Investments, inflation, leadership and the monkeypox outbreak were just a few of the topics dental professionals spoke to Becker's about this month.
What we heard in August:
What 3 dental leaders are investing in
Suzanne Ebert, DMD. Vice President of Dental Practice and Relationship Management at ADA Business Innovation Group: We see that many dentists are stepping out of the crisis mode mentality and into adjusting to the new normal of life post pandemic. These dentists are investing time and resources in performing a comprehensive reevaluation of how patients flow through the office, the insurances they accept, front and back office policies and procedures, and staff functions — especially amidst the ongoing staffing shortage. The result is that these dentists are finding ways to increase efficiency and are happy to be experiencing a reduction in stress due to feeling in control. Many are also finding that they are seeing a corresponding increase in productivity.
Dentistry is in need of a homecoming, 1 payer exec says
Franklin Woo, DDS. Dental Director of Blue Shield of California: If there is one thing I could change in the dental industry, it would be the return among its practitioners in viewing the profession as a "health profession" rather than a cosmetic service akin to the nail shops located in shopping malls. Dentistry needs to return to its foundations as an equal partner with medicine viewing the individual holistically in the provision of health services. This current perspective and emphasis on "cosmetics" in the profession has permeated into the mind of consumers who now often view the profession as providers of cosmetic veneers, making their teeth "whiter and brighter," or to make their teeth "straighter" and "prettier."
What 5 dentists would change about dentistry
Brett Silverman, DDS. Advanced Cosmetic and Family Dentistry (Alpharetta, Ga.): I would get rid of the outside influences. Insurance and sales people. There is so much good in dentistry. We can get you out of pain, make you smile, make you feel better about yourself [and] fix/replace your smile. We can do so much. Now we are regulated on what is allowed by non-dental professionals by what is written in a contract, not what will help this person. There are people on the other side of those teeth, not a statistic nor a graph, but a living, breathing person. Let's go back to the way it was: a caring doctor and team taking care of ladies and gentlemen. Let's put them first, not the bottom line of some corporation.
'There is life after dentistry': 1 executive's advice to future dentists
Matt Carlston, DMD. Vice President of Marketing and Partner Recruitment for Comfort Dental (Lakewood, Colo.): Work hard. Take advantage of every opportunity [you] can to learn while in the office. I would also try and help [new dentists] realize that there is life after dentistry and they need to prepare for that from day one. Begin planning for the future. Invest in themselves. Don't limit their financial growth by remaining in a professional situation that doesn't allow them to have growth.
Inflation means bad news for practice owners, 1 dentist says
Rajdeep Randhawa, DDS. Innovative Dentistry (Colts Neck, N.J.): Every dental practice is going to be affected differently due to inflation, staffing shortages and supply line disruptions. I have an independent out-of-network, fee-for-service dental practice where the pressure from outdated, meager fee structures and socialistic price controls by all for-profit insurance companies are irrelevant. I can raise the fees as the inflation and cost of doing business increases just like millions of other independent businesses that are not subjected to any of these severe price controls. Inflation is going to increase the cost of doing business in dentistry as there are pressures to increase the compensation for the whole dental team to help them cope with the higher cost of living.
Can dentistry survive another public health emergency? 8 dentists weigh in
Kaori Ema, DDS. Printers Row Dental Studio (Chicago): After COVID-19, the dental industry is particularly well-equipped to handle another public health emergency, especially one related to another infectious disease. Transmission of COVID-19 was low in dental settings thanks to enhanced infection control measures, and monkeypox is thought to be less transmissible than SARS-CoV-2. However, dentists must become aware of the oral manifestations of monkeypox, especially since the first signs can often show up as oral lesions. More education is needed for dentists to know what to look for and what to do if they suspect a patient may have contracted monkeypox.
What dentists are most focused on for the 2nd half of 2022: 4 insights
Robert Boff, DMD. Ramsey (N.J.) Family Dental: Top priorities for our practice in the second half of 2022 include maximizing our pre-tax retirement contributions, bolstering our internet/social media footprint, and reducing accounts receivables. All three are basic business concepts that must not go unnoticed or be ignored.
We will maintain our 40-hour/four-day office operational schedule (nights and Saturday hours included), as the extra day off gives the staff a much needed break. There is no doubt this is the hardest I've needed to work in the last 10 to 15 years, including needing to deliver my own lab cases. Dental practice owners have to realize that the economic stresses we are experiencing are cyclical in nature, not terminal.
'Better quality of life': Why dentists should be on cancer care teams, per Dr. Dalal Alhajji
Dalal Alhajji, DMD. Clinical Instructor at the NYU College of Dentistry (New York City): In a nutshell, cancer treatment, regardless of what the diagnosis is or regardless of what kind of treatment patients undergo, have oral sequelae and complications that can occur in the mouth in the oral cavity. There are side effects that can be manifested in the mouth as a result of treatment, regardless of the cancer, not just head and neck cancer; it's really any cancer in the body that can have implications in the mouth.
What makes a good leader, per 4 dental professionals
Teresa Duncan. Owner of Odyssey Management (Centreville, Va.): Gifted leaders embrace discomfort. A too-fluid workforce and economic pressures can be overwhelming to a comfortable manager or owner. If a leader resists any change, then how can he or she learn from the experience? This growth will shape a leader's perspectives for the next challenge. Our teams are strengthened from shared learning and tenacity. Uncomfortable situations lead to thoughtful decisions, which in turn lead to new and expanded viewpoints. This is how gifted leaders learn and evolve.
Joshua Gish, DDS. Senior Vice President of Clinical Affairs at Dental365 (New Hyde Park, N.Y.): We think that a great analogy to Dental365's growth would be a high speed bullet train. We're moving very quickly, very smoothly and we're seeing great exponential growth. We've grown into two additional states. We're growing into our specialty markets. We're providing not just general dentistry like we were a couple years ago, but now really full service dentistry across all of the specialties and we don't see signs of slowing down.