Dental Entrepreneur Fall 2021

FALL 2021

We Help New Dentists Become Better Leaders David Rice, DDS

The Most Important Technology Decision You Will Make As a Dentist Travis Rodgers

Weighing In With Anthony Baroud Lucas Shapiro, DDS

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Welcome

Have you heard? Dental entrepreneur: Business Beyond the Classroom is officially rebranded, renamed, and revamped.

We are now Dental entrepreneur: The Future of Dentistry!

Please join our movement at dentalentrepreneur.com as we continue raising our profession and highlighting dentistry’s fantastic innovations and people. As Dr. David Rise proclaims, “Together We Rise!”

Fall 2021 Editor & Publisher Anne M. Duffy, RDH Assistant Editor Julia Anabo Marketing Redwood Designs Director of Operations Nicki Mackey Website Bhakti Kulmala Director of Strategic Partnerships Jamie Falasz, RDH National Sales Michelle Watkins, RDH Editorial Board Mary Fisher-Day Travis Rodgers Barb Stackhouse Dr. Lucas Shapiro Dr. Dirk Fleischman Dr. Earl Douglas Dr. Tom Snyder Derek Champange Dr. David Rice Layout and Design Brian Rummel Cover Photography Jonathan Fanning Fall 2021 Contributors Dr. Ashleigh Briody Dr. Claudia C Cotca Dr. Earl Douglas Lamar Hull Dr. Roger P. Levin Dr. Robert Maguire Dr. Shalin Patel Dr. David Rice Travis Rodgers Dr. Lucas Shapiro Amy Wood Editorial Office 12233 Pine Valley Club Drive Charlotte, NC 28277 704/953-0261 Fax 704/847-3315 anneduffyde@gmail.com Send materials to: Dental Entrepreneur Magazine 8334 Pineville Matthews Road Ste. 103-201 Charlotte, NC 28226

We are committed to showcasing the stories that you may not hear elsewhere. If you have a story to tell, share it with us to get it out to the world. Dental Entrepreneur Media is here for you. We have platforms and systems in place to help your message and product get discovered so you and your business will grow.

It has been almost ten years since Dr. David Rice and I met at an ASDA Leadership conference. We immediately realized our goals were aligned, and we became great friends and collaborators. I coined David, “The Pied Piper” of young dentists. When he speaks, they listen, and he has built an army of dedicated influencers and supporters. If you are looking for a hopeful and realistic outlook, look no further than igniteDDS. Our Fall 2021 cover is one of our favorites and so appropriate for the launch of De: The Future of Dentistry! Thanks to their team for helping us make it happen! Yes, together we rise!

Make sure you read this edition cover to cover. Learn from the best and the brightest. Check out Anthony Baroud’s YouTube channel, Dental Digest (https://www.youtube.com/c/ DentalDigest), Shalin Patel’s new book, Transforming Dentistry Together: A Dentist’s Guide to Achieving Exceptional Results, and Dr. David Rice’s uplifting piece about the mission of igniteDDS. Dr. Roger P. Levin discusses how to adjust your tactics through the growth of your business. Amy Wood unravels and prioritizes the complexities of cybersecurity. Dr. Earl Douglas examines the continued effects of COVID-19 on the dental industry and how some changes differ from what was expected. And more!

Reach out to our authors and partners. They want your feedback and your business. They too are dedicated to you and your business in dentistry. Show them some love!

Today is the launch of Dental entrepreneur: The Future of Dentistry. Thank you for taking this journey with us. When we publish, you listen, and together we can make a difference in ourselves, our teams, and the people we serve.

Cheers,

Anne M. Duffy Publisher

Contents

FALL 2021

SPOTLIGHT

BUSINESS

6 We Help New Dentists Become Better Leaders David Rice, DDS

18 Predictable Failures: Cybersecurity in the Dental Space Amy Wood

INNOVATION

22 Unchartered Territory - A New Way to Practice Oral Pathology Ashleigh Briody, DDS, MS

10 From Entrepreneur to Well-Run Practice Roger P. Levin, DDS

CULTURE 12 Transforming Dentistry Together – Creating a Culture of Clinical Excellence Shalin Patel, DMD 16 Battle of the Genders in Healthcare. Checkpoint.

Checkmate.

Claudia C Cotca, DDS, MPH

24 Dental Practice Marketing: It’s More Than Meets the Eye Lamar Hull 28 The Most Important Technology Decision You Will Make As a Dentist Travis Rodgers

IMPACT 30 Transformational Thinking: The Key to Having a Thriving Practice Robert Maguire DDS, MASCL 32 COVID-19 - What It Did and Didn’t Do Earl Douglas, DDS

LAUNCHPAD 36 Weighing In with Anthony Baroud Lucas Shapiro, DDS

Spotlight

We Help New Dentists Become Better Leaders David Rice, DDS

I

f you’re looking for the short answer to who igniteDDS is, re-read that quote. If you’re like most and want to know how we can fast track your success, carry on.

• Your debt’s a thing, it’s just not as big a thing as you’re being told • You can do anything you’ve dreamed of and very likely plenty of things you haven’t dreamed of yet

To start, our core team–it’s you. We’re dental students and dentists of all ages, most just a little further down the path than you are today. We don't need to pretend that we get you and we’re not here to sell anything. There’s way too much of that happening in our profession already.

• You’re overworked today. You’re also in the single greatest profession to control your future workload

We’re here because dentistry has been amazing to us and we’d like it to be better for you.

• Questioning your path? Thank God you’re questioning your path. If you didn’t, we’d wonder why

With that, here’s what we know:

• You’re not alone if you feel overwhelmed. Most have felt exactly how you feel at one point or another

To continue, before we get to ignite’s why, let’s get to what helps you right now.

• You have too much debt • You have too many people telling you what you CAN’T do • You’re overworked

First, take a hard look at your inner circle. Who are they? Are they fueling your success or stealing your energy? The old adage of you becoming the five people you spend the most time with has been proven time and again. Keep your top five. Invite the rest to move on.

• You’re sometimes overwhelmed • And you probably have days you wonder why the heck you chose dental school in the first place Sound familiar?

It’s okay. In fact, it’s better than okay. With the right mentors, the right strategy, and the right follow through:

6 Fall 2021 Dental Entrepreneur

Second, find three mentors who are–and pay attention here– ALREADY highly successful, living the life you want. That means–and this may hurt a little bit–these mentors should NOT be Insta-famous only. It’s okay if they are, just make sure they’re walking their talk offline. It’s too easy to look great and not live great.

Third, message @igniteDDS if you’re having challenges with DentalEntrepreneur.com

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Dental Entrepreneur Fall 2021 7

either of the above. Our team–we’ve already made the mistakes you’re headed for. Please leverage our collective experience! If you let go and lean on us…you’ll get where you want to in half the time.

• Education • Finding their first job • Their first practice purchase or start up

Let me say that again. When you bring ignite into your inner circle, you will–without question:

• Connected too many young dentists to count to the best on the industry side

• Learn the best strategies to eliminate your debt • Build the practice and life YOU have always wanted

• Helped them become speakers, authors, and advisory board members

• Stop being overworked

• “We” before “me”

• Not feel overwhelmed

• Never selling out

• Know that you made the most incredible choice in dentistry as you live your best life

• And the very best part of it all…We’ve stayed true to what really matters

To share our why…ten years ago I sat in my living room getting interviewed for Dental Economics. They wanted to know how I helped so many dentists grow their practices so quickly. About five minutes in, as I told them how it all started with lessons I used in my own practice…I drifted to how being a mentor was so critical. How I mentored my team every chance I could. How I missed mentoring students and young dentists like I had when I taught at Buffalo’s dental school.

Our ask from you: we need your help. We need you to care for our profession, your patients, your team, and future team. And most of all, we need you to care for you.

No joke, the interviewer cut the video and said, “I wish you could see your face right now. The moment you began talking about mentoring students and young dentists, you lit up. You have to stop doing what you’re doing and figure out a way to mentor all the time.”

That was November 2011. That was the day igniteDDS was born.

I vowed that day that “we” would always be more important than “me”.

I committed to uniting a very fragmented profession, hence our signature sign off: ”Together We Rise”.

We began with ten students and lunch in Buffalo, NY. We grew to three hundred locally in six months. We did what I hope you’ve heard me say thousands of times: • Stayed humble • Stayed curious • Learned every day and asked how we could be better tomorrow Today we reach over 100,000 dental pros every week. We’ve helped thousands of young dentists with:

Wake up every day and remember WHY you got started. When you remember your why, the caring stays simple. Know that the world sees you as an economic product but you are much MORE than that. See yourself as a hero, not a victim. You’re going to face hardship and fall. Pick yourself up. Put your cape on. And when you believe you can’t, call your inner circle, call us. You are never alone. Worry less about being right. Worry more about doing right. You’ll be happier and far more successful for it.

As hard as it can be, welcome and learn from feedback–it’s a gift.

Learn to engage in conflict. Conflict handled well will drive your progress more than living in a “yes” world. Long to be trusted more than liked. It’s a leadership thing.

Be a person of action. Too many dentists paralyze as they analyze. Take the leap and know the parachute will open. Choose clarity. Don’t let fleeting wins cloud your big picture goals. Get relentlessly optimistic. The world is full of pessimists. No one likes them.

Lastly, stay as grateful as we are at ignite for the great people who give forward. I met DE’s founder and CEO, Anne Duffy when ignite was a spec on the radar at an ASDA NLC. It took me a hot minute to know I met one of the most wonderful, giving, and kind people in our profession. Today we collaborate together, we give together, we get to be on her cover–HOW COOL. Best of all, we–I–get to call Anne friend. That is an honor I do not take lightly.

Together We Rise,

• Mentors

8 Fall 2021 Dental Entrepreneur

DentalEntrepreneur.com

David Rice, DDS, is on a mission to improve our profession by leading the next generation of dentists to grow successful lives and practices. The founder of igniteDDS, Dr. Rice speaks to over 35 dental schools and residency programs a year on practice building, team building and wealth building. Dr. Rice is a private practitioner, educator, author, and mentor who connects students, young dentists, and professionals from diverse dental-related businesses - “fueling passion beyond the classroom.” https://ignitedds.com/user/david_rice/ @igniteDDS

DentalEntrepreneur.com

Dental Entrepreneur Fall 2021 9

Innovation

From Entrepreneur to Well-Run Practice Roger P. Levin, DDS

B

usiness schools now have courses and tracks on entrepreneurship. There are many differing definitions of an entrepreneur, but for the purposes of this article we will simply define it as someone who starts a business.

Dentists are entrepreneurs. They often start or buy a business that needs to be developed, expanded, systemized, and moved beyond the entrepreneurial stage. There are three identifiable stages of moving from entrepreneur to well-run business. The key to success and happiness is moving through all three stages.

STAGE 1: THE ENTREPRENEUR Whether you start your own practice or purchase one, there is an incredible amount of time, effort, energy, and work that goes into it. The goal is to make it successful: to be able to pay bills and gradually generate profit, providing an income, equity, and return on investment to the entrepreneurial founder.

Unfortunately, entrepreneurial start-ups or purchases can be chaotic. Due to no business training in dental school, most dentists have little idea of what they are really doing in terms of running a business. The good news is, unlike a business with an innovative product that no one has ever seen before, a dental practice can quickly access resources to help them get things off the ground.

Supply reps, design firms, mentors, consultants, and on-line and live education are all part of the entrepreneurial growth experience.

Again, once the practice is operating there will be a great deal of daily chaos and stress, but at this stage, the stress is more welcome than resented. Entrepreneurs are usually energized, and it takes a

10 Fall 2021 Dental Entrepreneur

lot to wear them out. However, if an entrepreneur dentist doesn’t develop systems in the practice that enable it to operate smoothly, stress and fatigue will eventually grow, customer service problems will emerge, profitability will decrease due to inefficiency, and other negative factors will impact the practice.

The key in the entrepreneurial stage is to implement systems throughout the practice. Systems are the number one factor in dental practice success. They need to be clearly defined (step-bystep) and be measurable. Practice management systems are the main contributing factor to making practices successful.

Remaining stuck in this stage is not a good idea. The dentist will have a career filled with stress, frustration, staff turnover, and continual distractions. This is the nature of an early entrepreneurial business and can be fun and exciting…for a while. Unfortunately, there are dental practices that never fully move beyond this stage.

STAGE 2: A SMOOTH-RUNNING PRACTICE When the right systems are in place and the team follows those systems, then the practice is ready to move beyond the entrepreneurial stage to Stage 2. Often, assuming the entrepreneurial dentist has established clear goals and targets to be achieved, the practice will be on track and continue to grow. However, it will eventually go on “autopilot” and hit a plateau where it can either remain or fall back. Constantly improving and updating your systems is the key to creating a smooth-running day-to-day operation with excellent team performance.

DentalEntrepreneur.com

Due to no business training in dental school, most dentists have little idea of what they are really doing in terms of running a business challenges.

Stage 2 is a very comfortable place to be. The only “negative” is that it’s far below the practice’s full potential. That means the dentist will have to work longer than necessary to reach financial independence. If it is a conscious choice by a dentist to remain in Stage 2, then that is fine. However, in my personal mission of wanting to provide every dentist with the best information and options, I encourage all dentists to strongly consider moving on to Stage 3.

STAGE 3: STRATEGY AND INNOVATION A Stage 3 dentist focuses more time and energy on the future growth and development of the practice. They learn to work both in the business and on the business. Dentists almost always must work in the business creating production through clinical treatment. This is a normal factor of dentistry. But many dentists leave no time for future development, and they won’t get past Stage 2.

In essence, they are stuck, because they are not thinking about strategy or innovation for the future of the practice.

In Levin Group’s ongoing 30-year study of top 10% performing practices, we have noted that the top doctors continually delegate as many responsibilities as possible to others, allowing them to focus on two things–excellent clinical care and the future of the practice. If practices aren’t able to do this, then this restricts their growth and will keep them at a certain level. Stage 3 doctors uncover the true potential of the practice by allocating time on creating and implementing a strategic plan for the practice. They identify the practice’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats to identify the best strategies to maximize the strengths and overcome the challenges. Practices at Stage 3 are the ones that have the highest return on investment from the beginning early stages. In an era where dentists are taking on more debt and risk than ever before, the entrepreneurial dentist deserves a more secure return on investment and that can only come by moving DentalEntrepreneur.com

from Stage 1 to Stage 2 to Stage 3.

In Stage 3, we also note that top performing practices have dentists who access outside resources on a regular basis. They use advisers, including accountants, attorneys, and consultants to help them understand what their options are, expose themselves to concepts they’re not familiar with, and evaluate strategy and innovative possibilities for the future. In many cases, we have seen one advisor make a significant difference in the direction and career of a practice.

SUMMARY Many dentists begin their careers in the entrepreneurial stage. It's a stage that’s exciting, energized, and full of hope. Being there is great, but staying there is not. Every day, the practice should have the goal of moving into the next stage and eventually getting to Stage 3 where they have a smooth-running, enjoyable practice.

Roger P. Levin, DDS is the CEO and Founder of Levin Group, a leading practice management consulting firm that has worked with over 30,000 practices to increase production. A recognized expert on dental practice management and marketing, he has written 67 books and over 4,000 articles and regularly presents seminars in the U.S. and around the world.

To contact Dr. Levin or to join the 40,000 dental professionals who receive his Practice Production Tip of the Day, visit www.levingroup. com or email rlevin@levingroup.com.

Dental Entrepreneur Fall 2021 11

Culture

Transforming Dentistry Together – Creating a Culture of Clinical Excellence Shalin Patel, DMD

W

hat does it mean to Transform Dentistry Together? Running a successful dental practice doesn’t start when you open your doors to guests; it starts with the decisions you make as you finish dental school, and in the preparation you do and steps you take during the early years of your career to be a well-rounded clinician. These are the decisions that are the most critical to your long-term professional and personal happiness, no matter what happens in the future.

You probably have not heard my name, and nothing in my background has magically transformed me into the latest dental practice management guru. You are not going to learn about any “secret sauce” I discovered which no one else knows. My goal is to simply offer a different perspective on the way you look at yourself and your profession.

In fact, I am just like you–a young dentist just starting out. Actually, I’m a little older than that now, but I know how hard that transition is from school to the real world. I am also like you–an experienced dentist in mid-career, seeking a change or wondering what dentistry will need to do to adapt to this very different postpandemic world. My book is meant for all dentists who may be just looking for more, no matter where you currently are in your journey.

I took the same prerequisites, had to keep the same competitive GPA throughout college, I took the same DAT, went to the same school interviews, and had to find a way to graduate through the same rigorous four years of dental school and pass the same licensing exams you did to practice dentistry. I may be further

12 Fall 2021 Dental Entrepreneur

along in my dental journey than you are, or I may be behind you.

In either case, I hope to learn and hear from you as well. The truth is that we’re on the same road together, no matter our position on that road, practicing in one of the world’s most trusted and essential professions.

In my book, Transforming Dentistry Together, I hope to share with you my own story from lessons I have learned over the years, including many of my successes and failures, and offer as much advice as I can. I believe the best education comes from experience. By learning from the collective experiences of others, you can jumpstart your career even faster. So, whether you agree or disagree with some of my suggestions, please know that I am not presenting myself as “the expert,” and I respect all models of practicing dentistry. I am simply sharing my own experiences.

Whether you are in dental school, doing a residency, working in private practice, or working in group practice, I hope you can take some small part of my message and apply it or even rethink a part of your approach. If I motivate you to do that, then I will be sincerely grateful you took the time to read the book. I hope that together as a dental community we will always strive to build one another up and help one another improve.

Preparation is everything. As Abraham Lincoln once said, “Give me six hours to chop down a tree, and I will spend the first four hours sharpening the axe.” I’d like to help you sharpen your axe.

Every day across our offices, I’m proud to say that the same passion and the fire we had to share knowledge through experiences among clinicians is still burning in the our Clinical Advisory Board Doctors and Owner Doctors, mentoring the next group of doctors on DentalEntrepreneur.com

how to be successful by graduating through the DECA Academy.

My ultimate dream is that our new doctors will continuously learn and master these concepts, so they will in turn “pass the torch” by teaching, from their own experiences, the next generation of new doctors–joining the movement and transforming dentistry together as a Family. One of my core beliefs is that we do not hire dentists, we develop leaders.

In this book I also share my story transparently and express that I understand the stigmas out there regarding dental service organizations or “corporate dentistry” as many people label them.

Naturally, my first instinct is to say defensively that these stigmas are far from the truth. I am not here to convince anyone that any of the many models of dentistry out there are either perfect or fatally flawed. There is room for improvement for all aspects of the dental practice, no matter what the model. I learned that the negative experiences, stories and overall stigmas I heard about were not exclusive to DSOs and may be found just as frequently in private practice.

Working on both sides, I gained a great appreciation for what it takes to be successful, not only as a clinician but also as a business owner. I have a tremendous amount of respect and appreciation for all of my fellow dentists; regardless of whether we are affiliated with a DSO or are in private practice, we all share the same calling of doing what is best for our guests. So, what does this mean to you? You may be finishing school or looking for your first job.

Although in dental school you study hard (very hard) and eventually get handed a diploma, none of that gives you a roadmap to help point you in the direction of your future. That’s why I wrote this book–to give dental students and recently graduated dentists, DentalEntrepreneur.com

along with team members who recently joined the DECA Family, suggestions on how to create a future in dentistry they truly want.

While our average experienced doctor earns over $250,000 per year, the most important aspect for a long-term career is ownership. We proudly offer ownership through a variety of paths, including practice affiliations and acquisitions. Also, associates without an existing practice to sell can attain personal, professional, and financial growth from associate dentist to owner dentist. You no longer must take on the full financial risks and operational burden to build a practice from scratch. We realize that with rising educational debts and the challenges of managing a solo practice, most of the younger generation of associate dentists may not have the opportunity or financial means to start up a practice from scratch. That is why we have a path for these doctors as well, who join us as new graduates or early in their career as an associate. In this model, doctors can have ownership–not only at the practice level but also at the company level. Another way to look at it is to imagine you want to buy stock. Would you rather buy stock in an individual local store or buy into the entire company, the culture, the people, the leadership team, the products, the innovation, and the future?

Our Owner Doctors lead the company and get to invest into the company itself by becoming true equity holders rather than individual practice owners. This means they get day-to-day operational and clinical support while also getting to reap the benefits of the growth in the company. DECA owner dentists do not just own one office; they own a part of every office. As Fredrick Douglass said, “It is better to be part of a great whole than to be the whole of a small part.” Our model is essential to collaboration and Dental Entrepreneur Fall 2021 13

the ‘pay it forward’ mentality our doctors in the company have today. If a doctor only owns one office, they are likely to only be concerned about what happens within the four walls of that practice. When a doctor owns a part of the company, they have a vested interest in helping every doctor grow. They are motivated to train new doctors and new office team members because if they help the team improve, that will improve DECA, which benefits them as well.

Becoming an owner dentist through our affiliation or acquisitions is partnering with entrepreneurial dentists who currently have successful practices but are looking to expand their geographic footprint by opening more locations with the help of a robust support system. Some established dentists just want us to take over the “business side” of the practice so they can have more time with the patient and reignite their passion to do dentistry and we do this exceptionally well. We have partnered with many successful entrepreneurial dentists from across the country–from Seattle to South Florida–to add ‘fuel to the fire’. Once we’ve partnered, we have provided a full array of operational, clinical, and leadership support to help these clinicians open many new offices and allow these exceptional doctors to continue to be the clinical extension in their respective market.

Finally, through affiliations, our doctors become better providers.

We have seen firsthand, doctors who previously may not have had experience with molar endo, digital scanning, implant training, or access to KPI data databases to help them provide real-time management decisions to run a more robust practice. Once these dentists partner with our team, they learn from hundreds of other exceptional clinicians, sharing the same common vision, igniting them to become even more successful as entrepreneurs. The following quote perfectly summarizes the power of group practice within the DECA ecosystem, “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.”

I hope this book will be a valuable guide for dentists who are in the middle or late years of their dental careers, facing uncertain crossroads, especially in these uncertain times, or anyone who may feel unsatisfied with where they are professionally and personally and have not found a group practice model that fosters collaboration, encouragement, and growth. Maybe you feel something is lacking in your professional life, or that you expected something more or something different. In these pages, we explore options

that may lead you toward what you are looking to achieve.

Regardless of where you are in your professional career, I sincerely hope you enjoy this to achieve exceptional results.

I will never forget how hard that transition from dental school to practice was for me, and I sincerely hope that by sharing some of my stories, my learning, my failures, and my successes, it will make the process just a little easier for you. The minute you get that diploma you are not just a dentist–you are also a leader. Being an exceptional dentist and leader is a great responsibility and privilege, and it will take all your passion and focus to evolve clinically and non-clinically. Remember, the foundation of your success will be making the guest a priority. Everything else, and I mean everything, is secondary to the guest, including your schedule, your time, your office, and your salary. Everything should be centered on the guest, their oral health, and their happiness. Why? Because if you don’t have any guests, you won’t have any of those other things, either.

The future is bright for the profession, and I am honored to call you my colleague. If I could share one last piece of advice, it would be to always remember to keep your mind open to learning, be humble, be grateful to your team, and join the movement to transform dentistry together!

As a recognized leader in dentistry, Dr. Patel has sponsored dental school leadership scholarships, spoken at national dental school, and educational conferences. He has been featured in multiple national dental publications and offers a PACE-approved Continuing Education course approved by the Academy of General Dentistry to increase clinical case acceptance and productivity.

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Culture

Battle of the Genders in Healthcare.

Checkpoint. Checkmate.

360Healthcare™* Claudia C. Cotca, DDS, MPH

M

y dreams were born sometime at the early age of five and took a progressive, visibly mature form during my dental school program. Ironically and simultaneously, I was voted by my college classmates, women and men, as the dental graduate who would most likely carve path to a non-dental career. Meaning, nothing to do with dentistry.

I don’t want to talk about being a woman in a man’s world. Both women and men are plagued by internal deficiencies–inherited and acquired, and external factors–inherited and acquired. I want to talk about the backdrop, participants, and logic strategy– which is both system and recipient dependent. Checkpoint. I want to talk about competition in function of destiny, legacy, capability, intellectual strategy-logic, and the participants in the world: for women and men. Checkmate. Checkmate in reprise and checkpoint in perspectives: macro and micro views–same axis. Whereas the world is populated and functions by the two genders, history has almost ubiquitously highlighted a proposed competition between the two, when in fact, it is a misrepresentation of functionality at the core, and that being competition for acquisition, space, and resources to function exponentially, in lieu of inherent potential and to meet respective goals, in macro and micro axis. A finer intersection of what constitutes the battles of the genders or sexes if you will, is really pure grunt competition of the characteristics of the participants to manifest, express, plant and harvest–invest and reap ROI–return on investment. The only premise most recently overlooked in spite of the era of most data

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and resource acquisition by both however, is that they are meant to not only co-exist, but they are meant to augment for optimization in that unique synergism, results which cannot be achieved independently of the other. While the focus on honor, respect, and investment are worthy and demanding of each, it is their intersection in manifestation of each which propel the future derivation of birthing new concepts, new technologies, new ventures, new waves of implementation over historic progression, stops, and cycles. Healthcare is a special commodity: like none other in the open market. In the healthcare space, more specifically dentistry and oral sciences, several existing models highlight the very composition of this reality, from the clinical collective to other healthcare subsectors like legislative policy and industry standards. From the 360Healthcare™ (C3 Think Tank, 1999) concept system, let’s examine a select three, identify the current stops and limitations of the missing gender action synergism in individualistic functionality yet combinatorial, and the opportunity for a new cycle and hence new lessons missed from the past.

360Healthcare™ Clinical Segment. Gender Set Oral Health Profile and Oral Hygiene Program @dclaserdentist (Washington Institute For Dentistry & Laser Surgery, 2004) has implemented an innovative customized protocol, optimizing therapeutic index and minimizing toxicity index for Women and Men Oral Hygiene Protocols through Advanced Oral Systemic Clinical Protocols AOSCP™. Checkpoint. This has been substantiated by an interdisciplinary, evidence-based and decades-established scientific discovery collection through the NIH, including NIDCR on DentalEntrepreneur.com

the much necessary differentiation in clinical customization for gender systemic profiles based oral hygiene program. While the healthcare participants ran with the woman-based profile, the healthcare space forgot the man-based counterpart in the trenches, making it a single and lacking companion in spite of the consumer demand. Checkmate.

360Healthcare™ Legislative Policy. While the healthcare collective of clinical experts are spending their time and focus on the distribution and some on the innovation aspect of delivery, access to care and other supportive components which make or break the clinical delivery process, is left to an entirely different subsector, which by scope interacts with the healthcare sector however has been given ample space to lead as non-experts on expert subject matter direction and means to the masses. Checkpoint. While the discussions on Capitol Hill almost always involve the mission of idealization of sorts, it is without doubt that compromise is a substantial means of movement, while the experts are silently bystanders on the sidelines, commenting yet lacking the action initiative to lead what has been legislatively appropriated to them by USA Congress: First Tier Primary Care Providers. Both genders failed and shorthanded the profession by miles. While individualistic focus is merited in situations of the target goal, the combinatorial need for gender corroboration is not only key but it is limiting in the achievement for either. Checkmate.

360Healthcare™ Industry Standards. While the industry in healthcare has given a large enrichment of devices and platforms of enhancing the private and small business space of healthcare, dentistry has lagged significantly in keeping up with the premise of its sister medical disciplines. While large payer systems are often the go-to explanation in motivation, the private small business space is equally strong in the medicine industry segment. Why it has not kept up the pace in contributions is none other than bottom line revenue stimulated decisions. Checkpoint. When we examine the leadership composition at this level of decision makers and participants, the represented gender is not only skewed with women’s participation significantly lacking, but reports show women’s profiles there do not represent the highest caliber of excellence of women as compared to the men’s counterpart. While the standards for industry in medical devices and related, involve women scientists in more equal parts to men, and reports show genders are more equally represented in the international interactions, the differentiation of gender based technical requirements have not been yet placed in focus. As a gentle reminder, it was only recently (~1985) that reproductive drugs testing was adopted to be analyzed on the woman model. Until then, reproductive medications and medical devices were tested on the 185 lb. male model. Checkmate. Standards for the healthcare industry have yet to adapt in synchronous mode with science discovery, the genderbased technology and applications requirements to gender models DentalEntrepreneur.com

and specifications.

Focus on gender specific demand and functionality is as key as the congruent combinatorial action in coordinated efforts to promote and impact, which is time and space dependent. As an expert in both segments, I have always argued: private health is public health. If the timing and collective participants are not involved by their represented functionalities, the liability translates exponentially in the consumer segment in clinical toxicities with unwarranted clinical phenotypes permeating as high as 70-80% prevalence and incidence rates in the public health axis. (Why Treatments Fail, Cotca, 2004- 2021) I, and others before and after me, was/am equipped to pursue what I have achieved and enjoyed so far from that clear vision in early childhood, always in sync with the checkpoint and checkmate of the healthcare commodity: mechanism logic and participants.

360heathcare™* Book Pre-Order author@claudiaccotca.com Disclosure All content/ concepts in this article are proprietary to C3 Think Tank, 360Healthcare™, & Washington Institute For Dentistry & Laser Surgery.

References: Cotca, C. Claudia (1999) 360Healthcare™.

Ann Arbor: 360Healthcare™.

Cotca, C. Claudia (2004) Advanced Oral Systemic Clinical Protocols AOSCP™. Washington DC Cotca, C. Claudia (2004-2021) Why Treatments Fail?

Dr. Claudia C Cotca, an international lecturer and aesthetic oral-systemic TMD/OSA restorative dentist, is founder of Washington Institute for Dentistry & Laser Surgery. She is a subject matter expert in dentistry, lasers, toxicology, environmental sciences, and public health with ADA SCDP, AAMI, and ANSI standards, and USA Delegate to ISO and IEC, among others. She serves as an Editor and reviewer of various journals, including Group Program Chair of IADR/ AADR Pharmacology/ Therapeutics/ Toxicology. She is Fellow of American Academy of Oral Medicine, Pierre Fauchard Academy, International College of Dentists, and member of International College of Prosthodontists. She testifies before United States Congress and White House and contributes legislative language. She contributes on ABC, NBC, and media, and intersects with industry and other healthcare subsectors in global markets. author@claudiaccotca.com Dental Entrepreneur Fall 2021 17

Business

Predictable Failures: Cybersecurity in the Dental Space Amy Wood

Y

ou have a full day ahead of you, patients scheduled back-to-back, and your assistant has already called out. It's going to be a tough day, but not unlike others you've had. Or is it?

Imagine walking into your office and being met with chaos.

Your staff can't open your practice management program…or your images, or email, or anything at all for that matter. There must be a simple explanation. Then you see it: a message on all the computers demanding money to get your data back.

THIS. IS. RANSOMWARE. It's not a joke or an ethereal idea that only happens to other organizations. It's real, and it's an imminent threat to all dental practices.

How is dental information worth anything to cybercriminals? Dental practices have a treasure trove of information.

Think about the information you collect from your patients; name, birthdate, social security number, insurance information, address, email–and that's just to open a patient chart and bill.

What about everything else–health history, medications, and medical conditions. Then the patients' private information such as divorce or personal struggles, the clinicians’ documents to help the team interact appropriately with the patient or family members? Cybercriminals are like modern-day pirates; they can and will sell anything.

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HOW DO I KNOW? Why should you believe me? Besides the fact that I have personally managed the aftermath of almost 150 data breach investigations, I have also been the victim of identity theft and understand firsthand what happens when someone undervalues dental x-rays.

A decade ago, I had orthognathic surgery. With all that fun, I also received a letter stating that the imaging center that took my panoramic images was involved in a data breach. I later learned the front desk person was nervous about some changes and made an unauthorized copy of all X-rays saved to an unencrypted thumb drive and lost it. More than a decade ago, cybercriminals wanted this information. Can you imagine what they are doing with that same information now? All these years later, my jaw has healed, but my identity is still for sale.

TWO TYPES While my identity was compromised because of human error, most data breaches are now caused by ransomware. This type of computer malware locks your files by encrypting them, giving you two choices–if you're smart–either revert to a back-up or pay the ransom. This ransomware encrypts data in place, meaning the data remains in your system. If you revert to a back-up or pay the ransom–no harm, no foul, as the cybercriminals never "took" your data.

Unfortunately, as we get wiser and increase our standard of care, so do the criminals. Newer versions of ransomware extract the data out of your office. You can still revert to a back-up to get your DentalEntrepreneur.com

practice up and running quickly, but the cybercriminals now have your data in their possession and will sell it on the dark web without the extortion payment. BAM! Immediate Data Breach and a call to government agencies. Crazy, right?

On top of all the madness during the last 18 months, hackers took full advantage of the chaos the pandemic brought and attacked healthcare like never before. It worked–more data breaches, especially ransomware, happened in 2020 and 2021 than previously in the healthcare sector. Our business personally saw a 600% increase in attempted attacks on secured dental practices amongst our clients. Six hundred percent! Let that sink in. Fortunately, nothing got through on our client's systems, but the sudden increase caused many sleepless nights.

WHAT SHOULD I DO OR RATHER NOT DO? How does ransomware get in? The answer is People. Whether intentional from a cybercriminal, accidental from a vendor, or unknowingly by someone else, it's always people. The majority of ransomware is from emails. Phishing emails (no, not fishing; but similar and not as enjoyable) attempt to trick you into opening a link that will run the ransomware program.

Gone are the days when you could quickly identify scam emails.

No more "I'm a Nigerian prince and need to get millions out of my country" emails.

Now they are cleverly crafted and mimic places you interact with, such as your bank or Amazon. I recently received one from "Amazoon" with a link for returning an item. I was speeding through my inbox in my hurried state of life and stopped because the spelling wasn't correct.

I did have a return to Amazon pending, but that is not how Amazon returns work.

These Phishing emails could also use a tactic called "Spoofing."

This means the name shown in the email could be correct, spelled correctly, and have a valid address, but it isn't from said person or entity. So how do you know what you can trust and what you can't? Simple, be studious. Make sure everything is accurate, and when it appears correct, make sure the phrasing in the email ‘sounds like’ that person. If there is a question, call them; and don't open an attachment if you aren't expecting anything from the sender.

FRENEMY? As if these weren't enough, additional threats could come from vendors. Dental software has come a long way but still has so very far to go regarding security. Many programs leave back doors open to allow third-party vendors to provide their services. This is a red-carpet invitation to cybercriminals.

Unfortunately for the practice, this is extremely difficult for you to diagnose and treat. This is one of those situations in which you need to have a sit-down conversation with your IT management team. If they can't, or don't know how, to protect you, find one who can.

Frenemy: an oxymoron term described as "a person who combines the characteristics of a friend and an enemy." Sadly, this could be one of your vendors. I have repeatedly seen vendors use their access, cause an incident, and don't tell you they had a breach.

How are you supposed to manage something you don't know?

What about your BAA? You know, your Business Associate Agreement? The agreement you should have for all entities that have access to your ePHI. It describes in detail what is expected of each entity when, or if, a breach happens. If your vendor causes a breach and you don't have a BAA, or worse, you signed one that doesn't hold the vendor accountable; you are on the hook for everything.

Everything falls on you; the mitigation of the breach, the investigation, the patient lawsuits and in worst case scenarios, fines.

Bottom line, you need to vet your vendors, ask the hard questions, and hold them accountable. If you don't know how or what questions to ask, engage your HIPAA Consultant and Managed Service Provider (MSP); that's what they are there for–to help you! If they don't know, or won't help, find one who will. (Seeing a pattern?)

CLEAR AS MUD You are now further educated, but my guess is you have more questions than answers.

That is OK! It means you are aware, and that is the first step.

What are the other steps? First, grasp the idea you can simplify security with the concept of People, Process, and Technology.

Next, educate yourself and your staff, secure your infrastructure, utilize basic business best practices, institute a standard of care (just as you do with patients), and review and revise your insurance.

A wise colleague and dental consultant talks about “courageous conversations”. This is one of those. Have these courageous conversations with your MSP or IT person, your vendors, and your team. Find out if you are employing Basic Business Best Practices: Antivirus/Malware, Patching, Firewall, and Back-ups. Of course, there is so much more: Wifi security, the Internet of Things, Two-Factor Authorization, and business-grade encrypted email, to name a few. Keep in mind that anything less than the Basic Business Best Practices is considered negligent by the Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Office of Civil Rights (OCR).

This could mean potential fines, yes, but worse, mitigation costs

monitoring services, repairing IT equipment, restoring data, and more. It is important that this policy covers cyber crime and cyber extortion.

YOUR PARTNER TO PROSPER Propel your practice with Patterson.

Supporting your success is central to our purpose.

We provide the products, technologies and services you need to modernize, grow and keep your practice running smoothly.

While this coverage is great, don’t treat it like a get-out-of-jail card. The industry has changed due to the number of breaches in recent years. Carriers have higher barriers to entry and many ways to exclude claims from being paid out. If you are doing less than Basic Business Best Practices, expect to pay through the nose or get denied.

LASTLY, DON'T FREAK You didn’t sign up for this as a dental professional. It was never in your job description to now have to be a quasi geek. The reality is that cybersecurity is here and it’s a problem for dental. The good news is that you can do something about it.

Whether you’re exploring a purchase, implementing a new technology or optimizing it for improvement, our experts will offer you unmatched support.

VISIT OUR VIRTUAL BOOTH TO TALK WITH A REPRESENTATIVE TRUSTED EXPERTISE. UNRIVALED SUPPORT.™ 21PD103459 (1/20)

and furious patients would severely impact the operation of your practice. Many consultants and educators focus on fines, which is always a possibility, but in my experience, that’s the least of your worries. Mitigation costs–notification letters, attorneys, and computer forensics along with patient lawsuits–quickly overwhelm.

Amy Wood, HSCISPP is CEO of Copper Penny Consulting, LLC and President of ACS Technologies, LLC. She is an educator and consultant specializing in HIPAA, Data Breaches, and Cybersecurity for the dental community. She maintains multiple certifications and association memberships, actively working with groups to continue improving the standard of care for dental practices, IT Providers, and the healthcare industry in general. Working alongside her husband (the geek behind the scenes), they juggle two businesses, three daughters, two cats, and a lizard.

Amy can be reached at education@copperpennyconsulting.com

PREDICTABLE FAILURES In the event you do everything right, an accident could still happen, and you might find yourself in the middle of a breach investigation. This is why I say we must predict failures. Not that we plan to fail, but accidents do happen–that is why they are called accidents. The goal is to make a plan for the failures you expect and minimize the fallout by putting a bubble around how bad it could be. The old adage “Hope for the best, but plan for the worst” comes to mind. Now, instead of a worst case scenario, you have an actionable plan and your incident is a minor inconvenience rather than a major catastrophe.

Your last line of defense is cyber insurance; this is NOT your General Liability or Malpractice Insurance. Cyber Liability Insurance is a standalone policy covering significant costs associated with the aftermath of a cyber-attack. Depending on the policy, it may include attorney's fees, investigation costs, government fines, credit card company penalties, notification costs, consumer credit

20 Fall 2021 Dental Entrepreneur

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Business

Unchartered Territory – A New Way to Practice Oral Pathology Ashleigh Briody, DDS, MS

M

ost of my success can be attributed to taking advantage of the opportunities presented to me.

In my third year of dental school, I was asked to be a student worker for the oral pathology department, mostly to gross the incoming specimens. This involves taking a biopsy specimen out of formalin, describing, measuring, cutting into smaller pieces, and submitting it in a cassette so the lab could put it on a slide for the oral pathologists to read. It wasn’t a job I sought out, but I thought that the worst that could happen is that I would learn something. I often found myself in Dr. Kitrina Cordell’s office, asking to look in the microscope at something interesting I had grossed the previous day. After about six months, I knew that I was passionate about oral pathology. In my 4th year, one of my instructors learned that I had accepted an offer for an oral pathology residency. Surprised, but seemingly well-meaning, he said “well that’s unfortunate, such a waste of a good dentist.” I like to think he was wrong. My dad always told me that if I find a job that I love, I will be successful. I didn’t realize at the time that my passion for practicing oral pathology and educating the world would translate into a successful private practice model.

Even before I accepted the residency position, I knew I wanted to go into private practice. Unfortunately, in the oral path field, private practice was (and is) unchartered territory. As much as I would like to take credit for the success of our practice, I owe most of it to my mentor, and now colleague, Dr. Carl Allen, and perhaps the rest of it to being in the right place at the right time. Dr. Allen is the reason I chose The Ohio State University for residency, as he had been teaching there for over 30 years.

He is highly regarded in the field of oral pathology and is one of the authors of “the” oral pathology textbook. When I was chief

22 Fall 2021 Dental Entrepreneur

resident, Carl joined a private dermatology practice, and as soon as I finished, he asked me to join him. He knew I wanted to do biopsies and see patients, and he had a backlog of patients who needed biopsies. I knew that in joining him, I would be establishing our (and my) unique practice in our community.

I’m certainly no expert in business, but I can share what I did to get our practice where it is today. Ultimately, I am successful because of the people around me: my assistants, staff, managers, supportive husband and family, all of whom make it possible for me to be completely in the moment, either at work or home.

Because a private practice oral pathology office is an unknown concept to so many, I wanted to establish who we are and what we do on a global platform. I also wanted to provide an educational opportunity for health care providers so they could better serve their patients. This led me to Instagram. I created my oral pathology account, @central_ohio_oral_pathology, when studying for oral path boards, when I realized an account like this did not exist. If I wanted it, I had to create it, and I did so with the help of Carl. I didn’t have many clinical photos, but he had plenty. I share high-quality photos of cases I have seen, and the diagnosis is shown when you swipe. Much of what I focus on is how to recognize precancerous and cancerous lesions. While I am approached with many financial opportunities to partner or advertise for companies on Instagram, I want it to be strictly an educational space.

In addition to marketing my specialty, I had to market myself as a referral source to healthcare providers around me. Through my time spent in this field, my eyes have been opened to how much undiagnosed, mismanaged oral disease exists. It is not uncommon for a patient with a solitary lichenoid lesion to be told they have DentalEntrepreneur.com

I didn’t realize at the time that my passion for practicing oral pathology and educating the world would translate into a successful private practice model. lichen planus, or a patient who has a well-defined leukoplakia to be told “it’s nothing to worry about” because a biopsy showed hyperkeratosis. Carl and I like to joke that we have “mouthless medical schools”, meaning medical students get virtually no education on the diseases of the mouth. This becomes a problem when a patient has an oral condition in need of diagnosis and treatment. We’ve all seen it before–the dentist tells them to see their doctor, the doctor tells them to see their dentist, then the patient gets tossed around from specialist to specialist in an attempt to find answers from someone who takes their insurance.

It is incredibly frustrating for all parties involved. I sent letters out to all dentists, specialists, ENTs, and primary care practices in the area with a personalized note with my cell phone number.

I made sure I was accessible, and for that first year, I answered every call, I said yes to every lecture, and I squeezed emergency patients into my schedule. I am able to set myself apart by offering a service that did not really exist yet. Sure, specialists do biopsies, but I offer to biopsy, treat, and follow patients long term. Instead of presenting myself as competition, I approached my practice model as symbiotic with other specialists. Most surgeons don’t want to follow patients with chronic mucosal diseases, diagnose burning mouth syndrome, or try to figure out when and where to biopsy the lesions of a patient with proliferative verrucous leukoplakia. Instead of performing an excision on a large precancerous lesion on the tongue, the ENTs are happy to send the patient to me for CO2 laser ablation. In addition to the flyers about our practice, I send detailed letters and include the primary care doctor, ENT, and any other specialist a patient has seen about the issue that leads them to me. This ensures that the clinicians who aren’t comfortable diagnosing oral disease have a resource for future patients with mouth problems.

From a management standpoint, I want my practice to be a place where patients feel comfortable and providers are confident their patients are getting the best care. I have found that the best way to do this is to focus on my team. My team is strong now, however, it was a rocky road to get here. For a long time, I only had one assistant. We were both overwhelmed and my clinic was busy, but we were limited in how many patients we could see each day because there was only one person to room, assist, clean, answer triage calls, and do paperwork. Looking back, I should have been more proactive in hiring a second assistant before we thought we needed one. Because they play such a critical role in DentalEntrepreneur.com

the growth of my practice, I want them to know how important their job is to me and our patients. I try to create a positive environment for my staff, and I encourage them to come to me with problems AND solutions. This fosters a feeling of ownership in their job, and patients can sense the unity of my team. In a world where we are held captive by online reviews, happy patients are a walking advertisement.

Lecturing also has become an important and profitable part of my career. Over the past few years, my lecture circuit has grown from a couple local lectures a year, to several lectures per month across the United States. Most of these lectures are through the Seattle Study Club. Last year, I was selected to present at their annual symposium, and subsequently, was nominated to be a part of a select group of Seattle Study Club speakers called the Compleat Curriculum. This is a program that offers “up and coming” lecturers the opportunity to get seen. Because I have so many lectures around the United States, more providers are recognizing oral disease and how to better serve their patients.

My practice has come a long way in the short four years since I finished residency. I still have much to learn about the business aspect of managing my team within a large practice setting, especially as insurance continues to dictate what treatments are reimbursed. In an ideal world, I would be a fee-for-service practice; however, I see many patients without the means that are misdiagnosed, mismanaged, and truly desperate for answers.

I hope that my experience encourages other oral pathologists to feel comfortable establishing a private practice to provide services to the patients in need throughout the country.

Dr. Ashleigh Briody is from Baton Rouge, Louisiana. She earned her DDS from LSU School of Dentistry and completed her residency in Oral & Maxillofacial Pathology at The Ohio State University where she earned a certificate and master’s degree. She is a Fellow of the American Academy of Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology and a Diplomate of the American Board of Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology. She currently practices in a private dermatology practice in Westerville, OH. Dental Entrepreneur Fall 2021 23

Business

Dental Practice Marketing: It’s More Than Meets the Eye Lamar Hull

F

or years, dentists relied on word of mouth to gain patients and to grow their practice. In today’s digital age and with the rise of COVID-19, effective marketing strategies are necessary to reach and retain patients and to achieve your growth, expansion, and success goals.

MARKETING IS MORE THAN ADVERTISING Marketing practices have been downgraded to simply advertising and acquiring or retaining patients. However, marketing is not simply advertising your dental practice and teeth whitening products.

As a result of the pandemic, 46% of adults have reported spending more time on social media. 36% have purchased more impulse buys based on internet ads, and half of consumers have spent more time consuming online content than ever before.1 The need for internet marketing is clear.

Marketing is less about promoting a given service after the procedure or innovative technology is ready. Instead, marketing is about developing and getting that product ready–creating the market, determining how the service aligns with patients’ needs, and building the customer experience.

MARKETING: WHY YOU NEED IT TO GROW YOUR DENTAL PRACTICE

Successful marketing must meet your patients’ pain points. You cannot market to your patients until you understand their needs and behaviors. Think of pain points as the reason your business exists - to meet a need.

You can’t operate a dental practice without patients, you would have to close your doors. Marketing is about connecting a business or product with the right client.

According to Google, 88% of local business searches on a mobile phone result in an in-person visit within a week of the search.2 Local or “near me” searches have increased by 136%.

As a dentist, a marketing plan helps you and your patients find one another. It requires thinking outside the box to convey your products and treatments in a patient-centered manner.

MARKETING IS MISUNDERSTOOD Marketing has changed over the last few years and is not all about cold calling, billboards, radio ads, and direct mailers. To grow and thrive in the competitive dental marketplace, dentists need to capitalize on the full potential marketing offers.

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For dentistry, patients have oral health needs. However, perhaps they wait to see a dentist until a problem occurs due to finances or anxiety. Maybe they come in first to fix a problem, and you want to convert them to regular dental patients.

“A dental marketing plan determines how to meet patients in your location based on their behaviors and needs–oral hygiene, budget (i.e. dental savings plan), emergency dental care, or even cosmetic dentistry.”

MARKETING IS MEETING YOUR BUSINESS GOALS Before considering your marketing needs, take a look at your business goals. What do you want to accomplish within the next year or five years? Do you want to see a growth in revenue or an increase in new patients? Do you want to expand your practice or hire a dental associate? How does your goal affect your need for sales?

DentalEntrepreneur.com

Source: marketingcharts.com

Marketing plans help you determine your target audience, demographic, competition, message you need to send, and how to create an awareness of your service. Advertising is one way to deliver your message.

Take a look at Facebook. Facebook is the largest social media platform with users from preteens to baby boomers. There is very little chance your patients are not on Facebook. Facebook ads are targeted to show ads to certain users based on location, age, interests, and demographics.

To meet your patients and target audience, you must be online to engage with them.

DIGITAL MARKETING IS FLEXIBLE AND ACCESSIBLE A good marketing plan puts your message in front of the right audience in multiple ways. Digital marketing has many channels to share your services and maximize your exposure. Websites, social media, email marketing, digital ads, podcasts, and YouTube channels, just to name a few, give your brand optimal visibility.

Think about it, have you ever searched for something on Google and suddenly had a similar ad pop up on your Facebook feed?

Going further, Facebook ads can retarget those who are familiar with your brand or who have interacted with your website or social media page. Facebook ads give you a chance to remarket to potential patients.

DIGITAL MARKETING: MEETING AND FINDING YOUR PATIENTS ON THEIR LEVEL ONLINE MARKETING IS NECESSARY FOR THE DIGITAL AGE In today’s world, the majority of people are online. In fact, according to the Pew Research Center, 77% of American adults own a smartphone.3 This is a huge increase from 35% in 2011.

People use their smartphones to access news, websites, social media, and more. Patients search for dentists and recommendations online. They view ads, read emails, and listen to podcasts.

DentalEntrepreneur.com

Source: https://www.socialchamp.io/blog/traditional-marketingvs-digital-marketing/

Dental Entrepreneur Fall 2021 25

Source: https://www.slideshare.net/augustinefou/cross-channel-media-costs-comparison-cpm-basis-by-augustine-fou

DIGITAL MARKETING IS MEASURABLE Digital marketing is considerably more affordable than traditional print, radio, or television marketing. The cost of creating a commercial marketing campaign requires a higher budget, particularly during seasonal or sporting events. Newspapers and magazines use print and digital methods, which raise the price of advertising, plus you pay for the notoriety of the magazine name.

Digital marketing plans require a smaller investment and provide the opportunity to reach more people through various platforms, thus improving your return on investment (ROI). The exact cost may vary depending on the methods you choose, but plans are flexible.

For example, digital marketing may include a single or combination of local SEO, email marketing, website content, social media, Google or Facebook ads, video marketing, and more. The flexibility of digital marketing plans based on budget ensures affordability.

With online marketing, your ads, click-through rate, and even website scrolling are measurable. For example, heat maps and A/B testing allow web developers and digital marketing agencies to monitor user interactions. With these tools, you can make changes and track potential patients’ interactions with your content. You can see where users click, read, or stop scrolling on your website to understand what does or does not capture a user’s attention.

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You know which marketing methods are effective and produce the best ROI for your dental practice. You can refine your marketing plan as needed to improve your results.

DIGITAL MARKETING IS LOCATION-BASED With the availability of localized digital marketing, you can market directly to patients within your area. Marketing plans, including local search engine optimization (SEO), understand your target location and your competitors. Then, it focuses on ads, website content, and keywords that target the same area.

Think of it this way, a television ad for an event in Charlotte, North Carolina would only be aired in the greater Charlotte area and not in Philadelphia or Los Angeles. Localized digital marketing ads and content work the same way. They target a specific location, age, or gender to focus on your market for dental patients. The image above shows an example of the local marketing landscape in Google when a location is included in the search phrase by a user.

GROW YOUR DENTAL PRACTICE WITH COST-EFFECTIVE, MEASURABLE MARKETING Dentists need to embrace the new world of digital marketing to stay on top of this competitive market. Marketing plans help you grow, expand, hire new associates, or even get new state-of-the-art technology for your dental practice.

Want to learn more? Reach out to Med Rank Interactive for the latest in digital marketing for dentists. Find out how to take your dental practice to the next level with a custom, local marketing plan.

DentalEntrepreneur.com

Sources: https://www.forbes.com/sites/deniselyohn/2019/01/08/ marketing-matters-now-more-than-ever/?sh=5238458c117a https://www.allbusiness.com/marketing-is-more-than-just-advertising-3875096-1.html https://www.drift.com/blog/ digital-marketing-vs-traditional-marketing/ https://www.inc.com/jim-schleckser/measurable-marketing-why-youneed-to-go-digital.html

3. Perrin, A. (2017, June 28). 10 facts about smartphones as the iPhone turns 10. Pew Research Center. https://www.pewresearch.org/ fact-tank/2017/06/28/10-facts-about-smartphones/

Lamar Hull is the Founder of Med Rank Interactive, a full-service digital marketing agency in Charlotte that specializes in local SEO exclusively for dentists, orthodontists, pharmacists, independent physicians, and multilocation medical practices.

Lamar has an MBA in Internet Marketing and uses a lot of his time learning new strategies in the field of online marketing and healthcare. Lamar attended Davidson College where he played basketball for Bob McKillop.

https://medrankinteractive.com/ social-media-vs-digital-marketing-for-doctors/ 1. Lashbrook, J. (2020, August 3). Data Hub: Coronavirus and Marketing [Updated]. Marketing Charts. https://www.marketingcharts.com/featured-112414

Lamar enjoys spending time with his family, watching movies, playing basketball, reading, and leading an amazing team of digital marketing ninjas.

2. ThinkwithGoogle. (2020, September 3). Local search store to visit statistics. Think with Google. https://www. thinkwithgoogle.com/consumer-insights/consumer-trends/ local-search-to-store-visit-statistics/ ADS.south209

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Practice Makes Perfect “Dr. Earl Douglas and the staff at ADS South have been real helpful in steering me in the right direction in the purchase of my first practice. Dr. Douglas’s experience, organization and detail-orientation, pointed out to me where improvement is needed and how to go about achieving it.”

Elizabeth H. Guerrero, DDS Get off to the perfect start. Call your ADS transition specialist for AL, GA, LA, MS, NC, SC, TN and VA today.

ADS South (770) 664-1982 ADSsouth.com DentalEntrepreneur.com

Dental Entrepreneur Fall 2021 27

Business

The Most Important Technology Decision You Will Make as a Dentist Travis Rodgers

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he most important technology decision you make as a dentist is what practice management system you select for your dental practice. Take your time in making the decision because once you are in, it is difficult and costly to get out. Keep in mind that there is not one that is “perfect” and that each has their strengths and weaknesses. You just need to follow a process to find which one is right for you.

WHERE TO START If you Google “dental practice management systems”, hundreds of links will show up claiming they are “the top system”. Beware that most of these are biased and purchased reviews. Start with the systems you know. Get demos of the systems you currently use or have used. Most of these companies invest a lot in development each year so they are constantly evolving.

WHAT IS DENTAL PRACTICE MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE (DPMS): It may seem self-explanatory, but dental practice management software is a tool for dentists and teams to oversee day-to-day operation.

The capabilities of these products can include charting, scheduling, treatment planning, document storage, and much more.

Evaluate a few systems you have never heard of. There are new systems entering the market each year. If you make your decision based on who has the most dental clients or who has been around the longest, you may get stuck with outdated technology. If you choose something too new, you may find that it may not integrate with the add-on services you love.

EVALUATION PROCESS The clearer you are with what you are looking for, the more likely you are to make the right choice the first time. Spend time putting together your list of requirements and create a checklist of features you must have and features you want to have. I have a checklist I can provide you with upon request.

Get your team involved. Your team will be one of the best sources of information. Getting your team involved early is key to a successful implementation of your system. Just because a team member has experience with another system, doesn’t mean it is the right system for your practice. Keep an open mind. By using a requirements checklist, you will make the decision less biased and less emotional.

Once you have a finalized requirements list, go out and get as many demos of the systems as you can. Most of these systems don’t have free trials because they require extensive implementations, but they will all give you extensive demos. Look at both on-premise server based and cloud based products and don’t just base your decision on price. Once you have narrowed down your selection to three vendors, ask for customer references. Online dentist forums are also a great source of customer references.

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DENTAL INTEGRATION REVOLUTION You should demand that your practice management system integrates openly and at no cost to other third-party systems. The 21st Century Cures Act requires that these systems integrate, but more than anything, open integration makes these systems better. One of the keys to finding a good long term practice management system is to know who is the most open to integrating other systems into their systems. This should be one of your non-negotiable requirements.

TYPE OF SYSTEMS There are two major categories of systems. With an on-premise system you need to purchase and manage an in-office server. With a cloud-based system you need to make sure you have reliable internet. The size, type, and number of locations are all factors to consider. Here are a few of the most popular dental management systems you can choose from, based on your needs.

ON-PREMISE SYSTEMS Dentrix – Dentrix has the largest market share of the systems with about 50k users. It is owned by Henry-Schein, so it is almost always in consideration. They do provide integration to other systems but charge for the integration and often limit who they will integrate.

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It is an older system, but because so many team members have experience with Dentrix, it is often their first choice. https://www. dentrix.com/ Eaglesoft – Owned by Patterson, Eaglesoft is second in market share and has pockets of happy users around the USA. Their integration is more limited than others, so it limits the expandability of Eaglesoft. With over 30k users, it is easy to find team members that are familiar with how to use it. https://www.pattersondental.com/ Open Dental – Open Dental is quickly gaining market share from its larger competitors because of its openness to integration and low price point. It is privately owned, so development and support can sometimes be harder to find, but with over 20k users and growing, Open Dental is one to consider. https://opendental.com/

CLOUD-BASED SYSTEMS Carestack – Carestack is designed as an all-in-one, cloud-based dental management software solution. Originally built for larger multi-location organizations, Carestack is quickly gaining market share in the single practice area. Carestack has the largest development team in the cloud-based system category, so they are constantly adding new features. Their integration is limited, so make sure an “all-in-one” solution is right for you. https://carestack.com/ Curve Hero – Curve was the first cloud-based practice management system and a few years ago they were purchased by a private equity group who has invested considerably into the product. If you looked at Curve in the past, you may want to look again. With over 40k users, they are the most widely adopted cloud DPMS. https:// www.curvedental.com/ Dentrix Ascend – While the regular version of Dentrix system is run locally, Dentrix Ascend is specifically designed for use in the cloud. If someone has used the in-office version of Dentrix, sometimes they find the cloud version to be limited, but Henry-Schein continues to make significant investments in the product, so it is worth a look. https://www.dentrixascend.com/ Fuse – Fuse is Patterson’s cloud system, but it doesn’t resemble its in-office counterpart, Eaglesoft. Fuse is a late entry into the space, but they are working hard to catch up and it will be one to consider in the future. https://www.pattersondental.com/grow Planet DDS – Another cloud-based platform that is quickly gaining traction, Planet DDS made its debut in the DSO market but now works with practices of all sizes. It is specifically designed to accommodate growth and should be one to consider. https:// www.planetdds.com/ Tab32 – One of the smaller players that is making headway is Tab32.

They have one of the cleanest interfaces of all the practice management systems and have a promising future in the cloud-based category. https://www.tab32.com/ Asprodental – Asprodental has only been around a few years, but they’re disrupting the market. Their all-in-one software includes most of the features other software charges extra for. They also have a unique One Page Chart feature that shows all patient info on one screen. Asprodental is one to watch. https://www.asprodental.com/

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SPECIALTY SYSTEMS The software platforms above are all mostly designed for general dentistry practices. However, if your practice focuses on a particular dental specialty, then you might prefer to get a software management system that caters to that focus. For instance, if you’re an orthodontist, Orthotrac, Dolphin, and Cloud9 are designed for your needs. Oral surgeons will want to check out DSN and WinOMS. And TDO Endo and EndoVision are both designed for endodontists.

FACTORS TO CONSIDER When looking for the perfect dental management software system to meet your needs, there are a few things you need to look at. First, how much does it cost? Does the system provide the features that your practice needs in order to function? Does the platform offer good customer support? Is it easy to use? Will it integrate with other systems? How prominent is this platform in the industry?

The decision you make in choosing a dental practice management software system will be with you for years to come. It shouldn’t be rushed. Take the time to shop around and see what’s out there before making a choice. Make sure that the platform you choose will meet your practice’s needs today and in the future.

Travis grew up in Silicon Valley, so technology has always been a huge part of his life. He is passionate about building custom dental software solutions that make an impact on dentists, dental teams, and patients. Over the past two decades Travis has invented many dental software programs like DrDDS Innovations, OneClick Referral, VeriDent, Scout Analytics, RecordLinc, Luv Dentist, and more.

Travis runs a dental software incubator and is considered to be among the leaders in dental innovation and technology. Travis has been called “The #1 Entrepreneur in Dentistry” and is affectionately known as “The Dental Technology Guy”. More about DrDDS at www.DrDDS. com More about Travis at www.TravisRodgers.comTravis’ Top Ten Technologies to Review: Here is a list of some technology products I suggest you consider evaluating, to help your practice grow.

Dental Warranty - dentalwarrantycorp.com Dentagraphics - dentagraphics.com Scout Analytics - scoutdental.com CallForce - getcallforce.com MyDentalFiles - MyDentalFiles.com Dentist Grader - dentistgrader.com OneClick Referral - OneClickReferral.com Kasper – MeetKasper.com Soft Skills Institute - TheSoftSkillsInstitute.com Schedule Widget - schedulewidget.com

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Impact

Transformational Thinking: The Key to Having a Thriving Practice Robert Maguire, DDS, MASCL

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he power to transform your practice begins with the “right thinking”. Often, I’ll meet or hear of dentists who are unhappy with their dental practices, many telling me they feel “stuck”. On numerous occasions, they’ve tried to make changes to improve their practice production, tried to build a collaborative and happy team but in the long run, have been unsuccessful. They failed because the steps they took were transactional in nature rather than transformational.

In this article, I will explain the difference between transactions and transformations. I’ll explain why transactions rarely result in long-lasting positive change and why transformational thinking is powerful and the key to sustainable happiness and increased practice production. Lastly, I will provide practical steps you can take to experience more profound, significant, and lasting change.

Often, when dentists start to search for ways to improve their dental practices, they look for “quick fixes”. These “quick fixes” are essentially transactions that include things like enacting new systems or policies, or quickly hiring team members based solely on their skills. Additionally, many dentists “impulse buy” and purchase new pieces of equipment, often on credit, and often without thinking about how it will be used to improve the lives of their patients and their teams. Other examples of transactional steps include learning new procedures or taking practice management courses to schedule more efficiently, to decrease broken appointments, or to improve collections.

Transactional steps are an important and a necessary part of running an efficient dental practice. However, implementing these things alone, without thinking about the deep-down desires for

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you and your practice, will rarely lead to more happiness and increased profitability. It’s like the steps people often take to lose weight. We know statistically that most diets work for the shortterm. We also know that most people who’ve dieted relapse and end up right back where they started. The reason most diets fail over the long haul is that the dieters haven’t fully envisioned their desired result, or how they want to look and feel once they’ve lost their weight. Here’s the reality. Many weight loss programs only provide the transactions, the steps people need to take to lose their weight. What they don’t and can’t provide is a picture of the end result, or the transformation. This vision or desire for a long-lasting result can only come from the individual themselves.

With regards to your dental practice, if you want more profitability, more happiness, and long-lasting change, focus and think about the transformational steps, or those steps that involve using both your “head and your heart”. (Transactions are steps that involve using only your “head”). Your “heart” is the place where your emotions are found. Transformations are most effective because they take into consideration our emotions, our deep-down desires, our passions, and our dreams, not only for ourselves, but for our patients and our teams. They provide the motivation, the power that sustains us as we strive to build a happier, more productive, and thriving dental practice.

Another way to look at transformations, is to think of them as your blueprint, your inspiration, or your vision. For the past several months, I’ve watched a new house being built in a lot across the street from my home. Before the construction began, the owner had a vision of the house he desired. When I chatted with DentalEntrepreneur.com

“Transformations are most effective because they take into consideration our emotions, our deep-down desires, our passions, and our dreams, not only for ourselves, but for our patients and our teams.” him, he spoke about it in detail, with excitement in his voice, and joy on his face. He told me that six months ago, he had hired an architect and together they had worked through and drawn up the blueprints. Once the final plans for his dream house were completed, the owner hired a reputable general contractor, someone he knew did quality work, someone who had a team of excellent workers to help him.

Over the next several months, I observed the whole transformational process, the building of this dream home for my neighbor.

Watching this construction was like watching synchronized swimming, each step was coordinated and seemed to seamlessly flow from one step to the next. In a timely fashion, his high-quality home was built just as he had imagined it, and just as he had planned out ahead of time.

In this example of the construction project, the transactions included things like the excavation, the pouring of the foundation, purchasing the building supplies, working with the subcontractors, and using the right equipment to do the job. Every detail had been spelled out ahead of time in the architectural plan.

Can you imagine doing all these steps without having blueprints, a vision of the finished result, or the right workers to do the job?

This is no different than building the practice of your dreams.

Having a vision and formulating a plan are the keys to transforming your practice.

For you and your dental practice, start by asking yourself transformational questions like “What is my current situation?” Think of today’s reality and imagine your dental practice as an empty lot for your new home. “What do you want to build on your lot? What’s your dream for your dental practice?” In other words, “What kind of dental home do you want to construct for you, your team, and your patients?” Asking yourself questions like these helps you envision your ideal practice.

Other questions might include “What will your practice physically look like and what type of equipment will you purchase?

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What about your team?” It’s especially important to think about the people who will occupy your “dental home” with you. And how about the other occupants, your patients? “Who are the patients you’d like to serve? What procedures would you like to be doing? How about the quality of your dentistry, the quality of your team members work, and the quality of your patients?

What will your estimated costs be and how much would you like to make? What are the fees you’ll need to charge to make your dreams a reality?” The questions listed here are transformational in nature, getting you closer to envisioning your future practice.

You may have some of your own questions.

Looking for more happiness, more joy, and more financial fulfillment from your dental practice? Your first step is to stop and begin by drawing up a blueprint for the life you want, for the practice you want, with the team you desire, and with the type of patients you want to serve. Some dentists accomplish this on their own.

Others reach out to practice coaches or consultants to help them first organize their thoughts and secondly help them outline a plan to make their dreams a reality.

Whatever route you choose, start with a well thought out blueprint of your heart’s desires and make sure you hire the right team.

Remember to think “transformation before transaction”. When you start with transformational questions and a basic idea of your vision, you’ll end up having a more profitable practice, one you’ll enjoy, with a team and patients you’ll enjoy, one that will sustain itself for many years to come.

Dr. Robert Maguire DDS, MASCL is a dental speaker, coach, practice consultant, and DISC trainer, passionate about leadership and communication. If you’d like more information about Dr. Maguire and how he can help you and your team experience more fulfillment, more joy, and more financial success, visit https://www.thefulfillment.coach or email him at: contact@thefulfillment.coach.

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Impact

COVID-19 – WHAT IT DID AND DIDN'T DO Earl Douglas, DDS

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hat an outrageous year 2020 was for the dental profession, along with the rest of society. Dentists were literally on the front line of dealing with the COVID-19 crisis, being in the very mouths of patients and then creating an aerosol while we were there to complete the potential for spreading the infection.

The profession shut down for the most part from March to June as dentists geared up for how to treat patients and how to avoid creating super spreader events all day every day. Dentists were busy acquiring protective equipment, trying to retain staff, assuring patients, and all the other protocol and requirements that had to be implemented when they went back to work. The experience was reminiscent of the 1980's when AIDS was a fearsome and unknown disease that was every bit as frightening as COVID-19.

Even then, dentists learned how to treat victims of that disease while protecting themselves, their staff, and other patients.

The dental profession's approach to such dangerous situations was exemplary–dentists did not shrink away from the pathogens, but quickly and effectively learned to safely neutralize them in their daily practice.

From a financial aspect, the effects of COVID-19 were very unexpected to me. Given months of production lost, gearing up for COVID-19 protocol, extra time involved in providing treatment, patient bases where jobs, income, and insurance were lost, and just the plain unknown negative factors, I expected to see revenues and cash flow deeply damaged.

From a transition perspective, I had no idea what individual dentists’ responses would be to a whole new world of transition dynamics. Would the market be flooded with practices for sale and dentists trying to escape? Would doors just be closed without

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even an effort to sell? Would there be any market at all for practices when buyers are looking at the practice scene with utter confusion? Would our traditional practice acquisition lenders have any appetite for lending to anyone brave enough to buy a practice in those troubled times?

While many experts offered intelligent, well-reasoned, logical analysis and projections, I don't believe that any of them had a bead on what was going to happen other than coincidentally.

There were many parts moving in unpredictable directions and there was no way of knowing how they would all amalgamate at the end of the day.

We all heard the stories that dentists were going to get frightened and frustrated and flood the market with their practices, selling them for pennies on the dollar. At least that's what I heard from potential buyers. Then I heard that practices were going to be selling for premium prices and that it was going to be a seller's market. At least that's what practice owners were saying.

What really happened last year, and is still ongoing, really surprised me. What I saw was the normal number of sellers listing their practices with me. There was not a flood of sellers who screamed "Doctor says sell!!" There was the normal urgency for a sale, and while sellers were ready to close on their sale, their hair was not on fire. So in my experience I didn't see a change in the market of sellers.

I was then curious to see how owners' financial performances for the year were. I gave a lot of thought to how to account for the time that practices were closed. Eventually I settled on a technique for annualizing the time the practice was open. For example if the practice was open with a normal schedule for ten months in 2020, I divided the total year end revenues by 10 and then mulDentalEntrepreneur.com

tiplied by 12, just as I would annualize October 31 figures in any normal year.

This approach is not carved on any stone tablet and I agree it is an arbitrary approach to handling the data. I make no attempt to convince anyone else of its validity, but simply use this approach as a tool to analyze the data in order to draw a fair and precise comparison to other more normal years.

What I discovered surprised me in several ways. In every practice that I analyzed, the projected annualized revenues for 2020 were higher than the actual revenues for 2019! That was a real shocker since all of the empirical evidence pointed to lower revenues.

So why were the revenues higher than normal? You should have asked me thirty years ago, when I knew everything, but I can only speculate about the reasons and decided it really didn't matter anyway. The revenues are what they are.

I do have one hunch as to the cause though. I've always heard that when we take time off from work that we are more productive when we return with freshly charged batteries. If this were the case, given the average three months off in the spring, it would explain these results. A good takeaway would be that in order to have a most productive year, we should be taking more time off.

Another question and concern over COVID-19 was how would our lenders respond to the epidemic's effect. In a typically caring and gracious measure, almost all of the practice acquisition lenders that I work with voluntarily postponed monthly payments for current buyers, simply adding those payments to the end of the loan without even adding a premium for interest.

Our specialty lenders had varying approaches to lending going forward. Some tucked in their horns and withdrew while they tried to figure out what was going on and what to expect going forward. Others aggressively approved and funded loans for the buyers who wanted practice ownership, so overall there was no shortage of money for buyers who needed a loan to buy a practice, which, let's face it, was everyone.

While lenders were all scrambling with how to address the pandemic by asking for more individual monthly profit and loss reports, creating COVID-19 questionnaires, and any other efforts that they could think of, I was surprised how liberal they were with granting loans considering that all the data that they could gather still didn't give them a crystal ball to know exactly what the outcome would be. My humble but expert opinion here, I think they continued lending based on their trust, respect, and confidence gained by their history of lending to dentists. Dentists work through problems and they pay their loans.

Considering that the default rate on dental loans is under a half of one percent, when the average bank loan portfolio has a default rate of four times that rate, and even hitting near 9% in

2009-2010, lenders know that dentists are the safest borrowers they could hope for. Almost all of my lender relationships accepted my method of annualizing 2020 revenues and others just called 2020 a one-off and depended on 2019 revenues. Dentists' creditworthiness really paid off.

Finally, how did the buyer market react to the pandemic? I logically expected that no one would want to buy a closed dental practice last spring and I was right. But after practices reopened, buyer activity was back to normal and maybe a little higher.

I heard from associates that COVID-19 resulted in practice slowdowns and that their schedules, and paychecks were cut back or they were just fired. Many of these at-effect dentists decided that if there were going to be future repeats of those circumstances that they wanted to be the owner and not the one being cut back or fired. They wanted to be the last man standing and ownership was the only way they saw to do that.

As my word count starts to run out, I'll try to summarize what happened last year. I learned to place a lot more confidence in hearing what had actually happened than in hearing what was going to happen. There were a lot of always-certain, never-right voices out there and self-proclaimed experts who were generally broadcasting a self-serving message. Note to self–watch out for them.

But after watching the world go upside down, inside out, and be thrown through fiery hoops as we experienced a once in a lifetime (hopefully) event that caused tremendous suffering, pain, death, insolvency, isolation, and so much more misery than we ever could have imagined in our lifetime, we learned a very important fact. At the end of the day, the good luck and fortune of being a dentist spared our professionals from the enormous pain that so many others have been experiencing, leaving us in nearly as good of shape as when this all began.

Earl Douglas, DDS, MBA, principle of ADS South, LLC, began his dental career in 1971, practicing in the U. S. Army Dental Corps for six years and another five years in private practice. He began his dental transition career in 1982 and completed his MBA training in 1984.

His company, ADS South, LLC, performs appraisals, equity associateships, and sales of dental practices throughout the Southeast. In addition to his Doctor of Dental Surgery degree and Masters in Business Administration, Dr. Douglas earned the BVAL designation (Business Valuator Accredited in Litigation) from the Institute of Business Appraisers. He is the author of numerous published articles on practice transitions and has presented to numerous dental organizations. In 1996 Dr. Douglas organized ADS, the largest independent dental appraisal and brokerage organization in the country.

Launchpad

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hank you to Elijah Desmond and The Dental Tank for supporting Dental Entrepreneur and providing a launchpad to emerging leaders in the industry. The Dental Festival provides continuing education events, while traveling to desirable locations. They deliver creative, innovative, and engaging learning experiences to dental professionals.

Check out the new innovative companies featured at this years Dental Tank during The Dental Festival.

Dental Tank is where start up companies go to get strategic investors. Don’t miss next year in Nashville, July 6-10.

Kare Mobile is the only Dental Support Organization (DSO) dedicated to mobile, concierge dentistry. Harness the power and sophistication of big business, while maintaining the autonomy, attentiveness, and profitability of a private practitioner.

Markets shift. Recessions happen. Neighborhoods change. Mobile dentistry keeps you nimble, allowing you to efficiently adjust operations and stay profitable in our rapidly evolving world. The rules and regulations surrounding mobile clinics can be tricky.

We can help you navigate obstacles and (where legally permissible) achieve your dream of independence and or practice expansion. We are also strong supporters to expand access to comprehensive oral health care. 63 million people, more than one of every five U.S. residents, live in dental deserts. Mobile dentistry provides practitioners an opportunity to serve many in these areas, whether it be underserved socioeconomic communities or rural communities. The concept of mobile dentistry is not new, however, we believe our approach in reimagining the execution of it is.

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DentalVSS is revolutionizing the legacy model of dental practices by freeing up your dental team from costly and laborintensive administrative tasks and supporting them with virtual dental experts.

DentalVSS clients all over the country are seeing how the New Model for Independent Dentists™ provides the leverage of DSOs, giving entrepreneurial dentists improved managerial control while preserving clinical independence.

DentalVSS solutions provide a remarkably high ROI by capturing patient calls, filling the schedule, verifying insurance benefits, providing accurate and timely insurance and patient billing, and collecting your revenue.

While DentalVSS team works virtually through connections with your practice management and telephone systems, your “in house” dental team can focus on giving your patients the attention they deserve. Visit www.dentalvss.com to learn more.

Dental Safety Net builds and maintains a trusted network of dental professionals to help protect practices in times of need. It was designed by dentists, with dentists in mind, to provide professionals with extended protection when health events occur that would keep them from being able to practice.

“Instead of having to let go of your business, you can turn to your community of dentists to cover for you while you’re away,” says Dr. Bryan Brenner, co-founder of Dental Safety Net. Dental Safety Net’s collaborative network is ideal for dentists who are looking for additional peace of mind in protecting their business, patients, and their family.

For more information about Dental Safety Net, or to join a group, please visit https://dentalsafetynet.com/.

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Dentulu is the American Dental Association’s back to back winner of the “Cellarant Best of Class Technology” aiming to democratize the dental marketplace by introducing the best solutions available within the dental industry in their All-In-One platform. Dentulu’s mission is to provide a cohesive ecosystem that allows innovative dental companies and solutions to be consolidated in one place where dental professionals across the globe can find and utilize them with ease. Dentulu is best known for their award winning Teledentistry and mobile dentistry applications which are free to all dental professionals on the platform. As a company founded and funded mainly by Dentists and specialists, Dentulu is addressing the main day to day challenges faced by clinicians in their daily practice and has set its eyes towards global expansion.

Dr. Thomas Jackson has been in clinical practice as a periodontist and prosthodontist for over 20 years. He became frustrated when his patients literally could not clean their gums, teeth, and implants due to bridges, braces, or bonded retainers. For many of his patients, the challenge of using previously available oral hygiene aids was too great and therefore they just didn’t use them, risking failure of their teeth, implants and overall systemic health. The AutoFlosser was born out of this desperate need to allow anyone with connected dental appliances an easy yet effective method to remove harmful bacteria. Simply POINT the tip of The AutoFlosser into any dental space, turn the wheel, FLOSS the space, and SMILE knowing that your mouth is healthy.

Kasper is your dental practice management solution all-in-one. We’ve partnered and integrated seamlessly with Open Dental to provide every Open Dental practice in the nation the following services in one simple, convenient and reliable platform:

Pair Dental is a hiring marketplace for dental specialists. They match traveling dental specialists (like Oral Surgeons and Endodontists) to dental practice owners who want to bring their services in-house.

VoIP - Paperless Forms - Online Scheduling - Analytics - Patient Communication - Two-Way text - Task Management - Patient Status Dashboard

Cofounders Dr. Alex Molayem and Darius Somekhian started working on this project when they noticed many of their Specialist colleagues had a difficult time finding work. Now with over 2000 specialists and practice owners on their platform nationwide, they're changing the way specialists build their careers. In-house specialty has become a fast growing trend with many specialists choosing not to take on the debt and overhead of private practice.

All of these services work effortlessly together on Kasper all for the conveniently low price of: $499/mo.

This price will never go up. You’ll be locked in.

If you’re interested in learning more about how Kasper is changing the game for dental practices all over the country, book a 30-minute, no commitment demo with us at meetkasper.com or call us anytime at: 888-312-8245

Dentaboat is a simple, inexpensive, disposable isolation tool that anchors comfortably in a patient's mouth. The Dentaboat frees the hands of dental practitioners allowing them to work more efficiently and effectively on the isolated area. If you're have trouble navigating a watery mouth it is time to get on board with Dentaboat.

Cary Manaois, the inventor of the Dentaboat, has over 20 years of experience in the dental field. She began her career as a dental assistant in 1998 and went on to become a dental hygienist in 2008.

While working in public health, Cary invented the Dentaboat after struggling with various isolation products over the last two decades.

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Pair Dental is kind of like the Uber for dental specialty careers. If you're a specialist who has had a tough time filling your schedule OR if you're a practice looking to grow your team, connect with them here: www.pairdental.com

Sharp AF is a hygienist owned and operated company that offers instrument sharpening done by hand. This style of sharpening protects your investments for as long as possible, by reducing the amount of instrument removed in comparison to honing machines used by larger companies. All sharpening services provided by Sharp AF, are performed by a licensed dental hygienist. A sharp instrument reduces incidence of work injury and increases patient comfort.

Sharp AF prides itself on having turnaround times of one to two business days, because we know you need your instruments to do your job! Check us out at our website SharpAF.com.

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Launchpad

Weighing In With Anthony Baroud Luke Shapiro, DDS

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had the chance to interview Anthony Baroud, a 3rd year dental student at University of Chicago Illinois. He started the Youtube page Dental Digest in October of 2020, which is now one of the fastest growing pages with over 4 million subscribers! Anthony lets us into his life with details on how he manages it all!

So, have you done any interviews before?

I actually just did one for the Incisal Edge 32 most influential people.

Congratulations! How do you have time for dental school and a Youtube career?

I honestly don’t know. I used to wake up at 4-5 am. I don’t have a girlfriend, I don’t watch Netflix, and I don’t have much time to chill with friends. But I enjoy and love what I do every day.

What’s your schedule like?

Now I wake up at about 6 AM, workout, go to class nonstop, and then I take a nap. I get a second workout to get some energy and then I record and edit–that whole process is like 3-4 hours. Plus, I have to study, and then I go to bed and wake up the next day, ready to do it all again.

know I do it love it. Some will mess around with me and call me a celebrity. It makes me kind of shy. I kind of want to keep it a secret, haha. The students are supportive and want to learn more.

A lot of them are like, “How are you doing dental school and Youtube at once???” I think they don’t realize I’m making sacrifices elsewhere. Think about it, I have school and my channel. And fitness. Those are my 3 pillars. But yes, overall, the faculty have been supportive. They understand the magnitude and impact of it and they love it.

What are you thinking future wise?

I have a lot of ideas. I want to go the education or entertainment route and maybe create a 2nd channel with Dr. Oz type videos.

I see myself working 1-2 times per week. I like crown preps or anything with drilling.

What about your disclosing tablet idea?

I’ve worked with some people and gotten some samples. I’d like to have a product out by the end of Q3/Q4. No name yet, but it will come to me hopefully!

Have you been getting patient requests from this?

A lot of people say ‘I want you to be my dentist’, but nothing formal.

How long does it take you to edit a video?

It takes about 3 hours for a 5 minute video, for the whole thing.

Any favorite dental people in the social media world?

Wow, that's crazy. What do your school, friends, and patients think of the videos?

@DavidCohenDDS–great lifestyle content. @Dentologie is in Chicago and does great dental help info. @TheBentistOfficial has great reaction content. @Fleetingfilms–we have a collaboration!

Sometimes the faculty call me TikTok. Most of the doctors that

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Would you consider your videos ASMR? How did you get the idea to do that?

Definitely–I just use a shotgun microphone. The idea just evolved. Trial and error. I realized people liked this and I got a lot of engagement when I did the sound effects of the bristles and whatnot.

What about the fat glob? Aren’t we only supposed to recommend a pea size amount?

Hahaha, if you don’t swallow it, then you’re fine! At first I got a lot of hate mail from hygienists–they were heated! They said, “It doesn’t matter what toothbrush you use as long as you have proper technique.” I need to find these emails! But now I have someone else check my email–a management team does it for me. At the end of the day, I’m encouraging kids to brush their teeth and one day I’ll make a video about proper technique. The fat glob is just theatrical.

Do you get your brushes gifted to you?

Out of 100 toothbrushes, I’ve only been given 4 of them. The most expensive was the Sonicare one I bought for $400. I buy them so that I can say whatever I want. This way I can provide honest reviews without being bonded by a contract.

What’s your favorite social media platform?

I started on Youtube and then went to Tiktok and now I’m back on Youtube. I spend about 80% of my time there. I really should do more on Instagram, but I don’t.

Thank you for taking the time to chat today!

Thank you! This was fun–a nice break. Now I’m off to do some more editing. Have a good night!

Dr. Lucas Shapiro is a graduate of Washington University in St. Louis and Stony Brook University School of Dental Medicine, where he received his Doctor of Dental Surgery. He completed his post-doctoral orthodontic training at Tufts University School of Dental Medicine. He currently practices orthodontics at Lemchen Salzer Ortho in NYC. He started the Instagram page @futuredentists, works with the educational organization @ignitedds and has an orthodontic tiktok page @drshap.

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Index of Advertisers

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38 Fall 2021 Dental Entrepreneur

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