Ed Rabinowitz

“The more time you take with [patients] and the more sense and sensibility you convey to them that you’re truly understanding of what their issues are, there isn’t anything that’s dismissed.” - Sue Liebman, D.M.D.

Not all teeth are created equal. Those are the thoughts of orthodontist Sue Liebman, D.M.D., as she explains that peoples’ teeth are like an oral fingerprint. As such, she has developed a highly collaborative approach to the oral care she provides to her patients, involving them in the decision-making process every step of the way.

If there were odds on what children might grow into orthodontists, Liebman of 

That’s because Liebman grew up in the field. Her father became an orthodontist in the early 1960s, and could never have imagined doing anything else. He loved practicing orthodontics as well as teaching it. That love rubbed off on his daughter, who spent time at the practice since she was a child.

“I think our personalities just meshed,” Liebman recalls. “There were no conflicts. There were patients who would come in and request me, and he took pride in that rather than being insulted in any way. It was really a nice collaboration, a nice partnership.”

Now, Liebman has taken the concept of ‘collaboration’ to a new level.

Liebman takes a collaborative approach to her patients’ oral health. She believes there is no straight line to straight teeth, nor one approach or treatment that fits everyone. What fuels that approach, she explains, far beyond simply being a provider of information and orthodontic services.

“What I derive the most enjoyment from is really listening to my patients,” Liebman says. “Every patient’s mouth is unique, and their circumstances are also unique. When they come in for a consultation, it truly is a chance for me to hear what it is that’s of concern to them.”

So Liebman listens. And then she provides them with the information they need from a health standpoint, and from a function standpoint. She says that with all the options available in orthodontics today, the key is putting hers and the patient’s heads together to figure out what treatment options and modalities they can manage with from a lifestyle preference.

In effect, it truly is a collaboration between the patient and the office to determine what it is the patient wants, what they’re going to be happy with, what they’re going to be able to manage, and what they feel comfortable with.

“I think that’s what really makes the experience so nice for our patients” Liebman says. “It really gives us a chance to work together and get to know them and understand them, and have them be heard, and have their concerns listened to and addressed.”

Involving patients in the decision-making process enables them to feel more connected, and as such, pay more attention to their oral health because they have more skin in the game. But it’s more than simply the discussion of treatment modalities that enables Liebman to develop a connection with her patients.

“I’m a mom,” she explains, referencing that she treats patients as young as age 7. “I’m a previous patient. I’m a worker. I’ve filled all the roles. So it does give me the ability to understand where they’re coming from, be able to communicate with them, and understand the unique challenges at any age.”

That’s a unique platform from which Liebman can communicate. And she uses it to foster a two-way street, where she feels there’s something she can learn from any of her patients, regardless of age. The resulting chemistry, if you will, creates a great sense of comfort and ease when patients are in the office.

“The more time you take with them and the more sense and sensibility you convey to them that you’re truly understanding of what their issues are, there isn’t anything that’s dismissed,” Liebman says. “I think the biggest gift I can give them is to make them feel like they are heard and listened to. And then we’ll go together and we’ll figure out a way to go through it.”

Liebman acknowledges there are ways to teach people to become and more empathic listeners, but for her the skill has always been intuitive. She credits the ability to putting a level of importance on what others have to say.

“If you value that, you’re going to want to hear their perspective,” she says. “It’s important, but it’s not anything I have to consciously work towards. It’s just a part of who I am.”

Communication, Liebman says, is important in every walk of life. So it’s not like she turns it on or off when she enters or leaves her practice. More so, it’s something that carries over into the office from her normal day to day.

“People are receptive to that,” Liebman says. “In this day and age, it may be in short supply. When people realize they can be in an office where they’re doing the best for their teeth, for their oral health, for their smiles, and actually have a caring office that listens to their concerns, I think they’re truly appreciative of it.”

While it may have been preordained for Liebman to forge a career in orthodontics, she has often thought about a career in the music industry. So it wasn’t surprising when she took up the drums about a year ago.

Why take up one of the loudest of all instruments?

“It’s just the rhythm of it,” Liebman explains. “I think drums are very underestimated. They keep the music going in a way that people don’t tend to appreciate necessarily. They perpetuate the melody in music.”

Not unlike how Liebman works to perpetuate that collaborative feeling between herself and her patients.

“Seeing the transformation and the difference you make in peoples’ smiles and their overall health, and a true blossoming of their self-confidence, that is absolutely the most gratifying part of the work I do.”

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Articles

Sue Liebman, D.M.D. involves patients in the decision-making process. A key step to not only making them feel comfortable, but may lead to better oral health outcomes.

Orthodontist Takes Collaborative Approach to Keep the Rhythm Going

	Dentistry has made a long, slow transition to the digital age over the last 20 years, but, that’s changing.

	Star Wars in the dental office? Well, not quite. But there’s no question current and future technology is moving in that direction. Though it has been a long time coming.

	Compared to other industries, dentistry’s transition to the digital age has been relatively slow. Brian Raskin, D.D.S., CEO of 

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, says sometimes things need to hit a critical mass before they start taking off.

	“You always have a small group of early adopters who like change, and they’ll dive right in,” Raskin says. “Digital x-rays came in around 1998, and I was one of the first on Long Island to do it. But it took 20 years for offices to really get into digital x-rays, and there are still some that don’t do it.”

	But there’s no denying how swiftly technology is advancing today.

	Raskin says the reason for the growth largely has to do with laboratories. Or more specifically, the challenge of finding trained lab techs. Those who know “old dentistry” don’t know digital, and vice versa.

	“The labs are turning over even faster than the dentists,” Raskin says. “To turn dentists over to digital, there’s still an investment they have to make.”

	That can be problematic. Raskin explains that older dentists don’t want to learn a new way of doing things. If they’re close to retirement, they’d rather put their money in the bank than spend $125,000 on new equipment.

	They also have to learn a new technique, as well as a new workflow. And sometimes the conceptual workflow is harder than doing things the way they always did. But there’s no question there are benefits.

	“You eliminate a lot of steps,” Raskin says. “You have increased accuracy. If you’re restoring a single implant crown, it’s two visits.”

	Going digital, the initial monetary investment aside, can have significant financial benefits to a practice. Raskin says at his practice, one of the problems they have, if you want to call it a problem, is that they’re so efficient they can produce more per operatory.

	“We do IV sedation in the office; so we’re doing sedation on patients, and having the ability to not have to get them back to finish their work is phenomenal,” he says. “So, the bottom line of a practice that’s working more efficiently is definitely improved. If you take three visits and turn it into one, you have two more visits you can treat somebody else.”

	Then, of course, you need to figure out how to market your practice in order to have enough bodies coming in to fill the hole opened up because you’re working more efficiently. That’s a good problem to have.

	But still, there are challenges. Raskin says he recently hired another dentist—he has about five working in the practice&mdash;and when he interviews the graduates from dental school he finds they had little to no exposure to digital.

	“Maybe it’s starting to change a little,” he acknowledges, “but the dental schools have so much to teach them and so little time that they don’t teach them digital dentistry.”

	Raskin recalls a recent interview conversation. He asked the young man if he had done any digital dentistry or cerecs. The young man replied, “Oh, sure.” When Raskin asked how many, he said, “Oh, not on patients.”

	“That doesn’t count,” Raskin says. “It’s a little different on a patient.”

	Raskin believes there are many ways trending technology will enhance dentistry and the patient experience in the coming years, including 3D printing, digital dentures, and computer-aided smile design. But for those dentists who are looking for a starting point down the digital road, he says get a scanner.

	“You have to start scanning cases and sending them to a good digital lab,” he says. “Start learning digital dentistry. Your techniques are different, and you have to be willing to understand that. You could take messy impressions in the past and get away with it, but you can’t get away with that digitally.”

	For example, Raskin explains, if there’s a little blood on an impression, it can be pushed away with the impression material. But a scan has to be clean.

	“You need to be a good technician if you’re going to do this.”

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The practice is not about the doctor, he says, it’s about the entire team, and the patient experience.

We hear the buzzwords all the time. Leadership. Culture. Chemistry. More often than not they’re attributed to a championship sports franchise. But how important are these concepts to a successful dental practice?

Very, says Igal Elyassi, D.D.S., founder and owner of the Los Angeles-based 

. And they become more important as the practice grows. Together with a dedicated staff and a well developed and maintained culture, he’s built a thriving multi-disciplinary practice where dentists, hygienists, technicians and office staff are committed to providing the best patient care.

“For a practice to be able to grow, it needs good leadership, it needs a good culture, and it needs good people,” Elyassi says. “And it starts from the top.”

Elyassi says he learned a lot during stints with the 

, one of the largest consulting firms for dentists in the country.

“They helped me understand and implement that mindset,” he says. “And my staff pretty much incorporates it on a daily basis.”

Elyassi stresses a team approach in his practice. He says not only works as a team, they also need to communicate as a team, and take care of patients as a team.

“Every time you have a newcomer, a new doctor, or new staff member, they need to be able to pretty much make sure that individual is integrated in the practice and be part of the team as well,” Elyassi says. “It’s a top priority for me to take care of my employees, so they can, you know, take care of my patients.”

Effectively communicating that throughout the practice is challenging. Elyassi says not everyone is able to absorb, or is willing to be part of, that philosophy. Part of his strategy, of course, is effectively communicating office goals and principles to his staff through ongoing meetings. But he also takes them to meetings and seminars to ensure his commitment to them, so that they make the commitment to the practice.

“Especially practice in Los Angeles,” he says. “We have employees from very diverse backgrounds. They come from different countries and different cultures. But the bottom line is what are our goals? You have to set goals as to what you want to achieve at the end of the day, at the end of the week, and at the end of the month.”

Elyassi believes there’s always room to grow and get better. To that end, he says it’s very important to have goals conversations. He says his staff has meetings and pretty much knows how to have that line of communication open so that, bottom line, they can provide the best customer service.

“Sometimes things happen,” he says. “It’s important to make sure they don’t happen again.”

That happens, Elyassi says, because his is a team practice. That’s why culture is so important. The practice is not about the doctor, he says, it’s about the entire team, and the patient experience.

“A lot of my employees have long days because the traffic is bad here,” Elyassi explains. “They could find jobs very close to their home. But establishing this culture, making it very professional so that they want to work here, gives them that motivation to come to work every day and grow as a person and a team.”

Wilshire Smile Studio is a multi-disciplinary practice. That means some days general dentists are present, and other days specialists are working with patients. That can make establishing and maintaining a winning culture challenging, but Elyassi says it also makes things more interesting.

“We are able to render most major dental services here in the practice,” he says. “We don’t have to refer patients, for the most part. We try to keep it here because patients don’t like to be passed from one office to another. Our goal is to give them the best possible dental care under one roof.”

That culture, Elyassi explains, can have a positive impact on the practice’s bottom line.

“It might not be reflected immediately,” he says, “but in the long run, it will definitely be reflected on the bottom line.”

Because when patients feel comfortable, when they feel they’re receiving the best possible care, they’re going to spread that feeling by word of mouth and through social media.

“You can’t pay someone enough to care, it has to come from within,” Elyassi says of the dedication to provide patients with the best possible experience. “It’s really about selecting the right team members to be able to establish that winning culture.”

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Carol Vander Stoep, RDH, BSDH, is not your average hygienist.

She is an advocate for change in dentistry and says it’s time to leave behind the simplistic decay theory “all of us” have embraced for too long. And it’s time for dentists and their patients to create a healthy life baseline that starts with the patient’s mouth.

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—and will shortly complete a video series designed to help dentists embrace a wider picture of whole body medicine, for which she believes dentistry plays a central role.

Yet she says her ascent into the field of dentistry was a bit serendipitous.

“I had been rambling around the University of Texas for about five years trying to figure out what I wanted to do,” she explains. “And hygiene was particularly suited for me, in that we really shouldn’t do repetitive things, or really small details at work—everything that defines a hygienist. But it just goes to show that you can make yourself do whatever it is.”

And Vander Stoep has done a good job of that.

Vander Stoep says that dental school trained dentists and hygienists to respond to symptomology, and to deliver reactive care. But more recently, both dentists and their patients are realizing that the mouth is the first line of defense when it comes to health. And patients increasingly want dentists and their staff to help them understand how to create a healthy life baseline that starts with their mouth.

 “My primary advocacy involves a win for everyone,” she says. “For patients, that means less decay and repeated tooth breakdown, and the significant ensuing future dental and healthcare costs that are sinking our healthcare system.”

 But she also advocates for more freedom for dentists. She says dentists know the healthcare model is changing, and that they can’t do what they’ve always done while continuing to be reimbursed in the same fashion. What she wants is for dentists to be able to spend less time on the production treadmill trying to stay financially afloat under what she says is a broken system.

“Many dentists sign up for 30 to 40 percent fee reductions,” Vander Stoep says. “How can a dentist keep up with family, their practice, and the latest in dental research and techniques? It has to be crushing. This neither serves their freedom to practice to their best level, nor does it serve their clients.”

Vander Stoep believes that the way for dentists to serve patients and keep them from future dental and healthcare expenditures while working less hard themselves depends on a different model that most dentists have yet to encounter.

 This model, she says, involves far more early, consistent, and repeatable diagnosis than dentists have been exposed to in dental school, as well as tooth-rebuilding techniques that honor engineering principles.

"When the possibility of early detection and minimally invasive techniques have bypassed our patients, there are wonderful techniques most dentists have not yet discovered that would serve our patients better,” she says.

 For example, she points to an increase in restorative failures as consumers are buying their way out of mercury-laden fillings. Why is that happening?

 “It’s because more resin fillings are done than ever before,” Vander Stoep says. “The problem lies with our dental schools, which are slow to catch up with the requirements of new materials. Many of these fillings begin to fail before your patients even walk out of the door as the weak bond leaks and the composite filling shrinks.”

Vander Stoep says she wrote her first book,

, because she felt the time given to patients during office visits to help them better understand the connection between their mouth and the rest of their body wasn’t enough.

 “[The book] is for the general population, to kind of understand how osteoporosis and smoking and oral cancer, and kidney problems and so on affects their teeth,” she says. “I’m just amazed at how fascinated the general public is with their oral cavity. They’re searching for answers, and having a hard time with it.”

 The book is a holistic guide to reducing inflammatory stress, and to healthy aging that Vander Stoep says can add years to a person’s life, as well as life to their years. She points to the “big aesthetic push” a while back where dentists were looking to aesthetics as a way to build their practices.

 “People were interested in that way before the selfie generation,” she says. “People are still interested in superficial stuff. But I would say there’s a large segment of the population who could care less about the aesthetics, and want to make sure their mouth is not leading to whole body disease.”

Vander Stoep says her life centers on outdoor activities. That includes body surfing in the ocean, kayaking, and backpacking. But what grounds her the most, she says, is nurturing “the sacred 4.5 acres in the Texas hill country” where she lives.

“The needs of plants including soil science, nutrition, and environment, run so parallel to human needs it sometimes staggers me,” she says.

 Nevertheless, she admits there’s very little time when she’s not thinking about dentistry.

 “I may not have come to dentistry through any overwhelming desire to be in this particular field, but the indefatigable curiosity and observational skills I was granted have served to serendipitously landed me in just the right place and time to do some real good,” Vander Stoep says.

Writing and advocating, she says, have put her in contact with creative and likewise curious mentors who have often researched and studied for decades how to untie the various knots currently encountered in the approach to dentistry.

“Had I had the confidence to train as a dentist decades ago, I wouldn’t have developed the broad perspective I have while still being grounded in the basic sciences underlying dentistry.”

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“You’re going in for a dental procedure, and the last thing you want is a group of unhappy people. You want the tone of voice to be warm, welcoming, professional and empathetic.” - Sharon Schweitzer

When the telephone rings in a dental practice, the goal should be to answer within two rings, and to sound professional and empathetic. But too often the importance of phone etiquette is overlooked, and that can leave callers, especially prospective patients, with a poor first impression of your practice.

How do prospective patients formulate their impression of your dental practice? It’s usually from an initial contact. And more often than not, that first contact occurs via a phone call.

But also more often than not, the importance of professional phone etiquette is overlooked.

Sharon Schweitzer, an international etiquette and modern manners expert, and founder of 

, says the initial phone call sets the tone for the first impression a caller has of your practice.

“If a potential patient calls for information about periodontics or other special procedure, and the person answering the phone is either unfamiliar with the procedure, doesn’t know the scope of the practice, or is not polite to the caller, that’s a sure way to lose that potential patient,” Schweitzer says.

Schweitzer says then when speaking on the phone, tone of voice sets the patient’s first impression of the practice. Is the tone warm and welcoming, or cold and dispassionate? It lets the caller know the type of culture that exists at the practice. What type of environment will they encounter when they come for their visit?

“You’re going in for a dental procedure, and the last thing you want is a group of unhappy people,” Schweitzer says. “You want the tone of voice to be warm, welcoming, professional and empathetic.”

Smiling helps. Schweitzer explains that the face has more muscles than any other part of the body. When you smile, 

 are released. These endorphins make you feel happier and less stressed. So smiling not only enhances your physical appearance, it has an invisible impact as well.

“We make phone calls and have people practice answering the phone,” Schweitzer says. “We do a run through with some of the toughest questions they may receive. It really makes a big difference.”

Schweitzer says that, when answering the phone, it’s critical to give the caller your full attention. Millennials, she points out, are the generation of multitaskers, so resist the urge to type that concluding sentence on your post or scan a new email while speaking on the phone.

“Many times, especially when patients give you specific information, if you don’t listen and write it down, it can become a real problem,” she says. “Maybe it’s an allergy to latex, or penicillin, or a heart condition that requires some prophylactic. We recommend that when you answer the phone, you’re not doing anything else.”

What about putting a caller on hold? Schweitzer recommends asking permission first. Simply ask, “May I please put you on a brief hold?” And then check back within 30 seconds. A minute at the most. And if you need to keep them on hold, ask if it would be more convenient for them if you phoned them back.

“That person may have another appointment, or another call coming in,” Schweitzer says. “The practice may only have two or three lines rolling over, so it’s not a good idea to let the phone continue ringing.”

It can be easy to assume that most people today are technology savvy, but that’s not always the case. Someone new to the practice might not be technologically competent with your specific phone system. Do they know how to transfer a call, place a call on hold, or retrieve a voicemail message?

“Those are things that need to be done during the first few days on a new position,” Schweitzer says.

She recalls a training session she conducted for a group of judges in Texas. They wanted different ways for the receptionist to be able to say, “The judge is not here.” They didn’t want it to sound like the judge was on vacation.

“We came up with 25 different ways to tell the caller the judge was unavailable,” she says. “You can apply the same approach to a dental practice.”

In addition, she recommends that every phone conversation end with a graceful goodbye. That means thanking the caller for their time, for their interest, or for confirming an appointment. You can practice closings like, “It was a pleasure to speak with you. Let me know if I can answer any additional questions.” Invite them to call back if they need anything else.

“And then wait until the caller has hung up in case there’s another question,” Schweitzer says. “Unfortunately, not everybody does that these days.”

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Phone Etiquette Establishes the First Impression of Your Practice

“Make people feel good, the hospitality end of it. That’s how I treat people in my practice. It’s like they’re coming to my house, so I take care of them.” - Robert DiPilla, D.D.S.

Kathie Lee Gifford, Wayne Gretzky and Sarah Ferguson. They all have at least one thing in common. They’ve all been patients of 

Robert DiPilla studied dentistry at the University of Detroit-Mercy, and shortly thereafter he was recruited to New York City, where he honed his skills that have focused, in part, on the patient experience. He calls it the “hospital end” of dentistry, which is all about helping people feel good. DiPilla still maintains an office in Manhattan, but today he focuses on the Detroit, Michigan, metropolitan area where his career began.

And it’s where he first caught the bug to pursue a career in dentistry.

“Growing up, I had an amazing orthodontist,” DiPilla recalls. “And he was like a conductor. He went around, told all his assistants what to do, and didn’t get his hands wet. And even at a young age I thought, that looks pretty good.”

 get his hands wet. And it’s his thirst for knowledge that earned him the nickname the “dentist’s dentist.”

DiPilla’s approach to his craft is to be the best. He likens himself to a junkie where continuing education is concerned.

“Anything that I do in my field, I always want to be the best,” he says. “I just like to be the expert.”

That mentality propelled DiPilla to teach at the University of Detroit-Mercy, School of Dentistry, his alma mater, as well as in New York. He built a reputation that fostered the aforementioned nickname from dentists countrywide.

“If they had a patient who was moving to Detroit, they would say, ‘You’ve got to go see this guy. He’s the guy who taught me,’” DiPilla says. “So, I was very fortunate. And it was very humbling.”

It also helped DiPilla earn his fourth consecutive 5 Star Diamond Award from the American Academy of Hospitality Sciences for the services he provides to his patients. He looks at the accomplishment as a reflection of him treating patients the way he would want to be treated.

“Most patients who come to the dentist, do they really want to be there?” he asks, rhetorically. “I always want to be treated a certain way if I’m in my doctor’s office. So, hospitality and the customer experience are very important to me.”

DiPilla was born and raised in Detroit, but says being recruited to work in New York by Larry Rosenthal, D.D.S., an acclaimed aesthetic dentist and founder of the 

“He was one of my mentors,” DiPilla says. “And for me, coming to New York City from the Midwest, it was a culture shock. And in that office, we had every celebrity, every CEO and business mogul. But Larry said to me, ‘They are the best in their field, and you are the best in your field. Just do what you do.’”

Why aesthetics? DiPilla says it was opportunity that pointed him in that direction. Being on the cutting edge of procedures that few oral health practitioners did “was amazing.” But then writing articles on the subject and teaching others what could be done took things to another level.

“It impacted not just patients’ lives, but also mine,” DiPilla says.

DiPilla believes that at the end of the day, everyone in life is blessed in some way, and as such, it’s important to give back when the opportunity presents itself. He has 22 doctors in his mentorship program, The Society of Comprehensive Dentists, where the focus is on elevating their knowledge to achieve a greater clinical level.

“My wife is originally from the Dominican Republic, and I’ve been going down there for the last five years,” he says.

DiPilla immerses himself in the community. He is affiliated with a local orphanage, and donates his time as well as products and services. At the end of the day, he says, it’s important to give more than you take.

“There are two things in life,” DiPilla explains. “You have to grow as a professional, and you have to contribute. This is part of our contribution.”

The path DiPilla took to a career in dentistry has turned out just fine. But what if that path had been blocked? He laughs at the prospect of what other avocation he might have chosen.

“I would open a restaurant, and I would be the front man,” DiPilla says. “I like people to feel good and comfortable. And if they have a good meal, everyone’s happy.”

That means a nice dessert following the meal, accompanied by a little espresso, and perhaps an after dinner cordial.

“Make people feel good, the hospitality end of it,” DiPilla says. “That’s how I treat people in my practice. It’s like they’re coming to my house, so I take care of them.”

He also takes care of his family. DiPilla has five children ranging in age from 17 to 1, and says most of his downtime is spent with them. However, he does enjoy playing tennis whenever he gets the chance.

DiPilla says one of his greatest pleasures is taking patients who are extremely nervous about visiting the dentist and helping them overcome their fears. One patient in particular, he recalls, was a prominent New York basketball player who was so afraid of going to the dentist he would repeatedly schedule and cancel appointments.

“One day he came to the office, and I brought him into my private office and just talked with him,” DiPilla says. “We talked about his career, my career, and then I said, ‘All right, we’re done for today.’”

No work. No procedures. Just planting a seed. And it worked.

“He’s an amazing patient now,” DiPilla says. “He’s very comfortable. Converting a patient from dental phobic to someone who comes in and is very comfortable, that’s the greatest joy I have in dentistry.”

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For Robert DiPilla, D.D.S., being a dentist is more than providing the right services to the best of your ability. It's also about practicing hospitality and welcoming in patients as part of your extended family.

	“The tone of their voice, the way [your staff] are attempting to diminish some of [the patient's] anxiety and fears is crucial." - Samuel Low, D.D.S.

According to a survey by Delta Dental Plans Association, only 25 percent of Americans are extremely satisfied with the health of their mouth, teeth and gums. So, why aren’t they going to the dentist more frequently?

Fear. And in most cases, it’s a deeply rooted fear tracing back to a negative childhood experience. Helping to ease these fears can benefit both patients and dental practices.

 include the fear of public speaking (glossophobia), and the fear of heights (acrophobia).

And while dentophobia, the fear of visiting the dentist, does not make the top ten list, a close cousin, trypanophobia, the fear of needles or injections, comes in at number five.

, who has treated patients ranging from newborns to his oldest patient who was 108, understands the two latter fears all too well.

“There is no doubt that the number one reason for anxiety in the dental chair is due to previous experiences as a child,” Low says. “It is crystal clear that those first impressions when a patient of any age sees a dentist have a critical sequela for the rest of their lives.”

Low says he sees patients’ fears virtually every day. It comes in the form of perspiration on the lip, agitation, wringing of the hands. He says patients will try to circumvent going to the dentist by ingesting a fair amount of medicaments so that they can “get through this” on their own.

 reveals that 85 percent of Americans believe that oral health is very or extremely important to their overall health.

Nevertheless, the same survey found that 42 percent of Americans don’t see a dentist as often as they would like. Low believes he knows why.

“We used to think it was financial considerations that kept patients out of a dental practice,” he explains. “But I would suggest that fear and anxiety is right up there with the financial aspect.”

And finances impact dentists as well. Low says that dentists lose money if a new patient exam does not convert to case acceptance.

“We spend a great deal of time on what we call loss leaders on a new patient exam,” he says. “If they don’t convert, or if they’re not compliant, we lose money.”

Low says it can be quite threatening when a patient first enters a dental operatory. A high-speed drill, radiology equipment, and a wide range of sharp tools are in close proximity. Then patients sit and wait for the dentist, all the time viewing those ‘threatening’ objects. Fears are heightened.

What some practices are doing when bringing patients in for a first visit is limiting that visit strictly to a consultation.

“Patients are brought into a very nice non-dental room with nice, overstuffed chairs, to make them comfortable,” he says. “If you have any type of available square footage in your facility, it’s well worth spending your time initially, even as a loss leader, to gain what you’re going to gain in production by having a solid, committed, compliant patient.”

And easing patient concerns should be a practice-wide culture. Low says one of the most critical people in a practice, and sometimes most overlooked, is the person who answers the phone. Because they are an extension of the dentist.

“The tone of their voice, the way they are attempting to diminish some of your anxiety and fears is crucial,” Low says. “So, even before the patient gets there, a calming voice, I care about you, is critical and preps them for the visit.”

Low says he conducts an extensive interview with new patients relative to their previous dental experiences. Were they positive? Were they negative? And he asks for specifics that can help he and his staff better manage the patient.

“And write it down,” Low stresses. “Many practices go through this litany of interviews but don’t actually record it. Because when our dental hygienists who weren’t in the room when the interview was originally conducted see the patient, they want to be able to refer back. If you’re not going to write it down, it’s probably not worth your time doing it.”

Back to trypanophobia, the fear of needles or injections. Low says getting that injection to numb areas of the mouth is one procedure in oral healthcare that patients detest.

“There is still an art to numbing,” he says, “and sometimes we’ve lost that art. Lost that ability to give numbing and have patients not feel it. That’s why it’s critical to identify these things at the very beginning so you can better manage patient concerns.”

Why aren't patients seeking dental care more often? It may have something to do with practices not addressing patient concerns before they walk into the office.

Take the Time to Address Patient Concerns

	Being able to watch those transformations, and have people tell me that it has changed their lives, is really special to me. I love being able to have that type of connection with people.” - Jill Wade, D.D.S.

Jill Wade was enrolled in medical technology studies at Texas Tech when it was suggested she pursue a career in dentistry since she loves working on puzzles, paint, and small detailed things. Bells went off, and Wade recognized it would be a perfect fit. A field where she could apply her innate ability to connect with people.

Jill Wade, D.D.S., M.A.G.D., is passionate about the Dallas Cowboys.

“Go boys,” is the first thing she exclaims after informing 

 practice is located in the “heart of Frisco, Texas.”

But that’s not all Wade is passionate about. She’s also passionate about her practice’s unique smile with heart program, which has grown the business substantially, and achieved recognition from Inc. 5000 as one of the fastest growing businesses in 2017.

That passion and drive is something Wade says has been present since her freshman year in high school.

Meet Jill Wade, D.D.S., M.A.G.D., a Dallas Cowboys fan and founder of her practice's smile with heart program, which earned recognition from Inc. 5000 as one of the fastest growing businesses in 2017.