Dental Implant Presentation 3 of 3

In the third part of the Dental Implant Case Episode on AMP TV we realize how many topics are addressed in a surgical office when it comes to advanced surgical cases.

Think about the entire process:

The diagnostic wax up process, when to include an orthodontist, immediate vs. delayed loading options, space limitations, digital vs. analog techniques, surgical guides. 3D printing, planning how many dental implants are needed for different people, designing different prosthesis. Think about how you begin to provisionalize an entire arch if you need to, what abutments to choose/design, the CBCT...the list literally can go on forever.

Then I paused and realized that none of these things matter unless a doctor and treatment coordinator can connect with a patient on a different level and the patient earns your trust and allows you to do the dentistry of today. None of the training you have gone though can be used, none of the materials can be used and none of the technology can be used unless you get a "yes" from the patient.

Of course considering all of these things listed here are critical to great dentistry; however, maybe one thing that is overlooked too often is the fact that doctor/patient relationship and understanding what is driving your patient is just as important.

What is important to the patient?

Before you jump the gun and get to plan and preform a great surgical case, take the time and communicate with your patient about what is important to them. Why are they there in your office, what are they looking for or what is their primary goal going into treatment. If you take the time to learn these things about your patients and make a plan based off of what they need/want and you provide them options that allow payment to be reasonable you will always be closer to getting the "yes" you are looking for, the "yes" that allows you to do the dentistry we all love being a part of.

Planning the case and using the technology is wonderful but in my eyes, meeting someone and changing their life for the better is the greatest opportunity that we have in dentistry. That does not happen without slowing down and doing a proper consult and truly learning about what is driving your patient.

https://vimeo.com/255609857

Dental Implant Presentation 2 of 3

We believe one of the major obstacles in dental treatment presentation/dental implant presentation is getting to the dental patient's "WHY." WHY do they want this treatment; how is it going to impact their life? If the dentist can get to that WHY, you will get to the emotional connection. You are on your way to getting the patient to "want" it perhaps even more than they "need" it.

This TV Show is the second part in the journey of Jan, a patient that needs a minimum of $35,000 worth of dental treatment and is looking for options to pay for it.

One of the points mentioned in the show is that there are always options. They might be a Chevy option, instead of the Mercedes, but you don't have to accept that there is nothing for you to do. Basically, giving up before starting. How bad do you really want it? What are you willing to do to get it?

Knowing the WHY is a must in treatment presentation but other musts are:

Always have x-rays up
Always have the pictures up
Always have a hand mirror available so patient can see how they look
Always have models of each option you are presenting
Always make this patient your priority and do not allow interruptions.

As you are going through each option, don't forget to bring the emotions, the patient's WHY. This also shows the patient that you are listening and are empathetic; you care.

After the patient chooses their option, the next step is to create a financial estimate of the cost. One fact to take into account when presenting financials is that patients usually identify with a monthly payment rather than a large sum.

Don't forget to watch the third installment of Jan's journey. If you would like training on treatment presentation/case acceptance, contact AMP or your coach!!

https://vimeo.com/254759108

Dental Implant Presentation: 1 of 3

Over the next couple of days we will be focusing on a dental implant patient that came to us seeking advice.

We are excited to have the opportunity to share Jan's Dental story today. This will allow us to provide Dentists and teams with a dental patient's perspective.

Imagine the last time you bit into an apple; how long has it been? For Jan, it has been decades since she could enjoy that simple pleasure. Jan reached out to AMP for a second opinion; she doesn't have the finances to move forward with needed treatment so she started doing research on how to obtain the financial means to save her smile.

About Jan

Jan was born with a congenital birth defect that deprived her of many permanent teeth. While most of us can recall high school as a time with friends or playing sports she remembers spending most Fridays driving an hour and a half to the school of dentistry for treatment needs.

She saw how the struggles of missing teeth affected her parents and yearned for a different outcome. In her early 30's Jan went to a dentist in Tulsa who asked her "If you could change your mouth in anyway, what would it be?"

For Jan it was a powerful question and the first time she ever had a dentist ask what she wanted. This led to a total mouth makeover with Dental implants, bridges, and a permanent non-removable lower prothesis. Her dentist in Tulsa said the work would last for about 20 years. Now, 23 years later, Jan is in desperate need of treatment.

Case Presentation

An essential part of case presentation revolves around the patient sharing their story. Therefore, we understand how this has affected their life and why they desire the treatment. Allowing us to connect the dots with an emotional connection to their treatment needs. The condition of Jan's mouth has deteriorated with her remove-able prothesis becoming loose. She carries fear of it falling out in public and her husband has to help her put it back in at times. She cannot eat certain foods and chews most of her food on one side of the mouth. Smoothies have become a great friend to Jan. Solid foods, even lettuce, have to be cut up very finely before eating.

Tune into AMP TV as Jan shares how this has impacted her quality of life and we discuss how as dental professionals we can help lead Jan to the solution her heart desires.

https://vimeo.com/254727789

Company Culture

Wouldn’t you love to never feel like you’re going to ‘work’ again?

The culture in your company is a very important aspect as it creates great team spirit and can make your practice stand out from all other dental offices. You’ll need to take a look at the big picture to figure out how everyone can serve bigger and better within the practice to accomplish this. It is imperative that your team shares in your vision and core values in order for it to be clear to our patients what exactly that is.

Answer the following questions:

Why do I do what I do? Dig deep to find this answer.
Does the staff know the why?
Do you want to target specific types of patients and how do you want to be seen by them?
Where is your passion - Implants, Cosmetics, Pediatrics, Full Mouth Reconstruction, Ortho?
What does your practice represent and how can you sustain that vision?
How can you make your practice stand out in my town/area?

You want to create a culture of raving fans. First and foremost, your staff has to be your biggest fans. Evaluate how you can inspire your team to all want to be ‘A’ players. Push yourself out of your comfort zone, on a regular basis, this will promote growth for you and your team.

Schedule a Strategy Meeting

Sit down with your team and brainstorm, the more ‘buy in’ your team has, the more likely they are to perform at a higher level. Sometimes as the boss, you may not see all of the issues going on and your team can offer insight. Use your teamwork, ask your staff what they think you could all do as a team to improve. Have them write down what they think your philosophy/foundation is. You can use this to create it or correct it.

Look at how your past goals were set and determine which goals created encouraging behaviors and which lead to discouraging behavior. Figure out what you could do differently, take your key processes and break them down.

Is there something you can change or tweak to improve the process?
Which elements of your current culture do you need to preserve?

Have an employee handbook with your vision, motto, mission statement, job descriptions, office policies, and team expectations in it. Therefore, giving each employee something to have in hand that has your clear expectations for them read while paving their path into their new position and to be able to refer to in the future. Be sure every new employee knows and understands your vision and receives a handbook.

A good foundation will give you clarity and satisfaction. If you do not have a vision/philosophy/foundation in life or business, you’ll meander through life with no success of meeting a goal. The goal and the destination are the same, but the approach may change. If our foundation is strong, we can be flexible and weather the storm. Be firm in your philosophy, but remember to stay flexible when it comes to the approach because things don’t always go as planned.

Keep in mind why it is you do what you do.

What do you value most.…are you financially driven or is it your passion?

Remember that your patients will always see the ‘real’ you. Bringing a great culture, team spirit, and loyalty to the practice will ensure that you never feel like you are going to ‘work’ again, it will be fun and enjoyable.

Stop Focusing on the Insurance Monster!

The word “insurance” is likely one of the biggest hurdles that we come across when coaching offices. “Will my insurance cover that?”, “What will my insurance cover?”, “I want to wait till my insurance will cover that” are just a few of the patient statements that we all hear many times every week. There are a many different versions to those phrases that we all know and have heard.

How as a provider do we minimize the importance of “insurance coverage” and shift the patients focus to their needs.
Above all, how do we turn those needs into wants rather than focusing on the “insurance monster”.

Getting past this as an office will set you up to provide patients with ideal treatment and bring the practice financial success. So, how do we do this? How do we shift the focus from “insurance coverage” to “what is the best treatment for me and how will I make it happen?” It all comes down to creating value.

People “buy” what they want, what they feel they need and what brings them value. So, how do we create this want, need and value to our patients?

With coaching you can learn ways to have conversations with patients that make their oral health needs a priority. This is developing a need and/or a want through conversation. Having patients understand that the level of care they need doesn't always match what their insurance will cover. Therefore, having this conversation with patients will bring value to you as a doctor and the reality of the dental work they may need.

Conversations that add value to patients care is the one critical step that every provider needs to slow down learn and appreciate the value that it can provide your practice. This is the one conversation that with practice will change your practice one patient at a time.

The Power of the Morning Huddle Within Your Dental Office

A successful relationship of any kind must have one common denominator, Communication.

Communication opens any and all doorways to success. If fostered properly in your dental practice, it will be the key to a successful practice and happy team members. As we know, the clinical skills in the practice are only one factor in the overall equation. How you communicate with your staff ultimately has an effect on communication skills demonstrated to your patients.

A Morning Huddle is an efficient and very effective way to bridge great communication between doctor and staff.

Organizing the Morning Huddle:

Select someone to lead the huddle. Rotate leaders of the huddle (daily or weekly) to give everyone an opportunity to refine and enhance their skills.
As a team you should agree on topics to discuss prior to the Huddle to encourage efficiency and engage in conversation.
The huddle should be in the morning before patients are seen - 12 to 15 minutes long
All team members should participate. A Daily Schedule should be available to each staff member providing useful information about the patient.

Morning Huddle Topics:

Emergency Patients
- It is imperative that the Front Desk be made aware of the Emergencies and the desired scheduling times. By setting aside specific times in the schedule for "True Emergency" you are communicating before the start of your day. This allows Scheduling to be effective and efficient.
New Patients
- If the Patient is a "New Patient" write down the name of the referring patient or how they heard about your office. By having this information prior to their appointment demonstrates a well rounded practice. They will feel like a "Rock Star" you actually took the time and prepared for their appointment. You made the time to notice the little things that will make them feel important.
Patient Charts
- X-rays, Pre-Meds, Large Cases, any Lab Deliveries.
All existing Hygiene Patients should be discussed thoroughly.
- Any outstanding treatment should be evaluated and communicated by Dr. and Hygienist. Possible Ortho, endo, and other pertinent procedures should be discussed. FoThere are often times when the Dr. and Hygienist might not be thinking exactly alike on this topic.
Repeated No Shows and Late Patients
- Offer a reminder call that morning to avoid scheduling disruptions.
Review the Doctors Schedule to be certain that any time adjustments have been appropriately made.
The Front office might want to review any collection balances or co-payments. Any Insurance adjustments. This will allow the day to run more efficiently with less interruptions in the front office.

Ending the meeting

An efficiently and effectively run Morning Huddle will set the tone for Growth. Allowing each day to be more productive, profitable, and add exceptional Value!! A Positive way to end the meeting might be to offer an Inspirational Quote or tell a joke. Just be certain that the common denominator has remained consistent throughout the Morning Huddle. COMMUNICATION IS THE KEY!!!!!!! Now encourage it throughout the entire office and watch your doorways GROW SUCCESSFULLY!!!

Getting the Patient’s Attention…. AT ANY AGE!

Have you ever pre planned dialogue with a new patient dependent upon their age? Look below at some targeted dialogue and verbiage addressing quality dentistry, future controlled costs using a prevention model, thus filling your future chairs!! Here is the age breakdown guideline. Remember, this is just a guideline. Younger (adult up to 30), middle age (35-55) and older 60 and up.

Accelerate My Practice addresses coaching from a mindset perspective using NLP (neurolinguistic programming) and CBT (cognitive behavior therapy). Dentists are trained scientists using logic as they were trained. If we take the 80% logic used and replace that with 80% psychology, addressing human needs from a behavioral perspective, this is what it would look like:

Following is a twist in question asking, that could spark humans to think differently, perhaps choosing better dentistry. Ask yourself if these trigger questions would allow you different dialogue, engaging the patient in a different way, adding value to you and the quality of what you provide.

Asking Behavioral Questions

This allows the patient to really think of what they may want rather than be told what you think they need. This approach will allow outside influences (insurance), at least for the moment, to be lesser and the patients desire to choose what they desire. If value is elevated by the team member and owned by the patient, a different conversation can be had. CBT can lead the patient to co discover their own desires. Our job as dental professionals is to provide what we know with what will serve them the best. Sometimes, dental peeps use insurance to guide their conversations rather than evaluate what the patient really wants. Which of you would choose a partial if implants were an option? Why are we not sharing this with our patients?

People want to keep their teeth. All of us deserve to chew food comfortably. People don’t grow old wanting plastic teeth. Sometimes, they think they don’t have a choice. If we asked questions differently, would we get a different answer? Do you desire pleasure in chewing your food for the rest of your life?

By asking someone young the above question, we may receive valuable information about their desires. By asking the right, truthful questions, we can fill our future chairs saying something like this- Ms Patient, if you were to protect your teeth today (nightguard), choose to use healing products (5000ppm Px toothpaste) and come in minimally every 6 months until you reach the age to come in every four months (absence of periodontal disease), not missing your scheduled appointments, your dental future would consistently be healthy and costs contained. Providing you with a lifetime of health and a fatter wallet😊 Coming to the dentist regularly is extremely cost effective!

Are you ready to try something new?

Break the Pattern, Break the Story, Increase Acceptance!

We find so many people have these stories in their heads that they project onto their patients. Are you guilty of projecting onto your patients? Assuming their situation or the outcome of the appointment? Here is how to get out of that funk, out of that mindset. Honestly, you'll be surprised with your case acceptance if you do.

Let's talk about 3 specific common stories in the Dental Industry.

Story 1: "They can't afford this."

Stories such as someone saying "I have the hardest time, when I put myself in the shoes of the patient and I have no idea how they can afford five crowns." What is the story of? Personal judgment, the story of fear, what is that story of?

If we assume a patient can't afford it and as a result we don't offer the procedure we risk a lot, such as the relationship with that patient, trust, etc. As an example a Doctor being in the mindset of "they can't afford this" only offers 1 filling when they need 5, is doing a disservice to the patient. 6 months from now when that patient comes in, they're now going to need 5 crowns. That appointment just went from $1500 to a $5000 appointment.. What has happened here is that the Doctor is projecting onto the patient and at the end of the day, the patient is suffering from cost and the doctor is suffering from a lack of production, and a possible loss of a patient.

Telling yourself a story, isn't helping anybody. Not the patient, not the doctor. When you stop projecting, case acceptance goes up, holes are filled in schedules and production increases.

How do you break the story?

Tell the patient what you see, treat them like a family member and totally accept No. Offer the best and accept NO. Spell it out for them, give them the best option and the second best option. You'll be surprised how often the patients will choose that best option, we see it over and over again. Try it, break that barrier and it will get easier.

Story 2: "What do we do for patients that are 86 year olds and need scaling and root planning."

Why just because of someone age we should offer them something less? It's your job to tell them the treatment its their job to accept or not. It's crazy how many offices think just because of someones age we should offer them something less. Offer the patient the best, off them what they need, share with them what you think is appropriate, don't judge them! Old, young, rich poor, offer everyone the same treatment.

Don't buy into that story.
Tell your patient the best story and you wont have to worry about any of this.

Story 3: "I'm on a fixed income."

Who isn't on a fixed income? Lets go back to what we should be doing. Offering what we see, treat our patients like our family, and accept no. Tell them what you see, offer the best options to the patients!

We want to spend money on the things that excite us, and if you can't present a case or treatment and excite them about it, then we need to practice this! Change the level of excitement and you will change the outcome of this conversation.

Helping Team Members Become Comfortable Talking Money

We hear many times in offices that staff members are “not comfortable selling dentistry”. In fact, it has happened four times in just two days, in two different offices. A lot of times team members will say that they're not comfortable because its so much money and the project. Thinking that because they could not afford it themselves that neither could the patient.

The don't want to come across as “money hungry” and the inevitable “I don’t want to sound like a used car sales man”.

Here is something to think about when it comes to this in the dental office. You don’t have to “sell” anything. You just have to talk about one of the things you love (dentistry) with passion. When you talk about something you adore, appreciate or care about it naturally comes out with a different tone. All you need to do when it is time to talk about anything in dentistry; it could be something as simple as varnish or a big restorative case. Just flip your train of thought in your mind from “I am selling” to “I am just talking about something I care about with a friend”. Before you know it the conversation will flow with excitement and passion. Naturally being able to build in the value of the services you are are suggesting when doing this. You will be “selling” something without even thinking about it.

It is also always important to remember that people listen and respect you when they feel that you understand them. These conversations with patients need to be a two way street and making your patient feel like they are understood is so critically important.

Everyone on the team needs to have confidence when discussing what the patient truly needs. We want to make sure that our teams understand the value of the services that you are providing and believes that the treatment recommendations are the correct/best thing for the patient.

It is our hope that you have pride in the work you are doing, you elevate your conversations, talk with passion and gain the respect of patients by making them feel understood. If you can do these things you will be “selling” and not even realize you are doing it.

Wander or Wonder?

How often do we go to work, go home, do our routines, wandering here and there, wondering why we are wandering?

Take work, for example. Do you wander at work, wondering why you are there? Perhaps don’t really know the WHY in what you do? If you knew the why, would you wander less, wonder less?

If you are a dental assistant, have you ever thought that a procedure could not be done as efficiently without your help; your anticipation; your knowledge? You are a vital cog in the wheel of dentistry.

Take a hygienist; do you feel you provide value above insurance coverage for your patient? Have you ever wondered how you can do this? Do you remember from your training that the pH of the oral cavity can not protect exposed root surfaces or any residual effects of dry mouth from daily medicines? Dentistry provides healing medicines today, somewhat new to the industry. AND, fluorides have the ability to heal incipient lesions. HEAL LESIONS. This is amazing! When was the last time you used this dialogue to provide a higher level of health to the patients you treat?

Front office, have you ever wondered how the back office would function without you? How the schedule would get filled and stay filled? How the revenue you collect will provide a paycheck for your team? Do you ever wonder if anyone really knows how much you multitask at the front?

Doc’s – when was the last time you wandered into your office with full intention to thank your team. Thank them for what they do for your business? Thank them for the vital role they play in the growth and day to day of your operation?

It takes a village to run a dental practice. Are you wandering aimlessly and daily wondering why you do what you do OR are you willing to do something different to get a different result and end your wandering? Call your AMP coach. We are here to get you through the wandering in life so you can know your purpose in what you do day to day! Then your business escalates!

Wander or wonder…. Which is you?