tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-69340982481971211612024-03-05T05:04:44.706-06:00The Daily GrindAGD Bloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09495044833994580808noreply@blogger.comBlogger1041125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6934098248197121161.post-82924275590693434422017-06-30T11:12:00.000-05:002017-06-30T11:12:58.635-05:00We’ve Moved!
To the Loyal Readers of The Daily Grind,
The Academy of General Dentistry (AGD) unveils a bright new look at agd.org. As part of this new look, we’ve moved The Daily Grind onto agd.org, where you can now access all of your AGD news sources in one place.
You also will find the tools and resources you’ve come to rely on, as well as new features and a fresh, modern look fit for our thriving AGD Blogshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00289136245476741988noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6934098248197121161.post-29367273594041287762017-06-23T10:39:00.000-05:002017-06-23T10:39:21.401-05:00Online Dental Information: Marvel or Myth?
No doubt we’ve all used or heard the phrase, “I read it on the internet.” But what this exactly means is unknown, not to mention risky. I’m certain that countless health care providers hear it all the time from their patients and clients. I gather information from the internet, too. Is an internet search a good thing or bad thing? It may be both.
Naturally, being able to sort through the AGD Blogshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00289136245476741988noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6934098248197121161.post-78685089269452271522017-06-15T10:33:00.000-05:002017-06-15T10:33:19.941-05:00Relationships Matter above Everything ElseAs we know, dentistry has entered a new economic reality — a reality that is reshaping the way in which we do business, as part of an industry whose foundation is built upon the appreciation and realization that relationships matter, above everything else. Yes, everything! Stated another way, no longer are our clinical skills the differentiator between success and failure. Rather, it is the AGD Blogshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00289136245476741988noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6934098248197121161.post-89688355408875748942017-06-06T08:35:00.000-05:002017-06-06T08:35:10.789-05:00Extinguishing Fires — Literally
“Doctor, the radio keeps turning off!”
So began my morning. Little did I know that within the hour, an electrician, my dental equipment repair team and an electrician would be in my office. My staff also would be cancelling all of my appointments for the day.“Why does the radio keep turning off?” I asked. No one knew. “By the way,” I said, “who is smoking a cigarette in my office at 7:50 a.m.?AGD Blogshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00289136245476741988noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6934098248197121161.post-20543638671888742532017-05-30T08:25:00.000-05:002017-05-30T08:25:02.083-05:00Sleep Apnea: Our Journey to Be Recognized as Physicians of the Oral Region
We dentists started as barber surgeons, with teeth as disposable as hair. The oral region was glossed over as unimportant by the medical community for thousands of years. A good friend of mine, a physiatrist (physical medicine and rehabilitation specialist), admitted to me that his education stopped at the temporomandibular (TM) joints and anything beyond that was a total mystery to him. In my AGD Blogshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00289136245476741988noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6934098248197121161.post-7673851648951274162017-05-22T13:24:00.002-05:002017-05-22T13:25:19.379-05:00What Do You Sell? Today’s dental economy is rapidly changing, and the dentist owner is challenged to remain current in every facet of his or her business, both clinically and operationally. There is a continuous wave of new materials, techniques and technology inundating us, begging for our attention 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
With the arrival of discount dentistry, social media, poor dental insurance AGD Blogshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00289136245476741988noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6934098248197121161.post-7130689571425369302017-05-15T08:50:00.000-05:002017-05-15T08:50:33.623-05:00Lend an Ear to a Fellow Dentist
It’s midweek, and you have a schedule that somehow just went way south. A staff member just informed you of a situation that will affect your schedule. An insurance claim denial waits on your desk to be appealed. Oh, and you just remembered you’re up for CPR renewal, and darn it, that model trimmer is still leaking. You know, it’s a typical day in our field. Needless to say, the drive home can AGD Blogshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00289136245476741988noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6934098248197121161.post-17889129434837052132017-05-08T10:55:00.000-05:002017-05-08T10:55:02.665-05:00Cross-Train for Dental SuccessCross-training is a way of life for the modern athlete, and no one in Chicago’s professional sports scene more illustrates that than Jake Arrieta, pitcher for the World Champion Chicago Cubs. His training regimen received quite a bit of press over the past baseball season for being so multidimensional. Yoga, Pilates, Olympics-style weight training, visualization and sports psychology were all AGD Blogshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00289136245476741988noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6934098248197121161.post-84887736559550749892017-05-05T08:58:00.001-05:002017-05-05T08:58:59.209-05:00Put on Your Thinking Caps!
One of the biggest struggles most dentists have is hiring the right people to be on their teams. For me, the ability to think through, understand and resolve tasks is a must-have trait for an applicant to be considered. I have found that the struggle is that people are not used to thinking anymore. The thinking-process concept is becoming obsolete.
In today’s younger generations, I feel AGD Blogshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00289136245476741988noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6934098248197121161.post-16104054453342562082017-05-01T08:57:00.000-05:002017-05-01T08:57:31.610-05:00Love What You Do
His name was Percy Faith. The eldest of eight children, born to Abraham and Minnie Faith in Toronto, he was a gifted violinist. Greatness was within him, and a vibrant future was his to command until one day he used his hands to put out a fire that was engulfing his youngest sister. She was badly burned and scarred, but he saved her life. Unfortunately, his hands were also badly burned and AGD Blogshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00289136245476741988noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6934098248197121161.post-27293916159837315912017-04-24T08:22:00.002-05:002017-04-24T08:22:15.483-05:00Part 3: What Defines a Successful Practice?
This is the third blog post in this series. (If you missed the first two, go back and read them; I will see you in a couple of minutes.)
OK, we have been talking about success. In the first blog post in this series, I talked about my opinion of what success means: being happy in your job. I don’t equate success with money. Although, I think if you love your job and are happy, you are goingAGD Blogshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00289136245476741988noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6934098248197121161.post-42043971515159667262017-04-19T10:04:00.000-05:002017-04-19T10:04:00.119-05:00The Dental Admission Test: Not Just an Entry Test
Does anyone remember the Dental Admission Test, aka, the DATs? For the nondentists, it is exactly as it reads: an admission test that must be passed successfully to enter dental school. Yes, I know I should have blocked it out of my memory once I saw that I had passed, but I thought about it recently.
The other day, I found myself — mouse in hand — staring at a two-dimensional screen but AGD Blogshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00289136245476741988noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6934098248197121161.post-72648567927873537772017-04-12T09:54:00.001-05:002017-04-12T09:54:29.022-05:00Asking for Referrals: The Most Powerful Marketing Tool in the World
In last month’s blog post, “Systems for Success,” I noted that there are more than 300 systems or procedures (excluding clinical) in any dental office that when properly designed, implemented and rehearsed serve as the blueprint to success. In fact, after reviewing hundreds of dental offices, including my own, I have found that well thought-out systems and protocols are at the core of highly AGD Blogshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00289136245476741988noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6934098248197121161.post-80104360918450113572017-04-07T08:31:00.002-05:002017-04-07T08:31:50.639-05:00Be Careful What You Wish For You’ve heard dentists say, “I want to be busier.”But have you noticed how much busier you are these days? Yes, dental practice owners are busier than ever. Perhaps they’re not always treating patients, but they’re definitely busier.Each of us probably has an extra, unpaid part-time job. Like most things in life, being busier came about slowly. This dawned on me when I began to spend a lot of timeAGD Blogshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00289136245476741988noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6934098248197121161.post-33077007156480365302017-03-31T09:48:00.000-05:002017-03-31T09:48:53.690-05:00Systems for SuccessBeautifully designed systems enable a well-trained team to deliver excellent dental care and superb customer service. Everything a team member does needs to be documented, rehearsed and mastered to ensure excellent results. Systems or standard operating procedures (SOPs) should be maintained in the practice’s operations manual and used for training new employees, continuing education, measuring AGD Blogshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00289136245476741988noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6934098248197121161.post-70005489854921323262017-03-28T09:58:00.000-05:002017-03-28T11:26:32.783-05:00Extending our ‘Best Before’ DatesAmong the many things I have enjoyed in my lifetime, I have had the opportunity to appear on stage as a stand-up comedian. Personally, I find a lot of comedy routines today to be filled with objectionable language or focused on insulting certain groups or too topical and, thus, not enduringly funny. Me? I just wonder about things, such as:
If you leave sheep out in the rain, will they shrink?
AGD Blogshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00289136245476741988noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6934098248197121161.post-26886450316645266162017-03-20T10:04:00.000-05:002017-03-21T11:36:56.340-05:00Part 2: What Defines a Successful Practice?
This is my second blog post in which I strive to define success through my eyes. In my previous blog post, I talked about how I feel like success is always measured in dollars. (If you haven’t yet read it, I recommend you do. It is a must-read. I mean: Pulitzer Prize-type stuff.) I also discussed that while making money is important, regardless of how much money you make, it will never be AGD Blogshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00289136245476741988noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6934098248197121161.post-42486597668537918182017-03-17T15:01:00.000-05:002017-03-17T15:01:36.734-05:00Striving to Be Like the $350,000 Man
I read an article a few weeks back — when my beloved Pittsburgh Steelers were still in the playoff picture — about how linebacker James Harrison, at the ripe ol’ age of 38, spends $350,000 a year on maintenance, conditioning and recovery of his body. He’s still making body-shivering collisions with players who are half his age and remains at the top of his game, so it clearly works. He’s even AGD Blogshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00289136245476741988noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6934098248197121161.post-12703699419170667182017-03-13T12:28:00.003-05:002017-03-13T12:28:43.532-05:00Turn a ‘Triple Play’ for Your Patients
There are so many reasons I love being the team dentist for the Chicago Bandits.
Are you familiar with the Bandits? The four-time league champion women’s professional fast-pitch softball team plays every summer out of their beautiful stadium in west-suburban Rosemont, Illinois. My role as the Bandits’ team dentist is so fulfilling. On a personal level, and as the father of two daughters, AGD Blogshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00289136245476741988noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6934098248197121161.post-35006345771429953602017-03-07T08:19:00.000-06:002017-03-07T08:19:14.763-06:00Dentist and Dental Assistant: A Necessary Duo
I’m sure we’ve all been there: Our dental assistant tells us that he or she is resigning. You know, the one who has the whole office put together and knows it like the back of his or her hand. The one whom you know, deep in your heart, you’d rather not function without.
I’ve worked with numerous assistants throughout my career, and over the years, I’ve understood their job to be a difficult one AGD Blogshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00289136245476741988noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6934098248197121161.post-88093537384466240942017-03-01T11:26:00.002-06:002017-03-01T11:26:39.818-06:00The Profitability Factor in Selling a PracticeAt the ripe old age of 52, I am starting to consider selling my practice and pursuing other opportunities that have been presented to me. As may be the case with most of you, I am a planner. No final decisions have been made, and we’ll see what the future brings. However, I want to share some things that I have learned because, eventually, each one of us will be selling our practices.Let me beginAGD Blogshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00289136245476741988noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6934098248197121161.post-17122588794344744442017-02-23T13:35:00.000-06:002017-02-23T13:35:08.381-06:00Four Ways to Boost Your Internal Marketing EffortsNo matter where we run our business, we have to remain relevant in our communities. I believe in branding — creating some type of image or logo that represents you and your office. Once you have established your brand, you can really start to create an image to share with the public, which will communicate what your mission is and what it is that your office has to offer. If your brand expressionAGD Blogshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00289136245476741988noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6934098248197121161.post-73015648966603439382017-02-14T09:15:00.002-06:002017-02-14T09:15:38.786-06:00Career Choices
My parents grew up during the Great Depression. My father, an exceptionally bright man, never went past grade 10 due to the financial pressures and costs associated with trying to keep him in school. He dreamt about being a lawyer but never became one; instead, he became a salesman in the men’s and boys’ fashion industry.
My parents grew up in a time with many others who were immigrants who had AGD Blogshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00289136245476741988noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6934098248197121161.post-18828998987235762582017-02-08T08:33:00.000-06:002017-02-08T08:33:31.222-06:00Transform Your Life by Setting Goals
A goal often has been defined as the terminal point of a journey or a measurable and observable end result. When we think about setting goals, the first thing that usually comes to mind is making a new year’s resolution. If you are like me, then you probably have multiple goals for 2017 and beyond — goals that incorporate your business, family, health and finances and a yearning to serve others;AGD Blogshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00289136245476741988noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6934098248197121161.post-91137309843455528992017-02-02T11:10:00.002-06:002017-02-02T11:10:31.639-06:00What Defines a Successful Practice?After a reading some blog posts focused on what it takes to have a successful practice, I started to ask myself about success. I started to ponder what a successful practice looks like. Of all the things I read, there was one aspect I wasn’t seeing being discussed — how to set up a practice in order to be happy, not just profitable. Somehow, we have always equated success with making money and AGD Blogshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00289136245476741988noreply@blogger.com2