I wrote a blog on Friday but the people upstairs said they couldn't publish it. But I thought it was an important blog, so I have tried to clean it up so it is legal. In the original I asked about fees and I think that is a no-no. Here is the cleaned up version.I thought for sure I was going to get lots of comments from last Wednesday's blog. I asked you a question, and I got one answer. Maybe I wasn't clear. I don't have a line item on my health history that has anything social on it. Do you? And if you do, do you ask if someone is single, married, divorced, widowed, or has a life partner? And I was not suggesting that anyone should ask is a patient is sexually active; I was simply saying that some physicians do.
Anyway, dentistry is a profession that can make you feel alone. This blog is a good way to make people feel like they are not alone. I do a great deal of stuff to not feel alone. I go to study clubs. I have friends that are dentists. But how much do we really talk about sensitive issues?
Today I was thinking I could do a survey and get an idea of what you guys are like. But there HAS to be some active participation on your part. I want to find out how you guys are doing and what you guys are doing. Let’s do this so we can help each other out. Make us feel less like we are on an island.
A friend wrote me an email last week. He was second guessing his fees. "John, how much do you charge for X?" This guy is just like us. He has been doing his thing for a couple of years and then realizes it might be different from everyone else (sometimes this is good and sometimes not). Maybe this will help guys like him.
First and foremost, I want this to be totally anonymous. When you comment, don't forget to press anonymous (even if you don't care if people know who you are).
Where do you practice?
Is it rural or urban?
How old are you?
How long have you been practicing dentistry?
What type of practice are you in? (Solo, group, government-owned?)
Tell me your role in this practice (i.e. owner, associate, hourly dentist, hygienist, office manager).
On a scale of 1-10 (10 being the highest), how happy are you in life?
On a scale of 1-10 (10 being the highest), how happy are you in dentistry?
On a scale of 1-10 (10 being the highest), how stressed are you at work?
On a scale of 1-10 (10 being the highest), how stressed are you at home?
How many employees do you have? Spell it out for me: 2 doctors, 3 hygienists, 4 assistants, 3 up front.
What type of practice do you have? (Family, cosmetic, restorative?)
How many hygiene spots do you have in a day, and how much time are you allotting per appointment?
How many crowns do you do in a year?
How many fillings do you do?
Are you more prone to practice the way I practice and maybe do a MODL or would you do a crown?
How much lower (or higher) is your production, as an office, for the last year?
What does it look like for this year?
Does how you are doing financially directly correlate to how happy you are? (I think it is a valid question. I try really hard to stay even keeled regardless of the schedule. My father, who I love dearly, will see a slow day at the huddle and will be a bear to work with. If he sees a busy schedule, he walks around whistling.)
I think if you cut the questions and then paste them into your comment section you can answer with a lot less typing. I will do this too, but I can't be the first because you will all know it is me. I think this is important.
Hope the Gators beat the Dawgs and save our season. (This obviously didn't happen. WE SUCK.)I am taking the boys to the UF vs Vandy game this weekend. The game is at noon. I was thinking about what time I have to start drinking so I can handle this kind of pain (the AGD does not condone drinking to dull life pain) and if I can get that drunk without my boys knowing it. Mercifully, the season is almost over.
Basketball season is just around the corner. Got new seat assignments this year. Behind the basket, first level, row 2!!! My son already asked if we are going to paint our faces because of all the TV time we are going to get.
Just a Halloween pic of 3 of the 6 of us (and no that isn't my belt or belt buckle or shirt or hat (but I do look good in it).
I appreciate you. Hope you are having a good week.
john
12 comments:
Where do you practice? Indiana
Is it rural or urban? suburban
How old are you? 53
How long have you been practicing dentistry? 28 years
What type of practice are you in? (Solo, group, government-owned?) group
Tell me your role in this practice (i.e. owner, associate, hourly dentist, hygienist, office manager).Owner
On a scale of 1-10 (10 being the highest), how happy are you in life?
On a scale of 1-10 (10 being the highest), how happy are you in dentistry? 8
On a scale of 1-10 (10 being the highest), how stressed are you at work? Depends on the day! And whether I am on time! Usually 3-5
On a scale of 1-10 (10 being the highest), how stressed are you at home? 1, unless my spouse, also my practice administrator insists on a business meeting at home, then 7-8
How many employees do you have? Spell it out for me: , 2 doctors, 5 PT hygienists, 4 assts, 3 admin
What type of practice do you have? (Family, cosmetic, restorative?)family
How many hygiene spots do you have in a day, and how much time are you allotting per appointment? 8-9, 1 hour for adult, 40 minutes kiddie on average
How many crowns do you do in a year?
How many fillings do you do?
Are you more prone to practice the way I practice and maybe do a MODL or would you do a crown? depends on past history of tooth, presence of fx. ex: multiple failures on restoration, far sub ging , difficulty with contacts, fx, equals crown. Routine decay, more likely to do restoration
How much lower (or higher) is your production, as an office, for the last year? equal to last year, 10% lower than 5 yra ago
What does it look like for this year? Not sure I really want to look too close, bills are paid,, I am paid. I got a vacation this year so I am happy.
Does how you are doing financially directly correlate to how happy you are? (I think it is a valid question. I try really hard to stay even/// If I can add some equipment to update the practice, if I can give raises to deserving employees, pay myself and celebrate emp anniversaries without running short, I feel very good about the practice and I am happy. Goes right downhill if not, then I am VERY stressed. Reminds me of the first years of practice where I sweated the payroll each time and I HATE that. I think it makes me feel like a failure even if the shortfall is due to higher taxes than expected or other things completely out of my control, and even if it only happens once in a while.
Where do you practice? Mid Atlantic region
Is it rural or urban? less that 250,000 people
How old are you? I'm a dinosaur
How long have you been practicing dentistry? 34 years
What type of practice are you in? Solo 3 days a week
Tell me your role in this practice Owner/ dentist
On a scale of 1-10 (10 being the highest), how happy are you in life? 9+ most days
On a scale of 1-10 (10 being the highest), how happy are you in dentistry? 9+
On a scale of 1-10 (10 being the highest), how stressed are you at work? 1-2
On a scale of 1-10 (10 being the highest), how stressed are you at home? 0
How many employees do you have? Spell it out for me: 1 front; 1 hygienist, 2 DA II Used to be many more
What type of practice do you have? I have gone back to what I term as "comprehensive dentistry" easy to complicated comprehensive rehabilitation, from 3-80 y.o. with diagnosis of optimum treatment and emphasis on patient education. Cosmetic with emphasis on function.
How many hygiene spots do you have in a day, and how much time are you allotting per appointment? I have 8 spots; 1 hr/patient. (Emphasis on education of patients-we are a relationship based practice.)
How many crowns do you do in a year? 150-500
How many fillings do you do? more than crowns. Are you using "fillings" to restore caries or to restore occlusal harmony and guidance. Do you consider interim restorations until issues with ortho, surgery, possible endo treatment, or financial concerns are resolved??
Are you more prone to practice the way I practice and maybe do a MODL or would you do a crown? I educate the patient so that they are capable of making that decision as informed and sentient. I do find that I practice more building up than cutting down of viable teeth these days.
How much lower (or higher) is your production, as an office, for the last year? I am down about 7-10%
What does it look like for this year? I have elected to work outside of the office to keep from taking my usual draw and to supplement my charities.
Does how you are doing financially directly correlate to how happy you are?
I think when you feel secure, you are much happier. The key is to discern how much wealth we do have and not how rich we are. Don't overextend yourself financially, physically, or mentally. Just learn to appreciate where you are and who you are at this point in time. I was told many years ago that the first 1/3 of your life is for learning the second 1/3 is for earning and the end of your life is for sharing and caring. I get much pleasure, even if I am volunteering in a free clinic, from the knowledge that I can help someone to be better when they leave than when they came in. . . that makes me much better for the gift of that relationship. Does leaving a place better than when you came sound like a scout motto or just a great steward?
Where do you practice? City with 500k pop.
Is it rural or urban? Urban
How old are you? 32
How long have you been practicing dentistry? 18 months
What type of practice are you in? group 2 dentists total
Tell me your role in this practice . Associate
On a scale of 1-10 (10 being the highest), how happy are you in life? 6
On a scale of 1-10 (10 being the highest), how happy are you in dentistry? 4, love doing dentistry, dislike being a dentist
On a scale of 1-10 (10 being the highest), how stressed are you at work? 8. Mostly because I'm not busy
On a scale of 1-10 (10 being the highest), how stressed are you at home? 6. I have two young kids, working spouse and plenty of debt
How many employees do you have? 2 doctors, 2 FTE hygienists, 3 assistants, 2 up front.
What type of practice do you have? (Family, cosmetic, restorative?) yes, yes, yes
How many hygiene spots do you have in a day, and how much time are you allotting per appointment? 8-9 per hygienist, 50 minutes
How many crowns do you do in a year? 20
How many fillings do you do? Lots
Are you more prone to practice the way I practice and maybe do a MODL or would you do a crown? Much more likely to composite, but prefer using cerec
How much lower (or higher) is your production, as an office, for the last year? Office is up this year, but I've only been there 7 months
What does it look like for this year? First 9 months of being a dentist, I produced $45k... It was awful.... Since then I've produced $200k. Much better, but still expected to have more opportunity to produce/work harder/make more
Does how you are doing financially directly correlate to how happy you are? (I think it is a valid question. I try really hard to stay even keeled regardless of the schedule. My father, who I love dearly, will see a slow day at the huddle and will be a bear to work with. If he sees a busy schedule, he walks around whistling.). Definitely happier when busy for many reasons; when busy, getting to spend day with patients, idle staff is the devil's playground, day goes faster, justifies spending the day away from my kids. But I still try not to be a bear to the people around me.
Great info --- another great post to read --- thanks! Looking forward to your next post.
Where do you practice?Michigan
Is it rural or urban?rural, town of 25,000
How old are you?51
How long have you been practicing dentistry?25 yrs
What type of practice are you in? solo
Tell me your role in this practice owner/dentist
On a scale of 1-10 (10 being the highest), how happy are you in life?8
On a scale of 1-10 (10 being the highest), how happy are you in dentistry?7
On a scale of 1-10 (10 being the highest), how stressed are you at work?4
On a scale of 1-10 (10 being the highest), how stressed are you at home?2
How many employees do you have? 1 DDS, 2FT Hyg, 2PT Hyg, 1 Asst, 1 front desk, 1 office manager.
What type of practice do you have? family
How many hygiene spots do you have in a day, and how much time are you allotting per appointment?16, 60 min. plus or minus depending on situation, kids 45 min.
How many crowns do you do in a year?200-250
How many fillings do you do?lots
Are you more prone to practice the way I practice and maybe do a MODL or would you do a crown?I prefer crown, but it's ultimately pte's call.
How much lower (or higher) is your production, as an office, for the last year?
What does it look like for this year?down about %15
Does how you are doing financially directly correlate to how happy you are?as long as bills are paid and payroll is covered, not really.
Where do you practice? Houston, Texas
Is it rural or urban? Urban
How old are you? 34
How long have you been practicing dentistry? Since 2005
What type of practice are you in? group 2 dentists total
Tell me your role in this practice . Partner
On a scale of 1-10 (10 being the highest), how happy are you in life? 8
On a scale of 1-10 (10 being the highest), how happy are you in dentistry? 8, It's a job some days but most of the days it is wondeful and rewarding
On a scale of 1-10 (10 being the highest), how stressed are you at work? Depends but usually around 4-5
On a scale of 1-10 (10 being the highest), how stressed are you at home? 4-5. I have two young kids, working spouse and plenty of debt
How many employees do you have? 2 doctors, 2 FTE hygienists, 2 assistants, 2 up front.
What type of practice do you have? (Family, cosmetic, restorative?) yes, yes, yes
How many hygiene spots do you have in a day, and how much time are you allotting per appointment? 8-9 per hygienist, 60 minutes
How many crowns do you do in a year? 50-60
How many fillings do you do? a good number
Are you more prone to practice the way I practice and maybe do a MODL or would you do a crown? Big composites generally get turned into a CEREC inlay / onlay or a crown
How much lower (or higher) is your production, as an office, for the last year? Office is up this year, due to the growth of my portion of the practice and hygiene
What does it look like for this year? The year should turn out pretty well overall for the office. I am happy with the growth we have had and think we can finish strong in spite of a few so-so months
Does how you are doing financially directly correlate to how happy you are? I think it correlates but it isn't the sole determing factor. I teach at the dental school part time which helps me be happy with my career when things at the office aren't as fun. I derive a lot of joy from my wife and kids. It helps when we get a good quarterly bonus / ddistribution of profits but overall I think I would be generally happy even if my income was a little flat. I certainly might be more stressed but I know there are some things I could cut out that would simplify some financial aspects in my life.
Where do you practice? Southern California
Is it rural or urban? It's SoCal
How old are you? 27
How long have you been practicing dentistry? almost 2 years
What type of practice are you in? (Solo, group, government-owned?) 2 dentists: owner + associate
Tell me your role in this practice (i.e. owner, associate, hourly dentist, hygienist, office manager). associate
On a scale of 1-10 (10 being the highest), how happy are you in life? 9
On a scale of 1-10 (10 being the highest), how happy are you in dentistry? 6 (who the hell answered 9+?!?!?!)
On a scale of 1-10 (10 being the highest), how stressed are you at work? 10 lol
On a scale of 1-10 (10 being the highest), how stressed are you at home? 3
How many employees do you have? 2 doctors, 2-4 assistants depending on day, 0 hygienists, 1 up front
What type of practice do you have? (Family, cosmetic, restorative?) we do it all
How many hygiene spots do you have in a day, and how much time are you allotting per appointment? no hygienist, but we see ~8-10 recalls per day, 1 hr
How many crowns do you do in a year? 150ish?
How many fillings do you do? a million
Are you more prone to practice the way I practice and maybe do a MODL or would you do a crown? I would do a MODL, my boss would do a crown. I get yelled at all the time for not being aggressive enough with my treatment plans, hence the 10 for stress level at work.
How much lower (or higher) is your production, as an office, for the last year? N/A- I'm too young of a dentist to be comparing years.
What does it look like for this year? N/A
Does how you are doing financially directly correlate to how happy you are? I get paid per day, not by production. Some days this is a good thing, most days I'm completely taken advantage of and overworked. However, I would rather work hard, learn a lot, and be happy about the challenges I'm given while I'm young and have a stable, constant paycheck coming in, than stressing about production and how much money I'm going to make every week.
Where do you practice? Idaho
Is it rural or urban? rural
How old are you? 36
How long have you been practicing dentistry? 6 yrs
What type of practice are you in? solo
Tell me your role in this practice (owner
On a scale of 1-10 (10 being the highest), how happy are you in life? 8
On a scale of 1-10 (10 being the highest), how happy are you in dentistry? 7
On a scale of 1-10 (10 being the highest), how stressed are you at work? 5
On a scale of 1-10 (10 being the highest), how stressed are you at home? 3
How many employees do you have? Spell it out for me: 1 doctor, 2 hygienists, 2 assistants, 1 up front.
What type of practice do you have? Family,
How many hygiene spots do you have in a day, and how much time are you allotting per appointment? 8-16 (depends on the day) 60 minutes
How many crowns do you do in a year? 150 average
How many fillings do you do? alot
Are you more prone to practice the way I practice and maybe do a MODL or would you do a crown? let the patient choose
How much lower (or higher) is your production, as an office, for the last year? lower 10%
What does it look like for this year? 5% lower than last year
Where do you practice?chicago
Is it rural or urban?south burb of chicago
How old are you?36
How long have you been practicing dentistry? 8. I brought my practice last year(sept/10). was an associate prior to that at various offices.
What type of practice are you in? solo
Tell me your role in this practice . owner
On a scale of 1-10 (10 being the highest), how happy are you in life?8
On a scale of 1-10 (10 being the highest), how happy are you in dentistry?7
On a scale of 1-10 (10 being the highest), how stressed are you at work?6
On a scale of 1-10 (10 being the highest), how stressed are you at home?6
How many employees do you have? one hygienists, one up front and one assistant.
What type of practice do you have? (Family, cosmetic, restorative?)all of it.
How many hygiene spots do you have in a day, and how much time are you allotting per appointment? 6-8 spots. 1 hr for maint and recalls. 1.5 for srp's for two quads. I have some questions? Previous dentist guaranteed 6 hrs to the hygienist, weather a p.t come or not. Is this standard? Do offices normally guarantee any hrs to their hygienist if they get paid by the hr? I never had a hygienist, so I don't know? My hygienist is great and p.t love her, but if we have 2-3 cancellations couple times a week, it does add up.
How many crowns do you do in a year?85. Less then previous dentist.
How many fillings do you do?>500
Are you more prone to practice the way I practice and maybe do a MODL or would you do a crown? Yes, but let p.t choose.
How much lower (or higher) is your production, as an office, for the last year? n/a
What does it look like for this year?off by 10%
Does how you are doing financially directly correlate to how happy you are? I wanna say no, but it does to a certain extant. I actually make less now then as an associate. But I wouldn't go back, I know slowly I will build up my practice.
Where do you practice? Winnipeg, Canada
Is it rural or urban? Sub-urban
How old are you? 32
How long have you been practicing dentistry? 1+ year
What type of practice are you in? Group
Tell me your role in this practice? Full time associate
On a scale of 1-10 (10 being the highest), how happy are you in life? 8
On a scale of 1-10 (10 being the highest), how happy are you in dentistry? 8
On a scale of 1-10 (10 being the highest), how stressed are you at work? 2
On a scale of 1-10 (10 being the highest), how stressed are you at home? 7-a bitchy wife and a 3 yr old doesn't give me enough time to relax :-(
How many employees do you have? 4 doctors (two owners, two associate),5 front desk ladies, 2 office managers (one exclusively for finances and preauthorizations; and the other one for general publicity and everything-more like a family member), one office supply and dental patient's manager, One hygiene patient's manager, 8 hygienists, 5 assistants-hygienists flip shifts because we are open till 8 on two days and also open on Saturday. All others are full time except two front desk receptionists. That lot of staff!
What type of practice do you have? Totally family dentistry-don't even do office bleaching (believe in at home bleaching or crest strips-cheaper for the patient), Believe in amalgams on posteriors where possible.
How many hygiene spots do you have in a day, and how much time are you allotting per appointment? we had 33 hygiene appointments yesterday and it was a short day too i.e till 5 O clock only. 60 minutes for adult prophy/ scaling + fluoride and polish. 30 minutes for minors.
How many crowns do you do in a year? Tons-i don't do that many but others are always doing crowns an average is at least 2 per day in the office if not 4+
How many fillings do you do? Millions would be correct to state here.
Are you more prone to practice the way I practice and maybe do a MODL or would you do a crown? MODL all the way, even MODLB with a pin... unless it breaks again-we inform the patient they need a crown but we do the filling as much as possible. Crown only if we feel that the tooth is going to be non-restorable if it breaks further or if the patient wants it done sooner than later. We give patients all the options. It's very patient friendly practice-very cheap for patient and very functional mouth. It's not at an upscale region in the city.
How much lower (or higher) is your production, as an office, for the last year? I am sure it is higher because even a rookie dentist like me has been producing over 390K per year for them. Though i don't ask them because it is none of my business to be honest.
What does it look like for this year? For me it has been better than last year but wait till i have to pay taxes.
Does how you are doing financially directly correlate to how happy you are? Not really, it doesn't necessarily makes me happy but it does make me more satisfied knowing i am providing well for my daughter and my family. I haven't gone for any trip every since i started and i am not starving for one either. And i am the one who works tues-saturday plus two evenings per week. Pretty brutal schedule if you consider that, but i don't mind it a bit.
Hey Dr. G... Just wanted to say that I LOVE your blog & read it religiously. Please keep it up!
Where do you practice? East coast of FL
Is it rural or urban? Suburban
How old are you? 25
How long have you been practicing dentistry? 6 mos (Class of '11! Brand new!)
What type of practice are you in? Corporate group practice
Tell me your role in this practice associate.
On a scale of 1-10 (10 being the highest), how happy are you in life? 8.. but my student loan payments haven't started yet...
On a scale of 1-10 (10 being the highest), how happy are you in dentistry? Well, it depends on the day.. I just cemented my first big cosmetic case the other day, which ranked at about an 11 on the scale :) They fit great, looked great, patient loved them, and it was the most awesome feeling ever. Another day, a denture delivery and two different crown deliveries went completely wrong & needed re-impressions. That day was more like a 1. So yeah, I guess it varies...
On a scale of 1-10 (10 being the highest), how stressed are you at work? Probably an 8? Every single day something new comes up that I never even heard of in school and I constantly question every decision I make. Random treatment decisions even keep me up at night... Is this normal?
On a scale of 1-10 (10 being the highest), how stressed are you at home? 1. I have an awesome home life.
How many employees do you have? Spell it out for me: 2 doctors, 1.5 hygenist, 4 assistants, 2 up front
What type of practice do you have? corporate group.. takes all insurance, you get the idea...
How many hygiene spots do you have in a day, and how much time are you allotting per appointment?Not sure about appts/day, but I think it's 1hr for 2quads SRP & 30mins/prophy.
How many crowns do you do in a year? I do about 7/week so far
How many fillings do you do? a LOT
Are you more prone to practice the way I practice and maybe do a MODL or would you do a crown? I haven't practiced long enough to give a blanket statement to this question. I do both frequently and am still figuring it out... I will say that I hate to cut unnecessary tooth structure & would never cut a tooth down for a crown when I thought a conservative MODL would serve them better.
How much lower (or higher) is your production, as an office, for the last year? N/A
What does it look like for this year? Better than when I was in the negative as a student :)
Does how you are doing financially directly correlate to how happy you are? Well, considering I have been broke for as long as I can remember, I will say that I feel much happier & more secure getting a paycheck every two weeks than when I was very recently living off of mcdonalds & ASDA lunch & learns. But as far as a direct correlation between $ & happiness, nah... I think I basically love dentistry & as long as I can pay the bills, I'm a pretty happy camper. I just can't wait to run my own show! Also, I read in another post that you gave lectures directed to new dentists... will you be giving another one any time soon? or do you know of any other speakers that will be giving one? Go Gators!
Where do you practice? Southern California
Is it rural or urban? suburban sprawl
How old are you? 29
How long have you been practicing dentistry? 5
What type of practice are you in? (Solo, group, government-owned?) group
Tell me your role in this practice (i.e. owner, associate, hourly dentist, hygienist, office manager).managing partner
On a scale of 1-10 (10 being the highest), how happy are you in life? 9
On a scale of 1-10 (10 being the highest), how happy are you in dentistry? 8
On a scale of 1-10 (10 being the highest), how stressed are you at work? 5
On a scale of 1-10 (10 being the highest), how stressed are you at home? 3
How many employees do you have? Spell it out for me: 2 doctors, 3 hygienists, 4 assistants, 3 up front. 3 doctors, 2 hygienist, 3 assistants, 2 front office
What type of practice do you have? (Family, cosmetic, restorative?)Family practice
How many hygiene spots do you have in a day, and how much time are you allotting per appointment? 8 spots a day 1 hour per appointment
How many crowns do you do in a year? 150
How many fillings do you do? 300
Are you more prone to practice the way I practice and maybe do a MODL or would you do a crown? I would do a crown instead of an MODL
How much lower (or higher) is your production, as an office, for the last year? Looks like we will be exactly the same as last year
What does it look like for this year? we should be really close to hitting our figures from last year
Does how you are doing financially directly correlate to how happy you are? No, I think that depends on other factors in my life....family issues, feeling productive, etc...not just how much that I bring in each day
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