T-bone Speaks Dentistry

Not enough dentists talk about the mental stresses of running a business.  I am going to try and do a regular segment called 'MENTAL DENTAL' - my wife is a psychiatrist.This episode is a LIVE from Facebook where we talk about Day 3 of Coronavirus SHUT DOWN!

No matter how excellent your services are or how experienced you are in your practice, if you and the customer can’t meet halfway with regards to price, it’s not a sale. You didn’t make money - instead, you just wasted both your time as well as the time of your customer.   How exactly should you lead your customer when the question of price comes up?  In today’s episode, I discuss how to properly train your team when it comes to dealing with the question of “how much?” I share the reasons why your people are your #1 product in your dental office and explain how to properly end a conversation with a potential customer, whether on the phone, on social media, or at the front desk. I also share examples of price options you can offer to your customers.  "The number one product in every office is the people." This week on T-Bone Speaks Dentistry Podcast: ●      What you can do when someone asks for the price. ●      Defining the number one product in your office. ●

Let's have a honest discussion about how the current Coronavirus pandemic is affecting our dental business, fears that exist with team members, fears with patients, and lessons we can learn for future.

In any dental practice, adding new services like implants means you can add more variety to the type of work your patients want. Regardless of what that service is, merely having it available will attract more patients, right? Unfortunately, that’s not always the case. So, how exactly do you get more patients to walk through your practice doors?  How do you convince your old and new patients that they should try implants? In today’s episode, I share some of the more practical ways of marketing your new services to old and new patients. I discuss why a simple sign can beat any form of marketing when it comes to ROI. I explain why you shouldn’t always try any service you see, even if you don’t like it. I also share how a typical conversation would go when your sign marketing works. "Nothing works better than signage; it’s the best return of investment." This week on T-Bone Speaks Dentistry Podcast: The internal and external ways of getting more patients. Marketing recommendations when adding new procedu

Megan Weisenberger is a General Dentist and owner of Weisenberger Dental in Cincinnati, Ohio, a Family and Cosmetic Dentistry practice that makes use of advanced technology for various services. She is an active member of the American Dental Association, the Ohio Dental Association, and the American Academy of Facial Aesthetics, among others. Megan received her DMD from Case Western Reserve University School of Dental Medicine in 2010. In today’s episode, Megan describes how she runs her practice, her vision and goals, and what she wants patients to experience when they come for her services. She explains why she’s hesitant when it comes to expanding and scaling her practice and discusses some of the fears and challenges she faced when she was starting out. Megan also shares how her tech purchases helped patients come back to their clinic and how social media helps her promote her practice. "It’s so easy to stay in your comfort zone. You need someone to push you out of it." - Megan Weisenberger This week on T

One of the most underrated aspects of becoming a business owner is knowing how much you pay yourself. More than just the monthly salary, paying yourself stretches until the years beyond retirement age. It’s all too easy to get caught up in the race to show everyone how successful we are by flaunting how much money we can spend, sacrificing our financial freedom in the process. How do you calculate how much money you’ll need by the time you can’t legally earn it anymore? In today’s episode, I share the different phases of financial freedom. I explain how to calculate your practice’s ideal monthly or annual income as well as how much you should pay yourself. I discuss a variety of factors involved in tackling retirement money and knowing how much you need to maintain your lifestyle at 40 by the time you reach 60. I also explain how I personally solved my retirement fund numbers and how much I plan to have by the time I retire. "The person who can't fund a retirement doesn't have a time issue; they have a money

It doesn’t matter how credible you are or the number of hi-tech devices you use in your practice if your patients can’t afford your services. Explaining in detail how much they need a procedure would amount to nothing if their current financial situation isn’t amicable to what you’re offering. This is where having flexible in-office payment plans come in, and I’ll talk about them via the Dental Hacks podcast. In today’s episode, I wear the hat of the guest and share my thoughts on in-office payment plans. I discuss why practices should always have flexible payment options and how business owners can benefit from them. I explain how to avoid situations where the patient fails to pay for your services and what you can do about it if they do fail to pay. I also share how you can determine your risk tolerance for flexible payments and how to maximize your working hours to become more profitable. "If you'd like to do more of the dentistry you want to do versus more of the dentistry you're forced to do, looking at

Hollie Bryant is a passionate speaker, coach, writer, and owner of Bryant Consultants, one of the country’s leading dental consulting groups. As a consultancy, they provide customized systems, guidance, and personalized team training and coaching. Hollie has over 15 years of experience in neuromuscular and cosmetic dentistry. She is also a member of the American Academy of Dental Office Managers and Academy of Dental Management Consultants among other organizations. In today’s episode, Hollie and I discuss some of the issues my practice has encountered over the past year and some possible solutions. She explains what it means to replace yourself and not just what you do. She discusses some of the ways she can help me keep my personal life intact without sacrificing how I run my practice. Hollie also describes some of the ways we can improve efficiency without overhauling our system. "Everybody has something to report." - Hollie Bryant This week on T-Bone Speaks Dentistry Podcast: My dental practice perform

Dr. Sully Sullivan is a dental speaker, dentist, and the host of the Millennial Dentist Podcast. He is a fourth-generation dentist residing in Nashville, Tennessee, and currently manages a practice together with his father. Having learned the benefits of clinical diversity, he invested in adding more dental services to an already established business such as third molar extractions, adult orthodontics, and soft tissue grafting. Sully earned his DDS from The University of Tennessee Health Science Center. In today’s episode, Sully shares the importance of clinical diversity in dental practices and how it benefits both you and your patients. He describes the core fundamentals in dentistry and why any practice will succeed if you stick with the fundamentals. Sully also explains how he expanded his practice’s services and how he discovered the link between sleep apnea and dental health. I then share what you can expect from the upcoming NEXT Seminar. "Wherever you are in your practice, whatever type of dentistry y

TBS171 - Getting Over A Professional Divorce with Jen Kirwan Jen Kirwan is the owner of The Smile Center, a dental practice in Kansas that offers services in cosmetic and general dentistry. The practice was founded in 2004, originally as a partnership with a local pediatric dentist until Jen eventually took over as its sole owner. Before becoming a full-time dental professional, Jen enlisted in the Army and served four years of active duty as well as four years of reserve duty. She obtained her Doctorate of Dental Surgery from Creighton University School of Dentistry in 2000. In today’s episode, Jen shares how she found her passion for dentistry, her experience working in a partnership, and why the partnership eventually dissolved. She describes what it’s like to transition from a partnership to a solo practitioner type of practice and explains some of the financial setbacks she experienced while re-establishing her practice. Jen also discusses some of the lessons she’s learned from what she experienced and w

Lauren Powers is a digital marketing expert and the Marketing Development Manager at Microsite Health. Microsite Health is a digital marketing solutions company that caters to healthcare providers. Some of their services include a tailored website, patient-conversion training, and software tracking. Lauren has over 15 years of experience helping businesses grow their brands through lead conversion and high retention rates. Beyond digital marketing, she is also a fitness coach with over 10 years of experience. In today’s episode, Lauren discusses the various ways you can get new leads and convert them through digital marketing. She describes the importance of building a team that knows how to answer phone calls and how to empathize with clients. She shares some ideal responses to customer questions and what to do once they walk in for a consultation. Lauren also discusses payment options, what it means to create value for your high-end services, and how you can compete with other practices. "Once you get them

Ravi Agarwal is a full-time, board-certified Oral & Maxillofacial Surgeon at MedStar Hospital Center. He fulfilled his degree in dentistry at the University of North Carolina School of Dentistry before moving to MedStar for his residency program. He specializes in corrective jaw surgery, facial trauma treatment, and jaw deformity repairs. His clinical approach emphasizes on the use of 3D treatment planning and makes each patient’s treatment unique and individualized. Ravi also makes use of tissue engineering techniques to conduct reconstructive procedures without needing to harvest the patient’s bone or tissue. In today’s episode, Ravi and I will discuss what it’s like growing up as siblings and how we influenced each other’s professional growth. Ravi describes what made him pursue a career in oral surgery and what makes his practice different from mine. He explains some of the issues he encounters in his practice that overlaps with dentistry. Ravi also shares how he deals with sleep apnea and the technol

Dr. Brian McGue is the owner of McGue Dental, a practice in Chesterton, Indiana that offers General and Cosmetic dentistry services such as dental crowns, bridges, fillings, whitening, and implants. He has accumulated over 1,000 hours of dental education post-dental school. Brian was also awarded the Fellowship Award from the Academy of General Dentistry, an award handed to less than 5% of dentists in the United States, for the hours he accumulated as well as passing a rigorous written examination over all areas of dentistry. In today’s episode, Brian shares why every practice should consider offering oral sedation to their patients. He describes why patients hesitate taking oral sedation and ways to remove patient doubts. He explains some of the benefits of oral sedation from both the dentist’s and the patient’s perspectives. Brian also discusses the certifications you need to be allowed to offer oral sedation services. "The psychology behind sedation is not necessarily the dosage; it's how you present that.

Rachel Wall is the Founder & CEO of Inspired Hygiene, a hygiene coaching and speaking business aimed at providing webinars, coaching, and mastermind groups to improve dental practitioner’s profits. Much of her wisdom is drawn from over 20 years of experience as a hygienist and practice administrator. Rachel offers various coaching systems such as Elevate, a 12-month in-office coaching program that seeks to improve services, systems, and profitability - and Kick Start Coaching, a 4-month in-office coaching program designed to help teams begin their hygiene services and productivity. In today’s episode, Rachel discusses just what it’s like to run a practice as a hygienist. She explains what her Hygiene Schedule Engineering is about and shares how to properly manage schedules to make way for both new and emergency patients. She discusses some of the intricacies in hygiene compensation models, what worked well for her practice, and what has worked in other practices. Rachel also describes some of the ways you

Ivan Chicchon is a practicing dentist, lecturer, and trainer for dental implant procedures. He is commonly referred to as the Implant Ninja, the nickname he uses all over his social media handles. He came from a family of dentists, which greatly influenced not just his career path but also his entrepreneurial spirit. His entrepreneurial spirit led him to author The Implant Ninja: All-on-X Handbook, a step-by-step guide on treatment planning, implants, digital workflow, and prosthetics. Ivan earned his DDS from the University of the Pacific, Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry, and his MSc in Prosthodontics from the University of Michigan. In today’s episode, Ivan joins me to discuss what it’s like to be the Implant Ninja and share his trade secrets in amassing an excellent social media following. He describes what it’s like to hail from a family of dentists, the early challenges he encountered as a professional, and how he manages to get leads from Instagram and Facebook. He explains the need for professiona

The success of any dental practice relies heavily on attracting, motivating, and keeping the right team members. It doesn’t matter how many MBAs you have or the number of dental practice management books you’ve read, if your team is ill-equipped to handle the business flow you aim to sustain, your practice will fail. Do you know if your current team is the right team? How do you keep them motivated to go to work every day? In today’s episode, Meredith and I share the different ways to attract, motivate, and keep team members in your practice. We discuss the importance of having a sense of work flexibility and how to apply them individually. We explain how you can motivate team members to become better than what they’re capable of. We also describe some of the reasons why you should update your office at least every five years and discuss how you can talk to your team members regarding bonuses and other incentives. "We have to accept people for where they're at. At the same time, we also have to challenge them

Ross Nash is an international lecturer on esthetic dentistry. He is one of only 80 accredited fellows in the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry, a recognition presented to dentists of extraordinary skill and experience in esthetic and cosmetic dentistry. Ross is also the owner and one of the head instructors at The Nash Institute, an organization that provides world-class continuing dental education programs that have students from all over the world. Ross joins me today to share his passion for esthetic dentistry and why he’s not going to let his age stop him from helping other dentists succeed. He describes his life growing in the 80s and the experiences he acquired that allowed him to become interested in being a dentist. He explains why he shifted from strictly practicing dentistry to mentoring and coaching. Ross also discusses his thoughts on the importance of specialization in an industry that wants you to be good at everything. "Find the part of dentistry you love and focus on it. You don't have to

I want to make sure I don't miss a week and wasn't quite ready with a planned episode (they are already recorded but I didn't have everything ready to release). So instead I'll be giving you an update on what's going on in my life and practice and the future episodes of the podcast for the remainder of 2019.--- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/tbonespeaks/message

Sandy Pardue is a lecturer, author, and the Director of Consulting at Classic Practice Resources. She has over 26 years of dental practice management, especially on seminar presentations for dental staff training, and has been named a Leader in Dental CE and Consulting for over 11 years by Dentistry Today Magazine. She specializes in being a hands-on consultant for all areas of dental practice management, which include scheduling, insurance, and office manager training. Sandy joins me to discuss some of the missed opportunities in practices and how dental practice owners should address them. She describes some of the vital parts of a typical practice, the common mistakes dentists make with their front office and potential solutions that can positively impact your revenue. We discuss lead generation strategies, the dangers of using automation in your practice, and how it can impact your patient retention. Sandy also shares her best advice to practitioners who want to succeed in running a dental practice. "Miss

Lyndsay McCaslin is the proud owner of Expressions Dentistry, a dental practice in the Palm Harbor, Florida area. Expressions Dentistry offers cosmetic and dental services including cleanings, whitening, crowns, and dentures. She has an illustrious academic background, being active in the National Honors Society, Alpha Epsilon Delta, and the American Student Dental Association, Kappa Delta sorority. She obtained her DMD in General Dentistry from the University of Kentucky. Lyndsay joins me today to share her passion for dentistry and why she decided to pursue a career in the dental industry. She describes her early career, how the Crash of 2008 affected her, and how she got back up to start a dental practice. We discuss the idea of working extended days and hours and its benefits to your practice. We also discuss procedures and processes and how you can streamline them in your practice. "If you do right by your patients, they're going to do right by you." - Lyndsay McCaslin This week on T-Bone Speaks Dentistr