Don’t you wish that there are more objective reviews and comparisons of dental practice management software on the web? I’ve wished the same thing for years. Choosing a package with which to run your office is a huge commitment in cost and staff education. How that package scales with you, is supported by the manufacturer, and streamlines your office is something that you can really only figure out after you use one for a prolonged period of time. Reviewing and comparing these software packages in that depth is something that just isn’t really practical.

Every producer of these packages has testimonials and positive reviews on their website. They all say they do the really important stuff that we dentists need them to do. So, how can you really choose which one might work best for your office?

The answer is that each and every one of them will work for you. The pluses and minuses that each has washes out in the end if the software is continuously updated by the manufacturer. And most of the popular packages are updated regularly.

In the end, as so many things in life are, word of mouth carries the greatest impact in choosing a package. Packages that people have used or seen in other offices, that staff learned in school, and that people hear others speaking of positively will tend to generate more sales. Social media is a great way, if not the best way, to market your product with that word of mouth thought behind it.

Unfortunately word of mouth advertising can kick you in the ass and if you decide to open up the web as your mouthpiece, expect that you might have some bad stuff indelibly placed on the web for all to see forever…

Read the rest of this entry »

Let your inner voice have complete freedom. Allow others to know everything you’re thinking.

From a patient that I saw yesterday for a consultation:

I’m with a new dentist now. I left my previous dentist because one day when she was drilling my tooth and you could smell that tooth dust smell she told her assistant that that was the smell of money.

Action: When referring a patient to a specialist, and the specialist’s office says that they are booking 2 months down the road, get on the phone personally and demand to know how many hours per week the specialist works. Something like this is particularly effective: “Two months!? How many days a week do you work? One??”

This scores your office lots of fuck you points and pretty much guarantees that if you try to refer other patients in the future they’ll probably have to wait even longer. Why not teach the specialist “a lesson” by not referring any further patients to them.

Action: You know the excess pieces of composite resin that you remove while grossly shaping the filling prior to curing it? Well why not save those pieces under a dark dappen dish to use on your next patient that needs a filling.

This will actually be your next patient because all of your patients these days seem to need pit and fissure fillings for some reason. Could that reason have anything to do with the fact that you’re planning on putting your practice up for sale soon and want to show prospective purchasers high production numbers?

I’ve worked for people, under people, with people, and been in charge of people. I’ve also read lots of resumes and CVs.

Isn’t it funny how some people think that a fancy job title makes them more important? I’ve actually used this point to my advantage when hiring. There is a surplus of dental auxiliaries looking for jobs with fancy “management” titles. So much so that the best staff I’ve ever found, who are a pleasure to work with and who do an effective job, are the ones who appreciate the job for what it is and not what it’s called.
Read the rest of this entry »