes is like you know what Tiff like maybe October you know what you're really good   The Dental A Team (00:35.934) It's so hot!   Yeah, maybe November. Yep. Good. Awesome. Well, Dana, today's podcast is your baby. This is something and I know I always give you like props for the operations manual and you guys yeah, she is our operations manual whiz but this this today is something that   Dana's actually really fantastic at, she is fantastic at that too, but this is something that comes from her heart and her soul and something that we at Dental A Team gifted her as part of her position with us, just because it really, it literally comes from your heart and your soul, Dana. And you are so, so good at keying into people and what will make them happiest and how, how to make people feel appreciated and valued and   with gifts and words for sure, but like celebrating other people and building out end of year celebrations. And I really want this podcast today. This is your baby. I want you to speak to one, how you do it and two, are some, what are some things that doctors and practice leaders and owners can really can do to celebrate the end of the year, whether we hit our goals, which I hope you did, or whether we didn't, we should still celebrate the work that we put in. But   This is your baby and I want to hear from you, Dana, on how you think end of year celebrating should go for practices and number one, how you do it because you are so passionate about this space and we value and appreciate that. you guys, you clients get birthday presents, celebratory gifts, cards, flowers, any of those pieces, I want you to know that Dana is the person behind all of that.   The Dental A Team (02:32.106) incredibly valuable piece of our company. So Dana, thank you for that. Take us away. This is your baby.   Dana (02:38.251) Aw, thanks, Tiff. It truly is like one of my favorite spaces, just in life in general. I think I'm like this in my personal life too. And I think it comes down to being intentional. And I think for a lot of office this end of the year, like we don't think about it until the end of the year. And so I am going to prompt you that yes, while we are closer to the end of the year, be thinking about this.   as much as you can, right? And so I think a great thing is knowing your team, right? Whether it's through one -on -ones, whether it's through a survey when they're hired, whether it's through just taking inventory and listening to conversations that you hear, but knowing the things that your team members like, enjoy what makes them feel appreciated. So I think it's doing purposeful things throughout the year to gain some of this information to be able to celebrate at the end of the year or celebrate throughout the year too. A lot of this information is   super helpful for birthdays, super helpful for work anniversaries, super helpful for like you just did a fantastic job and I appreciate you. So I think it is getting to know those spaces and then the pieces that your team member really like they do get excited about and then kind of to feeding a little bit of like common interests. Are there things that when it comes to the end of the year and we're doing something for the team, are there things or common interests woven throughout the team that really would make it more special or more memorable?   Or you know make them feel more appreciated because it is tailored to like their likes their goals their dreams those types of things and then I also just want to highlight like budget for this right because it's oftentimes we get to the end of the year and it's like man I've got to do this end of the year shebang and like I don't have any funds for it I wasn't thinking about it or planning for it so when you're planning for your year make that a part of if we can say hey if I set aside $100 or   The Dental A Team (04:16.551) Yeah.   Dana (04:30.813) $200 every single month in my little end of the year party bucket. It will make doing this for your team much less stressful. Okay? The caveat to that too is if this year wasn't a fantastic year and you weren't able to do that, it doesn't have to be monetary. So if it can't be monetary, make it fun.   And you can do a lot of fun things that make people feel super appreciated, that make them come together and bond and all of that and get time with you and time with each other. It does not also have to be about gifts or bonuses or money or any of those pieces. Team members will always appreciate that. And so if you can't do it or if you're limited on the fun's part, focus on the fun part too.   The Dental A Team (05:19.14) That was beautiful. I love that you said that the fun versus the fun, you know, I love a good time. Good job. That's beautiful. And Dana, I love that we can hear your passion in it just in you speaking and thank you for sharing that. Beautiful tips, start building a bucket right away. And I do have a lot of clients that I push to do that because they want to do end of year bonuses and they want it to be grandiose. And I'm like, fantastic, build it into your goals. So put   a percentage X percentage more in on to your goals so that you can take that percentage then and put it into your bonus your end of year bonus bucket. It's totally doable. You guys you just have to prep and plan for it like Dana said, and it is the end of the year right now are rounding out the end of the year. So whatever that looks like for you is totally fine. I have a lot of clients who are in that that situation where they're like, Tiff, like, do we go to a restaurant? Do we   have a caterer come in? Do we do it at the practice? Do we do it somewhere else? And I think what Dana said is really like, she mentioned take inventory really of what people like, what do they want to do? How do they feel appreciated? Do we get asked, do we do families? Do we do just our team members? I've had practices of all walks of life. I've had practices that have had a little bit of a difficulty in.   the family aspect being there, the spouses, and they've had like run -ins, but that's non -typical. I've had practices that, gosh, even my own practice, one of my favorite, my practice I worked for for years, we always did a Christmas party or a holiday party at the end of the year. One of my favorite memories, Brody is 16th as of recording this, my son. He was three or four.   It was a long time ago and this was one of the parties that just sticks with me. I actually think about it a lot. And our office manager and our doctor put together a family Christmas party and his actually the doctor's wife had majority of planning on this one. But they rented out a space at a hotel nearby the conference room. So they rented out a conference room and we had this patient. He's incredible. He plays Santa. Like he's Santa all year round.   The Dental A Team (07:34.455) He has a small voice. He looks like Santa. He wears red every day. Like he, and he plays Santa during the holidays for different events and things, because he loves it so much. And his wife looks like Mrs. Claus. Like literally what you would imagine Santa and Mrs. Claus look like that's these people. Well, they got this patient to come be Santa. And we did.   cookies and hot chocolate and like make your own, you know, cookies, do your own icing and stuff in a hot chocolate bar. And we had this incredible party where everyone could bring their kids and they could socialize and get to know each other and, do all of this stuff. And it was one of my most favorite events. And I can't even tell you guys, I'm sure there was because I think we did it every year. I don't know if there was a bonus or not. I don't remember the Christmas present that I got. I know you get that every year. And I don't, I don't know what it was. But I do know   that my kid sat on Santa's lap, got this incredible experience, our patient, like the best Santa you could ever ask for, got to experience that with us. But I want you to understand that memory of that time together with my team and the people that I love and that far outweighed the monetary piece that came in addition to that. So   My point in that is Dana, you you said if you can't if the funds aren't there, make sure it's fun, right? And it doesn't have to be even that grandiose. That was a big party. And I'm like, dang, this is really cool. It doesn't have to be that big. But I also remember parties that we just did in the practice where it was a potluck and we each brought our own favorite dish that we make. I had I remember my co worker, Michelle, she made this amazing like corn casserole dish.   that I had never had before and she brought it and I was like, you're bringing this. We did a recipe book. So then at the end of the year, everybody submitted their favorite recipe. And I was like, if that corn recipe is not in there, like we're fighting like it needs to be there. Right. But we, we figured this out about each other and became closer because of simple things like that. And Dana, think even that one, like a potluck where everybody brings their own stuff, that's very minimal funds from the doctor. So those are   Dana (09:33.783) Thank you.   The Dental A Team (09:48.308) Those are just some ideas and some concepts that I've experienced. But Dana, what do you suggest? And I know a lot of doctors are coming to you right now asking and managers asking like, what do we do? And you get this all year round, actually. Because I watch it happen. I watch it happen in like our, doctor conversation, even of like, what do I do? How do I appreciate my team? And like you said, know your team, but what are some fun end of year holiday or beginning of year?   Celebration ideas that you shared with some of our community in the past that they could consider right now   Dana (10:23.241) Yeah, so I mean, you can always do a special dinner, you can always do those things. I've had an office that did a shopping spree. So everybody got x amount of dollars, they went to either a mall or a Target or somewhere. And the reason for that was they felt like if they gave a bonus, team members would spend it on bills or family instead of themselves. And they really wanted it to spend it on themselves. So everybody got x amount of dollars they had to and they made it a game to they focused on the fun. It had to be like up to that amount, like not one penny less or more. And so was really fun   The Dental A Team (10:39.889) Mm   Dana (10:53.117) figuring out the math. I had an office take the team to see the Harlem Globetrotters because they're all huge sports fans and that was amazing. I've had   The Dental A Team (10:57.66) yeah.   Dana (11:02.675) Doctors just have team members over to their home and they do just games and make it something that's more relaxed. If you've got some introverted team members, that's a really great space for that. That makes that easy. and you know, if you're into music, like going to a concert and there are all forms of that, right? So if you've got people who are interested in sports, you don't have to go to a professional sports game, find a college sports game, find a local sports game, right? It's about being together. I think sometimes we   The Dental A Team (11:11.07) Mm -hmm.   Dana (11:32.802) Forget that really at the end of the day, that's what we want to do We want to say thank you for a fantastic year for really hard work   We want to do it in a space that is together. So there's all sorts of things if you've got outdoors You can do scavenger hunts or hikes together like we've talked about doing together If giving back is super important to your team, you can even do community service together You can do a food drive together You can volunteer somewhere together and all of that because it is special to them will be appreciation   The Dental A Team (12:05.947) Yeah, yeah, I totally agree. That's that space of getting to know your team, right, and really figuring out what's valuable to them. I think speaking on behalf of leadership within that too, I know within our company, it's fairly simple for us to figure out what we can do together as a team, because within our culture, we have built, we've built a culture that attracts   someone who fits our culture, who fits our core values. And it means that we're all super similar. And while we do have varying hobbies and interests all over the place, like Brit gosh, you mountain bikes and road bikes. I'm like, if you put me on a bike, like I am unhappy, right? Dana, you crossfit and I'm like, gosh, if I could get my elbows to move that way, sure, I could try crossfit, but they just don't do it, right. But I work out myself at the gym and I love it. And I have my peloton and I do my spin. And the three of us   Like, and the rest of the team, right? They all have their varying hobbies within that similar vein of activity. So it's like, we know that our culture and our core values has attracted a group of individuals who are interested in health and fitness and who value that aspect of our lives. And it's an important space and an important hobby. So it makes it very easy to be like, great, we all want to move.   we want to be doing something. So if you stiff us in a room, in a potluck, we're going to eat and we're going to enjoy it, but we're going to be like, okay, well, what are we doing? Like, what's the activity? Like, what are we? Yeah, who wants to go for a walk? Literally? Like we would just be like, cool, like there's a mountain not far from here. Like maybe we could like anybody, everybody down great. And we're gone. Right. So we know like who we are as a team because we are so culturally based. So as a leader,   Dana (13:34.709) See you soon for a walk!   The Dental A Team (13:52.898) and a practice owner, lean on that too. Lean on what your culture is, look at your core values and really look at how similar you guys are because you're gonna be very different. and I, super similar. We have a lot of things in common, very different, right? Very different. If we switched lives, I would die. I would die, Dana. I don't know how you do it. I watch you and I'm exhausted, right? Like we are so similar in so many ways but we are very different in a lot of ways as well.   But those similarities, instead of looking at the differences, because I think we tend to say, well, so and so would want this, so and so would want that, and she wouldn't like this. What's the similarity between all of the people on your team? What's something that we all enjoy? Maybe it's coffee. Maybe everybody on your team loves coffee. And it's like, cool, let's have a quick coffee brunch social at the office where everybody brings their favorite   creamer or topping or whatever favorite Starbucks drink, I don't know, like, but you could make it that simple. We over complicate trying to appreciate people. I think I could be speaking totally out of context. think when we over complicate it, we overthink it and we try to make it bigger than it needs to be. We lose the value and we lose the intentionality. Like you said, Dana,   behind it because there's so much wrapped up into the like display, right? The display of it all. kind of like, it makes me think of all the times, all the times my friends keep talking me into these baby showers and bridal showers and these stupid balloon arches, right? And it's like, you have this idea of how beautiful this balloon arch is gonna be and you put all this work in the balloon arch and it takes forever, FYI, to do a balloon arch.   And then the rest of everything else that was the intentional, those were the intentional pieces, the picture frames of the bride and the groom to be. And those are left behind because you spent so much time on this stupid arch that comes out wonky every time. So it makes me think of that where you're like focusing on the wrong piece sometimes, but focusing back in on that intentionality and the similarities and letting it.   The Dental A Team (16:15.764) speak from your heart. Dana, you do this space for us and our company and you do it so well because of your intentionality and the heart and the purposefulness that you put behind it. So I think everything you said was a great reminder for them to do that. And pop quiz, Dana, I'm throwing this out at you. What do you think? I know you love it when I do this. You guys know I'm just off the cuff all the time. I hope you realize that at least.   Dana (16:27.071) Yeah.   Dana (16:37.125) gosh.   Dana (16:43.391) you   The Dental A Team (16:44.212) That's just how I lived my life. That's how I lived my life at the Dental A team, just off the cuff. As you should. I understand. As you should. do the same thing. Kiera and I both do it and Kiera and she'll come me on the podcast and she's like, okay, and we will prep for the podcast prior. Like, okay, these are the things we're thinking. And then we're like, okay, push record. And then she's like, I have a great idea, you guys, this is totally not what we talked about. I'm like, here we go.   Dana (16:47.465) That's why I come to podcasting sweating. Because I'm like, why am I podcasting?   Dana (17:10.196) This   The Dental A Team (17:11.721) Totally off base of what we talked about, but it's always fantastic. anyway, side tangent pop quiz. What are maybe two things that our doctors, our owners, our practice administrators can do right now to figure out what they want to do because the end of the year is coming. What, how they can celebrate. What are two things that they can do? They could put into action right now to start really getting them all rolling if they haven't already.   Dana (17:37.513) Yeah, I think one, take a look at your funds and set a budget for whatever the event is going to be. And then two, I think it is, if you haven't been able to figure out these pieces throughout the year, intentionally try to get to know whether it is through a survey, whether it is through, we're just gonna have one -on -ones, I wanna check in with everyone. But find space to figure those things out about your team.   And then if I can add a third, I'm just going to add a third really quick because you ripped, so I'm going to riff. And my third one is focus on the appreciation.   The Dental A Team (18:05.982) Do it.   Do it.   Dana (18:14.249) It doesn't have like, we, yes, this is an event and you can throw the biggest party, but at the end of the day, if you don't say thank you for such a fantastic year, it's kind of lost its purpose. So just look and say, what do I want to celebrate and make sure that like the appreciation and that is what is showcased in the event.   The Dental A Team (18:34.797) I love that. And thank you for riffing. anytime, anytime I want you to do that to interrupt me, you know, I'm long -winded. Those are beautiful. Thank you, Dana. And I love that this was your podcast today, because I think it's your space of life where you really thrive. And I can feel the passion from you when you get to do these things or when you get to talk about it. And it just makes me really, really happy that you can be that passionate about it and that   you can one hold that space because you'll know I would get to the day that it was due and be like, shoot, I'm going to send a gift card by email because I totally forgot to send the thing that was so cool that I thought of six months ago that I forgot to order because that's, that's me. So thank you, Dana, for being that person. Thank you for all of the tips and the tidbits that you you provided today. You guys have some incredible action items and Dana, speak from your heart, tell them something. I'm making you riff again, but   Just wrap us up, tell them what they need to hear.   Dana (19:39.519) Yeah, I think just go into the end of the year, even if it wasn't your best year, the year that you had the most growth and find the appreciation somewhere, find the beauty in the journey of this year with your team and then make sure that, you know, they hear it, they feel it and that you take time to celebrate it even if it was really hard. You got through it and you got through it together.   The Dental A Team (19:42.066) Bye.   The Dental A Team (20:06.289) I love that. Thank you so much. You guys, this was incredible. Round off your year. Celebrate your team. Celebrate with your team. Be there. Let us know how much you love this podcast. Drop us a five star review below if you haven't done that already. And reach out to us, [email protected]. Also watch our inboxes. We do send out the newsletters are related to the topics of the podcast and that newsletter will have some ideas and some tips and tricks as well. So enjoy everyone and we'll catch you next time.   

Kiera sits down with certified oral and maxillofacial surgeon Dr. Jason Auerbach, also known as @bloodytoothguy on social media. They discuss Dr. Auerbach’s love for and journey through his career, standout surgery moments, the pros and cons of building his DSO, marketing advice that will take you far, and more. Episode resources: Follow Dr. Auerbach on Instagram Follow him on TikTok, too! Reach out to Kiera Tune Into DAT’s Monthly Webinar Practice Momentum Group Consulting Subscribe to The Dental A-Team podcast Become Dental A-Team Platinum! Review the podcast Transcript: Kiera Dent (00:00.886) Hello, Dental A Team listeners. This is Kiera And today I am so excited. We have been Instagram fangirling over this man and he is finally on the podcast. We are super excited to have him on here. You guys might know him as the bloody tooth guy. You might have seen him. He's a really fun board certified oral and maxofacial surgeon. He has a ton of experience. I'm so excited to bring on Dr. Jason Auerbach. Welcome to the show. How are you?   Jason M Auerbach, DDS (00:25.733) I'm doing great, Kiera. Thank you so much for having me. I'm looking forward to it for sure.   Kiera Dent (00:29.29) Of course. Well, we were chatting pre -show. I loved how you explained it's your back, my back, our back is your last name. So now everybody will get that right. But kind of tell us, give us a story of how you came from Dr. Jason to now Instagram's famous bloody tooth guy and doing all the things that you do. Kind of just walk us in on your journey of who you are, who is this man? And then I'm excited to dive into some fun things with you today.   Jason M Auerbach, DDS (00:37.639) There you go.   Jason M Auerbach, DDS (00:44.315) you   Jason M Auerbach, DDS (00:53.341) Sure. So, I grew up in the Northeast. I grew up in New York and, went to school undergrad at Syracuse. And I met a very, very close friend of mine still to this day, whose father was an orthodontist. had very little understanding of what I really wanted to do when I entered college. and he introduced me to this concept of dentistry and dental school. So I ended up applying to NYU, getting into NYU and, and kind of finding my little niche there. I,   I happened to find my way down to the basement of the school, was where the undergraduate oral, or the dental oral surgery clinic was. And met a man named Clarence Kalman, who was an attending at the time and kind of mentored me in exudantia, which is all I knew from oral surgery at the time. Applied and found my way to Kings County Hospital, which is Downstate SUNY Downstate's oral surgery program in Brooklyn.   I four years there and ended up working for attendings of mine right out of residency in Manhattan. After a year or so, I ended up kind of leaving that practice. I was an associate there. They were great to me, but I ended up leaving that practice and finding what I perceived was a better opportunity in New Jersey, right over the bridge. And I was there for a couple of years and had, like many people have had,   some promises made that were not necessarily kept. And so found myself in 2007 in a position where I was moving out to New Jersey from New York City. I was having my second daughter, my wife was having my second daughter, and I was working in nine different offices kind of as an itinerary neurosurgeon.   started Riverside Oral Surgery in 2007 in a town called River Edge, New Jersey, which is maybe six miles from the George Washington Bridge, grew it over the course of about, let's call it 12 years or so, to 10 or 11 locations with a partner, Sung Cho, and we built a full scope oral maxillofacial surgery practice. While that was happening, life was happening as well. Social media was growing.   Jason M Auerbach, DDS (03:08.879) And I found that there was opportunity or I thought to myself, maybe there's opportunity on Instagram that people might be interested in bloody teeth. They were interested in people watching people pop pimples. Maybe they'd be interested in bloody teeth. so a bloody tooth guy was born initially anonymously, basically because I didn't understand the hip aspect of it. And also I didn't really understand how my competitors.   Kiera Dent (03:21.804) Bye.   Jason M Auerbach, DDS (03:36.797) would potentially use it against me. I just really wasn't exactly sure what was going on or what was going to happen. So I was anonymous and then a few years later came out and the rest is history. We've been very, very fortunate to have built Riverside Oral Surgery, now MAX, which is a surgical specialty platform that supports 24 offices, 25 offices in four states, about to be five states.   build a pretty engaged, respectable following for Bloody Tooth Guy as well. So I've been very, very, very fortunate my whole life in many ways. And just being kind of recognized for it is a nice thing, for sure.   Kiera Dent (04:19.914) Yeah, no, that's a super fun story. my, so I worked at Midwestern's Dental College. And so you are the student epitome of the one who's just like, yeah, I just woke up one day and decided to become a dentist. And I'm like, how do people get there? And now we have another story of said student. But one of the favorite students, he went through dental school and decided this isn't my thing. So actually went to do all face reconstruction. It was another like,   four years through med school and then four years and then two more years. And I call him up all the time and I'm like, okay, so if anything ever happens to me, if I ever get in a car accident, you've got to make me like at least look this good again. That's our plan. I'm like, I'll help you with anything dental. You just have to make sure. So I feel like it's always good to know like an oral maxofacial. So I'm dying to know so many random questions for you. Okay. How many teeth in your career do you think you've extracted? Like just like random.   Jason M Auerbach, DDS (05:07.741) it is. Go ahead, anything.   Kiera Dent (05:16.746) I mean, we can throw out, it's gotta be like, I mean, do think you've crossed the million mark?   Jason M Auerbach, DDS (05:22.141) maybe it's it's it like maybe. so I'm, I'm 50. I finished training in 2003. and so training at Kings County hospital in Brooklyn, was a full exedontia clinic. We used to see a hundred plus patients a day and many people needed many teeth extracted. and I think that's partly why, you know, people talk about 10 ,000 hours or whatever it is to become an expert at whatever it is that you do. mean, I had that probably, you know,   Kiera Dent (05:31.596) Okay.   Kiera Dent (05:36.363) Thank you.   Kiera Dent (05:46.571) Yeah.   Jason M Auerbach, DDS (05:51.037) 15, 20 years ago when I came out of residency, thought I had done so much. And again, 20 years later, it's like unbelievable. It's possible I've extracted a million teeth. I don't know. I wouldn't say, but it's, it's definitely a lot. mean, yeah, it could be a million, could be a million. Yeah.   Kiera Dent (05:56.289) Yeah.   Kiera Dent (06:09.984) Right? I was like, I bet he's crossed the million mark. Like thinking of how many patients and all that. So, okay, that was like number one. Number two, I'm not even know like, what do you like, why, what do you love so much about oral? Because oral maxillofacial is so bloody. And funny story, as a dental assistant, I was doing my internship. I was there. The doctor was so nervous for my first extraction. I was watching it. He's like, Kiera, make sure you like sit over there. I don't want you passing out.   Jason M Auerbach, DDS (06:27.623) you   Kiera Dent (06:39.05) washed the extraction, I was totally fine. That night I went home and I dreamed about it and I puked my guts out that night. So I didn't do it at the place and then it was fine. did like, I went and like learned about implants and I loved it. I do get a little weird about cadavers like that. I dry heat like left and right. I don't even know how you guys work on it. Like it just, but I need to know, like tell me like, what is it about oral maxofacial that you just love so much? What's the fulfilling piece to you? Like, what is it about that? It's so bloody. It's so much blood.   Jason M Auerbach, DDS (06:56.656) Right.   Jason M Auerbach, DDS (07:07.037) So actually the beauty of true oral maxillofacial surgery is in the efficiency of motion. I come at everything I do from a creative side. So the people come at it from an engineering perspective. I come at it from the creative side, from an artistic side. That's just how I see things. So part of what draws me to the surgery is the ability to see a problem, understand it, and fix it with my hands.   in an efficient, clean, not that bloody manner. Now, of course, these are human beings. They bleed, they're alive. It's kind of a positive thing. But the fact is, is that I really see surgery as such a beautiful artistic expression of how to solve problems. in truth, that's how I come at it from a technical artistic side. From a psychological...   Kiera Dent (07:39.916) Yes.   Kiera Dent (07:45.139) Yeah.   Jason M Auerbach, DDS (08:05.467) Like how I help people, you know, every single person who comes into my office every single day is anxious or in pain or scared or a combination thereof. and in a, in a really very, very quick way, we're able to, kind of convert them from being, from feeling that way to being appreciative, almost mind blown in terms of how easy and simplistic.   the solution to their problem is. And I think a lot of people don't really understand kind of the scope of oral maxillofacial surgery. And it's why I think even dentists, even people in the dental world don't truly understand the training that we have. And it's really kind of incumbent upon us to really kind of spread the word on that. And I think I do that to some degree with the dental alveolar stuff I do. But I do think that we have in our bag of tricks so much that we can work with.   that patients who come with seemingly complex problems from a dental perspective, from an oral perspective are, I don't want to say easily solved, but you know, fairly routinely solved. I personally treat a lot of oral surgery, right? I'm a full scope board certified oral maxillofacial surgeon. I've done everything from frontal sinus to the clavicles, you know, everything anterior. I've harvested ribs, I've harvested hips. I've done all kinds of stuff.   Kiera Dent (09:20.885) you   Jason M Auerbach, DDS (09:33.499) But the fact of the matter is that I do dental, alveolar surgery, I a lot of wisdom teeth, I do a lot of dental implants, advanced bone grafting. And I do that comfortably because I'm able to handle anything that comes my way because of how I was trained in such an extensive way. And so, you know, when you go to watch a procedure done by an oral maxillofacial surgeon is in his or her office, you're oftentimes, one would oftentimes be amazed by how   seemingly easy it is and they're encouraged to kind of try it and then they find that it's not necessarily as easy as it looks and that's because we've been trained to do it. We do minimally four years of training as you know after dental school that's after dental school up to six or more if you're fellowship trained and so we're able to you know we get the reps in early versus kind of an extension throughout your entire career done like X number of whatever.   sign -as -lifts because you've taken a course or something like that. Not to disparage, but it's a different thing.   Kiera Dent (10:34.081) Mm   Kiera Dent (10:38.304) Totally. No, and that's so interesting to me. We harvested one time right before Thanksgiving. I was working with a dentist and we decided we were going to try and harvest from the ramus. It did not go well. And I remember we got a lot of flak. Like you guys did this right before Thanksgiving, right before this patient was going to go on their like dream cruise of their life. Needless to say, was, I mean,   Jason M Auerbach, DDS (10:50.074) Hmm   Jason M Auerbach, DDS (10:58.973) to it.   Kiera Dent (11:01.394) hats off. have so much respect for what you guys do, but I'm dying to know. My husband, worked, he's a clinical pharmacist and he did a lot of rotations in the ER. He thought about being an ER pharmacist and I'm such a gross human, but like it's just fascinating. Like that's what people are fascinated with you. They're fascinated with the pimple popper. So every day when he'd come home from work, I'm like, tell me what happened. Like did someone die? Like what was the crazy stuff? And he told me some wild things from that ER. So I'm dying to know in your career,   Jason M Auerbach, DDS (11:23.6) you   Kiera Dent (11:28.47) What are some of like the craziest things that you have gone through? Like for my husband, I think the one that I remember the most is when he said a woman's face went through the windshield and her whole face was de -gloved. That image has never left my mind. Cause I'm like, that is bananas. Like I wear my seatbelt crazy now because I don't want my face ever de -gloved. But I'm curious, like in your career, what are some of the craziest stories or things that you're just like, I remember this one time. That's just the kind of with you throughout your career.   Jason M Auerbach, DDS (11:52.795) Yeah. You know, so most of those stories for me occurred in residency because I, again, I training, I was training in, in the inner city, in the late nineties, early two thousands. And there was a lot of interpersonal violence, gunshot wounds and stab wounds and things like that. Not high, high speed, motor vehicle accidents or anything like that. Cause we weren't near a highway and we were in the city, but.   Kiera Dent (12:00.54) sure.   Kiera Dent (12:12.619) Yeah.   Kiera Dent (12:20.012) Sure, you're downtown.   Jason M Auerbach, DDS (12:22.821) You know, I had a gentleman who was caught mistreating a woman and a group of guys, I would say appropriately decided that he needed to be punished for his actions. And so he proceeded to receive pretty significant facial injuries with a bat and a shovel.   Kiera Dent (12:36.129) Yeah.   Jason M Auerbach, DDS (12:51.185) And so we're talking about, so when you talk about degloving your face, traumatically, we do that with something called a bichoronal or coronal flap where we actually make an incision in the scalp and bring everything down so that you can access the frontal sinus and and OE area. and, and so that was a case that was, that was, something to remember just given the circumstances that he sustained the injury.   Kiera Dent (12:54.944) Yes.   Kiera Dent (13:05.354) Mm -hmm.   Kiera Dent (13:16.086) I'm so sorry.   Jason M Auerbach, DDS (13:16.893) Another guy had a machete impaled and created what we would do surgically, a Lafort 1 osteotomy. Part of what we do as orthoporomaxillofacial surgeons is orthognathic surgery, basically jaw repositioning. And this guy had it done just in one fell swoop because he ran into a machete. And then the most, the case that meant the most to me, that probably attached me to patient care more than anything else was there was a young boy who had fractured his jaw.   Kiera Dent (13:38.9) Mm -hmm.   Jason M Auerbach, DDS (13:46.173) When you fall on your chin, oftentimes you fracture the condyle, which is the part of the lower jaw that articulates with the skull in the TMJ. And he went back down to Jamaica. He was from Jamaica. He went back down to Jamaica and got lost to follow -up. And he developed something called TMJ ankylosis, meaning fusion of the bone. So he was unable to open his mouth. So by the time we saw him, he was, I don't know, 13, 14 years old, but he looked like a six, seven year old. He was completely malnourished and all that. So we ended up...   basically reconstructing his TMJ, harvesting a rib. And within the day he was functioning in a very, very different way. And actually for me, like I really like first, really first felt this attachment that I actually was able to give someone something of critical importance. And so he meant, he did so much for me by me helping him.   I ended up, he, you know, I gave him like, don't know at the time, I don't even know what the actual game was. It was like a game boy or whatever it was. I was, know, for me, I was fortunate enough. wasn't making a lot as a resident, but I felt like this kid, it was going to be nice. So I bought him like a game boy or whatever it was. But I mean, that kind of stuff that, that really kind of, I was like, yeah, I'm definitely I've I'm in the right, right place. So yeah.   Kiera Dent (15:02.164) Yeah, that's incredible. And I think it's got to be so fulfilling, like you said at the beginning of the creativity of seeing someone who, mean, like my husband with that face de -gloved, they can't do anything, but you can bring that person's confidence back to them. You can give them life when they didn't think that there was. You can, I mean, our faces, I think our smile is something I love about dentistry, and yet you're able to bring so much more to the table. So I was just so curious. I'm like, I've got to ask because every   Jason M Auerbach, DDS (15:19.933) you.   Cough   Kiera Dent (15:31.092) Every surgeon, every person in medicine, they all have the stories. And so I'm like dying to know, but now I kind of want to talk about your guys's business and what made you guys want to go to a DSO. Like let's talk about DSOs because DSOs are hot. And like, do people go to DSOs? Do they build their own? Like what was kind of your guys's mission and vision of building out what you guys built? Was it just necessity? Was it passion? it like kind of walk me through pros and cons like of this DSO journey you guys have been on to get here.   Jason M Auerbach, DDS (15:35.058) Yeah.   Jason M Auerbach, DDS (15:57.789) Sure. So I've always been an entrepreneurial person. Kind of the patient experiences at the cornerstone of what we did with Riverside. We built a strong brand with Riverside that was known nationally well before we had any private equity or outside investment or anything like that. So when, when the kind of &A world was catching on that oral maxillofacial surgery was really a very, very special place to be, we explored the concept and   At the time, like I said, we had 10 or 11 offices. We were personally guaranteeing everything through a commercial lender, co -collateralizing all of it. Like we own some of the land, some of the properties, some of the condos, some of the buildings, totally separate. And then the individual LLCs that were the individual practices. And we owned at the time a private DSO. mean, you could call it whatever you want, basically an organization that managed all of the organizations, all of the   Kiera Dent (16:55.34) Mm   Jason M Auerbach, DDS (16:56.485) practice level practices. And so, you know, we spoke to some of we vowed we were never going to sell to a general dental DSO. I believe the oral maxillofacial surgery is unique and special and the best specialty in all of healthcare. So I believe and I hold it in really high esteem and I want to protect it. We've all seen what corporate   Kiera Dent (17:09.814) green.   Jason M Auerbach, DDS (17:21.403) healthcare has done to healthcare across the board. And by and large, the outcomes are not great. But my belief is that scale and collaboration is actually what's going to yield better outcomes for patients, better level of care. I don't think it's the opposite, as long as it's done properly.   So I didn't want to sell to a general dental DSO. Again, I don't believe that they truly, truly understand the differences and I've owned general dental practices and they're very, very different businesses. And I thought about partnering with a couple of different national or pure play oral surgery groups. One of which I respect like unbelievably and many of which had strengths and weaknesses.   Kiera Dent (17:54.592) Yes.   Jason M Auerbach, DDS (18:13.319) but none really fit the bill as far as what we were trying to achieve here in the Northeast. And then I also said, I didn't really want to sell, I didn't understand how, you know, oral surgeons would sell to a bunch of endodontists who were like calling themselves, it just didn't make sense. I love endodontists, I love endodontists, but, and in fact, I think their specialty is probably most easily correlated to oral maxillofacial surgery in terms of the business of it.   Kiera Dent (18:26.155) Right.   Jason M Auerbach, DDS (18:39.963) But I just didn't, again, I think we have a unique specialty and we provide unique care with the hospital and board certification, anesthesia, full scope kind of stuff. So we went about finding direct investors who believed enough in the vision that they would write into the charter of the investment, into the charter of the organization, the existence of an autonomous, largely autonomous, primarily independent clinical advisory board.   Kiera Dent (18:45.441) Sure.   Jason M Auerbach, DDS (19:09.713) that handled every single thing to do with delivery of care. And so the delivery of care is controlled and decided upon by this clinical advisory board, which is made up of members of all the practices that we support. And it's been really tremendous because we found when doing our due diligence on these private equity firms that   Kiera Dent (19:25.568) Mm   Jason M Auerbach, DDS (19:38.613) These specific, they happen to be guys and we use the term guys, but it doesn't matter what the gender is, but they happen to be like great guys, like just people that really stood by their word. a lot of times you go into these private equity deals I've learned and an offer is made on some sort of multiple of your EBITDA.   And then you go through something called the Q of E, which is basically audited financials on your quality of earnings on your financials. And then they come back and they say, well, you know what? We thought your EBITDA was this, but now your EBITDA is that. They retrade the deal, but you're so far along and you're so like, you're kind of limited because you don't have the deal experience.   And you end up putting yourself in a negative position. We have never retraded a deal. We have never gone back. Even if EBITDA was lower by a certain amount, we've never, ever, ever gone back and retraded a deal. And so we have really good guys who understand the importance to me, and also because they are who they are, that we are people of our word, that we are representing us and our specialty and our group of surgeons.   Kiera Dent (20:50.602) Yeah.   Jason M Auerbach, DDS (20:55.417) as well as it can be done. I think we are differentiated in so many ways. know, any DSO or any group is just basically made up of a group of human beings. So if you're good human beings, you're gonna have a good group. If you're selfish human beings, it's a different kind of thing. So, yeah.   Kiera Dent (21:00.32) Mm -hmm.   Kiera Dent (21:08.833) Right.   Kiera Dent (21:16.652) Sure. What's the forecast of where you guys want to take your DSO? Is it like you want to become one of the largest ones? What's your future vision of your DSO?   Jason M Auerbach, DDS (21:28.807) So right now we're focused on the Northeast. We're focused on finding and partnering with really market leaders, people who embrace technology. We're not looking to just accumulate EBITDA for the purpose of recapping, which of course, there's a lot of nuance in terms of the speech. Of course, we want to be very, very successful. Of course, that is part of the whole plan.   Kiera Dent (21:47.571) Yeah.   Jason M Auerbach, DDS (21:55.773) We're not doing it at the expense of quality of care. And frankly, we're looking at the businesses we partner with are businesses that are growing, that they're treating their patients right. They have very, very good brand equity in terms of a good reputation in terms of the patients that they're serving. And that's what we're looking for. We're not in the business of acquiring guys at the end of the career.   and paying them some sort of a high multiple so that we could have, you know, play the multiple game. It's just not what we're doing. So we've been very successful so far. We are, you know, we are ahead of the anticipated growth curve that we were modeled on. We have great same store, as you would call it, but we have same, you know, clinic level growth, which is tremendous.   Kiera Dent (22:29.58) Sure.   Kiera Dent (22:43.201) Mm   Jason M Auerbach, DDS (22:51.993) We have an amazing group of people who support us in the management side of things, who I kind of put it to them with my co -CEO to come up with a mission statement specifically for the kind of the management people. And they came up with the concept that they want to passionately support and serve the surgeons and the partner practices so that we can provide the optimal patient experience each and every time, which is kind of like a little bit.   Kiera Dent (23:08.02) Mm -hmm.   Jason M Auerbach, DDS (23:21.553) borrowed from Riverside Oral Surgery's optimal patient each and every time, but with this kind of like management support swing, which is to say that they support the surgeons so that the surgeons can continue to provide that type of care. And again, it's, you know, of course there's, you know, wordsmithing and all that, but the fact is, is it's, it's really in the DNA of all the people who are part of our organization to do that. And that's great so far.   Kiera Dent (23:46.954) I love it. And something that I actually wasn't expecting to take from this podcast today is I love that you say that it's going to be a collaborative change because I think there's so much talk of DSOs actually destroying dentistry. And I love that you want to protect the surgeons and you want to protect your niche. And so instead of sitting back and just kind of almost like floating by with everybody else, you have that passion, you have that love, you're attracting more people like that.   to where you're making a bigger impact. You guys can go rally. You can go speak up. You've got more marketing. Like you are building a voice to make a difference within your space at a very high level, which I think is actually a really beautiful thing. What do you feel if someone was maybe listening to this podcast, they're a dentist who's very passionate like you are, are there any tips or tricks that you would say? I wouldn't say tricks. I think it's more tips to be successful of if they're wanting to build a DSO,   Jason M Auerbach, DDS (24:27.517) Thank you.   Kiera Dent (24:42.432) to be like you are? Because I think that that's the fear, right? We're either going to sell, we're retiring, we're going to go for these people that are going after multiples, or we're going to start to build DSOs because we're passionate, we want to protect our space and the industry that we're in and combine forces with other like -minded people. How do people go about that? Because I think so many are afraid of the legalities and like, how hard is it to build this? And what are maybe some of the tips you have for those DSO ideas if they want to start building it?   Jason M Auerbach, DDS (25:09.319) Well, I think a lot of people try to, maybe with the best intentions, do things on their own. But there is so much information out there, people who have done it before, groups of people who do share ideas. And I think, even maybe it's been a fault of mine to try to kind of do it because I think I can do it without maybe necessarily in my early days.   even now to some degree, speaking to people who have done it before or who currently doing it. We see that in dentistry a lot where like there's a lot of like people want to hold on to their secrets and all that stuff and I find that all ships will rise with rising tide, right? So like everybody has something to offer. That's partly why we are as successful as we are. I speak about collaboration all the time.   I think you need good advisors. You really need a good attorney. My attorney has been exceptional. I'll plug her a little bit. Actually, her name is Casey Gocelle. She works for a firm called Mandelbaum Barrett. She heads up their dental &A space. She's literally written a book on dental &A. She's been with me since I started my first practice. So now she represents Max and has done a great job advising so many people.   Kiera Dent (26:29.846) Mm -hmm.   Jason M Auerbach, DDS (26:31.997) And you need good financial advice. You need a good accountants and you really kind of need to just network and meet people and understand and speak to people about the pitfalls of what have happened. would say the majority, what has interested me or what has not surprised me because as I've, as I've matured in my career, I really like, I'm happy to share information. Like I have no time in the world, but like anytime anyone grabs me, like I've just like,   here, this is what I do, this is what it's all about, this is what matters. And most people who have achieved some level of success are looking to pass on knowledge and share that knowledge with others. It's actually kind of this mindset, right? As in New York, we talk about like certain other local teams being like haters, and they're haters, and they always have these like losing franchises in professional sports.   Kiera Dent (27:02.87) Yes.   Jason M Auerbach, DDS (27:31.133) And they're like, they're like this perennially losing and that losing comes from this like hater mentality, I think. So I think like. For me, I want success for, for, for everybody. So like, you know, really like I have, have this big kickoff party at Amos every year. Amos, American association of oral, maxillofacial surgeons. We just had the meeting in Orlando. We had a party, 400 people. It was the Wednesday. was every year it's, it's the party and.   I was talking to a CEO of another like competing dent or oral surgery DSO. It's like, felt a little uncomfortable about, you know, whether I wanted to, or I was going to come or not. I was like, dude, you're, you're welcome here. Like welcome everybody. There are plenty of, there's, there's plenty of seats at the table. Just like when I started practicing and people talk about like, you're a competitor, you're a competitor. There's, are plenty of teeth in the world that needed to be extracted. Plenty of empty sites for implants. Like everyone can be successful. We are.   Kiera Dent (28:24.115) Hey.   Jason M Auerbach, DDS (28:28.925) I'm so lucky to be oral maxillofacial surgeons in the dental profession. In any way, so long as you're real, you're authentic, you understand you're going to attract whatever audience is going to be drawn to who you are, and you're okay with not every single human being loving you, you're going to be okay.   Kiera Dent (28:50.11) I love it. I think it's such a refreshing mindset because you do meet a lot of people and there are people that just want to hold on, but it's very interesting. I've been watching a lot of dentists who sell to TSOs or a lot of dentists. They want to give back. So many of them want to mentor. literally, mean, first time in my whole time owning a Dental A Team, people are reaching out to me, dentists, and they're like, Kiera, we want to coach. I'm like...   All right. And I hear it I think you're right that people genuinely like as core nature, our core nature is to love. Our core nature is to teach people how to fish, to help them get to the levels. And so I think it is about that network and dentistry is so special. It's such a special place and it can either be, like you said, a competitor or it's like we're all rising. There's so many teeth out there. It's ridiculous to think that and there's more being born every day. So it's like, they're just going to keep coming.   Jason M Auerbach, DDS (29:38.043) Yeah, thankfully.   Yep. Yep.   Kiera Dent (29:44.172) But I really appreciate that perspective because it really does help us see that everybody can be successful. And I don't think it's just a positive mindset. It's proof and it's there. So I want to just quickly wrap. Of course, everybody I'm sure is dying to know a little bit about your marketing within being the bloody tooth guy. What are some tips you have if anybody wants to get into Instagram? know like it kind of feels like maybe the boom has passed and it   But I think anyone can come forward. It's pretty amazing. You don't have to be found in talent. You just have to be found with your people. So any tips you have on marketing or branding that you guys have found to be successful, especially coming from you.   Jason M Auerbach, DDS (30:23.281) Yeah, listen, I think you have to like anything kind of, you have to be able to identify what it is that makes you different. And you have to be true to that because ultimately, if you try to put forth some sort of image that is not really who you are, you might have some near term short term success with it, but none of that is sustainable in the longterm. You, know, we, have obstacles as surgeons in particular.   that what we do is a little gory. so because of the world we live in, a lot of the larger enterprises look to protect their users. So I don't really fault Instagram and TikTok for censoring some of what we do. I do think there would be a better way for them to kind of look at it, not just with AI. Some of the stuff I've put up there they've thought was like sexual content and   You know, certainly it can be looked at as violent or whatever. But the fact of the matter is, is that I do think there's a better way. And I'd love to have a conversation. Not that I'm in a position to have a conversation with the, you know, the powers that be it. One does not know, but you would think, you would think Zuckerberg's father, a dentist, he would have a little bit of love for us in any case. but I do think, I do think that, you have to be aware of.   Kiera Dent (31:25.036) Sure.   Kiera Dent (31:34.144) Hey, you never know. We never know. Maybe.   Kiera Dent (31:42.326) I would say.   Jason M Auerbach, DDS (31:51.613) Like anything else, you have to be aware of like what audience you're trying to attract. You have to know what you can do well. You're never going to see me really dancing on TikTok or anything like that, unless like there's an influencer in my chair who's like making me dance on TikTok. but I will say that, you know, you just, you just have to find your voice, put it out there and the ones that are supposed to hear it will actually appreciate it. And it.   You'll grow. mean, you will grow for sure.   Kiera Dent (32:23.584) I love that. Jason, this has been so, I think, moving and touching and just, I feel the love. I feel your compassion. I feel your collaboration. feel, and I think that that's what, when people really feel that, I don't feel you went on to social to become who you became. I think you went on to just educate and to share your passion and your love. And I think that was the true nature of what made you into who you are today. And I'm just grateful you, like you said, you're very busy. We've been waiting for this podcast for a while.   And I'm just grateful for it. So I just want to, I always like to leave it up to you. Is there anything else that you feel like the world of dental, of teams, of owners, anything that you feel like as we wrap up today that you'd like to share with our dental community today?   Jason M Auerbach, DDS (33:08.185) I just think we're in an interesting period of time for our profession. A lot of, especially the younger dentists out there, are trying to create a persona because that's what social media is. But I would say if you focus on what's really important, which are the people that surround you, within the office professionally, your family, your friends, you yourself, and you focus on improving your craft and really kind of   putting all of yourself into what it is that you do day to day. And if you want to find harmony, you want to find balance and all that kind of stuff, that's cool. But like, you know, whatever you focus on just multiplies and ultimately will yield for you the greatest level of, I don't say success, because that's a word that people associate with financial success, but just fulfillment. And I think that ultimately as you get on,   Again, I'm 50, right? So I live in this way. I feel like I'm 20, but I'm 50. and, the fact is, is like, I feel younger other than my back a little bit. I feel younger than I ever have. I love what I do day to day. I love the life that I live and you know, time flies. You hear it when you're young and be like, yeah, that's an old dude talking time flies. So just every day do what you love. And if you don't love it, don't do it.   Kiera Dent (34:11.862) Thank   Kiera Dent (34:37.696) Yeah, I love it. Thank you so much for your time. It was so fun to just hear your stories. I feel very excited. I love that there's people like yourself out there making a difference and definitely agree. You really, really, really love what you do and you can feel that passion. so thanks for being on the podcast today. It truly was such an honor.   Jason M Auerbach, DDS (34:56.189) Appreciate you. Yeah, it's my honor. Thank you so much, Kiera I really appreciate it.   Kiera Dent (35:00.236) course. And for all of you listening, I hope you really took this to heart. Reach out, follow him on social, get the passion, the inspiration. That's what we're here for. And as always, thanks for listening. We'll catch you next time on the Dental A Team Podcast.

Kiera talks about why it’s so critical to have two people in each department who know everything backward and forwards, as well as how to train team members to become those position experts. Episode resources: Reach out to Kiera Tune Into DAT’s Monthly Webinar Practice Momentum Group Consulting Subscribe to The Dental A-Team podcast Become Dental A-Team Platinum! Review the podcast Transcript: Kiera Dent (00:00.792) Hello, Dental A Team listeners. This is Kiera and I, you guys. I hope today is just a great day for you. hope that life is positive for you. I hope that you are choosing to find happiness. And there's a really cool quote today that I'm looking at on the day I'm recording. It's by Jim Rohn. And he said, we must all suffer one of two things, the pain of discipline or the pain of regret or disappointment. And I thought about that because they say discipline weighs ounces, regret weighs.   weighs tons. And I hope that you are disciplined in your thoughts, disciplined in what you focus on, disciplined in what you consume, discipline on the people you associate with and realizing that you're the creator of your life. You're not the manager of the circumstances that come your way and truly owning that role that we are all blessed and given to create the practice we want to be, to create the life we want to live.   to not blame people for when things are happening, maybe to us and realizing what role did we play in that and how can we better ourselves. And it's a crazy world to live in. It's a crazy space. And I think honestly, right now it's a game of mental stamina. I think that that's the world we're living in. I think we've conquered so many things. We've conquered washing our clothes and our dishes and...   Like shoot, even Instacart, like you can get groceries delivered, you can get food delivered. We've conquered so many things and we've been blessed with so much that I think now it's the game of mental resilience. And how do we become the people that we want to be? We've got so much time. We have so much time available to us. And I know we often don't think we do, but I attended a conference recently and you know, we've got 24 hours in a day. So in one week, that's going to be 168 hours. All right. So let's say we are working.   40 hour work week, but let's add in some drive time. So I'll give you 50 hours of that for a work week. All right. And then let's say that we are sleeping, eight hours a day. Okay. So every day. And I'm also going to give you, so we're going to say that's 56 hours of sleep time per week. Plus we're also saying that we've got 50 hours of work time. That's 106 hours a week. Okay. 106. That's a 50 hour work week. It's also giving you 56 hours. So eight hours of sleep a night.   Kiera Dent (02:17.838) All right, and we have 24 hours in a day. So that's 106 hours. That means we are still left after our sleep and after our work. We are left with 62 hours in a week. Now, if I divide that by seven, that gives you 8 .8 hours of time. And I've taken out sleep and I've taken out work. And now you might say, well, Kiera, we've got two hours of this. But I just thought that's a lot of time.   That's a lot of time. have 62 hours of time. And my question is, what are we doing with that time? We have the time and how are we able, are we, are we doomsday scrolling? Are we consuming things that maybe aren't feeding our souls? Are we working out and honoring our bodies? Are we spending time in connection with friends? Are we allowing our lives to just pass us by? Are we intentionally planning them? And I just think that that's something   so interesting to think about. I had no idea, because I think I'm so into this, like, I'm so busy and I'm so exhausted and this and that. And I'm like 62 hours. That's 8 .8 hours a day beyond sleeping a full night's rest and working more than a 40 hour work week that I still have eight hours. And what am I doing with that? And so I really just think you guys like, think about that. What are we doing? How are we spending our time?   And are we truly creating our lives or are we just managing them? So thinking about that and with that, I'm excited for today's topic. I think it'll be a fun one for you. And that's on, I think to just give you guys like, again, let's tie it into our work weeks because also in our work weeks, how much time are we actually spending maybe on things that aren't moving the needle forward that are maybe just busy tasks? It's so crazy. I'm super excited. I attended an amazing time planning.   event and I'm excited because I'm starting to morph and build. I've taken some time to build something out for dentistry and I'm super freaking jazzed because I woke up one night and I said, dentistry is my platform, life is my passion. And I'm so obsessed in our consulting to give you the tips and the resources to shortcut your way to success, to give you the life that you ultimately want. And so this is going to be a piece where maybe let's look at what we're spending our time on at work.   Kiera Dent (04:39.95) Could we chunk things together? Could we be more efficient with it? Can we chunk things in our own life? But this is going to help you too. The question was asked of how do we cross train and build a versatile and adaptable team? And I think that this is a great space to give back more time, to give you guys more resources. And I'm not like the biggest fan of cross training. I sometimes think that too many, too many, I don't know, I want to say noodles, because that's what I think of when I go into a front office, I'm like, my gosh, this is like a bowl of spaghetti and everybody's like crossed over each other.   and it's just wild and it's messy and it feels like a spaghetti bowl where everything's not clear. And I enjoy clarity. think clear is kind. think people understanding what their job is to do and not always having everything smashed together in our company. Even it's like every person can do all the different things, but then ultimately who's responsible for it. so sometimes I'm not crazy about cross training, but I also love to have my perspective has been, I want to have at least two people who know how to do everything within my team.   So for every position, so two people who can schedule insanely well and know all the protocols for it, two people within treatment coordinating, two people within office management, two people within billing, and they can be the same people. So it can be like maybe Sarah knows office management, treatment coordinating and scheduling. So in case Maggie is out, I always have a backup to every single position. So two hygienists, two dental assistants, doctors are a bit trickier. You guys are, you tend to be okay on your own, but really looking for   And so the way we cross train is sometimes what I do is I actually will, we'll shake it up for two or four hours, one day a month or one day, a quarter people switch roles and you just get a pick and roll. Obviously licenses, you have to be careful. So sometimes you have to switch positions within licenses. They're okay. But for two or four hours, that person switches and they become someone else. And what happens is you actually become very appreciative. You become very aware.   of what that person's doing in that role. And you are also able to find gaps in different things that can maybe make it easier. I'm also really big on an operations manual. That's why we have operations manuals that we've created that you can buy on TheDentalATeam .com. It's a 750 page one that's broken down into every single person's position with onboarding documents, end of day checklist, accountability agreements, 30, 60, 90 day onboarding docs, and then also what protocols I usually recommend for every single position.   Kiera Dent (07:01.996) I purposely did not build the protocols for you. have a ton of verbiage in there, but every software is different. Every practice does it a little bit differently. so having you guys have the template of exactly how to build it and then you guys can build it. But I'm super obsessed with making sure that you guys have that. That way you're able to, if Sarah's out or Maggie's out or Tiffany's out, someone can actually go snag the manual and I've got what they do every day. And literally there's videos with   or there's other things that they can follow. So in our company, we have daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, and annual tasks. So if someone was out, we have their checklist of what do they need to do for the daily? What do they need to do for the weekly? What do they need to do for the monthly? And we are a virtual company. We're not together, so I can't have printed manuals for people, or we haven't chosen to, but we have it all hyperlinked with videos and also written protocols. So no matter what, if someone's out, they should be able to go onto the daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, and be able to perform that position.   I also like two people that know how to do everything. So two people know how to do payroll. Two people know how to do our commission reports for our consultants, of like doctors getting paid on production. We have two people that know how to hire. We have two people that know how to place the ads. We have two people that know how to do everything. So no matter what, people also have the freedom to leave. And I know some team members can get protective of their position. like, I don't want people to know because I don't want them to ever replace me. And for me,   What I do is I just believe that that way people can go on vacations. People can have time off. People can do the things that they want to do. And there's multiple people trained to do their position. So I think cross training and building a versatile team. If you really want to dial it in, would do number one, I would have your operations manual completed and like, let's at least get that done. And at least the daily tasks for every position and the weekly tasks. So people at least know what to do and let's have those in a readily available spot. So everybody can use that. Number two, what I would do is I would definitely   whether it's weekly, monthly or quarterly, whatever you choose, I would definitely cross train. And so I would have certain skillsets where we train and not just having people passively watch, but actively engage. if we're going to cross train everybody to be able to schedule, we do a relay races or we have everybody up there, or we have people call in that are our team members calling and they have to schedule it appropriately. but whatever you can do to get them to role plan. know role playing is I did a podcast, gosh, years ago. And I was like, you think role playing is dumb.   Kiera Dent (09:22.178) Role -playing allows you to practice. So when we're put into that position, we actually don't have to think about it. It can become automatic. And that's what we do. Think about firefighters. They practice fire. So when a fire comes, they actually know how to do it. Think about back in elementary school, and it was like fire drills or earthquake drills. And now they're shooting drills. And people, like, we want you to become automatic. And that's why we do the drills and the role -play. It's what becomes automatic. It becomes automatic of what I say when I answer in schedule. It becomes automatic of how I present a treatment plan.   Not that everything is automatic, but I don't have to think about it. And takes a thinking out of it and allows it to be a little more coast mode for your brain because you've practiced it so many times. So practicing that and training and I'm training the whole team. I used to rotate because there's three departments really, and there's three months and a quarter. And you can have each department actually train on something that would be super helpful if everybody in the whole team knew how to do it. So for example, if your state allows teaching your team to be able to do a sterilization.   And so it's like simple sero or being able to break a room down, obviously up to standard and up to code. but we had our clinical team train our whole team on it and everybody practiced and everybody did it and everybody got passed off. So that way, if we were running behind, people could help each other out. The front office, they really needed help getting recare and reactivation. So for that month, we had a reactivation and recare challenge where everybody was making the phone calls   We're every single day or every single week talking about who is doing the best and what things people were doing and making it into a fun game and who was the goat and who, who did the best and who was the sizzle champion. Those types of things can be super, super fun to get your team on board, to be able to, just help each other out into cross train. Because again, I'm big and sticky that I want two people for every single position to know what to do. Then I'm never afraid.   People are allowed to take vacations, if we're not scared and stressed out, and then to have that daily, weekly, monthly checklist. That way nothing ever goes and gets missed. Have the videos, it's very fast, you guys. have Loom is my favorite. You can also use, there's so many different softwares out there. Take quick videos of things. They don't have to be perfect, and I think done is better than perfect in this scenario. And then have people rotate positions, have people try out the different roles, have people that are not in that position.   Kiera Dent (11:37.774) try it out and see if can they, can they follow the protocol and get the same results? And if not, let's fix it. Let's update it. But those are really great ways for you guys to cross train and build that versatile train. But with that said, make sure that there's very strong specifics. Who does what? So it's not getting crossed. It's not getting lapsed. It's not getting confusing. Let's make sure that's super clear for them. That way everybody has clear expectations. People feel like they can win and they can succeed. We also can help each other out because we've been cross -trained.   If we can help you guys in any way, I'm obsessed with doing this. I'm obsessed with helping teams get ops manuals done, helping you guys have that success.   Kiera Dent (12:25.484) you   Kiera Dent (12:32.992) If we can help in any way we're always here to help you guys and as always thanks for listening I'll catch you next time on the Dental A Team podcast

Tiff and Dana talk about setting yourself up for success, goal edition. When you begin to work toward your dreams for your practice, do you take an all-encompassing approach? This episode focuses on creating a roadmap for those goals to make them easier to reach. Episode resources: Reach out to Tiff and Dana Tune Into DAT’s Monthly Webinar Practice Momentum Group Consulting Subscribe to The Dental A-Team podcast Become Dental A-Team Platinum! Review the podcast Transcript: The Dental A Team (00:01.422) Hello, Dental A Team listeners. I am here with you today with Miss Dana and we are so excited to chat with you. We've got a couple of things we're working on today and chatting future is one of them today. And I absolutely love these kinds of conversations and these planning conversations. And Dana, we were just talking about it yesterday with this content we're gonna deliver today. And I think it was just divine timing.   How are you, Dana? How is your month going? We're rounding out to the end of the year. How are things looking over there in your world? And your hair, by the way, looks amazing if you guys are watching this today. I've told you before, she's a hair genius. Here we are again with awesome hair. But Dana, how are you today?   Dana (00:44.49) Thanks, I'm doing good. I'm blessing it like my hair takes me two minutes to do because it's so thin. So that's the only reason why it's really ever done is because it's quick.   The Dental A Team (00:50.865) Fair and same.   -huh. I totally, I totally understand that. Awesome. Well, guess what, guys? We are here today with some incredible, incredible ideas. And I say that because we thought of them and I think we're incredible, but also because we love prepping and planning. We, we live in a reactive world in general, like just the world in general is a very reactive world and a reactive space. But dentistry itself is incredibly reactive. And I explained this to   clients and teams constantly where like our jobs are literally to find the problems that have already happened, right? So we're not always preventative for sure. We love preventative care. We love trophies and you know, paramedicine and fluoride and sealants and yes, that is a space but how often do we push that preventative like I know I'm talking to hygienists and teams constantly about fluoride and adult sealants and like gosh, you guys, these are preventative measures that help but more often than not,   we're in the reactive space where something's already happened, and we're completing treatment, we're diagnosing things that are issues. And so when we have a space of life where we can talk proactivity, I think that's a space that us as consultants at the Dental A Team, we love and we thrive on that because we want you to walk into this world prepared, we want you to feel like you have a plan and like you know where you're going. And that way when the   The little things come in, the little roadblocks, the rock in the road that somebody kicked up and it hit your windshield. When those windshield cracks happen and that rock in the road happens, it's like, okay, this is a small detour, but I know where I'm going. Whereas if we don't have that direction, we don't have that plan, those rocks in the road kicked up and hit in our windshield is like, it's the end of the world. Like, all right, here we go, another broken windshield. I don't know, I live in Phoenix, so.   The Dental A Team (02:48.874) I've replaced my windshield many times in last three years and so it may hit home for me. It's very frustrating, but I feel like gosh, this is that space where we can really make a difference and make an impact on life and Dana, we're into Q4 now. We're rounding out the end of the year and I know you work with a lot of clients virtually and a lot of the group coaching that we do here at the Dental A Team and how are you helping?   Dana (02:48.96) You   The Dental A Team (03:15.836) your clients to really just finish out this year strong right now and then we'll talk about some more preparation stuff but how are you helping them to really finish out this year strong.   Dana (03:26.122) Yeah, and I think it is similar topic as to where we're going to get to in a little bit and that is where did you want to be? Right? Like where did you want to be by the end of the year? And how can we ensure that all the parts and pieces are getting you there? So really just taking a look at where we are, where we want it to be by the end of the year, and how can we maybe reconfigure some goals, look at our gaps, look at the pieces that will essentially push us to where we want it to be the easiest, the fastest, the   most efficient.   The Dental A Team (03:57.125) I love that. we just last month wrapped up in September, we wrapped up our webinar series, our four pillars. And Dana, you speaking to that reminds me like those were really our first two days of that free webinar series that we had, which if you guys missed it in September, don't worry, it'll be back around again next year. And we do have free webinars every month. I hope you guys know that. We talked about   those pieces, knowing where you were wanting to go, where do you want to go? What did you want to end that? And where are you currently? So really, you're talking about, you know, with your clients finding that gap, right, like finding where we wanted to end where we are, so we can see what needs to happen in the next three months, two and a half months, wherever you're at now, what needs to happen to ensure that we get to those goals, and then really tracking it. So I know day one of that, you know, webinar says was really that gap and finding it.   And day two is all about the numbers and being able to track it. And I think you're totally right as making sure that we're looking at those, but then making sure that we're tracking it along the way. Because even if today we do the numbers and we see what the gap is and we don't look at it again until the end of the year, you're likely, like in my opinion, you're more likely to still be off and not hit the goal. If you don't look at it in between, then you are to hit the goal. Even though you may have built a plan today for the next two and a half, three months.   If you're not checking it and tracking it, you're likely going to get off somewhere or not know that you took a detour. It's like, it's like driving across the country without having your Google maps on, right? Or your Apple maps and just saying, you know what, this road feels right. And not realizing like now you're at the Canadian border and you are supposed to be in New York, right? And like,   you it's a small detour, but you didn't realize you were on there until it's the end. And you're like, wait, this isn't this isn't the state that I was supposed to be in. Where am I at? So I love that. It's really, really, really brilliant. And we push all of our clients to do that. And we push all of our clients to not only look at what this year was going to be and what that gap is, but now is the time to really start prepping and planning for next year, which sounds kind of weird, I think most   The Dental A Team (06:12.517) practices, most practice owners and business owners are used to like January, but I learned in consulting, it's really hard to build out those goals when your full team meeting or your full business planning meeting is like January 17th, you're already halfway through the month of January and now you've got a gap to make up.   Right? So I think we learned really, really early on to start those conversations in November and December, project where you're likely going to be and take it off of what Dana said now, like where were you headed? Where's your end of year headed? What was that goal? Build goals off of that. So Dana, I know you work a lot with, like I said, a lot of different clients and right now you're working on that piece of that gap, but now we're pushing.   clients as well to really look at what next year looks like. And we usually say right seven to 10 % growth, I say 10 % is freaking fantastic, right? If you can go above and beyond that, a lot of our early in their stages practices can go way above that. I've seen 25 % even just because you're you're growing right now. But that 7 % is our minimum because of inflation, you guys you have to   have to have to account for inflation. that also, that means your goals need to be bigger. That means your fees need to increase. That means all of those pieces need to change. But Dana, with that, as we're growing, one piece I don't think we always remember or always think about prepping and planning for is the amount of people that it's going to take to encompass that growth, right? So we're pushing it and a lot of spaces we say, gosh,   We need to make X amount of dollars more next year. And that means X amount of hygiene appointments or that 30 % of the production coming from hygiene could mean an entire additional day or half day a week even of hygiene that we're just looking and saying, well, we need to make this in production, but we might not be backtracking. Do you see that Dana with clients too? And as we've learned to grow and build goals.   The Dental A Team (08:31.774) more and more and more even just in our careers, I think we see that that space too, Dana. Do you see that where it's like, gosh, push, push, push, push, push. And then it's like, wait a second, I didn't even realize to stop and think where that was going to come from.   Dana (08:44.544) Mm hmm. Yeah. Yeah, I do. And and to like, who it's going to come from, right? Because we can push, push, push that we need X amount of hygiene. But can your current hygienist take on all of that additional capacity? And so I think that when you when you build out goals, or you say, this is where I want to be by a certain point, it's really important to look at it from all of those angles and say, Okay, at what point are we going to need additional technology, additional team members, additional   The Dental A Team (08:49.632) Mm -hmm.   The Dental A Team (08:54.314) Yes.   Dana (09:14.518) supplies, additional whatever that looks like to get to X, Y, and Z seamlessly.   The Dental A Team (09:20.865) Yeah, I love that idea. So I want to talk today about a client of mine that I've worked with for a little while. They are just an amazing power couple. gosh, three years ago, I would say three years ago, we sat down and we said, Okay, what do want your life to look like in one year, three years, five years, 10 years, right? And we really broke it down and   The most common way to do this is one, three and 10, right? But I wanted that five year mark in there as well, because I think it made a difference for them. And so we really said, gosh, what do you want this to look like? And I, and I speak about them because their story, it just hits so hard for me. And it has been so incredible to watch them take the plan that we developed together, put it into action and create this incredible life for not only themselves, you guys, but   their team and to watch the team participate in this and understand it because the communication was there throughout the full team as we built this out. Their goal was always to expand. And when I first met them, it was like a one year plan. That was as far as we could consider was a one year plan. We can't look past that because we couldn't dream to believe yet. And their one year plan was to if we have to add an operatory, but the building is kind of   it's kind of wonky. So realistically, we only have space to add one more operatory and that was taking away from the patient waiting area, right? The patient lobby. So they did that. I see they, you know, that one year that they were like, we need to do this. said, then do it like, yeah, your production requires it. You're you need another hygienist. Like you've got for what we're trying to gain for even where you are today, you need that room to continue the path you're on.   So that was as far as we could see was how do we continue the path we're even currently on, let alone grow. So they did it, we did it, we got the operatory, it's beautiful, the lobby was redone, it's gorgeous, the practice looks fantastic. And then they said, but now we're in this chokehold, can't do anything more and I want to do more. I want an associate, I wanna do more surgeries, I wanna do surgery days, I only wanna work three and a half days.   The Dental A Team (11:38.462) per week, which then turned into, that's my three year goal. My five and 10 year goal is like two to two and a half days. So we started peeling it back and we started once they were able to see the capacity for where they were at and see, gosh, that fulfilled where we are and I can sustain that, but I wanna reach the community more. And the passion behind this dentist, you guys, this practice owner is so incredible. He serves,   He serves a community that doesn't have a lot of places to go. His community and his area is a very special community and they love him. And my first visit ever with this team and my first conversations, they were like, Tiff, like we are the at -home dentist and we want to grow and expand to continue providing for more and more people. So we have to get bigger. But our biggest goal is to maintain the relationships, maintain the small town.   feel and be the at home dentist. And they said, we've got this, we can totally do this and we have, and we built these years out. So at that point, we said, okay, what does three years look like? What is five years? What does 10 years look like? And the three years was very, it was simple because it was, you know, an associate and this and the five years and the 10 years got a little bit more grandiose, but we realized we needed more space. So they started looking for buildings. But we,   built out, this is the space that we would need to encompass what you want to do to keep the production increasing in the collections, increasing to reach the community. We need X amount of chairs. Like we need this many rooms, this many hygiene. This is the space we need. So it's time to look for a building. It's time to, it's time to put our, you know, our pedal to the metal and start looking for a building. And in the meantime, let's plan and prep for what this is going to look like from a team perspective.   because what we tend to do is we say, gosh, we need an associate, let's get an associate. And we start vetting associates. And then we're like, shoot, we found somebody, they're gonna start in a month or they're gonna start in two weeks or whatever. And then you're like, shoot, we need assistance, but we don't wanna hire assistance too early. So we didn't think about the assistance and now we're in this space and we're like, gosh, wait, they're gonna need more exams. And we get in this space of frantic hiring and desperate hiring instead of hiring for need.   The Dental A Team (14:02.906) So what we were able to do and what I want you guys to really take a look at is look at that one, three and 10 at least, but backtrack then in three years, if you're going to have an associate or an additional associate, how many team members need to be there to support that associate? So our plan was at this state, we onboard an associate. At this state, we start vetting associates. It can take time. You guys know that. So we backtracked it and said,   This is the date, this is the year I want the associate to start. We're gonna start vetting associates prior to with that start date still our goal. Just because we're vetting them doesn't mean our start date has to change. It can if you want it to for sooner or for later, but we kept that date. And then we said, as we're vetting these associates, if that's our start date, we're gonna need two more assistants for that dentist, and we're gonna need another hygiene.   for that dentist. So at least one more hygiene, two assistants and a dentist is what we're going to have to hire. So in order to get the dental assistants trained so that they're ready to go when we onboard an associate, we have to hire them X amount of weeks prior to our start date for our associate. So then a month ahead of that, we're vetting and we're interviewing for dental assistants, but we timeline it out in a way   that this practice specifically I'm speaking on and I've done this with a lot of practices, but I speak on this one specifically because it was the biggest, the biggest growth that I've timeline backwards from. And I want you guys to hear me. They found their building, they texted me and they said, Tiff, this is not the building we thought it was going to be. It is very different. It's gonna require a lot of renovation and it's massive. And I thought, okay, we can deal with massive, that's fine.   you know, a massive dental practice, you're like, okay, gosh, like, all right, 12, 16 operatories is what we had talked about. So it is a massive practice no matter what. yeah, like this is massive. And then Dana, tell me how this phone call would go for you. I pick up, I'm like, okay, let's chat. And we get on the phone and they say, we found a commercial building a couple miles down the street. So it keeps us within our neighborhood basically.   The Dental A Team (16:22.839) It makes it very easy for our patients to come over and for us to grab actually communities that we can't reach yet due to our location. And it's, like I said, commercial and it's got a couple of suites already filled. And I'm like, okay. And it's 16 ,000 square feet. Dana, I was like, okay, 16 ,000 square feet. Like I'm not fantastic at math. I'm not fantastic at like, you asked me what a mile is. I'm like, I know.   I ran three already and I'm at like a quarter of a mile, right? Like I don't, I don't do that well, but 16 ,000 square feet. was like, massive is the right word. You're right. Exactly. 16 operatories and they're all a thousand. It's an apartment for every operatory, right? Exactly. And I was like, holy cow, you guys, this is insane. So then you can imagine that took what we had planned for.   Dana (17:00.074) Yeah, Alpha square foot operatories, okay.   The Dental A Team (17:21.428) Right? This is a little bit of a detour. This is a positive detour. Detours aren't always negative. Sometimes I get detoured on the road and I'm like, this is the most beautiful scenery I never knew existed in Arizona. Right? So this was the most beautiful scenery we didn't know existed. We didn't know it was possible, but we knew something was out there. So then we had to revamp. We were like, all right, we've got a small portion of this under control and we know and the practice owner   he came to me and he's like, okay, we know this much and this is fantastic because this is going to build out the dental practice that we need. we had his, we had we've accomplished the one year we've got the one associate on board, we've got we planned and prepped and the team was on board, we onboarded everybody strategically, and it worked really well. So that now they're as current associate, he will vet and help he's going to be the lead associate, like all the pieces are there, they're falling into place. And it's beautiful.   the practice administrator that he was the office manager. He's like out of the practice enough that he can build the business. The dentist is out of the business enough that he can do the dentistry he wants and still grow with the business. Like it's been incredible to watch. But now we've got 16 ,000 square feet and they're like, cool, Tiff, what are we going to do? And I'm like, yeah, we build those suites you guys. So now   Dana (18:40.556) You're putting in there.   The Dental A Team (18:46.035) we build a practice management company, like a property management company, right? So now they have a practice and a property management company. And I'm like, okay, now we backtrack for that. And we're to fill it with a salon and a gym. And they had all these incredible ideas. And the endodontist who's there, like, do we do we keep them? Do we not keep them? Let's, you know, we had to backtrack through all of these pieces and build it out so that in their three year, they could get into their practice. And in their 10 year,   they could probably be out of their practice 100 % if they wanted to be, which isn't where they're at right now. They don't want to be, but they want to be very minimal. And so we were able to build that out in that five and 10 year spectrum to be this massive area where their community can be served. And that's the biggest goal with this giant massive commercial building is that it's incredible spaces where the community can come together and just like do incredible things. the point there,   We reached that three year. They just got into their brand new practice three weeks ago as of recording this. It's beautiful. I got to see it almost done. I've seen it through all the stages and you guys, this build out, like I'm telling you, this renovation was massive, just still does not describe this building and the beauty of the practice. And it was a complete overhaul. It was a complete gut. Cause this was not a dental practice. This was nothing. It wasn't even a medical building.   Okay, they completely gutted a portion of this massive building and created this incredible dental practice out of it. That's that was their three year and we nailed it, we got it and they're vetting their next associates right now to reach that next stage of what that growth looks like to reach that five year, right and there and again, their tenure but I want you guys to see in that one dream to believe like freaking a they just like   They did it, they saw it, but they saw it because we could clarify the missing pieces. We simplified what it would look like to get to that stage, because I think we hold ourselves back. And Dana, tell me if you agree with this. I know I hold myself back with this. I hold myself back because I can't see the path clearly. And so I know I want to get somewhere. know I want to accomplish a goal, but the path is so murky. It's like being okay, jumping into a swamp.   The Dental A Team (21:13.312) And like your goal is to swim across it, but you're like, I'm not dipping my toe in that, that alligator filled swamp. And so when our goals are, are there and we're like, I don't, I can't clearly see the path. We hold ourselves back from doing it. And so what we were able to do, I was able to come in and help clear up the dirt in the water and sift through it so that it became.   clear water that they could see to the bottom and be like, yes, that's safe. I can accomplish those pieces and I can jump into it. And Dana, I know you've been with me for a lot of their journey and you know who I'm talking about and I'm sure they know who I'm talking about. But how, from your perspective, and we'll make it quick because this is getting long, I told you I was long winded, but   From your perspective of being able to watch that side too, and I know you do this with your clients too, but just theirs in general, what are some thoughts and things that you have for some of the listeners on how this has worked for them and how they might be, the listeners might be able to see themselves in it.   Dana (22:21.076) Yeah, I think honestly the biggest thing right or how it became is because there was a plan there was a road map I love that you said we set dates and we stuck to them and at least you stuck with the start dates, right? You can shift and change those things But you always knew what the next piece was so you could plan and prep for that next piece You knew when their time frame was plan and prep to that time frame you knew all the things that you had to add and it was like   going on a road trip, right with a very clear map. And I feel like that's how it ended up being so successful. And that's how they always found the right pieces at the right time, because there were dates associated with it, there were timeframes allotted for everything. And I'm sure for them, while it was a huge undertaking and a big journey, right, which comes with its own stress, but minimize stressed in this way, because everything was planned, they knew when to start for things they knew   when to make decisions by, they knew when and what they were doing each step of the way. And so it's really been cool to see from the outside too, because it was such a massive growth and development, but it was, I think, as easy as it possibly could be because there was a very clear plan.   The Dental A Team (23:42.593) Yeah, I agree. I love that. Thank you. I was interested in entering to hear your perspective because I think being in it is different. That's the perspective I was able to give to them is not being in it and tied as closely as they are. So I had that third party view, but then I become in it. So then it's fun to see your perspective as well. And I think you nailed it. It's having a plan you guys so my   Hope streams wishes aspirations for you and Dana's hope streams wishes and aspirations for you is that you have some sort of a picture of where you want your business to go and that you have someone in your life, whether it's us, whether it's a friend, a spouse, a different coach, like whoever it is, somebody who can give a non emotionally biased opinion and help clear that mud and that muck and the murkiness of it to clarify.   the journey and the path that it's going to take to get to your dream because I know for me, I have all kinds of dreams and it takes my coach. have a gal that I talk to every now and again and she's there when I need her and I talked with her last week and I said, I feel it, I see it, I can envision it, but I'm scared because I don't know the step. I don't even know how to take a first step and she said, great, that's what I'm here for and she gave me journal prompts and   She gave me these pieces that's like, this is how you're going to put it together so that you can see it because she is not emotionally attached to what I'm trying to accomplish. And that's what I think we provide for each other and for our clients of all spectrums, virtual one -on -one, the few and far between one -on -one, right? And our group coaching too, because now our group coaching clients also have, and so do our other virtual clients, they have each other too.   but this group coaching aspect for a lot of our newer doctors is the, that's the world that they're landing in and they have each other to lean on as well as the consultants in our company. And I just think it's really cool when you have that. So I hope you guys have that and I want you to go re -listen to this if you need to, but I want you to go look at your dream and like Dana said at the beginning, what is that dream? What is that goal? What's the gap? How are you going to get there for this year?   The Dental A Team (25:59.196) and start prepping and planning what is next year look like? What do you want that to look like and really dive into working backwards on the amount of people, the people power that it is going to take to get you there. Prep and plan for that added into your overhead pretend like it's already there build a bucket that says my overhead if I have to hire these pieces, my overhead is going to look like this and I need to prep and plan for that. Build a prep and plan bucket you guys especially if you're hiring an associate.   start paying a bucket like you're already paying an associate so that you're ready for it. Dana, thank you so much. It's one of my favorite stories to tell. I hope everyone enjoyed it. I think they will forever be one of my favorite stories to tell and just the most amazing human beings as well. So Dana, thank you for being here with me today. I appreciate you. And guys, if you loved it, tell us. If you hated it, don't re -listen.   But if you loved it, leave us a five star review. You guys, love hearing from you. We want to know that you enjoyed it. I love, love, love these kinds of conversations, but I want to make sure you do as well. And if you need help with anything at all, you guys, there's links and all kinds of stuff for our websites, but bottom line, [email protected], easy way to reach us. We are all here for you and we will catch you next time.

Paul Edwards, HR extraordinaire and founder of CEDR, breaks down with Kiera the classification of employees from a federal perspective. He touches on how to know if you’re classifying employees right, where state laws come into play, what happens when there are penalties, and more.   Episode resources: Learn more about CEDR Join the CEDR Facebook group: HR Base Camp Listen to episode 574, How to Stop Having Turnover Tune Into DAT’s Monthly Webinar Practice Momentum Group Consulting Subscribe to The Dental A-Team podcast Become Dental A-Team Platinum! Review the podcast Transcript: Kiera Dent (00:01.622) Hello, Dental A Team listeners. This is Kiera. And today I am so excited to be having one of my favorite guests here today with us, Paul Edwards. He is the CEO and founder of CEDR my favorite dental HR company. And I am so jazzed because there have been some things like roaming in politics, roaming around this globe that I felt like Paul would be the best one to bring on the podcast and kind of shed some light on what should employers be looking at? What can we be doing to keep ourselves protected? So Paul, welcome to the show. How are you today?   Paul Edwards (00:29.046) Kiera you are so full of energy. I'm good, I'm good. And I'm excited to kind of do a little HR nerding today on your podcast. Thanks for inviting us, I appreciate it.   Kiera Dent (00:31.254) Yeah.   Kiera Dent (00:39.966) Absolutely. When I heard some of the things coming to the table, I just thought, gosh, I've got to reach out to Paul. We've got to have some fun geeking because HR is not my specialty and that is definitely your specialty. And so wanting to just make sure that we really dove into this. So the reason I reached out to Paul, if you guys haven't heard, we definitely have linked other podcasts for you guys. So be sure to check them out. Paul and I have been on the podcast a few times. CEDR is the number one recommended HR dental company. I refer all the time because   Paul Edwards (00:44.651) Mm   Kiera Dent (01:08.118) Paul, you guys just make people's lives so much easier. have offices that use you and they're like, I'm so grateful for CEDR. And kudos to you guys as newsletters. Like I click on every newsletter you guys send out because the topics are so relevant. So if people don't know about CEDR before we kick into this, just like Paul, can you tell them a little bit about who CEDR is so they can get those newsletters as well? And then we're going to dive into some juicy political topics that are on the HR ballot today.   Paul Edwards (01:17.622) Thanks.   Paul Edwards (01:31.226) yeah, okay, so for everybody out there, CEDR, C -E -D -R Solutions, you can find our website. If you go to our website and you input your name into one of the forms, what you end up doing is putting yourself into our education community. So unlike other companies where you start getting phone calls and everybody's trying to sell you something, we'd love to have you as a client, but as a precursor to that, if you're just out there and you want HR education, we want you in our community, and that's what you're talking about, Kiera. The reason why you like those newsletters.   is because we have 3 ,000 members across the entire country and they're asking us to help them solve these HR problems. And so we use those questions to create our roundups because they're literally and actually what's going on in the world today. what we do for our members is we provide you two components.   Compliance, so when you have a problem with an employee, almost any problem, there's some kind of law, rule, or regulation that probably regulates, which can and can't do, and they can be everything from local, county, city, and it goes all the way up to the feds. So we can help you solve a problem taking two looks at it. The first look is compliance, what does the law say we have to do, and the second thing is what we call the human side.   which is we're working with human beings and you can call a lawyer and say, what would I do about this? And they'd say, fire her. But that lawyer doesn't have any experience of what it's like to replace her, to train her, to lose all of your investment in somebody. And so we take that very human approach and we have a group of experts here who get on the phone with you through email. We have all kinds of resources and we help you solve your HR problems.   Kiera Dent (02:56.574) Mm   Kiera Dent (03:16.628) Absolutely. They're incredible. It's like, what do I do when my employee wants to take over time or if my employee didn't show up or I feel like your guys's education is so telling. I can tell you got your audience very dialed in. And so it's very informative and truly my office managers and doctors who you see there feel so confident in being able to make decisions versus offices who don't have you in their back pocket. They're like, Kiera, what are we supposed to do? I'm like, this is where you check into your state laws.   Paul Edwards (03:30.016) We do, yeah.   Kiera Dent (03:45.862) reach out to your lawyer because every state is different. So that's why I just am obsessed about you guys. I think you guys do an incredible service for the dental community. So massive thanks and appreciation. So definitely recommend everybody get in that educational resource because I just think it helps you. Even things that you might not be thinking about, I think you guys do a great job of spurring and educating, which hopefully today's podcast also does. So, So what I reached out to you originally was I   Paul Edwards (03:46.015) Yeah.   Paul Edwards (04:07.86) That's exactly what we're gonna do today.   Kiera Dent (04:14.72) this whole NDA thing came up of what's going to happen if the NDA bill passes and an NDA is a non -disclosure and then there's the non -competes as well. What happens with doctors, especially with associates being able to go and work for practices that are so close to them. And so I just want to reach out. I know this is actually going to not be our juiciest topic for you guys. have a juicier one coming, but Paul, if you could kind of just shed some light on what does that look like? Where does that kind of stand in legislation?   Paul Edwards (04:35.669) No.   Kiera Dent (04:43.114) and what should practices know about this.   Paul Edwards (04:45.376) So the FTC wrote a rule that wanted to get rid of, ostensibly get rid of all non -competes. I mean, there were a few that could survive, but they ostensibly wanted to get rid of them. And their stated reason was that it was tamping down employees' abilities to be mobile, to be able to change jobs, move someplace else. And not a terrible argument, but not a good overall general argument.   Kiera Dent (04:55.435) Mm   Paul Edwards (05:14.486) Predictably, that rule was challenged in both the Florida court and I think two Texas courts. I'll just cut to the chase, everybody. The judges involved in those cases put a, the ones in Texas put a stay on it, which means, legalese -wise, that just means they put a big pause button on it and said, you know, the parties involved, including the federal government, are gonna have to come back and argue some more in favor of this.   And we kind of could see that that's what was gonna happen and that's what happened. So based on some recent Supreme Court rulings and stuff that's going on out there in the world, in the legal world, this thing has been paused and I don't see it unpausing for months, possibly years and maybe, Kiera, never. So it's just, it's not a thing anymore.   Kiera Dent (05:47.734) Mm   Kiera Dent (06:01.672) Yeah, which is such a great thing. And again, when I reached out to you, our schedules couldn't quite align for us to get there. And it was like really hot. And I know a lot of doctors were concerned about that because agreed. Everybody was like, this is going to be very impactful because the reality is I don't think any employer truly wants to hurt. mean, I'm sure there's some out there, but generally the dentist, they don't want to prevent other doctors from being able to go get another job. That's not what it is.   Paul Edwards (06:08.939) Hmm?   Paul Edwards (06:12.82) We were freaking out. Yeah. Yeah.   Paul Edwards (06:23.232) Hmm?   Kiera Dent (06:29.51) what they don't want to do is set their practice up to where all those patients could be pulled very easily to another location because that's really like that doctor who hired these associates took the risk and they don't want to have the greatest asset of that practice as patient base being able to be lifted out. And I think that that's where the argument's at.   Paul Edwards (06:45.29) That's, yeah, that's precisely, that's precisely correct. And really it was gonna be damaging. And since it's not going into effect, we don't have to go too far into it, but it was really gonna be damaging in ways that the federal government didn't understand or didn't seem to perceive. They could have put written a different kind of rule and put a lot more limits on it. And by the way, non -competes are very limiting.   Kiera Dent (07:00.886) Sure.   Paul Edwards (07:10.838) There's a lot of limits and some states won't let you have them. Other states that will let you have them say you have to have these specific provisions in them. It can't be too broad. It can't be designed to punish someone for leaving. You you put 30 miles in your non -compete and you're in downtown Chicago and your non -compete is probably going to become invalid. You know, but you put four blocks and that'd be a different story. So like all things and I'll bring it all the way back to HR, the details matter.   Kiera Dent (07:11.242) Mm -hmm.   Kiera Dent (07:22.56) Mm -hmm.   Kiera Dent (07:28.585) Right.   Kiera Dent (07:34.697) Absolutely.   Paul Edwards (07:40.436) Right? It really matters. But for now, we don't have to worry about this.   Kiera Dent (07:41.1) Mm -hmm. For sure. Which is great. And that's really what I wanted to bring you on because I know it was really hot and it was really scary and it was, what are we going to do? And that's where I like to have this podcast be up and coming. so Paul, there actually are a few other things that I do think are really going to impact that people should be aware of. And that's this 1099 world, hygienists, associate doctors, like kind of this world, which I think strategy wise from the business's standpoint is it's hard to hire.   Paul Edwards (07:58.762) Mm   Kiera Dent (08:10.732) It's hard to hire right now. It's been hard to hire since I think 2020. think all of us are still feeling that. And so I don't blame employers for trying to get creative and think outside the box. However, with that asterisk, legalities and payroll and how we hire can really truly impact a practice and do some pretty serious damage if not done correctly. I've seen some class action lawsuits. I've seen big lawsuits.   1099s and misclassification of employees is a very big deal. So Paul, this is your world bigger than it is mine. I just have a very strict lawyer on me. So that's the only reason that I know, because I used to do it pre -COVID. We were in a 1099 world. And I remember my lawyer called me and he said, Kiera, you're welcome to do whatever you want to do. He said, but I just want you to know. He said, I just want you to know that this can become a federal offense on you if it goes. And I was like,   Paul Edwards (08:47.7) Mm   Paul Edwards (08:54.641) Such a lawyer thing to say.   Kiera Dent (09:03.466) So I draw the line, I'm cool to stay in gray, but I'm not okay to go to federal prison. So that's like where I draw lines. But Paul, please, not to scare anybody, but to educate about where this can come into fact and how can especially employers protect themselves in this world.   Paul Edwards (09:07.946) Yeah.   Paul Edwards (09:19.434) Well, look, the first thing that I want to tell everybody is that you might not know this, but I think you might know it, but I'm going to put it for you in kind of stark terms. As the employer, it is your responsibility for you to classify your workers properly. They really don't get they, your employees, your prospective employees, don't get to make that decision. They cannot make that decision for you. And so there's a set of rules.   there's two sets of rules actually. The IRS has a set of rules, they call it the test, and the Department of Labor has a set of rules, and incidentally they call theirs the test too. And if you put the two rules up with all of the little things in the test, and there's many, many bullet points in each test that says if this is true, if this is true, if this is not true, and you go through the whole thing, there's a lot of crossover talk there. So that's, I guess, to some degree, it's beneficial.   Kiera Dent (10:07.009) Mm.   Kiera Dent (10:15.436) Sure.   Paul Edwards (10:16.042) But what I do want to say to everybody is that if you use the test or don't use the test, whatever you do, if you violate this rule that we're talking about, you can be committing tax fraud and you can also be breaking the law when it comes to the Department of Labor. And so it's kind of a double whammy. And here's the important part, Kiera, is that you're leaving a paper trail behind that you cannot defeat.   Kiera Dent (10:34.305) Mm   Paul Edwards (10:43.104) So this isn't a he said, she said, you can't claim I didn't do it. If you get it wrong and you misclassify someone as an independent contractor, that means you're not paying the workers comp. So that's a problem. That's unlawful underneath your state laws. Because you misclassified them doesn't matter to the state. You still broke the law. You're not paying their matching social security. You're not paying withholding and paying taxes. And again, you're not paying your portion of the social security.   Kiera Dent (10:43.18) Absolutely.   Kiera Dent (10:53.857) Thank   Paul Edwards (11:09.674) So why this matters to both the feds and the state is this is taxable income and you are not paying it and you actually, you are gaining some small advantage. I maintain it's not enough for you to get this wrong. And you're also helping the, you're costing the state and the feds because the person who's misclassified is writing things off that employees cannot write off. So they're acting as if they're in their own business. So what we found,   Kiera Dent (11:15.339) right.   Kiera Dent (11:34.613) Absolutely.   Paul Edwards (11:38.998) is that we've got a lot of hygienists who have come to the practice. Now they may come by themselves, they may come be offered up by a temp agency who's not getting this correct. They will come to the practice and say, want to be paid as an independent contractor. And what they're saying is, if you're paying me $75 an hour, I want $75 an hour to be given to me. And that doesn't...   Kiera Dent (12:05.448) Mm   Paul Edwards (12:07.678) work when we look at what the rules are with regards to classifying people, Kiera. So, you know, any questions so far?   Kiera Dent (12:16.844) Yeah, I think something I've also felt that there's a fun game in. And I think if we think of it as a game, as opposed to like stressful, I enjoy that a little bit more. These classifications actually do change quite a lot. And like what the IRS is sticky on or not sticky on, I do feel also changes because this 1099 world, I understand, like, if you look at people's motives, the hygienists want to get paid more. They want to be able to take home more salary.   Paul Edwards (12:45.664) Mm -hmm.   Kiera Dent (12:45.804) So I understand completely why they're wanting to do it. But again, my lawyer, he told me very well, he said, Kiera, the definition of a 1099 is like a gardener that comes to your house or a lawn care crew. They tell you the day, they bring their own tools, they don't use any of yours, and they tell you the fee that you're going to be paying for that service. He said, now, if you have an employee that's doing anything different than that, or you have someone who's different than that, most likely they're probably not a 1099.   Paul Edwards (12:56.554) That's a good way to describe it.   Kiera Dent (13:12.8) And so that's kind of helped me. just think about this Gardner or lawn care crew, because I feel like it really makes it very simple for me of where am I going to be? And honestly, like you said, Paul, I don't think employers realize the implications if you get this wrong. It is big because we have looked, and I think this will also tie into like exempt and non -exempt employees too. But we also have to look at the IRS and the federal and the state reasons why they're doing this too. Yes, we should be classifying correctly.   Paul Edwards (13:16.554) It's good.   Paul Edwards (13:27.796) Mm -hmm.   Kiera Dent (13:40.5) because everybody right now with inflation and costs and whatnot, people are getting smarter and stickier with making sure we're following the laws and the rules. So I think looking for motives and reasons, but really, I don't know, I enjoy sleeping at night as an employer. And I think this is a great way to help yourself stay out of it. So not necessary questions, but definitely I think it's a big issue and an easy way to determine that hygienist is not bringing their own tools with them. They're not setting the hours that they're going to be working.   Paul Edwards (13:47.37) That's true.   Kiera Dent (14:07.084) They could be telling you the pay they're going to be getting, yes, but they're really not coming, doing their thing and leaving. You're providing the patients for them. You're providing the instruments for them. You're providing the chair for them. You're providing the team for them. They're working within the hours of your practice. They're really not. Now, I think someone who is an independent contractor for a contrast is like if an anesthesiologist is coming to the practice, they're bringing their own tools. They're bringing their own equipment. They usually bring their own team. They're coming.   Paul Edwards (14:33.174) Kiera, have you been reading my blog?   Kiera Dent (14:36.908) I just think I'm very passionate about this stuff because I think employers who get it wrong, this is where we get into hot water, unintentionally trying to save a few bucks that's going to ultimately cost us a lot in the long run. And I think, again, analogies always make my life easier. So that's probably why I do it.   Paul Edwards (14:56.052) No, no, that's a very good example that you gave. so the first example of the gardener is a very good example. I'm going to reiterate. This guy or gal shows up at your house. They can experience a profit and a loss. So if their lawnmower breaks down, they don't come knock on your door and ask for you to do something about it. They go and they fix their lawnmower. So they have an opportunity for profit and loss. That's one thing.   The other thing that they measure, adding a little technical to this, is the degree of permanency. And so you could change, you could choose to, and they could choose to not work for you, and it's likely that they work for several different other companies. But I wanna make something clear here, because that's what people glom onto, and they're like, well, my hygienist works at two other dental practices, so I'm in the clear.   Kiera Dent (15:19.864) Mm   Kiera Dent (15:36.234) right.   Kiera Dent (15:43.87) Right.   Paul Edwards (15:45.206) And that's not how this test works. It's just not how the test works. So the main thing and the big piece of news, so here's the big reveal for everyone. We, CEDR, have been around for 19 years now. For 19 years, we have been telling people, anyone who tries to classify a hygienist as an independent contractor,   that it is not lawful and that there's a problem the IRS has with it. So it's been like this for 18 years. But like you said, they kind of define, redefine, change rules. In this case, they didn't add or take anything away. But what they did is they took one of the things that was on the list. And I'm just going say it was on it. It was important. It sometimes was used against employers.   and the Department of Labor brought it all the way up and said, if you're only gonna consider the first six points, we want you to know that if the person is doing the work of the business, they cannot be classified as an independent contractor. And so we've always known this determination was there, and the IRS uses that one, so that's one of the ones where the tests are matching up.   So if you're in a general dental practice and you have a hygiene department, then they're doing the work of your practice. Your anesthesiology example was a very good example. if it were a, I mean, I'm just gonna split hairs a little bit here. If it were a pediatric practice whereby there's a lot of anesthesia going on, there's always someone there. That anesthesiologist technically is an employee.   Kiera Dent (17:07.414) Yes.   Kiera Dent (17:23.072) Mm -hmm.   Paul Edwards (17:26.442) They're not an independent contractor. But if you're out in Montana and you're a general dentist, you don't do surgery, and you have a surgeon come through to perform surgery, and an anesthesiologist comes with them or you bring them in as well, those people are not doing the work of your practice, even though we all agree it's all dentistry and it's associated, but hopefully in that description.   Kiera Dent (17:26.804) Agreed.   Paul Edwards (17:54.442) I'm able to kind of relay to you guys what the differences are there. But this big reveal is the extent to which the work performed is integral, and it's an integral part of the potential employer's business is the big one. They moved it way to the top. So this means technically, literally, hygienists can't be legally classified as independent contractors.   Kiera Dent (18:10.016) Mm -hmm.   Paul Edwards (18:21.334) And it also calls into the thing that we've also been saying for 18 years, that associate doctors who are, it's a general dentist doing general dentistry, that associate doctors, they are not independent contractors either. And that the safest thing to do is to classify them as an employee. And I have lots of other good reasons for making them employees. But again, that's another place where it's common practice. And then Kiera, I'm gonna add one more thing.   Kiera Dent (18:34.23) Mm   Kiera Dent (18:50.367) Yeah.   Paul Edwards (18:50.918) State laws apply here. And so there are several states, California, Oregon, Washington, I could go on and on, who have even more strict rules about these classifications. And we've just seen, gonna, I don't wanna call them all the way out. I'm gonna tell you they're in the Northeast, they're in a state where they have stricter rules. Practice is very successful.   has multiple associates in I think I counted eight and they got audited and they got lit up. mean, yeah.   Kiera Dent (19:24.212) And that's actually what my follow up was going to be, Paul. Let's say I am a practice and I do get audited and find out that I miss classified. What is, this is how I like to make my decisions. Like how bad is the problem? Is it to be slap on the wrist? Am I going to jail? Like where are we at with this?   Paul Edwards (19:30.272) Mm -hmm.   Paul Edwards (19:34.516) Right.   Right.   You are unlikely to go to jail in most states, although there are wage theft laws that can get you charged with misdemeanors, which is the last thing you need as a licensed professional anywhere. the problem is three, I think, I'm going to off top my head, it's threefold. CARE distractions, right? We all have plenty distractions that come in every day just trying to keep the wheels on the bus and everybody happy and the patients happy.   There's plenty of things that enter into our sphere of operating all the time. You've never had a distraction like a Department of Labor investigation where they act like the IRS. They issue a letter which requires you to give up all of your bank records, all of your time records, all of your record records and records of your other record, you know, the distraction to just meet the demand is gonna be brutal.   The next thing you have to do consider is the immediate cost. I'm not gonna even go long term for the cure. The immediate cost is you're gonna just go ahead and just put $30 ,000 in a lawyer's checking account to represent you so that this doesn't spin up and get completely out of control and so that you know what you're facing. And then the next thing is what are you going to have to do once the determination is made and if it's made against you?   Kiera Dent (20:32.811) Mm -hmm.   Kiera Dent (20:47.276) Totally.   Paul Edwards (21:02.102) What will you have to pay in back taxes, penalties, and all those things? So this can easily ramp up and distraction and all of these costs that I've talked about, I don't wanna be hyperbolic here, but this can easily get to $100 ,000 very, very quickly. And so nobody wants that, nobody wants these distractions or these things. So the penalty, the punishment,   Kiera Dent (21:21.045) Mm -hmm.   Paul Edwards (21:30.966) really can be fairly brutal. And the last thing, let's just say you've only misclassified one person, right? And she has or he has filed a complaint or somehow it's gotten back to you. You're still in time producing all of those records, answering the complaint, hiring a lawyer. You're still gonna spend 25, 30, $40 ,000 to cure this one instance because again, you're gonna have to get a lawyer.   Kiera Dent (21:34.443) Mm   Paul Edwards (21:59.542) So to me, that person would have to work for you for like 30 years to make that money worth it for you. And that's just not what's gonna happen.   Kiera Dent (21:59.82) for sure.   Kiera Dent (22:08.958) Absolutely. think them coming in as independent contractors clearly shows that. I think about like, what's my risk to reward? So what I'm doing by having an independent contractor is they're getting paid more with air quotes. They're writing things off, but I'm not having to pay my payroll tax on them per se. Like, I think that's really the only benefit to an employer to do this. Maybe I don't have to have like the exempt, the non -exempt, the hours, but those are things that are pretty easy to solve. So I'm like, okay. And typically I know this is like,   very loose math, Paul. And if you disagree with me, please, I am not offended. Say it is, you're the expert here. I've been told that payroll tax, like a good estimate, is just 10 % of that person's annual. So that's kind of, that's where I'm like easy, because 10 % for me is very easy to move that decimal point and I can figure it out. So if the person's making, let's say they're making 70 ,000 a year, it's $7 ,000 that I'm going to be adding additional in payroll tax to it. To me, is that 7 ,000?   Paul Edwards (22:48.15) It's not bad, it's good.   Kiera Dent (23:06.876) worth the hundred thousand, but also I think Paul, there is the emotional ROI on it too. Like to go through that, it might not financially destroy you, but mentally it is, it's something. if, I mean, I've gone through lawsuits and it's something where you get to a point where you just say, I will do whatever to get out of this because the pain and the exhaustion and trying to fight it and trying to win. But then you also don't want to admit to it because   Paul Edwards (23:13.375) it's brutal.   Paul Edwards (23:27.296) That's right.   Kiera Dent (23:35.136) Like opening it up, you open yourself up to them looking back at every single person in your world. And to me, those things are not worth the risk, which is why I wanted you on here today is let's not be afraid, but let's be proactive. But Paul, my question I think is for people who might be freaking out right now of, my gosh, Paul, I've misclassified. What do I do today? Like, do I have to go back and like, like go to the Pope and like redeem myself that way? Like, how do I, how do I fix it moving forward if I have possibly misclassified in the past?   Paul Edwards (23:39.06) Mm -hmm.   Paul Edwards (23:53.728) Right.   Paul Edwards (24:04.596) Well, it's a case by case basis and you open up a little bit of a Pandora's box when you realize that you have to fix something and your questions are very viable. Like, do I have to go back a certain number of years? What do I have to do? You know, one of the things I tell a lot of a lot of our members who are freaking out over something like this is like, let's look at the actual pain point here. Like how much will it cost to correct this? And, know, do we have the money and is it, is it, has it, you know, is it too much?   So it's a case by case basis and what you need to do is kind of stop. You just take a breath and go and talk to someone who knows what they're doing. It's typically at some point this is going to involve an attorney or a very good CPA. It's not your accountant. It's not anybody else. It's not even CEDR. We cannot settle this for you. We can give you all this guidance and everything, but we can't go to bat for you.   So you have to find that resource and they're out there, they're all over the place and you want to mitigate it to the best that you can. You're probably going to self -report it. And look, I've seen it everywhere along the spectrum, Kiera, from the, they've been doing it wrong for three years and they have a hygiene department of seven people to I've only had a hygienist for two years and I misclassified her and she's still with me and I got to fix this. I've seen the whole spectrum and there's two different approaches to that.   Kiera Dent (25:25.312) Mm   Paul Edwards (25:29.402) And so if you're freaking out, I'm sorry, but it's better to have the knowledge, not have it at all. You're going to seek out, first thing you're to do is go to your CPA and talk to them. And you're what you're also going to do is if you're out there and you've got a CPA and they know that you're doing this. I don't love that. You know, I don't, I don't love that. That's why I always say when we're talking to talking to professionals, I get them put stuff in writing.   Kiera Dent (25:47.03) Mm.   Paul Edwards (25:58.418) I need to be able to rely on the guidance that I'm getting. And then rely on that attorney who is an expert in taxes, who is an expert with the Department of Labor, who knows everything about it, then rely on them or that CPA firm to help get you through it and just go through the process and get it all cleaned up and then fix it going forward.   Kiera Dent (26:18.348) Absolutely. And I will put it out there. If anybody is looking for good attorneys, I do really, really have an incredible attorney who is right in the line with CEDR. So please reach out. [email protected]. But really, I agree with you, Paul. I think it's one of those things of, I understand that people weren't doing it. Like don't beat yourself up. You were not intentionally trying to be bad or do things or skirt the law. Like you really were making the best decisions at the time, but today we know better.   Paul Edwards (26:30.24) Mm   Paul Edwards (26:37.621) No!   Kiera Dent (26:44.982) So let's do better. Let's fix it with clean it up. Let's talk to the experts. That way you can feel confident moving forward. But it's like, we know today that this is not okay. And let's make the decisions because you you might skirt by, but every business is going to be sued at some point. And they're also going to be audited at some point. And I would rather have my house clean, as clean as I can get it. And hopefully they find minimal as opposed to hoping that I never get audited.   I really do hope I never get audited, but I like to prepare and plan as if I were to be audited. That way I can sleep at night, I can make these corrections, and that's how I live my life. Paul, I just love this. think there is one thing that we will put out there. We won't exactly say all the pieces, but we were talking earlier about misclassifying of this exempt and non -exempt. I've seen it even within our company. Non -exempt definitions have actually shifted. I had no clue that some of the definitions had shifted from when I last did a thorough research on it.   Paul Edwards (27:31.435) Mm -hmm.   Paul Edwards (27:38.954) Mm -hmm.   Kiera Dent (27:40.032) How often do these change and how do we keep ourselves current other than working with you? Which I think that's the greatest thing, but how do we keep ourselves current? Because exempt and non -exempt is coming up.   Paul Edwards (27:44.916) Well, well.   Okay, so what you want to do is really if you get into someone's, like if you get into our ecosystem of education, so you don't have to be paying us anything, we are always talking about these things and we are giving that information. We're not withholding and keeping that behind a paywall. you want to join someone like us in our community so you can get updates on this. Ironically, the rules don't change that much for this status, but they are changing right now.   Kiera Dent (28:15.105) Mm -hmm.   Paul Edwards (28:15.198) And I do expect that over the next four years, we're gonna see some other changes, but they basically will borrow down into the regulation and they'll make some kind of a change to like a minimum salary amount or some other thing. And that's very simple. This is cut and dry. This is one of those great reasons to have someone like us, because we do understand the rules.   Kiera Dent (28:34.294) Mm   Paul Edwards (28:41.686) But yeah, that's another area where people are getting misclassified. And again, this goes back, Kiera, to the first couple of minutes. It's your job as the employer to know these things and then to apply these things in the proper way to your people who you're paying salary or who you're paying as an independent contractor or whatever.   Kiera Dent (28:59.72) Absolutely. And Paul, I'm so glad that you brought that up because for me as a business owner, I think it's absolutely fun to run a business and to own a business. And I call it my creative playground. Like it's fun, right? But there's also all these pieces that I have to remember are my responsibility. And at the end of the day, it's going to fall on me as the business owner, which is why I am very passionate about finding the experts in the areas that I'm not as strong. I am not a guru on HR. I am not a guru on my bookkeeping. I am not a guru on tax.   Paul Edwards (29:08.576) I do too. I love it. I love it.   Paul Edwards (29:18.005) Mm -hmm.   Kiera Dent (29:29.322) I'm not a guru on the legals. We are in multiple different states in our company. I don't know that. And so having a good board of advisors to make sure that you are there. Like I messaged my CPA because I saw that there's this like weird thing that came up for one of my pieces. And I'm like, I don't even know what this is. Is this a scam? I messaged him and he said, Kiera, don't worry. We already have this. You're either filed or you'll be filed in the next month. And I thought that's the people.   Paul Edwards (29:33.375) Mm -hmm.   Paul Edwards (29:53.096) I know what that is.   Kiera Dent (29:54.918) Tell Paul, I was like, what the heck is this? Is this a scam? It's like DBLI or something weird like that. And I was like, what does that even mean?   Paul Edwards (29:57.45) Yep.   Paul Edwards (30:02.528) Yep. Yep. I... Yeah?   Kiera Dent (30:04.524) So really have the people in your corner. And I think CEDR, just so you guys know what we're referring to of this exempt and non -exempt, that salary versus hourly, definitely reach out to CEDR because it does impact a lot of office managers. So doctors, I would really encourage you just to reach out. Paul is more than happy to share and help you guys. I intentionally asked him not to put it on the podcast because I did not want to put any doctors in an uncomfortable spot knowing that team members do listen to this podcast.   And I wanted doctors, you to know the information, therefore you could actually make the decisions best for your practice rather than exposing you. So that's why we're not trying to hold back information, but I know our audience. And so I said, Paul, let's let them know, let's have them reach out to you. That way doctors, you can make sure that you're getting the information and make the best decision for your practice.   Paul Edwards (30:50.858) Yeah, get into our ecosystem and you're going to see the education pop up here in about three weeks, which isn't enough time for you to understand what the rules and how the rules are changing. I'm also on my podcast. I'm going to cover this at least once before the end of the year. So I'm going to spend some time on my podcast doing that.   Kiera Dent (31:07.114) Which is amazing. So Paul, you really went through the gamut with us today of going from what is this non -compete and how's it going to impact us to now the 1099s and what that really is and how we classify, misclassify and what we do to now talking about this exempt, non -exempt. And really, I think more than anything, I feel education is power. Yes, sometimes I don't like the nuances. Sometimes it feels annoying, but I'd rather be annoyed and fix it.   than be uneducated and not know and then be burned through an audit. So Paul, I love what you guys do. I love the care that you have. I love the passion that you have. People like you are who get me excited because I don't like HR. I would rather like never think about HR. It's the yuckiest part of a business. So the fact that there's great people like you out there, I just want to say thank you.   Paul Edwards (31:46.484) out   Yeah, yeah, is. We're gonna put that on our, we're putting that on our website. It's the yuckiest part of your business. Let us help you with that. Yeah, we're the solution you didn't know you needed. That's gonna be our, yeah.   Kiera Dent (31:59.697) It is. Exactly. Exactly. So Paul, once again, thank you for being here. And for those who are like obviously are going to reach out again, please, if you will just share how they can connect with you, get into your ecosystem, learn. And if they're interested in becoming a client as well, how they can connect with you that way.   Paul Edwards (32:17.566) Okay, so two different ways to connect with us and with me personally. The first way is to go to our site cedrsolutions and just sign up on one of the forums and join our community and get the free education. Of course, give us a call if you're looking for services. The other way is just subscribe to my podcast. It's called What the Hell Just Happened? You can find it on all the platforms. What the hell just happened here is some rules changed and we discussed it with Kiera.   Go subscribe to my podcast and weekly we put out stuff and we talk about HR related things and some other fun stuff and Kiera. Well, this is definitely a subject that I'm going to cover before the end of the year.   Kiera Dent (32:58.666) Amazing. All of you get prepared. There's no reason to be fearful. There's great resources out there. Yes, this is, in my opinion, success has two parts of it. There is the suck part of success. It's literally the first three letters of success. This is the portion that we have to do as business owners and know. But I think Paul, you guys do an amazing job of making it not scary, very easy. You guys are incredible at education. So all of you get prepared, go connect with them, reach out, listen to their podcast.   Truly incredible, incredible information and Paul, thanks for being here today with me. Of course, and thank all of you for listening and I'll catch you next time on the Dental A Team Podcast.   Paul Edwards (33:31.968) Kiera, thank you so much.

Kiera reviews the September book club selection: Die with Zero: Getting All You Can from Your Money and Your Life by Bill Perkins. She compares the Die with Zero method with profit-first, talks about applying this mindset in her own life, and how to enjoy life richly. Find the full book club rundown here! Episode resources: Reach out to Kiera Tune Into DAT’s Monthly Webinar Practice Momentum Group Consulting Subscribe to The Dental A-Team podcast Become Dental A-Team Platinum! Review the podcast Transcript: Kiera Dent (00:01.346) Hello, Dental A Team listeners. This is Kiera and it is book club time. And this is one of my favorite books and I am so excited and I hope you read it with me. And if you didn't, hey, well, here's your opportunity to read the book club. I will give you a synopsis and hopefully I make this so intriguing and so exciting that you definitely want to go read it. So this book is called Die With Zero and you better believe that it is gonna trip your minds up. So if you're a prophet first person, if you don't even know what the heck I'm talking about,   Well, welcome, because this is the book club all about fulfillment. As always, thank you guys so much for being podcast listeners. Please do me a solid and go leave a review today. Go leave those five stars. Share this with someone that you know might be considering how are they generating the revenue in their practice? How are they? What's their fulfillment life plan? But share this podcast because my goal is to get this podcast into the hands of every dental practice to be able to positively impact and inspire offices to be the best leaders.   the best teams to serve their patients at the highest level and truly be able to give back on a level that we as far outside of our, our wildest dreams and to do it with ease. This podcast was made for people just like you who don't just understand you, but are you I've sat in your shoes. I am a business owner. I come to the table with expertise and understanding and humility and love and compassion and no judgment. And I just ask that you guys share this with a dentist who right now could benefit from having that.   positive impact in their life. An office manager who might be struggling with their team or maybe someone who's thriving. Share in a Facebook group, share in a group that you're a part of. Go in there. You guys, I had an office reach out and they're like, Kiera, we're struggling. We're dropping Delta Dental and we need some verbiage. And I popped onto our website and I went to our podcast and I typed in insurance dropping verbiage. And there's three incredible podcasts. So truly anything you guys might be struggling with or wanting to know more about, I guarantee you in our almost thousands of episodes.   you will be able to find that. And if you can't find it, email me [email protected]. Our team truly lives to serve you and they want to make your life easy. So reach out. We love you guys. So the broadcast today is Die With Zero. You guys, I'm so excited and I can't wait to talk about this. So Die With Zero, it's funny, my brother, I actually called him. My brother is in business and finance and I said, know, Rhett, that's his name.   Kiera Dent (02:27.468) I said, Rhett, I have a question for you. This was a couple, gosh, this was probably a year ago. said, if you had an opportunity to grow your business to insane heights, would you do that? Or would you kind of like chill and coast? My brother's super brilliant. He's an MBA. He works for a really large company. His job is to go in and inspire teams and to help them out. And he's also efficiency, which means he also fires people. And my brother is someone that I think is one of the most incredible people.   Like I truly look up to him. He's two years younger than me. And I said, Rhett, what would you do? And Rhett told me, said, Kiera, you know, if I had an opportunity to serve and to give, I would make my business as big as I could possibly make it. Okay. Fast forward a year, Rhett came to me and he said, Kiera, I've actually been thinking about that conversation. And I read a book called Die With Zero. Have you read it? And I said, you better freaking believe I've read it. Let's talk about it. And he said, I actually think I've changed my mind on your business or business ideas in general. He said,   I actually think I would find what fulfills you versus slaying away for your entire life. He said, die with zero definitely gave me a different perspective. And I thought, I love this because die with zero. actually think I was talking to my husband about this morning before I got onto podcasts. And I think die with zero is such a mind trip because it's contrary to what we've been taught all of our lives. We've been taught, go to work, save for retirement, get your retirement at 65.   And then go and live this glamorous retirement life. there's profit first with Mike McAllux, which I'm obsessed with profit first. And I remember when I did a book club with our team on profit first, one of our team members, she's like, I cannot handle die with zeros mentality because profit first is talking to us about building the profit and saving and building this whole piece. And I was zero is talking about like living in the moment. So I'm here to say, I actually don't know which camp I sit in.   I actually think there's beauty in both of them. But this Die with Zero, Getting All You Can From Your Money and Your Life by Bill Perkins. So if you haven't read it, I strongly encourage you to read it. It's going to be incredible for you. But Die with Zero, I'm just gonna give you guys a couple little quick synopsis of some of the points in the book so we can book club on it. So there's 10 points that they have in here. Number one is maximize positive life experiences. Number two, invest in experiences early.   Kiera Dent (04:50.456) Three, aim to die with zero money. Four, use all available planning tools. Five, give money to kids in charity early. Don't live life on autopilot. Seven, plan in terms of seasons. Eight, no one to stop. And nine, take big risks early, not later. Okay, so lots of things in here, but really he said, gosh, I'll read you guys this quote from him.   He said, if you spend hours and hours of your life acquiring money and then die without spending all of that money, then you've needlessly wasted too many precious hours of your life. There's just no way to get those hours back. If you die with 1 million left, that's 1 million of experiences you didn't have. And if you die with 50 ,000 left, well, that's 50 ,000 of experiences you didn't have. No way is that optimal. The question we must answer is how to make the most of our finite time on earth. Ooh, like I love it.   Because that's, think, I think that's the question. And so when we look at these 10 aspects of it, again, like I'm saying, I don't think my perfect camp is here, but I think like my conversation with my brother was very much one of, right? Like we all think of the fear, like what happens if we run out of money? My conversations with Ryan Isaac of Dentist Advisors, he's my financial advisor, there are always conversations around, well, Ryan, like how do I know I'll have enough money to make it to me being?   97 years old with my cotton candy pink hair and I'm living the most fulfilling life as well. And so this whole principle, my mom and I were talking, my grandma, she just turned, I believe she just turned 90 and I talked to my mom and my grandma has like, she's done well. Her mom, so my great grandma passed away and there was this like very large fortune that was left. And I talked to my mom and I said, mom, grandma's not gonna be alive for that much longer.   and she fell and she slipped and she fell and she broke some vertebrae and some ribs. This is a 90 year old woman and my grandma is still so afraid of money and this woman has more than enough money. She's definitely not gonna be dying with zero. And I talked to my mom about this because there's also this piece of my mom, maybe there's these weird pieces of it, then she'll get an inheritance from her mom. But I talked to her about this book and I said, mom.   Kiera Dent (07:06.35) Grandma, like what if you could actually live this incredible world with her where you made her last decade of her life the best decade of her entire life? Where she's doing all the experiences. But what's crazy about it is my grandma is now 90. And that to me, I think is the premise of this book of like, why did my grandma wait until she was 90?   And who knows if she'll even be able to do it. But in the book, I remember there was like a definition of the ideal optimal life is we want to make it too. So if I plan to pass away, I hope I make it to a hundred, maybe 130, but let's just say I pass away at 97, which feels a little creepy right now to me to like put a death date on me. but the hope is that like, I'm living my fullest, most richest life all the way up until like 96 with my health and all this. And then in my last year, my money and my health kind of like,   nose dive and I go out of this world fully rich in life experiences and really living to the fullest. Now my other grandma, she's my adopted grandma and she is, I believe she just turned 96 actually and she's been able to paint and she goes on trips and she hangs out with her elderly group. Her husband passed away, my gosh, like at least 20 years ago.   But my adopted grandma, she is very vibrant and I'm looking at her and at 96 she's still walking up and downstairs and yes she's had a knee replacement and there's some things going on with her eyes, but she paints china and has like very world -renowned china painter. She teaches, she has a kiln in her house. I wish I would have taken lessons from her when I lived with her and I never took advantage of that. She reads, but just recently probably within the last, I don't know, three years   she stopped traveling, but up until then she was traveling. And I think about her and I have no idea where her financial state is, but I think about her and I'm like, that's the life that I want to be living where I'm healthy and I'm taking care of my health and I'm able to do all the things that I love doing until like my last, like hopefully six months of my life. And then like at that point we're gone. And that's what I think Bill Perkins whole point in all of this book is, which is why I love it is thinking differently of not a saving until we're out of money or saving until we're at this certain space because   Kiera Dent (09:15.95) He talked about in the book of like going to Italy, maybe when we're 40, but like if we could have gotten in our 20s, we're younger, we're more vibrant, and we have longer time for the investment of that experience in our life rather than less time with those experiences and talking about how, yes, we're always trying to save money and yes, we need money to survive. I'm not here to discredit that for one second, but is there a balance between the amount of money that we need and the life experiences that we're able to maximize? So that's why he's saying maximize our positive life experiences.   Are we spending money on experiences rather than just saving money? Now, this is where the mind trip is because we still need money to be able to survive. And so how are we able to maybe accomplish both? And that's really what I think I'm obsessed with with this book club. And I hope you guys are geeking on it with me and I hope I'm challenging your beliefs as well. But he said, expect invest in experiences earlier because that allows you to have that longer term ROI on life experiences. Like if you were to even think back on the last 10 years of your life, what are some of the highlights?   Gosh, like the last 10 years of my life, like I'm just gonna do my 30s for you. Jason graduated pharmacy school. We have hit all seven continents, which I'm obsessed with going to. We went to Bora Bora. We've been able to buy our first home. We've gone through IVF together. I love, love, love being able to travel with my parents. We were able to go with his parents and my parents, both to Hawaii. We surprised them with a trip to Hawaii. guys, really did not cost me hardly anything. took...   like very inexpensive flights, I bought them early, but it was one of the most incredible experiences to do that with my parents. Traveling with Jason, because Jason's philosophy was, we're not gonna travel until we retire. And my philosophy was, when we retire, we're gonna be old and it's gonna be a lot different to travel. Like, I wanna travel while I'm young and I can still hike up a mountain. And it's crazy, because even within our 30s, my knees and my hips actually are a lot different than they were when I turned 30. And so Jason and I, just traveled to Tokyo.   This is the life of not having children. People are like, how do you travel so much? Well, one, traveling gives me life. And two, I just, truly do believe in this, like living and having life experiences now rather than later. I remember Jason and I were in pharmacy school. I was, I am not joking. I was making $12 an hour while we were in pharmacy school. We were at that point, $65 ,000 in debt for his pharmacy school. We had no help from either of our parents.   Kiera Dent (11:36.59) We didn't have scholarships. I'm making literally $12 an hour. This was not that long ago. It was 2016, 2017, 2018. I was working at the dental college, so I did get some great health benefits that way because of it. We lived close enough that we rode our bikes every single day to and from school. And Jason told me that we were too poor that we couldn't travel. And I said, excuse me, no. So I remember every month.   like when the end of our bills would come, I would literally look around my house for anything that had a tag on it that we hadn't used yet that I could go return to the store to make our ends meet. Like this is CuraDense real life. We did not turn the AC on. We were in Arizona. We kept our house at 80 degrees, sometimes even up to 85 degrees. We slept with the fan on at night, not the AC. We're talking it's 117 degrees outside.   We decided to make sacrifices to be able to put, would put, think 20 to $25 a month away in my travel fund. I put it in a high yield savings account, so something like Ally, and I just started putting money away. Every single month I was like, okay, here's our expenses, this is where we can be, this is how we can cut costs, because I'm so adamant that we're gonna be able to travel, and I just started putting money away, like as much money as I could put away. Anytime I got a raise, I didn't live on that raise. I literally just put that money straight into our savings account.   And while we were in pharmacy school, you guys, I'm not kidding, I'm making 12. I was able to get up to 14 and I ended leaving that job at $18 an hour my last year there. But I was able to pay for me and Jason to go to Ireland and then we also were able to go to Paris with my brother who had just come home from his mission to Paris with my parents. Jason was a little nervous about that. But that came from me literally like discipline, putting money into my savings account every single month.   scrapping down like we really, I price matched, I took my little like ads from the grocery store to Walmart, thank goodness they were price matching at that time. It was the best when our cereal was on sale. But I was so committed that even in pharmacy school, I wasn't gonna go into debt for it more. So our debt was only for Jason's loans. But I also wanted to make sure I was having life experiences. I went and scrapped and I did a little window washing business.   Kiera Dent (13:51.958) I did a natural dog food business with my friend. I helped her out to get extra cash and all of that money, I just kept putting that into our savings account because for me, that was something of life experiences that I wanna have. I will never regret going to Ireland with Jason and I will never regret going to Paris with my brother and my parents. Those are some of the best highlights of our life that Jason and I have, but again, that's my life. This is Kiera's life, this isn't your life, but I wanna let you know, like for me, it was so important that Jason and I traveled while we were young.   I mean, I remember landing at midnight where jet lagged and we're both, he's hitting class kudos to him. I don't know how he did pharmacy school. And I'm going right back to work because those were the cheapest tickets that we could find. We heard about a website called Scott's Cheap Travel. We were able to get tickets round trip to Copenhagen for 250 bucks. Like when you want to do something, there's a million ways for you to do it inexpensively if you want. And so,   The reason I love this is because some people, like I was reading up articles about this book and some people were saying like, this is only for like entrepreneurs or this is only for the high wealthy. But I thought like, no, I was making $12 an hour and we were in pharmacy school and we're still able to find the way because making those early experiences, that was fuel and energy. And Jason and I still to this day talk about those experiences. And so.   But then like, then there's the flip side, right? So then we started to get more responsibilities. We think about having kids, we buy a house and then you start to think of like, Whoa, well, how much money do I need for the future? And that's what Bill Perkins talked about in here of like, when you're younger, doing some of these experiences cheaper, we'll actually have more life experience and fuel and energy that gives you to then you don't need as much money per se during that time. And also, I mean, Jason and I, we scrapped it down. lived on protein bars going all around Ireland. Like I will today stay, never eat special K.   these like strawberry protein bars. We ate so many of them and Jason and I giggle anytime we see him in the grocery store like, you want those? No, me neither. That's what we lived on. Like we went to Ireland, we were not living amazing. We were in the tiniest little car eating these like protein bars. I remember writing in my journal one day on our trip. I said, the angels saying today our hotel had breakfast that we didn't know about. So we didn't have to eat protein bars today. But the things that like those are experiences. And that's like, I think the reason I love this book is because it's   Kiera Dent (16:05.998) To me, it's talking about, I think if you merge, die with zero and profit first together about life experiences, but also preparing for the future. I think that there's beauty in that life because we're living this rich life. We're living all these things and die with zero, I think really makes you question what you want to do. So one of his pieces where he says, plan in terms of season. So if you were to look at your, like again, pretend I'm going to die when I'm 97. I hope I make a hundred. Today I'm 38.   If I look at all my life segments, so maybe from 38 to 40, what do want to do? From my 40 to 50, what do want to do? Maybe 40 to 45, 45 to 50, 50 to 60, 60 to 70, 70 to 80, 80 to 90, 90 to 100. He talks about looking at those seasons and what are the experiences that you want to be having during that time of your life. Jason and have built vision boards where we literally have like at 36, we want to do this, 37, we want to do this, by 40, we want to do this.   We haven't gone like clear up to 90 and what that looks like. But in this book, he talks about that because then we live, we're planning our life in seasons, understanding that maybe our health won't be as optimal when we're older. But that's what he also talks about is like, why are we waiting and spending money when we're like older and rather than spending money on our health now, but we're saving all of our money to get to retirement, but we're not taking care of our health today. And I think that that's like the whole mindset around this book is   Really truly planning and living on these life experiences and aiming to die with zero money. Like how cool will it be for my grandma? To have life experiences in her last decade of her life But yet how much greater would it have been if she would have spent this money earlier? Maybe spent more time with her grandkids. Maybe spent different things But like I think there's the fear and that's I think the fear of dying with zero is but what if I run out of money? What if I live longer than I planned for?   I guess we just get innovative and he does talk about that in there of how you can plan that out a little bit better. But then like when he talks about giving money to kids and charity earlier on, he said like how much better is it like pretend my parents are going to get a payout in their gosh probably 70s from my grandma but how much greater if she would have given that money to my parents in their 30s when they could have used that money for a down payment on a house or   Kiera Dent (18:20.396) Jason and were so like in debt and if my parents were gonna have money, I don't plan for my parents or Jason's parents to have any money. I keep telling them like, I want you to die with zero. I want you to live life to the fullest. That's gonna make you the most fulfilled. But just think if you're going to have extra money in surplus, give it to those people earlier on potentially as a way for them to have more life experiences earlier on as well. So, so many crazy fun things in here. But again, I love the perspective of.   I think my greatest takeaway from it is living with life. And like he said, I will repeat the last part of my favorite quote from the book where he said, finding it here, the question we must all answer is how to make the most of our finite time on earth. And that's really what I think I want to leave you guys with. I definitely encourage you to go read it. There's so much in there. And there's so many pieces about basically really trying to get our health and our lifestyle and our experiences to get the greatest ROI, just like we do with our dollars.   Again, I'm not saying if you're a huge spender, I don't think that this is the model for you. You're already living high. And maybe your job is to listen to Profit First a little more and put some more savings in there. If you're someone who's just always saving and never having those experiences, I think this would be an incredible book for you. And if you're someone like myself who's in the middle of sometimes I spend and sometimes I save, but for me, I want to end my years.   having the life where I had the most experiences. I work because I love to say yes to things that I want to go to and do. That doesn't mean I have to have millions. That doesn't mean I have to have thousands. That means I need to plan my life in seasons and plan what I want to do and really know what lights me up and what fires me up and to experience those things. Maybe it's just spending time with your family while they're here. Maybe it's, I don't know, there's so many pieces, but I love planning out the seasons of your life. So.   I encourage you guys to read it. If you read it and you loved it, I'd love to hear from you. If you read it and you hated it, I'd love to hear from you. Because I love to hear the different sides of this book because I think it does charge. But like my brother, how interesting in one year he said, go and build and slay and do all these things. And the next year he was like, actually have more life experiences and do more fun things so you do die with zero. For me, yes, I want to take care of future generations. We don't have children. I would love to have children.   Kiera Dent (20:36.898) but I have a ton of nieces and nephews that will be my legacy. And so even though, yes, I want to leave a legacy for them, I guarantee you, I would rather make memories with them than leave them a check. I mean, and I think there's a way to do both, but I also know for me, I'd rather spend so much time with my parents and my grandparents than having an inheritance from them. That makes me so emotional because I just think about, I love my parents so much and I don't know how much time I have with them.   And I would hands down rather go on trips to Maui with my parents or trips to wherever we go or spending time with them, making memories with them rather than them leaving me an inheritance. Like that's my job and my responsibility to figure out how to take care of my life, not expect my parents to leave it. Again, that's my own perception. Everyone has their own, but I think most of us would probably fall in my bucket. We'd rather have more time and more memories with those that we love rather than.   them leaving us a check. Now again, you might have people that you don't like and you'd rather them just leave you a check. But I think that's the whole premise of the book, which is why I absolutely loved it. And I hope you guys read it. I hope you loved it. And if you don't, I'm not offended. Please send me because I want to just give you guys things that make and challenge your perceptions and beliefs. So with that, that was our book club for this month. I hope you loved it. Next month, I hope you read it. It's called, let's see, the next one is going to be   The Power of Fun, How to Feel Alive Again by Katherine Price. So be sure to join us next month. I think this one's fun. It's got confetti on the front cover of it, which is why I picked it, because I believe life should be fun, if you can't tell. But definitely, The Power of Fun, going and enjoying that, How to Feel Alive Again with Katherine Price. So I hope you join us next month. As always, if there's a way that we can help you look at your business, this is what I actually am obsessed with doing, is looking at your business and your practice and...   helping you figure out what do you want your life experiences to be and what do we need your business to produce and to create while creating the most incredible experience for your team and your patients. So that way you can die with zero or die with whatever you want, but that you've lived the most fulfilled and rich life. And that's really what I do for our doctors in our consulting. And I'd love for you to be a part of that. So reach out [email protected]. And as always, thanks for listening and I'll catch you next time on the Dental A Team podcast.

It’s time to assess the goals you set for your practice this year. In this episode, Tiff and Dana discuss taking a good look at those 2024 goals, considering the averages and trends in order to project out, starting to think about 2025, and more. Episode resources: Reach out to Tiff and Dana Tune Into DAT’s Monthly Webinar Practice Momentum Group Consulting Subscribe to The Dental A-Team podcast Become Dental A-Team Platinum! Review the podcast Transcript: The Dental A Team (00:00.761) Hello, Dental A Team. We are back. have Dana here with me today again, and I'm so excited. Dana, I truly do love the time that we get together. feel like, like right before we podcast, we prep and then that's like when we get jam our personal life, conversation in there real quick. the only time we get that's just one -on -one, which is crazy because we could create that at any point, but it just, it pops up podcasts. You know, we do it a couple of times a month and it's perfect. So   Thanks for being here. Thanks for giving me that time and gifting me with your presence. How are you today? You got like hot stuff coming up, like literally heat.   Dana (00:38.06) Yeah, yeah like literally heat wave stuff so, you know, everybody send me your love and I don't melt this weekend   The Dental A Team (00:46.475) Yeah, yeah, I was just in Oregon and I was there with a practice and the office manager was like, gosh, I just don't understand like how you guys do sports. Like you can't, how do you do football? And I was like, the kids are out there dying. My son refuses to play summer lacrosse. He does, he only plays ball ball and spring ball and spring ball is a, is a push because it doesn't end till middle of May. But spring ball starts in February, but your kids are doing year round sport.   So your son has football this weekend, tournaments in Phoenix. I'm in Phoenix and I'm standing here podcasting sweating in my home in Phoenix because it's 102 outside right now, maybe 105. I'm not sure, you know, at the end of August. So bring lots of water, lots of sunblock, lots of shade. That sun gets intense and I will be praying for you, Dana.   Dana (01:18.707) Yes.   Dana (01:44.307) Thanks so much. appreciate it. think we're going to need it. That and buckets of water, like you said.   The Dental A Team (01:47.286) Yeah.   And Gatorade, like lots of electrolytes or the Costco liquid IVs or something. Like, yeah, yeah. But you're in Arizona. I'm gonna call you a native at this point. You've been here for so freaking long, but you're an Arizona gal. You're from southern, you know, more southern Arizona, but you get very similar heat. So you guys are ready for it. It's just not, it's just not, still not fun. I live here constantly. And when I come back from trips like Oregon was beautiful and Colorado was gorgeous this week.   Dana (01:56.116) me.   Dana (02:12.735) Mm -hmm.   The Dental A Team (02:19.723) And that practice, was like, dang, if I could stay here longer, I totally would. It was like 82 degrees, it was beautiful. And then I land last night and I was like, back to the 105. Here we go, a 20 degree swing. Well, we are nearing towards the end of the year, so Phoenix will start pouring off soon. So for all of you who love to come visit Scottsdale in the winter, I'll see you soon. It's right around the corner. And I, know, I air quote winter. I don't feel like we actually get to celebrate winter here, but.   Dana (02:29.619) Yep.   Dana (02:42.558) Yeah.   The Dental A Team (02:49.771) In about six weeks, it'll finally be 90. So we'll see you guys soon. Nearing the end of the year also makes me reminded that we really need to check in on where you guys are at for the year. Like, what are you trending towards? Where are your practices going? We talk a lot about KPIs, key performance indicators, because they're incredibly important to the success of your practice, your team. Like we talk about how a team should be involved. A team should know these numbers.   This is the time of year you guys that you really need to make sure that team is behind these KPIs 100 % and that we're pushing towards them. Now, Dana, I know you've had a lot of practices recently really push on you to like ramp up that business side of what you guys are doing together. You are fantastic at everything, but systems are your jam. So you always, I know start.   with all the systems and making sure that like we've got that foundational piece. But then once we're ready, we're really looking at are those foundational pieces progressing the business side and watching those KPIs. So I know production collections, new patients, like everybody knows those three. If you're not looking at those three, I don't know what the heck you're looking at. But I also push a lot for overhead. And I've really been paying close attention to active patient count because as new patients are coming in, we've got patients attritioning out. And if our new patients aren't   you know, compensating for our attrition and still adding to our active patient count, we're really not growing. So to be able to find that growth. But like I said, I know you've had a few practices recently, they're like, okay, we're ready, we're ready, which is great, because we're towards the end of the year, we need to make sure that we're progressing. Where do you start them for clients, maybe who haven't been watching their KPIs, and they haven't been looking at the trends, or if they're going to make it? Where do you baseline them?   once they're done with systems and ready to move on to that business piece.   Dana (04:43.323) Yeah, and I think this is a great time of year. If you haven't done it, this is a great time of year because there is still a little bit more than a whole quarter left. And so this is a good time to and really where I say at this point in the year with my clients who when we're ready to look at numbers, we know we have goals, we've got goals established, right? Now it's time to look at the gap.   Where are we for the year? And where are we? Where do we want to be? And what's the gap? And how do we make that up? So if we've hit our goal every month, great, right? There's not a gap there. But if we haven't, which in most practices, we might have had a month or two where we were off, where's our gap? And how can we successfully plan on each of those numbers with what we've got left as far as the year number of working days? What does that look like? So sometimes that is reassessing our goals or shifting our goals because we have a gap to make up. But this is the time of year   to really look at that and say, okay, we've maybe been on track some months, off track some months, what do we have left to make up for the end of the year? And how can we just ensure at this point that we crush it by the time we get to December 31st?   The Dental A Team (05:45.159) Beautiful, beautiful and figuring out that gap and then adding it back into your goals. So if you're, you know, off by $200 a month or whatever a day, that really allows you then like you're saying to really backtrack, see what that goal needs to be, and then adjust all the pieces. And I think right now, like you said, we're nearing like the last quarter, this is the time when we're pushing you to send end of year letters, we're pushing you to get all those patients in for   re -cares and get the crowns done. And like, we want a busy schedule. We want a full schedule for the end of the year. But if we don't know what our gap is and what we need to schedule to, we might start filling that in advance and then not be prepared to actually make the goals that we wanted to, because we didn't know what they really needed to be. So I think that's really smart of you to, really look at that and figure out that gap ahead of time so that we can plan for it. Because   We can then change, right Dana? You can change your blocks on your schedule. You can change your goals. You can change what hygiene openings there are. And maybe you're like, gosh, we need X amount of new patients to get the case acceptance we have based on the trends of the case acceptance we've seen this year. So if we know we need a certain dollar amount produced on the schedule, we can look at what our case acceptance trends are. What's our average case acceptance. And then we can calculate how many new patients it might take   to get to that diagnosis amount, to get that case acceptance, to get the schedule full. So I think when we really consider KPIs and we really consider looking at where the business is going, backtracking in those ways is something that we often miss when we're on our own or sometimes consultants don't catch it or coaches or business partners, sometimes they don't catch that where you can really take the trends that you've had so far this year and the averages and then project.   what you need so that you can make the changes to hopefully hit those goals at the end of the year, or at least to get really freaking close if you're too far off. Now, Dana, how do you suggest they do like, if they're tracking and they're like, my gosh, this is great, we actually might go over, do they stick with it? Or do they then reduce their goals?   Dana (07:59.295) So I'm never ever an advocate of reducing goals. We want to the best year that we can. And so like, let's rock out what's left with the team. And no, I'd say keep it absolutely the same. And let's just see if at the end of the year, we can again, make it the best year we've ever had, make it the best quarter we've ever had. So I'm never an advocate of reducing goals. I feel like let's look for the gap in anywhere that we're under.   The Dental A Team (08:22.755) Yeah, I agree. I agree. And I don't like to bank on things. if we're doing really well right now, fantastic. We're trending towards our goals. We're trending to maybe go over our goals. But then guess what? What if something falls off the schedule next Thursday and it was this $30 ,000 cosmetic case or a $50 ,000 full arch case that you finally got and they fall off and they weren't prepaid and they decide not to come back. Now we've got a gap.   Now we've got now we've got room to make up for stuff. So I agree whenever we're ahead on things I think just stay the course Keep scheduling the way that you're scheduling is obviously working and then next year we know hey I think we were a little low on our goals and what we thought we could do and we can ramp those goals up a little bit more so looking for the gap looking to Manipulate the schedule and manipulate whatever we need to manipulate and change now so that we can hit those goals don't change things to backtrack but   make sure we can hit and surpass those goals for the end of the year. And then also start looking at your KPIs that you're tracking to make sure you're trending. Start looking at what those need to look like next year. Because here in about two months, two and a half months, we're going to push you to start setting those goals for next year, for 2025, based on what you're doing for 2024. The reason we don't wait till January is because if we waited till January, if we didn't do it in November, December time frame, if you wait till January, you're already scheduled.   January should be about 50 % full going into the month, 50 % to goal going into the month. So if we don't have an all team meeting until mid January to set 2025 goals, we're already a month behind on our goals. There's already a gap because most of the time, let's face it, we're not, we're not hitting what we needed to hit. If we're going to increase goals, we're hitting what we're used to hitting.   And it's just going to create a gap. So start projecting and start getting ready to see what are those goals need to be next year and start looking at them in like November, December. So start right now. When you hear this podcast today, I want you to go pull your numbers, pull your production, your collections, your new patients, your overhead, your active patient count, whatever it is that you decided this year. These are the trends we're going to watch. Go pull the numbers that support those and show you if you're on track or an off track practice growth. A lot of people will say,   The Dental A Team (10:47.711) see 10 % practice growth this year. fantastic. What does that mean? How do you know that you've had 10 % practice growth this year? I agree, you should have at least 10 % practice growth, seven to 10%. That's what we push for. I love the 10 % mark. I agree, you should, but how do you know that you've experienced 10 % practice growth? So Dana, looking at trends, figuring that out, looking at, okay, what do we need next year to look like?   What kind of KPIs do you have your practices watching and going through? And I can speak on my behalf too, with the practices I work with, what kind of KPIs do you have them measuring to see, yes, I grew by 10%.   Dana (11:30.335) Yeah, typically the big ones that I'm looking at are production and collections for that and just saying, hey, if where I'm at this year compared to where I was last year, are those numbers 10 % higher?   The Dental A Team (11:42.206) Yeah, I agree. I totally agree. Production collections are huge, you guys. And we say those like in tandem because you can you can produce all you want. But if you're not collecting them, like I don't I you're just wasting your time. So production collections go in tandem. And then on top of that watching your overhead because if you're increasing production collections, and you're saying we're going to grow by 10%, you really want your profitability to be growing as well might not be a profitability growth of 10%. Okay, but   It might be based off of last year. You might be 10 % more profitable dollar for dollar, not percentage wise, than you were last year. That may be true. You might not go from 20 % profitability to 30%, but the dollars in the bank of profitability should be about a 10 % growth, just to the same as your practice is growing, as long as your overhead is staying where you want it to be, or staying at least relatively similar to last year. So overhead, production collections overhead.   And then I throw in there the new patients and the active patient count, because if we don't watch our active patient count, we're only watching the dollars that are coming in. Oftentimes we'll get ourselves in a situation where we start seeing, why is my recare schedule falling apart? Why aren't we booked out six months? What's happening here? Well, we spent so much time on new patients, investing in marketing for new patients and getting all these new people in the door. We forgot about the people that weren't coming back for their cleanings.   Now, Recare kind of stinks. We're clamoring for new patients and we're trying to fill a schedule. And so our productivity really goes down and that 10 % growth can go down. So watching also that your active patient count is growing with the production and collections by that 10 % mark as well is gonna make sure that all of that is in line. Cause if you did X amount with the amount of patients you had, but you wanna do 10 % more, you need 10 % more patient base too.   or you need 10 % more reimbursement rates on your fees. So whichever way it goes, I know I do have a lot of practices right now, I'm gonna put this caveat in there, that are like struggling to see the number of patients that they have. They're in a situation where they just don't have the chair space, they don't have the providers, they're struggling to see all of the patients, but we need growth. So when that happens, it's gonna come into the space of the fee schedules, right? It's gonna come into the space of   The Dental A Team (14:06.651) your reimbursements. So are we in network with insurances? Have we requested fee schedule increases? This is the time of year to do those those pieces as well. So as you're looking at your trends, look at what your reimbursements have been. Are you seeing that growth? And to continue seeing that growth? it mean we need more patients? Or could we see that growth within the reimbursement as well? So right now this time of year, get those requests out there to your insurance companies, start pulling the information. We've got a ton of podcasts on this.   Start pulling the information for the insurances and what their reimbursements are, the ones that you're in network with. Are there some that maybe beginning of next year, you're like, hey, actually, like, we don't get more reimbursement, we're just gonna go ahead and get out of network because it makes sense for our practice. That's how you're gonna see that growth as well. So Dana, I agree, pulling all the information, making sure we're on trend or on track, trending in the right direction and that we're filling that gap is imperative right now because it's giving the time.   to make sure that that's happening. And then at the same time, really looking at, what would 10 % more be next year? Dana, what have you seen recently? I know you had a few practices that are like, the money, what does the money look like? What have you seen recently really work for practices to track with their teams? you still, for me, it's the production collections. Is that what you're seeing with the?   practice team members as well as like that production collections and new patients is the easiest space for them to see what are you working on?   Dana (15:38.407) Yeah, I think it's the easiest space for them to see. But then I also think like take a look at if collections numbers are low, then think about the numbers that impact that. then take a look at your AR as a secondary number, take a look at maybe just a portion of it and say, Hey, how's our over the counter collections? Is that an area where if we buttoned up on that, just that piece of it?   it would help have more of a massive impact. I think looking at those as overarching numbers, absolutely. But when one of those is off track or when one of those we have a fairly big gap to make up, then let's look at the other numbers that help.   push that if production numbers, there's a big gap. Let's take a look at our case acceptance. What does our case acceptance tell us for those things? And even sometimes having practices look at if our gap now means we need to hit 120 instead of 100, go back and see what was the month where we were closest to that.   And what did those other numbers look like? So knowing to say, to hit 120, we have to have case acceptance at about 80%. To hit 120, we need 15 to 20 new patients. What did that look like in the months that you were close to kind of telling you, what do we have to do to hit some of these gap numbers that we're building out for the rest of the year?   The Dental A Team (16:33.652) I that.   The Dental A Team (16:51.187) I think that's brilliant. I love that you said, look at what will look at what worked and duplicate that. I love that theory instead of reinventing the wheel, look at what worked before and duplicate that. But also look at the overarching maybe production collections, new patients, and then look at what's feeding it. Because that's the piece I think the team really has a lot of control in and when they're like, I don't know what to tell you like I'm doing everything I can. Well, no, it's not you the person. It's the system. So there's a system.   that you're using or not using that isn't working. And if you're using it 100 % of the system is supposed to be, then we change the system because it's not working. It's not you, it's the system. But if we're not tracking these things and looking at those feeder systems that feed into that ultimate goal, we're never gonna know where we can do better or what's not working. And then it does become personal and it's like, gosh, my billing department's gotta go. Maybe it's not the billing department. We don't know that yet. Maybe they do, I don't know.   But we don't know that yet because we haven't checked the system. So the stats are what's gonna show you if the people, the systems that people are using are working. And if the systems aren't being used and it's just lazy, fine, for sure, have that conversation. But sometimes it's like, I don't know, I call and call and call and nobody answers. Well, have we tried text? Have we tried text to pay? Have we tried these other methods that like, what if we just bring in an alternative method that we haven't tried yet and see if that gets us results?   Now's the time you guys go pull those stats, start looking at the feeder pieces, go pull what's been working well for you, what's not working well for you, are you on track, what's your gap? And then start really looking at what am I gonna project and need for next year to really see that seven and 10 % growth? I think now is the time of the year, pull your fee schedules, there's a lot to do guys, pull your fee schedules, pull your stats, like now you're looking at how do I finish this year strong? How do I start next year strong? So go do the things, I love it, Dana.   Thank you for your words of wisdom. know that you have been working really hard with a lot of your practices recently on really generating a lot of movement on the business side with overhead collections, all of those pieces. So I thought this was just perfect for us. So thank you for being here. Thanks for your words of wisdom. And I truly love when I get this time with you. Okay, awesome guys. Let us know how much you love this. Write in [email protected]. If you need help really like.   Dana (19:04.755) Same, same.   The Dental A Team (19:13.191) figuring this out or you need reminders or whatever, we're here for you guys. really do. and I and Britt and Kiera, we really are the ones that usually are providing responses when our admin team gets those questions or in our social settings or on the review below. So hit us up, let us know. We can't wait to talk to you then.

Kiera talks about how to effectively hire team members who don’t have formal dentistry training — and how they can be some of the best employees you’ll ever have. Episode resources: Reach out to Kiera Tune Into DAT’s Monthly Webinar Practice Momentum Group Consulting Subscribe to The Dental A-Team podcast Become Dental A-Team Platinum! Review the podcast Transcript: Kiera Dent (00:00.942) Hello, Dental A Team listeners. This is Kiera. I hope you are just having the best day of your life. I know sometimes we don't always have the best days. know sometimes different things happen, but I truly hope that you just remember we are so blessed to be in dentistry. We're so blessed to be able to have the jobs that we have. We're so blessed to be able to give patients back so much confidence.   Welcome to today. And don't forget that where intention goes, energy flows. So if we're constantly thinking about how terrible life is or how terrible our job is or how hard the hiring thing is, we get it. And also remember if we can switch our focus and see the good, we tend to get more of that. If you don't believe me, I'm going to have you guys do a quick fun activity. If you're driving, I would recommend you not do this, but you know, if you're not, that's fine. I'm going to give you guys 10 seconds and I want to have you look around the room.   and want you to count everything that's white. On your mark, get set,   Kiera Dent (01:02.41) And now I want you guys to stop and I want you to tell me how many things you saw that were red. And usually when I do this in an office, people are like, my gosh, like I wasn't looking for red and they all started giggling and I'm like, and how many of you actually looked for white things and you saw beige things and counted them as white? The reality is we get what we were looking for. There's red all around us, but sometimes we're missing it because we're looking so heavy for the white. And for   I'm looking around my room and you better believe I'm gonna count these beige shelves over here and this cream blanket over here, but I'm going to miss all the things that are red around me. And there's red all around us all the time or there's yellow or there's orange. But I want you to think about this because in today's topic, I think this is super relevant for what we get is what we are focused on. And so again, if things aren't going as well, again, I think that there's a lot of help that can happen. I'm not here to say that we just have to have an optimistic attitude.   but I do believe that looking for these positive things will actually breed more positivity into it. It's like a snowball. The more we're focused on the good things, the better it goes. The more we're focused on the negative things, the more we tend to find more negative. And that's not to say that we can't have the hard times, but it's interesting. look there, I have a practice and when I started with them, gosh, they were doing about 200 ,000 per month and they are now crushing over $480 ,000 a month.   And I think about this practice and they have struggles and they have different things that they're doing. But one thing I've noticed consistent about this practice is they are constant. I mean, constantly focus on the wins, the positive, how can we grow there? They've got incredible core values. Their leadership team is very focused on it. Their office manager is very focused on it. Their doctor is very encouraging and empowering. And I'm like, what is the difference of certain offices that just struggle? And when we come to meetings, they talk about their issues, but they do it in a way where   how can we fix this? What do we need to learn? They collaborate with their consultant. They use me as a coach and a guide and a sounding board versus other offices. They often love to live in problems and they don't take action and they don't fix it forever. And again, just looking at your practice and what are kind of the behaviors and the attributes, because I don't believe that things are just happenstance. I do believe that certain things do happen, but even in our own company, like I am literally like,   Kiera Dent (03:19.95) you put me on the radar and I am always looking for what's wrong, how can I solve it? And that's a consultant's world, but that's not always positive to do in my marriage, in my family, in myself. And so making sure that we're using things to our best interest. So with that said, thank you for being a part of our Dental A Team Podcast family. Thank you for your reviews. Thank you for sharing our podcast and keeping us as one of the number one dental podcasts out there. Please keep doing that because my goal is to be in the hands of every dental practice out there.   to positively impact and influence the world of dentistry for good. And so we're gonna go right on, yes, I have my pen out. This is the teacher in me. I did use to teach high school sign language, believe it or not. I feel like I've lived many different lives. So I was a model at one point in time. I taught high school. Gosh, I've done so many random jobs. I worked for a geology firm for once upon a time. I used to work at Century 21 in their accounts payable. I was told I talked too much over there.   But I feel like a myriad of jobs. worked at KFC and A &W. I think that's a random. I mowed lawns with my family lawn business. That was very embarrassing in high school to have people honk and wave when I'm in my total grubbies. My brother thought it was totally fine to go to the mall when we were dressed like that, and I was mortified. So the jobs I've had are quite vast and varied. But that's kind of going into this, because there was a question about hiring. And what do we hire? And how do we hire? And how do we stop the turnover? And hiring verbiage?   Stapping and all this and then the question popped up that we saw of is hiring from outside of dentistry a good idea So I kind of want to just like let's dive a little bit into hiring Let's talk about some different outside -the -box solutions but really I also want you to remember like what we focus on is what we get and I was just recently at a seminar and they talked about how asking better questions Leads to better results. So if we say why is hiring so hard?   we've literally programmed our brain to believe that hiring is hard and we're having to find ways to make hiring hard. And I know that sounds a little crazy, but think about it like so much of what we, what we experience is not what we experienced, but our perception of the experience is what we actually experience. I'm going to say that again. So much of what we experienced in life is not the actual experience. It's our perception of the experience. so asking better questions to prompt our brains, to prompt our team. So instead of saying, why is hiring so hard or why can't we find anybody?   Kiera Dent (05:41.56) We're literally programming ourselves to believe that we can't find anybody in that hiring is hard versus saying, we need to hire an office manager. Where are office managers at and how can we find the best office manager? We want to hire the best hygienist. Where are the hygienists at and how can we hire the best hygienist for our practice? That is a very different piece and you literally like, we're asking questions and we're giving ourselves answers. And so ask better questions and get better answers. Other questions could be like, all right, so hygienist.   it's a different hiring landscape out there. What are hygienists looking for now that would make us competitive to hire the best hygienists? Well, now that's a very different answer instead of answering why is hiring hard. Why is hiring hard can be very much a like, woe is me mentality of like, well, the job market and COVID and there's all these hygienists. But yet I have a lot of offices that are hiring hygienists with no problems. And I don't say that to make you feel yucky. I'm just saying that if other people can do it, you can too.   I do believe better questions lead to better results. And so what question you're asking could be why you're getting maybe lackluster results. So like, for example, let's go outside of dentistry and say, why is it so hard to work out? Well, I've just programmed myself to tell myself that working out is hard versus what makes working out fun. Well, now I have a way different outcome. I have a way different answer and I have a way different, I'm solving a different problem. And so I want you guys, when you're thinking about it, just like I said,   There are a million questions around us just like there's all the red around us and there's all the white around us and all the orange and yellow It's all around us. There's candidates all around us, too and So let's just kind of go through the hiring landscape a little bit of number one Let's ask better questions and let's get better answers. So let's think of where are these best candidates located? Who do we already know? That's an incredible hygienist or an incredible office manager and could we tap into those resources and ask them? Hey, where were you at when you got hired?   What are some areas? What are some things that you would put in a job ad? Do you know any people that are like you that might be interested in getting a job? What things should we be putting in our ads? What things should we be looking for right now? Those are way more proactive questions to be asking versus why is this so hard and why can't we hire anybody? Literally, you're making your reality. so let's stop those questions and let's give better questions. Now, on the other side of it is then with we're having a lot of turnover. Let's ask the questions   Kiera Dent (08:03.66) Why are we having so much turnover and what's causing team members to leave our practice and really get to the root of it and fix those problems forever. And so what is that and how can we fix it? you know, like our team, we just got some good feedback from it and it was like, all right, what can we do? Are there different things that we could change? What's the common thread and A, are we setting up wrong expectations when we hire or B, do we need to make some like structural changes within our company? It's really good. And again, remember it's not right or wrong. And I know this is hard you guys. I am a person who   It needs oxygen, just like I need people to like me as a person. And I know that sounds ridiculous, but I've just realized that that's a piece about me where I really enjoy having people like me. like the connections. I like people around me. I like to have a good time. so oftentimes when I hear negative feedback or constructive feedback, it's sometimes hard for me to disassociate that this is just feedback. It's not actually about me. And so if we can disassociate it and realize like   We are so lucky and so blessed that they're telling us the feedback so we can find the root problem and solve it and fix this problem from happening. We do live in a world where people are changing jobs and sometimes that can feel frustrating because it's not what we're used to. But yet at the same time, we aren't used to taking film X -rays anymore either. And what an amazing transformation that's been. Isn't it an amazing transformation that maybe we get more team members that come in. And because team members are turning so much   Maybe that could be a positive for us and maybe that helps us onboard people faster. And that's also where I do believe that hiring outside of dentistry is a good idea. Some of my best practices actually hire outside of dentistry. And what's crazy is when we hire outside of dentistry, a lot of times these people are actually more loyal to the practices. Dentistry is a very different industry, just so you know, from corporate, it's very family friendly. It's very kind. It's very,   It's just a different vibe and I don't have a better way to describe that other than the fact that it is just truly a different vibe. so sometimes when people hire outside of dentistry, they literally get people where they train them from the ground up and these people are diehard loyal to them because they've given them this incredible opportunity. I know a lot of the corporate dental practices actually hire people outside of dentistry. They train them for about a month and these people are amazing employees.   Kiera Dent (10:24.626) I work with some offices and I train them to be great treatment coordinators. I work with some other offices and train them how to be incredible billers. So there's a lot of skillsets that are transferable. And so I know some people that have hired outside of dentistry, they go for the service industry. So restaurants and waitresses, believe it or not, Shelbi, if you guys have ever gotten to interact with our company, you've probably been able to meet Shelbi. Shelbi is by far one of the most incredible employees that I have.   so kind, she's so considerate and Shelbi who used to be a waitress and I was like this girl pays attention to people's needs. She's obsessed about serving and taking care of people. She's an amazing customer success employee and takes great care of our clients and she takes great care of me. But I paid attention to the type of service she came from. Kaylee who used to work in our company, incredible person. She came from selling. She worked in, she's a high school or excuse me an elementary school teacher and she also used to   for one of the best car companies in our area. That company had incredible customer service and she had amazing customer service. And so I hired her from there. I've heard of people hiring from tanning salons and from the beauty industry and from waiter and waitresses and from fast food and some people who want really good treatment coordinators.   They snag them from in the mall. Those people who are like giving you out those perfume samples, they say like, hey, if you want a job that's like meaningful and impactful, that's going to serve and uplift people, give me a call. And they literally give out their business cards to them. But paying attention to this service industry, some of my best office managers actually come from the banking industry. Like hands down, I'm obsessed with bankers who come in as office managers because they get the finances, they get the, they have it. They just need to learn the industry knowledge, but they are not afraid of money. And best office managers.   And that practice that I mentioned to you at the beginning, who's just been doing an incredible job. They are a practice who hired outside of dentistry. I have another practice and they took one of our online virtual courses of our dental assistant one, and they literally are training dental assistants within. They weren't able to do a dental assistant course. There are some programs where you can actually create a dental assistant course and have a second business within your practice. I'm happy to share that info. If you want it, reach out. [email protected]. But this practice couldn't do that in the state they're in. And   Kiera Dent (12:40.002) We took the course, our course, our dental assisting course online. Literally, I built it to be training someone from off the streets to be able to do dentistry. Our entire virtual academy course, I built it with videos and trainings and CE. So that way you don't have to train them on all the pieces of verbiage, how we schedule, what the blocks are. Yes, you still need to train them within your practice, but there's a huge, huge academy already built for you that you don't have to go and do this all on your own.   My offices use that and they use it to structure it for their practices when they bring them on. We have a 30, 60, 90 day onboarding for team members that don't come from dentistry that we've created for a lot of our practices. And those are some of the amazing things within our virtual academy that I really love to share because there are ways to hire outside of it and they become so great. Truth be told, the best scheduler I ever met came from a tanning salon. Like hands down, best scheduler. Like the schedule was always full. She was over the top, amazing. She used to   in a restaurant setting as well, and then came from a tanning salon. And again, it's that service industry that works so well. And I've had quite a few dental assistants come from other industries, the hair industry, the service industry, any of those types of industries really can be incredible to bring in and just bring new vibes, bring it. Yes, it is tricky to train them up into dentistry, but remember all of us were trained at one point. All of us know what it was like. I went to school, but the reality is,   Office management, I didn't have schooling for that. It was a lot of hard knocks to learn it. so positions that I don't usually recommend hiring for dentistry is if you're a new doctor, you really need a good office manager who understands billing and treatment coordinating and scheduling for you because that's a tricky thing for you being a new owner, being a new doctor that I really don't recommend hiring outside of dentistry for. Now, if you've got quite a few systems built up, like I said, banking office managers are amazing to bring in. We train up office managers. So I have a lot of clients   We do a call with the doctor and then we actually train their, their team for them and their office managers. So a lot of really awesome ways that you're able to do it, but like use your resources, get the help. but you're going for culture. You're going for the hunger, scheduling app. don't usually recommend a schedulers from like optometry. Optometry is a little bit slower paced, typically not all the time, but like optometry and, certain other maybe like healthcare professions. They're not going to be the same.   Kiera Dent (14:59.766) Now a busy chiropractic office might feel the same for you. I love bringing people in for ortho or pediatric or any of those like really fast pace where they're churning. They tend to work really, really well in dentistry, but I don't want to hire someone just because they're in medical if they're coming even from like dermatology or from, like I said, optometry. Those practices don't tend to turn as quickly as dentistry tends to. And I want someone who's used to working the fast pace. They're used to doing the busyness.   And that's what I'm going to bring in from outside. That's why a waiter or waitress, they're so used to the busy, like you're constantly having to pay attention to a ton of different tables and you're able to like make an impact and serve people and make them happy. Amazing people to bring in to your industry scheduling. I think about like at Harris Lawns, there's customer service, there's different things. And so you can put ads out and you can train them. There's also ways that you can hire like virtual assistants to do certain things. I've heard of some companies loving it and others not liking it so much.   can outsource. outsourcing is also a great option, but I think let's get creative. And again, let's pretend we were able to hire another, let's say front office. can't hire a scheduler. What would we do instead? And how could we innovate this? Well, we could outsource it or we can have this or our billing's taking forever. Can we outsource this to another company? love DCS. dental claim support is a great one or Shasta with Paragon, two great companies. Be sure to let them know Dental A Team sends If   Reach out to them. do get preferred pricing for all of the people we refer. That's my motto. I don't do affiliate pricing, but I do do preferred pricing for you guys. things like that. But really, again, I think it's what are we focused on? Are we getting that? How can we ask better questions and get better answers? And then I do believe hire outside of dentistry. Let's not just keep picking out of the same cabbage patch, but let's go outside because there's so many other service industries.   And if you can create a process where you can hire anybody up, that's why I built the Virtual Academy. So be sure to use it. can, if you're not interested in consulting, by all means, we have the Virtual Academy that you can purchase and use and you can train up your team. You can use it for onboarding. If you're like, hey, I don't even know how to do this and I need you to help train and onboard our office manager. We do that as well. So be sure to reach out. I'd love to help you out. [email protected]. But the reality is...   Kiera Dent (17:13.59) Let's start asking better questions. Let's start innovating. Let's get excited for the landscape that we're living in instead of feeling like it's such a problem. And let's start innovating and taking advantage of what we're able to have. Fix the problems when people turn over. Ask them the hard questions. Make the changes if you can. Set better expectations when we hire. And then make sure that what we're doing is we're checking in with them, we're getting the feedback from them, and then we're able to hire outside of dentistry and bring people in.   You guys, I hire consultants that are not consultants and I train them to be consultants. And while some might think I'm crazy because 90 % of consulting companies don't do that, they expect you have consulting experience. I believe that I'm able to morph them and train them into the person I want them to be. We're able to create this incredible consultant. guess what? It sometimes is really hard because within their first, usually six months, a lot of them can't make it. A lot of them are actually not cut out to be consultants. A lot of them don't like the world. They don't enjoy being a consultant.   And I'm okay with that because the ones that make it, the ones that go through are some of the best people I've ever met. Tiffanie, Dana, Brittany, amazing consultants that truly inspire me to keep hiring people that don't have the experience to keep training. Because when I get a good one, they're with me for life. And I think that that's one of the best things I've got others. I've had quite a few consultants that don't make it. have quite a few consultants that it wasn't a good fit for them or for us. And I'm okay with that because they're learning a new skill.   And I'm teaching someone who's never done this before. So you also have to be okay that you might not have as great of a success rate, but you're doing something different. And then you're not handcuffed. I am not handcuffed to just hiring hiring consultants. I can hire office managers or regional managers. And my cabbage patch is so much larger. If you don't just have to hire a scheduler who knows how to do scheduling or hire someone who's done billing, your cabbage patch of where you're able to go and find people is so much larger than just this finite area. And I think that that's something that can really free you   Again, asking better questions, getting better results. And don't stress, I don't hire anybody that we have worked with. So just so you know, I never want offices to ever be afraid because yes, we do hire office managers, but I have a very strict policy that you're not allowed to work with the LA team if we've consulted your practice. So never fear. We train them up and they're yours because I really truly believe that my job is to help you succeed.   Kiera Dent (19:33.67) it's never ever, ever for you to be afraid of consultants. Cause I do know some consultants are that way. So just so you guys know, I think that, and that's something that you can do also, if you're training up other people, make sure that you, you risk mitigate for the person that you're with. Maybe you can risk mitigate or maybe you can get creative or maybe you can share somebody, but there's so many ways and asking better questions and looking for better results. I guarantee you, you'll have a much different experience. So change the culture, change your focus, change your life. And if we can help you reach out, [email protected]. as always, thanks for listening.   I'll catch you next time on the Dental A Team Podcast.  

Tiff and Dana take a look at the mechanisms that go into building an operations manual: who participates versus who keeps everyone on track, what’s the timeline, what type of accountability methods come into play, and more. Episode resources: Reach out to Tiff and Dana Tune Into DAT’s Monthly Webinar Practice Momentum Group Consulting Subscribe to The Dental A-Team podcast Become Dental A-Team Platinum! Review the podcast Transcript: The Dental A Team (00:02.51) Hello, Dental A Team. We are so excited to be here with you. I have the one and only Dana back on the podcast with me today. And Dana, your hair looks amazing. I hope people are watching, because I love this side swoop and curl thing you got going on. It's super cute, super cute.   Dana (00:20.448) It's Friday, right? Fun Friday.   The Dental A Team (00:22.52) Fun Friday, I love it. You're right, you're right. Dana, just so you guys know is, well, you guys already know she's my fashionista when it comes to workout apparel and athleisure wear, which we live in. So she's my fashionista there, but she also teaches me tips and tricks on how to do my hair. One time I made her record herself on how to, I think it's called the wave now, it's like the crimper thing, and she literally had to record herself to send it to me. I'm the older sister.   So I don't have people in my life to teach me these things. Sorry, Eileen on Dana for that. So now you're gonna have to record yourself doing your hair today. Thanks. thank you, thank you. I am excited to be here today. You are, I say this constantly, but you are like our Ops Manual guru within our company. You have done so much work on the Ops Manual itself for us and you work with clients on it and you've done.   Dana (00:58.02) Okay, do it again, always for YouTube.   The Dental A Team (01:17.416) Ops Manual masterminds and creation courses, like you've done it all. So I've had a few things come up where practices are asking, they're kind of writing in, doctors are asking who does the Ops Manual because doctors will sign up, they'll take it on, they're like, yes, Tiff, we're gonna do this Ops Manual, sign me up, Dental A Team, send me your manual. Like, okay, great, you signed up for the manual. And then the doctor's like, well, now I'm seriously overwhelmed because there's no way I can do all of this.   So I thought it would be nice to take a couple of minutes today to really talk about who should be doing the operations manual and what that looks like. Like how do we hold the accountabilities? What are the parameters? What are all of those pieces? Because it's not, in my opinion, the doctor and it's not just one person. I think the doctors, the associates, the everybody hygienists have a part to play in it. But Dana, when you're working with your clients and maybe specifically, even when you're working on your courses, your opti -manual courses that you've done in the past, how do you   have doctors really figure out who to have build out those operations manuals.   Dana (02:19.448) Yeah, absolutely. I completely agree with you, Tiff. Right. If one person were to build this, and specifically the doctor who is also doing dentists thing, it's a huge project. And I feel like it could potentially take you years. And by the time you're done, it needs updated. You've added new things. So I think going in with realistic expectations of who's supposed to participate, how are we going to get this massive project done. And it really does take full team.   The Dental A Team (02:27.296) Yeah.   The Dental A Team (02:34.836) Yes, exactly.   It's Nolan Boyd, doesn't even matter.   Dana (02:49.355) Okay, so there are lots of pieces in the operations manual and so core values mission vision Yes, those things can be done by doctors your job descriptions could be done by doctor and you don't have an om maybe doctor that does fall on you but then once we get to like the how to's the checklists the task lists all of those pieces that is full team all on board there who sits in that seat and does those things day in and day out and Honestly, ideally that's who you   want to be building them because they know the systems, know the protocols, they know all the button clicks of everything much better than no offense doctors typically you do right for each position.   The Dental A Team (03:26.006) Yeah.   The Dental A Team (03:31.222) Yeah, for sure. For sure. I agree. I totally agree. think doctors want to have the control of it and they want to know and I do think doctors I do think you need to go through it to know those different clicks and to know what your team members are doing. But we don't expect you and this is why we have training. This is why we have clients. We don't expect you to know everything that every position is supposed to be doing or is doing. And again, that's why there's training.   They don't even always know everything they should be doing. And so to expect you to be able to develop all of it, again, I agree mission, vision, core values. Those can be built out with the team for sure, but that is like near and dear to the doctor's heart. Why are you here? Why is your practice in business? What does that look like? And job descriptions. I'd love to tailor the job descriptions, Dana, to the results of that position. So like,   Who embodies that position? What's the ultimate result? I think like treatment coordinator is to build relationships and sell treatment, obviously, right? Close cases, get production on a schedule. But when we put that like build relationships in there, when check -in's job is to successfully collect all information from patients while building that relationship with them for a long lasting patient, know, lifetime with our company.   Those are the types of pieces I think that people miss in a job description. They hop into that job description and it's like bullet points of like, well, these are all the things that you would do in this job. That job description is literally describing how can I win within my position? So for doctors and office managers to build that out, you guys are literally building it out based off of why do I have this position in my practice? What's the point of this position? And then from there expanding. So I agree, I think those pieces are key.   elements that doctors office managers can have their hands in but to think all of those pieces that you were talking about Dana, I just think of like all the front office how to is like how to send a claim and a doctor's like screenshotting the ledger and like screenshotting with a little arrow like this is not this is not what I need you spending your time on like I need you spending your time on that lab case that no one else can develop and create right? Let the billing representative take the screenshots of the ledger and put the little arrows in there.   The Dental A Team (05:50.586) That's not for you to do. So I totally agree. I everyone needs to have a hand in it at a certain point. Now, Dana, hard questions for everyone needs to come up for us. And I just, actually, you guys, I just talked to a doctor the other day and it wasn't necessarily about the operations manual, but it was just accountability in general. He's like, Tiff, I'm off track. Like, how do I get back on track? Like, where am I failing? Why isn't this working? Because he started like turning the dial on.   accountability and really putting it in place and the team was like bucking up like what do you mean like what the heck and like well when you're not used to it when it's not something you've ever had and then you implemented it's kind of like telling your kid all of a sudden like hey you need like your room needs to be clean but you've lived the first six years of this kid's life with a chaotic messy room and all of a sudden you're like no you got to clean your room by tomorrow right like you got to get it done so they're gonna buck up so   I kind of related it this morning as I was thinking about this podcast to the operations manual, because it's an added piece that we're adding to their list of duties. We're adding now, build the operations manual. They're going to buck up a little bit and me, procrastinator queen and forgetful diva over here. I'm going to put it to the last because I'm like, I've got other things that patient facing. got things to do. This is going to be the last thing that I do. And then likely I'm going to forget that I was supposed to do it. And then a year goes by.   and a doctor's like, hey Tiff, I still don't have an operations manual. Okay, well, probably missing some accountability. So how do you structure those accountabilities with the practices that you work on? Because you do really well with succeeding and getting systems in place and operations manuals done. How do you help them structure those accountability pieces?   Dana (07:38.488) Yeah, and I and I do feel like this is where I say put one person in charge of checking in looking at due dates assigning tasks those pieces and Ideally doctors. I'd love to see this be something that you delegate what that doesn't mean though Is you don't check on the person that you've delegated it to? I usually say pick a lead pick an office manager pick somebody who has the capacity to take it on in your practice and they are like your operations manual guru now that means then you just have   The Dental A Team (07:54.636) good call.   Dana (08:06.594) weekly monthly check -ins with that person to ensure that everything is on track. So I think assigning it to one person to really keep track on the rollout, keep track of all the pieces, because it's a lot of pieces. And so we need to make sure that we've got deadlines set for things.   The Dental A Team (08:18.208) Okay.   Dana (08:23.116) Tasks assigned to individual team members and so the one it comes to that tools for the person who is in charge of keeping it organized and keeping it on track is Really what works best for your team if a whiteboard works best and they need their weekly, know every week We're putting up what we need to get done Who's doing it by when are they supposed to have it done? And how are they to get it to you? Whether you put it on a whiteboard whether you create an Excel spreadsheet, right? And you are tracking all of that in there figure out what's going to work best for   The Dental A Team (08:48.139) Mm -hmm.   Dana (08:53.03) your team, make sure that there's a person that's overseeing it, and then make sure you as the doctor owner are checking in with that person so that you just have a pulse on things moving forward.   The Dental A Team (09:05.085) I agree. And I, I'm going to pull out that you said, choose what's going to work for your team. There is a lot of doctors out there. There are a lot of doctors who thrive with Excel spreadsheets and the nitty gritty things and like all of those thought processes really work well for them because that's how your brains are working. And that's fantastic, but not everyone jives with an Excel spreadsheet. So   If you create you go through all this work and you create an Excel spreadsheet and you're like, you guys, this is going to be amazing. This is what we're using. And then they don't dive with it and they never look at it. You're going to be really upset. Like you're going to, your heart's going to hurt. You're to be like, put so much work into this. I don't understand. They don't listen to me. Like, why don't they do what I asked them to do? Dana said, do what works for your team and the visual. I love the visual of the whiteboard in the break room or wherever.   conference room, like wherever you guys have that whiteboard. I love the visual because it's a constant reminder. Sometimes, you know, Excel spreadsheets get forgotten about because you have to pull them back up. You got to have it open. You can only have one person in there at a time. Like there's limitations to it. And an Excel spreadsheet may work for your team. That may be the perfect option for them and they love it. And that's perfect too. But think about where's your team at? What's going to be the most beneficial and what's going to remind them to get something done. So I do love that like to tack it off.   Check it off, check it off. And then another thing I want to pull out is that you said buy wind dates. So break it apart is what you said, break apart the pieces that need to be done, the structure of what needs to happen to get an operations manual completed, and then set deadlines. And Dana, I know with my clients that have that I've finished this or that I have them working on it now, it'll be like, okay, you're at your how tos. And I want you to have five how tos written.   by next Friday, September, whatever that date is, sixth. Is that how you mean, like, pick it apart and do a buy win date? Like, really break it down and simplify it? Because I think, if I do, if somebody told me, they were like, you gotta have all your how -tos done by December 31st. Like, today is, what, August 30th, something like that, while we're recording this? Like, have it done by the end of the year. I'm like, cool, I got time.   The Dental A Team (11:24.183) And guess what's gonna sit there until the end of the year when I'm in a mad dash rush to try to get things done. But if they said, okay, or if I broke it down for myself. So if that was my goal, all right, great, we're gonna have this done by December 31st. I would have to tell myself, okay, I'm gonna do, I have X amount of how -to's and I'm gonna do X amount per week until December 31st. And I've got to check those off. I've got to build my plan. I've got to build my path to get there.   and I'm gonna have to check those off as I do them. Otherwise, we're gonna get to December 31st and it's gonna be like, I got half of them done because I started last night and I really just didn't have the time. I had four months. But I couldn't find the time, I didn't make the time to do it. So we've got all this planned out, we've got it all going. think weekly meetings, if you're weekly meetings or once a week check -in even during morning huddle, if you're doing morning huddles, like really just getting a baseline.   for where everyone's at and having, like you said, that one person who's responsible for the full accountability, but everyone's truly like holding each other responsible and accountable. And the doctors are not just fully out of the loop because I see that a lot with operations manuals, with anything where doctors just like, cool, hands off. And I love that. want a hands off approach, but I don't want you to be frustrated in the end when we get there. And then there's a million excuses from an entire team as to why it's not done. So.   I love that you said that Dana. I love that you pulled that out. If the doctor is the office manager, what do you usually do? Cause you do have quite a few clients actually, cause they don't have a true office manager right now or yet. How do you help them structure that accountability since it is honestly falling to them in most ways.   Dana (13:12.876) Yeah, and I basically break it down. There are each sections to an operations manual and then once you've got it broken down, it truly is, like you said, delegating those pieces in small chunks that are manageable for that doctor in an amount of time. So I think it's setting clear expectations of   When are team members supposed to work on this? Are we doing it during patient care hours? Are we setting chunks aside? Are we all just going to stay late every Friday, right? What are pizza? Crank them out? Are we going to like send one the lunch hour each week together and type up as many as we can. So I think it's the breaking it down into little chunks of manageable tasks, and then figuring out when we're going to do it and making sure that they are assigning team members and how our team members to communicate it up to them.   The Dental A Team (13:35.677) Mm   The Dental A Team (13:40.221) I love that.   Dana (14:01.47) that things are done so they're not chasing people down for things. I think an easy way to do that is build it into things that are already consistent in your practice. Like you said, morning huddles. If that is already consistent in your practice, pick a Thursday, everybody reports to you what they've done. If you have end of day checklists, right, then your how -to's get handed in with your end of day checklist and you write off which ones you've done. So just figuring out what have I already been able to keep consistent that I can just make this   The Dental A Team (14:04.123) Mm.   Dana (14:31.214) a part of it makes accountability for a doctor who is also the OM who is spearing this to make it easy.   The Dental A Team (14:38.917) Yeah, gosh, that's brilliant. Basically, what you're doing is your habit stacking at that point, right? Because you've already got the habit in place. And so we're taking a habit that's already working. We're stacking that next layer onto it because operations manual dig doing these things and staying accountable to it is not a habit yet. So if we can have it stack, which is atomic habits, and it's an incredible book, if you guys haven't listened to or read that one yet, you should or I'm sure that we've done a book club or five on it here.   But if you can have it stack that and really just like she said, like dual purpose, those accountability pieces, it makes it easy. I think we overcomplicate, we overcomplicate the operations manual, number one, because it's so overcomplicated. doesn't have to be that hard. And then we tack on overcomplicating any kind of accountability in a dental practice. And it just makes it hard. makes it, I think it makes it feel like we're not trusted. It makes it feel a certain way, which makes it more difficult. And then doctors are like,   hands in the air, Tiff, can't do this. They just won't do what I asked them to do. I can't do accountability. And then we're like this downwards file of unraveling everything. So I love that habit stack it. Okay, so who should build the operations manual? It sounds like everybody sounds like doctors take apart, pull apart the pieces and divvy them out or have your office manager do it if you do have an office manager. And then you guys as a team really set the cadence, set the accountability, figure out what you want that to look like how long   I think doctors, another word of advice when you come in and you say, this is what I need you to do all of these things by this date Totally fine, like totally fair. Have your accountability set in place. But if you can come in and say, okay, guys, this is the project. Let's brainstorm and see how long do you think this is going to take us as a team to get this done. Now you have some buy -in on the dates because they helped you figure it out and you've taken into consideration their workload.   so that they can take into consideration their workload and give you actual dates that they think they can get it done by. So lots of tidbits there, Dana. This was fantastic. I think something that they definitely need. We're coming up on the last quarter and hopefully we're wrapping up some operations manuals or we're getting ready to start them. I know we used to do October hard start on operations manuals. So that's right around the corner guys. Dana, thank you for your words of wisdom always on the operations manual. I loved all of those pieces today.   The Dental A Team (17:05.583) And I appreciate you joining me for this podcast today.   Dana (17:09.517) I had as much fun as I always do, Tiff. Thanks for having me.   The Dental A Team (17:11.978) Good, of course, and we'll go learn how to do that hair and we'll let everybody else know later. awesome. Everyone, thank you so much for being here. I hope that this was beneficial for you. I hope that even if you have your operations manual done already, when you go to redo it, when you go to update it, you can reference some of these tools here in this podcast because we always want them to be super useful for you. So let us know, drop us a five star review below. We love seeing them. We love hearing from you. [email protected]. We'll catch you next time, guys.  

Rereleasing one of DAT’s most popular episodes! Did you know that team members can be more profitable with accurate deep work time than just producing from the chair? In this episode, Kiera talks about intentional block scheduling for all positions in the office. She poses questions everyone needs to ask themselves, suggests amounts of time for deep work each week, gives ideas for priorities to pursue, and more. Episode resources: Reach out to Kiera Tune Into DAT’s Monthly Webinar Practice Momentum Group Consulting Subscribe to The Dental A-Team podcast Become Dental A-Team Platinum! Review the podcast Transcript: The Dental A Team (00:05.774) Hey everyone, welcome to the Dental A Team Podcast. I'm your host, Kiera Dent, and I had this crazy idea that maybe I could combine a doctor and a team member's perspective, because let's face it, dentistry can be a challenging profession with those two perspectives. I've been a dental assistant, treatment coordinator, scheduler, filler, office manager, regional manager, practice owner, and I have a team of traveling consultants where we have traveled to over 165 different offices coaching teams. Yep, we don't just understand you, we are you.   Our mission is to positively impact the world of dental. And I believe that this podcast is the greatest way I can help elevate teams, grow VIP experiences, reduce stress, and create A -teams. Welcome to the Dental A -Team Podcast.   The Dental A Team (00:51.0) Hello, Dental A Team listeners. This is Kiera and ooh, am I excited for the podcast today? So I podcast and I love podcasting and I tend to just podcast and think of ideas. So I typically have one day during the week that I'll podcast and then throughout the month I will be writing up topics. And so I've actually been working on a couple of different topics. They come to me, I'll text my husband, I'll be in the shower and I'm like, Jason.   You've got to write this down, send this to me so I don't forget. So today's topic is coming from one where I've had a lot of questions and this has been something that I've been doing for so long. I have explained it. I'll do it on the podcast today. I'll explain it for you again, but we talk often about block scheduling for dentists. So if you don't have block scheduling in your schedule, definitely go and listen to some podcasts on block scheduling for your practice. Block scheduling can also be considered like productive.   scheduling to where we're making an optimal schedule with your ideal life, ideal procedures, and we're able to grow it exponentially. With that, I like to always share a little example where I have a practice that with block scheduling, so optimal, we're looking to see how long does it take per procedure. We're looking to see what their goals are for the practice, how long it takes, maximizing assistant time and doctor time. We were able to take them from 2 .2 to 4 .2 million in one year. I will also put in there, we did add three operatories. However,   without adding those three operatories, it was 2 .2 to 3 .2 million. So just so you know, by being more strategic with our time, I was able to add over a million dollars worth of revenue, no extra days, no extra time, just smarter scheduling. So I started thinking about this and I'm like, you know, there's so much fanfare and so many ideas out there for doctor scheduling within schedules, but what about admin block scheduling?   And it kind of alluded to this week I was working with my team. I've been working with my husband. So it's probably where it's hot on my list, but we often don't block schedule. And when I say block scheduling or CEO time or admin time or whatever you want to call it, deep work time, I don't feel we've ever been really taught how to do it. then it's also, we are taught, but it feels too hard. So then we don't do it. So today, this week I was actually working with Shelby and Britt and   The Dental A Team (03:07.169) Virtual companies are very different, especially when we've come from dentistry. Dentistry is easy, right? Our schedules are there for us. They tell us what to do as clinicians. So as a dental assistant, or it's a hygienist, our days were scheduled for us. The front office schedules for us. We do our day, off we go. But when you're the front office, and I remember my switch from clinical to front office, your days are different. Also, when I went from in office to home, where I worked from home, again, very different. My husband, he works in a pharmacy.   is overseeing, gosh, I think he's got 35 pharmacists he oversees in multiple different clinics. And I just feel like we often run the rat race versus doing what's actually important in a practice. So I've been figuring this out. I've been mapping this a lot and I've been curious, why does this feel hard? And I thought, you you hear that example of the rock sand water, which honestly I feel has an overused analogy, but I feel like what we do is we often build our life with so many rocks or so much sand.   that we forget that there's other space for that water. And so then like all the little things feel so hard and so exhausting and like we just can't catch up and that we're not gonna be able to get there. And so what we do is we don't get it done. And then it feels like this mountain of tasks, this monumental moment to just get our emails done. So I started thinking, how can I front office team members and doctors block not just a productive schedule that's going to be profitable,   but let's do a productive schedule and a profitable schedule for your time that's not clinical. Because I actually believe that you can be more profitable with accurate deep work time than you can be just producing in the chair. So I wanted to walk through how to do this. So first question is, I want you to know yourself. So that's the first question you have to answer is, are you a more productive person in the morning or are you more productive in the afternoon?   I just need you to answer that because that's going to radically impact how we build your schedule for you. So for Kiera, I am a very much a morning person. I am about junk by three o 'clock. Like don't ask me to do big projects. That's why I don't do any coaching calls after three o 'clock. Don't worry. All my clients that I do coach, they're early. I start my calls at six AM and people think I'm absolutely crazy for doing it. But like today I was up at three AM building content and projects because I am such a morning person.   The Dental A Team (05:30.094) 3 a is not normal. I have been on a tight deadline and I'm flying out of town and I've got a lot of things. So 3 a is a little extreme, but I just know that I'm going to be so much more productive in the morning. So Britt on our team is definitely an afternoon person. And my husband's like, Kiera, how could she schedule her like heavy concentration time in the afternoon? And I said, Britt loves like go hang out, go for a walk, hang out with her dog, come back around three, four, five in the afternoon and then just get it done.   If I ask her for a 7 a meeting, she'll be there, but I know her optimal speed and optimal time is definitely afternoon. Shelby's a morning person. So once you know your optimal time, also figure out your team members' optimal time, because we can build schedules based on our optimal time where we're going to be the most efficient with our time. And I feel like with admin time, deep work time, let's ourselves up for success. So the next thing is...   figure out who you are. Most people are sprinters, meaning we can usually concentrate for about an hour on a task. Other people like Britt, who are more like billers, people who are really into the numbers, into the spreadsheets, they can concentrate for like a two to three hour block. Like she needs a solid amount of time to be able to research, to dig into it, because when she gets into a project, she's in it. For me, if I have a shorter stint, an hour, hour and a half is much more productive for me. So number one, know thyself. Are you a morning or an afternoon? Like where are you most productive?   also I know a lot of creatives, people who are very creative. Sometimes they'll work at one, two, three o 'clock in the morning. Like that's where they are at their optimal machine. And I feel like our bodies and who we are, our machines. so let's like, all of us run on different food. My husband, he's a carb guy. If I feed him carbs, he can run for hours. Me, I'm a protein girl and I've definitely got to have protein in the morning, especially for hiking. Like we have two very separate breakfasts, very different styles and different energy that fuels our bodies.   Same thing with how we operate and how we work. So I want you to figure out your optimal time. Where are you going to be the most efficient to be working on the most important pieces of the business? Next up is let's find out who our team is around us. Where are they at? And then third is how much time is actual optimal for you? And this can be a trial and error. I used to think like, I'm going to block three hours. You guys, by like hour one, I'm thinking about what am going to make for dinner? What am I going to do? I think I need to stretch. I need to get up.   The Dental A Team (07:52.556) So I realized I can't do these big chunks of time. I have to break it up and almost like consolidate my time to force me to work more efficiently. So just figure out who you are. My recommendation for the general population is break it into smaller chunks because typically if we've got four hours or two hours too long of a chunk, it actually will make us unproductive. So on that, then from there, okay, we know we're a morning person. We know we work in an hour and half stints. Next up is to go look at our schedules.   I would never in my wildest dreams recommend Mondays to be a day that you work on your business. I just don't. think that so many patients call in it's hectic. It's chaotic. People are coming in like Mondays just feel like this, madness energy in the world. I don't enjoy that. You might feel like no Monday's my motivation day. And that's the day that I get everything mapped out. Know thyself and be free is my best recommendation. I prep Sunday evenings to make sure my week is all prepared so I can come into Monday mayhem.   and be ready to go. My deep work times are on Tuesdays and Thursdays. I have two in my week. Brittany and Shelby, they both have two or three. They are for an office. So like think of an office manager and a scheduler or a treatment coordinator. They each have their time. I also look at the tasks that are necessary. Britt needs more time than I do. Britt has heavier projects. She has research projects. She's got a lot more time. So Britt needs like...   four to six hours per week where I need about an hour and a half each time. So about two to three hours per week. That's my optimal time. Again, this is going to come ebb and flow and the more consistently we take our time, the more doable it will be for you. So with team members for doctors and clinical team and front office, whomever needs to work on bigger projects, most of the time this is your front office, like your office manager, your scheduler, your treatment coordinator. I feel like doctors and OMS need at least two to three hours per week of deep work uninterrupted time.   Then our schedulers and our treatment coordinators, I usually recommend about an hour a week of uninterrupted time. Billers might need two to three, depending upon what they're working on, because that's more of like deep work, harder getting through projects, and then leads in your practice. I usually recommend about an hour per week. So that just kind of helps you break down the timelines, how much time we're needing to do for each position within the practice. But then we got to go build it into the schedule. So for me, I actually like my team to work at the same time. So me and Shelby, we work at almost the same time.   The Dental A Team (10:14.71) She's my right hand. I have to ask her a lot of different questions. So for her, she's very smart. Office managers, I would do the same thing. You're kind of like Shelby with me. Block your time the same time as your doctor, because doctors working hard, they're not gonna be interrupting. They're not gonna be asking for things. That means office managers, you can probably get a lot more done during that time. So you've just got to start to build a schedule. So what I do is I actually build this onto offices schedules for them. In my schedule, I have it. It's a deep work block. And then every week,   So whatever your choice is, like, okay, so we know we're, we're mornings. know we need two hours a week. We're looking at doctor schedule, Kiera schedule, all the people schedules in our practice and we're building out a like admin deep work. We're going to get all the big projects done schedule. So from there, what we're going to do next is we build the schedule. Okay. So it's all in there. So for me, mine are Tuesdays and Thursdays. Britt has hers on Wednesdays and Thursdays. Whatever, choose your poison. I don't care when you do it, but we're going to build it.   and front office team members, you've got to also make sure you coordinate schedules to make sure that we're not overlapping each other. We don't want both office manager treatment coordinator to be gone at the same time. We want you guys to stagger your schedule so you can cover for each other as well. That way the front office is always taken care of. Doctors, I recommend you do this offsite. Doing it in your practice is probably not going to be beneficial. I like to go to a coffee shop, to the library, somewhere offsite. And office managers, it might be wise for you to consider this as well, talking with your doctor.   Where can you go that you're the most productive for me? If I'm going to take this much time away from the practice or my business, it's truly working on the deepest, like most productive projects of the week that are going to move my practice forward the most. So this is like building protocols, writing handbooks, writing policies, reviewing my systems, all those different things are going to help you exponentially with this. So what we do is then I believe that if we're going to block this time, we then need to.   hold ourselves to a standard where we can actually, 100 % actually go through and make sure we maximize this time. So for you guys, I really want you to think about this, like what do you actually need to get done during this time that's going to be the most productive for you? So for me, I believe I've got to plan and prepare if I'm going to block this time off on my schedule. And I believe that if you're gonna take this time out of your schedule, you should block and plan.   The Dental A Team (12:39.34) So for doctors, I'll just give you a quick list. This is with a client we were just working with who has time and wanted to use that time productively. And so we broke it down because I believe that a CEO, have three duties and that's profitability, culture and vision. And office managers, I would say that yours is similar in addition to team. And so maybe you break it up and I do like admin tasks, but this isn't like checking your email, responding back to people. It would be reviewing the credit cards. It would be...   doing our business expenses, it'd be looking at the orders, it'd be doing deposits for checks. It would be reviewing our KPIs of every single part, of our practice to make sure that they're actually optimized. Then we go over the culture and we look at like performance reviews, hiring and HR, checking payroll to see who's getting close to overtime, doing end of month bonuses. looking also at the culture and like where are we lacking or where are we doing really well that could be changed? And then we spend some time with planning and vision.   So what are systems and departments reviewing all of those? Let's go through all of them and look to see where are we strong, where are we not strong? Let's look at the long -term plan. What are our monthly meetings? What do those need to be? Department meetings, writing things, writing the protocols, writing the processes. And then you can also put in learning. So reading a business book, doing continuing education, but really it's the things that will move your business forward the most. If office managers, you need to go research and do demos on multiple different softwares to figure out the best cloud -based software. Well, that's the time that you do it is during this.   So I block these in there, solid blocks in the schedule and they're never to be touched or interrupted. I also plan and I put it in there. So I actually have a true plan before I go into my week. So the way I process, the way I built in block scheduling for admin time is this is my process and some people you can do it on, Friday. I don't like to do on Friday cause I still have ideas that come to me Saturday and Sunday. So I like to have it fresh Sunday. know exactly what my week looks like and I can also plan with my husband.   What time am I getting off? What time do I need to do these things? So I literally plan my whole week out. I add all the items that need to get done. I know where my deep work blocks are for that week. I prioritize what my week needs to be. And then I go and put in my deep work. What actually has to happen to get those priorities done? So I really do priorities and deep work. Also, if I'm procrastinating something that often will get put in a deep work block to make sure that I actually get that done in the timeframe it needs to be done.   The Dental A Team (14:59.95) So I feel like I've taught you guys how to block schedules so much for doctors and how to be productive. But if you will use these one, two, three hours per week, truly focusing on your business, we say it all the time, working on your business versus working out of the business. But I always thought how, and you know what the Dental A Team, I'm really big on teaching you the how, making it simple, making it easy. And once you build the structure, then guess what? It's set and it's a cadence and you don't have to remember it. Deep work blocks are there.   You know you prep on Fridays to have it prepared for the next week. You know you have a plan in your deep work blocks of what you're working on. You know where you're going to go. You know what you're going to work on and you know the timeframe you're going to do it. Now it's set up, it's on autopilot. You just have to show up and be consistent. And I feel like if we can carry it to that point to get you that close, you've got a pretty solid block schedule. Just like in our clinical block schedules are about 75, 85 % awesome. We've got the variants, we've got the varying shades.   Same thing with your, your block schedule of your personal life. It's crazy. My husband felt like he couldn't get a lot done. He felt like he had too many things going. He felt like he was always overwhelmed. He felt like he was always behind on projects. Can anybody relate? We sit there, we have the mounting tasks, all the little sticky notes sitting everywhere, trying to remind us of the tasks and never feeling like we can get them done personally and professionally. I've had my husband do this with me for the last two weeks and I am shocked. He's getting home earlier. He's less stressed.   He has more bandwidth and he feels like he's actually making progress through his pile of items that he needed to get done personally and professionally. It's crazy how a small amount of planning for me and my husband, takes us about 30 minutes a week to plan out our weeks and to be really, really truly intentional with our weeks. So 30 minutes of plan, which you can put that on Fridays. Like this is my planning for next week. It will save you hours of time of being reactive.   But yet I feel like no one ever teaches us how to do this. So hopefully today I've given you guys tips and ideas. If you need accountability, I have lots of doctors within that we go through this. I have a doctor right now who I check in with them weekly to find out how is their weekly plan going? How are they doing? You need help setting this up like I did. If like my husband did like this doctor did reach out. [email protected] life and owning a practice does not have to be hard. Being a front office team member does not have to feel chaotic and psychotic all the time.   The Dental A Team (17:18.872) We can help you doctors and we can help you team members to make your life easy, to make your practice flourish easily with just better planning and better systems. So if we can help you with that, reach out, [email protected]. You'll get a free strategy call. So really there's no risk to you. I would love to invite you into our Dental A Team family. And really I just think about it. One small change can make you get home on time, give you your life back, help your team be less stressed.   helped you have time to get those big projects done. And just imagine with that kind of discipline, what other projects and activities and side hustles and different things and more time with family, more vacations you could go on if you just plan. And with that, thanks for listening. I'll catch you next time on the Dental A Team Podcast.   The Dental A Team (18:08.622) wraps it up for another episode of the Dental A Team podcast. Thank you so much for listening and we'll talk to you next time.  

Cory Pinegar of CallForce joins Tiff to talk about how to successfully hire the best people for your practice. They discuss the importance of consistent communication, what happens when one team member isn’t fitting, bringing on remote workers, and more. Episode resources: Check out CallForce Get in touch with Cory directly: [email protected] Listen to episode 526: Applying Healthy Boundaries Tune Into DAT’s Monthly Webinar Practice Momentum Group Consulting Subscribe to The Dental A-Team podcast Become Dental A-Team Platinum! Review the podcast Transcript: The Dental A Team (00:01.058) You guys I'm so excited to be here today with the one and only Corey from reach and I just I'm blown away Corey that I get to do this podcast with you. I know I told you this a couple times we chatted a little bit yesterday we had a little bit this morning but for the world that's out there this man's brain has just done wonders for the dental industry in the last eight years it has   blown me away. I've watched you grow. I've watched your companies grow. I told you before when I was in practice, you know, way back in the day, long time ago, I actually used some of the products that you ended up purchasing and taking over. And I have seen that massively improve the dental industry. In my opinion, I've used them personally in practice. And I have a ton of practices that use both sides of what you do. So Corey, I   I'm blown away again, like I said that I get to do this podcast with you. know you've done a couple with Kara. She's fantastic at them and I listened to them over and over. And I'm like, gosh, there's so many great nuggets. send them to a lot of clients and I can't wait to dive into what we have today. Corey, how are you doing today on this beautiful sunny Tuesday? Is it sunny in Salt Lake? It's freaking hot here in sunny. So I just make the assumption. What is it like out there? How are you Corey?   Cory Pinegar (01:15.44) Hey, it's not as hot as it is in Arizona, which we're grateful for, but thank you for having me. Your team has always been amazing and it's a pleasure to be here today.   The Dental A Team (01:18.283) It's bad. Yeah.   The Dental A Team (01:25.385) Awesome. Thank you. We love you. We love your products and we love supporting you guys. And honestly, I truly I have a few clients who use your products already. And I love being able to recommend something from someone that we know we can trust that's done your due diligence to create an incredible company that reaches the masses and really, honestly, I love the benefits that you guys bring to not only our country, but other countries is just really, really cool. So   If you guys don't know this company, I want you to do your due diligence. Follow the link below that Sissy and the ladies will tag in there, learn more. We're going to talk some about it. But Corey, I think what we've chatted about, what we've decided is really relevant and prevalent right now in the world and in our industry is really exciting for me. So we're going to do our due diligence and we're going to talk about both companies. But I think I want to pick your brain today.   done this incredible job of really learning how to onboard employees, hire great team members, really vet different people. And right now in the industry, what I'm seeing with a lot of my clients, I told you this morning, I just got off a call last night with a doctor and I'm like, gosh, like I just, my heart pours out to him and I want to go work in his office. I'm like, gosh, just, I will just come do it. Like I can't, we cannot fill this position. And every time we get somebody that we're like, okay, great. This is going to be awesome.   they don't show up the first day or they have childcare issues or something happens and all of a sudden they can't be there. And I'm like, what the heck? It's just the way the world is right now in the hiring industry. was like, Hey, it's just hygiene. And now it's like dental assistants and front office and just finding people has become increasingly more difficult. And Corey yesterday when we chatted, you had some incredible   ideas and ways that you've actually learned how to vet really great team members for your company, for other companies to use as virtual assistants. And so, so that you guys know out there, Corey's company has has two different sides. have, you know, the re care, recall, phone answering all that. But then they've recently within the last year and a half or so been really, really, really taking over, in my opinion, the virtual assisting world.   The Dental A Team (03:48.841) with ways of hiring that I don't think other companies are really using and it's making a huge difference and a huge impact. I'm seeing it in my own personal clients. And I'm honestly seeing it in the industry, just reviews that I've seen of your company. Like I am blown away by the way that you go about hiring these individuals and the thought process that you put into it. So Corey, will you just kind of give us some of your biggest tidbits? What do you look for when hiring and how are you really?   vetting these people as humans to be good people that are actually showing up for work because they are showing up virtually but they are showing up. How are you doing this? How are you creating this magic?   Cory Pinegar (04:29.332) Well, I actually want to even take a step back before we hop into it. I, one, appreciate your kind words. We're not a perfect company, but we're really passionate about the market. And we believe that there's a lot to do better for patients and practitioners. Before we even dive into some of our hiring practice tips and tricks, one thing that I want to talk about is you have to create an environment in your company or in your practice that is a win.   And what I mean by that is there has to be or there is three stakeholders or shareholders in any business. There's customers, there's employees, and there is the business itself. And the business has to make money. If a business consistently loses money, then eventually the business goes out of business and there's no more employees and there's no more customers. If you don't treat your customers,   The Dental A Team (05:21.009) Yeah.   Cory Pinegar (05:25.108) really well, then your customers don't refer, your customers don't stick around. And if you don't treat your employees well, if you don't create a sustainable, happy, healthy, not perfect, but environment that cares, your employees don't stick around and they don't treat your customers great. And so even before you go, if you go hire the world's best person, but then you don't have a winning environment and winning team, nothing is going to happen. And so what I and all of us in dentistry,   The Dental A Team (05:51.569) for sure.   Cory Pinegar (05:54.792) are entrepreneurs, everyone who's listening today owns or has started and wants to grow their own practice. And something that I've learned from doing this from eight years and inheriting it with no formal business training, like a lot of doctors as well, is businesses have to be built to be sustainable. And so you have to look at your environment well before you go to your hiring practices or go find the best person in the world and you have to say,   Does a team member walk in here and do they have the opportunity to grow? Is it a safe space? Is it a space where they can be pushed professionally? Is the business producing capital that returns to you as the owner that is meaningful and moves your family and life forward? And number three, and equally as important, is are your patients raving patients at the end of the day? And if you do those three, you create a flywheel, that means the business is even sustainable beyond yourself.   That's the number one thing that I do. You go for it.   The Dental A Team (06:51.987) So I'm gonna jump in, because I have questions. Okay, so I think that's beautiful. That right there, like drop the mic, you've done everything. Fix those things and you've got at least a place I think where you can attract the right people. So my question then is the practices you aren't really maybe even realizing that they need to focus more internally, like we need to fix the foundation before we bring more people in. Do you see...   within your experience as a business owner and watching other business owners, do you see that that translates to maybe an ability to hire? Like we need somebody and we're like scraping and trying to hire, but we can't, or hiring the wrong people or not realizing who we need to hire without that kind of foundation. What are the repercussions that you've seen in your experience with that when they're not doing the right things yet, or maybe not knowing?   Cory Pinegar (07:43.988) Yeah. So when a business isn't sustainable, especially on the employee side, they have higher turnover naturally. Who wants to work in an environment where they don't feel valued, where they can grow personally, professionally, and financially? And so you see higher turnover. Then what we see from the practices is an urge to fill the gap quickly because the turnover is consistent. And so what they look for   is, I want someone with dental experience in revenue cycle management or insurance verification, and I want them to start as soon as possible. I want an able body to get in there. And that is the next step of the death sentence. Because if I've seen anything through my eight years and hiring thousands of people and having hundreds of them not work out to I've goofed it up as bad as anyone has. What I've learned is   The Dental A Team (08:15.613) yet.   Yeah.   Cory Pinegar (08:36.992) personality, soft skills and EQ, emotional intelligence skills, can not be trained. And different practices need different types of people. But what happens is when a practice is in a pinch, what they're doing is they're sub diverting all of those core skills that can't be trained and going to someone saying, you can ride a bike. Well, we need a bike rider. But then what happens is six months down the road again, it's not the right personality fit.   They don't have the right soft skills for the job. And that turnover is created again. It's a systemic system that then just until the core problem is fixed and until the practice starts saying we hire for fit, then we hire for skill, it re -incess and repeats and the doctor and the practice is often wondering what the heck is happening when it really takes a step back, a slow down.   and improvement and then you can create something that is sustainable and less stressful.   The Dental A Team (09:40.546) For sure, for sure. I love all of that. And I think what that translates into, right, is you can find someone, I think, with the IQ, with the emotional intelligence, with all of those personality traits that you're like, this is fantastic. This is the person we can train, he or she, to do anything that we want them to. But when that foundation isn't there, like to go back to that piece, if our   foundation of team and patient and business experience isn't there. So our team experience is met, our patient experience is like, how many can we get churned through, or it's just not 100 % because our team's not super happy. And the business maybe isn't going in the directions that we really want to see it growing in. We bring that person in, we're like, I found them. I've heard this tip, I found the person. She's the perfect fit. She's gonna solve all our problems. I'm like, fantastic.   let's see how this works, like let's get it on. But when those other pieces haven't been solved yet or even found, maybe they don't even know that they're an issue yet, that person fails, right? Or the team, the business fails that person. And so they don't last because those other pieces haven't been there yet. So then it's like, well, shoot, you told me to hire for the personality, Tiff, and that didn't work. Now I'm gonna hire for, I need someone who can fill a schedule.   I need someone who knows treatment planning. know need someone who knows how to schedule an open dental and can answer the phone. And I'm like, cool. So then we fly into that other space where they're hiring for need and they're hiring for the quote unquote experience that they have, but they might end up with someone who didn't have those emotional intelligence pieces. So as a business owner, and I think, I mean, we've gone through it, like everybody goes through these trends in   a business, this is just part of business, you get stuck on one spot of the business and you're turning and you're turning and you forget the other pieces or they just kind of fall to the wayside. But in your experience, when you've seen that in your business or in other businesses, you help a lot of doctors across this country. How do you see them like realize like what are the key points that they can see? They've got the turnover, but are there other areas where they can see? I think this might be a foundational thing.   The Dental A Team (12:01.191) I keep having this turnover, keep having people come in. How do they notice that? How do they know? I've got to focus in on my team's experience because there's an issue here.   Cory Pinegar (12:11.722) think some people are naturally wired. Some people are lucky enough to be gifted to see the whole picture. The reality is it's a painful level of introspection and listening. I recently hired a coach who went and surveyed all of my direct reports and came back and it's a painful colonoscopy. But it's really insightful because you see the way you act and everyone thinks they act a certain way well.   The Dental A Team (12:33.192) It is.   Cory Pinegar (12:38.89) Perception is generally reality and perception of other people looking at you is the reality that generally matters in business. And so it's taking those moments to slow down, realize how you're acting, learn about better ways. And then it's the continued art of always learning. I am so far from perfect, but I think I probably either read or listen to educational content for   30 minutes to an hour and a half every single day. And it's the only way that we can then take our team back and develop people and process to truly allow us as owners and leaders to step back or else the chaos always continues.   The Dental A Team (13:11.19) Well, I love that. I love that.   The Dental A Team (13:17.814) Mm -hmm.   The Dental A Team (13:25.322) Yeah. What are you choosing for your personal development? What are you, what are you learning right now? What are you taking back to your team?   Cory Pinegar (13:32.852) What am I taking right now? I'm working on developing trust in our organization. And so how do we build pillars that then work and support together? And what's been really interesting is the coach that I've been working with has then gone through the pillars of trust. And so it's credibility, it's the ability to be reliable, it's the ability to have personable conversations. Sometimes I look at leadership or trust, these large...   The Dental A Team (13:38.038) Yeah.   Cory Pinegar (14:00.254) almost gargantuan words that are hard to define. And it's been really helpful to take a step back and get a coach. But the only ways that I've been able to do it is swallowing the pride pill, which I still struggle to swallow every day and getting outside help and continuing to learn. There is no magic sauce that we wake up with it one day.   The Dental A Team (14:15.532) Yeah. Yeah.   The Dental A Team (14:20.962) Yeah. Yeah, I love that you say that. What I see in the dental world from our perspective, you know, our clients are coming and our prospective clients or people who are just reaching out just for information, they're coming for systems. It's always systems. I'm like, I always know, right? I know when I get a new client, I'm like, I know your systems. But we can't focus on systems and fix systems or do quote unquote, the right systems.   If on a foundational level, the leader and the leadership isn't in the right space. So focusing on the leader first, focusing on the doctor, the practice owner, and making sure that that human being is where they need to be in order to grow a business and grow a team and sustain the life that they're there after really reach that life and sustain it and project it into their future. Then   you can go after the systems. But we always get systems first and I'm always like, cool, we've got to take a step back because we've got to look at the foundation.   Cory Pinegar (15:24.478) We talk a lot about it internally and it took me years to figure it out, it's a business as a layer of people process, but it's a layer starts with the leadership. Then you have elementary processes that begin to start. Leaders are generally or visionaries. Entrepreneurs are generally not the best process people. could not be worse. Tell me to design a process. I've already failed the project, but it's then bringing in people who can help design those processes more. And then they bring design processes that then allow people to live within.   The Dental A Team (15:50.264) Mm   Cory Pinegar (15:54.388) those processes, but it's a layered cake. It's not people then process and then you're done. It's a continued stacking as you build an organization.   The Dental A Team (16:04.001) Absolutely. Absolutely. One of the biggest struggles I see from leaders and tell me if this maybe lies true for you as well for leaders for entrepreneurs for those go get our visionaries, right? The dreamers is the ability to bring clarity to that vision. And so when when my entrepreneurs and my dreamers, my visionaries, they're like, I have an idea, I have an idea. And they're telling someone like, this is what I want you to do.   And then the implementer, right? Implementers, I'm an implementer. I can dream, but I'm an implementer where I'm like, cool, this is what I think you meant, let me do it. And then come back and I like, well, that's totally off the mark. So bringing that clarity into that vision is difficult because you don't have, if you had the clarity, you could implement it. But then in order for an implementer to implement it, they need the clarity. And so how do you find as you're building this trust within your team and   building these aspects and going through the coaching, how do you find the ability to bring some of that clarity into your ideas to make them a reality for the people who are implementing for you?   Cory Pinegar (17:11.284) This is an amazing question. And I am far from perfect. I have moments when I'm like, I swear I said it this way and it, I asked for a bagel and it came back as toast. But I've realized at the end of the day, there's nothing that beats consistent communication. And out of the one thing that I probably see practices go wrong on significantly is there's this one and done mentality. And that just, doesn't exist.   The Dental A Team (17:13.6) Yeah   Cory Pinegar (17:41.312) It is every day looking in and saying, OK, well, how did you understand that? it's involvement as a manager and as a leader with your team. There is no thing as, hey, go get it done. And then it's going to come out perfect. Because what's stewed in my brain at night for 14 days, and then I'm going to regurgitate it in a three and a half minute conversation and expect someone to nail the vision that I've been conceptually building in my head, I don't have the clarity.   but it's learning to over communicate, consistently communicate, and then provide feedback where it's off. But when it's off and it comes back as a piece of toast, I know that it's on me, because I didn't drive clear communication and clarity.   The Dental A Team (18:25.41) I love that. So I, I want everyone to hear all of those pieces. want you to like rewind, re -listen, look at all those pieces again, because when we're leaders, when we're in a leadership position, when we're a practice owners, when we're doing these things where we're really leading, guiding and growing people, it is important to make sure that we're like good with ourselves first. If we're not true to ourselves, if we can't trust ourselves, if I can't trust my word,   Right, if I'm telling myself I'm gonna get up and go for a run every morning at 5am, but I hate getting up at 5am so I never do it. Like I'm lying to myself every single day, right? I've done it, I've been there and I'm like.   Cory Pinegar (19:02.686) And I do that every night before I go to bed. I tell myself I'm going to the gym. And damn it, we're here.   The Dental A Team (19:05.722) I do. I know, I know, but I'm like, I'm not a morning person. So I just need to switch it right to build that internal trust. But if we're not focusing in on the, like you said, those trust pillars, those pieces where it really, really brings that ownership and integrity to you as a business owner, a practice owner, a leader, whatever your position might be, if you don't have those   personal integrity pieces in alignment, you're not able to be held accountable. You're not holding yourself accountable. I think that's where a lot of people, business owners miss that mark of building a team. Because if you can't say it and own it, you're just, anything you do, you're training your team to do. So if you want a team that owns it, team that's like, you know what, I have an idea, I'm gonna go try it. I think this might work. think I should call people in this order. I think I should say these words when I call for a re -care because I think people will call back.   quicker. If you want people to have ideas run with them and make changes and do amazing things in your company, you have to be willing to do those things too. And then when it doesn't go right, be like, shoot, that sucked and try again, because you're training your team to do whatever it is you are doing. If you're stressed out, if you're uneasy, if you're manic, if your emotions are everywhere, and you're telling your team your emotions constantly, you've got an emotional team.   You're just like, you're going to create your reality based on the way that you hold yourself. And like you said, the perception, like the way people perceive you, that's the reality that you're living in. And I love that you mentioned that earlier, those self -evaluate or those evaluations of leaders, those are hard. Those are high. We've done them in our company. I've had to have them on me and I'm like, all right, give it to me. But it's really a reflection of what you're putting out there. No matter what somebody could perceive me a certain way.   But I did something that allowed them to perceive me in that way, no matter what, hands down, something I did or said allowed that perception to be their reality. So it is reality, whether I meant it that way or not. So being able to take a look at that and really dive into it and do the personal work on it makes a huge difference. And then I am a huge fan of podcasting first thing in the morning, like listening to something that's just like inspiring or   The Dental A Team (21:27.157) leadership techniques or tactics or something that just like gets you motivated. So I love that you're doing that stuff too. think that was that was huge because those are the foundational levels. If your leadership isn't there as the owner, you can't expect your team underneath you to do more than you are. They're going to rise to whatever bar and standard you've set. And they're not typically going to go above that if they are going above that.   they're probably going to go start a business soon. They're an entrepreneur who's just looking for the space to be able to do it on their own. And that's fantastic too and grow them and let them fly because I think that's incredible too. But when you're not in that space, it's really hard to expect others to be there too. So when we've got that now,   I love the emotional intelligence. That's like my jam. My, my jam is personal development, leadership, growth, all of those pieces. that's literally what I specialize in. So that just, you just, you know, have me going on cloud nine over here. Now relate that if you would like you've said you've hired thousands and you've gone through, you know, hundreds that didn't work. And that's totally fair. think there's gotta be some sort of ratio there. Otherwise you're just like superhuman over here and you've got to do a lot more with that.   Cory Pinegar (22:41.542) I wish we were.   The Dental A Team (22:45.256) How are you, or what tools maybe are you using that really help you to see what their personality is like before getting them into the practice, like into work? How are you able to see those pieces ahead of time?   Cory Pinegar (23:00.148) Yeah, really good question. So we have a recruiting team that does an amazing job. Number one, we're clearing the air on expectations to start. So well before we go to an interview, we want to make sure is what you're looking for, what we're looking for instead of starting this process and then losing each other at the end. So there's almost a series of knockout questions to make sure that we're not misusing the candidate's time or misusing our time.   The second thing that we're looking at is are they a good cultural fit? What soft skills do they have? What emotional intelligence do they have? And you can get a read from that, but then we use certain assessments. There's people plus purpose, there's certain EQ ones, and we'll send them to certain candidates in certain positions. And then we actually backtrace those against our most successful candidates.   The Dental A Team (23:51.101) Beautiful.   Cory Pinegar (23:51.265) we can look at the superstars and then say, okay, from a data perspective, how do we begin to replicate those? And it is amazing when you look at the pure data of hiring, a recruiter can hire on their gut and they are right or wrong, just like blackjack can about 50 % of the time.   The Dental A Team (24:09.563) Yeah, for sure.   Cory Pinegar (24:10.333) And so it's a mix of taking those soft skills, making sure they hit the requirements, but then making a database decision. And that means you still miss every once in a while, but you can correlate it to your best team's performance in those certain positions.   The Dental A Team (24:26.459) That's beautiful. And that would take the people on your team doing those assessments first. So if you're a doctor who's hiring for a physician now, making sure that you know where your team lies and that way you see, okay, this rock star or these rock stars, the people who are really rising up, where are they landing on these certain things within their performance in their EQ, their soft skills, because now when you're doing that, you've got data to compare it to. But when you're just getting data, you're like, yeah, feels like it's still like a   shot in the dark like gut instinct because it's like, yeah, it feels like those are the pieces that I'm looking for, but not actually having that data to know in comparison makes it much more difficult. I love that. I love that. What do you think a doctor who, and I'm just like making this up right now because I'm like so intrigued by all of this, but what do you think a doctor who is sitting here today, they're listening to us and they're like, gosh, dang it.   I think Corey is onto something like I think I need to fix my foundation. Like where do, where does a doctor start? Where do they start when they say, I'm having a lot of turnover. I just haven't been able to figure it out and I need to look internally. What is, what is the step one? Do you think that they could do to look internally and say, okay, where do I start?   Cory Pinegar (25:46.9) I mean, that's a hard assessment to make blind. Where I look at myself is there's two base layers. I, and I ask myself it consistently, are we providing value to our employees? If not, where are we missing? Are we providing value to our customers? If not, where are we missing? Or where could we make it better? And am I providing value to myself? Because if I am providing value to my people and providing value to our customers, but I'm run ragged.   I'm not taking home pay. I'm working 14 hours a day. I'm showing up probably like a total ass. And so you have to look across the board and say, where am I missing? number two is, and one of the biggest, I think, learnings for me is you just have to care. If you don't care for your people, if you don't care and sincerely care for your people and sincerely care for your customers, you can't fake it and people can sense it.   The Dental A Team (26:19.421) Yeah, yeah, that's fair.   Cory Pinegar (26:43.506) And so it's those base layers of assessing, but where I feel I started to move my foot forward in leadership is I knew the right things to say before or holding a one -on -one or an annual overview and giving someone a raise. But I have to look and say, do I sincerely care for you? And do I want and am I able to move you and your career and your family forward? And if I'm not there, then I'm not serving their best interest. And people can sense that.   The Dental A Team (26:43.86) a polygrapher.   The Dental A Team (27:12.353) Totally. Yeah. And I say constantly, if it's not right, like for me, if I'm not, if it's not working for me, it's not working for you either. They may not have realized it as quickly as you did, but it's, it's true. It's not, it's got to be a two way street. It's got to work. And if it's not working for them, it's also not working for you. So when people are, you know, in that space, if it's, if it's not wrong seat, wrong, you know, space of life and we can move them to somewhere else, they might thrive. If they're not thriving with you, there's a reason.   and we've got to figure those things out.   Cory Pinegar (27:43.296) You nailed something and it's almost a little contrarian to what we've talked about today that in the first 60 to 90 days, they can interview great, they can start great. Sometimes they're not right and that's not a knock against them, that's not a knock against you, but it's better to raise your hand and have those conversations. There have been times in my career where...   because I wanted to be kind or empathetic or I was unwilling to confront the hard conversations that I've allowed bad to brew in an organization and people.   are almost similar to cancer and it spreads where if you're not holding a high standard of how we engage our patients or how we treat our team, that begins to spread. And so our job as leaders is to hold that standard and to make those changes when we realize that they're not right. And it doesn't mean at the end of the day that you don't care. I had this exact same conversation with someone yesterday.   I care for them as an individual, but I know what we need and what they have is not right. And so we are driving two semi trucks at each other at the same time. And it's better for us to raise our hand instead of crashing those semi trucks. And though it seems contrary into caring, it's better to clear where you need to clear, but do it empathetically and leading with their interests first.   The Dental A Team (28:52.926) percent.   The Dental A Team (29:07.115) I think in business, we oftentimes do or when we own a team and we're, you know, trying to own our feelings and all these pieces, we take the individual out of the team. And when we can't, when we can't see this, I love your semi, you know, theory there. I love that when we can't see that the semis are running towards each other and we just want to save that other semi. We're like, we think we're chasing the semi to save them. And we pull this one person out of the team and we say, gosh,   Let me change things. Let me move you to a different space. Let me do this. We're grasping at this one person who's just not a fit. They're not working. We forget to care about the rest of the team in most instances. And so now we're putting this one person who's just not fitting. They couldn't be a fantastic human, but they're just not the right human for this space of life right now. Now we've put   5, 10, 20, 200 other people underneath this one person that we're trying, we're gasping at trying to save. And now the potential, the trust loss, the relationship loss, the connection and communication that you've lost with the rest of the team is at the non -benefit here of this person who's gotta go anyways. And so now you're rebuilding all over again.   with a full team because you've lost those pieces, whether they're willing to admit it or not, internally you have lost trust with these people because you put this other person ahead of them. But when you can just say, you know what, it's just not jiving, it's not a fit, and I think you're going to be happier in a place that you 100 % fit, and we're gonna be better off not trying to force a square into a circle, your team respects   that and they feel respected. They're at the brunt of this person not making it. They're the ones picking up the slack and then for you to put them ahead, it's it's this vicious cycle that I think now you go all the way back to the beginning of our conversation because now at a foundational level, we've tanked, we've lost so much momentum and so much growth and gain that you had before. So I do think that was an incredibly important thing to bring up and incredibly important.   The Dental A Team (31:19.309) piece to talk about is you have to be willing to say goodbye when it's time to say goodbye and be okay with that empathetically, obviously, but that was huge. That was huge. So foundational level, making sure that we're good on a team, a client and a business space, make sure that you're actually a leader. You're not just a manager, you're a leader and you're leading a team.   We talked about some hiring tips hiring for personality, making sure that they're the right fit for your team when you know what that fit needs to look like, and making sure that you know who you're trying to hire that avatar is just as important as the person that you're bringing in. So making sure you know what that looks like. And I love the idea of comparing them to your rock stars. Now once you get that person will quickly go through this one, Corey, but   something that you and I have chatted a lot about and I think it is imperative to the success of business and people is the onboarding piece. And this is something that is dramatically overlooked and not, it's just not seen in dentistry as a whole. Dentistry does not understand the idea of fully onboarding a person onto their team. We throw dental assistants tear side with our highest, you know, highest quality dental assistant. And we say, go figure it out.   We throw associate dentists in and we're like, you know what you're doing, do it, hygienist, all of them, front office. Like we just throw people in and we're like, you should know what you're doing, figure it out. This is, you know, as easy as riding a bike and it doesn't work. So how do you suggest or how have you seen your most successful practices onboard, even these remote virtual assistants that you've got in your company, onboarding them onto their team and how are you?   enforcing onboarding, I want to use that word because you have an incredible layout and system for this within your company of virtual assistants for the world.   Cory Pinegar (33:14.41) Yeah, really good question. So there's three things that I think lead to anyone onboarding successfully. It revolves around clarity, communication, and expectations. Number one, when someone comes into the role, is it truly defined? Have you sat down and said, OK, I want a wide receiver, and I expect them to catch this, and they're going to run these type of routes? And it also helps you hire in that role. It's not you need an office manager. It's what does winning?   The Dental A Team (33:17.219) you   Cory Pinegar (33:43.28) for you actually look like because people get thrust into roles, oftentimes with some templated office manager, receptionist description. And because of that, there's not clarity and alignment. What you talked about earlier, we've all got to be going to the same place. Number two is then you've got to communicate. You've got to get them trained. They can come with dental experience. They cannot come with dental experience. Both of those come different ways. I think the misnomer is, okay, well,   They have a dental background, they know insurance verifications. Well, do they know your dentrics? Do they know the networks that are insurances that are in or out of network? Do they know how you want to file certain things? And that often gets looked at, people will just naturally pick it up. All of the dentists went to school for three to four years, depending on where they went, and sometimes even more specialized training. It's years of work to get it down. And we expect people in a week.   in a practice to pick it up and be integrated. And it's just a slow uphill climb where I really think to truly integrate someone well, it's six months of consistent communication where you're stacking bricks and building a house. And then that final note is once you're consistently communicating and training, it's setting expectations and deliverables and where they should be. It's not, hey, you should be great at answering the phones at the end of week one. It's.   at end of week one, you're going to master new patients. And at the end of week four, we're going to train you. And then there's a guide map where then they can look at themselves because people want to know how they're doing in the job and where they should be. And instead of this vague, ambiguous job description and not knowing where they land, it's OK, here are the deliverables. And it allows that mountain climb where everyone can be paced and have expectations that are reasonable. Second thing.   We specialize in remote team members. Practices are so used to the concept of you hire someone, just as you said with the assistant, you can bring them in, you sit next to someone. The biggest struggle that we see at Reach is people love the idea of virtual assistants. They're cost effective, you get engaged people who truly do care. But then day one starts and you go, do I send them a Zoom link? How do I?   The Dental A Team (36:07.031) There you go.   Cory Pinegar (36:08.006) shadow them on calls. And so our goal, the reason that we have success managers at Reach is, number one, they still need to drive clarity. They still need to have expectations. They still need to communicate. But then can we help them in areas of what technology should you be using? When and how should you be checking them in? But one big tip that I would get on the remote side is, and I mentioned this in our meeting before, I hate the term outsourcing. Because outsourcing typically means   I'm gonna take my pieces of paper, I'm gonna take my revenue cycle management, I'm gonna throw them to another company. We've all outsourced and we've all gotten poor quality work back because there wasn't communication and there wasn't clarity. What we really specialize in at Reach is bringing someone in who does work remote, but integrating them into your team. They are part of your team. If they're not joining your morning huddles, if they're not...   getting the updates on what's happening within the practice, you cannot truly play a game of basketball with one player, not communicating with everyone else. so remote is different and our goal is to help guide people through the nuances there. But the biggest thing that leads people to be uber successful or to struggle is the idea of this is now someone who's joining my team. They joined digitally, but we're gonna treat and respect them just the same. And I can promise you.   that the level of engagement and dedication that you get back when you respect a global worker like that is unparalleled because they yearn to be a part of a team and be a part of a movement where they can give better healthcare. And those are the practices that take it to the next level.   The Dental A Team (37:49.193) I totally agree. And I saved that one for the last because I feel like everything you just said right there wraps up and wraps back into everything that we talked about this entire podcast because the clarity, the wins, knowing how to win for both sides, the accountability, all of that goes straight back to that foundational level. And what we spoke about with entrepreneurs being able to narrow in that clarity and really being able to narrow in what it is that you want.   If you don't know what you want from a team member, whether it's in person or whether it's these incredible global workers that Corey's out, reached to reached out to, I was going to say, with reach, it doesn't matter. If you don't know how you want them to win, like if you don't know what it looks like for them, I've seen it both sides, with remote workers, both sides, the side that says, this is exactly what I want you to do. This is how we're going to get you there. This is how both sides win.   and the side that's like, wait, you don't come with like, I just want you to do this, just go do your thing. And I've seen it work and not work. And it's that clarity piece that makes the world of difference. And I love what you said. am totally for, we've got plenty of outsource like billing companies and people, insurance verification companies that we've utilized that we recommend that we love, but it's not the same as a virtual assistant.   through your company. It's not they're drastically different. And then the level of dedication, the care and the actual integration into your team is different. And I think Corey, that it's because on a foundational level, you as the leader and your company knows the expectations of these workers that you're bringing in, and it sets the practices up for so much success as long as they follow your lead. So   all just ties back to each other. you guys, this has been incredible. Corey, thank you so much for letting me pick your brain and pivot and go back to what we talked about and like go all over the place. That's how my brain works. And I love that you were able to follow with me. Thank you. It gets a little crazy in there sometimes. I want you and this again, I'm just throwing things at you. If you could sum up today's podcast and say, gosh, this is the thing. This is start here. What would you leave?   The Dental A Team (40:11.351) our listeners with today. What would be the magic sauce sentence at the end of what the most important piece was that we talked about?   Cory Pinegar (40:21.29) great people and a sustainable business model leads ultimately to a less stressful life and a very successful business.   The Dental A Team (40:29.625) Thank you. totally agree. I totally agree. I focus a lot of my coaching and my consulting on the person, the leader, the owner and the life that we're trying to create for him or her. Because if we can see that as the guideline, that's our why. That's our, that's our guiding star. Everything else falls thereafter. It's very easy to bring in all the accountability and the ownership and the leadership when we know what it is that we're going after. It's when you're   mind is so muddled and you can't figure out that clarity piece that things get more difficult. So I love that narrow it in, get things done. Corey, thank you so much for your time today. Thank you for your time we spent with us yesterday as well. We are going to link in the show notes, all kinds of information you guys, Corey, your team, you are incredible. And what you're doing for the dental industry here and the industry outside of our country truly like makes my heart on fire. I'm so   Wes to know you and be able to do this podcast with you this morning. Thank you so much, Corey.   Cory Pinegar (41:31.818) Thank you for the time.   The Dental A Team (41:33.175) Of course, of course. And we can't wait to have you back again, because we know we will. Dental A Team listeners, thank you so much for being here with us. Listen to this again, you guys. There are so many notes to be taken, so many tidbits, so many pieces that you need to do. Go run, do it faster. And then as always, reach out to us, [email protected]. If you have any questions, if you need information, if you need us to connect you to Corey and his team in any way, let us know. We're here for you. Thank you.  

Rereleasing one of DAT’s most popular episodes! What do office managers even do? Why is it important to have an awesome OM? Kiera is joined by Brit and the two are talking the best parts of having an office manager — and a good one at that. The two hit on the following topics: The one trait you need to be a successful OM Why your OM needs to be a numbers person How to be fair and respected as an OM What the ideal OM/doctor relationship looks like Plus a ton more! Episode resources: Reach out to Kiera Tune Into DAT’s Monthly Webinar Practice Momentum Group Consulting Subscribe to The Dental A-Team podcast Become Dental A-Team Platinum! Review the podcast Transcript: The Dental A Team (00:05.806) Hey everyone, welcome to the Dental A Team podcast. I'm your host, Kiera Dent, and I had this crazy idea that maybe I could combine a doctor and a team member's perspective, because let's face it, dentistry can be a challenging profession with those two perspectives. I've been a dental assistant, treatment coordinator, scheduler, filler, office manager, regional manager, practice owner, and I have a team of traveling consultants where we have traveled to over 165 different offices coaching teams. Yep, we don't just understand you, we are you.   Our mission is to positively impact the world of dental. And I believe that this podcast is the greatest way I can help elevate teams, grow VIP experiences, reduce stress, and create A -Teams. Welcome to the Dental A Team Podcast.   The Dental A Team (00:51.352) Hello, Dental A Team listeners. This is Kiera and I've got Brittany. It's always weird to call her Brittany because in real life I call her Britt all the time. But Brittany Stone is one of our incredible consultants. If you don't know her, you must get to know her. Britt is all things goodness. She's great at listening. She's great at consulting. She's great at spotting problems. She's great at coaching people up. If you haven't heard her podcast in the past, go listen to them. They are fan -freaking -tastic. So I'm excited to podcast with her today. Britt, how are you today?   I'm doing good. It's a rainy day in Arizona, which for us is a treat. So I'm enjoying it. That is a unicorn of a day for you in Arizona. remember those days. And people just stop driving. They don't go anywhere. I remember people didn't even want to go to the movies when it rained. And I was like, what? It's just raining. I know. They don't like to get wet. And they're like, this is out of the ordinary. It throws them off. They don't know what to do.   It does. And I will say, I did not believe that Arizona had monsoons. I was like, you guys are ridiculous. No, they have monsoons because the earth does not accept any water. It's the desert. like hands up in the air. No way Jose not taking this. And gosh, like you can flood those streets real fast. It's crazy. And Arizona raindrops are different than I also lived on the East Coast in Northern Virginia. That's like usually like a misty rain and Arizona raindrops are rather large also. So you will get   real stoked real fast. So fast. can calm down. also didn't know about a Haboob. I thought somebody literally made that term up. I was like, what did you just say? Like those massive dust storms, I've been caught in them and you cannot see a thing when you're in one of those. So that's when people really shouldn't drive. I would agree. The Haboob warnings. was like, what? That when you take serious rain, you can still do it. It's fine. But if a Haboob is coming, stay out the road. It's just such a weird phrase. It's funny to me.   But with that said, Britt and I wanted to just pop on and kind of do a riff today on like what a true office manager should do and the importance of hiring an incredible office manager because we gosh, we interview a lot of people for consulting. I put this out there because we are, we are always hiring consultants. So if you know of somebody, and you are a true office manager, you've been there, done that, know how to run it. We'll kind of give you guys a quick overview. we'd love to work with you. We do not hire ever.   The Dental A Team (03:10.805) an office manager from a practice we've worked with no ifs, ands or buts period. Cause then like it's weird. One, we have a weird reputation and two, who wants to hire us? Nobody. It's just weird. We don't do that. So with that said, but if you know of anybody who's an amazing office manager, then they're done that that's we're always hiring. So please email us [email protected]. we do train people to become consultants. had never consulted prior to working with us, but she had all the skills and all the tools.   necessary to be an incredible consultant. Same thing with Tiffanie, same thing with Dana. And so with that, we found through the interviewing process, there's a lot of just weird shades of office management. Would you agree, Britt? I would agree. That's the best way to say it. It's one of those terms that's like kind of a catchall sometimes. And unfortunately, then for some doctors, they're like, well, do I really need an office manager? But I don't really know what that person does or how valuable they can be. For sure.   And I think it's also like, I was just talking, I think it was with Tiffany yesterday. And I said, honestly, if I had a business coach come into our company, Shelby's amazing guys. I'm not going to lie to you. Shelby is a freaking rock star when it comes to operations. However, in that same vein, myself and Shelby have never ever, ever been operations managers in corporate America. I've been an office manager in a dental practice. I've been a regional manager in a dental practice so I can do dentistry like with my eyes closed, but corporate America, when we're talking running a virtual company.   You have never have done that. So although I think that Shelby does amazing at what she does, I promise you, if I brought in a business coach, they'd probably look at our company and be like, Whoa, you guys need to put a few more systems into play. If you did this, this, and this, it'd probably be a lot easier. And Shelby and I would probably look at each other and giggle and high five and be like, well, sweet, now we know. Because we don't know even what that looks like. And I think that that's where so many doctors might think their office manager is like killer and amazing.   But it might be because you've never really worked with a true office manager that would literally like blow your mind. Same thing with office managers. You may never have even known what it should be like to be a true office manager or what things you should be doing. And I think that that's sometimes unfair for office managers too, because like Britt said, you're kind of thrown into the position, catch all be all. You now are office manager. Good luck. No training book out there for you. So here we go. So Britt, let's kind of dive into like you went from hygienist, clinical hygiene.   The Dental A Team (05:30.955) to office manager. So I feel like you really had a good learning curve and can really relate to this of like, what do office managers even do? Why is it important to have them, especially coming from a clinical side as well? For sure. And I think the biggest thing when it comes to office managers, because it is quite a catchall term, if I think about like, what's the thing that you really need to be successful as an office manager? And I think   being a problem solver is probably like way up there on the list because ultimately I need to learn how pretty much everything runs. I need to understand even if I don't know how to do dentistry, I need to kind of have an idea of what that doctor is doing so I can make sure things are running smoothly. And there's no way anyone's going to know all of that information from the get go.   So being able to really like gather information, problem solve, figure out what needs to be done, and then like systematize it so that things are getting done are huge. For sure. And I think it's like to do it simply as well, because so many office managers might see the problem, but then they might not actually solve it or alternatively, they're the solver for everything, which means the whole practice is rely on that one person. And then that person never gets anything done.   And it's like always a bottleneck around that one office manager. So I agree with you, Britt. You've got to, as an office manager, be able to solve problems quickly and empower a team and know what even needs to be done. What system could you put into play? And it's either you've been there, you worked with a lot of practices, you hire a coach, or it's like the school of hard knocks trying to figure it out on your own and hashtag Shelby and I are in the school of hard knocks right now. it's tricky. like   And we were looking, I literally have interviewed two different people for business coaches on operations just to help us out for the exact reason that we're talking about this, because we've never done it. We don't know. And so I love what you said, Britt. You've got to be a good problem solver. And I think building a plan that you can roll it out to the team. Shelby does a really great job of that. She's really fantastic at like, hey, here's the problem. I'm going to create a protocol, roll it out to the team. So it's very simple and then hold them accountable to it as well.   The Dental A Team (07:48.513) And your managers are often like your, your implementers, right? And that's Shelby does really well with is like, all right, once we've got an idea, we've got a solution. Like how do we actually put it into practice and make sure it's workable? Yeah. So I think it's like around problem solving is what they should be doing. And doctors, this doesn't mean you create the solutions for them and then they go implement. You can do it together, but oftentimes it should be, you can go, here's the problem.   Managers should be able to like, thank you, fantastic, I'll have an answer to you by Friday. And they've got a whole plan worked up of how they can solve it, who's going to be responsible. Here's the protocol and go and implement it from A to Z. Also think managers have to be really great communicators. And I would say fair and respected is a key, two key attributes of managers of being fair and being respected in the practice. So holding those accountability lines, holding your team to the standards and not playing favorites.   But really being able to see what every person should do and where, like what are the KPIs they should be held to and where is the gap in their skillset? And can that be coached up? Can that be trained? That way they can actually be operating at the highest level and they know what that level is so you can keep coaching them towards that. Mm -hmm, agreed. And I think along with that, it comes with KPIs and team members. You're the ultimate, like you need to kind of have   eyes on everything. doesn't mean you're in everything, but you've got either a KPI, a measurement, check -ins, like you've got your touch points to be able to know what's going on in the practice and be able to identify issues. And if you don't know what a KPI is and you're an office manager like I was, a KPI is a key performance indicator. And I've kind of coined it as like the vitals of the practice. So what's actually going to move your practice forward in the most simple vital pieces. So for example,   You better know your AR. If you don't know what AR is, AR is aging report. So how much money is sitting in unpaid either claims or patient balances? To me, that's a vital KPI of your billing because if we don't have strong collections, which is going to tell me about our AR, if we're not sitting at about a 98 % collection rate, guess what? We are not going to be able to pay bills. So we need to absolutely watch that. It doesn't mean the office manager has to be your biller. It just means office manager needs to have eyes over that.   The Dental A Team (10:11.885) and be able to know what the standards are and then help the team achieve that on a consistent basis, rather being like some months were low, some months were high, having more of that constant feed and understanding how those KPI dials are turned for every position and what they really need to do to get them to move forward. For sure. And that's where your problem solver hat comes on where it's like, all right, if this should be at 98 % and it's not happening,   then we need to dig in and find out what's going on. And then be okay to have the conversation with your team member. If the team members know this is going to tie back to office managers also have to be great at setting clear expectations that are held consistently. So if your collection ratio should be 98%, you need to be able to have those conversations with your billing team and find out why are we not at 98%. What are the problems there? And for me, I feel like as a manager,   Let's come in with a curious mindset, not a blaming mindset. I actually don't care why our collections are at 90%. I don't care whose fault it is. That's irrelevant to me. What I care about is this is the problem. We're at 90 % when we should be at 98%. Let's figure out what the root cause of that is. Let's create a system and a solution. My hunch is if you were sitting in a 98 % or a 90 % collection ratio, it's either we're not collecting over the counter.   We're not processing our claims cleanly. So they're coming back and I'm having to resubmit a bunch of them. Or this is usually the number one is that that biller is not actually taking the time to work the AR consistently. So some days they'll like get in there, work it, and then they'll go for two or three weeks and then they'll get back in there and work it. And we don't have a set process and pattern set up to ensure that our collections are always staying high. But that's what we're talking about. Like knowing the KPI, diving deep into it, creating a solution.   and then following back on it. And I think that that's so key of office managers. And to like loop from there, I think another key piece that office managers should do and know are practice numbers. Like you've got to have a little business savviness to you, which Britt, I'm super curious. How did you get your business like savviness within, we're talking like knowing overhead, knowing AR, knowing how you, like what you should be spending on supplies and labs. Like how did you learn that Britt from your?   The Dental A Team (12:31.821) It was a combination of two things. So one on the job and two, I did study healthcare administration. So I did hygiene school and then I studied healthcare administration. So I learned some of the business side and then my dental, dental specific metrics, I learned on the job from learning from other people and just really wanting to watch those numbers and know where I should be. because I like to know what I'm trying to achieve. I don't like to feel like I'm just wandering, even if I might be doing well.   So I wanted to find out where should I be at, what should I be meeting, what should I be reaching, what's healthy so that I could be confident in the job that I'm doing. Which I think is brilliant because for me, remember feeling as I had my first office management job, I always felt like I was seven days behind. Like I felt like no matter how fast I was running, no matter how hard I was running, I could never catch up. Like it just felt like a drowning.   like downward spiral I was constantly in. And honestly, the reason why I feel like I was always there is because I didn't know what numbers I should be watching. I didn't know the business metrics whatsoever. And had I known those, I could have easily been proactively solving problems versus reactively doing it. Like I was like, shoot, we don't have a team member. I should place an ad. And I always felt like I was in this shoot moment of like, I didn't check in with a hygienist. Now I've got two ticked off hygienists because I didn't talk to them.   we aren't even having team meetings, so we're not hitting our goals. we haven't even been doing insurance verification. It was just always reactive problems because I didn't even know the numbers to be watching to proactively be solving those problems. Yep. And then there's also the net like overhanging stress. I know a lot of our doctors that are learning more the business size or newer to practice ownership, they just feel like so stressed because they don't know what they don't know. And they just don't know what numbers to look at to feel confident or not.   And so learning those numbers, either taking courses, like reach out to us, know, getting the resources you need to know what you should be watching, even just to diminish your overall stress. Cause I'll say, if I'm stressing about an unknown, like that stress is going to continue. But if I know what the issue is and I know how to fix it, I'm actually going to stress less about that thing. For sure. Even if it's a bad number, because you know, if it's a bad number. Yeah.   The Dental A Team (14:51.309) So Britt, what are some of those like, let's dive into as an office manager, I feel like it's super important. We'll kind of just do a rift. have no, I have nothing in front of me. You might have something. This is just like off the top of my head. as an office manager, I think it's super important to one know your overhead because your overhead is going to you know the profitability of your practice. And if you're not profitable, doctor is going to be freaking out of their mind because they don't know if they have money or not.   I actually don't care what your revenue number is. I actually care about what your profitability of the practices, because that's going to tell me, do you have positive cashflow or negative cashflow? I also think it's important to know. So we're going to overhead, then we're going to go into our collections. So your collection should be at 98%. And so within that overhead, we strive in the Dental A Team to have our practices sitting at least a 50 % overhead, excluding doctor salaries. So that means everything that it takes.   to get a practice running. we're talking payroll, utilities, rent, supplies, labs, overtime, all of those things that should be 50 % or less every month. So if your practice that produces a hundred thousand a month, you should be $50 ,000 or less a month on those, all the things that take to operate a business. Then we try to have our doctor salaries around a 30%. So meaning if it's a hundred thousand, 30 ,000 is going out for doctor salaries.   which then should leave us with about a $20 ,000 if it's a hundred thousand, 20 % should be sitting as quote unquote profit. Now that profit's also going to pay things like our debts. So if we have a comb beam and we're paying on that, but for me, I don't really love to have that. I like that comb beam debt to actually go in my overhead. And that's how I actually operate as a business. I know I'm not like a financial guru guys, but I will tell you it's very stressful if I don't put that comb beam expense into my overhead expense and I'm pulling it out of my profit.   Because for me, I don't like to see that. like to have actually profit leftover at the end of the month with no more bills needing to be paid. Again, I'm no, no business guru, but for me, I hate the stress of like, great, we did so good, but I have all these extra bills that I didn't calculate in there, like student loans and things like that. I get that that might not be part of the office manager's thing, but as doctors, I personally like to have that in there and strive to have at least a 50 to 60 % overhead, including those. Britt, what about for you? Anything you want to add, change?   The Dental A Team (17:08.016) It's okay if we have differing opinions on it, because I like people to know all viewpoints of whatever works best. No, I think you hit some great points. I'm going to tag along to that because you said, right, doctors may know some of these numbers, office managers may not know all these numbers. That can be, I feel like kind of like a funky zone sometimes on what information is going to be shared. I would really encourage doctors to give their office managers access to the numbers that they impact.   which would be, think, your payroll, 100%. I should know what percent of my overhead is in my payroll for my team, because I'm usually managing hours. I'm managing overtime and making decisions that are gonna impact that number. Dental supplies, for sure, because whoever's ordering, I should be making sure they've got a budget, and if they're not in budget, then we should definitely be problem solving that. Office supplies, for sure, I've got direct control over that to see how we're using things, whether we're in budget or not.   Marketing is another one. How much are we spending on marketing? That's something I could impact, right? And that might be a doctor office manager that we team up on it. But I'm going to watch all of those invoices from my lab a lot closer and any remakes or issues that we deal with and really fight for that money if I know I'm having an impact and especially if I know that we're over budget on it. Right. Because I think so many doctors are scared to give office managers access to the numbers. But reality is, I'm going to just pivot this. If an office manager doesn't know what   they can or should like what they can and what they should be overseeing. How do you expect them to change it? They don't know. And if they don't understand, like you can give them pieces of, Britt, marketing needs to be $5 ,000 or less. Well, what if you have a really down month? Britt's going to target on that $5 ,000 because that's what you told her to spend. But if you told her like, hey, company standards and industry standards are that we spend 2 % on marketing.   So you can look at this every single month of whatever we collected and build 2 % off of that and get a budget. I personally think people are savvier than we think they are. They might not understand the entire picture, but the more you give them pieces, instantly light bulbs will click for them. And they'll be like, I get it now. I understand marketing can only be 2 % because I'm paying 35 % in payroll. That means we're not going to be at 50 % if I add all these percentages up.   The Dental A Team (19:27.396) So it really helps people. And I think it's important, office managers, if you're not a numbers person, you must learn to become a numbers person. Like bottom line period, you have to, you are technically running a business. Yes, you are managing the staff and the morale as well, but you're managing a business and usually it's in the multi -millions, which means you got to be a pretty savvy business owner as well. So thinking like that, thinking like an owner and doctors, it's okay to expect that because then they're working hand in hand with you.   versus working against you or you're having to create all the solutions when if you gave them the numbers and the information that they can impact, they could actually create solutions that you may never have met. And I will tell you coming with Shelby, Shelby had zero business background to her. We've taught her how to look at the PNL and what those numbers mean. I've taught her how to review it to see any extra expenses. I've taught her what our overhead should be. So she literally looks at it and today she caught, she's like, Hey,   We have two people that are supposed to be podcasting with you, but they're sponsors and they haven't paid their sponsorships to help us with our summit. Should we have them on the podcast? Guys, I had no idea these people hadn't paid, but because Shelby knew the numbers and she knew the areas she should be managing, she caught those errors that I probably would never have seen delivering free services. That's not a super good business. So I think having managers who are on your side, working hand in hand with you really can help you also have a much like easier stress fee practice and knowing those numbers can   eliminate a lot of that stress for doctors and office managers. For sure. And I think that it also just improves morale and communication because it can be a disconnect real easy. And office managers, members, right? All we want to do is help our doctor, right? And we want to help you succeed. But if we don't know how to help you, it can be more frustrating. So just sharing that information really can make a big difference. I agree. And to the point of like, don't be afraid.   of sharing the numbers with your team, like Britt said, and I love that she's a second, like, you know, backing me on this. Honestly, I didn't care what my doctor's goals were. I never once have cared what their goals were, what the profitability was. Like I truly did not care. Never once did I think like, this doctor is spending so much money and they want to buy a boat. Like guys, literally those thoughts never once crossed my mind because at the end of the day, I loved my job. I loved my doctor and I loved my patients. And that's why I was working. I didn't care.   The Dental A Team (21:50.916) What the goal was, just tell me what your goal is and I'll figure it out and how we can hit it. So that's where I feel like so many people are so scared because they have preconceived notions of judgment that really isn't being passed. so realize your team's here to help you. So give them the tools to help them out and then expect them to help you. Like doctors and office manager will literally change your life. They will make your life so much easier if you have a true office manager. Office managers listening to this, kind of do a quick check list and see, you creating solutions to the problems?   Are you taking that stress off of your doctors? Are you proactively finding the problems and creating solutions to them before your doctor comes to you? If your doctor comes to you and asks you a question, don't take that as a negative. Take that as like, Ooh, I should put that in my monthly review. So I don't forget to look at these items so I can proactively look for these things. Constantly be refining yourself of how can you do more and more and more to alleviate your doctor's stress? At the end of the day, it would be a dreamy world if doctors could walk in, prep teeth,   do exams and take off and give you the vision of what they want their practice to do. And office managers being able to manage everything, have a profitable practice, have happy team members. Like that to me is the ideal office manager. Britt, what about for you? What would your ideal office manager be in your best case scenario? Yeah, I think that ultimately, like you said, the office manager really keeps things moving, keeps things running.   doctor like, yep, there may be chiming in on some high level decisions, we're touching base so they're aware of what's going on, but really the manager is keeping things moving, which does mean, yeah, you're running a business, you're HR, you're kind of everything all in one. It's one thing that I loved about the job is because my days were always different and I got to do a variety of things so that I didn't get bored. And so just...   embrace that. Don't kind of hunker down in your office and just, you know, try to stick to doing like one simple thing. Be out amongst your team, make sure things are running, really make sure you are that leader that's keeping things moving forward and supporting your doctor so that they can, you know, do the dentistry, really be there for our patients and not have to be distracted by other things going on in the office. Amen. I think it's just like this is what an office manager doctor relationship should be. And I would say   The Dental A Team (24:08.962) Know thyself and be free. I think that there are some people who should not be office managers and I say that with the absolute most respect. I will be completely frank. I don't think I was the best office manager. I don't think I was. And the reason why is I was climbing the totem pole thinking office management was the end all be all like that's the top of my chain of where I can go. Guys, I wasn't the best manager. I, Britt will attest to this. I don't actually care for details. I do not care for managing people. Liz, thank heavens bless her soul.   She will literally email candidates that I don't want to hire and tell them that we're not interested. Like, thank you, Liz, for doing that. I hate having those hard conversations. That's just not my world. The world I love to live in. I love business. love vision. I love creating ideas and having a team execute them for me. I do not like the minutia of like, okay, let me set up this system. So I would say like, doctors, if you're looking to see who to hire, you want to hire somebody who loves to implement.   They don't need to create all the big vision ideas. Doctors, should most likely be you. You create the vision for the practice. You want a manager who loves to implement. They love to see the processes of how can I implement this very simply. The day I brought a Shelby in was a game changing day in my life because I didn't have to do it anymore. So I'd say like office managers check yourself. Like, do you enjoy doing that? Britt, I think you're a fantastic manager. Like tell us like as we paint a picture of   an ideal manager, what are some of the skillsets that you feel like you have or ones that you've seen in other great managers that you feel is really important for an office manager personality that really thrives in management versus just surviving because it's the title that they have? Yeah. And I think you're hitting on a key point already, which is I did not care for a title.   I am aware enough to know that anyone in a management or leadership role puts more blood, sweat and tears into any job or company than anyone else on the team. Right. And that's just an expectation as a leader and it's going to happen. And so that's a requirement. I went into management because I knew that I could do more good. I hope people heard that. Like as a manager, you will put in more hours and more blood, sweat and tears than any other person on the team.   The Dental A Team (26:24.772) period. And so many managers are like, I want to pay raise. I want to be the one who makes the decisions. Like there are success taxes to being in that position. And it is not all glory. There is a lot of hard work. And if that's not what you want to do, don't become a manager. keep going. agree. Yeah. And so it's really those people who get more fulfillment about having an impact and seeing other people grow. think that succeed the most as managers and just as leaders. Cause ultimately   I think my success as a manager is dependent on my ability to lead my team members, which is to be able to get movement, get change, encourage them and to help them become their best. If I can do those things, then I'm going to be successful as a manager. And so I think for me, like those are some of the things that like our top qualities and really understanding what it takes to be a manager. And if you're doing it just for like the role or the title.   I think both you and your team are going to be really unhappy. For sure. And that's why I say like, know thyself and be free. And there's a great book by Patrick Lanziani called The Motive. Check to see if your motives for being in leadership are true leadership. Because I think so often we believe like, well, this is, this is great. I can say that I'm a manager of these practices, but honestly guys, I freaking hate managing. If you want to like, torture me, make me manage people. I do not enjoy it.   Do I enjoy being a leader of a business and having the vision and growing and inspiring a team that way? Absolutely yes. But the day in day out, no, thank you. And I had to realize that is not my natural born skillset of my zone of genius. And that's okay. There are other positions. For example, running a consulting company, I never would have guessed would be at my alley, but I realized I don't want to be a manager. That's not something I enjoy doing, even though I liked the title and potentially the pay of it. Like guys.   Don't worry, I will never be your office manager because I would never like, you could not pay me enough to come back in and manage your practice. Could I do it very well? The answer is yes. Can I have those hard conversations? The answer is yes, but that's not my natural go -to. So find a manager who their natural go -to is more around Brittany's personality and her style because Britt loved to lead and guide. Britt, I feel like you ran a very successful practice. I watch you even with your teams and you're able to guide and navigate so well. And I would say that's what a manager should be able to do.   The Dental A Team (28:49.474) A manager is going to put in that effort. Like Britt, you went and took extra classes because you were gleaning and looking for ways to grow to the next level. And you genuinely find pleasure in organizing things into simple processes. Like that is what you like. If you could do it, I feel like you would just do that all day long. Like, perfect. Let's take this problem, organize it, create a go to the next one. Like, here we go. Next one, next one, next one. And I think that's really what you should look for with a manager. So those are my two cents. Britt, any other things you want to add on to?   a practice looking for a manager or why they should have a manager or any other pieces around office management you want to add on to this? Yep. I'm going to put a little like personal plug in for the quieter, because I would be one of those that probably some people who knew me, depending on what practice I was in, would be like, no, she wouldn't be a manager. Or like, yeah, she's a great employee and super reliable, but probably not leadership. Sometimes you never know until you try.   So if you're one of those people that like you can communicate really well and you have the passion and the care for leading others and for solving problems and maybe just that confidence or not being as outspoken is kind of the struggle, try it out because I, in my opinion, and I'm a little partial, those are some great leaders. They're just hidden and you just need to cultivate the leaders a little bit and give them some confidence and you'll be amazed at what they can do.   I would agree. And guys, we at the Dental A Team work with hundreds of managers and I will tell you, there are some practices that have great managers and some practices who do not have them. And I will say the manager really is going to guide and lead your ship. so make sure you put somebody who's a really good leader in there. It's crazy. Like even Southwest, they have a new CEO and I will tell you, you can tell that there's somebody different in leadership based on the experience you have there. So you can always tell, and it's a hundred percent directive of that leader. So,   Reach out to us. We're happy to help you. We're happy to help you. I've helped plenty of offices hire managers. I've helped lots of doctors know how to work with their managers. And I will say doctors, one of the biggest pieces of advice I can give you is give the expectations and then get out of their way. So often we think because we are the boss or the leader or the owner that our job is to always give the direction, always give the focus. And we're very afraid of giving up control.   The Dental A Team (31:07.45) That is the number one way to destroy a manager's confidence and also to make your life a living hell. So just give them the expectations, get out of their way and communicate with them consistently on, yep, this is great. No, want this changed and have a really open dialogue with your manager and watch to see how much less stressed you are, how much more freedom you have and how much they blossom as a leader as well, because you got out of their way to allow them to be great. Agreed.   That's all we got guys. So if you want help email us [email protected]. If you want to pick Britt's brain on how to be an awesome office manager, fantastic. If you want to pick my brain on how I could utilize my skills and maximize them, but also some of the things that I didn't enjoy as a manager and to look out for, we're always here to help. So anyway, we can help you please reach out to us. [email protected]. think Britt and I bring a really solid, like doctor office manager duo.   Britt and I will always, she'll call me up and say, care. I've got a doctor who's a so like a total visionary. What would you do? And I'll say, Hey Britt, I've got a manager. What would you do? So I think we're a good, like two sides to the coin here as well. So please like reach out if we can help you guys. and also if you have that quieter office manager, Britt has trained up a lot of fantastic managers in her time working with us. So reach out. We're always here to help you and Britt, thanks for your insights today. It was a, it was a great podcast. love doing it with you today. Yeah, this is a fun one.   All right, guys, as always, thank you for listening and we'll catch you next time on the Dental A Team Podcast. And that wraps it up for another episode of the Dental A Team Podcast. Thank you so much for listening and we'll talk to you next time.  

Tiff and Britt discuss ways a practice can make sure their new patients are sticking around, including the importance of gaining feedback from those folks who are leaving and double-checking there’s a chain of accountability in the first place. Episode resources: Reach out to Kiera and Britt Tune Into DAT’s Monthly Webinar Practice Momentum Group Consulting Subscribe to The Dental A-Team podcast Become Dental A-Team Platinum! Review the podcast Transcript: The Dental A Team (00:02.16) Hello, everyone. I am back again today with the one and only brilliant Brit. I have coined her new name and it's sticking it's gonna fit. Add it to the list. She's got about 15 of them. So your 16th name brilliant Brit. Thank you for being back with me today. I am on pod nine. just recorded another podcast that I cannot actually wait to release to the whole world here because I love The Dental A Team (00:26.852) when we can dive into stats and numbers. So Britt, thank you so much for being here with me today and recording these with me. I'm excited for this one as well. How are you? How are you doing? How's life? How's the world of brilliant Britt?   Britt (00:39.03) I mean, I'm here with Spiffy Tiffy, so it's a good time.   The Dental A Team (00:42.074) That's fair. That's fair. That's fair. I can't believe how well that name stuck. comes on a just so everyone knows. When my anniversary comes around every year, I get something marked some sort of memorabilia marked with Spiffy Tiffy. And they haven't let my even though our caricatures are gone. If you've never seen our caricatures, you need to go do some Dental A Team digging. They're out there somewhere. And this year's came with my character because they know   Britt (00:51.573) Yeah.   The Dental A Team (01:10.339) that Spiffy Tiffy Care for sure cannot die. So thanks for reminding me of that, Brit.   Britt (01:13.218) Definitely not. And it's one of the best nicknames, so it's a good one and it fits you so well.   The Dental A Team (01:17.23) you   The Dental A Team (01:20.749) thank you. Thank you. I feel like I have an easier name to rhyme with. you know, brilliant, Britt. I like it. Awesome. Well, thank you for all of that. Today, I wanted to chat new patients. And in the dental industry, we focus a lot of attention on new patients. And we focus a lot of attention on new patient acquisition. But it's something that I've noticed with a lot of my clients recently.   Britt (01:26.136) Yeah.   Britt (01:29.992) Thank   The Dental A Team (01:48.556) I've done a really big focus this year for all of my clients on their active patient count and just making sure that that's continuously growing because I just don't think that there's enough emphasis put on that on the business side of practice ownership. So I've been really working with my practices on that this year. Part of that is looking at those new patients, that acquisition, but then also are they staying, are new patients returning? And I don't think that that's something   we're constantly watching. We'll watch active patient count, new patient acquisition, and sometimes practices are watching their attrition. So what patients have left from their active patient count and looking to see with that, you guys are gonna look at, Your new patients minus your attrition gives you your actual active patient, like additions, right? Your actual new patients acquired, but you're not gonna notice that those new patients   are not coming back likely until six months later when they should be coming in. If they randomly end up on some sort of follow up someone decided to do because they don't actually have re care in the system because there should have been SRP or in 18 months when they fall off as a nutrition patient and they're no longer your active patient count. So not watching that in between to me is like, I don't know, I, it actually makes me think of when I order off of Amazon so often.   that I forget that I ordered something and it never came. That's what it feels like to me when you pay for a new patient, and you're not making sure that they're coming back. It's like ordering off of Amazon, forgetting you ordered it and never noticing that they took your money and didn't give you the product, which doesn't happen often. But I have had it happen where orders are delayed, orders are delayed. And I have to request it like sometimes you have to work for that stuff. It's not just as easy as a click.   That's what our new patients are like. So when we're paying to acquire these new patients, and we're working really hard to get them in the schedule, you guys, making sure that they're coming back is going to be huge. Britt, I chatted with you about this like five minutes ago. You have a ton of really great ideas on that. You know, my space is always like, well, relationships, if they love you, they'll come back and like we could dive into that forever. But there's a million podcasts on that. I actually really loved the ideas that you have wrapped around   The Dental A Team (04:12.971) how to make sure how we're tracking it, how to ensure that they're coming back and how to make them really value that space. So I would love to hear when you're working with clients or in the past when you worked with more clients, you guys, she's not up for grabs, okay, I'm just gonna put that out there. She's brilliant, is behind the scenes. But when you were working with clients before and what you see a lot of the other consultants doing, what are like top three spaces, top three ways   Britt (04:28.17) Thank   The Dental A Team (04:41.874) you think a practice could do really well in making sure that those acquired new patients stay.   Britt (04:46.926) Yeah, I love your analogy on Amazon because I think we've all come that person either like that we don't recognize it doesn't come or something shows up and you're like, huh, what is that? And that's when I know I have a problem sometimes. good, good analogy. think number one, I'll start with like being aware, right? So how many new patients are we getting and what's our attrition rate? How many patients did we see 18 months ago?   The Dental A Team (04:49.962) Thanks.   The Dental A Team (05:00.765) Yep. Yep, agreed.   Britt (05:14.21) that have not returned for an appointment, think is a reality check for everyone to see, do you have more new patients than you're losing? Do you have about the same, so we're running like even, or are we not even getting as many new patients as we're losing so that we know where we're at? And then I think some of the tips, you probably hear all the time, make sure everybody leaves with an appointment.   Make sure everybody leaves with an appointment. like, number one, that's it. Hygiene, everyone should be leaving with appointments so that they don't fall off this, like fall off our radar. Cause then we've all got to just work to try to get them scheduled. They have to try to remember to get themselves scheduled. So that's number one. I think number two is going to be making sure that we have some sort of recare reminder for those ones that fall through, that fall off the schedule.   We're doing texts, we're doing emails, calls if we need to. There's some sort of system around Recare to make sure that those patients are coming back and are getting back on the schedule, I think is huge. And my number three is anyone who's leaving the practice or doesn't come back, I want feedback. If they're moving, fine, no problem. Like if they're willing to give me feedback, I want anything so we know if there's a problem happening for why we're losing our patients. So we can fix those things and retain as many people as possible.   The Dental A Team (06:30.927) Yeah, I think that's fantastic. And that feedback, you guys can come in the form of like Google reviews for sure. We always want to push Google reviews. But then also to my, to my phones team is what I'm going to call it. Whoever's answering calls or making calls, really being diligent when a patient says, no, we don't want to schedule or no, I'm okay right now. And really asking the hard questions of, know, can I ask why you're not returning? It's really   important to our practice to ensure that we're top notch and that we're doing everything we can for our patients. So just want to know, we miss the mark somewhere? Are you, you know, are you moving? Like, can I just ask why you're not returning? Just asking that question being open for feedback and then not getting defensive, right? For sure not getting defensive. Don't take it personally. It's not you. Okay, it's a system. It's a it's a system problem in the practice if we're losing patience for anything other than like them moving and   I've had I've even had patients where they're like, actually, my son just graduated dental school. So like, we're going here. I'm like, my gosh, for sure. Absolutely. Totally understand. So asking for that feedback can be a little bit uncomfortable, but it's super important, especially you guys, when we have new patients that aren't scheduling back. A lot of times they're overwhelmed. They feel they can't afford it. They feel maybe they didn't get the time that they deserve. They don't understand their treatment plan like   really digging into those things because there's a lot I think for it when you're asking for that feedback, and you get feedback like that, that's an opportunity to be like, my gosh, I would hate to know that you you go into the world to any other dental practice and go confused. Like, can I at least can I take a couple of minutes with you and really dive into it and answer any unanswered questions that you might have? Whether you stay with us or not, I want to make sure I do my due diligence and you have the information.   that really like that vulnerability I feel like really makes a person like, okay, show me what you got. And it can save a big save a patient, I've done it, I've saved patients that way. But regardless, I think our reason for being here is to ensure that people are healthier when they leave than when they came in. And even if that means a patient going to get a second opinion or going to another office and they get the treatment done somewhere else, at least you know, at night when you go to bed, you took your time.   The Dental A Team (08:51.074) and you took their time to make sure that they understood. So, Britt, I think that's brilliant. And that follow -up kind of goes into like asking for the reason for leaving has to come from a phone call that was initiated most of the time that patients are not calling our practices and being like, hey, by the way, I'm moving. So please cancel my account. Like I'm not coming back. They don't think about the dentist, right? Or, hey, you made me upset and I'm not comfortable there. So I'm not coming back.   Britt (09:03.458) and   The Dental A Team (09:20.803) just FYI, I'm going over here. Like they're not gonna call and tell you 99 .9 % of the time. The way that we get there is with follow -ups. So Britt mentioned making sure that patients always have an appointment when they leave, making sure that we're doing our due diligence on follow -up if they don't schedule that appointment or if they fall off for whatever reason. So we're calling on re -care, but then Britt also there's the side of the treatment follow -up. And I think we think treatment and we think doctor.   Britt (09:44.992) you   The Dental A Team (09:48.211) When are they getting the crown done? What about that implant? What about that ortho? Like all of these pieces, but what about that SRP you guys? How many patients, how many new patients fall off the radar because you guys, your systems aren't automatically putting them on re -care. They're not coming up automatically on your re -care if they didn't get their pro -fee. So they leave no pro -fee, no re -care setup. They need SRP and then they're not getting called. And then   Britt (09:54.732) Mm -hmm.   The Dental A Team (10:17.452) two years later, they're like, Hey, and we're like, you're basically a new patient, like I've been seen there and I want my cleaning. Now like this pickle is conundrum and it happens all the time. So making sure we're doing our due diligence there as well. Britt, what do you do? Or what did you what do you do for your clients? Like what do you suggest for that kind of follow up so that those SRP patients are limited or you know, perimenopathy, full maltebrate, like all of those patients, how do you make sure that they don't fall off the radar?   Britt (10:47.598) Yeah, so hygiene treatment is just the same as doctor treatment, right? So you're gonna wanna follow your 2 -2 -2. So two days, two weeks, two months.   Like Tiff said, if someone's not scheduling, ask the hard questions. I can only provide solutions or work through it or help them in any way if I understand where they're coming from and what's going on, what's the true reason why they're not scheduling. So try to answer the question, solve it then if you can. If they still don't schedule, then set it up that like, hey, is it OK if I give you a call in a couple of days just to follow up, answer any other questions you have? So genuine concern for, like Tiff said, I want them to get the treatment taken care of. Wherever it is, I want   them to feel like they've got a place that cares about them, that they get the treatment taken care of and take care of their oral health, and that we're following up. And we're going to continue that follow -up two days, two weeks, two months. And then at two months, I want to make sure they've got something scheduled for their next visit. So if they need scaling and route planning and they haven't done it yet, what solutions can we come up with? If we don't have a solution for that, then at least schedule their next exam if we're not going to do something else. Make sure it's really clear if they can't do that right now. We want them to do something   But we want to make sure they're coming back so we can make sure no other issues arise and we have a chance to have a conversation to talk to them about the thing that they haven't gotten done, answer questions, make sure they know what's needed and walk them through it so they don't just get lost and never get that thing taken care of.   The Dental A Team (12:12.095) Mm hmm. Yeah, beautiful. I love it. I love it. So making sure our new patients are returning is really going to come down to the scheduling and the follow up you guys and like we said in the beginning, you're going to see it in the attrition eventually, but I don't know about you. I don't want to wait 18 months to see if my money that I spent to acquire a new patient actually worked. And I don't I give like 50 % credit to a new patient number.   Britt (12:40.802) Hmm   The Dental A Team (12:41.661) Like it's a new patient today, but are we still, are we maintaining that patient? So really watching those numbers is super important. And I'm going to just reach out to the practice owners here, the doctors, the dentists, and just say, you guys, it is your job to make sure that your team understands what their job is. And if they don't understand that our job is to make sure that our patients are healthier.   and that means caring about their health, and we do that with these systems in place, that goes back to leadership, that goes back to practice ownership, and it goes back to making sure that everything is super clear for all of the positions within your practice. So I would look at the different positions, not the people, the positions in your practice, and look at who, which position would be best.   to take on this kind of a role. Like who's making sure that our new patients are coming back? Who's making sure that the treatment follow -up is there, that re -care follow -up is there? Who's making sure patients are leaving with appointments? And who's the buck stops here? Because if my hygienists are responsible for scheduling their next appointment, but a patient comes up and they don't have that appointment, is someone at check -out checking that? Is our front desk team equipped to really take a look at that and know   check for an appointment, listen in the handoff, do our handoffs, talk about that. Like where is the accountability set up and what's the process there? Because it's really easy. I'm gonna tell you right now as like a one man team, right? It's really easy as one person for that to be my responsibility and no, it's a job that I dislike. Maybe it takes a little bit of time and nobody's actually gonna ask me if it's happened. And when the schedule falls apart, I'm like, I don't know.   Britt (14:34.188) Yeah.   The Dental A Team (14:34.48) Well, the schedule fell apart, right? Because there's no accountability attached to it. didn't actually do the re -care calls I was supposed to. And now it's hard to get patients into the schedule. So that was my soapbox for practice owners. Please make sure that your team knows what's expected of them. And that also means like these follow -ups are happening because you're paying for these new patients and I want you to make sure that they're staying. So Britt, you said patients never leave without an appointment.   Britt (14:48.002) you   The Dental A Team (15:04.55) We're doing our due diligence on re -care and we're getting the feedback. So re -care and follow -up, we're gonna tie those two together. So re -care follow -up and diagnosed treatment follow -up, that also counts SRP, you guys, that gets lost in the shuffle very, very often. And then getting that feedback from patients so that we can address systems when they need to be addressed and make sure that things are flowing the way we need them to. Now, flipping from like easy implementable, easy to see,   Britt (15:06.936) Mm   The Dental A Team (15:34.467) Now you're going to flip and I'm going to talk like relationships. I think that this is huge. And I think this is the foundation of really getting patients into your practice. We work really hard at new patient acquisition, at new patient phone calls, making sure that everything's set and it's beautiful for a new patient. But what about when they're no longer a new patient? They've come in today, had their new patient appointment. They're no longer a new patient anymore.   What does that relationship look like? Are you maintaining that level of relationship, that level of customer service that you have for a new patient being acquired? Are you maintaining that for the patients thereafter once they're not new patients anymore? Because that is really easy to feel and it's very easy to see and it's very easy to lose patients out the back door. So way back to the beginning when I said paying attention to your active patient count, you guys, if you're   If your attrition is high or near your new patient acquired number, you're likely needing to look at that relationship piece and look at what the patient experiences after having become a new patient. I would hate to leave this unsaid and see doctors out there trying to see 80 new patients a month just to impact their active patient count.   when you likely could be doing something around 25 to 40 new patients a month, plus maintaining an active patient count through your re -care, through your treatment follow -up and having a profitable company. If all of those systems, foundational systems are in place. I really like 40 at top 40 to 45, maybe some of my high producing doctors and like efficient doctors can cut that. But I really, really like   40 or less, 25 to 30 really, but up to 40 new patients per full -time doctor provider max, because you're gonna lose out on a lot of pieces after that. That's a whole nother conversation, but making sure that those new patients are staying is gonna be really tracking those numbers. You're gonna track active patient count, attrition, case acceptance, diagnosis amount, and obviously your new patient number.   Britt (17:39.711) Thank   The Dental A Team (17:55.766) Now, Britt, what's something that you've seen, you've been into a lot of practices in person and what's something that you've seen that just stands out to you on like this office is stellar. There are new patients, there are re -care patients, like just their patients walking through the door feel like family, whether they're brand new or whether they've been here for years. What's something that really stands out to you that makes you feel that way when you walk into a practice?   Britt (18:19.66) Yeah, some key pieces, right? And to keep in mind, I love that you said, right, that new patients and returning patients, right? What's that experience? They don't feel a shift. They feel just as important. Today is the first time they came to our office, even if it's years later, if not more important, because we know them a little bit better. So with that, think some key pieces are some of my awesome practices that are so warm. They greet their patients really well from the get -go, right? On the phone and when they walk into the practice,   Like they are genuinely acknowledged and people are excited to have them there. It's not a burden, it's not a problem. They're excited to have them. They greet them well and they try to be really efficient with the patient's time and be respectful. I think these days, right, time is important to everybody.   Yes, some people like to come and chat with us and spend time, but most people want to be efficient. They want to have a good time while they're there and they want to get on to their next thing. So being efficient with their time and communicating really well about what's going on when it comes to treatment, when it comes to finances, communication is really big and making sure that they're acknowledged, right? We try not to really leave them alone. We try to get them in and out and be efficient and not make them feel like they've been left or forgotten at any point within their experience.   The Dental A Team (19:29.525) you.   The Dental A Team (19:37.161) Yeah, I agree. I love that. think you're like, you hit the nail on the head with that, like warm, that warm welcome over the phone or in person. think you guys know, you just feel that energy and you can feel when someone being genuine. And when someone genuinely knows how to do their job, what their expectations are, and how they can win is when they're really genuine with the patient base. So I love that. Okay. So   Making sure your new patients are sticking you guys you need to start tracking some things or looking at items that maybe you're already tracking. Active patient account, attrition, new patient numbers, and your case acceptance and make sure that you guys have so I want you to pull those items start looking at them start digging into those trends and then I want you to make sure that you have a re care system in place and an unscheduled treatment system in place that really works. We like the 222 like Britt talked about.   If you want info on that, can email in [email protected]. We would be happy to send it over to you. It's a quick form. If you want training on it, reach out to us. We train the practices every single day on things just like this. So let us know how we can help you, but I want you to track those items. Start watching for those trends. Start digging into the systems that are creating the trends and then make sure you have a good solid re -care system and a good solid unscheduled treatment system. And someone is responsible for both of those.   with accountability attached. So someone else is making sure that they happen or helping with it as well. Britt, thank you so much for your time today. I truly appreciate it. I value your input so much. You are a stellar consultant and a rock star administrative piece to this company and you have impacted so many lives. So thank you so much for being here with me today. I value you and your brilliant Britt brain. Thank you. Yeah.   Britt (21:32.376) Yeah, well, always good to be here with you, I like when Tiff gets on her soapbox. She's always got good things to share. So you better listen up when Tiff starts going, because she's got something good. And Tiff is such a huge relationship piece with people, right? She trains teams on it all the time. And that really, right, people remember how you make them feel. So when it comes to patients, even if they're not there for long, and even if it's a scary place, they're going to remember you. So make sure you give them a good impression. That lasts a long time and builds loyalty big time.   The Dental A Team (21:59.888) Awesome, thank you. I love that. All right, go get the feedback, go do the hard things, go do the easy things and reach out to us, [email protected] anytime you need and we'll catch you next time.

Rereleasing one of DAT’s most popular episodes! Did you know there’s a direct correlation between a perfect handoff and your case acceptance? Kiera explains in this episode, sharing perspectives from both doctors and hygienists. Remember the ICRP method? She touches on that, and gives pro tips on upping that case acceptance through handoffs. Episode resources: Reach out to Kiera Tune Into DAT’s Monthly Webinar Practice Momentum Group Consulting Subscribe to The Dental A-Team podcast Become Dental A-Team Platinum! Review the podcast Transcript: The Dental A Team (00:05.806) Hey everyone, welcome to the Dental A Team podcast. I'm your host, Kiera Dent, and I had this crazy idea that maybe I could combine a doctor and a team member's perspective, because let's face it, dentistry can be a challenging profession with those two perspectives. I've been a dental assistant, treatment coordinator, scheduler, filler, office manager, regional manager, practice owner, and I have a team of traveling consultants where we have traveled to over 165 different offices coaching teams. Yep, we don't just understand you, we are you.   Our mission is to positively impact the world of dental. And I believe that this podcast is the greatest way I can help elevate teams, grow VIP experiences, reduce stress, and create A -Teams. Welcome to the Dental A -Team Podcast.   The Dental A Team (00:51.246) Hello, Dental A Team listeners. This is Kiera and you guys. Happy day to you. I hope it's a great day. I hope you're having a ton of fun. I just hope you're loving life. I really do. And if it's a rough day, just know I'm giving you a virtual hug. It's going to be all right. Things always work out. I had somebody ask me the other day, said, Kiera, why is life so hard? I said, life is hard because we're not willing to accept that maybe our life looks different than what we were planning on it looking like. It's hard because we're resisting what's actually happening.   I've had that. I've had my whole identity shaken. I've had just some rough, rough things in life. And I think all of us have. I think that that's what makes us human. But I think at the end of the day, when you can look at life and say, you know what? I choose to love life. I choose to be happy. I choose to see the best in this. I choose to accept that life is happening for me and not to me. That's when a perspective changes and all of us have that opportunity. So I hope.   I hope that today is just a good day for you. hope that you choose that perspective to see that life is happening for you and not to you. It's growing you where you ultimately want to grow. It's pushing you. might not feel great, but it's pushing you where you ultimately want to go. All right. That's Kiera just a little like, hey, sending you some love in this world. So today's topic is nothing to do with that.   all about hygiene handoffs and why they're important to case acceptance. Yep. Super sexy, exciting. I hope you're ready. I hope you're just like, yep, let's do this. but hygiene handoffs guys, don't think we realize how much the hygiene department impacts case acceptance. Hi, Jenis, you are awesome. You help us so much. I, you guys, we've done quite a few podcasts around the hygiene department. So today we're going to dive into the hygiene department even more so. And with this hygiene department, first of all, we've done, what would doctor do?   And I just had somebody reach out and ask me, how do we really get this? What would doctor do? We just did a podcast on it. you've got to block it in your schedule. I recommend doing it for four weeks and I recommend doing it case study wise. So round Robin. And if you don't know what the heck I'm talking about, go listen to that podcast, but that's just kind of a follow -up. Somebody reached out, asked me how to do this and then make sure that your doctors. Doctors, I've got to give you a huge tip on this. Please don't try to make our life hard like you did in dental school.   The Dental A Team (03:06.19) We understand that every FMX has about 75 ,000 different treatment plans that you all dentists will create. We understand that. What we need to know in this, what would doctor do exercise is what you normally will diagnose. I understand that that tooth might be a filling. It might be a crown. It might be a root canal. It might be an implant and it might be a bridge. I'm well aware of that, but please doctors for everything lovely and awesome in life, just tell us.   one simple thing that you normally will diagnose. understand you might go rogue. I understand it won't always be perfect and I'm not expecting you to be perfect. What I'm asking is that you give the hygienist and the clinical team an opportunity to feel confident teeing treatment up for you because that's most of the time what you're going to diagnose. We're going to give you a five to 10 % change. That's fine. You still have that, but please, like I said, for everything, holy, lovely, and good in this life, just choose one diagnosis for us.   That's your general go -to diagnosis. We're not putting you in dental school. You're not being graded on the boards. We just need your basic one so we can win and we can teach treatment up for you. Otherwise, if you make it too hard, we say, forget it. We don't want to do this. It's too hard. They're always going to change their treatment plan. They're never going to treatment plan what they, what we think they're going to. So forget it. They can do it all on their exam time. Your case acceptance will be lower. Your patient experience will be lower and doctors, you don't have any help. So that's just my.   I got on a little soap box for you, but I'm advocating for our teams and advocating for our doctors on this one. see both perspectives. So doctors just give us your normal go -to on that FMX. That way we can start to win and help you out as well. So then next is this handoff. We've talked about the I crap handoff. So when doctors come in, we introduce the patient, let them know if they've met them or not. Compliment the patient. They're doing great on their flossing. We give a recap of the treatment we've already discussed. Hashtag teed up.   And we do a personal note. We do it in that exact order as well. Reason being, if I say something personal, the doctor can then pick that up and they have an immediate connection with the patient. Exam time drastically reduces. So those are all things that we've already discussed on other podcasts. Again, if you haven't heard them, go listen to them. Alex is amazing. She links all these in the show notes so you guys can just quickly click on those other podcasts. Shout out to Alex. She's amazing. She's the wizard behind.   The Dental A Team (05:25.994) the keyboard for us that makes all of our show notes amazing and she makes your guys' life real easy. So with that said, next up is going to be these handoffs. So Hygienist giving that really awesome iCrap handoff, sorry it's the worst acronym but you won't forget it, to your doctor when they enter the room. Now some doctors are like, so Hygienist you gotta be on it. I hope you hear me snapping in the background. like, as soon as they walk through that door, you roll into your handoff.   A lot of people say, but cure, I want to go tell my doctor outside of the room. Fine. That's totally fine. You can team up outside of the room, but in front of the patient, you've got to have this handoff. Otherwise doctors got to go through the whole spiel. they've also did with something missed. That patient doesn't know what was being discussed. It brings the patient into the conversation versus the patient just watching the movie versus being an active participant in it. Get your patient to actively be engaged, get them involved in.   Like call your perio numbers out or your probing numbers out, help them co -diagnose with you. Have them look at x -rays with you. Have that patient be an active participant in the procedure versus a passive participant in the visit, if you will. So then doctors and hygienists, two pro tips that we've discussed before is getting them to say yes to you before we even present treatment. So, hey, can I put your bib on? Yes.   Can I lean you back? Yes. Getting them to do it versus saying, okay, now I'll lean you back. Having that patient have autonomy and getting them to say yes throughout your procedure is actually teeing them up to want to say yes for treatment. Psychological guys, I had my whole undergrad in psychology and I love it. And I had a hygienist email me and she's like, Kiera, I tried this. My floor at acceptance is a hundred percent. Rock on. Shout out to you. You know who you are. You emailed me and I loved hearing it. It was so cool. So with that,   Now doctors in the room, we do the treatment plan. Doctor gives a perfect handoff back to the hygienist. All right, it's Kiera. We want to get you back. So doctor is talking to the patient while giving the information to the hygienist. Do you see that triangle? I hope you do. Doctor talks to the patient. That way the hygienist hears what needs to happen. Patient is an active participant versus being just a silent listener. This way we have a perfect handoff. So then doctor gives the perfect handoff. Hey, all right, Kiera. So it looks like we've got some treatment that we want to get done.   The Dental A Team (07:49.762) The great news is you're in good hands and we're going to get your mouth healthy. We're going to do this really easy for you. Doctors, tee up some, some confidence there. Okay. I'd like to get you back in about two weeks. We'll start on that upper right. We'll get that crown and that filling done. I know that was your biggest concern. Don't worry. We'll get that taken care of that way. You can eat again. I'd like to see you back in about two weeks and I'll need about two hours for that appointment. What questions do you have for me? I didn't say, you have questions? I said, what questions do you have for me?   nothing. think I'm good. Fantastic. I can't wait to see you back. You're in great hands. Rachel, are your hygienist? She's going to take great care of you, get you scheduled back for that. Beautiful. Doctor, you did so many great things on that. You told us what they're coming back for. You gave us a timeframe of when they're coming back for it. You told us how much time they need. You edified the hygienist and you gave them confidence that you are a rock star dentist and they're in great hands. High five docs. That is something we need from you. Then we loop. Hygienist, you've just been edified. You've been given the information.   Your job now is to take that information and either schedule right then if you're, if that's your practice protocol or take them upfront with that exact information. This handoff is paramount. I can't tell you when I'm in offices, I sit as a little fly on the wall watching everything go on. I hear this awesome handoff from doctor. I see our hygienist write it down on the route slip or wherever you choose to write it, message it, whatever you choose to do in your practice. I'm big on having something that has to be filled in so we don't miss these boxes.   Then we walk up front and we're like, okay, front desk. Here we go. Cure is ready to go. We'll see you later. Cause you're busy and you're behind and you don't even say anything that doctor just said to you. Darn it. We just lost an opportunity right there. So now the front office is like, okay, we'll see you later. And then they're like, did you get them scheduled back? No, I didn't even know they had treatment. So this handoff hygienist is crucial and you guys are the best of the best of the best at it.   or you're the worst of the worst. It's one of the two. So let's get you to be the best of the best at this. So that's why I like a route slip. That's why I like something that's written. I don't care how you do it. You can use a reusable route slip. You can use a blue note message. I don't care, but it has to be a template of those items. Otherwise it gets messy and sloshy. The goal should be that this patient knows exactly what they're coming back for, when they should come back and how much time they need to come back for. I promise you, if you will do this handoff.   The Dental A Team (10:13.42) and make it your own, that's fine. I don't care how you do it. I don't care. I just care that you get these key pieces in it. If you will do this, your case acceptance will be increased. We won't have patients slipping through the crack and we'll be able to give them the best dental care possible. So then going up front, you literally say exactly what, what doctor said, Hey friend office, this is Kiera. So doctor did find some treatment on her and the great news is she's an awesome hands and doctor's going to do amazing work with her.   Doctor would like to get her back for the upper right for that crown and that filling. That's what she was mostly concerned about. Doctor would like to see her in two weeks for about two hours. I've already got her cleaning scheduled. And Kiera, what questions do you have for me? I've got nothing. Thanks so much. Awesome, Kiera. You are in great hands with the front office. Say their name. They're going to take amazing care of you. And I can't wait to see you back at your next cleaning. Hi, Jenice. You take off and right there front office. Just got the handoff to pick it up to schedule perfectly from there.   So hygienists do this, you edified the front office, you told them that they're great. So you left this patient in great hands. You also re -edified our doctor, reminding them that they're at the best place possible and you gave all the information. So now it's easy to schedule. Hygienists, you are a pivotal piece. You are like a cornerstone in this formula. You're the one who gets the information from the patient to hand off to the doctor. You're the one who gets the information from the doctor to hand off to the front office. You are literally this hinge between doctor, front office, doctor and patient.   you hinge into areas that are pivotal to the patient experience and the patient success. So try it out. Listen back to this podcast, deep dive on it, role play. I can't wait to hear it. You guys are going to do incredible. Hi, Janice. You are paramount and so, so, so valuable in these handoffs. So try it out. Let us know how it goes. And if you guys need help, we do this in practices. We role play it with you guys via zoom or in person and help you guys really dial this verbage in because at the end of the day,   I believe great case acceptance comes from great verbiage. It's all about our confidence and it's about the way we say things, making it easy for patients to say yes. All right guys, as always, thanks for listening. I'll catch you next time on the Dental A Team Podcast.   The Dental A Team (12:22.505) wraps it up for another episode of the Dental A Team podcast. Thank you so much for listening and we'll talk to you next time.  

Kiera joins Haley Schultz on The Dental Download podcast to talk about maximizing associate dentistry. They discuss how to go about learning about numbers, overhead, meeting cadence, leadership and more, as well as the Dental A-Team’s educational resource for new dental school grads. Episode resources: Listen and subscribe to The Dental Download podcast Listen to episode 654, Behind the Curtain of Dentistry Reach out to Kiera Tune Into DAT’s Monthly Webinar Practice Momentum Group Consulting Subscribe to The Dental A-Team podcast Become Dental A-Team Platinum! Review the podcast Transcript: Kiera Dent (00:00.91) Hello, Dental A Team listeners. This is Kiera, and I am so excited because I actually did an amazing podcast with Haley from Dental Download, and it was all about associates, and I really feel like you guys are going to love it. And so I wanted to actually do a crossover episode on our podcast, so I really hope you guys enjoy. It was all about associates, getting you guys a ton of perks, coming out of school. I think it's great for you guys, and I hope you really enjoy it.    Haley Schultz  All right, hello, everyone. Welcome back for another episode. I know last time I had you on, we talked a lot about kind of the business side of dentistry and a lot of what you do with improving practices. But today I thought we could talk more about kind of advice for people that are going in as associates. So maybe they're not owners yet, but how can they maximize that time to kind of be prepared for ownership? So I'd love kind of your opinion. So if someone is going in as an associate for their first time at an office,   Kiera Dent (01:20.878) Thank you.   Kiera Dent (01:33.806) Thank you.   Haley Schultz (01:39.466) What are some things that they can do or maybe what should they be trying to learn from the owner to get themselves prepared for ownership down the line?   Hey, I'm so glad you asked this question because I did work at Midwestern University's dental college for three years in Arizona and I just want to like plant a seed and then I'll answer your question. So planting the seed is I've talked to so many owner doctors. I know the students and I feel like sometimes what students do because they're in such a learning phase, right? I worked with hundreds of them and so many of them told me Kiera.   I know you told me this before, but I really wish I would have just taken the plunge into ownership. Initially, I was so afraid to do it, but really like an associateship is, it is beautiful, but I think it's kind of like dental school, right? You're D1, D2, D3, D4. It's almost like you guys have this path of D1, two, three, four, associateship, and then I'll become ready for it, or even residency associateship, then I'm ready for ownership. And I think it's similar. I mean, we don't have children. You can use this example. I've heard it many times of...   You're never really ready when you get married. You're never really ready for children, but you jump in and you know you're going to be able to figure it out and we learn it along the way. So I just want to plant a seed. Um, almost every single owner I've ever talked to asking about their associate path. They all have told me, I wish I would have just straight on into ownership. So I'm just going to plant some seeds out there. It does not mean you need to do it because I know it can feel scary, but maybe just like percolate on that a little bit. So if you do elect to, cause I think most people go into associateship cause you feel like.   I'm not prepared. And I want to say that most dental students, I'm saying most, you know yourself, so go for it what it is. But most dental students are actually more prepared than they think they are. You don't have as much like quote unquote, real life experience. And so I think the, the part that feels daunting is you don't really know how to like run a team. You don't know how to do the billing aspect of it. You don't know how it's, it's the nuances of running a business. But what I want to let you know is most associates in that they're super proactive, just like some of those students in school.   Kiera Dent (03:38.094) owning a business is still gonna feel very daunting when you do get to that point. So just throwing those ideas out there, like the pieces you don't know about ownership that you're scared about, it's gonna hit you when you do buy the practice regardless. So, but if I was saying like, okay, I know I wanna go into an associateship, I know I wanna go in and I wanna own, basically I'm gonna take this time as like my mini residency in business. That's how I would treat this as an associate of.   But that doesn't mean you're, I mean, cause you're also trying to learn like, Oh, I got to get my hand skills up and I've got to get my speed up and I've got to figure out how to work with an assistant. I think there's that piece that is beautiful that an associateship does allow you to do. But on the flip side of that, if you're going to go be an associate, I would definitely go learn all the billing and all the front office and go sit with the biller and say, Hey, I'm Haley. I have no clue what I'm doing here. I want to learn how to submit claims and just sit with them. They'll laugh at you. They'll giggle with you and be like, I have no idea what I'm doing.   teach me how to do this, and then you actually submit claims. You actually call on the insurance plans. You actually answer the phone and schedule a patient. You actually go through and you present a treatment plan with the treatment coordinator. You listen to them. Listening and observing is different than doing. And so I really would just take it as like, that's my mini residency because the business aspect is going to be the part that's going to rock your world of managing the team, of reading the books, getting the PNL.   I would talk to your owner doctor and say, hey, I'm super intrigued by business. Can you teach me? Like, I want to see how you look at your P &L. How do you talk to your bookkeeper? They might be willing to share. And if they're not, then hey, rock on. Come talk to me and I'll show you how to do a P &L. But really, I think that that's the pieces that are going to maximize you. You've got to learn the numbered aspects of the KPIs, the overhead, the bookkeeping, financial, the legal aspect. Like, that's the whole business side. And then the flip side is the billing, the office management.   how we run our meetings, what's the cadence. Those are, I think are the two pieces in addition to getting your hand skills up that really is, I think a great way for you to maximize your associateship if you elect to go that route. But remember sitting in someone's house, like think of us growing up in our parents homes. We lived in a home. We saw our parents pay the mortgage. We saw them pay the bills. So we saw it, but until you have that ownership piece on you, it is a magnitude that I don't think there's really a way to prepare you. You like,   Kiera Dent (05:55.662) It's up to here at your neck of like, oh my gosh, I have so much debt. And so just realizing that I haven't found a great simulator to prepare you for real life, just like our parents couldn't prepare us for marriage. Like we watch our parents with marriage. We watch tons of people with it, but living a day in and day out, I think there is an element that really you just have to jump in and then gain the mental stamina and grit. I think is the best advice of how can I manage those emotions, master my emotions to ride the tidal waves of life and not get thrown off.   Yeah, that's great insight. And I'm curious in terms of if you do work with doctors right out of school that are going into ownership, are you working with many people right when they are getting started on they just bought their practice from ground zero or are you mostly having clients come in years into ownership and like, okay, we need to turn things around, we're struggling with this?   Yeah. So, Haley, I'm glad you asked and you actually inspired me on our last podcast. I realized our consulting company didn't really have something that I felt was affordable for new grads. And I felt like that was just a zone. And we know my model is I just want to serve and help as many dentists as we possibly can to like love life and enjoy the aspects. So we actually just created a part of our consulting that is way more budget friendly, but gives the foundations.   of the practice, it's more of a kind of like there is some DIY, but also you get massive access to the consultants. It is more in a group setting mastermind style. So you're learning from other doctors. You can ask your questions. We almost walk you through, not almost, we do. We walk you through like the 12 systems of how to set up your practice based on the months of the year to like get you in this good place. But it's way, way, way more budget friendly because I can do it on more of a math scale. And then when you're ready, you can add on calls and whatnot, because I just noticed that was a gap.   And I feel like it's a gap in a lot of consulting because it's like kind of like financial advisors and me and Ryan Isaac, like we talk about this all the time. Like dentists, when you get out of school, you need a financial advisor to make these decisions, but financial advisors usually don't take you until you're making over a million. Well, same thing with consultants. Like we don't want to deal with they, you don't have the money. That just seems ludicrous to me. Cause then like you said, you're in hot water and now we're trying to bail you out of it. So, um, I'm actually really excited. We have.   Kiera Dent (08:11.118) quite a few new like brand new doctors in there. We've got some existing doctors too, because I didn't want to just like only have newbie docs. Like we do have some advanced doctors. So, and it's just been really, really fun to see it evolve, but the doctors are loving it because it's doctor and team. And we'll talk about it more at the end, but truly any person who comes from this podcast, just mention it. You guys are getting 25 % off your monthly fee for life because I want students to feel confident owning practices.   I want you to feel like you've got resources of a consultant on demand basically, because you're going to have a ton of questions. I know what you're going to go through. And I just saw that was a gap. So, math kudos to you of just planting the seed. And then our team went to work and we built a product that is beyond beautiful. And you get nine hours of consultant access per week or per month, excuse me, which right now most clients are only getting an hour and a half of time from a consultant. So we tried to just like...   maximize it. Yes, it's in a group setting, but I believe that there's a massive, massive, massive advancement. Think about in class, students raise their hand and they ask questions that you never would have thought of, but you at least get the answer to it, similar to our consulting, and you still can have access to answer all your questions. I just thought that that was a gap, so we decided to roll that out, and so 100%. Then there's also a lot of clients that when you're going to buy a practice, I think this is really important to note.   you usually see the cost of the practice and so you go to the bank to get that. And I recommended for years, ask for a little, like I'm talking 50 to 100K more of working capital if you can. And that's what you invest in CE and consulting and equipment because that's going to propel your business forward. It's not the actual line item of my practices as much. Tack it on and say, I'm hiring a consultant or convince the practice you're buying to hire a consultant. So it goes into the roll up fee.   Those are the things to do so that way you have the funds available when you really need the help the most.   Haley Schultz (10:07.85) That's awesome that you created that program. That's exactly like there was definitely a need for it. So I'm excited to know that that's available now for people. But when it comes to again, an associate perspective, and I mean, it can just be anything you're seeing with your clients for if they need to increase production, if that's one of their problems that maybe they're not producing enough. Do you feel like the time needs to be   Yeah.   Haley Schultz (10:31.082) towards clinical skills, actual CE, or is a lot of time it more communication skills that people need to really increase that production.   Hmm. I think that there's gosh like like tenfold I think there's a lot of things that can go into it and so I'll just kind of like hit the high points number one I think given a lengthy amount of time Students and new doctors tend to take that amount of time. So my biggest piece is timing yourself There's these cool little blocks on Amazon and you can get your assistant to do it where you can like wipe it and it can be clean But you can actually flip the timer once you walk into the operatory and see how long it's taking you to actually prep the crown. I   in addition to going and getting the exams and see how long your exams are taking you and just start timing yourself. It's kind of like when we train for like marathons or you're training for your race times. And if we're not tracking our metrics, you're actually not able to improve that. So I found like one of the biggest pieces of increasing production is just being able to shave off one, two, three, four minutes. That's going to radically help you. If you can shave five or 10 minutes for every procedure in a day, you're actually opening up space to add in one or two more procedures.   and you're getting that dollar per hour production up. That's also gonna track you in on your dollar per hour for production. And so, not on the, don't get wild on me. Let's not go for our gross. Let's go for our true like office fees of like what the insurance will pay you. So go off that number. But when you actually start tracking what your dollar per hour is, most associate doctors come out and they're producing about 500 per hour. So like trying to get us into that $4 ,000 a day.   But if you can get that up to even $600 an hour or up to $700 an hour and you productively schedule your day, that radically will increase that production. And so, and then also having confidence in yourself and pushing yourself, like you're going to get into a bind. And that's where I think communication skills come into play. If you know, I can push myself on my procedures and I can get my hand skills faster. I just need to have the word ninja skills to communicate to a patient in case something goes awry. Guys, it's dentistry. You are a real life artist working in someone's mouth.   Kiera Dent (12:34.83) own that and be okay with him. Be like, you know what? Things just didn't quite go as planned. Push the next patient down. You learn, but don't get scared of that because you're learning. It's like a child who falls off a bike. They're not, they need to get back on that bike and keep riding. Same thing with you. So I really feel like tracking your production per hour, timing yourself and making sure it's there. And then figuring out like what takes you a long time. Is it the crown prep? Is it because you're not using your assistants and so many associates right out of school don't use their assistants. Like I am an assistant.   Let me help you. Let me hand you the instruments because it's crazy. We think like, I'll just grab it. It's faster. No, if you can keep your hands right in the mouth and you've got a really good assistant that constantly is sending it to you and they're right there, your production is going to go up exponentially because, and then also have your assistant. Like I recommend associates going into a practice and find the most seasoned assistant and ask them like, Hey, when do I need to go to an exam? Like almost have them guide you.   of when you need to be leaving the room. Cause that assistant knows your most optimal time. Like get out of here. I'm going to take an X -ray and then get back in here in five minutes. And we're going to keep rocking and rolling. So I oftentimes, my opinion is when associates go work for practices to give that associate the most seasoned assistant. I know the doctor never wants to give their perfect assistant up, but that assistant is going to force an associate to move faster, show you how to really get the rope. So I think there's like multifaceted. Usually it's not CE right out of school. You might be struggling with like,   sensitivity on that, just get your owner doctor to come in and assist you, or you go assist your owner doctor and figure out like, how do they actually put the band then? How do they cure? When are they doing these things and pay attention to almost their efficiency flow? And I think if associates will also do that, like, I know it sounds weird to go assist them, but you're watching to see how quickly they move and when do they go do the exams? And I think you working with your owner doctor a little bit more can really increase that production up for you. So tracking your numbers.   figuring out how much time it really does take you, shaving it off one or two minutes every time to just get it a little bit more efficient, seeing that owner doctor and then getting those beautiful communication skills with your patient of like, it was a day today and this is just real life dentistry and real life and thank you for waiting. Never apologize. I think a good phrase is like, thank you so much for waiting. I really appreciate it and let's get rocking and rolling. Don't be like, I'm so sorry, I'm so, cause you put yourself in a wrong phase.   Kiera Dent (14:55.566) Thank you so much for waiting. Let's get rocking and rolling. I always give my best patient care to every patient and then figure out where you went awry that day and make it better the next day is what I'd recommend.   I love all those tips. And when it comes to communication skills in terms of like case acceptance, I know a lot of offices now have treatment coordinators anyways, so the doctors aren't so much like selling treatment anymore in a lot of cases, but at the end of the day, like the patients want to ask the doctor questions. So what are some things that you recommend people kind of hone in on when it comes to discussing treatment with patients?   Mm -hmm.   Kiera Dent (15:32.59) This will be my favorite thing that I'll ever give everyone. Doctors, remember you are selling treatment and they're buying your confidence. So many doctors push off like, oh, it's a TC. And the TC's are like, no, no, no, you T for me. You've got to get this T'd up for me and you're confident. And you've helped this patient realize this is what they need. So a lot of doctors feel bad because they don't want to give bad news. And I'm like, you're not giving bad news. You're just educating them what the state of the mouth is in. That patient, they made choices.   they chose to drink the diet sodas, they chose to like sip on this, like those are choices they made. Educate them and then always end it with like, and the great news is we're going to be able to get you healthy, I'm here for you. And then this is what I say of your best case acceptance tip and I call it NDTR is my perfect handoff. And I think in my, what I love and associates love this is it kind of gives you a framework of how do I do my exam? So I recommend comprehensive exam, walk them through it.   tell them everything that's going on and then you do NDTR. You can remember New Dentist, Tough Road, Newter, Nevada Dentist, Totally Rock. Like I've heard all the things, Never Date the Rookie. Like however you want to remember this, I don't care. But someone says Newter and that just makes me giggle. But it's next visit, the date to return, how much time is needed and make sure their re -care is scheduled. So at the end of it, and I call like putting a bow on your treatment plan package.   And so it's like, all right, Haley, I want to get you back. Like the great news is we're going to be able to get you healthy. And I'm excited to get your mouth healthy and clean again. So I want to see you back in about two weeks. We're going to get started on the upper right. We're going to get, take care of that crown and that root canal for you. It's going to take me about two hours for that. And I want to make sure you've got your cleaning scheduled. What questions do you have for me? Um, I want to make sure you're super confident. I didn't ask, do you have questions? I told them what needs to happen. They're super clear because oftentimes patients feel like.   Well, where are we starting? And a lot of new grads, especially really get funky on their, on their exam. Cause like in school, someone else does it. They bring them back. Like they have to come back. They're here for like 500 hours. Cause you guys have to get all the checks on it. And so in private practice, they have to know where you're starting. You have to know where you're starting and you'll get faster at that. So worst case scenarios, you just start in the upper right. Always like, okay, I go up for right. Like that's always my go -to until I get better at like where my chief concern is. But it's, I want to see you back in about two weeks.   Kiera Dent (17:52.654) Or if you know your schedule is wide open, I want to see you back in about a week. It's going to take me two hours for this. Please don't underestimate or overestimate. Like let's try and get that dialed in. This is where you also time yourself. So you're more confident on giving that timing. But if you will do that pretty bow and your team takes that up and they use that perfect bow, your treatment coordinator now can say, all right, Haley, let's get you scheduled. You're going to come back with Dr. Schultz. She's incredible. She wants you back in one week. So I'm going to schedule you on Wednesday at this time. She needs two hours for the crown, the root canal.   and then they'll go over the finances. Doctors, you are convincing this patient, they're buying your confidence. That's what they're buying. They're not buying the crown, they're not buying the root canal. And I do think you having that confidence and not like, well, you know, you kind of had this. And I'll say a lot of females tend to be a little more passive on their diagnosing. And I just want to give the female doctors the bike, girls, like we can do this and you are totally capable and like, don't feel bad about it. Cause I think we have these empathetic hearts.   Go in and diagnose confidently because they're buying your confidence is what they're buying. And looking at you, are you the person who can truly make my mouth healthy again? That's what I'm buying. And I'm looking at you of like, are you sure? And the more confident you doctors are, men have it too, don't worry. But I just watch it and Haley, you're a female, so I think I'm talking more to you than anyone else. But like truly, I hope that all doctors have the confidence in themselves. Another question is like, hey, how long have you been practicing dentistry? Four years.   You guys have been practicing for four years. Don't tell them you're brand new out of school. Like they don't need to know that move along. It's fine. In a year, you're going to look back at your treatment and be like, wow, that was terrible. It was the best you did at that time. And you're always going to judge yourself as you move on. And that's how you make yourself better. So like, don't feel bad about it. You can always fix it and you move on and you just make it better and better and better every single day.   That was good advice as well. And before we wrap up, I know you've already given us like so many great pearls, but I like to give people a chance for just like any closing thoughts in terms of advice for dentists that are just getting started.   Kiera Dent (19:53.934) when you have way more skills than you think you do. And I think like having that confidence within you, you went to a great school and you're going to make mistakes. And I remember, so I started with a dental, a dentist, she was straight out of school and we started our first practice and we took our practice from 500 ,000 to 2 .4 million in nine months as a brand new grad. So I like to paint that story, not that you need to do that, but I love to hear what's possible because then you can expand what's possible for you. And I remember there was one night we were sitting there and she,   bombed a root canal. Like I'm telling you, it was a bomb. Like we broke off a file. Like it was awful. And I remember we were sitting there at the end of the day and I said, you're better than this. And I remember she was like, wow, you're like cut throat when she's down. But I think it was one of the best things I ever said because she is better than that. And she knew she's better than that. And so because like she made that one mistake, she could have let that haunt her or she can make it like make her better. And so you will make mistakes. And that's part of being a dentist.   but it's how quickly can you recover from that mistake and make it better and realizing nothing is permanent in dentistry. Like everything can be fixed, everything can be resolved. Like most of the time we're probably not gonna kill a patient. So our risk isn't super high. And I just really wanna give you that vote of confidence that you are well -trained, you are going to learn, you are going to make mistakes and that's part of the journey, but the faster you can learn from that mistake and do better and be better.   the better you're going to be for those patients. And to me, I feel like as a dentist, this isn't about you. It's about you being the best for your patients and giving them the best clinical care. And when you remove yourself from it and your ego and realize I got to be the best for this patient, it gives you that motivation to rise up, to do the best treatment plans, to give them the confidence of when they need to come back, to realize like, if they don't come to me and I know I'm a good dentist, they're going to go to someone else who might not be as good of a dentist. And I owe it to my patients to be giving them the best dentistry possible.   We only have our 32, which most of us only have 28 teeth. We get one set and you as a dentist, I want you to take that on and realize you are the best for those patients. Rise up to the level you're capable of and believe in yourself more than you give yourself credit. Cause gosh, I've seen a lot of rough dentistry and most students coming out of school are not that way. You've been trained, grow, evolve and realize you've got so much potential in you. Don't give up. Even when you have that bad case, do better, be better and come in tomorrow and be better.   Haley Schultz Thank you so much and thank you again for your time today.   Kiera Dent Of course, thank you. And as always, thanks for listening and I'll catch you next time on the Dental A Team Podcast.

Tiff and Britt talk about how practices can give a boost to the hygiene department’s profitability, especially as 2024 gets closer to its end. Specifically, the two give insight on increased re-care, appointment efficiency, and consistent SRP. They also discuss ensuring your practice has enough hygienists in the first place for your client load. Episode resources: Reach out to Tiff and Britt Tune Into DAT’s Monthly Webinar Practice Momentum Group Consulting Subscribe to The Dental A-Team podcast Become Dental A-Team Platinum! Review the podcast Transcript: The Dental A Team (00:01.525) Amazing to have you back, Brittany. Thank you so much for podcasting with me again today. I stole you again on another podcast day and I truly appreciate it. I'm excited today because I've got some hygiene stuff I want to chat with you and for the dental world out there listening. Britt and Dana are both trained hygienists, trained and licensed. And so I always like to steal you guys when I have some hygiene stuff. So Britt, how are you doing today?   Britt (00:29.875) I'm excited to be here. mean, I do love a good hygiene topic, but I love all of them. You know, it's always fun to podcast and chat dental. That's us dental nerds over here.   The Dental A Team (00:35.084) I know.   The Dental A Team (00:38.734) It's true. It's true. You do. And I appreciate that and I value it. So thank you so much for being here today. Brent, it is hot. And I know it's funny because we had a call this morning with a company that we're just partnering with and doing all kinds of fun stuff with this company. And he's in Utah. And this morning, he's like, gosh, it's hot. And I think, I don't know if you agree, but like, I know it's hot.   But it seems to me when someone like acknowledges it, that they're like, how are you living there? That's when I'm like, yeah, it's like really hot. So then I'm like all day, I'm like, now I'm hot. Like I was fine. But how are you? You're 20, 30 minutes away from me in the same city. But the weekend was beautiful. Like, how are you feeling about summer so far? I feel like it's been a little wild with weather, but how are you feeling?   Britt (01:23.758) you   I same. love it's been a little while since we've had a monsoon. So maybe that's why right now I'm like, it's, it's hot. Yesterday I was outside and like, no way is it only a hundred degrees outside. Like it feels way hotter than that. So it was a little more humid cause we got a little rain, but we haven't had a good storm. feel like really come through and cool it off very well. And at least like a week or so. So I feel like that's what gets me through the end of summer. I love it. It's gorgeous. Most of the time I enjoy the heat, but July, August is like the   The Dental A Team (01:28.203) I know.   The Dental A Team (01:38.241) Yeah.   The Dental A Team (01:46.966) Yeah.   Britt (01:54.413) I'm ready for it to be a little bit cooler.   The Dental A Team (01:56.653) I totally agree. I totally agree. I was chatting with someone yesterday, she's getting ready to do a half marathon in DC in September. And I was like, how are you training for this? She's here in the valley, like, how are you training? And she's like, well, I was running this morning at 430 in the morning, and it was only 104. And I was like, okay, well, at least the sun's not beating down on you, I guess. But like, training for that sounds like right now. So I agree for all of us. I know.   I know for all of us Arizona natives and Arizona livers and goers like you got to enjoy the heat, which I do. I do. I enjoy it more than the humidity. So we'll stick with it. anyways, topics today, I really wanted to focus in on some profitability. We're nearing the end of the year coming up on quarter four. It's right around the corner and really just looking at what do we have left?   Britt (02:38.114) You   The Dental A Team (02:51.017) this year to accomplish for these doctors to hit their goals and these practices to really see that profitability increase this year. And I wanted to really speak to the fact that there are multiple people that are involved in the profitability of the practice. It's not just our dentists and our doctors who are filling their schedules. And it's like, do more, do another crown, do another bridge, do this, do another ortho case, like always getting these things in for sure. But when their schedules are full, their schedules are full. Coming up towards the end of the year,   their schedules are going to be really full. And one piece that I like to slide in here is really how hygiene can help increase that profitability. And Britt, think it's, it's even more important towards the end of the year to look at it because just like doctor schedules fill up really fast for any of your benefits, things like that. Hygiene, recare fills up really fast because people are trying to use that last cleaning of the year, which makes this portion a little bit wonky. So really just kind of working through some of those trouble spots and   and difficulties, but seeing how can hygiene increase the profitability. And Britt, I want to pick your brain specifically because you've done hygiene, you've been in that chair, I've done hygiene assisting, I've done hygiene scheduling, I've done all the other pieces, but I've never been a hygienist. And I think one of the pieces that I see most frequently come up when I am consulting practices is the hygiene department really feeling like one, we don't put enough emphasis on our re -care.   Britt (04:02.603) Thank   The Dental A Team (04:17.161) And so we're always clamoring for more, clamoring for new patients without regard to the re -care. So making sure they're in there. But then two, also a lot of my hygienists are like, gosh, what more can I do? Like, what are you asking me for? So really I'd love to hear from your standpoint, some areas that you feel like within re -care, not necessarily new patients yet, but just within re -care.   How can hygiene really make sure we're handling our re -care patients with care and attention, seeing them, and also leaving room for that growth in their schedule? What did you used to do, or what did you like maybe with your scheduling or what have you when you were chair -side hygiene?   Britt (05:00.01) Yeah, think number one when it comes to profitability and hygiene is just kind of knowing where we're at, right? So where's our hygiene department at when it comes to productivity?   Are we being efficient with our time and our schedule, things like that. And some tips when it comes to efficiency, right? With our appointments, yes, it's appointment length. And I think sometimes it's hygienist, we can forget how much re -care frequency can impact our efficiency. So like one little tip is sometimes those patients who aren't doing all their work at home, I have a lot of work to do when they come in. I am stressed over the amount of time in the appointment to get everything taken care of because there's so much work to do.   you   looking at those patients and sometimes they might just need to come in more often. So I can get done efficiently. It's not so stressful on me. We're getting them healthier so they're not having so much to do every single time, reinforcing home care more often for them. So there's one idea of something to look at. Look at our efficiency. Look at our timing. Another one when it comes to hygiene that's around like efficiency and timing is I'm a big fan of starting same day SRP where we can. If I can knock out a quad that first visit while still giving them that great experience or if it's a re -care visit and they're like,   needs to be gut dead, get something started for them in that realm, get a quad done and have them come back for the other three. There's a lot of like little kind of efficiency things like that are just little hacks to get the production in and it's not just for the production, it's patient care first and making sure we respect our time and the work that you're doing that you're getting paid for the work that you're doing and if a patient's not doing the work at home and they need to come more often then have them come in more often because it's   The Dental A Team (06:22.598) Mm   Britt (06:37.964) the right thing to do by them and it's going to help your schedule.   The Dental A Team (06:41.146) Yeah, I think that's really important. What you just said is that it's also the right thing to do by the patient because I fear often what's put ahead of that is insurance frequencies, out of pocket costs, like maybe feeling selfish because it's more work on you. So you're just like, gosh, I'll just, I'll take the hit. I'll take the brunt of it. But at the end of the day, the bottom line is that their mounts are unhealthy and we know that that's a systemic issue.   no matter where the unhealthy meter is at, where it's lying, it's still a systemic issue and it still leads to more more problems down the road. I think the more like all this gut health and all of these things surface and are coming out, I think there's going to be even more tied back to even simple routine home care. So I think that's really huge. And for that to be the forefront of our thought process when we are diagnosing, when we are treating patients, so even a patient that you've seen forever,   might come in today and they might have one quadrant that just needs SRP like that quadrant or two quadrants or four quadrants like things change and people change. I didn't have gut issues that I was aware of prior to five years ago, but then something changed. My body reacted to the world around me, the stressors around me. And all of a sudden now I have to be more consciously aware of the things that I eat, the,   you know, stress that I put my body under and things like this, but we forget that that happens, like that affects everything. And so our patients who have been seeing us routinely, oftentimes have changes in their lives that have affected their home care, their routines, or just the makeup of their body and their mouths are included in that. So I love that you said that because I think that's something that more people in the dental industry can really take to heart to kind of dispel some of the guilt.   that's wrapped around trying to do better for our patients and feeling maybe selfish or something in the middle of it. So I think that's huge. Now, a statistic, a stuff that we use here at the Dental A Team is we truly want our hygiene departments to be about 30 % of overall production for a practice. So that's increasing profitability rate there. Most practices, I'm gonna tell you that are not tracking it, aren't looking at it.   Britt (08:33.282) Mm -hmm.   The Dental A Team (09:02.69) Most of the time from what I've seen, the clients that I've worked with, they're typically around 17 to like 22 % production overall, which isn't horrible by any means. I've seen 12 and 14%. So 17 to 22 being my average isn't the worst. love pushing 25 to 30 % because that really, really helps to increase that profitability and make it so that the rest of the practice providers can really   use a schedule that flows well for them. So with that, your increased recare, your increased efficiency and making sure we're doing that same day treatment, we're doing SRP on people who need it, no matter how long they've been with our practice or not, things like that are going to hugely benefit that 30 % marker. with that said, we're adding, like we're like, gosh, you really need three cleanings a year. So we're to add a cleaning. So then that adds an appointment, right? Or we're going to do SRP. So then that adds an appointment. And then this   realm since 2020, hygiene appointments have been few and far between. hard to come by. So I think if I've got hygiene listeners on here, which I know I do some hygienists out there, they're like, cool story, bro. How am I going to put these patients? So what did you do to help with that? I know we implement a lot of block scheduling within the Dental A Team. And how did you work that into your own schedule? Because I know you're a huge believer in a patient always leaving with an appointment and   Britt (10:15.622) huh.   The Dental A Team (10:30.428) always leaving with an appointment from the hygienist. So how did you do that projecting and creating your own schedule for your future patients?   Britt (10:39.532) Yeah, for those of you that are having full schedules out there and sometimes, right, we've got to make our block schedules and depending on how many hygienists we have or if we're trying to hire someone right now, understandable that we've got to plan things out a little bit. Block scheduling for sure. So with those patients that I would like to see more often.   Sometimes with block scheduling, might push them out a little bit. And with those patients, I'll say, hey, here's what we have right now. You can always call us and see if something opens up sooner, right? There are shifts in the schedule every day. Doesn't mean there will be something, but there are shifts, so you may be able to get in sooner. So if there are one that I'm like, hey, here's what I can do for you.   We have a lot of patients to manage, right? Our front desk does the best they can, but they're not gonna be able to call every single patient that's out there that needs to come in sooner. We can have a short call list to work through, but if it's important to that patient for them to come in, then they can be the ones that are responsible for calling to see if something opens up sooner to get those appointments in. And schedule them out for the year. Usually I'll schedule out, if they're coming three times a year, don't just schedule the next two, schedule the next three so that they can get on the books.   The Dental A Team (11:45.097) Yeah, I love that. I tell practices that a lot and it seems to be working really, really well. Okay, I'm going to pivot a little bit away from your hygiene brain. Britt, if you guys aren't unaware, it has an incredible business brain and business like projecting introductory and numbers and all of these pieces. She's fantastic at that the HR side, all of those pieces. So want to pivot over to that side of, of your world, Britt, and really start diving into more of these numbers because I think hygienists like   Great, we've got some tips there. We'll kind of come back to that so that doctors and hygiene and team members can kind of see different areas where we can be more profitable. But as you're talking, I'm thinking, gosh, I wonder how many practices or how many practice owners out there don't have enough hygienists and maybe even don't know it. There's plenty of us out there who are out here who are searching for hygienists and hygienists. If you're out there, like come out from under the rocks, we need you. Let us know where you're at.   Britt (12:37.592) Thank   Britt (12:41.152) huh.   The Dental A Team (12:43.335) So there are plenty of practices that are in the hiring mode right now, but I think a lot of practices maybe don't even know when they need to hire to expand on hygiene time and hygiene hours. So we're stressing and we're like squeezing tight on the hygiene realm and we're like, get them all in there, you're fine, you're fine. But what are some areas and some stats that practice owners and docs can really start looking at to say, I think it's time to hire another hygienist to add this into my schedule. Is it?   and how far out were booked, how which a lot of practices struggle. I'm going to caveat here. lot of practices struggle with me on that one because they're like, cool, I'm booked out six months, but tomorrow fell apart. And so why am going to hire a hygienist? So those are systems, systems in the background that needs to be fixed on a foundational level. But as far as like booking out availability, hours, like number of patients, is there any staff that you like to refer to when you're looking at a practice building out their hygiene?   department that you suggest to your practice owners.   Britt (13:46.254) Yeah, so let's talk about the number you said first, Tiff, right? So hygiene, want that to be like 25 to 30 percent of our total production. We want to account for hygiene. You guys, a lot of numbers are just general markers to see kind of industry -wide, based on the average, where are you sitting? So if you run that number from the get -go, like Tiff said, like we definitely had some practice sometimes that are lower percentage, right? That's just going to be your flag to be like, all right, like what is it that's going on? For some practices,   is it's like, well, we only have one hygienist and really we know we could do two and if we doubled it, like our percentage would definitely go up and that's the thing that's holding us back right now. So it's going to tell a story and you've got to kind of take into the factors and see if there's anything you can do about it to change it. Now when it comes to how much hygiene we need,   The Dental A Team (14:23.643) correct.   Britt (14:36.878) Yes, scheduled out, like that's gonna give you an idea. I like going by active patients. How many patients do we have that have been to the practice within the last 18 months? And planning by that. And what you can do is just do the math. If a patient, let's say just a healthy patient, re -care patient coming twice a year to our practice, it would only take about 200 patients coming twice a year to fill one day a week, every week for the year.   So if you're looking at like, well, should we add a day? Well, let's see, how many hygiene days do we have? How many active patients do we have? Do we have, you know, about 200 per day right now, or do we have way more than that? If we have way more than that, then let's look at adding some hygiene days. How much more do we have and how many days might we need to add? Because the thing is, that's gonna be a super conservative number of about 200 patients, because really, you add to that, we're gonna have new patients coming into the schedule.   The Dental A Team (15:34.242) Okay.   Britt (15:35.052) You're not period maintenance that are coming more often or there's re -cares that are coming more often. So really that's going very minimum for they just came twice a year. Like that's, what you would need to cover a full day. And really they're going to be more than that.   The Dental A Team (15:47.353) So if I'm doing this math, I love that math, that makes it super simple. So if I'm doing this math and I'm saying, 200 patients per full day of hygiene for the year. So then if I'm like, great, I'm gonna say Monday through Thursday, I have hygiene, so I have four days of hygiene. And if I have one hygienist every single day, full time, right? So I've got four days of hygiene, that's 800 active patients. That's beautiful.   Britt (16:15.116) Mm -hmm. Yep. And that's not even adding in your new patients or anything. So with that many active patients, it's going to be a full schedule even for that hygienist because really you're going to have more than that.   The Dental A Team (16:18.305) Right.   The Dental A Team (16:24.856) For sure, for sure, that makes sense. So then these practices that we're seeing that are 2100 and 25 and 2800 and they've got three hygiene half like part time, like this is why we're struggling to really be able to get those hygiene hours in. That makes sense.   Britt (16:42.392) So look at your total number of hygiene days. And even there's some practices now, right, where they've been able to piece it together and they've got a good crew. They know how to communicate. So everybody's on the same page and it runs really well. So of course, we'd all love to have our full -time people forever, but like.   right now, sometimes it might be piecing together some part timers and they help each other out and cover even and it can work out really well. Just communication is really key. And then there's some practices that have gone to with their hygienist, maybe it's an accelerated hygiene, right? And it doesn't have to be all the time or every day, right? It can be something very specific to what works in your office, what works for your team to be able to see and take care of our patients while we maybe look for someone more, look to add more time. So those are some   things to consider now. Sometimes it's that we don't have enough hygiene. I strongly believe for hygienists, if you're doing the things that are needed for your patient, getting your x -rays done, right, periodontal charting on a regular basis was ultimately doctor sets the standard, but if you're doing those regularly according to your standards, periodontal charting, recognizing periodontal disease when it's there, treating it when it's there, you can hit   that 30%, that 25 to 30 % by doing right by your patient. And then if you've got Adject Services you can add to it, awesome. You'll have even more opportunity to be able to add to it and contribute to that production.   The Dental A Team (18:08.469) Totally agree. Okay, so I love that. Thank you so much for letting me pick both both pieces of your brain there. You have so much so much to offer and so many reasons why you're an incredible consultant and business administrator here on our team. So thank you for that. Now what I'm piecing together here guys is really just looking at like how can our hygiene department help us increase that profitability when you pull those numbers. That's why we talked about that 30 % first at 25 to 30 % first because like she said,   Britt (18:13.324) Thank   The Dental A Team (18:38.165) that's going to tell you your story and really give you a baseline of where you're at and where we can increase. So if you see that your hygiene department is less than that 25 to 30 % where we really like to see our practices, now you can dive into trends and really look at why is it less? Is it less and we're full? Is it less and we have a lot of cancellations? Is it less and we're not doing adjunct services? Is it less and we're, so if it's less and we're full, now we're looking at, great.   Britt (18:59.661) Yes, ma 'am.   The Dental A Team (19:07.912) What's our active patient count and do we need more hygiene space? Because one thing that I've found, and it sounds like it would be the opposite, right? Because your hygiene schedule's full. So it should be more percentage, right? It should be providing more. But one thing that I've seen in practices that are really struggling to understand that they need more hygiene hours is their hygiene department percentage will be super low because there are so many patients and so much happening on the doctor's side.   that the doctor's easily far outweighing the hygiene department because there's not enough availability for the hygiene department to get that percentage up. So we're living on like new patients and limited and same day treatment and churning and churning and churning on the doctor's side. And hygiene is scrimping by with re -cares because they don't have space for anything else. And so their percentages that 14 to 17 % and they're just like pulling their hair out.   because their doctors yelling at them to get more production. But really we have to do our due diligence and evaluate, are we giving the hygiene department the availability? If yes, tons of tips and tricks and just this podcast and a ton of podcasts we've done on how to increase that profitability. But we've got to look at first, if it's no, then what do we do to help increase that profitability as well? think that's huge.   Britt (20:23.926) Yeah, and Tiff, that comes back to, right, when you look at that, if we're not kind of hitting that mark, usually if our hygiene production isn't quite where we need it to be, it comes back to that volume and value, like conundrum, like is it, are we doing everything for those patients and we're doing our adjunct services, like truly we're providing the top notch level of care that we want to provide to all our patients, but we just don't have enough hygiene, so we're not hitting it, so we need to add more volume, we need to add more hygiene, or is it,   The Dental A Team (20:35.984) Mm -hmm. Yeah.   Britt (20:53.378) We've got the hygienist, which lucky you. maybe we're not like completely doing all of our standards to the highest level that we want to be providing that care, not that we're providing bad care, but like what's our top standard that we want to be talking to all our patients about the level of treatment we want to be providing. Let's make sure that we're hitting that mark. And I'll make the caveat, right? I've definitely had some hygiene practices where if we've got doctors who do a lot of like   The Dental A Team (20:55.922) Yeah. Congrats.   The Dental A Team (21:05.745) Mm -hmm.   Britt (21:22.318) surgical or all on X like super high producing doctors, right? That might impact your percent. So like that's part of your story. And I've had some hygiene departments that they're actually like over that 30 % within the practice, right? They're cranking it. Hygiene team is doing a phenomenal job over there. And it's like, all right, look at the doctor side. Is there a volume or value issue over there on the doctor side that we can work on? So.   The Dental A Team (21:26.289) question.   The Dental A Team (21:33.659) have to. Yeah.   The Dental A Team (21:47.056) for sure. No, I love that you said that I've definitely seen that or my hygiene department. I've come in and I'm like 40 % day and ladies are like, yeah, we're killing it. And I'm like, yeah, what's going on with diagnosis? Where can we where can we increase? Where's the balance? Exactly. I think that's the perfect word. So what we found is that balance is like right around that 30 % marker. So I love that. All right. So you guys, you've got a ton of information out of this podcast from us. What I want you to do   Britt (21:56.716) It's not balance.   The Dental A Team (22:15.95) as I want you to go pull the stats and pull the numbers on your specific practice, dig into the trends that you're seeing. Just get a baseline. Where are you at? And are you in a space that you are right on the marker there? You've got that balance, you've got the profitability coming from both sides, or are you not? Are you swaying on either side? And then do your due diligence there and dig into why. You guys, brilliant Britt over here. That's gonna be your name, brilliant Britt. I finally figured it out.   Britt (22:42.919) Too nice, Seb.   The Dental A Team (22:44.687) Brilliant Brit. Brilliant Brit over here has provided us some really great tips and tools. And I want you to like go backwards in this podcast and listen to those stats and those numbers that she pulled and that she chatted about. Those are the important factors that 200 per day during the week of hygiene patients, that's going to be huge. That's your active patient count pulling those. am a huge advocate for watching your active patient count just as much as you're watching your new patient count. So keep an eye on both of those.   If there's anything you guys got confused about anything you want clarification on anything that you need or if you need help figuring this out or projecting or getting these in line or talking about the systems that are behind the scenes on all of these, I want you guys to talk to us, email us, write in hop on this link on the podcast and schedule a call like whatever you have to do. [email protected]. Leave us a review below and we always read those. always respond to them as best that we can and we will   like we will gladly help you in whatever ways we can, we have a million avenues for you to choose from. But I want you to go do your due diligence first, pull those numbers, know where your baseline is, and then reach out when you guys need help, the resources are here. Britt, thank you so much for today's podcast. And thank you so much for the work that you do with our clients and with our non clients, people, like I said, who are just reaching out and they are future clients are never going to be clients, we don't care.   Thank you for everything that you do for all of them and the incredible value that you provide all of us. And thank you for being here today, Britt.   Britt (24:16.438) Yeah, thanks for having me. You know, we all love it. Tiff too. We like to help anybody we can in dentistry. So we're always here.   The Dental A Team (24:18.573) course.   The Dental A Team (24:22.859) Yep, absolutely. Great. Awesome. All right, guys, go do your homework, reach out in whatever capacity or way you need to. We are always here for you until next time. Bye guys.  

Britt and Tiff talk about how to look outside your department’s corner of the schedule, including the power of X’s and slashes and why this method will set your practice up for success. Episode resources: Reach out to Tiff and Britt Tune Into DAT’s Monthly Webinar Practice Momentum Group Consulting Subscribe to The Dental A-Team podcast Become Dental A-Team Platinum! Review the podcast Transcript: The Dental A Team (00:07.502) Hello, Dental A Team. I am so excited today. I normally bring you Dana. She is my tried and true like can grab you in a pinch podcaster. And today I'm so excited. I am podcasting with the one and only, no BS, Britt. Brittany Stone is here with us today. Britt, thank you so much for being open to this. I know I like last minute through it on our schedule this week. Totally appreciate you.   How are you? Welcome back to the podcasting world. How are you?   Britt (00:39.891) I it's been a little while. I've done like some book club, but it's been a while since I've been on with consultants. So I'm excited to be here doing good. I mean, it's always fun. Whenever you get to spend some time with Tiff, it's a good time.   The Dental A Team (00:50.061) Well, thank you. Thank you very much. I totally agree with you on that. I love spending time with you. And I remember way back when we started doing the video ones, we were in Zoom and I was like, you and I were trying to figure it out. And I like, this is so cool because we get to hang out. But then also I have to make sure my hair is done. So like, there's that aspect to it. But I'm excited you're here. Thank you, Dana. Thanks to you. We did a ton of podcasts the other day.   Britt (00:52.945) you   Britt (01:09.967) Thank   Britt (01:14.866) you   The Dental A Team (01:17.727) And we like we went on this one that gosh guys, it's so good. So go back and listen to all of the ones that have that have released this month because it was really good. But we went a little long and so I was like, shoot, we got this one more we got to do. So let me shift it over to Britt. It was perfect. And today, it's actually perfect as well because I know you've got your hygiene background, which I love to pull in from you and Dana, I've got my assisting background, but you also have   HR management, you've done like health management, you've done, obviously you've ran practices, you've ran multiple multiple practices, you've done all these pieces. And what I wanted to talk about today was really learning how to read the schedule like a pro. And I think you have seen the schedule in so many different aspects as a provider, as a manager, as a scheduling coordinator, treatment coordinator, all of those places that it'll be really cool to see and hear your thoughts on that. So I'm excited to bring that in. And I think   To start us off reading the schedule like a pro, I really, really want to hear from you, Britt, what your thoughts are from a hygiene perspective on sitting in a hygiene chair, you've got your hygiene schedule, and then the rest of the schedule, right? There's the rest of the practice has a schedule. What is it like as a hygienist sitting in that chair, reading the schedule, your own schedule and looking around? Is that something that like hygienists are trained to look for?   Are they prone to look at the other spaces and see where is my doctor? What is that like? Cause I've, I've not sat in that chair before, so I'm personally intrigued.   Britt (02:52.39) Tiff's the assistant chair that is like, what I'm watching like three chairs at once and you've got one. So I mean, with hygiene, it's easy for hygienists, I think, to get siloed, whether we're running a single column or we're running like an accelerated hygiene and running two columns. It's really easy for us to just get stuck in what we have for the day and not always take a look out at the schedule and see what's going on as a whole. So I'll encourage all the hygienists out there to   The Dental A Team (02:56.393) Yeah, exactly. Yes, exactly.   The Dental A Team (03:13.311) Yeah.   Britt (03:20.498) look outside of just your column. think morning huddles help big time because that allows us to see, right, I can see what I have going on in my day. Assistance doc can flag things that they have going on in their day. If there's a time that's super crazy that I can be aware of around 10, like if I happen to have some time, let me go check in on them and see what's going on. Or if we have open time, is there anybody in my schedule that might have treatment that we can convert over to same day treatment to help look at the schedule as a whole?   So for hygiene, it's super easy for us to get siloed in our little column and just take care of our little world over there and not always be aware of what's going on. I think assistants can do it too, if it's a multiple doctor practice that they just get stuck in their one doctor and we're not looking out at everybody else, but definitely encouraged, look at the schedule as a whole. And if you have an idea in the morning of what's going on and if the team communicates really well, like whatever we're using messaging wise, if something changes in the schedule and we make sure everybody knows, especially if it's something that   I can help out with, then keep that communication open, because I think that helps us all work the schedule together.   The Dental A Team (04:17.618) Yeah.   The Dental A Team (04:23.24) I love that. love that. Okay, I was just curious. I was like, gosh, reading the schedule is not it's not easy. First of all, like it's not easy learning how to read the schedule when you've got a ton of providers or you've got I've got some doctors who love a single column and they love to work out of one column with one or two assistants and like they've got it. But then I've got other doctors who are like, give me three or four three or four hygiene plus at least three rooms dedicated to me and I want patients across the board.   I'm like, okay, that's where it gets a little wild. So I always wonder for those practices, either direction, like, is it easy from that space to look across the board for a hygienist to say, this is where my doctor's at, or this is why he's not here yet. So thank you for that perspective. I think so I say when I was younger, my younger years, I used to say that the schedule was like a game of Tetris.   Britt (04:51.082) huh.   The Dental A Team (05:18.545) And I was like, it's a game, it's Tetris and I love Tetris and it's like putting it all together. And then as I grew into dentistry and I learned some more, I realized it's not actually Tetris, right? Because Tetris is like, where do things just fit together? And if we build a schedule like Tetris, those are the days when our providers, our doctors and our assistants even are like, what did you do to my schedule? So those are, I think of the Tetris schedulers.   Britt (05:18.748) That's it.   The Dental A Team (05:48.078) as the no white space. They're like, well, you see a space, fill a space. It doesn't matter what's there. It doesn't matter what goes there or who goes there, whatever else is happening. So, Tetris is the no white space game. Sudoku is the schedule game. Because you've got this little box and you've got one to nine numbers that need to go into this one box. But then you've got other boxes that one to nine also has. And you have to look in all of these different directions. So, you're looking up, down, across, diagonal.   Britt (05:50.96) Thanks.   The Dental A Team (06:16.589) and you can't have a repeated number in any of those spaces. So when I'm putting an appointment on a schedule, and if I'm gonna sit here and say you're gonna learn how to read a schedule like a pro, you need to go learn how to do Sudoku first. So if you know how to do Sudoku, you know how to look at the schedule because if I'm an appointment on the schedule, I'm looking across at all of those different spaces because sometimes what might be diagonal from me, from this space, might not be the same exact time, but diagonal.   Britt (06:27.189) Hahaha.   The Dental A Team (06:42.807) maybe my doctor is still in a new patient exam over in hygiene and I've discredited that not realizing it because I didn't look at all of the different angles. So when I'm putting an appointment on the schedule, I'm looking at it like Sudoku from whatever chair, even hygiene. If I'm putting an appointment in hygiene, I'm looking across the board to see, can my doctor get over and do the exam? Is this a good space for a new patient or is my doctor?   in the sedation, right? How many times do practices have that? They're like, tip, I'm literally the sedation provider. I'm the only doctor in the practice and they've got new patients over here on the, on the hygiene schedule. And I'm like, my gosh, we did not look across the board. So I love to think of Sudoku and then adding that factor, which I know Britt you love and probably loved as a hygienist as well, the X's and slashes. So we can Sudoku it and then put those X's and slashes in there. Now, Britt, you even in hygiene,   Britt (07:22.527) Yeah.   The Dental A Team (07:40.034) You can just look at the doctor schedule and know where he or she is. I love X's and slashes. I know we talk about it a lot. We talk about blocks to simplify. That's another aspect, but Brit, tell me implementing, you consult, you've consulted for years. You have a handful of clients still that are near and dear to your heart. Hello to all of you. She loves you. And you've implemented X's and slashes.   Britt (07:44.636) Mm -hmm.   Britt (08:00.912) Yeah.   The Dental A Team (08:06.527) and how to read a schedule in a lot of those practices, not all of them. So when I say Xs and slashes, number one, mean, Xs are doctor time, slashes are assistant time in most cases. Some of your programs, think, Eagle, soft and open, then I'll do like colors or blocks or whatever, but it's the same theory. Just switch it out. How did you, Britt, and how do you help teams to implement the Xs and slashes?   within the clients that you work with, because you do work with a lot of teams and how do you find is the easiest way to implement those X's and slashes and gain the understanding on.   Britt (08:42.928) Yeah, Xs and slashes. So two things that help us to be able to at least set us up for success with a schedule a little better. Block scheduling, because it's something like we've had a chance to review, we create our blocks. So in general, in general, we're creating kind of an ideal day with our block scheduling. And then our Xs and slashes implementing those is just all right, by the appointment, let's say it's a crown appointment.   How much time at the beginning is assistant time? How much at the end is assistant time? And it's doctor time in the middle. So it's just breaking down truly for an appointment, which as you do this and as you think about it, I would just go through all our procedures. How much time is doctor time? How much time is assistant time? It's also a chance for some of you to evaluate how efficient we are with some of our appointments. Because I've definitely sat there with some clients and it's like, well, after this, well, then they might just sit there for like 10, 15 minutes. And it's like, all right, well.   The Dental A Team (09:29.685) I love that.   The Dental A Team (09:36.79) huh.   Britt (09:38.876) Just sitting there is an efficient use of patient's time, nor our time. So how can we tighten it up, get it more efficient by looking at those Xs and slashes? And that's really it is seeing breaking down the time. How does it break down most systems? You can pre -program those things. not, you combine treatment. It's not always going to come up perfect. So reevaluate it. And there's ways to communicate those Xs and slashes from the doctor to the scheduler. So we make sure we get them set up right.   The Dental A Team (10:04.242) Thank you.   Britt (10:06.14) but it's really just planning it out, seeing how much time it's gonna take. And then between your blocks and your Xs and slashes, just remember it's not always gonna be an automatic like plug and play. Like we still wanna look at the schedule as a whole and confirm that like, yep, everything looks good there. That makes sense with where I'm putting it. I think it's kind of like a scenario where it's like.   Great, go put the box on the table. But I forgot there's something else on the table. And if you put that box on there, it's going to fall off. But someone's like, well, I put it on the table and it fell off. But you told me to put it on the table. So look at the whole schedule. some common sense. Make sure it makes sense when you actually put that appointment in the schedule when you're using your block scheduling and your x's and slashes.   The Dental A Team (10:51.291) I love that. That's so much good information. So reading the schedule like a pro, we're thinking about it like Sudoku rather than Tetris, but then we're adding that aspect of the blocks and the Xs and slashes to enable us to read it. So Xs and slashes taking what you just said, Britt, right? We're going to time probably time journal, right? You said let's make sure that we're efficiently using our time. And I think to bringing reality so that we can schedule it that way.   Britt (11:19.665) Mm -hmm.   The Dental A Team (11:20.061) When it comes to that, I find with a lot of my clients that number one, one of the first things I hear from my clients is it's never the same. It's always different because every patient is different. And I'm like, totally. I do not discredit that we are not working on robots. We are working on human beings a hundred percent, but there is a trend. There is a commonality somewhere. And when we start doing what Brett's talking about, where we're really looking at the amount of time that we're using,   that's where you find those trends. So you're going to find spaces where you're like, holy cow, this takes me way longer than I thought it did. I need to like be more efficient and use this time more wisely. And then there's going to be spaces where you're like, wow, this is the same every single time you're finding the average time per procedure. And then you're allocating where was my assistant time? Where was my doctor time? The reason that I love access and flashes for it is because a lot of practices forget to   Britt (11:55.739) Mm -hmm.   The Dental A Team (12:17.341) they forget to remember that the assistant needs that time. so doctors oftentimes will be like, yeah, well, we'll get you in for that crown. It'll be like, my time's like 40 minutes max. Your time is 40 minutes max, right? But it's an hour to an hour and a half appointment, depending on the time, the assistant, like all of those pieces. And we forget those in what we're saying. So then we come back to a schedule and   The assistants are like, what the heck did you do? And then like, doctor said 40 minutes. Well, yeah, but our assistant's new time. So the X's and slashes ensure that that gets in there. And then building the blocks based off of your average time helps to make sure that it's easy to schedule. So when we're reading the schedule, if we already have these pieces allocated in our system to make it easy, now reading the schedule like a pro isn't an issue.   Britt (12:59.474) Mm   The Dental A Team (13:12.484) It's when we over complicate things, we forget that there are systems to make things easier and more efficient, we over complicate it. And then we're like, gosh, they don't understand it. They don't know how to schedule. just don't. They're not intuitive enough to understand what the schedule needs to be. Take that out. Like don't require people to be intuitive. That's crazy. Don't require people to just know, put things in place that makes it so that anyone can build and read a schedule.   like you're asking them to. So that's my soapbox for the day. Sudoku reading. If you don't know what Sudoku is or you've never done it, go do it at least once. It's not super easy. They have like an easy version. That's my favorite. But just kind of see what it's like. I think it just makes, I it challenges your brain to look in different ways. So treat the schedule like Sudoku.   Britt (13:46.46) Yes.   Britt (13:57.906) Thank   The Dental A Team (14:06.026) Utilize your X's and slashes in your block. So go time journal if you don't know what it is or if you haven't time journaled in a while Britt, how often do you have doctors time journal? What are you? What's your cadence for that? Like I don't have a set where I'm like always like, it's time to time journal But when do you think that pops back up because I have a lot of doctors listening right now They're like, I did that. I don't need to do that again. When do you think that pops back up for people?   Britt (14:31.11) Well, I think that yearly is not a bad idea, but if we're struggling with our schedule, either running late or having extra time, it's time to do it because we need to reevaluate where our appointments are. So if you're like, what we did a few years ago, but we're having this struggle, well, guess what? If you're having a struggle, it's time to do it again because we need to dial in or adjust those times, right? And sometimes, a lot of times it's doctors getting quicker on things, right? That's a lot of times what it is.   The Dental A Team (14:49.476) Yeah.   Britt (14:58.298) Sometimes it's that we start jamming too much in together. They're running a million places and an appointment that really should, like it's still taking them the same amount of time if they went and sat in one spot, but we've got them jumping around. So we need a reality now of how long does it take now with how we have the schedule set up.   The Dental A Team (15:15.609) I love that you said that. Yes, because things change. It's kind of like expecting your patients to never have a medical history change or like your patients that came in with the laundry list of medications two years ago that they're still on the same laundry list of medications. Like there's either added ones or they've changed. So to think that our schedule is the same as it was the last time we did it is just crazy talk to me, even if you're using block scheduling.   your new patients have fluctuated, your team size has fluctuated. If you've added providers, hygiene or doctor, if you've added assistance, front office, like anything that's changed within the practice, it's like expecting people's mouths to be the same every time, but they've changed medications or they've changed the type of food that they're eating. You guys know what gut health does. Like all of those things change the body. All of those aspects of life change the practice. So doing your time journaling and just checking yourself every   I think once a year is fantastic. Absolutely. And then every time you see like, something's changed. like to say, if it's not easy, it's not working. It's not that life is so easy. You don't have to work. It's that if you're pounding your head against a wall and something is hard, continuously difficult, and you're like, gosh, I'm just like running uphill. That's the universe saying something's not working. So take a step back, look at it from a different view and make sure that those   Britt (16:13.98) you   Britt (16:20.454) The Dental A Team (16:40.919) times that your calibration is actually in place correctly, and maybe go back and recalibrate your appointment. So time journaling, figuring out those X's and slashes, implementing block scheduling, and then looking at the schedule like Sudoku, even if you have the blocks in there, still look you guys like the blocks and the X's and slashes are meant to take some of the thinking out to make it a little bit easier because it makes it so it's not so hard. But it doesn't mean that it's a perfect system.   Sometimes things pop in there sometimes things change and you have to still look at everything like Sudoku So you're looking at it from every different angle time journal X's and slashes Blocks to simplify the scheduling and then learn how to play Sudoku in real life and with your schedule you guys those are the biggest tips I have on reading the schedule like a pro now Brit real quick to wrap up from sitting in a hygiene perspective because that's gonna be dental assistant inside or   mostly from office utilizing those those aspects and those tips from a hygiene perspective. How how do you think would be easy? Like what's an easy way you could tell them to be able to see the full schedule? Maybe you know, three columns on doctor and we've got four hygiene or something from their chair, like how are they able to look at it? And what do you suggest for your hygienist when you have these conversations?   Britt (18:05.776) Yeah, my biggest thing is make sure that you look at the schedule in the morning, right? So you know what the day is going to be and you're not just looking at your schedule. Look at if you've got multiple hygiene, right? Look at hygiene team and look at doctor side and look at your day and see if there's anything that you can do to help that schedule run smoother. And sometimes even you guys know, right? Hygienist, sometimes you'll see something in the schedule that it's like, that's   That's going to be a rough time and sometimes other team members may not notice it. And that's where we work together as a team. So I will plug huddle all day long and walking out of huddle, I will tell my teams walking out of huddle, you should feel like we have a plan to win the day. The day should run smooth. If you're walking out of huddle saying, well, we'll figure it out.   You're setting yourself up for failure and a really rough day. So work together in the morning, make sure we review it, make sure we've got a plan for the day. And then my other plug will be for the entire team is then communicate. So like if you need help with something in this schedule or if something changes that's going to impact someone, I think all clinical Tiff, you could probably even like chime in on this, will appreciate if something changes in the schedule, whether it falls off the schedule or you've added something.   It's good for me to know even if I'm trying to keep an eye on it, because we're thinking, we might be with a patient, we're thinking of the next thing. And if I'm rushing because I have that next patient and that next patient just fell off the schedule, which means I can be a little more present with this current one, it's really helpful for the team to communicate it so we know what's going on and we can make those little pivots or adjustments. Or if I don't think I have something and you add something and I'm kind of not to lollygag, but I'm like, I've got some time, spend a couple of extra minutes with that patient.   but then I realize I've got someone else that I didn't see there before, it's good for me to know so I can better manage time.   The Dental A Team (20:01.683) Yeah, I love that. I've done that to my hygienist before and they were like, I had no idea and I'm like, well, now we're 10 minutes behind. then everybody sat. So everybody sat each other's throat. So I always say over communicate those types of situations like tell people even if you feel like they knew or they saw the schedule that comes like over communicate. So I love that. So morning huddles, make sure that you guys are talking about the schedule and morning huddles. And that means like reading the schedule, right? Not like we're doing five fillings on this patient, but   Britt (20:07.013) Exactly.   Britt (20:11.8) Hello?   The Dental A Team (20:29.423) really looking at the schedule and what those aspects are. Look at the schedule like Sudoku. Over communicate you guys when there's changes or things that you need. And then to make it super easy, utilize those X's and slashes on the block scheduling and time journal frequently to ensure that those are spot on, especially if you feel like you're hitting a wall. Brit, I love your perspective. I love that I can pull the hygiene side out of there. So thank you for that. I loved having you here today. This was so much fun.   Thank you for being here. Thank you for all of your tips and for your hygiene aspect there. I truly value what you're able to do for all of our clients and all of our listeners. So thank you.   Britt (21:08.7) I mean, thanks for having me. I love the hygiene assistant duo. Like it really is the best. It's so much fun. And maybe it's coming from being around assistants so much, but I love the assistant brain and I appreciate that our brains work a little different. And so it's fun to come together on these things.   The Dental A Team (21:12.185) Yeah.   The Dental A Team (21:22.096) Yeah. Thank you. Thank you. I have to tell you, my sister this morning is like, have all this laundry to do. And I'm like, I would just do it. And I'm like going through the process of how I would do her 16 loads of laundry. And she was like, I just look at it and think I have laundry all day and you look at it as how can I make this the most efficient? And I literally said, I think it's from assisting for so many years that I'm like,   Britt (21:36.397) Hahaha   The Dental A Team (21:46.788) just like weave in and out and fit things where they go. But thank you for that. I appreciate it. We could, we can build a beautiful life together.   Britt (21:51.954) Thank   Britt (21:55.218) Assistants are the master multitaskers to make it as easy as possible and Tiff truly is ease. Tiff will look at anything which is the great thing about her and say how can we make this easy?   The Dental A Team (21:59.779) my god, yes. Thank you.   The Dental A Team (22:05.711) Yeah, thank you. Thank you. I don't like stress. I hate being stressed out. So if it's stressful, and it's not easy, it's not for me. And that means it needs to be changed. So I appreciate that. But thank you so much for being here. You guys. This was an amazing podcast. I hope you're taking notes if you were driving, then stop take some notes when you get to where you're going. We listen to this, you can speed it up. You know, you probably have us on like 1 .75 already. But you can speed us up. re listen, take the notes, reach out when you need to reach out.   Britt (22:08.69) Let's not.   The Dental A Team (22:34.958) We're here [email protected]. We love chatting with you guys clients. Now future clients, just a listener like whatever you are, we love to hear from you. So please don't hesitate to reach out and as always drop us a five star review below. Helps us know that this content was super beneficial for you. And also as you're in there, you can give your own tips and tricks and telling you people do listen to that or read them excuse me while they're listening here.   They do read them and so they are taking away your tips and they are understanding that this is a valuable podcast. So thank you so much you guys and we'll catch you next time.

We all want our patients to be raving fans of our practice, right? Kiera gives tips on how to have your patients know they’ve hit an absolute gold mine in terms of dental care. Episode resources: Reach out to Kiera Tune Into DAT’s Monthly Webinar Practice Momentum Group Consulting Subscribe to The Dental A-Team podcast Become Dental A-Team Platinum! Review the podcast Transcript: Kiera Dent (00:00.686) Hello, Dental A Team listeners. This is Kiera and welcome to the podcast. I hope you guys are having such a great day today. I hope that you remember that we truly are so blessed to work in dentistry. In my opinion, it is the greatest industry that we could ever be a part of and we're just so lucky to be a part of it. So welcome to the podcast. Thank you guys for being a part of the Dental A Team podcast family. Can you believe how long we've been going? Like how many episodes when I see people like, wow, episode 894. And I'm like, my gosh.   That's so many episodes. We are about to break that thousand episode mark. And I just want to remind you guys, if you are new to the podcast, welcome. If you've been here for a while, also a reminder to head on over to our website, TheDentalATeam .com and click on the podcast tab. There, there is a search bar. And so you can always search scheduling or billing or office optimization or associates or CPA or taxes or literally any topic that you want. I kind of take it as a little bit more advanced version than Google.   and you can search any topic and every podcast that I've ever done on that topic will pull up for you. So that way it might make that 900 episodes that seem as daunting. Just want to remind you, so head on over to TheDentalATeam .com, use it for a team resource. A lot of people want to make processes and protocols. They want to do training for new hires. Use the podcast as a resource. It's a free resource for you. We have lots of videos on YouTube as well. So some offices have even taken some of the stuff I've done.   use the verbiage and they've actually made it into their onboarding documents. By all means, please let's work smarter, not harder. And that's my goal of the podcast is to truly make your guys' life incredible. I love to give back. And all I ask in return is that you share this with somebody every time you listen. Share it with somebody, share it in a Facebook group, tag us on social media, but share it because the more people you share it with, the more hands it gets into.   And then that way we're able to be in every single practice. That's my goal is to be in every single dental office and just truly serve with positivity and tactical, practical in practice. So today's podcast today is going to be, I was actually at, I think I was at lunch with some friends. One of the people is a client of mine and.   Kiera Dent (02:13.646) The other one is her husband. And so we were sitting at lunch and her husband works in the food industry. And so it's interesting when I go with them, I'm always like, my gosh, I've got to make sure I tip really well. And her husband said to me, he said, Kiera, there's a difference between a good tip and a memorable tip. There's a difference between being friendly or being memorable. Everyone is pleasant or everyone's a jerk. He said, but really being that memorable person in a positive way. And he said, we always only get one opportunity to make that impression.   And so I've thought about it a lot of, you know, maybe I'm not always going to give a memorable tip, but thinking about it, like everybody typically tips, you know, 15, 20 % is the standard right now. But how can I make it where it's super memorable? And I thought about it because I watched this guy and I've hung out with them for several years. They're really dear friends to me. And I watch him and everywhere he goes. So if he goes into a restaurant, people are like, my gosh, hi.   put him right at the perfect table. He rarely ever has to wait in line ever. Wherever we go, I notice he kind of gets this VIP treatment. And like he said, there's a difference between a good tip and a memorable tip. And working in the food industry, I've thought about this of like, you know, I'm a nice person and I'm pleasant. Like he said, like everyone's pretty much pleasant, but how do you become memorable? And so I know I'm coming from a food standard of how can we be memorable and like just a way to get through life if you know, like.   your hair girl or your nail girl or things like that where you maybe want a little extra treatment like this person they can get into the pedicure spot anytime they want any day, any night, whatever they need because they've been memorable to these people. And so I was thinking about it of is your practice pleasant and a good experience or is it a memorable experience and how can we make our practices memorable?   We all have an opportunity. Every dental practice is pretty much nice. I mean, I've consulted a lot of offices and generally speaking, the front office is really nice. The dental assistants are nice. People are nice. Sometimes it gets a little crazy. I mean, I've seen some that are not so great. I've had some front office where I walk in and they don't even smile. And I think like I'm a freaking consulted. I'm here to critique in the nicest way possible, but you're not even saying hi when I walk in is the first thing on my list. So I think...   Kiera Dent (04:26.03) just knowing that, but generally speaking, most practices are nice. So what could you guys do to make your practice memorable where people are raving fans and want to refer to you all the time? And I don't think it necessarily costs money per se, but things I've been thinking about as I was prepping for this podcast are like, when they come in, do we work, like, do we greet them to where it's like they're our best friend? And we're so grateful that they're there. When we answer the phone, it's our front office and front office team members. I'm chatting with you too.   are you doing your best to like make a magic moment for that person? If you guys go back, there's an incredible book called Unreasonable Hospitality, and they talked about creating magic moments for their guests at this restaurant, and they called them guests. And I just think about it, like also if we were to change it and think of our patients coming in as guests, would we treat them differently than we currently do? I just went to Disneyland and we took our company there for our company retreat and...   We ended up doing a VIP tour, which is incredible. And I'm happy to geek out on Disney all day long. But the reason I did that with my team was because I wanted them to see a different level of customer service. I already think Disney is top notch on so many levels, but now let's take it to a next level. And how can we do that VIP within our company? What are you doing again, not to just have a nice experience, but a memorable, positive experience in your practice? What is your team doing to make a magic moment? When we're confirming, do we just feel like, it's just mundane like, hi, Kiera.   We're calling to confirm your appointment at eight o 'clock. What could you do even just in the energy that we put out there? And what I wrote, it's literally sitting right here. I'm looking at my, you know, here we go, my little planner for the week. Above my coaching call day, I wrote magic moments. And I do that on every coaching call day because it's not just a coaching call. I could get very mundane.   But for me, every coaching call is a magic moment. And my goal is to create a magic moment or a breakthrough or deliver more value than that client has ever experienced, whether they've been with me for one month or whether they've been with me for five or six years to bring a magic moment to that day on coaching calls. What if your friend office started doing magic moments when they did confirmations or what if your treatment coordinator, their goal was to make such a memorable experience with every single patient that came through.   Kiera Dent (06:41.07) just to give them this incredible experience. And again, it's not a lot of time. I think it's intentionality of what, what are we doing and how are we presenting this instead of it just being a male of like, all right, it's a job. How are we making these memorable magic moments within our practice for dentists? How is your experience where it's so top notch? I have a doctor that I can think of right now who really left an impressionable experience on me. I've been to the doctor quite a few times in my life. And the one that I remember the most was actually my ER doc when I went in and I actually had my appendix.   And I don't remember him because he made me feel better. And so I got my appendix out when we were in Arizona, but I remember this doctor because he was an ER doctor and he came in and I remember just him being so kind and sitting there. And I felt like he had all the time in the world for me. Now he's an ER doctor and Jason told me, my husband, he left and he went outside the room and he's like, Kiera, this man is literally freaking sprinting between rooms.   And as soon as he like gets the door, he like calms himself, walks in and just is like so present, I think is probably the best word, so present and attentive to my needs. And then as soon as he was done, he like sprinted to the next room behind the scenes. And I just thought that doctor made me feel so seen, so heard, so loved, so cared about. I remember he's like, Kiera, there's no reward here for like being the tough girl. Like let's get you some medicine. That way you'll feel better. But he was so present and intentional when he was with me.   And it didn't take a lot of time. It's not like I sat there with him for hours, but I remember that doctor and we were talking, this has been 10 years since I had my appendix out. And I still remember he left a very memorable impression on me. And again, people were like, it's cause you had your appendix out and you're in so much pain. And I'm like, no, like whatever. I had a lot of people that gave me medicine, but that doctor was so intentional when he was in my room that I felt seen hurt and I felt valued. I didn't feel like I was just a number or a job for him. So hi, Jenis.   How can you make your patients have those magic moments every single time? And I don't think that, yes, there's a point of remembering things. Like I have another doctor and she said, hey, Kiera, how was your trip? Whenever I see her, she's a chiropractor who's working on my nerves because I've got some really bizarre things happening right now. And I said, Chris, how do you remember all this? I said, do you write it down? Because that's what we do in dentistry. And she said, no, I just genuinely care about you and your life. And I remember these things. And I thought about that of...   Kiera Dent (09:03.374) she genuinely cares about me. She's a fee for service person. I could go to somebody much cheaper, but I know she cares about me as a human. And so how can we do that memorable experience? That's what creates the raving fans. That's what creates the referrals. That's what creates a word of mouth referrals. That's what grows businesses is by having these very memorable experiences, just like a tip, right? I can go in, I can tip the waiter because I feel like that's what I need to do. Or I can have a memorable tip where they remember me as well.   When I come in the next time, it's like, my gosh, Kiera, here's a red carpet for you. But like they said, everybody is pleasant. But how can we make our dental practice be that experience that's memorable? So that's what I was thinking. And maybe this would be a really awesome team exercise for you guys. If you guys want a good team meeting, I think this could be an amazing one where it's like each department, how are we going to create a memorable experience for every patient that comes through? Doctors, how can you be like that ER doctor that I gave you the example of? And same thing with hygienists.   How can our front office have it be where we feel like it's like Disneyland? I mean, they take so much intentionality with each person that's there and how can we do that? What can we change? Can we move the phones to where someone is not necessarily sitting there? So the person who is checking in patients is super present, super aware, very intentional with them. I'm not sure, I'm just throwing out ideas, but what would make it to where it feels very memorable as opposed to just an everyday transaction? Like I said, when we go to the bank, when we go here,   I also think right now is a great time because I don't think that customer service is top of mind for 90 % of businesses right now. It's like people don't care if you're there or not. People aren't kind to you. People don't look up at you. People don't make eye contact with you. And so I think dental practices actually have an amazing opportunity to really disrupt the industry and to make it where you change it. What other things could you do? And again, I don't think these cost money. They just are genuine intentional pieces. How can you make perfect handoffs with your team so it feels like every person knows what's going on?   How can we make our presenting of treatment even stronger to where the patient feels very confident with us? Again, how can we make these memorable moments? And so like I said, maybe have a team meeting where every department comes to the table and we look to see what would be very meaningful and what could we all do to enhance that to where it's no longer just coming to the dentist, but it's something that people genuinely look forward to.   Kiera Dent (11:22.67) That's just a question to ask. So I really just thought it was a beautiful thing that my friend and I were talking about. I have not stopped thinking about this. And we're talking, it's been several months since we had this conversation of how can I make memorable impressions consistently? And that can be exhausting, but I also think it can be very fun. And I think reading the book, Unreasonable Hospitality is a great way to remember like every single patient that comes through, we have an opportunity to make a magic moment or a memorable experience for them in a positive way.   Disney, I love going there because I feel like VIP, everyone's so nice. Everybody's smiling. Everybody's so kind. I feel like you don't get that. And that creates the magic of Disney. That's why I love going there. People are like, Kiera why do you go as an adult? And I'm like, because I feel the magic. It feels so happy. The ride people are so nice. They're waving like they love it. Their onstage presence is incredible. Even if they're having a bad day, you don't feel that way. There's no sadness from the employees there. It just feels like this happy, magical place. But it's a job for them. It's literally a job for them. And yet,   They wave at you when you leave on the ride. They're so happy. They say, welcome back. You know, people that smile at you, even though they're doing their jobs, how can your practice be that way too? And make that memorable experience that patients rave about and want to refer. So this is something I'm obsessed with helping offices do. I love helping practices get this experience where it's truly something that patients remember in a positive way and that they want to share with everybody. So.   Take it to your team, try this out. If you guys need us to help you with team meetings like this, reach out Hello @ TheDentalATeam .com. And as always, thanks for listening. Thanks for listening and I'll catch you next time on the Dental A Team Podcast.

Rereleasing one of DAT’s most popular episodes! Dr. Dave Moghadam returns to the Dental A-Team podcast! This time, he’s giving the goods on priority scheduling, something he’s been working with for over a year now. He and Kiera go deep into priority scheduling with the following highlights: How to map out ideal schedule Keeping it flexible Rolling out to the team Space for emergencies How hygiene fits in And more! About Dr. Moghadam: Dr. Moghadam was born and raised in Morris County, New Jersey. After completing his undergraduate degree at Rutgers University in New Brunswick he went on to obtain his Doctor of Dental Medicine degree from the University of Medicine and Dentistry (UMDNJ) in Newark. During his time at UMDNJ, Dr. Moghadam received extensive recognition for his outstanding leadership, academic and clinical aptitude, and dedication to the profession. Some of his achievements include receiving the William R. Cinotti Endowed Scholarship and the American Student Dental Association Award of Excellence, as well as induction into the Gamma Pi Delta Prosthodontic Honor Society. He then chose to complete a general practice residency at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick where he received advanced training with an emphasis on comprehensive restorative treatment, endodontics, and implant dentistry.  Episode resources: Reach out to Kiera Watch DAT Podcasts on YouTube Practice Momentum Group Consulting Subscribe to The Dental A-Team podcast Become Dental A-Team Platinum! Review the podcast Transcript: The Dental A Team (00:05.742) Hey everyone, welcome to the Dental A Team podcast. I'm your host, Kiera Dent, and I had this crazy idea that maybe I could combine a doctor and a team member's perspective, because let's face it, dentistry can be a challenging profession with those two perspectives. I've been a dental assistant, treatment coordinator, scheduler, pillar, office manager, regional manager, practice owner, and I have a team of traveling consultants where we have traveled to over 165 different offices coaching teams. Yep, we don't just understand you, we are you.   Our mission is to positively impact the world of dental. And I believe that this podcast is the greatest way I can help elevate teams, grow VIP experiences, reduce stress, and create A -Teams. Welcome to the Dental A Team Podcast.   The Dental A Team (00:51.438) Hello, Dental A Team listeners, this is Kiera. And you guys, today I am so excited to have back on one of my favorite doctors. He and I tend to come up with some fun ideas to podcast on. And so I'm super honored and grateful to have Dr. Dave Mogadam back on the show today. If you haven't heard, he and I have chatted so many different topics from mergers to practice to bringing on your hygiene team and how to calibrate your hygiene team. And today we're gonna take it on another direction with scheduling. So Dave, how are you today?   I'm doing wonderful. How about yourself? Great and guys just so you know if you heard the last one Dave's got a killer mustache going on again today He's got like I wish you guys could see him because he came like ready to go today rocking and rolling Dave How's the weather where you're at today? I mean you've got the mustache going on perfect haircut today I mean you're looking   You know, it was one of those things where I got fooled in the Northeast. You know, we have these fake spring days. So yesterday was really, you know, beautiful, sunny, everything like that. So I threw on a T -shirt and a vest. I was walking outside this morning and somebody asked me where my sleeves are. It's freezing. Well, that's how we are over here. Today's the coldest I think I've ever seen Reno and it's at 11 degrees today. And for me,   freezing cold. Like I don't know what this is. We also had that fake spring. was almost in the seventies and then plumbing it down, got lots of snow. So it's probably coming your way. So get ready for it. Here it comes. But you know, here we go. So Dave, let's, let's dive right in. about, mean, you guys have a fun day. get customer service with Disney today. So just going to throw that out there. That's going to be a fun day, but let's talk scheduling. I'm going to just tee everybody up for a possible other conversation on customer service, Disney style,   Priority scheduling, you're a dentist, you guys have grown a lot. Tiffany works with your practice, she's excited to come see you again. So kind of walk us through this priority scheduling and what you guys have found successful in your practice. So yeah, it's a really good topic. about a, a year ago now, I was really thinking about, know, what is going on with our schedule? Because for years and years, as we've gotten busier,   The Dental A Team (03:07.126) Monday through Wednesday has always been like gangbusters and awesome. And then we get to Thursday and it is just like, my God, what is going on here? It's all the little ancillary nonsense that you just don't want to deal with. And everybody's running around and trying to deal with like seeing a bunch of patients and our practice is not really, you know, like that or geared for that really. And you work harder, it's less fun and everybody really just does not enjoy it, especially me. Right.   So for years and years, we've kind of always heard the big consultant saying, you got to schedule to production and this and that. And that just never really resonated with me in the least bit. Because I always have this, and know my philosophy is about this is kind of schedule everything else right, plan everything else well, do the right things, treat everybody the right way. And the numbers come. I feel like when we fixate on the numbers, it's   I don't know. just don't feel good about it. And I don't think my team does either. But what I can get behind is, well, everybody wants to have a better experience at work. And when myself and the other doctor are happier, everybody else is happier too, because we're not just walking around like grumpy pants. So I'd heard the idea of priority scheduling through a bunch of other podcasts. And I said, you know   think I can get behind this. know you guys had been a big proponent of actually managing the schedule, setting time out better, everything like that. So I sat down and I figured out, what does an ideal week look like? What type of procedures do I want to do? How do I want to break them up? How do we set up time where the flow of everything's better? Where do we put in the ancillary stuff so it's not something where we spend one day running around and we just end the week on just like a ugh.   kind of note there. So we started doing this, think, last March. And it could be the perfect storm. It could be a lot of factors. But between that, ramping up our marketing, everything like that, all of sudden that month, we were basically up maybe 20, 30 percent. And we've pretty consistently been doing that, except for not the last couple of months. Hashtag COVID. So, what are you going to do? That has more to do   The Dental A Team (05:30.216) all the other factors that come into place of, you know, switching, switching over associates, switching over hygienists, all the lovely stuff that, you know, puts all the pressure on myself and the rest of the wonderful team here. Right. We're doing it. So I love that. And I love that you brought that up of you. Number one, I think it's really impressive that you're a dentist, you're the doctor, and you're the one who thinks through this. Because while yes, teams can do it. And I encourage teams to think like this if your doctors don't.   But Dave, I love that you're always a very proactive dentist. You are always thinking about like, okay, what causes this? And instead of just focusing on the symptoms, you go to the root cause. Like what is causing us to have Thursdays that aren't as productive? What is causing us to have successful Mondays through Wednesdays? And what can we do to change that? And I then love that you went and took this to like, what would my ideal schedule be? Because as a team member, that's literally what I need from you. I need to know what my doctor prefers. Because I can put together a schedule   But I know working with hundreds of dentists like Kiera Dent knows that not every dentist likes to practice the same way. Some doctors love to rock and roll until about noon and then like just fill it with fluff at the end of the day. They do not want anything hard. They don't want to be doing any production. Other doctors like, nope, that's when I like to do my surgeries, put my surgeries in at the end of the day. And so it really is paramount for our dentists to give us this like ideal schedule of what they want. And then we can word Ninja as team members.   I Dr. Dave loves to see his patients for this procedure at this time. So there's a lot of different ways we could do it, but how did you kind of come up with your ideal schedule that you actually wanted to do? Like, how did you even map that out? Cause I think sometimes people are like, well, I don't, don't actually know what I want or how much I want to produce. Like, did you have only the type of procedures that was going to be ideal for you? Or did you have the dollar amount that was going to be ideal for you? Like, how did you build this out for priority scheduling? Yeah. Now I only did it based on the type of procedures. I actually,   zero thought to the dollar amounts. I think, you know, it kind of all comes full circle and just kind of the way that we do everything here. And it's going to be super different in every office. And I mean, I've shared my template that I made in Excel with, you know, other friends and stuff like that, but it's not going to work for other other offices for a variety of reasons. I am very different than   The Dental A Team (07:49.228) the guy next door or across the country and everything like that. And I mean that in a positive way. We all have our strong suits. We all have what we like to do. We all have what makes us successful and how we want to go ahead and practice. Just like you guys can't walk in and give somebody a cookie cutter template for consulting. It's the same thing here. So I think really, how did I figure out how to do it? What do I want to do? What do I find is helpful? What do we have a demand for in our practice?   I mean, these are all factors that come into play. mean, I could love to, let's pick like a random procedure. mean, I could love to do immediate dentures every single day, but unless I'm in a place where we're just a denture -lating every human being, like that's not gonna happen. So it's a matter of taking like all these factors into account, figuring out what works and then kind of some of the logistics, like what is different on different days? We have a wonderful, wonderful dental assistant who's with us only on Wednesdays and has been for forever.   and she takes care of all our denture stuff. She'll make flippers immediately for patients in the chair. She'll add teeth. She'll turn partials into dentures, stuff like that. So Wednesday mornings is when I'm lining up a lot of my setting up her implant kind of cases or just big extraction cases, things like that, where it's kind of like in a pinch, we can do the extraction and grafting. She can give them something temporary or stuff like that. So a lot of that stuff, we just kind of line   things like that up that way. Other than that, I mean, I like to go ahead and get the day started with at least something moderately, you know, productive. So, you know, the way we do crowns in our office, we do them in a single visit. So, you know, it's either, it's going to be a block, like, you know, we start with that. The next hour is going to be, you know, something smaller space for emergency. and then, you know, kind of sprinkle things out throughout the day, having blocks where it's just going to be just longer, you know, quadrant kind of stuff.   So I mean, that's the starting point. But the I think the big thing for, you know, doctors and team members listening is like, yeah, this is like the template. But it doesn't mean like it's it's set in stone. And if you don't get anything a day before, like tell everybody else to take a hike. Right. I mean, it's a matter of having that kind of idea of like, what makes sense for you guys is it 24 hours?   The Dental A Team (10:08.494) 48 hours before where we're going to go ahead and just basically put either whatever or switch it up. Or if we're like a week out and we really got to get somebody in, let's switch the block, but then let's make sure we change it in the surrounding areas to accommodate for things so we don't have, you know, weird odd dead space. Right. Exactly. And I think that's a key piece that I feel like a lot of people almost become robotic when you do have these blocks in there. And it's like only put filling here.   And it's like, no, no, no, guys, like we still need to utilize our brains and we need to think of what's going to be the best flow for our patients and also for our practice. And you're right for me, my standard is typically 24 hours before I don't put anything in that block or that space because my goal is to try and fill it. I also think it's really important. I know as a treatment coordinator, I just like I was, was building a puzzle piece all day long. So patients, almost saw them as puzzle pieces and where could I fit this patient?   to fit with all the rest of the patients to make a really beautiful schedule. And so if somebody walked up and they said, okay, I'm fillings today, but I know I've got a bigger block, I'm not gonna stick this puzzle piece in the big block because it's not gonna fill that space. So I'm really looking to put this patient in where it's going to work best for our practice and also for the patient. But so often I think team members are like, well, this filling wants tomorrow, Kiera. And I'm like, well, yes.   A child also wants candy every day for dinner too. And so just because the patient says they want that, what they ultimately want is a great experience. And as a team, what we ultimately want is a great experience. So let's kind of word ninja, help the patient realize like, hey, Dr. Dave actually prefers to do his fillings at this time. Let's reserve this for you. So that way I'm really doing it. Also guys, like I'm gonna give some tips to the front office and for all team members scheduling, cause I'm also not just pro front office, but also back office.   Please like don't set yourself up for failure by saying what day works best for you. Because as soon as you open that floodgate, that patient's gonna tell you what they would prefer. That then you get into a pickle. Like what if we only have this assistant on Wednesdays that does this procedure, but they said Tuesday? Well now I've gotta tell them the great news of, our assistant's amazing and she's only in on Wednesday, so we gotta schedule you on Wednesday, but they just told me they want Tuesday, so I'm already in a losing battle.   The Dental A Team (12:25.038) be proactive and say, fantastic, Dr. Dave loves to do his implants on Wednesdays. Let's get a time reserved. I've got 9 a or 3 p What works best for you? So that way I'm being directive on the conversation as well. It's going to help minimize that frustration and also make scheduling a lot easier in that priority scheduling. So I think the 24 hour rule before and then also making sure we're as team members setting it up as well so we're not having frustrated patients merely because of how we ask the questions rather than guiding   the conversation. So Dave, I'm curious when you built this schedule out, did you kind of do a rough draft and then take it to the team and ask them of what they thought? Or was it, Hey, let's try this out. How did you roll this to the team? Cause I think a lot of doctors worry that they'll, that they'll ruffle some feathers with the team members. So how did you roll this out to your team to get some solid buy -in from it as well? So the way we actually ended up doing this in the first round, it was myself.   my previous associate and my office manager sat down and kind of did, you know, the, the two doctor schedules. And it was nice to do that. because I mean, I'm just going to probably be like, I just wanted to do this. And then, you know, they'll have to like reel me into be like that. Just, just probably pretty inappropriate.   It's true. Doctors always think that they can get things done so fast. They're like, yeah, I could get that crown done in 30 minutes. And I'm like, I'll be honest, it's going to take you at least 45 minutes. Like, I've watched you for the last five years. Like, I know your schedule, doctor. So it's good to have somebody balance you out that knows a reality check on it as well. So I think that's a thing. You definitely need at least one other person to either look through it, talk through it. I think if you get everybody involved, you get too many cooks in the kitchen, that's generally   like pretty unhelpful. there's that to it. But the other things to take into account and everything like that is like, let's say different doctors have different skill sets and everything like that. Well, you kind of have to really take into account like, well, you know, if this doctor is the only one who can do these procedures, we need space for that and this and that. And, you know, if this doctor only does, you know, these types of things, there needs to be more variety in things.   The Dental A Team (14:40.702) as a result, you know, I hear a lot of, Dr. Dave, like we, can't get this patient in for a filling with you for XYZ time. And I'm just like, yup. -huh. That's okay. It's just like, it's okay. Like, you know, it's, one of those things. And like, that was a big, yeah, a little, little bit of a tricky situation. We were in a pension the last couple of months where we've been, much more shorthanded, but now that we're trying to grow another schedule again and balance everything out and as our, newer.   doctor in the practice is growing her skill set and incorporating more things and it's actually perfect. Totally. And I think you were really wise in saying to one, bring the other associate, if there's another doctor and an office manager, like a front office scheduler, whomever that is in your practice, because you guys then are going to really build a really beautiful puzzle together of where it goes. I remember I had an office and, there were two doctors who could both do root canals. However, logistically speaking, they only had.   one set of root canal equipment in the practice. So for us to ever schedule double root canals at the same time, and this was a pretty root canal heavy practice, they had to get really smart of where can we put this to make sure, and same thing like with utilizing a mill. If you only have one mill, you don't want to have two doctors doing two crowns at the same time, because then you're going to get into a mill issue. And so I agree, I think it's just really smart how you guys did that. And then also being able to pivot with your team.   I love that you've held the line though of like, Dr. Dave, we don't have a spot to put a filling. Like team members need to realize that it's okay. An ideal schedule for us, priority scheduling for our team does not mean we're doing a disservice to our patients. I have found that when we create chaos for our team, that does not give a good patient experience, nor does it give a good team experience. And so really being okay to say, hey, this doesn't, like we have this spot available for you.   versus it being like, let me try and shove a filling in and we're gonna try and make this schedule work. Like schedule should not be work in my opinion, they should flow. Yes, you need to be creative. Yes, you need to look for those puzzle pieces and fill them in. Be proactive, make those extra phone calls. Don't just wait for the patient to show up, like proactively call, look through. Guys, I don't know if you know, but on unscheduled treatment plans, you literally can filter by procedure code. And so you can actually go look like if I know I need a crown, I can sort   The Dental A Team (17:04.694) my list of unscheduled treatment and find all the crown patients and contact those patients. Again, I'm looking for a certain puzzle piece. I'm not going to just get any puzzle piece. I want that certain one so I can make those strategic phone calls maximize my time. So Dave, I love that you built this out. I love that you shared and I love that you really prioritized your team and what you guys wanted. And then we're able to fill the patients in. Like I said, like puzzle pieces trying to make a beautiful schedule and it really is doable.   It just requires, I think the whole team to be on board and bought in. Otherwise it gets pure mayhem. Like if one person's doing it, but the other person's not in the front office, it gets wild. And so everybody needs to play by, by the rules. And I think there's great success. Any other tips you've got on priority scheduling, Dave, you've shared so much already. thank you. mean, I got, I got a handful. can, we can all right. I think, I think another thing to take into account here, just like with everything else, you got it. You got to take it with a grain of   You know, if you have a long established patient who can only come at 8 a and needs a filling, the patient in. Like, know what saying? You got to give your team that flexibility and that leeway and saying like, look, this is this. And just kind of, they give me a heads up of like, it's so -and -so, like we had to do it. like, okay, like it is what it is. Like, you know, change it up, do this. Like, you know, we're going to make it work because at the end of the day, our patients are our priority. You know, as much as like it's great if we can go ahead and word ninja things and shift everybody around and everything like   That's not always possible. That's not always, you know, the thing in every practice. I mean, it's, it's, it's nice if we can, we can do it, but you know, there has to be leeway and flexibility. And the only thing I ask of everybody is, okay, just tell me what's up and change the, blocks, shift some stuff around. So things match up. So it's not like, you know, we have like an odd like wall or like, you know, nothing going on. And, know, at the end of the day, depending on where you are in your, your practice life cycle and what's going on sometimes having.   blocked out space and time is actually really helpful to help, you know, get emergencies and grow things and stuff like that. So for sure, not always the end of the world. I could use more time sitting at my desk. I know, but then we feel like as team members, our doctor goes to what I call like the black hole, like you guys going to your office. I'm like, then I'll never get you back. but I think it's one of those pieces. Also, I think you brought up a good point. I think so many offices forget to find space for emergencies. cause guess   The Dental A Team (19:28.12) there will always be emergencies and emergencies can actually be super great in a schedule. I actually loved emergencies because they're great same day treatment. They're great opportunities. It's great to be able to help patients. And so I think that that's a good piece to actually build into your schedule template of where you actually want these emergencies to go. Guess what guys, when somebody's in pain, they will come wherever you tell them they can come if they're truly in an emergency situation.   They do not need your 8 a They do not need your 4 p Like if they are truly in pain, they will show up at whatever time you have. So I think it's very paramount to get those emergencies in there as well because that will throw an entire day for your team if there's not emergency space in that schedule to fill it in. So agreed with you. I don't like long walls, but I definitely like to plan for those emergencies when we would like to see   Yeah, I think it's super, super helpful. I think at the end of the day, also something that I've always been a big proponent of, what we consider an emergency appointment in our office is very rarely kind of like, Hey, this is what's going on here. Subscription or let's reschedule. It's kind of, it's really along the lines of if it's something that we can do without, you know, having any type of negative impact on our other patients and the flow of everything else, we're going to do it. I've been big proponent of   If the tooth needs to come out and wants to come out, there's no way we're not going to work that in because if you do this for a while, it doesn't take that long. Somebody can understand and be pretty patient and say, hey, I'm going to work in the schedule. I definitely want to help you out. have a lot else going on, but if you can hang out for half an   you know, 40 minutes, I got to take care of a couple of the things first. I will get you all set today rather than like, yeah, let's schedule you in, you know, two weeks. And then, you know, by that point, you know, there's still in the schedule, but they saw somebody else and, know, you have, same thing with, with, know, a crown if you can, I mean, why not? Like, you know, prep it, temp it, you know, take your impression, get everything all set, take your scan, you know, make the crown, whatever you do in your office. Like if you can work it in the schedule, if somebody's patient,   The Dental A Team (21:32.45) Like why not get that done the same day? think that's doing that is what, you know, I feel like really built our practice in the first couple of years that I was here. I love doing stuff like that. I love trying to help somebody out the same day. People really appreciate it. And that's what's really going to build goodwill. Exactly. That's, that's raving fans right there. Yeah. Yeah. I love same day treatment, same day treatment. I heard a quote once I said, what's the most productive chair in a practice. And it was an empty chair.   because that's the chair that you can flip. Like don't prefer to have my schedule have empty chairs. But let's be honest, like that same day treatment is always very, very, very beneficial for patients. Like I feel like that's a VIP customer service that we can offer. And so I love that you've built a culture of a team that if we can do it, we will say yes. And we're always looking for how we can say yes versus how we can't say yes. I know I've shared this with so many practices   There's the I just say with same day treatment, it's all about timing. You've got to be really quick and we've got to be able to say yes, because a window is only so big and it only lasts for so long with same day treatment opportunities. So being proactive and like let's say yes sooner than later, because honestly, if I can have the patient say yes and have the financials done while Dr. Dave's in the chair with me, he can get the patient numb that can move along a lot quicker. I can be taking all of my prelim work and with crowns, I think it's also important   especially for same day, you don't have to do A to Z the entire way. Like you don't have to complete the crown if we don't have time. Like you said, you could temp a crown and bring them back and you can mill it and seed it. If you've got time to mill it and seed same day, fantastic. But I think especially with those same day emergencies, like say yes, but realize we can do, we don't have to do the entire process. We can still get them out of pain as other alternatives to being able to say yes. I know we did same day crowns all the time.   but I also had very minimal chairs and we were always like very packed with all those chairs. So instead of like taking up a huge chunk of time while that crown was milling, we would tempt them sometimes and send them out and bring them back for a crown seat on a day where I had space for that. It wasn't my preferred, but that was a way we were able to help a lot more patients within the confines of our practice. We only had five chairs. I was running three doctor chairs and they were all jam packed cause I had Eddas.   The Dental A Team (23:55.246) It's like little mini dentists all the time. So I was literally implant, implant crown. So there wasn't a lot of space on chair time because I had another surgery coming right after, but there's still like, wanted to paint that picture because no matter what your practice is, you can still say yes to same day and train your team to say yes and say it quickly. That way you guys can help more patients same day. Yeah. So, so, so a couple of things with that. Yeah. If you can expand your facility to be able to accommodate things,   one, it makes things very easy and stuff like that. Like I don't, I don't, I won't, almost never make temporaries because of that, because we have an extra chair and stuff like that. the crazy thing with that is, you know, you're going to spend a lot of money on doing things. You're going to be like me who, has, you know, walls being knocked down and your office is a dust storm and has to have to stand in your attic to do a podcast. War zone right now.   But, know, I'm a little nuts. I think it's worth it. You know, that's all part of it. I think the other thing that, you know, I really want to make sure that we clarify is don't say yes if you can't say yes. Like don't make it a not good experience for, you know, your other patients, respect everybody. Don't rush yourself. You know, do what you can do within the confines of things. It's just my philosophies of, you know, let's try and make it work if we can to try and help somebody out within reason.   Hello, Dental A Team listeners. What would it take for you guys to just completely and utterly change your practice? Like truly, if you think about it, because for me, I know oftentimes it's just having somebody right by my side, pushing me along, holding me accountable, having somebody to spin ideas off of. And honestly, that's all it takes most of the time for us to go from good to great. Usually it's taking the knowledge that we learn and actually executing   That's why I would love to invite you to join our Platinum Virtual, where we do a coaching call, a Zoom team training. We invite you to our community and we just really dive deep with you. We're that partner right by you to help you go from good to great. So if you're wanting to join, take your practice to the next level and you know it's time for you to implement, execute, and go to that next level, email us [email protected]. And I would be so excited to welcome you as our newest Platinum Virtual member. Can't wait to see you there.   The Dental A Team (26:15.636) Agreed and thank you for that clarifying because the worst thing that I see is people are like, okay, we're going to say yes to same day treatment, but that ends up messing up the schedule for all the other patients that were scheduled that were coming that came on time. And that also is not VIP care. So you're right. It's kind of this nice healthy balance. but I have found that team members who are, are quicker team members that have the philosophy of, will say yes as often as possible within reason.   they just think quicker. Like I know we could have a crown prep set up within like less than like two, two ish minutes. Like I was like, doc, numb, I'll have this whole room set up for you and come right back. And so I think it's that mindset of, know I need to move quick cause I don't want to throw the rest of my schedule off. But like you said, never, ever, ever compromising care. Cause I think some people can get caught up in that and then dentistry is not as good. And that, doesn't actually serve the patient longterm either.   You want to talk about the other side of priority scheduling? Yes, I do. Take it away, Dave. Hygiene. Yes. All So this is something you probably have a better scope and handle on me. I'm pretty sure you guys were the ones who a long time ago started kind of pushing me more towards the lines of make sure that you put blocks in for new patients and   You know, you could do separate blocks. You could do the same kind of blocks. You just need space to be able to help somebody. The worst thing in the world is like, hey, you have this crazy disease, but guess what? We'll see in three months to try and address the situation. Super important, right? It great. It makes me laugh every time. Every time. Like, man, you've got this like terrible disease. We've got to take care of it. I can't see you for six months. Cool. All right. I mean, it sounds real serious. Yeah. Yeah. Like we just told somebody their teeth are going to fall out of their head.   and we can't see them for a while. Wonderful. No, it does not go well ever. Yeah. So I think that's one big thing. I think that is one of the handful of things that really helped us grow as far as being able to get more new patients was actually being able to see them and fit them in the schedule rather than kind of like we have this jam -packed hygiene schedule of one prophy after the other. You know, it helps create variety, helps mix things up, it helps grow things in your office.   The Dental A Team (28:32.398) last couple of months of kind of not having those spaces have really helped me realize, you know, yeah, you can go from seeing on average 50 new patients a month to 20 when you don't have any space to put anybody and you don't have the providers to see them. it sucks for sure. I think that that's people always ask me that, Kiera, how many new patient spots do I hold? And I say, go look at your schedule, see how many new patients you've got. And you've got to, as a minimum, have that many spaces in your   that are held for these new patients to come through because they will keep calling. And new patients, if you don't have space, they might wait for you, but they also might go somewhere else, depending upon the dynamics around your practice. If you're in a busy area that's got lots of dentists, they're probably not going to wait that month or two to come see you. And so I agree. I typically say, guys, build it out, however many spaces you need for new patients. Let's get that   And then also get creative because I know there's some people who listen and they think, well, new patients should go in the doctor's schedule. And there's other people that think new patients should go in the hygiene schedule. And what I will say is both ways work great. They both can. I would say if you don't have any new patient spaces in your hygiene schedule, but you did block them, like I'm going to give you this caveat. If you're not blocking them, start blocking first. But if you are, sometimes some doctors will have those new patients come through on the doctor's side, make it a shorter appointment and have that hygienist come in and.   you can swap it out while they're doing an exam. But that way you can still see those patients on the doctor side for a much shorter appointment and just let them. I think some good verbiage on that is like hey, Doctor Dave loves his new patients so much and he wants to make sure he sees you. So we're going to get you in on his schedule and something opens up for you to get a cleaning same day. Fantastic, but we want to make sure we get you in that way. Doctor Dave can see you find out what kind of cleaning you need and that's a great way if you have that. But then next   block more spaces and people say, Kiera, we're booked out for six months, hygiene's booked out for six months. And I literally tell you guys, start putting blocks in today. There is space where patients have fallen off and start holding all of those spots as they do fall off for new patients to come through and then get those blocks in for six months. as you are scheduling out the next six months, you're making your life better in the future than not. So Dave, how do you guys do it? Do you hold it only for new patients or do you do new patients and SRPs? What's kind of been your magic?   The Dental A Team (30:53.208) formula you've found in your practice? I can't say that we have the magic here. It's a work in progress. I think we've kind of just been doing longer blocks to accommodate for both. I think something that I've been toying with more so lately to kind of get to your other point of like, you put them in the doctor's schedule, the hygiene schedule, stuff like that? If we're doing a good job,   in the front office and really asking the right questions. And once again, that goes with a grain of salt because my front office team does do a good job and they do ask the right questions, but sometimes, you know, the patients will tell us something that's insane and doesn't really match. But the point I'm trying to get to here is like, if somebody hasn't been in like 10 years and they're in their, you know, forties, fifties, and they, you know, they're giving you signs that very likely it's, you know, a potential train wreck, probably not gonna do   the hygiene visit that day anyway. But if you have an hour in hygiene and said to that hour and a half, like why not just go ahead and help them form that relationship with the hygienist and say, know, we're going to go ahead. It sounds like there may be a lot going on. We're going to get you in. We're going to take a full set of records. The doctor's going to come in and you know, you guys are going to work through kind of putting the plan together and we're going to go ahead and go from there. But you know, with the, with what it sounds like, you know, your situation is we really want to make sure that we, take a pause here.   We take a second, we make sure we evaluate everything well and then go from there. Now, mean, they very well, their periodontal status could be perfectly fine. It happens, you know, where that's the situation. But, you know, at the end of the day, it's not something where somebody is expecting like, my God, I'm gonna go ahead and do that. Most patients who haven't been in 10 years, they know they haven't been in 10 years. They expect things to be a little bit of a mess. Sometimes,   they're perfectly fine, you that happens, but at least, you know, it wasn't something where their expectation was like, my God, I was going to get everything done. And like, this is all you guys did. Right. And I think, like you said, the biggest piece I hope everybody's taking from here is it's all about how you say things and you manage people's expectations. And so I think it's really important to, help them realize like, we're going to take great care of you. we're going to do a great, thorough exam on you and we're going to come up with a game plan together. And I would say to the hygienist.   The Dental A Team (33:16.334) I know that sometimes patients come through that we think are going to be perio and I know it's not the most ideal timeframe where you're like, I only have 45 minutes and I really need an hour and a half. What I would say that I've seen with lots of other hygienists and Brittany and Dana both would attest to this, they're both hygienists. I think hygienists back to our same day treatment, let's see what you could do. Is there a zone that you could do? Could you do a debridement? Could you do maybe just one quad? Could   and start looking for those things and seeing how could you say yes to help this patient? Because at the end of the day, you have 45 minutes. And if we send them away and try and get them scheduled back, yes, that can happen. But at the same time, could you maximize their time and your chair time to help that patient out, at least in a small way? Now get it. I understand insurance is crazy. And you're going to give me all these other reasons that things can't work. I will tell you that there are a lot of opportunities that we could do. So look to see what could you do during that time frame. And is there a way that you   you can help this patient out so you're maximizing their time and your time as well. Yeah, think you bring up some really great points and some things that more so recently we've been thinking about and pivoting towards. It used to be like a big waste of time, honestly, in our hygiene schedule. Like we have an hour and a half hygiene appointment, they need scaling or root planning. let's set this up. Like, are they gonna come back? When's it gonna be? Rather than, hey,   you know, this is what the situation is at this point, the patient is as bought into it. I'm most concerned about this section over here. Let's go ahead and let's get you started at least here. Let's get things moving in the right direction and let's get you set up, you know, in two weeks to go ahead and go ahead and do these two areas. And then we'll finish off with, with this one rather than just kind of like waiting and hoping, I got to do like one half now and run half the other day. Like, let's say it's going to be, you know, two to three visits, like let's show them like, Hey, that this area is that's worse.   We're going to focus on just that by itself. mean, I don't, you know, I think if you explain things in the appropriate way, that builds a lot more value than kind of like somebody not coming, you know, somebody coming back one more time, like, great, they're still investing the same amount, but it shows that you're investing more in them in a sense, because you're going to potentially, you know, spend extra time. For sure. And I think that that's just the piece of like, I guess you said that they have an hour and a half, but they need quads of   The Dental A Team (35:36.11) Just do something. You have the time, so please do something. And I know you're going to say, but Kiera, insurance only covers this. Guys, I want to put out a really big piece. Like most periopatients have more going on than just SRPs. So odds are they're probably going to max their insurance anyway. I'm 99 .9 % sure that almost every single periopatient has more going on. And at the same time, I'm going to work with that patient financially to make sure that it actually works and we do maximize their benefits. But please,   Like don't waste an hour of that patient's time in your chair time because we're so concerned about insurance. Like there are a thousand ways that we can work around that. Because at the end of the day, like let's not let insurance dictate what we do for our patient. Let's make sure we're taking great care of our patients as well. So I love it, Dave. I'm glad you and I are on the same page. If you guys could have seen my face when he said, I don't have to have, I was like, my gosh, like don't even say that. Find the way to say yes, because like you said,   You just told this patient they have ferio disease and you have some time that you could start in an area like let's take care of them and let's see how we could say yes versus not, especially where hygiene is booked out so far. Hygienists are hard to find. We would love to have an ideal schedule, but it's like how could we maximize the hygienist time and the patient's time today without compromising care? So it's always with the caveat of like let's not compromise care, but could we say yes in some of these areas? And I think if we really were all honest with ourselves.   we could say yes more often than we probably do and we can help our patients. That's at least my thoughts. I think that's the big thing too. I think, you know, we, a lot of times we'll make a lot of excuses in situations and sometimes they're valid, sometimes they're not. I think really at the end of the day, everybody being on the same page in the sense of kind of what is best for the patient, how we want to do things and what our philosophies and mentalities are about, you know, patient treatment   and care. And, you know, at end of the day, this also takes the right team members. If somebody wants to just kind of be there, punch the clock, mail it in and gets annoyed that like, my God, like, you know, just do the other two sealants, you still have half an hour, like don't bring them back and kill time and schedule. That's not the right team member. And sometimes that's hard.   The Dental A Team (37:58.482) know, sealants, floor, like those are all opportunities that taking impressions or scans for night guards, like taking scans for ortho. Like there are so many ways that we could maximize that hour. And I will say, hygienist, I will go to bat for you all day long to protect your hour appointment. With that said, I will also go to bat that hygienist. You do maximize that hour and you are productive with that hour as well. You look for opportunities that you can do same day as often as possible. And I agree with you, Dave, I think it's important.   to have the right team members. So I'm curious from your stance, like you've hired a lot of people, you've transitioned a lot of people. How do you, I mean, you're hiring new people now. What are some tips that you've found to possibly like set the tone that this is our culture, this is what we do to find these people that are like, yes, like drivers, gunners, like I am totally going to say yes. Any tips you've got on how to find those people and create that culture? I wish I had like a real good answer for you because I mean, I could use that knowledge and so every other.   you know, office owner in the entire country. I mean, I think, I think it's really, it's, very difficult right now. It's always difficult in general, honestly. I think, you know, as I kind of do some soul searching on the, topic here and really kind of, you know, really kind of dive into it there, just being very upfront about kind of what your practice is, what your expectations are, and really kind   weighing it all out there, not being afraid. Like, my God, am I going to scare this person? Because at the end of the day, if they come in with the preconceived notion of like, hey, this is going to be like this, and then like they see, yeah, shit, this is like very intense. I've been trying, I've tried the last five episodes, not to swear. Like biggest like potty mouth ever. I'm impressed. mean, was the editor some work to do here. No, it's because we're talking about team and the frustration of team. It just comes out. I get it. I've definitely -   I might have said a word or two myself. You're already. That's the thing. You can ask Tip how much I swear when I talk to her. This is like every other word is something there. Anyway, not to get sidetracked. I mean, I think it's a matter of really setting the tone and the expectation of, this is how we are. This is our practice. Because at the end of the day, we've always been able to find pretty good people based on how they interact with each other and what our culture is like and everything like that. But if somebody doesn't want to really   The Dental A Team (40:21.186) work and really get everything going and stuff like that. It's, well, you know, at the end of the day, we're, buying time until it's going to transition out. Totally. Cause for us, it's really important to, to work hard, to grow, to learn, to spend the time doing training, to sit through all the meetings that we do, to, try and really, you know, work on, work on you as a person and a part of the team. But if somebody just kind of says like, my God, this is amazing for a year. And then it's kind   wreaking havoc and punching the clock for another year, that actually had more of a negative impact than a positive. Well, for sure, because it sets the tone to the team that everybody else can do this. I remember another fantastic quote, guys. I'm not quoting all over here, but I don't know who says it. So go find out who said this. This was not me. But they said, the worst thing that a manager or a leader could do to good team members. So the worst thing we can do to good team members is tolerate poor performance from another team member.   Because what it does is it just tells those great team members like hey, we actually don't care We're going to allow this other team member just to be a punch like a clock puncher where I expect you to stay super like proactive so I think when I I Heard that I thought as a manager like that is my job I need to make sure all of my team members are at the same level understanding that everybody has their own levels as well But I agree with you Dave. I think that that's the biggest thing I found I remember when I was hiring and we   late hours. I used to try and like sugarcoat it and I'd be like, yeah, so like maybe. And what I realized is they came in expecting not to work these evening hours. Then all my team that was there that was working evening hours were livid. That new person hired gets off at five o 'clock and they're here till seven or seven thirty. And so I just found like, just throw your dirty laundry out there. But I don't think culture is dirty laundry. I think that's a hey, it's kind of like dating. And I'm like, hey, this is who I am and I'm not going to sugarcoat who I   does this vibe and jive with you? And if it doesn't, like high five, you're gonna find somewhere that does vibe and jive with you. But we're an office that is like super passionate about growing ourselves. We're an office that says yes to same day treatment all the time. We're the office that busts our buns all day long and we love it we get a freaking high on it and we all wish we could wear roller skates so we could actually see more patients. Like does that lifestyle work for you? And then also give me an example of how you've done this at your past practice. And   The Dental A Team (42:42.808) quick things that are going to put them on the spot. As I found like rogue questions, people have, they've got answers for you, but I'll ask them on the spot. Like one of my favorite questions is, what's the worst thing anybody would say about you at your last practice and why? And people are like, but they have to give me an answer right then and there. And I'm going to find out also a trick question is what's your biggest pet peeve of other team members and what they tell   is what they are because we only see in other people who we are. So that's kind of anything. If people say, I can't stand lazy team members, odds are this person's probably going to be a lazy team member. Not all the time. It's not like a fail proof question. But some of those things I think can really help. But like you said, Dave, I think it's so paramount to say this is who our team is. Also have your team members interview them and see what they think. because   when a person comes in and they see the whole team is jiving, the whole team does same day treatment, the whole team is this way. One, they're either going to level up and rise to that occasion or two, they'll be like, this is not what I want to do. And that's okay. Let them find their dream job and you find your dream employee as well. I that's, I think that's a big part of it. I think another thing is, you look at the end of the day,   I am a lot of the personality of my office and it took me maybe a long time to understand that and be okay with saying that and just be like, no big deal, but that's it. So if they are not really okay with how intense and passionate I am about certain things and this and that, and they're gonna not be happy with like, okay, we need to do this. That's just not gonna work, sorry.   And we kind of fool ourselves and we kind of buy time because we worry about like, what are we going to do? Like being shorthanded, but I mean, been shorthanded for like three years now. mean, it's always that fear of the unknown, but I'm like, guys, we've actually been in the unknown. You just forgot that you've lived there for quite a while. Like it's totally fine. Don't stress. I love that you just said that Dave, cause I think so many doctors, so many managers, I'm like, know thyself and be free and don't be afraid of it because guess what? They're going to see your true colors.   The Dental A Team (44:50.654) They're going to see what it's like and I'd much rather present exactly how I am I tell people I'm like do you want to work with me? I'm a pretty intense boss I have the highest standards you will ever come across and I don't sugarcoat if that doesn't jive and vibe with you It's cool. Let's high five and move on because that's what I will expect of you and then Don't be afraid and I say this because I just had to do it myself Don't be afraid that if people aren't performing to the level you want and you can see they're writing on the wall it's time to have that conversation sooner than later and don't be afraid   of what your team will do. Cause I promise you, your team will like, they'll rise up, they'll figure it out. They'll pivot with you if they're the right team members, but don't, don't hold onto team members longer than you know, should. Yeah. think another thing also is, know, as things have changed and, now we're there, there are people who are coming into dentistry who don't really know much about dentistry or what it is. I found   probably most helpful in one of our most recent hires, which is our new assistant who assists me, who's been with us for the last two months. Before she even came in for an interview, I spent about half an hour on the phone trying to tell her how bad of a job being a dental assistant is. And really just kind of saying, look, at the end of the day, it is very difficult work. You may feel underappreciated because it's so   and days are hard and what we do is sometimes thankless. And you know, there's a lot that goes into that. I need you to understand that before you even walk in the door. If you're not going to be okay with that, it doesn't mean that I don't appreciate you. doesn't mean our patients don't appreciate you. That is just what happens. Right. So if somebody's not going to be okay with that, then like, this is not like a new career path to try and like hop into.   I think if somebody understands that and they they're passionate about things they want to learn they want to go they want to create a new thing great let's do it I will teach you more here than you'll learn anywhere else. Which I think is brilliant and it's funny because Liz she is my coach and she actually interviews all of our consultants and Liz and I are a good duo I like people to like me and Liz is more direct because she has no skin in the game and she knows the skin in the game is my happiness and stress level.   The Dental A Team (47:03.534) And Liz will literally talk to consultants and tell them the worst terrible experiences. She's like, are you OK to be on the road 80 % of the time away from your family? That means four out of the five days. Are you like? How do you feel getting stuck in an airport having to spend the night? Your flights are canceled because of weather and you can't get to your office like you don't eat for three days and I'm like, Liz, don't make and she's like no Kiera. I'd rather make this sound so awful and see if they're still willing to have that grit to come back. She's like because at the end of the day.   A consultant has to have grit. They have to have pivot. They have to have that stamina. And I'd much rather have it be like the most like horrifying interview. And if they're like, yep, no problem. Like Britt, Britt, haven't met her yet, Dave, but Britt is somebody like, it's fine. I actually ended up getting stuck in another country because my friend had appendicitis. Like I'm totally good. And I'm like, that's even like more than I've got in my travel, travel life. She's like, I'm totally good. So I think it's important, like you said, really lay it out of not the best highlight reel.   of the job, but the worst highlight reel and see if they still want the job because expectations are clear. It's hard in general. It's hard for anybody to get behind when it's kind of been just hard to find people, you know, but I think I do have a good feeling that things are starting to turn. I do feel like there's a lot more people out there who are looking for jobs now and a lot more wonderful people. feel much more positive about it than I haven't in a long time here. So I think it's a good   for everybody to be okay with sacking up a little bit more and feeling okay with that and being more straightforward about that. I think it's a hard thing for anybody to do in life in general. It's not really my personality, but I think it's important to go ahead and do that for the greater good there. For sure. Again, this quote, I do know this was from Keith Cunningham and he said, as a CEO, do your job.   And that has like hit me like a knife because while Dave, yes, that is not fun. It's not a fun conversation for anyone to have as a CEO, as an owner, as an office manager, people that are interviewing that are hiring. It is your job to make sure you hire and hire really well. So yes, it's an uncomfortable conversation, but that uncomfortable conversation is going to weed out a ton of people that wouldn't have lasted anyway. And I don't like to band -aid approach of like, let's just get somebody in and have a body versus it being.   The Dental A Team (49:27.246) No, I want somebody who's here with me for the next five years and they're going to like go through the highs and the lows and they're going to be awesome. So I think you've just like pivoted on so many fun ideas, Dave of like number one, the priority scheduling guys. So building that schedule out with doctor, office manager, associate, making sure that you guys build an ideal schedule and then having kind of the parameters for your front office of how often do we hold these blocks and when we need to do a pivot change, for example, that 8 a patient who needs those filling times at 8 a   to be able to shift those blocks around and really viewing the schedule like a puzzle and we're trying to fit perfect puzzle pieces and realizing we're ninja it, love the patient. Then going into same day treatment and how you're able to do that, let's say yes more often and look for that. Then going into hygiene and holding those hygiene new patient blocks. So get those new patient and SRP blocks in there. Let's make sure we have space to get that perio and also having the mindset   Hey, if I can do this, let's do it today. Let me find ways that I could say yes to maximize this patient's time in my chair time. And then moving all the way into making sure you have the right team that has that same mindset with you. And yes, culture shifts are not easy. You might today be like, I want to have the practice like Dave, but I'm not there. Dave, I know you would attest to this. Dave's not there. You didn't start here though. not there. You didn't start there. Dave's not there yet. It's a work in progress.   And I love I always feel like I listen to podcasts a lot of time, like, my God, this person has to figure out. No, that's not the thing. Like, you know, I'll give you bits and pieces. There's a lot of stuff that is not good. But the point is, if I shared that, like as the only things we shared, this would be a very like depressing podcast. At the end of the day, you know, you want to go ahead and like share what to aspire for, what's worked out well. knowing like, look, at end of the day, there's it's hard for   Like, and there's a lot more that goes into things. And you know, you could sit here and you could listen to Kiera and myself for the last 40 minutes or whatever and think like, my God, like, you know, be able to all figure it out. No, nobody does. No, they don't. Don't try and get better. Exactly. And that's what I was trying to paint the picture of Dave didn't start here three years ago. This has been a work in progress the whole time. And what I would hope is you guys at least start somewhere today, start making your tomorrow's better by some of these tips that we have. I don't care what you choose to implement. I don't care how you choose to implement.   The Dental A Team (51:44.61) I don't care if you choose to implement this quarter or if you put it off to the next quarter, but I just would say make sure you have it scheduled with yourself, make your practice better and do something. Because every day, like Dave said, it's a work in progress every day, but let's make sure we're progressing towards where we want to go rather than just staying stagnant, which is ultimately going backwards. So Dave, I love your mind. I love that you are a dentist, that you'll share these things. I love that   as dentists are willing to put in the hard work and actually show up and do your job. I think it's very inspiring and I love having on the podcast. You inspire me. So thank you, Dave, as always. I just truly appreciate you. Thank you. I appreciate you a lot too. This has been wonderful. Awesome. All right, guys. Well, I encourage each of you to take something today, go implement it, make your tomorrow a better, better than it is today. And as always, thanks for listening and I'll catch you next time on the Dental A Team Podcast.   The Dental A Team (52:37.582) That wraps it up for another episode of the Dental A Team Podcast. Thank you so much for listening and we'll talk to you next time.

Every 3rd Thursday at 4:30 p.m. Pacific Time, the Dental A-Team hosts a free webinar on what should’ve been taught in dental school, but probably wasn’t. Topics can include how to make your practice run smoother, how to think about DSOs, life as an associate, and more! Episode resources: Reach out to Kiera Tune Into DAT’s Monthly Webinar Practice Momentum Group Consulting Subscribe to The Dental A-Team podcast Become Dental A-Team Platinum! Review the podcast Transcript: Kiera Dent (00:00.722) Hello, Dental A Team listeners. This is Kiera and welcome. Welcome to the show. I hope you guys are having such an incredible day I hope that you love the fact that you get to work in dentistry and I know sometimes we can forget how great our life is I know sometimes we can get caught up in the minutia of the patients the schedule the turnover That sometimes we forget and I have this cute little quote right here. So if you guys are watching, I have an office who gave this to me They know I usually leave them with a good quote and it says now and then   It's good to pause in our pursuit of happiness and just be happy. And so today I hope that you pause in your pursuit of greatness and remember to just be happy, to be happy for the life that you're living, whether it's where you want it to be or whether it's not where you want it to be, to be happy that you're alive and that you have more days that you get to choose what you want to do. I was sitting on a plane flying and I sat next to a man and it was his birthday. And if I remember right, he was turning 90 and I said,   what does someone at 90 wish for on their birthday? And he said, I wish for more birthdays. And I've thought about that a lot of, I be like, if I was 90 and my wish would be to be wishing for more birthdays, what would I, what would I be thinking about today? What would I be wishing when I turned 90 and wishing for more birthdays? Would I have wished that I would do today? And I think one of the biggest things I've come to is to just enjoy.   to enjoy the life I'm living, I think there's so much of this like hustle mentality and you look on social media and we often feel like we're not doing enough or that we're not being enough or that all these things and I'm like, since when has that become culture? I was at another conference and they said that one of the greatest problems that our society is facing right now is social media and all the quote unquote criticism or people's opinions and that's preventing people from trying and.   from living their life. And I thought about that a lot that, you know, is this something that we are doing to ourselves? Is this something that we could possibly, possibly, you know, work through? And I just think maybe instead of being so afraid and maybe instead of always on the pursuit and looking at what if we changed it and we enjoyed it? What if we did things just because we enjoy that? And this is something where I'm speaking more to myself than probably any of you have.   Kiera Dent (02:21.836) I don't always have to be productive. And I think half of the game of life is to learn to love the life we're living and to really be content in that life that we're living. And so for each of you today, again, I hope that you pause in your pursuit of whatever you're pursuing and remember just to be happy today and to give yourself that great gift. As always, you guys, I hope that you just know how much I love you on our podcast family and thank you for making this podcast an incredible podcast. Thank you for making us one of the top dental podcasts out there.   your reviews of the podcast, you sharing it, you tagging us, you sending in feedback of what topics you want me to speak about and our team to speak about at Hello @ The Dental A Team .com really helps us make sure that we're relevant for you because at the end of the day, this podcast is not for me. I love the podcast. I enjoy podcasting with you, but at the end of the day, this podcast was made for you to give you the shortcuts to success, to give you a community of people, to help you feel like you're not alone, to give you the tactical practical tips.   of what you could and should be doing. And I hope that you're taking that on. I also believe in our mission is to positively impact the world of dentistry in the greatest way possible. And that might seem like a, like a funny mission for people, but I believe that there's so much good in this world. I believe that dentistry is incredible. I believe that working in a dental practice and giving people the confidence of their smiles and their being able to give them their, their lives back is something that we, we are so blessed to work in this industry. And   I just hope today that you remember that and just know I'm grateful for you and to continue to please share this podcast, to leave the reviews, to let me know things that we can do to make this even better and more of a great resource for you. I always want to remind you all to go onto our website, TheDentalATeam.com and click on our podcast tab. There are hundreds, literally almost thousands of episodes for you built for you and your team, built for the tactical practical for you to share with your team.   to give you the resources, any topic that you could ever imagine. I guarantee you we have a podcast on it. So go check those out. And if you ever need any help, always reach out. Hello @ TheDentalATeam .com. I'm always here to help you support you because I want you to succeed radically and just enjoy the life that you've been blessed with. So today I wanted to quickly, there was a question that came up of what they should have taught you in dental school. And it's funny to me because I actually did my story, my journey, if you're new to the podcast, welcome.   Kiera Dent (04:42.01) I actually was a dental assistant and then I became a treatment coordinator and a scheduler and a biller and an office manager. And then I actually worked at a dental college at Midwestern University in Arizona while my husband attended pharmacy school. And when I was there, I remember I got the job and people asked me, Kiera why are you wanting to leave clinical practice and go into this education? And there was two reasons, but in my interview, what I said was reason number one is,   I wanted to have a bigger impact and I knew I could not have that impact sitting in a clinical setting because I wanted to impact and inspire future dentists of how great this profession is. So that was my motivating reason. And I hadn't even thought about it until I was asked the question because my number one reason I was trying to get the job was because I wanted a discount on my husband's tuition. But I remember when I had my last day at my dental office. This is a little personal for me. I was working as a dental assistant and   I remember I was curling my hair and I had the thought, Kiera you're probably not going to be in clinical dentistry again. And I wasn't, I was front office. And then I went into the dental college and I am so thankful that I worked there because one, I got to see what it's like for dentists and new dentists coming into the field of what your education's like. And mad kudos to Midwestern university in Arizona. Kudos to Dr. Gilpatrick and Dr. Brad Smith and Dr. Polito and Dr.   so many Dr. Kramer and there were so many doctors that I worked with that truly are just incredible people. Like I have so many fun memories. I had such a good time. I decided to prank the dental students. I would make them like, my gosh, the things that I did at that dental college, I am so happy that they let me just be who I am and have fun with the holidays and make dental school fun for them. But what I really saw was one,   There's so much clinical, there's so much of you learning how to do your .O .D .s and drop the box and get the perfect contacts that I think that there was so much about owning a practice that was maybe left and how to manage a team because you're such great clinicians and you love to be clinicians. And so I actually went and helped one of the students start her practice and I was a practice owner with her in Colorado. And we took our first practice from 500 ,000 to 2 .4 million in nine months and opened our second location.   Kiera Dent (06:56.21) And if you think that that was a smooth, easy path, well, you should have known that both of us were basically on divorce row. I was on suicide's door. Like it was not a pretty scene and success oftentimes can come, but at what expense? so looking back at that, that's actually why I started the consulting company. Cause I thought if I could help her grow, what about all these other students that I know? And so shout out to all my Midwestern students. but I think a lot of things that they maybe should have taught you in dental school. This is not going to be a whole summary because at the end of the day,   This is just a small piece, but I do want to let you know that we have monthly webinars to teach you a lot of these topics. And they're free. They're free CE. We call them Thirsty Thursday. It's on the third Thursday. So it's easy for you to remember. It's for those who are thirsty for more. And we do it on the third Thursday. And it is at 4 .30 PM Pacific time, 7 .30 Eastern. Free CE for you about things that you guys can learn and things that they should have taught you in dental school or things that they should teach you in a practice or.   how you can make your practice run easier. And we have amazing guests that I vetted. We teach you a lot of content, but really wanting that to come for you guys. but a few things that I feel if I were to be able to talk to my students right now from Midwestern that I love so much of what did they not teach you in dental schools? Number one, you're probably more prepared than you think you are. And that's not going for every student. I know there were some students who needed it, but as I watched people become practice owners,   Generally speaking, the students are actually pretty darn well prepared. And no matter how much more preparing you do, and no matter how much we do of this or that, you're probably still going to have, you're going to have concerns. And I remember when me and that student, opened our practice and we were producing like crazy mistakes happened, things happened. We didn't know what we were doing. I felt like we were two girls playing house and had no clue what we were doing. But I think isn't that life. Remember the first day you joined dental school or the first time you went to   your first day working in a practice or your first day working on a live patient versus the Dexter. I think none of us feel prepared. And I think that that is good because it keeps us safe, but also I think it might keep us too safe. And so I wish that in dental school, our students would have learned that like, you're more prepared than you think you are at least at Midwestern. Now know that there's some colleges that maybe aren't as strong, but, you're probably more prepared than you think you are. And the other one is if you want to open a practice,   Kiera Dent (09:12.224) open a practice. know there's a lot of commentary about DSOs and should we still open it and private practice and at the end of the day, I think that itch will never leave you. So if you have the itch to open a practice and to own, you probably are in the right shoes and to go for it. And I'm not saying to just haphazardly do it. That's why there's consultants. That's why there's coaches. That's why I'm obsessed with what we do because I wanted all of my students to have a resource in the industry where they could count on me. They could trust me to vet people.   to lead them through it, to have no judgment, to answer the questions of what is a PNL or what are KPIs or what are all these things that I feel like I should know but I don't know. Let's stop shoulding on ourselves and let's just ask the questions and let's get the resources. But truly I wish that they would have taught you that you can own a practice and every doctor I've talked to for the most part, I'd say 90 % of them say, I wish I would have opened a practice sooner because I was more ready than I thought I was.   Now on the flip side, I would also say I want you to learn a lot about your front office. I want you to learn the billing because I think that that's where doctors actually have a lot of worry and a lot of problems. And so that's actually why I created the virtual academy within Demilay team where I have literally CE courses for office management and billing. And they're not long, but taking the time just to understand and to get a lay of the land. So when you do have a team, you can truly help them. You know how to check and make sure your finances are correct.   you know how to bill so that way you're never worried about your finances. And I wish that they would have told you that in dental school. Like, here's some pieces, here's some resources, learn this piece. Also the difference between cashflow and profitability and like what it is and how like it doesn't matter what you're producing, it matters what you're taking home. That's the biggest ticket because that's ultimately what like that's what we're working for. And   I wish that there would have been some more conversation on that. And then I really truly wish in dental school, they would have taught the students to take their third and fourth years and treat them like mini resonancies, get the reps in, learn to get your speed up, learn to get your injections where they don't hurt, learn those things of the bedside manners and take the feedback from your professors. The girl that I worked with, she had done, gosh, I'm probably making this up, but over 200 crowns. And she practiced, people were like, there's no way.   Kiera Dent (11:26.284) She was practicing, practicing on type it on. She was doing the reps and getting the reps and people were like, how did you guys hit the ground running from day one? Well, once she's an incredible dentist, like mad kudos to her, but two, she put the time in and the reps and she literally treated her third and fourth year as a mini residency and just did the reps and did the pieces to get herself the confidence. going into private practice, she was there. I also wish that they would have taught you guys to be confident in your exams. I love NDTR. If you're a podcast listener, phenomenal. If you're new to it, welcome.   NDTR is my favorite exams, especially for new doctors. Cause it gives you kind of like a mental process of what to follow. Now you can think of the acronym as neuter. You can think of it as never date the rookie. You can think of it new dentist, tough road. You can think of it as Nevada dentist, totally rock. I don't care how you remember this acronym, but it's the next visit, the date to return, how much time is needed. And then is there recare scheduled for them? And what that does is it helps dentists to really get into those minds of how to do the exam effectively for patients to know exactly what do need to come back   When do I need to come back? And how much time is this going to take? Because what you've done is you've just eliminated the three biggest objections that patients have when saying yes or no to treatment. And I really just think that those are some pieces that I feel like the profitability of the cashflow, how to run a business, knowing the front office and the billing, and then also like how to do really effective and efficient exams. Those are things that I think in dental school would have been so helpful for you to learn. I wish they would have done like a cost analysis for you of   as an associate, if you're taking an in an associate ship, how do you know what you're going to be making? Like, I don't care if it's 30 % across the board. What does that look like and what is their production and what's 30 % of a hundred thousand dollar a month practice versus maybe 25 % of a $450 ,000 a month practice? And how many new patients are you getting and how to like vet those associate ships a little bit better to know financially what's going to make sense for you? What are the best opportunities for you? What is the mentorship piece?   What's the line between being humble and confident versus cocky and prideful? Those are things that I feel as new dentists coming into the scene really can benefit you. And this is what I'm obsessed with doing webinars on for you guys and doing resources for you and creating the podcast. And then also coaching. I coach a lot of new doctors as soon as they bought practices or even as associates of how they can actually increase their production and how they can be stronger leaders as doctors. And I think that those would be a few things   Kiera Dent (13:49.294) maybe could have been taught in dental school for you. Of course, there's like a myriad of other things, but those are just some tips of the iceberg. So always, always, always, I try to create free resources for students, those who are on a budget, doctors who are on a budget. know buying a practice is expensive. We were, I called my doctor 2 .5. As I watched that spine, it's 2 .5. And you can guess that was maybe a magic number of how much we were in the hole. And I think about that. It's okay. The money will come if you're a good dentist.   The money will come, like constantly improve your skillset. I also wish I would have taught you guys how to do implants. Like implants are the day and the age of today. Sleep apnea, how to like adjust your bites, things like that, that I think you guys just struggle with when you're first out of school. But really building that confidence in you. And I just want to let you know that you are truly more prepared than you think you are. And I'm saying that for like 90%. Some of you still need the help, all right? But most of you are truly doing.   a work than you think you are. And so please join us. Thursday, Thursday is the third Thursday of every month at 4 .30 PM Pacific, 7 .30 Eastern. I'd love to have you there. You get free CE and also topics like this, topics where we help you. You can always submit in topics you'd love us to do the CE on. Hello @ TheDentalATeam .com. You're also welcome to reach out and ask these things, but truly my obsession is helping you be confident in who you   confident in running a business, confident in knowing the numbers, confident in running a team with strong leadership and giving you that peace of mind and letting you know that you're doing a better job than you think you are. So that's kind of my tips for you guys. I know there's plenty others. If you have some things that you wish that they would have taught you in dental school, please email me. I'd love to know from dentists and different perspectives. [email protected]. As always, thanks for listening. I'll catch you next time on the Dental A Team podcast.  

Britt talks about the latest book club read, Your Next Five Moves: Master the Art of Business Strategy by Patrick Bet-David. This book is a great reminder that career success is not one-size-fits-all. Find the full book club rundown here! Episode resources: Reach out to Britt Tune Into DAT’s Monthly Webinar Practice Momentum Group Consulting Subscribe to The Dental A-Team podcast Become Dental A-Team Platinum! Review the podcast Transcript: Britt (00:00.646) Hello Dental A Team listeners, this is Brett and you are here on the Dental A Team podcast and I'm super excited to be here with you. I get to take over for book club again this month and so I'm really excited to dig into the book that we've got planned for today. So get ready, let's do it. I've gone through, I've picked out some highlights that kind of hit me that I think are super cool.   If you wanna go through and read it, I'm sure there's a ton of stuff in here. I have no doubt there's a lot of good stuff that might hit you a little bit differently. So it's a good read. This month our book club was Your Next Five Moves by Patrick Bett -David. So if you haven't read it, I'll give you a little insight, maybe a little teaser for you to actually go read or listen to the book. I'm a big fan of audio books. So it's a good listen even, but it's a fun one. It's more of like a strategic and tactical business one this month.   and they hit on a lot of awesome things. I think one of the big overarching pieces that I love about this book, and I learned from a client a while back who'd been a practice owner for a long time, is that business is a game of strategies. And I think when you think about it, it is important, there's weight behind it, but it's kind of this fun game of things that you get to figure out. It makes it a little bit more manageable in those stressful moments of like, yeah, it's important, but   It's kind of this fun game puzzle to figure out and figure out the strategies behind. And I think that Patrick in this book gave us a lot of good things to think about and tips to make us a little bit more strategic. As you are a business owner, even for leaders supporting business owners of things to think about, one of the first things he starts off with is really like mastering and knowing yourself. And I think he hit on some cool pieces and starts from a good place because   Mastering knowing yourself is really knowing what you want to be. Like, what are you getting into this for from the get go? Maybe you're thinking about owning a practice or getting into business ownership or entrepreneurship. Really knowing like who you want to be, what you want to go into it for is a grounding piece for you and a grounding piece for you to think back on throughout your journey as a business owner as well. So I think that's an awesome place to start. And some of us, you you might be in it for a while and it might be time to think of   Britt (02:18.18) Why did I get into it? Who do I want to be? What was it back then that I wanted to be? Is it still the same thing? Has it morphed into something different? But what's my grounding principle of why I'm doing it? And another piece of it is success is not a one size fits all. So I think in thinking about who you want to be, why you're here, why you're doing it, what's your drivers behind it, thinking about what's that vision, what are you going after?   And it doesn't have to look the same as everybody else, right? Like not every doctor out there needs to own three practices or five practices or, you know, turn it into a little DSO or grow it, right? If one practices your vision and where you want to go and that's who you want to be as a business owner, like great, what does success look like around that? Which I think can also be a grounding piece for you as, right? Other voices can come in sometimes as business owners, as entrepreneurs, and you start   comparisons of these thief of joy, you start to compare to other people. And because we think that one size or what's that greatest thing or what's the like top thing and if I don't have that top thing then am I successful and you can start to kind of fall into that realm. And just really remembering that really truly success is not one size fits all remember what that looks like to you. What it's defined as for you and go after that thing and don't compare to other people because it'll make you a lot happier and   Not everybody is meant for the same journey, right? We're all built a little different, right? We all are happy doing a little bit different things. Everyone's kind of unique. So what is it for you? What's gonna make you happy and what success is gonna look like for you? And through that journey, right? In it's not one size fits all. What does it look like for you? What's gonna make you happy? Kind of starting to also accept there are no right or wrong answers to this.   Right? So whatever it is for you, what success looks like for you, what you want to be, there's no right or wrong answer. It's truly what you want and what you want is the right answer. So think about it. If it's been a little while, remember it. If you're in a tough spot right now or in a stressful spot, like think about why you got into it. Master knowing yourself first. I think that is a fantastic place to start. The next piece he goes into is really mastering the ability to reason.   Britt (04:40.038) And I think with this, he jumps into, I love that he said like, true maturity means choosing better options over good ones, right? Sometimes we're presented with multiple good options or like there's no bad option, there's just multiple options out there and learning to choose the better option over the good ones. And I think sometimes it's even, as he mentioned, sometimes there's an easy choice and an effective choice, right? And sometimes it's easy to choose.   that easy choice instead of going for the most effective choice. So in kind of mastering that ability to reason, I think is learning and maturing to the point for all of us to being able to evaluate what options are available, right? Look at all of them. There might be lots of good options to go with. Can we pick the better option or the best option or the least bad option to go with?   And kind of evaluate sometimes if I'm taking the easy choice instead of the effective choice when it comes to kind of going through and reasoning. I think within that is understanding kind of our motivation. Am I trying to just like release the pain and choose the easy option? Or is my motivation like, no, my motivation is to choose truly what the best option is for the business, what the best option is for my team, what the best option is for my patients. Really understanding kind of the motivation behind.   your reasoning and why you're leaning a certain direction when it comes to making decisions. And I think along with that, like you said, also acknowledging and addressing some of our blind spots. Sometimes we're in like the thick of a decision. And especially as business owners, like we're in the thick of all our stuff going on. And sometimes it can be hard to see our blind spots. So sometimes getting some insight from someone else where our blind spots might be, or taking a minute to ask ourselves, right, where are my blind spots? Or sometimes I'll say like, what are my biases?   kind of what are all the things influencing my reason for going with this decision? And is that a right way to think about it? Or do I need to acknowledge what my blind spots are, acknowledge what my bias is, and maybe kind of reevaluate things to be able to make effective decisions? I think in this reasoning piece, some of us, I identify with this, right? Some of us can get into analysis paralysis a little bit when it comes   Britt (06:57.9) mastering the ability to reason, kind of thinking through the options, what's the reason I'm going with a certain choice. And I think it's also fair to remember that making a decision, making an effective decision with the information you have or can gather quickly is the way to go, right? And sometimes it's making a move, making a decision, moving forward with something, kind of like if there are multiple good options,   then great, don't waste too much time on trying to pick which option is truly the better one with the information you have. What can you gather quickly? What is the better option to go with and go with it and make a move on it? He also talked about staying calm, right? Take responsibility, state specifically what you did to get to where you are right now. If there's frustrations involved, of channel those frustrations into getting better and preventing future problems.   multiple pieces when it comes to reasoning, but really kind of becoming a master of the ability to reason is really being able to evaluate your options, choose the better options, understand what's motivating you or kind of what might be impacting your view of the scenario, and then make an effective decision with the information you have or can gather quickly and move forward, which I think   all good tips that all of us can learn from at times. There are some that maybe need to slow down a second and look at things and make sure you kind of evaluate and have some reason behind it. And there's some of us that could get caught in that a little bit too quickly. Make sure you think through the pieces and then move, make the decision, stay calm, use the information you have and move forward. He also talked about building, mastering building the right team. Often as entrepreneurs, right? Business owners, even in dentistry.   We want to do all of it sometimes, right? Like it's easy to want to do it all. It's your baby. You take so much pride in it. You want to have your hands on all the things to make sure that everything is being done well. And in the beginning, that's how you start, right? It's understandable. That's your starting point. That's where you begun and that's how it started out for you. But realizing   Britt (09:14.746) there's the myth of the solopreneur that he talks about, right? That you can't ultimately do it on your own. If you want to grow, if you want to scale, you can't do it all. And so you're going to have to bring that team on. Now, we'll talk about it a little bit later on some tips that he's got for it. It's not meaning that you don't watch what's going on or have a way to evaluate what's going on, but it's understanding that you can't do it on your own forever. And   building that right team around you is gonna be huge. He also talks about how trust equals speed. So when you get those right people on board that you can trust, give them that trust, let them move forward and you're gonna move a lot faster than you trying to do it all on your own or you trying to guide and direct all those people on every little thing because they're gonna move slower that way. So that was an awesome point. So master building your right team, bring your right people around you, get them to where   You've got those people that you can trust and they're truly gonna help to speed you up when you trust them and let them move forward. Which goes along with this next piece of mastering the strategy to scale, right? You're gonna have to have that right team to go to the next piece, which is being able to master the step strategy to scale. And I think similar to the beginning of knowing yourself, the strategy to scale like...   recognizing that there are multiple routes to success, right? Your route won't look the same as someone else's, let's be honest, right? Like everybody's gonna have different things that come along, different things you tackle that are gonna make it a little bit different route for you to get there. You can learn from people who have done it ahead of you. You can kind of adapt or adopt some of those things, but understand that there's multiple routes to success. So even if you find yourself in a tight spot trying to find a way out.   It may not look the same as someone else. Look at what you've got in front of you. Realize that there's multiple routes you can go. What's the best option to go with? And then move forward. I love that he also talked about making momentum your friend, right? If you're wanting to grow, if you're wanting to scale along with this strategy to scale, make momentum your friend and be prepared for some chaos. Not that it needs to be ultimate chaos,   Britt (11:34.308) the faster you move, you're gonna feel that movement, right? It's not gonna feel as slow. And if you're used to slow at the beginning and we start moving, it's gonna feel a little chaotic and you're gonna learn along the way, right? We're gonna adapt, we're gonna change, and you're gonna try to think ahead and think of all the things, but be prepared for some of that chaos that you might feel as you learn and grow, which I think a lot of you out there who are practice owners.   I can relate to that, especially in some of your earlier years when you were growing maybe at a more rapid rate. And for those of you that are in it right now can probably resonate with that a bit as well. And he hits a couple key points when it comes to thinking through that strategy to scale, right? Thinking those five moves ahead and thinking about operating systems, right? Business development, innovative campaigns, how are you gonna grow and scale?   and making sure you've got that leadership development, that you've got leaders to help you grow and to help you scale. And I love that he says, never compromise on speed, execution, or efficiency, right? So when it comes to scaling, you wanna scale well. And that's, I love that he walks you through the steps, right? So knowing yourself, being able to reason, building your team, and then going into your strategies to scale so that you're prepared to never   on the speed, the execution or efficiency. And this is where he also talks about designing systems to track your business, right? You can't do it alone. You're not going to have your hands on everything. You can't see everything physically as one human being. So building up those systems to track your business and in dentistry and practice ownership in any business, it's going to come back to what are those unemotional like numbers? What things can you track? How are things going?   and build those tracking systems so you can see, right, how are we doing in the dental practice? How's our production? How's our collections? What's our overhead at? Knowing all those things to see, are all the systems working that we're putting into place? Have we designed them well? Do we need to reevaluate them and go back so that we can have everybody functioning in a way to help support you?   Britt (13:43.162) so you know what's going on within your business. So I thought that was super good insight. You know, we love numbers at the Dental A Team and we say, we love numbers and numbers love us, so don't be afraid of them. But truly as you scale and you grow, it helps you to have a pulse on your business of how things are doing while allowing your team to go, trust them, move forward, keep things going, keep that momentum going and having a pulse with numbers on how things are going within your business.   And then the last piece he does is mastering power plays. And with this, there's a lot of him he talks about in there, but a couple that really stood out to me was turning off the noise. I think going back to the initial of kind of mastering you and what you want. I think a lot of times we can get a lot of noise around us of what should be or comparing ourselves to other people, or here's what everybody else is doing.   Take it for learning, but sometimes you need to turn off the noise, recenter yourself. Where do you want to go? What's the right path for you? Knowing that not everyone's path is going to look the same and make the best decisions and think ahead, right? So thinking five moves ahead, turn off the noise, think about where you are, what are the next five moves and then move forward with it. And I love that he talks about generating leverage, right? The long -term game of power is humility and service.   And generating leverage. Leverage can be talked about in a few different ways. Like recently I've heard about it in a couple different ways. It's even like leveraging our people, right? What are things on my plate? Who do I have around me that I can leverage? Which is really like our delegation. How can I use them to help move things forward and leverage the business forward without it having to be you? And so just some things to think about when it comes to those power plays. think the people who can.   leverage the resources around there, whether it's people, whether it's technology, whatever it may be. Those are the power moves that help them gain momentum and move forward a lot quicker. So a lot of cool things to think about in this book. There's way more than that, but that gives you a little insight on some of the cool things that I heard that really stuck out to me. If it's interesting to you, you should go read it or listen to   Britt (16:00.558) It's a good strategy book for business. Next Five Moves by Patrick Bent -David. And really starting to think ahead of all those different sections, right? Knowing yourself, mastering that, mastering your ability to reason, master building the right team, master strategy to scale, and mastering power plays to really help support you in your business moves. And I love that he kind of wraps up and helps you to remember, right? In thinking five moves ahead, right?   becoming the master in all of these areas, understanding that you're gonna constantly reinvent yourself, right? You're always gonna be planning for the next five moves. So you're gonna plan for the next five moves and then something's gonna happen, you're gonna plan for the next five moves and then you're gonna get there and you're gonna plan for the next five moves. So really, I think when we can truly see it as the game that it is, I'm a sports person, so I think in moves of sports, so it's   What's my next play, right? Like what's the next play after that? What's the next play after that? Where are we gonna go understanding that like it's a game of strategy. So execute a strategy. There's gonna be another one that comes along with it. Have fun with it. See it as the game and the fun that it can be, which allows your mind to be a little bit more creative, make some decisions that are probably a little bit smarter, not be so like weighed down by some of the things.   think through all the possibilities like it is a game and get creative and see what you can do. Because I know there's a lot of amazing things happening out there with everybody and a lot of creativity amongst all of you when it comes to thinking through solutions. I think we've all shown that through recent times over the last few years coming out of COVID, the ingenuity and what people have come up with and to solve the problems and hiring. And there's a lot of creativity that are going to help you to move forward and see what the next five moves are.   you've shown it and there's some ideas here and some tips to maybe help you. And if you're like, my gosh, there's a lot in there, start from the beginning, right? Start from mastering yourself first, understanding yourself, knowing yourself first, and then keep moving through the other sections. So guys, that's a wrap for the podcast today. Thank you so much for spending some time with me in book club. Let us know what you think. We love hearing from you. You've got book suggestion for us for next year. Book club, send them over for us.   Britt (18:21.158) We love it when you send a little review, five -star review. If you need anything from us, need any help, reach out to us, Hello @ TheDentalATeam .com. But thank you so much for listening. Thanks so much for joining us and we'll catch you next time on the Dental A Team Podcast.  

Tiff and Dana lay out the most critical piece when it comes to communicating with patients during treatment planning: Focus on the patient’s health, not money or insurance. Episode resources: Reach out to Tiff and Dana Tune Into DAT’s Monthly Webinar Practice Momentum Group Consulting Subscribe to The Dental A-Team podcast Become Dental A-Team Platinum! Review the podcast Transcript: The Dental A Team (00:01.506) All right. Hello, Dental A Team listeners. We are so happy to have you back here with Dana and I, my most prized possession when it comes to recording podcasts. I truly love our time together and getting this time in when we're recording is one of the only times that we get to spend so much time together. So I love it. Thank you, Dana, for being here with me today. It's super special. And thank you, you guys. You have been like celebrating me today and   you, just had your celebration and it's huge. And it's so funny that there's so many of us right now at this time within this company. and so many years have gone by that we've all just spent so much amazing time together. And when I podcast with you, it just reminds me how much I appreciate having you here on our team. and a part of our community, I think our team is incredibly valuable and incredibly important. So Dana, thank you for being here with me today and congratulations to you. I'm celebrating you today.   You have been with us now for three years. That is huge. That is incredible accomplishment. And it's just a testament to the amazing opportunities that you've provided to so many of your clients. You've worked with a lot of people over those three years and just helped them grow so much. So Dana, hats off to you. Thank you for being here today and congratulations on your three years. How are you today?   Dana (01:28.703) Thanks for such a warm welcome. You always make me smile in these introductions, so I appreciate that from you. I'm doing good and I, you know, get to celebrate you today too and I think that like I'm just so glad that I've been able to be a part of your seven -year journey with DAT.   The Dental A Team (01:32.533) Good.   The Dental A Team (01:45.654) Thank you, thank you. I am happy to have you here. And I'm excited to talk about today's topic. We've talked a lot about relationship building with our patients and within our team and the effects, the positive and negative effects that communication can have on one another. And today, I really, really wanted to look at that communication as far as treatment planning goes. How does it look from the treatment planning standpoint and really how that relationship affects the way that we think as well.   And Dana, I know you work with a lot of clients constantly and I know we work on handoffs and all of those pieces and treatment planning and we have systems and steps and processes. And sometimes I know when we were prepping for this, I talked about a client that I wanted to speak on and I, and sometimes we just get to watch it land for them. And it was really close. We're on a video call and I was talking about NDTR, which all of our listeners should know what NDTR is. If you don't go find a podcast, we'll talk about it again in the future. I'm sure.   We're doing NDTR, we're doing all of the pieces and I started reviewing treatment planning processes as far as problem solution problem, which is a system that I think we all implement with our practices, but it's something that I thought a couple of years ago just made so much sense and makes such a difference when it comes to really speaking to the patient about the issue rather than the solution. It's very easy for us to get caught up   treatment planning a crown, treatment planning a filling, treatment planning an implant, which is something that's outside of our bodies. It's unrelatable. It's not ours. It's not, it's like where I'm buying a tube of lipstick. It's not mine. And I can make the choice emotionally to disconnect from that tube of lipstick, right? In the moment I'm like, this is the color I need. It's going to change my life. I'm going to look so much better. But by the time I get to the front of the store, most of the time I've emotionally disconnected from the result and I'm ready to put the tube of lipstick back.   and not purchase it. So when I'm thinking about treatment planning, all of these solutions, treatment planning, the crown, there's not an emotional connection to that. And this is a space, unlike the lipstick, this is a space where you really need to be emotionally connected to that purchase because it's for your health. And when patients are treatment plans and we're not keeping that in mind, we're not keeping that emotional piece at the forefront of our minds and keeping that as an important factor,   The Dental A Team (04:08.81) I truly think we're doing them a disservice. If I can do everything I can to ensure my patient is healthier when they leave my practice than when they walked in, I know I've done a dang good job today. We buy things on an emotional standpoint, like emotions. You know, I taught something the other day that was like, here I am saying like, I'm not going to buy anything. I'm saving all my money. I'm not buying anything. And then there's a 50 % off discount. And I'm like, I have to buy that. That's an emotional purchase.   everything is based off of emotions. So when I had this conversation with this doctor and I'm like, we're focused in on the problem. I'm not selling you a crown. I'm selling you a fix to your broken tooth, to your decayed tooth, to your infection. I'm selling a healthier tooth, not a crown. Her eyes just like blew up. But she was just like, my gosh. And this is a doctor who's really struggling.   treatment planning and treatment planning definitively because she feels like her patient base can't afford it or she feels like she's just after money and like all of those negative self -talk things that everyone in dentistry feels she's overloaded with them constantly and when I took it and said you're not are not selling a crown I'm not asking you for a thousand dollars for a crown or two thousand dollars in California I'm asking you to let me fix your tooth   She was like, my gosh, I'm so excited to go implement this because this is a game changer for me. You just changed how I feel about treatment planning and Dana, I think a lot of our clients feel that way. think dentistry in general, we feel really like we're taking advantage of people and the perception of dentistry infiltrates our minds and we become that. And we are so scared to help   that we hold back a lot, especially when we're not towards the end of the year and we're like, there are benefits. We start holding back from telling people the truth about what they need. And that's doing people a disservice. Dana, I know I've got my story and I know you've got a million stories of clients that you've worked with as well. But how do you see in your world as a consultant that focus on the problem rather than the solution?   The Dental A Team (06:24.063) really comes into play and helps benefit your practices that you're working with all the   Dana (06:29.939) Yeah. And I think it's focusing on the problem and solution and then ideal outcomes too. Like you as a practitioner know and team members too. So this is for TUP too for treatment when it comes to like ideal treatment planning is you know what will also give the best result for the patient as far as longevity, as far as function, as far as, and patients don't know what they don't know. And so it is challenging yourself to not just look at problem cause solution, but ideal solution, best   The Dental A Team (07:00.322) Yeah. Yeah. I love that. I love that. And I love that you said they don't know what they don't know. And, they truly don't. Our jobs are to inform patients of what's wrong and that we can fix it. Or if we can't fix it, someone we know can, we can refer them somewhere else. And our jobs are, are to find those issues, celebrate the win, celebrate the healthy, find the issues that they're having and ensure that they know the path to success for a healthier   and a healthier version of themselves. That gets lost a lot of times. And honestly, Dana, I think it's really easy to lose it, like to lose that focus when we are focused on goals. You know, we're focused on the production and the collection and the treatment plan case acceptance and these black and white non -emotional results are the focus that we're looking at. But we have to remember that there are systems and underlying pieces that get us to those   And when we lose that piece of what we're working on, that's where I think we get lost in the minutia. So some of the pieces that really, really, really helped my doctor stay focused on that problem to my two favorite solutions to that is to forget everything, you know, about finances and cost. Don't think about their insurance. Don't think about their social standing or what you think they have in the bank account or what you think that   patient base can or cannot afford. I know in my practice years ago, I had a man come in who looked like he walked straight in off the street. He looked like this man has no money. We diagnosed him all kinds of treatment. He had got like $40 ,000 worth of treatment that he needed, but we did our due diligence and we said, this is what you need. This is our best place to start to get you out of pain, to get you moving towards healthy. The next day.   this man walked in with a grocery bag, okay, a grocery bag from like Safeway or Fry's or Kroger or wherever, a grocery bag full of cash to pay for his whole treatment. He'd just been waiting for the right place to invest that money and he decided that he was the right place. But had we gone off of our initial gut feeling of what this man could or could not afford, we may not have diagnosed everything that he needed. Or we may have said, you know what, this is a lot, let's start here. And only   The Dental A Team (09:26.593) treatment plan five grand and left the other pieces to piece no later. So when we can forget the money aspects of it, insurance and cost aside and really just focus on the patient's health, I think that makes a huge determining factor. Like cancer patients or Dana, you've been through this. Like what if your doctor didn't tell you everything or tell you every option that you had to get healthy because they felt   this is a more expensive route, you should go through this one because it's more affordable. You're not gonna get potentially the results you want or it might take longer, but this is the more affordable path rather than this one over here that's gonna cost you more. From your experiences, things fly in my mind, but what would that have been like for you as a patient not being able to make the decision for yourself because somebody made it for you ahead of   Dana (10:20.169) Yeah, I think it would have been really obviously frustrating, right? Frustrating, I would have probably lost trust. And I probably would have gone somewhere else in that instance. And I think sometimes what is the eye opening, I just talked to a doctor about this the other day, he's been doing some more like larger cosmetic cases, and he's been getting really excited. And, and we were just talking about how it used to be like, okay, well, what are my options? And it's it's bonding, right in those front teeth. And then, so we were just talking about how ideally, right, when it even comes to finances,   some things that we do to protect patients finances or we think that that's what we're doing, right? Well, if I am rebonding you every six months and I have just done those veneers from the beginning, it's actually like sometimes an aha moment and that what we think is financially best for the patient when we make that decision truly isn't. And in the long run, they spend more money on the bond and bond and bond and bond than they would have just spent on the veneers and crowns had we started from the beginning with   The Dental A Team (11:19.356) Yes, I totally agree. I love that. Or the bridge, the bridge, the bridge when the other two teeth were fine or maybe just needed fillings and they could have done an implant and making sure that they have those choices. And I think that's the next step in the process for getting the money. Forget the finances. You have options. Okay, doctors, like you have options. You don't need to worry about them. Your team knows them. Your patients will find them out. So forget the money.   Doesn't matter what the cost is and forget the insurance. You need to think about what's best for your patients. Give them the options. Here's the caveat to options guys. I have worked for doctors. I have worked with doctors. Dana has worked for and with doctors that give way too many options. This is just the case because you guys are in a world where you're making decisions for people. You're truly making decisions for people and a dentist beside   might make a different choice in that same decision, they might have a different opinion. That's just the facts of dentistry and that's okay. That's okay. What do you think is going to be best? When we give a patient too many options, it's confusing. When things are confusing and there's not a clear path, we lose trust. So then all of a sudden we're like, well, if I need all of these things, do I really need any of them? Or is it okay? Because this just sounds like everything that could happen.   to my tooth, you're trying to do something on it. So we lose trust in them. So our hard fast like standby is two options are always best. Three is the most. And three is like, you could do nothing. You could do an implant, or you could do a bridge, or do nothing, do multiple implants and a denture. Like that's my three options in most cases.   Dana, how do you run that with your practices that you work with when it comes to options? Do you to do two? I like two because it's like chocolate vanilla juice. That's very easy. But I am, you know, I'll go up to three. But how do you feel that benefits your clients when they start utilizing a similar structure?   Dana (13:25.577) Yeah, I agree with you. I'm like a two, three person, like, let's go in with ideal, right? We've got one backup plan. Because two, like when we give too many choices, patients will always default to the easy one. When they're confused, when they don't trust, when they don't understand, like they will always default to what is easiest. Now for every patient, that's going to be different as far as it is it easiest financially? Is it easiest time? Is it easiest to understand? Right? But they're going to go into default mode, and they're just going to pick the thing that they   The Dental A Team (13:48.09) Thank you.   Dana (13:54.119) understand or fits best in their budget or whatever is easy for them at the moment. And so I think understanding that, that like when we overwhelm with choices, patient is always going to default to something that is easy and that's typically not what gets them the best result or is ideal.   The Dental A Team (14:11.29) Yeah, that's beautiful. That's beautiful. I love everything you just said. You're 100 % on track. We as human beings are going to choose the easiest route. I think dentistry, like dental professionals, we think the easiest route is whatever is going to last the longest. So you're going to get longevity out of it. But honestly, as a consumer, sometimes the easiest route is whatever is going to get me the results I need right now, because I don't have time or finances in my mind to think about   future. So I'll deal with it when it comes back up again. But for right now, this is the option I'm going to choose to handle it today. So I totally I do that. Like I have done that in my life. I do that. That's why there's credit card debt. You guys. That's why there's debt in this country, because it's easier to choose that in this moment to satisfy whatever need emotional or physical we're looking at. And we're not thinking about the longevity and what that's going to look like in the future. Nobody looks   Purchase on a credit card that I know I don't know a single human being that looks at the purchase on a credit card and thinks Okay Well if I spend this $500 for this thing on my credit card by the time I pay it off It would have cost me then by then it's gonna cost me 700 no one thinks about that in our minds It's just 500, but that's not the case. We're getting the added, you know percentages They're not thinking if I do a filling today at $300 it's gonna cost me   potentially six months even as soon as six months, it's going to cost me in whatever time period it looks like another two grand on top of that 300 to get the crown or five grand for an implant of the extraction and an implant and an implant crown. They're not thinking that. So if we're not saying it to them in ways that make sense and like Dana said, making it easy for them, we're doing them a disservice. And the reason I say   is to express the reason like Dana and I speak like this is to express the importance of understanding. And that's part of that relationship building we talked about. It's not fair for patients to leave confused, in my opinion. And we have the opportunity, the space and the knowledge and the education to make it really simple for them. A lot of doctors will argue and say, I mean, they need to know everything.   The Dental A Team (16:34.219) And I agree, I think they do need to know everything. That's where the options come into play, but they are not capable of making the choices and the decisions that you've been trained to make. It is your responsibility to make sure that we're looking at what is the most important thing, what is the most important factor for this patient and what's gonna be the best for them short term and long term and give them those options.   Money aside, insurance aside, like delete all of that, forget all of it, focus on what's best for the patient and the patient's health, and then give them the options that they deserve. Again, we like two to three because it cuts down the confusion and makes things super easy for them. In my opinion, this is really, really, how you treatment plan for patient needs.   on the flip side of that transferring to your front office and your treatment coordinators and making sure that they understand going back to that problem, right? That problem cause solution, problem solution, problem, like sandwich it. Make sure that the person who's reviewing the financial aspects knows why the patient needs that treatment as well. Cause they're now selling a crown, but they're not, they're still selling the solution to the problem. And I want you guys talking about the problem.   because that's the emotional piece that patients need to connect to to understand how important it is that they get healthy. It's not to get them to where they say yes every time. Like they're still not gonna say yes every time, but you've done your due diligence to ensure that they are tied to their health, not just tied to purchasing something from you. I've heard dentists and I think it's amazing say all the time, even if you don't get it done here, I don't care.   I just want you to get it done. want you to be healthier. And that to me is caring. That's the relationship. That's the piece. And that's when patients are like, okay, maybe I should believe you. Like maybe, maybe I should go get a second opinion or maybe I should believe like that's pretty ballsy to say something like that. Like maybe I should invest in this. But those are those pieces you guys where they've deleted and removed some financial aspects and focused in on that patient's health.   The Dental A Team (18:48.455) So here's your tips for today, actionable pieces that you can take away. Always transfer the reason, the why. Transfer the problem to the patient and to the next person. Focus your treatment planning chair side with your patient and financials on the actual problem and tell them you've got the solution for that. So we're focusing on the problem and we're giving them the solution. Always, always, always.   forget the cost, forget the insurance, forget the money, and put the patient's needs and health at the forefront of everything you do. I think if you can implement those three things right away, or one of those three things right away, you're gonna see a change. And I hope it helps you feel better about your position and helps you feel more purposeful in what you're providing your dental patients across the country. So Dana.   How excited are you for these doctors to implement these pieces? We've seen it. We've seen it work. We've seen it work with hundreds of practices, just in our own consulting separately, and then also our group consulting. We see it work constantly. How excited are you for our listeners today to get this bundle of information, go implement it, and completely change how they think?   Dana (20:03.343) I am so excited because I really feel like this is a game changer and a final piece I just wanted to say as far as like building confidence in doing this. If you go to like anywhere as a consumer and you go to the electronic counter, right? And you ask, Hey, what is the best X, Y, or Z? Right? You are expecting them to tell you.   better or best, not just okay or good or will do. And so if your expectations on your interactions with people in any service industry or what they're going to recommend is better best, hold yourself to that same standard.   The Dental A Team (20:38.533) That was beautiful. Hey guys, and on that, we are wrapping up. are closing with that, Dana. Thank you so much. Thank you for being here. Thank you listeners for being here. As always, reach out to us. [email protected]. We are happy to help work through this. Again, we have systems for it. We can pop them over to you. We do have group coaching, group coaching and consulting that work on this kind of stuff constantly together. So if you're interested in any of that, please don't hesitate to reach out. We are here to help everyone.   in the best ways that we know how to. Thank you and we'll talk with you soon.  

Kiera educates listeners on how to install systems in the billing department that can better flow out to the clinical teams so denials and old balances can disappear once and for all. Episode resources: Reach out to Kiera Tune Into DAT’s Monthly Webinar Practice Momentum Group Consulting Subscribe to The Dental A-Team podcast Become Dental A-Team Platinum! Review the podcast Transcript: Kiera Dent (00:00.59) Hello, Dental A Team listeners. This is Kiera and man, let's do a little billing 101 for you all today on the podcast. Who's excited for billing? How to deal with denials and old balances. How does that sound? You guys, I am not your expert biller, but you know what? We're going to have a good time with this. I know enough about billing to make me a little wild. And so I hope you guys are excited about it. I feel like let's do a quick tactical practical for you.   a few things around billing. As always, thank you for being a part of our Dental 18 podcast family. I adore you. I enjoy my time hanging out with you. I love to podcast with you and I love to give you tactical tips that you can take back to your practice and make your practice even better. As always, just share this with one person today. I ask that you guys just share it, put it in a podcast or a Facebook group, share it with a friend, send a text message to somebody, but just share it. That's how we're gonna be able to get into the hands of every single dental practice.   and truly be able to hit our mission of positively impacting the world of dentistry in the greatest way possible. So dealing with denials is super annoying and we've got some expert billers Shasta with Paragon, Sarah O 'Brien with Evolution Billing. They're incredible. And so this is just going to be kind of a high level. I also love Josh Smith with dental claim support. Be sure to tell them Dental A Team sent you if you need that, but dealing with the denials I think is really just getting into it and figuring out why are we getting these denials?   having your biller look through and what is it contacting you. I think so much of the denials is education and then putting into place a system so we don't get those denials. So calling them and researching and figuring out why are we actually getting denials on the buildup? What is it? Most of the time, the reason your buildup is being denied is because they require it to be on a seat date, not on the prep date. And if you will submit the seat date with it, you usually will get those buildups done. But calling the insurance company, finding out why was this denied? It should be covered.   And then getting the proper, the proper documentation is truly going to help. We just actually did a doctor think tank with our, our clients. We have a think tank with our doctors and I absolutely love it. I call it the let your hair down, come hang out, ask the questions. But we actually just did one on all things billing. It was one of our best attended think tanks because the doctors really don't understand what to do with it. And so how do we actually handle denials is just because they submitted denial does not mean it's a denial.   Kiera Dent (02:23.598) What we need to do is we need to research it, we need to figure it out. And then if we're getting denied because we don't have an intraoral, we don't have an x -ray or we didn't get the correct radiographs or we didn't have the correct information within our notes, like I was talking to an office the other day and they said, we need this, all this information from the doctors on these bigger cases to get it approved. And I said, fantastic, make a note template and then update the note templates to give you everything that you need. And I think so many practices feel like that's too hard. And to me, that's being proactive on the problem rather than reactive on the -   on the flip side. The reaction side is that we got the denial. The proactive is how can I actually set this as a system within the note template that we know we're gonna fill in every time to make sure that we actually get these pieces. Other things you can do if we're missing the documentation is put an intra -oral photo as part of the deliverables that are being in the procedure. So if it's a crown or it's a filling, put X -ray, intra -oral. So it's part of what they actually have to submit that we did do those items.   and then also put it in the note template. It could be the very first pop -up when they go to put a crown in of take X -ray. Like you literally can make a pop -up on there in your note templates of reminding them to take that X -ray right before we get started. Or intra -oral, you can also have it like we took an intra -oral. Dental assistants, please, please, please, I'm gonna say this. Start your notes as soon as you start the procedure because if you go through, you already know what you're gonna do for the bulk of it.   your note pretty much done before the procedure even starts. So it's going to remind you to take the extra. It's going to remind you to take the intra oral, have the intra oral as part of your prep setup for the fillings and the crowns, knowing that we need to take those x -rays for hygienists with the SRPs, making sure you have that in there as well. But often into those note templates, it can just be simple like that or having it on the route slip, add it into the treatment plan of these are the items that we need to do. So we prevent those denials and then the billing team educate.   your clinical team. Now, with that said, billers, you're super, super, super detailed and I love you for that. Clinical teams are not usually as detailed and so oftentimes what I watch is there's a divide between the clinical team and the billing team because the billing team's like, we need all this and they make it very hard. So the clinical team's like, fine, we'll do our best, but it's going to be too hard. So coming to a middle ground of billers, what is truly the one, two, three things that you have to have?   Kiera Dent (04:40.27) for 90 % of the claims, I understand that there will be 10 % that we need something different. What can we do that's a true system to make it easier for people as opposed to just being like nuance. For example, I was talking to an office the other day and they said, Kiera, we have to have the doctors write this whole thing. I said, not a chance. They're not gonna do it. So what could we do instead? And they're like, well, I just have to have all this information. And I said, but like break it down for me. Like, what do you really have to have? So they were telling me and I said, all right, well, like let's put that in a note template.   And they said, yeah, but like, that's not going to work because the doctor has to fill it in. And I'm like, the doctor's not going to do it. So let's find an alternative where they're not going to do it. Just like billers, like your clinical team is not going to write a huge narrative. Can you have pre -made narratives for them of, you know what the insurance is going to ask for. You do all the billing. Make a quick pre -made narrative for a crown of like, crown was replaced because of that, that, that, that, that have that as one option. Crown was replaced because.   or like initial placement of the crown or make multiple templates for it of initial placement of a crown, replacement of a crown, how old was the crown, like put that in there of the information that you need because I understand from a billers perspective that it seems so we need all these details. But the reality is most of them fall within patterns and if we can just get the quick patterns done where 90 % of our claims are being covered, amazing. But I say that's on the billers responsibility is to figure out why was it denied?   build the system so the whole team can follow through and then make sure that it's happening consistently. So don't just tell them telling does not ever work. People don't change behavior by just telling make it into a system to where it's a fail proof. Like I think about Ray Kroc with McDonald's. If he just told them like, I need you to make sure that those fries are taken out every whatever minutes. People are not going to remember to do that. So he said a buzzer that would go off constantly for him that made sure that people take the fries out of the fryer so they don't get burnt.   In practices with systems, I feel like so often we don't realize you need to build a system that doesn't require people to think. It just requires them to fill in the template and then you get everything you need. So looking with those denials, how do you handle them? It's researching the company, finding out why, fixing the note template and educating the team. But like I said, make it into patterns and make it simple for your clinical team because they're not going to sit there and write a narrative. Your doctors are not going to fill in these whole things. Build narratives as a builder.   Kiera Dent (07:00.654) So that way your team can quickly just choose it and you get 99 % of what you need to begin with and you're not chasing it down. I think that's a really great way to deal with denials. And then I'll pivot gears real quick on how to handle old balances. So when we're looking at it, and I think these both go in the billing world is like, so that's how we deal with the denials and that's how we build a system for our team. Now on the flip side, we've got the AR, right? And so billers should be in my opinion,   Every single month going through every single account. Yes, I said every single account. And I have a lovely spreadsheet that I love for our offices that I give them of this is how you actually track every account. It's statement one, two, three. We make, when we do statements, we send it out as a text. We're not mailing statements. You can still mail, but I would definitely recommend connecting with Moolah. If you're mailing out statements, they're an incredible payment processor. Be sure to tell them Dental A Team sent you because you guys do get preferred rates with Moolah.   But what's awesome about them is like they have a whole drip campaign so statements get done. But on your billing spreadsheet, it should be statement one, two, three. We know we've called them. We've got the insurance follow up. We've got the payments. But every month your biller should be able to tell you every single account in the AR of what's going on. Because once we do that, then with these old balances, I know that you've had about three months of trying to collect on these old balances. And then if we can't, what I usually recommend is once we've gone through and the doctor sees how much.   Number one, why did we get the old balances? Like what happened to get this? And did we fix and create a system? So this never happens again, because what I hate more than anything is writing off money, but we never fixed the problem. And so it's just as leaky bucket. We write money off, but we never fix the leak in the bucket. So you've got to find a way to fix the hole in the bucket by building a system. So before I ever allow a team to write old balances off, I make them build a system to where this never happens again, because you don't want me taking the X amount of money out of your paycheck.   This is truly your paycheck by having to write off these old balances. Now I understand it could be a bill or left or different things in place, but if a bill or left, it wasn't a system. You need to have a system in place to make sure this doesn't happen. So with that, we set up a system so it doesn't happen again. We figure out what we did wrong. Maybe we didn't have timely filing on it. Well, great, let's set up an alert. This is where the spreadsheet comes into play so we know we always have timely filing on it.   Kiera Dent (09:18.254) Maybe it was the fact that we didn't have the correct estimates in there. Amazing. All fee schedules have to go in. We have to have signed ones. We have to bill them if we don't have it coming back from insurance. We follow up with the insurance every like two weeks to make sure that we're getting all these claims paid. And so with that, once all that's done, then what we do with these old balances is I set a day and I just say, this is the bad day. Doctors, we write all this off as old debt. You can decide if you want to send them to collections. You can decide if it's old debt, but we just...   We write it off, we zero out those accounts, we can set a note so that way if the patient ever does return to the practice, they are required to pay that amount before they're able to be seen. But we literally just zero it all out. Usually I have offices work on this for three to six months before I zero it out. And then we just know, and I try to do it at a set time so I know May of this year or June or December is when we're gonna just write it all off so that way the books are truly clean.   but I'm going to try and collect every single penny because I feel like that's my job. The work was done and we owe it to our practice to collect the money and to our patients to train them that they do need to get paid. Now, sometimes if it's old, you might be able to strike some deals of like, let's do a 50 50 or like all right off 20 % of it. You pay 80 % of it. I try to strike some deals with patients just to get payments paid. You can also again work with a processor and you can make payments.   So that way the patient can pay over time on this balance if it's old and they weren't expecting it. And verbiage for that is like, hey, we were going through our accounts and we noticed that there's a balance on your account. We do need to get that paid. I can take card over the phone. I do Visa or Amex. Which do you prefer? Now they're like, I wasn't expecting this. Amazing. Let's do a couple of payments. And just have a payment process in place where they can pay it maybe over the course of three months, six months, whatever you guys choose to do.   But the goal is that we get these balances taken care of. And I'm just very confident with it. You don't need to say that, we lost a biller and we didn't know about this. I can't tell you how many times I have companies from six months ago, 12 months ago, they say, hey, we're reviewing our accounts. And we noticed that this balance was still remaining on your account. We do need to get it taken care of. We accept a credit card and we do need it paid by this date. It's like no nonsense. That's how other companies do it. So just so you know,   Kiera Dent (11:33.326) That's what happens and they do audit their accounts quite often. It's very common. This is why there's auditing people. This is why there's accounting teams is because their job is to true up and make sure the balances are all correct. And I know we feel guilty like, well, we should have been doing this. Of course, we should have been doing it, but we didn't. Today, we know that these people owe money for work that we did do. We're not going after them for money that we didn't actually do the work for. You did the work. And so we need to get those balances cleaned up and taken care of.   So that's my recommendation. And I know I did like a really high level for you guys on denials and balances, but the goal is, I hope you guys take from everything is there's gotta be a system so that way we stop having the denials and we stop having the balances and we stop the bleeding at the top as opposed to constantly like putting water in a bucket that has an open hole at the bottom. Build the systems, make it very simple for people, have the spreadsheet, doctors have a meeting with your billers every single month.   where you review every account that we were not writing off things. I had an office that just wrote off accounts. Make it to where they can't write off accounts without your approval so you know every account that's being written off and you will A -okay that because at the end of the day you did the work and you should be paid for it. So that's like I said, a very high level. I recommended a couple of billing companies if you guys need help with that. But truly getting this set up with practices and giving doctors and teams the confidence and the know -how is what I'm obsessed with doing in Dental A Team.   That's why I love consulting because I'm able to give you the tools and the resources of what to do with these items in depth for your practice. So be sure to reach out [email protected]. And as always, thanks for listening and I'll catch you next time on the Dental A Team podcast.

Kiera encourages practices to send out end-of-year benefit letters now, just in time for the slow-down in September. As a bonus, she includes the lingo those letters can include. Episode resources: Reach out to Kiera Tune Into DAT’s Monthly Webinar Practice Momentum Group Consulting Subscribe to The Dental A-Team podcast Become Dental A-Team Platinum! Review the podcast Transcript: Kiera Dent (00:00.634) Hello, Dental A Team listeners. This is Kiera and welcome I hope you guys are doing so incredible and I hope that you guys just remember how great life is for you and That we're so lucky and blessed to be living in the day that we are and that we're able to be a part of dentistry And it's kind of crazy to be podcasting again. I took a little bit of time for myself I had some things come up and so it's kind of fun to be back to the podcast world and just mad kudos to our team So you guys today I wanted to give you a quick tip   to hopefully help you not have a suck -tem -ber as it has been known in the industry for years. I have an office, shout out to them, they know who they are and they call themselves the slam dunk September. And so how do you prevent that suck -tem -ber now to ensure that you have that slam dunk September? And if it's not September for you, maybe it's October, but typically around fall, things tend to be a little bit more slow. People are getting back to school.   The holidays are coming up and so people are kind of in this funky zone. feel like September is really that like shifting. It's a shifting from summer to fall. It's a shifting from being in summer, going back to school. It's a shifting from summertime into end of your holidays. And so how can we ensure that you guys are truly successful and set up for that? And it's a very simple tip that I think is so relevant for you just to put on your radar and to remind you. And sometimes you may have heard   Sometimes you'll hear things on the podcast that maybe we've talked about in the past I try really hard to give you guys new podcasts all the time But I think one of the most important things is just for us to remember things that we know to set them on automatic cadences So we don't have to remember as much and that we can become very proficient and efficient are the things that I like to do So before we get into that, I just want to say thank you for being a podcast listener. Thank you for being a part of my life Thank you for being people that I know rally in dentistry and are here and committed to   making changes into dentistry. And I just want to ask you to please go leave that review for us. Share this with a friend, put it in a Facebook place, on a post, in an Instagram question, share it with people when they ask questions. You guys know you can always go to TheDentalATeam.com, click on our podcast page and be sure to search any of your questions, any of your topics. And I guarantee you in the almost 900 episodes we have that there will be answers and solutions for you. If you're like me and you prefer it to be a little bit easier.   Kiera Dent (02:20.642) Be sure to just email us [email protected]. We can help you, we can reach out with you, you can join our family. We have virtual, we've got group, and we've got one -on -one consulting options for you. So really trying to accommodate all the budgets out there and all the styles and preferences and just really wanting to make sure you feel supported. I know the world can feel a little funny right now. The world can feel a little uncertain. What is going to happen with the election? What's going to happen with our patients? What's happening with insurances?   What's happening with the turnover? Am I going to have a team? I think all those questions really having a coach to guide you to give that guidance. I know I lean on my coach all the time and that's honestly why I'm obsessed with consulting our practices and being on coaching calls today. Just being able to help guide them and give them that sounding board and giving them tips and advice and shortcuts really I think is a helpful thing. And so that's really what we're about at Dental A Team. And if that inspires you, if you feel like maybe there is an easier path we've helped.   offices from startup to selling to transitions to multi -practice ownership. So whatever your path, whatever your journey is, Dental A Team's not a one size fits all. Dental A Team is here to support you, your team and your ultimate goals and desires. And we do it from people who have been there, done that and done it successfully many times over. And so really that's our goal. That's our love. And that's our obsession is you giving you and your team the happiness, the ease. Now that doesn't come without you having to put in the work too. Some people just think that we're a magic diet pill and we're not.   but we do try to eliminate the stress and make it easy for you. today, like I said, let's help you guys not have that September. Let's help you have that amazing September. And one of the easiest things is to, think it's so funny as a society, we send our end of year benefit letters at the end of the year, right? And I thought about it. Most people have already been to the dentist come August, especially mid August. We are past that six month mark. July was   A lot of people's benefits are either partially used, some of them are maxed, but most of them still have some insurance remaining. And I think it's so silly that we send out our end of year benefit letters in October. I did the exact same thing, but then I started thinking, well, if we have a hard September and we're going to be sending out end of year benefit letters in October, could we not combine the two and be able to, utilize that? And so, just something to think about. I don't think there's anything wrong with sending at least seven letters and also incorporating   Kiera Dent (04:40.886) Phone calls in it as well kind of like our reactivation of two two two. So two weeks two months Excuse me two days two weeks two months is how we like to reactivate patients You could do the same thing with reactivation and we could be sending it out say in August September October November And then we really start hitting it in November harder But something I found when I was sending letters is my October November December are pretty darn busy And it was my September that was very light and so why not send these   mid August. We're going to try and get this released early for you guys. So you're catching this podcast right at the time and sending out these email blasts of a use it or lose it or early bird gets the worm or let's schedule on your time schedule, not when it's packed. Or why don't you take advantage of the benefits that your insurance gave you instead of having it go back to your insurance company or Hey, our schedules get really, really busy or specifically targeting certain cases right now where you can go through your own scheduled treatment plans and look for them.   and see what you can do for them to be able to get them in on your schedules. And I just think it's something where we, I think end of year benefit letters came because our September's were slow. And so I'm like, why not be proactive? Why not set in our schedule that in August every year we start sending letters. And so there are a couple letter templates that we've been doing for some of our offices. And of course our offices get VIP. We share everything with them on the podcast. I will definitely give you guys a sample of it for sure, but.   Like one blast could be like dear patient name. Can you believe it's the end of the year is already approaching Halloween will be here before you know it and we're going to be into fall spice and pumpkin spice and making this up because this one's specifically for the New Year's ball drop. That's a little bit closer to end of year, but you could be saying like right now like truly pumpkin spice seasons about to be upon us knowing that time flies when we're all having so much fun. We wanted to take a moment to remind you that your dental care is a top priority. If you're seeing our practice as a patient with dental insurance now is the time to get   Most insurance plans renew annually, that's what the air quotes, renew annually in January and run on a use it or lose it motto. Don't waste what you've got. If you have a cleaning to reserve or maybe dental treatment that's been recommended, let's help you find the best day and time to use what you've got left on your insurance plan. Like we said, pumpkin spice is going to be here before we know it. Call and reserve your next appointment with us. We want to make sure that we can accommodate your schedule before our schedules get packed. Look forward to seeing you soon. regards, best regards to your dental office.   Kiera Dent (07:04.824) So something as simple, I love to correlate my emails with the holidays that are coming around. So it could be like, no tricks, just treats. Let's get you scheduled today. Or you could do something around like, it's pumpkin spice day. Be sure to use up your benefits. Or you can say like, it's time to give like gratitude. Could you imagine what your life would be like without teeth? We get to smile, we get to speak, we get to eat. Like all these things like Thanksgiving wouldn't be the same without our teeth.   let's be sure we're taking care of them. So you really can play into some fun things, make them fun letters that your patients will be reading, and do something where, again, we're doing a benefit. I understand that it's going to benefit you as a practice for September, but truly as a patient wasting money on insurance, I think is the dumbest thing that they can ever do. Like that is Kiera's rant where I will go off on that because I just think it's, it's so unfortunate. People pay their premiums, people pay for their insurance and yet we don't use our insurance and   What happens is that money goes back to the insurance companies and that patient who paid their premiums, they're not able to maximize it. Now, if your patients have already maxed out, that's okay. Depending upon the state that you're in, some offices, again, it's state laws, so be sure to look into your state laws. Some stay in network, so they'll still honor the insurance fees. And if you're a state that does that, I always tell the patients like, hey, your insurance company gets to change every single year. They get to be doing things differently. And I would hate for   to legitimately have them come up with a policy and a plan next year that doesn't cover the treatment. We know this year, right here, right now, that this is what your insurance company is covering. Let's maximize the discounts that you still get. I explained to patients the difference between dental insurance and medical insurance. Dental insurance is like a coupon. They give us a bucket of money is another way to describe it. And once that money is gone, that's all we can use.   But medical insurance, we pay our deductible and then they cover the rest. so dental insurance is very different and we want to make sure we maximize it, utilize it, and then also get the discounts and benefits that come along with it. Because again, it's just a cute fun plan and let's make sure that we're getting everything on sale. Prices do go up next year for us and also for insurances, not your amount that they're going to cover, but the differences of what they will cover. And they often do change that from year to year. So we know today, we know we've got treatment, more treatments coming next year.   Kiera Dent (09:23.79) So let's maximize and utilize those benefits. Now, if you're a state that doesn't do that and you actually go into your office fees, totally fine. We let them know we've maximized and utilized all of your benefits. Let's make sure we get the treatment done today because treatment will come up and we don't want it to stack up on you and it will never be cheaper or more predictable than it is today. So really helping your patients realize like we're proactive. I remember when I was dating my husband, I drove a 97 Honda Civic, it was cherry red.   I called her Rosie Anne named after my mower on my family's lawn business. I mowed lawns all growing up and I named my mower Rosie Anne. She was red as well and hence my car became Rosie Anne. I remember my husband, I was in college and like money just felt tight and I remember my window broke one time and I told my husband, said, I just don't know if I want to fix it. And he gave me something that I thought of so much. said, Kiera, always fix it when it happens because more things will break down.   our teeth are like, they're not like cars, but they are continually breaking down. Our bodies are continually breaking down. Cars are breaking down. and he said, always fix it because otherwise it just becomes more expensive. And I thought about that. Think about my window would break and then, you know, the AC breaks and then the clutch goes out and then the windshield wiper needs to be replaced in, you know, when we do it in small chunks, it doesn't seem as drastic, but think about our patients, the patients who come and get their small little fillings fixed. it's, know, a couple hundred dollars here.   versus our patients who have put off dental care for so long, and then they come in and they have these giant treatment plans that are 30 ,000 plus to get their mouths back to where they were. I think being proactive and taking care of them while they're small is something that we can do as a huge benefit to our patients. so helping our patients understand like, no, we wanna help you be proactive because it's smaller, we get to preserve more tooth. And I don't know, I have such a passion for teeth, clearly, that's why I do what I do.   But just helping our patients realize like our teeth like I said really truly are I think the It's funny. I say the mouthpiece to your soul, but it really is it's the way we smile It's the way we communicate the way we eat and enjoy food without our teeth It really would make it quite hard and the confidence that's there with it as well And so I think even if your patients might not prioritize it as much as you do Helping them see that like hey as problems come up because they're going to continue   Kiera Dent (11:48.396) Our bodies are going to continue to get older. Our teeth are going to continue to age with us. And so let's be proactive on it now. So that's really how I'm able to help patients. And I think as long as we're not basing it on insurance, we're using insurance as a coupon. We're using it as a way to help our patients get the treatment done that's necessary. But at the end of the day, they're worth it. And being able to have that confidence, being able to have their teeth long term. Jason, my husband, his grandma.   gave him some great advice. She was much older and she said one of the greatest things she's so grateful she did for herself was to take care of her teeth. She said, Jason, I want you to floss every night and I want you to brush your teeth. And she died many years later. She was well into her nineties and she had all of her original teeth. And she said she was so grateful because she was still able to maintain a high quality of life. She's able to still smile with confidence. And she said she was so grateful.   that she was able to take care of her teeth. And that's something that she told all of her grandkids to do is make sure you prioritize and take care of your teeth. And so again, I think hearing from wiser generations than us, people that have lived through things, if as we get older, to be able to maintain and sustain our teeth, to be able to take care of them now, to be able to help our patients take care of them while they're small still, small little fillings, different things, really is such a blessing that we can give their older selves as well. And so,   I think right now this is a great time for us to be sending out those end of year benefit letters to help our patients know that now is the time. Let's get you in before our schedules get swamped and we're not able to accommodate you. And then also schedulers, make sure you're proactive. Let's not just throw in any patient because guess what? When everybody wants to come in, we get to pick and choose who we schedule. That's called supply and demand. And if we don't have as much supply of appointment spots, then the demand is for the patients that are going to ultimately   need it and also we prioritize different procedures in there as well. And this is why we start telling them in August, mid August, come in, we want to help you. So when they're calling me in December, my schedule is full. We're not making our lives crazy because I believe that everybody gets to make choices and choices do have consequences and rewards. And so let's reward our early bird patients. Let's get the word out. Let's share them with   Kiera Dent (13:56.514) That way you and your practice have a slam dunk September, not a September. I would love to hear from you. I'd love to hear how your slam dunk September is going. I'd love to hear things that you're doing to be proactive. Some people are throwing in Invisalign days. Other people are looking for back to school specials that they can do to really start pumping those. But I believe practices who are proactive and prepared are the practices who thrive with ease.   Those who don't are the ones that are reactive and they're always struggling. So which type of a practice are you going to be? Let me know, email me in [email protected]. And as always, thanks for listening. I'll catch you next time on The Dental A Team Podcast.

Tiff and Dana drill down on how practices can avoid their hygiene schedules falling apart, including the benefit of ASAP lists and their opinions on re-care. Episode resources: Reach out to Tiff and Dana Tune Into DAT’s Monthly Webinar Practice Momentum Group Consulting Subscribe to The Dental A-Team podcast Become Dental A-Team Platinum! Review the podcast Transcript: The Dental A Team (00:06.99) Hey, Dental A Team podcast listeners, we are back at you again. We are so excited to be here. I have Miss Dana with me today. You guys know she's one of my favorites to podcast with. Dana, I have to say, I know a couple podcasts ago, you guys may remember, I asked her about some legging recommendations. She gave me some hiking, like legging recommendations. I wasn't able to find the specific pair that you talked about yet, but I did find a Lulu pair.   that I used in Yosemite last week. And honestly, I've used them for a couple of hikes here in the Valley as well in Phoenix. Amazing. I was so happy because they were specifically that material. It was a different kind of material than regular leggings. And I'm so happy. And I was thinking of you the whole time. And I was like, my gosh, she was right. And it had so many pockets for my phone and all the things. So thank you, Dana. And I know you've also been really, you've been working really, really hard.   in personal life in your world of fitness. And I think it's really cool. And I wanted to acknowledge that today. And I wanted to let the world know that Dana is a freaking rock star. She was so strong. saw, I don't even remember the rec the other day that I saw you, you posted something and I was like, holy cow, like the things that this woman is capable of doing are incredible. So kudos to you, Dana. I love it. What is your, I always like to ask you a question. What's the most fun   thing in CrossFit that you're doing right now. Like what's something that you're working to overcome, accomplish, you're killing it on, something that you're really having fun with right   Dana (01:40.331) Yeah, I mean, I feel like I'm always working on something, right? And I think this year I turned 40. It was a big birthday. And my goal was to be the strongest that I've ever been. So I've been focusing a lot on strength, but I always am practicing skill work. And I finally got my rope climbs down. So I can actually do those like consecutively. So that's exciting. And I've been working on my handstand pushups to the point where I can do five in a row. So I'll take that.   The Dental A Team (02:02.895) So cool.   Nice.   The Dental A Team (02:09.935) Okay. Well, I mean, I struggle with five regular pushups, not on my head. So that's impressive to me. I know that in CrossFit there's people that are doing a lot of amazing, wild things, but to me that is amazing and wild. So congratulations. That's huge. Awesome. I love it. I love it. Well, you work really hard in and out of the quote unquote office. So thank you for always being here and thank you for always being willing   Dana (02:24.629) Thanks.   The Dental A Team (02:39.722) record these podcasts with me for our listeners. I know they're super beneficial. Today's content is actually really fun for me because by trade in case you guys did not know, Dana is a licensed and trained professional hygienist. That is what she did. I mean, she's done it all. She's done all the positions really most of them I should say not dentist, none of us has been a dentist, whatever, it's fine. But she was a hygienist, you guys for a long time and she still is a hygienist.   I think it's really cool. think it's always fun for me to have these conversations with you to gain your perspective from your side as well. Today I wanted to talk about really keeping the hygiene schedule full. So I know from my perspective from dental assistant and then from my perspective as a front office, which you also have that perspective, it's kind of like a free for all a lot of the times. And it's really just not always first or high priority.   But from the hygiene standpoint, Dana, what is that like? Let's just go through, what does it feel like when you look at a schedule and you're like, great, this is a killer day, it's gonna be awesome. You get through your first patient and then you look back at your schedule and it's totally falling apart. Or you look ahead and you're like, gosh, I only have scheduled, I'm only scheduled out a week and a half. Like, what is that like as a hygienist looking at your schedule and seeing   Dana (03:55.689) Yeah, I mean, it can be stressful because really for me, I mean, you probably know this about me, Tiff, but I'm pretty goal oriented. And so obviously, I know when I don't have patients on my schedule, that affects my ability to get to goal. then to like, I am there, the reason why I'm there and what I love is that patient care and being able to take care of my patients and do the things that they need when they're in my chair. And so if my schedule isn't full or isn't ideal, I don't get to do that as much as I ideally would love. And so it can be stressful, it   The Dental A Team (04:01.997) Yeah.   Dana (04:25.633) be frustrating, right? Because so many times, like hygiene is just like your routine care, right? And so it's, it doesn't, it is stressful as far as like, did I not build enough importance for that visit? Or where did maybe, you know, my communication with that patient make it so that they didn't value their time with me? And so I think that it can be frustrating and stressful for every hygienist.   The Dental A Team (04:49.836) Yeah, I think that makes sense. And I think that's important what you just said, because you just took it from a spin that I didn't even expect. And I think most probably team members for an office workers and assistants don't expect that either because it feels, or we allow it to feel, we take it very personally when a hygienist is like what happens to our schedule. But you have taken it personally when a patient falls off of your schedule. So you're already in a space   unrest of like upset of gosh, what could I have done differently? Or how could I have been better? And then we come out I'm gonna say we for the front office, we come out at oftentimes of like, hey, I did the best that I could, what do you expect from me? So then you're already you're already in a space of upset and unrest and, and trying to figure it out. And then we come at you like, don't come at me. And now you're you know, the hygiene team   then maybe take offense to that and become defensive. So that makes sense. I'm actually really glad I asked you that question, because I'm not sure I've ever asked that or dove into that. And I hope the listeners heard what Dana said as well as, and then can kind of see that picture painted of how an upset could occur between two people or two groups of people very easily because of one misunderstanding. We're both kind of taking offense to a situation without understanding the other person's point of view.   That was actually incredible. Thank you. I knew you would say something really great, but I wasn't even expecting as far as that went. So that was really fantastic. Thank you. I see within that a space of communication. So making sure clear expectations are made from the get -go. That we're always asking more questions and assuming less. That's a reminder I love to give everyone in my life. Ask more questions, assume less.   and assume the only assumption can be that you don't know the answer.   The Dental A Team (06:50.57) ask more questions and assume less and assume the only thing you can assume is that you don't actually know the answer because you're not the other person. So that's huge right there because I think that's a space where people can really say, hey, let's talk about this. And if we have solid systems set up from the get -go, a good foundation of what do we do if something falls off the schedule? What do we do when the schedule falls apart?   That's a really easy space to meet expectations and hopefully refill a schedule before a hygienist even notices. That's my favorite thing to do is to make sure that he or she has a full schedule and doesn't even know it fell apart. So with that, some common, common ways to do that, we're gonna dive into a few for you guys today so that you can really be prepared to meet those expectations and really clear up a lot of communication between the two of those two departments or three departments.   My favorite and Dana, think we work on this a lot with practices, blocked scheduling and ASAP lists. Those are my two favorites. I love blocked scheduling. We talk about this in a lot of different podcasts for a lot of different reasons, but within hygiene, it really helps set and build the value and ensures that your new patients are scheduled where they need to be. When those new patients schedule blocks and those SRP blocks are in place correctly, we're scheduling   out into the future. as they come off, it's very easy if someone falls off the schedule, maybe an SRP got called into work and can't come later today. Well, guess what, I've got another SRP that's very easy to find, that's probably about the same time, if not exactly the same time of day, that can likely come in and I can choose that one to call and bring them in earlier. The ASAP list is super similar, like what time of day are they looking to come in, making sure we're notating all of those things, every system as far as I know,   Has the capability of an ASAP list. know Dentrix does, Open Dental does, Dana's saying yes, so that means Eagle Soft does. She knew that was my crux. Ascend, I can't answer that question. And then Curve does, and I bet Care Stack does as well. So utilize those ASAP lists. If you don't know how to do it within your system, Google you guys. I know we get a lot of those questions and I'm happy to answer them. So you can reach out, [email protected] as   The Dental A Team (09:08.058) But usually if we don't know the answer, we're typing it in Google for you guys. So Google at first reach out to us if you need it or if you need help creating the system around it. But that ASAP space with those blocked schedules really helped to solidify a grouping of people to pull into those holes. Dana, how do you help practices see the system behind a good ASAP list? Because I know a lot of practices really struggle to see the value   creating it and can sometimes feel like it's redundant or they're like, gosh, I've called all these people. What kind of systems do you put in place for   Dana (09:46.707) And I think this keeps coming up more and more right now because a lot of offices are short on hygiene hours and so the last thing we want to do is have an opening and there have been an easy person to put in there but it's not easy because we rely on our memory and let's face it as much as our memory is great, right? Four or five even close to six months later not so great if we're all being honest with ourselves and so I think the Where I see a lot of the pushback on the ASAP list is if they've tried it and it's messy,   The Dental A Team (10:09.57) Mm -hmm.   Dana (10:16.373) There's no cleanup system. There's no like we just keep calling the same people. There's no anything There's not great notes in there So my first thing is who do you put on the ASAP list and really the ASAP list is anyone who rescheduled who canceled right or rescheduled and didn't get back on our schedule I guess so they just canceled or   The Dental A Team (10:30.012) sorry.   Dana (10:35.749) They didn't and they didn't reappoint so putting those people on your ASAP list because you know They were due or our past do and need to get in fairly quickly Anyone who we had to schedule out a little bit farther than we'd like to and who wanted sooner or anyone who we put in a not ideal time for them and they would actually prefer something different so those are who goes on your ASAP list and then it's a really it is just when do we call them and When do we clean them   Right? And so it's just kind of creating those rules of thumb. So when we call them, obviously when we have a cancellation or we have somebody who even we anticipate calling side booking if we need to. So that would be when you would use the list and then it's just an easy cleanup   how many times are we gonna reach out to this patient and offer them something sooner before we take them off and we just give them their original appointment because we've tried to make it within our schedule and we don't wanna keep also bugging them to a certain extent. So it's just kind of coming up with that cutoff. I usually say like three or four times and then they just come up the ASAP list or making sure that we're checking our ASAP list and is somebody on there already have a sooner appointment? Like did we already do something and we just left them?   The Dental A Team (11:23.946) Okay.   Dana (11:49.039) on there. So it's just having those strategies that make ASAP list work. just oftentimes can get clunky because we don't have those strategies in place when we start it.   The Dental A Team (11:57.04) Mm -hmm. I totally agree. I totally agree. And there have been so many times when I was in practice that I would say to a patient, like, gosh, I know for me it would be really hard, you know, to move my appointment up in my life, but I like to think that it would be easy. So I know we've offered a couple of times, but I don't want to keep bugging you. Do you me to keep calling if they come up, or do you want me to take you off the list? And oftentimes patients will be like, no, it's not a bother at all. And I know it's annoying. Like, I can't make this one, but please keep trying. And I'd be like, totally fine. It's not a problem whatsoever. I just want to make sure I   driving you crazy with the phone calls or patients would be like, yeah, you know what, you're right. Like, I'm probably never going to be able to come in early. So just take me off. I'd rather just keep the plan that I have. So it helps to clean it up. Just asking a simple question of, is this beneficial for you? Or is it a nuisance? Because either way, I want to make sure that you're satisfied. So and I think we think we're invading, right? That's always the issue. We always feel like we're invading somebody's bubble or we're bothering them. And we don't want to be a   So then we shy away from calling them or like, gosh, I just called them two days ago. I'm not going to call them again. But if we ask them upfront and they tell us it is, or is not a bother, now we can make that decision that goes back to not making assumptions. So I think that's huge. Now, Dana, I preach this to all of my clients, all of my practices I work with, re care, make her re care, re care. When I was first new into dentistry, I was a few years into dentistry, my   dearest doctor they worked for for a long time. He was a re -care maniac and he used to drive me insane until I saw, okay, I get it. He's like, we're not six months booked, we've got a problem and he was just hammering this re -care constantly and I was like, what is the deal? But when we stop calling people and we stop being like front of mind, right? Top of mind, we're not in front of them anymore is when they forget about us. So whether they're scheduling or not,   us sending the reminders, the text messages, the emails, the quick phone calls, it's just like, hey, checking in on you just wanted to see where you're at in life. That's putting us top of mind so that when they do have a second to schedule that appointment, we are the place that they're calling. I say, call until call and text and remind until someone says I'm not coming back. Dana, what's your philosophy on re care, especially coming from a hygiene standpoint, right from a hygienist?   The Dental A Team (14:21.601) who needs to see these patients and wants to see these patients again in your chair, how do you feel about the repair space?   Dana (14:27.531) I mean, I 100 % agree with you. I consider myself a fairly good patient, but I'll be honest that it's most important when I'm in your office. And so if I don't schedule when I'm in your office, I'm going to need those touch points because life happens. And as much as I want to stay on top of my dental care, I want to be there every six months. Sometimes I just do that friendly nudge of like, hey, don't forget, you never did schedule with us, give us a call. And so I agree with you. think putting it in automated and then also reaching out personally, I think hitting it from both sides.   really can help keep people consistent and keep you, like you said, top of mind.   The Dental A Team (15:02.156) Totally agree Dana. I think that was beautiful. You have such an amazing perspective coming from the hygiene side and really just seeing how the dental assisting side, the hygiene side, the front office side, like all of these departments just combined together to get the job done on keeping a hygiene schedule full. It's just so important. It's so imperative. And I love what you said there. And just gathering all of those pieces, hygiene department, this is coming from you guys in my opinion. And I hope you guys share in that because it was a really cool perspective. Now,   I just want to recap, Dana, thank you so much for being here with me today and for allowing me to pick your brain and put you on the spot. I know you're never expecting all of the questions that I ask you and you take them with grace and with love and dignity and all of the pieces and you showed us some aspects of hygiene and that I wasn't expecting today. So was really, really cool. So thank you. And you guys out there, I really want you to put this powerful message into play. I want you to take all of these bits and pieces and really help keep your own hygiene schedule.   super full, that's what we're here to do today. That's what we're hoping for is to just have this amazingly full hygiene schedule. Now, here are the things you guys ASAP list if you're not using it within your system, do it now. I know a lot of people like the handwritten notes, like we said, but put it in place. Always, always, always be calling your re -care. You guys, I know this can be scary when you don't have anywhere to put them or you're worried about where you're going to put them,   When we back off is when we start to see in the future, the schedule really start to slow down. Blocking out new patient spots. And then you guys just have a plan for what happens, what you're going to do, what your team is supposed to do. What's the system for when things fall off the schedule? Who is responsible? How are they going to fill it? And who are they going to enlist to help if they can't do it themselves? So make sure that you have all of these systems in play, you guys, and in place.   The plan is going to be my number one spot because all those other pieces fall into that plan. You guys go do it, go implement it and let's see what you can do with this hygiene schedule. As always, thank you for being here with Dana and I today. Thank you so much for listening to this podcast. And if you have ideas that you're open to sharing to the dental industry and the dental world, drop them below in a five star review so people can see them. They do read the reviews, especially when it comes to individual   The Dental A Team (02:26.671) podcast so if you've got some ideas pop them in there otherwise find us on our social platforms as well the dental a team and then [email protected] is where you can submit any emails over to us if you have ideas if you have questions if you want some systems if you want to bounce ideas off of us we're here for that and open to it thank you so much guys and we'll catch you next time. 

Rereleasing one of DAT’s most popular episodes! Want to know the secret to wowing your patients? Kiera shares it in THIS episode. Some spoilers to ask yourself: What experience do you want your patients to have when they enter your practice? Fun? Relaxing? Modern? What companies have the type of experience you want your patients to have? The Dental A-Team’s model companies are, for example, Disneyland, Amazon, Apple, and Google. What would mimicking those companies’ experiences feel like in your practice? How can you ensure that every team member provides the same experience? Once these questions are answered, you can roll your practice’s vibe into your social media and other marketing efforts. Episode resources: Reach out to Kiera Watch DAT Podcasts on YouTube Practice Momentum Group Consulting Subscribe to The Dental A-Team podcast Become Dental A-Team Platinum! Review the podcast Transcript: The Dental A Team (00:05.742) Hey everyone, welcome to The Dental A Team podcast. I'm your host, Kiera Dent, and I had this crazy idea that maybe I could combine a doctor and a team member's perspective, because let's face it, dentistry can be a challenging profession with those two perspectives. I've been a dental assistant, treatment coordinator, scheduler, pillar, office manager, regional manager, practice owner, and I have a team of traveling consultants where we have traveled to over 165 different offices coaching teams. Yep, we don't just understand you, we are you.   Our mission is to positively impact the world of dental. And I believe that this podcast is the greatest way I can help elevate teams, grow VIP experiences, reduce stress, and create A -Teams. Welcome to the Dental A Team Podcast.   The Dental A Team (00:51.064) Dental A Team listeners. This is Kiera and all right, let's chat about how you guys can do the patient experience. As you guys know, patient experience is something really big in every single practice and making sure you guys are really solid and set for it is a huge indicating factor. What do I mean by patient experience? Patient experience is everything from A to Z. How do we answer the phones? How do we walk our patients back to the rooms? How do we present treatment plans?   Honestly, the number one thing you should be asking when you dive into this patient experience is, what do we want our patients to experience? Okay, so let's start there. I'm gonna walk this down with you guys. What companies, what experience do you want your patients to have? I would start there. Do you want it to feel spa -like? Do you want it to feel fun and peppy? Do you want it to feel relaxing? Do you want it to feel professional? Do you want it to feel modern and chic?   Do you want it to feel family -friendly? Every single one of those you guys could feel a different color scheme You could feel a different style You could have just a completely different experience based on what you want your patients to experience So at Dental A Team, I want everybody to have an incredible experience and that means I want it to be fun I want us to be very approachable very Just I always say I'm cured it from the block. I'm not a dentist. We're not scary So we have cartoon characters   We want you to feel like it is very doable. We want it to be very simple and we want to have a lot of ease. That is what we want our clients to feel. And we want them to feel that they're going to get results and they're going to get massive results working with us. That is the experience. I want you to walk in with the most white glove. We take care of you. You have never been treated better by another company. We respond within 24 hours. That is the vibe of Dental A Team. And I will tell you that did not come overnight. We have worked really hard on that.   We used to not have VIP patient experience. We used to have a lot of struggles in our company, but that is the experience. When I think of a client calling us, I want them to have happy people on the other side. I want us to be very complimentary. I want us to be very understanding. I want you to have a ton of fun when you work with us while seeing insane results. That was my vision for Dental A Team, and yet it's changed over the years. So that's first and foremost, like what is the actual experience that you want? Number   The Dental A Team (03:15.424) is come up with companies that resemble the experience you want. So the companies we model off after our Disneyland, you guys think about Disneyland, they go above and beyond on every single thing that they do. That's what I want Denali team to be. I want our company to go above and beyond. I want us to do things to just blow your minds like our swag boxes for summit. Super fun. All of our clients just got a book called the Humanized Leader by Mary Pat Knight. I want to surprise and dazzle our clients.   with amazing value. Everything we ever do has value behind it. Disneyland, everything they do is to create magic. That is something, that's a company we model after. We also model after Amazon. Amazon is insanely easy. Everybody uses them. They are the best out there right now. Okay? So Amazon's a huge company we model after. We also model after Apple in the sense that everything they do, you guys can judge me or not, you can agree or disagree. Apple, everything they do is very simple.   It's very easy to use. Children can use an iPhone. AirPods connect in. They think of little easy ways to make it all connect together. Of course, it doesn't always work. That's OK. But even like the boxes that they send to you are amazing and simple, a simple design, easy to use. I love that everything's white. All the cords are white. Everything is square. It's very clean cut. They have a very strong brand. That's what we thought. So those are the companies we model after Disneyland, Apple.   Google, Google's another one that we model after, because Google is so simple. They're on top of it. They have a very fun culture. Their employees love to be there. How many of you have wished that there was an easy way to get that dang operations manual done? Well, guess what? We are here to deliver. That's right. Join us for an entire eight hours and get eight hours of CE, Friday, September 17th, for our operations manual creation. That's right. We are literally going to walk you and your team through step by   workshop style. It's virtual and you're going to get that operations manual started and quite a few pieces completed. So join us on Friday, September 17th. Utilize our coupon code podcast ops. That's podcast OPS. Head on over to thedenaliateam .com backslash events. I cannot wait to see you. Let's get that operations manual done, done and done. Bring your entire team and I'll see you guys there.   The Dental A Team (05:36.952) So I would choose number one, what's the experience you want your patients to have? And then number two, what are some companies that your practice models after? What's really helpful is what I'm trying to do is paint pictures for your team members to be able to model and mirror. All of us use Amazon, all of us use Apple, all of us use Google, all of us, hopefully, and if not, call me up, I'll be your friend, have gone to Disneyland. So those are very easy pictures for my team to understand. These are the companies we wanna be   This is the experience that we want our clients to feel. And so for you guys in your dental practices, creating this patient experience is going to be tenfold for you. You're going to be able to have them then tangibly taste it, feel it, experience it. And then from there, we start to fine tune our handoffs, our phone calls, because now I can think of, OK, if I was working at Disneyland, how would I answer the phone? Well, I'm going to answer it a lot differently than when I say,   We are always amazing on our customer service, right? Like people can physically feel the difference. They can see it. If I were working at Google, how would I treat our clients? How would I treat our patients? If we were Amazon, Amazon's quick. If something's not delivered to your house, no problem. They fix it for you. That's the type of culture that we want our patients to experience. So I really want you guys to pay attention to what is your patient experience? What do you want your clients to have? And then what are the companies that you're practice models after? Choose them.   Doctors, this is usually driven by you, office managers you can influence. We've got to make sure it's the feel, vibe. Our dental practice in Colorado was a very hipster feel. We wanted people to feel like it was modern, it was chic. Because we literally played Drake. That was the music we played. We did not appeal to all clients and that was fine. Our doctor had a mohawk, she called it a prohawk. We had a very, very unique practice. We had modern, we were downtown Denver and that was the vibe we wanted. We had modern art in there.   And it was a very fun, different culture vibe. We attracted those people. We wanted them to have this very chic experience. So we had this coffee bar, we had different menus, we had different pieces because that was the vibe we wanted them to have. I did not tell them companies we should have modeled after. That would have helped my team understand more tangibly all of us being able to offer the exact same patient experience. And then you want to make sure every team is providing the exact same type of patient experience. You don't want them to go to Kiera and have one experience.   The Dental A Team (08:00.802) and then go to Tiffany and have another experience. You want it to be a very similar experience whether they see your dental assistant, your hygienist, your front office, the dentist. All of us are speaking similar languages. And not all of us have to have same personalities. Tiffany, Brittany, and I all have very different personalities. Yet we all have the same type of style, the same type of fun, but yet we come with our own flair to it. And that's what you want to make sure your practice is doing. I'm really impressed.   with offices that are able to be consistent on their patient experience. If you guys have not read the E -Myth Revisited, read it. There's a really great story where they talk about the haircut. It's a famous, famous example where this guy goes in to get his haircut and the first time he gets like a neck massage, he gets a glass of brandy, I think, and gets an amazing haircut. The next time he goes in, they don't give him the head massage, they give him a glass of brandy. The next time he goes in, he gets a head massage.   but no brandy. And the idea behind it was he actually stopped going because it was not consistent. And so having a consistent patient experience every time they call, how are we answering the phone? How do we handle their billing? How do we handle their handoffs? How do we communicate inpatient charts to ensure that every patient's having the exact same experience? These are pieces that are really going to grow your practice, which it sounds silly, it sounds ridiculous, but that consistency piece is going to help   I know a lot of consultants, actually just sent Brittany and Tiffany into an office that I was in. Yes, they're going to bring a different flair. However, the experience, not the how -to, but the experience, the way our clients felt of positive, they're able to do this, that they feel empowered, that it was a fun experience, that it was done with ease. All of that, our client should have picked up. It should have felt like Disneyland. It should have felt like Apple and Google and Amazon. That's how it should have felt.   And I know that office felt that way and they felt massive value from it. So that way your team can start to feel that way. Then you guys can go on to a fun brainstorming exercise of, so let's say our practice was Nordstrom. That was the example of the dental college I was at. Midwestern University in Arizona, the dean told us, Kiera, I want our office, our dental practice to feel like Nordstrom. Great, I got it. He was like, you always have excessive composite out for them.   The Dental A Team (10:20.118) We never have it feel like we're running out on supplies. You go above and beyond. Yes, that meant that I had to definitely go into some of those students' drawers and recoup all the composite that they were hoarding because they were scared that we wouldn't have enough. However, my job was to always make sure that there was more than enough out there because he wanted them to feel like they were at the Nordstrom of dental schools. And that was literally what we created. So let's say you'd say your practice is the Nordstrom of dental practices. How would you treat your patients?   Well, when they come in, you're probably gonna give them a really nice folder. They're probably gonna have nice velvet or leather chairs to sit in. It's gonna be very relaxed. You're gonna be playing more spa -like music. Your team member's gonna come out and call them by name and not shout across the waiting room. You're gonna escort them back. You're probably gonna have very neutral, beautiful colors in there. All these things are the experience that that patient's having, and then staying consistent with that patient experience is going to allow your entire team   to deliver again and again and again. And people love consistency. People love knowing that when they come to the dental practice, it's going to be the same. It does not matter if you change team members. Like I get it, it's the great resignation across the nation. I understand. But what is the experience they're getting? What do you want them to? Have you even thought about these things? Cause I know I haven't. And then I don't even know where I made it up. just, I hope I probably read it in a book, but I just thought I need my team to be able to understand who we are and what we are and what we're not.   This is kind of part of marketing as well, because then that will fall into your social media. It will come across on all your marketing materials that go out. Every marketing material that we send out to people should be fun, should be positive, should be lighthearted and empowering. That is the vibe. That's what we're pushing out. It should be easy. Our podcast is always quick, easy, down and dirty things you can implement. There is a reason that is our brand, that is our style. So once you guys figure out this patient experience, then roll it into your marketing, then roll it into your social media. But practice this.   Ask your team, have them feel it, talk about it every single week, literally in the Dental A Team. You guys, one of the reasons I love doing the podcast is because I got so sick of listening to certain podcasts where people would say something on the podcast and I'd go meet them in real life and that wasn't how they were. And I've tried and vowed that if I say something on the podcast, guys, I'm sure I've made some mistakes. I try really, really, really hard to be honest and authentic. So when I say that we do this every week, that is not an exaggeration.   The Dental A Team (12:43.118) every single week in our level 10 meeting with our whole team, whether I'm present or not, they just did the meeting without me today, we go over our core values, the companies we model after, and what our experience is every single time. I don't say our experience is what our niche is, what our mission and vision statements are, what our core values are, and the companies we model after every single week, because I believe this is something that should be over -communicated so your whole team knows what they should be experiencing and what you want your patients to experience. So with that, guys,   Action time is come up with the feel you want them to feel. Come up with the companies you want them to model after. Come up with what that experience should feel like within, like tangible. So what should our handouts be? What should our phone calls be? What should, when they walk into the office, what should it be? What should they be getting for their injections? How should we be explaining Perio? Every single one of those pieces. And then over communicate it every single week. Ask your team. Continue to refine, refine, refine.   because patient experience is all about consistency and making sure your team knows that this is your culture because I believe patient experience number one is driven by culture. All right, you guys, as always, thank you for listening. If you find this podcast helpful, download it, subscribe to our podcast, share this with a friend, leave us a review. I love hearing from you or email us, [email protected]. I'd love to hear from you. And as always, thanks for listening. I'll catch you next time on The Dental A Team Podcast.   The Dental A Team (14:06.062) that wraps it up for another episode of the Dental A Team Podcast. Thank you so much for listening and we'll talk to you next time.

Focusing on relationship-building with your patients is a surprisingly effective way to establish long-term success in the practice. Tiff and Dana discuss why these relationships are such difference-makers, the two methods most critical to creating connection, and how to start implementing that success today. Episode resources: Reach out to Tiff and Dana Tune Into DAT’s Monthly Webinar Practice Momentum Group Consulting Subscribe to The Dental A-Team podcast Become Dental A-Team Platinum! Review the podcast Transcript: The Dental A Team (00:01.71) Hello everyone. I'm so excited to be here today. Dana, thank you for being here. You completely rearranged your schedule for me today. Moving all things around, I know you had kid stuff going on. It's kind of the beginning of the school year for us here on the West Coast. I know East Coasters, you guys have a different timeframe that you work with, but here in Arizona, we start really early and my kids been in school for almost a week now. Dana, I know your kids are in school and you've got all this stuff happening. So thank you so much. How are you today? I know you rushed.   to get here with me and we rescheduled it and all the pieces to fit my schedule. So thank you. How are you doing today? How are the kids? Are they ready for school?   Dana (00:39.79) Doing good, I'm doing good. Thank you so much for being willing and flexible. I know you know all about this time of year. Kids are doing good. I think it's mixed here in my house. I've got some that are ready to see their friends get back to more of like the social aspects of school and then I more focused more on the learning aspects and not super excited to get back.   The Dental A Team (00:54.953) Absolutely.   The Dental A Team (00:59.533) You've a mixed bag over there. You've got so many personalities in your household. You probably pretty well fit every every genre you possibly could on most things in life. So I love that Brody is like whatever. He's like whatever. He's been super proactive because he's a junior this year and he's got to start thinking about college and he's being super proactive. So I'm a mom that's like cool. Take care of that. Tell   tell me what I have to do later. So I'm in the lucky stages of life and praying for you over there with all your littles. Good luck. Today, I really thought it would be fun for us to chat about relationship building and what that looks like in the dental practice and how that can positively affect long term success in general. I know we've chatted about this before and you and I had a good conversation about it a couple weeks ago.   But really looking at all of the pieces that encompass what a good relationship looks like within the dental practice. I think for us in the dental world, it's hard to differentiate health from, you know, relationship and mixing those two things can be a little bit difficult because we want to stay professional. I want to stay super like, you know, I kind of think it's a little cold or icy or medically, right? We want to be seen as a medical professionals that we   So it kind of can be difficult to mix those two things together, but I really wanted to chat about how that positively affects long -term success in the dental practice. So I think, Dana, from my perspective, I think relationships affect long -term success in general. And I think in the dental practice, our patients are really looking for that. I think in the dental world, you know, we're not really seen as the medical professionals all the time. We're not always seen as the same space as your PCPs and your pediatricians and all of   primary care physicians are seen. We're looked at in a different realm and I think we need to remember that. We need to take that to heart and we need to see what we can do with that information. It's very easy for that medical side to gain new patients and to gain recurring patients because there's just not a lot of places for them to go and they follow their insurance. But in dental, people are looking to understand. They're looking to feel seen and feel heard. So I think that relationship aspect makes a huge difference. Dana?   The Dental A Team (03:21.604) I know you've got a ton of clients that you work with all the time on things just like this. A lot of the systems that you work on with practices are wrapped around the idea of relationship building. What are some of the key tips and takeaways I think that you've been working on recently with some of your clients that have really turned the corner for them on that relationship piece?   Dana (03:43.32) Yeah, and I think that that's truly what makes dentistry unique in the medical profession is the relationships that we get to build because not only do we get to see them multiple times in a year, oftentimes it's for decades and it's that relationship piece I think that keeps patients coming back and they send their family and then you end up having generations all in one practice, which I think it is just highlighting that to teams that this is really a special unique place where we get to take care of our patients but also build   relationships with them. And so I think it is something in the health industry that's super unique to dentistry. I think other professions see them maybe when something is wrong or, you know, once a year or for a short term. And we get to see them again throughout decades of their lives. And so it is truly unique and I think it has to be purposeful. And so that's really what I highlight with teams. is finding those systems and finding those ways to make building that relationship purposeful in a practice.   you know, adding personal pieces to the handoff, making sure that we're asking personal questions as we seat the patient, making sure that there's a spot in our software system to put notes about patients and the things that we learn so that we don't forget to touch base on it when we see them again, because we've got lots of patients and we always want to make it seem as if we remember the last time you were here, we're just jumping off from where we left off with you. So it is one, getting team members to understand that that's what sets you apart. All the   really focus on the big things. It's the practices that well, that focus on the little things and relationship building is one of those things that is a big thing, but little things that we do make the magic there.   The Dental A Team (05:24.378) Yeah, I totally agree. I love that. I love that you said the word purposeful. think that's huge. And I think getting the team buying in on that is something that we overlook and allow that to be overshadowed by other pieces and other like busyness within the dental practice. And really it's just all of those busy things, all of the things that we don't have time to get done in a day, all of the things that we're complaining about or saying we need help with, those are distractions from the ultimate goal.   And I think we get lost in that. So I love that you said purposeful. And I think to me, when I look at my practices and just Dental A Team practices in general, and the practices that are really thriving in this purposeful space of building that relationship and maintaining and keeping that relationship, they also have happier team members. Because I know for me, one of my favorite pieces of my entire day was when a patient walked in the door and we could have a conversation. took me out of   and put me in this like social aspect that didn't require my team members to fulfill and satisfy that social piece for me. I was really able to just be like, my gosh, Ms. Newman, I'm so excited to see you today. Tell me about your grandkids. What Lego set did you buy? I know you had a birthday, whatever it was. Like I would recall these things and it was fun for me to know my patients. And it made me feel like I was making a bigger impact on the people that were coming to our practice than if I were sitting in a position where   I couldn't do that or at a practice where they didn't allow it. So I think purposeful was like such a perfect word for you to use because not only are you putting purpose behind what you're doing with a relationship, but you're making people feel as though they have purpose in their positions and in their jobs and in what they're providing. So purpose was absolutely perfect. I think that flows into retention too, right? When we have a purpose and we have a place to be and we understand.   the impact that we're making on a community, we're much more likely to stay where we're at. With that comes the other side that you talked about, the systems behind it that make it purposeful, that keep those lines very clear and keep it very clear as to what your objective is. Because I can sit and chat with a patient all day long, but still not accomplish what I set out to as far as my job. So,   The Dental A Team (07:42.227) You noted some awesome things, making sure that the notes are in there, making sure we're asking personal questions. And I think to make it easy on people, because we definitely overcomplicate it, we could give some recommendations or some examples of things that just make it really easy. And I usually I tell practices and I know you work on this too with your practices, Dana, to look for three non dental questions that you can ask. I have to remind people Dana, you probably   go through this too, I have to remind people that you don't have to have 20 different options or 21 options of three different questions because you're asking each person as if it's a new conversation because to them, they've not had this conversation yet with you today. So my clients oftentimes get caught up in the minutia of trying to make things harder than they need to be. So that three question thing can kind of stump them. I tell practices, just make sure   Whatever information you gather from your patient, you're then passing off to your doctor because when it becomes repetitive is when your three questions are the same as your doctor's three questions. Your doctor comes in the room, you don't share your information and they're like, are you going back to work today? And that's what you just asked. So have variations for sure, but have at least three non -dental questions that you can ask your patient when they walk in. Have a really solid   from you to your doctor or the next team member that's gonna be working with them. Oftentimes we'll have patients that have exam and x -rays or fillings or whatever on doctor side and they're with a dental assistant first and our dental assistant knows their entire weekend plans and then hygiene comes in, grabs the patient and the patient has to repeat themselves and have that conversation. So even if you're passing off to another team member and maybe not you're providing doctor.   still have that handoff ready to go with that personal information, that personal touch. I think that was brilliant, Dana. And I think that's something that oftentimes we're missing. So keep that going. What are some non dental questions? Like I think there's some easy ones, right? What are you doing this weekend? I say it's Wednesday. When it's Wednesday, it's like, we can ask about last weekend or next weekend, which way are we going to go? So there's last weekend, next weekend, are you going back to work? Any fun vacations coming   The Dental A Team (09:57.449) What are some other good questions, Dana, that you've heard that are easily transferred in a personal   Dana (10:03.374) Yeah, I mean, one thing I always like to say is what have you been doing with your free time? Right? Like just a general question. Done anything fun or been to any new restaurants lately, right? Anything that you can ask as far as like, what do people do day to day? That's just an easy open space for them to start opening up.   The Dental A Team (10:20.785) I love that. And that kind of takes you into like the hobbies section as well. Right? I know, Brody and I got our cleanings at one of my practices I was just at in North Carolina. And this was his first time having his cleaning there and the first his first time really meeting the specific hygienist. He's a new team member to that practice. And Brody, I when I got back from consulting that day, he says, my gosh, I didn't know the hygienist Justin.   that he did rock climbing. And I'm like, that's a random conversation for you to have. He's like, Yeah, he asked me if I want to go rock climbing with him. And I'm like, What are you talking about? But he asked Brody that question, like, what do do in your free time? Like, what do you like to do? You know, what do you like to do for fun? I think is what he asked Brody. And so Brody starts talking about what he likes to do for fun, and they get on rock climbing. And I'm like, that was I told Brody in that moment, I was like, that was brilliant. Because this guy has no relationship to you at all. He has relationship with   no relationship to Brody, but Brody was bought in. Brody felt like he could go rock climbing with this hygienist, right? And I was like, gosh, you don't have to invite your patients to a rock climbing, that's not what I'm saying. I'm just saying it was very easy for him to find a space to have a solid conversation with Brody the entire duration of that appointment. They talked about rock climbing, they talked about mountain biking, they talked about all of the pieces that go into those types of hobbies for the whole appointment, and Brody was amped up and excited. And this is a 16 year old.   Not super easy to get a 16 year old amped up and excited about anything. So I felt like, gosh, that's one of those easy questions that you ask. Like, what do you do in your spare time? What have you been doing? I love the new restaurant question. gets you invested and involved in your community. And it allows people to give you a recommendation. We love as human beings sharing the things that we know. We love telling people what we know. We love giving them advice. We unsolicited or solicited. And we love telling people the things that we enjoy.   So when you ask a question like that, even the hobbies question, right? Dana can really spur some new activities in your community you didn't know about, or just conversation in general. Now, when we see this with practices, and Dana, I agree or disagree, when we see this with practices, I really see, like I said, the team unify. I see the team just excited to have a purpose individually and as a unit, but I see doctors more excited. I see practices more excited, and I see   The Dental A Team (12:42.923) the goals we're aiming to hit are a little bit easier because we're in that relationship space and we're having more fun getting to know each other than driving towards goals. So the goals actually come more naturally. Dana, do you see that as well? And what do you feel like are a couple of systems? We talked about the questions and we talked about making the notes in the system of those questions, passing it off. What are some systems really that you feel like solidify and dive into?   that space where it's like these goals are easy to meet because we're doing these things.   Dana (13:15.342) Yeah, and I think that it's easy as we're getting to know our patients to get to know each other. So if we say, Hey, Mr. Smith shared this new restaurant, it's great for the doctor to jump in and say, my gosh, I love Italian food. Do you? Right. And it's a three way engaged conversation. So we start to get to know our team members while we're engaging and getting to know our patients. You asked about systems specifically, and I do feel like morning huddle is a really good space here to kind of add on to those things when we're bringing personal pieces about our patients to morning huddle to make sure that team members   hitting on that. Hey, don't forget, know, Mrs. Jones just had a baby, right? Don't forget to touch on that or hey, it is Bob's birthday, right? So just making sure that when we bring those things up, it gets us excited for the day. And so I think that that's a really good system that ties that in. I think if you have something that you do to celebrate patients birthdays, where it comes to like sending out cards or sending out little video messages from the team or posting on social media, those pieces are systems that   us engage with our patients, get to know our patients, build relationships, but it also gets our team excited. And when we're excited about taking care of patients, when we're excited about building relationships and getting to know them, it for sure makes hitting goals easier because we know why we're there.   The Dental A Team (14:30.518) Yeah, I totally agree. I love that. I love that. So I think key takeaways, things that we can really look at for implementation wise that make this easy, you guys, because like we said at the beginning, the relationships really are the key to long term success, I think in anything that you do. Solid relationships are a solid foundation. So I think some key takeaways, gosh, guys, morning huddles is   the best place to start at the start of your day. So I think really just make sure that you're all unified as a team. You all have the same goals. You all are looking for the same things and you're sharing information about your patients that you guys may know. Two, make sure everybody is just like ready to go and you're armed with three non -dental questions and a system for passing off that information. I think if you do those three things, you're gonna see things really spear and change in your practice. Doctors, if you're not getting those handoffs from your support team,   or support team if your doctors aren't hearing the handoffs, okay, if it's a two way street there. If we're not able to accomplish those handoffs, break and say, hey, let's tackle this. We've got to make sure that this works. This is a huge piece of what we're trying to accomplish. And I want to make sure that our patients feel seen and feel heard as well as our team. So make sure that you really break your perfect handoff. We've talked about it before, and this is not NDTR. This is something completely different. But your perfect handoff is really going to have   that personal touch you're going to introduce, whether the doctor or a team member has met them before or not, you're introducing them to the room, not necessarily just the person. So make sure they're introduced to that party because you've been having this little dinner party without them. You've got to invite them in there. So make sure that there's an introduction. Make sure we're complimenting something. We're bringing that vibe up. We're saying something is fantastic. I like to get it towards them, so if you can. And we're recapping what we did, which is also   your time to co -diagnose and we're passing off something personal. And that personal piece comes from the conversation that you've had. So like Dana said, this is the restaurant that they recommended. This is the vacation they just had. They love going to the Bahamas. They just had a grand baby. There are so many things. They just had a baby. There's so many things that you guys can pass off to make a lasting impression where the patient feels heard by you, feels remembered and feels seen.   The Dental A Team (16:42.797) And it makes it that much easier not only to retain that patient, but to diagnose and get the case acceptance that you're looking for on those pieces. So if you don't implement anything else, I would implement at least three non -dental questions and a handoff. Morning huddle is strongly advised. For my ladies and gents who are sitting front row, front lines of the dental practice, you're the people when they walk in, make sure you've got some solid systems for acknowledging your patients when they walk in. How are you gonna know who they   I can't tell you enough, I don't know how to say this gently. I hate when I'm in a practice and I hear somebody say, what was your last name? Or who are you? Or what's your name? Like just make an educated guess. Just like you can ask, but guys, it's just not that hard. I used to look at the schedule, I was that position, and I used to look at the schedule and I'd evaluate. I'm like, all right, I've got four people, six people coming in at 10 a Four out of the six are male.   This is a female walking in, one of my females, age range, I don't know, 60 plus, the other one, 22. How old does she look? I'm gonna use deductive reasoning to figure out who the patient is that's walking through the door. And I cannot tell you how many times my patients walking through that door were like, Tiff, how do you do it? How do you always know who I am? And a couple of times I'd be like, I'm not gonna lie, I'm really good at deductive reasoning, and you're the only man coming in right now.   and they would laugh. They're like, that's brilliant. And I'm like, but I really do care. And I really do know who you are, right? But use your deductive reasoning skills, you guys figure it out and be more invested in the patients and that relationship than you are to whatever it is that's distracting you. So pass off that information, make sure you've got a solid system for handoffs. Make sure you've got three non dental questions, get your morning huddle going if it's not.   And ladies and gents on the front lines and that front facing, make sure you've got some really good systems up there to be present, to be with your patients and be super aware. Dana, can you think of anything else that we may have missed or something you want to dive in further on that has come up in practices recently? I feel like this is pretty dang solid right now, but what else do you have, if anything?   Dana (18:56.951) I think we hit it from a lot of different angles and I think just jump in and get started and make sure that patients always know that you're the top priority when they walk in the door.   The Dental A Team (19:06.459) I love that. I totally agree. I totally agree. You guys, we do this with practices all the time. We have group coaching that people are eating up this information right now. These are the systems that we're teaching in our group coaching courses and our online platforms. So reach out to us. Let us know how we can help. If you want ideas, if you need questions, you need whatever, reach out. [email protected]. You know, we're always open and willing to help. And remember it's typically consultants   Dental A Team professionals always on the other side answering those questions. If it's something that our admin team doesn't know, it comes straight to us. So please reach out, drop us a five star review so we know that this was beneficial for you. And guys, we can't wait to catch you next time. Bye. 

It’s a very techie world out there, meaning there’s probably a more streamlined way to perform some of the systems in your practice. In this episode, Kiera talks about how to go about innovating before you're forced to. She touches on different points to check on in your practice, and gives ideas for outsourcing opportunities to make that day-to-day all the easier. Episode resources: Reach out to Kiera Watch DAT Podcasts on YouTube Practice Momentum Group Consulting Subscribe to The Dental A-Team podcast Become Dental A-Team Platinum! Review the podcast Transcript: Kiera Dent (00:00.91) Hello, Dental A Team listeners. This is Kiera and I love podcasting. I love when I get to hang out with you guys. I know I'm not sitting there with you, but I just truly do get excited. I told my husband I had to like take a shower and wash my hair fully and as women, those of you who know, you know, but washing the hair to get it ready to go is a big deal. My husband's like, you got to do your hair. And I was like, yeah, because tomorrow's podcast day. And he said,   then you must love it tomorrow because you always love podcasting. He's like, I always know when you're doing podcasts because you're so happy. And I really am. I enjoy being able to share ideas with you. I love to be able to give you guys tangible tips. I love to work with our sponsors and looking for industry leaders and share them with you. And truly it's just a joy for me to serve and to be able to give back to an industry that I love so much. I hope you guys love today. I hope you are enjoying today. And as always, please go leave us that review. Those of you who are doing it, I just want to say thank you.   Go leave a review wherever it is because your reviews keep us as the top podcast. So leaving the reviews and also sharing this in Facebook groups. You guys are hanging out in there. People are asking for it. Just be like, Hey guys, I love the Dental A Team podcast. If you're ever looking for a new podcast, something as simple as that is going to help us truly get into the hands of every single dental practice to bring positivity, to bring joy and to bring tactical practical that they can implement today. So today I wanted to dive into   are your systems dated? And the reason that this came to me is because my grandma is quite elderly. So my grandma and I actually share the same birthday. That's kind of fun. My grandma, great grandma and myself all actually have the same birthday. So all on the maternal line as well. It's a very random fact about me. And I was born at 11 55 p at night. So I barely made the day. My grandma, she is very elderly.   But I was watching her and my grandma was very disappointed because in the past, what she used to do is she would have a system for printing pictures. My grandma loved to take pictures. And I remember my grandma and grandpa, whenever they'd come, she had her little camera and she had a little notebook and a teeny tiny pencil. Like my grandma would like sharpen that thing clear to the little like aluminum portion of the eraser. But my grandma always had her little pencil and they had it numbered for the film numbers and she would write what every picture was and where she was at.   Kiera Dent (02:18.734) And I remember I was talking to her a couple of days ago and she's like, I just get so annoyed, Kara, because there's nowhere that prints film pictures for me anymore. And I have to do it on my phone. And I was thinking about my grandma and I thought about some practices. And so I wrote down the podcast topic of are your systems dated? Meaning are we doing things just because we've always done them, but there could be a better way to do it. So for example, I did a podcast with Moolah, a credit card processing company and   just hearing all the things they do of managing memberships and having online payments and being able to send statements and be able to have drip campaigns, be able to have texts to pay. How many of practices are not staying up to date with the technology that's coming into play? There's another office that we chatted with and they have a virtual assistant who's working in the front office and it's very cool through Reach, which is another company that I love. But they're using a virtual assistant that's in Brazil that's actually sitting on camera.   and they're able to answer phone calls and they're able to have real time training with the practice. So it's basically like you have somebody there, but it's for a discounted rate for sure. There's virtual assistants in the Philippines. I've got some companies that I'm currently vetting for you guys. And as soon as I love them, I'm going to refer them and share them with you. But just thinking about the systems, thinking about how we set up for crowns, thinking about how we do our sterilization, thinking about how we answer our phones, thinking about how we do our insurance verification with so much technology coming into play.   are your systems dated or do you have systems that people are even following? Like I said, I thought about my grandma with her little camera and her camera roll and all of us would be like, that is ridiculous. But it was a good system. My grandma always knew what her photos were. She knew where she was at. She knew which ones to do. She knew who was in the photo and she had a very good system for that. But that's a very dated system for today's world. And so thinking about our charts and like if you go back in time and we all had charts, I hope you don't have paper charts.   There's one office I'm calling them out. They do listen to the podcast and he had paper charts when I met him and I'm like, you didn't think to tell me that? Like that is a very dated thing, but he progressed and we use route slips and we have different types of handoffs that you can give people or different route slips or different charting that you can have, but just really going through and assessing. And so to give you guys kind of just an overview of some systems to be looking at, we have our 12 systems, which I'm sure you guys all know of and.   Kiera Dent (04:35.758) The reality is I love our 12 systems because I think it's just a good overview checklist for you of looking at them. So what I have is like looking at your leadership and your office manager and like, what about your systems? And I read a good book, we did the book club on it, but come up for air really talked about systems and are we dated and are there ways that we could do it simpler, like a different way for email and for communication and Slack and how do we respond to it? We're in such a digital age of...   are we staying up to date or are we becoming dated and outdated like my grandma? I don't want you guys to get there. So looking at these 12 systems, I'll go through them and just kind of thinking of, is there a way that we could optimize and make it a little bit more efficient or are we doing some things a little more archaic and is there maybe a company that could offload this and make it a little bit easier would be a question I'd ask. So in our leadership and our office management, have we read the books like Come Up for Air or Buy Back Your Time or Traction? Are we implementing those things? Are we kind of dated and...   you know, we don't delegate, we don't have a process, do we have a software where we track all of our action items and that we're, we have a project management software where we're truly tracking it. I know that sounds silly and you're like, no, we have a piece of paper, Kiera. Well, truth be told, that's dated. It might work for you, but it is dated. I had an office that I was consulting and she's like, Kiera, I track all my numbers. And then I showed her a digital KPI scorecard that's in the cloud in the drive.   So when she's not at home or not in the office, she could actually see all these numbers and metrics. And she's like, gosh, Kara, I've been doing this. But again, that is a dated system. I'm not saying that paper is wrong, but I'm saying, is there a way that you could have better metrics, better ways that you could be tracking this more consistently if you just updated your system? So looking at all the things, what am I doing? And is there an easier, faster, more effective way that I could do this? And I know it sounds timely and it sounds like, well, why do I want to spend that much time on it?   The answer is because yes, there might be a startup cost of time, but then it becomes easy because for this doctor, for example, with the KPI she was tracking, what's awesome is now that we put it digital and it's in the cloud. All of her team can actually put in all those KPIs for her every single week. They're now looking at the numbers along with her and she doesn't have to do all the work. So yes, it's going to be a lift of about five ish hours for her to transfer the data. I think that that's still.   Kiera Dent (06:56.014) ridiculous, I would say more like two hours to transfer it in and to get it all into place. But then she delegates it to her team. And now she doesn't have to track those numbers. And it's all there for her. Also, what's amazing about it being digital is she can actually create graphs of year over year over year growth to see how is she doing year over year, what's going on with it. And then she can also track and measure month over month as well. So just so many things that can be done. And that might even be a data system. And there might be an even easier way, but at least getting it to current to digital.   is going to help out. So back to our 12 systems, leadership and office managers, accountability and KPI tracking. What about our marketing plan? How's our marketing and is it dated? And can we digitize it? Can we make it more up to current times and trends? What about our patient journey and experience? What about tracking results? So KPIs, metrics, production per hour, diagnosing and closing, our reputation management.   quality control within the practice, time management and delegation, our meetings, and then our fulfillment in life. So that's for the doctors and for teams. I kind of have it a little bit different where I've got the leadership, then accountability. Sorry. For the teams, that's going to be a little bit different of a 12 system. So for the teams, what we do for them.   to see edit this portion. So for the teams, what it's going to be is we start out with that ownership in addition to leadership. Then we go to culture and accountability, then raving fans. What's our process for raving fans in our practice and getting those reviews?   Five -star patient experience, the journey, our billing department, our scheduling, our case acceptance and treatment coordinators, our dental assistants, our hygienists, our operations manual and systems, again, going back to meetings and then hiring and onboarding. What are the systems in all those different areas for you and how is your practice doing on those areas? So really looking at those 12 systems to see, are we dated in our culture? I was just asked the other day about,   Kiera Dent (09:16.878) What can we do to incentivize our teams and how can we make this more fun? And I'm like, you could do an Amazon shopping spree, give them 10 minutes and people be like, my gosh, I never thought about that. That's getting up to current speed. So looking at other industries and sometimes even looking outside of dentistry, I love to pay attention when I go to grocery stores or to Home Depot, I love to pay attention to Amazon. I love to read up on books of bigger companies. How did they do it? But really listening, like that's why I recommended the book, Come Up for Air. That's why I recommended some of these other.   books, buy back your time, because they'll teach you efficiency models that you could do. So instead of being like my grandma, I think all of us would be, we think it's ridiculous. My grandma like, no grandma, you can just go click on that picture. You can see where you are. If you even search somebody's name, it's so smart. It will pull up all the pictures of that person. You can put them up in the cloud. You can put them in the drive. You can have them in Dropbox. You can print them out if you want. You can even buy a camera where you can take those photos and have it print out in a Polaroid. But for my grandma,   That feels hard for her. That feels like, no, the paper and pencil work just fine. And my grandma, she's well into her 80s. So maybe it's not time for her to update that system. And for some of you who might have an older practice or you might not want to be as innovative, sure. But I think modernizing it and getting it up to speed, looking at our payment processors, looking at how we do insurance verification, can we cluster things, looking at how we schedule, are there softwares out there that could help us? Are there virtual assistants that could cut down the time?   It was so crazy. I was talking to some really, really successful business owners and they said that they had a virtual assistant for every lead on their team. And I thought, how crazy would that be if offices actually did that? And all those mundane things could actually be transferred over to a virtual assistant that would be able to take it all. What about AI and what things have come into play? Are you using your softwares to the fullest? Are we using them so when we...   close it, are we actually doing like monthly CE within our software to figure out how to maximize and optimize our software? Are we looking to see how can we make our crown preps more efficient and effective? Are we doing trainings to get it even faster when we're doing scans in the mouth? Are we looking for our patient experience and optimizing that? Are we tracking our cases and making sure we're following up on that? What systems do we have dated?   Kiera Dent (11:30.926) and how can you modernize them is my question. So I love to do this. I love to work with practices. I love to give them ideas. I love to help them set up Google Drive. I love to help them see how they can use these. I love to show them how to run traction and use a leadership team. I love to show them how to track KPIs. And so if that's something you're like, I don't even know if my systems are dated, sometimes having an outside come into your practice and take a look can help you figure out where could we optimize and make it more efficient.   based on looking at hundreds of practices, because that's a vantage point we have as consultants that maybe you don't get to have. So I'd love to help you see are your systems dated, but really pick one or two, read some books, look to see where can we have it. So that way you're not like my grandma being so dated that you actually have missed the mark to get back on track. I'm so proud of my grandma that she doesn't just use a camera anymore, but the reality is she would still to this day be using a camera if they were still like printing film photos. So force her to innovate. And I say,   practices innovate before you're forced to because it's much easier, more efficient for your time and you'll be able to get a better bang for your buck with time, with team turnover, with team morale, with being able to minimize that team turnover and have better morale because we're actually maximizing and we don't have to work as hard and we can work on higher level projects as human beings and let softwares and technologies help with those lower projects. So really truly, I would just encourage you guys to reach out, look at it, reach out if I can help in any way. Hello @ TheDentalATeam .com.   but let's not have our systems dated. Let's be up to date. Let's be current. Let's optimize one area within each of those 12 systems and see where could we make one small shift that would help. I guarantee you we did it in our company and it's crazy because we switched to all internal communications in Slack and only external communications in email. Well, now for me to go retrieve information, I'm like, okay, I had that conversation with Shelby. It will be in Slack versus thing like, is it in the drive? Is it in Gmail? Is it there?   It sounds like the simplest, smallest change, but that truly did update our system. And now all of us know where to go to retrieve information. And it has truly cut down the scavenger hunt of trying to figure out information. So looking to see where do you maybe have some scavenger hunts? Where do things get clunky? And could we fix that in one way or another? That might be a good place to start. As always, we're here to serve. We're here to help. We're here to make your life easier. Hello @TheDentalATeam .com. And as always, thanks for listening and I'll catch you next time on the Dental A Team Podcast.